4 Oct 1783 Surveyed for Ericus Smith 200 acres of land in Washington County by virtue of a Certificate from the Commr. for the dist. of Washington & Montgomery Cos. and agreeable to an act of the Genl. Assembly of Virginia passed in May 1779, lying on the water of Thompson's Creek a branch of Clinch River and Beginning at a walnut & 2 sugar trees at the foot of a ridge of knobs and running thence N7W 30 poles to 2 lg. white oaks; N34E 22 poles to 2 white oaks & a red oak; N17W 60 poles to a lg. white oak, a Dogwood & Sarons(?) Berry saplings on the S side of a branch; S73W 142 poles to a red oak Maple & _______ saplings in the ford of a branch; S45W 67 poles crossing a branch to a Dogwood & beech near a field; N58W 16 poles to 4 sugartree saplings on the side of a hill; S47W 102 poles to a lg. white oak & beech on top of a ridge; S82W 53 poles to 2 Beeches & a Dogwood sapling on a spur; S36W 67 poles to 2 Beeches & a Dogwood sapling on the west side of a branch; S39E 20 poles up sd. branch to an ash & Beech on the west side of same; N73E 380 poles running along the north side of a ridge of knobs to the beginning. Benj Sharp Apt Robt. Preston SWC We the Commissioners for the district of Washington and Montgomery Counties do certify that Ericus Smith is entitled to 200 acres of land in Washington County lying on the north side of Clinch in the New Garden, to include his improvement he having proved to the Court that he was entitled to the same by actual settlement made in the year 1773. As witness our hands this 24th day of August 1781 Test. Jos. Cabell | James Reid, CCC Harry Innis(?)| Comrs. N. Cabell |

17 Sep 1787 Patent to Ericus Smith 82 ac. on Thompson's Creek, adjacent to Samuel Priest (government patent, no witnesses) 2 Oct 1787 Patent to Ericus Smith 200 ac. on Thompson's Creek, a branch of Clinch River, adjacent to his other land (government patent, no witnesses)

21 Aug 1797 Sale: Ericus & Rosanna Smith, Andrew & Rachel Smith, Ephraim & Mary Hatfield, Joseph & Rachel Smith sell to Aly Smith, 94 ac., part of an old 200 ac. tract (no witnesses)

22 Aug 1797 Sale: Aly Smith, Ericus Smith, Andrew Smith sell to Joseph Hatfield, 82 ac. on Thompson's Creek, part of survey of 4 May 1784, adjacent to Samuel Priest (no witnesses)

22 Aug 1797 Sale: Aly & Jane Smith; Andrew & Rachel Smith; Ephraim & Mary Hatfield; Joseph & Rachel Hatfield, now of Lee Co, VA--sell to Ericus Smith, 106 ac. on Thompson's Creek, part of 200 ac. granted to Ericus Smith, decd. (no witnesses)

• Ericus Smith married Bridget Anderson 22 Nov 1753 in Old Swedes Church of Wilmington, Delaware
• Ericus and Bridget (Anderson) Smith baptized Maria, 8 December 1754 (Records of Old Swedes Church of Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware)
• how handy, documentary proof of a daughter of the right name and age to marry Ephraim Hatfield

• Ephraim named a son Ericus, a daughter Bridget, and possibly even a son Aly
• Ephraim's son Joseph left a son, Smith, and 3 grandsons named Smith
• son Valentine left a son Aly, 3 grandsons named Anderson, and a grandson Smith
• There was never a "Goff Hatfield" in any permutation

p. 81 Thomas Goff, Aaron Alderson, jury Jun 1793

p. 26 Elexius Musick & Anna Musick appt. Administrators on estate of David Musick, decd., Henry Smith to be their security for 1000 pounds Sep 1792

While George Belcher (the speaker's wife's grandfather) was living in Russell County, the Indians made a raid there, killed David Musick, and carried his wife and, I believe, three children away. He joined thirteen other white men who followed the Indian trail down Indian Ridge to the mouth of Indian Creek, then on to Haysi. They reached there after dark and found the Indians in camp near the north end of the present county bridge over Russell Prater. The whites lay and watched the Indians camp all night. The next morning, they attacked, and killed one Indian. The rest scattered, some going up Russell Prater and some down the river. They rescued the captives and took them back to New Garden. Here Mrs. Musick and her children lived in Mr. Belcher's loom house in his yard for some time. She later married a Mundy who was killed by Indians; then she married Ephriam Hatfield and became the relative of all the notorious Hatfields. It is said that Ephriam was a regular Hatfield name, and Eph Pressley, who married Dick Colley's daugher, Margaret was named for a Hatfield relative, his mother being a Hatfield. There were some Damrons in the party that pursued the Indians. Grandmother Colley, who was Emma Ferrell, lived right where David Musick was killed. He was working in a field and when the Indian alarm was given, he ran to the house, but, instead of going inside, he crawled under the house. Here the Indians discovered him, pulled him out, tomahawked him and scalped him. An Indian put the scalp in a belt that he wore and Mrs. Musick said that he seemed mighty proud of it for, on the trip to Haysi, he continually shook it around close to her. My father-in-law told me that one of the white men took a strip of skin out of the back of the dead Indian and wore it as a belt. Drayton Musick, who lives up here on the hill, has told me that his grandfather, Elexious Musick, was one of the children who was captured, and he had scars on his head all his life that were made by the Indians on the trip.