Daniel Fielding McCune

Daniel McCune died in the Richmond Virginia State Penitentiary while he was serving time for murder. (See full story below).

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/136736012

https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LCTS-T2C/daniel-f-mccune-1794...

http://www.hurherald.com/cgi-bin/db_scripts/articles?Action=user_vi...

Son of Peter McCune Sr. and Christina (O'Brien) Mccune.

Daniel F. (born 1800 --Died 1849 or 1850) married Rebecca Nichols (born 1805). Rebecca was the daughter of Levan Nichols Jr. and Margaret (Peggy) Mace.

Daniel belonged to a gang called the Hellfire Band. They roved from place to place wanting to preserve the wildlife of the West Fork of the Little Kanawha River as a sportsman's paradise. Jonathan Nichols was the overseer in charge of building a road through the West Fork. (he was also 1st cousins with the wife of Daniel. Rebecca Nichols). Daniel and 3 other members,Jackson Cottrell, Joseph Parsons, Alexander Turner were tried and convicted for the murder of Jonathan Nichols about the year of 1843. They were sentenced to 18 years in prison in Richmond, Va.

Daniel McCune died in the Richmond Virginia State Penitentiary while he was serving time for murder.

According to the Mormon archives at Salt Lake City, Utah. It states that Daniel served as a Private in the war against Great Britian. He served in the Infantry,5th Regiment Virginia Miltia serving Captain John Bozanth at Norfolk,Va. Under the command of Lieutenant Col. Isaac Booth. For about six months being honorably discharged at Fort Nelson, Feburary 22, 1814. Another McCune family document states that Daniel McCune also served under Captain John Bozarth's Company under the command of Lt. Col. Waddy Street. Company pay roll for Sept - Oct.1814. Terms of service charged,2 months & 1 day. Pay per month 8 Dollars, Amount of pay 16 dollars & 25 cents.

1840 Census Kanawha, VA p 113 of 122 Danl S McCune 1m 0-5 1m 5-10 1m 10-15 1m 40-50 2f 0-5 1f 5-10 1f 10-15 Timothy McCune 1m 30-40 1f 40-50

1850 Census Gilmer, VA #213 all born VA Rebecca McCune 45 Mary 26 Cook 22 James 20 Solomon 15 Mahala 13 Christina 11 William 8 Jane 6 Emeline 5/12

1850 Census Gilmer, VA # 210 all born VA Peter McCune 27 Martha 33 Margaret 9 Rebecca 7 Paulcer 3 Peter 10/12 Elizabeth 16 James Barnhouse 22

Children of Rebecca Nichols and Daniel McCune are: 1. Mahala Martha McCune, b. 1833 or 1836. d. 1884. m. Hagle Michael Schoolcraft. 2. Peter McCune Jr. b. 1795 or 1823. d. 1860. m. Martha Parsons. 3. Mary McCune, b. 1825. d. 1900. m. Samuel Schoolcraft. 4. Barnabas Cook McCune, b. 1828. m. El Drennen. 5. James McCune, b. 1830. d. 1905. m. d Mary P. Barnhouse. 6. Solomon McCune, b. 1834 or 1835. d. 1895. m. 1. Bethany Tanner Helmick. m. 2. Rachel Mace. 7. Christina McCune, b. 1838 or 1839. d? m. d Jacob Naylor. 8. William H. "Bill" McCune, b. 1842, Calhoun Co. (W)Va.. 9. Jane McCune, b. 1841 or 1844. d. ? 10.Emeline McCune, b. 1844 or 1850. d. ? 11.Margaret McCune, b. 1819 or 1822. m. Morris Short.

CALHOUN'S HELLFIRE BAND MURDERED INNOCENTS - Outlaws, Vigilantes, Plunderers (01/26/2009 HUR Herald) By Bob Weaver The Hellfire Band was an organized vigilante group that roved the West Fork River Valley, a group of men described as renegades and thieves claimed they provided law enforcement and justice to the region. Hellfire Band member, Daniel F. McCune, son of early Calhoun settler Peter McCune, was one of the principals in the outlaw group. He was born in 1800 and died about 1850 in a Richmond VA penitentiary, where he was sent for the 1843 murder of Calhouner Jonathan Nicholas. Col. D. S. Dewees in "Recollections of a Lifetime," recalls McCune and three other members of the renegade Hellfire Band, Jackson Cottrell, Joseph Parsons, Alexander Turner were tried and convicted for the murder of Nicholas. They were sentenced to 18 years in prison in Richmond, Va. Mostly the band preyed upon law abiding citizens, resulting in one of the earliest calls for some kind of law enforcement in a region that was to become Calhoun County. Jonathan Nicholas was the overseer in charge of building a road along the West Fork in what was to become Washington and Lee Districts. Nicholas was a first cousin to Daniel McCune's wife, Rebbecca. The Hellfire Band, while roving the West Fork River Valley, claimed they wanted to preserve the wildlife of the region for a sportsman's paradise, opposed to all newcomers or improvements. Nicholas, with his road building efforts, was an assault upon their "preservationist" beliefs. Jackson Cottrell was pardoned after five years, Alexander Turner died on the road to the penitentiary near White Sulfur Springs, Greenbrier County, and Joseph Parsons died soon after going to prison. Daniel McCune died in prison two or three years after Cottrell was pardoned, about 1850. MURDEROUS TIMES Some of the descendants of the Hellfire Band joined irregular groups when the Civil War started. Arnoldsburg resident Peregrine Hays, a sheriff of Gilmer and Calhoun Counties, and George Silcott formed a militia during the Civil War known as the Moccasin Rangers. George Downs was elected captain, with Daniel Dusky and Peter Saurburn being among its' ranks. Perry Conley and Nancy Hart, the "Lady Guerrilla," helped organize an irregular group of renegades in Calhoun County. While some Calhoun citizens left the Moccasin Rangers disgusted with its thieving ways, General Heth continued to describe the group as band of robbers and plunderers. During the war Francis Butler was killed on Big Otter by his brother-in-law, Thomas Cadle, a member of Capt. Absolom Knotts' Co E 14th VA Cavalry. Cadle was indicted and convicted of murder in the first degree and sentenced to be hanged. He was confined in the Roane County jail, but before the day of his execution he broke jail and escaped. He had threatened to take the life of Oliver M. Butler, another brother-in-law, and while Cadle was sneaking about the premises of Butler in the deadly Booger Hole area near Big Otter, Butler shot him. The shot inflicted a severe wound in the Cadle's knee, dying some days after. Butler was indicted and acquitted. The Booger Hole bushwhackers, home guards and various vagabonds frequented "The Hole" near Big Otter, many of them having an outlaw past. Captain Perry Conley's renegades played havoc with some of Booger Hole's early settlers. Conley, known as the "Quantrel of West Virginia," led the outlaw wing of the infamous Moccasin Rangers. Riding with Conley was the lady guerrilla, Nancy Hart, a woman who could outride and outshoot any man. James Rogers organized a home guard in Booger Hole. Rogers and a neighbor Soloman Carpenter were patrolling the holler one night when they encountered the Moccasin Rangers. Captain Perry Connolly and the Moccasins took Rogers and Carpenter up a nearby holler, tied them to a tree and riddled them with bullets. This was how the yankees had murdered Nancys brother-in-law William Price. The Braxton Home Guards found Conley and Nancy Hart on Stinson in Calhoun, firing upon them. Some say Conley was shot and beat to death with gun-butts in 1862. Hart escaped to Nicholas County. Read Nancy Hart tales under PEOPLE, HUMOR AND HISTORY A murderous story from the Hur Herald

CALHOUN'S HELLFIRE BAND MURDERED INNOCENTS - Outlaws, Vigilantes, Plunderers (06/17/2010) By Bob Weaver 2008 The Hellfire Band was an organized vigilante group that roved the West Fork River Valley, a group of men described as renegades and thieves claimed they provided law enforcement and justice to the region. Hellfire Band member, Daniel F. McCune, son of early Calhoun settler Peter McCune, was one of the principals in the outlaw group. He was born in 1800 and died about 1850 in a Richmond VA penitentiary, where he was sent for the 1843 murder of Calhouner Jonathan Nicholas. Col. D. S. Dewees in "Recollections of a Lifetime," recalls McCune and three other members of the renegade Hellfire Band, Jackson Cottrell, Joseph Parsons, Alexander Turner were tried and convicted for the murder of Nicholas. They were sentenced to 18 years in prison in Richmond, Va. Mostly the band preyed upon law abiding citizens, resulting in one of the earliest calls for some kind of law enforcement in a region that was to become Calhoun County. Jonathan Nicholas was the overseer in charge of building a road along the West Fork in what was to become Washington and Lee Districts. Nicholas was a first cousin to Daniel McCune's wife, Rebbecca. The Hellfire Band, while roving the West Fork River Valley, claimed they wanted to preserve the wildlife of the region for a sportsman's paradise, opposed to all newcomers or improvements. Nicholas, with his road building efforts, was an assault upon their "preservationist" beliefs. Jackson Cottrell was pardoned after five years, Alexander Turner died on the road to the penitentiary near White Sulfur Springs, Greenbrier County, and Joseph Parsons died soon after going to prison. Daniel McCune died in prison two or three years after Cottrell was pardoned, about 1850

 McCune, Daniel F_1

 Court Outcome for J W Parsons, Daniel F McCune and Jackson Cottrell From Don Norman's Family Files

According to D.S. Deweese's "Recollections and Experiences of a Lifetime", Daniel was a member of an informal group who called themselves "The Hellfired Band".This group roved from place to place and wanted to preserve the West Fork of the Little Kanawha River as a sportsman's paradise. Since Jonathan Nichols was a supervisor charged with building a road through the West Fork area, his objectives ran counter to the purposes of the Band.Accordingly, they killed Jonathan April 8, 1843.
A citizen's posse arrested Jackson Cottrell, Daniel McCune, Joseph Parsons and Alexander Turner and took them to Charleston, where they were convicted and sentenced to eighteen years in prison in Richmond, VA.Jackson was pardoned after five years, but the others died in prison.Daniel died about 1849 or 1850. After Daniel's death, Rebecca married Jacob McElwain.

http://theresashauntedhistoryofthetri-state.blogspot.com/2012/02/hi...

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Apr 16 2018, 22:46:42 UTC

  ---

GEDCOM Source

@R200442203@ Family Data Collection - Individual Records Edmund West, comp. Ancestry.com Operations Inc 1,4725::0

GEDCOM Source

Birth year: 1800; Birth state: VA 1,4725::4448909

GEDCOM Source

@R200442203@ Family Data Collection - Individual Records Edmund West, comp. Ancestry.com Operations Inc 1,4725::0

GEDCOM Source

Birth year: 1800; Birth state: VA 1,4725::4448909

GEDCOM Source

@R200442203@ Family Data Collection - Individual Records Edmund West, comp. Ancestry.com Operations Inc 1,4725::0

GEDCOM Source

Birth year: 1800; Birth state: VA 1,4725::4448909