Emily, Some of this information isn't entirely accurate, because as far as I know, Adam Miller is said to be the first white settler in the Shenandoah Valley. In 1741, he had already been there for 15 years, making his arrival circa 1726. He predates the Jacob Stover party by several years. I have no info on these other names you mention below, but I caution the assumption that they were the only original settlers. Besides Adam Miller, John Lewis is also said to be one of the earliest settlers in the area, arriving circa 1730. I assume there must have been other early settlers as well. -- Mary Taffet mdtaffet@syr.edu ESH300@aol.com wrote: > > For those who haven't done their homework, these are the known original > settlers of the Shenandoah Valley: Henry Sowter, John Brubaker, Abraham > Strickler, Michael Kauffman, John Rhodes, Michael Criter, Philip and Paul > Long, Martin Kauffman and Michael Rinehart. They came, according to John > Wayland, from Lancaster Co, PA, arriving in 1733. Ludwick Stone, and agent > for a Swiss land agent named Jacob Stover, received the original grants for > 10,000 acres of land from King George II of England and from Lord Fairfax. > They traveled along the Indian Road (also called the Worry Road because the > travellers worried about indian attacks) to the land near Peaked Mountain, > settling on the bottom lands near the Shenandoah River. There they raised > families and bought and sold land until they moved on to other new > territories...mine went to Tennessee. Two books that may help our new folks > are: Massanutten Settled by the Pennsylvania Pilgrim, 1726, by Harry M. > Strickler, copyright date 1924; and, The German Element of the Shenandoah > Valley, by John Wayland. The Massanutten book is no longer in print to my > knowledge, but the German Element book is available from several of the > genealogical societies in the Augusta Co area. Happy hunting! Emily in > Alabama