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Fleming Cobb was born in Albemarle County, Virginia in 1767. Sometime later his family moved to Buckingham County. He enlisted as a volunteer to serve on the frontier and was sent to Fort Lee at the mouth of the Elk River. He arrived there in October 1789. He decided to settle permanently in the Kanawha Valley. Later, he returned to his home to inform his parents of his plans.
When Fleming returned he brought his Uncle, Thomas Upton, and his family with him. Upton acquired 240 acres five miles down river from Fort Lee on the south side. He built a cabin on a small stream that is still known as Upton Creek. Thomas Upton, Jr. also became a ranger at Fort Lee.
It was during the summer of 1790 that Fleming is said to have performed a remarkable feat of endurance and courage as a ranger. The fort was running low on ammunition; and, someone was needed to go to Fort Randolph and bring back a supply of powder and lead as soon as possible. Fleming volunteered and the story of his journey has become an epic in the tradition of the Kanawha Valley.
He traveled under cover of darkness. He ran his canoe down the river with long, powerful strokes, slowing down only long enough to pick his way through the shoals. As daylight came upon him, he spotted several Indians moving up the opposite side of the river. He pulled into the mouth of a small branch which was concealed by overhanging trees and slept for several hours. When he awoke he continued the last ten miles to the fort and began loading his canoe for the return trip.
As soon as complete darkness fell, Fleming shoved off and headed upstream. Not only was he traveling against the current, but the loaded canoe slowed him down. Bending to the paddle, he managed to maintain a normal speed. He traveled through each of the several shoals in the river in the dark counting on skill to bring his loaded craft through the treacherous rapids.
Just before daylight, he was running up the north side of the river just below the mouth of Coal when somehow, he was discovered by the three Indians he had seen traveling east the day before. They took several shots at him, but when they reached the mouth of the Coal River they had to swim over which slowed them down. They caught up but, he being on the other side of the river was still out of range. Coming to a shallow place in the river, one of the Indians tried to wade over and come up behind him.
Seeing the plan, he slowed his canoe almost to a stop and when the wading Indian came within range, he fired, wounding him. The other two Indians came to their brother's aid, firing a few parting shots; but, Fleming pushed the canoe ahead and out of range. He pulled into Fort Lee about 10 o'clock that morning having made the sixty mile trip in just under fourteen hours.
Hiram Cobbs, a grandson of Fleming, was later confronted by some friends on Militia Day who proclaimed that the famous fourteen-hour canoe trip by his grandfather was just an old folks tale, that it never really happened. They saying that no one could accomplish such a feat. Rising to the defense of his grandfather, Hiram bet a gallon of peach brandy that he could duplicate the old record. Hiram Cobbs beat his grandfather's record with time to spare.
Fleming Cobb was listed in the 1840 Kanawha County Tax List with three slaves, one horse, mare, colt or mule, and one carryall worth $50.00.
Will of Leonard Morris, written 26 Feb 1831, Proved 11 Jul 1831
Tombstone in Cobb Cemetery, South Charleston, Kanawha County, West Virginia (near the Kanawha Country Club)
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Fleming is 23 degrees from Herbert Adair, 23 degrees from Richard Adams, 17 degrees from Mel Blanc, 25 degrees from Dick Bruna, 18 degrees from Bunny DeBarge, 33 degrees from Peter Dinklage, 19 degrees from Sam Edwards, 17 degrees from Ginnifer Goodwin, 16 degrees from Marty Krofft, 15 degrees from Junius Matthews, 14 degrees from Rachel Mellon and 18 degrees from Harold Warstler on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.