Thomas and Elias Hughes of Virginia

As we look with so much pleasure and admiration upon the smiling valley and sunny hill-tops that surround our rural homes, it sounds like a fairy-tale to be told that a little more than a century and a quarter ago, this beautiful landscape was one vast unbroken wilderness--the lair of wild beasts, and the home of the savage Red man. But--

"The Red man is no more,
The pale-faced stranger stands alone,
Upon the river's shore."

Tradition, as well as history, tells us that the first "pale-faced strangers" that ever trod the "Little Kanawha" and Hughes river valleys and stood within the present bounds of Ritchie county, were Colonel William Lowther and Jesse and Elias Hughes.

It was in the year 1772, when the glorious touch of autumn was on every bush and tree, that this brave trio set out on their long and perilous expedition which was destined to result in the discovery of what is now the prosperous little County of Ritchie. . . .

This little historical drama would hardly be complete without a word in regard to the identity of the heroic actors who were instrumental in bringing it about, and of them we shall now speak . . .

Col. William Lowther was not a lineal descendant of this Pennsylvania family, as some mistakenly think. His parents, Robert and Aquilla Reese Lowther, crossed to America (from Ireland) near the year 1738, and settled in Albemarle county, Virginia. They later removed to the South Branch of the Potomac river, in what is now the Eastern Panhandle of this State, and finally to Hacker's creek, where their lives came to a close.

They had quite a family of children, but only part of their names are at our command; viz. Thomas, Henry, Jonathan, Joel and William.

Thomas and Jonathan were killed by the Indians. Henry returned to his home in Albemarle county, after lending a hand in the erection of the early forts in Harrison county. Joel probably died in Harrison county, where he settled, and William is the hero of this drama.

COL. WILLIAM LOWTHER was born in Albemarle county, Virginia, in 1742, not long after the arrival of the family in the colonies; and in his early twenties, he was married to Miss Sudna Hughes, sister of Jesse and Elias, the marriage taking place at the home of the Hughes, on the South branch of the Potomac, in what is now Hardy county, near the year 1763; and here, not far from the beautiful old town of Moorefield, they established their home and remained until they removed to Harrison county, in June, 1773. The date of their removal being marked by the birth of their fourth son, Jesse, who is said to have come upon the stage just six weeks after the family reached their new home (in Harrison county), and his natal day was July 21, 1773.

Col. Lowther had, however, figured in the erection of Simpson's fort, near eight miles below Clarksburg, and West's fort, near Jane Lew, before this time. He played an important part, too, in the construction of the "Old Nutter" fort, near Clarksburg, ruins of which still mark the site.

He soon became distinguished for his fearlessness as a frontiersman, and for his unselfish devotion to the welfare of the colonists; was one of the most capable defenders of the settlement in the war of 1774 (and subsequently) and many a successful expedition did he lead against the enemy. He was the first Justice of the Peace in the district of West Augusta; the first Sheriff of Harrison and Wood Counties, and was at one time a member of the General Assembly at Richmond, Virginia. Having served in all the subordinate ranks of military life, he rose to that of Colonel. (Was commissioned Major by General George Rogers Clarke in 1781) "Despising the pomp and pageantry of office", he accepted it only for the good of his country.

On a balmy day in the latter part of October (28) 1814, he passed from earth at his old home near West Milford [Harrison Co (W) VA]. The old cabin that had sheltered him through so many eventful years was the scene of his closing hours, and not far away on his own homestead he lies in his eternal sleep. He died rich in love and esteem of the countrymen that he had so faithfully served, and it is said that his name has been handed down to their descendants "hallowed by their blessings".

A pathetic little incident that has been preserved in the family says that when he died his devoted old darkey, "Tobe", was seen standing by the fence near the cabin weeping over his loss; and that when this old servant was done with earth, he was laid at his master's feet and a dog-iron was placed at his grave; and to this day this iron is in-tact and serves as a positive mark for Col. Lowther's grave, whose inscription is no longer legible.

After his death, his wife, Sudna, came to this county and made her home with her son, Elias Lowther, on the Flannahan farm, above Berea. Here, near the year 1829, she died, and in one corner of the Flannagan burying-ground she lies at rest. Jonathan C. Lowther, her only surviving grandson, remembers seeing her lowered here. He was born in 1819, and thinks that he must have been a lad of near ten years at the time. He cannot recall her features, but says that she was quite small in stature.

Their family consisted of five sons only; viz. Robert, Thomas, William, Jesse and Elias Lowther, all of whom have a long line of descendants, which are scattered throughout the Union.

It may be of interest in this connection to note that an old cross-cut saw that was once the property of Col. Lowther is now in the hands of his great-grandson, J. M. Lowther, of Auburn. He purchased this saw at Winchester, Virginia, and carried it on horseback to Clarksburg, (West) Virginia, where it was used in sawing timber for the old "Nutter fort", which served as a place of refuge for the inhabitants of the West fork river during Lord Dunmore's war, which antedates the Revolution.

An heirloom in the form of an old land grant which was made to Col. Lowther, on June 8, 1785, and signed by Patrick Henry, on November 14, 1786, while he was Governor of Virginia, is now a cherished possession of the writer. This grant is written upon parchment and conveys two hundred twenty acres to the Colonel on the West fork river, in Harrison county, "which includes his settlement". (Hence our proof of his early settlement at Milford.). . . .

The Hugheses.

The Hugheses are of Welsh origin. Family tradition tells us that they crossed the deep with the Lowthers and settled in Albemarle county, Virginia [before 1742] ; and that Thomas Hughes removed from there to the South branch of the Potomac river, in what is now Hardy county, and from thence to Harrison county, near the year 1772 or 1773, where he found a home on Hacker's creek. One day during the latter part of April, 1778, while at work in the field, he and Jonathan Lowther were shot down by the stealthy foe. The others who were with them managed in some way to escape injury.

Thomas Hughes was the father of quite a family of children, among whom were Jesse, Thomas, junior, Elias, Job, James, Charles, Sudna, Martha, and another daughter who married Joseph Bibbee, of Jackson county.

Job Hughes married Miss Mary Harn, of Harrison county, in 1791, and later removed to Jackson county, where he rests.

Thomas, junior, who was born in 1754, was lieutenant of a company of Indian spies, at one time. He settled on the West Fork river, in Harrison county, in 1775, but afterwards removed to Jackson county, where he died in October, 1837. He had one son, Thomas, and here our knowledge ends, though there are doubtless many of his descendants in that part of the State to-day.

Of the history of James and Charles, we know nothing, other than that they figured in Indian warfare, and James was among the party that encountered the savages at the time that Macfarlan and Dutchman got their names.

Sudna was the wife of Col. William Lowther.

Martha married Samuel Bonnett, and lived and died on Hacker's creek, in what is now Lewis county. Her sons were Lewis, the Rev. Henry Bonnett, of the Methodist Protestant church, and Elias Bonnett; and one daughter, Susan, married a Wagner; another, a Hinzman. . . .

Jesse Hughes, the eldest son, whose history is of more moment to us, was born in the "Old Dominion", in 1750, and in early life, he was married to Miss Grace Tanner, sister of one of the pioneer settlers of Roane county, and near the year 1772, he came to Hacker's creek in Harrison county.

Two years after the discovery of the river that bears his name, we find him engaged in the awful struggle at Point Pleasant, but little else of value concerning his life is in our possession other than that he was a confirmed Indian hater, an intrepid leader, and a prominent border scout.

He resided near Jane Lew, in Lewis county, at one time on the small stream that still bears his name, "Jesse's run," and in a rural burying-ground in this section, strangers have been pointed to a low mound which is said to cover his silent dust, but this is in error. He died at the home of his son-in-law, George Hanshaw, at Ravenswood, in Jackson county, during the autumn of 1829, and near this town he lies in his last sleep. After his death, Mrs. Hughes made her home with her daughter, Mrs. Uriah Gandee, in Roane county, until her death, and in the Gandeeville cemetery, she reposes. . . .

Jesse Hughes' name was ever associated with that of courage and daring, and he "lived many years to enjoy the peace and quietude that the hardships of his early life had so dearly bought". And the beautiful river that bears his name is a more fitting memorial than bronze or marble.

Elias Hughes was born on the South Branch of the Potomac river, in what is now Hardy county, West Virginia, in 1757, and with his parents and the rest of the family, removed to Harrison county in the early seventies.

He, too, served under the command of General Lewis at the battle of Point Pleasant and was one of the last survivors of this desperate conflict.

He had been born and reared in the midst of savage warfare, and his father and a young lady whom he ardently admired having been killed by the ruthless hand of the dusky foe, he vowed vengeance on the race, and the return to peace did not serve to mitigate his intense hatred.

In 1797, two years after General Wayne's treaty with the Indians, leaving his native hills (with one John Radcliffe), he went to Ohio and settled on the Muskingum river, and became the first settler in what is now Licking county; the scene of this settlement being in some old Indian cornfields, near five miles below the present site of Newark, Ohio.

"One night in April, 1800, not long after his arrival here, two Indians stole his and Radcliffe's horses from a small inclosure near their cabins and succeeded in getting away with them unobserved". But finding them missing in the morning, they, well-armed, and accompanied by a man by the name of Bland, set out in pursuit, following their trail in a northerly direction all day and camping in the forest at night; but at the dawn of the next day, they came upon them fast asleep and all unconscious of danger. Concealing themselves behind some trees, they waited until the Indians had awakened and were making preparation for their departure, when they drew their rifles to fire upon them; and just at that moment one of them, instinctively clapping his hands upon his breast, as if to ward off the fatal ball, exclaimed in tones of dismay, "Me bad Indian! me no do so more"! But the appeal was all in vain. "The smoke curled from the glistening barrels, the report rang out upon the morning air, and the poor Indians fell dead"! Recovering their horses and securing what plunder the savages had, they returned to their homes, swearing mutual secrecy for this violation of the treaty laws.

But one evening some time afterwards, when Hughes was sitting quietly in his cabin, he was startled by the entrance of two powerful and well-armed savages. Concealing his emotion, he bade them welcome and proffered them seats. His wife, a large muscular woman, stepping aside, privately sent for Radcliffe, whose cabin was near by; and presently Radcliffe, who had made a detour, entered with his rifle from an opposite direction, as if he had been out hunting, and found Hughes talking with his visitors about the murder with his scalping-knife and tomahawk in his belt, and his rifle, which he deemed imprudent to try to obtain, hanging from the cabin wall. There all night long sat the little party, mutually fearing each other, but neither being able to summon sufficient courage to stir; but when the morning dawned the savages withdrew, shaking hands and bidding adieu to their reluctant hosts, using every precaution in their retreat lest they should be shot by the daring borderers.

Elias Hughes was captain of a band of scouts in Indian times, and was a soldier of the war of 1812. He married Miss Jane Sleeth, who, doubtless, belonged to the same family of Sleeths who have a place in the Smithville chapter, and they were the parents of sixteen children. Mrs. Hughes died in 1827, and he passed away near Utica, Ohio, on December 22, 1844, in the hope of a "glorious immortality". Military honors and other demonstrations of respect were in evidence at his funeral, and near Utica he lies at rest.

Two of his children died in youth, and the rest are as follows: Mrs. Margaret Jones, Mrs. Mary Foster, Mrs. Susana Leach, Mrs. Sudna Martin, Mrs. Jane Hight, Mrs. Sarah Davis, and Kathrine, who never married, were the daughters; and Job, Thomas, Henry, Elias, David, John and Jonathan Hughes were the sons.

Note: While our resources for this chapter have been principally traditional, parts of it are already a matter of history, as the account of the "Explorations of the Streams" is to be found in "Hardesty's Historical and Geographical Encyclopedia of the Virginias", and other parts in the "Border Warfare" and the "History of Ohio", as mentioned in the foot notes.

To Josiah Hughes, of Roane county; Henry Bonnet, of Troy, and L. V. McWhorter, the historian of North Yakima, Washington, we owe our thanks for valuable Hughes data.

The History of Ritchie County, Minnie Kendall Lowther, 1910 <http://www.wvgenweb.org/ritchie/MKL_HRC1.htm#1> 22 October 2011.