Fayette Occupations Besides Farming, Part 1

Before and During the 19th Century

Besides farming, what did people in early Fayette County do to get income?

Photo is courtesy of David S. Skaggs and shows John Henry Skaggs (1846-1936) in Fayette County.

Here are some of the occupations I researched and names of some of the people who engaged in those occupations. Other than my own knowledge based on my family tree, my sources are primarily:

(A) Peters, J. T. and J. B. Carden. History of Fayette County, West Virginia. Fayette County Historical Society. 1926, reprint, 1972.

(B) Donnelly, Clarence Shirley. Historical Notes on Fayette County, West Virginia. Privately printed, 1958.

(C) Payne, Dale and Bob Beckelheimer. Tales and Trails from the Fayette Tribune, 1991.

(D) Donnelly, Shirley. “Lookout Community’s Intriguing History.” Beckley Post-Herald, May 9, 1959.

TANNERS: James Hodge Miller, James Withrow, Jacob Koontz

“The first tanneries consisted of one or more wooden troughs, a little hemlock or chestnut oak bark, ashes in place of lime, and one or two tools, and other materials as they could be had. It was not unusual for each family to do its own tanning and a trough hewed from a log was the vat. Bark was whittled and pounded by hand, and this was one of the evening and rainy-day jobs in the cabin. In early times buckskin and bearskin clothes were worn, but they went out of general use as soon as other materials were procurable. The moccasin was worn very early, but shoes took its place later. The shoes were made at home or in the neighborhood. The shoemaker often went from house to house working a week or so at each, the length of time depending upon the size of the family.” (A) Picture is in the public domain and may not show exactly the same process mentioned in the excerpt.

MILLERS OR MILL OWNERS: William Montgomery, James Lykens, Peter Bowyer, Aaron Stockton, Dr. Cooper, Jacob Kelly

Millers were exempt from militia and jury duty because they were needed to grind people’s grain. “The grinding of grain by waterpower was not usual in the earliest years west of the Allegheny Mountains. The grist mill which did work of that kind came later than the hominy block and the grater. A little capital was required to build and equip such a mill, even of the simplest kind and smallest size. The stones which did the crushing of the grain were not shaped by novices, but their making required the hand of a man who knew that business. A coarse grained, very hard rock was needed, and a pair of stones was necessary, the upper and the nether. The coarse formation known to geologists as the Pottsville conglomerate was so well suited for millstones that one of its names still is ‘millstone grit.’” (A)

FERRYMEN OR FERRY OWNERS: James S. Lewis, James A. Lewis, John B. Miller, William Carnefix, Peter Bowyer, James Montgomery, Charles Bibb, Elizabeth Gatewood-Bibb.

Rates were usually decided by the county government. Fixed rates in Fayette County in 1837—“For every man on horseback, 6¼c; for every score of cattle, 60c; for every score of sheep, hogs and goats, 20c; for every four-wheeled wagon, drawn by 2 horses, 50c; by 4 horses, 75c; drawn by 6 horses, $1.00; drawn by one horse, 31¼c; for every two-wheeled carriage, drawn by one horse, 25c; drawn by 2 horses, 37¼ c; for sleighs, sleds, etc. for each horse therein, 12½c.” Shown is the Ingles Ferry, which is not in Fayette County. (A)

STAGECOACH DRIVERS OR OWNERS OF A STAGE STOP: William Wood, Micajah Smailes, Joseph Smailes, Caldwell and Surbaugh, Jack Wines, John Leonard, Proter and Beldon, Preston Zimmerman, Daniel Nihoof, Charles Perkins.

Photo is from (A).

Adapted from Tales and Trails from the Fayette Tribune

The first stage line was between Lewisburg and Charleston. . .  and in operation by 1827. They made one trip each week, and the fare was $7. Passengers were allowed 20 pounds of baggage for free. Fare-paying passengers along the way were picked up if there was enough room. By 1830 the stage line had new owners who scheduled trips three times a week, but they rested on Sunday. The stages were used to carry mail, and the post office department, in 1831, introduced regulations limiting stage drivers to carrying so they could not do other errands. Because of the mail contracts, the stages began running daily and could cover about 80 miles a day. There was a lot of travel along the James River and Kanawha Turnpike because of the scenery and access to resorts such as White Sulphur Springs.

Photo courtesy of Felipe Barrera

The stagecoaches were built like the overland coach used by Buffalo Bill’s show, but definitely finer and more impressive. They were painted and varnished and given names related to famous battles like “Palo Alto” or “Buena Vista”. The baggage was carried on top or in the back. They were hauled by four to six horses wearing fine harnesses and decked out in brass and plumes. Horses were replaced every ten miles with fresh ones.   

The drivers were young and good with horses, rather aristocratic in behavior, mingling with tavern guests freely, while not stooping to menial work like changing the horses. This was done by the hostlers. The drivers were admired by young men and women alike. Things changed around 1853 due to new routes and modes of transportation, but the final nail in the coffin came about because of the Civil War. “The day of the stage coach driver was over.” (C)

Pictures are representative only and are in the public domain.

JOURNALISTS AND NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS: James L. Scott, Thomas L. Harris, J. W. St. Clair, H. W. Brazie, George C. McIntosh, Charles E. Mahan, Sr., Joseph E. Phillips, Samuel Dixon, P. M. Hayes, W. L. Starbuck, C. A. Hill

Many people attempted to start newspapers, but most of them did not last very long. The first one started in the Mountain Cove area in 1852. Some of the newspapers wrote to a specific political group, some were about spirituality or religion, and some were intended for colored people. (B)

MERCHANTS: Augustus Pack, A. P. Ankeny, Samuel Carrick, James Montgomery, Miles Manser, James Plunkett

The first photo is from around 1900 and shows some businesses in Victor. The other two photos are lists kept by a Fayette County merchant to tally his sales. I have these because they show my great-great-grandfather Anderson McVey buying bacon and a coat. However, I do not remember how I acquired these pictures. They may have come from the Fayette County Genealogy Facebook Page.

I will write about a few more jobs in my next newsletter. Feel free to comment about people that you think should be included here.