German settler prospered in the Mountain Empire
By Bud Phillips Special to the Herald Courier
It is a commonly held belief that most of the early settlers of our area were English and Scots-Irish.
While there were indeed many of them, there were also a sizeable number of Germans who also settled here and even a few of French extraction.
Many German families settled in Lancaster County, Pa., and a good portion of them lived in that part of Lancaster County that later became York County, including those from whom my mother descended.
Then, a bit later, a great number of German families migrated into the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
Later, many of them followed the Great Valley of Virginia into this area. Many who started that journey settled in Wythe County, Va., and it seems Wythe County became a great settling place for German families.
But others came on to Washington County, Va., and Sullivan County, Tenn. In the case of my mother’s family, they first settled in Rockingham County, Va., then moved on down into Lee County, Va., and in 1805, moved across the mountain range into Letcher County, Ky.
Among those early Germans who settled in this immediate area was the noted pioneer Valentine Beidleman. It is of him that I will write in this article.
Mr. Beidleman was born on Feb. 7, 1788 in Mifflintown, Mifflin County, Pa. His first name is admittedly unusual, and it is seldom used now, however it was fairly common during the period in which he was born. (I had an ancestor, one Valentine Brown, who lived in the same period, and Valentine Keebler was a prominent pioneer merchant of Bristol, Va.).
As a young man, Valentine Beidleman came to Washington County, Va., and for a few years lived near Kings Mill on Spring Creek.
While living there, he married Amanda Melvina (or Malvina) Cutler. This wedding occurred on Dec. 13, 1825. She was born on Sept. 23, 1802. I do not have record of her birthplace, but it is told that she was a granddaughter of Manasay Cutler who was a member of the First Continental Congress.
It may be noted that Mr. Beidleman was 14 years older than his wife. This has led some to think that this may have been his second marriage, however, I have no information as to whether this is correct.
It is known that this marriage produced several children (at least seven) before the death of Mrs. Beidleman that occurred at Holston Furnace, Sullivan County, Tenn., on Sept. 14, 1845.
After residing at Kings Mill, Va., for a few years, Beidleman moved to Sullivan County, Tenn., in the 1820s and had much land along what is now Beidleman Road. By 1850, he had acquired about 6,000 acres of land, thus becoming one of the largest landowners in the county.
On this land, he built what I call a Pennsylvania-style house that still stands. Across the road from this house was a mill he erected that no longer stands. Vandals burned the mill some years ago.
I do not have the date of Valentine Beidleman’s death or the place of his burial. I do know, from tax records of the time, that he was the second largest landowner in 1872 (making him 89 years old). It has been speculated the gravesite may be located somewhere on the property.
The old home was sold in the 1990s. At that time, some furniture was sold that had been stored in an outbuilding. This created much interest among local collectors.
Sold at that sale was an old, handcrafted chest of the type that is often called a tall chest or bureau. Such pieces of handcrafted furniture indicated the financial status of the original owner. Those in the know say that it was likely made in about 1810 and from this area, but the actual craftsman has not been identified. It is now owned by a good friend of mine in Bristol, Tenn., who is having it expertly restored.
It remains, not only as a reminder of Valentine Beidleman, but may also indicate the prosperity of this German pioneer who settled in the Holston Valley about 200 years ago.
