Some distance above Harper's Ferry there is an ancient ford over the Potomac, once called "The Old Packhorse Ford," the link between the north country and the Shenandoah Valley. Indian hunters and warriors had passed and repassed before the packhorse forded the stream, and numerous encounters must have taken place there between the red-skinned warriors, of which the innumerable arrowheads found in the vicinity bear witness. Probably as early as 1726 or 1727 a number of Pennsylvania Germans crossed the ford, and near by, twelve miles above Harper's Ferry, founded a village which they called New Mecklenburg.' When the place was incorporated in 1762, it was named Shepherdstown, in honor of Thomas Shepherd (Schaefer), who had settled there in 1734. Many of the most respected families of Jefferson County, West Virginia, trace their descent from these original settlers, land grants dating as far back as 1729 being in possession of some of them. The settlers were generally at first squatters, but in course of time they were compelled to buy the lands they had cultivated, from some fortunate individual who had received a land grant. Thus in this settlement a number of settlers bought the lands they had improved from a Welshman, Richard A. Morgan, who received a large land grant about 1730.

In 1732 came Justus Heid (Joist or Yost Hite)' via

D. C. This family, like so many of the pre-revolutionary German Virginians, have been closely linked with the weal and woe of the state throughout its history and are looked upon with pride and respect no less than the descendants of the cavaliers. Virginia Magazine, vol. x, pp. 84–86; vol. ix, pp. 351– 352. (James Lawson Kemper, governor of Virginia, 1873–78, was a member of this family.)

1 Noted as the place where James Rumsey built the first steamboat in 1788.

2 Joist Hite was born in Strassburg, and the town of that name in the Valley was probably named by him. He died in 1760, leaving a numerous

York, Pennsylvania, with his family, his three sons-in-law with their families, and a few others, among whom was Peter Stephan (Stephens), in all sixteen families. They crossed the "Cohongoronta " (a spelling used in the treaty of Lancaster, the Indian name for Potomac), and settled on the Opequon River. Joist Hite settled five miles below where Winchester now stands, his home being on the great Indian trail leading to the upper parts of the Valley, the same which is now transformed into the macadamized Valley turnpike. Jacob Chrisman (Christmann) selected for his location a spring, two miles further south on the same trail, the site being known as Chrisman's Spring. Another son-in-law, George Baumann (Bowman), settled still further up, on Cedar Creek, and the third, Paul Frohmann (Froman), several miles to the west of Bowman, also on Cedar Creek. Peter Stephan with others founded Stephansburg, which, after several changes in name, is now called Stephens City. About the same time the first house of Kernstown was built on the land of Adam Kern. One of the landmarks of that early period is a limestone house near Winchester (Frederickstown) built in 1753, by Colonel John Hite (a son of Joist Hite), distinguished for bravery in the Indian wars. At that time it was considered one of the most elegant houses west of the Blue Ridge, and it is still standing in good preservation.

Joist Hite and his followers purchased their lands from a Dutchman, John Vanmeter, of whom the story is told that he accompanied a war-party of the Delawares against their old enemies, the Catawbas. A fierce battle was fought about where Franklin, the present county-seat of Pendle

and highly respected posterity. Joist Hite was responsible himself for the confused spelling of his name. He is said to have signed it three different ways on the same day, in the execution of three different deeds.

ton County, West Virginia, now stands. The Delawares were defeated. On the retreat Vanmeter beheld the rich land of the Valley and obtained a large grant from Governor Gooch, forty thousand acres in the lower part of the Valley, which he sold later to Joist Hite. The Vanmeters settled on the southern branch of the Potomac in West Virginia, Hampshire and Hardy counties.

A large grant of land was obtained as early as 1729-30 by another prominent German settler, Jacob Stauffer (Stover), a shrewd man. It is said that, in order to procure a large quantity of land, he represented every head of horse or cattle that he possessed as the head of a family ready to settle on the land. His lands extended from the forks of the Shenandoah southwestwardly along the main branch to Page County, comprising portions of three counties as constituted at present. He chose as his own location the northern end of the Massanutten Range, where he founded Staufferstadt, later renamed Strasburg by two Germans from Alsace.

The German, Robert Harper, in 1734, settled at the Great Falls, the junction of the Shenandoah and Potomac, and founded the historical town of Harper's Ferry, named in his honor and describing his vocation. Many others settled near by: Winchester had settlers as early as 1738, Woodstock (Millerstown) was founded two years later by Jacob Müller (Miller), and "originally laid out upon a larger scale than any other of our ancient villages" (Kercheval).' Ruffner's Cave (near Luray Cave) commemorates the name of the settler Ruffner (1745), the son of a German baron who lived in Hannover.

1 "Woodstock," Kercheval says, "like most of our towns, was settled exclusively by Germans, and German (Pennsylvania German) was the language beard on the streets up to 1850." The same is said to be true of Strasburg.

1

A tide of immigration swept up the Valley as soon as its fertility became known. Most of the settlers came from Pennsylvania, an additional incentive being the growing hostility of the Indians on the Pennsylvania frontier. The settlers believed they would be better protected in the Valley, which was guarded by mountains on two sides. After Braddock's defeat in 1755, the migrations became still more numerous, reaching their height after the Revolution. Villages were founded and towns incorporated in large numbers by the inflowing population. Thus Harrisonburg, in Rockingham County, was established by law in 1780 and five years later had twenty persons owning lots. Front Royal (Warren County) was incorporated in 1788, and likewise received a strong German population. Keezletown (the German Keizell's Town) was established in 1791, near Harrisonburg in Rockingham County, and became the keen rival of the latter. Mr. Keizell laid out one hundred acres of land in lots and streets-double the size of Harrisonburg — and offered inducements to purchasers who would build on these lots. During the years 1781-84 there appear to have been more deeds recorded for lots in Keizell's

1 Some of the names of German settlers during the early half of the century were: William Millars, William Strope, Israel Friend, Edward Lucas, James Foreman, John Lemon, the Schmuckers, the Koiners, the Benders, Beckers (Bakers), Westerhoefers, Sauers (Sowers), Von Webers, Casselmanns, Finks, Funkhousers, Molers, Weiers. Bernhard Weier, a hunter, discovered the beautiful Weyer's Cave (1804). The commissioners who valued the lands of Rockingham County in 1782 found 860 landowners in the county, Among the largest landowners were the following Germans: the Bowmans, Conrads, Coffmans, Chrismans, Clicks, Crotzers, Fitzwaters, Bransbergers, Kisers, Kislings, Kooglers, Kaylors, Millers, Minnicks, Michaels, Messicks, Pences, Rollers, Rimels, Sheetses, Shumakers, Shavers, Shanks, Vanpelts, Wines, Wingers, and Weavers. Cf. Wayland, "The Germans of the Valley," Virginia Magazine, vols. ix, x.

etc.

2 Wayland, "The Germans of the Valley," Virginia Magazine, vol. x, p. 43,

Town than in Harrisonburg. The consideration for conveyance of a lot was that the purchaser should build a dwelling-house twenty by eighteen feet, with stone or brick chimneys, and make an annual payment of four shillings.

The Germans developed the country not alone in a material way, i. e., by making the Valley a garden; they were in the front rank also in every other form of activity. For example, among the prominent families of Shenandoah County were the German families the Neffs, the Kageys, and the Henkels, who settled in or near New Market. The Reverend Paul Henkel was the first of the family in Shenandoah, coming soon after the close of the Revolution. Born near the present city of Salisbury, North Carolina, he was the grandson of the Reverend Gerhard Henkel, who, previous to his coming to America, was a German court preacher. In 1806 the Reverend Ambrose Henkel, son of Paul Henkel, established a printing-house at New Market, which is still in the hands of the Henkel family. The oldest press of the Valley was distinguished also for the large amount of Lutheran theological works issued.' The Neffs, of Swiss German descent, came from Pennsylvania and many members of the family were distinguished in civil and military life." The Kagey family likewise had their origin in German Switzerland. Hans Kagey settled in Pennsylvania in 1715. Henry Kagey removed from Lancaster County in 1768 and a few years later located two miles east of New Market. Others of the family fol

1 The Henkel Press supplied Bibles, hymn-books, catechisms, tracts, etc., for the North and South Carolina and Tennessee Lutheran synods, besides the less remote congregations of Virginia.

2 Cf. Neff (Elizabeth Clifford), A Chronicle, together with a little romance regarding Rudolf and Jacob Näf, of Frankfort, Pennsylvania, and their descendants including an account of the Neffs in Switzerland and America. (Cincinnati, Ohio.)