Barbour County, West Virginia Biography of Everett A. HUNT ************************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: Material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. These pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor. Submitted by Valerie Crook, , March 2000 ************************************************************************** The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 351 EVERETT A. HUNT. Teaching his first school at the age of twenty, his early success led Everett A. Hunt to realize that he had found that vocation in which he could do the most good in the world, and his career since then has been one of steadily increasing service in what is perhaps the greatest of all callings. He is serving his second term as county superintendent of schools of Barbour County. Mr. Hunt was born March 17, 1878, in Barker District, between Belington and Philippi. His father, John F. Hunt, was born in Pennsylvania, and early in the Civil war period came to West Virginia and joined the Union Army at Grafton as a volunteer. He was with Company H of the Sixth West Virginia Infantry, and was in service through- out the remainder of the war. He was once or twice cap- tured, but escaped each time and was never wounded. For a number of years he was deeply interested in the work of the Grand Army of the Republic. His life after the war was devoted to farming and teaching school. While his early advantages were not above those afforded by the common schools, he proved a very good and effective teacher. He died in 1897, at the age of seventy-five. John F. Hunt married Phebe Minear, who died in 1917. Her father, Adam Minear, was a veteran of the War of 1812, was an early settler in Iowa, and from that state came to West Virginia and spent the remainder of his life as a farmer. The five children of John F. Hunt and wife were: Charlotte, now Mrs. Francis Matillo, of Oil City, Pennsylvania; Dora B., deceased wife of Michael Guye; Everett Answorth; Clinton D., a lumberman in Tennessee; and Ella, deceased wife of Hickman Wright. Everett A. Hunt grew up on the farm where he was born, received a primary education in the country schools, and attended several summer normals. His first school as a teacher was the Montrose School in Randolph County. For several years he alternated between teaching and at- tending school In 1906 he graduated from the Fairmont State Normal School, and subsequently pursued special courses in education and kindred subjects in the University of West Virginia at Morgantown. He did his last work as a student at the State University in 1910. Mr. Hunt was for three years principal of the Second Ward School of Fairmont, this now being known as the Miller School. On leaving that city he was chosen prin- cipal of the schools of Watson, West Virginia, where he remained three years, for one year was connected with the schools at Elkins, and then, returning to Barbour County, was principal of the grammar school at Belington for four years. Mr. Hunt has his home at Belington, and while still principal of the school there he entered the race as can- didate for the nomination of county superintendent of schools. He won the nomination in the primaries by a vote of three to one, and on the republican ticket was elected in the fall of 1914 over his democratic opponent by a good majority. He entered upon his official duty in July, 1915, as successor of C. O. Marsh. In 1918 he re- ceived the nomination without opposition in his own party and was elected at the general election by a majority of 500. His administration of the county schools during the past eight years has struck a high mark in educational im- provement. He has used his influence to secure better school architecture, modern heating and ventilating sys- tems, the installation of sanitary chemical closets, has organized and systematized reading circles in every dis- trict, has established the school system on a sound financial basis, and has organized in different parts of the coun- ty the "Four-H" (head, hand, heart and health) clubs. As a co-ordinate factor in the improvement of school stand- ards and the improvement of rural life in general he has organized parents-teachers associations and civic clubs. During the World war Mr. Hunt was county food ad- ministrator. He helped organize the Federal Land Bank for the farmers of Barbour County, and is a director and one of the appraisers in the institution, which has been instrumental in distributing about $75,000 on long time loans among the farmers. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Rebekahs, the Modern Woodmen of America, is a member of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church, has been superintendent of the Sunday school at Belington, and is teacher-training super- intendent in the county Sunday school organization. In Randolph County, December 13, 1900, Mr. Hunt mar- ried Miss Bertha L. Bennett, who was born in Barbour County in January, 1882, oldest of the two daughters and five sons of Richard M. and Catherine (Wright) Bennett. Her mother was a daughter of William Wright. Mrs. Hunt, who finished her education in the public schools, is the mother of six children: Gertrude Theresa, wife of Melville Golden, of Belington; Ophelia Belle, Mrs. Warren Phillips, of Belington; while the younger children, still in the home circle, are named Alston Everett, Venola Marguerite, Circe Eurydicie and Theodore Adonis.