According to the books James County – A Lost County of Tennessee and History of Tazewell County and Southwest Virginia, 1748-1920, the James Roark family lived at the gap of the dividing ridge, between the waters of the Clinch and Sandy Rivers, through which passed the Dry Fork Road and which was known afterward as Roark’s Gap. James and two older sons (possibly James, Jr. and John) were away hunting game in the winter of 1780 in heavy snow. Although it was unusual for them to be in the area at that time of the year, a band of Shawnee Indians descended on the hapless Roark homeplace and massacred James’ wife and all of his children except for young Timothy. He fought them so bravely with his little hatchet that the Indians spared his life, declaring him to be a brave warrior. They took him as a prisoner and held him captive several years. Finally, he won their confidence and they allowed him some freedom. Taking advantage of this, he escaped one night, taking two white women the Indians held captive. They rode horseback to the river where Timothy had hidden a canoe, and by paddling furiously, they made their escape. Timothy returned the two women to their homes and eventually married one of them.
As a result of this incident, the Roarks became deadly enemies of the Shawnee. James Roark and his son John were later killed in an Indian battle, fought at what was then known as the Station Bottom, within the present limits of Floyd County, Kentucky. Their hatred of Indians obviously applied only to the Shawnees (and probably the Creeks) since Timothy’s son James married Jerusha Blythe, granddaughter of Cherokee Chief Richard Fields. Other Roark families resided in and around the Montgomery County area between 1780 and 1790 and Timothy Roark (possible brother of James) died leaving a will in Claiborne County, Tennessee in 1811.