The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-03-09
His History Intertwined With That Of Viz
gi1lia and Maryland.
BITS FROM A COUNTY HISTORY
Where Court Records Were Burned Dusty Parchment
Restored Perishng Facts-Raising Of Colonial
Army-The Uniform Matter OF Deep
Thought-Pay Not Entcing.
Not Enticing.

my beloved daughter, Margaret Ben
net" While [ know that a cousin OIL
Thomas Price came to the frontier with a
party of friends on a prospecting tour,
and some Of these friends afterwards set
tied in Greenbricr county, i. G., the Ken
icks and Meetings., neither Samuel nor
Thomas settled in the mountains until
about 17S5.
HENRICO BRANCH.
In liza there were three brothers in
Henrico county. j. G., Samuel. THOMAS
and Daniel. Thomas was the Rev. Thomas
Price, whom You will find mentioned IN
Mr. :Wirt's history Of Patrick Henry. lou
will also find him prominent in the old
archives as an eloquent inspiration to the
patriots. lie was appointed chaplain 10
the House of Burgesses on December 9th,
l775. (Sec Virginia Convention, as re-
ported in Archives, page a, Vol a.,
Fourth SerIes)
He was paid 90 pounds sterling for this
service One of his sermons was consld-
cred most eloquent, and it was empaimed
in a little brown leather book, a copy
of which was preserved by one OF Sam
uel Prices descendants until very recent
ly. This sermon was preached in the
Bruton Church at Williamsburg to the
Virginia Convention. Copies OF 1t were
sent to the Revoluionists in the army
TO inspire them with hope.
Samuel and Daniel Price. Gentlemen
Freeholders, as the old prints call them
became first active and fiery patriots at
the committee meetings. We lind them
at the courthouse in the town of Rich
mond on November nth, 1114. John
Beckley was clerk on this OCCASION
Daniel Price enigrated to Kentucky just
after or during the Revolution. Samuel
Price went 10 Greenbrier county Va
There may have been other brothers in
.i.z, f,,yf no ,nI
William He lived in Virginia He
was OF the Maryland Prices and brother
10 Col. Thomas Price, of Frederick coun-
ty The way / have been able to settle
this matter is this: William Price, broth
or to Thomas Price of Maryland. and
also brother TO Absalom Price, of Baltl-
more, a very prominent freebooter and
one of the first settlers of Baltimore
Town." lived on Turkey Island, below
Richmond.
His sons, so far as have discovered.
were Samuel Daniel and Thomas; also
.'William." The latter moved to KEN
lucky and became the head of the Prices
in that State. Daniel, the Captain Price
or the battle of Blue LicFs, also emf
grated to Kentucky. Thomas became lhe
father among other children, of John
Marshall Price, who was the father or
Rev. Philip B. Price, of Richmond. and
grandfather of DR.. Frank Price, ths
missionary. Rev. P. Is. Price has written
to me that his grandfathers name was
Thomas; and while he did not know that
this grandfather had taken such part in
the Revolution, it was Revolutionary his
tory I was especially searching, and
found him very evident there. However,
there were other Thomas Prices in Fir-
siria-one of them in Isle of Wight coun-
tv, but none of them We're very prolnl-
ncnt.
Thus 1 have found that the Samuel
Price in West Virginia had a brother
Thomas, but it was not the one who
settled in this county. Likewise, have
found that certain branch Of these
families came from the head in Balti-
more Abraham Price" This man
Abraham Price-settled in Greenbrier
after Samuel Price settled there. Their
families intermarried, and SO they be-
came closely allied-as relations. One OF
Samuel Prices sons emigrated to MIS-
soGr and became the father OF the IA
nous General Sterling Price.
HERO OF THE STORY.
Now I will take up again the subject
or this sketct-Thomas Price-who lived
in what is now Craig county.
He came here because his relative,
Samuel Price, had been here when a
young man and seen the beautiful valley,
SO like the old ancestral home of their
HJelsh fathers in the Chywiddian hills or
Wales. When the land was first bought
here for so many shillings it was Augusta
It was always known in the family
that Thomas Price had been an officer
in the Revolutionary war. He kept a
5cLrI.al Of his record, and his commission
was kept up till 1910, when it was dc
stroyed by fire when q. certain home
stead was burned. But as to anything
accurate concerning these matters, little
could be learned. His life was as etern-
ally lost as his dust, which has been in
the grave for eighty years. For Il long
time, knowing that he had lived where
no historians came, where L have been
the pioneer journalist, and where moth
ing OF public moment happened, de-
SPARED OF ever being able to rescue his
memory from oblivion, even for the
Knowledge of his immediate descendants,
who have been too self-centered to care.
He never married until 1888, after he had
serpidc in the Revolutionary War. AL
though he visited this valley before that.
| don't know just when he returned 10
Maryland, but in 17T4 he was there in
| Frederick county. He was engaged in
several important home affairs while his
! father WAS i'll the North with Washing
| tons army. At ono time he was sent in
! charge Of some British prisoners 10 the
| ST mnlerset Jail and they tried to escape.
| OF course he was not the only guard.
| Cnc of his prisoners was the famous DR..
| Connolly, Dunsmore's special evil instru-
rlent. who prosecuted the people OF
Laurel Hill. we find this statement in
| Tho old archives of Colonial Maryland:
Ordered, That the treasurer of the
! Western Shore pay II pounds sterling to
| ?.lr. Thomas Prysc, of Thomas, for guard
! duty" IN another place we read that
| certain British, prisoners or Tories, be
| put under. bond for good behavior and
| turned over TO Mr.. Thomas Price for
safekeeping."
| He was very large man. strong and
| powerful, as ali the men of this family
| have been Indeed, the Welsh name
means strong man. They were said
| to belong to the Marches in Wales. and
the head OF the family a marquis-a kind
OF frontier lord of the land.
AS A PRIVATE.
He served as a private soldier during
III. About that time his father was
1 commissioned colonel. He served four
years in the regular army. was COM
nlissioned ensign in his fathers COM
rany, Second Maryland Regiment, May
q, ITS. In June llth). ISL, he was COM