Of all my Revolutionary War Patriot ancestors, Captain MICHAEL STUMP II is the most familiar to me. His family is very well documented in what was originally Hampshire, then Hardy County, Virginia, now West Virginia.
MICHAEL II , born 8 April 1744, was the son of MICHAEL STUMP I and ANNA CATHERINE NEFF, the children of German immigrants, who migrated from Pennsylvania down the "Old Wagon Road" to settle before 1748 in what what was then Augusta County, Virginia. A book by John Clements Fitzpatrick on the writings of a young GEORGE WASHINGTON, who was a surveyor at that time, indicates that "In the spring of 1748 GEORGE WASHINGTON accompanied a surveying party into the S. Fork & S. branch valleys; They surveyed for Lord FAIRFAX, and WASHINGTON kept a record of this. He found settlers in Lower S Fork valley and made survey for MICHAEL STUMP (Sr)". There are indications in other sources that MICHAEL STUMP I hosted GEORGE WASHINGTON and the other surveyors at his homestead.
MICHAEL STUMP II married SARAH HUGHES, daughter of THOMAS HUGHES, in 1763 in Hampshire County, Virginia. In 1765, his father MICHAEL STUMP I deeded to his son MICHAEL I a parcel of land, about 400 acres, where MICHAEL I was to live for the rest of his life.
Much has been written about Captain MICHAEL STUMP II's military career. Here is an excerpt from a book "The Stumps, Descent of the Four Michaels" by Paul Hardman, (Charleston WV: 1940)
"He (MICHAEL STUMP II) enlisted in Lord DUNMORE's War (1774) and after the Battle of Point Pleasant and the peace treaty with the Indians, returned to Hampshire County. It was also noted that he was stationed at newly built Fort Culbertson in present day Summers County, WV. In September 1774, he was at the Battle of Point Pleasant. After his return home, he was commissioned a Lieutenant Colonel in the Virginia Militia, with the responsibility of organizing and training new recruits in the Romney area.
"In response to a call from Governor THOMAS JEFFERSON, MICHAEL II resigned his militia commission in 1781 and enlisted a company of light infantry (Continental Army) and led them to Fredericksburg, where they were absorbed into General WEEDEN's Army. MICHAEL II was commissioned a Captain in General WEEDEN's army. He participated in the siege of Yorktown and was present for the British surrender. Captain STUMP and his company were discharged in New Kent County, Virginia in May 1781. On April 3, 1782, a claim was presented to the court in Orange County on their behalf. "
After the war, Captain MICHAEL STUMP II served as Justice of the Peace for Hampshire (later Hardy) County Virginia in 1782 and 1784.
In 1783 MICHAEL II was named in the will of his mother, ANNA CATHERINE (NEFF) STUMP. However, ANNA did not pass away until 1795. There are numerous court records concerning this will as she excluded her son GEORGE STUMP, who had contested the 1767 will of his father.
MICHAEL STUMP II died 2 June 1799, likely intestate. His estate was assessed and sold 12 June 1799. Slaves were not listed in his estate (although his father's will refers to several ).
No gravestone has been found for MICHAEL STUMP II. It is likely that he was buried on his homestead.
The original homestead of his father MICHAEL STUMP I, near Moorefield, West Virginia, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A log cabin was built in 1783 on that location by LEONARD STUMP, brother of MICHAEL STUMP II. It was saved from disrepair by the Buhl family in the 1990s, and is the oldest structure in West Virginia.
The surname is sometimes spelled "STUMPF" in records
MICHAEL STUMP II is in the lineage of my paternal grandmother MINTTIE MAE BRUTON HUBER
SOURCES:
-DAR Patriot Index
-Historical Register of Virginia in the Revolution
-Michael Stump Sr of Virginia 1709-1768 by Thurman Stump publ 1975
-The Stumps: Descent of the Four Michaels by Paul Hardeman publ 1940
-Pioneer Families of West Virginia by Pinkney W Sunburn publ 1912
-The Border Settlers of Northwestern Virginia 1768-1795 by Lucullus McWhorter publ 1915
-The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscripts by John Clements Fitzpatrick publ 1931
Have a great day!
Betty
© Betty Tartas 2026
