Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1885-12-11


And as to religion, you 90 to your
churches, sing loud, pray loud and
make great noise. Red people meet |
once a year, at the feast Of new
corn, extinguish all their fires, and |
kindle up a new one, the smoke Of
which ascends to the Great Spirit |
as q grateful sacrifice. Now what
better is your religion than oursG
The white people have taught Us to
get drunk, to steal, to lie, to cheat,
and to swear; and if the knowl- |
edge of these wees, as you profess
to hold them, and punish by your
laws, is beneficial to the red peo-
pie, we are benefited by our ac-
quaintance with youj if not, we
are greatly injured by that ac-
Quaintance.
TO say the least of this untutored
old man, his opinions, religion ex-
cepted, were but too well founded,
and convey a severe rebuke upon
the character of those who boast
of the superior advantages Of the
lights of education and a knOwl-
edge of the religion of the Holy
Redeemer.
From this DEPRESSION the a1thor
will again turn his attention to the
early history of our country.
About the year 1863, the first
settlements were made at or near
the head of Bull-skin. Two fam
lilies, by the name of Riley and
Allemong, first commenced the
settlement of this immediate neigh
borhood. At this period timber
was so scarce that the settlers
were compelled to cut small sap
lings to enclose their fields. Ia The
prairie produced grass five or six
feet high ; [b] and even our noun
tains and hills were covered with
the sustenance of quadrupeds of
every species. The pea vine grew
abundantly on the billy and noun.
famous lands than which no spe-
cies of vegetable production afford
ed finer and richer pasturage.
From this state of the country,
many of our first settlers turned
their attention to rearing large
herds of horses, cattle, hogs, &c.
Many of them became expert,
hardy and adventurous hunters,
and spent much of their time and
depended chiefly for support and
mouey.making on the sale of skins
and furs. lc Moses Russell, Esq,
, informed the authoT that the hilly
lands abOat his residence, near the
base of the North mountain, in the
southwest corner of Frederick, and
which now present to the eye the
appearance OF great poverty OF
soil, within his recollection were
covered with fine growt II Of pea
vine, aud that stock of every de-
scription grew abundantly tat in
the summer season.
Isaac Larue, who settled on the
Long marsh in 1743, as has been
stated, soon became celebrated for
his numerous herds of horses and
cattle. The author was told by
Col. j. B. Larue, who is the owner
of part of his grandfather's fine
landed estate, that his grandfather
frequently owned between ninety
and one hundred head Of horses,
but it so happened that he never
could get his stock to count a
hundred.
The Hites, Frys, Vameters, and
many others, raised vast stocks Of
horses, cattle, hogs, Sc. Tradition
relates that Lord Fairfax, happen
ing one day in Winchester to see a
large drove of unusually fine hogs
passing through the town, inquired
from whence they came. Being
informed that they were from the
mountains west of Winchester, he
remarked that when a new county
should be laid off in that direction
: it ought to be called Hampshire,
after a county in England celebrat.
ed for Its production of fine hogs;
and this, it is said, gave name to
the present county Of Hampshire.
The author will only add to this
chapter, that, from the first set
tlement of the Valley, to the break
ing out of the war, on the part OF
the French and Indians, against
our ancestors,in the year 1854, our
country rapidly increased IN NUM-
bers and in the acquisition of prop
erty, without interruption from the
natives, a period of twenty-five
years.
In my next chapter | shall give
y briet account of the religion
}, habits aud customs of the prlml'
' tive settlers.
L (a) Messi Christian Allenong and
d George Riley both stated this fact to the
J. author.
v (b) George Riley, an aged aud respect
able citizen, stated to the author that The
, grass on the Bullskin barrens grew s,
. tall, that he had frequently drawn it be-
}. fore him when on horseback, aud tied Il
0 before him.
q (c) The late Henry Fry, one of the
early settlers on CapOn river, upwards OF
. forty years ago informed the author, that
< he purchased the tract of land on which
y he first settled, on Capon river, for which
& he engaged to pay either E2OO or ESQ
a tho author does not recollect which sum