The Jefferson County, WV Historical Society

The history of Jefferson County is replete with connections to many men and women who played a significant role in exploring, establishing, and developing an “American” presence in the “Valley of Virginia,” as the Shenandoah Valley was known during Colonial times. In this section we provide links to brief biographies of several of these historic figures and encourage you to explore in more detail the heritage of these people and their families who not only greatly influenced county life in their times but whose echoes of spirit, accomplishment, and action continue to ring throughout the valley.
*Note: All images are in the public domain worldwide due to the date of death of its author, or due to its date of publication.

The research and writing of these biographical sketches were prepared by Nicholas Redding, a student at Shepherd University. Reviews and edits by Society members Betsy Wells and Doug Perks are appreciated.

NOTABLE AMERICANS AND JEFFERSON COUNTY HISTORY
Throughout post-native American history, several notable individuals contributed to the rich heritage of Jefferson County. Brief descriptions of the nature of these contributions follow in alphabetical order. Click the links below to navigate.

Born July 6, 1736, Daniel Morgan was the quintessential American frontier hero, his rough and tumble exploits on the western Virginia frontier of the 1740s and 50s becoming the subject of legendary stories. Morgan was active in a logistical role as a wagon driver during British General Edward Braddock’s march across the Virginia Frontier in 1755. A purported lashing for insubordination during this time period could possibly account for his willingness to take up arms against the crown when the time came in 1775.52
Following the bloodshed at Lexington and Concord on June 14, 1775, the Continental Congress called for the raising of ten companies of riflemen from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. These troops would be used in support of Continental militia already engaged with the British at Boston, Massachusetts. This new resolution was delivered to the counties of Virginia – including Berkeley (of which present day Jefferson County was a part) and Frederick. Daniel Morgan hailed from Frederick County around Winchester on his estate known as “Soldiers Rest.” Morgan would be commissioned to recruit men from his county, whereas, in the area comprising present day Jefferson County, Hugh Stephenson was selected and commissioned to recruit men near Shepherdstown and the surrounding area. The following account of their actions, written by Joseph Whitehorne, was originally published in the December 1992 (Volume LVIII) of the Historical Society's Magazine. 54

"Stephenson was the senior of the two captains, however, both men had seen service in the French and Indian War and each had led a company in Dunmore's War of 1774. As soon as they were commissioned, each man traveled through his district recruiting. News of Lexington had caused a group of men to begin drilling in Shepherdstown on a vacant lot behind the Entler Tavern on Main Street. These men formed the nucleus of Stephenson's force. Within a week each captain had exceeded his quota and could have raised more from the enthusiastic population.

Each company was supposed to consist of 4 officers, 8 NCO's, 1 musician and 68 privates. Stephenson gathered 19 additional privates while Morgan signed on 15 extra. It should be added as further example of the Valley men's feelings that many of those enlisting in Captain Michael Cresap's nearby Maryland company actually came from south of the Potomac. Stephenson's company was the first of 7 companies to come from the Shepherdstown area of old Berkeley County during the war. This represented a total of 300 men of whom 100 were local village residents. Nearly 60 of these men died in service. With a population of about 1000, Shepherdstown is said to have made the largest contribution to the Continental Army in Virginia.

On 22 June, both companies were mustered with a solid group of men. One sergeant wrote of those in Stephenson's Company, "None was received but young men of character and of sufficient property to clothe themselves completely, find their own arms, and accoutrements, that is: an approved rifle, a handsome shot pouch and powder horn, blanket, knapsack." The men's uniform consisted of linsey-woolsey hunting jackets fringed on every edge, leather' leggings and moccasins. Each wore a buck- tail in his round hat and a tomahawk, scalping knife and powder horn on his belt. Stephenson's men had the words "Liberty or Death" embroidered on the breast of their shirts. His company banner was emblazoned with a coiled rattlesnake with the motto "Don't Tread on Me." Procuring sufficient adequate rifles caused the delay between muster and departure. On 10 July, as preparations became final, Stephenson's men were given a barbecue at the house of William A. Morgan adjacent to Morgan Springs, one mile south of Shepherdstown.

A few days later, some of Morgan's men camped at the spring, en route to Frederick, Maryland, where they were to meet Morgan and the rest of his company. Morgan left Winchester on 14 July after parading his men in front of the Courthouse. He crossed the Potomac at Harpers Ferry. Instead of waiting for Stephenson at Frederick as had been agreed upon between the two men, Morgan continued his march. The distinction of being the first Virginia company into Boston apparently proved too great a temptation.

Stephenson's men gathered at Morgan's Springs, then began the long trek on 17 July. The line of march took the troops through Frederick, Maryland, York, Lancaster and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, then to Sussex, New Jersey and on to the Hudson river at Peekskill, New York, and finally through Hartford, Connecticut, to Boston. One eye witness described Morgan's Company as "truly martial, their spirits amazingly elated, breathing nothing but a desire to join the American Army, and to engage the enemies of American Liberty." The men were treated well by people along the route. In exchange for cold drinks and food, they frequently demonstrated their shooting prowess to wondering crowds.

Morgan's company arrived in the American lines at Cambridge on 6 August. Despite bad weather, it had covered the 600 mile trip in three weeks, averaging nearly 30 miles a day without losing a man. Stephenson's troops arrived on 11 August, having left only two men on the road-one to illness and the other to accident. They were among the first, and definitely came the farthest, of the new companies raised by Congress. Their extraordinary march marks the birth of the U.S. Army as well as Congress' earliest acknowledgement of a government's obligation to "provide for a common defense" now embodied in our Constitution."

52 Paul David Nelson, “Lee, Gates, Stephen and Morgan: Revolutionary War Generals of the Lower Shenandoah Valley”, West Virginia History, Vol. 37, No. 3, April 1976, 187.

57 Joseph Whitehorne, “Shepherdstown and The Morgan-Stephenson Companies, 1775-1988,” The Magazine of the Jefferson County Historical Society, Vol. LVIII, December 1992.

Considered a “renaissance” man by his peers, Charles Willson Peale was one of the finest painters of his era, receiving critical acclaim in the late 18th century for the vivid masterpieces he created of some of the greatest individuals associated with the early republic.58 His son, Rembrandt Peale and, his nephew whom he raised, Charles Peale Polk would each go on to fabulous artistic careers that would, in the course of their travel, bring them to Jefferson County.59

Rembrandt Peale was born February 22, 1778, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania during the American Revolution, and, as a young man, he trained at his father’s side before attending the Royal Academy in London, and in Paris.60

Known especially for his portraits of Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, he had also become somewhat popular during his lifetime for his impressive landscape art. One of his more famous landscape paintings was created during the late summer of 1811 in Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia).61 His visit to Jefferson County to paint the beauty of the Harpers Ferry gap came at a time when landscape artwork was becoming increasingly more popular and his representation of this area has remained popular since its creation.

Rembrandt’s cousin, Charles Peale Polk, was born in 1767 in Annapolis, Maryland, and in 1776 with the death of his mother, the orphaned nine year old Charles was taken in by his uncle Charles Willson Peale. With his uncle, Charles was trained in the fine arts, similar to the early education of a young Rembrandt Peale. By the start of the 19th century, Charles Peale Polk was settled in Frederick, Maryland, and was painting portraits of some of the more affluent members of society in that region. His artwork often took him across the Maryland border into western Virginia where he painted portraits of individuals from several families living in the area which today comprises the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. During those trips his portrait artwork took him to Jefferson County where he painted several individuals at approximately the same time his cousin Rembrandt was painting the magnificent scene at Harpers Ferry.62

Both Rembrandt Peale and Charles Peale Polk made lasting artistic impacts on the nation and in Jefferson County where they captured both the natural beauty of the land and a sense of western Virginia high society of the early 19th century in the many paintings they each generated during their stay.

58Lillian B. Miller, David C. Ward ed., New Perspectives on Charles Willson Peale: A 250th Anniversary (University of Pittsburg Press: Pittsburg, Pennsylvania: 1991), 5-9.

59 John A. Cuthbert, Early Art and Artists in West Virginia: An Introduction and Biographical Directory (West Virginia University Press, Morgantown, West Virginia: 2000), 222-223.

60 Ibid.

61 Carrie H. Scheflow in, Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Volume 110, No. 1, 144.

62 Cuthbert.

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James Rumsey

James Rumsey, the first to develop a working steam engine for maritime transportation, would come to gain impressive notoriety amongst the leaders of his nation and, yet, he has been largely relegated to the dusty footnote of history. Who was this man, what did he accomplish, and why has he been largely erased from American history is the source of much discussion, and begins over 250 years ago on the Delmarva peninsula along the rolling waters of the Bohemia River.63

It was March of 1743 when James Rumsey was born at “Bohemia Manor” in Cecil County Maryland. Accounts vary regarding his early life and little is known prior to the outbreak of hostilities in the colonies during the 1770s. According to the accounts of Major Henry Bedinger (of Shepherdstown) Mr. Rumsey took an active role in serving as a patriot in defense of the fledgling nation during the American Revolution. Following the end of the conflict in 1783 he reportedly set to work on plans for a successful steam powered, navigable maritime system of propulsion.

October of 1783 saw the first trial of his pipe boiler, steam propulsion system near Bath, Virginia (modern day Berkeley Springs). The nighttime trial was unsuccessful; however, he continued to modify and alter his plans for future trials. Throughout this same time period James continued in his role as Secretary of the Potowmack Company which, under the watchful eye of founder George Washington, was working to re-route dangerous portions of the Potomac River through a series of canals – the 18th century precursor to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal which would come nearly thirty years later.

Located in Jefferson County, Virginia (present day West Virginia) Shepherdstown was a sleepy village nestled along the banks of the mighty Potomac River. The cool, placid waters along this portion of the Potomac enticed Rumsey for the next launch of his creation. Living on Duke Street in Shepherdstown, Rumsey and his associates feverously worked to create a more perfect system than what had failed a few years prior. Finally, on December 3, 1787, after a series of setbacks, trials, and failures, James Rumsey was successful in the launch of an operational steam powered boat propelling a jet of water from the stern via its steam powered engine.64 The marvelous success of harnessing steam power had occurred with a crowd of distinguished locals watching as the boat puttered up and down the Potomac at four miles per hour. Regardless of its speed it was a complete success for Rumsey.

As a result of his success a “Rumseian Society” – of which Benjamin Franklin would ultimately be secretary thereof, would be formed in Philadelphia to fund James on a trip to Europe to speak with the preeminent scientists of the period and patent his invention abroad. Sadly, just a few years after moving to London and before any further success, James Rumsey passed away on December 21, 1792, and was buried at St. Margaret’s Church in Westminster, London. So with him passed his legacy of inventing the successful steam propulsion of a vessel. His successes largely faded into obscurity, and Robert Fulton in 1807 is largely credited in history with the invention of a steam powered boat on the Hudson River in New York State.65

Despite what the edict of popular culture might dictate, locals and steam enthusiasts alike recognize the impressive gains and advancements made by James Rumsey. In Shepherdstown a monument still stands in silent testimony to those advances, forever remembering Jefferson County’s forgotten father of steam.

63 George M. Beltzhoover, James Rumsey the Inventor of the Steamboat (Butler Printing Company: The West Virginia Historical and Antiquarian Society’s Publication, 1900), 8.

64 Ella May Turner, James Rumsey: Pioneer in Steam Navigation (Mennonite Publishing House, Scottdale, Pennsylvania: 1930), 56.

65 Andrea Sutcliffe, Steam: The Untold Story of America’s First Great Invention (Palgrave Macmillan, New York: 2004), 45.

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Phillip Sheridan and Ulysses S. Grant

It was the late summer of 1864 and the end to the brutal war which had lasted nearly three bloody years was almost in sight – yet Confederate Armies still operated across the southern states and it was becoming evident it would take a concerted final push to bring this war to its conclusion. This had not been the short conflict many had once predicted in 1861, and, in the fall and late summer of 1864, Union Generals Phillip Sheridan and Ulysses S. Grant would take the war in a new direction, with victory their goal at any price.

Phillip Sheridan who was born in Albany, New York, in 1831 was a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point in the class of 1853. He came to the lower Shenandoah Valley and Jefferson County in August of 1864 as a replacement for previous Union Generals in the area who had failed to control Confederate General Jubal A. Early.66 In July of 1864 Early had threatened the United States Capital at Washington, D.C., and had set ablaze the Pennsylvanian town of Chambersburg. Considering the ramifications of these events, General Grant dispatched Phillip Sheridan to gain control of the Valley.

Moving cautiously from his headquarters in Jefferson County near Halltown, General Sheridan planned to launch a major offensive to drive Confederate General Jubal Early and his forces from the Valley. In Jefferson County, at Summit Point on August 21, 1864, Early and Sheridan’s forces met – resulting in nearly 1,000 casualties with inconclusive results. On August 25 another major clash of these two great forces occurred on Jefferson County soil at Kearneysville which resulted in a partial but inconclusive Confederate victory – driving the Union forces back towards Harpers Ferry and Halltown.67 Shaken by the quick turn of events, Sheridan slowed his advance against the Confederate forces operating in the immediate area.

On September 15, 1864, Union General Ulysses S. Grant headed out towards Jefferson County – his destination was Charles Town in order to meet with General Phillip Sheridan and encourage him to drive the Confederates from the Valley while advocating a “total war” policy to destroy the Valley’s vital source of supplies for Lee’s army.68 Grant arrived in Charles Town on September 17, 1864, at the home of Thomas Rutherford on 417 East Washington Street. Greeting Sheridan on the porch of the circa 1839 structure, Grant quickly set to work in planning and advising his subordinate on the details of the pending campaign. Grant asked Sheridan if he “. . . had a map showing the positions of the army and that of the enemy . . . [Sheridan] said that if he had permission he would move . . . against the Confederates and that he could ‘whip them.’”69

With Grant’s reassurance Sheridan planned for a major offensive, and on September 19, 1864, that campaign began with the clash at Opequon Creek also known as the Battle of Third Winchester. Nearly one month later on October 19, 1864, Sheridan crushed the final remnants of his opponent’s army at the Battle of Cedar Creek and, in doing so, suppressed the Confederate presence in the Valley. Also through a campaign of destruction, Sheridan had destroyed a major source of supply for Lee’s now struggling army which was engaged with Grant at Petersburg. It had been a terribly long conflict and, by the early spring of 1865, it would soon be over, an end to hostilities that was certainly welcomed by the residents of Jefferson County who had been touched by the hard hand of war.

66 Gary W. Gallagher, Ed., Struggle for the Shenandoah: Essays on the 1864 Valley Campaign, (Kent State University Press: 1991)

67Official Records of the War of the Rebellion. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, 1893, Vol. XLIII, P. 425 (Report of Bvt. Maj. Gen. Alfred T.A. Torbert, U.S. Army, Chief of Cavalry)

68 Ulysses S. Grant, Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant, Volume II (Charles L. Webster & Co.: 1886), 327.

69 Ibid.

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David Hunter Strother

In 1888 upon his death, the New York Times obituary wrote that David Hunter Strother’s pen name, “Porte Crayon” had become “almost a household word.”70 He was praised during his lifetime as “One of the best draughtsmen this country possesses,” but few would have suspected any of this on September 26th, 1816 when David Hunter Strother was born in Martinsburg, Virginia (now West Virginia).

Strother’s childhood was devoted to “gentle home amusements” which included lessons from his father in the fine arts as well as an education at the local village academy.71 Following repeated unsuccessful attempts at gaining admission to the United States Military Academy at West Point, Strother enrolled at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1832. According to Strother himself the world of academia was not well suited for his interests and, after dropping out of classes and returning to Martinsburg, Virginia, he spent his time “in idleness and social gaiety, dancing, fiddling, and falling in and out of love.”72

Despite his early distractions, the years later spent at New York University studying the fine arts propelled him into a successful illustrating career. By the beginning of the 1850s he was illustrating for Harpers Monthly, during this period taking on the pen name, “Porte Crayon.” On October 17, 1859, Strother was thrust into the national spotlight when, sitting in his Martinsburg office, he heard news of a violent event transpiring at Harpers Ferry a scant 20 miles away. Strother had the ultimate opportunity to cover the breaking news story – sketching the unfolding events and the trial later where he wrote a vivid account of what transpired.

Following his coverage of the infamous John Brown raid into Jefferson County, he continued his illustrating for Harpers Monthly, until when in 1861 he presented himself for service in the Federal Army. Following his Civil War service he was appointed General Consul to Mexico by President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1879 – a position which he served for six years. On March 8, 1888, Strother passed away in Charles Town, West Virginia, in Jefferson County just a few miles from Harpers Ferry the site of the event that forever connected him to the history of this place.

70 New York Times, March 9th, 1888.

71 John A. Cuthbert and Jessie Poesch, David Hunter Strother: “One of the Best Draughtsmen the County Possesses” (West Virginia University Press, Morgantown, West Virginia: 1997), 12.

72 Ibid, 13.

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J. E. B. Stuart

James Ewell Brown Stuart was thrust into Jefferson County history when on the morning of October 17, 1859, while sitting in the offices of the War Department in Washington, D.C. news came that some horrible event was transpiring at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). Under the command of Colonel Robert E. Lee, “J.E.B.” Stuart (as he was commonly known) left with haste for the besieged Jefferson County village. Arriving late on the night of October 17, Colonel Lee and Lieutenant Stuart found the United States Marines already assembled having been sent by the Navy Department from Washington, D.C., as there were no army troops to spare.73

Early on the morning of the 18th, J.E.B. demanded that the insurrectionist, John Brown, surrender his men and peaceably hand over all hostages. When this offer was refused, the Marines battered the door down and J.E.B. was one of the first to enter and see the raiders and their infamous leader, John Brown.

J.E.B. Stuart, who was born February 6, 1833, in southwestern Virginia, served in the early months of the Civil War with Confederate Colonel Thomas Jackson in Jefferson County at Harpers Ferry, then a Confederate post. Stuart commanded all cavalry at Harpers Ferry and became well acquainted with the area and the local population. Fighting alongside the Army of Northern Virginia in the major campaigns of 1861 and 1862, he returned to Jefferson County in September of 1862.

Following the Confederate retreat from Antietam, Stuart and his staff lodged in Jefferson County at The Bower near Leetown, which at the time was the home of Stephen Dandridge.74 At The Bower Stuart and his staff enjoyed all of the niceties associated with a rest from the brutal campaigning season, as well entertainment and dances that were given in honor of the Dandridge’s esteemed guests. The rest at The Bower drew to an end in October of 1862 as active campaigning recommenced, and Stuart once again rode along with the Army of Northern Virginia.

Stuart’s association with the Confederacy and the Army of Northern Virginia continued throughout the campaigns of 1863 and 1864 – and by the time of his death he was in command of an entire Corps of Confederate cavalry.75 Stuart was mortally wounded at Yellow Tavern near Richmond, Virginia and passed away on May 12, 1864, leaving a legacy of gallantry and intrigue that is still the subject of much interest.

73Burke Davis, J.E.B. Stuart: The Last Cavalier (Rhinehart & Co. Inc., New York: 1957), 8.

74 James T. Surkamp, The Land Where We Were a Dreamin’: A People’s History of Jefferson County, West Virginia (James T. Surkamp, Shepherdstown, West Virginia: 2002)

75 Burke Davis, J.E.B. Stuart: The Last Cavalier (Rhinehart & Co. Inc., New York: 1957).

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General George Washington

George Washington first traveled to what is now Jefferson County (it was then part of Frederick County, Virginia) in 1748 when he was 16 years old as part of a surveying party for Lord Fairfax. He was so impressed by the fertility of the land and the abundance of streams and rivers he purchased 450 acres of land on the Bullskin Run in 1750, which he called his Bullskin Plantation. It was located along what is now Summit Point Road across from South Jefferson Elementary School. He continued to purchase land in the County after 1750 and encouraged his older half-brother, Lawrence, to also buy large tracts of land here. Shortly after Lawrence died in 1752, George and his other brothers, Samuel, John and Charles, inherited his holdings, which included Mt. Vernon thousands of acres of land in what is now Jefferson County. Samuel and Charles both established homes (Harewood and Happy Retreat) on portions of their inherited land. George visited both homes several times. Descendants of Samuel and John built other homes in the county in the 1800's, and eventually at least ten Washington family homes were completed.

George Washington had important influences on the history of Jefferson County. In 1784, he proposed the formation of a public corporation for the purpose of building canals along the Potomac River to enable commerce to flow in and out of what was then the western frontier of the colonies. In 1785 his proposal was realized in two identical bills passed by the Maryland and Virginia legislatures to create and provide funding for the Potomac Company. It was this vision that led to the completion of the C &O Canal through Harpers Ferry gap in 1833, thirty four years after his death. As President, he designated Harpers Ferry as the site of the first Federal Arsenal. He also considered Shepherdstown as a possible site for the nation's capital.

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William L. Wilson

William Lyne Wilson was born on a small farm near Middleway, Virginia (now West Virginia) on May 3, 1843, the son of Mr. Benjamin and Mary Lyne Wilson. Though the young William lost his father at the age of four, the stipulations of his father’s will provided the young William an education at the Charlestown Academy, on South Lawrence Street in Charles Town, Virginia (now West Virginia).76 There, William gathered the foundation for a successful career that would take him across the republic during the tumultuous Civil War era, and later to Washington, D.C., as a successful politician.

At the age of 15, prior to his entry to Columbian College (now George Washington University) William was fluent in Latin, Greek and French and was extremely well versed in the literature associated with the classical languages. He graduated from Columbian College in 1860, then studied for some time at the University of Virginia prior to his enlistment in the Confederate Army in 1861. Private Wilson fought with Company B, Twelfth Virginia Cavalry, comprised mostly of Jefferson County men, and under the command of Captain Robert W. Baylor. The Twelfth was part of many campaigns, including the largest cavalry battle of the war at Brandy Station, Virginia, preceding the bloodshed at Gettysburg.

Following his service in the Confederate Army, he briefly taught at Columbian College before being admitted to the West Virginia Bar in 1869. After his admission to the bar he opened his own law office in Charles Town, West Virginia.77 His first political experience came with his service to the Democratic Party in 1880 when he served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention which took place in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Following his role as a delegate, he was selected President of West Virginia University in 1882, and the following year he was elected to the United States House of Representatives where he served until 1895. During his tenure in the House he served as Chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, and worked towards Tariff reform. Following his service in the Congress, Wilson accepted a position as the Post-Master General under President Grover Cleveland, where he had the opportunity to completely revolutionize mail service.78

As Postmaster General, Wilson instituted the Rural -Free Delivery system which has become synonymous with the way the Post Office operates and delivers mail to this day. While it was not Wilson’s original idea to offer free delivery to rural dwellers, he nonetheless pushed for a program that did just that, with the experimental pilot program started in his native Jefferson County, West Virginia, on October 1, 1896.79

A stirring and passionate speaker, he remained politically active following his departure from the office of Post-Master General. Wilson served as the President of Washington and Lee University until his death in Charles Town, West Virginia on October 17, 1900. Former Confederate compatriots, nearly 120 students from Washington and Lee, throngs of local residents, and ex-President Grover Cleveland attended his burial at Edge Hill Cemetery in Charles Town to bid a fond farewell and offer a final thank you for the years of service he had given his native Jefferson County.80

76Millard K. Bushong, History of Jefferson County, West Virginia (Jefferson Publishing Company, Charles Town, West Virginia: 1941), 311.

77 William Lyne Wilson, http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=W000623, United States Congress, Accessed April 12, 2007.

78Shepherdstown Register, October 18th, 1900.

79 Bushong, 238.

80Shepherdstown Register.

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