Samuel Kercheval
Samuel Kercheval (March 1767 in Frederick County, Virginia – 14 November 1845 in Middletown, Virginia) was a Virginia lawyer and author. His A History of the Valley of Virginia (1st edition, 1833) provides important primary information on the earliest white settlements of the Shenandoah Valley and South Branch Potomac River and their encounters with local Indians.
Biography
Kercheval married Susannah Chinn on 23 September 1787. His Valley of Virginia was so popular that the first edition was soon exhausted. He died before the second edition came out.[1] He lived at the time of his death at "Harmony Hall" between Strasburg and Middletown.[2]
Editions of A History of the Valley of Virginia
- First edition, 1833: Winchester, Virginia: Samuel H. Davis; 486 pgs.
- Second edition, 1850 ("Revised and Extended by the Author"): Woodstock, Virginia: John Gatewood, Printer; 347 pgs.
- Third edition, 1902: W.N. Grabill, Power Press.
- Fourth edition, 1925; With notes by Oren F. Morton; 400 pgs.
References
- ↑ Walker, Etta Belle “The Story Teller Of The Valley--Samuel Kercheval”; In: Willis, Carrie Hunter and Etta Belle Walker (1937), Legends of the Skyline Drive and the Great Valley of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia: Dietz Press.
- ↑ "Harmony Hall" is now part of Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park.
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