WV-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest Volume 00 : Issue 101 Today's Topics: #1 BIO: GEORGE W. WILSON, Lewis Co. W [Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.20000411205923.007f5ca0@trellis.net> Subject: BIO: GEORGE W. WILSON, Lewis Co. WV Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 391 GEORGE W. WILSON, of Weston has had a long and ac- tive experience in connection with the oil and gas industry, and has many valuable interests in the production of these two great natural resources, not only in West Virginia but elsewhere. Mr. Wilson, one of the men of special prominence at Weston, was born in Hancock County, West Virginia, Feb- ruary 22, 1870, son of S. W. and Mary J. (Dickey) Wil- son. His father was also a native of Hancock County, while his mother was born in New Jersey. She met and married her husband in Ohio, and they then returned to his former home in Hancock County, West Virginia. S. W. Wilson was a successful roan in his business life, and for eight years served as sheriff of Hancock County, holding that office during the Civil war. He was a deacon in the Presbyterian Church and a stanch republican in politics. Of his seven children six grew to maturity and three are now living: May, a graduate of Edinburg College in Pennsylvania and wife of John C. Donehoo of Pittsburg; Nora, wife of Dr. J. E. Miller, of Steubenville, Ohio. George W. Wilson spent most of his early life at Pugh- town in Hancock County, where he acquired his public school education. At the age of sixteen he began learn- ing the trade of harness maker. That was his trade and occupation for twelve years, and for ten years he con- ducted a harness shop at McDonald, Pennsylvania, and also became interested in the oil industry while there. He returned to West Virginia in 1900 and has since made his home at Weston, though his interests as an oil and gas producer require his supervision over an extensive terri- tory. He is interested in the Oklahoma Producing Re- fining Company of New York City, owns a half interest in sixteen producing gas wells in Lewis County, and has been identified with several other proven fields. He is one of the directors and vice president of the Bank of Weston, and owns an interest in a fine farm of over 400 acres on Murphy's Creek. On April 8, 1912, Mr. Wilson married Margaret Mullady. His first wife was Lida Ferraday, who with her only child is deceased. Margaret Mullady was born in Lewis County, West Virginia, in 1885. To their marriage were born three children: George C., born February 6, 1914; Mary C., born January 19, 1917; and Virginia Lee, born May 29, 1921. Mrs. Wilson is a Catholic. Mr. Wilson is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and is a member of the various York and Scottish Rite bodies of Masonry and is a past master, past high priest and past eminent com- mander. He also belongs to Osirus Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Wheeling. ______________________________X-Message: #2 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 21:10:24 EDT From: Sherneff44@aol.com To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <79.2e6bf8e.26252700@aol.com> Subject: Bio: Elbert Willis Bush, Marion County Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume II, pg. 381, 382 Bio: Elbert Willis Bush, Marion County Elbert Willis Bush. Prominent among the public officials who are contributing to the civic welfare and advancement of Huntington stands Elbert Willis Bush, city commissioner of public utilities, public buildings and grounds. He has held some city position regularly since 1915, during which time he has established an excellent record for conscientious and constructive work, and in addition to being well known in public life is a prominent figure in fraternal circles, particularly in the Knights of Pythias. Mr Bush was born February 15, 1878, at Sabina, Ohio, the only son and child of Owen an Mary (Fenner) Bush.l His father was born in Clinton County, Ohio, and resided near Sabina all his life, devoting himself without interruption to the pursuits of agriculture, in which he achieved success. He was a republican in his political views, and his religious faith was that of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he was an active worker. He died at Sabina in 1915. Mr Bush married Miss Mary Fenner, who was born in 1857, in Adams County, Ohio and died near Sabina in 1887. Elbert Willis Bush was educated in the rural schools of Clinton County, Ohio, and prepared for a business career by attendance at the Buckeye Business College at Sidney, Ohio, in 1896 and 1897. For two years after graduation he served as an instructor in this college, and in 1903 came to Huntington, where he entered the employ of the Huntington Cold Storage and Commission Company in the general offices. Later he resigned this position to accept one with T. H. Clay, a brokerage commission merchant, with whom he was employed in office work. In 1915 Mr Bush was appointed assistant city treasurer of Huntington by the city board of commissioners, and filled that office for three years. Next he was appointed city auditor, and held this office one year exactly. In the meanwhile he was elected a city commissioner of Huntington, in May, 1919, for a term of three years, his term of office expiring the second Monday in June 1922. He is a commissioner of public utilities, public buildings and grounds, and as before noted, has established an excellent record. All those having business at Mr. Bush's office in City Hall, Eighth Street and Fifth Avenue, have found him courteous, obliging and prompt, and he has succeeded in making and retaining numerous friends in the regular course of his duties. He is a republican in politics. Mr. Bush has made a hobby of fraternal organizations, and is prominently known in this connection, particularly the Knights of Pythias order. He was knighted in Huntington Lodge No. 33, Knights of Pythias in June 1906, elected chancellor commander in December of that year, received the Grand Lodge rank at HUNTINGTON in 1907, and in December, 1907 was elected master of finance, with which office he was connected until 1912, when he was elected keeper of records and seal, a position he has held since. He is the only grand chancellor to fill this office during his term, but the subordinate lodge would not release him. He served as deputy grand chancellor in 1912-13, was a representative to the Grand Lodge at the session held at Charleston in 1912, was made chairman of the committee on reports by Grand Chancellor Sam R. Nuzum, and elected grand outer guard in 1914, after which he advanced each year until 1918, when he was elected grand chancellor at Clarksburg. Mr. Bush is a member of Shiraz Temple No. 29, Dramatic Order Knights of Khorassan, of Charleston, having joined at a ceremonial held at Huntington in 1911. He likewise holds membership in Lewis Temple No. 22, Pythian Sisters; Huntington Lodge No. 313, B.P.O.E.; Mohawl Tribe No. 11, I.O.R.M.; Huntington Council No. 190, J.O.U.A.M.; Huntington Council No. 53, U.C.T., of which he served as secretary for several years; Huntington No. 347, L.O.O.M., and Ivanhoe Castle No. 13, K.G.E. He has other connections of a business, social and civic character, and is a member of the Huntington Chamber of Commerce. His religious connection is with the Fifth Avenue Baptist Church. On January 9, 1918, at Covington, Kentucky, Mr. Bush was united in marriage with Mrs. Mamie (Roberts) Hardwicke, daughter of Frank N. and Mary Roberts, the latter now deceasedand the former a resident of Hamlin, Lincoln County, West Virginia. Mr. Roberts, who is now ninety years of age, is living in retirement after a longand successful career as a merchant. To Mr. and Mrs. Bush there has come one child, Mary Virginia, who was born at Huntington September 2, 1919. ______________________________X-Message: #3 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 21:18:52 -0400 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.20000411211852.007ff100@trellis.net> Subject: BIO: PERCY BYRD, Harrison Co. WV Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 391 Harrison PERCY BYRD, who is prominent among Clarksburg's representatives of the natural gas and coal industries, be- sides which he has long been influential in political affairs and has served as sheriff of Harrison County, is distinctly to be designated as one of the loyal, appreciative and pro- gressive citizens of his native state. Mr. Byrd was born at Clarksburg, judicial center of Harrison County, on the 20th of February, 1882, and is a son of William Taylor Byrd and Mary Ann (Burns) Byrd, the former of whom still resides at Clarksburg, where he is a retired merchant, his wife having died when about fifty- three years of age. Of the three children the eldest, W. Ray Byrd, served as deputy county clerk of Harrison County and was a young man at the time of his death; Percy, of this sketch, was the next in order of birth; and Bessie G. is the wife of Joseph W. Newcomer, of Cincin- nati, Ohio. William Taylor Byrd was born in Harrison County and is a son of Abraham and Catherine (Hull) Byrd, who were born and reared in Virginia, where their marriage was solemnized and whence they came to what is now Harrison County, West Virginia, where they passed the remainder of their lives on their home farm. Mrs. Mary A. (Burns) Byrd was born in England, of Irish par- ents, William and Mary (Rogan) Burns, who came to the United States and settled in Harrison County, West Vir- ginia, when the daughter was a child. Mr. Burns here became identified with farming and coal mining, besides having been a gallant soldier of the Union in the Civil war. His death occurred when he was about fifty-five years of age. After having profited by the advantages of the parochial schools of St. Joseph's Catholic Church at Clarksburg, Percy Byrd entered Rock Hill College, Maryland, and in 1906 was graduated in this institution, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Later he served three years as deputy sheriff of Harrison County, and upon the death of the sheriff, Michael J. Francis, he was appointed the latter's successor, in January, 1912. At the regular election in the following November he was elected to the office of which he was incumbent at the time, to fill out the unexpired term, there having been no opposing candidate. He thus held the position of sheriff eighteen months, and was ex- officio county treasurer, the two offices being combined. Upon his retirement from office in 1913 Mr. Byrd became Interested in the production of natural gas, and later that of coal. He is now secretary and treasurer of the Norwood Gas Company and is a principal in other corporations, in- cluding the following named: The Fort Pitt Coal Com- pany; the Macfarlane Coal Company, of which he is presi- dent; the Liberty Carbon Company, of which he is treas- urer; and the Louisiana Carbon Company, of which like- wise he is treasurer. Upon the death of Sheriff Francis Mr. Byrd became executor of his estate, in consonance with a request made in the will of the deceased, who further instructed that the executor hold the properties of Mr. Francis in trust for a period of ten years. These properties included real estate, oil. gas and coal holdings, and in his functions as executor Mr. Byrd has given much of his time to the man- agement and development of these properties. Mr. Byrd early began to take active part in local poli- tics as a stalwart advocate of the principles of the demo- cratic party, and he has been prominent and influential in the councils and campaign activities of the party in West Virginia. He represented the Third Congressional Dis- trict as delegate to the Democratic National Convention of 1916 at St. Louis. He is a valued member and director of the Clarksburg Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club and the Clarksburg Country Club. He is a past exalted ruler of Clarksburg Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and is a Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus, both he and his wife being communicants of the Catholic Church. On the 21st of January, 1914, was solemnized the mar- riage of Mr. Byrd and Miss Anna A. Hayden, daughter of Patrick and Sarah Jane Hayden, of Grafton, Taylor County, and the two children of this union are William Hayden Byrd and James Percy Byrd. ______________________________X-Message: #4 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 21:26:08 -0400 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.20000411212608.00801780@trellis.net> Subject: BIO: GARNETT PIERCE MORISON, M. D., Berkeley Co. WV Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 391-392 GARNETT PIERCE MORISON, M. D. A specialist in eye, ear, nose and throat diseases at Martinsburg, Doctor Morison for a number of years enjoyed a successful practice in Southern Michigan, went from that state to active duty in the Medical Corps in the great war, and after his return located in Berkeley County, where he was born and reared and where his family has been prominent for several genera- tions. Doctor Morison was born at Bunker Hill in Berkeley County. His father, George Porterfield Morison, was born in the same county. His grandfather was Daniel Buckles Morison, who was born on the Morison homestead at the mouth of Opequan Creek in Jefferson County. The great- grandfather of Doctor Morison was a farmer and planter, and for a number of years lived at Martinsburg. Daniel Buckles Morison owned and operated a farm near Beding- ton. George Porterfield Morison was born on a farm on Dry Spring Road, five miles from Martinsburg, August 10, 1854. He acquired his classical education at Shepherd College at Shepherdstown, and graduated in medicine from the University of New York. He began practice at Darkes- ville, remained there three years, spent one year at Eldo- rado, Kansas, and for the remainder of his life was a busy professional man in Martinsburg, where he died July 21, 1913. George Porterfield Morison married Anabel Lee locality April 14, 1834, a son of Paul Pierce. It is a family Pierce, who was born in dark County, Virginia. Her father, Capt. Alfred Newton Pierce, was born in the same tradition that the parents of Paul Pierce were murdered by Indians and their three sons grew up among strangers. Paul Pierce therefore had no inheritance of capital, and as a young man he was an overseer on a plantation, and from his earnings bought land of his own and in time became an extensive plantation owner and had many slaves. His plan- tation was located near Berryville in dark County. He lived to the age of 100 years. His first wife was a Clevenger, and her only child was Alfred Newton Pierce, who was educated under private tutors and at the age of twenty-one began farming with land, equipment and slaves supplied by his father. He was very successful, acquired much property of his own, but during the war between the states his plantation was devastated, the fences and out- buildings being destroyed and all stock taken away except one mare and colt. He served as a captain in the Virginia State Militia, and at one time was arrested as a spy and sentenced to death, but on the morning set for the execution he was reprieved and later pardoned. At the close of the war he set to work, and in time recovered some of the heavy losses sustained, and he continued to live on his estate known as Fountain Head until his death at the age of sixty- four. Alfred Newton Pierce married Elizabeth Bell, who was born near Middleburg, Jefferson County, August 29, 1839, daughter of Joseph E. and Catherine (Shaull) Bell. Joseph Bell was a native of Jefferson County, where his parents were pioneers. Joseph Bell was a millwright by trade. Elizabeth Bell Pierce died at the age of sixty-three, and her children were named: Anabel Lee, Gertrude N., Kate Ashby, Frank Hugh, Lula Best, Josephine, Lillie Margaret, Dudley Paul, Vance Bell, Mabel dark and Bueford E. Dr. G. Porterfield Morison and wife reared two children: Garnett Pierce and Elizabeth Tabb. Elizabeth is the wife of Lee A. Livers, and their two children are Katherine Lee and George Morison. Dr. Garnett P. Morison acquired a public school education at Martinsburg, attended Tinsley's Military Institute, and began the study of medicine in the University of Maryland. He left there before graduation and finished his course in Chicago in the College of Medicine and Surgery, where he graduated in 1914. Doctor Morison after receiving his medical degree located at Sturgis, Michigan, and practiced there until he entered war service. During the war he was prominent in Red Cross organization over St. Joseph County, Michigan, organizing a chapter in every township. He was also secretary and treasurer of several of the loan drives. On August 11, 1917, he was commissioned first lieutenant in the Army Reserve Corps, and soon afterward was sent to Camp Greenleaf, Georgia, where he was on duty until February 17, 1918, and then went overseas with the Twentieth Engineers. Later he was transferred to a base hospital in treating eye, ear, throat and nose eases. April 20, 1919, he returned to this country, and received his honorable discharge April 29th, and soon afterward located at Martinsburg. Doctor Morison has taken a number of post-graduate courses in New York, Chicago and Phila- delphia, giving special attention to eye, ear, nose and throat, and is widely known as a successful specialist in that field. He is special examiner for the Pension Bureau, is special surgeon for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company and is official physician handling eye, ear, nose and throat cases for the Pittsburgh Stone and Lime Company. In October, 3921, he was appointed a member of the Federal Board for Vocational Training. Doctor Morison is a member of "Washington Lodge No. 1 Knights of Pythias, belongs to the Eastern Pan Handle Medical Association and the American Legion. He is a republican, having cast his first vote for William H. Taft. In 1910 Doctor Morison married Melinda J. Peters, who was born at Latrobe, Pennsylvania, daughter of James P. and Susana Peters. They have two children, James Peters and Garnett P. Morison, Jr. Doctor Morison has always been much interested in athletic sports. He is a member of the Martinsburg Base- ball Association. He is commander of Martinsburg Post No. 14, of the American Legion. The ancestry of Doctor Morison runs back to William Morison, who was a native of Scotland and came to Amer- ica with two brothers, one settling in North Carolina anil another near the line of Maryland and Pennsylvania. Wil- liam Morison was a pioneer settler in Jefferson County in what is now West Virginia. He married a widow nameil Mrs. Buckles, whose maiden name was Chipley. Their son Daniel married Jane Porterfield. They were the grand- parents of Doctor Morison of Martinsburg.