History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens, Part 86

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 86

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ALBERT J. HUMPHREYS. vice presi- dent and managing director of the Elk Bank- ing Company, of Charleston, W. Va .. and ex-vice president of the city's board of affairs, is one of Charleston's leading business men and a citizen held in high esteem. Mr. Hum- phreys was born in Kanawha county about forty-eight years ago, a son of James Spicer and Cynthia (Martin) Humphreys.

James S. Humphreys, who was born of Virginia parents, in the Shenandoah valley, near Charlottsville, in Albemarle county. Va., came to Kanawha county before his marriage, settling at Sissonville, where for some time he followed the occupation of carpenter, and con- tractor, afterward becoming a merchant and continuing in this line until his retirement some twenty-five years ago. He now resides with his son Albert, a venerable man, having passed his eightieth birthday. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, south, and is a Democrat in politics. His wife, Mrs. Cynthia (Martin) Humphreys, is still living, having attained the age of seventy-three years. Like

ALBERT J. HUMPHREYS

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her husband she belongs to the Methodist Epis- copal church, south.

Albert J. Humphreys, the only child of his parents, was born in Poca district, Kanawha county, and was there educated in the public free schools, and at the State Normal School, at Lebanon, O. About 1890 he came to Charleston, and having acquired a knowledge of the mercantile business in his father's stores, embarked in business here as a merchant. Being a man of good judgment and great energy, he made a decided success, and as a credit man ranks first in the city. The bank- ing business in which he is now engaged, was established by him and Harrison B. Smith, its president in 1904. It is capitalized at $50,000, with $9,000 surplus and about $200,000 in de- posits. The bank has had a healthy growth, and the company owns the building in which they are located, on the corner of Tennessee avenue and Charleston street. Mr. Hum- phreys has been active in local affairs, serving for two terms as a member of the city council and for two years as one of the city board of affairs, during which period he showed him- self to be a man having a good understanding of the public needs and with a high conscien- tious regard for his public duties.

Mr. Humphreys was married in Charleston, W. Va., to Miss Gertrude Harless, a native of this county and daughter of ex-Judge Le- roy Harless, who for many years was judge of the Kanawha county court, and who is still a resident of Charleston. Mrs. Humphrey's mother, who in maidenhood was a Miss Kee- ney, died in 1894. Both Judge Harless and wife belonged to the Methodist Episcopal church, as also does their daughter, Mrs. Hum- phreys. Mr. Humphreys is a Democrat in politics. He belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and to the Knights of Pythias, in the latter case to the highest branch of the order.

MICHAEL HAAS, a retired farmer living on his estate on Mink Shoals, Kanawha county, W. Va., has been a resident of this county for forty-two years and is well known and highly respected. He was born October 4, 1839, in Bavaria, Germany, and is a son of John and Margaret (Zeitland) Haas.

John Haas was born also in Bavaria, in 1803, and died in his own land in 1856. He married Margaret Zeitland, who was born in Germany in April, 1808, and died in 1874. Her father, John Zeitland, was a farmer. Of their five children, Michael is the only survivor. He had school advantages in his boyhood and afterward learned the mason trade and thus was self supporting before he came to the United States in 1866. He spent the first three years in Beaver county, Pa., and from there came to West Virginia, reaching Ka- nawha county on November 29, 1869, and he took up his residence on Cooper creek. Some years later he bought his present place on Mink Shoals and has followed farming and work at the mason trade ever since, not being quite as active in recent years as formerly.

In Beaver county, Pa., Mr. Haas was mar- ried to Miss Kate Forster, who died August 4, 1909, aged seventy-two years. She was born in Germany and came to America in girl- hood and at the time of marriage lived at Beaver Falls, Pa., Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Haas, namely: Maggie, who is the widow of William Rowsome, and has one son, Julius A., Mary, who is the widow of Ed. B. Tully, and has two children-Hubert and Shirley; Anna, who resides in the city of Cincinnati; Minnie, who is the wife of C. H. Bodkin, and has four children-John, Nellie, Amelia and Malinda; and John, who is a resi- dent of Cleveland, O., married Anna Heebner and has two children-Ada and Clarence. Mr. Haas is a member of the Lutheran church at Charleston. In his political views he is a Democrat but has never been willing to accept the cares of office.

JOE COTTRELL, for a number of years was a successful business man and highly valued citizen of Charleston, W. Va., identified with many of the interests which go to the making of a large city. He was born in Gallia county, O., June 29, 1865, and died at his home in Charleston, June 26, 1910. His parents were Joel and Mary ( Patterson) Cottrell.

Joel Cottrell, Sr., was born in Gallia county O., where he spent his life, following agri- cultural pursuits, dying at the age of seventy-

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six years. He married a member of the old Patterson family of Gallia county, and she survived to be sixty-eight years of age. They became the parents of eight children, namely : Silman, who conducts a blacksmith business, married Emily Loucks and they have four sons and one daughter; Cordelia, who resides with her eleven children at Charleston, is the widow of John Wallace; Emmeline, deceased, is sur- vived by her husband, Sylvanus Wallace, who lives in Colorado; Isabel, who is the wife of John Roadarmour, a farmer in Gallia county ; Edward, who died in early manhood; Joel; Alvan, who is a farmer living in Gallia county, married Anna Clark, and they have two sons; and Qunicy, who lives at Charleston, married Susan Riley and they have one son.

The late Joel Cottrell was reared and at- tended school in Gallia county and then learned the carpenter trade. In 1890 he came to West Virginia and started into business as a builder and house carpenter at Charleston, and con- tinued during a large part of his active life, later going into the general insurance business. He was an active and interested citizen and was prominent in the councils of the Republi- can party, serving in numerous local offices and for ten years was a justice of the peace. He was of a kind and charitable disposition and was a man of moral life, a valued member of the Christian church. He was quite promi- nent in Odd Fellowship, belonging to the pri- mary branch and the Encampment, and was identified also with the American Mechanics and the A. O. U. W.

In Gallia county, O., in August, 1886, Mr. Cottrell was married to Miss Ella M. Northup, who was born in that county, October 7, 1867, a daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Gilling- ham) Northup. The parents of Mrs. Cottrell still live on their farm in Clay Township, Gallia county. Her father served throughout the Civil War, participating in many of its battles from which he fortunately escaped unhurt, but he was imprisoned for fourteen months in a Confederate fortress and is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. Henry Northup is a son of George and Han- nah (Six) Northup, the former of whom was

born in New Hampshire and the latter in New York. They were pioneers in Ohio, where they married, and George Northup improved a farm. They were Quakers.

To Mr. and Mrs. Cottrell one son was born, Howell Frank, on November 12, 1887, He was educated in the Charleston schools and is now a commerical traveler, representing the wholesale department of the Goshorn Hard- ware Company, of this city. He married Miss Pearl Messer, a social favorite and an accom- plished young lady of Charleston. Mrs. Cot- trell and all her family are members of the Christian church. She has many interests and is a member of the Relief Corps of the order of the State Rebecca Assembly.

Mr. Cottrell was married first to Miss Cora Craft, who was born in Ohio. She survived her marriage but one year and died eight days after the birth of a daughter, Cora Edna, who was born March 27, 1886. The latter is the wife of Moffatt Luddington, who is an electrician in business at Charleston. They have one son, Joel Cavendish, who was born April 10, 1909.

CARL WIERSTEINER, general farmer, in Elk district, Kanawha county, W. Va., a well known and respected citizen, was born September 14, 1862, in Coblenz, Prussia- Germany, and is a son of Freidrich and Marg- aret (Stahl) Wiersteiner.

Freidrich Wiersteiner was born in Esh- weiler, Germany in 1817, and died May 2, 1890. He studied architecture and later fol- lowed contracting and building until 1860, when he built a gas factory in his town and operated it until his death, when the public authorities bought his plant. He married Margaret Stahl, a daughter of Mathew and Elizabeth (Art) Stahl. She was born in the Eifel, Germany, June 23, 1832, and died in April, 1897. Her father was burgomaster of his town. The children of the above mar- riage were: Rudolph, Carl, Maria, Richard and Conrad. Maria married in Germany and Richard also lives in the old country.

Carl Wiersteiner attended German schools in boyhood and then learned the soap manu- facturing business. In 1894 he came to Amer-

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ica and located first at Charleston and later went to Pittsburg, where he spent five years as a general laborer. He then returned to Germany and passed one year in his native land and then came back to Charleston and shortly afterward bought his farm, the old Swartz place, and here he has engaged in farming ever since, a quiet, industrious man, a good neighbor and a fine type of citizen.

In 1899 Mr. Wiersteiner was married to Miss Mary Haid, who was born in Pennsyl- vania, February 3, 1867, a daughter of Bene- dict Haid, a farmer on Blue creek, Kanawha county. They have six children: Margaret. Christina, Olivia, Agnes, Herman and Carl, their ages ranging from twelve to three years. The family belongs to the Catholic church, con- nected with the Sacred Heart parish at Charles- ton. Mr. Wiersteiner casts his vote with the Democratic party.

CHRISTOPHER SUMMERS, who at different times has been officially connected with the communities in which he resided, is engaged in the mercantile business at No. 7II Watts street, Charleston, and is also a successful insurance agent. He was born in what is now Roane county, W. Va., but at that time was a part of Kanawha county, Jan- uary 26, 1850, six years before the formation of the new county. His parents were James and Sophia (Phillips) Summers.

The father of Judge Summers was born in 1826 and the mother in 1828 and both died in Roane county. The paternal grandfather was St. Clair Summers, a native of Pendleton county, Va., who came to what is now Ka- nawha county as early as 1810, and was mar- ried in Elk district to Susan Hammock, a daughter of Martin Hammock, who was a frontiersman. His wife was a member of a family named Wease, of Monroe county, Va. Toward the close of the War of 1812 he en- listed and started for New Orleans but the war ended before he reached there. Judge Sum- mers now owns his grandfather Martin Ham- mock's farm of forty-three acres, in Elk district. James Summers, like his father, was a farmer and hunter. He was a justice of the peace in Roane county, which he helped to

organize. Two of his sisters survive: Ari- minita, who is the wife of William A. Ray, of Roane county, and Artentia, who is the widow of Lyle Paxton, lives in Jackson county, while an older brother, Henry, lives in Roane county. James Summers married Sophia Phillips and they had nine children, seven of whom grew to maturity. One son, John H. was drowned in the Poca river, at the age of twenty-five years. Isaac L. died at Charles- ton in 1910, the father of ten children. The survivors are: Christopher; Sarah J., who is the wife of J. H. Cummings, a farmer in Roane county ; Cynthia who was married first to J. L. Hiveley and second, to Fred Sparks, resides at St. Marys; Ella, who is the wife of T. H. Cummings, of Clendenin; and A. W., who is in the oil business at Circleville, O.

Christopher Summers who resided in Roane county until he was forty years of age, attended the local schools and worked on the home farm until he was twenty-five years old. He has always been a Republican and is one of the representative men of Kanawha county in party matters. He served four years as re- corder of the village of Elk, was police justice for four years, county coroner for seven years, and a member of the council for one term, after coming to Charleston. While in Roane county he served also as a justice of the peace, two terms as member of the board of educa- tion, being secretary during one term, and was assistant clerk of the legislature for one term. Mr. Summers also served as revenue collector for one year and was census enumerator of Elk in 1900.

Judge Summers was married first in Roane county to Miss Rebecca Ward, who died at the age of thirty-two years, leaving one son, J. Otis. He served three years in the U. S. Army and for two and one-half of these was corpo- ral of the 4th U. S. Inf. After his honorable discharge he returned to West Virginia and is now employed in the leasing department of the United Fuel & Gas Company. He married Malissa Arnett, of Spencer, Roane county. Judge Summers was married second to Mrs. Drucilla (Tulley ) Gilbert, who died May 20, 1901, aged thirty years. Judge Summers and son are members of the Methodist Episcopal

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church. In 1872 he united with the Masonic fraternity and his son is a Knight of Pythias.

PATRICK LAWRENCE BRANNEN*, who resides on his excellent farm of fifty-three acres, situated in Cabin creek district, near East Bank, W. Va., was born in Greenbrier county, Va., April 21, 1859, and is a son of Michael and Ellen (Gillespie) Brannen.

Michael Brannen was born in Ireland and when he emigrated to America settled in Pennsylvania where he met and married Ellen Gillespie, also a native of Ireland. From Pennsylvania they came to what is now West Virginia, locating in Greenbrier county, and from there moved to Snow Hill, in Kanawha county, afterward to Levi and still later to Marmet. Michael Brannen was in the employ of railroads and companies for many years and was highly considered for his executive ability and general knowledge of tunnel construction, and being able to handle men, was made boss of large gangs. In 1877 he moved to East Bank, where he died in the following year. His widow survives with four of their child- ren: Dennis; Margaret, who is the wife of Bartley Ferry; Patrick L., and William P. Michael and several infants are deceased.

Patrick Lawrence Brannen remained with his parents until he reached manhood but his father saw that his time was not wasted and set him to work around the mines when he was quite young and he followed mining for ten years. He also worked for two years on river boats between Charleston and Montgomery and afterward, for two years, was postmaster and a merchant at East Bank. Later he was made janitor of the Charleston post-office, a responsible position. He was then appointed mine inspector by Governor MacCorkle and served three years and for three years was president and superintendent of the East Bank Coal and Coke Company, of which he was one of the organizers. A man of intelligence and public spirit, active in local affairs, he was elected on the Democratic ticket, secretary of the Cabin creek district school board.

Mr. Brannen was married September 27, 1880, to Miss Eliza Johnson, a daughter of the late James F. Johnson, and they have had

nine children, two of whom are deceased. The survivors are: Sarah, wife of Donald Cham- bers; Helen, wife of Andrew C. Smith; and James, Kenna, Frank Michael and Margaret. Mr. Brannen and family are members of the Roman Catholic church at Coalburg.

DEWITT G. COURTNEY, one of Charleston's men of business importance, who has been engaged as a dealer and manufac- turer of cooperage stock supplies and lumber, at Charleston, for the past thirty-two years, was born in Mercer county, Pa., December 15, 1848, and is a son of David Franklin and Jane Coleman Courtney.

David Franklin Courtney was born in 1822 on the old homestead farm in Liberty town- ship. Mercer county, Pa., where he died when more than eighty years of age. The family is of Scotch-Irish ancestry. During the early settlement of Mercer county, Anthony Court- ney, an ancestor, was killed by the Indians. Captain Thomas Courtney, grandfather of Dewitt G. Courtney, was a soldier in the War of 1812. He was born in Chester county, Pa .. about 1780 and died in 1840 in Mercer county. He was a man of worth and influence in his locality. His first wife was named Rob- inson and his second was Catherine McDowell and to the last marriage the following chil- dren were born: Thomas, Nancy, Catherine. David Franklin, and Amanda. Amanda still survives of this family and lives in Pennsyl- vania.

David Franklin Courtney was a farmer by occupation. He took a good citizen's interest in the affairs of his neighborhood, kept well posted and was always a strong anti-slavery man. He married Jane Coleman who was born in 1824 and died in 1901. She came of one of the sturdy old families of Mercer county and grew into self-reliant womanhood and throughout a long life was noted for her sterling virtues and high Christian character. She was the beloved mother of a large family and by precept and example led them in the way of right living. Three of the children of David Franklin Courtney and wife are de- ceased and the following survive: Nancy R. Uber, who lives on the old homestead and has

DEWITT G. COURTNEY

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one son, Dewitt; Mary Cynthia, who lives on the old homestead; Alberta Jane, who is the wife of George G. Roberts, who looks after the branch office of Mr. Courtney's business at .Toledo, O .; Amanda Lavina, who keeps house for her brothers at Charleston; Thomas Ephraim, who is associated with his brother, Dewitt G., in business, married Lena G. Oshel and they have six children-John Franklin, Dewitt G., Dorothy Jane, Mary Horton and Florence Amanda; and Samuel C., who is in business at Charleston with his brothers. Both Thomas and Samuel P. Courtney are prominent Masons and Elks and all the Court- neys are Democrats. Dewitt G. is the oldest of the above family.

Dewitt G. Courtney was reared and edu- cated in Mercer county and was in business there from 1873 until 1879. He still calls his birthplace home and the people of Mercer county claim him, nevertheless he has so many important business interests and such a wide circle of friends in West Virginia, that he is led to denominate Charleston as his second or adopted home. He has conducted the same business since 1873 and has his two brothers, Thomas E. and Samuel P. Courtney, associ- ated with him as assistants. West Virgina offers the varieties and abundance of timber necessary in the large manufacturing indus- tries of this business, which has a trade terri- tory that covers the whole country. Mr. Courtney owns some twenty thousand acres of land in West Virginia and from this land he draws his supplies for manufacturing pur- poses. He is also interested in coal and oil. He has never either sought or held political office, and while a Democrat is independent and liberal minded and gave support to Pres- ident Taft in his endeavor to secure reciproc- ity with Canada.

CHARLES A. KAUFF, one of the pros- perous and enterprising business men of Hans- ford, W. Va., dealing in meat, groceries, produce and ice, was born October 3, 1871, in Hartford City, W. Va., a son of Jacob and Mary (Walter) Kauff.

The parents of Mr. Kauff were born in Ger- many and they were married at Pittsburg, Pa.

Jacob Kauff was nineteen years of age when he accompanied his parents to America and they reached the United States during the ex- citement incident to the Mexican War. Young Jacob became interested in the military talk he heard and it resulted in his running away to become a soldier. That kind of patriotism seems to have in no way appealed to his sen- sible father, who immediately followed the son and as the latter was not of age, had no difficulty in bringing him back home. For many years Jacob Kauff lived in the city of Pittsburg, where he worked as a miner, brick- mason, glass worker and butcher and later moved to Hartford City, W. Va., where he operated a bakery, and also owned and culti- vated a truck farm in Mason, county, where he died in 1894, aged sixty-six years. His wife died in 1891, aged sixty-four years. They had ten children, three of whom died young, the others being: Mary, wife of J. L. Lewis; George and William; Amelia, wife of John Brown; and John, Elizabeth and Charles A.

Charles A. Kauff grew to manhood in Ma- son county and was only thirteen years of age when he started to work in a nail factory at Clifton. Later he helped his father on the truck farm and afterward was variously em- ployed, working at mining, blacksmithing, and for a time was in the employ of the Standard Oil Company, working between Kane, Pa., and Cleveland, O. In October, 1907, he moved from Gamoca, Fayette county, to Hansford, where he rented business quarters until 1910, when he built his own establishment, which he has fitted up in modern style. He handles a large trade.

Mr. Kauff was married at Pomeroy, O., December 19, 1893, to Miss Docia Wetzel, a daughter of Robert and Mary Jane (Hensley) Wetzel and they have had six children, namely : Mary, who died when aged one year and two days; May; Carl; Nellie, who died at the age of ten months ; Helen L. and Clifford. Politi- cally Mr. Kauff is a Democrat. He is iden- tified with the Knights of Pythias at Pome- roy, O.

EVERETT E. ROBERTSON, attorney at law, with offices at No. 5081/2 Kanawha street,

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Charleston, W. Va., was born at Jarrett's Ford, Kanawha county, March 9, 1871, and belongs to one of the old families of the county that was established here by his grandfather. He is a son of George W. and Delilah E. (Mel- ton) Robertson.

George W. Robertson was born in Kanawha county and spent his active life as merchant. During the Civil war he was a soldier for a time in the Confederate army. His parents were James A. and Polly A. (Lewis) Robert- son, both of whom came from Virginia and made their home on Elk river at an early day. James A. Robertson survived into old age, his death occurring in 1896. George W. Robert- son married Delilah E. Melton, who was a daughter of Rev. Benjamin and Sarah (Jar- rett ) Melton, the former of whom was a teacher and a minister of the Baptist church at Jar- rett's Ford. Eight sons and one daughter were born to George W. Robertson and his wife, namely: James, who is a merchant at Clendenin; Nancy who is the wife of W. H. Canterbury, a farmer at Hunt, WV. Va .; Ever- ett E., Morgan M., who is an attorney at Charleston ; Alvin B., Sidney H., and Edgar G., who all are merchants at Clendenin, George WV., who is a farmer near Hunt; and Grover C., who is a physician and surgeon at Clen- denin. George W. Robertson and wife re- side at Clendenin, Kanawha county. They are members of the Baptist church.

Everett E. Robertson attended the public schools and later taught school for some years, mainly in Kanawha county, after which he entered the law office of Thomas Swan and Frank Cork, where he pursued his law studies until he completed the course, and was admitted to the Kanawha county bar in 1898, since which time he has been actively and successfully en- gaged in practice. Mr. Robertson has always been considered a close and careful student and his clients have found him a man thor- oughly informed on every principle of law and a wise and reliable counselor. At present he practices alone but for one year was in partnership with his brother, M. M. Robertson. Politically he is a Democrat. Everett E. Rob- ertson married Miss Cynthia L. Pauley,

daughter of Rev. A. B. and Isabel ( Acre) Pau- ley, residents of Hunt, W. Va., and they have two children. Mabel aged thirteen and Macel aged seven years.

M. M. Robertson was born at the mouth of Blue creek, February 10, 1873, and after his school days taught school for a time and then read law in the offices of Capt. Swan and John S. Swan, and has been a member of the Kana- wha bar since 1900. As noted above he was a law partner of his brother, Everette E. Robert- son, for one year, but since 1901 the brothers have practiced alone. M. M. Robertson was a member of the city council, his term expiring in 1911, and he was the nominee of the Inde- pendent Democrats in the last election for membership on the board of affairs. He was about two years of age when his father lo- cated at Kettle Rock and lived there until twenty-two years of age.

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History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens, Part 86

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