Peter is a better man than me,if I tried that the broom handle would break and she would beat me with both ends and send me back to the barn before spring.R ----- Original Message ----- From: "Peggy Green" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, January 14, 2000 17 15 PM Subject: Peter Shrout, the 1st person hanged in Hardy County > Hello Hardy County Researchers, > > Mark - Good question! Below is a quotation from a book that tells about > the hanging of Peter Shrout. It appears that he was the first person to > be hanged in Hardy County. Yet, not much has been easy to find about it. > We are still trying to find where he was buried. It was probably on his > own farm, which we are currently trying to locate. > > If anyone knows where the 253-acre Shrout family farm "on the face of > the Alleghenie Mt." was, starting in 1796, we could use some help in > this endeavor. Before 1796, we think they lived on Patterson Creek > (Middle Fork?), possibly near John and Hannah (Shrout) Bradford's > 230-acre farm. Some of Peter and Ann's children might have remained in > the Patterson Creek area. This might be where Peter's son George Shrout, > Sr.(d. 1826) and his wife (name unknown) were buried. Has anyone seen > these Shrout family graves or a record of where they were buried? Some > later generations were buried at Lahmansville Cemetery. > > The history of the Shrout farm: On June 15, 1796, Peter purchased 253 > acres in Hardy County from John HERSHEY (spelled Hushe, Hurse, & Huse) > and wife Mary, "on the face of the Alleghenie Mt." (Hardy Co., WV Deed > Bk. 4, pp. 100 & 101). > > This 253 acres, "as by survey bearing date 10th of Oct. 1789, by deed > from the Commonwealth bearing date 27th day of June 1791 to John HUSE, > assignee of Prior S. ROBY." > > On Dec. 2, 1837, 167 acres of this land was sold to Jonathan HENLINE, by > the grandson of Peter, George Shrout, Jr. and wife Pamelia [Moreland], > for $125. We think the Hanlins might still live near where Peter > Shrout's 253-acres were. > > Re: Peter Shrout's death on Oct. 12, 1804 > From the GAMBLE-MONTGOMERY, History and Genealogy and Connected > Families, compiled by Pattie H. Chrisman, 1979, (At Hardy County Public > Library, Moorefield, WV), > p. 251: > "While serving as Justice of the Peace, General Joseph Neville had > arraigned before his court at Moorefield the first murder case to occur > in this part of Hardy County... A man by the name of Shrout ... was > charged with the crime of killing his wife, which deed he committed by > choking her with a broom stick handle. Shrout was executed at Moorefield > according to the method of executing a criminal at that time, which > provided that the accused should sit upon his coffin, borne by about six > men to the the place of execution, usually a tree with an appropriate > limb. The prisoner was allowed to signal when he felt that he was ready > to take the step into that bourn from whence no traveler e'er returns. > It is said that Shrout, instead of dropping the stick, threw it > defiantly into the air." > > In 1804, Peter Shrout, Sr. and Ann (Feuerbach) were in their mid-60's > and had been married for about 44 years. Both of them were born in > Germany and came to America before their marriage in 1760, in > Philadelphia's St. Michael's (Zion) Lutheran Church. > > We know of seven children who we think are Peter and Ann's. Most or all > of them were born in the Philadelphia area, where some were baptised at > St. Michael's Lutheran Church in the 1760's. > Three of their sons, Peter, Samuel and Gasper (or Casper), moved to > Kentucky ca. 1794-1800. That left one son, George Shrout, Sr., and three > daughters, Peggy Shrout, Mary (Shrout) RICHARDSON, and Hannah (Shrout) > BRADFORD, in West Virginia. > > Peter Shrout, Jr., died sometime before March 19th, 1804 - at least 5 > months before his mother, Ann, was killed on July 24, 1804. Perhaps > there is some connection, but we have little to go on in gaining > understanding of why this tragedy occurred. Peter Shrout, Jr., was > married, with children, living in Bourbon County, Kentucky, before he > died. We do not know where Peter Jr. died or how. It is assumed that he > died in Kentucky, but the record and his grave has not been found, yet. > > Peter Shrout, Sr., (who plead not guilty at first) wrote an extensive > will on the same day that Ann was killed. In it, he writes "first.. I > reasscend my soul to Almighty God who gave it, & my body to the earth to > be interred at the discretion of my Executors hereafter named Secondly > give and bequeath to my daughter Peggy all the waring apparrel of which > her mother Ann Shrout decd. possessed... I direct that my Executor... as > soon as possible after my decease make sale of all my household > furniture except a Tea Kettle and divide the money .. equally between my > four children,,," He left "the plantation whereon I now live containing > 253 acres more or less," to his grandson, George Shrout, Jr., who was > only age seven. He allowed George Sr. "the use of said plantation for > and during" his natural life. He named his son George Shrout, Sr., > Executor. > The "Tea Kettle Exception" is interesting, to say the least. > > Witnesses to the will were John S. SCHON, George SLY, Rob COCKBURN, and > Edmund (or Edward) WAGGENER. The will was probated on Dec. 12, 1804, > proved by George SLY and Edmund WAGGENER > > Peter Shrout's Estate Settlement was recorded in Hardy Co., on Jan. 14, > 1807, in Will Bk. Vol. 1, pp. 347 & 348: > > p. 347: > Dec. 12, 1804 - "The Estate of Peter Srout dec.d - In account with Geo. > Srout Exor. - > To cash paid Maj. Lehon for drawing will...L 6 > To ditto paid John O Reay for coffen... 18. > To a debt paid W Inskeep per receipt .... 2.5- > p. 348: > Paid Isaac Hite for mothers coffen ..... 14. > Ditto to Geo Nevill for defending Srout .. 4.10 > Clerk's notes taken up.. $4.90 ..... 1.9.2 > Paid Nicholas Michael per receipt...... .2. > Paid James W David per do ....... 4.6 > Paid Col Vincent Williams for brandy .... 13.6 > Paid James Marquis per receipt...... . 4.10 > Paid Geo Nikolas for digging grave.... 6. > Paid Hays per receipt less accounts .... 2. 2. > Paid William Stingley for writing ... 12. > Paid Geo Stingley for crying sale ..... 11.6 > Paid Adam Bowman per receipt...... 8.6 > Paid Geo Shell.. per do......... 2.6 > Paid James Tucker............ 6. > Paid David Dey proven account....... 7. > Paid McCraigen Hays accounts..... 15.10 > Paid Election Hays account........ 12. > Paid taxes to John Welton........ 4.8 > Paid William Cunningham taxes..... 11.9 > Paid Jos. Bradford........... 14. > Paid the clerk for excising [?] office..... 2. > Necessaries found when he lay in prison... 1.0.6 > > L 24.1.3 > > Concessions for attending this business as > Executor of Peter Srout 6.0...... L 6.0.0 > > ------------------ > > 30.1.3 > > The above account compared with the voucher and examined by us on Jan. > 2nd, 1807 > > Vincent Williams > > James Scott > Sepia Cretit [?] > > By account of property disposed of as will more fully appear by date > returned to court > in dollars $239.75 2/3 equal to L71.18 6 ½ > > At a court held for Hardy County the 14th day of January 1807 - This > account & report of the settlement of George Shrout's Executorship of > the estate of Petr Shrout dec.d was this > day returned and is ordered to be recorded. > > Teste > E. N. Williams > ---------------------- > > Have a good evening & weekend, > Peg in WV > >