USA > West Virginia > Genealogical and personal history of the upper Monongahela valley, West Virginia, Volume II > Part 15
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47
549
UPPER MONONGAHELA VALLEY.
Jane D., deceased. 6. Caroline B., widow of Thomas B. Carpenter; children : Una V., wife of Walter Show, of Pittsburgh; Carney C .; H. Jane, wife of John H. Cavander, of Chicago; Samuel M., deceased, married Mary Cafferty, one son, Rev. Walter L., of London Mills, Illinois.
BRAND William Harvey Brand, the popular and efficient sheriff
of Monongalia county, is numbered among the men whose lives and personal exertions have contributed ma- terially toward the growth and development of Monongalia county, and it may be well doubted if any deserve a more honorable mention in its annals than he. Scrupulously honorable in all his dealings with man- kind, he bears a reputation for public and private integrity, and being sociable and genial, he has a host of friends among all classes of society.
(I) John Brand, the first of the line here under consideration, mar- ried Jane McCray, who bore him eight children, as follows: Mary, born December 5, 1779 ; George, May 19, 1781 ; Margaret, December 24, 1782; Jean, May 10, 1784 ; John, April 26, 1786; James, of whom further; William, June 3, 1790; Agnes, July 27, 1792.
(II) James Brand, son of John and Jane (McCray) Brand, was born October 5, 1788. He married Elizabeth Wade. Children : Sarah Jane, born February 26, 1821; Mary Elizabeth, July 24, 1822; Alex- ander Wade, December 7, 1823; John McCray, April 16, 1826; Hosea Moore, April 3, 1828 ; William Kooval, February 10, 1830; Margaret Alcinda, October 26, 1831; George Thomas, July 31, 1833; James Harvey, April 18, 1835; Edmond Warren, of whom further; Eliza, March 23, 1840; Caroline Rosina, December 8, 1841.
(III) Edmond Warren Brand, son of James and Elizabeth (Wade) Brand, was born at Laurel Point, Grant district, Monongalia county, West Virginia, January 20, 1838, died December 25, 1899. During the civil war he served as deputy sheriff, acted as justice of the peace for a number of years, and was a member of the county court two terms. He was a member of the Baptist church, and also of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Jacob Shafer; she died September 2, 1910. Children : Frank M .; Anna B., married S. D. Furman; Ella M., married James W. Scott; William Harvey, of whom further.
550
UPPER MONONGAHELA VALLEY.
(IV) William Harvey Brand, son of Edmond Warren and Eliza- beth (Shafer) Brand, was born at Laurel Point, Grant district, Monon- galia county, West Virginia, October 23, 1867. He attended the pub- lic schools of his native county, and worked upon his father's farm until he attained his majority. For several years thereafter he was employed in selling farm machinery in Monongalia county, in this way gaining a wide acquaintance throughout that section of the state, and by his hon- est and straightforward methods won their respect and confidence. In 1897, upon relinquishing this position, he was appointed deputy sheriff under M. S. Garrison, the sheriff, and served until 1901. He then purchased a farm in Union district, which he cultivated and improved, bringing it to a high state of perfection, and resided thereon until 1908, when he was a candidate on the Republican ticket for the office of sheriff. He was elected in November, 1908, and is serving at the pres- ent time (1911). He has five deputies, and the manner in which the work is carried on cannot be improved, it being conducted to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. He is a member of the First Baptist Church of Morgantown, has been a member of the Knights of Pythias for two decades, and also belongs to the Maccabees.
Mr. Brand married, June 14, 1893, Inez, daughter of Ellery J. Lough. Children: Everett W., born December 19, 1894; Dessie, April 1, 1898; Archibald, September 16, 1902; Willis, January 22, 1904.
The lineage of Judge Frank Cox, of Morgantown, is traced
COX to the Highlands of Scotland, from whence members thereof emigrated to the new world about the middle of the eight- eenth century, locating in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, where they acted well their part in all the affairs of life.
(I) Abraham Cox, the first member of the family of whom we here treat, was one of the emigrant ancestors above referred to. He removed from Maryland to near Morgantown, Monongalia county, West Virginia, then Virginia, where he purchased a farm consisting of three hundred acres. His intention had been to go to Kentucky, but he was led to change his mind on account of the Indian troubles that then existed in that state.
(II) Moses Cox, son of Abraham Cox, was born in Hagerstown,
551
UPPER MONONGAHELA VALLEY.
Maryland, in 1780, and in young manhood located on Indian creek, a short distance from Morgantown, in what is now known as Grant district. He served in the war of 1812, served his town as justice of the peace and his county as sheriff, was a farmer by occupation, a Pres- byterian in religion, and a Whig in politics. He married (first) Jane Musgrave, and (second) Mrs. Charlotte Foster (nèe McDermott). He died at his home near Morgantown, in 1861.
(III) Henry L. Cox, son of Moses and Charlotte (Foster) Cox, was born in Monongalia county, West Virginia, then Virginia, in Octo- ber, 1836, and died July 8, 1908. He attended the Monongalia Acad- emy, where he prepared himself for the profession of teaching. In early manhood he went to Greene county, Pennsylvania, and there acted in the capacity of teacher, and for two summers, during vacation, pur- sued a course in Waynesburg College. Upon his return to Monongalia county he engaged in agricultural pursuits during the summer months, devoting his attention to teaching during the winter months. In 1867 he was elected to the position of county superintendent of public schools, and was reelected for two more terms, and was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Rev. Jeremiah Simpson, who was elected in May, 1873, and resigned in July of the same year. He also held the position of principal of the Morgantown graded school, and after six years service was appointed on the board of examiners of the county. In 1880 he was elected on the Republican ticket to represent Monongalia county in the legislature of West Virginia, and at the end of his first term was reelected. He married, February 28, 1861, Eliza- beth Matilda, daughter of Boaz Boydston, of Greene county, Pennsyl- vania.
(IV) Frank Cox, only child of Henry L. and Elizabeth Matilda (Boydston) Cox, was born in Grant district, Monongalia county, West Virginia, June 18, 1862. He attended the Morgantown schools and West Virginia University, graduating from the law department of the latter institution in June, 1883. He at once began the active practice of his profession in Morgantown, continuing the same with a large degree of success until 1888, when he was elected prosecuting attorney, in which capacity he served until January 1, 1893, when he was succeeded by George C. Baker, his partner, who appointed Mr. Cox his deputy. On January 1, 1889, a partnership was formed between Mr. Cox and
552
UPPER MONONGAHELA VALLEY.
George C. Baker, under the style of Cox & Baker, which connection existed until 1904, when Mr. Cox was elected judge of the supreme court of appeals of West Virginia, and was elected president of the same in 1907. During the latter year he resigned from office and re- turned to the practice of law at Morgantown, the firm of Cox & Baker being reestablished, and which is still in effect. He is a member and vice-president of the Board of Trade of Morgantown, and is largely interested in the growth and development there, being an extensive owner of real estate. He served as judge advocate general under Gov- ernor Atkinson, and was a member of the Morgantown school board for a number of years. He was a member of the World Fair Commis- sion for West Virginia in 1904. He is a member and trustee of the Methodist Episcopal church, and a Republican in politics. Fraternally he is connected with the Free and Accepted Masons, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Monongalia Lodge, No. 10, and the Modern .Wood- men of America. This brief resumé of Mr. Cox's many spheres of activity proves the broadness of his mental vision, and whether consid- ered as a professional man, as a public servant, as a churchman or as a clubman, he is ever found to be a man true to himself and true to his fellows.
Mr. Cox married, March 8, 1885, Mattie J. Weaver, daughter of George and Margaret Weaver. Children: Stanley Rhey, born March 23, 1889; Margaret Elizabeth, born June 15, 1898.
STEWART It may well be doubted if there is in the world to-day another family at once so well known and possessing so ancient a history as the Scottish house of Stewart, or Stuart. Starting from Alan, the Norman, the companion of William the Conqueror in 1060, we find that one of his immediate descendants went to Scotland, where he was ennobled and appointed in the twelfth century grand steward or stewart of the realm, whence the name. One of the line ascended the Scottish throne as Robert II., having married the heiress of the Bruces, and as kings, nobles and commoners the Stew- arts have well maintained their own from that very day to this.
The name of the first American ancestor of this particular line of Stewarts has not been ascertained. The first of whom we have any knowledge was John S. Stewart, born in Jefferson county, Virginia, who
553
UPPER MONONGAHELA VALLEY.
served in the Confederate army, in the famous Stonewall Brigade. His wife was a Hall.
John Thomas Stewart, son of John S. Stewart, was born in Jefferson county, Virginia, December 24, 1843. He was in early life a mill con- tractor, being engaged in building flour mills, but in låter life gave his attention to agricultural pursuits. He too was a soldier in the Stone- wall Brigade, serving four years in the Confederate army. He has served a number of terms as member of the board of education of his district. He married Alcinda Sophia Cunningham, born February 25, 1849, died January 29, 1905. Children : Edgar B., further mentioned below; William C., born October 24, 1876.
Edgar B., son of John Thomas and Alcinda S. (Cunningham) Stewart, was born at Bunker Hill, Berkeley county, West Virginia, Feb- ruary 6, 1873. He was educated in the public schools, by private tutors, and at West Virginia University, where he took both elective and law courses, and graduated in the class of 1896. He was admitted to the bar the same year, and after practicing two years by himself, in Morgan- town, in 1898 formed a partnership with I. G. Lazzelle. In 1900- he was elected mayor, and has since served two terms on the council, and four years as assistant prosecuting attorney. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, serving on the board of finance of that church. He was one of the early members of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. He is also a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Knights of Pythias, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Commercial Law League of America, American Bar Association, and West Virginia State Bar Association. He was one of the first five commissioners from West Virginia to serve on the National Commission on Uniform State Laws. He is also a member of the National Civic Association, and the Na- tional Geographic Society.
He married, December 19, 1899, Mary Nelson Wisner, daughter of J. Nelson and Johanna K. Wisner. Children: 1. Mary, born Octo- ber 14, 1900. 2. Thomas Nelson, born July 16, 1903. 3. Edgar B. Jr., born December 15, 1909.
554
UPPER MONONGAHELA VALLEY.
Hon. John Morton Gregg, now serving his second term GREGG as clerk of the Monongalia county court, in which capac- ity his services are highly proficient and satisfactory, is a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania, born November 18, 1865, son of Thomas M. and Margaret M. (Cooper) Gregg, and grandson of John B. Gregg, who was a farmer and blacksmith in Washington county, Pennsylvania.
Thomas M. Gregg ( father) was born in Washington county, Penn- sylvania, in 1836. He was reared and educated there, and followed the occupation of farming. In 1876 he removed to Morgantown, West Virginia, where for a number of years he tilled the soil, later engaged in the mercantile business, deriving considerable profit from both lines of work. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He mar- ried Margaret M., daughter of Lemuel Cooper; she died June 1, 1911. Children : Oscar C., Charles F., Ira L., Mary E., married Taylor M. Dawson; Jesse W., Roma P., Bessie, married R. A. Wilbourn; John Morton, of whom further.
John Morton Gregg attended the public schools of Washington county, Pennsylvania, and Monongalia county, West Virginia, and later this was supplemented by attendance at the West Virginia University. He accompanied his parents upon their removal to West Virginia. In 1888 he was appointed deputy clerk of the circuit court under Colonel R. E. Fast, and served in that office for four years, familiarizing him- self with the details of the work. In 1889 he was elected city recorder of Morgantown and served in that office five terms. In 1890 he was a candidate for the Republican nomination for circuit clerk, but was de- feated by William E. Glasscock, for whom he served as deputy for two and a half years. In 1893 he accepted the position of bookkeeper with the Union Improvement Company, now the Union Utilities Company, of Morgantown, and remained with them until January 1, 1898, when he received the appointment of secretary of the State Geological Survey, in which capacity he served until January 1, 1903, when he was elected county clerk, his present incumbency, having been reëlected in 1908 for a term of six years, receiving a very large majority over his Democratic opponent. The excellent condition of affairs at his office has been favorably commented upon by people who have had occasion to consult the records, and a bright future is predicted for him. He was one of
555
UPPER MONONGAHELA VALLEY.
the incorporators and promoters of the Bank of Morgantown, in which he is now serving as a director. He is a member of the First Meth- odist Episcopal Church of Morgantown, of which he is the treasurer. He holds membership in the Free and Accepted Masons, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias and Junior Order of United American Mechanics.
Mr. Gregg married, in 1889, Elizabeth M. Berkshire, daughter of Nicholas W. and Virginia (Morgan) Berkshire. Children : Lucile C., John Morton Jr., Margaret Virginia.
This is an old Lancaster county, Pennsylvania family, BOWMAN dating back to many years before the revolutionary war, five generations being known to the present de- scendants, one of which is represented in the present postmaster at Morgantown, West Virginia, Frank L. Bowman, who is of the fifth in line of descent. The heads of the various generations from Lancaster county are : (I) Father of John; (II) John; (III) James; (IV) Josiah, born 1851; Frank L., born 1879, being the fifth.
(II) John Bowman, probably born about 1790, in Lancaster coun- ty, Pennsylvania, was by occupation a farmer, who tilled the fertile fields of that most excellent agricultural section of Pennsylvania. He married and had children, including a son, James.
(III) James Bowman, son of John Bowman, was a native of Lan- caster county, Pennsylvania. He was by trade a stonemason and con- tractor at Masontown, Pennsylvania. He married Hulda Walters. Children : Morgan H .; Josiah A., of whom further; John F., and Aaron W.
(IV) Josiah A. Bowman, second child of James and Hulda (Wal- ters) Bowman, was born in Masontown, Pennsylvania, February 13, 1851. He came to Morgantown, West Virginia, in 1908, and engaged in the mercantile business. He was a contractor and manufacturer of superior building brick at Charleroi, Pennsylvania, before coming to Morgantown. Politically he votes the Republican ticket, and in his church faith is of the Presbyterian denomination. He married Sue Llewellyn, daughter of James Llewellyn and wife. Child: Frank L., of whom further.
(V) Frank L. Bowman, son of Josiah A. and Sue (Llewellyn)
556
UPPER MONONGAHELA VALLEY.
Bowman, was born in Masontown, Pennsylvania, January 21, 1879, but has spent much of his earlier life in Charleroi, Pennsylvania. He received his early education at the public schools at Masontown, Penn- sylvania, after which he entered the State University of West Virginia, where in 1902 he took the degree of A. B. In the meantime he was elected teller of the Farmers' and Merchants' Bank, which position he re- signed from two years later and began the study of law at the Univer- sity of West Virginia. Subsequently he was admitted to the bar by the supreme court. He entered the law offices of Glasscock & Glasscock, where he began the practice of law, and has been associated with them ever since. He is looked upon as one of the cleanest, brightest young attorneys practicing at the local bar. He devotes his efforts to a general law practice. While at the University, Mr. Bowman won the Inter- Society oration and debate prize. He was chosen as one of the directors of the Bank of Morgantown, when it was newly organized not long since, and has other varied interests. He was appointed postmaster of the city of Morgantown, West Virginia, May 25, 1911, and is filling well that important government position. He is a member of Morgan- town Lodge, No. 4, Free and Accepted Masons.
He was married, June 3, 1904, to Pearl Silveus, of Pittsburgh, a daughter of one of the most prominent divines in that city, the pastor of the Presbyterian church, Rev. W. F. Silveus. Children: Marjorie Virginia, born January 16, 1908, and Frank L. Jr., born May 15, 1911.
BRAND Franklin Marion Brand, one of the active, enterprising and progressive citizens of Morgantown, now serving in a public capacity as assistant to T. Sutton Boyd, the prose- cuting attorney of Monongalia county, was born in Cass district, Mo- nongalia county, West Virginia, March 13, 1880, son of James Clark and Mary Alice (Fleming) Brand, grandson of Hosea Moore and Emaretta (Weaver) Brand, great-grandson of James and Elizabeth (Wade) Brand, and great-great-grandson of John Brand, the last two named being mentioned in sketch of William Harvey Brand, which appears in this work.
Hosea Moore Brand (grandfather) was born near Laurel Point, Monongalia county, West Virginia, April 3, 1828, and died very sud- denly, June 27, 1904. In his early life he learned the trade of car-
557
UPPER MONONGAHELA VALLEY.
penter, but did not follow it as a means of livelihood, devoting his atten- tion to agricultural pursuits, as did most all other members of the fam- ily. He married, October 14, 1852, Emaretta, daughter of Jacob Weaver, whose death occurred before that of her husband. Children : James Clark, of whom further; Josephine, Elmer G., Charles H., all of whom lived to adult age, and one child who died young.
James Clark Brand (father), was born September 16, 1853, in Cass district, Monongalia county, West Virginia. He was reared on his father's farm, and has devoted his entire active career to farming and stock raising, never seeking or holding public office, preferring to follow the even tenor of his life. Of late years he has been a breeder of fancy Hereford cattle, owning several thoroughbreds of that breed. He now resides on the farm he purchased of David W. Morris, located about six miles from Morgantown, West Virginia. In the spring of 1877 he married Mary Alice, daughter of John T. Fleming, who was sheriff of Monongalia county prior to the civil war. Children, all of whom are living at the present time ( 1911) ; Melville Hosea, Franklin Marion (of whom further), Retta Isaphene, wife of Otis R. Grandon, of Marshall county, West Virginia; George Fleming, John T., Nellie Grace, Elmer Clyde, Hazel Leora.
Franklin Marion Brand spent the greater part of his early life in Grant district, Monongalia county, his parents having removed there in 1885, purchasing one hundred and sixty-two acres of land on the headwaters of Dent's Run. He attended the Sugar Grove school until he had attained the age of nineteen, after which he took the teacher's examination in the fall of 1899, being the only applicant in the county who had never taught to secure a No. I certificate. The following winter he taught school at Pleasant Valley, in his home district. The following spring he entered the West Virginia University at Morgan- town, and while a student there won five different prizes for scholar- ship aggregating in amount $185. He was a member of the Signa Nu fraternity and the Parthenon Literary Society, representing the latter in a joint debate with the Columbian Literary Society in the spring of 1906. In the fall of 1902, taking Greek and mathematics, he made the highest average of any student in the institution. His summer vacations were mostly spent in canvassing for the Keystone View Company, and in this manner he earned the greater part of the money required to meet
558
UPPER MONONGAHELA VALLEY.
his expenses through school. At graduation he was in debt to the amount of $206, having spent seven years in securing his educational advantages. During the winter of 1900-01 he served as teacher at his home school at Sugar Grove, after which he returned to the West Vir- ginia University, from which he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1906, and that of Bachelor of Laws in 1907. During the sum- mer of that year, while visiting in Nebraska, he received notice of his election to the principalship of the Smithfield School in Pennsylvania, and on November 2, 1907, while serving in that capacity, was admitted to practice law in Morgantown, he entering upon the active duties of that profession at the close of the school term. On January 1, 1909, when T. Sutton Boyd became prosecuting attorney of Monongalia county, Mr. Brand was chosen as his assistant, and in this capacity he is serving at the present time, his abilities being recognized and appre- ciated. Mr. Brand is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church of Morgantown, the lodge and encampment of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Junior Order of United American Mechanics.
Mr. Brand married, November 12, 1910, Myrtle Otella Core, of Monongalia county, West Virginia, daughter of Benjamin and Cath- arine Core.
FINNELL Charles W. Finnell, of Morgantown, one of its lead- ing business men, is one who by the successful prose- cution of different industries has fully demonstrated his capacity to manage any business, however extensive or complicated.
Charles W. Finnell (father) was born in the state of Virginia in 1792, died in 1887. He was the owner of a large farm which he culti- vated and improved, cultivating it for a number of years. In 1848 he removed to Morgantown, Virginia, now West Virginia, and purchased the Franklin House, where he resided until his death. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and served as lieutenant in Captain Shackleford's company. He married Lucinda Hoffman, who died in April, 1909, aged one hundred and one years and twenty-four days. Children : Isaac N .; Reuben E .; Lucy, married P. B. Criser; Sarah, married James Hopkins; Margaret, married Jesse J. Fitch; Catherine, married George W. Johnson; Anna R., married H. S. Hayes; Charles W. (see for-
559
UPPER MONONGAHELA VALLEY.
ward). The father of Charles W. Finnell was a preacher in the Meth- odist Episcopal church.
Charles W. Finnell was born in the state of Virginia, June 25, 1846. His parents removing to Monongalia county, West Virginia, when he was two years old, his education was acquired in private schools there, slabs being used for seats, and in the Old Monongalia Academy. In 1862 he entered upon his active career in the capacity of clerk in a drug store, where he remained for two years. The following two years he filled the office of chief clerk under Colonel James Evans, and at the expiration of this period returned to Morgantown where he was ap- pointed deputy clerk of the circuit and county court, which office he held for ten years. In 1872 he formed a partnership with John H. Hoff- man, who was engaged in the banking business, and this was known as the Hoffman Bank. Three years later he formed a joint stock company under the name of Farmers' Bank of Morgantown, of which he was cashier and teller. This institution absorbed the Hoffman Bank, and in 1876 the name was changed to the one now in use, Second National Bank. In the latter named year he severed his connection with the bank, and then went to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he engaged in the wholesale carpet and matting business, continuing the same until 1883, when he disposed of it. He then returned to Morgantown and engaged in mercantile business, in which he engaged for three years and then disposed of his partnership interest. He then turned his attention to the insurance business, representing twenty companies, which he con- ducted successfully until 1886, when he sold the same. He then re- moved to Southwest, where he traveled for a mercantile house. In 1892 he returned to Morgantown, purchased the old homestead, and conducted the Franklin House as a hotel until 1895, in which year it was demolished, it being then one hundred and nineteen years old. He then erected the present Hotel Madeira, which he managed until 1899, when he sold the same to Madeira Brothers. On January 1, 1900, he engaged in the real estate business, which has steadily increased in volume and importance with the passing years, and in 1910 he erected fifteen houses, deriving therefrom a goodly income. He was the organ- izer of the first Building and Loan Association in Morgantown, in the year 1872. A keynote to his success in his many undertakings is his executive force and mastery of detail in whatever engages his attention.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.