West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1895-04-25
written for T'HE AHeus.
PIONEER HISTORY.
THE FOUNDING OF THE GERMAN
SETTLEMENT IN UNION DIS.
TRICT, PRESTON COUNTY.
WEST VIRGINIA.
An Interesting aud Authentic Sketch
by Thomas Startzman.


constitutes a portion of Preston
county. 1t was during that period
and in the spring Of 1887 that four
German families left the vicinity OF
Hagerstown. Md, to seek home
in the Mississippi Valley, and after
hard travelling and many difficulties
and thrilling adventures in crossing
swollen streams, aided by COM
pass and partly following an old
trail, they arrived on the evening OF
March 9th in that year and
camped for the night at the ex-
treme western end of the Green
Gludes, and on one of the farthest
western branches Of tho Youghio.
gheny river, and near where the
village OF Carmel now stands. Thei.
stopping place was at the foot of a
small hill of few acres in extent,
and near by gushed from this hill
a sparkling spring of water as pure
as any that ever touched the lips OF
man. They rested for the night.
These people were all of German
birth. They were John Slough,
Jacob Wagner, Jacob Teatrick, and
the fourth family has always been
supposed to have been Michael Wilt.
Each of these men had just been
married, and their brides accompan-
led them. Each Of these families
transported their goods and utensils
in cart, and each family had a
COW. The weather is said to have
been perfect, and the day after they
arrived was Good Friday.
They had brought with them the
customs Of the Fatherland, and
there, of all the holidays and nova.
BILE festivals, none are so impress
siyely observed as Good Friday, for
it is said that even the ringing of
the church bells and vocal and in
strumental music in the churches
are dispensed with on that day. So
it IS not to be wondered at that
these good people refrained from
travelling on that day, and as the
Easter tide was at hand, which is
also very revere1tly observed by the
Germans, they concluded to rest
for few days, an incident that led
no doubt, to the immediate settle
ment of this section. The spot
where they encamped was delight
full place. A small glade extended
in front Of their camp, and was
hommed in on all sides by the prime
val forest, and through this glade
ran purling stream. The season, =,
even ut this early date, was far ad
vanced, and the spring was delight
full, and indeed it has often been
asserted by the first settlers and
their immediate descendants, that
the springs were much earlier and
the autumns much longer than they
now are. 1t is said that some OF
the trees were then giving evidence
of leafng, and that the alder bush
and the hawthorn andselders were
in small leaf, whilst tile May apple,
sweet-annis and rattle weeds were
shooting through the soil, and the
liver-wort and violets and trailing
arbutus we're scattering their fra
GRANGE to the air. The feathcrcd
songsters we're making the woods
ring, and the drumming Of the
pheasant and gobbliug Of the wild
turkey could be heard on all The
hill-sides. During their rest they
walked around, and were 80 much
pleased with tho appearance OF the
country and their surroundings and
the fertility of the soil and with its
excellent and numerous springs, its
water power, aud its natural mead.
ows, which they knew would greatly
benefit them IN supplying them
with hay for their stock, that they
resolved TO stop for the season, al
least.
The frat thing they did was to
tap some Of the large sugar trees,
SO the ladies could boil sugar, and
tho men erected log cabin. rhC
glade in front Of them was already
green and afforded excellent pas
turage for their stock so that il
needed but little attention. s..