Look Back: Parade of patriots continues
Trending
(Editor's note: Being a reproduction of historical notes, the following contains a description of people that is understood to be outdated, does not conform to Associated Press style and would not be used in print today.)
***
Wood County Residents of the Revolution, continued...
(Taken from grave marking activities of the Captain James Neal Chapter of Sons of the American Revolution.)
∫ John Gard -- Born in 1742, served as a private in the Continental army for one year and had been a wagon master in the N.J. militia. It is not known when he and his wife, Nancy Watson Gard, came to Wood County. He died December 1824 and was interred in the Burnt Hill Church Cemetery.
* John Hill -- Born 1750 in Pennsylvania, served in the war from October 1776 until January 1779. He was married to Agnes Stuart. He was originally buried at the Hill Cemetery but was moved to Mt. Zion Cemetery at Mineral Wells. His tombstone inscription reads: John Hill, Leech's Co. PA. Mil, Rev. War.
* John James -- Born c. 1745, following his Revolutionary War service Captain James and his family moved to Blennerhassett Island, living there for several years. He then bought 700 acres on Stillwell Creek and the Little Kanawha River. He died in May of 1799, and though the exact site is unknown, he is reportedly buried in Riverview Cemetery. It is also possible that James was buried on his farm on Stillwell Creek.
* Frances Langfitt -- Born 1760 at Dumfries, Prince William County, Va. He enlisted 1777 in the 11th Regiment of Light Dragoons until honorably discharged in 1782. Received a pension in Wood County, Va. in 1826, at which time he was 65 years old. He lived in Wood County with his wife Emily and daughter Nancy Glasscock. Langfitt died 1847 and was buried in Parkersburg Memorial Gardens.
* Matthew Maddox -- Born 1752 in Saint Mary's County, Maryland. Married Rachael Bonnifield 1774. At the age of 28 he enlisted in the Colonial Army. While in battle he was shot in the leg and carried off to die. He did recover and received a full pension. He died c.1831. He and Rachael had 64 grandchildren and 115 great grandchildren. They are buried in the Maddox Cemetery.
* Richard Mayhew -- Born 1754 in Trenton, N.J., after enlistment he served until the end of the war. His death occurred in 1841 in Wood Co. Va. on his farm below the L.K. River. He was the first person buried in Tracewell Cemetery.
* James Neal -- He was born about 1738 in England. In 1778 he raised a company of men and supported George Washington at Valley Forge. He served as Captain of the 13th Va. Regiment for three years. Neal and his family immigrated to Wood County in 1785, forming the first permanent settlement, known as Neal's Station. He died 1821, first buried in the Tavenner Cemetery. Later his remains were moved to Mt. Olivet. His original gravestone is in the Blennerhassett Museum.
* Charles Parsons -- Born about 1745 in Maryland, later moving to a fertile farm on the South Branch of the Potomac River, which provided much food for the Continental Army. Following his service in the Revolution, he served as a military scout and Indian fighter. After a life of service and adventure, Parsons passed away in 1823 and was buried in what is now the Parsons Cemetery, a.k.a, the Baptist Grove Cemetery near Ripley, WV.
* Bailey Rice -- Rice was born in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in 1753. During the Revolution he served in the Second Virginia Regiment. He applied for a pension in 1821 in Wood County. Papers attesting his war services were signed by James Neal. Rice's death occurred in 1851. He and his wife, Elizabeth Morehead, are buried on what was his farm on the Old St. Mary's Pike.
* Spencer Sharp -- Born in 1762 in Fauquier Co., Va., he was at the surrender of Cornwallis. After the war, the 33-year-old married 22-year-old Nancy Arnold. They settled in Wood County in 1806. They had 11 children, all of whom reached maturity. Spencer Sharp died in 1851. Both are buried in the Sharp Cemetery off Corbitt Hill Road near Waverly, WV.
Concluded next week...
***
Bob Enoch is president of the Wood County Historical and Preservation Society. If you have comments or questions about Look Back items, please contact him at: roberteenoch@gmail.com, or by mail at WCHPS, PO Box 565, Parkersburg, WV 26102.