West Virginia Statewide Files WV-Footsteps Mailing List WV-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest Volume 99 : Issue 54 Today's Topics: #1 BIO: Mark S. JARRETT, Kanawha Coun [SSpradling@aol.com] #2 BIO: John Hamilton HANSFORD, M.D., [SSpradling@aol.com] #3 BIO: Francis HANSHAW, Kanawha Coun [SSpradling@aol.com] #4 BIO: Hon. James H. FERGUSON, Kanaw [SSpradling@aol.com] #5 History of Marion County, WV [Haddeleigh@aol.com] Administrivia: To unsubscribe from WV-FOOTSTEPS-D, send a message to WV-FOOTSTEPS-D-request@rootsweb.com that contains in the body of the message the command unsubscribe and no other text. No subject line is necessary, but if your software requires one, just use unsubscribe in the subject, too. To contact the WV-FOOTSTEPS-D list administrator, send mail to WV-FOOTSTEPS-admin@rootsweb.com. ______________________________X-Message: #1 Date: Sun, 26 Sep 1999 06:22:50 EDT From: SSpradling@aol.com To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <19b88d91.251f4dfa@aol.com> Subject: BIO: Mark S. JARRETT, Kanawha County Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and Representative Citizens W.S. Laidley Richmond Arnold Publishing Co., Chicago, ILL. 1911 p. 461-462 MARK S. JARRETT, a well known citizen of Charleston, where he is engaged in the real estate business, also holding the office of overseer of the poor, comes of one of the old settled families of Greenbrier County, W. Va. He was born on the old Jarrett homestead in Elk district, then in Virginia, March 25, i856, son of Eli and Nancy (Newhouse) Jarrett. His paternal grandfather was Owen Jarrett, who was born in Greenbrier County, where he married Elizabeth Vincent. After the birth of their first child Mr. and Mrs. Owen Jarrett removed to Kanawha County, and settled at Jarrett's Ford on Elk River, in 1812, and purchased land in Elk District-several hundred acres, all of which was virgin land, which he retained possession of until his death in the fifties. The ford in the river near his farm is still kriown as Jarrett's Ford. His widow survived him many years, being ninety-six years old at the time of her death. They were among the early supporters of the Baptist church in Elk District and were people of social importance. Their family consisted of six sons an4 three daughters, namely: Eli, a farmer who lived and died at Jarrett's Ford, in Elk District; Squire Jarrett in Big Sandy District; John, now his ninety-fourth year, who has always lived in Elk Distnct, on Little Sandy; Rose Ann, who married John Samples, she and her husband being both now deceased; Vincent, a farmer who died in Big Sandy District; Nancy, who. is the widow of Charles Osborn and resides in Big Sandy District; Owen, Jr., who owned a farm at Jarrett's Ford and who died in 1910; and Sarah, who was the wife of Benjamin Melton, a farmer in Elk District, both being now deceased. Descendants of the above men-tioned family still reside in Elk and Big Sandy Districts. Eli Jarrett was born in Greenbrier County in 1809 and was three years old when his parents came to Kanawha County. The region was then practically a wilderness. The forests were full of wild game and the streams of fish and the land responded generously to the most primitive attempts at cultivation. This great abundance of the necessities of life, for which there was then practically no outside market, induced a generous scale of living and giving that might be called typically Southern, though changed conditions have since necessarily modified the method, though not the spirit of hospitality. It was said of Mr. Eli Jarrett that he would never sell a neighbor one of his flock, but would take pleasure in giving. it; his neighbors knew they had permission to shoot game all over his estate, and he would frequently join them, as he was a good marksman and was fond of hunting. He was a large hearted, generous man, and possessed all the qualities of a good citizen. He succeeded to the parental homestead, on which he resided until his death, which occurred May 11, 1897. He was a Democrat in politics but served in no public office. Eli Jarrett was married in Elk District, to Nancy Newhouse, who was born there in i8ii and who also died there, at the age of eighty-seven years, in 1899. Her people were early settlers in Elk Valley. Both Eli Jarrett and wife were members and gener-ous supporters of the Baptist church. Eight sons and three daughters were born to them, as follows: Columbus, who was a farmer in Elk District, married Mary Slack, both being now deceased; Harrison, who is also deceased, married Sarah Matheny and reared his family in Elk District; Caroline, who is the wife of Birdet Price, a farmer in Elk District; James, who married Nannie Darlington, both being now deceased; Owen V., who followed farming in Elk District until his death, and married Martha Cummins, both being now deceased; Elizabeth, who is the widow of Marshall Depew, of Roane County, a farmer and stock raiser who died in 1909, leaving an estate worth about $100,000; Catherine, residing in Elk District, who is the widow of David Jarrett; Eli T., now residing in Cabin Creek District, who married Matura Jarrett, now de-ceased, their children being born in Ohio; John T., a lumberman living in Malden Dis-trict, who married Betty Copenhaver; Squire B., who has been in the livery busi-ness at Charleston for many years and who married Mary Vickers; and Mark S., who is the youngest of the family. Mark S. Jarrett remained with his parents and gave them filial care in their old age. He subsequently became the owner of the parental homestead, where he continued to reside and carry on the various farm indus-tries until 1895. He then moved to Charleston, where he went into the hotel business and continued in this line for twelve years, when he retired. A useful and prominent citizen, he was elected a member of the City Council in 1902 and 1903, being politically a Republican. Mr. Jarrett was first married in 1881to Mary E. Legg, who died about 1887. They had three children-Marshall E., who died at the age of eleven years;-Grace, who is the wife of George Stoffel and resides in Charleston; and Nannie, who is the wife of C. W. Richardson and is also a resident of Charleston. Mr. Jarrett married secondly Cynthia E. Blackshire, by whom he had one son, Sidney, who is now living in Charleston. In 1895 Mr. Jarrett was married thirdly at Charleston to Miss Elizabeth Stoffel, who was born in Beaver County, Pa., November 15, i86i, and who was brought to Kanawha County in 1868 and was reared in Elk District. Her parents, Stephen and Mary (Panner) Stoffel, were natives of Germany, who were married in Pennsylvania and died in Elk District, the former in 1887, aged seventy-seven years, and the latter in i885, aged seventy-two years. Mr. and Mrs. Jar-rett have two children: Catherine F., who was born September 9, 1898; and Ruth Irene, born November 2, 1903. The family belong to the Bowman Methodist Episcopal church. He has filled the office of overseer of the poor in Charleston District for the last twelve years, it coming to him without any solicitation on his part, and its accept-ance being prompted by his charitable disposition. Sandy Spradling SSpradling@AOL.com State Contact for WV GenExchange http://www.genexchange.com/wv/index.cfm ______________________________X-Message: #2 Date: Sun, 26 Sep 1999 06:28:00 EDT From: SSpradling@aol.com To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <886cc2b4.251f4f30@aol.com> Subject: BIO: John Hamilton HANSFORD, M.D., Kanawha County Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and Representative Citizens W.S. Laidley Richmond Arnold Publishing Co., Chicago, ILL. 1911 p. 462-465 JOHN HAMILTON HANSFORD, M.D., who is engaged in the practice of medicine at Pratt, Kanawha county, W. Va., was born in Ptiiaski county, Va., July 24, 1864, and is a son of Felix G. (2d) and a grandson of Felix G. Hansford (1st). The Hansford family is an old one in Virginia, being settled in the state by the great grandfather of our subject, John Hansford, who came in Indian times and who was a man of political prominence, serving as a member of the early state legislature, at Richmond. It is said that he erected the first house in Kanawha county that had glass windows, and two years were consumed in building what was then considered as a very pretentious mansion. He died at Paint Creek, in Kanawha county, being survived by his widow, Jane Morris Hansford. Their son, Felix G. (1st), grandfather of Dr. Hansford, married Sallie Frazer, who lived to the advanced age of ninety-four years. He owned a large plantation and was an extensive farmer. His son, Felix G. Hansford, Jr., married Luella Hamilton, a native of Kentucky. He died at Crown Hill, Kanawha county, W. Va., in 1891, aged sixty-five years. Their children were,-Lillian, Goldie, Lulu, Felix G. (3d), now deceased, and John Hamilton. Lulu married Robert C. Grigg, and both are now deceased. They left three children-Adrian H., Helen and Ruth. John Hamilton Hansford acquired his early education in the public schools and in early manhood was employed in the' transportation department of the C. & 0. railroad. He later entered the University of Louisville, Ky., medical department, where he was graduated in 1888. He entered upon the practice of medi-line at Crown Hill, his old home, and from there, in 1895, came to Pratt, where he is in the enjoyment of a good practice. Dr. Hansford was married November 28, 1899, to Miss Katharine Schultz, daughter of William and Sarah (Hansford) Schultz, and they have two children, John Hamilton and Edward M. In politics the Doctor is a Democrat. He is a Mason of high degree, belonging to the Shrine at Charleston; also to the Odd Fellows' lodge at Paint Creek. Sandy Spradling SSpradling@AOL.com State Contact for WV GenExchange http://www.genexchange.com/wv/index.cfm ______________________________X-Message: #3 Date: Sun, 26 Sep 1999 06:31:44 EDT From: SSpradling@aol.com To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <57e3b710.251f5010@aol.com> Subject: BIO: Francis HANSHAW, Kanawha County Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and Representative Citizens W.S. Laidley Richmond Arnold Publishing Co., Chicago, ILL. 1911 p. 465 FRANCIS HANSHAW, whose excellent farm of sixty-eight acres lies in Union District, Kanawba County, W. Va., six miles north of the city of Charleston, is a native of this state, born July ii, 1831, on Elk River, in Clay County. Until he was twenty years of age, Mr. Hanshaw had few business responsibilities, attending school the greater part of this time. He then became interested in farm-ing and when the Civil War broke out he enlisted in Clay County, as a private in Co. F, 45th W. Va. Vol. Inf., under Captain Newberry. While in the Virginia Valley he was taken sick and resigned, being confined three months at Fort Lookout, and was then paroled and returned home, the war closing soon afterward. In 1866 he was married and for fifteen years afterward lived in Clay County, thirty-eight miles above Charleston, and then moved to the mouth of Cupper Creek, in Kanawha District, Kanawha County, afterward living three years in Texas. Mr. Hanshaw and family then returned to Kanawha County and he has occupied the present farm ever since, which he owns in association with his two sons, Amos and George Hanshaw. Mr. Hanshaw has done a large amount of work on this place, clearing and fencing it and has made many improvements. GeneTal agriculture is carried on and cattle and hogs are raised. On January ii, i866, Mr. Hanshaw was married to Miss Polly Ann Bloomer, who was born November 12, 1845, in Owen County, Ky., a daughter of Capt. Christo-pher and Mary Jane (Williams) Bloomer, the former of whom was commander of ves-sels on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers dur-ing the greater part of his life. Mrs. Han-shaw is one of a family of nine children and is the only one living in Kanawha County.. her one sister and two brothers being residents of Texas. To Mr. and Mrs. Hanshaw the following children were born: Mary, who is the wife of William Tellie, of Point Pleasant; David, who lives on the home farm; Josephine, now deceased, who was the wife of Clinton Copen; Eddie, who operates a meat market in the city of Charles-ton; Annie, who is deceased; Amos, part owner of the home farm, who lives on Chandler's Branch, Union District, married Myrtle Daniels; Maggie, who lives in Union District, is the wife of Alfred Rodgers; William, who lives at Charleston, married Annie Gay; George, who is a resident of Charleston, married Minnie Hubner; Bertha, who lives at home; and Robert and an infant son, both of whom are deceased. Mrs. Hanshaw is a member of the Baptist church. In politics Mr. Hanshaw and sons are Republicans but none have ever desired to hold office. All are good citizens, honest and industrious, self respecting and law abiding. The family is well known all through this section. Sandy Spradling SSpradling@AOL.com State Contact for WV GenExchange http://www.genexchange.com/wv/index.cfm ______________________________X-Message: #4 Date: Sun, 26 Sep 1999 06:39:46 EDT From: SSpradling@aol.com To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <38ebc383.251f51f2@aol.com> Subject: BIO: Hon. James H. FERGUSON, Kanawha County Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and Representative Citizens W.S. Laidley Richmond Arnold Publishing Co., Chicago, ILL. 1911 p. 465-467 HON. JAMES H. FERGUSON, who passed away from life's scenes on June 21, 1898, was not 'only for many years one of Kanawha County's best known and most highly esteemed citizens, but was also in a wider sense one of the eminent men of the State of West Virginia, and this eminence was gained by his own persevering efforts, backed by a self-reliant character, strong intellectuality, and sound heredity. He was born in an obscure home in Montgomery County, Va., April 14, 1817, his parents bmg immigrants from Scotland-people in humble circumstances, yet doubtless posessed of those sturdy self-reliant qualities of industry, thrift, and sound morality which are characteristic of the Scottish people in general and which are responsible for their prosperity in whatever land they choose to make their home. The educational opportunities 'of the subject of this sketch were naturally very limited, so far, at least, as early school attendance is concerned. He must have picked up some elementary knowledge, but it was necessary for him soon to learn a trade, and he chose, or had chosen for him, that of shoemaker, and before he had reached man-hood he was traveling about the country from farm to farm as a journeyman cobbler. We can have little doubt, from what we know of his after career, that he was an industrious and capable workman. The op-portunities for advancement connected with this occupation were, however, too limited to satisfy his youthful ambition, and w'e are not surprised, therefore, to find him in 1835 entering the office of an attorney at Barboursville, in Cabell County, where he ap-plied himself to the study of law. In 1840 he was admitted to the bar and from that date his real life work begins. Moving to Logan County five years later, he was there elected prosecuting attorney and served in that position until 1848. By the time his professional talents and his sterling qualities as a citizen had attracted general attention and he was in that year elected to the House of Delegates from Logan and Boone Counties, being subsequently reelected to the same office, in which he served continu-ously until 1851, when a new constitution was adopted. In 1850, while serving in the House of Delegates, he was elected a member of the Constitutional Convention, this making him a member of both bodies at the same time. He was a member of the legislature during the exciting and momentous days when the question of slavery was agitated and the celebrated Wilmot Proviso, prohibiting slavery in the territory acquired from Mexico, was the subject of general and excited discussion. Although an Abolitionist from principle and opposed to the dissolution of the Union, Judge Ferguson took the South-ern view with respect to all the other aspects of the question and during the Civil War period was in sympathy with the cause of the South. He supported the Clay compromise of 1850, which was subsequently adopted by Congress, and in spite of his Southern leanings he always felt it to be his duty to support the Federal Government in its measures of defense and in its efforts to preserve the Union intact. In 1864 he was elected to the state legislature from Cabell County and served until 1871, being chairman of the Judiciary Committee throughout that period, except in 1865. He prepared and indexed the Code of 1868 and his handiwork is seen in every line of the laws of the State of West Virginia. Three years previously he had introduced a bill abolishing slavery in West Virginia, which was passed after much opposition, this being accomplished in advance of the adoption by other states of the amendment to the constitution forbidding slavery. In 1868 James H. Ferguson was elected Circuit Court Judge of the judicial district composed of the counties of Logan, Boone, Lincoln, Wayne, and Cabell, for a term of six years, but resigned his position on the bench within two years in order to resume his private practice, in which the emolu-ments were better adjusted to the volume of duties. He became chief attorney for the C. & 0. Railroad in West Virginia. In 1875 Judge Ferguson came to Kan-awba County, and in 1876 was again elected to the House of Delegates, and one of the questions he took charge of was the securing of the State House for Charleston. It was ever his policy to avoid legal battles when matters could be otherwise adjusted. He was recognized as a well-informed lawyer along almost every line of the profes-sion, and on account of his knowledge of land laws his services were sought by the late C. P. Huntington, General Wickham, Holmes Conrad, Senator Camden and others, who relied implicitly on his advice. All classes had reason to respect and honor him. He was untiring in his efforts to se-cure better laws and protection for miners and would go fearlessly among them, coun-selling and advising during periods of riots and disturbances. It was due to his efforts that laws were made protecting the prop-erty and rights of married women in the State. In politics judge Ferguson was a Democrat, but he entertained a deep veneration for President Lincoln, second only to that which he entertained for Gen. Robert E. Lee. In the midst of all the stress and strain of his particularly busy life, he perserved his religious faith, being a devout Baptist, and in some way he found time to write numerous tracts on religious subjects, particularly on that of baptism. In his days and section the use of tobacco and alcohol was almost universal, but in his later years he abandoned the use of both and became a strong advocate of prohibition. Perhaps nothing more illustrates his inherent strength of character than this abandonment from principle, at an advanced age, of a life long habit. Such action is a strong moral lesson, and many such may be learned from a close study of Judge Ferguson's life and character. Judge Ferguson was married while living at Barboursville, Cabell County, to Miss Lizzie A. Creel, who was born in Wood County, Va., in 1839, and who still survives. Her parents were George A. and Prudence (Cook) Creel, the former of whom belonged to a pioneer family that settled in Wood County in 1800. His wife Prudence was of Puritan ancestry, the Cooks having emigrated to the American colonies from County Essex, England, in 1639. Mrs. Ferguson was born on the old plantation known as Bacon Hall, in Wood County. In closing this sketch it is not too much to say that Judge Ferguson stands out in the history of West Virginia as one of its splendid pioneers. Through his clear brain and steady hand was order brought out of chaos, the natural result of the Civil War and leaving the Mother State. Broad, be-nevolent, generous, his hand always ready to help the needy and oppressed-devoted in his family, faithful in his friendships, truly in the words of the Old Testament it can be said, "A Prince in Israel has fallen;" or in the words of the New-"Behold a Gentile in whom there was no guile." Sandy Spradling SSpradling@AOL.com State Contact for WV GenExchange http://www.genexchange.com/wv/index.cfm ______________________________X-Message: #5 Date: Sun, 26 Sep 1999 08:12:07 EDT From: Haddeleigh@aol.com To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-ID: Subject: History of Marion County, WV Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit History of Marion County Submitted by: N. L. Kotowski Near the junction of the Tygart's Valley River and the West Fork centered Marion county, whose development at the coming of the railroad had advanced beyond that of Taylor--although its older settlements were probably made no earlier than those of Taylor. By 1772 Captain James Booth and John Thomas settled on Booth's Creek near the site of Boothsville, and David Morgan and others at the mouth of Prickett's Creek, five miles below the site of Fairmont. Their descendants form a considerable part of the population of the county. At the close of the Revolution many families settled in the vicinity of Yellow Rock Ford on the West Fork, and west of the site of Fairmont. Others followed in rapid succession. For the earliest settlements of this region Morgantown and Clarksburg were marketing centres; but, with the increase of improvements and the erection of mills along the streams, nearer stores were established, and monthly communication with the outside world was later secured by a regular mail route. In 1819, Middletown (now Fairmont) was legally established and regularly plotted in a laurel thicket on the farm of Boaz Fleming--the roughest and poorest land in the vicinity. Its earliest development was partly determined by the need of a midway stopping-place for travellers between Morgantown and Clarksburg. Its later growth was due to the establishment of various industries in the vicinity. In April, 1831, Barnes and Haymond announced through the Monongalian, of Morgantown that they would begin fulling [sic] and carding at Middletown Mills on May 1 and agreed to take grain at Thomas Barnes' on Buffalo and Robert Lynn's mill on Tygart's. In 1837 Rivesville was laid out upon the land of Elisha Snodgrass. In 1838, across the river from Middletown, was established Palatine at which the Marion machine works manufactured McCormick reapers a decade before the civil war. In 1839 a town was plotted adjacent to the Boothsville post office which had been established in 1833 at Robert Reed's tavern near the forks of Booth's Creek. The first newspaper of the county was established at Fairmont about 1840. Some of the smaller towns of the county are older than the county, but the larger number were established after the arrival of the railroad. The attempt to secure the formation of a separate county in 1842, twenty-three years after the plan had first been proprosed to the legislature, was successful in spite of considerable opposition in the legislature both from the delegates of Monongalia and those of Harrison. The first county court met at the house of William Kerr, and later sessions were held in the Methodist Church until the first court house was built. The early court days were general trading days for the people of the surrounding country--and by some were often regarded as convenient occasions for disputes and fights. By 1845 Fairmont had seventy dwellings and five stores; and Palatine across the river had twenty-five dwellings and two stores. In the vicinity were located several flouring mills and other mills. A decided increase in the population of the county began in 1849 through the immigration which followed closely on the heels of the surveying engineers of the Baltimore and Ohio. Some of the immigrants were Irish, fresh from the bogs of Connaught and the lakes of Killarney, who carried with them all their local feuds and prejudices which induced them to transfer their sectional fighting from the old and to the land of greater freedom and opportunity. In a locally famous riot, in which the Connaughters who were employed at Benton's Ferry attacked the Fardowners at Ice's Mill and pursued them to Fairmont in an exciting chase punctuated by occasional gun-shots and hideous yells, the law abiding citizens of Fairmont proved themselves equal to the occasion by arresting all accessible assailants, eighty-eight of whom they placed in jail where they had an opportunity to study their first lessons in Americanization. The approaching railroad encouraged other activities which furnished other incentives to industry and progress. These included the construction of three turnpikes, each begun in 1849--one to Weston, another to Beverly, and another to Fishing Creek. In February, 1850, the people were excited with delight by the first arrival of a steamboat--the Globe--resulting in the subsequent arrival of others which began to make regular trips in high water during 1852, and also producing local efforts to secure permanent navigation through organization of the Monongahela Navigation Company, and attempts to interest capitalists--efforts which failed largely through lack of sufficient encouragement from the people of the county. A suspension bridge across the river to Patatine [sic] was completed in April, 1852, and the completion of the B. & O. from the East to Fairmont was celebrated on June 23 following. In 1853 a state stock bank was organized. Rafting on the Monongahela to Pittsburgh and lower points which began as early as 1840 continued until about 1890. A few years after the completion of the B. & O. in 1852 much lumber cut by portable mills was shipped from Fairmont, Mannington and Farmington. Mannington, which receives its earliest stimulus from the construction of the railroad, stands on the site of a clearing first made in 1786 at the fork of Buffalo and Pyles Creek by Robert Rutherford of Winchester, Virginia, who received from Governor Patrick Henry a patent for the lands on which he settled. It is located near the old Indian trail made memorable by the Indian attacks along Buffalo Creek in 1786 and 1787. Its houses were [sic] a dwelling built by Wesley Clayton in 1843 and a tavern and store built by Samuel Koon soon thereafter. By 1845, then known as Koontown, it became a center for mercantile transactions. In 1852 it was renamed for James Mannings, a civil engineer of the new railroad, and in 1856 it was incorporated by the assembly. From 1853, it had a tannery and a good trade in timber products and farm products. Source: Genealogical and Personal History of the UPPER MONONGAHELA VALLEY West Virginia, vol. I, by James Morton Callahan, 1912