... Benjamin was born February 20, 1832. When a few weeks old he was brought to Crawford county by his parents, Benjamin, Sr. and Martha Pogue Dyer, Natives of Wilkes county North Carolina. Benjamin Dyer, Sr. was a son of Caleb Dyer and grandson of Elisha Dyer. They settled on Frog Bayou where Martinsburg is now located. At that time, it was a vast wilderness inhabited by wild animals and Indians. All work was done by hand, the forest cleared and planted in corn and cotton, orchards and berries for their own use. The people were industrious, the land was fertile, with favorable seasons and their labors were blessed with a plentiful increase. By degrees good dwellings and barns were built. In every community a log school house and a church building was built. Masonic meetings were established, grist mills build, blacksmith shops and wagon yards were a necessity. BY 1840 new settlements were scattered throughout the mountains. Trade and improvements advanced rapidly. Cattle, mules, horses, wagons brought high prices. Hog fattened easily from the forest. Deer, turkeys and other small game made plentiful supply of excellent provisions for the families.
