The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1915-08-22
r arly Settlem ents
From nasnond'. History d Harrison Country

Alta very early period Great Brit
ain developed the policy of settling
the country west of the Allegheny
mountains in order to forestall the
French who laid claim to the valley
Of the Ohio.
The Ohio Land Company was char
tered in 1749 and King George the
Second granted 1t 100000 acres OF
! hand on the south side of the Ohio
river between the Little Kanawna
and Monongahela rivers.
The charter required that the COM
many should build a fort and settle
one hundred families on Its lands
within seven years.
Christopher Gist was appointed
agent of the company to survey ana
locate its lands and to attend to It's
affairs west of the mountains. ne
established trading post at wills
creek now Cumberland and stocked
: II with goods to trade to the Indians.
He also commenced settlement In
4 valley west OF Laurel Hill In what
Is now Fayette county. Pa
The opposition of the French and
Indians checked the efforts OF the
company to locate settlers ana SUD
seduent treaties with the Indian
i tribes and the war of the revolution
nut an end to all land schemes on
the upper Ohio, and the new country
OF Indiana, as 1t was called, faded
away.
In 1852, the Virginia Assem- bly,
passed an act releasing all settlers
from the payment of taxes for the
neriod of ten years, who would To-
cate on lands west of the mountains
In 1854, the governor of Virginia
by proclamation promised lands to
the soldiers who would enlist to
serve in the French and Indian wars.
After the capture of Fort Du-
uuesne by General Forbes in 175S,
advehturers began to cross the
mountains and cluster around the
walls Of the fort now called Fort
pitt. seeking the protection Of its
garrison and gradually extended up
the streams and to the surrounding
neiehborhoo composing the Skin
nish line of civilization.
Ohio Valley Coded.
In the peace Of Paris In 49,
France ceded the Ohio valley to Eng
land. and in the same year hins
George the III, issued proclamation
forbidding any of his subjects from
occupying lands on the western wat
ers until they We're purchased from
the Indians, and ordered the set
tIers already there to Withdraw
The settlers paid no attention 20
this proclamation as it was consIn
cast side of the Ohio did not belong
10 the Indians as they had no VII
lagos in that territory and had not
occupied it for many years II ever
INIT used it in common as hunting
ground.
thorities sent soldiers to dispossess
the settlers on the .Mononganela OF
their holdings, but If they performed
t1,is UNPLEASANT duty, the Inhabitants
moved back as soon as the soldiers
The colony OF Pennsylvania in
1853 made some kind of treaty with
one or more tribes of Indians ZOE
the purchase of lands west OF the
mountains in order to keep them them
quiet, but Virginia never pureAaseo
any title from them
In 1854 an attempt was made 70
settle the Tygar. valley 5y Files and
Tygart, but they failed through the
hostility of the Indians.
In the fall of 1853 a small colony
headed by Thomas Decker attempted
a settlement on the Monongahela
Just above the site of MorgantoWn
at the mouth OF the creek Wnlcn
still bears his name, but in the spring
Of 1859 it was broken up by party
OF Delawares and Mingoes and the
greater part of its inhabitants muir
dered-
MorRantown Settled.
In 1866, Zachel Morgan. James
chew and James Prickett made a
permanent settlement at the site OF
Morgantown.
After the close Of the French and
Indian war treaty of peace was
made by the English and various
tribes Of Indians in the Ohio coun-
try in 1865, which brought compaf-
alive peace and quiet to the Virginia
frontier and emigration began TO
flow over the mountains to the viz
gin lands of northwestern Virginia.
It was during the continuance or
this exemption that settlements ms
were made on the waters OF the
Monon eahela and Ohio rivers.
The first of these in order of time
was that made on the Buckhannon
river. a branch of the Tygarts val
lev river and was induced by a nat
+erfne account of the country as CIV
en- by two brothers who had spent
some years there under rather I'M
pleasant circumstances.
Among the soldiers VINO formed
part of the English garrison at Fort
pitt (now Pittsburg) were William
rshflders, John Pringle, Samuel
PrfngIe and Joseph Tinsey. In 1851
these four men deserted from the
fort and assembled the Monongahela
a far as the mouth of Georges
creek near the present town of Cen
eva. Pa. Here they remained
while but not liking the situation.
crossed over to the head OF the
Youshogany, encamped in the glades
and remained there for about twelve