Raleigh County's First Settlers, 1840-1850 -- The following list was compiled by Judge Winton A. White and presented to the Beckley Post-Herald newspaper in 1950. The list was published in the 1850 Centennial Edition of the Beckley Post-Herald on 26 Aug. 1950. It is now available in either the "Smith-Riffe" microfilm collection at the Raleigh County Public Library in Beckley, or from the Beckley Register-Herald Archives also located in Beckley, WV. Judge Riffe was an excellent historian, however, there are known errors in this work, so please check all information against primary sources. -- 1840-1850 BEAVERS, William C. - Settling in the Marshes near Glen Daniel, he owned a fine farm and was from Montgomery County, Va. He sold it to Major William Ferguson in 1859 and moved to Missouri. Beavers was prominent in local affairs while living in the county. CARPER, Joseph - A native of Monroe County, Carper moved to Paint Creek about 1848, later selling his farm to Archibald Sweeney in 1855 and moving to Grandview. His sons, A. J., George W., William D. and James P., were Confederate soldiers. He was a celebrated gunsmith and "The Carper Gun" was noted for its finish as well as its accuracy. CLAY, Charles L. - Clay was from Wyoming County but was born in Giles County, Va. He moved to Breckinridge in 1848. His sons Henry and James were Union soldiers. Henry served three years, participating in the Grand Review in Washington, May 1865. James served four years and was in 29 battles. COLE, James - The first settler in the original limits of the Town of Beckley (1842), Cole was Floyd County, Va. He lived at the intersection of the Kanawha and Guyandotte roads, approximately where the Memorial Building now stands. He was a blacksmith and his shop was located on the site of the City Hall. After the war he moved to Crab Orchard. COMBS, William and John - Brothers from Carroll County, Va., they moved to Rock Creek. COOK, James Wilson - The youngest son of Thomas Cook who was the oldest son of John Cook, the Wyoming settler, he came to Surveyor's Fork where the present town of Lester is located. He sold his farm to Champ Lester in 1855 and moved to Slab Fork near Hotchkiss. His sons, James Remley and Matthew Ellison Cook, were Confederate soldiers. CURTIS, Claiborne - An able minister of the Christian Church, Curtis came to Raleigh from Pulaski County, Va. and settled on Cranberry Branch in 1847. He was the first minister of his denomination in that region. DANIEL, Nehemiah - A native of Carroll County, Va., he moved to Marsh Fork near Saxon in 1843. He was killed by a falling tree while returning home on horseback on Feb. 29, 1852, at the Henderson farm. DAVIS, Hugh - Davis came to Maple Meadow in 1840 from Pulaski County, Va. and was noted for his eccentric humor. Three sons, Henry, Alexander, and Houston were Confederate soldiers. Alexander died in prison. FINK, William A. - A native of Greenbrier County, Fink came to Tommy's Creek near Odd. His son John was a Confederate soldier and died in service at White Sulphur Springs. HAWLEY, Anderson M. - A native of Pulaski County, Va. he settled at Whitestick about 1847, later moving to the headwaters of Marsh Fork near the Cleveland school. He was a prominent teacher and served as justice of the peace. HENSLEY, Stephen M. - A Logan Countian, he was a son of Mrs. Pyrrhus McGinnis by her first marriage and lived in the Marsh Fork region. He was a delegate from Raleigh County to the first Wheeling convention and a Union soldier. In 1865 he was appointed county clerk. HOLLANDSWORTH, William O. - Hollandsworth owned the land where Cranberry is located, moving here from Wythe County, Va. in 1846. HUNTER, William - A Boone County resident by way of Giles County, Va., he settled on Peach Tree in 1847 and married Amanda, daughter of Jacob Pettry. He is the grandfather of Circuit Clerk Van Hunter. HURT, John - A native of Patrick County, Va., he moved to the Radford place top of Batoff Mountain. His sons John, Ira, and Alfred were Confederate soldiers. LEWIS, Charles - Lewis came from Carroll County, Va., but was a native of Pittsylvania County, Va. He lived on Sand Lick, moving there about 1848. His sons William, Benjamin and Argelon were Confederate soldiers. LINKOUS, Benjamin R. - Linkous, a native of Montgomery County, Va., moved to the Marshes about 1848. He was a lieutenant in Capt. Preston's Montgomery County company during the Mexican War. He was captain of Company C of the 36th Virginia Regiment during the Civil War and was promoted to lieutenant-colonel of the regiment. He taught school in the Marshes but located to Beckley shortly after the formation of the county. He was an accomplished surveyor and on order of the County Court surveyed the county shortly after its formation. MANKIN, James - A native of Patrick County, Va., he settled in the Marshes in 1843. Among his sons were Jesse, Martin, James, and Simeon Mankin, prominent local citizens. His sons Benjamin and John were Confederate soldiers. Benjamin died in prison and John went to Fayette County after the war. James Mankin, Sr. was the grandfather of former Sheriff Ash Mankin. MAXWELL, Matthews - A native of Tazewell County, Va., he came to the Marshes after living in Mercer County, later settling on Winding Gulf. Five sons, Whitley, Samuel, James, Robert, and John, were Union soldiers. John died in service. A. B. Maxwell of Beckley is the youngest child of Matthews. McCLURE, John - McClure was an old Pittsburgh friend of General Alfred Beckley, at whose instance he came to this section from Allegheny County, Pa. He was a carpenter and mill wright. His son Abdel (Doc) McClure was a Confederate soldier. McDONALD, Lewis - A native of Wyoming County, he established a store at Trap Hill in the Marshes in the latter 1840's. He was a prominent merchant and owned a splendid farm on Maple Meadow where he lived. His home, the finest in the county, was burned by Union soldiers during the war. McGINNIS, Pyrrhus - McGinnis came from Logan to Soak Creek in 1843 and was the first permanent settler in that section. He was a native of Frederick County. His family migrated to Cabell County when he was 14. He married Mrs. Nancy Hensley, daughter of Capt. Henry Farley of Logan. He was an active land prospector and acquired a large landed estate in this county. He served many years as justice of the peace when the justices constituted the County Court, and he was long the presiding magistrate of the court. His sons were Achilles, James Hereford, Samuel, Gordon, and Thomas Jefferson. Achilles and T. J. were Union soldiers. Major James Hereford McGinnis was a distinguished lawyer, a great wit and story teller. Major McGinnis served several terms as prosecuting attorney and was one of the leading trial lawyers in this section of the state. PEYTON, John Rowzee - A native of Montgomery County, Va., he settled in the Marshes in 1845. He was related to the Madison, Preston, Breckinridge, and Floyd families. A large man weighing over 300 pounds, he was well educated and an original and entertaining conversationalist of humorous temperament. He owned fine farms in Trap Hill District and engaged in farming, stock raising and trading. He entered the Confederate service in 1861 and was attached to a regiment of the Stonewall Brigade. He participated in the Battle of First Manassas and later was detailed for recruiting service in Southwest Virginia. Peyton was murdered from ambush in 1862 by some Confederate deserters on Bent Mountain in Roanoke County, Va. while on his way to Floyd County. PRINCE, Edwin - A brother of Clarkson and William, he came from Philadelphia about 1844 and was Beckley's first merchant. His store stood at the northwest corner of Main and Kanawha streets. He accumulated a large fortune in the mercantile business and land speculation. ROLES, Christopher C. - A native of Monroe County, he settled in the Marshes and lived on the Stansbury farm. He was a school teacher and surveyor. After the formation of the county he held many offices and was one of the early sheriffs. He was first lieutenant of Capt. Linkous' Company C of the 36th Virginia Regiment during the Civil War and when Linkous was promoted to lieutenant-colonel, he was appointed captain of the company. ROLES, Joshua - A native of Monroe County, he settled on Piney at Fireco about 1845 and was a large landowner. His son Andrew was taken as a citizen prisoner to Camp Chase in Ohio, where he died. His son Charles was a Confederate soldier. SMITH, Canada and Joseph - Brothers, they moved to Sand Branch and were sons of Jacob Smith who settled on New River at the mouth of Laurel Creek at Quinnimont about 1818. Canada lived on North Sand Branch where he owned large acreage. Joseph lived on South Sand Branch. SPANGLER, Asa - A native of Floyd County, Va., Spangler moved to Little Whitestick near the Foote Dairy Farm. In a few years he moved to Piney between Fitzpatrick and Pemberton, where he built a grist mill which he operated until it was washed away in September 1879. Spangler's mill was the scene of one of the few engagements in this county during the Civil War. STANLEY, Fleming - Stanley came to Whitestick from Franklin County, Va. and married Jane, daughter of John Bailey, in 1843. He was grandfather of W. A. Stanley, president of Beckley Water Company. TRUMP, William - A grist mill and carding machine operator at the falls of Marsh Fork just below the Marshes, Trump was a native of Montgomery County, Va., coming to Raleigh in 1847. His sons Russell, John and Henry were Confederate soldiers. His oldest son, James, enlisted in Capt. Preston's Montgomery County company for the Mexican War and died in service. VASS, Boswell - He settled on Maple Meadow and was from Monroe County. He was an ancient school teacher. Three sons, James L., R. R., and Matthew E. were Confederate soldiers. R. R. was a distinguished Baptist preacher. He was educated at Allegheny Institute at Blue Sulphur Springs, Greenbrier County, and Richmond College. WATTS, Alexander - Grandfather of the late Dr. W. W. Watts of Beckley, he lived at the mouth of Piney and later on Clear Fork on Coal River. WILLS, William - A native of Carroll County, Va., he settled near Arnett about 1840. His sons were Hiram, Joseph, and Jabez. 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