Echoes of the New River: The Legacy of the Gwinn’s of Round Bottom

[This article is a summary of the work of Leona Gwinn Brown – the DEFINATIVE work on the history Round Bottom and the New River Gwinns. It is posted here in hopes that you will go read it in its entirety at https://www.gwinnreunion.org/]

In the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, where the New River carves a wide, graceful circle through the hills of Fayette County, West Virginia, lies a place known as Round Bottom. To the Gwinn family, this stretch of level land is more than just a geographic feature; it is a sacred ancestral home that witnessed centuries of survival, growth, and resilience. In her evocative work, “The Gwinns of Round Bottom,” Leona Gwinn Brown captures the sweeping history of this family, drawing from a treasure trove of “Gwinn Papers” found in an old trunk to preserve their story for future generations.

From Wales to the Wild Frontier

The lineage of the Round Bottom Gwinns traces back to Robert Gwinn, a native of northern Wales who settled at the head of the Calfpasture River in Augusta County, Virginia, by 1744. His son, Samuel Gwinn, became a pivotal figure in the family’s westward expansion. A veteran of the Battle of Point Pleasant and the Revolutionary War, Samuel lived the harrowing life of a pioneer, frequently “forting” his family in blockhouses during the summer months to defend against Indian attacks. By 1799, Samuel had moved his family to Green Sulphur Springs, establishing a prosperous farm that would become some of the most valuable land in the region.

The Settlement of Round Bottom

The specific “Round Bottom” tract—230 acres on the west bank of the New River—was purchased in 1855 by John Gwinn, Samuel’s son. John was a man of significant stature in Fayette County, serving as both a Justice of the Peace and the county’s seventh Sheriff. He also operated a “house of private entertainment,” a marketplace and inn where hunters and farmers bartered goods like bear meat and wild ginseng for coffee and lead.

In 1861, John sold the property to his son, Laban Gwinn, who brought his bride, Mary Jane Burdette, to the remote riverside homestead. However, their peaceful life was soon shattered by the Civil War. As a staunch Union man, Laban was targeted by Confederate partisan rangers. In August 1862, warned that he was about to be arrested, Laban and Mary Jane fled with their three small children. As they ascended the mountain toward safety, they looked back to see their house and barn burning.

Resilience and Renewal

After three years of exile in Indiana, the family returned to the ruins of Round Bottom in 1865. Their return serves as a testament to the extraordinary strength of Mary Jane Gwinn. Family tradition holds that they lived in a cave-like rock overhang for two years while rebuilding their home. Mary Jane’s legendary status was further cemented by stories of her physical prowess, such as the time she reportedly wrestled a swimming deer in the river, holding its head underwater to secure meat for her family while Laban was away.

The next generation, led by George Loomis Gwinn and his wife Rosa Spade, saw Round Bottom reach its peak of prosperity. Loomis, a man of many talents, built a spacious, modern house featuring hardwood floors and a carbide gas lighting system. He even established a private school on the property for his thirteen children and those from nearby lumber camps, ensuring his family had the education he lacked.

A Living History

Leona Gwinn Brown’s work does more than list dates and deeds; it breathes life into the “Paradise” that Round Bottom represented for the grandchildren who visited by train and boat, shouting “Heeehoooo!” across the river to be picked up at the landing. While the original house may now be in ruins and the fields grown over, Brown argues that the Gwinns’ true legacy is intangible but invaluable: a capacity for hard work, a keen sense of humor, and deep roots in the West Virginia soil.

For anyone interested in Appalachian history, genealogy, or the sheer grit of the American pioneer, “The Gwinns of Round Bottom” is an essential chronicle of a family that grew and became part of the very beauty of the land they called home.

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Analogy for Understanding: The history of the Gwinns at Round Bottom is much like the New River itself. Just as the river ground its way through the ancient Appalachian hills to create the “Bottom,” the Gwinn family carved their existence out of a wild frontier, enduring the “rampages” of war and economic hardship, yet always returning to the steady, circular path of their ancestral home.