Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1884-05-03
Historical! scraps.-In 1851 the a

Historical! Scraps.-In 1851 the an
cestors of Lord Fairfax obtained from
Charles the Second, King of England, all
the land lying between the head springs
of the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers,
thence to Chesapeake bay. These rivers
were then supposed to rise cast of the AL
leghany mountains, but when Lord Fair
fax found otherwise lie got the king to APP
point commissioners to mark his western
boundary rs others were obtaining grants
within FairfaX's limits, west of the noun
tans. These commissioners followed the
Potomac river to lbs head spring and
planted what is known as the "FairfaX
Stonc," October II, 174G, away back
among the western ridges of the Allegha-
MES, and from there ran 4 line to the
head spring OF the Rappahannock, where
by Fairfax gained eight counties more to
his immense tract, making in all twenty
counties or onc-fourth Of all Virginia.
Maryland claims that these commissioners
should have followed the south branch of
the Potomac instead of the north branch,
but as the north branch was % poles wide
and the south branch but lG, they very
naturally concluded that the former was
the main stream. This was settled by Il
proper tribunal and accepted rs the bOun-
Diary for 100 years, hence Maryland's
claim is useless and vain. Lord Fairfax
moved to this valley in l745 and opened
his land office, "Grecnway Court" near
the present town of White Post, II miles
southeast of Winchester. The English
king thought the country would be settled
up more quickly by making these grants
to individuals who eXertcd themselves 10
induce the people to move in and settle.
Lord Fairfax sold his land at 10 or 10 cents
an acre, or leased it for long terms at two
shillings per hundred acres, which
brought him immense sums. He also laid
which he sold out later at much higher
prices, such rs South Branch and Patterson
Creek manors. Lord Fairfax died in 1881,
soon after the surrender Of CORVALLIS. 1t
der of CORVALLIS and his army, he called
to his servant to assist him to bed saying,
cit is time for me TO die" George Wash
ington had been a surveyor for him OH his
big estate, working at 81 day while SUR
veying and getting SO or 81 when not ac-
lively engaged at work. In this work The
Father of his Country spent his earlier
days.
The first settlers in this county came
from York, Pa, in 1872. Sixteen families
crossed the Potomac two miles above Har-
per's Ferry and finding no timber in JEFF
ferson, went up the Opequon and settled,
where they found some timber. What Is
now Jefferson county was prairie coun-
try, with grass so high that the early set
tiers say they could tie it before them sit
ting on horseback. The Indians burned
this grass every year, which destroyed
the young timber, till the white man
moved in and checked it. Buifaloes, clks
and deer lived in abundance on this grass.
In 1854 the Indians left the valley and
moved west of the mountains. There had
been peace % years previous, and this was
considered suspicious by the whites, and
sure enough the Indians began plundering
and numbering soon after. The whites had
taken steps to protect themselves, how
ever, and only those on frontiers were
killed.
The country between the Shenandoah
and Potomac rivers was Il battle-ground
even before the white man came. The
Delawarcs on tie Susquehanna, aud the