History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens, Part 104

Author: Laidley, William Sydney, 1839-1917. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, Ill., Richmond-Arnold publishing co
Number of Pages: 1066

USA > West Virginia > Kanawha County > Charleston > History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens > Part 104

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Stephen Riggs was reared at Kanawha Falls, attended school there and entered into business life as a clerk in a Charleston busí- ness house. In 1861 he opened a store at Montgomery which he conducted until 1874, when he returned to Charleston and for ten years was bookkeeper in the Kanawha Valley Bank. He owns a large amount of real estate at Charleston, which he has improved and is one of the city's men of large means. During the Civil War he was postmaster at Cannel- ton, which was opposite Montgomery, and still

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owns property at the former place, and prior to the war he had been a clerk in the postoffice at Charleston. In 1886 he was appointed to a position in the revenue service and continued one year and at times was also called in as an expert accountant to audit the city books. In his political views he is a democrat.

Mr. Riggs was married at Malden, W. Va., to Miss Ann E. Farley, who died at her home in Charleston, in 1890, when aged almost three score years. She was a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church and an ad- mirable woman in every relation of life. Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Riggs, one of whom died early, while two others, Hugh and Sallie, died in mature life, the former leaving a widow. The three surviving mem- bers of the family are: Harry L., who car- ries on a brokerage business at Charleston, married Julia Jeffries and has six chldren- Georgia, Anna, Louise, Alice, Stephen and Thomas; Edgar, who resides in the family home, and married Lulu Reynolds; and Anna B., who tenderly looks after the comfort of her father.

THOMAS E. JEFFRIES, who, for thirty- one years has been in the employ of the U. S. Government, has been a resident of Charles- ton, W. Va., since he was five years of age. He was born November 23, 1850, in New York City, a son of George F. and Marie L. (Shiller) Jeffries. George F. Jeffries was born in England and his wife in Germany and both came to America about 1840. He was educated to be engineer and architect. He came to West Virginia to take charge of the Winifrede Coal Company, in 1855 settling at Charleston, where his death occurred in 1873, his widow surviving until 1903. There were three sons and three daughters in the family, namely: Alice, Mary, Thomas E., Julia, George, and John L.

Thomas E. Jeffries was educated in the pri- vate schools of this city, attending until 1868, when he entered the employ of the C. & O. Railroad and was a member of the engineer- ing corps that made the first survey of that road, and later was with the surveyors work- ing through West Virginia and Ohio for this

road, the Southern Ohio Railroad, and the Portsmouth and Pound Gap Railroad. He then returned to Charleston and went into the insurance business and was engaged also in the U. S. survey of the Elk river and some of the preliminary work on the Kanawha river. In 1880 he became a regular Government em- ploye, beginning as rod man and has advanced along the line of promotion, becoming inspec- tor, then assistant engineer, and in Jan- uary, 1902, was put in charge of the Govern- ment work on the Kanawha river, and has continued here.

In 1884 Mr. Jeffries was married to Miss Madelline Du Bois, who died in 1890, leaving one son, Louis Godwin, who was educated as an engineer. Mrs. Jeffries was a daughter of John Delafield and Alice (Goddard) Du Bois, the former a native of New York and the lat- ter of Ohio. They came to Charleston soon after the close of the Civil War.»

W. H. SPURLOCK,* a well known rail- road man in West Virginia, who resides at Hernshaw, Kanawha county, is roadmaster for the West Virginia Southern Railway. He has been a resident of Kanawha county for the past fifteen years, but was born in Putnam county, February 14, 1873, and is a son of Robinson and Augusta (Lucas) Spurlock.

Robinson Spurlock was born in Lincoln county, Va., but spent some portion of his life on his farm in Putnam county. During the Civil War he enlisted in the 7th W. Va. Regi- ment, Federal Army, and served through the entire war, with the rank of orderly sergeant, taking part in many battles, and was several times wounded. After the war was over he resumed farming in Lincoln county and re- sides there, being now sixty-seven years of age. He was married in Lincoln county to Augusta Lucas and six children were born to them, namely: Belle, Sarah, W. H., Jack, Nancy and Kate, Belle and Nancy being now deceased.

After his school days ended, Mr. Spurlock went into railroad work and for twenty years has been thus employed. As trackman he was with the K. & M. Railroad for some years and came from that road to the West Virginia

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Southern as trackman and for twelve years has been roadmaster. He is an active citizen of Hernshaw and has served two years as a justice of the peace. In politics he is a re- publican.

Mr. Spurlock married Miss Emma Miller and they have seven children: Bertha, Wat- tie, Mame, Inez, Isey, William and Ruby. Mr. Spurlock and family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He is identified with the Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias.

JOHN GRANT WILSON TOMPKINS, deceased, for many years was engaged in farm- ing and coal developing in Kanawha county, W. Va., and was numbered with the capital- ists of his section. He was born January 18, 1847, at Cedar Grove, Kanawha county. W. Va., and died July 8, 1907, at his exceedingly beautiful home in Charleston, which he had erected on Kanawha street, overlooking the Kanawha river.

Mr. Tompkins was one of the younger mem- bers of a large family and he inherited the old family homestead at Burning Springs. He was liberally educated and was considered a busi- ness man of great ability. His farming inter- ests were large and his landed possessions in- cluded many acres of coal and gas and oil land, mainly in Kanawha county. In one way he re- sembled America's chief multi-millionaire, in that from the age of fourteen years he kept a diary of his receipts and expenditures, thus, at all times being able to direct his large business affairs on a firm foundation. On the disburs- ing side of this diary he must have frequently made heavy charges for probably few men of his section gave more in charity than he, al- though much of this liberality was known to few. It was a pleasure to him to seek out the needy and relieve their wants and there must be hundreds now living who can bear testimony to the helping hand he unostentatiously ex- tended when he realized their necessities. In his political sentiment he was a Republican and formerly was more or less prominent in party councils and at one time was a candidate for Congress. In 1900 he came to Charleston, having practically retired from business in

1895, and here spent the closing years of life.

Mr. Tompkins was first married to Amelia Caldwell Tompkins, a kinswoman, who died in the prime of life, their only child passing away at birth. Mr. Tompkin's second mar- riage was to Miss Nellie Berchman Blair, who was born at Minersville, O., February 19, 1865, and was educated in the Catholic con- vent at Pomeroy, O. She is a daughter of Thomas and Catherine (Harley) Blair. Thomas Blair was born in 1820, in Scotland, and in his native village was married to Cath- erine Harley, who was born in County Done- gal, Ireland, at Birch Hill, the old homestead. After the birth of two children, Thomas Blair and wife came to America, this being in 1852, and they stopped for a time in Pennsylvania and then moved to Hanging Rock, O., in which state they were neighbors to the parents of the late President William McKinley. Afterward they removed to East Bank, Kanawha county, and from there, about 1890, came to Charles- ton. Mr. Blair engaged in coal mining and farming for some years before he retired. His death occurred at Charleston, September 22, 1895, his widow surviving him until Novem- ber 30, 1907. They were faithful members of the Roman Catholic church.

Ten children were born to Thomas Blair and wife, as follows: Susannah, who died in Scotland when aged one year; John, who died in childhood, at Minersville; Mary, who was born in Scotland, is the wife of Philip Golden and lives at East Bank, W. Va., having two sons and two daughters; Thomas A., a coal operator, residing at Earlington, Ky., who married Agnes Wren and has two sons and three daughters: Patrick, a resident also of Earlington, who married Susan McManus, and has four sons and four daughters; Sallie, who is the wife of John Minnick, lives at Balti- more, Md., and has one son and two daugh- ters; Catherine, who is the wife of C. A. Pot- terfield, a druggist at Charleston, and has one son and two daughters: Mrs. Tompkins; and Elizabeth A .. who is unmarried, and resides with her sister, Mrs. Tompkins. All are now living except the two first mentioned, and all are devout members of the Roman Catholic church. Mrs. Tompkins has one son, John

JOHN G. W. TOMPKINS

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Grant William Tompkins, who was born June 27, 1902, who is a bright school boy at Charles- ton. In many ways Mrs. Tompkins continues to carry on the benevolent enterprises in which her late husband took so much interest.

F. C. STARK, proprietor of a large gro- cery store at No. 998 Quarrier street, Charles- ton, W. Va., is one of the city's progressive and constructive business men. He is a na- tive of Illinois, born May 22, 1865, and was reared on his father's farm and attended the district schools.

As soon as he could command his own time and movements, Mr. Stark went to Columbus, O., where he entered a grocery store and re- mained in that business there until he had completely mastered every detail, being con- nected with the Buckeye Cash Grocery Com- pany. When he came to Charleston and viewed the business field he soon recognized the fact that such a grocery store as he hoped to conduct, had not yet been established in this city, enterprising as the people were along other lines. He started first in 1901, just across the street from his present establish- ment, where he remained until he had com- pleted the building of his three-story brick block, in 1908. Although a lack of sufficient capital prevented him at first from expending as much as he desired, it was not long before his competitors and the public recognized the excellence of his methods and the superiority of his stock and his success was assured. He has the best equipped and stocked store in this part of the state, gives employment to eight salesmen and operates three wagons and an automobile truck. His patronage comes from the best and most particular people of the city.

Mr. Stark was married in March, 1887, to Miss Sophia Grimm, of Columbus, O., and they have one daughter, Marybelle. The fam- ily residence is at No. 1302 Quarrier street. Mr. and Mrs. Stark introduced Christian Science in Charleston and have been gratified by the influence they have exerted in this di- rection, large and interesting gatherings being of weekly occurrence.

WILLIAM D. ISAAC, brick manufacturer and president of the Kanawha Brick Company, of Charleston, W. Va., which he founded twenty-eight years ago, is one of the repre- sentative business men of this section. He was born in Carmarlingshire, South Wales, March 7, 1847, and is a son of Reese and Catherine (Lewis) Isaac.

Reese Isaac was born in the above shire and has spent his long life there which has ex- tended to ninety years. His first wife, the mother of William D. Isaac, who was the sec- ond son and third born of her six children, died more than fifty years ago. Since her death, Mr. Isaac has been twice married, both wives being now deceased. To the second marriage no children were born and to the third, one son, David, who resides with his aged father in South Wales.

When he was nineteen years old, William D. Isaac and his brother, David Isaac, came to America, setting sail in 1869 on the steamer Manhattan, at Liverpool, England, which landed them safely in the harbor of New York, from which city they went to Minerville, O., where they joined their older brother, John, and their sister, Martha, who had crossed the Atlantic Ocean two years previ- ously. For two years, William D. Isaac worked on the C. & O. Railroad, and for a few years was in the stone business and then came to Charleston, of which city he has been a resi- dent for forty-two years. At first he did some stone work but soon afterward went into the brick business, with which he has remained identified. When he first went into the busi- ness old methods prevailed, bricks being then all made by hand, the first improvement being when temporary kilns were built for each fir- ing, and this method also gave way as machin- ery was invented and greater possibilities were opened up to brick manufacturers. It was considered remarkable when 10,000 bricks could be a day's output, while now the Kana- wha Brick Company's average is 50,000 per day. They have a modern plant equipped with the latest machinery and accommodations for their business, which is a very extensive

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one, they having manufactured the brick for all the leading buildings of recent construction at Charleston, including the postoffice, the pub- lic schools and the finest private residences. The company of which he is president operates two plants and employment is given seventy- five people, the product being mainly sold within West Virginia.

Mr. Isaac was married at Minerville, Meigs county, O., to Miss Mary Lewis, who was born there, October 8, 1851, a daughter of David and Mary ( Phillips) Lewis, natives of South Wales. The parents of Mrs. Isaac came to America in 1838, crossing the Atlantic ocean in a sailing vessel that required fifty-two days to make the voyage, but were landed safely at the port of New York. The father was a miner and became a superintendent. His death occurred September 5, 1884, at Miner- ville, in his seventy-first year, his widow sur- viving him for eleven years. They had eight children, seven of whom are yet living, one having been accidentally drowned at the age of eight years. Mrs. Isaac is the only member of her family living in West Virginia. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Isaac, the survivors being: Jennie, wife of W. W. Hart, and they have six children; George R., secre- tary and salesman for the Kanawha Brick Company, who married Eva Meeker and has three children; Anna, who is the wife of Lil- burn Harris, of Charleston, and has one son; and Lewis P., who is his father's superinten- dent. One son, Arthur, was accidentally drowned in the Elk river, when eleven years old. Mr. Isaac and family are members of the First Methodist Episcopal church and Mrs. Isaac is interested in the Ladies' Aid Society. Mr. Isaac has been an active and useful citizen and has served six years as a member of the city council, elected on the republican ticket. He is a member of Kanawha Lodge, No. 20, A. F. & A. M.

HON. E. A. WOODALL,* a prominent citizen of Poca district, for seven years post- master at Legg, Kanawha county, W. Va., for three terms a justice of the peace and for seven years judge of the court of common pleas, was born at Charleston, W. Va., May

10, 1855. His parents were William A. and Delilah (Carter) Woodall.

William A. Woodall was a native of Vir- ginia and in boyhood was sent to a subscrip- tion school. He learned the stave-making busi- ness and after his marriage moved to Charles- ton and there followed his trade, and while living in the city all his children were born. Afterward he moved to the farm of 1661/2 acres, in Poca district, sixteen miles north of Charleston, on which his son, E. A. Woodall, now resides. His first wife, Delilah Carter, a daughter of Wilson Carter, died on the farm in the fall of 1861 and her burial was in the Aultz burying ground in Poca and Union dis- tricts. She was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Four children were born to that marriage : Mathias E., E. A., Austin L., and a daughter, the eldest and youngest being deceased. William A. Woodall was married sec- ondly to Martha Thaxton, a native of Kana- wha county, and nine children were born to them, namely : Robert J., Sarah, N. G., Henry, Cora, Josephine, Everett, Lawrence and Eu- gene. The mother of the above mentioned family survives and resides in Little Sandy district. The death of the father occurred in February, 1901, and his burial was on Wills creek in Little Sandy district. He was a lo- cal preacher in the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics he was a Republican and was a member of the district school board.

E. A. Woodall was six years old when his mother died. He attended school in Poca dis- trict until 1875 and then taught for one term, after which he engaged in farming and short- ly afterward was married. He continued to live on and manage the home farm until De- cember 5, 1895, when he was called into pub- lic life, being appointed to succeed Judge Laid- ley. In 1896 he moved into Charleston and in the same year was elected to the bench, on the Republican ticket, and served as judge for six years afterward. As soon as his term expired he returned to the farm and has made it his place of residence ever since. He served one term as a member of the board of education of assessor of Poca, Union, and Jefferson dis- Poca district and in 1909 was elected deputy tricts.

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Judge Woodall was married September 29, 1875, to Miss Rebecca J. Hager, who was born in Boone county, Va., February 10, 1857, a daughter of L. D. and Rhoda Hager, and the following children have been born to them: Allison W., who resides on Virginia street, Charleston, married Bessie Wright and they have three children-Archibald, Lillian and Irene; Alberta May, who is the wife of John F. Burdette, lives in Poca district and they have a large family ; Leora L., who is the wife of J. J. Beane, of Sissonville, W. Va., died in July, 1908, leaving two children-Senate and Blackburn; George, who resides in West Charleston, married Emma Flowers and they have three children: Frank, who resides on Virginia street, Charleston, married Miss Stog- don and they have one child, Hazel; Clyde, lives at home; Mabel, who was the wife of George Spencer, died July 27, 1907, survived by one son, Clifford Ray; Stacia and Helen both live with their parents.

The family belongs to the Methodist Epis- copal church and Judge Woodall is a trustee of Griffith's Chapel, Poca district. He has been through all the chairs of Glendale Lodge, No. 78, Knights of Pythias.

E. F. VANDINE, who is a justice of the peace in Poca district, Kanawha county, W. Va., and a farmer residing on Grapevine creek, sixteen miles north of Charleston, was born at Pocataligo, Kanawha county, March 14, 1868, and is a son of I. C. and Sarah Elizabeth (Douglass) Vandine.

I. C. Vandine was born in 1843, in Jackson county, W. Va., where he was reared and at- tended school. Following his marriage he lived at Sissonville, W. Va., and then moved farther away, into Fayette county, but one year later located on Grapevine Creek, where he owns 400 acres of land, the larger part of which is cleared. For many years he taught school in Kanawha county and was considered a very capable instructor. Later he became a member of the local Board of Education and served many years as its secretary. In his political views he is a Republican. At Harper's Ferry, W. Va., he married Sarah Elizabeth Douglass, who was born in Barbour county, WV. Va., a

daughter of W. R. and Anna Belle Douglass, and six children were born to them, as follows : E. F .; A. C., who is a physician in practice at Clendenin, W. Va .; A. E. Vandine, who died when aged seven years; Cory Belle, who is the wife of Edward Douglass, resides in Fayette county and has twin children, Isunah and Hugart; S. D., who is a street car man at Akron, O .; and Otis Albert, who lives at Charleston.

E. F. Vandine attended school in both Kana- wha and Fayette counties and after his parents returned to the former county engaged in farm- ing and has continued to be interested in agri- cultural pursuits although a considerable por- tion of his time has recently been given to the duties of public office. He served two years as constable and then resigned that office and the county court appointed him a justice of the peace, to which office he was subsequently elect- ed and in which he is serving in his second term. In politics he is a Republican. He is one of the school trustees of Poca district, and is secre- tary of the Grapevine Telephone Company, No. 29. Prior to the disbanding of the Odd Fel- lows' lodge at Sissonville, he attended as a member.

Mr. Vandine was married July 12, 1891, to Miss Jenetta Catherine Griffith, who was born April 13, 1870, in Poca district, a daughter of William A. and Charlotte (Bays) Griffith. They have no children of their own but they have reared Lottie Jane Hammock and she is as a daughter to them. Her parents were McClelland and Octavia (Griffith) Hammock.

MATTHEW WALTON VENABLE, of the firm of M. W. Venable & Son, civil and mining engineers, of Charleston, W. Va., was born in Prince Edward county, Va., on April 8th, 1847. He grew up on a farm. and was educated in the country schools, and at Hamp- den-Sidney College, leaving this institution be- fore graduation to enlist in the Confederate Army, where his elder brothers were then serv- ing. Completing his education at the Univer- sity of Virginia after the war, he came to West Virginia in 1868 as a civil engineer. dur- ing the location and construction of the Chesa- peake & Ohio Railway, residing in Cabell

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county. He was married in Barboursville, September, 1870, to Miss Margaret Maria Dyer, daughter of the late James R. Dyer of one of the pioneer families of Pendleton county, in this state. A year or two later he removed to Winchester, Ky., where he was engaged as division engineer in the construction of what is now known as the Lexington Branch of the Ches. & Ohio Ry., between Lexington and Mt. Sterling, completing this work late in 1872. He was employed during the following seven- teen years in building several roads, among them, the Cincinnati Southern, Louisville & Nashville, and the Louisville Southern rail- roads, in Kentucky, and the Cincinnati, Leba- non & Northern railroad in Ohio; and also spent several years as engineer of construction upon locks and dams, on Kentucky River, for the U. S. government, residing most of these years in Danville and Newport. He came to Kanawha county in 1890 and opened an office in Charleston. Upon the death of his wife he removed to town with his family, and has since made this city his home. He was again mar- ried in 1893 to Miss Anne Haymond Byrne, daughter of the late Col. Benj. W. Byrne of Charleston.

Mr. Venable's professional life has been quite closely identified with mining and railroad de- velopment in this vicinity and adjacent states, for the past twenty years. In politics he is a Democrat, and in his church affiliations, a Presbyterian.

CHARLES A. CABELL, general manager of the West Virginia Colliery Company, the Republic Coal Company and the Carbon Coal Company, has many other interests that make him one of the representative business men of Kanawha county. He was born on the home farm on Elk River, in Elk district, May 23, 1870, and is a son of N. B. and Lavina C. (Wood) Cabell.

On December 14, 1894, Mr. Cabell was mar- ried to Miss Nellie L. Couch, a daughter of James H. and Delia (Wilson) Couch, and they have three children : Mary Lovenia, Nellie Lynn and Virginia Couch. Mr. and Mrs. Cabell are members of the Episcopal church.

WILLIAM M. ROLLINS,* superintendent of the Lewis Coal and Coke Company, at Chel- yan, W. Va., was born October 2, 1874, at New Haven, in Mason county, W. Va., and is a son of Benjamin F. and Laura A. Rollins. The father is a pilot on an Ohio River steamboat.

William M. Rollins attended the public schools and obtained a well-balanced education and when twenty years old became bookkeeper for S. A. Lewis in the Clarksburg region, in Harrison county, W. Va. From there he ac- companied Mr. Lewis to Mason county and shortly afterward to Dry Branch, Kanawha county, where he was mine foreman and when the company became interested at Chelyan, Mr. Lewis made him superintendent. Mr. Rollins has a younger brother, Warner, now a resident of Pennsylvania, but neither of them have chosen their father's perilous occupation, who has been a pilot for the past thirty years. Mr. Rollins has one sister, Lavina, who is the wife of S. A. Lewis.

William M. Rollins married Miss Frances Parsons, a daughter of the late Elias Parsons, and they have four children: Claudia, Harry, Carl and Gertrude. Mr. Rollins casts his vote with the Republican party but is not particu- larly active in politics.

JOHN MARK YOUNG, a representative and substantial citizen of Charleston, W. Va., a veteran of the Civil War and a political factor for some years in Kanawha county, was born August 10, 1835, on Elk River, Kanawha county, W. Va. (then Virginia), coming of a very old family of the Old Dominion.

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History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens, Part 104

Author: Laidley, William Sydney, 1839-1917. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1911 Publisher: Chicago, Ill., Richmond-Arnold publishing co Number of Pages: 1066

Author: Laidley, William Sydney, 1839-1917. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, Ill., Richmond-Arnold publishing co
Number of Pages: 1066