Joseph Swope, born in 1707 in Germany, came to America about 1720 and was reputedly the first settler in Monroe County about 1752, when it was part of Augusta County. His son Michael, born on 29 Sept. 1753, was recorded as the first white child born in Monroe. Nearby is the grave of his son Joseph, who was seized in a 1756 Shawnee raid and held captive for nine years. Swope served in the Colonial Wars, and his sons Joseph, John, and Michael served in the American Revolution.