Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1878-04-23
Abingdon In the Days Agona.
wolf Creek 90 Years Ago.
T NGHsjeF (. !

On the farm next below the Me
Chesuey farm We find Cbss. {. Bal
four, the very prince OF good fellows,
& h0 owned the fSFIn now owned and
occupied by Capt Milton White. Mr.
BaliCur owned decidedly the best
farm en the creek, but not satisfied
with doing we'll. he snd Cspt Viii
liam X. TTI2. erected Z large building
for the purpu-e of operating n cotton
spinning establishment This proved
10 be AL air castle, and, like its preGe
cessoTs ia this line Of hu-iHees, fell
through. Mr.. BH!four WAS gentle
man Of good address aud had many
warm friends. His family, Ell deugh-
ters, were Of more than ordinary beau
Is aud intelligence. Several years af-
ter THE Mr. Bslfour sold his farm sud
removed to Tennessee. The house
huiit by MIR. Baifour is now operated
by Capt. Milton White as Touring
mill.
Next below on this stream lived Mr..
James Vance, fsther OF Capt. James
Vance. Mr. Vance was decidedly the
beat farmer on the creek. Connected
with his farm he operated e first-class
saw and grist mill just here the
creek running 10y Abingdon forms q
junction with Wolf Creek, and the
two form the mill-pOnd, giving Mr..
Vance decided advantage in the way
of water-p0wer over all the establish
ments above him. We do not hesitate
TO say that Mr.. Vance made saving
more profitable than has any other
man that ever lived in the county, his
mill st that day being the only one iD
essy reach of Abingdon aud was
largely instrumental in furnishing the
material for building up Abingdon
Mr. Vance was a good citizen and
most successful business man. He
Wxs particularly well informed in mat
ter of history, eccentric, and good
Judge Of human nature, 1t is said he
never refused man credit whose pam
talnons were well worm on the thigh
aud front, bus woe TO the man who
asked for credit if his pants Were worn
out in the rear. On the upper end of
this farm, once the farm of Capt.
White, some time prior to that Of
which l am writing, Mr.. Rush, the
father Of the late jerry Rush. while
telling q large walnut tree. for the pur-
pose OF obtaining Eun-stOcks, wss kill
ed by the fall of the tree. Mr. Vance
raised quite q numerous family, seve-
raj of whom are still living in the
county On this farm, not far from
where the mill now stands, q Mr..
Swingle once operated forge for the
purpose of making iron and nails. A
little lower down the creek, in what is
called the gap of the knobs, lived an
irishman named CouRlly Cnchrsne,
uho owned g little tumble down rat
tie trap of mill. Mr.. COehrsne re-
mOV ed, near 40 years ago, to Memphis,
where two OF his sons succeeded well
ss business men, accommodating fine
estate.
This closes our history Of Inc citi-
zens living 81 that time on Wolf
Creek, and I csn in ati truthfulness
say that q more hOspitsble and pleas
ant community never lived in any
county, living together In the utmost
coTdi3lity aud visiting each other
without that ceremony aud formslity
that is now the order of the DAY.
l vill rOw attempt to supply an in
ternediate link connecting the creek
with Abingdon, and other matters of
which We were personally eOgniZant,
and Of Others As we learned them from
the older citizens. About this time
nearly every person living on the
creek owned and worked quite a num-
Der Of negroes. When the fall season.
arrived and the corn ready TO husk
il wRs as a general thing hUsked 1T
night, and the hands from the differ
emf farms collected after dark, and
such q scene Of uprOaT, noise aud en-