Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 2.djvu/293

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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

his death, at Middleborough, Kentucky, Au- gust 8. iSii.

Zane, Col. Ebenezcr, was born October, 1747, in that part of Augusta county. \*ir- ginia. which is now Ohio county, West Vir- ginia. This family is of Danish origin, but at an early day removed to England and thence in the seventeenth century to America. In 1770 he wandered to the west with his brothers Silas and Jonathan, and settled at Wheeling. In 1772 his family and a few friends removed to his new abode on the Ohio. There was not at the time a perma- nent Anglo-Saxon settlement from the source to the mouth of the Ohio. The little band at Wheeling stood alone in the im- mense solitude. In 1773 many families join- ed the settlement. Zane's intercourse with tlie Indians was marked by mildness and honorable dealing — hence his hamlet es- caped the fur>- of the savages until 1777. All three brothers were men of enterprise, piudence and sound judgment, and the Wheeling settlement was mainly due to them for its security and preservation dur- ing the revolution. He was conspicuous dur- ing the siege of Fort Henry, and brought himself so prominently before the public that he received various marks of distinction from the colonial state and Federal govern- ments. He was a disbursing officer under Dunmore. and enjoyed under the common- wealth numerous civil and military distinc- tions. Col. Zane's fearlessness was exempli- fied by his almost single-handed defence of his own dwelling, in the fall of 1782. The government of the United States, duly ap- ' preciating his capacity, energy and influence, employed him by an act of congress, May, 1796. to open a road from Wheeling to Lime-

stone (Maysville). This duty he performed in the following year, assisted by his brother Jonathan, and son-in-law, John Mclntyre, aided by an Indian guide, Tomepomehala, whose knowledge of the country enabled him to render valuable suggestions. The road was marked through under the eye of Colonel Zane and then committed to his as- sistants to cut out. As a compensation for opening this road, congress granted Col. Zane the privilege of locating military war- rr.nts upon three sections of land ; the first to be at the crossing of the Muskingum, the second at Hock-hocking, and the third at Scioto. Col. Zane thought of crossing the Muskingum at Duncan's falls, but fore- seeing the great value of the hydraulic power created by the falls, determined to cross at the point where Zanesville has since been established, and thus secure this important power. The second section was located where Lancaster now stands, and the third en the east side of the Scioto opposite ChilH- cothe. The first he gave, principally, to his two assistants for services rendered. In ad- dition to these fine possessions, Col. Zane acquired large bodies of land throughout western Virginia, by locating patents for those persons whose fear of the Indians de- terred them undertaking personally so haz- ardous an enterprise. Mr. Zane married a sister of the daring borderer, McCulloch, by whom he had eleven children. He died in iSii, at the age of sixty-four.

Hening, William Walter, born in Virginia about 1750. He was for many years a suc- cessful lawyer. In 1804 he represented Albe- marle county in the house of delegates, and two years later was made a member of the executive council, serving in that station for

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