West Virginia

Archaic Period

Archaic Period (7,000 BC – 1000 BC) The early part of this cultural period was characterized by warm, dry conditions. Sandy deserts existing in the coastal plain of the Carolinas, but probably, the landscape in the Shenandoah Valley would have been similar to that of eastern Colorado today. Ocean levels were continually rising because of melting glaciers and ice caps in the northern latitudes. By around 5000 BC, western Virginia’s climate was fairly close to what occurs today. After the concurrent die-off of many large mammals and warming of western Virginia, herds of three ruminant species, deer, bison and elk, … Read more

Woodland Period

Early Woodland Period (1000 BC – 200 BC) In the Mid-Atlantic region, the Early Woodland Period is believed to have been a continuation of Late Archaic traditions. Native peoples slowly became more sophisticated in adapting to their environment. Population slowly increased. There were steadily more trade contacts between regions. An important trade route connecting the North Georgia Mountains and Tennessee River Valley with the Potomac River Valley passed through the Shenandoah Valley. It intersected major east-west trade routes at Harpers Ferry, WV and Roanoke, VA, where the James River passes through the Blue Ridge Mountains. At least as early as … Read more

Paleo-Indian Period

Most of the Shenandoah Valley is part of the Ridge and Valley Province that extends from southeastern New York to northwest of Atlanta, GA. The eastern flank of the valley is part of the Blue Ridge Mountains that extend from eastern Pennsylvania to northern suburbs of Atlanta, GA. The Blue Ridge Mountains are composed of igneous and metamorphic rocks. The southern end of the Shenandoah Valley contains also igneous rock outcrops, known as “mow hills” that are the remnants of ancient volcanoes. Most of the valley is underlain by sedimentary or metamorphic rocks that were originally sedimentary. Early Paleo-Indian Period … Read more

Exploration and Settlement of the Shenandoah Valley

Farrer 1650 map of the colonies of Virginia and Maryland

The Shenandoah Valley, first explored by Johann Lederer and his associates in 1670, holds a rich history shaped by early exploration, settlement, and conflict. Following Lederer’s journey, which reached as far west as present-day Strasburg, VA, the region saw further exploration by Colonel Cadwallader Jones in 1673 and George Ritter in 1705. In 1719, Thomas Fairfax inherited the Northern Neck proprietary estate, managing it as a feudal manor and significantly influencing the area’s development. Germanic and other European settlers, recruited by Fairfax’s agents, began shaping the valley’s landscape with intensive farming practices. Native American presence in the valley persisted until the mid-18th century, with peaceful coexistence giving way to displacement during the French and Indian War. The departure of Native Americans by 1754 marked a pivotal shift in the valley’s demographic and cultural composition.

The Rickohockens’ Role in Native American Slavery

During the Third Powhatan War (1644-1646) warriors of the Rickohocken tribe, living near the headwaters of the James River, formed an alliance with Powhatan. They massacred all whites that they encountered as they marched down the James Valley. Over 500 white settlers were killed by the Native alliance. The Rickohockens probably would have destroyed the capital in Jamestown had not they run out of arrows. The colonists counter-attacked with firearms and steel weapons. The Rickohockens sued for peace. In order to keep the Rickohockens from attacking the English colonists again, Royal Governor William Berkeley, began making trade contracts with them … Read more

The Southern Longleaf Pine Tree

The 160 mile long Shenandoah Valley is located in northwestern Virginia and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. Ten counties are located in this famous valley. They are (south to north) Rockbridge, Augusta, Rockingham, Page, Shenandoah, Warren, Frederick and Clarke Counties in Virginia, plus Berkeley and Jefferson Counties in West Virginia. The main Shenandoah River is formed by the North Fork of the Shenandoah and South Fork of the Shenandoah that join in Front Royal, VA. They are created by tributaries in the central mountains of Virginia. The Shenandoah River and all its tributaries flow northeastward through the Great Appalachian … Read more

Slave Narrative of Martha J. Jones

Interviewer: Byers York Person Interviewed: Martha J. Jones Location: Louisville, Kentucky Place of Birth: Buckingham County, Virginia Date of Birth: 1847 Age: 90 In an interview with Mrs. Martha J. Jones, she reminisced of the old Civil War days as follows: “I was born in Buckingham County, Virginia, and later during the Civil War, I lived in Gilmer County, W. Va. My fathers name was Robert R. Turner; he was born in 1818 and my mother’s name was Susan; she was born in 1821. My parents had six children and we lived on a big farm. My father was in … Read more

Slave Narrative of Catherine Slim

Interviewer: Bishop & Isleman Person Interviewed: Catherine Slim Location: Steubenville, Ohio Place of Birth: Rockingham, Virginia Age: 87 Place of Residence: 939 N. 6th St., Steubenville, Ohio WPA in Ohio Federal Writers’ Project Bishop & Isleman Jun 9, 1937 Topic: Ex-Slaves Jefferson County, District #2 MRS. CATHERINE SLIM Ex-slave, 87 years, 939 N. 6th St., Steubenville I wuz born in Rockingham, Virginny; a beautiful place where I cum from. My age is en de courthouse, Harrisonburg, Virginny. I dunno de date of my birth, our massa’s wouldn’t tell us our age. My mother’s name wuz Sally. She wuz a colored … Read more

Slave Narrative of John W. Matheus

Interviewer: Bishop & Isleman Person Interviewed: John Williams Matheus Location: Steubenville, Ohio Age: 77 Place of Residence: 203 Dock Street WPA in Ohio Federal Writers’ Project Bishop & Isleman Reporter: Bishop (Revision) July 8, 1937 Topic: Ex-Slaves Jefferson County, District #5 JOHN WILLIAMS MATHEUS Ex-Slave, 77 years “My mothers name was Martha. She died when I was eleven months old. My mother was owned by Racer Blue and his wife Scotty. When I was bout eleven or twelve they put me out with Michael Blue and his wife Mary. Michael Blue was a brother to Racer Blue. Racer Blue died … Read more

Slave Narrative of Reverend Williams

Interviewer: Miriam Logan Person Interviewed: Rev. Williams Location: Lebanon, Ohio Place of Birth: Greenbriar County, West Virginia Date of Birth: 1859 Age: 76 Occupation: Methodist minister Miriam Logan Lebanon, Ohio July 8th Warren County, District 2 Story of REVEREND WILLIAMS, Aged 76, Colored Methodist Minister, Born Greenbriar County, West Virginia (Born 1859) “I was born on the estate of Miss Frances Cree, my mother’s mistress. She had set my grandmother Delilah free with her sixteen children, so my mother was free when I was born, but my father was not. “My father was butler to General Davis, nephew of Jefferson … Read more

Slave Narrative of Nan Stewart

Interviewer: Sarah Probst Person Interviewed: Nan Stewart Location: Ohio Place of Birth: Charleston, West Virginia Date of Birth: February 1850 Age: 87 Sarah Probst, Reporter Audrey Meighen, Author-Editor Jun 9, 1937 Folklore Meigs County, District Three [HW: Middeport] “I’se bawned Charl’stun, West Virginia in February 1850.” “My mammy’s name? Hur name wuz Kath’run Paine an’ she wuz bawned down Jackson County, Virginia. My pappy wuz John James, a coopah an’ he wuz bawned at Rock Creek, West Virginia. He cum’d ovah heah with Lightburn’s Retreat. Dey all crossed de ribah at Buffington Island. Yes, I had two bruthahs and three … Read more

Slave Narrative of Sarah Woods Burke

Interviewer: James Immel Person Interviewed: Sarah Woods Burke Location: Washington County, Ohio Place of Birth: Grayson County, West Virginia Age: 85 “Yessir, I guess you all would call me an ex-slave cause I was born in Grayson County, West Virginia and on a plantation I lived for quite a spell, that is until when I was seven years old when we all moved up here to Washington county.” “My Pappy’s old Mammy was supposed to have been sold into slavery when my Pappy was one month old and some poor white people took him ter raise. We worked for them … Read more

Slave Narrative of James Campbell

Interviewer: Hallie Miller Person Interviewed: James Campbell Location: Gallipolis, Ohio Place of Birth: Monroe County WV Date of Birth: January 15, 1852 “Well, I’se bo’n Monro’ County, West Virginia, on January 15, 1852, jes’ few miles from Union, West Virginia.” “My mammy wuz Dinnah Alexander Campbell an’ my pappy wuz Levi Campbell an’ dey bof cum frum Monro’ County. Dat’s ’bout only place I heerd dem speak ’bout.” “Der wuz Levi, Floyd, Henry, Noah, an’ Nancy, jes’ my haf brudders an’ sistahs, but I neber knowed no diffrunce but whut dey wuz my sistahs an’ brudders.” “Where we liv? On … Read more

Genealogy of Ezekiel French

6 EZEKIEL FRENCH (Aaron1), b. June 17, 1775, Essex Co., New Jersey; d. Jan. 1, 1861, Miami Co., Ohio; m. (1st) Mar. 4, 1795, Phebe Bates (b. Jan. 18, 1775; d. Sep. 4, 1843), dau. of Ephraim Bates; m. (2nd) Jan. 16, 1845, Martha Jones (b. Mar. 21, 1773; d.) ; m. (3rd) Elizabeth (b. May, 1777, in N. J.; d. Feb., 1860, Miami Co., O.), widow of Enoch Sutton. Ezekiel French a moved from Pennsylvania to West Virginia, 1798, and to Miami Co., Ohio, 1811. Children of first marriage (none of second or third): 47 ISAAC FRENCH, b. Feb. … Read more

Biography of Robert Fulton Ellison, M. D.

Coming from Virginian ancestry, of English lineage and imbued with the spirit of western enterprise and progress, Dr. Robert Fulton Ellison has won a prominent place in professional circles of St. Louis and made a most creditable record in connection with his service in the World war. Born in Douglas, West Virginia, on the 26th of October, 1889, he is a son of William Madison Ellison, who is also a native of that state and comes of English ancestry. The family was founded in America by James B. Ellison, who in early colonial days settled in Virginia. An ancestor of … Read more

Biography of Edwin R. Christman

Edwin R. Christman, secretary of the Silurian Oil Company of St. Louis, was born September 6, 1887, in Wheeling, West Virginia, a son of Edwin A. Christman, a native of Tennessee and a representative of one of the old Pennsylvania families of Dutch descent and also of early American Quaker ancestry living in Pennsylvania. Edwin Christman was united in marriage to Margaret Cahill, a native of Tennessee and of Irish lineage. They have become the parents of four children, two sons and two daughters. Edwin R. Christman, the second in order of birth, was educated in the public schools of … Read more

Biography of George Ewing

George Ewing, commonly called during his residence in the county Lieut. Ewing, was, it is believed, the first white settler within the bounds of what is now Ames township. A native of Salem, New Jersey, he entered the continental army at the beginning of the revolutionary war, and served with credit during its whole course. For his bravery and good conduct he received, soon after entering the service, a commission as first lieutenant of the Jersey Line, which position he held till the return of peace. Shortly after the conclusion of the war he emigrated to what is now Ohio … Read more

Biography of Calvary Morris

Calvary Morris, was born near Charleston, West Virginia, in 1798, and spent his youth in the Kanawha valley, laboring on a farm, and battling with the hardships of pioneer life. In 1818 he married the eldest daughter of Dr. Leonard Jewett, of Athens, and in the spring of 1819, located permanently in that town. “Finding myself,” says Mr. Morris, “a stranger in a strange land, and obliged to make provision for the support of my family, my first step was to rent five acres of ground, upon which to raise a crop of corn. While cultivating that ground, during the … Read more

Biography of John Monroe Farnsworth

John Monroe Farnsworth, of Humboldt, is one of the prominent oil well contractors and oil producers in this section of Kansas and had operated on a very extensive scale both for others and for himself. He grew up in the atmosphere of the oil industry in the East, and had been a resident of Kansas for the past fifteen years. He is of English ancestry and the family came out of England and were Colonial settlers in New York. His grandfather, John Farnsworth, was born in New York State, was a carpenter by trade, and early settled in what is … Read more

Biography of Elisha Wesley McComas, Hon.

While the years of his greatest activity and achievement, the period which made him a national figure, were spent in other localities, a special interest attaches to the career of Elisha W. McComas in Kansas, not only because he lived in that state for many years, but members of his family still reside there. He was born in Cabell County in Old Virginia, the second in a family of six sons. His father was a prominent man in Old Virginia, served several terms in Congress, filled a position on the local bench, and other places of honor. The early life … Read more