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An American Family History
 

Early Settlement in the Eastern Panhandle

  
 

The Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia borders Maryland and Virginia. The first European settlers started arriving about 1730.

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Opequon Creek is tributary of the Potomac River. It joins the Potomac northeast of Martinsburg and its source is at the foot of Great North Mountain. It is part of the boundary between Frederick and Clarke counties in Virginia and between Berkeley and Jefferson counties in West Virginia.
Name Year Where With Religion From Family
Allen, Robert 1742 685 acres on south side of Opequon Creek   Presbyterian    
Ashby, Thomas 1742 200 acres on the north side of the Shenandoah River        
Blue, John   5 miles north of Romney     New Jersey m. Cattron Van Meter
Blue, John b. 1713            
Blue, Michael   near Shepherdstown     New Jersey  
Blue, Uriah   near Shepherdstown     New Jersey  
Bowman, George 1732   Hite Group   York County, Pennsylvania Hite son-in-law
Boyd, John   settled at the east base of North Mountain near Tuscarora Creek. South side of Cohongoroota River        
Brown, Thomas 1742, 882 acres on the west side of the Sherando River   Quaker Pennsylvania m. Ruth Large
Buckles, Robert 1727 New Mecklenburg (Shepherdstown) area     Pennsylvania  
Burr, Peter 1750 near Bardane in Jefferson County   Presbyterian Fairfield, Connecticut  
Burns, James 1741 128 acres on west side of Sherando        
Catlett, James 1753          
Chambers, William before 1745     Presbyterian    
Christman, Jacob 1732 1740- 750 acres Hite Group   York County, Pennsylvania Hite son-in-law
Colvill, Joseph before 1745     Presbyterian    
Conklyn, Jacob       Presbyterian    
Darke, Joseph         Bucks, Pennsylvania  
Darke, William b. 1736   South side of Cohongoroota River     Pennsylvania  
Duff, William 1732   Hite Group   York County, Pennsylvania  
Duke, John         Ireland  
Ellis, Enos 1763     Quaker Berks, Pennsylvania  
Ellis, Morris         Berks, Pennsylvania  
Ellis, Mordecai   235 acres   Quaker Berks, Pennsylvania  
Evans, John   settled on the Opequon        
Foreman, James   New Mecklenburg (Shepherdstown) area        
Foreman, Paul 1732 120 acres on the North fork of the Sherando River, adjoining Thomas Chester Hite Group   York County, Pennsylvania Hite son-in-law
Forester, Thomas   New Mecklenburg (Shepherdstown) area        
Forester, William   New Mecklenburg (Shepherdstown) area        
Foster, William   New Mecklenburg (Shepherdstown) area        
Friend, Israel   New Mecklenburg (Shepherdstown) area        
George       Quaker    
Glass, David before 1745     Presbyterian    
Glass, Samuel 1742 900 at the head of the Opequon   Presbyterian    
Green, Robert 1732   Hite Group   York County, Pennsylvania  
Grubb, Emanuel 1742

250 acres on north side of Shenandoah River

 

        
Grubb, John 1743 265 acres on north side of S. River        
Harper, Robert 1734 near Harper's Ferry, South side of Cohongoroota River, now embraced in the Counties of Berkley and Jefferson        
Harrow, John 1742 290 acres on north side of Opequon Creek        
Hendricks, James about 1760       York County, Pennsylvania  
Hite, Jacob ." 1742, 2,668 acres on the south side of Opequon        
Hite, John 1740 568 acres, part of Hite's grant and also 100 acres adjoining        
Hite, Jost 1732   Hite Group   York County, Pennsylvania  
Hoge, William before 1745 branch of Opequon Creek   Presbyterian New Jersey/Chester, Pennsylvania  
Hoge, James 1742 760 acres near Kernstown        
Jolliffe, William   north end of Frederick   Quaker    
Lemen, John 1746 New Mecklenburg (Shepherdstown) area   Church of England    
Logan, David . 1742 860 acres on the west side of Buffalo Meadow known for years as Buffalo Marsh        
Lucas, Edward   New Mecklenburg (Shepherdstown) area        
Lupton, Joseph 1740 just west of Winchester in the Shenandoah near the area known as Round Hill   Quaker    
MacKay, Robert 1732   Hite Group Quaker? York County, Pennsylvania  
Make, Peter 1742 168 acres on Opequon Creek        
Marquis, Thomas before 1745     Presbyterian    
McCormick, John 1740 395 acres adjoining the Borden, Griffith and Hampton, etc. tract        
McDowel, Charles 1740 600 acres        
McMachen, William before 1745     Presbyterian    
Mercer, Edward   New Mecklenburg (Shepherdstown) area        
Mercer, Richard   New Mecklenburg (Shepherdstown) area        
Morgan , Morgan 1726 on Mill Creek, South side of Cohongoroota River, now embraced in the Counties of Berkley and Jefferson   Quaker Delaware married Catherine Garretson
Morgan, Richard 1734 New Mecklenburg (Shepherdstown) area        
Neill       Quaker    
Parkins       Quaker    
Pentz, John 1742 189 acres on the north side of the Sherando River        
Pidgeon       Quaker    
Reed, William 1749 210 acres on southwest side of Opequon Creek   Presbyterian    
Robinson       Quaker    
Ross       Quaker    
Rutherford            
Seaman, John 1737 1,000 acres adjoining Benj. Borden & James Wood, for 100 acres on West side of Opequon run        
Shepherd   South side of Cohongoroota River, now embraced in the Counties of Berkley and Jefferson        
Shepherd, Thomas   New Mecklenburg (Shepherdstown) area        
Smith, Robert before 1745     Presbyterian    
Stephen,   South side of Cohongoroota River, now embraced in the Counties of Berkley and Jefferson        
Stephens, Peter 1732   Hite Group   York County, Pennsylvania  
Stevens, Louis 1738 339 acres on Crooked run.        
Stockton, Robert   New Mecklenburg (Shepherdstown) area New Mecklenburg (Shepherdstown) area        
Stroop, William   New Mecklenburg (Shepherdstown) area        
Swearingen, Thomas 1727 New Mecklenburg (Shepherdstown) area        
Taylor, John 1734 New Mecklenburg (Shepherdstown) area        
Taylor, Samuel   New Mecklenburg (Shepherdstown) area     Delaware  
Teague, Moses   appointed constable in Frederick County in 1744.       married Elizabeth Loftin and Rachel Taylor
Thomas       Quaker    
Tullis, Moses 1762 bought land in Frederick County, Virginia        
Van Meter, Jacob 1734 New Mecklenburg (Shepherdstown) area        
Van Meter, John 1730 received patents with his brother, Isaac, for 40,000 acres in what is now Berkeley, Jefferson, Morgan, Hampshire and Hardy Counties West Virginia and Frederick County, Virginia-John settled on the Opequon in the vacinity of Vanclevesville     New Jersey/ Pennsylvania  
Vance, David 1742 100 acres on both sides of Opequon Creek   Presbyterian    
Vance, James 1742 250 acres on both sides of small meadow near Opequon Presbyterian meeting house   Presbyterian    
Wallingford,         Maryland  
Walker, Samuel 1740 100 acres on west side of Sherrando River   Quaker    
White, Robert before 1745     Presbyterian    
Williams, William 1738 225 acres on Opequon run.        
Willson, Robert before 1745     Presbyterian    
Wilson, John before 1745     Presbyterian    
Wiseman, Abram, 1734 172 acres on the west side of Opequon Creek        
Wood,   near Winchester        
Wright       Quaker    
Wright, John   New Mecklenburg (Shepherdstown) area        
Writtenhouse, Peter 1740 450 acres adjoining Long Meadow        

West Virginia is located in the Appalachians and was originally part of Virginia. The capital and largest city is Charleston. It became a state during the Civil War and was admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863.

Appalachia was the 18th century backcountry and many settlers were Scots-Irish. It includes southern New York, western Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Virginia, West Virginia, eastern Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee and northern Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.
     
 

 

 

 

 

 

  
 

 

 

 

  
     
 

 

  
 

 

  
     
 

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©Roberta Tuller 2025
tuller.roberta@gmail.com
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