The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1898-06-12
"REMINISCENCES Or EARLY Life
IN CALHOUN COUNTY, ". va.

citizens at this county today il may
be wise 10 spend few minutes with
the early settlers If the section Of
rnnniry- nA,s knr.s. -. Galhean.c..a..-
".
In this number we will omit incl
dents of personal life and consult
"ld-iime friends On few uf whom are
yet among us) regarding conditions
mud associations Of life in those early
days.
la the Spring of 1882 Archibald
Burrows moved I" this section and
settled on the present site uf Grants
vile. His son, William III. Bur
rows, who WAS then lad of seven
summers, went with his father Ia the
different homes throughout the neigh,
borhood, and learned the location OF
every home for many miles around,
gives MS the following interesting in
formation. He saws:
The following list represents the
inhabitants of the community from
Dekalb, in Gilmer county, to Six.
teen bend, at The Writ county line:
joseph Bennett, Alexander Huffman.
Joshua Smith, William Stalnaker,
Job Westfall; John Ball and Samuel
Barr moved To the places now known
by their names in the year 1884. and
Martin Moore, who was succeeded
hy Philip Stallman, on the present
Judge Reese Blizznrh place, opposite
the mouth of Leaf bank, in 1888.
Cornelius Nennoy then lived Just
below, and soon after sold To Joshua
Smith. Levi Taylor soon afterwaid
purchased the place now known a.
the Hartman farm, where Allen
liardman now lives, from Il MIR. Har-
ris. and john Holbert, Joseph R-bin.
son, Robert Bennett, james Nedly
Norman, Beriah DePne, Beriah
Maze, Andy Sharp and John Booher,
on the Wood county line belnw Six
teen bend included the entire inhabi
tants o. the county with the excep-
ton of job Westtall, on Steer creek
and few families on the West
Fork"
Then" continued our informant,
wolves spoke To us every night; we
saw bear very frequently and one
could not 90 out without soaring up
II deer.
The entire country from the Little
kanawha river to Hughes river WAS
then al uninhnbited forest, and all
wild game, large and small, rnamed
at will in undisputed possession of
the territory where now stands the
many comfortable hnmesteads."
"ln 1888" continued Uncle Bill
Burrows, referring to Yellow creek
There were more wolf tracks ON TINT
creek than there are now tracks of all
our domestic animals. including dogs
and cats; and there was not n house
or lnhabilant on the creek from head
Ia mouth.
In the Spring of 1882 / went from
home, the present site Of GrantsviIle.
t" where Smiihville now stands tn
lay IN n supply Of coffee tor ourselves
and neighbors, and found one shauty
on Leatherbark, the only human
habitatl0n between the Little Kanaw.
Ina and. Hughes river"
Now on Yellow creek and its ,rib.
utaries there are about eighty fami
lilies, the greater number Of whom
own their own homes.
Ben jackson. an enterprisiap
young man, settled with his Young
wife on the place now known az the
on Jackson farm III 1913. Their
rude, but comfortable log cabin was
then the only house on the path he
tween the Little Kanawha and
Hughes river. the way the path then
ran from Leafbank t. the present
site of SmilhviIle.
We called to see Aunt Jane Fer
rel, widow Of Hiram Ferret. Her
first husband, Thomas j. Rice, with
his young wife, added their names to
the list Of early settlers in 1898. and
made their home where Granville
Rice now lives, near Mussel' Shoals.
Aunt Jane is a lady of remarkable
energy, strength aud agility for one
of her years, and her memory seems
t. be accurate. She can detail nrnny
interesting incidents of early life
some Of which we will give our read.
ers in n succeeding number of the
CHRONIcLE.
Aunt Jane wove, on the old hand