Legends of the Skyline Drive and the Great Valley of VirginiaWillis, Carrie Hunter
History
Legends of the Skyline Drive and the Great Valley of Virginia
Willis, Carrie Hunter
Shenandoah National Park (Va.); Shenandoah River Valley (Va. and W. Va.) -- History
Poor Mrs. Moore saw the Indians kill her son because he was sick and
could not keep up with them. They killed the baby because it cried so
pitiously. They had to have their hands tied, as had James, and they,
too, fasted.
When at last they reached the Indian town, Mrs. Moore and Jane were
killed by torture and death at the stake. Polly was treated more kindly
and was finally sold to a man near Lake Erie, for a half gallon of rum!
Now fate seems to have taken a hand in bringing Polly and her brother
James together in that far-away country. While on a hunting expedition
James heard about the destruction of his family. He was told that his
sister Polly had been bought by a Mr. Stogwell, a man of bad character.
It was in the Winter, so James waited until Spring when Mr. Stogwell
moved into the same section of the country where he was living.
When James went to see them he found Polly very miserable. Her clothing
was only rags and she had almost lost hope of ever seeing any of her
people again. James found that Mr. Stogwell was unkind, too, so he went
with Simon Girty to Colonel McKee, Superintendent of Indians, to get her
release. He had Mr. Stogwell brought to trial, but they did not have
enough evidence and Polly could not leave him. However, after much
trouble, James was able to get passage for Polly and himself on a
trading boat and came down the Great Lakes. They landed in a Moravian
town where they met some friends owning horses. They journeyed to
Pittsburgh and stayed until Spring. Then they set off for Virginia, sad,
of course, knowing how few there would be to welcome them. Yet they were
delighted to find their brother Joseph was still safe. He had been
visiting his grandfather in Rockbridge County at the time of the
massacre.
Polly met and married the Reverend Samuel Brown, a Presbyterian
preacher. They had seven sons, and five of them were ministers.
Washington's Boyhood Friend--Lord Fairfax
"The Proprietor of the Northern Neck," Lord Fairfax, lived at "Greenway
Court" after first having a country seat at Belvoir near the Potomac
River in what is now Fairfax County.
An interesting character this Fairfax must have been. Born with a title
in England, he moved in intellectual circles there, was acquainted with
men of letters such as Addison and actually contributed some articles to
the _Spectator_. Either through boredom or a disappointment in not
winning the lady of his choice he decided to leave his country and come
to Virginia.
It may be of passing interest to learn that Lord Fairfax, although
proprietor of thousands upon thousands of acres, lived in a
comparatively simple way. His home was an unpretentious story and a half
frame building, situated in a large grove of trees, and surrounded by
smaller homes for servants and tenants. "Greenway Court," the name given
the home, very probably lacked more indications of elegance and grace
because of Fairfax's bachelor state.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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