The state chronicle., 1891-08-09
DAILY STATE CHRONICLE, AUGUST 8, 1891.

from Salem. Remembering that so
late as 1853 there was no church IN
Salisbury, we take this as falr
showing for the religious element OF
our county.
We gather from these road-orders
that beforethe Revolution there was
saw-mill on the Yadkin not tar
| from Old Richmond, and that AL
lens iron-works on Elkin Greek
above the site of the tavern of Elkin
was operating prior to IVA.
The only road reaching so tar in
the mountains was one directed to
be ssyiewed and laid out the best
and convenientest way from Fish
er's Gap to the Court House"
Here is an order, May III, ap-
pointing a jury, among whom are
Lanier, Gordon and Hearndon, to
lay out a road up the Yadkin. An
other refers to road from the set
tlement on Reddy's River, still an
other leads from the church (now
Wilkesboro), up s'the South side Of
Lewis Fork near the upper settle
ment thereof One infers from
these directions that Wilkes, at that
time, had few settlers away from
the Yadkin.
Mention is made Of only one
public grist mill in what
) is now Wilkes and western
f Surry. That one was on Roar
] ing river, rightly so called
! as it comes down from the Blue
Ridge with all the rush and roar of
, the Lodore waters and empties into
the Yadkin between Elkin and
, Wilkesboro.
) One discovers that, more than a
: century ago, the county officials
were attracted by that will-o'-the-
wisp, the navigation Of the Yadkin.
e A jury was appointed to explore
the river ''from Wilkes to Rowan
J, county lines, and to stake or mark
f the best navigation through the
r same, taking notice of the several
i shoals and Instructions and the ex-
pense of deepening the channel to
n at least eighteen inches at low
water for canoes Or batteaux of sixty
+ feet long and six or eight feet vide
: At s'court held the 10th day o
February, 1775, at the court hous
: in Richmond in the county of Surr,
for the Trial of Sam, a Negro Man
l. Slave the property of Jesse Bentor
on a charge for biting off a part o
one of the fingers of John Jones,
y there was a gathering of the faith
ful, if one may say so without flip
ID pancy. There were present Esqrs
Wright, Cleaveland and Hauzer
)r Freeholders Lanier, Brooks, Rec,
and Petit. There seems to hav
II been bad blood between the house {
Benton and the aforesaid Jones
N More than two years afte
the trial and acquittal Q
the man slave there is recorded
s'John Jones VS.. Jesse Benton, Z
es & b. in which The defendant j
found not guilty. A doughty fghte
Benton must have been. This pro
lie pensity was the cause of trouble bt
tween Mr.. jackson and Thomas T
as Benton, the two not being on speal
re ing terms for some time because
ne Jackson's acting as second for Go,
ne Carroll, of Tennessee, with whol
of Benton's father fought duel.
no
Of Occasionally the Surry cou
it used the prerogative in a substal
ng tial way. "Joseph Pettel (alia
zen Joseph Silt being charged of stes
lch ing Bell which fact being prov,
lily by Henry Conger; It's ordered
ex- the court that the said Joseph Pe
re- tel (alias) Joseph Silt have thirt
nd nine Lashes with the bell hu1
the about his neck) we'll laid on his ba
is back, and that the Sheriff Execu
ain i same, after which return t
of said Joseph Pettel (alias) JOSEF
Silt to the county jail" Evident
'Squires Wright, Hudspeth al
the Gray Bynum were possessed of
ngs certain grim humor.
S us The court had much ado to IL
the press the people with its dignit