Richard Tennant 1744 - 1822 Richard Tennant, was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1744. His father, also named Richard, was a British soldier who fought with General Wolfe against the French in the Battle of Quebec (Canada). Unfortunately, Richard’s father suffered the same fate as General Wolfe and was killed during the heat of battle on the Plains of Abraham, September 13, 1759.
I have heard some of our family speculate that young Richard, hoping to avoid a similar fate, decided to leave Scotland in 1760 to seek opportunities in the Americas. Being a young man of 16 with no resources he did what many others of that time did. He sold himself into service as an indentured servant for seven years in return for passage. On arrival in America his contract was purchased by Peter Haught and he began to apprentice at the trade of weaving. Haught had a daughter name Elizabeth who would eventually become my 4th Great Grandmother. They were living in Moorefield, Hardy County, Virginia (later to become West Virginia). Family tradition has it that upon his return from service in Lord Dunmore's War in 1774, Richard passed through what is now Monongalia County, WV, and decided to make his home there. A certificate on file at the Monongalia County Courthouse states: "Richard Tenant Senr. is Intitled to 400 acres of land in Monongalia County on the waters of Dunkar(d) Creek adjoining Lands of Henry Smith in the right of Residence Including his Improvement made in the year 1775." He purchased 200 acres from Michael Core and later acquired 300 more acres for a total of 900 acres. Richard held all his land until his death. During the Revolutionary War, Richard served as a drummer in Captain Parson's Company. He took part in Brigadier General Lachlan McIntosh's Campaign in 1778, who was directed by Congress to "proceed without delay, to destroy such towns of the hostile tribes of Indians as he in his discretion shall think will most effectually tend to chastise and terrify the savages, and to check their ravages on the frontiers of these states." A force comprised of 2000 men assembled at Fort Pitt and headed for Indian territory on September 11, 1778. Although they never had an engagement with the Indians, they would construct the first permanent fort north and west of the Ohio River, Fort Laurens, on the banks of the Tuscarawas River in Ohio. In Peter Haught, II's pension application records (file S 6981) there is an interview of the then 75 year old Joseph Tennant (son of Richard) verifying Peter Haught & Richard Tennant's military service record. His recollections are most interesting and establish both Tennant and Haught descendants as eligible for membership in the Daughters of American Colonists. Quoting from these records written by a lawyer, W. G. Singleton: "..I took some notes of his recollections as derived principally from his father, Richard Tennant who died in 1822 at the age of about 83 years. Richard Tennant was the progenitor of the large family of Tennants in our County. Joseph Tennant referred to is a man of incorruptible honesty, unquestionable veracity, and withal remarkable for the strength and tenacity of his memory. I obtained from him the following history of his own and the Haught family. They are so interwoven that the history of one is the history of them both. 'My father, Richard Tennant, emigrated from Scotland with others in his sixteenth year to the then colony of Virginia in the year 1755 (this is probably an error), and settled soon afterwards on the South Branch of the Potomac, not far from the present town of Moorefield. He here became acquainted with frequency of Indian atrocities and were taught a certain amount of military discipline. My father, and Peter Haught II, the later then not more than 16 or 18 years of age, were out in the Dunmore Campaign in 1774, under a Captain Summers in General Lewis' division. In 1775 my father emigrated to what is now Monongalia County and being pleased with the country returned to the South Branch and persuaded Peter, Tobias, and Henry Haught, brothers in-law, to emigrate in 1776. Tobias and Henry, after the breaking out of the Revolutionary War, returned to the South Branch, enlisted in the Virginia State Line, and lost their lives in the service. There was a requisition for men from 1778 to 1780 to serve against the Indians in the northwest. My father and Peter Haught, II were out in 1780, I think it was the time my father fixed, under General McIntosh. They served under Captain Michael Cart. I have very often, when a boy, and afterward, heard my father and Peter Haught talk about the incidents of that campaign. They rendezvoused at Fort Duquesne, Father and Haught never went beyond a point called Tuscarawas, where they had a fort erected ~ Captain Catt who resided on Brown's Run in what is now Fayette Co. PA would sometimes call over and spend a few days with the old men, my father, Haught, and others in the neighborhood, who had served in his old company. I remember Catt very well. He would always stay at my father's house. Haught did not live more than a mile from father's and on these occasions would always be present. The old men would have a very pleasant reunion. My recollection of these meetings is as distinct as if they occurred yesterday. I remember an anecdote I heard Captain Catt relate in the presence of my father and Uncle Peter Haught. My father would not often swear. His ancestors had been Scotch Presbyterians. When out in the campaign under McIntosh, my father was a drummer. Their company was camping on the Tuscarawas in the fall of that year. They had to lie on leaves with no covering but a blanket to each man. Whilst they were asleep one night the leaves took fire and amongst the other things spoiled (was) my father's favorite drum. The Captain said that on that occasion my father swore lustily. Indeed Catt, Haught and my father had an old fashioned laugh over this incident. My father and Haught, being with one exception, the earliest settlers in this neighborhood were near neighbors, with the exception of short intervals from 1776 until my father's decease in 1822. I have heard them a hundred times I suppose talk about their services under Generals Lewis and McIntosh, and also as Indian Rangers under Captain John Minor and Nicholas Shines. They always served together. My father was a man of fair English education for that period and a resolute brave man. Haught was really timid and would not have had nerve but for the presence of my father. I have often heard my father say this. I have never heard any person raise a doubt about my father and Haught's service. Anyone, within the hearing of my father in his lifetime, who would doubt his veracity, would answer to their temerity. My father left a large real estate at his death. I was his executor. There were five members of my father's family older than myself. I was born in 1782. .......There is an unwritten history of the Northwestern Virginia that if known would bring in view a race of men, the pioneer settlers here, of marked and remarkable character. They lived before the time when actions are influenced by a kind of mercenary civilization. They were men of honest purposes, unflinching courage and truth." Monongalia Co. Dec 1, 1857 Richard and Elizabeth were the parents of 13 children who lived to maturity and have many descendants still living near the ancestral home on Jakes Run in Monongalia County, WV. The following narrative was published in The Monongalia Story, A Bicentennial History, Volume III, Discord, pages 75-79, written by Earl L Core. One of the earliest examples of Monongalia County folk literature is the famous "Road to Morgantown," the author of which is unknown but believed to be Joseph Park and the date likewise unknown but apparently about 1832. The story concerns Robin Darrah, a resident of Miracle Run, in western Monongalia County, who is directing a stranger to the county seat (Robert D. Darrah was the father of Henry Darrah, who married Anna Tennant. Anna was the daughter of John Tennant and Rosanna Moore). Along with illustrating the garrulous nature of some backwoodsmen, the account gives sidelights on living conditions of the day and the people mentioned were real men and women living in the area at the time. The text follows: STRANGER: My friend, can you tell me the road to Morgantown? ROBIN DARRAH: (Throwing down an armful of chips which he was carrying from the yard). By the grace of God I can tell you as well as any man in the county, for I've been there myself. You come past old Joe Tuttle's, didn't you? With his lip stickin' out like your foot, and the amber running off his lip sufficient to swim ducks. He chaws tobaccy, sir! STRANGER: I care nothing for him. I've come past there. I wish to get to Morgantown. ROBIN DARRAH: Well you'll take up the hill past old Blink-eyed Baldwin's, all the blacksmith we have in the county; the cussedest iron roaster you ever saw in the born days of your life. He will burn up forty plowshares a year, if you'll take 'em to him. A few days ago, Jake (dang his name) and Bets (dang her too! For I can't think of either of their names), was running off to get married over in Pennsylvania, and stopped at Blink-eyed Baldwin's to get their hosses shod. He blowed and blowed and the devil a shoe he made and whether they got married or not I'm unable to tell. He's got a little stewed up old woman for a wife about as big as your fist, about so high! And she keeps the whole country in an uproar with her lies, running so that it's Mattie Baldwin here and MattieBaldwin there and Mattie Baldwin in everybody's mouth. And there's not a lawsuit in the county in which she is not summoned as a witness for somebody, and whether she swears or not I'm unable to tell you, but I believe she swears lies. You'll take down the hill from there to old Dave Chew's that married old Aaron Foster's widder. You'll turn around his farm to the right - that road will lead you down to Dan Cokes, the dog shooter; he has killed all the dogs in this county, so if you're afraid of dogs you needn't be alarmed, for there's not a dog left to bark at you, and it's Dan Cokes here and Dan Cokes there and Dan Cokes in everybody's mouth. He ought to be made pay for the dogs, and I think he will before he gets through with it. The other day me and my son, Joe, was going through a field and up jumps a fox and the dog took after it, and we've never heard of the dog or fox since till this day, and then the fox was about 350 yards ahead of the dog till he hasn't got back yet, and I expect Dan Cokes killed him. You just keep down the run from there and you'll come in among the fattest, lustiest set of Negroes you ever seen in all the days of your life. Their name is Dowd and its Dowd here and Dowd there and its Dowd in everybody's mouth. I've one of the cussedest lawsuits with them you ever heard of in your life, and it's all about slander and there's Tom P. Ray, Clerk of the county court at Morgantown and Edgar C. Wilson the best lawyer in the Virginny, both say I'll beat 'em as slick as a bone and it's all about slander, though I've never slandered anybody myself. You'll come across a pint there and fall over to another run. By turnin' to the right you'll come down to old Bill Messers. He married a Metz and her name is Peg, and she's the cussedest woman to swear you ever heard in all your life, sir. Her hair sticks out like a scrub broom. She don't comb it from one week's end to another and it's Peg Messer here and Peg Messer there and Peg Messer in everybody's mouth and she can outswear Mattie Baldwin! You'll turn there to the left and that will take you to a pint and you will fall over into Jake's Run, named after old Jake Statler in Indian times, and it's settled with Tennants from head to mouth! And they are the cussedest set of men to fight you ever saw in all your born days. Whenever they have a log-rollin' or any comin' together of the people, their jackets are off, and the blood a flyin' and all hollerin' fair play. The father will fight the son and son will fight the father. The brothers will fight one another. There's old Enock Tennant, a steppin' around with his head a stickin' to one side; I believe he is the foulest Tennant among 'em (Enoch Tennant was the son of Joseph Tennant and Catherine Haught). But there's Black Ben, Pete Tennant's slave, I'd like to forget him (Pete Tennant refers to Peter, Richard Tennant's first son. Black Ben is Ben Ponzoo). He's the only white man among the Tennants. You'll turn up that run by turnin' to the right, no road to turn you off, till you fall on the head of the Little Paw Paw, to my son-in-law's Ben Shuman's, one of the ugliest men you ever saw in your lifetime and it's Ben Shuman here, and it's Ben Shuman there and it's Ben Shuman in everybody's mouth; he keeps the whole neighborhood in an uproar with his lies. But I must say that Ben Shuman has the best breed of dogs in the county, and he's going to have a lot of pups soon. My Joe spoke a pup and I 'low to go over day after tomorrow myself and buy the mother and sell her to my brother-in-law, Joe Koon,for a gallon of whiskey, or a bushel of corn. John Hood's got the best store in Blacksville. There's going to be a famine on the creek for Shep Lemaster and Joe Park are selling their corn out at 25 cents a bushel and they'll have to give 50 cents for the same corn back again between this and harvest. And Bill Lantz and Bill Thomas have got a barrel of whiskey apiece and are retailing it out at a bushel of wheat to the gallon and they'll get all the wheat in this neighborhood and that wheat will go from there to Pittsburgh and I'm a drawin' a pension at this time, and devil a bit more right have I to it than they have, but there's old Andy Cobley and Jake Brookover got me before the squire and didn't care what I swore so they got part of the money. All the exploit I ever done in my life was to kill my mother and then the gun went off by accident (He accidently shot his mother while cleaning his gun). STRANGER: Good day, sir! MRS DARRAH: Robin, the gentleman don't know no more about the road now than if you hadn't said a word. ROBIN DARRAH: Hold your tongue, old woman. By the grace of God, he can't miss the way, and I know he recollects it, for he said good morning and we parted. A roadside marker commemorating Richard Tennant and his family has been erected near the site of his first cabin on Jakes Run, Clay District, Monongalia Co. WV. Note: Jakes Run and Statlers Run are one and the same stream. It is named for Jacob Statler an early pioneer on this same creek in 1770. The sign reads – Tennant Family - This marks the site of the home of Richard Tennant, pioneer settler and Revolutionary War solder and Elizabeth Haught his wife and their children reared in this section.