Robert Sitlington was the first permanent settler on Sitlington Creek.

 

Robert Sitlington was the first permanent settler on Sitlington Creek.

• Sitlington Creek is a major tributary of the Greenbrier River in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, with its headwaters in the Allegheny Mountains.

• The town of Dumore is located at the original homesite of Robert Sitlington.

• The naming of Sitlington Creek has an interesting backstory involving a series of family connections and land ownership:

  • The father of Jacob Warwick arrived in Augusta County, Virginia, from Williamsburg, Virginia, between 1740 and 1750.
  • Lieutenant Warwick, as he was known, was a surveyor employed by the British Crown to survey land in Augusta County and present-day Pocahontas County.
  • Lieutenant Warwick acquired and resided on a piece of property that now comprises the village of Dumore, located on Sitlington Creek.
  • He married Elizabeth Dunlap near Middlebrook, Virginia. They were among the English gentry whose families settled in Virginia after experiencing political setbacks in England.
  • Lieutenant Warwick later decided to return to England for a visit. However, he never returned and was presumed dead.
  • His wife Elizabeth remained on the Sitlington Creek property. She was subsequently granted ownership of the land through a deed.
  • Elizabeth then married Robert Sitlington.
  • Jacob Warwick, son of Lieutenant Warwick, inherited the Dumore property.
  • Jacob Warwick held Robert Sitlington, his stepfather, in high regard, and the creek was ultimately named in Robert Sitlington's honor.
  • Robert Sitlington was also a pioneer and a veteran of the Revolutionary War.

• Notably, the area around Sitlington Creek was originally known as Galfords Creek.

  • Thomas Galford, an early settler, arrived in the region around 1782 and was a taxpayer at the time.
  • Galford obtained a 154-acre land grant on Sitlington Creek in 1794, which is now owned by Wade Galford and Charley Wilfong and located east of Glade Hill on Galfords Creek.
  • A tradition passed down through Galford's descendants suggests that he traded a bear trap for his initial homestead on Galfords Creek.

This information highlights the close relationship between early settlers, family ties, and land ownership in the development of Pocahontas County. The story of Sitlington Creek exemplifies how personal connections and respect for individuals contributed to the naming of geographical features, similar to the patterns observed in the naming of Moses Spring Run and Cartmills Creek in our previous discussions.