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George B. Moffett to Lyman C. Draper, September 13, 1883
Draper Manuscripts, 20C26-8
Transcribed from microfilm copy of the original document from the
Draper Manuscripts Collection of the State Historical Society of
Wisconsin, Madison, WI.
Spelling and punctuation are as they appear in the original text.
Transcriber's notes in {}
* * * * *
{Draper's note at top of page} Boone and Miller hunt, trap and trade with Indians
{On letterhead reading}
State Board of Health of West Virginia, Parkersburg.
Geo. B. Moffett, M.D., Pres't, Parkersburg.
Sept 13, 1883
Dr. Lyman Draper
My dear Sir,
Yours of the 20th has been received but owing to professional
engagements &c have been unable to answer sooner. I am sorry to inform you that I will be unable to give you much more information than you have received in regard to my maternal grandparents [Henry Miller &
wife]. Since receiving yours have written to several friends who might assist me but as yet have received nothing save from Rev J. Wesley
Webb, who told me he had given you all the information sent me. All the information I have is that my grandfather grd. m & Col. Boone were born in Berks Co. (near Reading) Pa, & were cousins. I think from your statement that the relationship as given by Mr. Webb is correct, &
while young they hunted & traded with the Indians. The only tradition I have on this point was given me by my elder brother, Henry M. Moffett of Pocahontas Co. now West Va in 1840. "Our grandfather had said the best spent money for him was with Boone, that after a years trapping &
trading with Indians & others, they carried their furs to Philadelphia and sold them for L1300; & for three weeks following went on a general jamboree or frolick; at the expiration of which time, the money was all spent. Our grandfather told Boone if he chose he could go on hunting, trapping &c but for his part, he intended to quit himself & settle
down, make money & keep it" - which he did.
I suppose my grandfather moved to Va about this time & Boone
perhaps to the discovery of Ky-I am unable to give the ages of my
grandparents birth reason that I left my native home when a child; nor can I remember the ages of my parents for the reason that our family bible was burned about the time my mother died in 1851. My father died in 1826 & was about 56 years old. My mother about 65. My grandfather died in 1790 but can't find out his age (hope you have it). I suppose his was about the age of Boone who was born in 1735, I don't think he lived to an old age. Mr. Webb says that Boone's father moved to N.C.
in 1750 (history says 1753) -- from Mr. Webb's statement, Boone would have been but 15 years old then; now the question arises did Boone &
H.Miller hunt and trade together before or after he moved to NC?
Henry Miller may have moved to Augusta & erected his works
between 1755 & 60, as Webb's father was born in 1764 & Sam'l Miller the oldest child, was older than he. He (Henry Miller) died very suddenly at his Sugar Camp on North River not far from his home in the spring of
1790. From what I can learn of him, he possessed a fine administrative ability & was a man of mark in his day.
The iron works are located on Moss Creek about 3 miles from its
source, Mt. Solon. This location is on a somewhat extended plain
surrounded by gently rising hills. The original home was a frame
building painted red & afterwards called the Red House. The subsequent buildings were all of stone & built to stand-the dwelling house a large
& long two story building with a porch the entire length as well as barns, stables & fences of the same material, all standing when last seen by me, as firm as when first built. (turn over)
As to my grandmother, I remember seeing her at my father's (Jas.
McDowell Moffett) about the time of my father's death in 1826 at which time I was but six years old. My impression now is that she was quite old and feeble, disposed to be fleshy & of fair complexion & quite mild and agreeable in her disposition. I remember to have been drawn to her by her affectionate deportment. I have a vague impression that she
lived at my mother's but can't be positive. I think her death occurred about that time.
I learned from my mother that the family was a large one in Berks
Co Pa, & that her mother had but one sister (Nancy) who came to Va &
married Geo. Crawford of "River Augusta Co -- of whose family Mr
Webb has given you a history. I remember when a child of visiting this aunt Crawford with my mother. She had given up her fine residence to her daughter Mrs Jas Boland, & had removed with her only single
daughter Peggy (afterwards Mrs Major Jas Walker) to a log cabin on the farm for the purpose (I suppose) of spending her old days in quietude.
On approaching the cabin, I thought it the hardest looking concern I had ever seen; but on entering I found it white-washed from floor to roof, & superbly furnished with fine carpets, mahogany &c & such eating I have rarely met with before or since.
My recollection of the great Aunt is that she resembled my
grandmother much in appearance & disposition - aware there was so much of that good old fashioned friendship extended to my mother, I can
arrive at no other conclusion than that she was one among the many good women of that day. I remember her daughter Peggy after I grew up, & I know that no better woman than she lived. These sisters were noted for their fine social qualities, general intelligence & good common sense;
mild in their disposition but firm in defending the right & opposing wrong. They firmly ruled their own households & brought up their
children in the way they should grow, & in conclusion will say that they and their daughters were noted housekeepers.
I have heard my mother speak of another aunt - a Mrs Potter, the
youngest of the family, who lived in or near Reading Pa & died but a few years since. I will now give you the names of Henry Miller's
children in their order &c Samuel, Harry, Nancy, Rachel, James,
William, Martha & Hannah Winters. These were all born at the iron
works. Samuel, the oldest, married Margaret Grattan of Rockingham Co.
Va. He succeeded his father at the iron works & managed them with
equal ability. He was a Captain of Cavalry in the War of 1812; a Whig in politics, & one of the state electors for H. Clay when he opposed Gen'l Jackson for the Presidency; he left several children. Harry was quite promising, but remained single & died young. Nancy married Col.
Charles Cameron, the first Clerk of Bath Co Va.. Col C commanded a
company at the Battle of Pt. Pleasant & lost a half brother (Lt.
Morrow) in that fight. They left no children. Rachel married Capt Jno Lewis of Bath, the youngest son of Col. Charles Lewis who fell while leading his regiment at Pt. Pleasant against the Indians in 1774. They left several children. James married Elizabeth Moffett daughter (of my grandfather) Col Geo. Moffett of Augusta & settled on Moss Creek near the works & owned & "the paper mills. They raised several
children. Mrs. Sally Kyle is one of them. William married Nancy Brown of Greenbrier Co. now West Va. & settled near the works & engaged in farming &c. They raised several children. Martha married Capt. Jno M Estill of Augusta. They settled on Long Glade not far from works &
raised a large family. Capt Estill represented Augusta in the
Legislature of Va. Hannah Winters, the youngest child, married Jas.
McDowell Moffett (my father) & settled on Moffett's branch, five or six miles from the works. She was the mother of thirteen children, nine daughters & four sons. I am the youngest & only surviving member of the family & now in my sixty third year.
You perceive that Henry Miller had a majority of his children
settled around him & it is a fact worthy of mention, that such a thing as a family quarrel was never known to occur among them or their
children. A few years ago while conversing with the Rev Robt. Walker, a Presbyterian minister of Augusta Co & who now owns & lives at my
native home & who married a daughter of Rev. Jno Hendren, the purchaser of the farm after my father's death, told me that while conversing with his wife on one occasion, remarked that he thought it best for families to separate in order to avoid the too common occurrences of family
br s. She agreed with him in toto, with one single exception and that was the Miller families. She remarked that she had been born & raised in their midst & had been intimately associated with all of them but had yet to hear of anything but kindness & affection among them. Their peculiar characteristic seemed to be a love of truth & fair dealing with all men & a hatred for everything low or mean.
My having the name Boone occurred in this way. My father, with
uncle Jas & William Miller, visited Mo. not long before my birth; &
while there visited Col. Boone. While at his home, one of my uncles was taken sick & all were detained there for 2 or 3 weeks. On their
leaving, at the request of the old Col, my father promised to give a part of his name to his next son; & I was that son.
I think the general impression has been that Boone was a very
rough, uncouth man, but my father said "that notwithstanding his lack of education &c he was one of the most graceful & accomplished
gentlemen in his manner he had ever met." He was a born gentleman.
I hope you will succeed in getting more information from others
than I have been able to give. I may yet obtain something. If so will inform you.
In speaking of Henry Miller, I should have told you that he had
two sisters who lived & died in Augusta Co. One married Gillam & the other a Mr. Dold, the father of Capt Jesse Dold who commanded a company of Cavalry in the War of 12. Aunt Gillam's'family went west & she was in some way related to the celebrated Genl Jno Morgan of Ky.
He had a nephew & namesake Cap Henry Miller Shreeve, of whom you
perhaps know something as the 1st steamboat navigator to N. Orleans, the remover of snags from the Missippi, the locator of Shreeveport La., &
the one who materially aided Genl. Jackson in gaining the victory at Orleans, by conveying ammunition & arms to him from Pittsburg in the dead of winter & reaching there the day before the battle. Capt.
Shreeve spent his last days on a farm near St. Louis. I visited the west in 1850 & spent a day at St. Louis. While there I drove out to the old gentleman's farm to see him, but unfortunately none of the
family were at home, or I might have gained some valuable information from him, touching my grandparents early history. I think some of his family are now living in St. Louis, & if you could find them out, you might be able to gain some information. I think they are society or at least move in the highest circles of society.
I have refered to Capt. Shreeve in order to open the way for all
possible contact information you can get. I am under a vague
impression that grandfather was the guardian of young Shreeve & sent him west, but will not state this as a fact.
You must excuse bad writing & spelling for my memory of names &
words has become very imperfect. I would like to hear from you again as I am anxious for you to obtain a correct history of all these
parties in connection with Boone's history.
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