Gilmer County, West Virginia    Biography of John R. GARRETT

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Submitted by Valerie Crook, <vfcrook@trellis.net>, April 1999
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The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., 
Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 66

JOHN R. GARRETT. After a career of successful achieve-
ment as a representative of farm enterprise in Gilmer
County Mr. Garrett is now living retired in the Village of
San Fork, this county. His high place in popular esteem
is shown by the fact that he has served as sheriff of the
county and also as a member of the County Court.

Mr. Garrett was born in Virginia, in October, 1845, and
was about four years of age when his parents came to what
is now Gilmer County, West Virginia, where they settled on
a farm in 1849. The father here passed the remainder of
his life, and the mother was a resident of Upshur County
at the time of her death. He whose name initiates this
review is a son of Isaac and Sarah (Burgess) Garrett, and
the respective families were founded in Virginia many
generations ago. Stephen Garrett, a member of the family
of which John R. is a representative, was a gallant soldier
of the patriot forces in the War of the Revolution, and
Isaac Garrett was a soldier in the War of 1812. Isaac
Garrett and his wife were earnest members of the Baptist
Church, and in politics he was a stanch democrat. Of their
six children the subject of this sketch is the youngest, and
he is now the only one surviving.

John R. Garrett was reared on the pioneer farm in Gilmer
County and gained his early education in the old-time
subscription schools. He continued a member of the family
circle at the parental home until the time of his marriage,
in the autumn of 1865, and thereafter he was actively en-
gaged in lumbering operations in this section of the state
for the long period of twenty-two years, besides which he
has been concerned also with farm industry, in connection
with which he gained substantial success. In 1898 Mr.
Garrett was appointed deputy sheriff of Gilmer County,
under Sheriff Jacob Moore, and after serving in this ca-
pacity six years there came a consistent recognition of his
efficiency, in that in 1904 he was elected sheriff. He gave
a vigorous administration and retired from office at the
close of the year 1908. In 1912 he was again elected sheriff,
and his second term was completed in 1917, since which year
he has lived virtually retired. Prior to his first election
to the office of sheriff he had served six years as a member
of the County Court and six years as a member of the
Board of Education at Glenville. Mr. Garrett is a stock-
holder in the Kanawha Union Bank at Glenville, and served
as a director of the same for two years. He is still the
owner of valuable farm property and other real estate in
Gilmer County. His political allegiance is given to the
democratic party and he is an active member of the Baptist
Church. The supreme bereavement in his life came when
his loved and devoted companion of years was summoned to
eternal rest on the 13th of March, 1920.

On the 21st of September, 1865, was solemnized the mar-
riage of Mr. Garrett and Miss Drusilla Stout, who was born
and reared at Stout's Mills, Gilmer County, and of the
seven children of this union five survive the devoted mother:
Horace is a farmer and merchant of Gilmer County; John
and Homer are successful farmers of this county, as is also
Grover, who likewise conducts a general store in the Village
of Gilmer, and Lovie is the wife of W. D. Keith, of San
Fork, this county.