David Campbells Note About Early Settlers in Southwest Virginia

The following note is attributed to Governor Daniel Campbell of Southwest Virginia. Governor Campbells grandfather, Daniel Cambell, was the clerk of the Ebbing Springs Congregation under the Rev. Charles Cummings. This version is taken from Teter Genforum, which itself took the note from 'Historical Sketches of the Campbell, Pilcher and Kindred Families" by Margaret C. Pilcher. Marshall & Bruce Co. Nashville 1911", pp. 96-100 The original of the note was apparently a letter in the newspaper "The Virginian", but no date is given, and the author seems to have signed himself simply as "A Subscriber" with an underlying note identifying him as "Governor David Campbell" probably added by Picher in her 1911 version.

The list of early settlers provided by Gov. Campbell is of particular interest for the history of Southwest Virginia. It is likely that his list is based on the "Ebbing Springs Call", to Rev. Charles Cummings, but this is not certain. There are a surprizing number of different versions of the Ebbing Springs Call, each with slight differences in membership. This is discussed at A comparison of Signatory Lists for the Call to Rev. Cummings

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Old Washington

"Some account of the first settlers of old Washington County, Virginia, would, no doubt, be interesting to many of the readers of the Virginian, and I could tell them something on that subject, if I had the resolution to write it down, but on that point I have some misgivings. I will, however, try.

"Hunters visited the county as early as 1745, but no families came and settled permanently until about 1767 or 1768. In two years from that time many emigrated, so that in 1770 the county was dotted all over with improvements. The first great migration was from Augusta County, but the spirit was immediately caught, and large numbers of families, and, indeed, whole connections, came from Frederick County and the Valley - from the Augusta line to the Potomac - from the upper counties of Maryland and from Pennsylvania. Botetourt and the country on each side of it sent members. The first large connections were the Edmondsons, of whom there were ten or twelve families of the same name. Then the Vances, Newells, Blackburns, and several others of that connection; the Campbells, five or six families, the Davises, four brothers - Nathaniel, John, James and Samuel Davis, the Craigs, three brothers - David, Robert and James Craig, two or three families of the Colvilles, and the same number of Briggses, two families of Logans, John and Benjamin Logan, a large number of Buchanaus, and several families of Beatys and their connections, the Rayburns and Dysarts, also a large connection of the Berry family; five or six Lowrey families; the Sharps and Laughlins, a large connection, including the Kings and Youngs. These Youngs were not the German family, they were of Irish descent. I have named such as occurs to me, but that the reader may know who were the heads of families that composed the Rev. Charles Cummings' congregation at Sinking Spring, in the Grace Spring neighborhood, I will give a list of their names, and it must be remembered that they were all Presbyterians.

"These families were in the county previous to 1772:

George Blackburn

William Blackburn

John Vance

John Casey

Benjamin Logan

Nathan McNabb

John Davis

Halbert McLure

Arthur Blackburn

Nathaniel Davis

Samuel Evans

William Kennedy

Andrew McFerran

Samuel Hendrey

Andrew Kincannon

John Kelley

John Robinson

James Kincannon

William Edmondson

Thomas Edmondson

John Beaty

George Tutor

Michael Halfacre

Stephen Cawood

James Garvell

Robert Buchanan, Jr.

Edward Jamison

Richard Heggon

John Lester

George Clark

James Molden

William Blanton

Christopher Acklin

James Craig

Joseph Gamble

Margaret Edmondson

John Edmondson

John Boyd

Robert Kirkman

Martin Pruitt

Nicholas Brabston

Andrew Miller

Alexander McNutt

William Pruitt

John McCucheon

James Berry

James Trimble

William Berry

Moses Buchanan

David Carson

Samuel Buchanan

William Bates

William McMillin

John Kennedy

Robert Lamb

Thomas Raferty

Thomas Baker

John Groce

Robert Buchanan

Thomas Evans

William Marlor

Hugh Johnston

Edward Pharis

Joseph Lester

William White

Samuel White

William Lester

Willilam Pogue

Samuel Buchanan

Thomas Montgomery

Samuel Bell

John Campbell

"This is quite a long list of members of only one church, and when they came together from both congregations, as sometimes they did, they exhibited a formidable appearance. High up on the South Fork there were scattering settlements of Baptists, and a large portion of the country for twenty miles down from about seven miles of the town of Abingdon, almost the whole population were Germans. Many of them came from Germany to Pennsylvania, thence to what forms Shenandoah and Rockingham, and from there to Holston. Some came to Holston direct from Germany. Jacob Young, who lived in the land afterwards the residence of John Campbell, I think came direct from Germany with a large household. He was a wealthy man, and lived and ruled his household and tenentry like a lord. The other German families, as far as I can now call their names to mind, were the Fleenors, a large family, the Gobblers, Mungles, Sydars, Huntsuckers, Kaylors, Whisenands, Davaults, Funkhousers, Kniceleys, Lindamoods, Statyers, Zimerlies, Teetors, Goodmans, Shelleys, Munfours, Jinks and Droakes, who came to the county some years afterwards. There are others, whose names I cannot just now recollect.

"The rich valley about the salt works was settled early by the Crabtrees, McNews, Falbuths, and Cawoods, and lower down, by the McCulloughs, Watsons, Dunns, Logans, McReynolds, and many others. Several families began to settle north of the Clinch Mountain. Among them, William and Reece Bowen, and in Castle Woods, William Russell. All were distinguished men in the Revolution. The Gilmores, Carrells and Dickensons, settled early in that part of the country; also the Brownings, Bickleys, and others, all most respectable people.

"Of the above long list, how many remained in the county? Not one family in twenty, I believe. Holston seemed to be a point from which the restless settler could survey, in his mind, at least, the great and beautiful West, the lands of kentucky and Cumberland, and as soon as each one thought it would be safe for his family, he packed up his wife and children and put off for those fascinating countries. We have a fine country here, possessing some of the highest recommendations, yet is is a real pleasure to travel through Tennessee and Kentucky, and see the thrift and prosperity of the men and their families who went from Holston in early times, to those countries. Should you be traveling and call at a fine farm house, you might almost conclude the original proprietor and ancestor of the family came from Holston, and by a little conversation you would soon trace them back to old Augusta. Many of the men whose names I have mentioned, and others from Old Washington, participated in the battle of Point Pleasant, in 1774, and principally fought the battle of the Long Island Flats, in 1776, and also participated in the memorable battle of Kings Mountain, distinguishing themselves in each battle. Yet there are some men and historians found who have been endeavoring to disparage them and throw them out of view in each battle."

"A SUBSCRIBER"

(Gov. David Campbell)