John Howard
John Howard was an explorer for the British to satisfy their interest in the western area beyond the mountains. John Howard and his son passed through Berkeley County a few years after John Lederer, a German physician and explorer employ by Sir William Berkeley, colonial governor of Virginia, explored Berkley County in 1670. At that time, the county was primarily occupied by Tuscarora Indians. Howard and his son discovered the valley of the South Branch of the Potomac.The next known explorer in this county was John Van Meter in 1725. During their expedition in 1742 John Peter Salling, Charles St. Clair, John Howard, and his son Josiah Howardwere the first Englishmen to set foot in present day Greenbrier County. In March of 1742 John Howard went to the home of John Peter Salling. The journal of Christopher Gist says he told him "he had received a commissionfrom our Governor to travel to the westward of this Colony far as as the Mississippi River in order to make discovery of the country and that as a reward for his labor, he hasd the promise of an Order of Council for ten hundred thousand acres of land and at the same time obliged himself to give equal shares of said land to such men as would go in Company with him to search the county as above. Whereupon Salley and two men and Charles Sinclair (his own son Josiah Howard having already joined with him) entered in covenant with him blinding themselves to each other in certain writing and accordingly prepared for their journey" in what Salley described as 'a very unluck hour to me and my poor family.' They left on their journey on March 16, 1742 by starting out to Ceder Creek where they crossed over a solid rock Natural Bridge. Howard was present when Salley discovered coal in West Virginia. He accompanied them during their river journey to New Orleans where he was arrested by the French. An entry in Christopher Gist's journal describestheirarrest as follows: "the second day of july and about nine o'clock in the morning we went on shore to cooked our breakfast. But we were suddenly surprised by a company of men, to the number of ninety, consisting of Frech menand Indians who took us prisoners and carried us to the town of New Orleans, which was about one hundred leagues from us when we were taken and after being examined upon oath before the Governor first separately one by one, and then altogether we were committed to close prison, we not knowing then (nor even yet) how long they intended to confine us there. During our stay in prison they had allowed us a pound and a half of bread a man each day and ten pounds of pork per month for each man." Howard and his followers, except for Salley, were sent to France as prisoners. No charges were brought against the men in France. Howard and his followers were released and permitted to travel to L.ondon
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