HISTORY OF RITCHIE COUNTY (WV) CHAPTERS 43 - 45
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History of Ritchie County

The following is taken from the book "History of Ritchie County" written by
Minnie Kendall Lowther, and published in 1910.
Transcribed by Janet Waite, Earl Cowan and Erin Stewart.

Smithville
Transcribed by Erin Stewart and Janet Waite

Page 541

Smithville

Though Smithville is among the oldest towns in the county, it is far from 
being the largest.  It now has seventy-five inhabitants, and contains about 
twenty dwellings, including the two hotels.  It has two churches - Baptist 
and Methodist Episcopal - one parsonage (M. E. church), a two-roomed school-
building, two general stores, a hardware and undertaking establishment, a 
post-office, a telephone exchange, a barber, and two black-smith shops, a 
milliner and dressmaker-shop, two physicians, and two lodges, Modern Woodmen 
of America and Knights of Pythias.  It has seven daily mails; the extension 
of the Cairo and Kanawha Valley railroad, from Macfarlan, is under 
consideration, and oil developments are in progress; and a recently 
completed pump-station now overlooks the town.

David W. Sleeth has been styled the founder in this village.  He came here, 
near the year 1844, and erected a building where the Clarke residence now 
stands, and opened a hotel and a store, and a little later, started a 
tannery; and from this time, until his death, on July 5, 1851, his interests 
were identified with the village, and here, in the cemetery, he lies at 
rest.

He was one of the magistrates that formed the County court at the time of 
his death, and we here reproduce in the style and the language of that time, 
the resolutions of respect that were adopted by this honorable body on the 
occasion of his death fifty-nine years ago: Virginia to-wit)  In the County 
Court, Tuesday, Ritchie County.) July 8the. 1851

Page 542

The court was opened at 11 o'clock, when J. B. Blair Esq. In a feeling and 
impressive manner announced the death of David W. Sleeth Esq. One of the 
Magistrates of this County, who expired at his Residence on Saturday evening 
last, after a painful and protracted illness.

The following Preamble and Resolutions were offered by J. S. Jones Esq. And 
unanimously adopted:

Whereas it has pleased Almighty God to remove from us David W. Sleeth Esq., 
a member of this Court to another and a better World and feeling it not only 
a privilege but a duty to give a public expression of the high estimation in 
which we hold the memory of our Departed friend.

Therefore Resolved:

That we bow with humble submission to the dispensation of an inscrutable 
Providence manifested in the death of our friend and fellow-citizen.  We 
most cheerfully bear testimony to his Industry Intelligence, & firmness as a 
Magistrate, his humble devotion as a Christian and his honesty as a man.

Resolved, That we deeply sympathize, with his bereaved family and friends, 
and tender to them our sincere and heartfelt Condolence on this occasion.

Resolved, That the members of this Court as a token of respect will wear the 
usual Badge of mourning for 30 days.

Resolved, That these proceedings be entered on the minutes of the Court, and 
Published in the Parkersburg Gazette, and a Copy thereof forwarded by the 
Clerk to the family of the Deceased.-

(Signed)    James McKinney C. C. K.

David Wallis Sleeth was born, near Clarksburg, in Harrison county, on 
December 25, 1796; but he had called Pocahontas, Lewis and Gilmer counties 
his home, before coming to Ritchie.  In May 1834, he was married to Miss 
Nancy Lybrook, of Giles county, Virginia, who died on September 17, 1842, 
while he was serving as Sheriff of Lewis county, and was laid to rest in the 
"Stony churchyard," at Jane Lew.  Four children were the fruits of this 
union: Mary Jane died

Page 543

at the age of four years, and sleeps by her mother, at Jane Lew; Chapman and 
Floyd were laid in the Smithville cemetery in the promise of their young 
manhood; and Anne Elizabeth became the wife of P. S. Austin,  and was the 
mother of Mrs. J. F. Hartmann, of Burnt House, and the late Mrs. John V. 
Warner, of this place.  These two small families are the only surviving 
descendants of Mr. Sleeth.

In 1845, he was married, a second time,  to Miss Elizabeth Prince - sister 
of the late John Prince, and half-sister of Jerome Vandiver, of Louisville, 
Kentucky - who followed him to the grave on December 31, 1855, leaving no 
issue.

The Sleeths are of Scotch descent, and of Revolutionary stock.  They came 
from Scotland and settled in Harrison county, shortly before our struggle 
for independence.  Four brothers, David W., senior, Thomas, John, and 
Alexander took up arms in defense of their adopted land.

David W. Sleeth, senior, married Miss Katherine Carpenter,  and was the  
father of thirteen children; viz., John, Nicholas, David W., junior - the 
founder of Smithville - Henry, Thomas, and George W. Sleeth, Mary, who 
became Mrs. Henry Waldeck, Mrs.  Margaret (Cornelius) Cain, Mrs. Katherine 
(Samuel) Brannon, Mrs. Sarah (Henry) Wint, Mrs. Jane (Henry) Stalnaker, all 
of Gilmer county; and Mrs. Nancy (Allen) Simpson, Weston.

(The family removed from Harrison county to near Troy in Gilmer).

Nicholas Sleeth married Miss Katherine Collins, and came to this county as 
early as 1838, and lived and died in the Burnt House community.  His two 
sons Malan, and Ranfeu, and his daughter Nancy, who maried Joseph Sylman, of 
Gimer county, were the members of his family.  The first wife of the late 
John Frederick was his granddaughter, and J. M. Frederick, her son, of Burnt 
House, is his only descendant in this county.  Others reside in Gilmer and 
Roane counties.

George W. Sleeth married Miss Rulina McWhorter, and lived and died at 
Smithville, leaving no issue.

Alexander Sleeth married Miss Katherine Wolfe, daughter of David Wolfe, of 
Harrison county, and niece of Peter

Page 544

Wolfe, of Smithville; and came from Lewis county in 1840, and settled on the 
Malone - now the Kennedy - farm, above the mouth of Lamb's run, where he 
died, and where he was buried the following year, June 1841.

He leaves a large line of descendants, who principally reside in Gilmer 
county; but the one family in this county, that are descended from him, is 
that of Mrs. Nellie Silcott Synder, of Hazelgreen, her late husband E. E. 
Snyder, being a grandson.

His children were:  Mrs. Maria McQuain, Mrs. Mary Coke, Mrs. Emily West, 
Mrs.Elizabeth Stevenson, mother of the late Will Stephenson, of Grantsville; 
Mrs. Julia Stalnaker, Mrs. Anna Bush, Granville Sleeth, Perry J., and John 
M., who have all passed on; and Mrs. Penelope Snyder, widow of the late W. 
H. Snyder, of Glenville, who survives.

A Pretty Little Romance is woven about the marriage of Miss Mary Sleeth and 
Henry Waldeck, which is worthy of a place here:

Mr. Waldeck, who was of German birth was a soldier in the Hessian army, and 
as it was the custom, at that age of the world for one government to sell 
soldiers to another in times of war, the regiment to which he belonged was 
sold to the British for service in the American Revolution, and thus fate 
decreed that he should be brought to America to fight against the land that 
he learned to love dearest and best; for at the close of the war, he refused 
to return to the Fatherland, though a fortune awaited him there; and he 
crossed the mountains to what is now Lewis county and entered land on the 
river below Weston, where he founded a "Bachelor's hall."  David W. Sleeth, 
senior, seeing the loneliness of his situation, one day broached the subject 
of matrimony to him, and advised him to get married. Mr. Waldeck assured him 
that he should like to act upon this advice if he knew where to find a wife. 
After a little consideration, Mr. Sleeth said:  "My daughter, Mary, is only 
a little girl yet, but she'd make some man a good wife."  The worthy 
bachelor, however, who was then forty years of age, resolved to see this 
little maiden and learn what she had to say concerning the matter; and 
though she was but fourteen years of age, she lent

Page 545

an approving ear to the plan, and soon after became his bride.  She was the 
mother of Mrs. Andrew Law, of Auburn.  And Mrs. Agnes Rymer, of Harrisville, 
and Mrs. G. M. Ireland of Pullman, are among her grand - daughters.  Mrs. J. 
F. Ireland of Colorado, is another grand - daughter, and the Rev. H. M. Law 
of the West Virginia Methodist Episcopal Conference, is a grandson.

Jerome A. Vandiver was the pioneer clerk of the village.  He was born in 
Wood county on March 30, 1833, and in 1846, when but a lad of thirteen 
years, was sent here by his father to clerk in Mr. Sleeth's store and to 
learn the tanner's trade; and in this capacity, he served until 1852, when 
he and J. H. Rexroad formed a mercantile firm under the name of "Rexroad and 
Vandiver," and sold goods for one year; at the end of which time, Mr. 
Vandiver went to Harrisville where he clerked in a store, and worked in the 
Circuit clerk's office for his cousin, Amos Culp, until 1856.  After 
spending the next three years as clerk at Parkersburg, and as traveling 
salesman for a Baltimore firm, he went to Petroleum, in 1859, where he was 
identified with the mercantile firm of Vandiver and Rutherford, until 1865, 
when, shortly after his marriage to Miss Jane Rutherford, daughter of 
Richard Rutherford, he went to Louisville, Kentucky, where he continued in 
the mercantile business until 1873, and where he still survives.  There Mrs. 
Vansiver found a resting place in 1894.  They were the parents of three sons 
and one daughter:  Wm. Knox is in business at St. Louis, Missouri; and 
Richard Rutherford, and Lawrence Jerome, at Louisville, and Eleanore Frances 
is the daughter.

Levi J. Smith built the second residence here, where Dr. A. M. Edgell now 
lives, in 1845.  He was the son of Barnes Smith, senior, and with his wife, 
Mrs. Catherine Royce Smith, and his family, he went to Iowa, where he died, 
in Boone county, in 1903.

Charter For The Town. - Joseph Wilson, father of the late Col. Ben, junior, 
of Clarksburg, obtained the charter for the town, which took its name from 
Barnes Smith, senior, who owned the land where the town stands at the time 
of its birth; he having come here from the B. H. Wilson farm, in

Page 546

1842, and kept a house of public entertainment, where the Ayres hotel now 
stands, until his death on March 9, 1857.*

The records show that the M. A. Ayres hotel has been open as a public 
hostelry, continuously, since the year 1828.

G. S. McCutcheon and J. H. Snyder were later proprietors of the Sleeth 
hotel, which went out of existence many years ago.

"The Wilson House" came upon the stage near a quarter of a century ago with 
Lemuel Wilson, the present owner and proprietor, at the helm.

Marshall Deane was the first "village blacksmith."  He came near the year 
1848, and erected his shop on the lot that was formerly marked by the late 
John Miller's shop, though now vacant, and carried on a general smithing and 
wagon repairing business.  He removed from here to the late Alex Prunty farm 
near Berea, and finally went West.  His wife was a Miss Butcher, sister of 
the late mrs. Jacob Dougherty, of Lamb's run.

Physicians. - Dr. Wm. R. Lowther,.** late father of George W. Lowther, of 
Grafton, was the first physician of the community.  He was a botanic doctor 
and resided on the McNeill homestead.

But the late Dr. Charles Austin was the first resident physician of the 
town.  He was a nephew of the late P. S. Austin, and came here when just out 
of college, but only remained a few years, going to Ripley, Jackson county, 
and later, to Lewisburg, where he died, near the year 1902.

He was succeeded by the late Dr. Thomas, of Grantsville.  Others who have 
since been identified in this profession here are: The Drs. James, two 
brothers, G. C. Badgley, J. H. and I. C. White, C. W. Ailor, A. M. Edgell, 
the late S. P. Hartman, the late J. H. M. Sinnett, and Dr. Franklin.

Dr. Edgell has had a longer connection with the village than other physician 
in ist history.  For more than a quarter of a century, he has been a leading 
practioner.  Pleasants is his native county, and there he began his career 
as a peda-

*See South Fork settlers for farther account of his family.
**See earlier chapter for his history.

Page 547

gogue; but in his early manhood he turned his attention to the study of 
medicine.

After receiving his diploma from a medical college, he went to New Milton, 
Doddridge county, and there began the practice of his profession; and there 
he was married to Miss Melissa Snyder, a native of that county, in 1880; and 
two years later came to Smithville, which is still his home.  He is the 
father of two daughters, the late lamented Mrs. Daisy (W. A.) Adams, and 
Mrs. Ethel (Earle) Batson, of Cairo.

Merchants. - The following named gentlemen have, from time to time been 
engaged in the mercantile business here: the late J. H. Haddox and Mr. Carr, 
the firm being known for a time as "Haddox and Carr,', the late B. F. 
Mitchell, and Lemuel Wilson, the late Jacob Clammer, "Pulliam & Wiant," P. 
S. Lough, T. T. Flynn, L. B. Scott, J. R. Kennedy, J. M. Deem, senior, F. D. 
Lemon, J. M. Rymer, and E. E. Shimer, Messrs. Rymer, Deem, J. R. Westfall 
and Shimer now hold this business in hand.

D. H. Valentine was the first shoe-maker of the village.  He came here from 
Gilmer county, where he was born, nad remained a citizen of this part of the 
county, until a few years before his death in 1905, when he went to Wirt 
county, where he sleeps.

He was a lay minister of the M. E. Church South.  He was twice married, his 
first wife being Miss Sarah J. Wyer, of Gilmer county, and his widow, Mrs. 
Mary Goff Riddel, daughter of the late Strother Goff, of Burnt House.

He was the father of twelve children: J. B., Macrfarlan; James, Ohio; C. J., 
fonsoville; E. L., Newberne; and Mrs. Katherine Beckner, Parkersburg, were 
the fruits of the first union; and Charles, Marshall, Roy, Mrs. Etta Hatch, 
Mrs. Blanche Hatch, Mrs. Emma _______, and Jennie, who died in youth, of the 
second.

Churches. - the Baptist church, whose history appears in an earlier chapter, 
came in 1873, and the M. E. church, in 1875.  The late John Miller, and R. 
H. Rogers being the donors of the ground, for the latter.

The Rev. W. H. Shaw, who is now spending the even-

Page 548

tide of his useful life, with his aged companion, at Point Pleasant, was the 
first resident minister of the town.  He came in the spring of 1874, and 
during the following winter, held a revival meeting in the school-house, 
which resulted in the organization of the first M. E. class, at its close.  
Among the original members of this class were Mr. And Mrs. John Miller, John 
Prince and family, Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Hardman, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Smith, 
Mrs. Minerva Kennedy, and W. G. Lowther and his late wife, Mrs. Jennie 
Kendall Lowther.  Several of these members came from the Webb's mill, and 
the Hardman chapel classes.

The Rev. Mr. nad Mrs. Shaw are the parents of three sons: Alpheus is a 
tailor by trade, and Charles and George, who were but small boys when the 
family lived here, are now prominent ministers of the Protestant Episcopal 
church.

The cemetery is located on the M. A. Ayres homestead, formerly the Barnes 
Smith estate.

In 1875, the late Jacob Clammer, and the late H. H. Fling, of Roseville, 
erected the first flouring mill here, which was only in operation about one 
year.

This building, which has now vanished from sight, stood not far from the 
bridge, near the river's brink, and was a considerable structure, being two 
stories in height.

The history of this village would hardly be complete without a word in 
regard to the lives of the late Jacob Clammer, the late John Miller, and the 
Majour M. A. Ayres, whose names have so long been associated with its 
interests:

Jacob Clammer was born in Fayette county, Maryland, in 1836, and came to 
West Virginia, in 1859; and worked at the carpenter's trade at Reedy, Roane 
county, for two years, before going to Calhoun county, in 1861, where, on 
December the 22nd of that same year, he enlisted as a Union soldier, in 
Company C., of the 11th Regiment, West Virginia Infantry, and followed the 
old flag for three years, being commissioned captain, on January 21, 1864.  
At the close of the war, he returned to Calhoun county, where, in 1867, he 
was married to Miss Rachel Stevens, a native of Marion County; and in 1875, 
he came to Smithville, as contractor and

Page 549

builder of the M. E. Church; and here he remained until he found a resting-
place in the village cemetery, in January, 1904.  He served the town in the 
capacity of miller, merchant (for fifteen years) and post-master (for ten 
years), was justice of the peace for a number of years, and was an official 
member of the M. E. church throughout his residence here.

His widow and sons, G. M., S. H., Homer, Okey and Walter are all residents 
of Colorado; and his daughter, Mrs. Isa Deem, lives in Illinois; and Maggie 
and Albert lie in the Smithville cemetery.  His second son, S. H. Clammer is 
now Mayor of Ft. Collins, Colorado.

The Clammers are of German descent.  Captain Clammer's father came from the 
Fatherland, early in the ninteenth century - more than ninety years ago - 
and settled in Maryland, when he was a young man of twenty-six years, and 
there married a Dutch maiden, of Pennsylvania, who died when some of the 
children were quite young.  The father then went to Iowa, where he died the 
following year.  He spelled his name "Klammar" when he arrived, but when it 
was translated into English, it was spelled "Clemmer and Calmmer."  Other 
relatives came at the same time, and some adopted the former, and some the 
latter, mode of spelling it.

John Miller was a typical son of the "Emerald Isle."  He was born near 
Londonderry, in the northern part of Ireland, on June 11, 1827; and there, 
he was graduated from the High school, and afterwards learned the 
blacksmith's trade, having served the required apprenticeship of three years 
as blacksmith and book-keeper, before coming to America in 1847.  He landed 
in New York, and two years later, went to Pittsburg, where he was married to 
Miss Susan Trover, Who, with the two children born of them, died a little 
more than two years after the marriage.  He then spent some time at Wheeling 
and St. Louis, before coming to Calhoun county, where he married Miss 
Henrietta Trippett, daughter of Franklin Trippett, who was born in 
Monongallia county, on January 3, 1841, and then went to St. Louis; and in 
1865, he came to Smithville, and took up his residence in the Sleeth hotel, 
and opened a blacksmith shop.  He afterwards

Page 550

purchased the farm, that is now owned by the Mountain State Gas company, but 
continued to wield the blacksmith's hammer, until his death on October 10, 
1902.  He was for long years a pillar in the M. E. church, and was an 
honorable upright citizen.

Mrs. Miller now resides at Pennsboro with her daughter, Mrs. Addie Nutter, 
wife of ex-Sheriff Okey Nutter, and the other children are a follows: Mrs. 
F. C. Hardman, James and Frank Miller, Mrs. J. R. Kennedy, Mrs. S. H. 
Westfall, and Mrs. H. E. Wass, all of this county; William and Orlando, 
Colorado, and Laura B., who died in childhood.

Shortly after, Mr. Miler's arrival in America, he sent for his brother, 
James, to whom he was greatly attached, and when he landed in New York, in 
changing his clothing, preparatory to leaving the ship, he threw his money 
over-board, forgetting it in the pocket of his discarded clothing, and by 
the time the lad had worked his way to his brother at Pittsburg, he had 
contracted chills and feber, and died a few weeks later.

William, another brother came to America near 1855, and enlisted in the 
United States Army, and served on the frontier of Texas, Oregon, and other 
Western states, and in the Civil war, until he was wounded in the battle of 
Petersburg. He settled on Gillispie's run in this county after the was, 
where he died in 1900.

The mother, and two other sons, Robert and Joseph Miller came from Ireland 
to Gillispie's run, this county, in 1865, where she died in 1893.  Robert 
met his death in a mine at Monongah in 1901, and Joseph lives at Pittsburg.

Michael A. Ayres is also a native of Maryland, he having firest seen the 
light of day at Lonaconing, Allegheny county, on November 20, 1840.  When he 
was but ten years of age his parents removed to the mouth of Tanner's fork 
in Gilmer county, where he grew to manhood.  In 1861, on the twenty-first 
anniversary of his birth, he enlisted as a Federal soldier, in Company C, 
11th Regiment, Infantry, and served throughout the war, and rose from the 
rank of duty sergeant of the company, to that of major of the regiment; he 
having had command of the regiment,

Page 551

throughout all the active campaign during the spring of 1865 until hostility 
ceased; was in front of Petersburg, and Richmond; at Hackers' run; at the 
capture of Ft. Baldwin and Gregg; and witnessed the surrender at Appomattox. 
In 1865, he led Miss Mary Smith, daughter of Isaac, to the altar as his 
bride, and in 1867, came to Smithville, and shortly after, purchased the 
homestead of his father-in-law, where he has since resided.

Since coming to this place, he has been pedagogue, farmer, post-master, 
assessor, justice of the peace, deputy census-taker, and hotel-keeper, and 
has long been a prominent figure in the Baptist church.  He is the father of 
five children: Miss Alberta and C. W., who is in the employ of the South 
Penn Oil Company, are still at home; H. B. and Allen reside near by; and 
Gertrude the eldest daughter, is sleeping in the churchyard.

Afred Barr, too, claims a little corner in this town's history, he having 
been identified with the community for almost half a century.  For thirty-
three consecutive years, he has been the Superintendent of the Baptist 
church Sunday-school, and a prominent figure in other departments of church 
work.

He came upon the "battle field of life" in Lewis county, on September 25, 
1839; and is the son of the late Samuel and Rachel Weaver Barr.

On December 22, 1859, he was married to Miss Cynthia Anne Smith, daughter of 
the late Isaac Smith, of Smithville, and a little later, this county became 
his adopted home.  He enlisted in Company C, 11th Regiment West Virginia 
Infantry volunteers, on December 22, 1861, and served in defense of the 
Union for three years, being a participant in many engagements of on the 
field of battle.  On July 24, 1864, he was wounded at the battle of 
Winchester, and was left on the field to die; but was rescued and nursed 
back to life by the kind hands of Southern women.  When able to be removed, 
he was taken to the far-famed Libbey prison, at Richmond, where he was 
exchanged and taken to general hospital at Annapolis, Maryland, and there 
remained until able to return home.

Page 552

He is the father of ten children: Mrs. Eliza Nutter, Mrs. Hannahetta Sharps 
Law, Mrs. A. J. Riddel, Mrs. Mary L. Deem, Mrs. Julia Sinnett Shimer, Mrs. 
Florence Goff, Mrs. Laura Wilson, and Freeman Barr, all of this county; and 
two died in childhood.

William A. Flesher is the only citizen of the village that has ever been 
honored with a seat in the Legislature halls of our state, and thus his 
public areer merits more than a passing notice.

He first saw the "light of day" at Parkersburg on December 5, 1849, and when 
he was a child of but six summers, his parents removed to Tyler county where 
he grew to manhood, and where he remained until 1880, when he came to 
Smithville.

He was the son of the late F. H. and Mrs. Matilda Ogden Flesher, his father 
a native of Lewis county, and his mother of Dover, Mason county, Kentucky.  
His father was a brother of the late Asa Flesher of this place.

On April 7, 1870, he was married to Miss Caroline Long; daughter of George 
and Lydia Long, of Tyler county, and they are the parents of nine children.

Since coming to Smithville, he has served as member of the Board of 
Education, for eight years; as County commissioner, for twelve; and has 
twice been elected as member of the House of Delegates, he having served at 
the regular session of 1907, at the special session of 1908, and in 1909.  
He was a member of the Committees on Labor, Roads, and Internal Navigation, 
and of the State Prison during his first term; and of Military Affairs, 
Roads, Internal Navigation and Labor the second.  His son, Master Gail 
Flesher, had the honor of being Journal Page at the session of 1909.

The other members of the family are as follows: Mrs. J. F. Miller, Mrs. S. 
E. Smith, Mack Flesher, and Miss Dee, all of this place; Mrs. G. G. Brown, 
Huntington; Mrs. Okey K. Clammer, and George F. Flesher, Colorado; and F. E. 
Oklahoma.


Chapter XLIV
Burnt House
Transcribed by Janet Waite

Page 553

Burnt House

The village of Burnt House, which now numbers near a half-hundred 
inhabitants, was born in 1882, when the late H. N. Wilson and J. K. P. 
Stalnaker, built the store-house that is now the wagon and blacksmith- shop 
of Henry Smith, and launched the mercantile business here.

The mill was constructed the same year by the Stalnaker Brothers, J. R., D. 
C., and the late Sanford, who passed from his earthly home in Dakota in 
1896; and J. R. Stalnaker, at this time erected the first dwelling where his 
hotel now stands.

H. N. Wilson. - In 1883, this dwelling and mill passed into the hands of H. 
N. Wilson, and here, the following spring, one of the saddest pages of Mr. 
Wilson's life was written when the mill exploded, instantly killing his 
little son, Burr, and dreadfully scalding his eldest son, L. B. Wilson.*

Shortly after this sad occurrence, Mr. Wilson sold his mill to the late G. 
W. Fling, and his step-son, A. C. Fisher; and a few months later, disposed 
of his interest in the store to his partner, Mr. Stalnaker, and went to 
Cornwallis, early in the year 1886, where he was engaged in the mercantile 
business for th enext eighteen months, until his store was accidentally 
destroyed by fire; he then returned to Burnt House, nad again, in 1890, 
opened a store here, and continued to sell goods until his death in 1892.

Mr. Wilson was born near Oxford in 1831; was a member of the pioneer family 
of Wilsons who history appears

* Twice within the history of the village this mill has been the scene of a 
tragic accident, Absalom Wamsley having met his death here some years later 
by being caught in the machinery in some way.

Page 554

with the south Fork settlers.  In 1859, he was married to Miss Victoria 
Taylor, daughter of  the late James Taylor, who was at that time sheriff of 
the county, the ceremony being solemnized at the old jail at Harrisville, 
and shortly after his marriage, he settled on Straight fork of Spruce creek, 
on the old homestead that is now the property of his adopted daughter, Mrs. 
Stata Lowther Wilson Haddox, where the family have lived continuously since 
that time with the exception of a few years.  Here he passed from earth and, 
here, he sleeps.   His wife was laid by his died, in December, 1907.

He served as Lieut. in the State Militia before the Civil war, but was not 
in active service during the Rebellion, as his sympathies were with the 
Southern cause.  He filled the offices of County surveyor, Land Assessor, 
and he served as a member of the Board of Education, of Murphy district.

He was the father of eleven children: L. B., Mack, F. S., Chape, Walter, 
Claude, and Mrs. E. L. Hartman, the other four died in childhood.  Chape, 
who has chosen teachings as his profession, was graduated from the Glenville 
Normal school in the class of 1910.

The Stalnaker Brothers are natives of Barbour county, but came here from 
Gilmer county.  J. R. married Miss Louisa Frederick, daughter of the late 
Nicholas Frederick; and C. C. married Miss Jennie Gainer, daughter of the 
late Nicholas Gainer, of Gilmer county, but she is now gone to the other 
shore.  Both are childless, but J. R. has an adopted daughter, Sadie 
Stalnaker.

With the exception of a few years both of these brothers have been 
identified with the town throughout its history.  J. R., who is now the 
proprietor of the "Stalnaker hotel," has been miller, blacksmith, hosteler, 
merchant; and C. C. has been both miller and merchant.

J. K. P. Stalnaker, after going out of business here returned to his former 
home in Gilmer county, where he still resides, and where his wife, who was 
formerly Miss Margaret Fling, sister of the late G.W. Fling, sleeps.  He was 
the father of several children: Mrs. Gae Fisher, who died in 1910; Mrs. Zona 
Thorne, Mrs. Blanche Gainer, Mrs. Dolly Smith,

Page 555

Misses Maude and Bliss, and Howard and the late John, junior.

The Stalnakers are of German descent.  They came to Gilmer county in 1859, 
with their parents, John and Mrs. Margaret Black Stalnaker.

These brothers belonged to a family of thirteen children, four of whom have 
been mentioned, and the remainder are as follows:  William of Grantsville; 
Nelson, of Washington state; Henry and Mrs. Dana Fling, Nebraska; Mrs. G. W. 
Fisher, and Mrs. Elizabeth Goff, Gilmer county; Mrs. Mahala Stemple, and 
Mrs. Sarah Hoffman, Barbour county.

G. W. Fling, who died in Colorado in 1887, was the first blacksmith of the 
village in 1884.  His widow, Mrs. Mary Bush Fisher Fling, returned here 
after his death, and opened the first hotel.

Her son, C. W. Fisher, who married Miss Sallie Robinson, and now resides at 
Glenville, launched the harness and saddler business here; and the late Dr. 
D. F. Ireland had charge of this business for a short time, a little later; 
but for a number of years past, it has been in the hands of A. L. Hardman, 
who is also, the present post-master.

Mrs. G. W. Fling died here.  She was the mother of A. C. Fisher and Mrs. V. 
E. Leggett, of Harrisville, and Mrs. Hattie Lemon, of Colorado, who, with C. 
W., above mentioned, were the fruits of her first union; and the late Mrs. 
Sallie Sovereign, John, Lee, and Newton Flling were the children of the 
second marriage.

The village stands on land that was once owned by the late Henry Fling, and 
David W. Sleeth.  The post-office and church ante-date the history of the 
town by many ears.  The first church was built by the Southern Methodist 
near the year 1854, on the Sleeth estate; but this old time structure, which 
stood just across the road from the present school-house, was crumbling to 
decay, when the village was born.

Dr. J. F. Hartmann was the first resident physician of

Page 556

the town.  He was born in Barbour county, on February 16,1857, and there 
spent six years of his early life as a school-teacher.  He was graduated 
from the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Baltimore in 1881, and came 
to this village the same year, and began the practice of his profession.  On 
January 9, 1883, he was married t Miss Florilla F. Austin, eldest daughter 
of the late P. S. Austin, and has ever since resided at the Austin 
homestead.  He is a Democrat in political faith, and a leading figure in 
church and Sunday-school circles.  And though a man of marked ability, he 
has never held a public office.  Four of his children died in early 
childhood, and three survive; viz., Miss Jessie, who is a prominent young 
teacher, Karl and Fleet Hartmann.

The Hartmanns are of German descent.  James T. Hartmann, the head of this 
family was born in the Keystone state, on September 11, 1816, and with his 
parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Hartmann, emigrated to Pocahontas county 
(West) Virginia, in his childhood.  There, near Greenbanks, his mother died, 
and his father re-married and removed to the Buckhannon river in what is now 
Upshur county, where he passed from earth.

On April 11, 1844, James T. Hartmann, was married to Miss Mary Hull Burner, 
who was born on May 19, 1825, and who came of a prominent Pocahontas family, 
she being the daughter of Jacob, and Mrs. Keziah Stump Burner, and the grand-
daughter of Abram, and Mary Hull Burner, early pioneers of that county.  But 
her parents removed to Barbour county when she was a child of three years, 
and there the marriage took place, and there they established their home and 
remained until they came to this county in May, 1883.

Mr. Hartmann was one of the early deputy-sherrifs of Lewis (now Upshur) 
county, and he filled the office of County clerk, and other public positions 
in Barbour county.  He died at his home above this town on July 29, 1894, 
and his wife survived until November 20, 1906.  Both rest in the Burnt House 
churchyard.  Their son, A. W. Hartmann died in his young manhood, and Dr. S. 
P., of Smithville, in 1901; and the rest are as follows:  Dr. J. F., Elden 
P., and T. J., of Burnt House; E. L. of Parkersburg; C. R., of Clarksburg;

Page 557

Austin J., of Barbour county; Mrs. Washington Reger, of Roane county; and 
Mrs. C. W. Reger, of Clarksburg.  Several members of this family have been 
identified in the teaching profession in this county, and E. L. now holds a 
position in the Parkersburg schools.  And to the Regers, and E. P. Hartmann 
this communty is indebted for some of its prettiest homes, they having 
redeemed from their primitive wilderness, the farms that are now owned by 
the latter, and by T. J. Hartmann, and Preston Gainer, less than thirty 
years ago.

Mrs. J. W. Holden, Mrs. E. g. Rohrbough, wife of the principal of the 
Glenville Normal school; a. Clyde Reger, and Dr. E. L. Reger, are among the 
prominent younger members of this family.

The site of the first school-house in this vicinity is now marked by the 
residence of C. A. Wilson, below town.  It was built near the year 1850.

The village now has fourteen dwellings, including two hotels.  It has two 
general stores, a mill, blacksmith and wagon-shop, saddle and harness-shop, 
post-office, and lodge hall, where three lodges meet, I.O.O.F., I.O.R.M., 
and Modern Maccabees, and one physician, Dr. Leroy Goff.

James Ellsworth Ferrell has been a leading merchant here since 1889.  He is 
a Monongalia county product, though his parents, Robert R., and the late 
Delia M. Fst Ferrell, removed to Calhoun county, six months after the date 
of his birth on April 10, 1863.  Here he grew to manhood, and spent sixteen 
years in the profession of teaching - serving four years as County 
Superintendent (1885-1889, before coming to this town.  His store was 
destroyed by fire in 1906, but he kept his nerve, and was soon doing a good 
business again.

On July 18, 1889, he was married to Miss Mollie Fling, only daughter of F. 
Gainer and Elsie Bush Fling, and they now have charge of the Ferrell - 
formerly the Fling - hotel.

Pearle, who became Mrs. Clyde Boso, of Parkersburg, on October 19, 1910, 
Glenn, Willard, and Kenneth are their children.

F. M. Ferrell, Fremont Hardman, A. C. Cunningham, F.

Page 558

S. Wilson, L. B. Wilson, Jacob Manacar, and perhaps others have also have 
identified in the mercantile business here from time to time.

"Goff's" which has never been but little more than a post-office, came upon 
the stage in the early sixties when the post-office was established with the 
late Thomas Goff (from whom it took its name) as first post-master.  He 
resided where his nephew, E. C. Goff, now lives, and finally went to Iowa 
where he fell asleep. *

The late James R. Brake, of Berea, and the late Dr. Lee Goff, of Hazelgreen 
built the first store here, late in the seventies.  Mr. Brake furnished the 
capital and Dr. Goff had charge of the business.

E. C. Goff, who is the grandsonof Aaron Smith, the original pioneer of this 
vicinity, has been the merchant and post-master for more than a quarter of a 
century past.

He has been quite prominent in business and political circles as well, he 
having represented this county in the Legislature a few years since.

He was first married to Miss Priscilla Bee, daughter of Asa Bee,of Berea, 
and they were the parents of, Alfera, Wm. A., and Herbert H. Goff, of 
Goff's; Mrs. Ida (Willy) Law, and Mrs. Inis (A. C.) Huff, of Lawford.  His 
present wife was Miss Kitty Smith, of Columbus, Ohio.

The mill which has long since ceased to grind was built by the late Perry 
Gainer, of Bone creek, brother-in-law of Mr. Goff.

Fonsoville. - And there's Fonsoville! though scarcely out of its swaddling 
clothes, yet with its beautiful location and environments, and its high-
sounding-name, it is destined to be a subject of no little importance to the 
future historian, and we will here tell you something of its origin and 
size.

The tiny village was born on October 10, 1901, when Charles E. Hatfield 
opened his store here.  The school-house, Frederick's mill, and the dwelling 
of J. C. Rexroad had long been in existence, and on December 6, 1901, Mr. 
Hatifeld

* See Spruce creek chapter for farther history of Thomas Goff.

Page 559

was commissioned as post-master.  The office opened on January 1, 1902, 
under the name of "Fonzo" with the mail three times a week, but a daily 
route was established the following spring.  Then came J. C. Rexroad with 
his blacksmith- shop during the summer of 1904 (with F. S. Moyer in charge); 
and when Miss Addie Leggett opened her milliner and dress-maker shop during 
the autumn of 1907, the "youngster" really began to put on the airs of a 
village.  The country in this section is so thickly settled that it is hard 
to determine the boundary line, but the new county bridge that spans the 
river at the mill connects the village and adds the pretty residence of J. 
L. Frederick.

Charles Edwin Hatfield, the originator of this little "speck on the map," is 
the second son of Abner and the late Mrs. Elizabeth Fordham Hatfield.  
Goff's is the place of his birth, and February 16, 1871, his natal day.  He 
was a tiller of the soil, and school-teacher, for five years, before 
launching the mercantile business here, and he has been the Secretary of the 
Board of Education for Murphy district since May 6, 1904, and is a Notary 
Public.

On October 7, 1894, he was married to Miss Bessie Wilson, daughter of Mr. 
and Mrs. B. H. Wilson, of Goff's who died on July 22, 1899, and four 
children were the result of this union; viz., Mabel Pearl and Mary 
Elizabeth, who survive; and Abner H., and Bazil W. (twins), who died in 
early childhood.

On October 27, 1907, he again took the nuptial vow, when Miss Isa F. 
Wamsley, daughter of Samuel Wamsley became his bride, and Edna Mae, and 
Charles, junior are the two children of this union.

Note - This town is the home of the writer and she naturally feels an 
unusual interest in it despite its seeming insignificance to the "stranger 
within its gates."


Chapter XLV
Auburn
Transcribed by Bonnie Ryan

Page 560

Auburn

This town, which is the second in size in Union district, was first called 
"Bone creek," the name having been derived from a bone lick on the farm of 
Robert Sommerville.  It was later changed to "Newberg," and in 1872, to 
"Auburn," there being another Newburg in the state.

The town stands on the original farms of the first settlers--Robert 
Sommerville, Timothy Tharpe, and Andrew Law.

The first school-house was built in 1844, and the first church, in '49 
or'50.  This church, which stood near the late Thomas C. Hardman residence, 
was erected by the Baptist and the Methodist Episcopal people, and was also, 
used for school purposes.

The first Methodist Episcopal church was built in 1855, where the present 
one, which was completed in 1889, now stands.  Andrew Law gave the grounds 
for this church, and Timothy Tharpe, for the cemetery.  The town now has 
four good churches,* representing as many denominations--the Baptist, the 
United Brethren, and the Methodist purchased the grounds for their churches.

The late Elisha M. Hall built the first store in 1852, on the lot where C. 
L. Zinn's residence now stands.  Some time after he had gone out of 
business, Timothy Tharpe became the second merchant.

He built a house of round beech logs, on the bank in the bend of the creek, 
where he served his customers, which were "few and far between."  The 
country was so thinly

*The M. P. church was burned since this was written.

Page 561

settled, at this time, that he found this business rather irksome, so much 
so, that he was led to remark to some of his friends, that "keeping store" 
reminded him of "watching a lick."

The tannery was instituted in 1852, with Timothy Tharpe at the helm, but it 
went out of existence a number of years ago, and the pretty residence of Dr. 
Lawson now marks the site.  J. E. Norman was the last owner, he having held 
this business in-tact for quite a length of time.

The post-office was established in the early fifties, with Andrew Law post-
master, and C. L. Zinn is the present incumbent.  In 1871, this office only 
paid three dollars a year; it now pays six hundred.

Timothy Tharpe built the first mill, which was a corncracker and saw-mill.  
The late H. H. Fling, of Roseville, Gilmer county, erected the first burr-
mill near 1870; and H. H. Norman and M. B. Watson put in the roller process, 
which is now owned by J. K. P. Connolly and Smith.  The planing-mill is 
owned and manipulated by M. B. Watson.

The pioneer mill site was on the lot now owned by C. L. Zinn.

John Miller opened the first blacksmith-shop in 1856.  This old pioneer shop 
stood near the present site of the Cookman residence.

Jacob Williams was the first blacksmith after the coming of the town,he 
having come here in 1871, and opened a shop where his son, Chester Williams, 
now wields the hammer.He married Miss Jane Wiseman, and both sleep in the 
Auburn cemetery.  His other children, besides the son mentioned, are, 
Samuel, who died in the West; Thomas, Mrs. Viretta Adams, and Mrs. Ellen 
Crumrine, of Iowa.

J. C. Gluck.--Though the history of the town dates back to the early 
fifties, it was but a hamlet of a few buildings in April, 1871, when J. C. 
Gluck came here and opened a store in the Timothy Tharpe store building.  
And since that time it has grown into a pretty, thriving town of two hundred 
twenty-five or more inhabitants; and, perhaps, this progress is due more to 
the efforts of Mr. Gluck than to any other one individual, as his business 
connections (with the town)

Page 562

have been continuous since his first arrival, with the exception of a few 
years.

He was born near Glenville, in Gilmer county, on June 18, 1841, and in 1871, 
as before stated, he came to Auburn and entered the mercantile business; and 
built the residence that is now the home of W. S. Baker.

On October 29, 1872, he married to Miss Elosia Gravenstine, of Baltimore, 
and of this union three children were born.  Howard, the only son, is in 
business here with his father at this time. Alma is Mrs. W. W. Westfall, of 
Parkersburg; and Ella, Mrs. Harvey Stalnaker, of Pittsburg.  Mrs. Gluck died 
on December 18, 1910, and rests at Troy.

Mr. Gluck was a soldier of the Civil war, he having served the Union cause 
as Sergeant of  Company G, Tenth West Virginia Infantry Volunteers; and at 
the battle of Lee Town, on July 3, 1864, he was wounded on the head by the 
bursting of a shell.  He also served, as Quarter-master of the Second West 
Virginia Regiment, in the Spanish-American war for one year.  he represented 
this county in the House of Delegates in 1889, and was a member of the extra 
session of the Legislature, in the nineties; was Superintendent of the 
Reform School at Pruntytown for two years; and was President of the Board of 
Education of Union district for twelve years.

The Glucks hail from Germany!  Joseph Gluck, senior, with his family, 
crossed the sea in 1839, and settled in Baltimore.  He was the father of 
four children; viz., Shristian, Henry, William and Mrs. Lena Hess.

Christian married Miss Anna Elkhart, who was also a native of the 
Fatherland, and was the father of J. C., Adam, W. T. Gluck, and Mrs. Ellen 
(David) Steinbeck, of Troy.

J. C. Gluck was the first hosteler of the town, but he was succeeded by the 
late Daniel D. Bush, whose public service in this connection extended over a 
period of eighteen years--longer than that of any other individual in the 
history of the town--he having played his part well as host from 1882 until 
1900, when he retired to private life.

Daniel D. Bush was born in Gilmer county, on July 18, 1826

Page 563

his parents, Paulser, and Elizabeth Heckart Bush, being pioneers of that 
county.

He married Miss Nancy Riddel, daughter fo George M. Riddel, who was also a 
native of Gilmer; and in 1873, came to Auburn, where he remained until 
February 24, 1906, when he passed to his final home.  And in the Auburn 
cemetery his body rests.

He was a man of unimpeachable character, and his memory will long be 
revered.  He served as a Union soldier in Company  G, Tenth West Virginia 
Infantry Volunteers, being mustered out at the end of two years, owing to 
physical disability.

He was the father of ten children:  Eustace, the youngest son, and Laura 
have passed on; J. N., and Mrs. Josephine Kniseley Marclay Wilson, reside in 
Oklahoma; Charley, in Wirt county; Mrs. Mittie (J. C.) Lawson, at Auburn; 
Eva, who first married Charles Oldaker, is now Mrs. Robert A. Henderson, of 
Auburn;  Florence Marie, is the widow of the late Okey J. Cooper, of 
Newberne; Olive Pearle is Mrs. S. C. Phillips, of Smithville; and Drusilla, 
with her mother, lives at Auburn.

The last three daughters named were skillfull musicians, and their little 
"stringed-band" was a feature of no little enjoyment to the traveling public 
who patronized their hotel, while they were at home.

The Bushes came from Germany.  The original family on this side of the water 
consisted of five brothers and four sisters, and one or more half-brothers, 
namely, Peter, Jacob, Henry, John, George, Susan, Barbara, Elizabeth, 
Margaret, and Adam Bush-- the half-brother; and from these brothers the many 
different families of this name, scatered throughout this and other states, 
are descended.

The exact time of their migration to America is not known, but it must have 
been shortly before the Revolution, as Peter Bush took up arms in defense of 
his adopted country, in her struggle for liberty.

Neither is it known where they first settled, but they landed at 
Philadelphia upon their arrival here.

The late Daniel C. Bush, of this town, was descended

Page 564

from Adam Bush, the half-brother, above mentioned--Adam being his grandsire.

But Daniel S. Bush, of Harrisville, Mrs. Elizabeth Bush Heckart Fling, and 
Mrs. Elsie Fling, wife of F. G. Fling, of Burnt House; and Mrs. Mary Goff, 
of Hazelgreen, familiarly known as "Aunt Polly," are all descended from 
Jacob, who married Miss Margaret Flesher, and came from Lewis county to 
Gilmer in pioneer days, and settled at the mouth of Leading creek, where he 
and his wife sleep.

Mrs Elizabeth Fling and Mrs. Mary Goff, are the granddaughters of Jacob, the 
former being the daughter of Henry and Margaret Snyder Bush; and the latter, 
the daughter of George Bush, who was designated as "Surveyor George Bush."  
And Mrs. Elsie Fling and Daniel S. Bush are the great-grandchildren of 
Jacob.  Mr. Bush being the son of Jacob H. Bush, and the grandson of Henry; 
and Mrs. Fling the daughter of George W. Bush, and the granddaughter of 
Henry.

All the other families of this name in this, and Gilmer counties, belong to 
this same stock.

Thomas C. Hardman launched the saddler business here, and held it in-tact 
until his death, when his mantle fell upon his son, Ernally Hardman, who 
still has charge of this trade.  Mr. Hardman belonged to the pioneer family 
of this name, whose history occupies an earlier chapter.  He married Miss 
Rilla Shumway, of Ohio, and resided there, for a time after his marriage, 
before coming here, where he found a final resting place.  He was the father 
of one other son besides the one mentioned, and of two daughters:  Ormsby, 
of this place, and Mrs. Lon. Ward, and Mrs. Harvey Sommerville, who, with 
their mother, reside in Colorado.

Dr. James R. Glover was the first resident physician.  He came in 1872, and 
here, he was married to Miss Laura Swisher, and has three children:  Hunter, 
Jessie, and Julia.

Dr. J. C. Lawson, and Dr. N. E. Eddy are the two practitioners in the field 
at present.  The former came from Harrison county, in the eighties--the 
latter from Ohio, but a few years since.

Page 565

The Auburn Carriage Company came in 1898 with J. N. Bush, and D. M. Heckart 
promoters of the enterprise.  In 1903, W. M. Farnsworth took the place of 
Mr. Bush, and it is now "Heckart and Farnsworth," both Gilmer county 
products.

The Bank was instituted in 1901, with Dr. J. C. Lawson, President, and 
Howard Showalter, cashier.  J. T. Hall is the present presiding officer, and 
John Cookman is the cashier.

Lodges.--The Knights of Pythias Lodge was organized in July, 1889, with 
twenty-nine charter members, it now numbers ninety-six; and its lodge 
property is valued at one thousand two hundred dollars, and its notes and 
cash, at one thousand three hundred dollars.  It is said to be in the best 
condition, financially, of any lodge of this order in the state, with the 
exception of those in the Cities of Wheeling, Charleston, and Parkersburg.

The Modern Woodmen came in 1900, with twenty-four charter members, and they 
now have a membership of seventy-five, and have paid out insurance on the 
death of members to the amount of four thousand five hundred dollars.  They 
hold their meetings in the Maccabees hall. (1909)

The Maccabees organized in January, 1908, with twenty-eight original 
members.  They now have thirty-five and own their hall.

The four churches have a united membership of three hundred one, and the 
M.P. church owns a parsonage here.

The school-house is a good substantial four-roomed brick; and the town can 
boast of a good photograph gallery (with I. P. Cox artist), and a furniture 
and undertaking establishment (with W. H. Amos in charge)  It has two 
general stores, which are in the hands of Pulliam & Wiant, and Howard Gluck 
& Co., and a grocery, two blacksmith shops, a milliner, etc.

It was incorporated in 1901, and has a strict curfew law.

Dr. J. C. Lawson has been a medical practitioner here for more than a 
quarter of a century and his faithful service merits more than a passing 
notice.

He is the son of T. W. Lawson, who is still living at the age of ninety 
years, and his mother was the late Mrs.

Page 566

Elizabeth Baily Lawson, and Harrison county  is the place of his nativity. 
He was graduated from the Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia, in 
1883, and the following year, came to Auburn, where he has since been 
prominent in church and business affairs, as well as in his profession.  On 
June 14, 1887, he was married to Miss Mittie Bush, daughter of the late 
Daniel Bush, of Auburn, and five children are the result of this union; 
viz., Miss Willie, Holton, Kline, Kathleen, and Carleton.

The McWhorters.--The name of McWhorter was for a number of years a prominent 
on in the affairs of this town, L. D. and S. B. McWhorter, two brothers, 
being partners in the mercantile business here.

But during the financial panic in the nineties, the firm became insolvent, 
and S. B. returned to the place of his nativity, on Hacker's creek; and L. 
D. became identified with the commercial travelers, but continued to hold 
his residence here until a few years since, when he removed his family to 
Buckhannon.

Lycurgus Diogenes McWhorter was born, on August 4, 1853, and on New Year's 
day, 1876 he was married to Miss Louisa Alice Caynor, who was born on 
October 8, 1854, and shortly after, with his wife, he came to Auburn.

He and his son, Ford, are now in the employ of the Leatherby Shoe Company. 
 Genial in disposition and generous to a fault he is said to have few equals 
as a salesman.  This innate spirit of benevolence, which prompted him to 
venture beyond the bounds of safety in the "credit system," during the 
panic, above mentioned, was the foundation of his financial ruin.

However, amidst his adversities he did not lose his sense of humor, but when 
the firm was forced to close it business, the villagers, one morning, found 
this terse sign upon the door, "Busted and Gone Fishing."  He is a member of 
the following mamed orders, Masonic, K. of P., I.O.O.F., U. C. T., and W. T. 
A. A.

He and his wife are the parents of ten children; viz., Ora, the eldest 
daughter, is Mrs. W. A. Broadwater, of Tollgate.

Page 567

Berta, Mrs. Elza A. Rinehart, of Lewis county. Maude, Mrs. Emory L. Hall, of 
Auburn. Altia, Mrs. Thomas J. Hefner. Ford D., John, Belva, Odessa, Guy M., 
and Minnie, who are twins.

Sabinus Bruce McWhorter, the junior member of the firm, was born September 
5, 1857; and on August 4, 1881, he was married to Miss Emeline Mae Lawson, 
and three children were the result of this union; viz., Lora, Sabinus M., 
and Carlton Brooks.

Mr. McWhorter was devotedly religious, and was quite prominent in church 
affairs, he having been President of the West Virginia Universalist 
Conference from the date of its organization, in 1891, until his death; and 
his every day Christian character left its impress upon all with whom he 
came in contact.  he was an ardent advocate of the Temperance cause, and 
frequently made public addresses in its behalf.

He died on May 17, 1899, from injuries received in a run-a-way accident, 
near Claysville, Pennsylvania, while engaged as traveling salesman for 
Speyer Brothers, of Wheeling, West Virginia.  his remains were taken to the 
old home on Hacker's creek, and there laid away in the I. O. O. F. cemetery, 
amid the scenes of his childhood.

His fimily at this time reside at Gaston, West Virginia, but they now live 
near Berlin, in Lewis county, in a little home that he thoughtfully provided 
by his life insurance, amidst his straightened circumstances.  He was a 
member of the Masonic, Knights of Pythias and United Commercial Travelers 
orders at the time of his death.

These brothers are the sons of the late Dr. John Minion McWhorter, who 
passed into the land of eternal peace from his home at Buckhannon, on 
November 9, 1909, after a long and useful career.

Dr. McWhorter was not only a medical practitioner of wide reputation, but he 
was a pioneer Minister or the Universalist faith in Central West Virginia.  
He was the author of a small book of sermons, and left several manuscripts 
of no little value.

Page 568

In compliance with a request set forth in his will, his remains were taken 
to Pittsburg and cremated, and the ashes were placed in a bronze metal urn--
then in a casket--and buried between his two wives in the McWhorter 
cemetery, in Harrison county.

Dr. McWhorter was of Scotch-Irish descent and of Revolutionary stock.  He 
was the son of Walter McWhorter, and the grandson of Henry McWhorter, a 
Revolutionary soldier, who was the pioneer mill-wright of the West Fork 
river.

He was born in Harrison county on January 22, l821; and on February 8, 1848, 
he was first married to Miss Rosetta Marple, daughter of  John and Ruth 
Reger Marple, and a great granddaughter of Jacob Brake, who was captured by 
the Indians, and remained among them until he became thoroughly 
"Indianized;" and after his return from captivity married and settled near 
the Buckhannon fort, where he died.

This same Jacob Brake was a son of John Brake, a German Baron, who resided 
near Moorefield (W,) Virginia, and who was conspicuously known as a tory in 
Revolutionary times, he being the prime factor in the only tory uprising of 
any note within the present boundary of the state.

Mrs. McWhorter died on December 26, 1869, after having given birth to twelve 
children, and on July 14, 1871,, Dr. McWhorter* married for his second wife, 
Mrs Phebe Cunningham, daughter of the Rev. James Hardman, of Hardman chapel, 
who passed on in 1905.

The children of Dr. and Mrs. (Rosetta Marple) McWhorter are as follows:

Cicero C. F., who was County clerk of Upshur for twenty years; Flavius J., 
L. D., S. B., Cyrus S., cashier of the Citizens National Bank, at Redlands, 
California; Lucullus V., John C., who is a prominent barrister, and Judge of 
the Twelfth Judicial circuit of West Virginia; Flora M., who is Mrs. George 
Lawson; and Lena L., the wife of Ulysses I. Jenkins; and Hyranus, Augustus 
O., and Lora Lee, who all died in infancy.  Mrs. Jenkins is a prominent W. 
C. T. U.

*For a more extended sketch of Dr. McWhorter see "History of Upshur County."

Page 569

worker, and is at this time State Superintednent of the Department of Anti-
Narcotics, etc.

Lucullus V. McWhorter, who resides in North Yakima, Washinton, is a writer 
and historian of considerable note.

He is soon to publish a history* of the "Border Settlers of North Western 
Virginia," and is much interested in the welfare of the Indians of the 
Northwest.  He has been formally adopted by the Yakimas, and is known among 
them as "He-mene Ka-wen," or "Old Wolfe," he having been chosen to take the 
place of a late beloved chief or leader of this name.  He is a recognized 
member of the Indian Council, and often meets with them in their 
deliberation, he being the only white man what has ever attained to this 
honor.

This title and honor were conferred upon him in recognition of his untiring 
efforts in behalf of certain needed reforms in their tribal government, and 
for varied expressions of sympathy for their cause in its many injustices at 
the hands of the white men.  So strong is their attachment for him,  that 
they have been heard to declare that "He is too good to be a white man, that 
he is an Indian."

His standing with the "Nez Perce" is equally high, and the data that he is 
collecting among these northwestern tribes

*The title of this history will be "Border Warriors," of the life of Jesse 
Hughes and other Noted Scouts of Western Virginia, with preface and 
daaitional notes by Wm. E. Connolly.

Page 570

is of rare ethnological and historical value.

The Kniseleys now claim our attention.  George and Annie Eib Kniseley, both 
of Holland descent, emigrated from Pennsylvania to Harrison county shortly 
after the American Revolution, as did the Eib family.

Their family consisted of ten children,  namely, Jacob, George, John,  
Washington, Abraham, Mary, Margaret, Susan, and Lucy.

George married Miss Nancy Loveland and went to Illinois.

Jacob married and remained in Harrison county.

Abraham lived single until he had reached the age of nearly sixty-five 
years, when he married a Harrison county lady, and shortly after, was thrown 
from a horse and killed.

Mary was the late Mrs. Isaac P. Cox, of the Pocotaligo river, this state.

Susan married Philip Cox and died in this county in 1886.  Margaret was the 
late Mrs. Samuel Sheets, of Harrison county.  And Lucy was Mrs. Noah Smith, 
of Simpson's creek.

Washington Kniseley  married Miss Sarah Heckart and settled near Troy, in 
Gilmer county, many years ago.  Here, he died about 1880, and in the Auburn 
cemetery he lies at rest, by the side of his two companions.. His last wife, 
Mrs. Anna Cox kniseley being laid by his side in 1909.

His daughter Sarah was the late wife of Oliver Cox, of Cox's mill; and his 
sons were John, and Daniel, of the Auburn vicinity, who passed on a number 
of years ago, and Henry Kniseley.

John Kniseley, who was so long prominently identified with the business 
affairs of this part of the county, was married to Miss Julia McKinley in 
1839, and settled on Hacker's creek in Lewis county where her remained until 
the early seventies, when he came to Auburn and purchased the Timothy Tharpe 
and the Andrew Law homesteads, and took up residence on the latter.

Being a man of great energy, he was one of the most prosperous farmers and 
stock-dealers in this section of the country.  He took an active interest in 
church affairs, and was a generous contribuor to the cause.  The pretty 
Methodist

Page 571

Protestant church home of this town, which was burned to the ground on 
Sunday, December 12, 1909, was chiefly the work of his own hands.

When the weight of years forced him to give up his business pursuits, 
turning his beautiful old homestead over to his son, Thomas, he removed to a 
little home in the north of this town  where he resided until this home was 
broken up by the death of  his aged companion, near the year 1896.  He died 
during the month of Februry, 1898.  Both sleep  in the Auburn cemetery.  
This venerable couple celebrated their golden wedding during the early 
summer of the year 1889--an event which has been recorded in the lives of 
comparatively few of the citizens of this county.

They were the parents of five children; viz.,Edward. Abraham, Thomas, Julia 
and Sarah.

Edward remained in Lewis county.

Sarah Kniseley was first married to Francis Swisher, of Lewis county, and 
the two daughters of this union are Mrs. Laura Glover, wife of Dr. J. R. 
Glover, and Mrs. Julia Cookman Peirpoint.  After the death of Mr. Swisher , 
she married Mr. Smith of Weston.

Julia Kniseley married Israel Cookman, of Lewis county, in 1869, and with 
her parents, they came to Auburn and took up their residence on the Tharpe 
homestead, where they still live.  They have long been pillars in the 
Methodist Episcopal church, and are classed among the best citizens of the 
town.  Their only child is John Cookman, the well known cashier  of the 
Auburn bank.  Later--Mr. Cookman died on April 10, 1910, at he age of eighty 
years, and was laid at rest in the Auburn cemtery.

Abraham Kniseley, who was also prominently known in business circles, was 
married to Miss Ida Hall, of Lewis county, and died here a number of years 
ago, leaving two daughters--Minnie, who is now the wife of the Rev. William 
Lloyd, of the Methodist Episcopal church, and Miss Sarah Kniseley, who with 
their mother, are now of Illinois.

Thomas Kniseley married Miss Alice Stout, of Lewis county, and after selling 
the old homestead here a few years since, returned to Lewis county, where he 
now resides.

Page 572 His children are two in number:  Georgia, a daughter, and  Fred, a 
son.

John Sommerville is at this time one of the oldest and most prominent 
citizens of the town.  Perhaps, no other name has had a longer association 
with its public affairs than that of Mr. Sommerville.  He was born in 
Harrison county, on October 19, 1832, and came to this vicinity with his 
parents when he was but a small child, and here his entire life has been 
spent, on the old farm that his father entered in the wilderness days.  He 
served as a soldier of the Union army, having entered as a private in the 
Infantry, rose to the rank of Captain in the Sixth Virginia Calvalry. . He 
has been a life-long communicant of the Methodist Episcopal cuhrch, and is 
prominently connedted with some of the business interests of the town.

He  married Miss Elizabeth Brannon, daughter of Thomas Brannon, of Gilmer 
county, and they are the parents of three daughters, and five sons; viz.,

Mae, the eldest daughter, was the late Mrs. Miles Heckart, of Auburn; Lelia 
is Mrs. J. N. Brown, of Colorado; and Harvey and Eldred are also of 
Colorado; and Miss Dell B., Walter,  Ralph, and Berne Sommerville, are all 
of Auburn.