WV-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest Volume 00 : Issue 102 Today's Topics: #1 BIO: ROBERT CHRISTOPHER BURKHART, [Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.20000411214251.0080c3d0@trellis.net> Subject: BIO: ROBERT CHRISTOPHER BURKHART, 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. 392-393 ROBERT CHRISTOPHER BURKHART is spending his retired years at the residence which he occupied while active as a horticulturist and farmer, situated on the Winchester Pike, three miles from Martinsburg. Mr. Burkhart is a veteran of the Confederate army, is a veteran man of affairs in Berkeley County, and few men still living can claim a broader association with the events of his long lifetime anil with prominent personages both military and political. He was born at Darkesville in Berkeley County, October 8, 1839. His grandfather, Christopher Burkhart, was a miller by trade and, so far as known, spent all his life in Maryland. He was the father of three sons and three daughters, one daughter marrying a Mr. Flagg and another, a Mr. Rummel. Dr. Francis M. Burkhart, father of Robert C., was born about eight miles north of Hagerstown, Wash- ington County, Maryland, acquired a liberal education, practiced medicine for three years in the City of Washington with Doctor Dunbar, and then located at Darkesville, West Virginia, where his labors as an active physician continued for upwards of forty years. He lived to the age of eighty- four. Doctor Burkhart first married Miss Rosenberger. and their two children were James H. and Caroline, the latter the wife of John R. Stewart. The second wife of Doctor Burkhart was Elizabeth Stewart, who was born in Berkeley County, near Darkesville, daughter of Robert Stewart, a farmer. By the second marriage there were three chililren: Mary, wife of Philip Berlin; Ella B., wife of Elias Em- mert; and Robert C. Robert C. Burkhart acquired a private and public school education. He was a young man of twenty-two when the war came on, and he soon enlisted in Company B of the First Virginia Cavalry. His main service during the war was as a scout. He possessed exceptional qualifications for this hazardous duty, being vigilant, alert, resourceful and fearless. Eventually he was put in command of a detach- ment of fifteen scouts and assigned to duty with Gen. Titz- hugh Lee's command. He kept in close touch with this command, though his duties frequently took him within the Union lines. He had many exciting experiences. It was his duty to learn all he could of the whereabouts of the enemy. He frequently conferred with Confederate lenders high in command, and knew nearly all the prominent gen- erals in the armies of Northern Virginia. It was Mr. Burkhart who informed General Early that General Sheri- dan was absent from his army in Washington. This infor- mation caused General Early to make his attack upon the Union troops at Cedar Creek, and Mr. Burkhart was at Darkesville and saw General Sheridan galloping down the Winchester Pike on the way to send back his retreating forces and retrieve a victory. Mr. Burkhart was in the battle of Gettysburg, was at Richmond the day before the surrender, and at Appomattox on the day of the surrender. In 1866, following the war, he engaged in the drug business at Shepherdstown. but four years later bought a farm near Shenandoah Junction. After being there seven years he bought a fine place bordering the Winchester Pike. three miles from Martinsburg, and on that estate he lias lived now for nearly half a century. He has developed it as a horticultural proposition, raising both apples and pears. and he became known as one of the most successful orchard- ist in the Eastern Panhandle. He continued in the busi- ness for about forty years, finally selling his fruit interests to a son-in-law. He is still a member of the West Virginia State Horticultural Society, and was the second president of that body, serving six years. In 1866 Mr. Burkhart married Susan W. Moore, a native of Jefferson County and daughter of Samuel Moore. Her brother, Maj. Blue Moore, was a Confederate officer, a major on the staff of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. Mrs. Burkhart died May 14, 1914, after they had been married forty-eight years. They reared a family of eleven children: Bessie M., Maggie Virginia, Joseph Flagg, Mary Porter, Frances Mantz, Myrtle M., Robert Stewart (who died at the age of twenty-three), Carrie, Daisy, Blue Moore and Ernest Emmert. Mr. Burkhart has always been a stanch democrat. For eighteen years he was magistrate of Arden District, and in 1899 was elected to the State Senate, receiving the largest majority ever given a candidate in his district. He voted for John T. Magraw for the United States Senate. He was a member of several important committees, including priv- ileges and elections and finance. Mr. Burkhart is affiliated with Equality Lodge No. 44, A. F. and A. M., Lebanon Chapter No. 2, R. A. M., and Palestine Commandery No. 2, K. T. ______________________________X-Message: #2 Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2000 21:57:43 -0400 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.20000411215743.0080e8e0@trellis.net> Subject: BIO: RICHARD FAIRFAX WHITING, 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. 393 RICHARD FAIRFAX WHITING. The Village of Inwood, Berkeley County, derives its commercial importance and activities largely from the enterprise of Richard Fairfax Whiting, who handles the merchandise and produce going in or out, is postmaster and concerned in other functions of the community. Mr. Whiting is member of an old and prominent family of Virginia and West Virginia. His great-grandfather was George Braxton Whiting, who was born at Rock Hall in what is now Jefferson County, West Virginia, but moved to Loudoun County, Virginia, where he was a planter and slave owner. He married Eliza- beth Horner, a native of Fauquier County. Their son, Frances Henry Whiting, who was born in Loudoun County, became a farmer and owned and occupied the estate known as Ingleside in Clark County. He was a slave owner, but at the beginning of the war freed his slaves. He lived at his farm, Ingleside, until his death. He married Rebecca Huyett, a native of Clark County. George Carlyle Whiting, father of the Inwood business man, was born at Long Branch in Clark County March 23, 1843, and finished his education in the Berryville Academy. At the age of eighteen he accompanied his uncle, Fenten B. Whiting, to California, and was employed by his uncle in tlie transportation and freighting business. They oper- ated a freighting line between Quincy and Marysville, using horses and mules, and George C. Whiting also prospected in the mineral district of Austin, Nevada. After an absence of six years he returned home and engaged in farming at Roseville in Clark County, but three years later settled at Long Meadow in Jefferson County, West Virginia, on a portion of his wife's family estate. Here he erected a commodious home, barn and out buildings, and continued general farming until his death in April, 1918. His wife was Belinda Albina Throckmorton, who was born on the Long Meadow farm, daughter of Warner Washington and Susan Ann (Llewellyn) Throckmorton. Her father was born in 1792, son of Albion and Mildred (Washington) Throckmorton, and a grandson of John and Elizabeth (Cooke) Throckmorton. Mildred Washington was a daugh- ter of Warner and Hannah (Fairfax) Washington, of Fair- field, Virginia. It was Warner Washington Throckmorton who purchased the estate known as Long Meadow in the Kable Town District of Jefferson County, and he developed one of the complete plantation institutions so familiar in ante-bellum days, one of his slaves being a blacksmith and capable of making all the horse shoes and nails, while an- other was a shoemaker and still others were trained to other trades. Warner Washington Throckmorton became a soldier in the Mexican war, and for his service received from the Government a tract of 160 acres of land in Iowa. He died April 11, 1855. His wife, Susan Ann Llewellyn, was born April 28, 1828, in Jefferson County, daughter of John Llewellyn, and she died June 23, 1870. Mrs. George C. Whiting died April 2, 1898. Her seven children were: Warner F., Richard Fairfax, Lawrence Washington, George B. (who died at the age of twenty- three years), Lucy Elizabeth, Susan L. and Henry Wilmer. The son Henry Wilmer became manager of the homestead farm, but enlisted in August, 1918, and was stationed at Camp Greenleaf, Georgia, then transferred to Port Ontario Base Hospital No. 138 in New York and assigned to the Medical Department, and subsequently was on duty at Hos- pital No. 5, until his honorable discharge July 17, 1919. He was a sergeant. After the war he returned home, and his sister presides over the household. All the family were reared in the faith of the Episcopal Church. Richard Fairfax Whiting, of Inwood, was born at Long Meadow in Jefferson County, and acquired his early educa- tion in the public schools at Summit Point. Practically his entire experience has been along commercial lines. After leaving school he clerked in a store at Riverton, Virginia, then in stores at Front Royal, Milldale, Charles Town, Mount Jackson, and in 1902 came to Inwood and for five years was a clerk for the firm of Kellering Sons & Company. He then engaged in business for himself, and his interests have taken on a wide scope. Besides operating a general store he buys and ships grain, produce, fruit and poultry, is agent for the C. V. Telephone Company, and has held the office of postmaster since February, 1914. In February. 1901, Mr. Whiting married Mary Catherine Shewbridge, who was born at Summit Point in Jefferson County, daughter of John H. and Margaret Shewbridge. Mr. Whiting is a member of the Order of Patriotic Sons of America and Junior Order United American Mechanics. He cast his first presidential vote for W. J. Bryan. ______________________________X-Message: #3 Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 05:59:32 -0400 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.20000412055932.00820be0@trellis.net> Subject: BIO: AQUILA JANNEY, 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. 393-394 AQUILA JANNEY, who died March 25, 1922, was a Con- federate cavalryman during the Civil war, and spent the half century or more since the war chiefly as a farmer in Berkeley County. In the years of his retirement he enjoyed the comforts of an attractive rural home on Dry Run Pike, a mile from the Martinsburg conrthouse. Mr. Janney was born on a farm a mile and a half from the courthouse on December 1, 1836. His grandfather, also named Aquila Janney, was a native of Virginia, whose ancestors had come to America with William Penn and after living for some years in Pennsylvania, moved to Virginia. Aquila Janney was a miller by trade, and in 1800 was struck by lightning and killed while on a boat loaded with wheat which he had bought in Maryland and was trans- porting to his mill. During the Revolutionary war he was pressed into the service of the Colonial forces. Being a Quaker, he refused to carry a gun. One day while on parade General Washington noticed him without a gun, and riding up to question him recognized Mr. Janney as an old acquaintance. Knowing his scruples as a Quaker he imme- diately wrote out a discharge and told him to go home and remain there until he was needed. General Washington had been entertained at the Aquila Janney home, and the beau- tiful solid mahogany table used at that time and cus- tomarily in the dining room is still preserved in the home of Aquila Janney in Berkeley County. The grandfather married a Miss McPherson, of Scotch ancestry and she was later married to Mr. Mendenhall, and with him removed to Berkeley County and settled on Tuscarora Creek. Israel Janney, father of Aquila and son of the pioneer miller, was born on a farm located on the banks of the Potomac River, nine miles below Alexandria, March 1, 1800. the same year his father was killed. When he was about eight years of age he accompanied his mother to Berkeley County. He made the best of his opportunities to acquire an education, and as a young man served an apprenticeship in a drug store in Alexandria. He then went to New York and clerked for a while, but the climate not agreeing with him he went on West to Cleveland, Ohio, but soon returned to Virginia, and in 1831 married Mary Tabb. She was born on a farm near Martinsburg, daughter of John Tabb, who was born on a farm three miles northwest of Martinsburg and granddaughter of George Tabb, of English ancestry, who with his brothers John and Edward came from Glouces- ter, Virginia, to Berkeley County, and was a pioneer. George Tabb was a Baptist minister, and did much to extend the power of that church in Western Virginia. By each of two wives he had two sons, named John, George, Elliott and Bailey. John Tabb, maternal grandfather of Aquila Janney, was a successful farmer, owning and occupy- ing the farm known as Rural Hill. He was an elder in the Presbyterian Church and died in 1847. He married a Miss Turner, a life-long resident of Berkeley County, who died in 1863. Israel Janney after his marriage engaged in the drug business for a time, and then turned his attention to a farm which he acquired a mile and a half from Martins- burg, and remained a resident there until his death in 1884. His wife passed away in 1864. They had five children: John, Arabella, Aquila, William Henry and Mary. Aquila Janney grew up in a time when there were no free schools, and his education was the result of attending subscription schools. As a youth he began assisting on his father's farm. and at the age of seventeen was performing the responsibilities of a regular hand. At the age of twenty-one he rented his father's farm, and worked it until the outbreak of the war. Mr. Janney enlisted in Company B, First Virginia Cavalry, and was under the command of General Stuart, and part of the time was attached to Stonewall Jackson's Division. He was in many battles and campaigns, and dur- ing the latter two years of the war was in the Quarter- master's Department. He was at the headquarters at Petersburg when the final surrender took place, and re- ceived his parole at Winchester. He reached home May 22d. After recuperating for a time he resumed farming. The old homestead had been overrun by both armies, fences and all other improvements except the dwelling house and smoke house destroyed, and for several years he was busily engaged in the labor of reconstruction and rehabilitation. He continued renting until 1874. when he bought a farm five miles north of Martinsburg. He remained in that locality growing general crops and livestock for twenty-nine years. At the end of this period he came to the niace where he spent his last days, near Martinsburg, on Dry Run Pike. The house here is an old landmark, having been constructed in 1808 of log timbers. The framework was at one time plastered and later was weatherboarded by Duncan Hamil- ton, who bought the property in 1872. It is a pleasantly located home on high ground, commanding an extensive view of the surrounding country. It was in this home that Mr. Janney married in 1874 Miss Mary Johnson Hamilton. She was born in Allegheny County. Pennsylvania, and both her grandfathers were Pennsylvanians who volunteered for service in the War of 1812 and did guard duty along the shores of Lake Erie at the time of the great naval battle in which Commodore Perry won his victory over the British fleet. Her father was Duncan Hamilton, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1801. Her paternal grandfather, John Hamilton, was a Scotchman living in Eastern Pennsylvania, and he married a Miss Torrence. Dnncan Hamilton was an early settler in Allegheny County, and in 1872 removed to Berkeley County, West Virginia, and bought the farm on Dry Run Pike, where he spent his last days. He married Agnes Mc- Keever, of Irish ancestry. Mrs. Janney is the only survivor of three children. She inherited a part of the homestead, and Mr. Janney subsequently bought the interests of the other two heirs.