The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1886-01-20
Pioneer Families OF Mason
County Their Ancestors and
Descendants.
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that Heraldic Record are studious.
isskept, many ofwhich date back
ward for thousand years. Such
willbetrue in our own country as
IL grows older and older. An evi.
dence oftBis is nov to be found In
the fact that the American people
everywhere, especially in the older
states are, in recent years, awaken.
lug TO the importance Of this sub
jsct and almost daily, Family His.
tories are being issued from the
press, and engrayers are busy upon
designs Of family charts or trees by
which areshosn, genealogy, births,
marriages, deaths, together with
imporsautevenls in ths liyesof the
various members Of the family
This Is eminently proper for the
history Of q nation, must be history
of'the people.
Ruskin the celebrated writer has
said that attention to the subject
Of genealogy, mus. be taken as the
best evidence Of an educated and
enlightened people," This per.
hsps finds It's truLhfulness in the
fact that the educated and enlight
ened have carried it to the highest
degree Of perfection, for even cav.
age tribes delight to dwell upon it;
rude heaps Of stone have been rear.
ed and rude ballads composed and
sung in commemoration Of the
deeds Of ancestors, The Indians
made long jouruies back TO the
banks Of the Mohawk, and other
regions, from which be had been
driven, there to spend many days
and nights in meditation around
the graves Of his fore fathers, the
memory Of whose deeds in war be
delighted to cherish aud TO trans.
NIT to a later generation.
Virginia, Massachusetts and Con.
necticut are the states which per.
haps have done the most toward
preserving family history. In
them many counties have done The
work at public expense, while in
many Others it has been done BY
private enterprise ably seconded by
the people. Among the latter are
the histories of Tazewell, Montgom.
cry, Isle of Wight, Augusta aud
many other counties in Virginia.
The past year Monongalia coun.
ty, in our own state has celebrated
her centennial anniversary, and
now some Of the best talent Of Kan.
awha county is engaged in collect.
ing material to be used in the cele.
bration Of hers, the present year.
In the occupation and settlement
of the Shenandoah Valley were
blended almost all the elements of
European civilization, which were
transplanted on our shores. Hith.
er came and here met the devoted
Huguenots, the piOus cavaliers Of
Virginia, the strict Catholics Of
Maryland, the steady Quakers Of
Pennsylvania, the Baptists and
Presbyterians from New Jersey, the
sternly religious Puritans Of New
England and the Lutheraus and
Morayians from the banks of the
Rhine. For awhile these distinct
elements maintained their individ.
uality, but a long series Of Indian
wars together with the Revolution
forced them into a united whole
and so complete was the assimula.
ton that, instead of a later diver.
gence they have by common inter.
ests became more firmly bound to.
gether. From such an ancestry
have descended a large proportion
Ofthe population Of West Virginia.
Before entering upon the notice
ofthe individual families who set.
tied the county and made IL what
it is, it is proper that we notice
briefly the first surveys made with.
in its limits, George the Ill, then
sWaying the soep,er of Britain ov.
or halfthe world, was anxious to re.
ward his soldiers who had so sue.
cessfully carried his arms against
France. Among them we're many
yirginians 10 whom for said ser.
vices were granted large tracts Of
land in the West.
The year Of l772 was remarkable
because of the vast quantities Of
land surveyed on the banks of the
Ohio. In the summer Of that year,
Andrew Lewis, George Muse, Peter
Hogg, Andrew Stevens, Andrew
Waggener John Poison, Charles
Thurston, Dr.. Craik, Hugh Mercer
and George Washington determin.
ed TO take advantage Of the Kings
liberal offer, and with that object
in viaw Organized n comnanv NJ