Pioneer Story
The T.A. Erb Family History by Ruth Erb Spicknall
Christopher Erb looked in awe at his wife, Mary, and at the red wrinkled wee one beside her, "You didn't think you would ever have another son, did you Father?"
Christopher smiled and his head swelled with thanksgiving "We shall call him Theodore Addison Erb" he said. Mary nodded "and we shall call him Doc for short". That was in Maryland in 1853.
Under Mary's care Little Doc prospered. He walked early and at two year he could carry on a spirited conversation with anyone who would take the time to talk with him. While Doc was growing up his father turned his longing eyes toward Virginia. There he might prosper, and he was always adventurous. He put his plan Mary.
"I am not one to stand in your way, Chris" Mary said. "All the Erbs have been adventurous coming from the Old Country, Switzerland".
"Then, Mary, let's pack up and be on our way by next week". Christopher was exuberant. Mary hesitated "I will hardly have time to say goodbye to the folks, Father" she said sadly. "No use to linger, Mother. Just make it harder to break away".
Anyway, in a short time the Erbs found themselves in Virginia not far from Winchester. Here Doc and his brothers and sisters, for there were others in the family by now, grew up and learned their readin', writin', and 'rithmetic.
Following an Old-World tradition, for each was musical, the young folks traveled about in their part of the state entertaining the countryside with dance, song, and a very special Swiss yodeling. Folks would flock in for miles around to hear the Erb troupe perform. At length, Doc became restless, as his father had before him, and broke away from this and from book learnin' and took up the blacksmith and wheel-making trades.
Soon there was no one around who could make a wheel more perfect of shoe a horse more swiftly than him. The legend goes that whatever a man mentioned in front of the animal that shoeing him was in order, the horse disappeared. The man never worried about his loss, for he know that the horse was Doc's and in a short time the animal would be back shoed and ready for work again. Be that as it may, there was a reason for Doc's a trade and to be an expert at it. He wanted to get ahead...to own something for himself.
Not too far from the Erb farm was a beautiful plantation with a large stone house. Doc did not pay any special attention to the folks who owned the plantation. He made wheels for them and shoed three horses and noticed the beauty all around but that was all.
As a boy of fourteen he did remember the confusion one blustery Thanksgiving night after the Civil War, when a rider on horseback tore thru the countryside. Young Doc shouted "What's the hurry friend"? "I'm to fetch a doctor for Mrs. Payne" the horseback rider answered.
That was the night of November 26th, 1866 that Susan Summerfield Payne was born on the plantation with the big stone house. Not long after that the baby's mother died, leaving the child to the loving care of a Negro mammy. Years later after Susan had left Virginia she sent money back for the care and burial of this dear old mammy. There were other faithful Negro slaves on the plantation and all of them stayed right there with the family just as if there had been no terrible war and no proclamation to set them free.
When Susan was older, she went to live with her mother's sister, Aunt Olivia Timberlake. She loved "Aunt Lib" and had the happiest time with her roaming the fields, seeing the flowers and butterflies, and listening to the cardinal's song. How good it would be to go on living forever this carefree, happy life, but as the poet says, the lives of mice and men change. A change came for Susan. Her father, Mr Payne, married again and the little girl had to leave Aunt Lib and go spend part of the year from then on with her father, stepmother, and two half-brothers.
Susan was very fond of these half-brothers, Port and Shields, and to trying to outmaneuver them, became quite the tomboy, but also learned to be an excellent horsewoman. She was known in several counties for her horsemanship, for she won many trophies because of it. Her father, being a gentleman of the old school, saw to it that Susan attend the "proper" private schools worthy of a young girl of her age an position. There she learned to read, write, speak French, and to be a real lady. She also made an impression on the young man Theodore Erb, who lived just across the way from the big plantation. History has it that the two were married in the beautiful living room before the huge fireplace in Susan's home on July 7, 1866. Fortunate, indeed, were those of her family who, in 1952, visited this place where Susan and Theodore said "I do".
The promise was hardly spoken, however, when the young couple, amidst laughter and tears, joy and gladness, packed their worldly goods, broke away from the serenity of the Southern plantation.
- Otis Telegraph, July 21 2015, Page 13