History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens, Part 120

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 120

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perintendent of free schools and served in that office from March 4, 1873, until March 3, 1877. Upon the removal of the capitol from Charleston to Wheeling, in 1875, Col- onel Byrne moved with his family to Wheel- ing, where they lived for almost two years, returning to Charleston in the latter part of March, 1877.

William E. R. Byrne attended the com- mon schools of Wheeling and Charleston until the age of sixteen years when he ac- cepted employment as a member of an en- gineering corps and for about five years was engaged in the work of civil engineer- ing, devoting some of his spare time to the study of law. In January, 1884, he went to Lewisburg, W. Va., where he read law for about ten months with his uncle, Judge Homer A. Holt, and was admitted to the bar in October, 1884. In April, 1885, he located at Sutton, Braxton county, W. Va., and practiced his profession in Braxton and adjoining counties, and was elected prose- cuting attorney of Braxton county for the term from 1893 to 1897, at the conclusion of which, on the first day of January, 1897, he returned to Charleston, where he has since resided. He was elected clerk of the state senate at the session of 1893, and clerk of tthe House of Delegates at the session of 1899.

Mr. Byrne was married to Miss Amanda Austin, eldest daughter of Dr. Samuel Hunter and Mary (McPherson) Austin, of Lewisburg, Greenbrier county, W. Va., on June 12, 1889, and their children are: George Austin, born April 15, 1891 ; Marie Louise, born June 16, 1893; Barbara Linn, born July 9, 1895; Charlotte Virginia, born January 23, 1901 ; and William Eston Ran- dolph, Jr., born December 10, 1906.

The death of Col. Benjamin W. Byrne occurred September 12, 1903, at the age of eighty-three years and four months. His widow survived until December 6, 1906, passing away at the age of seventy- eight years. The surviving members of their family, in addition to William E. R., are: George, who, for a number of years was a journalist in West Virginia, and is

now a member of the editorial staff of the Baltimore Sun; Ella T., who is the wife of J. C. Given; Anne H., who is the wife of M. W. Venable, both of whom reside at Charleston ; Lida W., who is the wife of J. M. Boggs, of Big Otter, W. Va .; and Ger- trude, who is the wife of Olin White, of Nashville, Tenn.

WILLIAM J. BUCK,* vice - president and a director of the Bauer Meat & Fish Company, wholesale and retail dealers in these commodities at Charleston, W. Va., is one of the active, reliable and practical business men of this city. He was born at Waukegan, Lake county, Ill., October 22, 1863, and is a son of Jacob and Eliza (Till- man) Buck.

Jacob Buck was born in Wertemberg. Germany, and came to the United States in early manhood. He had learned the butcher trade in his native land and followed the same until the time of his death, in 1872, at the age of forty-four years. He was married at Waukegan, Ill., to Eliza Tillman, who was born in Baden, Germany, seventy years ago and still resides in that city. She and husband were reared in the German Lutheran church. Their family consisted of four sons and three daughters, namely : William J .; Fred; Charles, who is a retired retail butcher, residing at Waukegan, has a family; George D., who is in the butcher business at Evanston, Ill., has a family : Eliza, who is the wife of A. F. Rose, a boat- builder at Palm Beach, Fla., has two daugh- ters; Matilda, who is the wife of George Mawman, a newspaper man residing at Lake Bluff, has four children; and Lulu, who married Fred Millimore, and they live at Waukegan and have one daughter.

William J. Buck was nine years old when he lost his father. He remained at school for a few years and then learned the butch- er trade and when nineteen years old went into business for himself in his native city, in partnership with his brothers. For thir- teen years the firm of Buck Brothers con- trolled a large part of the best meat trade at Waukegan. For the twelve following

RICHARD O. BAILLIE

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years he was with the Swift Packing Com- pany in Chicago, for three years being a resident of that city and from there came to Charleston sent as manager of the Swift plant here. He continued in that position for eight years and then resigned in order to enter into his present business relation. He was one of the incorporators of the Bauer Meat & Fish Company and has a large interest in the concern which is a very important enterprise at Charleston.

Mr. Buck was married at Lake Forest, Ill., to Miss Louise J. O'Neal, who was born in that exclusive suburb of Chicago, and they have one son, William J., Jr., who was born at Waukegan, in 1898. He is a grad- uate of the Charleston high school, passing his examinations with much credit when only seventeen years of age. For the past five years he has been credit man with the firm of Lewis, Hubbard & Co. Mr. Buck and family are members of the Presbyterian church. Both he and son are members of Kanawha Lodge No. 20, F. & A. M., and Mr. Buck belongs also to the Elks.

GEORGE MYERS, lock master at Lock No. 2, on the Kanawha river, near Mont- gomery, W. Va., has occupied his present position of responsibility since 1900, having had a large amount of previous experience. He ws born in Pittsylvania county, Va., April 30, 1856, and is a son of Charles T. and Mary (Willis) Myers.

The parents of Mr. Myers were natives of the same section of Virginia in which he was born, and they came from there in 1871 to Kanawha county and settled at what was then called Brownstown, but was later changed to Marmet. He operated a blacksmith shop there and was a well known and respected business man. His death took place in March, 1896, when he was aged seventy-seven years, his widow sur- viving only until the following November, her age being seventy-two years. Of their thirteen children three died young, the others being as follows : James M. : Joel D., who is deceased; Allison : John R .: Charles T .; Alvilda E., who is the wife of Robert

Willis; Josephine, who is the wife of Thomas Daniel; George; Sallie, who is the wife of Charles Chapman; and Crafton T.

George Myers spent his boyhood on the home farm and remained with his parents until he was nineteen years of age, when he began work as a water boy on the section of the C. & O. railroad then in course of construction, and in 1875 became a regular employe of D. M. & C. P. Dull, who were the contractors having the building of the locks and dams in the Kanawha river in charge. He worked first in the construc- tion of Lock No. 5, near Marmet and later on Lock No. 3, near Pratt. From 1882 un- til 1884 he worked at the carpenter trade and then came back to the river and as- sisted in the construction of Lock No. 2, and after its completion was made a lock hand, under Lockmaster J. B. Rader, to whom he became assistant and succeeded in 1900. His long experience has made Mr. Myers one of the most reliable men along the whole river.

On May 29, 1878, Mr. Myers was mar- ried to Miss Elizabeth Berry, a daughter of William and Mary Berry, old settlers in Kanawha county. Ten children have been born to them, as follows: Margaret, who is the wife of William Dunlap, and they have two children-Pearl and Lonna; Er- nest H., who married Percie Dunlap, and they have three children-Vernon, Doris and Maurice; Mary, who died at the age of twenty-seven years ; Bettie ; George, who died when aged twenty years; and Lee F., Theodore S .. Iva, Jennings and Fern. Mr. and Mrs. Myers are members of the Meth- odist Episcopal church, south. He is iden- tified with the Odd Fellows at Montgom- ery.

RICHARD OSBORNE BAILLIE, civil and mining engineer and dealer in real es- tate at Hansford, W. Va., has lived in Kan- awha County for thirty-three years and during the larger part of these has been engaged in work pertaining to his profes- sion. He was born August 18, 1861, at Racine, Wis., and is a son of Nathaniel A. and Mary Matilda (Bigelow) Baillie.

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Nathaniel A. Baillie was born in Ireland, in 1826. After graduating in civil engi- neering from Trinity College, Dublin, he came to the United States in 1848 and set- tled in Western Pennsylvania, but subse- quently became prominently identified with railroad construction all over the United States. He was the U. S. civil engineer that built Lock No. 3, at Hansford, W. Va. His death occurred at Lewisburg, Septem- ber 17, 1892. He was married in Michigan to Mary Matilda Bigelow, who died Jan- uary 15, 1893, and they were the parents of five children, namely: Mary M., who died December 2, 1905; William, who died November 9, 1867; Nathaniel A., who was a physician, died March 22, 1889; Charles R., who died April 12, 1903; and Richard O., the only survivor.

Richard O. Baillie accompanied the fam- ily in 1869 to Uniontown, Fayette County, Pa., and in 1872 from there to Baltimore, Md. At the age of sixteen years his father took him out of school in order to give him practical experience in engineering and from then until the death of the father they were associated in business and closely bound by the tie of kindred as well as iden- tical interests. When his father was sent to oversee and assist in the improving of the Great Kanawha River in West Virginia, he accompanied him and assisted in the con- struction of Lock No. 3.

Mr. Baillie was married February 10, 1883, to Miss Bettie Middleton Doddridge, only daughter of Philip and Sallie Hans- ford Doddridge, and granddaughter of Mrs. Felix G. Hansford, who, on that day cele- brated her ninety-second anniversary. The father of Mrs. Baillie was born at Wells- burg, Brook County, Va., a son of Philip and Juliana (Musser) Doddridge. He was a noted attorney and a prominent man in public affairs, serving for seven consecutive terms in the U. S. Congress. The mother of Mrs. Baillie was a daughter of Felix G. Hansford, Sr., and his parents were Major John and Jane (Morris) Hansford. the for- mer of whom gave the name to the present town of Hansford and erected the first

house in the county with glass windows, outside of Charleston. The residence of Mr. and Mrs. Baillie was built in 1824 by Felix G. Hansford, Sr. Mr. and Mrs. Baillie have three children: Sallie D .; Mary M., wife of J. Albert Schroeder, of Piqua, O .; and Eleanor. The family be- longs to the Protestant Episcopal church. In politics Mr. Baillie is a Republican.

JOHN H. BARRETT, president of the Barrett, Shipley & Co. department store, a large and prospering business enterprise of Charleston, W. Va., was born in Isle of Wight county, Va., in October, 1877, and is a son of Joseph Alfred and Alice (Crump- ler) Barrett.

The Barretts have belonged to Virginia since prior to the Revolutionary war and the grandparents of John H. Barrett, John and Mary (Hancock) Barrett, spent their long lives in Isle of Wight county, living on their large plantation and being sub- stantial and representative people. They had eight children and all survive except Joseph Alfred, father of John H., who was born in 1849 and died in 1902. He followed farming and stock raising and became a man of considerable prominence in his dis- trict. He married into an old and aristo- cratic Virginia family and his widow now resides at Norfolk, Va. She was reared in the Baptist church, but after marriage united with her husband, with the Christian church. The five children born to this mar- riage were : D. P., who is a minister in the Christian church ; John H .; Maggie E., who is the wife of F. H. Snipes, a railroad con- tractor; Eunice L., who is a resident of Norfolk, Va .; and Mills Pressley, who re- sides with his mother at Norfolk.

John H. Barrett secured a good, practical education and then was trained along mer- cantile business lines. He came to Charles- ton from Baltimore, Md., where he had been in the jobbing trade from 1901 until 1905, and during the last two years had been the commercial | representative of a dry goods house. His present business was established in 1905 at Charleston as a co-

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partnership under the firm name of War- wick, Barrett & Shipley Company, and was incorporated with John J. Warwick as president; John H. Barrett as vice-presi- dent, and C. R. Shipley as secretary and treasurer. In July, 1911, the outstanding stock was called in and Mr. Warwick re- tured and under the reorganization Mr. Barrett became president and secretary and Mr. Shipley, vice president and treasurer. It was capitalized at $50,000, with paid in capital of $25,000, for doing business as a department store, and its first quarters were in a building 25x125 feet in dimensions. In 1907 a new building, just double in size was utilized and in 1910 an addition to these was completed, 75x120 feet, four stories in height. The present building is of solid steel frame and brick construction, has a frontage of 125 feet on Quarrier street, 120 feet on Hale street, and 120 feet on Dickin- son street, three and four stories high, with basements, and two passenger and one freight elevator are in use. The immense stock is divided into fifty departments and here every want of a discriminating publc can be supplied. This is one of the most modern establishments in the state. Their business is both retail and wholesale, the latter line including furniture and groceries.

Mr. Barrett was married at Baltimore, Md., to Miss Sue Ward Clark, a daughter of James and Emma V. (Lumpkin) Clark, old Southern families of distinction. Mr. and Mrs. Barrett have one daughter, Vir- ginia Lumpkin, who was born September II, 1910. They are members of the Meth- odist Episcopal church. In politics a Dem- ocrat, Mr. Barrett gives his support to Democratic candidates but is no active poli- tician himself, his interests being mainly along business lines and in this connection he is a valued member of the Charleston Chamber of Commerce.

NATHAN GUTHRIE,* who owns a val- uable farm of eighty-six acres, lying in Union district, seven miles west of Charles- ton, belongs to one of the old settled fami- lies of this section. He was born in Ka-

nawha county, five miles northwest of Charleston, July 22, 1848, and is a son of John Guthrie and a grandson of James Guthrie, who was one of the pioneers of this county, being one of three brothers who emigrated to America from Ireland, the Scotch-Irish parents and other members of the family remaining at home. James Guthrie prospered in the new country and acquired an ample estate in what is now West Virginia.

John Guthrie was born on his father's farm in Kanawha county, on which his son Nathan was later born, and obtained his education in the early subscription schools. He remaned at home with his father and when he came into possession had 533 acres, all of which land is still owned by his heirs. He cleared the larger part of this property and as he had natural mechanical ability was able to erect his own buildings, doing even the stonemason's work. He was a man of enterprise and vigor, and not- withstanding much hard work, he lived to be ninety-three years of age, his death oc- curring on February 14, 1910. His wife had died ten years previously. Their burial was on the home farm, as was then a gen- eral custom and with many families an ex- clusive privilege. In politics he was a Democrat and he served as a trustee of his school district. In his later years he was a member of the Church of the Latter Day Saints.

John Guthrie married Mary Wallace, who was a daughter of Alexander Wallace, a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, and a family of eleven children was born to them, as fol- lows: Alexander, Harriet, Nancy, Louisa, Nathan, Virginia, Carolina, F. J., John I., S. A., and William G. Nancy and Louisa died young. The mother of the above mentioned family was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Nathan Guthrie attended school with some regularity in Union district until he was about sixteen years of age, after which he exerted his young strength in the hard work that is necessary in properly taking care of land and stock. That he never over-

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strained himself was owing perhaps to good luck, for he has always been very industri- ous and has possessed a robust constitution, and now can do more hard work in a day than two men can ordinarily accomplish. He continued to live in Kanawha county for twenty years following his marriage and then moved to Cleveland county, Okla., but two years later returned to his native county and purchased his present farm in Union district, fifty-five acres of which is finely cultivated. He put up all the sub- stantial buildings on the place and has made the excellent improvements. Mr. Guthrie takes no active interest in politics but casts his vote with the Democratc party. He has been ordained to the priesthood in the Church of the Latter Day Saints.

Mr. Guthrie was married in 1868 to Miss Rachel Lewis, who was born in Nicholas county, a daughter of George Lewis, and they have had a family of eight children born to them, namely: Silas, who is now deceased; Monroe; Miles G., who is now deceased; Fred, who married Aldie Gertie Crews; Mary, who is deceased; Jesse, who married Della Carter; John, who married Mabel Sawyer, and lives in Oklahoma; and Mettie, who is unmarried.

BEVERLY N. BURRUSS, who has been engaged in the mercantile business at Spring Hill, W. Va., for some twenty-seven years and is identified with the leading in- terests of the place, was born November 14, 1853, n Goochland county, Va., and is a son of Rodger D. and Elizabeth Ann Bur- russ.

The parents of Mr. Burruss were also born in Virginia and there the father died at the age of seventy-six years. He was a man of culture and education and during the larger part of his life was an educator. The mother survives, being now in her sev- enty-sixth year. Five sons and four daugh- ters were born to them, the family record reading as follows: Josephine, deceased ; Olivia, wife of Benjamin McClelland of Richmond, Va .; Lottie, wife of Arthur Cha- pin, of Richmond; Lula, wife of Parker

Lacy, a farmer near Louisa Court House ; William Joseph, deceased; Walter James, a miller, living in Virginia; Rodger, a car- penter, living at Richmond; and Beverly N.

Prior to coming to Kanawha county, Mr. Burruss was variously engaged after his school period was over, and in 1884 he em- barked in the mercantile business at Spring Hill, in which he has been continuously en- gaged with the exception of two years. He has partners in his present enterprise which is known as the Spring Hill Grocery Com- pany, the stockholders being B. N. Burruss and A. R. Shepherd, the latter of whom is postmaster at Spring Hill, Mr. Burruss be- ing assistant postmaster. With the excep- tion of a serious loss by fire at one time, the business has prospered and is an im- portant one in the commercial life of the place.

Mr. Burruss was married in 1884, to Miss Mary Josephine Ellett, a daughter of Wm. H. Ellett, of Fife, Va., and they have had five children born to them, namely: Annie Fenton; Norval Hansford, who is a billing clerk in the offices of the C. & O. Railroad at Catlettsburg, Ky .; Mary B., who is the wife of James Feamster, of Middleport, O .; Josephine and William Frederick, both of whom are students at Charleston. Mr. Burruss and family attend the Methodist church. He is a Democrat in his political views.

JAMES EDWARD HANSHAW, of the firm of Hanshaw Brothers, No. 102 Charles- ton street, Charleston, W. Va., was born on his father's farm in Clay county, W. Va., May 6, 1873, and is a son of Francis and Polly Ann (Bloomer) Hanshaw.

Francis Hanshaw was born in Clay county, then in Virginia, near the Kanawha county line, and was a son of J. Hanshaw, who moved to Kanawha county. The lat- ter owned a boat that he navigated on the different rivers and in later years went to Missouri. Francis Hanshaw remained in Clay county until the opening of the Civil war, when he became a soldier. After three years of service he returned to Clay county

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

and married and then engaged in farming, moving later to a rented farm in Cooper's Creek, in Kanawha county. The family then spent two years in Texas but subse- quently took up their residence in Kanawha county and the father now owns a farm on Sugar Creek in partnership with his sons. Of his children, James Edward is the youngest, the others being named as fol- lows, all but three surviving: Mary, who is the wife of William Tulley; David; Jo- sephine, deceased, who was the wife of Clinton Copeland; Anna, deceased, who was the wife of Jacob Kessler; Maggie, who is the wife of Alfred Rogers; and Ber- tha, Amos, George W., Robert and William M., Robert dying at the age of seven years.

James E. Hanshaw was fourteen years of age when the family came to Kanawha county, where he remained, not accompany- ing his father to Texas. When he was seventeen years old he became a street car driver and thus continued for two years, when electricity was installed and he then turned his attention in another direction. For one year he traveled for the firm of L. Bluestein & Co., buying ginseng, wool and hides. He then embarked in the meat busi- ness, opening his store in 1901, in partner- ship with S. Ellis, under the firm name of Hanshaw & Ellis, two years later buying the Ellis interest. He then admitted H. B. Graham as a partner and for two years the firm style was Hanshaw & Graham. In February, 1911, William M. Hanshaw bought the Graham interest and since then the firm style has been Hanshaw Bros. In 1906 they took possession of their present commodious quarters and here they have a large trade. They do their own butchering and attend personally to the business, James E. being the inside man and William M. operating a wagon. They have many particular customers who much prefer home cured meats to the packing house products.

Mr. Hanshaw was married in 1895 to Augusta R. Cooper, a daughter of W. J. and Electa Cooper, and they have four children : Cora Belle, Earl, Norris and Mil- dred. The family residence is at No. 530

Wyoming street. Mr. Hanshaw belongs to the order of Maccabees and to the Amer- ican Mechanics.

WILLIAM D. LEWIS, retired lumberman and one of the well-to-do residents of Charles- ton, was born near Malden, Kanawha county, W. Va., June 21, 1850, son of John D. and Betty (Darneal) Lewis. His immigrant an- cestor came to America from the north of Ire- land and was of Scotch-Irish blood.

Charles Lewis, son of the immigrant, was born in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. He enlisted as a soldier in the War of 1812-15, subsequently became a colonel, and was killed at the battle of Point Pleasant, in Mason county, (now) W. Va. He left a family, in- cluding Charles Lewis, Jr., the grandfather of our subject, who was a young man at the time of his father's death.

Charles Lewis, Jr. settled in Mason county, near Point Pleasant, on the Ohio river, which had been the scene of his father's death. Here he followed agriculture. He married and had a small family, among whom was John D., the father of William D. Lewis.

John D. Lewis was born in the Old Do- minion in the year 1800 and died at Kanawha Salines, a mile below Malden, this county, in December, 1882. He was but a boy when his parents settled in Mason county where he was reared .. Later he came to the Salines on the Kanawha river and engaged in the business of salt making, being among the first to en- gage in that industry here. He also became a large land owner, owning in his own right 70,000 acres of timber land, underlaid with fine coal deposits, though the latter source of wealth was then unsuspected. This land, much of which he obtained for an almost nominal price, is now worth millions on account of its coal and timber. He was a successful and wealthy man and at one time owned as many as 100 slaves. He was a very well known and highly esteemed citizen and was once a delegate to the legislature. He died on his own estate at the age of eighty-two years and his funeral was attended by almost everybody, white and black, for miles around. A man of great energy, he was accustomed to ride twenty

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miles from his home to Charleston to attend court, returning the same day. While insist- ing upon industry in his servants, he was never a hard master but was always kind to them. He was always ready and willing to help any- one who needed assistance, provided they showed a disposition to help themselves. In politics he was first a Whig and later a Dem- ocrat, and religiously he was a most staunch member of the Episcopal church.

John D. Lewis was four times married, first to Miss Shrewsbury, who died in early life, leaving one son Joel S., now deceased, who was married and left five children. The sec- ond marriage of John D. Lewis was to Ann Dickinson, who died in the prime of life, leav- ing three children, namely, Charles C .; Sallie J., residing on Virginia street, Charleston, who is the widow of H. Clay Dickinson, and has three children; and Mary D., wife of John Q. Dickinson, the well known business man and financier of Charleston, who has two sons.

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History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens, Part 120

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