It's a "group"....some kind of an armed band of "motley" guys! ----- Original Message ----- From: "Linda Sparks Starr" <lksstarr@mmcable.com> To: <VA-SOUTHSIDE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2001 12:36 PM Subject: [VA-SOUTHSIDE-L] 'bickle' in context > > It is purported to be found within a published genealogy -- > original copy of this letter is thought to be in the GA Dept of > Archives, in the papers of Allen Daniel Candler, author of _The > Candler Family_. However, I'm told the family has restricted > access to only other family members. > > The 1778 letter from Rev. Thomas Moorman to Mary Ann Lynch is > presented below, as abstracted by Allen Candler. > > "In 1754, quite a muck of folk left the upper James River > colony for a good country on the Yadkin River. Among the > motley gang, for some of them were skinners, was your cousin > of the second remove, Micajah Clark, and your first cousin, > Zack Moorman. After two years of very unprofitable living, > they returned to Virginia ... After two years more, these > braggart bucks got up a stroun-bickle and again moved to > North Carolina. Among the bickels were Mike Clark, Zack > Moorman, Zed and Thomas Candler and mayhap Henry Candler... > These Candlers were all related to our family by > intermarriage back in Ireland." > > "They (the Candlers) first came to North Carolina, but soon > moved to Virginia. These boys were all good surveyors, > and the first time I saw William Candler, the oldest boy, he > and Zed, some three years younger, were lining a royal > charter for the Anthonys, an Italian people of no mickle > good appearance. This was in 1753, and Zed Candler, who > afterward married our cousin, Ann Moorman, was a lad some 14 > years old. In 1756 I attended a great safety council held > at Lynch's Crossing to jower over the Stamp Act, and there I > met Zed Candler, who had returned and settled on a royal > grant for fighting Indians ... Zed Candler lived on Flat > Branch five miles from Lynch's Crossing (it is now > Lynchburg). His grant was for five thousand acres and was > called by him Kilkenny. He was from home all the time > fighting Indians and surveying and soon got another grant > fifty miles distant, in the Pittsylvania belt. Zed Candler > married Ann Moorman, and with thirty slaves, moved to his > new home which he called Callan." > > Thanks for all your efforts! Linda > Linda Sparks Starr > http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~lksstarr > > > ==== VA-SOUTHSIDE Mailing List ==== > USGenWeb Archives Census Project > http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/census/ > > > ============================== > Search over 1 Billion names at Ancestry.com! > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/rwlist1.asp >

To All: The text below indicates some of these men were hunters, "skinners". It could also indicate they were cheaters or crooks.. because getting cheated is still described as "gettin skinned" here in the mountains of S.W. Va... >>>"In 1754, quite a muck of folk left the upper James River > colony for a good country on the Yadkin River. Among the > motley gang, for some of them were skinners, was your cousin > of the second remove, Micajah Clark, and your first cousin, > Zack Moorman. After two years of very unprofitable living, > they returned to Virginia ... After two years more, these > braggart bucks got up a stroun-bickle and again moved to > North Carolina. Among the bickels were Mike Clark, Zack G. Lee Hearl Authentic Appalachian Storyteller Abingdon, Va.

And, "skinners" very often were "mule skinners" - teamsters, wagon drivers, handlers of draft animals.