Following is the story of how one Washburn family migrated to Western Virginia and Ohio. The family described is that of Thomas Washburn.

Thomas Washburn was born in 1773 in what is now Harrison County, WV. He married Elizabeth Carder (daughter of William and Rebecca Lowther Washburn) on Febuary 11, 1805. We do not know Thomas’ parents, however, it appears from census data that he was raised by Charles Washburn and Rebecca Lowther Washburn. Perhaps he was an orphan of the Indian attacks in 1778 when three Washburn brothers were killed. Rebecca remarried William Carder after Charles was killed by Indians in 1782.

Thomas and Elizabeth had five children and all of them were born in Harrison County, WV (called Lawrence County, VA back then). The children were Elias, Clarissa, Sarah, Isaac and William. Elias was the oldest son born in 1820 while Isaac and William were the youngest (twin boys) born on Feb. 10, 1830. This means Thomas was 57 years old when his twins were born. Thomas decided to move westward to Jackson County, VA and did so in 1831 at age 58. We know this from an 1831 personal property tax book for Jackson County that contains Thomas Washburn’s name and a total tax of 18 cents for that year. The tax was for three horses or their equivalent in mares, colts and mules that he owned. In the document “Some Tales of Early Settlers” which was taken from “Pioneers in Jackson County, West Virginia” by John A House, we see several references to the Washburns and Carders of the Upper Sandy Valley. Some of those pages are included with this write up.

The Upper Sandy Valley is located on Sandy Creek, also known as Big Sandy. Sandy Creek connects to the Ohio River on the western edge of West Virginia in Jackson County. Today one can visit the town of Sandyville which is on Sandy Creek north of the county seat of Ripley. Thomas and Elizabeth’s property was just outside of town on the Right Hand Fork of Sandy Creek (see attached map from 1883). Interestingly, George Washington visited this area in the fall of 1770 and was quite impressed with the fertile land along the Big Sandy. He ended up receiving a land grant of 2,448 acres of bottom land in 1772. This information came from the George Washington Diaries, Vol. 1, 1748-1770. He also purchased an additional 4,395 acres at the mouth of Big Mill Creek in Jackson County.

Several families were enticed to move to Jackson County not only because of its fertile land but also the abundance of wild game. Elizabeth’s brother John Wesley Carder and his family were some of those who followed Thomas and Elizabeth to the Upper Sandy Valley. John Wesley decided to take the long route by water via Pittsburgh in the winter of 1838 or 1839. This added at least two months to the journey from Harrison County.

Deer, turkeys, bear, wolves and panthers (another name for mountain lion) were common to the area. In “Some Tales of Early Settlers” a reference is made to a nine foot long panther killed by the pioneers near Ripley, WV. It was difficult living back in those days and people struggled to get through the long cold winters. One of John Wesley Carder’s sons, Ephraim Patton Carder (known as Pat) was an excellent deer hunter and marksman. One year, Pat Carder killed 55 deer and helped the families make it through the winter of 1855.

Some of the settlers made homes out of hollow Sycamore trees (see attached article—The Lordly Sycamore). The tree was so huge that if the tree became hollow as several did, it was ideal for storing grain or providing shelter as a home. Sycamore chips were also used as a substitute for tea.

The area developed a killer fever called the Sandy Fever in the Sandy Creek Valley which claimed a large number of young children, adults and domestic animals. Several Carder children were most likely victims of this fever that lasted half a century. I found several Carder children tombstones in Jackson County. The cause of the fever was never explained but many believe it stemmed from some poisonous compound (possibly arsenic) that came from the Limestone hills further up on Sandy Creek. The Thomas Washburn family avoided the fever despite living on Sandy Creek for over 25 years.

Thomas Washburn was granted 100 acres of land on the Left Hand Fork of Sandy Creek on March 1, 1841. A copy of that land grant is included. He and Elizabeth had previously purchased 500 acres from a James Hector in 1835 for $500 on the right hand fork of the Sandy in the Sandyville area (see attached map). A lawsuit brought by Hector’s heirs was won by Thomas and Elizabeth in December 1853. As a result of this suit, we know that Thomas and Elizabeth were still alive in 1854. That would have made Thomas, about 82 years old. We also know that Thomas died at his home on Washburn Run which is a small stream off Sandy Creek, but we do not have a confirmed date of death for him or Elizabeth.

After Thomas and Elizabeth died, many of the Washburn children moved to southern Ohio (Ironton, OH area). Isaac and his twin brother William are in the 1860 census of Lawrence County Ohio. The two brothers went into the coal mining industry that was thriving in Kentucky and Ohio at the time. It appears as though Elias stayed in West Virginia and took over his parents farm. He is listed as head of household in the 1880 Census of Jackson County, WV with several people living with him and his family.

The three sons of Thomas Washburn fought in the civil war. Elias fought with the 9th West Virginia Infantry while Isaac fought with the 4th West Virginia Calvary. William fought for the 91st Ohio Infantry. Both Isaac and William attained the rank of Corporal while serving in the war. It is interesting that Isaac chose to enlist in Parkersburg, WV even though he was living in Ohio. He chose to fight for his home state while William chose to fight for his new state of Ohio.

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