The Peffley, Peffly, Pefley Families in America, A historical and genealogical record of the Peffley, Peffly and Pefley families from 1729-1938; Published in 1938, By May Miller Frost and Clarence Earl Frost Call Number: R929.2 P375 443 - CHRISTINA PEFFLEY (dau. of No.05) married in Botetourt Co., Va., (by Rev. Joel Crumpacker) Mar 20th, 1821 JOHN GHARST, born Nov. 10th, 1796, Botetourt Co., Va., died near Salem, Roanoke Co., Va., June 25th, 1875, Both are buried on the farm of John Garst 3 miles east of Salem, Va. John and Christina were first cousins, Christina's mother, Magdalena being a sister of John's father. John was a prosperous farmer and miller and spent his entire life in Botetourt and Roanoke Counties. He built a mill on Mason's Creek which he later replaced with a brick mill in 1840. Here he ground flour for the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He also had a saw mill in connection with the grist mill. After John's death his son Henry Garst operated the mill until the 1890s. It is still standing, but is now a dwelling house. John's house is still standing just across the road from the mill, and near by is the home where his mother lived and also the house where his son Henry lived, built in 1849. Issue: All born at the John Garst house. 1 - MARY GARST, b. 12-27-1822, d. 12-30-1848. 2 - HENRY GARST, b. 6-3-1825, d. 11-30-1898, near Salem. 3 - CHRISTINA GARST, b. 11-18-1830, d. 4-22-1907, Johnson City, Tenn. 4 - JOHN GARST,JR., b. 2-26-1834, d. 10-29-1921, near Salem. 5 - SARAH GARST, b. 4-17-1837, d. 7-13-1889, Secor, Ill. 6 - NOAH PEFFLEY GARST, b. 1840, d. Jan. 1895, Salem, Va. 7 - ANNIE GARST, died at age of five. Frederick Garst Sr., served in the Revolution in the 8th class, Captain Stoever's Co., Penna. Militia, Lancaster Co., 1781 (Penna Arch. Ser. 5, vol. 7, page 146). INDIAN GHARST FORT. (Frederick Garst Sr.) The old Indian fort is located on the farm of Josiah Showalter in the "Greenridge" neighborhood. It was formerly the home of Frederick Gharst,Sr., better known as "Indian Garst" because of his fame as an Indian fighter. The exact date of the building is not known. It is built of hand hewn white oak logs on a foundation of native sandstone. The floor is also hand-hewn. The enormous chimney is typical of pioneer days. A narrow stairway winds to the upper stories. There were loop-holes up-stairs for shooting at attacking Indians. Only one is left, the rest having been replaced with windows. The basement of this old fort is more than ten feet high, the walls of rock, cemented together with a mortar made of clay and lime. In this basement is a very large spring, assuring a plentiful supply of fresh water during an attack. The building is about 24x30 feet. The foundation logs are two feet square and become smaller as the walls progress upward. All of the logs are dovetailed together perfectly and fastened with wooden pins as were the rafters. The doors and window frames were hand made as were all the hinges, shutters, locks, etc. The partitions and other lumber in the house are of sawed white oak, the boards being 1 1/2 inches thick and 16 inches wide. The first and second stories contain four rooms each. The third story is a low one room attic. It is said that when there was an Indian alarm neighbors gathered here for safety. They could live there for days in perfect comfort. Frederick Garst is said to have gained the sobriquet of "Indian Garst", through the following incident. One day he was on the bluff above Mason's Creek splitting oak rails. He was working on a log when a party of six Indians surprised him. They said they were going to take him away and kill him. He, being able to speak their language, said he would go with them if they would first help him split the log. They agreed and he asked them to place themselves three on each side of the log, putting their hands in the crack while he drove the wedges in. After they were in position, he quickly knocked the wedge out of the log, pinioning their hands. He then knocked each Indian in the head and went home to dinner. He was a man of tireless energy. Late in life he made a trip to Pennsylvania and back on foot. In 1842 he climbed the bluff across Mason's Creek. His body was found at the bottom of the cliff the following morning. Here he was buried and the rock is called "Indian Rock" to this day. --