One of the earliest known physicians in Harlan County was James Huff. Born and raised on the Virginia frontier, he was about 12 years old when the American Revolution began in 1776.Although too young to take an active part in the Revolutionary War, he saw local militia service in the Virginia frontier forts as did every able-bodied man. In the spring of 1794, he was a member of a small militia force that tracked an Indian raiding party and its prisoners. An account of this incident, as related by Dr. Huff, was printed in 1846 in the Jacksonian, a newspaper in Abingdon, Va.
On the north fork of the Holston River, the Indians had captured the wives of Peter and Henry Livingston, two of Peter Livingston's servants and a black slave boy belonging to Edward Callahan. When the news reached Yokums Station in Powell Valley, Huff and eleven other men set out to free the captives. The others were Vincent, Job and Abraham Hobbs; John, James and Peter Vanbever; Adam Ely, Samuel Livingston, George Yocum, Mr. Dotson and Stephen Jones. The leader of the small band of Indians is said to have been a Cherokee outlaw half-breed named Benge, the son of trader John Benge and his Indian wife. This Cherokee outlaw had some brothers and half-brothers who were peaceable and some of them settled in south eastern Kentucky.
The militia group tracked the Indians and their prisoners into the Cumberland Mountains and attempted to ambush them. An Indian spotted one of the ambushers and struck the captive Mrs. Peter Livingston with a tomahawk. Vincent Hobbs in turn shot the Indian who, it is said, was the infamous Benge, leader of the raiding party. The rest of the militia party then rushed forward to rescue the remaining prisoners, killing at least one more of the Indians. According to Dr. Huff's own account of the incident, he attempted several times to get a clear shot at the Indian holding the other woman captive and finally threw down his gun and drew his knife.
Attacked directly, the Indian released the captive woman and attempted to flee into the surrounding thickets, but was brought down by a shot fired by one of the other militiamen. With the captives freed the party then rushed to the tomahawked woman and found to their relief and surprise that she was alive. It is said she survived the incident and subsequently raised a family.
It is not known where or when James Huff received any medical training. It is quite probably that like most frontier doctors of that time, the only training he received was in the form of an apprenticeship to another doctor. James and his wife, Obediance, settled in Harlan County about 1820. They had at least three children, Isaac, Winston and James Jr. Both James and Obediance were living in 1850. In 1860, James was living with his son Isaac.