Webster County, West Virginia Biography: Hon. George A. HEROLD ************************************************************************** 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 1999 ************************************************************************** The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 24 HON. GEORGE A. HEROLD, of Cowen, is in 1922 representa- tive of Webster County in the House of Delegates of the West Virginia Legislature, and is one of the substantial business men and influential citizens of this section of the state, besides which his is the distinction of being a scion of one of the sterling pioneer families of that part of Vir- ginia that now constitutes the commonwealth of West Vir- ginia, the new state having not been formed until about a decade after his birth, which occurred on a farm in Nicho- las County, August 23, 1855. Mr. Herold is a son of An- derson C. and Talitha (McClung) Herold, the former of whom was born in Pocahontas County, in December, 1825, and the latter of whom likewise was born in what is now West Virginia, the year of her nativity having been 1827. After their marriage the parents established their residence on a pioneer farm in Nicholas County, on Muddlety Creek, and there the father developed one of the best farm prop- erties in the county, his substantial financial success having been furthered by raising and dealing in live stock. He was one of the honored and representative citizens of Nich- olas County at the time of his death, in March, 1914, and his widow passed away in 1921, when in her ninety-third year, both having been most zealous members and liberal supporters of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and Mr. Herold having been unwavering in his support of the cause of the democratic party. Of their six children the eldest is Lanty W., who is a prominent farmer in Nicholas County and who has served as a member of the County Court; John M. likewise is a representative farmer of that county, as is also Henry W., who has achieved marked suc- cess in the raising of live stock of superior types and who has served as sheriff of his native county; George A., of this review, was the next in order of birth; Fielding D. re- mains on the old homestead and is a successful agricultur- ist and stock-grower; and Charles F. is a substantial mer chant and farmer at Muddlety in Nicholas County. George A. Herold was reared on the old homestead farm, and that he made good use of his early educational advan tages is shown in the fact that for ten years he was a suc- cessful and popular teacher in the free and the select schools of his native county. For six years he was engaged in the general merchandise business at Hookersville, Nicholas County, as a member of the firm of Herold Brothers, and he then erected a store building at Herold, Braxton County, where he developed a prosperous mercantile enterprise, be- sides buying and shipping live stock and continuing his ac- tive association with farm industry. In the early '90s Mr. Herold disposed of his mercantile interests and removed to Webster County, where he has continued in the general merchandise business, besides which he is the owner of a valuable landed estate of 3,000 acres, located in Webster, Braxton and Nicholas counties. He was for ten years president of the First National Bank at Webster Springs, the county seat, and gave six years of loyal and progressive service as a member of the County Court. He has been an active factor in the councils and campaign work of the dem- ocratic party, and as a candidate on the party ticket he was elected representative of the county in the Lower House of the State Legislature in the fall of 1920, his work in this connection having been marked by characteristic loyalty and by earnest promotion of wise legislation of constructive order. While a member of that law-making body he intro- duced the eugenics bill, health certificate before marriage, which carried in the House fifty-eight for, and twenty against. The Senate made a slight amendment and voted solidly for it with the exception of one vote. The commit- tee on rules kept it off the special calendar before the lower body could concur with the Senate on the amendment until the Legislature closed, thereby defeating his bill. He is ex- ceptionally proud of having introduced that bill. Mr. Her- old and his wife are most zealous members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, to whose support he has been a lib- eral contributor, having given a donation of $1,000 to the Centenary Fund, and $2,000 to the Educational Fund. He has been specially prominent in Sunday school work for fully thirty years, during the major part of which period he has served as superintendent of the Sunday school. Mr. Herold chose as his wife Miss Lillie Viola Hill, daugh- ter of the late John Hill, of Nicholas County, and of the nine children of this union three are deceased: Rose P. is the wife of James N. Berthy, Jr.; Walter H. was the next in order of birth and resides in Webster County; Mamie B. is the wife of Joseph McQueen; Ernest H. is married, and he and his wife maintain their home at Cowen; and Mary Louise and Ruth Virginia remain at the parental home.