or six feet high", in
the Valley. When he returned to New York he told his sons about the rich
country, far to the South, and advised them to secure some of it. One of
them, Isaac, took his father's advice and came to Virginia in 1736-7 and
with a tomahawk cut certain trees, thus making his original claim. This
was called the "Tomakawk Right".

Isaac and his brother John secured a warrant from Governor Gooch for
forty thousand acres of land. Later on they sold or transferred part of
their grant to Joist Hite who was later called the "Old Baron". The
latter was one of the hardiest pioneers and in 1734 was appointed by the
Virginia Council to act as magistrate. This gave him authority to settle
disputes, and to uphold the laws of Virginia as well as to punish all
offenders.

Hite soon built a stone house on Opequon Creek and his sons and
daughters grew to be splendid men and women. His sons-in-law, George
Bowman, Jacob Chrisman and Paul Froman and their families had come with
him from Pennsylvania. Robert McKay, Robert Green, William Duff, Peter
Stevens and several other families helped each other select land, build
homes and a fort.

We are told that the Indians had heard of the kindly relations which
existed between the Indians and William Penn's colonists. We know he
paid the Indians for their lands, and records show that many of the
Germans, especially the Quakers, who settled on Apple Pie Ridge also
bought lands from the Indians. These settlers were never disturbed by
the Indians. However, when it came to the lands which we now call the
Great Valley of Virginia, the Indians were agreed among themselves that
no one tribe was to possess any of it. The lands were so fertile and so
much game feasted there, that all should be at peace when in the Valley.

So when the first Quakers came we find these names recorded: the Neills,
Walkers, Bransons, McKays, Hackneys, Beesoms, Luptons, Barretts, Dillons
and Fawcetts.

Another Quaker, Ross, obtained a warrant for surveying lands and his
lines were run along the Opequon, north of Winchester, and up to Apple
Pie Ridge. Soon many other Quakers from Pennsylvania were moving into
the Valley to settle on Ross's surveys. By 1738 these deeply religious
people had built homes and were holding monthly meetings to worship God.
They had tiny settlements up and down the Valley. They cultivated their
farms, took little interest in politics, cared very little for worldly
intercourse and