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 Shrouts 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