WV-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest Volume 00 : Issue 179 Today's Topics: #1 BIO: WILLIAM H. RUBY, Raleigh Co. [Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <4.3.1.0.20000717221936.00c8eb60@mail.earthlink.net> Subject: BIO: WILLIAM H. RUBY, Raleigh Co. WV Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 549 Raleigh WILLIAM H. RUBY, vice president and general manager of the Trace Fork Coal Company, on the Virginian Railroad, one mile west of Mullens, general manager of the Wilton Smokeless Coal Company, and president of the Spencer Fork Coal Company on Piney branch of the same road, is one of the well known figures in coal mining circles of Wyoming County. He has been identified with one branch or another of this industry since boyhood, and his advancement there- in has been gained through sheer merit and not because of any fortuitous chance or lucky circumstance. Mr. Ruby was born at Cincinnati, Ohio, July 19, 1887, and is a son of William Frederick and Minnie (Gilcher) Ruby, natives of Germany. William Frederick Ruby was only twelve years of age when he made the journey to America alone to join four brothers and a sister, who had preceded him to Cincinnati. For a period of thirty-six years he was identified with the Fleischman Yeast Company, and during a large part of this time was a foreman and one of the company's most trusted employes. He retired two years prior to his death, which occurred in 1921, at Cin- cinnati, when he was sixty-three years of age. He was a faithful member of the Lutheran Church, to which also belongs his wife, who was three years of age when brought by her parents to the United States, and who is now a resident of Cincinnati, aged sixty years. Mr. and Mrs. Ruby were the parents of two sons: Walter W., sales man- ager for the Chesapeake & Virginian Coal Company, at Lynchburg, Virginia; and William H. William H. Ruby went to the public schools of Cincinnati and as a boy displayed unusual industry and ambition. As soon as allowed he secured employment, but after working at unskilled labor for several years came to the conclusion that he should be better prepared for his struggle with competition in the business world, and accordingly pursued a course in general mechanics at the Ohio Mechanical In- stitute, which he finished at the age of eighteen years. In 1907 he came to Prince, West Virginia, in the capacity of rodman for the New River Collieries Company, and at the end of two years had advanced to assistant in the engineer- ing department. He then became assistant engineer of the Gulf Smokeless Coal Company at Tams, Raleigh County, a concern with which he remained for seven years, at the end of which time he was superintendent of the Hotcoal Mine, a Gulf Smokeless property. Subsequently for one and one- half years Mr. Ruby was general superintendent of the Iro- quois Coal Mining Company, and in 1917, with others, pur- chased the Trace Fork Mine, of which he has since been vice president and general manager. During the five years that he has been in charge there have been made numerous improvements, including a new tipple, new houses, a new water system and steel mine cars. Mr. Ruby's official asso- ciates in this company are H. E. Tribou, president of Tams; and R. F. Wildey, secretary-treasurer, of Tracoal. In April, 1920, Mr. Ruby became one of the organizers of the Wilton Smokeless Coal Company, of which he is general manager, his associates being: J. B. Clifton, of Beckley, president; C. H. Meador, Beckley, vice president; and H. R. Tribou, Tams, secretary and treasurer. Mr. Ruby is a thoroughly informed coal man, having worked his way up through the various branches and learning the details of all during his upward climb. He has the full confidence of his associates and the friendship and loyalty of his men. He is a republi- can in his political affiliation, and his religious connection is with the Lutheran Church, and as a fraternalist he belongs to the Blue Lodge of Masonry at Tams, of which he is a past master, and the Mystic Shrine at Charleston. In June, 1913, Mr. Ruby married Miss Anna Mae Woldey, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and to this union there have been born two children: William H., Jr., and Jack W. ______________________________ X-Message: #2 Date: Wed, 19 Jul 2000 06:11:53 -0400 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <4.3.1.0.20000718222847.00ca5e30@mail.earthlink.net> Subject: BIO: MICHAEL SEIBERT BUTLER, M. D., Berkeley Co. WV Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 512-513 Berkeley MICHAEL SEIBERT BUTLER, M. D. Nearly half a century of work as a physician constitutes a distinction such as few men can attain. In the case of Dr. Butler that work has been performed, except for the first few years, in the one community of Hedgesville in Berkeley County. His indi- vidual career deserves special mention, and it is noteworthy that his family record includes some of the oldest and best known names in the Eastern Panhandle, including Myers, Seibert, Henshaw, Anderson, Snodgrass and others. Doctor Butler was born on the Michael Seibert home- stead farm in Hedgesville district. His father, Thomas Butler, was born at Bunker Hill, Berkeley County, in 1825. The grandfather was probably a native of Pennsylvania, and as a young man came to Berkeley County and settled at Bunker Hill, where he followed his trade as a cooper. He married in Bunker Hill, and he and his wife spent their lives there. Thomas Butler learned the tailor's trade, and for several years was engaged in business as a merchant tailor at Martinsburg and Duffields. On account of failing health he removed to the Michael Seibert homestead farm, and died there at the early age of twenty-seven. He married Catherine Seibert, who was born in Hedgesville district, Oc- tober 19, 1831. Her father, Michael Seibert, was born in Maryland in 1791, a son of John Jacob and Elizabeth (Bodarf) Seibert, and grandson of Wendell Seibert. This branch of the Seibert family came to Virginia about 1805. Michael Seibert bought land about a mile southeast of Hedgesville. The only improvements on the land were a log house and barn and a few acres cleared. Before the days of railroads in order to get his crops to market he transported them with wagon and team to Baltimore, spending a week on the road. He continued working the farm until his death, at the age of sixty-three. Michael Seibert married Catherine Myers, who was born near the present site of Berkeley Station, daughter of John and Mary (Kaufman) Myers, who were life-long residents of Berkeley County. Mrs. Catherine Butler is now past ninety years of age, and lives with her son, Doctor Butler and is in full possession of of her mental faculties. Her only daughter died in infancy. Michael Seibert Butler, the only son of his parents, ac- quired his early education in the local schools, and as a youth began the study of medicine with Dr. George Hamil at Martinsburg, and later with Doctor Johnson at Hedges- ville. He finished his medical education in the University of Maryland, where he graduated in 1874. For the first three years he practiced in the Bunker Hill community, and since then his professional skill and his kindly personal service has been at the disposal of the people of Hedges- ville. Doctor Butler is a member of the Eastern Panhandle Medical Society and the American Medical Association. At the age of twenty-two he married Lillie S. Henshaw, who was born on a farm one mile from Bunker Hill, in Berkeley County. Her father was Levy Henshaw, Jr., born on the same farm. The Henshaws are an old English family. There is record of a William Henshaw who was killed at the storming of Liverpool on June 20, 1644. He left a large estate. His two sons were Joshua and Daniel. In 1651 the widow died, and in 1653 the executor of the estate made a pretense of sending the boys to London, but instead shipped them to New England and put them under the care of Rev. Richard Mather at Dorchester, now a part of the City of Boston. They were reared and educated there, where Daniel died. The sons of Joshua, John and Nicholas, removed to Philadelphia. A son of Nicholas was Capt. William Henshaw, who was born March 16, 1736, and was one of the earliest pioneers of Berkeley County, pur- chasing a tract of land from Lord Fairfax, located on Mill Creek. He built his home on land about one mile west of the present site of Bunker Hill. He erected a grist mill and sawmill, which were among the first such institutions in Berkeley County. He was a man of great enterprise, acquired extensive and valuable holdings of land, and extended his investment to distant parts, having about 2,000 acres in Shelby County, Kentucky, and a large tract along the Kanawha River in West Virginia. He was a soldier in the Indian war and was at the battle of Point Pleasant in 1774, and was also present at the signing of the peace treaty with the Indians at Camp Charlotte at Chillicothe, Ohio. Many of the details of this frontiers- man's life are preserved in the pioneer history. He was an active influence in securing the formation of Berkeley County in 1772, served as bondsman for Gen. Adam Stephen, was the first sheriff of Berkeley County and was a member of Col. Hugh Stephenson's Regiment. The body of this old pioneer rests in Christ Churchyard at Bunker Hill. He was a justice of the peace, and was one of the first board of trustees of Gerrardstown. Capt. William Henshaw married Agnes Anderson. Her father, William Anderson, was a native of Scotland, where he espoused the cause of Prince James and after the failure of that revolution fled to Eng- land and in 1715 came to America and was an early settler on the South Branch of the Potomac in Hampshire County, in the locality subsequently known as Anderson's Bottoms. He and his son Thomas joined Braddock's forces at Cumber- land during the western campaign. He always wore the Scotch dress. William Anderson died in 1797, at the age of 104 years. Levi Henshaw, Sr., son of Capt. William and grandfather of Mrs. Butler, was born July 22, 1769, was a farmer and a miller and for many years operated a merchant and custom mill, shipping his flour to Harpers Ferry with wagons and teams. He was prominent in public affairs, -serving as justice of the peace, and was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates in 1821-22, 1830-31, and in 1840 was sheriff of Berkeley County. He spent his last days on his farm. He married Ann McConnell, who was born Septem- ber 18, 1773. Her father, William McConnell, served on Berkeley County's first grand jury. Levi Henshaw, Jr., father of Mrs. Butler, inherited part of the old estate, and continued the operation of the mill and farm until 1868, when he removed to Hedgesville. He bought the Tomahawk Mill and also a farm, and managed both properties, though keeping his residence in Hedgesville, where he died at the age of eighty-two. He married Sarah Ann Snodgrass, who was born at Tomahawk in Berkeley County, daughter of Robert and Sarah Ann Snodgrass. Robert Snodgrass was a son of William and Catherine (Patterson) Snodgrass and grandson of William Snodgrass, who came from Scotland to America about 1700. William Snodgrass was a pioneer of Berkeley County, locating on Back Creek. Robert Snodgrass, who was born October 14, 1744, married, March 23, 1762, Susanne Rawlings, who was born December 26, 1742, and died November 2, 1820. Her son Robert was born September 21, 1792, and on March 29, 1821, married his cousin, Sarah Ann Snodgrass. This Robert Snodgrass commanded the sixty-seventh regiment of Virginia Militia and was a representative in the Virginia House of Delegates in 1832-34-36-39. The mother of Mrs. Butler died at the age of seventy-two, having reared seven children. Doctor and Mrs. Butler had three children, named Charles Claude, Catherine and Edna. Charles Claude, who was edu- cated in the public schools of Hedgesville, subsequently re moved to Rockland, Massachusetts, where he was in the leather business with the firm of French, Shriner & Urner. He married in New York City in 1900 Florence Dalzell, and she and two sons survive him. Her sons are Charles Claude and James Dalzell. The older of these, Charles Claude, was a student for two years in the University of West Virginia and late in George Washington University at Washington, D. C. James Dalzell is now in his fourth year at West Virginia University. Catherine, the older daughter of Doctor Butler, is the wife of Charles Frederick Kohpisch, and they now live at New Rochelle, New York. They have four children, named Catherine Butler, Charles Frederick, Louise Henshaw and Charles Claude. Edna Butler married George A. Smith, and they also live at New Rochelle, New York. They have a daughter, named Edna. ______________________________ X-Message: #3 Date: Wed, 19 Jul 2000 06:12:07 -0400 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <4.3.1.0.20000718222847.00ca55b0@mail.earthlink.net> Subject: BIO: JAMES J. DECK, PH. D., Upshur Co. WV Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 512 Upshur JAMES J. DECK, PH. D., who holds the chair of modern languages in the West Virginia Wesleyan College, con- ducted under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Buckhannon, Upshur County, is a man of spe- cially high intellectual attainments and has achieved marked success in connection with education work in the land of his adoption. Doctor Deck was born in the canton of Zurich, Switz- erland, on the 6th of January, 1861, and is a son of John J. and Anne (Heidegger) Deck, both of whom passed their entire lives in Switzerland. The father grad- uated from the great University of Halle, Germany, and was ordained a clergyman of the Evangelical Reformed Church, to the service of which he gave his active life, with utmost consecration and zeal. Doctor Deck was reared in the City of Zurich, Switz- erland, and in the local schools his discipline included the gymnasium, corresponding to college in the United States. His higher academic education was obtained in the Uni- versity of Zurich, from which he received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, and in the College of St. Francis Xavier in New York City, in which he completed the regular course and was graduated, his intention at the time having been to enter the priesthood. The Doctor was twenty years of age when he came to the United States and entered the college in the national metropolis, in 1881. From 1883 to 1896 Doctor Deck was at the head of the department of chemistry in Georgetown University, District of Columbia, and from 1898 to 1900 he was a private tutor in higher branches of study at Washington, D. C. In the latter year he accepted the position of instructor in Greek at Taylor University, Upland, Indiana, but in the following year was called to the chair of languages in West Virginia Wesleyan College at Buckhannon, with which institution he has since continued his effective service and as a member of the faculty of which he now holds the chair of modern languages. The Doctor is an honored member of the West Virginia Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and both he and his wife are active and influential in various departments of church work. He is past master of Franklin Lodge No. 7, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, at Buckhannon, past high priest of Upshur Chapter No. 34, Royal Arch Masons, in which he is again serving in this office in 1922, is the present commander of Buckhannon Commandery of Knights Templar, and is affiliated also with the Scottish Rite of the time-honored Masonic fraternity, besides which he is a charter member of Buckhannon Chapter No. 18, Order of the Eastern Star, of which he is a past patron and of which his wife likewise is an active member. In polities Doctor Deck gives his allegiance to the republican party. In July, 1898, was solemnized the marriage of Doctor Deck and Miss Catherine F. Fitzgerald, who graduated from the high school in the City of Washington, D. C. They have three children: Ida M., who was born August 14, 1899, is a graduate of Miss Ellet's private school for girls at Washington, D. C., and of the Damrosch Institute of Musical Art, New York City, as a member of the class of 1921, where she is continuing her musical studies under the direction of Doctor Goetschius at the time of this writing, in 1922. Raymond S., who was born December 26, 1900, graduated from the college with which his father is connected at the present time, and later received from the West Virginia Wesleyan College the degree of Bachelor of Arts, he being now principal of the high school at Williamsburg, Greenbrier County, West Virginia. Stanley W., who was born June 16, 1902, graduated from the Buckhannon High School and is a member of the class of 1924 in Columbia University, New York City. ______________________________ X-Message: #4 Date: Wed, 19 Jul 2000 06:12:21 -0400 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <4.3.1.0.20000718222847.00cad8a0@mail.earthlink.net> Subject: BIO: ROBERT E. SLACK , Clay Co. WV Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 518 Clay ROBERT E. SLACK is bringing to bear the personal char- acteristics and the executive and scholastic ability which make for ideal administration of the affairs of the import- ant office of which he is the incumbent, that of superinten- dent of the public schools of Clay County, his residence and official headquarters being at Clay, the county seat. Mr. Slack was born in Kanawha County, this state, De- cember 5, 1885, and is a son of William H. and Martha J. (Huffman) Slack, both likewise natives of Kanawha County, where they were reared and educated and where their mar- riage was solemnized. The parents continued their residence on their farm in Kanawha County until 1898, when they sold their property there and removed to Clay County, where they still reside on their well improved farm of 123 acres, not far distant from Servia, which is in the adjoining County of Braxton. They are active members of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church, South, and in politics the father is a loyal supporter of the principles of the republican party. Of their nine children seven are living: Lillie is the wife of Mr. Hardway; Robert E., of this sketch, was next in order of birth; George E. continues as a successful farmer in Kanawha County, where he is also a popular teacher in the rural schools; Henry C., who is associated in the work and management of the parental home farm, was in the nation's military service in connection with the World war, his service having been principally at Camp Lee, Virginia; James H., a fanner and teacher in Clay County, married Miss Mary Rollyson; and Charles W. and Lewis C. are the younger members of the parental home circle. A vitalizing environment and discipline was that which the home farm gave to Robert E. Slack in his childhood and early youth, and after profiting by the instruction of- fered in the public schools he attended the West Virginia State Normal School at Glenville. He made a record of nine years of earnest and effective service as a teacher in the public schools, and in 1918 he was elected to his present office, that of superintendent of the public schools of Clay County, his able and progressive administration having done much to raise the standard of the schools under his juris- diction, and his professional enthusiasm gaining to him the ready co-operation of the teachers and the people of the county in general. He is aligned stanchly in the ranks of the republican party, is affiliated with Henry Clay Lodge No. 233, Knights of Pythias, and is a stockholder in the Elk Electric Light & Power Company. Mr. Slack's name remains inscribed on the roll of eligible bachelors in Clay County.