Attorney
Lewis Jarvis was born 1829 in Scott County, Virginia and lived in the
area and time period where he knew many of the historical Melungeons
such as Vardy Collins, the Bolens, and Zachariah Minor. In 1903 he was
interviewed for the Hancock County paper and said; "The white
emigrants with the
friendly Indians erected a
fort on the bank of the river and called it Fort Blackmore and
here yet many of these friendly “Indians” live in the mountains of
Stony creek." (1)
The Fort
Daniel Boone
and his family lived at Fort Blackmore in present Scott County,
Virginia from October of 1773 until March of 1775 and was in command of Fort Blackmore
and other forts on the Clinch River in 1774 while the militiamen
were engaged in the Point Pleasant campaign of Dunmore's war.
Some of these men did not fight at Point Pleasant but were detached and
were with Boone guarding the clinch frontier. Were they the 'company of men' -- the
'friendly Indians' who erected Fort Blackmore as Jarvis said?
(See William Herbert's men below)
There were seven of
the original forts erected in compliance with Lord Dunmore's order,
four on the lower Clinch under Captain William Russell's militia
command, and three on the upper Clinch under the militia command of
Captain Daniel Smith. These forts were erected by the local militia
under the supervision of Colonel William Christian who had been sent
out to the frontier by Colonel William Preston who was militia
commandant for the area.
When Captain Russell
received Lord Dunmore's orders for building the forts it happened to be
muster day for the militia in Cassells Woods, and he immediately, on
June 25, 1774, laid the facts before his constituents and informed
Colonel Preston of their actions on June 26, 1774, saying: "My
company yesterday voted two forts to be immediately built, I
think in as convenient a place as we can get, and we shall immediately
begin to build them."
Two weeks later, on
July 13, 1774, Captain Russell again wrote to Colonel Preston the
following letter showing that his people had changed their minds about
the number of forts to be built and states that the forts had already
been erected.
"Since I wrote you
last, the inhabitants of this river have altered the plan for two forts
only, on this river, below Elk Garden, and have erected three; one in
Cassells Woods which I call Fort Preston; a second ten miles above
which I call Fort Christian; the third, five miles below the first,
which I call Fort Byrd, and there are four
families at John Blackmores near the mouth of Stony Creek, that will
never be able to stand it alone without
a company of men.
Therefore, request you, if you think it can be done, to order them a
supply sufficient to
enable them to continue the small
fortification they have begun." (5)
Fort Blackmore was built on
the north side of the Clinch River opposite the mouth of Rock Branch.
The fort was on the extreme frontier of Virginia and was used by
hunters, explorers, adventurers, and home seekers for rest and
refreshment.
Bios of
William Herbert's company *See more biographies
From Jeff Weaver's site Micajah Bunch
listed as living on Indian lands. His land was on Elk Creek in current
day Ashe Co., NC. He is in William Herbert's company in 1771.
1774 (Lord Dunmore's
War): Micajah was among those
diverted to Capt. Looney's company on the Clinch and did not fight at
Point Pleasant. Instead he was with Capt Looney, Lieut. Daniel Boone and Lieut. John
Cox guarding the Clinch frontier.
John Collins The Fincastle 1772 and 1773
list includes: David (Indian lands), Ambrose, John, John Jr., Charles
(Indian lands), Elisha, Samuel (Indian land), Lewis, George (Indian
land) Collins and Micajer Bunch (Indian Land). 3. - 1774 (Lord Dunmore's
War): One of the John Collins was among those diverted to Capt.
Looney's company on the Clinch and did not fight at Point Pleasant. Instead he was with
Capt Looney, Lieut. Daniel Boone
and Lieut. John Cox guarding the Clinch frontier.
Enoch Osborne 1774 (Lord Dunmore's
War): Enoch was among those diverted to Capt. Looney's company on the
Clinch and did not fight at Point Pleasant. Instead he was with Capt
Looney, Lieut. Daniel Boone
and Lieut. John Cox guarding the Clinch frontier. He is listed
as a sergeant.
Ephraim
Osborne Jr. 1) born 1754 in Rowan Co., NC 2) 1774 (Lord Dunmore's War):
Ephraim was among those diverted to Capt. Looney's company on the
Clinch and did not fight at Point Pleasant. Instead he was with Capt
Looney, Lieut. Daniel Boone and
Lieut. John Cox guarding the Clinch frontier........... Ephraim married Mary Brock
(b. before 1774, d. between 1830-1840 in Harlan Co., KY), the daughter
of Aaron Brock, sometimes called by his Cherokee name Cutsawah or Red
Bird and a Cherokee woman called Sarah. She was a sister to Jesse Brock
who fought on the Whig side in the Revolution. It appears that Ephraim
or his descendants were present at the Massacre at Yahoo Falls in 1810
on the side of the Cherokee. After this attack, the mixed race Cherokee
ceased to exist in Kentucky as Indians and were assimilated into the
white population.
Stephen Osborne ---3) 1774: Stephen
was among those diverted to Capt. Looney's company on the Clinch and
did not fight at Point Pleasant. Instead he was with Capt
Looney, Lieut. Daniel Boone and Lieut. John Cox guarding the Clinch
frontier Charles
Roark
(Not on Jeff's list,
but he is on the list of those paid with Capt. Looney's Co. as were
many others in Herbert's company) Born about 1750, Augusta Co.,
VA (?). His parents may have been Timothy O'Rourke (b. Ireland, d.
Frederick Co., VA?) and Rachel (Timothy married first Sarah Parker, see
Timothy Jr. below).
Married Abigail (by
tradition a Cherokee Indian) about 1775 in Fincastle Co., VA. She died
before 1820 in Ashe Co., NC. 1774 (Lord Dunmore's War):
Charles was among those diverted to Capt. Looney's company on the
Clinch and did not fight at Point Pleasant. Instead he was with Capt
Looney, Lieut. Daniel Boone
and Lieut. John Cox guarding the Clinch frontier
William Roberts--- William is
probably a brother of Cornelius Roberts and more doubtfully a son of
the notorious Capt. James Roberts (Tory leader). He shared an 1780
court venue with Cornelius....He is the William Roberts born about 1744
in old Lunenburg Co., VA who married Elizabeth "Betsy" Walling,
daughter of Elisha Wallen and Mary Blevins
1774: William was
among those diverted to Capt. Looney's company on the Clinch and did
not fight at Point Pleasant. Instead he was with Capt
Looney, Lieut. Daniel Boone and
Lieut. John Cox guarding the Clinch frontier.
Doswell Rodgers----1774: In
Herbert's Company. Doswell was among those diverted to Capt. Looney's
company on the Clinch and did not fight at Point Pleasant. Instead he was with Capt
Looney, Lieut. Daniel Boone
and Lieut. John Cox guarding the Clinch frontier.
William Vaughn----1774 (Lord
Dunmore's War): William was among those diverted to Capt. Looney's
company on the Clinch and did not fight at Point Pleasant. Instead he
was with Capt Looney, Lieut. Daniel Boone and Lieut. John Cox guarding
the Clinch frontier.....Daniel Boone records meeting him in the wilds
of Kentucky on his first visit (Howling Wilderness). William married a
Cherokee maiden by the name of Fair-A-Bee-Luna in Tennessee. It was
around his wife's tribal fire that he first heard of the old Indian
Healing Springs, now known as Eureka Spring, Arkansas. (Don
Byrne)........Eddie Davis was unable to prove Fereby's Cherokee
ancestry through DNA testing.
James Wallin-- 1746 - born,
Lunenburg Co., VA, son of Elisha Walling and Mary Blevins. 1774 (Lord Dunmore's War):
James was among those diverted to Capt. Looney's company on the Clinch
and did not fight at Point Pleasant. Instead he was with Capt
Looney, Lieut. Daniel Boone and
Lieut. John Cox guarding the Clinch frontier
Joseph Wallin 1774 (Lord Dunmore's War):
Joseph was among those diverted to Capt. Looney's company on the Clinch
and did not fight at Point Pleasant. Instead he was with Capt
Looney, Lieut. Daniel Boone and
Lieut. John Cox guarding the Clinch frontier Thomas Wallin----1774 (Lord
Dunmore's War): Thomas was among those diverted to Capt. Looney's
company on the Clinch and did not fight at Point Pleasant. Instead he was with
Capt Looney, Lieut. Daniel Boone
and Lieut. John Cox guarding the Clinch frontier.
By family
tradition, Thomas' daughter Judy was part Cherokee. According to notes
in Tobias Harkleroad's Worldconnect database, Thomas was "living with
the tribe after his marriage to her mother [Mary Cox?], and taking part
in tribal life Not on the 1782 Montgomery
Co., VA personal tax list. - had moved to the Clinch or Powell River
valley in Virginia or Tennessee near Kyle's Ford by then
Edward Williams --- 1774 (Lord Dunmore's War):
Edward was among those diverted to Capt. Looney's company on the Clinch
and did not fight at Point Pleasant. Instead he was with Capt
Looney, Lieut. Daniel Boone
and Lieut. John Cox guarding the Clinch frontier.
Some of the land in the
original Loyal Company grant was also claimed by the Cherokee, who were
the first target of these same leaders in the Revolution. Much of the
rest of the land was the ancestral home of the Shawnee, who had been
driven from northern and central Kentucky by the Iroquois in the 1660s.
The men in Herbert's company, including Herbert, were not part of this
Loyal Land Company scheme for the most part, although I have heard
people suggest that Enoch Osborne and John Cox may have had some long
standing business ties to the company. In fact, many of the people in
Herbert's company had trading or even familial ties to the Cherokee,
and so it is not surprising that so many became Tories when the
Cherokee were attacked in 1777.
William Hays came out
in 1770, along with Robert Elsom as stock tenders for Capt. William
Herbert, Sr. of Poplar Camp, Wythe Co., Va. Herbert had a patent for
land between Dungannon and Gray's Island on Clinch River. Robert Elsom
was killed there by the Indians in 1777. Most of the men who
served under William Herbert were from Grayson County, Virginia
The 1755 Orange County, North
Carolina, tax list several families who either they are their
forefather once lived on the Pamunkey River in Louisa County, Virginia
and who eventually migrated to Hawkins County, TN and became know as
the Melungeons. Gidean Bunch 1 tithe (mulatto)
Micajer Bunch 1 tithe
(mulatto) Moses Ridley (Riddle) 1 tithe
and wife Mary (mulattoes) Thomas Collins 3 tithes
(mulatto) Samuel Collins 3 tithes
(mulattoes) John Collins 1 tithe (mulatto) Thomas Gibson 3 tithes
(mulatto) Charles Gibson 1 tithe
(mulatto) George Gibson 1 tithe
(mulatto) Mager Gibson 1 tithe (mulatto)
Most of these families
moved from the Flat River to the New River area of Virginia and North
Carolina. The follow tax lists are from Kegley’s early
adventures on the Western Waters) 1771 New River area Botetourt County,
Virginia Charles Collins 1 tithe John Collins 4 tithes Samuel Collins two tithes Charles Sexton 1 tithe McKegar Bunch 1 tithe William Sexton 1 tithe
Some
of these including Micager Bunch were living on Indian Lands. Fincastle County was
formed from Botetourt in 1772; this 1773 tax list shows the ones living
on Indian land. Which means they had crossed the survey line agreed
upon in the treaty of Lochaber as the western boundary. David Collins (Indian Lands) Charles Collins (Indian Lands) Samuel Collins (Indian Lands)
George Collins (Indian lands) *Micajer Bunch (Indian lands) John Collins SR John Collins Jr. Ambrose Collins Elisha Collins Lewis Collins
According to an "authentic
tradition" related to Robert M. Addington about 1930 by W. S. Cox of
Scott County, Virginia, Baron
deTubeuf planned to build a city there just about ten miles above
Fort Blackmore on the Clinch River. Tubeuf's colony was very close to
where a peaceable band of Indians came down Stony Creek into the
neighborhood of Fort Blackmore about 1817 for undetermined
ceremonial purposes [prayers were said at a local Indian
mound located directly behind the fort].