Berkeley County, West Virginia Biography of CHARLES ROUSH 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. 395-396 CHARLES ROUSH, who owns and occupies one of the at- tractive homes of his native City of Martinsburg, Berke- ley County, and who is the owner of valuable farm property in this county, has the distinction of having been a gallant young soldier of the Confederacy in the war between the states. He was born at Martinsburg on the 8th of Decem- ber, 1838, and on the same farm, now partly included in Martinsbnrg, his father, George Roush, was born, the lat- ter's father, Conrad Roush, having been born on the same old homestead in 1789. Nicholas Roush, father of Conrad, was born in Germany, where the family name was spelled Rausch, and, so far as known, he was the only representa- tive of the family to come to America. He became one of the pioneers of what is now Berkeley County, West Vir- ginia, where he was one of the thirty persons to purchase the first lots in the townsite of Martinsburg. This lot which he thus acquired from General Stephen, was on the east side of Raleigh Street, at the corner of West King Street. He purchased also a large tract of land on the west side of Raleigh Street and on both sides of King Street. He erected his house on the corner lot mentioned, and there he resided until his death. The maiden name of his wife was Dorothy Reinfeld. Conrad Roush learned the hatter's trade, and thereafter became a successful hat manufacturer at Martinsburg, where he continued to be thus engaged until his death. He married Sarah Randall, who was born in Frederick County, Virginia, a daughter of John and Re- becca (Mercer) Randall. John Randall was born in Fred- erick County, Virginia, and thence went forth as a patriot soldier in the Revolution. His wife was a daughter of Ed- ward Mercer, whose will was one of the first recorded in what is now Berkeley County, West Virginia- George Roush was reared on the ancestral farm which was the place of his birth, and was one of the prosperous young farmers of the county at the time of his death, when but twenty-four years of age. He married Margaret Walters, who was born in Berkeley County, in 1816, a daughter of John and Catherine (Painter) Walters, her fa- ther having had a large farm on Dry Run, as did also the father of Mrs. Catherine Walters. Mrs. Roush survived her husband many years and was seventy-four years of age at death. Her two children were Charles and George. The early educational advantages of Charles Roush in- cluded those of a well conducted academy at Martinsburg, and he was actively identified with farm enterprise when the war began. He promptly manifested his loyalty to the Confederate cause by enlisting in Company B, First Vir- ginia Cavalry, and with this gallant command he took part in many engagements, including the battle of Bull Run. At the battle of Winchester he was wounded, September 28, 1864, but he was not long incapacitated and was with his regiment at Appomattox at the time of the final sur- render. He was also wounded at Cannons Landing. His interest in his old comrades has been vitalized by his affilia- tion with the United Confederate Veterans. After the war he resumed his activities on the old home farm, which he and his only brother inherited and which they eventually sold to a syndicate that improved the property as an ad- dition to Martinsburg, many houses and business buildings being now on the tract. Later Mr. Roush repurchased a part of the land, and erected his present commodious and attractive brick house, which is on an elevation on West King Street, and which commands an excellent view of Mar- tinsburg and the neighboring mountains. Mr. Roush still manages his farm property in the county. March 17, 1874, recorded the marriage of Mr. Roush and Margaret Virginia Seibert, who was born on a farm on Tuscarora Creek, four miles west of Martinsburg, in the year 1852. Her father, William T. Seibert, was born in 1815 near Lebanon, Pennsylvania, as was also his father, Michael, who came with his family to what is now Berke- ley County, West Virginia, in the pioneer days, much of the distance having been covered on horseback through a virtually trackless wilderness. Michael Seibert obtained a rather large tract of wild land on Tuscarora Creek, and with slave labor he improved one of the excellent farms of the county. Here he died at the age of eighty years, and his widow, whose maiden name was Mary Tice, died at the age of eighty-seven. They reared three children, Will- iam, Henry and Mary, the last mentioned having become the wife of Henry Small. William T. Seibert as a young man was given land by his father, who built for him a substan- tial stone house. He continued his successful activities as a farmer and slaveholder until his death in 1852, aged thirty-seven years. He married Margaret Fryett, who was born in Frederick County, Virginia, a daughter of James and Margaret Fryette, her father having been a farmer near Winchester. The young widow of William T. Seibert eventually became the wife of W. T. Hout, and they passed the remainder of their lives at Martinsburg. Of the second marriage were born two children, Rosa Amelia and William S. Mrs. Roush was the only child of the first marriage, and she inherited and still retains the old homestead farm of her paternal grandparents. Brief record is here given concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Roush: Howard Seibert met an accidental death when thirty years of age. George Conrad first married Annie W. Magalis, who is sur- vived by two sons, Clement and Howard. For his second wife George C. Roush married Jane Jenkins. Edgar continues his residence in Berkeley County. Miss Margaret remains at the parental home. George Andrew married Ruth DeHaven, and they have one son, Vernon Lee. Mr. Roush is a director of the Merchants & Farmers Bank at Martinsburg. His wife is a charter member of the local Young Women's Christian Association, besides be- ing a member of the Epworth League and the Ladies Ail Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, of which all of the family are members, and she is a director of the King's Daughters Hospital and is vice president of the local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.