The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1878-08-10
AN OLD TINE RELIC.
An Interesting Letter from! tho Late
..s Governor johnson.
Bs:DaEroEr, W. Va.
Ean.s.k. A.l. hpEE


DEAR Sin:-Iheve delayed replying
70 yours Of The 1st inst, in which you
make several inquiries, and desire to
be furnished with any ether fucts III
my possession connected With the carly
history Of Lewis county. might re.
Ter to the records Of the County COur,
10 refresh my memory. This, how
ever, have not had tinc nor cppor.
tunity to do; br. least ! weary your
patience by longer delay, | will give
you such facts connected with the sub.
icct Of your ENQUIRIES as my means
(Which arc Lcfcc,ireI will enable inc
TO do. The material thus furnished
must be very 'rccgcr, and 1 lcar will
prove entirely Unsatisfactory. The act
establishing the county CT Lewis vas
not, as ycu sapposc, passud at the scs-
sion Of 1915, when ! was q member,
but the session OF 1slG.I7. when Dr..
L. i. jackson aud Colonel John
McWhOrtcs represented this county. I
we'll rcccIlcct ,hct il tic spring of
1915, after my return frcm Norfolk. l
was for the Er5t tine elected to the
Legislature in the spring of 1916. |
declined . reelection, and actively
supported Colonel John McWhortGr,
who was elected and served with DR.
L. B. jackson, who had served with
mo the previous session. 70 them, and
not to me, belongs the credit for the
creation Of the new county in tic
spring Of 1915. canyassed llarrisaa
pretty thoroughly, and particularly
that part Of it which now constitutes
Lewis and Upshur counties. st that
time the population Of those sections
were quite SparsI-thc settlements be-
ing principally confined to the West
Fork and BurkLannoa rivers, aud the
creeks cmptyiug into tkem-thc cc:tle-
mcnts at EuckLauaoa being much
older and larger than that III the vi
cinity CT where Weston now stands.
Tho people lived very plainly. Their
improvements generally, if not always.
consisting Ofa log cabin and few
acres Of cleared land. They depend.
ing, to great extent, on their rifle for
food yet they took a lively interest in
the election. The atteud aucc at the
polls was quite rs good as now, al.
though it required with many three
days to attend the polls and return to
their homes.
It mny not be out of Place to add
TINT it wasiu the spring Of 1915 that
tho old veteran John prunty was
turned out. Who lad represented the
county of Harrison for twenty-five
consecutive years. lie was honest aud
truthful. at the time Of tho creation
Of tho ucw county, Henry Flcshor
owned the flrm on which Weston row
stands.
Some time rftCr the passage Of
the act, two other gentlemen, with
myself, purchased said farm
from Elcshcr. And when the
Commissioners came to locate the
rouuIy' scat, they selected our farm
and Immediately after, in 1877, we
aid OF! the tcwH Of Weston. Collins
settlement, on the West Fork, was
hen frontier. As regards the
Congressional District, by whom
represented. etc., would state that in
1901 | came to the place where l now
'csidc, aged ouly II ycrt5; but re.
that George Jackson, 0!
Harrison ccruty, vas then in Con.
,Eess. Ills sou, John G. jackson,
ucecclel lin in 1903, aud repre-
catcl this District, Lewis, then Il
art Of Harrison county, till 1909.
William McNiuIy. Of Ohio county,
cpFcscnted the Dis;ris; from 1909 till
.Sll Thomas Wilson, Of MOrougalis,
rom 1911 till 1915; John G. jack
gu again, from 1918 till 1915, when
&C was appointed Judge Of the Federal
out; James riula.I, Of Harrison,