Appendix

THE GENESIS OF CLAYSVILLE

I am indebted to the Claysville Recorder of November 17, 1897, for the following article:

A TRAMP PRINTER.

Samuel Haslett is the name given by a tramp printer who sauntered into the Recorder office last week. Sixty summers and more he had seen, for he has been a printer for nearly fifty years, and had only recently come from the Pacific coast. He was clothed in a rough suit and wore long iron gray hair and beard, and in his prime must have been a man of striking appearance.

But the curious part of his appearance here his first visit-it will be interesting to note, is that 100 years ago his grandfather, John Purviance, owned all the land that Claysville is built upon. He said one of Purviance's daughters was now living in Butler County, and is past ninety years of age.

Looking up a little history we find that Claysville is a part of a tract of land taken up by Thomas Waller on a Pennsylvania warrant dated February 25, 1775, and surveyed the second day of the following April

as "Superfine Bottom." It adjoined the Robert Walker tract of 420 acres taken up by a Virginia certificate dated January, 1780, that of Robert Henry and other lands of Thomas Waller. The "Superfine Bottom," which embraces the site of Claysville, was passed by transfer to John Purviance. The old Wheeling road was opened through it. By this road, not long after the year 1800, Purviance opened a tavern in a large two-story log house having three rooms on the lower floor and four on the upper floor. This house stood on the lot now owned by Thomas Griffith and occupied by D. K. Irwin, landlord of the Bell House. Purviance had been keeping tavern a number of years when the preliminary survey was made for the great National Road from Wheeling to Cumberland. When it became certain by the final surveys for location made under Col. Eli Williams, that the route of the road would pass his house, Purviance promptly surveyed and laid out a prospective town. He was a believer in the use of printer's ink and advertised in the Washington Reporter. The issue of April 21, 1817, contained this advertisement:

CLAYSVILLE.-The subscriber having laid off a number of building lots in the new town of Claysville, will offer the same at public sale on the premises, on Thursday, the eighth day of May next. Lots will be sold agreeably to a plan or plot exhibited on the day of sale.

Claysville is distant ten miles from Washington westward, and about eighteen east of Wheeling and six from Alexandria (West Alexander). The Great National Road from Cumberland to Wheeling, as located by Colonel Williams and confirmed by the President and now rapidly progressing toward its completion, passes directly through the town. The lots

contain a front of fifty feet on the road and a depth back of two hundred feet, with suitable and convenient avenues to each block of lots. The "scite " of the town is beautiful, wellwatered, a fertile country around it and a good population. To persons who may purchase and improve the present season, the subscriber will give timber for any frame building that may be put without price. On the day of sale the terms of credit will be made known.

JOHN PURVIANCE.

The first house built on the site of Claysville after it was laid out by Purviance was erected by Simon Shurr on property now owned by the Claysville Real Estate Company, where the First National Bank now stands. Following were houses built by a Mr. Miller and one by Wm. Brownlee, a tailor, now occupied by W. R. Jones and John Denormandie.

This tramp printer's grandfather also gave the lot on which the first schoolhouse and the old Presbyterian Church in this place were built, $225.50 being subscribed to erect a school building. He is also said to have donated the old cemetery lot.

In 1835-36, John Birch was the tax collector, and William Milligan the town clerk, of the Borough of Claysville. The following names appear on the tax

list:

James Armstrong, George Aston, John Barr, Thomas Anderson, William Brownlee, John Brockman, Andrew Bell, Joseph Bryant, Abraham Brewer, John Birch, Moses Bell, Basil Brown, Alexander Chapman, Uriah Clarke, Lawrence Coffield, Eckart Carrol, Samuel Cooper, Samuel Gamble, Aquila Garretson, John Garret, Henry Giger, James Graham,

William Humes, Joshua Howard, James Harvey, Sarah Hartzel, Joseph Henderson, Esq., Inggling (sign maker), Henry Jamison, Lewis Jones, Dr. James P. Kerr, Charles Knight, Hester Kurtz, John Kelly, Daniel Kurtz, William Knox, Thomas Knox, Joel Lamborn, William Milligan, Thomas Miller, Esq., John Marshall, Robert McNeal, Thomas McGiffin, Esq., John McCracken, Joseph McCracken, William Moor, Jonas Mills, Lemon McCarrell, James Noble, William Porter, John Patterson, David Richey, John Ritzell, Daniel Rider, Susanna Ralston, James Shanon, Simon Shur, Mathias Snyder, James Sawhill, Truesdell's (estate), Thomas Williams, Mrs. Vansickle, Robert Woods, George Wyth, Alexander White, James Wallace, George Wilson, William Jones.

The order with reference to delinquents, was that "in case goods and chattels cannot be found sufficient to satisfy the same (tax) with costs, you are authorized to take the body of such delinquent and convey him to the jail of this county, there to remain until the taxes with costs be paid, or secured to be paid, or otherwise discharged by due course of law."

Extract from the records of the Sunday-school, 1847:

Officer: Rev. Alexander McCarrell, Superintendent. Managers: John Birch, S. D. Rickey, James Noble.

Scholars: G. Hair, Morgan Kurtz, Joseph Noble,

W. Kurtz, Jackson Loyd, James McCay, K. Walker, John Moore, J. Abercrombie.

2. Teacher: J. Patterson.

Scholars: James Noble, David Marshall, F. A. Birch, C. Haskinson, John Mills, J. Denormandie, George Cracraft.

3. Teacher: W. McCarriher.

Scholars: George McCay, William Craig, George McCarriher, Robert Mitchell, Joseph Craig.

4. Teacher: T. C. Noble.

Scholars: G. W. F. Birch, William Humes, Thos. Ritzel, Aaron Scott, Daniel Miller, George Rider, Isaac Kurtz.

5. Teacher: Alexander K. Craig.

Scholars: George Miller, Wm. Wallace, Samuel Rickey, Martin Moore, Thomas Noble, 1st, Thomas Noble, 2d, William Stewart, Joseph McKee.

GIRLS

1. Teacher: Margaret McCaskey.

Scholars: Mary McCracken, M. J. Mealy, Nancy Miller, M. A. Moore, Anna M. Rider, Mary Bell, Hester Meloy, Mary Meloy.

2. Teacher: Sarah McLain.

Scholars: N. C. Mounts, Deborah Russell, R. Anne Scott, Mary Jane Scott, Mary E. Curry, Hannah R. Craig, Mary Anderson.

3. Teacher: Nancy McLain.

Scholars: Harriet Campsey, Susan Campsey, S. Ligget, M. Mills, M. Campsey, E. Campsey, H. Blythe.