HISTORY OF DUNMORE
By Ella Pritchard
continued..
W. J. Cackley and B. F. McElwee built the house where J. E. Pritchard now resides and used this store room until business forced them to build greater. In this building, C. E. Pritchard now does business.
W. H. Cackley built and lived where Fred Pritchard now lives. Richard Jennings built the residence which is now the Dunmore Hotel, kept and owned by Bland Nottingham.
Mrs. Mary Hull built her home and post office.
W. A. Noel built and opened the store where Gray Woods now is in business.
Winfred McElwee built the bungalows now owned and occupied by Cam McLaughlin and Dock Sheets.
All the above mentioned homes, also from Jake Lightner’s on Huntersville road and to Letcher McLaughlin’s on the Sitlington road, were sold off the Isaac Moore property.
Beyond the Presbyterian church all was as the Indians had left it, in the woods.
William and Esq. Hugh McLaughlin bought about 1,600 acres from Andrew Mathews, originally the Lieut. Warwick survey. This land takes in all the McLaughlin homes, including the Brooks, Corbett and Wm. Deputy’s farms. Wm. McLaughlin and his brother, Esq. Hugh, of Marlins Bottom, came to Pocahontas in 1829 from Jacksons River. Esq. Hugh and first William settled the farm now owned by Jake McLaughlin.
John Carpenter, another old pioneer, settled on Thomas Creek. He divided his land among his four sons, William, John, Jr., Hugh and Peter. This land is now the homes of Harry Taylor, James Watson and John Wm. Carpenter.
Near the mouth of Sitlington Creek, the land was owned by Ruben Lindsy and Jonathan Potts. The site where the town of Raywood now is, was originally owned by a colored family by the name of Diggs. They sold to Andrew Ratliff, who sold to George Ray. Same was purchased by the Warn corporation and used for lumber yard and manufacturing town.
Thorny Creek was first settled by Martin Dilley, from Maryland, of Quaker descent, in 1820, and 1840 he located where his son Andrew lived; he being the father of Hanson and Amos Dilley, who resided on the old homestead.
Rev. James Wanless, one of the original settlers of Thorny Creek, settled some time during the 20s; at his death leaving his estate to his nephew, John F. Wanless…
To be continued…
BIOGRAPHIC
JACOB GUM
The second group of the Gum relationship are the descendants of Jacob Gum, who came from what is now Crabbottom, in Highland County, soon after the War of 1812. Upon his marriage with Martha Houchin, he settled near Greenbank, on land now owned by C. A. Lightner…
Mr. and Mrs. Gum were the parents of seven sons and four daughters.
Mary married Randolph Powhatan Bouldin, a journeyman shoemaker.
Nancy married William Sutton, and lived on property lately occupied by Craig Ashford. Her children were Robert, George, Sherman, Eldridge, Anna, now Mrs. Craig Ashford; Magnolia and Mary.
Margaret Gum married Charles Mace and went to Missouri.
Nellie was a lifelong invalid.
William M. Gum married Sallie Tallman, and lived on Deer Creek. His children were George, Franklin, Samuel, Milton, Lee, Martha Jane, now Mrs. W. J. Wooddell, of Addison; Caroline, who became Mrs. Lafayette Burner; Ella, now Mrs. Brown Trainer; Rebecca, now Mrs. Lee Burner; Marietta, now Mrs. Enos Tallman; and Nancy, who died at the age of four years.
McBride Jackson Gum married Eliza Thomas, of Harrisonburg, Va., and spent much of his married life on Clover Creek…
From J. E. Gum, the writer derived valuable aid for this sketch, as we sat on our horses one warm July morning, after a casual meeting in the public road…