Preston County, West Virginia Biography: Jacob W. FEATHER ************************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: Material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. These pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor. Submitted by Valerie Crook, , March 2000 ************************************************************************** The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 380-381 Preston JACOB W. FEATHER, of Bruceton Mills, has spent the greater part of his active life as a farmer. He was a youth when he joined and served for a brief period in the Union Army in the closing months of the Civil war. He has also been a merchant, and as a citizen is one of the well and favorably known men of Preston County. Jacob Feather was a native of Germany and reached the American colonies in time to take part as a soldier in the Revolution. It is believed that he was an orderly on General Washington's staff. At the close of the war he settled in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, and from there moved to Western Virginia, locating in that portion of Monongalia County now Preston County. He lived out his life there and is buried in the Lutheran Cemetery at Crab Orchard. Jacob Feather and his wife Mary, had the fol- lowing sons: John, who was buried at Crab Orchard; Adam, who spent his life in that locality and died there and was the father of Rev. Joseph Feather; Jacob, who lived out his life in the neighborhood of Masontown and Reeds- ville; James, who died at Crab Orchard; Ezekiel, who lived, at Lenox and is buried at Crab Orchard; Christian, who was a farmer in the Crab Orchard community; Joseph, who died at Bruceton in the house owned by Doctor Wil- kinson; and there were also several daughters, one of them being the mother of Gus J. Shaffer of Kingwood. Joseph Feather, representing the second generation of this family, was born at Crab Orchard in 1816, and died June 30, 1896. He was buried at Bruceton. He was a farmer at Crab Orchard and Valley Point, and his last years were spent in Bruceton. He had only nominal edu- cational advantages during his youth, but his industry en- abled him to provide a good living. He was quiet and reserved, voted as a whig and a republican, and was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He married Lydia Hartman, who was born in the same locality as he was, and was several years his junior. She died in Feb- ruary, 189S. Her father, Michael Hartman, was a farmer and of German ancestry. The children of Joseph Feather and wife were: Mary Jane, who became the wife of Eth- bell Falkenstine and spent her life in Preston County; Sarah E., who was the wife of Henry Cale and lived in Preston County; John H., who was a member of the Seven- teenth West Virginia Infantry in the Civil war and other- wise a farmer in Preston County; Margaret, who became the wife of Joseph Michael and spent her life at Bruceton; Jacob Wesley; and Michael, a farmer who died near Cranesville. Jacob Wesley Feather was born at Crab Orchard in Pleasant District of Preston County, August 9, 1845. He had a common school education, and was about twenty years of age when he enlisted in 1865 at Grafton in Com- pany K of the Seventeenth West Virginia Infantry, under Lieutenant Farnham and Capt. Scott A. Harter. He was sent to Wheeling as a recruit, was drilled there for almost two months, and was then with his company in camp at Weston until the end of the war. He received his discharge at Wheeling the last of June, 1865. Following this brief military service Mr. Feather took up the calling of his an- cestry, farming, in the Crab Orchard community, and after his marriage farmed near Cranesville and a few years at Mountain Lake Park. He then returned to Preston County and established his home at Bruceton. For a few years at Cranesville he was a merchant and was also postmaster there. He began voting as a republican for General Grant in 1868. In Preston County, June 2, 1867, Mr. Feather married Sarah A. Michael, daughter of Philip and Sophia (Fulk) Michael. Her father was born in Preston County, son of William Michael, of German ancestry. Philip Michael was born in 1804 and Sophia Fulk, in 1806. He died in 1892, survived by his wife three years. The Michael children were: Eugenus, a farmer who died in Preston County; William, who lived all his life in Preston County; Malinda, who became the wife of George Walls and lived in Preston County; Philip, who was a blacksmith at Frostburg, Mary- land, where he died; Edgar, a farmer who lived at Athens. Ohio, where he is buried; John, who was a teacher and farmer in Preston County; James, who finally removed to Ohio and is buried at Gizeville, that state; Sophia, wife of Andrew McNair, living near Hopewell in Preston County; Naomi, who became the wife of Alpheus Posten and died in Iowa; Rachel, wife of Ephraim Fazenbaker and died at Westonport, Maryland; Mary, who was the wife of Jefferson Fazenbaker and died in Preston County, being buried at Brandonville; George, who lived for a number of years in Ohio, North and South Dakota, and finally set- tled in Minnesota, where he is buried; Joseph and Ben- jamin, twins, the former spending his life in Preston County, while Benjamin was killed at Westonport by a train while walking on a trestle over a stream at night; and Sarah Ann, Mrs. Feather, who was born April 20, 1850. Her brother Joseph Michael was in the same company and regiment as Jacob W. Feather during the war. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Feather are: Calphos Lloyd, who died in infancy; Delphos C., of Pitcairn, Penn- sylvania; Ora, who was killed when about thirty years of age; Troy O., a carpenter at Seattle, Washington; Corel E., living at Bruceton with her parents, widow of Earnest E. Whitesell and mother of Sarah Lillian Dorene and Julia Elizabeth. Mr. and Mrs. Feather are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He has been superintendent of the Sunday School and has represented the church at quarterly conference. Mrs. Feather has been a Sabbath School teacher in the several communities of her residence, Cranes- ville, Mountain Lake Park and Bruceton, and was president of the Epworth League and a member of the Quarterly Conference held at Bruceton. She was a Red Cross mem- ber, but paralysis in her right arm prevented her from serving more actively than as a counselor and adviser. Both Mr. and Mrs. Feather have been active in the tem- perance work as members of the Anti Saloon League and have readily supported all causes for the religious and moral, advancement of their community.