Samuel Marion West
Civil War Veteran
6th Regt. WV Inf. Co. M (Union)
1841 - 1923
<my paternal 2nd ggrandfather, grandson of Alexander, son of John West, Gilmer Co., WV
Alexander
West was prominent as a frontier scout. Rev. McWhorter, who saw him
frequently, describes him as "a tall, spare-built man,
very erect, strong, lithe, and active; dark-skinned, prominent Roman nose,
black hair, very keen eyes; not handsome, rather raw-boned, but with an
air and mien that commanded the attention and respect of those with whom
he associated. Never aggressive, he lifted his arm against the Indians
only in time of war. In
addition to the foregoing, my father writes me under date June 28, 1899.
"some things that occurred when I was quite young were so vividly
impressed upon my mind that time has never erased them; none more so than
the sight of Alex West. Long frame, broad across the shoulders,
muscular with no surplus flesh. He wore the old-fashioned plain blue
lindsey hunting shirt, cape and belt and fringed in front of the same
color. His vest and pantaloons were of like material and he wore a black
wool hat and moccasins. I remember the color of the horse that he rode. He
and his wife stopped with my parents for dinner when on their home from
church held in an old log school house, where I got my first schooling.
West was very fleet-footed and but few could outstrip him."
source* "Border Settlers Northwestern Virginia" by Lucullus
Virgil McWhorter
Alexander West
1760 - 1834
Revolutionary War Veteran
Capt. Booth's Co. Rangers 1777
Capt. George Jackson's Co. Rangers 1781
<my paternal 3rd ggrandfather
son of Edmund West
One of the
greatest tragedies on Hacker's Creek during border warfare days was the
slaying of the members of the West family.
The leader of the raiding party of Shawnee Indians was a white man, Leonard Schoolcraft.
In a short period of time the Schoolcraft family lost 13
of its members to the Indians; through capture or massacre; some
of the captured returned, others like Leonard Schoolcraft turned renegade.
Edmund West
Abt. 1731 - 1787
my paternal 4th ggrandfather
Various West family members suggest Leonard knew Mary Ann before his capture by Indians and had fallen in love with her. Mary Ann refused
his advances and married Edmund West Jr.
The Indian raiding party first met twelve year old Martha Hughes, daughter of Jesse and Grace, as she was coming down the creek from John Hacker's with her gift... a new puppy. They captured Martha and left her with a small group of the attackers.
As they passed by Hacker's Creek, they came upon Edmund West Sr. carrying fodder to his stable. The Indians and Schoolcraft captured the old gentleman, leading him back to the location where the raiding party was holding young Martha Hughes.
Edmund West fell to his knees, pleading they would not deal harshly with him. He was killed by a stroke of a tomahawk.
They
continued to the house of Edmund West Jr.,
where his bride of
ten months, Ann, her eleven year
old sister Margaret, and Edmund's twelve year old brother, Billy,
were
preparing a meal. Schoolcraft & the Indians
forced open the door.
They tomahawked Mary Ann, then pulled Billy from under the bed striking him twice in his head
above each eye.
Margaret was hiding behind the
door. One Indian aimed a
blow at her and Margaret tried to avoid it by raising her arm.
The blow hit her neck
but not with sufficient force to knock
her down.
However, she fell and lay as if dead.
They scalped Billy and Mary
Ann, plundered the house, then dragged Margaret by the hair forty or fifty
yards from the house and threw her over a fence.
Schoolcraft, believing she was still alive, had one of the Indians stab her
in the ribs. Luckily he struck a rib and she
didn't die. In fact, she lived, wore
a bandana the rest of her life. She married Peter Hardman and gave birth to ten children.