History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens, Part 113

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 113

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).

The Diamond Ice and Coal Company was established in 1883 and was the pioneer in the ice making business in this city. Its plant on Elk river, situated on Elk and Welch streets, covers a large area, and its ice capacity is 150 tons of ice daily. The company sells both by retail and wholesale and supplies a large sec- tion in the Kanawha valley with coal and ice, employment being given in the latter industry alone to fifty men.

Mr. Capito was married at Fairmont. Mar- ion county, W. Va., to Miss Pauline Barns Miller. a daughter of Thomas C. Miller, who was formerly state superintendent of free schools and is now principal of Shepherd Col- lege, at Shepherdstown, W. Va. Mrs. Capito was educated at the National Park Seminary, at Washington, D. C. They are members of the Lutheran church. Mr. Capito is a Repub- lican in national political issues. He is promi- nent in Masonry, being a Shriner, and is con-

JAMES KAY

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nected with Beni-Kedem Temple at Charles- ton, and has taken fourteen degrees in the Order of Perfection, Scottish Rite.

WILLIAM BROWN MAIRS,* whose very valuable farm of three hundred acres, situated in Poca district, Kanawha county, W. Va., is mainly devoted to cattle and sheep growing, is one of the county's substantial citizens and is a member of one of its old families. He was born in Poca district, March I, 1856, and is a son of William Mairs.

Mr. Mairs was married to Miss Virginia Morgan, who was born at Charleston, W. Va., November 15, 1859, and is a daughter of Philip W. and Lucy (Trent) Morgan, natives of Prince Edward county, Va. They were young when their parents moved to Charles- ton, where they subsequently married and lived for many years. Mr. Morgan was a boatman on the Kanawha river and a barrel manufacturer, in later life purchasing a farm in Poca district on which he resided. He also operated a mill for the rest of his active life, his death occurring there in 1886, when he had attained the age of eighty-two years. His widow survived him until 1905. Both were members of the Methodist Episcopal church and Mr. Morgan was the largest contributor to the support of the State Street church, was president of its board of trustees and super- intendent of the Sunday-school. He was twice elected sheriff of Kanawha county and was serving in this office at the time when two notorious felons were taken from the jail and executed by an outraged community. Four- teen children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Mor- gan, ten of whom grew to man and woman- hood and seven of whom still survive, Mrs. Mairs being one of the intermediate members of the family. Mr. and Mrs. Mairs have an adopted daughter, whom they reared and edu- cated and who is now the wife of M. C. Morecott, a merchant of Richmond, Va., who also owns a farm in Poca district. Mr. Mairs devotes himself to a large degree to looking after his stock interests and his land, as the most of it is rich in gas and coal deposits. Mrs. Mairs is a very capable business woman and successfully conducts the American House at No. 323 Laidley street, Charleston.

JAMES KAY, one of Charleston's honor- able and successful business men, who has been identified with many of the leading in- terests of Kanawha County, was born in 1849, within twenty-five miles of Glasgow, Scotland. He was one of twelve children born to parents in humble circumstances, who, in their declining years were brought by him to America to share in his pros- perity.

Mr. Kay's life is one that may well in- terest all those who delight in the real re- wards that come as the result of industry, temperance, honesty and fidelity. He was but nine years old when he left the little home that scarcely provided a shelter for so rapidly an increasing family, and from that time until the present has directed his own affairs. Until he was fourteen years old he was employed by the farmers living near his birthplace, and then learned the stone mason trade; before he was nineteen years of age was working as a journeyman stone mason. In 1869, when twenty years old, he left Glasgow for America and was disappointed after landing in New York to find that no one apparently needed his serv- ices in. that great city. He pressed on to Cleveland, O., where the Euclid Avenue Baptist Church was in course of erection and there secured his first job. From there he went to Sharon, Pa., and in the fall of 1870 to Charleston, and here became gen- eral manager for the firm of Shanahan & Mason, general contractors for the build- ing of the stone work and grading for the C. & O. Railroad, and the time soon came when he took contracts on his own account. On New River he built the Big Doddy arch culvert and did other heavy stone work. He then went to Marietta, O., and then to Athens, and during the panic of 1873 was in business there, afterward going to an- other part of the State, thence to where he was engaged on the Cincinnati & Southern Railroad, the taking of these contracts be- ing guided by practical knowledge and turn- ing out successfully. In 1875 he found a good business opening in Canada and built locks and dams in the Dominion for two years. By this time he had acquired con-

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HISTORY OF KANAWHA COUNTY

siderable capital and purchased a farm in Maryland, with the intention of becoming an agriculturist, but soon discovered that such quiet and peaceful surroundings did not satisfy him, therefore, in 1879, he left there and came back to West Virginia. He settled at Quinnimont, in Fayette County, and for two years was engaged mainly in building coke ovens and during this time built the Page's oven, at Hawks nest, which is probably the largest in the whole state. In the meanwhile he kept on acquiring property, buying New River coal land.

Mr. Kay was then called to Inman, Tenn., where he did some important work for a New York company, and then, at Tarry- town, N. Y., built all the shops for the Rand Drill Company, which consumed two years of his time. He was then appointed receiver for a mining company in Dutchess County, N. Y., the duties of this position claiming his attention for two years. His large holdings in New River lands, which, by this time aggregated several thousand acres, brought him back to West Virginia, and as chief owner, he proceeded to open up the coal properties of the Royal Coal and Coke Company. For about twelve years he remained at Royal and from there came again to Charleston, retaining, however. possession of his New River lands. His next enterprise was the opening up of the Kaymoor mines, of which he was general manager for three years. During the pre- ceding years he had been gradually acquir- ing land in Cabin Creek District, Kanawha County, and opened up the Cabin Creek Coal Company district, and. as president of this company, resided at Cabin Creek for six years, at which time the Cabin Creek Consolidated was formed, in 1906, when Mr. Kay retired to Charleston. It was, how- ever, with no intention of laying aside busi- ness responsibilities, being too active and wide awake a man for that, and shortly afterward he established the Elk Milling and Produce Company, one of the large in- dustries of this section, becoming president. He also opened up other mines on Camp- bell's Creek. becoming president of what

is known as the Virginia Coal Company. He is also first vice president of the Con- solidated Coal Company, a director in the Kanawha Valley Bank, also in the Noyes, Thomas and Company, the Thomas Shoe Com- pany and others. In his political views he is independent of party ties. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity and is a Shriner.

Mr. Kay was married near Youngstown, O., to Miss Julia Ballantyne, a native of Ayrshire, Scotland, who came to America when fourteen years of age, to join her uncle's family in Ohio, he being Rev. Rich- ard McLean a local Methodist preacher. To Mr. and Mrs. Kay the following children were born: Jessie, who is the wife of Will- iam T. Thayer; Jean, who is the wife of George E. Thomas, the latter being presi- dent of the Thomas Shoe Company and a member of the firm of Noyes, Thomas and Co .; Edith B., who resides at home ; Thomas A., who is general manager of the Virginia Coal Company, married Nan. Parker from North Carolina; William R., who is a commission man for the Elk Mill- ing and Produce Company; James F., who lives on a ranch in North Dakota; and John F., who is private secretary for his father. The sons are all college men and all are creditable members of society. The family is Presbyterian in religion and belong to the First Presbyterian Church at Charleston.

There are few men in the State of West Virginia and particularly in Kanawha County, who are better known for what they have personally accomplished than James Kay. His many interests represent the work of an active man. one who began life a poor boy, who. in fact. possessed noth- ing but the knowledge of his self-supporting trade when he landed on an alien shore. When he sought employment he still was so young and looked so incompetent. that the contractor on the Euclid Avenue Church. which has become more or less known the country over as the house in which Ameri- ca's richest man chooses to worship, that he would trust him only with a bit of con- tract work by the piece. He soon saw that the young Scotchman thoroughly under-

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stood the work and the contractor was then very willing to entrust more important parts to him and paid him accordingly. Mr. Kay not only succeeded in making money but he was thrifty as well as industrious and one of his first acts, after he became inde- pendent, was to send back to Scotland for his aged parents and his eleven brothers and sisters, fourteen altogether, joining him in America. He established the family on a small farm in Ohio and the opportunities afforded by this devoted son and brother were not neglected. It has been a matter of just pride with him that he could give those dependent on him the advantages he never had himself.

W. M. PUCKETT, vice-president of the Cabin Creek Consolidated Coal Company, of Kanawha county, W. Va., has been connected with important business concerns almost his entire mature life. He was born in Montgom- ery county, Va., July 29, 1869.

Mr. Puckett was still a young man when he became interested in business, becoming cash- ier of the First National Bank, of Hinton, W. Va., and while there made investments in the Kayford mines, his introduction to the coal in- dustry. In 1902 he came to Charleston and bought the Boggs pharmacy and conducted it for three years and while still in the drug busi- ness became interested with coal operators on Cabin creek and accepted the general manage- ment of the Kanawha Fuel Company, coming later to his present company, of which he was made vice-president in 1907.

In December, 1894, Mr. Puckett was mar- ried to Miss Katherine Hallorn, and they have two children : Anita and Elizabeth. Mr. Puckett is an advanced Masön and belongs to the Blue Lodge, Chapter, Commandery and Mystic Shrine, all at Charleston.

JOHN R. DAVIS, a teacher, living at Clendenin. W. Va., where he has been secre- tary of the village board for the past five years, has spent the larger part of his life in educational work. He was born at Clendenin. April 20, 1860, and is a son of William H. and Mary C. (Hill) Davis.

William H. Davis was born in Rockingham county, Va., in 1816, a son of Mathew S. and Susan (Ferris) Davis, the former of whom was born in England and came to America with five brothers and settled in Rockingham county. He served as a soldier in the War of 1812. William H. Davis was a mechanic and after being in business at New Orleans, where he suffered an attack of yellow fever, came from there to the Elk river in Kanawha county, and operated saw and grist mills. He died in Roane county in 1880. He married Mary C. Hill, who was born in Kanawha county in 1828, a daughter of Henry and Susan (Smith) Hill. Eleven children were born to this marriage: Florence, who is de- ceased; Adelaide, who is the wife of L. Smith, of Roane county; Susan, who is the wife of A. J. Hindman, of Kanawha county; Lucy, who is the wife of Jones Myers, of Roane county ; Rose Ann, who is deceased; John R .; Mathew H. and Albert G., who are of Roane county ; Philip B., who is deceased; W. W., who lives at Spencer, Roane county; and the others died in infancy.

John R. Davis was educated in Kanawha county and enjoyed two terms at Marshall College, after which he went into educational work, and to teaching his life has been mainly given. Mr. Davis is one of the best known educators in Roane and Clay counties and has a very wide circle of friends in those sec- tions, many of whom were his pupils for a longer or shorter time. He was married first to Miss Lucy Argabright, who died in 1901, aged thirty-one years, a daughter of Floyd Argabright, of Roane county. Four children were born to them: Edith, who died in in- fancy ; Mabel Gertrude, who is eighteen years of age; Walter Guy, who is sixteen; and Roy Glen, who is now deceased. Mr. Davis mar- ried for his second wife, Miss Mattie E. Hayes, a daughter of Vincent and Elizabeth (Naylor) Hayes, residents of Big Sandy dis- trict. Mr. Davis is identified with the Odd Fellows at Clendenin and has been secretary of the local lodge for five terms.

On the maternal side of the family, Mr. Davis traces his ancestry back to Sir Francis Drake. His great-grandfather, James Hill.

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was one of the oldest settlers in Kanawha county. On the paternal side the Davis fam- ily included Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy during the Civil War, who was a second cousin of the father of John R. Davis.

HON. CORNELIUS CLARKSON WATTS, a member of the well known law firm of Watts, Davis & Davis, at Charleston, W. Va., has long been professionally promi- nent, and as United States attorney for West Virginia for four years, distinguished himself in public affairs. He was born at Amherst, Va., April 23, 1848, and is a son of James D. and Lucy A. (Simms) Watts.

Cornelius C. Watts accompanied his par- ents in 1861 in their removal from Amherst to Albemarle county and afterward, while still a boy, he enlisted for military service in the Confederate army and served under Col. Mosby until the close of the Civil War. He then completed his interrupted education, at the University of Virginia, studied law and was admitted to the bar. In 1870 he became a citizen of West Virginia and entered into practice in Wyoming county, immediately im- pressing his fellow citizens with his abilities as a lawyer and to such an extent that in 1872 he was elected prosecuting attorney for W'yo- ming county, serving acceptably in that office until 1875, when he came to Charleston and the capital city has been his home ever since.

In 1880 Mr. Watts was elected attorney general of West Virginia, on the Democratic ticket. In August, 1886, he was appointed by the late President Cleveland, United States attorney for the District of West Virginia, was removed by the late President Harrison and was reappointed in the second administra- tion of President Cleveland, serving in this office with honor, efficiency and great profes- sional ability until 1896, when he retired in order to accept the nomination of the Demo- cratic party for governor of West Virginia. In the present space it would be impossible to record all the important litigation in which General Watts was concerned during his many years of official life, but no student of West Virginia history can escape the conviction that

one of the state's most valuable as well as able men during the years above indicated, was Attorney General Watts. He won his cases for the state in contests with some of the most brilliant legal minds in the country, and the resulting legislation has contributed largely to general prosperity. One notable case deserves perpetuation in these records, both on account of its far-reaching importance and also on ac- count of the distinguished professional men against whom General Watts pitted his argu- ments, his experience, his facts, his great tech- nical knowledge of every point of law, to- gether with his oratory-and won. It was the great tax suit against the C. & O. Rail- road, which was appealed to the United States court. in which he was the special United States attorney. The talent arrayed against him included such men as Senator Edmonds of Vermont. William J. Robertson of Vir- ginia, Judge James H. Ferguson, and Col. William H. Hageman, of the highest legal ability. General Watts recovered not only the sum of $200,000 for the state, but the right to the State of West Virginia to forever impose the railroad tax against this and all other roads operating and doing business in the state.

After retiring from public life, General Watts resumed his law practice at Charleston. and since 1905 has been the senior member of the above firm, which maintains its offices in the Citizens' National Bank Building. As a lawyer in general practice, General Watts' reputation is high. He combines thorough knowledge with eloquence and as a speaker is in demand for many occasions, and also as a writer has more than a local reputation. Like many Southern born gentlemen, he is fond of and a fine judge of horses and he takes a par- donable pride in being the owner of the trot- ting horse Gen. Watts (3), 2.0634 estab- lished in 1907, as a three-year-old. General Watts owns and lives at Breezemont in this city. a beautiful home which stands on an emi- nence that commands a beautiful view of the capital city.

ALTON NORMAN DAVIS, who is as- sistant superintendent and one-half owner of

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the stock of the Eastern Carbon Black Com- pany, a vast enterprise doing business in Ka- nawha county, has been identified with the manufacturing of carbon black all his business life. He was born at Pittsfield, in Warren county, Pa., March 8, 1876, and completed his education in the high school there and in a commercial college.

Mr. Davis then went into the business of manufacturing carbon black, in association with his brother, O. L. Davis, at Eaton, Ind., and with the family owned and operated a plant there for seven years and then became interested with the Eastern Carbon Black Company and when the plant was transferred to Kanawha county, W. Va., and located on Barren creek and Elk river, became assistant superintendent. Mr. Davis is a practical car- bon maker, understanding every detail, and this knowledge, combined with excellent busi- ness judgment, has made him an important factor in the concern which manufactures more than a million pounds of carbon black per year.

Mr. Davis was married in Steuben county, N. Y., to Miss Lillian A. Thatcher, who was born there in 1873, a daughter of William K. and Roxy J. (Tuller) Thatcher, the father being a retired farmer living with his wife at Canisteo, N. Y., where they are prominent in the affairs of the Baptist church. Mr. Davis has one brother and one sister: Richard T., who is a table manufacturer, married Laura Carter and they have one daughter, Aileen; and Pearl E., who is the wife of Carl Flohr, a railroad engineer, and they have one daugh- ter, Ruth. Mr. and Mrs. Davis have three daughters, namely : Esther T., Frances E. and Virginia L., their ages ranging from thirteen to four years. Mr. and Mrs. Davis are mem- bers of the Christian church. In politics he is a Democrat and fraternally he is identified with Lodge No. 452, Elks, at Clarksburg.

JOHN C. MALONE, assistant cashier of the Kanawha Valley Bank of Charleston, W. Va., was born March 6. 1871, at Malden. Ka- nawha county, W. Va., and is a son of Joseph and Mary E. (Farley) Malone. Both parents were of Irish ancestry. The mother was born in West Virginia and died at Malden, at the

age of forty-seven years. The father was born in Botetourt county, Va., and after mar- riage settled in the Kanawha Salines, now Malden, afterward for a number of years be- ing an engineer on steamboats and well known to river men. His death occurred at his home in Charleston, in 1900, at the age of sixty- nine years. He had three sons: James A., who died at the age of sixteen years; John C., and Joseph, who also died when in his six- teenth year.

John C. Malone was educated in the schools at Malden and Charleston, and after- ward he became a clerk for the well known clothing house of Philip Frankenbarger & Co., at Charleston, and in 1891 he first became connected with the Kanawha Valley Bank. From a somewhat humble position in this banking institution he was advanced to others of responsibility as they were earned through industry and fidelity and in 1901 he became assistant cashier. Mr. Malone, like his late father, is a Democrat in politics but is no poli- tician and has never accepted any civic office ex- cept membership, at one time, in the city coun- cil. He is an active member of the Masonic fraternity, being a Knight Templar and a member of Beni-Kedem Shrine, at Charles- ton.

Mr. Malone was married at Charleston to Miss Sallie K. Gresham, a daughter of Will- iam T. and Margaret J. Gresham, the former of whom is now deceased. Mrs. Gresham is a resident of Charleston, in which city Mrs. Malone was reared and educated. Mr. and Mrs. Malone have two children: Margaret, who is a graduate of the Charleston high school, in the class of 1911; and Joseph W .. who is a satisfactory student in the public schools. Mr. and Mrs. Malone, with Mrs. Gresham. are members of the Methodist Epis- copal church, South.

PORUS J. YOUNG,* who is interested in life insurance at Clendenin, W. Va., and also in various patent rights which he has secured for inventions, belongs to one of the old fam- ilies of the Kanawha valley. He was born May 26, 1860, on Mill creek, Kanawha county, W. Va.

Conrad Young, the pioneer settler of this

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family, came with his wife from Germany, and the latter was drowned while fording the Susquehannah river. Conrad's son, John Young, married a Taggart. He was a bear hunter and had a record of slaying thirty bears in one season. Family annals have much to say of this intrepid man and one story is that he pushed a canoe containing his family all the way from St. Albans to Charles- ton, to escape Indian pursuers. This was be- fore the Revolutionary War. His son, John B. Young, lived east of Charleston at a point known as Cabell's Gap. He married Mar- garet Young, who died in 1864, aged sixty- five years, while he survived until 1880. when aged eighty-five years. It was probably his father, John Young, who is credited with kill- ing the last Indian in this section, who had attempted to steal his children.

Harvey Young, son of John B. Young, was born on Mill creek and spent his short life in the same neighborhood, a school teacher and farmer, his death occurring in 1866, at the age of thirty-five years. He married Mary E. Griffith, who died in 1909, aged seventy- four years. She was a daughter of William and Mahala (King) Griffith, and a grand- daughter of Patrick and Mary ( Mullen) Griffith.

Porus J. Young obtained his education in the local schools, after which he engaged in the lumber business until he was twenty-seven years of age. He then worked at sawing and stone cutting in Rowan county, Ky., for four- teen years. In 1901 he came to Clendenin and for two years was a salesman in a business house and then became agent for life insur- ance companies and has continued to be inter- ested in this line. He married Miss May Boyd, who was born in 1867 and died in 1900, leaving no children. Her parents were James S. and Anna (Bailey) Boyd, the latter of whom was a daughter of Judge Bailey, a well known jurist in Kentucky. Mr. Young is not interested to any degree in politics. He be- longs to the order of Red Men at Clendenin and to the Odd Fellows at Morehead, Ky., and to the Encampment at Blue Creek, W. Va.

HENRY A. WALKER, deputy assessor of Charleston, W. Va., and the owner of 387

acres of fine land in Elk District, Kanawha County, was born December 6, 1881, in Monroe County, W. Va., and is a son of Charles H. and Malissa A. (Zirkle) Walker.

The parents of Mr. Walker belong to old Virginia families. The father, Charles H. Walker, was born in Monroe County, Sep- tember 26, 1843, and is a son of J. H. and Caroline (Caldwell) Walker, and their only child. J. H. Walker was a native of Craig County, Va., of which he was sheriff at one time. He moved to Monroe County after middle life and died there at the age of sev- enty years. He married Caroline Caldwell, who died in Kanawha County, at the age of seventy-four years, three months and seven days.

·Charles H. Walker attended the country schools and later became a farmer. On June 9, 1862, he enlisted for service in the Civil War, and was assigned to Co. C, 45th Va. Inf., Confederate Army, and remained a faithful and reliable soldier until the sur- render of Gen. Lee closed hostilities. Dur- ing this long interim he participated in many of the serious battles of that great war. He was engaged in the Loring Raid of the Kanawha Valley to Charleston, while a member of Co. C, and after being trans- ferred to Co. A. 60th Vol. Inf., took part in the battle at Cloyd's Farm, afterward ac- companying his regiment to the Valley of Virginia and was in the hard-fought battle near Staunton, Va. The battle of Lynch- burg followed and the Confederate troops pursued the Union forces to near Salem and then back to the Valley of Virginia. He was in the engagement at Manassa Junc- tion and Karnstown. His command crossed the Potomac River twice and then went into Maryland under General Early. His regiment was very active at that time and being composed of brave and fearless men was usually at the place of greatest danger, hence he was captured on September 19, 1864, at the battle of Winchester. He was confined at Point Lookout until he was ex- changed on March 18, 1865. Mr. Walker went to Richmond and was given a furlough of thirty days and thus was not on the field in the closing days of the war.

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History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens, Part 113

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