Lewis Wetzel

Lewis Wetzel and I***n Gobler Caves across time: c1880, c1891, c?, c1910, c1970s.

Sketches of Lewis Wetzel

Old photo at McCreary Cemetery. Note that Martin’s last name is spelled Whetzell and Lewis’ is spelled Whetzel.

“I***n Gobbler Cave” on Wheeling Creek, West Virginia.

From the True Wetzelian:

“Most folks drive right through West Liberty and don’t realize they’re passing one of the real “starting points” of Northern Panhandle history. Before Wheeling was the county seat… before any big brick courthouse… Ohio County’s first court business got set up at “Black’s Tavern / Black’s Cabin” on Short Creek. That December 1776 meeting picked it as the place where court would be held, and the very first session followed on Jan. 16, 1777. Not long after, the place name “West Liberty” starts replacing “Black’s Tavern” in the records. And by 1779 a courthouse was completed there. Later on, the county seat shifts to Wheeling (1797) and the rest is history.

Wetzel connection? Here’s the part that lines up clean: during this same frontier window, Capt. John Wetzel (the older generation Lewis Wetzel’s father) is on record commanding a ranger company ranging in Monongahela and Ohio Counties in 1778 under Col. Daniel McFarland. So even if we can’t point to a single line that says “Wetzel sat in court at Black’s Tavern,” the Wetzels were absolutely operating inside the same Ohio County frontier system that had its civil “hub” right there at West Liberty.”

I’ll get back to our group here in the days ahead. I just lost my son in a car accident this week. Larry Helton

Luke Helton Obituary - Middletown, OH Celebrate the life of Luke Helton, leave a kind word or memory and get funeral service information care of Breitenbach-Anderson Funeral Home.

2018 “In Wheeling” magazine article of first families showing the decedents of John Wetzel. Of interest is the powder horn that belonged to John Wetzel with his initials on it. Also a piece of wood from Lewis Bonnet’s house.

Homesteads of Lewis Bonnett, Martin Wetzel, and John Wetzel, plus the McCreary Cemetery locations

Martin Wetzel

“Brother of the legendary frontier scout Lewis Wetzel, Martin carved his own fierce legacy in the Ohio River Valley.

Born in 1762 in the wilds of Pennsylvania, Martin moved with his family to what is now the Sand Hill District of Marshall County, WV. The Wetzels traveled west in a wagon drawn by two asses, settling on the rugged frontier alongside the Zanes and other early pioneers. Their home began as nothing more than that wagon, until their father, Captain John Wetzel, finished the family’s cabin.

After witnessing the brutal loss of his father and family members to Native American raids, Martin vowed vengeance. Like his brother Lewis, Martin became known for his deadly skill and unrelenting resistance in the face of native aggression. While Lewis earned fame for his sharpshooting, Martin was unmatched in stealth, strength, and frontier combat.

Despite his fearsome reputation, Martin was remembered as a loyal friend and trusted community member—a man of deep contrasts.

He now rests in McCreary Cemetery in Marshall County, laid to rest between his wife and daughter beneath a sandstone slab—his grave unmarked, but his story etched into the soul of the land.”