History of the Early Settlers
Of Dry Fork, Rich Mountain and Shavers Mountain By E.C. Wyatt, Randolph Enterprise, Elkins, WV, 1922-1923
7 Dec 1922 – Randolph Enterprise [Summerfield, Walker, White]
Writing about Abe Summerfield’s son the name was printed wrong, his name is Haymon instead of Harman and he spelled his name Haman the way it is spelled in the Bible.
John Summerfield was a soldier in the Confederate army and was commonly known as “Fifer” John. Every Fourth of July he would play the fife and his brother Jack would beat the drum up till Jack died, then Mart would beat the drum but about 13 years ago Fifer John passed to the great beyond and the fife and drum have been silent ever since.
John lived near Harman, I don’t know anything about his family. He was 66 years old when he died.
We next have the Walker family. They settled on the Alleghenies. Mr.
Walker’s name was Joseph, he moved away somewhere and I could get but little information about him.
Joseph Walker was a Revolutionary Soldier in Captain William Janes Co.
After he came to Dry Fork I was informed that the family suffered severe hardships the first winter as they didn’t raise anything but potatoes and it is said that they killed a fat goose and used it all winter long to cook potatoes with. I am not sure if this is true but many of these pioneers suffered severe hardships, if their crops failed, as the winters were long and very cold and very deep snows. No corn ripened until 1846. Many persons suffered hardships during the Civil War but they were far better off than these poor families in a howling wilderness. Some folks complained very much about Hooverism during the World War but we had no room to be pessimistic. If our Civil War folks could have had we had they would have been very proud of it and if Joseph Walker, Thomas Summerfield, Edmund Wyatt, John Wolford or Joseph Roy could have had what the Civil War folks had they would have thought themselves as well to do as a rich Virginia planter. I hope I shall not write anything to cause any doubt, so if it is not all true about the Walker family we have no doubt that a greater part of it is true.
We now come to the White family of which a man by the name of Thomas is first. He was born in England and his father came to Pennsylvania and settled near Philadelphia. Then Thomas White settled along Dry Fork between the Red Creek Junction and Jenningston about 1789. He had two sons but they were half brothers, one of their names was Thomas and the other David.
I never learned where this man was buried or how old he was. This story was related to me by his grandson Archibald White.
Thomas White, his son, settled on Allegheny and owned land both in Pendleton and Randolph Counties. His sons were Archibald and Allen. I do not know the exact time he located there but he and David were both born in Pennsylvania.
(To be continued) [End of article]
Transcribed by Cathy Thompson
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