Henry Amick and the Moccasin Rangers
Henry Amich was born in 1824 in Pendleton County, Virginia to Jacob and Rachel Amick. The family was raised to a strict moral code and was deeply religious. When still quite young the family moved from Pendleton County to Nicholas County and settled near Sewell Mountain on a small creel that flowed into the Meadow River.
Henry was slight, blond and handsome. He could sing louder, run faster, climb higher, shoot straighter and get mad quicker, than anyone else. He delighted in feats of hardihood, for instance, when other young men took a ten-mile walk, he would run the distance. Of course, with that kind of speed, life at home could not satisfy him for long. He decided that his collar was so high that he had to stand on a stump to sit.
In those days it didn't take long to acquire an education. Along with it one was supposed to absorb a lot of polish and prestige, so when Henry returned home, he was very popular. He did not lack for social life. The meeting house was the community center where the elders discussed problems such as discipline of the youth. It was also an opportunity for courting or "sparkin" as it was called. Henry met Jane, who was from a fine family named Nichols and married her June 1, 1848.
Jane was the daughter of William Nicholas, a son of Zepeniah and Rebecca (Davis) Nichols Zepeniah was born in Bath County, Virginia about 1794. William married Jane's mother Jane Lilley about 1819. She died about 1832. William then married Jane's step-mother Elizabeth Boggs December 11, 1835 in Nicholas County, Virginia. Elizabeth, a daaughter of James and Dicena Boggs, was born in present-day Clay County, West Virginia in 1814. Henry's father Jacob had worked with the Nicholas family building roads. The Nichols were from Pendleton County and knew the Amicks well. Jane's uncle John Nicholas was the Road Superintendent for the West Fork.
