Abraham Jarrett of Kanawha Co, VA/WV, was the son of James Jarrett Sr.(of Greenbrier Co, VA/WV). He was probably the eldest son, born between 1760-70 (based on his 1791 marriage date and his wife's documented age-b.1764 and subsequent census records.) Thus Abraham would have been the son of James's first wife, "Elizabeth" or "Polly Griffith".

Where he was born is not known, but the Jarrett family had moved to the Greenbrier region of VA/WV by 1771, having moved from Berks Co., PA. Abraham grew up on Muddy Creek in Greenbrier Co. during the 1770s, an especially dangerous time to be in the Greenbrier due to continual Indian attacks. Along with his friends and neighbors, Abraham probably spent the first decade of his life moving back and forth between the family farm and Arbuckle's fort on the hillside above Mill Creek.

Formal schooling did not appear to be an option for most children of the Greenbrier region in the 1780s, and Abraham was unable to write his own name, signing his will with a +. In various court records, he and his siblings used the "Jarrett" spelling, rather than the earlier "Gerrad" spelling used by his literate grandfather in Pennsylvania.

In 1791, Abraham and two of his uncles, Jesse and Owen, accompanied him to the Botetourt Court House in Fincastle, VA where he married Elizabeth Hughes, the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Hughes. The couple appears to have returned to Muddy Creek in the Greenbrier region to begin their married life though Elizabeth's parents and several of her brothers moved farther west to Kanawha Co.

While living at Muddy Creek, the Jarretts had at least four children: two sons and two daughters. Daughter Nancy married James Wilson in 1807. In 1810, Abraham and Elizabeth were able to buy 2 tracts of land--172 acres and another 26 acres-- on Muddy Creek from Abraham's uncle, Owen. That same year, their 14 yr. old daughter Leah married David See who lived on the Greenbrier River below Alderson.

By 1815, the family had moved to Kanawha Co, possibly accompanying or following Abraham's younger brothers, Eli and Owen, to the Elk Creek region where their father James owned several tracts of land. Living nearby was cousin Squire Jarrett, as well as his two brothers. The area was soon named Jarretts Ford, a name that remains today. Their daughter and son-in-law, David and Leah Jarrett See, then on the south side of the Kanawha River, some 30 miles (at least 2 days) away. In 1817, the Jarretts sold their Muddy Creek land back in Greenbrier County.

The Blue Creek land was first patented to James Jarrett and officially willed to his son Abraham at James' death. It was located on the northeast side of the Elk River. In 1817, Abraham acquired 500 acres of land on "Blew Creek", a branch of the Elk. The land was located on both sides of the creek, including the flat land, near Pinch Gut and Buffalo Lick Branch. Abraham had a warrant for 775 acres on Blue Creek and the Sugar Camp fork. The land was a narrow valley or "holler" running between mountains on either side. There was an abundance of trees of all varieties, the forest full of wild game and the streams abounding with fish. Though the area was still a wilderness, at least Indian troubles were a thing of the past. Still, cabins had to be built, the land cleared for crops, and the hard work of creating a new life in the wilderness to be carried out, and this at a time when Abraham and Elizabeth were in their 50s. By now most of their children were young adults, and Abraham and Elizabeth owned 3 horses and 9 cattle. In 2008, the area still looks much the same as it must have in 1815, though with a few more houses and roads through the area.

With the two rivers running through their property, it was an excellent place to build a mill. The 1820 Kanawha Co cenus shows Abraham and Elizabeth (both in their 50s) with four men (2 aged 16-26; and 2 aged 26-45), and a free "colored boy" under 14. Presumably at least two of the young men were their sons since neither had married until the mid 1820s. The household was involved in manufacturing--either a flour or lumber mill-- as mentioned in other records.

It has been hard to determine the location of the Jarrett daughters during this time period. David and Leah See had land on the Kanawha River near the mouth of Cabin Creek for a time but appear to have moved to Indiana with other See family members. They only stayed for a year or two, returning to Kanawha Co by 1820.

In 1823, Abraham borrowed a total of $1100 in 4 separate loans, putting up 300 acres of land, in addition to "three horses, five head of Cattle, two yoke of Oxen, one waggon, three beds & furniture, thirty hogs and all my interest (in) the blue Creek mills" as collateral.

When Abraham died in 1850, he owned approximately three hundred acres on the northwest side of Elk River, about 12 miles from the mouth. It was his last wish that his property, including his livestock and household goods, be sold and divided among his heirs, and that the money be used for lands in "the west."

Elizabeth was still living in Nov 1846 at the age of 82 when she gave a deposition in her brother Robert Hughes' Rev War pension request. She died only a few years before Abraham (between 1846=1850). Their son John had also preceded them in death in 1829. Their burial locations are unknown.