USA > West Virginia > Preston County > A History of Preston County, West Virginia, V. 2 > Part 24
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Levi F. Miller's early life was spent at Morgans Glade attending school and learning the trade of blacksmith. In 1861, when seventeen years of age, he enlisted at his country's call in Company C, 3rd West Virginia Cavalry. He served in the army four years. He enlisted Sep- tember 14th, and was mustered out a corporal January 21, 1865, taking part in about fifty-five engagements and coming out at the end of the war without a wound, notwithstanding his participation in the battles at Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, Second Bull Run, and in the raid through the Shenandoah Valley under Sheridan. He was once cap- tured, but ran away after his surrender.
After Mr. Miller's return from the army he spent two years in the oil regions of West Virginia, then he resumed his trade at Hazelton as blacksmith. After sixteen years' stay there, during which time he was justice of the peace, he removed to Morgans Glade and remained there fourteen years blacksmithing, wagon making, and extending equity as a justice of the peace. As a magistrate in the lower court, Mr. Miller won the enviable reputation of not having had one of his cases, during his sixteen years of experience on the bench, coming back by a reversed decision from the Circuit Court above. After such and extended experi- ence, Mr. Miller naturally sought relaxation from such a strenuous life, and came to Terra Alta, where he still resides. That was in 1897. Since coming here Mr. Miller has run a large collecting agency, and besides has done a wholesale business for the J. I. Case Thrashing Machine Company, having sold for them twenty engines during the last seven years. Mr. Miller is also a notary public.
In 1868, Mr. Miller was married to Miss Persis A. Glover, daughter
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of William Glover, of Preston county. Their children now living are: (I) Charles E., who married Adaline Kelley. They live in Terra Alta. (2) Ella, who married George F. Livengood. (3) Dora, now at Pied- mont, West Virginia. (4) Homer D., who married Amy Kelley. (5) Jesse C., who married Bessie Burk. (6) Gratis L., not married ; now in Canada.
Mrs. Miller is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Miller is a member of the Knights of Pythias and also of the G.A.R. Encampment.
JACOB BEACHY.
The Beachy family are, and have been from time immemorial, Amish. This is a branch of the Mennonites, in earlier days known as the Waldenses, who were extirpated from England in the time of Henry the Second. They were noted for the simplicity and purity of their lives, and were driven from the island because of their faith in but two of the sacraments, instead of holding to seven, as the reigning church does.
There are three brothers of this family who emigrated from Switzer- land to America, but it is not known where each of them went but Jonas, the grandfather of the Beachys, who settled in Preston county. Jonas Beachy located in Pennsylvania, near Meyersdale, and many of his descendants are residing near that place now. He was born November 6, 1791. His wife, Sarah Gnegy, was born June 27, 1798, and died November 22, 1875. Their children were: (1) Benedict, born August 22, 1818; (2) Daniel, born April 20, 1820; (3) John, born March 30, 1821, died young ; (4) Samuel, born November I, 1825, now living in Illinois ; (5) Susannah, born June 4, 1827; (6) Noah, born December 2, 1828, died young; (7) Lydia, born May 25, 1830; (8) Catharine, born September 23, 1831; (9) Elizabeth and Sarah (10) twins, born May 6, 1833. Sarah only is living. (II) Marie, born June 14, 1837, died young; (12) Manassah, born June 14, 1837, died May 14, 1895. He was a bishop in the church for many years. He was married twice. His first wife was Barbara Swartzendruber, and his second wife was Elizabeth Hedding.
Daniel Beachy, the father of Jacob, was born on the old home place in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, and died in Aurora, on the 8th day of January, 1897. His wife was Elizabeth Yoder before her marriage,
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and a daughter of Jacob and Gertrude (Blough) Yoder. The marriage of this couple occurred October 10, 1847, near Meyersdale, at the home of the bride.
The children of Daniel and Elizabeth Beachy are as follows: (I) Jonas, born January 19, 1850, died February 5, 1899. He was unmarried. (2) Mary, born March 19, 1851. She was married to John Brennie, by whom she had three children. Her second husband was Emanuel Herschberger. No children by this marriage. (3) Jacob, born October 16, 1852. (4) Sarah, born March 10, 1854, married December 8, 1878, to Simon Lichty. They had nine children. (5) Lydia, born September 2, 1855, married to Simon Miller, December 19, 1882. They live on the adjoining farm to the old homestead and have six children. (6) Leah, born April 21, 1858; not married. (7) Matilda, born January 20, 1859, married Joel Maust, and lives in Somerset county, Pennsylvania. They have four children. (8 and 9) two deaths in infancy, a boy and a girl. (10) Lena, born November 6, 1863; not married. (II) Elizabeth, born. January 13, 1865, died August 6, 1894. (12) Catherine, born January 7, 1869, married to Milton Herschberger, and lives in Somerset, Pennsyl- vania also. (13) A boy, born in April and died September 7, 1871. (14) Fannie, born April 8, 1873; not married.
The Beachys have all been farmers. Mr. Daniel Beachy came to Preston with his family and settled near Aurora, in the spring of 1853. The farm was bought of Isaac Startzman, and is well adapted for graz- ing purposes, the use to which it has been put for many years. In 1780 the present house was erected, and almost ever since that time a large herd of cows has been kept for butter making. They have twenty-five Guernsey cows at the present time, and make butter for one woman in Washington, D. C., who has been buying their manufactured product for many years. She gets from them a very choice article, and pays a fancy price for it. She is a woman of business and makes cakes on a large scale, which she sells principally to the wealthy of the city at a remunerative price.
The Beachys remain in the faith of their fathers and hold strictly to those simpler forms and rules of living. The perfection of Christian character is one of the great objects of their lives. The grandfather and father both were Menonite bishops, and their descendants to this day are known for the purity of their lives, their honesty, and upright character.
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SILAS METHENY.
Nathan Metheny was the ancestor of the subject of this sketch. He spent his life on a farm on Big Sandy, and was born September 14, 1787. His wife Mary was born December 22, 1781. The farm, about 25 oacres, was originally owned by Abraham Jenkins, and is still in the family. Mr. Metheny was a squire for many years, an office held in those earlier days by men well enough qualified to adjust matters of law now occupying the attention of the lower county courts.
The children of this union were : Catherine, born April 7, 1803; Peter, January 8, 1805; Mary, December 28, 1806; Leah, February 29, 1809; James, June 7, 1811 ; Isaac, the father of Silas, November 3, 1817, died September 30, 1893; Asa, April 18, 1820 (?) ; Huldah, March 10, 1823.
Isaac Metheny married Elizabeth Chidester. He was born April 18, 1820 (?), and died January 29, 1891. Their children were : John, born November 18, 1837. He was killed in the Seven Days Battle of the Wilderness, May 6, 1864. Mary and Martha, twins, born April 26, 1840. Mary died May 14, 1843. William H., May 4, 1846. Silas, April 21, 1848. George, September 19, 1850. Harriet, July 29, 1856.
Silas Metheny married Mary A. King, daughter of Albert and Hester King, on December 24, 1868. She was born November 29, 1847, and died April 11, 1905. Their children were: Albert F., born March 3, 1870. He married Cora Michael, and is a farmer. (2) Ida was born September 15, 1871, and married Walter Cupp. He is an engineer on the M. & K Railroad and lives in Morgantown. (3) Anna was born April 25, 1873. She married Harvey Benson, a farmer, and lived near Bruceton, and died December 9, 1907. (4) Isaiah was born October I, 1874. He married Miss Osa (?) Forman, and is a farmer. (5) Hester Edith was born September 26, 1876. She married Amos Wolfe, a farmer and a teacher. (6) Bessie M., was born January 23, 1880. She married J. H. Garner, and is connected with a factory at Mckeesport. (7) Sallie G., born October 28, 1884, died February 16, 1907. (9) Em- mett M., born May 18, 1889, married Jennie Michael, and is the book- keeper for the Mckeesport factory.
Mr. Metheny was educated in the common schools and reared a farmer. During the war he served in the 3rd Md. Rgt., from March 3rd to the close of the Rebellion. He was in the battle of Frederick and at Monocay Junction, but aside from these conflicts and several skirmishes, was on duty principally guarding wagon trains. He was mustered out at Baltimore in 1865.
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Mr. Metheny also operated the home farm and ran a saw and planing mill. He moved to his present location in 1889, and is about to retire from the active pursuits of his former career to a retired life. November 25, 1908, he married his present wife, Mary F. Spiker, daughter of Isaac and Elizabeth Spiker, who live near Bruceton.
THE FREELAND FAMILY.
John Freeland came about 1804 from Pennsylvania, or from Balti- more. He settled at Bob Town, on the Cheat. His wife, Mary McCann, was of Irish descent. Their children were: David, James, John, Ben- jamin, Aaron, Isaac, William, Jacob, Hiram, George, Abraham, Rachael and Elizabeth. David married a Miss Gibbs, and lived two miles east of Terra Alta, where the Sanitarium is now. He married the second time, and by his wife, Miss Lucy Smith, had one son, a physician in the city of New York. They lived on Nettle Ridge. David was a great huntsman and was said to have killed six hundred deer. James settled on Nettle Ridge also. He married Sarah Ridenour. John married Sarah Lonacre. They lived in Indiana. Benjamin, the father of William Baldwin, the veteran teacher, was born August 8, 1816. He located on Nettle Ridge, adjoining his brother James. The old log house was occupied for a dwelling until about the year 1876, when the original part of the new house (and still occupied) was built. He died here February 25, 1887.
On October 1, 1840, Benjamin Freeland married Miss Nancy Mes- senger, daughter of Samuel and Abigail (Pike) Messenger. The Pikes were of Revolutionary fame. Eleven children were born of this union. Those dead are: James, John A., Mary Elizabeth Whetsell, Mrs. Lucinda Whitehair, Mrs. Louisa Hoff, Benjamin, Susanna, and David. Mrs. Sarah J. Arnold is living near Terra Alta. Samuel and William are still living also.
Benjamin Freeland was an industrious farmer. He was a Democrat until war times and then became an ardent Republican. He and his wife were members of the Baptist Church.
William Baldwin Freeland was born on the old homestead place, where he now lives, December 24, 1860. He supplemented his education in the common district schools by a course in the Normal School at Terra Alta, under Professor A. W. Fike, completing that curriculum
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of work in school, in 1877 and 1878. After that he taught school twenty- five years in Preston county. He taught the home school seven con- secutive terms, and thirteen terms in all. Comment is unnecessary. He also became a Professor in the Normal School, both in the home school district and at Terra Alta. His first state certificate was obtained August 5, 1889; it was for six years. By renewals it is still in vogue, not terminating until 1919. In 1902 the Republican party nominated and elected Mr. Freeland a member of the Lower House of the State Legislature, and in so doing honored one of the best friends the public schools of West Virginia ever had. While serving in the legislative body during the year 1903, and during the special session of 1904, and again in 1905, legislation looking to the highest interests of the rural schools was brought forth in bill form by him at that time and subse- queently enacted into law. There were three measures in particular that deserve special mention, and these were in addition to his ardent support of the tax reform measures, which were finally adopted: (1) Was the bill for the centralization and consolidation of the rural schools of the state. (2) Fixing the minimum term of the school year at six months, and taxing the state for the poorer schools. To this end a tax assessment of $75,000 was set aside for the poorer schools for this pur- pose. (3) A State School Board to be appointed and uniform text books to be adopted.
April 13, 1881, Mr. Freeland was married to Miss Mary Martha Albright, daughter of Daniel and Sarah (Engle) Albright, of Cranes- ville. Their children are: Lulu Bucklew, born March 1, 1887; Mrs. Jessie Pearl Fearer, born April 21, 1890; Russell Albright, born November 21, 1892; William Lynn, born December 18, 1894; Margaret Eleanor, born April 7, 1898. The daughter, Jessie, has two children . Beatrice and Russell Harold. She is the wife of Artie Fearer. They live on a farm near Terra Alta.
Mr. Freeland is owner of the old homestead farm, a valuable piece of land consisting of 320 acres. He is a raiser of blooded stock: Of cattle the Red Polled and Polled Angus; sheep of the Shropshire breed ; the O. L. C. hogs, and Plymouth Rock chickens. His farm is well stocked and well cultivated.
Mr. and Mrs. Freeland are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
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THADDEUS S. CUNNINGHAM.
The ravages of war caused by the late Rebellion have left many scars not yet obliterated. One of the victims of that fratricidal strife, Mr. T. S. Cunningham, a greatly respected Prestonian, was born in Somerset county, October 16, 1842. He was one of a family of seven- teen children, and the third son of Robert Cunningham by his first wife, Sarah Pinkerton, a relative of the great detective of Civil Ware fame, and a member of a family of twelve children, ten of them daughters.
The subject of this sketch was. raised on a farm and educated in the district school. In 1859, during the year of the great July frost, the parents moved to Fayette county, Pennsylvania, and in 1862 the young man, not yet of age, ran off to war. In August he enlisted in Company H, 142nd Penna. Infantry, and that regiment participated in twenty-four battles before the great conflict closed. Its first service was guarding a fort near Washington, D. C., but orders being given, "On to Rich- mond," the regiment moved forward, and the first engagement with the enemy was in the battle of Fredericksburg, fought December 13, 1862. In that conflict Mr. Cunningham was wounded, taken to the hospital, and discharged from the service March 6, 1863, minus his left arm amputated at the shoulder joint. It is worthy of mention, prob- ably, to say that Mr. Cunningham received a pension from the time of his discharge, and that it was only $8.00 a month for several years, and that he had to make application in person for that pittance at Pitts- burgh. To get there he had to walk sixteen miles to reach the nearest depot in order to get to the place of his destination.
Mr. Cunningham had two other brothers in the Civil War, and two sons who participated in the Cuban conflict. Of the brothers, Frank served in the Ist West Virginia Cavalry and won a medal of honor for capturing a rebel flag at the battle of Sailors Creek, April 6, 1864. James served in the Ist Ohio Cavalry. He was captured near the close of the war, and died in Andersonville prison. Of the sons, Edward was an orderly two years under Gen. Fred Grant in the Philippines, and A. D. served eight months in the West Virginia Home Guards, but did not get farther than Georgia.
In 1868 Mr. Cunningham was married to Eliza Jane Liston, daughter of Everhart Liston, of Fayette county, Pennsylvania. From this union came a family of seven children and nineteen grand-children, sixteen of whom are now living. The eldest of this family is Katie, who married T. M. King; (2) Belle, who married J. W. Wheeler; (3) Emma, who
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married L. W. Conner; (4) Frank, who married Jessie McNair; (5) Edward, who married Effie Yeast; (6) Albert, who married Lulu Bowermaster, and (7) Emmett, the railroad engineer, who never married.
In 1908 Mr. Cunningham bought his present residence in Kingwood. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., the G. A. R., and during the Mckinley administration was postmaster of Bruceton. He was also a member of the Board of Education and trustee of the M. E. Church. Though a poor man he has been a liberal supporter of the cause of Christ, having given hundreds of dollars toward building the churches in the lower end of the county. He calls his pension his blood money and wants to use it in a good cause, and thinks Christian churches one of the best ways to act as one of God's stewards. He never allowed a minister to leave his work without receiving his full pay.
THE FORMAN FAMILY.
Among other Quakers who came to America with William Penn were the Willetts and Formans. After a stay on the Brandywine fields in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, a migration by some of the members of the family was made to Monongalia county, where these names became numerous. The Formans settled near Bruceton and Brandonville. A little log church was erected for a place of worship, in size 18 by 28, but was torn down in 1864, and now used by Jeremiah Guthrie as a stable. William Forman, the progenitor of the American family, came with William Penn in 1682, and settled in or near Philadelphia.
Robert Forman, a descendant of William, was born July 7, 1736. He was married to Mary Naylor in 1766. Their children were: John, born January 21, 1767; Elizabeth, February 12, 1769; Joseph, March 24, 1771; Richard, August 22, 1773; Rachael, June 8, 1777; Jane, July 9, 1779; Mary, July 29, 1780; Isaac, March II, 1784, and Rebecca, birth not given. These descendants of Robert Forman came to this country about the year 1783. (See sketch of Chorpenning.)
Richard Forman, great grandfather of Charles W. Forman, married Conner. His children were: (1) Sallie, who married a Walls. She was grandmother of George A. Walls, of Kingwood. (2) Samuel. (3) Jane, who married a Falkenstein. (4) John. (5) Mary B., who
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married a Jenkins. (6) Rachael. (7) Jonathan. (8) Grace, who mar- ried a Funk. (9) a daughter by the name of Gaynor S., who married a Mr. Romine. (10) Ethbell, who married a Falkenstein. (II) Anne, who married a Martin. (12) Abner, who went West. This family settled on the farm adjoining the old homestead.
Samuel Forman died August 6, 1851, at the age of 53 years. He married Rachael Jeffers. She died February 26, 1875, at the age of 79 years. They lived on the old Forman homestead in Crab Orchard, where Walter S. Forman is now. That farm was bought of his father- in-law. It was a tract of 225 acres taken up from the government, and has been in the family considerably over a hundred years. Mr. Jeffers died there in
The children of this marriage were: (1) Jonathan, who married Margerie Elliott; (2) Elizabeth, who married John Elsey, April 15, 1849; (3) Ruth, who married Samuel D. Crane, December 28, 1859; (4) Calvin, who married Clarissa Ann Cress, June 12, 1856. He died October 1, 1889. (5) John, who married Louisa J. Feather, November 19, 1857. He was a soldier in the Civil War. (6) Jane, who married Milton Harvey about 1862; (7) Marjorie, who died when fourteen years old; (8) Mary M., who married James C. Sturgiss about 1860; (9) Benjamin, who married Sarah Brown, aunt to J. Slidell Brown, about 1864. He died in January, 1866.
Calvin Forman lived on the old homestead farm. Here Charles W. Forman was born, September 2, 1857. On March 14 ,1882 he married Mahala I. Smith, daughter of Jacob and Catherine (Feather) Smith. One son, Worley Klet, became the fruit of this union.
Soon after marriage, Mr. Forman took up his residence in Lenox, at which time he formed a partnership with his father-in-law in the mer- contile business. On May 16, 1900, he became the sole owner, and has operated the store himself since that time. He has a prosperous busi- ness, the country round Lenox being rich and patronage good. The store building was erected in 1892. The farm is situated where McClelland E. Jeffers lives now.
Mr. Forman has been a member of the School Board for many years. He is a close student of all good current literature and is well fitted for the office of a school commissioner, about the only office he cares to hold. He is a prominent member of the Baptist Church also.
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GEORGE A. WALLS.
James Walls came from Delaware about 1790, and settled on what is now known as the Daniel Ryan farm, near Pisgah, the home- stead adjoining the site of the village. Charles A. Walls, his son, mar- ried Sallie Forman, and their children were: Jonathan, George W., Ami F., Eli J., Verlinda, Mary Ann, and Jemima.
George A. Walls has been long and favorably known in Kingwood as one of the leading merchants of this place. He was born March 23, 1862, on the old homestead at Pisgah, W. Va., and was the son of Ami F. Walls and his wife Elizabeth (Adams) Walls. His father died in 1887, fifty-nine years old. His mother is still living at the age of seventy-two years. Mr. Walls was nineteen years old when he came to Kingwood and began life for himself. He had previously prepared himself with a good education, such as our best country schools at that time gave us, and then he entered the county clerk's office as deputy clerk. This was the time when J. Ami Martin was in office as its chief. He served as deputy clerk from 1881 till in the fall of 1896, and then was elected county clerk to succeed Mr. Martin, and reelected in the fall of 1902, serving until December 31, 1908. As a public official, Mr. Walls served the people of Preston county twenty-seven years, and gained for himself an enviable reputation while in the county clerk's office.
Before Mr. Walls retired from public life he became a silent member of the firm of E. C. Everly & Co. The company carried on merchandis- ing in the building erected by Mr. Walls in 1903. In 1909, Mr. Walls purchased all interests in the business, since which time it has been carried on under the name of "Walls-Shaffer Company."
June 23, 1888, Mr. Walls married Miss Cora Belle Snyder, sister to wife of Ami Martin. She died June 19, 1889. One daughter, Cora Belle Walls, was born of this union, April 19, 1889. She was educated in the Kingwood High School, Kingwood, W. Va., and the Kee Mar College, Hagerstown, Md. On November 3, 1910, she married Forest M. McDaniel, of Kingwood, West Virginia, who is now located at Clarks- burg and is a civil and mining engineer for the Consolidation Coal Com- pany of West Virginia.
May 24, 1893, Mr. Walls married Olive Electa Parks, daughter of James W. Parks, cashier of the Kingwood Bank. Her twin brother died at six years of age.
Mr. Walls has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church since January 18, 1882, and he has been the recording steward of his church fifteen years. He is a member of the Knights of Pythia's.
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THE LISTON FAMILY.
Thomas Liston came from Delaware, apparently somewhat earlier than 1800, and located in Pleasant, on the river hill behind Harmony Grove. He seems to have died when his children were small. John, said to have been a brother, settled in the same vicinity, but lived on until about 1830. The connection has grown numerous and is scattered over Pleasant, Grant, Valley and Kingwood.
Thomas Liston was father of Joseph, Eben, Elisha and Elizabeth. Elisha was the grandfather of Wilbert Liston. His children were : Lydia, Bettie, John T., Savilla, Martha, Abraham and Clarke. Abraham was one of the jurymen, October 11, 1869, for the trial of Elihu Gregg, who was charged with the burning of the court house. Abraham Liston was born in August, 1843. He was a farmer. His wife, Miss Adaline Field, was born in August, 1843. They were both natives of Preston county, but married in Pennsylvania. Their children are Wil- bert, born March 14, 1860; Raymond D., May 7, 1862; Ida A., June I, 1864; Howard, October 20, 1867; Laura B., born October 16, 1871 ; Julia V., January 1, 1874; Nellie and Garfield.
Wilbert Liston was born March 14, 1860, and raised on a farm about three miles north of Albright. When about eighteen years old, he left Preston for the plains of Oklahoma where he followed the life of a herdsman. His experience as a "cow-boy" for a period of six years, if all told in detail would make interesting reading. After those six years of a romantic life in the West, he returned East and for a time followed railroading, the central offices being in Pittsburg. Two years subse- quently he came back to Kingwood and followed various occu- pations, but settled down finally to the carpenter trade, built the house he lives in during the spring of 1904, and since that time has erected many other residences. On October 20, 1892, Mr. Liston was married at the old homestead of the bride's father to Miss Emma White, daugh- ter of Francis Willis and Sarah White of Pleasantdale, Preston county, whose children are : Mary E., Sabic J., Susan, Adam D., James C., Jacob F., Margaret E., John S., Julia A., Joseph F., Emma A., who is the wife of the subject of this sketch. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Wil- bert Liston are Nelson Hoke, born October 11, 1893; Sarah, February 6, 1896; George Harold, March 16, 1899; William Paul, November 16, 1900; Robert Merle, October 13, 1902; James Willis, January 6, 1906. Nelson H. Liston is a printer.
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