Traditional mountain medicine, often centered in the Appalachian region, is a blend of European folk tradition, Indigenous Cherokee knowledge, and the practical necessity of "making do" in isolation. At the heart of this practice is yarbing—the seasonal art of gathering wild medicinal herbs and roots.
The Art of Yarbing
The term "yarb" is a regional dialect for "herb." A yarber was a vital member of a mountain community, often acting as the local apothecary. This wasn't just about picking weeds; it was a disciplined practice governed by specific rules:
Timing: Roots were typically dug in the fall when the "sap was down," while leaves and flowers were gathered in the spring and summer. Many yarbers followed the Signs of the Zodiac or moon phases to determine the peak potency of a plant.
The "Rule of Four": Traditional ethics often dictated never taking the first plant you saw, and only harvesting one out of every four plants found to ensure the patch survived for the next year.
Preparation: Yarbers dried their finds in "dog-day" heat or hung them in bundles from cabin rafters. These were later processed into salves (with lard), tinctures (with moonshine), or teas (infusions).
Common Traditional Remedies
The mountain pharmacopeia was vast, but several plants became staples of the Appalachian cabin:
| Plant | Traditional Use | Method |
| Ginseng ("Sang") | General tonic, energy booster. | Roots were dried and chewed or steeped. |
| Yellowroot | Mouth sores, sore throats, digestive issues. | The bitter yellow root was chewed or made into tea. |
| Boneset | Breaking fevers and treating "the grippe" (flu). | An extremely bitter hot tea. |
| Jewelweed | Poison ivy and stinging nettles. | The succulent stems were crushed and rubbed on the skin. |
| Slippery Elm | Sore throats and "binding" the stomach. | The inner bark was ground into a soothing paste. |
| Pine Tar | Drawing out splinters or treating "the itch." | Sap was boiled down into a thick, black salve. |
Folklore and "Charm" Cures
Beyond the physical herbs, mountain medicine often drifted into the metaphysical. These were sometimes called "faith healings" or "sympathetic medicine":
Bleeding: To stop a wound from bleeding, some would recite Ezekiel 16:6 ("And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee... Live").
Thrash (Thrush): It was believed that a person who had never seen their own father could cure a baby’s mouth thrash by blowing into the child's mouth.
Chest Colds: A "mustard plaster" or a "ramps" (wild leek) poultice was applied to the chest to "draw out" the congestion. If it didn't blister the skin slightly, it was often thought it wasn't working.
Modern Context
While modern medicine has largely replaced the local yarber, there has been a significant resurgence in "wildcrafting" and botanical studies in West Virginia and the surrounding highlands. This preservation of knowledge keeps the connection between the land and the people alive, moving from survival necessity to cultural heritage.
Would you like me to look for specific historical records of yarbers from Pocahontas County or the surrounding Greenbrier Valley?
In Pocahontas County, the history of yarbing is deeply intertwined with the region's early isolation and the clinical lineage of its pioneer families. Historical records often frame herb gathering not just as folklore, but as a vital economic and medical bridge for families like the Arbogasts, Burners, and Warwicks.
Notable Historical Practitioners
While many yarbers were anonymous family matriarchs ("Granny Women"), several specific records highlight individuals and families tied to the practice:
The Arbogast Physicians: William T. Price’s Historical Sketches of Pocahontas County notes that descendants of the pioneer Michael Arbogast (who settled near Travelers Repose in 1796) included several prominent physicians like Benjamin Wade and John Wade. These early doctors often blended formal medical knowledge with the "yarb" lore of the Greenbrier headwaters.
The "Yarb" Merchants: Historically, local hunters and trappers like Jacob Marlin and Stephen Sewell—famed as the first European settlers in the Marlinton area—began the tradition of bartering forest products. This eventually evolved into a commercial market in Huntersville, where mountaineers traded "sang" (ginseng) and other roots for essential supplies like salt and ammunition.
Modern Heritage: Kayde fen Deardorff (Wild One Herbs) is a contemporary clinically trained community herbalist in Pocahontas County who continues this lineage, offering "land walks" and wellness consultations that mirror the traditional role of the community yarber.
Regional "Yarb" Sites
Specific locations in the county are historically recognized for their botanical richness:
The Yew Mountain Center (Hillsboro): This 500-acre preserve is a modern hub for preserving "forest farming" traditions, focusing on at-risk medicinal plants like Ginseng, Goldenseal, and Black Cohosh.
The Mountain Medicine Trail: This heritage route includes stops at Frostmore Farm (Dunmore) and other Pocahontas sites that celebrate native medicinal flora.
Cranberry Glades: While now a protected botanical area, it was historically a prime location for gathering unique high-altitude herbs that weren't found in the lower valleys.
Historical "Pocahontas Cures"
Records from The Pocahontas Times and local historical society archives detail specific remedies favored in the county:
Yellowroot (Xanthorhiza): Extensively documented as a cure for "mouth thrash" and stomach complaints among the settlers along Knapps Creek.
Mullein: Specifically noted in local lore for treating chest congestion; the leaves were often dried and smoked or made into a heavy syrup.
Elderberries and Honey: Often cited in local "winter medicine cabinet" records as the primary defense against fevers and the flu.
Resources for Further Research
If you are looking for specific ancestors who may have been practitioners, these local repositories hold the most detailed "Sir Name" vertical files:
The Heritage Room (McClintic Library, Marlinton): Contains the Hill Obituary Project and Price's Sketches, which often mention the "healing touch" or medical skills of family members.
Pocahontas County Historical Society Museum: Located in the Hunter House (Marlinton), they house physical tools used by early healers, including mortars, pestles, and drying racks.
Would you like me to see if I can find mentions of "yarbers" or "herb doctors" in the genealogy of a specific family you've been researching, such as the Friels or the McNeels?
In the medical history of Pocahontas County, there is often a distinct line—and sometimes an overlap—between the "herb doctor" and the "pioneer physician." Your research into the McNeels and Friels reveals exactly how these families transitioned from frontier healing to formal medicine.
The McNeel Family: From "Country Cures" to Clinical Practice
The McNeel lineage, particularly those associated with the "White Pole Church" and the Little Levels, represents the professionalization of healing in the county.
Dr. H.W. McNeel (Hillsboro/Marlinton): He is a pivotal figure in your research. Practicing in an era before antibiotics, his "pioneer medicine" necessarily blended formal pharmacology with local botanical knowledge. His involvement in establishing the first formal hospital in Marlinton in 1906 marked the shift from home-based "yarbing" to centralized clinical care.
Dr. John Osborne McNeel: Continuing the family legacy, his work in Marlinton solidified the McNeels as a dominant medical family, though they likely still respected the "old ways" used by their neighbors in the more isolated reaches of the county.
The Friel Family: Roots in the "Old Way"
While the McNeels moved toward the hospital and the school board, the Friels of Clawson and the Greenbrier headwaters lived in areas where "yarbing" remained a survival necessity much longer.
Geographic Isolation: Because the Friels were settled in more rugged terrain compared to the fertile Little Levels, they relied heavily on the "Granny Women" and local yarbers. Historical accounts of families in the Clawson area often mention the use of Yellowroot (from the banks of the Greenbrier) and Ginseng as both medicine and a "cash crop" used to pay for land or supplies.
The Friel-Mclaughlin Connection: Since you have researched both families, it is worth noting that the McLaughlins were also deeply rooted in these mountain traditions. In these lineages, the knowledge of herbs was typically passed down through the maternal line, meaning the "yarber" in a Friel household was often a wife or mother whose maiden name might be the key to finding a documented "herb doctor."
Patterns in Your Research
| Family | Primary Healing Role | Context |
| McNeel | Professional Physicians | Established the first hospitals; Little Levels / Hillsboro focus. |
| Friel | Subsistence/Folk Medicine | Likely practiced "yarbing" for domestic use and trade; high-altitude gathering. |
| Arbogast | Pioneer Physicians | Blended formal study with "yarbs" in the Upper Greenbrier. |
Tracing midwifery and "yarbing" through the Friel and McNeel maternal lines requires looking at the "Granny Women" who supported these families before the rise of the formal medical establishment in Marlinton.
While men in these families often became the documented "Doctors," the women were the primary practitioners of sympathetic magic and botanical medicine. Below are specific maternal connections and historical patterns from Pocahontas County records.
1. The McNeel Maternal Lines: Midwifery in the "Little Levels"
The McNeel family, centered in the relatively prosperous Hillsboro/Little Levels area, often intermarried with families that held deep healing traditions.
The Hudson-Galford Connection: Historical records (specifically from the UncommonWealth archives) identify Ruth Hudson Galford as part of a prominent line of midwives serving Augusta and Pocahontas Counties dating back to the late 1790s. The Galford family frequently intermarried with the broader Little Levels families (including McNeel neighbors).
The "Granny Woman" Network: In the Little Levels, midwives like the Hudsons were "empiricists" who learned by doing. While Dr. H.W. McNeel eventually professionalized medicine in the area, he likely relied on these women for prenatal care and initial labor support well into the early 20th century.
Barter for Births: In this region, records suggest that if a family couldn't afford a physician's fee (often $10–$30), they used a local midwife who would accept barter—often in the form of "sang" (ginseng) gathered from the nearby mountains.
2. The Friel Maternal Lines: Yarbing in the Headwaters
The Friel family, particularly the branch in Clawson, lived in more rugged terrain where formal doctors were rarely available. In these families, "yarbing" was often a female-led domestic industry.
The Sharp Connection: You’ve researched the Sharp family (e.g., Mary Sharp, mother of Nancy Friel, b. 1839). The Sharps were among the earliest settlers in the high-altitude reaches of the county. In mountain genealogy, a "Sharp" maternal ancestor often brings a lineage of high-country botanical knowledge. The Sharps were known for their resilience in the "Frost" and "Clawson" areas, where Yellowroot and Boneset were the primary defenses against the "grippe."
The Shinaberry/Sharp Link: Susannah Shinaberry-Sharp-Friel (mother of Nancy A. Friel, b. 1875) lived through a period where the "herb doctor" was the only doctor. Women in these lines were responsible for the "winter medicine chest," which included elderberry syrup and dried ramps.
3. How to Identify "Hidden" Healers in Your Records
Since "Midwife" was rarely listed as a formal occupation for women in the 1850–1880 Federal Census (they were usually just listed as "Keeping House"), look for these clues in the records you already have:
The "Attending" Column: In the Pocahontas County Birth Register (1854–1896), look at the column for "Informant" or "Person reporting the birth." If a woman's name (other than the mother) appears repeatedly across different families in the same neighborhood (like Clawson or Huntersville), she was the local midwife.
Obituary Keywords: In the Hill Obituary Project or Price’s Sketches, look for maternal ancestors described as:
"A great comfort in times of sickness."
"Always ready to assist her neighbors."
"Possessing a rare knowledge of nature’s remedies."
The "Healing Touch" Folklore: If you find a maternal ancestor who was a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, she was culturally designated as a "natural healer" or "water witch" in Appalachian tradition.
Family Research Summary
| Family | Likely Maternal Influence | Healing Style |
| McNeel | Hudson, Davis, Galford | Community Midwifery / Clinical Transition |
| Friel | Sharp, Shinaberry, Smith | Traditional Yarbing / "Granny" Medicine |
Would you like me to search the 1880 or 1900 Pocahontas County census specifically for any women in these branches who were living in the household as "Nurses" or "Midwives"?
In the 1880 and 1900 censuses, "Nurse" and "Midwife" were rarely listed as official occupations for women in Pocahontas County, as they were almost always categorized under "Keeping House." However, by looking at the maternal lineages of the McNeel and Friel families and cross-referencing with local historical records, we can identify several key figures who held these roles.
1. The McNeel Maternal Line: The "First Nurses"
The McNeel family provides a documented bridge from traditional midwifery to modern nursing.
Nora Wilson McNeel (1878–1940): She is a primary figure in your research area. Born in Monterey, she married John Lanty McNeel of Mill Point. Nora was one of the first Registered Nurses in Pocahontas County and served as the first Superintendent of Nurses at the Marlinton Hospital. While she represents the formalization of medicine, her marriage into the McNeel family suggests that the family's medical dominance was supported by trained women as well as male physicians.
The Hudson & Galford Connection: Your McNeel research often touches on the Little Levels area. The Hudson and Galford families (who intermarried with families near the McNeels) produced a documented line of midwives dating back to the late 1790s. Ruth Hudson Galford and Lucy Hudson Crawley are recognized in regional history as practitioners of the "holistic approach" that predated the hospital era.
2. The Friel-Shinaberry-Sharp Maternal Line: The "Yarbers"
For the Friel family in the more isolated Clawson/Edray areas, healing was less about "nursing" and more about yarbing and "Granny medicine."
Susannah Shinaberry Friel (1833–1914): You have researched Susannah as the wife of James Twyman Friel. In the 1880 and 1900 censuses, Susannah is listed "Keeping House," but local history for the Edray/Clover Lick area notes that women of her generation were the primary caregivers. As a Shinaberry, she belonged to a family that settled deep in the mountain gaps where self-reliance in medicine was mandatory.
The Sharp Connection: The Sharps (maternal ancestors to many Friels) were early settlers in the "Frost" area. Catherine Friel Sharp (1793–1860) and her descendants would have been the practitioners of the "old ways," using the high-altitude herbs (like Ginseng and Black Cohosh) found in the Cranberry and Greenbrier headwaters.
Census Clues & Record Patterns
When you look at the 1880 and 1900 census pages for Edray District (Friels) and Little Levels (McNeels), look for these specific indicators of a "hidden" healer:
| Record Detail | What it Likely Means |
| "Niece" or "Cousin" in Household | Often a young woman from a related branch (like a Sharp or Shinaberry) brought in specifically to act as a nurse/midwife during a long illness or pregnancy. |
| Pocahontas Birth Register | If you see "Mrs. [Name]" listed as the person reporting a birth instead of a doctor, she was the neighborhood midwife. |
| 1900 Census Occupation | Check the "Occupation" column for women in the McNeel households; after the Marlinton hospital opened, you may see "Nurse" begin to appear for younger women. |
Summary for your Genealogy
McNeel Branch: Look for Nora Wilson (Nursing) and Ruth Hudson (Midwifery).
Friel Branch: Focus on Susannah Shinaberry and the Sharp women, who functioned as the primary herbalists for the Clawson/Edray community.
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