Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1906-07-27
Historical Sketch.

families. who built pioneer homes
in what is now known in the region
comprised by Greenbrier, Bath,
Highland and Pocahontas counties,
migrated from Rockbridge and Au-
gusta counties, Va.
Pocahonts people, however, have
special reasons for being interested
il, the families that come from the
vicinity of the old Stone Church,
T or s miles north of Staunton, Va.
Hon. Jos. A. Waddell, of Stanton,
in his address, made at the celebra'
tion of the l5Oth anniversary of
Of Augusta Stone Church, October
IS, 1899, mentioned many thin gs
satisfactorily illustrating the histo-
nv of the family in question, rs to
their reasons for leaving Ireland
and seeking homes intheY Valley OF
Va.
Mr. Waddell. thinks that John
Lewis, who figures as the first OF
Scotch IRISH settlers. located in 1732
on Middle river( at first called Cath
rails riyer) a few miles east of the
present crossing of the river by the
valley turnpike. With MIR Lewis.or
very soon afterwards, many persons
of the same race came into the
valley, fleeing from the province OF
Ulster. in ireland, to free themselv'
from the restrictions imposed 10y
the established church. Moreover,
there is NJ doubt these people had
it in their minds to find homes for
themselves and their sons and
daughters. where there would be
more room for enterprise along
with more ample facilities for ac-
during tire means OF living.
These people being Presbyterians
and firmly set in their ways,it came
about that in Ireland, no one OF
their persuasions was permitted to
teach except of the lowest grade;
not evenwere the ministers OF their
choice permitted to officiate at their
marriage or even to bury their
dead And what was a greater
grievance still with great many
no doubt, was the fact that they
were excluded from all public otfic-
es, civil and military. 1t appears,
that after waiting for years hoping
for better times, thousands OF the
more Energetic and self.reliant OF
these determined, masterful people,
prepared to leave their native land,
and set out for the backwoods, OF
America, as the great Virginia val
ley then was, preferring the dang
ers and privations thereof, to the
expressions of their native land,
They landed on the banks of the
Delaware River in PennsY lvania, at
or near New Castle Here they
fingered a while making such pre-
parations as they could for path
finding through the wilderness to
Virginia, west of the Blue Ridge
mountains. With astonishing ra-
pidity the backwoods was settled.
And as the people had to come on
foot, or horseback, they could bring
but little with them, except imple-
lnents of labor, and seed corn pro-
cured in the older settlements in
Pennsylvania, Families located
themselves according to their own
sweet will and pleasure, not con-
cerned about land titles, and after
repairing ride cabins, set to work
in clearing and farming patches
for raising something to live up
on" For year at least, the new
corners must have subsisted on wild
meat. without bread or substitute
for it. .es
BY 1886. hen MraBeverly took
out his patent for $4,000 acres
around the site OF StauIton, the
central part OF the present county
of Augusta was quite nnmerously
settled. But for IL or 10 wears,
the homes were scarcely better fur
nished than the wigwams sof the
Indians. As there were no tables,
chairs. knives and forks, glass or
chinaware, and the many things
now to be found in the humblest
homes. The mention of '"cart-
wheels and Tire in an inventory
dated 1776, is the first evidence OF
a wheel vehicle in Augusta county.