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PHOTOGRAPH BY W. S. SHERWOOD
THE AUTHOR'S PICTURE
HISTORY
^ OF
RITCHIE COUNTY
\X/1TH BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF ITS
PIONEERS AND THEIR ANCESTORS, AND
WITH INTERESTING REMINISCENCES
OF REVOLUTIONARY AND
INDIAN TIMES
By
MINNIE KENDALL LOWTHER
WITH PORTRAITS AND OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS
WHEELING NEWS LITHO. CO., WHEELING, W. VA.
■ox AND QATIONS. 1911 Lj
COPYRIGHT, 1911
BY
MINNIE KENDALL LOWTHER
i C I
t C ^ t t I
0
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♦O^nm? nf our d|tliiltoiiri ! l|nui afifrrttnti rltnga 11 1 Anb lian^rs 'rouub tl|^^ witli lipr s^ra^l) uitnga ! itar^r tl)i| l|tUa, tI|ouglT rlab tn autumn bruitin, (Uliau fairest Bummits uilitd| tl)? r^iiarfi rrowu ! ^uiretrr tltp fragraur? of tlii| summpr bvnzt (5hau all Arabia brfatl|ps along tl)^ spaa ! Sllir atraugpr'a galp uiafta liom^ tltp rxilp*a atgl), iFor tljp l|rart'a t^mpk ta tta omn blup akg.
— Oliver Wendell Holmes.
nf
SI)? ftotippra of Ettrl|tf Oloutttg
PREFACE
The idea of writing a history of Ritchie county had its origin in a suggestion made by Lewis Harvey Adams while editor of the "Ritchie Standard," about the year 1904 when he requested us to v/rite some historical articles (of towns and other points of interest in the county) for his paper. We had long been an invalid (from an injury to the spine sustained by a fall from a horse) and was at that time local correspond- ent for his paper. However, we agreed to comply with this request in cas£ that the desired data could be obtained, and shortly after set about the task, and when once at work, we became so much interested, that the research resulted in a brief history of the county which ran as a serial in the "Ritchie Standard" from June 7, lOOG, to January 3, 1907 ; .and by the time this serial was at an end, quite a number of the readers of the paper were requesting its issue in "book form." P.ut Ijeing conscious of its many inaccuracies and imperfections we resolved to set out anew, and to make a more complete an.d authentic history before submitting it to the public in book form. So the wdiole ground has been gone over again, and much new territory has been explored. Letters of inquiry with out-lines of su.ggestive questions have been sent to every known pioneer family ; the telephones and the newspapers have been pressed into service, and various other devices have been resorted to in the gathering and the verifying of this data; and we now submit to the people of this county as authentic, and as complete a history as can be hoped for at this late day when the lips of so many of the makers of this history are now sealed in death. And while we realize that many imperfections are still in evidence in this work, we trust that the reader will noi: lose sight of the disadvantages that have confronted us, and the fact that we are a novice in the "book business"— this being our first venture.
The orio-inal idea was to go back with these sketches to the time the ancestors of the pioneers of the county crossed
VIII PREFACE'
the water and down to their sons and daughters ; and it will be observed that this is still the general plan of the book, though circumstances have demanded not a few departures from this plan. But in each and every instance we have used such material as has been available. Some of the older fami- lies are written up for several generations in order to bring them down to the memory of the present people. Some have had well-preserved records and other data to draw upon, while others whose ancestry ma}^ ha\e been just as interesting, had i.one. Others again manifested no interest, hence the absence of some who should have been included.
Quite a number of complete family genealogies have been furnished us, but owing to the size of this volume, and the arduous task involved, it has been necessary to leave the younger generations and their achievements principally to the future historian, or to the individual family record-maker.
The prime object of this volume has been to embalm the memory of the pioneers of this county, and to show briefly the grow^th and progress that one hundred ten years have wrought in this little corner of our great Commonwealth. Some have felt that because their ancestors did not figure in public affairs that their brief history was hardly worthy of a place; but would it not be w^ell for us to remember in this connection that all of the heroes are not found in the front oi' the battle or in e.xalted positions; but that some of the noblest of earth have been content to live and die in the humbler walks of life — "unheralded and unsung." And, truly, such examples should be an. inspiration for us to "do with our mi<2ht what our hands find to do," though it mav be a verv lowly task : for —
"Tl may not be on the mountain's iieight. Or over the stormy sea; It may not be at the battle's front ' My Lord may have need of me."
We gratefully acknowledge the valuable assistance ihat has been rendered us by the many in the accomplishment of this arduous task; for had this assistance been withheld this
PREFACE ■ IX
little volume could never have been given to the public. Our investigations have been persistent and thorough, and if some cherished tradition is found to be set aside, please bear in mind that this has been done only upon good authority. Many conflicting statements have confronted us, but we have made our decisions always in favor of the most authentic informa- tion, although some disputed points are still left in doubt.
While it is impossible to mention all who have contributed to this work, the following named persons are among those who have been especially helpful -outside of their own family data :
Israel Davidson, the late Joel Westfall, the late General Harris, the late j\Irs. Salina Woods, the late Mrs. A^nes Layfield, the late Mrs. Elizabeth McGregor, Mrs. Sarah Osbourn, George 15. Douglass, Van Martin, Van A. Zeveiey, Martin Smith, the Rev. James T. Sinnett, Harry Dawson, B. M. Cowell, Mrs. Lma Haymond Lantz, John B. Lemon, E. R. Tibbs, Creed Wilson, Hu Maxwell (the historian), Mrs. Eveline Evans, Mrs. Belinda Hill^ Mr. and Mrs. B. H. Wilson, George B. Johnson, Christopher Douglass, the late William Douglass, L. V. McWhorter (the historian of North Yakima. W^ashington), Miss Fannie McKinney (Williamstown). Mrs. Iva Lowther Peters (New York), Miss Julia Maxwell (West Tvlilford), Granville Lowther (Braxton county), Josiah Hughes (Roane county), Forrest Goff (Glenville), A. H. Hall, C. L. Zinn, Mrs. Lullu Halbm Parker (Kansas city, Missouri), Miss Genevieve Collins, Newton P»rake (Buckhannon), and perhaps others.
We are also indebted to Withers "Chronicles of Border- warfare," the "History of Ohio," and the "Historical and Geographical Encyclopedia of the Virginias' for interesting helps : and to many courtesies from the telephone operators along the different lines, and for special favors from the Pritchard Telephone Company, the local newspaper editors and the kind publishers. Last but far greater than all has been the help of the great Author of all good.
MINNIE KENDALL LOWTHER.
Fonzo, West Va., January 24, 1911.
L
CONTENTS
Chapter Page
1. — Discover}'- of Ritchie County 1
II. — First Settlers in Ritchie County 2',)
III.— South Fork Settled 4()
IV. — Thomas and Phebe Cunningham (■);/
v.— The Westfalls and Whites 7 J
VI. — South Fork Settlers — Continued S'A
Vll.^South Fork Settlers — Continued 10-;
VIII.— North Fork Settled 1-iO
TX. — North Fork Settlers — Continued 14J
X. —First Settlers in the Cairo Vicinity IGO
XL— Scotch Settlers '_ IT"?
XII.— Bond's Creek Settled 188
XIII.— Husher's Run 30:)
XIV.— Goose Creek Settled 220
XV.— Middle Fork Settled 225
XVI.— Bone Creek Settled 240
XVII.— Otterslide Settled 25(5
XVIIL— Spruce Creek Settled 201
XIX.— Grass Run Settled. 27tJ
XX.— Leatherbarke Settled 295
XXL— Indian Creek Settled 303
XXII. — Chevauxdefrise Settled 31()
XXIIL— Slab Creek Settled 330
XXIV.— White Oak Settled 347
XXV.— Beeson Settled 357
XXVL— Macfarlan and Dutchman 3()7
XXVIL— Devil Hole Creek Settled 377
XXVIIL— Ritchie Mines ' 382
XXIX. — Pioneer Life and Character 300
XXX.— Schools and Teachers 394
XXXL— Churches 400
XXXIL— Mills 418
XII CONTENTS
Chapter Page
XXXIII.— Postoffices 4;>S
XXXIV.— Ritchie County Formed 430
XXXV.— Developments 435
■ XXXVI.— Physicians 443
XXXVII.— Newspapers 453
XXXVIIL— Ilarrisville 4(53
XXXIX. — Prominent Harris\ille Families 474
XL.— Cairo 499
XLI. — Pennsboro 512
XLII.— Ellenboro 53-3
XLIIL— Smithville 541
XLIV. — Burnt House ( Goff's, Fonsoviile) 553
XLV.— Auburn 5G0
XLVL— Berea 573
XLVIL— Pullman (Oxford, Holbrook) 579
XLVIir. — Petroleum (Hig'hland, Cornwallis, Glendale,
Mole Plill. Rusk) 58r.
XLIX.— Tollgate 594
L. — Other Prominent Families 599
LI. — The Younger ]Men's Calendar 620
LII. — The Poet's Corner (536
LIIL— The Blue and the Gray (544
LIV. — Some xA.dditional Ancestries (553
LV. — Natural Resources 6(jG
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Page
1. Author's Picture Frontispiece
2. Old Rock at the Mouth of IncHan run ;3
3. Lowther Coat-of-arnis 5
i. Col. William Lovvther's Cabin 7
5. Cemetery where Col. Lowther Sleeps <i
G. The Old Stone Ilotise at Pennsboro • 2i
7. James Hardman and Ilardman Chapel 51
8. George W. Hardman 53
9. The Old Malone Homestead (Wyldewood Cottage
whrre the History of Ritchie County was written) 56
10. Archibald Wilson 106
11. John CoHins 132
12. Daniel Haymond -' 134
13. Marsh Cabin 135
14. Emmanuel Dotson 113
15. The Old Marshall Home 167
10. Richard and Eleanor Rutherford 111
17. The Old Rutherford Home J 171
18. Andrew and Catharine Hall Douglass 178
19. William and Elizabeth Plall McGregor lOO
30. Robert Sommerville 339
31. Mrs. Jennie Kendall Lowther 315
23. Harman and Frances Moats Sinnett 316
33. Scene of the First Tragedy in Ritchie County 368
34. Ruins of the Ritchie Mines and Frederick Lcukmi,
the discoverer ■ 383
35 H. S. Wilson -.-- 388
SG. James Woods 393
27. Flarrisville School Building 402'
38. A Modern School P.uilding 403
39. Harrisville M. E. Church 409
30. Harrisville P.aptist Church 412
31. Isaiah and Jane Taylor Wells 417
XIV LIST OP ILLUSTRATIONS
Page
?:2. The Isaiah Wells Mill and Homestead 419
')3. The Old Xorth Fork Bridge 437
o4. Gen. Thomas Alaley Harris 4U
35. The late Residence of Gen. T. M. Harris 44.'3
36. Dr. and Airs. M. S. Hall 44^
37. Enoch G. Day 4r,l
38. E. S. Zcveley 454
30. White Hall Hotel 405
40. The Court House with, the Annex 468
^1. The Jail 46!)
4?. Harrisville looking from the Cemetery south of town 47')
43. P. & H. Train on Trestle 47-3
4i. Panorama of Pennsboro 5T8
45. J. P. Strickler 53«)
46. Mrs. j. P. Strickler 536
47. L. V. McWhorter (Old Wolfe) 569
48. Portraits Younger Alen's Calendar — 15et\veen 620-621
49. John S. Hall 636
50. Herbert P. AIcGinnis 640
51. Soldiers' Group — Between pages 643-644
52. Oil Derrick 667
CHAPTER I
The Discovery of Ritchie County
S we look with so much pleasure and admir- ation upon' the smiling valleys and sunny hill-tops that surround our rural homes, it sounds like a fairy-tale to be told that a little more than a century and a quarter ago, this beautiful landscape was one vast unbroken wilderness — the lair of wild beasts, and the home of the savage Red man. But —
"The Red man is no more, The pale-faced stranger stands alone, Upon the river's shore."
Tradition, as well as history, tells us that the first "pale- faced strangers" that ever trod the "Little Kanawha" and Hughes river valleys and stood^ within the present bounds of Ritchie county, were Colonel William Lowther and Jesse and Elias Hughes.
It was in the year 1772, when the glorious touch of autumn was on every bush and tree, that this brave trio set out on their long and perilous expedition which was destined to result in the discovery of what is now the prosperous little County of Ritchie.
Leaving the place where Clarksburg now stands, they steered their course up the West Fork of the Monongahela river to its head waters, and, crossing over the dividing ridge near the present site of Weston, pursued their journey down Sand creek to its confluence with the Little Kanawha. Here they found a beautiful mountain river upon which the eye of civilized man had, perhaps, never before rested, and being- filled with delight at this discovery, and lured on by their
'The incident wliich gave rise to the naii\es of Macfarlan and Dutch- man is found to antedate this. But it lia.s never before been a matter of hii-tory. See later chapter.
2 HISTORY Of RITCHIE COU.\T\
desire to explore, to penetrate this dense wilderness, and to find the destination of this river, they followed its tortuous course, its meanderings like a "silver thread" — naming the tributaries as the}^ passed along.
The general course of the first one that appeared sug- gested a more direct route from the point near ^^'eston to the river they were exploring, than the one down Sand creek, and they named it "Leading creek." Cedars adorned the banks of the next stream and they called it "Cedar creek." Then one came out from beneath stately pines, and "Pine creek" was the name given to it. High banks of yellow clay marked the mouth of another, giving rise to the name of "Yellow creek'" — which is to-day so far-famed for its richness in oil. After this came a tributarv "stretching far awav among the hills" — a long line of its course being visible, and the name "Straight creek" w^as bestowed upon it. From toward the evening sun flowed another, which suggested the name of "West Fork." And from the cool, limpid waters of another, thev quenched their thirst and it has ever since borne the name of "Spring creek."
Little did these pioneers of civilization dream that before a centur}- had passed away, this legion was destined to give birth to what is to-day one of the richest resources of our Commonwealth. Scarcely less credible is the romancer's story of the powerful magic wand of "Aladin's Lamp" than the one that the historian has woven about "Burning Springs."'
Li August, 1860, when the news went out from this place that the greatest petroleum-producing field then known to the world had here been discovered, the population of this entire vicinity was less tlian a score, and six months later, on that memorable April morn when the whole country was startled by the firing on Fort Sumpter, it numbered not fewer than six thousand persons. Capitalists and adventurers from every quarter of the globe flocked to this "Eldorado," and immense fortunes came and went in a single day. This was the begin- ning of the oil industry in our state. And though the popula- tion of this region once numbered eighteen thousand, it has now almost returned to'"its primitive wilderness."
'Burning Springs was discovered later by I'lwriek Hostetter and others. (See Hostetters in South Forl< settlers.)
THE DISCOJ'ERV OF RITCHIE COUXTY 3
y\fter "Spring creek" came another tributary to wiiich the name "Reedy" was appHed. And at some distance below upon tlie bank of a small stream, a huge stone was found standhig erect, and "Standing Stone creek" has ever since been familiar to the inhabitants of the Little Kanawha valley.
Farther down a beautiful river united its "gently mur- muring tide" with the Kanawha, and Jesse Hughes claimed the privilege of conferring his own name upon it. His com- panions n-iade no protest and the name of "Hughes river" has ever since occupied a place on the maps of the "Little Mount- ain State." In 1789, an effort w^as made to have the name changed to that of "Junius," but the aged citizens still mind- ful of the debt of gratitude that was due the brave discoverers, refused to listen to such a change.
Up this river, whose name is so familiar to us all. and upon whose beloved banks so many of our childish feet have loitered, "looking for the spring flowers wild," these weary travelers continued their explorations, and soon a stream of some magnitude came to view in which flocks of wild geese were bathing, and the name "Goose creek" at once suggested itself. Farther up, the river divided into two branches, and these were designated as the North and the South ?orks of Hughes river ; and as they proceeded up the South fork, they discovered a small stream overhung by walnut trees, and it was called "Walnut creek" until 1784, when Col. Lowther, with a company of men, surprised the Indians on this creek, and a battle ensued in which five red men and a white l3oy
The old rock at the mouth of Indian run as it looks today.
4 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
were killed, and ever since that time it has been known a:^ "Indian creek."^ The only stream mentioned that does not retain its original name. (
After the discovery of Indian creek, these explorers rd- traced their footsteps to the Kanawha river and continued its descent, and 'ere long the mouth of a stream filled with slate rose before their vision, and the name "Slate creek" was ap- propriated to it. And shortly after this, the goal for which they had covered so many weary miles was in sight ; the mouth of the river had been reached, and this little band stood upon the bank of the bold Ohio, perhaps, among the first Englishmen that ever set foot upon the site that is now marked by the interesting city of Parkersburg; and from here the homeward march began, and in due time they reached the point from which they had started, having made the way pos- sible for the "settlements of the now beautiful and populous valleys of these two rivers."
This little historical drama would hardly be complete without a word in regard to the ideritity of the heroic actors who were instrumental in bringing it about, and of them we shall now speak :
^The scene of this conflict was near the present site of the Indian r'.;n school-liouse, on land now owned by Dr. C. W. Rexroad. Here, near the mouth of tills little stream, stand the several cliffs of rocks which shel- tered the Indians on tliat memorable night, and from which they fled in dismay on the following morning, "at tlie dawn's early light," leaving their dead, their prisoners, and their guns. And tliough these old rocks serve as a most fitting memorial to one of the first tragedies ever enacted on Ritchie county soil, so mute, and so silent do they stand that very few who gaze upon them would ever suspect their interesting, tragical history.
An Incident of this battle which we glean from "Border Warfare" will doubtless add interest here:
"As soon as the firing was opened upon the Indians, Mrs. Alex Roney, one of the prisoners, ran toward the Whites, rejoicing at the prospect of deliverance, and e.Kclaiming, "I am Ellick Roney's wife of tlie Valley, I am Ellick Roney's wife of the Valley, and a pretty little woman, too, if I am well-dressed!" The poor woman, ignorant of the fact that her son was weltering in his own gore, and, forgetting for an instant, that her husband had been so recently killed, seemed intent onlj^ on her own de- liverance from the savage captors.
"Another of the captives, Daniel Dougherty, being tied down and im- able to move, was discovered by the Whites as they rushed toward the camp; but fearing that he might be one of the enemy, and that he might do them .'jome injury if they advanced, ore of the men stopped and de- manded to know who he was. But being benumbed with the cold and so disconcerted by the sudden firing of the Whites, he could not render his Irish dialect intelligible to them: and the white man raised his gun and pointed it toward him, and in loud, emphatic tones told him that if he did not make it known who he was that he'd blow a ball through him, be he White man or Indian. Fear supplying him with new vigor, Dougherty exclaimed. 'Loord Jasus, and am I to be killed by the "^Tiite people at last?' Col. Lowther heard him and his life was saved."
THE DISCOVERY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
The Lowthers. — "Lowther"^ is a very old name in the land beyond the deep. It is supposed to be of Norman or French origin, and its primitive spelling was "Loutre," or
"Louthre" — meaning otter or na- tive ; and in the ancient chronicles of the family (in the "Old World") it is said to be frequent- ly met with in this form to-day. But, however this may have been, they came over to England with William the Conqueror, from Normandy in France, during the autumn of 1066, and have ever since laid claim to British soil, though (from here) they have scattered to Ireland and to vari- ous other climes. They are distinctively connected with the North of England, where they own large possessions to-day.
Sir William Lowther was the prime minister of William the III, about the year 1695, and was subsequently created first Viscount of Lonsdale; and Sir James Lowther, a very well- known member of the family, who married the daughter of Lord Bute (the first prime minister of George the III), was made the first Earl of Lonsdale, near 1760, and the present Earl (of Lonsdale) is his direct descendant.
Another head of the family, William, Earl of Lonsdale, was Postmaster-General and President of the Council in the second Beaconsfi eld's f^rst government in 1866 ; and the Hon- orable William Lowther, who still survives at the age of eighty-eight years, occupied a seat in the House of Commons, from Westmoreland county, for a quarter of a century, and his son, the Right Honorable James William Lowther (to
"An old tradition concerning the origin of tlie name "Lowther" in the "Old World," which has been handed down for generations in the family, is: "That Henry Low, whose ancestral line came from Ireland, had three sons, Henry, George and "William, who were English miners and for some superior skill and valor 't-h-e-r' was added to their name by royal decree, and William was said to be the grandfather of Col. William Lowther. But, however cherished this old story may be, its authenticity is now scattered to tlie winds before historical facts which are indisputable; as the history of the family is to be found in 'Dod's Pr.rliamentarian Companion,' 'Who's Who,' and various other English books of reference."
6 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
whom we are indebted for this information), has been in Par- liament for twenty-seven years, and is now the speaker of the House of Commons.
All down the centuries the name has been associated with the pul)lic affairs of Great Britain, and John Langton Sanford and Meredith Townsend in their "Great Governing Families of England," say :
"The history of the Lowthers is that of immense and almost unbroken civil success. Though they date from the earliest feudal period and possess to this time a power more nearly feudal than that of any other family in England, ex- cept the Perceys and the Wynnes, they would be defined on the continent as belonging rather to the peerage of 'the robe' than the nobility of the sword. A race of proud, sensitive, and singularly efficient men, they have filled high offices as lawyers, battled bravely as politicians, and performed, once or twice, good service as ministers of the State. From 1300, for five hundred years, there never sat a parliament which was not attended by a Lowther or a Lowther's direct nominee.''
The first record that we have of the family in the Western world is in the Pennsylvania colony, on October 22 and 23, 1681, when William Penn granted five thousand acres of land to William Lowther and his sister. Margaret, near "Simpson Tract." They were the son and the daughter of Armstrong Lowther, of York count3^ England, and their mother was a sister of William Penn. W^illiam married Kathrine Preston, and had a son, Thomas Lowther. Margaret became Mrs. Benjamin Poole, and their daughter was Mrs. Richard Nichol- son.^
But Col. William Lowther was not a lineal descendant of this Pennsylvania family, as some mistakenly think. His parents. Robert and Aquilla Reese Lowther. crossed to America (from Ireland) near the year 1738, and settled in Albermarle county. Virginia. They later removed to the South Branch of the Potomac river, in what is now the East- ern Panhandle of this State, and finally to Hacker's creek, where their lives came to a close. (?)
^To Hon. Hu Maxwell we are Indebted for this bit of information, whicli is taken from tlie "Crown Inn" (which stood near Bethleliem, in Pennsylvania), written by W. C. Reichel.
t
THE DISCOJ'ERV OP RITCHIE COUNTY 7
They had quite a family of children, but only part of their names are at our command; viz., Thomas, Henry, Jona- than, Joel and William.
Thomas and Jonathan were killed by the Indians. Henry returned to his home in Albermarle county, after lending a hand in the erection of the early forts in Harrison county. Joel probably died in Harrison county, where he settled, and William is the hero of this drama.
Col. William Lowther was born in Albermarle county, Virginia, in 1743, not long after the arrival of the family in the colonies ; and in his early twenties, he was married to Miss Sudna Hughes, sister of Jesse and Elias. the marriage taking place at the home of the Hughes, on the South branch of the Potomac, in^ v;hat is now Hardy county, near the year 1763 ; and here, not far from the beautiful old town of Moore- field, they established their home and remained until they removed to Harrison count}% in June, 1773. The date of their removal being marked by the birth of their fourth son, Jesse, who is said to have come upon the stage just six weeks after the family reached their new home (in Harrison county), and his natal day was Julv 31. 1773.
Col. Wm. Lowtlier'.s cabin as it looks to-day.
This cabin is located one one-half miles below West Milford, on the Clarksburg road. It was built by Col. Lowther, perhaps early in the year 1773 i some object to tliis date, but we are confident that it is au- thentic), and though one hundred thirty-seven years have winged their flight, it still stands as a sacred remnant of by-gone days. This piature was taken in June, 190S, and was at tliat time si ill occupied by the descendants of Col. Lowther.
HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Col. Lowther had, however, figured in the erection of Simpson's fort, near eight miles below Clarksburg, and West's fort, near Jane Lew, before this time. He played an important ■part, too, in the construction of the "Old Nutter" fort, near Clarksburg, ruins of which still mark the site.
He soon became distinguished for his fearlessness as a frontiersman, and for his unselfish devotion to the welfare of the colonists ; was one of the most capable defenders of the settlement in the Avar of 1774 (and subsequently) and many a successful expedition did he lead against the enemy. He was the first Justice of the Peace in the district of West Augusta ; the first Sheriff of Harrison and Wood counties, and was at one time a member of the General Assembly at Richmond, Virginia^. Having served in all the subordinate ranks of mili- tary life, he rose to that of Colonel. (Was com.missioned Major by General George Rogers Clarke in 1781.) "Despis- ing the pomp and pageantry of office," he accepted it only for the good of his country.^
On a balmy day in the latter part of October (28) 1814, he passed from earth at his old home near West Milford. The old cabin that had sheltered him through so many event- ful years was the scene of his closing hours, and not far away on his own homestead he lies in his eternal sleep. He died rich in the love and esteem of the countrymen that he had so faithfully served, and it is said that his- name has been handed down to their descendants "hallowed by their blessings."
A pathetic little incident that has been preserved in the family says that when he died his devoted old darkey, "Tobe,"
Cemetery ■where Colonel Lowther slc:ep =
'Part of this is taken from the re\ised Border Warfare.
\
THE DISCOVERY OF RITCHIE COUNTY 9
was ?'€.Qn stancling by the fence near the cabin weeping over his loss ; and that when this old servant was done with earth, he was laid at his master's feet and a dog-iron was placed at his grave ; and to this day this iron is in-tact and serves as a positive mark for Col. Lowther's grave, whose inscription is no longer legible.
After his death, his wife, Sudna, came to this county and made her home with her son, Elias Lowther, on the Flanna- gan farm, above Berea. Here, near the year 1829, she died, and in one corner of the Flannagan burying-ground she lies at rest. Jonathan C. Lowther, her only surviving grandson, remembers seeing her lov/ered here. He was born in 1819, and thinks that he must have been a lad of near ten years at the time. He cannot recall her features, biit says that she was quite small in stature.
Their family consisted of five sons only; viz., Robert, Thomas, William, Jesse and Elias Lowther, all of whom have a long line of descendants, which are scattered throughout the Union.
It may be of interest in this connection to note that an old cross-cut saw that was once the property of Col. Lowther is now in the hands of his great-grandson, J. M. Lowther, of Auburn. He purchased this saw at Winchester, Virginia, and carried it on horseback to Clarksburg (West) Virginia, where it was used in sawing timber for the old "Nutter fort," which served as a place of refuge for the inhabitants of the West fork river during Lord Dunmore's war, which antedates the Revolution.
An heirloom in the form of an old land grant which was made to Col. Lowther, on June 8, 1785, and signed by Patrick Henry, on November 14, 1786, while he was Governor of Vir- ginia, is now a cherished possession of the writer. This grant is written upon parchment and conveys two hundred twenty acres to the Colonel on the West fork river, in Harrison coun- ty, "which includes his settlement." (Hence our proof of his early settlement at West Milford.)
What a mantle of historic interest clusters about these silent remnants of the past How sacred they seem to us ! As one gazes upon the signature of this renowned orator with
10 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
a feeling of awe and reverence, through the phonograph of years comes a voice of eloquence proclaiming the immortal words that must ever be the sentiment of the true American heart, "Give me liberty or give me death!"
Col. Lowther's military record is sucli as to admit his descendants to membership in the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution. Mrs. Iva Lowther Peters, of Fish- kill, New York, his grand-daughter, several generations re- moved, and her brother, Earle, having been recently admitted to these societies on his record.
Descendants of Col. Lowther. — Robert Lowther, the eldest son, whose natal day was October 1, 17G5, married Miss Kathrine Cain, sister of John Cain, the Slab creek pioneer, and settled on the portion of the old homestead. given him by his father. But at the death of Col. Lowther, he inherited that part of the estate which included the ''old cabin," and here, on November 16, 1833, he came to his death by a fall from this cabin while engaged in re-roofing it. His wife, who was born on October 2", 1766, died here on March ^5, 1851, and side by side they lie at rest in the old family burying-ground shown in the picture.
They were the parents of five sons and three daughters : William B., Jesse .0. Robert, junior. John, James K.. I-Cath- rine Susan and Mary Lowther.
William B. married Miss Margaret Coburn, and was identified wath the South fork settlers in this county.
Jesse G., who settled near West Milford, was first mar- ried to Miss Nancy Swisher, and ten children were the result of this union. His second wife was Miss W^ady Knight, and the two children of this marriage were : the late Dr. Jesse G. Lowther. a well known practitioner of Wirt. Wood and this county ; and the late Mrs. Nancy Lowther, of W'wi county. He died at West Milford, on August 25, 1870, at the age of eighty years, and sleeps in the family burying-ground there.
Robert, junior, married Miss Eliza Highland and settled on the old homestead, near West Milford, where he reared three sons and two daughters.
John, who was a prominent medical practitioner, married Miss Elizabeth Pritchard, and lived and died at Clarksburg;
THE DISCOVERY OF RITCHIE COUNTY 11
and the only child of this marriage was the late Evan Low- ther, of that city, who died without issue.
James K. married Miss Lydia Knight, and principally spent his life within the walls of the old ancestral cabin, where he died at the age of ninety-five years. He had two sons and three daughters, and one of these daughters, Talitha, the last survivor of the family died (unmarried) at the old home, on February 25, 1910.
Kathrine married Thomas Ireland, and they were the first settlers at the mouth of the Middle fork of Highes river, in this county.
Susan became Mrs. Abraham Morrison, and principally spent her life on Brown's creek, in Harrison county. Her family consisted of three daughters, who have all crossed the tide.
Mary Lowther was married to her cousin, William J. Lowther (son of Jesse), and came to this county and settled near Oxford.^
Thomas Lowther (the second son of Col. William) was born on March 7, 1767, but his history is rather obscure. However, he married Miss Mary Coburn, and settled on the' land given him by his father, near West Milford, and reared a small family. He is said to have died before he had scarcely reached the meridian of life of a malady that the physicians of to-day would term appendicitis; he having undergone a surgical operation without an anesthetic. Tradition says that he was a snake-charmer, that he could wield such power over a poisonous reptile as to be able to handle it without harm to himself. He, too, rests in the family burying-ground on the old homestead.
He was the father of Jesse Lowther, the Cornwallis pioneer ; of Elias, an early settler at Webb's mill ; of Robert, of Doddridge county; and of one daughter, Mary or Polly, who is said to have married a man by the name of West, of near Jane Lew. (Another source of information says her mar- ried name was White.)
'The descendants of this branch of the family in tliis coujity are a veritable host, but for an account of those who settled here in pioneer days see later chapters.
12 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Thomas' descendants in this county are not nearly so numerous as those of the other sons, but they are not a few, however. Among them ars Mrs. Matilda McGregor, of Cairo, a granddaughter ; Mrs. James Rexroad, Mrs. Emma Lee, the late Mrs. F. S. Moyer and the late Mrs. W. E. Hill, great- granddaughters.
William Lowther, the third son of Col. William, was born on the South branch of the Potomac river, not far from Moorefield, on January 27, 1769 ; and when he was yet in the "frocks of babyhood," his parents removed to Harrison county, and here in the "hot bed" of savage warfare, he grew to man- hood.
Though uneducated, he was a man of marked intelligence, and his memory was a veritable store-house of pioneer lore, and of interestiiis' reminiscences of Indian times ; for often, when a lad, he accompanied his father on his expeditions -against the dusky foe, and was an eye witness to the conflict (between the whites and the Indians), at the famous rock at the mouth of Indian run, in 1784, he being then but fifteen years of age. And in after life when listening to a recital of these stirring days from the "Chronicles of Border Warfare," he would often stop the reader in order to correct some mis- statement of the historian, so clear, and so retentive was his memory.^
Near the year 1789, he was married to Miss Margaret Morrison, who was born on the banks of the Yadkin river, in North Carolina, on May 1, 3 768, and with her parents emigrated to Harrison county in her early womanhood. After their marriage, they settled near one mile below West Milford, on the farm that is now owned by the Highlands. Here they reared their family, and here they remained until near the year 1837, when they came to this county, where they spent the evening hours of their lives with their son, Archibald Lowther, at Holbrook.
At one time, near the year 1797, Mr. Lowther went to Ohio for the purpose of seeking a home, and, while on the
'As Uie writer's father was one of the grandsons who frequently read for him, she has been able to correct some of these errors.
THE DISCOVERY OF RITCHIE COUNTY 13
Muskingum river, he helped to rear the first cabin where the City of Zanesville now stands, but owing to the prevalence of "fever and ague" in this section, he returned to his home satisfied to remain at West Milford.
Mrs. Lowther was a woman of a devout religious char- acter, a Presbyterian in faith, and her old Bible, which was her daily companion, is now in the hands of the writer. It bears the date of "1790," and is still held together by the old leather string that she ever kept about it. Mr. Lowther never made a profession of religion, but his last audible words were a prayer, a most earnest appeal to the Infinite Father of love and mercy. She passed away on MayiJJi^^ 1850, and he, on November 36, 1857. Both lie at rest in the Lowther burying- ground, near Holbrook, surrounded by the dust of five gen- erations of their descendants.
They v/ere the parents of twelve children, six of whom reached the years of maturity. Five of them married and four of that five were the heads of pioneer families of this county,
Alexander, the eldest son (born on January 14, 1791), married Miss Sarah Ireland, and was the pioneer of Oxford.
Sudna (born on April 10, 1793), became Mrs. George Wil- lard, and came to this county in pioneer days. (See Middle fork chapter.)
William (born on October 31, 1793) married Miss Meli- cent Maxwell and settled at Cairo.
Robert (born on May 34, 1795) settled in Jackson county.
Rebecca (born on December 30, 1803) died in 1885, unmar- ried.
Archibald (born May 17, 1811, the youngest of the family) married Miss Charlotte Willard and lived and died at Hol- brook.
Mary (born December 13, 1797), Margaret (born Septem- ber 37, 1806), Sarah (born September 3, 1800), Elias (born December 37, 1806), Kathrine (born September 31, 1809), all died in childhood; and Jesse (born September 31, 1805), in youth.
Robert, the one member of the family (of William and Margaret Morrison Lowther) that did not come to this coun-
]4 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
ty, married Miss !\Iary Hattabough, a nativ^e of Kent county, Delaware" who was born on November 'i, 1792. The marriage took place near the year 1809, and they remained in Harrison count}' until some time in the thirties, when they removed to Jackson county, where they died, and where many of their descendants still live. He was a lawyer by profession and was the first resident barrister of Jackson county. He helped to survey the pretty town of Riplev, and almost beneath its shadow his ashes lie. ]^Irs. Lowther died on July 1, 1851, and he followed her to the grave on April 22, 1856.
Their children were as follows : the late Andrew H. Lowther (1810-1863), of Wirt county; Harriet (1817-1845), the late Mrs. John H. Wetzel, of Ripley; William A\'irt (1820), who died at the age of eighteen years while attending college in Indiana; Agnes (B. 1822), who died in infancy; Minerva (1823-1901), the late ^Irs. Joseph Smith, of Ripley; Margaret (1826-1899) was the late Mrs. Henry Harpold, of Baltimore; Mary (1828-1899) died at Baltimore, unmarried, and Edward Duncan (1828-1899), who died at Ripley, unmar- ried.
The Morrisons. — ^largaret ^Morrison Lowther, as above stated, was a native of Xorth Carolina. Her father, Archibald IMorrison, and his brother, who were of Scotch-Irish birth, emigrated from England to America some time before the Revolution, and settled on the Yadkin river, in Xorth Caro- lina. Here he married a ]\Iiss Fooks, and at the breaking out of the Avar in 1775, when he enlisted as a soldier in the Continental army, he became separated from his brother, and never heard of him again. But near the year 1788, Archibald Morrison removed from Xorth Carolina to A\ est Milford, in Harrison county, and here he and his wife sleep.
His sons were Alexander, John and AMlliam, who rest in 'Harrison county, where some of their descendants live; Archibald, junior, lies in Ohio; ]Marshall Reese, in California. Margaret Lowther, and Susan, whose married name is un- known to us, were two of the daughtet-s.
Alexander married Miss Margaret Brake and settled on Hacker's creek in 1824. He was a soldier of the war of 1812 ; and a curiosit}' in the form of a briar-root cane, which he
THE DISCOVERY OF RITCHIE- COUNTY 15
brought from Xorth Carolina, and upon which he carved the head and face of a man, is still in the family.
Alexander Morrison's son, James Monroe Morrison, was commissioned Lieutenant-General of the U. S. Militia by President Lincoln. He married Miss Sarah Jane Bennett, and the}' were the parents of the Rev. U. W. Morrison, of the A\'est A'irgima Methodist Protestant conference.
Jesse Lowther (the fourth son of Col. William) was born on July 51, 1773, six weeks after the arrival of the family in Harrison county. He is said to have been the first white male child born on Harrison county soil.
Near the year 1790, when he was but a boy, he was mar- ried to Miss Mary Ragan, a rosy-cheeked Dutch girl, who was born on December 25, 1770, and settled where West Mil- ford now stands. Mrs. Lowther was the daughter of a Revo- lutionary soldier, and the sister of Mrs. Alexander Ireland, senior. In 1797, they removed from West Milford to the Ohio river, and established a home on Neal's Island, four miles below Parkersburg, but they returned to their old home at West Milford, after a few years, where he died in October, 1854. After his death, his wife, Mary, came to this county, and spent the closing years of her life with her daughter, Mrs. William Hall, at Pullman. Here she fell asleep, in April, 1857, and in the Pullman churchyard she lies at rest. Her husband sleeps in the family burying-ground near A\'est ]\Iil- ford.
The writer now has a cane which was once the property of Jesse Lowther, and one which- he presented to his brother, William. L^pon this piece of anticpiity is a silver plate which bears the initials of his nanie "J. L."
The children of this family were eleven in number: William, the eldest (born in 1791), married his cousin, Mary or Polly Lowther, and settled at Oxford.
Mary Ann was the wife of William Hall, an early settler of the Oxford vicinity.
Sallie married William Norris, and resided on the South fork for a brief time in pioneer days, then removed to Gihiicr county.
IC HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Margaret married William L. ]\Iitchell, and died at West Milford. She was the mother of Virginia, the late wife of William I. Lowther, of Pullman; of Margaret, wife of Lewis Maxwell, junior, formerly of this county, but now of Gilmer; of Mrs. Mary Hickman of the West; of AVilliam, Cyrus, Madi- son B., Robert, and Lafayette Mitchell, all of whom have passed on, except Robert and William.
Jesse, junior, wdio was a physician, w^ent West, finally to Little Rock, Arkansas, where he died. L'riah died in youth.
Dr. Robert married Mrs. Ellen Stringer Huffman, and located at Weston, and from there migrated to Mississippi, wdiere he died after a nine days' illness of fever. His wife soon followed him to the grave from a broken heart, and the half-brother brought the two little sons, aged four and six years, back to their grandfather, Jesse, near the year 1839. Daniel was educated at Lexington and West Point, and after finishing his college work, came to Harrisville, where he opened a law office, and where he died a few months later, in 1866. William, who was also a lawyer, went to Texas, v.diere he met his death at the hands of a man that he had decided a case against. Huffman, who was a colonel in the Confederate army, and who lost a leg in the cause, died at Clarksburg, unmarried.
Sudna married Armstrong Maxwell and lived and died at AVest Milford. The members of this family were : Mari- anne, who married Jesse Lowther (but we can't say what number), Mrs. Millie M. (John) Racey, Mrs. Anna L. (Wm.) Stephens, Mrs. Sudna A. Mitchell, of Gilmer county ; Mar- cellus Maxwell, of Nelsonville, Ohio: and Irwin and William, who have passed on ; and Miss Julia Maxwell, of West Mil- ford.
Elizabeth Lowther married Conrad Kester and died in Lewis county, where many of her descendants live.
Drusilla became Mrs. Bradbury Morgan, of Zanesville, Ohio; and Millie was Mrs. Daniel Wyer, of W'oodsfield, Ohio.
Elias Lowther, who was born on Xeal's Island, in 1801, during the residence of the family there, was married to Miss Selina McWhorter, daughter of Thomas McWhorter, and
THE DISCOJ'F.RY OF RITCHIE COUNTY 17
Spent his last hours at Palestine, in Wirt county, though he resided at various other points in the State.
He was the father of the following- named children: AIc- Duffy and Calhoun (twins), Thomas A\'., Cammillius, Elias H., John M., who was killed at Elizabeth during the Civil war; Columbia V. (Mrs. John Edwards), Mary M. (Mrs. P. W. Morgan, of Jackson county), all of whom have crossed the tide ; and Jesse and Granville S., of Braxton county ; Henry M., of Kentucky; W. H. H., of Parkersburg; Mrs. Celina J. (Amos) Lowther, Wirt county, are the surviving members, and they are all well advanced in years. . Mrs. J. E. Burns, of Auburn, belongs to this family, she being the daughter of Jesse, and granddaughter of Elias.
Elias Lowther (the fifth and youngest son of Col. William) came upon the stage during the din of the American Revolution. Pie w^as born in the old cabin, shown in the picture, on September 16, 1776, and married Miss Rebecca Coburn, sister of his brother Thomas' wife, and remained in his native county until 1820, when he came to this county and erected the first cabin on the Zimri Flannagan farm, above Berea. He was at one time a member of the Richmond Leg- islature from Harrison county, and was major in the militia. During the latter part of his life he lost his mind, and his last years were spent in the insane hospital at Staunton, V^irginia, where he was laid to rest near the year 1845.
His wife, who was born in Harrison county, on December 11, 1779, died a few years later at the home of hei son. J. C. Lowther, at the mouth of Otterslide, and on the Flannagan homestead she lies in her last sleep.
Their children were as follows :
Peggy died in youth ; Decatur was drowned in the miil- pond at Berea.
Jesse M. married Miss Lucinda Hall, daughter of William Hall, and spent his last hours near Berea. (See HAll family.)
William went to Ohio. Sarah was Mrs. George Starkey, of Harrison county. Elizabeth married Robert Hammond and went to Ohio. Mary was the wife of Thomas Pritchard, of Slab creek. (See later chapter.) Dorinda was Mrs. Zibba
18 HISTORY OF RiTClUE COUNTY
Davis, of Otterslide ; and Jonathan C. Lowther, of Berea, the only survivor of the family, is the young;est son.
He is now (1910) ninety-one years of age, and is as active as a boy, being able to jump up and crack his heels together. He enjoj^s the distinction of being the only surviving grand- son of Col. Lowther. (See Otterslide for his family.)
The Hugheses. — The Hugheses are of Welsh origin. Fam- ily tradition tells us that they crossed the deep with the Low- thers and settled in Albemarle county, Virginia; and that Thomas Hughes removed from there to the South branch of the Potomac river, in what is now Hardy count}', and from thence to Harrison county, near the year ITT'3 or 1773, where he found a home on Hacker.'s creek. One day during the latter part of April, 1778, while at work in the field, he and Jonathan Lowther were shot down by the stealthy foe. The others who were with them managed in some way to escape injury.
Thomas flughes was the father of quite a family of children, among whom were Jesse, Thomas, junior. Elias, Job, James, Charles, Sudna, Martha, and another daughter, who married Joseph Bibbee, of Jackson county.
Job LIughes married Miss Mary Harn, of Harrison coun- ty, in 1791, and later removed to Jackson county, where he rests.
Thomas, junior, who was born in 1754, was lieutenant of a company of Indian spies, at one time. He settled on the West Fork river, in Harrison county, in 1775, but afterwards removed to Jackson county, where he died in October, 18:37. He had one son, Thomas, and here our knowledge ends, though there are doubtless many of his descendants in that part of the State to-day.
Of the history of James and Charles we know nothing, other than that they figured in Indian warfare, and James was among the pai-ty that encountered the savages at the time that Macfarlan and Dutchman got their names.
Sudna was the wife of Col. William Lowther.
Martha married Samuel Bonnett, and \hox\ and died on Hacker's creek, in what is now Lewis county. Her sons were Lewis, the Rev. Henry Bonnett, of the Methodist Protestant church, and Elias Bonnett ; and one daughter, Susan, married
THE DISCOVERY OF RITCHIE COUNTY 19
a Wagner; another, a Hinzman.
Lewis Bonnett was married to Miss Margaret Means, daughter of Robert Means (and aunt of Robert Means, of Cal- houn county), and they were the parents of Henry Bonnett, of Troy, and the grandparents of U. G. Bonnett, of Burnt House.
Jesse Hughes, the eldest son, whose history is of more moment to us, was born in the "Old Dominion," in 1T50, and in early life, he was married to Miss Grace Tanner, sister of one of the pioneer settlers of Roane county, and near the year 1773, he came to Hacker's creek in Harrison county.
Two years after the discovery of the river that bears his name, we find him engaged in the awful struggle at Point Pleasant, but little else of value concerning his life is in our possession other than that he was a confirmed Indian hater, an intrepid leader, and a prominent border scout.
He resided near Jane Lew% in Lewis county, at one time on the small stream that still bears liis name, "Jesse's run," and in a rural burying-ground in this section, strangers have been pointed to a low mound which is said to cover his silent dust, but this is in error. He died at the home of his son-in- law, George Hanshaw, at Ravenswood, in Jackson county, during the autumn of 1839, and near this town he lies in his last sleep. After his death, Mrs. Hughes made her home with her daughter, Mrs. Uriah Gandee, in Roane county, until her death, and in the Gandeeville cemetery, she reposes.
They were the parents of two sons and seven daughters; viz., Jesse, junior, William, Rachel (Mrs. William Cottrell), Martha (Mrs. Jacob Bonnett), Sudna (Mrs. Elijah Runner), Elizabeth (Mrs. James Stanley), Lucinda (Mrs. Uriah Sayre), Nancy (Mrs. George Hanshaw), and Massie, who married Uriah Gandee, the founder of Gandeeville, in Roane county, Mrs. Gandee was the last survivor of Jesse Hughes' family. She died in 1883 at the age of one hundred four years, and was laid in the Gandeeville cemetery by the side of her mother. James S. Gandee, of Higby, Roane county, her son, still sur- vives ; and the Hon. Frederick Gandee, of that county, is her grandson.
One of these daughters was captured by the Lidians, but
90 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
was rescued the following year and lived to a good old age, but we cannot say which one.
Jesse Hughes' name was ever associated with that of courage and daring, and he "lived many years to enjoy the peace and quietude that the hardships of his early life had so dearly bought." And the beautiful nver that bears his name is a more fitting memorial than bronze or marble.
Ellas Hughes was born on the South Branch of the Poto- mac river, in what is now Hardy count}^ West Virginia, in 1757, and with his parents and the rest of the family, removed to Harrison county in the early seventies.
He, too, served under the command of General Lewis at the battle of Point Pleasant and was one of the last survivors' of this desperate conflict.
PTe had been born and reared in the midst of savage war- fare, and his father and a young lady whom he ardently ad- mired having been killed by the ruthless hand of the dusky foe, he vowed vengeance on the race, and the return to peace did not serve to mitigate his intense hatred.
In 1797, tw^o years after General Wayne's treaty with the Indians, leaving his native hills (with one John Radcliffe), he went to Ohio and settled on the Muskingum river, and during the following year, removed to the Licking river and became the first settler in what is now Licking county ; the scene of this settlement being in some old Indian cornfields, near five miles below^ the present site of Newark, Ohio.
"One night in April, 1800, not long after his arrival here, two Indians stole his and Radclifife's horses from a small in- closure near their cabins and succeeded in getting aw^ay with them unobserved." But finding them missing in the morning, they, well-armed, and accompanied by a man by the name of Bland, set out in pursuit, following their trail in a northerly direction all day and camping in the forest at night : but at the dawn of the next day, they came upon them fast asleep and all unconscious of danger. Concealing themselves behind
'Though Elias Hughes has been repeatedly recognized as the last sur- vivor of this battle (at Point Pleasant), Samuel" Bonnifield. of Tucker county, is entitled to this distinction, as he died in 1847, at the .ige of ninety-six years. The house which he occupied from 1824-1847 still stands. He was four times sheriff of Randolph county. To Hon. Hu Maxwell, who recently visited his grave, we are indebted for this information.
THE DISCOVERY OF RITCHIE COUNTY 21
some trees, they waited until the Indians had awakened and were making preparations for their departure, when they drew their rifles to fire upon them; and just at that moment one of them, instinctively clapping his hands upon his breast, as if to ward ofT the fatal ball, exclaimed in tones of dismay, "Me bad Indian! me no do so more!" But the appeal was all in vain. "The smoke curled from the glistening barrels, the report rang out upon the morniiig air, and the poor In- dians fell dead !" Recovering their horses and securing what plunder the savages had, they returned to their homes, swear- ing: mutual secrecv for this violation of the treatv laws.
But one evening some time afterwards, when Hughes vv^as sitting quietly in his cabin, he was startled by the entrance of two powerful and well-armed savages. Concealing his emotion, he bade them welcome and profifered them seats. His wife, a large muscular woman, stepping aside, privately sent for Radclitfe, whose cabin was near by ; and presently Radclifife, who had made a detour, entered with his rifle from an opposite direction, as if he had been out hunting, and found Hughes talking with his visitors about the murder with his scalping-knife and tomahawk in his belt, and his rifle, which he deemed imprudent to try to obtain, hanging fron: the cabin wall. There all night long sat the little party, mutually fearing each other, but neither being able to sum- mon sufficient courage to stir ; but when the morning dawned the savages withdrew, shaking hands and bidding adieu to their rehictant hosts, using every precaution in their retreat lest they should be shot by the daring borderer-
Elias Hughes was captain of a band of scouts in Indian times, and was a soldier of the war of 1812. He married Miss Jane Sleeth, who, doubtless, belonged to the same family of Sleeths who have a place in the Smithville chapter, and they were the parents of sixteen children. Mrs. Hughes died in 1827, and he passed away near Utica, Ohio, on December 22, 1844, in the hope of a "glorious immortality." Military honors and other demonstrations of respect were in evidence at his funeral, and near Utica he lies at rest.
'This story is gleaned from Howe's History of Ohio.
23 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Two of iiis children died in youth and the rest are as fol- lows : Mrs. Margaret Jones, Mrs. Mary Foster, Mrs. Susana Leach, Mrs. Sndna Martin, Mrs. Jane Hight, Mrs. Sarah Davis and Kathrine, who never married, were the daughters ; and Job, Thomas, Henry, Elias, David, John and Jonathan Hughes were the sons.
Note. — While our resources for this chapter have been principally traditional, parts of it are already a matter of his- tory, as the account of the "Explorations of the Streams" is to be found in "Hardesty's Historical and Geographical En- clycopedia of the Virginias," and other parts in the "Border Warfare" and the "History of Ohio," as mentioned in the foot notes.
To Josiah Hughes, of Roane county ; Henry Bonnett, of Troy, and L. V. McWhorter, the historian of North Yakima, Washington, we owe our thanks for valuable Hughes data.
CHAPTER II
First Settlers in Ritchie County
ORE than a quarter of a century had passed away after the discovery of Ritchie county before the coming of the first settlers.
Til is period had been marked by one of the most important epochs in the history of our country. The "Old Independence Bell had proclaimed liberty throughout the land to the inhabitants thereof ;" the tyrannous scepter of George the III had been withdrawn; and the "White Dove of Peace" had spread her downiy wings "o'er a land of the free and a home of the brave."
A new era had dawned. Civilization had taken up a westward line of march, and near the close of the 18th cen- tury, Ritchie county was brought into notice b_y the con- struction of a State road from Clarksburg to Marietta, which, for near forty years, was a leading thoroughfare between the East and the West ; and along this road the pioneers erected their cabins, which served as "inns or taverns" for the con- venience of travelers.
The first one of these cabins that came within rhe present boundary of Ritchie county was built by John Bunnell, near the beginning of the year 1800, on the site that is now marked by the thriving town of Pennsboro. Hence the origin of the name of the stream near by, "Bunnell's run," which serves as an enduring memorial, although we have been unable to learn "from whence he came or Avhither he went."
Mr. Bunnell sold his possessions here to John W^ebster. of New England, who, early in the nineteenth century, built the "Stone house" at the western end of Pennsboro, which became the property of James Martin, in 1815, and remained in the hands of his heirs until the autumn of 1908, when it was purchased by A. J. Ireland.
24
HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
j\Ir. Webster went to Texas and there met his deatli at the hands of the Indians.
Though the "tenement house" of the buikler has long since been silent dust, this historic old mansion has withstood the storms of a century, and still stands, in good preservation, as a monument to his memory.
The Stone House as it appears today.
George Husher, whose settlement closely followed that of Bunnell, was the next settler in Ritchie county, but his his- tory will be found in the Bond's creek chapter:
Lawrence Maley. — During the early springtime of the year 1803, Lawrence Alaley, a Scotch-Irish Presbyterian, built the first cabin in what is now Union district, one mile east of Harrisville, on the farm that is designated as the "Cannon," but better known to the older citizens, as the Airs. Ann Har- ris homestead.
Having a wife and eight children, the eldest, a son. twenty-one years of age, and finding it necessary to clear a cornfield at once, he built a rude shelter, by driving stakes in the ground, and peeling popular bark for a roof, upon the bank of the river nearly opposite the residence of Grandison Wolfe, which served for a dwelling until the corn had been planted, when he erected a better one. near the present site of the Cannon residence.
PTis nearest neighbor was then at Pennsboro. but others
FIRST SETTLERS IN RITCHIE COUNTY 25
soon found -their way into this wilderness, and a settlement was formed, which, for forty years, was known as the "Maley settlement."
Mr. Maley was the paternal grandfather of Ritchie coun- ty's most distinguished son, the late General T. M. Harris, and he was a native of Southern Ireland, the son of an Irish nobleman.
He, being one of the younger sons of the family, was committed to the care of his mother's brother, a Catholic priest, to be trained, perhaps, for the priesthood ; and finding life very tmpleasant under such circumstances, he ran away and came to America, near the close of the Revolutionary war.
Landing in Philadelphia, he drifted into the country near by, where he became associated with a family of Seceders by the name of Harper (The Seceders were one of a numerous body of Presbyterians who seceded from the communion of the established church in Scotland in 1733), an association which resulted in his marriage to Miss Agnes Harper, a little later.
Mrs. Maley inherited a small dowry from her father's estate, which she exchanged with a man in Philadelphia, for a thousand acres in v^^hat is now the Harrisville vicinity, in 1795 ; and she and her husband, with their family and posses- sions, started at once to take charge of this new acquisition : but when they reached Harper's Ferry, after a long and perilous journey over the mountains, learning of the hostility of the Indians in this section, they changed their course, and went to the Shenandoah valley, where they remained, in Rock- bridge county, until they came to Ritchie, in 1803.
Mr. Maley did not long survive the hardships of this wilderness life, and in 1808, he filled the first grave that was "hollowed out" in the old "Pioneer cemetery," on the Cannon farm, one mile northeast of Harrisville. His wife rests by his side.
Their children were as follows :
William, Thomas and Mrs. Mary McCoy, all of Illinois; Dr. Samuel, James and John, of Iowa; Mrs. Agnes (John) Harris and Miss Margaret Maley, who lie sleeping in the Irlar- risville cemetery.
26 HISTORY or RITCHIE COUNTY
Mrs. Harris, widow of the late General Harris, is a grand- daughter of this distinguished settler.
The Stuarts and Wilkinsons. — The next pioneers in this vicinity were George and Joseph Stuart, two brothers, and Joseph Wilkinson, son-in-law of the latter, who, with their families, came from Harrison county, in 1805.
Mr. Wilkinson settled on the late Isaiah Wells homestead, Joseph Stuart, at the mouth of Stuart's run, and George Stuart, on the farm that soon after passed into the hands of Thomas Harris, and on which the beautiful town of Harris- ville now stands.
Mr. Wilkinson only survived a few years after his settle- ment, and his remains filled the second grave that was made in the "Pioneer cemetery." He married Miss Xancy Stuart, daughter of Joseph, and was the father of three children : Elizabeth, the only daughter, died in youth, and the two sons, Calvin and Ezekiel, went to California.
After his death. ]\Irs. Wilkinson married Nicholas Shrader, and in the Indian creek Baptist churchyard, she sleeps.
Joseph Stuart married Miss Margaret Sparks, of Harrison county, and was the father of ten children. He lost his life by the falling of a lumber kiln, while erecting the first store house at Harrisville, and he, too, rests in the "Pioneer ceme- tery" there. After his death, the family, losing their land in this section, removed to Goose creek.
His children were as follows :
Mrs. Nancy Wilkinson Shrader, Mrs. Elizabeth (Abel) Sinnett, Mrs. Margaret (Thomas) Stout, and Belinda and Rachel, who died unmarried; and Stephen, John, George, Joseph and William Stuart, all of Ritchie county, except Stephen and John, who went West.
Among the grandchilldren of this pioneer who are resi- dents of the coimty at this time, are Mrs. Lawson Hall, Au- burn ; Mrs. Lewis Hammer and Mrs. Belinda Hill, Washburn, and perhaps numerous others.
George Stuart married Miss Hannah Plarris, daughter of Thomas Harris, and in the Harrisville vicinity they both died.
We have been unable to get a list of the names of their
FIRST SETTLERS JN RITCHIE COUNTY 27
children, but Mrs. Hannah Jones and Mrs. Sarah Calhoun, of Oxford, are some of their descendants.
Levi Wells. — Shortly after the coming of the Stuarts, Ashabel Wilkinson made the first settlement on the Dr. William M. Rymer estate ; and this same year, 1805, brought Levi Wells with his wife, three sons and two daughters, from Fayette county, Pennsylvania, to the late George Sinnett homestead. Soon after his arrival, the first marriage took place in the settlement, when his daughter, Nancy, became the wife of William Maley.
In 1815, Mr. Wells changed his place of residence to the Pennsboro vicinity, and Patrick Sinnett became the second owner of this farm, which is still in the hands of his heirs, it being the home of his granddaughter. Miss Virginia Sinnett.
Mr. Wells later removed to the Kanawha river, and from him the Elizabeth W^ellses are descended.
The Sinnetts. — Patrick Sinnett, with his large family, came from Pendleton county, (West) Virginia. He was a 'typical son of "Old Erin," having been born there near the middle of the eighteenth century. He had been one of the King's waiters for seven years before coming to America in his young manhood ; and finding such service very distaste- ful, he one day wandered down to the habor just as a vessel was ready to set sail for the Colonies, and without further deliberation, stepped on board and turned his face toward the Occident. When he landed on these shores, he found himself penniless in a land of strangers, and was sold for his fare, and was compelled to work for three years to cancel the debt, so unjust were the laws, and so unmerciful were the executors, at that age of the world.
He served as a soldier in Lord Dunmore's war, being under the direct command of General Lewis at the battle of Point Pleasant ; and he also served as an American soldier in the Revolutionary war, which closely followed.
He married Miss Kathrine Hefner, a German lady, and was the father of eleven children. He died at the great age of one hundred five years, some time in the fifties, at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Adam Cunningham, junior, on
28 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
the farm that is now the estate of the late Charles Aloyer, and here, beside his wife, he sleeps.
His descendants in this county are a host, and, like he, many of them are remarkable for their longevity.
His children were all born in Pendleton county, and were as follows: John, William, Seth, Abel, Henry, Jacob, George, Elizabeth, Sarah, Kathrine and Phebe.
William and Seth went to Ohio; Henry remained in Pen- dleton county ; and the rest all came to this county ; but Kath- rine and Phebe both married Chancellors and afterwards went West; Elizabeth became Mrs. James Drake, and Sarah, Mrs. Adam Cunningham, junior, and they with their brothers, John, Abel, Jacob and George, were all the heads of well known pioneer families of this county; but their histories will be found in other parts of this work, all wdth the exception of George, who succeeded his father on the old homestead.
George Sinnett was born in Pendleton county, on March Vi, 1799, and with his parents came to this county in 1815 ; and, near five years later, he was married to Miss Mary Rex- road, daughter of Plenry Rexroad, and on the old homestead, where he died in 1896, at the great age of ninety-seven years, he spent his entire life.
■ Having given birth to six children, his w^ife, ]\Iary, passed away, and in 1813, he was again married to Miss Salome Heaton, daughter of John Heaton, senior, who was born in 1814; and three daughters were the result of this union; viz., Harriet C, Virginia and Josephine. Harriet is the wife of Sheriff John Hulderman, and Josephine is Mrs. '"Nel" ^Ic- Dougal, and Virginia is single.
The children of the first marriage were:
Catherine (born in 1832), who married Addison Rexroad; Samuel (born in 1824), of King Knob, Hulda (born in 1826), who became the wife of John S. Porter and went to some other State; Abel (born in 1828), who went to Ohio; Eliza- beth (born in 1830) married John A Lowther, of Oxford, and after his death, she became ]Mrs. Jacob Allender. She still survives. Mary T. (born in 1832) became ]Mrs. Turner and went to Taylor county.
William Cunningham. — The year 1806 was marked by
FIRST SETTLERS IN RITCHIE COUNTY 29
the coming of William Cunningham, with his wife, Susana Barbara Handyshel Cunningham, and their ten children, from Culpepper county, Virginia, to the homestead of the late Noah Rexroad, now the property of E. C. Fox and S. M. HofT.
Mr. Cunningham was one of the most noted pioneers of early days. He was born in Ireland on July 23, 1764, and when he was but a small boy, his parents emigrated to Amer- ica and settled in Culpepper county, Virginia. He was a first cousin of Thomas Cunningham of Indian fame, and their fathers are said to have crossed the ocean at the same time. He served as a soldier during the latter part of the American Revolution, being then but a mere youth, and was a member of the victorious army at Yorktown, and a witness of the sur- render of Lord Cornwallis. And in honor of this defeated chieftain he named the town of Cornwallis, where he resided when the stations along the Baltimore & Ohio railroad were located..
When Harrisville was laid out for a town in 1823, he was suddenly sei/ced with the idea of founding a town of his own, and forthwith proceeded to have one laid out on the ridge where A. O. Wilson and D. B. Patton now reside, which he named "Williamsburg;" but Harrisville has long since swal- lowed up this proposed village.
He changed his place of residence to Cornwallis near the year 1840, and here he bade adieu to earth in 1863, at the ripe old age of ninety-nine 3^ears.
He gave the grounds for the Pioneer cemetery at Harris- ville, and within its peaceful bosom his ashes lie. Plis wife also sleeps here, she having passed on in 1843. (She was of German descent.)
This burying-ground is no longer "a neglected spot," as the historian of a quarter of a century ago termed it, but it is now enclosed by an iron fence, the result of the late General Harris' labor of love.
Many of the pioneers slumber here? and despite the hard- ships they endured, the inscriptions bear silent testimony to the longevity of their lives.
AVilliam Cunningham's sons were: Elijah. James, William, junior, John, Isaac and Henry; and his daughters
30 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Mrs. Phebe (Jesse ) Lowther. Cornwallis ; Mrs. Leah (Jacob) Wigner, Ellenboro ; Mrs. Lydia (Henry) Wigner, Cairo; Mrs. Susan (Robert) Parks, Ohio; and Mrs. Barbara (Nathaniel) Parks, Ellenboro. Mrs. George B. Johnson, of Ellenboro, is a daughter of the last named Mrs. Parks.
A\'. H. Cunningham, of Husher's run ; the late D. R. Wigner, of Pike, and Mrs. Matilda McGregor, of Cairo, are other grandchildren of this pioneer; and the late Mrs. W. E. Hill, of Harrisville ; J. W. and Erank Elliott, of Indian creek ; Thomas Elliott, of Pullman ; Mrs. James Rexroad, of Den run, and many others we might mention, are great-grand- children.
William Wells was the first settler at the mouth of Bun- nell's run. He was a brother of Levi Wells, and he came from' Fayette county, Pennsylvania, in 1808, and took up his residence on the farm that is now the home of Mrs. Bertha McDougal, and to the day of his death, his interests were identified with this community.
The Wellses came from Wales to the Keystone State, near the middle of the eighteenth century, and took up arms in defense of their adopted country in her struggle for inde- pendence.
William Wells was born in 1766, and married ]\liss Eliza- beth Trump, who was of Dutch descent, and they were the parents of one son and four daughters ; Isaiah Wells, ^ Rachel, Hester, Mar}- and Eleanor.
Rachel married Daniel Smith ; Hester, John lieaton ; Mary, James McCown, and Eleanor died single.
Mrs. Wells died in 1850, at the age of eighty-seven years ; and Mr. AVells, in 1851, at the age of eighty-five years. Both rest in the Harrisville cemetery.
Mr. Wells was the owner of the first mill on Bunnell's run, and one of the first in the county, but he sold this mill at an earl}^ day to John AA'hitney. who turned it into a horse-mih, and, in 1840, tore it down.
The Heatons. — This same year (1808) brought John Heaton, senior, from the ]\Iotherland to this vicinitv. He
U"or the family of Isaiah Wells see chapter on Mills.
FIRST SETTLERS LY RITCHIE COUNTY 31
was born in sunny England, on April 28, 1774, and not long after his arrival here, he was married to Miss Hester Wells, daughter of William Wells, and took up his residence on the late Dr. W. M. Rymer farm, he being the second owner.
He died on September 33, 1854, and Mrs. Heaton, on February 13, 1859, at the age of sixty-nine one-half years.
Their family consisted of three sons and seven daughters ; viz., John, Eli, A\'illiam, Selvina. Elizabeth, Jane, Sarah, Salina, Mary and Anne. The last two named died in child- hood, and nearly or quite all of the rest have now passed to the other side.
W^illiam died in the West; Selvina married Amos Gulp; Elizabeth, William Wells ; and Jane became Mrs. Mussetter. and they, too, all went West; Sarah married George Martin and died in Gilmer county, and years after, when her remains were disinterred for removal to Harrisville, they were found to be petrified, coffin and all. Salina married George Sinnett, and lived and died at Harrisville.
John and Eli Heaton, who were prominent figures in public afifairs, spent their entire lives aL Harrisville.
John Heaton, junior, was twice married, his first wife being Aliss Susana Wigner, and his second. Miss Sarah Stevens. All died at Harrisville, and here they repose in the cemetery south of town.
Mr. Heaton was the father of seven children : Alcinda, the one child of the first union, became Mrs. Henry Gulp, and went West.
Mrs. Dora (J. H.) Lininger, Mrs. Lillie (J. M.) Barbe, Mrs. Nerdie (Ghas.) Musgrave, the late John Heaton (the third), W^ill R., and one who died in infancy, were the children of the second union.
Will R. is a well known newspaper man, he having long been identified with the Harrisville papers.
Eli Heaton's stay on earth was very brief ; he died sud- denly on January 25, 1868, at the age of forty-two years, while serving as sheriff of the county. Elis brother, John, succeeded him in this office and finished his unexpired term.
He married Mrs. Sophia A. D. Zinn Davis, mother of the late T. E. Davis, of Harrisville, and was the father of five
r
1
'61 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
children, three of whom died in childhood ; vi;:., Adelaide, Grace and Pussy, and Hallie, of the West ; and the late Mrs. Hettie, wife of J. N. Pierpoint, were the two that grew to the years of maturity.
Miss Linnie Peirpoint, of Harrisville, his granddaughter, is the only surviving- descendant in this county.
Mrs. Heaton died in 1867. Both sleep at Harrisville.
Heaton has been one of the prominent names in this coun- ty almost throughout its history.
The Skeltons. — This same year (1808) brought Edward Skelton, with his family, to the W. H. Peirpoint farm. He was born and reared in England, and there he was married to Mrs. Sarah Walker Gibson, a young widow, of London, who was, also, of English birth. And from England they emi- grated to New York city, where the}^ established a home, but being driven from there by a scourge of yellow fever, they came to Harrisville. Here Mrs. Skelton died, and after the home was broken up Mr. Skelton went to Cairo, and spent the remnant of his days with his daughter, Mrs. Jacob McKinney. Here he died, and in the old Pioneer burying-ground at Har- risville, beside his wife, he sleeps.
He was the father of one son. Edward, and three daughters, Mary, Eliza and Anne.
Edward Skelton, junior, married Miss Jane ^McKinney. Mary became Mrs. Jacob McKinney. (See McKinney fam- ily.) Eliza married James Maley ; and Anne. Henry Wigner.
Mrs. Skelton had one son, John Gibson, by her first lius- band.
James Mitchell was the next arrival in this vicinity. He came from the "Old Dominion" (1808), bringing with him four or five slaves, the first that had ever been seen in this section, and took up his residence on the Edward Cokelev farm ; and in 1809, William Rogers became the second owner of the Wolfe farm. He, too, came from the "Old Dominion," bringing his family of slaves. His sons. Robert and Lewis, also found homes here at this same time.
Robert Rogers is said to have settled on the Xorth fork of Hughes river, and Lewis, on Indian creek; but we have been unable to learn an3'thing of their subsequent history.
FIRST SETTLERS IN RITCHIE COUNTY 3-3
other than that Lewis was the father of the late Tohn B. Rogers, of Smithville, and that all the Rogerses in this and adjoining counties sprung from this family. (See South fork chapter for family of John B. Rogers.)
And of the Mitchell family we know nothing farther, as it is evident that the Mitchells of this county did not spring from this source, as they came from Barbour county at a much later day.
The Harrises. — During this same year, 1809, John Harris came from Harrison county, and made the first settlement on the farm that is now the estate of his late son, John P. Harris. He was at this time a single man, but the following year (1810) he w^as married to Miss Agnes Maley, daughter of Lawrence Maley, and remained a prominent, useful citizen of this com- munity until he was laid in the Harrisville cemetery.
Mr. Harris' services to this county were of a high order, for more than thirty years he served as justice of the peace of Ritchie and Wood counties. He was the father of eight children, all of whom have crossed the tide. The late General Thomas M. Harris, whose interesting history occupies another chapter, James and John P. Harris were the sons ; and Hannah, Margaret, Anne, Mary and Jane, the daughters.
James married Miss Anne Rutherford, daughter of Rich- ard Rutherford, senior, and they Vv^ere the parents of two children. Miss Ella, of Concord, Ohio , and a son who died in infancy. He was laid away on the old homestead, near Har- risville, many years ago, but his aged companion survived until 1908, when she was laid by his side.
John P. Harris married Miss Margaret Rutherford, sister of his brother's wife, and lived and died on the homestead that is now owned and occupied by his son, R. R. Harris.
Mrs. Harris survived him by several years, and she fell dead while walking on the street in New York city, near ten years ago, and at Harrisville, by the side of her husband and eldest son, James, she reposes. Their surviving children are Richard R., who is a prominent nurseryman, of Plarrisville ; Thomas G., a physician, of Weston ; John, a railroad engineer, of Weston ; Agnes, who is the wife of the Rev. William B. Barr, of the Presbyterian church of New Jersey ; Mary, the
34 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
wife of the Rev. Edward S. Littell, of the Presbyterian church of Pennsylvania ; and Annabel, who held a position as teacher in a college at Knoxville, Tennessee, became the wife of the Rev. John T. Aikin, of the Presbyterian church of Rochester, Pa., June 24, 1910.
Hannah, the eldest daughter of John and Agnes Maley Harris, married Samuel P)lue and went to Pennsylvania, and her two children, Agnes, a daughter, and a son, died in child- hood.
Margaret Harris married T. F. Leech and lived and died at Harrisville. Mrs. R. R. Hall, of Harrisville, is her only sunaving child ; another daughter, }>Iartha E., having passed on in her youth.
Anne Harris died in youth, and Alary and Jane, in child- hood.
Thomas Harris' settlement here antedated that of his brother. John, by two years, he ha\'ing succeeded his son-in- law, George Stuart, on the land where Harrisville now stands, in 1807.
He married Miss Xancy Cunningham, sister of Elijah M. Cunningham, and with his family came from Harrison county, and remained here until his death ; and in ,the old Pioneer cemetery, beside his wife, he rests. Pie was the father of ten children; viz., John went to Illinois; James, to Zanesville, Ohio ; and Adam rests at Smithville ; Efihe became Airs. John Chancellor and v/ent to Iowa ; Margaret, who married William Stanley, lies at Harrisville ; Hannah married George Stuart and lived and died in this county; Elizabeth, Rachel, Sarah and Mary, who remained single, also died here.
From this pioneer Harrisville took its name, and is a most beautiful monument to his memory.
The Harrises are of Scotch-Irish origin. Two brothers came from Ireland before the Revolution, landing in the City of "Brotherly Love." These brothers were separated, soon after their arrival, Thomas going Southward, was never heard of again, and the other one (whose Christian name is wanting) was the father of Thomas and John, the Ritchie county pioneers. He married a widow, a Airs. Aliller, whose
FIRST SETTLERS IN RITCHIE COUNTY 35
maiden name was Plummer, and near the year 1800, they came to Harrison coimty. Besides the two sons mentioned they were the parents of four daughters, all of whom were the wives of Ritchie county pioneers :
Margaret married Elijah M. Cunningham ; Jane, Benja- min Starr; Anna, John Harris, and another daughter was the wife of Nutter Webb, a pioneer of Goose creek.
The Chancellors. — The year 1809 was, also, marked by the coming of Thomas Chancellor, with his family, from Culpep- per county, Virginia, to the farm that for long years was the home of the late Mrs. John Hawkins, but now the homes of Edward Wells and James Maxwell. He married Miss Judith Gaines, a Virginia maiden of Welsh descent, she being his third wife, and they were the parents of seven sons and one daughter.
Mrs. Chancellor was the niece of Edmond Pendleton, of Virginia, and a cousin of General Edmond Pendleton Gains, of the United States army. Mr. Chancellor was a soldier of the Revolutionary war, he having served in the Virginia in- fantry. He died not long after his settlement here, and the family went to Wood county, where a number of their descendants still live.
The two eldest sons of these pioneers, Richard and James Chancellor, died at Norfolk, Virginia, while serving as soldiers in the war of 1812, leaving no issue ; Cooper and William sleep in Wood county. Benjamin went to Missouri, and finally to Mississippi, where he sleeps. John emigrated to Missouri, and later to Arkansas, where he reposes. (Pie was the grandfather of C. B. Chancellor, of the Chancellor Plard- ware Company, of Parkersburg.) Rebecca, the only daughter, who never married, also sleeps in Wood county; and Thomas, the sixth son, who was born in the Old Dominion, in 1805. married Miss Prudence Rector, of Taylor county, and re- moved to Wood county in 1838, where he died on July 4, 3 872, at his home in Parkersburg. Here his family, who are prominently known, still reside. To the late Hon. W. N. Chancellor, his son, we are indebted for this sketch; his other sons, Edmond P. and Alfred B., are also citizens of Parkers- burg.
3G HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
The Chancellors are of French origin, although they went from France to England in the eleventh century (lOGo) with William the Conquorer, and subsequently removed to Scotland in the fourteenth century. However, Richard Chan- cellor, the founder of the family in the United States, came from England in 1()82, and settled in Westmoreland county, Virginia. Fie had two sons, W^illiam Cooper, and Richard Chancellor, junior (the hatter). William Cooper Chancellor married a ]\Iiss Thomas, and removed to Culpepper county (Virginia), and here his son, Thomas, the Ritchie county pioneer, was born.
Doubtless the town of Chancellorsville, in the Old Dominion, which was so far-famed during the late Civil war, took its name from this family.
The Starrs. — Near the year ISIO, John and Benjamin Starr, and Elijah Cunningham, with their families, found homes in this wilderness. They all came from Harrison coun- ty, and were all the uncles of General Harris.
Mr. Cunningham settled on land adjoining the U^olfe farm; Benjamin Starr, on the George ^Martin farm, now the home of Mrs. Susan Rymer; and John Starr, on Indian creek, on the homestead that is now the estate of his late son, James.
John Starr's wife was Miss Anne Harris, sister of John and Thomas Harris, and they were the first settlers on Indian creek. Here they lived and died, and in the Harrisville ceme- tery they lie at rest. He has been sleeping since 1846.
The children of the family were Mary, Elizabeth, Effie, Hannah, Moses, Benjamin, John and James Starr.
Mary became the wife of Jacob Moats, senior, and spent her life in the Harrisville vicinity. (See Moats family.)
Elizabeth Starr was married to Jacob Wigner, junior, and in this county she remained until death. Her children were : Cathrine, Eliza, Elizabeth, Matilda, James, Harper, Nelson, W^ilbur, Clarke and George AVigner.
Effie Starr was the late Mrs. Henr}' ]\Ioats, of Addis' run. (See Moats family.)
Hannah Starr, with her husband, William Cokeley, set- tled at Mt. Zion, where she is now resting in the churchyard. (See Chevauxdefrise chapter.)
FIRST SETTLERS IN RITCHIE COUNTY 37
Moses Starr was married to Miss Margaret Prince, and in Wood county he resided. His family consisted of two daughters : Anne is the widow of Jacob Moats, junior, of Har- risville, and Jane is Mrs. Sarber, of Parkersburg.
Benjamin Starr died in youth.
John Starr was married to Miss Ellen Ayres, sister of John B. Ayres, formerly of this county, but now of Spencer, and resided at different points in this county, before going to Addis' run, where he died in 1875. His wife survived him until 1898.
Their children were: Miss Mary and Benjamin, Missouri: John, of Addis' run; Anne (Mrs. G. W. Hammer), Mrs. Frances Watson P'oster, and Miss Hannah Starr, Harrisville.
James Starr and his wife, Mrs. Eliza Ayres Starr, (sister of his brother's wife) spent their lives at the old homestead, on Indian creek. Here she passed from earth in 1891, and he, on February 25, 1901.
Their only son, Alpheus, died in youth; Margaret mar- ried H. M. Murdock, and lives in Ohio: and Misses Sarah and Fannie are of Harrisville.
Benjamin Starr, senior, the pioneer, was married to Miss Jane Harris (sister of his brother's wife) and, perhaps, re- mained here until his death, yet we have been unable to learn anything definite concerning his subsequent history or that of his family, other than that he had two children, Moses and Elizabeth Starr.
Elijah Morgan Cunningham was married to Miss Mar- garet Harris, he and Thomas Harris having traded sisters, and in this vicinity they remained until they were borne to the old "Pioneer cemetery," near Harrisville. He was a native of Harrison county, and a brother of Edward, a very early settler, on Husher's run.
His only son died in childhood, and his daughters were : Elizabeth (Mrs. Elijah Husher, of Husher's run) ; Sarah (Mrs. Riddel, mother of David J. Riddel, of Riddel's chapel) : Effie (the late Mrs. James Riddel, of Roane county), and Rachel and Jane, who remained single. (Effie and Jane were twins.) All of whom have crossed to the other side.
38 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
This family were related to W illiam Cunningham, of Revolutionary fame, and to Thomas, of Indian times, they having- been descended from the same Irish family, as the similarity of names would suggest; but we have been. unable to determine the exact connection, though circumstances point to the fact that they were first cousins.
The Drakes. — During the year 1811, the Reverend John Drake, a minister of the Baptist church, made the first im- provement on the farm that is now the estate of the late Edward D. Lough.
He was the first minister in the settlement, and being licensed to celebrate the rites of matrimony, took this matter from the hands of the Reverend Reese Wolfe, a lay minister of the Baptist church faith, of Parkersburg, wdio had been performing this important service for the little colony.
The Rev. Mr. Drake was a lineal descendant of Sir Francis Drake, the English admiral and explorer. His father, George Drake, came from England, some time during the last half of the eighteenth century, and probably settled in the Vir- ginia colony.
However, John Drake was born in 1775, and was one of the first missionaries to cross the Allegheny mountains, to Western Virginia.
He was twice married, but the maiden names of both of his waves are missing. But the record shows that he and his first wife, Isabel, were married on January 15, 1794; and that he was married to his second wife, Elizabeth, on January 30, 1803, and with her he came to this county.
After a few years' residence at Harrisville, he removed to Smithville, and found a home at the mouth of Leatherbrake, on land that is now owned by W. A. Flesher. Here he con- ^tinued to reside until August 3, 1836, when he was called to his heavenly reward ; and in the Murphy graveyard, on the John P. Kennedy farm, his ashes lie.
No imposing monument marks his resting place ! Per- haps, not even a stone is there to distinguish it from the many other early graves in the burying-ground, but the record of his hardships, his noble deeds, his heroic self-sacrifice, is a
FIRST SETTLERS IX RITCHIE COUNTY 39
memorial, sufficient — the Baptist church in this county is a fitting and enduring monument to his memory.
His wife, Elizabeth, survived him by many years, dying on May 26, 1854, at the age of seventy-one years.
Bible Record of the Family of Rev. John Drake. — Chil- dren of John and Isabel Drake:
James Drake, born on March 15, 1795, married Elizabeth Sinnett, on September 25, 1815.
Jemima Drake,, born on September 19, 1796, married John Earle on July 22, 1814.
Elizabeth Drake, born on March 21, 1799, and — Children of John and Elizabeth Drake : Susana Drake, born on February 26, 1804, died in 1810. George Drake, born October 22, 1805, died in 1825.
Rachel Drake, born on January 4, 1808, married George Camp on April 13, 1826.
Mary Drake, born on October 20, 1809, married Seth Rogers, on March 9, 1854.
Agnes Drake, born on February 19, 1812, niarried Solo- mon Rexroad, on November 17, 1833.
John Drake, born on April 5, 1814, died in 1852. David Drake, born on December 19, 1816, and — Lavina Drake, born on August 15. 1820, died in 1852. Noah Drake, born on March 16, 1S23, died in 1851. Aaron Drake, born on October 25, 1826, and —
vSome of these sons went to Charleston and here their history ends, but James remained here and his descendants are a host in this county. (See Indian creek chapter.)
The late Mrs. Agnes Layfield, of Cokeley, was a grand- daughter of this pioneer.
James Drake, a brother of the Reverend John Drake, went to Ohio, and Hannah, a sister, married Aaron Smith, a pioneer of this county, and has a large number of descendants among our well known citizens. (See South fork settlers.)
Adam Cunningham was another early pioneer in this section.
He was the son of Adam, senior, and the nephew of
40 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Thomas Cunningham, and was a native of this county, being born on the Hoff farm, below Smithville.
He married Sarah, the daughter of Patrick Sinnett. and settled on the old ridge road between Harrisville and Smith- ville, on the farm that is now the estate of the late Charles Moyer; here he passed from earth at a ripe old age, and here, with his wife, he sleeps.
His children were: Jacob, of Indian creek; Absolem, father of John, the Washburn artist; Mrs. Millie (Wm.) Hoover, of Wood county; the late Mrs. Dolly (James) Webb, of Harrisville; A'Trs. Phebe (Ephraim) Cunningham, of Indian run; and the late Mrs. Sarah Ann Mulienax, of the same vicin- ity.
The Moatses. — Near the year 1819, George Moats and his wife, Eve, with their family, came from Pendleton county, and took up their residence on the land that is now marked by the west end of Harrisville.
They were the grandparents of Andrew Moats, of Har- risville, and the ancestors of all the families of this name in the county, they being the parents of twelve children. Mrs. Moats was a native of North Carolina, and both were of Ger- man descent.
They gave the grounds for the first Baptist church in the Harrisville vicinity, and near the site of this old church, which stood just north of the present residence of Mrs. Wm. M. Rymer, Mr. Moats met a tragic death, in 1811:, by the falling of a tree, under which he had sought shelter from a storm. He was buried almost on the site where he was killed, but sixty 3^ears after, his ashes were removed to the cemetery on the hill south of town. Mrs. Moats rests in the Indian creek Baptist churchyard.
Their sons were: Peter, Jacob, Henry and \\'illiam ; and their daughters, Christiana, Barbara, Magdalene, Kathrine, Elizabeth, Frances, Susan and Julia Moats, whose descend- ants are now a host among the good citizens of the county.
These children in their turn were nearly all the heads of pioneer families.
Peter Moats, the eldest son, was born in Pendleton coun- ty, in 1797, and there he was married, at the age of nineteen
FIRST SETTLERS IN RITCHIE COUNTY 41
or twenty years, to Miss Rachel Grogg, and, with his parents, came to this county and settled on one end of the old home- stead, on the part that is now owned by the heirs of the late Samuel Moats. Here he died, and in the Egypt cemetery he sleeps. He was one of the earliest blacksmiths in this vicinity.
His children were: Joseph, Jesse and Cathrine (Mrs. Wm. Godfrey), who went to Ohio; the late Wm. P. and Mrs. Lucinda (Jacob) Cunningham, of Washburn; Mrs. Flora Eve (Kuhnrod) Mullenax, of Missouri ; the late Mrs. Elizabeth (James) Layfield, and Mrs. Susana (Salathial) Simmons, both of Cairo.
Jacob Moats, the second son, was born in 1799; and in 1823, he was married to Miss Mary, the daughter of John Starr, senior, and on the old homestead, near Harrisville, where their son, Jacob, died a few years since, they established their home. Here she saw the last of earth in 1873, and he, in 1885, and both rest at Harrisville.
Their eldest daughter, Anne, was the late Airs. Andrew Cokeley, and Susana was the late Mrs. Isaac Cokeley, both of Harrisville ; Mary became Mrs. Joshua Nest and went West ; Elizabeth was Mrs. Holland, of Tyler county ; Mar- garet, Mrs. Robinson, of Wood county ; Jane, the late wife of J. R. Sigler, of Cairo; India is Mrs. William Gilbert, of Will- iamstown ; Andrew has long been a prominent merchant of Harrisville; and Benjamin and Jacob, junior, lie sleeping in the Harrisville cemetery.
Henry Moats, with his wife, Mrs. Effie Starr Moats, set- tled on the head of Addis' run, where his son, Heniy, now lives. He entered a large tract of twelve hundred acres of land in this section, but his claim being contested, he pur- chased the entire tract, and obtained a title for it, and it is now divided into several homesteads (viz. ; J. H. Hattield's, John Starr's, George Layfield's, Edward Cokeley 's and per- haps others) besides what is owned by his heirs.
He, too, was a blacksmith by trade, and was the first one in this section. Here his last hours were spent.
42 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
His children :
John went West, where he died ; George and James lost their lives in the defense of the Union in the sixties ; Henry resides at the old home ; William is the owner and operator of the Moats mill at Rusk; Kathrine married Thomas Martin, and she now lives with her son in New York ; Hannah was the late Mrs. David Shrader, of Cairo, and another daughter was Mrs. Hiram (?) Norman, of Calhoun county.
William Moats married Miss Phebe Drake, daughter ol James Drake, and settled on the old parental homestead, he having succeeded his father there. Here he lived and died, and at Harrisville he rests.
After the death of his wife, Phebe, he married Miss Edna M. Cunningham, daughter of Enoch M. Cunningham, of Smithville, and they were the parents of Pompey Moats, and Misses India and Virginia, who reside at the old homestead near Harrisville.
The children of William and Phebe Drake Moats V'/ere the late James and Sinnett Moats, of Indian creek, who were both soldiers of the Union army, and Cornelius, of Harrisville. The other children born of this union died in childhood.
Christiana Moats, the eldest child of George and Eve Moats, who was born in 1793, was married to John Shrader, and settled on Husher's run. Her sons were Nicholas, George and William Shrader, and one of her daughters, Fannie, was ]\Irs. James Rollins, of Ellenboro.
Barbara Moats became Mrs. Solomon Dick, and resided here and in the "Buckeye State." George Dick, of Ohio, is one of her sons, but the names of tlie other members of the family are wanting.
Magdalena Moats was the late Mrs. William Kibby, of Cornwallis, and Hezekiah Kibby, the ex-assessor, of Grant district, is her only heir.
Kathrine Moats was married to Absolem Harpold, and from the Webb's mill vicinity, they went to Indiana. Nicho- las and George Harpold were two of her sons.
FIRST SETTLERS LV RITCHIE COUNTY ' 43
Susan Moats was the late Mrs. Solomon Mullenax, oi Missouri; Elizabeth was the wife of John Layfield, senior; Frances was Mrs. Harmon Sinnett; and Julia Anne, Mrs. Ephriam Gulp, all of this county. (See other chapters for their families.)
The Cokeleys.^Another family whose name belongs to this community, though not among the earliest settlers, is that of Cokeley.
Jeremiah Cokeley came from Ireland near the year 1750, and settled in the Virginia colony. He was the father of five sons ; viz., William, Daniel, Edmund, Jeremiah and Elijah,, and from his son, Edmund, the Ritchie county Cokeleys are descended..
Edmund Cokeley was a Revolutionary soldier, he having taken up his sword in behalf of the colonies.
In 1818, his son, Elijah, married Christiana Crofus, a German maiden, who, with her parents, crossed to Virginia in 1790; and, in 1822, he passed from earth at his home in Virginia, and here, near Cumberland, on the Virginia side, he sleeps.
In 1840, his widow, with her three sons and one daughter ; viz., Edmund, Isaac, Andrew and Anne, came to the Harris- ville vicinity, and with them came Daniel Cokeley, a brother of Elijah, and his family, and from these two brothers all the diiterent families of this name in this, and sister counties, are descended.
Edmund Cokeley, the eldest son of Elijah, married Miss Eliza Wagner, of Cumberland, Maryland ; and near the break- ing out of the Civil war, with hie family and his widowed mother, he removed to Iowa, where he died but a few years since. His mother died in the early sixties, and lies at rest in a rural cemetery near Vinton, Iowa.
His children were Jonathan, Edward, Asby, Christiana, Margaret and Martha.
Isaac Cokeley married a Miss Rexroad and lost his life in defense of the Union in 1863.
44 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Anne Cokeley, the only daughter of Elijah Cokeley, be- came the wife of Jonathan Barksdale, of Virginia, and after a brief married life, she died and her family went to lo^va.
Andrew Cokeley, the younger son of the family of Elijah, was married to Miss Anne Aloats, daughter of Jacob Aloats, senior, on April 15, 1841, and settled on the old homestead near two and one-half miles West of Harrisville, where his heirs still reside.
He was the father of twelve children :
Jacob, of vVilliamstown ; Edmund E., George, the late Andrew J., all of Harrisville ; and Alvah, of Cairo ; Elizabeth, the eldest daughter, was the late Mrs. Aaron Eriedly, of Spruce Grove ; Mary Jane was the late Mrs. Wiljiam Aloats. of Addis' nm ; Alcinda was the late Mrs. Henr\^ Moats, of Spruce Grove, the mother of the late F. M. Moats, editor of the Ritchie Standard ; Susan L. was the late Mrs. John Echard, of Five Forks ; Melvina became Mrs. Jonathan Coke- ley, and resides at Vinton, Iowa ; Alargaret R. married Franl^ Griffin and died in 1877, leaving one son ; Belle married Everett Brake and resides at the old home.
Daniel Cokeley. — Daniel Cokeley, the pioneer, married Miss Elizabeth Crofus, sister of his brother Elijah's wife, and came from Virginia in 1840, as above stated, and settled neai; two miles from Harrisville, on the farm that is now the estate of his late son, Isaac. Here he died in 1861, at the age of ninety-four years, six months, fifteen days.
His children were: Isaac, William, Mrs. Nancy Simmers, all of Harrisville; Mrs. Elizabeth Shock, and Mrs. Sarah Rob- inson (mother of honored Sherman Robinson, of Harrisville), both of Calhoun county. His daughter, Mary, married A\'illiam Sharpneck, of Petroleum, and after her death her sis- ter, Margaret, married Mr. Sharpneck.
Isaac Cokeley married Miss Susana Moats, daughter of Jacob Moats, senior, and spent his life at the old homestead, near Harrisville.
His children: Daniel, of Devil Hole; Jacob, of Elm run, who have both passed on ; Isaac, of Harrisville ; Alargaret, late wife of John E. Simmons, of Spruce Grove; Luvina, late
FIRST SETTLERS IN RITCHIE COUNTY 45
wife of Andrew Simmons, and Miss Mary, who, with her mother, resides at the old homestead.
Wiliiain Cokeley, son of Daniel, married Miss Hannah Starr, daughter of John Starr, senior, and Mrs. Elizabeth Duckworth, of Mt. Zion. is the one child of this union. (See Mt. Zion chapter for further history.)
CHAPTER III
South Fork Settled
ILLIAM LAYFIELD.— Though the Mur- phys have always, heretofore, been accred- ited with the first settlement on the South fork of Hughes river, careful investigation proves this to be in error: the shade of AVilliam Layfield rises to a point ol justice, as he is the rightful claimant to this dis- tinction ; his settlement on the S. H. West- fall farm, above Smithville, having antedated the coming of the Murphys by one year. For twelve months he was alone in this dense wilderness, being the only settler on this branch of the river, within the present bounds of the county.
After a four years' residence here, he removed to what is known as "Layfield's run," a tributary of Goose creek, where he lived for many years, and where he buried his first wife, Mrs. Margaret Crawford Layfield. He died on March 20, 1852, at the home of his son, Sanford, near Cornwallis. and in the Egypt cemetery, by the side of his second wife, Mrs. Susan Douglas Layfield (widow of John Douglass, of Scotland), he sleeps.
He was of Irish descent. His father, James La3^field, came from the "Emerald Isle," and settled on the Soutli branch of the Potomac river at Moorefield (West), Virginia, where he (William) was born.
When he was but a lad, all the family, except him and one brother, were captured by the Indians, and they were being hotly pursued by the dreaded foe when they were over- taken by a violent storm, from which they sought refuge under a tree. This tree was torn up by the roots, and William escaped, but he never knew the fate of his brother ; never heard of any of the family again, so the many families of this
SOUTH FORK SETTLED 47
name in the different parts of the country are descended from him.
He was the father of six sons and one daughter : John, James, ElHson, Sanford, David and William, junior, and Mary Ann, who became Mrs. Augusta Crane, and went West.
To the late venerable Henry Layfield. of Cokeley's, we are indebted for this interesting reminiscence, which he has repeatedly heard from his grandfather's own lips.
The Murphys. — The Murphys were the second settlers on this river. Four brothers came from Harrison county, in 1801, and found homes in the Webb's mill vicinity. Amiziah took up his residence on Vv'hat is now the Frederick Lemon estate, at Macfarlan ; William, on the John P. Kennedy farm; Samuel, on the late Alfred Scott estate ; and John, on the Rev. M. McNeill homestead. Here these brothers passed from earth, and in the Murphy graveyard, on the John P. Kennedy farm, and on the McNeill homestead, their ashes lie. After the older generation had passed away, their heirs, having lost their lands owing to bad titles, went to Illinois, to Washing- ton county, Ohio, and to Wood county, this State, and conse- quently, little is known of their early history, save the fact that they Avere Indian fighters.
Other settlers found homes in this wilderness in rapid succession, and for a number of years this was known as the "Murphy Settlement" along the river from the mouth of In- dian creek to the mouth of Slab creek ; and the memory of these pioneers is still kept green by the name, "Murphy dis- trict."
Nutter Webb. — After the Murphys came Nutter Webb. He was a native of Harrison county, and the first blacksmith in this vicinity. His old cabin stood on the south bank of the river just opposite the present site of AVebb's (Hardman's^ mill, and here he resided until he was laid in the cemetery that bears his name, in August, 1833. A long line of his descend- ants still lay claim to Ritchie county soil.
He married Miss Anna Cunningham, daughter of Adam Cunningham, brother of Thomas, and was the father of two sons and several daughters : Benjamin, whose history appears in a later chapter, was one of the most prominent figures in
48 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
the early history of this part of the county ; WiUiam was also a pioneer, he having made the first settlement on the Elias Valentine farm ; Mrs. Elizabeth Simms, Parkersburg ; Mrs. Rebecca (John) Malone, Mrs. Margaret (Adam) Harris, Mrs. Rachel (Wm.) Stuart, mother of Robert Stuart, of Iris, were four of the daughters, and perhaps all of them.
The Webbs are of Indian fighting stock, they being de- scended from Jonas Webb, an early settler of Harrison coun- ty, who is mentioned in "Border Warfare."
Adam Cunningham was another early settler in the Webb's mill vicinity, he having found a home on the Hofif, now the John S. Deem, farm. He was a brother of Thomas Cunningham, and here the remainder of his life was spent, and in the Murphy gravej^ard he sleeps.
He was the father of twelve children, whose names in part are missing, but the following are among them : Adam., the grandfather of John Cunningham, the Washburn artist; Edward and Elijah, and Mrs. Rebecca Beard, Mrs. Drusilla Beard, ]\Irs. Rachel Nutter, Mrs. Hannah Harris and Mrs. Nutter Webb.
William Stuart. — Contemporary with the settlements of the Murphy Brothers was that of William Stuart, senior, on the late John Byrd estate, near the old "State Ford," above Gofif's. He was a typical son of "Old Erin," having been born, reared and educated in the city of Belfast. Ireland. Here he learned the trade of cabinet-maker and joiner; and here he was married to Miss Martha Boyd, an English maiden, of Southampton ; and from here they emigrated to America in 1789, landing in the "City of Brotherly Love." where he worked at his trade, for a time, before purchasing land in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, on the banks of the "blue Juniata river," below the then little village of Hunt- ingdon. Here they remained but a brief time ; and from here they came to Ritchie county, in 1801, and settled on the Byrd farm, where he died on March 13, 1809. His wufe died in 1834. Both sleep on their old homestead, in the burying- ground that is now designated as the "Reeves graveyard." Their son, John, and daughter, Sarah B., who was the victim of the first surgical operation in this county, also sleep here ;
SOUTH FORK SETTLED ' 49
Polly, and IVIartha, who married Benjamin Webb, rest in the Webb's cemetery ; Jane married Enoch Cunningham, and at Smithville she reposes ; James died in Harrison county, and W'illiam, who was the father of Robert, at Iris.
Among the grandchildren of this pioneer, who are citizens of the county, are Lewis Rogers, of Lamb's run , P. J. Cun- ningham, of Pennsboro. James T. Smith, of Burnt House; and B. F. Prince, of Cantwell, are great-grandsons. ■
Thomas Summerfield was the first settler on what is now the AV. A. Flesher and the late John Miller homesteads. He afterwards moved across the river and made a settlement on the J. R. Westfall farm, and finally went to Ohio.
Alexander Davidson. — In ISiO, the Aliller and Flesher farm became the property of Alexander Davidson, who con- tinued to reside here until he was borne to the Smithville cemetery, in 1837.
Mr. Davidson was of Scotch-Irish descent. His father, James Davidson, was born in Ireland, and his mother, Mary Allen, in Scotland ; and shortly after the Revolution they came to America and settled in the valley of Virginia, near Winchester; here Alexander was born; and here he was married to Miss Kathrine Kline, a German maiden, who was also a native of the "Old Dominion ;"' and after the birth of their third child, they removed to Parkersburg, where Mr. Davidson engaged in the shoe-maker's trade for a time, be- fore coming to the Harrisville vicinity, near 181(), where he remained until he came to Smithville.
He was the father of ten children ; and after his death Mrs. Davidson and the family, ha\^ing lost their land here, emigrated to Illinois in a wagon. Here a number of them sleep.
He was the father of the venerable Israel Davidson, of Spruce creek, who is, perhaps, entitled to the distinction of being the oldest (li\ing) son of Ritchie county, he having passed his ninetieth milestone ; and of the late Samuel, of Gilmer county; of the late Mrs. Eleven Riddle, of Lawford ; and the late Mrs. Edward Rogers, who sleeps in the Pioneer cemetery, at Harrisville.
50 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COuNTY
William Cline, early in the century, built the first house at Smithville, on the site that is now marked by the hotel of M. A. Ayres. He was the father of Abraham and William Cline, whose names will appear later; but in 1816, this im- provement passed into the hands of James and Benjamin Hardman, two brothers, who came from what is now Gilmer county. These brothers had married the daughters of Thomas and Phoebe Cunningham, the first settlers in the Frederick's mill vicinity (in 1S07), whose interesting history occupies another chapter.
The Hardmans. — In the meantime, while these settlements were going on at Smithville, Peter Wolfe, of Harrison county, was making the first improvement on the farm that is now the A. P. Hardman estate, in the Frederick's mill vicinity ; and he and James Hardman traded farms. Air. A\"olfe moved to Sinith- ville, where he died before the year 1830. and Air. Hardman took up his residence on the A. P. Hardman homeslead, which he twice lost owing to a defective title ; and he then moved to the Staunton pike, and became the first settler in the Hard- man chapel vicinity, on the farm that is now the estate of his late son, James S. Hardman. Here he passed from earth in August, 1874. He was a lay minister of the Methodist Episco- pal church, and he gave the grounds for the cemetery and the church which bears his name, "Hardman chapel," and beneath its shadow his ashes lie. He was born in the "Old Domin- ion." on November 14, 1795, and, with his parents, came to Gilmer county, to the Kanawha river, when he was but a small child. At the age of eighteen years, he enlisted as a soldier in the war of 1812, taking the place of his father, who had been drafted, and served one year, until the close of the war. He was never engaged in battle, but frequently wit- nessed the maneuvers of the enemy's vessels far out at sea. Tn 1816, he was married to Miss Pliebe Cunningham, who was born in Lewis county, on August 10, 1795, and died at her home at Hardman chapel, on July 3, 1871.
From this venerable couple, the many different families of the name in the county are descended. Their two surviv- ing daughters are Mrs. Nancy (Asa) Dilworth, of Eatons ; and Mrs. Julia (Ira S.) GofiF. of \\'aiker. And their late
SOUTH FORK SETTLED
51
sons and daughters were Joseph, who died in childhood ; Mrs. Leah (John) Beall, Leatherbrake ; Mrs. Harriett Fisher, Gil- mer county; Mrs. Dorcas Beall, Weston; Mrs. Barbara (George) Wells, Cornwallis ; Mrs. Phebe (J. M.) McWhorter, of Buckhannon, who first married Harrison B. Cunningham ;
James Hardman.
Hardman Chapel.
■George W., James S.. and Asbury Poole, Hardman chapel; and Thomas C., of Auburn.
Benjamin Hardman changed his place of residence from Smithville to the banK of the river at Frederick's mill, he being the first settler here, and the builder of this mill ; and from this community, a number of years later, he went to Iowa, where he remained but a short time. Returning to this State, he went to Roane county, and settled on the Middle fork of Reedy, and from there, passed into the other world, He, too, was a lay minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, one of the earliest in this wilderness. His wife was .Sira Leah Cunningham, and by his side she is sleeping, on the old home- stead in Roane county.
Their children were: the late Thomas, of Gilmer county; William, Joseph, Benjamin, Nathaniel, Mrs. Emily Ingraham and Mrs. Argabrite, all of Roane county; Mrs. Phebe (Phillip) Frederick, Burnt House; Mrs. Rebecca (Henry) Elliott, Cal- houn county ; Mrs. Sarah (Alexander) Burdett, Missouri ; and
C2 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Mrs. Mary (Henry C.) McWhorter, Charleston ; mother of Judge McWhorter, who stepped down from a long term as judge of the Supreme Court of the State, iu 1909.
The Hardmans ha\e a very interesting ancestral history. Joseph Hardman was born in Germany not far frora the middle of the eighteenth century, and about the time he had reached manhood's estate, he, leaving the Fatherland with an emi- grant party, which included his sister, Margaret Hardman (who may have been Mrs. Jeremiah Riddel at this time), James Riddel, John Goff and Salathiel Goff, went to England : and from there, a year later, they all embarked to America, landing in Baltimore a short time before the Revolution — per- haps in 1773 or 1774, where they remained for twelve months before going to Georgetown, in what is now the District of Columbia. Air. Riddel and the Gofifs being more advanced in years than Mr. Hardman, were the heads of families, that they brought with them across the sea ; and ere long, the fair face and charming manner of Miss Dorcas Riddel completely captivated the afifections of young Hardman, and they were married ; and upon the banks of the Potomac, within a neigh- boring distance of the Washington estates, the}^ founded their' home. And thus it was that Joseph Hardman came to know- George Washington, not only as a general, for he was a Revo- lutary soldier, but as an intimate friend. It is said that the abilit}' and the judgment of the young German w^as of such an order that he was, not unfrequently, called into council with other trustworthy pioneers, by General Washington, to con- struct plans for the safety and protection of the inhabitants of certain districts of Maryland and Virginia.
"The reminiscences of these stirring days, and his in- timate acquaintance with the great General, were ever dear to his heart," and to the close of his life "his deep blue eyes would sparkle and radiate with a peculiar light," as his mind reverted to those heroic scenes. After a seven years' resi- dence at Georgetown, he, with the other families above men- tioned, removed to Fredericksburg, Virginia, where he engaged in the butcher business, and by strict economy soon accumu- lated a sufBcient amount of monev to cause him to cast wist-
SOUTH FORK SETTLED
ful glances to the land beyond the mountains; so one morning in the early spring time, late in the century, he, with his be- loved Dorcas and three children, Nancy, James and Thomas, and their belongings, set out in wagons for the great North- west; and after long weeks of peril and hardships, such as only pioneers of civilization can know, they reached Ran- dolph county, where they "pitched their tent" and sojourned for a time, before coming to Cedar creek, in Gilmer county, where they reared their humble dwelling and remained for many years.
Shortly after they settled down here, another child was added to the family, which they called "Benjamin,"
and in 1813, the fifth and last child was born, and his name was "George Washington," for the fond parents de- clared that his very features were like none other than the great General. He grew to the intelligent manhood that his early youth promised, and married Miss Rachel Goff, granddaughter of Salathiel Goff, and settled five miles below Grantsville, on the little Kana- wha river, at what is known as "Plard- man's Bend," and here, on the old homestead, beside his wife, he quietly Georgre w. Hardman. reposes. He was promoted to the rank of major in the Mexican war, and was a large land-owner and stock-raiser, and from him the Hardman s, who are so prominently known in political circles in the State, are de- scended. He being the father of the following named chil- dren : Sylvester and Orlando, who have joined the throng over there, once occupied seats in the State Senate; George W., late candidate for Congress on the Democratic ticket, has twice served as sheriff of Calhoun county ; Columbus, who passed on in 1909; Cassett, Marcellus, Jerome and Allen, who are all prominent farmers, stockmen and timbermen of Roane county ; Warren and Floyd, who died in infancy ; the late Mrs. Dorcas (Levi) Ball, and Mrs. S. Jane (Albert)
54 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Pearcy. C. C. Hardman, of Kyger, Roane county, the young instructor of Farmers' Institutes, who recently formed the acquaintance of the people of this county, is the son of the late Sh^vester Hardman.
Nancy Hardman, the only daughter of Joseph and Dorcas Hardman, married a man by the name of Parsons, of Gilmer county, and he went to the war (of 1813) with James Hard- man and died soon after his return home. His wife, Nancy, then married a Air. Kearns, of Stuart's creek. Gilmer county, and there some of her descendants still live.
Thomas Hardman was married to Miss Rebecca Goff, daughter of John and granddaughter of Salathiel, and settled at Reedyville, in Roane county. Here, at his home, Joseph and Dorcas Hardman died and at Reedyville they lie at rest. Joseph was ninety-six years of age at the time of his death.
Some time after the Civil war, Thomas Hardman and his wife went to Parsons, Kansas, where they spent the clos- ing hours of their lives with their children, and there their ashes lie.
Their family consisted of the following named children:
William, the eldest son, still survives as a citizen of Roane county, though well advanced in years ; Nancv was the late wife of Sandy Board; Christen?, married Kellis Arga- bright; George, John. James, Salathial and Drusilla. who ^vas the wife of Captain Albert G. Ingraham, of the Confederate army. The late John's family live in Roane county, as do other descendants, and some of them reside in the far West.
Note. — To Mr. Paul Hardman, of Nebo, Clay courty (only son of Mar- cellus and the late Chantilla Stump Hardman, and grandson of George "^'ashinglon), we are indebted for this valuable ancescial .«ketch of the Hard- man«, and for the verification of the nationality of the GofEs and the Riddles. He having been selected a few years ago to prepare a history of the Hard- mans to be read at a re-union of hi« branch of the family, set himself about the task sparing no pains in gathering and verifying this data, so far as it was possible to do so. And thougli the Riddle.s claim to be French and the GofEs, English, it has been proved beyond a doubt, that they came from Germany to England, and from there to the colonies. IVIr. Hardinan's sources of inforination were many and varied. He inter- viewed aged persons in his quest who had known the older generations of these families, and who had heard them tell in their German brogue (for they could not speak Engli.'^h distinctly) of the oppression that drove them froin the land of their birth beyond the deep. He also met with a young lady from Germany, not long since, who is acquainted with the Hardmans of the present generation in her native land, and she remarked about the striking resemblance that he bore to them.
Another .'strong proof of the long a'^sociation of the Goffs. the Riddels and the Hardmans is the numerous marriages and inter-marriages of the families for the past five or six generations.
SOUTH FORK SETTLED 55
Several of these sons served as Union soldiers diirinp- the Civil
o
war.
Peter Wolfe, as before stated, made the first settle- ment on the A. P. Hardnian estate, and he, trading farms with James Hardman, went from there to the M. A. Ayres farm at Smithville, where he was laid to rest before the year 1830. He was born in Harrison county of German parentage, and was of Indian fighting stock. He married Miss Maudlin Hanley, of Harrison county, and came to this county early in the century. He wa,s the father of Samuel Wolfe, who resided here in pioneer days, but finally found a resting place in the west ; of the late John Wolfe, of Gilmer county; Susan, who married James Malone, junior, and sleeps at Harrisville ; of the late Mrs. Elizabeth (Righter) Cunning- ham, of Ohio ; and the late Mrs. Mary Drimon, of Harrison county.
Mrs. John M. Brown, of Hannahdale, is the great-grand- daughter of this pioneer, and the Wolfes, of \\''olfe Pen, are also his descendants, besides not a few of them live in Gilmer comity.
Valentine Bozarth was the successor of Mr. Wolfe on the Smithville farm. He and his wife, Mrs. Rebecca Hall Bozarth, came from Plarrison county and went to Iowa, here their brief history ends. The Bozarths were brave Indian fighters, and their thrilling adventures with the red men are recorded on the pages of "Border W^arfare."
The Malones. — Contemporary with the settlement of Mr. Wolfe on the Hardman farm was that of James Malone, senior, on the W. G. Lowther homestead, which joins it on the east.
Mr. Malone was of Irish descent, and along with Mr. Wolfe, he came from Harrison county, and erected his cabin near the present site of the Lowther residence, which, though somcAvhat modernized, was built more than three-quarters of a century ago by Samuel Wolfe, and is one of the oldest land- marks in this section.
The location of this farm is one of the most beautiful along the river, and among its other points of special interest are : an old Indian mound, which, though once visible for
HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
miles around, is fast disappearing under the plowman's cul- tivator ; and a lasting spring, which has quenched the thirst of the children of men, the dusky face as well as the pale, for "thousands of moons," and over its lucid waters bends the branches of a willow of hugh dimensions, the history of which began less than forty-five years ago, when Miss Abigail Os- bourne, eldest daughter of the late AVilliam Osbourne, who was then a small girl, planted her riding switch there. The circumference of this tree at the base now measures fifteen feet.
Mr. Malone removed (from here) to the Kennedy farm, at the mouth of Lamb's run, and here, he and his wife, who was Miss Elizabeth Findlay, a descendant of the Drake family, lie sleeping.
The Old Malone liomestead as it appears to-day ("Wyldewood cot- tage") where the "History of Ritchie County" was written. One of the oldest landmarks on the river.
He was the father of James Malone, junior, of John, Mrs. Jane Cunningham (mother of Mrs. Israel Davidson, of Spruce creek) ; and of the late Mrs. Elizabeth (Cornelius) Wyei', of Gilmer count}^ His children were all the heads of pioneer families of this county.
John Malone married Miss Rebecca Webb, sister of Ben- jamin Webb, and was the first settler on the E. R. Tibbs farm, at Goff's. He went from here to Bull creek, v.'here some of his descendants still live.
SOUTH FORK SETTLED 57
James Malone, junior, married Miss Susan Wolfe, daugh- ter of Peter, and succeeded his father on the Kennedy farm. He removed from there, early in the forties, to the farm that is now designated as the Willianf Flannagan homestead, near Hannahdale, and here he passed from earth, in the early six- ties, and in the Harrisville cemetery, beside his wife, he sleeps.
He figured prominently in the early history of the county, as Justice of the peace and as representative in the legislature at Richmond.
He was the father of Alfred Malone, a lay minister of the M. E. church, who sleeps in Kansas; James (the HI), who died in the Union cause; Francis M., who rests at Lima, Ohio ; the late Samuel, of Nebraska ; and Osbourne, who died at Weston; Fannie became Mrs. Broadwater, of Hannahdale; Rebecca, Mrs. Jacob Trainer, of Riddel's chapel; Mary Jane. Mrs. William Maley, of the same vicinity ; Elizabeth was the late Mrs. John Clutter, and Eliza, Mrs. Harvey Clutter, of Iowa ; Martha married and died in St. Louis, Missouri ; and Sarah, the only survivor of the family, is Mrs. Clutter, of Pitts- burg, Kansas.
Mrs. J. M. Brown, of Hannahdale, is the granddaughter of this pioneer.
Among the great-grandchildren of James Malone, senior, who are citizens of this part of the county, are C. J. Valen- tine, of Fonsoville; S. A. Wyer, of Auburn; J. B. Valentine, of Macfarlan ; and not a few of the Wyers of Gilmer county.
John Wilson was the pioneer on the Kennedy farm, Mr. Malone having purchased his improvement.
Mr. Wilson and his wife, who was formerly a Miss White, went from here to Iowa, and we have been unable to learn anything farther of their history, save that Francis Wilson, of Tanners, belongs to this family, he being descended from a brother of John Wilson.
The Elliotts. — Not far from the time of the coming of the Malones, Jabez Elliott found a home on the Eugene Barker farm, near the mouth of Lamb's run, and in this vicinity he
58 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
spent the rest of his days, and in the Smithville cemetery he found a final resting place.
The early history of this family is very meager, and what is in our possession cannot«be verified.
But they are of English origin and they probably first settled in the New England colonies, where they were en- gaged in savage warfare. And we, also, find them in Ohio bat- tling with the Indians, during General Wayne's campaign.
Jabez Elliott is said to have been a native of the New England States and a soldier of the war of 1812. He married Miss Elizabeth AVigner, daughter of John Wigner, senior, and sister of John, junior, of Ellenboro, and came here from Harrison county. His venerable widow spent her last days in an old cabin that stood near the present residence of W. J. Burwell, in the vicinity of Gofif's. Here she passed to her reward in 1875, at the age of ninety-six years. She had been a communicant of the Methodist Episcopal church for seventy- eight years, she being one of the class that was organized in 1810. She rests in the Smithville cemetery by the side of her husband.
Their children were as follows :
John, Jacob, Henry, AVashington, Mrs. Elizabeth Low- ther, Mrs. Sarah Howard and Ad^rs. Manly Collins, all of this county; and Jabez, junior, of Calhoun. All have now passed to the other shore, but their descendants in this county are not a itw.
Among the grandsons are Frank and AA-^esley Elliott, of Indian creek ; and Thomas Elliott, of Pullman. Hayes Elliott, the assistant cashier of the Pullman bank, is a great-grandson.
Manly Collins and his wife, Mrs. ]\Iary Elliott Collins, were the first settlers on Lamb's run after the Elliott family, they having built their cabin where Emery Tibbs now lives.
Mrs. Collins survived until a few years since, when she passed away at a ripe old age, and was laid at rest in the Cun- ningham burying-grovmd, near Mahone.
Mr. Collins was the son of Mrs. Alary Collins, who spent her last hours on Slab Creek, and a brother of Chainey Collins, of Smithville; of Mrs. Phebe Smith, late wife of Aaron Smith,
SOUTH FORK SETTLED 59
of Smith's chapel ; and of John Collins, of Wirt county, all of whom have passed on.
The children of Manly and Mary Collins are as follows:
Daniel, Benjamin, Mrs. Sarah Frederick, and Mary and Louisa, who are dead.
After the death of Jabez Elliott his family had a dwell- ing erected, where Peyton Tingler now lives, and for a num- ber of years this cabin was occupied by the Elliott family.
This stream is said to have taken its name from a man by the name of Lamb, but we have been unable to learn any- thing farther concerning his history.
The Wigners. — John Wigner, senior, succeeded William Layfield on the S. H. Westfall farm, above Smithville. This old pioneer cabin stood on a rivulet, which still bears his name, "Wigner's run."
Mr. Wigner was of German lineage, and he came here from near Philadelphia before the year 1810, and here the remnant of his days was spent, and in some of the old bury- ing-grounds in this vicinity his ashes lie.
He was the father of John Wigner, junior, the first settler at Ellenboro ; of Jacob, of Stuart's run ; of Henry, of Husher's run; Joseph and Daniel, of Ohio; Mrs. Elizabeth (Jabez) Elliott, of Gofif's ; Mrs. Elijah Cunningham, Husher's run ; Mrs. Piarbara Newcome, and Mrs. Susan White, of Gallipolis, Ohio.
John Cornell. — John Cornell was the first resident of the Martin Smith farm, above Smithville. He and his wife, Mrs. Susan Park Cornell, came from "Maryland, My Maryland," and having twice purchased this farm and lost it at law, removed to Pleasants county, in 1840, where he "laid down the cross" in 1860. Seventeen years later his wife joined him on the other side, and in the Rutnian cemetery they both lie at rest.
Mr. Cornell was a Revolutionary soldier, and was the son of William Cornell, an Irishman. He and his wife were the parents of twelve children — seven sons and five daughters, all of whom reached the years of maturity: Benjamin resides at Bufifalo, in Putnam county ; Susan is Mrs. William Ward, of Shultz ; Mary is Mrs. Stephen Workman, of Huntington;
60 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Sarah is Airs. William Douglass, of Highland; William sleeps in Oregon; Harrison, in the Dry Ridge cemetery; two sons and two daughters, with the parents in the Rutman cemetery; one son, at Smithville, and one, in Calhoun county.
John Cornell, of Calhoun county, is a grandson of this pioneer, as is J. A. Cornell, of Burnt House. And Mrs. Free- man G. Barr, of Smithville, is a great-granddaughter.
Mrs. Douglass, while on a visit with her daughter, Mrs. A. D. Adams, at the M. E. church parsonage at Smithville, during the autumn of 1904, visited the place of her nativity, after an absence of sixty-five years, and noted with interest the changes that had been wrought by the mighty hand of "Father Time."
Elias Lowther was another early settler in the Webb's mill vicinitv. He was the second blacksmith and the first gunsmith and powder-maker in this section. He was the son of Thomas and the grandson of Col. William Lowther, and like the other pioneers of this name, was a native of West Mil- ford. He removed to Wirt county near the year 1825, and here, fell asleep, and here some of his descendants live. He had two sons, Andrew and Daniel, and perhaps other children.
The Dyes. — Dennis Dye was the first settler on the farm which, is still designated as the "Dye farm," in the Webb's mill vicinity, though now owned by Martin Smith and son.
Mr. Dye was the son of Reuben and Alary Dye, who came from Prince William county, Virginia, at an early day and settled in AVood county, and he was a brother of the hte D. Dye, of Elizabeth; John, of Ohio, and William and Benja- min, who started to Texas and were never heard of again.
Dennis Dye was born in 1801, and came to this county in his early manhood and married Miss Anna Webb, daughter of Benjamin Webb, and took up his residence on the old homestead, above mentioned, near the year 1835, where he remained until June 20, 1866, when he crossed to the other side.
His wife was born on July 14, 1809, and died in June, 1888. Both sleep in the Webb's mill cemetery.
His children are as follows: Benjamin, David, William,
SOUTH FORK SETTLED 61
Mrs. Julia (Adam) Laird, Mrs. Jane (Daniel) Nicholson, of Calhoun county; and Mrs. Martha (Robert) Taylor, of Smith- ville; and Mrs. Drusilla Gear, of Wirt county; who have all passed on; and Mrs. Harriet (Barnes) Smith, Burnt House; Mrs. Nancy (Jacob) Cunningham, Smithville; Mrs. Mary (Barnes) Smith, Auburn; Mrs. Ag-nes Haught, Wirt county; and Mrs. Elizabeth Nutter, Kansas, are the surviving ones.
Benjamin Dye, whose family are still identified with the Smithville vincinity; was born at the old home at Webb's mill, on August 16, 18?'7, and though he resided across the Calhoun county line, after his marriage to Miss Roena Petty, daughter of Rowland Petty, of Wirt county, on January JO, 1860, his entire life was spent within the bounds of the Sm.ith- ville vicinity. He passed from earth on Alarch 3, 1905, and Mrs. Dye followed him to the grave on May 30, 1909. Both lie at rest in the Nicholas burying-ground, near the old home in Calhoun county.
They were the parents of the following named children :
The one daughter died in childhood ; and their sons are : Dr. W. T. W. Dye, of Grantsville ; Dr. James A. Dye, Minora; Rowland F. Dye, Smithville ; George W. and Judson B. Dye, Freed.
The Smiths. — John Every, of whose history we know nothing, erected the first dwelling on the B. H. Wilson farm at Goff's, but this improvement passed into the hands of Barnes Smith as early as 1810, and remained in his possession until near the year 1835, • when he removed to Smithville, where he passed from earth, on March 9, 1857.
In his honor the town was named and within the peace- ful bosom of its cemetery his ashes lie.
Mr. Smith was of English lineage. His ancestors came to America in Colonial days and settled in Virginia, but he was born in Harrison county, on May 18, 1782, and there he was married to Miss Anne Earle, who was born on November 26, 1788, and died on October 14, 1855, and rests at Smithville. Nine children were the result of this union :
Isaac and Barnes, junior, sleep at Smithville: Joshua, in Calhoun county; Levi J., in Boone county, Iowa; Sarah, who married Samuel Davidson, in Gilmer county, near Tanners-
62 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
ville ; Kathrine (Mrs. Levi Smith), on Spruce creek; Hila (Mrs. Eli Riddel), near Goff 's ; Mary (Mrs. George Goff), in Missouri; Elizabeth (Mrs. Thomas Goff), in Iowa.
Although these children were so widely scattered, their descendants in this county are a multitude. Among the grandchildren are Martin Smith, Alvus Smith, Mrs. M. A. Ayres, and Mrs. Alfred Barr, of Smithville ; T. M. Goff', of Harrisville; the late Mrs. A. P. Hardman, Fonsoville; Mrs. John White, S. B. and S. A. Smith, of Iowa.
Dr. J. M. Goff, of Harrisville, is a great-grandson.
(Several of these sons were among the pioneers of this county and the history of their families will be found else- where.)
Aaron Smith, brother of Barnes, who was also a native of Harrison county, was the first settler at Goff's, on the land that is now the homes of Abner Hatfield and E. C. Goff" and the Reeves estate.
His old cabin, which was built early in the century, stood near the present Hatfield residence, and not far away, on this homestead, he lies in his last sleep.
He married Miss Hannah Drake, sister of the Rev. 'John Drake, who was born on April 17, 1778, and, like his brother, has an innumerable line of descendants in this and adjoining counties.
After his death his widow married John Riddel, the Grass run pioneer, and in Roane county she died on October 27, 1868.
Their children are as follows: Elijah, Levi, William, Elisha. Rebecca, Zilpah, Susan, Orpha, Rhoda and Eda.
Elijah married his cousin, Miss Roana Smith, daughter of Squire Smith, of Harrison county, and lived and died near the mouth of Smith's run, where his son, Aaron, still survives. He was also the father of the late James, of Gilmer county ; and of Mrs. Thomas D. Tibbs, of Lamb's run.
Levi married his cousin, Miss Kathrine Smith, daughter of Barnes, senior, and was one of the Spruce creek pioneers.
William married Miss Susana Cain, daughter of David Cain, and went to Lee creek, where he died in 1883, at the age of eighty-six years.
Elisha married Miss Martha Stuart, sister of Robert
SOUTH FORK SETTLED 63
Stuart, aii^ settled the Connolly farm, on Leatherbrake, where he and his wife and several children, all died near the same time of fever.
Elisha, his eldest son, who was married, died at this time; and Levi, of Hardman chapel ; and Gilbert, oi Long run ; and Mrs. Lydia Ann Goff, wife of the late M. A. Goff, of Hazelgreen ; and mother of L. C. GolT, of Juna, have since passed on, leaving families; and James T. Smith, of Burnt House; and Mrs. Sarah Jane (John) Goff, of Gilmer county: are the surviving members of the family.
Rebecca Smith married Cornelius Cain, and lived and died in this county. Her children were the late Mrs. Rosetta Moats, of Cairo ; Mrs. Phillip Goft", of Juna ; Mrs. Ruhama (Ephraim) Morehead, Mrs. Louisa Chevrount, David, Cor- nelius H., Albert, James and Lemuel Cain.
Zilpah Smith married James Riddel and went to Gilmer county.
Susan became Mrs. Jacob Smith and went to Roane county.
Orpha was Mrs. Hill, of Clay county ; Rhoda, Mrs. Board, of Roane county. Eda married Benjamin Goff and became the head of a pioneer family of this county. (See later chap- ter.) She was the last survivor of the family.
David Cain was the first settler on the late Wilson Prunty homestead, now the property of John Gorrell.
He was of Holland descent. He married Miss Mary Cain, who was born in 1T79, and came here from Ohio. He finally went to Lee creek, where he sleeps. His wife rests in the Egypt cemetery at Cairo.
The Cain's run, on the south side of the river, took its name from a sugar camp that he owned, which was located just below the John Wass residence.
Mr. Cain has been accredited with the first settlement at the mouth of Slab creek, btU this claim proves to be in error, as John Shores, father of the late James Shores, of Cairo, was the first pioneer at the mouth of this creek.
Mr. Cain's children were as follows :
Susana (Mrs. Wm. Smith), of Lee creek; Mary (Mrs.
64 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Joseph Wilson), of Slab creek; Cornelius Cain, of Cairo, and Jesse.
Jesse married a Miss Firth, of Barbour county, and set- tled on the north side of Hughes river, at the mouth of the run, which still bears his name, "Jesse Cain's run," where Peter and Charles Wass now live.
Quite a number of David Cain's grandchildren are still identified among the citizens of the county.
Lemuel Wilson, of Smithville ; Mrs. Phillip Gofif, of Juna ; the late Mrs. Rosetta Moats, of Cairo ; are among the nundDcr.
A family by the name of Belt made the first improvement at the forks of Hughes river, on the farm that became the per- manent home of the Jacksons, in 1830.
Thomas Cummins, another early settler, moved farther west in 1811, and the name of George Turvey is also men- tioned among the very early settlers, but we have been unable to learn anything of his history or settlement.
Although many authentic dates are wanting, the greater number of these settlers are said to have come before the year 1810.
CHAPTER IV
Thomas and Phebe Cunningham
HE year 1807 was marked by the coming of Thomas and Phebe Cunningham, from Har- rison county. Though many historic remin- iscences cluster about the names of the brave-hearted pioneers of this county, per- haps no other one is of such absorbing in- terest as the one that hangs about the mem- ory of Thomas and Phebe Cunningham; and, perhaps, too, no other pioneer family is more largely represented among the present citizenship of the county ;• and from the pages of "Border Warfare" we glean the story of their adventure with the Indians, before they became identified with the history of Ritchie county :
In 1785, when our tragical story opens, Thomas Cunning- ham and his brother, Edward, resided in Harrison county on Bingamon creek, a branch of the West fork, in adjoining cabins. Thomas was absent on a irading expedition, when six Indians made their appearance at his home.
Mrs. Cunningham and the four children were gathered al)out the dinner-table when one entered, and closing the door behind him, stood with drawn tomahawk for a few moments; then, having at once apprehended danger from the other cabin, and having no such fear of the helpless mother and children, he seemed for a time only intent upon his own escape.
Edward, seeing the Indian enter his brother's cabin, secured his own door, and, stepping to a small opening in the wall, stood ready to fire when the "ntruder should make his appearance ; but in Thomas' cabin was a like aperture, and through it the Indian fired at Edward, and gave the signal for victory, which was answered by Edward, who saw the
06 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
aim of the savage in time to save his life. So narrow was his escape that the bark from the log struck him in the face.
The Indian, seeing that he had missed his aim, at once seized an adz and began cutting an outlet through the back of the cabin, so that he could escape without danger from Edward's house. While thus engaged, he asked ]ylrs. Cun- ningham how many were in the other cabin, and she tacill}- replied by holding up the fingers of both hands.
Just after the firing had ceased another Indian entered the yard, and, seeing Edward's gun through the port hole, beat a hasty retreat; but Edward fired, the bullet taking effect in the Indian's hip; he managed, however, to reach some place of safety before Cunningham could again load his gun.
Mrs. Cunningham made no effort to escape, for she felt that death only awaited her at the hands of the lurking foe without. To escape with her children was impossible ; and to leave them at the mercy of this savage monster was not to be thought of. So she cherished the liope that he might quiet- ly withdraw, but the fallacy of such a hope was soon evident, w'hen he sank his ruthless tomahawk into the brains of one of her children, and casting its scarcely lifeless form into the yard, ordered her to follow him. She, knowing that resistance meant certain death, quietly obeyed, stepping over the dead body of her child, as she passed out w'ith her babe in her arms, and the other two children clinging to her and screaming frantically at the horror of the sight.
W'hen all were outside, scalping the dead boy. he set iire to the house, and withdrew to a high point in the field, where he joined his two companion, who Avere caring for the wounded Indian. The other two were left to guard the door of Edward's house, so that they could strike the fatal blow when the flames should drive them out; but fortunately the family were able to extinguish the fire from within by tearing the boards from the roof, though the Indians kept up their firing all the while.
AVithout hope of accomplishing more, and fearing detec- tion, they gathered together, and, having tomahawked the elder Cunningham boy and his little sister — whom they beat against a tree until life w^as extinct — they took their departure.
THOMAS AND PHEBE CUNNINGHAM 67
Mrs. Cunningham said that the last she saw of her little daughter was one quivering foot sticking up from behind a log, where she had been thrown. The poor mother stood aghast, dazed with grief, momentarily expecting the death blow to fall upon her and the little one at her breast. But a more cruel fate awaited her — that of the life of a captive.
From this awful scene, she was taken to a cave. (This cave is said to be about two miles from the scene of the cap- ture, on Little Indian run — a branch of Bingamon creek — in Harrison county.) Here the Indians remained until night, and, under cover of darkness, returned to the home of Ed- ward Cunningham, and. finding it deserted, plundered, and set it on fire.
Mr. Cunningham and his family had taken refuge in the forest during the night, the nearest settlement being eight or ten miles distant, and on the following morning gave the alarm ; and a company of men were soon in pursuit. When they reached the scene of the tragedy, finding the cabins in ashes, and being unable to follow the trail, so carefully had it been covered, they buried the remains of the children and returned to their homes. But after the lapse of a few days, circumstances pointed to the suspicion that the savages were still in the vicinity, and another search was instituted, in which the trail was followed to the mouth of the cave and lost. But Major Robinson, being familiar with the forest, and after dwelling upon the incidents of the day, remem- bered the cave, and upon investigation, on the following morn- ing, found that it had been their hiding place, but was now deserted. They had resumed their journey during the night, ha\ing been detained here by the wounded Indian, who, Mrs. Cunningham said, was borne from the cave, and she never saw him again. She supposed that he was dead, and that his remains were sunk in a pool near by.
She said that the whites were so near several times that she could distinctly hear their \'oices ; that they stood -upon the rock above her head. But a savage stood over her with an uplifted tomahawk, commanding silence, and forcing her to keep the child to her breast, lest its cries slundd lead to their apprehension.
68 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COINTY
Owing- to this delay, they did not reach their own coun- try for some time, and the poor captive's sufifering from hun- ger, fatigue and grief, was ahnost beyond human endurance ; and the helpless infant at the breast, sought milk and ob- tained blood instead. The Indians, observing this, ended its sufferings by the tomahawk, while it clung to its mother's bosom, and then cast its lifeless form beside Lhe pathway, without leaf or branch to protect it from the beasts of prey.
No tongue or pen can describe the anguish of the suffer- ing mother, whose only sustenance for ten days was the head of a Avild turkey and three pawpaws. B}- the frequent wading of streams, her feet had become so scalded, that when she reached the village of the Delawares and was permitted to remove her stockings, the nails and skin came with them. Yet, on the follow'ing day, she was compelled to continue her journey. A humane Indian of the village somewhat al- leviated her pain by an application of sanative herbs.
One incident of this dreadful march, which has been omitted by the historian, but which will doubtless add inter- est here, we glean from the Autobiography of the late Rev. James L. Clarke, who heard it from her own lips, and who tells it in the following language :
"It was during the painful march after the murder of her babe, that she was converted. Overwhelmed and horrified at the murder of her children, and the terrible suffering she was then undergoing, she longed to die. and wished the savages would kill her.
"One day while wishing for death, the question was forced into her mind, 'Are you prepared to die?' It awakened her, she saw that she was a sinner, and if she died as she had lived, she would be lost and would have to endure suf- fering forever to. which the sufferings of the present would bear no comparison, and that she must be forever separated from her children, whom she had no doubt were now in Heaven.
"She now became very much alarmed and feared that they would kill her before she was |)repared to die. fler sins became a burden too intolerable to be borne, and she went
THOMAS AND PHEBE CUNNINGHAM 63
lo liini who said 'Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.'
"One night after the Indians had lain down in a circle around the fire, with her inside the circle, she kneeled down at the root of a tree and in her agony wrestled with God in prayer, and taking Jesus as her Savior, the blessing came in power. She sprang to her feet clapping her hands, and shouting at the top of her voice, 'Glory to God.' The savages raised upon their elbows, gave the Indian 'yough,' watched her for a while, and lay down again. She con- tinued to shout for some time, the fear of death was gone, and her soul was exceedingly happy." And from this time until Jicr death, she continued a faithful, devoted Christian.
When the home of her captors was reached, she received no barbarous treatment, but she was filled with fear and the apprehension of some impending doom. Everything about her seemed to bode evil. She was delivered into the hands of the father of the wounded and missing Indian, and was compelled to wear her soiled clothing, whicli was regarded as a bad omen for a captive. And thus for three years her captivity continued.
A conference, preparatory to a treaty between the Whites and the Indians, was pending, when, one evening, she noticed an unusual commotion in the village, and, upon inquiry, learned that the presence of the great Simon Girty occasion- ed it.
She determined to ask him to intercede for her release, and on the following day, seeing him passing by on horse- back, she went to him and lay hold of his stirrup, and im- plored his interference in her behalf, which, at first, was only met with derision ; but though the heart of this chieftain had long been a stranger to tenderness and sympathy, her en- treaties finally succeeded in touching his better nature, and he made intercession for her, secured her release, made pro- visions for her ransom, and had her conveyed to the commis- sioners who negotiated the treaty.
During the Autumn of 1788, having been in captivity for three long, weary years, she was taken to a great Indian conference, at the foot of the Maumee rapids, on or near the
70 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
present site of Perrysburg, Ohio; and while here, Captain Girty brought the case before the British agent, McKee, who furnished the trinkets for the ransom, and she was set free : and from here, she went to Kentucky with two gentle- men, w^ho came to this conference in quest of their captive children.
After much difficulty and no little delay, she finally reached her old home — the home of Edward Cunningham- - in Harrison county, and found that her husband, on hearing of her release, had gone in fjuest of her. Depressed by the disappointment of not meeting him. and by the thought of the danger and peril that attended his every footstep, she could not enter into the spirit of rejoicing, that her home- coming had occasioned; but in a few days her husband, learn- ing that she was homeward bound, returned, and with joy unspeakable, clasped to his bosom again the long lost wife. Though the remembrance of the tragic fate of their children, shadowed the joy of their reunion, yet, time alleviated their sorrow^, when other, and more fortunate, children came to bless their home. And from these children are descended no small per cent of the present population of Ritchie county.
The Cunninghams are of Irish lineage. Some time be- fore the Revolutionary war, Hugh Cunningham and his wife. Nancy, with their family of eight sons (Adam. Ephraim, Benjamin, Joseph, \\'illiam, \\'alter, Edward and Thomas) came from Dublin, Ireland, and settled on the banks of the Potomac, in Eairfax county, Virginia ; and, shortly after the close of the Revolutionary war, Thomas, Adam, Edward, Walter, and, perhaps, more of the brothers, came to Harri- son county, where they entered and patented large tracts of land under the "tomahawk title," on Bingamon creek. Here they resided when our tragic story opened.
Thomas Cunningham and his wife. Phebe Tucker Cun- ningham, were born across the sea. He, in Ireland, and she. in England of Scottish parentage, in 1761. He had served as a Revolutionary soldier, before becoming distinguished b}' this "adventure among the Indians."
THOMAS AND PHEBE CUNNINGHAM 71
In 1807, as above stated, they came to this county, and settled on what is now the W. E. Hill and the Frederick homesteads. Here they continued to reside until the death of Mr. Cunningham, in l.S"i!). He was the first Methodist Episcopal minister in iliis part of the count_v. and at his home the first class was organized. He was only a lay min- ister at this time, but he was licensed to preach, at Zaues- ville, Ohio, on September 5, 1817 ; and this license, which was written upon parchment, is now a cherished possession of his great-grandson, John C. Cunningham, of Eva.
On the Frederick homestead, not far from the present Frederick residence, he sleeps, in an almost nameless grave. Mrs. Cunningham spent the last years of her life in Calhoun county with her daughter, Mrs. Isaac Collins; and. here, ni 1845, she passed away in triumph. "The voice that shouted 'Glory to God' in the midst of the savages, shouted victory in death." On the Collins homestead, near Freed, she is sleeping.
The late Rev. James L. Clarke delivered the memorial sermon at her funeral, and in dwelling on her triumphant death afterwards, he said, 'T could not help thinking of the joyful meeting she had with her children in the presence of Him who had said, 'Suffer little children to come unto me, for of such is the Kingdom of God.' "
The late children of these distinguished pioneers were as follows: Henry, Lydia, Walter, and Thomas, who were killed by the Indians : and William — the first born after their reunion — who became a minister in 1810, and two years later took a transfer to the Ohio conference, where he finished his earthly career at Horner, in Licking county; John, of Spen- cer; Mrs. Rachel (Isaac) Collins. Calhoun county: Mrs. Leah (Benjamin') Ilardman, Charleston, W. Va. ; Mrs. Phebe (Jas.) Hardman, who sleeps at Hardman chapel; Mrs. Barbara Hill, Eddyville, Iowa: and Benjamin, of Eva.
Amon-g the late grandsons and granddaughters of these venerable people, who were the heads of well known families of this county, were: A. P., J. S.. and Washington Hardman, Hardman chapel; Mrs. John Beall, Leatherbrake ; Thomas Hardman, Auburn; Mrs. George AVells, Cornwahis ; Mrs. J.
7-? HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
M. AlcW horler, Lluckhannon; ]\lrs. Hannah Smith, Smith- ville ; Mr. and Mrs. Wilson B. Cunningham ; and EH R. Cun- ningham, of Eva. Among the surviving ones are: John R. Cunningham, Gihner county; Airs. Xancy Dilworth, Eaton; and Mrs. Ira S. Goff, Walker station. Besides quite an army of great-grandchildren, who are well known citizens — Martin Smith, Mrs. Alfred Barr, Mrs. M. A. Ayres, and Alvis Smith, of Smithville, Mrs. James Rexroad, of Den run, and the late Airs. W. E. Hill, of Fonzo, are among them.
Airs. Hill enjoyed the privilege of residing almost on the very spot where the cabin of her illustrious great-grand- parents stood for several years just before her death in lUlO.
Edward Cunningham. — Edward Cunningham and his wife, Sarah Price Cunningham, wdiom he married in Fairfax county, A^irginia, lived and died in Harrison county, where "they fought the redskins ;" and here on their old homestead, they sleep ; but some of their lineal descendants belong to the present citizenship of this county. — To their grandson, Perry J. Cunningham, of Pennsboro, we are indebted for this sketch.
Their children, William, Joseph, Thomas, Benjamin, and Airs. Alary Aloore sleep in Harrison county ; Airs. Elizabeth Robinson at Fairfield, Ohio; Airs. Keturah Hill, in Gilmer count}' ; and Enoch AI. Cunningham, in Randolph county.
Joseph, better known as 'Tnjun Joe," was captured by the vShaw^nee Indians, while hiding under the treadles in the loom house, when he was but a lad of eight summers, and was adopted by an Indian family, and remained among then, for sixteen years, or until a short tune after Gen. AX'ayne's treat}^ w^ith the Indians. Fie became a great hunter while among them, and after his return liome, he served as pilot for the pioneer stirveyors of the large and original tracts of land in this and adjoining counties: and on one of these ex- peditions, with John Alurphy, he experienced a dreadful hand to hand encounter^ wdth a huge black bear, which -he finally succeeded in killing with his knife; and then pried its jaws open to relieve his knee, which had been the victim of bruinV
'The scene of this fight was on Bear run, a branch of Goose creek, in this county; hence the name of this .= tream: this bear weighed 600 pounds when dressed.
THOMAS AND PHEBE CUNNINGHAM 73
last stuggle, and which was lamed for the remainder of his life.
He afterwards married a Miss Ayres, and became the father of two daughters, and one son; viz., the late Mrs. Samuel Warne. of Parkcrsburg; Mrs. George Sires, of Clarks- burg; and the late Dr. John Cunningham, of Illinois.
Enoch M. Cunningham was the only one of Edward's children that figured among the early settlers of this county. In 1820, he married Miss Jane Stuart, daughter of William Stuart, an early settler on Hughes river above Goff's. and from the Stuart homestead, in 1S40, he moved to Smithville. He was the father of the following named children : Harrison B. Cunningham, an early merchant of Harrisville ; Martha became Mrs. Barnes Smith, of Smithville ; and her twin sis- ter, Sarah Salina, married Jonathan H. Haddox, of Smith- ville, later of Harrisville ; Amy married Hannibal C. Brannon, and Edna M., Williams Moats, of Harrisville.
Amonc: his oreat-s:randchildren, who are well known in this county, are the late C. E. Haddox, of Moundsville ; C. M. Haddox, of Charleston ; Mrs. Van A. Zevely, of Cairo ; and Mrs. Joseph Foster, of Pennsboro.
CHAPTER V
The Westfalls and Whites
HE Westfalls were early settlers in the Fred- erick's mill vicinity, they having taken the place of some of the original settlers some time in the forties.
Joel J. Westfall, who is now spending the eventide of his long life with his only son, J. R. Westfall. at Smithville, was the fii-st of the family to arrive. He came as early as lSi3, and took the place of James Malone, on the Kennedy farm, above the mouth of Lamb's run ; and during the following winter he taught school in an old house on the Tingler — now the B. H. Wilson — farm, having for his pupils, "the Wasses," the Hardmans, the Elliotts, the GofFs and the Tinglers. After one year's residence on the Kennedy farm, he rented what is now Frederick's mill, and the W. E. Hill farm, and two years later his father, John W. Westfall, purchased both the mill and the farm, and moved his family here, where lie spent the remainder of his life. He sold the mill in 1857, to the late Joseph Frederick, but the farm remained in the h.ands of his heirs until a few years since, when it passed into the hands of W. E. Hill, who sold it to Henry Barker, in 1909.
The Westfalls are of Irish lineage. They emigrated from New York to Beverly (West) Virginia ; and from there, Joel Westfall, senior, and his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth AA'hite West- fall, removed to near the present site of Buckhannon, where their son, John W. Westfall, was born, and where he was married to Miss Elizabeth Simon, a Dutch maiden, of Penn- sylvania, who was the mother of his six children, .'ill of whom were born at Buckhannon, before the familv came to Ritchie:
THE WEST FALLS AND WHITES 75
Joel was tlie eldest son ; Jacob, and the late James, of Slab creek ; and Jasper N., who was laid on the Frederick home- stead in his youth ; and the late Mrs. Margaret (John) Core, of Buckhannon ; and Mrs. Mary E. (Robert) Stuart, of Iris, were the other members of the fam.ily. The two alone sur- vive. Side by side Mr. and Mrs. Westfall sleep on the Fred- erick homestead. She survived him by a number of years, and with her daughter, Mrs. Stuart, spent her last hours, at Iris. (The other Westfalls in tliis and adjoining counties are descended from the same family.)
Joel J. Westfall was born at Buckhannon, on August 24, 1(S19, and here in the wilds of the torest, he grew to man- hood, having every opportunity to indulge his love for hunt- ing and adventure ; and some of these boyish adventurers are scarcely less thrilling than those of "Robinson Crusoe," or Stanley in the jungles of Africa:
When he was but a small lad of seven summers, on July 2G, 1826, he killed the largest rattle snake on record in West Virginia, while alone in the forest Avatching the horses for his father. This mammoth snake measured nine feet four inches, with rattles one one-half inches broad. At the age of eleven years, he killed three deer by moonlight in the forest near Buckhannon ; and the following year three pan- thers fell as his victims, and at the age of fourteen, he slew a bear with his tomahawk. This was only the beginning of a hunting record, which, perhaps, can hardly be duplicated by another lad among the early settlers of the State. At one time he killed a bear and a panther, which had just taken the life of a deer. So famous did these earl}^ adventures make him, that he was known far and wide, as the "Boy Hunter." On one occasion when he came into possession of a new gun, as a reward for his skillful marksmanship, he was asked by his father what he wished to do with this gun. He replied that he wished to kill wild animals, but that he especially desired to find a bear cave that he had heard much about through his uncle. So with his father's consent, one fine morning he set out in quest of this cave, which he finall}' reached after a long and perilous search. It was in a large
7'- HISTORY OP RITCHIE COUNTY
ledge of rocks, miles distant frojn his home, and, searching out the entrance, he at once started to explore the interior, but finding the darkness so dense, he was forced to retreat. However, securing a pine torch and taking his gun in hand, he again crawled inside, expecting to find the bear asleep, but by the time he had proceeded fifty or sixty feet, he real- ized the fallacy of this expectation, when he saw the glare of bruin's eye coming toward him. Stepping to one side, he prepared to fire, but for fear of being forced out of the cave, he slid into a crevice, and the anirnal dashed by him vvith force, and presently he heard him fall from the clifif outside, a distance of thirty feet, and he knew that he must l^e dead ; and going outside, he joyfully claimed his prey and set out for home, which he reached after several days' absence to the relief of his mother, who had been greatly annoyed by his prolonged stay. In after life his hand did not "lose its cunning." for while a resident of California, he killed the largest bear on record in that State. It having weighed one thousand pounds.
At the age of seventeen years, he was made lietitenant of Co. D, 133rd Regiment of the Virginia Alilitia, an office which he held for seven years ; and he was Captain of the r^>Iili- tia after he came to this county. On January V'3, 1813, he was married to Miss Eliza B. Mills, daughter of W. R. Mills, of Pocahontas county, the marriage being solemnized at the home of her brother at ^Veston ; and J. R. Westfall, of Smith- ville, was the one child of this union • and when he was still in "the frocks of babyhood" his young mother passed on, and on the Frederick homestead she sleeps.
On April 4, 185 !, leaving his young son with his ])arents, Mr. Westfall started for California — lured there b}' the gold excitement — where he amassed quite a fortune, and where he rose to prominence in State affairs. At one time, while digging for gold, he unearthed a nugget that weighted nine- teen ounces, and was valued at one thousand dollars. He served as Deputy Sheriff at Mariposa for four years, at the end of which time he was elected Road Commissioner and Supervisor, an office which he held for sixteen consecutive years, and one that is higher in point of importance than that
THE WESTFALLS AND WHITES 77
of our sheriff. Politically he is a Democrat, and he enjoyed the honor of being a member of the committee that escorted William Jennings Bryan, and his distinguished party on their tour through the "Golden State," during Mr. Bryan's first ciDmpaign for the Presidency ; and he had the pleasure of eat- ing several lunches that were prepared by the hand of Mrs. Bryan. On October 6, 1906, he bade adieu to his adopted state and returned to Smithville, where he is quietly spend- ing" the evening hours of his life with his son. Pie is now a nonagenarian, but his memory is a remarkable store-house of interesting reminiscences of pioneer days. Later, he died on October 30, llllO, and was laid away at Smithville, on the homestead of his son.
William White, wliose heroic deeds "crov/n history's pages," was his great-grandsire, and few more valuable stories of early times have come under our notice than the ever interesting one of the life of this distinguished Indian fighter, which was told to Mr. Westfall by his great-grand- mother, Mrs. William White, when he was a child of seven years, and she, a venerable woman of one hundred two years. This is the only time that he remembers seeing this great-grandmother, but he has long treasured the story that she told him on that memorable day, which we here repro- duce in her own language, in part:
The Grandmother's Story. — She called him to her and said that she wished to tell him the story of the life and the cruel death of his great-grandfather, William White, and that she hoped that he would remember what she this day should tell hini :
vShe said "I was a Wallace, a relative of Sir William Wallace, of Scotland, and I am the wife of William White, the great scout and Indian fighter.'" There were three of the White brothers that came from Scotland to America, William, David and Jonathan.
Jonathan went South and was never heard of again, it being supposed that he was killed by the Indians; and William and David settled near Winchester, Virginia.
7S HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
While out hunting- here one day, A\'illiam came upon some Indians, and thinking that they were seeking his life, killed three of them ; but among the number was a squaw, and as he could not think of taking her life, he let her go, feeling confident that she would not know him. But she did recognize him, however; and as it was in time of peace and was a grave violation of the terms of the treaty, he was ar- rested and put in prison ; but his people raised such a storm about his confinement, and gathered around the jail and beat it down, and let him out the next dav. He and a man bv the name of Pringle then escaped to Buckhannon, and made their home in a hollow sycamore tree, near the mouth of Turkey run, on the Buckhannon river, near three miles below the present site of Buckhannon. She added, "Joel, you will doubtless see this tree. Your Grandmother Westfall is gone too early for you to remember her. Your father, your uncles, and your aunts are all living, but I, your great-grand- mother, must soon pass over." I am now one hundred two years old. Among m}- children, grandchildren and great- grandchildren, I see none that resembles your great-grand- father, but I see him in the blare of your eye, the shape of your head, and in your movement, and my little grandson, I hope that you will be able to remember what your great- grandmother says to you today, and that you will be able to punish the foul perpetrator and his allies for the cowardly murder of your great-grandfather, 'Billy White,' my hus- band.
■'Your Uncle Heniy is next in resemblance to 'Billy.' Your father and uncles have all treated me kindly, and' I might have been living with them today, but I wished to live and die in the home that 'Billy' and I had impro\'ed, here on Hickory flat, with my son. I shall not be here long. Tr>- and remember the words of your great-grandmother. Eliza- beth Wallace White, my little sonny. I traveled alone from \\inchester, Virginia, to Buckhannon to join my husband in his tree house — over hills, deep rivers, and through lone forests, carrying my fire rolled up in a wet cloth, on horse- back, by day, that I might have it to kindle at night, in some secluded place, where I could roast my meat and drink the
THE UESTFALLS AND WHITES 79
pure water tliat gurgled there. Your great-grandfather and I lived many days here. I was many times alone in the fort or out on our little farm tending my garden, beans and corn, while Billy would be out on some scout, or fighting the In- dians back from the settlement. Your grandmother West- fall and I have spent many lonely days while our husbands were away, some times for months at a time, that they could not be at home.
"About five weeks after I joined Billy in his 'tree house,' two or three of the Cutrights, two Prmgles. and ^mother per- son came and stopped, and a week or so later seven or eight more came, and they all took up farms and wenc to building- stout log houses, in which they would retreat when the In- dians would come near us, as there were always scouts out looking for the Indians. Billy had to be out most of his time, but would come in and bring his furs and pelts, and sell them so as to keep me plenty to eat and wear; and I could raise plenty of corn, beans and potatoes for the scouts when they 'vvould come in. Billy and his brother, David, the Pringles and the Cutrights generally kept in touch with one another so as to give the alarm in case of danger. Some of them would run in and give us warning, so we had easier times." It was the duty of the scouts to warn any post in danger
■'Billy was taken prisoner by the Indians, but soon made his escape, and things went along tliis way for som.e time, when the Indians began gathering and concentrating their forces around Cincinnati. Governor Dunmore and General Andrew Lewis had command of the Government forces, and they were called out to meet the Indians, who uere said to be gathered in. great numbers. Billy, David, and mosi of the other men vvcnt, leaving us women with a few old and crippled men to occupy the cabins and care for the stock, but we knew that the scouts would look after us, so the troops Avere preparing for a big contest — "
Here a childish voice interrupted with. "Novv^, grandma. I want you to tell me all about the Battle of the Point." The grandriia replied, "Well, do you think you can remember what I tell you? as you are not more than five? However, I will try. Well, you see, my little sonny, but I will tell you
so HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
what Pringle and Cutriglit told me on the .morning of the Battle of the Point:
" 'General Lewis had detailed Billy White and John Cutright to go out and hunt, so as to procure meat for the troops. After being out a short time, they heard firing at the camp, and White said, 'John, there's a battle on, let's go in,' and immediately they started, but when they got inside of the lines, word reached White that his brother, David, had been shot, and that he was lying under a certain tree. They went at once to the tree and found him begging for a drink of water, and having no canteens, AVhite and three other men went and carried water to the dying man in their hats. They had to go between the lines — the two fires as they termed it, and the pawpaw bushes fell thick all around them, but they got back in safety. White, taking the cleanest looking hat in his hand said, 'Here, brother, is water, but when you drink you will die.' He then took him in his arms, and held him until he was dead, and laying him down gently, took up his gun as calmly as if going to do a day's work, and said, 'Come, John, let us go.' Cutright said he was a little at a loss to knowf w^hich way to go, as the Indians had already began to retreat across the creek, but he follo\^■ed, somewhat cautiously. 'White was watching to get a sliot at the Indians, and I (Cutright) had just heard him fire, and had sent one shot across the creek myself, when 1 noticed three Indians that were attempting to cross the cieek. White fired and one fell, then another shot from his gun brought the last one down, and the three went floating down the creek into the broad Ohio. He turned to me and said, 'I have had bad luck, John; I've lost three scalps, so let us gr for more.' And that evening he showed me seventeen scalps that he had taken with his own hand Avith my knowledge."
" 'The Indians, being scattered a little, we went aroimd to where we heard some firing, I stopped to get a shot at one, but he dodged me, and hearing White fire several shots, I went toward him. He, seeing me, said, 'Come here, and let me show you how to kill Indians.' There close by a log he lay upon his back loading his gun. He said, 'Lie down, or they'll shoot you.' He lay there for some time popping
THE JVESTFALLS AND WHITES Si
one over now and then, that chanced to stick his head above the log; and cautioning me to beware, that there were still ip.ore in ambush, h^inally the eneni)' began shooting under the log, and finding the bullets coming too close, he moved farther away, but lying flat on the ground a,ll the while, until he felt confident that the last one was dead. When the In- dians were all scalped, he declared his intention to mvesti- gate the firing of a large gun. that he said he believed an In- dian was behind. So, off he went, and soon I heard no more of the big gun, but heard several shots in that direction, and in about an hour I saw him coming with two guns and two scalps. I said, 'Well, Bill, did you get the gun?' and he replied, 'Yes, and the hair, too,' holding up the scalps. He then asked me (John Cutright) what my success had been, and remarked that they were getting scarce here, only one here and there that had been detained b}^ a wounded Indian. VVe then counted our scalps, and he had seventeen, as before stated, and three got away. By that time the signals were calling the troops together, and — ' "
Here again the little grandson, who had been an inter- ested listener, interrupted, saying, "Now, grandma, I have heard the story of the Battle of the Point (Point Pleasant), now please tell me of the cowardly murder of my great- grandfather, William AVhite. that you asked me to avenge; and. grandma, if you'll tell me the story I'll promise you if such a chance ever comes, I'll be there."
"W^ell," the grandmother resumed, "I will give you a sliort history of it: "y\fter WHiite had built the fort at Buck- hannon, and had been in command of it and the troops for several years, a man by the name of Potros came into the fort and said that he had just come from near the mouth of the Little Kanawha river, and that he had seen signs of Indians crossing and coming toward the settlement; that he felt sure they were lurking about in ambush ; and Ihat he wanted to have his family and household goods removed to the fort on the next day. W'hite replied that he Avould send a company of men and wagons to bring them, but the man said, *Oh! I couldn't trust my family out without your pres-
83 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
ence.' White said, 'Well, be ready, we'll be there in the morning.'
'■'When they were fixing to start, I said, 'Billy, don't you go out today, send others. If you do you will be killed. I dreamed last night that I saw Indians pointing red hot guns at you. If you do go, Billy, you'll never get back alive.' But he replied, 'Well, Betty, if I don't go they will say that I am a coward,' and he thought it only a dream, and he went. When they reached their destination, all was right, there were no Indians to be seen. But he, going into the yard, discovered signs of the enemy there, and mentioned it to the rest. He said, 'They have been grinding their knives and tomahawks on the grindstone, and here is the fray of an In- dian blanket. Let us load up and get away.' After every- thing was loaded, and the wagons started, the trader or ren- egade, said, 'White, you and I and the girls will ride over the trail to the fort. It will not be much more than a mile, and we'll get there before the wagons.' " Just as the four reached the top of the hill, the Indians fired on them, and White was shot through just above the hips ; but did not fall from his horse, but as he turned down the hill they fired again, striking him in the back. His horse taking fright, started to run, and its foot, becoming entangled in the limb of a fallen tree, it fell throwing the rider, who was noted for being able to remount. But the Indians ran down the hill. and scalped him. and were ofif before any defense could be made.
He was placed in a boat, but he breathed his last just as the boat reached the fort, and thus ended the life of one of the most renowned and intrepid leaders of Indian times. This fatal day was March the 8, in 1781 or '82, and the scene was near the present site of Buckhannon.
Though the Indians were pursued, they had secreted their canoes, and made good their escape across the Ohio, before they could be overtaken.
(Though varied versions of the life and death of Wliite have hereto- fore been told, this is doubtless the only authentic one. Mr. Westfall not only possesses a remarkable memory, but he has kept notes throug'h- out his life, and to these notes and to his memory, we are indebted for those early reminiscences, he having .«pent several months in writing them up for us. — Autlior.)
CHAPTER VI
South Fork Settlers—Continued
LARGE number of the original settlers along this river lost their lands owino- to defective titles, and when they were laid away, the families of not a few of them sought homes in other parts of the country, and new and permanent setlers took their places. Hence the large number of early families along this
river.
A man by the name of Purviance, who resided in Balti- more, had, in Indian times, entered large tracts of land in this wilderness ; and an individual, claiming to be his repre- sentative, came here and sold these lands to the early set- tlers, and, near a score of years afterwards, wdien the right- ful owner sent his agent did these worthy pioneers learn of the fraud that had been practiced upon them.
Henry Jackson. — Among the first to arrive after the orig- inal settlers was Henry Jackson, who came from his native county — Upshur, in 1830, an.d purchased the slight improve- ment made by the Belt family at the forks of Hughes river, of a man by the name of Byrd.
Mr. Jackson was born near Buckhannon in 1813, and there he was married to Miss Lydia Reger; and from there he came to this county and settled on the old homestead where his son Ulysses now lives. Here he spent the re- mainder of his life, with the exception of a two years' resi- dence in Mason county, and here he has been sleeping since 1865. His wife rests by his side. He was the father of three sons and one daughter besides the one above mentioned: ^^rauville died in childhood; Virginia is Mrs. B. F. Alarshall.
-.i HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
and Cisko and Isaac have passed on, leaving families who occupy their former estates, which lie near the old home.
The Jacksons have an unusually interesting ancestral history. ' They are of Scotch-Irish origin.
John Jackson, the progenitor of this famil}'^, was born near Londonderry, in the north of Ireland, near the beginning of the second-quarter of the eighteenth century, and with his parents removed to London, England, when he was but a boy. Here, he grew to manhood, and in 1748, he emigrated to America and settled in Calvert county, Maryland, where he was married to Aliss Elizabeth Cummins, of London, who crossed the water on the same ship with him.
For a time after their marriage, thev resided on the South branch of the Potomac river, but near the year 1T68, they removed across the mountains to what is now Upshur county, A\'est Virginia, and settled at the mouth of Turkey run — just below^ Jackson's fort, and not far from the present site of Buckhannon, where they figured prominently in sav- age warfare.
Mrs. Jackson was a woman of strong mind and of in- domitable courage, and she, as well as her husband, rendered most valuable service in times of Indian invasion. Patents are still in existence, which conveyed lands to her in her own right.
These hardy pioneers were the parents of five sons and three daughters whose descendants are a mighty host throughout the country:
George, Edward, John, Samuel and Henr}-, were ' the sons : and Elizabeth, Mary and Sophia the daughters — •
Elizabeth was the late Mrs. Abram Brake, and ^lary, the late Mrs. Philip Reger, of Upshur county; and Sophia mar- ried Josiah Davis and lived and died at the old home, near Buckhannon.
George, Edward and John, with their father, were Revo- lutionary soldiers and noted Indian fighters, their heroic deeds being recorded on the pages of "Border ^^^arfare."
Near the year 1770, George Jackson settled on the Wtst Fork river in the vicinity of Clarksburg where he rose to emi- nence as a statesman, as well as a militarv man.
SOUTH FORK SETTLERS— CONTINUED 85
Early in the Revolution he was commissioned colonel of a Virginia regiment, this commission having come direct from the hand of General Washington ; and after Harrison count}^ was formed in 1784, he represented his county in the House of Burgesses at Richmond. He was a member of the distinguished body that ratified the Constitution of the United States, in 1789, and he subsequently served several terms in Congress, being succeeded by his eldest son, John G. Jackson.
George was the grandfather of the late Judge John Jay Jackson, of Parkersburg ; of the late Governor Jacob B. Jack- son, and of the late Judge J. Monroe Jackson, they being the sons of General John G. Jackson, who married the only daughter of Governor Meggs, of Ohio.
General Jackson was a close friend of President .Madison and the marriage took place at the White House during the Madison administration.
Edward Jackson married a ]\Iiss Hadden, of Randolph county, and his son, Jonathan who married Miss Julia Xea!, of Parkersburg, was the father of the late renowned "Stone- wall" Jackson, of Clarksburg.
Henry Jackson.- — And from Plenry Jackson, senior, who was born, lived and died, near Buckhannon where he sleeps, the Ritchie county family come. He was the father of twenty- five children — fourteen of whom were born of his union with Mary Hire, and eleven of his marriage with Elizabeth Shreve.
The children of the first marriage were: Esther, Permilia Elizabeth, (Mrs. Plugh Pribble, senior, mother of the Rev. U. Pribble, of Harrisville; Hugh Pribble of Cisko ; and the late Mrs. Charles Plarrison), Amanda Melvina (Mrs. Daniel Pribble), both of this county; William Vandwater. Hire, Edward, Mariah, Henry, junior, (the Ritchie pioneer), Rachel Esta (who died in her young womanhood), John Henderson Brake, Jacob, Ulysses, Mary (who married and went to Cali- fornia) and Cecelia who became Mrs. Louis Miller and also went to California.
The children of the second marriage : Decatur, Samuel Dexter, James Alonzo, Marion Orlando, Melissa (Mrs. James
SC HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Lowe), Roxana. George Washington. Artemeshia (Airs. An- drew Martinee), Clispo Mero, and Draper Camden Jackson.
The Hostetters. — The Hostetters were among the next arrivals. They are of German origin. Ulwrick Hostetter crossed the sea with his family and settled near York, Penn- sylvania, and from there removed to Rockbridge county, Virginia, where he spent the remnant of his days, near Lex- ington. He was an Indian fighter, and with a party cf scouts, pursued a band of red men from Rockbridge county to Marietta, Ohio, on one occasion, where he shot one of the number that Avas across the river from him. On his return, with the rest of the part}^, he went down to the mouth of the Little Kanawha, and up this river, and thus, became the discoverer of the far-famed Burning springs in A\'irt county.
John Hostetter, his son, was born in the Fatherland, and married Miss Elizabeth Riprogal, of Virginia, a sister of Mrs. Daniel Ayres, and came to this county in 1832, and spent the remainder of his life in the Smithville vicinity, where he and his wife sleep. He served as captain in the w^ar of 1812 ; and was the head of a family of four sons and three daughters :
David, Andrew, John, jvmior, and Jacob, the last two being twins ; Sallie, the eldest daughter became Mrs. Ford of V^irginia, and went to Jamestown, Ohio where she died : Mary became Mrs. Welhellam, and remained in Rockbridge county; and Elizabeth married Alexander Glover and came to this county.
John R. Hostetter married Miss Louisa Webb, daughter of Benjamin Webb, and lived and died in the Smithville
Note. — This family are cloubtle.ss, connected to the late PresldenL An- drew Jackson, of Tennessee; for when George Jack'^on was in Congress he formed a friendship with Andrew Jackson and they were able to trace their ancestry to the same parish in Londonderry, although they were unable to positively establish the connection; but similar characteristics and other circumstances almost establish the fact beyond cavil.
To I?-aac Newton Brake of Buckhannon who is a first cousin of "Stonewall" Jackson, and a second, of Henry Jackson, junior, we are in- debted for the greater part of this valuable sketch. And while there ib a little disagreement on the names in this record, as some cannot recall the names of Esther and Mariah and add that of Cecelia Miller to the children of the first union of Henry Jackson, senior, it is quite likely that these two died in cliildhood. For Mr. Brake asserts that this gentle- man was the father of twenty-five children, and if John Henderson Brake is meant for two sons (we were unable to tell) doubtless Cecelia belongs to the last family as one name is missing 'nere.
SOUTH FORK SETTLERS— CONTINUED S?
vicinity. He was the fallier of Mrs. Martha (Martin) Smith, Mrs. Minerva Parl<er, and of the late Mrs. Elizabeth (Alvus) Smith, of Smithville.
David married Miss Cathrine Fisher, of Rockbridge county, and came to this county at an early day and spent the remainder of his life. His children were — -Mrs. VV. A. Valentine, Goff's ; Mrs. Mary A. Leason, Pennsboro ; Mrs. V'erna Thorne, Buckhannon ; the late Mrs. Martha Smith, of the West; Davidson, of Smithville; and Elizabeth, who died in youth.
Alexander Glover and Miss Elizabeth Hostetter were married in Rockbridge county, Virginia, in 1833, and three years later, they came to this county, and settled on the Glover homestead, above Smithville, where they re- mained until they were borne to the Smithville ceme- tery. He was a carpenter by trade and was one of the earliest in the county. He was the constructor of the firsi jail build- ing at Harrisville. Mrs. Glover survived him by many years, and the old home is still owned by tlie heirs, though now in the hands of tenants: They were the parents of nine sons and one daughter, who died in childhood: John, the eldest son never married, and in the Smithville cemetery he was laid at a ripe old age. Jacob, and Taylor, also slumber here. Williams, sleeps in Arkansas, where his family reside; Robert lives at Clarksburg; Asa, at Fairmont; Charles, at Spencer; Samuel is unmarried ; and Dr. J. R. at Morgantown.
Jacob, William, and Robert were soldiers of the Civil war.
Samuel Hyman was another early settler from Rock- bridge county, Virginia. Here he was born on Novem- ber 12, 1812, and he came to this county in his early man- hood, and married Miss Elizabeth Webb, daughter of Benja- min Webb, and settled on the Hyman homestead, below Smithville, which is still owned by hi? heirs.
He was a blacksmith by trade and a noted hunter. He died on April 6, 1904, at the home of his daughter, Mrs, Martha Holt, near Morgantown ,and was laid at rest in the Webb cemetery by the side of his wife.
88 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
The children of this family were as follows : Mrs. Minerva, late wife of John P. Kennedy, of Smithville ; Mrs. Mary Roberts, Mrs. Martha Holt, wife of the late William Holt, of Morgantown ; Hattie died in youth ; Benjamin, in the Civil war ; and John resides near Smithville.
Mr. Hyman was the son of Hyman and Mrs.
Rachel Hostetter Hyman — his mother being the sister of John Hostetter, senior. Both his parents sleep in Virginia. His mother was married a second time to Aldridge Evans, of Rockbridge county, and they were the parents of the late A. J. Evans, of the Cross-roads ; J. M. of Lamb's run ; Mrs. Mar- garet (Morgan) Rexroad, Mrs. Martha Mitchell, and Eliza- beth, who died single. After the death of the mother all the rest of the family came to this county, and here they sleep. The father lies on the McNeill homestead where most of the other members of the family rest.
The Ayreses. — The year 1836 brought Daniel A3a-es with his family, which incliKJed his parents, his sister, Mrs. Polly Campbell, and his son-in-law, Henry Webb, from Rockbridge county. Virginia to the McNeill homestead. They started on their long and perilous journey over the Allegheny mount- ains in November in three large covered wagons with their household efit'ects, driving their cows before them, and not imtil the first- week in Januar}^ after seven weeks of suffer- ing and hardships, did they reach their destination.
Mr. Ayres had purchased two hundred acres of land here of the Purviance survey with a small improvement upon it — a two-roomed log house and a few acres of cleared land. The location which is to-day a most beautiful one with its mod- ern conveniences and improvements, is said to have been a picturesque one at that time in its sylvan beauty with its his- toric surroundings.
The river had, in prc-historic times, evidently formed a bend entirely round the farm, but had changed its course at a later period ; and at the time of the coming of Mr. Ayres. the channel had filled up, making a beautiful level bottom, though the ancient river bed was still "visible and interest- ing." A mound supposed to contain relics of an unknown and pre-historic race was another feature of special interest
SOUTH FORK SETTLERS— CONTINUED 89
on this farm, and but a few hundred yards from the house were the ruins of an ancient fortification — an excavation of several feet having been made and the earth thrown up into an embankment. Flints, darts and arrow heads were found in large numbers about the ground — serving as silent re- minders that this had once been the "happy hunting-ground of a vanished race" whose history, however interesting, will never be known.
Mr. Ayres was of Irish lineage. His grandfather, Daniel Ayres came from Ireland and settled on the Susquehannah river in Pennsylvania, where Daniel Ayres, junior, (father of Daniel of the McNeill homestead) we.s born in 1745.
In 1773. Daniel Ayres, junior, was married to Miss Ellen McGee, who was born in Baltimore of Irish parentage in 1745, and from this city, they went to Rockbridge county, Virginia, where they established their home and reared a family, which were as follows :
lohn, the pioneer school-teacher of this county ; Charles, Lewis, Mrs. Polly (VVm.) Campbell, and Daniel (IH) who was the youngest son, and the head of the Ritchie county family.
Daniel and Ellen McGee Ayres came to this county with their son, as already mentioned, and on the McNeill home- stead they lie in their last sleep. He died at the age of ninety- seven, and she, at the age of ninety-five.
Daniel Ayres (III) was born in 1789, and he was married to Miss Hannah Riprogal, who was born of German parentage in Virginia, in 1787.
Mr. Ayres served as captain in the war of 1812, and while at Norfolk in 1814 where he had been ordered with his com- pany to assist in the defense of the city, he was stricken with yellow fever and when able to be out again, after spending sixteen weeks in the hospital, the enemy's vessels were still hovering about the city in a threatening manner, though no attack was made.
He served as justice of the peace almost throughout his residence here, and was one of the chief factors in the organ- ization of the county, in 1843 — a short time before his death.
;"• mSTORV OF RITCHIE COUXTY
whicli was clue to typhoid fever. He and his wife both died oi this malady near the same time, and side by side they He at rest on the JNIcNeill homestead. Their children were nine in number ; viz., Jackson died in early manhood, and one in infancy. Margaret married Henry Webb and went to Mis- souri where she rests. Ellen was the wife of John Starr, Eliza, of James Starr; Sarah, of Dr. Wm. R. Lowther ; and the late John B.
John B. Ayres, the 3roung-est son of this family, abo\'e mentioned was long" prominently known in this county. He was born in the Old Dominion almost within the shadow of historic old Lexington, and not far from the Natural bridge, in 1831, and was a child of but five summers when his parents came to the McNeill homestead. Six years later they both- passed on, and he being thrown upon the world, bound him- self to J. J. Vandivort, the Harrisville saddler and harness- maker, in 1847, and worked as an apprentice in his shop for the next fotir one-half years. He was then a journeyman saddler, and merchant for several years, before settling down to his trade at Harrisville, in 1870, where he remained until 19'>3, when his declining health prompted him to seek a change of climate, which he found in Colorado, after visiting Zion City, the far-famed domain of the late Alexander Dowie, for a brief time. After a short stay in the West, he then re- sided near Washington City, and at Grafton for a time before going to Spencer in Roane county. He died at his home at Sapulpa, Oklahoma, in November, 1910, and there his remains were interred.
He married Miss Anna Hall daughter of llannibal Hall, who was twenty-three years his junior, and the two sons. Edgar and Charles, born of this union both died in infancy.
The Princes. — The name Prince became identified with the Webb's mill vicinity, in the year 1850, when the late John H. Prince married Miss Drusilla Webb, daughter of Benja- min Webb, and became the partner of his father-in-law in the mill and the mercantile business. The store was destroyed in I860, by the Jones' raid, but he remained in connection with the mill luitil his death, near 1877. He sleeps by his wife in the Webb's cemetery. He was born in 1815; and was
SOUTH FORK SETTLERS— CONTINUED 91
the father of three sons and two daughters : B. F. Prince, Cantwell ; and John Willian, and Robert J., who with their sister, Mrs. Anna E. M. (John P.) Kennedy, have passed on: and Mrs. Martha Frances (E. S.)Byrd, is of Wood county.
Captain AVilliam Prince came from Prince William coun- ty, Virginia, and settled near Claysville in Wood county at an early day. Fie was born on August the 31, 17TJ:, and died on September 4, 1825.
He married Miss Frances Groves, and was the father of Elizabeth Prince, who married David Sleeth, the founder of Smithville; of William R., Mary A., Robert K., Nancy J., John H., Benjamin G.. and Frances, J. G. Prince. John Fl. and Mrs. Sleeth were the two that were identified here. After the death of Captain William Prince his widow was married to Mr. Vandiver, of Wood county, and the late James V. B. and Jerome A. Vandiver. of Louisville, Kentucky were the fruits of this union.
The Tinglers.— The year 1836, brought Henry Tingler and his wife, Mrs. Mary Phryne Tingler from their native county — Harrison, to the B. H. Wilson homestead, which for long years after his death was known as the ''Tingler farm." Mr. Tingler remained in this part of the county until his death, and on the E. R. Tibbs' farm, beside his companions, he found a resting place. After his first wife, passed on, he married Miss Jane Campbell, and on Indian creek, spent his last hours.
He was the father of ten children, all by his first mar- riage except one son, Thomas, who lived in some other pare of the country.
The children of his first union were as follows : Granville, Cebart, John, the late Mrs. Tabitha (Daniel) Ayres, the late Mrs. Elizabeth (Wm.) Collins, Mrs. Matilda (Washington) Elliott, Mrs. Julia Westfall— mother of W'. H. Westfall, of Flarrisville ; Mrs. John Ayres, of Long Run ; and Mrs. Rosetta Prunty Martin Gardner Schoolcraft.
John married Miss Eveline Marlm and was the father of Peyton Tingler and of Mrs. Safronia Propts Tibbs, of Lamb's
92 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
run. He was a L nion soldier during the war, as was Gran- ville, but he died in the Saulsbury prison in North Carolina.
Cebart, who resides on Macfarlan was a Confederate sol- dier.
Granville married Miss Mahala Schoolcraft, daughter of Aaron Schoolcraft, and was the pioneer on tlie farm where he still resides, on Dry run near Juna. He is the father of :
Morgan, of Eva ; Aaron, Mrs. John Flemming, Mrs. Thamer Newlon, and Miss Addie Tingler, and the late Mrs. Samantha M. (R. W.) Goff, all of Juna.
A. P. Hardman. — Asbury Poole Hardman was the first CO mark the forest on the Osbourne farm east of Hardman chapelf He was born on the old homestead that is now his estate, on January 18, 1827 ; and shortly after his marriage to Miss Thankful Ann Gofif, daughter of Thomas Goff, in 1850, began to carve out his fortune on the Osbourne farm. He inherited the faith of his fore-fathers, and was long a pillar in the church at Hardman chapel. He died on July 30, 1903 on the sixth anniversary of the death of his wife, having spent his entire life within the bounds of the community where he was born ; and in the churchyard at Hardman chapel, by the side of his wife, he sleeps.
He was the father of thirteen children : His sons, Jehu R., Charles F., James H., and his daughters, Mrs. Nora Hen- dershot, and Mrs. Louella Carder Sutherland, all reside in the West; and Mrs. Paulina Smith, Misses Verna and Vedella A., all rest there; T. A. and A. K. are of Fonsoville ; and A. L., of Burnt House; the other two died in childhood.
The Osbournes. — John Osbourne, senior, was the second owner of the Osbourne farm which is now the home of his grandson, M. R. Osbourne.
Mr. Osbourne came from the "Buckeye State" to this vicinity more than sixty years ago, and purchased what is now the A. P. Hardman, the A. K. Hardman, the Otis Mc- Neill and the Cumberledge farms. (He also owned what is now the Lowther homestead) ; and some years later he and ]\Ir. Hardman traded farms, and by this exchange they each obtained permanent homes; for here they remained until they
SOUTH FORK SETTLERS— CONTINUED 'Jlj
were borne to their final resting places. It will be remem- bered that the late Rev. James Hardman, father of A. P., had owned and lost the A. P. Plardman homestead owing to a de- fective title before the coming of the Osbournes.
The Osbournes are of English descent. John Osbourne, senior, was a soldier of the war of 1812 ; he served under a cap- tain by the name of Christopher Columbus, and was in the engagement at Bladensburg. He was a bricklayer by trade, and was one of the number that helped to lay the first wing of the Capitol building" at Washington City ; and the old trowel that he used in this historic M'ork, is now a cherished possession of his grandson, M. R. Osbourne.
He was three times married, but the name of his first wife is missing. The second, however, was Miss Sarah Bald- win, of Washington city, who died at their home in Knox county, Ohio, in August, 1849 ; and the third was Mrs. Augusta Henry Welsh, of New York, who was the mother of one daughter, Carrie Osbourne, the late wife of j. R. Hard- man, of Missouri.
Mr. Osbourne died on February 11, 1871, and filled the first grave in the Hardman chapel churchyard ; and after his death, bis widow married the late Rev. Eli Riddel, of Riddel's chapel, and there she sleeps.
The sons of the first marriage — Frank and Daniel went to Kansas where their descendants live.
The children of the second marriage were as follows :
The late J. William, and Addison, of Hardman chapel vicinity; Mrs. Kathrine (Levi) Kirkpatrick, of Slab creek; the late Mrs. Matilda Welsh, and Joshua, Iowa ; the late Mabray, Kansas ; Marion, who lost his life In the Union cause ; and James, who died shortly after his marriage, to Miss Hila Cun- ningham, the late Mrs. John Modisette, sleep on the A. P. Hardman homestead. Mary became the wife of Perry Cun- ningham, and was the mother of Mrs. Phebe Foster, of Penns- boro ; Addison, who was the father of J. M., of Parkersburg; and Joshua, and Mabray, were also Union soldiers.
James S. Hardman, brother of A. P., succeeded his father on the old homestead west of Hardman chapel, where his son, Sherman Hardman, now resides. He was born on October
94 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
31, 1829; and near the year 1856, he was married to Miss Hila Ann Gofif, daughter of George Goft", who was born on May 5, 1836, and at the old home above mentioned he Hved and died.
The -same old hills that were resonant with the funeral notes of the bell when he was borne to his final resting place in the Hardman churchyard, on June 21, 1900, reverberated the first sound that fell from his childish lips seventy years before. For here he was born : here Nature smiled upon him in youth, and in the pride of manhood, and looked on in sym- pathetic silence when the mantle of sorrow fell heavily upon him in "manhood's middle day," and from here he passed into the presence of the great King.
He was a soldier of the Union army, an exhorter and a pillar in the Methodist Episcopal church.
On March 9, 1879, the wife of his youth bade adieu to earth, and a little later he was married to 3iliss Elizabeth Frederick, daughter of Joseph Frederick, who only survived the nuptial hour by twelve weeks. Fie then married Aliss Edmonia Rogers, daughter of John B. Rogers, who died after a few brief years, leaving two little sons, Sherman, and Creed, who died at the age of four years. Mrs. Sarah Jane Galloway Flesher widow of Asa Flesher was the next wife, and Mrs. Ruama Starcher Northcraft, widow of the Rev. Richard Northcraft is the surviving one. His first wife, only, sleeps by his side.
The children of the first union are as follows: F. C., G. C., Fremont, Sheridan, T. E., Mrs. Safronia Dailey, the late Ulysses, and Rosa A., and one that died in infancy.
The Tibbses. — The Tibbses, too have have been identi- fied with this part of the county for more than sixty years, and their ancestral history is one of exceptional interest. Their antecessor, whose first name is wanting, came from Ire- land, some time during the last half of the eighteenth century, and settled in the Virginia colon}-, where his son, James Tibbs was born ; and where he was married to a Miss Wor- Icy. On the morning following the marriage, Jarnes with his bride, set out for what is now IMonongalia county. West Vir- ginia, where he made a pioneer settlement, a little west of
SOUTH FORK SETTLERS— CONTINUED 95
Morgantown, not long after the close of the Revolution. He was, perhaps, a soldier of this war, and was a captain in the war of 1812, being present with his company at the seige of Fort Meiggs.
Here, near Morgantown. his first wife died, and he mar- ried Miss Jennie Morgan, sister of the renowned Indian fighters. David, Levi, and James Morgan.^
Mr. Tibbs was a slave owner, and at one time he was the possessor of twenty slaves, half of which were the heritage of his wife ; but sixteen of this number in a body managed to make their escape across the Pennsylvania line. He spent his last days in Monongalia county where he sleeps.
He was the father of three sons b}^ the first marriage: Joseph was a soldier under General Harrison, and fell at the battle of Big Bend in Indiana. John was also killed in Indian warfare ; and Robert was tlie remaining son.
Robert Tibbs married Miss Castilla Burris, of Monon- galia county, a cousin of the late Waitman T. Willey, of Morgantown, and came to this county in 1848, and settled on the Hatfield farm at Gofif's, where Mrs. llbbs was laid to rest in 1852 ; and from there, he removed to the farm that is now the home of his son, E. R. Tibbs. He figured in the early afl:'airs of the county as justice of the peace — an office which he held for many years. He died in 1876, while on a visit with his sons in the West, he being past eighty years of age at the time of his death ; and in the Snow Hill cemetery in Missouri, his ashes lie. He was the father of seven sons :
Boaz B. Tibbs, the eldest son. was graduated from Ihe Virginia Military Institute, at Lexington with high honors — the title of Colonel being conferred upon him by this institu- tion. He was a member of the order of Freemasons, and held the highest ofihce in this brotherhood in the State, at the time
'David Morgan is said to liave slvinned and dre-sed the liide of one of the Indians that lie killed. However, the writer has a stereopticon picture of the monument that the descendants of David Morgan erected to his memory, a few years since, on the site where his most famous combat with the red-skins occurred. Tlie shot-pouch, saddle-skirt, etc. made from the skin of the Indian were on exhibition at the unveiling of the monument, which stands, just across the river from the little villajre of Catawba in Marion county, on the Morgan estate. The knife with which the Indian was killed is still in the hands of the Morgan descend- ants, who own a large estate near Catawba.
i'U HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
of his death, in ]853. He resided near Fairmont at this tnne. and his remains were placed in a metalHc casket, and covered with alcohol, and buried in the ground, at Fairmont; but some years after they were dis-interred and removed to a vault, at the mouth of Indian run, near six miles below Fairmont, on land belonging to his heirs; and long after their removaal. the features are said to have presented a perfectly natural ap- pearance, so well had they been preserved b}^ the alcohol.
John, the second son, went to Missouri, where he sleeps. He was a soldier, and a non-commissioned ofificer of the Civil war.
Eugene, who Avas an early deputy sheriff of this county, resides in South Dakota. He was commissioned as captain in the secret service of the Southern Confederacy, but the war came to a close before he was called into active service.
William went to Missouri, and there enlisted in the Union cause, and rose to the rank of captain. He now resides in the Virginia colony in Texas.
Francis M., who was a Confederate soldier resides at Paris, Missouri ; T. D.. and E. R. Tibbs, are of this part of the county. The latter was a non-commissioned officer of the Union army.
Other pioneers along this river, whose names belong to our history were John W. Mitchell, John W'ass and Jeremiah Snodgrass.
John W. Mitchell made his settlement at Pleasant hill. He and his wife, Mrs. Leanna Haddox Mitchell, were both natives of Barbour county; and shortly after their marriage in 1835, they came to this county and settled in a pole cabin at the mouth of Bone creek, on the farm that was later desig- nated as the "'Butcher farm" — now owned by the heirs of the late Alex Pru.nty ; and from here, they removed to the farm that is now the estate of the late Joseph Haddox — Mrs." Mitchell's brother, and thus became the first citizens of the forest at Pleasant hill. They afterwards resided at different points in the county, but both sleep in the "Old Pleasant hill" cemetery. Mrs. Mitchell died at Eva in 1892, and he, at Pennsboro in January 1898, at the age of eighty-three years.
SOUTH FORK SETTLERS— CONTINUED 97
These venerable people were the parents of twelve children, two of whom died in infancy, and one, Jerome, at the age of four years.
Few parents have been called upon to mourn more deep- ly. Their daughters Xancy (Mrs. Reilly Mason), Mrs. Sarah (C. F.) Beall, Mrs. Mary (Phonso) Welsh, Mrs. Huldali (Charles) Zickafoose, all died of consumption ; and the three sons that reached the years of maturity — -B. F., Marion and J. Marshall, all met tragic deaths; Mrs. Kathrine (Lemuel) Wil- son, of Smithville ; and Tabitha, who first married Jonathan Baker, but is now Mrs. Eber Mason, of Pennsboro, alone sur- vive.
The three sons were all soldiers of the Union army, and Marion was injured by the bursting of a shell, while in battle, which resulted in his being an invalid for the remaining" six years of his life.
J. Marshall was brutally murdered in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, the body being dragged near a mile and a quar- tei from the scene of the tragedy, and placed upon the rail- road track, where it was dreadfully mutilated by the train. It was thought that a jealous rival, assisted by tl;e father ot the girl in question, was the perpetrator of the crime, but no one was ever brought to justice. The remains were sent home and laid away at Pleasant hill, but the broken-hearted loved ones were not permitted to take a last look.
Banjamin Franklin Mitchell met liis death by drowning. While piloting a raft down the river, he was overtaken by a \'iolent storm, and, in the darkness, he was lost. The tragedy occurred in October, 1884, and though every efifort was made to find the body, it lay concealed in its watery hiding place, just above the forks of Hughes river, for nine months : being accidentally discovered at Jast, by u citizen of the vicinity, who having missed his aim at a hawk, turned his attention to the fish in the water. The features were beyond recogni- tion, but he was identified by his watch, in which his name was engraved, and b}^ letters that were found upon his per- son, llie remains were taken to the Kendall burying-ground for interment; and as the dear old mother, sorrowfully bent over the casket unable to look within, she spoke of the other
98 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY-
son that had been sent home in a Hke manner — that she could not see, and she sadly exclaimed and, '"This is no better!"
B. F. Mitchell was at one time sheriff of this county, and he was the only son of the family that left issue. He was married to Miss Sarah Cathrine Kendall, daughter of Ransom Kendall in 1867, and was the father of S. H. Mitchell, editor of the Kanawha News of Elizabeth, Wirt county ; of B. F. Mitchell, who is employed in "The Youth's Copmanion" office at Boston ; of Roy. and Miss Agnes, of Pullman ; Mrs. Ella Riddel, and Mrs. Daisy Reynolds, of Harrison county. His widow is now Mrs. FI. B. Mason, of Pullman.
John Wass settled on the farm that is known as the Harrison AA'ass homestead, above Goff's — now the home of Peter Wass, where Cornelius Wyers had made a slight ini- provement. He was the son of George Wass, an Englishman, wdic came across the sea and settled in Somerset county, Penn- sylvania, where he (John) was born, and where he was mar- ried to Aliss Barbara Boyers, a German maiden. In the spring of 184:1. he and his wife with their several children, came from near Petersburg, to the "Wass homestead," where they re- mained until they were laid in the Pleasant hill cemetery. Mr. Wass met his death at the hand of an assassin in July, 1863, while on his way home from Harrisville. He was taken back to that place, where he died from the eft'ects of the bullet wound a few hours later, but not until he had made a statement con- cerning the tragedy.
He was the father of ten children ; all of whom reared families of their own save one son, who died in childhood.
Mrs. Lucinda (Eugene) Barker, and Mrs. Mahala (R. H.) Rogers, are now numbered with the dead, but the rest survive. Mrs. Elizabeth (H. B.) Tharpe. resides near Holbrook; Mrs. Amanda (Ebeneezer) Tharp, near Auburn: Mrs. Sarah (Joseph) Haddox, Berea ; Mrs. Larue (E. R.) Tibbs, and William, at Goff's; Mrs. Luvina (J. R.) Westfall, at Smith- ville : and Harrison Wass, at Harrisville.
Jeremiah Snodgrass took up his residence below Berea. where his daughter, Mrs. John Colgate, now lives. He and his wife, Mrs. Euphamy Clayton Snodgrass, came from Marion county in 1845, and redeemed this farm from its primi-
SOUTH FORK SETTLERS— CONTINUED 99
tive wilderness. Here, they passed from earth — he, in 1880, and she, four years later, and side by side they slumber in the Old Pleasant hill burying-ground. He was the son of Frank- lin and Rachel Burr Snodgrass, and was the father of thirteen children :
B. F., and Jeremiah, Harrisville; Ezekiel, of Marion county; the Rev. Elisha, of Auburn, Mrs. Nancy (Greenbury) Hammond, Berea ; Mrs. Isabel (Thomas) Baker, of Hale, Missouri ; and Mrs. Rachel Wagner, of Newberne, are all numbered with the dead. E. C, resides at Smithville; John, ai Harrisville , Mrs. Sarah Colgate, at Berea ; Mrs. Elizabeth (Thomas) Prather, at Mt. Zion; David L., in Marion county; and W. C, in Florida.
This pioneer was the grandfather of the distinguished pulpit orator, the Rev. Winfield C. Snodgrass, of the Methodisl Episcopal conference of New Jersey, who, while on a tour in Europe, some years ago, was accorded the honor of an invita- tion to fill Spurgeon's pulpit. He is the son of the Rev. Elisha and Mrs. Mary Cox Snodgrass, and near Auburn he first saw the light, on December 37, 1849. He began his ministerial career as a member of the West Virginia conference, and from here went to the Kansas conference, where he remained for some years, before going to New Jersey, where he has added new laurels to his brow. *
The Rev. Hall Snodgrass, who is now serving a Baptist church in Oklahoma ; and the Rev. McClellan Snodgrass of the New York M. E. conference are also grandsons of this pioneer.
William Snodgrass. — William .Snodgrass, an uncle of Jeremiah, was the first one of the name to come to Ritchie county. He was a native of Pennsylvania and a soldier of the war of 1813. In 1807, he was married to Miss Nancy King, who passed on in 1834, from their home in Marion county, leaving eight children to his care. Two years later, he was again married to Miss Mary Pritchard — half-sister of Peter Pritchard, and in 1841 he came to this county, and penetrated the unbroken forest on Turtle run — a small tributary of the South fork — above Berea, and reared the first cabin on the farm that is now the home of his youngest son, T. C. Snod-
t: «) <k n f /'
100 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
grass ; and here he died in 1879, at the age of ninety-six years, and at W^liite Oak, he sleeps.
The children of his first marriage were : John Wesley Snodgrass, who died in Iowa, a few years ago. at the age of ninet3^-one years — having been a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church for seventy-three years ; Mrs. Frances (Nicholas) Baker, and Mrs. Alartha (Elijah) A'lorgan, who sleep in Marion county; Mrs. Naoma (Davis) Meredith, late of T3der county; Mrs. Nancy Pierce, Mrs. Comfort Ewins, and Airs. Isabel (Jared) Hawkins, of Ohio ; and Sarah, who married Solomon Hawkins and lived and died in this county.
The children of the second marriage were five in number and were as follows: W. F., who rests in Kansas; B. F., in the State of Washington; Eliza, who died in infancy; Mrs. Margaret A., who married George Carder and lives in Ohio : and T. C. Snodgrass, who lives at the old homestead. Mrs. Snodgrass died at the home of her daughter in Ohio, and there she sleeps.
The Snodgrasses are of Irish origin. Three brothers. W'illiam, James, and Michael Snodgrass, came from Ireland and settled in W'^ashington county, Pennsylvania. Michael wandered away, and was never heard from again, and W^illian-. and James removed to Monongalia — now Marion — county {\\.) Virginia, in 1787; and three years later James met a tragic death at the hands of the Indians, on Fishing creek in W'etzel county, while in quest of his horse that he had lost while on a bufifalo chase. His remains were afterwards found and buried, but not until the flesh had been torn from the bones by the fangs of wolves.
William married Miss Kathrine Yost,^ a German maiden, ar.d from his sons. William, junior. Isaac, and Franklin, the Ritchie county Snodgrasses are descended.
Isaac was the father of the lace ]\Irs. John Parker, of Nathan, who went W est, and of Elias Snodgrass, who died in Doddridge county.
John Harris. — John Harris was another worthy pioneer of Tin"tle run. He was born in Flarrison county, on January 25, 1814, and there in 1838, he was married to Miss Dorinda
SOUTH FORK SETTLERS— CONTLXUED 101
Coburn, who died a few years later, leaving one son, Geary Harris, who is now a citizen of Harrison count3^ He then married Miss Elizabeth Pritchard, sister of Peter Pritchard, who was born on February 20, 1812, and in 1846, when Tur- tle run was almost a wilderness they came to this county and settled on the farm that is now the home of their son, A. F. Harris. Flere they passed from earth — she, on March 25, 1876, and he, on March 23, 1904. Both sleep at White Oak. He reached the venerable age of ninety years, and was revered by all who knew him, as was his companion.
Their children were : Eliza J., who died in youth ; George W., of Harrison county; the late Mrs. Martha (H. C.) Cox, and Mrs. Millie F. (G. W.) Hayhurst, and Alpheus F. Harris, Pullman; and the late Mrs. Nancy Rebecca (Wesley) McCor- mick, of Tyler county.
Jacob Ehret. — The Ehrets were, also, early peoplf^ on this stream. Jacob Ehret, senior, came from his native land — Ger- many, in 1810, when his son, Jacob, junior, was but a child of six summers, and settled at Philadelphia. Jacob, junior, niar- ried Miss Joanna Seizer, a German lassie, of the Keystone state, and near the year 1845, they migrated to West Virginia and settled in Doddridge county, for a few months, before coni- ing to Hughes' river, where they sojourned, for a time on land now owned by G. M. Ireland; and from there they removed to Turtle run, where they remained until they were laid in the Pine Grove cemetery, at P>erea. They were the parents of the late William Ehret, Mrs. Hannah Bee, Mrs. Mary John- son, and John Ehret, all of this county ; and of Mrs. Cathriue Bee, of Massachusetts.
Benjamin Prather was born in Washington county, Mary- land, in 1798, and there he was married in ISilO, to Miss Cathrine Dick, who was born in 1800, and. in the year 1845, they joined the little colony on Turtle run, and here they remained until they were borne to the Pullman cemetery.
They were the parents of James Prather, of Spruce creek : Thomas, of Slab creek; the late Jacob Prather, and Mrs. Frank Snodgrass, and Mrs. John Snodgrass.
CHAPTER VII
South Fork Settlers—Continued
RESTON ZINN, brother of Maniy, was the first settler at Berea, on the Ezekiel Bee farm. He, with his wife, Mrs. Nancy Rogers Zinn, came from Preston county, in 1849. and erected his cabin almost on the very site that is now marked by the residence of Min- ter Fox ; and from here he removed to the
J. E. Meathrell farm, where he came to his death by the '"kick"
of a plow.
After he was laid away in the Pine Grove cemetery, his
family went to Illinois and there, and in California, they now
reside.
His children were ten in number; viz., Mrs. Elizabeth
Kuhn, the late Mrs. Angelina (David ) Clayton, the late Mrs.
Adaline (Ishmael) Clayton, Thomas, Ginevera, Perdilla, Biba,
Elendar, Phedora, and Ruth but several of the last ones named
died in childhood.
Thomas D. Pritchard, also came to Berea this same year — 1849 — and erected his dwelling where the J. M. Mere- dith residence . now stands — (formerly the Job Meredith); and, from here, he removed to Slab creek— to the farm that his son, T. T. Pritchard recently sold to Samuel Haddox. Here he continued to reside until a short time before his death, when he went to Lewis county, and there, at Gaston, he lies at rest.
He was born in Monongalia county, on February 25, 1818. and was the son of Thomas, ^enior. and Mary Moody Pritchard. On February 11, 1843, he was married to Miss Mary Lowther, daughter of Major Elias Lowther and sister of Jonathan Lowther, of Berea, and six children were the re- sult of this union: Rebecca, Silas and Mary died in child- hood, and beside their mother they rest on the old homestead
SOUTH FORK SETTLERS— CONTINUED 103
on Slab creek. T. T. resides at Hyattsville, Wyoming; Elias R., in Roane county ; and Jerusha, at .
Alexander Ireland. — Near the year 1818, Alexander Ire- land, senior, with his family came from the vicinity of Clarksburg- and settled just above the mouth of Otterslide, on the farm that was formerly designated as the "Joshua Davis" — now a part of the Flannagan, homestead. Here he remained until some time in the early thirties when he re- moved to Tyler county, where he passed from earth on July 18, 1843, at the age of seventy-one years.
Mr. Ireland was a native of Maryland, and with his father, William Ireland, who was, also, a Maryland product, migrated to Harrison county in his boyhood. Little else is known of his early family ties other than that he had one half-sister, who became A-Irs. Sheets, and that his father died near Clarksburg.
His wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Ragan Ireland, was of German lineage — the daughter of a Revolutionary soldier. She was born at West Milford in 1771, and died at her home in Tyler county, on September 7, 1855, at the age of eighty-four years.
They were the parents of the following named sons and daughters whose posterity are scattered throughout the Union :
John, Jacob, Thomas, Jonathan, Jesse, Alexander,- William, Mary. Eliza, Sarah, Margaret, and Priscilla Ireland. All of whom have passed on leaving families except Jacob, who married Miss Martha Wells and died childless, at his home in Tyler county.
John first married Miss Agnes Maxwell, and his second wife was Miss Amy Joseph. Mary became Mrs. Robert Doak, and Eliza married Alexander Doak, and all lived and died in Tyler county, where many of their descendants reside.
Thomas and Sarah, who was the wife of Alexander Low- ther, of Oxford, lived and died in Ritchie county. (See other chapters).
Jonathan (niarried Jane Rose), Jesse (Sarah Wells), Alex- ander .(Sarah Bond), William ( ), Margaret (Thomas
Bond), and Priscilla (William Wells), and all went West.
104 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
The Ireland ancestral line is not traceable to the land be- yond the sea, as are many of the other pioneer lineages, but a very interesting- legend as to the origin of this family in America has been handed down by tradition for generations; and although its authenticity cannot be verified, it is given credence by some and will, doubtless, add interest here:
A lad whose parents had evidently been "lost on the deep," and whose name and history \v'cre unknov^-n. grew up on board a ship at sea, and, as his appearance suggested the Irish nationality, he was called "Ireland" for the want of a better name.
On one occasion, when this lad had reached manhood's estate, the vessel which had so long been his home la}^ at anchor in a harbor on the eastern coast of the Ignited States, and he decided, for the first time, to venture on shore, and being so delighted with the land, could not be induced to re- turn to the ship, and thus America became the home of his adoption. He married and from him Alexander Ireland is said to have been descended.
Circumstances point to the fact that this family are con- nected to other families of the name in the United States who can trace their ancestry to the land across the water, but this connection has not been made clear, however. And this lit- tle tradition still retains its former Aveight and interest.
Dr. William R. Lowther. — The late Dr. \\'illiam R. Low- ther was the first settler at the mouth of Turtle run, on the farm that is now owned by Edward J. Lowther.
He was born near West Milford, in Harrison county, in 1809, and with his wife, Airs. Saiah Randall Lowther, of Ohio, came here in 1838. Here Mrs. Lowther and their infant child passed away ; and some time after, he married jNIiss Sarali Ann Ay res, daughter of Daniel Ayres, and sister of John B. AA'res : and resided on the Ayres — nov.^ the McNeill — home- stead, near Smithville for a short tif»ie, before removing to the Holbrook vicinitv where he mace the first improvement on the Thomas Grifhn farm. He finally removed to Mt. Zion where his daughter, Airs. Margaret Glover now lives, and from here he crossed to the other side in 1881, and at Pullman he lies at rest.
SOUTH FORK SETTLERS— CONTINUED 105
Mrs. Lowther, who survived him by several years, rests at his side.
Dr. Lowther was a very successful physician, a school- teacher of merit, and a man of more than ordinary talent.
Ills children — all of tlie second marriage — are as follows:
Mrs. Hannah E. Parker (widow of Frank Parker), Mrs. Orvilla (J. H.) Nichols, and George W. Lov;thcr (ex-mayor of Grafton), all of Grafton; Mrs. Margaret (Taylor) Glover, Miss Sarah Ann Lowther, D. A., and D. S. Lowther, all of Mt. Zion ; and John A. Lowther, of Ark?nsas.
William B. Lowther.— In 1840, William B. Lowther, father of Dr. William R., with his wife, Mrs. Margaret Co- burn Lowther, and their family, came from his native Llar- rison county, and succeeded his son on the Edward J. Low- ther farm, at the mouth of Turtle run. Here the remainder of his life was spent, and in the Puliman churchyard by the side of his wife, he lies at rest.
He was the son of Robert, the eldest son of Col. William, and his children are as follows:
James R., Edward J., and Mrs. Mandane (Robert) Wil- son, Pullman; Mrs. Rosetta (Granville) Zinn, of Harrisville. who lately celebrated her ninetieth birthday ; the late Dr. William R., Napoleon, Mrs. Juliet (Wm. S.) Wilson, and Misses Julia and Rebecca Lov/ther, all of this county, who have joined the throng over there; and Lemuel of Michigan.
Ellas Lowther, the youngest son of Col. William, whose history will be found in an earlier chapter, came from West Milford, in 18'c!0, and erected the first cabin on the Zimri Flan- nagan farm, above iScrea.
William J. Lowther, son of Jesse, and grandson of Col. William, was the pioneer on the Bee farm at Oxford, near the year 1825.
He married his cousin. Alary Lowther, daughtei of Robert, the eldest son of Col. William, and witljin the bounds of this county, at some unknown point, he and his wife sleep.
He was the father of the Rev. Perry Lowther a late min- ister of the West Virginia Methodist Protestant conference;
106
HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Archiliald Wilson.
of Henderson Lowther and several other children whose names are not at hand.
The Wilsons.^ — The year 1828, brought Archibald Wilson with his family from Harrison — now Taylor — county, to the Broadwater farm near Oxford.
Mr. Wilson was a native of Ran- dolph county, he having been born near Beverly, in 1801. Near the year 1825, he v\^as married to j\Iiss Eliza- beth Hudkins, daughter of Barton Hudkins, of Simpsons creek, Taylor county ; and after spending the first years of his married life there, he came to Oxford, and ten years later, changed his place of residence to the Edmond Taylor farm, at the mouth of L3'nn Camp, on the North fork of Hughes river, where his life came to a close in 1866.
His remains filled the first grave that was made in the U. B. church cemetery at Pennsboro, he having been inter- ested in the erection of this church at the time of his death.
He was a man of marked ability, and was one of the prominent citizens of his day in state afifairs. He was a school-teacher, and was the first county surveyor. He served as a member of the first Constitutional convention of the State, and was the first individual to suggest that the counties be divided into districts for educational purposes ; and was the author of the resolution making snch provisions, which, though, perhaps somewhat altered, became a clause of the Constitution.
His wife died in 1892, at the ape of eightv-three A-ears. and was laid by his side.
Their children were as follows :
Mrs. Temperance (T. W.) Ireland, Morgantown ; [Mrs. Josephine (Jesse) Hammond, Portsmouth, Ohio ; W. S. Wil- son. Texas; Mrs. Eveline (Smith) Bee, Mrs. Love (Alex) Prunty, the late Mrs. Elizabeth (C. M.) Collins, J. M., Bazil
SOUTH FORK SETTLERS— CONTINUED ' 107
H., the late II. N., A. B., Barton H., and L. P., all of this county. The last four have all passed on.
John Wilson. — Along with Archibald Wilson came his brother, John Wilson, who was. then a single man, but who married Miss Charlotte Dotson, of Tollgate, a little later, and settled in Doddridge county for a short time, before re- moving to Lynn Camp, where he made the pioneer settlement on the James Tucker farm, where he passed from earth.
His family consisted of seven daughters and two sons ; viz., Eda, who married Calvin Haynes ; Eliza, who was Mrs. Jehu Shinn ; Almira, Mrs. David Hogue : and Angeline, Retta, Francis, and another daughter; Jasper went west; and Black- burn was killed by a log at the old home.
Wilson Ancestry. — The Wilsons have a remarkably inter- esting ancestral line. One, which, in part, belongs to National History. They are of Scotch-Insh descent. Their antecessor, William Wilson, was born in Ireland, on November 16, Yi'l'l. He vv^as the son of Davis Wilson, and the grandson of David Davis Wilson, of Scotland. He married Miss Elizabeth Black- burn, who was also a native of "Old Erin," she having been born on February 2, 1725 ; and near the year 1755, they came to America, and settled in Shenandoah county, Virginia. Here, Mr. Wilson died on June 12, 1801, and his wife, on September 2, 1806.
They were the parents of eleven children, four of whom were born before they crossed the sea :
I. Benjamin born November 30, 1747.
2. Archibald born June 13, 1749.
3. David born September 8, 1751.
4. A\'illiam born February 8, 1754.
5. John born April 12, 1756.
6. Moses born May 1, 1758 and died in 1760.
7. Moses, 2nd born April 8, 1761.
8. James born July 25, l'(63.
9. Solomon born July 2, 1766.
10. Elizabeth (twin) born July 2, 1766.
II. Margaret born April 7, 1768.
]('K HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
John Wilson, the fifth son, and the first one born in Amer- ica, was a native of Shenandoah cottnty, Virginia. He married Miss Mary Wathin, a French maiden, and from him the Ritchie county branch of the family is descended. He being the father of Archibald, John, and Mrs. Dorcas (Augustus) Modisette, of this county; Blackburn, of Walker; Mrs. Tem- perance (Moses) Thompson, Harrison county; and Mrs. Mary (G. W.) Shinn, Doddridge county.
He (John Wilson) lived and died at Beverly in Randolph county, where he served as clerk of the County court for more than thirty years. He was engaged in a desperate In- dian fight at Wheeling when he was a lad of eighteen years, and was severely wounded.
His final resting place is at Beverly.
Benjamin Wilson. — Benjamin Wilson, the eldest son of William and Elizabeth Blackburn \A"ilson, who, as before stated, was born in Ireland, on X'ovember 'M\ 1717, was not only a man of great abilit}- and prominence, but he had the most remarkable progeny that has come under our notice since the days of the ancient patriarchs, he being the father of thirty children.
On September 4, 1770, he was married to Miss Anne Rud- del, who was born on September 20, 1754, and twelve children were the result of this union. On June 18, 1795, the mother passed on; and on December 15, 1795, he married Miss Phebe Davidson, who was the mother of the other eighteen. And at the time of his death, on January "?, 1S58, his posterity numbered one-hundred thirty-six persons — twenty-four chil- dren, seventy-three grandchildren, thirty-two great-grandchil- dren, and one great-great-grandchild.
"Air. A\'ilson served as lieutenant in the expedition of Lord Dunmore against the Indians in 1774, and acquired, by his zeal and attention to duty, ihe confidence of his superior officers.
"Early in the Revolution, he was appointed captain in the Virginia forces, and in 1781, he received the appointment of colonel.
"During the entire war, he was the organ through whicli
SOUTH FORK SETTLERS— CONTINUED 109
most of the military and civil business of that part of the State in which he resided was transacted.
"He was a member of the Legislature from the County of Monongalia for several sessions previous to the year 17S4, in which year, the County of Harrison was established ; and at the organization of this county, he became the clerk of the County court. The duties of this ofitice, however did not with- draw him from the theater of politics- -as he was selected as a delegate to the convention, in 1788, which ratified the Con- stitution of the United States."
Another incident worthy of mention in this connection is the fact that Col. Wilson was present at Camp Charlotte-- eight miles east of Chillicothe, Ohio — on the occasion when. Cornstalk, the renowned Indian chief, visited T_.ord Dunmore in the interests of peace, and had the p:easure of listejiing to this great chieftain's v>^onderful gift of oratory, which he com- ments on in the following" language:
"When he (Cornstalk) arose, he was in no wise confused or daunted, but spoke in a distinct and audible voice without stammering orTepetition, and with a peculiar emphasis. His looks while addressing Dunmore were truly grand and ma- jestic— yet graceful and attractive. 1 have heard the first orators of Virginia, Patrick Henry and Richard Henry Lee, but never have I heard one whose powers of delivery sur- passed those of Cornstalk on that occasion."
The first county seat' of Randolph county is said to have been kept at the home of Col. Ben W^ilson four miles from Beverly, and the following amusing anecdote is told of his transference of this local-seat of government to another individual, and of his removal to Clarksburg where he finally passed to the confines of the tond:), at the age of eighty years :
"During the Civil war when the soldiers Avere stationed at Beverly (in 1864) a short time after their arrival, George Renscrift, one of the number, noticed a peculiar hole in the ground around which the soldiers and the civilians gathered from day to day to pitch horse-shoes. His attention being especially attracted to the size of this hole, he remarked to an •^^j^g'-'^entleman standing near, that this ground must have been the '^^^^' '■^^^ purpose before the war; and the old gentleman.
110 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
heaving a reminiscent sigh, said, ''Yes, my young man, I am nigh unto seventy, and I was not born when the first horse- shoes were pitched into that hole.' And he then proceeded to tell him its unique history:
lie said, as above mentioned, that the county seat was kept at the home of Col. Ben Wilson, and that at Beverly, lour miles distant lived one Jacob Westfall. One da}^ Col. Wilson came riding down the path past the Westfall residence and found Mr. Westfall out pitching iicrse-shoes in his yard all alone.
"Having a good game?" asked Col. Wilson. "Good enough," was the reply. "I'll bet T can beat you," said the Colonel. "I'll take the bet," replied Westfall. "How much?" asked Col. Wilson.
"Whoever beats gets the court house," replied Westfall. "It's a bargain," replied Col. Wilson, who had everything to lose and nothing to gain as he already had the court house, but he was a great old codger to take chances. So the game began and continued until night and Westfall flaxed the Colo- nel on every proposition, and won the l:)eL."
This same evening Col. Wilson made Jacob Westfall deed a quarter of an acre, which included this play-ground, to the public forever, and according to the provisions of this deed an individual could play when, and as long, as he pleased, and no one could hinder him.
The next day Col. Wilson sent Westfall the county seat, i)ooks, papers and so on, to Beverly, and shortly after sold out and removed to Clarksburg.
This piece of ground is still used as a horse-shoe play- ground and will doubtless continue to be thus used until the end of time, as no one has the power to molest this lot.
This is said to be the only piece of real estate in the world that has such a title. When the new court house at Beverly was under contract, the court undertook to sell this lot, but found upon investigation that it belonged to the public, and that the county had no authority over it. Consequenth', it lies there vacant as it did a century ago — a monument c'
'^ich
SOUTH FORK SETTLERS— CONTINUED 111
cated to the simple game of horse-shoe — and the men and boys haunt it to-day as they did in the days of Col. Wilson.
Record of the Family of Col. Ben Wilson. — Children of Col. Ben and Anne Ruddle Wilson :
Mary Wilson born June 7, 1771, married John Haymond.
William Wilson born January 36, 1773, married Miss Martin.
Stephen Ruddle Wilson born October 21, 1775, married —
Benjamin Wilson born June 13, 1778, married Miss Mar- tin.
Sarah Wilson born September 11, 1780, married Benjamin Bryce.
Elizabeth Wilson born August 17, 1782, died September 3, 1782.
Anne Wilson born January 17, 1786, married Dr. Brice.
John W^ilson born July 5, 1788, married Miss Martin and Miss Caldwell.
Archibald Blackburn born July 25, 1790, married Edith Roby.
Cornelius AV'ilson born April 7, 1795, married Rachel Mar- tin.
And two children died without n^mes.
Children of Col. Ben and Phebe Davidson Wilson :
Josiah Davidson Wilson born October 12, 1796, married Miss Martin and Miss Despard.
David Wilson born February 18, 1798, died umuarried.
Edith Wilson born November 9, 1799, married James Martin.
Elizabeth Wilson born October 18, 1801, died unmarried.
Thomas W. Wilson born May 12, 1803, married Miss O'Bannon, of Ohio.
(The language of Col. Wil.son concerning his impre-sion of Cornstalk is taken from the foot-notes of the revised edition of Withers' Border Warfare; the anecdote concerning the Beverly court house, from an old newspaper clipping furnished us by ISIrs. Susan Collins, of Pennsboro — his granddaughter; and tlie part concerning his public career, is quoted from the National Intelligencer, of January 29, 1828, in whicli the ac- count of his death appeared. And to his great-great-granddaughter, Mrs. .Jessie Norris Tierney, of Glenville, who is a member of the Daughtei's of the American Revolution, we are indebted for this rare account.
Col. Wilson was the Couhty clerk of Randolph county at the time of the incident herein narrated.
112 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
Alaro'aret A\'ilson born March 26, 1805. married Hiram Haymond.
Deborah A\ ilson born October IT, l&OG, married Abel Smith.
James Pindall Wilson born June 9, 1808, married Rowcna Haymond, daughter of Thomas.
Daniel Davisson born January 30, 1810, married Miss O'Bannon.
Phebe Wilson born August "29, 1811. married Amos Gil- bert.
]\lartha ]\Iartin AA'ilson born June 'i?>. 181o, married Caul- der Ha3'mond.
Philip Doddridge born June 29, 1814. married Penelope Sinnett.
Noah L. AA'ilson born March 9, 181(3, married Miss Gilpin, of Baltimore.
Julia Anne AVilson born September 28, 1817, married James Robinson.
Harriett Baldwin Wilson born November 13, 1818, mar- ried Jonathan Haymond.
Rachel AA'ilson born July 20, 1820, married Lewis Hay- mond and Dr. AA'. D. AA'ilson.
Two died in infancy.
William Hall. — AA'illiam Hall, the progenitor of another prominent Ritchie count}^ family, found a home on the river above Oxford, across wdiat is now the Doddridge county line, as early as 1830, but, ere the lapse of many years, he removed to the Flannagan farm above Berea, and later resided at both Pullman and Harrisville. He finally, in his old age, went to Roane county where be died, at the home of his daughter, Airs. Thomas McKinley, during the spring of 18T3.
Mr. Hall was born in Loudin county, Virginia, in 1797, and from there he emigrated to Harrison county in his young
The descendant? of Col. Ben Wilson in this county are not a few but among the nearest in line are F. H. ;Martin and Mrs. Susan Collins — grandchildren, of Pennsboro. Mr. Martin being t'ne son of his daughter Edith, and Mrs. Collins of Rachel. Mrs. .Jolm Hallani of Cairo is another granddaughter, she being the daughter of Thomas. See Haymond and ;Maxwell liistory for descendants of !Mary Wilson.
Conflicting records of this family have been furnished us but we have used the one sent us by Mi^s Genevieve Collins of Pennsboro, it being taken from Col. Wilson's old Bible.
SOUTH FORK SETTLERS— COXTINUED 113
manhood where he met and married Miss Mary Ann Lowther, eldest daughter of Jesse, and Mary Ragan Lowther, and granddaughter of Col. William, and from West Milford, they came to Oxford.
Mrs. Hall survived him by three years, dying at the home of her daughter in Roane county in 1876. And there by his side she lies at rest.
Their children were as follows :
Jesse L. Hall, William, Celina, Lucinda, Mar^^ Elizabeth, Elias, Robert Hannibal, Lemuel, Smith, and Judge Cyrus Hall, all of whom have now crossed the tide, with the possible ex- ception of Elias.
Jesse L. Hall married his cousin Miss Alcinda Lowther, and was the father of Cyrus, William E.. Robert G., I\Iarietta, Ellen, and ^lartha Hall, and after the death of his first wife, he married again, and went to Elizabeth, Wirt county Avhere he died and where some of his descendants still reside. Mrs. Rosa Connolly was a daughter by the second marriage.
William Hall died in his youth, and Mary remained single, dying at the home of her sister at Point Pleasant at an advanced age.
Selina married the Rev. George Monroe of the West Vir- ginia Methodist Episcopal conference, and died childless. She sleeps at Point Pleasant.
Lucinda married Jesse AL Lowther, son of Elias Lowther, senior, and lived and died in this county. She was the mother of Johnson J.. Stillman F., Mrs. Mandane (Hiram) Wilson, and Airs. Similda Randolph, of Salem ; Mansfield and Syl- vanus Lowther and Mrs. Salina Bee, of the West ; Thomas, of Harrison county ; Lucinda — and the late Mrs. Dorinda (Eli) McKinley, of Harrisville — mother of the late lamented Homer McKinley.
Elizabeth married Thomas McKinley, and went to Roane county, where she sleeps. Their children were Lee, Walter, Rector, Jer>nie and Sarah.
Smith Hall married Miss Jennie Scott, of Hardy county,
and lived and died at Harrisville. His family consisted of
two sons, John and Charles, and of one daughter, Mrs. Laura
^'^ bhert, of Ellenboro. "seci f
114 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
Robert Hannibal married Miss Bennett, of Wes- ton, and was the father of Mrs. John B. Ayres, formerly of Harrisville, but now of Spencer, and of one other daughter. He died in Virginia a few years since.
Elias Hall married Aliss Margaret Kirkpatrick, sister of Ichabod, and was an early settler on the Alason farm near the Pisgah church, in the Pullman vicinity. He finally went to Roane county where he, perhaps, is sleeping. A\'illiam Smith, Neal, Hannibal, Lee and Landora Pfall were among his chil- dren, but this is not all of them.
Lemuel Hall married here and went A\'est where he was identified as an able barrister.
Judge Cyrus Hall. — Judge Cyrus Hall married ]\Iiss Amelia Scott, sister of his brother Smith's wife, and principally spent his long life at Harrisville, Parkersburg, and Charleston. His family consisted of two daughters, and three sons : viz.. Flora died in childhood ; Louella became Mrs. Chancellor, of Parkersburg, but after the death of her first husband she mar- ried H. T. Shefit'ey, of Charleston ; the late Judge Cyrus Hall, B. B. and Thomas C, all of Charleston, are the sons.
Judge Hall was one among the prominent men that this county has produced.
Born in Harrison county early in the century, he came to this county with his parents in the "log cabin days'' and strug- gled up through the many disadvantages that surrounded the ambitious lad in those davs of untold orivation and toil.
He was graduated from college, studied law, and at the age of thirty years went to Woodsfield, Ohio, where he was admitted to the bar; and after a brief stay here, he returned to this county and took up his residence at Harrisville, where he practiced his profession for a number of years. He was Ritchie county's first Prosecuting Attorney, and was at c<ne time her representative in the Legislature at Richmond.
He was a member of the Richmond conve^iition that passed the ordinance of secession, and with one exception was the last survivor of that stormy body. He went there as an opponent of secession, but in the heat of the fight, was, won over and cast his vote for the measure — the passing of
SOUTH FORK SETTLERS— CONTINUED 115
which sounded the bugle-note for the formation of the "Little Mountain state."
For a number of years after the birth of West Virginia, he was the judge of the County court of Wood coiinty. He practiced in the courts of Virginia and West Virginia for almost sixty years, rising to distinction at the bar. It is said that he never lost a case before the Supreme Court of the State. He died at Charleston early in the year 1909, at the age of ninety years. His wife preceded him to the grave by fifteen }'ears.
The Norrises. — Along with William Hall, from Harrison county, came his brother-in-law', William Norris. who settled near him on the river above Oxford.
]*\Ir. Xorris was born in Fauquier county, Virginia, on August 8, 1792, and on April 20, 1817, he w^as married to Miss Sallie Lowther, daughter of Jesse and granddaughter of Col. William Lowther, whose natal day w^as October 5, 1795 ; and after a brief residence on the river here, in 1833, they removed to Gilmer county where their lives came to a close. His on November 24, 1861, and hers, on Alay 22. 1870. And both lie at rest in the Xorris bmying-ground on Cedar creek.
Their family were as follows :
Emily (1818-1906, unmarried), Milton (1819-1896). John G. (1821—), Jesse (1823—). Mary (1824-1825). Caroline (LS25— ). Lucinda (182S-] 888, unmarried), Drusilla (1832—, Mrs. Kerns, of Gilmer county), Elizabeth (1835 — ). Edward (1837 — ), and Elias Xorris.
Milton G. Norris, who was born on X^o\'ember 10, 1819, was married in 1869, to Miss Maria Louise Campbell, daughter of John C. and Anne Wilson Campbell of Clarksburg,^ and lived and died at the "Beeches" near Glenville. He passed from earth on July 30, 1896, and Mrs. X^orris survived imtil Jul}- 3, 1908, and both rest in the family burying-ground at the "Beeches." Their family consisted of four daughters; ^•iz., Mrs. Jessie Campbell Tierney, and ]\frs. Anne Wilson Lewas, are of Glenville; Sallie Lowther is the wife of the Hon. E. M.
'The Campbells were from AVinchester, Virginia, and the old home there i& still owned by the family.
116 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Showaller, of Fairmont ; and Miss Rebecca Lupton X'orris is lying" with her parents in the family burying-ground, she hav- ing passed from eartli at San Francisco, California in 190?, while on a tour m the AVest.
The Norrises are of English origin, and the name is an ancient and prominent one in the "Old World"' to-day. Gen- eral Sir John Norris was commander of the British array in the sixteenth century, and was sent by Queen Elizabeth to aid the Hollanders in their struggle against the Spaniards, at this time. Tradition says that three brothers crossed to America about the year 1760, and that one settled in Pennsyl- vania, one in Maryland, and the other, William Norris, who was an English school-master, in Virginia ; and from William, the different families of this state are descended.
His son, John Norris, was born in Fauquier county, Vir- ginia, on July 4, 1760, and at the age of seventeen years (in February 1777), enlisted as a volunteer, for three months, in the company of Captain James Scott, which was organized at the Fauquier Court House, and marched by way of Lewisburg (now West Virginia) across the Potomac, at Noland's Ferry to Frederick, Maryland, thence to Philadelphia, and on to Ouibbletown (now New Market) in New Jersey. And in March, 1781, he was drafted, for two months, into the com- pany of Captain Morehead, who was stationed at Williams- burg, Virginia, and from this point, on April 20, 1781, they were driven by the enemy, and retreated to Richmond.
Again, in September, 1781, he was drafted for three months, and was appointed as orderly sergeant of a company of militia, commanded by Captain Hel, which was sent from Fauquier county to join the main army under General Wash- ington at Yorktown, and here he remained until the surrender of Lord Cornwallis, on October 19, 1781, and after this he was detailed as a member of the guard-force which conducted a band of prisoners to Winchester.
Flis service on the battle-field being at an end, he re- turned home, and on March 26, 1782, was married to Miss Mary Jones,, of the "Old Dominion," who was in some way closely connected to the Washington family ; and about the year 1807, they removed to what is now Lewis county (then
SOUTH FORK SETTLERS— CONTINUED 117
Harrison), and settled near the old Jackson mill, five miles below Weston ; and here death overtook him on February 12, 1836, and here with his wife he lies at rest.
Their family consisted of the following children: Juliet, Hannah, Polly, Nancy, Eliza, Lucinda, Caroline, John, junior, and AA'illiam Norris, the Ritchie county pioneer.
Juliet Norris, born on December 22, 1783, was married to David Jackson. She passed on, on March 16, 1865, leaving four children: Edward J., Wm., Pitt, Nancy and Mary J. Jackson.
Hannah Norris (born on October 13, 1787, and died on May 26, 1879), married Daniel O'Brien, and her children were: Melville, Emmett J., Mary, Daniel, Nancy, Hannah, and Juliett O'Brien.
Polly, born July 22, 1785, died, unmarried, on December 29, 1848.
Nancy Norris (bprn October 13, 1794, and died on July 17, J 876) was married to Godfrey Hille, and Frederick, the one child of this union died in boyhood.
Eliza Norris was born in August, 1798, and died on Dec- ember 20, 1860, unmarried.
Lucinda (born on November 2-1, 1796, and died on Octo- ber 14, 1885) was the late Mrs. Benjamin Bassel, of Clarks- burg, and the mother of John Bassel, a graduate of West Point, and James Bassell, both prominent attorneys of Clarks- burg.
Caroline, vvho was born on December 15, 1800, died on September 4, 1894, unmarried.
John Norris, junior, was born in 1805, and died at the age df twenty years. And the family of William has already been given.
Felix Prunty, and Alexander Lowther, junior, were later pioneers in the Oxford vicinity.
Mr. Prunty was the son of Jacob Prunty, and was a native of Taylor county. He married Miss Emily Great- house, and took up his residence where his son, Jacob, now lives, perhaps in the early forties, and to the day of his death, on September 22, 1895, he was prominently identified with the afi^airs of this communitv, both in church and in state.
1]8 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
He represented this county in the Legislature, at one time and was long a pillar in the White Oak church : and in this church-yard he sleeps. Mrs. Prunty died in 190S, and she sleeps by his side.
Their children : Mrs. Cynthia (wife of the late Rev. Sylvester Lowtherj, Parkersburg ; Mrs. Salina Bee, Tennessee; Mrs. Fannie (Lewis) Pritchard, Parkersburg; Jacob, and ^Marshall, Oxford, are the surviving ones ; and Alary Jane, John W., Alexander, Mrs. Elizabeth Leach, and Mrs. Rosetta Ross, have passed on.
Alexander Lowther, junior, made his settlement on the farm that is now the home of his daughter, ]\Irs. John Allender.
yiv. LoAvther was a native of Harrison county, having been born, near West Milford on May 1, 1816. He was the son of Alexander and Sarah Ireland Lowther, and the great- grandson of Col. A\'illiam.
In 1838. he was married to Miss Emily Prunty, daughter of Jacob Prunty, and shortly after this event, he established his home here, and remained until 1864, when he removed to Ellenboro, where he engaged in the mercantile business for the next two years. From here he went to Graham Sta- tion, Mason county, and in 1872, to Elizabeth, Wirt county, where, for more than twenty years, his interests were identi- fied with the town ; his services to both church and state being of a high order.
Here, in 1891, Death entered his home and carried away his wife, and, not long after this sad event, he went to Park- ersburg, where his life came to a close, on March 28, 1903, at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Roana L. Kendall; and here in the Riverview cemetery beside his wife, he sleeps.
He was one of the early school-teachers of the county, and at different times held county offices. He said "At one time I knew every man in Ritchie county." As long as he lived, he spoke fervently of his love for Ritchie county, which had been his home for sixty-six years.
Their children: M. R. Lowther, who has been promi- nent in political circles in this state for a number of years, and who served as State Senator for one or more terms, is the
SOUTH FORK SETTLERS--CONriXUED liy
only surviving son. He and Mrs. Roana L. Kendall, wife of the late Dr. J. E. Kendall, are both of Parkersburg, and Mrs. Sallie Allender, is of Oxford. Wilson, the eldest son died at the age of seventeen, and one daughter, in infancy.
The Allenders. — Jacob Allender was an early settler on tiie Marshall Prunty homestead. He and his wife Mrs. Elizabeth Vangrift Allender, were natives of Hampshire county, he being of English, and she, of German descent. He was the son of James Allender, and his grandsire crossed the sea from England. After their marriage they resided in Marion county for four years before coming to Ritchie in 1<S51, where the remnant of their days were spent, and where they sleep side by side in the White Oak cemetery. Mrs. Allender passed away a number of years before he did ; and some time after her death he married Mrs. Elizabeth Sinnett Lowther, widows of John A. Lowther, and daughter of the late George Sinnett, of Harrisville, who still survives.
His children were born of the first union, and w'ere as follows : T. K. Alexander, Sistersville ; Mrs. Sarah Xutter, mother of Okey Nutter, Pennsboro ; John Allender, of Ox- ford ; Christopher, James, Rachel, and Iva, and two others all died of diphtheria in childhood. All died within one week, and tW'O were borne to the grave at one time.
CHAPTER VIII
North Fork Settled
ACOB COLLINS was tlie first settler on the liead of the Xorth fork of Hughes river.
He came from the Shenandoah valley, Virginia, early in the century with his wife, Phebe Stuthard Collins, and several chil- dren, and reared his humble dwelling on the farm that is now the home of his grandson, W. J. Collins.
The wilderness at this time was unbroken, and they lived in their wagons until they could construct a cabin, and kept fires out so as to protect themselves and their stock from the wild beasts.
Fearful storms occasionally visited this section, and their home, at one time, was almost demolished bv one of cvclonic fury.
]\Ir. Collins is said to have been a man of strong Christian character with an innate love for doing good to his fellow- men, but of his ancestral history we know nothing except that he was of Welsh descent, and that he was probably a native of the "Old Dominion."
But ]\Irs. Collins was of Revolutionary stock, her father, and his only brother having served as soldiers in the Con- tinental army, (the latter dying before his return home).
Here on the old homestead where they settled, they spent their last hours, and here they rest.
They were the parents of a large family of children, who were also identified among the early settlers of this part of the county, and who are as follows: William, Jacob, junior, Henry B., Xancy, Margaret, Phebe, Frances, James and John. All of whom reared families except James who died single.
William Collins. — AMlliam Collins, the eldest son, mar- ried j\Iiss Ellendor Britton, and settled near three miles from the old homestead where he died in 1871 at a ri]:)e old age.
NORTH FORK SETTLED 121
The fruits of this union were five children: Cohniibus. of Pennsboro; Cordelia, the late wife of John Maulsby, of West Union ; Mrs. Charlotte (Joab) Martin, Pennsboro : Lafa3'ette Collins, and ]\Irs. Helen (Silas) Taylor, who reside a: Tollgate.
After the birth of these children the Avife passed on, and he married Miss Harriett Allen, who was the mother of the late Airs. Ida Martin, wife of Dr. Edgar Martin, of Oxford : the late Mrs. Salome (Wm.) Hudkins, of Greenwood: and of George and Alice, who died in infancy.
Death again robbed him of his companion, and he mar- ried Miss Talitha Lynch, of Harrison county, for his third wife, and she was the mother of Mrs. Maggie (Omer) Garner, and i\Irs. Ora (Banks) Martin, both of Tollgate; Mrs. Lora (Dorsey) Browne, of West Union; Mrs. Lona (John) Har- per, Pennsboro; and Hiram Collins, of the North Fork, and of the late Draper.
Jacob Collins, Junior. — Jacob Collins, junior, married Miss Sarah Ripley, of Tyler county, and settled near the old homestead, wdiere he reared a large family and where he spent his last hours.
He was a soldier of the Union army during the Civil war. and his ten children were as follows:
Kenner, George, and Benjamin died in the West and Floyd resides there ; Mary is Mrs. Edgar Keys, and Lurena, Mrs. Andrew Cunningham, both of California ; Frances is Mrs. Ellis Thomas, of Pennsylvania; Eveline, Mrs. Thomas Dillon, and Eliza. Mrs. Simon Bradford, both of Parkersburg; and Amelia is Mrs. Richard A\'ilson, of Pennsboro.
Henry B, Collins. — Henry B. Collins married Miss Eliza Britton, and also settled near the old home.
He was quite prominent in public affairs, and was one of the early representatives of the county in the Richmond Leg- islature. And though he did not take up arms in the Civil war, he was a strong advocate of the Southern cause. He died near 1895 at his old home here, and in the family biny- ing-ground he sleeps.
He was the father of eight children : Mortimer, the eldest son, lost his life in the Confederate cause at the battle
]22
HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
of Rich Mountain. Richard, Jasper, Casandra, who married the Rev. A. Jones, and India, who was Mrs. Perry Flesher, of Shiloh, have all joined the throng- over there. F. li. Col- lins, Drusilla, the wife of Dr. Bartlett, and Alniira who first married A. Archbold, and after his death Mr. Wilcox, of Har- risville, are the surviving members of the family.
John Collins, the youngest son of this pioneer family, was married to Miss Phebe Brice, of Harrison county, and
settled four miles north of Penns- boro, where he died in 1874.
Pie, too, represented the county in the Legislature at Ricli- mond when this state was a part of the "Old Dominion," and was ever prominent in public afifairs. He was an ardent advocate of the Southern cause during the Civil war, though not a soldier.
Mrs. Collins came of an old and aristocratic Welsh family, she being descended from the John Collins. g^j.] ^f Carmarthen, through his
daughter, Lady Janet Griffiths, who married a Pirice.
Her grand-sire, Captain William Brice, who was born in Kent county, Maryland, in 1740, was one of the few patriots that helped to establish our American Independence. He served at Valley Forge and Trenton and died in 1783, at Blandenburg, Maryland, from the effects of the hardshi)>s endured during that memorable winter at V^alley Forge.. His sons, Benjamin, and Dr. Brice both married the daughters of Col. Ben Wilson, senior, and Benjamin was the father nf Mrs. Collins.
The family of John and Phebe Brice Collins consisted of eight children; viz., Sarah, the eldest daughter, is Mrs. E. Thomas, of Blacksville, Pennsylvania; y\nna was the late wife of John B. McKinley; Angle is Mrs. P. B. Michaels, of Oxford; Jennie L. is the widow of the late Dr. J. B. Crum- rine. of Pennsboro; the late Creed, and William, of Peims- borc ; and Benjamin and Virginia who both died in childhood.
NORTH FORK SETTLED 123
Nancy Collins, the eldest daughter of this pioneer family, married Elias Marsh, and they too lived and died in the vicin- ity of the old home on the North fork. She having passed away near the year 1895.
They were the parents of eight children ; viz., V^ictoria, who married John Lantz, and went to Pennsylvania ; Eliza married Sydney Joseph and v^^ent to Missouri, where she died in 1910: Margaret v.-as the late Mrs. Saul Thomas, of Pennsyl- vania; Isabel is Mrs. James Hickman, of Pennsboro : Adaline was the late Mrs. Jacob Lantz, of Mole Hill ; Laura became Mrs. John Steele, and at the old homestead, she resides ; and the only son. Napoleon Marsh, lives at Centreville.
Margaret Collins married a Mr. Doak, and lived and died on Middle Island, in Tyler county, near the year 1890, leaving one child.
Frances Collins married Eli Cline and settled at the head of the North fork of Hughes river, wliere she died near the year 1849.
She was the mother of Helen, (wife of the late M. H. Tarlton), of Nicklin, who died as a prisoner of war at Camp Chase, in the sixties; and of Jacob Cline, who married Jane Ridgeway.
Phebe Collins married James Hammond, and for many years they were identified among the early settlers of Bond's creek, where she died in 1866. Their children w^ere ten in number: Cornelius, Granville, Iiwin. the late Rev. William Hammond, of the West Virginia Methodist Episcopal con- ference; Mrs. Fannie Markle, Mrs. Berthena Crum,, Mrs.
Sarah Whitecotton, and Mrs. Mary of Ohio ; Mrs.
Anna Clayton, of White Oak, and Mrs. Libby Whitecotton.
MOLE HILL.
Daniel Raymond was the first settler at Mole Hill. He came here from his native county — Harrison — near the year 1817, and found a home on the farm that is now owned by
124
mSTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Daniel Haymond.
Benson Cunningham, where the remainder of his life v/as spent. He, being a man of a high degree of intelligence, played an import- ant part in the early affairs of the county.
He twice occupied a seat in the State Legislature (being Sen- ator), and narrowly missed being a successful candidate for Con- gress.
He was born near Clarksburg, on April 28, 1787— on Saturday morning at 5 o'clock — and here he grew to manhood, and married ?iliss Mary Ann Bond, sis- ter of Lewis Bond, who passed from earth at her home at Mole Hill in 1822, after having given birth to five children.
In 1821 he was again married to JNIiss Elizabeth Griffin, who passed on a few years later, leaving three daughters. He then, in 1835, married Miss Hannah Pindale, who only survived a short time ; and in 1838, he again took the marri- age vow when he claimed Miss Mary Ann Moore, of Harrison county as his bride.
The one child born of this union — Anna L. — is now Mrs. James C. Cline, of Minneapolis, Kansas, and the only sur- vivor of Daniel Haymond's family.
]\Ir. Haymond died on December 10, 1874, and, beside his first three companions, sleeps at ]\Iole Hill. The last wife rests in the Cloverdale cemetery in Doddridge county.
The children of his first marriage were, Mansfield B., Eveline, A\'illiam, Daniel C. and Rowena. The last two men- tioned died in infanc3^
Mansfield lost his life in his early manhood, by an ex- plosion on board a steamer, while on his way home from Texas, he being so badly scalded that he only sur\ived the accident bv a few hours.
NORTH FORK SETTLED 125
Eveline Haymond was married to Elijah Tarleton/ and their children were the late ex-Sheriff M. H. Tarleton, and the late Reeves L., Thomas, Creed H, and Edgar Tarleton, all of whom have passed on.
William C. Haymond, the one son that reached the years of maturity, went to Texas in his young manhood, and there served in the Texan army during" some trouble with Mexico, but he afterv/ards returned home, and married Miss Eleanor Cline, of Tollgate, and remained a substantial citizen of his native county until he was borne to his final resting place. Elis family consisted of nine children: viz.. Marsh Haymond, Mrs. Florence Peirpoint, Mrs. Lina Lantz, and Mrs. Ella Stuart, all of Mole Hill, are the surviving ones ; and the late ones were Josephine, who died in youth; Buena (Mrs. Henry Davis), Reeves Haymond who met a tragic death at Mole Hill a number of years ago; and Ida (Mrs. F. G. Pyle of Tyler county).
The three daughters of Daniel and Elizabeth Grifftn Hay- mond were Casandra, and Frances, who died single, and Mary Ann, the late wife of Saul Thomas, who was the mother of Mrs. Mary Cooper, Mrs. Laura Kysor, and Mrs. Fannie Mc- Cullough, all of A/[ole Hill.
The Haymonds, like not a few of the other pioneer fami- lies, have a distinguished ancestral history. John Haymond emigrated from England before the year 1734 — as the records show that he had land patented to him in that year — and settled in the Maryland colony. Tradition says that he was a skillful mechanic, and that he came to Am'erica to build a fine residence for a Maryland planter, and being so well pleased with the appearance of the country, he decided to adopt it as his home. It is not known whether he was mar- ried before he came to this country or not. But his wife's name was Margaret and he first settled on a large plantation, known as "Constant Friendship," in what is now Montgom-
^Elijah Tarleton wa.s first married to Miss Casandra Haymond, daugli- ter of William, and one son. William Tarleton, was the result of this union. His second wife was Eveline Haymond, above mentioned, and his third, Miss Rowena, daughter of Thomas Haymond, and one daughter Helen, was the result of this union.
126 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTV
cry county, iMaryland — near the present site of Rockville, and fourteen miles from Georgetown. Here, he died during the autumn of 1750. Six children, which are as follows, were named in his will, which was dated September '^^7, 1750, and was probated on October "^Oth of the same 3-ear: Nicholas, Calder, AVilliam, Hannah, who was the wife of John Jones, Ann and Alary, who afterwards married — one a Kenton, and the other, a Jarbo or Kelly.
Nicholas died in 17G7 leaving a son and daughter. Calder married and resided in Alarion county until about the year 1812, when he went to Ohio, to join his son. He finally went to Indiana where he died in 1817, and where many of his descendants live. His son, Edward, was a soldier of the Rev- olution, and was in the battles of Monmouth, Saratoga and other fierce engagements, and his name was added to the pen- sion roll in 1818. And from William, the youngest son of John Playmond, the Ritchie county families come.
William Haymond. — William Haymond was born on the old plantation — "Constant Friendship"- — in Montgomery county, ^Maryland, on January 4, 1740 (old style) and here his youthful days were spent. A\^hen he was only a lad of fifteen summers, he accompanied the army of General Ed- ^var(i Braddock on its expedition to Fort Duquesne (now Pitts1)urg) where it met with such dreadful defeat on July 9, 1755 ; and in 1758, he was a member of the successtul ex- pedition led by General Forbes against the same point, when the name was changed to Fort Pitt, in honor of the English prime minister. - •
In February, 1750, he enlisted in the Virginia regiment, commanded by Col. George Washington, which iiad been de- tailed to garrison the territory captured from the French, and served along the Aionongahela and AUegheu}- rners. and as far North as Lake Erie. AMien the regiment had been Avithdrawn from the west, it was marched up the Shenan- doah valley, and on to the Holstein river to suppress an out- break among the Cherokee Indians, after which it was dis- charged. The date of William Haymond's discharge was February 24, 1762, and the place was Fort Lewis, uear Staun- ton, A'irginia.
NORTH FORK SETTLED 127
Shortly after his return home, on April 19. 1763, he was married to Aliss Casandra Clelland, who was born on Octo- ber 25, 1T41, and settled down to the life of a planter; but in May, 1773, he sold his possessions in Maryland and removed to the District of ^^'est Augusta, Virginia, and settled on the Monongahela river, near where Morgantown now stands. Here he engaged in farming, and is said to have raised a crop of corn on the very site that is noAV marked by the pretty lit- tle City of Morgantown.
After the formation of Monongalia county in 177G, he filled various positions of honor and trust — such as that of justice of the peace, deputy surveyor, coroner and sheriff; and at the commencement of the Revolution, he, being an ardent advocate of the Colonial cause, was appointed captain of the militia, and was frequently called into active service by the hostility of the Indians. In 1777, he was placed in comvnand of Prickett's Fort with a detachment at Scott's mill ; was promoted to the rank of major in 1781, and per- formed the duties of an officer of the militia throughout the Revolution. He was just on the eve of leaving for a i)oint east of the mountains to join the regular army when the news of peace reached him.
He was a member of the official body that administered the oath to the male citizens of Virginia over sixteen years of age requiring them to renounce all future allegiance to the British Crown.
When Harrison county was born in 17S4, Mr. Haymond vv'as made the first principal surveyor of the new county. He tra\ eled on horse-back to Williamsburg in order to be ex- amined by the professors of William and Mary's College. The test was a satisfactory one, however, and he was commis- sioned by the Governor of Virginia ; and as this office de- manded his removal to Clarksburg, he purchased a few acres of ground, near this town, where he took up his residence that same fall (1784).
He was a member of the commission that built the first two court houses in Harrison county — one in 1787, and the other in 1813, and as surveyor, he assisted in marking out the State road from the Vallev river to near Marietta, Ohio
V?8 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
In 1791, he purchased a tract of one hundred ninety-lour one-half acres on Elk creek, six miles from Clarksburg, and to this place he changed his residence, and here, on Xovem- ber 12, 1821, his long and useful career came to a close. This old time mansion-house, which has been transferred by will from father to son, since its purchase, still stands and is occu- pied by his descendants.
His Avife, Casandra Clelland Raymond, died at Clarks- burg, on December 23, 1788; and on December 2U, 1789, he was again married to Mrs. Mary Pettyjohn Powers, who died on March 20, 1830, and sleeps by his side in the Ilaymond burying-ground on the old homestead, near Clarksburg.
John G. Jackson in paying tribute to his memory through the columns of the "National Intelligencer" of Dec- ember 13, 1821 — on the occasion of his death — says:
"This excellent man was the surveyor of his county, and a justice of the peace therein, from its first formation until his decease, and such was the purity of his life, notwithstand- ing the tendency of his official duties to excite the ill will of the disappointed speculator, and suitor, that he lived and died without an enemy : and his virtues became so proverbial that when excellence was ascribed to a great and good man, it was said of him, "Pie was almost as perfect as Major Hay- mond."
He also says, that "He died in the presence of his wife and his children. He had nineteen children of Avhom eleven survive him; eighty-one grandchildren, sixty-two of whom are living; thirtA'-two great-grandchildren, thircy-one of whom are living; nine sons-in-laws, six of whom are living; and four daughters-in-law, all of whom survive."
Family Record. — Children of William and Casandra Hay- mond :
William, born Alay 14, ]764, and died September 17. 1769.
John born December 7, 1765, and married Mary \Wlson' July 3, 1787.
'Mary W^ilson Haymond was tlie daughter of Col. Benjamin TA'ilson, senior, and her daughter Sarah Haymond became the wife of Le\i yiax- well, and tlieir son Rufus Maxwell was the father of tne Hon. Hu ilax- well.
NORTH FORK SETTLED 12Vj
Ann born August 3, 1767, and married Thomas Douglas, May jO, 1787, and after his death, she became the wife of Dr. Isaac Miller Johnson.
Margaret born September 6, 1769, and married Jacob Polsley, May 31, 1791.
William born June 11, 1771, and married Cynthia Car- roll, on ^larch 12, 1793.
Elizabeth born on Easter Sunday, April 11, 1773, and died June 30, 1773.
Walter born May 30, 1774, and died November 16, 1774.
Thomas born January 11, 1776, and married Rebecca Bond on January 6, 1803.
Sarah born January 24, 1778, and married Allison Clarke January 3, 1796, and Thomas Bond, November 21, 1813.
Susannah born June — , 1780, and married Robert Bart- lett, January 12, 1797, and moved to near New Madrid, Alis- souri.
A son was born on February 22, 1783, that died on the 29th day of the same month without a name.
Rowena born June 17, 1784, and married Daniel Davis- son on March 30, 1802.
Daniel — born April 28, 1787 — was the Ritchie county pioneer, whose history has already been given.
Children of William and Mary Raymond. — His second wife :
Cyrus born SepLember 8, 1790, and married Jane Somer- ville, on April 18, 1822, and Polly Carpenter on November 17, 1851.
Ruth born November 20, 1792, and married Joshua. Nixon on September 24, 1811. and went to Illinois.
Maxa born March 14, 1795, and married Robert Robin- son on August 8, 1816, and went to .Illinois.
Julia born July 28, 1799, and died June 30, 1801.
A daughter born July 30, 1804, died the same day.
Thomas Haymond, son of William, who married Miss Rebecca Bond — twin sister of Lewis Bond, was a scout dur- ing the latter part of the Indian wars, and was surveyor of Harrison county for thirty-two years, and held other offices of public trust and honor. His son Lewis, married Miss
130 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COVNTY
Rachel Wilson, youngest daughter of Col. Ben Wilson, senior, and was the father of Mrs. Creed Collins, of Pennsboro.
He (Thomas) died in Harrison county on August 31, 1853, rich in the love and esteem of his fellow-countrymen. He was also the father of the late Luther Haymond of Clarks- burg, who almost reached the centur}^ mark.
The descendants of William Haymond, senior, which are prominently known in different parts of the Union, are in- numerable, but among them we find the name of one which is familiar to us all — that of the Hon. Hu Maxwell, the well known A\^est Virginia historian, who now holds a position in the Forestry Service at Washington city.
John Raymond's Will.— "In the name of God, Amen. I John Haymond, of Frederick county. Carpenter, being in good health of Body & of sound mind & perfect mind & mem- ory, praise be therefore given to Almighty God, do make and ordain this my last will and testament in manner and form following, that is to say, First.
First and principally, I recommend my soul into the hands of Almighty God, hoping through the merits. Death and passion of my Savior Jesus Christ, to have full pardon & forgiveness of all my sins & inherit everlasting life, and my body I commit to the Earth to be decently hurried &C.
First Item. I give and bequeath unto my well-beloved wife Margaret Haymond, a tract of land called the "Constant Friendship," Avith the Plantation that I now live on, the tract of land containing one hundred fifty acres during her natural life, then the said Plantation & land to be my dear son William Haymond's forever.
Item. I give and bequeath vmto my well-beloved wife, Margaret Haymond. a negro man named Sam, and also a negro man Cesar, and also a negro woman, named Jenny & also a negro woman named Poll, and also a negro girl named Nell «& and also a negro Girl named P"illas and also a negro girl named Lucy, and also a negro girl named Gate & also a negro boy named Robin & also a negro boy named Sampson, and also a negro girl named Sail & also a negro girl named
(To jMrs. Creed Collins of Pennsboro we are incletjted for this valu- able information, wliich we gleaned from a record of tlie Haymond family published in 1903.)
NORTH FORK SETTLED 131
Dyner. Ye, said negroes my well-beloved wife, to enjoy dur- ing her natural life, then the said negroes to be divided be- tween my children, my dear son Nicholas Haymond to have negro, Poll & also a negro boy named Robin, forever. My dear son Calder Haymond to have a negro man named Sam, and a negro woman named Jenny & a negro girl named Dyner, forever. My dear daughter Hannah to have a negro man named Cesar and a negro girl named Lucy & a negro girl named Alice forever. My dear son William Haymond to have a negro boy named Sampson & a negro girL named Gate & a negro girl named Sail, forever. My dear daughter Ann Haymond to have a negro girl named Fillis and a negro girl named, Nell, forever.
Item. I give and bequeath to my dear son, Nicholas Haymond, all that tract of land called Constant Friendship, containing one hundred fifty acres, being' the other part of the tract of land that I now live on. to be the said Nicholas Haymond's and his heirs forever, as soon as the said tract of land is made over by Mr. Thomas Lucas and wife, which land is now in the prosecion of will the said Thomas L>ucas' wife is at age, to make the land over, and I also give my dear son Nicholas Haymond a negro man named Will forever.
Item. I give and bequeath to my dear daughter. Alary Haymond a negro boy named Nacy, and one negro girl named Candeth.
Item. I give and bequeath a negro girl named Alice to my dear daughter, Hannah Jones, forever, the said negro is now in the possession of her husband, John Jones.
Item. I give and bequeath unto my dear son, Calder Haymond, part of that tract of land called "Haymond's addi- tion," beginning at the end of the first line of Constant Friend- ship, forever. Calder to have that part that lies next my own Plantation and to go with the main Road by Lawrence Owens, and to the Church Road.
And my dear daughter, Ann Haymond, to have the other part that lies above Mr. Lawrence Owens, next to Mr. Alex- ander Barricks, running right up to the main road, to join with Mr. Owen's line.
Item. I give and bequeath unto my dear and vveil-be-
]32 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
loved wife, all my household goods, and all ye stock of every- thing, Cattle, Sheep Horses Hoggs, during her natural life, and then the stock and household goods to be divided alike between my dear sons Nicholas and Calder and William and Ann Haymond.
Item. I give and bequeath unto my dear and well-be- loved wife, the House called the "Alill House," during her natural life, and then the said House to be for the use of m}' dear sons, Nicholas Haymond, Calder Haymond, and W^illi-im Haymond during their lives and their heirs forev^er, and each son to have as good a part as the other."
"JOHN I-iAYMOND, fSeal) Semptr. 27, 1750. Test:
JOHN RAWLINS, . ROBERT EN\NIS, His WILLIAM X O'NEAL. Mark.
The Garners. — John Garner, senior, Avas among the very first pioneers of the North fork of Hughes river. He married Miss Elizabeth Grigsby and came from New Jersey early in the century and entered land in the vicinity of Tollgate, wdiere he remained until his death in 1841. Not many years after his arrival here his wife died, and he then married Mrs. Eleanor Hurst Marsh. His' last hours were spent at the home of Notley Willis at Tollgate, and here he lies in his last sleep, as do his two companions.
He was the father of two sons and three daughters all of the first union; viz., John, junior, William, Nancy, Eliza- beth, and Delila Garner.
John Garner, junior, was born near Tollgate in 1808, and in 1830 he was married to Miss Sarah Ann Williams and established his home on Ruck run (a tributary of this river), on the farm that is still in the hands of his heirs. Here Mrs. Garner passed from earth in 1885, and the following 3-ear lie
(This unique piece of antiquity will doubtless be of Interest to not a few of tlie readers of this book besides the lineal descendants.)
NORTH FORK SETTLED 133
was married to Miss Sarah A. Shepherd, who still survives. He died in 1893, and at Mole Hill he lies at rest.
He and his first wife were the parents of seven children : Isaiah (1831-1901), Julia Ann, who is Mrs. J. C. Jones, of Mole Hill; Hester (Mrs. Edward Ferribee). Loftus P., and Francis A. Garner, all of Buck run ; Rebecca (Mrs. Amos Thomas), and William A., who died in infancy.
William Garner went West and there married and reared a family,
Delila Garner, also went West and married a man by the name of Maddox. Nancy was Mrs. Underwood ; and Eliza- beth, Mrs. Williams.
The Marshes. — James Marsh was another very early set- tler on this river in the Tollgate vicinity. Nothing definite as to the origin of this family in America is in our possession, except that they came from England in Colonial times and settled in Maryland, where James Marsh was born. How- ever, he married Miss Eleanor Hurst, a beautiful English maiden, who crossed the deep to Baltimore with her parents in her girlhood, and was the founder of one of the oldest and best families of the county.
Near the beginning of the nineteenth century, he came from Baltimore, and purchased (of Richard Dotson) the farjii that is now owned by J. M. Wilson, near one-half mile east of Tollgate, and took up his residence here, where he died in 1810. And only a few paces from the scene of his settlement on his own homestead, he lies in his last sleep. After his death, his widow became the wife of John Garner, senior, and at Tollgate she reposes.
The family of James and Eleanor Hurst Marsh consisted of five girls and five boys; viz., Eli, Enoch, Elias, Elijah, James, Epha, Elizabeth, Eliza, Edith and Charlotte Marsh. James died in childhood, and Elijah, in youth, but all the rest married and reared families.
Eli Marsh was born on April 4, 1791, and with his parents came to this county in his boyhood. On March 1, 18'?."), he was married to Miss Drusilla Turner Israel, who was born in Harrison county, on June 17, 1811, and at the old Israel homestead, six miles from Clarksburg, they lived and died.
i:u HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
He was one of the prominent men of his clay, and his wife was noted for her many beautiful traits of character, and their comfortable home at "Roselawn farm" was known far and wide for its hospitality. Mrs. Marsh died on March 13, 1873, and he followed her to the grave on November twenty- seventh of the same year.
Their little family consisted of two daughters ; viz., Mary Rebecca, and Susan Jane Marsh.
In March, 18-14, Mary Rebecca became the wife of L'riel M. Turner, a lawyer, of Culpepper county, Virginia, who practiced his profession at Clarksburg after their marriage ; and the one child of this union was the late Prof. Eli Marsh Turner, of the Morgantown University, who died on March 1, 1908, at the age of sixty-four yeais, leaving a wife, (nee Miss H. Georgia Jackson, of Newark, Ohio) and four chil- dren ; viz., Mary R., Phoebe, James J., and Wirt M. Turner, all of Morgantown.
The other daughter, Susan Jane Marsh, was married, to Ccl. Benjamin Wilson, junior, of Clarksburg, in June, 1848, and the two children born of this union are: Buena M., who is Mrs. John W. Brown, of Clarksburg; and Drusilla, the late Mrs. George Funy, of W^heeling, who passed on a number of years ago, leaving one child.
Including the six children of Mrs. Brown above men- tioned (Wilson, Lilian, Gertrude, Roscoe, Benjamin, and Marj^ Brown) we have the entire line of the descendants of Eli ]Marsh.
Enoch Marsh was born near Tollgate in 1804, and in his young manhood, was married to Miss Mar}^ Ann Cline, daughter of Abraham Cline, who was born in January, 1808 ; and after spending the first few years of their married life at the old homestead near Tollgate. in March, 1836, they re- moved a little farther up the river and settled on the farm that is now the home of Ben Wilson, and from here they passed to their final home. He died on March 31, 18(i5, and his wife, on September 19, 1878, and both rest on their old liomestead.
Their children were: Sarah Jane (Mrs. David McGin- nis), Eli, Elizabeth (Mrs. -John Douglass, of Cairo), Clarinda
NORTH FORK SETTLED
135
(Mrs. J. H. B. Cunningham, of Mole HilH, James, of. near Ellenboro ; the late Jefferson Marsh, of Harrisville ; and Mary, Cathrine, Angelina, Eliza, and Ellen P. Marsh, who all died unmarried.
"Marsh Cabin." This cabin was constructed from the logs of the old Enoch Marsli
:abin.
A large number of prominent young people in the vari- ous v¥alks of life in this and sister counties are descended from this branch of the Marsh family. Among them are H. E. McGinnis, the honorable County clerk ; Prof. J. F. Marsh, one of the leading young educators of the State ; Guy Young, of Glenville; and Harvey Marsh, of Ohio. Calvin Marsh, an editor in Washington state; Newton Marsh, of Cairo, etc.
Elias Marsh married Miss Nancy Collins, eldest daughter of Jacob Collins, and settled on "Marsh's run" below Mole Hill, where he lived and died. (See Collins family for farther account.)
Epha Marsh was first married to AVilliam Cline, and at Tollgate they took up their residence, perhaps on the Marsh homestead, and the two children of this union were Eli Cline, and Eleanor, who married William Haymond. After the death of Mr. Cline, Epha Marsh became the wife of Notley Willis, and the one child of this union is N. G. Willis, of Mole Hill.
EHzabeth Marsh was married to Amos Keys, and her home was on Middle Island creek, where she sleeps, in the Ripley cemetery.
i;^6 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COi'NTV
Her children were seven in number; viz., Helen (died young), Eveline, John and James, who are all single, reside at the old home. Jacintha is Airs. Norvel Joseph, of Middle Island; and Bert and Alarsh Keys are the other two sons.
Edith Marsh married James Franks, and after the birth of their first child, Angelina, they removed to the Ohio river below Parkersburg, and here their liistory ends.
Eliza Marsh was the late Airs. Thomas Eastlack. of Har- rison county, and her children were Eli, Alstorphus, Elias, and Carminta, who became Z\Irs. liarney Bond, of Middle Island creek.
Charlotte Marsh was married to Richard "Britton, and for a time after their marriage they resided, in the "Buckeye state," but they later removed to Greenwood, in Doddridge county, and here we lose sight of them. Air. Britton Avas a newspaper editor, and their family consisted of three children: Richard, the son, died in his young manhood : Eleanor was the late Airs. William Collins, of the North fork of Hughes' river; and Eliza was the wife of Henry B. Collins, of Alole Hill. (See Collins history.)
Raleigh Haddox. — Raleigh^ Haddox was another very early settler on the waters of the North fork of Hughes river. He was of Scotch-Irish descent. His father, Jonathan Had- dox, crossed the sea from Ireland during the latter part of the eighteenth century and settled at Richmond, Virginia. As dates are wanting, it is not known to a certainty where Raleigh Haddox was born, but it is probable that the "Old Dominion" was the place of his nativity. He enlisted as a soldier late in the war of '12, but saw no service. His wife, Miss Sarah Ferrell, was the daughter of Alajor Ferrell. of the Continental army, who afterwards served as captain in the war of 181"2, and received from the Government, in recognition of his services, a grant of land where the county seat of Culpepper is now located ; but failing to prosecute his claim, received no benefit from the grant which is now valued at one million dollars.
^This name has been spelled in three different ways in the data sent us: "Raley," "Rollo," and "Raleign," and we preferred the latter.
NORTH FORK SETTLED . 137
In 1825, Raleigh Haddox, with his family, emigrated from the valley of Virginia to Monongalia county, and from near Morgantown, four years later, he came to this county, and settled below Mole Hill on the run that still bears his name, where the remainder of his life was principally spent. Mrs. Haddox died in lS.5(i. She was of Scotch descent.
His children were : George Haddox, whose family is mentioned with the Hushers. Mary who became the wife of Matthew Riggs, of Tyler county. B. H., Enoch S., and Jonathan J. Haddox. (The Riggs children were: James, Manda, Oliver, Raleigh, Enoch, Dock and Agnes Riggs.)
B. H. was married to Miss Nancy Haddox, daughter of Elijah, a cousin of Raleigh, and Louis C. Haddox, a promi- nent clergyman of the Methodist Episcopal church, of Colum- bus, Ohio, is his only son. This son (Louis C.) married Caroline B. Ireland, daughter of Alexander, and niece of G. M. Ireland, of Pullman.
Enoch S. Haddox was first married to Miss Caroline Pickens, of Pleasants county ; and his second wife was Miss Eliza Chambers, of the same county. One son of the first union and two sons and three daughters, of the second, made up his household : O. M., Kinie, Victory, Wm., and Tudie.
Jonathan J. Haddox's first wife was a Miss Robinson, and his second. Miss Amanda McCoy, of Tyler county, and one daughter and one son. both of the second union were his children : John T. and Marie.
Allen Calhoun. — Allen Calhoun was the pioneer on the farm that is now the estate of the late Edmund Taylor, a lit- tle east of Pennsboro. He was the first blacksmith of the town, but at the coming of the railroad, he sold out his in- terest here, and removed to Spruce creek, Avhere he passed away during the civil war; and in the old Pleasant Hill bury- ing-ground he lies at rest.
He was of Irish origin, his parents having crossed from the "Emerald Isle," shortly before his birth, and settled in Pennsylvania.
He (Allen) and his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Powell Calhoun, were both natives of the "Keystone" state. Mrs. Calhoun
338 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTV
died near the }-ear 1S45, and was laid at rest in the Pioneer cemetery at Pennsboro.
Their cliildren were: Samuel Calhoun, of Beason ; Robert, who died in early manhood ; Powell, formerly of this county, but now one of the nonegarians of T3der; John, who spent his last hours at the old homestead, on Spruce creek; Elizabeth, who married James Wright, of Spruce creek, and was the late mother of the Rev. Allen \\' right, of Parkers- burg; and Mary, who married ^Villis Wright (brother of James), of Barbour county.
The Taylors. — Edmund Taylor V\'as another earl}' settler on this river. He and his wife, ]\Irs. Rachel McKinney Tay- lor, were both natives of the "Old Dominion," but they came here from Harrison county, near the year 1820, and erected their humble dwelling on the bank of the river near the mouth of Lynn Camp, on the farm that is now the estate of their late son Edmund. He was a typical pioneer of gigantic stature, and was a large land owner. The first sermon in Clay district is said to have been delivered within the walls of his home here.
Mrs. Taylor was born on Alay 29, 1791, and was a de- scendant of the Tucker family, her mother being a sister of Phebe Tucker Cunningham, of Indian fam.e. She preceded Mr. Taylor to the home beyond by a number of years, and his second wife was Mrs. ]\Iary Sherwood Howard. He was born on April 15. lT9fi, and died at a little home near Penns- boro some time during the seventies, and b}- the side of his first wife he lies at rest on the old homestead.
Camden and Joseph Taylor were the children of iiis second marriage and those of the first were : Lovina, James, Mary Ann, Nancy, Sarah, Michael, Edmund, junior, and Rachel Taylor.
Lovina Taylor, the eldest child, who was born on April 15, 1815, married Peter Broadwater and lived and died in this county. (See Broadwater Family.)
James Taylor, whose natal day was October 7, 1818, was a man of more than ordinary ability. He was one of the early Sherifrs of the county and served as a member of the State Legislature. He resided on Lynn Camp, at Harrisville,
XORTH FORK SETTLED 139
and finally went to Cornwallis, where death overtook him. But he rests in the Taylor burying-ground on the old home- stead.
He was first married to Miss Lovisa Dotson, and his second wife was a Miss Windom. The children of the first marriage vveie; Phelps, who died in childhood; the Rev. E. J. Taylor, and James D., of Lynn Camp ; Stonewall, of Park- ersburg-; the late Mrs. Lovina (Patrick) Monohan, of Cairo: Mrs. Hannah Broadwater; Mrs. Rachel (Ocran) Corbin, of Pennsboro ; and the late Mrs. Victoria M. (H. N.) Wilson, of Burnt House.
The two children of the last marriage were John and William Taylor.
Mary Ann Taylor, l:)orn September 23, 1820, married Henson Merrifield, and after she was laid in the Pennsboro cemetery, the family went to the State of Washington. Avhere they married, and where they now reside. Helen, James, Adaline and Edlee Merrifield were the names of the children.
Nancy Taylor, born on November 24, 1822, married Bar- ton H. Hickman, and in the Gnat's run cemetery she lies at rest. Mr. Hickman still survives, and their children are: James, Jack. Luster, Edmund, ]\Irs. ]\Iaggie Dotson, ]\Irs. Jenning Strosnider, Airs. Fannie Rogers, Mrs. Viola Woofter, and Mrs. Rose Taylor.
Sarah Taylor was born on January 29, 1825, and died (unmarried) on June 9, LS95, and was buried in the Taylor cemetery.
Michael Taylor, born July 12, 1827, married Miss Eliza Broadwater, daughter of Jefiferson Broadwater, and died a number of years ago, but his widow survived until 1909. when she was laid by his side in the Taylor burying ground.
Their children are as follows :
Mrs. Adaline Calhoun, Mrs. Mary (A. P.) Meredith, Ashford, Peter, James, Waldo, Edmund, Airs. Jennie Bucke- lew, and Mrs. Ella Nay. Mrs. Aleredith and Mrs. Nay reside in Washington, on the Pacific coast.
Edmund Taylor, junior, born on October 5, 1829, mar- ried Ermany Jane Baker, daughter of William and Ruth Deacon Baker, and lived and died on the old homestead where
lAQ HISTORY Of RITCHIE COUNTY
his parents settled, on January 31, 1903. His wife survived him by several years, and both rest in the Taylor cemetery. Their family consisted of thirteen children : Elizabeth, the first born, is Mrs. Charles Cunningham, Boggess, Marcus B., William, Brent, Gluck. Grover, Ben, Ralph, Mrs. Addie Moore, Mrs. Sarah Bernard, Mrs. Daisy Moore, and Mrs. June Dotson.
Rachel Taylor, the youngest daughter, born on March 15. 1834, married Ashford Broadwater, and spent her last hours on McKim, but rests in the Tollgate cemetery. Her children are twelve in number : James, Howard, Harvey, Ralph, Waldo, Okey, Morris, Harris, Sedwick, Mrs. Mary Hill, Mrs. Amanda Peebles, and Miss Ida Broadwater.
CHAPTER IX
North Fork Settlers— Continued
SAIAH MARSHALL was an early pioneer on the river above Tollgate — on the farm that was until quite recently a part of the late Creed Collins estate ; and here where he formed his settlement, he spent the clos- ing hours of his life; but if he had any de- scendants (and some say that he had not) we have been unable to get any trace of them.
Helmick, — Philip Helmick made the first improvement on the river below Tollgate. He came from Harrison county near the year 1805, and established his home on the Broad- water farm, where he saw the last of earth, but of his poster- ity we know nothing. Li 1839, not long after his death, Eli Tucker, senior, purchased this farm, which passed into the hands of the late Jefferson Broadwater, in 1844.
Tucker. — Eli B. Tucker was born in what is now Taylor county in 1797, and shortly after his marriage to Miss Eliza- beth Jaco, in his early manhood, he came to the South fork of Hughes river and founded his home on the Michael's farm, at Oxford ; and from there removed to what is now the Broadwater farm. In 1856, he, with his family, went to Mason county, Missouri, where he fell asleep in 1876.
He three times took the marriage vow, Ruth Scott being his second wife, and Margaret Dotson, sister of Emmanuel, his third.
The children of the first union were : Harrison J., Mary who died in youth, Rachel (Mrs. Henry E. Dotson), Orlinda (Mrs. Solomon Dotson), Phebe (Mrs. John Sears), and Nel- son.
Those of the second v/ere : Eli B., who is now spending his old age just across the Doddridge county line near Toll- gate; James R., of Tollgate; Booth, Harrison, Thomas,
143 HISTORY OF RITCHIE GOV NT Y
Samuel and Michael, who went West where they rest.
Those of the third marriage : Jackson, Preston, Elizabeth and Ruhama, who died single; Adaline (Mrs. Thomas Nich- olson), Loiiise (Mrs. Henry Luck).
The Tuckers are said to be of Scotch lineage, and they belong to the same family as Phebe Tucker Cunningham, of Indian fame, but we have been unable to determine the exact connection.
The Dotsons. — Some time, perhaps, in the early twenties, the Dotsons found homes in the Tollgate vicinity, and a long line of their descendants still lay claim to this soil.
The original spelling of this name in the Old World was "Dodson," but for some unknown reason (probably from the natural inclination for mis-pronouncing names) it became changed to its present form.
Two brothers, James and William Dotson, came frou! England in colonial day?; and settled near Richmond, Vir- ginia; and from James (or some say his name was Richard) the different families of this part of the county trace their lineage.
AVilliam Dotson, son of James (or Richard) married Miss Alary Franks, and settled at Greenwood, in Doddridge county, in his 3^ounger days, where he reared quite a family of sons and daughters, who were as fellows :
Emmanuel, William, junior, John, Squire, Henry, Saul, Nancy (Mrs. Griggs), Jane (Mrs. Elefrits), Cynthia (Mrs. Scott), Charlotte (wife of John Wilson), Elizabeth (Mrs. Ruley)-, Mary Ann (Mrs. Dougherty), and Alargaret (Airs. Eli B. Tucker, senior).
Emmanuel Dotson was born at Greenwood, on Alarch 1, 1798 ; and in his early manhood, was married to Miss Hannah Sears, and on Cabin run where Thomas Dotson now lives, they established their home near they year 1830. Here they remained until they crossed to the other side, and at Tollgate they rest. Air. Dotson died on February 12, 1881, at the age of eighty-two vears.
He and his wife Hannah, were the parents of three sons and one daughter; viz., Hiram S., John W.. Granville, and Lovisa Dotson.
NORTH FORK SETTLERS— CONTINUED
143
John W., and his wife, Mrs. Amy Pool Dotson, went to Minnesota many years ago, but they now live in California.
Granville married Sarah Cross, and they also went West, where they sleep, and where their descendants live.
Lovisa, the only daughter, married James Taylor and lived and died in this county. (See Taylor Family.)
Hiram S. Dotson, the one son that remained here, was born on Cabin run, in 1832, and spent his entire life within
the bounds of his native county, where his ashes lie.
He was first married to Miss Susan Markwell. who died while he was serving as a Union soldier in ISGo, leaving eleven children ; and his second wife was Miss Melvina Poole, who was the mother of his other five children. On October 26, 1863, he was honorably discharged from the army service because his orphan children demanded his presence at home. The children of the first union were: Mansfield S., Spence B., Perry E., Amos A., Wm. F., Alpheus R., Charles G., Mrs. Alice J. Ash. Mrs. Sarah G. Kyger, and Mrs. Susan Smith — one name is missing. Those of the second marriage were: J. W., David V., Thomas J., Mrs. Annabella Nutter, and Mary, who became the wife of Henry Miller.
William Dotson (brother of Emmanuel) was married to Miss Anne Ankrum, and settled across the Doddridge count}^ line, where he lived and died. His children were : Daniel, Jerusha (Mrs. Joseph Dougherty), William, Owen, Rose (Mrs. Samuel Copendofl:"er), Caroline (Mrs. Hickman), Rilla (Mrs. Francis Waldo), and Israel Dotson.
John Dotson (brother of Emmanuel) married Miss Susan Sears, sister of Hannah Sears Dotson, for his first wife; and his second, was M'iss Mahala Myers. He, too, settled across the Doddridge county line, but removed to the Harris\^ille vicinitv in the ante-bellum davs. and there he rests. His
Emmanuel Dotson.
144 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COU.VTY
children : Oliver, Lloyd, Mrs. Minerva Stinespring, Mrs. Cindona (Daniel) Malone, Clinton, Leeman, Noble and Rufns Dolson.
Thomas J. Dotson, another brother of Emmanuel, was one of the early settlers on Buck run (a small tributary of the head of the North fork, which took its name from the large number of male deer found here by the pioneer hunters). He and his wife Ruth Griggs Dotson, were the parents of five children; viz., Elza, the late Ellis, the late ]\larshall, Armstrong, and Clara who married George Elefritz.
"Aunt Polly" Dotson, a widow whose identity we have been unable to learn, was another early settler on Buck run, but the names of her children have been given us as follows: Benjamin, Robert, Thomas, John S., Joseph, and l\frs. Alary Griggs.
And from these two pioneers the numerous families of the name on Buck run to-day are descended. Like the oilier r)otsons they are said to be a peaceable, law-abiding race of people. Many of them are religiously inclined, and not a lew of them have entered the ministry of the Christian church, and some of the younger generations are identified in the teaching profession.
Zachariah Dotson, brother of William, senior, w^as a very early settler in the Tollgate vicinity. He possibly came as early as 1(S10, and remained until death, but of his family we have no record.
Richard Dotson, the head of another branch of the fam- ily, was also a brother of William, senior, and Zachariah Dotson. He removed from the Old Dominion to the Monon- galia glades, and from there to Doddridge county, where he met the destroyer. Though he is said to have owned land in the Tollgate vicinity as early as 1800, we have no account of his ever having made any improvement here. His home, however was in Doddridge county, and in a burying-ground on Arnold's creek his ashes lie.
He twice took the marriage vow but the names of his wives are missing ; but the children of the first union were as follows: Thomas, Mann, and John Dotson; and those of the second, Jackson, Elisha, Joseph, Michael, Ruth (Mrs. James
NORTH PORK SETTLERS— COXTIN LED U3
Cain), Lizzie (Mrs. Johnson Childers). and Stacy (Mrs. John Haggle).
Elisha Dotson was a soldier of the war of 1812, and his wife was Miss Nancy Wineger. Their family consisted of t!ie following named children: Trvin Dotson, of Rusk, is the only survivor of the family and he is now seventy-four years of aee. Richard, who married Miss Elizabeth Deem, was the head of the Pllizabeth (Wirt county) family, who have, since his death, removed to Parkersburg. Albert rests in Wood county; Hiram, on Goose creek; Jackson, in Oregon; Mary (Mrs. John Hustage, and Mahala (Mrs. John Flemming), both in Wood county; and Clarinda (Mrs. George Elefritz), on Goose creek.
David Cox, though not so early as some of the rest, was Lhe first to establish a home on the head of Buck run, and John Garner, whose history has already been given, was another pioneer here.
Mr. Cox was a native of Maryland, but Avith his father came to W^etzel county at the age of eighteen A^-ears, where he engaged in farming with Presley Martin on the very site where New Martinsville now stands. At the age of twenty- six years he claimed Miss Rachel Hawkins as his life com- panion ; and in 1845, they came to Hughes' river and settled on the William Collins farm until they could find a desirable location for a permanent home; and the year following (1846) they removed to Buck run. where they died and wliere their heirs still hold sway. Their remains lie in the Oak Grove churchyard on their old homestead.
Their family consisted of five daughters and five sons : Mrs. Mary Kloy, Mrs. Tiester A. Porter, Mrs. Nancy M. Hawkins, and Caleb H. Cox now own the old homestead. Jesse died in Missouri in 1870 ; Edward is of Oklahoma ; James is a silver-smith and school-teacher, of Doddridge county ; William, who formerly wielded the birchen rod, and later figured as a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, is now a successful tiller of the soil in the Buckeye state : and of the rest we have no mention, but they are probably dead.
Caleb H. Cox is a distinguished pulpit orator of the United Brethren church in Christ, and is now in charge of the Valley Mill church at Waverly, West Virginia. Pie is a
116 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
'"six-fold" graduate, and one of his college degrees is that of Doctor of Divinity from the Kansas City University.
He is also an author of considerable note — "The Manual of Theology," and the "History of the West Virginia Annual Conference of the United Brethren Church in Christ," being the Avork of his 'pen. He has written a number of sacred songs, too, among which are "Stay with Me, Lord," and the "Silver River."
He has presented fifteen amendments to the "Book of Discipline" of his church before the General conference, thir- teen of which have been adopted; has served as secretary of the Conference for twenty-eight years, and has been a meni- ber of the Minister's Examining committee for thirty-two 3-ears.
Gamaliel Waldo made the first settlement on the farm that is known as the Flannagan homestead near the year 1815. Traces of his old cabin vvhich stood only a few liundred vards from the present W. A. Flannagan residence, are still visible.
Mr. Waldo and his wife, Nancy Bartlett Waldo, came from Harrison county and remained here until about tlie year 1844, when they removed to Indiana witli all their family, except three members who were established in homes of their own, and there they saw the last of earth. They were ad- herents of the Baptist church faith and Mr. Waldo was the first clerk of the "Mab Zeal" Baptist class at Harrisville in 1825.
Their children were as follows : Hickman, Bartlett, Phipps, John, Zedediah, Melinda. Matilda, Harriett. Emily. Amy and Elizabeth Waldo, the daughters ha^'ing all married in the West.
Hickman Waldo, who married Miss Mary AVilliams, daughter of Foster and Mrs. Nellie Pritchard Williams, of Doddridge county, remained in the Tollgate vicinity until he crossed to the other side ; and here, on the Doddridge county side, some of his children still live. His family are: John. Oscar, Jasper, James, and George, of Doddridge county : Syl- vester and Francis, of Fairmont ; Newton, of Colorado : and Grant died in youth. His daughters are Mrs. Susan (John W.) Debrular, of Holbrook ; Mrs. Alice (Joseph) Ankruni,
NORTH FORK SETTLERS— CONTINUED 147
Fairmont; and Mrs. Sarah (Wilford) Collins, Ohio.
■ Bartlett Waldo was married to Miss Jane Gray, daughter of James Gray, of Oxford, and spent his life in Doddridge county. His children were Arthur, Sarah, the late Mrs. Eliza- beth (Christopher) Lipscomb, of Clarksburg; Mrs. Emily Norris, Wetzel county; Thomas Waldo, of Grantsville; and Miss Victoria W"aldo, of Clarksburg.
The Taylors. — Eli Taylor was the head of another old and worthy Clay district family.
He was descended from English (or Irish) emigrants, who crossed to the Western world in Colonial times and set- tled in New Hampshire. The time of their coming is not de- finitely known, but it is probable that his grandsire, Daniel Taylor, was among the first to cross. HoAvever this may be, our history begins with Daniel Taylor, who married Miss Sarah Larue for his second wife, and migrated from the "Hampshire hills" to what is now Hampshire county, West Virginia, where he established a permanent home, and reared a family; and from his two sons, Eli and John Taylor, quite a number of the citizens of this part of the county are de- scended.
Eli Taylor was born in Hampshire county in 1813, and his wife, Mary Sigler (born 1812) was a native of Allegheny county, Maryland.
They were married on May 16, 1833 ; and in 184:1 they removed to this county, and settled near Tollgate, where their son, Silas J. Taylor, now resides. Here death closed his eyes in 1855, but Mrs. Taylor survived until 1876, when she was laid by his side in the Tollgate cemetery.
Their children were seven in number, viz., John William (1834-1847), Aseneth Ellen (1836-1861 unmarried), Phillip (1839-1834), who died at Clarksburg, where he sleeps, (from smallpox) while serving as a Union soldier; Dan'iel E. (1841—), lives in Texas; Sarah Martha (1843-54), Silas J. (1845), of Tollgate; and Eli Griffin, (1849) who was formerly a teacher of this county, is now of Morgantown. lie (Griffin Taylor) was married in 1880 to Miss Camora Barcus. of In- diana.
Silas J. Ta3dor, who still occupies the old home, where he was born sixty-five years ago, is one of the substantia!
148 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
citizens of this community. He is a successful tiller of the soil, and was at one time a member of the honorable County court.
On Januar}^ 1, 186T, he deserted single life when he claimed Miss Eleanor Cathrine Collins, daughter of William Collins, as his bride ; and the five children born of this union are as follows :
Vida A. is Mrs. A. J. Zinn, of Tollgate ; and William C. and Otha R. are business men of this town ; Miss Faye is at home; and Silas Reuben lives in Wirt county.
John Taylor, the elder brother of Eli, was born in Hamp- shire county in 1810, and there in 1832, he was married to Aliss Deborah Monroe, who was also -born in Hampshire county of Scotch parentage ; and on October 18, 1833, twins were born of this union — a son and a daughter; and four days after the birth of these children the young mother was borne to her final resting place.
The daughter, Mary E. Taylor, grew to womanhood and married Mr. Cornwell, and she is the venerable mother of Hon. J- J- Cornwell, the noted lawyer and politician, of Rom- ney.
The son, John Monroe I'aylor, remained in his native county until he had reached the age of eighteen years, when he went to Bridgeport, in Harrison county. There he met and married Miss Huldah Pool, daughter of Thomas Pool, a descendant of the Waldos and Gofifs, of Harrison county, and from there they removed to Tollgate in the ante-bellum days.
At the breaking out of the Civil war, Mr. Ta3'lor joined the "Home Guards," and while on duty at the Baltimore and Ohio railroad bridge, contracted typhoid fever, which finall)' resulted in his death thirty years later. In February, 189:2, he sufifered a slight injury to the limb that had been affected by the fever during his military service, and his wife was the victim of an attack of la grippe, and both began to decline; and on a beautiful Sunday in May (1, 1892) they both passed into the land of eternal day. He preceded her by one brief hour, and both lie at rest in one grave in the Gnat's run ceme- tery.
They were the parents of six children : Ira Taylor is one of the oldest and most successful teachers of the county ;
NORTH FORK SETTLERS— CONTINUED 149
Thomas \\'., and J. Hammond are also of this county; Albert is of Alorg-antown ; and Anna T. (Mrs. Taylor), and Vietta (Mrs. Flanagan), ixith of Mineral county.
The Lantzes. — The venerable Jacob Lantz, who is, per- haps, at this time, the oldest resident of the county, has been identitied with the citizenship of this river for more than seventy years.
He was born at Blacksville, West Virginia, on August 22, 1814; and there his parents, John and Elizabeth Bonnett Lantz, spent their lives. On December 8, 1836, he was mar- ried to Miss Minerva Miner, of Blacksville, and two years later, they came to this county and settled on the "Simon Lantz farm" (now owned by ex-Sheriff Okey E. Nutter) ; and from here, in 1863, he removed to Mole Hill, where he still survives.
Mrs. Lantz died on March 2, 1860, and was laid at rest in the Mole Hill cemetery. And on April 14, 1861, Mr. Lantz was again married to Mrs. Lettie Smith Jones, daughter of Isaac Smith, of Tyler county, and widow of James Jones; but on March 3, 1906, Death laid his icy hand upon her, and slie, too, rests in the Mole Hill cemetery. His granddaughter, Miss Lettie Marsh, now lives with him.
The children of his first marriage were five in number, and were as follows :
John Lantz, born November 23, 1837, and died on Febru- ary 10, 1861.
Simon Miner, born October 26, 1839, and died on January 10, 1863.
Louisa, born June 25, 1841. and in 1860, married Lycur- gus Hill, and died at her home in Tyler county on October 30, 1903. She was the mother of ex-Sheriff" B. F. Hill ; and ex- Senator T. P. Hill.
Emeline Lantz, born on February 16, 1843. married Peter Stuart, on August 27, 1865, and resides at Mole Hill.
Allison Price Lantz, born on May 16, 1848, married Miss Lina LTaymond. on October 24, 1869, and died at his home at Mole Hill on April 20, 1870.
The children of the second union are Minerva A., the wife of Reeves Haymond; and Ida Lantz. wife of John R. Maish. both of Mole Hill.
150 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
The Cunninghams. — Though not pioneers, the families of Joseph and James Larkin Cunningham liave long been identified with the leading citizens of this part of the county. These brothers were the sons of John and Sarah King Cun- ningham, and from Marion county they came during the spring of 1857.
Joseph Cunningham and his wife, Luvina ^^IcCray, set- tled on the Lewis Bond farm on Gnat's run, where their son now lives. Here he passed from earth during the summer of 1890, and his venerable widow survived until February 10, 1904. Both rest in the family burying-ground on the old homestead.
Their children were as follows: Harriet (Mrs. L. S. Sill, Pennsboro) ; Rebecca (Mrs. D. M. Hayhurst, Beech Grove) ; Jane (Mrs. \\\ A. Duckworth, Duckworth Summit) ; Ang- elina (widow of Jefiferson Marsh, of Harrisville) ; Sarah (I\Irs. A\'. A\'. Collins, Pennsboro) ; Mary (Mrs. D. Z. Taylor, Hamp- shire county) : Ellen (unmarried), who, with her brother, Robert, resides at the old home ; the late Andrew, of Okla- homa: Joseph H. B., of Mole Hill; and the late James Frank- lin, whose family now live at Huntington.
Jay E. Cunningham, of Pennsboro, wdio is so well known in Prohibition circles ; J. Frank Marsh, Harvey Marsh, and numerous other prominent young people that might be men- tioned, are the grandchildren of Joseph Cunningl]am.
James Larkin Cunningham was married to Miss Eliza- betli Fox (sister of E. C. Fox, of Harrisville), on January 16, 1815, who was born in Greene county, Pennsylvania, un December 23, 1831, and on their arrival in this county, they established their home near Beech Grove, where their son, D. B. Cunningham, now resides. Here ~Slr. Cunriingham died in March, 1888, and Mrs. Cunningham joined him on the other side on October 1, 1909.
They were the parents of the following naiiied sons and daughters: D. B., who was long a teacher in this county. v.ath his lister, Mrs. ElizaDeth Smith, resides at the old home ; G. Fillmore met a tragic death by drowning in the South fork of Hughes' river not far from his home, at Flazelgreen, near twelve years ago;'. A.. S. is of Beech Grove; Eli, of Illinois;
NORTH FORK SETTLERS—COXTIXUED 151
I\Irs. Lyda Whitehill, of Parkersburg ; Edith married Devvit Richardson, and after her death at her home in Athens coun- ty, Ohio, her sister, Mary, became the wife of Mr. Richardson, and they reside in Ohio still.
John Cunningham, another brother of Joseph and James Larkin, and his wife, who was Mjss Mahala McCray, sister of I\Irs. Joseph Cunningham, were also residents of Gnat's run, but they died childless.
While the connection has not been established between this family and the older pioneer families of this name in the county, there is but little doubt that they are a collateral branch of the same race.
David Allen McGinnis, the subject of this sketch, was born in Cabell county, on October 1, 1823 ; and, there, on a farm and in his father's store, the days of his boyhood were principally spent. He early developed a fondness for books, and was a student of Marshall college in its academic days. At the age of seventeen years, he entered the profession of teaching (first in W^ayne county), and thus continued for a number of years. Being naturally of a religious turn of mind, lie united with the Methodist Episcopal church at the age of thirteen years, and, on August 17, 1844, was licensed to preach the gospel ; and at once entered the field of the itiner- ancy, where he continued his labors for seven years — luitil his failing health compelled him to take a local relation with the conference.
He was a man of pronounced views and of a deeply relig- ious character, and the influence of this character has left its impress upon his descendants, who ever stand for something in the communities where they reside.
On October 8, 1849, he was married to Miss Sarah Jane Marsh, daughter of Enoch Marsh, who was also a teacher and a woman of high. Christian character; and the following year they came to this county, and settled at Mole Hill, where his life came to a peaceful close, on Sunday, May 17, 1896. Mrs. McGinnis was borne to the family burying-ground on the old Marsh homestead at Tollgate, in November, 1876, and after her death he was married to Miss Nancy Hammett, of Wood county. His body rests in the Mole Hill cemetery.
152 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTV
He was the father of twelve children — all of the first union: viz., P. M. ]\IcGinnis, Donahue; Asbury H., TA'ler county ; Enoch M., Texas : John H., Gofif's ; Sarnantha, who first married Warren Cophn. is now Airs. Aaron Younge, of Wirt county ; ]\Iary Anne is Airs. Isaac Lambert, of Ellen- boro ; Alelcena J., the wife of Dr. A. S. Grimm, of St. Alary's; Clarinda, Airs. Francis AlcCullough, of Alole Hill; Sarah, the late Airs. Leonard Doak, of Harrisville; Armedia, the late Airs. John Britton. of Alole Hill ; Eliza J., and Lina, Avho both died in youth, rest in the Alole Hill cemetery. Eliza died in 1885, and Lina, the following year. This family figured prominently among the teachers of former years, five mem- bers being thus identified.
Clerk H. E. AIcGinnis, of the Circuit court, is the grand- son of David A. AIcGinnis, he being the eldest son of P. AI. AIcGinnis.
McGinnis Ancestry. — This family is of Irish-AIalesian origin and its history dates back so far that it has almost be- come lost in the "haze of antiquity."' But the authentic his- tory, however, begins with the year 1000.
The name comes from two Irish words — "Alag," meaning son, and ''Agensha," meaning great strength, and from these two ancient words, its various spellings, "AIcGennes," '"AIc- Ginnis," "Alagennis," etc., originated.
The family migrated from the Xorth of Ireland to the Western A\'orld — from County Down of Ulster, where they were a powerful clan in early times, and the "Red Hand of Ulster" is on their coat-of-arms. They, with their rivals, the O'Neills, ruled the province of Ulster until the coming of the English, in 1600, when many of them left their homes, going to foreign lands — some to the Highlands of Scotland, and some to other climes. But the first record we have of the family in the Occident is near the year 1700, when some of them entered the Indian w^ars in the New England colonies.
Captain AIcGinnis. commander of a company of New Hampshire troops, routed the French at Rock}^ Brook, near Lake George, in 1755, and w^as killed a little later by a spent ball, but he was unmarried. Soon after this, several families of the name settled at Philadelphia, and from them the Ale-
NORTH FORK SETTLERS— COS TI\U ED 153
Ginnises of Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia come. They are to-day very numerous throughout the Union, the entire number being estimated at two thousand five hundred, but Pennsylvania claims the larger share.
The Rev. Edmund McGinnis, who was born in Cabell county (West) Virginia, on November 25, 1798, and with his parents removed to Guyandotte, in Cabell county, in 1811, was the progenitor of the Ritchie county family. He, too, was a zealous worker in his Master's vineyard. He, havmg been converted at the age of seventeen years, was licensed to preach in 1827.
On June 12, 1821, he was married to Miss Mary Hough- land, of Washington county, Ohio, who was a relative of George Washington, Eli Whitney and Robert Fulton. He removed to Texas late in life and there passed away in the "full triumphs of faith" on June 9, 1865.
He delivered his last sermon on March fifth and. while thiis engaged, was seized with the fatal illness, which con- tinued until June, as above stated. His wife died on July 0. 1S7(), and by his side she sleeps. They were the parents of ten children, all of whom have crossed the tide — six preceded him home: Among them were David \. McGinnis, wdio lived and died at Mole Hill ; Oliver A., Milville, and Fletcher, and Mrs. Melcena Beurhing, who all went to Texas ; and Mrs. Mary Johnson, who sleeps at Huntington.
The Rev. F. AI. Malcolm, of the West Virginia M. E. Conference, is descended from this family, he being a son of A-Irs. Virginia McGinnis Malcolm, and the grandson of Col. John McGinnis, of Cabell county.
To Herbert P. McGinnis, brother of Clerk H. E. AIcGin- nis, we owe our thanks for this valuable sketch. He having gleaned it from a publislicd record of the family.
Abraham Cline was a very early settler on Avhat Avas locally known as "Dry Ridge," not far from the Pleasants county line, but he changed his place of residence to High- land about the year 1822, where he kept a house of pul:)lic entertainment, for a time, and here our information concern- ing his history ends, though it is quite probable that he has descendants in this county. His daughter, Polly, who is said
154 HISTORY or RITCHIE COUXTV
to have been the first white child born on this side ot the Bhie Ridge mountains, became the wife of John Douglass and went West. This pioneer was of German origin, and was the son of William Cline, senior, who made the first improve- ment where the little town of Smithville now stands, and who afterwards removed to near Gallipolis, Ohio, where he prol)- abiy found a resting place.
One of the Clines is said to have killed the last Indian that met his death at the hands of a white man in this section of West Virginia, he having shot the intruder while he was attempting to steal his horse.
William Cline, junior, brother of Abraham, was married to Aliss Epha Marsh, daughter of James Marsh, and after a brief residence near Gallipolis, Ohio, removed to Middle Island creek, Doddridge county ; and from there, to Tollgate, this county, where he died and where he lies buried. He left two children, Eli, aged twelve, and Eleanor, aged eight years : and after his death his widow married Notley G. Willis, and one son, N. G. Willis, of Mole Hill, was the result of this union. (For farther history of Cline descendants see Hay- mond history.)
Eleanor Cline became the wife of William C. Haymond, and has a long line of descendants in this county.
Eli Cline, who first married Miss Frances Collins, daugh- ter of Jacob, and afterwards, Mrs. Bradford (widow of Jacob Bradford), died at Pennsboro near the year 19()0. For the children of the first marriage, see Collins history, and of the three sons born of the second union, William alone grew to the years of maturity.
CORNWALLIS SETTLED.
Jesse C. Lowther (son of Thomas and grandson of Col. William), was the first to break the forest at Cornwallis. He came from his native county — Harrison, and married, Phebe. the daughter of William Cunningham, of Revolutionaiy fame, in 1811, and settled on the "Horner farm," on the Harrisville- Cornwallis road, the following year. He later purchased an additional tract of land at the mouth of Bear nui, and built a cabin on the site that is now marked by the Naughton resi- dence; and here he died in 1842 at the age of fifty years, and
NORTH FORK SETTLERS— CONTINUED 155
in the Pioneer burying-ground at Harrisville, beside his wife, he rests.
He and his wife were the parents of twelve children : VVm. H. Lowther, who rests in UHnois ; John G. J., of Corn- wallis ; Margaret, who first married a Cunningham, and later, Ichabod Kirkpatrick ; Lydia, was the late Mrs. John Elliott, and Barbara, the late Mrs. Jacob Elliott; Jane married \Xm. Hardman, and went to Nebraska; Mary Ann Avas the late Mrs. G. W. Hardman, of this county; and Matilda, the only survivor of the family (who first married Maxwell Lowther, of Cairo), is now the widow of the late David McGregor, of Cairo. The rest died in youth.
Wolvertcn.— A man by the name of Wolverton built the second cabin at Cornwallis. Then in 1840 came William Cun- ningham (whose interesting history occupies a place in an earlier chapter), from Harrisville, and purchased near one thousand tv/o hundred fifty acres at the mouth of Bond's creek, which is now divided up into several farms, and erected his humble dwelling near the present site of the Roland resi- dence.
John G. Skelton and George Wells were the other early settlers in this section.
John G. Skelton (a deaf mute) was the son of Edward Skelton, an English pioneer of the Harrisville vicinity. And his wife, Miss Prudence Chidester. was also a deaf mute. They went from here to Cairo, and from there to Illinois, where they both lie at rest in the Litchfield cemetery.
They had three daughters and two sons, all of whom could hear and talk. Kathrine, the eldest daughter, married at Litchfield, and there perhaps the descendants of the family live.
George Wells is still a resident of this community, though helpless from the weight of years and ill-health. He is the son of the late Isaiah Wells, of the Ilarrisville vicinity, and a native and life-long resident of this county. His natal day was August 31, 1S34; and he came to Cornwallis in 1858, shortly after his marriage to Miss Barbara Hardman, daugh- ter of the late Rev. James Hardman, of Hardman chapel ; and erected the first mill in this section, that same year ; and con- tinued to operate it until 1875, when its wheels became silent,
156 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTV
and its pulses refused to beat. Here in 1S71, the wife of his youth passed from sight, and in 18?5, he was married to Miss Virginia Dilworth, daughter of Asa Dilworth, and niece of his first wife, who is the companion and stafl: of his "decHning years."
l"he children of his first marriage are Mrs. Jennie Xew- land, of Boreland ; Mrs. C. A. Kearns, Rusk ; Tip Wells, Cairo ; C. L. Wells, Grafton ; and Edw^ard, Harrisville.
The children of the second union are two sons : C. C. and Bert, both of Cornwallis.
SILVER RUN.
"Little streamlet fair and free Sing your song — so sweet to me! Of your onward rushings to the far off sea; 'Cause I love your bonnie dankg. Silver streamlet — take my thanks!
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ :;:
"Fair Stream of Silver run, Lightly laughing playful run From the snowlands to the southern sun; Let the shine of silvered sands, Glinting, glean upon my hands. In remembrance — fairest lands!"
HERBERT P. :\rGINNIS.
"Silver Run" is but a mere speck on the map, "a flag station, a by-place of the county, and of the State — an un- known corner of the v/orld," a stream three niiles in length, yet with all its insignificance, it has a history worthy of record, a place in our sonnets : it ha^ ing inspired the pretty lines above quoted from the pen of our Box'-Poet, who is one of its most familiar friends.
It is supposed to have been settled near the year I80O b}- some unknown Nimrod, who dug his cave in a hill, but its first permanent settlement was made by Mr. Campbell, who came from Baltimore in the ante-bellum days and improved the fine farm that is now owned by his son, William Camp- bell. Other Irish families arrived later, principally from the I ' East, and finding work on the railroad and in the timber in- dustry, a colony was soon formed. The community is still distinctively Irish, and among these families are the Camp- bells, the Donohues, the McTights, the McGinnises, and others that might be mentioned. A German familv bv the name of
I
NORTH FORK SETTLERS— CONTINUED 157
Alink was also among the earlier settlers, they having come from the Fatherland during the first years of the Civil war.
The name of the stream originated about the year 1857, while the railroad tunnel was being arched, when something that resembled silver was unearthed.
P. M. McGinnis, who now owns the Hall lands, settled here near 1876, and Avas instrumental in securing the first regular station at this point; and erected the first real store- house in which B. F. Hill, of Tyler county, later Sheriff of this county, opened a general store. The post-office uiider the name of "Donohue" came in the eighties, and near this time a more modern store building was erected.
"Silver Run" w-as now a central lumber shipping point for Goose creek and Sheep run, and tram roads extended for eight or ten miles back into the wilderness. Oil seekers had already been prospecting on the Hall (McGinnis) lands, but this fluid was not found in paying quantities until much later.
Speakeasies flourished in an early day, and one old Irish lady(?) became quite familiar with the scenes at the jail and the court house at the County seat, but these times have long since past, and the community is now quiet and law-abiding.
The Catholics, "ever loyal and hardworking people," con- structed a log church on "'Tunnel hill" in early days, but a modern structure, the largest of this denomination in the county, now adorns the site. Here, in this churchyard, the first graves of the community were hollowed out, and the dates on the stones show that some were laid here in the fifties and others during the dark days of the Civil war.
The Silver Run of to-day is a paying oil-center. Its entire population, including oil-field laborers, section hands and residents is not more than two hundred, and the little hamlet-station consists of three dwellings, a store-house, a blacksmith-shop, a telegraph office, a school-house, and a platform. Here our boy-poet-author-editor, to whom we are indebted for this sketch, lives ; and here his print-shop is located; and it is not at all unlikely that in the time we call some day, that this little corner of the universe will be dis- tinguished as the birthplace of a modern Longfellow or Bay- ard Taylor.
158 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Rusk. — Isaac Nutter, as stated in an earlier chapter, was the first settler at Rusk, his old cabin having stood on the farm that is now owned by W . J. Moats. And the next notable landmark here was the old Pribble mill, which came upon the stage as early as 1839, with Daniel Pribble as builder and operator, but the wheels of this old mill ceased to turn before its owner crossed to the other side, and the site is now marked by the Moats' mill, which was built by the late William Meredith, father of the Rev. Thomas Meredith, of the West Virginia Methodist Episcopal conference, per- haps, thirty-five years ago. But Mr. Moats has been the owner and proprietor for the past quarter of a century, and during the year 1909, he rebuilt and enlarged this mill, and added his store to the structure.
The Pribbles. — Our information concerning Daniel Prib- ble is very meager, but he was a native of Greene county, Pennsylvania, and removed from there to Wirt county before coming to this commimity, where he died. He married Aliss Amanda Melvina Jackson, sister of Henry Jackson, and was the father of several children, whose names are missing.
His brother, Hugh Pribble, senior, who married Miss Permilia Elizabeth Jackson, another sister of Henry, was also an early settler here. He was the father of Hugh Pribble. of Cisko ; the Rev. U. Pribble, of Harrisville ; Mrs. Herilda Hall, of Washington state ; the late Mrs. Charles Harrison, senior, of Cantwell ; the late Mrs. Henrietta Mason, and other chil- dren.
The hamlet of Rusk, which is little more than a thickly settled community, came into existence near the year ISSO, when the post-office v/as established. It was named in honor of the maiden name of the late Mrs. Charles Levv'is, her name being spelled "Russ."
Frank Davis, son-in-law of Mr. Meredith, erected the first dwelling, and was the first merchant and post-master. The first school-house stood on the farm of C. A. Kearns. There are now six or seven residences close enough together to resemble a hamlet, two stores, a mill, one church (M. P.). a school-house, blacksmith-shop, and no post-office, as the rural route has swallowed it up. J. W. Heck is the other merchant,, besides Mr. Moats, and he is also the telephone operator.
^arrpb tn tljf iipmnry
of
tUtam mh
Jrattr^fi f tatt ii'2Ctntt^g
Time conquers all, and we must time obey.
— Pope.
And, oh! the crowning joy of life,
Where'er that life may be, Is the true heart that through all strife
Still living, trusts in me.
— Donn Piatt.
CHAPTER X
First Settlers In the Cairo Vicinity
HE first settlers in the Cairo vicinity were, Isaac, Levi, John, and Thomas Nutter — ■ four brothers, and Richard Gilhspie, who, early in the century, took up their abode at the mouth of Addis' run ;^ but they, having no title for the land, were only teniporar}'' settlers, and, at the coming of W^illiani ]\Ic- Kinney, in 1818, they found homes elsewhere.
Richard Gillispie, being compelled to flee from the indig- nation of his neighbors, owing to a difficulty which had arisen over the killing of a cow, had sought refuge on the stream that bears his name — "Gillispie's run," before the coming of the McKinneys ; but tlie Nutter Brothers remained here until that time.
The Nutters. — This family of Nutters, like the ones of Oxford and Holbrook, were descended from the traditional four brothers, that came from England and settled in Harrison county in Colonial times.
Isaac Nutter married Miss Elizabeth \A ebb. who Vv-as, perhaps, the sister of Nutter Webb, of Webb's mill, and after leaving Addis' run, made the first scttlem.ent where the vil- lage of Rusk now stands ; and in 1844, having lived at dififerent other points in the meantime, he removed to the farm just below the mouth of Gillispie's run, and from here, in 185(i, went to Indiana, where he fell asleep.
He was the father of several children, and not a few of his descendants are still citizens of this county.
Margaret, the eldest daughter, married Jesse Cain, of Rusk, and was the mother of E. A. Cain, and Siotha Cain, of
^This stream took its name from a man by the name of Addis, who owned tlie land here at the time of the arrival of the Xuttery.
FIRST SETTLERS LX THE CAIRO HCIXITV 161
Rusk; J. W. Cain, of Harrisville — the County surveyor; Frank Cain, of Ellenboro ; and Mrs. Simon Tenant, of Petro- leum.
John Nutter, the eldest son, went to Indiana ; Matthew, to Missouri; George, to Wisconsin; jane was the late Mrs. VV^illiam Enoch, of Indianapolis ; Elizabeth married Alexander Bickerstaff, and resides at Mellin ; David rests in California; and Mrs. Nancy Clarke, the youngest daughter, who married again after the death of Mr. Clarke, resides in California. She and Mrs. Bickerstafif being the only survivors of the family (of Isaac Nutter).
Levi Nutter married Miss Margaret Webb, sister of his brother's wife, and, after leaving Addis' run, went to Goose creek, where he became the pioneer settler of the well-known "Nutter farm." he having purchased near one thousand acres of land in this wilderness.
Here he reared a large family, and here, he found a rest- ing place, more than a half century ago. Some of his des- scendants still lay claim to a part of this old homestead, though part of it is now the estate of the late "Dick" W^ilson.
His only daughter married Sylvester Webb, and some of her family live on the old homestead.
Three of his sons, Thomas, Math, and Tone, met tragic deaths. John was another son ; and Benjamin, the youngest, and last survivor of the family, died a few years since, in the Hospital for the Insane at Weston.
When Mr. Nutter first settled here, he had a wife and one child, a cow and calf .and one horse; and when he went to visiL his brother, Isaac, seven miles distant, he rode on horse-back and carried the calf, the cow follov/ed behind, and the wife walked and carried the child ; this manner oi pro- cedure being necessary to protect the calf and the child from tl;e wolves.
John Nutter married Miss Mary Mounts and, from the Cairo vicinity, the}^ removed to Calhoun county, in 1818, and settled on the West foi'k of the Kanawha river, just below Richardsonville, where he spent his last hours : His children were as follows :
James and Humphrey, who have both passed on, were
162 . HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
the sons. Sarah (Mrs. Jonathan Nicholas), Elizabeth (Mrs. yVbraham Starcher), and Basha (Airs. Jeremiah Hickman") v.ere the daughters. T. J. Nutter, of Rusk, is a son of Humphrey, as is James Nutter, of Wirt county.
Thomas Nutter, the last one of the four pioneer brothers, went from the Cairo vicinity to x*\thens county, Ohio, and set- tled on the banks of the Little Hocking river, and here his history ends.
William Nutter. — From "The Recollections of a Life- Time.'" a little sketch of early days in Calhoun and Gilmer counties, we learn that Mrs. Mary Starr Nutter, the widow of William Nutter, another brother of the four above men- tioned, came from Ritchie county with John Nutter, in 1818, and settled where Richardsonville now stands, but her name escaped the early settlers of this county, as William Nutter is not remembered among the pioneers here. However, her children were David, Isaac, Thomas, Levi, A\'il]iam, and Nancy, who became the wife of Jacob Starcher, senior.
The McKinneys. — The Nutters, as above stated, were only squatters at the mouth of Addis' run, and, in 1818, the}' were dispossessed by William McKinney, who purchased a tract of three thousand nine hundred twenty acres in this section, of Mathias j\Iattenly, for the small sum of eight thousand forty dollars. He afterwards bought another tract of one thousand eighty acres, and after giving each one of his children a large farm, he sold the remainder to a colony of Scotch settlers, who came later.
Mr. McKinney came from the ."Keystone state," with his wife and large family of children, and founded his home where his late grandson, Jacob McKinney, resided until his death. He figured prominently in the early history of the county, both in church and state aiTairs ; and for a number of years after his coming, this was known as the "McKinney settlement," the former name "Egypt," being gradually dropped.
William IMcKinney was born of English parentage in Lyconing county, Eastern Pennsylvania, on September 4, 1760. He was the son of William and Hannah McKinney, and was next to the voungest member of a familv of six chil-
FIRST SETTLERS IX THE CAIRO J-IC1\ITV 16:!
dien (viz., Sarah, who married a Mr. Haggerty, Jemima. Jacob, John, and Cathrine). Though so young, he served as an American soldier during the latter part of the Revolution ; and on July 14, 1789, he was married to Miss Frances Piatt, and from this time until he came to Ritchie county, his home was at White Deer valley, on the Susquehannah river.
Mrs. McKinney was of French descent. She was the daughter of John and Jane Williamson Piatt, and the grand- daughter of John Piatt, of France ; and at historic old Tren- ton, she was born, on March 7. 1770, when the bugle notes of the Revolution were being sounded, but her parents later removed to White Deer valley, Pennsylvania, where she met and married Mr. McKinney.
In 1789, when General Washington was enroute from Mt. Vernon to New York city, for his first inauguration to the Presidency, when he reached the old bridge at Trenton over 'which lie had retreated before Lord Cornwallis' army, a few years before, a beautiful triumphal arch under which he was to pass, greeted his eye. This arch had been prepared by the ladies of the town in honor of the occasion, and was supported by thirteen pillars, wreathed with flowers and evergreen, and it bore the inscription, "The Defender of the Mothers will be the Preserver of the Daughters."
''Beneath the arch stood a party of thirteen loyal young ladies, laden with baskets of flowers, and as the hero of the Revolution approached, they showered the flowers in his pathway — singing as they did so, the following ode, which had been composed for the occasion :
"Welcome mighty Chief once more, Welcome to this grateful shore; Now no mercenary foe Aims again, the fatal blow, Aims at thee, the fatal blow.
"Virgins fair, and matrons grave, Those thy conquering arm did save, Bu:ld for thee, triumphal bowers. Strew ye fair, his way with flowers, Strew your hero's way with flowers."
164 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
"Frances Piatt Avas one of this number, and in tlie ]ne>- ence of the writer/ in later years, she sang this little o.le, reviving the feeling of her youth and her loyalty to her Chieftain."
Mrs. ]\IcKinney^ was a woman of strong mind, and ot a cheerful, happy disposition, and her husband being ever kind and generous, "the Avorld went well with them." When they hrst came to this wild country the younger members of the family were very much dissatisfied, and they would say, ■'Oh, dear, mother, you have brought us to a wilderness !"' But vv'ith her characteristic cheerfulness, she would reply, "'O chil- dren, you will sec railroads running through your farms, yet, some day." At the absurdity of such a prediction all would break into a laugh, thus dispersing the shadow occasioned by their undesirable surroundings. And though the dear old mother never lived to see it, the prophesy has long since been fulfilled. The Baltimore and Ohio railroad runs through what was at that time the "Mc Kinney estates" for miles, and the busy town of Cairo stands on the farm that once belonged to their daughter, Kathrine McKinney McGregor.
Mr. McKinney was the first mill-owner in this section. He was a Presbyterian in religious faith, and was a man of a strong influential character. He passed to his reward on June 24, 1848, on the first anniversary of the death of his wife. (She died on June 24, 1847.) Both sleep in the Egypt ceme- tery.
Their children were as follows: William, John Piatt, Jacob, Hannah (Mrs. Joseph Marshall), Jane (Mrs. Edward Skelton), David and Kathrine (Mrs. David McGregor) were twins, vSarah (Airs. Richard Wanless), and James.
Nearly all these sons and daughters were in turn, the heads of pioneer families of this county.
William McKinney, junior, the eldest son of William and Frances Piatt McKinney, was born in Pennsylvania, on ]\Iay 17, 1790. and there, on January 22. 1818, he was married to Mary Wilson Miller; and, a few months later, \\ith his
T'or the ancestral history of the Piatt family see chapter on Schools.
(Her grand-daughter, Mi.ss Fannie McKinney, of Williamstown, con- tributed this sicetch, and the above quotation is reproduced in her own language.)
FIRST SETTLERS IX THE CAIRO VICINITY 16r.
parents, they came to this county and settled on the farm that is now the estate of the late Jacob Hatfield, senior. After a twelve years' residence here, the}^ went to Harrisville, where ]\lr, McKinney purchased the Mathias Cline store, and engaged in the mercantile business for eight years before re- moving to Waverly, in Wood county, where he died, in IS"* 1), at the age of eighty-nine years. Here Mrs. McKinney died at the age of eighty years. Both rest in the Bethel cemetery, near the old home.
Thev were the corner stones of the Bethel church at Waverlv, the first organization being made at their home, in April, 1845, when Mr. McKinney was ordained as Elder — an office which he filled until his death.
Their family consisted of ten children, all of whom reached the years of maturity except one that died in infancy; viz., Robert Simpson, William Piatt, Frances S. (unmarried), Eliza J. (Mrs. Thomas Miller), Abram F., Hannah M. (Mrs. James Sharps), Festus H., Mary S. (unmarried), and Jacob, all of whom have joined the parents on the other side, save Miss Mary S., who resides at Parkersburg.
Robert Simpson and William Piatt, the two eldest sons, were the victims of a most thrilling experience while the family resided on the "Hatfield farm," they being but five and two years of age, respectively, at the time of the incident :
Their father being absent from home, their mother sent them to drive the young cattle to the forest, and, uncon- sciously, they wandered too far to find their way back ; and when they failed to return home in a reasonable length of time, she became alarmed, and, taking her babe in her arms, went to the home of her father-in-law and made the sad truth known — that her children were lost.
All the able-bodied men, with her husband, were at Park- ersburg— thirty miles distant, "at muster," but she gathered together what help she could — both men and women — and went in search of the little wanderers. But they being un- familiar Avith the forest, could not venture far, and all night long they searched to no avail, and on the following day the father was called home, and he, too, joined in the quest, which was continued throughout the next night all to no purpose;
166 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COiW'TV
but during" the thirfl day. however, they were found near three miles from tlic home ahnost perished from hunj^er and cold — the elder being in a state of unconsciousness. They had been out almost two days and nights without food, with the exception of a few berries that they had found. It was in the month of October, and during the first night, a cold rain had fallen, and the elder brother had taken ofif his coat and put it on the little one to keep him warm, and their dog helped to keep them from freezing at night. They said that their dog drove a "big black dog" away from them one night, but it was supposed to have been a bear, by the older people.
The mother could never speak of the pathetic incident in after years without tears.
John Piatt McKinney, the second son of William and Frances Piatt McKinney, was born in the Keystone state, on August 19; 1792; and on July 4, 1826, he was married to Miss Sarah A\'. Lacy, and near Cairo, they resided until 1836, when they removed to Parkersburg, and took charge of the '"United States" hotel — one of the best in the city at that time. Here Mrs. McKinney died, in 1844, at the age of forty-seven years, and two years later their only daughter, Frances Selina, passed on, at the age of thirteen years. Aftei tliis sad evenv, Mr. ^SIcKinne}-, principally, made his home with his brothei. David ; and here, on April 23, 1879, he passed from earth, and in the Odd Fellows cemetery, at Parkersburg, he rests.
His three sons were William Hopkins, David P.,^ and Thomas E. McKinney. The last two mentioned reside at Springfield. Ohio, and are unmarried.
Jacob McKinney, the third son of William and Frances Piatt AIcKinney, was born on X'ovember 16, 1799 ; and on June 9, 1828, he was married to ]\Iiss ]\Iary, daughter of Edward Skelton, senior, and settled just across the river from the old McKinnev homestead, where he and his wife saw the last of earth, and in the Egypt cemetery their ashes lie. He died on January 15, 1861.
Their nine children were as follows: Anne Eliza (Mrs. Luke Terrv). Cathrine (]\Irs. H. B. McCollum). fames, Mary
•David p. died in April, 1910.
FIRST SETTLERS IX THE CAIRO I'lCIXITY
167
M., Sarah, William S., and Frances A. (who all remained un- married) ; Jacob B., and John P. McKinney.
Hannah McKinney, the eldest daughter of William and Frances Piatt, was born in the "Keystone state," on March 13, 1795; and there she was married to Joseph Marshall, on September 23, 1816, and from there they went to Ohio, where they remained for a few years, before coming to this comity, and settling on the "Marshall homestead," near one mile south of Cairo. This old pioneer residence, with its massive chimney and huge fire-place, is one of the very few that have escaped the plans of the modern architect, and still stands, undisturbed, in its original state. It is now the property of A. M. Douglass, of Cairo.
The old Marshall home as it looks to-day, after almost the lap-e of a
century.
The first church organization in the community (Pres- byterian) was perfected at the Marshall home, and here, a little band of worshipers gathered regularly until a church- hotise was erected.
Mr. Marshall died in 1835, at the home of his brother-in- law, James McKinney, at Williamstown, he having been stricken with the fatal illness while on his wa}- home from a business trip to Cincinnati; and in the "Bukey cemetery" at Williamstown, he rests. His wife died at the old home near Cairo, in 1874, at the age of eighty years, and she lies in the Egypt cemetery.
IfiS HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
They were the parents of eight cliildren — seven sons and one daughter, the late AJiss Ellen Marshall, of Cairo, being- the (laughter. The sons were, William M., Francis J., John P. (who never married). Robert R., of Gilmer county; Jacob W., David H. (died in youth), and Hezekiah B. Marshall, of Buckhannon, who was a resident of Mining Flats, this state, for fifty-four years, and who is the only survivor of the family.
John W. Marshall, formerly of Oil Ridge, but now of Wood county, is a grandson of this pioneer, and he has not a few other descendants in this, and adjoining counties.
Jane McKinney, the second daughter of W illiam and Frances Piatt McKinney, was born on July 4, 1797, and was married to Edward Skelton, junior, on January 1, 1822, and. after a forty-five years' residence in the Cairo vicinity, they removed to Illinois, where all the family are sleeping, except Augustus D., who resides in Kansas City, Missouri.
Their other children, besides the one mentioned, were, John G. (a mute), who married Miss Prudence Chidester, who was, also, a mute ; William M., Frances (unmarried) ; Edward A., and Eliza J., who married George Briggs.
David McKinney, the fourth son of William, and Frances Piatt, and his sister, Kathrine, were twins. They were born, on August 1, 1801 ; and on December 29, 1831, David was mar- ried to Miss Sarah M. Henderson, and settled on the farm, given him by his father, in the Cairo vicinity, where he re- mained until 1848, when he removed to Harrisville, and after a three years' residence there, went to Willow Island, on the Ohio river, in Pleasants county, where he was identified in the mercantile business for the next three years. He tlien resided on a farm in Pleasants county for tv\^enty years, going frc>m there to A\'iiliamstown, where he fell asleep in 1881. in the eighty-first year of his life. His wife preceded him to the grave by three years, she having reached the age of seventy- one years. Both sleep near the St. John's Episcopal church in Pleasants county.
They were the parents of five daughters and one son. John, who died in infancy. The daughters were: Nancy, who married Oscar L. Ridgely ; Miss Frances Piatt AIcKinney. of Williamstown ; Alary J. (unmarried) ; Hannah Al.. who be-
FIRST SETTLERS IX THE CAIRO VICINITY 160
came Mrs. Giles R. Hanimat ; and Sarah C. who married John D. Sharp. Mrs. Sharp and Miss Frances alone survive.
Kathrine McKinney, the third daughter of William and Frances Piatt McKinney, who, with her brother, David, first saw the light on August 1, 1801, was married to David McGre- gor, on March 17. 1842, and settled at Cairo, where she died, on September 11, 18G3, and was laid in the Egypt cemetery.
Three children were the fruits of this union ; viz., William A., and John P., the sons, both died in infancy, and Frances S., the only daughter, is now Mrs. I. S. Hallam. of x\beline, Kan- sas.
Sarah McKinney, the youngest daughter of William and Frances Piatt McKinney, married Richard Wanless, senior, and was the mother of five children : John, A\'illiam A., Richard, junior, Frances and Mary Wanless. (For farther history of her family see Wanlesses.)
James McKinney, the youngest son of William and Frances Piatt, was born, on November 26, 1807 ; and he was married to Miss Suannah Bukey, on January 1, 1832, and the first years of their married life were spent at Williamstown. from whence they removed to Harrisville. where Mr. McKin- ney was engaged in the mercantile business, and wdiere he filled the County clerk's ofBce for a number of years. Here Mrs. McKinney died ; and on Alay 18, 1854, he was married a second time to Miss Minerva Stephens, of Harrisville, who stiii survives, fie died on July 2Q>, 1889, and lies at rest, be- side the wife of his youth, in the Harrisville cemetery.
The children of his first union were three in number: Drusilla B., who married William A. Wanless; Mary Eliza- beth, wife of Joseph Arbour; and Hezekiah McKinney, who lives in the West.
Alma, the late wife of Dr. W. E. Talbott, of Harrisville, was the one child of the second union.
170 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
"Hie hand of llic king that the scepter hath borne ; i'he bruvv of the priest that the mitre hath worn ; Tlie eye of the sage and the heart of the brave, Are hidden and lost in the depths of the grave.
So the multitnde goes, like the flower or the weed That withers away to let others succeed ; So the multitude comes, even those we behold. To repeat every tale that has often been told.
For we are the same that our fathers have been ; We see the same sights our fathers have seen ; We drink the same stream, and view the same sun, And run the same course our fathers have run.
®0 tlf^ ii^mnrg
of
(S\^t Bwttl^ S^MtVB
Richard and Eleanor Rutherford.
Farewell to the Highlands — farewell to the North, The birth-place of valor, the country of worth; Wherever I wander, wherever I rove. The hills of the Highlands, forever I love.
— Burns.
CHAPTER XI
Scotch Settlers
HE year 1819, brought a small colony of per- manent and substantial Scotch settlers to the Cairo vicinity. This colony included Richard Rutherford and his wife, Richard ^^'anless. senior, who was then a young man in his teens, and his sister, Miss Isabel Wan- less, and John Taylor, senior, and his wife, who were all brothers and sisters-in-law.
The Rutherfords. — Richard Rutherford and Miss Eleanor A\'anless were married at Leith, Scotland, in 1810, just on the eve of their departure for America; and upon their arrival here, they purchased a large tract^ of land near five miles beloAv Cairo, which is still owned by their descendants. Here they spent the remainder of their lives, and in the Egypt ceme- tery, they sleep.
They were the parents of ten children, whose descendants in this county are a host: Alary, Ellen, Ann, Susan, Margaret, Isabella, Kathrine, Jane, George, and Archibald Rutherford.
Mary Rutherford, the eldest daughter, became the wife of \Mlliam H. Douglass, and died childless. Ellen Rutherford married Andrew Hall and was the mother of nine children. -
Ann Rutherford, who was the wife of the late James Har- ris, was the mother of ]\Iiss Ella Harris, of Xew Concord, Ohio ; and of one son, who died in infancy.
Susan Rutherford became INIrs. Matthew Douglass, and died childless.
Margaret Rutherford, who was the wife of the late John P. Harris, of Harrisville, was the mother of three sons and
'This land had formerly been settled by Benjamin Butcher, who, with his first wife, rests here: but little else is known of his history other than that he came here early in the century.
-See Hall familv for names of her children.
SCOTCH SETTLERS 173
three daughters^ She fell dead while walking on the stree^ in New York city several vears ago, and with her husband sleeps at Harrisville.
Isabella Rutherford, who is the only survivor of the fam- ily, is now Mrs. George B. Douglass, of Petroleum ; and their only child is Dr. E. H. Douglass, who resides with them, and is the village physician.
Kathrine Rutherford remained unmarried.
Jane Rutherford married Jerome A. Vandiver, whose his- tory appears with the Smithville chapter, and her children were four in number.
George Rutherford, who was long a prominent factor in business, circles at Petroleiun, married Miss Sarah Griffin, and they Avere the parents of the following named children : John G., and Richard H., of Ohio; W. H. and S. I., of Petroleum; Jennie, Archibald and Newton, who are numbered with the dead: Alice (Mrs. John McCoy), of California; and Delia, who is now Mrs. McKinney, resides with her mother at the old home.
Archibald Rutherford was long a leading citizen of the Rusk community. He first married Miss Rebecca Grifim, of near Harrisville; and his second vv'ife was Miss Martha Campy bell, of Ohio. His family, which consisted of two sons and two daughters, were all born of the first union: Jennie, the eldest daughter, with her parents, lies in the Egypt cemetery; and the rest are all married ; viz., Ellen is the wife of H. E. McGregor, of Cairo; Erank is a physician of near Pittsburg; and Richard W., who was graduated from the college at New Concord. Ohio, and who spent several years in the profession of teaching, resides at the old home.
All the family except the three daughters, Margaret, Ann, and Jane, with their parents, slumber within the bosom of the old Egypt cemetery.
The first two mentioned, with their husbands, lie at Har- risville; and the last one, in Louisville, Kentucky.
While the Rutherfords have never been office-seekers, and have seldom held public positions, the progenitors of this family, as well as their innumerable descendants, have ever
'See Harris family.
]?4
HISTORY or RITCHIE COUNTY
stood for the best citizenship of the county ; and the name is an honored one in their native "Scotia," beyond the sea — Anne Rutherford, daughter of an eminent physician, of Edinburgh, who doubtless belonged to this same family, was the mother of one of Scotland's greatest bards — Sir Walter Scott — "The Wizard of the North."
The old Rutherford home as it looks to-day.' 'This was one of the oldest frame tauilding.s in this part of the coun- ty, it having been built near the year 1839, by Richard Rutherford. The old log cabin, which was the original home of Mr. Rutherford and prob- ably the one erected by Benjamin Butcher, the first pioneer here, still stands and one corner of it is visible in this picture.
The Wanlesses. — Richard Wanless, senior, iinarried Miss Sarah McKinney, youngest daughter of William and I^rances Piatt McKinney, who was born on January 15, 1805, in the Keystone state. They were married on April 17, 1830, and took up their residence in this vicinity on land still owned by their heirs ; and here they continued to reside until they were borne to the Egypt cemetery.
They were the parents of five children, all of whom ha^'e joined them on the other side : John, sleeps in Kansas; and all the rest; viz., William A., Richard, junior, Frances, and Mary, in the Egypt cemetery.
John married and had one son — Dr. Richard ^^''anless, of Xew York city.
W'illiam A. Wanless married Miss Drusilla McKinney, daughter of Jacob McKinney, and was the father of one son, William Wanless, junior.
Richard, junior, and Frances remained unmarried.
Mar}^ became IMrs. Christopher Douglass, of Cornwallis, and was the mother of two sons and tliree daughters ; viz..
SCOTCH SETTLERS 175
Richard W. is a dentist of St. Mary's ; and the other son, E. H. Douglas, is a prominent pulpit orator of the Presbyterian church, of Ohio: Fannie is Mrs. A. C. Rollins, of Cornwallis ; and Anna and Sarah are at home with their aged father.
These include the entire posterity of Richard, senior, and Sarah McKinney Wanless, to the third generation.
Isabel Wanless, sister of Richard, senior, who came from Scotland with the emigrant part}^ married Stephen Outward, and in the Egypt cemetery she sleeps. Her children were Mary, Jane, and William Outward.
George Wanless, an elder brother, came over at the same time. He married Miss Anne Douglass, and lived and died in Carroll county, 'Ohio.
Miss Bittie Wanless, another member of this family, mar- ried Robert Cranston, and settled in New York.
Mrs. Jennie Anderson, Mrs. Margaret Browne, Mrs. Susan Dodds, and William, who died in youth, with their parents, Archibald and Mary Rutherford Wanless, remained in Scotland. The Wanlesses and Douglasses, are closely al- lied by nature, the mother of Archibald Wanless being Miss Isabella Douglass before her marriage.
John Taylor, senior, and his wife, Mrs. Mary Wanless Taylor, took up their residence on the farm that is now the estate of their late son, John. Here, they remained until they were laid in the Egypt cemetery Avith the many others of their race. They were the parents of four children : Archi- bald, the eldest son, died in infancy ; Ellen never married ; John, who was born, lived, and died under the parental roof, niarried Miss Lydia Pew, but left no issue ; Sarah married David Pevv^, and was the mother of several children; xxz., John A., William, Archibald, and Florence, who, with her mother and brother. John, lives at the old home, and Anna, who has passed on.
The Douglasses, who also came from Scotland, were the next settlers in this vicinity. In 1818, John Douglass, senior, and his wife Susan Howee Douglass, with their four daugh- ters and two sons^ (viz.. Susan, Belle, Anna, Jane, William,
'Two nieinber.s of the family, Andrew Douglass and Mrs. Margaret Atcheson, remained in Scotland. Mrs. Atcheson died there, but Andrew came to thi.s country later.
176 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COi'XTY
and John, junior), bade adieu to their native land, and set sail for America, on the "good ship Queen Anne," landing in Phil- adelphia, after a long and perilous voyage, where the father died of fever, a week later, and where he was laid t'j rest.
After the father had passed from sight, the rest of the family went to Pittsburg — residing there and at other points in the Keystone state for a few years, before coming to Wheel- ing (West), Virginia, where they met with Jack and Robin- son, two earh' settlers of Bond's creek ; and through their influence came to Ritchie county and found a home in the Cairo vicinity — first on the late David Pew homestead, and a very little later, on the farm that is now the estate of the late John Douglass. They having purchased the latter tract of William McKinney, senior.
While residing here, the four Doviglass sisters, above mentioned, were married: Susan became Mrs. George Prater; Belle, Mrs. James West : Anna, ^Irs. George \\^anless ; and Jane, Mrs. John Younge ; and all went to Ohio, where they answered the final call.
The widowed mother, Mrs. Susan Howee Douglass, after- wards became the wife of William Layfield, the first settler on the South fork of Hughes river.
William Douglass. — On board the same "good ship" with the Douglasses was a prettv Scotch lassie by the name of Ellen Roberts, who, with her brother, William Roberts, was also bound for America : and at Halifax, she and Wiiliam Douglass were married, and along with the rest of the family, they came to the Cairo vicinity. But, in the earl}- thirties, leaving the John Douglass homestead, they went co the "Schultz farm," in Pleasants county ; and later, to the Cline farm on "Dry Ridge," and finally, during the construction of the Xorthwestern turnpike in the early forties, they re- moved to the late Andrew Douglass homestead, on Goose creek, and became the first settlers of the forest in what is now the Glendale vicinity. Here, they erected a large, hewed-log house, v.hich served as residence, hotel and post- ofifice ; ]Mr. Douglass being the first post-master at the "Goose creek" office. And here, in 18?7, the lamp of his life went out. His venerable companion had preceded him to the other shore
SCOTCH SETTLERS 177
by seven years, and side by side, they are sleeping in the "embracing mold" of tlie Douglass cemetery, not far distant from the U. B. church in that vicinity.
They were the parents of ten children : Elizabeth, the eldest daughter — born in 1S20, and died in 1905 — never mar- ried. Thomas and Margaret died in childhood. Susan mar- ried Harrison Cornell, of Pleasants county ; John married the daughter of his Uncle John Douglass, and went to Kansas, where he sleeps ; and Mary, who is now Mrs. Adami Robson, resides in Kansas.
Jeremiah R., who was one of the early pedagogues of the Glendale vicinity, married Miss Elizabeth Umphrey, and after residing on French creek, and in the Cornwallis com- munity for some years, he went to Cabin run, near Tollgate, where he saw the last of earth ; and beside his wife in the Douglass cemetery he is resting. His only daughter, Mrs. Mason, resides on Cabin run ; his son, Thomas, in Wirt coun- ty; D. E., is a prosperous merchant of Berea ; and William, the other son, died in youth.
Andrew married Miss Sarah M. Bills, and died at the old homestead in 1904. He was the father of fifteen children: Three died in infancy; John niet a tragic death in Oklahoma a year or so since, and the rest are as follows: Mrs. Mary J. Lowther, Mrs. Grace Emerick Mrs. Florence Scott, Mrs. Eva Templeton, Mrs. Elizabeth Irvin, Minnie and Mrs. iMyr- tle Snyder, Andrew R., Clarence W., Jeremiah L.. and Charles E. Douglass.
Eleanor Jane became ]\[rs. William Flamilton and went to Kansas, where she rests.
William Douglass, the last surviving son of the family, vv'ho was long a leading citizen of Highland, was laid in the Highland cemetery in November, 1909. He married Miss Sarah Cornell, daughter of pioneer John Cornell, and was the father of five children; viz., William, jimior, of Highland, is the only son ; Cathrine is Mrs. F. L. Hamilton, of the same place; Sarah Elizabeth is the wife of the Rev. A. D. Adams, of the West Virginia Methodist Episcopal conference ; Mary Eleanor is Mrs. D. W. Alkire, of Tyler county ; and Belle, Mrs. E. R. Reed, of Parkersburg.
HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTV
John Douglass, junior, son of John and Susan Howee Douglass, married Aliss ]\Iary Chne, daughter of Abraham Chne, a very early pioneer, who is said to have been the first white girl born west of the Blue Ridge mountains, and went to Kansas, where they heired their "six feet of earth.''
William Roberts, who came with this little band of emi- grants, married Aliss Xannie Cameron, and at Cairo they sleep. They left no issue.
Andrew and Catharire Hall Douglass.
Andrew Douglass. — The year 1829, brought Andrew Douglass, son of John and Susan Howee Douglass, with his wife, Catharine Hall Douglass, and their five sons (viz., John, Wm. H., Andrew, junior, Christopher, and Matthew), from Scotland, to the farm adjoining Cairo, which is still in the hands of his heirs.
This family crossed to New York in the '"Jean Hasty," and from there, made their way to the Ohio river, near the mouth of the Big Beaver ; there they rested while Andrew Hall, who was one of the party, went to Pittsburg- and secured a keel boat, and on this they drifted down the river to the mouth of Cow creek, in Pleasants county, where they were met by William Douglass and his horses, as this was the only means of conveyance at that time. Here, at Cairo, where they first settled, they spent the remainder of their
SCOTCH SETTLERS iro
lives, and in the Egypt bnrying-ground, they are sleeping, as are the sons above mentioned, with the exception of Christo- pher, who lives at Cornwallis.
Three children were added to the family after their ar- rival here : James R. died while serving as a soldier in the Civil war, and in the Egypt cemetery he, too, rests. Ellen married William Skelton, and at Litchfield, Illinois, she sleeps; and George 13. is of Petroleum.
John, the eldest son, was well known throughout the county, he having been County surveyor for many years. He married Miss Elizabeth Marsh, sister of the late Jefiferson Marsh, and at the old home at Cairo she still survives, though he has been gone for several years. Matthew I3ouglass, and Mrs. Emma (David) McGregor, of Cairo; and Mrs. Laura Crinnmett, wife of the Rev. S. P. Crummett — the Superin- tendent of the Parkersburg district of the West Virginia ^L E. conference, are his children.
Wm. H., too, was widely known, he having served as Clerk of the Circuit court for many years. He married "\iiss Mary Rutherford, and left no heirs.
Matthew, who married Miss Susan Rutherford, was killed by the falling of a tree, in the Cornwallis vicinity. He left no issue.
Andrew was twice married, his first wife being Miss Mary Hindmarsh, and his widow, Aliss Narcissus Smith. The one child — of the first union — was Andrew, junior, who has passed on.
Christopher, who has long been prominently identitied with the Cornwallis community, married Miss Mary Wariless,^ and five children were the fruits of this union.
Ellen, the only daughter, became Mrs. William Skelton and went to Illinois. -
George B. Douglass, the youngest member of the family, is a leading citizen of Petroleum. He is a veteran of the Civil war, having enlisted in the 2nd West Virginia Infantry V^ol- unteers in 1861; but owing to an illness which immediately followed, was not mustered into service until later in the year,
"See Wanless history.
-See Cairo chapter for lier family.
IH) HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
when lie re-enlisted in tlie Sixth Virginia, where his services continued for three years. He married Miss Isabella Ruther- ford, and is the father of one son, Dr. E. H. Douglass, of Petroleum, as before stated.
The name, Douglass, has been a distinguished one almost throughout the annals of Scotland. History tells us that they were "territorial magnates" before the time of Bruce and Wallace ; that they played a conspicuous part in the numer- ous wars that visited their native land from time to time; and that they early became guardians against the encroachment of the English — as their estates lay on the outer borders of the country. In the days of feudalism, they were a powerful clan ; and at the battle of Floddenfield, when James the Fifth of Scotland fell, tw^o hu.ndred of the name were slain.
The name not only figures prominently in the history of "Scotia," but it holds a place in its stories and its songs. In "Marmion," the pretty little poetical tale that Sir Walter Scott has woven about the Battle-field of Flodden, the memory of Archibald Douglass, the Earl of Angus, is enshrined.
He being a man of remarkable strength of body and mind acquired the popular name of "Bell-the-Cat." At the time that the war against England was declared, he was an old man, and he protested earnestly against such a step : and on the eve of the battle of Flodden, he remonstrated so vehement- ly on the impolicy of fighting that the King in a voice of in- dignation, told him "that he might go home if he were afraid." At this insufiferable insult, the brave old earl burst into tears and retired, leaving his sons, George, Master of Angus; and Sir William, of Glenbervie : in command of his followers. These sons were both numbered among the two hundred of the name that fell on that fatal day ; and the aged father, broken-hearted over the calamities that had befallen his house, sought relief from his sorrow within the friendly walls of a religious castle, where he died a year later.
To this same Archibald Douglass, the familiar, ireful lan- guage of Lord Marmion was directed when he exclaimed :
"If thou said'st, I am not peer, To any lord in Scotland here, Lowland or Highland, far or near, Lord Angus — thou — hast — LIED."
SCOTCH SETTLERS 181
In the "Lady of the Lake" it was the fair Ellen Douglass, that sang the simple lay, "Soldier Rest Thy Warfare O'er," etc., to the Knight of Snowden — to James Fitz James.
The Halls. — Andrew Hall, who is mentioned as a mem- ber of the Douglass emigrant party, was the son of William and Mrs. Ellen Brown Hall, of Scotland ; and a brother of Mrs. Andrew Douglass, senior, and of Mrs. Andrew Younge. He was at this time enjoying single life, but a little later, he claimed Miss Margaret Blake as his wife, and settled at Park- ersburg, where he was a stone contractor. He finally re- moved to Wheeling, and there he and his wife sleep. They were the parents of six children, two of whom have passed on. and the others reside at Wheeling, and in the far West.
Miss Isabel Hall, his sister, who was, also, a member of the emigrant party, lived and died at Cairo. She never mar- ried.
Mary Hall, another sister of Andrew, married James Browne, in Scotland, and came to the Cairo vicinity. Mr. Browne was a miller by trade, and they went from here to Brooke county, where they bade their final adieu to earth. They had six children, four of whom were born in Scotland, and some of their descendants still reside near Wheeling.
John Hall, another brother, married Miss Margaret Doug- lass, in Scotland, and after her death, he, too, with his family, came to America, and settled in the Cairo vicinity, in the year 1836; and there remained until he was laid in the Egypt cemcter3^ He had three sons and two daughters, who crossed the sea with him. Eespeth had married AVilliam Newland in her native land, and they settled in Pleasants county, where some of their descendants live.
Ellen Hall married James Pew and lived and died at her father's house. Her only child, Maggie, is now Mrs. Milton Wall, of Pennsylvania. After she was laid in the Egypt ceme- tery, Mr. Pew married Miss Nancy Younge, and was the father of four more children. The Pews are of German de- scent and came here from the "Keystone state."
John Han, junior, son of John and Margaret Douglass Hall, married Miss Hannah Pringle, and lived and tlied at Parkersburg, and there, beside his companion, he sleeps in
182 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
the Cook cemetery. His youngest daughter, Mrs. John Dare, now occupies the old home.
William Hall married Miss Mary Taylor, and resided be- tween Cairo and Cornwallis. His children are John, and Miss Margaret, of Cairo ; and Mrs. Mary Jenkins, of Petroleum.
Andrew Hall, junior, married Aliss Ellen Rutherford, and spent his life at the old homestead, near Cairo ; and in the Egypt cemetery beside his wife he is sleeping. He was the father of the following named sons and daughters : John Hall, of Beliott, Kansas; Richard R., of Harrisville ; William, a prominent merchant, of Cairo; Andrew and Archie L., of Ohio ; Misses Ellen and Mary, of Cairo ; and the late ]\Iiss Eppie. and another daughter who, with the parents, lie in the quiet churchyard.
The Younges. — Along with the Douglasses, in 1829, came Andrew Younge, and his family from Scotland. His wife, Mrs. Agnes Hall Younge, was a sister of Mrs. Andrew Doug- lass, and they were the parents of nine children — six daugh- ters and three sons — all of whom were born in Scotland, ex- cept one daughter and one son, who were born at Cairo. Mr. and r\Irs. Younge spent the remamder of their lives here and with the many other pioneers, sleep in the Egypt- cemetery.
Their children : William H. Younge married Miss W- meda Browne, of Parkersburg, and resided there until after her death, when he went West, and there re-married. He now lives in Arkansas, and is the only survivor of the family. He lost his eyesight six years ago and now lives in darkness. His family consists of three sons.
Andrew Younge, junior, married Miss Janet Smith, and lived at Parkersburg. Pie had two sons, and one daughter. Lulu, Avho was the late wife of U. B. Merchant, of Cairo.
Jolm married Miss Rebecca Lowther, daughter of \M11- iam. of Cairo, and died childless.
Xancy became the second wife of James Pew, and her children were four in number ; viz., Preston, Andrew, Jessie and Xannie, who, after her death, with their father, went West. They now reside at St. Louis, Missouri. X^annie is married.
Ellen Younge married Brigham Wood, of ^^'hite Oak,
SCOTCH SETTLERS 1S3
and left no issue; and Mary, Isabel, Christiana, and Margaret never married.
John Layfield, senior, eldest son of William Layfield, whose history appears witli the South fork settlers, was an- other early pioneer in this section. He was born in the wilder- ness, on the S. H. Westfall farm, above Smithfield, on Febru- ary 4, 1803 — was perhaps the first child born within the ores- ent limits of this county. He married Miss Elizabeth Moats, and first settled on "Dry Ridge," on Goose creek, and from- there he removed to the dividing ridge between Addis' and Elm runs, v/here his grandson, Noah Layfield, now lives ; and there he passed from earth on March 5, 1877, and in the Mt. Moriah churchyard, he sleeps. His wife was laid by his side in 1892.
They were the parents of eleven children. One died in childhood, and the rest are as follows: the late Henry, John, junior, Jacob, George, Mrs. Mary (Uriah) Shrader, ti;e late Mrs. Margaret (Milton) Reger, Mrs. Sarah Furr, the late Mrs. Elizabeth Hilkey, and the late Miss Julia Lavfield. all of this county.
Nearly all of the Layfields in the county are descended from John, senior. His brother, Sanford, lived and died near Cornwallis, where he was tTinnel watchman on the B. & O. rail- road for many years. The others went West. John Layfield, senior, and his sons, George and James, were all Union sol- diers in the Civil war.
The Philippses were another worthy pioneer family that have heretofore been overlooked.
They crossed the "briny deep" from the "Emerald Isle" at a date unknown, and settled at Norfolk, Virginia. Here Benjamin Philipps was born in 1810 ; and at the age of twelve years, with his parents, Thomas D. and Mrs. Sarah Lemon Philipps, he removed to Belington, Barbour county, where he grew to manhood and where his parents fell asleep.
In 1830, he came to this county, where he met and mar- ried Miss Mary Deem, daughter of pioneer Jacob Deem, wha was born here in 1812 ; and shortly after his marriage, set- tled on the North fork of Hughes river, six miles below Cairo,. < n the old homestead that is still in the hands of his heirs.
184 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COL'XTY
Here, he continued to reside, until April, ISQ?, when he was borne to his final resting- place in the Egypt cemetery. Here, his companion also rests.
They, like the other pioneers, came at a time when the forest was resonant with the howl of the wild beast, and tlicir domestic animals were not unfrequently disturbed by the bear and the wolf.
This venerable couple were the parents of a large family of sons and daughters; viz., Thomas D.. Lawford ; Benjamin F., A. R., Mrs. Sarah Dotson, the late Rev. A. Id. Philipps, of the Baptist church, and the late Mrs. Rachel (George) Twyman, all of Rusk; D. M. V., of Smithville. who was a Confederate soldier; Philip C, wdio resides at Elizabeth; and Mrs. Cinderilla (Samuel) Hatfield, Cairo.
Thomas D. lost his hearing when a small child, and was educated at the college for the Deaf and Blmd at Staunton. Virginia, as was his wife, Mrs. Lydia Bartlett Philipps.
The Sharpnacks. — Sharpnack is another prominent, pio- neer name that belongs to the history of this part of the coun- ty. This family trace their ancestry to Germany, where the name Avas originally spelled "Scharpenack."
In the year 1759, the founder of this family, leaving his native land — "Prussia" — wdth his wife and one child, Peter, set sail for the New World ; but he died on board the emi- grant ship, and was, doubtless, sunk beneath the waves, and his widow^ and child came on to Philadelphia alone. Here, a few^ months later (in 1760), she gave birth to another son, who was known as "Henry." These two sons grew up in the "City of Brotherly Love," and became identified as silk merchants.
Peter returned to the place of his nativity at Elberfeld Half Camp, Prussia; and Henry took up his residence at Rice's Landing, in Pennsylvania, where he met and married Miss ]\Iary Rice in the year 1783. Here he reared a large family; and here his last hours were spent — in 1848. Pie was locally known as "River Plenry."
His sons were : Daniel, Samuel, Henry, Peter. John, Jacob, and William ; and he had three or more daughters.
John, with his wife and brothers, Samuel arid Henry.
SCOTCH SETTLERS 185
crossed the plains to Pike's Peak, in 1819, in wagons drawn by their cows. Having secured some gold there, they all re- turned to Iowa and settled near Modale, where they reared families.
William Sharpnack, who was born near the year 1785, was married near 1808 to a Miss Anderson, and settled in Wetzel county, on the site that is now marked by the Anthem post-office. Here he established a mill and a distillery, and reared a large family. Near 1840, while chopping wood, he met with an accident that cost him his life.
tlis children were : Richard, Daniel, Samuel, William, John. Henry, Peter. Hiram, Jane and Hester.
William Sharpnack, junior, was born in 1810, and married Miss Sarah Harris, daughter of Anthony Harris, and removed from Wetzel to Ritchie county in 1845 ; and after resid- ing for a brief time on Buffalo run, settled on a tract of land near the present site of the "California House." Here, his wife, Sarah, died, leaving three children, Elias, Anthony and Elizabeth, who died in her youth. Some time after this sad event, he married Miss Margaret Cokeley, daughter of Daniel Cokeley, of near Harrisville, who only survived a short time. He then married her sister. Miss Mary Cokeley, and three children were born of this union; viz., John I., Frank D., and Martha, who became Mrs. William Cox, and went to Hot Springs, Arkansas, where she died without issue.
After the death of his third wife, William Sharpnack mar- ried Miss Eleanor Pipes, of Tyler county, who still survives. He lived a long and useful life, dying on July 8, 1890, at the age of eighty years. He was a leader in the Methodist Epis- copal church, and was Captain of the Militia before the Civil war. His sons Elias and Anthony, were soldiers of the Union army for three years.
Hiram Sharpnack, brother of William, who was born on April 11, 1818, married Miss Lydia Harris, daughter of An- thony, in 1843 ; and five years later he came to this county and settled on a tract of land joining his brother, near the Cali- fornia House, where he remained until his death on November 20, 1880. He was a skillful workman in both wood and iron — was a cabinet-maker, builder, and mill-wright.
)S(i HISTORY or RITCHIE COUX'TY
His wife died in January, 1886.
They were the parents of nine children : \iz., William H., Daniel M., Rachel A., Isaac N., Sarah F., Lucy J., Alary V'.. Ella P., and Martha E.
William H. served as a Union soldier for three one-half years during the Civil war ; and then married Miss Kathnne Smith, of Freeport, and settled there, where he has been a leading figure in business and political circles for forty years. His wife died in 1906, and his two children are ]\Irs. ^Minnie (R. C.) Marshall, and Joseph N. Sharpnack, wdio was for sev- eral years identified with the Cairo Bank.
(For D. M.'s Family see Petroleum.)
Isaac X. and his wife, Ida J. Huntington, and their onl}- son Fred, reside at Parkersburg, where he is manager of the Western Union Telegraph Company.
Rachel A., the eldest daughter, married Thomas Bath- gate, of Scotland, who, in 1865, removed from the old "Bath- gate homestead," at Petroleum, to Missouri, wdiere she died a number of 3'ears ago, leaving several children, who are prom- inently known in dilierent parts of the West. After her deaths Mr. Bathgate re-married and he now lives at Polo, Missouri, at the advanced age of eighty-one years, surrounded by ease and luxurv. When he first came to America, he worked at digging ditches for the small sum of eight dollars a month snd his board.
Sarah F., the second daughter, became Mrs. James Lil- lie, of New York, and went to Missouri, where her husband died in 1905, leaving a small family.
]\Iary F. Sharpnack, who died in 1886, was the wife of the late Alfred B. Enoch, and mother of Chester Enoch, of Parkersburg.
Ella P. married Winfield Clarke, of \'olcano, and resides at Tacoma, Washington, and has one son, AA'infield. The other daughters never married.
John Sharpnack, a cousin of William and Hiram, with his wife, Hannah, also came to Ritchie county in the forties, and settled on Bufifalo run, where he reared a large famii>, which are as follows : Hiram, Abraham, Elma, ]\Irs. Lydia A. (J. W\) Hensley, Mrs. Sarah J. (John H.) A\'endell. of
SCOTCH SETTLERS 187
AJichigan; Airs. Mahala (John B.) Rice, and Henry Sharpnack, Seattle, Washington.
All the different families of this name in the United States are said to have been descended from the same common ancestors in the Fatherland.
CHAPTER XII
Bond's Creek Settled
Bond's creek is a stream not noted in song,
No pencil or tongue its beauties portrayed; Unwritten, unsung it glided along,
Keeping time to the music it ripples made.
'Tis a gentle stream with its winding way.
Through a woodland d&U where the wild flowers bloom;
Where the trees their pliant branches sway. And the air is filled with a sweet perfume.
—John S. Hall.
OXD'S CREEK, with its numerous trib- utaries, drains one of the most fertile regions in the county. It has its source in the dividing ridge between Tyler, Pleasants, and Ritchie, and its confluence with the Xorth fork at Cornwallis, eighteen miles dis- tant.
Its name perpetuates the memory of one of its earliest settlers — "Lewis Bond."
Mr. Bond has, hertofore, been recognized as its first pioneer, but careful investigation proves this to be in error, as George Husher was without doubt his predecessor here. But as ]\Ir. Husher's improvement was slight, and liis stay brief, his rightful claim to this distinction was lost to view until quite recently, when the facts were brought to light from their hiding-place in the cob-webby past.
The Coming of the Hushers. — George Husher is recog- nized as the second^ pioneer within the present bounds of the county, as his settlement at Highland closely followed that of John Bunnell, at Pennsboro, in 1800.
^But so many came near the same time that it is difficult to establish this fact beyond doubt.
BONDS CREEK SETTLED 189
Mr, Husher was of German origin, and was probably born in the Fatherland. However, his natal day was July 6, K'71, and that of his wife. Annie Terrell, who was a native of one of the New England colonies, was December twelfth of the same year. They were married on February 12, 1793 ; and as early as 1801, came to Highland and opened a blacksmith- shop and a house of public entertainment; but after a brief residence here, they removed to Husher's run — to the farm that is now the home of John Fowler, near three miles below Elienboro ; and from there, in 1830, they went to Cabin run, and became the first citizens of the forest where Tollgate now stands ; the site of their old cabin being marked by the resi- dence of the late T. J. Broadwater. Here, in 1838, Mr. Husher fell atleep, and in 185G, his wife, Annie, was laid by his side in the Baptist church cemetery, at that place.
Their family consisted of six daughters and two sons ; viz., Elijah, Mary, Kathrine, Elizabeth, Jacob, Anna, Nancy, and Selina Husher.
Elijah Husher was born on October 19, 1794. and on April 3, 1818, he was married to Miss Mary (or Polly) Cunning- ham, da'ughter of Edward Cunningham, of Bond's creek ; and remained in this part of the county until after the early death of his wife, when he went West and spent much of his time in traveling about until late in life, when he settled down v/ith his only daughter, Margaret, at Terre Haute. Indiana, where he rests.
Mary Husher, born March 13, 1796, was married to Alexander Sommerville, on January 28, 1836 ; and near West Union they resided until 1878, when they removed to Kansas, where they rest. Their children were five in number: Adol- phus, of West Union; the late A. B., and S. Salome Lowther (first wife of the Rev. Oliver Lowther), of Pullman: Mrs. Minnie Davis, and Busie, who went to Kansas with their parents.
Kathrine Husher, born July 31, 1799, became Mrs. Nixon, on October 21, 3 822, and went to Ohio, where she reared a family and died.
Elizabeth Husher, who was born on October 17, ISO;*, was the late Mrs. Bond, of Indiana. She had one daughter,
190 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Selina, and one son, Lewis Bond, who came I^ack to Ts'ler county, near twenty-five years ago^ and was married to a Z^Iiss Wilson, of the Pennsboro vicinity.
Jacob Husher was born on September 1, 1805, and went to Ohio in his younger days, where he met and married Miss Nancy Boran, of Washington county ; and at Covington, Ken- tacky, they established their home, a little later. Here he enlisted in the Union cause and served for four years ; and here he spent his last hours, near the year 1878. His only child, Xancy. became Mrs. Ridgeway, of Covington.
Annie B. Husher, born on December 28, 1807, was first married to John Ankrum, of Highland; and they settled near Centreville, in Tyler county, where Mr. Ankrum and their three sons — George, Solomon, and Augustus, all died Avithin a few months; and her second husband was William ]\Ioore, of North Bend IMill, and this marriage was childless.
Nancy Husher, born, perhaps, near the year 1809, was married to John Rawson on August 26, 1887 ; and settled in the Ellenboro vicinity, where they both lived and died. They had no children of their own, but they reared three of his brother's children ; viz., Thomas, Samuel, and Mary Rawson. who was the late wife of Eber Mason, of Pennsboro. ^Ir. Rawson passed from earth in July, 1861, and his wife, in August of the following year.
Selina Husher was born on December 13. 1813; and on May 14, 1843, she became the v/ife of George Haddox, son of Raleigh Haddox, of this county; but in 1867, they removed to Pleasants county, where their lives came to a close. She died on April 21, 1894; and he. on June 19, 1898. They were the parents of seven children; viz.,
Virginia, Greene, John R., Mary Ann, M. D.. G. B.. and Cindonia, who died in early childhood.
The Bonds. — Lewis Bond, the second settler of this creek, whose memoiy is so fittingly enshrined by its name, was born in Cecil county, Maryland, on February 16, 1780, amidst the din of the American Revolution ; and on November 15, 1805, he was married to Miss Lydia John, daughter of Jehu and Elizabeth David John, and granddaughter of the Reverend Enoch David, of Philadelphia, who was also a native of the
BOND'S CREEK SETTLED 191
Keystone state — of Fayette county. And in 1813, with her, he removed to Brookville, Indiana, and three years later (1816), came to Bond's creek, and established a home north of High- land ; but we are without authentic information as to the exact scene of this settlement. However, he later removed to Gnat's run, where he built the "old brick house" that is now owned and occupied by Robert Cunningham — it being, perhaps, second only in age to the "stone house" at Pennsboro.
After a long residence here he removed to the wSouth fork of Hughes river, in Doddridge county, where he remained but a short time, before going to Quiet Dell, in Harrison county, near the year 1860. There he quietly passed into the land of eternal rest, on April 1-1, 1867. And within the peaceful bosom of the old Seventh-Day Baptist cemetery, at Lost creek, in Harrison county, he lies in his last sleep.
He and his wife, Lydia, were the parents of twelve chil- dren, which are as follows : Alfred J., Edwin P., Ethelbert D., Benjamin Franklin, Thomas, and Lewis, junior, who died in youth, (and another son was named Lewis J.), and Richard C. ; Rebecca E., the eldest daughter, married William P. Bond ; Casandra, Simeon Bond ; Mary Ann, Thomas Booth Bond ; and Lydia, Daniel D. Kildow.
Two of these sons were ministers of the gospel, and four were physicians. All have now crossed to the other side, but their descendants are widely scattered in this and other states.
The original home of the Bonds was in Cornwell county, England, where there remains to-day the ruins of an ancient castle, which was held by their antecessors for more than three hundred fifty years.
They belonged to the landed aristocracy of their day, and were recognized by the higher castes in the social realm.
But the first account we have of the family in America, begins with the year 1700, when Richard Bond and his wife, Sarah, crossed to the colonies.
Their son, Samuel, married Miss Ann Sharpless, daughter of John Sharpless, of Chester, Pennsylvania, wdio formerly came from Cheshire, England, and from him the Ritchie coun- ey family trace their lineage.
This marriage took place in 1736, and a pretty little tradi-
192 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
tional romance is woven about it, which says that they eloped at the ages of nineteen and fourteen years, respectively; and that they were pursued by the girl's father, who arrived too late to prevent the ceremony; but he, seeing the fallacy of farther opposition, joined, good naturedly, in the nuptial feast and "took the children home."
Samuel and Ann Bond were the parents of four children: Richard Clayton, Sarah, Margaret, and Susanna.
Richard Clayton Bond, this only son, was born in Cecil county, Maryland, in 1728, and was twice married ; his (irst wife being Miss Mary Jarman, of Cumberland county, Mary- land; and his second Miss Mary Booth. He removed to Har- rison county, this state, later in life, where he saw the last of earth.
He was the father of fifteen children : Samuel, born in 1754, Richard, Susana, Levi, Lydia, John, Abel, Sarah, and Mary were the nine children of the first union. And Rachel, Thomas, Lewis, Rebecca, Mary Aim, who died in infancy, and another daughter named Mary Ann were the fruits of the second union.
Lewis Bond, above mentioned, son of Samuel and Mar\^ Booth Bond, was the Ritchie county pioneer, after whom Bond's creek was named.
And Rebecca Bond, his twin sister, who married Thomas Haymond, of Harrison county, was the grandmother of Mrs. Creed Collins, senior, of Pennsboro. (See Llaymond family history.)
Sarah Bond, the daughter of Samuel and Ann Sharpiess Bond, married Ebeneezer Howell, of New Jersey, in 174:9, and they were the parents of — Samuel, Richard, Lewis, Sarah. Ebeneezer, Azariah, Susanna, Tamar, Margaret, Anne, and George.
Their son Richard Howell was, in 1775, appointed Cap- tain of the Fifth Company in the Second Battalion of the "Jer- sey Line." He spent the winter with his command in the Highlands of the Hudson, and was a participant in the unsuc- cessful expedition to Canada in the spring.
He was in active service tliroughout the Revolution, and was in the noted engagements at Brandywine and German-
BOXD'S CREEK SETTLED 193
town, and witnessed tlie terrible suffering" of the patriotic army at Valley Forge.
In 1793, he was chosen governor of his native st<?ie-- New Jersey, and served as chief executive for eight consecu- tive terms.
He was the grandfather of Mrs. Jefferson Davis, the late wife of the only President of the Southern Confederacy.
In a biographical work on the Governors of New^ Jersey, the following beautiful tribute is paid to his memory :
"Howell, for social virtue far-famed, Shone in the ranks and urged the dreadful war; His graceful form expressed a noble mind, The soul of honor, friend of human kind."
Margaret Bond, daughter of Samuel and Ann Sharpless Bond, married Jonathan Davis, of New Castle county, Dela- w^are, who was the founder of the Newark Academy — now the Delaware college; and their children were: Ann, Samuel, David, Ammi, Susanna, Sarah, Richard, and John.
Susanna Bond, daughter of Samuel and Ann Sharpless Bond, married Elnathan Davis, and their children were : Rachel, Jonathan, Jacob, Ebeneezer, Jebediah, Susanna, Sam- uel Bond, Jeremiah, Elnathan. Susanna (the first Susanna having died in infancy), and Margaret.
Jack and Robinson. — The next settlers on this creek were an Englishman by the name of Jack, and Charles Robinson, a Scotchman, brothers-in-law, who both took up their resi- dence in the same house, at Highland. Jack had been an ad- miral in the British navy, and he first came to the "New World" in his official capacity during the war of 1812. Rob- inson is also said to have been an officer in the Brittish army ; and shortly after the close of our second conflict with the Mother-Country, they came to Bond's creek. They went from here to Rock Island, Illinois, some time during the twen- ties, and there some of their descendants still live.
The McGregors. — John McGregor, senior, was the next settler at Highland. He was born and reared near Edin- burgh, Scotland, and there learned the blacksmith's trade, in 1809. he was married to Miss Susanna Blakeley, of Glasgow ; and three years later, with their little son, James, they set
194 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
sail for America; and after a six month's voyage, landed in Philadelphia, where the}^ remained until April, 1819, when they went to Pittsburg" in an emigrant wagon. From here they floated down tlie Ohio river to the mouth of Bull creek, and from there via the "Old State road" found their way to Bond's creek, where they established a permanent home, and reared one of the most prominent and highly respected fam- ilies of the county.
]\Ir. McGregor was one of the earliest blacksmiths here, and his great-grandson, M. A. McGregor, is the present High- land blacksmith.
During the latter part of the year 1830, he, being in very ill healtli, went to Uniontown. Pennsvlvania. to consult a physician whose fame had been wafted far and wide, but who proved to be a fake: and there, on January 3, 1832, he passed into the other world at the age of fiftv-two vears. eleven months, ten days, and as there were no facilities for bringing the remains home, they were laid away in the old Presbyterian churchyard, at Uniontown.
A marble slab of antique design marks his resting place, which has only been viewed by two of his descendants — John McGregor, his son, who accompanied him on his last journey, and Charles L. Hall, his great-grandson.
Mrs. ]\IcGregor rests in the family burying-ground at Highland.
This venerable couple were the parents of eleven children ; viz., James, John, junior, David, Susan, AX'illiam, Jeannette. Thomas, Joseph, and Alexander McGregor. Elizabeth and another Thomas who died in inianc}'.
James McGregor, the eldest son, who was born in Scot- land on Augvist 16, 18] 0. was married to Miss Jane Morrison, of Marietta Ohio, and settled on Bond's creek, Avhere he re- mained until after the death of his wife, in 1855, when he re- moved to Cairo. Here he engaged in the mercantile business : and here he fell dead while sweeping his porch in 1874. He was the father of eight children, all of whom have joined him on the other side, except three.
Susan died in youth. Sarah was the late Mrs. Bail Wil- son, of Pennsboro ; and Baxter. Renic, and |ohn have also
BOND'S CREEK SETTLED 195
passed on. James, junior, William, and Florence, who is Mrs. Elmer Devaughn, live in the West.
John McGregor, the second son, was born in the "City of Brotherly Love," on May 14, 1813 ; and on September 11, 1834, he was married to Miss Delilah Martin, who w^as born on August 19, 1817 ; and at Hebron, in Pleasants county, they established their home and reare'd a large family. Here he died in 1886, and here many of his descendants live.
His children are : The Rev. Silas McGregor, of the West Virginia Methodist Episcopal conference ; William M., Tyler county; S. E. (Mrs. Asa Fitzwater), Pennsboro; Cathrine (Mrs. Amos Wagner), India D. (single), Jeannette G. (Mrs. John Odell), all of Plebron ; and Anna D., Susanna B., Elva J.. Fanny R. (Mrs. F. M. Morgan), David W., Eliza J., and Spencer B. McGregor have all passed on.
David McGregor, the third son of the family, was, also, born in the "City of Brotherly Love," on June 4, 1815, and with his parents came to Bond's creek in his early childhood. Here he remained until he had reached the age of twenty-two years, when he went to "the McKinney settlement" and formed a mill partnership with William Lowther, of Cairo ; but he became the sole owner of this mill property, a little later (1838), and run a store in connection with it. The post- office (with William McKinney post-master), was also kept at this mill. Near the year 1850. he erected another mill, at Cairo, and opened a store in the same building; and for sev- eral years (until he sold the lower one), he operated both mills and stores. His mercantile business at Cairo continued down to his old age, and he was prominently known in polit- ical, church, and lodge circles. He was a charter member of the Kate Barclay L O. O. F. lodge, which was organized in November, 1848, and was also a charter member of the Good Templars' order, which was instituted at Cairo, in 1870. Being installed as Grand Worthy Chief of the latter, he organized mau}^ Good Templar lodges throughout the state, and was the candidate for Governor on the Prohibition ticket in 1884. He held the commission of Colonel in the State militia at the breaking out of the Civil war, and was profifered the Colonency in both the Confederate and the Union armies, but declined
196
HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
to accept, as he wished to remain on neutral grounds. He was a life-long Democrat, and three times represented his Senatorial district in the legislative halls at the State Capitol — (1878-1882). And he was one of the earliest presidents of the Sunda}' school organization of the county.
On March 17, 1S4-2, he was married to Miss Kathrine AIc- Kinney, daughter of William and Frances Piatt McKinney, and, at their home at Cairo, she passed from earth, on Septem- ber 11, 1863, leaving one daughter, Frances S., who is now Mrs. 1. S. Hallam. of Abeline, Kansas. The two sons, William A., and John P., born of this union, died in infancy.
On Xovember 1, 1864, Mr. McGregor again took the mar- riage vow, when he claimed Mrs. Matilda Lowther, daughter of Jesse Lowther, of Cornwallis, and widow of Maxwell Low- ther, as his wife : and six children were the result of this union ; viz., Lilian B., who is Mrs. Robert W^ilson, of Parkers- burg; David G., of Cairo; Rob Roy, of the South; Nettie Pauline, F. Herbert McGregor, who is a prominent young barrister of Parkersburg, and Miss Lelia Bertha McGregor.
Mr. McGregor passed away very suddenly while absent from home on business in 1891, and was brought back to the Egypt cemetery for burial. Mrs. McGregor still survives at the old home at Cairo. The one daughter oi her former mar- riage is Airs. Mary Lowther Earnest, of the West.
."■'In,
William and Elizabeth Hall McGregor.
BOND'S CREEK SETTLED 197
William McGregor, the fourth son of the family, was but an infant when his parents came to Bond's creek, he having been born at Philadelphia, on October 25, 1818.
On April 24, 1814, he was married to Miss Elizabeth Gregg Hall, daughter of Samuel G. Hall, who was born in Bar- bour county, on September 25, 1825 ; and settled at the old homestead on Bond's creek, which is still in the hands of his heirs. ^ Here the sun of his w^ell-spent life sank behind the Western hills in December, 1903. His ^ enerable widow, who was revered by a legion of friends, survived until May 3, 1910, when she passed away at the home of her son, W. S. McGreg- or, at Cairo. Both rest in the Highland cemetery. Few women have called forth a higher tribute than the one paid to her beautiful Christian character by the pen of a grand- daughter on the occasion of her recent death ; and few, per- haps, have been more entitled to such a tribute. Generous, intellectual, kind and loving, she was almost universally ad- mired.
The children of this family are as follows:
Harlan P., wholesale china dealer, of Wheeling; the late Mrs. Virginia (John) Cottrell, of Parkersburg, who died in 1895; Mrs. Anna (G. F.) Carroll, Fairmont; J. B. McGregor, Pennsboro : Burns and Clyde, Salem; Mrs. Rose (Theodore) Furbee, Tyler county; W. S., Cairo; Mrs. Mary (James) Chestnut, Ohio ; Indiana died in infancy, and Homer, who was graduated from the Marietta College, and also from the Presbyterian Union Theological Seminary at Cincinnati, died after having served as pastor of a church in the South for one year.
Thomas McGregor, born on Bond's creek, on September 19, 1823, went to Madison, Indiana, at the age of seventeen years to live with his uncle, Thomas McGregor; and chere he married and reared a family of six children by his first wife, and three by his second.
Shortly before his death in 1903, he removed to Kansas, where he rests. His descendants principally live in Indiana, Kansas and New Mexico.
''He purchased four thousand acres on this creek, in 1838, at a tax sale for seven cents an acre, and tlie wliole county and state tax at this time was but forty cents on the entire tract. Tlie family still own five hundred acres of tliis tract.
198 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Joseph McGregor, the youngest son of the family that reached the years of maturity, was borU; Hved and died on Bond's creek, where he sleeps. His life began on May 11, 1825, and ended in 1898. He married Miss Eliza Jane Alartin, and was the fatlier of six children; viz., Baxter McGregor, Misses Gallic, and Mattie, Highland: Bryson, the late Mrs. Josephine Saterfield ; and Mrs. Frankie (Marion) Alkire, who now lives at McMechen, Marshall county.
Alexander McGregor, born on March 7, 1827, died in his young manhood. And Susan, born March 5, 1817, died in 1876, unmarried. Elizabeth, born February 2. 1812, died August 12, 1852. Another son named Thomas, born May 25, 1820, died at the age of five months and fifteen days.
Jeanette McGregor, the only daughter that reared a fam- ily, born in 1821, was married to Leonard S. Hall, brother of John S. Hall, the blind poet, who was long a leading barrister' of New Martinsville; and after his death, in 1875, she went to Wheeling, where she spent her last hours at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Addie Baggs, in 1904.
Her other children are as follows: Mrs. Sue Newman, Hon. vSeptimus Hall, who was a member of the State Gonsti- tutional Gonvention in 18"} 2, and who has since been a mem- ber of both houses of the Legislature, Bruce Hall, and the late William, all well-known lawyers of New Martinsville.
At the time of the coming of the McGregors, this country was engaged in its second war with Great Britain, and it Vv^as the custom of the British men-of-war to take young unmar- ried men from the emigrant ships bound for these shores and press them into their service; and on board this vessel, as a member of the McGregor party, was a young man b}' the name of Ferguson, who was made the unfortunate victim of this custom ; he being seized and taken on board a British man-of-war, from which he escaped by swimming to shore at some point on the coast of Florida. From here he made his way to Ganada, and finally, back to the place of his nativ- ity at Edinburgh, Scotland, where he became a prosperous business man.
Thomas McGregor, senior, an elder brother of John, senior, came to America also, and settled in Indiana, where
BOND'S CREEK SETTLED 199
he lived and died. He married but had no children ; but as above stated, he partl}^ reared his nephew, Avho bore his own name — Thomas McGregor.
The Halls. — "About two hundred years ago there was a young farmer by the name of Hall residing in the Northerp part of England." He fell in love with a beautiful Scotch lassie, wooed and won her ; and, doubtlessly, influenced by the wonderful tales they had heard of the New World, shortly after their marriage, they crossed the ocean and settled at Duck Bridge, Maryland, not far from Baltimore. Here, after rearing a family of several children, they died at an advanced age.
One of their sons, Samuel, married, and was the father of two sons, Thomas and Joseph ; and when the Revolution- ary war broke out, the father and the elder son, Thomas, took up arms in defense of the colonies, and served under the direct command of General Washington.
Samuel and his wife died within two days of each other,, and were laid in the same grave ; and after their death, their sons crossed the mountains and settled in Pendleton county (W.) Virginia, on the South branch of the Potomac, where they v/ere engaged in farming.
Joseph was first married to Miss Barbara Dickenson, and David, John, Samuel, Thomas, and Nancy, were the children of this union.
After her death, he (Joseph) removed to Harrison coun- ty, where he was again married to Mrs. Elizabeth Reger Tal- bott, who was the mother of his three sons, Jacob R., Enoch, and Philip ; and his two daughters, Kathrine, and Phoebe Hall. Here he died in 1821, at the age of eighty years, and his widow, who survived him, lived to the age of eighty-seven.
John Hall, a son of his first union, married Miss Eliza- beth Gregg, and was the father of Samuel G. Hall, the Ritchie county pioneer, and of four other children ; viz., Louis Ches- tine, Thomas, Nancy and Elizabeth.
Samuel G. Hall was born in Harrison county, in 1803,' and there the days of his youth and his young manhood were: spent. In 1823, he was married to Miss Rachel Hudkins,. daughter of Barton Hudkins, whose history appears among;
200 HISTORY Of RITCHIE COUXTY
the early settlers of U'hite Oak, and after spending the first nineteen years of their married life in Barbour and Tyler counties, they came to Ritchie in 1842, and took up their resi- dence on Bond's creek, at the mouth of Dog Comfort, on a part of the farm that is now the homestead of Thomas Dye. Two years later they emigrated to Indiana, and there, in 184('), Air. Hall fell asleep, and at X"ew BuiTalo, Michigan, his ashes lie. In 18-i9, Airs. Hall, with her three younger children, re- turned to Bond's creek, where she continued to reside until 1874, when she removed to St. Alary's, where she bade adieu to earth in 1883, and at Highland she lies at rest.
The children of this family were twelve in number — seven girls and five boys: Naomi (who married Jacob Bosler), Sacharissa (x\mos Gorrell), and Rebecca (W'iibert Rider), have all passed on. Sarah A. is Mrs. S. P. Howell, of Indiana ; Elizabeth, the late venerable widow of William McGregor, of Highland: and Misses Alary J., and Xannie P., reside at St. Alary 's. Aliss Nannie has led a very active life, she having taught school for forty-four years in Indiana, and Wc-^t \"ir- ginia. In 1883-4, she was principal of the St. Alary's school — an honor that has never been conferred on any other member of her sex.
She has been engaged as a teacher in Sunday-school work for more than fifty years, and was President of the St. Alary's organization, of the W. C. T. U. for seventeen years.
Leonard S. Plall, the eldest son of the family, was a mem- ber of the Richmond Convention that passed the ordinance of secession. He took an active interest in the attairs of the Confederacy during the war, and at its close went to Wetzel county, where he served as Prosecuting Attorne}', and rose to eminence at the bar. Here he died in 1875. (See AIcGregor Family.)
Simon Hall, who now resides in Indiana, took up arms in behalf of the Union cause. William A\'. also served as a Union soldier, and was a lawyer of ability. He practiced at the bar of Wetzel county until 1870, when he removed to St. Alary's, where he held the oilfice of Prosecuting Attorney for fourteen years. Here he passed from earth in September, 1884.
BOXD'S CREEK SETTLED 201
Allen S., who died at Fort Sill, Indian territory, in 1880, was a Confederate soldier; and, on comparing notes with his brother, William, in after Hie, found that they had unwitting- ly "fought against each other in seven different battles."
John S. Hall, the blind poet, of St. Mary's, is the youngest member of the family ; and to his interesting career, which is set apart from all the others in this history by the hand-i-cap of blindness, we dedicate a little corner of this work — to Rit- chie county's first poet. (See Poet's Corner.)
Hon. Septimus Hall, of New Martinsville, who has been State Senator, and is now a member of the House of Dele- gates, is a grandson of Samuel G. Hall, he being a son of Leonard, and Mrs. Jeannette ^McGregor Hall.
The Pyles. — This family comes of English stock. Elisha Pyles w^as a soldier of the war of 1812, and tradition says at its close he was sent to the Northwest in the campaign against the Indians, and that he either died or lost his life in battle in Ohio near the year 1817. However, he never returned: and in 1820 his widow, Mrs. Kathrine Crawford Pyles, of Monongalia county, with her two orphaned children, Pene- lope, a daughter of a few summers; and William, a child of three, emigrated to Middlebourne, in Tyler county, where she remained for a few years — until she was married to John Cunningham, son of Edward Cunningham, an early settler at the mouth of Whiskey run. And after her marriage to Cunningham they settled at the forks of Husher's run, where they remained until her son had established a home of his own; and they then removed to Ohio, where death overtook them.
Five children ^vere born of her union Avith Cunningham ;
The late C. B. Cunningham, of Ohio; the late B. F., of Gilmer county ; and Edw^ard, of Missouri ; and Micha, who died at Mineral, Ohio ; and Laura, who is married and resides near Guisville, that state.
Penelope, the daughter of the first union, married against her mother's wishes and went away and was never heard from
agam.
William I. Pyles, the son of the first union, who was born
202 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
on March 31, 1817, was the progenitor of the Ritchie county family.
After his mother came to Middlebourne, he lived with two families by the name of Sayre and Hayne, until she mar- ried again ; and on Husher's run, at the home of his step- father, he grew to manhood.
On March 30, 1837, he was married to Miss Elizabeth Cunningham, daughter of Elijah and Sarah Wigner Cun- ningham, and granddaughter of William, of Cornwallis, who was born on March 39, 1816. and soon after their marriage, settled on Husher's run, where they remained until 1839, when they removed to Bond's creek and settled on land owned by John Rawson — and made the improvement that vv^as after- wards purchased by John Weekly ; and also the one that passed into the hands of John Lacy at an early day.
Mr. Rawson entered a thousand acres of land on this creek at the small cost of one dollar eighty cents for the entire tract; and after making the improvements above men- tioned on the Rawson land, Mr. Pyles purchased a farm of his own farther up the creek. And from here he went to the Madison Lambert farm, where he resided for some time, and where he run a water-mill.
He finally removed to the head of Big Knot, where he fell asleep on March 29, 1892. His wife died on August 20, 1894, and side by side they lie at rest in the Beech Grove cemetery ; here, too, their eldest son, who died in 1845, is also sleeping.
jNlr. Pyles was noted for his 'craze" for planting out fruit trees, and wherever he lived, he left a young orchard as a memorial.
His children are as follows :
Sarah, who is the widow of the late J. A. Lacey, resides in Ohio; Barbara, who married S. A. Rawson, died in 1877: Serena B., who resides at Hebron, is the Avidow of the late John Wricke ; Laura V. is the widow of J. W. Hawkins, and at Parkersburg she resides ; Susanna is Mrs. A. Bevers, of West Union ; and W. Harrison Pyles, who is unmarried, is of Hebron.
The Weeklys. — The autumn of 1847 brought John ^^'eek-
BOND'S CREEK SETTLED 203
ly from Tyler county to Bond's creek, and thus added another good family to the permanent citizenship of the county.
Mr. Weekly was born in 1790, and was a veteran of the war of 1813. He was first married to a Miss Gatrell_, ^vho died in early life, leaving two sons and three daughters ; and in 1835, he again took the marriage vow, when he claimed Miss Sarah Garrett as his bride ; and seven children were the result of this union. Mr. Weekly died on July 5, 1878, and his wife, Sarah, who was born in 1804, on January 36, 1864. Both sleep at Highland.
The children of the first marriage were : Stephen, who married Miss Nancy Garrett, and lived and died on Goose creek, where he reared a large family. Thomas, who went West; Mary (Mrs. Hillery Pratt), Rachel (Mrs. John T. Lacy), and Mrs. Dorcas Wright, all of this county; with the possible exception of Mrs. Wright.
The children of the second union: Richard (married Miss Ada Corbin), Justus (Miss Lucreta Carpenter), John (Miss Orpha Slocum), Rhoda (Mrs. George Corbin), Jane (Mrs. Henry Williamson), Elizabeth (Mrs. John Farming- ton), and Sarah (Mrs. Jacob Pratt), all of whom reared large families except Justus, who died childless ; and all were citi- zens of this county, but Jane and Elizabeth.
The Lacys. — For more than seventy years the name of Lacy has had a prominent connection with the citizenship of Bond's creek.
John T. Lacv, the founder of this familv, was born in Fauquier county, Virginia, in 1806 ; and in 1833 he was mar- ried to Miss Rachel Weekly, and a few years later, came to this county and took up his residence near two miles north of Highland, on the old homestead that is still in the hands of his heirs. Here, in 1857, Mrs. Lac}^ passed from earth after having given birth to seven children ; and two years later he married Miss Naomi Hudkins, sister of Daniel Hudkins, of Cabin run, and six children were born of this union.
Mr. Lacy was an old time pedagogue, and he taught the first school on Bond's creek; in a log house of "primitive style," that stood where the Lac}^ school house now stands.
204 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
He was always interested in educational and religious v/ork, and contributed liberally to both causes.
His father died when he was quite young, and his mother then married Mr. Henry Haddox,^ a veteran of the Revolu- tionary war, and they came to Bond's creek, and niade their home with Air. Lacy for a time, and then went to Kansas, where ]\Irs. Haddox died, x^fter her death Mr. Haddox re- turned to the home of his step-son, and spent the remainder of his days, dying at the advanced age of ninety years.
]\Ir. Lacy died in 18S3, and his second wife, in 1900. All sleep within the bosom of the Highland cemetery.
The children of his first marriage are : Mrs. Elizabeth Pratt, and Mrs. Fannie Pratt, who survive ; and j\Iary Jane, the late wife of William Bolton, of Tyler county ; the late Mrs. Alartha (Samuel) Rawson, and James, of P)Ond's creek.
The children of the second union are : P. L. Lacy, A\'il- bur ; Mrs. Emma Hayhurst, Ellenboro : A. L. Lacy, Nebraska; Mrs. Ida Brown, J. B. and Miss Ella Lacy, Pennsboro.
]\Irs. Ida Brown, and perhaps other members of the fam- ily, haAe been teachers.
Edvi^ard Cunningham was one of the earliest pioneers on Bond's creek, he having settled at the mouth of Whiskey run at a very early day. Pie w^as a native of Harrison county, and a brother of Elijah M., who married the sister of Thomas Harris. He later removed to Husher's run, where he died, and at Ellenboro he lies at rest.
His sons were Adam, John, William, Thomas, Elijah, and James ; and his daughter, Mary or Polly, as she was called, became the second Avife of Elijah Husher, of Husher's run.
Murphy Cunningham, a grandson of this pioneer, who is now very old, lives at Poynette, this state, and Mrs. Laura Fel- lows, a granddaughter, resides in Ohio, as do a number of his other descendants, Moses Cunningham, of Ellenboro : and Joseph, of Shultz, are other grandsons.
The Martins. — Martin, too, is an old and worthy Bond's creek name.
'Henry Haddox was a nephew of Raleigh Pladdox. of the South fork, and his only daughter, Julia, married Frank Cook, of Parkerstjurg.
BOND'S CREEK SETTLED 205
John Martin was born in the New Jersey colony, of Enghsh parentage, in the first quarter of the eighteenth cen- tury ; and he, with his son, Joseph, fought in behalf of the colonies during the American Revolution. He being a com- missioned officer in General Greene's army. Shortly after the close of this struggle, he emigrated to what is now West Vir- ginia, and settled at Wheeling, and finally, removed to Athens, Ohio, where he died at the age of ninety-nine years.
His son, Joseph, was born in New Jersey, in 1758, and during the residence of the family at Wheeling, he married Miss Martha Br3'son, an Irish lassie, who crossed to America at the age of twelve years, and near the dawn of the nine- teenth century, he removed to Tyler county, where he died in 1833.
His son, Ephraim, was born in Tyler county, on August 18, 1803, and, in 1831, he was married to Miss Sarah Allen, of Lewis county, who was of German extraction, and took up his residence in his native county, where he remained until 1848, when he came to Bond's creek, and settled on the farm that is now the home of his son, Van Martin, near Pike. Here he continued to live until 1900, when he Vv^as laid in the Highland cemetery at the age of ninety-seven years. His wife had preceded him home by nine years.
He was the father of the following named children — some of vv'hom reside here and are identified among our leading citizens :
Mrs. Eliza J. McGregor, Highland, who has passed her seventy-sixth mile stone ; Van Martin, of Pike, aged seventy- three , Joab Martin, of Pennsboro, aged seventy-one; Mrs. Susan Freeland, Morgan county, Ohio, aged sixty-nine, all of whom bid fair to carry out the traditional longevity of the family. Joseph Bryson Martin, with his brother, Joab, were soldiers of the Union army, but he lost his life at Cloyd Mountain.
The Campbells. — Campbell is another Bond's creek name that stands for good citizenship. This family is of Irish origin. Robert Campbell, whose ancestors emigrated from Ireland to Scotland, and from thence to America, married Miss Margaret Bell, and settled in Hancock county, (\V.)
206 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Virginia, where they reared nine children — seven sons and two daughters. Two of these sons, Archibald and William Campbell were identified among the settlers of this creek.
Archibald Campbell married Miss Jane Adams, of Brooke county, who was of Scotch descent, and they came to Bond's creek near the year 184:5 ; but afterwards rem.oved to Upland, in Mason county, where they found a resting place.
Serena A. Campbell, who was laid in the Highland ceme- ter}' in 1905, was the late wife ot Van A. Martin, of Pike. Mrs. Malinda A. Locke resides at the old home near Upland, and Samantha. Eliza, Bradford, and Wvlie lie in the cemetery at Upland.
William Campbell married ]\Iiss Susan Adams, the sister of his brother's wife, and they came to Bond's creek, near 1853, and remained until they were laid away in the Higliland cemetery. .
^lana A., their eldest daughter, is Mrs. J. F. Bolton, of Beech Grove : Anne E., who was laid in the Highland ceme- tery, in 1891. was the late Mrs. Aaron Stuart ; and Emma G., Alilton A., Oliver H., and William Lamar, none of whom were married, all rest in this cemetery.
iviilton A., who served as a soldier in the Union army (in the lith A\'est Va. Infantry), died in a hospital at Parkers- burg, in 1864. And Oliver H., who enlisted in the same regi- ment, died in the Danville prison, in Georgia, in November, 1864.
The Rollinses. — Moses Rollins was one of the very earli- est pioneers on lower Bond's creek. He was born on July 8, 1763, and died during the winter of 1858-9, at the age of ninety-six years. He was a veteran of the Revolution, and a Brittish cannon-ball had taken oft both legs, and "so he laid down his arms." And he carried bullets from the enemiy's giins in his hip to the hour of his death. He lies in the '"'Tay- lor burying-ground," and his wife, A'ancy, who was born in ]795. probably, rests by his side.
From a well-worn old family Bible the following record was taken :
Henry Rollins (born April 1. 1810), Jeremiah (January 30, 1813), Sarah (May 9, 1815), Edward (June 1. 1817).
BOND'S CREEK SETTLED 207
Rebecca (May 6, 1819), Jemima (February 15, 1821), James (January 6, 1823), William (November 29, 1824), Lemuel (October 15, 1827), Elizabeth (January 6. 1830), and Jesse M. (September 25, 1832).
The data concerning this family is very meager, but the descendants are quite numerously scattered throughout Ritchie and adjoining counties. B. F. Rollins, of Cairo ; Amos, of Cornwallis ; and the late John, of Lawford ; are grandsons of Moses Rollins.
The Pratts merit a place among the older {)eople of Bond's creek, thouoh not so earlv as manv of the rest.
Thomas P. Pratt, the head of this family, was a Monon- galia county product : and from there he came to this county in 185G, and settled on the Luke Hemsworth farm, on Big Knot run, where he spent his last moments on April 16, 18(37, and at Hebron he lies at rest.
His wife, Mrs. Cynthia Anne Evans Pratt, was born in Monongalia county, on April 29, 1804, and died en October 14, 18G9, and was laid by his side.
Their family consisted of the following named members:
Maria M. (1831-1852), unmairied; William O. (1839- 1868), unmarried; John W. (1840— died in youth); Phebe (1845-1845) ; Thomas B. (1850-1854) ; Martha A. (1835-1896), married George Shingleton, and died in Pleasants county, leaving five children; Dudley N. (1837-1891). married Miss Fanny Lacy, and spent his life on Husher's run, where his only heir, John B. Pratt, now lives. Margaret (1846 — ), mar- ried John Wricke and died at Hebron, leaving no issue. And James E. Pratt, the remaining member of the family, spent his life in this county.
James E. Pratt was born in Monongalia county, on Sep- tember 26, 1842, and with his parents, came to Bond's creek, in his boyhood. At the age of twenty years he took up his sword in defense of the LInion, and served for two years in Company G, Fourth Regiment West Virginia Cavalry. He manifested quite an interest in educational matters and was a member of the Board of Education of Clay district at the time of his death, and was also a member of the Grand Army Post at Pennsboro.
208 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
On October 24, 1867, he was married to Aliss Sarah Elizabeth Hogue, and thirteen children were the result of this union. He died at Beech Grove, on April 12, 1909, and was taken to the U. B. cemetery at Pennsboro, for burial. Mrs. Pratt still survives.
The children : Arah, the eldest daughter, is Mrs. A. R. Horner, of Parkersburg- ; Cynthia is the wife of Dr. L. H. Hayhurst, of Pullman; Bertha is INTrs. R. L. Lacy, of Mari- etta; E. E. Pratt, is of Clarksburg": J. I., of Charleston; O. C, of Parkersburg; T. O., of Pittsburg; Harry, of Parkersburg; Luther and Earle, are at home, and Asa, Andy, and Charles died in childhood.
CHAPTER XIII
Husher's Run
HIS stream is a tributary of Bond's creek, and its name perpetuates the memory of its first settler, George Husher, who was, also, the first settler of Bond's creek. And though it is but a small stream, it drains a fertile region, and not a few prominent pio- neer names have an association with its his-
tory.
Elijah Cunningham, son of William, was one of the earliest settlers after Jacob Husher. He was a native of the "Old Dominion ;" and his wife was Miss Sarah Wigner, sis- ter of John Wigner, junior. Here they both spent the greater part of their lives, and in the Ellenboro cemetery, they lie at rest. He died during the autumn of 1868; and she, in ]883, at the age of ninety years.
Their eldest daughter, Elizabeth, married \A'm. I. Pyles, and was the mother of W. H. P\des, of Hebron ; Sarah Ann was the late Mrs. AA'illiam Wells — mother of George Wells, of Pennsboro ; Barbara became Mrs. John A. Webb, and went to Kansas ; Emeline is Mrs. McLean, of Ohio ; Cathrine was the late Mrs. Van Cundif¥, of Danville, Illinois ; Mary Jane, who is still single, resides at Belpre, Ohio; William, the only son (married Alargaret Curry), resides near Pennsboro.
John Wigner was the first settler at Ellenboro. He was of German descent and of Pennsylvania birth ; and he came to the Smithville vicinit}-, from the "City of Brotherly Love," with his parents, ]\Ir. and Mrs. John Wigner, senior. He was first married to Miss Katherine Wetzel, a near relative of the distinguished Lewis Wetzel, vv^ho was, also, of German line-
210 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
age ; and with her took up his residence on the G. \V. Lam- bert farm, near Ellenboro, about the year 1814. His second wife was Miss Sarah Ann Larison. He was a soldier of the war of 1812. He sold his possessions here to Bazil William- son, and went to Harrison county, w^here Jie "heired his six feet of earth."
His children were two in number: Jacob W'igner, junior, and Mrs. Mar}'- (Andrew) Johnson.
George B. Johnson, and Mrs. Mary Wigner, of Ellenboro : Mrs. Jabez Elliott, junior, of Calhoun county; and Jackson Johnson, of Indiana, are his grandchildren.
His two brothers, Jacob and Henry Wigner, also, found homes in this part of the county near the same time.
Jacob Wigner, senior, was married to Miss Leah Cun- ningham, daughter of pioneer William, of Harrisville and Cornwallis, and settled on Stuart's run, on the farm that has since been known as the "Patrick Cochran homestead." Here his death occurred in 185o, and at Riddel's chapel, beside his wife, he rests. He was the builder of the lirst dwellin<j in the town of Ellenboro.
His children were: Airs. Joseph Rush (the only surviv- ing one), the late D. R. Wigner, of Pike; Elijah, William, James, Mrs. W. B. Carpenter, and Henry, who died in youth, all sleep in this count}^ ; and John S. Wigner, and Mrs. Susan Clarke, in Pleasants county.
Henry Wigner was married to Miss Elizabeth Lowther, daughter of Jesse Lowther, of Cornwallis, and settled on what is best known as "the Hitchcock farm" — now the home of J. S. Pratt, near Ellenboro. But he afterwards removed to the Cairo vicinity, where he passed from earth, at a ripe old age, and in the Egypt cemetery, with his companion, his ashes lie.
His children were : William, of Ellenboro ; Wesley, of Pennsboro ; Mrs. Susan (John) Heaton, of Harrisville; and Phebe, who died in youth.
Michael Johnson was another early settler on Flusher's run. He was born and reared in "Old Erin ;"' and there he was married to Miss Hannah Hughes, a relative of Jesse and Elias Hughes, and from there, they fled to America from
H USHER'S RUN 211
religious persecution and settled in Virginia. They came to the Ellenboro vicinity, in 1827, where they remained until they passed to the "home over there."
Their family consisted of eight children ; viz., George and Andrew, were both drowned while crossing the Ohio river in a skifl", in 1834; William went to Iowa; ATrs. Susan Gaston, Misses Dorcas and Rebecca Johnson were all of Harrison county ; and Maria, the wife of Ezekiel Bee, Avas of Berea.
Andrew Johnson married Miss Mary Wigner. daughter of John Wigner, junior, and was the father of the venerable George B. Johnson, and Mrs. Mary Wigner. of Ellenboro.
Mr. Johnson is now seventy-six (1909) years of age, and lives in the same vicinity where he was born ; he having never been beyond the limits of the state. His memory carries him back to the days when the present site of Ellenboro was a sugar-camp, and the public highways were little more than bridle-paths.
He married Miss Elizabeth Parks, daughter of Nathaniel Parks, an early pioneer of this county, and is the father of one son, W. A. Johnson, of Pennsboro.
Nathaniel Parks was born in Harrison county, on June 11, 1803, and came to this county in his early manhood (near 1825), and married Miss Barbara Cunningham, daughter of William, of Cornwallis, and settled in the Harrisville vicinity. He later removed to near Ellenboro, where his life came to a close in 1895. His wife was born in 1803, and died in 1887. Both sleep in the Ellenboro cemetery. They were the parents of the following named children: The late Wm. H., of Cairo; James M., of Ellenboro; John C, of Cornwallis; Mrs. Edith (Benjamin) Wricke, Pike ; Susan first married Wilson A. Gribble, who lost his life in battle during the Civil war, and she then became Mrs. Robert Hancock, and went to Wis- consin, where she died; Mrs. George B. Johnson, of Ellen- boro, already mentioned, is the other daughter ; Martin died at Washington city during the Civil war ; John and William were also soldiers of the Civil war.
John Rawson was another very early settler in the Ellen- boro vicinity, on the farm that is now the home of John Fowler. He married Miss Nancy Husher, daughter of George
212 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Husher, after whom the stream was named, and here spent the remnant of his days. He was one of the earhest millers in this section. He first owned a horse-mill, and later secured steam power and run a grist and saw-mill combined. He died in July, 1861, and his wife, in August of the following year, and both rest on the old homestead. He had no children, and he willed his property to two of his nephews.
William Carpenter, senior, was the first settler of the Yerkey homestead, on Husher's run. He was born in Steu- ben county, New York, in 1802, and there, in 1821, he was married to Miss Nancy T. Armstrong, who was born in the same county in 1805 ; and after a few years' residence in the "Empire state," they emigrated to Potter county, Pennsyl- vania, and from there, came to Husher's run in the spring of 18il. He was one of the early ministers of the Baptist church in this pa^t of the county, and his labors continued until a few years before his death, in 1880. Here he passed away, and within the bounds of this vicinity he found a resting place. He was the father of six children: Lovera. the eldest daugh- ter, is Airs. William Wigner, of Stuart's run ; Lucretia is the widow of the late Justus Weekly, of Bond's creek; Nellie Avas the late wife of John G. Wigner; Nancy J., died in child- hood; Wm. B., late of Washburn, is now of Tyler county; and J. W., who married Miss Rosalina Wilson, resides at Bel- laire, Ohio.
Along with Mr. Carpenter from Pennsylvania came F'red- erick Tanner, Truman Stephens, and Daniel Vancourt.
Air. Tanner was a mill-wright, and as he was a bachelor, he remained as a member of the Carpenter household until his death, in 1864, at the age of eighty-five years.
Truman Stephens was a native of Massachusetts ; and his wife, Roena Kibbee, was born in New York; and for a short time after their marriage, they resided in the "Empire state," and from there, emigrated to Potter county, Pennsyl- vania, and from thence to the Ellenboro vicinity — to the farm now owned by Benjamin McGinnis — in 1841.
Here their lives closed at the home of their daughter, Mrs. Vancourt. and in the Ellenboro cemetery they lie in their last sleep.
H USHER'S RUN' 213
Tliey were the parents of four daughters ; viz., Liza was the late Mrs. James McGee; Amanda Miranda was Mrs. Daniel Vancourt ; Jane first married a man by the name of Calhoun, and after his death, she became Mrs. Weekly. And Lucinda, the only survivor of the family, is Mrs. Martin Cochran, of Tollgate.
Mr. Stephens was a soldier of the war of 1812.
Daniel Vancourt and his wife, Mrs. Amanda Miranda Stephens Vancourt, settled on a farm adjoining the Carpenter homestead, and there remained until he was laid to rest on his own farm. They were the parents of the following named children :
Julia A., who became Mrs. Adam Raley, and went to Baltimore; Amanda M., married Wm. Moore, and lived on Stuart's run: Phebe L., became Mrs. William Parish, of Mari- etta, Ohio ; Mary Cathrine is Mrs. Presley Rollins, of Hush- er's run ; Margaret A., Mrs. James King, of Marietta ; Tru- man D., Jane, and Mary Matilda have passed on ; and David A. lives in Roane county.
Joseph Cochran was another early Pennsylvanian in the Ellenboro vicinity. Plis father, John Cochran, came from Ire- land during the Revolutionary war, and at once took up arms in behalf of the colonists, and served for three years. At the close of this struggle, he married Miss Elizabeth Adams, of Greene county, Pennsylvania, and settled at Pittsburg. There Joseph Cochran was born, and there he was married to Miss Sarah Gill, of Mercer covmty, Pennsylvania; and in 1844, they removed to this county. Their children were, Jonathan, Samuel, Martin, Kathrine J., Sarah, Nancy, and Elizabeth (who married Elijah Cunningham). Martin Cochran married Miss Lucinda Stephens, and he is the only one of the family that lives in this county, his residence being at Tollgate. The rest reside in the West.(?)
William Hitchcock was the pioneer of the Pratt farm, one mile east of Ellenboro, at the mouth of the small stream that bears his name — "Hitchcock run."
He married Miss Phebe McKinney and came here early in the century, and remained until he answered the final sum-
214 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
mons. Here he and his wife and nearly all of their descend- ants shnnber.
His children were as follows :
IMichael, ^^'illianl, Waldo, Nicholas, ]\Iary, and Florence, all of whom have passed on. Mary died in youth, Florence in early womanhood, and Michael, the only one of the house- hold who married, left a family. But they, too, have nearly all passed on.
The Corbins have been prominent citizens of the county for sixty years, and in this chapter they claim a place.
English in origin, they came to America in Colonial times and settled in the "Old Dominion." George Corbin was mar- ried to Miss Sallie Jennings, of Virginia, who belonged to the same family as the distinguished \Mlliam Jennings Bryan, and their son, John W. Corbin, was the head of the Ritchie county family.
John W. Corbin Avas born in Culpepper county, \ irginia, on October 7, 1786, and served as a soldier in the war of 181'^. On January 14, 1819, he was married to Miss Rebecca Williams, daughter of James and Barsheba Williams, who was born in Monongalia county, on February 8, 1803 ; and from Booth creek, Taylor county, with their large family, they removed to Husher's run, in Xovember, 1850. Here they passed away — he, on July 24, 1878, and she, on April 20, 1885, and both rest in the Ellenboro cemetery.
Their family consisted of thirteen children ; viz., Sallie, Oliver Perry, Frances, Alexander M., George, Elizabeth, Ephatha, Ada, Joanna, Mariana, Pelina, Josephus, and Ocran Corbin, all of whom married and reared families, except Frances and Mariana, who died in childhood.
Sallie Corbin, the eldest, wdio was born on February 16, 1820, married Hiram Wilkinson, and after a long residence here, they removed to Salem, where she died in December, 1902. Her family consisted of nine children : Loman, of In- diana; Celia (Mrs. Fenton Elifritz), of Ohio; Mary (Mrs. A. J. Pritchard), of Parkersburg; Rachel (Mrs. Wm. Childers\ of Salem; Frances (]\Irs. Benjamin Grouser), Parkersburg; Benjamin, Daniel, Josephus, and Ocran Wilkinson. The last two named died in childhood.
HUSHER'S RUN 215
Oliver Perry Corbin was born on November 10, 1821, and on March 2, 1845, he was married to Miss Nancy Ann Taylor, who passed on near the year 1855, leaving six chil- dren; and in 1857, he was again married to Miss Mar}^ Lin- sey, and twelve children were the result of this union. After calling Ritchie county his home for a number of years, he re- moved to Jackson county, where his life came to a close.
The children of the first marriage were : Gustavns Adolphus, Rebecca Ann (Mrs. Robert Jones), Joseph Taylor, Lorenzo Dow, Mary Virginia (Mrs. John Faber), and Martha Columbia (wife of the Rev. W. H. Maddox). The last two mentioned were twins. All reared families of their own, ex- cept L. D. Corbin, who died in youth.
The children of the second marriage : Arelions B., Alice J. (Mrs. A. T. Maddox), Florence Belle (Mrs. J. H. G. Win- ter), Lizzie (Mrs. D. E. Kessel), John D., Julius C, Ella (Mrs. E. D. Kessel), Chestinie M., Zorah (Mrs. C. R. Smith), and one who died in infancy.
Alexander McKra Corbin, born Alarch 13, 1827, was mar- ried to Miss Margaret Williams, and finally, removed from this county to Parkersburg, where he spent his last hours. His children were twelve in number: Festus, Belle (Mrs, Theodore Butcher), Aliss Rebecca, Dean (who died in youth),, Susana (Mrs. John Hudkins), Luda (died in youth), Eliza (Mrs. Frank Riley), Elizabeth (Mrs. ^Maxwell), Abraham, Laura (Mrs. John Fredline), Arilda (Mrs. Edward Shantaley), and Rufus Corbin.
George W. Corbin, born June 27, 1829. married Miss Rhoda Weekly, daughter of John and Sarah Garrett Weekly, and lived and died in this county. He w^as the father of the late Dr. M. L. Corbin, Arlington, Mrs. Bessie (J. F.) Low- ther, and Wm. S. Corbin, all of this county; J. ^I., of Illinois; Mrs. Saccharissa (J. M.) Hughes, Parkersburg ; Mrs. Jane Phillips, wife of the Rev. Mr. Phillios, of the Pittsburg M. P. conference ; Rev. O. L. Corbin, of the Congregationalist church of California; and the late Rev. J. D. Corbin. of the- Pittsburg Methodist Protestant conference. This family have' also been prominently known in educational circles in this county.
216 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
Elizabeth Corbin, born June 25, 1831, was married to George Cunningham, and removed to Tyler county, where death overtook her. Her children : Martin Van Buren Cun- ningham, Mary Jane (Mrs. Michael Adams), Andrew J., Pauline (Mrs. James Bell). Thomas B., John W., Joanna, who died in infancy, Oliver P.. and Lettie, who is ]\Irs. Isaac A^^ilHams.
Ephatha Corbin, born January IG. 1833, was married to James Cunningham, and of this union ten children were born; viz.. Jasper N. Cunningham, Permilia (Mrs. i\Iary Hammett), Sarah (Mrs. Edward Friends), John (died in youth), Rocellana (Mrs. Thomas Mahoney), Josephus (unmarried). Amber (Mrs. Henr}- Rexroad), Viola (widow of the late Dr. D. F. Ireland), the late Edmund D., and Emily, who is ]\Irs. Charles French.
Ada Corbin, born on July 33, 1836. is noAv ]\Irs. Richard Weekly, of Bond's creek. And their children are : Frances, who married Clarke Saterfield, C. C. Weekly, Harlan P., Alosella (Mrs. Dudley Smith), Theodosia (Mrs. F. Alorgan), Albert, the late Emma, the late Draper, who died in youth, Samuel, Irena (Mrs. Earle Flesher), and Dollie (J\Irs. Elmer Saterfield).
Joanna Corbin, born February 28, 1838, was married to Thomas Rawson, and removed from this county to Eliza- beth, Wirt county, where she died. Her children: Wm. J.. Albert J., John W., Burleigh H., Charles E., Frank, Joseph C, Leslie B. Rawson, INIollie R. (Mrs. Samuel ^lorris), and Doilie B., who is Mrs. Frank Wiseman.
Paulina Corbin, born on July 37, 1841, was married to Alfred Fowler, of Ellenboro, and remained in this county until after the death of her husband, when she removed to Parkersburg, where she now resides with her son, Burleigh Fowler. Her other children are : Dexter, Thomas, Palmer. Lotta, Avho is ]\Irs. D. B. Patton, of Harrisville ; and Hattie (Airs. J. D. Hill), Williamstown.
Josephus Corbin, born on November 3. 1813, is still a resident of this county. He was first married to Miss Juliana Hogue, of Bond's creek, and eight children were the result of this union; viz., Ollie (Mrs. W^illiam Boggess), Zannie (Mrs.
RUSHER'S RUN 317
Okey Hill), Alonzo F. Corbin, Sallie (Mrs. M. O. Morgan), Lillie (Mrs. Samuel Campbell), Floyd, and Howard, who are at home, and one son who died in infancy. His second wife was Aliss Drusilla Petit.
Ocran Corbin was born on September 30. 3 845, and died at his home in this county two or three years since. Flis wife was Miss Rachel Taylor, daughter of James Taylor and granddaughter of Edmund Taylor, and their children were twelve in number; viz., Oliver P., John, James (Avho died in young manhood), Charles, Frank (a lawyer). Wade, and Grover, who both died in youth, Lester, Josephine (Mrs. Hubert Moss), Rosella and Kate, vv^ho are at home with their mother; and one daugliter died in infancv.
Since finishing the above account, a bit of valuable in- formation concerning the Corbin ancestry comes to us from Miss Christine Washington, of Charlestown, West Virginia, which we here add : ^/ypf^-C^ C-^xO^ t^
Henry Corbin crossed to the Virginia colony near the year 1654,. and settled in King and Queen county. He had three sons and five daughters: Henry, Thomas, Ga^^vvin, Letitia, Alice, Winifred. Anne, and Frances.
Henry died young. Thomas never married. Gatvvin married several times. Letitia became the wife of Richard Lee, of Mt. Pleasant ; Alice married Phillip Lightfoot ; Wini- fred, Leroy Griffin; Anne, William Taylor; and Frances be- came the wife of Governor Edmund Jennings, of Rippon. Vir- ginia. And doubtless from her Sallie Jennings Corbin, above mentioned, is descended.
Gatvwin Corbin, the one son of the family that left issue, married for his second wife Jane, daughter of John Lane, of York river, who was probably the mother of all his children, but Miss Bassett, daughter of Wm. Bassett, was another wife. Flowever, his daughter, Jennie Corbin, married Col. John Bushrod, and her daughter, Hannah, was the wife of John Augustine Washington, the brother of George Washington.
Perhaps the present generations may find this bit of in- formation valuable in tracing their ancestry, as it came too late for farther investigation on our part.
The Fowlers. — Another family whose name has stood for
218 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
good citizenship in this part of the county for sixty years is that of "Fowler."
Henrv Fowler, son of Isaac and ]\Iarv Komer Fowler, was of German lineage and of Virgniia birth. He first opened his eyes on earth on the Osage river, in 1808; and in 18il, he was married to Miss Elizabeth Cofifman, who was also a native of Virginia ; and near the year 1850, they came to Husher's run, and settled on what is now designated as the "Barnes farm," and a little later, purchased the old Husher homestead, and here the remainder of their lives were spent. Air. Fowler passed away in 1872 : and his wife, who was born on August 15, 1819, survived until 1894. Both lie at rest in the Husher's run burying-ground.
Their famih^ consisted of the following named children, all of whom survive, except Albert, the eldest son, who died in this county several years ago : Thomas resides in Indiana ; M. D., in Calhoun county ; Alary is the wife of B. H. Wilson, and Nancy is Airs. AV. H. Aloore, both of Goff's : J. X. resides near Harrisville; Alartha is Airs. William Rawson, of Alary- land ; and John H. Fowler, the youngest son, lives at the old home on Husher's run.
Hamilton. — Almost sixty years have winged their noise- less flight since the late Caleb T. Hamilton joined the little colon}' on Husher's run ; and his family have ever since been recognized among the good citizens of the county.
Air. Hamilton was born in Alonongalia cotmty, in 1829, and there his youthful days were spent. His mother was Aliss Alargaret Pratt, and his father lost his life in an accident on the first steamboat that ever ascended the Alonongahela river, as far as Alorgantown.
On October 28, 1852, he was married to Aliss Alary J. Cole, of Alarion county, and in April of the following year, they came to Husher's run : and after a brief residence here, removed to Bond's creek, where he died on August 3, 1889, and where Airs. Hamilton, though blind, still survives.
He was a lineal descendant of Alexander Hamilton.
He was a soldier of the Union army, and his service was in Company F, Fourteenth West Virginia Regiment Volun- teers.
H USHER'S RUN 219
Seven children made up the members of this family, two of whom died in infancy, and the rest are as follows :
W. H., and F. L. Hamilton, are of Highland ; J. N., of Parkersburg; C. J., of Hebron; and S. H. Hamilton, of Elkins, .all of whom have families of their own.
CHAPTER XIV
Goose Creek Settled
HE DEEMSES.— Adam Deem was the pio- neer of Goose creek. He was of English origin, but his ancestors migrated from England i:o Ireland, shortly after the con- quest of this "Isle" by William of Orange, and from there they came to New England near the year 1735. But the first connected and authentic history of the fam- ily in the "New A\'orld"' begins with Adam Deem, senior, who was born at Hagerstown, Maryland, in 1T5T, and served as a soldier of the Continental army during the American Revolution. This same Adam Deem removed from the place of his nativity to Pennsylvania in his early manhood, and finally in his old age, came to this county, where he spent his last hours, on what is known as the old ''Deem homestead '' just across from the mouth of Goose creek. Here he died, in 1861, at the great age of one hundred four years, and on this homestead, beside his wife, he lies at rest.
He was the father of seven sons and five daughters. The •names of the daughters are wanting, but the sons were as fol- lows: Adam, junior, Phillip, Jacob, John, James, David and Isaac G. Deem. All of whom married and reared families.
Adam Deem, junior, married his cousin, Hannah Deem, and came here from the place of his nativity — Greene county, Pennsylvania, near the year 1810, and settled on the farm that is now owned by Mrs. M. J. Hall, near the mouth of Goose creek. He was the first denizen of the wilderness here ; was a soldier of the war of 1812, and was a typical pioneer hunter. He died in the "Buckeye state" near the year 1867, and there he rests. His wife also rests in Ohio, but not by his side.
GOOSE CREEK SETTLED 221
He reared a large family, which were as follows : i\bra- ham, John, Adam (III), Isaac, Philip, Jacob, Alargaret (Mrs. John Turvey), Charlotte (Mrs. M. Turvey), Melissa (Mrs. James H. Davidson), and Elizabeth (Mrs. Adam Ware).
Philip Deem (son of Adam, senior) was born in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, on January 10, 1785, and in 1809. he was married to Miss Rachel Kidwiler, who was born on April 1, 1790. In 1810, they came to this county and settled ^.en miles below Cairo, on the river — on the farm that is now owneci by Cornelius Bradley, and Alexander Douglass. Here Mrs. Deem passed away, on August 5, 1856, and on January 4, JSfio, her husband joined her on the other side. They both rest on the Dotson farm at Rusk.
Philip Deem was a soldier of the war of 1813, and was in the fierce engagement at Lundy's lane (on July 25, 1814). He was the father of a large family. His son, Perr}^ died in his early manhood ; James married an Irish lady and settled at the old home, where he died in 1868; Adam, who w^as a minister of much ability, went to Indiana, where he fell asleep. The rest of his family Avere daughters ; viz., Elizabeth, Rachel, Cathrin'e. Hannah, Roena, Mary, and Cinderilla.
Elizabeth married Peter Coyle and her onl}^ daughter is Mrs. John Booth, of Barbour county.
Hannah married James Marshall and lived in Wood county. Her children were Jacob, Frank and Alice Marshall.
Cathrine was the late Mrs. James Stuart, of Goose creek.
Roena \^^as the late Mrs. Frederick Lemon, of Macfarlan, and Mary was the late Mrs. Benjamin Philips, of Rusk. (See Lemon and Philips histories.)
Rachel married Daniel Donley and died at her home on Elm run, in 1907. She was the last survivor of the family of Jacob Deem, and her children are — the late James, Donley, Philip, Thomas, Joseph, Rachel, Bridget, and the late Mary.
■ Cinderilla married John Bradley, and remained in this county, where she reared a large family; viz., Philip met a tragic death at a picnic at the Ritchie Mines in 1882.; John and Rachel died young; Cornelius lives near Rusk; Mary A. is Mrs. Meyers, of Cairo; Kathrine, Mrs. L. D. Cain; Ellen, Mrs. N. B. Delaney; and Hannah is Mrs. B. T. Jackson.
222 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Jacob Deem (son of Adam, senior) married Miss Mary Lazier, of Pennsylvania, and came to this county not far from the year 1810. and established his home at the mouth of Bear run, below the Oxbow, where he remained until death claimed him. He was one of the contractors of the Parkers- burg and Staunton turn-pike, as early as 1838 or '9. He had five sons and four daughters ; viz., James, who was the father of John Deem, of Smithville ; Patrick, David, Jacob, and William; Elizabeth and Roue died unmarried; Susan is Mrs. B. B. Nutter, of Oxbow ; and Louisiana, who was born in 1805, was the late Airs. William Jenkins, who was laid in the Eddy graveyard in Alarch, 1909.
It is claimed that Mrs. Jenkins was born in this countv, and if this be true, the Deemses came here earlier than 1810. A/Jrs. Jenkins was married in 1825, and her husband died in 1863. Mrs. Daniel Eddy, of Macfarlan, is one of her daugh- ters.
James Deem (son of Adam, senior) ^vas a famous story- teller and hunter, and the scene of his pioneer settlement was across the Wirt county line, near what is now Freeport. }Icre he lived and died, and in the Freeport cemetery he lies buried.
He married Miss Rachel Sargent, who, after his dtath, with part of her family, went West, where she is sleeping.
Their family were as follows : Nepthalem, Jeremiah, Jef- ferson, James, Franklin, Lucetta (Mrs. H. D. Nutter), Cath- rine i^Mrs. B. Mountz). Sarah (Mrs. Jesse Lee, of -this county), Angeline (Mrs. Edward Lazure), Nancy (Mrs. Isaac Thorn- ton), Matilda (Mrs. Goodnow, of the West). Armanilla (Mrs. (Mrs. Charles Ingrahm), Sacarissa and Rebecca's married names are missing, as they went West, and there chose their life companions. The families of these sons and daughters are scattered throughout Ritchie, Wood, ^\lrt, and some reside in the West.
Isaac G. Deem (son of Adam, senior) married Afiss Nancy Enoch, and found a permanent home, and a final rest- ing place on Goose creek. He was the father of ten sons and three daughters : Abraham, Calvin, Commodore, John M., Jeremiah. Matthew, Isaac, and tripletts that died in infancy,
GOOSE CREEK SETTLED 223
were the sons; and Margaret, who married Henr}^ Lowther , Mary, wife of David Roberts ; and Sarah Elizabeth, widow ot the late Richard Dotson. and mother of Hon. C. D. Dotson, formerly of Elizabeth, bnt now of Parkersburg, are the dangh- ters. They, with the two brothers, John M., and Calvin Deem, still survive.
John Deem (son of Adam, senior) lived and died at Free- port, in Wirt county. He was a soldier of the war of ISXi, and, like the rest of the Deemses, came here very early in the century. He married twice, and had three sons at least. George, John, and Jehn Deem, and two daughters, Mrs. Rachel Black, and Mrs. Elizabeth Braden.
David Deem went West in his early manhood.
Other Settlers. — William Douglass, whose history occu- pies a place in a former chapter, was the first to mark the forest in the Glendale vicinity.
Robert Armstrong settled at the foot of Goose creek liill, and Samuel Hamilton was another early pioneer ; but we have been unable to learn anything definite concerning the history of either of these gentlemen.
A man by the name of Harris made the iirst improve- ment on Bear run, a small tributary of this stream. He came here from the '"City of I'.rotherly Love," and purchased a tract of four huncfred acres of land for sheej) raising- purposes, but ovv^ing to his failing health, returned to his former home, after a brief stay here, and died in a short time. His daughter, Miss Rose Harris, is a teacher in the school for the Deaf and Blind, in Philadelphia.
The Harris estate was divided up and it is now owned by a number of progressive farmers, among whom are. John and Joseph Meshia, James Ross, William Sheets, B. Beail, S. S. Cowell, B. M. Cowell, and others.
Nathan and John Carter were other early settlers of Bear run, but this is all v/e know of their history.
A large tract of land (4000 acres) known as the "Hark- ness estate," which was long under litigation, but which is now owned by Brent Maxwell, also, lies on this stream.
Mrs. Cornelia Storer, a very wealthy lady of New York
224 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
city, also owns several thousand acres on Goose creek, and the Bitrnhafns and Dr. Boles are other "landed-lords," who own large possessions here.
The name of the little stream of "Bear run" here had its origin in a fierce conflict which took place at Rock-ford, be- tween "Injun Joe" Cunningham and a liuge black bear, which resulted in the defeat of bruin, who weighed six hundred pounds when dressed. (See Cunningham chapter.)
The Ross family, though not so early as the others men- tioned, have been worthy citizens here for, perhaps, sixty years.
Robert Ross was born on Booth creek, in Harrison coim- ty, in 1810, and being left an orphan at the age of fourteen years, went to Tennessee to live with a married sister. At this age of the world, it was the custom for the farmers to "boat" their products to New Orleans for market, and while here, he made several trips to the Crescent city on a flat boat. He served as a soldier in the Mexican war, having enlisted from Harrison county, and at the close of hostilities, again returned to his native county, where he was married to Miss Elizabeth Starks, and after spending the first few years of their married life there, they came to Goose creek, where thev established a permanent home. Mr. Ross died in January, 1880, and Mrs. Ross, in April, 1886.
They were the parents of nine children; viz., Francis B. Ross, Jehu, James, Meshiac, Joseph (who lost his life in his burning dwelling early in the year 1910), Mrs. Phoebe Rine- hart, Mrs. Martha Webb, Mrs. Luna Williams, all of Goose creek ; and Mrs. Sophia Smith, of W^ashburn.
CHAPTER XV
Middle Fork Settled
HOMAS IRELAND, son of Alexander, was the first pioneer to find a home on the Mid- dle fork of Hughes river. In October, 1820, he was married to Miss Katherine Lowther, dauohter of Robert, the eldest son of Col. William ; and shortly after this event, took up his residence on this river, near its con- fluence with the South fork, on the farm that is now the property of his son, G. M. Ireland; and here the remainder of his life was spent.
Thomas and Sarah Lowther Ireland.
As is well known, the forest at this time was full of wild animals of various species, and not long after his arrival here, lie killed a large panther, which had come close to the house
226 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUSTY
and raised a disturbance with the hogs. At another time, he shot a young panther, and fearing an attack from the mother beast, lost no time until he had reached home in safety. He also killed two huge bears at difit'erent times with his "trusty rifie."
He was a man of unalloyed integrit3^ and of strong re- ligious convictions, and w^as one of the .corner-stones of the White Oak Methodist Episcopal church, he and his wife being among the charter members. And beneath the shadow of this church, side by side, they lie in their last sleep.
Their children w^ere twelve in number: . Robert, Alex- ander, John C, Albert, Alortimer, George M., Thomas W., J. Franklin, Elizabeth, Cathrine, Susan and Sarah.
Robert went to Kansas, where he died in 1870, and where his family still live.
Alexander resides in Ohio. John C. passed away in Dodridge county. Albert died in childhood (in 1849), and Elizabeth, at a ripe old age.
Mortimer is now a superannuated minister of the Method- ist Protestant church, and his home is at W^orthington, Marion county.
George AI., the only one that remains here, has long been a prominent figure in Sunday school and Farmers' Institute circles, as w^ell as in business affairs. He served as a soldier of the Union in the Civil w^ar and rose to the rank of Captain.
Thomas W., who was identified among the teachers of this county in former years and served one term as County Superintendent, is now a prominent minister of the ^Methodist Protestant church, and Morgantown is his home.
J. Franklin went to Colorado many years ago, where he still lives.
Cathrine and Susan make their home with their brother. G. AI., at Pullman : and Sarah is Mrs. Maulsby, of West Union.
This family, like many of the other pioneer families, has produced a host of prominent young people. Among them are the Rev. A. L. Ireland, of the Methodist Episcopal church : A. D. Ireland, of Parkersburg: Miss Addie Ireland, teacher of art in the Fairmont schools ; and many others that might be mentioned.
MIDDLE FORK SETTLED 227
Archibald Lowther was the second pioneer on the Mid- dle fork of Hughes river. Harrison county was the place of his nativity, and near the little town of West Milford, on May 17, 1811, he first saw "the light of day." On September 'I'd, 1834, he was married to Miss Charlotte Williard, who was born of German parentage in Greene county, Pennsylvania, on January 29, 1813 ; and in 1836, they came to Holbrook, and settled on the farm that is now owned by William Adams, and Mr. Townsend — the site of the original cabin Ijeing near the Townsend residence. Here, for more than forty years, the family resided (until 1876, when they sold the farm to the late John Coburn) ; here, Mr. Lowther suddenly fell asleep, on October 29, 1874 ; and here, on tlie old homestead, surrounded by the silent dust of five generations of the family, beside his wife, he lies at rest.
When Mr. and Mrs. Lowther arrived, their nearest neigh- bors were at Oxford, and at the mouth of the river: and though they did not keep a house of public entertainment, their home was known far and wide for its hospitality to strangers, and it was a general stopping place for travelers.
After the old homestead had passed into other hands, Mrs. Lowther lived with her children, until Iter death, on April 6, 1895. She was a woman of strong physique, and of no ordinary degree of intellect, and her whole life was char- acterized by kind and helpful deeds.
The children of this family were seven in number; viz., Elizabeth Jane, the first born, died at the age of seventeen years ; Robert, the third son, in childhood ; and Margaret C., who was the late Mrs. T. E. Nutter, of Holbrook, in 1905.
William George, the eldest son, resides at Fonsoville ; Alexander S., at Peabody, Kansas ; John Marshall, near Au- burn ; and Sarah Ann is Mrs. C. W. Leggett, of Pullman.
W. G. and Alexander were soldiers of the Union army during the late Civil war.
The next arrivals were Mr. Lowther's parents, William and Margaret Morrison Lowther,^ and his widowed sister, Mrs. Sudna Willard, and her three daughters. Mlie elder
ipor history of WiUiarn Lrowther see first chapter.
228 . HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Lowther and his wife remained as snembers of tlie household of their son until they passed from earth ; and Mrs. Willard took up her residence on the Lowther homestead, where she reared her little family.
Mrs. Sudna Lowther Willard, was the only daughter of '\\'illiam and Alargarct Morrison Lowther that married and reared a family. She was born near West Milford, on April 10, lvD2, and in her early womanhood, she was married to George Willard, brother of I\Irs. Archibald Lowther ; and, w^hile on a visit with her brother, Alexander Lowther, at Ox- ford, a short time before the family removed to this county, ]\Jr. AMllard died, and w-as laid at rest on the Flannagan farm, above Berea.
She died full of years at the home of her daughter, Mrs. M. A. Neal, and, at Pullman, she slumbers.
Her daughters were Margaret, Rebecca, and Charlotte Willard..
Margaret married \\'ilson Watson, of Otterslide, and w^as the mother of three children: John, the only son, died in in- fancy ; Sudna Jane was the first w'ife of the late A. M. Wade ; and Charlotte is Mrs. Ai Kelley, of Otterslide.
Rebecca \A"illard married William R. Brown, and was the mother of William R. Brown, ex-Prosecuting Attorney of Doddridge county; and of Hon. T. A. Browai, of Parkersburg; and of the late Mrs. Ozenia Lipscomb, and the late ^Irs. ]\Iary Hodge.
Charlotte, the youngest and only surviving daughter, is Mrs. AL A. Neal, of Pullman. Her children are, Llomer and the late Clarke Neal. of Colorado: l\Irs. Alice Hawkins Cor- bin. and the late Mrs. Louella Peirpoint, Mrs. Jane Alusgrave. the late Olive Neal, and Miss Isa Neal, who holds a position as teacher in the Fairmont schools.
The Willards are of German origin. George ^^'i^lard came from the Fatherland late in the eighteenth century, and settled in Greene county, Pennsylvania. He married Mrs. Elizabeth Hume Ghanz, the w^idow^ of a Frenchman, but a native of Germany, before leaving the land of his birth, and they were the parents of four sons and three daughters : viz.,
MIDDLE FORK SETTLED 229
Elias was the father of Porter E. Willard, of Cameron; Jacob settled in Kanawha county, but went from there to California during" the gold excitement, and was never heard of again ; Isaac rests at "Brown's mill," in Monongalia county; George, the progenitor of the Ritchie county family, in this county ; Elizabeth became Mrs. Schenk and went to Illinois, where she spent her last hours, and where her descendants live ; Dorothea was another daughter ; Mrs. Hannah Ghantz Jen- kins, of Illinois, was the half-s'ister ; and Mrs. Charlotte Low- ther was the youngest, and the only member of the family that was not taught to read and to speak the German lan- guage. When she was but a small child, her father removed to the Monongalia side — his farm lying across the Virginia and Pennsylvania line. Here Mrs. Lowther grew to woman- hood ; here she was married ; and here her parents sleep.
Though the connection cannot be made clear owing to the burning of the Willard records in Colonial days in Mass- achusetts, there is but little doubt that this family and that of the late Frances E. Willard are descended from the same race. Her ancestors, who were of German lineage, came from England to the Massachusetts colon}^ during the seventeenth century, and became prominently identified with colonial affairs. (A letter dictated by her in person not long before her death is before us.)
The love that bound her (Miss Frances Willard) to the land that gave her fore-fathers birth, she so beautifully ex- pressed in the following language, on one occasion, when the pride of nationality was being discussed :
"First, I am a Christian, then, I am a Saxon ; then I am an American ; and when I get home to Heaven, I expect to register from Evanston."
The Zinns. — After the Lowthers and the Willards came the Zinns. This family trace their ancestry to the Fatherland. George Zinn and his wife, Mary Saylor Zinn, with licr brother. William Saylor, emigrated from Germany to America in the year 1776. It is not positively known where they first estab- lished their home, but they removed from Hagerstown. ^larv- land, to Preston county (^^^est) Virginia and from there to
230 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Harrison county, where they spent the remnant of their days. These venerable pioneers were the parents of eleven children ; namely, Jacob, Elizabeth, John, George, Michael, Henry, Alexander, AVilliam, Samuel, Peter, and Mary Zinn.
Elizabeth, the eldest daughter, married Henry Grimm and removed to Indiana ; and Mary became Mrs. Bland and remained in Harrison county ; Henry and George lived in Ohio, and the rest probablv remained in this state.
John Zinn, the second son, whose history concerns us most, married ]\Iiss Ruth Gandy, and they, with their family, and their married son, J. W. Zinn, came from Preston count^^ late in the thirties, and settled on the farm that is now the home of H. C. Zinn — the son of J. A\\ Zinn. Here the re- mainder of their lives were spent, and in the Baptist church- yard, at Oxford, they sleep.
The elder Zinn was a tanner by trade, and he opened the first tannery in this part of the county; and his son run a horse-mill for the convenience of the public.
John and Ruth Gandy Zinn were the parents of thirteen children, twelve of whom married and reared families of their own ; and not a few of the substantial citizens of this, and sister counties, are descended from this worthy couple. Their children were as follows:
Samuel, George O., Alanley, J. V\., Granville, Preston, Rachel, Narcissus. Fernandez, Amelia, Delila, Elizabeth, and Thomas, who died at the age of fourteen years.
J. Wesley Zinn, who, with his father, settled the H. C. Zinn farm, was born on August 14, 1814, and died in 1853, and was laid in the Oxford churchyard. He married Miss Eliza Hoskins, of Preston county, and they were the parents of — W. B. Zinn, Mrs. Mary E. (Taylor) Cox, of Wirt county; Mrs. Sebra (Thomas) Law, Edward D., and C. X. Zinn. of the West; and H^. C. Zinn, of Holbrook.
Q, Manley Zinn, some time after the arrival of the fam- ily, married Miss Lucy Ann Wilson, sister of Isaac AX'ilson. and settled at the mouth of Bear run. on the farm that is now the property of his son. ]\I. B. Zinn. Here he passed away ia 1868, at the age of fifty-four years, and in the Baptist church-
MIDDLE FORK SETTLED 231
yard at Oxford he sleeps by the side of his wife, who survived him by many years. (Manly and J. Wesley Zinn were twins.) He was the father of C. L. Zinn, of Auburn, who is prom- inently known in political circles, and who has twice repre- sented his native county in the Legislature, at Charleston. His other children are: Newton Zinn, of Glenville ; M. B., of Holbrook ; Worthington, of Oxford ; Noah; of Clarksburg ; Grant, of Parkersburg; Victoria, wife of the late Granville Hall, Colorado ; Mrs. Palestine Wilson, Toledo, Ohio ; Mrs. Alice Childers, and Mrs. Magdalena Nutter (mother of At- torney Bruce Nutter), both of Buckhannon ; and Martha, who died in the "beauty of her youth."
George Zinn and his wife, Mrs. Sarah Gray Zinn, came with the rest of the family, from Preston county, and settled just across the Doddridge county line; but. a little later, they removed to the Oxford vicinity to the farm that is now the home of their son. Granville Zinn. Here their last hours were spent, and, with the other pioneers of their name, they rest in the Baptist churchyard at Oxford.
Their children were the late James, of Oxford; John, of Lewis county; Thomas, of Harrisville ; Granville, above men- tioned ; Milroy, and O. M. Zinn, who resides with his sister, Mrs. E. A. Leggett, at Oxford ; Mrs. Mary J. Marsli, Lewis count}' ; Mrs. Elizabeth Douglass, of the West ; Ruth, who first married Mr. Bumgarnt, is now Mrs. James Carter, of West Union ; and Delia, wlio died in youth.
Samuel Zinn, the eldest son of John and Ruth Gaudy Zinn, was first married to Miss Miranda Weaver, who died ere long, leaving five children ; viz., Elizabeth, Columbus, Minerva, Rachel (who is now Mrs. E. M. Brown, of Auburn), and Worthington. Ilis second wife was Miss Ann Dawson, and the twelve children of. this union, which are scattered in different parts of the West, were as follows: Elizabeth,, William, Elijah, Sarah, Preston, Eliza, Martha, David B.„ Mary, Laura, Jerusha, and Ella Zinn. (Married names un- known to us.)
Rachel Zinn (daughter of John and Ruth Gandy Zinn) married Thomas Gray, and they settled just across the
232 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
Doddridge county line, near one-half mile from the Oxford post-office, on the farm that is still in the hands of their de- scendants— the children of their late son. Charter, being" the heirs. Here they lived and died, and in the Baptist church cemetery at Oxford they lie at rest.
Their children were eleven in number ; viz.. Jane, the first born, married John Stiriespring, and I\Irs. J. E. Day, of Doddridge countv. is her onlv child. Thomas died in child- hood; William, in 3'oung manhood: Amelia and Erminia, in early womanhood; James was a soldier of the Union army, and not long after his return home (late in the '60's) he passed on : Elizabeth is Mrs. John M. Gribble, of West Union : Sarah was the late Mrs. F. A. Nutter, of Oxford ; Narcissus is is Mrs. Charles B. Cleavenger, of Oxford; Lucia, who first married the late \\ ilson B. Lowther, of Oxford, is now Airs. L. C. Alorris ; and Charter, the only son that left a family, married Miss Hannah Bee.
Narcissus Zinn (daughter of John and Ruth Gandy Zinnj married Samuel Rogers, but she died early in life, and ]\Ir. Rogers married again. The family resided in the Oxford vicinity for a time in pioneer days, but returned to Preston county. Two of her children were Thomas and Preston, but here our authentic information ends.
Delila Zinn (daughter of John and Ruth Gandy Zinn) married David Fortney, and remained in Preston county. Her children's first names only are at hand : Eugene, Fernandez, L3'-curgus, Charlotte, Ashford, Caroline, Silas, and Orpha Fort- ney. Mr. Fortney, of Leatherbarke, is descended from her.
Elizabeth Zinn (daughter of John and Ruth Gandy Zinn") married Thomas Brown, and remained in Preston county. And her children were, Adaline. Buckner. A\'illiam. Charles. Virgil and Cloa Brown.
Preston Zinn (son of John and Ruth Gandy Zinn) mar- ried ]^Iiss Nanc}' Rogers. (See Berea settlers.) And the family of Amelia Zinn, who first married Thomas E. Davis, senior, and later Eli Heaton, will be found in a subsequent chapter.
MIDDLE FORK SETTLED 233
BEAR RUN SETTLED.
Granville Zinn, the remaining son of John and Ruth Gandy Zinn, married ]\Iiss Rosetta Lowther, and settled on Bear run, on the farm that is now the home of Delaine Tharpe, in 1843.
This stream, whicli is a small tributary of the Middle fork, took its name from a huge black bear that came to its death here at the hands of Mrs. Zinn's father and brother, \\m. B., and \\n\. R. Lowther, and Wm. K. f^owther, while Hi this section on a hunting expedition years before the date of this settlement.
Mr. Zinn lived and died where he settled, and some time, after he was laid in the Oxford Baptist churchyard, his widow and son, Samuel, removed to Harrisville, where they still re- side. Airs. Zinn celebrated her ninetieth birthday in February, 1910.
Besides the son mentioned, their children were as fol- lows: The late W^illiam, the Rev. Lemuel, and the late George, of Salem ; Mrs. Margaret Harbert, Harrison county ; Albert Zinn, Tollgate ; arid Ellen and Sophia, who died in childhood.
George Griffin was the second settler on Bear run. He was born in Harrison county, on February IG, 1828 ; and on February 22, 1849, he was married to Miss Juan Fernandez Zinn (daughter of John and Ruth Gandy Zinn), who was born on November 30, 1828 ; and in 1852, they settled on what is known as the Roger's farm, on the Ritchie and Doddridge county line, and in 18T3, they removed to Holbrook to the old homestead, where their remaining years were spent. Here, in January, 1909, Death, for the first time, invaded this family circle and claimed Airs. Grififin, who was a noble type of womanhood. Mr. Griffin then went to the home of his son. Charles G. Griffin, in Ohio, and there, near two months later. Death overtook him. His remains were brought back and laid in the South fork Baptist churchyard, b}' the side of the companion that had traveled with him so far down the "decliv- ity of time."
These pioneers were the parents of ten children, who are
234 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
all living and who are all the heads of respected families ; viz., A. Virginia is Mrs. James K. Wilson, of West Union ; M. Caroline is Mrs. W. B. Hayden, of Centreville, Washington ; J. Franklin, is of Wood county ; Thomas J., of Holbrook ; John Woofter, of California; Charles G., of Ohio; ]\Irs. Laura Crofton, of Idaho; Mrs. Lucetta J. (S. L.) McClain, of West Union ; Ella is Mrs. Gilbert Hayden, of Auburn ; and Homer Griffin is of Wirt county.
Several members of this family w^ere at different times identified in the profession of teaching here and elsewhere.
The Griffins are of Welsh descent. John Griffin crossed from Wales some time during the latter part of the eighteenth century, and settled in Maryland. His son, Samuel, married Miss Sarah Scarf, of Hartford county (Maryland), and set- tled in Talbott county ; and from there, near the year 1804, they migrated to Harrison county, (W.) Virginia, where they spent the remaining years of their lives.
They were the parents of eleven children ; viz., Xancy, John, Henry S., Susana, Edward, William S.. Joshua H., James S., Benjamin S., George G., and Martha Griffin. Several of these sons were soldiers of the war of 1812.
James S. Griffin, the progenitor of the Ritchie county faniil}', married ^Nliss Martha Harbert. and settled at Lumber- port, in Harrison county. He was one of the pioneer minis- ters of the Baptist church in wdiat is now West Virginia, his field of labor being in Harrison, Ritchie and the adjoining counties, reaching as far as Kanawha county. He was the first Moderator of the Mt. Pisgah Baptist church, in Gilmer county, being elected to this office at its organization, on Octo- ber 27, 1854. He rests in Harrison county.
His children were — Joshua, John, Allison, Benjamin. Luther C, Charlotte (Mrs. Jeremiah Robey"), Jane (}\Ir;-i. Christian Davis), Permilla (who married Anthony Winter- mine, and went to Oregon), and George G. Griffin. All the rest of the family remained in Harrison county except the last two mentioned. Benjamin and Luther were soldiers of the Civil war.
H. B. Tharpe, shortly after his marriage to Miss Eliza- beth Wass, sister of Harrison Wass, in 1847, made the first
MIDDLE FORK SETTLED 235
settlement on the old homestead, where he and his aged com- panion are quietly spending the eventide of their lives. Per- haps, this remarkable instance can hardly be duplicated in the county. One by one they have followed their five children to the grave, and only three of their grandchildren survive ; viz., Mrs. Dora Pritchard Cox, who resides with ^hem ; Por- ter Tharpe, of Clarksburg; and Mrs. Ora Bush, of Troy — the latter being the children of the late Harrison Tharpe.
Their only daughter, Eliza Ellen, was the late Mrs. Ar;- drew Pritchard. John died in childhood, and Irvin and George Tharpe, in their young manhood.
The Nutters. — The year 1849 was marked by the coming of Christopher N. Nutter to the farm that is now the home of his son, C. W. Nutter ; and two years later, his father, Thomas Nutter, made the first improvement, on the farm that was until recently the home of his grandson, T. E. Nutter — now owned by M. B. Zinn.
The elder Nutter (Thomas), Avho was a native of the Clarksburg vicinity, married Miss Lois Parks, and was the father of— AV. EI. H. Nutter, of Iowa; G. Hamilton, of Ohio; Daniel, of Barbour county; Mrs. Thomas Scoonover, of Ran- dolph ; Sarah, who became the wife of the Rev. Thomas Hat- field, of Ohio; Airs. Mary (Wm.) Douglass, and Mrs. Belinda (Levi) Douglass, both of Barbour county; and Lois, who went to California, and there married.
Mrs. Nutter died and was laid to rest in Harrison county, before he came to Ritchie county. Here on the Middle fork, he passed from earth, and in the Lowther cemetery, he sleeps.
Christopher N. Nutter married Miss Sarah Swisher, daughter of Isaac Swisher — a pioneer of Lost creek, Harrison county, and from the time of their arrival until they were laid in the Lowther cemetery (in 1883 and '94, respectively) they were among the substantial citizens of this community.
Their children were John A. Nutter, who lost his life in the Confederate cause; the late Mrs. Erances (G. W.) BroAvn, who sleeps at Holbrook ; Mrs. Mary A. (A. S.) Lowther, of Peabody, Kansas; the late T. E., of Parkersburg ; and C. W., of Holbrook. who is now a member of the honorable County court.
336 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
AI. Bruce Nutter, who is a prominent attorney at Buck- hannon, belongs to this family, he bein^- the s-rand^on i^f Ham- ilton, and the son of Thomas.
Andrew Nutter, an early pioneer of the Oxford vicinity, whose descendants in this county are not a few in number, also, belon»'ed to this family, he being a first cousin of Thomas Nutter.
He was a native of Harrison county and a veteran of the war of 1812 ; he having enlisted at the age of seventeen years, and was in the engagement of Ft. Defiance on the Alaumee river. He married Aliss Malinda ^Villis (sister of Robert Willis, of Oxford ; of Mrs. Peter Pritchard, of White Oak ; and of Mrs. William Elder), and they were the parents of Willis, John, Andrew, junior, and Mrs. Julia A\'arren, of Ox- ford : Mrs. Nancy Hart, Mrs. Alalinda Hart, and Mrs. Eliza- beth Hart, of Pleasants county ; and Airs. Sallie Watson, of Roane county ; all of whom have passed on, except Mrs. War- ren, who is now a nonegenarian, and possibly another one or two.
Willis Nutter married Aliss Julia Richards, of Harrison county, and his son, Thomas, married Aliss Sarah A. Allender, daughter of the late Jacob Allender, of Oxford, and they were the parents of ex-Sheriff Oke}^ E. Nutter; of Emma, the wife of Lee Prunty, of Oxford; of Mrs. Lola (Ben) AA'ilson, of Toll- gate; Mrs. Bessie (Fred) Ross, of Pennsboro ; and of Mrs. Eva Tharpe, of Oklahoma city.
W. M. Nutter, of Eva; AL B., of Oxford; and W. J., of Pennsboro, are the other descendants of Andrew, senior, they being the sons of Andrew (HI), of Oxford.
John Nutter, brother of Andrew, senior, and his wife, ^Trs. Emily Vincient Nutter, were early settlers just across the Doddridge county line : but they removed from there to Leatherbrake, in the early fifties, imCv there spent their last days; and on the old homestead, near Iris, they sleep. They were the parents of several children : Jacob and Andrew, Mrs. Julia (Lewis) Rogers, ]\Irs. Alary (Henry) Smith, and Cassie, who married and lived in Ohio, have all passed on. Nels6n lives in California; Thomas, in Kansas; Airs. Ellen (Wm.)
MIDDLE FORK SETTLED 237
Connolly, in Virginia; and Dorinda, Avho never married, on Leatherbarke.
The Nutters are of Scotch-English descent. Four brothers came from England and settled in Harrison county, where they figured quite prominently as pioneers and as Indian fighters ; and from them the far-famed Indian fort took its name ; and from them all the Nutters of this, and adjoining counties, are descended. Thomas, one of these brothers, with a company of other men, followed the savages from Harrison county, to what is now the vicinity of Washburn, where the}^ overtook and killed one of the leaders of the band, Avho man- aged to crawl under a clilT of rocks, where his skeleton was found a number of years afterwards. He (Thomas) was the progenitor of the Elolbrook, Oxford, and Leatherbarke fami- lies, his son, Christopher, being the father of Thomas, of Hol- brook ; and his son, John, of Andrew, senior, of Oxford, and of John, of Leatherbarke.
The Watsons, — Other early settlers in this part were Otho, George, and John Watson— three brothers, from Bar- bour county, who all made their improvements on Brush run — a small tributary of the Middle fork.
They were the sons of Jacob Watson, who removed from Marion to Barbour county near 1812. He married a Miss Gandy — sister of Mrs. John Zinn, and one son, Otho, was born of this un.ion. After her death, he married Miss Sarah Pritchard, sister of Peter Pritchard, and they were the parents of — George and John, and of Mrs. John (Mary) Jett (mother of Wm. Jett, of Otterslide) ; Mrs. Elizabeth Westfall, Mrs. Castor, Mrs. Nancy Divers, Mrs. Amanda Divers, all of Bar- bour county; Mrs. Jane Rowe, and the late William, Roane county; the late Mrs. Angeline (Lair) Simons, of Auburn; and Emily, who died unmarried.
Otho Watson married Miss Louise Jett, and made the first settlement on Brush run, in 18-15 ; from here he removed to Roane county, where his widov/ still survives (1908) at the age of more than one hundred years. This pioneer and two of his sons, Jacob, of Roane county, and George, who died during the Civil war, served as Union soldiers ; Irvin, Mrs. Elias (xA-melia) Pritchard, and the late Mrs. Matilda Boise, of
238 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
Roane county; and Airs. Henry Collins are the other children.
George Watson married Miss Susan Divers, and remained here until death ; and in the Auburn cemetery, beside his wife, he rests.
His children are — ]M. B., and Wilson, of Auburn ; An- drew, of Salem: George, of Parkersburg; Mrs. Mary Bee. of Berea ; the late Mrs. ]\Iartha (J. B.) Gribble, of Auburn; Mrs. Jennie Summers, and Mrs. Alice Adams, Roane county; Mrs. Elien Smith, Doddridge county; and ]\Irs. Adaline (Marshall) Hall. Colorado.
John Watson married Aiiss Kathrine Thrash, of Barbour county, and spent the remainder of his life on Brush run, where he settled ; and in the Lowther burying-ground, beside his wife, he found a resting place. His children are: Nealy, and Jacob M., of Aiiburn ; the late Thomas, and David, of Elizabeth: Scott, of Parkersburg; Grant, of Cincinnati; and John ("Jack"), of Fenwick.
After the death of his first wife, he w'as married to Miss Sarah Maxwell, daughter of Lamar 3.1axwell, of Doddridge county, and was the father of several more children ; Mrs. Charles Sinnett, of Auburn ; of Dora, Sarah, ]\Iary. Joe, and Morgan, junior.
William Adams w^as another early settler on the waters of the Middle fork. Though his domain was just across what is now the Ritchie and Doddridge county line, his interests "were identical w-ith those of the other pioneers of this vicinity. He was a native of Plarrison county — the son of Jonathan Adams, a Revolutionary soldier, who fought under General Washington. He married Miss Lucinda Wright, of Harrison county (who was a member of the A\^right family, of Spruce creek), and in 1840, took up his residence in the forest where his son, William Adams, now lives. Here he passed from sight in 1861 ; and in the Auburn cemetery, beside his wife, he sleeps. After the death of the wife of his youth, he married Miss Louisa Summers, sister of Joseph and^Elijah Snmmeis; and they were the parents of five children: Elijah, and Alex- ander Adams, J\lrs. Susana Pierce, IMrs. Margaret Husk, -and Mrs. Flora Edgell, of Doddridge county.
MIDDLE FORK SETTLED 239
The children of the first union were; viz.,
William, who lives at the old homestead; Joshua Adams, of Summers — the father of the well known lawyer, Homer Adams, of Harrisville ; the late Jackson Adams, of Summers ; Mrs. Mary (Thos.) Hickman, of Grove; and the late Mrs. Harriet (Elias) Snodgrass, Ritchie county ; the late Mrs. Mary Ann Leeson, the late Mrs. Elizabeth Lipscomb, and the late Mrs. Sarah Gray, who was the mother of the Gray Brothers, of Elizabeth, \\ irt county.
CHAPTER XVI
Bone Creek Settled
ROBERT SOMMERVILLE was the first pio- neer to break the forest on Bone creek. He came from Harrison county in 1834, and set- tled a short distance below Auburn, on .the farm that is now the estate of his late son. William. Here he continued to reside until he was laid in the Auburn cemetery. Mr. Sommerville was born near Cumberland, Maryland, on May 1, 1800. He was the son of James Simmeral,^ who, with his wife, and tAvo children, came fiom Cork, Ireland, near
1788, and settled on the coast of Dela- ware, for a time, before removing to Maryland. When the family came to America, two sons, John and Andrew, remained in Ireland, but Andrew after- wards came to the United States. The other members of the family were : James, Mrs. Nancy Lynch, Mrs. A\'m. (Peggy) Burnside, all of Harrison county ; and Robert, above mentioned. In 1825, Robert married Miss Mary Ward, daughter of William Ward, of Harrison county, a soldier of the war of 1812 ; and for long years after his death, "Aunt Polly," as she was familiarly known, continued to reside at the old home below Auburn, where she fell asleep in 1894, at the great age of ninety-one or two years.
Their children are: the late William, Martin, George, Franklin. John, Hiram, Mrs. Sarah (Charles) Brown, Mrs.
Robert Sommerville.
•The name was originally Simmeral, but through some error of pro- nunciation it finally became Sommerville.
BONE CREEK SETTLED 241
Drusilla Fisher. Mrs. Margaret (A. N.) Watson, Mrs. Ruhama (Wilson) Watson.
All the sons have passed away, except John. Franklin met a tragic death by falling from a building, and Hiram died in childhood, and his remains filled the first grave that "was hollowed out" in the Auburn cemetery. The others all left families : a noteworthy feature is that the dead of this family all rest at Auburn, and here the living all reside.
Timothy Tharpe. — The settlement of Mr. Sommerville was closely followed by that of Timothy Tharpe, who came from his native county — Harrison, and took up his residence on the late A. P. Knisely homestead., above Auburn. He later moved to the Israel Cookman farm, and finally, to the Earnest Fry mire property, where he died, in 1881.
Mr. Tharpe was of Irish Hneage. He was born on July 35, 1802; was the son of II. Benjamin Tharpe, a ship-builder and carpenter. When he was but a small boy his parents died, and- he was bound out to strangers, and thus the days of his childhood and youth were sadly spent. Fle was a brother of the late H. B. Tharpe ,of Iowa ; of Mrs. Susan Hall — mother of the late Lemuel Hall — of Auburn ; the late Mrs. Hannah Davis, of Pai-kersburg ; and the late Mrs. Wm. Davis, of West Union. Fie was a man of very strict religious principles, and was one of the corner-stones of the Auburn M. E. church, as was Mr. Sommerville.
On Christmas day, 1823, he was married to ]\liss Sarah Cox, sister of Col. Daniel V. Cox, of Slab creek, who was born on December 18, 1805 ; and thirteen children were the fruits of this union. Mrs. Tharpe followed him to the grave in 1884, and both rest at Auburn.
Their children: Matilda (Mrs. Henry Hayden), Mrs. Christiana AVagner, W. D., and Mrs. Mahala Mitchell, sleep in Iowa ; Mrs. Luvina Collins, on Spruce creek ; Mrs. Caroline Brown and E. H. Tharpe, at Auburn ; two daughters died in childhood, and one son, Sedwick S., in the Andersonville prison during the Civil war. The surviving ones are H. B. Tharpe, of Hoibrook ; P. R., of Harrisville ; and Mrs. Eliza- beth (Isaac) Hayden, Auburn.
242 HISTORY or RITCHIE COUXTV
Andrew Law was tlie third settler on Bone creek. He came from Lewis county, in 1834, and made his improvement on the farm that is best known as the "Thomas Kniseley homestead" — now the home of W. H. Hall.
He was quite a young man at this time, not having yet deserted single life ; but two years later, he was married to Miss Margaret Vvaldeck, daughter of Henry Waldeck, a Ger- man, who came to America in 1T7G, as a Hessian soldier in the Revolution ; and who, refusing to return to his native land at the close of the war, though a fortune awaited him, entered land on the river below Weston, where he and his wife, ^Irs. Mary Sleeth Waldeck — sister of David Sleeth, of Smithville — established their home.
A few years after Mr. Law's marriage, on the occasion of a husking bee, while his ''good wife" was preparing the pot for dinner, her attention was attracted by an unusual dis- turbance among the hogs ; and, stepping to the door, she dis- covered an old bear and two cubs making an attack on them. Calling the family dog to her assistance, she managed to tree the mother, and one of the cubs, and to hold them at bay until the "tooting" of the horn brought the men from the field. Air. Law, seizing his gun as he passed the house, soon brought both offenders to the ground. The other cub, returning in quest of its mother, shared a like fate.
Mr. and Mrs. Law went to Colorado in the early seven- ties, and there, fell asleep.
They were the parents of nine children : Dr. Galehria Law, Mrs. Jeniza (J. F.) Ireland, John E., and Lorenzo D. Law, all of Colorado; the Rev. H. M., of the West Virginia M. E. conference; Leondias F., of Spencer; Mrs. (W. M.) Agnes Rymer, Harrisville ; Mrs. Mary E. (G. M.) Ireland, White Oak; and Henry T., v/ho died in the Andersonville prison during the Civil war. Leonidas and Galelma were also L^nion soldiers ; and Mrs. Ireland, and Dr. Law were once identified among the teachers of the county.
The Laws have an interesting ancestral history. They, being in sympathy with the A\'esleyans, were dri\en from Belfast, Ireland, the place of their nativity, by religious perse- cution. So bitter were their persecutors — the Catholics —
^1
BONE CREEK SETTLED 243
that they were obliged to leave by stealth, a friendly Catholic girl, having warned them of their peril. And in the wilds of America, "They sought a faith's pure shrine" — "Freedom to worship God." And though man}^ generations have come and gone since that time, the different families of this name still adhere to the religious faith (Methodist Episcopal) that brought their fore-fathers to this land.
In 1794, four brothers, Thomas, William, Frank, and John Law, with their parents, set sail for America. The mother died on board the ship, while crossing, and was buried beneath the briny waves, and the rest landed in Philadelphia.
Frank died leaving no issue. John, who was an Irish peddler, went West and married and his descendants are scattered over Ohio and Indiana.
Thomas and William remained in Philadelphia for a time, but finally emigrated to West Virginia. William settled at Gooseman's mill, in Harrison county, and was the ancestor of the Lawford branch of the family ; and Thomas, near Jane Lew, in Lewis county.
Thomas Law married Miss Martha Fisher in "Old Erin," and four months after their arrival in the "City of Brotherly Love," twins were born of them (on April 4, 1795) — the first of the name to be born in America. Shortly after their birth, the mother and the infant daughter passed on, and the son, who was known as Billy F. Law, grew to manhood and mar- ried a Miss Thornhill, and from him the Otterslide branch of the family are descended, he being the father of the late Thomas T. Law, of Otterslide, and the grandfather of the late Mrs. John Ehret, Mrs. Azariah Bee, and Mrs. Elisha Maxin.
When Billy F. Law was a lad of fourteen years, he made a pair of red cedar gate posts, and placed them on his father's farm, near Jane Lew, and though a century has past, one of these posts, still stands, as a "lone sentinel," keeping its silent vigil.
Some years after the death of his first wife (Mrs. Martha Fisher Law), Thomas Law, senior, married Miss Nancy Dixon, w^ho came from Ireland at the same time that he did ; and three sons and three daughters were the fruits of this
244 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
union : Andrew, the Bone creek pioneer ; the late James, of Cove creek; and the late Asa, of Jane Lew; Mrs. Eliza Collins, Mrs. Margaret Armstrong, and Eleanor, who married a Mr. Jackson, of Jane Lew.
Asa Law married Miss Mary Fell, of Westmoreland coun- ty, Pennsylvania, and lived and died near Jane Lew — on October 29, 1908, at the age of ninety-six years. He was the father of ten children, and at the time of his death, his poster- ity numbered forty-five grandchildren, fifty-four great-grand- children, and two great-great-grandchildren, some of whom had passed on. His progeny are said to be scattered from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and one granddaughter is a mis- sionary in China.
James D. Law w^as born in Lewis county, in September, 1817, and was married to Miss Mary E. Bowen, in 1852, and resided in his native county until 1876, when he removed to Gilmer county, where he died three years later. He was the father of A. F. Law, C. F., Nancy, Josephine, W. S., W. J., Ida v.. Missouri K., and Cree L Law.
The Rev. George Collins — a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, also found a home on the Thomas Kniseley (now the Hall) farm, at an early day.
He was the first minister in this section, and was a man of no mean ability. He first married Miss Mary Ann Law, of Gooseman's mill, Harrison county — half-sister of the late Asby Law, of Lawford, and when she was about to leave this world, she requested him to marry her cousin. Miss Eliza Law, sister of Andrew Law — a request which was complied with some time later.
Sylvester, Edwin. Albert, and Mary B. were the fruits of the first union ; and Eliza Catharine, and another child that died in infancy, of the last. The family went to Illinois ; and when Miss Eliza C. grew to womanhood, she returned to this county on a visit, and while here, listened to the wooing voice of John M. Brown, of Hannahdale, and became his bride; and at Riddel's chapel, she sleeps. She was the mother of Deputy Sheriff C. Floyd Brown, of Mrs. lona Wagner, of Hannah- dale : and of Mrs. Mae (John) Harris, Weston.
Alexander Armstrong is said to have preceded Mr. Col-
BONE CREEK SETTLED 245
lins to the Thomas Kniseiy farm, he having erected the cabin that Mr. Collins afterwards occupied. He was a brother-in- law of Andrew Law, and Mr. Collins, his wife being Miss Margaret Law. From here he went to near Troy, in Gilmer county ; and finally, to Ohio.
Samuel Mann is said tO' have been another early settler in this section, but of him we know nothing.
Henry Hayden made the first improvement on the farm that is designated as the Frymire homestead. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1819 ; and from there, came to Harrison county, in 1840, and two years later, to Bone creek ; here he married Miss Matilda Tharpe, daughter of Timothy Tharpe ; and from here they removed to Davis county, Iowa, in 1859, where they both sleep — she having passed from earth in 1900, and he, in 1906.
Isaac Hayden — brother of Henry, was the first settler on the Hayden farm, in this vicinity. He, too, was a native of the "Keystone state," having been born in Westmoreland county, on August 1, 1821. He came to this county in 1849, and two years later, married Miss Elizabeth Ann Tharpe. who was, also, a daughter of Timothy Tharpe, and took up his residence on the farm that remained his home until his death, on February 6, 1894. He rests in the Auburn cemetery, and his widow lives with her son, at Auburn.
Their children are as follows : Wm. Bennett Hayden, Washington; the late Mrs. Mary M. (Samuel N.) Haddox, Pleasant Hill; Mrs. Huldah J. (L N.) Czigan, Doddridge county; Mrs. Amanda C. Qohn \¥.) Haddox, Calhoun coun- ty; Irvin M. Hayden, and Gilbert, and Mrs. Abby L. (J. P.) Smith, Auburn; Mrs. Sarah E. (Wilson) Rymer, Gilmer county; Nathaniel riayden, Doddridge county; and Mrs. Ida (John) W^ass, Huntington. The eldest son, W. B., taught school in this county for near a score of years, and served one term as County surveyor before going West. Gilbert also held the office of County surveyor for ten years.
The Haydens are of English descent. They came from "The Motherland," and were among the earliest settlers of the New Jersey colony. They figured in Colonial history both as Revolutionary soldiers, and as Indian fighters.
2i6 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Nathaniel Hayden — grandfather of Henry and Isaac — was one of the first settlers in the vicinity of Pittsburg, he having gone there from New Jersey, when but a lad. Twice the emigrant party to which he belonged, was driven back to New Jersey by the hostility of the Indians. On one occasion, he, and a few other men, made an average of seventy-five miles a day on horse-back, when compelled to flee from the dusky foe. Air. Hayden, at one time, owned four hundred acres of land in what is now the City of Pittsburg. His earthly pilgrimage began on November 28, 1755, and closed, on September 15, 1845. His wife, Abigail, lived from June 17, 1762, to April 20. 1836.
Thomas Hayden, his son. married Aliss Mary Hayden, and from him the Ritchie county family are descended. He Avas born in Pennsylvania — in Westmoreland county — near the year 1788, and his wife was born in 1790: both died there, in 1874.
They were the parents of thirteen children : Henry and Isaac, of Ritchie county; James and Thomas, of AIcKeesport, Pennsylvania; Nathaniel, who lost his life in the Union cause; Samuel, of Idaho ; the late Wm., the late Alexander, and Abijah, all of Pennsylvania; Mrs. Christina Marshall, Mrs. Abigail Fell, and Mary M., and Elsie, who both died unmar- ried.
Lemuel Hall. — In 1841, Lemuel Hall came to the home- stead that remained in his hands until he passed to his reward in 1897. (Mr. Sheets now owns this farm.) He was of English descent, and came upon the stage of action in Lewis county, on August 9, 1820; was the son of Elisha and Mrs. Susan Tharpe Hall. On December 15, 1840, he was married to Miss Susana Woofter, v/ho was born in Lewis county, on January 17, 1823. Mrs. Hall survived him by two years ; and both sleep at Auburn. Mr. Hall was a magistrate for several years, and was long a deacon in the -Baptist church.
Their children: Mrs. George Brake (Mary Jane), Gil- mer county; Mrs. Wm. G. Davis (Martha A.), Doddridge county; Cyrus J., Ohio; Marshall D., Francis M., and Mrs George Emmerson (Louella B.), Kentucky; the late Gran- ville, and George W., Colorado; the late Mrs. L. D. Bartletl
BONE CREEK SETTLED 247
(Matilda), Auburn; Edward M., Calhoun county; Charles, Emory T., Roane county ; and Alfred N., who died in child- hood.
Elisha M. Hall.— On October 1, 1849, the Rev. Elisha Al Hall — brother of Lemuel — married Miss Tacy Jane, daughtei ■ of Joseph Jeft'reys, of Doddridge county, and the followini^ year came to Bone creek, where he opened a store, near the year 1857. He made the first settlment on the farm that is now the estate of the late George Somerville, below Auburn. Mr. Sommerville owned the farm that is now the Town Hall homestead, and he, and Mr. Hall, traded farms. Here Mr. Hall continued to live until he was laid in the Auburn ceme- tery in 1886. He put two hundred acres of land under cultiva- tion on this creek. He was a prominent minister of the Baptist church; a native of Allen county, Ohio, and his natal da}^ was September 1, 1829.
Mrs. Hall died at Auburn, on May 4, 1908, and sleeps by his side.
They were the parents of twelve children : John T., Auburn; Wm. F., and Joseph S., Colorado; and Mrs. Tacy J. Brake, Gilmer county ; all the rest have joined the throng on the other side; viz., Mrs. Rosa K. (Gilbert) Hayden ; Dr. J. Monroe, Preston R., Ava A., Iva O., David A., and two died in infancy.
Lawson Hall, brother of Lemuel and Elisha above men- tioned, has been a familiar figure in the Auburn vicinity, for sixty-seven years, he having come here with his brother, Lemuel, when he was a lad of ten summers. He taught school before the Civil war, as did his brother, and for several years afterwards, and like his brothers, has long been a cor- ner-stone of the Auburn Baptist church. On September 2, 1852, he claimed Miss Sarah J. Sinnett, daughter of Abel and Elizabeth Stuart Sinnett, as his bride, and shortly after his marriage took up his residence where he still lives, and where he has cleared and put under cultivation one hundred fifty acres of land. His wife also survives.
They are the parents of ten children : Mrs. Martin L. Cunningham (Euphamy), Abel, John A., Mrs. S. A. Weirs (Sarah E.), Mrs. C. A. Ward (Catharine), Mrs. Van Riddel
248 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
(Columbia), all of Auburn; the other four have passed on: viz., Mrs. C. F. Beall (Sofronia), and William, who were twins; Franklin was a twin of Mrs. Riddel, and George A. died in childhood.
Martin Sommerville- — son of Robert — and his wife, Mrs. Susan Gaston Sommerville, were the pioneers on the Town Hall homestead. They were succeeded here by his brother, George, and his wife, Mrs. Nancy Thomas Sommerville, who later exchanged farms with the late Rev. Elisha Hall, as above stated. Martin Sommerville went from here to Otter- slide, and there passed from earth, where his son, Robert O. Sommerville, now lives.
His other children are : Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Nets, and
Mrs. Caroline , of Ohio; Mrs. Martha Barrackman,
of Roane county Mrs. Fillmore Kelly (Olive), of Berea ; Floyd, of Holbrook ; and the late John A., and Charles E. Sommerville.
The children of George and Nancy Thomas Sommerv'ille are Charles and Henry Sommerville, and Mrs. Louisa Garner, of Auburn ; and Madeline and Hattie, who died in youth.
Franklin Sommerville made the first improvement on the Hoff farm, below Auburn, but while erecting a stable here he met his death by a fall, and this improvement passed into the hands of the Rev. John Miller," and afterwards became the property of the late John Hofif.
Mr. Sommerville's widow, Mrs. Caroline Chevront Som- merville, and her only child, Newton, went to Nebraska, where they still survive.
John Miller was a lay minister of the Methodist Episco- pal church, and a blacksmith by trade. Fie had been reared b}^ the late Waitman T. Willey, of Morgantown. He married for his first wife a Miss Robinson, of Monongalia county, and while residing on the Hofif farm, she passed on. Diphtheria invaded the home here, and stilled the voices of all the chil- dren, but two sons. Some time after the death of his wife. Mr. Miller married Mrs. Mary Cox Alexander, niece of Philip Cox, and mother of Calvin Alexander, of Auburn, and they finally went West.
Martin Ward was the pioneer of the "Ward homestead."
BONE CREEK SETTLED 249
Vi^hich is still in the hands of his heirs — his late son's (Smith Ward's) wife, who is now Mrs. Laban Bush, being the owner.
Mr. Ward was the son of William Ward, an Englishman, and of Mrs. Sarah Shobe Ward, a Dutch maiden, who crossed the sea, and came to Harrison county, before her marriage. Here she and her husband, who were identified among the early pioneers of the county, lived and died, and here, in the Bethel cemetery, near their old home, they are sleeping, side by side. Five of their ten children sleep in Ritchie county ; viz., George W., who settled just across the line in Gilmer county ; Mrs. Robert Sommerville, Mrs. Elizabeth Bailey, who died at the home of Martin Ward, with their brother, Martin, all rest at Auburn ; and Mrs. Daniel Cox, on Slab creek.
Martin Carr Ward's nativity was Harrison county, on August 1, 1821. There on December 17, 1840, he was mar- ried to Miss Mary Jane Gaston, daughter of John Gaston, who was born in the same county, on June 22, 1823 ; and tvv'o years afterward (1842), they came to Bone creek, and settled at the "Ward homestead," where he passed from earth, on March 8, 1897, and she, on December 18, 1908.
When they came to this couiity, Mrs. Ward made tlie trip on horse-back, through the wilderness, carrying her babe in her arms, and her sister — a giri of ten years, behind her. Marvelous were the changes, they lived to see. None of the other pioneers were longer identified with the interests of the community than they, and none were held in higher esteem.
They were the parents of twelve children: Sarah Eliza- beth died in childhood ; John J., who was a Union soldier, resides in Colorado; Mrs. W. B. Zinn (Anna), at Holbrook; Thomas F., and Albert M., Berea; Mrs. J. T. Hall (Amanda), and C. A. Ward, Auburn ; Calvin B., North Dakota ; Mrs. J. E. Amos (Eliza J.), near Harrisville ; Lewis M., died in child- hood ; Wm. W., in his youth ; and Smith, a few years since, leaving a family.
John HofT was another early settler on this creek, just below the "Ward homestead." He was, also, a Harrison county product, being born on October 9, 1825 ; and near the year 1846, he was married to A4iss Elizabeth Ann Gaston,
250 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTV
daughter of James and Charlotte Swisher Gaston. The Gas- tons being of Irish descent, and the Swishers (or Svveitzers as the name was originally spelled in the native land), of Ger- man. Mrs. Gaston was able to speak both German and English, fluently.
Mr. Hoff came to Bone creek near the year 1850, and remained until his death, on August 3, 1903. He was an honest, industrious citizen, and became a large land-owner. Mrs. Hofif, who was a most estimable woman, survived him but a short time, and both lie at rest in the Auburn cemetery. The simplicity of the inscription upon the marble shaft that marks the resting place of Mr. Hoff — "Honesty is the best policy" — leaves its impress upori the visitor to this cemetery.
Mr. and Mrs. Hofif were the parents of eleven children that reached the years of maturity — seven sons and four daughters. These sons are nearly all prominently known in the various walks of life : Eri B. is a minister of the West Virginia Methodist Episcopal conference; Weldon A. L. Hoff was graduated from the Commercial college at Delaware. Ohio, after spending some time in teaching in his native coun- ty, and is now a professor in a commercial college in Okla- homa.
I. Samuel (unmarried), and Lloyd, who was also a teacher, are prosperous farmers, of near Cairo.
Lewis Ross, who began his career as a rural pedagogue in his native state, was graduated from a college at AVinfield, Kansas, in the Bachelor of Science degree, and later took a theological course at Drew seminary, and is now a distingu- ished pulpit orator of the Methodist Episcopal church, of Lib- eral, Kansas.
Silas Marion is at this time one of the prominent ofificial figures of his native count}^ (See Younger Men's Calendar.)
George S. and Miss Rosa Byrd, who were both known among the teachers of this county, are lying in their narrow beds in the Auburn cemetery.
Rebecca J., is Mrs. E. L. Bee, of Berea : Charlotte C, is Mrs. W. J. Butcher, of Hacker's Valley ; and Caroline is the wife of Alva Fitz Randolph, of Alfred, New York. She was, also, a teacher.
BONE CREEK SETTLED 251
The Hoff family is said to have originated in Germany near the fourteenth century. John HofT was called from his native land to a professor's chair in the Oxford University, in England ; and members of this family migrated to America in Colonial days, and settled at York, Pennsylvania, and in Meigs county, Ohio. But shortly before the American Revo- lution, one John Hofit came across to visit his kinsmen in Pennsylvania and Ohio, and he settled in Virginia, where he took up arms in behalf of his adopted country in her struggle for liberty; and from him the Ritchie county family come. lie was a slave-holder and a large land-owner, and one of his slaves died at A\"est Milford, in Harrison county, only a few years since, in a little home that he had thoughtfully provided for her by his last will and testament.
Samuel Hoff, his son, was born at the old homestead, in Harrison county, in 1802, and there spent his enin-e life, dying on January 8, 1887. Samuel Hofr was married to Miss Cath- arine Paris, who was born of Scotch parentage, and they had eight children ; John Hoff, of this county, being the eldest son. The other children were, Silas, Lewis, Rose, Humphre}-, James, Melissa, Rebecca, Amy, and Margaret.
Daniel Luzader, though not so early as the others, was the first settler on his old homestead on this creek.
He was born near Grafton, in Taylor county, on July 5, 1823, and his wife, Martha A. Newlon, was born near Prunty- town, in the sanie county, on December 17, 1828. They were married in 1850, and at the close of the Civil war, came to this county, and settled on Spruce creek, before coming to P)One creek, where they reared their family, and where Mr. Luzader passed away, on July 20, 1902. His wife followed him to the grave, on July 6, 1906, she having spent her last hours with her son at Pennsboro. Both rest in the Spruce creek Baptist churchyard.
Their children were nine in number, and some of them are quite prominently known.
Winfield Scott, the eldest son. who was long identified in the teaching profession, is the father of Everett, Mae and ]\Irs. Flossie Brown, who are among the present teachers.
Grant, who was, also, a teacher of former vears, was
252 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
graduated from the Parsons Horolog-ical Institute, at Laporte, Indiana, and is now meeting with success in his trade at Pennsboro.
Sherman, who was Hkewise a teacher of Ritchie and Gil- mer counties, is a well-to-do farmer of Wayne town, Indiana, where he found his life companion.
M. M. is of Harrisville. Mollie B. is Mrs. Randolph Weaver, and Harriett is Mrs. George Weaver, both of Law- ford ; Martha C. married Alva V. Oldaker and went to Indiana, but they now reside on a fine old plantation in Virginia.
Malcolm M. Luzader is the one Ritchian whose reputa- tion as a vocalist is more than "state wide."
He first opened his eyes on this mundane sphere in Tay- lor county, on November 37, 1858. but came to this county with his parents when but a lad of eleven summers. A nat- ural born student, he early entered the profession of teaching and Avas for a number of years known among the pedagogues of Ritchie, Gilmer, Lewis, and Preston counties, he having at one time held a position in the Academy at Kingwood.
His love for music developed at an early age, and he im- proved his talent about the fireside, as circumstances would permit, attended a few local singing schools, and then took a course of five terms in the West Virginia Normal Music school: and in 1883, he was made the secretary of the West Virginia Music Teachers' Association. He later attended the Indiana State Normal Music school, where he studied thorough base, harmony, composition, form and voice under instructors of national reputation. For more than thirty years he has been a successful teacher of vocal music, having in that time instructed more than twenty thousand pupils of all ages. Perhaps no other teacher in the State has instructed a greater number or covered a wider range of territor^^ he haA- ing taught in West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsyl- vania, and Missouri.
He has taken an active interest in politics ever since he reached his majority, and was one of the representatives from this county in the State Legislature in 1901 ; and having led to a "decisive victory for righteousness" in the defeat of the Salem (Harrison county) charter bill, he became the recog-
BONE CREEK SETTLED 253
nized leader of the Temperance forces of the House. He is a Baptist in religion and has twice served as Moderator of the Harrisville Baptist church.
On August 16, 1893, he was married to Miss Sarah E. Truax, of Alamo, Indiana, and after a five years' residence there, with his wife, he returned to this county and established his home at Harrisville, where he still lives. The one child born of this union died in infancy. (Since this was written, Mr. Luzader has sold his Harrisville home, and has gone to the "Old Dominion" to live.)
David E. Brown made his settlement on the "Hardesty"' — now the Thomas Mason farm. He was of Dutch descent. His ancestors came to America as British soldiers during the Revolution; and being so delighted with the country, they took up their residence on the South branch of the Potomac when the conflict was ended ; and from there John Brown emigrated to Lewis county, near the close of the eighteenth century, and settled on the waters of the West fork of the Monongahela river, near the Broad run Baptist church. There David E. Brown, the head of the Ritchie count}'- family, was born, on September 9, 1801 ; there he grew to manhood ; there he was married to Miss Deborah Stalnaker. on February 15, 1827; and from there came to Bone creek in 18o3.
In 18G1, Mrs. Brown passed from sight, and at Auburn, she rests. Mr. Brown, who survived her by a number of years, died at the home of his son, John, at Hannahdale.
They were the parents of nine children. Five of their seven sons served as Union soldiers, and all returned home in safety.
The eldest son, Joseph C, went to California, during the gold excitement, in 1849. There he married and had a family, and there he sleeps. W. R. (the late father of \V. R. Brown, of West Union, and T. A., of Elizabeth), has been sleeping in the Auburn cemetery, for many years ; George W. married Miss Frances Nutter, sister of C. W. Nutter, and after her early death, he went West, and, near Buft'alo. Wyoming, in 1902, he fell asleep; Andrew S. never married. He went to
'The Hardesty farm, which was owned by Asa Law, of .Jane Lew, was tenanted by Otho Law, before the coming of Mr. Brown, who pur- chased it.
254 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTV
Wyoming near 1875, and there he was murdered, in 1901. He lived alone in a secluded spot, and being known to have con- siderable means, robbery is supposed to have been the moti\e. Some of his property in the hands of suspicious looking in- dividuals, led to an investigation, which brought to light the heinous crime, and the attempt to conceal it by the cremation of the body. Samuel V. resides at Morgantown ; E. M., nt Auburn; John M., at Hannahdale ; Mrs. P. P. Brown (Mary Jane), at Jane Lew; and Mrs. Elijah W. Summers fCaroline v.), at Summers.
George G. Brown — the well known timberman — formerly of Smithville, but now of Huntington, belongs to this family. He is the son of the late Lemuel Brown, of Doddridge county ; and grandson of Thomas and Alary Stalnaker Brown — brother of David — of Lewis county.
The Woofters. — Andrew Woofter, in 1851, made the first improvement, on the farm that is now owned by Albert Smith, and he continued to reside here until he was borne to the tomb. He was of German lineage. His ancestors came to America near 1GG5, and settled in the New Jerse}^ colony. John Woofter married a Scotch maiden by the name of Petit, and emigrated from New Jersey to Loudin county, Virginia; and from thence to Lewis county, (\V.) Virginia, wdiere he rests in the old churchyard at Broad run. His son, Jonathan Woofter, married Miss Jeannette Winans, and they were the parents of — the Rev. John Woofter, of the Baptist church. Andrew, William, Perry, Enos, and Jonathan, who resides at Washington, in Wood countv. and who is the only survivor of the family ; the daughters were : Mrs. Lydia Simmons, Mrs. Sarah Ferrell, Mrs. Mary Bailey. Mrs. Alcinda Crowcer, and Jane.
Andrew Woofter was born in Lewis county, on Septem- ber 17, 1833; and on May 29, 1815, he was married to Miss Jane Simpson, who was born in Ohio, but was reared in Lewis county. Her father, John .Simpson, having removed from that county to the "Buckeye state," where he was killed by lightning; and after his death the family returned to their former home.
Mr. Woofter was one of the early pedagogues of this
BONE CREEK SETTLED 255
vicinity, and several members of his family were identified in this profession in after years. He died in February, 1902, and his wife followed him to the grave four months later. Both rest in the Auburn cemetery.
Their children are as follows: Thomas J., Wood county; the Rev. George A., of the Baptist church, Shinnston; Francis A. Woofter, DeKalb ; John S., Houston, Texas; Clarke, Au- burn; Ellet, Charleston; Mrs. Sarah E. Adams, Oxford; and Mrs. Columbia J. Bush (M. F.), Burnt House. Homer Adam's, the well known Flarrisville lawyer, is_ a grandson of this pioneer ; and the Rev. Emery Woofter, of the Baptist cliurch, is a grandson of the late Rev. John Woofter, of the Baptist church — brother of Andrew.
Ebenezer Tharpe — son of Timothy — was the first to find a home on the farm that is still in the hands of his widow, Mrs. Amanda Wass Tharpe. Here he died, and at Auburn, he sleeps. They were the parents of eleven children : Alvin and John have passed on ; S. S., Milton, Mrs. Rosa B. Wright, Mrs. Lillie Nestor, Mrs. Laura Woofter, and Mrs. Ida Rohey, are all of Auburn; ]\Irs. Grace Brake, of ^Veston ; Mrs. Bar- bara Aiken, of Greenwood, and E. F. Tharp \ of Burnt House.
CHAPTER XVII
Otterslide Settled
HIS stream derived its name from the mini- .erous slides made by otters along its banks. William Gribble was the first settler. His ancestors came from Holland in Col- onial times and settled in Pennsylvania, where he was born, but his family later re- moved to Preston county, (West) Virginia : and there he (William) was married to Miss Lydia Rogers, who was of Scotch-Irish and Welsh lineage, and was the daughter of John and Elizabeth Wilson Rogers, of Preston county. Her mother belonged to one of the pioneer families of Monongalia county, who forted on the present site of Alor- gantown in Indian times.
The first years of their married life were spent in Pres- ton coinity, but they came to Otterslide in 1840, and reared their humble cabin on the farm that is now owned by Jack- son Hudkins, and here they remained until death claimed them.
They were the parents of the following named children, some of whom have been prominently known : William A. Gribble (lost his life in the Union army), the late Ezekiel, J. B., and Thomas N., Berea; Cornelius A., Harrison county; and John M. Gribble, of West Union, all of whom served as Union soldiers, are the sons. John M. has been a leading figure in public affairs in Doddridge county for a number of years, he having served as assessor, sheriff, and has been the president of the West Union bank throughout its history.
The daughters of this famih- are: Sarah J., wife of the late R. H. Wilson, who died in the Andersonville prison dur- ing the Civil war ; Perces, the late Mrs. A. J. Nutter, of Ox-
OTTERS LIDE SETTLED 257
ford ; Airs. Hattie Skank, who resides in the East ; and the late Mrs. Annie (Alex) Stout, of West Union.
William Wall was the next settler. He married Miss Flnliarty, a sister of the late Adam Fluharty, of Leatherbarke, and came here from Marion county and erected his cabin on the head of the stream, on what is now the Campbell farm. But he was only a squatter, and was supplanted by John Jett. in 1849.
John Jett and his wife, Mrs. Alary Watson Jett, came from their native county — Barbour — and remained until 1875, when they removed to Roane county, where they found a iinal resting place in the Spring- Creek cemetery.
They were the parents of the following named children:
George, Elizabeth and Sarah died in childhood; Wilson and Jacob, of Roane county, and Alden, of Charleston, have, also, passed on; John, junior, resides in Kanawha county; Mrs. Mary Abbott, m Roane; Sylvester, at Holbrook ; and William Jett, on Otterslide.
William Jett and his wife, Mrs. Safronia Lowther Jett, have had a longer connection with this creek than any other citizens in its history. He having been here since 1849, when he came with his parents, and she, since the day of her birth in 1845.
Wesley Jett, brother of John, senior, married Miss Nancy Lipscomb, and came to this county in 1845, and settled on Brushy fork of Bone creek, where they both died, and at Au- burn they sleep.
Their only son, Wesley, junior, died as a prisoner of war, at Camp Chase, the Union prison at Columbus, Ohio, during the sixties.
The Jetts are of Welsh ancestry. William Jett, senior, came from Wales with his wife, shortly before the American Revolution, and settled on the Potomac river below Washing- ton city. -He served his adopted country as a soldier in the Continental army, being under the direct command of General Washington. His son, John Jett, senior, was born and reared in Franklin county, Virginia, and there he was married to Miss Sarah Smith; and from there they removed to Barbour county, near the year 1820, where Air. Jett died in 1863, and
258 HISTORY or RITCHIE COUNTY ■
where his son, John Jett, junior, tlie Otterslide pioneer, was born.
Jonathan C. Lowther was another pioneer on this stream. And though he is now a nonegenarian, he is still a familiar figure here. He is the son of Elias Lowther and the only sur- viving grandson of Col. William Lowther. He married Miss Emza Xeal. sister of '\l. A. Neal, of Pullman, and since her death in 1906, he has made his home with his daughter, Mrs. William Jett. He is the father of one other daughter, Airs. Rebecca Bee, of Rutherford ; and William Lowther, of Cali- fornia, is an adopted son.
Ezekiel Kelley was another early settler on this stream. He Avas the son of John Kelley, and in Doddridge county he was born and reared. Near the year 1849, he was married to Miss Estella Davis, and came to this county and established his home on what is now known as the L. M. Jett farm. j\Irs. Kelley died in 18T5, and his second wife was Miss Mary Stinespring, who survived him. He died ni 1891.
He and his first wife were the parents of nine children: Ai, Fillmore, and Festus Kelley, Mrs. Verna Ehret, and Mrs. Lulu Zinn, all of this county ; INIrs. Darlie Bond, Roanoke ; Horace Kelley, Webster county ; and two wdio are numbered with the dead.
Lemuel Davis was another arrival of the year 1849. He, too, was a Doddridge county product. He married Miss Rhoda Bee, daughter of Asa Bee, and they spent the remainder of their lives here.
They were the parents of six children; viz., the late Phineas, of Alice, Gilmer county, Ephraim, Alonzo, Gideon, and Daniel, and one daughter, Virginia.
Stephen Davis and his wife, Jemima Kelley Davis (sister of Ezekiel Kelley) came from their native county — Doddridge — in 1858, and from here they went to Clay county, where they rest. Their children: Arzander and Leander (twins). Isaiah, Grant and Gordon, and the daughter, Emza, are all living in Roane county ; and Elizabeth is dead.
Zibbie Davis, a native of Greenbrier county, married Miss Dorinda Lowther, sister of Jonathan, and came here from Doddridge county in 1850, wdiere they remained until
OTTERSLIDE SETTLED 359
death; he was laid in the Pine Grove cemetery, in 1898. His only child, Talitha, married Thomas Gribble, and she was laid in the Pine Grove cemetery, on the same day that her father was laid away. Mrs. Davis had passed on two years before.
Jacob Fronseman married Katharine Kelley, sister of Ezekiel, and came here from Doddridge county, but did not remain until death, so but little of his history is available. Buc he had one son, Nelson, who died in Wood county, near Park- ersburg.
David Randolph, son of Jonathan Randolph, and his wife. Caroline Cornell, both natives of Harrison county, were known among the early people here, but their stay was brief ; and they returned to their native county, where they died. .She, in 1904; and he. in 1908.
FitzRandolph has been one of the prominent names in this part of the county for almost sixty years.
This family are of English origin and of Revolutionary stock. Their ancestor, Edward FitzRandolph, came from Nottinghamshire, England, in 1630, and settled in the Mass- achusetts colony; and from there the family emigrated to New Jersey, and thence to West Virginia. The Randolphs, also, trace their ancestry to Thomas Blossom, a prominent deacon in the Pilgrim church at Plymouth.
Edward FitzRandolph had a son, John, and this son (John) was the father of Samuel FitzRandolph, who was a member of the Continental army during the Revolution. And from Samuel's son, Jesse, the Randolphs of this county come.
Jesse F. Randolph migrated from New Jersey to what is now Salem, West Virginia, when this section of country was in its primitive wilderness, and the red man roamed the forest at will. Here his son, John F. Randolph, grew to manhood and married Miss Experience Brown; and on February 1, 1832, Asa F. Randolph, the progenitor of the Ritchie county family was born, of this union.
Asa FitzRandolph married Miss Marvel Maxin, daughter of John i\Iaxin (her mother being a sister of Ezekiel Bee), who was descended from a well-known Rhode Island famih'
200 HISTORY or RITCHIE COUNTY
that emigrated from New Jersey to Salem with the Fitz Ran- dolphs and the Bees.
The marriage took place on October 1, 1S51, and, shortly afterwards, they came to this county and settled on the divide between Otterslide and Bone creek ; but after a two years' residence here, they removed to Doddridge county, where Mr. Randolph opened a tannery, at New Milton ; but in L85G, they returned to this vicinity and established a permanent home on the river below Berea, where he operated a tannery for a number of years : and where they reared their family.
He and his wife were both strong advocates of education, and despite the many disadvantages that surrounded them, their children nearly all obtained good educations. They were both faithful communicants of the Seventh Day Baptist church, and he was a deacon in this church. Mrs. Randolph died on December 3, 1883 ; and seven years afterwards, he married Miss Mary H. vSaunders, of Alfred, New York, dr J removed to that state, where he claimed his residence to the end of his earthly race. He died while on a visit to his old home at Berea, on September 3, 1903, and was laid at rest by the wife of his youth in the Pine Grove cemetery, at Berea.
He and his first wife were the parents of eleven children, two of whom died in infancy, and nine grew to the years of maturity. Their early training developed in them a love for education, and all of them joined the ranks of the teacher, seven of them having taught in this county.
Five were graduated from the Alfred University in New York; viz., Experience, Califurnia, who is now Mrs. Meathrell, of Berea; Virgil, and Alva, of New York, and Delvenus. of California. Experience, who was the late Mrs. Leon Burdick, of New York, was also graduated from the Alfred Theological Seminary. The other members of the family are* Mrs. Clev Jordan, and the late Mrs. Emza Coon, New York ; the late Ellsworth, and Preston, of Berea. (See chapter LI for more exteiided account of Experience Randolph.)
CHAPTER XVIII
Spruce Creek Settled
PRUCE CREEK derived its name from the numerous pines that adorn its banks.
John Shores. — It was first settled near 1815, by John Shores, who came from Salem, liarrisoa county, and reared his cabin near the present site of the E. C. Snodgrass resi- dence. He was a native of the "Old Domin- ion." Kis parents came from Devonshire, England, in 1740, and settled in the Virginia colony, where he was born in 17Cyi ; and from there he came to Harrison county, at the age of twenty-one years. He three times took the marriage vow. Miss A^latilda Howard was the first wife, and of this union one daughter, Amanda (who became A^Irs. William Parks), was born ; and one son, Thomas, who died in his early man- hood, was the fruit of the second union ; his third wife was Miss Sarah Mitchell, of Barbour county, and their children were : Mrs. Rachel Smith, of Slab creek ; the late Mrs. Sarah Jane Watson, of Cherry Point, Illinois; the late James Shores, of Cairo, who died at Parkersburg, in 1900; and Mrs. Mary Ann McDonald, of Spruce creek, an octogenarian, who is the only survivor of the family.
Mr. Shores went from Spruce creek to the mouth of Slab creek, and made the first settlement there on the farm that is now designated as the "Westfall farm." There he died in 1849, and in the old Pleasant Hill cemetery, he sleeps. His wife was laid by his side in 1875.
William Parks — son-in-law of John Shores — who located his cabin on the Minor Bartl'ett (now the H. C. Buzzard) farm, was the second settler on this creek. After a short resi- dence here, Mr. Parks and his family went to Texas, and one letter reached their friends after their departure; but the
262 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
silence was never again broken, and the supposition was, that they met a tragic fate at the hands of the red man, or in some other manner.
Cornelius Wyer. — Near the year 1827, Cornelius Wyer became the owner of the Parks' improvement. He was the son of George Wyer, an Irishman, who married an English lady and settled on Bingamon creek, in Harrison county, where he (Cornelius) was born near 1798. Near 1825, he married Miss Elizabeth Malone, sister of James Malone, junior, and the following year, his connection with this coun- ty's history began, when he made the first improvement on the Harrison Wass homestead, above Goff 's ; and the next year he went to Spruce creek. Being driven from his home, on the Bartlett farm, by a high tide in the creek, he went farther up the stream, and reared a cabin on what is now the J. W. Gofif homestead, and here he passed away in 1842. (This farm has been continuously occupied ever since the date of his settlement.) His wife, who was born in 1802, died on the waters of Tanner's creek, in Gilmer county, in 1877.
They were the parents of four sons and two daughters ; all of whom have passed on, except Archibald, of Alfred, Gil- mer county. The other sons were John, Mattison, and Benja- min ; and the daughters were Elizabeth, who married Phillip B. Gofi* — son of John A. Gofif, of this county; and Sarah, who married the late Daniel Valentine, of this county.
Among the grandsons and the granddaughters of this pio- neer, who are well-known citizens of this, and adjoining coun- ties, are C. J. Valentine, of Fonsoville ; Emery, of Nevvberne : J. M. and John B., Macfarlan ; S. A. Wyer, of Auburn ; Mrs. Katharine Beckner, Parkersburg; and George Wyer, and a host of others, of Gilmer county.
Levi Smith was the first denizen of Upper Spruce creek. He was the son of Aaron, t!ie pioneer on the Hatfield farm, at Gold's. He married his cousin. Katharine Smith, daughter of Barnes, senior, and made the first settlement where E. C. GoiT now lives, before coming to Spruce creek, in 1831, where he found a permanent home on the farm that is now his estate ; the old "mansion house" being occupied by his youngest son, Elisha. Here he resided until death claimed him, near 1894;
SPRUCE CREEK SETTLED 2G3
and on his old homestead, he sleeps. The first grave that was hollowed out on this creek was on this homestead, and it was filled by one of his children. After the death of his first wife, he married Miss Ruhama Morehead, who survived until June, 1910.
The children of the first marriage have all passed on. They were, Silas, who died in childhood, Lemuel, Barnes, and Nathaniel, of Spruce creek; Mrs. Wm. (Drusilla) Som- merville, Auburn; Mrs. Christopher (Charlotte) Morehead, Berea ; Mrs. Sarah Ann (James) Smith, Spruce creek ; and Hannah, who died in childhood. Mrs. Morehead, and Barnes, both passed away in February, 1909.
The children of the last marriage were the son above mentioned; Allison B. Smith, of Richwood ; Mrs.. Columbia (Cash) Freed, and the late Mrs. Rebecca Tucker, of Spruce creek.
Isaac Smith. — Scarcely had Levi Smith settled dowii in his new home, Avhen Isaac Smith — his cousin, and Samuel Davidson arrived, the former reared his cabin one day, and the latter the next. The site of Mr. Smith's cabin is now marked by the dwelling of the late Harrison Bartlett. He was the son of Barnes Smith, senior, and his wife, Hannali Collins, was the daughter of Isaac Collins, and granddaughter of Thomas and Phebe Cunningham. He moved from here to Smithvilie, where he and his wife rest
His children were, Martin Smith, A. W., Mrs. Alfred (Cynthia) Barr, Mrs. M. A. Ayres (Mary), Smithvilie; S. Allen wSmith, and Sylvanus Smith, and Mrs. Sabra J. White (John), all of Iowa; the late Mrs. Rachel (Nutter) Webb, of Smithvilie; and Lear, and Jefl:'erson, who both died in child- hood.
Samuel Davidson's cabin stood on the farm that after- wards became the homestead of the late Dr. Harrison Wright. Mr. Davidson was the son of Alexander Davidson, of Smith- vilie, and he married .Sarah, the daughter of Barnes Smith. He moved from here to Gilmer county, and settled on Road run, near Tannersville. Here his wife died, and at Tanners- ville she sleeps. He rests in Braxton county, where he passed away at the home of his son.
2fi4 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
He was the father of three sons and six daughters : Mrs. Elizabeth (J. A. C.) Davis, and Mrs. Mary (Wesley) Byrd, Hazelgreen; Mrs. Benjamin Goff (Elzara), Burnt House; and Warren Davidson, of Braxton county, are the surviving ones ; and the deceased are, Mrs. Jane Earle, Hazelgreen ; Mrs. Alex. McDonald, Racket; Mrs. Adaline Willis Hamilton, second wife of Eli Hamilton, and John and Israel, of Tan- nersville. From Israel, junior, the late teachers, Joy and Samuel Davidson, were descended.
Joshua Smith, brother of Isaac, made the first improve- ment on the farm that is now the home of M. L. Law, in iSiO. He married Miss Emily Beall, and went from here to the Kanawha river, below Grantsville, where he and his wife sleep, and where no small number of his descendants live.
His children: Henry, Solomon, Jerome, Levi, and Mat- thew Smith, and Mrs. Mary Harris, are all of Calhoun coun- ty ; Newton, is of Braxton county ; Mrs. Sarah J. Hickembot- tom, of Clarksburg; and the late Mrs. Sarah Newlon, oi Grantsville.
Asby Law. — During the spring of 1S48, the late Asby Poole Law became the successor of Joshua Smith on the Law farm, where he continued to reside until he fell asleep, on February 20, 1868, at the age of forty-four years. His sons, F. M.. David G., M. L., and Willie, and his daughters, Mrs. Hannah (Wm.) Huff, and Mrs. Elizabeth Singleton., who all have interesting families, are still prominently identi- fied with the affairs of the community in both chvuxh and state ; and his venerable widow, Mrs. Deborah Gaston Law Bartlett, is spending a pleasant eventide here with her chil- dren. Her posterity numbers eight children, forty-two grand- children, and nineteen great-grandchildren, who have risen up "to call her blessed." Two of her children have passed on — the youngest son. in infancy, and the eldest, John W. Law, father of Steele Law, of Clarksburg, later in life, Morris La^v is of Newberne, and Newton, of Cairo.
The ancestral history of this family is .one and the same as that of the Bone creek branch. The two brothers having come from Ireland at the same time (see Bone creek chapter), and from them all the Laws in \^'est Virginia arc descended.
SPRUCE CREEK SETTLED 265
William Law, the progenitor of the Lawforcl branch, mar- ried a Miss Burnside, and settled near Gooseman's mill, in Harrison county; and of this union six children were born: William, junior, Thomas, John, and Isaac, all of Lewis and Harrison counties; Frank, of Wirt county; and Mary B., wife of the Rev. George Collins. After the birth of these children. Miss Hannah Sill became the wife of William Law, and seven more children v^ere the fruits of this union ; viz., David, and Asby Poole, Asa, Jesse, Elizabeth, who became Mrs. Morris Gaston, of Doddridge county ; Ruhama, who married Jeffer- son Law, and Ellen, James Hutson, both of Harrison county.
Eleven Riddel made the first settlement on the A. J. Reed farm, in 1841. He was a native of Gilmer county, the son of Jeremiah and Margaret Hardman Riddel,^ but being left an orphan at an early age, he was reared b}^ the late Rev. James Hardman, of Hardman chapel. He married Miss Susan Davidson, sister of the venerable Israel Davidson, of Lawford, and made a settlement on Leatherbarke. which antedated the one on Spruce creek.
He died in June, 1893, at the home of his son, George, on the Ritchie and Gilmer county line, and. beside his wife, he sleeps in the Wright graveyard, on Spruce creek. He v;as the father of nine children; viz., Katharine Elizabeth, the only daughter, married Hanson Bumgardner, and went to Iowa, where she rests. James and Samuel sacrificed their lives for the LInion cause ; and Jeremiah died shortly after his return from the L'^nion army ; Davidson C., and George, reside near Lawford ; Hiram, on Devil Hole ; Loman, in Gilmer coun- ty ; and Granville, in Webster.
The Wright Brothers. — The next settlers in this section were James and Harrison Wright, two brothers, who came from Barbour county, in 1843, and found permanent homes, and final resting places here.
James Wright took up his residence near one mile below the little hamlet of Lawford, on the farm that is now owned by his sons, Joshua and James, and Robert Pride — the latter being the occupant of the old home. Here he passed away in 1884, and in the old Spruce creek burying-ground on the M.
'See other chapters for ancestral history of Riddels and Hardmans.
i66 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
L. Law farm he is sleeping. He first married Aliss Mary Wiant, and Joshua was the son of this union ; three others having' died in childhood. His second wife was Miss Eliza-
'fe
beth Calhoun, daughter of Allen Calhoun, and she was the mother of the Rev. Allen Wright, of Parkersburg; James, of Spruce creek ; and Columbus, who died in the asylum at Wes- ton. His last wife was Ruth, the daughter of Daniel Mitchell. He was a blacksmith by trade and one of the earliest in this section. He had wielded the hammer on the Doddridge coun- ty side, for a short time, before coming to Spruce creek.
Dr. Harrison Wright made his settlement, near one mile above Lawford, on the farm that is now owned by his grand- son, Addison Wright. He also owned the Samuel Davidson farm — now the property of M. L. Lav.^
He was born on Simpson's creek, in what is now Barbour county, on June 14, 1815, and died on January 17, 1889, and in the Mt. Olive churchyard — the Progressive Brethren — on Spruce creek, he lies buried. He married Miss Elizabeth Cleavenger, daughter of Edman Cleavenger, of Barbour coun- ty, who was born in 1820, and was laid by his side in 1902. She was of Dutch descent and was a distant relative of George Washington.
Their children: Zachariah, Lloyd, Alexander, ^Ivs. ]\Iary Ann Rollins, Harrison AVright, junior, Mrs. Adaline Weaver, Mrs. Clarinda Weaver, all reside on the waters of Spruce creek ; Mrs. Elizabeth Bright lives in Greenbrier covinty ; David died in the Rock Island prison during the late Civil ^var: Ai, near Lawford; Mrs. Moriah Gragg. in Gilmer coun- ty; and Edgar, in childhood.
The Wrights are of Scotch-L'ish descent. The grand- father of James and Harrison W^right crossed the sea, near 1745, and married a Virginia girl by the name of Porter, ami settled in this colony. He served as a Revolutionary soldier : and from his son Joshua, who was born in the "Old Domin- ion," in 1770, the Ritchie county families come.
Besides James and Harrison — of this county — Joshua Wright's other children were, the late Mrs. W^m. Adams (Lucinda), of Doddridge county — grandmother of Lawyer Homer Adams, of Harrisville ; the late Mrs. David Cleavenger
SPRUCE CREEK SETTLED 267
(Jemima), of Gilmer county; Mrs. Sylvester Monroe (Eliza- beth), sleeps in Harrison county; Willis, and Thompson, in Barbour county: and Joshua Wright was a citizen of Seattle. Washington, the last account, he being the only survivor of the family.
Israel Davidson. — The autumn of 1839 was marked by the coming of Israel Davidson, who made the first improve- ment on the homestead where he is cpiietly spending the even- tide of his serene old age. He is not only the oldest citizen of Spruce creek, but he enjoys the distinction of being the oldest surviving son of Ritchie county. He is perhaps, too, the only citizen of the courity that still occupies the home that he obtained from the Commonwealth of Virginia, arid one that has never changed hands.
He is the son of Alexander Davidson, and in May, 1818, he first saw the light of day at the family home, one mile north of Harrisville. When he was but two years of age, his father moved to Smithville, and there he grew to man- hood ; and from there, after the death of his father, the family emigrated to Illinois in a wagon, and he went with them — walking much of the distance; but' only staid a short time. The following year he came to Spruce creek, where he has ever since remained. He was unmarried at the time of his settlement, but three years later, he claimed Miss Tabitha Cunningham, daughter of Joseph Cunningham, who then re- sided on the E. C. Snodgrass farm, as his wife, and for more than fifty-six years she crowned his life with happiness, and then passed from sight. Two of their five children, Benjamin and James, died in childhood ; and Silas, in his young man- hood ; and Mrs. Samuel Cleavenger, and Albert Davidson, reside at Lawford.
Mr. Davidson was, at one time, numbered among the late General Harris' pupils. He was an early pedagogue, and a noted hunter, he having slain near one hundred fifty deer in his time — an almost snow-white one being among the num- ber. Being a gentleman of high character, he is esteemed by all who know him ; and though he has no church ties, he has great reverence for religion. His mind is a store-house of
268 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
pioneer lore, and to him we are indebted for no small amount of valuable information.
The Doughertys. — In 1840, John Dougherty came to the farm that is now the home of T. T. Goff, below Hazelgreen. A man by the name of Holbert had made a slight improve- ment here, which he purchased. Remaining on the GofT farm but a short time, he went to Dry run and settled on the farm that is now the home of the Wright Brothers, below J una; and here his life was principally spent until he was laid in the Reeves cemetery, near the year 1864. He w^as of Irish descent, his grandfather, George Dougherty, having come from, the "Emerald Isle," near the middle of the eighteenth century, and settled in Pennsylvania. He (George Doughert3^ senior) served in the French and Indian war, and was with General Washington's army at Braddock's defeat. He, also, served as a Revolutionary soldier ; and at the close of this struggle, he Avas married to Miss Mary Sharrow, an English maiden, who lived in Pennsylvania; and their son, George, was the father of John, of this county. He (George, junior; was a soldier of the war of 1812.
John Dougherty was born in the ancestral home in the Keystone state, and there he was married to Miss Katharine Bolinger — sister of the late Rev. John Bolinger — a German maiden ; and in 1833, they removed to Monongalia county, and from there they came to Spruce creek, at the time above stated. Their son, the late Jacob, of Lamb's run, served as a Confederate soldier in the Civil war, and George and Wes- iey, in defense of the Union. The latter met his death shortly after his return home by an accidental bullet wound m his forehead, which he only survived a very brief time. George now lives in Ohio; William, in Mississippi; Mrs. Elizabeth Weinrich, on Lamb's run : and Mrs. Sarah Feathers Scott, of Indian creek, and Mrs. Mary (Eugene) Tibbs, of Missouri, have joined the throng on the other side. (Few families have a more continuous military record.)
Benjamin Goff made his settlement on th.e T. T. Goti homestead, near Hazelgreen, about the year 1845, but in 1853, he sold his interests here to his brother. xA.lexander Goff, and removed to the Frederick's mill vicinitv, and later, to Goli's,
SPRUCE CREEK SETTLED 269
where his son, E. C. Goff, now hvcs, and where his last hours were spent. Here his aged widow, who was ^liss Eda Sinith, daughter of Aaron Smith — tlie pioneer at Goff's — also passed away a few years ago; and side by side they sleep in the Reeves cemetery.
Their children were ten in number: Strother — father of the late Levi, of Goff's, sleeps near Hazelgreen ; Alexander died in Libby prison during the Civil war ; and Core and Sarah, in childhood; E. C, who was a Union soldier, and a recent member of the House of Delegates, is merchant and post-master at Goff's; and Mrs. Roanna Byrd (Davis) is, also, of Goff's; B. P. Goff" is of Macfarlan ; Mrs. Rebecca Bee (Obidiah), of Belpre, Ohio; Mrs. Dorcas Beall (J. S.), of Burnt House; and Mrs. Mary Gainer (Perry), of Bone creek.
Alexander Goff, born November 29, 1818, mafried Miss Apiary Bush, daughter of George Bush, an early settler of Gil- mer county, on January 28, 1840, and his family are still prominently identified with the Hazelgreen community. Here, at the old homestead, his venerable widow, who has been numbered among the octogenarians for several years, still survives. But Mr. Goff" has been a silent sleeper in the Buzzard cemetery for more than a quarter of a century.
This family's religious faith is that of the M. E. church, South, and politically, they are strongly Democratic ; while Benjamin's family are members of the M. E. church, and are ardent Republicans.
Their children were seven in number: Lafayette died in childhood; Marcellus — father of L. C, of Juna ; Marshall — father of Guy, of ^Burnt House; Dr. Lee, and Ira S. have, also, passed on ; T. T., and R. W. are of Hazelgreen ; and Mrs. Martha EUen Wass, of Huntington.
Thomas Goff — another brother of Benjamin and Alex- ander— was the pioneer on the Prather farm. Lie married Elizabeth, the daughter of Barnes Smith, senior, and came from Gilmer county, neai- 1850; he afterwards removed to the E. C. Goff homestead, and from there, to Iowa; perhaps, late in the sixties, and there, near Decatur, he and his wife rest.
They were the parents of sixteen children, several of whom died in childhood : T. M. Goff, of Harrisville ; the late
270 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Simeon — father of Dr. J. M. Goff, of Hazelgreen , and the late Airs. A. P. Hardman (Thankful Ann), of Fonsoville ; were the ones that remained in their native county — the rest all went West: Barnes, Jethro, and Francis; Sarah became Mrs. Daniel Osbourne, and they live at Knoxville, Iowa ; Mrs. Elzaria Hendricks, Mrs. Rachel Hendricks, Mrs. Cynthia Rambo, and Eli, who sleeps in the West, are the other mem- bers of the family.
Aaron Schoolcraft. — The year 1853, brought Aaron Schoolcraft from Gilmer county to the Schoolcraft farm, on Lower Spruce creek. About the ancestry of this typical pioneer hangs a mantle of unusual, historic interest:
John, Jacob, and Leonard Schoolcraft — three brothers, were captured by the Indians in their boyhood, and were held as captives until they had almost reached the years of matur- ity. In fact, Leonard always remained with the red men. But John and Jacob, when nearly grown, were given guns, and an allowance of ammunition, and each day upon their return from hunting, they were required to give a strict ac- count of their success as marksmen. They were expected to kill something with each shot, but they managed, however, to hide away a shot or two each day until a supply had ac- cumulated, and one fine morning, they set out for their home, which was on the South branch of the Potomac. They pro- ceeded without incident until nearing a frontier settlement,, when they discovered that the Indians were in pursuit. Tak- ing refuge under a creek bank, they lay in hiding until their pursuers had passed on ; but discovering that they were near- ing a fort, the Indians hastily retreated, and when they had disappeared in the distance, the boys resumed their journey and soon came within sight of the fort. "The Whites," seeing tliem approaching, and mistaking them for savages — so like them was their dress and manner — marched forth to meet them prepared for battle ; but the lads, holding up their guns as a token of surrender, were permitted to reach the fort in safety.- AMien once inside, they told the story of their captivity as best they could in their broken, Indian tongue, and when they had finished, an aged inmate of the fort, who
SPRUCE CREEK SETTLED 271
had listened in rapt silence, joyfully claimed them as his long- lost sons, whom he had mourned as dead.
Jacob, who married a Aliss Parsons, was the father of Aaron — the Spruce creek pioneer.
Aaron Schoolcraft married Miss Sarah Collins, sister of the iate Chainey Collins, of Smithville, and was the father of Mrs. Granville (Mahala) Tingier, of Juna ; and of Mrs. Re- becca RadclifFe. of Lewis county. He and his wife sleep on the old homestead, where he settled.
The Bartletts. — The history of Upper Spruce creek would hardly be complete, without a word concerning the Bartletts, who, though not so early as the settlers before mentioned, were as truly pioneers ; as they came here in the ante-bellum, days, when but little improvement had been made, and have helped to transform this section of the wilderness into one of the best agricultural districts in the county.
This family are direct descendants of Josiah Bartlett, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, uho was born at Amesbury, Massachusetts, in 1?29, and died in 1795. He Avas a member of the Continental Congress : Chief Justice of New Hampshire ; and the first governor of the "Granite State" under the new Cojistitution. Three brothers crossed the sea, doubtless, from England, as this is a prom- inent name in that country, and settled in the New England states, where not a few of their descendants have distinguished themselves, as men of letters, and of military prowess.
Josiah Bartlett was the father of AA'illiam Bartlett, whose two sons, Robert and Thomas, have innumerable descendants in this and diiterent other counties of the state.
Robert was the father of Harrison Bartlett, who came to Spruce creek in 1858, and remained until 1907, when he was laid in the Baptist churchyard.
Harrison Bartlett was born in Taylor county, on Simp- son's creek, on April 28. 1829. and there he was married to Miss Hannah Rhyne. who was the mother of seven of his children: John R., Phineas, Nathan. Jeddeiah, Mrs. Lydia Ellen (Robert) Sommerville, of Auburn : and Arminda. and Sarah Jane, who died in childhood.
After her death, he married Mrs. Elizabeth Reed Smith,
272 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
who was the mother of Ira C. Bartlett, of Xewberne ; Mrs. Dora (George) Simmons, Auburn, and Mrs. Myrtal (Hayes) Coburn, Clarksburg.
John R. and Phineas. reside in Gihiier county, and Jed- deiah, in Calhoun.
Elijah Bartlett, who came to Spruce creek from the place of his nativity, Simpson's creek, Taylor county, in 1859, was the son of Thomas Bartlett, brother of Robert. He married his cousin, Aliss Rebecca Bartlett, daughter of. Robert, and sister of Harrison, and Avas the father of three sons and two daughters : Sylvester, and the late Starling, and Lair D., Mrs. Lydia (T. D.) Phillips, Spruce creek; and ]\lrs. ^Melissa (Moses) Law, Harrison county.
James F. Bartlett, who was long a citizen of this creek, was the son of Samuel and Mary Flemming Bart- lett, and the grandson of Thomas. He married Miss Zelda Newlon, of Barbour county, and joined bis kinsmen here at the close of the Civil war, and remained until he, too, was laid in the Baptist churchyard, on Spruce creek.
He was the father of the late L. D. Bartlett, Patrick F., ]\Irs. Martha (Chas.) Hickman, Mrs. Celia (D. G.) Law. all of the Auburn vicinity ; and Henrietta, and Loverna, who died in infancy.
He and his son, L. D., were both soldiers of the Civil war. The Bartletts were the corner stones of the Spruce creek Baptist church, and their descendants are among its present pillars. James and Oaf Hickman, who are prominently known among the teachers of the county, are grandsons of James F. Bartlett, and P. S. Strother, another successful peda- gogue is descended from this family, he being the grandson of Phineas Bartlett, a brother of Harrison.
Sanford B. Flemming merits a little place in this chapter, as he redeemed from its primitive wilderness one of the finest blue grass farms of five hundred fifty acres, in this part of the county, though he did not come here until the spring -of 1868.
Mr. Flemming was born in the ancestral home at Flem- mington, in Taylor county, in 1837, and there grew to man- hood and married Miss Lydia Ellen Gather, daughter of the Rev. Jasper Gather, in 1861 ; and seven years later they came
SFRdCE CREEK SETTLED 273
to Spruce creek, where she passed away in 1900, and wliere Mr. Flemming died in 1910. They were the parents of two sons: Floyd died in inianc}^ and Harvey, who was graduated from the State University at Morg'anto\\'n in the class of 1885, is now a prominent journalist of Kansas City, ^Missouri.
The Flemmings are of Scotch-Irish stock. Their ante- cessors crossed the sea early in the eighteenth century, and settled in the \'irginia colony, and from there, scattered to other colonies.
James Flemming, who was descended from this Virginia family, came from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, near 1799, and settled at Flemmington, in what is now Taylor county ; and from him this town took its name, he having given the right- of-way for the railroad and the ground for the station, at the coming of the railroad. He married the daughter of Judson Ala'cDonald, of Taylor count}-, and in 1800 a son was born of this union, which was named Patrick Flemming. This son married Miss Margaret MacDonald, daughter of James Mac- Donald, of Taylor county, and they were the parents of San- ford B. Flemming, of Spruce creek.
Patrick Flemming spent his entire life at Flemmington, where he sleeps.
Alary, or Polly Flemming, as she was called, sister of Patrick, married Samuel Bartlett, of Barbour county, and was the mother of the late James F. Bartlett, of Spruce creek, and grandmother of Airs. D. G. Law, of Lawford ; and of Mrs. Charles Hickman, of Auburn.
Farther Development. — The Methodist Episcopal church was the pioneer church on this creek. This organization was perfected in 1850, and among its original members w"ere Mr. and Airs. Asby Law, and Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Goff.
The first church house was erected in 1853, near the jM-esent site of the residence of J. \V. Gotx, above Hazelgieen, and was known as the "Old Spruce Valley church." From this organization, the present Spruce creek churches date their history, as does the Bethany church, at Goil's.
The Spruce Creek Baptist church was organized through the efforts of Harrison and Elijah Bartlett, in 1859, w^ith thir- teen charter members, and it is now a strong and influential
274 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTV
church. Airs. Barnes Smith is the only survivor of the original thirteen members.
The first church was erected in 1866, and the present one, in 1890.
The Methodist Episcopal Church South once had an organization here, but it has now become the Methodist Pro- testant church.
The United Brethren and the Progressive Brethren, or Dunkards, also, have influential organizations. The late John Byrd was long a pillar in the former, and it was called by his name. "Byrd chapel."
The late Wilson B. Cunningham, whose history belongs to Leatherbarke, was the pioneer school-teacher on this creek. The house in which this school was taught, stood near the present site of the Wright school house.
Gofif's was the first post-office. It was moved during "the sixties to this creek, but after a few 3-ears was changed back to its present location at Gofif's.
In 1871 or '2, an ofifice was established at the residence of Alexander Wright under the name of "Spruce Creek," but it was discontinued after a few years.
Then near 1885, came the Ira S. Gofif store, and a little later, the Hazelgreen post-ofifice, with Mr. GofT as first post- master.
In 1890 the Lawford post-office was established at the home of M. L. Law, with Air. Law as post-master : and this same year E. C. Gofif launched the mercantile business at Law- ford and erected the first store.
Then in 1906 came the Juna office with L. C. Gofif post- master.
Buzzard's Mill. — Near the year 1860, Buzzard's mill came upon the stage. The late Thomas Hardman, of Tannersville, son of Benjamin Hardman, was the pioneer of this enterprise, and he sold the property to James Holbert. It was then in turn owned by the late Simeon, R. W., and William Gofif, and in the early seventies it passed into the hands of the late Plenry Buzzard, and thus continued until sw^ept away by a flood in 1896, and it has never been rebuilt.
Thomas Hardman married Aliss Alary Fling, sister of F.
SPRUCE CREEK SETTLED 275
G. Fling, of Burnt House, and went to Tannersville, where he Hes in his last sleep. After the death of his first wife, he married Miss Drusilla Kelly, and eight children were the fruits of this union : the late Thomas, principal of the Glen- ville Normal school, and later clerk of the County court ; 1. N. Hardman, the present County clerk, Asa, Wm. L., French, the late Creed, Virgil, and Mrs. Gae (T. E.) Waggie, all of Gilmer county.
The children of the first marriage are : Lewis S., Francis G., Henry G., and John J., and Rebecca and Mary, who both died in youth.
CHAPTER XIX
Grass Run Settled
RASS RUN derived its name from a bit of grass that grew in a swampy place near its mouth, and though it is a small stream, it has quite an interesting history.
John Riddel, its first citizen, was born in Virginia, not far from the present site of Georgetown, in the District of Columbia, on June 30, 1778 — at a time when the forests were resonant with the din of the American Revolution ; and with his parents re- moved to what is now Tucker county, where he was married, on September 23, 1802, to Miss Tamar Goff, half-sister of Alexander Goff, senior, who was born in the "Old Dominion," in September, 1782, and died at her home in Gilmer county, on September 15, 1823. This was one of the romantic run- away marriages of early days, and on the banks of the Cheat river, it was solemnized ; the young people having been com- pelled to ford this river in order to carry out their nuptial plans.
The date of the removal of Mr. Riddel from Randolph to Gilmer county is wanting, but it was probably shortly after the war of 1812. There death robbed him of the com- panion of his youth ; and there he was again married, on May 16, 1824, to IVfiss Elizabeth Holbert ; and in 1831, they came to this county and settled on what is now the J. C. Rexroad homestead — this old pioneer cabin having stood just across the road from the present Rexroad residence, and only a few rods from the Fonzo post-office, and Hatfield store. Here, death again robbed him of his companion, and some time afterwards, he was married to Mrs. Hannah Drake Smith. Avidow of Aaron Smith ; and from here he removed to the Obadiah Bee farm, on Spruce creek, near the year 1838. He
GRASS RUN SETTLED 277
later went to Lewis county, and finally, to Roane, where he died in 1843, and where he and his last wife sleep.
He was the father of fourteen children ; viz., the late James, of Roane county ; the late Rev. Eli Riddel, of Riddel's chapel; Mrs. Hannah (Benjamin) Cunningham, Mrs. Nancy (Strother) Goff, Mrs. Elizabeth (N. H.) Frederick, of Burnt Elouse ; Eleven and George, who died in childhood, were the children of the first marriage ; and Tamar, who was the late Mrs. Emmett Norman, of Auburn; Dorcas, who married Rufus Holbert, of Roane county ; William and Harrison (wlio were twins), Thomas, Joseph and John, who passed on in childhood were the fruits of the second union.
Though his children have all joined the throng on the other side, his descendants in this and adjoining counties are a multitude. Among the grandchildren that are Avell-known citizens, are Mrs. Clara Gofif, Mrs. J. R. Stalnaker, James, the late John Frederick, all of Burnt House; John R. Cunningham, of Tani]ers; the Normans, of Auburn, and numerous others that we might mention.
Riddel Ancestry. — Though not a few of the Riddels claim to be of French extraction, investigation proves that their ancestor, James Riddel, came from Germany along with John and Salathiel Goft, and Joseph Hardman ; and that after a brief sojourn in England, they all came to America, and set- tled at Georgetown, which is now in the District of Columbia, after a twelve month's residence in Baltimore, where they first landed — in the year 1773 or '4. From here they went to Fredericksburg, Virginia, and later to what is now Tucker county, West Virginia, where he probably sleeps. His death occurred on February 26, 1816. He married a Miss Welsh, of Scotland, before leaving the Fatherland, and was the father of the following named sons and daughters: John, James, junior, Benjamin, Jeremiah, Dorcas, who married Joseph Hardman, and Elizabeth, the wife of Alexander Gofif, senior. And from these sons and daughters sprang the innumerable families of Riddels, and Hardmans — and not a few of the Goft's in this and adjoining counties — in fact, these descend- ants are scattered throughout the Union.
John Riddel, as above stated, settled in Ritchie county ;
278 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COL'XTY
James, junior, in Lewis county. He was twice married but left no heirs.
Benjamin I^iddel married Miss Nancy Anne Goff, daugh- ter of Salathiel Goff, and settled at Hollow Meadows, on the Cheat river, in Randolph (now Tucker) county ; but near the close of the w^ar of 1812, he sold his possessions there, and removed to Gilmer county, and became one of the pioneers, at the mouth of Leading creek. Here he passed from earth, and here his ashes lie. He was the father of ten sons and one daughter; viz., Salathiel, died in Roane county, in 1907, at the age of ninety years; Silas T., the youngest son and the only survivor of the family, resides near Washburn, in this county; and the others were, Hiram, Richard Welsh, John Goff, Benjamin, junior, George Washington, William (died in infancy), and the next brother was called William Slavens, James S., and Dorcas, who married William Holbert, of Gil- mer county.
Jeremiah Riddel, or "Jerry," as he was familiarly known, married Miss Margaret Hardman, sister of Joseph Hardman, who came from Germany with the rest of the party, and fol- lowed them in their wanderings until they found a home (and she, a final resting place), in Gilmer county.
It is not known where or when they were married, but circumstances point strongly to the fact that they were mar- ried in the Fatherland, before they set sail for America, but this cannot be verified at this late day. However, he died at Norfolk, Virginia, while serving his country in the war of 1812, and there he reposes. He was the father of six children ; viz., Eleven, the Spruce creek pioneer; James, junior, John E., George M., and Mrs. John Short.
George M, Riddel married Miss Mary Norman, and was the father of Mrs. Nancy Bush, of Auburn; Mrs. Etta Russell, of Parkersburg; and grandfather of Mrs. W. H. Amos, of Auburn, and the well-known traveling salesman, A. W. W'est- fall.
(The family of Dorcas Riddel Hardman appears in an earlier chapter, and that of Elizabeth Riddel Goff" follows in this chaptei'.)
James Harvey Cooper was the second citizen of the Rex-
GRASS RUN SETTLED 2T9
road homestead. He was born in Pocahontas county, in 1810, and married Miss Julia Ann Whitman, a native of Green- brier county;. and in 1830, came to Gilmer county and settled near Troy; and two years later (1838), removed to the Rex- rcad farm. After a brief sojourn here, he went to Leather- barke, and made an improvement on the Dr. A. M. Ed.^ell farm ; and near 1840, returned to the Frederick's mill vicinity, and reared the first dwelling on the land that is now owned by his grandson. F. M. Cooper; and from here he removed to Gilmer county, and took up his residence on what is now designated as the S. L. Bush homestead, where he passea from earth in 1881, and on an adjoining farm, he rests. He was a school-teacher, and in this profession forty years of his life were spent. He was also a surve3^or, and was at one time County surveyor of Gilmer.
He was the father of three daughters and eight sons : Agnes died in youth ; Julia is Mrs. Francis Hardman, of Tan- nersville ; and Rebecca, Mrs. Jesse Hardman, of Nebraska. Five of the sons were Confederate soldiers ; Robert S. died in prison ; George was slain in the Battle of Fisher's hill, in 1861 ; the late James T., lost an arm in the cause; John M.. who resides in Gilmer county, was severely wounded ; and Charles, of Auburn, narrowly escaped injury ; Andrew Holly also re- sides in Gilmer county ; and Leonidas, and Henry J., have passed on.
While the greater number of his descendants live in Gil- mer county, not a few of them are known in this coimty ; the family of Charles Cooper, of Auburn, being prominently known among the teachers, and in other professions : H. E. Cooper was the principal of the Harrisville school for two years ; Victor, who was formerly County Superintendent of Gilmer, is now identified among the Harrisville lawyers ; Mrs. Flomer Adams, of Harrisville ; Miss Cora, Everett, Grover, the late Price, w-ho was graduated from the State University, at ^Morgantown, and died of smallpox in tlte Philippines, where he went as a teacher; and the late lamented Okey Cooper, of Xewd:)erne, w"ere all members of this family, and have all i^een identified in the profession of teaching. F. M. and Joseph Cooper, of Fonzo, are also grandsons of this pioneer, they being the sons of John Cooper.
280 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
The Coopers^ are descended from an old Virginia family. James Cooper, father of James Harvey, being a native of Augusta county, and a t3^pical pioneer of West Virginia. He married Miss Nancy Agnes Wooddell, who was also a native of the "Old Dominion," and came to Pocahontas county, early in the nineteenth century and settled near Piney woods, now known as Greenbanks, where the remainder of his life was spent. He was a prominent figure in the early affairs of Poca- hontas county, being one of its organizers, and having after- wards served as constable, magistrate, assessor, and peda- gogue. He was also one of the pillars of the "Liberty" church, in its early history.
His children were ten in number : Elizabeth, became Mrs. Woods, of Highland county ; Margaret was the late Mrs. Enoch Hill, of Hardman chapel, this county ; Jane married Andrew Kerr, and lived at Dunmore ; Lucinda became ]\Irs. John A. Gillispie, of Greenbanks ; Nancy, and Malinda were the other two, all were of Pocahontas county; Thomas died in youth , John T. became a prominent physician. He resided at Parkersburg for a ntmiber of years, but finally went to Cla3^sville, Avhere he died in 1878. His son, Arthur, is now a renov/ned pulpit orator of the Presbyterian church of Illinois: and James and other members of his family still live at Park- ersburg".
James Harvey, the Ritchie county pioneer, and Joseph W., of Pocahontas, were the other sons.
Isaac Collins made the second settlement on Grass run. on the farm that is now the estate of the late Nicholas H. Frederick, near the vear 1832. He was of Irish lineage ; and was a soldier of the war of 1812, having been drafted into service. He married Miss Rachel Cunningham, daughter of Thomas and Phebe. and they resided at Smithville, and at dif- ferent other points in this county, before going to Calhoun county, where they spent the remnant of their days, near Freed, and where, on their old homestead, side by side, they sleep. At their home Phebe Cunningham died, and there she rests.
'The facts concerning- tlie ancestral history of this family are .srleaned in part from the "History of Pocahontas County," the author of that boolv being indebted to George C. Cooper, son of Joseph, for his informa- tion.
GRASS RUN SETTLED 281
Their children were as follows :
Felix, the eldest son, served as a soldier of the war of 1812, and shortly after its close, went to Texas ; Thomas, also, went to Texas ; Isaac, to Iowa ; John D. resided at Chestnut Grove, in Calhoun county ; Phebe, became Mrs. Anthony Smith, of Portsmouth, Ohio; Hannah married Isaac Smith, and lived and died at Smithville; Leah was Mrs. Henderson Beall, and Barbara, Mrs. John Beall, both of Calhoun county; Nancy, Mrs. James Wilson, of Wirt county; and Rachel, is Mrs. Jesse McGee, of Harrisville.
Among- the grandsons and granddaughters are, Martin and A. W. Smith, Mrs. M. A. Ayres, and Mrs. Alfred Barr, all of Smithville ; and Isaac and Wilford Collins, of the Lawford vicinity.
Philip Frederick was the successor of Mr. Collins on the Frederick homestead, as early as 1835. He was of German origin, and of Pennsylvania nativity, he having been born at Lancaster, in 1775. P'rom his native state, in his young man- hood, he went to Rockingham county, Virginia, where he met and married a young lady of French descent by the name of
"V>
Bougher."
He was a miller by trade and for a time after their mar- riage, they resided in Louisa county, Virginia, and from there, removed to this county in 1833, and settled on Indian creek, near the County Infirmary, for a brief time before coming to Grass run. They afterwards emigrated to Athens, Ohio, but soon returned to their old home on this creek, where they spent their last hours. Mr. Frederick died in 1861, and both lie at rest on their old homestead, which is still in the hanrls of their heirs.
Their sons were David, Nicholas H., Samuel B. and Philip Frederick.
David Frederick left home in his youth and was never heard from afterwards.
Nicholas H. Frederick, who was born on October 6, 1815, married Miss Elizabeth Riddel, daughter of John and Tarn? Goff Riddel, who was born on March 7, 1815, while her father was serving as a soldier in the war of '12. The marriage was solemnized, in 1837, at what is now the W. G. Lowther home-
•?s- HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
stead, and they at once took up their residence at the eld home on Grass rvm, where they Kved and died, and where they lie at rest.
Their children are James Frederick, the late John, Airs. Louisa (J. R.) Stalnaker, Mrs. Clara Goff, Mrs. William Stal - naker, who are all the heads of families; and Joseph, Samu( ' Mary E., Tamar, Martha J., and Nancy, who died in youth.
Samuel B. Frederick married Aliss Elizabeth Petty, of Wirt county, and principally spent his life in the Burnt House vicinity. He was the father of Samuel, Ulysses G.. the late Victor, and Roll, Cathrine Snodgrass, Josephine Pritchard, and Amanda.
Philip Frederick married Aliss Phebe Hardman, daughtc/ of Benjamin, and lived and died on Grass run. They were the parents of Charles, Franklin, Williami. David. Edward. James, Samuel, Elizabeth, who died young, Leah, who mir- ried James Cain, and Safronia, the late wife of George W. Hardman.
Benjamin Cunningham, son of Thomas and Phebe, made the first improvement on the Dr. J. F. Hartman farm in 183fi : but in 1845, he sold this improvement to David W. Sleeth. and moved his family to Iowa in a wagon. Not being satis- fied there, he returned to this county, the following spring, and became the first settler of the Charles Drake homestead, near Hardman chapel. Here the remainder of his life w?h spent, and here he fell asleep, on April 24, 1853, at the age of fifty-three years ; and on the Joseph Fredeiick homestead, he- side his father, he lies asleep.
lie married Miss Plannah Riddel, daughter of John Rid- del, whose earthly pilgrimage began in Randolph county, on August 18, 1803, and closed on Leatherbarke, on December 13, 1881. She rests at Flardman chapel.
Their children were as follows: Phebe died m childhood and James, in infancy; John R. is of Tannersville ; Wm. C. of Calhoun ; the late Mrs. Hannah E. (John) Modisette, of Walker; Mrs. Leah C. (Wm.) Vannoy, Gilmer county: and the late Mrs. Nancy PL (Wilson B.) Cunningham, of Eva: Mrs. Rachel Norman, of Doddridge county ; Mrs. Tamar J. (James T.) Smith, of Smithville ; Eli R., of Iris; and Thomas. of Calhoun county, have all passed on.
GRASS RUN SETTLED 28:5
The Dr. Hartman homestead is still in the hands of the heirs of David Sleeth. Mrs. Hartman being his only surviving- granddaughter.
John Harris built the first dwelling on the F. G. Fling farm at Burnt House as early as 1836. He came from Xew York and kept a stage coach and a house of public entertain- ment. While thus engaged a tragical drama is said to have been enacted within the walls of this home, which hung a shadow about the good name of the family, and furnished material for all sorts of weird tales and ghost stories.
A stranger, who had stopped for the night, mysteriously disappeared, and nothing ever being heard of him again, sus- picion pointed strongly to Flarris or his son, William (This is variously stated), as having been the perpetrator of a crime. A child, belonging to the famdly, is said to have told the following story :
That while the stranger sat at supper, the father (or brother) decapitated him with a drawing-knife, and concealed his remains up a run, which has ever since borne the name of "Dead Man's Hollow." For many years this region was su])- posed to have been visited by supernatural beings — appari- tions in varied forms appeared to the consternation of the fanciful. But these old superstitious traditions have long since lost their terror — they are now naught but a memory. To those of us who are familiar with the pleasant scenes of this section, they are but little more than interesting legends, or fairy tales.
Shortly after this tragic occurrence, in the early fifties, Flarris sold his possessions here, to Mrs. Susan Groves — a widow — and her son, John, and went West, and here his his- tory ends. He has no known relatives in this county.
While the Groves family resided here, an incident oc- curred, which gave rise to the name "Burnt House."
Mr. Groves being a slave holder in the "antebellum days," is said to have sold a little negress, and she being so enraged at her master for this act of cruelty, set fire to some clothing up stairs, before taking her departure, which resulted in tlie destruction of the house — the first dwelling where the village now stands, the site being marked by the Ferrell hotel.
284 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
This interesting" little legend, however, is set aside by facts which somewhat modify it. The other story being that the little black girl had been lent to ]\Irs. John Groves, by her father, ]\Ir. Rogers, of \\'aynesboro, Virginia, and that while iMr. Groves was absent — taking the little wench back to his father-in-law, the house caught fire, and was burned to the ground — hence the origin of the name.
The Groveses came from Augusta county, Virginia, and Mrs. Susan Groves went back there and died. John went to California, and Thomas lived in AA'irt county, but moved to Cairo, where he died some years ago, and where one of his daughters still lives.
Henry Fling. — In 1859, the Grove's farm became the prop- erty of the late Henry Fling, and has ever since been in the hands of the Fling family, he having been the first to rebuild where the Grove's residence was burned.
In 1849, John Fling purchased cjuite a tract of land in this section, which he divided between his two sons, Henry and Levi.
Henry built his cabin on the land that is now owned b}- J\Irs. Ona Fling, and having married ]\Iiss Eunice Fisher, o^' Gilmer county, two years before, took up his residence here this same 3-ear (1849). And in 1859, as before stated, he moved to the Groves' farm, where he continued to reside until 1883, when he was succeeded by his brother, F. G. Fling, who is still the owner. Henrv Fling was born in 1821, and died in Calhoun county, in 1906, and sleeps beside his Avife in the Baptist chuchyard, at Tannersville.
His first wife died in 1872, and, two years later, he mar- ried Miss Rebecca Holbert, who, with her four daughters. Gay, Martha, Mary, and Jennie, resides at Brooksville.
The children of the first union have all passed awa\ but three; viz., Mrs. Minerva Kelley, Tannersville; ]\Irs. Maggie Heller, Nebraska; and Fisher, .of Pittsburg; Henry and his family met tragic deatlis at their home in Calhoun counts, a few 3-ears ago by a gas explosion — the charred remains of the wife and two children being laid in the same grave at Tan- nersville. \\'illiam died at Big Springs, in Calhoun county;
GRASS RUN SETTLED 285
George A., at his home near Hardman chapel ; Floyd, and Levi J., in Nebraska; Mary S., and John, at Burnt House.
Levi Fling built his dwelling- near the present residence of his only son, P. J. Fling, about the same time that his brother Henry, made his settlement; but he put a tenant ori his farm until his marriage to Mrs. Elizabeth Bush Heckart — ari event which took place on August 9, 1869, and commemo- rated the forty-sixth anniversary of his birth. From that time until his death, in 1905, he was a respected citizen of this com- munity. He sleeps at Mt. Liberty, and his venerable widow still occupies the old home.
She first married Jacob Heckart, and is the mother of S. P. Heckart, of Cairo; Mrs. Margaret Harden, and the late W. H. Heckart, Burnt House; the late H. A., of Tannersville ; J. M., of Knoxville, Tennessee; Mrs. Sarah (Jerome) Prunty, California; and Mrs. Louie S. Beckner, Tannersville.
F. Gainer Fling married Miss Elsie Bush, daughter of George and ]\Irs. ]\Iary McOuain Bush, of Gilmer county, and is the father of the late General Fling and Mrs. Mollie E. (J. E.) Ferrell.
The Flings are of Irish lineage. John Fling was born in America, shortly after his parents crossed the sea ; and when he w^as still in his cradle, his parents both died, and he was reared by a family by the name of "Polen," near Baltimore, Maryland. After he had grown to manhood, and served as a soldier in the war of 1812, he came to Barbour county, (\V.) Virginia, and there he met and married Miss Elizabeth Gainer, in 1816; and from there, they removed to Gilmer county, in 1831. Here at his old homestead, near Tannersville, he closed his eyes to earth, in 186 L Eight children were the fruits of this union. Besides the three sons already mentioned were : the late Mrs. Jane (\Vm.) Wilson, Mrs. Sarah (ThoiTias") Flardman, the late George and Sanford, all of Tannersville ; and Mrs. Mary (David) Ayres, of Calhoun county.
George Fling married Miss Hannah Bush, and was the father of the late H. H. Fling, of Roseville, who figured as an early miller in the history of .the towns of Smithville, Au- burn, and perhaps, others, in this county.
H. H. Fling married Miss Mary Talbott, of Philippi, Bar-
286 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
bour county, and was the father of twelve children ; viz., G. W. D. Pling, Mrs. Rose Bush, Mrs. Guy Younge, and Miss Eva, are all of Gilmer county ; Laura B. is Mrs. P. J. Fling, of Burnt House, and Dr. I. C. W. Fling is of the same place ; P. E. A. Fling is of Arkansas ; H. H. J., of Texas : Mrs. Bertha House, of Clarksburg ; Gertie L., J. K. W. and ]\I. E. have all passed on.
.Joseph Cunningham made the first improvement on lhe head of the stream, on the T. J- Hartman farm. We learn that he never owned this land, that it belonged to tlie J\lax- wells at this time.
He was a nephew of Thomas Cunningham, being the son of his brother, Benjamin. He married Miss Jane ]\Ialone, sis- ter of John and James Malone, and was the father of the iate Mrs. Tabitha (Israel) Davidson, of Spruce creek; Benjamin, of Missouri ; Findlay, of Ohio ; Mrs. Sarah Quinn, and Airs. Elizabeth Quinn, both of Iowa; Mrs. Priscilla Kenney. of Missouri, who later became Mrs. John Miller, of Ohio ; Airs. Amanda , of Missouri ; and Robert, of Ohio.
After residing at a number of other points in this county, Mr. Cunningham went West, but finally returned to the home of Israel Davidson, of Spruce creek, where he found a final resting place, beside his wife.
Jonathan Bessie, of Virginia, was another early settler on the T. J. Hartman farm ; it being claimed by some that he preceded Cimningham here, but we are unable to verify this statement, however.
Strother Goff was the pioneer on the old homestead that is still in the hands of his heirs. He was born in Randolpli (now Tucker) county, in 1809, and Avith his parents came to Gilmer county shortly after the vv^ar of 1812, where he grew to manliood, and married his cousin. Miss Nancy Riddel, daughter of John and Tamar Gofif Riddel, who was also born in Randolph (now Tucker) county, on October 17, 1807. He served as deputy sherifif of Gilmer county under Peregrine Hays, before coming to this county, in 1850, where he spent the remnant of his days. He was one of the corner- stones of the old AI. E. church South, at Burnt House, and re- mained a pillar in this church to the close of his earthlv pil-
GRASS RUN SETTLED 287
grimage. Side by side on the old homestead, he and his wife sleep. Their children were : James R., Mrs. Tamar (James) Frederick, Mrs. Rtihama (Archibald) Wyer, W. H. Goff. Benjamin, Granville, Mrs. Mary Riddel Valentine, and George, of Gilmer county. The last two only survive.
The Goff Ancestry. — The Goffs, like many of the other pioneers, have an interesting ancestral history, though two claims as to their origin in the "New World" are in our pos- session.
The first one is that the progenitors of the mrmerous families, of the name, scattered throughout West Virginia, are lineal descendants of Colonel William Goffe, the English parliamentarian and soldier, who was a member of that dis- tinguished Judicial body that signed the death warrant of Charles the I ; and who, being compelled to flee from the vengance of Charles the II, sought refuge in the wilds of America, where he wandered about and lay in hiding in old mills, cliffs of rocks, and in caves, near New Haven, Connecti- cut, from 1660-64, when he went to Hadley, Massachusetts, and found a friendly asylum with the minister of the parish uritil his death in 1679.
Almost every school-boy or girl is familiar with the story of the ''strange, old man with long, white beard in ancient garb," that suddenly appeared upon the scene at the little chapel at Hadley, on that quiet Sunday morning when a band of devout worshipers were surprised by the Indians, and led them to victory — then disappeared as mysteriously as he had come, leaving the astonished villagers to think that God had sent an Angel to deliver them from the dusky foe.
This "strange old man" was no other than Colonel William Gofife, the regicide, who had seen the approaching enemy from the window of the minister's house, and the same individual that is claimed by some to have been the antecessor of the Goffs of this county. But if Colonel Goffe had a family (and doubtless he had, as history tells us that his father-in- law, Edward Wlialley, was the companion of his flight) he must have left them behind in England, as circumstances will not permit us to draw any other conclusion. But, while he could hardlv have been the antecessor of the fore-fathers of
288 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
the AVest Virginia families, it is not at all unlikely that they all belonged to the same race — the German : for people of this name are said to be scattered through various countries of Europe to-day, and it is not difficult to believe that they all may have sprung from the same parent-stem, when we re- member that in olden-times the spirit of migration was evc" in evidence — sometimes from natural inclinations, but more often from more imperative reasons — religious or political persecutions, which drove thousands from their native lands. But be this as it may, John T. and Salathiel Goff, the tvvo brothers who were the progenitors of the families that belong to this history, were natives of Germany, and of Teutonic birth ; but, owing to the tyrannous hand of oppression in tlie Fatherland, they (with the Riddels, and the Hardmans, iud, perhaps, the Springstons) migrated to England, and after a brief sojourn there, embarked to America, landing in Balti- more, shortly before the Revolution, where they remained twelve months before going to v;hat is now Georgetown, in the District of Columbia.
John T, Goff married Miss Elizabeth Welsh, of Scotland, sister of Mrs. James Riddel, before leaving the Fatherland, and when they removed from Baltimore, they established their home on the Marjdand side, not far from Georgetown, W'here it is probable that Mrs. Goff died, not many years later: for he Avas married to his second wife, Monacah Cerrico, as early as 1781. From there, after the Revolution, he removed to near Fredericksburg. Virginia, and later, to wdiat is now Tucker county. West Virginia, where he, doubtless, sleeps on the banks of the Cheat river. From an old time-worn record, we learn that he bade his final adieu to earth, on March 9, 1803 ; and that his wife, Monacah, died on December 27, 1815.
It will be noted in the beginning of this chapter, that his daughter, Tamar, figured in a runaway-marriage six months before his death, and that the scene of this little romance was on the Cheat' river, in what is now Tucker county ; hence this is conclusive evidence that his last hours were spent here.
^From the "Border "Warfare" we learn that John T. Goff was one of tlie first settlers at "Horse Shoe Bottom," on this river.
GRASS RUN SETTLED 289
A complete and authentic record of the children of his first union is wanting, but he and his wife, Elizabeth, were the parents of five or more children; viz., William, John, James, Alexander, au-d Hannah ; and he and his wife, Monacah, had three daughters; Joanna, Tamar, and Luda GolT (the first two, Joanna and Tamar, evidently being twins, as the record shows that both were born in 1782, though the name of the month in one instance is missing).
James Goff. — Of the subsequent history of William and John, we know nothing, hut James was twice married. The name of his first wife is unknown, but the second was a Miss Barnhouse. He came from the Cheat river with the other Gofits, and settled near the Big Bend in Calhoun county ; and from there went to Athens, Ohio, where he died at the home of his eldest son, John B. Goli', who was a soldier of the war of 1812.
The children of James Goff were, John B., Robert, George L., William, Alary, Rebecca, and Libbie. Libbie married a man by the nam.e of Lisson, and went to Ohio. George L. married Cathrine Phy, and was the father of Phillip Goff, of Juna,-wlio is the only survivor of the family; James, V.'illiam, and Susan, the other children, having passed on.
Hannah Goff (daughter of John T. Gofi) married John Smith, and lived and died on Leading creek, in Gilmer county. Pier children were seven in number; viz., George, John, Nathan, Jacob, Phebe (Mrs. John Davis), Luvina (remained single), and Mary (Mrs. William Patton).
Joanna Goff^ (daughter of John T. Goff) was born on August 4, 1782, and on October 8, 1803, she was married to her first cousin, George G. Goff, son of Salathiel Goff', and six children were the result of this union ; viz.,
John L. (born in 1804 and died 1805), George W., Hiram A., Elizabeth (Airs. Thomas Brannon), Rachel (Airs. Abra-
'The record of this marriage, which was recently brouglit from its dust-covered hiding place, with its accompanying explanation tliat "Joanna Gnft". daughter of John T. Goff, married her cousin, George G. Goff, son of Salathiel Goff," sets at rest the dispute concerning the rela- tionship of John T. and Salathiel Goff, and establishes the fact beyond cavil that they must have been brothers or half-brothers; for the younger generations remember liaving heard their grandsires say, repeatedly, tliat Joanna married lier first cousin. These little tilings seem insignificant to the casual observer, but througli them alone we establish facts, and settle controversies.
290 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
ham Bush, of Gihiier county), and Nancy (Mrs. John Riddel, of Calhoun county). Joanna died in 1861.
Tamar Goff (daughter of John T. Goff) married John Riddel, and her family occupy the first place in this chapter.
Luda Goff married Jacob Springston, junior, and left a large line of descendants. (See later chapter.)
Alexander Goff (son of John T.), who was familiarly known as "Sauny." was the founder of the Ritchie county family. He was born, on October 16, 1773, during the sojourn of the family in England, and near the year 1799. he was mar- ried to Miss Elizabeth Riddel, sister of John Riddel, who was born in 1779. The marriage doubtless took place in what is now Tucker county (then Randolph), where they first established their home, and where they remained until after the close of the war of 1812, when they removed to Leading creek, in Gilmer county. Here they reared their large family, and here they resided until some tmie in the early fifties, when they came to this county and spent the remnant of their old age with their son, Strother, near Burnt House. Mr. Gott died in 1857, and, side by side, they lie at rest on the Strother Goff homestead.
Their family record is as follows :
John A.— born in 1800 ; Thomas, in 1806 ; Strother, 1809 : Benjamin, 1811; Dorcas, 1812; George, 1814; Elizabeth, 1815; Alexander, 3 816; Joseph H., 1822; and James, who died in youth. Elizabeth, also, died in youth.
John A. Goff was a minister of the Alethodist Episcopal Church South. He married Miss Julia House, and came from Gilmer county, and settled on Long run, near Goff's post- office, where he died. He was the father of — Phillip, of Cal- houn county ; the late John W.. of Gilmer county ; the late Alex., of Braxton ; Lafayette and Thomas, who lost their lives in the Southern cause during the Civil war; and Mrs. W. O. Barnhouse.
S. L. Gofl^, of Lawford, is the son of Lafayette.
Dorcas Goif, the daughter of Alexander, senior, married Samuel Flemming, and shortly after their marriage they came to this county, and settled on Dry run of Spruce creek, where their son, John Fleming, now lives; and there they saw the
GRASS RUN SETTLED 291
last of earth. Their other children besides John, were as fol- lows : Benjamin, of Pennsylvania ; Alfred, who died in youth ; Mrs. Joanna (George) Stansbury, of Clarksburg; the larc Mrs. Mary (Jacob) Scott, of Mahone ; and the late Mrs. Jane Connolly, of Gilmer county.
George GofT married Miss Mary Smith, daughter of Barnes Smith, senior, and sister of his brother, Thomas' wife, and settled in Wood county ; and from there removed to Mis- souri, where he died. His children were — John, Flenry, George, Barnes, Elzaria, who all resided in the West and South ; and Hila Ann, late wife of James S. Hardman, of Hardman chapel.
Henry lost his wife in the Confederate cause, and John is supposed to have been killed by the Indians, some place in the West.
Joseph H. Goff, who was also a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, married Miss Angeline Davis, and resided in Braxton county for a time. Here Mrs. Goff died, after giving birth to five children ; viz., Henry, of Spruce creek ; Charles and Theodore, who both died in youth ; Mrs. Joanna Davidson (widow of Israel Davidson, junior, of Tan- ners), of near Grafton; and the late Mrs. Mary McGill. of Spruce creek.
In 1865, Mr. Goff was married again to Miss Virginia Buzzard, sister of the late Henr}^ Buzzard, and came to Spruce creek, from Pocahontas county (where the marriage took place), shortly after the Civil war; and here his life came to a close on March 8, 1893. The children of this union are three in numl)er ; viz., Floyd P., J. Warren Goff, and Mrs. Alice (Elmore) Summers, all of Hazelgreen. His wife still survives.
Thomas Goff married Elizabeth Smith, daughter of Barnes Smith, senior.
Benjamin Goff married Miss Eda Smith, daughter of pioneer Aaron Smith.
Alexander Goff, junior, married Miss Mary Bush, daugh- ter of George Bush.
Strother Goff married his cousin. Miss Nancy Riddel, daughter of John and Tamar Goff Riddel, but the record of
292 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
their families wiil all be found in other parts of this work. (See Spruce creek for all, but Strother.)
Salathiel Goff's Line. — Salathiel Gofif married Miss Eliza- beth L. Gray in the Fatherland and, as above mentioned, crossed to America with his brother, John T. Goff, after a brief sojourn in England ; and his wanderings in the Occident dilTer but little from those of his brother, and of the other families that crossed with them.
After leaving Baltimore, where they first stepped on American soil, Salathiel Goff w^ent to Georgetown (with the rest 'of the immigrant party) and settled on the bank of the Potomac river, on the Virginia side. He is said to have re- moved to the vicinity of Fredericksburg, a little later, but however this may have been, he was a resident of Harrison county, (W.) Virginia, in 1784; for on July tw^entieth of this 3^ear (IvS-i), when \A'illiam Raymond, the first principal sur- veyor of Harrison count}', was qualified for this office, Salathiel Golf, Col. Benjamin Wilson, senior, Col. William Lowther, and Jacob Westfall were the Justices of the Peace of this new County of Harrison. (This comes from an old and authentic record.) But old papers found among the pos- sessions of his son, George G. Gofif, which are now in the hands of AV. S. Goft, of Glenville, show that his last will and testament was made in what is now Tucker county, so doubt- less here his ashes lie. He is said to have died of cancer.
His children were Hiram, John, George G., Nancy Anne, Elizabeth, and ]^Iary.
Hiram Goff, the eldest son, married ]\Iiss Margaret Rush, of Tucker county, and removed to Leading creek, in Gilmer county, shortly after the w^ar of 1812. He was a thrifty farmer, and an extensive stock-raiser and cattle-merchant ; and it was his custom to drive his large herds of cattle to Baltimore for market. And on one of these long trips across the mountains, after marketing a large drove, and being paid in gold, he was attacked by a band of robbers, only a few- miles distant from Baltimore, and brutally beaten over the head wuth a club and robbed of his gold. From this cruel wound he became violently insane, and wandered aimlessly about over the surrounding country (in the vicinity of Balti-
GRASS RUN SETTLED . 293
more) in a starving and deplorable condition, for several months before his family conld locate him ; but at length his identity became known, and his sons went and brought him back to his home, but he was never rational again: and. at times, he had to be confined in a strong room in his home, which had been constructed for this purpose. Some very pathetic stories have come down to his descendants concern- ing his irrational acts.
He was the father of John R. Gofi, of Tucker count}^; of William, who married a Miss Bush, and settled where Spencer now stands ; of Dawson, who married Miss Rachel Brannon, of Gilmer county, and settled in Roane county; of (jieorge, of Pomeroy, Ohio; Rachel, who was the late wife of George \\". Hardman, senior, of Hardman Bend, in Calhoun county; Effie. wife of Jacob Springston ; Elizabeth, who married Hiram Riddel, and went to Texas; and of Eda and Cyrus, who died unmarried. . '
Roane county is full of his descendants, Frank, Lee. Charles, Louis and Ira Goff, of Spencer, are his grandsons, they being the sons of Dawson Goii'; and Mrs. T. 'M. Goff, of Harrisville, is a granddaughter.
(For the families of Rachel Hardman. and Effie Spring- ston, see Hardman and .Springston families.)
John Goff, the second son of Salathiel, was the first set- tler where Glenville now stands. Here his first wife, whose name is missing, died, and he married a Miss Richards for his second. He went to Kanawha country, in his old age, where he died. The children of his first union Vv^ere as fol- lows: Salathiel. Drusa (Mrs. Parson, of Roane county), and Rebecca (Mrs. Thomas Hardman, of Roane county). The children of his last marriage w^ere three in number, one daugh- ter and two sons.
George G. Goff, son of Salathiel. who w^as born on August 25, 1782, and died in July. 1867, married his cousin. Joanna Gofif, daughter of John T. Gofl". (See Family of John T. GofT for farther history.)
Nancy Anne Goff (daughter of Salathiel) married ]'>en- jamin Riddel. (See Riddel family.)
Elizabeth Goff (daughter of Salathiel) married William
204 , HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Stalnaker, and came from Tucker county shortly after the war of 1812, and settled on DeKalb, in Gilmer county. Their two children were Salathiel and Xathaniel Stalnaker, who both married and reared families in Gilmer county.
Mary GofF (daughter of Salathiel) married a man by the name of Mongold, and had one daughter, ]\Iary. She is said to have died young.
CHAPTER XX
Leatherbarke
HIS stream, which flows into the South fork of Hughes river, below Smithville, took its name from the numerous growth of leather- barke upon its banks.
John Hill. — As so many dates are miss- ing, we have been unable to determine vvhich was the first settler on this creek, but this distinction probably belongs to John Hill, who built his cabin on the Alfred Barr farm, at a very early day.
Mr. Hill was a native of Harrison county, having been born on February 8, 17!)() ; and on April 25, 1816, he v/as mar- ried to Miss Keturah Cunningham, daughter of Edward, and niece of Thomas Cunningham, who was also a native of Har- rison county ; and from this vicinity, they went to Gilmer county, where Air. Hill fell asleep, on [March 17, 1885, and there on the George S. Bush homestead (now the John Elli- son farm), beside his wife, he sleeps. Their children were as follows :
Celia, who became Mrs. Wm. Holbert ; Anna, Mrs. Johii S. Holbert; Mary, Mrs. Hannibal B. Wilson; Daniel, who died in his youth, all of Gilmer county ; and the late Enoch R. Hill, of near Burnt House, this county. The family have all passed on, but among the grandsons and granddaughters of this pioneer are, Floyd Hill, and Mrs. Harriet Fling, Burnt House ; Moses Holbert, Mrs. Phillip Engle, Mrs. William Reeser, and quite a number of others, of Gilmer county.
Mr. and [\Irs. Flill were members of the first M. E. church organization in this county, and their descendants still cling to this faith.
John Earle was the first denizen on the late Eber Wilson homestead — now the home of Hugh Ayres. Fie was a brother
296 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
of ]\Irs. Barnes Smith, senior, and was of Harrison county. He married Miss Jemima Drake, daughter of the Rev. John Drake, and after she was laid in the Alurphy graveyard, he went to Ohio, but finally returned here and died.
]\Irs. Susana Stuart Bush, of Iris, is a descendant of his.
Benjamin Horner was the second settler on the ^^'ilson farm. He was an Irishman, having been born in "Old Erin." He married Aliss [Mary ]\Iurphy. sister of the four ]\Ivirphy Brothers, and w^ent from here to Roane county, where they both fell asleep. He had a son, Benjamin, by a form.er mar- riage, who went \\ est with A'alentine Bozarth.
John B. Rogers. — .\s these first settlers did not remain long, John B. Rogers came into possession of the Wilson farm at an early day. Here he remained for many years : and here his wife, Sarah Webb Rogers, daughter of Benjamin AA ebb, passed away ; after her death he removed to the Dr. A. ]\I. Edgell property, at Smithville, where his last moments were spent. At Smithville, beside his wife, he sleeps.
His descendants in the county are still quite numerous. His children were as follov^'s : Robert H., the late A. I. (father of B. F.. of Harrisville), both of Calhoun county; the late Mrs. Edraonia Hardman (mother of Sherman Hardman, of Hardman chapel), the late Mrs. Taylor Glover (Drusilla.) mother of A. R. Glover, of Mt. Zion ; the late Airs. Elizabeth (John) Elliott, the late Airs. Aiartha (Frank) Elliott, James, who went West, and John, who met a tragic death at Webb's mill, while serving as a Home-guard during the late Civil war.
This family are descended from the pioneer Rogers' fam- ily of Harrisville.
The Rev. John Drake, whose interesting history will be found in a preceding chapter, was the pioneer at the mouth of this stream, on land now owned by W . A. Flesher.
William Stuart, junior, was the first settler at Iris, on tlic farm that is now the home of his son, Robert Stuart. He married Aliss Rachel Webb, sister of Benjamin AA'ebb, and came here from the Glover farm at Smithville, near the year 1837 : and here they both passed away in 1850, and in th.e Webb's cemetery, they lie at rest.
Air. Stuart was the son of AMlliam Stuart, who settled
LEATHERBARKE 297
the Byrd farm, above Goff's. and he was a native of the "Key- stone state." He was the father of eleven children, all of whom have passed on. except Robert of Iris. Xntter and Joseph died in youth, William A\'ebb, and Anna, later in life: John went A\'est : James, Benjamin, Mrs. Martha (Elisha) Smith (mother of Janies T. Smith, of Burnt House), and Mrs. Elizabeth W'estfall Hardin, remained citizens of this part of the county; and Mrs. Lydia (John) Cain, lived on the North fork of Hughes river.
Robert Stuart is now tiie Iris post-master and merchant.
John Solomon Holbert, son-in-law of John Hill, was another early settler in the Iris vicinity. He went from here to Revel, Gilmer comity, where he and his wife (nee Anna Hill) sleep: and where his descendants live. ]\Ioses, Monroe, the late James, Mrs. Phillip Engle, and Mrs. William Reeser, all of Gilmer county, are his children. He died in 1901.
Wilson Benjamin Cunningham was the first denizen of the forest in the vicinity of Eva. He was the son of William and Rebecca Johnston Cunningham, his mother being a native of New Jersey, and the grandson of Thomas and Phoebe Cunningham. His father went from this county to Ohio, near the year 1811, and later became a prominent min- ister of the Ohio M. E. conference : and there, at Cadiz, on May 12, l^'l'l, Wilson B. was born. He was one of the early school-teachers of the county, and was an exhorter of the Methodist Episcopal church.
On April 10, ISIG, at Keokuk, Iowa, he was married to his cousin, Miss Nancy Hila Cunningham, daughter of Ben- jamin and Hannah Riddel Cunningham ; and two months later they returned to this county, and settled on the James Fred- erick farm, on Grass run : and from there removed to Eva, to the farm that is now the home of their son, John C, in 1861, where both passed from earth — he, on June 23, 1887 ; and she, on June 25, 1908. Both rest at Hardman chapel.
Their children: Columbus died in infancy: Wade M.. in 1875: Benjamin E., in '78; James AV., in 19(»1 ; John C. re- sides at the old home: and Theodore, near by; Mrs. Rebecca J. Elder, is of Iris: and Airs. Clara R. Wiseman, of Richwood.
William Cunningham — son of Benjamin — who is now a
298 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
resident of Calhoun county, was another early settler at Eva. He married Miss Cathrine Cross, daughter of Nimrod, and was the father of four children: Sanford and Sheridan, Vic- toria, and ]\Irs. IMinnie (George) Lowther, of Calhoun county.
John R. Cunningham — brother of William, who is now spending the eventide of his life with his daughter, Mrs. A. H. Cooper, in Gilmer county, was the first settler on the Hildreth farm, near the site of the "Old Pleasant Valley church." He gave the grounds for this church, which was built in 1870, and which was replaced by a frame structure in 190l — the site being moved farther up the creek.
]Mr. Cunningham resided here until 1882, when he pur- chased the homestead that he continued to occupy until 1907, when it passed into the hands of AV. M. Nutter. On May 20, 1906, death entered his home and carried away his beloved companion, Mrs. Frances J. Modisette Cunningham, who was the daughter of Augustus and Dorcas Modisette, of Iris. She sleeps at Hardman chapel.
His children : Asa L. resides at Columbus, and Mrs. Lillie B. Yates, at Center-Belpre, in Ohio; ]\Irs. Adaline V. (A. H.) Cooper, in Gilmer county; A. C, at Parkersburg ; and Simpson J., at Eva; one daughter died in infancy; William S., Harrison G., and Archie D., in childhood — the last two men- tioned sleep in the same grave at Hardman chapel ; Julia and Guy died in their young man and womanhood.
These brothers are natives of this county, and are the grandsons of Thomas and Phebe Cunningham.
George Washington Hardman was the first to settle the John R. Cunningham — now the W. M. Nutter — farm. He married Miss Mary Ann Lowther, daughter of Jesse, of Corn- wallis, and took up his residence here in the early fifties. He lived at various other points in the county, and finally died at his home below Burnt House, in 1890, and ^vas laid at rest at Hardman chapel by the side of his wife, who preceded him to the grave by a number of years.
Their children: the late Mrs. Marietta i\\ . E. Hill). Harrisville ; Mrs. Olive (James) Rexroad, Den run ; the late Mrs. Maggie (Wm.) Collins, of Cairo; Mrs. Emma Lee, Cairo ; Mrs. Victoria Stanley, Clay county ; the late Mrs. Lillie
LEATHERBARKE 299
(F. S.) Moyer, Fonsoville; the late Mrs. Pliebe Cunningham Holstein, of Iris ; the late Mrs. Thomas Johnson, and James Hardman, of Cantwell.
.After the death of his first wife, he married Miss Safronia Frederick, daughter of Phillip Frederick, and four children were born of this union ; viz., Lloyd, Frank, George, and Belle. The second Mrs. Hardman has also passed on. This pioneer belongs to the Hardman family, whose ancestral history oc- cupies an earlier chapter.
Augustus Modisette. — Near the year 1849, Augustus Modisette and his wife, Mrs. Dorcas ^^'ilson Modisette (sister of Archibald A\'ilson), with their family, came from Barbour county, and took up their residence near one mile from the present site of the Iris post-office. He was of Irish descent, and was an old time school-teacher. He died near the year 187-i, and sleeps at Hardman chapel beside his wife, who was descended from the Wilson family, whose history appears with the South fork settlers.
They were the parents of four sons and four daughters :
AVilliam lost his life in battle in behalf of the Union cause, in his young manhood. James went to Ohio, where he died at a ripe old age, a few years ago, and where his descend- arits live; and Wilson sleeps in Wood county; John resided in Murphy district until a few months since, vvlien he went to AValker station ; Garrison died single ; Frances was the late wife of John R. Gunningham, of Eva ; the late Mrs. Harriet Gooper, of Gilmer county ; the late Mrs. Elizabeth (John) Gollins, and the late ^Irs. Mary Knight — -mother of Phillip Knight, of Galhoun county, were the other daughters.
James Alexander Yates was another worthy pioneer of the Eva vicinity. He was born near Grafton, in 1836, and there grew to manhood and married Miss Sarah Jane Rob- inson, on March 10, 184:7 ; and ten years later (1857) they came to this county and made the first improvement on the farm that is now the home of Wilson B. Gunningham, junior; and here he passed from earth on January 3, 1897.
Airs. Yates followed him to the grave on November 82nd, of the same year. Both had long been pillars in the church at Hardman chapel, and there they rest.
300 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
]\Irs. Yates was born in Maryland, in 1825, and witli her parents removed to Taylor county, in 1843. She was the daughter of Owen Robinson, who came from England to Old Town, V^irginia, with his parents when he was a boy, and there married Miss Eleanor ^Mitchell. She was one of a family of ten children, who have all passed to the other side, except I\Iiss Helen Robinson, of Parkersburg. ^Irs. Ellen Ison, wife of the late Rev. Benjamin Ison, of the West Vir- ginia IMethodist Episcopal conference, was another sister.
]\Ir. and Mrs. Yates Avere the parents of eight children, four of whom died in infancy. Philander Ovren Yates died, in 1909. at his home in Oklahoma, where his family reside : and the other three survive: ]\Irs. Fannie Cunningham Kel- ley lives at Rhodesdale, Ohio: ]\Irs. Mary Ellen (T. A.) Hard- man, at Fonsovilie : and Mrs. Emma Y. AVamsley. at i'air- mont.
The Yateses are of German lineage. Two brothers came from Hesse, Darmstadt, in the Fatherland, some time before the Revolution, and settled in the ^Massachusetts colon^^ One of these brothers. John Yates, took up arms in defense of his adopted country, and after the struggle for Independ- ence v>'as at an end. he emigrated to Virginia, where he re- mained until after our second Avar with Great Britain, when he removed to Taylor county, and purchased land for his four sons, Lawson, John, junior, Elijah, and \Yilliam, near Pruntvtown.
William Yates married ^vliss Hilary Simpson, and was the father of thirteen children, among whom was Alexander Yates, of Leatherbarke. The other members of the family were, Henry, who went to Indiana; Harrison, the father of H. M. Yates, of Center-Belpre, Ohio ; Thomas, Abner. ]Mrs. Elizabeth Sinsel, Airs. Xancy Derham, and I\Irs. Fannie Rec- tor, who spent their lives in their native county, Taylor : and Mary, who died in youth : the rest died in childhood.
The Bealls. — Another family Avhose interests have been identified with this creek since 1847, is that of the late John Beall. who made his settlement where his son, Charles F. Beall, now resides, and here he spent the remainder of his life.
LEA THERBARKE [\0 1
The homestead of his son James S., and the estate of his late son, Wilson, also belong to the original tract here.
yir. Beall was of Scotch-Irish descent. He was born in Tucker county, (AV.) Virginia, in 1817 ; and when he was still in his cradle, his parents, John and Patricia Holbert Beall, came to Gilmer coitnty (1818), and settled at the mouth of Cedar creek. Here Mr. Beall sleeps, and his venerable vAie found a resting-place on the Joseph Frederick homestead, in this county, beside her son, AVilson, and her daughter, Xancy. The other daughter was Maria, who married John Holbert, and Avent West, where she lies at rest.
John Beall, junior — the Leatherbarke pioneer — married Miss Leah Hardman, daughter of the late Rev. James Hard- man, in 1840, and first settled on the E. R. Tibbs farm, at Gofif's. He later removed to the Frederick's mill vicinity, and from there (the AA\ G. Lowther farm), to Leatherbarke, where he passed from earth on January 20, 1880.
His wife survived until September 10, 1902, when she was laid by his side, on the old homestead.
Their children were fourteen in number : Thomas and Henry died in infancy; Dorcas, at the age of eleven years. The rest all lived to rear families: Wilson A., Mrs. Abigail C. Cooper, and ]\Irs. Phebe (Jacob) Alinear, S. M., and M. T., have all passed on; James S., C. F., and ]\Irs. J. L. Gill, are all of Leatherbarke, M. A., of Clay county, and J. X., of Lin- coln, Xebraska.
The Bealls are quite numerous in different parts of the State. Those in Gilmer, Braxton, Lewis, and Clay counties are of this family, John Beall, senior, having four brothers, from whom they are descended.
Eva Founded. — John L. Gill was the first merchant and post-master at Eva. His store came into existence in Janu- ary, 1894, and the post-office v/as established the same year.
Mr. Gill was born in Marshall county, on March 33, 1861, and with his parents came to Leatherbarke in X'ovember, 1879. On August 5, 1883, he was married to Miss Florence L. Beall, and six children are the result of this union : Eva AL is the wife of C. A. Daily, of Hardman chapel ; Leslie A. is married, also ; Miss Lulu lies in the churchyard at Hardman chapel ;
302 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
and John A., Bernie A\'., and Irene E. are at home. Ylr. Gill was a soldier of the Spanish-American war.
The Gills have been leading citizens of this community for more than thirty years, they having come here from j\Iar- shall county. The late Andrew and ]\Irs. Anna Birch Gill were the heads of this family which consisted of the foliov/- ing named members, besides John L. Gill : Bruce. William, the late James and George, the late Airs. Irene (Frankj Bush. Mrs. C. F. Zickafoose, j\Irs. Josephine (M. R. ) Osbourne. are all of this part county ; Airs. George Hildreth, of Cairo ; Mrs. Agnes Rule, of Ohio; JNIrs. Susana Furguson, Gilmer county; Airs. Lizzie Dobbins, Alarshall county, and Aliss Cora, avIio lies in the quiet churchyard, with her parents.
The Iris post-office is perhaps eight or ten years younger than the one at Eva, and Robert Stuart was the first post- maste-r here. Leatherbarke is famous for its numerous stores, and oil developments are in progress on its head waters.
CHAPTER XXI
Indian Creek Settled
LI WATKINS, John AyreS, and Thomas Stanley were the first pioneers on this creek, they having found homes near the mouth, as early as ISIO ; and John Starr, (before men- tioned.) was the first settler on its head waters, near this same time.
Of \A'atkins' history, we know nothing, except that he was the son-in-law of Thomas Stanley and the brother-in-law of John Ayres.
Mr. Ayres came from Rockbridge county, Virginia, in 1810. and built his cabin near the present site of the Phillips' school house, on the farm that is now the home of S. C. Phil- lips. He enjoyed the distinction of being the first school teacher in the Hughes river valley, aiid his history will appear more at length with the schools.
•^Thomas Stanley made his settlement on the D. M. V. Phillips' homestead — adjoining Mr. Ayres. He was a native of "Old Erin," but came here from Virginia — the time of his coming being variously stated, from 1810 to 1830 — and re- mained until he was laid on the hillside, in tSfiO.
He was the father of John Stanley, who married Ellen Ayres, daughter of John x^yres, and resided on the old home- stead until he, too, found a resting place upon the hillside ; then his brother.' James resided here until the farm became the propert}- of D. AI. V. Phillips, late in the sixties or early in the seventies. The other sons were: AA'illiam. who was killed at Beverly on July 4, 1863. while serving as a Union soldier; Adam and Thomas, died in Wood county; and Mrs. Margaret Taylor, and Mrs. Bridget Parks, in Roane county ; and Mrs. Marv (Eli) W'atkins, in this county. These chil-
304 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
dren have all passed on, but among the grandchildren are, Joseph Stanley, Petroleum, the oldest living descendant; Daniel, and William Stanley, Mrs. Phebe Lewis, and Mrs. Mary Jenkins, of ^Mellin. John and Flavins Stanley, of Slab and Indian creek, respectively, are great-grand sons.
The Stanleys were Indian fighters and were honest, in- dustrious pioneers.
Daniel Ayres, son of John and father of "Dick" Ayres, of Island run, made the first improvement on the farm that is now the property of the late Asa Flesher's heirs, near Mahone. He first married a Aliss Brown, of Virginia, and had one daughter, Lizzie, who became the ^vife of Charles Ayres, and went lo Indiana ; and two sons, Charles and Jeremiah, who also went AVest.
His second wife was Aliss Tabitha Tingler, daughter of Henry Tingler, and their children were, "Dick," Jackson, and Mack Ayres, Mrs. Sarah (Daniel) Stanley, Mrs. India Pollock, and jNIrs. i\Iary Rinehart Wiant Kennedy of Smithville.
Air. Ayres died on his home farm and there his ashes lie.
Jacob Wolfe was the first to find a home on Plum run, in this section, which is now a noted oil center. He was born in Northern Germany, on January 10, 1816, and there learned the blacksmith's trade ; and when he was still but a lad, he crossed to America, and followed this trade. In 1855, he was married to Miss IMargaret Weinreich, daughter of Christopher Weinreich, and sister of the late Lewis, of Mahone, who Avas also born in the Fatherland, but who, with her father and brothers came to Eaton, in Wood county, in her early woman- hood, where her father soon passed away, and where he sleeps. Her mother sleeps across the sea in the homeland.
The marriage took place at AVheeling, and in Barbour county they resided imtil 1857, when they came to this county, and settled on the homestead that is now occupied by their son, L. P. Wolfe ; and in this vicinity they still survive, though the weight of ninety-three years is upon Mr. AVolfe.
Their children are as follows : L. P., Charles, and John Wolfe, and Mrs. A. A. Scott, all of Mahone ; Mary married L. B. Scott, who recently removed from Mahone to Clarksburg, and after her death, her sister, Amelia, became the wife of L.
INDIAN CREEK SETTLED 305
B. Scott ; Lena was the late Mrs. N. D. Bailey, of Harclman chapel ; JMargaret first married Silas Smith, and after his death, L. H. Carder, of Iris; Miss Addie is now a physician, of Pitts- burg-.
Jacob Sinnett made the first improvement where his grandson, Dr. C. W. Rexroad, now lives, and from here he passed to his eternal home. He was the son of Patrick, and his wife was Miss Elizabeth Rexroad, daughter of the late Heniy Rexroad, of Harrisville. Side by side they slumber on the Charles Mo3"er farm, on Den run.
Their children Vv'ere : Henry R. Sinnett, of Missouri ; Mrs. Phebe (Zebulon) Rexroad, and the late Mrs. Cambyses (Sarah) Lowther.
James Drake was the pioneer on the farm that is now the home of the County infirm, he having come here some time between ISIO, and '20. Pie was the son of the Rev. John Drake, and the son-in-law of Patrick Sinnett, his wife being Miss Elizabeth Sinnett. He was a veteran of the war of 1812, and his widow drew a pension of twelve dollars a month until her death in 1884, at the age of eighty-six years.
Near 1825 or '30, James Drake built the first saw-mill on Indian creek — the site of this mill being near the Isaac Wil- son residence.
He and his wife were the parents of twelve children, five of whom reached the years of maturity: Mrs. Phebe (\'\''m.) Moats, Mrs. Katharine (Otha) Zickafoose, the late Mrs. Agnes (Jacob) Layfield ; Wm. Drake, who married the daugh- ter of Barcus Ayres, and went West; and Patrick, who mar- ried a Miss Keener, and was the father of the late 3ilrs. Ella Prey, of Harrisville ; and of Charles Drake, of Hardman chapel. The "County farm" was Mrs. Drake's third of her husband's estate and she sold it to the county for this purpose.
John Sinnett was the first to mark the forest in the vichi- ity of Jackson's store. He erected his dwelling on the farm that is now the Dr. J. H. Snyder estate, at the foot of King- Knob hill, near the year 1824.
He was a son of Patrick Sinnett, and a native of Pendle- ton county, having been born on November 12, 1787. He mar- ried Miss Elizaljeth R. Propst, of the same county, and they
306 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
settled on the Black Thorn creek for a few 3'ears after their marriage, before coming to Ritchie county. He erected the first and only powder-mill that was ever in this section, and engaged in the manufacture of powder for a few years — until the mill was carried away by a flood, and was never rebuilt.
He went from here to Roane county, where he and his wife rest side by side. She having passed on in 1843, and he, in 1869.
Their children were: Harmon, of Chevauxdefrise ; Abel P.. of Kanawha countv ; Henrv, of this countv : and Samuel, and Joseph (twins), of Roane county.
Abel Sinnett succeeded his brother, John, on the Snyder farm, at the foot of King Knob hill, and there he continued to reside until he was laid in the Indian creek Baptist church- yard, in July, 1873.
He was the owner of the first saw-mill in this section, the site of which is now marked by the Plammer hotel. He married Miss Elizabeth Stuart, and was the father of — Mrs. Belinda (Thomas) Hill, of AA'ashburn : ]\Irs. Sarah J. (Law- son) Hall, of Auburn ; the late Mrs. Elizabeth (W. T.) ]\Ioats, of Indian creek: Mrs. Margaret (Lewis) Hammer, Wash- burn ; the late Mrs. Kathrine (James) Moats, Indian creek : and George AV. Sinnett, Jackson county.
John Webb. — Xear the year 1841, John Webb came from Rockbridge county, Virginia, and became the pioneer of Den run, making his settlement on the farm that he occupied until his death, on July 13, 1875 ; and the one wdiich is now the home of his granddaughter, Mrs. Sarah L. Simmons.
Mr. Webb married Miss Elizabeth Isenhour, and was the father of eight children, who were all born in the "Old Domin- ion :" Henry, Phebe, and Michael married and remained there, and the other five came to this county with their parents — William. James, and Addison, remained here; i\Iary became the wife oi Xoah Boston, and went to Illinois ; Lucinda. mar- ried Henry Fulwider, and went to Indiana.
The older generation have now all passed on, but among the- grandchildren that are still here are: ]\Irs. A\*ashington Isner, Mrs. Mary Snyder, and Airs. Simmons above men- tioned, and Isaiah Webb, all of the Washburn \ icinity.
INDIAN CREEK SETTLED 307
The Webbs were the donors of the ground, and were among the chief buihJers, of the Den run M. P. church, which bears their name, "Webb's chapeL" And here they sleep, on the old homestead.
Silas Pettit made the first improvement in the extreme head of the creek, where J. O. Nay now lives, near the year 1843. The place of his nativity was near Fairmont, in Marion county, and the date of his birth was January 27, 1821. His wife was Miss fviziah Weaver, daughter of Joseph Weas'er, and their family consisted of fourteen children. They re- moved from the Nay farm to the Big Bend, in Calhoun coun- ty, in 1850, and there remained until death claimed Mrs. Pettit some time in the nineties. Then in 1897, he was married to Mrs. Jane Williams, and with her spent his closing hours in Wirt county, in 1899, but he rests beside the wife of his youth at the Big Bend.
His children were :
The late Mrs. Arzana (D. M. V.) Phillips, and the late Mrs. Clarissa (Albert) Johnson, both of Smithville ; Mrs. In- diana (B. F.) Prince; Mellin ; Mrs. Martha (A. I.) Rogers, Harrisville; Mrs. Amanda (Henry) Devees, Mingo, Ohio; Frances married Ephraim Bee, and after her death at Cam- bridge, Nebraska, her sister, Huldah, became the wife of Mr. Bee; Joseph Pettit is of Ohio; A. J., of Mellin: Aaron, and Benjamin, of Calhoun county; and Henrietta, Willie and Mary died in youth.
Thomas Hoover was an early settler on Dog run, a small tributary of Indian creek. He came here from Pendleton county near 1844, and established his home on the head of the stream, where Peter Jones now lives, he having purchased this tract of woodland of Henry Rexroad. He later purchased adjoining tracts, until his territory numbered four hundred forty-five acres. He sold the original tract to Peter Simmons, early in the fifties, and the other tracts, to later settlers from Pendleton county.
He gave the grounds for the Spruce Grove M. E. church, deeding it to the trustees and their successors (William and Conrad Mullenax and A\'illiam and Isaac Cokeley being the original trustees).
308 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Pie afterwards patented two tracts of land on the waters ofDevii Hole, Indian and Elm runs (696 acres in all), which is now Owned by the John Simmon's heirs, and the Layfields. lie went from this county to Wood, and later to ^Missouri, wdiere he died.
He married Miss Frances Rexroad, sister of Zachariah Rexroad, and was the father of ten children: AA'illiam, ^lichael, Daniel, Washington, Charles, Henry, Jacob, Jane, and ]\Iary, who became ]\Irs. Samuel Sinnett, of Indian creek; ]\Iichael, Xoah, Washinoton, and Henrv were Union soldier*^ of the Civil war. Part of the family went AA'est, and John, and Jefferson, of near Cokeley's, are the only families of this name in the county, that are descended from Thomas. They are the sons of William and Emily Cunningham Hoover. Grant and Herbert Hoover, who are well-known among the young teachers of the county, are the sons of JefTerson.
Later Settlers. — In the forties and the early fifties quite a colony of substantial citizens came from Pendleton county and found homes on the waters of Indian creek, w^here their descendants still reside. This colony were all of German de- scent, and all spent the remainder of their lives here.
Jacob Hammer. — Among the first of these to arrive was Jacob Hammer, who settled where Miller I. Hill now lives, some time in the forties. He married ]\Iiss Phebe ]\Ioyer, sis- ter of James ]\Ioyer, and on their old homestead, they sleep. Their children are as follows : Samuel, who died in the An- dersonville prison during the war ; and LcAvis and George, of 'Washburn, who w^ere also Union soldiers ; Jacob died in childhood, and Leonard, in his young manhood ; ]\Iary mar- ried Peter Zickafoose, and went to Kansas ; Sarah is the widow of T. Benton Rexroad, of AA^ashburn ; ^Irs. Louisa Laird Friedle}', and Airs. Phebe (AI. I.) Hill, are of Spruce Grove.
James Meyer and his wife, ]\Irs. Abigail Rexroad Moyer — daughter of Zachariah Rexroad — w^ere the next arrivals in 1849. They settled on the farm that is now the estate of their late son, Charles, and here they sleep. 'Sirs. Kathrine ( !'. R.) Tharpe, of Harrisville, is the only survivor of the family ; the sons, Charles, Edmond, and James, who died in cliildhood, having all passed on.
INDIAN CREEK SETTLED :300
/' Peter Moyer and his wife, ]\Irs. Louisia Rexroad Mover,
found a permanent home on Den run, where Mr. Moyer still
survives, though Mrs. Moyer has been sleeping- on the old
homestead for a number of years. He is a brother of the late
James Moyer, and his family are: Lewis, Frank, Ellsworth,
Graiit, Charles, and JMrs. Mary (Samuel) Moats.
Amos Jones was another member of the Pendleton colony. He married Miss Phebe Simmons, daughter of Peter, and set- tled where his son, Samuel, now lives, in 1854. Here he and his wife passed from earth, and on the Peter Moyer homestead, they He at rest.
Their children: Peter M., and Samuel, Harrisville; Mrs.
Katharine (Lee) Parker, Wood county; and Mrs. Delia ,
Ohio.
Peter Simmons and Jacob Crun.imett, with their families, arrived in 185L
Mr. Simmons bought an improvement of Thomas Ploover. and settled where Peter M. Jones now lives. He married Miss Sarah Moyer — sister of James and Peter, and side by side they' sleep on the Peter Moyer's homestead. Their chil- dren were — Mrs. Amos (Phebe) Jones; Mrs. Jacob Crummett, and Aaron Simmons, Den run; Mrs. Sydney Jordan, Macfar- lan ; the late Mrs. A. A\'. (Mary) Zickafoose, Harrisville ; and the late Mrs. Sarah (A. W.) Zickafoose, and Abigail, who was drowned in childhood.
Jacob Crummett purchased two hundred one acres of land at three dollars twenty-five cents an acre, and established his heme on the farm that is now his estate, though unoccupied.
His father, Jacob Crummett, senior, and his mother. Al>i- gail Rexroad, were both of German lineage; and, in Pendle- ton county, he was born on March 19, 1826.
He united with the Lutheran church in his boyhood, but was an adherent of the Methodist Episcopal church faith for the last forty-five years of his life, and was an exhorter in the church.
On May 15, 1855, he was united in marriage with Miss Mahala Simmons, daughter of Peter Simmons, and three sons and one daughter were the result of this union : George F. Crummett and Mrs. Margaret (Levi) Moreton live near the
310 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
old home ; Alartin J., is of Huntington, and the Rev. S. P. Crummett, of Parkersburg.
i\Ir. Crummett died on P'ebruary 4, 1907J and was laid in the Fairview churchyard, on Devil Hole, and Airs. Crummett lives with her daughter.
Simon P. Crummett. — The careei' of the Rev. Simon P. Crummett merits more than a passing notice, as he is now a distinguished pulpit orator of the Methodist Episcopal church.
The Rev. Air. Crummett was born on the old homestead, not far from Harrisville, on March 5, 1857, and began life for himself as a school-teacher in the rural districts of his native county, and continued in this profession for twelve years. A part of this time he filled the office of assessor — holding this office for eight years.
In 188(3, he entered the ministry, taking work as a sup- ply; and joined the West Virginia conference, the following year. He served as pastor of the Volcano, Elizabeth, West Union, Belleville, Guyandotte, and Kingwood charges, and the Wesley chapel, at Wheeling, before being appointed as Pre- siding Elder of the Buckhannon district in 1899 — a position which he filled for five years. He was then transferred to the Presiding-eldership of the Parkersburg district, and has just completed his term of six years in this capacity under the changed name of "District Superintendent." (1910.)
On October 5, 1882, he was married to Miss Laura J. Douglass, daughter of the late John, and Mrs. Elizabeth Marsh Douglass, who was born near Cairo on August 3, 1861, and two sons, Aubrey and Paul, are the fruits of this union.
Sampson Zickafoose was also identified among the set- tlers from Pendleton county, he having arrived here some time during the forties, and located just above the present site of the Den run church, where he died on March 20, 1885, at the age of ninety-three years.
His last resting place is marked in the Alt. Zion church- yard.
He married a Aliss Wade, and they were the parents of the following named children :
Otho, Peter, and Asbury Zickafoose, Airs. Nimrod Kuy-
INDIAN CREEK SETTLED 3il
cleiulall, who went West; Airs. Wm. T. Mitchell. Airs. James Westfali, and Mrs. Phebe White.
Dr. S. H. Zickafoose, of Harrisvilie, is a granclsoti of Mr. Zickafoose, and all the other families of the name in the coitntv are his descendants.
An Interesting Reminiscence. — A thrilling reminiscence of the "ante-bellum days," whicli comes into our possession through a gentleman who was known to the facts herein recorded, will doubtless add interest to the conclusion of this chapter :
In the year 1856, on the left bank of this stream near one- half mile below the Phillips school-house, stood an old grist- mill of the pioneer order, which was designed solely for the purpose of manufacturing corn meal for the convenience of the citizens of the neighborhood ; and under this same roof was an "up-and-down saw," which turned the timber into lumber for flooring purposes, etc., for the log houses.
This old mill was probably built by Barcus Ayres, whose name has already found a place in this history, but. however, this may have been, while it was playing its part well in the affairs of the community, a man by the name -of Sylvester Rush, of Pennsylvania, appeared upon the scene, and pur- chased this mill.
He, being a man of considerable shrewdness and enter- prise, soon decided that, from a financial standpoint, the manu- facture of corn into liquid form would be far more profitable than that of meal, so he turned this peaceful old mill into a distillery, and it now became the favorite resort of "swine," both quadruped and "biped."
The former growing fat upon the grain that remained after the alcohol had been extracted, and the latter, "guzzling the swill that was distilled through the 'worm,' all the while growing poorer and more like his four-footed companions."
The price was low, and the proprietor of the establish- ment would gladly exchange his liquor for corn, wheat, or any of the commodities of the day, so that it w^as no difficult task for any one to obtain the desired quantity ; and it was no uncommon sight to see a weary, way-worn traveler with a sack of corn on his back, going toward the mill, and to see
312 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
him returning laden with jugs, bottles, coffee-pots or tin- buckets of the "stuff."
It did not seem to be an illicit business, either, as it was carried on openly without interference from the law, and it seemed to grow and to prosper until it was suddenly wiped out of existence by the power of an unseen "Hand."
Dnring the spring of 1858 or '59, Mr. Rush was joined by his iirother, Samuel, who had recently returned from the "gold-fields" of California, and together, they were laying their plans for a more extensive manufacture of the "soul de- stroying stuff," when these plans were suddenly foiled, and their unholy work came to an ignominious end.
It was during the month of April in one of these years, amidst a flood-tide in the creek, that Sylvester Rush,, being interested in some rafted timber that he wished to market at a certain point down the river, secured the services of Asa G. Dilworth as pilot, and with his brother. Samuel, set out with his raft.
The}' proceeded without incident until tliey had reached the Little Kanawha river, when the raft became unmanage- able, and though the three men worked frantically to bring it to shore for the night, their efforts were all in vain — the}'- were carried into the Ohio river. A cold north wind was blowing and soon one of the brothers dropped down exhausted, an.d became so benumbed that he was unable to rise. The other brother went to his assistance, and not returning to his post of duty, Mr. Dilworth groped about in the darkness until he found them lying apparently asleep, but kneeling down so that he could examine them more closely, he found to his horror that both were dead.
By this time, he, too, was so benumbed with the cold that he was unable to rise from his knees, and there bending over the lifeless forms of his unfortunate companions, he fought with all his might against the stupor that threatened to render his bod}' as pulseless as theirs, until the coming light, when he was just able to signal some one on shore, who came to his rescue at a timely moment.
Dihvorth, however, recovered sufficiently to accompany the remains of the Rushes back to their home, but he long
INDIA.\ CREEK SETTLED 313
remembered the horror of that awful experience — perhaps, to life's last hour.
These unfortunate brothers were laid at rest in the Haught burying-ground, on this creek, but a few days after their interment, their father arrived from Pennsylvania, and carried their remains, with those of one of Sylvester Rush's children, back to their old home, and the bereaved family of Sylvester went along, and thus the Rushes, both dead and liv- ing, passed out of the history of tliis county.
This was the death blow to the distillery business on tliir, creek, an attempt was made a little later to revive the v/ork. but without success, and the fixtures were hauled away, and our informant says that so far as he knows no other such an attempt has since been made within the bounds of the county. As this county has ever stood firm against licensing such "dens of iniquity."
in incidents like this one can hardly fail to recognize the over-ruling power of an Omnipotent Hand. And how grate- ful we should be that a protecting power has frowned upon the licensing of this greatest curse of the Iranian race in our midst through all these years ; and let us hope that the his- torian of the next century can still hand this record down to generations yet unborn.
We had scarcely been able to realize tlie blessing of the anti-license policy tmtil, a short time since when beyond its influence, we were compelled to listen to the riotous voice of this evil under the sanction of law.
314 fflSTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
"Let us hold fast our iategrity"
One says: "It's nothing to me!
I have no fear my boy will tread The downward road of sin and shame,
And crush my heart and darken his name;
But—
"Is it nothing to us to idly sleep,
While the cohorts of death their vigils keep; To gather the young and thoughtless in,
And grind in our midst a grist of sin?" "Yet, it is something for us to stand.
And clasp by faith our Father's hand To learn to labor live and fight
On the side of God and changeless right."
M ti)\B IGtltlr (Earner 3 J^lant
to
of
iig Angd iMntl|0r
Mrs. Jennie Kendall Lowther.
"She died in the beauty of her youth, and in my memory she will always be young and beautiful."
CHAPTER XXII
Chevauxdefrise Settled
wo traditions are in existence as to the
origin of the name of this stream. The first
is that a piece of wood filled with iron spikes
called chevauxdefrise — having once belonged
to the Indians, was found upon its banks —
givintr rise to the name ; and the other is, that
two hunters, being compelled to lie out in the
cold throughout the night, shivered and froze, and e\-er after
in referring to the stream they called it "shi\'erdy," hence the
name. ,
Harmon Sinnett was the first settler. He was a nati\-e of Pendleton county, being a son of John Sinnett, and a grand- son of Patrick. Tn 1S35, he was married to Miss Frances Moats, daughter of George Moats, and during the following autumn, took up his residence at the mouth of the creek, on
Harmon and Frances Moats Sinnett.
CHErAUXDEFRlSE SETTLED 317
the land now owned by the heirs of his late son, John P. Sin- nett, and the Hall Brothers — the latter being in possession of the old home, which is still standing, though unoccupied.
His services to this community were of a high order. He erected the first grist-mill in this section, near 1850 — the well- known Sinnett's mill, which stood a little above the mouth of Chevauxdefrise, on Indian creek; and which was twice washed away by a flood, and was not rebuilt the last time.
Mr. Sinnett was truly the corner-stone of the Indian creek Baptist church ; he having given the grounds and played an important part in the erection of the old log church, in 1855, which was replaced by the present frame structure in 1890. Until the close of his life, which came on March 9, 1904, at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Alfred Simmons, on Gillispie's run, he was a familiar figure in this community. His beloved companion had fallen asleep just twenty-seven hours before (on the evening of March 8, 1904). When he was told that •'she was no more," he expressed a hope that he might be pet- mitted to go with her ; and on the following morning, though he seemed in his usual health, he remarked that he might ''yet be ready to be buried with her," and that night he closed his eyes, and quietly joined her on the other shore. The family, hearing him making a slight noise, went to his bedside just in time to see him breathe his last. Both were ninety-one years of age, and both were laid in one grave, in the Heck cemetery, on Gillispie's run. Thus this venerable couple, who had traveled hand in hand so far down "the declivity of time," were re-united after but a few hours of separation.
They were the parents of the Rev. James T. Sinnett ; the late Mrs. Susan (\Vm.) Heck, Mrs. Mary (Alfred) Simmons, Rutherford ; Mrs. Martha (Cyrus) Washburn, the late Mrs. Florinda (Harmon) Nottingham, and the late John P. Sin- nett, Washburn; Mrs. Harriet (George) Washburn, Harrison county; the late Mrs. Frances (B. F.) Cunningham, Cantwell ; the late Mrs. Serepta (A. O.) Wilson, Harrisville ; and the late Elizabeth Sinnett, of Cairo.
The Rev. James T. Sinnett was the first merchant in this section. He built the store that is now owned by the Hall Brothers, in 1870; and was engaged in the mercantile business
31S HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
here until 1881, when he removed to Smithville, where he still clciims his residence.
On May 12, 1864, he was married to Miss Nancy Jane, daughter of Samuel Clevenger, and in 1893, she passed from sight; and, on April 28, 1904, their only son. Dr. J. H. ^I. Sin- nett, of Smithville, followed her to the grave. Airs. Addie B. (John) Stanley, of Slab creek ; and Mrs. Grace Suttle. wife of Dr. Bruce Suttle, of Tennessee, are their two daughters.
The Sinnett's Mill post-office, with Harmon Sinnett post- master, came into existence in I860, and went out in 1890.
Owing to a change in the administration, and an effort to carry into effect the Andrew Jackson doctrine, "To the victor belongs the spoils," this office was moved to wdiat was con- sidered an inconvenient point ; and this change brought about a fight, which terminated in the establishment of a new^ office under the name of "\\'ashburn," in 1889, and in the dis-con- tinuance of Sinnett's jNIill, the following year.
Joseph Weaver was the second settler on Chevauxdefrise. lie built his cabin on the farm that is now the home of Isaac Riggs — formerly the "\\'hite homestead." He Avas of German descent, and he married ]\Iiss Martha Read, who was born on the sea, while her parents were bound for America, and seven children were the result of this union. After her death, !Mr. Weaver married Miss Malinda Tucker, and was the father of seven more children. He met a tragic death at the hands of one Nelson Koone during the Civil war (1861), while residing on the West Fork river, in Calhoun county — the tragedy oc- curring at Annamoriah flats, near three miles from his home — and was due, doubtless, to their difference of opinion in re- gard to the struggle that was then engaging the attention of the North and the South.
The children of the first union were: the late 'Wis. Silas Pettit, Big Bend : Mrs. Katharine Stuart, 3,Irs. Eugene Weaver, both of Elizabeth ; Mrs. Alark wSears, John Weaver, Burning Springs; Joseph, of Ohio: and Clarinda, who died in childhood. All have joined the throng on che other side.
The children of the second union : Cora died in childhood, Charley Avas murdered at Elizabeth ; Rufus died at Burning Springs; and George, at Standing Stone; Floyd is a traveling
OiEl'AUXDEFRISE SETTLED 319
salesman, and resides in Ohio; j\Irs. Joseph L. Pettit resides at Parkersburg. and Airs. Alary Morgan, at Ravenswood.
Isaac Clarke followed Air. Weaver on the Riggs farm. He came from Pennsylvania with his family, and returned there after selling this farm to the late distinguished "Alud- wall" Jackson, who, shortly after the Civil war, sold it to Ben- jamin Starkey, whose family are still identified with the com- munity.
Adam Harris (son of Thomas, after whom Harrisville was named) w^as the pioneer on the Amos farm. He married A'liss Alargaret Webb, sister of Benjamin, and from Chevaux- defrise, they went to the Kennedy farm, at the mouth of Lamb's run, where they remained for a number of years, be- fore going to the Lemuel Wilson farm, above Smithville, where they passed from earth ; and in the Smithville burymg- ground they lie at rest.
Their children were six in number; viz., Thomas lost his life in the Civil war; Benjamin, Robert, Airs. Jane (Robert) Lucas, Airs. Alartha (Thomas) Alartin, Smithville ; and Airs. Rebecca (Joe) Silman, Gilmer county.
John Harris, brother of Adam, familiarly known as "Sum- mer John." was another early settler on this creek. He first built a cabin in the \icinity of Alt. Zion, and later removed to the Amos farm, and afterwards resided at different places in the Washburn vicinitv, and on Husher's run, before going to Illinois, where he passed to the "confines of the tomb." His wife was Aliss Alargaret Calhoun, niece of Samuel Calhoun, and his chief occupation was hunting.
Ephraim Gulp and his wife. Airs. Julia Aloats Culp, were the first to establish a home on the J. O. Kelley — no\v the X. E. Conaway — farm. They came here some time during the forties, and remained in the immediate vicinity for several years, before removing to the North fork of Hughes' river — on the Cornwallis road — to the farm that was long designated as the "Culp homestead" — later the Plorner. Air. Culp disap- peared while on a business trip down the river, and his fate was never known, as nothing was ever heard of him again.
Airs. Culp and her sons, Henry and James, rest at Har- risville ; John died while serving as a soldier in the L^nion
S20 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
army. The other two abo\e mentioned were also soldiers; and the daughter, ^Martha, became ]\Irs. Husher.
Owen Watson and his wife, ■Mrs. Martha Clarke Watson, were the second settlers on the Kdlc}- farm, l^ut they went to Illinois, where they founded a permanent home near Cherry Point. He was an uncle of Dr. J. W. Watson, and a farther account of the family will be found in the Harrisville chapter.
Noah Boston was the first citizen of the George Xangle farm. He came from Rockbridge county, Virginia, and finally went West. His wife was ]\Iiss Ivathrine AA'ebb, daughter of John AA'ebb, senior, of Washburn.
James Braden, of Pennsylvania, and Charles Ay res, son of Jeremiah Ayrcs, were other early settlers on this creek. yiv. Braden was the father of Thomas and James Braden, and other children, and he died on the Anthony W^agner farm, and sleeps in the Indian creek Baptist churchyard. Air. Ayres settled the Thomas Hardbarger farm and finally went West.
Henry H. Amos. — The }'ear 1849 was marked by the com- ing of Henry H. Amos and his family, from [Marion count}^ to the farm now owned b}^ his son, J. E. Amos. ]Mr. Amos was born on July 31, ISIT; and on April 4, 1841, he was mar- ried to Miss Malinda Rex, the marriage taking place at her home near Fairmont ; and in 1848, they came to this county and resided on the Nay farm, for a brief time, before coming to Chevauxdefrise, where they both fell asleep — he, in 18S9. after a long invalidism, and she, in 1891. Both rest in the graveyard at the Chevauxdefrise church. Both having long been faithful members of that church. Their children were as follows :
John W. Amos, who now resides at Vandalia, Missouri, v.as a soldier in the Civil war, serving under General Sheridan in the Valley of Virginia, in Co. K, of the Tenth West V^ir- ginia Infantry Volunteers ; the late George W. Amos, of Har- risville, who served as County clerk for twent3'-six 3^ears in succession. (He married jMiss Laura Hall, and died en December 5, 1898, without issue) ; Eli R. Amos, fell asleep two weeks later at his home in Southern Missouri ; Airs. Jacob Hardbarger, of W^ashburn ; and jMrs. Lydia K. (]. M ) Lovv- ther, of Auburn, have also, passed on. Mrs. Alargaret (E. E.)
CHEVAUXDEFRISE SETTLED :V21
Cokeley, and ]\Irs. Eliza (P. M.) Jones, reside near Harris- ville ; J. E. and Aliss Lizzie, at the old homestead; Mrs. HatUe (S. C.) Foster, at Vandalia, Alissouri ; and W. H. has a furni- Lure and undertaking establishment at Auburn.
The Ameses are of German origin. Their ancestors came from the Fatherland, near the middle of the seventeenth cen- tury ; but the authentic and connected history of this famih' begins prior to the Revolutionary war, when Henry Amos, senior — grandfather of Henry, of Ritchie county, came to Monongalia county, where, in 1790. he was married to Miss Dorcas Flail, of Pennsylvania, wdiose parents came from Dela- ware.
In 181(5, their second son, George, married Miss Idna HaAvkins,^ a descendant of an old English family ; her grand- father having come from England to the Virginia colony as early as 1750; and from him the Ritchie county families are descended. He was a soldier of the war of 1813, and was the father of thirteen children ; viz., Henry, of Ritchie county, was the eldest son ; the late Asel, of Pennsboro ; George, of White Oak ; Bennett, Tracy, Edgar, Stephen, and Jehu, who died in early manhood, were the other sons; Mrs. George Smith of Weston — mother of the Rev. G. D. Smith, of the W^est Virginia M. E. conference; Mrs. Zana Saterfield, of Bellaire, Ohio; Mrs. I\F Shumley, of Marion county; Mrs. Rhoda Snbd- grass, Illinois; and the late Mrs. Elizabeth (Wm.) Bell, of Marion county, were the daughters.
Thomas Smailwood W'ilson was the first denizen of the lames farm. He was born in Monongalia county, in 1784, and there he was married to Miss Hannah Camp, daughter oi Adam Camp, and in 1843, he came to this county, and settled on the Michaels' farm, near Oxford, for a brief time, before coming to the lames homestead. He was of Scotch-Irish descent, his father. Thomas, senior, being a native of Scotland (he liaving crossed the ocean after his eldest son, Joseph, was born).
This pioneer was a lum.ber merchant, and while on a trip to Cincinnati, in 1848, he contracted cholera, and by the time he had reached Parkersburg, on his return, he was stricken
'The other Hawkins of the covinty belong to this family.
322 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
with the fatal malady, and died there ; and was laid at rest near the present site of the B. & O. depot, at that place. I\Irs. Vv'ilson died at the P. R. Tharp homestead, on Indian run, in 1856, and in the Drake burying-ground, on the County farm, she sleeps.
Their children were ten in number: the late John M., Freeport, Wirt county; Mrs. Aliranda (Elias) Summers, Slab creek; W'm. L. AA'ilson, [Monongalia county, who died at the home of his daughter, near Grantsville : Mrs. JNIary Ann (John) Lough, Illinois; Joseph, of Doddridge county; Mrs. Lucy Ann (Alanly) Zinn, Holbrook : ]\Irs. Melissa Simmons, Auburn ; Isaac Van Buren, Indian creek — the oniy survivor of the family ; Thomas Peter, also of Indian creek, and Israel, who died in youth.
All of the family were born in r^^Ionongalia county.
John M, Wilson, son of Thomas ^l., above mentioend, was the first to make an improvement on the farm that passed into the hands of Ransom Kendall, in 18J:9. Pie married Miss Sarah Reed, of Alonongalia countv, and from here thev went to Marion county, and finally to Freeport. A\'irt county, where he rests. He was a minister of the Isl. P. church, having served various charges in "\\'est Virginia and Ohio; was pas- tor of the Freeport circuit at the time of his death.
He had seven children : Thomas, ]\Iary, Alelissa, Caro- line, and Jackson have all joined the hosts on the other side : Nathaniel and I\Irs. Ellen Barker, live in Ohio ; and [Mrs. Leone Hammond, in AA'irt county.
Ransom Kendall. — In 1849, Ransom Kendall purchased the improvement that had been made by J. M. \\'ilson. and took up his residence here, where he remained until he "'passed through the Gates," on October 1?. 1887. And near two years later this old homestead became the property of J. [M. Leggett. who sold it to Mr. Davisson. the present ov^^ner.
[Mr. Kendall was born in [Marion county, on [March "28, 1816 ; and there, on August 27, 1838, he was married to [Miss Lydia Rex, daughter of Eli and. Sarah Hall Rex, who vv-as born in Penns3-lvania. on August 25, 1820, but with her parents removed to [Marion county, when she was but a child of two summers. He and his Avife were both loval members
CHEJ'AUXDEFRISE SETTLED :^23
of the Methodist Episcopal church for ahnost a half-century ^were pillars in the church at Chevauxdefrise from the time of its institution until the close of their lives. They gave the grounds for the church and cemetery and were important factors in the erection of the first church, near 1S67. And their son, John, who died in childhood, filled the first grave that was made in this cemetery, in October, 1857.
Mrs. Kendall died on September 25, 1888. Her last mo- ments were full' of triumph, her last words were an expression of praise.
AV'eli does the writer remember that impressive hour, as one by one she bade us adieu, and admonished us to meet her beyond the "Gate fjeautiful." which she was just then enter- ing.
On the old homestead, beside her husband, she is sleeping.
The children of this household were fourteen in number, seven boys and seven girls :
The late Dr. James Emery Ivendall, who was for a num- ber of years a prominent physician of Parkersburg, was the eldest son. He served as assistant surgeon of the Eleventh West Virginia Infantry Volunteers during the Civil war, and at one time, later in life, represented the West Virginia Med- ical Fraternity at the International Association at London, and while there was presented with a medal by the late Queen Victoria, which is now a valued possession of his family.
The late Amos Kendall, of Tonganoxie. Kansas, was, also, a soldier of the Civil war : and Eli Rex lost his life in defense of the Union, at Beverly, on July 3, 1863, and in the National cemetery, at Grafton, he reposes.
Jasper Newton, who was at one time superintendent of the schools of this county, has for a number of years been prominently identified among the Methodist Episcopal church ministers of the South and West; he having been a member of the Tennessee, Texas. Oklahoma, Colorado, and Idaho con- ferences. William Alpheus is a physician of Crescent City, Oklahoma. John, as above mentioned, has been sleeping in the churchyard, since his childhood; and Marcellus Allen, the youngest son, who is of Parkersburg, served one term as State
324 HISTORY OF RirCHIE COUNTY
Treasurer, and is now doing service as United States Bank Examiner/
The daughters are : I\Irs. Anarie ( D. S.) Cox, who re- sides on part of the old homestead on this creek ; ]\Irs. Sarah Kathrine Alitchell Mason, PuUman ; Mrs. ^lary L. Lowther (wife of the late Dr. J. G. Lowther), Parkersburg ; ]\Irs. Martha L. ( L. C. ) Jones, Clarendon, Texas; Mrs. Bertha Blanche Kelley (wife of Dr. \\\ C. Kelley), ]\Iorgantown ; the late IMrs. Alaria Louisa Davis (wife of the Rev. D. H. Davis, of the AL P. church) ; and Jennie, the late wife of W. G. Low- ther, of Fonsoville.
The Kendalls are of English origin. In Westmoreland county. England, is a river named "Kent," whose valley is known as the "Kentdale." Here in the town of Kirby-Ken- dal, or Kendale, as it was formerly spelled, lived one of the "big families of Westmoreland," who became generally known as the Kendal, Kendall, or Kendale family." Hence the origin of the name."
Ln County Cornwall to-day there is a family of the same name who came from Treworgy centuries ago, and while their ancestry is not traceable to Kirby-in-Kendall, it is quite prob- able that they hailed from the same stock.
Eleanor Lexington, in her "Colonial Families," says :
"The Kendall family bears the proud distinction of hav- ing sent more men.ibers, perhaps, than any other fam.ily to the British parliament. At all events it has sent as many."
The first record we have of the name in America begins with George Kendall, a member of the first Jamestown Coun- cil, who crossed the water with this little colony in 1607; but the Ritchie family, and the numerous others scattered throughout the L'nion to-day, trace their origin to members of the famih" who crossed a little later.
According to Miss Lexington two brothers, Francis and Thomas Kendall, who were born in England, came to the Western world before the year 1640, and settled in the I\Iass- achusetts Bay Colony.
Francis went to AA'oburn, Massachusetts, then known as Charlestown, where he was married to Alarv Tidd, but he
^See Young-er Men's Calendar.
CHEJ'AUXDEFRISE SETTLED o25
later removed to Reading. He had four sons and five daugh- ters, and thus gave the family name quite a start in the New World. By the year 1S58, eight of his line had been gradu- ated from Harvard, three from the College of Xew England, and one brave member had been killed as a witch. Amos Kendall, the statesman, who served as Postmaster-General under President Andrew Jackson's administration, and George Wilkins Kendall, the journalist, who died at Oak Springs, Texas, in 1867, belonged to the family of Francis.
Thomas settled at Lynn, Massachusetts, where he was
married to Rebecca , and about the year 1653. he also
removed to Reading, where he died in 1681, leaving behind him a reputation for manliness, and for a highly religious character.
He had no son that reached the 3^ears of maturity, but lie left eight daughters. \\ho lamented the fact that "so good a surname as theirs could not be preserved," so they met in council and decided that the first born son of each should bear the name of "Kendall," and as a result there Avas Ken- dall Pearson, Kendall Eaton, etc.
One of the biographers of these families says ■
"The descendants of these pious Puritans have spread themselves over the length and the breadth of this countr}^ as pioneers and settlers — waking the forests and plains from their long sleep. Some were eminent divines, some were dis- tinguished lawyers and jurists, and others were journalists, statesmen, authors and travelers."
The tradition of our own branch of the family, as well as that of the Ohio branch, says thai three brothers crossed at the same time, and that the third one settled in Virginia ; and from him the Kendalls of Ohio and both Virginias are de- scended. But as Virginia has been visited by fires which have swept away some of her records, the given name of the founder of this family is missing. However, our record begins v.ith William Kendall, senior, whose son, William Kendall, junior, was married to Miss Jemima Kirk, on May 10, 1738, in Stafford county, Virginia.
This couple (\\'illiam and Jemima) were the parents of ten children : Jesse, Thomas, George, Anne. John, \\'illiani,
320 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Samuel, Mary Anne, Elizabeth, and Jeremiah. And one of these sons, which one cannot be determined, crossed the mountains from the "Old Dominion" and settled in Marion county, not far from the time of the birth of his youngest son, James Kendall, in 1784. His family consisted of six other sons, besides James, who scattered to Ohio, Indiana and Ken- tucky (with perhaps an exception or two), but James re- mained at the old homestead in ]\rarion county, where he died in 1S6S, and where he lies buried.
James Kendall was married to ^Nliss Kathrine Shuman, who was born in the Fatherland, and, with her parents, came to Pennsylvania at the age of tAvelve years. The family were six months in crossing and several of the children died on board the ship and were buried beneath the waves in order to avoid the danger from the sharks.
Kathrine died at her home in 3Jarion county, in 1848, and sleeps beside her husband on the old homestead.
This family consisted of two sons and seven daughters; viz.. Ransom, the head of the Ritchie county family; Jere- miah, of Tyler county ; Rachel, and Orpha, who died in youth ; Zilpah (Mrs. Aaron Kearns), Xancy (Mrs. James Kearns), Sarah (Mrs. Levi Shuman), Kathrine (Mrs. William Hayes), and Anarie, who married Asel Amos. All left families, ex- cept ]^Irs. Amos.
Jeremiah Kendall, the younger son of William, junior, and Jemima Kirk, served as a member of the Continental forces for five years du.ring the Anierican Revolution, and was with General Anthony Wayne in his campaign against the Indians for two years, being at the battle of Maumee, and at the treaty of Greenville. He carried to his grave nine scars from musket-ball wounds which he sustained in battle. After the Revolution, he sold his interests in Virginia; and with his wife and two children and their sole belongings, emigrated to Pennsylvania on horseback, and settled on the old "National Road," in Fayette county, between Brownsville and Union- town, where he died in 1843, and where some of his descend- ants now live.
He was the father of the late General William Kendall, of Ohio, who served under General Harrison at Tippecanoe,
CHErAUXDEfRISE SETTLED 327
and was a soldier of the war of 1812 ; was the grand-uncle of Ransom Kendall ; and Ransom's only brother was named for him.
The family are in some way related to General Wayne, and Jeremiah Kendall fell heir to the spurs, watch-chain and boot-hooks of this distinguished warrior, who is better known as "Mad Anthony," and these invaluable relics are still cher- ished in his family, they having been handed down from father to eldest son for five generations, until they have now reached Kendall Overturf, of Columbus, Ohio.
Thomas Kendall, who came from Settle, Yorkshire, Eng- land, in 17<)n. is said to have been the founder of the Penn- sylvania branch of the family.
Old Record. — As these old records are rare and of inestim ■ able value, we insert this one:
^Marriages of the sons of William Kendall, senior, of Vir- ginia :
1 — William Kendall, junior, married Jemima Kirk on May 10, n38.
2— James Iventiall married Mary Coitey on February 35, 1745.
3 — George Kendall married Cathrine Kelley, June 5, 1748.
4 — Joshua Kendall married Cathrine Smith, April 4, 1749.
5 — John Kendall married Margaret Keys, January 9, 1752.
Family of William, junior, and Jemima Kirk Kendall:
1 — Jesse Kendall born October 4, 1740.
2— Thomas Kendall born May 27, 1742.
3 — George Kendall born January 13, 1744.
4 — Anne Kendall born December 6, 1745.
5 — John Kendall born March 21, 1748.
6 and 7 — William and Samuel (twins), August 30, 1749.
8 — Mary Anne, April 9, 1752.
9— Elizabeth. April 1. 1754. 10 — -Jeremiah (of Penn.), February 6, 1758.
(One of these brothers was the grandfather of Ransoni Kendall.)
Children of Joshua and Cathrine Smith Kendall : Jesse, born August 21, 1751; Joshua, born May 27, 1753; Nancy, born December 19, 1755 ; and Betty, born February 22, 1758.
328 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Children of James and Alary Coffey Kendall : John, born February 26, 1749; Jesse, born June ID, 1750; Bailey, born October S, 1755 ; Moses and Aaron are also said to have be- longed to this family.
Children of John and Cathrine Keys Kendall: Samuel B., January 1, 1753; Charles, born September 17, 1754; anl Elizabetli, born February 11, 1758.
A\'e have no record of the children of Joshua and Cathrine Smith Kendall.
Note. — The tradition handed down to us concerning the coming of the Kendalls to America is that three brothers crossed in Colonial times; One settled in the Pine forests of Maine; one in the "City of Brotherly Love," and the other, in Virginia, but as Miss Lexington's information seemed more definite than ours concerning the i)lace of settlement in Xew England, we have given hers the first place, but we still credit the coming of the third one to the "Old Domin.ion." We are also indebted to her for the origin of the name.
The information of the Kendalls of Ohio comes to us from the great-granddaughter of Jeremiah Kendall, Mrs. Ella Kendall Overturf, of Columbus, Ohio, she havino- sent us a copy of an old manuscript written by her grandfather, the late General William Kendall, and to her we- owe our thanks fcjr this old record.
The Rexes. — As quite a nturiber of the people of this county are descended from the • Rex family, a brief mention of their origin in America will perhaps add interest m this connection.
This family are of Welsh descent; and from Mapleton, Pennsylvania, their original home on this side of the water, they migrated to Marion county. The father lost his life in the struggle for Independence, as he was never heard of after the close of the war. but he left a family of four sons and three daughters ; \iz.. Eli Rex, who married Sarah Hall, and was the father of Mrs. Kendall and Mrs. Amos; Jonathan, John, and Jesse were the other sons. One of the daughters, Elizabeth, became Mrs. Fast, and she was the grandmother of J. E. Ferrell, of Burnt House ; Rebecca first married a Price, and was the mother of the late Mrs. John Leggett, of
CHEl'AUXDEFRISE SETTLED 329
Pullman ; the late Mrs. J eremiah Snodgrass, of Harrisville ; and the late Mrs. Rachel Troy, and her second married name was Ice. Mary Rex died in youth.
William Cokeley. — Shortly after the coming of Har- mon Sinnett. William Cokeley made the first settlement at Mt. Zion, where his only daughter, Mrs. Salem Duckworth, now lives. He was a native of Ilampshire county, and soon after h.is arrival in tliis count}^ with his parents, he was mar- ried to Miss Hannah Starr, sister of James Starr, and at Mt. Zion they founded their home, and remained until death closed their eyes. He died on February 12, 1888, at the age of seventy-four years, one month, twelve days. His wife was born on Indian creek, on September 5, 1816, and died on May 12, 1895.
They were Christians of the United Brethren churcli faith, and Mr. Cokeley might be styled -the "Father" of the Mt. Zion church : for he gave the grounds and played no small part in. tlie erection of the first church home here in 1859, and beneath the shadow of the present building, which was erected in ISDJ:, he lies in his last sleep beside his com- panion.
Nimrod Kuykendall was the first citizen of the farm formerly owned by J. N. Kendall and C. W. Leggett, but now the property of A\"illiam A\'ilson. Mr. Kuykendall and his wife. Kathrine Zickafoose, sister of the late Asbury Zicka- foose, came from Pocahontas county in the early fifties, and after the Civil war, removed to the West. He and his son, Jacob, were soldiers of the Civil war; and Jacob, who v^^as Captain of Company K of the Tenth West Virginia Infantry. lost his life at the battle of Cedar creek, on October 19, 1864, and his father was commissioned to take his place. His last resting-place is marked by a marble slab in the Mt. Zion churchvard. The other son, Samuel, went West.
CHAPTER XXIII
Slab Creek Settled
^gj^,^ HIS creek derived its name from a hunter'^* camp, which was constructed of slabs, and stood upon its banks.
John Cain^ was the first citizen to pen- etrate its forest. He came from Harrison county, as early as 1S18, and reared his lowly dwelling on the farm that for long years was designated as the "Lewis Maxwell homestead," now the property of W . E. Hall, at Pullman.
We know but little of his early history, except that he was an inmate of the old "Xutter fort'" at C'arksburg. during his bo3diood days, A\hen the citizens of that vicinity were compelled to take refuge from the savage foe. within its pro- tecting walls.
We have been unable to secure a record of his family, but he was the grand-uncle of J. R. Lowther. of Pullman : and the father of the late Harrison, and RpcL;e, Edith, Xancy, and Dorinda Cain. His descendants in this county are quite numerous, however.
John Shores, w'hose history will be found in the Spruce creek chapter, vvas the first settler at the mouth of this creek : but we have no account of any other contemporary settlers with Cain, whose coming antedates that of Shores by a num- ber of years. But not a few, however, whose names belong to this chapter, and whose descendants are still identified with the citizenship of the vicinity, came here in the thirties and in the forties, and redeemed their homes from their primi- tive wilderness.
^John Cain i* said to have been a brother of David Cain, whose his- tory appears with the South Fork settlers.
SLAB CREEK SETTLED 331
Daniel V. Cox was the first settler at the forks of Slab creek, where his son, Floyd Cox, now lives. He was born iii Harrison county, on Alarch 10, 1809 ; and was the son of Phillip and Christiana Stille Cox.
He married ]\Iiss Mahala Ward, of Harrison county, sis- ter of the late [Martin Ward, who was born in 1812; and in 1835, they came to the mouth of Bone creek, where they re- mained until 1845, when they removed to Slab creek.
]\Ir. Cox was the first merchant at the mouth of Bone creek, he and his brother, Phillip, being partners in this busi- ness. They also opened a tailor-shop here with John Shores,^ a Dutchman, wdio died at the home of Col. Cox in the early sixties, as tailor. This was, doubtless, the first tailor-shop in the countv.
Col. Cox, as he n^as generally known, was Colonel of the ^lilitia from the time of the organization of the county, until a short time before his death in the sixties. He recruited a company, of volunteers, early in the Civil war, but owing to his failing health did not go into active service. But three of his sons took up arms in defense of the Union : (John, Taylor, and J. E.)
Col. Cox, like many of the otlier pioneers, was a man of indomitable courage, and of great daring. His daring being scarcely second to that of Israel Putnam, when he descended the wolfe's den and shot the animal by the glaring light of its own eye, as the following incident will illustrate :
When Robert Sommerville reared his cabin on Bone creek, he had to get his help from Harrison and Lewis coun- ties ; and during the night, after the cabin had been erected, there fell a tracking snow ; and on the following morning, when the little party started for their homes, they discovered three panthers' tracks in the snow% near a mile beyond the Gilmer county line; and following the tracks the}^ were led to a ledge of rocks where the animais were securely housed. They tried for several houjrs to smoke them out, but all in vain, and all but Col. Cox decided to give it up and to go on home; but he said, "No, gentlemen, those panthers must come
•Shores had no family, and i.s not known to be connected to the pio- neer of the same name.
332 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
out of there." And despite their remonstrances, with a pine torch in one hand, and a huge kni^e in the other, he started in after them, telling his companions to be ready with their guns to fire should they come out : but after some delay to their intense relief, they heard him coming, and he soon ap- peared dragging his prey after him, the animals having per- ished from the efifects of the smoke.
He sleeps on his old homestead on Slab creek, beside his wife, who died in 1899.
He was the father of ten children:
W. Floyd, and Airs. Louisa (W'm.) Bane, the late H. C. and j. E., all of Slab creek; the late John AL, of Burnt House ; D. S., Chevauxdefrise ; A\'. Taylor, Calhoun county ; \\". E., Alvin A^'.. and Phillip, all died in 3-oath.
Phillip Cox, brother of Col. Cox, was also identified with the county's earl}^ history, he being a surveyor in this and ad- joining counties as early as 1820 ; and, as already mentioned, he was a partner in the mercantile business with hjs brother at the mouih of Bone creek, in 1835 ; though he did not take up his residence here until 1847, when he removed to Blarris- vilie, and took charge of the "Franklin hotel," where he re- mained until 18.j-^. He finally went lo Cox's mill, in Gilmer county, where he died on December 19, 1876. at the age of seventy-six years, he having been born, on July 20, 1800. He at one time represented Braxton and Lewis counties in the General Assembly at Richmond.
He married Aliss Susan Kniseley, daughter of George, and sister of the late John Kniseley, of Auburn, and in the Auburn cemetery, beside his wife, he sleeps.
He was the father of D. W. Cox, of A\'ashburn, and of the following other sons and daughters : Oliver P. Cox, of Cox's mill ; George Kniseley Cox : Isaac, of Clay county ; John, of Kansas Cit}^ ; Airs. Josephine (Hamilton) Xorman, Spokane. AA'ashington ; Airs. Elizabeth (Anthony) Wagner, of Washburn — mother of "Al" A\'agner, Berea ; Airs. Alary Snodgrass, wife of the late Rev. Elisha L. Snodgrass, of Au- burn : Airs. Rodenia (Thomas) Williams, Kansas City, all of whom have passed on, save D. \\'.. O. P., and Airs. Norman.
The Coxes have a distinguished ancestral line, which
SLAB CREEK SETTLED 333
the}^ trace back to Dr. Daniel Cox, of London, who was the Royal family's physician when Queen Anne was on the throne (from 1T02-1T1J:), he being a cousin of the Queen.
Dr. Daniel Cox had three sons, Isaac, John, and Daniel, junior, who came to the New Jersey colony at a very earl}' day, and from these three brothers, nearly all of the Coxes in the United States are said to be descended. From Isaac the Ritchie county line comes ; but the generations from him to the Isaac that came to Harrison county, are about six or seven, and the heads of the line down are alternately "Isaac" and "Phillip," and it is quite difiicult to niake the matter clear. However, Isaac Cox, the Harrison county pioneer, was born in Xew Jersey in 1731. He was the son of Phillip and Hannah Trembly Cox — the youngest and only son that lived to rear a family.
Isaac Cox, the first, iu- making a disposition of his prop- erty, had willed all his immense fortune to his eldest son. Phillip, thus setting a precedent that was adhered to for seven generations. But Isaac Cox. the Harrison county pio- neer (being the youngest of the family as above stated), be- came the legatee of the property, owing to the fact that he was the only survivor of the family. His brothers, having gone some distance from home to make an improvement, in advance of the settlement, and raise a crop, pitched their tent near a fine spring from wdiich they got water for constant use, and in a short time they all sickened and died; and upon investigation, it was found that the water came from a cop- per-mine, and thus was poisonous. Isaac being but a lad, and drinking here and there where he chanced to be herding the stock, escaped death.
Isaac Cox married Miss Sarah Sutton, of New Jersey, and after the Revolution, perhaps, near 1790, came to Harri- son county, and settled at the mouth of Kincheloe's creek. He died in 1838, at the age of one hundred seven years, and in the "Broad Run cemetery," in Lewis county, beside his wife, he lies at rest. His father died in New Jersey, in 1797, at the age of one hundred twelve vears.
They (Isaac and Sarah Sutton) were the parents of five children : Phillip, Avho sleeps in Ritchie county ; John and
334 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Mrs. Sarah (John) Tingle}', Ohio ; Mrs. Hannah (Joseph) Smith, Harrison county ; and Isaac, of Chestnut Grove, Cal- houn county.
Phillip Cox married Miss Christiana Stille, and was the father of Col. Daniel, the Ritchie county pioneer, and of nine other children; viz., Isaac P.; John, of Ohio; David S., Han- nah, Phillip, Pluldah, who became Mrs. Hezekiah D. Tharpe, and went to Iowa ; Sarah, who was Mrs. Timothy Tharpe, of Auburn ; James S., and Levi, who sleeps in Doddridge coun- ty. All the Coxes in this and adjoining counties came from this family.
Phillip and his wife Ciiristiana died at the home of their son. Col. Daniel V. Cox, on Slab creek, and here they sleep. He was born in 1760, and died in 185i. She died in 1856, at the age of ninety-two years.
Enoch, B. Leggett. — Thomas Stevens built the first dwell- ing on the farm that is now owned by Mrs. Cynthia Lowther, at Pullman. He came from JNIonongalia county and went to Alarion, where he died. But Enoch B. Leggett purchased this slight improvement in 1845, and moved into the rude cabin until a better one could be constructed.
jJr. Leggett was born in Monongalia county, in 1811, and near the 3'\ear 1835, he was married to Miss Sarah Athey, of Marion count}-, and in her native county, they remained until they came to Slab creek, where he played an important part in the early afl:airs of the community. He was one of the charter members of the first church organization here ; was the donor of the grounds for the church and the ceme- tery, known as "Bethel," or "Old Slab," and was one of the principal factors in its erection.
From here he removed to the Harrisville vicinity, near one mile north-east, where he was engaged in the milling business until his property was destroyed by fire, in 1871; and in a few years after this, he went to Holbrook. where he was again engaged as miller for a time. Here death en- tered his home and carried away his beloved wife, and he then made his home with his children until his death, at the home of his son, E. A. Leggett, near Oxford, in 1886. His last moments were full of triumph, he having been permitted
SLAB CREEK SETTLED 335
to catch a glimpse of the glorious over there, before he closed his eyes to earth. Side by side lie and his wife slumber in the Pullman churchyard. Here, too, rests his daughters Harriet, Martha, and his son, Nelson, who died in childhood." The other members of the family are as follows: Afrs. Anna (T. E.) Davis, Mrs. Jennie Amos Tarleton, Harnsville : Marion Leggett, Ravenswood ; E. A., Oxford ; and the late Mrs. Nancy (James) Davis, Harrisville ; the late Mrs. Alarv (A. K.) Athey, Marion county; and the late Mrs. Kathrine (Smith) Gaston, Doddridge county.
Airs. Tarleton and Marion Leggett have both passed on since the above was written.
John Leggett, brother of Enoch, made the first improve- ment on the farm that is now owned and occupied by his son, C. W. Leggett. He was born in Marion county, on September 3, LS-?5, and there on April 1(3, 1846, he was mar- ried to Miss Mary Price, daughtei of Charles Price, and in September, 1848, they removed to Slab creek, where their lives came to a close. Mrs. Leggett was born on August 15, 1828, and died in 1896 ; and he survived until September 28, 1906. Both -lie in the AMiite Oak churchyard, as do their sons, James N., and Francis M. Leggett.
Their other children are: C. W., Pullman; AI. Jackson, and V. Elbert, Harrisville ; and Airs. Kathrine Rebecca (T. A.) Prunty, Chrisman, Illinois.
The Leggetts are of English origin. James Leggett came from England before the American Revolution and settled in Rockingham county, Virginia, and from there removed to what is now Alonongalia county. West Virginia. It is not known whether he was a soldier of the Continental army or not, but he was a noted Indian fighter, and not lono- after his removal to the "Little Alountain State," he started eastward on a journey, and nothing was ever heard of him again, and thus his history ends. But he had several sons : John, James, Thomas, George, and Isaac, and perhaps, others, and one daughter at least. This daughter, Elizabeth, became Airs. Arnett, of Arnettsville, Alarion county, and she lived to reach the century mark; and her daughter, Airs. Alary Glasscock, reached the age of one hundred five years. She is
336 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
said to have been the ancestor of Governor Glasscock, but we cannot verify this, however.
James went to Cohmii)us, Ohio, near the year 18"35, and there, and, perhaps, in other parts of the West his descend- ants Hve.
Thomas and George ( ?) Leggett crossed the Allegheny mountains into Western Virginia in Indian times, and all trace of them was lost, but during the Civil war, James Leg- gett, the brother of Enoch, met with Thomas' son, James, who was serving as a soldier from a Western state ; and "Border Warfare" relates the story of a party of drovers from Dunkard and Fish creeks who were overtaken by the Indians in September, 1791, while on their way to Marietta to market their cattle; and Jesse Hughes alone escaped to tell the tragic tale. "George Leggett" was a member of this party, and as he was never heard of again, he is supposed to have shared the fate of the rest. It is not positively known that he was a member of this family, but there can scarcely be a reasonable doubt of it.
Isaac Leggett was but a half-brother of the others, and he is the ancestor of the Doddridge county branch; and John, of the Ritchie county family.
John Leggett, senior, whose history is of more moment to us, was twice married. His first wife, whose name is wanting, met a tragic death b}^ a fall early in their wedded life, and he then married Miss Kathrine Barrick, who was born in Germany, and with her parents crossed the water to Rockingham county, Virginia, at the age of nine years. Plere she grew to young womanhood; and here on September 11, ISO?, she took the marriage vovv. She w-as a sister of Adam Barrick, who was at one time a resident of Harrisville, and her death occurred in ^Marion county, at the age of sixty-one years. Her old German Bible is now the treasured heirloom of her granddaughter, ^Irs. T. E. Davis, of Harrisville.
Some time after her death, perhaps, in the early fifties, Mr. Leggett came to this county and resided on the Flan- nagan farm, above Berea, for several years. He died on February 14, 18fi'?, at the age of eighty-four years, and rests at Duckworth summit.
SLAB CREEK SETTLED '627
He was the father of a large family of sons and daugh- ters, who nearly all have descendants in this county :
]\Irs. Mary (C. W.) Batson, of Marion county (mother of tlie late W. H. Batson, of Berca) ; Mrs. Sarah (Thomas) Bane, Farmington (mother of the late Wm. Bane, Pullman) ; jMrs. Elizabeth (Zubulon) Bee, Berea ; Mrs. IMargaret (Dick- erson) Wood, Marion county; Mrs. Casandra (Henry) Good- win, Berea ; Elethean, who first married William Dixon, of Pennsboro, and after his death, Powell Calhoun, formerly of this county, but later of Tyler; Enoch B., and John, the pio- neers of this county ; James, V\^ho resided here but removed to Alissouri shortly after his service as a soldier in the Union army, where he died in 1903; Thomas, who resided at Toll- gate, also, went to Missouri shortly after the Civil war ; and Jacob died in youth.
Note. — Some conflicting statements have confronted us in this data, but we iiave given it according to what we con- sidered the best authority. One is that the original Leggett's name was Isaac, or John, instead of James.
Jonathan McKinley was another worthy pioneer here. He came from Harrison county, in 1850, and redeemed the "McKinley homestead" from its primitive wilderness ; and for almost sixty years his family have been identified with this community. Pie Avas a native of Monongalia county ; the son of Thomas and Sarah Stuart McKinley. who later re- moved to Harrison county, where they sleep. He was of Highland Scotch stock. His grandfather, John McKinley, came from Scotland to the Virginia colony, perhaps, near the middle of the eighteenth century ; and, doubtless, served as a Revolutionary soldier, as he was an officer in one of the Virginia regiments. He was a noted Indian fighter, and while on an expedition against the Delawares (with near two hundred other men from the Monongalia settlements), in 17S2, he was captured and beheaded, by the savages. Ir. was on this expedition, and near the same time that Col. Crawford met his cruel, tragic, death at the hands of the in- human monsters. As he (Col. Crawford) passed along in captivity, he witnessed the death of John McKinley and his four companions.
338 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Jonathan McKinley married IsVxzs Elizabeth Rector, i" Pruntytovvn, wlio was of Dutch descent, and the;, were the parents of nine children: William, of Pullman; Eli, of H.-'i- ri.•^vilie ; Thomas, of Roane county ; John, of Pennsboro : Marion, of Harrison county; Mrs. Rebecca .\. (Saul) Som- merville, Plarrison county; Mrs. Juliet (David ^ Owens. \Vood county; Mrs. Harriet (James R. ) Lowther, Pullman; and Mrs. Jane Lowther. Pennsboro. The last two mentioned alone survive. Jane, first married Robert Lowther and after his death, she married his Ijrother, William L Lowther.
Mr. and Mrs. McKinley rest at Pullman.
The late Homer JJ. ^dcKinley, of Salem, wlio was so prominently knoAvn in different parts of the state, was a member of this famil}-, he being the son of E!i, and ]\Irs.. Dorinda Lowther McKinley, and the grandson of Jonathan. He attended the McKinley reunion at the Kansas State build- ing, at the W'orld's Fair at Chicago, on September 13, 1893. in which the late President [McKinley, wdio was then Gover- nor of Ohio, and other distinguished gentlemen of the name from the United States, Canada, and Scotland, participated (giving interesting reminiscences of the origin and historv of the family), and thus he learned that his ancestors sprang from the same Scottish stock, as did those of the late Presi- dent McKinley.
Joseph Wilson was another early settler on this creek, beiow Pullman. He was of Scotch-Irish descent, and was a native of Ireland, haA-ing been i3orne in 1804; and with hi:-^- parents removed to Kentucky in his youth. At the age of twenty-one years, he came to this county, where he was mar- ried to Miss [\Iary Cain, daughter of David Cain, who resided on the Prunty farm at that tim*:- ; there the marriage was solemnized, and there they resided for several years, before going to Ohio, where they remained until 1847. when they returned and took up their residence on the Joseph Summer'^ homestead, where \\.r. Wilson passed away in 1878. Mrs. Wilson died at the home of her son, Lemuel, at Smithville. a number of years later, and both sleep at Pleasant Hill.
They were the parents of six sons ;
David M. and James died in vouth, the late Robert, of
SLAB CREEK SETTLED b3'.)
Slab creek, died several years ago, leaving one son, Alortimer; Napoleon, who is a twin of Lemuel, of Smithville, resides at Burnsviile, with his only son, Carl ; Hiram resides at Salem. He is the father of several children, JDUt the other three brothers had but one son each. C. A. Wilson, of Burnt House, is the son of Lemuel.
Elias Summers was the first settler on the farm now owned by his son, E. X. Summers. He was born in Alonon- galia county, and there he was married to Miss Miranda Wil- son, sister of Isaac Wilson, of Indian creek, and came to this county in 1838, and settled near Oxford, on the farm that is now owned by the Michael heirs. He removed from here to the Thomas McKinley farm, on White Oak, and from there, to the E. X. Summers homestead, in 1854, where he passed from earth rich in the esteem of all who knew him. He was buried in the Cox graveyard, and, in 1901, his wife v;as laid by his side.
Their children: Mrs. Hannah (James) Prather, \lvs. Margaret (J. M.) Cox, ]\Irs. Jemima (Robert) Mitchell, James K., who lost his life in the I'nion cause, Mrs. Mary A. I, John O.) Kelley, Harrisville; and Thomas, and Delia, who died in infancy, have ail joined the throng on the other side. The surviving ones are: Mrs. Lucy E. (T. T.) Pritchard, Wyoming; Joseph M. Summers, Ohio; J. T., Kansas; and E. X'. Summers, of Pullman.
Elijah Summers, brother of Elias, and his wife, Mrs. Susan Barnett Summers, were very early settlers across the Doddridge county line, near Summers; here they passed from earth and here they lie buried.
They were the parents of the late Joseph Summers, and Elijah W. Summers, of Summers; of Mrs. Louisa Adams, of Mrs. Sarah McClain, and of Francis Summers, all of Roane county.
Grant Summers, the County clerk of Doddridge ; M. B. Summers, of West Union, who is prominently known in Democratic circles ; Mrs. George \\' oofter, wife of the well- known Baptist minister; and the Rev. M. A. Summers, of the Baptist church, are grandchildren of Elijah.
Elijah and Elisha Summers were the sons of Alexander
340 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Summers, an early settler of ^Monongalia county, and they were two of a family of ten brothers and sisters. The other eight members being as follows : Joseph Summers, Preston count}- : David, James, Jonathan, and Mrs. Rebecca Barker, all of ^Monongalia county ; Elisha, ]Mrs. Elizabeth Snyder, and Airs. !Mary Swisher, •Marion county.
Elisha was the father of T. M. Summers, of Hazelgreen, and here, at the home of his son, he spent his last hours.
William T. Mitchell was long identified with this creek. He was born in Barbour county, on September 13, 1823, and was married to Miss Matilda Zickafoose, daughter of Sampson Zickafoose, who was born in Pendleton county, on June 24, 1831:, and died on March 24, 1895. They \vere the parents of eight children: O. G. Mitchell, Mrs. Sarah L. Prunty, Airs. Fannie V. Hardbarger, who reside on the old homestead; Thomas L., Kansas; William T., junior, George, and Sampson, of Oklahoma, and Sanford E., who sleeps in the Alt. Zion churchyard, beside his parents.
Mr. Mitchell was a brother of John, Daniel, and Josiah Mitchell, who went West, and from the first three nearly all of this name in the county are descended. Alartin. of Iris ; Robert, of Tanners ; and the late Mrs. F. Al. Law, of Lawford, are the children of Daniel.
Hiram Cain, another early settler on this creek, was born, lived, and died in this county, and his widow, who was Aliss Eveline Collins, now resides with her daughter at Parkers- burg.
Isaac Trem.ble and his wife. Airs. Alatilda Neal Tremble, were the first settlers of the farm that is now the home of Winfield Chapman.
He came from Harrison county (?j, and here passed from earth, on August 17, 1878, at the age of fift3^-two years, five months, twenty-eight days.
Airs. Tremble died on Alarch 27, 1871, at the age of forty-four 3'ears. Both rest at Pullman. They were the parents of several children, all of whom died in youth, and in childhood, except Ellen, who was the late wj,fe of Winfield Chapman. Her son, Lester Chapman, is the only living de- scendant of this couple.
SLAB CREEK SETTLED 341
Henry S, Morris was another arrival of the early fifties. He was born in Marion county, on April 26, 1834; was the son of Richard and Susan Morris. He married Miss Jane Wilson, daughter of H. B. Wilson, on November 16, 1852, and, four years later, they removed to Slab creek, where they remained until death, and where some of their family still live. Airs. Morris died on March 20, 1884, and he, in 1894.. Both lie at Pullman.
Their children were ten in number: Mrs. Mary (T. N.) Kirkpatrick. Fonsoville ; the late Mrs. Margaret (A. F.) Harris, Pullman ; Mrs. Belle Maulsby, and J. W. Morris. Pullman ; Mrs. Addie Nichols, and Mrs. Minnie Rowe. the late Mrs. Bertha King, and the late Pinckney Morris, all of Colorado; and Wilson Morris, of Wyoming; and Mrs. Nannie Riddel, of Nebraska.
William T. Bane, a native of Marion county, married Miss Louisa Cox, daughter of Col. Daniel V. Cox, and set- tled the ''Bane homestead," where his widow still survives. He served as a soldier of the Union, and in the Mt. Pisgah churchyard he lies at rest.
He was the father of several children, all of whom have passed on, save three; viz., Daniel Bane, and Mrs. Neva Kirk- patrick, who live in the West ; and Jay Bane, of Pullman ; Mary Ann Bane was the late Mrs. John Stull, and the late Emerson was another son.
Daniel Nay and his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Hayhurst Nay, were other pioneers of this section. Thc}^ came from Marion county, in 1852, and found a home on the farm that is now owned by Claude Allender, and, after a brief residence here, they removed to the J. O. Nay homestead, where they spent the remainder of their lives, and where they lie sleeping. Mrs. Nay preceded her husband to the other shore by many years, and he married Miss Abigail Bee for his second wife. She, too, is now sleeping. by his side on the old homestead.
Marshall Nay, a son, passed on in his youth, and J. O. Na_y, and Mrs. Jane (W. M.) Wilson, both of Pullman, are his surviving children, they being born of the first union.
O. Guy Wilson, who is now one of the promising young educators of this state, is a grandson of Mr. Nay.
342 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COL XT Y
George Foster and his wife, ]\Irs. Michael Hayhurst Foster, sister of Mrs. Xay, also, came from Marion county in the early fifties and took up their residence in the forest where they still survive, at the ages of eighty-nine, and eighty-seven years, respectively.
Their children are as follows : S. C. Foster, Missouri ; J. N., F. P., Clarke, the late AA'. F., and the late [Mrs. L. A. Xeal, all of Colorado; Mrs. ^lary E. Howard, Pullman; jNIrs. A. O. Wilson, Mrs. Ashford Taylor, and Aliss Louie Foster, all of Pennsboro ; and the late W. J. and Esther, who died in child- hood.
Dr. George Curtis Howard who is widely known in dental circles is the grandson of Mr. Foster, he being the son of the late Ashford and Mrs. Mary Foster Howard, and a native of Pullman.
Dr. Howard became interested in Dental surgery at the age of eighteen years — beginning at this period to extract teeth — and six years later he entered the office of Dr. John Stoops, and continued the study of this profession until June 1906, when he went before the State Dental Board of Examin- ers at Charleston and carried olT the honors of a class of forty, on clinical work, all of wdiom, with an exception or two, held college diplomas, and since that time he has made Pullman and A\ est Union his headquarters, he being a citizen of the latter town at present.
On August 18, 1903, he was married to Miss Goldie Mae Paugh, daughter of \1t. and Airs. A. C. Paugh of Preston county, and on December 22, 1905, her gentle spirit took its homeward flight, and during the autumn of 1907 he was again married to ]\Iiss Sarah Riggs, of Pullman, and the one son of the latter union, George Jennings Howard, was laid in the Pullman churchyard in August, 1910.
Jacob Hayhurst was, also, among the arrivals of the early fifties. He was the son of David and Phebe Devault Hay- hurst, and was a native of Prickett's creek, Marion county, being born on May 28, 18?0. On May 25, 1844, he was mar- ried to Miss Elizabeth Lake, who first saw the light in Taylor county, on March 21, 1816 ; and in 1852, they came to Slab creek, where they spent the remainder of their lives, on the old
SLAB CREEK SETTLED r>43
homestead that is now owned by their only son, G. W. Hay- hurst. Here Mrs. Hayhurst bade adieu to earth on August 1"3, 1885, and Air. Hayhurst joined her on the other side, on April 28, 1906.
Besides the son above mentioned they were the parents of tw'o daughters, Miss Ellen Hayhurst of Pullman ; and ]\lar- garet Jane who is married and lives in Ohio.
(David Hayhurst was born on Sept. 23, 17.9J:, and died on July 1, 1865 ; and his wife Phebe Devault lived from March 11, 1797 to July 20, 1877.)
Leman H. Hayhurst, Ritchie county's superintendent of schools, belongs to this family, he being the only son of G. W. ■ and yirs. Millie Harris Hayhurst, and one of a family of six children; viz., ]\letta, Isa, Juna, Ida. and ]\Iae Hayhurst.
He was born on the old homestead near Pullman, on February 18, 1876, and entered the profession of teaching at the age of eighteen years. He served as a member of the Board of Teachers' Examiners for four years, and was grad- uated from the State Normal at Fairmont in the class of 1901. and was elected to the ofhce of County Superintendent the following year. He is now serving his second term in this caijacity and is proving to be one among the most efficient and popular of the long line of Ricchie's superintendents.
He is now a student of the medical department of the University at Louisville, Kentucky, and will soon identify himself with the medical practioners to the loss of the Edu- cational field. On September 21, 1905, he was married to Miss Cynthia Pratt, daughter of the late J. E. Pratt, of Pennsboro, and two little daughters, Ruth and Esther are the result of this union. Later, Mr. Hayhurst was graduated from the medical college in June, 1910.
John Parker. — The name of John Parker belongs to this corner of the county's history, he having been a very useful citizen of early times.
Mr. Parker was born in Marion county in October 1821 ; was the son of William and Sarah Deacon Parker. His grandparents came from England and settled in Marion county before his father was born.
344 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
He was one of six cliildren : Thomas, Phillip, Washing- ton, Rachel, and Luvina.
In 1830, his father moved to Indiana, where he died two years later, and soon after this sad occurrence, the family re- turned to their old home in Alarion county.
]\Ir. Parker is said to have come to this county in 1838, but his marriage did not take place for some 3'ears after this date, as he was but a lad of seventeen years at this time and his future wife, Miss Nancy Snodgrass, daughter of Isaac Snodgrass, who was born in 1827, was but eleven years of age, so it was, perhaps, late in the forties when he took up his residence on the waters of White Oak, where Ellis Prunty now lives ; and shortly after his settlement here, he erected a saw" mill, near the present site of the White Oak church, which he manipulated for a few years, before coming to Slab creek to the farm that is now owned by Henry Bruffey. From here he moved to Pullman, where he remained until he was laid in the churchyard, in December 1895.
He was the first miller of this section, his mill having stood in what is now the garden of the Pullman hotel property. It was in operation during the war, and the women and the girls were the "mill boys."
He was the father of nine children : the late Sylvester, and James, Pullman; Alvin and Airs. Rose Foster, Colorado; Eli, and Mrs. Luvina Wilson, Washington ; Mrs. Eliza Howe, Upshur county; Usebius, Parkersburg; and the late Frank, Clarksburg.
Washington Parker, his brother, was the only other mem- ber of the famih' that came to this county.
In 1850, he married Miss Mary Boone, of Marion county, and, four years later, they came to this county and after an eight years' residence on White Oak, removed to Chevauxde- frise in 186?, and there he died in 1885. Mrs. Parker survived until 1909 when she was laid by his side in the church}'ard at Chevauxdefrise.
Their children: Mrs. Ella Matheny, Harrisville ; Josiah, Washburn; Leroy, Pennsboro ; Mrs. Laura Goodwin, and ]\Irs. Lena Cox, Cairo ; Festus Parker, W^ashington state ; ]\Irs. Sarah Foster, Colorado ; and Mrs. Iva Lowther, Yellow creek.
SLAB CREEK SETTLED 345
Kirkpatrick is another name that lias long been associated with this part of the county. This family, as their name sug- gests, originated in the "Emerald Isle." Thomas Kirkpatrick crossed the sea at a date unknown, and settled in Pennsyl- vania. He later removed to Ohio and finally to this state where he finished his earthly pilgrimage in Tyler county.
His son, Ichabod Kirkpatrick, was born in Pennsylvania, on October 11, 1815 ; and on January 25, 1834, he was married to Miss Agnes Davis who was born on August 19, 1815, and settled in Ohio. Here Mrs. Kirkpatrick died leaving seven children ; and in 1851, the family removed to this county and settled in the Pullman vicinity, where, on March 20, 1853, Mr. Kirkpatrick was married to Miss Mary Ann Bane, sister of the late William Bane, who passed on in March 1857, leaving three children. The family at this time resided in the Corn- wallis vicinity, but shortly after Mrs. Kirkpatrick's death, he was again manned to Mrs. Margaret Lowther Cunningham (daughter of Jesse Lowther of Cornwallis) and this same year (1857) purchased a farm on Isaac's fork of Slab creek, where he spent his last hours in 1874. And here, on his old home- stead, by the side of his youngest daughter, he lies in his last sleep. His second wife rests on the Flannagan farm above Berea ; and the last one, in Ohio, where she spent the remnant of her days with a daughter of her former marriage.
The children of his first marriage were as follows : Drusilla, died in infancy ; J. Jackson resides in Maryland ; Ephraim, on Rock Camp ; Levi, on Slab creek ; Sanford died in childhood ; Adonis, in youth ; Marie married James Boner, of Ellenboro ; Eveline, who first married Nathaniel Mitchell is now Mrs. D. S. Bush, of Harrisville ; Thomas N. Kirkpatrick, of Grass run; the late Mrs. Mattie Owens, of Volcano; and Sarah, who died in childhood, were the children of the second. And of the third marriage there was no issue.
Daniel Mason and his wife Rachel Deacon, came from Marion county as early as 1852, and settled near Cornwallis, .and from there removed to the Mt. Pisgah vicinity where their grandson, Thomas Mason now lives. Here they passed from earth and in the White Oak churchyard they repose. Their eldest son Thomas, lost his life in the LTnion service'.
34G HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Reilly and Sanford are of Webster county: Eber is of Penns- boro ; Frank, of California; Webster met a traoic death from an accidental discharge of a gun in his young manhood, and the only daughter died in infancy.
Joseph M. Wilson. — Another old Slab creek family which has heretofore been overlooked, and which now comes under our notice at the eleventh hour, is that of Joseph M. Wilson, senior, who, with his wife, Elizabeth Gray Wilson, came from Marion county, near eighty years ago, and settled on the farm that is now the estate of his late son, Peter T. Wilson. "He was the brother of Thomas Wilson, father of the venerable Isaac Wilson of Indian creek ; and here where he settled he spent his last moments near the breaking out of the Civil war ; and in the Pullman churchyard, beside his wife, he rests.
His children were as follows : Thomas, the eldest son v/ent to Zanesville, Ohio ; Eugenus died in Preston county in 1910 at the age of ninety-two years ; the late Smallwood, Jo- seph, Peter T., and Reason, who lost his life in the Union cause, were all of this county ; Lucy Ann married Felix Gray- son, and after her death the family went to Kansas ; Elizabeth was the late Airs. Levi Wells of Grafton ; and Sarah was the late Airs. Jackson Shuttlesworth, of this county.
Joseph Wilson, junior, married Rebecca Anne Weaver, daughter of Joseph Weaver, and spent his life in this county. He having passed on in 1908 at the age of eighty-six years. Louisa, his only daughter married Charles Pfeltz of Balti- more and was the mother of Wm. Pfeltz of Pennsboro : and Winfield, who was accidentally killed in his boyhood, and B. W. Wilson, of Pennsboro, were the other members of the family.
Note: — Doubtless this pioneer was the first citizen of ihi'^ creek after John Cain.
CHAPTER XXIV
White Oak Settled
ins stream took its name from the profusion of valuable White Oak timber upon its banks. It was named by Adam Weaver, a surveyor of Baltimore, Avho laid this section off in blocks before it was permanently settled.
Barton Hudkins was the first pioneer to find a home here. He came from what is now Barbour county, near 18'26, and erected his dwelling where L. S. Clayton now lives, and after a brief stay, removed to the Bond's creek side, and settled at the forks of the Parkersburg and St. jMary's turnpike, where his life came to a close. He was of English-Irish origin, his father having come from Eng- land and settled in the Maryland colony. The father later re- moved to Randolph county (W.) Virginia, Avhere Barton was bom in 1773, and where he grew to manhood, and married Altss NTaomi Ingraham, who was ten years his junior. She was also a native of Randolph county, but was descended from a prominent Scotch family by the name of Slavens of Highland county, Virginia. He (Barton) was a soldier of the war of 1812, and had been a resident of Harrison — now Barbour— county for a number of years before coming to Ritchie. He died at his old homestead on Bond's creek, and his wife spent her last hours at St. Mary's, but both rest at Highland. Their children were as follows :
Mrs. Rachel (S. G.) Hall, and Bazil Hudkins, Highland; Mrs. Margaret (Arthur) Hickman, Tollgate ; Mrs. Elizabeth (Archibald) Wilson, Pennsboro ; Mrs. Edith (Simon) Davis, Tyler county; Mrs. Sarah (Thomas) Dare, Parkersburg; and Allen Hudkins, Nebraska. All have joined the throng over there, but quite a number of the grand-children are still identi- fied among the older citizens of the county. Among them are
348 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY .
B. H. AA'ilson, of Goff's ; Airs. Love Prunty, and Airs. Eveline Bee, and J. AI. \\'ilson, Pennsboro ; John S. Hall, the blinn poet of St. Mary's, is also a grandson, and the late Airs. Eliza- beth AIcGregor, of Highland was a grand-daughter.
Elijah Clayton in ISll purchased the Hudkins improve- ment of John AT. Wilson, and became the first permanent set- tler here, remaining until his dearh, on August 3. 1873. He was of Irish lineage, his father, Xoah Clayton having crossed the sea, and settled in Virginia earl}^ in the nineteenth century, and from there, removed to Alonongalia county, where he died. There, on September 27, 1811, on Little Papau, in what is now Alarion county, Elijah Clayton was born, and there he grew to manhood. He was one of a family of twelve chil- dren, some of whom became very prominent. John Clayton represented his district in the Richmond Legislature in both the House of Delegates and the Senate; David L. Clayton, another brother, being a musician of note, v/rote the "old Virginia Harmony." Richard, Ezekiel, Little, William, and Elisha were the other brothers: and the sisters were, Airs. Effie Snodgrass, Berea ; Airs. Xancy Holden, Airs. John D. Parker, and Airs. Wilson, all of Alarion count}'.
Elijah Clayton married Aliss Alillie Amos, daughter of Stephen, and Elizabeth Aliller Amos, of Alarion count}-, and was the father of fourteen children. He was a lay minister of the Alethodist Episcopal church and his influence was a power for good. At his home the first church society in the community was organized. He gave the grounds for the White Oak church and cemeterv, and here, beside his wife, who died on August 20, 1891, he reposes. He was one of the corner-stones of this church, and was a pillar as long as he lived. A splendid life-sized portrait of this venerable man, which was placed here by his son L. S. Clayton, not long since, now impressively greets the visitor to this church, re- minding him that though his form has vanished, his memory is revered, his influence is still here.
His children: — L. S., who resides at the old home and the late Stephen and Perry, were of White Oak; Airs. Rebecca (J. AI.) Wilson, and J. Spencer, are of Pennsboro: Franklin
C, Des Aloines, Washington ; A. A. Clayton, Lawford ; David
WHITE OAK SETTLED 340
L., Missouri; the late Ishmael, Illinois; the late jNIrs. Ingaby (Elmore) Prunty, White Oak ; the late Mrs. Amanda (Ezra) Chipps, Doddridge county; Mrs. Millie F. ( Reilly) Mason, Webster county; Elizabeth died at the age of ten years, and Sophronia, in infancy.
Peter Pritchard was the first settler at the mouth of this creek, where his son, John, now lives. He was the son of Thomas and Nancy Tichinel Pritchard, and was a native of Preston county, he having been born on October 1, 1798. On February 15, 1821, he was married to Miss Elizabeth W^illis, daughter of William and Anna Douglass Willis, early settlers of the Clarksburg vicinity. Her father came from the "Emer- ald Isle," and was one of the pioneer pedagogues of Harrison county. After Mr. Pritchard's marriage, he resided in what is now Barbour county until 1837 when he came to White Oak, where he spent the remnant of his days. He was one of the early justices of the peace, and, like Mr. Clayton, was a cor- ner-stone of the White Oak M. E. cluirch. He died on Sep- tember 29, 1883, and Mrs. Pritchard, who was born on De- cember 30, 1798, passed to her "reward, on December 9, 1869. Both rest at White Oak.
Their children : the late George, Thomas and Mrs. Anna (B. M.) Lawson, and John, of White Oak; W^m. T., of Web- ster county; Mrs. Cassie (Harrison) Wass, Harrisville ; the late Mrs. Nancy P. (A. E.) Holt, of Fairmont; and Jane P, who first married Lewis Maxwell, of Doddridge county, and after his death became the wife of the Rev. W. H. Wiley, is now of Fairmont.
Thomas married Miss Amanda Lawson, sister of B. \\. Lawson, and was the father of the Rev. M. F. Pritchard, of the M. E. church, and J. F., and W. I. Pritchard, of the U. B. church.
Mrs. M. R. Lowther, of Parkersburg is also a grand- daughter of this pioneer, she being the daughter of Mrs. Anna Pritchard Lawson. .
William I. Lowther. — Contemporary with the settlement of Mr. Clayton, in 1841, was that of William I. Lowther, who miade his improvement on the farm that is now the home of his nephew, John F. Lowther. He was born in flarrison
330 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
couiil}', on August "37, 1818; and was the son of Alexander and Sarah Ireland Lowiher. When be was but a child of two years, he came to this county witl: his parents ; and in 1840, he was married to Miss Virginia Mitchell, and soon after be- gan to carve out his fortune in this wilderness. Here, for more than sixty years he resided, and to his dying day his in- terests were identified with this community. He was a mem- ber of tiie I\I. P. church, and his hand played an im])ortant part in the erection of the first church at Pullman, known as "Old Slab," and when this old structure, which was destroyed by the hand of an incendiary during the early days of the Civil war. was replaced by one of more modern architecture, he again lent his aid, and the present cluirch stands as a monument to "his memory. He was a delegate to the General Conference at Pittsburg in 1884. His wife died on September 15, 1885. and a few years later, he married his brother, Rob- ert's widow, ]\lrs. Jane ]\IcKinley Lowther, and the last three years of his life were spent at Pennsboro, where he laid down the cross, on November (3, 1904, and where she still survives.
He sleeps by his first wife "at Pullman.
His children: Cordelia. Alvin, and Mrs. Sarah Sommer- ville Chapman, rest in the churchyard at Pullman; the late Rev. Sylvester Lowther. D. D., of the M. E. church, at Park- ersburg; the late Rev. Robert, of the ^I. E. church, in Xew York; and the Rev. Oliver Lowther of the AL P. church, the only survivor of the family, resides at Pullman. ]\Irs. TnI. A. Kendall, of Parkersburg, is his grand-daughter, she being the only child of the Rev. Sylvester, and Mrs. Cynthia Prunty Lowther. The Rev. Robert's family live in Xev\- York, and are all prominent in educational circles.
Job Meredith. — Xear the year 1839, Job Meredith came from his native county — ^Marion — and settled at the mouth of the ]\Iiddle fork, near the site that is now marked by the pump station; and a little later, removed to the mouth of White Oak. just across the creek from Peter Pritchard ; and from there in 1852. he went to Rerea, where he '-emained until a few weeks before liis death, in 1881, when he went to Salem, where he sleeps.
][ HUE OAK SETTLED 351
He married Miss iSIary Ann Amos,^ daughter of Stephen and Elizabeth Miller Amos, of Marion county — cousin of George Amos — in 1837, and they were the tirst Marion county people to come to Ritcliie, though quite a number found honjes here, a little later.
After the death of her husband, Airs. Meredith returned to her old home at Berea, where she bade adieu to earth in 181)1) ; and there, in the Pine Grove cemetery, she rests.
Mr. Meredith was a member of the Seventh-Day Bap- tist church. He was a man of strong character, and of pro- nounced religious views, and his influence for good had a tel- ling effect.
His children were twelve in number: Mrs. Elmina Law- son, Texas; the late Mrs. Hattie Randolph, and Mrs. Lillie Jett. the Rev. D. N. Meredith, and Miss Millie Aleredith (who is a deaf mute) Salem; the late Alpheus, and the late ]\Irs Joel Bee. The rest died in childhood.
William Meredith brother of Job, though not a pioneer was long identified with the White Oak community. In 18;?5, he married Miss Tamar Deacon, daughter of John and Bar- bara Hardinger Deacon, and from Marion comity, they went to Monroe county, Ohio: and in 1857, they came to Ritchie county, where the remainder of their lives were spent. ]\Irs. Meredith came to her death by a fall from a wagon, in 1879. Pie died on September 1, 1896, at the home of his youngest daughter, Airs. A\'. G. Lowther, at Fonsoville. He was a life- long Methodist — a zealous worker in the Master's vineyard.
Side by side he and his wife sleep in the Wliite Oak churchyard.
Pie was the father of live children : A. P. Aleredith, the onlv son resides in Washington state ; and the late Mr.-,. Rachel ( F. C.) Clayton sleeps there, at Des Moines; Mr&. Eliza (Francis) Day, mother of J. E. Day, of Auburn, sleeps in Illinois; Airs. Jane ( L. S.) Clayton, is of A\diite Oak; and Mary Eleanor, the youngest daughter, who first married the late James Leggett, is now Mrs. \V. G. Lowther, of Fonso- x'ille.
'For Amos family ancestry, see Chevauxdefrise chapter.
352 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
The Merediths are of AA'elsh descent. Davis Aleredith was born in AX^ales, near the middle of the eighteenth century , and being a Sabbatarian, and being persecuted for his re- Hgious behef, he came to America in his young manhood, shortly before the Revolution, and settled in Connecticut. He took up arms in defense of his adopted country, being one of the patriots that helped to throw ofif the British yoke.
He was married three times. His first wife, having lived but a brief time after the marriage, died childless. Xothing else is known of her history, but she probably crossed the sea with him. Shortly after the close of the Revolution, he went to Loudin county, Virginia, where he was again married, and where two children were born of this union ; viz., the late Mrs. Rebecca Xipton, of Marion county; and the late Xeu Meredith, of Ohio. The mother died when these children were quite small,, and Air. Meredith removed from the "Old Dominion" to Marion county, where he married ]\Iiss Xancy Pritchard, sister of Thomas Pritchard, senior, and seven chil- dren were the result of this union : Rachel married Janif^s Arnett, .Eleanor, AA'illiam Arnett, and Alartha, James Jones, all of Alarion count}- ; Thomas sleeps in Kansas ; Davis, who was a la}' minister of the ]\I. E. church, at Centerville, in Tyler cotmty ; and Job and \\'illiam have already been men- tioned.
William Baker became identified with the White Oak settlement in 184T, when he removed from ]Marion county Avith his wife, Mrs. Ruth Deacon Baker, and their seven chil- dren, and took tip his residence where his son Tillman H. Baker now lives. Here he remained until March 1888, when he was laid in. the cemetery at the mouth of White Oak. His wife was laid by his side in 1897.
Their children were twelve in number: Thomas D. Baker, Hale, Missouri; X'athaniel, of Illinois; Jonathan, who died in the hospital at Cumberland, while serving as a Union soldier. (The first two mentioned were also Union soldiers.) ]\Irs. Amy (Peter T.) A\"ilson, and Airs. Alazan S. Snyder, of Pullman; Mrs. Lurena (A. A.) Clayton, Lawford ; Mrs. Kathrine (E. C.) Snodgrass, Smithville ; A\'. S. Baker. Au- burn; T. H., White Oak; Airs. Emma J. (Edmond) Taylor,
WHITE OAK SETTLED 353
(lied at her home near Pennsboro, in 1907; Newton B. sleeps in Edgar county, Illinois ; and Barbara H. died in infancy.
?>Irs. Clayton has also passed on.
The Bakers came from Scotland early in the eighteenth century, and settled among the mountains, near four miles from the mouth of New creek in what is now Mineral county, W-'est Virginia. There Thomas Baker, the father of William, the Ritchie county pioneer was born, and there, he was married to Miss Ruth Jones, who was a native of Georgetown, in the District of Columbia. From there they went to Marion count}', where their ashes lie. They had four daughters, Wil- liam being the only son: Mrs. Mary (George) Saterfield, Mrs. Hannah (Nathaniel) Mitchell, Mrs. Nancy (George) Daw- son, and Airs. Rachel (Isaac) Hawkins, all of Marion county.
The Deacons. — Since the Deacon family were so largely represented among the wives of the Ritchie county settlers, a few lines is here due them. Mrs. William Baker, nee Ruth Deacon, was one of a family of twelve children — two brothers and ten sisters. Six of these sisters are sleeping, on White Oak — five of them in the White Oak churchyard ; viz., Mrs. Matilda (Nathan)) Snodgrass, Mrs. Rachel (Daniel) Mason, Mrs. Sarah (Wm.) Parker, 'Sirs. Tamar (Wm.) Alere- ditli, and Mrs. Julia (Joseph) Hawkins. The other sisters were: Mrs. Mary (Daniel) Saterfield Dog Comfort, chi^ county; Airs. Kathrine Hawkins (Aaron), Alarion county; Mrs. Tasy (Daniel) Michael, Alarion county; and Rebecca, wht) died in childhood; Thomas died at the old home in Marion county, and Phillip went West.
The Deacons are of English descent. John Deacoji mar- ried Miss Barbara Hardinger, a German maiden of Ciunber- land, Maryland, and settled on Paupau creek, near eight miles from Fairmont, and they were the parents of the twelve children above mentioned.
Mr. Deacon, wdiile on a trip across the mountains to Rom- ney with a drove of cattle, contracted the yellow fever, and died at Kingwood, before he reached his home, leaving his wife with eleven children entirely to her care; but her courage proved equal to the emergency and she managed to clear the debt from the home and rear her familv.
354 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
She died at the old homestead at the age of eighty, ha\- ing been bhnd for many years. There, she and her husband rest.
John Lawson was the pioneer merchant of White Oak. He came from Rockingham county, Virginia, between the years of 1845 and "50, and erected his storehouse, at the mouth of tlie creek, on land now (jwned by Mrs. L. AI. Pvit- chard. James Taylor succeeded hun ; and William Pritchard, Charles Satertield. J. AL Gribble, T. D. Baker, Air. Wilcox, and James Rymer, later held this business intact. Air. Law- son and his wife, Airs. Amanda Long Lawson, Avere natives of Virginia, and to the place of their nativit}^ they returned., and in 1904, Air. Lawson passed on. He was the father of rive children, four of whom survive.
The Lawsons hail from Scotland. Two brothers crossed the sea, one settled in Virginia, and the other, at P>altimorc. Alary land.
Theopolus Lawson, the Virginian, married a Aliss Rus- saw, and from his son, AA'illiam, who married Aliss Eliza Alar- shall. the Lawsons of this county come. AA^illiam was the father of ten children: John F. Lawson, already mentioned. Bushrod, W. of Fairmont; Salathial, of Texas; the late A.Irs. Elizabeth Thompson, the late A'Irs. Victoria Amanda Pritch- ard, who resided in this vicinity : and Airs. Berthine Alc- Dougal, of Pennsboro. James W., Rebecca, Eliza A., and Nancy E., have all passed on.
Bushrod W, Lawson was long a resident of this part of the county, but removed to Alarion, late in the eighties. He first married Aliss Anna Pritchard, and they were the parents of Airs. Lyda (Al. R.) Lowther, Parkersburg; Airs. Flora (Alarshall) Prunty, and Airs. Nancy (David) Clayton, Oxford: and several other children, who passed on in childhood and in youth.
Being deprived of his first companion by death, on No- vember 21, 1872, he was married to Aliss Fannie Prunty, daughter of Jacob Prunty, and five children, four of whom survive, are the fruits of this imion.
Salathial married Aliss Elmina Alercdith, daughter of Job Meredith, and resided here for a numl)er of vears before
WHITE OAK SETTLED 355
going to Texas in the early eighties, where he still survives. He was the father of Mandeville, the late Leni, Mrs. Enoch McGinnis, Mrs. Eva Doak, Morda, and Roxie.
Josiah L. Hawkins, a well known lay minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, was the first citizen of the Scott Baker homestead.
He and his wife, Mrs. Julia Anne Deacon Hawkins, came from their native county, Marion, near 1848, and only a few years later, Mrs. Hawkins was borne to her final resting-place in the White Oak churchyard ; and not long afterwards he married Miss Nancy Haddox. of Barbour county, and re- moved to that county.
He returned to this county late in life, but finally went to Mannington where he met his death by a train, during the latter part of the century.
The children of his first marriage were twelve in number; namely, Mrs. Elizabeth (Perry) Clayton, White Oak; Mrs. Mary Duckworth, Barbour county ; Mrs. Lucinda Tichnell, Marion county ; Leroy of Upshur county ; and two infants who are all numbered with the dead. Mrs. Thamer (Aaron) Mitchell, Hazelgreen ; Mrs. Philena (Nelson) Williamson, Barbour county; Elmore Hawkins, W^ashburn ; Gideon. Up- shur; Andrew J., Monongalia; and John W., Marion county, are the surviving ones.
The four children of the second union were Belle, and Galiard, who have passed on; Ellsworth, of Marion county; and Allen, who lives in the West.
Henry Hawkins, thougli hardly a pioneer came to the White Oak vicinity more than sixty years ago, and spent the remainder of his life here. He was a son of Aaron and Kath- rine Deacon Hawkins, of Marion county, and a brother of the late Mrs. Syelus Hall. He married Miss Martha Yost, and was the father of several children,, all of whom have joined him on the other side except, Woodson, Permetus, and Aaron Hawkins.
Three died in childhood, W^alter and Adolphus in youth, and Elmus married Miss Alice Neal and left two children.
After the death of his wife, Kathrine. ]\Tv. TT-^^^-kins mar- ried Miss Melvina Snyder, of Marion county, who. by his
350 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
side, is sleeping- in the '\\'hite Oak churchyard.
John Hawkins, a brother of Henry, with his wife, Mrs. Mary Parker Hawkins, came along with him from Marion county, but after a brief stay here, removed to the Harrisville vicinity, where some of his family still live.
He passed away in 1863, while serving as a Union soldier in the Civil war.
John Upton and his wife, Harriett Hawkins Upton, and Jeremiah Fluharty and his wife, Mary Ann Hawkins Fluharty, were also members of the little colony that came here from Marion county at the time the Hawkinses arrived. They be- ing all the sons and daughters, and the sons-in-law of Aaron Hawkins, who gave them their homes here.
Mr. Fluharty and his family went A\'est, but Mr. Upton lenrained until he passed to his eternal home.
He was the father of a large family:
The late Mrs. Carrie Wagner, ]\Irs. Minnie (E. D.) Clay- ton, Mrs. Louie (Sam) McKinley, the late Wesley, Ulyses, Seigel and Grant Upton.
Samuel Manear and his wife, Mrs. Olive Zinn Manear, of I'reston county, were other early settlers in this section on the farm that for long years w^as known as the "Manear farm." Here Mr. Manear passed away, and afte^ his death Mrs. ]\Ianear became Mrs. Silas Sigler, and here she died, and at White Oak they both sleep.
Mr. Manear was twice married, the wife of his youth being laid to rest in Preston county not many 3'ears after the marriage.
Asa — father of Jacob Alanear — was a son of the first mar-
riage.
James, of California; Marion, David, John, who lost his life in defense of his country, on July 20, 1864, at the battle of Winchester; Mrs. Hannah Gallon, Mrs. Martha Gallon, Mrs. Mary Martin, and Mrs. Elizabeth Ephal, were the fruits of the second marriage.
John Cook, father of the late A\'illiam, was another earl}^ settler on the waters of White Oak, on the farm that is now owned by the Hawkins heirs. Here he died, and here he and his Avife sleep.
CHAPTER XXV
Beeson Settled
ONAS BEESON. — This stream took its name from Jonas Beeson, who is said to have erect- ed a cabin on the late Smith Bee farm very early in the century. But investigation proves, conclusively, that Beeson's residence here could not have been more than a tem- porary and fleeting" one, as he was perma- nently located, near Parkersburg- in Wood county, on a tract of land given him by his father, as early as the year 1799 ; and he held his residence continuously in Wood county until his death, at a ripe old age. He was a great hunter, however, and circumstances point to the fact that this cabin was built for the sole purpose of serving" his needs while on these hunt- ing expeditions ; for beyond a doubt this stream was one of his favorite haunts in those early days.
He was born at Beesontown, Pennsylvania, near the year 1767, and there he was married t<^ Miss Rebecca Tomlinson, daughter of Benjamin Tomlinson ; and in 1799 they removed to Wood county where they rest. Their family consisted of four sons and one daughter, the late Benjamin Beeson, who died at his home at Williamstown during the autumn of 1909, at the age of more than ninety years, being one of the sons.
Mr. Beeson was the grand-uncle of R. S. Blair, junior of Harrisville, and was descended from a prominent and highly respected Virginia family.
Near the close of the French and Indian war (1765), his father, Jacob Beeson, senior, was married to Miss Elizabeth Hedges, daughter of Jonas Hedges, of Berkeley county (W) Virginia, and grand-daughter, of Joseph Hedges who emi- grated from England to America at a very early day, and set- tled in Prince county, Maryland, where he died in 1732. Her great-grandsire, Charles Hedges, who died in 1714, was a
358 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
prominent English statesmen, and held various high offices under the Crown.
Shortly after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Beeson emi- grated to Pennsylvania, and settled at Beesontown, not far from L'niontown, where they reared a family of ten children, and where they spent the remainder of their lives.
Their children were as follows : Jonas, the pioneer of the stream that bears his name, was the eldest son ; Jane, the eld- est daughter, married John Clarke : Alary was twice married ; Lydia died single; Jacob Bee^ion, Mrs. Rebecca (John) Miller, U niontown ; Agnes, who married her cousin, James Beeson, of Berkley county ; Nancy, wife of Jesse Beeson, and Mrs. Rachel (Robert) Skililer.
Jacob Beeson, junior, was born at Beesontown in 17"r3: and in 1796, he was married to ]\Iiss Elizabeth Smalley, who was born at Newark, New Jersey, on April 3, 1773 ; and at L'niontown, Pennsylvania, they spent the first three years of their married life, removing from there to Wood county in 1799, where Mr. Beeson soon rose to prominence in public af- fairs.
He is said to have been a man of stout-build, and of medium height with a full, open countenance, and a wonderful gift of oratory.
He was one of the justices that formed the County court at Parkersburg, before the year 1810; and on May 4, 1812, he was admitted to the bar, and at once entered upon the prac- tice of law in the courts of the State. He represented Wood county in the Legislature at Richmond for a number of years, and, in the year 1819, when the United States District Court, which embraced the territory of North-western Virginia, was formed, and Hon. John G. Jackson was commissioned as its Judge, Jacob Beeson was appointed as (U. S..) Prosecuting Attorney of this district by President Monroe. An office which he filled with distinction to himself, and satisfaction to the Government until his death in 1823. He had scarcely passed his forty-ninth mile-stone when death removed him, and thus a brilliant career came to a sudden, and untimely end.
Mrs. Beeson survived him by many years, dying at the home of her daughter, Mrs. George Neal, junior, at Parkers-
BEESOX SETTLED ' .-^5'.)
burg, on August i, 1S56, and, by the side of her husband, she lies at rest in the "Riverview" cemetery, at Parkersburg.
They were the parents of three sons, who all died in in- fancy and childhood, and of the following named daughters : Elizabeth, Jane, Emma G., Alary, Agnes R., and Anne S. Beeson.
Elizabeth married David Blair, and was the mother of the late Jacob Beeson Blair, and the late R. S. Blair, of Harris- ville, and the grand-mother of the well-known young bar- rister, R. S. Blair, junior, who doubtless inherited some of his oratorical gift from his distinguished great-grandsire.
Jane Beeson married David Stephenson, of Wood county.
Emma G. was the first wife of the late Gen. John Jay Jack- son, of Parkersburg.
Mary was the late Mrs. John Vail, of Ohio.
Agnes R. married George Neal, junior, of Parkersburg; and Anne S., was the late Mrs. A\ illiam S. Gardner of that city.
Part of this sketch is taken from the Parkersburg Senti- nel.
Jacob Prunty was the pioneer at the mouth of Beeson. He was born and reared at Pruntytown in Ta3dor county, and there he was married to Miss Mary McKinney : and, from there, they came to this county in the early thirties, and founded a permanent home at the mouth of this stream.
Mr. Prunty was a typical pioneer of the "Rough and Ready'' order, and was a man of marked ability. He, several times, represented the people of this section in the Legislature, at Richmond, wdien the "Little Mountain State" was a part of the "Old Dominion," and many pleasing anecdotes are told of these journeys to the Capitol, made upon the back of a "superannuated" gray horse.
He survived until 18G0, when he was laid in the White Oak churchyard. Airs. Prunty died at the home of her son, Wilson Prunty, above Gofif's in 18G5, and owing to a flood- tide in the streams, she was buried on the homestead, where she died.
These pioneers were the parents of eight children, all of whom have passed on except the youngest daughter, Fan- nie, who is now Mrs. Bushrod Lawson, of Fairmont. The
3G0 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
others were as follows: Felix, Wilson, Jacob, and Elmore Prunty, Mrs. Kathrine (Stephen) Clayton, of A\'hite Oak; Mrs. Emily (Alexander) Lowther, of Parkersburg; and ]\Irs. Rachel Maley, Rock Camp.
The Pruntys are of Irish stock. They came to America in Colonial times and settled in \"irginia where John Prunty, the progenitor of the Ritchie county family, was born.
John Prunty was the founder of Pruntytown, in Taylor county, he having broken the primitive wilderness there at a very early day, and left this little "dot" on the map of West Virginia, which serves as fitting memorial to a prominent career.
Mr. Prunty served the people of his section in the Legis- lature at Richmond for twenty consecutive years, and was a candidate for re-election, but was defeated bv the small m.a- jority of but two or three votes. During his last candidacy, he told his opponent that he purposed to hang has hat on that one peg (which he had already used for twenty) for twenty-one years ; and when he was defeated, he went back to Richmond, and served as Sergeant-at-Arms in the Legis- lature, thus occupying the same "hat-peg" for the twenty-one years as he had avowed.
The maiden name of his wife has been lost somewhere in the hazy past, but he was the father of six sons and one daughter, Roanna, who married George Arnold, an old land surveyor of Lewis, Braxton, and Gilmer counties, who pat- ented the large tract of land now owned by Lewis Bennett, and also the tract that Mr. Bennett sold to the "Standard Oil Company."
Jacob Prunty, the Beeson pioneer, was one of the sons, JDavid was another, and Samuel, who married Ellen Taylor, sister of ^Nfrs. Isaiah AA'elis, was still another. The last one mentioned Avas the father of Samuel Prunty, of Sumner. Mis- souri.
Roanna Arnold, daughter of George and Roanna Prunty Arnold, married Samuel L. Hays, who w^as a member of Con- gress (in 1841), as well as a member of the Richmond Legis- lature, and they were the parents of the late John E. and
BEESOX SETTLED 361
Peregrine Hays, of Glenville, who occupied seats in the Vir- ginia Legislature, before the birth of AVest Virginia.
Peregrine Plays, also, served in the Legislature of this Slate, and his sons, A\'arren, and French N. Plays, both have a record there. The former, in the Senate, and the latter, though still cjuite a young man, is the oldest member of the House in point of service, he having repeatedly succeeded himself, from Gilmer county.
It will be noted that French Plays is the great-great- grandson of John Prunty, and it is said that he affirms that he is hanging his "hat upon the same old nail" that his illus- trious grandsire (so many generations removed) pressed into service for the twenty-one years that he was a member of the Richmond Legislature. But since this "old-timer" used a "peg" instead of a nail, doubtless, the voung man is a little deluded.
Few families can produce such a record! An unbroken line of statesmen for five generations!
Felix Prunty, son of Jacob, the pioneer of this county, was also a member of the House of Delegates of West Vir- ginia, and his son, the late Alex. Prunty, was a candidate for this office at one time.
Dr. Frank Prunty, of Belpre, Ohio, Dr. Shirley Prunty, M. R. Lowther, of Parkersburg, who has helped to carry out the tradition of the family by being State Senator, and not a few others that we might mention, are descended from this Ritchie county (Prunty) family.
Lynn Camp Settled. — This stream, which is a small tril)- utary of the North fork of Hughes river, took its name from a camp of lynn wood that was constructed by a part\' of hunters, in 1776, not far from the present site of the Wheeler Broadwater residence.
These hunters came in the autumn-time, leaving orders for their pack-horses to follow in six weeks; but, finding game so plentiful, they sent the fruits of their first six wrecks' labor home, and remained another six weeks, at the end of which time they had slain eighteen bears. During this entire time they had had no change of clothing.
■ It.-' HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
The Richardses were the pioneers of this creek. George Richards and his wife, Mrs. Kathrine Bush Richards, with their large family, having come from Harrison county very early ni the century, and settled at the mouth of Lynn Camp, on the land that afterwards became the home of Edmund Taylor. They came as early as 1800, and it is claimed by some that they were here in 1795, but this cannot be verified, however ; and John Bunnell still holds the distinction that has always been accorded to him, as being the first settler, within the bounds of the county.
The Richardses are said to have come and to have gone back to their home in Tlarrison county a number of times, l^efore settling down here permanently. George Richards removed from the mouth of this stream to the late L. P. AX'il- son farm, where his life came to a close.
Plis sons, who were as follows, were nearly all pioneers here: Isaac, George, Benjamin, William, John, Michael, Jacob. Elias, James, Nelson, and one daughter, Ivlrs. George Six, of i\-thens, Ohio.
Isaac Richards died (unmarried) of wounds received in the war of 1812,
George Richards, junior, settled on Rock Camp, where he reared a family.
Benjamin Richards married Miss Priscilla Jones, who was of Dutch descent, and was the first settler on Lynn Camp, he having reared his dwelling near the present site of the school-house. He was the father of Dr. Benjamin Richards, of Pullman.
William Richards settled on the Rev. E. J. Taylor farm, where he passed from earth.
John Richards married Miss Nancy Taylor, sister of James Taylor, and went to Calhovm county, where he died at the age of one hundred four years, and near Big Springs he sleeps. He was the grandfather of Joseph Richards, of Goflf's, Joseph being the son of Edward Richards.
Other Brothers. — Michael married Miss Caroline Wilson, daughter of John Wilson, of Calhoun county; and Benjamin, Miss Ruth Jones, and these brothers were the first settlers on the Syelus Hall farm, on Lynn Camp. But ^Michael went
BEESON SETTLED 363
to Calhoun county, where he died, and where his descendants live ; and Jacob removed to Beeson, where he died in 1899, at the age of ninety-four one-half years, and in the Wilson bury- ing ground, near the mouth of the stream, he lies buried.
He (Jacob) was twice married, his second wife, and widoAV, being Airs. Drusilla Jackson, mother of C. S. Jackson, who still survives.
Jacob Richards was the father of Mrs. James Elder, of Hardman chapel ; of Mrs. Harrison Lamb, of Beeson ; the late Mrs. Priscilla (John) Elder, of Leatherbarke ; the late Airs. Eli R. Cunningham, of Eva (who first married Asa Alanear. and was the mother of Jacob Manear), and the late A\'i]]iam Richards, of Beeson. Airs. John B. Baker, of Lamb's run ; and Airs. Jennie Baily, of Smithville, are among his grandchildren.
Elias Richards was the first citizen of the late "Bail" Wil- son homestead (now the property of John Jobes), on Lynn Camp.
James Richards went to Ohio., and Nelson, to Calhoun county.
The Richardses were of German descent, and were noted Indian-fighters and hunters, and their descendants in this and sister counties are a multitude.
Syelus Hall succeeded the Richardses on Lynn Camp, he having purchased the improvement of both Jacob and Alichael Richards, near the year 1849, and founded his home where his son, Elza C. Hall, now lives.
Air. Hall, the son of Reuben and Anna .'^tuart Hall, was born in Alarion county, on September 16, 1828, and was one of a family of eight children ; viz.. Airs. Louisa (John) Cole, the late Strother Hall, Aliss Julia, Airs. Lavina (W. T.) Baker, and the late Wm. S. Hall, all of Marion county : and A. H. Hall, of Pullman; and Airs. Laura Amos, of Harrisville. Llis maternal great-grandsire (Stuart) was a Revolutionary sol- dier, and when he returned home from the war, he brought with him a souvenir in the form of a cream-pitcher of pretty design, which is still a valued heirloom in the family, it being now in the hands of A. Hunter Hail, of Pullman.
On April 12, 1849, Air. Hall was married to AUss Lucinda
;3G4 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Hawkins, of Marion county, and soon afterwards came to Ritchie, where he has ever since been identified among the best citizens. Mrs. Hall laid down the "cross" at their home at Pullman, in 1907, but he still survives.
They were the parents of twelve children, all of whom reached the years of maturity and married. One son, Leonard S., has passed on, but the rest survive. What is said of this family can be said of few othere of its size, "All are Christians, and none have ever used liquor or tobacco."
The surviving' members of the familv are: Elliott, and Wilbert Hall, Mrs. Florence A. (Morgan) Pritchard ; and Mrs. Ardenia McDougal. Pullman; Mrs. Cordelia A. (C. \V.) Nutter, Holbrook ; Mrs. L. Belle Chipps, Buckhannon ; the Rev. I. S. Hall, Stuart L., and Elza C, of Trilby.
The Halls are of Scotch-Irish lineage. They trace their ancestry back to Thomas and Rebecca Story Hall, who were citizens of the Delaware colony at the time of the Revolution.
Thomas was born on September 34, ITVl, and died at Duck creek Cross Roads, in Delaware, on May 39, 1773. Here his family (a widow, two daughters and five sons) remained until 1783, when they emigrated to what is now Monongalia county, and settled near the forks of the Cheat river, a few miles below Morgantown ; and two years later, removed farther up the river.
Mrs. (Rebecca Story) Hall was of English descent. She was fifty-two years of age at the time she came froin Dela- ware, and she made the entire trip on horse-back, Mrs. Alar- garet White being the companion of her ride.
Shie died in Monongalia county, on December 15, 1813, having been blind for twelve or fifteen years. Her last days were spent with her daughter, Mrs. Rebecca (John) Courtney.
Her other daughter, Parthena, married Isaac Mason, who had served as a soldier of the Revolution under Washington, Greene, and Lafayette, and had witnessed the surrender of Lord Cornwallis.
They remained in Sussex courity, Virginia, from 1781 until 1787, when they removed to Monongalia county. There Mr. Mason constructed a boat, and with a number of other families (there being sixteen boats in all) sailed down the
BEESON SETTLED 3G5
( )iiio river; but in crossing the faHs, his boat, the most valu- able one of all, was lost. Undaunted by this disaster, how- ever, the little colony pressed on, braving the danger of the hostile Indians, which they encountered, until they reached the present site of Nashville, Tennessee, on March 18, 1789, where a fort, known as "French Lick," then stood; and there, they "cast their anchor."
Isaac Mason was the first tailor where the city of Nash- ville now stands, and there in the "land of Jackson and of the Hermitage," he and his beloved Parthena, sleep.
The sons of Mrs. Rebecca Story Hall, were, Asa, Jordon, Rynear, Nathan, and Allen, all of whom remained in Marion and Monongalia county except Allen, who went to Ohio.
The late Rev. Ashford Hall, who served the Harrisville Methodist Episcopal charge in the early seventies, was the grandson of Nathan Hall, he being the son of Jesse and Sarah Bryan Hall.
Asa married Miss Sophia White, and from his son, Thomas, who married Miss Jane Bennett, the Ritchie county Halls come. Ira Conditt Hall, of Cokeley, being his son, and Syelus and A. H., of Pullman, his grandsons. Reuben Hall, as before mentioned, was the father of Syelus Plall.
The late John Hall, of Mt. Zion (father of D. S., and E. B. Hall, of Washburn, and Fred, of Pullman) ; and the late Mrs. Larkin Peirpoint, were also descended from this family.
And we have strong evidence, though no positive proof. that the family of the late John Flail, of Harrisville; and the late Mrs. Ransom Kendall, of Chevauxdefrise, came from this family.
Mrs. Kendall's mother, Sarah Hall Rex, was a native of Delaware, and circumstances all point to the fact that she be- longed to this family, but, if so, her name was omitted from the "Hall Record," by Richard S. Miller, of Newburg, West Virginia, from which this information is gleaned. (See last chapter for origin of the name "Hall" and farther history of the family.)
Rock Camp is a small tributary of the North fork of Hughes river — flowing into it at Hannahdale. It derived its
306 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
name from a huge boulder, at its head, upon which a team of horses and a wagon can be turned.
George Richards, junior, son of George, senior, was its first denizen. He and his wife, Airs. Elizabeth Coburn Rich- ards, having come here early in the century, and settled on the farm that is now the home of Parker Grimes.
Nimrod Cross was the next settler. He was of English descent, and was a native of Taylor count}'. He married Aliss Eliza Richards, daughter of George Richards, junior, and took up his residence where Lincoln Wilson now lives, some time in the thirties. Here he passed from earth in 1888, and in the Pisgah churchyard, beside his wife, he rests.
His children were, G. A\'. Cross, Pullman ; John Cross. Indiana (who were both Union soldiers) : the late Airs. Alary (John) Elder, Leatherbarke ; the late Airs. Susan ( R. L. B.) Elder, of Ritchie and Gilmer counties; Airs. Kathrine (Wm.) Cunningham, Calhoun county; Airs. Xancy (George) Jeffrej^s, Alole Hill; the late Airs. Alartha (Bent) Prunty, Doddridge county ; and Airs. Thomas Hamrick, Wirt county.
John Cross, a brother of Ximrod, was another pioneer on this stream. He married Aliss Kathrine Prunty, daughter of David, of Pruntytown, for his first wife, and his second, was Aliss Sarah Jones. He sleeps on Beeson.
William K. Elder was another old settler on Beeson. His parents, John and Alargaret AIcHenry Elder, crossed from Ireland and settled in Harrison county, late in the eighteenth century, where they reared their family, and where they spent their last hours.
William K. Elder was married to Aliss Ruhama \\"illis, of Harrison county, and came to this county perhaps in the earlv forties and settled on this stream. Pie later removed to Alurph}- district and on Grass run he died many years ago. He and his wife were the parents of thirteen children, seven of whom died in childhood, and the rest were as follows : the late Rev. John Elder, the late Sanford, Robert L. B., Airs. Loda Simms, and Airs. Anna Ferrell Campbell.
Joseph, a brother of William K., also resided in this countv for a brief time. And some of his descendants are still identified among the citizens of the county.
CHAPTER XXVI
Macfarlan and Dutchman
HE names of Alacfarian and Dittclinian are said to have had their origin in a most in- teresting, but tragic incident which occurred here in 1T69, and which is as follows :
Early in the autumn of the year 1769, a party of ten white men, which included Jesse and James Hughes, an Englishman by the name of Alacfarlan, and a Dutchman (whose name is missing owing to the fact that he was always designated b}^ liis nationality, "the Dutchman"), were in this section on some unknown mission, perhaps in pursuit of the red-skins, when, on coming up the river near the mouth of Bear run, they met two men who were going in a westerly direction, and Avho confided to them that they had discovered an Indian trail, which seemed to lead to a camp near the mouth of the stream that is now known as Macfarlan, and warned them to be on the alert. The warning was duly heeded, by the lit- tle party, who followed the trail until they reached the Ox- bow ; here they left it, taking a shorter route across the hill to the river near the present site of the C. 8z K. V. railroad depot, where they came upon the old trail again, and soon detected unmistakable signs that the foe was near: and a council was then held as to what should be done. Jesse Hughes, the leader, thought it best to cross the river, and to resume the journey on the south side, but James Hughes, Macfarlan, and the "Dutchman," and two others, thinking there was no imminent danger, after resting awhile, continued on the "old trail."
But scarcely had they crossed Macfarlan, in front of the present site of the "'Beechwood hotel," when they were fired upon from the timber at the right hand side of the road, and the Dutchman and Macfarlan were wounded. Jesse Hughes
3bS
HISTORY Oh RITCHIE COUNTY
and his party, hearing the firing and guessing the cause, liast- ily crossed the stream near the present pump-station and ascended the hill, and opened fire on the fiank and rear of the savages at a most unexpected moment, putting them to flight, and, doubtlessly, saving the five from the tomahawk and the scalping-knife.
Macfarlan recovered from his wounds, but the "Dutcli- man" died that night at their camp on w^hat is now Dutch- man's run, and was buried under the side of a large rock in the bed of the stream, near one-half mile from the mouth.
Though one hundred forty years have gone by since this tragical drama was enacted here, the names of Macfarlan and Dutchman have ever since clung to these streams, and will doubtless perpetuate the memory of these unknown indi\id- uals who were thousands of miles from their home-lands. Though but lowly monuments, they will endure when impos- ing ones that have been erected to the great earth have crum- bled to decav.^
The Village of Macfarlan. (The scene of the first tragedy enacted on Ritchie county , poil.)
^We are indebted to Mr. John B. Lemon for this interesting tradi- tion, which came down to him from his maternal ancestors, the Deemses. James Deem, a very early pioneer, having come here and viewed the scene of the conflict sixteen years after it took place, and witnessed the bullet marks upon the trees, and copied the date (1769) from a large beei^h tree that stood until 1S40, when it was cut down in building the Pike. Mr. Deem also pointed out the sleeping place of the unfortunate "Dutch- man." A noticeable feature of this tradition is that it antedates the real time of the discovery of Ritchie county, and the naming of its principal streams.
I
MACFARLAN AND DUTCHMAN 3G9
Dutchman Settled by Robert Lough. — Though the his- tory of this stream began at such an early day, its wilderness remained unbroken until near the year 1840, when Robert Lough came here from Monongalia county v/ith his famil)^ and reared the first cabin — on the farm that is now owned by the Dawson heirs.
The records show that in the year 1812 the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia granted to the said Robert Lough a patent for one hundred acres on Dutchman's run. From here, he removed to the Webb's mill vicinity, a few years later, he having purchased five hundred sixty-nine acres of land in this section of Waitman Joseph, of Tyler county, on November 14, 1846, a tract which now includes the farms of John P. Kennedy, John V. Warner, John Hallam, and per- haps, others.
Here he resided until 1863, when this property passed into other hands, and for the next ten years he made his home with his son, John, on Indian run ; and early in the seventies, • they all went to Vermillion county, Illinois, where he died shortly after his arrival ; and there, in a rural burying-ground, near Ridge Farm, his ashes lie. He was a native of Monon- galia county and was born in 1800.
A year or two after his death, his aged widow, Mrs. Sarah Lynch Lough, returned to West Virginia, and made her home with her daughter. Airs. Robert Means, .in Calhoun county, until she was borne to the Fluharty cemetery, on Leading creek, in 1880.
They were the parents of the following named children:
John, Ninirod, Edward D., Pierce, Eleanore, Nancy, Sarah, and Rachel, all of whom were born in Monongalia county, except Rachel.
John Lough, the eldest son — born in the early twenties, , married Miss Mary Brand, of Monongalia county, nvho only survived the nuptial hour a short time; he then married Mrs. Mary Ann Wilson Drake, sister of the venerable Isaac Wil- son, and settled near the forks of Dutchman, on the farm thai: is now owned by the DaAvson heirs — doubtless the one im- proved by his father — near the year 1845. After a few years sojourn here, he traded his property to the late Cyrus Daw-
370 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTV
son for what is now the P. R. Tharpe farm, on Indian run, and tiiere he resided nntil he went to Vermillion county, Illi- nois, late in the sixties or early in the seventies. There he saw the last of earth, in 1879 ; and there, beside his wdfe, he rests, with his father, near Ridge Farm. He had several children, but as they all live in the West, their names are missing-.
Nimrod Lough — born in 18?3. was first married to Miss Elizabeth Butcher, sister of the late Washington Bvitcher, and Airs. Jacob Dougherty, who passed to her final home m 18G5 ; and his second wife was Mrs. Rachel Stansbury GoiT. He resided in the Hardman chapel vicinity, and on Alum fork of Bone creek for many years. He tendered service as a Union soldier during the Civil war. and finally in 1905, went to the Soldiers' Home at Dayton, Ohio, where he answered the -"last roll call" in 1908, and where he slumbers.
The children of his first marriage were. Robert, Thomas. and Jerome, of Lewis county ; Caroline, who first married John Vv'illiam Law, of this county, and after his death, went to Harrison county and married Alilton Davis, of Salem. She is the mother of Steele Law, of Clarksburg.
Sarah Ellen became Mrs. Isaac Smith, of Smitliville ; and Isa married a Mr. Clarke, and resides in Lewis county.
The children of his second marriage were the late John Lough, Moses, and Newton, who now live in Ohio : and Auriila, who was the late Mrs. Phineas Folden, of Jackson county.
Edward D. Lough was born en March 24, 1824, and on April 10, 1849, he was married to Miss Dorcas Dawson, of Marion county ; and there settled down until 1855. when he removed his family to land owned by his father on lower In- dian creek. From there, he went to what is now the Amos Scott farm, farther up the creek, and finally, in 18T0, to the old homestead, near Flarrisville, which is still in the hands of his heirs. Here on August 25, 1903, he bade adieu to earth. On December fifth of the same year, his aged companion fol- lowed him to the grave. Both rest in the Odd Fellows ceme- tery, at Harrisville.
They were the parents of five children: John A., died in
MACFARLAN AND DUTCHMAN :-l7i
infancy. Napoleon E., and Misses Mary F. and Henrietta, who has been an invalid for many long years, reside at the old home; and Phillip S. is engaged in the mercantile busi- ness in Ohio. All are unmarried.
Pierce Lough was born in 18"i8, and near the year 1863, he was married to Aliss Malinda Campbell, of Wirt county, and for a few years after this event he called the "Buckeye slate" his home, but for many years past he had been a resi- dent of Leading creek, in Calhoun county. In 1877, his wife passed on, leaving three children ; viz., Hiram Douglas Lough, of Williamstown ; Mrs. Virginia (I. C.) Fox. of Lough, Cal- houn county ; and Mrs. Ida Black, Gilmer county ; and after her death he married Mrs. Mar}' Martin Hayhurst, and the one child of this anion died in infancy.
Eleanor Lough (daughter of Robert) married Jacolj fiibbs, of Marion county, who died in this county, in 1895, and she now lives with her daughter, Mrs. Sarah Marshall, in Ohio. Her other children are: Mrs. C. D. Furbee, Graf- ton; Mrs. Wilson Rollins, Parkersburg; the late Mrs. Nancy (Walter) Dotson, the late Ulysses, Grant, and Walter, of this county; John C, of Wood, and Charles, of the West.
Nancy Lough (daughter of Robert) married Granville Sleeth,' an early merchant of Smitnville, and she died in lS5t), and he, the following year. Their children are Robert Sleeth, of Ohio; and A\'illiam, of Parkersburg.
Sarah Lough married Robert Means, who came to this county from Lewis, in the early fifties, and figured in the affairs of the Ritchie Mines vicinity until 1875, when he re- moved to Leading creek, in Calhoun county, where his wife died in 1897, and where he still survives. Their children were, the late Scott Means, of Calhoun county ; Mrs. Ella L. (Wm.) Otto, of Revere: and Edward E., who lives with his aged father at the old homestead.
Rachel A. Lough, the youngest daughter of Robert, mar- lied James Rogers, son of John B. Rogers, of Smithville. and at Hutchinson, Kansas, they reside. They have no children.
Robert Lough's father, whose first name is wanting, crossed the sea from Downs county, Ireland, during the lat-
'See Sleeth history in Smithville chapter.
372 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
ler part of the eighteenth century, and prol?ably settled in the Virginia colony, but this is uncertain. He married a Miss Hart, however, and was identified among the citizens oi' what is now Monongalia count}-, as early as 1800, when his sun, the progenitor of the Ritchie county family, made his exit upon the stage of life ; and there, perhaps, he spent the remnant of his days.
Cyrus Dawson. — The family of the late Cyrus Dawson have been identified v\'ith the history of this stream since 185"2, when he traded the P. R. Tharpe farm, on Indian run, fur the possessions of John Lough, at the forks of this creek.
Mr. Dawson was born of German-English parentage, in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, on October 31, 1S3T ; was the son of John and Margaret V'anati Dawson. He was first married to Miss Jemima Braden, a native of Greene comity. Pennsylvania, and witli her came to this county in 1849, and resided on Indian run, for a few years, before coming" co Dutchman, as above mentioned.
Here on August 1, 18G0, ]virs. Dawson fell asleep; and some time afterAvards he was married to Miss Sarah E. Plaught, daughter of Peter rlaught, of Wirt county; and dur- ing the autumn of 1861, he, with his little family, leaving the old home on Dutchman's run, set out for Iowa, where he re- mained for two years and farmed with his brother, \\'illianj Dawson.
But on May 2, 1864, both families started across the plains in their emigrant wagons, drawn by mules and horses, with California as their destination.
Their route lav through hundreds of miles of wild and unbroken forests, and their experiences with the Indians were many and varied, though none of them resulted seriously. Yet they were constantly kept on their guard lest they should be molested by these dusky denizens of the forest, who often hung about their tents and their wagons like "hungry hounds" begging, as best they could in their unknown tongue, for something to eat.
Xot un frequently did this little party come across signs of encounters that other emigrants had had with the savages, and noted with sadness where the "dark pathway of death
MACFARLAN AND DUTCHMAN :JT:i,
had been;" for time and again did they find lonely graves by the wa3'-side with rude inscriptions telling of the tragic fate of some one who had traversed this path before.
They camped out all the way and feasted upon all kinds of wild meat, such- as was everywhere abundant, except tlie bufifalo, which seemed to be shy of the paths that were fre- quented by travelers.
After leaving Omaha, Nebraska, they were unable to purchase food until they reached Salt Lake City. Here they remained over night and had the pleasure of seeing the late renowned Mormon Leader Brigham Younge, who was out driving in his carriage.
In October they landed at Stockton. California, and early in the spring removed fifteen miles farther north, where they found employment on a ranch ; and in 1866, they removed to Mercer Falls, near the foot hills of the Rocky Mountains, and there remained over winter. There the rain fell almost in- cessantly throughout the season, and amid such surroundings the thoughts of Mr. Dawson and his wife turned longingly to the humble cottage far away among the Virginia hills ; and on May 2, 1867, they turned their faces homeward. The same Old wagon, and the same team of horses that had borne them \Vestward a few^ years before, were now pressed into service for the honjeward-journey. Everything was green and beau- tiful when they set out, but a few days travel brought them to banks of snow in the mountains. Their road lay over much the same coiuitry, and the incidents of camping-out and guarding their stock differed but little from the Westward journey.
They came across many other families coiinng back to "the States," as they termed it, and soon their wagon-train numbered sixty-six men, besides the women and the children ; and on the Fourth of July they camped and had a "general hunt," which resulted in the death of seventeen antelopes, the hams of which, only, they could save.
As they passed east of Denver and traveled down the Platte river, they encountered the workmen who were con- structing the Union Pacific railroad, and felt that they were again nearing civilization.
374 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
By the time they had reached Ohio, however, their travel- ing companions had all gone their respective ways, to their former homes, and they were left alone ; and late in October they arrived at the home of Peter Haught, in Wirt county, and for the first time since they left California, in May, slept in a house.
During the following week they returned to their old home on Dutchman's run, and joyfully entered the "lowly, thatched cottage" that they had deserted for fairer scenes.
And ''no more from this cottage again did they roam," for here, on July 27. 1897, the second ^Nlrs. Dawson fell asleep; and on ]\Iarch the twenty-fifth of the following year (1898) ^Ir. Dawson joined her on the other shore. Both rest in the Straight creek btirying-grotmd.
The old homestead, which is now rich in oil, has been divided and Daniel G. Dawson occupies the parental dwell- ing, and John and Calvin reside on other portions.
The children of the first union were five in number, but two alone survive ; viz., Peter, of Wirt county : and William, ^". no is a surveyor and Notary public, of Williamstown ; Ezekiel and Kathrine died in childhood and shortly after their departure, Jtilia Ann met a tragic death by pulling a pot of boiling-hot cofifee from the table upon her.
The nine children of the second union were as follows: Rachel D., who is Mrs. E. P. Haught, of Calhotm county; Mrs. Margaret (James A.) Hefner, and Newton J., of Hart- ley ; the late Mrs. Lucinda (Wm. H.) Hayes, Daniel G., John, and Calvin, of Dutchman; Elmore C, Wirt county; and Richard F., who died in his young manhood.
Newton is the father of Gilbert, the young pedagogue.
William Wilson and Archibald Hess were other early settlers here. ]\Ir. Wilson was a Clarion county product, and his wife, ]\Irs. Anna Shuman Wilson, was a native of l\Ic- Curdysville, Monongalia county. Pie was born in 1821. iind came to this county in 184.5, and settled on Dutchman's run, where he finished life's pilgrimage in 1894. And in the Hart- Icy burying-ground. beside his wife, he sleeps. His late children were Mrs. Ruth Snodgrass, Mrs. Rachel Bush, Mrs. Rosena Lemon, and James P. Wilson ; and the surviving ones
MACFARLAN AXD DUTCHMAN 375
aie: ]\Irs. Alary Jane Richards, Doddridge county; Mrs. Manda Mason, Ohio; Arthur Wilson, Freed; and Daniel Vv'il- son, who resides at the old home.
This family are of Irish lineage, and there is but little doubt that they are of the same stock as the other Wilsons of the county.
Benjamin Wilson, grandfather of William ,of Dutchman, was a second corisin of the late father of the venerable Isaac Wilson, of Washburn, and b.is (Benjomin'sj son, George, was the grandfather of E. C. \\ ilson, of Hazelgreen.
William Wilson, senior (son of Benjamin), and his wife, Airs. Rachel L}-nch W ilson, early settlers of Marion county, were the heads of the branch of this family w^hich is of most interest to us, as their descendants are not a few in this and sister counties.
Their family consisted of twelve children; viz., William, the Dutchman pioneer; Edw'ard, who met a tragic death at his home in Aiarion county in a runaway accident a year or two ago; John, Beckett. Alexander, James, Benjamin, Eli, I-Merce, Rachel (who married Peter Haught, of Wirt county), Mary (Mrs. Archibald Hess), and Sarah Wilson, who re- mained unmarried and still survives at her home in Marior; county.
Beckett Wilson was married to Miss Alary Alason, and lived and died in Alarion county, wdiere his large family all remained except one daughter, Jane, who was the late Mrs. Henry Alorris, of Pidlman. His other children were: Mrs. Xancy Hibbs, Mrs. Lucinda Floyd, Airs. Isabel Kuhn, and Alls. Alargaret Wyer, who have all passed on; and Wesley and Pinckney W^ilson, who survive.
Eli Wilson was married to Aliss Jennie AlcCru-d}', in Alarion county, near the year 1840, and removed to Straight creek, in Wirt cotmty, where he still survives, thougii blind and almost entirely deaf. His wife died in 1907. They were the parents of: Van C, the late Eher AI., Smithville; Airs. U. S. Fluharty, Harrisville ; Cyrus, v^dio died in childhood ; the late Airs. AWlliam Dawson. AVilliam Wilson, Airs. Oliver Smith, of Calhoun countv ; W. A., and Allie B. \\'ilson.
o7e HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Benjamin L. Wilson was married to Miss Martha Kelley, daughter of Joshua and Martha Brand Kelley. and principally spent his life in Doddridge county, where a number of liis descendants still li\'e. He was iihe father of the following- named sons and daughters: The late Mrs. Jane Mason, Toll- gate; Mrs. Rachel Vanhorn, Gilmer county; ^Irs. Marg-aret Vanhorn. Airs. Nancy (Joseph) Summers, the late Joshua Wilson, and James K. Wilson, Doddridge county; Mrs. Louisa Vanhorn, and Mrs. Lydia Watson, Roane county ; the late Mrs. Martha Pless Watson (wife of Wilson Watson). Auburn : and Charity, who died in youth.
The Rev. M. A. Summers, of the Baptist chinch, and M. Bruce Summers, cashier of the First National Bank at W^st Union, are the grandsons of Benjamin A\'ilson.-
Archibald Hess was also a Marion county man. He three tunes took the marriag-e vow. His first wife was Miss Sarah Price ; the name of the second is missing, but the third was Miss Mary Wilson. He came to Dutchman in the early forties, and after a brief sojourn here, removed to near Sum- mers, in Doddridge county. Here the third wife 'iied, and he spent his last hours at Auburn with his daugliter. Mrs. A!. !'>. Watson, in 1883, and in the Auburn cemetery he lies at rest. Mrs. W^atson is the only child of the last marriage. .And Henry and George Hess were other members of the family.
CHAPTER XXVII
Devil Hole Creek Settled
HE origin of the name of this stream, "Devil Hole," which has such a forbidden sound, is variously stated. One tradition says that ii originated from a remarkable cave in the hill not far from its mouth, near by whicii is a huge sand-stone thirty or forty feet in height, which stands out prominently alone, and which is designated as the "Devil's Tea-table." Anotn.er is that when the old "Worth line" was under survey tlirough this section, one of the party on reaching a hole which reseo bled the far-famed "bottomless pit," exclaimed — -"What devil of a hole are we getting into here?" But the venerable Jona- than C. Lowther, of Berea, who is now past his ninetieth mile- stone, tells us that his father, the late Elias Lowtlier, who was a member of the surveying party, gave it its name, he being the individual who remarked about the strong resem- blance that this opening in the earth bore to the general idea entertained concerning the abode of Satan and his hosts. Hence the authentic origin of the name.
Doubtless, owing to the dreadful title bestowed upon this region, it was not settled until the middle of the nineteenth century, when Michael Hoover ventured into its unbroken wilderness and erected his dwelling on the land that is now owned by the Simmons" heirs, and the Layfields. His father, Thomas Hoover, having patented a tract of six hundred ninety-six acres on the head waters of this stream some time before. Mr. Hoover married a Miss Mullenax and they finally went West anrl died, and of their family we have no record.
Absalom Cunningham \vas the second pioneer to pene- trate this wilderness. He was born near XA'ebb's mill, in 1820; was the son of Adam and Sarah Sinnett Cunningham, and the grandson of Adam, senior — the brother of Thomas
37S HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Cvmningham. He married ]\Iiss Huldah Simmons, daughter o/ Abraham and Alary Alnllenax Simmons, and came here in the year 1852. He later resided on Indian run and Indian creek, and finally went to live with his son, John S. Cunning- ham, the Washburn artist, where he died in 1898. He sleeps ni the Indian creek Baptist churchyard, beside his first wife. His second wife, ]vlrs. Jane Simmons Nottingham Cunning- ham Divine, was a sister of his first wife. She resides with her son, Jacob Cunningham, near Washburn.
Mr. Cunningham was the father of eight children, all of whom were born of the first union; viz., ]\Iartin, of Auburn- John S., and George, and the late Airs. Alary A. (J. A.) \"alen- tine, of Washburn : Charles, of Lawford ; Airs. Alalinda (James) Valentine, Ohio; and Airs. Elizabeth (Ellsworth; Alatson, AA'irt county.
Jacob Layfield was the next settler, he having taken the place of Alichael Hoover, in 1854. He w^as the son of John and Elizabeth Aloats Layfield, and his second wife was AIis^ Agnes Drake, daughter of James Drake. He passed from earth in 1865, and his venerable widow survived until the autumn of 1908, when she was laid by his side, in the Layfield l:)urying-ground. The youngest son now occupies the old home.
The children of this union were four sons: viz., AA'illiam J., John A., George O., and Newton.
Uriah Shrader was another early settler on the head- waters of this creek. He came from Pendleton countv, where he was born and reared, and married Aliss Alary Layfield, daughter of John Layfield, senior, and remained here until he was borne to the Alt. Aloriah churchyard. He was a soldier of the Lnion army, and his little family consisted of four children.. Two died in infancy, Phebe, in young womanhood, and Jacob Shrader is a citizen of Cokeley.
Air. Shrader's grandparents came direct from Germany lo Pendleton county, and there his father, Jacob Shrader, spent his entire life; but in 1868, after the death of his father, his mother. Airs. Phebe Shrader, came to this county, and remained as a member of his household until lier death in 1892, at the age of eighty-eight years. She, too, rests in the
DEVIL HOLE CREEK SETTLED 37'.i
Alt. Aloriah ciuirch}'ard. Uriah Shrader was a member of a family of five children ; viz., Ami, and Benjamin, who re- mained in Pendleton county ; Mrs. Eliza Groggs, of Calhoun countv; and David Shrader, who came to this county.
David Shrader was long a member of the Board of Edu- cation in Grant district, but he is now a resident of Virginia.
He married Miss Hannah Moats and settled on Addis' run, where Mrs. Shrader died a few years since, and where their daughter, Mrs. Jane Hubbard, now lives. The other children born of this union were : the late Mrs. Anna Ross, and the late Henry, who were both formerly identified aniong the teachers of this county; Edward, of Ohio; Mrs. Lucretia
. of Kansas; Mrs. Grace (B. M.) Cowell, of Goose
creek; and Miss Lydia Shrader, of this county.
John W. Simmons was, perhaps, the next settler. He, too, was a native of Pendleton county, and of German descent. But in his boyhood, with his parents, he came to Indian creek, this county, where he grew to manhood. He married Miss Elizabeth Hourhood, of Doddridge county, and their children were as follows ;
Mrs. Mary (Cameron) Swadley, Indian creek; Mrs. Huldah (George G.) Layfield ; the late Mrs. Robert Smith, Cokeley's ; and Aaron, and William Simmons, Cantwell. He died at his old home several years ago, and sleeps in the Pleas- ant Hill churchyard, not far distanc.
Mr. Simmons was the eldest son of Abraham and Mary Mullenax Simmons, who came from Pendleton county to In- dian creek, perhaps more than sixty years ago, and remained until they were laid in the Indian creek Baptist churchyard. He was one of a family of eight children ; viz., Hanson, Abra- ham, Salathiel, George, James, Jane and Pluldah, all of whom have passed on, except Jane and Salathiel.
Abraham, junior, married Airs. Melissa Wilson Stanley, and was the father of George, and Tames Simmons, of Au- burn.
Huldah married Absalom Cunningham, and, after her death, her sister Jane (who first married Jackson Nottingham, and later Jasper Cunningham, and A\'illiam Di\'ine) became
3S0 I-IISTORV OF RITCHIE COUNTY
the wife of Absalom Cunningham. She now resides witli her sen at Washburn.
Hanson passed on several years ago. George and James died in youth, and Salathiel lives on Island run.
Abraham Simmons, senior, was a brother of Peter, whose history appears with the Indian creek settlers.
Later Settlers on this creek were M. D. Cowan. Stacy Stephens, John W. Marshall, Jacob Campbell. Daniel Coke- ley, Samuel Parks, James Eddy, C. H. Ptarrison and others, but these settlements hardly belong to pioneer days, as the}' were of such recent date.
The Miller Flat, which was improved by the noted jurist. Charles T. Harrison, in 1880, is the scene of the oldest settle - ment on the creek, it having been settled as early as 1830 or '40, by the Miller Brothers.
M, Duke Cowan is now the oldest citizen of this creek. He came here in 1878, and made the first improvement on the head of the small tributary known as "Rock Fork," and his possessions are now valued at forty or fifty thousand dol- lars, and he is staled the "Oil King" of this region.
His wife was Miss Mary Ann Vanort, of Doddridge county, and their wedding day was November 17, 1854. They came to this count}' in the ante-bellum days, and found a home on Back run, near Harrisville ; and from there, they re- moved to Oil Ridge. He was a soldier of the Union army, and his family consisted of nine children. Two have crossed to the other side, and the rest are as follows :
Mary (Mrs. W. H. Scott), John W., Laura (Mrs. Judd Blam), Martha Jane (Mrs. W. H. Moore), Samuel E., Frank, and Fannie (Mrs. Wade Broadwater).
The Cowans are old citizens of the county. Isaac Cowan was born in A\'estmoreland county, Pennsylvania, on July IP 1808, and his wife. Miss Nancy Idoult, was born in Marion county, this state, on June 6, 1811: and their marriage took place on November 15, 1831. They called Ohio their home for a time before removing to this county, in 1849, where they found a permanent home, and a final resting-place. Here, near one one-half miles from Harrisville, he died on Septem- ber 19, 18(14, and Mrs. Cowan survived until November 15, 1888. when she joined him on the other side.
4 hey were the parents of eleven children : viz.. ]\I. D.
DEriL HOLE CREEK SETTLED 381
Cowan, already mentioned; J. W., of Indian creek; Mrs. Neal (Melvina) Moats, Harrisville ; Mary E. Cowan, of Oil Ridge; the late Joseph, of the West; the late Mrs. Rachel (David) Mclntyre, of Harrisville; and the rest died in youth.
The Harrison family, who is a very prominent one in the county, merits recognition here, bat owing to the innate mod- esty of the head of this family, and to his thorough dislike for publicity, our request for this data was met with a polite dec- lination, as he felt confident that the "little he had done was not worthy of a place."
Rutherford. — The foundation of this village was laid in 1881, vvhen H. S. Wilson, the projector of the Cairo and Kanawha Valley railroad, erected a lumber camp here, which was abandoned a livtle later. But he built a station-house and dwelling here in 1892, and in April of that same year, the late John O. Lynch became the occupant of that dwelling, which is still the home of his family. Mr. Wilson opened a store the same year, and then came the post-office (1892) with R. W. Rutherford post-master. The school-house was erected in 1889, on land given by the Ritchie Lumber Com- pany.
The nearest church is the "Fairview" M. E. church, the grounds of which were donated by Mrs. Rachel Six.
W. H. Reynolds was the first blacksmith. The dwellings now number near a score, and the population is close to eighty- five.
It was named in honor of the Rutherfords, who were the charter members of the "Ritchie Lumber Company."
John O. Lynch, the first citizen uf the town, was a Tyler county product, he having been born on Pursley creek, seven miles from Sistersville, on July 2, 1858, but he came to this county in his youth or early manhood, and taught school for a time, and served as assessor later on. He married Miss Miranda Smith, daughter of Aaron Smith, of Smith's chapel, and was the father of six sons : Okey, Charley, who has passed on. Gainer, Theodore, Emmett and Hallie.
He was merchant, post-master, and one of the most use- ful citizen of the place until his death early in the year 1908.
CHAPTER XXVIII
Ritchie Mines
HE famous Ritchie coal mine, which is located two miles from the month of Mac- farlan creek, was discovered during the autmn of 1852, by the late Frederick Lemon. The countr}- had been visited by one of the greatest floods in its history, during April of that year, and the general wash-out revealed this noted mine.
Air. Lemon, being impressed by its every appearance (the coal standing on edge instead of lying down, etc.) that he had made a valuable discovery, covered it up, hoping to make a deal for the land, but, before his plans were carried into effect, anotlier flood came, in 1858, which again revealed the hidden treasure, and the coal w^as then put to the test for black-smithing purposes. Thus it was found to be different from other coal and of far greater value, and it has since proved to be asphalt — the pnly^ asphalt mine in the L^nited States.
This same vear, Mr. Lemon purchased the tract of land covering two hundred sixteen acres, of John Webb and Robert Marshall ; and the following y^ear, he sold to Nelson Beall, of Frostburg, Maryland, who soon after began to oper- ate the mine: but the Civil war came on. and operations ceased until its close in 18G5, when Mr. Beall sold to a S3'ndi- cate from Xew York and Baltimore, who constructed a nar- row-gauge railroad, from Cairo to the mine, which was known as the "Calico railroad." This launched a boom for business, and marked an important epoch in the history of this part oi the county. The population rapidly increased. ]\Iany good families having found permanent homes here near that time. Among them were a large number of Irish people, who are still prominently identified with the citizenship of this com-
RITCHIE MINES
383
nmnity: The Dolans, the Goldens, the Burkes, the Coyles, the Overtoils, etc.
But in 1S74, the coal vein was lost, and work suddeniy ceased ; and everything sank into a state of apathy — into dilapidation and ruin, and thus continued until 1885, when the land, mine, and railroad, were purchased bv H. S. Wilson, of Parkersburg, who (in 189-0) sub-railed the road and ex- tended it as far as Mellin (in 1892), and, on to the river at Macfarlan (in 1894), under the chang-ed name of the "Cairo and Kanawha Valley railroad." In 1906, Mr. Wilson and his sons sold this railroad to a syndicate, which has since that time been talking of transforming it into a broad-gauge road and extending it to the coal-fields in some of the south-eastern counties of the state.
The Hon. Charles F. Teter, and S. A. Moore, of Philippi ; T. R. Cowell and C. B. Kefauver, of Parkersburg, are the trustees, and several other strong financial interests of Park- ersburg, and elsewhere, are members.
The ruins of the Ritchie Mine3 and Frederic Lemon, tiie discoverer.
384 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
The mine, too, passed from the hands of Mr. Wilson several years ago, and has since that time been operated by a Alichigan syndicate; but it is now taking on new life with a Mining Company at the helm, which is composed of local people, and New York and Wheeling men of means. Machinery is now on the ground and a shaft is being- sunk as rapidly as possible, and important developments are looked forward to with interest.
The opening of the C. & K. V. railroad gave rise to the towns of Mellin and iSlacfarlan. Thomas L. Lemon, son of John B. Lemon, erected the first store at Mellin, in 1891 : and l-J. S. Wilson and John S. W^arnick opened the first store at Macfarlan. in 189-1. The post-office was established a little later v/ith Mr. Warnick, post-master.
The "Beechwood" hotel was i)uilt near the same time b}^ H. S. Wilson. This large, commodious building, which is surrounded by an ideal forest, was for a time quite a retreat for the lovers of quietude and sylvan beauty. After ]\Ir. Wil- son had rented and leased this hotel property for several years, he sold to James D. Hill and Burleigh Fowler, and not long after this transaction (in 1904), it was destroyed by fire, but was rebuilt by Hill and Fovv^ler, who sold to J. E. Snyder. William H. McCray is now the owner and proprietor. The village, which numbers near a dozen scattered dwellings, has another hotel, known as the "Dogwood," with B.'P. Goff pro- prietor.
It has two stores, with W. R. Hayes Trading Company at the W^arnick stand, and F. J. Lemon in charge of the other, a good school-house, a blacksmith shop, a pump-station, a depot-building, and a physician in the person of Dr. Lester Miller.
Frederick Lemon, the discoverer of this famous mine, claims a place in this chapter:
Mr. Lemon was born in Botetourt county, Virginia, in 1818, and came to this county in 1835, with his father. George S. Lemon, who settled at the forks of Hughes river, (^n January 15, 18;38, he was married to Miss Roena Deem, daughter of Phillip Deem, and shortly after his marriage took up his residence at Macfarlan, on the old estate, w-here
RITCHIE MINES 3S5
his life came to a close in 1902. Nine children were the fruits of this union: Phillip J., C. N., F. J., John B., A. W., Z. T., and L. L., Mrs. Roena Pribble, and the late Mrs. Cinderilla (John K.) Bradley, all of Macfarlan, except Z. T., and L. L., who are numbered with the dead. The first three mentioned were Confederate soldiers during the Civil war.
The Lemons are of German extraction, their ancestors having" come from Prussia during the last quarter of the seventeenth century, and settled in the fertile valley of the James river, in Virginia. Here Frederick Lemon, senior, was born in 1739, an.d at the breaking out of the Revolution, he took up arms in defense of the colonies, and was in ihe en- gagement at Yorktown. His son, George S. Lemon, who came to Ritchie county in 1835 and settled at the forks of Hughes river, was also a native of the "Old Dominion."
George S. Lemon was married to Miss Nancy Tilden, of Virginia, and was the father of twelve children, all of whom reached the years of maturity. He was a soldier of the war of 1813, and enjoys the distinction of having been the first man to bore an oil well in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
In 1844, while putting down a well for salt water, near the mouth of Flint run, in Wirt county, he struck oil at a depth of one hundred twenty-five teet. His object in sinking the well being to engage in the manufacture of salt, which purpose was defeated by the in-flowing of oil. But his labor, however, Avas not lost, for he pumoed the well an'1 introduced the oil into the Marietta market, where it sold for medicinal purposes. But scarcely had he begun to reap the benefits of his labor, when one Bushrod W. Creel appeared upon the scene, and laid claim to the land and took this enterprise out of Mr. Lemon's hands. This distinguished pioneer died at FTockingport, Wood county, in December, 1865, and sleeps at Cisko, this county. His venerable companion was laid hy his side in 1872.
Tlieir children were as follows : James sleeps at St. Joseph, Missouri; Frederick, at Macfarlan; John, in Illinois; George, Jacob, and E. T., who lost his life in the Confederate cause, in the family burying-ground at Cisko; and Albert, the only survivor of the family, lives in Wirt county. Charlwtte.
38G HISTORy OF RITCHIE COUXTY
the eldest daughter, married Henry Valentine ; Harriet, Adam Valentine; Nancy, Alex. Alackey, and all spent their lives in this county; Sallie became Mrs. Nelson Hickle and went to Kentuck}^ ; and Almi married Abe ]\Ialoney and spent her last hours at Hockingport, in Wood county.
The Irish families who have largely made up the citizen- ship of this part of the county for the past lialf-centur_v or longer, merit a corner in this chapter, but as our appeals have gone by unheeded, we are unable to do them justice. How- ever, the facts concerning the family of ^Michael Goldin are at hand :
Michael Goldin was born in Ireland in 1819, and came to New York in ISiS, where he met and married ]\Iiss ]\lar- garet Mullin, and from that commonwealth, they came to this county, in 1858, and settled at Oxbow, where he followed farming and teaching school, in w^inter, for several years ; and where he served as post-master for twenty-three years. He passed from earth on April 11, 1898, and in the Catholic ceme- tery, at Oxbow, he rests.
His family consisted of four sons and one daughter: James A. Goldin. of Minnesota; Thomas, Patrick, and i\Iichael. of Oxbow ; and Airs. Marv Dolan. Parkersburg.
H. S. Wilson. — No other one individual is more entitled to recognition in the history of this part of the county than PI. S. Wilson, of Parkersburg, who was the chief factor in the opening up of much of the wilderness in the Southern section of the county.
Mr. AMlson comes of Irish stock. His father, Robert Wilson, was born in County Downs, Ireland, on May 1, 179"?, and crossed the water to Philadelphia in 1816, and spent the remaining years of his life in the "Keystone"' state — (at Coxestown, Highspire, and Paxtong). He died in 1878, at the age of eighty-six years, and lies buried in the Paxtongchurch- yard.
Robert \\'ilson was married in the year 1825 to Miss jMar}^ Stewart, daughter of Henr\^ Stewart (born 1708-1804), who embarked to America from County Downs. Ireland, in 1811, and settled at Harrisburg, Pennsvlvania, and H. S. W'il-
RITCHIE MIXES 387
son, the subject of this sketch, was the second child of this union.
Henry Stewart AMlson stepped upon the battle-field of li^'e at Highspire, on July 5, 1S?9, and there spent his youth and the early days of his manhood. From 1856 until 1871. he was ensras-ed in the lumber business in his native town, and from there during the latter year, he came to \\>st V'irginia and started a saw-mill, on Lick nui in Doddridge county, which he continued to operate until 1874 when he removed it to Grafton.
In February, 1877, he first made the acquaintance of the forests of this county when he moved his saw-mill to Buz- zard's run. and shipped his lumber from Tollgate. He also shipped lumber from Beeson, and Pennsboro a little later, (1878-9) ; and removed his mill to Devil Hole where he ex- ported his products from Cairo over the "Calico railroad."
In 1890, he and his son, Robert, organized the Cairo and Kanawha Valley Railroad Company, and built the narrow- guage road from Cairo to Macfarlan, a distance of sixteen miles, and thus opened up the forest and founded the towns along this road as stations.
In addition to his labors in this county, he and his son, Robert managed a saw-mill at Davisville from 1885-87, and during the latter year established one at Parkersburg, which has been in operation almost continuously ever since that time.
In accord wuth the faith of his fore-fathers, Mr. Wilson is a Presbyterian in religion. He was baptized at the Paxtong church two one-half miles from Flarrisburg, in 1831. and has been a deacon in the church at Parkersburg for a number of years. He was JMayor of Parkersburg from 1891-93, and has had official connection with the Second National Bank, and varioiis other business concerns of that city ; was a dele- gate to the National Democratic convention in 1896 and in 1904: ; was a member of the Board of Directors for the Insane Hospital at Spencer from 1888-90, and served as a director for the Girl's Industrial School at Salem, from the time of its in- stitution until this board was abolished by the Legislature of 1909. Though so closely allied with the affairs of this count}-
388
HISTORY OF RITCHIE. COUNTY
he has never claimed his residence here, as his home was at Grafton from 18T4 until 1887, when he removed to Parkers- burg, where he is spending the evening hours of his long and useful life, surrounded by the comforts that his industry has so w^ell merited.
On July 7, 1856, Mr. Wilson claimed Miss Anna M. Ennis, of Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, as his bride, and seven children were the result of this union ; viz., Sophia and A\'allace died in childhood, and the rest are as follows : Robert married ^liss Lilian McGregor, and lives at Parkersburg, where he is promi- nently identified in business. Carrie Porter is the wife of the Rev. R. C. Hughes of the Presbyterian church of Madison, Wisconsin. Ellen Blair married ^he Rev. E. AW Work, of Logan, Ohio, who is now pastor of the AA'est End Avenue
H. S. Wilson.
RITCHIE MIXES 3S9
Presbyterian church in New York city. H. S. junior, married Miss Maude Jarrett, daughter of Dr. A. M. Jarrett, of Grafton, and resides at Parkersburg. And Edwin Ennis and his wife (Miss Alae Lyle) are also of Parkersburg.
CHAPTER XXIX
Pioneer Life and Character
What sought they thus afar?
Bright jewels of the mine? The wealtii of seas, the spoils of war?
They sought a faith's pure shrine.
Ay, call it holy ground,
The soil where first they trod! They have left unstained what here ihey found!
Freedom to worship God!
— Mrs. Hemans.
These early pioneers resided upon the outer-borders of three counties — Wood, Lewis, and Harrison, and near forty or fifty miles from their respective county-seats.
The "'State road," was the only thoroughfare, the settle- ments being" accessible to this road and to one another by bridle-paths.
Their cabins were built of logs cut from sm.all trees, and were covered with clap-boards, made with a tool called a "frow." The boards, wdiich were laid upon rib-poles, were held in-tact by weight-poles, and the floor was made of puncheons, which were split and partly smoothed by an adz. The open spaces between the logs were filled by chunks and by mortar made of clay. A large fire-place with a "cat and clay" chimney (of clay and sticks) occupied one end of the house, which was usually one story in height.
Their furniture, which was home-made, consisted of tables, chairs, bedsteads, etc., just such things as necessity de- manded, and the fire-place was their cook-stove. A wooden paddle called a "battler," was their washing-machine ; tallow candles, their lights ; their lanterns were made of tin punched fttll of holes, in which a candle burned ; and a wooden-clock ticked ofif the hotirs. Their plows were made of wood (ironed by a blacksmith), and a paddle was pressed into service while
PIONEER LIFE AND CHARACTER 391
plowing in order to keep the mold-board free from dirt. Their wool, which was shorn from the backs of the sheep within their fold, was carded on hand-cards; and their corn was ground by hand, and on horse-mills, which were constructed with very large tread-wheels, the main shaft of which occu- pied an inclined position, so as to elevate one side of the wheel, which turned under the horses' feet. Their clothing was made of dressed deer-skins, linen and linsey. And the "good house-wife" toiled early and late at her loom and spinning- wheel. Their sugar and syrup were principally manufactured at home from the sap of the sugar-tree.
The forests abounded in deer, bears, wolves, panthers, wild turkeys, and many other varieties of game, and hunting was a regular pursuit during the autumn and the winter sea- sons, and thus their meat was obtained. And corn-bread, milk and butter with a few other products of the soil, made up their bill of fare.
The nearest store (for a number of years) was at Marietta, and there they went once a year for their salt and iron, which , vv^ere procured in exchange for the skins of wild animals, veni- son, ham, and, occasionally, snake-root and ginseng were added to these exchange products.
They would assemble from a radius of fifteen or twenty miles, in order to assist one another in loar-roll""--- house-rais- ings, corn-liuskings, etc. Quilting bees usually accompanied these gatherings, and the night was turned into one of social merriment.
And though their mode of living was rude and simple, it was characterized by a generosity of spirit, and a hospitality of manner that belonged only to their day. No stranger was turned from their gates until his wants had been supplied. No cot was too humble, no meal, too frugal, to be shared with the weary, Avay-worn traveler, and many a blessing did their kindnesses call down upon their heads.
No bells called them to the house of God, for there were no churches, but some suitable home in the settlement was the shrine for their devotion.
They placed little stress upon education, for they were prone to believe that it made men dishonest, vain, effeminate.
392 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
and unfitted them for the sterner duties of Hfc. But Hie}' loved to excel in feats of physical strength, and this was looked upon as an enviable distinction.
As a rule tJiey were honest, industrious, courageous, and strong-. With great fortitude, they braved the dangers, en- dured the toils and the privations of this forest-life, and thus paved the way for the many privileges and blessings that we to-day so much enjoy. And yet how \Gvy few of us realize what we owe to them ! How our smiling vallevs and vine- clad hills, our fruitful fields and gardens, our comfortable homes, school-houses, churches, our convenient post-offices and telephone lines, and a thousand other comforts and ad- vantages, whisper of the benediction of their lives, and of the gratitude that we owe to the memorv of these grand and noble sires !
"Who shook the depth of the desert's gloom, With their hymns of lofty cheer."
3lti ^ratrful iR^mrmhranr^
of
txnli
®1)? 3FtrBt (!l0«ttlij ^upprtnt^nJi^nt
James Woods.
Education is a better safaguard of liberty than a standing army. — Everett.
CHAPTER XXX
Schools and Teachers
OHN AYRES. — The first school in the coun- ty was taught by John Ayres, in 1810, in an old log cabin, a vacated dwelling, that stood near the mouth of Cedar lun, in the Webb's mill vicinity.
Air. Ayres, as before stated, came from Rockbridge county, Virginia, and settled on the S. C. Phillips" farm. He was then thirty years of age. hav- ing been born near Lexington, in 17S0. He belonged to the Ayres family whose history appears with the South fork set- tlers, being the son of Daniel and Ellen McGee Ayres ; and the brother of Daniel, who settled on the McNeill homestead.
He married Miss Elizabeth Watkins of Virginia, and they were the parents of : Daniel, Barcas, Thomas, Jeremiah, Eli, Mrs. Ellen (John) Stanley, Mrs. Elizabeth Williams, Mrs. Mary (George) Stebbs, and Nancy, who, perhaps, died in youth.
Mr. Ayres, having spent fifty years of his life in teaching, died in 1873 at the advanced age of ninety-three vears ; and in the Haught graveyard, on Indian creek, but a short distance from the scene of his settlement, he lies in his last sleep.
His children have all passed on, but quite a number of his grand-children yet remain. Among them are "Dick" Ayres, of Island run ; and Mrs. Mary Rinehart Wiant, Ken- nedy, of Smithville. John and Flavins Stanley are his great- grandsons, and Misses June and Cocoa Stanley, who are iden- tified among the young pedagogues of the county, are his great-great-granddaughters, they having perhaps, inherited
SCHOOLS AXD TEACHERS 395
their love for the profession from their distinguished grand-* sire.
Samuel Rittenhouse, who came from Harrison county in 1821, was the second teacher in this section. He married Miss Grissey Murphy, daughter of Samuel Murphy, and went from here to Illinois.
Barcas Ayres. — In the meantime, John Ayres had sent his son, Barcas, to his old home in Virginia to be educated, and he returned in 1826, and became the third teacher in what is now Murphy district. He married Miss Anne Riprogal, sis- ter of ]\Irs. Daniel Ayres, of the McNeil] homestead, and of Mrs. John Hostetter. She sleeps beneath a myrtle mound, onl}^ a fcAv paces from the Philipps' school-house, and he, in Indiana, where he spent his last hours with his daughters, Mrs. Ophelia (\A'm.) Drake, and Mrs. Elizabeth A. (Wm.) Stuart.
The First School House was erected in 1814, near the mouth of Cedar run, on land owned by William Murphy, now the property of Sheridan Hardman. The date of the erection of this pioneer building is marked by the closing of our second war with Great Britain.
John McCauley was the first teacher within the present bounds of Clay district, he having given his instructions in an old log cabin on Lynn Camp. He was the son of Dr. James McCauley of Clarksburg, and was the uncle of the late Mrs. John S. Peirpoint, of liarrisville. He afterv.-ards became a physician, and practiced his profession at Glen\'ille, Weston, (etc.) and in Wood county where he died.
Mrs. Hermione Helmick, and Mrs. Helen Saterfield, of Fairmont; and Earle Peirpoint, of Harrisville, are his grand- nieces and grand-nephew, he being a brother of Dr. William McCauley, their grand-father.
The First School in what is now Union district is said ti3 have been taught by one P. F. Randolph in a cabin on the Fawrence Maley farm near Harrisville, during the winter of 1818 ; but all our efiforts to learn something farther concerning the history of this pedagogue have been fruitless.
John Piatt was the first to "wield the scepter" over the youth within the present boundary of Grant district. The
396 HISTORY OP RITCHIE COUNTY
•scene of this school was on Rush run. near one mile from Cairo, on the Marshall farm.
A\'hat a curiosity this "pioneer temple of learning" with its massive stone chimney and huge fireplace; its window made by chopping out a log, and ])asting greased paper over the opening; its seats of split logs, with wooden pins for legs; and its roof held in-tact i)y weight poles, would be to the boys and girls of to-day, who enjoy the many comforts and con- veniences of modern school life !
^Ir. Piatt was a native of Pennsylvania, a cousin of Airs. William McKinney, senior, and during the winter of 18'?G, while on a visit with the McKinney s, lie taught this school.
He went from here to Kentucky, and later to Indiana. He was the father of the distinguished John James Piatt, the poet and journalist, Avho was born at Milton. Indiana, on March 1, 1835 (eleven years after this school was taught), and who entered the journalistic field early in life, and later served as clerk of the House of Representatives, and of the United States Treasury Department, and who, also, filled the position of consul at Cork, Ireland from 1882 to 1894.
John James Piatt's best known poems are "Poems by Two Friends'' with W. D. Howells ; "Poems in Sunshine and Firelight," and "Idylls and Lyrics of the Ohio Valley," etc.
He (John James Piatt) married Miss Sarah Morgan Bryan, who was born at Lexington, Kentucky, on August 11, 1836, and who was, also, a poet of note. "A Woman's Poems," "A Voyage to the Unfortunate Isles," "Dramatic Persons and Moods," and "An Enchanted Castle,'' being among her best known works. She was, also, the author of the beautiful little poems, "The Gift of Empty Hands," which will be found in, "Famous Poems Explained" by W^aitman T. Barbe, in the "Teachers' Reading Circle Library" of this county.
That the son inherited poetic talent from his father, can hardly be doubted, when we here reproduce a little poem that the elder Piatt wrote during his term of school at Cairo (in 182G) in the form of an acrostic on the name of Alary Skelton, who afterwards became Mrs. Jacob McKinney:
SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS 397
"May health and peace, inestimable gifts, adorn —
And aye, attend you thi'ough life's fickle dream;
Religion, likewise, though too oft held in scorn. Your path direct across the sluggish stream.
"Say, dost thou wish true happiness to find? Know happiness is rare in human kind, Envy or pride, if either find a place. Leaves little room for virtue to embrace; 'Tis virtue, then, which happiness bestows. Oh! claim the prize, and safe you are from foes; Nor pride nor envy, shall ever dare oppose."
The Piatts have a most distinguished and interesting" an- cestral history — one that dates back to the time of the Revo- cation of the Edict of Nantes in France (in 1685).
Among the Huguenot fugitives of the Province of Dan- plume that sought refuge in Holland from the religiotts per- secution, that immediately followed the Revocation, was a family by the name of Piatt.
John Piatt, the first of whom we have any definite ac- count, was doubtless, a very young child at the time of the flight from France. His parents, however, established their home at Amsterdam, and there John grew to manhood's es- tate, and married Mrs. Frances Van Flirt Wycoff, a widow^ of English-Dutch ancestry. And soon after his marriage, with his bride, and his brother, he set sail for the Danish West Indies, where he engaged in busuiess on the Island of St. Thomas, and where he continued to sojourn until after the birth of his elder children, when he migrated to North Amer- ica, and settled in the New Jersey colony, at Six Mill rtm, near the town of New Brunswick, in Middlesex county.
Some years after his settlement in New Jersey, he de- cided to return to France, for the purpose of making an effort to recover his inheritance which had been confiscated by the Crown, but he was deterred from carrying his plans into ef- fect by the seven years war (1756-'63), and went to St. Thomas, instead, with his son Abraham, to take charge of the sugar plantation of his brother, and there his life ebbed away in 1760 ; and Lhere the Southern breezes play about his ancient tomb. Flis wife died at her home in New Jersey, on Decem- ber 26, 1776, and not far from New Brunswick, she rests.
■69S HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Their sons were. John. i\braham, AA'illiam, Daniel, and Jacob Piatt.
These sons were all officers and soldiers of the Conti nental army during the American Revolution ; and William, Daniel, and Jacob were among the original members of the "Society of the Cincinnati"— an organization which was founded by the officers of the Revolution for the purpose of perpetuating friendships, and for the raising of a fund for the benefit of the widows and the orphans of the soldiers of this war.
John Piatt, the eldest son, whom we shall designate as John the II, was evidently born on the Island of St. Thomas, the date of his birth being 1739. In 1763, three years after the death of his father, lie was married to Miss Jane William- son, daughter of William and Jane Van Nest Williamson, who was born in 1745 ; and at Trenton, New Jersey he founded his home. He served as High Sheriiif of Aliddlesex county, which, in 1838, was sub-divided into four counties; and at the close of the Revolution, in which he played his part as "min- ute man" in the New Jersey militia, he removed with his family to Milton, on the Susquehannah river, in Northumber- land county, Pennsylvania : and later, to AA'hite Deer Valley, where he died in 1820. at the age of eighty-one years.
He fell heir to the old Dutch Bible which the famil}^ brought from Holland to America, and which bears the date 1710 ; and when his daughter, Frances, the wife of William McKinney, senior, was leaving Pennsylvania for her new home in Ritchie county, he came out with this old Bible, and said, "tiere, Frances, take this with you, as you are the only one that can read it." Mrs. McKinney accepted the proftered treasure, and it is now in the possession of the family of her late grand-daughter, j\frs. Drusilla Wanless.
Besides Frances McKinney. the other children of John Piatt, the II, were, Mrs. Jane Allen, yirs. Cathrine Fenbrook, A\'illiam and John Piatt.
Abraham Piatt, the second son of John Piatt, of France, was a Colonel in the Revolution. He was born in 1741, and married Annabella Andrew and settled in Penn's Valle\' wliere he died in 1791.
SCHOOLS AXD TEACHERS 39'.)
His children were, Jacob, John, Cathrine, Eleanor, Anna, Aijraham, James, Frances, Jane and Margaret.
William Piatt, the third son of John of France, was a Lieutenant at the beginning of the Revolution, but rose to the rank of Captain, and in this capacity served throughout the war. He was born in 1743, and died in 1791, perhaps, in Pennsylvania. He was first married to Miss Quick, and one son. John Piatt, the HI, was born of this union. And after her death, he married Miss Sarah Smith, and they were the parents of James. Frances, who died in 3'outh. Jemima G., who was adopted by a family by the name of Cummings, and Dr. William F., of New York city.
James Piatt, the eldest son of William and Sarah Smitli Piatt, married Miss Rachel Bear, and they were the parents of John Piatt, ^ the pioneer school-teacher of Grant district.
Daniel Piatt, the fourth son of John of France, was Cap- tain of the first Regiment of the Xew Jersey Brigade, and rose to the rank of Major. He was born in 1745, and married Cathrine Herrad ; and their children were, John, Mary, Rob- ert, Frances, William, Daniel, and Margaret.
Jacob Piatt, the fifth and last son of John of France, was bom in 1747, and died in 1834. He was, also, a captain in the Continental army, and served in many of the more important engagements during the Revolution. He married Miss Han- nah McCullough, and was the father of Benjamin, John H.. P'rances, Hannah C, AVilliam, and Abram S. Piatt
NOTE: To Miss Fannie McKinney of Williamstown, we owe our gratitude for this invaluable little poem, and tlie other information concerning the identity of this pioneer educator, with the exception of the career of his son and his (the son's) wife which we gleaned from the pages of an encyclopedia.
And to Mrs. Lulu Hallam Parker of Kansas City, Mis- souri, we owe our thanks for the Piatt ancestral history. — Author.
'Some of the Piatt ciescendants seems to think that John Piatt, the Ritchie county pedagojrue, was tlie son of WiHiam, but dates and other circumstances point to the fact that lie must ha\e belonged to a younger greneration. However, he was descended from William, and was the father of John James Piatt, the poet-consul.
400 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
The School System at this early day was in a crude state. As a rule, the teacher possessed but little education. Some- times the one person in the community having the most knowledge was employed as instructor. He was regarded fully competent if he had reached the Rule of Three (Propor- tion) in Arithmetic, and could read and write, little stress being' placed upon the necessity of farther education.
These schools were made up by subscription, and the teacher "boarded round the district" if he were not established in the community. Provisions were made by the over-seer of the poor for the children whose parents were unable to pay tuition, and the term only covered a period of three months.
The schools w^ere very few in number down to the year 1830. It will be remembered that our stale ^vas still a part of the "Old Dominion," at this time, and that some of her Gov- ernors had strongly opposed the advancement of education.
Sir William Berkeley, in one of his Colonial reports to the King, while he occupied the Gubernatorial chair (in 1611) had said : "Thank God ! there are no free schools or printing" presses, and I hope there will be none for a hundred years to come, for learning has brought disobedience and heresy into the world, and printing has divulged these and other libels."
The wish herein expressed was fully realized : for one hundred twenty-five years had passed, after this utterance be- fore Virginia enacted a law "having the semblance of a pub- lic school system ;" and then its provisions rendered it in- operative for half a century longer. "It was not until IS-tH, that another statute was enacted, which with the amendment of 1848, was practically a free school law for the counties that chose to adopt it."
Jefferson, Ohio, Kanawha, and Brooke were the only counties in (West) Virginia that established schools under the law of 1846. Jefferson county being the first to inaugu- rate the Free School System in A\^est Virginia.
When the Constitution of our State was formulated, it contained provisions for free schools, and Arthur I. Boreman, the first governor, in delivering his message to the Legisla- ture, which convened on June 20, 1863, called special attention to this (educational) provision, and said, "I trust that you will
SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS 40L
take such action as will result in the org-anization of a thor- ough and efficient system."
At this session committees on education were appointed, and from their reports, this Legislature formulated "the first Free School Law of the State." Under the provision of the Constitution, the educational work of the State was placed in the hands of a General Superintendent, who was chosen by the Legislature; and in 1864, the Reverend Ryland White was named as the first Superintendent, and entered upon his of- ficial duties at once.
This was the beginning of our school system, and in 1873, under the new Constitution of our State, the present system was inaugurated. The grading system came in 1891.
Since the birth of the Free School System in our State, the following named gentlemen have served this county in the capacity of County Superintendent :
James Woods, J. M. McKinney, F. H. Martin, T. W. Ire- land, P. W. Morris, J. N. Kendall, George W. Lowther, H. C. Showalter, M. K. Duty, C. E. Haddox, J. H. Nichol, H. B. Woods, D. B. Strickling, S. M. Hoff, and L. H. Hayhursi , (and Ross L. Cokeley will soon claim the place of Mr. Hay- hurst, he having been chosen at the November election, 1910.)
James Woods (who was the grand-father of Id. B. Woods) filled this office by appointment for a short time, but J. M. McKinney wa*s the first to be elected by the popular vote; and during his (McKinney's) administration the first school-houses under the Free School System, were erected.
With two exceptions, these gentlemen are all living, and it wall, doubtless, add interest here to notice what their dif- ferent stations in life are to-day:
James Woods, who was one of the early ministers of the Baptist church, sleeps in Missouri. J. M. McKinney, who has been prominent in political circles, and who has several times represented this county in the House of Delegates, resides near Hebron. F. H. Martin is a citizen of Pennsboro, and is in the employ of the Soutli Penn Oil Company. T. W. Ire- land is a well-known minister of the Methodist Protestant church, and his home is at Morgantown. P. W. Morris, so long identified with the "Ritchie Gazette" is now editor of the
402
HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
"State Journal," at Parkersburg. J. N. Kendall is a member of the ]\Iethodist Episcopal conference of Idaho, and is a resi- dent of Boise city. George W. Lowther, for years in the em- ploj' of the B. & O. Railroad Company, recently completed a term as Mayor of Grafton, where he now resides. H. C. Showalter, until quite recently a Harrisvilie lawyer, is a resi- dent of Kansas City. ]\I. K. Duty is adding new laurels to his fame by extending the Lorama railroad to Pullman. C. E. Haddox, late Warden of the State Prison, has laid down the cross. J. H. Xichol is in business at Grafton. II. B. Woods stepped from this office into that of Prosecuting At- torney, and from that into the Judgeship. D. B. Strickiing is engaged in business in Pennsylvania.
S. M. Hofit. also, stepped from this office into tlie Prose- cutor's chair, a position that he is now filling for the second term.
Last, but not least, comes L. H. Hayhurst, the present incumbent, who is serving his second term, and wlio recently completed a course in a medical college at Louisville, Ken- tucky.
The schools of this county now number one hundred fifty-three, forty-three of which are in Grant, thirty-three in Clay, thirty-seven in Union, excluding the Harrisvilie Inde- pendent district, and thirty-nine in Alurpjiy.
There are fifty-four sub-district libraries, which include three thousand eight hundred forty-five volumes.
Five of the towns have two-roomed buildings and three, Harrisvilie, Pennsboro. and Cairo have more. Harrisvilie
HarrisviHe School Buildinsr.
SCHOOLS AXD TEACHERS
AO:
now has a spacious brick building of sfx rooms and an audi- torium.
The school property is valued at one hundred four thou- sand sixty-eight dollars. The number of pupils enrolled is four thousand eight hundred ninetv-four, with an enumeration of six thousand one hundred nine, and an average daily attend- ance of three thousand six hundred seventy-two. Eleven and one-half years is the average age of attendance.
The teachers number one hundred seventy-three, fifty of which hold first grade certificates, one hundred six, second grade, and seventeen, third grade.
The total amount paid for teachers' services in nineteen hundred nine, was forty-four thousand three hundred thirteen dollars, and the entire cost of the schools during this year was sixty-five thousand seven hundred twent}^ dollars.
Total amount of Teachers' fund (1909) is forty-seven thousand one hundred seventy-five dollars, forty-eight cents, and the amount of building-fund is eighteen thousand five hundred forty-five dollars thirty-six cents.
The presen.t valuation of the taxable property is sixteen million five hundred seventy thousand thirty-seven dollars; four million three hundred fifty-nine thousand eight hundred twenty-four dollars of which belongs to Clay; six million six-
A Modern School Building-.
404 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
teen thousand one hundred, to Grant; two million five hun- dred eighty-four thousand six hundred sixty-seven, to [Mur- phy; two million two hundred twenty-eight thousand three hundred ninety-one, to Union disttict; and the remaining one million three hundred eighty-six thousand fifty-five dollars, to Harrisville.
iFragrant to tljp mpittnry
nf
Si|0maB ffluntttttgliam
nx\h
I|n IGat^ tl]f Jcitniiatton for tltp ilptI|oJitfit lEptaro^al m\h Xixt la^ttat (!ll|urrl|rs in tl|tB Htllipntesa
I love thy Church, O God!
Her walls before thee stand, Dear as the apple of thine eye,
And graven on thy Hand.
— Timothy Dwight.
CHAPTER XXXI
Churches
HE 3'ear 1810 was marked by the first church organizations. The Reverend Thomas Cun- ningham, whose interesting history occu- pies a preceding chapter, was the first minis- ter in the Hughes river valley. He laid the foundation for Alethodism in this wilderness, in Ritchie county. He came here in 1807 and entered upon his ministry the following year ; and in 1810, the first Methodist Episcopal class was organized at his home, near Frederick's mill, where Henry Barker now lives.
Among the original members of this class were — James and Benjamin Hardman, John Wigner, senior, John Hill, Jabez Elliott, and John Wilson, with their wives.
This organization may well be styled the mother of Hard- man chapel, as James Hardman, one of its initial members, laid the corner-stone for this chu-rch, which was erected late in the sixties.
The Reverend Mr. Cunningham was a lav minister at the time of the organization of the church here, but he was fully licensed to preach at Zanesville, Ohio, on September 5, 1817, and continued his labors until he was called to his reward in 1825.
His son, William, began his ministry in 1810, but went to the Ohio conference in 1812.
The First Church-house in this part of the county stood on top of the hill, on the Kennedy farm, above the mouth of Lamb's run.
Its history began, perhaps, in the early thirties, and ended in 1845, when it was destroyed by fire while it was being used for school purposes.^
^E. C. GofC, wlio was then a chilrl of five year.*;, was at^tpnriina' tlii=i .school.
CHURCHES -i07
Another pioneer church, which came a Httle later, was lo- cated on the McNeill homestead, but was reduced to ashes before its completion. These houses were not built in the name of any denomination, but were constructed for both church and school purposes.
The Methodist Protestant people laid the foundation for a church on the Scott farm, below Smithville, as early as 1840 or '45, but it was never completed.
So the old "'Union church" at GotT's was the first building in this part of the county, which was dedicated, exclusively, to the "worship of God;" and it was built by the Methodist Episcopal people not earlier than 18i5, but was open to all denominations.
The late Rev. James L. Clark, in his Autobiography, gives the following description of the place of worship, at this ap- pointment, in 1844, at the time of his first quarterly-meeting, after he was sent to the Harrisville circuit :
"It was an old frame, twenty by thirty feet, built for a bark shed for a tannery, the vats of which still surrounded the building — if such it could be called. In order to protect thei- from the inclemency of the weather, the brethren had col- lected some plank, and set them upon end around the frame, leaving an aperture in one side to answer for a door. Win- dows, there were none. The boards- were fastened on with hickory withes. The inside was seated with split poles which were laid across some sills, which were placed length-wise of the building. The floor was of dirt, plentifully covered by • straw, as the space within our altars at camp-meetings, fre- quently is.
A rude fixture at one end answered for a pulpit from which we preached the unsearchable riches of Christ to the hungry souls, who came through the rain and mud to this rude temple, dedicated, for the time being, to the Avorship of God."
He farther describes this meeting, which was continued for several days, and which resulted in the salvation of thirty- eight souls.
He says, "The last night of the revival was a time of power. Although the rain poured incessantly, the lightning
408 HISTORY Of RITCHIE COUXTV
flashed and the thunder roared, but lew within knew of the terriiic nature of the storm witliout, for above its mighty roar, rose the cries of the penitents, intermingled with the shouts oi new born souls, and the rejoicing of the people of God."
Shortly after this meeting, the old "Union church" was erected, on the farm of the late Thoiiias Goff, not far from the present residence of E. C. Goff; and Mr. Goff (Thomas) was one of the chief factors in its erection.
In ]S5;3, the old Pleasant Hill church, which has long since crumbled to decay, came into existence as a Methodist Episcopal church.
The late Joseph Haddox gave the grounds for this church and cemetery.
Harrisville M. E. Church. — The first ^Methodist Epis- copal church class in the Harrisville vicinity is said to have been organized as earlv as 1820 ; l^ut we have no authentic history of this church earlier than the year 1844, as the rec- ords were destroyed when the church burned to the ground some years ago.
But the first church building, which was located on the late Noah Rexroad farm not far from the present site of the Lorama depot, is said to have been erected near the year 184:3, with Xoah and Henry Rexroad and Eli Riddel as chief build- ers. The Rev. Mr. Riddel preached the first sermon within its walls, and the Rev. Air. Gordon was the first pastor in charge.
This old structure served Mr. Rexroad as a grain-house, after it had out-lived its usefulness as a place of worship ; and It was finally torn down and the frame timbers were pressed into service in the erection of the depot store-house by Noah Rexroad and E. C. Fox.
Harrisville was a three weeks' circuit with twenty-nine appointments when the Rev. James L. Clarke became the pas- tor in charge, in 1844. It began on the Ohio river, just be- low Vancluse, and extended back to within twenty-two miles of Clarksl)urg, including what is now embraced in the whole or a part of Harrisville, Smithville, Pullman, Smithton, West- union, Ellenboro, Pleasants and Valley Mills, and other cir-
CHURCHES
409
cuits. These itinerant ministers gathered the scattered set- tlers into Httle societies at every convenient point.
The Rev. Mr. Clarke gives the following description of the parsonage at Harrisville, upon his arrival : "We found a sn^all parsonage with one room down stairs, and a half-story above, with steps to go up from the porch. The brethren furnished the lumber, and I turned the porch into two small rooms, which made us more comfortable, and gave us a spare bed-room."
He speaks of the "grand local ministers" within the bounds of the charge, at that time, in the persons of T. Hen- derson, Eli Riddel, George Collins, Elijah Clayton, and James Hardman, whose homes were ever open to the worshipers of God.
The Harrisville charge in 1871 consisted of fifteen ap- pointments, which were as follows : Harrisville, Spruce Grove, Goff's, Hardman chapel, Leatherbarke, Spruce creek. Pleasant Hill, Bone creek, Horn creek, Middle Fork, White Oak, Chevauxdefrise, Pisgah, Smithville, and Webb's mill. But changes have gradually taken place until it is now a
HarrisviUe M. E. Church.
410 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
charge of three appointments; viz., Harrisville, Fairview, and Spruce Grove.
The Rev. Moore McNeill, who is now spending the even- tide of his life at his pretty country home, "Locust Grove,'" near Smithville, served this charge in 1872. He and the Rev. U. Fribble, of Harrisville, are the only two early ministers that are still among us, though the Revs. T. B. Hughes, S. E. Steele and others survive in other parts of the country.
The White Oak Methodist Episcopal class was organ- ized in 18-1:2, at the home of Elijah Clayton, and Mr. Clayton, Thomas Ireland, Peter Pritchard, and Samuel Wolfe, with their wives, were among its initial members. The pioneer church building was erected in 18-15, Mr. Clayton being the donor of the grounds. But this old time structure gave place to another in 1857, and to the present one, in 1891.
M. P. Church. — Though the exact date of the organiza- tion of the Harrisville M. P. church is not known, its history begins as early as 1845 ; and Zackquill M. Peirpoint, and Amos Gulp were among its corner-stones.
In 1850, this church applied for admission into the Tyler circuit, which had been formed in 1840; and at the next con- ference, the name of this circuit was changed to that of the St. Marys and Harrisville, which included the territory of Tyler, Ritchie, and Pleasants ; and was traveled by two ministers at one time. In 1867, the Harrisville circuit was formed ; and in 1881, another division was authorized which made it a charge of two appointments, Harrisville and Den run, but since 1898, it has been a station ; and is now one of the strongest, and most influential churches in the county ; it having an active membership of over two hundred.
'Tt has numbered some of the ablest ministers in the state as its pastors," among them being the Revs. Dr. E. J. Wilson, Dr. Helmick, Dr. Brown, and Dr. S. C. Jones.
The Baptist Church Organized. — The first Baptist church organization was contemporary with that of the Methodist Episcopal. It having been made, in 1810, at the home of Baines Smith, senior, where B. H. Wilson now resides; and was, in part, composed of the following named gentleman with their wives: Aaron and Barnes Smith, Samuel and
CHURCHES 411
Ainiziah Murphy, James Drake, John Every, WilHam Wells, and Mrs. Eleanor Ay res. This was known as the "Hughes River Baptist church"' until 1875, when its name was changed to Smithville. From the date of its organization until 1873, its places of worship were at private houses, principally at the home of Barnes Smith, in the earlier days of its history. The Rev. John Drake, who was the first Baptist minister in the Hughes river valley, and one of the first missionaries of this church to cross the Allegheny mountains, was the first pastor of the Hughes River class. The heirs of the late Isaac Smith, among whom are Martin Smith, Mrs. M. A. Ayres and Mrs. Alfred Barr, gave the grounds for the Smithville church, and were among its chief builders.
Harrisville Baptist Church. — The second Baptist class is said to have been organized by the Rev. John Drake, in the Harrisville vicinity, in 1812, or '13. The first church in this section stood on. the Cannon farm, it having been erected ijy the Baptist and the United Presbyterians, but was open to all denominations.
The Harrisville Baptist church came into existence in 1825, under the name of the "Mab Zeal" Baptist church. Its nineteen charter members were: William, Elizabeth. Isaiah, Jane, Christopher and Clarissa Wells, Allan and Elizabeth Calhoun, Gamaliel and Nancy Waldo, Jacob and Phebe Col- lins, Margaret Berkeley, Hester Heatoh, Jane Wilkinson, Judith Chancellor, and Mary Rogers.
William Wells was the first deacon ; Gamaliel Waldo, the first clerk; and the Rev. John Drake, the first pastor; but death ended his labors the following year, and the Rev. Mr. Nathan became his successor in 1827. He remained one year, and was succeeded by the Rev. Cornelius Huff, who continued his pastorate until 3 832, when this church severed its connec- tion with the "Union Association" (a connection of six years), and was admitted into the "Parkersburg Association," and for the next three years it had no pastor. Among the minis- ters who have since had pastoral charge, we find the names of the Reverends James Tisdale, James Gawthrope, F. H. Johnson, A. C. Holden, James Woods, John Woofter, xA,aron
412
HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Barnett, J. F. McCusic, P. A. Woods, George Woofter, E. J. Woofter, and Jonathan Wood, who is now in charge.
The first Baptist church in this section was erected near 18-1:3, on the lot now owned by Sheriff John Hulderman. this lot being donated by George Moats.
Harrisville Baptist Cliurch.
The Reverend John Drake is said to liave preached the first sermon in Grant district, at the home of ""William ^Ic- Kinney, in 1823 ; but no organization was perfected here imti] April, 1835. when the Rev. Festus Hanks, of the General As- sembly Presbyterian church, of Parkersburg. who had been preaching in this, and the Harrisville vicinities, alternately, for a year — for the fourth of his time, organized a class at the home of Joseph Marshall.
The members of this class were as follows : William, senior, and Mrs. Frances Piatt McKinncy. Joseph and Hannah Marshall, Edward and Jane Skelton, Stephen and Isabel AVanless Outward, Mrs. Catharine Hall Douglass, Mrs. Susana Douglass Layfield, Miss Jane Floskins. Mrs. Mary Miller McKinney, Miss Katharine McKinney. An- drew and Agnes Young, and John Harris and his daughter. Mary — the latter two from Harrisville.
The First Church-house was erected near the year 1831), on the site that is now marked by the Odd Fellows' cemetery. This old structure, which was used for both school and church purposes, served the people of all denominations for many years until better churches could be built. But the Presby-
CHURCHES 413
terians an:l the United Presl)yterians Avere the principal wor- shipers here.
In 1845, the United Presbyterian church was organized at Harrisville, as an Associate Reform cluirch ; it becoming the United Presbyterian in 1858, by the union of the Associate, the Reformed, and the Associate Reformed Presbyterians. The Rev. Dargo B. Jones was the first pastor of this organ- ization, in 1849.,
The First Sermon in Clay district is said to have been de- livered by the Rev. B. F. Sedwick, of the Methodist Episcopal church, at the residence of Edmond Taylor. We are without information as to the first church building in this district, but Riddel's chapel is, doubtless, among the first. It was erected at an earl}^ day, and stands as a monument to the chief- builder, the late Rev. Eli Riddel. The present church was erected in 1880.
The Seventh Day Baptist church was organized at Berea. near 1837. And its founders were Elders Peter Davis and Asa Bee. Among its charter members were : George, John C. and Sarah Starkey, Elias, Jonathan C, Rebecca, Margaret, Mary and Dorinda Lowther. One member of this pioneer organization still survives, in the person of Jonathan C. Low- ther, who is now a member of the Adventists' church.
Many other denominations, besides the ones mentioned, have long since efl^ected organizations in different parts of the county. There are now more than one hundred churches, of which twenty-six are Methodist Episcopal; twenty-three, United Brethren ; and, perhaps, a like number of Methodist Protestant, thirteen Baptist, four Catholic, four Presbyterian, and four Christian. The Seventh Day Baptist, the Seventh Day Adventists, the United Presbyterians, the Dunkards, and the Latter Day Saints, also, have church buildings.
Almost every community has its comfortable church, and its little band of worshipers. This religious influence, too, has had a telling effect on the people of the county : for more than fifty 3^ears, ''the courts have been sustained in the anti- license policy." In all that time no individual has been licensed to sell intoxicants.
•114 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
The Sunday Schools of early times, like everything else, were "crude affairs. " We have mo authentic date of their he- ginning in the county, but late in the forties and eai'ly in the fifties, they were conducted here and there at private houses. Their literature consisted of a testament, and a spelling book, and, later the school readers were pressed into service. But this work has made rapid progress, and is noAV at the zenith of its interest.
At the annual convention last }ear (1908). the schools in the county numbered eighty-one, with a combined mem- bership of five thousand three hundred pupils. Twenty-five of these schools were kept open the year round. Teachers' Training classes are being organized at various points and many noble and heroic workers are uniting their forces for the advancement of the cause in general. Among the princi- pal workers are Will A. Strickler, Secretary-Treasurer, G. M. Ireland, Dr. J. F. Hartman, Dr. 1. C. W. Fling, and many others that might be mentioned.
The Reverend M. McNeill. — It seems to us that a little sketch of the life and public service of the Reverend Moore McNeill would form a fitting conclusion for this chapter, as few other ministers in the history of the county have had a longer association with its people.
The Reverend Mr. McNeill was born in Pocahontas coun- ty, on November 8, 1830, and there he grew to manhood and engaged in teaching before entering the ministr}-, in Septen'i- ber, 1859.
He began his ministerial work under the auspices of the Methodist Protestant church, but, in 1867, became a member of the West Virginia Methodist Episcopal conference, and thus continued in the active work until April 5, 18S1, when he removed to the '"Ayres homestead," above Smithville, where he continues to reside.
Among the more prominent charges that he served dur- ing his twenty-one pastoral years were: Mannington, King- wood, Spencer, and FTarrisville. he having been pastor of the latter charge in 18T'3, when he lir^t formed the acquaintance of the people of this county — an aciiuaintance vrhich was
CHURCHES 4l.->
destined to ripen into a strong and enduring tie, a life-long friendship.
He is one of the most widely known and beloved citizens of the county, having endeared himself to the hearts of the many by his comforting ministrations in times of sorrow and bereavement. Perhaps no other minister, in the history of the county, has married or buried a larger number of its citizens; and when he lays down the cross to claim the crown, no other one will be more sadly missed.
On July 2, 1862, he led Miss Eliza Jane Caldwell, daugh- ter of John and Mrs. Jane Poole Caldwell, of Marshall county, to the altar as his bride, and twelve children are the result of this union, all of whom survive:
Owen ]M., and Tutt, reside in che A\'est ; Ida V., the eldest daughter, is Mrs. G. ^.I. Clammer, of Colorado ; E. Augusta is Mrs. Atigustus Sliaffer, of Kingw^ood ; Minnie is the wife of the Rev. A. L. Ireland, of the West Virginia 'Methodist Episcopal conference: Ellen H. is Mrs. Cochran, of Wheeling: Isa P. is Mrs. Morrow, of the West ; Miss Freda is a profes- sional nurse of Washington city ; Burleigh S. C. is still at home, and William K. is married and resides there ; A. Frank, and Otis S., live near Fonsoville.
The McNeills are of Scotch-Irish descent. Their ante- cessor crossed from Scotland in Colonial times, and settled in the Old Dominion. Thomas McNeill, son of the original emigrant, was married to Miss Mary Ireson, of Franklin county, Virginia, and removed (from Frederick county) to Pocahontas county, this state, near the year 1770, where lie entered three hundred acres of lan.d and became a prominent pioneer.
He and his wife were the parents of four sons and two daughters; viz., Jonathan, Absalom, Enoch, Gabriel, Xaomi (Mrs. Smith), and Mary (]\Irs. Wm. Ewing), who all went W>st, but the first one mentioned.
Jonathan, the one son that remained in Pocahontas coun- ty, was a very enterprising individual, as milling, weaving, fulling-cloth, and powder-making were all carried on under his supervision.
He married Miss Phoebe Moore, daughter of Moses
41G HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Aloore, who was born, on February 13, ITT-t, and four sons, John, William, Moore and Preston, were the result of this union. Preston was drowned in childhood, and the rest were all the heads of well-known Pocahontas families.
William McNeill was one of the earliest school-teachers within the bounds of his native county. He married ]\Iiss Nanc}^ Griltey, a native of Franklin county, Virginia, who emigrated to Pocahontas county with her elder sister, Mrs. Rebecca McNeill, when she w^as but twelve years of age. Her father, Jonathan Griffey, was born in Switzerland and crossed the water to America with Lafayette, in 1779, and, with this distinguished Frenchman, fought to the close of the American Revolution, being present at the siege and the surrender ol Yorktown ; and after the war he Avas married to Miss Anna
, a \"irginia maiden, and spent the remainder of his
life in Franklin county, Virginia.
AMlliam McNeill and his wife were the parents of the fol- lowing named children: viz., Jonathan, James, Claibourne, Jane (Mrs. John E. Adkisson), Elizabeth (Airs. Solomon Cochran), Agnes, and Aloore McNeill, the subject of this sketch.''
^See Pocahontas County History for farther data of this family.
iEh^rgrp^n to tl]r iHrmorg
nf
Isaiah and Jane Taylor Wells.
None knew thee but to love thee, None named thee but to praise.
— Halleck.
CHAPTER XXXII
Mills
HOMAS MALEY, son of Lawrence Maiey, is recognized as the pioneer miller of the county, he having erected the first mill about IS] "3, near two miles north of Harrisville, on the bank of Hughes river, on the site where the mill-property of Enoch Leggett was burned in 1871. This land is now owned by John Shriver, but nothing marks this historic spot.
Mr. Maley married Aliss Elizabeth Starr, and went to Illinois at an early day, where he sleeps.
William Wells, wdiose history will be found in an earlier chapter, was the builder and owner of the second mil! in this section, wdiich stood near the mouth of Bunnell's run. on the site of the well-known B. F. Wells' mill, which, though still standing, is fast crumbling to decay. Three generations of the family manipulated this mill, and the land is still owned by the heirs of the late B. F. Wells, who died in 1908, at the age of more than ninety years.
"Sugar Grove Mill." — Then, in 1842, came the "Sugar Grove" flouring mill, with Isaiah Wells, son of William, as builder and proprietor. This mill stood three-quarters of a mile north of Harrisville, and was one of the most noted in Western Virginia, during its early history. A saw-mill and carding-machine — the first in this section — were operated in connection with the grist-mill for a time, but after some years, the carding machinery passed into other hands, but iNIr. Wells continued to own and operate the saw and grist-mill until his death on May 17, 1875, when it passed into the hands of his heirs, who kept it in motion for a time : but finally, the wheels became silent, and the old building lapsed into ruin, and in
MILLS
419
1908, it was torn down. The Heaton heirs now own the land. In 1858, Isaiah Wells constructed a mill at Cornwaliis, which was operated by his son, George W. Wells, until 1875. when it became the property of the late James Taylor, and at his death passed into the hands of the Naughton Brothers, who are still the owners, though nothing now remains of this once valuable mill-property, but the ruins of the building. The introduction of the steam and roller process put these water mills out of commission.
The Isaiah WeUs mill and liomestead.^
Isaiah Wells was born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, on August 6, 1796, and with his parents came to this county in 1808. In 1816, he was married to Miss Jane Taylor, of Vir- ginia, the marriage taking place at Pruntytown, where she was visiting relatives; and they settled on the farm that had
^Thi.s picture was talven after tlie old mill hail been dismantled. At the right can be seen the picturesque sugar grove from which it took its name. In the rear-eenter is the old homestead which opened its hospit- able doors to some of the most distinguished Virginians of the day, and at the left is the family burying-ground where Mr. Wells and his beloved wife lie in their last sleep.
420 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COL'XTY
been improved by Joseph Wilkinson, and which, though now owned by the Heaton heirs, is still better known as the "Isaiali Wells homestead."
Air. W ells was widely known and greatly revered for his hospitality, and for his charitable disposition. He was a prom- inent figure in the early history of the county, and was long a pillar in the Baptist church.
His children were as follows: The late Benjamin Wells, of Hannahdale; William, of Grantsville ; Levi, of Tollgate; Mrs. Elizabeth Cornell, and Airs. Alary Cornell, Cornwallis , Airs. Salina \\' oods, Harrisville : Airs. Cynthia Core, and Geoige A\'., Cornwallis; and Isaiah, Grafton. The last three only survive, but his descendants in this county are a host — many of them being prominently knovvn. Judge H. B. AYoods is a grandson.
The Pritchard Mill. — Xear the year 1S;32, Thomas Pritch- ard came from the Glades in Preston county, and built the first mill on the South fork of Hughes' river, below Oxford, on the farm that is now owned by the Zinn Brothers (G. P. and AI. G. ), and made the first settlement here.
A man by the name of Henry O. Aliddleton had given him one hundred acres of land in this wilderness so as to induce him to settle, and to erect a saw and grist-mill, and here some of the first lumber in the county was sawed.
This old grist-mill was a water-power, and the wheel run in a svcamore gum, and its capacity was from eight to ten bushels a day, but this was a marvelous improvement over the old hand-mill.
Air. Pritchard was born in 1768. His antecessors came from England and settled at Jamestown, in 1610 ; and his brother, John Pritchard, saw three 3^ears of service as a sol- dier of the Continental army during the American Revolution.
Thomas Pritchard was first married to Aliss Xancy Tichi- nell, who died at the Glades, leaving seven children : and his second wife was Aliss Alary Aloody, who was the mother of his other eight children. He survived imtil 1846, when he was laid in the Baptist churchyard, at Oxford. His second wife rests by his side, but the first one sleeps at the Glades.
The children of the first union were: Peter,' the \\'hite
MILLS 421
Oak pioneer: Mrs. Kathrine Queen; Mrs. Anna Queen, and Mrs. Peggy Castor, all of Harrison county; Mrs. Sarah (Jacob) Watson,^ Auburn ; Mrs. Elizabeth (John) Harris,' Piiflman ; and Mrs. Mary (William) Snodgrass, Bere'a.'
Those of the second marriage were: Thomas D. Pritcli- ard,^ John Aloody, who was drov/ned in the pond at his own mill at the M. H. Davis farm in 1862: William, an early peda- gogue, who never married; Mrs. Jane Gaston, Doddridge county ; Samuel, Lewis county ; Mrs. Emily (George) Gar- rison, Auburn; Rachel died in youth and Amos lost his life in the Civil war.
John Moody Pritchard was married to Miss Sarah Plad- dox, sister of the late Jonathan Haddox, and their children were: Philip, Jason, and Jackson, who all fought in the Civil war, and wdio are now all dead; the late Mary (Sylvester) Parker, Mrs. Eliza (Allen) Parker, Colorado; Henr3% of Cali- fornia; and Thomas B.. of Ohio.
Webb's Mill. — The well known Webb's mill is one of the oldest landmarks in the county. It has been in operation for almost a century, it having come upon the stage, as a grist- mill, in cabin fashion, before the war of 1813. It vies with the IMaley mill for the first place in the county's histor}-, and if these dates be correct, it is entitled to this place. However, it is a contemporary.
Benjamin W'^ebb was the owner and operator of this mill from the time that it came into existence until his death, on May 27, 1879, when it became the property of his grandson, B. F. Prince, by his bequest.
M. R. Lowther, of Parkersburg, then owned it (Mr. Prince having had the misfortune to lose it), until it Avas purchased by the late J. S. Hardman and son, Sheridan, a few years since; the latter being the present owner and oper- ator. Though it is frequently referred to as "Hardman's mill," the old name still lingers about it.
Archibald Burrows. — Quite an interesting bit of hiscory hangs about the name of the millwright. Archibald Burrows, who re-built this mill in 1818, or in the early twenties. Mr. Burrows was a Scotch-Irishman, who had been a Revolu- tionist in his native land; and his cause being lost, he was
'See other olTapters for farther accounts of these families.
422 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
compelled to flee for his life, as the death sentence had been Ir.e fate of all who had been captnred. He fied to America,, and adopted the name of ''Bnrrows" instead of Davisson,'- his real name.
With his brothers and sisters, he crossed from Ireland, but on the next day after they landed, they were separated, and he never saw any of them again. He came to Lewis county where he was married to Miss Mary Holbert, and. from there, he removed to Calhoun county and became the first settler where the town of Grantsville now stands. He resided here at the time of his death, which took place shortly after he had completed his work or. Webb's mill, while he was at work on Frederick's mill. He had contracted the whooping-cough, and after spending a few days at home, had returned here to collect his monev, for the work, staying all night; and the next morning he was found dead in his bed. His wife was notifiea, but before she reached the scene he was laid in the Smithville cemetery.
He was the father of six children : Mrs. Jane Taylor, Philadelphia; Mrs. James Johnson, Mrs. Joseph Hanirick, U illiam, John and George, all of Calhoun county, where a large number of his descendants live.
Benjamin Webb, whose name refuses to be divorced from this mill, was born in Tlarrison county, in 1789, and with his father. Nutter Webb, came to the South fork of Hughes river, near the year 1801.
He married Miss Martha Stuart, daughter of William Stuart, an early pioneer on this river, Vvdio was born at sea, on board the emigrant ship that brought her parents from Ire- land to xAmerica, in 1789; and soon after his marriage, he made the first settlement at the mill ; and being called into service as a soldier of the war of 181"^, his wife operated this mill during his absence.
He was one of the most prominent figures in the early history of this part of the county, being a man of very high character, and of no small degree ot ability.
He Avas sherifl: of the countv from 1845 to '47, and filled
'Another tradition says that his changed name came through some error in the Freemasons order, he liaving got his papers mistakenly changed with another man, but doubtless the first explanation is the cor- rect one.
MILLS . 423
the office of magistrate for a term of forty yeais, during which time none of his decisions were ever reversed. He was, also, an early merchant. Beside his wife, he sleeps in the cemetery that bears his family name.
He was the father of five daughters and one son : Mrs. Anna Dye, Airs. Elizabeth Hyman. I\Irs. Sarah Rogers, Mrs. Louisa Hostetter, and Mrs. Drusilla Prince, and John Webb, who have all passed on, but his descendants in tliis county are quite numerous.
Frederick's mill, too, ranks among the oldest landmarks in the county. It was built, perhaps, in the early twenties by Benjamin Hardman and Benjamin Cunningham (whose his- tories belong to an earlier chapter), who owned and operated it for a number of years ; and near 184:5, the late Joel West- fall, of Smithville, rented it. and the following year he and his father, John W. Westfall, purchased it and the "Westfall farm" (now the home of Henry Barker), of Hufifman and Camden, of Weston; and the son took charge of the mill, and the father, of the farm.
Shortly after they came into possession, they erected a new saw-mill and set it in motion, they having entered into a contract with Proviance Alurphy to build a plank-road, from the Hardman farm to where Grass run crosses the Staunton pike ; and they had much of the lumber ready for the road, when the flood of 1852 came, sweeping away lumber, grist- mill and all, except the saw-mill. Disheartened at this loss, Joel at once made his arrangements to go West; but the mill was rebuilt, and the elder Westfall continued to keep it m motion until 1857, when it passed into the hands of the late Joseph B. Frederick, who rebuilt it in 1858, and again, in 1876; and who continued to operate it until his death, on June 10, 1896, when it became the property of his son, Joseph L. Frederick, who repaired and changed it from a burr, to a roller-process, the following year; and who is still the owner.
The Fredericks are of German origin. Joseph B. Fred- erick's parents, John and Rachel Erhart Frederick, were both natives of the "Keystone" state, and were both born of Ger- man parentage. He, in 1779, and she, in 1785. Shortly after their marriage, they removed to Virginia, where Joseph B., who
424 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
was one of thirteen children, was born, on April 26, 1831, and where he grew to manhood. He then went to Hardy ccnnt}' (W.) Virginia, where he learned the miller's trade, and where he met and married Miss Rebecca Ghokenour; the marriage taking place on February lo, 1815 : and there they resided until they came to this county, where the family still live. Mrs. Frederick died on April 10, 1893. Both rest on the old homestead with their children who have passed on: Isaac, Jacob, Mrs. Elizabeth Flardman, Mrs. Martha Cooper, Vir- ginia and Rebecca. Mrs. Mary Goff sleeps near Burnt House, and the rest survive — Airs. Lucy Slack lives in Ohio; Mrs. Frances Barker, near the old home; Lulu is Mrs. Allen Smith of Texas ; and Ellen Mrs. Sylvester McCartney ; Miss Sallie is at home ; J. L. and Calvin are the two sons.
John Frederick, the father of Joseph B., was a brother of Philip, the pioneer of Grass run.
The McKinney Mills. — William McKinney, senior, was the author of the first grist-mills in what is novv' Grant dis- trict. The first one was erected near the year 1S23, on the "Hatfield farm" — then ihe farm of William Mclvinne}-, junior: and the other one, a little later, about two miles below Cai^o, where the County bridge now crosses the river. Both were carried away by the floods, and some time afterwards, his son, David iMcKinney, built a grist-mill four miles below Cairo, which served the public for manv years, before it went out of existence.
James Drake built a saw-mill on Indian creek, near the Isaac Wilson residence, near 1825 or '30. This was one of the earliest of its kind in the county.
Brown's Mill. — The widely known Brown's mill is en- titled to the first place in the history of the mills of Clay dis- trict. It was built by Isaac Clarke, of Pennsylvania, who is identified with the early settlers of Chevauxdefrise, in 1848. It came into existence as a grist-mill, but a sawing-apparatus was attached some years later. Among those who have owned it from time to time, we find the names of James Malone, James L. Collins. Lawrence Alinor, Daniel Rexroad. A\'i]son Patton, A. S. Core, Alartin Cochran, and Samuel Malone. Mr.
MILLS 425
Core and Mr. Patton, being partners, re-built and otherwise improved the property.
Mr. Cochran instituted the carding business in connection with the grist and saw-mill, but in 1875, while he was owner, the mill and all of its accessories was swept away by a flood : and Samuel Malone and Wilson Patton bought and rebuilt it. Ihen in the early eighties, John M. Brown purchased Mr. Malone's interest and finally that of Mr. Patton's, and he is still the owner and operator. It being the only old-time r.dll in this section that is still doing service.
The Broadwater Mills. — Jefl:'erson Broadwater is accred- ited with the first saw-mill in Clay district, which is said to ha\^e come into existence in 1855, and to have been located near the present site of Tollgate. He owned and operated this mill for more than twenty years, and was also the builder of the Valley flouring-mill, near Pennsboro.
]\lr. r^.roadvv'ater was a native of Virginia, he having first opened his eyes upon this mundane sphere in Loudin county, on August 1, 1806 ; but he came to this county from Mar}^- land, in 1842, and remained until his death on August 5, 1894. He rests in the U. B. cemetery at Pennsboro. He was first married to Miss Mar}^ Beckner, of Maryland, who was laid in the Taylor cemetery, in 1861 ; and his second wife was Mrs. Elizabeth Scott, ^ of Harrison county, who, with her daughter. Miss Vashta, resided at Salem until her death in June, 1910 ; the late A\'ade Broadwater was her other child.
The children of the first union were twelve in riumber. and were as follows: the late Mrs. Eliza (M. M.) Taylor, Salem ; Mrs. Mary (Archibald) Barnard, the late Mrs. Re- becca ( C. R.) Brown, Mrs. Alice (Sherman) Wilson, Mrs. Isabella (L. C.) Wilson, all of Pennsboro: the late T. J. Broadwater, Tollgate: the late Peter, Lynn Camp; Mrs. Minerva (D. H.) Kelley, and Chns. P. Broadwater, Oxford: the late Mrs. Cena (E. J.) Taylor, Trilby; the late Mrs. Theo- dore Davis, Idaho; and the late Miss Elizabeth. Pennsboro.
No other class of pioneers played a more important part in the early affairs of the county, than did these millers. They
'Mrs. Scott was the mother of H. J. Scott, of Pennfeboro, and W. H. Scott, of Rutherford.
426 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
were in general men of unalloyed integrity, and were promi- nent factors in other walks of life, as w^ell.
The Broadwaters are of English origin, but the time of their emigration to the "Xew World" is not known. Yet circumstances point strongly to the fact that one Charles Broadwater, wdio received., from the King of England, a grant for a tract of forty thousand acres of land in the Vir- ginia colony in the early days of its history, and, by the pro- visions of this grant, settled a ship load of English emigrants upon it, was their ancestor. But so little is known of the sub- sequent history of this distinguished individual, that this fact cannot positively be established. But, he sleeps in the old burying-ground at Fairfax Court House, and this ancient land grant is preserved among the records at Richmond, Vir- ginia.
The connected and authentic history of this family in America, however, begins near the year 1800, when Charles and Cornelius Broadwater, two brothers, settled in Loudin county, Virginia. Charles went from there to Tennessee, and became the founder of the family that scattered from there. But Cornelius lived and died in Loudin countv. His son, Charles, married Miss Mary Ripes, of the "Old Dominion" and removed to Marvland, before the w^ar of 1813, and settled 'vear eight miles above the present site of the town of West- ernport, wdiere he constructed a residence of hew^ed-pine-logs, which is said to be still standing.
He and two of his brothers served their country as sol- diers in the war of 1812, and were identified among the heroic defenders of historic old Fort McHenry, when the immortal "Star Spangled Banner" was penned. He was the father of Jefferson and Peter Broadwater, of this county; of Ephraim, who lives in Somnierset county, Pennsylvania, and is now eighty-one years of age; and of Ashford, of Tyler county, v.-ho survives at the age of seventy-nine years.
Peter Broadwater was born in "^Maryland. My ]\Iary- land !" on AJarch 20, 1830, and came to this county with his brother, Jefferson in 1843,
He married Miss Love Taylor, sister of the late Edmund Taylor, and settled on the farm that is now, principally owned
MILLS 427
by his son, Alarciis ]M. Broadwater, near Hannahdale, where his Hfe came to a close in 1858, and beside his first wife in the Taylor burying-ground he lies at rest.
His second wife, Mrs. Fannie Malone Broadwater, died in 1891, and she lies in the churchyard at Riddel's chapel.
Five children were the fruits of his first union ; viz., Mar- cus M, of Flannahdale, who served as a soldier in the Union army; Edmund, of Illinois; Mrs. Margaret (Granville) Willis, of Market, Doddridge county; the late Mrs. Rachel (Thomas) Athey, Marion county ; and Mrs. Lovisa (Peter D.) Calhoun, of White Oak.
The children of the second union were Jennie who is now Mrs. John M. Brown, of Hannahdale ; and Charles, of near Harrisville.
C. L. Broadwater, principal of the X"ew Martinsville school is the g-randson of Peter, he being the son of Charles.
CHAPTER XXXIII
Post-Offices
ENNSBORO is the oldest post-office in the county. It came into existence as early as 1820 with James Martin, post-master.
James Martin was a native of Harrison county and a prominent figure in the early aiTairs of this part of the county. His wife was Miss Edith Davidson Wilson, daughter of Col. Benjamin Wilson, senior. She being one of the thirty children of this distinguished gentleman, whose names and dates of birth appear elsewhere in this history ; and in Ham- son county, she was born on November 19, 1799. On April 15, 1815, they came to Pennsboro and settled in the "Stone House" where they spent the remainder of their lives. Ele passed from earth in 1856, and she, twenty years later. Both rest in the Presbyterian cemetery. They were the parents of the following named children: William, Benjamin W., La- fayette, James, junior, Gilbert, Marshall M, W^atts, Margaret, Mrs. Hattie (M. P.) Kimball, Mrs. Mary Dunnington and John W., who survived until 1910 at his home in Arkansas, have all passed on. Mrs. Susan Watson, who has reached her eighty-eighth milestone is a resident of Fairmont; and F. H. Martin is one of Pennsboro's well-known business men.
The Martins are of English-German origin, and are the lineal descendants of emigrants, who crossed to the New Jer- sey colony early in the eighteenth century and figured as Revolutionary soldiers.
William Martin was one of the early settlers of Harrison county, and there his son, James, the Ritchie county pioneer post-master was born.
The Second Post-office was established at Harrisville near the vear 18o() under the name of "Solus." but after the birth
POST-OFFICES 129
of the county, the name was changed to Harrisville, and later to "Ritchie Court House," owing to the fact that an office by the same name in Virginia occasioned confusion in the mail, but it was changed back to Harrisville a number of years ago.
William McKinney, junior, son of William, senior, of Cairo, was the first post-master here, and William L. Jackson was another early incumbent of this office.
William McKinney, senior, was the first post-master in Grant district, this office being kept in the McGregor mill, below Cairo.
The First Post-office in Murphy district was established near 1830 at Smithville under the name of "Hughes River." Valentine Bozarth, who resided where the M. A. Ay res hotel now stands, was the first post-master, but he, losing his home here, went to Iowa and the office Avas removed to Webb's mill, where it remained under the name of "Webb's mill" until 1880 when it was changed back to Smithville, and took the name of the village.
The First Mail-carrier was a lad of twelve years by the name of Isaac Cox, who came from Weston once a week, and stayed over night at Smithville. This youthful carrier Avas no other than the late Isaac B. Cox of Chestnut Grove. Cal- houn county. He was the son of Isaac, and the grandson of Isaac and Sarah Sutton Cox, whose line -will be found in the Cox family history in the "Slab creek chapter."
There are now forty-two offices in the county, thirty-one of which are money-order offices, besides fifteen rural free de- livery routes. Three of these, Pennsboro, Harrisville and Cairo, which are third class, are International money-order offices. The post-masters are appointed by the President, and their respective salaries are $1,600, $1,500, and $1,300.
CHAPTER XXXIV
Ritchie County Formed
ITCHIE county was formed in 1843, from portions of \\'ood. Lewis and Harrison counties, and was named in honor of Thomas Ritchie, a journalist, who for many years edited "The Richmond Enquirer,'' and later "The Washington Record."
This county covers an area of four hun- dred fifty-seven square miles, and is bounded on the north by Pleasants and Tyler; on the east by Doddridge, on the south by Gilmer, Calhoun and Wirt ; and on the west by AMrt and Wood. It is divided into fovir districts. Grant, Union, Clay and Alurphy. The Xorth and the South branches of Hughes river are its principal streams : and its highest^ elevation of land (1380 feet) is in the north-eastern corner of the county near Stanley, and King Knob two miles southwest of Pull- man is the second highest point, it being 1367 feet. Its popu- lation, according to the first census after its organization, was three thousand eight hundred fifty-six, it now numbers near twenty thousand.
The first court convened, on April 4, 1843, at the resi- dence of John Harris, near the late residence of John P. Har- ris, and was composed of Daniel Haymond, Daniel Ayres, ^^'iIliam R. Lowther, Alexander Lowther, senior, and James Malone, junior, justices of the peace, each holding a commis- sion from the Governor. The first three had, for many years, been justices in ^^"ood county, and the last two, in Harrison and Lewis counties.
The following named officers were chosen by this court: William R. Lowther, clerk of the Countv court: Thomas
'King Knob, near Washburn, has always been regarded the highest point of land in the county, but this information comes from the late U. S. Geological report.
RITCHIE COUNTY FORMED 431
Stinchcoinbe, clerk of the Circuit court; Hon. J. J. Jackson, of Parkersburg", Attorney for the Commonwealth ( a position which he held until his death in 1850, when he was succeeded by J. B. Blair, a Harrisville barrister) Archibald Wilson, County surveyor ; Austin Berkeley, sheriff, with his brother, Granville, deputy. They (the Berkeleys) served one term, and from the expiration of this term until the adoption of the Constitution in 1851, this office was given to the oldest justice of the peace.
Then after Mr. Berkeley, came Benjamin ^^'e1Db (as sher- iff from 1845-48) with James McKinney, as deputy for the first two years, and James and John P. Harris, for the last year. John Harris was the next in line (1848-9) with James and John P. Harris deputies. Xoah Rexroad then filled the office until the new Constitution (1851) made all the offices elective by the people, and he was the first sheriff" chosen under this new provision. Then came William M. Patton, James Taylor, Benjamin Wells, Eli and John Heaton, B. F. Mitchell, John B. Hallam, D. F. Haymond, John B. Hallam (again) Job Musgrave, M. H. Tarleton, D. B. Patton, B. F. Hill, Okey E. Nutter, afid John Hulderman, the present in- cumbent.
Henry Collins was the first clerk of the Circuit court chosen by the people, in 1851, and William M. Patton was his deputy. This office has since been filled by Amos Culp, W. H. Douglass, Will A. Strickler, John H. Lininger, and H. E. McGinnis.
James McKinney was the first clerk of the County court under the new Constitution (1851-8), and William M. Patton was his successor (1858-63). He (Mr. Patton) was also made clerk of the records. He was followed by Josiah M. Wood; and then came the late George W. Amos who filled this office from 1871 until 1896, when W. R. Meservie, the present clerk, took his place.
Cyrus Hall was the first prosecuting attorney chosen by the popular vote (1851-61) ; and F. P. Peirpoint was his suc- cessor. The office since that time, has been filled by E. G. Day, Robert Kercheval, John A. Hutchinson, C. F. Scott, R. S. Blair, senior, T. E. Davis, Henderson Peck, R. H. Freer, H.
432 HISTORY OP RITCHIE COUNTY
B. Woods, and S. M. Hoff. The last four named gentlemen still survive.
John Douglass was the first County surveyor elected by the people ; and among others who have filled this office since that time are: Fred Douglass, Alexander Lowthcr. junior, H. N. Wilson, Wm. Bennett Hayden, A. A. Clayton, A. M. Douglass, A. C. Cunningham, Gilbert Hayden, and John W. Cain.
Benjamin Webb, Robert Tibbs, Richard Wanless, John Harris, Jacob Hatfield, Isaac Lambert, Peter Reed, and Wil- liam R. Lowther were the first justices to be elected by the vote of the people, Mr. Wanless being the presiding officer. The justices continued to form the Court until the Constitu- tion of the "Little Mountain state" went into effect in 186-3. Then a Board of Supervisors became the law-making body of the county.
Henry B. Collins, Jacob Hatfield, and Christopher N. Xutter comprised the first Board of Supervisors. Among others, who served in this capacity were: Benjamin A\'ells, Solomon Stull, Phillip Reitz, A. C. Barnard, Richard A\'anless, senior, Andrew Law, James Moyer, John AIcGinnis, J. P. Strickler, John Sommerville, J. H. Haddox, George Corbin, and H. N. Wilson.
In 1872, our State Constitution underwent a change and since that time, the members of this court have been called commissioners. Among those wdio have served as commission- ers are: P. S. Austin, M. A. Ayres, Dr. M. S. Hall, S. R. Daw- son, A. C. Barnard, J. R. Brake, Alexander Prunty, Samuel Hatfield, W. G. Lowther, Benjamin McGinnis. S. J. Taylor, B. F. Marshall, E. N. Summers, L. D. Bartlett, W. A. Flesher, J. M. Brown, C. W. Nutter, I. M. Jackson, and Jacob T. Reeves.
Among those wdio have filled the office of assessor, we find the names of, J. B. Collins, Eli Riddel, Nathaniel Parks, James H. Harris, Alexander Lowther, junior, J. W. Tro}^ James W; Shroyer, Benjamin McGinnis, W. G. Lowther, ]\I. A. Ayres, Alexander Prunty, Samuel Hatfield, George Crum- mett, John O. Lynch, H. Kibbee, Ellet Woofter, C. S. Jack- son, G. M. Britton, H. C. Buzzard, and G. M. Britton. who
RITCHIE COUNTY FORMED 433
is now the only one in the county, vmder a new provision of the law, there having" been two heretofore.
The following named gentlemen represented this county in the Legislature at Richmond, when this stale was a part of the "Old Dominion :" James Alalone, Jacob Prunty, A\'illiani L. Jackson, Henry B., and John Collins.
Cyrus Hall was a member of the Richmond Convention that passed on the ordinance of secession, which finally re- sulted' in Virginia becoming a part of the Southern Con- federacy.
Archibald Wilson represented Ritchie county in the con- vention that framed the first Constitution for the State of West Virginia, in December 1861 ; and J. P. Strickler was a member of the body that gave us our present State Constitu- tion. Other citizens of this county, who have occupied seats in our State Legislative halls are: (Senators) Daniel Hay- mond, David McGregor, P. W. Morris, and Samuel Hatfield : (House of Delegates) Eli Riddel, S. R. Dawson, A. S. Core, Noah Rexroad, Gen. T. M. Harris, James Taylor, E. J. Tay- lor, J. B. Crumrine, Felix Prunty, G. W. Miller, J. M. Mc- Kinney, T. E. Davis, J. C. Gluck. P. W. Morris, R." H. Freer, Benjamin McGinnis, C. L. Zinn, Job Musgrave, E. C. GotT, M. ]\L Luzader, W. A. Flesher, M. K. Duty, and Sherman Robin- son ; and J. C. I^acy and Xewton Law are the newly elected ones.
S. R. Dawson was a member of the Legislature when the first '"Free School Law" was enacted, and was prominently identified with its formation.
Only, three citizens of the county, R. H. Freer, M. FT. Willis, and H. B. Woods, have been honored with the Judge- ship : and Mr. Freer is the only one that has occupied a seat in the Congressional Flails of the United States.
In 1863, an act, providing for the sub-division of the dif- ferent counties of the state into townships, was passed : and the following named gentlemen were appointed to do this work in Ritchie county : Proviance Murphy, John P. Harris, and Jacob Hatfield. Archibald Wilson played tiie part of surveyor, and thus Grant, Clay, Union and Murphy were lormed. P)y the requirements of the second Constitution,
434 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
(1872) these divisions were retained, but the name township was changed to that of magisterial district.
Union was named in honor of the "Union cause," which was at that time so dear to many hearts. The name Avas sug- gested by O. Manly Zinn, late father of C. L. Zinn, of Au- burn. The first settlement in this district was made at Har- risville in 1803.
Clay, the most northern district, was named b}' Archi- bald Wilson, in honor of Henry Clay. Its first settlement was at Pennsboro in 1800.
Murphy took its name from the ^lurphy Brothers, earh^ settlers in the Smithville vicinity, in 1801. Its first settler w'as William Layfiel.d, near Smithville, in 1800.
Grant was first settled near CaJro at a date unknown, and in honor of General Grant, it was named.
CHAPTER XXXV
Developments
,OWN to the year 1830 the country developed slowly. Some of the earlier pioneers, be- coming discouraged with the toils and pri- vations of this wilderness-life, had sought homes elsewhere, principally north of the Ohio river, and the country was still very sparsely settled. One great aid to progress and immigration, was brought about in 1832, when the General Assembly, at Richmond, passed an act providing for the satisfactory adjustment of land titles, and for the sale of delinquent and forfeited lands.
Up to this time wood-lands had ranged in price from twenty-five to fifty cents an acre ; but under this law large tracts were sold, as delinquent, for taxes, and were forfeited to the State at prices ranging from seven to fifteen cents an acre.
The construction of the Xorth-western turn-pike from Winchester to Parkersburg, between the years 1830-10, was a most important factor in behalf of immigration ; and this period was one of remarkable progress, the people now hav- ing commercial advantages and other intercourse with the out-side world.
The construction of the Staunton and Parkersburg turn- pike between 1810 and '50, was another valuable aid to ad- vancement in the Southern part of the county. But the great- est incentive to immigration and development was the com- pletion of the North-western Virginia railroad (now the Park- ersburg branch of the B. & O.) in 1858. This road gave rise to the towns of Tollgate, Pennsboro, Ellenboro, Cornwallis, Cairo, and Petroleum as railroad stations.
Road-making in pioneer days was an arduous and im-
43G HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
perative task, as all able-bodied men. between the ages of six- teen and sixty years, were required to work upon the public high-way under the supervision of an over-seer; and this sys- tem was continued until 1872-3 when the Legislature foanu- lated two S3'stems, and. leaving a choice to the vote of the people, the present one was adopted by this county — to sell out the contract to the lowest and best bidder. But thev are now^ principally kept in order by a road-machine which is manipulated under the superintendence of a road-surveyor.
The Legislature of 1909 provided for a road-engineer, and A'. A\'. Kittle was the first to be appointed to this new office, he being selected b}- the County court at the June term in 1909. But he resigned in March, 1910, and John Pew of Cairo became his successor.
The first road through what- is now ^lurphy district, which was known as the old "State road," w^as made in 1832, by Abraham Springston (late father of Mrs. T. ]\L Gofif, of Harrisville), who was at that time a single man. and a resi- dent of Glenville .
The country was so thinly settled that he and his men were compelled to camp out during the construction of this road. Their first camp was at the head of Spruce creek where L. S. Gofif now lives, and it was made of poles and bark : and another, was imder a shelving-rock near the pres- ent hamlet of Hazelgreen.
Mr. Springston's sister, Joanna, (later Mrs. George F. Bush) then a girl of tw'elve years, camped wnXh him and did his cooking.
Bridses. — The bridoe across the river at Smithville. and the one at the forks of Hughes river are said to be the pioneer bridges of the county. They were built, some time during the forties, by the company that constructed the Staimton turn-pike, and a man by the name of Foutty was the contrac- tor: but the one at Smithville was swept away by the flood in 1852, being replaced by the old structure, which recently gave place to a new iron bridge. There are now not fewer than thirty-five bridges in the county, and their average value is from four to five thousand dollars.
DEVELOPMENTS
437
The old North Fork Bridge which spans the river just above the forks of
Hughes river.
The County Infirmary was instituted near the year 1858. The farm that is now the estate of the late Edward Lougli was purchased for this purpose, and John Starr, senior, was the first superintendent. This farm was sold a number of years later, and for a time the contract, for caring for these unfortunates, was given to some responsible individual. Enoch B. Leggett was among the number that cared for them under this provision. But near the year 187-i, the James Drake estate on Indian creek (just the widow's thirds) vras purchased for this purpose, and this has since been the home for the County infirm. Perhaps, near the year 1904, the As- bury Zickafoose homestead (of some seventy acres) was pur- chased and added to the original farm, and since that time the Zickafoose residence, which has been enlarged and re- modeled, has been the home of the County faiuily. the old home being torn down. This farm now contains two-hundred fifty acres, and is valued at ten thousand dollars, or near it.
Tobacco Industry. — Not far from the time of the close of the Civil war, and for a number of years after, the tobacco industry was a profitable one in the Northern part of the county, especially. Large tobacco houses sprang up in dif- ferent sections, and this was the principal staple of product; and not a few of the citizens date their financial success, in
438 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
after life, to this beginning. Cut an exorbitant tax was im- posed upon this product, which put an end to its profit ; as this tax did not permit its manufacture in any form, and did not even allow it to be twisted, but compelled it to be sold in "the hand." However, this industry continued into the eighties to some extent, though the manufacture had been prohibited.
The Springstons. — This chapter would not be complete without a few lines, at least, in regard to the ancestry and identity of the pioneer road-builder of ^Nlurphy district — "Abraham Springston."
The Springstons are of German origin, and of hardy pio- neer stock.
Jacob Springston and his wife. Elizabeth Lambert Springston, came from the Fatherland in Colonial times, but the date and the place of their settlement is unknown : but they evidently lived in what is now^ Tucker county at some time, and here, possibly, they died.
Jacob Springston, junior, their son, however, was ])orn on August -i, 1TT2, and in April, 1S07, he was married to ]\Iiss Luda Goft, daughter of John T. and ]\Ionacah Cerrico Gotif, who was born in April ITS-t. The marriage took place in Tucker county, wdiere they resided until near the year 182(i, when they migrated to Gilmer county, and settled on the farm that is now designated as the "Dr. Eagan farm" near Glen- viile. Here ]\Irs. Springston died in 1835. and he, in 1841. Both rest in the A\^oodford burying-ground at the mouth of Leading creek.
Air. Springston was the first member of the old Leading creek Baptist church class that w'as ordained as minister. He and his venerable wnfe were the parents of nine children, whose descendants- are now a mighty host in this and difter- ent other counties of this state, as well as other states; viz., Lydia, Abraham, John, Rebecca, Joseph. James, Joanna, \A'il- liam, and George G. Springston.
Lydia Springston (born on July 19, 1808) was the late ]\Irs. David Fisher of Lewis county.
Abraham Springston, who distinguished himself as pio- neer road-maker in this county, was born in Tucker count}', on February 7, 1810, and with his parents removed to Gil-
^ ^
DEVELOPMENTS 439
mer county in his youth. In January 1836, he was married to Aliss Effie Goff, daughter of Hiram, and granddaughter of Salathiel, who was born on August 18, 1811, and the first years of their married life were spent on the Dr. Eagen farm, near Glenville — at the ohl Springston homestead. From here, in 184'3. they removed to Roane county and settled on Little creek near four miles north of Spencer. Here on March 9, 18o"3. Airs. Springston died, and some time after- wards, ]\Ir. Springston married ]\Iiss Jane Wilson, of Lewis county ; and near 1859, they removed to Richardsonvillc in Calhoim county, where death again deprived him of his com- panion, in June 1885. After laA'ing his second wife away (at Richardsonville), he went to Gilmer county and made his home with his sister, ]\Irs. Joanna Bush, until his death, on June 10, 1893, and at the Union church on Sinking creek he lies at rest. His first wife sleeps on the old homestead in Roane county.
He and his first wife were the parents of the following named children : J. H., of Wirt couniy : the late Chapman, of Gilmer, and the late James, of Texas ; Calhoun has also passed ■n\\ and George D. lives at Aliddleport, Ohio; Luda is Mrs. Greathouse, and Margaret was the late ]\Irs. Andrew J. Showen, both of Roane county; Mary L. is Mrs. Washing- ton Shafifer, of Calhoun county ; Sarah, Airs. T. AI. Goff of Harrisville ; and Byrd. the only daughter of the second mar- riage, is Mrs. Wright, of Calhoun county.
Joanna Springston, the little sister that played the part of cook during the first road-making in Alurphy district, grew to womanhood and married George F. Bush of Gilmer county. She was born on February '21, 18'30, and died at her home on Sinking creek in 1904, leaving numerous descendants to "call her blessed."
She was the mother of eight children which are as fol- lows : The late James Bush, of Xewberne, Carr Bush, of GiL mer county; the Rev. Asa Bush, of the Baptist church of Iowa ; Thurmander, of Gilmer, are the sons ; Mary the latt wife of the Rev. L. S. Vannoy of Harrisville, was the eldest daughter; Alice is the wife of M. B. Zinn, of Holbrook; Tensa
440 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
is the wife of Dr. A. J. W'oofter, of Weston ; Rebecca is Airs. Homer W'oofter, of Sinking creek.
Ira B. Bush, who is making a name for himself among the young educators of the State, and who is now Superintend- ent of the Parkersburg schools, is a grandson of this vener- able woman.
Rebecca Springston (sister of Joanna) married John Hall and spent her life on Horn creek, only a short distance from Auburn, and her family are well-known in this county.
Jacob Hall, who met a tragic death in Monroe county ; V\llliam, Henry, and Columbus, of Gilmer, were her sons; and Mary Jane, late wife of Charles Cooper, of Auburn (mother of Victor Cooper, and Mrs. Homer Adams, of Har- risville) ; Lydia Marcella. wife of Samuel Bush, of Wood county ; Margaret Joanna, who is Mrs. Woodford of Colorado, and Eriga, Mrs. Alfred Bush of Lynn. Gilmer county (mother of O. G. Bush, of Smithville) are the daughters.
Joseph Springston (brother of Joanna and Abraham), who was born on Xovember 26, 1817, married Miss Elizabeth Shoven, and settled in Jackson coimty, where he died in ISoo. He was the father of six children; viz., Virginia (Mrs. Am- brose Athens, Jackson county), Clarrissa (Mrs. Marshall Os- bourn, Cleveland, Ohio), Joanna (Mrs. W. S. Goff, Glenville). Sarah (Mrs. A. J. R3aiier, Connings) Lydia (Mrs. T. E. Gil- lispie, W est L^nion), and Charles who died in infancy.
John Springston (another brother) remained in Gilmer county where he reared a family.
James Springston married a Aliss Riddel and died in Roane county, leaving no issue.
William Springston also lived and died in Roane county, leaving a large family, as did his brother George G. Springs- ton.
©Iji0 Cdljaptpr ta SnarribfJi to tijp ilpmnry of H|p
Hat? CS^n^ral ®i|nmafi iiabg IfarrtB
Sttrlilf (Cnuntjj'H iloat iBtattngmHljpJ) g'ntt
J
General Thomas Maley Han-is.
Genius and taste and talent gone. Forever tombed 'beneath the stone.
-nScott.
CHAPTER XXXVI
Physicians
R. JOHN CREEL, of Parkersburg was the
first practicing physician in the county. In
the year 1818, he, assisted by Dr. Jett, who
was also of Parkersburg, performed the
first surgical operation by amputating the
arm of Sallie Stuart, daughter of William
Stuart, senior, of the South fork, who had
had her arm crushed by a falling branch of a tree during a
storm, which had overtaken her while on her way to a neigh-
borinp- house.
Dr. Morgan was the first resident physician. He came from Connecticut in 1836, and took up his residence at Hai- risville. but finding little demand for his services in this healthful, thinly settled region, he only remained a few months.
General Thomas Malay Harris \vas the second physician in 1843. General Plarris needs no introduction to the people of Ritchie cour.ty, since there is, perhaps, scarcely a man, woman or child within its boundary that are not familiar with the name of this late distinguished citizen, whose long and useful career belongs not only to local history, but to State and National as well.
In the "rude log caljin days" when this section of the "Little Mountain State" was one vast wilderness, "dotted here and there with a hunter's cabin and a patch of corn." he was born — not far from the present site of the Lorama depot, at Harrisville — on June 13, ]813.
He came of the union of two prominent pioneer families of this county, being the eldest son of John and Agnes Alaley Harris, and one of a family of seven children.
At the time he stepped upon the stage, educational ad- vantages were m their swaddling clothes, and his envn'on-
PHYSICIANS 443
ments promised but little in the \va_y of a career, but he im- proved his every opportunity, and at an early age joined the ranks of the teacher. His first experience was in the schools of this wilderness, but he later taught in Clarke and Greene counties, Ohio, and while there became interested in the science of medicine.
In October 1842, while engaged as first assistant of the Parkersburg Seminary, he led the principal of the female de- partment of this institution, in the person of Miss Sophia Hall, sister of Dr. M. S. Hall, to the altar as his bride, and during the following winter, attended medical lectures at Louisville, Kentucky ; but returned home in the spring and began the practice of his profession in his native town.
In 1856, he removed to Glenvil'e, where he was estab- lished when the bugle-notes of the great Rebellion called men to action ; but he brought his family back to Harrisville, and recruited and organized the 10th West Virginia Regiment Volunteers, and entered the army as Lieutenant Colonel ; and in May, 1862, was commissioned Colonel. During the years of 1862 and 'f^'^, his service was in West Virginia, he being in coinmand of the posts at Buckhaniion and Beverh^ ; and while stationed at Beverly, on July 2, 1863, his regiment of seven hundred fifty men was attacked by a Confederate force of two thousand two hundred strong under the command of Col. William L. Jackson.^ And though this was the first time that Col. Harris' regiment (in a body) had met the enemy, they succeeded in holding them at bay for two days, notwithstand- ing their superiority in number, until re-enforcements arrived, and helped to put Col. Jackson and his host to flight.
In June, 1864, General Harris was transferred to the val- ley of Virginia and with his command became incorporated in the Army of West Virginia under General Crooks, and had part in the various engagements in the valley during the sum- mer and autumn. At Winchester he had command of fiv.e regiments, and at Cedar creek, on October 19th, when Col.
'Col. Jackson had been an old acquaintance of General Harris, he having: resided at Harrisville in the antp-bcllum days, where he tigured prominently as a lawyer and filled the office of judge as early as 1848. He (Col. Jackson) was the step-son of Thomas Stinclicomb, the first clerk of the Circuit court in this county. He was a native of Lewis county, and a cousin of "Stonewall" Jackson, and in order to distinguish nim from his eminent cousin, he was called "Mudwall."
444 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
Joseph Thoburn fell mortally wounded, he came into com- mand of the First Division of the Army of West \'irginia on the field, the Division flag having fallen to him as the next ranking officer ; and for gallantry on this occasion, he was brevetted Brigadier-General. During this same year, at the close of the Shenandoah valley campaign, a new division was formed, and he was placed in command with orders to report to General Grant at City Point; and in March 18G5. when this division Avas reviewed by Secretary Stanton, he (the Secre- tary) remarked that General Harris' promotion had beer urged by Generals Grant and Ord, but that there was no va- cancy. However, turning to General Harris, he said, "You sta}- here with your command. I wdl go home and make a vacancy. I will muster out some fellow that we can spare." A few days later while enroute to Petersburg, General Harris received the commission of Brigadier-General, and three days after, broke the Confederate lines around Petersburg, and with his brigade took Fort Whitworth, one of the outer-posts of the city. And for this act of brsvery, he was brevetttd Major-General.
At Appomattox, by a forced march, his division was thrown between General Lee's armv and Lvnchburg. and when it became evident that General Gordon was trying to slip out of the surrender with his command, it was General Harris' division that compelled him to abandon the idea . and when he had finally succeedcv,! in silencing the guns of this command, hostilities in Virginia were at an end, as this was the last firing done in the 'Old Dominion."
In recognition of his ser\ice on the field, Secretary Stan- ton proffered him the Lieutenant-Colonelcy of the Thirty- seventh Regulars, but owing to his advanced age he declined the honor.
At the close of the Rebellion when an assassin's bullet had laid the form of our beloA^ed President low, and had turned a Nation's rejoicing into one of mourning and of sor- row. General Flarris w^as again called into service (in May '65) as a member of the Military Commission that tried the conspi- rators of this dark tragedy, and upon this ever interesting trial, he wrote a book entitled the "Historv of the Great Con-
PHVSICIAXS
44.3
spirac}'," which attracted wide attention and added new lau- rels to his brow in the eventide of his life (The date of this production was 1892).
He was the last sur\'ivor of this distinguished military body, among which were numbered the late Generals David Hunter, and Lew Wallace, wdiose "Ben Hur" has found a wel- come among" the lovers of literature in every civilized land.
His military duties being at an end, he returned to his native town and resumed the practice of his medical profes- sion, which was destined to be again interrupted, in 1867, by his election to the House of Delegates, and by his appoint- ment to the office of Adjutant-General of the State under Gov- ernor Stephenson, in 1869. He also served as United States Pension Agent at Wheeling from 1871 to '75, (having been commissioned bv President Grant) but this agencv -beino- abolished, he once again returned to Harrisville and continued the practice of his profession until 1885 when he retired to private life. Here, in his old "mansion house," only a few hundred yards from the spot where he first "saw the light" the evening hours of his long life were spent. The loving de- votion of his second wnfe, who was his cousin, Miss Clara Maley, of Iowa, was the stafif and comfort of his declining- years. His old age was characterized by that peaceful serenity which comes from the consciousness of a well spent
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440
HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
life, and the sunset scene was one of tranquillity and perfect peace. It was the hour of noon, on Sunday, September 30, 1906, when the last ray vanished;, when the announcement came from the silent chamber that the struggle was o'er; that Ritchie county's most distinguished son had passed. "He died rich in the love and esteem of all who knew him," and not a few demonstrations of respect were in evidence at his funeral. Beneath the shadow of the beautiful old town that gave him birth, beside the companion of his youth who was laid there in 1SS5. he lies at rest.
The one cherished hope of his last hours was that a County High school, bearing his name and perpetuating his memory, might be established at Harrisville. He had given the grounds for this purpose, and the. Legislature had passed favorably upon the measure, but tliis proved to be one of the unrealized hopes, as the movement was defeated at the No- vember election, a little more than a month after his death.
He was the father of four children ; viz., Agnes died in infancy. Mary Virginia, in early womanhood; Alartha was the late wife of the Rev. J. R. Johnson, of W'ashington. Penn- sylvania; and John T. Harris, the well-knov.ai Court stenog- rapher of Parkersburg. is the only son.
Dr. Moses S. Hall was another early physician here. He w^as a native of the old Bay State, having been born near Hawley, on March 1, 1824, of Irish-Protestant parentage. His
Dr. and Mrs. M. S. Hall.
PHYSICIANS 447
ancestors came from Ireland shortly after, the American Revolution, and settled at Cape Cod. Some of them took an active interest in Colonial or State affairs, they being ever loyal to the land of their adoption. The true, undaunted, spirit of patriotism thai characterized the life of the late Doc- tor Hall was a family heritage.
In 18J:5, at the age of twenty-one years. Dr. Hall came to Harrisville, and began the study of medicine under his brother-in-law (Dr.) General Harris: and during the winter of 18-18-9, he attended a series of medical lectures at Louis- ville, Kentucky; and not long after this, he claimed Miss Ellen Sampson, of Athens, Ohio, as his bride. This fortunate attachment proved to be the crowning event of his life; for Mrs. Hall was a woman of unusual intellectual endowments and attainments, and she possessed a strong. Christian char- acter, which was ever a power for good. She was one of the truly noble types of womanhood. It has been said that one of her strongest characteristics was her faithfulness to a prom- ise. No matter whether that promise was given to a child or to one of riper years, whether it involved something of vital im- portance or of utter insignificance, it was kept with the same degree of sacredness. Perhaps, in this trait of character lay the secret power of her wonderful influence. She was a school- teacher in the early days of her young womanhood, and while thus engaged at Athens, Ohio, she gave to 'the late Bishop (Chaplain) C. C. McCabe his first instruction in the rudi- ments of learning, taught him his "A, B, C's." He was then a small, timid urchin, .perhaps, scarcely of school years ; his mother having brought him to school and entrusted him to her care.
After his marriage, Dr. Hall located at Sistersville, where he practiced his profession for several years before the "battle- cry" of his country called him into service. When the fury of the gathering storm burst forth, he returned to this county, and organized a company, which was designated as Compan}^ K. of the Tenth West Virginia Regiment Volunteers, and with this company, he was mustered into service, on July 4, 1861 ; and during the following year, was promoted to the rank of Lieut. Colonel of the regiment.
448 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
He saw service throughout the war, and was in a number of hot engagements, being wounded at the battles of Cedar creek and Leetown.
After "the battle had been fought and the victory won." he returned to Harrisville. and resumed the practice of medi- cine, and rose to distinction as a physician. He was a man of unimpeachable character, and of strong convictions. He. at one time, represented this county in the State Legislature: and was for many years an ardent advocate of the temperance movement, he being a leader of the Prohibition party in this state, and a Presidential elector during the campaign of 18 — .
His wife was borne to her final resting-place in the Har- risville cemetery near the year 1896 ; and his only son, Samuel, was laid by her side a few years later.
He spent the last two or three years of his life at Parkers- burg, at the home of his daughter, Mrs. C. D. Merrick, who, with his youngest daughter. Miss A. Grace Hall, is promi- nently known among the W. C. T. U. workers of the State. Here, on a calm evening in the early spring-time (April, 9, 1905) his long, useful life came to a close. x\nd on the fol- lowing Tuesday, he was borne to Harrisville, and laid at rest.
Other Early Physicians. — Drs. William Walker. J. M. Lathrope, Moses Blackburn, Howard, Lsaiah Bee, William McCauley, and W. M. Rymer, were other early physicians, of Harrisville.
Of Dr. A\'alker, we have no history.
Dr. Lathrope was a cousin of Dr. Hall, and like him was a product of the old Bay State, he having come to this county some years after Doctor Hall. He practiced his profession at West Union before coming to Harrisville, where death invaded his home and carried away his companion ; and soon after this sad event, perhaps not long after the close of the Avar, he went to Dover, Ohio, near Cleveland, where his life cam.e to an end, a few years since.
Dr. Blackburn came from Farmington, Alarion county, in the early sixties, and went to Pittsburg, after a few years' stay, where he died. His two sons, Jackson and Dewese. still resided there the last account.
PHYSICIANS 449
Dr. Howard came from Tyler county, and figured during the war ; and from here he passed to the other shore. His fam- then returned to Tyler county.
Dr. Bee was a brother of Obadiah Bee, formerly of Spruce creek, but now of Belpre, Ohio, and of Azariah, of Berea. He was located here before the Civil war, and at the opening of hostilities went to other parts ; but has for many years been located at A-Iercer Court House, wliere he is still prominently identified in the medical profession. He married Mrs. Mary Smith Lacy, of Harrisville, while practicing here, and has one son. Dr. Isaiah Bee. junior.
Dr. McCauley was here for peril aps a year about 18G5 or '6G. He went to Clarksburg but finally returned here, where he died at the home of his daughter, the late Mrs. John S. Peirpoint, near 187(3. He was the son of Dr. McCauley, senior, of Clarksburg, and the brother of John McCauley tlie first school-teacher in' Clay district, who afterwards became Dr. John AlcCauley, and practiced medicine at West Union and other points. Earle Peirpoint, of Harrisville ; Mrs. Hermione Helmick, of Fairmont; and Mrs. Helen Saterfield, of Aliddle- ton, are the grandchildren of Dr. William McCauley.
Dr. William M. Rymer was born in Westmorland coimty. Pennsylvania, on h^ebruary 19, 1835 ; and in 1856, he came to the "Little Mountain State," and began the practice of medi- cine, at Jacksonville, Lewis county; and in 1857, he came to Bone creek this county ; and there, the following year, he was married to Miss Agnes Law, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. An- drew Lav/, pioneer settlers of this section.
In 18G5, he came to Harrisville where he remained a fa- miliar and prominent figure until his sudden death, on Febru- ary 27, 1907.
He was the oldest physician in the county, and one among the oldest practioners in the State, at the time of his death, he having been identified in this profession for a half century.
When he came to this county he and Dr. Flail were the only physicians within its boundary. He sleeps in the Idar- risville cemetery ; and his widow still occupies the old home at Harrisville.
/
450 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
He was the father of three sons and three daugliters. Two of the sons, William A., and Hosea are identified in the medi- cal profession, and the late Homer, was a dentist. Mrs. Ella (B. F.) Ayres, Mrs. Mary (J. N.) Peirpoint, and Mrs. Anna (J. A.) Wells, all of Harrisville, are the daughters.
The Rymers trace their ancestry back to the Fatherland. Dr. AMlliam Rymer, senior, .the great-grandfather of Dr. \\' . M., was born at Hanover, Germany near the year 17o() ; and distinguished himself by his service to the Government as naval physician and surgeon. He died on board his ship while in active service, and being held in such high esteem, he was not buried beneath the waves, as was the custom at that time, but his remains were taken to the home-land ami laid away.
His son, Frederic Rymer, was born in the ancestral home at Hanover about ITfiO. He married Miss Susan A/fcGregor, and came to America, and settled in the Pennsylvania colori\^ in 178(3 ; and there the greater part of his life was spent. He was an artist by profession, and he spent his last hours in Mahoning county. Ohio, where he and his wife passed on in 1835.
His son William (H) was born in AVestmoreland county. Pennsylvania, in lTO(i, and there he was married to Miss Eliza- beth Nailey ; and they were the parents, of the late Dr. Wil- liam ]\I. Rymer, of Harrisville, the subject of this sketch. He died at Columbus, Ohio, in 1869.
Dr. W. E. Talbott has been a leading ph)^sician of Harris- ville, for more than a cjuarter of a centur}-. He came here from Upshur county in 1881 ; and not long after his arrival. Avas married to Aliss Alma ]McKinney, daughter of the laie James McKinney, of Harrisville.
After her death, he claimed Miss Metta Lambert as his bride. FTe is a member of the County Board of Health, and of the Pension Examining Board. He has no children.
Dr. A. C. Blair, a native of this town, who is now located in Randolph count}-, was identified in the profession here for se\'eral years.
There are now nearly twenty physicians in the count}-.
©0 tl|p mpmorg
nf
lEnnrl^ (^tot^t Sa«
Enoch G. Day.
If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing.
— Benjamin Franltlin.
CHAPTER XXXVII
Newspapers
HE first newspaper sent out its initial num- ber during- the spring of 1856, under the name of the "Ritchie Democrat." It was edited and published by Enoch G. Day, who came from Bath county, Virginia, bringing" his press and material wdth him. He continued to issue this paper until a few months before the breaking out of the Civil war, when he sold it to "Deck" Neal, who abandoned it at the opening of hos- tilities, and went South and took up his sword in behalf of the Confederacy. Mr. Day then again took charge and changed the paper to a religious publication, which he called "The Advocate ;" and near the close of the year 186;;?, he sold out to Daniel F. Shriner, of Ohio, who issued it under the name of the "Ritchie Press."
Mr. Shriner was a member of a company of "Home- guards," and, he having just returned from a scout in the Southern part of the coimty, had written a graphic account of this trip for publication, and had the paper partly out of the press — the part containing this article — when General Jones, with a company of Confederate Cavalryman, made his appear- ance at Harrisville, on the morning of May 7, 1863, and paid a visit to the "Press Office." After pieing the forms, scatter- ing a few cases of type, and distributing the half-finished sheet among themselves, these distinguished visitors took their de- parture, leaving Mr. Shriner, and his two employees, Alvin McClaskey, and J. J. Sigler, to gather up the fragments, which they did, successfully, and the paper resumed publication from this same press and t3'pe, and soon appeared again filled with strong denunciations of this act of vandalism.
During the spring of 1864, Mr. Shriner, having failed to
NEWSPAPERS 453
pay for this office, it passed into the hands of Miss Nancy Stevens, who purchased it of Allen and Catlett, of Bath county, Virginia. Mr. Shriner then sold his outfit (an old hand press with from one hundred fifty to two hundred pounds of second-hand type) to J. J. Sigler, and went to Wes- ton, where he edited a paper for a few months, before going to Chillicothe, Ohio, where he still survived a few years since.
"The Ritchie Press" was then published by J. J. Sigler and edited by S. P. McCormick for the next two one-half years. Then Frank Miller of Steubenville, Ohio, owned it for a few months (in 1867), and he was succeeded by the late C. F. Scott, of Parke'rsburg, who died in Washington city in 1906, and John T. Harris, who changed its name to the "West Virginia Star." James Murphy then purchased it, condition- ally, but Scott and Harris resumed control again after a fev^/ months.
Other owners from 1869 to 1872 were, J. J. Sigler. E. H. McDougal, (who put his son T. T. McDougal, now of the "Ceredo Advance" in the office to learn the trade), Leo J. Theiss, (a band teacher), T. E. Davis, Chas. T. Dawson and P. W. Morris.
In 1872, P. W. Morris, becoming the sole owner and ])roprietor, changed the name to the "Ritchie Gazette," and from that time until the summer of 1901, it was edited and published by the Morris family. The late E. H. Collins, of Berea, then became the purchaser, and from his hands it passed into the possession of a company, and was managed by W. R. Heaton. Watt Warren, an old newspaper man of Gilmer county, then occupied the editorial chair, until Sep- tember 1907, when it returned "to the house of its fathers," Robert Morris the present editor, becoming the occupant of the chair. Under his management it has now reached its maximum circulation, one thousand eight hundred.
P. W. Morris is a native of New Martinsville, Wetzel county, he having been born there on July 24, 1850. He be- gan his career as a school-teacher, and in his early manhood, came to Harrisville, where he was married to Miss Lydia Pat- ton, daughter of William Patton. In 1872, he was admitted to the bar; he filled various municipal offices of the town; served
454
HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
as a member of the Board of Public School Examiners ; as County Superintendent, and State Senator. Since leavins^ Harrisville he has been the editor of the Parkersburg State Journal, and a candidate for Cong-ress. He and his sons are now the sole owners of this paper which holds a high rank among the leading Republican organs of the state.
]\Ir. Morris is the father of five daughters and four sons, who have all had more or less experience in newspaper work ; and the sons, Robert, Will, Ben, and Leland are thus inter- ested at the present time. The daughters are : ]\Irs. Hortense M. Cooper, Mrs. Beatrice Henry, Mrs. Sue Devol, and Kath- rine, and Dorothy, who are still at home.
Robert and Mrs. Cooper have also been prominently identified in educational circles.
The Ritchie Democrat and Beacon Light. — The late E. S. Zeveley founded the "Ritchie Democrat and Beacon Lig^ht," at Cairo, in April 1877, and continued its publication until his death, in April 1884.
Mr. Zeveley was at this time the oldest nev.'spaper man in West Virginia, he having been identified in this business
for almost a half-centur^^ He was born in Xorth Carolina, in 1818. and there he was educated, and entered upon his journalistic career, by begin- ning the publication of the "Greens- boro Beacon," in 1836.
He was connected with journal- ism in difl:'erent states ; viz., Ohio, Maryland, Xorth Carolina, and West \'ira:inia.
After his death, the "Ritchie Democrat and Beacon Light" 'passed into the hands of his son. Van A. Zeveley, who continued it at Cairo until 1889, when he moved it to Pennsboro, and. dropping the "Ritchie Democrat." issued it under the name of the "Beacon Light" until it went out of existence, in 1893.
He then went to Lincoln county, where he edited the "Lincoln News" for six years, until his failing health com- pelled him to give up the newspaper work, which had engaged
E. S. Zeveley.
NEIVS PAPERS 4.>.j
his attention for a quarter of a cenrury. He is now located at Cairo,, where he has one of the best job printing offices in the state.
The elder Zeveley married Miss Charlotte Hinkle (1820- 1886), and his other children besides Van A. are the late John H. Zeveley, Mrs. Malvina Soyster, ]\Irs. Zabenia Elder (de- ceased), and Airs. Mae (H. N.) Sharps, Pennsboro.
Other Cairo Papers. — In 1895. C. H. Scoville started the "Cairo Times," but his office was destroyed by fire a few months later, and thus its brief history came to an end.
"The Cairo Enterprise" is the one publication here now. "The Enterprise" was lavmched by Dana R. AIcGlothlin and Charles Smoot, two young men of Parkersburg. Mr. Smoot severed his connection with this paper in 1905, and it passed into the hands of a company, and Mr. McGlothlin was retained as editor and manager; but he sought "greener fields" a year or so since, and Earnest Prunty became his successor, but Robert Morris is now the owner, and Van A. Zeveley is in the editorial chair. (1910.)
Weekly Review Founded.— In 1877, J. J. Sigler and T. T. AIcDougal purchased a small printing outfit and opened a job office at Harrisville ; and after a few months, Mr. McDougai severed his connection with this office, and went to Lincoln county, where he set the "Lincoln Clipper" afloat: and Mr. Sigler became the owner, and continued in the job printing business until the Greenback movement became a political feature in this state, a few years later. He then became the publisher of a paper called the "Greenbacker," which was launched by some of the leaders of this mov-ement, and which was edited by R. H. Freer. At the close of the campaign in 1884, this publication was discontinued, and tlie "W^eekly Re- view" came upon the stage, in November of the same year, as a Democratic organ, with J. J. Sigler publisher, and Hfin. L. G. Bennington, editor. Plon. R. S. Blair and other ])romi- nent Democrats being- behind the movement.
Mr. Bennington only occupied the editorial chair for a few months, and he was succeeded by the late B. F. Ayres. This paper expounded Democracy for a little more than a year, and was on- the eve of being discontinued when,.
456 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
J. J. Sigler became the editor and proprietor, and changed it to a Republican sheet ; and thus it continued to expound the "principles of the Grand old Party" until 1S!)9, when it was purchased by the late F. M. Moats, and incorporated with the "Ritchie Standard" — the Review office becomino: the Standard ofifice, and the Review press, the Standard press.
J. J. Sigler is a native of Evansville, Preston county, he having been born in 1847. He is the son of the late J. R. Sigler, of Cairo, and the grandson of Israel Stevens,^ v/ho came from Pruntytown to Harrisvllle, in 1850, and who served as post-master, deputy sherifif, and jailer, during the fifties.
Mr. Sigler was reared by his grandfather and his late aunt, Aliss Nancy Stevens, his mother having bade adieu to earth Avhen he was but an infant. So Harrisville has been his home from early childhood.
He married Miss Florence ]\FcDougal and is the father of five children: Homer E. Sigler, deputy County clerk, Parkersburg; Mrs. P. Z. Musgrave, INIarion county; George T., who is book-keeper foi the Cypress Lumber Companv at Loughman. Florida ; and Miss Lelia and Byrl. All of the children spent most of their school vacation at the case in the Review office, with the exception of Mrs. Musgrave. Miss Lelia is regarded as one of the most efficient type-setters in this part of the state.
Mr. Sigler now has a job office at Flarrisville.
The Ritchie Standard. — This paper came into existence near the year 1889, when S. S. Stewart founded the "Re- veille," which he published for a few years, and which was continued b}' his. wife, Mrs. Ella Haymond Stewart, until 1895, when it passed into the hands of H. B. Woods and AV. R. Heaton, who became ecpial purchasers, and who changed the name of the paper — sending out the first issue of the "Ritchie Standard" on March 15, 1895.
Mr. A\'oods was the editor, and Mr. Heaton, the manager, but during the autumn of 189G. Mr. W'oods sold his interest to the late F. M. Moats, who became the sole owner, a little later.
'Mr. Stevens w^s ihe fatne'' of t>-p l^te iM's; Nancy Stevens, Mr?. M A. McKinney. and Mrs. Sarah A. M. Heaton. .
NEHS PAPERS 457
As before stated, Mr. Moats purchased the "Weekly Re- view," in 1899, and incorporated it v/ith the "Standard," and continued its publication until his death, in May, 1901. The plant was then sold to a company known as the "Standard Publishing Company," and was managed and edited by the late J. Willis Fiddler, and W. R. Heaton, until October, 190?, when it passed into the hands of Lewis Harvey Adams,- a native of the "Buckeye state," who had been a resident of this county, since his early boyhood, and a prominent teacher, before stepping into the editorial chair. In September, 190'V, he sold to Robert Morris, the present owner of both Gazette and Standard, and went to Parkersburg.
One interesting feature in connection with the history of this paper, is that it was founded by local talent — by a novice in the newspaper business ; and, though no other local pub- lication in the county has ever attained a higher degree of success, or reached its present circulation limit, it has been in such hands almost throughout its history.
Under the present management, the subscription list has been increased from thirteen hundred to two thousand, though the present editor cannot be styled a novice in this business, as he was "born and bred in a newspaper office."
Pennsboro Papers. — M. K. Duty was the author of the first newspaper venture at Pennsboro, some time in the early '8()'s. He called his spicy little sheet "The Monitor," and after a brief editorial experience, sold out to T. A. Brown, who continued it for a time at Pennsboro, and then removed it to Elizabeth, AMrt county, in April, 1886, where he issued it under the name of the "Elizabeth Times." It later passed into the hands of the Gray Brothers, but is now owned by the "Messenger Publishing Company," and is knowai as the "Elizabeth Messenger."
M. K. Duty is a Tyler county product. In a hickory cabin of unhewn logs, with a puncheon floor, and with but one window, and one door, he was bom, on December 8, 185-";. Pie is of Irish lineage — the great-grandson of Mark Duty, who distinguished himself by being the author of an arith- metic, which was used in the schools of his day, and who was the father of Elizabeth Dutv, the founder of the Woman'*^
408 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
Christian Temperance Inn; and of !Mrs. Jennie Duly Spencer, wife of the celebrated Piatt R. Spencer, author of the Spen- cerian penmanship system. His parental ancestors came from Cleveland, Ohio, and his maternal, from Monongalia county, to Tyler county, where his parents, Andrew AV. Duty, and Hannah Eleanor Jones Du-ty, were both born.
His father served as first sergeant of Company E. of the Fourteenth AA'est Virginia Infantry Volunteers during th.e Civil war, being captured and taken prisoner at the battle of Cloyd Mountain, on ]\Iay 9, ISfif. He died at his home in Tyler county, in 1910, and his wife has long been sleeping 'mid the scenes of her childhood at Centerville, where she was laid at the early age of thirty-three years.
]\I. K. Duty has been a prominent figure in educational, political, and business circles ever since he came to this coun- ty, perhaps near thirty years ago. He has been teacher, edi- tor, lawyer, County Superintendent, member of the House of Delegates, candidate for Congress, and railroad magnate. He is President of the Lorama Railroad Company at this time, and is busily engaged in the extension of this road to Pullman.
He married Miss Ollie Howard, daughter of Henry Howard, of T3der county, for his first wife, and they were the parents of three children, the late Okey, Price, and Jennie. His second wife was Miss Lora Crumrine. daughter of the late Dr. J. B. Crumrine.
The Zeveley Paper, whose history has already been noticed, was the second publication here. Then came AX'ill A. Strickler with the "Lever," which he sold to a man by the name of Smith, who changed the name to that of "Pennsboro Xevvs." His (Smith's) editorial career here, was a brief one, and he was succeeded by the late D. A. Fawcett. of Xorth Carolina, who, after a few months" experience, gave his place to J. A. Wooddell, the present editor and proprietor, who had the misfortune to lose the entire contents of his office by fire early in the year 19()(j, but who soon installed a n.ew outfit, and resumed his publication after a brief intermission. This is the only Democratic paper in the county, but. though much in the minority, its editorials hold a high rank among the other weekly publications of the state.
NEWSPAPERS 459
"The Republican" was another transient Pennsboro paper. W. B. Pedigo, the present Mayor of Parkersbnrg, was the editor for a time, and later, it passed nito the hands of a com • pany of Pennsboro's business men, who continued its publica- tion until the spring of 1903, when it went out of existence.
In July following, the "Republican" outfit was sold to Hons. Anthony Smith, R. H. Freer, and Sherman Robinson, and removed to Harrisville, where it was pressed into service in the publication of a paper styled "The Eagle," which was edited by Ad!r. Freer, and published by J. J. Sigler. The clam- merous tones of this "glorious bird" attracted much atten- tion for a time — its screams being heard far and .wide during tlie campaign. But alas ! at its close the lovely thing dropped its proud head and died. The late E. H. Collins, of the Ga- zette, purchased the outfit in July, 19U4.
The identity of the first newspaper editor of the county is a subject of more than ordinary interest to us, since his venture into this unpromising wilderness laid the founda- tion for the weekly publications which play such an import- arit part in our public affairs of to-day.
Enoch George Day was born in Anne Arundel county, Maryland, on September 5, 1809, and there his youthful days were spent. His wife, Miss Julia Anne England, daughter of Andrew and Katherine Buckley England, was a native of Frederick county, Maryland, and from Bath county, Virginia, they came to Harrisville in 1856. He brought his press and material with him, and soon after his arrival launched the "Ritchie Democrat." He not only figured as newspaper edi- tor, but as lawyer and post-master as well. He went from here to St. Mary's, perhaps, towards the close of the Civil war, and there practiced law for a time before removing to Wheel- ing, where he died, on September 12, 1870, at the age of sixty- one years, and there in lot No. 371 in Peninsula cemetery, he lies at rest. After his death, Mrs. Day went West to live with her son, Thomas, and, in Mexico, Missouri, on June 5, 1884, she fell asleep, at the age of seventy-five years.
Their family consisted of four sons and one daughter;
460 HISTORY or RITCHIE COUXTY
viz., Thomas E., Charles H., Jolin Emery, ^^^ Harry, and Mary C. Day. '
The sons were all Union soldiers ; all were wounded w hile in the service, and all are dead from the effects of these wuunds, except Charles H. Harry, who died in Oklahoma, in lOOO, was Captain of the "Home-guards." Emor}' was wounded at the battle of Bull run, and died nine days later. Thomas, who laid down the cross at Mexico, Missouri, in 1894, was a colonel ; and Charles H., who lost an arm in the conflict, was captain. He now resides at Agnewville. \'ir- ginia, and is unmarried.
Mary C. Day, the only daughter (born on November 6, 1840), was first married to Peter E. Kerns, of Bath county, Viro-inia, on November 8, 1859. Mr. Kerns was born o:i November '2. 1830, and died on July 18, 186?, from cold con- tracted during his service in the Union army; and Alda, the one child of this luiion (born on May 7, 1801, and died on April 29, 1802), lies by her father in the Harrisville cemetery.
On January 30, 1868, Mrs. Mary C. Day Iverns became the wife of J. B. Mallory, the marriage being solemnized at St. Mary's by the Rev. Mr. Belt, of the Methodist Episcopal cliurch, and at Wheeling they resided until 1870, when they came to Ellenboro, where she feel asleep on October 0, 1894; and in the Ellenboro cemetery she lies buried. But Mr. ]\[al- lory still survives at the age of eighty years ; he having been born at Geneva, Pennsylvania, on August 15, 1830 ; and with his uncle, the late Dr. M. M. Campbell, of Parkersburg, came to Fairmont, this state, at the age of seventeen years. Pie was a soldier of the Union army, and lost one eye in the service. He is a boot-maker by trade, and has had consider- able experience as clerk in the stores at Ellenboro, and Avas at one time assistant collector of Internal Revenue for his brother-in-law, the late General A. S. Core.
Mr. and Mrs. Mallory were the parents of six children; viz., Henry K. (1869-71), Henrietta (born and died in 18:4). Harry K. (1875-1900), Wheeling; Joseph M., W^ilsonburg; Edward, of the Jaricaki Manufacturing Company, Ellenboro, and Mary Day, the eldest daughter, who is now Airs. Perr}- Slrickler, of Ellenboro. She and her brother being the only descendants of Enoch G. Dav that remain in this countA-.
XEll SPAPERS 461
The Days must have crossed the sea early in the eighteenth century, though this fact has not been positively established ; but they first settled in Anne Arundle county, Maryland, and from there scattered to different parts of the Union, the name being a prominent one in v*arious sections of the country to-day. But our definite information begins with Thomas and Hannah Day, the grandparents of Enoch G. Day, wlio resided in Maryland as early as 1784, when their son, Thomas Day, junior, was born.
Thomas Day, junior, this son, was married to Miss Eleanor Thompson, who was born in 1786, and they were the parents of Enoch G. Day, and of the following named other children: Anne (born on November 10, 1810), John (born March 11, 1812). Gideon H. (May 3 8, 1815), and Francis Asbury (June 1, 1818). Francis A. and Gideon were minis- ters of the Methodist Protestant church, and the latter resided at Baltimore. John was also of Maryland. But Francis Asbury was an early minister of the Harrisville community. and he finally removed to Philadelphia, where he fell dead on the street, while making pastoral calls, on April IT, 1890. He had one daughter, Emma, and perhaps other children.
John Day. — Another branch of thib famih^ Avhich has been kn.own in the county since the ante-bellum days, is that of John Day, who, though no positive proof has been established. Avas almost without doubt the brother of Thomas Day, senior — the grandfather of Enoch ^G. Day.
John Day, whose history begins in Anne Arundel coun- ty, Maryland, was the father of two sons, Thomas and Ed- ward, and two daughters, whose names are missing.
Thomas Day, the one son, whose history is of interest to us, was born near Baltimore, in 1800, and there he was mar- ried, in 1823. to Miss Sarah Ann Barnes, who Avas also a native of that city; and in February, 1832, they migrated to Ohio and settled near Barnesville, in Carroll county, where they remained until they passed to the other side.
They- were the parents of eight children ; \iz., Joshua (1823-1902), Illinois; Francis (1821-1880), Adam Thomas (1827—), Edward (—1876), John (who died on April 8, 1864. while serving as a Union soldier), Elizabeth (died in 1893
462 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
uninarried). Mary (who became Airs. Kerns, died on October 28, 1890), and Joseph, who is unmarried, makes his home with his nephew, J. E. Day, of near Auburn.
Francis Day was the one son wdiose family are known in ihis county. Jle was born in Baltimore county, Maryland, on October 27, 1824, and with his parents removed to Ohio, when he was but a child of seven summers: there, he q^rew to manhood, and married Miss Eliza Meredith, eldest daughter of the late William Meredith, of White Oak, on April 13. 1852, and seven years later (1858), removed to Harrisville, where he engaged in the mercantile business for about t^.vo years. But when the Civil war cloud threatened to burst forth in storm, he returned, with his family, to Lebanon. Ohio, and enlisted in the L'nion service for three years, and thus svis- tained disabilities which finally caused his death. At the close of the war he removed his family back to this county, and resided on White Oak until 1874, when he went to Kansas, going on from there to Alma, Marion county, Illinois, six months later, where he died on July 22. 1880. And there, in the Alma cemetery, by the side of his wife, who died on April 25, 1883, he lies at rest. Mrs. Day was born in Marion county, West Virginia, on July 14, 1837.
Their five children were as follows: John William, who. with his brother, James Edward Day. resides near Auburn, on the Doddridge county side: Thomas Lincoln, Jasper G., and Sarah T., who first married William Howton, of this county, later John Wheeler, of Illinois, and who is now ]\Irs. James Baldridge, are all of Illinois.
On October 2, 1880, James Edward Day was married in Miss Lou Stinespring, daughter of John Stinespring, of Doddridge county, and their only child is Miss Ella Day.'
^If no otlipr evidence was at hand the strong similarity of the names
in these families would be sufficient to establisli the connection, but
Franei.s Day often told his friends that he va? distantly related to Enoch G. Day.
CHAPTER XXXVIII
Harrisville
ARRISVILLE is the oldest and most beauti- ful town in the county. It was laid out' in the wilderness, in 1832, on land 'belonging- to Tliomas Harris, in view of having it made the seat for a new county.
The plat was made by John McKinney. and was recorded in the clerk's office at Parkersburg. Although lots were sold at this early date, but one was improved before 18;37. On this lot. Stephen Stuart erected the first house, which was a frame dwelling ; and his father, Joseph Stuart — a pioneer before mentioned, lost his life here by the falling of a lumber-kiln, before the liuilding was completed. And in this building, rhe first store in the county was opened by Matthias Cline, perhaps, as early as 1825 ; who. in 1827, sold to William McKinney, who was succeeded by John Nicklin, son of the late Dr. Nicklin, of Middlebourne. On this same lot, near 1813, Mr. McKinney erected the old "Lincoln House," which served as a public hostelry until 1888. when it was destroyed by fire. The site is now owned by the Ritchie County Rank, and is marked by the handsome resi- dence of E. M. Carver, the founder and cashier of Ritchie county's oldest bank.
At the same time that Mr. Nicklin (1810) came into pos- session of the McKinney store, O. and Granville I^erkley, tv^Ao brothers, built a store-house on the lot that is now the prop- erty of J. M. Hall ; and both Mr. Nicklin. and Granville Berk- lev built residences. Harrisville was now a village of four houses.
In 1812, Daniel Rexroad built the first hotel, which stood but a few feet back of the present dwelling of T. F. Leach — a portion of which is still standing.
Mr. Rexroad was the son of Henry, and a first cousin of
464 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
Noah Rexroad. He married a Miss Wells, and went from here to Chicago, \vhere he died a few years since, and where his sons. Isaiah and Har^^ey, still lived, at the last account.
The "Watson House" was built in 1843, by John [Maulsby, who died here of typhoid fever, the following year; and Plenry J. Fisher, of Point Pleasant, then purchased the property, and placed Phillip Cox, father of D. \\\ Cox, in charge. The next tenant was John Smith, of Virginia, who opened what was, perhaps, the first and last saloon in the county, in connection with this hotel. He went to Parkersburg, where he fell asleep, and where one of his sisters still survives.
On March "28, 1807, ]\Ir. Fisher sold this property to Enoch G. Day, who, shortly after, sold to Jeremiah Xay ; and on April 8, 18GT, ]\Ir. Xay transferred it to Airs. Eveline Wat- son, who continued as owner until a few years since, when it passed into the hands of the First National Bank. The old building was then replaced by a handsome brick, and the name was changed to that of "National hotel." But its race was brief, a destructive fire having laid it in ruins early in the year 1906, while C. S. Corbin was the proprietor. A large three-story building of handsome architecture, which contains the post-office, the First National Bank, private offices, etc., now marks the site.
White Hall Hotel. — Near the year 1846, Robert Porter, came from New York, and built the old "White Flail" hotel, and opened a store in the same building. But, he, becoming involved in debt, lost the property, and went to Missouri, where he died a little later; and W. M. Patton, became the owner, in 1850.
Mr. Patton employed ^Morgan Blackshire to run the hotel, and in the meantime, he became the Sheriff of the county: but he, too, becoming involved in debt, lost the property, and his father, \A'illiam Patton, senior, then became the owner, in 1859; and the "'White Hall" hotel has ever since been in the hands of the Patton familv. At the death of the elder Patton, in 1879, his son, the late A. T-. took control ; and in the earlv nineties, he sold to his brother, the late B. F. Patton; and not long after this transaction, the old building was destroyed by fire, but Avas rebuilt by the owner in 1893.
HARRISVILLE
465
This now the largest hotel in the county, being three stories in height and numbering thirty-five rooms. It is practically the only hotel in town (there being- a number of boarding-houses), and it is under the efficient management ot Mrs. B. F. Patton, and her son, Frank.
aMWiff^mw^^'iMMffWr--
White Hall Hotel
As early as 1843, Spencer T. Bukey,^ of Williamstown, built a residence and storehouse combined on the corner of Alain and Court streets, on the lot that is now adorned by the palatial brick residence of W. W. Lawrence.
In 1850, Harrison B. Cunningham, son-in-law of the late Rev. James Hardman, erected a building on the corner of Main and Spring streets, and opened a general store ; but he, failing in business, was succeeded by Hopkins Burlingham, who continued to sell goods here until his death, on July 10, 1852. A gentleman by the name of Dunlap, and perhaps, a few others then held this business in hand until 1859, when the late W. FI. Peirpoint came forward with a small stock ot groceries and confectionery, to which he added a general line of dry goods, a little later. And, with the exception of a year or so, he continued to serve his customers at this stand until 1!)04, when he sold to ITarley and Carlie Aloats, retaining his queensware department, which he rebuilt and enlarged, and sold to his brother, J. N. Peirpoint, shortly before his death, in 190G.
Among the many others who have been identified in the mercantile business in this town, we find the names of \\'illiam
*The writer has in lier posse.ssion a statement of a bill of merchan- dise, hearing the date of 1S43, which was purchased by her late paternal grandfather of Mr. Bukey while in business here.
466 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTV
McKinney, Burlingham and Rexroad (Daniel), Holt and Douglass, James AIcKinney and Xoah Rexroad, Daniel Boughner & Co.. John Hall & Son, J. Al. Hall. Amos Gulp, Samuel Kuykendall J. M. Davis, A. j. & A. D. Patton, T. T. Flinn, J. K. P. W'ooddell. C. C. Davis, J. F. Munsey, C. \\'. Winters, P. G. Brake, AI. J. Grummett, J. H. Haddox, and doubtless many others.
The present ones are W. W. Lawrence, Fisher and Stump, Andrew Moats and sons, Harley and Garlie, A. F. Wilcox &. Co., and E. J. Taylor.
The First Tannery in the county was established here as early as 182?. by Thomas Chancellor, but in 1S;39, it passed into the hands of Zackquill M. Peirpoint, who continued to hold this business in-tact until his death in 188"? : and shortly after this, it went out of existence, having .been in continuous operation for sixty years. The D. B. Latimer flouring mill. which was erected by the Hardman Brothers — Fremont and Sheridan — in the early nineties, now marks the site of this old tanner}'.
Saddlery and Harness Business. — Joseph J. \^andivort, of Fairmont, brother of Mrs. Zackquill ]M. Peirpoint. and Thomas Reitz & Son launclied the saddler and harness business here, which has principally been held in-tact by G. S. ^Martin and John B. Ayres for the past forty years. Mr. Ayres sold out his business in 1903, and went West, then East; but now rests in Oklahoma. G. G. McKinley succeeded him, and then came H. B. Curry, of Troy, for a brief time, but he sold his stock to G. S. Martin, who now holds full sway.
C. S, Martin and his wife, Mrs. Matilda Sturms Martin, came from Marion county, and are the parents of two daugh- ters, Mrs. Cocoa D. Ailor, wife of Dr. C. W. Ailor, of Alur- phytown, and Delia, ^vho is now ^yfrs. Lester Snodgrass.
Thomas Reitz and his wife, nee Marshall, came heie from Pennsylvania. He went to Pittsburg and finally to Kansas, where he died at the home of his son, the late Captain J. T\L Reitz.
Besides the son above mentioned, he was the father of the late L. G. Reitz, of Ellenboro ; Baltzer, of Florida ; the late Mrs. Henrietta (W. H.) Peirpoint, of Harrisvillc, ]\lrs.
H ARRIS VI LLE • 467
Mary McGee, and Mrs. Virginia (John) Blackburn, Pittsburg.
The Post-office was established in 1830, under the name of "Solus," with William McKinney, junior, as post-masver. The names of the other early post-n-^asters are Avanting". but the following" named gentleman have served in this capacity since 1S63 : Enoch G. Day, James M. Davis, C. S. Martin, the late T. E. Davis, J. J. Sigler, J. M. Hali. J. B. Ayres. J. M. Barbe, the late IT. B. McKinley, H. C. Showalter, and the present incumbent, R EI. Ereer— a munber of these gentlemen have served several terms, or more than one, at least.
The Pioneer M, E. Church was erected near 1843, on the farm of the late Noah Rexroad, it having stood across the run just opposite the present R. E. L. Erymire residence. But the site was changed to the present one, near 1855 ; and a small parsonage was erected on this same lot at that time ; but during the following winter, it was reduced to ashes, and the new church narroAvly escaped a like fate — a timely snov/ having aided materially in saving it. This old church was replaced by a new and much larger frame structure, in 1877, but this building was destroyed by fire in 1888, when the Moats corner an.d the old "Lincoln House" went up in smoke. The fire having caught in the lattice work of the cupola, near sixty feet from the ground. A splendid brick structure nov: marks the site.
The First Baptist Church stood on the lot now owned by John Hulderman, and Mr. Davisson. The present church, which was built in 1891, is on Main street, west of Court street. The Rev. George A. Woofter was the first regular pastor of the new church.
The M. P. Church was built in 1858, and was remodeled in 1894. It also stands on Main sireet, opposite the school building.'
The Court House came in 1844, and this old time build- ing served until 1874, when the present brick took its place.
Not far from the time of the erection of the old court house, the first jail came into existence with Alexander Glover as contractor and builder. This antique structure was made of logs one foot scpiare, laid compactly together, with a twen-
'For farther hi.story of these churches see chapter on Churches.
468
HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
The Coui-t House with the annex.
ty-penny nail driven in every square inch. In ISGD, this old prison with "its walls so dark antl gloomy," gave place to the present two-story brick building-.
The greater part of these old landmarks have gone "the way of all the world" — ha^'e returned to their native dust.
The School. — Harrisville. like all the otlier towns, had its old time school ; and one of the early buildings used for this purpose, stood on the site now marked by the former P. W. Morris residence. But the first public-school building, which consisted of two rooms, came in 18()4 — the school being opened this same year with S. P. AlcCormick, of Monongalia county, as principal. It remained a district school with a term of four months until 1ST"?, when the length of time was extended; but since 18S3, v.dien the Harrisville Independeni District was formed, its term has been eight months.
In 1878, the two-roomed frame building was replacetl by a four-roomed brick ; and in 1904, this building was remod- eled and enlarged, by the addition of two rooms and an audi- torium, which is a large, well-lighted and ventilated hall, seated with opera chairs.
The High School was established in 1894, under tlie di- rection of W. W. Tapp. and its graduates now number sixty- four (1909). The present enrollment is more than two
HARRIS]/ 1 LLE
469
The Jail.
hundred sixt}', with fifty-seven of the number in the High School grade.
The present school course covers a period of t^vel\^i }-ears, including the High School curriculum of four years, vvdiicii embraces Greek, Roman and English history, Latin, Algebra. Geometry, American and English Literature, Music, Physical geography, and Physics, etc., the fourth year being added in 1910.
The school library numbers six hundred volumes ; and the grounds have, witiun the past year, been beautified by a cement walk that surrounds the l:)uiidirg.
The following named gentlemen have occupied the posi- tion of ])rincipal here since 1880: (jeorgeK^. Scott, George W. Lowther, M. A. Hayes, J. H. Lininger. M. H. Willis. J. S. Cornwell, LI. B. Woods, W. \V. Tapp, J. L. Marsh, Rober". Morris, B. H. Hall, H. E. Cooper, Elbert Jones, and J. H. Hickman.
Two new teachers have been added to the faculty (this year, 1910), which is now as follows: J. PI. Hickman, prin- cipal; M. M. Powell, assistant; Miss Jessie Tresham. High School and eighth grade teacher; and Misses Jessie Llart-
470
HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
mann, ^lae ]\Ioyer, Ada Wilson, Xelle Fowler, Daisy Smith, and Eva Hall, the latter teacher of music.
1. W. Woods was an early artist here and A\'. S. Sher- wood is the present one.
3klrs. I. W. Woods has been identified in the milliner business since 1876; and while there has been not a few other ladies engaged ni this trade, from time to time, her connection has been by far the longest.
Airs. Eli Heaton, ?\Irs. Alaggie Moats Robinson. Mrs. Samantha Alartin Holland, the late "Mrs. Jennie Tarlton, and Misses Dora Reitz and Anna Leggeti. and Mrs. J. W. Fiddler are among others who have been engaged in this business.
The Town Incorporated. — Harrisville was incorporated as a town, on February 2(\ 1869 — a corporation had existed before but for some (imknovvn) reason, had been abolished. Smith C. Plall was the first mayor, lie having been chosen at the first municipal election in 18*0. Since that time the fol- lowing named gentlemen have ser\'ed in this capacity, and some of them, for a number of years :
John Hall, Dr. W. AI. Rymer, John B. Ayres (served fourteen years j. Gen. T. M. Harris, D. F. Haymond (who died during his term of office and the unexpired term was finished by the recorder, J. J. Sigler"). C. K. Peirpoint. John Flesher, Thomas Hess, H. C. Showalter, Dr. W. E. Talbott,
Harrisville looking from the cemetery suiilh ul luwii.
HARRISVILLE 471
J. \\'illis Fiddler. Sherman Robinson, Homer Adams, W. W. Lawrence. P. R. Tharpe, Romeo H. Freer, and Anthony Smith, the present incumbent.
The Harrisville of To-day. — But let us turn from the town of the past, and take a panorama of the Harrisville of to-day, which is noAV a most beautiful tow^n of eight hundred inhabitants. It is not only first among the towns of the coun- ty in point of beauty and location ; l)ut it holds a high rank among the attractive towns of the state. With its good streets, and sidewalks, its cool, shady lanes, its substantial public buildings, and its handsome residences, it presents a pleasing appearance, indeed, to "the stranger within its gates."
Being the seat of the local government, it is the one town in the county around which the general public interest cen- ters.
It now has its OA\'n gas plant from which the town is heated and lighted, and is in the midst of an oil territory which is under development. Water works have been agitated for some length of time.
As above stated, it has been an independent school-dis- trict since 1883, and has a large six-roomed brick building with an auditorium, and a school population of three hundrerl.
The spires of three churches, with a combined member- ship of near four hundred fifty, lift their heads far above the town — pointing heavenward. The Rev. G. B. Stuart is the pastor in charge of the Methodist Protestant church ; the Rev. M. R. Eastlack. of the Methodist Episcopal ; and the Rev. Jonathan \\'ood, of the Baptist church.
The Presbyterians, having no clnirch building, worship in the ]\I. E. church. Their pastor is the Rev. C. AV. Comin, of Petroleum.
The different denominations have their young peoples societies: The Christian Endeavor, the Epworth League, and the Baptist Young Peoples' Union.
The Woman's Christian Temperance Union has an organ- ization, with branch organizations of the "Y's" and the "Loyal Temperance Legion."
Four secret orders flourish : the I. O. O. V., the Daugh-
472
HISTORY Of RITCHIE COUNTY
ters of Rebecca, the ]\Iodern Woodmen of America, and the Masonic order.
More than a dozen lawyers claim their residence here, be- sides the many who come and go. Among them are the Hon. H. B. Woods, the jndge of the Circuit court, R. H. Freer, Sherman Robinson, Homer Adams, S. A. Pow^ell, S. M. Hoff. R. S. Blair, Anthony Smith, C. H. Harrison, T. J. Davis, and Victor Cooper.
Dr. W. E. Talb(!tt, Hosca Rymer, and Dr. J, ]\I. Goff are its ph3'sicians ; and Drs. S. H. Zickafoose, and H. A. Jarrett, its dentists.
George M. Cokeley and Son are the undertakers; and J. L. Frey, Grimes and Coffield, the liverymen. Airs. J. W. Fid- dler and Mrs. I. W . Woods, rhe milliners, D. B. Lattimer. the miller.
There are at present si.x general stores, two clothing houses, two furniture stores, one hardware establishment, one tinware, one grocery, one jewelry and queensware store, one drugstore, one feed store, two meat, two barber, and one har- ness shop, one flouring mill, two milliner stores, one opera house, two newspapers, and three banks.
The Ritchie County Bank, as before mentioned, founded by E. M. Carver, who is cashier, with L. R. Snodgrass assist- ant, is the oldest bank in the county. The Peoples Bank, with J. H. Lininger, cashier, and J. M. Barbe. assistant, is second in age. The First National came in 1903. J. Blaine A\'estfall, son of W. H. Westfall, is the cashier. He enjoys the dis-
P. & H. Train on the Trestle.
HARRISVILLE 473
tinction of being- the youngest bank cashier in the state, he having just passed Iiis twenty-first bii'thdav when he accepted this position.
The train on the Pennsboro and Harrisville railroad made its first trip to tliis town on Thanksgiving day, 1875. It is ni)w known" as the "Lorama." A broad-gauge road is under construction to CornwalHs, wliich promises many new ad- \ antages to the town.
CHAPTER XXXIX
Prominent Harrisville Families
:OAH REXROAD.— The name of Noah Rex- road was closely allied with the affairs of this town for more than fifty years. From 1840. when he came from his native county — Pendleton — \v\\.h his wife, ^Irs. Matilda Alullenax Rexroad, until 1891, when he was borne to the Harrisville cemetery, at the ripe old age of seventy-seven years, he was a conspicuous figure, in public affairs. He was prominently identified in various walks of life, being farmer, merchant, sheriff (Tor two terms), member of the House of Delegates, and a corner-stone, and pillar in the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mrs. Rexroad followed him to the grave in 189'?, and their only child is Mrs. E. C. Fox, of Harrisville.
Mr. Fox, too, has long been prominent here, he having come from Greene county, Pennsylvania, where he Avas born (in 1835), in the year 1859, when he became identified with the firm of McKinney, Rexroad and Company. He is the father of but one child, L. R. Fox, of this town.
The Rexroads are of German lineage. The time of their coming to the Western world is unknown, but seven or eight generations of the family, at least, have laid claim to this soil.
Zachariah Rexroad, junior (son of Zachariah, senior), and his wife, Mrs. Sarah Hoft'man Rexroad, were both natives of Pendleton county ; and here they resided until 1845, when they came to this counLy, with their family, and settled on the McNeill homestead, near Smithville. Here, on October 11, 187G, Mrs. Rexroad passed from earth ; and on June 25, 18T7, Mr. Rexroad died at the iiome of his daughter. ]\Irs. J. W. Osbourne, at Hardman chapel. Both rest on the James Mo3-er farm, on Den run.
PROMINENT HARRISVILLE FAMILIES 47:,
They were the parents of eleven children : Noah, above mentioned, who came to the county five years before his parents, was the eldest son. Mary, the eldest daughter, mar- ried Harmon Rexroad, and remained in Pendleton county. The other members of the family were; viz., Addison, Henry, Jehu, Zebulon (father of Dr. C. W. Rexroad), Lewis (father of J. C. and George), who fell at Beverly in July, 1863, v/hile defending the old Hag; Morgan, who fell in battle at Lynch- burg, in June, '64; and Jeremiah, wh.o died in childhood; Abi- gail, who married James Moyer, of Den run ; and Sarah Mar- garet, who is the widow of the late J. W. Osbourne, of Hard- man chapel, and the only survivor of the family, all belonged to this county.
Henry Rexroad, brother of Zachariah, junior, was also an early citizen of this communify, he having come from Pendle- ton county some time in the thirties, and remained until his death.
His sons were Daniel, Ephrain.i, Solomon, and Henry, junior, who all went West. The dsnghters were, Elizabeth, who became Mrs. Jacob Sinnett, Lucinda, who married her cousin Henry Rexroad, and Mary, the first wife of George Siimett.
The Halls.— The family of the late John Hall have been identified with the business interests of this town since in the early fifties, when he with his wife, Mrs. Frances Patterson Hall, came from Greensboro, Pennsylvania, and entered the mercantile business, which has been held in-tact by his son, J. M. Hall, since his death, on September 27. 1S77, at the age of sixty-seven years. Mrs. Hall lost her life on March 12, 1896, wdien the family residence was destroyed by fire.
They were the parents of five children: Harriett Ann died in 1875, and the rest are as follows: J. M., aiid Miss Frances Flail, of Flarrisville ; Edward, of Parkersburg: and :\Irs. Ella (I^. G.) Bennington, of Fairmont. Owing to the loss of the records when the residence was burned, this sketch is veiv brief; but this family of Halls came from Delaware, and with but little doubt belonged to the same family as Syelus Hall, of Pullman. Though the connecting link is missing.
476 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTV
The Peirpoints. — Few names have had a longer connec- tion witli the history ot this town than that of Peirpoint. This connection having begun in 184'3, when Zackquill ]\I. Peirpoint came from Alarion county, and launched the tan- nery business. He was born at Fairmont, on September 30, ISll, and there he was married to Tvliss Martha Yandervort, in 1835; and seven years later, the}- came to Harrisville, where he played an important part in the early historv of the town, and in tlie building of the ^Methodist Protestant church. He died on April 7, 1882, but I\Irs. Peirpoint survived him by several years. Both repose in the Flarrisville cemetevv.
They were the parents of eleven children: viz., A\'. H., the eldest son, whose long business connection with the town has already been mentioned, died in 1906, leaving no issue. He Avas first married in 1858, to Miss Henrietta Reitz, who died in 187; ; and in 1879, he married Miss Pauline M. Hamil- ton, of Fairmont, who died in June, 1901; and his widow was Mrs. Juliette Swisher Cookman.
The second son, Rufus E. Peirpoint, was drowned in a tanvat, at Fairmont, when he was but two years of age.
Francis P.,- and A'irginia died in their young man and womanhood.
pjelle, was the first wife of the late Benjamin ^^loats, of Harrisville, and the mother of Attorney F. P. ]Moats of Park- ersburg.
Louise was the late Airs. D. S. Bush, of Harrisville.
Hattie is the wife of the Rev. E. J. Wilson, of the ]\F P. church ; and John S., J. X., and Charles K. Peirpoint are still identified with the business interests of the town.
The Name "Peirpoint" originated in Xormand}' in the South of France in the tenth century, and is lineally con- nected with William the Conqueror. They emigrated from England to America in early Colonial days, and settled in the Eastern or ^Middle states: and near the year 1800, Francis H. Peirpoint and his wife Kathrine, crossed the mountains from the East- and settled at Fairmont (formerh- called [Middle-
^See Younarer Men's Calendar for history of Francis P. Peirpoint.
=The History of Marion County says that .John Pen-pomt, father of Francis H., senior, settled near IMorgantown about the close of the Amer- ican Revolution.
PROMIXEXT HARRISVILLE FAMILIES 477
town), where he sank a tanyard and launched the tannery business. He was twice marrie^h his first wife being Miss Harriet Weaver, sister of Joseph Weaver, an earlv pioneer of Chevauxdefrise ; and his second, Miss Isabel Stuart, of Mor- gan town.
Five sons were the fruits of his first i>nion ; viz., Joseph, Zackquill AI.. the late Go\'ernor, Francis H., junior, Larkin and Newton.
Joseph Peirpoint married ]\Iiss Lurena Barnes, and spent his life at Fairmont, wliere his death occurred in the early fifties, though he had a brief business connection with his brother here. His two sons, Joseph W\, and Harry, served as soldiers in the Union army, in the Twelfth West A'irginia Volunteers, but Joseph died of fever during his • service. Harry rose to the rank of Captain, an.d after his returri home from the field, spent some time here with his uncle, Uz Barnes, and. at one time, owned the tract of land, on which the greater part of the West end of Harrisville now stands. He died at Fairmont near the year 1890.
Zackquill M. Peirpoint and his family have already been mentioned.
Newton Peirpoint went to Illinois, and later to California, where he died, near 1885. He was the father of five children, but one alone survives.
Larkin Peirpoint came to this county, some years after his brother, and started a branch tannery on Straight fork of Slab creek, which was abandoned at the opening of the Civil war, \vhen he recruited Company E. of the Sixth West \^ir- ginia Infantry Volunteers, and entered the service as captain of the company. He later became major, and was mustered out as Lieutenant-Colonel.
He was twice married; his first wife, who was the mother of all of his children, being Miss Elizabeth Jones, of Fairmont ; and his second, INliss Sarah M. Coffrey, of W^is- consin. He died in 1894, both wives having preceded him to the grave.
His children were eight in nun.iber and were as follows:
Edward, Zackquill. and George Peirpoint, Mrs. Julia Crooks. Mrs. Kathrine Zinn. ]\Irs. Ella Wass, and R'^se and
478 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Olive, who married in the West where all the family reside, except Mrs. Zinn, who is of Harrisville.
Francis Harrison Peirpoint, the third son of the family, w-as of a literary turn of mind, and was the one member oi the household that reached a college education. He was born at Fairmont, 'on January 25, 1814, and began his public career as a school-teacher. He was graduated from the Alle- gheny college at Meadville, Pennsylvania, with high honors, and, subsequently, made quite a record at the bar. x\t the breaking out of the Civil war when Virginia seceded from the Union, he took an active part in the calling of the Wheeling convention, whose purpose was to show loyalty to the Gov- ernment; and. on July 20, 1861, when this convention had completed the re-organization of (the loyal counties') \^ir- ginia, he was elected as Provisional (or War) Governor v/ith his seat of Government at Wheeling; and so important was his service in the formation of the new State that he has been styled the "Father of West Virginia." After the "Little Mountain State" had been admitted into the Union, and Arthur I. Eoreman had been installed as Governor. Air. Peir- point again took his seat in the Gubernatorial chair of the "Old Dominion," he being inaugurated on January 1, 1864 and continued in office until 1868. Just before the admission of the new state, his seat of government was transferred from Wheeling to Alexandria, and at the close of the war, was re- moved back to Richmond.
Governor Peirpoint served as a member of the Legis- lature of West Virginia in 1868, and was Collector of Internal revenue under President Garfield.
He died at Pittsburg at the home of his daughter, on March 24, 1899, and was taken back to his native town. Fair- mont, for burial.
He and his wife. ]\Irs. Julia Roberts Peirpoint. were the parents of four children. One daughter died in early life, and the other one is Mrs. Nannie Siveter, of Pittsburg. His sons. Samuel R.. and William Peirpoint are also of Pittsburg, and the latter is an agent for the Methodist Protestant Book Con- cern of that city.
On Ai^ril Hn. 1910, a statue of the late Governor Peirpoint.
PROMINENT HARRISVILLE FAMILIES 479
which had long- stood in Statuary Hall at Washington city, was unveiled with impressive ceremonies. His grand-daugh- ter, ]\liss Frances Peirpoint Siveter pulled the cord that un- veiled the statue and read a poem that had been penned for the occasion, and cjuite a number of distinguished West Vir- ginians had part in the exercises, among them being Senator N. B. Scott, who said :
"Governor Peirpoint was a large-hearted, true man, and a just one. His love of country v.^as of the intense order, and to the support of his views he brought a fine logic which but few could combat. He was possessed of a wonderfully retentive memory, and was splerididly equipped legally. There is, perhaps, no one Vv^ithin the confines of the state which Governor Peirpoint helped to create, that does not acknowledge the versatility and clear-headed legal acumen he manifested in the presence of the serious problems that he so successfully solved as a leader in the troublesome times, just before and during the Civil war.
"History may do but scant justice to this man; his fame may be perpetuated by the marble statue that has been un- veiled to-day, but there is a monument which bears his name indelibly, and one which is found in the hearts of his country- men. There Francis H. Peirpoint will live while the life- blood iiows."
Only one other West Virginian shares the honor of a place in Statuary Hall at W^ashington city with Governor Peirpoint, and that is the late Senator John E. Kenna.
The Woodses too. have long been identified here. James Woods, senior, came from Wales and settled in the Keystone state, where his son, the Rev. James W^oods was born in 1797. This son, (the Rev. James), married Miss Eliza Axtel. daughter of Phillip Axtel, in 1820, the marriage taking place at Pittsburg ; and in 184fi, he came to this county, and settled on. the Wells homestead, at the mouth of Bun- nell's run, where he remained until 18G8. when he removed to Missouri where his labors came to an end.
He was an early minister of the Baptist church, and the first Superintendent of Free schools of this county, he hav- mg been appointed for a brief time. He was an ardent advo-
4S0 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
cate of the Union cause, and was pronounced in his views on the slavery question. He was the first pastor of the Clarks- l)urg" Baptist cliurch, and his ministry extended over the Counties of Ritchie, Doddridge, Harrison, Tyler, Pleasants, Wood and Wirt.
He was the father of the following named children : The Rev. P. A. Woods, Josiah ]\I., Brantley, Erasmus, James, and Robert, Mrs. Mary (John) McGinnis, and ]\Irs. Elizabeth, (Solomon) Hopper.
Phillip Axtel Woods was born at Pittsburg, on January 4, 1828; and on December 12, 1810, he was married to Miss Salina Wells, daughter of Isaiah A\'ells ; and from that time luiLil his death, on September 17, 1902, he was a resident of this community. He was a faithful servant in the Master's Vineyard, his father's mantle having fallen upon his shoul- ders, when he went West in 1868. He was widely known, the field of his ministry having embraced many points in central West Virginia, which included, Sistersville, Middlebourne, Harris\-ille, Stillwell. Briscoe run, Willow Island, and numer- ous others.
His death severed the first link in the familv circle, which was again broken during the spring of 1909 b_v the death of his aged companion, who was laid by his side in the Harrisville cemetery.
Their children are as follows :
Isaiah W. and Judge Plomer B. Woods,^ Harrisville; Joel, Parkersburg; William, Keyser ; Mrs. Independence (E. E.) McDougal, Hannahdale; and ^Irs. E. M. Patton, Luke, Maryland.
The Pattons are of Irish nationality. They came from the "Emerald Isle" and settled in what is now Monroe county West Virginia. Here in 1797, William Patton. senior, was born; and here he was married to ]\Iiss A^irginia Campbell, daughter of Robert Campbell, who was, also, of Irish lin- eage; and in 1843, the year that Ritchie county was fornied, they came to this county, and settled on what is now the Hugh Pribble homestead at the mouth ai Giilispie's run — on
'See Younger Men's Calendar for liistory and career of Homer B. Woods.
PROMINENT HARRISVILLE FAMILIES 481
the opposite side of the river; and in 1859, they came to Har- risville where Mr. Patton fell asleep, in 1879, and she, in 1888.
They were the parents of the following named children : W. M., A. ]., B. F., Sarah, A. Patton, and Mrs. Martha Wells, who have all passed on; and A. D., John C, of this county; and yirs. Mary V. Campbell, Airs. Lydia (P. W.) Morris, and Miss Louisa Patton, all of Parkersburg, are the surviving ones.
W. M. Patton, who first owned the hotel and who was an early Sheriff of the county, married Miss Kathrine Rad- cliffe, and they spent the remainder of their lives in Harrison county, after leaving here.
"Jlieir three children are all single; Emma and Alollie are the daughters, and John, the son.
The Pattons were in sympathy with the Southern cause during the Ci^'il war and some of them were soldiers. They have always been strong and influential Democrats.
Isaac Lambert and his wife, Mrs. Kathrine Crable Lam- bert were natives of the "Old Dominion." They came to this county from Harrison in ISi-l, and settled at Ellenboro, where their son, G. W. Lambert, now lives. Here they passed away and in the Ellenboro vicinity, they sleep.
They were the parents of, Joseph, G. A\\, David. AL M. Lambert, of this county; Mrs. Anna Maxwell, West Union; the late Mrs. Virginia Byrd, and Mrs. Kathrine Lynch, Har- rison county ; Madison Lambert, and Elizabeth who died single.
Joseph Lambert was born in Virginia, on July 31, 1821, and on September 1, 1846, he was married to Miss Margaret Lynch, of Harrison county, and the following year, they set- tled on the Keith farm near Harrisville, and in 1878, they re- moved to the town, where Mrs. Lambert died in March, 1905, and he, the following year. Both rest in the Harrisville cemetery.
Their family consisted of seven daughters ; the late Mrs. Virginia Wells, Mrs. Ella Woods, IMrs. George Cokeley. Mrs. Bird Cokeley, Mrs. Metta Talbott, and Airs. Cora Martin. The other one died in infancy.
482 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Robert Kercheval. — The name Kercheval. too, has had a long connection here. Robert C. Kercheval having come to this town and opened a law office in June 1854. He was born and educated at A\'inchester, V^irginia, and after reaching his majority, went to Romney where he studied law under his brother, Samuel Kercheval, and became associated with him in the practice of law.
He married Aliss Indith Singleton, who was, also, a na- tive of Winchester, and, with her, returned to Romney where he practiced his profession in the Courts of Frederick, Berk- ley, Hampshire and Hardy counties until he removed to Har- risville. He was twice elected to the office of Prosecutine At- torne}-. of this count}-, and was at one time a candidate for Judge of the Circuit court with a fair prospect for success; but. withdrawing from this race, he ofifered himself for Judge of the Supreme Court of the State, and was defeated. He spent the remainder of his life here, passing away at his old homestead near town, on October 18. 1874, at the age of sixtv- eight years. His wife and daughter, ]\Iiss Frances, preceded him to the grave, and his son, Robert, has since been laid by them on the old homestead. Mrs. Susan C. Phelps rests at Denver, Colorado; Mrs. Anna Harkness resides near Waverly : and W. M. Kercheval, and Alisses IMary and Lucy are all of Flarrisville.
The Kerchevals are of French descent, the original name having been De Kercheval. Louis Kercheval and his brother left France shortly after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, in the year 1685. and went to England where the brother died unmarried. Louis emigrated to the Western world and settled in Gloucester county, Virginia, and from him the American branch of the family come.
Samuel Kercheval who was a lineal descendant of Louis, was born at Berryville,. Virginia ; and there on September 28, 1787, he was married to ]\Iiss Susana Chinn. great-grand- daughter of Raleigh Chinn. whose wife was Esther Ball, half- sister of Airs. ]\Iary \\"ashington. The Chinns were in some way connected to Sir Walter Raleigh, hence the name "Raleigh."
Samuel Kercheval was the authior of the "Historv of the
PROMIXEXT HARRISVILLE FAMILIES 48S
Valley of Virginia," the first and most authentic history of the Shenandoah and the South Branch \'alleys ; and one that is still in demand though out of print. And he was once High Sherili' of Frederick county.
He was the father of eleven children, the five sons being as follows: Samuel, junior, Richard, Algernon S., Robert C, and William, all of whom he gave good educations. Three were lawyers, one a physician, and the other a miller.
Samuel Kercheval .junior, located at Romney wdiere he rose to distinction as a jurist. And his son, Andrew Wood- row Kercheval, also figitred prominently in public affairs in that section of the state, he having played an important part in securing, for Romney the charitable institution for the Deaf and the -Blind.
Robert C. Kercheval, as above stated, married Miss In- dith Singleton, and came to this county. His wife was a member of a distinguished family, she being the daughter of General James \V. and Airs. Indith Ball Singleton, and a descendant of the same family as Mary Ball AVashington. Her father was a general in the war of 1812, and her brother, Gen. James W. Singleton, junior, distinguished himself in the Mormon war, and thus won his title. After leaving his na- tive state, he (Gen. Singleton, junior,) went west and settled at Springfield, Illinois, where he engaged in the practice of law; and where he became closely associated with Abraham Lincoln and Stephen .\. Douglass, of whom he had many pleasing reminiscences to tell. And the last official docu- ment, perhaps, that was ever penned by the hand of Presi- dent Lincoln is in the possession of General Singleton's family in New York. This priceless treasure is in the form of a pass, which was written for the late Gen. Singleton, junior, who had been called from his Weh,tern home to be the bearer of a message of peace to the Southern people, and it read thus :
"x\llow Gen. Singleton to pass to Richmond and return.
"A. Lincoln.
"April 13, 1865."
On April 11, that ever memorable day in the history of our countrv, after General Singleton had received his final in-
i84 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
structions, and had taken leave of the President, he went out in company with the Secretary of the Interior, going a little later in the evening to join Governor Yates of Illinois and some other friends at an appointed supper ; but when he reached his destination, he was greeted at the threshold with flying rumors of the assassination o^^ the President at Ford's Theater. The General recognizing the value of the memento in the form of the pass which he never used, ordered a case of gold, and under a glass in one compartment is this pass with its significant date.
T. E. Davis. — For many years the late T. E. Davis was a prominent citizen of this town. He was born at Holbrook, this county in 1846. His father, Thomas N. Davis, crossed to the other side, shortly before his birth, and he began life as an orphan. His mother, Mrs. Amelia Zinn Davis, some years later married EH Heaton of this town, and two children vvcre the fruits of this union : the late Mrs. J. N. Peirpoint, and W. H. Heaton, of Spokane, Washington. At the age of fourteen years, ]\Ir. Davis came to Harrisville, and attended school, and became one of the first teachers of the county, under the free school system. Fie spent three years in the Washington and Jefiferson Universit}-, at Washington, Penn- sylvania, and was admitted to the bar in 186S.
He served as Prosecuting Attorney for two terms, (being the first native son of Ritchie to attain to this office) and was a member of the House of Delegates; was deputy sherifif and deputy County and Circuit clerk all at the same time. He had a brief connection with the "West Virginia Star" here in the seventies, and was a member of the Masonic order, he having attained to the degree of Master Mason in ISl?. He died at his residence here, on February 15, 1906, and was laid in the Harrisville cemetery.
On December 24, 1869, he was married to Miss Anna Leggett, daughter of the late Enoch B. Le^^ett. and of this union four children were born: one died in infancy, and the others are, Mrs. FT. V>. Woods, }.Irs. Juniata Boggess, who with her husband the Rev. Wheeler Boggess, has just re- turned from a several vears service in the ^Mission-fields of
PROMINENT HARRISVILLE FAMILIES 4S5
Southern India; and Thomas J. Davis, who is a prominent young barrister of this town.
The Davises are of English descent. Four brothers, Wil- ham, John, Thomas, and Alexander, came from England in 1600, and settled in New Jersey, near the present site of Jersey city. William had four sons and three daughters, and from his son, William, junior, this family comes. His son, David, mar- ried Miss Lydia Jeffrey, and they were the parents of the late Thomas N. and the grandparents of the late T. E. Davis of this place. From this same ancestral line, the Hon. Henr}- G. Davis, of Elkins, is said to be descended.
The Liningers have been prominently connected with the affairs of this town since 1874, when the late Col. John C. Lin- inger came here as teacher of the Harrisville school. He vvas of German descent, and his wife, Mrs. Katherine McGough Lininger, of Scotch. Both were natives of Pennsylvania, he having been born in 183"?, and she in 1833. They were mar- ried in 1856, and removed to Iowa a few years later, where he entered the Union army as captain of an Iowa regiment; but owing to ill health, he returned to his native state in 186*2 , ard the following year re-entered the army as colonel of a Penn- sylvania regiment of volunteers. After the war, in 1865, he removed to Fairmont, where he was placed in charge of the first graded-school that was established under the free school system at that place.
Filling this position but a short time, he resigned to be- come editor of a Fairmont paper; and from there in 1867, he went to Putnam county, where he held the position of princi- pal of the Buffalo Academy, until he came to Harrisville. where he died in 1877.
He Avas educated in the free schools and academies of h.is native state, and spent the greater part of his life in teaching.
Mrs. Lininger died on January 10, 1909, and at Harris- ville, beside her husband she sleeps.
They were the parents of four daughters, and one son : Mrs. Addie M. (C. K.) Peirpoint, Mrs. Kathrine B. (L. R.) Fox, ]\Irs. Annie B. (Homer) Sigler, Mrs. Minnie Stoops, and
486 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
John H. Lininger, whose career merits more than a passing notice.
John H. Lininger was born on (Jctober 15, 1862, and with his parents came to this town when he was but a boy of twelve years. He improved his time and his opportunities, and at an early age, entered the profession of teaching, continuing in this work for ten vears. He served as a member of the Teachers' Examining Board for three terms, and filled the office of Circuit clerk for twelve years ; and has been the Cashier of the Peoples' Bank since its organization in 1899.
On May 32, 1888, he was married to Aliss Dora Heaton, daughter of the late John Heaton, and three children arc the fruits of this union : Edgar Howard, the only son died in 1903, at the age of fourteen years, and Maude and Helen are the daughters.
Arthur Watson and his wife, Mrs. Jane Hawker Watson, with their family came from ^Monongalia county to the Har- risville vicinity in 1844, and settled near two miles south of town on the farm that is now owned by Colfax Moats. Here Mr. Watson died in the early sixties, f?) and not lo-ng after he w^as laid in the Harrisville cemetery, the family went to Cherry Point, Illinois, where the following named members still survive :
James R., Thomas D., Amos AI., Asby L., and Mrs. Mary (Samuel) Clouse. Owen Hawker, also, lives in Illinois, but W'illiam has joined the throng on the other side.
Thomas D. W^atson married Miss Sarah Shore, sister of Mrs. Mary Ann McDonald, of Hazelgreen, but after her death, a few years since, he married Miss Sarah Miller of Illinois.
John Watson, another son of Arthur, was the progenitor of the family that remained in this county.
He was born in Monongalia county on February 24, 1824, and with his parents came to this county at the age of twenty years.
On April 11, 1845, he was married to Miss Eveline Smith, who was born in Alarion county, on March 7, 1825, and, at the old home south of Harrisville he resided until his death, on December 17, 1853.
PROMINENT HARRISVILLE FAMILIES 48?
Two sons were born of this union, James \V., and Joseph A. Watson, but the latter died on October 13, 1857, at the age ol seven years, and the former, in his young manhood.
In 18G7, Mrs. Watson traded the homestead lor the corner m Harrisville which is now marked by the National Bank building, and in April of that year, became the owner and manager of the hotel that was for long years known as the "Watson House." In 1901, she, having retired to private life some years before, transferred this property to the First Na- tional Bank. She died at Harrisville during the summer of 1909, rich in the love and esteem of a multitude of friends that she had made during her long public service, and in the Hai- risville cemetery by the side of her husband and sons she was laid at rest.
James Willy Watson, her one son, who grew to manhood, was born on April 8, 181S, and was married to Miss Frances Starr, daughter of John and Eleanor Ayres Starr, on Novem- ber 8, 1868 ; and they were the parents of two sons, John, the eldest, died in early childhood; and Dr. J. W. Watson is the other.
Mr. W^atson met a tragic death by a run-a-way accident on the Ellenboro hill on September 20, 1870, and his widow is now the wife of Frank Foster, of near Harrisville.
So Dr. James Willy Watson,^ of Harrisville, who was Dorn on March 12, 1871, a few months after the death of his father, is the only living descendant of the Watson family in this county. He was graduated from the Dental department of the Maryland University in the class of 1892, and was mar- ried to Miss Christine Mather, daughter of the late \V. T. Mather, on September 26, 1895, and they have no children.
The Blairs are of Scotch-Irish stock. Three brothers came from Ireland. One settled in New Jersey, one, in Penn- sylvania, and the other, in the South-land.
The one that settled in New Jersey, the grand-uncle of R. S. Blair, senior, lost his life at the battle of Trenton, he being a member of the staff of General Washington. But from the Pennsvlvania familv the Ritchie countv Blairs are descended.
'Since tbi=! was written, Dr. Watson lias clianged his place of resi- dence to California.
488 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
David Blair, a proclncl of tlie Keystone state, came to Parkersbnrg, in 181(), in his early manhood, where he held the position of Cashier of the Northwestern Bank of V^irginia, ami where he inet and married Miss Elizabeth Beeson, daughter ct Jacob Beeson, junior, who was a native of Beesontown, Penn.- sylvania, but with her j^arents came to Wood county in her childhood. Four children were born of this union:
Isaiah, Jacob Beeson, Robert S., and Elizabeth, who died in 1843, at the age of eighteen years.
The parents both left this world in 1835, the mother, on February 28, and the father, in March ; he having contracred cholera while on. a steamer on the Ohio river, died at Ports- mouth at an inn, and in the old churchyard at that place his ashes lie. His wife rests at Parkersburg.
Jacob Beeson Blair. — After the death of the parents, the second son, Jacob Beeson Blair, who was born at Parkersburg. on April 11, 1821, was bound as an apprentice to Josiah Shank- lin of that city, and learned the carpenter's tradt ; but in 1842 he entered the office of his uncle, General John J. Jackson, as a law student; and in 1844, was admitted to the bar, being li- censed ■^o practice lav/ both in the inferior and the superior Courts of West Virginia : and during this same year, he came to Flarr'sville and opened a law office, and thus the history of the famih' begins in this county.
In 1851 he was happily married to Miss Josephine Jack- son, sister of William L. Jackson, who passed on in 185'., leaving two daughters, and shortly after this sad event, he removed to Parkersburg and formed a law partnership with his brother-in-law, Wm. L. Jackson. Here he continued to practice his profession until 1862 when he was sent to Con- gress to fill the vacancy that had been occasioned by the resig- nation of the Hon. John S. Carlisle, of Virginia, who had been elected ro the United States Senate.
In 1803 he was re-elected to Congress, and took an actii e interest in the formation of the State of West Virginia. lie served as a mcmljer of the new State's Legislature in IBGo, and was minister to Costa Rica, Central America from 1868 to 1873 ; and in February 187fi, he was appointed by the govern-
PROMINENT HARRISVILLE FAMILIES 489
nient as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Terri- tory of Wyoming.
He was one of the early Prosecuting Attorneys of Ritchie county, he having been twice elected to this office.
He died at Parkersburg, where he sleeps, and here his eldest daughter, Mrs. H. H. AIoss, lives. The other daughter, Mrs. Lizzie Bell, lives at Dayton, Ohio.
Isaiah Blair, eldest brother of J. B., lived and died at Franklin, Ohio.
Robert S. Blair, the younger brother of J. B. Blair, being deprived of his mother four days after his birth, on February '?A, 1835. was tenderly cared for by his maternal grandmother until her death, when he was added to the family of his aunt, Mrs. Anne Gardiner of Parkersburg. He was first christened "David" :r, honor of his father, who also died when he was but an infani ; but his aunt re-christened him "Robert Skyler" in honor of a prominent Pennsylvanian who was in some vvay connected to the Blair and the Beeson fandlies.
In 1848, Robert S., came to Harrisville to live with his brother, and a little later he was apprenticed to Thomas Reitz to learn the saddler's trade, a trade in which he became pro- ficient. But this work being out of harmony with his taetes, he improved his spare moments, and finally passed the re- quired examination and entered the Virginia Military Insti- tute at Lexington, from which he was graduated, after four years of hard study. John J. Jackson aided him in securing the appointment, and ''Stonewair' Jackson was his instructor while there, he being the occupant of the chair of Mathematics and the Commandant of the Cadet Corps.
Having spent all of his inheritance in defraying his edti- cational expenses at this institution, he returned to Harns- ville, and took up the study of law in the office of the iite Cyrus Flail : and made his living by clerking in stores, and in doino- such other tasks as came in his way, until he was ad- mitted to the bar: and in his chosen profession lie coniiiuicd until his death, making quite a record as a barrister.
On Inly 1, I8G1, he was married to Miss Rachel Core, daughter of the late A. S. Core, of Ellenboro. who was at that
490 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
time a student of a college at Little Washington, Pennsyl- vania ; and four children were the result of this union :
A. Core Blair, the first born, is a physician of Randolph county; Robert S., junior, upon whom the lather's mantle has fallen, is a prominent young lawyer and orator of Harrisville; Harry C, is fitting himself for the medical profession in a Louisville college ; and Miss Lizzie Blair, of Harrisville, is the only daughter.
Mr. and Airs. Blair died at Harrisville during the winter of 1891, of lagrippe, an epidemic having visited the town and carried away a number of its citizens. They died within a few hours of each other and one low mound in the Harrisville cemetery covers the ashes of both.
The McDouglas hail from Scotland, where they, a power- ful clan, owned and ruled all the islands off the western coast of the Highlands, at the dawn of the history of the "Heelands of Scotia."
The ancient coat-of-arms of the Clan is suggestive of a sea-faring people, two crude galleons of ea^-ly times being rep- resented upon its face ; and the motto, which is inscribed there- on, is Vincere vel mori, which means in its complete trans- lation, "V\"e Conquer or Die."
The name was first spelled "Dhu Gal,*' which meant "Black Stranger," a name which was probably given them by neighboring clans, to distinguish them (a dark-skinned, black- haired people) from the (blue eyed, light-haired) Fiongals, or "A\'hite Strangers."
.Time and education finally changed ihe spelling of the name to "Dugal" and later to McDougal, the prefix "]\Ic" meaning "son of."
'Til early times they were a fierce, stubborn, courageous and war-like race. As early as the thirteenth century, the}'' are found opposing the Crown, and in 130G. led by ]\IcDougal of Lorn, they fought the battle of Methven cigainst Robert Bruce, and came out victorious, having routed the King and his army.
In this battle, Bruce lost to the ]\IcDougpls the famous, historic "Brooch of Lorn," which was later stolen from them
PROMINENT HARRISVILLE FAMILIES 491
at tlie siege of Castle Dunoll}', the then official headquarters of the Clan ; and for centuries it remained m other hanas. In fact, it was only restored to the McDougak. of Lorn seventy- five years ago.
After their triumph at Methven, they seized the reigns of g-overnment, and ruled over Scotland for a few "brief months, until the mighty Bruce re-organized his scattered forces, added to their strength and prowess, and dealt them a crush- ing blow at the battle of Argyleshire. Here he defeated them, and stripped them of their power, titles and vast estates, save the District of Lorn. So fierce and so destructive was this battle that, at its close, but three hundred of the name (Mc- Dougal) were able to bear arms, and the Clan never recoven.'d from this blow.
William McDougal, a lineal descendant of the "Dhu Gals" or the "I'Cings of the Isles" as they were called in ancient times, came direct from the "District of Lorn" in the Highlands of Scotland to the Virgania colony in 1762. He was a young Presbyterian clergyman of' marked ability, and shortly after his arrival he became the pastor of a small band of Scotch Presbyterians, who resided on the Monongahela river where Morgantown now stands. Here, in 1774, he was married to a Miss Brand, a member of his congregation, and three children were born of this union, John, Sarah, and Margaret ; and shortly after the birth of the second daughter, the mother died, and in 1781, the Rev. Mr. McDougal, leaving his little ones in the care of some of his parishioners, returned to his native Llighlands and there claimed another bride, before coming- back to America. Upon his return he went to Kentucky, where he played an important part in the founding of the old Presby- terian church school at Danville, which is now known as "Centre College."
In J 804, he rode on horseback from Danville, Kentucky, to Marion county to see his childien whom he had not seen since he left them in childhood, and to induce them to go to Kentucky and live near him, but they had, in the meantime, ffrown to manhood and womanhood and ir^arried (Sarah had become Mrs. Deviess and gone to Ohio, Margaret had mar-
492 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTV
ried Samuel Dudley, a Revolutionary soldier, and lived at Dunkard Alill run, in Marion county, near her brother, John), and all his persuasions, and his otters to give them large pos- sessions in "the Blue Grass state" could not induce tiiem lo re- turn with him.
The son said, "Father, when sister and I were infants you left us here in A'irginia in the care of strangers, and returned to Scotland. Both are now married, have children of our own and are doing well. We have paddled our own canoes chus far, and so far as I am concerned, I expect to do so in futuiv. My ansv/er is no ! I would not go for all the money 3'ou are worth." Speechless from rage or astonishment, without an- swering a word, the old gentleman turned iipon his heel, went to the barn and got his horse and rode away, alone, througn the "dense mountaiii forest" to his Kentucky home. And from that hour the silence between father and son was never broken, Scotch pride and stubbornness keeping them apart.
John McDougal, this son, was an ordained minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, and an extensive land-owner and stock-raiser.
He married Miss Margaret Hilery, in 1798. and removed to Dunkard Alill run in Marion county, where he reared a large family, and where he and his wife both fell asleep in 1861.
Their children, which vscre nine in number, were as fol- lows :
William, Elizabeth, (]\Irs. John Amos) IMary (Mrs. Wm. Toothman), Jonathan, who died in infancy, and Sarah, m youth, Osbourne. John Fletcher, Nancy (Mrs. Charles Sturm), and Enos Hilery. all of whom have passed on except Jo.hn Fletcher, who resides in ^Missouri. The rest all sleep near the old home in Marion county, except Enos Hilery, and Os- bourne, whose ashes lie in Ritchie county, they being the progenitors of the different families of this name in this county.
Enos Hilery McDougal was born on June 4. 1824. and on August IT. 1848. he was married to ]\liss Miranda Price, of Marion county, who was born on January 6, 1831. and shortly
PROMIXEXT HARRISVILLE FAMILIES 493
after the close of the Civil war, they came to Harrisville, where his life closed on March 29, 18?5, and where his family still reside. Airs. McDougal was laid by his side in the Har- risville cemetery in 1907.
They were the parents of six children ; viz., A. S. Mc- Dougal, Mrs. Florence (J. J.) Sigler, E. L. McDougal, the late Mrs. Neitie Myrtal (Chas.) Musgrave, ail of Harrisville; L. ]\Ieade McDougal, Parkersburg ; and Thomas Theodore, the well-known editor of the Ceredo Advance, and the "Keiiova Reporter," who began his journalistic career in a local office at Harrisville in his youth.
Osbourne McDougal married Miss Sarah Brumage, and came to Ritchie county in 1S45, and settled on the farm that is now the home of Leman Wilson, at the mouth of Beeson, where he remained until he was borne to his final resting- place, on his ov/n homestead. His wife who survived him sleeps at Riddel's chapel.
They were the parents of six sons and two daughters ; viz.. Thomas, and the late Cole, of near ]-'ennsboro ; Charles, of Kansas ; Simon, of Roane county ; the late Joseph, who died in ihe West several years ago; Enos, died while serving as a Union soldier in the Civil war, and Sarah, in youth, and Alcinda was the late Mrs. Wigner.
Dantel Snyder Bush is one of the very few of the older citizens of this town that yet remains.
Ele was born in Gilmer county, on December Ifi, 1832 ; is tlie son of the late Jacob H. and Mrs. Sarah Snyder Bush. He came to this county in 1865, and two years later, (in 18C7) married Miss Louisa Peirpoint, who passed on, on February 10, 1874 ; and on December twenty-first, of the following year, he was again married to Mrs. Eveline Kirkpatrick Mitchell, sister of Levi Kirkpatrick, who is the companion of his de- clining years.
Three children were born of the first union ; but all have joined the throng on the other side : Emerson and Anna M.,
(This interesting- ancestral history of the McDougals is taken from a ".Sl<etch of the Clan," which was written by Henry Clay McDousal, son of .John Fletcher McDougal. of Kansas City, Missouri, wno got hi'i In- formation from "Keltle's History of the Highlands." and by tradition. — Author.)
494 HISTORY or RITCHIE COUXTY
died in childhood; and Agnes H., was the late wife of John Cannon.
]\Ir. Bush is a veteran of the Civil war, he having been commissioned as First Lieutenant.
Henry Clay Showalter was a leading figure in the afirairs of this town for almost thirty A^ears — from the time of hi? ar- rival from Elizabeth, Wirt count}- in 1880 until his removal to Kansas city, Missouri, during the summer of 1909.
He was born and reared in Pennsylvania and there re- ceived an academic education ; but he formed the acquaintance of the "Little Mountain state," which was destined to be his future home, in 1861, when a false report concerning the com- ing of the Confederates had alarmed the little City of Morgan- town, and he came here as a drummer-boy.
He served for two years in the Quarter-AIaster's depart- ment of the Union army, and later studied law with Berkshire and Sturgiss at iMorgantown and was admitted to the bar in 1869.
He was at one time first assistant clerk of the State Sen- ate, and after coming to this county, he taught school, prac- ticed law, filled the office of County Superintendent, was mayor a-^jil post-master at Harrisville, and Avas an official-mem- ber of the Baptist church and a prominent Sunday-school worker.
In 1869 he was married to A-Iiss Hattie Brock, of Morgan- town, and six sons and one daughter were the result of this union :
Emrnett M. Showalter, who recently completed a term of twelve years as assistant District Attorney, is of Fairmont; Pearle H., of Colorado; the late Lawrence, of the South; Ar- thur, of Mannington ; Hervey, of Chester; and Howard, of F"airmont, who all hold responsible positions in the commercial world, are the sons, and Miss Annie, who is still at home, is the daughter.
J. M, Barbe has been a useful and prominent citizen of this town for a number of years, and in this quiet little corner he merits a place.
He is the brother of the Hon. Waitman T. Barbe, of Mor-
PROM IX EXT HARRIS]- 1 LLE FAMILIES 49£
gantown, and is a native of Marion county, though he was reared in ^Monongalia where he was educated in the common schools. His father, John Barbe, was of German lineage, and of Virgiiiia birth. And his mother, Mrs. Margaret E. Robin- son Barbe, was born m Monongalia county of Scotch-Irish parentage.
In January 1881, in his early manhood, he came to Harris- ville, and the following winter, entered the profession of teach- ing, and later attended the State University at Morgantown for a term or so.
At the age of twenty-four years he was married to j\iiss Lillie Hoaton, daughter of the late John Heaton, and the iirst years of his married life were spent in clerical work. He has three times been commissioned as post-master of Harrisvillc, and, since 1903, has been the assistant cashier of the Peoples' Bank. He has been a communicant of the Methodist Epis- copal church since he was a boy of thirteen years, and has filled the office of Sunday-school superintendent of the Harris- villc school for sixteen years ; was President of the County Sunday-school work for four years, and was twice elected as delegate to the annual Conference.
He IS the father of t^^'o children, Mabel and Kaymf.nci Barbe.
Egbert M. Carver, the founder of Ritchie county's 'nrst bank, is a character of more than ordinary interest, since he is the one citizen of the county that traces his ancestry to May- flower stock ; he being a lineal descendant of John Carver, the first Colonial Governor of Massachusetts.
]Mr. Carver is a native of Vermont. His father, Chester L. Carver, a.nd his mother, Lucy M. Harlow, were both of Eng- lish descent. He was born near West Powlet. on April '35. 18-H, and there spent the first nineteen years of his life on a farm. He taught school for two years ; then went to White Hall, New York, w^here he filled the position of assistant post- master for one year, before entering the Commercial college at Albany, where he was graduated. He then started in the banking business, as teller, in the Commercial Bank, at White- hall, Xew York, and spent several years in this business in the
496 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
"Empire State," before going to California where he was iden- tified in the banking and real estate business.
He first formed the acquaintance of the "Little ^fountain state in iSU-f, and his connection with this county began in January, 1895, when he came to Harrisville ; and on June i, 1895, the "Ritchie County Bank" — the first one in the count}' — was opened with the following named officers in charge : L. P.* Wilson, Pres. ; Sanford B. Flemming, Vice Pres. ; and E. jM Carver, Cashier. The directors were, L. P. Wilson, A\'. il. Westfall, W. W. Lawrence, W. S. Hamilton, and E. LI. Carver.
The First National Bank of Harrisville was later organ- ized by Mr. Carver, who was its first cashier, and Anthony Smith was the president.
The Cairo bank, too, was organized by Mr. Carver v/ith Hon. R. H. Freer, president, and Edgar Carver, cashier, and still later he organized the First National Bank at Pennsboro and was its first cashier. So he can well be styled the Father of the banking business in this county.
On July 9, 1878, he was married to Miss Emma Ashby, of St. Louis Missouri, and three sons, who have all inherited their father's profession, are the result of this union : Edgar Ashby is cashier of the First National Bank at Rovvlsburg, West Virginia; Will Percey, of the First National at Racine, Ohio: and Arthur Egbert, of the Bank of JMontross, \'irginia.
The Woman's Christian Temperance Union is now one
of the County's potent and influential factors for good, it hav- ing figured largely in bringing about the present strong tem- perance sentiment of its people.
The exact date of its organization is missing, but Harris- ville had a local union as far back as 1888, or even before that time, with the late ]\lrs. AL S. Hall as leader, but there has been no break in the work for the past ten years.
The County organization dates back as far as 1898, when Mrs. Monforte, wife of the Rev. ]\Ir. Monforte of the Presby- terian ciiurch, Avas the first president. She was probably ap~ pointed by the State President, and Mrs. Laura Amos, of Har- risville, vvas her successor. Then came Aliss A. Grace Hall,
PROMINENT HARRISVILLE FAMILIES 49?
in U)()l, riid Mrs. Eva C. Robinson took her place on October 2, 19U3, and has served in this capacity continuous!}- since thai time, with the exception of one year i^lOUlij when Mrs. Maude Norris, of Pennsboro, was in the chair.
]\Irs. Robinson is at tliis time Local as well as Countj president.
There are now three active unions in the county with a total membership of near one hundred, and Cairo is the largest and most active.
Mrs, Eva Chenoweth Robinson/ the leader of this (W. C. T. U.) organization, is at the present time one of the most conspicuous feminine figures of the county, and a little more than a passing notice is due her.
She was born in Calhoun county on November 3, 1872, and there on May 29, 1892, she was married to Mr. Shernian Robinson, who was, also, born in Calhoun county, on Septem- ber 4, 18T0 ; and as a bride she came to Harrisville, where her husband had opened a law office.
She has been closely identified with the Woman's Chris^ tian Temperance movement for ten years, being State organ- izer for four years, and Local and County president for the re- mainder of the time ; and she is now organizing a chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, she liaving been recently admitted to membership in this society and appointed as Regent ; the first citizen of the county to obtain entrance into this historic organization.
Mr. Robinson, likewise, is a conspicu(Uis figure in the af- fairs of the county to-day. He began his public life as a rural pedagogue in his native county, at an early age, and was ad- mitted to the bar in 1891 ; and, with the exception of one year, has ever since been identified with the Harrisville attorneys, he having been a partner with Hon. R. PL Freer for fifteen years. His practice in the courts of the State has been ex- tensive, and he has had important cases before the courts at Richmond, Pittsburg, and New York city. He served as a member of the House of Delegates in 1909-'10 and was a can- didate for re-election in the November election of 1910.
"See last chapter for Mrs. Robinson's ancestry, wliich slie traces to Lord Baltimore.
4DS HISTORY OF RiTCHIE COUNTY
He is a Mason, a ^Methodist and a Republican. He served as School Law Commissioner of the county fr r eight years, and has been mayor and recorder of the town of Harrisviile.
Two daughters, Geraldine and Nell, make up this house- hold.
CHAPTER XL
Cairo
AIRO claims the distinction of being one of the oldest towns in this part of the state, since it was plotted and laid ont long before the coming of the railroad. But its real his- tory begins, perhaps, with the year 1856, when it became a railroad station.
It was laid out on the homestead of \\'il- liam Lov/ther, who gave the grant for the railroad depot, which is still used for this purpose.
Mr. Lowther like all the other pioneers of his name was, a native of West Milford, Harrison county, and was the grand- son of Col. William Lowther. He was born on Thursday, Oc- tober 31, 1793, and was the second son of William and Mar- garet Morrison Lov/ther. He married Miss Melicent Max- well, of Harrison county, and came to this county at an early day and settled near the mouth of the Middle fork of Hughes river for a time before coming to Cairo, Avhere he remained until he was laid in the Egypt cemetery. His wife sleeps by his side.
His old home still stands, it being one cf the very few that has withstood the ravages of time, but so changed is its ap- pearance,' that scarcely a suggestion of pioneer days lingers about. It is still owned by his heirs, his daughter Mrs. Re- becca Young being the owner and occupant.
He was the father of the following named children be- sides Mrs. Younge: the late A. M. Lowther, of Goose creek; the late Alexander of Macfarlan ; Granville, of Sistersville ; L. D. of Texas : Wm. Maxwell, and Armstrong died many years ago, and Jane and Sudna, in youth.
500 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY •
First Merchant. — William Skelton was the first merchant of the town in 1855. He was the son of Edward Skelton, the pioneer Englishman who settled the Peirpoint homestead at Harrisvilie ; and his wife was Miss Ellen Douglass, sister of Christopher Douglass, of Cornwailis. At the breaking out of the Civil war, Mr. Skelton raised a company and entered the Union service as captain, and at the close of the conflict, he removed with his family to Litchfield, Illinois, but he died at the home of H. B. McCollum, while on a visit to friends here, some years later, and in the Egypt cemetery he sleeps. His wife rests in the Litchfield burying-ground in Illinois. They were the parents of five children. The only daughter mel: a tragic death from a pitchfork in the hands of a boy at play; and Willis H., Andrew D., and Frank H. married, lived and died in Illinois. William A., who is still single, alone sur- vives, and at Litchfield, he claims his residence.
Captain Skelton's successor in the mercantile business here was B. F. Rogers in 1858. The site of this pioneer store is now covered by the Twyman and Silcott establishment. James and Jerome Vandiver, J. R. Sigler, David McGregor, Jonathan Haddox, and son Harrison B., and C. E. Haddox are among the many others who have been identified in this business here.
James Merchant is regarded as the pioneer hotel keeper here. He came in 1856, and built the "Alpha House," which remained in the hands of his family, his widow and son, Bona- part Merchant, until a few months since when it was sold.
Mr. Merchant came to Cairo as contractor on the Balti- more ami Ohio railroad, and he was subsequently a contractor on the "Calico railroad."
Fie was of French descent, and was born at what is now CharlestOAvn in Jefiferson county in 1813 ; and there he was first married to Miss Jeannette Harley, and five children were the fruits of this union : Edwin died in youth ; John, at Atlanta, Georgia, where he left a family ; Jacob, at St. Joseph, Mis- souri ; Charley, at Cairo ; and James is a druggist at Murphy- town, Tennessee. After the wife of his youth was laid to rest at Charlestown, he married Miss Sarah ]ane Foster, of Penn-
CAIRO 501
sylvania, who is of High Dutch stocky and with her he came to Cairo. Their cliildren were five in number: viz., E. B., George, and Mrs. Jennie Carroll, and the late F. S., Cairo; and the late Minor, oi Atlanta, Georgia.
Mr. Merchant passed on several years ago, and rests at Cairo.
Churches. — The pioneer pul)lic building in this section, which served the people for both school and church purposes for a half century., was torn down shortly after the erection of the United Presbyterian church in 1870; and the site of this re- vered old structure is now marked by the "Odd Fellows ceme- tery." The Rutherfords, Halls, Pews, Douglasses, and Taylors were the chief builders of the U. P. church ; and tlie Rev. T^. M. Sleelh was its first pastor. This church was reduced to ashes in 1904 but was re-built two years later.
The Baptist church also came in 1870, with the Hatfields, Fordhams, Moatses and Pliillipses as principal l:)uilders. This church stands on the Hatfield homestead near one mile from town, and only a short distance from the United Presbyterian church.
This church society was organized on June 6, 1868, v\ith the Rev. P. A. Woods, chairman; and Henry Fordham, clerk; but its organization was not fully completed until June ?Oih of the same year, when Jacob Hatfield and Thomas Fordham were made Deacons, and Henry Fordham, clerk.
The original members of this organization were as fol- lows; Jacob Hatfield and wife, Sarah J. and Elizabeth Hat- field, Thomas Fordham and wife, Lucinda Yockey, Peter Moats, John Layfield, Elizabeth Layfield, and Elizabeth L.. Margaret and Salinda Layfield, of the Harrisville Baptist church, Sarah E. Cain, and Cinderilla Hatfield, Goose creek;- Samuel Moats, Indian creek ; Harriet Layfield, Cedar creek , and Henty Fordham, of the Baptist church of Baltimore.
Next came the Presbyterian church, which stands be}-f)nd the town limits, and which is the largest and best church edi- fice in this part of the county. The McKinneys, the l\IcCol-
50^ HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
lums, and the Wanlasses were among tlie leaders of this de- nomination.
The Methodist Episcopal church, which is the only one within the limits of tlie town, was dedicated during the au- tumn of 1870 ; and among its principal promoters and build- ers, we find the names of Eli Earnest. J. R. Sigler, Harrison B. Haddox, and Mrs. Cunningham. This church has been re- modeled and improved within recent years, and has been fur- nished with a fine musical instrument, the half of which was the gift of Andrew Carnegie.
Before the coming of the churches, the old "Block House" was used as a place of worship, as well as the other old building mentioned.
The Block House was also used for school purposes, San- ford Carroll being the first teacher within its walls; and George Weddekham, another teacher, is said to have given m- structions to a class in German here.
This "old Block House," which stood on the west side of the hill above the railroad, was instituted during the Civil war as a place of defense and as a guard house. It was built compact of hewed timber and all along the railroad these houses w'cre to be seen; but they have all long since passed from view.
The First School Building was erected in 1868. It was an old time log structure and stood on the hill on the west side of the river, and served the town for educational purposes until 1873, when the present school-grounds were set apart, and a two-roomed frame building erected ; but this building was de- stroyed by fire in 1893, and the following year it was replaced by another two-roomed building, which was remodeled by the addition of two more rooms and an office, in 1896.
In 1904-5 another addition was made, and the present building consists of six class rooms,* an office and a reading room, a library of six hundred volumes, and other modern ap- paratuses and conveniences.
When the school was established in 1868, one teacher was thought to be equal to the occasion, as the curriculum con- sisted of only the three "R's" and a "few fragments and frills."
CAIRO 503
but it has kept pace with the onward march of education, and it now occupies a place in the front ranks, among the schools of this and neighboring" counties. Owing to its crowded conditions no High school work of any notice was taken up until 1904 and 1905, when tlirough the etforts of L. R. Fowler, one year's course was added. The curriculum now consists of the regular graded-school work and a two-year High school course. Like the other schools of its kind in the county, it has sent out some of the prominent citizens of our state, as well as the county. Its present enrollment (1909) Is near two hundred, and its teaching faculty is as follows ; S. C. Grose, P. C. Hickman, Genevieve Kirsch, Nettie Myer.s, Sallie Agnes Pew, and Emma McCollum.
John S. Hall, the blind pedagogue and poet, of St. Mary's was the lirst teacher in the house on these grounds ; and among those who have served as principal since his time are: Miss Jennie Smith, Luther Randolph, Fillmore Randolph, Wm. AL Hall, A. B. Smith, L A. Tannyhill, Mr. King, William Echols, Jora Cannon, J. H. Nichol, Lucy McKinney, J. Newman, Kath- rine Roberts, J. F. Marsh, L. FL Hayhurst, J. W. Davis, L. R. Fov/ler and S. C. Grose, the present incumbent.
Bank. — The first Cairo Bank building marks the site of an old and important landmark, which is now but a memory, the spoke factory and grist-mill of the late "Jackey" Horn, which played no small part in the early history of the town, but which finally sank into a state of dilapidation and ruin and vanished from sight before the hand of modern improvement.
The Grange. — Early in the seventies an organization called the "Grange" flourished here. Its purpose being to ad- vance the interests of the farmer. A large store was opened, which did a successful business for a time. One fair was held, which was a pronounced success, but soon after this, the com- pany went to pieces ; the business was sold out, the store closed, and the corporation disbanded. There was at this time quite a number of other Grange organizations in the county, but not even one is left "to tell the tale." of their success. They have long since been "naught but a memory."
The Late Ex-Senator J. N. Camden, of Parkersburg, was
504 HISTORY Or RITCHIE COLWTV
an impo'-tant factor in redeeming much of the territory east and north of this town from its primitive wilderness. He and other Parkersburg- men purchased thousanas of acres of land, and put in large mills which cut up tlic timljer ; and after Uie best timber had been removed, they sold the land in small farms, reserving their coal and oil interests which have since proved to be valuable possessions. This enterprise began near the "Nutter farm." H. S. Wilson/ of Parkersburg, also did much toward opening up this territory.
Alajor J. D. Beardley, superintended the mill-work for Senator Camden ; and he built the residence that is now owned by Airs. Anna Newman, which \yas at that time considered one of the few palatial residences in the count}-. Air. Beardsiey was a Canadian by birth and always remained ioyal to the Crown. He and his accomplished wife added much to the so- cial circles while here, but when his work was at an end, they went to Arkansas, where they amassed quite a fortune.
The First Silversmith. — Henry Fordham was the first silversmith of the town. He was born in Yorkshire, England, on September 7, 1817, and there grew to manhood and learned the watcli and clock-maker's trade in his father's shop.
In 1841, he was married to Aliss Sarah Mitchell, daughter of William Mitchell, who passed on in 1849, leaving two chil- dren, the late Airs. Elizabeth (Abner) Hatfield, and Thomas Fordham, of Gofif's.
After her death he married her sister, Aliss
Alitchell, and in 1851, they embarked to America, landing in Baltimore, where she died a few years later, leaving one bon, Henry Fordham, junior, who died in his early manhood. He then married Aliss Barbara Ellen Gettier, of Baltimore; and from there came to this county, and settled at Cornwallis, for a brief lime, before coming to Cairo in 1858, where he con- tinued to work at his trade until his death, in 1887.
He spent two years of his life as a sailor, and served as a soldier in the Civil war for a few months. He was Secretary of the Board of Educatfon for seven vears — just before his
iSee Chapter XXVIII for sketch of Mr. Wilson.
CAIRO 505
death — and was unusually skillful in his trade as repairer of clocks and watches, as is his son.
The children of his last marriage are Mrs. Mary Hall, Mrs. Florence Hall, and the late Mrs. Emma (A. L.) Gracey, of Marietta, Ohio, who died at the birth of her first child. Mrs. Fordham still survives and at the Gracey home at Marietta, she resides.
Physicians. — Dr. T. B. Humphrey was, the first resident physician. He remained for several years and then went to Bridgeport, Harrison county, where he died. His successor was Dr. C. P. Lowry, who married Miss Myra Sigler, dau.gh- ter of J. R. Sigler, and after several years' practice here was compelled to give up the profession owing to his failing health. Ide then removed to Parkersburg, where he died a little later, and where his family still live.
The late Dr. Martin came next and, after years of faithful service, died here. Dr. Chesney was another physician, but he only remained for a brief time, going from here to Tyler county.
Dr. Archie Bee, and Dr. U. S. G. Ferrell are the present practioners.
Lawyers. — James Newman, an Englishman, was the first lawyer in 1894. J-fe came as a teacher, but since his practice has become so large, he has gixen up teaching. Charles Mc- Kight, Robert Talkington, Robert McGregor, and S. O. Prunty are other jurists that have been identified here. Mr. Prunty is now the partner of Mr. Newman.
Newspapers. — The pioneer newspaper was the "Ritchie Democrat and Beacon Light" in 1877. The Cairo Times came later, but was destroyed when the Commercial hotel went up in smoke, some twelve years ago, after a brief history. "The Cairo Enterprise" with Robert Morris owner and Van A. Zeveley editor, is the only publication in the town at present.
Lodges. — The Kate Barclay Lodge, No. 51, of the L (). O. F. was the pioneer secret society. It held its early sessions at the Alpha hotel, but later purchased an old dwelling near the Methodist Episcopal church, which served until 1890, when the fine lodge hall was erected, which is now the home of all
506 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
the secret orders in town, the others renting of the I. O. O. F. H. B. McColkim is styled the "father" of the organization here, he having been an Odd Fellow for more than sixty years. The Odd Fellows also own a large cemetery near town.
A strong Good Templars organization once flourished here, but has long since gone out of existence. The other secret orders are, the Masonic, the A. O. (J. W., the I. O. R. M., the Modern Woodmen of America, the Knights of Pythias, and the Woodmen of the World.
John McGregor, brother of David was an early black- smith here, perhaps, the first one of the town.
Cairo is divided by the North Fork of Hughes river, but is connected by bridges, a county, a railroad, and a suspension bridge span it, and a foot bridge is under agitation. It is heated and lighted by natural gas, and is the only town in the county that has waterworks. It is in the midst of an extensive oil field though developments are now on the w^ane ; but it has been greatly enlarged during this period of oil development. Several new additions having been added and others are m progress, among which the Ferrell is perhaps, the more im- portant.
Dr. U. S. G. Ferrell bought a tract of land some distance from the main town and divided it into one hundred seventeen lots, thirty of which, perhaps, have been improved. This ad- dition has a planing-mill, a general store, and a movemeni. is on foot for a church and a school house.
Cairo claims a resident population of eight hundred in- habitants. It has a third-class post-office, the late C. E. Had- dox being the first post-master appointed by the President, and B. R. Twyman is the present one. It has been under municipal government since 1895. when it was incorporated with James Newman as first mayor.
It has a fine drug store, with G. S. Flesher, druggist ; an opera house which was recently completed by H. E. McGregor & Company at a cost of near one thousand five hundred dol- lars; a nitro-glycerine factory,' a job printing-house, an oil well manufacturing tank shop, planning-mill, feed stores, bakeries, groceries, a good school-building, two hotels, the "Alpha and
CAIRO 507
the Omega," and a few boarding houses. It has one bank, the two having- been consolidated under the name of the "Cairo Bank," a few years since.
The South Penn, the South, and the Stuart Oil Companies, and a number of others have their head ofifices here.
Its l.aisiness men are H. E. McGregor and C. D. Lowry, who have a large furniture and undertaking establishment under the firm name of ^McGregor & Company. The Greer Supply Company are also dealers in furniture and have a spa- cious hardware establishment in connection. The Ramsey Sil- cott Company are the clothiers, The Cairo Mercantile Fiim with Newton Marsh in charge. Summers, Hall & Co., (B. E. Summers, A. L. Hall and G. P. Sigler), S. P. Heckart, G. P. Hess, A. Pribble, T. P. Sandy are the general merchants.
John Shroper, is the photographer, W. L. Collins, J. Fried- ley, T. E, Cross, blacksmiths, A. S. Lemon, tailor, Mrs. A. M. Douglass, milliner, and Misses Anna and Mary Eavelle, dress- makers.
While Cairo cannot boast of its beauty of location, it is conveniently situated, and is the third town in point of size in the county ; and in modern conveniences it holds the first rank.
As the country about it was formerly called "Egypt"' it takes its name from the ancient land of the Pharaohs beyond the sea.
The names of McKinney, Marshall, Hall, Douglas.-^;, Younge. Rutherford, McGregor, Lowther, Pew, Fordham, Merchant, Haddox, Carroll, Sigler, Hatfield, Earnest, Lee Humphrey, and McCollum, all have old and prominent con- nection with this town, but as many of their histories have already appeared in preceding chapters, more than a passing notice is still due a few of them.
Eli Earnest and his wife came from the Keystone state, and died here after a long residence. Their son, Luther, mar- ried Miss Mary Lowther. daughter of the late Maxwell and Mrs. Matilda Lowther (now Mrs. McGregor) and went to Oregon, v/here they now live.
^The name Egypt orif^inatecl from the fact that much corn was raised here in early lime^J, and when the citizens of the Harrisville vicinity came down to buy, one of the wives of tlie old settlers said: "Oh! you Israelites have come to Egypt to get corn, have you?" hence the name.
508 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COLWTV
Harvey B. McCollum came from Pennsylvania in his young manhood, near the year 1854:, and married Miss Kath- erine ^IcKinney, daughter of Jacob ]\IcKinney, and is still a familiar ligure of the to\vn. He has been the Secretary of the Board of Education of Grant district almost throughout the history of the free school system.
He is the father of two sons, and one daughter; viz., W'm. AlcColluni, and Aliss Emma, who is one of the successful teachers of the county, and Dr. Reilly ]\IcCoilum, of St. IMarj'-'s.
Jacob Hatfield was born in Greene county, Pennsylvania, on ^lay 13, 1818, of Scotch-English parentage. He was the son of Jiicob Hatfield, senior, and his mother's maiden name was Aliss ]kIondell. Both lived and died in Pennsylvania.
In 18-10, he was married to Aliss W'i-helmina Everhart, who was also born in Greene county, on October 26, 1820 , and shortly alter their marriage, they came to West A'irginia, and settled near Aliddlebourn in Tyler county : and from there they came to Cairo in 185?, and took up their residence on the old homestead, near one mile east of the town where their son, Jacob, now lives, and where they saw the last of earth. She, in 1895, and he, on February 9, 1902. Both rest in the Egypt cemetery, near their old home.
Air. Hatfield was long prominent in public aftairs. He served as magistrate at the time the magistrates formed the County court ; and was a member of the Board of Supervisors that laid the county ofif into districts. He was also a member of the body that organized the State of A\'est Virginia, he and John P. Harris being the delegates from this county. He gave the grounds for the Cairo Baptist church and was one of its chief builders and pillars. He also played c. liberal part in the building of the Central Baptist church at Goff's.
He was the father of the following named children : Hon. Samuel Hatfield. ex-State Senator, and Jacob, already men- tioned, Cairo : the late Dr. F. P. of Parkersburg, who also oc- cupied a seat in the Legislature, from Wood county ; Cephas. of ^Marietta ; Abner Hatfield, and Mrs. Thomas Fordham, GoflF's : Mrs. Benjamin Phillips, Rusk ; and Mrs. ]\Iadison Lambert, Ellenboro.
Samuel Hatfield is the one member of *his familv that has
CAIRO 509
taken an active part in the public affairs of the county. He was bora in Tyler county, in 184:2, and with his parents came to this county at the age of ten years. He married Miss Cin- derilla Phillips, and is the father of two daughters, the late Mrs. Mary (B. F.) Twyman, and Mrs. VVilhelmina Cokeiey, of Cairo. He filled the offices of assessor and of Commissioner of the County court; and in 1904, was elected as State Senator from the third Senatorial district: and at the session of 1907, he served as a member of the following committees : On County and Municipal corporations; on Militia; on Immigra- tion and Agriculture ; to examine Clerk's offices, and was chair- man of the one on Federal Relations.
J. R. Sigler, who was so long identified with the business affairs of this town, came to this county from Evansville, Preston county in 1849; ]:)Ul later went to Gilmer county where he was engaged in the tannery business, at Glenville, at the breaking out of tlie Civil war; but in 18()"?, he returned to Harrisville where he remained until the time of the build- ing of the "Calico railroad" when he came to Cairo. Here he was engaged in the mercantile business for many years, and here he passed from earth ; but in the Harrisville cemetery he slumbers. He was first married to Miss Mary Stevens, daugh- ter of Israel Stevens of Taylor countv, who died in 1847 leav- ing two sons, John W., who lost his life in the Union cause, on the Lynchburg raid ; and J. J. Sigler, of Harrisville. His second wife was Miss Jane Moats, daughter of Jacob Moats, of Cairo, and she w^as the mother of the following named children: Ella, late wife of H. P. McGregor, of Wheeling, and mother of H. E. McGregor, of Cairo ; Mattie, is the widow of the late Dr. J. R. Lowry. of Parkersburg; Myra is Mrs. Charles E. Batson, of Cairo; Cora, Airs. Thurston Coffman, of Parkersburg; Ollie, Mrs. Frank Gaylord, of Clarksburg; Addie was the late wife of the Rev. Mr. Beard, of the Presbyterian church ; George P., is the druggist at Pennsboro ; and Walter was killed by the train in his boyhood.
The name of Carroll has long had a prominent association with the history of this town, though few members of the family yet remain here.
Sanford Bartlett Carroll was one of the early pedagogues
510 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
of the to>vn. He was born in Harrison county, on January 27, 1814, but with his parents removed to Doddridge county in his youth, or in his early manhood. He married Miss Mary Flint, who was born at Hartford, Vermont on July 13, 1825, and who with her parents resided in Wood county at the time of her marriage. She was a school-teacher, also, and while thus en- gaged in Ritchie county she met Mr. Carroll and on Sunday, September 2^, 1845, they were married at the home of James Terry, by the late Rev. James L. Clarke.
Mr. Carroll at that time owned a farm on Arnold's creek in Doddridge county, and there the first few years of their married life were spent; and from there they removed to Cairo in the early fifties : and, here, he passed from earth at a ripe old age. Mrs. Carroll survived until August 11, 1907, when the lamp of her life went out at the home of her daughter, Mrs. C. E. Haddox, at Aloundsville. Both sleep at Cairo.
They were the parents of the following named children :
Lydia, the eldest, died at the age of two years.
Chapman married Miss Jennie Merchant, and died a num- ber of years ago leaving two children : George F. resides at Fairmont. Caroline is the wife of the Rev. W. A. Echols, of the Presbyterian church of Ohio : Sanford B., junior, died in 1898, and Charles, too, has passed on ; Ellen is the widow of the late C. E. Haddox, of Moundsville ; and Emma is ]\lrs. Stonewall Taylor, of Parkersburg.
The Carrolls are of Irish descent and they probably first settled in the Maryland colony upon their arrival in Amer'ca.
Charles Carroll, the last surviving signer of the Declara- tion of Independence, who died at Baltimore on November 14, 1832, wa'^; born at Annapolis, Maryland, in 1737.
And his Cousin, John Carroll, was the first Roman Catho- lic Bishop in the United States. He too, was a native of Mary- land, and doubtless belongs to this same family.
William. Carroll, the father of Sanford B. Carroll, and his wife Lucmda Mott Carroll, were both natives of the "Old Dominion" and there they grew to maturity and married ; and from there they emigrated to what is now Harrison county where the most of their family were born.
They died at Cairo at the home of their son, he, on Avigust
CAIRO 511
15, 1864, at the age of eighty-three ; and she, on December 15, 18T6, aged eighty-five years. Both sleep at Cairo.
Haddox, — Three generations of the Haddox family have figured i:i the history of this town, but as a sketch of the older generation appears elsewhere, we shall only mention the fam- ily of the late Harrison B. Haddox, whose brief earthly pil- grimage began on the South fork of Hughes river in this county in 184G, and ended at Cairo in 1877.
Mr. Haddox was a man of high character and was a use- ful member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He offered himself as a soldier at his country's call for volunteers during the Civil war, but was rejected on physical grounds.
In 1863, he was married to Miss Elizabeth Lowe, a native of the Shenandoah valley, who vv'as a lineal descendant of the renowned Lee family of Virginia ; her mother being a cousui of the late General Robert E. I^ee, and six children were the fruits of this union, namely, the late Charles E. Haddox,' of Moundsville ; C. M. Haddox, of Charleston; Harold Haddox, Mrs. Ine.'i (Van A.) Zeveley, Cairo; and Morde and Addie, who died in childhood.
C. M. Haddox is one of the sons of this town that is mak- ing a record for himself in the state, he having filled the po- sition of Chief Clerk in the State Treasurer's office under the administration of the late Newton Ogdin ; and during the last six months of Mr. Ogdin's administration, served as Treas- urer as well as Chief Clerk, Mr. Ogdin being capacitated by illness.
'See Younger Men's Calendar.
CHAPTER XLI
Pennsboro
HIS town was laid out at an early day, and was named in honor of Mr. Penn, of Balti- more— the civil engineer who performed this service. But the history of the town proper begins v/ith the coming- of the railroad in 1858.
As has already been mentioned, in an earlier chapter, the first settlement in the county was made here, in 1800, by John Bunnel ; and the picturesque old stone house at the western end of the town is the oldest landmark in the county, as well as one of the most interesting. It has with- stood the storms of a century, and bids fair to stand for many more. Its walls are two feet in thickness and are constructed of flag-rock, of all shapes and sizes, which are held in-tact by the most substantial of cement : and it is two one-half stories in height, and contains twelve rooms. As one gazes with ad- miration and awe upon the unique design of its masonry, one is almost lost in wonder in regard to the character of the builder. (John Webster, who came from New England and went to Texas where he w^as killed by the Indians).
Mr. A. J. Ireland, the present owner, recently had an aii~ nex of twelve rooms added to the back, wdiich now makes it the largest hotel in town.
Here, in this historic building, James Martin kept the first post-ofBce, which would be a rare curiosity to-day with iis small desk which afforded ample room for all of the mail whicli was then in circulation. A small store box usuallv served this purpose, but the Ellenboro post-mistress used a sieve, which she pushed under the bed out of the way.
The first dwelling, after the "stone house" stood on the corner of Pike and Spring streets, where the Wilson furniture
PENNSBORO 513
store now stands ; and was constructed by Marshall Martin (son of James), who removed an old store house from bei(jvv the fairground here, and converted it into a residence.
Allen Calhoun was the first blacksmith on the site long be- fore the coming of the railroad.
The first depot building, wdiich was located near s'xty feet from the present one, on the opposite side of the street, was built in 1858 or '59.
But, at the time of the coming of M. P. Kimball, at the close of the Civil war, the town was only a hamlet of about five houses with one store ; but he and J. E. Tyler at once started a stave factory, which employed quite a number of men, and thus laid the foiuidation for the present "greatness" of the town ; for since that time its growth has been gradual and steady until it is now the largest town in the county.
The first houses that were erected after the arrival of Mr. Kimball, were two or three small cottages for the occupancy of his factory employees, on what is now Masonic street ; and he (Mr. Kimball) then built a larger house on the site thai is now marked by the Harr}^ Broadwater residence, for a board- ing-house, which was the first hotel after the "stone house."
Hotels. — The ""Urown hotel" was built by the Reverend G. W. Morgan, of the Baltimore Methodist Episcopal Con- ference in 1870, and was used for a store-house for a number of years, before the late C. R. Brown converted it into a hotel ; and it is still used. as a house of entertainment and is owned by the Brown heirs. 'The .\rlingtnn" is the other hotel at present.
School. — The first school-house stood on the flat east of the J. M. Wilson residence, and, like many of the other early public buildings, opened its humble door to some very dis- tinguished visitors. Among these was the late Robert Inger- sol, who delivered a lecture here in 1874.
This old house served the to\vn for educational purposes until 1879. when a four-roomed frame building was construc- ted on the present school-:grounds ; and while this house was being replaced by the ]Dresent six-roomed brick, the old Cruni- rine opera house was pressed into service as a school-room.
5M HISTORY or RITCHIE COUXTY
The six rooms proving inadequate for the growing population, in 1905 a two-roomed frame annex was added.
The school now consists of eight rooms with a total en- rollment of nearly two hundred thirty-five pupils. It hns a two years' High school course ; a library of one thousand vol- umes, and an organ adds to its furnishings.
M. K. Duty was one of most efficient principals of the old frame building ; and among those who have served in tViis capacity in the brick-building are : J. S. Cornwell, L. C. Ander- sen, AY. W. Tapp, S. M. Hoft (1897-98) Homer Adams, H. B. Woods, A. L. Davis. O. G. Wilson, C. B. Cornwell, George A[. Young, vAio came in 19U8, and is at the head of the present faculty, which is as follows : Thomas Lambert, (assistant principal) Aliss Ora ]\IcDougal. ]\Iiss Louise ]\IcCullough. Mrs. ]\Iary Wooddell, Miss Agnes Hamilton, ]Mrs. Gertriide Doak \\ ilson, and ]\Iiss Josephine Fordyce.
Churches. — The first church (the L'nited Brethren) came in 186C, with :\Irs. E. D. Martin. Phillip Sigler, AL.)rris Brad- ford, C. R. Brown, A. C. Barnard, and j. AL AMlson donors of the grounds. Airs. ^Martin giving the site for the church, and the rest, for the cemetery. The Presbyterian church was built in 18T0 : the Catholic, in Ls^o ; the ^Methodist Protestant, in 1901 ; and the Episcopal, still later.
Newspapers. — "The Monitor" with. AT. K. Duty founder, was the first newspape'. Its history began in the early ''80's, and ended when T. A. Brown removed the press to Elizabeth, Wirt county, a few years afterwards. Then came Van A. Zevely with the "Beacon Light," and \\ . A. Strickler with "The Lever," which was succeeded b}' the "Pennsboro Xews,'' and lastlv came "The Reoublican" with A\'. B. Pedigo in the editorial chair. "The Xews" is at present the only journal in the field and it is a live Democratic "wire" with J. A. A\"ood- dell in the chair.
Lodges. — The Alasonic lodge (Harmony X^o. 59) is the oldest sei^ret order here. It was instituted at Tollgate dunng the sixties, and was removed to this place about the year 1885. It numbered at that time sixty members, but noAv has one hundred twentv.
PEXXSBORO 51.3
The Blue Lodge, (the Odell S. Long Chapter Xo. -^5), which was organized in 1899 is now the second chapter dj point of size in the state ; its present membership being near two hundred thirty, and it is now petitioning the Grand Lodge lor a commandery. The Eastern Star has an organization of near seventy-five members. The Masons have quite a hand- some temple which is valued at near five thousand dollars.
The K. of P. have a hall of their own, and the L O. O. F. the Woodmen of the A\'orld, the Modern Woodmen of Ameri- ca, the Keystone Guards, the Daughters of Rebecca, the Knights of Modern Maccabees, the Encampment, the G. A. R. and the Sons of \^eterans all have organizations here.
Blacksmiths. — John Gattrell and his late brother, Stephen, of West L'nion, were the first blacksmiths of the lOwu, and A. J. Cross, J. E. A'alentine and A. B. Garrison, are the present ones. J. \V. Foster, wdio was long engaged at his anvil, and W. F. Sills, who is also undertaker, are the dealers in wagons.
Physicians. — The late Dr. J. B. Criunrine, was the first resident physician. Lie came here from Little A\'ashington, Pennsylvania, and was married to IMiss Virginia, che daughter of John Collins, and remained until his death near the year 1895. His daughter, Lora, is now Mrs. AL K. Duty, and John Crumrine is his son.
Dr. E. H. Martin, of Oxford, was another former physician here, and Drs. J. B. Wilson and A. P. and L. P. Jones are the present ones.
Dr. C. A\'. A\' ilcox, and Dr. John Stoops, whose reputation is state-wide, are the dentists.
Business Enterprises. — One of the enterprises of the Penn§boro of the past was the establishing of a Cigar Manu- facturing house by W. T. Dixon, which was only in existence for a short time. ^Ir. Dixon was the father of H. A. Dixon, who noAv has a small cigar concern.; and in the U. B. cemetery he rests.
But one of the most important business enterprises of modern Pennsboro was the founding of the "CoHins Company" wdiich was opened as a retail planing-mill by the late Creed Collins and C. A\'. Sprinkle. The planing-mill was incorpo- rated as the "Pennsboro Lumber Company," and the Collins
51G HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Company continued in the wliosale lumber business until the fall of 1908, when the whole business became insolvent ; and thus one of the largest enterprises in the history of the county took its place among the annals of the past, and untold sorrow followed m its wake.
The "Pennsboro Manufacturing Company" which was organized in January 1910, (with T. G. Strickler president; G. P. Sigler vice president; II. L. Lambert secretary; H. J. Scott treasurer, and J. B. Yates general manager) succeeded the Pennsboro Lumber Company vvitli a capital stock of twenty- five thousand dollars.
The marble-yard was founded during the summer of 1888, by M. S. McCuUough, who continued in charge until Novem- ber 20, 1908, when he sold to Guy Flannagan and H. B. West. The late Thomas Kincaid was a partner with Air. McCullough for one 3^tar during his ownership. This is the only marble- yard in the history of the county, and its income is near fifteen thousand dollars a year.
The Pennsboro Grocery Company was established in 1899 .vith E. T. Weekly president, but it was destroyed by fire m 1905 ; and the present wholesale Grocery Company was or- ganized in 1906, with Dr. G. P. Sigler, president; H. J. Scott, treasurei ; and T. G. Strickler, manager. Its authorized capi- tal is $50,000, and Mr. Strickler is still the manager.
The Golden Rule Shirt factory is one of the important en- terprises of the town, since it can give regular employ metit to one-half hundred persons. It was organized on December 28, 1905, with G. P. Sigler, li. J. Scott, B. F. Maulsby, Theodore Butcher, E. J. McKinley, James Hickman, E. J. Norris, and Harry Fordyce, as directors. A. L. Davis, now of Charleston, was the iirst manager and H. C. Fordyce is the present one.
Banks, — The Farmers' and Merchants' Bank was the hrst bank of the town. It was organized on September 28, 189?, with Creed Collins, president ; L. P. Wilson, M. K. Duty, A. Broadwater, James Hickman, E. E. A\^ells, G. P. Sigler, J. M. McKinney, S. V. Wilson, Benjamin McGinnis and T. G. Strickler, as directors. H. J. Scott is the cashier.
The Citizens Bank was opened for business as a State Bank, on August 28, 1899, with Alex Prunty, as president; E.
PENNSBORO 517
J. Taylor, vice president; and James Hickman, B. H. Hickman, G. W. Lambert, L. P. Wilson, D. A. Fawcett, O. H. Collins, A. J. Wilson, and W. S. McGregor, aS' directors.
But it was changed to the Citizens National Bank, in June, 190-i, and was officered as follows : E. J. Taylor, presi- dent; A. Broadwater, first vice president; W. S. McGregor, second \ice president; C. H. Broadwater, cashier; and C. R. Cunningham, assistant cashier; M. K. Duty, C. R. Cunnmg- ham, James Hickman, A\\ H. Howard, C. H. Broadwater and M. BI. Davis, were the directors. The capital stock is twenty- five thousand with a total footing of three hundred twent3^-five thousand dollars.
The First National Bank was instituted on January 23, 190-i, and was incorporated on ■March thirtieth, of the same year, with a captal stock of twenty-five thousand dollars. Creed Collins, L. P. Wilson, Richard Wanless, M. AB Lam- bert, and E. M. Carver, were the first board of directors. Mr. Collins was tlie president; Mr. Wanless first vice president; L. P. Wilson second vice president; and E. M. Carver, cashier. The present officials are Okey E. Nutter, president ; L. A. Maire, first vice president; Dr. J. B. Wilson, second vice pres- ident; J. A. Leggett, cashier, and Lindsey C. Foster, assistant cashier.
The vStar Lumber Company is another important enter- prise of the town, which employs forty men, but Ave tailed to learn its history.
Mayors. — The town was incorporated in 1885 with C. R. Brown as first mayor, and those who have served in this ca- pacity since that time are: ]\L K. Duty, James Manear, E. D. Clayton, C. H. Heflin, I. L. Fordyce, J. A. Woddell, J. B. Mc- Gregor, and James Hickman, several of whom have served for more than one term.
The Pennsboro of to-day is a busy, enterprising town of fifteen hundred inhabitants.
Rome-like, it sits upon its many hills, and w. h its settings of green trees, its pretty swards, its neat residences, and its numerous church spires, it presents a picturesque appearance*
oiS
HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTV
to the observing visitor within its gates. The Collins' resi- dence, which overlooks the Western end of the town, is with- out doubt the most palatial residence in the county ; it having been builr, at a cost of about eighteen thousand dollars.
Three passenger trains east, and a like number west, makt regular stops here, and there are two daily trains over the Lorama road to Pullman and, also, to Harrisville.
Like the other towns in the county, it has good telephone service, the Bell and the West Virginia Western, both hav- ing exchange offices here, besides the various local lines. It has eight daih' mails ; an opera house ; a Citizens Coronet Bar.d of eighteen pieces; a fenced ball-park; and the fair-ground lies just beyond its borders.
There are eight general stores, two harness shops, a drug store, a tin shop, a clothing and furnishing house, a furniture company, tvv'o hardware stores, bottling works, a suspender factory. Eagle mills and numerous other minor enterprises i)e- sides the ones alread}- mentioned.
AA'ater-works have been installed within the past tew months, and the iire-fighting apparatus is a satisfactory one.
Panorama of Pennsboro.
PENNSBORO 519
SKETCHES OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE PLAYED A PART IN THE HISTORY OF PENNSBORO.
Phillip Sigler, who was born on November 10, 18"25, and died oil October 5, 1888, was one of the eari} men of the town. His wife, CaroHne Weekley, w'as born on November 2G, 1827, and died on May 10, 1901 ; and, side by side, the}' b'e at rest in the U. 13. cemetery, east of tOAvn. Mrs. EHza Flowers, of this place, is their only child.
Addison Rexroad, and Samuel Musgrave were also early citizens here. Air. Rexroad, who belonged to the pioneer fam- ily of his name, married the daughter of George Sinnett, of Harrisville. and liad one son, the late Zachariah Rexroad, of Goose creek.
Mr. Musgrave and his wife, Rachel Dawson, came from ]\Iarion county and remained until death. Lemuel, Joe, Jona- than, Pinckney, and James, were their sons, and this is as far as our information goes.
Fallen. — But among the older families that are still here, is that of the late Michael Fallen, who came as contractor on the Baltimore and (3hio railroad in 1858.
Mr. Fallen was born in Ireland in 1820, and came to the United States in his early manhood, -and landed at Boston, where he met and married Miss Bridget McGraw, who was also born in Ireland, on February 2, 1829, but came to America at the age of eighteen 3'ears. The marriage took place' on August lo, 1850, and they remained at Boston for one year, be- fore going to Cumberland, Maryland, where he entered the employ of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company. This company sent him to Fairmont a little later, and from there he came to this place in the stage-coach days, before the town was born. When the family arrived they boarded at the "stone house" until a dwelling could be secured. He came as con- tractor on the railroad and as long as he lived he w^as in the employ of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, he hav- ing been foreman, watchman, etc.
He died on October 24, 1875, and there being no Catholic burying-ground here, his remains were taken to West Union
520 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
for interment. His wife died on I-'ebruary 23, 1899, and sleeps in the Catholic cemetery here.
Their children were eight in number: Miss JMary Fallen, who was engaged in the milliner business here for fifteen years, was the eldest davighter; IMichael, junior, who served for five years in the United States army, is of Central Station , Delia was the late ]\lrs. [Michael Glenn, of Baltimore ; John died at Baltimore, tmmarried ; William, who was a soldier of the Spanish-American war, lives at Alt. Clare, in Harrison county ; Bernard and Thomas died in youth ; and Ella, who long held a position in the post-office here, is now Airs. M. P. W^ooddeil, of this place.
M. P. Kimball, who can well be styled "the father" of this town, was born in Massachusetts, on June 2, 182-4, but came from the "Empire" state to Ellenboro, wiiere he launched a cooper-shop, and remained for some length of time before coming to Pennsboro. Ele, with J. E. Tyler, of Xew York, founded the stave factory, which was owned and operated by "Kimball, Tyler and Company" until the death of Air. Kim- ball, when his property fell into the hands of his wife, whc gave her interest in the factory to Air. Tyler, who removed it to Baltimore, where he was still doing business a few years since.
Some handsome brick buildings now mark the site of this interesting old landmark, which played so important a part in the history of the town and of the county. The old Kimball home is now owned and occupied by AI. H. Davis, and is still a pretty residence.
Air. Kimball Avas the promoter, chief-builder, and soie owner oi' the Pennsboro and Harrisville railroad until his death, when it passed into the hands of his wife, by his will. and she sold it to a company.
He died on October 9. 1801, and in the Presbyterian ceme- tery overlooking the town, a handsome monument "guards his ashes."
His first wife, Lucy, who was born on February 4, 1827, and died on January 15. 188T. came from Xew York with him. His second wife, Aliss Hattie AI. Alartin, daughter, of .James, was born at Pennsboro on April 5, 1843, and died on August
PEXXSBORO ■ 521
4, 'IDUl, and rests with him and his first wife in the Presby- terian cemetery. He had no children.
Morris Bradford was another important factor in the early business affairs of the town. He came from Tyler county in 1S60, and opened a store and remained until his death on De- cember J 6, 1883, at the age of fifty-four years, eleven months, and ten days. He also played a part in the building of the P. and H. railroad.
His wife, Mary J.^ Thomas, sister of G W. Thomas, was born in lyler county and died at Pennsboro on February 17, 1899, at the age of fifty-nine years, three months and fourteen days. Both rest in the U. B. cemetery, as does their daughter, Charlotte, who died on Xovember "21, 1883, aged twenty-four years. Other children died in youth, and the stirviving ones are as follows : Peter Bradford, of Grafton : AA'illiam, of ^Middle Island; Wetzel and Bert of the hardware firm of Bradford and Wells; Mrs. E. E. Wells, all of Pennsboro; and Airs. Charles Price of Colorado.
Marshall Martin, son of James Martin, the first merchant of the town, was a native of the old "stone house." He mar- ried Miss Harriett Smith, daughter of Captain John Smith ol Fairmont, and went from here to Parkersburg where he rests.
His family are as follows : Edwin T. Martm, Colorado ; Edith (Mrs. Wm. Hall) Cairo: Aliss Mona Martin, Parkers- burg; Mrs. Rose AIcKean, Clarksburg; Alarshall, junior, and another child died in youth.
Festus H. Martin, brother of Alarshail. is at this time the oldest living son of the town, as well as one of its most widely- known and prominent citizens. He was born in the "stone house" or. September 1, 1840, and has principalh^ spent the three-score years of his life here.
He v\'as one of the early County Superintendents of free schools, being elected in 1871, but resigned after a few months' service, because he had changed his place of residence to Wood county. He h.as l^een farmer, general wholesale dealer in wool, hides, etc., ?nd has been in the employ of the South Penn Oil Company.
'A member of the family gave us the name of Mrs. Bradford as 'Charlotte." but her grave stone saj-s "Mary J."
522 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
In February 1869, he was married to Miss Hattie V. Dye, daughter of Jonathan Dye, of Alarietta, Ohio, who was borne to her final resting-place in the Presbyterian cemetery, in Feb- ruary 1897.
The children of this union are as follows: Campbell D. Alartin, Salem; Festus Hali, Huntington; Edith (Airs. Silas P. Smith), West Union; Susan (Mrs. J. L. Silcott), and Cath- erine, both of Parkersburg, and two sons died in youth.
The Thomas Brothers have been identified in the mercan- tile business here for thirty-five years, and are still leaders in this business. They also figured in the milling and the leaf tobacco business for a time.
They are both natives of Tyler county, and are the sons of the late John and Lydia McCoy Thomas.
George W. Thomas was born on September -i, 1845, ai;d in 1879, he was married to Aliss Dollie AIcKinley, daughter of John McKinley. and three children are tlie result of the union; viz.. Earnestine (]\Irs. B. \\\ Bee), and George, who died at the age of twenty years ; and Susie, at seven.
Peter Thomas was born in 18-18, and his wife was Aliss Mae Homer, daughter of Clarke Horner, and one son, John, is the fruits of the union.
Meservie is one of the old names of the town as its as- sociation dates back for one-half centur}-, when Charles ai.d Margaret Tucker Meservie made their appearance here. Mrs. Meservie rests in the cemetery here, and he, in the \\'est.
Columbus, CKie of the sons, who was wounded in the Union cause, now lives at Oxford ; Martin rests in Missouri, and John resides there ; Katherine is the wife of Spencer Clay- ton, of this place; Sarah is Mrs. Taylor, of Ohio; IMahala A\as the late Mrs. Dotson ; ]\Iary is Mrs. Slack, of Columbus, Ohio; ]\Irs. Jane Moran lives at Grafton; and A\'. R. Meservie is tiie present County clerk.
Creed Collins. — Few individuals have had a longer or more important connection with the affairs of this town liian the late lamented Creed Collins, who spent the entire span of his life in this vicinity. He was the son of John and Phebe Bryce Collins, and on the old homestead not far from this town, he was born on December 14, 184?, and here at his beau-
PENNSBORO . 523
tiful residence "Oak Hall" on a qniet afternoon in the early spring time, April 2d, 1909, the sun of his life sank behind the Western hills.
Though only a boy, he was an ardent advocate of the Southern cause, and at the opening of hostilities, leaving his studies ac the Academy at Alorgantown, he enlisted in Com- pany A, Twenty-Iifth Mrginia Cavalry under Captain E J. Jarvis and Colonel Kasler, who belonged to William L. Jack- son's brigade, and was the youngest member of this company. He was twice taken prisoner, spending fi\'e montns at Camp Chase, and seven, at McLane's Barracks, but managed to es- cape from the latter place by tunnelling his \N'ay through a cellar. He was engaged in the mercantile business here for twenty-five years (beginning near the year 1867), and was at one time an extensive dealer in the tobacco industry ; and at the time of his financial crisis, was regarded as the wealthiest man in the county, being one of the largest land-owners as well as having interests in paying business concerns. And this crisis was due to no fault or mis-management of his own, but came through his trustfulness of others, those who proved to De unworthy of the confidence that he bestowed, and he died of a broken-heart. It has been said of him by those wno knew him bes;, that he was "the soul of honor," that his nature vv'as generous, noble and warm-hearted. He was ever a loyal and influential Democrat. He had no church ties, but his last intel- ligible words were an expression of peace and of resignatiiDu. He lies at rest in the family burying-ground near "Oak Hall," and his widow and youngest daughter occupy the palatial old home.
In 1867 he was married to Miss Susan Hayjnond, daugh- ter of Col. Lewis and Rachel AMlson Haymond, and grand- daughter of Col. Ben Wilson, senior, and five daughters and three sons were the result of this union; viz., !Mrs. Fayc (J. K. B.) Wooddell, Airs. :\Iarion Greer, Mrs. Anita Smith, the late Mrs. Pansy Sprinkle, ]\Iiss Genevieve, Creed, junior, Staley Wilson, and Haymond Bryce Collins.
Leroy P. Wilson (familiary known as "Dump") was one of the lea<ling business men of his generation here.
He was born near the little Hamlet of Oxford, on Sep-
524 HISTORY Ot RITCHIE COUXTY
tember IS, 183^1:, and was the son of Archibald and Elizabeth Hudkins Wilson.
In rebruary 1862, he was married to ]\iiss Virginia S. Rinehart, of Boyd, Maryland, and for a number of years, they resided on a farm on the Lorama railroad, but finally removed to Pennsboro, where his life came to a close on January 15, 1905.
His business enterprises were varied and successful ; he being farmer, cattle-dealer, clothing merchant, bank official, etc. He was the first president of the first bank organization of the county, and was vice president of the First National Bank at Pennsboro at the time of his death. He was prominent in Democratic circles, and was a member of the Masonic order, the I. O. O. F., the K. of P., and the I. O. R. M. He had no church affiliations, but honesty was one of his chief character- istics, and he died rich in the esteem of a multitude of friends.
One child preceded him to the grave, and eleven survive, all of whom are prominently known :
A. J., and Mrs. Minnie (S. M.) Hofif, are of Harrisviile ; Dr. J. B. and Miss Agnes Wilson, and J- M., junior, Penns- boro; B. F. Clarksburg; Lee, New Mexico; Dr. J. O., Okla- homa; Mrs. Annie (Hall) Hamilton, Elkins ; Dr. Zilphia Bop- pell, who was graduated from the Northw^estern University at Chicago, of Spokane, Washington ; and Sue is Airs. A. L. Davis, of Charleston.
John Marshall Wilson, brother of L. P., is one of the oldest as well as one of the most prominent citizens of the town.
He stepped upon the "battle-field of life" on Septembei 16, 1827, and at the age of twenty-four years claimed Aliss Re- becca Clayton, daughter of Elijah Clayton, as his bride ; and foi almost sixty years he has been a thrifty farmer of the Penns- boro vicinity, he having resided on the homestead now' owned by his son, Alphetis, and on the McDougal farm before re- moving to the out-skirts of the town, and he is a large land- owner.
His children, all of whom grew to the years of maturity and married, were twelve in number; Sherman, Ouincy A., and Josephine (Mrs. Howard Broadwater) have all passed on. Lehman, A\'iiliam, Alpheus, Ben F., Lincoln, John. Hooper,
PENNSBORO 525
Creed, and Ingaby, who is Mrs. John McDougal, all belong to this part of the county, and are all the heads of intelligent families.
Charles R. Brown, so long merchant and hosteler of the tov/n, was born near Erie, Pennsylvania, on June 3, 1830, and with his parents removed to near Centreville in Tyler county when he was a lad of twelve 3^ears. There he grew to man- hood and learned the trade of mill-wright and carpenter.
On June 23, 1859, he was married to Miss Rebecca Broad- water, daughter of Jefiferson Broadwater, and the first three years of their wedded life were spent in Tyler county. They then removed to Walker Station where they lived during the Civil war. He was post-master there during those dark days, and was compelled on different occasions, to hide the mail- sacks in carpet rags to protect them from the Confederate sol- diers. From Walker Station he came to Pennsboro at the close of the war, and opened a store in what is now the "Brown hotel," and a number of years later, converted it into a house of public entertainment and remained in charge un- til his death, on August 9, 1901. Mrs. Brown survived until January 24, 1902, when she joined him on the other side. They rest in the U. B. cemetery, as do their son, Oscar, who died in childhood ; and their daughter, Mrs. Clara Kelley, who died on May 7, 1910, while visiting friends in New York ciiy. Elia, the eldest daughter, is Mrs. W. H. Lantz. and Etta, the youngest, is the wife of C. W. Pfeltz, of this place.
W. H. Lantz has long been a business man of the tovvu, he liaving succeeded his father-in-law. (C. R. Brown) in the mercantile business, as far back as the eighties, and has been engaged in this trade continuously ever since. He has served as post-master for a number of years, and holds this office at the present time. He was born in the "Keystone" state, on September 8, 1851, and came here as clerk for Morris Brad- ford ; and while thus engaged his marriage took place to Miss Ella Brown. The children of this uniqn are: the late Mrs. Carrie Ruberry, Price, and Alma, who have also passed on ; and Charles, Minnie, Dessie, Hazel and John.
M. S. McCullough, the founder of the marble-yard, is a
526 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
product of Greene county, Penns3-hania, and his natal day is August 26, 1853.
During- the spring of 1878, he came to Tyler county, and there, on July seventh of this same year, he was married to JMiss Ella Tallman, who died on Xovember 1, 1881. leaving two daughters. Bertha, (Airs. Wm. Smith of this town), and Miss Minnie, who is at home. The family have been citizens of this place since the summer of 1888. when the marble-yard was established.
Dr. George Phillip Sigler has been one of the prominent business factors of the town for thirty years. He was born in the "Starr settlement" on Indian creek, on March JO. 1854: end entered upon the battle-of-life as clerk in his father's (J. R. Sigler) store at Cairo. He began the study of medicine in 1875, and was graduated from the University School of Medicine, at Baltimore, in 1877 : and practiced his profession at Ellenboro and at Harrisville, before coming to Pennsboro in 1880, where he has since been identified as druggist. He has been associated with various other enterprises here : among which are the Wholesale Grocery Company, the Farm- ers' and iMerchants' Bank, the Pennsboro Alill and Feed Compau}', and the Pennsboro ^Manufacturing Company; and he is an official member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
His marriage, to Miss Addie Lowther, daughter of Rob- ert and Airs. Jane AIcKinley Lowther, took place in Alay, 1878, and Bertram R., Robert Harold, and Grace P.. who is now Airs. A. D. Prunty, are the fruits of this union.
Hugh James Scott is another leading business figure of the town. He is a Harrison county product, and, at Syca- moredale, he first saw the light, on Februarv 19, 1859. His father, John Scott, died when he was still in his teens, and his mother, Airs. Elizabeth Garrett Scott, then married Jef- ferson Broadwater, of this county : and to the Broadwater home he came at the age of twenty years. He taught school for three years, and in the meantime, on Alarch 3, 1881, came to Pennsboro as clerk in Alorris Bradford's store ; and con- tinued his clerkship under this same roof until the spring of 1888, when he opened a store of his own in the old Crumrine building: and from that time until 1899 when he became
PENNSBORO 527
cashier of the Farmers' and ^Merchants' Bank, he was actively engaged in the mercantile business.
He is prominent in lodge and church (j\I. E. church) circles ; and has official connection with the Pennsboro Wholesale Grocery Company, the Pennsboro ^Manufacturing Company, the Golden Rule Shirt Company, and the Penns- boro Furniture Company.
He was married to Miss Ella C. Harris, daughter of \\". T. Harris, of Tollgate, on April 17, 1882, and on September 15, 1899, she was borne to the Presbyterian cemetery.
Thomas, the one son of this union died in childhood ; and Ada, wdio is in school at Morgantown, and Pearle are the two daughters.
On Alarch 1?, 1900, Mr. Scott was again married to Miss Xellie Strickler, daughter of Jacob Strickler, of Ellenboro.
John Bosler McGregor, who has been merchant trades- man, and miller here for sixteen years, w'as born on the old homestead on Pond's creek, on August 10, 1851, and began his business life as merchant at Central Station in 1873 ; and remained in this vocation in Doddridge county until 1892, when he went to Parkersburg, where he was engaged in the queensware business for one year, before coming to this place in 1894. Fie is now a partner with E. Z. Weekly in the Eagle Mill Company. He was married to Aliss Catherine, daughter of Wycliffe Bee, on April 9, 1870, and has one son, Charles McGregor.
B. W. Wilson, son of Joseph Wilson, junior, and Rebecca Weaver, was born on Slab creek, this county, on October 22, 1819, and has principally spent his life in this county, though he called the "Buckeye" state his home for a few years. Flow- ever, he has been a citizen of this vicinity since 1872 and of the town since 1897, when he opened a feed store here; and he is now in the furniture and hardware business.
He was married to Miss /\nna Collins, daughter of Ja- cob and Sarah Ripley Collins in 1870, and they have twelve children; viz.. C. F. and B. B., of the ]Meat Market; Sarah, Harry, who is book-keeper at the Second Xational Bank; Maggie (]Mrs. A\'. A\\ Stuart) Clarksburg; Fred F., who is in
528 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
the F. and ]\I. Telephone employ; Ada, Artie, Ona, Nona, and Jack, who are at home.
Adam Flesher. — A very interesting histor}-. and one which dates back to Revolutionary and Indian times, would be omitted should we overlook the name of Adam Flesher, who is at this time one of the oldest citizens of the town.
Mr. Flesher opened his eyes on this mundane sphere, at Weston, on March 27. 1844; and there, remained on his father's farm until he had reached the age of fourteen years, when, with knapsack in hand, he trudged through to Park- ersburg where he learned the saddler's trade under John Lowry, finishing his apprenticeship under Joseph Coulter, , at Marietta, Ohio.
At the close of this apprenticeship, he enlisted in the Union army, in the Seventh Ohio Cavalry, for three years, and immediately after the war settled down to his trade at He- bron, where he remained for twelve years. While there, in February 18vl, he was married to ]\Iiss ]\Iary Elizabeth Bailey, who died on Xovember 1. 1874, and was laid away at St. Alary 's.
Three years later, he came to Pennsboro (1877) and opened a harness-shop, and, with the exception of a few month's residence at Smithville, he has ever since been a citi- zen of this town ; has twice held the office of Justice of the Peace, and has long been an official member of the jNIethodist Episcopal church.
In 1877, he was married to Miss Madisona P. Haddox, daughter of Jonathan Haddox. who died on April 29, 1910, and lies at Duckworth Summit. One daughter, Edith, died in childhood ; and the other daughter, Ida B., is ■Mrs. \\'. J. r\Iartin of this place. ]\Ir. ]\Iartin is a partner with Mr. Flesher in the harness business and is the assistant cashier at the Farmers' and Merchants' Bank.
Mr. Flesher's Ancestor, Henry Flesher, was born in Eng- land and emigrated to America in his boyhood and settled at Weston where he built a block-house, as early as 1730. He married a Miss Butcher (?) and reared a family of six sons and one daughter. The daughter married and started to Ohio, but nothing was ever heard of her again ; and some time after
PENNSBORO 529
her departure, a band of Indians crossed the Ohio river, at Parkersburg, and, following a trail to Weston, fell upon the rest of the family at sundown and wiped them all out of ex- istence, save the mother who escaped to the fort at Jane Lew, and one son, Adam, who fled to the mountains by v/ay of Court House run.
When the Indians killed Henry Flesher, they captured his old flint-lock musket and carried it as far as the mouth of Stone Coal creek, where 'they dropped it ; and, half a century after, this old gun was found, though rusted into three pieces, and it is now one of the interesting relics that can be seen at Weston.
Adam Flesher, senior, the one son of the family that escaped the scalping-knife'of the savages, was married to Miss Mary Stots, of Clarksburg, and settled near two miles belovv^ Weston, where he reared a family of fourteen children, all of Avhom reached the years of maturity and married. He hav- ing reared them on "wild hog and bear," according to the statement of his grandson. It is said that he thought more of his old gun than he did of his wife, his whole heart being in the chase. He was a soldier of the Continental army dur- ing the American Revolution and was at the Battle of Bun- ker's hill. He was, also, a soldier of the war of 1812.
He was born at Weston in 1754, and died near there in 1856 at the age of ninety-six years, despite his many hard- ships.
His descendants are now scattered throughout the Union, (though they are more numerous in West A'^irginia, Indiana, and Texas) and will, perhaps, number twenty thousand. The}^ are generally honest, law-abiding, and hard-working citizens, and many of them are to be found in the higher walks of liie.
Isaac Flesher, his son, who was born in 1810, and died in 1854, was the father of Adam Flesher. of Pennsboro ; H. Flesher, of Gilmer county, who lost his life in the Civil war ; the late Porter, of Williamstown, who was, also, a soldier of the Civil war: the late Crayton, of Pleasants county, the late Mrs. Suemma Bush, and the late Mrs. Zelema Lowe, of Lewis county.
Henry Flesher, another son of Adam, senior, was the
530 HISTORY Of RITCHIE COUNTY
father of the late Asa Flesher of Smithville, and the grand- father of Solon and Theodore Flesher ; and Felix H. Flesher, a brother of Asa, was the father of the Hon. W. A. Flesher, of Smithville.
H. Newton Sharps is one of the widely-known citizen^ of the town. He came to the Cairo vicinity with the rest of the family more than forty years ago, and began life for him- self as clerk for Harrison B. Haddox.' He later "wielded the 3^ard stick'' in the store of Sigler and Gilbert, and served as deputy-sheriff under John B. Hallam, and then came to Pennsboro as clerk for the Thomas Brothers. He traveled for a Baltimore house, and is now on the road for the "Penns- boro Grocery Company."
In 1879, he claimed Miss ^lae'C. Zeveley, sister of \'an A., as his wife, and three children are the result of this mar- riage; viz., Fred. June, and Coral, who was recently married to Dr. Cruikshanks.
Henry Sharps, the father of H. X., was born in Pocahon- tas county, on June 18, 1826; and on May IS. IS-tS, he was m.arried to Miss Mary ^I. Terry, of Highland county, \"ir- ginia, vx^hose natal day was June IS, 1831. After spending ten years of their wedded-life in Pocahontas county, and some time in Ohio, and W^ood county, they came to Cairo, more than forty years ago, where they still reside. Theii family is as follows: James W., H. X., J. R., O. S., Mary F. (Mrs. Wm. Upton), Chas. F., H. H., George B., Wm. H., Sherman, Florence and Eva M. (Mrs. J. J. Calvert. )
J. A. Wooddell, though not one of the older citizens of the town, is one of tlie most essential to its well-being, since he wields the one Editorial pencil, and ably represents the in- terests of all.
He Avas born in Pocahontas county, on July "?o. ISGT, and obtained his education in the rural schools, and afterward studied law, but entered the newspaper field in 1896. He was appointed as member of the Board of Directors for the Hoc pital for the Insane at Spencer, by Governor White and served until this board was abolished. He has, also, served as Mayor of Ripley and of Pennsboro; is a member of the Ma-
PENNSBORO o3l
sonic order, the O. E. S., the Alodern IMaccabees and the W. O. \A'.
On June 16, 1896, he was married to Aliss Mary Prickett. daughter of C. F. Prickett, of Ravenswood, and they have one son, P) rooks.
Airs. Wooddell is a direct descendant of Charity Prickett, the first white woman to cross the Allegheny Mountains; and of Alorgan Morgan, the first settler in the State and of Da\'id Alorgan the renowned Indian fighter.
Mr. Wooddell comes of prominent Pocahontas and Har- rison county pioneer families, and is of Revolutionary stock. His father. John Stewart Wooddell, was born in Pocahon- tas county in Alarch, 1825, and died here on August 31, 190"? ; and his mother, iNlary Sommerville Wooddell, who was born in A\'ood county, on January 31. 1834, was the daughter of James Sommerville, a member of one of the older families ot Harrison county. The marriage took place on Alay IT, 1S-jo, and thev resided in Pocahontas, Jackson, Roane, and \\\v\ counties before removing to this place wdiere both rest in the U. B. cemetery. She followed her husband to the grave, on April 30, 1906. Of their six children three died in child- hood ; J. K. P. who was long a merchant here is now in the lumber business in Virginia; and Marvin P., who is a travel- ing salesman, lives here.
J. E. Cunningham, insurance agent and leader of the Prohibition movement; E. J. McKinle}^ (merchant), Howard Broadwater, J. A. Leggett, and a number of others we might mention, are among the prominent younger men of the town, wdio are writing their names in its history: but they all came of pioneer stock, and must be content with their ancestral history until a future day, as space will not permit of more at this time.
CHAPTER XLII
Ellenboro
LLEXBORO, like all the other railroad towns, came upon the stage as a station. But as early as 1840, a man by the name of Early, constructed a blacksmith shop here, and in 184?. a post-office was established under the name of "Shumley" with Mrs. Williamson as post-mistress. The land where the village stands was, as before stated, originally settled by John AMgner, junior, who sold his pos- sessions here to Bazil A\'illiamson, some time in the thirties. ai:d went to Harrison county, where he died.
Mr. Williamson was born in ^Maryland, in 1779. anrl in his young manhood came to Harper's Ferry, where he met and was married to Miss Margaret \\'ager, daughter of Mrs. Sarah Harper Wager, and granddaughter of Joseph Harper, of Baltimore, who was a brother of Robert Harper, the founder of historic old Harper's Ferry; and from that place they came to Ellenboro, where Mr. Williamson found a rest- ing-place in 1852. The country at the time of their arrival, was in a wild state, and Mrs. Williamson said that it was no uncommon sight for deer to come and look over their A^arc fence. They owned a large estate here, and at the coming of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, they granted the right of way through it free, and in honor of the eldest daughter of the family. Miss Ellen Mariah. the station was called "Ellen- boro."
A'irginia was the other daughter, and Robert Harper ^Ail- liamson, of Washington, D. C. and the late Dr. AA'illiam L. AVilliamson, of Sistersville, who was the first physician of Ellenboro in 1845, were the sons. Some time after the death of the elder Williamson, the family removed to Sistersville.
ELLEXBORO .^33
where Airs. Williamson fell asleep, at the home of her son, Dr. Williamson, and there she reposes.
The old honse. where she died, is still occupied by the Williamson descendants of the fifth generation.
Mrs. Cora L. Thaw Dills, the last surviving daughter of Dr. Williamson died at Sistersville, in 1910. She was the mother of the late Dr. R. H. Thaw, of Elizabeth.
George B. Johnson,^ a grandson of John Wigner, is the oldest man in this section. His memory carries him back to the time when Rusher's run, near Ellenboro, was a sugar camp ; to the days of bridle-paths, before the coming of roads, or railroads and he was one of the builders of the Xorth west- ern turnpike.
Early Merchants. — Samuel Blue, who married Hannah,
the sister of the late General Harris, and Sinnett, son
of George Sinnett, launched the mercantile business here. Then came Robert Porter, who has already been mentioned m connection with Harrisville, as merchant, and as builder of the first hotel. A. S. Core, Crone and Watson, W. F. Wil- liams, R. A. Jefifrey, Daniel Boughner, Daniel Rexroad. Alex- ander Lowther, junior, G. E. Jarvis, and J. P. Strickler were other early merchants here. The writer has bills of mer- chandise, found among her late grandfather's old papers, which were given by Williams and Jeffrey while in business here. The former bears the date of 1858, and the latter, of 1866.
The late Rev. Eli Riddell was the first minister of the town in 1845. The Methodist Episcopal and Methodist Prot- estant denominations now have influential churches. The school-house came near the year 1867, and the present one is a two-roomed graded school.
William F. Boehm was the first blacksmith. Pie came here from Marion county shorti}' after the toAvn was laid out, and at the breaking out of the Civil war, enlisted in the Union cause, and lost his life at the battle of Cloyd Mountain, on May 9, 1865. He married Miss Matilda Hess, sister of the late Thomas Hess, of Harrisville, and was the father of the following named children: Judson W^ Boehm, and Airs. Vir- ginia Rogers, of Ellenboro; Thomas Boehm, Clarksburg: the
'See Johnson history in earlier chapter.
.334 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
late Mrs. America Sliffe, of Wheeling; and the late iMiss Carrie Boehm, of Parkersburg.
Ellenboro is now a town of more than two hundred in- habitants. It was incorporated in 1903, with J. C. Lac}', the present mayor, as first mayor, W. A. Strickler is recorder, O. IC. Wigner post-master, Drs. E. A., and AI. L. Corbin,^ and Charles Boyers, physicians ; A. G. Strickler, A. Hickman, atid L. A. Cunningham, general merchants ; Boehm and Strickler furniture dealers, Jarecki Manufactures of Oil Well supplies, and The Eclipe Flouring I\Iill Company include its business houses. There are two churches, one hotel, and two lodges ; viz., The Masonic, No. ??, and the Knights of Pythias, No. 50.
PROMINENT FIGURES IN THE TOWN'S HISTORY.
Samuel Romulus Dawson was long a prominent figure in the public afifairs of the county, and though he has been quietly sleeping in the Ellenboro cemetery for eighteen years, his memory is still revered.
It was on June 29, 1824, near Brady's mill in Maryland. not far from Keyser, West Virginia, that he "first saw the light of day."
His father, John Dawson, a blacksmith, was a direct des- cendant of one Dawson that went from England to Ireland with Oliver CroniAvell, where he received a large grant of land from Cromwell's hand ; and his mother, Miss Ravens- craft, was a member of a prominent Virginia family, who re- sided on the South branch of the Potomac river.
Samuel R. Dawson was the youngest child of a large family, and, as his educational advantages were very much limited, he became what was styled a "self educated man." he having mastered Greek and other languages at an early age without a teacher. He entered the mercantile business at Romney in Hampshire county while still in his teens ; and shortly after he had reached his majority, joined the Pittsburg Methodist Episcopal conference, and became identified with the pioneer "circuit riders" of this section of the country, dur-
'Dr. Corbin died a few months since.
ELLENBORO M3
ing" the forties, he liaving preached at Harrisvilie, and at other points. He also served the Weston, Clarksburg, Parkersburg and Wheeling charges, he being the only member of the West Virginia conference that has ever had the honor of serving as pastor of the Fourth Street church, at Wlieeiing, the minis- ters of this church having been continuously imported from other conferences.
Owing to an affection of the throat, he was compelled to give up his active ministerial work, but continued to hold services occasionally, and to conduct funerals, up to the time of his death, on January 28, 1893.
In 1860 he removed to Ellenboro, and was the County's first representative in the Legislature of the new State of West Virginia ; and was a leading factor in bringing about the establishment of the P'ree- School system in this state. He served as private secretary for Governor A. I. Boreman ; was appointd I'^nited States Collector of Internal Revenues by President Lincoln ; and filled . the position of Commissioner for the War department in the settlement of the claims of the Civil war under President Grant. He was clerk of the United States Senate for both the Committee on Patents, and for the Committee on Territories ; and, in 1876, he was made the president of the County court.
Mr. Dawson three times took the marriage vow. His first wife being Miss Mary Kidwell, daughter of Hon. Z. Kid- vvell, a member of Congress from the Fairmont district be- fore the state was separated from the "Old Dominion ;" his second, Miss Luvina Jackson, of Fairmont, and the third. Miss Rebecca J. Gallagher, of Moundsville, who died on April 21, 1907.
The one daughter of- the firsr union, Georgianna, died at Washington, D. C, near the year I860, unmarried.
The late Charles T., of Pittsburg; W^illiam B., who is probably in South America, if living; Mrs. Virginia Emniel, New York city ; and Mrs. Emma Moore Scott, of Mounds- ville, who is a well-known missionary and lecturer (she, Avith her late husband, having spent some time in the mission- fields of India), are the children of the second union.
And the late' John G., of Moundsville; Harry H. and
53G
HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Joseph G., of Ellenboro, and Perla Hnrst, who, \\\t\\ her parents, rests in the Ellenboro cemetery, are the frnits of the last union.
Jacob P. Strickler.— Few names have been more prom- inently associated with the affairs of the count}-, since the early sixties than that of "Strickler."
Jacob P. Strickler, the head of the Ritchie county faniily. was born near Luray. Virginia, on January •?'3, 18';?-;?. and there spent the first years of his youth as a farmer-lad. He entered public life as a pedagogue, and later peddled tinware in a vehicle, and finally, near the year 18iS. entered the nier-
;»^ ^
J. P. Strickler.
Mrs. J. P. Strickler.
cantile business, as a member of a firm at Monterey, in High- land county, and there continued in this occupation until the breaking- out o^ the Civil war.
He cast his vote for Bell and Everett in the campaign of 1860. and at the opening of hostilities when a call was made for the militia of Highland county to join the Confederate ranks, he. being captain of the junior company, reported to the command with his men ; but his company was disbanded to get men to fill up the senior ranks, and he did not enter the service, but returned home and set about the closing out
ELI.EXBORO .337
of his business; and after the Union forces had been com- pelled to withdraw from Highland county, he left there and came to Barbour county, and from there, went West, wh(^e he visited Illinois and other states ; and upon his return in 1862, he came to Ellenboro. Here, he and Granville E. Jar vis. of Taylor county, purchased the mercantile stock of General A. S. Core, and went into business under the firm name of "Strickler & Jarvis." And near the year 18(38, he became the sole owner and proprietor of the establishment, and thus con- tinued until 1893, when the name was changed to that of "Strickler & Sons."
i\Ir. Strickler was a man of marked ability, and was ever prominent in Democratic circles. In 1872, he was chosen as a member of our State Constitutional convention — was one of the distinguished body that gave us the present Code of West Virginia.
On July IG, 1850, he was married to j\Iiss Elizabeth Gil- mor, daughter of Alexander Gilmor, of Virginia, and grand- daughter of Samuel Gilmor, a Revolutionary soldier of Scotch descent, who carried t») liis grave the scars of twentv-four sabre wounds inflicted by the enemy in battle, and se\'en chil- dren were the result of this union; viz., W^ill A., Belle (who died in youth), Thomas G., Alice, who became Airs. J. W. Boehm, and died on December <s, 1898, at Ellenboro; Perry A., Xellie (Mrs. Hugh Scott, of Pennsboro), and Ella Blanche, who married E. F. Drey and passed on, on September 21, 1897.
Mr. Strickler died very suddenly from heart failure, on (3ctober 2.0, 1895, and in the Ellenboro cemetery, he reposes. But his wife still survives.
At his death his mantle fell upon his sons wdio are as prominently identified with the Ellenboro of to-day as he was with the town of the past.
Will A. Strickler, the eldest son, was born at Monterey, Virginia, on March 5, 1852, and came to this county watli his parents in his boyhood. On January 1, 1875, he led Miss Tea I\IcCoy, of Ellenboro to the altar as his liridc. he l)eing at this time employed as clerk in his father's stcjre ; and ihree years later (1878), he was elected to the office of Clerk of the Circuit court, on the Demc/cratic ticket, he being able to over-
538 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
come the candidate of the dominant party by a majority of nineteen votes ; and at the expiration of his first term in this office, he was re-elected by a majority of three hundred thirty-two votes, and the third time, he went down in defeat.
He served as assistant Clerk in the State Senate and in the House of Delegates for several terms ; was deputy-clerk in Tyler and Wetzel counties, assisting the present Circuit clerks in learning the duties of their offices. He was a promi- nent figure in the Good Templar's order, having held diiter- ent offices from that of Grand Chief down ; and he represented the Grand Lodge of West Virginia in the International Ses- sion of the order at Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1891.
He is an influential Democrat, and is widely known throughout the state in political circles, and as a Sunday- school worker.
He is the father of three children. Alex G., the eldest married Miss Lena Peirpoint, of Harrisville, and is identified in the mercantile business at Ellenboro ; Will A., junior, died at the age of eighteen months, and Kathleen is at home.
Thomas G. Strickler married Miss Dolly Lowther, daughter of James R. Lowther, of Pullman, and is the father of three children, Blanche and Hattiemae, and Tom. G., junior. He is the manager of the Pennsboro Grocery Com- pany, the president of the Farmers' and Merchants' Bank, at Pennsboro, a member of the Chancellor Hardware Firm at Parkersburg, and has interests in several other business con- cerns.
He served one term as' Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Alasons of West Virginia, and is a degree member of that fraternity, as is his brother A\'ill A., and Alex Strickler.
Perry A. Strickler, who is also identified in ]:)usiness circles here, married Miss Mary D. Mallory, and is the father of four children: Rachel, Johnson, Elizabeth, and Scott. ?^Irs. Strickler is the grand-daughter of Ritchie county's first news- paper editor, Enoch G. Day.
The Stricklers hail from the land of "Gessler and of Tell !" Four brothers came from Switzerland, near the year 1700. and settled in the Pennsylvania colony. Abraham Strickler, one of these brothers, subsequently removed to Vir-
ELLENBORO 339
ginia, and found a home in the Shenandoah valley, where his son, Joseph Strickler, was born on SeptendDer 1, 1731.
Joseph Strickler grew to manhood, and married Miss
Barbara , and was the father of six children ;
viz., Barbara. Margaret, Daniel, Joseph, junior, and Cathrine.
Joseph Strickler, junior, was born on September 29, 1786, and married Miss Mary Miley, who was born in 1794, and eight children were the result of this union ; viz., Cath- rine B., Abraham, Isaac H., Rebecca, Jacob P. (father of the Ritchie county family), William, Mary Eleanor, and Joseph T. Strickler.
The older generations of the familv are said to have been a highly respected and intelligent race of people. Some of them filled important offices in both military and civil life with honor to themselves and with credit to their country; and none of them were ever known to have been punished for a' capital offence; and what has been said of them can as truthfully be said of their descendants of to-day.
An old German Bible, which bears the inscription, "Zu- rich, Switzerland, 1536," and which was brought to America by the family more than two hundred years ago, is now a treasured heirloom of Mrs. Martin Kaufman, of Mill creek, Virginia — a lineal descendant.
Gideon Price's connection with this town began one-half century ago, when he came here from his native county — Monongalia- — as a carpenter and builder ; and it continued for a number of years, until he removed to Harrisville where he is now spending the eventide of his life in his pretty home on North street.
Mr. Price is the son of Caleb Price, who was a native of New Jersey, and his mother was a Miss Barbe of Virginia. He was born on February 4, 1835, and on January 26, 1855, he was married to Miss Rhoda Ann Yeager, daughter of John B. Yeager, of Monongalia county; and on April 1, 1859, they came to Ellenboro. He served as United States Internal Revenue collector for seven years, and has been a most prominent figure in church and Sunday-school circles, he having been a life long Sunday-school worker and an official
540 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
member of the 2>Ietliodist Episcopal church for forty-seven years.
His wife died on March 15, 1907, and sleeps at Harris- ville, but their three children survive ; viz., Rosalie, the eldest daughter, is the widow of J. W. Pritchard, and at Parkers- burg, she lives ; Laura is Airs. W. F. King, of Denver, Colo- rado; and Charles, the second child, and only son. is a busi- ness man of Denver.
The late General Andrew S. Core, too, merits more than a passing notice in connection with the history of this town.
He was born near Brownsville, Pennsylvania, on Decem- ber 25, 1804 ; and there spent his early life as a glass-blower. By his industry and economy in this business, he accumu- lated quite a sum of money, and, going to Russell's mill, in Tyler county, entered the mercantile and milling business ; and from there came to Ritchie county, perhaps, in the for- ties, and was identified with the pioneer merchants of Corn- wallis for a brief time, before coming to Ellenboro, where he remained until his death, on August 11, 1888.
He was at one time numbered among the wealthier men of the county ; but owing to his benevolent spirit, died in moderate circumstances. He was the first Collector of In- ternal Revenues of the State of West Virginia. He served as a soldier in the Union army, and rose to the rank of Briga- dier-General, being commissioned by Governor Peirpoint in 18G2, and given command of the Twenty-third Brigade of the Third Division of the West Virginia Militia, but was mus- tered out in 1863 owing to an affection of his throat.
In his early manhood he was married to Miss Catherine Reitz, of Pennsylvania, who was known far and wide for her sweetness of disposition and her many other Christian vir- tues. She died during the Civil war; and he then married Mrs. Christine Mallory Kearns, of Ellenboro, who still sur- vives at the age of seventy-five years.
The daughters of the first marriage were Mrs. Rachel (R. S.) Blair, Mrs. Margaret (L. G.) Reitz, Mrs. Jane (Joab) Martin, all of whom have passed on; Ella, the wife of D. C. Tabler. of Parkersburg, is. the daughter of the last marriage' and Frankie, and A. S. Core, junior, the two other children of this union, dicfl in childhood.
CHAPTER XLIII
Smithville
HOUGH Smithville is among the oldest towns in the county, it is far from being the largest. It now has seventy-five inhabit- ants, and contains about tAventy dwellings, including the two hotels. It has two churches — Baptist and Methodist Episcopal — one parsonage (M. E. church), a two- roomed school-building, two general stores, a hardware and undertaking establishment, a post-office, a telephone ex- change, a barber, and two black-smith shops, a milliner and dressmaker-shop, two physicians, and two lodges, Modern Woodman of America and Knights of Pythias. It has seven daily mails ; the extension of the Cairo and Kanawha Valley railroad, from Macfarlan, is under consideration, and oil de- velopments are in progress ; and a recently comoleted pump- station now overlooks the town.
David W. Sleeth has been styled the founder in this vil- lage. He came here, near the year 1844, and erected a build- ing where the Clarke residence now stands, and opened a hotel and a store, arid, a little later, started a tannery ; and from this time, until his death, on July 5, 1851, his interests were identified with the village, and here, in the cemetery, he lies at rest.
He was one of the magistrates that formed the County court at the time of his death, and we here reproduce in the style and the language of that time, the resolutions of respect that were adopted by this honorable body on the occasion of his death fifty-nine years ago :
Virginia to-wit:) In the County Court, Tuesday,
Ritchie County.) July the 8th. 1851.
The Court was opened at 11 o'clock, when J. B, Blair
542 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTV
Esq. in a feeling and impressive manner announced the death of David W. Sleeth Esq. one of the Magistrates of this County, who expired at his Residence on Saturday evening last, after a painful and protracted illness.
The following Preamble and Resolutions were offered by H. S. Jones Esq. and unanimously adopted:
W hereas it has pleased Almighty God to remove from among us David ^^^ Sleeth Esq., a member of this Court to another and a better World and feeling it not onlv a nrivilege but a dut}' to give a public expression of the high estimation in Avhich we hold the memory of our Departed friend
Therefore Resoh'ed :
That we bow with humble submis- sion to the dispensation of an inscrutable Providence mani- fested in the death of our friend and fellow-Citizen. We most cheerfully bear testimony to his Industry Intelligence, & firmness as a ^^lagistrate. his humble devotion as a Chris- tian and his honesty as a man.
Resolved. That we deeply sympathize, with his be- reaved'family and friends, and tender to them our sincere and heartfelt Condolence on this occasion.
Resolved, That the members of this Court as a token of respect will wear the usual Badge of mourning for 30 days.
Resolved. That these proceedings be entered on the minutes of the Court, and Published in the Parkersburg Ga- zette, and a Copy thereof forwarded by the Clerk to the fam- ily of the Deceased. —
Ordered that this Court do now adjourn until one o'clock P. M.
(Signed) James AIcKinney C. C. K.
David A\'allis Sleeth was born, near Clarksburg, in Har- rison county, on December 25, 1T96 ; but he had called Poca- hontas, Lewis and Gilmer counties his home, before coming to Ritchie. In j\Iay 1834, he was married to Miss Xancy Lybrook, of Giles county, Virginia, who died on September 17, 1842, while he was serving as Sheriff of Lewis- county, and was laid to rest in the' "Stony churchyard," at Jane Le^\^ Four children were the fruits of this union: ]\Iarv lane died
SMITHJ'ILLE 543
at the age of four years, and sleeps b}- her mother, at Jane Lew ; Chapman and Floyd were laid in the Smithville ceme- tery in the promise of their young manhood; and Anne Eliza- beth became the wife of P. S. Austin, and was the mother of Airs. J. F. Hartmann, of Burnt House, and the late Airs. John V. AA'arner, of this place. These two small families are the only surviving descendants of Air. Sleeth.
In 1845, he "was married, a second time, to Aliss Eliza- beth Prince — sister of the late John Prince, and half-sister of Jerome Vandiver. of Louisville, Kentucky — who followed him to the grave on December 31, 1855, leaving no issue.
The Sleeths are of Scotch descent, and of Revolutionary stock. They came from Scotland and settled in Harrison county, shortly before our struggle for independence. Four brothers. David A\'., senior, Thomas, John, and x\lexander took up arms in defense of their adopted land.
David W. Sleeth, senior, married Aliss Katherine Car- penter, and was the father of thirteen children : v'w... John, Nicholas, David AA\, junior — the founder of Smithville — ■ Henry, Thomas, and George W. Sleeth, Alary, who became Airs. Henr}^ AA'aldeck. Airs. Alargaret (Cornelius) Cain. Airs. Katherine (Samuel) Brannon, Airs. Sarah (Henry) W'int. Airs. Jane (Henry) Stalnaker, all of Gilmer county; and Mrs. Xancy (Allen) Simpson, AA'eston.
(The family removed from Harrison county to near Troy in Gilmer).
Nicholas Sleeth married Aliss Katherine Collins, and came to this county as early as 1838, and lived and died in the Burnt House community. His two sons Alalan. and Ranfeu, and his daughter Xancy. who married Joseph Syb man, of Gilmer county, were the members of his family. The first wife of the late John Frederick was his granddaughter, and J. AI. Frederick, her son. of Burnt House, is his only de- scendant in this county. Others reside in Gilmer and Roane counties.
George W. Sleeth married Aliss Rulina AlcWhorter, and lived and died at Smithville, leaving no issue.
Alexander Sleeth married Aliss Katherine A\'olfe, daugh- ter of David Wolfe, of Harrison count v. and niece of Peter
544 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Wolfe, of Smithville ; and came from Lewis county in 1840, and settled on the Malone — now the Kennedy — farm, above the mouth of Lamb's rim, where he died, and where he was buried the following year, June 1841.
He leaves a large line of descendants, who principally reside in Gilmer county; but the one family in this county, that are descended from him, is that of Mrs. Nellie Silcott Synder, of Hazelgreen, her late husband E. E. Snyder, being a grandson.
His cliildren were : Mrs. Maria McQuain, ^Irs. Mary Coke, Mrs. Emily West, Mrs. Elizabeth Stevenson, mother of the late Will Stephenson, of Grantsville : Mrs. Julia Stal-. naker, Mrs. Anna Bush, Granville Sleeth, Perry J., and John M., who have all passed on ; and Mrs. Penelope Snyder, widow of the late W. H. Snyder, of Glenviile, who survives.
A Pretty Little Romance is woven about the marriage of ]\Iiss Mary Sleeth and Henry Waldeck, which is worthy of a place here :
Air. Waldeck, who was of German birth was a soldier in the Hessian army, and as it was the custom, at that age of the world for one government to sell soldiers to another in times of war, the regiment to which he belonged was sold to the British for service in the American Revolution, and thus fate decreed that he should be brought to America to fight against the land that he learned to love dearest and best; for at the close of the Avar, he refused to return to the Father- land, though a fortune awaited him there ; and he crossed the mountains to what is now Lewis county and entered land on the river below Weston, where he founded a "Bachelor's hall." David W. Sleeth, senior, seeing the lonliness of his situation, one day broached the subject of matrimony to him, and advised him to get married. Mr. A\'aldeck assured him that he should like to act upon this advice if he knew where to find a wife. After a little consideration, Air. Sleeth said: "j\Iy daughter, Mary, is only a little girl yet, but she'd make some man a good wife." The worthy bachelor, however, who was then forty years of age, resolved to see this liitle maiden and learn what she had to say concerning the mat- ter ; and though she Avas but fourteen years of age, she lent
SMITH]'! LLE 545
an approving ear to the plan, and soon after became his bride. She was the mother of Mrs. Andrew Law, of Auburn. And Mrs. Agnes Rymer, of Harrisville. and Mrs. G. M. Ireland of Pullman, are among her grand-daughters. Mrs. J. F. Ire- land of Colorado, is another grand-daughter, and the Rev. H. M. Law of the West Virginia Methodist Episcopal Con- ference, is a grandson.
Jerome A. Vandiver was the pioneer clerk of the village. He was born in Wood county on March 30, 1833, and in 184(i, when but a lad of thirteen years, was sent here by his father to clerk in Mr. Sleeth's store and to learn the tanner's trade ; and in this capacity, he served until 1852, Avhen he and J. H. Rexroad formed a mercantile firm under the name of "Rex- road and Vandiver," and sold goods for one year ; at the end of which time, Mr. Vandiver went to Harrisville where he clerked in a store, and worked in the Circuit clerk's office for his cousin, Amos Culp, until 1856. After spending the next three years as clerk at Parkersburg, and as traveling sales- man for a Baltimore firm, he went to Petroleum, in 1859, where he was identified with the mercantile firni of Vandiver and Rutherford, until .1865, when, shortly after his marriage Lo ]\Iiss Jane Rutherford, daughter of Richard Rutherford, he went to Louisville, Kentucky, where he continued in the mer- cantile business until 1873, and where he still survives. There Mrs. Vandiver found a resting place in 189L They were the parents of three sons and one daughter: Wm. Knox is in business at St. Louis, Missouri ; and Richard Ruther- ford, and Lawrence Jerome, at Louisville, and Eleanore Frances is the daughter.
Levi J. Smith built the second residence here, where Dr. A. M. Edgell now lives, in 1845. He was the son of Barnes Smith, senior, and with his wife, Mrs. Catherine Royce Smitli, and his family, he went to Iowa, where he died, in Boone county, in 1903.
Charter For The Town. — Joseph Wilson, father of the late Col. Ben, junior, of Clarksburg, obtained the charter for the town, which took its name from Barnes Smith, senior, who owned the land Avhere the town stands at the time of its birth : he having come here from the B. H. AVilson farm, in
546 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
lbl2, and kept a house of public entertainment, where the Ayres hotel now stands, imtil his death on [March 9, 1857.^
1 he records show that the Ai. A. Ayres hotel has been open as a public hostelry, continuously, since the year 18"?S.
G. S. AlcCutcheon and J. H. Snyder were later proprie- tors of the Sleeth hotel, which went out of existence many 3-ears ago.
"The Wilson House" came upon the stage near a quarter of a century ago with Lemuel Wilson, the present owner and proprietor, at the helm.
Marshall Deane was the first "village blacksmith." He came near the year 1848. and erected his shop on the lot that was formerly marked by the late John Miller's shop, though now vacant, and carried on a general smithing and wagon repairing business. He moved from here to the late Alex Prunty farm near Rerea. and finally went West. His wife was a Miss Butcher, sister of the late Mrs. Jacob Dougherty, of Lamb's run.
Physicians. — Dr. Wm. R. Lowther,- late father of George A\'. Lowther. of Grafton. Vv-as the first physician of the com- munity. He was a botanic doctor and resided on the ]\IcXeill homestead.
But the late Dr. Charles Austin was the first resident physician of the town. He was a nephew of the late P. S. Austin, and came here when just out of college, but onh- re- mained a few years, going to Ripley. Jackson countv. and later, to Lewisburg. Avhere he died, near the vear 190"^.
He was succeeded by the late Dr. Thomas, of Grants- ville. Others who ha\e since been identified in this profes- sion here are : The Drs. James, two brothers. G. C. Badgely, J. H. and L C. White. C. W. Ailor. A. M. Edgell. the late S. P. Hartman, the date J. H. ]\L Sinnett, and Dr. Franklin.
Dr. Edgell has had a longer connection with the village than other ph3-sician in its history. For more than a quarter of a century, he has been a leading practioner. Pleasants is his native county, and there he began his career as a peda-
'See South Fork f-ettlers for farther account of his family. -See earlier chapter for his history.
SMITH]' ILLE 547
gogue; but in his earl}' manhood he tnrned his attention to the study of medicine.
After receiving his diploma from a medical college, he went to New Milton, Doddridge county, and there began the practice of his profession ; and there he was married to ]\liss Melissa Snyder, a native of that county, in 1880 : and two years later came to Smithville, which is still his home. He is the father of two daughters, the late lamented Mrs. Daisy (W. A.) Adams, and Mrs. Ethel (Earle) Batson, of Cairo.
Merchants. — The following named gentlemen have, li'oni tmie to time been engaged in the mercantile business here : P. S. Austin, the late John B. Rogers, and son, R. H. Rogers, the late J. H. Haddox and Mr. Carr, the firm being known for a time as "Haddox and Carr," the late B. F. Mitchell, and Lemuel \\'ilson. the late Jacob Clammer, 'T'ulliam &: W'iant," P. S. Lough, T. T. Flynn, L. B. Scott, J. R. Kennedy. J. M. Deem, senior, F. D. Lemon, J. AL Rymer, and E. E. Shinier, Messrs. Rymer, Deem, J. R. Westfal! and Shinier now hold this business in hand.
D. H. Valentine Avas the first shoe-maker of the village. He came here from Gilmer count3^ where he was born, and remained a citizen of this part of the county, until a few years before his death in 1905, when he went to Wirt county, where he sleeps.
He was a lav minister of the ]\L E. Church South. He was twice married, his first wife being Aliss Sarah J. W'yer, of Gilmer county, and his widow, Mrs. Mary GoiT Riddel, daughter of the late Strother Gofif, of Burnt House.
He was the father of twelve children : J. B., ]\Iacfarian ; James, Ohio; C. J., Fonsoville ; E. L., Newberne ; and Mrs. Katherine Beckner, Parkersburg", were the fruits of the fiist union ; and Charles, Marshall, Roy, Mrs. Etta Hatch, Mrs.
Blanche Hatch, Mrs. Emma , and Jennie, who
died in youth, of the second.
Churches. — The Baptist church, whose history appears in an earlier chapter, came in 18T3, and the ]\L E. church, in 1875. The late John ]\riller, and R. H. Rogers being the donors of the ground, for the latter.
The Rev. W. H. Shaw, who is now spending the even-
548 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
tide of his useful life, with iiis aged companion, at Point Pleasant, was the first resident minister of the town. He came in the spring of 1874, and during the following winter, held a revival meeting in the school-house, which resulted in the organization of the first M. E. class, at its close. Among the original members of this class were ]\Ir. ar;d ^Irs. John Miller, John Prince and family, Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Hard- man, Air. and Mrs. Henry Smith, Airs. Alinerva Kennedy, and W. G. Lowther and his kite wife. Airs. Jennie Kendall Low- thcr. Several of these members came from the Webb's mill, and the Hardman chapel classes.
The Rev. Air. and Airs. Shaw are the parents of three sons: Alpheus is a tailor by trade, and Charles and George, who were but small boys when the family lived here, are now prominent ministers of the Protestant Episcopal church.
The cemeter}- is located on the AI. A. Ayres homestead, formerly the Barnes Smith estate.
In 1875, the late Jacob Clammer, and the late H. H. Fling, of Roseville, erected the first flouring mill here, which was only in operation about one year.
This building, which has now vanished from sight, stood not far from the bridge, near the river's brink, and was a considerable structure, being tw^o stories in height.
The history of this village would hardly be complete without a w^ord in regard to the lives of the late Jacob Clam- mer, the late John Aliller, and Alajor AI. A. Ayres, whose names have so long been associated with its interests :
Jacob Clammer was born in Fayette county. Alary land, in 1836, and came to West Virginia, in 1859: and worked at the carpenter's trade at Reedy, Roane county, for tw^o years, before going to Calhoun county, in 1861, where, on Decem- ber the 22nd of that same year, he enlisted as a Union sol- dier, in Company C. of the 11th Regiment, West Virgm- ia Infantry, and followed the old flag for three years, being commissioned captain, on January 21, 1864. At the close of the war, he returned to Calhoun county, where, in 1867, he was married to Aliss Rachel Stevens, a native of Alarion countv ; and in 1875, he came to Smithville, as contractor and
SMITHJ'ILLE 540
builder of the M. E. church ; and here he remained until he found a resting-place in the village cemetery, in January. 1904. Pie served the town in the capacity of miller, mer- chant (for fifteen years) and post-master (for ten years) ; was justice of the peace for a number of years, and was an official member of the ^1. E. church throughout his residence here.
His widow and sons, G. ]\I., S. li.. Homer. Okey and Walter are all residents of Colorado ; and his daughter. Airs. Isa Deem, lives in Illinois ; and Maggie and Albert lie in the Smithville cemetery. His second son. S. H. Clammer is no'<v Mayor of Ft. Collins. Colorado.
The Clammers are of German descent. Captain Clam- mer's father came from the Fatherland, early in the nine- teenth century — more than ninety years ago — and settled in Maryland, when he was a young man of twenty-six years , and there married a Dutch maiden, of Pennsylvania, win- died wdien some of the children were cpiite young. The father then went to Iowa, where he died the following year. He spelled his name "Klammar" when he arrived, but when it was translated into English, it was spelled "Clemmer and Clammer." Other relatives came at the same time, and some adopted the former, and some the latter, mode of spelling it.
John Miller was a typical son of the "Emerald Isle." Fie was born near Londonderry, in the northern part of Ireland, on June 11, 1S'2T; and there, he was graduated from the High school, and afterwards learned the blacksmith's trade, hav- ing served the recjuired apprenticeship of three years as blacksmith and book-keeper, before coming to America in 1847. He landed in New York, and two years later, went to Pittsburg, where he was married to Miss Susan Trover, who, with the two children born of them, died in a little more than two years after the marriage. Fie then spent some time at Wheeling and St. Louis, before coming to Calhoun county, where he married Miss Henrietta Trippett, daughter of Franklin Trippett, who was born in Monongalia county, on January 3, 1841. and then went to St. Louis; and in 1865, he came to Smithville. and took up his residence in the Sleeth hotel, and opened a blacksmith shop. Pie afterwards
550 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
purchased the farm, that is now owned by the Mountain State Gas Compan}-, but continued to wiehl the blacksmith's hammer, until his death on October 10, 1902. He was for lorig years a pillar in the ]\I. E. church, and was an honor- able upright citizen.
Mrs. Miller now resides at Pennsboro with her daughter, Mrs. Addie Nutter, wife of ex-SheriiT Okey Xutter, and the other children are as follows : Mrs. F. C. Hardman, James and Frank Miller, Mrs. J. R. Kennedy, Mrs. S. H. W'estfall, and ]\Irs. H. E. AA'ass, all of this county; AA^illiam and rjrlando, Colorado, and Laura B., who died in childhood.
Shortly after, Mr. IMiller's arrival in x\merica. he sent for his brother, James, to whom he was greatly attached, and when he landed in Xew York, in changing his clothing, prepar- atory to leaving the ship, he threw his money over-board, forgetting it in the pocket of his discarded clothing, and by the time the lad had worked his way to his brother at Pitts- burg, he had contracted chills and fever, and died a few weeks later.
William, another brother came to America near 1855, and enlisted in the United States i\rmy, and served on the front- ier of Texas. Oregon, and other AA'estern states, and in the Civil war, until he was wounded in the battle of Petersburg. He settled on Gillispie's run in this county after the war., where he died in 1900.
The mother, and two other sons, Robert and Joseph ]\lii- ler came from Ireland to Gillispie's run, this county, in 1865, where she died in 1893. Robert met his death in a mine at IMonongah in 1901, and Josepli lives at Pittsburg.
Michael A. Ayres is also a native of Maryland, he having first seen the light of day at Lonaconing, Allegheny county, on Xovember 20. 1840. AA'hen he was but ten vears of age his parents removed to the mouth of Tanner's fork in Gil- mer county, where he grew to manhood. In 1861, on the twenty-first anniversar}- of his birth, he enlisted as a Federal soldier, in Company C, 11th Regiment, \\"est Virginia In- fantry, and served throughout the war, and rose from the rank of duty sergeant of the company, to that of major of the regiment; he having had command of the regiment,
SMITHVILLB 551
throughout all the active campaign during the spring of 1865 until hostilit_v ceased ; was in front of Petersburg, and Rich- mond ; at Hackers" rvm ; at the capture of Ft. Baldwin and Gregg; and witnessed the surrender at Appomattox. In 1865, he led Miss Mary Smith, daughter of Isaac, to the altar as his bride, and in 1867, came to Smithville, and shortly after, purchased the homestead of his father-in-law, where he has since resided.
Since coming to this place, he has been pedagogue, farm- er, post-master, assessor, justice of the peace, deputy cen- sus-taker, and hotel-keeper, and has long been a prominent figure in the Baptist church. He is the father of five chil- dren : Miss Alberta and C. \\ ., wdio is in the employ of the South Penn Oil Company, are still at home: H. B. and Allen reside near by ; and Gertrude the eldest dauehter, is sleeping in the churchyard.
Alfred Barr, too, claims a little corner in this town's his- tory, he having been identified with the community for al- most a half century. For thirty-three consecutive years, he has been tlie Superintenc'.cnt of the Baptist church Sunday- school, and a prominent figure in other departments of church work.
He came upon the "battle field of life" in Lewis county, on September 25, 1839 ; and is the son of the late Samuel and Rachel Weaver Barr.
On December 22, 1859, he was married to Miss Cynthia Anne Smith, daughter of the late Isaac Smith, of Smithville, and a little later, this county became his adopted home. He enlisted in Company C, 11th Regiment West Virginia In- fantry Volunteers, on December 22. 1861, and served in defense of the Union for three years, being a participant in many engagements on the field of battle. On July 24, 1864, he ^vas wounded at the battle of A\4nchester, and was left on the field to die; but was rescued and nursed back to life by the kind hands of the Southern women. When able to be removed,, he was taken to the far-famed Libbey prison, at Richmond,, where he was exchanged and taken to the general hospital at Annapolis, Maryland, and there remained until able to re- turn home.
552 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Pie is the father of ten children : Mrs. EHza Xutter. Mrs. Ilannahetta Sharps Law, Mrs. A. J. Riddel, Mrs. Mary L. Deem, Mrs. Julia Sinnett Shinier, Mrs. Florence Goff, Mrs. Laura Wilson, and Freeman Barr, all of this county ; and two died in childhood.
William A. Flesher is the only citizen of the village that has ever been honored with a seat in the Legislature halls of our state, and thus his public career merits more than a pass- ing notice.
He first saw the "light of day" at Parkersburg on De- cember 5, 1849, and when he was a child of but six summers, his parents removed to Tyler county where he grew to man- hood, and where he remained until 1880, when he came to Smithville.
He was the son of the late F. H. and Mrs. Alatilda Ogden Flesher, his father a native of Lewis county, and his mother, of Dover, Mason county, Iventucky. His father was a brother of the late Asa Flesher of this place.
On April 7, 1870, he was married to Miss Caroline Long, daughter of George and Lydia Long, of Tyler county, and they are the parents of nine children.
Since coming to Smithville, he has served as member of the Board of Education, for eight years ; as County commis- sioner, for twelve ; and has twice been elected as member of the House of Delegates, he having served at the regular ses- sion of 1907, at the special session of 1908, and in 1909. He was a member of the Committees on Labor, Roads, and Inter- nal Navigation, and of the State Prison during his fir.-t term ; and of Military Afifairs. Roads, Internal Navigation and Lal^or. at the second. His son. Master Gail Flesher. had the honor of being Journal Page at the session of 1909.
The other members of the family are as follows: Mrs. J. F. Miller, Mrs. S. E. Smith, Mack Flesher, and Miss Dee. all of this place ; Mrs. G. G. Brown, Huntington ; Mrs. Okey K. Clammer, and George F. Flesher, Colorado; and F. E. Okla- homa.
CHAPTER XLIV
Burnt House
HE village of Burnt House, which now num- bers near a half-hundred inhabitants, was born in 188?, when the late H. N. Wilson and J. K. P. Stalnaker, built the store-house that is now the wagon and blacksmith-shop of Henry Smith, and launched the mercan- tile business here. The mill was constructed the same year by the Stalnaker Brothers, J. R., D. C, and the late Sanford, who passed from Ins earthly home in Dakota in 1896 ; and J. R. Stalnaker, at this time erected the first dwelling where his hotel no\v stands.
H. N. Wilson. — In 188;), this dwelling and mill passed into the hands of H. X. Wilson, and here, the following spring, one. of the saddest pages of Mr. Wilson's life was written when the mill exploded, instantly killing his little son. Burr, and dreadfully scalding his eldest son, L. B. A\'il- son.^
Shortly after this sad occurrence, Mr. Wilson sold his mill to the late G. W. Fling, and his step-son, A. C. Fisher ; and a few months later, disposed of his interest in the store to his partner, Mr. Stalnaker, and went to Cornwallis, early in the year 1886, where he was engaged in the mercantile business for the next eighteen months, until his store was accidentally destroyed by fire ; he then returned to Burnt Flouse, and again, in 1890, opened a store here, and continued to sell goods until his death in 189"-:.
Mr. Wilson was born near Oxford in 1831 ; was a mem- ber of the pioneer faniily of Wilsons whose history appears
iTwiee within the history of the viUase this miU has been the scene of a tragic accident, Ab.salom Wamsley having- met his death here some year.s later by being- caught in the machinery in some way.
554 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
with the vSouth Fork settlers. In 1859, he was married to Aliss Victoria Taylor, daughter of the late James Taylor, wlio was at that time sheriff of the county, the ceremony be- ing solemnized at the old jail at Harrisville, and shortly after his marriage, he settled on Straight fork of Spruce creek, on the old homestead that is now the property of his adopted daughter, Mrs. Stata Lowther Wilson Haddox, where the family have lived continuously since that time with the ex- ception of a few years. Here he passed from earth and, here, he sleeps. His wife was laid by his side, in December, 1907
He served as Lieut, in the State Militia before the Civil war, but was not in active service during the Rebellion, as his sympathies were with the Southern cause. He filled the offices of County surveyor. Land x\ssessor, and served as a member of the Board of Education, of Murphy district.
He was the father of eleven children: L. B., Mack, F. S., Chape, Walter, Claude, and Mrs. E. L. Hartman, the other four died in childhood. Chape, who has chosen teaching as his profession, was graduated from the Glenville Normal school in the class of 1910.
The Stalnaker Brothers are natives of Barbour county, but came here from Gilmer county. J. R. married Miss Lou- isa Frederick, daughter of the late Nicholas Frederick ; and D. C. married Miss Jennie Gainer, daughter of the late Nicho- las Gainer, of Gilmer county, but she is now gone to the other shore. Both are childless, but J. R. has an adopted daughter, Sadie Stalnaker.
With the exception of a few years both of these brothers have been identified v/ith the town throughout its history. J. R., who is now the proprietor of the ''Stalnaker hotel," has been miller, blacksmith, hosteler, merchant ; and D. C. has been both miller and merchant.
J. K. P. Stalnaker, after going out of business here re- turned to his former home in Gilmer county, where he still resides, and where his wife, who was formerly Miss Margaret Fling, sister of the late G. W. Fling, sleeps. He was the father of several children: Mrs. Gae Fisher, who died in 1910; Mrs. Zona Thorne, Mrs. Blanche Gainer, Airs. Dolly Smith.
BURNT HOUSE 555
Misses Maude and Bliss, and Howard and the late John, junior.
The Stalnakers are of German descent. They came to Gilmer county in 1859, with their parents, John and Mrs. Margaret Black Stalnaker.
These brothers belonged to a family of thirteen children, lour of whom have been mentioned, and the remainder are as follows : William of Grantsville ; Nelson, of AA^ashington state ; Henry and Mrs. Dana Fling, Nebraska ; Mrs. G. W. Fisher, and Mrs. Elizabeth Goff, Gilmer county ; Mrs. Mah'^ila Stemple. and Mrs. Sarah Hoffman, Barbour county.
G. W. Fling, who died in Colorado in 1887, was the first blacksmith of the village in 1884. His widow, Mrs. Mary Bush Fisher Fling, returned here after his death, and opened the first hotel.
Her son, C. W. Fisher, who married Miss Sallie Robin- son, and now resides at Glenville, launched the harness and saddler business here ; and the late Dr. D. F. Ireland had charge of this business for a short time, a little later: but for a number of years past, it has been in the hands of A. L Hardman, v\dio is also, the present post-master.
Mrs. G. W. Fling died here. She was the mother of A. C. Fisher and Mrs. V. E. Leggett, of Harrisville, and Mrs. Hat- tie Lemon, of Colorado, who, with C. AV., above mentioned, were the fruits of her first union ; and the late Mrs. Sallie Sovereign, John, Lee, and New"ton Fling were the children of the second marriage.
The village stands on land that was once owned by the late Henry Fling, and David W. Sleeth. The post-office and church ante-date the history of the town by many years. The first church was built by the Southern Methodist near the year 185-1, on the Sleeth estate: but this old time structure, which stood just across the road from the present school- house, was crumbling to decay, when the village was born..
The one church here now is Presbyterian in denomina- tion, but is open for the worship of other sects. It was dedi- cated in 1890, and was chiefly the work of Dr. J. F. Hartmann and his family.
Dr. J. F. Hartmann was the first resident physician of
■,:>G HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
the town. He was born in Barbour county, on February 16, 1857, and there spent six years of his early life as a school- teacher. He was graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Baltimore in 1881, and came to this village the same year, and began the practice of his profession. On January 9, 1883, he was married to Miss Florilla F. Austin, eldest daughter of the late P. S. Austin, and has ever since resided at the Austin homestead. He is a Democrat in po- litical faith, and a leading figure in church and Svmday-school circles. And though a man of marked ability, he has never held a public office. Four of his childien died in early child- hood, and three survive; viz.. Miss Jessie, who is a prominent young teacher, and Karl and Fleet Hartmann.
The Hartmanns are of German descent. James T. Hart- mann, the head of this family was born in the Keystone state, on September 11, 1810. and with his parents, ]\Ir. and Mrs. AMlliam Hartmann, emigrated to Pocahontas county ( West) Virginia, in his childhood. There, near Greenbanks, his mother died, and his father re-married and removed to the Buckhannon river in what is now Upshur county, where he passed from earth.
On x-Vpril 11, 184-1, James T. Hartmann, was married to Miss Mary Hull Burner, who was born on ^lay 19, 18-36, and who came of a prominent Pocahontas family, she being the daughter of Jacob, and Mrs. Keziah Stump Burner, and the grand-daughter of Abram, and Alary Hull Burner, early pio- neers of that county. But her parents removed to Barbour county when she was a child of three years, and there the marriage took place, and there they established their home and remained until they came to this county in May, 1883.
Mr. Hartmann was one of the early deputy-shenlTs of Lewis (now Upshur) county, and he fdled the office of County clerk, and other public positions in Barbour county. He died at his home above this town on July 29, 1894. and his wife survived until November 20, 1906. Both rest in !lie Burnt House churchyard. Their son, A. W. Hartmann died in his young manhood, and Dr. S. P., of Smithville, in 1901 ; and the rest are as follows: Dr. J. F.. Elden P., and T. J., of Burnt House; E. L., of Parkersburg; C. R., of Clarksburg;
BURNT HOUSE 557
Austin T., of iJarbour county ; Mrs. Washinotou Resrer, of Roane county ; and Airs. C. \V. Reger, of Clarksburg. Sev- eral members of the family have been identified in the teach- ing profession in this county, and E. L. now holds a position in the Parkersburg schools. And to the Regers, and E. P. Hartmann this communty is indebted for some of its pret- tiest homes, they having redeemed from their primitive wil- derness, the farms that are now owned by the latter, and by T. j. Hartmann, and Preston Gainer, less than thirty years ago.
Airs. J. W. Holden, Mrs. E. G. Rohrbough, wife of the principal of the Glenville Normal school ; A. Clyde Reger, and Dr. E. L. Reger, are among the prominent younger mem- bers of this family.
'The site of the first school-house in this vicinit}^ is now marked by the residence of C. A. Wilson, below toAvn. It was built near the year 1S50.
The village now has fourteen dwellings, including two hotels. It has two general stores, a mill, blacksmith and wagon-shop, saddle and harness-shop, post-office, and lodge hall, where three lodges meet, I. O. O. F.. I. O. R. M., and Alodern Maccabees, and one physician. Dr. Leroy Goff.
James Ellsw^orth Ferrell has been a leading merchant here since 1889. He is a Monongalia county product, though his parents, Robert R., and the late Delia M. Fast Ferrell, re- moved to Calhoun county, six months after the date of his birth on April 10, 1863. Here he grew to manhood, and spent sixteen years in the profession of teaching — serving four years as County Superintendent (1885-1889), before coming to this town. His store was destroyed by fire in 1906, but he kept his nerve, and was soon doing a good business again.
On July 18, 1889, he was married to Miss Mollie Fling, only daughter of F. Gainer and Elsie Bush Fling, and they now have charge of the Ferrell — formerly the Fling — hotel.
Pearle, who became Mrs. Clyde Boso, of Parkersburg, on October 19, 1910, Glenn, Willard, and Kenneth are their children.
F. M. Ferrell, Fremont Flardman, A. C. Cunnmgham, F.
558 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
S. Wilson, L. B. Wilson, Jacob Alanear, and perhaps others have also been identified in the mercantile business here from time to time.
"Goff's" which has never been but little more than a post-ofiice, came upon the stage in the early sixties when the post-office was established with the late Thomas Goff (from whom it took its name) as first post-master. He resided where his nephew, E. C. GolT, now lives, and finally went to Iowa where he fell asleep.^
The late James R. Brake, of Berea, and the late Dr. Lee Gofif, of Hazelgreen built the first store here, late in the sev^en- ties. Mr. Brake furnished the capital and Dr. Gofif had charge of the business.
E. C. Goff, who is the grandson of Aaron Smith, the original pioneer of this vicinity, has been the merchant and post-master for more than a quarter of a century past.
He has been quite prominent in business and political circles as well, he having represented this county in the Legislature a few^ 3-ears since.
He was first married to Aliss Priscilla Bee, daughter of Asa Bee, of Berea. and they were the parents of, Alfera, Wm. A., and Herbert H. Gofif, of GofT's ; ^Irs. Ida (Willy) Law. and Airs. Inis (A. C.) Hufl:', of Lawford. His present wife was ]\Iiss Kitty Smith, of Columbus, Ohio.
The mill which has long since ceased to grind was built by the late Perry Gainer, of Bone creek, brother-in-law of Mr. Gofif.
Fonsoville. — And there's Fonsoville ! though scarcely out of its swaddling clothes, yet with its beautiful location and environments, and its high-sounding-name, it is destined to be a subject of no little importance to the future historian, and we will here tell you something of its origin and size.
This tiny village was born on October 10, 1001, v.-hen Charles E. Hatfield opened his store here. The school-house. Frederick's mill, and the dwelling of J. C. Rexroad had long been in existence, and on December fi, 1901, ]\Ir. Hatfield
^See Spruce creek chapter fo v farther history of Thomas Goff.
BURNT HOUSE 559
was commissioned as post-master. The office opened on January 1, 19U':!, under the name of "Fonzo" with mail three times a w^eek, but a daily route was established the following spring-. Then came J. C. Rexroad w'ith his blacksmith-shop during the summer of 1904 (with F. S. Moyer in charge) ; and when Miss Addie Leggett opened her milliner and dress- maker shop during the autumn of 1907, the "youngster" really began to put on the airs of a village. The country in this section is so thickly settled that it is hard to determine the boundary line, but the new county bridge that spans the river at the mill connects the village and adds the pretty residence of J. L. Frederick.
Charles Edwin Hatfield, the originator of this little "speck on the map." is the second son of Abner and the late Mrs. Elizabeth Fordham Hatfield. Gofif's is the place of his birth, and February IG, 1871, his natal day. He was a tiller of the soil, and school-teacher, for five years, before launching the mercantile business here, and he has been the Secretary of the Board of Education for Murphy district since May 6, 1904-, and is a Notary Public.
On October 7, 1894, he was married to Miss Bessie Wil- son. daughter of ]\Ir. and ]\Irs. B. H. Wilson, of Goffs who died on July 2'^, 1899, and four children were the result of this union; viz., Mabel Pearl and Mary Elizabeth, wdio survive; and Abner H., and Bazil W. (twins), wdio died in early child- hood.
On October '27, 1907, he again took the nuptial vow. when Miss Isa F. Wamsley, daughter of Samuel AA'amsley became his bride, and Edna Mae, and Charles, junior, are the two children of this union.
Note — This town is the home of the writer and she naturally feels an unusual interest in it despite its seeming insignificance to the "stranger within its gates."
CHAPTER XLV
Auburn
HIS town, which is the second in size in Union district, was first called "Bone creek," the name having been derived from a bone lick on the farm of Robert Sommer- ville. It was later changed to "Newberg," and in 18T'2, to "Auburn," there being an- other Newburg in the state. The town stands on the original farms of the first set- tlers— Robert Sommerville. Timothy Tharpe. and Andrew Law.
The first school-house was built in 184-1, and the first church, in '49 or '50. This church, which stood near the late Thomas C. Hardman residence, was erected by the Baptist and the Methodist Episcopal people, and was, also, used for school purposes.
The first Methodist Episcopal church was ]:)uilt in 1855, where the present one, which was completed in 1889, now stands. Andrew Law^ gave the grounds for this church, and Timothy Tharpe, for the cemetery. The town now has four good churches,^ representing as many denominations — the Baptist, the United Brethren, and the Methodist purchased the grounds for their churches.
The late Elisha M. Hall built the first store in 185"?, on the lot where C. L. Zinn's residence now stands. Some time after he had gone out of business, Timothy Tharpe became the second merchant.
He l)uilt a . house of round beech logs, on the bank in the bend of the creek, where he served his customers, which were "few and far between." The country was so thinlv
'The ^I. P. church was burned since this \va^ written.
AUBURN 561
settled, at this time, that he found this business ratlier irk- some, so much so, that he was led to remark to sonie of his friends, that "keeping- store" reminded him of "watching- a lick." .
The tanner}' was instituted in 185'?, with Timothy Tharpe at the heim, but it went out of existence a number of years ago, and the pretty residence of Dr. Lawson now marks the site. J. E. Norman was the last owner, he having held this business in-tact for quite a length of time.
The post-oi^ce was established in the early fifties, with /Vndrew Law^ post-master, and C. L. Zinn is the present in- cumbent. In 1871, this office only paid three dollars a year: it now pays six hundred.
Timothy Tharpe built the first mill, wdiich was a corn- cracker and saw-mill. The late H. H. Fling, of Rosexille, Gilmer county, erected the first burr-mill near 1870; and H. H. Xorman and M. B. Watson put in the roller process, which is now owned by J. K. P. Connolly and Smith. The planing-mill is owned and manipulated by M. B. Watson.
The pioneer mill site was on the lot now owned by C. L. Zinn.
John Aliller opened the first blacksmith-shop in 1856. This old pioneer shop stood near the present site of the Cookman residence.
Jacob W^illiams was the first blacksmith after the com- ing of the town, he having come here in 1871, and opened a shop where his son, Chester Williams, now wields the han> mer. He married Miss Jane Wisen'ian, and both sleep in the Auburn cemetery. His other children, besides the son men- tioned, are, Samuel, who died in the West; Thomas, Mrs. Viretta Adams, and Mrs. Ellen Crumrine, of Iowa.
J. C. Gluck. — Though the history of the town dates back to the early fifties, it was but a hamlet of a few buildings in April, 1871, when J. C. Gluck came here and opened a store in the Timothy Tharpe store building. And since that time it has grown into a pretty, thriving town of two hundred tVv'enty-five or more inhabitants ; and, perhaps, this progress is due more to the efforts of Mr. Gluck than to any other one individual, as his business connections (with the town)
562 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
have been contiinioiis since his first arrival, with the ex- ception of a few years.
He was born near Glenville, in Gihner county, on June 18, 1841, and, in 1871, as before stated, he came to x\uburn and entered the mercantile business; and built the residence that is now the home of A\\ S. Baker.
On October 29, 1872, he was married to ]\Iiss Elosia Gravenstine, of Baltimore, and of this union three children were born. Howard, the only son, is in business here '\vith his father at this time. Alma is Mrs. A. \\'. Westfall, of Parkersburg : and Ella, ]\lrs. Harvey Stalnaker, of Pittsburg. Mrs. Gluck died on December 18, 1910, and rests at Troy.
Mr. Gluck w^as a soldier of the Civil war. he having served the Union cause as Sergeant of Company G, Tenth West Virginia Infantry Volunteers ; and at the battle of Lee Town, on July 3, 186-1:, he w^as wounded on the head by the bursting of a shell. He also served, as Ouarter-master of the Second West Virginia Regiment, in the Spanish- Ameri- can war for one year. He represented this county in the House of Delegates in 1889, and was a member of the extra session of the Legislature, in the nineties ; was Superintend- ent of the Reform School at Pruntytown for two years ; and was President of the Board of Education of L'^nion district for tAvelve years.
The Glucks hail from Germany! Joseph Gluck, senior, with his family, crossed the sea in 1839, and settled in Balti- more. He Avas the father of four children ; viz., Christian, Henry, AMlliam, and iNlrs. Lena Hess.
Christian married Miss Anna Elkhart, who was also a native of the Fatherland, and was the father of J. C, Adam, W. T. Gluck, and Mrs. Ellen (David) Steinbeck, of Troy.
J. C. Gluck w-as the first hosteler of the town, but he was succeeded by the late Daniel D. Bush, whose public service in this connection extended over a period of eighteen years — longer than that of any other individual in the history of the town — he having played his part well as host from 1882 until 1900. when he retired to private life.
Daniel D. Bush Avas born in Gilmer countv, on Juiv 18,
AUBURN 5(53
1836. His parents, Paiilser, and Elizabeth Heckart Bush, being pioneers of that covinty.
He married Miss Nancy Riddel, daughter of George M. Riddel, who was also a native of Gilmer ; and in 1873, came to Auburn, where he remained until February 34, 1906, when he passed to his final home. And in the Auburn ceme- tery his body rests.
He was a man of unimpeachable character, and his mem- ory will long be revered. He served as a Union soldier in Company G, Tenth AVest Virginia Infantry Volunteers, being mustered out at the end of two years, owing to phvsical dis- ability.
He was the father of ten children : Eustace, the young- est son, and Laura have passed on : J. X., and ]\Irs. Josephine Kniseley Marclay AX'ilson, reside in Oklahoma; Charley, in Wirt county ; Mrs. Mittie (J. C.) Lawson, at Auburn ; Eva, who first married Charles Oldaker, is now Mrs. Robert A. Henderson, of Auburn ; Florence ]\Iarie, is the widow of the late Okc}^ J. Cooper, of Newberne ; Olive Pearle is Mrs. S. C. Phillips, of Smithville ; and Drusilia. with lier mother, lives at Auburn.
The last tiiree daughters named were skillful musicians, and their little "stringed-band" was a feature of no li+:tle enjoyment to the traveling public who patronized their hotel, while they were at home.
The Bushes came from Germany. The original family on this side of the water consisted of five brothers and four sisters, and one or more half-brothers, namely, Peter, Jacob, Henry, John, George. Susan, Barbara, Elizabeth, Margaret, and Adam Bush — the half-brother ; and from these brothers the many dififerent families of this name, scatered throughout this and other states, are descended.
The exact time of their migration to America is not known, I3ut it must have been shortly before the Revolution, as Peter Bush took up arms in defense of his adopted country, in her struggle for liberty.
Neither is it known where they first settled, but they landed at Philadelphia upon their arrival here.
The late Daniel D. Bush, of this town, v/as descendecl
564 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
from Adam Bush, the half-brother, above mentioned — Adam being his grandsire.
But Daniel S. Busli, of Harrisville, ^Irs. Elizabeth Bush Heckart Fling, and ]\Irs. Elsie Fling, wife of F. G. Fling, of Burnt House; and Mrs. IMary Goff, of Hazelgreen, familiar]}^ known as "Aunt Poll}'," are all descended from Jacob, who married ]\Iiss ^Margaret Flesher, and came from Lewis coun- ty to Gilmer in pioneer days, and settled at the mouth of Leading creek, where he and his wife sleep.
Mrs. Elizabeth Fling and Airs. Mary Goff. are the grand- daughters of Jacob, the former being the daughter of Henry and Margaret Snyder Bush; and the latter, the daughter of George Bush, who was designated as "Surveyor George Bush." And Mrs. Elsie Fling and Daniel S. Bush are the great-grandchildren of Jacob. Mr. Bush being the son of Jacob H. Bush, and the grandson of Henry ; and ]^Irs. Fling the daughter of George W. Bush, and the granddaughter of Henry.
All the other families of this name in this, and Gilmer counties, belong to this same stock.
Thomas C. Hardman launched the saddler business here, and held it in-tact until his death, when his mantle fell upon his son, Ernally Hardman, who still has charge of this trade. Mr. Hardman belonged to the pioneer family of this name, whose history occupies an earlier chapter. He married Miss Rilla Shumway, of Ohio, and resided there, for a time after his marriage, before coming here, where he found a final resting place. He was the father of one other son besides the one mentioned, and of two daughters : Ormsby, of this place, and ]\Irs. Lon. ^\'ard, and Mrs. Harvey Sommerville. who, with their mother, reside in Colorado.
Dr. James R. Glover was the first resident physician. He came in 1872, and here, he was married to !Miss Laura Swisher, and has three children : Hunter. Jessie, and Julia.
Dr. J. C. Lawson, and Dr. X. E. Eddy are the two practi- tioners in the field at present. The former came from Har- rison ccuntv, in. the eighties — the latter from Ohio, but a few years since.
AUBURN 565
The Auburn Carriage Company came in 1898 with J. N. Bush, and D. ■NE. Heckart promoters of the enterprise. In 1903, W. M. Farnsworth took the place of Air. Bush, and it is now "Keckart and Farnsworth," both Gihiier county products.
The Bank was instituted in 1901, with Dr. J. C. Lawson, President, and Howard Showaher. cashier. J. T. Hall is the present presiding officer, and John Cookman is the cashier.
Lodges. — The Knights of Pythias Lodge was organized in July, 1889, with twenty-nine charter members, it now numbers ninety-six; and its lodge property is valued at one thousand two hundred dollars, and its notes and cash, at one thousand three hundred dollars. It is said to be in the best condition, financially, of any lodge of this order in the state, with the exception of those in the Cities of Wheeling, Charleston, and Parkersburg.
The Modern Woodmen came in 1900, with twenty-four charter members, and they now^ have a membership of sev- enty-five, and have paid out insurance on the death of men.i- bers to the amount of four thousand five hundred dollars They hold their meetings in the Maccabees hall. (1909.)
The Maccabees organized in January, 1908. with twenty- eight original members. They now have thirty-five and OAvn their hall.
The four churches liave a united membership of three hundred one, and the M. P. church owns a parsonage here.
The school-house is a good substantial four-roomed brick ; and the town can boast of a good photograph gallery (with I. P. Cox artist), and a furniture and undertaking establishment (with A\'. fl. Amos in charge). It has two general stores, which are in the hands of Pulliam & Wiant. and Howard Gluck & Co., and a grocery,, two blacksmith shops, a milliner, etc.
It was incorporated in 1901, and has a strict curfew law.
Dr. J. C. Lawson has been a medical ])ractitioner here for more than a quarter of a century, and his faithful service merits more than a passing notice.
He is the son of T. W. Lawson. who is still living at the age of ninety j^ears, and his mother was the late Mrs.
.56G HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Elizabeth Baily Lawson, and Harrison county is the place of his nativity. He was graduated from the Jefferson Med- ical College at Philadelphia, in 1883, and the following year, came to Auburn, where he has since been prominent in church and business affairs, as well as in his profession. On June 14, 1887, he was married to Miss Mittie Bush, daughter of the late Daniel Bush, of Auburn, and five children are the result of this union ; viz.. Miss Willie, Holton, Kline, Kath- leen, and Carleton.
The McWhorters. — The name of McWhorter was for a number of years a prominent one in the affairs of this town, L. D. and S. B. McWhorter, two brothers, being partners in the mercantile business here.
But during the financial panic in the nineties, the firm became insolvent, and S. B. returned to the place of his nativity, on Hacker's creek; and L. D. became identified with the commercial travelers, but continued to hold his resi- dence here until a few years since, when he removed his family to Buckhannon.
Lycurgus Diogenes McWhorter was born, on August 4. 1853, and on New Year's day, 187G, he vvas married to ]\Iiss Louisa Alice Caynor, who was born, on October 8, 1854, and shortly after, with his wife, he came to Auburn.
He and his son, P'ord, are now in the employ of ■ the Leatherby Shoe Company. Genial in disposition and gen- erous to a fault, he is said to have few equals as a salesman. This innate spirit of benevolence, which prompted him to \enture beyond the bounds of safety in the ''credit system." during the panic, above mentioned, was the foundation of his financial ruin.
However, amidst his adversities he did not lose his sense of humor, but when the firm was forced to close its business, the villagers, one morning, found this terse sign upon the door, "Busted and Gone Fishing." He is a member of the following named orders. Masonic, K. of P., I. O. O. F., U C. T., and W. T. A. A.
He and his wife are the parents of ten children : viz.,
Ora, the eldest daughter, is ]\Irs. W. A. Broadwater, of Tollgate.
AUBURN 567
Berta, ]\Irs. Elza A. Rinehart, of Lewis county.
Maude, Mrs. Emory L. Hall, of Auburn.
Altia, Airs. Thomas J. Hefner.
Ford D., John, Belva, Odessa, Guy M., and Minnie, who are twins.
Sabinus Bruce McWhorter, the junior member of the firm, was born on September 5, 1857 ; and on August 4, 1881, he was married to Miss Emeline Mae Lawson, and three children were the result of this union ; viz., Lora, Sabinus M., and Carlton Brooks.
Mr. McWhorter was devotedly religious, and was quite prominent in church affairs, he having been President of the West Virginia Universalist Conference froni the date of its organization, in 1891, until his death; and his every day Christian character left its impress upon all with whom he came in contact. He was an ardent advocate of the Temper- ance cause, and frequently made public addresses in its be- half.
He died on May 17, 1899, from injuries received in a run- a-way accident, near Claysville, Pennsylvania, while engaged as traveling salesman for Speyer Brothers, of Wheeling. West Virginia. His remains were taken to the old home on Placker's creek, and there laid away in the I. O. O. F. ceme- tery, amid the scenes of his childhood.
His family at this time resided at Gaston, W^est Virginia, but they now live near Berlin, in Lewis county, in a little home that he thoughtfully provided by his life insurance, amidst his straightened circumstances. He was a member of the Masonic, Knights of Pythias and United Commercial Travelers orders at the time of his death.
These brothers are the sons of the late Dr. John Minion McWhorter, who passed into the land of eternal peace from his home at Buckhannon, on November 9, 1909, after a long and useful career.
Dr. McWhorter was not only a medical practitioner of wide reputation, but he was a pioneer minister of the Uni- versalist faith in Central West Virginia. He was the author of a small book of sermons, and left several manuscripts of no little value.
568 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COi'XTY..
In compliance with a request set forth in his will, his remains, were taken to Pittsburg and cremated, and the ashes were placed in a bronze metal urn — then in u casket — and buried between his two wives in the ^NlcW'horter cemetery, in Harrison county.
Dr. I\IcA\"horter was of Scotch-Irish descent and of Re\o- lutionary stock. He w^as the son of Walter McW'horter, and the grandson of Henry McWhorter, a Revolutionary soldier, wdio w^as the pioneer mill-wright of the West Fork ri\'er.
He was born in Harrison county on January 22. 1821; and on February 8, 1848, he was first married to ]\Iiss Rosetta Marple, daughter of John and Ruth Reger ]\Iarple, and great- granddaughter of Jacob Brake, who was captured by the In- dians, and remained among them until he became thoroughly "Indianized ;" and after his return from captivity married and settled near the Buckhannon fort, where he died.
This same Jacob Brake was a son of John Brake, a Ger- man Baron, who resided near Moorefield (W.) Virginia, and who Avas conspicuously known as a tory in Revolutionar;/ times, he being the prime factor in the onl}' tory uprising of any note within the present boundary of the state.
Mrs. McWhorter died on December 26, 1869. aftei having given birth to twelve children, and on July 14, 1871, Dr. Mc- V\"horter' married for his second wife, 3*Irs. Phebe Cunning- ham, daughter of the Rev. James Hardman, of Hardmian chapel, who passed on in 1905.
The children of Dr. and ]\Irs. (Rosetta ]\Iarple) Mc- Whorter are as follows:
Cicero C. F., who was County clerk of Upshur for twen- t}^ years: Flavins J.. L. D., S. B., Cyrus S., cashier of the Citi- zens National Bank, at Redlands, California; Lucuilus V., John C, who is a prominent barrister, and Judge of the Twelfth Judicial circuit of West Virginia : Flora ]\I., who is Mrs. George Lawson ; and Lena L., the wafe of Ulysses I. Jenkins; and Hyranus, Augustus O., and Lora Lee. who all died in infancy. Mrs. Jenkins is a prominent W. C. T. U.
^For a more extended sketch of Dr. McWhorter see "History of Upshur County."
AUBURN
5G9
worker, and is at this time State Superintendent of the De- partment of y\nti-Xarcotics, etc.
L. V. McWhorter. ("Old Wolfe.")
Lucullus V. McWhorter, who resides in Xorth Yakima, Washington, is a writer and historian of considerable note.
He is soon to publish a history^ of the "Border Settlers of North Western Virginia," and is much interested in the welfare of the Indians of the Northwest. He has been form- ally adopted by the Yakimas, and is known among them as "He-mene Ka-wen." or "Old Wolfe." he having been chosen to take the place of a late beloved chief or leader of this name. He is a recognized member of the Indian Council, and often meets with them in their deliberations, he being the only white man that has ever attained to this honor.
This title and honor were conferred upon him in recogni- tion of his untiring efiforts in behalf of certain needed reforms in their tribal government, and for varied expressions of sympathy for their cause in its many injustices at the hands of the white men. So strong is their attachment for him, that they have been heard to declare that "He is too good to be a white man, that he is an Indian."
His standing with the "Nez Perce" is equally high, and the data that he is collecting among these Northwestern tribes
^The title of this liistory will be "Bcjrder Warriors," or the Life of Jesse Hughes and other Noted Scouts of Western Virginia, with preface and additional notes by Wm. E. Connolly.
570 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
is of rare ethnological and historical value.
The Kniseleys now claim our attention. George and Annie Eib Knisele}^, both of Holland descent, emigrated from Pennsylvania to Harrison county shortly after the Am.erican Revolution, as did the Eib family.
Their family consisted of ten children, namely, Jacob, George, John, AA'ashington, Abraham, Mary, Margaret, Susan, and Lucy.
George married ]\Iiss Nancy Loveland and went to Illi- nois.
Jacob married and remained in Harrison county.
Abraham lived single until he had reached the age of near sixty-five years, when he married a Harrison county lady, and shortly after, was thrown from a horse and killed.
IMarv was the late Mrs. Isaac P. Cox, of the Pocotali^o river, this state.
Susan married Philip Cox and died in this county in 1886. Margaret was the late Mrs. Samuel Sheets, of Harrison coun- ty. And Lucy was Mrs. Noah Smith, of Simpson's creek.
Washington Kniseley married Miss Sarah Heckart and settled near Troy, in Gilmer county, many years ago. Here, he died about 1.880, and in the Auburn cemetery he lies at rest, by the side of his two companions. His last wife, !Mrs. Anna Cox Kniseley being laid by his side in 1909.
His daughter Sarah was the late wife of Oliver Cox, of Cox's mill: and his sons were John, and Daniel, of the Au- Ijurn vicinity, who passed on a number of years ago, and Henry Kniseley.
John Kniseley, who w-as so long prominently identified with the business affairs of this part of the county, was mar- ried to ]\Iiss Julia McKinley, in 1839, and settled on Hacker's creek, in Lewis county, where he remained until the early seventies, when he came to Auburn and purchased the Timo- thy Tharpe and the Andrew Law homesteads, and took up his residence on the latter.
Being a man of great energy, he was one of the mosi prosperous farmers and stock-dealers in this section of the country. He took an active interest in church aft'airs, and was a generous contributor to the cause. The pretty Method-
- AUBURN 571
ist Protestant church home of this town, which was burned to the ground, on Sunday, December 13, 1909, was chiefly the work of his own hands.
When the weight of years forced him to give up liis busi- nes;-' pursuits, turning his beautiful old homestead over to his sen, Thomas, he removed to a little home in the north of this town, where he resided until this home was broken up by the death of his aged companion, near the year 1896. He died during the month of February, 1898. Both sleep in the Au- bin-n cemetery. This venerable couple celebrated their golden wedding during the early summer of the year 1889 — an event which has been recorded in the lives of comparatively few of the citizens of this county.
They were the parents of five children; viz., Edward. Abraham, Thomas, Julia, and Sarah.
Edward remained in Lewis county.
Sarah Kniseley was first married to Francis Swisher, of Lewis county, and the two daughters of this union are Mrs. Laura Glover, wife of Dr. J. R. Glover, and Mrs. Julia Cook- man Peirpoint. After the death of Mr. Swisher, she married Mr. Smith, of Weston.
Julia Kniseley married Israel Cookman, of Lewis county, m 1S()9, and with her parents, they came to Auburn and took up their residence on the Tharpe homestead, where they still live. They have long been pillars in the Methodist Episcopal church, and are classed among the best citizens of the Lown. Their onl}^ child is John Cookman, the well known cashier of the Auburn bank. Later. — Mr. Cookman died on April 10. 1910, at he age of eighty years, and was laid at rest in the Auburn cemtery.
Abraham Kniseley, who was also prominently known in business circles, was married to Miss Ida Hall, of Lewis county, and died here a number of years ago,, leaving two daughters — Minnie, who is now the wife of the Rev. William Lloyd, of the Methodist Episcopal church, and Miss Sarah Knisclev. who, with their mother, are now of Illinois.
Thomas Kniseley married Miss Alice Stout, of Lewis county, and after selling the old homestead here a few years since, returned to Lewis county, where he now resides. His
572 HISTORY Of RITCHIE COUXTY
cliiklren are two in number: Georgia, a daughter, and Fred, a son.
John Sommerville is at this time one of the oldest and most prominent citizens of the town. Perhaps, no other name has had a longer association with its public affairs than that of Air. Sommerville. He was born in Harrison county, on October 19. 1832, and came to this vicinity \\\t\\ his parents when he was but a small child, and here his entire life has been spent, on the old farm that his father entered in the vs'ilderness days. He served as a soldier of the Union army, having entered as a private in the Infantry, rose to the rank of Captain in the Sixth Virginia CaLvalry. He has been a life-long communicant of the Methodist Episcopal church, and is prominently connected with some of the business in- terests of the town.
He married j\Iiss Elizabeth Brannon, daughter of Thomas Brannon, of Gilmer county, and they are the parents of three daughters, and five sons : viz.,
Mae. the eldest daughter, was the late ]\Irs. ]\Iiles Heck- art, of Auburn ; Lelia is ]\Irs. J. X. Brown, of Colorado ; and Harvey and Eldred are also of Colorado ; and Miss Dell B.. Walter. Ralph, and Berne Sommerville. are all of Auburn.
CHAPTER XLVI
Berea
S before stated, Preston Zinn, and Thomas Pritchard were the first settlers at Berea in 1S4S ; and ]\Ir. Pritchard and J. C. Lowther built the first mill here the same year. Air. Lowther is still a citizen of this community. But the history of the village properly begins with tlie year 1867, when the post- office was established and the name changed, from Seven- Day-Mill, to Berea. During this winter, P. F. Randolph, now of Salem, a graduate of Alfred University, Xew York, had been employed to teach the school here ; and while thus en- gaged. ^^'illiam Pritchard, an old-time teacher, requested him to formulate a petition for a mail-route, from Pennsboro, via Lynn Camp, Slab creek, and Seven-Day-]\Iill to Bone creek. This he agreed to do, provided another name should be sub- stituted for "Seven-Day-Mill." A Bible school had been re- opened, and a revival liaving been in progress throughout the winter, the Bible name "Berea" was suggested, and under this name the office was established with Henry Goodwin as post- master. This is the only office on this route with the exception of Pennsboro. that retains its original name.
P. F. Randolph's ediacational services to this community were of a high order, and his career merits more than a pass- ing notice in this connection. A score of young people at- tended this school, who afterwards became prominently identi- . fied with the educational work of the county. This was the second school taught at this place under the Free School sys- tem, ^liss Elizabeth Zinn, now Mrs. Koohn, of Farina, Illi- nois, having taught the first, the preceding winter.
Teachers were scarce, and Mr. Randolph frequently taught thirteen months, of twentv davs each, in a vear. Pie
574 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
continued in this profession for twenty years — teaciiing in Ritchie, Doddridge, and Harrison counties, and then turned his attention to the mercantile business, until 190-^, when he became the principal of the "Rural Home A'^oice School," at Salem — a school for the correction of stammeringf; he havine been able to overcome an impediment in his own speech, is now trying to help others to overcome this difihculty. He married Miss Hattie Meredith, daughter of the late Job Mere- dith, vv'ho perhaps taught the first free school in Union dis- trict at "the old Pleasant Hill church, during the summer of 1865. They were the parents of three children: the late Rav, Prof. Clyde, of the Morgantown University, and Mrs. Iva Rosier, wife of Prof. Rosier. City Superintendent of the Fair- mont schools. Mrs. Randolph passed away in 1909. but he still survives.
The first school-house was constructed in 1868, the old Pine Grove church having served this purpose before this time.
W. H. Ratson erected the first dwelling near the bridge, in 1869. Henry Goodwin and James Davis, now of Beeson, were the first merchants in 1876 ; and Dr. L. H. Jones was the first resident physician.
The village church was built by the Seventh Day Ad- ventistsrin 1884, Charles Bee being the donor of the grounds. Two other churches stand without — one, in sight, and the other, a mile distant.
• The Berea of to-day is a village of fifty-six inhabitants. It contains near twenty dwellings, a post-ofifice, mill, black- smith-shop, three stores — tAvo dry goods and one hardware^ two telephone exchange offices, a two-roomed school-house, a church and one lodge, ^Maccabees.
PEOPLE WHO HAVE FIGURED IN THE HISTORY
OF THE TOWN.
The Bees. — The name of 'T3ee" refuses to be divorced from the history of this town, as few other names have had a longer or a more prominent connection with its afifairs.
'I'his family were originally of Jewish extraction — of the tribe of Ephraim, but their ancestors came from England to
BEREA 573
America in Colonial times and settled in New Jersey. In accord with the ancient custom of their race, they kept a record and were able to trace their lineage back to Father Abraham, but this well-preserved record was burned in New Jersey near a century ago, and thus this interesting history was wiped out of existence. However, they accepted Chris- tianity several generations ago, but have always observed the Jewish Sabbath.
Four brothers. Ephraim, Asa, George and Thomas Bee crossed to New Jersey with a company of English emigrants some time before the Revolution, and, doubtless, some of them were actively engaged in this struggle for liberty, as a tradition has been handed down concerning their flight, at different times, when pursued by the "British Red Coats."' And from George the West Virginia Bees trace their ancestry ; his son, Asa, having come to what is now Taylor county, late in tl'ic eighteenth century. He (Asa, senior) was the father of Jonathan. Asa, Ezekiel, Ephraim, Josiah, Amaziah, Samuel, John, Hannah, Sophia, ]\Iary, Keziah, and Abigail Bee.
Asa Bee, junior, the second son, was the first one of the name to come to Ritchie county. He was born near what is now the town of Fetterman, in Taylor county, in 1798, and there he was married to Miss Hannah, daughter of Zebulon Maxin, in his early manhood; and after residing at New Mil- ton, in Doddridge county, for some length of time, he re- moved to the Berea vicinity in 1836. Fie was the first minis- ter of the Seventh Day Baptist church, on FTughes' river, and his ministry had a telling effect on the early history of this branch of the church, which was organized not long after his arrival. He was a strong advocate of co-education, having no sympathy, whatever, with the idea that was so prevaleiit at that period "that woman was amply equipped for the bat- tie of life if she could only spell and read." He taught that woman's influence was the potent factor in shaping the mind of the child, and that, thus, she was in need of the better edu- cation ; and this teaching had an important bearing on his own family, as three of his daughters were among the early teachers of this vicinity; his daughter Abigail having taught the first school here in an old dwelling near the year lS5o',
57G HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY ■
and a second term in Preston Zinn's new barn. She also taught a term in her father's hay-house, which was later en- larged and fitted up for a church and school-house. Few- women were more beloved than Abigail Bee, who afterwards became the wife of Daniel Xa}', of Pullman. Mr. and ^Irs. Bee both remained here until they were laid in the Pine Grove cemetery.
Their other children, besides Airs. Xay, were Zebulon, Asa, Loami, ]\Irs. Priscilla, late wife of E. C. Goit, of Goft's : and Mrs. Rhoda (Lemuel) Davis, who have all passed on. ]\Irs. Ingab}' Doak, v.ife of Robert Doak, of Tyler county ; and Mrs. Almira (\Vm.) Dougherty, of ^Mississippi. Mrs. Dougherty and Airs. Goft were both teachers.
Ezekiel Bee (another brother of Asa, junior) was born at Fetterm.an, in 1800, and came from Doddridge county to Berea, in 185"^, and remained until he. too. was borne to the Fine Grove cemetery, in 1893. He was first married to Aliss Elizabeth Rogers : and Benjamin Wilson Bee, of Salem : and X'elson, of Cowan, were the fruits of this union.
His second wife was Miss Mariah Johnson, daughter of Michael Johnson, an early settler of the Ellenboro vicinity, and they were the parents of eight children ; viz., Angelina, who is now the wife of the Rev. M. E. Alartin, of Cincinnati, was an early pedagogue of this vicinity. Elizabeth, who died in 1010. was the late Airs. J. M. Aleredith. of Berea: Sedilla, Alzetta, and Emmaretta rest in the Pine Grove cemetery , Arthur is of Berea; Josiah. of Doddridge county: and Eudolphus, of Kanawha Station. The town stands on the land formerly owned b}^ Ezekiel Bee.
Josiah Bee, senior, brother of Asa and Ezekiel, was mar- ried to Priscilla, daughter of George Davis, and came to this count}' from Doddridge, in 1859, and remained here until he found a final resting-place in the Pine Grove cemetery. His famih^ are as follows: Dr. Isaiah Bee. of Alerrer count}', v/ho was an early teacher and physician of this county : the late Jeremiah. Xehemiah, Obadiah, Azariah. Cathrine, who died in youth: Mrs. Joanna (George) AIcAIullen, of Lewis county; and Mrs. Mary Meredith Gardner, of Parkersburg.
Ephraim Bee, senior, another brother, was married tc
BEREA 577
Miss Kathrine Davis and lived and died in Doddridge county, and from him the Pennsboro, Cairo, and Elizabeth Bees are descended.
John Bee, still another brother, with his wife, Airs. Ingaby Davis Bee, came here from Doddridge county, near thirty- five years ago, and spent the remnant of his days where his widow and daughter, Lovera, still reside. His other children are: Dr. Estee' Bee, Airs. Cordelia (Henry) Gofi", and Albert Bee, Berea; Ira and Airs. Ruhama Davis Walker, Roane coun- ty ; and Joel Bee, Walker Station.
Henry Goodwin and his wife, Casandra Leggett Goodwin, came from Alarion count}', perhaps early in the fifties, and resided in the Harrisville vicinity before coming to Berea, where they spent the remnant of their days, and v.diere they sleep.
They were the parents of several children : Alary be- came Airs. Hyson Davis, and Alartha married Joel Bee, Enoch and Lethean died in their youth, and the rest in childhood.
Dr. L. H. Jones, the first resident physician here, is now a prominent practitioner of Ellenboro. He married Aliss Cor- delia Reitz, daughter of L. G. Reitz, and is the father of five daughters: the late Airs. Attie Ralston, Airs. Beatrice Alallory, the late Bernice Jones, and Annie and Alarie.
James Davis, who was one of the first merchants here, married Aliss Nancy Leggett, daughter of Enoch Leggett, and was the father of Airs. Hattie Alanear, A'Irs. Jennie Gar- rett, Airs. Lizzie , William, Walter, and Ivan Davis.
He later went to Harrisville, where he lost his wife, and where he still resides with his second wife.
W. H. Batson came from Alarion county, and remained here until his death in November 1910. He was the father of Airs. A/I. M. Powell, of Harrisville; Airs. Jennie Alaxin, Charles and Lee Batson, of Berea. He belongs to the de- scendants of the Leggett family of Slab creek.
James R. Brake was long a conspicuous figure in tli.e Ijusincss circles of this community. Pie, with his wife, Airs. Elizabeth Bush Brake, came from Lewis county to Bone creek, where they resided for a number of years before the Civil war, in which he served as a soldier. Shortly after the
578 HISTORY OP RITCHIE COUXTY
close of this struggle, lie came to the old homestead here" and formed a partnership with Thomas Baker in the mercantile business. They later changed their place of business to Pennsboro, where they dissolved partnership ; and Mr. Brake returned here and continued in this business until his death, when his sons took charge. The store has been closed for several years now, and the old homestead is owned by John Al. Summers, though occupied by Town Brake, who married Miss Vira, daughter of Mr. Summers.
Mr. Brake was at one time a member of the County court and v\'as widely known in business circles, as are his sons. Several of his children died in childhood, but the surviving ones are as follows : A. Steele, and H. W.. reside in the far West; Wirt, at Buckhannon : Pitt G.. at Parkersburg ; and Town, at the old home.
The present business men of the town are Thomas Jack- son, and (Ellsworth) Douglass & (Xathan) Alason. mer- chants, F. P. Bee, physician. E. J. Bee, blacksmith. F. H. Bee. miller, and Fred Meredith, post-master. John Aleredith^ is
also a leading citizen of the town.
'See White Oak Chapter fcr history of Meredith
CHAPTER XLVII
Pullman
I HIS town was laid out in 1883 by A. Hunter Hall, who is still one of its prominent citi- zens. In March, 1882, Miss Carrie V. Zum- bro, sister of Mrs. Hall, purchased a fatm of W. B. Loudin, and from this farm lots were sold for the town. John Parker pur- chased the first one, and erected a dwelling wliere the Howard residence and the post-office now stand, in 1883. The post-office was established the same year with A. B. Sommerville as post-master. The name "Pullman" be- ing selected by the Post-Office department.
A. J. Cross, son of John Cross, purchased the second lot and launched the blacksmith and hardware business in 1883. He. later, built the A. J. Riddel residence, one of the prettiest in town, and from here he went to Pennsboro, in 1904, where he still lives.
The site of the pioneer blacksmith shop of the place is now marked by the residence of A. Hunter Hall.
The first d-welling on the site of the tOAvn, after the orig- inal Cain cabin, was erected on the lot that is now marked by the late Wm. L Lowther residence ; and the second, was the 'Parker home, where Syelus Plall now lives. These were all old time "mansions."
The first hotel stood where the "Pullman hotel" now stands, and Avas owned by John Parker. There are now three hotels here, the "Loudin," with E. J. Loudin proprietor, and the Wilson, owned and managed by Mrs. Anna Wilson.
The erection of the first church in what is now Pullman antedates the history of the town by many years. It was built in 18.50, and was long designated as "Old Slab."
Enoch B. Leggetl was the donor of the original grounds,
5S0 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
which were added to latei- by William I. Lowther. The first church was destroyed by the hand of an incendiary during the Civil war, but was rel)uilt in 1868 ; and in 1899, this old time structure gave place to the present one, which was chiefly the work of William I. Lowther.
The school-house and mill, also, came many years before the town. • Perhaps, as early as 18G0, John Parker built a dwelling where Syelus Hall now lives, and, a mill on the site of the garden of the Pullman hotel, near a lasting spring. He continued to run this mill during the war, and operated a carding-machine in connection. And during those dark days, the women were his patrons, it being no uncommon sight to see Lhem coming to mill laden with their grain and wool. Tlie one mill here now is a roller process ovvned by the Pullman State Bank.
Shortly after the coming of the mill, the first post-office was established under the name of "Parker's mill;" but it vv^ent out of existence during the war.
A. Hunter Hall was the first merchant of the town. His store having stood on the corner of the lot that is now owned by his brother, Syelus Hall.
A. B. Sommerville was the second merchant, and the first postmaster, as before stated. He came from the little sister Comity of Doddridge, and married Miss Sarah Lowther, daughter of W\-n. 1. Lowther. and remained here until he was laid in the Pullman churchyard. He was the grandson of the distinguished pioneer, George Husher. He left no heirs, and after his death his widow became Mrs. Winfield Chapman, but she, too, has long since joined the throng on the other side.
Dr. A. D. Summers was the first resident ph3-siciin. He married Aliss Kathrine AlcKinley, and went to Roane county, where he died, and \\here the family still live. Other resi- dent physicians have been Drs. Perrv, W. R. Rymer, J. G. Lowther, Leason, Frank Prunty, and X. \\\ Jones; and Dr. J. O. Eddy, who came here from the Buckeye state a few years since, and Dr. Benjamin Richards, a native of this county, now look after the sick.
PULUIAN 581
Merchants. — Among those who have figured in the mer- cantile business here from time to time, we find the names of the late E. G. Hawkins, Elliott Elall and Son, E. D. Edmonds, W. W. Wells, B. F. Richards, W. E. Cox, J. A. Cox, Curtis Morris, J. A. Veach, A. J. Cross, Frank Pritchard ; and the present merchants, J. A. Cox, A. J. Riddel. C. W. Nutter, and the A\'. S. Stout hardware and general store.
The Bank was instituted in September, 1902, with G. M. Ireland, President, and Okey J. Prunty, cashier. Mr. Ireland is still the president and Fred A. Hall is cashier, with Hayes Elliott, assistant.
The Maccabees Lodge Avas organized during the Autumn of 1904, with twenty-six charter members. It now has a mem- bership of one himdred seventy-five ; and enjoys the distinc- tion of being the largest lodge of this order in the state. It has a neat and comfortable hall, which is valued at two thousand dollars : and a Ladies auxiliary, which was organized in 190S.
This town claimed a population of one hundred fifty- eight in 190(), but it possibly numbers near one himdred seventy-five at the present time (1910) ; and on May twent}-'- first of this year, it had a lot sale, which added near forty new lots, and a rapid growth in the near future is the present outlook. The Lorama narrow gauge railroad is making daily trips here now, and, doubtless, this town Avill soon vie with Auburn for the second place, in size, aniong the towns of Union district.
It was incorporated in 1901 with James R. Lowther as first mayor. In 190(3, it numbered thirty-seven buildings, but several have since been added. It has four general stores, and one general and hardware combined, three hotels, a two- roomed school-building, two blacksmith shops, a milliner and dress-maker establishment, one church (M. P.), two parson- ages (M. P. and M. E.), a bank, a mill, a telephone exchange, one lodge hall, one veterinarian, and one young peoples so- ciety— Christian Endeavor.
Asby Himter Hall, die founder of this enterprising little town, was born in Marion county, on April 21, 1851, and there grew to manhood and began bis career as a rural pecla-
oS2 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
gcgne. He married Miss Olive Zumbro, of ]^larion county, on March 25, 1879, and from Harrison county they came to Ritchie, in 18S]. He not only founded this town, but has been a prominent factor in its affairs throughout its history. He belongs to the Halls, whose ancestral history appears in the Lynn Camp chapter. He is the father of two children, Glenn and Rubv Hall.
Oxford. — This quaint little village, which at the present time contains not more than a half dozen dwellings, a store, a blacksmith-shop, and a few other buildings, is the second oldest in Union district.
Alexander Lowther, senior, the first settler, in 1822, was its founder. He was born in Harrison county, on January 14, 1791, and was the son of William and ^Margaret Morrison Lo\vther, and the grandson of Col. William. He married Miss vSarah Ireland, daughter of Alexander Ireland, who first saw the light of day on August 13, 1796 ; and near the vear 1820, he came to this county and settled on the north bank of Hughes riAcr, just opposite the mouth of tlie Middle fork, on land that now belongs to G. M. Ireland — the site of this old cabin is said to be marked by an oil well — and from here he went to Oxford, where he erected the old log residence, which, though in a state of dilapidation, still stands, at the western end of the village. Here, in 1841, a great shadow fell upon the home, when the beloved wife and mother "passed from sight." .Some time after this sad event, he married Mrs. Rachel Stout Xeai, mother of M. A. Xeal, of Ellenboro, and the one child of this union died in infancy. He was a soldier of the war of 1812, and was one of the earliest justices of the peace of the county. He died at Oxford, on April 20. 18fi4, and sleeps in the White Oak cemetery. His first wife lies near the M. P. church at this place, and the second, at Pull- man.
The children of his first marriage were ten in number: Margaret died in youth and was laid at rest by her mother ; Alexander, sleeps at Parkersburg; ^^'m. I., at Pullman; John
(The histories of the Leggetts, the Crosses, the Pari<ers. anri other - who have figured in this town's affairs will be found in earlier chanters. 1
PULLMAN 583
A., at Oxford ; Robert W., at Cairo ; A. Jackson, in Missouri ; Archibald, on Goose creek; Jesse, at Chrisman, Illinois; Eliza- beth (Mri. Samuel Prunty), resides at Summer, Missouri; and Mrs. Sarah Stout, at Parkersburg.
P. S. Austin. — Mr. Lowther's old residence here con- sisted of two log" houses joined together by an entry; and in this entry, the first store was established by the late P. S. Austin, of Burnt House, near 1848.
Mr. Austin, a little later, erected a store-house near the present site of the Frank Pritchard store ; and he gave the town its name.
Through his efforts the post-office was established in 1849, and he was the first post-master. Near the year 1851, leaving Oxford, he went to Smitliville, where he engaged in the mercantile business for a time, and where he met and married i\Iiss Anne Sleeth, daughter of David Sleeth ; the marriage taking place on February 8, 1853 ; and soon after- wards, he settled at Burnt House, where his daughter, Mrs. J. F. Hartmann now lives. He was a typical son of the "Old Dominion," being born in Augusta county, on August :39, 1821 ; and when the Rebellion came on, his sympathies nat7 urally lingered about the Southern cause, and he went South and took up arms in behalf of the Confederacy, and remained until peace had again been restored. He then returned to his home at Burnt House, and six weeks later followed his wife to the grave. Two of the children, Charles N., and Lucian xAlexander, had preceded their mother to the other shore, and taking the other three, aged seven, five, and three years, he went to his old home in Virginia, and entrusted them to the care of his sister, Mrs. Saphronia Donahoe, Avho reared them to man and womanhood.
In October, 1880. the son, Lysander Chapman, returned to the home of his father, and in June following he was laid by his mother in the Smitliville cemetery.
In December of the same year C1881) the daughters came, and on January 9, 1883, Florilla Floyd, the eldest, became the bride of Dr. J. F. Hartmann, and she, alone, survives.
On September 15, 1903, Saphronia Letitia was married to John V. Warner, of Smith ville, and in December, 1905, she.
584 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
too, was laid in the Smithville cemetery, leaving two little daughters, Mary and XelHe. And v/ith Aliss Jessie, Karl and Fleet Hartmann, we number the entire descendants of this pioneer merchant.
On a beautiful day in Autumn — October 1, 1886. Phi- lander Spillsbury Austin fell asleep at his home at Burnt House, and was borne to the Smithville cemetery and laid away by the side of his wife and children.
He was of Scotch-Irish- descent — the son of Alexander and Letitia McClannehan Austin, early settlers on the South river, in Augusta county, Virginia. His maternal grand- father, Col. McClannehan, was Colonel of the Seventh Vir- ginia Regiment in the Revolutionary war. He was one of a family of fifteen children, all of whom died under the paternal roof, except the following: Dr. Alexander Austin (late father of Drs. Charles and Samuel Austin, of Lewisbure; and William, a pulpit orator of the Presbyterian church of Xew York), Avho lived and died at ^^'est ]\Iilford ; Rice, who went to Tennessee; and Mrs. Donahoe, already mentioned, Airs. Virginia Black, and Mrs. Cornelia Kinsolvin, all of Virginia.
Holbrook, which has never been but little more than a post-ofifice is at the present time inhabited by two families: and the mention of a store, post-ofifice, church, school-house, and a blacksmith-shop will probably give the reader a graphic description of this little hamlet, which came into existence with the establishment of the post-office in 1865 ; and which was named by William Chevrount, who was the post-master at West Union at that time. The late Christopher X. X^'utter was the first post-master, he keeping the of^ce at his resi- dence.
Air. XTttter built the first mill here in 185T, but this mill being destroyed by the hand of an incendiary in the early days of the Civil war. was rebuilt, in 18()(5. by J. AI. Brown, of Hannahdale, and the late Godfrey Carroll. Among other later owners were Enoch Leggett, J. F. Ireland, E. M. Brown, A. K. Atha. and C. \\ . Xutter, who was the last owner and oper- ator, its wlicels having been silent since 1893.
PULLMAN 585
J. C. Gluck, of Auburn and J- L. Lamb, of Harrisville were the first merchants.
The school-house was erected in 1866, and the church, in '74 ; the late Archibald Lowther having given the grounds for both, he being one of the chief builders of the church, which is known as "the Walnut (jrove church." This was one of the last acts of his life. On October 29, 1874, when the church was nearing completion, he, not having been so verv well, walked down to see how the work was progressing, and shortly after his return to the house, suddenly breathed his last.
CHAPTER XLVIII
Petroleum
ETROLEUM was laid out for a town as early as ISS^t in view of having it made a railroad station, and it took its name from the petroleum spring near by.
Tiie land where it stands was originally owned and settled by Richard Parker, who transferred it to Richard Rutherford, senior, at an early day and went West. Mr. Rutherford later trans- ferred it to his son, George Rutherford, who has long been a leading citizen of this community.
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company erected the first building, in 1856 — the year that is marked by the run- ning of the first train on this road, and this building is still in existence, and is occupied by Mr. Welling.
James Kelley Avas the pioneer merchant of the village. He came here from "Old Erin" in his bachelor days and married a widow bv the name of McCue, and from here, went to Parkersburg, and finally, to "the Smoky City" where he died.
Andrew Shaw (colored) was the first blacksmith : Dr A"an Slyck, of New York, the first hosteler;. Dr. Humphrey, the first physician ; and the Rev. D. M. Sleeth. the first min- ister.
Dr. Humphrey went from here to Cairo, and after some years of service there went to Doddridge county.
The Rev. Mr. Sleeth was a scholarly gentleman of the United Presbyterian church faith. He married ]\Irs. Mattie Xewland, of Belmont county, Ohio, and was the father of two daughters and one son, Libbie. Mabel, and Earle. who are all married and live in the W'est. The father died in
PETROLEUM 587
Kansas near a year ago, and the mother lives with her chil- dren.
The year 1856 was marked by the coming of the post- office with fhe late George Rutherford post-master. The present one is George B. Douglass.
The school-house came in 1S68, but w^as transformed into the present two-roomed buildnig in 1880.
The village now claims a population of ninety inhabit- ants, and its two mercantile houses are ow^ned and managed by Rutherford Brothers and L. P. Reitz.
Jerome A. Vandiver was an early merchant here, and the names of Douglass, Rutherford, Reitz and Sharpnack have been prominent ones almost throughout the history of the. village, but as the older families have been given a place in preceding chapters we will only mention the Reitzes, John Cowan and D. M. Sharpnack in this connection.
The Reitzes are of German extraction. Philip Reitz, who was born at Geneva, Pennsylvania, in 1806, and was there married to Miss Rachel Harter, came to this county with his family in 1859, and settled at Ellenboro where he engaged in the mercantile business until 1863, when he removed to Pe- troleum. He continued to sell goods until 1868, when he was succeeded by his son, L. P., and George B. Douglass.
He died here near the year 1894. He was the father of six children ; viz.. J. H., and P\ W., have passed on ; L. P. Reitz, and Ellen AI., who is Mrs. D. :\I. Sharpnack, are of this place; and T. G. Reitz, and Mrs. Elizabeth Williams, of Parkersburg.
L. P. Reit'z, who has so long been identified in business here, married Miss Isabella J. Chrisholm in 187 7, and five children are the result of the union. Harry died a few years ago, and the other four, Jessie, Mary, Walter, and L. A\\ Reitz, survive.
In 1871, Mr. Reitz purchased Mr. Douglass' interest in the store, and after managing the business alone for a time, he formed a partner-ship with his brothers. T. G. and E. W. Reitz, but he is now sole-owner and manager at the age of sixty-nine years.
588 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
The Reitzes are a worthy family. Philip Reitz was a brother of Thomas, of Harrisville.
Daniel M. Sharpnack, second son of Hiram and Lydia Harris Sharpnack. wdio was born on July 30. 1845, has been identified with the business interests of the town in various A\ays since 1S69, when he came here from the "California House," where he had been engaged in the mercaritile lousi- ness. He has been post-master, telegraph operator, real es- tate agent, express agent, etc., and is a mechanic of more than ordinary skill.
On December 5. 18(37, he was married to Miss Ellen AI. Reitz. daughter of Philip Reitz, and three children were born of this union ; viz., Mrs. Rachel (Sidney R. ) Curry. Mrs. /\lice (Harvey) Stutler, St. Mary's; and Thomas, who was graduated from the Buckhannon Seminary, and from the Ohio Wesleyan University, and is now in business at jNIans- field, Ohio.
John Cowan was prominent in the aiitairs of this town and community for a number of years and we here inscrilje his name :
He was born in Scotland on October 17, 1832, and spent his youthful days among his native hills as a shepherd's boy : but in his early manhood he enlisted in the Erittish Army for service in the Crimean war (1854-56) belonging" to the Highland troops ; and, like the other members of this regi- ment, received a medal from the hand of Queen Victoria, tor bravery, which is inscribed with the names of the four de- cisive battles of this war; viz.. Alma, Balaklava, Sebastopol. and Constantinople. He was an eye witness to the "Charge of the Light Brigade" upon which Tennyson has based his famous poem, and his brother. A\'illiam. was one ol the "six hundred" that rode "Into the valley of death." and one of the very few that escaped that awful fate.
Mr. Cowan lost the use of one of his ears owing to the bursting of an ear-drum during the fierce canonading at Se- bastopol. He was distantly connected to Thomas Carlyle, ihe great English historian and essayist, and remembered his visits to the Carlyle home with his parents in his childhood.
He came to America durino: the autumn of 1857. and
PETROLEUM 530
spent the winter in New York, but, owing- to the severity of the climate, went to New Orleans during the following spring and summer. There he met and married Miss Janett Muir, a Scotch maiden, on January 3, 18()2 ; and togetlier they came to Petroleum in 1873, where he figured as justice of the peace for thirteen years, and as a good citizen for the rest of his days. He had been a communicant of the Fret Church of Scotland in his native land, b""- ---■-■' with the Presbyterian church after coming to this county. Pie re- moved from Petroleum to a farm four miles distant, but owing to a paralytic stroke which disabled him, he returned to the town where Death closed his eyes on May 30, 1908, and in the Egypt cemetery, near Cairo, he lies buried. Mrs. Cowan with their eight children still survives.
1 he sons and daughters are as follows :
Mrs, Jessie (R. G.) Powell, Miss Agnes Cowan, and John II., are of Petroleum: Mrs. G. W. Foutty, of Freeport ; Miss Marian, of Cairo; Robert L., of Wheeling; William N., and James of Sherrard, near Wheeling.
This family of Cowan's do not belong to the same race as tlie other family of this name that has a place in this work.
Highland. — This town took its name from the Highlands of Scotland, the place of the nativity of the early settlers of this section of Pond's creek. It was born in 1868, when John Plelmick erected the first dwelling, and William Smith, the first store. It is now a village of fifty inhabitants. The school-house was added in 1870. and Dr. Villers was the first resident physician. The first mill in this part was put into operation near the year 1820, and was one of the old-time horse-power mills.
William Douglass came here in 1868 from Cairo and re- mained an influential citizen of the town until his death a few months since.
The mercantile business at this time is in the hands of Smith and Mays, and W. A. Douglass, who is also the post- master. M. A. McGregor, great-grandson, of John Mc- Gregor, one of the earliest blacksmiths of this section, is the "village blacksmith."
51)0 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Highland is near the center of an extensive oil field, buc it is noted for its law-abiding citizens. For near a hali-cen- tnry but one indictment for felony has been recorded in this territory from the St. Mary's pike to the head of Bond's creek, a distance of ten miles.
"Pike" which derived its name from the fact that it is situated at the junction of the St. Mary's and Northwestern turnpikes, is another little Bond's creek hamlet.
Robert Childers of whose histor}^ we know nothing, was the first settler here, and the late Levi Hammond operated a blacksmith and gun shop here sixty years ago.
It is now a hamlet of several dwellings, tvv'o stores, and a post-office (with C. W. Wilcox Company and ^^^ E. Delany and Brother in charge.) A milliner and dress-making estab- lishment, a blacksmith and barber-shop, an I. O. O. F. and Sis- ters of Rebecca Lodges, a school-house and a church of the Christian faith. And the Eureka Pipeline Pump Station is located here.
Adam Cunningham was the first settler at Finch, autl \A'illiam Cunningham, at League.
Cornwallis is situated at the mouth of Bond's creek, on the Xorth branch of Hughes' river, and like all the other rail- road towns, came upon the stage as a station near 1856.
Jesse C. Lowther, William Cunningham, John Skelton and George AA'ells (whose histories have all appeared in ear- lier chapters), built the first few residences here.
AVilliam Skelton built the first station-house near 1857. and the late General A. S. Core, of Ellenboro opened the first store in this building shortly before the Civil war. and Phil- lip Reitz, his brother-in-law. was his clerk. Both of these gentlemen came from Pennsylvania, and when hostilities opened between the North and the South, Gen. Core took iiis daughter back to his native state for safety, and went into active service in defense of the L^nion. and at the close of the conflict found a home at Ellenboro where he spent the re- mainder of his life.
A\'. H. Peirpoint was another early merchant here, but his
PETROLEUM :m
slay was of brief duration. Among others who have been identified in this business here from time to time we find the names of Joseph Robinson, Charles Pendergast (who' was the first post-master), James Taylor, William C. Gilbert, H. X. Wilson, the Marsh Brothers (N. D. and Harvey), and the present merchants are C. Brinker, A. C. Rollins, and the Bar- nctt Brothers. Lloyd Baniett being the post-master.
The Catholic church was the pioneer church here. Tt was located qn land that was formerly owned by Isaac Cun- ningham. The jNIethodist Episcopal denomination, also, has. a church building.
The first school-house came soon after the inauguration of the Free School system. This building w^as replaced by the present two-roomed structure some fifteen years ago.
This village now claims a population of near two-hun- dred and it has never had a house of public entertainment or a resident pln^sician. Being so accessible to Cairo and to Harrisville its citizens have ever looked to these towns for medical aid. Christopher Douglass and George Wells, who have both been mentioned in earlier chapters are among the oldest and more prominent citizens of the vicinity. Other.- whose names have long been associated with the tov^-n are the Lavelles, the Griffiths, Michael Naughton, the Rolands, and the McCabes.
Glendale. — The village of Glcndale, which now numbers seventy-five inhabitants, and has a post-office, two stores, a hotel, black-smith shop, school-house, public hall, and an I. O. O. F. organization, was born in 1778 when A\'illiam Seevcrs built the first residence on the site.
J. Clint Lacy, the ^vell-known "knight of the grip" of Ellenboro, opened the first store here in 1880. but he was succeeded by W. C. Gilbert, formerly of Cornwallis, but now of Wllliamstown, a little later. The names of not a few other merchants of the village are wanting, but the late John A. Garrison held this business in-tact longer than any other one individual, he having served his customers for more than a score of years, and established a reputation for integrity which leaves a fitting monument to his memory. His old
592 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
stand is now in the hands of Harr}- ]\IcKinney who came here from Williamstown in 1906.
Mr/ Garrison was born in Tyler county, on August 23, 1863, and began his connection with the history of this town by clerking in the store of \\'. C. Gilbert, and continued in business here for himself, at the same stand, until his death, from tuberculosis, on July 11, 190'2. On August "M, 1884. he was married to Miss Elizabeth Angy D. ^ilartin, of Ellenboro, and the children of this union were: A. F., J.. D., Anna B., Lottie C, \\'m. McK.. and the late Bertha D. Garrison.
Dr. Asa Coplin was the first physician to hang out his shingle, in 18T5. He was born on Alarch 4, 1839, near West ]\iilford in Harrison count}-, and with his parents removed to Doddridge county in 184T. Here, on May S, 1862, he was married to Aliss Amy M. Maxwell, and immediately after re- ceiving his diploma, in August 1875, he came to Glendale. He was a physician of the "old school" but a very successful one, and he had a large and lucrative practice. Dr. Coplin died on October 24, 1898, at Nevada city, Missouri, where he had gone to take treatment of the renowned Dr. \\>ltmer. His six children are as follows : A. H., W. F., Charles L., Fannie. Hattie and Maude, all of Goose creek.
Christopher Ambrose and Richard Rinehart were the first to wield the blacksmith's hammer here, and James Spikei and C. Ambrose are the present smiths.
Mole Hill. — This village (if village it can be styled) is located on the original Daniel Haymond farm. As early as 1860, a post-office was established here under the name of "Federal Hill" with ]\Irs. Daniel Haymond post-mistress, but after a brief history it was discontinued, and "Alole Hill," which was named bv John Lantz, came later on.
Smith. — Xear the vear 1869, Washington Smith, of Tvler county, purchased the Haymond homestead, and erected the second residence, which is now occupied by David William- son. \lr. Smith being a blacksmith by trade, built the iirst shop here ; and also erected the first store-house, but David Caimichael was the first merchant. I\Ir. Smith's enterprise did not stop here, and some time later, he erected a flouring-
PETROLEUM ■ 593
mill with a saw and planiiig-apparatus in connection. He was a brother of Hon. Anthony Smith, of Harrisville, and his wife was a Miss Ripley, and they now reside in Wood county near Parkersburg. The family consisted of two daughters, Mary, and Elizabeth and one son, Walker Smith.
Dr. Isaac Jones was the first resident physician. He w^as born at Centreville in Tyler county in 1849, and died at his home here in 190?, and was taken back to the scenes of his childhood for interment. His family still reside here, his wife, Mrs. Ida Taggart Jones, having charge of the only hotel in the place. Three of the children, Charley, Elizabeth, and Lantz died in childhood. Nina is Mrs. John McGinnis, of Gofif's ; James R. Jones resides at Alole Hill ; and Florence and Reed are still at home.
The village, though scattered, now claims near a dozen families with a population of near seventy persons. It has two stores with Thomas Miller and the firm of Hickman and McCullough in charge, an opera house, a good graded school (tAvo-roomed building), one church, a blacksmith-shop, a medical office, a saw and flouring-mill combined, a hotel, and a post-office with Walter McCullough, post-master.
The Haymond homestead has several times changed hands, but it is now the property of Benton Cunningham. Other prominent farmers of the community are Harvey Kysor, Isaiah Griffin, E. C. Peirpoint, Jacob Lantz, John R. Marsh and N. G. Willis.
CHAPTER XLIX
Tollgate
HIS town took its name from an old toll-gate that came into existence here late in the thirties or early in the forties, and went out during' the Civil war.
The X'orthwestern turnpike at this time was a State road, and it was kept up by the revenue that was collected from the toil- gates along the road.
Notley Willis, senior, was the first keeper of this gate. He was born near \\'inchester, Virginia in April. 1800 ; and being left an orphan in childhood, was early thrown upon his own resources. He came to Tyler county in his boyhood, and near the year 1817, went to Charleston where he was en- gaged in the growing salt industry ; and, at one time, he was a salt commissioner at Cincinnati, Ohio. But in 1837 he came to Tollgate (from Charleston), and shortly after his arrival here he was married to ]\Irs. Epha Marsh Cline (daughter of James Marsh and Avidow of William Cline), the marriage taking place at the old Marsh homestead, on February IG, 1837. Near this time he became the owner of the ]\Iarsh homestead, a little east of this place : and here he spent the first six years of his married life ; and when the toll-gate was established he was made the keeper; but in 1843, he removed to Mole Hill and Mrs. Lee succeeded him as guardian of this gate.
Mr. Willis was a ^Master Mason ; was one of the early justices of the peace of the county, and was one of the first members of the Board of Education after the inauguration of the Free School system. He died at IMoIe Hill on Xovember 17, 1878, and there his ashes lie. He was the father of one son, Notlev G. Willis of Mole Hill.
TOLLGATE 595
Notley G. Willis, this son, was married to Miss Louisa Martin, and four children were the result of this union ; viz., Epha and Josephine died in 3-outh. Helen married D. B. Strickling and died at her home in Pennsylvania in 1907, leaving one daughter, Mrs. Cammie Gormley, two other children, Romeo and Nellie having preceded her home. And Judge M. H. Willis, who married Miss Anita ]\Iagness, of Iowa is the son. This completes the entire line of the des- cendants of Notley Willis, senior, the pioneer toll-gate keeper.
The Willises are descended from an old Virginia family, who were perhaps, of English descent, but the exact time of their migration to the New World is unknown. Elowever, Francis Willis was prominently identified in Colonial affairs before the middle of the seventeenth century. As early as 16-tO, he held the office of Clerk of Charles River in York county, Virginia, and was a personal admirer and an ardent supporter of the policy of Sir John Harvey, governor of lI>» colony; and upon Sir Harvev's removal from this office, Wil- lis vvas deprived of his position, and was prohibited from ap- pearing as attorney in any of the courts. But after the lapse of near two years, when Sir William Berkely came to the Gubernatorial chair, he was restored to favor, and afterwards fdled several important offices, among which was that of chairman of the committee that revised the Colonial laws in 1657-8, and member of the Governor's council until 1675, the year preceding Bacon's rebellion. He died in England in 1691, and by his last will and testament, his nephew, Francis Willis, son of Henry, heired the greater part of his property, including his vast estates in Gloucester county. Virginia.
Francis Willis, junior, had two sons, Francis HI, of Gloucester county, and Henry Willis,^ the founder of Fred- ericksburg. After this generation, the family was known as two branches, the Gloucester and the Fredericksburg : and from the Gloucester branch the Ritchie county family come. This branch of the family are scattered throughout the northern counties of Virginia, and through Maryland and Pennsyl- vania; and Brunswick county, Virginia, Jefferson and Bcrke-
^This same Henry Willis married Mrs. Mildred Wa'^liington Gregory. See Washington genealogy in Chapter Fifty-fourth.
596 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
ley counties, West Virginia are said to abound in their tradi- tions.
William Willis. — Another AMIlis family who has no known connection with the one just mentioned, but who has numerous descendants in this and sister counties, is that of the late William Willis, who came from Ireland during the latter part of the eighteenth century; and married Miss Anna Douglass of Harrison county and settled near Clarksburg, where he was identified as an early pedagogue.
This pioneer couple were the parents of five sons, and seven daughters ; viz. :
Robert (1799-1886) with his three wives (Alary Venort, Aviary Vanhorn, and Matilda Prine) rests in Doddridge county.
George (married IMiss Elder), and John, who died un- married at the age of eighty years, were of Harrison count}-. William (Aliss Elizabeth Bumgardner) was of Doddridge county; and Reuben (who never married) met a tragic death by drowning in the Ohio river.
]\Ialinda was the wife of Andrew Xutter,^ senior, of Ox- ford ; Elizabeth^ was the late Mrs. Peter Pritchard. of White Oak ; Nancy married Julius Davidson, and Jane, Andrew Divers, both of Harrison county ; Margaret became Mrs. Gus Greathouse and died in Doddridge county at the age of eighty years ; and Ruhama was Mrs. William Elder of this county.
Mrs. Edmund Lee, a widow, was the second keeper of the toll-gate, she having succeeded ]\Ir. Willis near the year 1843, and remained in charge to the end of its history. She came here from Indiana near 1837 and settled in a cabin that stood only a few feet from the pike and a short distance from the Doddridge county line, and here within this community, she spent the closing years of her life. She was the mother of the late E. C. C. Lee who was a citizen of this village until his death in 1897, and has quite a number of other descendants, in different parts of the country.
Toligate is said to be the only post-ofifice of the name in the United States. It was established in 1868 with Captain
'See Xiitter and Pritchard families.
TOLLGATE 597
Wicks post-master, and W. C. Taylor, grandson of pioneer Eli Taylor, is the present incumbent.
The first scliool-house in the vicinity stood near one one-half miles from toAvn on land that is now owned by B. H. Hickman. It came into existence in 1868, and the first school within the village, was taught in the old Masonic hall in 1880.
The Board of Education then purchased a store-house, and converted it into a school-room which served until the present two-story frame building came into existence.
The first church which was erected in 1843, was a union church ; but it was destroyed by fire during the Civil war. Notley Willis, senior, was the donor of the grounds ; and John Garner, junior, gave the ground for the cemetery, which is located one-half mile east of the town, on land now owned by J. M. Wilson.
This pioneer "city of the dead" has long since been aban- doned, though some forty or fifty persons slumber here.
The one church of the village, to-day, is Baptist in de- nomination. It was built in the ante-bellum days, and, though still doing service, is fast crumbling to decay.
This village now has twenty-five families with *a popula- tion of less than one hundred. Perhaps no other town in the county with this number of families, has so few inhabitants — such a large percent of childless homes.
Although Doddridge corners in the town, all the citizens, except one, reside in Ritchie — A. J. Zinn goes to Greenv/ood to cast his vote.
There are now two general stores, one grocery, one hard- ware, and two feed stores, two black-smith shops, one saw and planing-mill combined, two hotels, and a good two-story substantial school-building.
The Broadwater Brothers, M. M. Cochran, Charles ]\1. and William Denning (blacksmiths who are the inventors of the Denning well-drill machine, an invention upon which they have secured a patent), and W. C. Taylor are its busi- ness men ; and Silas J. Taylor, is the leading farmer of the vicinity, as was the late T. J. Broadwater.
Thomas Jefferson Broadwater was born in Garrett coun- ty. Maryland, on November 8, 1837, and with his parents, Mr.
598 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
and Airs. Jefferson Broadwater came to this county when he was but a lad of a few summers, and from that time until his death, on April 18, 1910, he was a familiar figure in this com- munity.
In 1869, he w'as married to Miss Rhoda Rinehart, of Boyd, Maryland, sister of Mrs. L. P. Wilson, of Pennsboro, and eleven children were the result of this union ; viz., Boyd, a commercial traveler, of Vienna, Wood county ; Harry of Pennsboro ; Mrs. Lyda Small, of Maryland ; Will, who is also married, and Misses Minnie and Nettie, Charles, Thomas, Ralph and Robert, who are at home with their mother.
Mr. Broadvvater died at the home of his son at Vienna, where he had gone for medical treatment and the remains were brought back and laid away in the Tollgate cemetery, after impressive services had been held by the Rev. D. S. Boces, of the Harrisville M. P. church and the Masonic order.
CHAPTER L
Other Prominent Families
HE MAXWELLS.— Though the Maxwells were not residents of this county in pioneer (lays, they have had large land interests here almost throughout its history, and quite a number of their descendants are identified with its present citizen-ship.
Lewis Maxwell was an early surveyor, and Vv^hen he found a piece of vacant land, he laid a warrant upon it an.d entered it, and thus he came into possession of large tracts of valuable wood-lands all over this section of the state. Without doubt he was the largest individual land- owner that this county has ever known, and at his death his nephew, Franklin Maxwell, fell heir to much of his estate here. lUit since the death of Franklin, the heirs have princi- pally disposed of these lands, but have retained their royal- ties wdiich are now, to some extent, under development for oil and gas purposes.
The name "Maxwell" originated in Northumberland, county, England, near the year 1000, it being, at first spelled "Maccuswell." Prior to this date the family are supposed to have come from Saxony, and to have become connected with the Athlings of Northern England in some way, but, as this tradition is such an ancient one, it is not well authenticated. However, they went from England to Scotland at the time of the conquest of William the Conqueror, and are said to have fisfured in the Border wars with Wallace and Bruce; and from "Scotia" they migrated to America before the year 1700. and settled in Connecticut and in New Jersey, and to the New Jersey branch of the family, the Ritchie County ^Maxwells trace their ancestry; although they are unable to give defmile
600 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
connections farther back than Thomas Maxwell, of Pennsyl- vania.
Thomas Maxwell was married, near the year 1785 to Miss Jane Lewis, daughter of Alexander and Alary Smith Lewis, who was born in the Keystone state, on July 17. 1707.
He was probably the son of Robert and Elizabeth Max- well of East Nottingham township, Chester county, Pennsyl- vania, as Robert's will, dated December 30, 1791, and pro- bated November 13, 1792, mentions his son, Thomas.
He (Thomas) died in 1796, but his burial place is un- known. He had been making arrangements to remove from the Keystone state to Western Virginia, and had made one or more trips to this wilderness ; but on his last journey, be was lost to view and all eft'orts to learn something of his fate were met with defeat. He was traced as far as Morgantown, and there all clew was lost. He was known to have had a considerable sum of money in his possession and the theory of robbery and miu'der was entertained b}^ some, and others thought that he might have been drowned, but nothing was ever known.
In 1799 his widow, Mrs. Jane Lewis Maxwell, with her six orphaned children removed to Harrison county, and set- tled on land owned by Col. William Lowther near what is now the little town of West Milford. Mrs. Maxwell's means were very much limited and when she arrived with her little flock, she found shelter with the family of Col. Lowther in the old cabin shown in an earlier chapter until another one could be fitted out upon the farm ; and here she reared her family — one member of which, Lewis Maxwell, became a Congressman. And to this day sacred memories linger about the crude walls of this ancient dv/elling for the descendants of Mrs. IMaxwell. as well as for those of Col. Lowther.
She afterwards removed "to Lost creek, and finally to near Jane Lew in Lewis county where she died on October 20, 1835. This town, "Jane Lew" was named by her son, Lewis, in her honor.
Her family consisted of four sons and two daughters ; viz., Abner, Levi, Lewis, Robert, Amy and Mary Maxwell.
OTHER PROMINENT FAMILIES 601
Abner Maxwell, the eldest son (1785-1864), was captain of a Harrison connty company in the war of 1812, and re- mained a citizen of the Clarksfcnrg- vicinity until, perhaps, some time m the forties, when he removed to Doddridge county, where he spent his last hours, near West Union, in 1864.
He was first married to Miss Susan Davidson, and his second wife was Miss Judith Modisette, and his children were twelve in number: Marshall (born 1811), Franklin (1814J, Alary, who became Mrs. A. W. Flucky (1816), Levi (1810), and William (1821), were the fruits of the first union. And Frances Jane, wife of Archibald Lowther, of Goose creek: Lewis Maxwell, formerly of Pullman, but now of Glenville : Charles, of Summers : Amy M., who became Mrs. y\sa Coplin, Abner M., James, and Robert, Doddridge county, of the second marriage.
Franklin Maxwell (son of Abner) was born in 1814; and, in 1840, he deserted single life when he claimed Miss Frances Jane Runnels as his bride, and though he lived and died in Doddridge county, he owned large interests here, and was widely known. He is said to have helped many a poor la- borer in this county to a home of his own by permitting him to live on his lands and by giving him almost his own time in making the payments, provided that he was honest and indus- trious ; for he had no patience with dishonesty or laziness. I-Ie died very suddenly in his potato-patch at his home near West Union, on July 4, 1892, and not far from the scenes of his activities, he lies in his last sleep.
His children: Leman, Lewis, Porter, Rector, Wm. Brent, Harriet P., who married G. W. Brown (1853-1890), Mary Martha (1855-1860), Franklin Post (1857-1880), Frances Jane, who became Mrs. B. C. Bland (1859-1880) and Susan Alice (1861-1883).
Frances Jane Maxwell, half-sister of Franklin, was mar- ried to Archibald Lowther, brother of the late William L Lowther, of Pullman, on November 9, 1848, and after a brief residence in Doddridge county, removed to Goose creek lhi^-. county, where she died in 1904. Mr. Lowther preceded her
602 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUSTY
to the otlier world in 1899, and both He at rest, on Goose creek.
Their chihh-en were: Airs. Sarah Jiida (A. B.) Wilson, the late Airs. Amy Carpenter, Robert AI. Lowther, Frances, who is now Mrs. Ross Webb, Elizabeth, the wife of John Scott, and the late Minter, all of .Goose creek; and John Franklin Lowther, of Pullman.
Lewis Maxwell, brother of Airs. Lowther, who was born on May 18, 1831, was married to Miss Margaret Alitchell, sister of Airs. W'm. I. Lowther, in 1861, and for long years re- sided at Pullman, and from there, removed to Glenville, in Gilmer county, twenty years ago, where he and his wife still survive.
Their children are as follows: Airs. Anna Y. (L'lyses S.) Upton, Braxton county; Airs. Cordelia Jane (Spencer) Col- lins, Glenville. who was formerly a teacher here; Irvin F., Charles Lewis, AMlliam E., Sylvester S., and AI. C. Alaxwell.
Abner M. Maxwell, brother of Lewis and Airs. Lowther, was married to Lydia Jane Osbourne in 1862, and the}' were the parents of Airs. Alary Frances (Homer) Griffin. Elizabeth ; Airs. Ella Jane (Calvin E.) Wilson, Summers ; James A. Alax- well, Harrisville; ^^^m. Bruce, Porter, Levi, and the late Aliss Rebecca Blanche Alaxwell, Doddridge county.
Levi Maxwell, son of Thomas and Jane Lewis Alaxwell, was born on July 25, 1788, and died at his home near Weston, on November 13, 188L On Alarch 23, 1823. he was married to Aliss Sarah Haymond, daughter of Captain John and Alary Wilson Haymond, and grand-daughter of Col. Ben Wilson, senior, and the following named children were born of this union: Angelina (1823-1864), unmarried: Edwin Alaxwell (1825-1893), Clarksburg; John (1827-1860), Rufus, Semira, and Jane, who remained single.
Rufus Maxwell, born on October 19, 1828, was a lawyer in his early life but never engaged in the practice of this profession after the Civil war. He was justice of the peace in Lewis county, but removed from there to Tucker county in 1856, where he filled the offices of District Attorney. Superin- tendent of schools, County surveyor, and was a representative in the House of Delegates ; and there he still survives.
OTHER PROMIXEXT FAMILIES 603
On June 1, 1852, he was married to Aliss Sarali Jane Bon- nifield, who was born on Horse Shoe run, in this state, on July 14, 183-1, and died at Denver, Colorado, on February Ju, 1897. She was the daughter of Arnold and Elizabeth Minear Bonnifield.
This couple were the parents of twelve children who are quite prominently known throughout the state: Elizabeth A. (1855-1861), Alary A. was first married to W. S. M. Spesert, and her second husband was W. A. Lipscomb, of California • Dorcas Angelica is the wife of the Rev. Oliver Lowther, of the M. P. church, Pullman ; Hu Maxwell is the well-known historian, who now holds a position in the Forestry Service at Washington city ; Cyrus Haymond is of Morgantown ; Thomas E. (1865-1896, unmarried), John F. -^nd Levi PL, California; Charles J., Texas: Robert R. (1874-1899), and Anna Catharine (1877-1879).
Lewis Maxwell, third son of Thomas and Jane Lewis, born_ in 1790, was a member of Congress from 1827 to 1833, and was a man of no small means for his time. Being an early surveyor, as before mentioned, he entered large tracts of land all over this part of the state, and as he left no heirs much of his fortune fell to his nephew, Franklin Max- well.
In 1814, he was first married to Miss Safronia Wilson, and his second wife, whom he married in 1859, was Miss Jane Pritchard, daughter of Peter Pritchard, of White Oak. He died near Weston in Lewis county in 1865, £ind his widow who was many years his junior is now Mrs. Wiley of Fair- mont.
Robert Maxwell, the fourth son of Thomas and Jane Lewis, was born on February 19, 1791, and on March 19, 1812, he Vv-as married to Miss Rebecca Eastlack, who was born on November (i, 1792, and died at their home in Ohio, on May 9, 1843. After her death he returned to Lost creek in Harrison county, where he contracted two subsequent marriages, and where he died on February 5, 1844.
His children were as follows and all were born of the first union: Thomas J., Frances B. (Mrs. Wm. Boggs), Jane Lewis, and Amy, who died in childhood, Rebecca H., (Mrs.
604 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Joseph Lefevre), Aleiggs L., Caroline A. (Mrs. B. F. }klc!\lil- lian) Alary Melvina (Mrs. Alexander Ireland), Robert C, and Emma Ann (Mrs. Sylvanus Page) all of whom reside, and rest, in Ohio, and other Western states. Caroline, Meiggs, and Rebecca, alone survive.
Mary Melvina Maxwell was born on June 27, 1828, and was married to Alexander Ireland, brother of G. M. Ireland, on October 7, 1851, the marriage taking place in Ohio, where Mr. Ireland had gone in his single days. Mrs. Ireland died in 1907, but he still survives at the old home at Cardington, Ohio.
His children : Caroline Belle is the wife of the Rev. Louis C. Haddox, of the Methodist Episcopal church of Columbus, Ohio; Corydon Boyd is a prominent physician of Church- ville. New York; Lillie Love (1857-1875) Rosalind C, (1858- 1875), Mary Alexandria is Mrs. Stephen C. Kingman; Elba Nile, Mrs. Wm. F. Duncan ; and Virginia V., the wife of Dr. H. B. Campbell.
Amy Maxwell, daughter of Thomas and Jane Lewis Maxwell, born August 37, 1799, became the wife of John Peck on August 7, 1825, and went to Ohio, where she died on ^Nlay 23, 1847.
Her children : were Lemon B., Dewitt C, David B., John S., Tarleton, and Minerva who married George R. Cunning- ham, and two sons that died in infancy, all of whom were of Cardington, Ohio, but are now numbered with the dead.
Mary Maxwell, daughter of Thomas and Jane Lewis Maxwell, Avas first married to John Swisher, and her second husband's name was Hawley, but little is in our possession concerning her family other than the names of the .Swisher children ; viz., Alvira, John, George, Lewis, and Amy. who married Thomas Curl.
The Haddoxes, who have so long been identified with the citizenship of this county, are of Irish extraction. The time of their coming to the Western world is not definitely known, but as thev are only another branch of the family whose his-
(This data wa=; princiraUy gleaned from the Smith Family Record by Joseph S. ITarris. of Philadelphia, and it has been our aim to give the history of tlie original Maxwell Family in this state, and then to write up only the younger families that have been well-known hore in tunes past, and to-day.)
OTHER PROMINENT FAMILIES 605
tory appears with the North fork settlers, it is quite probable that they crossed to Virginia at the same time — during' the latter part of the eighteenth century — as circumstances point strongly to the fact that Jonathan Haddox, the head of the North fork family, and William, the progenitor of this one, were brothers.
But be that as it may, William Haddox and his wife, Alary Minear Haddox, lived and died in what is now Barbour county, where they reared quite a family.
Phillip Haddox, their son, spent his entire life in Barbour county within three miles of the place of his nativity. He married Miss Isabel Hewey, of Quaker city, Ohio, and in Barbour county she also died. Their family consisted of nine children ; viz., Leanna, Sarah, Nancy, Susan, Mary, Jonathan, Joseph, Samuel and Allen Haddox. Allen and Mary, who is Mrs. Duckworth, remained in their native county, and die rest came to this county.
Leanna was the late Mrs. John Alitchell ; Sarah, the late Mrs. John Moody Pritchard, of Wliite Oak ; Nancy was the late Mrs. Josiah Hawkins ; and Susan, who first married Phil- lip Felton, senior, of Barbour, was the late Mrs. George Brown of Burnt House.
Jonathan Hewey Haddox, the eldest son of Phillip and Isabel Hewey, was born in Barbour county, on Februar_y 20, 1S"22, and came to this county in his young manhood where he met and married Miss Sarah Salina Cunningham, daugh- tei of Enoch. AT. and Mrs. Jane Stuart Cunningham, and grand-daughter of Edward^ and Sarah Price Cunningham, of Indian fame.
The marriage took place in 1843, and from that time until the day of his death, he called Ritchie county his home. He was one of the early merchants of Smithville, and from there, removed to Cairo, where he became identified in the same business, and where he played an important part in other aft'airs. Pie was a tru.sted employee of the "Ritchie Aline Company" during the sixties, but in the early seventies, re- turned to Smithville and became a member of the niercantil^^ iirni of "Haddox and Carr." Plere Mrs. Haddox j^assed from
'See Cunningham chapter.
606 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
sight, and in 188^1:, he again took the marriage vow. when Miss Safronia Collins, daughter of Chainey Collins, became his wife; and shortly after this event, he changed his place of business to Washburn. But finally removed to Harrisville, vv-here he owned and managed a grocery store at the time of his death, which took place on May '21, 1906, while he was visiting his sons at Huntington. The remains Avere brought back to Harrisville, and there laid at rest.
The children of the first union were seven in number ; viz., Cincinnatus P., and Lathrop, Huntington; Maclisona was the late lamented Mrs. Adam Flesher, of Pennsboro : Etta is Mrs. Columbus Riddel, of Moundsville ; Harrison B. died in 1877; Charles, in 1865, and one, in childhood.
The children of the wife of his old age are : Alatilda. Elsie, Dona, who is Mrs. Jesse Gatrell, and Thurman lia i dox. all of tlarrisville, except Mrs. Gatrell, who resides at Clarksburg.
Joseph Haddox was married to Miss Sarah Wass. daugh- ter of John AA'ass, whom he met while on a visit to this county: and in 1848, he purchased the improvement of his brother-in-law. John Mitchell, at Pleasant Hill, and there re- sided until his death, on May 9, 1900, and there his aged widow still survives. He was seventy-six years of age at tlie lime of his death.
His children arc as follows : Misses Josephine and Eliza- beth, of Parkersburg; Mrs. Mary Summers (wife of Jonn Summers), Samuel and Charles Haddox, Berea : ^Mrs. Ella (Bruce) Wilson, Washburn: Mrs. Etta (Hedges) Davis, Hazelgreen : Jonathan, Berea; John, of Calhoun county: and Benjamin, and Robert, whose places of residence arc un- known.
Samuel Haddox with his wife. Airs. Alary A. Kennedy Haddox, came to this county in middle life, but finally wcnc to Parkersburg where the}- have both been sleeping for se\- ernl years : she died in 1903, and he preceded her to the graA-e.
Their son, Jasper N. Haddox died in 1903, and the sui- viving members of the family are: John Haddox, of Colum- bus, Ohio, Coleman, and Mrs. Jennie Griffin. Parkersburg: and Airs. Belle Ilostetter. Beatrice.
OTHER PROMINENT FAMILIES 607
Allen Haddox of Berea belongs to this branch of the fam- ily, he being- a son of Adam, brother of Phillip, and his mother was Miss Mary Willett before her marriage.
We learn from the Haddoxes of the North fork, that all the families of the name of both the Virginias are related.
King Knob Settled By the Carpenters. — Though King Knob is one of the most distinguished points of land in Mur- phy district, being the highest (1270 ft.) its forest remained unbroken until 1881, when the late Reason Carpenter came here from Pleasants county with his family, and erected the old, deserted cabin that still stands, as a reminder of the days that have gone by.
]\Ir. Carpenter was born in Ohio, in 1820, and there he was married near the year 1841, to Miss Rachel Porter, who was born in the little State of Delaware, on February 26, 182.", but, with her parents, removed to the "r)uckeye state" when she was a small child. From there, in 1875, they removed to Tyler county, and three years later, to Pleasants, and from there they came here. Mr. Carpenter died in 1895, and filled the first grave that was made in the King Knob churchyard. And Mrs. Carpenter survived until March 1, 1910, when she joined him on the other side.
Their children were twelve in number: William and Rob- ert, Tyler county; Albert. Mrs. Margaret Hedge, Mrs. Julia Ann Edgell and Mrs. Nancy Dye, are all of this county; Mrs. Rachel Smith, and Mrs. Eliza Stull, Clarksburg; Mrs. J^ne Carpenter, and the late Mrs. Sarah Haga, Ohio ; and the late Mrs. Drusilla Carpenter, Ohio ; and the late Mrs. Mary Car- penter, Middlebourne.
J. M. McKinney, — Another family whose services to this county merit recognition is that of Joseph Morris McKinuc}'. of Hebron.
This family comes of Irish stock. Francis McKinney and Miss Flannah Hopkins were married near Londonderry in the North of Ireland, and their son, George, was educated for the ministry; but not finding his heart wholly in this work, he emigrated to America before the Revolution and settled near the boundary line of Loudin and l'\'ui(|uier coun- ties, Virginia; here he met and was married to Miss Mary
60S HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
James, and here, engaged in teaching until near the year 1812, when he removed with his family to Harrison county, where he died at the age of near one hundred years.
His son, Thomas, married Aliss Frances Leah Gallaher, of Loudin county, and on November, 24, 1802, tlieir son, George Washington McKinney was born. He married ]Miss Amelia Morris, daughter of the Rev. Joseph Morris of Har- rison county, and settled at Joseph's iVIills in Tyler county. Here Joseph Morris McKinney, the subject of this sketch, was born, on February 22, 1838, and while he was y&i an in- fant his parents removed to Washington county, Ohio, where they remained six years before returning to their former liome in Harrison county, where the mother died in lS-t7. The father survived her by a number of years, dying at tlie home of his son in this county.
Joseph Morris McKinney and Miss Margaret Carlin, daughter of Joseph Carlin. of Barbour county, were married on November 10, 1859, and came to this county the following spring and settled near Hebron on the old homestead which they still own, though they removed to Tyler county a year ago.
Mr. JMcKinney has been a prominent figure in the public affairs of the cottnty for almost a half-century. He served as Captain, J\Iajor and Colonel of the Militia, and as clerk of the Regimental court. He has been Supervisor of Clay district, President of the Board of Education, member of the County Board of Teachers' Examiners, and has three times filled the ofiiice of County Superintendent. He being the first one cliosen by the popular vote under the Free School system ; and was one of the chief factors in ihe inauguration of this system : for under his administration the first houses were built by the state. He was twice a member of the House of Delegates from this county, and for thirty A^ears, "wielded the birchen rod" in the winter and farmed in the summer.
He entertains Avith pride the thought that he ne^er used tobacco, nor drank intoxicating drinks, and that all his sons imitate his example.
He is the father of seven sons and four daughters, sev-
OTHER PROMINENT F AMI TIES 609
eral of whom have been identified in the profession of teach-
ing
George E. is a merchant of Ben's run in Tyler county : Thomas E. resides in South Dakota, where he fills the chair of Mathematics in the State University ; John M. resides at tlie old home at Hebron ; Joseph, who is a civil engineer, lives at Parkersburg ; Homer died a few years ago ; and A. L. is the other son.
Sarah Ellen, the eldest daughter, is ]\Irs. W. A. Doug- lass, of Highland ; Flora, is Mrs. J. C. McGregor, of Salem ; and Hester M;, and Amelia V. are at home
The Hallams originated in Bradford, England, and tra- dition has it that they belonged to the same family as Henry Hallam, the renowned English historian whose son's mem- ory has been so beautifully enshrined in Lord Tennyson's 'Tn Memoriam." But our authentic information begins vvith Michael Hallam wdio was one of a family of four children; viz., Rachel i^boi'" i" 1814) who never married. Xancy Ann (B. 1S17) who became Mrs. Lacy. And William Hallam, born in 1818.
Michael Hallam was born on March 13, 1813, and died on July 30, 1865, at his home in Tyler county. On September 1, 1836, he was married to Miss Blannah Robinson, at Center- ville, in Tyler county, with Willis Wells and his sister Rachel Hallam as witnesses. Mrs. Hallam was born on March U, 1814, and died in July, 1887.
Their children were four in number:
William Wesley, who was born on July 8, 1837, -was killed by a log rolling over him, on the Hallam farm beiow Smithville, on December 2, 1896. He never married.
Lsrael Xickline, born on November 16, 1838, died on Oc- tober 15, 1839.
John B. Hallam, born on March 36, 1840, has long been a prominent citizen of this county, he having twice served as Sheriff, being elected on the Democratic ticket. His wife, Mrs. Lyda Wilson Hallam, is the daughter of the late Thomas Wilson, and tlie grand-daughter of Col. Ben Wil- son, senior, and they have no family. For a number of years
610 HISTORY Of RITCHIE GOV STY
folio wing his official service, their home was at Webb's mill, but it is now at Cairo.
Isaac Simmons Hallara, the youngest member of the fam- ily was born on September 5, 1843, and in 1865, he was mar- ried to Aliss Frances ^^IcGregor, eldest daughter of the late David ■McGregor of Cairo; and in 1871 they removed to Kan- sas, and settled near Abeline ; but since 1884, Mr. Hallam has been identified with the business interests of the town; hav- ing first been engaged in the lumber enterprise : then as a wholesale groceryman, and now as President of the State Bank of Abeline. Later — He died in September, 1910. and was buried at Abeline.
The only child of this union is Mrs. Lulu Parker, wife of Dr. Parker, of' Kansas city, Missouri, who is a talented young woman of cultivated literary tastes.
John Hulderman, Ritchie county's present chief ofificial, was born in Wood county, on May 26, 1852. and was one of a small family of four children. His mother, ]\Irs. Drusilla King Plulderman, was borne to her final resting-place on Worthy creek (in Wood county) not long after his birth: and with his father, Absalom Hulderman. and the rest of the fam- ily he came to this county in 1854. The father finallv re- turned to Wood county where he spent his last hours near Walker Station, and there he rests. The two brothers, Rulus, and Isaiah Hulderman, served as Union soldiers, and Rufus died soon after his return home from the army, but Isaiah survived until May, 1902. The only sister is Mrs. James Bailey, of Parkersburg.
Mr. Hulderman's official life began in 1894 wdien he was appointed Road supervisor of Union district ; and at the ex- piration of his four years' service in this capacity (1898), he was elected as Justice of the Peace, and continued to hold this office until 1908 when he was chosen as Sherifif; and in this office he was installed on January 1, 1909, and is now making a highly creditable record.
On December 25, 1874. he was married to ]^Iiss Harriett C. Sinnett, daughter of the late venerable George Sinnett, and three daughters are the result of the union : Addie M.
OTHER PROM I NEXT FAMILIES Gil
(Mrs. S. M. Keith), Laura D., (Mrs. C. F. Brown) and Aliss Delia, who is her father's efficient helper in his office.
The Carders. — The late John Carder, of Hardman chapel, belonged to one of the older pioneer families of the North fork of Hughes river, but owing to our indefinite information con- cerning his ancestors, we cannot do the family justice.
However his parents lived a little north of the old Wells mill at the time of his birth on May 3, 1825, and his father died when he was still in his cradle, leaving his mother with three children to her care. Jesse, the elder brother, who was long a citizen of the Petroleum vicinity died in the West Emily the sister was drowned in the Ohio river while at- tempting to dip up a bucket of water from a boat; and the mother married John Hammond, of Tyler county and finally went to Michigan, and here her history ends. The Hammond children were: Calvin, the late Wesley, of Kansas; the late Leroy, of Iowa; Elmira, who married Sanford Riggs and died in Tyler county; (Mr. Riggs is now of Pennsboro) and Josephine, the late wife of Dr. Leander JMaxwell of Pleasants county.
John Carder grew to manhood in the forests of Tyler county. There he was married to Miss Sarah Leeper, and there they lived until the early seventies v%dien they came t<j this county, and settled on the head of Bear run of Goose creek where Barnes Beall now lives. This part of the county even at that late day had very few inhabitants, and Avhile a slight improvement had been made here, the forest was still almost unbroken from Cornwallis on the south-west, to Glen- dale on the north-east, and for miles around. Stephen Week- ley being the only settler on the run below him. From here he removed to what is known as the "Job Musgrave farm" not far from Harrisville; and about the year 1878, went to the Hardman chapel vicinity and made the first improvement on the farm that is now owned and occupied by W. N. Kirk- patrick. Here he resided untii after the death of his wife, in October, 1890, and he then made his home with his children until May 16, 1903, when he passed into the other world, lie rests by the side of his wife in the family burying-ground on
G12 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
his old homestead. He was a man of strong physique, and of sterling character, and he ever stood for the right.
His children were as follows :
Susan, the wife of D. \V. Howard, of Vienna ; J. M. Carder, Parkersburg; Airs. Emily (John) Inghram, Goose creek ; the Rev. L. M. Carder of the U. B. church, who is now of Mason county; L. H. Carder, Iris; Delia the late wife of Samuel AA'amsley ; and Flora B., late wife of A. C. Cunning- ham.
The Flannagans. — Flannagan is another name that has stood for good citizenship in this county for sixty years.
Samuel Flannagan, the progenitor of the family, crossed the ocean with his uncle, from Ireland, and settled in Penn- S3"lvania. His wife was a Aliss Garner., of German descent, and their only son, Samuel, was born in the Keystone state. But after the death of his father, he emigrated to Hampshire county, (West) Virginia, where he was married to Miss Katherine Arnold, who was also of German extraction, and eight children were the result of this union ; viz.. John, Daniel, Otha, George, A\'illiam, Charity, Zimri, and Joseph.
John was first married to Aliss Ellen Reese and six cliil- dren were the result of this union. His second wife was Aliss Julia Hollenback, of Reese's mill in Mineral county, and there he and his companions rest.
Daniel's wife was Aliss Susan Arnold, and after he was laid away in the burying-ground on the Flannagan farm above Berea, his widow and three children went to \\'aterloo. Iowa, where she rests.
Otha went \\^est and died unmarried.
George and his wife, Aliss Louisa E. Craigen. of Hardy county, with their family of three children went to McMen- ville. Tennessee, where the}^ died. And the rest came to this county.
In 18.50, AVilliam, Charity and Zimri, purchased the im- provement made by Major Elias Lowther, above Berea, of William Hall, and established their home here. After the sister's death, Zimri bought his brother's interest, and grad- ually extended his borders until his estate now covers an area of about eight hundred acres, and is rich in oil.
OTHER PROM IX EXT FAMILIES 613
Zimri Flannagan was born on Patterson's creek in Avhat is now Mineral county (West) Virginia, on January 7, 1826 : and died at his home at Harrisville, on August 6, 1910, and in the Harrisville cemetery he lies at rest.
On April -1, 1ST6, he was married to Miss Sarah C. Neff, of Moorefield, and the'two children of this union are: Otha Z., and Mary C. Flannagan. His widow still survives.
After selling his interest in the farm on the South fork. William Flannagan went to the North fork of Hughes river and purchased the Malone farm and other land near Flannah- dale, making five hundred acres in all, and settled in the brick house where he and his wife, Mrs. Emily Wolfe Flannagan. and their only child, Amelia, all died ; and at Riddel's chapel the}' sleep. The estate is still in the hands of the Flannagan heirs.
Joseph Flannagan, the remaining member of the family, was born in 1827 ; and on August 4, 1850 he was married to Miss Amzella Neff, of Aloorefield, who was born in Decenv ber, 1841; and near the year 1859, they came to this county and settled at Tollgate, where Mr. Flannagan died on March 7, 1882, leaving a family of seven children. He was one of the prominent citizens of his day, and he left an estate of thir- teen hundred acres of land, which is still principally owned by his family. After his death, Mrs. Flannagan was married to Joseph Inskipt. of Maryland, who died a few months since (in 1910). and Miss Grace Inskipt, of Harrisville is the only child of this union.
The children of Joseph Flannagan are as follows :
George E. Parkersburg ; William A., Buckhannon : Wal- ter N., Tollgate; Guy, Pennsboro ; and Addie \^., who is the wife of Dr. Hosea Rymer, of Harrisville.
John McGinnis, the head of another old family of this county, deserves recognition here. He was a native of Greene county, Pennsylvania, as was his wife, Mary Ploff- man McGinnis; and from there, with his family, he came to this county in 1852, and settled near Ellenboro, where his son, Benjamin, now lives. Here he died during the Ci\il war. at the age of sixty-five years, and at Riddel's cha])el he rests.
ni4 HISTOR]' 01 RITCHIE COUXTY
His family consisted of ten children ; viz., Benjamin, of Ellenboro; Sarah, who is Airs. John Aloore, of near Harris- ville; Joseph, of Griswold, Iowa; the late James; Thomas, who died in the Union army; David, George, x\'ancv (the late Airs. Henry Garrett), and two others, who have all passed on. John AIcGinnis, junior, was the son of a former marriage.
Benjamin McGinnis, the eldest son of the second union. has long been a prominent citizen of this county. He was born in Greene county, Pennsylvania, on April 10, 1835, and, with his parents, came to Ellenboro in his bovhood. He early manifested an interest in education, and, with his brother. James, walked back lo his old home in Pennsylvania in order that he might have better school advantages ; and there studied under a private instructor, working of nights and of mornings for his board ; and while enroute home he con- tracted smallpox.
He later taught school for two years; served as assessor (1868); Avas member of the House of Delegates in 1871-'^; and again in 190;3 and '04; and filled the ofihce of County com- missioner .from 1886 to 1892, being the president of the court for four years of this time.
He enlisted in the Union army in July, 1861, in Company K of the Third Virginia Infantry, and served until August, 1864.
In 188'?, he was married to Miss Alice Virginia AIcCul- lough, daughter of Elmore AlcCullough, of Ellenboro, and three children are the result of this union; viz., B. E., the eldest son, who was graduated from the law department of the State l/niversity at Alorgantown, in the class of 1908. now has a law office of his own at Pennsboro ; and Sadie and J. W. are at home.
( Doubtless, this family comes from the same ancestral source as the other AlcGinnis family before mentioned in this work, but this data reaches us too late for farther investiga- tion. )
The Freers. — This little volume would not be complete without a few lines in regard to the life and public ser\ice of the only citizen of the county, who has been honored witii a seat in the Congressional hall at Washington City ; and
OTHER PROMINENT FAMILIES 615
tliis citizen is no other than the honorable Romeo Hoyt Freer, ■who. has, perhaps, had more "laurels" conferred upon him than any other individual within the bounds of the county.
Air. Freer is of French extraction and is a product of the "Buckeye" state. His ancestors, leaving France shortly after tlie massacre of St. Bartholomew, in 159'2. took refuse in Holland ; and from there Flugo Freer, senior, emigrated to Ulster county. New York, and settled on a tract of land, granted him from the Indians, near the town of Xew Paltz, about the year 1670. Fie (Flugo) had three sons, and one of these sons had a son, called Jonas, who was the antecessoi of Romeo Fl. Freer; he being the father of Johannes, and the grandfather of Alartinas Freer, who married Miss Martha De3-o, a member of an ancient Dutch family, of his native town — New Paltz, New York, and settled in Trumbull coun- ty. Ohio, in ISOO, where Josiah Deyo Freer, the father of Romeo, was born.
Josiah Deyo Freer married Miss Caroline Fersis Brown, a native of the Green Mountain state, about the year 1S3.T ; and settled near his parental home in Trum]:)ull coimty, Ohio. Mrs. Freer was the daughter of William Brown, a dis- tinguished citizen of Vermont, who was an officer in the \var of 1S12, and who served as a member of the Legislature and held other positions of public trust in his native state. ]n her early life, she taught school on Hero Lsland, in Lake Champlain. and among her pupils, here, was John G. Saxe. the renowned poet with whom she retained an intimate ac- cpiahitance until his death in 1887.
Both the Freers and the Browns were of fighting stock, some of each name having won distinction in the Revolution, and m the war of 18F2.
Romeo H. Freer, the subject of this sketch, was next to the youngest member of the family of four brothers and one sister. He was born at Bezetta, Trumbull county, tMiio, on November 9, 184.5, and with his parents removed to Hart's Grove, Ashtabula county, that state, when he was but thrct years of age. Here, his early life was spent on his father's farm. He obtained a limited education in the public schools of Ashtabula county, and spent one term at the Grand River
616 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Institute, at Austinburg, Ohio, — a preparatory school for Oberlin college.
In 1862, he enlisted in the Union army, and served as an orderly on General Grant's staff during the earlier part of the war, and had the misfortune to have the General's horse shot under him (Mr. Freer) at Vicksburg, while performing an important service as messenger Ipoy. He was a participant in a number of hot engagements, and served creditably to tlie close of the conflict.
In 1866, he removed to Charleston, West Virginia, and read law with the v/ell-known firm of Smith and Cracraft. and was, two years later, admitted to the bar, and became a law partner with the honored H. C. McWhorter, who recently resigned his trust as Judge of the Supreme court. He filled the position of Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Kanawha county from 1868 to 1870, being also Prosecutor for Fayette and Boone counties at the same time.
In 18T0, he was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Kanawha count}' — a position that he held for two years, until his failing health occasioned his resignation. I'hat same vear ('72), he was sent as United States consul to Nicaragua, Cen- tral America, where he remained until 1876, when he resigned and returned to Charleston, where he resumed the i:)ractice of law until 1882, wdien he came to Ritchie comity.
He was first married to Miss Lillie Fuller, daughter of Judge I. L. Fuller, of Warren county, Ohio, Avho passed ou in 1873, leaving one son, Romeo H. Freer, junior, who is a skiilful civil engineer, and is now engaged in building a rail- road in Gautamala, Central America. His second wife was Miss Mary lams, of Harrisville.
Since coming to this county, Mr. Freer has filled many ?nd varied positions of honor and trust: He represented 'lie county in the State Legislature in 1801 : was elected Prosecut- ing Attorney the following year, and at the expiration of his term in this office, was made Judge of the Circuit court (in 1896) ; and two years later, was sent to Congress. While here, he served as member of the Judiciary Committee, of the Committee on Patents, and was one of the Special Commit- tee that expelled the Mormon, Roberts, from this body.
OTHER FRO^lIXEXT FAMILIES 617
In March, lf)0(), lie was elected Attorney-General of the State, serving in this capacity until March, 1905, when he re- turned to Harrisville and became the senior partner of the law firm of Freer and Robinson. He has been editor, lawyer, mayor, and is now serving" as post-master of the town. Added to all of these honors is a rare gift of oratory, and a generous amount of wit, which has made him a most popular public speaker. This wit is w'ell illustrated by the following amus- ing story which went the rounds of the press, while he was a member of Congress, and which we take from "Success A'lagazine :"
"A good story is told in West Virginia involving two of the Congressmen from that snug little state, and Thomas B. Reed, the gigantic speaker of the House. The two West Virginians are Hon. B. I>. Dovener an.d Romeo H. Freei. Both are small of stature, and w^onderfully alike in their gen- eral appearance, .and together they went up to be introduced to the ponderous Elaine man. 'Humph,' said ^Ir. Reed, 'is that the best the Persinuuon state can do?" 'What do you mean?' asked Mr. Freer. 'Nothing,' drawled out the ele- phantine speaker, 'I was only w^ondering at the uniformity of thmgs down your way. I suppose the horses are all ponies, and the persimmons all dwarfs — ' 'Well," interrupted Mr. Freer, 'there is one thing in our favor, the persimmon has more taste than the pumpkin.'
"The laugh was on the speaker, and he acknowdedged it by cordially grasping the hands of the Lilliputians and join- ing in the merriment."
'il3 HISTORY or RITCHIE COUNTY
"He liveth long who liveth well!
All other life is short and vain. He liveth longest who can tell
Of living most for heavenly gain
He liveth long who liveth we'l!
All else is being flung away; He liveth longest who can tell
Of true things truly done each day,
Waste not thy being; back to Him Who freely gave it, freely give;
Else is that being but a dream — 'Tis but to be, and not to live."
®t|p f nung^r MmB (^nUnhnv
The pomp of gold and' marble ar<» not needed to deck the slumber o^' genius.
— Bayard Taylor.
ip&tratp& to tlj? iHwtinrg
of
Fame is the tragrance of heroic deeds.
— Longfellow.
CHAPTER LI
The Younger Men's Calendar
ENERAL FRANCIS PERRY PEIRPOIXT was one of the first young men of Ritchie county to inscribe his name in. the liistory of West Virginia.
Born a student, and ever diHgent, nis career, though so very brief, was one of the most distinguished in the history c-f the comity, for one of his years. Beginning as an oftice boy in the employ of the County and Circuit clerks of this and Pleasants county, he rapidly forged his way to the front. lie studied law and was admitted to the bar at a verv earh- a2.e : and in 1862, when a call was made for volunteers, he went to A\'hee]ing, where he recruited the Twelfth Virginia Infan.- try from the counties of the Northern Panhandle, of the state, and entered the regiment as an adjutant. He was promoted to the rank of Alajor, a little later, and was profifered the Colonelcy, but declined in favor of a brother officer. He was called from the field of action, shortly after the birth of our new Commonwealth, by the appointment to the office of Adjutant-General of the State, by Governor A. I. Boreman ; and he it was who prepared the Adjutant-General's Report of the Soldiers of the Civil war — a report which has been so invaluable to these veterans for reference in obtainino- their pensions from the government.
His services here being at an end. he entered Harvard University and was graduated in law. he having taken the course a year sooner than was required by putting in all his time, even the vacation season. He then returned home and began the practice of his profession, at Harrisville ; but ill health had already begun to prey upon him, and in Xo\'em- bcr, 1808, with a Wheeling family by the name of Hornbrook,
Vudj^
X^^ .i-^ J. -L^ 1
TILDEN
THE YOUNGER MEN'S CALENDAR 621
lie started to Florida in quest of health, but by the time they had reached Xew Orleans (on January 1, 1869), the sun of his young- life was hanging- low in the AA'estern horizon, and on the seventh of that same month it sank to rise no more. And' thus his promising career was brought to a close before he had reached his twenty-ninth birthday ; for he was born on February 23, 1840. Young, handsome, and talented, he was universally admired, and his untimely end was widely deplored.
The remains were brought back to Harrisville, and tenderly laid away in the cemetery south of town, amid the scenes of his happy childhood.
Judge Homer B. Woods is at this time one oi the most widely-known sons of the county that gave him birth.
At the old homestead, near two one-half miles from Har- risville, on July 16, 1S69. he was born, and here he grew to young manhood.
He attended the public schools, and at the early age of sixteen years, entered the profession of teaching; and, when scarcely of age. was made a member of the Teachers' Ex- amining Board. He filled the position of principal of the Har- risville school for two years, and was County Superintendent for two consecutive terms ; w'as a student of the Marietta col- lege, and took a course in the Law department at tlie West Virginia I'niversity, being admitted to the bar in 189'3. Fie was twice elected to the ofiice of Prosecuting Attorney, the last time by the largest majority that has ever been received Im' a candidate in this county. He now occupies the office of Judge of the Third Judicial district, and is one of the very few sons of Ritchie county that has ever attained to this po- sition ; and he holds a high rank among the judges of the state. Fie is an orator of marked ability, and a man of un- alloyed integrity. Xo other citizen of the county is held in higher esteem by his fellowmen.
He married Miss Winifred Davis, daughter of the late Hon. T. E. Davis, of Flarrisville, and is the proud father of five children; viz., Ralph Davis, Flomer P... jmii<^r, Miriam. Robert James and Samuel Thomas. Phillip Wells, another son, died in early childhood.
622 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
M. H. Willis. — Though Judge ]\Iarsh Haymond W'ilHs is no longer a citizen of this county, he shares, v.ith Homer B. Woods, tlie distinction of being one of the (two) native sons of Ritchie that has attained to the judgeship.
Mr. W'ilHs was born at Mole Hill, on January 31, 1862, and there grew to manhood as a farmer-boy. He attended the public schools anrl, like Judge Woods, began his career as a pedagogue at the early age of sixteen years. He was a stu.- dent of the West \'irginia University at Alorgantown, bat completed his education at the Valpariso University in In- diana, being graduated in 1886. He was the valedictorian of the class, which was composed of seventy-six members.
After finishing his college-course, he taught school in Dakota, Wisconsin, and his native state, and while thus on- gaged, studied law: and in July, 1890, was admitted to the bar, being licensed to practice his profession in this .^tate. This license bore the signatures of the late Judges. Thomas I. Boreman, and [Marshall Hagans, and of Judge Thomas P. Jacobs, who still survives.
In 1900, when Hon. Romeo H. Freer resigned his of^ce as Judge of the Fottrth Judicial district to accept a seat in Congress, Mr. Willis was chosen as his successor : and at the close of this term he was re-elected. When he first took charge of this office, Ritchie county was included in his cir- cuit, but b}- an act of the Legislature of 1903, a change was made, and Doddridge, Tyler and V\ etzel now compose his circuit, which is designated as the Second Judicial Circuit in- stead of the Fourth. His home vv-as formerly at West Union, but since 1908, he has claimed his residence at ?S'e\v ^Martins- ville.
In 189?, he was married to IMiss Anita Magness, of Waterloo, Iowa, and the one child of this union, Frances Louise, who was born on January 21, 1892, died on Septen'- ber 15, 1901.
Mr. Willis is the son of X. G. Willis, of Mole Hill, and a descendant of three of the more prominent pioneer families of the county, an.d his ance.-tral history like that of the other young men of this calendar \\\\\ be found in earlier chapters.
THE YOUNGER MEN'S CALENDAR 633
1
Marcellus Allan Kendall is another son of Ritchie conjit}-, whose name is inscribed among the officials of the state.
He was born on the old homestead on Chevauxdefrise creek, near five miles from Harrisville, on Jnly 23, 1863, and here the first fourteen years of his life were spent in an un- CA^entful way. In 1S76, he went to Elizabeth, Wirt county, where he made his home with his elder brother, the late Dr. J. E. Kendall, and clerked in his store and attended school.
After reaching his majority, he was identified among the commercial travelers for a time, and, in 1S<S5, he went to Parkersburg, wliere he still resides. Here he was engaged in the mercantile business, both wholesale and retail, uncil 1897, when he was elected to the office of State Treasurer, and in lUOl at the expiration of his term in this office, he was ap- pointed as Commissioner of Banking for the State of West Virginia ; and in October 1905, he was commissioned as National Bank Examiner, a position which he still holds. He is prominently connected with the Brown-Kendall mercantile firm and otlier Parkersburg business concerns. He has been a life-long communicant of the Methodist Episcopal church, and has been a member of two General Conferences of this church. Pie has. also been a meml^er of the Board of Trus- tees of the Ohio Weslcyan University at Delaware, for the past fifteen years.
On November 27, 1888, he was married to Miss Plattie Lo\v'ther, only daughter of the late Rev. Sylvester Lowther of the Methodist Episcopal church, the marriage taking place in New York city, and one daughter, Mrginia, is the result of this union.
C. E. Haddox. — Few of the sons of Ritchie coutUy have enjoyed a more enviable public record than that ol the late C E. Pladdox. And few have climbed the rugged heights l)y thornier paths than the ones that his late feet have trod.
Charles Edwin Haddox was born near the little town of Smithville, on April 18, 1864, and being deprived of his father's care when but a lad of tender years, he began the battle of life for himself, at the age of fourteen years, by en- tering the profession of teaching; and, four years later, he w^as made principal of the Cairo school, and at the age of
624 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COU.XTV
twenty he was a member of the Board of Teachers' Exami- ners. At twenty-one, he was elected to the office of County Superintendent, a position which he filled for two consecutive terms. He was President of the Board of Education of Grant district for twelve years ; was post-master at Cairo under the administrations of Benjamin Harrison and AVilliam McKin- ley ; and w^as President of the Cairo Bank, the West Virginia Western Telephone Company, and Vice-President of the Oakland Pressed Brick Company for a number of years.
In 1901, he was appointed as Warden of the State Prison at Moundsville, an appointment which came without any so- licitation on his part, and in 1905 he was re-appointed.
After going to Moundsville, he filled many positions of honor and trust outside of his labors withm the walls of the prison, which were constant and continuous for the better- ment of the condition of the unfortunate fellows-creatures that had been placed under his management.
He made a wonderful record as a prison official, one that was recognized all over the country. Pie introduced many important innovations for the betterment of prisons in gen- eral ; and was one of the chief advocates of the parole sys- tem ; in fact, he was to a great extent responsible for its adop- tion. Making it possible through this system for a man serv- ing his first prison term to be released, and to have the oppor- tunitv of redeeming himself among his friends under the guardianship of the state.
His reforms at the State Prison were important and marked, and his ideas of management, as set forth in papers that he read on different occasions, w^ere generally accepted. His work was of such a character as to place him in a high rank among the prison officials of the land, and to make him President of the National Prison Association, a position that he held at the time of his death.
His whole soul and mind seemed to be centered in the noble work of uplifting the fallen, and at his post he stood as a faithful sentinel until his failing health compelled him to seek rest in a sanatorium at Battle Creek. :\Iichigan. where he, amidst his halucinations, leaped to his death from a third- story window;, on February 7. 1908.
THE YOUNGER MEN'S CALENDAR 625
His remains were brought back to the prison, which was plunged into the deepest mourning; and the funeral, which took place on the afternoon of the tenth, was attended by the largest crowd that had ever been assembled in the little City of Moundsville. Governor W. ]\I. O. Dawson and his staff and many other prominent personages from all over the state were present. And in the Mt. Olivet cemetery his nar- row bed was made.
He married Miss Ella Carroll, daughter of the late San- ford Carroll, of Cairo, and was the father of two sons, Homer and Harry, who witli their mother live at Moundsville.
Nearly every newspaper in the State commented favor- ably on the great work done by Mr. Haddox for the Peni- tentiar}^ and its inmates. Among the number the following., which is a part of a series of extended comments on his life and work made by the "Wheeling Intelligencer" may be taken as fairly representative :
"Often we hear the expression in some form, tliat a man has made himself a martyr to his work, and often these words are only the sympathetic commendation of sorrowing friends. Of the death of C. E. Haddox, which is recorded in the col- umns of the '"Intelligencer" this morning, it may be truly said, that it was the price paid by a loyal, courageous, and sincere man for his devotion to duty. Mr. Haddox was one of the few great men in West Virginia — a man great in many things — whose modesty to a large extent hid his real worth from all who were not on most intimate terms with him. For seven years he was warden of the State Penitentiary, and in that time completely transformed that institution. His work in prison reform has been recognized by those familiar with it as one of the most brilliant and successful records in the country. But his active interests were by no means confined to the institution of which he was the head. He was a keen student of political economy, and few men, if any, have had more to do with shaping legislation during the past eight years than he has had. His advice was sought by many men on manv questions, and his native common sense and clear and logical mind, rendered him one of the safest of counsel- lors. Personally he was kind, generous and warm-hearted.
626 HISTORY OP RITCHIE COUNTY
He made many friends and few enemies. Among" the thous- ands who knew him well there will be few indeed who will not feel a distinct personal loss in his untimely taking off."
On February 10, 1908, the House of Representatives of the West Virginia Legislation passed the following Resolu- tions: "Mr. McCrum offered the following: HOUSE CON- CURRENT RESOLUTION No. 2, in reference to the public services and death of Charles E. Haddo:*: late warden of the \^'est Virginia Penitentiary."
"Whereas, it is with profound sorrow that the member^ of the Legislature uoav in extraordinary session assembled, learned of the untimely death of Chas. E. Haddox, late war- den of the State Penitentiary, which occurred at Battle Creek, Michigan, on the 7th day of February, nineteen hundred eight ; and.
Whereas he had occupied the position of warden of the State Penitentiary from the year nineteen hundred one. until the time of his death with marked ability and unswervm^ fidelity, and by his untiring efforts made that institution one of the best equipped and efficiently managed prisons in the L'nited States, and.
Whereas, his reforms in the equipment and government of prisons gave him a world wide reputation, and led to his election as President of the National Prison Congress, wdiich position he held at the time of his death ; therefore be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia, That his public services have been of inestimable value to this state and to the unfortunate men and woiuen whose conditions ht sought to better; and that in his demise the coiuitry has lost one of its most eminent and learned prison reformers, and the state a public servant of the highest order of integrity and ability."
Silas Marion Hoff is at this time one of the most promi- nent official figiu"es of the coimty. He shares (with H. B. W^oods and the late T. E. Davis) the distinction of being one of the three native born sons of Ritchie that have filled the Prosecutor's chair.
Mr. Hoff Avas born on the "Hoff homestead" below Au- burn, on ]March 14, 1865, and b}' his ])luck and energy has
THE YOUNGER MEN'S CALENDAR G27
forged his way up through many dis-advantages to his pres- ent high-standing. He, like not a few others whose records are herein inscribed, began his pubhc life as a rural ped- agogue. He was graduated from the State Normal at Glen- ville in the class of 1881, and afterwards entered the State Uni- versity, at Morgantown, where he took the degrees of Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and Bachelor of Laws. He served as Superintendent of the Public schools of Sistersville, and was principal of the Pennsboro school for one year; was Couulv Superintendent for four years, and is now serving his second term as Prosecuting Attorney, and is talked of as a candidate for the Judgeship.
On September 21, 1898, at high noon, he was married to Miss Minnie Wilson, daughter of the late L. P. Wilson, of Pennsboro, who was, also, a teacher, and five children are the result of this union ; viz., Rosalind Wilson, Virginia Eliza- beth, Helen Paris, Marion Rowland, and Leroy P. Hoff.
Okay E. Nutter. — Of the long line of Ritchie county's Sheriffs, Okey E. Nutter enjoys the distinction of l:)cing the youngest that has ever held the reins of this high office. But notwithstanding his youth, his administration was charac- terized by an executive ability that has placed him in a front rank among his predecessors, as well as among the Sheriff's of the state.
Air. Nutter, like the other young men of tliis calendar, comes of hardy pioneer stock, and is a native of White Oak this county. He was born on the one hvmdredth anniversary of the renowned battle of Bunker's hill (June 17, 1875). and first made his appearance before the public, as a rural ped- agogue. In 1902, he was one of the three Republican candi- dates for the nomination for Circuit clerk, and was only de- feated by the narrow margin of six votes; and a remarkably complimentary feature of this contest was that he received every vote, save one, in .his home precinct.
In 1904, he was elected as Sheriff', and entered upon his official duties on January 1, 1905, with H. E. Wass as deputy and Mrs. Nutter as his office assistant, and thus luade a rec- ord for promptness and efficiency in the collection and dis- bursement of taxes which is without parallel in the histoiw of
628 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
the county, to the present time. When lie made his final settlement, he immediately turned over to his successor the whole balance due the various county and district funds, which in all amounted to twenty-eight thousand dollars.
The Tax Commissioner in speaking of Mr. Nutter's of- ficial record, says, that out of the fifty-five Sheriffs of the state, none had a better record than he ; and that from the standpoint of the collecting of taxes and the returning of de- linquents, his was the best of the entire fifty-five. Truly, the "office shows the man," and no farther tribute need be paid to the character of the subject of this sketch, than that shown by his public record.
At the expiration of his term in this office he purchased the Lantz farm in Clay district and turned farmer for a time, but he now resides at Pennsboro where he has prominent connection with the First National Bank.
On August 15, 1898, he was married to Miss Addie Mil- ler, daughter of the late John Miller, of Smithville, v.'ho was at that time a teacher, and two bright little children, Darrell and Mabel are the result of this happy union.
Emery I. Ireland makes a good representative for this de- partment from the Scientific world.
He is the son of G. M. and Mrs. Mary Law Ireland of Pullman, and at the old homestead on the Middle Fork river he was born, on June 10, 1874; and at the age of nineteen years, stepped upon the stage as a school-teacher with a first grade certificate. He continued in teaching in the rural dis- tricts for several years ; was graduated from the Buckhannon wSeminary, in the Normal course, in the class of 1897, and while taking advanced work here, the following year, occu- pied the position of assistant-teacher of Mathematics, and was also the president of the "Chrestomathean Society" at this institution.
During the autumn of 1898, he entered the Universit}^ at Morgantown, and came out in 1901 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Civil Engineering. While here he was the president of the "Columbian Literary society" and on two occasions, represented this organization in the inter-society contest, winning in debate on one occasion, and losing on
THE YOUNGER MEN'S CALENDAR 629
oration, on the other, as he did when he personated the "Chrestomathean society" at B.uckhannon, in pubHc perform- ances. He also represented the Y. M. C. A. of Morgantown at the Students Conference at Northfield, Massachusetts, during his collegiate course.
Being a member of the Engineering Society, while at the University, he spent his Saturdays and holidays in surveyni]^- and in engineering, so as to help defray his expenses; and after his graduation, entered the United States Geological Survey, and did work as a temporary employee both in the field and in the office at Washington city until the spring of 1903, when he passed the Civil service examination and re- ceived the appointment of assistant Topographer ; and by promotion, in 1908, was made Topographer. His work is in the field in summer, and, in the ofhce in Washington city in winter. Various counties of West Virginia, parts of Penn- sylvania, Wyoming, Montana and Colorado have been the scenes of his labors, and not a few of the interesting topograph- ical maps that are scattered about through the country are in part the result of his skill. He is a member of the Wash- ington Society of Engineers, and of the American Geographic Society, and takes an active interest in church work, espec- ially the Missionary department and the Epworth League, being a communicant of the Foundry Methodist Episcopal church at Washington city and the Superintendent of the Sunday-school.
He was married to Miss Elizabeth II. Funk, daughter of Mr. Lee W. Funk, of Washington city, on December 15, 1909. and in this city he is now permanently established.
J, Frank Marsh. — In casting about for a representative from the Educational field to fill a place in this calendar, we could not think of a better criterion of the pluck, and the per- severance with which the sons of this county arc endowed, that J. Frank Marsh, who has by his own cfi'ort forged his way up until he now occupies a high rank among the young educators of the state.
Mr. Marsh is the son of the late Jefferson, and Mrs. Ansfelina Cunningham Marsh, of Harrisville. Me was born on a farm near the little town of Tollgate, on January 39,
fK50 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
1877, and, like nearly all of the other members of this de- partment, entered the ranks of the teacher, at an early age. For seven years, he taught in the rural districts of his native county : was principal of the Cairo school for one year, and at Harrisville, for three years ; was graduated from the W'es- leyan University at Buckhannon in the class of 1901, and from the State University, at Alorgantown in the A. B. degree in 1907, and now has his A. j\I. degree almost completed. lie served as Principal of the Fairmont High school in 1908-9; resigning to accept his present position at the head of the State Department of Examinations and Teachers' Institutes, at Charleston.
He has been identified among the Institute instructors for several years, and is now the President of the "School Men's Council" of West Virginia, and is a member of the cooperative committee of the National Educational Associa- tion from this state.
He is the youngest member of this department and the only one that still has his life partner to select.
Experience Randolph. — Though entirely foreign to the original idea and plan of this department, it only seems fit- ting and just that the name of one of the man}' worthy daughters of Ritchie should have a place in this corner; and for this place we choose the name of "Experience Randolph."
Aliss Randolph ("Perie," as she was familiarly knoAvn) was born near the little town of Berea, on July 10, 185"^ ; and here (with the exception of two or three years) amidst the forest, surrounded by the many dis-advantages of a defective educational system, the days of her childhood and early 5'outh were spent in a quiet, uneventful way. But she had ihe 'heritage of a noble heart," a brilliant mind, and a deeply re- ligious character, and despite the dis-advantages of her en- vironments, she diligently applied herself to her studies, and, at the early age of sixteen years, entered the profession of teaching.
Her first school was taught near what is now the little hamlet of Lawford, during the wdnter of 1868-9, shortly after the inauguration of the Free School system ; and being in-
THE YOUNGER MEN'S CALENDAR G3i
Spired with a zeal for a college education, she soon began to lay her plans to this effect ; and in 1874, accompanied by her sister, who is now Mrs. Callie Meathrell, of Berea, she set out for Alfred University, New York, and five years latei, came out of this institution with the A. B. degree. She paid her way through college, however, by teaching in the mean- time.
Immediately after her graduation, she accepted a posi- tion as teacher in the public school at Alfred, but being com- pelled to resign by the illness of her father, which called her home, she again engaged in educational work in her native state ; and while thus engaged began to give serious consider- ation to what her chosen life-work should be. And for a time, she seemed inclined to the medical profession, but after en- tering upon a course of reading as a preliminary to matricula- tion at a medical college, she was not wholly satisfied, and finally decided to enter the ministry, (1882) ; and a little later, she entered the Alfrerl University as a Theological student, after first being assured that no discrimination should be made against her on the account of her sex. Here she foimd herself the one female member of the class, and the only dis- tinction that was made, was brought about by her own will ; and that was her refusal to accept a share in the funds from the Missionary Board and other sources that had been set apart for the support of young men, who were preparing themselves for the ministry. As women had not been in- cluded in the terms of this gift, she felt that she should not accept a share of it, preferring to defray her own expenses ; and her class-mates, in recognition of the honest motive which prompted this refusal, presented her with a valuable collec- tion of books for her library, on one occasion. She finished her course, however, and received the degree of B. D., lier grade of work being as efificient, at least, as the average — a fact which her class-mates were willing to admit. Though naturally her opportunities to preach or to engage in other ministerial work during her collegiate course, were very much limited as it was a "marked departure from the custom of the period" for a woman to enter the ministry, and the predjudice and the antagonism must be confronted. And she
632 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
had some mis-givings concerning her own home church at Berea, as to the attitude it might assume toward her chosen work, but this burden was soon removed by an action of the official members of this cliurch, on July 7, 1883, which took the form of the following resolution :
"Whereas, It has come to our hearing that Sister Ex- perience Randolph has decided to prepare herself for the min- istry, therefore,
"Resolved, That we most heartily approve of her decis- ion, and that we promise her our sympathy, and our pray- ers.
During the vacation of the summer of 1884, she spent the greater part of her time between the Lincklaen and Ostelic churches near DeRuyter, New York ; and the following win- ter, she became pastor of the church at Hornersville, that state: and before the close of her academic year, she had ac- cepted the pastorate of the two churches that she had first served. And at the expiration of her college course, she was ordained at Hornellsville, by a council called for that pur- pose, the Rev. Wardner C. Titworth, pastor of the first church at Alfred conducting the examination before the Council.
Owing to the general opposition to women ministers, some of her friends had suggested the Missions fields of China as a place for her labors, but, as her inclinations did not lead her in this direction, she gave the subject no farther consideration.
At the end of her first two years as pastor of the churches, Lincklaen and Ostelic, she was married to Leon D. Burdick, one of her parishoners, who was preparing himself for the ministerial work, and her whole energies were then concentrated in her husband's labors, and during his College and Theological training, at Alfred, as well as his subse- quent career, as teacher, and as pastor (at Georgetown, New York ; Marlboro, New Jersey ; Verona, New York : and New Auburn, Minnesota), her every endeavor seemed to be to up- hold and to strengthen the cause that he espoused.
On Thanksgiving Day (November 29), lOOtJ, after a brief illness at her home, at New Auburn, Minnesota, she passed to her reward leaving her husband and one daughter. Genevieve
THE YOUNGER MEN'S CALENDAR 633
C. Burdick. Thus one of this county's most distinguished daughters passed away. But the incense of the life of love that she shed upon all that came within her influence can never lose its fragrance. It must ever live as a precious mem- ory.
Note — It being impossible in a work like this to say much concerning the achievements of the numerous younger people of the county, who hold positions of honor and trust in the outside world, we have chosen a few good specimen copies for this department, simply to show^ the sterling quali- ties of our fore-fathers that are to be found in the soni^ and daughters of this county to-day.
Should we attempt to enumerate those who are worthy of a place here their names alone w^ould fill this space. But it is enough to know that an army of them are successfully filling their "niche" in the great Temple of Life.
634 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
"All are architects of Fate,
Working in these walls of Time;
Some with massive deeds and great, Some with ornaments of rhyme.
Nothing useless is, or low;
Each thing in its place is best; And what seems but idle show
Strengthens and supports the rest
"For the structure that we raise, Time is with materials filled;
Our to-days and yesterdays
Are the blocks with which we build."
Q^\)t f ntt B Olnrupr
S?&tratp&
t0 ii|0
aii& tn
Poet of Nature thou hast M^ept to know That things depart which never ma}' reuirn : Childhood and youth, friendship and love's first glow, Have fled like sweet dreams, leaving thee to mourn.
— Shelley.
How beautiful is youth, how bright it gleams With its illusions, aspirations, dreams!
— Longfellow.
CHAPTER LII
The Poet's Corner
je>-
OUN S. HALL, Ritchie county's venerable blind-poet, is a member of a prominent pio- neer family of Bond's creek, he being the son of Samuel G. and Mrs. Rachel Hudkins Hall, who emigrated to the West shortly before he was born. There, in Laporte county, Indiana, on September 15, 1815, he first opened his eyes on this world ; and when he was but a child of four summers his widowed mother returned to Bond's
creek, and here he grew to \ manhood as a farmer-bov.
f ■ When the Civil war broke
out, and his four brothers en- listed— two. for the North, antl two, for the South — he. too, earnestly desired to show his patriotism by entering the con- flict ; but his mother turned a deaf ear to all his pleadings, and, in 1863, he slipped away from home, and enlisted as a teamster in the Fourth Brig- ade of Tennessee. He was assigned to dutv in Tennes- see, and started from ]\Iur- freesboro with Sherman's army to the sea; but a few miles out of this city, while on his way back after some teams, he Avas taken violently ill, and was found lying by the roadside in an almost unconscious condition, and was removed to JMurfrees- boro, and in spite of his protest, was sent to the hospital at
■ ■■■'^■W^^
Jolin S. Hall
THE POET'S CORNER 637
Nashville. This institution was looked upon, by most of the boj-s, as the "gateway to the grave," hence his protest.
Kere, from the thirty-first* of October until the seventh of May, he lay in the ward, in a state of unconsciousness, cov- ered with bed-sores, with his hands tied behind him, for three months of that time. His case awakened great interest, as it was looked upon as a most extraordinary one by the medi- cal fraternity. The six other soldiers who had been admitted to the hospital at the same time, all died within two weeks.
On one occasion, while in a state of semi-consciousness, he heard the ward doctor describing his case to a visiting phy- sician, and felt the touch of a gentle hand upon his brow, and distinctly heard the tones of a woman's voice. x-Vfter the speakers had passed on, he murmured, "That was a soft hand," "Yes!" said the nurse, "that was the famous Dr. Mary Walker."
The fever, having centered m his head, totally destroyed his sight, and while he was recovering from his long illness. Lelia, the sweet little daughter of Dr. i^rancis, the hospital surgeon, helped to while away many wearv hours of dark- ness by reading to him ; and in his pretty little romance en- titled, "Lelia or the vSilver Charm," which was published in serial form in the "Wetzel Messenger" in 1877, he has ten- derly enshrined the memory of this sunny little maiden.
During the greater part of his hospital life, his name was unknown, and his relatives knew nothing of his whereabouts, until by some accident, the address of one of his sisters was discovered, and the family were then communicated with.
After his return home, in ISH-l, he entered the College for the Blind at Columbus, Ohio, and was graduated from this institution in 18(i8, in the class with the Rev. H. M. Cowden, who filled the position of Chaplain of the House of Repre- sentatives at Washington city, for a number of years; and with John S. Cleve, Avho was at one time musical critic at the Cincinnati May Festival.
At the close of his college course, he passed a successful examination before the State Board of Examiners, and was granted a lifetime certificate to teach school ; and for the next seven years, he was identified in this i^rofession in Ritchie
638 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
county, he having taught at Highland for five years, and at Cairo, for the remainder of the time. He being the first school- master to hold sway in the new school-building at Cairo — the one that took the place of the "old block house."
He studied law, while engaged in teaching, and was ad- mitted to the bar, in the early seventies, but never engaged in the practice of this profession.
In 1878, he entered the Pleasants county field of journal- ism, when he and Minus P. Prettyman founded the "St. Mary's Observor ;" and in 1881, he purchased the entire plant, and launched the "Oracle," which he continued to edit until 1885, when he severed his connection and retired to private life.
Since that period he has spent much of his time with his pen, and the result of some of his quiet meditations, is a de- lightful little volume of verse, which was issued in 1907 under the title of "Musings of A Ouiet Hour," and which he has lovingly dedicated to his niece. Mrs. Sue Newman. "Bonrl's creek," "The Old Homestead," "The Brook in The Wild- wood," and not a few others had their inspiration in familiar local scenes which are ever dear to the heart of the venerable poet.
In his verse, "The Old Homestead." he has so beautifully enshrined the home of his boyhood, on Bond's creek, that we here (by his perniission) reproduce the poem, which was written especially for a family re-union, at Highland, a few years since, and was read on that occasion:
"THE OLD HOMESTEAD."
"We gather 'round the old homestead,
Amid the scenes we used to know; The years, as moments, quickly sped,
Are numbered with the long ago.
"So far, and yet how near it seems
Across the span of years that lie Twixt childhood's hopes and old folk's dreams —
Just over there, the sweet gone by.
(This interpsting skPtclT is e-leaned principally from an account of tlie Hall family written bj^ Robert Pembertcn and published in the "St. Mary's Oracle" in November, 1905. For ancestral history of the Poet see Bond's creek chapter.)
THE POET'S CORNER 639
"We're all, all here; 'tis hallowed ground;
Here blends the present with the past; And recollections, clustering round
Like twining tendrils, hold us fast.
"And memories, like the cottage vine,
That thatched the porch in living green, Around our lives do still entwine,
And sweet enchantment guards the scene.
"The house, the yard, the deep round well
With quaking windlass, quaint and queer,
To us the same old stories tell,
Stories that bring the past so near.
"Here, too, the sweet old fashioned flowers
Are still as fresh as summer's morn, Their petals bathed in dewy showers.
As if to beauty newly born.
"The song of bird, the hum of bee,
The croak of frog in yonder stream. The soft wind sighmg o'er the lea,
Are like some well remembered dream,
"From which we wake, but all too soon,
To busy lif-e that seems less real, There comes to age no sweeter boon.
Than feel the joys we used to feel.
"The softly fading twilight hoiTs
Bring once familier things to view. And memory wakes the withered flowers
To beauty and to life anew;
"And friends departed gather 'round
To worship here at memory's shrine, Till all are here on hallowed ground;
Their presence makes life seem divine.
" 'Tis sweet to sit at eventide,
And pensive watch the fading light In golden silence softly glide,
From weary day to restful night.
"And in the quiet evening hour.
When silence soothes the world to sleep.
To yield to some mysterious power.
And gently in with chillhood creep."
"Marbles forget their messages to mankind. In his own verse the poet lives enshrined."
H40
HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
Herbert P. McGinnis.
Herbert P. McGinnis, the boy-poet, was born at Silver run, on June i, 1S91, and was graduated from Marshall Col- lege, at Huntington in the class of nineteen hundred ten. He is the son of P. M. and !Mrs. Rebecca V. McGinnis, and the
younger brother of Circuit clerk, H. E. AIcGinnis.
He early manifested an interest in newspaper work and in printing, and at the age of thirteen years, launched a tiny sheet which be issued monthly from his own print-shop, at Silver run, under the stormy title of the "Tornado." But even before this time he had been a contributor to the local papers, and had been at work with his poetic pencil ; and since that time he has contributed poetry to the "Youth's Companion" and various other publications. During his course at Marshall College, he was Editor-in-chief of the College Annual, and contribu- ted to different > state papers; and during his senior year he conducted a print-shop for the benefit of the institution.
He was the author of the "History of Cairo and Vicinit}-" Vvhich appeared in serial form in the "Cairo Enterprise," in 1905: and during the summer of 1909, he and his cousin, H. F. Maddox, of Jackson county, issued a joint-poem book en- titled "Lyrics From The Hills" — a neat little volume that would reflect due credit upon one of maturer years. He is now preparing a work on the oil developments of the State, which he expects soon to publish, and which promises to be a valuable contribution along this line of histor}^ He holds a teacher's certificate, and has ambitions for a higher col- legiate course, and for a place in the field of journalism. He (with his cousin Mr. Maddox) is now editor of the "St. Al- bans Sentinel" and managing editor of the "Oil ]\Ian's Maga- zine." One of his latest achievements is the incorporation of his printing company under the laws of West Virginia. Feu- sons of the county have displayed more talent at his 3-outhiul age, and few have had a more promising out-look.
THE POETS CORNER 641
By his permission we here reproduce some verses from his little volume of poetry :
"A LYRIC CF THE HILLS."
"On the banks of the still Hughes,
Where old Ritchie's waters flow, 'Tis there I love to linger yet.
There wandering would I go.
"On the banks of the fair Hughes,
There's my home I love so dear; Fond mem'ry brings me those old scenes,
That are changing year by year.
"On the banks of the fair Hughes,
Where I spent my boyhood days, There I watched the sun descending
In the evening's purple haze.
"On the banks of the still Hughes
Where the fairest flowers grow; There by the shine of silvered sands
Let me idly drift and row.
"On the fair old Hughes river
Let me slowly glide along; In thy breezes, O fair river,
Let me sing my evening song.
"On the banks of the old Hughes,
Where I spent those happy days, Let me offer up a blessing
And lift up my heart in praise."
"SONG."
"When I am gone, my loved one.
Weep not that I am dead; Sing no sad songs, my dearest.
Let love's words be unsaid; Be there blue skies above me
And brightest s'mliffht shine; Shed no sad tears for one, then.
Whose dying tho^^ghts are thine.
"I shall not see the darkness,
I shall not see the night; The light of love that thrilled me
Shall yet be shining bright; For dreaming through the distance.
That I have come alone, My soul shall know the blessing
Of love that has not flown."
Doubtless a number of the poems in this little volume are superior to "A Lyric of the Hills," from a poetic point of
642 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
view, but no other one has so strongly appealed to our fancy as this simple, boyish lay dedicated to the dear old river Lhcit we have known and loved from our earliest recollection, and upon whose banks we still linger in the home of our child- hood. Were we a poet, we should dedicate a beautiful little sonnet of our own to its "gentle murmuring waters." For —
'Thou hast taught us, Silent River, Many a lessen deep and long; Thou hast been a generous giver;"
But we cannot give to thee— even a song.
"Oft in sadness and in illness,
I have watched thy current glide,
Till the beauty of Its stillness Overflowed me like a tide."
''El^t Mlm mh ®I|r (SraQ/*
"SllfH^, in % robtngs of (Biav^,
UlliOBt m ll|f gloom of htfmt All, utUl| tit? battb bloob gory,
Jn ll|? busk of ptrrnitg mnt; lAnhn tl|p Boh nnh ll)? Jipm,
Hatting tl)? 3lnligmi^nt bay; Inb^r tl)p lanr^l, tl)p llup;
Inbrr tl|f uiillom, tl]f Oirag."
Mlyo Wor? " Slip lln? /*
CHAPTER LIII
Ritchie County Soldiers in the Civil War
INDING it impossible at this late day to ob- tain a correct list of the names of the sol- diers of the Civil war who enlisted from Ritchie, as no record by counties has been kept, we here give the names of those who made up the companies that were recruited from this county, as taken from the Adju- tant General's Report. But, doubtless, not a few of them be- longed to other parts of the state.
Company "D," of the Sixth Regiment West Virginia In- fantry Volunteers: — John Clarke, Captain; Christian Hick- man, 1st. Lieutenant ; B. S. Cunningham, 3nd. Lieutenant. ; Zachariah I'. Rexroad, 1st Sergeant ; and A. ]. Johnson, David Cain, Seth T. Saterfield and Cornelius H. Cain. Sergeants; John Deem, George W. Sinnett, Jacob Fouse, Wm. G. Gar- rison, Robert Swadley, Wilbur F. Wigner, Lewis Rogers, and John Everett, Corporals ; John C. N. Wigner, Teamster ; Benjamin A. Arbogast, James F. Beatty, John C. Brubaker, John G. Bumgardner, Albert W. Cain, Thomas Carder, Mor- timer J. Cayton, John Clayton, James Congrove, Jasper M. Congrove, Robert J. Cross, Wm. J. Cunningham, J. W. Cun- ningham, Moses Cunningham, John M. Debrular, Isaiah Deem, John G. Dotson, M. H. Dotson, Jeremiah R. Douglass, Thomas H. Dougherty, John A. Farr, John M. Furr, Elias Gains, Francis Glancey, Joseph A. Grason, Ezekiel M. Crib- ble, Cornelius S. Gribble, Uriah Flarris, George W. Hagans. Samuel Hamilton, A. R. Hulderman, Sampson P. Hull, Luther E. Hudgill, William A. Lamb, Dennis Lanham, Daniel C. Louchery, Wm. A. Lyons, Christopher, N. Lyons, Isaac Mc- Cartney, Phillip N. Miller, Jacob Mullinax, Ephraim More-
■ (
THE BLUE AND THE GRAY G45
head, Wm. Nicholas, Wm. H. Parks, John S. Patton, Joseph Pittman, Wm. Postleweight, U. P. Postleweight, John R. Powell, Adam Rahrla, Benjamin F. Riffle, Stephen Rogers, H. C. Ross, Uriah Shrader, Charles E. Sheppard, Anthony Sharpnack, Josephus Six, Lewis Six, George S. W. Smith. James D. Smith, James L. Smith, Samuel Smith, Thomas P.. Steed, George W. Stnart, William G. Stuart, Frederick L. Swiger, Alexander Tennant, Truman D. Vancourt, Thomas AX'illiams, Mark Williams, Thomas Wilson, Isaac N. Wil- cox, John Wllburn, James S. Wigner, Martin White, Abel C. Whiteman, David C. Whiteman, Robert R. Whiteman, and Harrison Wright were the private soldiers of this company.
Discharged in 1863 and '64:— Thomas B. Walters, Fred- erick Miller, Lsaiah H. Rexroad, William M. Skelton, Cap- tain; Ezekiel Sheppard, 1st. Lieutenant; Oliver P. Rolston, Sergeant; Samuel Hatfield, Abner H. Jobes, and F. W. G. Camp, Corporals ; William Bennett, D. F. Bumgardner, Gran- ville B. Cain, George B. Douglass, Nashville Elliott, John Layfield, George Layfield, Wilson Nixon, William Miller, Henry D. McGill, Tarleton Peck, Charles P. Pool, Jesse C. Roach, Levi Smith, Amos K. Steed, William Howard, Wil- liam Black, Daniel Dougherty, John Howard, Wm. S. Kibbee, Alexander Lee, David J. Riddel, Elias Sharpnack, Thomas J. Stout, George T. Walters, and Joseph Wildman.
Transferred: — Phillip Sigler, Esram Arnett, Phillip T. Taylor, David B. Hogue, C. H. Rockenbaugh, and Jasper X. Wilson.
Died: — John S. Rogers, Edward Cunningham, Robert ■ Mullinax, Timothy Tenant, James M. Stewart, James R. Douglass, Wm. J. Hogue, and Jacob W. Phillips.
Aggregate 145 men.
64(5 HI STORY Of RITCHIE COUNTY
RECORD OF COMPANY "E," SIXTH REGIMENT
WEST VIRGINIA INFANTRY VOLUNTEERS
V\^HEN MUSTERED OUT IN 1865:
Larkin Peirpoint, Captain ; Charles Dotsun and Amos Kendall, Sergeants; Elmore Prunty, Justus S. Goff, Abraham ExHne, and Plarrison Wass, Corporals ; Martin Overfield, Teamster; Davis Byrd, Daniel W. Cox, John C. Coalgate, Clinton Dotson, John W. Dotson, Lehman Dotson, Thonias A. Douglass, Alexander C. Goff, A. AL Greathouse, George VV. Hess, John O. Kelly, E. W. McClain, John McConnaughy. Alex jMcDonald, Andrevv^ J. Nutter, \\m. J. Overfield, Isaac C. Powell, Davidson C. Riddel, James W. Robinson, B. F. Rollins, Lowman Riddel, Edward Rollins, Elijah W. Sum- mers, E. C. Snodgrass, Robert W. Stuart, Gilbert Smitli, Elijah Stevens, Wm. H. H. Sandy, Samuel Treagle. Miner P. Towner, Wm. Towner, George Webb, Joshua Wilson, "James W. White, Otho G. Watson, Jasper Ward, Hickman Waldo, Granville P. Zinn, John W. Zinn, Edward D. C. Zinn, and Wm. B. Zinn.
Recruits: — G. M. Ireland, 1st. Lieutenant; Nicholas Nei- dert, 2nd. Lieutenant; Perry J. Cunningham, 1st. Sergeant; Joshua S. Osbourn, Musician ; Marcus Broadwater, John B. Edwards, Elijah C. Goff, B. F. Jaco, Aaron S. Jones, Benja- min C. Powell, Wm. J. Shinn, Lewis T. Silcott, Edgar Trainer, Wm. Trainer, and Marion B. Zinn.
Veterans: — James B. Westfall, and Daniel S. Bush, Ser- geant; Zebedee Brown, Bartlett Waldo, and J. H. Dougherty, Corporals; Andrew S. Brown, Silas Braden, Butcher Valen-. tine, Shedrick C. Collins, A. E. Dotson, Garrison Dotson, George W. Dougherty, Robert V. Duckworth, Samuel Knight, John W^ McDonald. Wesley McDonald, Reilly Ma- son, Josiah Mitchell, Robert Mitchell, John A\'. McGill, Wm. Miller, A\'m. Phillipbar, Joseph W. Robinson, Linsey M. Stevens, Levi Smith, Jeremiah Seders, James H. Silcott, Joim A. Thomas, Arthur Wilson, George M. AVade, Archibald B. Wilson, Eli Wilt, Hiram AA'illiams, Jasper AA'yatt, and Henry C. Wineburg.
THE BLUE AND THE GRAY 617
Discharged: — Lloyd Dotson, 1st. Lieutenant; Joseph A. Summers, 2n(l. Lieutenant; and Thomas Pool, in 1862.
Transferred to Maulsby's Battery in 1862: — John R. Hol- bort, Corporal; Jacob Barker, W. A. Duckwortb, Thomas E. Abutter, and Leroy Rollins.
Died: — David fi. Young, Corporal, Cliristian C. Byrd, George LL Kniseley, John McGraw, Marion Osbourn, Daniel R. Westfall, and George Wilson.
Deserted :-^Alfred W. Flemming, and W. bl. H. Goff.
Additional Recruits, Since Muster-out, For the Year '64: — Edward M. Brown, Azariah Bee, John A. Beatty, Christian Bollyard, William Braham, Thomas Braham, Alexander Col- lins, Philip L. Cox, David L. Clayton, Elisha C. Case, Thomas B. Case, John W. Dougherty, John W. Dumire, Ulysses Davis, James P. Eddy, John N. Finnegan, Sylvester Fisher, James
E. Gaines, Martin V. Goff, blenry Goff, Andrew Flarsh, Till- man bl. McDaniel, Eli Mason, John Moore, Nimrod Morris, W'm. McNemer, Andrew J. Nutter, Floyd Nutter, John W. Osbourn, Daniel Powell, Wm. bl. Parks, Joshua G. Robinson, David Roberts, Israel T. Summers, Thomas Sanders, Phineas R. Tharpe, Andrew J. Williams, Joseph Wetzel, David L. Whitehair, John P. Whitehair, Thomas G. Zinn, blenry C. Zinn, W^illiam Cummings.
Aggregate^ — 15!^' men.
RECORD OF COMPANY "K" OF THE TENTH REGI- MENT WEST VIRGINIA INFANTRY VOL- UNTEERS, IN DECEMBER, 1864:
Nimrod Kuykendall. 1st. Lieutenant; Benjamin Moats, 2nd. Lieutenant; Thomas S. Nutter. 1st. Sergeant; James G. Kee, and A. W. Zickafoose, Sergeants ; John Yl. Kelley. Lsaiah D. Ayres, John B. Upton, Nicholas Swadley, Lemuel Furr, junior, Wm. Ff. Simmons, Francis M. Smith, and blenry
F. Stanley, Corporals; John W. Amos, Lewis Wcinrich, Alex Arrowhead, John F. Ayres, John W. Boston, Henry T. Bos- ton, Jacob B. Bowers, Oliver Barker, James Brooks, Vz Barnes, Anucnius Buzzard, Thomas W. I'.ayne, Thomas J. Braden, David Calhoun, J. A. Cunnmgbam, Floyd S. Cline,
64S HISTORY OF RITCHIE C OCX TV
Jesse Coleman, Phillip R. Eagle, Isaac Ellefrit, Lemuel Purr, senior, Enoch Furr, S. C. Foster, Homer Freeman, R. j, Goodwin, John D. Gregor}-, George W. Hammer, Lewis Hammer, Justus C. Heck. Asa Jenkms, Samuel Jenkins. A. W. Jeffrey, James La3'field, Felix Moore, F. AL Mitchell, W. J. IMullenax, Jacob Atyers, John P. Moats. Samuel S. Malone, Levi ^Morgan, George J. Xewhart, C. X. X'icholson. J. X. Pritchard. William Propst, Isaac Pool, Wirt Phillips, Joseph Raley, John 'M. Randall. Eli M. Stanley, Salathiel Simmons, John ^^^ Simmons, John P. Sinnett. Edward Shifflet. Isaac AMlliams. Samuel A^^iseman, James P. A\'ilson, Isaiah Welsh, John G. AA'ebb, ^lichael D. Webb. Marshall L. Warner, and Milton C. Zigan.
Resigned in 1864, Thomas Hess. 1st. Lieutenant.
Discharged, in '63 and '64 — Hezekiah S. Davis. Alexan- der Hogue, Joseph Jenkins, David S. Pinnell. and Eli Ruck- man.
Transferred, in "6"<? and '63 — C. C. ]\Ieservie, Sergeant : G. A. Douglass. Corporal : John J. Clutter. A. S. Davis, and Charles Br3^son.
Died: — J. P. Kuykendall, Captain; Ashbel G. Yeager and Thomas R. Barnes, Sergeants ; Eli Rex Kendall, Lewis Rex- road. Job Arrowhead. Patrick Drake. R. Thomas Barnett, Aaron Barrackman, Joseph G. Carder, James \\'. Da\'is. James Drake, Corporals ; Abner Fullwider, John Hawkins. Robert Jenkins, ]\I. J. Killingsworth, Benjamin F. Leggett, W. J. Xottingham, William Stanley, William R. Shifflet, John J. To^vner and Dudley C. Weils.
Aggregate — 107 men.
RECORD OF COMPANY "D" OF THE FOURTEENTH
REGIMENT WEST VIRGINIA INFANTRY
VOLUNTEERS IN 1864:
Jacob M. Reitz. Captain; James W. Shroyer, 1st. Lieu- tenant: AV. G. Lowther, George W. B. .Martin, Lewis P. Reitz, John Mc^Mullen, and James R. Brake, 1st. Sergeants: James B. Gribble. AVm. E. Griffin, Wm. Jett. Jeremiah Snod- grass. Elias Thomas, Zephaniah Martin, T. 'M. Bolinger. Cor- porals ; Thomas D. Baker. Arthur G. Bee. Zedekiah Bolinger.
THE BLUE AND THE GRAY 649
Will. B. Crihtield. Silas Cain, Eugenvis Calhoun, George .FT. Campbell, John S. Coulson, Wm. E. Coiilson, George W. Cross, John A. Cross, Stephen C. Davis, Wra. S. Drake, Eli B. Dotson, James W. Elliott, Robert L. B. Elder, Jacob H. Fronsman, W'm. C. Glover, George W. Harden, Thomas Hamrick, Simeon tielms, James P. Hess, Elijah Hissam, Francis 'M. Jones. Jacob Jett, \A'm. E. Lough, Henry J. Low- ther. William Martin, James W. McGill, Alexander McGill, George E. McGill, Gregory McMullen, Addison Osbourn, Lewis Propst, James M. Propst, John Price, . John C. Parks, David F. Randolph, Fletcher S. Riddel, Lair Simons, James O. Smith, George W. Stuart, Amos G. Thomas, Martin V. Taylor, Edmund R. Tibbs, W^m. A. Valentine, John Watson, Wilson W^atson, William W^ass, Harvey Westfall, and Wm. W\ W^ilson.
Discharged: — John S. Vanpelt, and Hiram Dotson, in 1SG3.
Transferred: — Eugenus Criss, Caleb D. Spencer, and James G. Morgan, in '62.
Died: — James D. Earle, Samuel R. Jones. Jc^hn Hess. James PL Smith, Jonathan Baker, xAmos D. Pritchard, Speri- cer Alaley, AYilson A. Gribble, Wm. F. Boehm, James Cain. John Manear, James T. Patton. Charles A. Mahaney, \A^m. McCullough, George' W. Miller, Reason PI. W'ilson, and George S. Richards. The last two named died in the Ander- sonville prison.
Aggregate — 87 men.
RECORD OF COMPANY "K" OF THE SIXTH REGI- MENT WEST VIRGINIA CAVALRY VOLUN- TEERS, (late 3rd. West Va. Infantry) IN AUGUST 1864:
Galelma Law, Captain: John Sommerville, 1st. Lieu- tenant; Jacob W\ Core, "2nd. Lieutenant; George A\'. Ralston. and Franklin C. Clayton, Sargeants ; Benjamin I'. Mitchell. Benjamin Starr, and Napoleon W^ilson, Cori)orals : Sannio! Hammer, teamster; John F. Basnett, John PTornick. E. Kirk- patrick, Francis M. Malone, Silas McGregor, Benjamin 'Sic-
650 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
Ginnis, John Moore, Francis M. Morgan, John Odell, Samuel F. Randolph, Alfred Simmons, John AA'ricke, John Walsh, and James Woods.
Recruits: — Richard E. Bond, John Maloy, and James R. Westfall.
Discharged: — Moses S. Hall, Captain, (Promoted to Lieut. Col. of the 10th W. V. L May 20, 1862) Josiah V.. Woods, Captain, (Promoted to 2nd Lieut. Feb. 11. 1862 and later to Captain) James Z. Browning, 1st. Lieutenant; Char- les Flewitt, 2nd. Lieutenant; John AIcGinnis, Sergeant: John yi. Cox, Corporal ; T. H. Bircher, Nathaniel Barker, Ishmael L. Clayton, Alexander Deem, James M. Davis. Wm. Jett, John PL Jordan, A\'ilson Queen. Josephus Reed. Cornelius D. Smith and Wnt. B. Rogers.
Died: — John E. Day, 1st. Lieutenant; Ephraim ]\Ic- Clasky, 2nd. Lieutenant; John P. Pew, Corporal; Enoch F. Basnett, Jacob A\'. Bush, James T. Benton, John G. Culp, Hundem Flesher, Joseph C. Geho, John \\'. 1 larris, Peter E. Kerns, James Afalone, George W. A'loats, James S. Moal.s, Enos E. iNlcDougal, Zachariah ]\Iichaelson, John W. Pool, John P. Pew, James A. Simonton, Thomas A. Simonton, James A. Summers, Anthony Smith, and Wells A\'ricke.
Transferred: — Benjamin F. Shrieves.
Deserted : — William T. Day.
Veterans: — Alfred Malone, Porter Flesher, \Ym. G. Heaton, Sergeants; Reuben E. Reed, Edgar W. Tarlton. Rob- ert Costillo, and John B. Gorrell, Corporals ; Hervey P. Aliller, Bugler; George W. Brown, Henderson P. Bush, Tolin C. Coplan, Dudley E. Dent, J. E. Dennison, John G. Elliott, Charles W. Frederick, Parker C. Gorrell, Ebenezer B. Griffin, Wm. J. Jordan, A\'m. X. Jones, Levi Kirkpatrick. C. Lips- comb. John 'SI. Lownie. James Moats, James Alaloy. Jacob Morgan, Francis Nicholson, ^Nlabray Osbourn, Jason PL Pritchard, Phillip PL Pritchard, John C. Peck. Martin Parks, George Richards, Jesse Romine, James A. Rider, Jacob Smith, Daniel M. Smith. Thomas J. Stillings, S. C. Saterfield, Barnett A. Silva, Edwin L. Welsh, Jacob Watson, George Watson, and Joseph Weekly.
Aggregate — 111 ]\len.
THE BLUE JXD THE GRAY c,:,!
Though Captain Clammer's company, "C" of the llth. Uegiment, West Virginia Infantry Volunteers, was recruited in Calhoun county quite a number of Ritchie men are included in it. Among whom are James F. MacDonald, Martin Smith, Robert J^. Rogers, James S. Hardman, John R. Cunningham, Isaac S. Collins, Ezekiel Braden, Alfred Barr, W. L. Cun- ningham, Andrew J. Evans, John M. Evans, Wm. Elamrick, B. F. Hyman, Robert Glover, Nimrod Lough, Wm. B. Modi- sette, A. I. J. Rogers, Barnes N. Smith, Granville Tingler, John Tingler, M. A. Ayres, (who rose to the rank of Major), Morgan Rexroad. Francis M. Smith, and possibly others whose names we did not recognize.
In Company "M" of the Sixth Regiment. W^est Virginia Infantry Volunteers, which was recruited in Doddridge county, we find the names of the following Ritchians : Aie*^. S. Lowther, Obadiah Bee, Samuel V. Brown, John M. Brown, Andrew J. Divers, and John M. Gribble.
(Note — Not a few^ others whose names have been over- looked here will be found in the difterent biographical sketches throughout the bonk. — Author.)
Note. — Grover Cleveland Lemon, the young soldier shown in the group, was born at the little village of Macfar- lan. on September 15, 1884, and is the son of John B. Lemon. In 1905 he enlisted in the Signal service of the United States Arm3% and is now a member of the artillery corps at Fori Totten, New York. He served in Cuba for near two }-cars and was awarded a bronze medal for good conduct; and he also has a silver medal which was awarded him for superior marksman-ship at Sandy FTook, in 1907.
Confederate Soldiers in the Civil War. — Ihrough the courtesy of one or more ex-Confederate soldiers, \vc have a partial record of the citizens of this county, who fought m behalf of the Southern Confederacy:
D. M. V. Phillips, Archibald Middleton. Samuel Middle- ton, Alfred Tennant, Jackson Fribble, Siotha Cain. "Sud" Cain, J. W. Cain, Com. Cain, Hiram Cain, J. T. Cain, Barcus Stanley, Daniel Stanley, John Stanley, Joseph Stanley. Daniel Collins, B. J. Collins, Creed Collins, Columbus Collins, A. J. Patton, A. D. Patton, Wm. Patton, James Trader. Michael
052 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
JNIcGuire, William Lynch, F. J. ]\Iayes, Michael Ayres, Patrick Deianey, James Smith, E. T. Lemon, P. J. Lemon, C. X. Lemon, F. J. Lemon, H. P. Ayres, William Lake, John \\^ IMarshall, Allen Buckner, James Amick, Bart Hickman, Alex Golt, John Goff, James Goff, Philip Golf, L. S. Goff, [Mortimer Collins, Xicklin Cline, Allen S. Hall, Leonard S. Hall, John Lafoy, Jack Pribble, Isaac Xull, Louis Logne, Daniel Eddy, John Deianey, Packenham Delane}', Cebart Tingler, C}"rus Current, Jacob Dougherty, J. J. Jarvis, J. Alvin Xutter, W. L. Jackson, James Taylor, Isaiah Bee, "Deck" Xeal, James Smitb, Barnes Smith, P. S. Austin, John j\I. Patton, Eugene and Marion Tibbs.
Death has made sad inroads in the ranks of these vet- erans, "that once made this old continent tremble from ocean to ocean." Comparatively few of them yet remain. But five commissioned officers of the Cnion Army are still among us (Major M. A. Ayres, Captains John Sommerville, and G. M. Ireland, and First Licuts. W. G. Lowther, and Daniel Bush), and_only here and there a Confederate veteran is to be found; and to the memory of both alike we pay our tribute, for in many instances they were of the same house- hold— brother against brother, father against son.
And though we are the daughter of a L'nion soldier, that followed the dear old flag for three weary years, yet we can- not repress our admiration for the courageous man who wore the gray. For though he may have been wrong, did he not love the cause that he believed to be right with the same loyal devotion, and did he not as truly believe in its justice, as his brother who wore the blue?
Some of the best friends that we have known are the sons and daughters of Confederate soldiers. And as we turn from the graves of the past with a rose for the Blue and a lily for the Gray, we thank the great Author of Peace that we are a united people, that —
"No more shall the war cry sever,
Or the winding rivers be red ; They banish our anger forever,
When they laurel the graves of our dead."
CHAPTER LIV
Some Additional Ancestries^
HE name "Hall" is said to be of Norwegian origin, and its meaning is hero, but its primitive spelling was Hallr — the final letter being silent.
"The old Norse hallr, hals and the Anglo-Saxon liaele, haletta have the same significance." Hallett and Henry are dimin- utives of Hall, and Hallse means the son of Henrv.
The Norwegians settled fjuite extensively in Scotland, hence the Scotch Halls.
"The English Manor House is another source of the name. In mediaeval documents the manor house is called "Alle," "Halle," "De Aula,'" and "Del Hall." The chief apart- ment was the hall proper, which was pressed into service as a petty court of justice, ss well as a place of entertainment. Ihus the principal survitor or tenant acquired the surname of De Aula, Del Hall or Dela Halle, which was retained bv the eldest son, and simply became Hall.
In Welsh the name means salt and a worker in salt is a haller. A dwelling near salt works on low marsh}- ground near the sea is a "hallam," "hall, or halle." Hence the origin of the name of the ancicrii. castle Halla, uoaa' city Halle, in Saxony.
The name of "Hall" is said to surpass that oi any other name in point of number with the exception of Smith. Brown, Jones and Robinson, and it is even more numerous in England than in America.
An-pong the prominent members of the family who have written their names in the world's history are Edward Hall, an eminent English historian of the sixteenth century; Josei:»h
^This data was received too late to find a place in the earlier chapters.
654 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
Hall, a bishop of Norwich and Exeter, who died in 165(5; and Dr. John Hall, who married Susannah Shakespeare. At Strat- ford-on-Avon, the ring that he placed upon the finger of Susannah when she became his bride, is still to be seen ; and in the old Stratford church by her side with the ashes of the immortal AMlliam Shakespeare, he lies in his last sleep.
John Hall, who was born in County Kent. England, in 1584, was one of the earliest of the name to cross to America, he having arrived at Boston in 1633, where he proved himself to be an important personage. His wife, Esther, is supposed to have died on the other side of the water. Xo fewer than ten "John Halls'" were identified among the pioneer settlers of the Xew England colonies and all of them were supposed to have hailed from sunny England. Most of the famil}- of the first generation belonged in Connecticut. The first notar}^ public in that colony was a Hall, he being appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury: and the first marriage that took place at A\"allingford, Connecticut, was that of Thomas Hall and Grace ^^'atson, on June 5, 1673. An old record shows that Thomas Hall received fifty acres of land in recognition of his fathers service in the Pequot war in 1637. This same John Hall — father of Thomas, and soldier of the Pequot war, married a young English maiden by the name of Jeanne Woilen, who was of high birth and well educated, her family being entitled to bear the crest, a demi-lion. An old relic now in the hands of the Xew Haven Historical Society is the long wooden-handled spear used by John Hall in the Indian wars. This weapon was called a "spoontoon," and was used b}^ the officers to direct the movements of the troops. If placed upright in the ground, it signified halt. If pointed for- ward, advance : if backward, retreat.
The Revolutionary war brought the Halls into prom- inence m various ways. Dr. Lyman Hall, the Governor of Georgia, was one of the signers of the Declaration of Inde- pendence, and in the W'allingford cemetery, in Connecticut, a monument stands to his memory : and another, in Augusta, Georgia, marks his resting-place.
(The mauA- dift'erent families of Halls in this countv will
SOME ADDITIOXAL AXCESTRIES 655
thnihtless find interest in this brief account of the early histor\- oi their name.)
Harris. — This name in its original spelling was "Haara," but it became Harry then Harris or Harrison. So Harris signifies of the family of Harry. Haara is the Anglo-Saxon for lord or master. Some of the different spellings are "Her- ris," Herries, Harries and Herz.
In England there are branches of the family in ever}- county and village ; and about the dawning of the nineteenth century the name Harris held the tw^enty-fifth rank in the number of deaths, and the twentieth, in the number of mar- riages in Great Britain, and in Wales the family ranks in number with that of Williams and Jones.
Thomas Harris, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Harris, was the first of the name to cross the water to the Occident. And William Harris, another member of the family, assisted Roger Williams in the founding of Providence, Rhode Island.
Four of the name, John, Thomas, William and Daniel, who were supposed to l"!a\'e been brothers were among the early settlers of Rowley, Essex county, Massachusetts; and as each possessed a tv/o-acre house-lot they are supposed to have been men of some importance.
John Harris, an Englishman, was the first settler at Har- risburg, Pennsylvania, he having made his improven'icnt on the very site that is now marked by the city in 1T26, and when the town was fotinded, in 1785, it took his name.
Lieutenant James Harris took part in the Colonial wars, as did Thomas Harris, who vv^as one of the twenty men wh.o were sent from Ipswich as soldiers against the Indians in liU-"!. A'lembers of the family also served in the American Revolu- tion, and William Harris, who was a sergeant, saw service in the battles of P.randywine and Germantown. In 1811, he was commissioned as Brigadier-General and was called into ser- vice in the war of 18Pi, but died before the army took the field.
Among the men of letters of this name was the Rev. Dr. John Harris (Ijorn in 1667), author of "The Lexicon Tech- nicurn," one of the earliest of the many English Encyclope- dias. James Harris, a well-known writer, was sent to I'.runs- wick to seek the hand of the unfortunate Princess Caroline
656 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTV
for the Prince of Wales, it being arranged for him to marry her by proxy and then conduct her to her husband, in Eng- land.
Anne Harris, a beautiful belle, was the daughter of John Harris, who came to this country early in the eighteenth cen- tury. In her youth she had the honor of being the partner of General Washington at a ball given by the financier of tlie Revolution, Robert Morris, whom she was visiting. And licre at this ball she met her fate in Dr. Shiell, an Irish gentleman of means, and when he oilered her his hand with his heart her mother vehemently protested, as she v.ished her daughter to retain her maiden name ; but the love that has laughed at locksmiths all down the centuries did so in this instance, and they were married.
Another pretty little romance in the famih^ traditions is that of Timothy Harris, of the second American generation, who lived in Brookline, Massachusetts. He had reached the age of thirty-two and being still ''heart wliole and fancy free." was considered in the light of a confirmed bachelor. But on going to the house of a neighbor b}^ the name of More}^ one morning, and receiving no response to his knock, he opened the door and entered without farther ceremony, and by so doing aroused a sleeping infant, who at once began to cry, and Timothy set himself about hushing it to sleep by rocking the cradle. In the meantime the mother entered and jokingly remarked, "Good heart! old bachelor, I have some hope of you, yet." "A3'e, good wife," replied Timothy, and not with- out reason, "for I am determined to claim this little damsel for my wife, as soon as she is old enough." And true to his promise, he waited for fifteen years and claimed her in less than a month after her sixteenth birthday. This was near the year 1697, and their daughter, Abigail, married Samuel Newell.
(Notice the similarity of names here and in the Har- rises of this county. No doubt they all sprang from the same common ancesters.)
Phillips. — Eleanor Lexington, in her Colonial Families cf America, sa3^s, "Emperors and kings, princes and dukes have
SOME ADDITIOX'AL ANCESTRIES 657
l)orne the name of Phillips or Philips, and the family has a rich heritage in its tradition."
The name is of Greek origin and comes from philos or hippos, meaning a lover of horses. Phillips has been a sur- n.ame in Great Britain for nve hundred years, and the family can be traced back in coniinuous line to the year 1"^00; and Stratford-on-Avon has been the seat of a branch of the faniiiy which sj)€ll their name "Phillippo," for centuries.
It would be no slight task to keep trace of the various spellings, but in Wales where the family have been prominent Phillipse is the customary form of the name, and the oldest coal-of-arms is that granted to the Welsh branch. Phylppe, Pphillipps, Philopoe, Phillot, etc., are other spellings of the name.
The Phillipses of Staffordshire descend from Francis Phylyppe, of Neyther 7'eyne. He lived during the reign of Edward VI. Grace Dien Manor, in Leicester, was the home of the Phillippses. The king's sergeant during the reign of James II was a "Phillips."
Westminster Abbey guards the silent dust of the poet, John Phillips, who is distinguished as being the first individual to manifest genuine literary appreciation of Alilton.
The Reverend George Phillips, the emigrant pilgrim, who came over with Governor A\'inthrope, is said to have been an especially gifted and godly man. This same George Phillips was a son of Christopher Phillips, of Norfolk, Eng- land, and was graduated from the college at Cambridge. His salary as the first pastor of the church at Watertown, Massa- chusetts, was three hogsheads of meal ; one hogshead of maUe ; four bushels of Indian corn ; one bushel of oat-meal ; and fifty pounds of salt fish. He also had thirty acres of land. His wife died soon after their arrival on these shores, and he (George Phillips) married Elizabeth, who was probably the widow of Captain Robert Welden ; and his family in all con- sisted of nine children. r)nc of his sons, the Rev. Samuel Phillips, had eleven children, and his (George's) duughlcr, Elizabeth, who married the Rev. Edward Payson. had twenty ciiildren.
The founder of the Long Island family was Zerobabel,
C58 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
the son of the Rev. George Phillips, the emigrant. Ebenczer, Thomas, John, and James Phillips were also progenitors of Massachusetts families.
Walter and Andrew were Maine pioneers and Michael, Richard and Jeremiah settled in Rhode Island. John Phillips, who was born in I'oston, in 1770, was the first mayor of that historic city ; and he was the father of the renowned orator, VV^endell Phillips. •
Sergeant Noah Phillips was one of the " Lexington Alarms,'' in the Rev'blution. His name is also spelled '"Pheli^s." Other officers of the name in the Revolution were: Lieut, l^homas and Captain Samuel Phillips, of Rhode Island ; Col. Joseph, of New Jersey; and Ensigns Samuel and James, from Virginia, and doubtless the ones from Virginia are the direct ancestors of the Ritchie county family.
Samuel Phillips, junior, who was born at North Andovcr, Massachusetts, in 1751, was a member of the Provincial Con.- gress and of the Constitutional convention, in 1789. He was President of the State Senate for fifteen years and was Lieu- tenant-Governor of his state. He also organized the first in- corporated academy in Massachusetts, and helped to endow it.
Osbourne. — This name, with its varied spellings — Os- born, Osbourne, Osbern, Osburn, Osbeorne, Osbiorn, Aspern. etc., comes from two words, "us" or "bus," pronounced "Os," and "beam" meaning child — an adopted child. "Osbeorn" is the original Angle-Saxon spelling, and Asbiorn is the old Norse.
"Os" implies a hero, and it is probable that the first one upon whom the name was conferred had proved himself to be the victor in a bear hunt. But Miss Lexington gives us this doubtful tradition of the origin of the name: At the bat- tle of Hastings, Walter, a Norman Knight; and a great favor- ite with his master, AA'illiam, was engaged in playing chess with him on the bank of the river "Ouse." and won all. The king threw down the board, saying that lie had nothing more to play for. "Sire, there is land," quoth A\^alter. '"There is so," replied the king, "and if thou b^at me at this game, also, thine be all the kind on this side of the bourne or river which thou canst see as thou sittest."
SOME ADDITIONAL ANCESTRIES 650
Walter had the good for.tune to win, and William, clap- ping his hands on his shoulder, said, "Henceforth thou shalt be called "XJusebourne."
The family has been a prominent one in Ivent, Xorfolk, Suffolk, and London. The Lord Mayor of London being an Osbcurne in 1583 ; and Peter Osbourne was keeper of the private purse of Edward VI.
Two ancient seats of the family are Osborne House, in Derbyshire, Tyld Hall, in Essex. The Duke of Leeds in York- shire is an Osbourne.
Richard Osbourne, one of the Pilgrim fathers, who came from London, England, in 1634, and settled at Windsor, Con- necticut, was one among the first of the name to come to the Western Avorld. He was the founder of the New England branch of the family, and was in the Pequot war, and for his service in this Avar, received a grant of eighty acres of land at Fairfield, Connecticut. Tlis grandson and namesake, Rich- ard, junior, was an early justice of the peace, and he walked to Danbury, a distance of ten miles, after he had passed the century mark.
Josiali Osbourne, son of Daniel and grandson of Richard, senior, was a minute man in the Revolution of 1777.
John Osbourne, who was one of the founders of Lorsg Island, came from Kent, England. Of his line \\-as one Thomas, a captain in the Revolution. Others from Connecti- cut Avho took up arms in behalf of Liberty were Lieutenants John and Stephen Osbourn and Ensign Samuel.
.The Osbournes were large land-owners in Virginia. Balaam Osbourne, born m Loudin county, married into a well-known Maryland family by the name of Chew, his wife being Mary, daughter of John Chew. The family have also been prominent in Pennsylvania. One of Benjamin Frank- lin's intimate friends was John Osbourne, of Xew Jersey, who at one time lived in Philadelphia.
Eleanor Lexington, in speaking of the characteristics of the family, says, that sterling integrity, superior intelligence and good judgment are traits of character. The faniil}- had twenty college graduates by the dawn of the nineteenth cen- tury, and it has men o\ almost everv deg'ree of letters; vT/c.,
«eo HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUXTY
poets, authors, journalists, musical composers, statesmen and two of the name are admirals in the English army.
Mitchell. — Two theories in regard to the origin of the name "Mitchell" have their adherents. One is that it came from the Anglo-Saxon word "mycel," or mickle, meaning- great, or from ]^Iichael, meaning "God's powder." Michael has always been a popular name, especially in its French form "Alichel." Afytchell is an old form of spelling, and this with ^litchel, is perhaps the only variation.
Miss Lexington sa3'S, "The family are rich in authors and men of science. It also has its statesmen ; its solemn repre- sentatives of the law ; its dignitaries of the church : and its gallant soldiers."
The Pennsylvania family trace their ancestry to William, and Elizabeth Mitchell, who came from Yorkshire, England, and settled in Bermuda, and from there their descendants came to Philadelphia.
George Mitchell, of York county, Pennsylvania, was born in Scotland, in 1734.
The Alitchells, of Roanoke countv, ^^irginia, are con- nected by marriage to the family of Col. Zachary I^cwis, whose father was a messmate of ^^^ashington's in the war wdth the French. And it is more than probable that this family are the progenitors of the Ritchie county families, as they came from the "Old Dominion."
The Connecticut family claim relationship with Rebecca ]\Iotte, of Revolutionary fame, and with Governor Dudley ana other noted Eastern families.
Matthew ^Mitchell, witli his wife and children, v/as a pas- senger on board the "James." in 1635 ; and he served as to^^■n clerk of AVethersfield, four years later, and was a representa- tive at court from Saybrook, and a soldier in the Pequot war. In 1643. he removed to Flempstead, Long Island.
]\Iiss Lexington says that if the ^litchells are famed for one thing more than another, it is scholarship. But they have been valiant soldiers and have always been in the front ranks when the country has been involved in war. Several of them were oflicers in the Revolution.
Note. — To Frances ]M. Smith, whose pen name is "Eleanor
SOME ADDITIOXAL ANCESTRIES 661
Lexington," of New York, we are indebted for the data con- cerning- these ancestries. Miss Smith has written a large number of genealogies of Colonial Families of America, which are published in book form as well as Copyrighted in lirief story form, by the Frank Allaben Genealogical Compai-.y, New York.
The Washingtons. — As quite a number of the families of this county are in some way connected to the Washingtons. we have gathered the genealogy of this distinguished fainil}- from the Washingtons, at Charleston, West Virginia:
Two brothers, Lawrence and John \Vashington, came to America from England in 1659, and settled at Bridges creek, near its confluence with the Potomac river, in \^irginia.
John Washington was married in England and brought his wife and two children across the water with him ; Init they all died in a short time after their arrival : and in 1(560, John Washington was again married to Anne Pope, and four chil- dren were the result of this union ; viz.,
Lawrence, born at Bridges creek, in 1661, married Mildred Warner, daughter of Col. Augustine AA'arner, of Gloucester.
John, born in 1663, married
Elizabeth, born in 1665. ma'rried to Thomas Lanier, son of Lewis Lanier, of Bordeaux, France, in 1687.
Anne, born in 1667, married
Lawrence Washington, the eldest child of John and Anne Pope, who was born in 1661. died at Bridges creek, in 1697. He and his wife. Mildred W^arner (above mentioned) had three children : John. Augustine, and Mildred.
John, born at Bridges creek, in 169"3. married Cathrine Whitney.
Augustine, born at Bridges creek, in 1691, married Jane Butler and Mary Ball.
Mildred, born in. 1691, was first married to a Mr. Gregory, and tiiree daughters, Frances, Mildred, and Elizabeth Gregory (who becames the wives of Col. h^rancis Thornton. Col. John Thornton, and Reuben Thornton, respectively, three brothers), were the result c^f this union. And after the death of Mi- Gregory. Mildred was married to Col. Henry Willis, the founder of Fredericksi:)urg. and one son. Lewis Willis, was born of this union.
662 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COiXTY
The children of John Washington (son of Lawrence and Mildred ^^'arner) and Cathrine Whitney, were as follows :
A\'arner, born at Bridges creek, in 1715, married Elizabeth Kent, and Hannah Fairfax, and had eight children .
Henry, married the daughter of Col. Thacker and had one son.
Cathrine, married Fielding Lewis.
Augustine, married and had one son, William
W ashington.
Lawrence, married
Mildred, married Mr. Thornton.
Frances, married Mr. Thornton.
Augustine Washington, second child of Lawrence and ]\Iildred Warner, who was born in 169-1: (as above noted), was first married to Jane Butler, and the two children born of this union that grew to the years of maturity ^vere : Law- rence (born in 1718, and married Anne Fairfax) ; and Augus- tine (born in 1720, and married Anne Asylett).
Jane Butler W ashington died on November "24, 1728, and on March 6, 1731, Augustine Washington, senior, married Miss Mary Ball, who was born on the banks of the Rappa- hannock river, in 1706, and five children w^ere the result of this union : viz., George, Betty, Samuel, John, and Charles.
George Washington, the "Father of his Country," was born on February 23, 1732, and on January G, 1759, he was married to Mrs, Martha Dandridge Custis, daughter of John Dandridge, and widow of Daniel Parke Custis.
Betty or Elizabeth, born in 1733, who became the second wife of Col. Fielding Lewis (mentioned above as the husband of Cathrine A\'ashington), was the mother of six children.
Samuel, born in 1734, was married five times. Jane Champ was his first wife, but she died without issue. Mildred Thornton, the second, left two sons. Thornton and Samuel. Lucy Chapman, the third, had no children. Anne Steptoe Allerton (widow of W^illoLighby Allerton), the fourth, was the mother of George Steptoe, Lawrence Augustine, and Har- riett Parks W'^ashington. And Victoria Penn, the fifth and last wife, had no children.
John Augustine W^ashington, born in 1736, was married to Hannah Bushrod, and Richard Blackburn \\ashington. of
SOME ADDITIONAL ANCESTRIES G63
Charlestown, West Virginia, who is now nearing his ninetieth niiie-slone, is his grandson, and is the oldest living Washing- ton (of this race). And to his daughter, Aliss Christine Wash- ington, we are indebted for this sketch.
Charles Washington, the youngest member of the family, v.-ho was born in 1738, married Alildren Thornton, and on his estate, Charlestown, W^est Virginia, was laid out, and from him it took its name.
Samuel Washington founded the estate at "Harewood,'' and George Washington was a frequent visitor here, and is said to have had charge of "Harev\^ood estate" at one tinie. y\il three of the brothers (of George Washington) lived and died in the vicinity of Charlestown, and here their descendants are numerous and prominent to-day.
The Norris family, through Mary Jones, their maternal ancestor, are in some way connected to the Washingtons, but all the information that we have been able to gather con- cerning the relationship of the two families is :
That the Washingtons and the family of General Walter Jones are connected. This General W^alter Jones was born on October 1, 1776, and died on October 14. 18(31. He was married in 1808 to Lucinda, daughter of Judge Charles and Ann Lee.
Chenoweth Ancestry. — As Mrs. Eva Chenoweth Robi;i- son, of Harrisville, is now the organizer of the Ritchie Coui'.ty Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the account of her ancestry, which she traces back to Lord Balti- more, will doubtless be of much interest to the readers of this book :
The ancient name of Chenoweth was "Trcvelezick." bur one John Trevelezick gave a piece of land to or.e of his younger sons, wdiose name was John, also'; and upon this land he constructed a house and as the word "Chenoweth" means a new house in Cornisli, he was ever afterwards called "Chenovveth." The elder house failed, however, and the an- cient lands descended to the younger branch of the family, who still hold these lands and retain the name.
664 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
"Trevelezick," of St. Earth, married Elizabeth, the daugh- ter of John Terrall, of St. Earth, and had a son, John.
This John Chenoweth, of ^lorgan, married the daughter of 'J'homas Tregose, and had several children, among whon. was a son named "Arthur,"' who was born in 16'30, and was baptized on Januar}' nineteenth, at St. Alarties, by exeter tran- script.
The family received a visitation of the herald this same year (TG20), Sa on Fessor, the Cornish Congo heads P. P. S.
"This represents a blank shield with a gold band in which three crows in black are cut." This custom was for a trumpeter to appear in full armor, on horseback, the king's recognition by bestowing a coat-of-arms, or shield as a token from the king to John Chenoweth for valiant services rendered to his country — dated 16'20.
Arthur Chenoweth, who was born in 16"?0, had a son, John, a AA'elsh nobleman, whose nativity was A\'ales. in IHo?.
John Chenoweth, this son, was married to Mary Calvert, the daughter of Lord Baltimore, and embarked to America in 1G80, and settled in the Maryland colony. He had two daughters and two sons : One of the daughters married a Cecil and settled in Baltimore county, Maryland : and the other married a Dorsey and settled near Ellicots Yv\\\ (Aid.). The sons, Arthur and Richard, both found homes in Berkeley county (West) Virginia.
Arthur Chenoweth was born in 1688 ; and was married to Mary, daughter of Charles Calvert, the third Lord Balti- more, and came to Berkeley county, in 1720. He and his wife (Mary Calvert) had seven sons; viz., James, John, Abrahim. \\ illiam, Thomas, Arthur and Richard.
John Chenoweth, the second son, was married to Marv Smith, at Japa, near Gundooder, in Hartford county, Aviary- land, on November 21, 1730, and eight children were the result of this union: William, John, Richard, Thomas. Absalom, Elizabeth, Mary and Rachel. John, the head of this family, died in 1T90.
William Chenoweth, the eldest son. who was born, on Tanuarv 8. 17:]2, witli his sister, Mary, was baptized in the old Parish church at Jajia. where his birth is recorded. He
SOME ADDITIOXAL AXCESTRIES 665
(William) was married tc Elizabeth , and their faniily
consisted of three children ; viz., John, Jonathan and William. William, the father of this family, died in 1772.
John Chenoweth (son of W'illiam and Elizabeth), who was born in 1755, was n.iarried on January 7, 1777, to Alary Pugh, who was born on January 2d, 17G2. He enlisted in the Continental army at Romney, in Hampshire county, in 1777, and served for two years during the Revolution ; being in the noted battles of Brandywir.e and Germantown. His children were as follows: Robert, John, William, Gabriel, Jehu, Nellie, and Mary.
Robert Chenoweth, the eldest son, born on April 19, 17.82, v\'as first married to Miss Rachel Stalnaker, on August 24, 1802, and emigrated to what is now Randolph county, and set- tled on the site that is marked by the pretty little city of Elkins. His wife, Rachel, died on April 20, 1830; and he then married Edith Skidm.cue.
The children of Robcit and Rachel Stalnaker Chenoweth were: Margaret (Mrs. John Coberly), Malinda (Mrs. W'ash Taylor), and Mary (Mrs. William Daniels). The children of Robert and Edith Skidmore Chenoweth, were: Susan (Mrs. John Stalnaker), Rachel (Mrs. Jefif Godfrey), Leah (Mrs. Elijah W'^ease), Anne (Mrs. George Gibson), Emma E. (Mrs. Owen J. Murphy), Edith (Mrs. Adam Repp), Ira S. (married Matilda McCoy), Sarah (Mrs. W^illiam Hopkins), Isaac died in childhood, Robert James (married Elizabeth Jane Knotts), and David W^. (Miss Caroline Mollohan).
Robert James Chenoweth, who was born where the city of Elkins now stands, on October 29, 1829, was married in 1853, to Miss Elizabeth Jane Knotts, Avho Avas born in Jack- son county, on November 11, 1838, and they were the parents of Mrs. Eva Robinson, she being the twelfth child of a family of eighteen children. Mr. Chenoweth died at his home in Cal- houn county, on May 1(), 1906, and his wife still survives.
Note. — This is taken from a copy of the original \isiia- tion of Cornwall, which is in the I British Museum in Eond;)n. which was obtained through Alex. Crawford Chenovv-eth, of the Manhattan Harbor Improvement Company, his wife and son ha\ing seen the original.
CHAPTER LV
Natural Resources
EST VIRGINIA now holds a second rank in the production of the higher grade of oil and gas, and Ritcliie connty is one of the leading oil-producing sections of the state.
As has already been noted (in the Ritchie Mine chapter), this great industry had its beginning in our Commonwealth, in 1844, when George S. Lemon, discoveied it while putting do\\ n a well for salt-water, near the mouth of Flint run, in W irt county, and introduced it into the Marietta market as medicine. Then came the famous Burning Springs-field, in 1860, and from this time it has gradually grown into one of the richest resources of the state.
The history of this industry in the county, dates back to the '"wild cat wells" between the years 1865 and '70, when one of these wells, which gave a promising showing of oil, was drilled in on Big run, near Cairo.
In these early days, the oil interest centered in the Vol- cano field, in the heavy lubricating oil, which sold as high as twenty dollars a barrel. But after the conflagration, on August 4, 1879, which destroyed most of the town, the devel- opment was carried southward past Petroleum to the Cali- fornia House, and on to Burning Springs.
Ten years after the Volcano field commenced its decline, Cairo began to show signs of becoming a center for this de\cl- opment, and about 18!J0 prospecting was begun ; and soon ex- ae"gerated stories were in circulation as to the imoortance of the results, and tests extended to Cornwallis, Pennsboro and Harrisville.
On August 11, 1S90, A. L. Gracey, now of Marietta, Ohio, leased a tract of land near Cairo, and the A. M. Douglass well.
X AT URAL RESOURCES
6G?
which is still a producer after the lapse of twenty years, was the result of this test. Then came well number two on the Hatfield farm; the 'T>ig John," on the McKinney estate, and one on the Dr. Martin, the J. H. Davidson, and the Daniel Weaver farms.
In 1885. the Bukey run region was a great forest full of wild game and extensive lumber interests, and a town v.'as located there, which, like the timber and the wild game, has long since disappeared.
In 1879, the first oil pipe-line in AVest Virginia was laid from V^olcano to Parkersburg, with a relay station at Mur- phy towai ; and in the '90's came the oil developments near Cornwallis, which soon extended up Bear run to Goose creek, where Hugh Mearns brought in the first well on Wolfe run.
The oil developments now extend throughout the coun- ty, and a valuable gas well is found here and there. Among the more prominent fields are Bond's creek, Whiskey run, Flannagan, Prunty, Ireland, Cairo, Oil Ridge, Plum and Elm runs. And the South Penn. the Carter, the Mountain State, and the Hope Gas Compan} are among the principal operators in the territory.
^ ^^t-;--'-
Coal is found in different sections of the county, and large tracts of land, especially in Union district, arc under option for this mineral.
The Washington coal is distributed all over the county, and among the few mines that are still operated is the J. il. l-Iymen, near Smithville, and the William Collins, four miles northeast of Pennsboro. And the mine that was once oper-
6G8 HISTORY GF RITCHIE COUNTY
ated on the late James S. Hardman farm, near Hardman chapel, was of this coal.
Old strip mines are found in the creek valley on Two- lick run, a little east of Washburn, where the coal is on a nine hundred feet contour Ime. It has also been opened in a similar manner a little more than a mile west of Lawford, and here a number of abandoned hill-side openings are to be seen. This coal is also found about the town of Highland (on the 8:20 foot contour), southeast of Cornw-allis, near Harrisville, and to the east of Rock Camp ; but its heaviest blossom is one mile west of Pennsboro, near the 800 foot contour. It is usually found in the creek valleys and on hill-side roads wherever the proper level is reached, and it is a most persisteiii stratum, over the county.
South of Berea, one oiie-fourth miles, ?. small blossom i.- seen one hundred sixty feet higher than the Washington coal, wliich may represent the Dunkard coal horizon. And on tlit hill to the west of Silver Run Station, on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, a blossom of coal is to be found which may rep- resent the Little Washington coal.
The Pittsburg coal has been noticed in a few oil wells in the count}-, among which are the Collins, northeast of Pennsboro, at the mouth of Turtle run, and in the Primty and Flannagan fields, on the South fork.
Two coal seams have been extensively mined, near \"ol- cano, and their relation to each other is shown b}' the oil records. In these wells, two coals are found sixty-three feet apart, and from two to three feet thick, with a third coal twenty-five feet lower. Th.e upper coal is four hundred thir- ty-five feet above the top of the Big Lime, and the oil sand is over the Big Lime, therefore it is the ^laxton. The salt sand above is an oil sand and the Keener is below.
Just south of Petroleum, at the forks of the road, on top of the hill i^ a mass of red shales wath coal ten feet lower, and nodular limestone one hundred feet lower, but the east dip at this point would make the intervals larger than the above surface measurements.
Three one-half miles southwest of Petroleiun. the Ames limestone out-crops on the hill to the west of a church on
XAT URAL RESOURCES 669
the road to tlie California House, at a level of 1020 feet A. T., and farther on at a level of 980 feet. And at the "California House" is a massive cliff of sandstone forty or fifty feet in li eight.
The Waynesburg sandstone occurs in the creeks and river vallevs as a massive str^'ami of coarse standstone forniino- vertical cliffs ; and it serves as a valuable quarrystone at a number of points in the county. In the northern part it is seen aloner Goose creek and its branches, but its base is below water level; and it forms the cliff's ni the Wolf Pen oil field and is vrell exposed along the Northwestern turnpike from Pike to bevond League.
The Xorth fork of Hughes ri\'er is bordered with high cliffs of tills sandstone, which has been quarried on a large scale in the past. To the northeast of Cornwallis it is near the river level and forms a narrow gorge through which the railroad passes, with tunnels through the sandstone spurs where the river makes its bends. ■
It has been quarried around Harrisville, where its base is below water level, and where it reaches a thickness of eighty feet, with its top eighteen feet below the Washington coal. Addis and Elm nms have walls of this sandstone, and near Washburn similar cliffs appear with the base below the creek level. The South fork, like the North, is bordered by bold cliff's of it, and the wild and rugged scenery of the Alac- farlan region is due to its massive presence. Near Frederick's mill, a quarry has been opened in the upper part of the stratum showing a twenty-foot face, which has i)cen worked back ten feet for a distance of thirty or forty feet along the road-side on the north side of the river.
The Dunkard series of standstone is found two miles southeast of Frederick's mill, at Iris, and near Berea, the rocks form perpendicular cliff's along the river.
The various streams over most of the county have cut their ^•alleys into the Monongalia series, but with these ex- ceptions the surface rocks belong in the Dunkard series.
The Marietta sandstone is found at from fifteen to twenty feet above the Washington coal. It is found in most of the streams in the Eastern, and Southern portions of the county,
6~0 HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
but is not quarried. It forms the bed of Bear run of Goose creek, and is found north and south of Cokeley, at the B. & O. tunnel west of Pennsboro, at Eva, on Leatherbarke, and in the clififs along Bone and Spruce creeks.
Hughes River and Its Tributaries.— Hughes river flows into the Little Kanawha at the Wirt-W^ood county line, eighteen miles above Parkersburg; and near the southwestern corner of the county, it divides into the North and South forks. These two branches and Goose creek, with their various trib- utaries, form the water courses of the county.
The South Fork rises in the south-western part of Dod- dridge county, and flows in a south-westernly direction through the southern portion of this county, a length of fifty- four miles (but thirty-six air-line). Its meanders are sharp and some of them reach a mile in length from the direct course of the river. Tlie valley Vv^alls are generallv steep and rugged, with small areas of bottom lands here and there.
Its tributaries that flow in from the north are: :Macfarlan Indian creek. Lamb's, Long and Jesse Cain's run. Slab creek. Turtle run, and White Oak. Macfarlan is seven miles long, and one branch has its source in the highlands near Cantwell. and the other, near Mellin. Indian creek rises one mile west of Pullman, and flows a distance' of eighteen miles, emptyirig into the river at Beatrice, three miles below Smithville. Chev- auxdefrise. Dog and Den run are its principal branches.
The chief Southern tributaries of the South fork are Bear run, Laurel, Dutchman, Leatherbake, Gass run, Spruce and Bone creeks, Otterslide and Middle fork, all of which flow in a parallel northwest course.
The North Fork of Hughes river, which rises in the ex- treme north-eastern corner of Ritchie countv, is the centrr.l draining system of the Northern portion of the county. It flows southwest in a meandering channel for fifty-seven miles to its juncture with the South fork. Its northern tributaries are : Cabin, Sheep, Silver, Big Bukey and Bear runs. Bond's creek, Lost, Stuart, Bunnell, Spring, Poplar Lick and Sugar runs, the largest of which are Bond's creek, and Bunnell's run.
Bond's creek rises in the north-western part of the countv and flows a distance of eighteen miles to its confluence with
NATURAL RESOURCES GTl
the river ai Cornwallis, and its main eastern tributary is H usher's run.
Bunnell's run rises to the north of Pennsboro and reaches the river eight miles to the southwest, it being followed by the Lorama railroad.
The Southern branches of the North fork are Gillispie's run, Devil hole creek, Elm, Addis, I'vush and Third runs. Rock Camp, Beeson, Lynn Camp, Cabin and Buck runs.
Gillispie's run has its source near Mellin, on the divitle to the South fork, and is six miles in length, reaching the river below Rusk.
Devil Hole flows from the divide near Cantwell, in a wind- ing channel to beyond Rutherford.
Elm and Addis run follow nearly parallel west courses less than one mile apart, from the divide to the South fork (five miles) to the North fork, four, and two one-half miles, respectively, below Cairo. The other tributaries reach the river in nearly parallel northwest courses with an average length of from four to five miles.
Lynn Camp rises on the divide to the north of Fullmnn, and floAVS three miles in a north-easterly direction, and then turns back to the northwest parallel to the other stream for three miles to the river.
Goose creek has its source near the northern line of the county, at the divide to French creek (of Pleasants county), ( and follov/s a winding channel for twenty-eight miles and empties into the Kanawha river at Freeport, across the Wirt county line. It forms the line between Wood and Ritchie counties for six one-half miles north of its mouth, and the Baltimore and Ohio railroad follows it for six miles — from Volcano to east of Petroleum.
Its important tributaries at the North are: Laurel fork, Oil Spring and Myer's fork (which are ])arallel to the Vol- cano fold). Marietta run. Brushy fork, and Layfield and Douglass runs. Its southern tributaries are: Ellison and Long" runs, and Nutter fork.
Note. — To the West Virginia Geological Survey we are indebted for the principal ])art of the information contained in this chapter. 1die End.
GENERAL INDEX
Subjects Treated
Page.
Adams, William 238
Allenders, Tlie 119
Allender, Jacob 119
Amos, Henry H 320
Amoses, Tlie 321
Armstrong, Robert 223
Armstrong, Alexander 244
Arnold, Roanna 360
Auburn Founded .^)60
Auburn Lodges 565
Austin, P. S 583
Ayreses, The 88
Ayres, Daniel 88
Ayres, Daniel (III) 89
Ayres, John B 90
Ayres, .John 303
Ayres, Daniel 304
Ayres, Barcas 395
Ayres, Jolm; Tlie First Scliool-
teacher 394
Ayers, Micliael A 550
Bane, William T 341
Barr, Alfred 551
Barbe, J M 494
Bartletts, The 27l
Bartlett, Josiah 271
Bartlett, Harrison 271
Bartlett, Elijah 272
Bartlett, James F 272
Batson, 'W. H 577
Bakey., The 353
Bakei, William 352
Bees, The 574
Bee, Asa, Junior 575
Bee, Ezekiel 576
Bee, Josiali 576
Bee, Ephraim 576
Bee, John 577
Bee, Dr. Isaiah 449
Beeson, .Tonas 357
Beeson, .lacob 358
Bealls, The 300
Beall, John, Junior 301
Bear Run Settled 233
Besrinning of Oil I^evelopni' n' s
in Ritchie County 666
Belt 64
Berea becomes a town 573
Bessie, .lonathan 286
Blairs, The 487
Blair, .Tacob Beeson 488
Blair, Isaiah 489
Blair, Robert S 480
Blair, David 488
Blair, Dr. A. C 450
Blackbiirn. Dr 448
Bonds, The 190
Bond, Lewis 190
Bond, The Original Homo of. 191
Bond, Richard Clayton 192
Page.
Bond, Sarah 192
Bond, Margaret 193
Bond, Susana 193
Boehm, William F 53 ".
Boston, Noah £20
Bozarth, Valentine 55
Braden, James 320
Bradford, Morris 521
Brake, James R 577
Bridges 436
Broadwater, .Jefferson 425
Broadwaters, The 4 26
Broadwater, Peter 426
Broadwater. Thomas Jefor on 597
Brown, Charles R 525
Brown, David E 253
Bunnell, Jolm, First Settler in
Ritchie County 23
Burrows, Archibald 421
Burnt House Tragedy 283
Bush, Daniel Snyder 493
Bush, Daniel D 562
Bushes, The 563
Cain, John 330
Cain, Hiram "0 1
Cain, David 63
Cain, Jesse; Settles "Jesse
Cain's Run" 64
Calhoun, Allen 137
Cairo Founded 499
Pairo r'in)rc'''es 50i
Cairo Bank 50:^
Cairo, Physicians 505
Cairo, Lawyers 505
Cairo, Newsnapers 505
Cairo, Lode-PS 5n.f;
Carpenter, William, Senior... 212
Carpenter. Reason 607
Carders, The 611
Carder, .John 611
Carroll^, T'^e 510
Parroll. Sanford Bartlett 5no
Campbell, The 205
Campbell, Robert 205
Campbell. Archibald 206
Campbell. William 206
Camden, tbo late e->'--'^onf to-
J. N 5""
Carver Egbert M 49."?
Phenoweth, Art'nir "'«'•
Chenowetli, .To'^n ''<6 1
Chenoweth, "^'Mliam 6f,^
Chenowetb, .To'in 66."
Cbenoweti\ Robert 665
rhenowetb. Robert tthi"'.... 66r)
Chenoweth, Ar\rpf=t^-y 6*^1
Chancellor.?, The 35
Chancellor, Thomas 35
Church, M. E. Organized 106
674
HISTORY OI' RITCHIE COUNTY
Page.
Church, Harrisville M. E 408
Church, "W^hite Oak M. B 410
Church, Harrisville M. P 410
Church, Baptist Organized... 410 Chdrch, Harrisville Baptist.. 411 Church, Seventh Day Baptist
Organized 413
Charter for Smlthville 54.5
Clayton, Elijah 34S
Clammer, Jacob 548
Clammer--, The 549
Clarke, I.saac 319
Cline, William 50
Cline, Abraham 153
Cline, William, Junior 154
Coal 'i^'i
Cook, John 356
Cookman, Israel 571
Coopers, The 280
Cooper, James Harvey ''78
Cowans, The 380
Cowan, Duke M 380
Cowan, John (of Scotlanl.... 5SN
Cornell, John 59
Countv Officers 431
Court House, The 467
Cornwallis 5M(i
Cornwallis Settled 154
Cochran, Joseph 213
Cokeleys. The 43
Cokely, William 329
Cokeley, Jeremiah 43
Cokeley, Edmund 43
Cokeley, Isaac 43
Cokeley, Anne 44
Cokeley, Andrew 44
Cokeley, Daniel 44
Cokeley, Isaac ' 44
Cokeley, William 45
Collins, ^Nlanly: Settles
Lamb's Run .^8
Collins, Creed 52'?
Collins, Jacob 120
Collins, William 120
Collins, .lacob. Junior 121
Collins, Henry B 121
Collins, John 122
Collins, Nancy 123
Collins, Margaret 123
Collins, Frances 123
Collins, Phebe 123
Collins, The Reverend George. 244
Collins, Isaac 280
County Supe r i n t e n d e n t s.
Names of 401
County Infirmary. The 437
Core. Gen. Andrew S 6 10
Coplin, Dr. Asa 5'^'
Corbins, The 214
Corbin, John W 214
Corbin, Sallie . .• 214
Corbin, Oliver Perry 215
Corbin, Alexander McKra 215
Corbin, George W 215
Corbin, Elizabeth 216
Corbin, Ephatha 216
Corbin, Ada 216
Corbin, Joanna .' 216
Corbin, Paulina 216
Corbin, Josephus' 216
Corbin, Ocran 217
Corbin. Henry 217
Corbin, Garwin 217
Coxes, The 332
Page.
Cox, David 145
Cox, Caleb H 145
Cox, Daniel V 331
Cox, Phillip 332
Cox, Isaac 333
Cox, Phillip 334
Cree, Dr. John, First Physi- cian 442
Cross, Nimrod 366
Cross, John 366
Crummett, Jacob 309
Crummett, Simon P 310
Culp, Ephraim . 319
Cummins, Thomas 64
Cunningham, William 28
Cunningham, Adam 39
Cunningham, Thomas' and Phebe's Adventures with
tlie Indians 65
Cunningshams, The; of Irish
lineage 70
Cunningham, Edward 72
Cunningham, "Injun Joe" ... ^2
Cunningham, Enoch M 73
Cunninghams, The 150
Cunningham, Joseph 150
Cunningham, James Larkin. . 150
Cunningham, John 15i
Cunningham, Edward 204
Cunningham, Elijah 209
Cunningham, Benjamin 282
Cunningham, Joseph 286
Cunningham, Benj. Wilson... 297
Cunningham, William 297
Cunningham, John R 298
Cunningham, Adam 48
Cunningham, Absalom 377
Cunningham, Elijah Morgan. 37
Davises, The 485
Davis, T. E 484
Davis, Lemuel -^58
Davis, Stephen 258
Davis, Zibbie 258
Davis, James 577
Davidson, Samuel 263
Davidson, Israel 267
Davidson, Alexander 49
Dawson, Cyrus 372
Dawson. Samuel R 534
Day, Enoch George, First -
Newspaper Editor 459
Davs, The 461
Day, Thomas 461
Day, John 461
Day, Thoma-i 461
Day, Francis 462
Deacons, The 353
Deane, Mar?:liall .t4«
Development 435
Deemses, The 220
Deem, Adam, Senior 220
Deem, Adam, Junior 220
Deem. Philip 221
Deem, Jacob 222
Deem, James 222
•Deem, Isaac G 222
Deem, John 223
Deem, David 223
Dotsons, The 142
Dotson, Emmanuel 142
Dotson. William 143
Dotson. John 143
Dotson, Thomas J 141
\
INDEX
675
Page.
Dotson, "Aunt Polly" 144
Dotson, Zachariah 144
Dotson, Richard 144
Dotson, Elisha 145
Douglasses, The 173
Douglass, John, Senior 175
Douglass, William, Senior . . . 176
Douglass, .John, .Junior 17S
Douglass, Andrew 178
Douglass, The Name 180
Doughertys, The 268
Dougherty, John 268
Drakes, The 38
Drake, The Reverend John... 296
Drake, James 305
Drake, The Reverend John... 412
Drake, Rev. John 38
Drake, Bible Record of the
Family of Rev. John 39
Drake, James 39
Duty, M K 457
Dyes, The 60
Dye, Dennis 60
Dye, Benjamin 61
Earnest, Eli 507
Earle, John 295
Edgell, Dr. A. I\i 546
Ehret, Jacob 101
Elder, William K 366
Elliotts, The 57
Elliott, Jabez 58
Ellenboro as a town 532
Kllenboro's Early Merchants. 533
Eva Founded 301
Fallen, Michael 519
Farther Development of
Spruce Creek 273
Ferrell, James E 557
First White Men in County.. 1 First School-house in Murphy
District 395
I''irst School Building, at Cairo,
The 502
First Mail Carrier in Murphy
Dis* ict 429
First -Newspaper Founded.... 452
First Tannery, The 466
First School in Union District 395 I'"ir.st Church House, The, in
Murphy District 406
First Church House in Grant
District 412
First Sermon in Clay District. 413
FitzRandolph 259
FitzRandolph, Je~:se 259
FitzRandolph, Asa 259
Flannagan*--, The 612
Flannagan, Samuel 612
Flannagan, Zimri 613
Flannagan, Joseph 613
Flemming, Sanford B 272
Flemmings, The 273
Flesher, Adam 528
Flesher, Ancestry 528
Flesher. Henry 528
lie ^ her, Adam, Senior 5 29
Flesher, Isaac 529
Flesher, William A 552
Flings, The . ., 285
Fling, Henry 284
Fling, Levi ". 285
Fling, Gainer F 285
Page.
Fling, G. W 555
Fling, George 285
Pling, H. H 285
Fonsoville 558
Foster, George 342
Fordham, Henry 504
Fowlers, The 217
Fowler, Henry 218
( I' oot note 507
Fredericks, Th e 423
Frederick, Joseph B 423
Frederick, Philip 281
Frederick, David 281
Frederick, Nicholas H 281
Frederick, Samuel B 282
Frederick, Philip 282
Fronseman, Jacob 259
Freers. The G14
Freer, Josiali Deyo 615
Freer, Romeo H 615
Garners, The 132
Garner, Jolin, Senior 132
Garner, John, Junior 132
Garner, William 133
Garner, Delila 133
Garrison, Jolm A 592
Gillispie, Richard 160
Gills, The 302
Gill, John L 301
Glucks, The 562
Gluck, J. C 561
Glendale 591
Glover, Alexander 87
Glover, Dr. James R 564
Goff, Benjamin 268
Gofr, Alexander 269
Goff, Thomas 269
Goff, Strother 286
Goff Ancestry, The 287
Goff, John T 288
Goff, James 289
Goff, Hannah 289
Goff, Joanna 289
Goff, Tamar 290
Goff, Luda 290
Goff, Alexander 290
Goff, John A 290
Goff, Dorcas 290
Goff. George 291
Goff, Joseph H 291
Goff. Salathiel's Einc 292
Goff, Hiram 292
Goff, John 293
Goff, George G 293
Goff, Elizabeth 293
Goff, Mary 294
Goff, Nancy Ann 293
Goff, E. C 558
Goff's Po«t-Offlco 558
Goldin. Michael .\ . . . 386
Goodwin, Henry 577
Goose Creek 671
Grange, The 503
Gribble, William 256
Griffln, George 233
Grifflns, The 234
Griffin, James S 231
Groveses. The 284
Haddoxcs, The 604
Haddox, Pliillip 605
Haddox, Jonatlian H 605
Haddox, Joseph 606
C7C
HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY
Page.
Haddox, Samuel 606
Haddox, Raleigh 136
Haddox, Harrison B all
Haddox, C. E 623
Halls, The ISl
Hall, Andrew ISl
Hall, Isabel 181
Hall, Marv 181
Hall, John ISl
Hall, Lemuel 246
Hall, Elisha M 247
Hall, Lawson 247
Halls, The 199
Hall, Samuel 199
Hall, John 199
Hall, Samuel G 199
Hall, Asby Hunter S-Sl
Hall, John 475
Hall, William 112
Hall, Judge Cyrus 114
Hall, Syelus 363
Halls, The 364
Hall, Dr Moses S 446
Hall, John S.; the poet 636
Hall; Origin of Xame ' . 653
Halls, The (of Harrisville) ... 475
Hallams, T:ie 609
Hallam, Michael 609
Hallam, John B. 60;J
Hallam, Isaac Simmons 610
Hamilton, Caleb T 218
Hammer, Jacob 308
• Harrises, The 33
Harris, John 33
Harris, James 33
Harris, Gen. Thoma.s Maley. . 442
Harris, John 283
Harris, Adam 319
Harris, John 100
Harris; Origin of >vame 655
Harri.-, John 319
Harris, John P 33
Harris, Thomas 34
Harrisville 463
Harrisville Post Office, The.. 467 Harrisville Churches, The . . . 467
Harrrisville School 468
Harrisville Incorporated 470
Harrisville of To-day, The... 471
Hardmans, The '50
Hardman, James 50
Hardman, George Washington 298
Hardman, A. P 92
Hardman, James .S 93
Hardman, Benjamin 51
Hardman, The Ancestral His- tory 52
Hardman. George W 53
Hardman, Thomas 274
Hardman, Nancy 54
Hardman, Thomas 54
Hardman, Thomas C 564
Hartmanns, The 556
Hartmann, Dr. J. F 555
Hartmann. James T 556
Hatfield, Jacob 508
Hatfield, Samuel 508
Hatfield, Charles E 559
Hawkins, Josiah L 355
Hawkins, Henry 355
Hawkins, .John 356
Haymonds, The 125
Haymond. Family Record.... 128 Raymond, Thomas 129
Page.
Haymond, Daniel 123
Haymond, William C 125
Haymond, William 126
Haymond, John's Will 130
Hayden, Henry 245
Hayden, Isaac 245
Haydens, The 245
Hayden, Thomas 246
Hayhurst, Jacob 342
Hayliurst, Leman H 343
Heatons, The 30
Heaton, John, Senior 3i
Heaton, John, Junior 31
Heaton, Eli 3i
Helmick, Philip 141
Hess, Archibald 376
Hill, John 295
Highland 589
Hitchcock, William 213
Hoffs, The 251
Hoff, John 249
Hoff, Samuel 251
Hoff, Silas Marion 626
Holbrook 584
Holbert, John Solomon 29 7
Hoover, Thomas 307
Hostetters, The 86
Hostetter, John S6
Horner, Benjamin 296
Howard, Dr. George Curtis... 342
Howard, Dr 449
Hudkins, Barton 347
Hulderman, Jolm ijl.)
Hughes River, Discovered and
Named 3
HugheseS, The IS'
Hughes, Jesse 19 '
Hughes, Elias 20'
Hughe^' River and Its Tribu- taries 670
Hughes' River. South Fork of 670
Hughes' River, North Fork of 670
Hushers, The Coming of 18S
Husher, George 188
Hu.sher, Elijah 189
Husher, Mary 189
Husher, Kathrine 189
Husher, Elizabeth 189
Husher, Jacob 190
Husher, Annie B 190
Husher, Nancy 190
Husher, Selina 190
Huslier, George 24
Hyman, Samuel 87
Indian Creek Discovered 4
Incident Which Gave Indian
Creek Name (footnote, p. 4). 4
Interesting Reminiscence, An. 311
Irish Families 386
Ireland, Fmery I (ii'^
Ireland, Thomas 225 '
Ireland, Alexander 103 -^
Ireland, Ancestral Line. The. 104
Jackson, Henry S3
Jacksons, The; Ancestral His- tory 84
Jackson, .John 84
Jackson, George 84
Jackson, Edward 85
Jackson, Henry, Senior 85
.Jackson, "Mudwall" (foot- note) 443
INDEX
677
Page.
Jack and Robinson 193
Jett, John 257
Jett, Wesley 257
Jetts, The 257
Johnson, Michael 210
Johnson, Andrew 211
Jones, Amos 309
Jones, Dr. L. H 577
Jones, Dr. Isaac 593
Kelley, Ezekiel 25S
Kelley, James 5S6
Kendall, Marcellus Allan 623
Kendall, Ransom 322
Kendalls, The 324
Kendall, James .326
Kendall, Jeremiah 326
Kendall, Old Record 327
Kerclieval, Robert 482
Kerchevals, The 482
Kercheval, Samuel 482
King- Knob Settled 607
Kirkpatrick 345
Kirkpatrick, Ichabod 345
Kimball, M. P 520
Kinseley, Abraliam 571
Kinseley, Thomas 571
Kniseleys, The 570
Kniseley, Washington 570
Kniseley, Jolm 570
Kniseley, Sarah 571
Kniseley, Julia 571
Kuykendall, Nimrod 329
LacYS, The 203
Lacy, John T 203
Lambert, Isaac 481
Lambert, Josepli 481
Lantzes, The 149
Lantz, .Jacob 149
Lantz, W. H 525
Later Settlers on Indian Creek 308
Later Settlers .-^SO
Lathrope. Dr 4 48
Law, Andrew 242
Law, Thomas 243
Law, ^ sa 244
Law, .james D 244
Law, Asbv 264
Law, William 265
Laws, The 242
Lawson, .lohn 354
Lawsons, The 354
Lawson, Bush rod W 354
Lawson, Dr. J. C 565
Layfleld. Jacob 378
Layfleld, John, Senior 183
Layfleld, William 46
Lee, Mr.--. Edmund 596
Leggett, Enoch B 334
Leggett, John 335
Leggetts, The 335
Leggett, John, Senior 336
Lemon, Grover Cleveland ... 65 i
Lemon, Frederick 384
Lemon, George S 385
Lemons, The 385
Liningers, The 485
Lininger, Col. John C 485
Lininger, John H 486
Lough, Robert, Dutchman
Settled by 369
Lough, John 369
Lough, Nimrod 370
Page.
Lough, Edward D 370
Lough, Pierce 371
Lough, Eleanor 371
Lougli, Nancy 371
Lough, Sarah 371
Lough, Rachel A 371
Lowther, Ale.xander, Senior.. 582
Lowtlier, William 1 34 9
Lowther, Jesse C 154
Lowther, Elias '. 60
Lowthers, The; Origin of
Name 5
Lowther, Robert and Aquilla
Reese 6
Lowther, Col. William 7
Lowtlier, Descendants of Col.
William 10
Lowther, Robert 10
Lowther, Thomas 11
Lowtlier. William 12
Lowther, Jesse 15
Lowther, Elias 17
Lowther, Dr. William R. 104
Lowther, William B 105
Lowther, Elias 105
Lowtiier, William J 105
Lowther Alexander, Junior... 118
Lowther, Archibald 227
Lowther, Jonathan C 258
Lowther, William — of Cairo.. 499
Luzader, Daniel 251
Luzader, Malcolm M 252
Lynch, John 0 381
Lynn Camp Settled 361
Macfarlan and Dutchman,
Malone, James, Senior 55
Malone, John 56
Malone, James, Junior 57
Maley, Lawrence 24
Maley, Thomas 418
Malones, The 55
Mann, Samuel 245
Manear, Samuel 356
Marsh, James 133
Marsh, Eli 133
Marsh, Enoch 134
Marsh, Elias 135
Marsh, Epha 135
Marsh, Elizabetli 135
Marsh, Edith 136
Marsh, Eliza 136
Marsh, Charlotte 136
Marsh, J. Fi-anK fi2!i
Marshes, Tlie 133
Martin, John 205
Martin, James 428
Martin, C. S 466
Martin, Mar-hall 521
Martin, Festus H 521
Martins, The 204
Marshall, Isaiah 141
Ma-son, Daniel 345
Maxwells, The 599
Maxwell, Tliomas fioo
Maxwell, Mrs. Jane Lewis... 60v)
Maxwell, Abner 601
Maxwell, Franklin 601
Maxwell, I-'rances Jane (Low- ther) 601
Maxwell, I^ewi.s, .Junior 602
Maxwell, Abner M 602
:viaxwell, Levi 602
Maxwell, Rufus 602
078
HISTORY or RITCHIE COUNTY
Page.
Maxwell, Lewis 603
Maxwell, Robert 603
Maxwell, Amy 604
Maxwell, Mary 601
Merchant, James 500
Merediths, The 352
Meredith, Job 350
Meredith, William 351
Meservie, Cliarles 522
Mitchell, John W 96
Mitchell, Benjamin Franklin. 97
Mitchell, James 32
Mitcliell; Oi-igin ^.t ;\ani.^.... 661
Mitchell, William T 340
Mill, Buzzard's 274
Mill, Brown's 424
Mill, The Pritchard 420
Mill, Webb's 421
Mill, Frederick's 423
Mills, The McKlnnev 424
Mills, The Broadwater 425
Mills, Sugar Grove 418
Miller, John 549
Miller Flat, The 3S0
Miller, John 249
Moats, George 40
Moats, Peter 40
Moats, Jacob 4l
Moats, Henry 41
Moats, William ., 42
Moats. Christiana 42
Moats, Barbara 42
Moats, Magdalena 42
Moats, Kathrine 42
Moats, Susan 43
Moateses, The •. . 40
Modisette, Augustus 299
Mole Hill 123
Mole Hill 592
Morris, Henry S 341
Morrisons, The 14
Morgan, David (footnote) .... 95
Morgan, Dr 442
Morris, P. W 453
Mover, James 208
Moyer, Peter 309
Murphy.s, The 47
Musgrave, Samuel 519
McCaulev, Dr 449
McCaulev, John 395
MoCollum, Harvey B 508
Mcf^illough, ]\I. S 525
McDougals, The 490
McDougal, William 491
McDougal, John 492
McDougal, Enos Hilery 492
McDougal, Osbourne 493
McGinnis, David Allen 151
McGinnis, Ancestry 152
McGinnis, The Rev. Edmund. 153 McGinnis, Herbert 1' : the bov
poet 64 1
McGinnis, John 613
McGinnis, Benjamin 614
McGregor, Jolin Bo Uer 527
McGregors, The 193
McGregor, John. Senior 193
McGregoT', .Tames 194
McGregor, John 195
McGregor, David 195
McGregor, William 197
McGregor, Thomas 197
McGregor, Jo.seph 198
Page.
McGregor, Alexander 198
McGregor, Jeanette 198
McGregor, Thomas, Senior. . . 198
McKinneys, The 162
McKinney, William 162
McKinney, Frances Piatt .... 183
McKinney, William, Junior... 104
McKinney, John Piatt 166
McKinney, Jacob 166
McKinney, Hannah 167
Marshall, Joseph 167
McKinney, Jane 168
McKinney, David 168
McKinney, Kathrine 169
McKinney, Sarah 169
McKinney, James 169
McKinley, Jonathan 337
McKinney, J. M 607
McNeill, The Reverend M 414
McNeill, AVilliam 416
McNeills, The 415
McWhoiters, The 566
McWl orter, Lyeurgus D 566
McWhorter, Sabinus B 567
McWh orter. Dr. John M 567
McWhorter, Lucullu> V.; the only white man that is a member of an Indian Coun- cil 569
Nay, Daniel 341
Norrises, The 115
Norris, Milton G 115
Norrises, The, of English
Origin 116
Number of Schools in County
and Other Statistics 402
Nutter, Isaac 160
Nutter, Levi 161
Nutter, Jolm 161
Nutter, Thomas 162
Nutter, William 162
Nutter, Thomas 235
Nutter, Christopher N 235
Nutter, Andrew 236
Nutter, Willis 236
Nutter, John 236
Nutter, Okey E 627
Nutters. The, of Holbrook 237
Nutters, The 235
Nutters, The 160
Origon of Name of Cairo, Tlie
Osbournes, The 92
Osbourne, John, Senior 92
O:- bourne; Origin of i\ame an 1 Other Early History cf fam- ily 658
Other Settlers 223
Other Denominations 413
Other Early Physicians 448
Other Cairo Papers 455
Oxford 582
Parks, Nathaniel 21l
Parks, William 261
Parker, John 343
Parker, Washington 344
Patton, William, Senior 480
Patton, W^ M 481
Pattons, The 480
Peirpoint. Zackquill 476
Peirpoint, The Name 476
Peirpoint, Joseph 4 77
\
INDEX
679
Page.
Peirpoint, Newton, Senior . . . 477
Peirpoint, Larkin 477
Peirpoint, Francis Harrison.. 478
Peirpoint, Gen. Francis P. . . . 620
Peirpoints, Tiie 476
Pennsboro as a town 512
Pennsboro Hotels 513
Penisboro School 513
Pennsboro Churches 514
Pennsboro Newspapers 514
Pennsboro Lodges 514
Pennsboro Blaclismiths 515
Pennsboro Physicians 515
Pennsboro Business
Enterprises 516
Pennsboro Banlvs 517
Pennsboro Mayors 517
Pennsboro of To-day, The.... 517
Pennsboro Papers 457
Pettit, Silas 307
Petroleum laid out for a town 5S6
Phillips; Early History of.... 656
Philippses, The 183
Philipps, Benjamin 183
Piatt, .John — Early School- teacher " 395
Plat, John 398
Piatt, Abraham 398
Piatt, William - 399
Piatt, Daniel 399
Piatt, Jacob 399
Piatts. The 397
Pike 59'»
Pioneer Life and Character. ; 390
Post Offices Established 428
Poem, "The Old Homestead"
(by John S. Hall) 6'^S
Poem, "A Lyric of t'^e Hill "
(by Herbert P. McGinnis) . BM
Poem, "Song" >i ' i
Pratt, Thomas P 207
Pratt, James E 207
Pratts, The 207
Prather, Benjamin 101
Price, Gideon 539
Princes, The 90
Prince, John H 90
Prince, Captain William 91
Pritchard, Thomas D 102
Pritchard, Peter 349
Pritchard, Thomas 420
Pribbles, The 158
Pribble, Daniel 158
Pribble, Hugh 158
Prunty, Felix 117
Prunty, Jacob ' 359
Pruntys, The 360
Pullman laid out 57'i
Pullman Mercliants 5S1
Pullmon Lodge, Maccabee-... 5^1
Pyles, The 201
Pyle, William I 201
Randolph, P. F 57;!
Randolph, David 259
Randolph, Experience" 6"o
Rawson, John 21 1
Rexes, The 328
Reitze=i, The 587
Reitz, L. P 58T
Reitz, Thomas 466
Republican. The 459
Rexroads, The 474
Rexroad, Noah 474
Page. Rexroad, Zachariah, Junior... 474
Rexroad, Addison 519
Rexroad, Henry •. . 475
Riddel, Eleven 265
Riddel, John 276
Riddel Ance-ftry 277
Riddel, Benjamin 278
Riddel, Jeremiah 278
Riddel, George M 278
Richardses, The 362
Richards, Isaac 362
Richards, George, Junior .... 362
Richards, Benjamin 362
Richards, Benjamin 362
Richards, William 362
Richards, John 362
Richards, Other Brothers .... 362
Richards, Ellas 363
Richards, James 363
Richards, George, Junior 366
Tragedy of 367
Ritchie Mines, The 382
Rittenhouse, Samuel 395
Ritchie County Organized.... 430
Ritchie Gazette 453
Ritchie Democrat and Beacon
Light, The 454
Ritchie Standard, The 456
Road-making 435
Roberts, William 178
Robinson, Mrs. K\a t.Vcnovveth 497
Robinson, Sherman 497
Rock Camp 365
Rogers, Robert 32
Rogers, Lewis 32
Rogers, John B 296
Rollinses, The 206
Rollins. Moses 206
Ross. Robert 224
Rusk 158
Rutherfords, The 172
Rutherford, Richard 172
Rutherford, Mary 172
Rutherford, Ann 172
Rutherford, Susan 172
Rutlierford, Margaret 172
Rutherford, Isabella 173
Rutherford, Kathrine 173
Rutherford, Jane 173
Rutherford, George 173
Rutherford, Archibald 173
Rutherford 381
Rymer, Dr. Wm. M 449
Rymers, The 450
Sandstone, The Wavnesburvr . . 66"
Scott, Hugli James 526
School System, The 400
Schoolcraft, Aaron 270
Shrador, ITriah 37S
Slirader, David 379
Sliores, John 330
Shai'ps, H. Nowt'in 530
Slinrps, Henry 5;;o
Shnrpnacks, The 184
Sharpnack, Henry 181
SliaT'imack, F'etor 184
Shai'pn;irk, Willinm 185
.Sliarpn;irk, \\'illiain, .lunioi'.. 185
Sharpii.ick, Ilirain 185
Sharpnack, John 186
Sharpnack, Daniel At 5"<'<
Showalter. Henry Clay 494
Shores, John 261
680
\
\
HI STORY or RITCHIE COUNTY
Page.
Silver Run 156
Siinmons, Peter 309
Simmons, John W 379
Slnnetts, The 27
Slnnett, Patrick 27
Sinnett, George 28
Slnnett, Harman 316
Slnnett, The Reverend Jpmes
T 317
Sinnett's Mill Post Office, The. 318
Slnnett, Jacob 305
Slnnett, John 305
Sinnett, Abel 306
Singleton, Gen James, Junior. 483
Sigler, J. R. . .■ 509
Slgler, Phillip Z\9
Sigler, Dr. George Philip 526
Slgler, J. J 455
Skeltons, The 32
Skelton, John G 155
Skelton, Edward 32
Skelton, William 500
Sleeths, The 543
Sleeth, David W 541
Sleeth, David W., Senior 543
Sleeth, Nichola.s 543
Sleeth, The Rev. D. M 586
Sleeth, George W 543
Sleeth, Alexander 543
Sleeth, Mary, A Pretty Little
Romance of 544
Smiths, The 61
Smith, Barnes 61
Smith, Aaron 62
Smith, Levi 262
Smith, Isaac 263
Smith, Joshua 264
Smith, Levi J 545
Smith, Washington 592
Smithville Founded 541
Smitliville Physicians 546'
Smitliville Merc' ants 547
Smithville, Churches 547
Snodgrass, Jeremiah 98
Snodgrass, William 99
Snodgrasses, The 100
Soldiers. Union, in Ihe Civil
^Y&T 614
Soldiers, Confederate, in Civil
War 651
Sommervllle, Robert 240
Sommerville, Martin 248
Sommerville. Franklin 248
Sommerville, John 572
Sommerville, A. B 580
Springstons, The 438
Springston, Jacob, Senior .... 438 Springston, Jacob, Junior .... 438
Springston, Lydia 438
Springston, Abraham 438
Springston, .Joanna 439
Springston, Rebecca 440
Springston, Joseph 440
Springston, John 440
Springston, James 440
Springston, William 440
Stalnakers, The 555
Stanley, Thomas 303
Stephens, Truman 212
Strickler, Jacob P 536
Strlckler, Will A 537
Strickler. Thomas G 538
Strickler, Perrv a 538
Stricklers, The 538
Page.
Stalnaker, Brothers, The 554
Stalnaker, J. K. P 554
Starrs, The 36
Starr, Jolin 36
Starr, Benjamin, Senior 37
Stuarts and Wilkinsons, The. 26
Stuart, William 48
Stuart, William, Junior 296
Stuart, Joseph 26
Stuart, George 26
Summers, Ellas 339
Summers, Elijah 339
Summers, Dr. A. D 580
Summerfield, Thomas 49
Sunday Schools, The 414
Talbott. Dr. W. E 450
Taylors, The 138
Taylor, Edmund 1 3s
Taylor, Lovina 138
Taylor, James 138
Taylor, INIary Ann 139
Taylor, Xancy 139
Taylor, Sarah 139
Taylor, Michael 139
Taylor, Edmund. Junior 139
Taylor, Rachel 110
Taylors, The 147
Taylor, Eli 147
Taylor, Silas J 147
Taylor, John 148
Taylor, John Monroe 148
Taylor, John, Senior 175
Tarleton, Elijah (footnote)... 125
Tharpe, H. B 234
Tharp, Timothy 241
Tharp, Ebenezer 255
Thomas Brotliers, George W.
and Peter 52:;
Tinglers, The 91
Tingler, Henry 91
Tibbses, The 94
Tlbbs, .James 94
Tibbs, Robert 95
Tobacco Industry 437
ToUgate: Origin of Name.... 594
Tremble. Isaac 340
Tucker, Eli B 141
Union, Clay, Murphy and
Grant Formed and Named.. 4 34 Upton, John 356
Valentine, D. H 547
Vandiver, .lerome A 54 r
Vancourt. Daniel 213
Village of Burnt House, The. 553
Wall, William 257
Waldo, Gamaliel 146
Waldo, Hickman 146
Waldo, Bartlett 147
Ward, Martin 248
Walker, Dr 448
Wanle«ses, The 174
Wanless, Richard, Senior .... 174
Wanless, Isabel 175
Wanless, George 175
Wanless, Miss Bittie 175
Wanless, Mrs. Jennie Ander- son 175
Wass. John 98
W^ashington , Tlie Genealog.v
of the 661
IXDEX
6S1
Page.
Wasiiington, Joim 661
Yv'ashington, Lawrence 661
W'ashingion, Augustine 662
Washington, George; The
"Faclier of His Country"... 662
Watsons, The 237
Watson, Otlio 237
Watson, George 23i)
Watson, .John 238
W^atson House, The 464
Watson, Arthur 486
Watson, John 486
Watson, James Willy 487
Watson, Owen 320
Watkins, Eli 303
Weaver, Joseph 318
Webster, John 23
Webb, Nutter 47
Webb, John 306
Webb, Benjamin 422
Weeklys, The 202
Weekly, John 203
Weekly Review I'Viundeil 455
Wells, William 418
Wells, Isaiah 419
Wells, George 155
Wells, Levi 27
Wells, William 30
Westfalls and White.s, The... 74
Westf all, John W 74
Westfall, Joel J 75
White Hall Hotel 164
Wigners, The 59
Wigner, John, Senior 59
Wigner, John. .Junior, at El-
"VS^i^ner, .Jacob. Senior 210
Wigner, Henry 210
William White, The Grand- mother's Story of 77
Williamson, Bazil 532
Wilkinson, Josepli 26
Wilkinson. AsliaViel 27
Willard, Mrs. Sudna Lowther. 228
Willards, The 229
Wilsons, The 106
Wilson, John 57
Wilson, Archibald 106
Wilson, John 107
"Wil.^on, Ancestry 107
Wilson, John 1 OS
Wilson, Benjamin 108
Wilson, Record of the Family
of Col. Ben Ill
lenboro 209
Wilson, Thomas Smallwood.. 321
Wilson, John M 322
Wilson. Jo?icpli 338
Wilson, Joseph M 316
Page.
Wilson, Joseph, Junior 310
WiLson, William 374
A^'ilson, William, Senior 375
WiLson, Beckett 375
Wilson, Eli 375
Wil.son, Benjamin L 376
Wilson, H S 386
Wilson, Leroy P. (Dump).... 523
Wilson, John Mar;liall 524
Wilson, B. W 527
Wilson. Joseph 545
Wilson, H. N 553
Willises. The 595
Willis, Xotley, Senior 594
Willis, Xotley G 595
Willis, ]''rancis 595
Willis, William 596
Willis, Judge :M. H 622
Wolfe, Peter 55
Wolfe, Jacob 301
Wolverton 155
Woodses, The 4 79
Woods, Phillip Axtel 480
Woods, James 479
Woman's Christian Temper- ance Union, The 496
Wooddell, J. A 530
Wooddell, Jolin Stewart 53i
Woods, Judge Homer 1! 621
Woofters, The 254
Woofter, Andrew 254
Wiights, The 266
Wright Brothers, The 265
Wright, James '^65
Wright, Dr. Harrison 266
Wyer, Cornelius 262
Yateses, The 300
Yates, James Alexander 299
Yates, William 300
Young, Andrew 182
i'ounges. The 182
Zeveley Paper, The 459
Zickafoose, Sampson 310
Zinns, The 229
Zinn, John 230
Zinn, J. Weslev 230
Zinn, Q. Manly 230
Zinn, George 231
Zinn, Samuel 231
Zinn, Racliel 231
Zinn. Narcissus 232
Zinn, Delila 232
Zinn, Elizabeth 232
Zinn, Preston 232
Zinn. Granville 233
Zinn. Preston 102
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