Historical Overview of the Knapps Creek Valley Settlement

 

The 400-Acre Ghost: Why a West Virginia Valley’s History is Hidden Across Four Different Counties

In the quiet folds of eastern Pocahontas County, West Virginia, lies the Knapps Creek valley—a landscape of peaceful bottomlands and winding water. To the modern observer, it appears as a timeless pastoral scene. However, beneath this tranquil surface lies a complex history defined by shifting colonial borders, revolutionary upheaval, and the sheer grit of 18th-century pioneers. Tracking the true story of this region is a detective’s game, requiring us to unearth layers of land patents that have been buried by the shifting sands of administrative history.

The narrative of this valley is often hidden within the archival chain of title, where a single family’s legacy might be scattered across four different county repositories. At the heart of this historical investigation is Enid Harper’s 1924 account. Writing a century ago, Harper captured the foundational stories of the valley, serving as a critical bridge between the fading oral histories of the first settlers and the formal, sometimes clinical, legal records of the Virginia frontier.

The "Tomahawk Rights" Reality Gap

There is a curious chronological gap in the early history of Knapps Creek. Michael Dougherty, an Irish immigrant, established one of the region’s first permanent European homesteads around 1770. Yet, formal legal ownership of his land did not occur until nearly a decade later. This reflects the reality of "tomahawk rights," an 18th-century frontier practice where settlers claimed land by clearing brush or girdling trees long before the slow-moving colonial government could issue a formal patent.

This "lag" between settlement and legal order was not merely a matter of bureaucratic slowness; it was a byproduct of the violent disruption caused by Lord Dunmore’s War in 1774 and the subsequent American Revolution. These conflicts effectively paused the machinery of land law. Stability only returned with the Virginia Land Act of 1779, which finally allowed settlers who had built cabins or raised corn prior to 1778 to formalize their claims.

Enid Harper’s 1924 community history aligns closely with the archival chain of title, while reflecting the common 18th-century lag between initial settlement (“tomahawk rights”) and formal patent issuance.

Sawmills Were the Original Tech Disruptors

The Kinetic Power of Knapps Creek Before the arrival of commercial rail access, the "steady fall and volume" of Knapps Creek was the valley's primary economic engine. The transition from primitive log-cabin living to the architectural evolution of "dimension lumber" frame construction was enabled by the introduction of water-powered sash sawmills. These hydraulic operations—often described as "run-of-river watermills"—acted as essential neighborhood hubs, grinding corn and wheat for dispersed homesteads while providing the precise timber necessary for a more permanent style of frontier life.

One Farm, Four Different Counties

For the modern researcher, the Knapps Creek watershed is a jurisdictional puzzle. Because county boundaries shifted rapidly during the lifetime of the original pioneers, a single farmstead "moved" through four different counties without the barn ever changing location. This administrative migration began in Augusta County, where Michael Dougherty famously married Margaret McClintic, daughter of William McClintic, around 1775.

To trace a family history here, one must navigate this specific timeline:

• Augusta County (Pre-1778): The location of initial land entries, early deeds, and militia records.
• Greenbrier County (Formed 1778): Home to the early surveyor’s entry books and the Land Commissioner certificates issued between 1780 and 1782.
• Bath County (Formed 1790/91): The jurisdiction where the 18th-century generation lived out their final years and where their wills were probated.
• Pocahontas County (Formed 1821): The final administrative home where subsequent partition deeds and transfers among heirs were recorded.

The Strategic Drama of a Pioneer’s Will

Legal documents from this era reveal a fascinatingly complex social fabric. Michael Dougherty’s will, executed in Bath County in 1818 and probated in 1819, illustrates the strategic pressures of maintaining a frontier estate. He devised a "life estate" for his wife, Margaret, but the document contained a high-stakes "conditional carve-out" for his son, William. William was to receive a 100-acre portion of the land only if he returned and resided on the family property; otherwise, he was granted a cash legacy of $50.

Perhaps most revealing was the provision for Elizabeth Sharret (or Sharatt), for whom Michael reserved "meadowland and a house... as long as she stood in need of it." Such specific legal protections underscore the family pressures and the protective community bonds required to survive on the edge of the wilderness.

Land Commission records and Greenbrier County survey entries show Michael Dougherty securing a standard 400-acre settlement tract along Knapps Creek. As was customary on the frontier, surveying and final patent issuance occurred years after original occupation.

The Post Office as a Community Anchor

By the mid-19th century, the era of isolated wilderness claims gave way to formalized community identity. The establishment of the Frost Post Office in 1853 provided the Knapps Creek corridor with a permanent administrative anchor that sustained the settlement through the Civil War and into the turn of the century.

This village identity was built on the backs of three primary families: the Harpers, the Lockridges, and the Herolds. These families developed the "run-of-river mill seats" and agricultural tracts that defined the upper creek. Through decades of intermarriage and the partitioning of original 400-acre patents, the vast colonial tracts fragmented into the smaller, integrated family farmsteads that still define the Frost village tract today.

The Final Thought: History is a Living Chain

The history of Knapps Creek is a story of profound transformation. What began as a singular 400-acre tract cleared by an Irish immigrant in 1770 evolved through decades of legal maneuvering, county shifts, and industrial innovation into a cohesive community. It serves as a stark reminder that the borders and town names we use today are merely the latest links in a long, often chaotic chain of human endeavor.

As you look at the landscape of your own town, do you ever consider the "tomahawk rights" or the strategic wills of those who first cleared the ground? History is rarely found in one place; like the records of Knapps Creek, it is often waiting to be pieced together across the borders of time.

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Briefing Document: Historical Overview of the Knapps Creek Valley Settlement

Executive Summary

The historical development of the Knapps Creek valley in eastern Pocahontas County, West Virginia, is defined by eighteenth-century pioneer settlement, the evolution of hydraulic industry, and a complex shifting of jurisdictional boundaries. Enid Harper’s 1924 account, supplemented by archival records, identifies Michael Dougherty, an Irish immigrant, as a foundational figure who established a permanent homestead circa 1770.

Critical takeaways include:

• Pioneer Origins: Settlement began around 1770 under "tomahawk rights," with formal land patents following years later under the Virginia Land Act of 1779.
• Industrial Transition: The availability of water power on Knapps Creek facilitated a transition from primitive log cabins to milled timber frame construction via gristmills and sash sawmills.
• Administrative Evolution: Traceable records for the region are dispersed across four counties (Augusta, Greenbrier, Bath, and Pocahontas) due to rapid border shifts between 1770 and 1821.
• Community Formation: The fragmentation of original large land grants, such as Dougherty’s 400-acre tract, through inheritance and mid-nineteenth-century sales, established the geographic boundaries for the village of Frost and its post office (est. 1853).

Early Settlement and Pioneer Infrastructure

The Dougherty Homestead (~1770)

Michael Dougherty (frequently spelled Daugherty), an Irish immigrant, established one of the earliest documented permanent European settlements in the Knapps Creek valley. Arriving around 1770, Dougherty cleared bottomlands for agriculture and livestock grazing. At the time of his arrival, the area fell under the jurisdiction of Augusta County.

While oral histories place his arrival in 1770, formal title was not immediate. The Virginia Land Act of 1779 eventually formalized titles for western settlers who had improved land prior to 1778. Dougherty secured a standard 400-acre settlement tract, a process that involved:

1. Initial Occupation: Establishing "tomahawk rights" through cabin construction or crop cultivation.
2. Preemption Rights: Qualification under the 1779 Act following the disruptions of Lord Dunmore’s War and the Revolution.
3. Survey and Patent: Formal surveying and patent issuance, which customarily occurred years after the original settlement.

Water-Powered Milling and Industry

The "steady fall and volume" of Knapps Creek were essential to the region's early economic development. The establishment of run-of-river watermills provided two critical services:

• Sash Sawmills: These converted local timber into dimension lumber, allowing residents to move from log cabin dwellings to more permanent frame construction.
• Gristmills: These served as neighborhood hubs for grinding corn and wheat for dispersed homesteads before the advent of commercial rail access.

Jurisdictional Evolution and Archival Records

Tracing the history of Knapps Creek requires cross-referencing multiple court repositories due to the rapid formation of new counties during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Jurisdiction	Period of Relevance	Key Records Available
Augusta County	Pre-1778	Initial entries, militia records, early deeds, and Dougherty's marriage to Margaret McClintic (~1775).
Greenbrier County	Formed 1778	Early surveyor’s entry books, Land Commissioner certificates (1780–1782), and tithable tax lists.
Bath County	Formed 1790/91	Will Book 2 records Michael Dougherty’s 1818 will and 1819 probate, dividing his lands.
Pocahontas County	Formed 1821	Deed Book 1 contains subsequent partition deeds, transfers among heirs, and records for neighboring families.

Estate Disposition and the Formation of Frost

The 1819 Will of Michael Dougherty

Michael Dougherty’s real estate was distributed according to his last will and testament, executed on October 5, 1818, and probated in July 1819 in Bath County. The disposition included:

• Life Estate: Real estate along Knapps Creek was devised to his wife, Margaret, for her lifetime.
• Primary Remainder: Upon Margaret's death, the homestead and whole estate reverted to their son, Samuel Dougherty, who also served as executor.
• Conditional Devise: A 100-acre carve-out (or a $50 cash equivalent) was reserved for his son William Dougherty, contingent upon his return to and residence on the family land.
• Legacies: Samuel was charged with paying cash legacies to his brother John and married sisters (Martha Frame, Isabel Nicholas, and Margaret Ruckman).
• Support Provision: A house and meadowland were reserved for his sister, Elizabeth Sharret, for as long as she was in need.

Integration and Community Development

Following the formation of Pocahontas County in 1821 and the passing of Margaret Dougherty, the estate underwent significant changes that shaped the future community of Frost:

• Consolidation and Conveyance: Because William Dougherty did not re-establish a permanent settlement, Samuel Dougherty held the fee-simple title to the core plantation. Throughout the 1820s and 1830s, Samuel began deeding parcels of the original 400-acre survey to surrounding families, including the Harpers, Lockridges, and Herolds.
• Fragmentation: By the mid-19th century, the original patent had fragmented into smaller family farmsteads through intermarriage and sale.
• Establishment of Frost: This pattern of land division set the property boundaries for the village of Frost. In 1853, the federal government officially established the Frost Post Office, providing a formal administrative identity and community anchor that persisted through the Civil War era and into the turn of the century.

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The historical narrative in Enid Harper’s 1924 account, History of Knapp’s Creek Community, cross-references directly with early Augusta, Greenbrier, and Bath County legal records, illustrating the transition from 18th-century squatter occupation to formal land patents.

Key Archival Cross-References

• Frontier Settlement vs. Land Office Titles (~1770)
  
  
  • Harper’s Account: Places Irish pioneer Michael Dougherty (frequently recorded as Daugherty) as arriving on Knapps Creek around 1770, establishing one of the earliest agricultural settlements in the eastern part of present-day Pocahontas County.
    
    
  • County Records: Prior to 1778, this area fell under the vast territory of Augusta County. While Dougherty settled bottomlands along Knapps Creek circa 1770, Virginia law did not formally regularize trans-Allegheny titles until the Virginia Land Act of 1779. Dougherty established initial possessory claim via customary "tomahawk rights" and cabin construction prior to survey.
    
    
• Greenbrier County Land Commission and Surveys (1780–1782)
  
  
  • Following the formation of Greenbrier County in 1778, the Virginia Land Commissioners heard claims in western Virginia for settlement rights.
    
    
  • Dougherty proved his pre-1778 settlement right, securing a certificate for the customary 400-acre tract on Knapps Creek.
    
    
  • Early Greenbrier County survey books record the official metes-and-bounds survey of this 400-acre parcel, locating it along the fertile Knapps Creek bottomlands that later framed the community of Frost.
    
    
• Jurisdictional Shifts and Estate Devise (Bath & Pocahontas Counties)
  
  
  • Formation of Bath County (1790/91): The Knapps Creek drainage was incorporated into Bath County. Dougherty's subsequent land entries and tax tithables transitioned from Greenbrier to Warm Springs.
    
    
  • Probate of Estate (1819): Michael Dougherty’s will was executed in Bath County in October 1818 and probated in July 1819 (Bath County Will Book 2, p. 254). It designated his Knapps Creek plantation to his wife Margaret during her lifetime, with remainder interest passing primarily to his son Samuel Dougherty, along with conditional carve-outs and legacy charges to sons William and John.
    
    
  • Pocahontas County Formation (1821): When Pocahontas County was formed two years later, Samuel Dougherty and the Dougherty heirs appeared in early Pocahontas Deed Books 1 and 2, conveying tracts of the original 400-acre settlement survey to neighboring families—including the Harpers, Lockridges, and Herolds.

Synthesis of Sources

Element	Enid Harper (1924 History)	Augusta & Greenbrier Archival Records
Pioneer Identity	Irish immigrant; early valley settler.	Michael Dougherty / Daugherty (m. Margaret McClintic in Augusta Co., ~1775).
Claim Date	Settled circa 1770.	Pre-1778 settlement recognized under the 1779 Virginia Land Act.
Survey / Patent	Family bottomland farm on Knapps Creek.	400-acre settlement certificate entered and surveyed in Greenbrier County.
Succession	Handed down to descendants and neighbors.	Devised via 1819 Bath County Will; subdivided into early Pocahontas deeds post-1821.

 

1. Testamentary Anchor: The 1818/1819 Bath County Will

The devolution of Michael Dougherty’s (frequently recorded as Daugherty) Knapps Creek holdings originates in his last will and testament, executed on October 5, 1818, and probated at the July 1819 court session of Bath County (Bath County Will Book 2, p. 254):

• Life Estate to the Widow: Michael devised his entire real estate along Knapps Creek to his wife, Margaret (née McClintic), for the term of her natural life.
  
  
• Sole Remainder to Samuel Dougherty: The fee-simple remainder in the whole real estate was devised to their son Samuel Dougherty, who was also named sole executor.
  
  
• Conditional Carve-Out to William Dougherty: The will stipulated a condition precedent: if son William Dougherty returned and resided on the family land, he was to receive 100 acres (or, at his option, a cash legacy of $50).
  
  
• Encumbrance for Elizabeth Sharret: Michael burdened the home plantation with a protective life-use reservation: daughter Elizabeth Sharret was to retain "her meadows and house as long as she stands in need of it."
  
  
• Cash Legacies Charged to Samuel: Samuel was directed to satisfy cash payments from the estate—$100 to his brother John Dougherty, and nominal $1 legacies to married daughters Martha Frame, Isabel Nicholas, and Margaret Ruckman.
  
  

2. Jurisdictional Shift and Probate Continuity (1821)

When Pocahontas County was formed in December 1821 from Bath, Pendleton, and Randolph counties, the entire Knapps Creek drainage shifted under the new county government at Huntersville.

• Under Virginia civil procedure, the will remained validly proved in Bath County without need for ancillary probate in Pocahontas.
  
  
• However, all subsequent title actions, chain-of-title recitals, partition deeds, and lien releases concerning the Dougherty lands were thereafter governed by and recorded in Pocahontas County Deed Books.
  
  

3. Vesting and Extinguishment of Contingencies

In the early 1820s, title consolidated under Samuel Dougherty:

• Extinguishment of William’s 100-Acre Interest: William Dougherty did not return to re-establish permanent domicile on Knapps Creek. The condition lapsed, releasing the 100-acre contingent partition and confirming Samuel's fee title to the entirety of the original settlement tract (less Elizabeth's reserved dwelling and meadow parcel).
  
  
• Termination of Widow’s Life Estate: Following Margaret Dougherty’s death in the early 1820s, Samuel’s remainder interest merged into present possessory ownership.
  
  
• Elizabeth Sharret’s Homestead: Elizabeth remained on the parcel reserved for her under the will, with her possessory occupancy acknowledged in subsequent neighborhood boundary calls until her death in the late 1850s.
  
  

4. Partition and Conveyance in Early Pocahontas County Deed Books

During the 1820s and 1830s, Samuel Dougherty began subdividing the ~400-acre settlement patent into smaller agricultural parcels and mill-seat easements, recorded across Pocahontas County Deed Books 1, 2, and 3:

• Transfers to Valley Neighbors & Kin:
  
  
  • Samuel conveyed portions of the fertile creek-bottom acreage to incoming and adjacent landholders, including the Harper, Lockridge, and Herold families.
    
    
  • The deeds describe metes-and-bounds lines running with the meanders of Knapps Creek, crossing the public road, and adjoining the lines of neighboring patents (such as the early surveys of the McClintics, Lightners, and Baxters).
    
    
• Water Rights and Mill Easements:
  
  
  • Deeds from this period carved out water rights and raceway reservations along the creek to support early sash sawmills and gristmills, establishing the hydraulic infrastructure highlighted in Enid Harper’s 1924 community history.
    
    
• Evolution of the Frost Village Tract:
  
  
  • By the 1840s and early 1850s, through successive conveyances from the Dougherty heirs and subsequent purchasers (such as the Sharretts, Ruckmans, and Harpers), the original 1770s patent tract had transformed into the agricultural and commercial center of upper Knapps Creek.
    
    
  • These parcel boundaries directly framed the core crossroads settlement where the Frost Post Office was formally designated in 1853.

Chain of Title Summary

Step / Era	Document / Instrument	Legal Effect on Knapps Creek Estate
~1770–1782	Colonial settlement right; Land Commission certificate (Augusta/Greenbrier).	Established Michael Dougherty’s equitable title to the 400-acre patent on Knapps Creek.
1818–1819	Bath County Will Book 2, p. 254 (Probated July 1819).	Life estate to widow Margaret; remainder to Samuel; conditional 100 acres to William; lifetime meadow/dwelling reserve to Elizabeth Sharret.
1821	Pocahontas County Erected.	Knapps Creek lands shifted from Bath to Pocahontas County jurisdiction for all deed recordings.
1820s	Extinguishment of conditions; mother's decease.	Title consolidated in Samuel Dougherty in fee simple, subject to Elizabeth Sharret’s life-use tract.
1820s–1840s	Pocahontas County Deed Books 1–3.	Samuel Dougherty and heirs subdivided the 400-acre patent to the Harpers, Herolds, Lockridges, and Ruckmans.
1853	Postal Route & Survey Landmarks.	Subdivided Dougherty lands formed the community hub establishing the Frost Post Office.

•  
  Burials in the Frost area of Pocahontas County are distributed across several community and family burying grounds, including the Mount Zion Cemetery, Abraham Sharp Cemetery, Austin Sharp Cemetery, Joseph Sharp Cemetery, Gilmer Sharp Cemetery, and Curry Cemetery.

  
  

  Documented individuals interred in Frost-area cemeteries include:

  
  

  • Jesse Hannah McCarty (1910–1943) – Mount Zion Cemetery
    
    
  • Ivy Mae (Moore) Sharp (1883–1910) – Abraham Sharp Cemetery
    
    
  • Malcinda Arminta “Minti” (McKay) Kelley (1860–1924) – Abraham Sharp Cemetery
    
    
  • John Sharp, Sr. (c. 1742–1833) – Early settler of the Frost area (died at Frost and buried on the family settlement lands)
    The burial grounds in and around the Frost area of Knapps Creek comprise both churchyard plots and private family plots established by early homesteaders. Documented interments across these specific cemeteries include:

    
    

    Mount Zion Cemetery

    (Located near the historic church site serving the Frost/Upper Knapps Creek community)

    
    

    • Jesse Hannah McCarty (1910–1943)
      
      
    • Additional local community and church members from the Frost and surrounding Knapps Creek hollows.
      
      

    Abraham Sharp Cemetery

    (Established on the farmstead of Abraham Sharp, 1837–1915)

    
    

    • Abraham Sharp (1837–1915) – Civil War veteran and landowner
      
      
    • Ivy Mae (Moore) Sharp (1883–1910)
      
      
    • Malcinda Arminta “Minti” (McKay) Kelley (1860–1924)
      
      
    • Additional members and descendants of the extended Abraham Sharp family line.
      
      

    Austin Sharp Cemetery

    (Family cemetery associated with the Austin Sharp lineage)

    
    

    • Austin Sharp (early timberman and landowner)
      
      
    • Charles Osborn Wade Sharp (interred with family marker)
      
      
    • Immediate descendants and spouses within the Austin Sharp branch.
      
      

    Joseph Sharp Cemetery

    (Pioneer-era family burying ground near Frost)

    
    

    • Joseph Sharp (early settler of upper Knapps Creek / Frost)
      
      
    • Peter Sharp (son of Joseph Sharp; Confederate veteran)
      
      
    • Early Sharp descendants associated with the pioneer settlement acreage.
      
      

    Gilmer Sharp Cemetery

    (Established in 1914 on the home property of William Alexander Gilmer Sharp)

    
    

    • William Alexander Gilmer Sharp (founder of the family burying ground, 1914)
      
      
    • Nancy Elizabeth (Arbogast) Sharp (co-founder)
      
      
    • Peggy Sharp (d. 2018; interred in the family cemetery plot)
      
      
    • Subsequent generations of the Curtis and Gilmer Sharp family lines.
      
      

    Curry Cemetery

    (Historic family plot for the Curry settlement near Frost)

    
    

    • Pvt. Samuel Sherman Curry (1827–1908) – Confederate veteran (son of pioneer John Monroe Curry, Sr.)
      
      
    • Sarah Elizabeth (Lowery) Curry (wife of Samuel S. Curry)
      
      
    • Martha S. (Terry) Curry (second wife of Samuel S. Curry)
      
      
    • Other members of the pioneer Curry family settled along Knapps Creek.
      
      

    (Note: Most of these Sharp and Curry plots originated as private domestic burying grounds documented in the Pocahontas County Historical Society’s cemetery survey books, such as the In Loving Memory: Frost to Dunmore inventory). 

     

    The Curry family was among the earliest Scotch-Irish lineages to migrate across the Allegheny ridges into what is now eastern Pocahontas County. Establishing homesteads along the waters of Knapps Creek, Back Creek, and the adjacent mountain gaps in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, they cleared valley bottomlands, operated local mills, served in regional defense, and intermarried with neighboring pioneer lines including the Sharps, Herolds, Lockridges, and McNeels.

    
    

    Pioneer Origins: John Curry, Sr. (c. 1720–1803)

    • Origins and Movement: Born in Northern Ireland (Ulster), John Curry, Sr. emigrated to the American colonies in the mid-18th century, initially settling in the Shenandoah Valley (Augusta County) before patenting and acquiring lands westward into the headwaters of the James and Greenbrier River drainages.
      
      
    • Patriarchal Legacy: While John Sr. lived much of his life in the older Augusta and Bath County settlements, his sons pushed into the higher mountain valleys, securing settlement rights and surveys along Knapps Creek and Back Creek in the decades immediately following the American Revolution.
      
      

    Key Patriarchs of the Knapps Creek Lineage

    1. John Curry, Jr. (c. 1750–c. 1820s)

    
    

    • Frontier Settlement: Followed the early migration routes west of the Warm Springs Mountain barrier, settling along the upper reaches of Knapps Creek and nearby tributaries.
      
      
    • Frontier Defense: Active in the local Augusta/Greenbrier militia units during the later stages of the Revolutionary frontier conflicts and Indian defense patrols, establishing the family's standing as bona fide frontier settlers entitled to preemption claims.
      
      

    2. Robert Curry (c. 1760–c. 1830s)

    
    

    • Landholdings: Acquired significant surveys along Knapps Creek and the adjacent uplands.
      
      
    • Community Development: Assisted in opening the early bridle paths and wagon roads connecting the Knapps Creek bottomlands with the older settlements in Bath County and the county seat at Huntersville following Pocahontas County's formation in 1821.
      
      

    3. William Curry (c. 1775–1840s)

    
    

    • Agricultural Homesteading: Cultivated the narrow, fertile bottoms along Knapps Creek, focusing on high-meadow grazing and livestock driving, which served as the primary cash economy for early mountain farmers before rail transportation.
      
      
    • Civic Engagement: Listed in early Pocahontas County court records as a viewer for early roads and an overseer of local highway precincts along Knapps Creek.
      
      

    The Mid-19th Century and the Frost Area Branch

    John Monroe Curry, Sr. (c. 1800–1870s)

    
    

    • Father of the Frost Line: John Monroe Curry served as the generational bridge between the earliest wilderness clearers and the settled farming community that formed around Frost in 1853.
      
      
    • Civil and Economic Life: Developed a multi-acre farmstead along Knapps Creek that incorporated livestock, apple orchards, and domestic timber cutting. He and his household were instrumental in establishing the domestic burying ground later known as the Curry Cemetery.
      
      

    Pvt. Samuel Sherman Curry (1827–1908)

    
    

    • Civil War Service: Son of John Monroe Curry, Sr. Enlisted in the Confederate forces, serving in local mountain units defending the passes and railhead approaches in western Virginia.
      
      
    • Post-War Prominence: Survived the conflict to become one of the patriarchs of the Frost community. He maintained the family farm near the Frost crossroads, died in 1908, and was buried in the Curry family plot alongside his wives, Sarah Elizabeth Lowery and Martha S. Terry.
      
      

    Andrew Curry (c. 1830–1905)

    
    

    • Timber and Farming: Another prominent mid-century figure along Knapps Creek, Andrew engaged in early run-of-river log driving and seasonal timbering alongside traditional small-scale subsistence agriculture.
      
      

    Intermarriage and Kinship Networks

    The survival and expansion of the Curry family along Knapps Creek was cemented through marriages that linked them to virtually every founding family of upper Pocahontas County:

    
    

    • Sharp Family: Frequent intermarriages between the Currys and the numerous branches of the John Sharp and Joseph Sharp lines in the Frost and Huntersville vicinity created an interconnected network across adjacent farms.
      
      
    • Herold and Lockridge Families: Unions with the Herolds and Lockridges connected the Currys to early gristmill operators and major landowners along Knapps Creek.
      
      
    • McCarty and Gum Families: Later generations married into the McCarty, Gum, and Arbogast families, extending the Curry lineage across the ridge lines into Green Bank and the upper Greenbrier Valley.
      
      

    Historical Significance

    The Currys typified the Scotch-Irish agrarian pioneers of the central Allegheny Mountains:

    
    

    • Settlement Pattern: Rather than consolidating large, plantation-style holdings, they carved out sustainable, contiguous family farms along the creek flats and lower benchlands.
      
      
    • Self-Sufficiency: They built their own log homes, developed domestic forges and saw pits, and established family burial grounds (such as the Curry Cemetery) on their own homesteads to bury multiple generations before centralized township cemeteries existed.