Early settlement in West Virginia is a genealogy challenge. There are sources available. You can find them once you have a title or a description. The Four Goff Brothers of Western Virginia: A New Perspective on Their Lives, by Phillip G. Goff and Roy L. Lockhart (Masthof Press, 2003) provides titles and descriptions for some very helpful information.
These are the entries I noted, in the footnotes, that unveil new migration patterns, areas of first settlement, accompanying family members, surprising kinship networks, and location of records I had not yet searched. Where I know the materials are also online, I have added the URL’s.
Charles E. Hoye, “Early Land History of Garrett County [MD],” 10 Feb 1938, The Republican, Oakland Maryland newspaper.
________. The Hoyes of Maryland (Oakland MD: The Sincell Printing Company, 1942). Online at http://www.familytreemaker.com/glc/index.html, 20 May 2000.
John Turton Goff land grants, Augusta County VA on the Maryland Border, 1776-1818, Washington County MD and Allegany County MD, 1776-1789.
Thomas Theodore Goff Collection, New England Historic Genealogical Society. Includes a photograph of Salathiel Goff tombstone in West Virginia.
Commissioners for Adjusting Claims to Unpatented Lands in Monongalia, Yohogania, Ohio Counties, Scharf Collection, Maryland State Archives S-1005-2.
Deakin’s List of Settlers West of Fort Cumberland, Nov 1788, Maryland State Archives. Francis and William Deakins of Georgetown Maryland, surveyed these lots for Revolutionary War Service, The Deakins were born in Bladensburg, Prince George County Maryland, sons of William Deakins Sr., and Tabitha Marbury Hoye. The list is online at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mdallegh/deakins.htm The list is reproduced from History of Western Maryland, p.1344 by Thomas Scharf. His manuscripts are on deposit at the Maryland Historical Society. (Georgetown, which is now in Washington DC, was founded in 1751 as part of Frederick County and the Deakins brothers spent time there as well.)
Allegany Regional Ancestors, Volume 6 (1997): James Parsons, Captain of Militia Company, Lord Dunmore’s War.
Hu Maxwell’s History of Tucker County West Virginia, 1884.
Willis DeHaas, History of Early Settlement and Indian Wars of West Virginia, Embracing an Account of the Various Expeditions in the West…
Romney and Winchester Payrolls, 1775, Accession 39, Misc Reel 78, State Government Records Collection, Library of Virginia, Richmond VA 23219.
“Dunmore’s Expedition,” http://www.lva.lib.va.us/ 10 Feb 2001.
State Government Collection, Accession 34894, misc reel 1263, Library of Virginia: 1782 tax lists for Monongalia, Hampshire, and Randolph Counties.
New Migration patterns:
Moorefield, Hampshire County, Virginia about 1769 to Loudoun County Virginia, 1770-1774 to Cheat River, Augusta County Virginia [Old West Augusta]. Now West Virginia.
Christ Church Parish, Calvert County Maryland to Cheat River, Augusta County VA
I ordered my own personal copy of The Four Goff Brothers of Western Virginia: A New Perspective on Their Lives. 2003. Available from Phillip G. Goff, 310 Cotton Field Way, Alpharetta GA 30022-8282 or Roy L. Lockhart, 4215 18th Ave., Parkersburg WV 26101-6908. Printed by Masthof Press, 219 Mill Road, Morgantown PA 19543-9516. And I have read it through three times, each time gleaning more and more data, source references, and insight into the movement of people from Maryland across Virginia into what became West Virginia.
Sometimes, a genealogy–although not on your own family–can open wide a difficult lineage because your perspective has expanded. I invite you to try this strategy which works so well for Virginia ancestors. Your favorite Virginia genealogist, Arlene Eakle http://www.arleneeakle.com
PS Remember: my Kentucky genealogy blog launches 19 June 2009. I have some very important data to share, which may make a difference to your hardest-to-find ancestors.