WV-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest Volume 00 : Issue 106 Today's Topics: #1 BIO: JOHN A. WILEN, Berkeley Count [Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.20000412203911.0094e6c0@trellis.net> Subject: BIO: JOHN A. WILEN, Berkeley County 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. 395 JOHN A. WILEN until recently was connected with an undertaking business which was established at Martins- burg more than three quarters of a century ago, and it re- mained continuously under the management and direction of the Wilen family up to January 1, 1922. Mr. Wilen was born on the spot where the business es- tablishment is now located. His grandfather, Nicholas Wilen, lived in Philadelphia, from that city removed to Boonesboro, Maryland, where he was in the hotel business, and in 1836 came to Martinsburg, West Virginia, where he died a few years later. He married Margaret Dubal, who was born near Boonesboro, Maryland, and she likewise ilicd in middle life. Their son, William Wilen, was born at Boonesboro, Mary- land, in 1818, and as a youth he began an apprenticeship to thee cabinet making trade at Hagerstown, Maryland, and two years later removed to Baltimore, where he finished pre- paring for the trade. In 1845 he returned to Martinsburg and established himself in business. At that time coffins and practically all furniture were made by hand, and the cabinet maker occupied a correspondingly important posi- tion in the business affairs of the community. William Wilen was an expert in his line and a very thorough busi- ness man. His establishment was located at the corner of Queen Street, one door north of East Martin Street, and he continued in business there the rest of his life. During the Civil war he was a Union sympathizer, and he was elected and served as representative from Berkeley County in the Third State Legislature that met, in 1865. In Mar- tinsburg, at the age of twenty-one, William Wilen married Mary Schoppert. Her father, Adam Schoppert, .was born near Shepherdstown in Jefferson County, West Virginia, and moved to Martinsburg wlien it was a mere village. He bought vacant land at the corner of North Queen and Mar- tin streets, and there established his business as a locksmith. He continued a resident of that city until his death at the age of seventy-five. His wife was Mary Craft, who was horn near Leetown in Jefferson County, and she also lived to a good old age. William' Wilen and wife had five chil- dren: Margaret, who married Capt. William Kantner, a Union soldier; Melinda, who died young; Virginia, who be- came the wife of George Smith; William H.; and John A. John A. Wilen during his youth attended the city schools, and was a mere boy when he began assisting his father. In 1870 he was made a partner in the business, and in 1880 lie removed to Baltimore, where for ten years he had a part in the business affairs of that city. On returning to Mar- tinsburg he and his brother William H. succeeded to the business of tlieir father, and this partnership was contin- ued until the deatli of William H. Wilen. Afterward Mr. Wilen continued tlie undertaking business which was estab- lished by his father in 1845, having as his active associate Robert G. Coffman, until he sold January 1, 1922. In Baltimore, in 1881, Mr. Wilen married Almira Mc- Cahan, of Frederick County, Maryland. They have a daugh- ter, Mabel, wife of W. H. Wolfies, of Martinsburg. Mr. Wilen is an active member of the Lutheran Church, is a past master of Robert White Lodge No. 67, A. F. and A. M., and is a past exalted ruler of Martinsburg Lodge No. 778, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and also a member of the State Elks Committee. ______________________________X-Message: #2 Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 20:39:49 -0400 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.20000412203949.008012f0@trellis.net> Subject: BIO: WILLIAM DEAN, Berkeley County 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. 395 WILLIAM DEAN, present sheriff of Berkeley County, has been a popular resident and business man of Martinsburg for a number of years and is a member of an old and well- blown family of the county. Sheriff Dean was born at Martinsburg. The family resi- dence for several generations was in Rockingham County, old Virginia, where his great-grandfather, William Dean, spent his active career as a farmer and planter. His son, James Dean, was born in Rockingham County, reared on a farm, and gave his entire life to agriculture there. He died when a comparatively young man. His wife, Nancy Minick, after his death married Ben Sullivan, and they came to Martinsburg, sojourned at Williamsport, Maryland, dur- ing the war and then returned to Martinsburg and lived here the rest of their days. James William Dean, father of Sheriff Dean, was born on a farm near Newmarket in Rockingham County in 1848, and was a boy when he ac- companied his mother to Martinsbnrg. Here he served an apprenticeship at the trade of boilermaker, and after his marriage bought a home on South Raleigh Street, between West King and John streets. This location at that time was at the very edge of the city, and the corner lot was en- closed with a rail fence. After completing his apprentice- ship he entered the service of the Baltimore & Ohio Rail- way Company, and was in the shops of that railroad com- pany until his last illness. He died at the age of forty-one. James W. Dean married Emily Virginia Snodeal, who was born on West John Street in Martinsburg, was twenty years of age when she married, and she now occupies the old Dean home on South Raleigh Street. She is an active mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church, as was her hus- band. Emily Virginia Snodeal's father was John Snodeal, who was born on a farm near Martinsburg. His father, George Snodeal, was a native of Germany, came to America in Colonial times, and was a pioneer of Berkeley County. He owned a farm in the western part of the county, and on leaving the farm located at Martinsburg, where his enter- prise brought him extensive business connections. He oper- ated a carriage and blacksmith shop, was in the livery and grocery business, and continued active in affairs until the close of his life. He married Polly Malone, of Irish an- cestry, and who lived to the age of ninety years. Their son, John Snodeal, learned the blacksmith and carriage making trade in his father's shop. During the Civil war he was a Union sympathizer, and after the retreat of Gen- eral Banks' army he refugeed to Williamsport, Maryland. He and his three children started out on foot to make this pilgrimage, and on the way a Government wagon took them up and conveyed them the greater part of the distance. In 1865 he returned to Martinsburg, and he conducted a carriage and blacksmith shop on Winchester Avenue until his death at the age of sixty-four. He married Caroline Rhul, who was of English parentage. Her father was a well educated man and taught a private school for several years in Martinsburg. James W. Dean was a member of Jefferson Lodge No. 1, Knights of Pythias, and was also an Odd Fellow. William Dean acquired his education in the city schools of Martinsburg. While still in school he went to work in the woolen mills, and continued with that industry until March, 1911. With his brother John he then entered the men's furnishing goods business and they have one of the best stores of that character in Berkeley County. Mr. Dean was elected sheriff of Berkeley County in 1920, receiving a handsome majority of 1,500. He cast his first presidential vote for William H. Taft. Mr. Dean is affili- ated with Equality Lodge No. 44, A. P. and A. M., Leba- non Chapter No. 2, R. A. M., Palestine Commandery No. 2, K. T., and is also a member of the Junior Order United American Mechanics and the Modern Woodmen of America. ______________________________X-Message: #3 Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 21:14:21 -0400 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.20000412211421.0094e960@trellis.net> Subject: BIO: CHARLES ROUSH, Berkeley County 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. 395-396 CHARLES ROUSH, who owns and occupies one of the at- tractive homes of his native City of Martinsburg, Berke- ley County, and who is the owner of valuable farm property in this county, has the distinction of having been a gallant young soldier of the Confederacy in the war between the states. He was born at Martinsburg on the 8th of Decem- ber, 1838, and on the same farm, now partly included in Martinsbnrg, his father, George Roush, was born, the lat- ter's father, Conrad Roush, having been born on the same old homestead in 1789. Nicholas Roush, father of Conrad, was born in Germany, where the family name was spelled Rausch, and, so far as known, he was the only representa- tive of the family to come to America. He became one of the pioneers of what is now Berkeley County, West Vir- ginia, where he was one of the thirty persons to purchase the first lots in the townsite of Martinsburg. This lot which he thus acquired from General Stephen, was on the east side of Raleigh Street, at the corner of West King Street. He purchased also a large tract of land on the west side of Raleigh Street and on both sides of King Street. He erected his house on the corner lot mentioned, and there he resided until his death. The maiden name of his wife was Dorothy Reinfeld. Conrad Roush learned the hatter's trade, and thereafter became a successful hat manufacturer at Martinsburg, where he continued to be thus engaged until his death. He married Sarah Randall, who was born in Frederick County, Virginia, a daughter of John and Re- becca (Mercer) Randall. John Randall was born in Fred- erick County, Virginia, and thence went forth as a patriot soldier in the Revolution. His wife was a daughter of Ed- ward Mercer, whose will was one of the first recorded in what is now Berkeley County, West Virginia- George Roush was reared on the ancestral farm which was the place of his birth, and was one of the prosperous young farmers of the county at the time of his death, when but twenty-four years of age. He married Margaret Walters, who was born in Berkeley County, in 1816, a daughter of John and Catherine (Painter) Walters, her fa- ther having had a large farm on Dry Run, as did also the father of Mrs. Catherine Walters. Mrs. Roush survived her husband many years and was seventy-four years of age at death. Her two children were Charles and George. The early educational advantages of Charles Roush in- cluded those of a well conducted academy at Martinsburg, and he was actively identified with farm enterprise when the war began. He promptly manifested his loyalty to the Confederate cause by enlisting in Company B, First Vir- ginia Cavalry, and with this gallant command he took part in many engagements, including the battle of Bull Run. At the battle of Winchester he was wounded, September 28, 1864, but he was not long incapacitated and was with his regiment at Appomattox at the time of the final sur- render. He was also wounded at Cannons Landing. His interest in his old comrades has been vitalized by his affilia- tion with the United Confederate Veterans. After the war he resumed his activities on the old home farm, which he and his only brother inherited and which they eventually sold to a syndicate that improved the property as an ad- dition to Martinsburg, many houses and business buildings being now on the tract. Later Mr. Roush repurchased a part of the land, and erected his present commodious and attractive brick house, which is on an elevation on West King Street, and which commands an excellent view of Mar- tinsburg and the neighboring mountains. Mr. Roush still manages his farm property in the county. March 17, 1874, recorded the marriage of Mr. Roush and Margaret Virginia Seibert, who was born on a farm on Tuscarora Creek, four miles west of Martinsburg, in the year 1852. Her father, William T. Seibert, was born in 1815 near Lebanon, Pennsylvania, as was also his father, Michael, who came with his family to what is now Berke- ley County, West Virginia, in the pioneer days, much of the distance having been covered on horseback through a virtually trackless wilderness. Michael Seibert obtained a rather large tract of wild land on Tuscarora Creek, and with slave labor he improved one of the excellent farms of the county. Here he died at the age of eighty years, and his widow, whose maiden name was Mary Tice, died at the age of eighty-seven. They reared three children, Will- iam, Henry and Mary, the last mentioned having become the wife of Henry Small. William T. Seibert as a young man was given land by his father, who built for him a substan- tial stone house. He continued his successful activities as a farmer and slaveholder until his death in 1852, aged thirty-seven years. He married Margaret Fryett, who was born in Frederick County, Virginia, a daughter of James and Margaret Fryette, her father having been a farmer near Winchester. The young widow of William T. Seibert eventually became the wife of W. T. Hout, and they passed the remainder of their lives at Martinsburg. Of the second marriage were born two children, Rosa Amelia and William S. Mrs. Roush was the only child of the first marriage, and she inherited and still retains the old homestead farm of her paternal grandparents. Brief record is here given concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Roush: Howard Seibert met an accidental death when thirty years of age. George Conrad first married Annie W. Magalis, who is sur- vived by two sons, Clement and Howard. For his second wife George C. Roush married Jane Jenkins. Edgar continues his residence in Berkeley County. Miss Margaret remains at the parental home. George Andrew married Ruth DeHaven, and they have one son, Vernon Lee. Mr. Roush is a director of the Merchants & Farmers Bank at Martinsburg. His wife is a charter member of the local Young Women's Christian Association, besides be- ing a member of the Epworth League and the Ladies Ail Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, of which all of the family are members, and she is a director of the King's Daughters Hospital and is vice president of the local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. ______________________________X-Message: #4 Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 21:14:52 -0400 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.20000412211452.007f7df0@trellis.net> Subject: BIO: CHARLES W. FREEMAN, Pocahontas County 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. 396 CHARLES W. FREEMAN, of Bramwell, a retired coil operator, whose former extensive interests are represented in the Pocahontas Fuel Company, of which he is a director, has been associated with every phase of the coal industry in Southern West Virginia, both on the business and the technical side. Mr. Freeman was born at Trevorton, Pennsylvania, June 9, 1873, son of John and Isabel (Rutter) Freeman. His parents were born in England and were brought when young to Pennsylvania, where their people became coal miners. John Freeman was born at Clay Cross, England, as a young man worked in the mines near Trevorton, Pennsyl- vania, and on moving to West Virginia was for a number of years superintendent of mines for the Fire Creek Coal Company in Fayette County. In 1883 he moved into the Pocahontas District of Mercer County and located at Sim- mons, where in the latter part of 1883 or the early part of 1884 he made the first shipments of Pocahontas coal from this section. He was active in the operation known at the Freeman & Jones Operation, but later became merged with the Caswell Creek Coal and Coke Company and finally be- came part of the properties of the Pocahontas Fuel Com- pany. Charles W. Freeman acquired his early education in the common schools of Simmons and Bramwell, took a bnsinea course at Dunmore College at Staunton, Virginia, and com- pleted his business education with special training in book- keeping, general office work and auditing in Packards' Business School of New York City. He then returned to Simmons and entered the mines under his father, acquiring experience in all the various departments of coal oper- ation, from actual mining to the handling and executive work of mine foreman, superintendent and general manager. He was one of the leading operators of that section for a number of years. When the Caswell Creek Coal & Coke Company was sold to the Pocahontas Fuel Company, Mr. Freeman accepted as his share of the proceeds stock in the Pocahontas Company, and for a number of years has been one of the directors of this great corporation. Since then he has acquired other coal properties in Kentucky, including the Elkhorn Seam Company at Yager. Mr. Freeman in 1909, at Lynchburg, Virginia, married Martha Francis Wheeler. They have four children: Martha Wheeler, Charles Wesley, Margaret Ann and May Llewellen. Mr. Freeman and family are members of the Episeopal Church. He is a Royal Arch and Knight Templar Mason and Shriner, a life member of the Elks, and belongs to the Bluefield Country Club, the Shenandoah Club of Roanoke, Virginia, the Falls Mills Hunting and Fishing Club of Bluefield, and is a charter member of the new Mercer County Country Cub. His favorite diversion is golf. ______________________________X-Message: #5 Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 22:34:07 -0400 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.20000412223407.00841ea0@trellis.net> Subject: BIO: J. ROY NADENBOUSCH, Berkeley County 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. 396-397 J. ROY NADENBOUSCH. Some of Berkeley County's most useful citizens in the past century or more have borne the family name Nadenbousch. Their service has been rendered as tillers of the soil, business men, public officials and in several of the professions, particularly the law. Roy Na- denbousch is in the insurance business at Martinsburg, and his father, John Nadenbousch, has for many years been one of the bankers of the city. One of the first members of this old family in Berkeley County was Frederick Nadenbousch, who was born October 14, 1778, arid died June 20, 1854. On April 6, 1815, he married Eleanor Collins, who was born May 4, 1792, and died May 17, 1871. Their son, Moses Nadenbousch, was born at Hedgesville in Berkeley County April 5, 1827, and as a youth learned the trade of wagon maker and car- penter. From Hedgesville he removed to Martinsburg, and for many years was a successful building contractor in that city, where he died at the age of seventy-two. He married Margaret Ann Wood Harris, who was born July 20, 1833, and died at the age of sixty-two. Their seven children were named: Moses Preston, William Henry, John Thomas, Adrian Collins, Lucy May, Cora Belle and Robert Lee. John T. Nadenbousch was born in Martinsburg, attended the public schools there and the J. P. Hynes Seminary, and at the age of sixteen was appointed deputy sheriff by his father, filling that office six years. He was then an em- ploye of the Adams Express Company until 1894. In 1892 the Merchants and Farmers Bank had begun business as the First State Bank in Martinsburg, and John Naden- bouseh joined it as assistant cashier in 1894. For some time le and the cashier did all the clerical work required in the bank. In 1895 he was elected cashier, and has continued to fill that post for over a quarter of a century. This bank was reorganized in November, 1916, with a stock dividend of 100 per cent. It has a capital of $100,000, surplus and undivided profits of over $30,000, and deposits for a number of years have aggregated over $1,000,000. John T. Naden- bonscli has been one of the direct instruments in the up- building of this splendid bank. He is a man of prosperous connections in Berkeley County, owns two farms in Arden District, and is a member of Equality Lodge No. 44, F. and A. M. He and his wife are both active in the Meth- odist Episcopal Church, South. At the age of twenty-six he married Laura E. Goff, a native of Hedgesville and daugh- ter of James and Mahala (Miller) Goff. J. Roy Nadenbousch, the only child of his parents, was horn at Martinsburg and acquired a public school educa- tion there. Soon after leaving school he became an insur- ance solicitor, and his work has been continued along these lines. In 1911 he purchased a half interest in the Frank J. Trammell Insurance Company, an old established agency at Martinsburg, and later purchased the remaining interest. He has developed a very prosperous general service in all the important branches of insurance. He also has some general farming and orchard interests, being especially in- terested in horticulture. At the age of twenty-one he married Eva E. Gerling, a native of Martinsburg, West Virginia, and daughter of Lonia Gerling. Mr. and Mrs. Nadenbousch have one son, John Louis. Mr. Nadenbousch is affiliated with Equality Lodge No. 44, A. F. and A. M., Washington Lodge No. 1, Knights of Pythias, and Lodge No. 778, Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks. Politically he is a democrat, casting his first presidential vote for William J. Bryan.