WV-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest Volume 00 : Issue 61 Today's Topics: #1 BIO: CHARLES F. ZIMMERMAN, Kanawha [Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.20000318215836.0094c160@trellis.net> Subject: BIO: CHARLES F. ZIMMERMAN, Kanawha 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. 349 CHARLES F. ZIMMERMAN is a young businessman of Charleston who has enjoyed a remarkable rise in finance and affairs within a comparatively few years. He was born and reared in Benton County, Tennessee, and was educated in the public schools and in the Southern Normal College at Bowling Green, Kentucky. Before reach- ing his majority he was an office employe of the Simmons Hardware Company at St. Louis, and from there took charge of the Hattiesburg Ice & Coal Company at Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Mr. Zimmennan came to Charleston in 1907. This city has been his home and the scene of his increasing activi- ties for fifteen years. For a time he continued his profes- sion as an auditor and accountant, and later became inter- ested in and for eight years was manager of the Fleetwood Hotel. He then bought the Beckley Hotel at Beckley, West Virginia, which he operated from 1916 to 1921. In 1918 he also opened the Lincoln Hotel at Charleston, and is still owner of that popular place. Perhaps his most distinctive success has been as owner and operator of a chain of cigar stores, now three in num- ber. The first was opened at 711 State Street November 1, 1916. In connection there is a barber shop and billiard room. The second store, located in the Arcade, opposite the post office, was opened March 26, 1918, and a pool and billiard room is operated in connection with this place. The third and the culminating achievement of Mr. Zimmerman in this line is the shop and store opened in October, 1921, in the Oberlan Building at 911 Quarrier Street. Probably no cigar store in the country has finer and more elaborate furniture, equipment and fixtures than this. Adjoining is a modern billiard room. The Oberlan Building was built by Samuel Oberlan particularly for Mr. Zimmerman's business and according to the latter's designs and plans. Mr. Zimmerman is lessee of the entire building and has his business offices on the third floor. It is a three-story mod- ern commercial structure, the two upper floors being de- voted to business offices, all of which are occupied. The building was completed in October, 1921. Mr. Zimmerman is also the lessee and has full control of the new Boyd Building, a modern three story building on Summers Street, at the corner of Fife Street, which was completed early in 1922. The first story of this building has five stores, with forty office rooms on the two upper floors. In addition to the business activities already mentioned Mr. Zimmerman has been an active dealer in city real estate, confining his operations largely to residential property within the city limits. He has given substantial evidence of his confidence in the growth of the city by numerous investments in va- cant property, which he would immediately improve by erecting thereon a substantial residence. In this manner he has built nearly fifty homes in Charleston, and through his enterprise and industry has contributed in no small way towards the material upbuilding of the city. Late in 1921 Mr. Zimmerman completed a handsome new modern residence for his own home at 506 Nancy Street in the East End. He is an influential member of the chamber of commerce and Kiwanis Club, and also belongs to the Elks. Mr. Zim- merman married Miss Bertha A. Hill, of Kanawha County, West Virginia. Their two children are Anna Marie and Frederick Judson. ______________________________X-Message: #2 Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2000 21:50:49 -0500 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.20000318215049.00945210@trellis.net> Subject: BIO: JOSEPH M. HOPKINS, Boone 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. 349 Boone JOSEPH M. HOPKINS, president of the Bank of Danville and a dealer in timber and coal lands and general real estate, is one of the leading business men of Boone County, and one who has had a constructive influence upon his times. While he has achieved a material success, his accomplishments in the way of good citizenship and the dis- charge of personal obligations are equally admirable. The birth of Joseph M. Hopkins took place in Boone County, West Virginia, January 9, 1856, and he is a son of Henry H. and Julia A. (Hill) Hopkins, both of whom were natives of Virginia. During the war between the North and the South he served for a few months. For a number of years he was a farmer and merchant, and he always took an active part in public affairs, and belonged to the School Board. The Hopkins family is one of the old and honored ones of the South, and sprung from Scotch- Irish stock. Joseph M. Hopkins attended the district schools, one year at Saint Albans, and four months at Emery and Henry College. His days of usefulness, however, began when he was only twelve years old, when he commenced work on the farm. Losing his father when only eighteen years old, the responsibilities of manhood came early to him, and he was kept busy looking after the homestead for a time. In 1879 he had things in shape so that he was able to branch out. He went into the timber business, and for seventeen years was engaged in logging. In 1896 he was elected to the office of county clerk, and held it for twelve years, or until 1908. During all of this time he was interested in the timbering business, and began to handle coal lands in 1903. Since 1908 he has been concentrating on the handling of timber and coal lands and general real estate, but is also interested in farming, which calling he has never entirely abandoned, always owning one or more farms. In 1914 he and his son-in-law, H. R. Izard, and others, organized the Bank of Danville, of which he was made president. Under his conservative and wise management, this bank has been developed into one of the sound and reliable institutions of the county, and he still continues its chief executive. In 1877 Mr. Hopkins married in Boone County Dora E. Stollings, a daughter of Joel E. and Martha (Kesinger) Stollings, both of whom were born in Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins became the parents of eight children, as follows: T. J., who married Alice Thompson, of Danville, has three children, Gladys, Ralph and Elouise; Martha L., who married H. E. Izard, cashier of the Bank of Danville, has four children, Ralph Stead, Martha Hopkins, Joseph and Jean; Clarence C., who married Mattie Fulton, of Dan- ville, has two children, Louise and Harold; Ella M., who married A. B. Chambers, general merchant of Danville, has two children, Julia and Dora Joe; Eva G., who married Roy Smith, of Spencer, West Virginia; and Luther, Joseph H. and Lee S., all of whom are unmarried. Luther Hopkins volunteered for service in May, 1917, and went into the infantry. After a period of service on the Mexi- can border he was transferred to the First Division and went overseas, where he had twenty-two months of active service. He was in the battle of Cantigny, where he was wounded May 30, 1918. He was at St. Mihiel in September and the Argonne offensive in October, being wounded October 9, in Argonne. He arrived in the United States April 14, 1918, and was honorably discharged at Camp Meade, Maryland, on April 25, 1919. Mrs. Joseph M. Hopkins is a zealous member of the Baptist Church, but Mr. Hopkins is not connected with any religious organization. He is a Blue Lodge Mason, and be- longs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Mr. and Mrs. Hop- kins have reared a fine family and have every reason to be proud of their children, all of whom have justified their parents' faith in them. ______________________________X-Message: #3 Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2000 21:50:18 -0500 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.20000318215018.007d9440@trellis.net> Subject: BIO: MANDERVILLE T. MILLER, Boone 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. 348-349 MANDERVILLE T. MILLER. From the records of the hu- man race handed down from the earliest days it is gathered that the clergy have given more or less of their time and attention to educating the masses. In fact, for centuries all of the learning was confined to the priesthood. In more recent times the custom has prevailed of selecting clergy- men to hold chairs in institutions ,of learning, as well as to give individual instruction, but Boone County has shown a further appreciation of the profession by electing as its county superintendent Rev. Manderville T. Miller, a min- ister of the Baptist denomination and an educator of long standing in this locality. The birth of Manderville T. Miller took place at Low Gap, Boone County, West Virginia, December 31, 1879, and he is a son of Silvanus and Susan (Pauley) Miller, both natives of Virginia and members of old families of the South. The Millers are of Holland Dutch descent and the Pauleys of French origin. Silvanus Miller was a farmer, and a man who always took a dominating part in public affairs. He served as constable and member of the school board for a number of years, and was equally prominent in the Baptist Church of Turtle Creek, West Virginia, which he long served as a deacon. His death occurred at Low Gap in April, 1906. Manderville T. Miller is a self-made man, and one who has worked hard to secure the education he so desired. After he completed his studies in the common schools of Low Gap he attended the summer normal school at Madison, and in 1896 secured a certificate to teach. From then on he has been an educator, and has continued to be a stu- dent, taking different courses by correspondence with the Concord State Normal School at Athens, West Virginia. All of his educational work has been done in Boone County, and in 1918 he was elected to his present office for a four- year term. He has thirty graded schools and 150 teachers under his supervision, and these schools have from two to four rooms. As before stated, Mr. Miller is a minister of the Baptist Church, and has charges at Seth, Whitesville and Chelyan, West Virginia, where he is doing mission field work and accomplishing remarkable results. He is an elo- quent preacher, and his earnest sincerity is very convincing whether his subject be a religious or a secular one. In 1899 Mr. Miller married at Turtle Creek, West Vir- ginia, Flora Roberts, a daughter of John and Martha Rob- erts, farming people who both live in West Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have nine children, namely: Orin, Mollie, May, Norma, Opal, Ruby, Haddon, Frank and Albert Sid- ney. Of these children Orin married Ivy McClure of Lincoln County, West Virginia. They are living at Madison, where he is assistant station agent for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad. Mr. Miller has been a life-long member of the Baptist Church. He belongs to Odell Lodge, No. 115, A. F. and A. M., of Madison. It would be difficult to speak too highly of Mr. Miller's work and the good influence he exerts on the life of his community. A born educator, he possesses the faculty of not only imparting information, but also of stimulating a desire for further knowledge, and he is also able to secure the hearty cooperation of his teachers in his efforts to further advance the standards of the Boone County schools and the rating of the pupils. As a clergyman he is equally zealous, and in these two lines of endeavor is rendering Madison and Boone County a most effective service. ______________________________X-Message: #4 Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2000 21:51:53 -0500 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.20000318215153.007d9c80@trellis.net> Subject: BIO: WILLIAM OSCAR DAVIS, Barbour 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. 349-350 Barbour WILLIAM OSCAR DAVIS has been a pharmacist for over a quarter of a century, and for the greater part of that time has been in the drug business at Philippi. His liber- ality as a citizen and his work in behalf of community advancement are facts as well known and appreciated as his business success. Mr. Davis was born near Uhriehsville, Tuscarawas County, Ohio, September 6, 1872. Remotely he is of wealthy ancestry. His grandfather, Gan Davis, spent his life as a farmer in Tuscarawas County and is buried at Freed Springs Church in that county. His children were Alexander, a resident of Uhrichsville, and a veteran Union soldier; John W.; Jane, wife of Nathan Smith and a resident of Uhrichsville; Lou, who died at Uhrichsville, wife of J. Dutton; Sophia, who died in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was the wife of Charles Long; Marshall, of Uhrichsville; James, a paint contractor at Canton, Ohio; and Margaret, widow of Charles Gintz and living at Uhrichsville. John W. Davis, father of William Oscar Davis, was born in Tuscarawas County and married Catherine J. Dutton, a native of the same county. Her father was William Dutton, who married Miss Burriss. John W. Davis was a farmer in Tuscarawas County, in later years became a carpenter, and was a mechanic in the railroad shops at Dennison, Ohio, when he was accidentally killed February 20, 1907, at the age of about sixty-three. His widow died at Canton, Ohio, in 1914. Their children were: Ed. N.; Frank E.; James O.; William Oscar; Jessie Mabel, wife of C. W. Lykes, of Canton, Ohio; Verna V., wife of Fred Hall, of Houston, Texas; and John B., of Houston. William Oscar Davis lived on his father's farm until lie was about twelve years of age. He learned his first spelling and arithmetic lessons in a country school, later attended the Uhrichsville High School, and in 1894 entered the College of Pharmacy at Scio, Ohio. This school was subsequently moved to Pittsburgh and is now the Pittsburgh College of Pharmacy. After completing his course Mr. Davis entered actively upon the practice of pharmacy. In the meantime during vacations, he had worked in drug stores, and what he calls "the hardest job he ever had" was selling subscription books and during one summer he was with a crew of young fellows making and selling views. After completing his course of pharmacy he was employed by the Graham Drug Company at Zanesville, Ohio, for one year, for two years was prescription clerk with a firm at Mannington, West Virginia, and in March, 1899. came to Philippi and succeeded to the drug business of D. F. Everett, for over twenty years he has conducted a high class drug store and pharmacy, and while that is a business demanding close personal attention he has not neglected some of the duties of citizenship. He was for several terms a member of the City Council, and was on the council when the sewerage system was provided and some of the street paving done. He has been ready with his interest and aid in other community interests, notably when Broaddus College required extra funds to carry on its work of higher education. He is a member of the Kiwanis Club, is a Scottish Rite Mason. He has done all the work in Philippi Lodge of Odd Fellows, of which he is a past grand, and he is a member of the Methodist Church, while Mrs. Davis is a Presbyterian. At Uhrichsville, Ohio, December 27, 1897, Mr. Davis married Miss Jessie B. Adrian, a native of the same city and daughter of William and Agnes (Sterling) Adrian. Mr. and Mrs. Davis have three children: Adrian P., now associated with his father in business, who passed the exam- ination before the draft board, but was not called to service before the armistice was signed; Margaret Eliz- abeth, member of the class of 1923 in the Philippi High School; and Curtis Virginia, in the grammar school. ______________________________X-Message: #5 Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2000 21:52:40 -0500 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.20000318215240.0094e100@trellis.net> Subject: BIO: HERMAN J. POLING, Barbour 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. 350 HERMAN J. POLING. While he has carried more or less active business responsibilities, Herman J. Poling is a lawyer, and his hard-working abilities have won him a deservedly high place in that exacting profession in his home county of Barbour. He is a member of the Poling family that has been identified with the farming and civic interests of the county for a number of generations. He was born in Glade District, Barbour County, April 26, 1885. His grandfather was Jonas Poling, a farmer in that locality, and his father, William J. Poling, was born on the same homestead in Glade District. As his boyhood coincided with the period of the Civil war he was denied any liberal educational advantages. His life has been spent in farming, and for the most part he has de- rived his living from live stock. He has served as trus- tee of the White Oak School District. William J. Poling married Amanda Jane Shaffer, who was born in Cove District of Barbour County, one of the three sons and five daughters of John C. Shaffer, a native of the same locality and a farmer there. The children of William J. Poling and wife are: Herman J.; Lora and Nora, twin sisters, the former deceased; Nettie; and Dottie, wife of Camden Mouser, of Philippi district. Herman J. Poling acquired a country school education, and subsequently attended the Wesleyan College at Buck- hannon and the Fairmont Normal School, where he gradu- ated in 1909. He taught his first term of school when seventeen years of age, resumed that work after graduat- ing from the Normal School, and was principal of the Academy High School. In the spring of 1910 he entered the law department of the University of West Virginia, finishing his law course in 1912. After graduating and being admitted to the bar he located at Durbin, where he taught his last term of school in the country and also did some law practice. He then removed his offices to Philippi, and has been engaged in a growing general prac- tice. Among his interests outside the fixture lines of his profession he is a partner with H. S. Haller in the Boulder Coal Company, and they bought the property and developed the mine, equipped it with electrical machinery. This mine was opened in February, 1917, and was a constant tribute through the period of the World war. Mr. Poling is director and attorney for the Peoples Bank of Philippi, is director, secretary, treasurer and attorney for the Ty- gart Valley Water Company, is a stockholder in the Fed- eral Carbonic Gas Company of Fairmont, and is owner of considerable real estate in Philippi and some farm land devoted to the grazing industry along the Belington- Philippi Road in Barker District. In politics Mr. Poling is a democrat, casting his first vote for Mr. Wilson in 1912. He has interested himself in several campaigns, is congressional committeeman for the Second Congressional District, and has represented bis party in conferences and conventions. He is a member of the Kiwanis Club at Philippi, is a past noble grand of the Lodge of Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and a member of the Encampment, is affiliated with the Mac- cabees, the Knights of Pythias, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Junior Order United American Me- chanics. He was reared in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. In May, 1919, Mr. Poling married Miss Mary A. Poling, a native of the Valley District of Barbour County and daughter of Remus Poling. Her father, who married a Miss Ware, is a farmer at Boulder. Mrs. Poling is one of a large family of three sons and eight daughters. Mr. and Mrs. Poling have a son, Herman J., Jr., born May 19, 1921.