The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1890-03-27


way & Brandeburg. Their establish
ment was the last connecting link in that
memorable trade, now almost forgotten,
before this road was ever projected, that
connected Baltimore and then Winches-
ter with Knoxville. with their immense
ares upon wheels, the celebrated New
town wagons, drawn by teams of six
magnificent horses, which with their ele-
CANT harness and musical bells, in their
six weeks journey, to and from, have
only been Appropriated but once on this
continent, in the caravans from St. Joe,
Mo-, to Santa Fe, N. NJ. Their commu-
nicatiOn with Winchester was kept up
for years by the same class of wagons
and teams, but the broad tread wheels
to serve the double purpose of traispor-
tation and beating down the stone. To
that end, big boulders of stone or heavy
smoothed and then changed and as it
is the property of the limestone no other
possesses to make a bed that cements
and smooths quicker than any other,
this road in a few years was surpassed
by none in Virginia, and only equalled
by those of Kentucky made of similar
material
The three Holtzmans, referred to as
wagoners. besides others, We're conspicu-
GUS between StauntOn and Winchester
because of their extraordinary teams.
If we are not in error, the venerable
and esteemed relict of John Brandeburg,
of your town, was the widow of Samuel
HoltZman
Mr.. Snuff met Mr.. Finney at the old
Washington Tavern, which, short time
before, had been managed by Lewis
Hartman, but at that date by his son,
g.
roof in 1915. About that time, Michael
g.. and his uncle. VIM. CARRIER, moved
in the matter of building a new hotel,
and as a stock enterprise, was comsum-
mated, and in few years finished and
called the Virginia.
When Finney entered upon the man
ufacture of stoves at the Valley Mills,
about the middle of June, 1874, there
were three sizes. the first of 600 lbs, cost
ting $65; the second of $50 lbs, costing
$50, and the third of 400, costing $45,
each of so pieces. Because of the cold,
short or hard character of the metal of
most of the iron made at the Jordan fur
naces in Rockbridge, as well as ON South
River, by Shaw, Bryan and others, Mr..
Finney had to send to the Catoctin fur
mace in Maryland. But because of the
fact that in prosecuting this manufac-
ture, he discovered that the metal made
at 'Estaline, near Pond Gap, was adj
mirably adapted to his purpose, we will,
at the risk of being tedious, give it's his
tory, in the hope it may have some
agency in reminding it's fires.
Maj. Eugene IRVINE, born on Long
Glade, two miles above Bridgewater, in
the last decade of 100, married a daugh-
ter of the Rev. John Montgomery, pas
tor of the Presbyterian church, of Rocky
Springs, near to Deerfield His brother
in-law, DR.. Hugart Montgomery, tai
this furnace about 1928, and named
it after a loved sister and sister
in-law. The circumstances connected
with the name are peculiarly sad. I'm
der the roof of our father, when we were
an urchln, young man of much more
than ordinary promise, was a student of
the Rev. DIR. Herndrens celebrated clas-
steal school. He was born in the Cove
congregation, Albemarle county, at
tended the Theological Seminary, fin
lshed his course, was licensed, visited us
on his way to see Miss Montgomery, at the
time his fiance. She was in her deathbed.
He insisted on seeing her against the
remonstrance of friends. She died On
soon joined her in the spirit land
Mr.. Finney ran his establishment very
successfully, with VIM. Snuff at the head
OF the moulding department. He gave
employment to several two horse wagons
in meeting the wants of this and sur
rounding counties. Among them, the
two Kings are remembered, Jake and
Alph King, (the latter married Miss
Newman in the neighborhood,) and
Mick Stephens, from Harrisonburg, IA
nous for pair of fine black horses
Somewhere about 1916. Albert j., son
OF Michael CARRIER, of the Bell tavern,
comes upon the scene. A while before,
Maj. Joseph Brown, who owned the
Washington Swope, now Mrs. G. r. Ma
son farm, and Mr.. John Tate, father of
Maj VIM. NJ, removed to Edgar county,
Illinois. Mr.. CARRIER, who some time
before married a Miss Hancock, a cousin
OF the late Gen. Hancock, and niece of
and raised by her uncle, Edward Valen-
tine, then owning the Summerson- Hiner
farm, went with those gentlemen to Hi
nols. Presently, he found the unheath-
mess OF the country such he returned to
Virginia. If he died here, we are not
sure, but he is presently found at Holli-
daysburg, Pa. There, he married sec
ond wife, Miss Miller. When he re-
turned to Virginia and bought out Mr..
Finney at the Valley Mills. there were
two children, Michael and Mrs. James
Baldwin.
Mr.. Finney at once removed to Pat
tonsburg, where we will overtake him
presently.
10 preserve chronological order in our
narrative, it is proper to say that Will
liam Snuff perpetrated matrimony about
this date to Miss Keller, raised on Mid
die river. About the same date an incl
dent OF most unusual and thrilling
character occurred in the neighborhood
III which he was married, and a connec-
ton OF his wife. The lady in question,
q Miss Paxton, had become wife No. of
George Keller. Fond of her pipe, re-
turning one evening from Staunton, she
presented the unusual spectacle of wo-
man riding for life, all in blaze. A
spark had fallen on her summer cloth
ing, or she had put her pipe in her pock-
ct, with fire in it. When relief came,
she was SO seriously burned, death en-
sued In a few hours.
On Friday, the Sd of April. 184S, Mr..
CARRIER entered upon the occupation of
a new foundry Mr.. VIM. Donaghe erected
for him few yards east of the Water
Works, 35x50 feet, which with the old
John z. Sewers chopping mill, hard bye,
ne rented to him for $40 per annum.
The mill ground 5000 or more bushels,
much OF it for the stage horses. All the
land west of the creek, running out of
the Fair Grounds, Mr.. Donashe had
bought of John c. Sewers.
Mr.. CARRIER ran the foundry success
fully until 1852, when he took in as
partner Hugh Council, native of Ma
ryland. Mr.. Council was a machin-
list and had been brought to Vir-
GINA few years before, notably to
build the Ben. Crawford wooden mills,
that occupied the site of the Witt
Holt Touring mill, and was running
most successfully until the Gen. Grant
order 81 determination destroyed it.
Soon after building the wooden, he built
John f. Lewis and Jacob Bears Touring
mills, on the Shenandoah river. Soon
after his connection with Mr. CARRIER, he
rebuilt the chopping mill, the capacity
OF which was increased a 1000 bushels
He had mill irons made in the foundry,
and built tloqring mills for Hugh Guth-
Nie,. John Churchman, Girard B. Stuart,
and others He erected and occupied
the house Mr.. Snuff is in.
The Livingston County Plow here de-
serves to have its early history put in a
form to be preserved. One Everett came
from New York, as we believe. about the
time Mr., Finney did, armed with the
patent of this pillow, to sell territory,
shop rights, &c. Bryan & Bradley, near
Midway, secured considerable territory
and built the pillow extensively and scat
tered them far and wide. That live
man, the late J. Bonaparte Trimble, at
'BuStleburg," then in the zenith of his