Bishop Asbury's Journal and William Anglin

On Saturday, March 1, 2014, I wrote about the Covered Bridge over the Tygart River: "TYGART RIVER, PHILIPPI COVERED BRIDGE."  I discussed how that bridge crosses where our ancestor William Anglin and his sons lived a primitive pioneer life, but were the owners of the land on which the town of Philippi now stands. Once a pioneer claimed bounty or grant lands, they were required to make improvements upon the land in order to keep it.  For William, who received his land in the 1770's (1773 to 1777?), an ailing father prevented him from doing much to the property for several years.  But, records show that he built a fort, an Inn, and was given permission (ordered at court) to maintain a road to the ferry which he eventually ran across the Tygart River.  At the time, it was called by it's Indian name, along that stretch - The Monoogabela, River.  From what I was able to figure out by making a timeline, the fort came first, but was primitive at best. Next the beautiful valley was planted but flood waters and/or draught destroyed the earliest of his crops.

 It was not unusual for pioneers to expand west, and plant crops that could be left for the summer to mature, and be harvested in fall when the owner returned.  The trips were sometimes disappointing when they arrived to any number of failures.  Stolen crops, crop failure, burned out fields from storm or Indian raid, or just plain weather related inadequacies.  At the time, William had been granted his land in what was western Virginia.  He and his father both lived in Virginia, but in different counties. But, it wasn't long before William was living in West Virginia, just as Rolands who lived in Watauga and Unicoi Counties in what was Western NC, found themselves living in what first became Franklin, and later became Tennessee.

Several writers, who investigated the court documents, seemed to think that William helped his father run his mill in what was Buckingham, Virginia, up until Adrian died on the 25th of April, 1777. His mother had died much earlier in 1738. So William, returned to his land and lived there in what was called Harrison Co, W. VA until his death, in 1803. It was then that he ran an Inn on the East side of the river. One source said it sat about where the church sits now, just past the entrance of the covered bridge.
Now... Just to remind you...his son Isaac, who moved to Burke Co, NC, an area of which later became Yancey Co., NC in 1833 is the first of our Anglin ancestors in NC.

My point for writing today's blog, is to expand upon why William decided to run a ferry across the river in the first place. It wasn't until a very famous preacher, called Bishop Asbury, came to visit and required the services of his Inn, that William began to operate the Ferry with his son, Samuel, manning the opposite shore from his land.  Allow me to tell the story as I understand it. Bishop Asbury was a traveling minister for the Methodist Church. He was not a bishop like in the Catholic church, but rather was called such because of his calling and endorsement by the Methodist church. He was their emissary, so to speak, and the title sort of introduced him as having authority to represent them. He was widely liked, and preached to whomever would hear him. Large crowds gathered along the way, when they heard he was coming. And he believed and wrote often that God was blessing his ministry greatly.  He can be found in years of records in all the states, as having preached as an Itenerate Missionary, and was so well known, that it was said that mail from anywhere in the world would reach him, with his name only on the "envelope."

I read chapter after chapter of excerpts from his journals, seeking the story that involved our ancestor, William Anglin. At the time, all of the valley was known as Anglin's place. Later, when William built the ferry, it became known as Anglin's Ford.  A name given to the original town during the years William manned the Ford. Bishop Asbury himself wrote the paragraph that would one day make William's Inn embarrassingly famous, but is also given credit for why William started the ferry.

In the original Journal I read, the name ANGLIN is given in entirety. But since I first read it, all the excerpts I could find of the journal, mark out the full name, and only give the letter A.  So as I post this clip, you will have to take my word for it.  One day I will find a copy in a library, and make a picture of the original page.  But for now, I am pulling in several pics which I have enhanced and clipped further, to the paragraph, and highlighted the journal entry for this story.  Bishop Asbury was not pleased with Mr. Anglin's accommodations. They were found totally lacking, and worthy of criticism.  Let me let him tell you the tale:


Page 35, Thursday, July the 10th, 1788

It reads: "we had to cross the Alleghany mountains again, at a bad passage. Our course lay over mountains and through valleys, and the muck and mire was such as might scarcely be expected in December.  We came to an old, forsaken habitation in Tygers Valley: here our horses grazed about, while we boiled our meat: midnight brought us up at Jesse's, after riding about 40 or perhaps, fifty miles. The old man, our host, was kind enough to wake us up at four o'clock in the morning.  We journeyed on through devious lonely wilds, where no food might be found, except what grew in the woods, or was carried with us.  We met with two women who were going to see their friends, and to attend the quarterly meeting at Clarksburg.  Near midnight, we stopped at A--------'s (Anglin's), who hissed his dogs at us: but the women were determined to get to quarterly meeting, so we went in.  Our supper was tea. Brothers Phoebus (?) and Cook took to the woods; old _____________? gave up his bed to the women. I lay along the floor on a few deer skins with the fleas.  That night our poor horses got no corn. and next morning they had to swim across the Monoogabela.  After a twenty mile ride we came to Clarksburg, and man and beast were so outdone, that it took us 10 hours to accomplish it.  I lodged with Col. Jackson....."

He goes on to say that they had 700 people show up for the service!

An enhanced clip with the area referencing our ancestor, William Anglin high-lighted.

 

 

The crossing of the Tygart River upstream had been so hazardous, other writers say, that it is believed that Bishop Asbury asked that a ferry be instituted, and one of the early documents in the courthouse, was the one which gave instruction to William that he should maintain a road to the Ferry.  Bishop Asbury was considered to be persuasive in more areas than just saving souls, and apparently it was true.  If he complained, changes occurred.  But what better business for one to operate?

In William's defense, they were struggling to have enough food in those early years. I believe it was 1773 that was called the starving year, when many settlers along this frontier, in these mountains died.  Or left.  William was doggedly determined if nothing else.  Another historical fact, seems to explain why William's Inn was overcrowded.  Bishop Asbury apparently didn't know of the danger. But when I compared the dates, I was surprised they were only days apart. 

An Indian band had attacked a neighbor's homestead, killing all the members of the family except a young girl, whom they took.  We often read such tales or see them in old western movies, but it seems this practice by Indians was not a fairy tale.  Men from the area formed a scouting party, and they chased the Indians, finding the girl alive, and recaptured her, bringing her back to friends, saving her from a future as an Indian hostage.  This definitely explains why William Anglin was said to sick his dogs on anyone unfamiliar in the night. And it possibly explains the poor reception the night visitors got in terms of food and care, from a supposed Inn.  There were others at the Inn who left so the women could at least have a bed, and poor Bishop Asbury who slept on flea bitten hides, at least wasn't sleeping on the dirt floor.  I am sure it was a miserable night for them all, but chasing Indian raiders over several days of the past week, had not given William much opportunity to be the pleasant host.  Whom we can see, Mr. Asbury preferred, in fact expected.

Hope you enjoyed the story. 

Before, I jump next time back into the Anglin history, and tell you more about William's great-grandson, also named William, I want to let you know that William's son  Isaac, who came into Yancey Co. to make a home (Burke at the time), only lived to be 35.  On the 1800 Census, only his wife Nancy Anglin appears among the other men, I can ID as blood-line ancestors, because, Isaac had died in 1795. On the 1790 Census, the first ever taken, a Lettie Dyer appears near Isaac Anglin, among the individuals of the 11th/12th Companies.  I, personally believe, Lettie is Nancy's mother, or Aunt. Isaac, sadly left little documentation, but our Grandmother, Nora Anglin Roland, also left her ancestral history written down for her children. And she named Isaac Anglin as the last person she knew of, in the line, going back. She believed he was from Virginia.  He's there, thankfully on Census. Thank goodness, one was taken so we can see his name recorded!

Just a note to my own family...I believe this is why our mother was named Virginia.