Diary of Elijah Perkins
The following narrative given by Elijah Perkins & hand written by Leroy Welsh appears to be vintage 1876. It was found by Carolyn Ford among the possessions of her grandfather
Luther Perkins, a direct descendent of Reuben Perkins via Everhart. It was written on nine pages of lined paper and folded inside a wrapper that had contained U.S.
News & World Report. It was marked "Diary of Elijah Perkins, Belongs to Rex Armstrong". Accordingly, Mrs. Ford sent the very fragile document to the late
Virginia Armstrong Smythe in 1993. It's current disposition is unknown. However, a copy was retained and its contents are presented as deciphered with comments 
offered in parenthesis...

Elijah Perkins, B. 18 Nov. 1792, Will be 84 years of age the 18th of Nov. 1876. (Elijah's birth date was 17 Nov, 1794) Father's name Reuben: came from Ten Mile, PA.
(more precisely. Black Dog Hollow near Millsboro) I was about three or four years old then. I don't know where we crossed the Ohio River. Settled first on the Brown farm 
near Dorsey's Mills. (York Township - Sections 27, Captina P.O.) Beans lived where Isaac Ramsey lives -Steems (Steens?) lived just above us. I think the battle of Captina
was fought before we came. (In spring 1794 the Battle of Captina was fought at the mouth of Cove run. Thirty Shawnee Indians commanded by Chief Charley Wilky, battled 
fourteen men from Baker's Fort [one mile below mouth of Captina on the Virginia side of the Ohio] commanded by Capt. Abram Enochs. John Baker, a volunteer, was killed
as well as several others.) at the forks of Capteen a surveyor was killed by the Indians as was supposed either just before of just after we came. Mother died down the creek.
Father up here. Father about fifty when he died. Called Capteen at first: named Captina. I don't know why Anderson Run was so called. (Anderson Run flows down the valley on
the East side of Armstrong's Mills parallel to Route 9) Hardesty flood - Capteen very high then. Hasn't been so high since. (The Hardesty Flood occurred in 1818. 
On McMahan's creek a John Hardesty, wife & five children drowned.) Bears, wolves, beavers, have seen plenty of others: squirrels, black and gray about equally divided,
have seen elk, gray foxes, deer, plenty of wild cats, plenty of painters (?) , rattlesnakes, lots of'em, plenty of eagles, plenty of Boo-owls. I remember seeing Indians 
when I was small. We lived near Dorseys four of five years. We moved upon Cats Hill near mouth of Cat's Run in forks of Cat's run. Lived there one summer. Then moved to
the cave just South of here. Father entered the land, 160 acres. Reuben Perkins' widow lives there now. (I believe he is referring to Reuben Jr his brother and not his father).
We lived there about ten years. Father died there. I think Everhart is sixteen or seventeen years older than I am (Everfhart was 8 years older). He has the original record 
of all our ages - my fathers old Bible. I know this. (A brief narrative concerning the Reuben Perkins Bible & its records are attached.) The last time I saw any wolves was
about forty years ago. Thirteen wolves attacked a ten (two?) year old steer in cove, near by. I heard them and got close to them before they desisted. When I got to the house 
I heard them again. I took gun and went down. They had killed the steer and all gone but one, I killed it. Before that in early times it was a common thing for wolves to attack
the sheep. The bears would kill the hogs. A rattlesnake killed a man named Davis who lived near where Sam Danford now lives. Davis lived only about a half hour after he was
bitten. This happened when we were living near Dorseys. I have heard of the name Charles Wilke. Have heard of the girl rescued by Luis Wetzel. I can't recollect the name. 
Early settlers. Sish (?) & Tim & Sye Collins, John __?__. It was Abner Barret who married Ann Collins. I have always heard that this was the first wedding in Capteen. 
Squire David Ruble married them. This was about one year after we came to Capteen. The Collinses and Barrett's, both families came to Capteen next spring after we came. 
James, Isaac, Tim and Abner Barrett all bros. (?) Robt, _?_ came shortly after we did. Abner Barrett was the first black smith ever on Capteen. Barrets lived on Cat's Hill, 
shop near by. Abner, the black smith, the same who married Miss Collins. The Collins lived below in forest below the old Brown farm. The first child born on Capteen was in 
my father's family. About a year, may be less after we came to Ohio. The child died young. Old Joseph Baker, who lived near where Schaeffer now lives is supposed to have 
killed the last Indian killed in our neighborhood. Did it because the Indians killed John Baker at battle of Captina. This (the killing of the last Indian) was said to have 
occurred while we were living at Dorseys. I used to hear of Indian George. Wm Death was one of the first settlers living near foot of Cat's Hill. I think that my Mother was 
the first of the early settlers on Capteen to die. I was between three and four years old when she died - shortly after we came to Ohio. Six children of us came with 
family __?__,___?__: Everhart, Reuben, Elias, Elijah, Rachel and Elizabeth. none except the one that died after we came to Ohio. Of all these, only Everhart and I are living. 
One child died before I was born in Penna. They called it__?__. (the family Bible lists Luis born 9-29-1789) Four children before me. None of them twins. Danl Thomas was the 
first to live on the land which he entered. Old John Brown just above at mouth of Rocky Fork, old John Aldridge, and old David Blue. John & Daniel Walters just below mouth of 
Rocky Fork. Seth Wards was the first corn - cracker, near mouth of Bend Fork. Was built 75 or 80 years ago. Distillary built a good many years afterwards. Seth first settled in
the house where John Danford now lives, died there. Aron & Timothy Ward, half brothers of Seth lived down the creek. First school house on Capteen was the one at the mouth of 
School House Run. McKnight and Kirkbride the first teachers. The first school house up the creek was built at mouth of run just west of A. Caldwell on opposite side of creed. 
From Caldwell house on Jennings Perkins' land. (Elias's son) Runs (the land) south into creek. Built over sixty years ago. The mouth of school house Run (school) was built 
about a year after we came to Ohio. First teacher in the house near Caldwell's was Joseph Martin. James Starr was the first preacher. The Moors came to Ohio a year or two 
after we did and settled up the creek near Amster Moors. The old man was Michael. Jacob, Isaac and Michael were his children. Tobias Moore his brother, came with family about 
same time to same region of the country. They came from Penna. James Starr used to preach among these Moores. I have heard Rev. Fordyce preach. He preached not long after 
Starr preached here. Wooden hoes generally, wooden plains always, harrows all wood, used withes (?) for fastening double trees, ropes for trace chains collars, best ones 
made of corn husks. All wore moccasins. Those who wore anything on their heads made hats out of straw or other material. Biggest part of them didn't wear anything. Wore shoes 
afterwards on feet then boots. Saw umbrella, first one about forty or fifty years ago. For a good axe had to pay $4.00. $3 for a hand saw. Most people used sleds. A man named 
David Hart had the first wagon I ever knew of. He lived near mouth of Cats Run. The first store in this country was at Newellstown. (St. Clairsville) Owned by Jas. Caldwell. 
Josiah Dillon had the next one. It was on Capteen. Caldwell furnished him the goods. Calico generally 50 cts. and at St. Clairsville Dillon used to ask the same. Whiskey 
generally 25 cts. a gallon. Grapes were introduced about twenty years ago. Dillon's salt well was bored by McLaughlin. Sharpened our scythe with a hammer. Never ground them. 
Rough whetstones. Straight handles. Old Seth Ward had the first orchard I knew of on Capteen. At mouth of Bend Fork. I don't remember that McKnight taught at Shipmans school 
house. This school house built only about thirty years ago. I thought the Alex Danford brick house was the first one. (brick house) Perhaps Tommy Armstrong built the first 
and Ambers Danford the second. (Alex Danford lived in the house built by Ambrose Danford ca.l830) Amber expended only one dollar on cash when building this house. Paid for 
material and labor in pork. When we first came there were hogs running wild in the woods without owners. The hogs would eat the rattlesnakes, the old wood hogs. The "wood hogs"
made better meat. Wheat growing in new ground on the creek bottoms would turn red, become "sick". People couldn't eat it without being made sick by it. Didn't have any nails 
in those days. John Danfords house the first I ever knew shingled. Joseph Martin built it. First plank floor also. It was a hewed log house, the first one I ever knew of. 
The first Squire in this Tp. (Washington Township) was Isaac Moore, held the office for 21 years. Only one at first. I think people generally bought the material and made 
their own powder (gun). One dollar a pound. Got lead and flints somewhere across the river. Salt brought from east at first on pack horses, $10.00 per bu. --John Devore the 
first peddler I knew of through here. Carried miscellaneous articles. Feet frozen. Seth Wards mill was the first on the creek. Windello (?) Mill was built 5 or 6 or 7 years 
afterwards. It was the second. I think Seth Wards still house was the first. Don't know anything about the Dorsey furnace for making iron. Old Jim Cree was an early settler. 
He is the discoverer of salt on Capteen - at Dillons. I used to dig lots of ginseng 25 cts. a lb. green. Took it to Wheeling or St. Clairsville. Didn't have any New Orleans 
Mollasses in those days. Plenty of maple trees, people made their own mollasses. Percussion caps twenty or thirty years ago. John Delaney best jumper (?) I ever knew. Early 
settler, but not among the first. The DeLaneys lived where the Groveses live on Bend Fork. My Grandfather's name was Everhart. (Hupp) He was in the Indian Wars. When we came, 
Belmont Cy. wasn't organized. There were no townships. Archy Woods surveyed this county and Monroe. The first men who raised tobacco around here were Ben and Jesse Justice (?)
who came from Md. Some thirty yrs. ago. No broom corn at first. We made brooms out of hickory. Been raising broom corn something over thirty years. First we had peaches, 
then apples, then cherries. A little red potato and a little white one. The first two varieties that I recollect. No rats when we came but the big woods rat. Afterwards came 
the Black rats, then the Norway rats, which cleaned out the others. Grafted trees came around 25 or 30 yrs. ago. Used to be lots of sarvices, hill grapes & hickory nuts in 
the creek bottoms. Grew black walnut, white walnut, ash, white oaks, etc.


Sub: Steve Cook - October 9, 2000
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=hadanford&id=I02076