James Verdier

James Verdier, a French Huguenot immigrant of noble descent, who fled religious persecution in France with his wife Susanna, became a key civilian supporter of the American Revolution in what is now West Virginia. Settling first in Maryland before moving to Shepherdstown (then in Virginia), he established successful tanneries along Town Run and expanded operations to Martinsburg and Sharpsburg, Maryland, while building the Rockland plantation house between 1771 and 1785. As a prominent local settler and businessman, Verdier provided vital supplies—particularly leather goods and provisions—to the Continental Army, including logistical support for the famous "Bee Line March" of 1775, when Shepherdstown riflemen rapidly marched nearly 600 miles in 24 days to join George Washington's forces at Cambridge, Massachusetts. His material contributions helped sustain early Patriot efforts in a region that supplied a high per capita number of soldiers, cementing his recognition as a Revolutionary War patriot by organizations like the Sons of the American Revolution. 

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