BIOGRAPHY OF JAMES NOAH HESS, HARRISON COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA ******************************************************************* 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 Crook (vfcrook@earthlink.net) The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc. Chicago and New York, Volume 111 Pg. 366 & 367 James Noah Hess has had an active part in the banking interests of Clarksburg for the past twenty years, being assistant cashier of the Empire National Bank, one of the leading banks not only of that city but of the State of West Virginia. He is a member of one of the very oldest families in this section of West Virginia, his ancestors having been obliged to protect their homes in this wilderness against the Indians. The original aancestor of this branch of the Hess family was Balsar Hess (sometimes spelled Balthaser) a Hollander, who came over on the ship Neptune from Rotterdam in 1751, landing at Philadelphia September 24, 1751, and afterward settled in Winchester District of old Virginia, and from there came to Scotts Mill Run, Monongalia County, West Virginia, and everything here was a typically frontier character. For the greater part the Hesses have been farmers, have been members of the Methodist Church, and in politics of the last two or three generations, republicans. The children of Balsar Hess, the original settler, were James, who moved to Indiana, Charles who settled at the mouth of Deats Creek, near the Village of Granville, Monongalia county, West Virginia, and Jeremiah Hess, who was born in Winchester District of Virginia, November 20, 1779, and died near Tevervaugh, Marion County, April 20, 1855. He married Elizabeth Henry, daughter of Aaron Henry, who about 1785 moved from Winchester District, Virginia, settled on Scotts Mill Run, Monongalia County, Virginia, now West Virginia. He was a native of old Virginia and a member of the same family that produced the famous orator of the Revolution, Patrick Henry. Jeremiah Hess had ten children, Abraham, born January 21, 1804, Charles, January 5, 1807, Rebecca, June 29, 1808, Henry, June 28, 1809, Peter, Jeremiah, May 22, 1812, Elizabeth, March 16, 1814, Catherine, November 4, 1815, Mahale, June 21, 1817, and Eleanor, September, 2, 1822. The next generation of this family was represented by Peter Hess, who was born in Marion County, West Virginia, September 26, 1810, and lived for many years near Tevervaugh on Harter Hill in that county, where he died January 4, 1891. He married Orpha Sandy, daughter of William and Rhonda (Shinn) Sandy, who was born in the same county April 3, 1816, and died March 19, 1882. Their children were named: John W., born November 7, 1833, died at Harter Hill October 13, 1889. Mahlon S., born August 16, 1835, died at Harter Hill February 15, 1856, Mary E., born August 3, 1837, died at Oakland, Maryland, August 25, 1911. Robert Nelson, born October 17, 1839, was killed at the battle of Fisher's Hill, Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, September 22, 1864. Jeremiah William born August 17, 1841, died at Wyatt, West Virginia, March 25, 1910. George W., born September 24, 1843, died at Centerville, Tyler County, West Virginia, July 10, 1880. David L., born July 13, 1845, died at Harter Hill May 9, 1854. Lavina Jane, born January 28, 1847, is now living at Corbin, Sumner County, Kansas. Peter L., born January 28, 1850, died at Harter Hill March 27, 1896. Richard Marion, born December 13, 1852, died at Corbin, Kansas, August 25, 1919. Sarah S., born March 16, 1857, died at Oakland, Maryland, August 10, 1912. Abraham Milroy, born October 2, 1862, is now living at Shinnston, West Virginia. Of these children Jeremiah William was the father of the Clarksburg banker. He was born at Harter hill in Marion County, August 17, 1841, and died on his farm at Wyatt, Harrison County, March 25, 1910. He married Mary M. Sturm, daughter of Jesse and Matilda (Davis) Sturm who was born in Harrison County, May 26, 1840, and died December 21, 1908. She was a granddaughter of Jacob Sturm, Sr., who as a boy enlisted under the banner of the Revolutionary patriots and followed the fortunes of the illustrious Washington in our county's struggle for independence. He was with the father of our country amid the hardships and stern realities of the long, cruel war, and was with him at Yorktown when he received the sword of the conquered Cornwallis. Their four children were: William Wallace, born May 2, 1867, Iva Eliza, born June 12, 1869, James Noah, born September 9, 1871, and Daisy Dean, born March 6, 1876. The children of William Wallace are Raymond Cline, Mary M., Geneva I. And Mildred. Daisy Dean (Hess) Barger's only child, Irene, married William H. Edwards. Jeremiah W. Hess was a very strong character and a notable citizen of Harrison County in his day. Throughout the period of the Civil war he served in the Union Army first as a private of Company E, Third West Virginia Infantry; Company E, Third West Virginia Mounted Infantry and company C in the sixth west Virginia Volunteer Cavalry, on March 25, 1865, was promoted to commissary sergeant of his company. His brother, Robert Nelson Hess, was a lieutenant in the Union Army, and was killed in the battle of Fisher's Hill September 22, 1864. He was in Company H of the fourteenth West Virginia Infantry. Jeremiah W. Hess was a staunch republican in politics, and for two terms represented his county in the West Virginia legislature, during 1894-96 and 1896-98, and for a number of years held the office of justice of the peace. He was also president of the Board of Education of his magisterial district. He and his wife were both Methodists. James Noah Hess, who was born at Wyatt, Harrison County, on a farm, September 9, 1871, spent his early life on that farm and in the meanwhile acquired a country school education, also attending Spring Normal School. For six years he taught in the rural districts of the county. Subsequently he completed a course in the west Virginia Business College at Clarksburg, and then for one year was a bookkeeper for the Waverly Stone Company at Waverly, Ohio, this being the only period of his life when he was not a resident of Harrison County. In March, 1897, he moved to Clarksburg, where he has since resided. For six years Mr. Hess was deputy county clerk of Harrison County. When the Empire National Bank of Clarksburg began business, November 30, 1903, Mr. Hess was a bookkeeper. He is now a assistant cashier. He has been continuously associated with the institution since its organization. He is also a stockholder in the Union National bank at Clarksburg. He is secretary of the board of education, Clarksburg School District, which position he has held for the past twelve years. He is a staunch republican, and for fifteen years has been a member of the Harrison County Republican Executive Committee. For two years he was a member of the Clarksburg City Council. He is a member of the First Methodist Episcopal Church. He is Past Eminent Commander of Clarksburg Commandery No. 13; Knights Templar, was for twelve years secretary of his Blue lodge and at present is treasurer of Hermon Lodge No. 6, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. He is a Thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason and a Shriner, a member of the Clarksburg Country Club, secretary-treasurer of the West Virginia Fair Association and a director of the Clarksburg Building and Loan Association. November 19, 1895, Mr. Hess married Miss Lenna Leota Hess, a daughter of Jeremiah F. and Minerva Jane (Cunningham) Hess, of Marion County. The children born to their marriage are: Victor Howell, born July 26, 1896, Ethel Lenore, born October 19, 1898, Bernard Leo, born December 19, 1901, Edith Evelyn, born September 17, 1905, James Noah, Jr., born October 8, 1908, Helen born February 20, 1912, died June 18, 1913, and Lenna Jean Hess, born November 13, 1916. The oldest son, Victor Howell Hess, volunteered his service in the World war with the First West Virginia National Guard, Machine Gun Company, on June 11, 1917, at the age of twenty years, at Fairmont, Marion County, West Virginia. He left Camp Cornwell on September 2, 1917, for Camp Shelby at Hattiesburg, Mississippi; was transferred from First West Virginia National Guard, Machine Gun Company, to Company D, One Hundred and Thirty-seventh Machine Gun Battalion of the Regular Army; was promoted from private to the position of assistant to supply sergeant, with rank as corporal, on November 6, 1917; was transferred to Company D, One Hundred and Thirty-ninth Machine Gun Battalion, and about May 1, 1918, was ordered to Camp Hancock, Augusta, Georgia. June 13, 1918, he was promoted to sergeant of Training Camp No. 13, Main Training Depot, Machine Gun Training Center, and was made instructor in machine gunnery, infantry drill, liason signaling, gas and flame defence, physical training and bayonet drill. Lieutenant Hess entered the Officers Training School at Camp Hancock, was commissioned a second lieutenant of Infantry, U.S. Reserve Corps, on December 10, 1918, and honorably discharged December 11, 1918, having been in the service exactly eighteen months.