U.S. Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ -- USGenNet Inc. -- Please read the U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statementon the following page: ----------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER XII. FREEMAN'S CREEK DISTRICT Freeman's Creek district is the largest in the county, the richest by far, and has the greatest population. The soil is very fertile, though, aside from the West Fork- river bottoms, there is a less proportion of tillable land in the district than in any of the other districts with the exception of Court House. The farmers are pros- perous, and better farming methods are employed than in most other sections. The district does not represent as homogenous a territory as most of the others, since about three-fifths of the territory is drained by Free- man's creek, Polk creek, McCann's run and the southern hollows of Kincheloe creek, all of which are tributaries of the West Fork; and the other two-fifths lies on Fink creek. Alum fork and other tributaries of Leading creek. There is an overflow of the Irish settlements from Sand Fork and its tributaries in the southwestern portion of the district. The derivation of the name of the creek is uncertain, but it was evidently named for some early explorer Lieutenant Edward Freeman, who served in Captain Booth's company of militia at the beginning of the Rev- olution, was one of the earliest comers to the upper West Fork valley, and the stream was probably named for him. Reference has already been made to many of the homesteads which were taken out in 1781. The most important of them is the town site of John P. Duvall at the forks of the creek, and the patents on Gee Lick run. Land on Horse run was originally granted to Alexander West, the scout. By 1808, George Arnold Avas a large landholder, in partnership with John P. Duvall. He added to the plot owned by Duvall in the forks of tho creek, and took up other tracts in various parts of the district, so that the possessions of Duvall and Arnold bear a somewhat similar relation in the later settlement of the district to those of Col. George Jackson in the Collins settlement. James Arnold was also a large land- holder on Freeman's creek and Polk creek at a somewhat later date. Owing to the number and scattered loca- tions of homesteads taken up before the close of the Revolution, unbroken tracts of thousands of acres were not numerous. Mention has already been made of the settlements of Edward Hughes and Edmund Radcliff near the mouth of McCann's run, and of the settlement made by Patrick McCann about 1785. He was followed a little later by Daniel McCann, and these last named settlers continued to live in the community for several years. Following the close of the Indian wars Richard Hall, progenitor of one branch of the numerous Hall family in Lewis Coun- ty, built his home on McCann's run. His brother-in- law Smith Gibson settled on the farm now owned by George Neely. The first permanent settlement on Freeman's creek is supposed to have been that of John Runyon at the mouth of the stream. Adam and John Bush took up homesteads before 1790 not far above the settlement of Runyon where they successfully repulsed an Indian raid. On the future site of Freemansburg George Bush took up his residence in 1790. He industriously cleared the forest around his cabin, took up adjacent lands, pur- chased the rights of other homesteaders who had be- come discouraged, and eventually became the owner of one of the most extensive estates in the county. The next resident of the vicinity is supposed to have been Jacob Schoolcraft who settled on the Alexander West patent at the mouth of Horse run. John Smith and Robert Hitt came to Horse run soon afterwards; and they were followed in their turn by William McKinley, who settled on a branch of the stream not far from the site of Freemansburg. Soon after the last of the Indian raids, George Woofter and Jonathan Woofter moved to the valley. The former settled on Rush run, and the latter on the Solomon White farm on the left fork of Freeman's creek. Their descendants have done much in the later development of the western part of the district. Carr Bailey moved from the Bailey settlement which later be- came Westfield to a tract which he purchased on Rush run. Shortly afterwards the land near the forks of Freeman's creek was settled by John and William White. Hezekiah Tharp located about a mile below their set- tlement very early in the nineteenth century. In later years he built a mill on his farm at which all the grind- ing for the settlers on the creek was done for many years. The mill was afterwards sold, and Tharp sought a home in the west. The Norrises are thought to have come to Freeman's creek about the year 1800. Richard Norris settled on the south bank of the creek about one- half mile above the lower bridge across the stream, and John Norris became the first settler on Millstone run. One of the first settlers on Gee Lick run was Charles Fisher, whose cabin stood near the forks of the stream where Minor Lough now lives. John Waggoner located about one mile further up the creek on what is now the Lot Hall farm, also at an early date. One of his neigh- bors was a man named Nair. Much of the land on Gee Lick soon passed into the hands of Paulser Butcher, whose children and grandchildren occupied most of the attractive farms on the lower course of the stream. The first religious services on Freeman's creek were held at the home of George Woofter on Rush run by Rev. John Davis, an intinerant preacher of the Baptist church. The date must have been at the very beginning of the century. After the establishment of the Broad run Baptist church, its pastors occasionally came to upper Freeman's creek to hold services. Interest grew, and the community became a regular preaching place. A church was organized in 1820 — the first offspring in Lewis County of the Broad Run Baptist church — by the Rev. John J. Waldo. Among the first members were Carr Bailey and wife, George Woofter and wife, Mrs- Jennie Woofter, John White and wife, James Cox and wife, Isaac Woofter and Mrs. Rachel White. The church, under a succession of pastors of more than or- dinary ability, has expanded to meet the needs of the community. The Bible school which has always been a strongly emphasized feature of the work of the church, has developed until now it is regarded as the best or- ganized country Sunday school in the state. The first school of which there is any tradition was taught in an abandoned log cabin on the Bush estate near Freemansburg about the year 1818. The lands of Polk creek were not occupied so early as those on Freeman's creek on account of the well traveled Indian trail which followed the course of the stream. The name was given to it on account of the fact that an early explorer found a pokestalk growing in the forks of a sycamore tree near the mouth of the creek. The spelling was changed to its present form in the early 'thirties. After the close of the Indian wars the land on the lower course of the stream gradually came into possession of the Fleshers, whose descendants con- tinued to occupy it for many years. Leonard Burkham- mer settled on a claim about two miles from the mouth of the stream about the year 1800. Adam Hoover, who came at a somewhat later date, became the first settler on Dry Fork. On the present site of Camden, John Nicholes built his cabin early in the last century. It be- came an important stopping place for travelers to and from the Leading creek country in after years. The greater portion of the lands on the creek were undevel- oped for many years on account of the holdings of great landowners who allowed it to lie idle. John Connelly built a small water-power mill about one mile above the mouth of the stream which was in existence by about 1816, but its owner discontinued it not long after the completion of the more modern mill at Weston. Below the mouth of Polk creek on the West Fork river, Paulser Butcher, later an important citizen of the community, established himself about the time of the treaty of Greenville. Little is known of his parentage or family connections. He was evidently an orphan, and after the customs of the time he had been bound out to Henry Flesher, the pioneer of Weston, until he reach- ed his majority. He early showed a marked degree of business ability. Before his indenture had expired he took out a homestead for himself in the valley below Weston, and upon reaching his majority he built his house on the opposite side of the river and a little be- low the mouth of Maxwell's run. He improved the land to some extent by clearing it and planting an orchard of peach and apple trees, but he soon found an easier means of increasing his wealth. He brought a thirty-gallon copper still across the mountains from the vicinity of Richmond by packhorse and set it up on his farm. Here, according to tradition, he made the first peach brandy produced west of the Alleghanies. He also made whis- key from corn and rye which were grown on his farm or bought from his neighbors. He also made liquor for the farmers for miles around on the shares, taking i reasonable toll. The demand for the product of the still was very great. The owner grew wealthy and added most of the lands in the vicinity to his farm. He was able to give a large farm to each of his sons and a re- spectable dowry with each of his daughters. Just below the mouth of Freeman's creek was an- other landholder with estates equal to those of a feudal baron. Edward Jackson, who had attained the rank of colonel in the Virginia army, and whose deeds as an Indian fighter are only less than those of his distinguish- ed brother Colonel George Jackson, acquired title to the lands at the mouth of Freeman's creek, and settled there after the close of the Indian wars. In 1808 he built a combined grist and sawmill just below the mouth of Freeman's creek, which has become famous from its associations with the boyhood days of Stonewall Jack- son. The mill was long regarded as being one of the best in the county. The supply of raw material to keep it in operation came from the numerous farms round about and from the estate which included it. The slaves of the proprietor raised corn and wheat in the broad bottoms in the summer season and cut poplar logs in the winter. Colonel Edward Jackson was one of the most prom- inent surveyors in the history of Lewis County, and his profession often took him far from his estate. Almost from the first the management of the mill was in the hands of Cummings Jackson, and within a short time he acquired possession of it. The new owner added to the family possessions until his estate included fifteen hundred acres. Though he was accused of being an un- usually great violator of the laws in his time, he was extremely popular with the people round about, and was the idol of the laboring classes, because he gave employ- ment to many persons at all times of the year, either on his farm or in getting out timber for his mill. Poplar logs were cut on the banks of Freeman's creek and floated to the mill. After the establishment of Weston, the mill was kept running day and night throughout the late fall and winter seasons. Most of the lumber used before the Civil war in building the frame houses of Weston, was sawed at the Jackson mill. Kincheloe creek, named for its first explorer, was not very thickly settled before 1860. Most of the pion- eers took up lands on the north side of the creek in Har- rison county, where the bottoms were wider. Some of the Hugheses, relatives of the Indian fighters, moved from McCann's run and settled very early on Turkeypen run on the Lewis County side. The family has contin- ued until the past few years to occupy the ancestral es- tate. The western part of Freeman's Creek district which is drained by streams flowing into the Little Kanawha was settled much later than the lands on the West Fork and its tributaries. It was by no means neglected, how- ever. The rich pasturage found in the sheltered coves of Fink creek was used for grazing purposes by the set- tlers on Hacker's creek following the close of the Indian wars. Fink creek and Leading creek were both famous for the products of the chase. Trappers secured some of their best furs in that region. The mouth of Fink creek was the favorite site for hunters' camps even before the close of the Indian wars. For many years the valleys of both streams continued to be clothed in the primeval for- est. The first settler on the lower course of the creek was John Hurst, who had formerly resided on the Tygart's Valley river. He came late in the spring of 1815, com- pleted his cabin on the tenth of April and moved into it. Later in the season he cleared a corn patch from which he secured sufficient breadstuffs for his family. It was the most strenuous sort of labor. During the day he would grub out saplings, pile brush and cut down trees; at night he would chop logs by the light of the burning brush heaps. Sometimes it is said that he would continue his work of chopping all night. His Sundays were spent m killing rattlesnakes and copperheads which infested the country. In later years he continued to increase the circle of his clearings, meanwhile fighting the panthers, wildcats and wolves which threatened the destruction of his live stock. On the upper course of Fink creek, Isaac Woofter, son of George Woofter, settled near the mouth of Isaac's fork on the present site of Churchville at about the same time as the settlement of Hurst farther down the creek. The contiguity of his farm to the Freeman's creek settlements made his task an easy one in compari- son with that of Hurst. Leading creek remained practically a wilderness un- til the middle of the nineteenth century. Lewis Stall- man, who was one of the earliest residents along the course of the stream, made his first settlement near the present site of Troy in Gilmer County. John Money- penny settled near the head of the creek not far from John Nicholes very early in the century and he was fol- lowed at a later date by Amos and William Woofter, sons of the pioneers of Freeman's creek. It was not un- til after the completion of the Staunton and Parkers- burg turnpike that the valley became attractive to set- ters. -----------------------------------------------------------