West Virginia and Regional History Center
1549 University Ave.P.O. Box 6069
Morgantown, WV 26506-6069
Business Number: 304-293-3536
wvrhcref@westvirginia.libanswers.com
URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu
Staff of the West Virginia & Regional History Center
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Use
Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.
Conditions Governing Access
No special access restriction applies.
Preferred Citation
[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Papers regarding Early Settlers of Aurora in Preston County , A&M 0728, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift from Mr. Floyd Spiggle, 1955.
Scope and Contents
Account books, and legal, business, and personal papers of some early settlers at Aurora, Preston County , West Virginia. There are records of a tannery, blacksmith shop, a general merchandise store, and a sawmill, as well as deeds and subscription lists for the Lutheran and German Reformed churches. Also included in the papers are land surveys, wills, deeds, plats, school notebooks, tax receipts, and other items.
Arrangement
The legacy contents list for this collection was very detailed but had no information regarding what folder each item was in, and the order of the list did not match the physical order. The documents had previously been categorized chronologically–-e.g., Folder 1, 1788-1860; Folder 2, 1860-1943; Folder 3, undated. To facilitate use, we placed all the land grants and oversize deeds of land in one oversize folder, then sorted the remaining documents into folders by document type. This seemed most logical because there were many documents of the same category–-for example, many contracts, many ledgers, etc. If there were only a few documents of one type, we foldered them with documents of a similar type/similar subject matter. For example, Folder 5 has birth and death certificates, wills, and related items. We noted and added descriptions of items that were not in the original contents list, added corrections in brackets to misspellings of names, and fixed incorrect dates and other information. A few items from the legacy contents list were not located. If you are having trouble locating an item from an old citation, please contact us for assistance.
Significant Places Associated With the Collection
- Aurora (W. Va.)
- Preston County (W. Va.)
Container List
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 1 circa 1821-1832
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 1
Ledger, Could be from tannery. Half sheet papercirca 1825-1832
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 1 circa 1821-1888
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 1 circa 1832-1838, 1858-1859
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 2
Ledger/account book, Jacob Ridenourcirca 1833-1838
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 2 circa 1832-1859
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 2 1851
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 2
Multi-color bound ledger bookcirca 1883-1888
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 3 1820–1821
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 4
Second of two student copybooks belonging to John Wotring, Jr. and a hymnbook (6 pages) belonging to John Wotring Jr. (undated)1819-1820 and undated
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 5 1802
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 5
Form: Manuscript; Persons: Illegible; Places: No place listed; Subjects: List of names (in German) of children and when they were born with translation1803
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 5 1819 January 26
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 5 1843
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 5 1859 February 23
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 5 1943
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 5 undated
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 6 1831
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 6 1831
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 6 1843
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 6 1851
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 6 1855
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 6
Deed, Henry M. Lantz and Elizabeth Lantz to John A. Wotring, 18591859
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 6 1873
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 6 1881
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 6 1907
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 6 1912
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 6 1916
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 6 1916
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7
Receipt for Better Sox Knitting Millsundated
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7
Receipts (mainly tax receipts) for Henry Howser [Hauser/Houser], Henry Hauser's Hrs [Houser], Eve Houser [Hauser], George Houser [Hauser], John M. Hauser, T H Stuttler (1859;1), Jacob Houser. Total: 34circa 1835-1873
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7
Tax receipt for Eve Hauser [Houser, alt. spelling], signed by S. Guthrie, "to keep a house of private entertatinment"1860
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7 1861
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7 1866
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7 1866
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7 1867
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7 1867
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7 1868
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7 1878
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7 1879
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7 1877
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7 1875
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7 1881
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7 1916
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7 1887
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7 1884
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7 1889
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7 1913
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7
Tax receipt for L.C. Shaffer1916
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7
Tax receipts for Isaac Wotring, Samuel Wotring, Samuel Wotring Jr., Isaac and Samuel Wotring, John Wotring Hrs. 13 totalcirca 1867-1909
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7
Tax receipts for John Spiggle Hrs [Heirs], W.C. Spiggle, John Spiggle. 8 totalcirca 1897-1909
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 7 undated
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 8 circa 1842-1847
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 9 circa 1830
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 9
Court document/settlement[?] between Lennia [?] Stolinberger, Elizabeth McCartney1841–1842
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 9 1843
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 9 1861
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 9 1884
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 9 1890
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 9 1890
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 9 Approximately 1890s
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 9 1940
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 10 1906
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 10 1907
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 10 undated
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 10 undated
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 10 undated
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 10 undated
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 10 undated
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 10 undated
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 10 undated
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 11 1855
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 11
Form: Manuscript; Persons: William Benson; Places: Aurora, VA [now WV]; Subjects: Itemized account1859
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 11 1863
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 11 undated
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 11
"Subscribers Not Paid," 2 pages, itemized listundated
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 11
Small yellowed lined sheet of paper, titled "June 3 92" with itemized listLikely 1892
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 12 undated
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 12 1846
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 12 1851
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 12
Form: Autographed Letter Signed; Persons: David Wotring to James A. Brown; Places: Carmel, WV; Subjects: Business letter1881
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 12
Form: Autographed Letter Signed; Persons: Samuel Wotring from [?] Barton Payne; Places: Preston County , WV; Subjects: Business letter1881Scope and Contents
Letter does not clearly say "Samuel Wotring, but addressed to Sam from "Mr [?] Barton Payne." Has two other papers related to it following this letter, headlined "McKee + Darrell."
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 12
Form: Autographed Letter Signed; Persons: Barton Payne to Samuel Wotring, Jr.; Places: Kingwood, WV; Subjects: Business letter with envelope1882
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 12 Possibly 1881
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 12
Letter from Barton Payne to John Spiggle, Kingwood, with envelope1881
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 13 1863
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 13 1865
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 13 1866
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 13
Hotel license for Eva K. Houser [alt. spelling Hauser], signed by J.M. Chidester1871
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 13 1943
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 14
Farm and Fireside agricultural-related newspaper, Springfield, Ohio1886
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 15
Scratch paper with figures, details an election1844
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 15
Scratch paper with figures, list of names, begins "We the undersigned," dated July 4, 18531853 July 4
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 15
Scratch piece of paper with numbers, Jesse Parsonundated
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 15
Lined paper, begins with "Michael Bolfles built the Red House for Joe Casson…" undatedundated
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 15
Form: Printed matter; Persons: No persons listed; Places: No place listed; Subjects: Order of Salvation in questions and answersundated
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 15
Small slip of paper about measurements and "facts and figures" in typed print. On the back is a list of prices for crops in Philadelphiaundated
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 15
Two lined sheets--One titled "Receipt for Cure of Cancer" and the other titled "To Make Sour Cloves Salve"undated
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 15 undated
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 15
Paper titled "The Age of Horses"undated
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 15
Religious paper warning against vices of drinking, begins with "Young men give ear to what I say"Undated
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 15
"Pomeroy's Elastic Rupture-Belt" PamphletApproximately 1870s
- Mixed Materials Map Case: 10 Drawer: 8
Form: Land grants; Persons: Edmund Randolph (Governor of Virginia) to John Turton Goff, Nathaniel Goff, and Thomas Pierce; Places: Richmond, VA; Subjects: Land grant1788
- Mixed Materials Map Case: 10 Drawer: 8
Form: Land grants; Persons: Henry Lee (Governor of Virginia) to John T. Goff, Thomas Goff, [?] Ashley, and Zacharias Pitz; Places: Richmond, VA; Subjects: Land grant1792
- Mixed Materials Map Case: 10 Drawer: 8
Form: Land grants; Persons: Henry A. Wise (Governor of Virginia) to John A. Wotring; Places: Richmond, VA; Subjects: Land grant1858
- Mixed Materials Map Case: 10 Drawer: 8 1849
- Mixed Materials Map Case: 10 Drawer: 8 1851