History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens, Part 89

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 89

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ence and lack of knowledge of a strange lan- guage. He attended closely to his own af- fairs and prospered and now owns consider- able property at Charleston, including his residence on Piedmont street and his market house on Washington street.

Mr. Gardner was married first to Miss Molly Keiffer, a native of Charleston, where she died at the age of twenty-seven years, leaving six children, namely: Frederick, Jr., who resides with his family at Charleston and has three sons and one daughter; Henry, who also lives at Charleston, has one son and one daughter ; Valentine, who is also a resident of Charleston, has one daughter; William M .; John, who was accidentally killed while work- ing for a railroad company, left a family : and Charles, also residing at Charleston, has two sons. Mr. Gardner was married second to Miss Fannie Keiffer, a cousin of the first Mrs. Gardner, and eight children have been born to them, as follows: Joseph, who is deceased : Augustus, an officer in the fire department at Charleston, who has one daughter: Herman, who i's a lieutenant in the city fire department, and has one son: Harry, also a resident of Charleston, who has one daughter: Albert. un- married, who resides in Mexico; Andrew, who is a clerk in the Kanawha Banking and Trust Company offices; Edward, who assists his father; and Margaret, who is a school girl. The family attend the First Presby- terian church. Politically Mr. Gardner is a Democrat and is serving in his sixth year as a member of the city council. He is a loyal member of his party and has frequently served as a delegate to conventions. He is a member of the social and insurance organization known as the National Union.

CHARLES GRISHABER .* who is one of the substantial men of Loudon district, where he owns sixty acres of finely cultivated land, three miles from Charleston, and still another farm of eighty-one acres, a little farther away, has just reason to be proud of his success, be- cause it is all the result of his own energy and industry. He was born March 29, 1865. at Charleston, and is a son of Laurence Gris- haber.

FREDERICK GARDNER

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In his boyhood, Charles Grishaber attended school in Loudon district. He afterward worked on a farm and learned to lay brick and still continues both occupations. For nine years he walked back and forth from his home to his work, a distance of eight miles every day. He worked at bricklaying and helped to build many of the fine structures in Charleston, and in the meanwhile he cleared his own farm, turned it into a truck garden and put up the substantial buildings now standing.

Mr. Grishaber married Miss Clara Lude, who was born in Belmont county, O., and is a daughter of Michael and Sarah ( Elder) Lude. Both parents were born in Ohio, the mother in Muskingum county; she died at the age of sixty-five years. The father of Mrs. Grishaber still survives. He was born November 12, 1828, and hence is in his eighty-third year. Mr. and Mrs. Grishaber have four children : Julia, Ralph, Ray and Emmett. Politically he is a Democrat. With his family he is a mem- ber of the Catholic church.

E. H. ESKINS, justice of the peace and a general merchant at Chelyan, Kanawha coun- ty, W. Va., was born November 19, 1867, in Boone county, W. Va., spent his early boyhood on a farm and had to be contented with four months of school attendance. To send a child of thirteen years with a pick in hand into the black depths of a coal mine to earn his own living, seems to those who think seriously on these things a pitiful necessity, but Mr. Eskins was just this old when he became a miner in the Crescent mines, in Fayette county, W. Va. He learned the best methods of mining from a man named J. Petry. A part of his duty was to drive the mules along the underground track and also to help lay this track. When twenty years of age he moved to Winifrede, in Kana- wha county and there had employment as a regular miner, earning good wages and provi- dently saving them, so that in a few years he was able to purchase a home, finding property to his liking at Chelyan. For several years afterward he worked in the mines at Coalburg, W. Va., and again earned capital with which to embark in a small mercantile business and was appointed ticket agent for the C. & O. railroad

at this point. He was then elected on the Re- publican ticket a district school comimtteeman and served for four years, until 1907, and in 1909 was elected a justice of the peace. His personal popularity assisted him in this cam- paign as he was elected by a majority of eighty- three votes, while almost the whole ticket went Democratic. In the meanwhile, as he was ad- vancing financially through his own industry, Mr. Eskins was educating himself and when elected to his present responsible office, in which he is giving unqualified satisfaction, he in- stalled a fine library, added a typewriter, which he is able to operate for himself, and further equipped his office with a telephone. It is the quarters of a well informed, wide awake, mod- ern business man and broad minded official.

Mr. Eskins married Miss Rhoda W. Clen- dennin, a native of Putnam county, and they have two children : Eugenia and Edana. He is identified with the Odd Fellows at Marmet and with the Masons at Malden.

WILLIAM A. McMILLAN, M. D., physi- cian and surgeon and proprietor of the McMil- lan hospital, at Charleston, W. Va., was born in New Brunswick, and is a son of Thomas and Mary (Harvey) McMillan. The parents of Dr. McMillan were born in Scotland and from there crossed the Atlantic Ocean to New Brunswick, where they still reside, the father being engaged in the lumber business. The maternal grandfather of Dr. McMillan was Robert Harvey, who was a graduate of the University of Edinburg, Scotland. He came to Canada with his family and at the time of his death was aged ninety-four years and six months.

William A. McMillan received an academic education in his native land and his medical training in the College of Physicians and Sur- geons at Baltimore, Md., where he was grad- uated with his medical degree in 1903. Prior to this he had attended lectures while visiting in Europe. For one year he was a member of the staff of the Mercy hospital, at Baltimore, and then came to Charleston and in 1907 estab- lished his private hospital in this city, where he has accommodations for fifteen patients. He has other physicians of reputation on his

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staff and every comfort is provided for those who seek to benefit by his medical skill. He has been enthusiastically interested in medi- cine from boyhood and is a welcome contribu- tor to many medical publications. He is a val- ued member of the Kanawha county, West Virginia State and the American Medical As- sociations; is chief surgeon for the K. & M. railroad and the Charleston and Interurban Traction Company ; is a member of the Asso- ciation of Military Surgeons of the United States and is ranking captain in the State Med- ical Corps.

Dr. McMillan was married at Baltimore, Md., to Miss Ellen G. Owen, who was born and educated in that city. Her parents were John T. and Eleanor ( Boggs) Owen, and her grand- father was Rev. Griffith Owen, who was a minister in the Presbyterian church at Balti- more. Dr. and Mrs. McMillan have three sons : William Owen, who was born November 22, 1905; Thomas Harvey, who was born Sep- tember 12, 1907; and John Osler, who was born February 13, 1909. Dr. and Mrs. Mc- Millan attend the Presbyterian church. He is identified with the Masonic and other fraterni- ties.

SYLVESTER CHAPMAN, formerly pros- ecuting attorney of Kanawha county, W. Va., and for twelve years county surveyor, has been a resident of East Bank, W. Va., since 1876. He was born January 1, 1833, in Giles county, Va., and is the eldest born of a large family, his parents having been Dr. David J. and Char- lotte (Hale) Chapman.

Sylvester Chapman spent a happy boyhood on his father's plantation, his only cares being those pertaining to close attendance at school, completing his education at a well known Presbyterian college at Christianburg, Va. Af- terward he operated the plantation for his fath- er, whose professional duties occupied the larger part of his time, and so well fulfilled the father's expectations that the latter gave him an interest, in 1854, in many acres of wild land lying in Kanawha and Boone counties, known as the Banks. In 1856 Mr. Chapman came to Kanawha county and entered upon the study of law with Charles Hedrick and John A.

Worth, and was admitted to the bar in 1860, his license to practice bearing the names of those veteran jurists, Judges Baile, McWard and McCommis. The precipitation of Civil war changed his immediate plans as it did that of so many others, and in 1861 he entered the 8th Va. Vol. Cavalry, as a private in the Con- federate army. In the same year he was as- signed to the commissary department and con- tinued so connected until the close of the war. The larger part of his service was in South- west Virginia and Eastern Tennessee, being with General John Morgan in his famous raids in Kentucky and other states, and was with him at the time that fearless leader was killed.

After hostilities were ended, Mr. Chapman returned to Kanawha county and located at what is now known as Pratt, where he engaged in teaching school. A man of his education was needed, however, in public office and he was first elected county surveyor, and in the fall of 1888, prosecuting attorney, serving in the first office for twelve years and for four years in the second. He is now engaged in the real estate business which includes the handling of coal properties.

In October, 1859, Mr. Chapman was married to Miss Mary L. Hansford, a daughter of Mil- ton Hansford, and the following children were born to them: J. Park, who married Maude Mitchell, resides at Beury, Fayette county, W. Va., and they have three children-Park, Syl- vester WV., and Mary Charlotte; Charlotte H., who married James F. Gornto, and they live at Norfolk, Va., and they have two children- Philip S., and Lillian; Walter C., who died in December, 1909; David J., who resides with his family at East Bank; Lucy M., who lives at Norfolk, Va .; Elizabeth A., who married James T. McMaster, of East Bank; and Will- iam M. In politics Mr. Chapman is a Re- publican. He is identified with the Odd Fel- lows and attends lodge at East Bank, and be- longs also to the Masonic lodge at Malden, Kanawha county.

MATHEW HOUSTON LOWE,* a repre- sentative citizen of Elk District, where he is en- gaged in farming, also carrying on a general mercantile business at Elk View, was born

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April 18, 1858, in Roane county, W. Va., a son of Charles B. and Emeline (Meadows ) Lowe, and a grandson of Mathew Lowe.

Charles B. Lowe was born in Monroe coun- ty, Va., whence he removed to Roane county with his family, and there spent the remainder of his life in agricultural pursuits, his death oc- curring at the old family homestead when he had reached the age of eighty-six years. He was married to Emeline Meadows, the daugh- ter of John Meadows of Monroe county, and she died in 1901, having been the mother of the following children: Henry H., who resides in Roane county; Elizabeth, who married Will- iam Snyder; Perlina Warren, who married George Lawrence; John C., who resides in Roane county; Mathew Houston; James An- derson, who lives on the old homestead; Mary Anne, who married Dr. Punley; Louis, who is a painter in Roane county; and two children who died young. Mr. and Mrs. Lowe were members of the Advent church.

Mathew Houston Lowe, after attending the common schools of Roane county, began work on the home farm, on which he continued to live until he was twenty years old. In the fall of 1879 he located on his own farm in the Elk district, Kenawha county, where he has carried on agricultural pursuits to the present time, and in 1908 he established himself in the mer- cantile line, opening a store at Elk View. Mr. Lowe has also followed the occupation of a carpenter, a trade which he learned in his youth. He is rated among the substantial men of his community, and may always be counted upon to work for the movements which he believes will advance his district.

In 1878 Mr. Lowe was married to Miss Massey Verina Gander, who was born in 1854, a daughter of David and Jane (Casto) Gan- der, the former of whom was an early pioneer of Roane county, and the latter of whom died when Mrs. Lowe was an infant. Mr. and Mrs. Gander had children as follows: Mary C., who married Alf Snyder; Sarah, who married Thomas Shoulders; Luranzy D .; Sudie, who married L. Givens ; Gilbert, who lives in Roane county; and Massey V., who married Mr. Lowe. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Lowe are: Cora, who married William Facemeyer ;

Charles, a farmer of Elk View, who married Abbie Donohue; Alonzo, who married Belle Neely; Flora, who married Alex Hoffman; Mary, who married A. Facemeyer; Howard Thomas, Everett, Silas, Amos, Ernie, and Denver, all at home; and Willie, who is de- ceased. Mr. Lowe is a member of the Advent church.

WILLIAM R. HUGHEY, M. D., who has been engaged in the practice of medicine at Charleston, W. Va., since 1905, was born at Bainbridge, Ross county, O., May 3, 1880, and is a son of Bernard and Jane (McMechen) Hughey, residents of Ohio.

Dr. Hughey comes of professional ancestry, both father and grandfather having been phy- sicians of eminence. W. F. Hughey, the pa- ternal grandfather, was born in Ross county, O., and for many years was a practitioner at Bainbridge and Frankfort, his death occurring at the latter place. Bernard Hughey, son of Dr. W. F., and father of Dr. William R. Hughey, was born in Ross county, attended Otterbein college and in 1879 was graduated at Starling Medical college, Columbus, O. For thirty years he has been engaged in medical practice at Frankfort, O. He married Jane McMechen, who was born in Hardy county, W. Va., a daughter of William and Jane (Sey- mour) McMechen, the former of whom was killed while in the Confederate Army, during the Civil War, and two of her brothers also were killed in the service. Two children were born to Dr. Bernard Hughey and wife: Will- iam R., and Martha, the latter being the wife of J. R. Jamison, who is connected with the Willys-Overland Co., Toledo, O.

William R. Hughey attended the public schools and then entered Salem Academy, where he was graduated in the class of 1896, and in 1900 was graduated at the Miami Uni- versity. He devoted the next four years to medical study, and in 1904 was graduated from the Ohio College of Medicine. In the same year he came to Charleston and entered the Charlestion and General Hospital as an interne, serving as such for one year, in 1905 begin- ning his practice, in which he has met with ' gratifying success. He is a member of the

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Kanawha County and the West Virginia State Medical Associations, keeping fully abreast with the times in all matters of medical re- search and scientific discovery.

In 1905 Dr. Hughey was married to Miss Joel Faut, a daughter of William H. and Kate (Ruffner) Faut. She was born at Owensboro, Ky., as were her parents, who later removed to Garden City and her father became inter- ested in agriculture in that state. Dr. and Mrs. Hughey have one daughter, Katherine. He has well equipped offices, occupying Nos. 601, 602 and 603, in the Coyle and Richardson building, Charleston.

ROBERT F. REYNOLDS, deceased, who, as merchant, postmaster and farmer, residing at Belle, Malden District, Kanawha county, W. Va., was one of the best known residents of this section of the county, and was also one of the pioneer business men. He was born January 30, 1826, in Monroe county, Va., and was a son of Thomas J. and Sarah (Hornickle) Rey- nolds, and died July 21, 191I.

Thomas J. Reynolds was born in Bucking- ham county, Va. Although the greater part of his life was spent as a farmer, he learned the tailor's trade in his youth and, had he found it necessary, could have supported his family by following it. His death occurred in Nicholas county, at the age of seventy-five years, having survived his wife. They had ten children, namely : Robert Ferguson, Charles K., Freder- ick S., John B., William, Elizabeth, Mary, Nancy, Lucy, and Caroline.

Robert F. Reynolds was thirteen years old when his parents moved to Nicholas county and he remained there until 1861, when he mar- ried and with his wife moved to Kanawha county and for one year lived on the Thomas Newton farm in Malden District. In Feb- ruary, 1862, he rented a farm from a well known resident of the county, Billy Dickison, who owned 200 acres of land. Later, Mr. Rey- nolds purchased twenty acres of the farm and then thirty more, on which the present large brick residence stood. During the Civil War the soldiers of both armies passed through this section and Mr. Reynolds, like other farm- ers, suffered the loss of fences. In 1863 he

opened his store and when General Grant be- came president of the United States, he was made postmaster. When the railroad was built to this point he was again appointed postmas- ter, this time by the late President Harrison, and served officially until his death.

On June 6, 1853, Mr. Reynolds was married to Miss Bettie Burne, who was born in Ireland, June 3, 1839, and in girlhood came to America with her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds had five children, nineteen grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. Mary C., the eldest daughter, married Charles Gardner and they resided with Mr. Reynolds. They have four children: Robert, Charles, Bettie and Fannie. John B., the eldest son, married Robertha Sal- mons, and they have five children : Catherine, Robert, Bettie, John and Elsie. They reside at Marmet, Kanawha county. Fannie married James Salmons and they reside at Putnam, W. Va., and have four children: Charles, Robert, James and Nettie B. Charles resides in Mason county. He married Stepto Keeney and they have four children : Bessie, Robert. Thomas and Catherine. Belle, the youngest of the family, is the wife of James Hill and they live at Put- nam and have two children: Anna B. and James. The great-grandchildren were : Charles E .. William, Leon, Mary C. and Helen L. Sal- monds, all surviving except the eldest, who was drowned when four years old; Charles Gard- ner Wyatt: Catherine E .. Franklin and Will- iam Elmer Backus: Earl R. Campbell; and Harold Adkins. The vigor of this family is only equaled by its uniform intelligence and Mr. Reynolds had every reason to be proud of his numerous descendants. He was a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church, south. For the past thirty-five years he had been a member of Olive Branch Lodge, No. 38. Odd Fellows, at Brownstown. A Democrat in poli- tics, he had served frequently in township of- fices, such as trustee and supervisor. Mr. Rey- nolds had a fund of interesting reminiscences to draw on concerning this section and a visit with him was a pleasant experience.

HON. JAMES H. HULING, prominent in the political and business life of the Kana- wha Valley, was born in Williamsport, Pa.,

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March 24, 1844, the son of Col. Lewis G. Huling and Henrietta Brown Huling. He was educated at the Dickinson Seminary, at Will- iamsport, when Bishop Thomas Bowman was principal. He. entered the army at the age of 17 years and for two years was commissary clerk under his father who was commissary of the IIth Army Corps. Afterwards, he enlisted in the Pennsylvania Cavalry and served in the same until the regiment was mustered out of service. Returning to Pennsylvania at the end of the war he was in the lumber business at Kettle Creek, Clinton county, Pennsylvania, from the summer of 1865 to the spring of 1869.

Mr. Huling moved to Charleston, Kanawha county, West Virginia, in the spring of 1869 and still resides there. He organized the lum- ber firm of Huling, Brockerhoff & Company and was the general manager of that company for a number of years. He also organized the Black Band Iron and Coal Company, with op- erations on Davis Creek of Kanawha county, and was the general manager of that organiza- tion. Mr. Huling always has taken a deep in- terest in politics. In 1880 he was elected chair- man of the State Republican Fusion Commit- tee, and was a member of the Republican State Central Committee for four years. He was elected mayor of the city of Charleston on the Republican ticket and served in that capacity during the two years of 1885 and 1886. Dur- ing the same period he was police judge and president of the city council of Charleston. He was vice president of the Citizens' National Bank, of Charleston, in 1892 and 1893, and in 1894 he was elected to membership in the 54th Congress by the voters of the Third Congres- sional District. He has the distinction of be- ing the first Republican elected from that dis- trict, having defeated Hon. John D. Alderson, Democrat. Mr. Huling served in the National House of Representatives until March 4, 1897, when he declined to run again, preferring to return to private life that he might look after his business affairs. He is a past eminent com- mander of Commandery No. 4, Knights Tem- plar of Charleston, and is a "Shriner."

Mr. Huling has been married twice. He first wedded Miss Ella Francis Werts, in Penn-

sylvania, who died in 1872. In January, 1874, he was married to Miss Bettie C. Wood, daugh- ter of the late Col. Henry H. Wood and Ann R. Reynolds Wood. Col. Henry Wood was one of the early salt makers in the Kanawha Valley and owned the salt furnace opposite the town of Malden, one of the principal points on the Kanawha river. Colonel Wood was born in Ovid, New York, June 1, 1809, and came to the Kanawha Valley in 1829 and died No- vember 23, 1883, Mrs. Ann Ruffner Reynolds wife of Colonel Wood, was born in Kanawha County, Virginia, December 24, 1814, and died December 24, 1879. Both Colonel Wood and his wife, pioneers in the Kanawha Valley, are buried in the Spring Hill cemetery at Charles- ton.

Mr. Huling is largely interested in the de- velopment of coal and timber lands in West Virginia. He is a progressive business man who has been engaged in the development of the natural resources of West Virginia, espe- cially of the counties in southern West Vir- ginia. He is a member of the Swedish Co- lonial Society, of Pennsylvania.

J. W. THOMAS,* whose fertile little farm of three acres lies on the south side of Porter's Hollow, in Loudon District, Kanawha County, W. Va., was born in 1861, at Spring Hill, Ka- nawha County. His parents were W. H. and Elizabeth (Hudson) Thomas.

W. H. Thomas was born in Kanawha County and was reared on a farm. During the Civil War he was a soldier in the Union army, his company being commanded by Capt. Charles Smith, and, although he was in active and dangerous service for four years and two months, he was never wounded and but once captured. His imprisonment was of short duration, for he managed to escape from his captors and was not retaken. When he re- turned from the army he located on a farm at Spring Hill, where he spent the rest of his life, owning 116 acres. He married Elizabeth Hudson and they had eight children, of whom four survive : William H. H., living at Spring Hill; Levi, living at St. Albans; Lucy, who is Mrs. Parsons, living at Spring Hill; and J. W., of Loudon District.

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J. W. Thomas, after attending school at Spring Hill, went to work in the mines and thus continued for twenty-one years. He then became a farmer and dairyman, purchasing his present place in 1906. He keeps six cows, has a sanitary dairy and delivers milk and cream in Charleston, having the advantage of being very near the city. He has a steady trade and is prosperous.

Mr. Thomas was married first to Miss Fan- nie Midkeff, who, at death left two children, Addie V. and W. A. The former is the wife of Albert Lewis, and they have four children. WV. A. Thomas married Lillian Tillman of Lit- tle Rock, Ark., and they have one child. Mr. Thomas married Ida Hudson for his second wife. He takes no very great interest in poli- tics, but votes with the Republican party.

HON. GEORGE RITTER, formerly mayor of the city of Charleston, W. Va., and for many years actively identified with public affairs and business activities here, is one of the most highly respected retired residents. He was born February 20, 1823, in Randolph County, Va., and is a son of Henry and Margaret Ritter.

The parents of Mr. Ritter were natives of Pennsylvania. At one time Henry Ritter owned the land on which the city of Xenia, O., now stands, but when other claimants inter- fered he did not possess the means to carry his case into court, and thus lost this rich heritage. At an early date he moved with his wife to Randolph County, which is now in West Vir- ginia, and became a noted trapper and hunter. and was sometimes called the Daniel Boone of this region. He later moved to Braxton County and followed farming during the rest of a long life that in its earlier years had been full of adventure. He was a soldier in the War of 1812 and took part in the battle of New Orleans. Of his five sons, George is the only survivor.

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History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens, Part 89

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