West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1915-04-01
SETTLERS AND CUSTOMS
EARLY DAYS OF COUNTY
Reminiscent Sketches of Prominent
Citizens and Incidents IN Preston
County During the Fourth, Fifth
and Sixth Decades of the Nine
teenth Century
tBy Jacob Guseman MatlickJ
CHAPTER III

Greigsyilie. whose residence was
"wayside inn" of the primitive type.
In our youthful days we deemed IL
a great treat to get TO "go over to
uncle Bills" TO spend day or stay
all night with the boys. William Mat
lick ,moved his family. consisting OF
vile. three daughters and one son.
from near Brandonville in 1885. Dur
ing an epidemic of typhoid fever in
July. 1S45, he lost his wife and two
daughters. On February II, 1858. he
went with team and wagon TO TAX
n load OF people from Greigsville to
the Catholic cemetery, near Howes-
vile. on funeral occasion, and on
their return from the cemetery as they
came down a little incline on to the
pike the team of large. strong horses
started TO run and i'm his effort to
check and quiet the fractious horses
the line in his left hand broke and
with the line in his right hand he
turned the team close to the bank on
the upper side OF the road when the
front wheel on the right side of the
wagon struck long rock protruding
from the bank. which checked the
team sufficiently that man with the
presence OF mind and courage Jumped
on the wagon and caught the bride
reins and thus saved the occupants.
OF about ten persons. from being either
killed or seriously injured. But the
sudden checking OF the team at the
instant the wheel struck the stone
threw uncle William TO the ground
and as the rear wheel dropped off
the rock IL struck one side of his neck
and severed the large artery on that
side from his head, and he died al
most instantly. He left a widow. one
daughter, Mrs Peter Zinn. five sons
and two step-sauehters to mourn the
tragic death o, husband and father.
BY the passing of William Matlick
the counts lost r good and stanch citi-
zen. anG the community potential
factor for its progress
AT this juncture / wish to relate a
pioneer Christmas-tide story for the
benefit of the young folks who may
chance to read these sketches. and, al
SO, to put the elderly peoplei a rem
iniscent mood of the cabin home of
Long Ago" where father and mother
commenced the building of a New
Paradise"
1t is as related by uncle William
Matlick's eldest son. Joseph A. Mat
lick, late of Cecil. w. Va, and pub
lished In the Grafton Sentinel. De-
cember 2S. 1906: while searching
through pile of old keepsakes and
relics of past years recently, I found
an old. oblong, dutch oven and spi-
der skillet, which were used as cook
ing utensils when l was n bov
Thinking the little story of how Christ
mas was enjoyed by the children of
1880 to 40, before the cook stove or
bake oven was in use in the wilds Of
Virginia, | want to make mention of
the first Christmas / remember. and
enjoyed so thoroughly that have not,
in all of the many years Intervening.
forgotten the smallest detail of II. To
make my story understood / will have
TO give few preliminaries.
MY father William Matlick, in the
year 1885, bought land near where the
town of Tunnelton is now located. but
at that time an unbroken primitive
forest. He and few other young.
married men, came from near Bran
donville and formed settlement along
the old State road. as IL was then call
ed. Many OF the old inhabitants know
something about that road. II was a
road without a grade, and Just went
straight ahead, up hill and down the
other side. will name a few of those
who settled in that community at that
time: James and Thomas Jenerys.
William Michael. Caleb Conn. James
Plum and Thomas Shay.
But / am running away from my
Christmas story, which happened I'm
the year 1S41. when we knew but lit
tie about the origin OF Christmas or
why Il was celebrated. Nevertheless.
we looked forward to Christmas with
as much eager desire as any child of
this day and age. Imagine for a mo-
ment, you who live I'm palatial man
sions, OF family of seven children.
aIfFhuddled together i'm one room lex
20 feet, and one great log fire blazing
and sputiering to warm the open
room. The fire also served to boil
and bake the many good things for
Christmas.
"On the morning before that special
Christmas everything seemed to be
hurry and hustle about the cabin I'm
the woods. The skillets and ovens
were sizzling and sputtering with
great heaps OF live Goals Of FIRE piled
on the lids and under them.
They were turning out square and
twiated doughnuts and crulls of all
shapes and sizes. pies and bread.
Then, to cap the climax, about dusk
there was a fine, fat. wild turkey
brought in and dressed neatly.
Christmas morning every one OF
our plates were piled with sweets
richer and sweeter than the fruits OF