West Virginia Statewide Files WV-Footsteps Mailing List WV-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest Volume 99 : Issue 124 Today's Topics: #1 BIO: Jacob MCLEAN, Barbour Co. WV [Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.19991126020331.00fcd730@trellis.net> Subject: BIO: Jacob MCLEAN, Barbour Co. WV Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" MIME-Version: 1.0 X-MIME-Autoconverted: from 8bit to quoted-printable by bl-14.rootsweb.com id XAA15172 The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 327 JACOB MCLEAN, a venerable and honored retired farmer residing at Belington, has been a resident of Barbour County fully seventy-five years—since the time of his boyhood. He was born in Randolph County, Virginia (now West Vir- ginia), June 12, 1838. He is a son of William and Han- nah (Weese) McLean, his father having been born and reared in the timbered section of the Tygart River Valley in Eandolph County, and his entire life having been marked by close association with farm industry, though in earlier years he worked more or less at the carpenter's trade. He was bora about the year 1800, and he was fifty-nine years of age at the time of his death, his remains resting in the old-time cemetery at Chenoweth, Barbour County, as do also those of his wife, who survived him by about twenty years and who was a daughter of Jacob Weese. William McLean was a son of Daniel McLean, who was born in the vicinity of Petersburg, Virginia and whose father, a Scots- man, there settled in the early pioneer days. Daniel Mc- Lean died in the early '40s, in the present Eandolph County, West Virginia, and his remains rest in the little cemetery about two miles north of Beverly, that county. Of the chil- dren of William McLean the eldest was Aretus, who was one of the substantial farmers of Barbour County at the time of his death; Sarah Ann is the widow of Newton Chenoweth, and, in 1922, still resides on her old home farm near Beling- ton, at the age of ninety-two years; Martha became the wife of Joseph Rohrbough, and they became pioneers in the State of Oregon; Daniel was a resident of Scotland Connty, Missouri, at the time of his death; Jacob, of this review, was the next in order of birth; Mary and her husband, George Ice, went to Kansas after the Civil war, and her death occurred at Lawrence, that state; Elizabeth, the wife of Zebulon Holland, resides in Upshur County, West Virginia; Susan became the wife of Perry Mason, and they established their home in Scotland County, Missouri; and Minerva, the wife of Francis Finley, still resides in Bar- bour County. The pioneer log schoolhouse, with its primitive equipment and facilities, afforded Jacob McLean his early education, which was necessarily limited in scope, and he was an active exponent of farm enterprise in Barbour County at the Incep- tion of the Civil war, but he was not called into military service; As a young man familiar with slavery, he had no prejudice against that institution, but in later years he has realized the injustice thereof and recognized that war be- tween the states was inevitable and the cause of abolition was just. After their marriage Mr. McLean and his young wife established their first home in a two-story log house on his father's old farm, the house having five rooms and being superior to most domiciles of the locality and period. A part of this ancient building is still standing, two miles distant from Belington. Mr. McLean remained on the old homestead and continued as one of the substantial farmers of Barbour County until advancing age justified his retire- ment, and he removed to Belington, where he has since main- tained his home and enjoyed the rewards of former years of earnest and worthy endeavor. He purchased the in- terests of his brothers and sisters and thus became the owner of a valuable farm property of 144 acres, upon which he made many improvements. He served as school trustee, lived at peace with his neighbors and never was personally involved in a law suit, though he had his share of service on petit and grand juries. His first presidential vote was cast in 1860, and he has continuously given his allegiance to the democratic party since that time. He and his wife are earnest members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, as was also his first wife, and his identification with the church has covered a period of forty-five years. In 1863 he wedded Mary, a daughter of Samuel Kelley, and her death occurred in 1907. Of the eight children of this union six are living: Samuel is a resident of Clay County; Hanning F. lives in the State of Nevada; Arthur resides at Cedar Grove, West Virginia; Fleming is a resident of the State of Idaho; Edmond resides at Fallen, Nevada; and Charles resides at Elkins, West Virginia, where he is a postal clerk. For his second wife Mr. McLean married Mrs. Sarah Pitzer, widow of Silas Pitzer. She was born on Laura Creek, Barbour County, June 14, 1840, and is a daughter of the late Willis and Nancy (Dignan) Stalnaker. The first husband of Mrs. McLean was Ikeney Poling, and they became the parents of eight children: Adolphus D., Rachel (Mrs. William Talbott), Ellen (Mrs. Samuel Tal- bott), Blue Dell (Mrs. George Haller), Willis (married Nora Nestor), and three who are deceased. No children were born of the second marriage of Mrs. McLean (to Silas Pitzer). She and her husband are passing the gracious evening of their lives in peace and comfort and surrounded by friends who are tried and true. ______________________________X-Message: #2 Date: Fri, 26 Nov 1999 02:02:59 -0500 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.19991126020259.00fce720@trellis.net> Subject: BIO: I. WAYMON CALDWELL, Kanawha Co. WV Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" MIME-Version: 1.0 The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 327 I. WAYMON CALDWELL is general manager of the Yellow Pine Lumber Company of Charleston, one of the largest retail organizations in the lumber trade of the state. The present business originated in the enterprise of Mr. J. H. O'Neill, who some twenty-five years ago established the Georgia Lumber Company at Bluefield, West Virginia. He was a sash and door manufacturer of Rome, Georgia. Soon afterward the management of the business at Blue- field was turned over to Walter Perkins, thus enabling Mr. O'Neill to concentrate his attention more fully upon his manufacturing business, in which he succeeded his father. Then, in 1903, in association with Mr. Perkins, he incor- porated the Yellow Pine Lumber Company. Mr. O'Neill was also responsible for the establishment of the Southern Pine Lumber Company at Clarksburg, and he was financially interested in the Carolina Pine Lumber Company at Hunt- ington. Each of these enterprises attained an enviable success. Mr. O'Neill finally withdrew altogether from the business at Clarksburg, but continues as president of the Yellow Pine Company. This company has prospered in proportion with the growth of the Kanawha Valley in wealth, population and industry, and operates a retail yard that can meet practically every demand for standard lum- ber. For the past three years the business at Charleston has been under the personal supervision of Mr. I. W. Caldwell, who is a veteran employe of the company, and it was his faculty for getting things done and his broad knowledge of the lumber business in general that won the recognition re- sulting in his appointment as general manager. In this post he has proved his ability to broaden the business and service of the company. Mr. Caldwell is a very active and public spirited mem- ber of the community, is affiliated with the Chamber of Commerce and the Kiwanis Club, and recently was the prime mover in co-operating with other local business men and cit- izens in securing the grounds and financing the organiza- tion of the Kanawha Country Club. He is a Mason, an Elk and a member of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Cald- well married Clara J. Copham, of Wheeling. ______________________________X-Message: #4 Date: Fri, 26 Nov 1999 02:19:59 -0500 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.19991126021959.00fd1210@trellis.net> Subject: BIO: GARRISON J. STALNAKER, Barbour Co. WV Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" MIME-Version: 1.0 X-MIME-Autoconverted: from 8bit to quoted-printable by bl-14.rootsweb.com id XAA15172 The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 328-329 Barbour GARRISON J. STALNAKER, of Belington, Barbour County, is a popular representative of one of the old and honored pioneer families of what is now West Virginia—a family that has contributed much to the civic and industrial devel- opment and progress of this favored commonwealth. He was born on a farm near the present village of Gilman, Randolph County, June 11, 1858, and he was a lad about seven years when the family home was established, in the spring of 1865, on a spot that is now within the corporate limits of the City of Belington and near the old home of John Belin, in whose honor the city was named. Granville Stalnaker, father of Garrison J., was born and reared on a farm in Randolph County, and in his home community was solemnized his marriage to Mary, a daughter of Jacob Hilkey, who was born near Patterson and who passed his mature life as a farmer in Randolph County. Granville Stalnaker became one of the substantial farmers of Barbour County, and was fifty-four years of age at the time of his death, his wife having died in 1867, and Garri- son John, of this review, was the only child of this union. The father subsequently contracted a second marriage, with Amanda Phillips, and she likewise preceded him to the life eternal. His father, Garrettson Stalnaker, who passed his entire life in Randolph County, was a son of Isaac Stal- naker, a native of Virginia and of German ancestry, the family having been founded in Virginia in the Colonial days. Garrettson Stalnaker married Rachel Taylor, and their mortal remains rest in a little cemetery near Gilman, Randolph County. They became the parents of six children: Granville, Hyre, Tallman, Alfred, Almira (Mrs. Randolph Phares) and Elizabeth (Mrs. Haymond Summerfield). Al- fred Stalnaker was identified with the Union service in the Civil war. Garrison J. Stalnaker received the advantages of the rural schools and also attended select schools. As a youth he taught two terms of school, and his success gave evi- dence that he had profited by the scholastic advantages that had been his. He thereafter initiated his independent career as a farmer, and after a time he engaged in the operation of a sawmill, he having been for nine years a manufacturer of lumber in Barbour, Randolph and Upshur counties. He finally sold his lumber mill and business and confined his activities to the management of his farm, though his sons now have charge of the productive affairs of the excellent old homestead farm, where they are giving special attention to dairy farming and supply milk to the City of Belington. As a prerequisite in the dairy business a modern silo was erected on the farm, and thereafter was built a dairy barn with cement floor and drain, improved stanchions, adjustable feeding troughs, watering system, and an effective ventilating system. From a modest in- ception this has been developed into one of the best dairy plants in this section of the state. Mr. Stalnaker is a charter stockholder and a director of the Citizens National Bank of Belington. He served four years as justice of the peace, and had the distinction of being the first mayor of Belington, an office to which he was later elected for a second time. He played a large part in organizing and making effective the municipal government of Belington, and in 1900 he was elected a commissioner of the County Court, a position which he retained for the prescribed term of six years. Within this period the new Court House was completed, and he also supported the granting of licenses to saloons, as he and other members of the County Court believed such action would be better than the toleration of all manner of surreptions and often disgraceful sales places for liquor. His attitude in this matter brought to him criticism on the part of the prohibition element, but his conviction as to the question was not changed thereby, but he had no desire for re-election to office. He is a stanch advocate of the cause of the republican party, and his service to the com- munity has included his incumbency of the position of city recorder of Belington and deputy sheriff of the County, under Sheriff A. F. Bennett. He and his wife hold mem- bership in the Methodist Episcopal Church. In May, 1879, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Stal- naker and Miss Mary Magnolia Newlon, who was born at the "bend of the river" near Mount Liberty, Barbour County, in October, 1861, a daughter of Burr P. and Sallie Ann (Lake) Newlon. The Newlon family was established in Taylor County in the early pioneer days. Mrs. Stal- naker is one of a family of ten children, the names being here recorded: Elijah, Adolphus, Benjamin, Charles, Melissa (Mrs. Ira Shockey), Virginia (Mrs. Frank Shockey), Amanda (Mrs. Andrew McCauley), Olive (widow of War- ren Shurtleff), Mary M. (Mrs. Garrison J. Stalnaker), and Martha (Mrs. C. W. Hillyard). Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Stalnaker the eldest was Allman J., who was cashier of the Citizens National Bank of Belington at the time of his death. He married Mannah E. Holbert, who survives him, as does also their one child, Edrie. Porter B., the second son, is one of the principals in the conduct- ing of the Stalnaker dairy farm. He married Rose Harvey, and they have two children, Neil and William. Lenora is the wife of Frederick E. Thompson, of Belington, of whom individual mention is made on other pages. Leoral O. is identified with the family dairy farm. The maiden name of his wife was Opal Williamson, and their two children are Dillon and Wilda. Mary Ila, the youngest of the family of children, died in infancy. ______________________________X-Message: #5 Date: Fri, 26 Nov 1999 02:19:34 -0500 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.19991126021934.00fd0b40@trellis.net> Subject: BIO: CLARK L. ROHRBOUGH, M. D., Barbour Co. WV Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" MIME-Version: 1.0 The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 327-328 Barbour CLARK L. ROHRBOUGH, M. D., is one of the able and repre- sentative physicians and surgeons of Barbour County, where be has been established in successful general practice since 1883, with residence and professional headquarters at Belington. The Doctor was born on a farm near Buckhannon, Up- shur County, February 23, 1858, and is a son of John M. and Matilda (Butt) Rohrbough, the latter having been bom in Lewis County, as was also her father, William Butt, who was a member of one of the sterling pioneer families of that county. John M. Rohrbough was a son of Anthony Rohrbough, who came from the vicinity of the north branch of the Potomac River and became one of the very early settlers of what is now Upshur County, West Virginia, his farm having been two miles east of Buckhannon and he having there reclaimed his land from the wilderness. He was a member of the first class, of ten members, that established the first Methodist Church in that county, and his Christian faith was ever shown in his daily life. He and his wife remained on the old homestead until their deaths, and there were reared not only their children but also a number of their grandchildren. The eldest son, George, removed to Illinois and there remained until his death in Hancock County; Anthony remained in Upshnr County until his death, as did also Benjamin; John M., father of the subject of this sketch, was the next younger son; Jacob died at Buckhannon and Isaac in Lewis County. Dorcas, the elder daughter, became the wife of Michael Strader after the death of her first husband, whose name was Tenny, and Mahala, who became the wife of John Love, died in Barbour County. John M. Rohrbough continued as a successful farmer in Upshur County until his death, in the. spring of 1860, and his widow survived him by more than thirty years, her death having occurred in 1893, on the old home place near Buckhannon. All of their ten children attained to adult age: Elizabeth is the widow of Seth Williams and resides at Buckhannon; Marietta is the widow of John Griffith and now resides at Harlingen, Texas; Virginia, the wife of John Hyer, died in Upshur County, when still a young woman; William lives at Beverly, Randolph County; Je- mina, wife of Jerome Pultz, died in Lewis County; Matilda is the wife of S. S. Leonard of Buckhannon; Columbia is the wife of Archibald Hinkle, Jr., and they maintain their home at Belington; Ardelia, the widow of Tillotson Martin, resides in Barbour County; Vermont died unmarried; and Dr. Clark L., of this review, is the youngest of the number. The public and county normal schools afforded to Doctor Rohrbough his early education, and for six years he was a successful teacher in the schools of his native county, his earnings enabling him to realize his ambition and begin preparation for his chosen profession. After reading medicine two years under the preceptorship of Dr. J. P. Miller, of Buckhannon, he entered the Medical College of Ohio in the City of Cincinnati, and in the spring of 1883 he received from this institution his degree of Doctor of Medicine. For five years thereafter he gave his attention to a wide rural practice in Barbour County, with residence at Talbott, and he then removed to Belington, where he has continued in practice as one of the leading physicians of the county and where he has status as one of the loyal, public-spirited and influential citizens. He is actively iden- tified with the Tri-County Medical Society (Randolph, Bar- bour and Tucker counties) and also with the West Virginia State Medical Society. He has served as health officer of the Belington independent school district, was city recorder one term, and later gave two terms of specially effective administration as mayor of Belington, he having been very strenuous in his efforts to eliminate the liquor traffic in the city. He has given unfaltering allegiance to the repub- lican party, and he and his wife hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he has been an active member of thirty years. On the 27th of January, 1885, was solemnized the mar- riage of Doctor Rohrbough and Miss Hulda Carpenter, who was born and reared in Barbour County and who was the third in order of birth of the five children of Coon and Julia (Harris) Carpenter. Doctor and Mrs. Rohrbough have four children: Pearl, wife of Herbert Sparks, of Niles, Ohio; Otis C., of Davis, West Virginia; Flossie, wife of Frank Phillips, of Belington; and Mrs. Hazel Dunlap, of Mount Clemens, Michigan. ______________________________X-Message: #6 Date: Fri, 26 Nov 1999 02:20:30 -0500 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.19991126022030.00fd0b40@trellis.net> Subject: BIO: BERNARD E. WILMOTH, Barbour Co. WV Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" MIME-Version: 1.0 The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 329 Barbour BERNARD E. WILMOTH. A distinction significant of serv- ice rendered, duty, loyalty and efficiency, belongs to Bernard E. Wilmoth, in that he is the oldest locomotive engineer on active duty on the Monongah Division of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. He has worked forty years as a railroad man, and for a quarter of a century has been a resident of Belington in Barbour County. Mr. Wilmoth was born in the old town of New Interest, Randolph County, West Virginia, May 24, 1864. His father is Isburn Wilmoth, the venerable and aged citizen of Graf- ton, whose life has been spent chiefly as a brick mason. He early took up contracting, and much of his work in building at Elkins and also at Grafton is still in evidence. He has been a good business man, faithful to his obliga- tions, but has sought no honors of politics or public life. He is a democrat and a Methodist. Isburn Wilmoth mar- ried Rebecca Stalnaker, who was reared in Randolph County, and was a distant cousin of Garrison J. Stalnaker, men- tioned elsewhere. She died at the age of fifty-two. Her children were: Perry L., who lost his life by accident in Sturgeon Lake, Minnesota, and was unmarried; Charles E., who died in 1919, a locomotive engineer on the Cum- berland Division of the Baltimore and Ohio; Lucy, who died unmarried in a hospital at Clarksburg; Bernard E.; French, a locomotive engineer living at Grafton, with a run on the Buckhannon branch of the Baltimore and Ohio; Dollie, unmarried and is the companion of her aged father; Walter, who is unmarried and is a house painter at Grafton. Bernard E. Wilmoth lived in Randolph County until he was ten years of age, when his parents established their home at Grafton in Taylor County. He grew up there, acquired a common school education, and at the age of sixteen started out to earn his living by practical work. For a time he was employed in a livery stable. worked twelve months with an engineer corps in the preliminary survey and finally with the locating survey at Grafton for the Greenbrier Railway. He was then made tie inspector for the railroad, and two months later was given the congenial task of firing the first locomo- tive to run over the new road. After eighteen months he was promoted to engineer, and now for forty years he has been in charge of the throttle of an engine until he has become the oldest in the service on the Monongah Division of the Baltimore and Ohio. Most of his service has been between Grafton and Belington, and for a time he had the run between Belington and Morgantown and from Belington to Fairmont. His work is now with the Berryburg branch. Mr. Wilmoth in 1913 finished one of the fine and sub- stantial homes of Belington. It is an eight room brick veneer building, comfortable, attractive and a perfectly appointed home. Mr. Wilmoth is a charter member of the Citizens National Bank of Belington, is one of its di- rectors, is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and fraternally is a Lodge and Chapter Mason, an Odd Fellow, and since reaching his majority has been affiliated with the Knights of Pythias, of which he is a past chan- cellor. As a young man he also received his card in the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, and is one of the older men in that organization. In September, 1889, at Grafton, Mr. Wilmoth married Mary Williams, who was born at Buckhannon, West Vir- ginia, July 13, 1869, daughter of Jerome B. Williams. Her mother was a Miss Hyer. Mrs. Wilmoth was the youngest of four daughters, and her two surviving sisters Mrs. Dora Butcher, of Weston, and Mrs. Rose Lilly, of Grafton. The only child of Mr. and Mrs. Wilmoth is a daughter, Sevva R., who graduated from the Belington High School, later from Westminster College in Mary- land, where she rounded out her education in vocal music, and she is now one of the High School teachers at Belington. ______________________________X-Message: #7 Date: Fri, 26 Nov 1999 02:20:53 -0500 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.19991126022053.00fd4ec0@trellis.net> Subject: BIO: WALTER E. CLARK, Kanawha Co. WV Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" MIME-Version: 1.0 The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 329 Kanawha WALTER E. CLARK. The enviable success of The Charles- ton Daily Mail both as a newspaper and a business institu- tion is credited to its proprietor and editor, Walter E. Clark. Mr. Clark has been a newspaper man all his life, and he brought to this West Virginia journal an exceptional range of experience. Mr. Clark was born at Ashford, Connecticut, January 7 1869, son of Oren Andrus and Jeannette (Jones) Clark. He graduated from the Connecticut Normal School at New Britain in 1887, and from the Wesleyan University of Mid- dletown, Connecticut, with the Ph. B. degree, in 1895. >From a local sphere of experience in journalism in his native state Mr. Clark went in 1895 to Washington, where for a year he was telegraph editor on the Washington Times. For more than a dozen years he was Washington correspondent for a number of leading newspapers, includ- ing the New York Commercial Advertiser in 1897; was as- sistant to the Washington correspondent of the New York Sun from 1897 to 1909; was Washington correspondent for the Seattle Post-Intelligeneer from 1900 to 1909; and of the New York Commercial and Toronto Globe from 1904 to 1909. In 1909 Mr. Clark was called from the busy routine of a newspaper man to the important post of governor of Alaska Territory. He served in that office until 1913, and soon after his return to the United States in 1914 he acquired The Charleston Daily Mail. Mr. Clark is a republican, a member of the Congrega- tional Church, is affiliated with the Chi Psi college frater- nity, and was editor of its magazine during his early career at Washington. He has membership in the Metropolitan and Chevy Chase Clubs of Washington, the Arctic Club of Seattle and the Edgewood Country Club of Charleston. June 15, 1898, at New York, he married Lucy Harrison Norvell, daughter of Captain Edward Norvell of Lynchburg, Virginia.