Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-08-29
TALES AND TRADITIONS
OF the First Settlement and Early
History
OF UPSHUR CoUNIYS METROPOLIS.
How and bY Whom the Town Of Buckhannon
was Laid 0ut-TratS ard Char
aCters of the Early
Citizens.
Special Correspondence Of the REGISTER.

butkHANNON, August -i.-lne GrJunQ on
which the town of BuckhannUn now
stands was originally embraced in tract
Of land granted by letters patent to Eliza.
beth Jackson. Her maiden name was Cum.
Minis, from the city of London, and she
married John Jackson, and they were the
ancestors OF the numerous Jackson family
OF Western Virginia. Tradition says that
she was woman OF imperious will and of
great muscular strength. In the language
OF the primitive inhabitants, she is de.
sclibed as being the gray horse OF the
team" and perhaps it was owing to this
fact the land grant was issued in her name
rather than that of her husband. Illus
trating
Her Muscular Power,
there is still story eXtant among the old
InAaDltunts that on wager she stood with
her feet in half bushel measure and
raised a sack of corn containing three
bushels from the ground and threw 1t across
the back OF a horse. The man from whom
she won the wager was a poor man, and
true 10 the generosity of her nature .he
gave back the three bushels she had Won
from him and two more in addition.
The land was conveyed by her to one
Robert Patton, Of Fredericksburg, Va, who
held it for number of years. In 1918
Patton conceived the idea of laying out
town site on the BuckhannOn river and
Benjamin Rteder acting as attorney in
fact for Patton, did in that year lay of "a
square containing thirty town lots, aud at
Il public sale succeeded in selling eighteen
Of the lots So laid oil. Subsequently Pat
ton sold his lands 10 Jasper Ward and Ne
hemiah HruSh jointly, and in a deed Of
partition among lhrm the BuckhannOn
Si.e fell to Ward. W.O in lN2O sold his IN. |
terest to Dauiei IaILswOrlh OF the State vi |
New York.
In ISL DaniI Farnsworth built
The FIRST H0use
in Buckhanuon,a a hewri log st. ac,ure wh:ch |
VAS luilt on lui No. -, aud which IS V
standing and occupied by grandson OF the |
first settler C( the town. FJr some years
afterward the town size was cnCln"cd Ia
lie farming district % Fareuswor,h'S pOas
eSsions ara virtually became eX'inc,. At
1 later period sore Of the original lot bold.
erS began TO rrsureCt their utlcs to the !
|. WI rope ty, and, Mr.. Farnsworrh max. |
ing no Ohi~T-On. new survey OF the town |
was made by Agusus Sexton, and the plat |
according TO his survey, was established. |
Such is the hister Y of the founding OF
The town took its name from the river.
And one trsdjliOn is that the river was
named from two brothers by the name OF !
Buchanan, who came into the settlement |
NJ an early day They were Psnnsylva. |
mans and probably related TO the late Pres |
ident Buchanan, and that n change in |
spelling the name was made by Dr. Pin |
nell, who drafted the bill creating the |
county OF CPshur. Another story is that |
the river was named by an Irish hunter, |
who, true to his native brogue, and wish.
ing to associate his fayOrite sport OF killing |
he wild deer with the sweet poetry OF his |
mother tongue, christened it Buck Han
""Tae frat settlers came to ills valley in
l7C9 the same year that the first White set
tiers penetrated the Greenhrier valley
There is now standing an old orchard Of |
apple trees, on the lot where Daniel Farms.
worth built the first house and 1t was
fulI grown orchard in 1920 and one OF |
the trees then and still bears the name Of
The Granny Fink Tree,
It is probable that the orchard was planted |
by The Fiuks, who came ont with the iIrSt |
settlers.
The first church built in the Buckhan.
non settlement was q rude log structure, |
which stood Just beyond the present |
southern limits of the town, on the |
French Creek road. II was built by the
Methodist denomination, and year or
two later the BaptistS erected similar one
on a site just beyond the LreSent northern
limits Of the town. The Methodist circuit |
rider and the Baptist missionary are always |
found in the van OF the advancing tide ol
civilization.
The Methodist church was better known |
as the "Carper Meeting House" Joseph |
Carper, or "Father Carper,' ninisterei to |
the spiritual wants Uf the little flock for |
many yeas and an old inas5itant de- |
.cribes him as
Tno Most Powerful Nan In Prayer
. % l.erl, unless il was his negro |
,pn. who was afterwards li5Ur- |
/ sent as an evangelist To Liberia. |
.frs,i - Carper was the son Of Abram Gas
prr v bo marr' d Harness from the south |
Branch, and was a halter by trade. Ills |
wife, in q demcnted fit, strayed oil from |
home one cold November day, and although |
a dilicent search was made by the enure |
settlement nothing was known ol her iate
until the following summer when her bones
were found on the banks Of French Creek, |
her body having been devonred by wolves.
Gen. Henry Westfdll, one Of
The Oldest Living Inhabitants
of this valley, and who Is 4 perfect ency-
cIopedia of legends connected with the |
primitive history Of this county, tells an
nncCdote associated with the Carper meet |
ing house worth repeating.
ueury Camden, the father OF Judge |
Gideon d. Camden. of CIsrisburG, was
Iucal preacher in the Methodist Church.
At one time there was great revival IN
progress at the Cape Meeting House, and
Brother Camden came up from BraNion 10
assist in the services. He was preaching,
and the revival spirit rose to such pitch
Il, IL ,lj uag with the |
excitement, and right in the midst OF his
discourse sank baCn into his seat perfectly |
exhausted. His wife, who sat in the pulpit
with him, Immediately arose, and taxing
M the discourse just where her husband |
lett off,
Finished the Sermon
IN one of the most elective pulpit Efforts
ever listened to by the pioueer fathers.
Such was the stuff that our mothers IN
Israel were made OF. Her maiden name
IVES Sprir-. and she came from Maryland.
The man street OF the town was once
fsvorite racc course: cleared out in the
midst OF forest, 1t made an elegant track
for horse rsciI &.
The first store opened in the village was
owned by Waldo and Nathan Con- and the
first blacksmith shop was owned by Isaac
Fsrnsworth, who made the Yankee axe,
a celebrated manufacture OF that Day
Major Farms worm lhuOF ehOp was 'Ie
frsI frame building erected in town. II
wes rsinted white and was the wonder and
admiration OF the good country folk who
came to town to trade.
Harrison county proposes to
Celebrate Its Centennial
next year. and all the counties thai were
nnIe |, ended within its original territory
are invited to pa ic pate. Upsbur county
vii! have an important part as the hrst
whi,e sett ement OF this part OF the Monon-
geh. Ia ctiun was made here.
Would il not be a good idea in each
county to form branch association OF our
S.sta Historical Society, in order u gather
Ind nrtsrrye IN permanent form the early
history of our people? | make this sng'
q. sIion with the hope that it may eaten
the EYE eye Of the president aud off .srs OF the
State Historical Society aud that they
mgy take steps % grant charters 10 su2e