Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1922-06-29
TIE CALIFORNIA GOLD SEEKERS.
81 W. Mcclure Moler.

ton concern-g the carly settlement
of Shepherdstown and of the history
of those valiant men who braved the
perils of the wids of the mountains
of the East, and the vastness of the
prairies of the West, has decided to
collect these bits of information and
weave them into story for the read
ers of the Register.
The dawn of May %, 1922, found
the city of Sacramento, California, in
the midst of vast celebration. Ii
had been Jus. seventy three years since
the frs; Yi';ic man had settled this now
large city. Overnight the styles had
changed from "Flapper" styles to the
hoop-skirt that characterized the moth
ers of yesterday. Be a Forty Miner!
This was the slogan and the reminis-
cent spirit that permeated Sacramento
and carried the throngs and thousands
Of visitors who were there to witness
the fete back to the days OF gold-the
DAYS that were the foundation Of Cali
fornia's,. thrilling story.
A historic pageant was enacted of
still earlier period-of the landing of
General Suffer and his battle with the
Indians. All of this was portrayed
as it really happened in the days of
40 The soldiers, veterans of the
worlds latest conflict. were CARRIED in
the cowboy suits that their forefathers
wore when they made the West hab-
liable place. Seventy-five real Indians
we're in line and took part in the sham
battle that vividly recalled the slaugh-
ter of those early days. These In
dams had been secured by the permits
sion of the United States government
from the reservations of Nevada:
Sacramento was really pioneer viii
lage for one day. Business was for
gotten, and the multitudes bent their
energy as one to make this memorable
event a success.
We have given you few paragraphs
as to the celebration that took place.
Little has been said Of the people that
in real life played the part in dead
earnest, and the survival of the fittest
who lived and enjoyed the pleasures
and benefits derived from their toll
and hardships.
Jefferson county has the honor, be-
yond all peradventure, of being the
seat of the first settlement of the white
man in the great valley stretching its
fertile hills and dales from the Potomac
(then the Cohongoroota) southwark for
over one hundred miles. The first
settlement was made, according to the
best information obtainable, at the
apex Of the Swift Run Gap in 1716.
Two or three of the leading justices Of
peace were from this section, and the
| ancestors of many Of those who became
famous in the various branches of the
| professions and in the war resided in
the northern third of the vast county
of now Frederick county, Virginia, and
the southern end of what is now Jeffer-
son and Berkeley counties, West Vir-
ginia. Here originated the numerous
families of Washingtons, Morgans,
| Swcaringens, Lucases, Bedingers,
Shepherds, Davenports, Porterfields,
| Baylors, Moores, Lees, Hunters,
Whites, Masons, Helms, one branch OF
the Htes, Lemons, MERGERS, Briscoes,
Rutherfords, Smiths, Worthingtons,
and numbers of other prominent fami-
lies.
Thus we have the early families from
which the present generation is de-
! seconded that live in this community,
and all over the United States 1t
would not be we'll to 60 into detail
| following the Developments Of these
sturdy pioneers and their achievements.
What we are interested in is the part
| played by those who in 1S49 went
West to seek their fortune. Numbers
went from this county. There are a
great many perhaps of whom no record
was kept. There was particular
party that made their way West in that
! year OF whom many interesting tales
are told.
In that party were Joseph Engle.
Daniel Donley, Jacob Engle, Isaac Keys
Strider, Daniel Cockrell. and John
| Avis. When the winter ended, there
were seen twelve covered wagons,
fully equipped with the absolute ne
cesstieS of life, making their way
through the wilderness. The pioneers
knew not what difficulties and dangers
were before them that morning as
they said goodbye to loved ones, and
opened new chapter in the history of
our nation. They chopped and hawed
their way through the vast wilderness
day in and dav out. Numerous Indians
were met and with whom acquaintance
was cultivated. The story has been
told by Raleigh Moler of an incident in
encounterinG a band of Cherokees af-
ter the Mississippi had been crossed.
It seems that one of the pioneers in
the party had an especially attractive
yoke of oxen. One day when they
had halted from their journey to par
take Of the midday repast, several
Cheroke2s rode UP, and one Of them ex-
pressed the best that he could in his
sign language his desire to own the
oxen. The owner replied that If the
Indian could hit with his bow and are
row. from a specified distance, any one
OF the oxen, that he could have them
The man in measuring the number of
PAGES thought that he was safe on the
wager, as il seemed utterly impossible
to touch his prize oxen at such a great
distance The white man was to re-