WV-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest Volume 00 : Issue 78 Today's Topics: #1 BIO: ABISHA GORDON DE FOE, M. D., [Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.20000320191353.00842bc0@trellis.net> Subject: BIO: ABISHA GORDON DE FOE, M. D., Preston 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. 384-385 Preston ABISHA GORDON DE FOE, M. D. A capable physician and surgeon, Doctor De Foe has done most of his work at Bruceton Mills, and since graduating in medicine has been a member of the medical fraternity of Preston County. He is a native of West Virginia, born in Wayne County January 10, 1873. His father, William A. De Foe, was born in the same county in 1843, son of a farmer there. At the beginning of the Civil war he entered the Union Army in Captain Damron's Independent Rifles. Most of his duty as a soldier was done in the southern part of his own state, and he participated in a number of skirmishes. He was in service as a private, and received his discharge at Catlettsburg, Kentucky. Soon after the war he was elected and served four years as assessor of Wayne County. Following this his time and energies were devoted to his farm in the Shoals region of the county, and he died in 1902. He was a stanch republican, and a Methodist. His wife, Sarah Maynard, was born in Wayne County, several years her husband's junior, daughter of Lewis and Cath- erine (Fluty) Maynard. Lewis Maynard was born in Wayne County, waa a Civil war veteran, and a farmer. His five sons and five daughters were named Charles, Mrs. De Foe, Frank, Henderson, Larkin, James, Mrs. Millie Workman, Mrs. Bettie Workman, Delphia Hagar and Mrs. Polly Perry. William A. De Foe by his marriage to Sarah Maynard had the following children: Lewis, of Texas; William A., Jr., who died leaving a family; Lucretia, wife of John Nixon, of Wayne County; Belle, wife of Charles Irby, of Wayne County; Dr. A. G.; Samuel P., a farmer in Wayne County, who married Sallie Irby; Frank, of Portsmouth, Ohio; and John P., who married Agnes Irby and left two children at his death in Wayne County. The second wife of William A. De Foe was Sallie Sullivan, and a daughter by that marriage is Effie, Mrs. Doliver Bailey of Wayne County. The third wife of William A. De Foe was Mrs. Jane Maynard. William A. De Foe was one of a family of three children, his two sisters being Mrs. Mary Adkins and Mrs. Sallie Maynard. Abisha Gordon De Foe had a farm environment during his boyhood and early manhood, and after finishing a course in Marshall College, the State Normal School at Hunting- ton, he determined to study medicine. While securing his education he taught school, and that proved an important aid financially and otherwise in preparing himself for his professional career. He taught twelve terms altogether. His last teaching was done at Matewan, Mingo County, recently famous as the seat of war in the mining districts. Doctor De Foe graduated from the Louisville Hospital Medical College July 1, 1908. The first year he practiced at Shoals, and then moved east to Brandonville, where he spent another year, and has since had his home and offices at Bruceton Mills. In addition to the heavy burdens of a large private practice he has served as health officer of the town, is one of the councilmen and has been secretary of the Board of Education. He was one of the promoters and is a director of the Bruceton Lighting Company. Dr. De Foe is district committeeman of the republican party, and began supporting the republican ticket in national affairs when he voted for Major McKinley in 1896. He became a progressive supporter of Colonel Roosevelt in 1912, but voted for Mr. Harding in 1920. Doctor De Foe is affiliated with the Masonic Lodge, has taken the Sub- ordinate and Encampment degrees of Odd Fellowship, is a past chancellor of the Knights of Pythias, and has repre- sented the latter two orders in the Grand Lodge. He was reared a Methodist. At Brandonville June 1, 1911, Doctor De Foe married Miss Callie Forquer, daughter of Dayton M. and Sadie (Smith) Forquer, natives of Preston County, where they have long been known as substantial farming people, the children in the Forquer family were: Max Welton; Mrs. De Foe, who was born in 1883; Kay, of Addison, Penn- sylvania; Fred, of Morgantown, West Virginia; and Miss Lucille, a teacher, now principal of the grade school at Bruceton. Doctor De Foe was commissioned a first lieutenant in the Medical Reserve Corps just two days before the sign- ing of the armistice. Prior to that he had helped the re- cruited men prepare their questionnaires and was active in the Red Cross, Mrs. De Foe being secretary of the local branch. Doctor De Foe was a prominent participant in the famous local tragedy that attracted wide attention in the press of the country. July 20, 1921, Bruceton Mills was the scene of an attempted bank robbery. The attempt was frus- trated, and while the trial has not been held at the date of this writing, the evidence points strongly to the fact that bank robbery was planned, since one of the party had a supply of nitroglycerin, fuse and caps. There were four men, and they entered a home just before coming to Bruceton, helping themselves to food and stealing a pistol. They then separated, two of them remaining behind while the other two sauntered into the village. The telephone had given warning of their approach and citizens had collected to meet them. Doctor De Foe awaited them at the post office. When two of the men approached within twenty feet he stepped out with his Winchester repeating shot gun and quietly told them he would have to detain them for a few minutes until they could be searched. One of the men, John Moore, shoved his hand under the bib of his overalls and drew out a Colts pistol and, dodging behind his companion, Madden, began firing. Doctor De Foe had hesitated, with natural desire not to be the aggres- sor, but the opening fire caused him in self-defense to use his gun, and the first shot hit the bandit fairly in the left eye and dropped him to the ground. He fired again at the same man, but Madden received the load of No. 4 shot across the small of the back, the charge cutting a gash through the muscles on both sides of the spine. The first man kept trying to raise himself to a sittting [sic] posi- tion for the purpose of resuming hostilities, but finally rolled over and died two hours later. Madden and the other bandits were taken to jail at Kingwood, whence they all escaped soon afterward, but Madden and Shaffer were recaptured and are now awaiting trial. ______________________________X-Message: #2 Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2000 19:14:24 -0500 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.20000320191424.008b4ba0@trellis.net> Subject: BIO: NORMAN FESTUS KENDALL, Taylor 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. 385 Taylor NORMAN FESTUS KENDALL, one of the organizers and cashier of the Taylor County Bank of Grafton, has been a resident of Taylor County since 1891, and had put some distinctive work to his credit as an educator before he became a banker. Mr. Kendall was born on a farm near Mannington in Marion County, January 27, 1870. The family has been in Marion County since pioneer times. His grandfather, Elias Kendall, lived on a farm there to the venerable age of ninety-eight. His vigor remained with him to the end, and to the last day of his life he assisted in stacking hay. He acquired a large body of land in the county, and was a man of peace and industry and of considerable influence, though never active in politics beyond voting as a demo- crat. He married Isabelle Snodgrass, and their children were Alva, John, Earner, William B. C., Vine and Mrs. D. H. Davis, wife of Rev. D. H. Davis of Pullman, West Virginia. William B. C. Kendall, father of the Grafton banker, is still living on his farm at Mannington, though he has reached that age where he is practically retired from its responsibilities. He was born near his present home, and, his services being needed by his parents, he employed two substitutes during the Civil war. He graduated from Duff's Business College at Pittsburg, and since then his time and energies have been devoted to the farm. He has served as a justice of the peace. In Marion County he married Miss Rachel Cunningham, who was born there seventy years ago, daughter of Nimrod Cunningham, a farmer in that section. The children of this union were eight in number, six sons and two daughters, Norman F.; Porter, a schoolman, who died in 1888; Ross, Mrs. Fannie Murray, Ward, Howard and Miss Bertha, all of Marion County, and Everett, of Robinson, Illinois. Norman P. Kendall spent the first eighteen years of his life at the home farm, and in the meantime was educated in the common schools and the Fairmont State Normal. He did his first work as a teacher in the country schools of Wetzel and Marion counties, later was assistant super- intendent and principal of the State Reform School for Boys at Pruntytown, near Grafton, over six years, and then became principal of the Fetterman School in Taylor County. He served as mayor of Fetterman two years. Following that he was chosen and selected as editor and manager of the Harrison County Herald and the Salem Express, and did newspaper work on them for three years. It was a period of some strenuous political battles in the county, involving some of the leading old-guard politicians in the republican party. The struggle to dislodge these from control almost resulted in the county changing its political complexion. Mr. Kendall in purchasing the Salem Express turned all its power toward cleaning up the town, and in that he had to combat all the active liquor inter- ests, and the Express office was fired by its enemies, who almost destroyed the town, and the owner of the office narrowly escaped physical catastrophe at the hands of the liquor men. Nevertheless the Express went on with its publication and helped rout the "speakeasies" and made the town the cleanest in the state. When these issues were settled Mr. Kendall resigned from the papers and resumed his educational work as principal of the West Grafton schools. Later he was selected as a member of the Grafton School Board. He was on this board six years, and during that time the high school and the South Side ward schools were erected and the West Side school completed. During the same period the Grafton High School was given rank among the first grade high schools of the state. In June, 1905, Mr. Kendall and associates completed the organization of the Taylor County Bank, his chief as- sociates being J. C. Lewellen, Martin L. Shields, John L. Magill, V. T. Hanley, W. W. Tapp and George W. Low- ther. The bank opened for business the 5th of June with a capital stock of $50,000. The officers are J. C. Lewellen of Grafton, Martin L. Shields of Rosemont, and Hiram Linn, vice presidents, and Mr. Kendall, cashier. The present board of directors are, F. M. Poe, W. S. Phillips, George Neel, W. C. Frum and Dr. F. S. Suddarth. This bank now has total resources of $700,000. In the meantime Mr. Kendall has also assisted in the organiza- tion and is a director of the Bank of Flemington, and has some other interests in the coal mining industry at Astor. Mr. Kendall was reared a democrat, but has not been a strict partisan. His first presidential vote went to Mr. Cleveland. He voted for Major McKinley in both cam- paigns, having a personal acquaintance and a high admira- tion for the Ohio republican. He also supported Colonel Roosevelt in all his aspirations for office. He helped elect Mr. Wilson both times. Mr. Kendall is a Mason and Odd Fellow, is a past noble grand of the latter order and has sat in the Grand Lodge. His father was a Baptist and his mother a Southern Methodist, and he has long been identi- fied with the Methodist Episcopal Church, serving on the official board and in 1904 was a lay delegate from West Virginia to the General Conference at Los Angeles. At the age of seventeen he began active work in Sunday school, and has been a Sunday school superintendent thirty-two years. For eleven years he had charge of the state work of the Epworth League, and during that time the largest Young People's State conventions were held. In Taylor County, June 17, 1896, Mr. Kendall married Miss Vesta B. Jones, daughter of Nathan H. Jones, a son of the famous pioneer "Jones Family" of Taylor County, and Jemimah R. (Robinson) Jones. She was the third among their four daughters, the others being Mrs. Mary Kelley, of Grafton, Mrs. A. J. Reynolds, of Fairmont, and Mrs. Claud E. Vincent, of Fairmont. ______________________________X-Message: #3 Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2000 19:53:10 -0500 From: Valerie & Tommy Crook To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.20000320195310.00827c80@trellis.net> Subject: SCHOOLS: Grant County WV Roll of Honor, 1911-12 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" WV Schools Boys' and Girls' Roll of Honor 1911-12 The following students were neither absent nor tardy during the school year 1911-12. The figures in parantheses following names indicate that the pupil has been perfect in attendance for that number of years. Grant County, WV Name, Address, Age Lulu C. Feaster (4), Petersburg, 17 Alonzo V. Ours, Petersburg, 11 Jennie C. Ours, Petersburg, 10 Nellie Ours, Petersburg, 12 Eston I. Turner (4), Petersburg, 9 Sarah C. Turner (4), Petersburg, 11 Gracie S. Layton (2), Petersburg, 16 Vernie E. Layton (2), Petersburg, * Austin G. Layton (2), Petersburg, * George E. Layton (2), Petersburg, * Charles H. Layton (2), Petersburg, * Edith Feaster (2), Petersburg, 12 Hazel Feaster (2), Petersburg, 9 Marvin Feaster (2), Petersburg, 11 Thomas L. Feaster, Petersburg, 8 Iva M. Judy, Petersburg, 11 Irene Rinehart (2), Arthur, 9 Margie Smith, Petersburg, 7 Bushrod Smith, Petersburg, 11 Marvin Barger, Petersburg, 14 Otho Ours, Petersburg, 11 Homer Shobe, Petersburg, 10 Leota Shobe, Petersburg, 13 Blanch Stump, Pansy, 12 Susan Stump, Pansy, 17 Tressie Stump, Pansy, 20 Vinceon Stump, Pansy, 15 William Feaster, Greenland, 13 Glenn Feaster, Greenland, 10 Macker Secrist, Scherr, 13 Mabel Secrist, Scherr, 11 Beulah Getz (2), Masonville, 7 Estie Getz (4), Masonville, 13 Gracie Getz (5), Masonville, 14 Mary Getz (2), Masonville, 9 Myrtle Getz (11), Masonville, 17 Sarah Getz (5), Masonville, 14 Stella Getz (3), Masonville, 12 Berlin Judy, Maysville, 7 Elsie Judy, Maysville, 10 Nelie Roby, Maysville, 10 Nellie Keplinger, Maysfield, 15 Perlo Roby, Maysville, 8 Thornton Judy, Maysville, 14 Essie Mason, Maysville, 14 Dale Frantz, Maysville, 8 Lester Kline, Maysville, 8 May E. Taylor, Maysville, 11 Essie Mason, Maysville, 14 Dale Frantz, Maysville, 8 Lester Kline, Maysville, 8 Geo. B. Simmons (2), Maysville, 12 Ruth Sherwood, Hartmonsville, 8 Richard Sherwood, Hartmonsville, 8 Dora Hiser, Hiser, 13 Elton Hiser (2), Hiser, 9 Mabel M. Cosner, Bismarck, 10 Obed Cosner, Bismarck, 8 Peter Patrick, Henry, 7 Bertha Riggleman, Masonville, 11 Emily M. Smith, Patterson's Creek, 10 Gordon Leatherman (2), Williamsport, 8 Paul Leathersman, Williamsport, 10 Pauline McUlty, Arthur, 10 Ruth Rinehart (2), Arthur, 10 Bessie Grimes, Wilsonia, 13 Nellie B. Enther, Mount Storm, 19 Amelia H. Enther, Mount Storm, 12 Lynn Idleman, Mount Storm, 6 Effie V. Schneffer (2), Mount Storm, 16 Minnie M. Schneffer, Mount Storm, 13 Thomas, E. Schneffer, Mount Storm, 19 Clare Bell Mackley (2), Mt. Storm, 13 V.J. Don Foley, Mt. Storm, 12 Arnold Rotruck, Martin, 7 Myrtie Leatherman, Martin, 16 Gladys Rotruck, Martin, 12 Edna Leatherman, Martin, 11 Nellie Leatherman, Martin, 8 Carl E. Billmyre, Martin, 12 Lester McNemar, Martin, 9 Pauline Liller, Martin 9 Daniel Nesselrod, Rough Run, 11 Andrew Nesselrod, Rough Run, 7 Mary Nesselrod, Rough Run, 9 James Nesselrod, Rough Run, 14 Beulah E. Sites, Seemly, 12 Ercie C. Judy, Seemly, 7 Fred E. Henkle, Seemly, 12 Ona H. Judy, Seemly, * Lelia Baseley, Laurel Dale, 10 Malissia Tephabock, Laurel Dale, 9 Osee Tephabock, Laurel Dale, 11 Silvia Boseley, Laurel Dale, 8 Grant Alt, Landes, 7 Lelia B. Judy, Landes, 9 Lester Judy, Landes, 12 Lillian Frye, Lahmansville, 17 Arvella Markwood, Lahmansville, 9 Vanetta Rexroad, Lahmansville, 9 Hallie Beckman, Bayard, 13 Lola Boring, Bayard, 13 Dessie Knotts, Bayard, 12 Mabel King (2), Bayard, 11 Freda Parker, Bayard, 11 Freda Twigg, Bayard, 12 Hazel Veach (2), Bayard, 11 Harry McAtee, Bayard, 13 Jno. Tamburini, Bayard, 11 Terrence Tamburini, Bayard, 10 Gertrude Fulk, Bayard, 7 Jacob Puffenbarger, Bayard, 8 Katie Lahman, Bayard, 6 Leroy Puffenbarger, Bayard, 7 Paul Veach, Bayard, 7 Roy Mickey, Bayard, 6 Edward Bosley, Bayard, 14 Oliver Puffenbarger, Bayard, 10 Willie Seymour, Bayard, 8 Vivian Junkins, Bayard, 8 Laura Layman, Bayard, 9 Neva Layman, Bayard, 8 Paul Nordick, Bayard, 14 Gladys Purgitt, Bayard, 13 Lilan Spiker, Bayard, 13 Mary Joe Tamburini, Bayard, 13 Edna Brooks (2), Bayard, 9 Raymond Simmons (4), Peru, 13 Emmett Simmons (4), Peru, 11 Gracie Simmons (4), Peru, 9 Charlie Simmons, Peru, 7 John Kesner (4), Rough Run, 12 Lester Kesner (4), Rough Run, 9 Omar A. Crites, Rough Run, 12 Lottie Nutter, Nutterville, 7 Lena Nutter, Nutterville, 15 Zada Nutter, Nutterville, 9 Denvin Nutter, Nutterville, 6 Ira Amick (2), Nutterville, 8 Grandville Deitz (2), Nutterville, 10 Fay Deitz (2), Nutterville, 8 Arizona Jones (2) Russelville, 8 Paul Heffner, Columbia Sul. Spgs, 10 Woric Heffner, Columbia Sul. Spgs, 7 Noel Crane, Nuttersville, 9 J. Dennis Nutter, Nuttersville, 10 Paul J. Gidds, Sue, 8 Mabel McDermott, Sue, * Haymond Smith, Hoke, 12 Lillian Smith (3), Hoke, 9 Alice Sheppard, Asbury, 11 Beatrice Blake, Sunlight, 9 Blanche Dotson, Henning, * Anna Sites, Henning, * Mabel Wade, Neola, * Pearl Buzzard, Neola, * Minnie Fertig, Neola, * Phil Ross, Neola, * Transcribed and submitted by Lee Ann Crook.