General Notes

Biography by Professor Joseph M. Kellogg

George Teter was born about 1762. He appears for the first time in the Personal Tax lists for Rockingham County, in 1784, next to his father Paul Teter. He is stated to have 1 white tithable, 5 horses and 7 cattle. He also appears on the so-called Census of Heads of families for 1784, as George Teter Jr., with 5 "white souls" in his family. (The George "Feter" on that list, called Senior, is George Teter, the uncle of this George).

About this time, in 1784-85, he left the home district and went across the mountain and made a home for himself on the Dry Fork of the Cheat river.

(This is just beyond the great divide of the Allegheny mountain behind the Teter location in Pendleton County. A famous Indian pathway, the Shawnee-Seneca Trail went that way. It was the chief highway between the South branch of the Potomac and the Tygarts River valley. It is said that hundreds of pack horses laden with salt, iron, and merchandise traveled it yearly, as well as great droves of cattle. It was also very important in the Civil War. This whole country was, and is of exceeding difficulty for the traveler, and this made this feasible path of great importance.

It was not until 1826 that wagons, however, crossed the mountains from the South branch to Randolph County. I traveled up this old highway in the summer of 1923, in a Ford car, and it was no pleasure jaunt. One went up the valley of Seneca Creek getting narrower all the time, then boldly over the mountain, crossing the divide on the famous Roaring Plains, then down rapidly again but through much more open country to the Dry Fork. The distance is not really great and it must have been a comparatively easy trip in the old days on horseback. Now - 1940 - a fine modern highway follows this same route.)

On October 15, 1784, there were surveyed for George Harness, as assignee at third of fourth hand from an original Andrew Woodrow, 190 acres, on the waters of the Dry Fork of the Cheat river, "including George Teters improvement." George Harness himself was the surveyor and George Teter and Jacob Shook were the chain bearers. The land was then assigned to George Teter. (From Harrison County Survey book #1, page 544). George Teter was granted a patent for this 190 acres on December 19, 1786. (Virginia Land book #7, page 424).

This region soon was included in Randolph County when that county was formed, and on the Land entry book 2, of Randolph County, page 28, it appears that on August 18, 1788, George Teter entered 100 acres (as part of Treasury warrant No. 15211 issued to Josiah Watson and Moses Tandy, dated March 6, 1782) on the waters of the Dry Fork of Cheat to include a survey of 93 acres issued by issued by George Harness, beginning at 2 spruce-pine trees and running S 60 - W 50, etc. He patented this tract (as 93 acres) on June 9, 1791 (Virginia Land book No. 23, page 594).

On November 28, 1791, William Wilson, acting for George Teter, entered 100 acres between the Rich mountain and the Laurel Fork, opposite Thomas Summerfields. (Randolph Entry book 2, page 77). This tract perhaps should be assigned to George Teter Sr. of Pendleton County, rather than to this George Teter, son of Paul.

As stated above this George Teter appeared on the Personal Tax list for Rockingham County in 1784, but after removal to the Dry Fork, he appears on the list for Harrison County (in which this district was then) for 1785 and 1786, and then in Randolph County (which was formed at that time and included this same district) for 1787 and continuously for each year up to and including 1794. Then his name disappears completely. Evidently he must have died or removed to some other locality about this time. (There seems to be no record of his disposing of his land however by deed or otherwise).

No further knowledge about this George Teter or his family is at present available.