“Sacred to the Memory of Jacob Berger
Born in Germany 21st December 1745
Died 25 January 1837.”

Around the time of the American Revolution, parts of Virginia saw an influx of German and Swiss settlers from Pennsylvania. The settlers sought new areas where they could acquire larger tracts of fertile land. Southwestern Virginia remained frontier wilderness and the young county of Pittsylvania offered an abundance of natural materials on sparsely populated lands. The promise of better opportunities and in some cases the appeal of climate attracted these settlers southward.

Like members of the Amish community, they were known as the “Pennsylvania Dutch” (a corruption of “Deutsch,” which is their word for German). Cultural and language differences could create friction with English-speaking neighbors. Additionally, many Germans in Pennsylvania were neutral or loyalist during the Revolution, which could have driven their migration as well. Several groups of German people settled in the northern portions of Pittsylvania County around the present community of Redeye. A few notable German families held the surnames Berger, Craft, Crider, and Shelhorse. 

According to Jacob Berger’s tombstone, he was born in Germany in 1745. He made the long voyage by ship to Pennsylvania and settled down to Virginia shortly before the Revolution. A newer tombstone at the foot of the original details his military service as a chief wagoner. He likely coordinated and oversaw operations to transport supplies, equipment, and sometimes troops using horse-drawn wagons. After the war, Jacob and his wife raised a large family on their portion of Frying Pan Creek, which became known as Clifton Plantation. Adjoining their property, another Pennsylvania German named Daniel Kreider purchased land and later constructed a grist mill in the 1790s. Daniel Kreider married Jacob Berger’s sister, Maria, and their descendants adopted an Americanized spelling for their last surname, “Crider.” 

Several decades later, In 1829, Jacob’s grandson Samuel C. Berger established a store on their family property one mile south of Pigg River and twelve miles north of Pittsylvania Court House. Many of his relatives, including his cousin George Tyree Berger, operated the post office at the store. By that time, the Berger family had displayed prominence within the county. Samuel’s siblings married into other big local names including the Graves, Dickenson, Shelton, Nowlin, and Wooding families. 

Around 1830, Craft’s Store was established about 6.5 miles to the southeast under George W. Craft, Sr. His father, Conrad Kraft sailed from Germany as a child with his parents to Pennsylvania and settled down in Virginia, where he changed the spelling of their name. George Craft’s brother, Philip, had an impressive brick home constructed that he called “Reiseziel,” which translates to “Destination” or “Goal.” in German. The building existed for over two centuries and later served as the office of Chatham native Henry Hurt until it was unfortunately lost to a fire in 2017. Thankfully, much of the architectural detail was documented and photographed during the years prior. Read this informative article about the Craft home and view photos on victorianvilla.com.

The similarities brought a partnership between the Craft and Crider families because in 1842 both George W. Craft Jr. and Andrew Crider paired as postmasters of Craft’s Store (AKA “Crafton”). A postal record from 1850 detailed that 37 people lived within two miles of Craft’s Store. The offices at Craft’s Store and Berger’s Store both discontinued in 1860, but Berger’s was soon reestablished and later changed names in 1889 to “Toshes” under Dr. Reuben T. Ramsey.

In 1892, the Redeye Post Office was established at Shelhorse’s Store under John B. Shelhorse. It was located about seven miles south of Pigg River. His grandfather followed the same journey as the Crafts and Criders, and changed his name from something similar to “Schelhasen.” Two of John’s brothers married granddaughters of the Kreider-Berger marriage. Through James M. Shelhorse (born 1837) and former Miss Susan C. Crider, their son John married into the Craft family, bonding together all four of the families.

Today, descendants of these early German settlers are still living in Pittsylvania County after about 250 years. While a noticeable settlement of German families settled near the town of Chatham, even more made their way westward to the Shenandoah Valley during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is fascinating to follow the history of these families and learn about the communities they helped to establish and the cultural influences brought with them.