Nice !
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us it appears, by almost everyone's research, that the first earnest settlement in the area was circa 1730. There may havebeen a few earlier forays to explore the area, for instance, Issac Vanmeter had been there prior to 1730 to view the lands heapplied for in his Grant.The Van Meters, [Berkeley County, West Virginia] John and his brother Isaac were Indian Traders who knew the country aboutthe Potomac and the Shenandoah as early as 1728. In 1730 John and Issac Van Meter applied to Lord Fairfax for landgrants in VA totaling 40,000 acres upon which to settle their families and friends. "The land applied for on June 17, 1730 ...lying ... the fork of the Sherundo River & the River Opeckon in as many several tracts or dividends as shall be necessary" ......Before the two years were up in which the Van Meters had to colonize the land granted, they had assigned theirGrant to Jost Hite and he in turn brought in Robert McKoy (McKay) as a partner. This transfer by the Van Meters to Hitewas on August 5, 1731. Then on Oct. 25, 1731 Hite & McKay received a grant for 100,000 acres on the west side of the BlueRidge under the same conditions.When Hite first arrived on what he believed to be his land in VA (circa 1730/31), he found blazed trees, plantedmonuments and other marks that indicated to him that someone had already been there. He soon found out fromimmigrants coming in, who had made these marks. The people coming in carried with them deeds from the Van Meters. Hitehad known of the Van Meters from New Jersey. Hite quickly realized that problems lay ahead, especially since the Vanmetergrant appeared to predate his grant and thus was senior. It would appear Hite saw a solution to the problem and anopportunity. Hite quickly arranged to buy the Vanmeters Grant (of June 17th, 1730) and it was assigned to Hite in 1731.Hite appears to have sold out in PA and moved to VA ...
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