David Morgan (12 May 1721 – 19 May 1813), sometimes known as "The Great Indian Fighter", was a soldier, mountaineer, pioneer, and frontiersman in what is now the state of West Virginia.
He was born in Christiana, New Castle, Delaware, the third child of Morgan Morgan and Catherine Garretson Morgan, traditionally stated to be the first white settler in West Virginia. Family tradition claims he was a friend of George Washington and Patrick Henry. Morgan was hired to help George Washington to survey the lands of Lord Fairfax's Virginia land holdings in 1746 and establish the northern border of Fairfax estate. This boundary became the border between Maryland and Pennsylvania. A monument placed at the northern branch of the Potomac River is known as Fairfax Stone. Afterwards, Washington hired David to survey his land on the Ohio River. The Morgan Family Bible states that he killed seven Indians in self-defense.
The most famous Indian fight he was in occurs in 1778 when he was bedridden in Prickett's Fort, he had a dream that his children were running around scalped. He grabbed his gun, ran outside, and found his children chasing a cow near two Indians on his land in present-day Rivesville, West Virginia. David sent them back to the fort, and as this happened, he shot and killed one Indian. Then, a second one threw a tomahawk at the back of his head as he ran back towards the fort, but David deflected it with his hand losing two fingers. He turned around to the Indian, fought hand to hand with him, and finally stabbed the Indian with the Indian's own knife. After a while, they tracked down the injured Indian and found him bounding his stomach wound which had corn seeping from it. The Indian told David “how do broder, how do broder,” trying to talk English peacefully to David and the other settlers. However the Indian died of his wounds. Another account tells that he killed another Indian and the settlers in Prickett's Fort made the Indian's skin into a shot pouch, and presented it to David as a souvenir.
Morgan participated in many battles of the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. He and a younger brother Zackquill (Zackwell) Morgan first settled Morgantown, West Virginia in 1767, which is the town where West Virginia University is located. David and his brother Zackquill first came through the Morgantown area in 1767 and resided at what would be future Downtown Morgantown for a few years. (It wasn't until 1785 when Morgantown became an official city and Fort Morgan wasn't built until 1772) David lived here for two years before moving to Red Stone Creek in Pennsylvania. He then returned to live at Morgantown in 1772 and built the Fort Morgan stockade before he finally moved to area of Fairmont, West Virginia.
In 1745, Morgan built a log cabin at Bunker Hill, Frederick (now Berkeley) County, (West) Virginia. (This structure was later expanded and became the Morgan-Gold House; it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.[1]) In 1772, he moved to Marion County, (West) Virginia.[2] David also built and lived in the original Prickett's Fort State Park helping protect the bastion from Indians and British soldiers alongside Jacob Prickett. During his time in Fairmont, West Virginia he founded and established the community of Pettyjohn on the West side of Fairmont. The community had its own ferry, salt works, mail drop, and trading post, all thanks to David. Even though he may not have a large rank or as remembered as his brother Zackquill, he was still courageous, smart, and proud to fight for his family and his country.
Morgan is the 3rd great grandfather of West Virginia Governor Ephraim F. Morgan (1869–1950) and Congressman William S. Morgan (1801–1878).[2]