John E. Newell Biography Hancock County, WV ********************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ********************************************************************** Submitted by Valerie F. Crook The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 245 Hancock County JOHN E. NEWELL. It would be impossible to deal prop- erly with the men of Hancock County whose names stand out conspicuously in the banking interests of the county, ami who through inherent characteristics and achievements have contributed to the upbuilding and development of the community of Chester without paying special attention to John E. Newell, president of the First National Bank of Chester and of the Hancock County Building and Loan Company, for it is one that compels more than passing mention. For a number of years he has been prominently identified with financial, industrial and agricultural mat- ters, and such has been his force of character and natural inclinations that he has attained prominence, not only as a thorough business man, but as manager of large affairs, in which he has displayed marked executive ability. Mr. Newell was born in Tomlinson's Run, near Pugh- town, Hancock County, where his grandfather, John Newell, ran a mill, December 22, 1861, and is a son of Hugh Newell. John Newell, the grandfather, was a son of Hugh Newell, who built the old fort on his farm, and was him- self the original settler of this section, from Cross Creek, Washington County, Pennsylvania. John Newell was a tanner by trade, and at the age of twenty-one years came to Pughtown, where he operated a tannery in the village, his son Hugh being born here in 1827. Hugh as a lad assisted his father in operating a grist mill, which was later sold, John Newell then building a mill further down, known later as the Baxter or Hartford mill. This he also sold to settle on a farm at Newell, a nice level property on the "hill," a part of which is now owned by the Vil- lage of Newell. There he resided from about 1837 until his death, at the age of eighty-six years, in 1884, being laid to rest at Fairview Plats, Pughtown. His first wife was a Miss Elder, who died without issue. His second wife was Lydia Edie, of Hancock County, who was the mother of Hugh Newell. His third wife was a widow, Mrs. Jo- hanna (Hastings) Frazier, who survived him. They had no children, but Mrs. Frazier had two sons who served in the Confederate army during the war between the states, while Mr. Newell had two sons serving in the Union army at the same time. The children born to John and Lydia (Edie) Newell were as follows: Hugh, the father of John E.; Elizabeth, who married Alfred Marks and died in Han- cock County; William, who was in the United States army and later went to California as a freighter on the plains, and died in the West; Rachael, who married George S. Harker, a pioneer pottery man, and died at East Liver- pool, Ohio; George, who went to Colorado after his parents' death and died there; Benjamin, who lived on the old home farm and for whom the Village of Newell was named; and Rev. James, who served as a lieutenant in the Union army during the Civil war, after which he became a minis- ter of the Presbyterian Church, preached locally for a time, then served in California, where he became pastor emeritus of Bethesda Church at Los Angeles, Washington and Jefferson College and Allegheny Seminary. Hugh Newell, the father of John E. Newell, conducted a mill until coming to Chester with his wife's brother, Alfred Marks, with whom he was in partnership for several years. Later he bought land on Marks' Run, a property of about 500 acres, on which he lived from 1871 until his death in 1903, breeding sheep and clearing up a good deal of land. This old farm, the present residence of his son John E., whose home is but a short distance from that of his brother Samuel, at the old residence, lies about one- half mile back from the Ohio River, up Marks' Run. Hugh's residence was about one mile from the bank at Chester. Hugh Newell was active in securing the building of a bridge across the Ohio River to East Liverpool, served as school trustee, acted as roadmaster and was one of the organizers and the first president of the Hancock County Building and Loan Company. His wife was Alizan Marks, daughter of Samuel and Mary (Ferree) Marks. Her maternal grandfather Ferree, of French origin, was a manufacturer of guns at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and on moving to Coryopolis, then old Middletown, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, was said to have manufactured the first rifles to be made west of the mountains, these being tested by his daughter Mary, according to her personal statement some years ago to her grandson, John E. Newell. Samuel and Mary (Ferree) Marks came to Hancock County about 1818, and their old stone house is still standing, it having been built when their daughter Alizan was about thirteen years of age. Samuel Marks had a 100-acre tract of land, patented by President Washington, including what is now the upper end of Chester. A son, Alfred, suc- ceeded to the ownership, and his old farm is now covered by the Potteries Park, etc., including the old stone house. Alizan Newell, who was born on this farm, in the same year as her husband, died five years later. Her brothel- Alfred, who passed almost his entire life in the old stone house referred to, died as the result of an accident. Mr. and Mrs. Newell were faithful members of the Presby- terian Church. He was a Union man, an honorable citizen, and a man who was greatly respected in his community. He and his wife had five children: Mary, the widow of Dr. Hamlin Barnes, of Cleveland, Ohio; John E.; Anna, the wife of S. W. Root, of Los Angeles, California; Frank, the owner of a fruit ranch at Bakersfield, California; and Samuel, residing on the old home place as a partner of his brother John E. John E. Newell received a public school education and as a youth adopted the vocation of farmer, one which he has never relinquished, although numerous other interests have also attracted his attention. In partnership with his brother Samuel he is the owner of 450 acres of land, on which he is carrying on dairying with a herd of Holstein cattle, supplying milk by wholesale. He has also met with success as a fruit grower, raising apples and peaches, with twenty-five acres in fruit, mostly set on the higher land. A few miles inside the "horseshoe," partly surrounded by the Ohio River, constitutes what is recognized as one of the best fruit-growing sections in this part of the United States. The hills are some 500 feet above the river and are comparatively free from frost injury, and even in 1921, a notoriously bad year for fruit, a good apple crop was harvested here. Mr. Newell is president of the National Bank of Chester, having succeeded the first president, Judge Campbell. He is also president of the Hancock County Building and Loan Company. As a public-spirited citizen he has accepted the responsibilities of public life, and as the regular party nominee was sent to the State Legislature for the session of 1902-1903, during Governor White's term of office. He has since served as county commissioner, the county jail and residence of the sheriff being erected during his term of office, and during the World war he was chairman of the Hancock County Draft Board. With his family he belongs to the Presbyterian Church at Chester, in which he is president of the board of trustees. Mr. Newell married Miss Minnie Rose, of Chester, daugh- ter of Samuel F. and Martha (Pugh) Rose, Mr. Rose hav- ing been an early merchant of Chester, now deceased. Mrs. Rose was a daughter of John Pugh, of the family who settled Pughtown, the old county seat of Hancock County. The five children of Mr. and Mrs. Newell all reside with their parents, being: Helen R., a teacher at Chester; Martha M., a teacher at Newell; Frances E., a teacher in the high school at Newell; Rachael E., a student in the West Virginia University, from which she will graduate as a member of the class of 1924; and John Roscoe, who is attending the high school at Chester.