History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens, Part 121

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 121

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John D. Lewis was married the third time in this county to Betty Darneal, a native of Kentucky. She died in 1851, when under thirty years. She was the mother of two chil- dren, Julia D. and William D., the latter be- ing the direct subject of this sketch. The for- mer, Julia D., is the wife of James M. H. Beale, an extensive farmer of Point Pleasant. They have six children, namely: Charles, William L., Thompson, V. M., Julia M., Jose- phine and Rebecca.

John D. Lewis's fourth marriage was with Mrs. Sarah Spears, a native of Virginia, whose first husband was killed while serving in the Confederate army. By him she had a daughter, who is now married and resides in Birmingham, Ala.

William D. Lewis was educated at Wash- ington-Lee University, at Lexington, Va. and since his graduation has kept in close touch with his alma mater, of which he was made a trustee in 1907. After his student days were over he became identified with the lumber in- dustry, looking after the timber lands left by his father and operating as a lumber manufac- turer. He retired some time ago from active participation in this industry and is now prac- tically retired, residing in a pleasant home at

No. 417 Broad Street. He is, however, in- terested in the firm of Hubbard-Bedell, whole- sale grocers of Charleston. He is an elder in the First Presbyterian church and in poli- tics is a Democrat.

Mr. Lewis was married in Malden, this county, thirty years ago to Jennie G. Stanley, who was born, reared and educated in Kana- wha county. She is a daughter of Joel Stan- ley, who passed nearly all his life in Kanawha county and who died near Malden when ad- vanced in years. Mrs. Lewis's mother is also deceased. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis are as follows: William D. Lewis, Jr., resid- ing in Charleston; is unmarried. John D., also unmarried, is a commercial man in the employ of the Hubbard-Bedell Company. Linn, a daughter, who was educated in Lewis- burg, W. Va., resides at home with her pa- rents and is unmarried. Brown is now a student in Washington-Lee University, Class of 1912. Julia Beale, is attending the city high school, being a member of the class of 1913.

HON. WILLIAM SYDNEY LAIDLEY, a prominent citizen of Charleston, W. Va. and author of this history of Kanawha County, is by descent, from the Laidlaws of Ayrshire, Scotland; and from Baron Jost Hite of Strawsburg, Germany; there is also a mingling of English and French blood in his veins from the Scales and Du Bois,-to some one of these nationalities he is indebted for his humor and his artistic and literary taste; so marked in the man. He was born June 27, 1839 at "Lamartine," the Laidley homestead, in Cabell County, Va. He was the seventh son of John Osborn Laidley and Mary Scales Hite. His schoolmates dubbed him "Doc," remembering the old saying "the seventh son must be a doc- tor." He attended school at Marshall Col- lege until he was nearly grown, then went to North Carolina to assist his brother, Col. T. T. S. Laidley, commander of the arsenal at Fayetteville, N. C. After his father's death in 1863. Mr. Laidley came to Kanawha (at the earnest solicitation of his brother-in-law, Judge George W. Summers) ; he entered his office and read law with him, in 1865 was

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admitted to the Bar, and the firm of Summers and Laidley was formed but did not last for many years, as the Judge's health failed and in 1868 he died. Then Mr. Laidley and Col. W. H. Hogeman (a talented young lawyer 'from New York) formed the new firm of Laidley and Hogeman. This continued for seventeen years. Besides their general prac- tice they were attorneys for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad and interested themselves in all public matters of importance-legal, so- cial, and political. In 1885 Col. Hogeman died, and Mr. Laidley was again left alone, lamenting the loss of a congenial friend and able partner. He declined all proposals of new partnerships, remaining in the office by himself until the present time, when he has his son associated with him under the title of Laidley & Laidley. Mr. Laidley has been a resident of Kanawha for nearly fifty years and has seen the many changes that have swept over Charleston, how the little aristocratic village grew to the beautiful cosmopolitan city of to-day, and has ever been interested in her welfare, her citizens and her beauty, doing his share to help the home of his adoption.

He has followed his profession industriously, especially practicing, with pleasure and suc- cess in the Appellant Courts of the state, but still has found time to serve the town, as City Solicitor and as a Councilman for years and the County as Judge of the County Court to which office he was elected in 1900, when ev- ery other Democrat was defeated. During his term of office, the present Court House was erected, the road to Sissonville rebuilt and many other permanent improvements made, showing the wisdom and good management of the Court. He resigned before his term expired. He was elected to the legislature and served in the sessions of 1872 and '73. Ever a staunch Democrat, serving his party when and where he could, never bitter or vindictive, he always had many friends among his op- ponents. For years he was either the Chair- man or the Secretary of the County Demo- cratic Executive Committee and had much to do with the success of the party. In the coun- cils of the Church he was well known too; many times he was sent as a delegate to the

Diocesan Councils and to the National Coun- cil-the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church. As a man he is quiet and unpretentious, genial in manner, with a keen sense of humor and fine appreciation of a good joke, clear and concise in his arguments, hon- est and true in his dealing with all men, in- heriting his father's integrity and love of jus- tice and disgust with all that is mean and tricky, a great reader, always happy with his books and especially fond of historical research. He was a member of the Historical Society while it lasted and editor of the Historical Magazine, doing much of the writing himself and stirring up others to good works, thus preserving much of interest and value in the history of the state, for future generations that would otherwise have been lost.

He never sought an office, but when elected he served honestly and ably, thinking only of the good of the public and not of his own ag- grandizement. With much labor he has gath- ered from many sources the facts presented in this valuable history and transcribed them, thus saving from oblivion much interesting data that every Kanawhaian will appreciate.

J. R. BOHANNON

CHARLES D. BURDETTE, who is one of Charleston's enterprising and able young business men, secretary and treasurer of the W. F. Shawver Company, No. 620 Kanawha Street, has resided in this city since the spring of 1895 and has been iden- tified with business interests here. He was born on his father's farm in Greenbrier County, W. Va., May 14, 1870, and is a son of Lewis and a grandson of Miles Bur- dette.

The Burdette family is of English extrac- tion and probably the father of Miles Bur- dette was the first of the name to settle in Virginia. Lewis Burdette was a child when the family became established in Green- brier County, where he grew to manhood, married and continued to live until he was thirty-five years of age, when he moved with his family to Roane County and followed farm- ing there for six years, afterward returning to Greenbrier County and purchasing the

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farm on which he spent the rest of his life, his death occurring in 1898, at the age of sixty-nine years. His widow survives and makes her home with her son in Greenbrier County. The family consisted of four chil- dren: Etta, who died when aged twelve years; Charles D .; Clouny V .; and Nancy A., who is the wife of Charles A. Surbaugh, residing in Greenbrier County.

Charles D. Burdette was educated in the public schools and also attended a business college at Danville, Ind., after which he taught several terms of school in Green- brier County. Shortly after coming to Charleston in April, 1895, he entered the offices of the firm with which he is now officially connected, and worked four years in the home office and then went out for this firm as a commercial traveler. In 1901 he was admitted to a partnership, the firm name being then W. F. Shawver & Co., the present style being adopted when the busi- ness was incorporated in 1903, and Mr. Burdette has been secretary and treasurer since that time. He has always been an active citizen but not particularly along po- litical lines although he is a stanch Demo- crat.

On February 22, 1911, Mr. Burdette was married to Miss Elizabeth Lory, a daugh- ter of Fred Lory, of Charleston. They re- side at No. 509 Capitol Street, Charleston. He is a member of the U. C. T., and of the K. of P. and the D. O. K. K., all of Charleston.

WILLIAM R. JARRETT,* superintend- ent of the U. S. Mails at the Charleston, W. Va. Post Office, has been identified with the post office here since 1895, under sev- eral administrations and has been thor- oughly trained for his present responsible position. He was born at Charleston, No- vember 21, 1876, and is a grandson of Will- iam Jarrett and a son of Strawther and Nancy (Young) Jarrett.

William Jarrett was born in Kanawha County and spent the greater part of his life on the Elk River, in Elk District, late in life retiring to Charleston, where he con-

ducted a hotel on Kanawha Street for some years. He married a member of the At- kinson family, to which former Governor Atkinson also belonged, and they reared a large family. They were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. In early days he was a Whig in politics and later be- came a Republican and one of his brothers, John Wise Jarrett, served through the Civil War in the Federal Army.

Strawther Jarrett was born in 1848, in Elk District, and died at Charleston, June 22, 1898. For some years he was engaged in manufacturing barrels for the salt trade, being a practical cooper, and afterward be- came connected with gas manufacturing for the city of Charleston and his life cov- ered the period that saw natural gas sup- planting the artificial commodity. Although he was no politician, he contributed his vote in support of Republican policies and can- didates. He married Nancy Young, who was born in 1852, near Charleston and is a resident of this city, a member of the family of her son, William R. She is a devout Methodist as was her husband. To Straw- ther Jarrett and wife two children were born : William R. and Ida F. The latter is the wife of E. W. Waugh, who is manager of the Colonial Amusement Company of Huntington, W. Va., and they have one daughter, Alise.

William R. Jarrett was educated in the Charleston schools and before he com- pleted his High School course, was given a position in the Charleston Post Office and has served under four postmasters: Kenna, Petty, Dana and Hudson, for four years being manager of the registry department. and being advanced to his present position in 1908. In political affiliations he is a Re- publican. He belongs to Lodge No. 20. Kanawha A. F. & A. M., and also to the National Insurance Union.

PETER H. CAMP, justice of the peace for a number of years at Clendenin, W. Va., and an attorney with a good practice, is also interested in the real estate business. He was born May 26, 1873, near Walton,

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Roane County, W. Va., a son of John A. and Virginia (Hammock) Camp, and a grandson of St. Clair Hammock, of a well' known Roane County family.

John A. Camp was born in Monroe County, Va., sixty-two years ago, and is now an active business man in the State of Washington, where he is interested in lum- ber. He followed farming in Roane Coun- ty until 1898, when he moved to the West. He married Virginia Hammock, and they have had twelve children born to them, Peter H. being the second oldest. The other members of the family are: Ulysses S., who is a resident of Milwaukee; Ida, who is the wife of Scott Hickman, of Roane County ; Mary A., who is the wife of T. A. Gandee, of Arizona ; William A., who lives at Clendenin; Cora E., who is the wife of IV. Fisher, of Roane County ; Rebecca, who lives in Wetzel County; Margaret, who is the wife of F. Lawrence of Roane County ; Henry A., who is a resident of Charleston ; Gertrude, whose home is at Akron, O .; and Emmerson, who continues to live in Roane County.

After he had completed his school at- tendance, Peter H. Camp engaged in farming until he was twenty-four years old and for three years afterward was employed on public construction work and then filled the position of weigher in the coal mines for the Elk Coal Company for three years, and it was during this time that he com- pleted his course in law by utilizing his spare moments in study with the National Correspondence School of Indianapolis, Ind. He then opened a law office at Clen- denin and has built up a remunerative prac- tice. He is a Republican in politics and in 1908 was elected a justice of the peace. He is also local agent for the Union Accident Insurance Company and along every line is one of the town's enterprising and pro- gressive men.

Mr. Camp was married to Miss Sallie Lynch, who was born August 12, 1877, in Roane County, a daughter of John W. and Mary (Looney) Lynch, and they have three children: Mary Dulcie. Macil and

Orville, all at school. Mr. Camp is iden- tified with the Red Men at Clendenin; the Senior Order of American Mechanics at Walton, W. Va., and the Junior Order of this organization, at Berrien Creek, W. Va.

MARION SNODGRASS,* who is owner and proprietor of a general store at Mar- met, formerly called Brownstown, Kanawha County, W. Va., was born near this place March 12, 1853, and is a son of Thomas and Eliza (Price) Snodgrass.

Thomas Snodgrass, who was a farmer in Kanawha County from early manhood until his death, at the age of twenty-four years, was born in Giles County, Va. He married Eliza Price and they had six children born to them, namely: Benjamin, who died at the age of twenty-two years; Letha, who resides at Pa- tonia, in Boone County, the wife of J. C. Edle- man; Lucinda, who is the wife of Fred Til- ton and lives at Kingston; Marion; Fenton, who is deceased, and an infant also deceased.

Marion Snodgrass attended the old log school-house in the neighborhood of his father's farm in boyhood, and then was en- gaged in farming for some years, after which, some thirty-four years ago he opened his gen- eral store and has continued it on the same site ever since. At one time he operated a sec- ond store in the center of the town but as this section became more closely settled, sold his other etablishment. He is also an undertaker and carries in stock a full line of undertaking goods, owns a funeral car and takes personal charge of all funeral directing. He owns his own buildings and a considerable amount of other property at Marmet, together with lands at Henshaw, St. Albans and Andalia and a farm in Boone County.

Mr. Snodgrass married Miss Rachel Har -. less, a native of Virginia, and they have had the following children: Virginia, who died February 24, 19II, was the wife of Smith Hayhurst, and they had three children, all now deceased; Alice, who is the wife of B. W. Welaker, lives at Shelin and they have three children; William, who is deceased; William H., who is a railroad man, married Jessie J. Fowler. of Russell, Ky .; and Blanche, who re-

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sides at home. Mr. Snodgrass and family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, south. Politically he is a Democrat and he served six years in the office of constable. He belongs to the order of American Mechanics.

JAMES R. THOMAS, president of the Carbon Fuel Company, a business corpora- tion with vast interests in Cabin Creek District, Kanawha County, W. Va., has ad- ditional business connections at other points and is one of the men of large affairs in the commercial world today. He was born in Virginia, a son of Rufus W. and Sarah F. (Hopkins) Thomas. The mother died some years since but the father survives and is a remarkable example of vigorous old age, at the age of eighty-seven years not hesitating to attempt a horseback ride of twenty-five miles. He served in the Civil War in a Virginia regiment and at one time was severely wounded. For fifty years he has been an elder in the Presbyterian church.

The Carbon Fuel Company started into business as active miners in 1902 and James R. Thomas has been the only president, while Charles A. Cabell is secretary and treasurer and W. J. MaGee is general man- ager. The company was organized to open mines and produce and sell coal. The company owns the Carbon Coal Company, the West Virginia Colliery Company, the Republic Coal Company and others, and the aggre- gate of their investment is more than $1,- 000,000. The mines are all located in the Cabin Creek District on the C. & O. Rail- road, there being thirteen mines with a ca- pacity of 2,000,000 tons of coal per year. The business is divided into two depart- ments, the operating and the selling, the former being under charge of C. A. Cabell. with headquarters at Carbon, WV. Va., and the latter in charge of W. J. MaGee, with headquarters at the office of the Carbon Fuel Company in the Traction Building at Cincinnati, O. President Thomas divides his attention between both ends of the bus- iness. The number of employes varies from 1,000 to 1,500 people. The various compa-

nies own and operate 10,500 acres of land lying on the head waters of Cabin Creek extending into Kanawha and Fayette counties. The coal produced from these mines is of high grade and is sold largely to traction lines, railroad companies and man- ufacturers in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, quantities going to the docks on the great lakes during the summer months.

WILLIAM GORDON MATHEWS,* a well known attorney of Charleston, a member of the firm of Mollohan, McClintic & Mathews, and a man who has taken a prom- inent part in public life, was born in Green- brier county, W. Va., in 1877, a son of Henry Mason and Lucy (Fry) Mathews. The branch of the Mathews family now settled in West Virginia is descended from Thomas Mathews, a Welshman, who served in the British navy under Admiral Bing (1751).

Capt. John Mathews, son of the naval of- ficer, emigrated to America in 1730, settling in Augusta county, Va. His son, Capt. George Mathews, born 1739, commanded a company of regular soldiers at the battle of Point Pleas- ant, Va., in October, 1774. Later Capt. George Mathews went to the state of Georgia, where he became a leading citizen and was elected governor, serving from 1780 to 1794. His death took place in 1812.

The direct line of descent to the subject of this sketch is represented in the next genera- tion by Joseph Mathews, a nephew of Capt. George Mathews, and great grandfather of William Gordon Mathews. Joseph was a merchant and farmer and a much respected citizen of Greenbrier county, where he spent his entire life and was married. His wife in maidenhood was Mary Edgar, a daughter of James and Mary (Mason) Edgar, of Rock- bridge county, Va., and they were the parents of several children, including Mason, our sub- ject's grandfather.

Mason Mathews was born at Lewisburg, Va. (now WV. Va.), in 1804 and died at his native place in 1878. He was a man prom- inent in the public affairs of Greenbrier county. He held many local offices, was a member of the County Court, and by virtue

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of that office a commissioner, and was a dele- gate to the Virginia legislature just previous to the Civil war, being in sympathy with the cause of secession. He was one of the largest landholders in Greenbrier county.

He was married in his native county to Eliza Shore Reynolds, a daughter of Thomas Bird and Sally Ann (McDowell) Reynolds, and a member of an old and prominent fam- ily. They were the parents of seven children : Mary, Henry Mason, Alexander, Sallie, Eliza, Joseph William, and Virginia Amanda, --- whose record in brief is as follows : Mary mar- ried Richard Manzy, who was for many years editor of the Staunton (Va.) Spectator, and both are now deceased. They left two daugh- ters-Birdie and Christiana. Henry Mason was the father of the subject of this sketch and will be again referred to herein. Alexander, formerly president of the Lewisburg Bank, of Lewisburg, W. Va., died in 1907. He was also one of West Virginia's eminent lawyers, and was prominent in public life. A Demo- crat in politics, he was a delegate to the Na- tional convention of his party which nomi- nated Grover Cleveland in 1892, and was a presidential elector in 1904. He married Laura Gardner, of Christiansburg, Va., who is also now deceased. Their living children are Mason, Charles, Henry A. and Patty, all of whom are prominent members of society. Mary Miller, Florence and Maude, the other children of Alexander, died after attaining maturity. Sallie (daughter of Mason and Eliza S. Reynolds) married Henry Dunn, who is now deceased. She resides in Lewisburg with her daughter Hannah. Eliza married Andrew Mathews, of Pulaski county, Va., who spent the latter years of his life in farming in Greenbrier county, but is now deceased. She resides in Lewisburg, her children being An- drea (an unmarried daughter residing in Philadelphia), and Elizabeth Shore, wife of David Lloyd of New York City. Joseph Will- iam, now deceased, married Rose C. Mc- Veigh, of Baltimore, Md. His widow sur- vives and has four surviving children. Her son, John W., married Anna McVeigh, who is now deceased. Another son, Joseph Will- iam, was cashier of the bank of Lewisburg,

IV. Va., from its organization until his death in 1897.

Virginia Amanda married Dr. Alfred S. Patrick, of Kanawha county, a son of Spicer Patrick, one of the most prominent citizens of this county. Dr. Alfred S. Patrick was a prom- inent physician of Charleston, and served throughout the Civil war as surgeon in the 22d Virginia Regiment. Dr. Patrick died leaving three children, namely : Lieut-Col. Ma- son Mathews Patrick, of the United States En- gineer Corps, who married Miss Grace Cooley, of Plainfield, N. J .; Virginia S. Patrick, who married Joseph W. Hill, of Dayton, Ohio; and Mary Maud Patrick, a teacher in the high school at Charleston.

Gov. Henry Mason Mathews was born in Frankford, Greenbrier county, West Virginia (then Virginia), in 1834 and rounded out an active and distinguished career of half a cen- tury, dying April 24, 1884. He prepared for college at Lewisburg Academy and was afterwards graduated from the University of Virginia with the degree of B. A. While at the University he studied law and he later continued the study of that profession under Judge John W. Brockenborough at Lexington, Va., graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. He began the practice of his pro- fession in Lewisburg in 1857, but subsequently accepted the chair of History, Modern Lan- guages and Literature in his Alma Mater, at - the same time however, continuing to prac- tice in the courts.

In 1861 he volunteered for service in the Confederate army and saw three years of ac- tive service in the field, gaining the rank of major of artillery. He took part in many hot engagements and was in every sense a veteran soldier when the war closed. Elected to the State Senate after his return home, he was unable to take his seat because he could not take the required oath that he "had not aided or abetted the rebellion."

In 1872 he was elected attorney general of West Virginia and served in that office credit- ably for four years. In the same year also- 1872-he was a member of the Constitutional Convention. In 1876 he was elected governor of West Virginia by the largest majority ever

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given a candidate in this state. His superior educational attainments rendered him pecu- liarly well qualified to serve in this high office and his administration was all that could be desired and reflected great credit both on him- self, his party and the state.

Gov. Mathews married Lucy, daughter of Judge John M. Fry, an eminent lawyer of Wheeling, W. Va., the marriage taking place in November, 1851. She was a granddaugh- ter of Joshua Fry, who was a professor in William and Mary College and subsequently colonel of the First Infantry regiment serving under General Braddock in the French and In- dian war, and of which George Washington was Lieut-Colonel. Her maternal grand- father was Rev. John McIlvaney, D. D., who was the founder of the Presbyterian church in the Great Kanawha Valley, and who was pas- tor of the "Old Stone Church" at Lewisburg, built in 1789, for sixty years.

Gov. Henry Mason Mathews and wife had three children-William Gordon, Lucile Jo- sephine, and Laura Hearn, the last mentioned of whom died in 1897, at the age of eighteen years. Lucile Josephine is a graduate of New Windsor College, of New Windsor, Md., and resides with her brother in Charleston.

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History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens, Part 121

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