Monongalia County, West Virginia    Biography of William Frazier NARET

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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. 114

WILLIAM FRAZIER NARET is one of the leading representa-
tives of real estate enterprise and fire and casualty insurance
business at Morgantown, judicial center and metropolis of
Monogalia County. He was born at Buffalo, Putnam Coun-
ty, this state, October 25, 1876, and is a son of Dr. Edward
and Rhoda F. (Frazier) Naret. Edward Naret was born in
the City of Paris, France, in 1823, and there his educational
discipline included the study of law. He was nineteen years
of age when he came to the United States in 1842, and later
he returned to his native land, where he devoted about
two years to the study of medicine. He then came again
to the United States, and he continued his studies in the
medical department of the University of Pennsylvania until
he there received his degree of Doctor of Medicine. He
then engaged in the practice of his profession at Gallipolis,
Ohio, and there was solemnized his first marriage. Later
he met in the City of Philadelphia some Frenchmen who
owned land at Buffalo, West Virginia, and who wished to
sell the property. The doctor purchased the land and re-
moved to that place, where several French families had
established their homes. There he continued in the prac-
tice of his profession until his death in 1876, and he long
was known and honored as one of the influential citizens
of that community. His first wife died, and at Buffalo
he was united in marriage with Miss Rhoda F. Frazier,
who was born and reared in what is now Putnam County,
this state, a daughter of William Frazier, who came with
one of his brothers from another part of Virginia and
settled in Putnam County, which was at that time a part of
the Old Dominion State. The locality where he settled
became known as Frazier's Bottoms. Mrs. Naret sur-
vives her husband and still resides in her native county.

William F. Naret obtained his youthful education in the
public schools of his native place, and in the fall of 1892
he entered the preparatory department of the University
of West Virginia, where he continued his studies until he
entered the agricultural department of the University, in
which he was graduated in 1898, with the degree of Bach-
elor of Agriculture. In 1900 he received from the uni-
versity the supplemental degree of Master of Arts, he
having previously received a fellowship in the university.

In 1900 Mr. Naret became associated with the Alleghany
Orchard Company at Martinsburg, this state, where he
remained about one year. Thereafter he was employed in
a drug store at Morgantown for a period of about two
years, and he then became associated with Curtis R. Hayes
in the real estate and insurance business in this city. About
two years later he purchased the business and formed the
Hayes-Miller corporation to continue the same. Three years
later he became the sole owner of the substantial and
prosperous business, which he has since continued success-
fully and in an individual way under his own name. Mr.
Naret handles city, suburban and farm realty, and his
transactions have been of broad scope, the while his repu-
tation constitutes one of the most valuable assets of his
business. He is also representative of a number of leading
fire and casualty insurance companies and has a repre-
sentative clientage in his underwriting business. He is also
secretary of the Fair-Mor Coal Company, the coal mines
of which are situated near Fairmont, Marion County, though
most of the stockholders in the company are residents of
Morgantown. Mr. Naret is financially interested in several
Morgantown industrial enterprises, and is one of the liberal
and broad-gauged citizens of Monongalia County. He is a
member of the local Kiwanis Club and is affiliated with
Morgantown Lodge No. 411, Benevolent and Protective
Order of Elks, and with Athens Lodge No. 30, Knights
of Pythias.