Posted on: Jackson County, WV Bios Reply Here: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/WV/JacksonBios/188 Surname: PARSONS, GREATHOUSE, GREEN, PFOST, KNOOTZ, GREENE, MORGAN, CHANCEY, STAATS, CASTO, ANDERSON, ROLLINS, SHAMBLIN, FISHER, WINTER, CRITES, POST, REYNOLDS, SHINN, HARPOLD, RAWLINGS, GREER, JEFFERS, SIMMONS, GARNES ------------------------- This sketch taken from "Pioneers of Jackson County", by John House, it appears in the section "Tug Fork". Settlers of Grass Lick Among the first settlers on Grass Lick were the following names: John Parsons, who married a woman named Greathouse, and settled at the mouth of Stone Lick, on what is now known as the Green farm. He lived there a while, and moved farther up on Stone Lick, where his grandson, A.G. Parsons, lived in 1904. His son, Charles Parsons, and about 1860, Joshua, lived on Stone Lick. Abraham Pfost, a German, next came into the possession of the farm at the mouth of Stone Lick. He lived there until his death in the 1850's, and his son, Marion Pfost, lived on the home farm until his death in 1873. In 1855, Marion Pfost married Chlora Koontz, a daughter of Henry Koontz, who lived on the creek above. In 1876, the widow Pfost, he dying in 1895, married Edward Greene, and his wife being one of the victims of the Morgan tragedy in November of 1897. Aaron Pfost, a brother of Abraham, at first owned a share in the Stone Lick farm, but sold to him and went to Ohio. James Chancey came from Reedy, married Polly, daughter of Cornelius Staats, and settled about a half mile below Stone Lick, at or near the mouth of Plum Orchard. Old Neddy Casto lived yet below that, just after the war, whose wife was a widow Anderson, her maiden name being Casto. Above the mouth of Stone Lick, the first settler (in point of locality, not time) was James (Old Jimmy) Rollins. His wife was Elizabeth Shamblin, a daughter of Jesse. He was a connection of Ellijah's. Henry Koontz lived in the early days on the farm now owned by James Fisher, but first by his father, Old Billy Fisher. Below this, and between it and the James Rollins farm, on what is known as the Henry Winter's place, owned after the war by his father, James Winters, who came from Harrison County, is the spot first settled by Daniel Casto, who moved to Bear Fork. Isaac Crites settled at the forks of Grass Lick, where Leonard Fisher now lives, and his father, John Crites, the first place up the Right Fork, on the Abraham Casto farm. Jacob Casto, who lived above him in 1870, was a brother of Abraham Casto, and married a daughter of James Winters. At the head of the creek lived Jonathan and James Casto, the former on the Jonathan Post farm, it is said and the latter on the farm now known as the George Shinn farm at Fairplain. James M. Reynolds, father of Taylor Reynolds, lived in the cove at the head of one branch of this stream. His father, Bill, who lived at Kyger farm, on Reedy, is said to have once lived at the mouth of Stone Lick, probably as a tenant or lease holder. The left fork of Grass Lick is much the longest and largest stream. Of the pioneers, Jesse Shambllin was the first. It is probably his sister Polly who married Daniel Casto. Solomon Wallace Harpold or George W. Shamblin's heirs now own the land. Above Shamblin came Edward Green, who moved in 1876 to the Pfost farm at the mouth of Stone Lick. Above this was James Rawlings, no kin of Elijah L. Rollins, and next above the Rollins' farm was first settled by Isaac Pfost, the father of Abraham and Aaron Pfost. Olf Jimmy Greer owned this place after the war, and it is now known as the homes of James O. and R.P. Shinn, sheriff and ex-sheriff of Jackson County. This appears to be as far as the pioneer settlements extended. About 1870, Greer lived on the Shinn brothers' farm. He had a son Webb Greer, who was found killed in the woods. After the war, the settlers were: Jeffers at the Eli Simmons place, and Tapley Garnes on the left above that. Garnes married Anna Parsons, a sister of Joshua, above this lives George Garnes, son of Tapley, and son of "Jacky" Garnes. A mile directly over the hill from George Garnes is Stone Lick, a considerable stream yet at the place. [Old Neddy Casto was Edward H Casto; his first wife was Mary Anderson, and after her death, he married Sarah Elizabeth Raines, the widow Casto. James M. Reynolds was the brother of Bill, not the son.. . . bb]