A Cloudy Look Into the Past

Cain and Mary (Simmons) Wimer came from pioneer families who had settled the South Branch of the Potomac. Cain and Mary married in Pendleton County and set to building a homestead on Indian Fork about the time of the Civil War. Cain and Mary's place was below the Blackburn Methodist Church, between the church and where Indian Fork flows into Sand Fork. (This is just over the hill to the west of the Oil Creek watershed, part of the Sand Creek Watershed, but it is at the edge of the Orlando Postal Service area.)

Thelma (Sprouse) Prince, formerly of Heaters, WV, who presently lives in Delaware, shares with us a rare photo of Cain and Mary's family from the 1890s. In this photo are 9 of their 11 children (with some of the grandchildren): Tom Sarah, Margaret, Mary, William, Charley, Bridget, Andrew, Verna. Missing are James and David, the brothers who married Cole sisters.

The photo is a copy, and very dim, but still draws the eye and curiosity and speaks of our heritage. It may appear clearer if it is printed out. Each person in the photo has a number written on it. The legend at the bottoom of the photo has been copied and expanded below.

Cain and Mary (Simmons) Wimer with children and grandchildren, before 1900.

1, Tom Wymer . . . m. ? . . . son of Cain and Mary Wimer . . . b. abt 1893

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2. Birdie Heater . . . m. William H, Hefner . . . dtr of Lorenzo Dow "Dow" and Sarah Heater . . . b. 1887 .

3. Rosie Heater . . . m. William Riffle . . . dtr of Samuel & Margaret (Wymer) Heater . . . b. 1894
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4. Ann Heater . . . m. Albert Jenkins Pumphrey. . . dtr of Dow and Sarah (Wymer) Heater . . .
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5. Daisy Heater . . . m. Charles Blake . . . dtr of Dow and Sarah (Wimer) Heater . . . b. abt 1889
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6. James Earl Heater . . . m.?. . . son of Dow and Sarah (Wimer) Heater . . . b. ?
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7. Verna Wymer . . . m. Frank Sprouse . . . dtr of Cain and Mary Wymer . . . b. abt 1891 (pictured to the right.)
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8. Ernest Heater . . . m.? . . . son of Sam and Alice Heater . . .
..
9. Donia Butcher . . . m. ? son of Mary (Wimer) Butcher . . .
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10, Cain Wymer . . . m. Mary Simmons . . . son of Jacob and Sarah Wymer . . . b. abt 1832 (pictured to the left with Mary.) .

11. Mary "Polly" Simmons . . . m. Cain Wymer . . . dtr of Jacob & Mary M. (Detrick) Simmons . . . b abt 1849 (pictured to the left with Cain.)
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12. Opal Sprouse . . . m. a Donaldson . . . dtr of William and Martha Sprouse . . .
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13. Lorenzo Dow "Dow" Heater . . . m. Emma Cox, Sarah Wimer . . . son of William, Mary (Cogar) Heater . . . 1843-1923.

14. Sarah Wymer . . . m. Dow Heater . . . dtr of Cain and Mary (Simmons) Wimer . . . 1863-1961
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15. Dona M. Heater . . . m. Cecil Allen Taylor . . . dtr of Dow and Sarah (Wimer) Heater . . . b. abt 1899
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16. William “Bill” Wymer . . . m. ? . . . son of Cain and Mary Wimer . . . b. abt 1888
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17. Charley Wymer . . . m. Laura Bell . . . son of Cain and Mary Wimer . . . b. abt 1885
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18. Bridget Wymer. . . m. Homer Sprouse . . . dtr of Cain and MaryWymer . . . b. abt 1879
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19. Oliver “Bee” Heater . . . m Genevieve Skinne . . . son of Sam & Mgt Alice (Wymer) Heater . . . b. 1892 (Pictured to the left.)
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20. Andrew Jackson Wymer . . . m. ? . . . son of Cain and Mary Wimer . . . b. abt 1882
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21. Sean Louella Heater ??? ??? ??
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22. Alice Wymer . . . m. Samuel Heater . . . dtr of Cain and Mary Wymer . . . b. 1872
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23. Nancy Heater . . . m. George Tomlin . . . dtr of Samuel and Alice (Wymer) Heater . . . b. abt 1863
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24. Samuel "Sam" Heater . . . m. Alice Wymer . . . son Rosina Heater . . . 1859-1936
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25. Mary Wymer . . . m. C. Evans Butcher . . . dtr of Cain and Mary Wimer . . . b. abt 1880

Peter Shields Revisited

by Donna Gloff

Delores D’Errico has done extensive research on Peter Shields (1756-1832), the several-great grandfather in many Orlando families, who served both the English and the Colonists in the Revolutionary War. She is searching for documentation to support our long-held beliefs about his life. Below are some of her findings and suspicions about his story. I (the author of this article) agree with her well researched and presented information and suspicions. Dolores welcomes comments and information from anyone who can add something to this discussion.

　
We think:
1 Peter Shields was born in Lanchester, England and came to the colonies as a soldier in a Red Coat, serving King George.
a. We know a Peter Shields was christened in Lanchester’s All Saints Anglican Church in 1756. This baby is commonly accepted as our Peter Shields, but we have nothing that shows why this Peter Shields is our fellow.

Right, above: Lanchester, Durham, England, near the border between England and Scotland
Left: If this Peter is our Peter Shields, he was christened in the church, All Saints in Lanchester. This is how it would have looked then. The tower was built in the middle ages. Today there is a clock set in the tower wall. 　
Right: People of 1760s England dressed rather like the folks in the sketch to the right.

.FYI: What was Peter Shields’ life like in England? He most likely did not come from a family of substance because if he had, his family would have bought him a rank in the army and there is no indication that Peter Shields was an officer in either the English Army or the Virginia Militia.
　
b. Legend says that he came as a soldier with Burgoyne’s forces to put down the rebellion in the American Colonies. So far no documentation has been found that supports even his enlistment or conscription into the King’s Army. However, the circumstantial evidence causes us to believe this is most likely true. We need to research the British military records for Burgoyne’s troops in order to confirm this. Fortunately, there are many kinds of records and they are in good condition, so, when someone gets to the task it should not be unpleasant work. The records surrounding his military career should also confirm where and when he was born, who his parents were and what his father’s occupation was.
　

Right:The uniform of an English soldier at the time of the "Rebellion"

In 1984, apparently using information from the history books, Larry Shields constructed a likely scenario for Shields’ career as an English soldier.

　
2 Peter’s wife may have been Elizabeth Judy.
No record has been found of Elizabeth’s parents or of Peter’s and Elizabeth’s marriage, but Peter’s wife has generally been identified as Elizabeth Singleton. Dolores noticed that one reference, the Blackford County History, stated that his wife was of German heritage. She further noticed that "Singleton" is not a German name and the closest German family would have been the "Judys", according to tax records. (This is a German or Swiss name originally spelled "Tschudy" and pronounced "Judy".) Also, the person who bought Peter’s 70 acres in Hardy County was one "Jacob Judy".

The short reference that claims Peter Shields’ wife was of German heritage doesn’t carry too much weight, but it did catch Dee’s attention and what weight is does carry tilts the balance away from the Singletons to a German family, like the Judys.

Left: Virginia counties in Peter Shields’ day. Red is Peter Shields' Hardy and Pendleton County Properties, Blue is the Braxton County area where both the Shields and Singltons settled in the early 1800s. Green is Farquier County where the Singletons came from.

The case is made stronger because there is no reason why Peter Shields would have crossed paths with the Singletons in his early years. The Singletons settled in Farquier County, several counties and a mountain range away from Hampshire/Hardy County where Peter pioneered, farmed and where he and Elizabeth raised their family. Then why might earlier researchers have thought Elizabeth might be a Singleton? Since the Singletons settled near the Shields family in Braxton County, an early family historian may have jumped to a conclusion. However, Peter and Elizabeth married and raised their family in Harrison/Hardy County decades before their move next to the Singletons in Braxton County.
　

3 Peter served in the Virginia Militia twice.
a. English prisoners and deserters were not welcome in the Continental Army.

Dolores cites "Escape in America" by Richard Sampson, pg 68, which quotes a Congressional resolution in February 1778:
"Whereas experience hath proved that no confidence can be placed in prisoners of war or deserters from the enemy, who enlist into the Continental Army; but many losses and great mischiefs have frequently happened by them; therefore Resolved, that no prisoners of war or
deserters from the enemy be enlisted, drafted, or returned, to serve in the Continental Army."

Local militia, however, were not so restricted. Peter Shields could very well have served with his neighbors in the Virginia militia. There were several militia units present at Cornwallis’ surrender at Yorktown so he might well have been there, just as our historians have said.

Unfortunately, the militia records are too often faded and illegible. This has not stopped Dorlores from searching for evidence of Peter Shields' service. Delores finds clues to Peter Shields' military service in unexpected places. For example, Peter's son Peter Jr. named one of his sons Weedon. That is an unusual first name. However, General George Weedon commanded the militia regiments who were present at Cornwallis' surrender. Another example is Treasury Records documenting the transfer of land from Joseph Neville to several men. One of them is Peter Shields and the land transferred is Peter's 70 acres in Hardy County. The militia was not involved with the national program that gave men land in sections of Ohio and Kentucky in return for service in the national army. However, Neville, in raising his militia, could have made contracts with his men for land in return for service, and since Neville was a land speculator, it would have been to his advantage as well an an opportunity for his men to acquire that most precious commodity, their own farms.

　
Left: Illustration of Revolutionary War Militia in battle
　
b. At roughly age 50, Peter again served in the Virginia Militia. We have records which show he served in 1807 under Capt Jordan. (ref: Volunteer Soldiers, 1784-1811, transcribed by Virgil D. White 1987)

If we were to find the reason Peter Shields chose to enlist in the militia during a time of peace with the English, French and Indians, we would know a lot more about the life he lived.
　
4 Peter and Elizabeth settled in the North Branch of the Potomac Watershed, on West Mill Creek near the county line separating Hardy and Pendleton Counties. (Note the red dot on the above map of old Virginia.) They had 70 acres to farm in Hardy County and a 35 acre piece of land nearby in Pendleton County that may have had a saltpeter mine.
　
a. Hardy County
Tax records show that in 1784 Peter (in his late 20s), Elizabeth and their first two children were living in Hampshire County. (Hardy County was formed in 1786 from Hampshire County.)
　
About 1790, 70 acres of unimproved land in Hardy County on the west side of North Mill Creek between John Wise and John Liking was surveyed for Peter Shields. This land had originally belonged to Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Neville.
　

Left: Survey of the 70 acres land

Right: A random photo of West Mill Creek

In 1811 Peter (in his 50s) and Elizabeth sold the 70 acres to Jacob Judy for 75 pounds.
　
FYI: How big is 70 acres?
(70 acres equals .109 square mile or the equivalent of a square about 1/3 mile on each side.) They raised their eight children there. The land acquisitions and the children’s births are well documented. The possibility that he had a saltpeter mine is very likely.

b. Pendleton County
In 1805 Peter Shields purchased 35 acres of saltpeter caves in Pendleton County, a few miles south of his 70 acres in Hardy County. He sold the land to ??Hinkle in 18??.

Right: A "brush" of Saltpeter on a stone cellar wall.

FYI: What is saltpeter?
Saltpeter is potassium nitrite, KNO3: potassium, nitrogen and oxygen. Saltpeter is common in the caves along the Allegheny Mountains where it seems to grow on the rocks. It is the result of a chemical reaction It is scraped off the rocks and then purified into saltpeter. Its main use at that time was for gunpowder, which is about 75% saltpeter, 15% sulfur and 10% charcoal.

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5 Peter and Elizabeth Shields moved with their family to Salt Lick, Braxton County, in the early 1800s. Their life on Salt Lick will be covered soon, in another entry.

The original entry about Peter Shields is at http://orlandostonesoup.blogspot.com/2006/03/revolutionary-war-veteran-peter.html

Our Grandfathers' Tory Rebellion

by Donna Gloff

Including Hyre, Mace, Rohrbaugh, Crites, Borer, Brake, Osborn & Others

It would be difficult to find someone from Orlando who is not descended from a veteran or patriot of the American Revolution. That makes it all the more interesting to learn that in 1781, six years into the Revolutionary War and a year and a half before it was finished, a number of our pioneer forefathers rebelled against the high taxation and conscription demands of the continental government and formed a Tory unit, to fight with the British against the Continental Army.

The Beginnings of an Insurrection

It was a desperate time for our infant republic, and the demands on the citizens were back-breaking. In April of 1781, a John Claypool and several of his pioneer neighbors along the Lost River, east of our forefathers on South Fork of the Potomac, had had enough and when the tax collector arrived they refused. They hoisted a Union Jack and "Drank to King George the third's Health and Damnation to Congress." By the time authorities arrived, forty or fifty men had made their way to Claypool's on the Lost River.

Above left: The Union Jack

Right: a sketch of typical Colonial militia, engaged in battle. The troops that marched on Torys included Army regulars and militia like these.

Those pioneers surrendered, but word spread anyway and 150 or more men rode to join the insurrection. These were not just pioneer farmers. Deserters from the Colonial army and English soldiers escaped from POW camps helped to swell the numbers. This growing band of Torys had centered on the West Branch of the Potomac, at Brake's mill, about 15 miles north of Moorefield.

Our Grandfathers

Several of our German immigrant forefathers who had settled on the West Branch joined the fray here. We know about them because of a document they signed: a petition for clemency. According to Richard K. MacMaster in The History of Hardy County, 1786 - 1986, found at Buzz Perry's website, http://www.perrybrake.com/ClaypoolRebellion.pdf,

"Another group of petitioners also asked for executive clemency, adding that they 'have been instrumental in detecting and bringing in some of the principal Comspirators to Justice.' Enough evidence against them convinced the Grand Jury, nevertheless, to indict them for treason and insurrection. The signers of this petition included Samuel Lourie from Lost River. The rest lived on the South Fork or the South Branch. Jacob Brake, whose name headed the petition, Jacob House, John Mitchell, Jeremiah Osborn, and Adam Rodebaugh lived on the South Fork or in the vicinity of Moorefield in Michael Stump's district. Michael Algire, Charles Borah or Borrer, John Casner, Jacob Crites, Leonard Hier, John Mace, Henry Rodebaugh, Jacob Pickle, Adam Wease, Sr., Adam Wease, Jr., John Wease, and Jacob Yeazle were all in John Wilson's district on Mill Creek in present Grant County. Jacob Hier, Isaac Mace, and Thomas Stacey were in Job Welton's district in the vicinity of Petersburg."

Most of the twenty-five South Branch pioneers who signed this petition have descendants throughout central West Virginia, including the Oil Creek area. Some of their descendants are named Riffle, Morrison, Hyre and Hyer, McCauley, Strader, Mick, Mace, Skinner and Heater.

The Petition for Clemency

[This petition was written as one paragraph, with extremely long sentences. Line breaks have been added to make reading easier. -ed]
"Humbly Sheweth,
That your Petitioners living in an obscure and remote corner of the State are precluded from every intelligence of the state affairs either by public papers or from the information of men of credit and veracity, and at the same infested by the wicked emissaries or pretended emissaries of the British who travel through all parts of the frontiers and by misrepresentations and false news poisoned the minds of the ignorant and credulous settlers.

That your petitioners from narrow and confined notions and attached too strongly to their interests conceived the Act for laying the enormous tax of eighty pounds paper money on every 100 pounds of their property, rated in specie and a bounty for the recruits of the Continental Army, and the law subjecting them at the same time to be drafted for the said service and the further Act for clothing the Army as unjust and oppressive after paying such a high tax on their assessed property.

And those wicked and designing men by their artful insinuations and false intelligence industriously propagated to delude and seduce your petitioners, too readily prevailed on them to oppose the execution of the said Acts and take up arms in defense of what those wretches called their liberty and property.

But your petitioners humbly shew that they never concerted or conspired the destruction of Government or the hurt of any individual, further than to defend themselves when attacked or compelled to yield obedience to those laws;

and when your petitioners were made sensible of their error by the gentlemen from the adjacent counties who marched a body of men sufficient to have put all the disobedient and deluded crew to the sword, but, from motives of humanity and prudence attempted the more mild method of argument to dispel the delusion and bring them back to their duty,

your petitioners, ready to receive information and open to correction, readily gave up their arms and engaged to deliver themselves to justice and submit to the laws of their country when called for, which they have since done and stood their trial in the County Court of Hampshire,

and were by that Court adjudged to stand a further trial before a Special Court of Oyer and Terminer appointed to meet at the Court House on the 10th day of July last,

but the gentlemen nominated as Judges by the Honorable Board failing to attend, the prosecution was postponed;

and your petitioners were then informed by a proclamation under the hand of the County Lieutenant that the Executive, ever prone to adopt the most lenient measures to penitent offenders, offered pardon and indemnity to all those concerned in the late insurrection, if they would return to their duty and behave as good citizens in future.

And your Petitioners impressed with a deep sense of the gracious intentions of your Excellency and the Honorable Board towards the ignorant and deluded were encouraged to sue for pardon; and that the same act of grace might be extended towards them since they humbly conceive their conduct has been more consonant to the duty of good citizens, who conscious that they have transgressed against the laws of their country readily delivered themselves to Justice and a trial by their peers to suffer the punishment due to their crimes though committed through ignorance and misguided zeal.

Whereas those who have availed themselves of the said proclamation, the equally guilty, did not come in until their safety was insured to them by promise of pardon, wherefore you petitioners humbly hope from the known clemency of your Excellency, and that governs the Councils of the Honorable Board, that they will be graciously pleased to pardon their past offenses and include in the Act of Indemnity so mercifully held out to offenders under the like circumstances and they engage on the faith of honest citizens to act a true and faithful part to the State in future if they are released from further prosecution and restored to the privileges of other citizens; which your petitioner John Claypole is more encouraged to expect from a letter of General Morgan to your said petitioner wherein he promises to procure his pardon on his returning to his allegiance and becoming a good citizen, this he humbly conceives his behavior has, since he was convinced by his error and freed from those mistaken prejudices that seduced him from his duty, wherefore in deep contrition for their past misconduct and sincere promise of conducting themselves as good citizens for the time to come they humbly pray pardon, and that the Honorable Board will save their innocent wives and children from ruin and misery, which they must necessarily be involved, for the crimes of their deluded husband and parents. And your petitioners will pray...

Petitions were bound over for Jury in November. All of the men were pardoned. Several of the men went on to fight against the British in the Colonial Army.

Our Pioneer Grandfathers

Who Signed the Petition for Cemency
with some information about their relationship to the Oil Creek watershed.

Leonard Hier b. 1727 in Benkin, Switz. D. 1786, Hardy Co. VA Descendants: all the Hyers and Hyres
John Mace b. 1711, s/o Henry and Ann (Petty) Mace, father of Eva Mace Descendants of Frank & Eva (Mace) Riffle
John Rorebaugh m. Barbara Reger, d/o Anthony Reger Descendants: all the McCauleys in the area, a few Micks, Skinners and Heaters
Jacob Brake b. abt 1730 in Germany Descendants: Lee Morrison, among others

A few of the Orlando descendants of the Claypool Rebellion: John Scott Riffle b. 1845 (descendant of John Mace), Lee Morrison b. 1867 (descendant of John Brake), Elizabeth (Wine) Blake b. 1866 (descendant of John Mace). Jonathan "Hedge" McCauley b. 1871 (descendant of Anthony Reger), Everett Allman, 1907 (descendent of Leonard Hyre). Doris Jean Blake b. abt 1933 (descendant of John Mace).

Some of the participants as yet unidentified as related to Oil Creek folks
Michael Algier
Isaac Brake b. abt 1760, s/o Jacob, m. Roseanna Almon, moved to Ohio.
Charles Borer
Jacob Crites b. 1752 in Bucks Co, PA, d. 1837, Hardy County, m. Elizabeth Henkle
Adam Rohenbough one of 3 sons of Johann Adam Rodenbaugh & Maria Barbara Fischer
Henry Rodenbough one of 3 sons of Johann Adam Rodenbaugh & Maria Barbara Fischer
Martin Rodenbaugh one of 3 sons of Johann Adam Rodenbaugh & Maria Barbara Fischer
George Sites
Thomas Stacey
Adam Wease
Adam Wease, Jr.
John Wease,
Jacob Yeazle
John Mitchell This doesn’t seem to be our Mitchell line.
Jeremiah Ozburn
Josia Ozburn
George Peck
Jacob Pickle
Jacob House
Samuel Louri
John Casner

. . . . .

Note: for more information see http://www.eg.bucknell.edu/~hyde/brake/ToryUprising.html and
http://www.perrybrake.com/ClaypoolRebellion.pdf and Kercheval, Samuel. History of the Valley of Virginia, 1833.

Note: If your roots pass through Orlando and if you have questions about your ancestors, we'll do our best to help you with your search. Send your questions to orlandowestvirginia@yahoo.com.

Note: Among the ancestors of the Oil Creek community are at least two grandfathers who came to the Colonies with His Majesty King George III’s armies. Peter Shields and Henry Church were both English soldiers who became Prisoners of War. Church served out his time as a POW and married a Quaker girl, Shields gave his allegiance to the new Americans and joined their army.

Right: a British soldier

Charles Lee Riffle, 1872-1949, Laid to Rest

by David Parmer and Ed Riffle

His grandson, Edgar Riffle, remembers the horse and wagon slowly ascending the steep hill to the Posey Cemetery. Despite the frozen and uneven terrain, the casket of Charles Riffle bounced but little on the way to his final resting space. The funeral service at the Orlando U. B. Church had been solemn and respectful and the small church was full of family and friends. On a cold day in February, 1949, Charles Riffle was laid to rest and joined his late wife, Donie Zeler (Blake) Riffle, who had died twelve years before.

Left: Donie Zella (Blake) Riffle and Charles Lee Riffle
Right: Young Eddy Riffle, about the time his grandfather died.

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A Wedding on Clover Fork

Donie (b. 1870) and Charles (b. 1872) were born and raised in the Oil Creek watershed. Donie was twenty and Charles was twenty-one in early September, 1891. That is when they were married by the Methodist Protestant preacher, the Rev. W. A. Law, at the home of Elizabeth (Sands) Blake Donaldson and her new husband James Donaldson. In the Protestant tradition of the time, folks generally married at home or in the minister's study. Sometimes it was the the home of the bride's parents, sometimes another's home. While we can't know exactly why Charles and Donie were married at the home of Elizabeth and James Donaldson, we do know that Elizabeth was a first cousin of Donie's mom and Charles Lee was a first cousin of Elizabeth's first husband, Thomas Blake. (Joseph Thomas "Thomas" Blake had died of typhoid fever seven years earlier. His widow, Elizabeth, and James Donaldson had been married about two years at the time of the wedding.)

Right: Charles and Donie's wedding certificate. Note that Doni is incorrectly named "Dianah" The facts about their wedding were taken from this form. Click on the certificate to enlarge it. .

Their Immigrant Ancestors

Charles Lee Riffle and Donie Z. Blake were descendants of the Riffles, Blakes, Ocheltrees and Williamses, who, with the Skinner/Poseys, were Oil Creek's earliest pioneers.

~~Doni's mother's family, the Ocheltrees, Williams and McCoys, were part of a Scots-Irish settlement in Greenbrier County.

~~Charles' father's family, the Riffles, were German immigrants. According to genealogist Don Norman, "Jacob Riffle was born in Germany about 1725 and died in Lewis County VA in 1816. He arrived at the port of Philadelphia, PA aboard the ship "Phoenix", John Mason commanding, August 28, 1750. Settlement of Jacob 's estate was recorded November 2, 1816 in Lewis County VA Will Book #1, p ages 2-4. He married Dorothy ------ in Harrison County VA about 1768. Dorothy was born about 1745 and died in Braxton County in 1817.

The History of Randolph County by Hu Maxwell written in 1898 says "Jacob Riffle was one of the first settlers in Randolph County. There is evidence that he was in the [Tygart] valley in 1772, and that he subsequently owned or had claim upon 300 acres of land on the creek named from him. . . The tradition is that he deserted from the Virginia Army during the French and Indian War and in his efforts to hide, he found his way into Tygart's Valley soon after the Pringles, also deserters, had made their camp in a hollow sycamore on the Buckhannon. He is said to have owned two slaves. His son's name was Jacob and he, probably accompanied by his father, moved to Braxton County at an early date." They settled in the Oil Creek/Salt Lick area of the LIttle Kanawha River.

~~ In addition to these two lines, Doni and Charles both descended also from an English mariner, Jasper Blake, through his great grandson Theophilus Blake, who set to pioneer farming with the Scots-Irish in Greenbrier County.

Charles's parents were Stewart/Steward Lewis Riffle and Abigail (Blake) Riffle, Charles’ father was known throughout Orlando as “Stewart L” and his mother was called "Abby."

Their Grandfathers & Great-Grandfathers

Charles' grandfather, that is, Abby's father John William Blake, died in the Civil War, in service to the Confederate States of America, according to Lee W Blake's monograph, "The Riffles and Blakes Back 7 Generations.

Charles' other grandfather, Stewart L.'s father, Jacob Isaac Riffle, left a very different legacy. Jacob had many children (perhaps as many as twenty) by two wives, Francena Blake and Matilda Riffle and allegedly many more “woods colts.” The descendants of Jacob are omnipresent throughout central West Virginia and all are, no doubt, keenly aware of the many stories about the “sire of the shire.

Above right: Stewart L. Riffle on the right with John Fountain Posey.
Left: John Jackson and Eliza (Ocheltree) Blake.

Doni's parents were John Jackson and Eliza (Ocheltree) Blake. Doni's great-great grandfather Alexander Ocheltree was was among the Protestant Scotsmen who were moved from Scotland to Northern Ireland because of their religious beliefs, and then came to America. Andrew settled in the Greenbrier area and married Elizabeth McCoy, another Scots-Irish immigrant. In 1778 Alexander was killed in the Indian battle at Donnely's Fort.

Their Children

Charles and Donie Zeler Riffle were the parents of seven children:
.. . Josie married Bill Beckner. Bill worked the tracks between Orlando and Burnsville, with Josie's cousin Patrick Newton "Newt" Blake (aka: Uncle Zeke).
. .. Della married Marion Wymer and they farmed on Three Lick.
. .. Vay Rene never married.
. . Homer Ellis married an Orlando girl, Pearl Barb.
. .. Dana Herbert married Wade Mick's daughter Nellie.
. .. Clarence “Brownie,” worked for the rail road and married Treecy Riffle from Boone County.
.. . Jackson Gilbert "Jack" worked at the Hazel-Atlas glass factory in Clarksburg. there he met his bride, Bernice Knapp from Doddridge County. The materials and photos in this entry belong to their son Ed.

Left: Doni with sons Brownie, Jack and Dana.
Above, right: Charles with Josie, Brownie, Dana, Ellis, Della, Jackson and Vay. Roy Brown has said this photo was taken at the mouth of grass run, facing up the holler. They are in side yard behind the log house that is now torn down. It was his 75 th.birthday, Nov. 1, 1948. He died Feb 5, 1949, 3 mo. later.

Charles' Life

Like most of his contemporaries, Charles was a farmer for most of his life. He never became wealthy from his agrarian pursuits, but provided food, clothing and shelter for his children. Except for a few years at McWhorter, Charles lived most of his life on farms in and around Orlando.

From his grandson Ed Riffle we know that, like most folks in the area, Charles Lee loved country music. Ed reports that his grandfather loved listening to country music from WJJD in Chicago and WCKY in Cincinnati, Ohio on an old battery-operated radio. Maybe it isn't surprising that Charles’ son, Clarence "Brownie," was known as an outstanding music-maker in the Orlando area and since Charles was descended from the musical line of John Burton "Johnnie B" Blake on both his father's and mother's sides.

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Right: daughter Josie (Riffle) Beckner is fixing her hair in front. Behind is the Posey Cemetery, where Charles and Donie were laid to rest.

Looking Backward

It has been sixty years since the horse and wagon climbed the hill to the Posey Run Cemetery to lay Charles Lee Riffle to rest beside his bride, Donie. Family who knew him in life are now old themselves. Memories have faded but the photographs of Charles and Donie return to their descendants a precious look at the life and times of their grandparents who loved the land of their births.

. . . . .

Note 1: Donie Blake: What’s in a Name?

What did John Jackson Blake and Eliza (Ocheltree) Blake, name their daughter? Ed Riffle recalls that his aunt Josie Beckner said her mother’s name was Donnie Zellar. Grandson Clarence Riffle, Jr. stated in a newspaper article dated 1995 that her name was Donna Zellar. Her birth record has "Donzillia". The 1870 census has "Donzeller". Her marriage record has "Dianah". The newspaper account of her death in the Weston Independent said her name was “Donie Zeller.” In the obituary of Charles in the Weston Independent, her name was spelled “Donniee Zella.” Her tombstone in the Posey Cemetery simplifies it somewhat and reads “Donie Z. Riffle.” The official death certificate indicates that her middle name was “Zeler.” Charles was the informant for the spelling on her death certificate and perhaps his knowledge carries more weight than the other sources. Likewise, there is confusion about her date of birth and the date of her marriage. but if the tangled confusion could not be resolved during her lifetime by her family there is little hope for this writer to straighten it out.

The Soul in Humble Subjugation

by David Parmer

Elizabeth (Johns) Church, mother of Orlando's Ingabo (Church) Parmer, wrote the lines to the right in 1852, when she lived near Staunton in Pendleton County, Virginia. Elizabeth was 46 years old at the time and the mother of eight children. Her husband was 80(!) and our Ingabo, one of eight children, was eight years old.

Right: photostat of the Elizabeth's poem. Click on it to enlarge. A transcription is below.

Left: Map of the state Eliabeth lived in in 1852, showing (light green) Pendleton County where Elizabeth was raised and (pink) Wetzel County where her husband, William Church, was raised. Some time after the Civil War they moved to Lewis County (orange) The (yellow) heart is located over the Oil Creek watershed where their daughter Ingabo (Church) and David Parmer settled. Click on the map to enlarge it.

Elizabeth (Johns) Church lived her early life in the valleys of Pendleton and Highland Counties where many ancestors of Orlando folks lived before they moved westward to the Oil Creek Valley. She knew the simple life of agrarian pursuits and the strength and majesty of her God. Many years after her death, found among her papers, was a poem she had written, a testament to her faith and her love of the land of her birth. Elizabeth Johns was born about 1806. Her father William Johns died around the time she was born. He was a veteran of the Revolutionary War, having been drafted to serve, and was present at the siege of Yorktown. We don't know much about Elizabeth's mother, Sarah (Wood) Johns.

In 1828, at the age of 22, Elizabeth married William Clark Church who was 56 years of age. Elizabeth and her husband William lived on the Staunton Trail and during the Civil War there was "much shooting and fighting going on all around them", according to Elizabeth's 2great grandson Ed Wilson, who had heard the stories from his great-grandmother Ingabo (Church) Parmer.

Left: Elizabeth's daughter who settled in Confluence/Orlando, Ingabo (Church) Parmer
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The poem reveals a woman who finds reflection and fulfillment of her faith in in God in the hills and valleys of her Appalachian home.

Transcription of

Poem by Elizabeth Johns Church **

October 9, 1852

. . . . . The Soul in Humble Subjugation
‘Tis low down in that beautiful valley
Where love crowns the meek and the lonely
Where no storms of envy or folly
Can ‘ere roll their billows again.

The meek come in humble subjection
Can there find unshaken protection
The soft gales of cheering reflection
The mind soothed from sorrow and pain

This low vale is free from contention
no soul can dream of decension
Where no wild or eveal intention

Can find out this region of pease

‘Tis there there the Lord will deliver
And souls drink of that beautiful river
Where pease flows for ever and ever

And love and joy for ever increase

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There there where stormes have been driven

Shall move there bark in that beautiful haven

And there bask in the sun shine of heaven

And triumph in immanuels name

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Tis their their yonders bright glory

We’ll shout and sing and tell the glad story

And when we’v passed cold Jordan over quite

We’ll sing hallelujah to God and the Lamb

** This poem is tendered as it was written, without correction. -D. Parmer

. . . . .

NOTE 1 by Donna Gloff:

Elizabeth (Johns) Church and her husband William Church lived in Lewis County in their later years. Through daughter Ingabo they were grandparents to six (at that time) Confluence children: George, David, Nathan, Dora, Rosa and Susie Parmer, and through them, great grandparents of many, many Orlando children.

The children of Ingabo Jamima (Church) Parmer 1842-1935 + David Parmer Abt 1812-?

1 George W. Parmer 1861-?

2 David William Parmer 1864-1936

. . . m. Barbara Zickefoose

3 Nathan Parmer 1871-1964

. . . m. Olive T. Skinner 1873-1941

4. Dora Jane Parmer 1883-?

. . . m. Matthias Veston Skinner 1875-1946

. . . m. James Skinner 1876-?

5. Rosa Parmer

. . . m. Mr. Church

6. Susie Parmer

. . . m. Mr. Lang

Left: Three of Elizabeth's granddaughters (Ingabo's daughters) who were raised on OIl Creek: Dora (Parmer) Skinner, Rosa (Parmer) Church, Susie (Parmer) Lang.

Right: Elizabeth's grandson (Ingabo's son) Nathan Parmer

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NOTE 2 by Donna Gloff:

William Clark Church, Elizabeth's husband and our Ingabo's father, had an interesting heritage. He was the son of an English Soldier and a Quaker girl. Following are two tellings of their story.

1. A transcription done in 1974 at the Fort Wayne, IN Library, transcriber unknown.

from the book History of Wetzel County West Virginia by J.C. McEldowney Jr.

Henry Church, better known as "Old Hundred" was born in Suffolk County, England in 1750. He came to this country a British soldier of the 63rd Light Infantry and served under Lord Cornwallis in the memorable campaign of 1791. He was captured by the troops under Lafayette and sent a prisoner to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He remained there until peace was declared in that place. He fell in love with a Quaker maiden, Miss Hannah Keine. She was born in the year of 1755. Henry Church lived to be 109 and h is wife 107. When the first excursion train ran over the B&O Railroad in 1852, it made a stop at the home of "Old Hundred" and among its passengers was an attache to the British Legation at Washington City, who was introduced to the old man as one of his countrymen, who sounded one of the martial airs of England. "Old Hundred" stood up as though his blood had been warmed with wine, and said, "I know it, I know it." He was loyal to his King for more than 100 years, about which time he took allegiance to the United States. The home of "Old Hundred" stood near Main Street at Hundred, and was constructed from logs. They had eight children, the youngest dying at 68, on which "Old Hundred" made the remark that they never did expect to raise her; that she had never been a healthy child.

2. by Ruth Hixenbaugh Jones, Great-great-great grandaughter of Henry and Hannah Church.
History of Wetzel County, West Virginia 1983:

HUNDRED

The people of this little town in Wetzel County located on U.S. 250 in t he West Virginia hills have the deepest respect for longevity. Our town w as named after a couple of pioneer centenarians who settled here before 1800. Henry Church (known as "Old Hundred") was born in Suffolk England on November 30, 1750 and died September 14, 1860, being 109 Years 9 months and 14 days old at the time of his death. His wife, Hannah Keine, was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 1755 and died July 27, 1860 at the age of 106 years. They lived in blissful wedlock for 82 years.

Henry Church came to America as a soldier. After the Revolutionary War, he married a Quaker lady, Hannah Keine of Philadelphia, Pennsylvani a. To this union were born eight children. The family cleared the land and built a log cabin where the Bank of Hundred was built in 1906. This was the most prominent corner then and still is today. Henry and his wife gave the plot of ground known as the Hundred Cemetery to the community as a gift so they would be buried there. It is located behind the Hundred United Methodist Church. A new marker for their graves was purchased by Norval Throckmorton and Dr. J. S. Church in 1972 to be a lasting tribute to Henry Church and his wife, Hannah.

Henry Church came into the spotlight when the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad was completedin 1852. The railway station that at one time was a busy place, no longer stands. In 1858 the company officials sent an observation tra in over the railroad to Wheeling. They wanted to take Henry Church and his wife to Wheeling but he said "No, I never did make a show of myself a nd I never will". From then on, the train conductors would point out the couple sometimes sitting on their porch and other times working in the fields, calling attention to their being the oldest couple in the State. Cassie (Church) Hixenbaugh tells when her great grandfather, Henry Church, was 100 years old, he jumped over a rail fence four feel high.

From Knawl to Orlando

The Barnetts

by David Parmer
　
The brothers Alva and Bill Barnett were prominent members of Orlando’s community in the first half of the 20th century. Both marketed livestock and both delivered mail. Both were also active in Orlando’s United Brethren Church. They grew up in Knawl, a community just outside the Oil Creek watershed, to the south.　

Right: Alva & Bill carried mail on horseback
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First, Some History of
Knawl and the Southern Ridge

The ridge between the Oil Creek/Clover Fork valley on the north and the Little Kanawha valley on the south is typical of the hills in central West Virginia: it is quite flat and relatively easy to travel. In the 1800s, communities developed along this ridge where some of the creeks draining south into the Little Kanawha began. Heaters, Riffle Run and Dutch are the names of some of the communities which formed on the Little Kanawha River side of the flat-topped divide. 　

Further east along this ridge the town of Knawl formed on Knawl’s Creek. This community at one time boasted three stores, one hotel, a post office, blacksmith shop and gristmill. The original　poplar log St Michael’s Roman Catholic Church was located in this area also: just over the hill from Clover Fork. There was, of course, a Methodist Church, too. 　

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Left: map shows Knawl, southeast of Orlando, and four or five miles from Orlando, Burnsville and Bulltown. There were many small communities that are not noted on this map including Heaters, Riffle to the west, also high up on the south side of the ridge separating the Oil Creek/Cover Fork watershed from the watershed of the headwaters of the Little Kanawha River.

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Right: Thaddeus Pritt of the left and James Alexander Barnett on the right, both of Knawl

In the area where the little town of Knawl developed, on both slopes of the ridge families settled who would become part of the fabric of people of the Oil Creek watershed and Orlando. The first known settlers in on the south slope in the Knawls Creek area were Benjamin, Daniel and John Conrad, sons of the immigrant son Jacob Conrad, Jr. and his Dutch-heritage wife Hannah (Bogard). The Conrad brothers came with their wives from Pendleton County in the early 1800s. Their children married Skinners, Blakes and Riffles, among others, and so became part of the fabric of the Oil Creek pioneer community. Other settlers who would become part of Orlando’s community were the Irish immigrants Michael and Margaret Griffin and Patrick and Ellen Carney who settled on the north slope of the ridge just before the Civil War. Another family that would be part of Orlando came after the Civil War: Thaddeus and Laura (Bennett) Pritt came from the Walkersville area in Lewis County. James Barnett would also come from the Walkerville.

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The grandchildren of Clover Fork pioneers Andrew and Margaret (Williams) Blake spread into this area from their original settlement closer to the confluence of Oil Creek and Clover Fork.

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James Alexander Barnett
& Mary Jane Townsend

of Knawl

The Blakes, pioneers Andrew and Margaret (Williams) Blake, settled on Clover Fork, on the north side of the ridge. Their great-granddaughter Mary Jane Townsend was born and raised in this area. In 1889 she married James Barnett from Walkerville. They settled near Knawl and had six children, including Willie "Bill" and Alva, the brothers who would move to Orlando. Their other children were Ella, Charles, Allie Belle and Lura Gay.

Upper Right: James and Mary Jane (Townsend) Barnett on their 50th wedding anniversary

Left: James with Allie and Lura

Right: Bill, Charles, Alva, Lura and Belle with their parents Mary Jane and James

The oldest child, Ellie, married Tony Mick. She died young as the result of standing too close to a fire which set her clothing afire and caused her a painful and early death.

Charles, the oldest son, served in the First World War. He married Gae Myers of the Knawl area. Charles operated a grocery store in Weston and later was a mail carrier.

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Belle, the second daughter of James and Mary Jane Barnett, never married and lived her entire life at Knawl.

The youngest Barnett child, Lura, married Arthur Williams, a railroader. Lura and Arthur lived in the Weston area. Arthur loved to fish and was mentioned as an Oil Creek fisherman.

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Left: Lura (Barnett) and Arthur Williams

The Barnetts

of Orlando

Alva Barnett, the second son, born 1896, married Gay Marple. Gay Marple’s family were merchants throughout the upper Little Kanawha River valley.

Alva and Gay were the parents of Herald Barnett and Denver Barnett. Alva was an early rural mail carrier out of Orlando on Route 1. At the time Alva carried the mail, the roads could only be navigated by horse. After many years riding horseback on his mail route, Alva developed a terrible case of hemorrhoids which prompted his retirement from carrying the mail. Alva and Gay moved to Weston where Alva was a cattle marketer, a salesman, and later a night dispatcher for the Weston City Police Department.

Left: Alva and Gay (Marple) Barnett

Right: Bill and Marie (Parmer) Barnett

Willie Lee "Bill" Barnett was a farmer, stockman, and shipper of agricultural and poultry products. He also helped with the mail on Orlando Route 1. Bill’s contributions to Orlando were great. He helped the economy of the community by facilitating the processing and selling of farmers’ cash crops such as ducks and turkeys and skins. He also gave to the community in his exceptional leadership and guidance with the youth at the United Brethren Church. Bill married an Orlando girl, Marie Parmer, whose roots go back to Orlando pioneers. Bill and Marie were the parents of Dale Barnett and Betty (Barnett) Mick.

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Left: Betty and Dale Barnett

Searching Benoni Powers' Genes

introductory note by Donna Gloff:
The children of several families from the Hacker's Creek area settled to the far west and east sides of the Oil Creek watershed just before and after of the Civil War. They came as
McCauleys, see Mar '08 Clarence McCauley, A Man of the Soil
Mitchells, see Jul '07 The Reverend Captain John Elam Mitchell
and Hawkinses. See Nov '07 Gun Gets Snake Bit
The families were early settlers in Lewis County. There are many fascinating stories from those Lewis County pioneer families.

One of the forebears of this group was Benoni Powers. Benoni had been particularly difficult to document. Ann (Bligh) Powers finally went to DNA testing to untangle the threads of Benoni T's heritage. The science of genetics discovered that Benoni's biological heritage belongs with the McWhorters of Lewis County. Here is the amazing story of Ann Bligh Power's search.

Rt: Benoni Teter Powers' great-grandchildren Oscar "Junior" and Thelma Hawkins in the 1930s. They lived in the Oil Creek/Posey Run area.

. . . . .

The Search for Benoni Powers'

Biological Heritage

by Ann Bleigh Powers
Almost 200 years after the birth of Benoni Teter Powers there are hundreds of his descendants who want to know who his parents were. Included in these descendants is my husband, James Allen Powers. As his wife, I wanted to know the answer to these questions and I started doing research. I asked Joy Stalnaker, a genealogist specializing in central West Virginia, to help me.

lt: Benoni and Elizabeth (McCally) Powers

The place where I began was with Benoni Powers’ death certificate at the Lewis County Court House. It states that his parents were “William and Jemima Powers.” There was indeed a Revolutionary War Indian Scout, William Powers, who was living in Jane Lew in 1815 when Benoni was born. He, however, had long been married to Hannah Stout, had several grown children, and was 48 years old. Since he was already married to Hannah, it was then quite clear that Benoni Teter Powers was born out of wedlock to William Powers and to Jemima, whose last name the family always said was Teter. How then, could I prove this relationship to William Powers?

I turned to Family Tree DNA to solve this problem. My son, James Judson Powers, sent in his DNA to Family Tree DNA to be analyzed. While this was being done, Joy Stalnaker researched and discovered that Jemima Teter did exist and lived in Jane Lew in this same period, 1815. She found both a marriage bond and a marriage record for her and John Booher. The marriage bond from the Harrison County Court House was taken out on 21 December 1816 and signed by Jacob Stanley and John Booher. On this marriage bond there is also a note written by Henry McWhorter, also of Jane Lew, which states, “26 December 1816 this is to sartafy that Jemima tetar that was aprantis to me is of full age and that I am willing for her to marry to John Bugher giving over my hand and seal in the presents of test.” And he signed this note with his signature. There is also a marriage record in the Harrison County Marriage Record books showing that the Rev. John Mitchell married Jemima Teter and John Booker on 27 December 1816.

Lt: Rev. John Mitchell's statement in the Harrison County record book that he married Jemima Teter and John Booker on 27 December 1816. Click on it to enlarge the image.

It was discovered that Jemima Teter and John Booher presumably moved to Wirt County, WV where Jemima Booher later shows up on the 1850 Census at age 62 being married to William Booher, 58. Also in this census is an eight year old girl, Jemima Booher, living with her parents, John and Elizabeth Booher, also in Wirt County.

Some eight weeks later I received from Family Tree DNA the analysis of my son’s DNA. The results showed that James Judson Powers was genetic distance one from Chester McWhorter. Genetic distance one means that every one of the 37 markers of the DNA of the two men matched, except for one that was off by one number. I sent an email to Chester McWhorter who had since died in Ohio and whose cousin was handling his correspondence and doing research on the McWhorter family. Chester McWhorter’s family was originally from Bucks County, PA but they thought that one member of the McWhorter family had gone to West Virginia. The family conferred on this and after some time said that they thought that the member who had gone to West Virginia was a distant cousin of Chester McWhorter, Henry McWhorter. They, however, did not have proof of this relationship but were searching for it.

In the meantime, I wanted to find a direct male descendant of William Powers to prove our relationship to him. Joy Stalnaker suggested that I should take the Weston, WV telephone book and call all the Powerses in the book. There turned out to be 38 people with the Powers name who lived in Lewis, Upshur, Gilmer, Harrison, and Randolph counties. I had many interesting conversations over a period of a couple of months with many who were related to my husband and his family and many who were not. But I did not turn up anyone whose family went back to William Powers. Joy Stalnaker then turned to Gloria (Powers) Husk, a descendant of Benoni Teter Powers, who has done research on this family. Gloria knew Earl Arnold Powers of Parkersburg, WV who was a direct descendant of William Powers through his son, William D. Powers, Jr. and his wife, Charity Paxton. She gave Joy Earl’s telephone number and I called him.

Rt above: illustration of DNA's double helix.

Lt: illustration from website regarding genealogical DNA testing.
Rt below: the kit used to collect DNA for sampling

Earl Powers is a generous man who is very interested in, and proud of, his Powers family roots. He was immediately willing to give his DNA in the interest of finding out more about his family and in helping me to find out more about ours. I ordered a DNA kit for Earl and after about six weeks we got the results from his test. There was absolutely no relationship between Earl Arnold Powers and my son, James Judson Powers, although Earl had an exact match with another man on the Powers family FTDNA website. We were fully expecting to find a relationship and were quite shocked by the results. Family Tree DNA provided the comparison of 25 markers of Earl Arnold Powers’ DNA with James Judson Powers’ DNA as follows:
In comparing the 25 markers, the probability that the males who provided the samples shared a common male ancestor in the past is…
4 generations is 0.00%
8 generations is 0.03%
12 generations is 0.38%
16 generations is 1.78%
20 generations is 5.21%
24 generations is 11.29%

When I realized that this meant that there was no relationship between a direct descendant of William Powers and my son, I looked again at the results of the DNA analysis of my son. There was the one relationship that had come up was with Chester McWhorter. In addition I knew from Henry McWhorter’s note on the marriage bond of Jemima Teter and John Booher that Jemima Teter had been his apprentice.

At this point I told Joy Stalnaker that there was no DNA match with Earl Arnold Powers and that I now needed to find a direct male descendant of Henry McWhorter who would be willing to help us by taking a DNA test. She knew two male descendants of Henry McWhorter, one in Upshur County and one in Monongalia County, WV. She suggested that I call Robert F. McWhorter in Morgantown and ask his help and this I did.

Like Earl Powers, Bob McWhorter knew his family history and was very proud of it. He had been to Scotland in search of his roots and had helped his relatives write up their family genealogy. When he heard about our 200 year old search for the parents of Benoni Teter Powers, he generously offered to help us by sending in his DNA for testing. It took some time, but when it was finally finished, our son tested genetic distance one with Bob McWhorter’s DNA as he had with Chester McWhorter. Bob McWhorter and Chester McWhorter had an exact match. The results from Family Tree DNA showed the comparison of 37 markers of Robert F. McWhorter and James Judson Powers as follows:
In comparing the 37 markers, the probability that the males who provided the samples shared a common male ancestor in the past is…
4 generations is 58.99%8 generations is 89.03%12 generations is 97.47%16 generations is 99.46%20 generations is 99.89%24 generations is 99.98%

Thus after 200 years the mystery is solved. Although Benoni Teter Powers was raised by the descendants of William Powers and used their surname, DNA evidence indicates that he was a McWhorter. There are four men who could have been his father. He was the son of either Henry McWhorter or of one of his sons, John, Thomas, or Walter. Who was Benoni Teter Powers’ father finally has an answer. It is not a definitive answer but it is the best that modern science can give us at this time. The search for the parents of his mother, Jemima Teter, continues.

Rt: Benoni Teter Powers' death record. To read it click on: http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_view.aspx?Id=2916841&Type=Death

. . . . .

Comment 1:
Benoni Powers was born in Jane Lew, Lewis Co. VA on 4 July 1815 and died 26 August 1891 on Sand Fork, Lewis Co. WV. He married Elizabeth Watson McCally on 13 September 1836 in Lewis County. She was a daughter of Henry and Sarah (Alkire) McCally and was born 4 February 1815 in Lewis Co. and died there on 16 April 1887. Both she and her husband are buried in the Marvin Chapel Cemetery near Roanoke, WV. Rt:Marvin Chapel Cemetery in 2005, photo by Larry Lewis.
Benoni Powers
~ was a great-grandfather of Orlando's Oscar Hawkins.
~ married Elizabeth McCally and the Rev. Captain John Elam Mitchell married her sister Prudence McCally.
~ was the uncle of Jacob McCauley, who settled McCauley's Run,
~ was the uncle of the Mitchells who settled in the Oil Creek watershed, Cyrus Mitchell, Alonzo Mitchell and Samantha (Mitchell) Riffle.
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Comment 2:
Information about William Powers, Henry McWhorter and Henry's sons John, Thomas and Walter McWhorter:
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William Powers
Hacker's Creek Journal: V. XV, Issue ?? 1996-1997
William Powers: of 1765 was made Squire of the County Court of The Day. Already in his 80's. Sometime before 1852, William Powers resided on Hacker's Creek, one-half mile above the village Jane Lew. He was a very old man, Being one of the first settlers of the county. In point of education and general information, he was largely In advance of his neighbors -- a very systematic man and a close observer of events, He could give more general information of the early settlement of the county than any other man of his day. He kept a diary of the most important events that transpired from his youth up, and I was informed that he furnished a great deal of the matter that was embodied in The History Of The Border Wars With The Indians. He did not take any part In the business affairs of the county, except on special occasions, on account of his age.
.
Henry McWhorter
per Alexander Scott Withers, Chronicles of Border Warfare
"Henry McWhorter, born in Orange County, N. Y. November 13, 1760, was a soldier in the Revolution, from 1777 to the close. In 1784, he [Page 288] settled "about two miles from West's Fort; three years later, he moved nearer to the fort, and there built the house of hewn logs, mentioned above, which "is to-day in a good state of preservation." McWhorter died February 4, 1848.- R. G. T. For sixty years Henry McWhorter was a member of the Methodist church and was class leader fifty years. He died February 4, 1848, and was buried in the McWhorter cemetery, on his farm, by the side of his wife, who died in 1834."
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John McWhorter
per the McWhorter Family Record - photocopied by Marlys Guildner, 1996:
"b. Apr. 28, 1784, Penn. d. Apr. 14, 1880, W. Va."
"Studied law and became a barrister of great ability. Served in war of 1812 as Capt.,then Col. Member of upper house of Va. legislature, was Judge of Co. Court for years. Late in life ordained minister in Methodist church. Preached until 90 years of age; died at age of 96, a bachelor, buried near his old home on Rush Run."
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Thomas McWhorter
per Luccllus Virgil McWhorter, The Border Settlers of Northwestern Virginia From 1768 to 1795 pub. 1915, pg 290.
"Thomas McWhorter, born July 15, 1785, inherited a part of the home farm on McKinney's Run, and was a prosperous farmer. He was a man of sterling worth to his community during his short life. He died December 28, 1815, and was the first buried in the McWhorter cemetery. On Easter morning, 1807, Thomas McWhorter, married Delila Stalnaker, daughter of Samuel Stalnaker, Sr., an old resident of Hacker's Creek."
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Walter McWhorter
from the family tree of the Lafferty, Jaenicke, West, Shearer Families:
"Walter, the third and last son of Henry McWhorter, Sr., was born October 31, 1787. In 1806 he married Margaret Hurst. He was a major of militia, a noted athlete and never met his equal in wrestling, jumping or foot racing.The major's house, like that of his father, was the recognized place of public worship. Here were held the winter revivals and big meetings. He died August 12, 1860. His wife died December 27, 1853. Seventeen children were born to this union, the Rev. John Minion McWhorter, D. D., the tenth child."