History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens, Part 48

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 48

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Almarine B. Jackson was born in Virginia, seventy-four years ago, and during his active period followed farming and was in the lumber business, but now lives retired. His father was Thomas H. Jackson. To Mr. and Mrs. Jack- son the following children were born : O. J. A., of Clendenin. W. Va., J. T., of Clendenin ; Flora D., widow of W. H. Orton; Rose F., wife of John T. Campbell, of Clendenin; Sarah Pearl, wife of William Kelly, of Roane Coun- ty; J. O .; Laura, wife of J. Hendershot, of Clendenin ; and Myrtle, wife of W. Kinder, of Roane County.

After his school days were over, James O. Jackson engaged in farming and at the same

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time taught school one term and afterward em- barked in a mercantile business in Roane and Clay Counties. In 1899 he came to Clendenin. He is manager, secretary and treasurer of the King Hardware Company; is a director of the Clendenin Oil & Gas Company, and is second vice president of the Koontz Oil and Gas Com- pany. While his business interests are numer- ous, Mr. Jackson handles them with ease, hav- ing much practical knowledge and a fine sense of business.

Mr. Jackson was married to Miss Florence G. Taylor, who was born May II, 1876, a daughter of B. J., and Lucy J. (Woodey) Tay- lor. The father of Mrs. Jackson, who is de- ceased, was formerly a member of the state leg- islature from Roane County. The mother re- sides with Mr. and Mrs. Jackson. The latter have one daughter, Lucy Atkinson, who was born November 18, 1899. The family belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church, South, in which Mr. Jackson is secretary and recorder. In politics he is a Democrat and in 1909 he served as mayor of Clendenin.

CHARLES K. PAYNE, president of the Payne Shoe Company, Charleston, West Vir- ginia, was born in Giles County, Virginia, No- vember 27, 1859, a son of Charles Henry and Kezia (Kinzer) Payne. He was reared on a farm in his native county until he was thir- teen years of age, at which time he accepted a position as clerk with his brother-in-law, Capt. T. A. Roberts, in a general store at Blacks- burg, Virginia. Later he attended the Vir- ginia Agricultural and Mechanical College at Blacksburg. After several years at this col- lege, he again on his own responsibility began his industrial life as one of the firm of Black & Payne at Blacksburg, Virginia. This part-

nership was continued for seven years and was at Madam Lefebvre's school (Edgeworth), at a happy and profitable combination.

Mr. Payne sold his interest to his partner, Mr. Alex. Black, in 1889, and coming to Charleston, associated himself with Arnold, Abney & Company, and established the whole- sale business of Payne Shoe Company which commands a large wholesale trade throughout this region, extending into Ohio and Kentucky. The large six-story building now occupied by

the company was built and completed in 1910. This firm employs from ten to fifteen salesmen, and has had a successful and prosperous busi- ness from the beginning.

Mr. Payne was not only the organizer of this large business, but has been president of the company since its organization. He has also been a director of the Charleston National Bank for eighteen years, and is a director in the firm of Noyes, Thomas & Company, one of the largest wholesale dry goods houses in this section. He has taken an active part in the de- velopment of the city of Charleston, having erected quite a number of substantial business blocks, besides his handsome residence proper- ty on Kanawha Street. Mr. Payne is a Mason of many years standing, and has occupied a prominent position in that fraternity. He has been trustee of the Masonic Temple for the past fifteen years. Mr. Payne is also Past Po- tentate of Beni-Kedem Temple, Past Eminent Commander of Kanawha Commandery and Past Master of Kanawha Lodge. He has been an extensive traveller, having visited most of the principal countries on the globe, and last winter returned from an extensive trip to South America, visiting all the principal republics and capitals of that country.

Mr. Payne was married in 1883, at Blacks- burg, Virginia, to Miss Einma Edmondson, formerly of Memphis, Tenn. She as well as Mr. Payne are both members of the First Pres- byterian church, of Charleston, and are both active workers, Mr. Payne being Chairman of the Board of Deacons. Mr. and Mrs. Payne are the parents of two living children-Henry E. and Marguerite. Henry E. is associated with his father as vice president of the Payne Shoe Company. His daughter Marguerite has just finished her school life, having graduated Baltimore. Henry E. Payne married Miss Lucy Couch, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George S. Couch, of this city.

WILBER S. NORTON, who is a represen- tative of a family that settled at Malden, W. Va., before that town was laid out, has spent almost his entire life in Malden District and is well known as a business man and citizen. He

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was born at Malden, January 15, 1865, and is a son of Moses and Emily M. (Reed) Norton and a grandson of Moses and Mary (White- cotton) Norton.

Grandfather Norton came to Mason County, Va., from Ohio, and from there came to Mal- den, Kanawha County, when his son Moses, was a child, the birth of the latter taking place January 25, 1816, in Mason County. He spent his life in Malden District and was interested in the coal and salt industries. He was married first in 1849, to Frances Putney, who died in 1862. They had three children; Mary Ellis, James Henry, and Mary Frances. He was married secondly on August 29, 1863, to Emily M. Reed, who died May 13, 1868, sur- vived by their one child, Wilbur Springs Nor- ton. Moses Norton survived his second wife for many years, his death occurring January 13, 1896.

Wilbur S. Norton was educated in the public schools and a business college in Cincinnati. He has been identified with the Campbells Creek Coal Company since 1880, being employed first as a clerk in the company's store and later be- coming bookkeeper, having charge of this part of the business since 1904.

Mr. Norton casts his vote with the Demo- cratic party but takes no very active interest in politics, being no seeker for office. He belongs to several fraternal organizations including the Knights of Pythias and the Red Men, both at Malden. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, in which he is a deacon.

HUGH G. NICHOLSON, M. D., proprie- tor and managing head of the Barber Sanito- rium and Hospital at Charleston, WV. Va., is a native of Warren county, N. C. He acquired a high school education there and subsequently took his M. D. degree from the University Col- lege of Medicine at Richmond, Va., graduating in the class of 1897. He afterwards took a post-graduate course at the New York Polycli- nic and since then has been an annual visitor and attendant at Mayo's Clinic at Rochester, Minn. In 1898 he took the management of the Sheltering Arms Hospital at Hansford, this county, an institution established in 1886 and

conducted by the Diocese of West Virginia, of the Episcopal church, and which is now one of the most complete hospitals in the state, com- paring favorably with the best to be found in the country. He had much to do with estab- lishing its enviable reputation, greatly promot- ing its efficiency, by improving its equipment and service, and increasing the number of pa- tients three-fold. It is now in charge of Dr. J. Ross Hunter, a worthy successor of our subject.

On leaving this institution in 1901, Dr. Nicholson engaged in medical practice in the city of Charleston and continued thus engaged for some eight years, building up a very suc- cessful practice. The Barber Sanitorium and Hospital, of which he became proprietor in December, 1909, was established in 1904 by Dr. T. L. Barber and conducted by him until his death in 1910. It is designed for the treat- ment of all kinds of drugless cases, including those requiring treatment by the various kinds of baths, electricity, Pasteur treatment and sur- gery. For these purposes it is admirably equipped with all necessary apparatus, in the management of which the Doctor and his as- sistants are thorough experts, possessing not merely the technical and manipulative skill, but that higher knowledge necessary to successfully direct it. Under Dr. Nicholson's management it is enhancing its reputation and increasing its sphere of usefulness to a large extent. Dr. Nicholson is a member of the county, state and national medical Associations. He is also a prominent Mason, belonging to all the various branches of that order up to and including Beni-Kedem Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He belongs also to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

Dr. Nicholson was married in Charleston to Miss Roberta Coleman, who was born in this city and acquired her education in Chicago, Il1. Her parents, Robert A. and Nancy (Venable Noyes) Coleman, were natives and lifelong res- idents of Kanawha county, Mr. Coleman being engaged in business in Charleston for many years. Both died here. Dr. Nicholson and his wife are members of the First Presbyterian church. They have two children, Hugh G. and Mildred.

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WILLIAM and GEORGE KEELY are among the well known and honored citizens of Kanawha county, both reside in Loudon dis- trict on their home farms opposite Charleston; both were born in Haverhill, Mass.,-George in 1839 and William in 1842, and were sons of Rev. Josiah Keely, A. M. and Eliza (Bradley) Keely.

Rev. Josiah Keely was born in Northamp- ton, England; landed in America in 1818 and located in Haverhill, Mass., where, later, he en- gaged in mercantile trade, and was one of the forty shoe manufacturers of the town in 1837. It was then the custom for the young man who put up his first business sign, to "wet his sign;" Keely, Chase & Co., were the first business firm in the town who did not "wet his sign,"-being active in the great temperance movement that had been started in the country. In 1840 Rev. Keely entered the ministry. In 1843 he settled in Wenham, Mass .; in 1852 he settled in Saco, Me., pastor of the Main Street Baptist church, and for a number of years was also supervisor of the public schools of the town and township; in 1.863 he was appointed chaplain of the Thir- teenth Maine Infantry, then doing duty in the Department of the Gulf, and he joined the regi- ment at New Orleans, saw active service during the whole Red River campaign, was com- mended by Major-General N. P. Banks for his care and devotion to the soldiers, was placed in charge of the Hospital Steamer "Natchez" with the sick and wounded for New Orleans, and shortly after, was stricken with malarial fever and died (June, 1864), aged 58 years.

Mrs. Eliza (Bradley) Keely, his wife, was the daughter of Enoch and Abigail (Hildreth) Bradley. Enoch was a drum-major in the war of 1812, and after the war returned to his farm in Haverhill, Mass .; later, as his nine children became of age, he built cottage homes for each on different sections of his large estate,-to provide against possible need. Enoch's wife was a near relative of the Hildreths who settled Marietta, Ohio; their descendants are among the most estimable of the present residents of Marietta.

William Keely entered early in life upon duties of a public nature : at 16 years, was li-

brarian of the Saco Athenaeum ( Public Li- brary) ; at 17, teaching a rural school; at 17, was graduated from the Saco (Me.) High School, and entered Colby (Waterville) Col- lege. Later, the Civil War was claiming the young patriots of the Country, and he enlisted as a private in the 13th Maine Vol. Infantry, of which Gen. Neal Dow was the Colonel; and while in camp, at Augusta (Me.) was Adju- tant's Clerk at Headquarters. His regiment was ordered to Ship Island, Miss., where he performed his share of guard duty and of load- ing and unloading, and coaling U. S. Trans- ports, preparatory to the capture of New Or- leans. This regiment was sent to cut off the retreat of the Confederates, and two companies were ordered to garrison Fort Macomb, La. Later, Mr. Keely is commissioned a Lieuten- ant, and Acting Post Quartermaster and Com- missary at this fort. Later, civil government being restored in Louisiana, he and other offi- cers are ordered to await assignment of duty in the regular army. Not desiring to enter the regulars, he resigned and was honorably dis- charged in October, 1864. Soon after arriving home he was appointed principal of the Peaks Island School,-a part of Portland, Me. Clos- ing his school work, he accepted position as bookkeeper, and, later, as superintendent of the Cannelton (W. Va.) Branch of the Union Coal and Oil Co., of Maysville, Ky. This company mined cannel and bituminous coal, made oil from the cannel coal, shipped the crude oil in barrels and an oil boat to Maysville to be re- fined, and, also, shipped cannel coal to Cincin- nati and New York for gas purposes. The pay rolls and expenses of the company were about $30,000 per month. When, in 1865, Mr. Keely was appointed postmaster at Cannelton, he and his two sureties had to go horseback fourteen miles on to Cabin Creek to the nearest magistrate, Matthew P. Wyatt, Esq., to qualify.

Upon the discovery of Rock Oil, the cost of making oil from cannel coal became prohibi- tive ; and, in 1868, Mr. Keely was instructed to close up the business of the Canneltown Branch. In 1869 he moved to Fayette County, on to the William Buster farm, where the town of

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Mount Carbon now is ; later, he rents the Hogue farm below Charleston, and in the winter months we find him working fire and life insur- ance in Kanawha, Boone and Logan Counties, representing the Coldwell & Moore Agency. At the same time, he is looking about for some place on which to permanently locate. In the meanwhile, he is business manager of the Bap- tist Record at Charleston, and, later, is local editor of the Kanawha Daily,-the FIRST Daily paper printed in Charleston, and also re- porting the proceedings of the Constitutional Convention of 1873; later, this Daily, with its good-will, was merged into the Daily Courier, of which Hon. H. S. Walker was proprietor.

Mr. Keely now accepts a position as Secre- tary, Bookkeeper and General Manager of the Anchor Stove Works Co., of which Colonel T. B. Swan was the President,-succeeding Secre- tary Randolph, of the firm of Boggs & Ran- dolph. This stove company was composed of local capitalists, and made a brave fight to com- pete with the larger and stronger stove com- panies on the Ohio River, but having assumed the debts of a former company, it was "quit or lose more money."

For a year or more Mr. Keely was accoun- tant for Mr. Charles Ward and The Charleston Gas Co., of which Mr. Ward was the efficient superintendent, but stringency in money mat- ters compelled curtailment in office force.

From 1874 to 1876, business was very dull in Charleston, and, for the first time since coming to the Kanawha Valley, Mr. Keely retired for a livelihood to his mountain home on the wooded hills of the south side of the Kanawha River,-this site having been purchased in 1870. He supplemented his poultry and dairy operations by devoting his spare time to copy- ing "Briefs," and by occasional bookkeeping.

In August, 1876. through the kindness of friends, and unbeknown to Mr. Keely, he was recommended to Dr. J. P. Hale, President of the Snow Hill Salt Co., who was planning to start the old Snow Hill Salt Furnace, the larg- est in the Kanawha Valley ; Dr. Hale wrote for an interview. Mr. Keely had never met Dr. Hale, but, following the first interview. he ac- cepted the position of storekeeper, bookkeeper and general manager. He was able to handle

the work in the store for a while with the young men who were assisting, but other duties de- manded more of his time, and he secured the services of Mr. B. F. Mays of Charleston, who proved faithful and trustworthy in every re- spect. Mr. Keely made a thorough study of the process of salt making, and demonstrated that the business could be made a success. The furnaces were running every hour of the six week days and Sunday, and he ascertained, by experiments, that he could make as much Salt without running on Sunday, and so give the men who were "Kettle-tenders" a needed rest : and the furnace was run for three years on this plan :- until 1882, when all the furnaces of the Kanawha and Ohio rivers were closed out and shut out by the cheaper grades of salt from Michigan and New York States, which mo- nopolized the markets,-the Dickinson Fur- nace, only, running on the Kanawha, by hold- ing the Kentucky trade over the Chesapeake & Ohio RR .: and one or two furnaces on the Ohio having their own market.

During his stay at Snow Hill, Mr. Keely was road commissioner, Sunday school superinten- dent and school trustee : he also opened a read- ing room for the men, which was well patron- ized and much appreciated : he had, also, Mrs. Keely as his valued assistant in keeping up the bookkeeping and office work.

In 1882. Mr. Keely, having closed up the business of the Snow Hill Salt Co., moved to his mountain home : and, again, accepted posi- tion with Mr. Charles Ward, whose business as inventor and manufacturer of the Ward Water-tube Marine Boiler was becoming firmly established ; and Mr. Keely, as accountant and. later, as secretary of The Charles Ward Engi- neering Works has continued with this firm for a period of thirty years. During this time, he has. also, through the courtesy of this firm. been able to accept the position of president of the Board of Education of Loudon Magisterial District, for four years, and, later, for seven years, he has been the secretary of the same Corporation.

He has been active in religious work since his conversion at fifteen years ; was superintendent of the Union Sunday School when at Cannel- ton, and after taking his letter to the Charles-

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ton Baptist Church in 1870, he was clerk and, later superintendent for ten years, of the Sun- day School of this Church, also a Deacon of the Church since 1876; also, clerk of the Kana- wha Valley Baptist Association for thirty-two years, and West Virginia Transportation Leader for the Conventions of the International Baptist Young Peoples' Union of America since 1895.

He is awake to all matters of public interest, -especially of good schools, of good roads and of good farming. For a number of years he has been County Correspondent of and Re- porter for the U. S. Department of Agriculture at Washington, under a commission from the secretary of agriculture. At all the general elections he is either a clerk or an election com- missioner, and has been a notary public for twelve years. He is a Prohibitionist in princi- ple and practice, and a Republican in politics : -- an upright, active, useful and appreciated citizen.

In 1865, he married Miss Lucy Stacy of Saco, Me., whose ancestry, as well as that of Mr. Keely, is traced back to the seventeenth century. Their six children, all now in active callings, are Elizabeth and Madeline, teachers in the City Schools; Josiah, for ten years prin- cipal of the State Preparatory Schools at Mont- gomery, now superintendent of the Ownings Mine of the Consolidated Coal Co., near Shinnston; John, a former bookbinder, now a settled pastor in Massachusetts; Urania and Abby, teacher and accountants.

GEORGE KEELY, when quite a youth, was sent for a prolonged visit to an uncle in Haverhill, who had a private school at his residence; and George combined farming with a course of study. Returning to Saco, he continued his school work,-his summer vacations being given to farming and harvesting for the parish- ioners of the Rev. Keely; later, he was a stu- dent at Colby Institute (Waterville, Me.). He was graduated from the Saco High School and entered Colby (Waterville) College in 1859.

During his high school course he gave part time to medical study, while employed as apothecary clerk; he taught school the winter of 1859 at Charleston, Me., about 20 miles from Augusta, the capital of the State. The

neighborhood was primitive, and the 26 scholars had 24 different kinds of readers,- requiring 24 recitations each day; his salary was meagre, and he "boarded round." Fail- ing health in college compelled Mr. Keely to seek more active employment ; and going to the Aroostook country in the Northern part of Maine, he engaged as clerk in a village store. Later, the Civil War being already in progress and many of his student friends having enlisted, he returned to Saco in the fall of 1861, and en- listed as a private with his brother William in Co. K, 13th Maine Volunteer Infantry. In 1863, the hospital steward of the regiment was made a surgeon, and Mr. Keely was recom- mended for the position, and was hospital stew- ard during the remainder of his term of service in the Red River campaign and after the regi- ment was transferred to the Shenandoah Val- ley of Virginia. He was honorably discharged January 6, 1865,-having served more than his three years' term.

Mr. Keely again took up his studies,-enter- ing the New Hampton (Vt.) Theological Insti- tute, and, later, completing at Hamilton Semi- nary ; he preached during the time to the small adjacent village churches in New York State. Completing his studies he returned to the Aroostook country, and engaged in colporteur and pastoral work at Linneus, Linden and Smyrna, Me., and remained in the county preaching and farming until March, 1876.

In 1868 he married Louisa J. Adams, an efficient and prominent school teacher and teacher of music in Aroostook County. Her sister, Miss Marada Adams of Portland, Me., has been principal for years of the Emerson Grammar Schools of that city, and is a woman of remarkable tact and ability as superinten- dent and instructor.

The experience of Mr. Keely and wife among the people as they went from place to place re- vealed a primitive condition of things in some of the homes,-both in want of culture and the the proper conception of pastoral support; so that the pastor was often found without money or material to keep the wolf from the door in the long severe winters in the Aroostook. Wonderful dreams began to trouble the wife, and she had a vision of mysterious meaning, in

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which she saw the words of Scripture recorded in the Revelation, "Come out from among them, and BE YE SEPARATE,"-which decided their action in leaving the Baptist faith, and they sought for new light.

An uncle learning of their extreme financial straits and of their environments, and who had taken a deep interest in the two "boys" (George and William) since the death of the father in the army, proffered help; George also wrote his brother William about his decision religi- ously; later, the brother taking up the matter and the situation with the uncle, it was decided that Mr. Keely and his family should move to West Virginia. They arrived in March, 1876, remaining on the farm of his brother William during the management of the Snow Hill Salt Furnace, when he occupied his adjoining prop- erty of 34 acres, which had been purchased,- on which the family of eight living children have since resided. In their religious searching for new light they were led to choose the faith of the Society of Friends. The children were all matriculated at the Friend's School at West- town, Pa., except Frank, deceased, who was graduated from the Charleston High School, and was fitting himself for forestry. George, the eldest, married, and is with a Leather Belt manufacturer at Wilmington, Del .; Louisa and Jennie are at home; Mary, married, and has a nice home at Patten, Me .; Faith, a teacher ; Mercy and Truth are efficient graduate trained nurses; Thomas, married, and is a truck- gardener; the wife and mother still teaches at the home, and many of the neighbors' children and grandchildren are pleased to say that they went to school to "Aunt Louisa."

As the years have gone by, either the father or the mother have alternated in attending the Yearly Meeting of Friends at Philadelphia. The influence from this good family is widely felt and appreciated.

ALFRED L. MORRIS, M. D., a member of the Kanawha County Medical Society and a leading physician and surgeon at Clendenin. W. Va., was born March 30, 1869, at Blue Creek, Elk District, Kanawha County, and is a son of James H. and Mary C. (Johnson) Morris.

James H. Morris was born in Bedford County, Va., and died in March, 1911, aged seventy-six years. He was nine years old when he accompanied his parents to Kanawha County, and later in life often told his children of the journey by wagon and of the primitive log cabin his father built which had, at first, no door, and of the danger to which they were subjected at night from the unwelcome visits from the forest wolves. He grew to manhood there and followed an agricultural life. He married Mary C. Johnson, who survives, a daughter of Hiram and Mary (Shelton) Johnson, natives of Virginia. Of their chil- dren, Dr. Morris is the second oldest, the oth- ers being: Virginia, who resides at No. 1519 Virginia Street, Charleston, is the widow of J. C. Rippetoe; a babe that died in infancy ; Bet- tie, who is the wife of John Smith, residing in Fayette County ; Effie, who is the wife of C. J. Pearson, of St. Albans ; and James Elbert, who carries on the home farm. Stephen Morris, the grandfather, was a native of Bedford County, Va. He was a farmer and stock dealer and lived into old age, his death occurring in 1901, when he had reached his eighty-ninth year.

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History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens, Part 48

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