This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/CYm.2ACIB/3120 Message Board Post: Source: http://www.pioneerindex.com/firsts.html THIRTY - FIVE FIRSTS WHICH OF YOUR RANDOLPH COUNTY ANCESTORS WERE THE FIRST TO…????? [ANSWERS BELOW] #1 live on Leading Creek? #2 open a hotel in Elkins? #3 be a defendant in court? #4 build a water & tub mill? #5 live on Kelley Mountain? #6 settle on the North Fork? #7 be postmaster at Alpena? #8 settle on Horse Camp Run? #9 foreigner to be naturalized? #10 establish a store in Helvetia? #11 invent a gauge for handsaws? #12 build in vicinity of Blue Spring? #13 settle on lower end of Middle Mtn? #14 build a house on Shaver Mtn. in 1849? #15 prosecute in Randolph County Court? #16 build a grist & saw mill in Mingo area? #17 build his own coffin & dig his own grave? #18 teach school in Jackson County, Kansas? #19 enlist in Civil War as a Confederate soldier? #20 live near to where Huttonsville now is in 1777? #21 settle at Pickens, nearest store 22 miles away? #22 build the first house on the Cheat River in 1770? #23 was the family first settling on the Upper Cheat? #24 build the first home on Horse Camp Run in 1823? #25 have a livery stable and grow & sell fruit in Elkins? #26 teach at the new school on Horse Camp Run in 1830? #27 official in the US to enforce the law to prohibit slavery? #28 write a code of laws adopted by any state in the Union? #29 first barber in Dry Fork and colored jurist in Tucker Cty? #30 live on the summit of the Alleghenies and have 21 children? #31 settle on Seneca Creek & establishing the Onego postoffice? #32 to be caught in a blizzard and become the first resident of Job? #33 be born in 1772, first white baby in would become Randolph Cty? #34 pioneer Augusta, Rockingham, Greenbrier and then Randolph Cty? #35 & only man pensioned by US government for which he never worked? A N S W E R S : 1. FIRST TO LIVE ON LEADING CREEK Abraham SPRINGSTONE 1797 m Mary Innis, dtr of William Innis his settlement near Leading Creek named in his honor Springstone Run [BOSp242] 2. FIRST TO OPEN A HOTEL IN ELKINS Rev. Hamilton POTTS son of Mathias C. Potts*, Confederate soldier in 20th Va Cavalry pioneer of hotel industry with Temperance Hotel a landmark of Elkins m1 Lizzie Logan, m2 Maggie Baxter; 6 Ch : 3 Unknown, Lizzie, Broadus, Bucy [BOSp366] 3. FIRST DEFENDANT IN COURT James LACKEY 1787 - vs William PETERSON, plaintiff [BOSp41] 4. FIRST TO BUILD A WATER & TUB MILL? William CURRENCE Sr. imm from Ireland to MD; settling at Beverly in Randolph, built the first water / tub mill on mouth of Mill Creek on river; m Miss Steele*; 10 Ch: John, William, Samuel, Sydney, Jane, Sally, Ann, Lydia, two unknown females; 1791 : killed by Indian ambush on May 12; on the flat between Beccas * Riffles Creek [BOSp334] 5. FIRST TO LIVE ON KELLEY MTN William KELLEY , his father imm from Ireland also, Ch: Dolbeare 6. FIRST TO SETTLE ON NORTH FORK Phillip HARPER Ch: Elias* [MAXp402] 7. FIRST POSTMASTER AT ALPENA Ellis WYATT 1848 : first house on Shaver's Mtn, first & only voting Democrat in county, 1879 - 1897: first postmaster of Alpena, a farmer, merchant, civil engineer only six families of the original one hundred immigrants remained at Alpena, the Swiss settlement on Shaver's Mtn [Sen] 8. FIRST TO SETTLE ON HORSE CAMP RUN Jonas HARMAN 1823: first house built on Horse Camp Run, brother of Solomon [MAXp405] 9. FIRST FOREIGNER TO BE NATURALIZED? John Lambertson 1787 - first foreigner to be naturalized, from Ireland [BOSp263] 10. FIRST STORE IN HELVETIA Gustave SENHAUSER 1872: established first general store in Helvetica, Sunday school with store boxes for seats 1873 - trustee of first public school in Helvetica [BOSp267,268] 11 FIRST TO INVENT A GAUGE FOR HANDSAWS Henry H. Withers POWERS 1861:b Gilmer Cty s/o Elmer & Minerva Powers, Elkins carpenter, teacher, WV railroad & lumberman, inventor of a gauge for handsaws 1884:m Samantha McCann* in Upshur Cty Ch: Ortha, Elmer, Leslie, Nellie, Flora [MAXp450] 12. FIRST TO LIVE NEAR BLUE SPRING Jeremiah COUGER 1840: built first house in vicinity of Blue Spring [MAXp434] 13. FIRST TO SETTLE AT LOWER END OF MIDDLE MTN Jacob W.& Mary A. (Kerns) CARR 1853:b s/o Enos Carr , farmed on 725 acres 1874:m Mary A. Kerns, Ist settler on lower end of Middle Mountain, their nearest neighbor 7 miles distant 12 Ch: James H., Hulda J., Barbara E., Albert L., French, Martin L. Asa, Eliza A., Enos, Jacob K. Job, John [MAXp341] 14. FIRST TO BUILD A HOUSE ON SHAVER MTN William & Mahala (Summerfield) WHITE 1813:b Dry Fork s/o David & Eizabeth (Summerfield ) White, English ancestry, Confederate soldier with Imboden for 3 years, never injured, home on Red Creek 1837:m Mahala, dtr of Margaret Summerfield 10 Ch: Aliburtus, Almira, Amby, Eily, Uriah, William Levignia, Mahala, Margaret, Irene, Sampson Sylvester 1849: built first house on Shaver Mtn, described as a remarkable man who made his own clothing, wore mocassins, a great huner "a veritable Nimrod" more than 500 deer have fallen before his aim, more than 100 bears, 27 panthers, 9 once in one laurel thicket [MAXp511] Ellis WYATT 1848 : first house on Shaver's Mtn [Sen] 15. FIRST TO PROSECUTE IN RANDOLPH COURT William McLEARY m Barbara See [BOSp379] 16. FIRST TO BUILD A GRIST & SAW MILL NEAR MINGO William & Elizabeth (Crawford) LOGAN also Rockbridge Cty VA pioneers 1823 : settled in first grist & saw mill in Mingo area, farmer, mechanic, Capt. War of 1812, elder in Presbyterian church; 1858 : d [MAXp423] 17. FIRST & ONLY TO BUILD HIS OWN COFFIN & DIG HIS OWN GRAVE Adam STALNAKER in preperation for the body of his brother-in-law Lt. John White to arrive from the mountains, where he had been killed either by Indians or bushwackers, he dug the grave and built the coffin, the body was not brought back, soon thereafter Adam was killed by Indians and buried in John's grave & coffin [YOK] 18. FIRST TEACHER IN JACKSON COUNTY KANSAS Elizabeth R. HARPER 1852:m Hugh S. Hart, s/o James M. & Eleanor (Chenoweth) Hart taught the first school in Jackson Cty, KS d/o Moses & Betsey (Ward) Harper [MAXp404] 19. FIRST TO ENLIST THE CONFEDERATE ARMY Capt. James McLAUGHLIN 25th VA Inf. Co. I, first to enlist from Randolph, [UDCp5] 20. FIRST TO LIVE IN WHAT BECAME HUTTONSVILLE IN 1777 Jeremiah CHANNEL lived in the area of the Connolly massacre on land opposite the town of Huttonsville; came from Hardy County; m Sallie Steele, Ch: John, Samuel, Andrew, Susan, Elizabeth, Jemima [BOSp321] 21. FIRST TO SETTLE AT PICKENS Chester W. MORGAN one of first to settle at Pickens, nearest store was 22 miles away; m Mary Talbott [BOSp362] 22. FIRST TO BUILD THE FIRST HOUSE ON THE CHEAT RIVER IN 1770 John VANCE 1770: built first house on Cheat River in Randolph Cty [MAXp412] 23. FIRST FAMILY TO SETTLE ON UPPER CHEAT Squire B. Hornick 1855:b s/o Canzada (Clark) Hornick, family was first to settle the upper Cheat 1879:m Melvina Myers Ch: Adam Dellis, Jesse, Dorsey, Grover, Eli, Mason [MAXp412] 24. FIRST HOME ON HORSE CAMP RUN IN 1823 Jonas HARPER 1823: settled Horse Camp Run [MAXp405] 25. FIRST TO HAVE A LIVERY STABLE & GROW & SELL FRUIT IN ELKINS B. F. WHETZEL 1863 : born, Preston Cty, WV; son of Ruckner P. & Charlotte Trembly) Whetzel, 1889 : Randolph, first livery stable in Elkins, pioneer commercial fruit grower, [BOSp443] 26. TEACH AT THE NEW SCHOOL ON HORSE CAMP RUN IN 1830 David KETTERMAN at age 70 was killed by bushwackers in the Civil War [MAXp405] 27. FIRST OFFICIAL IN THE US TO ENFORCE THE LAW TO PROHIBIT SLAVERY Hon. Stephen Benton ELKINS 1841:b 9/26, moved to Missouri in early childhood 1863:lawyer, Union Army, 1864: New Mexico, learned fluent Spaniush in 1 yr, 1867: Attorney General of New mexico, 1868: District Attorney of the Territory, one of the few oficials whom Gen Grant did not remove from office, first official in the U. S. to enforce the law of Congress for the prohibition of slavery, freeing thousands of peons in Mexico, 1869: president of First National Bank of Sante Fe , 1873: Congressman from Mexico, m Miss Davis* [MAXp372] 28. FIRST TO WRITE CODE OF LAWS ADOPTED BY ANY STATE IN THE UNION Col. Creed Haymond 1836:b 4/22 Beverly, s/o Calder Haymond 1852: age 16 crossed the Great Plains heading for Sierra Nevada Mtns in California1859:lawyer, Chairman of the Code Commission for the State of California (the first complete code of laws ever adopted by any State in the Union or in fact by any Englishg speaking people, Sacremento District State Senator, Colonel of the First Artillery Regiment, National Guard1860: Captain of the Sierra Greys against the Indians of Nevada after the Pyramid Lake Massacre1882:railroad m Alice Crawford [MAX401] 29. FIRST BARBER IN DRY FORK AND COLORED JURIST IN TUCKER CTY Lewis Benjamin DORCAS 1867:b NY African descent 1891: m Mary E. Hedrick at Harman Ch: Lewis B., Frederick D., Hubert & Hubbert 1886: Roalsburg WV barber, 1887: first colored juror to serve in Tucker Cty, res St. George, highly educated, one of finest pen men in the state, first barber on Dry Fork at Horton [MAXp371] 30. FIRST TO LIVE ON THE SUMMIT OF THE ALLEGHENIES Jacob Conrad HARPER 1834:b near mouth of Senaca s/o Moses & Phoebe Conrad Harper, German res summit of Alleghany Mountain when it was a wilderness 1861:Randolph farmer 1860:m Susan McDonald* at Macksville in Pendleton Cty 21Ch: Jeremiah, Adam, Peter, Albert, Seymour, Riley, Mary, Agnes, Isom, George Washington, Henry, Miner, Almira, Florence Ida, Rosanna, Walter, Elizabeth, Gettie, Susan, Virginia, Delphia [MAXp402] 31. FIRST TO SETTLE ON THE SENECA CREEK ESTABLISHING THE ONEGO POSTOFFICE? Henry Vandevender CUNNINGHAM 1850:b Pendleton Cty, s/o Thomas & Sallie Ann (Turner) Cunningham, Irish ancestry, one of first settlers on Senaca established Onego Post office, Brethren church minister, killed 109 deer, 1877:m Susan Elizabeth Raines [MAXp358] 32. TO BE CAUGHT IN A BLIZZARD & LIVE AT JOB Thomas B. SUMMER first settler at Job suddenly caught in a blizzard he spent the winter in a hut of pine boughs against a rock [MAXp356] 33. FIRST WHITE BABY BORN IN WHAT WOULD BECOME RANDOLPH in 1772? Major John CROUCH 1772:b s/o Randolph pioneer John Crouch who had settled mouth Shaver Run, m Judy Westfall Ch: Isaac, Abraham, Andrew, Marshall, Miss [MAXp354,355] 34. PIONEER AUGUSTA COUNTY, ROCKINGHAM, GREENBRIER AND RANDOLPH ? Jacob STALNAKER of very first pioneers of Randolph, from Holland; Ch: John, Adam, Andrew, Jacob, Eunice, 3 dtrs [BOSp373] 35 ONLY MAN TO PENSIONED BY THE GOVERNMENT WHEN NEVER EMPLOYED Jesse F. PHARES 1835: s/o Benjamin & Catherine Phares, held dangerous job as "War Sheriff" with the Confederate generals invading WV 1863: shot through body during Imboden's rais between Beverly & Huttonsville, left for dead & recovered under the care of Dr. G. W. Yokum, first & only man pensioned by the government who never belonged to the army 1856:m Lucinda Quick* Ch: Squire B., George, William H., Elihu F. [MAXp443] SOURCES [BOS] Bosworth, Dr. History of Randolph County 1916 [MAX] Maxwell, Hu History of Randolph County 1898 [SEN] SENIC, Helen The History of Alpena [YOK] Yokum, Martin L. "Recent Findings Disclose New Twist to Randolph History"