Braxton County, West Virginia Biography of John BYRNE This file 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. 285 JOHN BYRNE. The most prominent, successful and ca- pable men are not always those who started out in life with the ambition to achieve something especially great or famous, but almost invariably are found to be individuals who at the outset placed a proper valuation upon indus- try, integrity and determination. Possessing these quali- ties as a capital, John Byrne, of Sutton, entered upon his business career, and during the course of many years rose to a position of independence and prominence in his local- ity, where he is now living retired. For him the path to success was not an easy one, for his youthful advantages were limited and his earlier years were ones crowded with labor, but these facts made his success all the more wel- come and gratifying when it had been achieved. Mr. Byrne was born at Sutton, February 9, 1848, a son of John P. and Sabina C. (Sterrett) Byrne. He traces his ancestry back to George Byrne, a native of Wicklow, Ireland, who immigrated to America in the year 1720 and settled near what is now the City of Washington, D. C. He was the father of Samuel B. Byrne, whose son, Peyton Byrne, was the first of the family to migrate westward, lo- cating in what is now Preston County, West Virginia, in 1794. He was the father of John B. Byrne, whose son, John P. Byrne, was the father of John Byrne. John P. Byrne was born in Lewis County, West Virginia, July 6, 1817, and acquired his education in a private school. Dur- ing the greater part of his life he applied himself to agri- cultural pursuits, but was also prominent in public and political affairs and was a leader of the whig party. When Braxton County was organized, in 1836, he was made a deputy sheriff under the first sheriff of the newly-organized county, and later in life became county clerk, a position which he held for eighteen years and which he was occu- pying at the time of his death, February 2, 1860, when he was but forty-three years of age. He first married Sabina C. Sterrett, who was born in Missouri, in 1830, and died August 29, 1853, in the faith of the Presbyterian Church. They became the parents of three children, of whom John Bryne is the only survivor. In 1854 John P. Byrne took as his second wife Jane Hamilton. John Byrne was but five years of age when his mother died, and his youthful education was somewhat neglected, although in later years he gained much practical knowl- edge through reading, experience and observation, and became a man of good education. When he was twelve years of age his father died, and he went to live at the home of his grandmother, Mrs. Sterrett, with whom he remained until reaching the age of seventeen years, when he began to be self-supporting. For some years he worked as clerk in a store and saved his money carefully, so that in 1871 he became a proprietor on his own account through the purchase of a modest stock of goods. This business he gradually built up from small proportions to become a nourishing and successful enterprise, and continued as its head until his retirement in 1916. Mr. Byrne gained suc- cess solely through his own efforts, aided by a reputation for fair and honorable dealing that has always been well- merited. During his career he has also interested himself to some extent in farming, and in this field, as in the other, hard work and intelligent management served as the me- dia through which prosperity was gained. Like his father, Mr. Byrne has been active and influential in public and political life. For several years he was one of the leaders of the democratic party, and served as chairman of the Braxton County Democratic Committee. In 1876 he was elected sheriff of Braxton County, and acted in that capacity for a period of four years, giving the people an excellent administration. Mr. Byrne was united in marriage with Miss Frances C. Squires, who was born near Sutton, October 17, 1858, a daughter of Norman B. Squires, a native of Braxton County, who died of wounds received during the Civil war while serving in the Federal Army. Mrs. Byrne is a faith- ful member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Sutton. She is the owner of farming land in Braxton County. To Mr. and Mrs. Byrne there have been born fourteen chil- dren, of whom ten are living: Sabina C., the widow of Joel S. Berry; Norman, of Nicholas County, this state; Ella, the wife of Dr. M. T. Morrison; John P., a farmer near Sutton; Charles M., printer of the Braxton Central newspaper; Robert E. and Ethel, at home; George C., a traveling salesman; Mary A., the wife of John Newlon, of Sutton; and Clarence, a resident of Sebring, Ohio.