FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR
CLAIMS FOR PROPERTY APPROPRIATIONS

Few people realize that right here on our Mineral County soil was more sacrifice made and much blood spilled in the protection of the homes of our frontier forefathers.
Pages of the Journals of the VA House of Burgess, Hennings Statutes and the Calendar of VA State Papers give silent evidence of the sacrifice of these "dare-devils" of the eastern foot-hills of the Alleghenies.
Some settleres traveled the road-of-least-resistence, and returned whence they came to MD, PA and NJ, but most of them not only stood their grounds, but pushed westward over the Alleghenies.
The following records give us some idea of the straits to which the pioneers were put iin the protection of their homes, and a partial list of the names of heads of families in the Patterson Creek Valley during the period from 1750 - 1765.
During the French and Indian War (1754 - 1760), Virginia was divided into four military districts.The northern district was in charge of George Washington and it would seem that his soldiers sent and quartered in this section helped themselves to the property of various settlers and farmers then living in the valleys of the South Branch and Patterson Creek.
Toward the close of the war, a company of Militia was raised in this section for their protection and to drive the red men west of the Ohio. For this expedition, fire-arms were scarce and strenuous methods had to be used to equip soldiers for this exposition. During this period, the General Assembly of VA passed an act to reimburse soldiers and citizens for the loss of equipment in these Indian Wars.
The VA State Library contains an original exhibit portraying one incident of this period:
Capt. Hutton of near Ft. Ashby organized a Company for the protection of that region and to drive the Indians west of the Ohio River, and this paper is one of the results of their defeat: (Spelling and Punctuation as appearing)
"March 14, 1778
regart one Rifell Gon aprezed to 9L-o-o-
by us
the Property of William Rogers
Nathaniel Parker Jacob Resonner
Delevrd to George in Capt Huttens Compy.
the within Gon in the hands of George Norris
under Capt. Hutton"
"we the subscribers having aprezed the Defictioncy of a Gon taken in the Milichton Serves of Catp Huton to Whellon and find it to be Twelf Shillings Aug 31, 1782
N.B. The above Gon the property of Nathaniel Parker
Jacob Resoner
John Thompson
From the Journal of the House of Burgess of the Colony of VA 1766 - 1769, page 294, we find the following citizens of this section of old Hampshire CO reimbursed for losses during these struggles: William Westfall, Michael Bush, John Robinson, Henry Delloy, Samuel Pringle, Daniel Shoehan Jr., David Corn, Edward Corn, George Metler, John Bell, Garrett Reasoner, John Rutan, Jacob Sinkes, Abraham Blue.
In March, 1756, the General Assembly of VA passed the following order:
Whereas the militia of the several counties lately drawn into service for protection of the frontier against the French and Indians, it is just and necessary that citizens of the respective counties be paid for the property appropriated to the use of said militia and the following claims for Hampshire County are hereby allowed:
Again claims for Hampshire citizens French & Indian War: Hennings Statutes -
Vol 7, p 25