Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1885-12-11
HISTORY OF THE VALLEY
CHAPTER III.

FIRST SETTLEMENT OF iiE NAhLHi'
In the year 1732, Joist Hite, with
his family, and his sons.in'law, viz :
George Bowman, Jacob Chrisman
aud Paul Froman, with their faml-
lies, Robert Mckay, Robert Green,
William Duff, Peter Stephens, and
several others, amounting in the
whole TO sixteen families, re-
moved from Pennsylvania, cut
ting their road from York, and
crossing the Cohongoruton about
two miles above Harper's Ferry
Hite settled on the Opequon, about
five miles south OF Winchester, on
the great highway from Winches'
ter to Staunton, now the residence
of the highly respectable widow OF
the late Richard Peters Barton,
ESQ.,, and also the residence OF
Richard w. Barton, Esq. Peter
Stephens and several others set
tied at Stephensburg, and founded
| the town; Jacob Chrisman at what
is now called Chrisman's spring
about two miles south of Stephens
burg; Bowman on Cedar Greek
about six miles farther south anC
Froman on the same creek, 8 or
miles north west of Bowman
Robert Mckay settled on Crooked
run, s or Q miles southeast o
Stephensburg. The several othel
families settled in the same neigh
borhood, wherever they could fine
wood and water most convenient
From the most authentic iniorma
ton which the author has beer
abe to obtain, Hite and his party
were the first immigrants who set
tied west of the Blue ridge. They
we're, however, very soon followed
by numerous others.
In 1884, (a) Benjamin Allen,
Riley Moore, and William White
removed from Monoccacy, in Mary
land, and settled on the North
branch of the Shenandoah, now in
the county of Shenandoah, about
70 miles south of Woodstock.
In 1888, Jacob Stover, An enter.
prising German, obtained from the
then governor of Virginia, a grant
for five thousand acres of land on
the South fork of the Gerando (bI
river, on what was called Mesin-
ettO creek. (c)
Tradition relates a singular and
amusing account OF StOver and his
grant. (d) On his application to
the executive for his grant, he was
refused unless he could give salts
factory assurance that he would
have the land settled with the
requisite number Of families
within given time. Be
ing unabl to do this, be forthwith
passed over to England, petitiOned
the king to direct his grant to issue,
and in order to insure success, had
given human names to every horse
COW, hog and dog he owned, and
which he represented as heads o.
families, ready to migrate and set
tie the land. BY this disingenuou'
trick he succeeded in obtaining
directions from the king and cOunci
for securing his grant on obtain
ing which he Immediately sold OuI
his land in small divisions, at three
pounds equal to ten dollars) pc
hundred, and went off with th'
money.
Two men, John and Isaac Van
meter, obtained warrant from
governor Gooch for locating forty
thousand acres OF land. Thil
warrant was obtained III the yea
1870. They sold or transferred
part of their warrant to JOis
Hite; and from this warran
emanated several of Hite's grants
which the author has seen. OF tn
titles to the land on which Hit
settled, with several other tracts il
the neighborhOOd Of Stephensburg
the originals are founded on thi
warrant.
In the year 1884, Richard MOI
gan obtained a grant for tract @
land in the immediate neighboi
hood of Shepherdstown, on o
near the COhongoruton. Anon
the first settlers on this waite
course and its vicinity, were RObeI
Harper (Harper's Ferry, Williar
StrOop, Thomas and WilliaT
Forester, Israel Friend, Thoma
Sheppard, Thomas Swearengei
Van Swearengen, James Formai
Edward Lucas, Jacob Hite, e
John Lemon, Richard Mercer
Edward Mercer, Jacob VanmeteI
and brothers. Robert Stockton
Robert Buckles, John Taylor
Samuel Taylor, Richard Morgan
John Wright, and others.
The first settlers on the WsppS
tomaka (South Branch) wer
Coburn, Howard, Walker an
Rutledge. This settlement con
(a) Mr. Steenbergen Informed the al
, thor that the trAditiOnsry account Of th
fret settlement Of his farm, together wit
Aliens and Moor6s, made it about IL
years but Mr.. Aaron Moore, grandson {
Riley Moore, by referring to the fsmn
records, fIes the period pretty correctly
According TO Mr.. MoOre's account, Moor
Allen and White, removed from Mar!