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Archiver > DUTTON > 2000-08 > 0967326556


From: Marge Whitmoyer <>
Subject: David Dutton of North Mountain
Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2000 17:49:16 -0400


Reference; "The History of the Presbyterian Church and other Sketches of
Gerrardstown, West Virginia" by Sarah Morgan Groff Gordon. Published by
Edwards Brothers, Inc , Ann Arbor, Michigan 1939.
Extract;
Gerrardstown. This little village , of not more than three hundred
inhabitants, lies east of Mills Gap in the south-western part of
Berkeley County. It is eleven miles south of Martinsburg, seventeen
miles north of Winchester, Va.., and about three miles north of the
Frederick County Line.
This settlement of a few families was protected in the early days by
two forts. One called Booth's Fort, named for Canie Booth a blacksmith,
was located about midway between Gerrardstown and Inwood, on the south
side of the road and on the east side of the hill near the creek. The
other was located about a mile north of town on the Arden Road, its name
has been forgotten. This area was subject to Indian raids during the
French and Indian War and a Mr. Kelley and his family , who lived on the
east side of the mountain near where Prospect ( estate now known as
Prospect Hill) stands, were attacked and killed by Indians in their
raid of 1756.
There were three signal stations, a mile apart, located near where
roads crossed the mountains: one near Parks Gap on Round Top: another
near where the Pack Horse Road crosses at Mills Gap, and a third a mile
south, near Dutton Gap Crossing. At each station a large oak tree was
used to signal from and near its base was a three sided barricade built
of stone. These are said to have been a part of a chain of such
stations used in the early wars.
The town of Gerrardstown was laid off on the 6th day of June 1784
between David Gerrard of Berkeley County and the State of Virginia.
There were to be forty lots being one hundred feet along the street and
two hundred feet back and the town was to be called Middletown. The lots
were to be sold by lottery .
On page 34 of this book the following children of David and Hannah
Dutton are shown to have attended in 1817 the Middletown Sabbath School
Society; Francis Dutton, Nancy Dutton and Susan Dutton. Also attending
was a David Booth ( Personal Note; In my notes I failed to record which
church this Sunday School was associated with as there were two churches
in the town. One a Presbyterian and the other a Baptist. A Quaker
Meeting house may have been near by also as there is an old cemetery in
the town and the local people believe it to be where the Baptist and
some Quakers are buried.
(Personal note, although the Dutton surname is not found among the
first purchasers there are a few surnames with similar spellings that
have been associated with the Duttons in their migrations. Those names
are Chenowith, Watson, Ellis, and Neill. The name of the town was at a
later date change to Gerrardstown.)
Reference ; Newpaper Article No Name of paper or date shown.
Written in ink on the paper is the date 1935. Extract; " Gerrardtown
Had First Baptist Church in Section. The Virginia Baptist Historical
society of Richmond ,Va. concurred that this was the first Baptist
Church established in this vicinity and recommended that a marker as
follows should be placed; Mill Creek Church, 1743. Here is the site of
the first Baptist Church planted between the Potomac and the James
rivers. It was organized in 1743 by Edward Hayes, Thomas Yates and
their company from Sater's Church in Maryland. John Gerard, for whom
the town was named, was its pastor from 1755 to 1787". (end of extract).
The following names are found among the early members of the Mill Creek
Baptist Church which have been associated with the Dutton's and their
migrations are; Booth, Chenoweth , Baldwin, Watson,Stroud?, Johnson,
Carter, Crosley?, Hutchinson, Hughes, The time period for those members
was around the 1761 period to 1787 or later. There were no Dutton names
found in the cemetery, however the following names were found buried
there who were known by this compiler to have been associated with the
Dutton surname either by marriage or by more or less group migration
patterns. They are Todhunter, Evans, Huges/Hughes, Baldwin, Rees,
Watson, Shepherd, Hineshaw.
The following names associated with the Dutton's can be found in the
book West Va.. Estate Settlements; Baker, Baldwin, Brown, Chew, Davis,
Ellis, Evans, Hedges/Huges/Hughes. Henshaw, Hickman, Martin, Mendenhall,
Morris, Rees, Shepherd, Smith, Strode, Taylor, Thatcher, Watson, Willis,
Beal, Beeson, Bishop, Wolff/Wolfe .
While Mill's Gap was at the top of the mountain Dutton's Gap was
located more so in the valley . Since it is also referred to in print as
Dutton Mill Crossing it suggests that it was a gap where a stream
meandered at the base of the mountain and this is what we found to be
true when we finally located the Gap. According to another historian
of the area Dutton's Gap was a main point of travel for those heading
west or those on the western side of the mountain bringing their produce
to market at Martinsburg. This would seem to make sense as it must have
been hard work and a strain on the horses to constantly take the
mountain passage at Mills Gap and also cheaper on the pocketbook as
they would not have to pay for the extra horses to help them up and down
the mountain. There is no longer a road leading to Dutton Gap , but
some of the older maps show the location of the old road. I hope to
return to the area and take pictures some day as the day we were there
turned out to be the coldest day of the year with a gusting wind. In
fact we could not even tell where a Gap could be as every thing is
overgrown with trees and brush. Therefore, I would think one might have
to do some hiking to find the exact location. A map hanging on the wall
in the research room at Martinsburg, Berkeley County Library simply show
the location as Dutton Gap. Prior to that it was known as Bull's Gap
This is a lovely area and especially pretty in the spring and fall .
The village of Gerrardstown has a number of quaint shops in the old
buildings . Any one wanting to tour the area should make room
reservations in advance as during peak seasons people pour out of
Baltimore and Washington DC. filling the motels for close to a hundred
miles or more out of the metropolitan areas. Martinsburg and Winchester
are in the Apple Country and there are Apple Festivals and crafts shows
in the fall. Off hand I do not know dates.
We talked to a gentleman very knowledgeable in locale history, who
lives near Dutton Gap and his son publishes a monthly newspaper called
the Mill Creek Peddler which has space for Genealogy Queries for $2.00
for 60 word maximum. Each month they feature an article on the
different villages, business or families of the past. Subscription price
is $12.00 and the address is Mill Creek Peddler Route 1, Box 97T,
Gerrardstown, WV. 25420.
According to the gentleman we spoke with the Dutton Property was on
the other side of the mountain in what is called Back Creek Valley.
This is where a number of Quaker Families settled and the Back Creek
lies on the west side of the Mountain beginning in Frederick Co. Va.
through Berkeley Co into the Potomac. The House is no longer standing
according to our source. After the Civil War the area became a
gathering place for the freed slaves who set up a community. On the
Virginia State Road on the east side of the area of Dutton Gap is a
Small Church. This would be south of Dutton Gap and is mentioned here
only as a marker to locate the Gap.
Marge

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