Roane County, West Virginia Biography of ISAAC I. RILEY This biography was submitted by Valerie Crook, E-mail address: The submitter does not have a connection to the subject of this sketch. This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. All other rights reserved. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the WVGenWeb Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://www.usgwarchives.net/wv/wvfiles.htm The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 579 ISAAC I. RILEY has been a resident of South Carolina since 1914. He was one of the local men of enterprise who have done most to influence capital and industrial develop- ments in this section. He has employed a great deal of capital of his own in building and other development work. He is a merchant by long experience, and still conducts a business at South Charleston, where most of his work has been in the field of real estate for some years. He was born in Roane County, West Virginia, December 22, 1857, son of William and Marianne (Jones) Riley, the father born in Lewis County, West Virginia and the mother in Hardy County. William Riley, with his brother George W., settled in Roane County at an early day. They purchased large tracts of land. The boyhood of Isaac I. Riley was spent on a farm, and he equipped himself for life in the public schools and at the age of eighteen began teaching. He taught for several terms in rural districts, and following that was a farmer and also became a merchant at Flat Fork in Roane County. In 1801 he moved to Walton, in the same county, where he conducted a general store for ten years. In the meantime, in 1896, be began taking an active part in local politics and was appointed deputy sheriff of Roane County under Sheriff M. B. Mathews, and in order to devote more time to this office, he moved to the county seat at Spencer in 1901. He wag also in business there, and in 1910 was made postmaster at Spencer, under President Taft's administration. He served until the Wilson administration, and in 1914 he located at South Charleston. He did not immediately en- gage in business there, but instead opened a store at West Charleston. With a keen foresight as to possible develop- ment of the industrial site of South Charleston, he joined with others in building up the town and has constructed several business buildings as well as residences. He built one business block, with a frontage ot six stores, also a hotel and apartment building, and has improved some of the de- sirable residence sections of the town. Some time since he closed out his store at West Charleston, but recently opened a grocery store in South Charleston. Mr. Riley has continued to take an active part and leader- ship in republican politics. He attended a number of state and district conventions while in Roane County. In Roane County he married Mary Louise Goodwin, daughter of Hiram Goodwin. Mr. and Mrs. Riley are proud of their large family of children, eight of whom are living. One son. Oral F., was a successful merchant at West Charleston, and died at the age of thirty-five. The living children are: Oma, wife of Reece Kent, of Greensboro, North Carolina; Belva, Mrs. Roy Murray, of Akron, Ohio; Grace, wife of R. L. Hayes, of Spencer, West Virginia; Ruth, Mrs. Roscue Garden, of Hinton, West Virginia; Macel, wife of W. G. Moore, of South Charleston; Anna and Mary Louise, both at home; and Charles D., who is now in office work and is an ex-service man. He served as a first lieutenant in the border troubles and later in France with the Ex- peditionary Forces.