Barbour County, West Virginia Biography of James E. AUVIL This biography was submitted by Valerie Crook, E-mail address: The submitter does not have a connection to the subject of this sketch. This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. All other rights reserved. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the WVGenWeb Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://www.usgwarchives.net/wv/wvfiles.htm The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 302 Barbour JAMES E. AUVIL. With the sun of life still high and the vigor of mind and body undimmed, James E. Auvil has acquired a good competency through the many years of well bestowed labor and enjoys the comforts of a modern town home in the City of Philippi. His active years were devoted to his farm in Barbour County, and he is still one of the rural property owners in that section. He represents a family that has been in Barbour County since prior to the Civil war. His grandfather, Daniel Auvil, a native of Germany, came to the United States when a young man and lived in Southern Pennsylvania, following farming. He was twice married, had children by both unions, and all his sons became identified with agriculture, while his daughters married farmers. Elias Auvil, a son of his second marriage, was the founder of the family in West Virginia. He came from Pennsyl- vania when a young man and established himself near Val- ley Furnace in Barbour County. He was a farmer, for some years was a merchant at Valley Furnace, and he lived in that community until his death in December, 1892, when about sixty-eight years of age. He was a minister as well as business man and farmer, and for many years did much to sustain the Brethren Church in his community. His only participation in politics was to vote the democratic ticket. Elias Auvil married Mary Hershman in Preston County. She was a daughter of James Hershman and died in May, 1892. Their children were: George W., a farmer in Bar- bour County, who died near Valley Furnace, leaving several children: Andrew J., a retired farmer at Tracy; Mar- garet, now living at Parsons, West Virginia, widow of William Shaffer, who died at Valley Furnace, where he was a farmer; Martha J., who died near Valley Furnace, wife of D. J. Howdershelt; and James Elias. James Elias Auvil was born near Valley Furnace in Bar- bour County, June 21, 1861. He attended the common schools, but even while in school had some share of the work on the farm. After reaching his majority he located on a farm in the same community, and he still owns a farm on the west side of the Tygart Valley River. His chief farming industry is grazing, and he made his best profits from handling and dealing in cattle and sheep. He gave many years of labor and intelligent management to the development of the old home place, and sold it in the spring of 1921 and moved to Philippi, where he purchased the property of E. H. Compton. That is now the home of his retired years. During the many years he spent in rural districts he was a member of the German Baptist or Brethren Church, and took an intelligent interest in every matter affecting the locality. Mr. Auvil cast his first presidential vote for Grover Cleveland in 1884, but has not taken politics seriously. December 3, 1883, at Valley Furnace, he married Miss Florence Belle Campbell, who was born in that community August 5, 1864, and was educated in the public schools there. She is a daughter of George E. and Elizabeth (Bryan) Campbell. Her father, who was born in Mary- land, was educated in Baltimore, where for a time he was in business, and prior to the Civil war came to West Vir- ginia and established a store near Nestorville in Barbour County. He was a merchant for several years and then took up farming. He is now living at Clarksburg, enjoy- ing good health at the great age of ninety-eight. He was born in 1824. His father, George Campbell, was of Scotch ancestry, and came to the United States from England and for many years lived at Baltimore, where he was connected with the shipping and coast traffic. When he retired he joined his son in West Virginia, and died near Valley Fur- nace. Elizabeth Bryan, wife of George E. Campbell, was a daughter of William Bryan, and she died in 1913, at the age of eighty-four. She was a member of the Methodist Protestant Church, was reared and educated in Petersburg, Virginia, and made use of her education to help in Sunday School work and also to provide her children with instruc- tion while they were in school. The children of George E. Campbell and wife were: George, who was a farmer and physician near Kasson, Barbour County, where he died leaving two children; Bedford Campbell, a merchant at Philippi; Albert, a dairyman at Bainbridge, New York; Mrs. Auvil; Laura, wife of Alex Nestor, of Preston County; Littlewood W., of Clarksburg; and Rosa, wife of Albert Shaffer, of Simpson, West Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Auvil have seen their children grow up, receive their education and become established in homes of their own, and there are several grandchildren to call them grandparents. Their oldest child, James Britton, foreman of a pipeline company in Texas, is married and has three children, Virgil, Elva and Ray. Rose is the wife of Dorsey W. Cole, a farmer on Pleasant Creek in Barbour County, and they have a daughter, Olive Belle. Olive Myrtle, the second daughter, is a graduate of the West Liberty Normal School of West Virginia and a popular teacher. The young- est child, Anna Laura, is the wife of Loren Cornwell, of Preston County, and has a daughter, Marguerite Fay.