USA > West Virginia > Monongalia County > History of Monongalia County, West Virginia, from its first settlements to the present time; with numerous biographical and family sketches > Part 24
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District Court-1789 to 1809. Name. Sworn in.
INFERIOR COURTS.
Superior Court of Law-1809 to 1831.
(From 1805 to 1810 no record.)
William McCleary May 14, 1810
Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery-1831 to 1852.
J. M. Hagans 1870
George C. Sturgiss 1872
W. W. Houston
1880
1852
County Court-1873 to 1881.
* Appointed by the respective courts until 1852, after which year one has been elected by the voters of each county.
312
HISTORY OF MONONGALIA COUNTY.
LIST OF CLERKS.
SUPERIOR COURTS.
District Court-1789 to 1809. Name. Sworn in.
Jobn Williams . May 4, 1789
William Tingle, September 15, 1801
Superior Court of Law-1809 to 1831.
William Tingle May 15, 1809
Nimrod Evans, September 2, 1811
Thomas P. Ray April 14, 1828
Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery-1831 to 1852.
Thomas P. Rav May 28, 1831 Waitman T. Willey April 8, 1842
Circuit Court-1852 to 1883.
George S. Rav July 1, 1852
Marshall M. Dent Jan. 1, 1857
Lewis Layton July 1, 1858
Augustus Haymond June 20, 1863
Name. Suorn in. M. M. Dent, Deputy June 14, 1883
INFERIOR COURTS.
County Court-1796 to 1852.
John Evans 1796 . Nimrod Evans January 1, 1807 Thomas P. Ray 1828 Waitman T. Willey Nov. 22, 1841
County Court-1852 to 1863.
Marshall M. Dent July 1, 1852 John E. Dent (pro tem.)Oct. 31, 1861 A. L. Wade January 27, 1862
County Court-1873 to 1883.
W. S. Cobun March 24, 1873 Jno. W. Madara Dep., Jan. 2. 1879 W. T. Willey November 7, 1882 R. E. Fast, Deputy Dec. 4, 1882
PRESIDENTS OF THE COUNTY COURTS. 1.
1852-J. T. Davis. 1876-Manliff Hayes.
1856-John B. Lough. #1881-S. P. Barker.
1860-Augustus Haymond. 1882-A. W. Brown.
1872-Manliff Hayes. 1883-A. W. Brown.
PRESIDENTS OF THE BOARDS OF SUPERVISORS.
1863-A. W. Brown. 1869-F. R. Sinclair.
1864-65-A. W. Brown. 1870-James McKee.
1866-William Donaldson. F. R. Sinclair.
1867-Samuel Hackney. 1871-A. W. Brown.
1868-Samuel Hackney.
1872-J. Milton Taylor.
James Evans.
('LERKS OF THE BOARDS OF SUPERVISORS.
1863-E. H. Coombs. | 1871-A. L. Wade. | 1872-W. W. Dering.
RECORDERS.
1863-A. L. Wade. | 1866-A. L. Wade. | 1870-W. S. Cobun.
* The clerks of both courts were appointed until 1852, since which time they have been elected. The Board of Supervisors appointed their own clerks.
t From 1852 to 1863, the County Court chose its own presidents; from 1822 to 1881, the presidents were elected by the people. Since 1881, the Commissioners have chosen a president annually from their own body, as also did the Board of Supervisors. The Recorders were elected by the people.
# The other members (commissioners) of the County Court, beside the president, since 1881, have been : 1881, A. W. Brown and W. W. Dering; 1882, S. P. Barker and George W. Laishley ; 1883, S. P. Barker and George W. Laishley.
313
JUDICIAL HISTORY.
LIST OF JUSTICES OF THE PEACE, From 1796 to 1852, appointed by the Governor.
Names.
Sworn in .* Before 1796.
May 15, 1796
Joseph Cox
66
May 15, 1796
Peregrine Foster
May 15, 1796
George Snider
Nov. 15, 1796
John Collins
Nov. 15, 1796
Thomas Butler
October 9, 1797
Robert Ferrell.
66
August 14, 1811
James Scott
Nathan Springer
David Scott
Dudlev Evans
Sept.
26, 1831
John Fairfax
Edward Jones .
Russel Potter
Hedgian Tripplet
John Dent
Enoch Evans
Oct.
14, 1816
William John
60
Died Mar. 1,1803
Samuel Hanway .
66
Philip Pindall
William Haymond
August 13, 1798 Jan.
8,1810
George Greenwood
August 13, 1798
August 13, 1798
Alexander Hawthorne
Lemuel John
August 18, 1810
Abram Miley
Sepi.
11, 1798 Sept. 13, 1802
Spencer Martin
Jesse Hanway
Michael Kern .
March 11, 1800
John W. Dean
Thomas Miller
June
9, 1800
Simeon Everly
Augusta Ballah
June 10. 1800
William Hamilton
Nicholas Vandervort
David Morgan
Nov. 8.1802
Henry Dering
Nov. 8, 1802|
Frederick Hersh
April 12, 1803. August 12, 1811
William Jobes
June 8, 1807
Jacob Polsley
Jan. 15, 1811
Willia' N. Jarrett.
John Stealey
Jan. 15. 1811
Thomas Trotwell
Angust 11, 1806
March. 15, 1808
J. Smallwood Wilson
August 11, 1806 March 10, 1807
Enoch Jones
August 11, 1806 Nov. 10,1807
John Nuzum .
August 11, 1806
Amos Roberts
Sept.
23, 1809
James E. Beall
June 11, 1810
Augustus Weringer
March 14, 1808 August 18, 1810
John Wagner .
March 14, 1808
Sept. 13, 1808
William George
March 14, 1808
William Willey
April 11, 1808
William Barnes
Sept. 15. 1808 Jan. 8. 1810
* Where blanks occur in these columns, no dates could be found.
66
Benjamin Reeder
66
Stephen Morgan .
Asa Dudley
August 13, 1798
August 14, 1798
Nov. 13, 1806
John McLain
66
John T. Goff .
66
66
· Resigned .*
Thomas Barnes
Ralph Berkshire
314 HISTORY OF MONONGALIA COUNTY.
Names.
Sworn in.
Resigned.
Rawley Evans
May
14, 1810 Sept.
26, 1831
Joseph Campbell
May
14, 1810
John Evans
May
14, 1810
Alexander Hawthorne
May
14, 1810
John S. Roberts
May
15, 1810
Daniel Cox
May
15, 1810
Jared Evans
Mav
15, 1810
April 8, 1816
Charles Byrn
Jung 11, 1810
Jan. 8, 1816
Isaac Powell
June 11, 1810
Enoch Evans
June 13, 1810
Thomas Pritchard
July 9, 1810
Hugh Evans
October 8, 1810
Cornelius Berkshire .
July 10, 1815
Morgan Morgan .
August 17, 1815
Rawlev Scott .
Mav 15, 1811
Sept.
22, 1817
John Henthorn
May
15, 1811
March 14, 1814
Adam Brown .
June
10, 1811
James Tibbs
July
8, 1811 June
27,1826
Nathan Ashby
Sepi.
9, 1811
James Barker
Jan. 15, 1812
William B. Lindsey
Nov. 8. 1813
1
Achillis Morgan
June
13, 1814
Robert Abercrombie
June
13, 1814
David Dunham
June
13, 1814
Jesse Busey
Nov.
14, 1814 March 24, 1834
William Sigler
Dec.
12, 1814 June
10, 1816
Ryner Hail
April
8,1816
James Webster
March
22, 1824
August 24, 1818
August 24, 1818
Feb.
23,1819
July 23, 1827
Owen John
Feb.
23,1819
Thomas S. Haymond
.
April
26,1819
David Musgrave .
Apr:1
26,1819
John Jeffs
April
26,1819
Andrew Corbly
April 27, 1819 Sept. 26,1831
Peter Henkins
April 27, 1819 May
26. 1823
John H. Polsley .
April . 27,1819
Feb. 26, 1822
Nathan Hall
July 26,1819
Dec.
25, 1821
George D. Barnes
July 1,1820
Fielding Kiger
July 1,1820
Jesse Ice
July 1, 1820
Jan. 27,1823
Benonia Fleming
August 28, 1820
Mav
28, 1822
Joseph Pickenpaugh
August 28, 1820
Isaac Means
Sept. 27,1820
John Shriver
August 26, 1822
William J. Willey
Dec. 27, 1824
William Thomas
.
June 27, 1825|Sept.
28,1829
Robert McGee
June 27, 1825
George McNeely
June. 27,1825
Nathan Goff
June 27,1825
John Wagner
June 27, 1825| August 28, 1827
Levi Anderson
June 27, 1825 May
20, 1828
William John
June 27,1825
Jacob Wagner
July
25, 1825
June 11, 1816
Boaz Burrows
Anthony Smith David P. Morgan
Rawley Martin
Feb. 28, 1819
Aaron Barker
May 9,1814
May 8, 1815
Joshua Hickman
June 13, 1814 October 22, 1821
Jobn Forshea
William Willey
Richard Watts
August 28, 1820
.
315
JUDICIAL HISTORY.
Names.
Sworn in.
Alex. Wade
July 25, 1825
Jacob Kiger
July 25, 1825
Thomas Meredith
July 23 1827
Matthew Fleming
July 23, 1827
John Drabell
August 28, 1827
Hillary Boggess
August 25, 1828
Benjamin B. Thorn Nimrod Dent .
August 26, 1828
Seth Stafford
August 24, 1829
Henry Boggess
Jan. 23. 1832
May 25, 1835
Joseph Gray .
Feb. 27,1832
Isaac Cooper
March 28, 1832
May 26, 1834
Andrew Brown
Sept.
23, 1833
Moses Cox
Sept. 23, 1823
Leonard Lamb
Sept.
23. 1833
Thomas Watson
Sept.
23, 1833
Fielding Kiger
Oct. 28, 1833
Josiah Boyers
July 28, 1834
Reuben B. Taylor
July
28,1834
John Rude
Jan.
26, 1835
John S. Shisler
May
25, 1835
George Dawson
May 25,1835
Francis Billingsley
April 24, 1837
John Lemley
April
24,1837
John Bowlby
April 24, 1837
Elijah Tarleton
May 22,1837
William Swearingen
May
22, 1837
John Musgrave
May
22, 1837
William Price
May
22, 1837
Joseph F. Harrison
May 22,1837
George S. Renshaw
June 25, 1837
Rawley Holland
June
25, 1837
Jobn Stewart
July 27, 1840
John Hood
August 24, 1840
William Bradley
August 24, 1840
Leander S. Laidley
May
23, 1842
Martin Callendine
May 23, 1842
William Launtz
May 23, 1842
Morgan S. Bayles
May 23, 1842
Hugh Daugherty
May 23, 1842
Henry Watson
May
23, 1842
James Evans .
May
23, 1842
Gideon Barb
August 24, 1846
William Haines
July 26,1847
Daniel Dusenberry
July
26,1847
Henry Daugherty
July
26, 1847
Henry Dering
Julv 26, 1847
George M. Reay
July 26, 1847
George M. Hagans
Sept.
24, 1849
Daniel Haldeman
Sept.
24, 1849
William Lazier
Feb. 27, 1832
William Thomas .
Feb. 27, 1832
Sept. 23, 1833
John Clayton
April 24, 1837
John S. Smith
August 25, 1828
John Wagner
August 24, 1829
Resigned.
The offices of the Justices of the Peace who had been appointed, were vacated when the Constitution of 1851 went into effect.
Sept. 28,1840
John Watts
316
HISTORY OF MONONGALIA COUNTY.
Of the bar of Monongalia it has been said that "it was always a credit to the county and the State." Members of the Monongalia bar have served in both houses of the Vir- ginia and West Virginia Legislatures. It has given judges to the judicial circuits of West Virginia, and a judge to the State Supreme Court of Appeals. It has furnished mem- bers to represent Virginia and West Virginia in the House of Representatives of the United States, and one of its number represented West Virginia for ten years in the Senate of the United States.
ROLL OF THE BAR .*
1789.
1823.
Francis T. Brooke
Charles S. Morgan
April 14
William McCleary
May 4 May 4
1825.
Thomas Wilson 1790.
. Sept 21
Guy R. C. Allen 1826.
April 13
James Allen
Sept 20
W. Calder Haymond 1833.
. April 10
John Brown
Sept 20
Waitman T. Willey 1841.
September 9
Isaac Hite Williams
Sept 20
· April 8
Philip Doddridge
May 4
April 26
Maxwell Armstrong
Sept. 15
Noah Lindsey 1801.
Dec. 13
March 29
William Tingle.
June 9
William G. Payne
Sept. 15
October 28
James G. Laidley 1803.
Oct. 13
James Pindall
April 12
James Evans
1807.
Mathew Gay
October 13
Henry E. Smith Samuel Woods 1851.
April 6
Felix Scott
April 11
Edward C. Bunker 1855.
. April 5
Rawley Scott
June 13
James McGee
June 14
Alfred M. Barbour 1858.
April 13
Marmaduke Evans 1811.
Oliver Phillips
September 2|
Henry T. Martin Jonathan M. Heck 1859. John A. Dille J. Marshall Hagans John G. Gay
August .. September 9
A. P. Wilson
April 13
. September 25
William A. Hanway
Edgar C. Wilson September 9 Joseph T. Daugherty · April 8| Lowrie Wilson .
1860. April 13 September 4
: .
April 7. September 8
July 11
April 6
1808.
Eugenius M. Wilson September 17 1821.
1819.
. April 8 September 9
John K. Mines 1822.
1794,
1795.
1797.
Ralph L. Berkshire 1842. Eusebius P. Lowman 1844, I. J. T. Fox. Alden . Lycurgus S, Hough Andrew McDonald Philip H. Keck 1845. David G. Thompson George S. Ray 1848.
April 8
* No roll has ever been kept on the records; this is made up from the best sources of information obtainable.
317
JUDICIAL HISTORY.
1864.
1880.
George C. Sturgiss
May 11
Ledrew M. Wade
March 1
William P. Willey
. May 12
John M. Davis .
July 14
John J. Brown November 9
Waitman W. Houston .
April 16
1868.
J. S. Brookover 1881.
September 2
A. G. Sturgiss
1869.
Marshall M. Dent 1882.
June 21
Joesph Moreland
February 10
A. G. Davis
June 16
1872.
George C. Cole
October 12
Oliver H. Dille
September 9
Leonidas V. Keck
October 13
1978.
Ben. S. Morgan
October 18
Thomas H. B. Staggers
March 22
Francis T. Haymond 1883.
October 23
Clarence B. Dille 1879
March 20. Frank Cox
June 19
. May 13
The attempt to classify the attorneys, so as to show those admitted to the bar in Monongalia, but who never practiced here, and those from abroad who were admitted to the Morgantown bar, had to be abandoned, because of want of clearness in some of the entries on the record and because of incomplete indexing. This lack of comprehensive index- ing of the record-books and the destruction of a part of the records in 1861, account for all the blanks in the lists of county officers and attorneys in this chapter. Some of the record-books need transcribing, all of them thorough and comprehensive indexing-an amount of labor that no clerk can spare from his regular work.
William G. Brown and Thomas Brown, of Preston County, were engaged in the trial of cases here as early as 1833 or 35: Of other attorneys from abroad admitted to practice in the courts of Monongalia, we have record of the following :
1789-Charles Magill, Samuel Read, John Ralfs, William C. Williams, William Marshall, Nathaniel Davisson. 1799-M. Sexton. 1800-Wyllis Lithman. 1801-John G. Jackson. 1804-Isaac Mor- ris. 1811-Andrew Stewart and Samuel Evans, of Pennsylvania. 1819-John James Allen. 1824-Copeland, Stockton. 1827-W. L. Jackson, George J. Williams, Daniel H. Polsley. 1830-William McCord. 1832-William A. Harris. 1835-G. D. Camden. 1836-
318
HISTORY OF MONONGALIA COUNTY.
George H. Lee. 1842-E. M. Davisson, Charles A. Harper. 1846- William McKinley. 1851-E. B. Hall, Z. Kidwell, U. M. Turner. 1852-R. E. Cowan. 1854-James P. Smith. 1858-W. P. Thompson, E. H. Fitzhugh, Moses C. Good. 1860 -- Charles M. Brown. 1862- E. S. Bland, B. F. Martin, S. A. Morgan, W. W. Peck. Since 1862, among the number were Fontaine Sinith, James H. Carroll, A. F. Haymond, John A. Hutchinson, Jr., Dwight McCleave, George H. McGrew, Nathan Goff, Jr., A. B. Fleming, John Barton Payne, Charles E. Brown, Joseph H. Hawthorne, William G. Worley and William G. Brown, Jr.
Among attorneys who are practicing their profession in other parts of the country, and who read law and were ad- mitted to the bar in Monongalia, we have record of the following :
Name. Admitted. Name. Admitted.
William Weringer
April 16, 1833 W. L. Boughner September 10, 1874
Samuel Arnold
April 11, 1834 |T. P. Jacobs September 16, 1875
John W. Harner April 8, 1844 Edgar W. Wilson September 15, 1876
Samuel Wood April 6, 1848 W. R. D. Dent March 15, 1877
Newton B. Jones September 2, 1867
Rob't H. Dolliver September 20, 1877
John W. Mason February 3, 1868 Frank Woods March 19, 1879
H. Clay Showalter February 15, 1868
Ulysses Arnett March 22, 1879
John E. Kern May 4, 1868 Madison T. Garlow June 20, 1882
Marmaduke H. Dent Sept. 13, 1872 Arthur L. Cox
October 19, 1882
Two natives of Monongalia are practicing at the King- wood (Preston County) bar, where they were admitted, namely : Joseph H. Hawthorne, in Sepmteber, 1878; Isaac C. Ralphsnyder, October 8, 1880.
COUNTY BUILDINGS.
Phillips's shop was used as a Court-house in 1776, and afterwards different houses were used for the purpose. Three Court-houses have been built in Morgantown; the first a frame, the second a brick, and the present brick building. Four Jails have been built in Morgantown. The first one was a stone building, the second a block, the next was a brick, and the fourth and present one is a stone building, and is said to be one of the finest Jails in
319
JUDICIAL HISTORY.
the State. These will be treated in detail in the history of the Borough of Morgantown. The county has had two County Poor-houses. The first one was in Morgan District ; the present one is near Cassville. They will be noticed in full in the history of Morgan and Cass districts.
HANGINGS.
Since the formation of the county only five executions have taken place, and these all at Morgantown. Only two of these five persons-Milly and Joshua, both slaves- were living on the present territory of Monongalia County.
The first of August, 1798, at a called session of the County Court, at which Justices David Scott, William John, . James Scott, John Dent and Enoch Evans were present, Milly, a slave, the property of David Robe, was tried for burning her master's barn, for attempting to murder William Robe, Jr., and for preparing medicine and administering the same. Noah Lindsey was assigned as counsel to defend her. She acknowledged that there was poison prepared to give to Robe. The testimony of several witnesses went strongly to prove her guilt, and the court sentenced her to be hung on the 1st day of September, 1798. This court also tried Will, a slave of Barsheba Ferguson, as accessory to the burning of the barn, and found him guilty. His sentence was to be burnt on the hand and receive thirty lashes.
On the 16th of August, a special examining court was called, upon a plea of Milly assigning a reason that the sen- tence of death should not be executed upon her at the time set. The sheriff was ordered to impannel a jury of twelve discreet women to inquire into the truth of the fact alleged. The jury were Catherine Evans, Mary McNeely, Sarah Foster, Ann Beck, Mehitable Mehose, Susannah McCrea,
320
HISTORY OF MONONGALIA COUNTY.
Susannah Madera, Mary Baltzel, Sarah Mckinley, Catharine McIntyre, Sarah Laidley and Mary Gandy. They reported that no cause existed for postponing the execution of the sentence. Milly was valued by the court at £75 and was hung on the 1st of September. Thomas Evans "found the plank" and made her coffin for four dollars.
Joshua, a negro slave of James Collins, was arrested for an assault on a white woman, and was tried on the 13th of July, 1827, before a County Court called for the purpose, which was composed of the following Justices : Dudley Evans, Richard Watts, David P. Morgan, Owen John and Jacob Kiger. The court assigned Charles S. Morgan and Edgar C. Wilson to defend him, and ordered that his master pay each a fee of $7.50. Joshua was found guilty by the Justices, and sentence of death was passed upon him. He was hung on the 17th of August, 1827, on the waters of Falling Run, just beyond the West Virginia University, on lands now belonging to and enclosed in a lot by Michael Chalfant. Joshua was about 18 years old, and was valued at $250 by the Court, which amount the State had to pay to his master.
HARRISON VERSUS MONONGALIA.
A suit was brought by Harrison County* against Monon- galia County on the 19th of May, 1800, in the District Court at Morgantown, presided over by Judge William Nelson, Jr. In the act (of July 20, 1784,) creating Harrison County, it was declared that Monongalia should pay and refund to the people of Harrison their proportion of the cost of erecting the public buildings in Monongalia. The propor-
* The justices of Harrison bringing the suit were William Robinson, Thomas Reed, Watson Clark and William Martin. The suit was brought against David Scott, Thomas Butler, Robert Ferrell, John Fairfax and John Collins, Justices of and for Monongalia.
321
JUDICIAL HISTORY.
tion of Harrison was 24 pounds and 6 shillings, of which amount they had received 24 pounds 5 shillings and 8} pence. A tax* for "wolf scalps," of 97 pounds 17 shillings and 11 pence, was collected in the county in 1784. The State gave Monongalia a certificate for this tax, which the county sold in 1795, at 18 shillings on the pound.
After the striking off of the territory of Harrison, there were 343 "tythables" in Monongalia and 282 in Harrison. And it was in this proportion, it seems, that Harrison con- tended that the wolf-scalp tax should be divided between the two counties. Harrison's suit was brought to recover the balance due her on the public-buildings tax, and that part of the wolf-scalp tax of 1784 which was paid by the people of that part of Monongalia which became Harrison County in the same year. The latter, it is said, was the principal object of the suit.
The case was decided on the 20th of May, 1795; and the judgment of the court was that Monongalia was indebted to Harrison in the sum of 3 pence and 3 farthings on the pub- lic-buildings tax, but owed her nothing for the wolf-scalp tax, and that Harrison pay all the costs of the suit.
On the pages of the records of the county, among matters of serious character and grave import, are to be found those of an amusing and humorous character. Of the latter, let one specimen suffice. It is an entry upon the estray-book of 1849, which is reproduced below, substitu- ting blanks for the names of the persons mentioned :
Pursuant to a warrant to us directed after being duly sworn for that purpose. we have this day viewed and do appraise one
* A premium was paid for each wolf scalp taken in a county and presented at the county-seat. A tax was laid each year to pay for these scalps, the amount of which . was to be repaid by the State. No fund was provided by the State at this time, for its payment, and Monongalia, like other counties, sold this certificate against the State, about 1795, for what she could get for it, which was 18 shillings on the pound.
21
322
HISTORY OF MONONGALIA COUNTY.
stray hog shown to us by --- -- and do find the same to be a white sow with a black spot near the right eye, ears badly torn, supposed to have been done by a dog with a short tail supposed to be eighteen months old. We do appraise the same to be worth one dollar and fifty cents. Given under our hands this 221 day of November, 1849. D Appraisers.
As it is supposed that the appraisers did not mean to describe the dog that tore the ears of the sow, at all, and certainly not so particularly as having " a short tail sup- posed to be eighteen months old," this descriptive language must be applied to the aforesaid "white sow with a black spot near the right 'eye." Whether the owner of this his- toric hog ever came into possession of this particular piece of his property, is one of those numerous things, about which the records and tradition are both provokingly silent.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
DANIEL SMITH, who presided as Judge from 1809 to 1831, was a resident of Harrisonburg. About six feet tall, with a round full face, black hair, and pleasant countenance, he was a man of fine presence.
JOSEPH L. FRY, of Wheeling, Judge from 1831 to 1852, was a native of Orange County, Va .; he moved to Kanawha County and practiced law ; was elected judge of this district, by the Legislature, in 1831, when he moved to Wheeling. He was a man of fine literary taste, and had an extensive library. He died June 10, 1865, aged seventy-one years.
GEORGE W. THOMPSON, who presided as Judge from 1852 to 1861, is still living and resides near Wheeling. He is now a very aged man. He quitted the bench in 1861, refus-
,
323
JUDICIAL HISTORY.
ing to take certain oaths prescribed by the Wheeling Con- vention of June 18, 1861. He turned to literary pursuits, and wrote a remarkable book, entitled the "Category of the Infinite."
RALPH LAZIER BERKSHIRE, Judge from 1861 to 1863, son of William Berkshire, a farmer of limited means, was born April 8th, 1816, in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. His father removed thence to Monongalia County, in the following year, where he died in 1860. Ralph Lazier lived with his father on the farm till eighteen years of age, when he went to Morgantown to learn the carpenter's trade, at which he worked for several years. In 1838, he began to read law with Guy R. C. Allen, and was admitted to the bar three years afterward. He was appointed by the County Court prosecuting attorney in 1847, and was elected in 1852 to the same position. Like his father, a Whig in politics, he was voted for in a portion of the congressional district as a candidate against the Hon. Sherrard Clemmens, receiving a heavy vote in Monongalia County. In 1861, he was a candidate for Circuit Judge against Judge George W. Thompson, receiving over 400 of a majority in Monongalia, but was defeated in the circuit.
He was an ardent opponent of secession, and was one of those who called the meeting of the 17th of April, 1861, at Morgantown and was a member of the committee that drafted the resolutions* there adopted, which were "pub- lished in the National Intelligencer and other leading papers as the 'first loyal voice from Western Virginia.'"+ He was appointed a delegate to the May Convention at Wheeling, but was prevented from attending by professional duties.
* See pages 139 and 140 of this work. t West Virginia Reports, vol. 1., p. 84.
324
HISTORY OF MONONGALIA COUNTY.
He was elected a delegate to the June Convention at the same place, and succeeded Judge Thompson, in 1861, as Judge of the 20th Judicial Circuit, being elected over his competitor by a large majority. In this capacity he served until June, 1863, when he was elected one of the three Judges of the Supreme Court of Appeals of this State, and became President of this court, and served until 1867. In 1874, he was elected, as the candidate of the Republican party, with little opposition, to the State Senate, from the district composed of Monongalia and Preston counties, and served the full term of four years.
Since his admission to the bar, Judge Berkshire has continued to practice law, except during the period when he was on the bench. He is still engaged in that vocation, as a member of the firm of Berkshire & Sturgiss. Judge Berkshire is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
JOHN A. DILLE, son of Ezra Dille, was born in Washing- ton County, Penn., July 19, 1821. His mother was & daughter of William McFarland and sister of the late Major Samuel McFarland, of Washington, Penn. His early years were spent in working on his father's farm, and attending the free schools of the neighborhood during the winter months. At the age of sixteen, a laudable ambition prompted him to seek higher educational advantages; and, accompanied by an elder brother now deceased, he entered "Greene Academy," an institution then possessing a high reputation for enlarged educational facilities and scholarly teachers. A year spent in the Academy opened new and broader fields for thought, and awakened and inspired a stronger desire for mental culture. Accordingly, in the fall of 1839, Mr. Dille was regularly entered at Washington
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