Early settlers of Pocahontas County

 

Here are some early settlers of Pocahontas County as mentioned in the sources:

• Thomas Galford settled on upper Galfords Creek and secured a land grant of 154 acres by 1794. His daughter Elizabeth was captured by Native Americans when she was 11 years old.
• Samuel Posten was an early settler who occupied the land later occupied by Richard Hudson.
• Ludy Taylor was one of the first settlers on upper Galfords Creek.
• Richard Hudson occupied land that was earlier occupied by Samuel Posten.
• John Mclaughlin was the most popular and prominent citizen of Pocahontas County, and settled there around the time the county formed. He and his descendants were of Irish descent.
• Reuben Butard settled on the branch that was later known as Shock Run in the early 1800s. Butard's Creek and Butard's Creek Valley took their name from him. He was well known in the area and raised large apple trees.
• Thomas Hatten is believed to have owned land near the mouth of Stillington Creek, and some believe Thomas Creek was named for him.
• Mosses Moore settled on Knapps Creek around 1770. Moore is believed to have been one of the very first settlers of the county.
• James Ewing is noted in the sources as a notable settler of Knapps Creek.
• Michael Cleek, John Sharp, Moses Moore, Timothy McCarty, Michael Dougherty, James Ewing, John Bradshaw, Patrick Mcgrath, John McCulloy, Abraham Devine, William Dunlop, Samuel Machum, Peter Lighter, Joseph Carey, Gorge Poage, James Rhea, and Andrew Reid are all listed as some of the first settlers of the Knapps Creek Valley.
• Jacob Warwick made the first settlement on the land now known as the Dunmore neighborhood around 1766. Warwick came to the area from Augusta County and his home was the site of the Dunmore neighborhood.
• James and William Deaver were two of the very first settlers of the branch that became known as Deaver Run.
• William Vanleas settled on the Back Allegheny Mountain and the branch near where he settled was named in his honor.
• Griffin, an old mountainer, lived on the creek that now bears his name until his death. He was known for living off the land.
• Steven Sewell lived in a cave near the head of the creek later named Stevens Hole Run.
• Cummings was a pioneer who settled in the county near the time it was formed and the creek near where he lived was named in his honor.
• John Brown owned much of the land along what became known as Brown's Creek and was a Captain in the Revolutionary War.
• Ward Cleek's grandfather is mentioned in the sources as having lived near Knapps Creek, in the early days of the county, and was married in 1870.

The sources also note an unnamed French explorer may have named the Cherry River. They also discuss Native Americans and their impact on the area. There are multiple accounts of settlers being captured or killed by Native Americans, and several place names come from interactions between settlers and Native Americans.