WV-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest Volume 00 : Issue 191 Today's Topics: #1 BIO: WILLIS GUY TETRICK, Harrison [Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <4.3.1.0.20000723142758.00cbdda0@mail.earthlink.net> Subject: BIO: WILLIS GUY TETRICK, Harrison 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. 577-578 Harrison WILLIS GUY TETRICK was one of the founders and for the past seven years has been active manager of the Clarks- burg Exponent, one of the most successful newspaper enter- prises and influential organs of opinion in this part of the state. Though an active business man, Mr. Tetrick has been a student of genealogy, and has done much to preserve the records of his own and connected families, and his re- searches have proved a valuable source of information in compiling several of the important family sketches found in these volumes. The first of the name to appear in Harrison County were George Tetrick and Jacob Tetrick, both of whom had records as soldiers in the Revolutionary war. Another, and the direct ancestor of W. G. Tetrick, was Henry Tetrick, Sr., a name that is found in the Pennsyl- vania archives of the Pennsylvania soldiers of the Revolu- tionary war as a member of the Lancaster County Militia for the years 1780-81-82-83. Henry Tetrick, Sr., is men- tioned in the official records of Monongalia County, Vir- ginia, in 1783, and Harrison County in August, 1793. Henry Tetrick, Jr., probably a son of Henry. Sr., was said to have been born in Loudoun County, Virginia, prob- ably about 1768 or 1770. He married Catherine Davis in Harrison County, and died near Shinnston in Harrison County about 1845. His three children were: Josiah born August 4, 1800, Joseph, born October 24, 1803, and Mary, born June 19, 1807, all born on Tetrick Ridge in Harrison County. Joseph Tetrick. just mentioned, was a fanner and stock- man. and accumulated large tracts of land. He died at his residence near Shinnston, April 26, 1861. He married Tacy Jones, daughter of Joshua and Mary (Sech) Jones. She was horn in Harrison County, May 13, 1804, and died near Shinnston, June 1, 1890. Their children were: Har- rison, George, Alfred, Ozias, Ruhama Ann, Commodore Barnet, Mary Ellen, Henry Marshall, Martha Jane and John Blackburn. Of these Ozias Tetrick was born near Shinnston, Febru- ary 28, 1831, and likewise spent his active life in farming and stock raising. He was a democrat, but never held a public office and was one of the thoroughly substantial and honorable men of his community. He died near Enterprise, West Virginia, May 24, 1895. On December 21, 1854, he married Amy Ann Short, who was born in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, October 28, 1834, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Everson) Short. She died near Enterprise, February 11, 1874, the mother of seven children: Luther Blackburn, Willis Emory, Lucius Elmer, Charles M., Lulu E., Ida Myrtle and Daisy Ann. On October 12, 1875, Ozias Tetrick married Nancy Davis, who was born in Marion County, October 24, 1851, daughter of James and Mary (Hobbs) Davis. To this union were born three children, Leia Tacy, Everal Thomas and Arch Ward. Lucius Elmer Tetrick, representing the fifth generation of the family in Harrison County, beginning with Henry Tetrick, Sr., was born near Enterprise, June 9, 1861, and died August 18, 1901. In a brief lifetime of forty years he prosecuted a successful business as a farmer and in other affairs, and was one of the organizers and for many years an official of the Farmers Bank at Shinnston. He was in- fluential in democratic politics, was a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Lucius Elmer Tetrick married Sarah Florence McIntire, and her name introduces another pioneer family of Har- rison County. According to the land survey records Charles Mclntire made two improvements in what is now Harrison County in the year 1773. His former home was probably either in Harford County, Maryland, or just across the line in the State of Pennsylvania. On account of Indian hos- tility he probably did not occupy the land in Harrison County, and it was after his death that his wife and chil- dren moved to the land. His son John was killed by the Indians near Enterprise in May, 1791. His son James spent his life on the land improved by his father, Charles, just above the Town of Enterprise, where he died and was buried. He married Rebecca James, daughter of Enoch James. Their children were: Enoch, Isaac, Presley, Delila, Sarah, Senneth, Elias and Allison. Their son Enoch was born at the old Mclntire homestead, September 1, 1800, and spent his life there as a farmer and stockman. He died February 28, 1852. In 1822 he married Sarah Ann Mclntire, his first cousin, who was born near the old McIntire place, March 10, 1800, and died near Enter- prise, January 30, 1887, a daughter of Charles and Hannah (Hall) Mclntire. Their children were: Edith, Cena, Hannah, James, Thomas Jefferson Charles, James Allison, Van Buren and Jesse. Charles, who was born October 19, 1836, served as a Confederate soldier in the Nineteenth Vir- ginia Cavalry, coming home after the war to find that all his property had been confiscated and sold to pay the claims of Union sympathizers, and none of it was ever recovered. He started anew, followed farming and stock raising, and had accumulated a substantial portion, including a good farm, part of the old Mclntire homestead, before his death, which occurred June 12, 1889. Charles Mclntire on January 10, 1861, married Rachel Rose Anderson, who was born August 4, 1841, a daughter of John and Cassander (Jones) Anderson, and she died at Enterprise, May 3, 1912. Their children were: Sarah F., Charles J. and James F. The oldest of their children was Sarah F., who was born October 4, 1861, and died August 6, 1901. On March 23, 1882, she became the wife of Lucius Elmer Tetrick, and their four children were: Willis Guy Tetrick. Georgia Pearl, Mabel Grace and Amy Rachel. Georgia Pearl and Mabel Grace were twins, both having died young, the former at sixteen years and the other at the age of two months. Amy Rachel Tetrick became the wife of F. Ridley Anderson, and they have one son, Thomas Ridley. Willis Guy Tetrick was born on his father's farm near the Village of Enterprise in Harrison. County, January 3, 1883, and acquired his early education in the public schools. He lived at home until he was eighteen, but farming did not appeal to him as a permanent vocation. It is easy to understand that a young man who made such rapid strides forward when given the opportunity should have early felt the urge toward the larger life that a wider field of effort afforded. He became bookkeeper and clerk in the planing mill and feed store of his uncle, James F. Mclntire, at Enterprise, in the meanwhile taking an active interest in general affairs, and on June 1, 1903, he came to Clarksburg as deputy county clerk, in which position he served with so much efficiency that when the county clerk was removed by death he was appointed, March 1, 1907, to fill out the unexpired term. In 1908 he was elected county clerk of Harrison County, for a term of six years, which terminated January 1, 1915. Always a loyal supporter of the principles of the democratic party, his leadership has been many times recognized, and in 1914 he was his party's candidate for mayor of Clarksburg, failing of election only because of his party being in the minority. At different times he has served as a member of city, county and state democratic executive committees. In 1910 Mr. Tetrick assisted in the organization of the company that established the Clarksburg Exponent, a news- paper widely circulated since it was founded, and one that in the last six years has taken its place as a daily issue with the best patronized journals of Harrison County. On July 10, 1915, Mr. Tetrick became manager of the Exponent, and has made it a paying property. His business acumen has been manifested in other lines and enterprises. He was one of the organizers of the Clarksburg Trust Company, and since that time has been a member of its board of directors and on the finance committee. On February 9, 1910, Mr. Tetrick married Miss Virginia Ann Heavner, who is a daughter of Homer M. and Lorena Bird (Sexton) Heavner. (See sketch on other pages.) Mr. and Mrs. Tetrick have four children: Willis Guy, born August 23, 1911; Catherine Virginia, born February 16, 1914; Margaret Ann, born June 17, 1915; and James Elmer, born February 22, 1918. All are natives of Clarksburg. The family home is at Clarksburg, but membership is maintained in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, of Enterprise. For a number of years Mr. Tetrick has been identified fraternally with the Odd Fellows and the Elks, and belongs also to some social bodies, although a busy life like his does not afford a large amount of leisure. In journalistic circles he is known all over the state. He has been president of the West Virginia Newspaper Publishers' Association, and vice president of the West Virginia Edi- torial Association, and now is serving as vice president of the West Virginia Publishers and Employing Printers Association. ______________________________ X-Message: #2 Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2000 14:27:58 -0400 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <4.3.1.0.20000723142758.00cbfad0@mail.earthlink.net> Subject: BIO: ODELL SCOTT TENNANT, Monongalia 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. 581 Monongalia ODELL SCOTT TENNANT graduated from the Law School of West Virginia University, qualified for the bar, but found more attractive opportunities in the business field, and for the past fifteen years has been a leading figure in com- mercial affairs at Morgantown. Mr. Tennant was born on a farm in Clay District, near Cassville, Monongalia County, January 8, 1885, son of Jefferson and Phoebe A. (Chesney) Tennant. His father was born on a farm near Pentriss in Clay District, February 9, 1845, son of Abraham and Mary (Rich) Tennant. Abra- ham Tennant was born August 15, 1810, in Monongalia County, son of William Tennant, founder of the name in this section of West Virginia. Richard Tennant, the father of William, was born in Glasgow Scotland, in 1744, served as a drummer boy in the Continental army during the Revolution, and was a pioneer settler in West Virginia. William Tennant, who was born August 12, 1778, married Catherine Brown. Abraham Tennant married Mary Rich, who was born in 1817. The mother of Odell S. Tennant, Phoebe A. Chesney, was born August 20, 1851, on the same farm as her son in Clay District, daughter of William and Mary (Hess) Chesney, representing two other pioneer fam- ilies of Monongalia County. Jefferson and Phoebe Tennant had the following children: Ida, wife of Shelby Aaron Barker, of Morgantown; Miss Harriet, who lives at home with her father; Etta, wife of G. H. F. Holy, who is con- nected with the Westinghouse Company at Pittsburgh; Willie Ritch, deceased; Iris C., wife of William C. Gist, a farmer near Wellsburg, West Virginia; Abraham W., who died June 10, 1921, survived by his widow, Mary (Smith) Tennant; and Odell S. Odell Scott Tennant was six years of age when his father left the farm in 1891 and moved to Morgantown. The object of this change of residence was to give the children better educational advantages. Jefferson Tennant founded the Morgantown Roller Flour Mills in the year 1893, and he continued their successful operation until 1914, when he retired from active business. Odell S. Tennant acquired all his education in Morgantown, graduating from the high school in 1903, and receiving his law degree at the Univer- sity in 1906. He was admitted to the bar the same year, but instead of taking up practice joined his father in the flour mills in September, 1906, being a one-third partner. When his father retired in 1914 Odell Tennant sold his interest to his brother Abraham W. and entered the hard- ware and roofing business. He continued in this line until 1921, and still does a large business in hardware and roof- ing, though at the same time he was interested in the flour, feed and grain business which was established in 1893 and is the oldest enterprise of its kind at Morgantown. Mr. Tennant since 1919 has also been a manufacturer of cement blocks, and these various interests place a heavy demand upon his time and energies. He owns one-sixth of 750 acres of coal land in the Scott Run District. Mr. Tennant is identified by membership with a number of representative organizations. These include Morgantown Union Lodge No. 4, F. and A. M., the Royal Arch Chapter, Knight Templar Commandery and Osiris Temple of the Mystic Shrine; Morgantown Lodge No. 411, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis Club and the First Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a member of the Busi- ness Men's Class in Sunday school, and for fifteen years was secretary of the Sunday school and for thirty years has had an unusual record of faithful attendance at Sunday school, his absences not averaging more than five Sundays in each year. On September 18, 1908, Mr. Tennant married Eva E. Townsend. She was born July 2, 1886, in Caro, Michigan, daughter of Samuel and Emily Townsend. Mr. and Mrs. Tennant have two children: Leland Chesney, born No- vember 7, 1909; and Paul Scott, born June 26, 1917. Mr. Tennant resides at 82 South Main Street and his business is at 178 Clay Street. ______________________________ X-Message: #3 Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2000 14:27:58 -0400 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <4.3.1.0.20000723142758.00cc0870@mail.earthlink.net> Subject: BIO: ALDINE S. POLING, Barbour 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. 580-581 Barbour ALDINE S. POLING is a veteran editor and newspaper man of West Virginia, being founder and proprietor of the Barbour Democrat at Philippi. He was a successful teacher, later studied and qualified for the bar, but instead found his vocation and life-work in "the fourth estate." Mr. Poling was born in Glade District, Barbour County, January 14, 1867. His grandfather, James Poling, came to this section of West Virginia in pioneer times from old Virginia and spent his life as a farmer in Glade District He had a large family, his sons being Elam, Nathaniel, Perry, Brown, Isaac, Salathiel, Emery and Tazewell, while his daughters were Annie, who married Marshall Stal- maker; Rebecca, whose first husband was Mortimer Johnson and the second, C. K. Rymer; Luverna, who was the only one of the family who remained unmarried; and Virginia, who became the wife of Wesley Bean. These children not only married, but most of them had many descendants, and as many of these remained in Barbour County Aldine S. Poling probably has more relatives in the region than any other man. The father of Aldine S. Poling was Isaac Poling, who was born in Barbour County and who married Elfanzine Corder, a native of Warren County, Virginia. Her only child was Aldine S., but the latter has a half brother, Wade Poling, of Glade District, and half sister named Mrs. Etta Hudkins, Mrs. Matrona Wilmoth, Mrs. Bertie Wilson and Mrs. Rebeeca Elliott. Aldine S. Poling was reared in the home of an aunt in Pleasant District of Barbour County, and lived with her until he began his university career. He attended the rural schools, summer normals, began teaching at the age of sixteen, and for ten years his program was teaching a term or two and then attending school himself. In this way he secured the money to complete his legal education and was graduated LL. B. from West Virginia University in 1892. Before he could secure a clientele as a lawyer his old friend with whom he had first studied law induced him to start a democratic paper at Philippi. Thus he became the founder of the Barbour Democrat in 1893, the first issue of which appeared July 6, 1893. It has probably never missed an issue in nearly thirty years, and there have hardly been more than a half dozen issues of the paper run off the press without the editor's presence in the office. Mr. Poling is a man of ideals in the newspaper business. With the usual enthusiasm of youth he thought it necessary in early years to be strongly partisan, and he attacked his political op- ponents as vigorously as he boosted the interests of his own party in political or civic matters. Gradually experience and increasing years softened this part of his character, so that generosity and liberality have characterized his treat- ment of men and measures through his paper. He made the Barbour Democrat one of the first papers in the state ac- tively to advocate and fight the battle of temperance and prohibition. From the first he has believed that he had a duty to perform in editing and conducting a home news- paper, one free from sensation and the lurid presentation of crimes and scandals. In addition to his service as an editor Mr. Poling has been a notary public for a number of years, largely a gratuitous service, has been secretary and a member of the board of Education of the Philippi Independent District, and has been a trustee of Broaddus College since it was established here. He was one of the active leaders in se- curing this educational institution for Philippi, and he has seen it grow to be a larger institution than the State Uni- versity was when he was a student there. In polities Mr. Poling inherits democratic sentiments from both sides of the family. Fraternally he has been a Mason and Odd Fel- low since reaching his majority, and is also a member of the Knights of the Maccabees and the Junior Order United American Mechanics. He has sat in the Masonic Grand Lodge. For thirty-five years he has been a member of the Missionary Baptist Church, was superintendent of the Sun- day school ten years and represented the church in the Northern Baptist Convention at Boston, and has attended many of the general associations in the state. At Philippi in December, 1893, Mr. Poling married Miss Lizzie W. Grant, daughter of Edward F. and Lydia (Skid- more) Grant, an old time family of Barbour County. Her father was a cabinet maker and undertaker, and for many years served as postmaster at Philippi. He was a repub- lican, and he died during the childhood of Mrs. Poling. Mrs. Poling has a half brother, Charles Grant. Mrs. Poling went to work in one of the local banks at Philippi at the age of seventeen, is still an employe of the Citizens National Bank, and is credited with more banking experience than any of the bankers in the city. Mr. and Mrs. Poling have two sons, Forrest Blanchard and Lawrence Edward. Forrest Blanchard, who graduated A. B. from West Virginia Uni- versity and is now in the University Law School, is an ex- service man, and spent twenty-two months at Camp Shelby, reaching the rank of top sergeant. The second son is a graduate of Broaddus College of Philippi, and is now con- tinuing his studies in the Ohio State University. He volunteered as a member of the Students' Army Training Corps in the naval contingent, and was at Morgantown dar- ing a portion of the war. ______________________________ X-Message: #4 Date: Sun, 23 Jul 2000 14:27:58 -0400 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <4.3.1.0.20000723142758.00cc1100@mail.earthlink.net> Subject: BIO: WILLIAM OSBORNE, Boone 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. 580 Boone WILLIAM OSBORNE. To the credit of William Osborne stands the record of two terms as United States marshal for the Southern District of West Virginia and a long service as a county official and educator. Mr. Osborne, who as United States marshal had his home in Charleston, was born in Pike County, Kentucky, January 9, 1872, son of A. M. and Arminia Osborne, natives of the same state and both of Scotch-Irish ancestry. William Osborne grew up on a farm and lived with his parents until he was sixteen. He then moved to West Virginia to live with an uncle, whose home was on Mud River in Boone County. Possessing a good education and lofty ideals, he soon qualified as a teacher, and taught sixteen different schools in Boone County. In 1898 Mr. Osborne was elected county superintendent of schools for that county, and for four years was the efficient head of the school administration there. Following that for some years he was a trader and dealer in lumber and timber. Then, in 1908, he was elected county clerk of Boone County, an office he filled six: years. Mr. Osborne was appointed United States marshal for the Southern District of West Virginia, February 18, 1914, by President Wilson, and began his duties in February of that year. His district embraced twenty-four counties. In 1918 he was re-appointed for another term of four years, and served until May 1, 1922. For one who so long hag been in official life Mr. Osborne's record is an exceptional one in its integrity and continuous efficiency. As United States marshal he discharged his duties fear- lessly, and he had the handling of many complicated situa- tions in his district. Mr. Osborne is a stanch democrat, and is a York and Scottish Rite Mason and Shriner. He married Miss Jose- phine Workman, of Boone County, and they are the parents of a daughter. Miss Pearl Osborne.