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 40
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STEAMBOATS.
The first steamboat to come to the Port of Morgantown was the Reindeer, on Sunday April 29, 1826. Tradition says the people left the ministers in the midst of their ser- mons and ran through the rain a mile below town to see "a live steamboat." Tradition further says that the ministers put on their hats and were at the boat nearly as soon as their excited congregations.
The first steamboat built in the county was at Ice's Ferry, between 1845 and 1848. By most persons the date given is
* The uniform charge on all these ferries, with the exceptions noted, was fixed by- law at four cents for each man or horse.
542
HISTORY OF MONONGALIA COUNTY.
1846. It was a small boat named The Lady Ellicott, but did not prove a success. The next and last steamboat built was the Monongahela Belle, by David B. Lynch, and launched November 4, 1853, at Morgantown, at Decker's Creek boat-yard. It ran some time, and was sold to run on the "Lower Trade." From diaries and newspapers the names of the following steamboats have been secured as at the Port of Morgantown. The dates given are the first mention of them found :
Monongahela
April 22, 1828
Globe
1852
Odd Fellow
June 3, 1830 March 6, 1831
* Thomas P. Ray
Tariff
R. H. Lindsey 66
Yancey - Feb. 4, 1833
Tornado 1853
66
Shannon -
March , 1838
Luzerne 66
Little Napoleon
April 27, 1840
Col. Morgan
Jesse Lazier 1854
Isaac Walton
May 1, 6
Gray Fox
1857
Effort
3,
Telegraph
1858
Traveller
Jan. 12, 1843
Jefferson
Alpine
Dec. 10,
Arab
1861
ÆEtna
April 6, 1843
Argus -
1864
Rambler
18, “
Oil Exchange
60
Oella
Dec. 25,
Elector
1866
Harlem
March 7, 1845
Favette -
66
Miner
Nov. 11,
Franklin 1867
..
Medium
May 10, "
Active
Alena May - 1868
Star -
May 10, 1848
Gem
1879
Hope
13,
Harry Jan. 24, 1881
Venture
1852
Bennett
Eclipse
M. G. Knox
1882
February 3, 1806, an act was passed permitting dams to be built across the Monongahela, with proper slopes and windlass, and lamps at night.
SERVITUDE.
There were never many slaves in Monongalia. The cli- mate was not favorable to slavery, and the proximity of the " Free States " offered superior facilities for the escape of
* The Thomas P. Ray was built at Brownsville, Penn., in 1852, and was named in honor of Thomas P. Ray (then deceased), of Monongalia.
Motive -
March 9, 1846
Tidioute
Danube
Nov. 26. 1847
Chieftain
Massachusetts
June 23,
Wellsville April 19, 1:41
543
MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY.
slaves. Free negroes were allowed in the county, and sev- eral slaves were emancipated, by permission of the county court, who then could remain in the county. In 1796, John Leatherberry and others coming in the county, had to swear that their removal into Virginia was not to evade laws pre- venting the importation of slaves, that none of their slaves had been brought from Africa since 1778, and that they had brought no slaves into the State to sell them.
Few slaves were ever sold in Monongalia. April 11, 1864, witnessed the sale of the last slave ever disposed of in the county. Two slaves-brother and sister,-the property of A. C. Dorsey, deceased, were sold to liquidate a debt of said Dorsey. The sale took place in the public square. The man, Stephen Trimble, was sold to Wm. A. Hanway, for $326; the woman, Elizabeth, was bought by Mrs. E. A. Dorsey, widow of A. C. Dorsey, for the sum of $71. They were of an age that left them slaves for life by the State constitution ; yet the unsettled state of affairs caused a low price only to be realized on them. An able-bodied male slave generally sold for from $1,500 to $2,000. The Thir- teenth Amendment to the constitution of the United States set them free. They both live in Morgantown yet, and . Stephen is a deacon in A. M. E. church.
EARLY TAVERNS.
The first license to keep a house of entertainment in the county, of which any record exists, was granted to William Tingle, of Morgantown, March 14, 1796. In April of that year, Elihu Horton was licensed. Both these licenses were renewed in 1798. In 1797, thirteen tavern licenses were granted in the county, as follows: To John Furguson, Henry Hamilton, Hugh McNeely (Morgantown), Michael
544
HISTORY OF MONONGALIA COUNTY.
Hildebrand, Alexander McIntyre (Morgantown), John Mel- rose, Fauquer McCra (Morgantown), Moses Williams, Philip Huffman, Charles Stewart, William Bills, Adley Ray and Thomas Griggs. McNeely kept tavern until 1801, and McCra and Stewart until 1802. Thomas Chipps was licensed in 1798, and kept for two years in Morgantown. In 1799, Jacob Pindall succeeded Alexander McIntyre in Morgantown, and Jacob Bowers, George McClelland (Bran- donville, now Preston County) and Henry Dering, Morgan- town, were licensed. Dering continued the business until 1807. In 1800, licenses were granted to Dudley Evans, William Chipps, Samuel Swearingen and James Mc Vicker ; in the following year, to Purnell Fowler and Daniel Stew- art, and in 1802, to Bartholomew Clark (Morgantown), G. R. Tingle (Morgantown) and William Ashford. John Fort- ney and Richard Smith were licensed in 1806.
The county court, at various times, established schedules to govern the charges of these early taverns. The follow- ing from the record of May 25, 1824, will serve as an illus- tration of the prices then current :
Madeira wine, per quart, 1.25
Dinner, 25
Other
75
Supper, 25
Spirits, per half pint, -
25
Lodging, per night, 61
French brandy, half pint,
25
Oats, per gallon, 12%
Foreign gin,
25
Corn, "
123
Domestic liquor
25
Hay or fodder, per night, - 125
Breakfast,
25 1 Pasturage,
64
POSTAL HISTORY.
The people of Monongalia were favored in 1793 with a post- route from Pittsburgh to Morgantown, which was established by the Pittsburgh Gazette. Isaac Pearce was the post-rider.
The United States, in 1794, established a postoffice at Morgantown, and appointed Peregrine Foster post-master. For the next twenty-eight years we have no record of
545
MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY.
the postal matters of the county. In 1822, the following post-offices were in Monongalia County :
Post-offices. Postmasters.
Miles from Washington. Richmond.
Morgantown
Alex. Hawthorne
201 .309
King's Ferry David Barker 244 .342
Barnes's Mill Thomas Barnes, Jr .327 .219
Polsley's Mill
Jacob Polsley. .245 343
Swarp Settlement ... . John W. Corlin.
211. 264
White Day. John Jeffs. 210 320
There were five post-offices in the United States at that time by the name of Morgantown, viz .: one in Berks Coun- ty, Penn., one in Burke County, N. C., one in Butler County, Ky., one in Blount County, Tenn., and Morgantown in Mon- ongalia County.
In 1846, we have record of the following :
Morgantown
N. B. Madera
Ice's Ferry John Bowers
Granville
Dent Jake's Run - - R. D. Tennant
Blacksville E. B. Tygart White Day Joseph Jolliffe
The following is a complete list of the post-offices and postmasters in the county in 1851 :
ArnAttsville-James Arnett, Jr.
Laurel Point-Ed. G. Brooke.
Morgantown-Nicholas B. Madera.
Blacksville-Robert S. Fletcher. Cassville-Peter A. Layton.
Pentress-Cyrenus Cox.
Dornicktown -- William Hale.
Stewarttown-Sam'l Witherow.
Granville-Marmaduke Dent.
Uffington-Wm. D. Smith.
Ice's Ferry-Anthony Loftus.
Wadestown-Wm. Kenney.
White Day-Jos. Jolliffe.
Below will be found a list of the post-offices now in the county, with the date of establishment, so far as known :
Andy
Jake's Run
Pentress (1849)
Arnettsville (1851)
Laurel Iron Works Randall
Cassville Laureì Point
St. Cloud
Cedar Valley
Lowesville
Statler's Run
Center Maidsville (1857)
Stewarttown (1850)
Clinton Furnace (1857)
Miracle Run (1854)
Uffington (1850)
Cross Roads
Mooresville
Wadestown
Easton
Morgantown (1794)
White Day (1822) Wise.
Georgetown
O'Neal (1883)
Pedlar's Run
Halleck (1880) 35
Jake's Run-Richard D. Tennant. Jimtown-Wm. P. Williams.
From
546 HISTORY OF MONONGALIA COUNTY.
There are now five post-offices in the United States by the name of Morgantown-located in Morgan County, Ind., Butler County, Ky., Pike County, Ohio, Berks County, Penn., and Monongalia County, W. Va.
The first United States mail in the county was a route established in 1794, from Hagerstown, via Hancock, Cum- berland, Morgantown, Uniontown and Brownsville, and was said to have made weekly visits to Morgantown. Post- offices increased and semi-weekly mails were secured. On March 9, 1832, Col. John started a line of four-horse stages. Tri-weekly mails came next. The late A. S. Vance started the first daily mail about 1854.
FLOUR INSPECTORS.
All flour barreled and sent out of a county in Virginia during the first part of the Nineteenth Century, had to be inspected, and branded, if fit for market, "fine" or " super- fine." The inspector for a county had a long hollow drill with a point like a gimlet. He bored through the center of the barrel, and inspected the flour brought up by the drill (which was about one pound), and then marked the barrel. This flour he kept, and received besides so many cents a barrel for inspection.
We have mention of the following flour inspectors for Monongalia : 1807, Abram Woodrow ; 1813, Cornelius Berk- shire; 1812, Rawley Evans; 1820, John Evans, Jr. The county records show nothing further of flour inspectors.
NOTARY PUBLIC.
The first notary public in the county, of which we find any account, is James McGee, who was sworn in on March 13, 1815.
-
EARLY CORONERS.
The first coroners whose names we can find are A. P.
1
547
MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY.
Wilson, 1815, and Joseph Campbell, 1816, and from this down the records bear the names of no other coroners, except that of Augustus Haymond, 1842 to 1856.
OVERSEERS OF THE POOR.
In 1806, the county was divided into three districts, with voting places at Morgantown, John McClain's (in Preston), and John Dent's, for the election of overseers.
1806 .- Cheat District .- John Willitts, James Clark and Robert Tannahill. Morgantown District .- William Mc- Cleery, Calder Haymond and Nicholas Vandervort. West Side District .- Boaz Burrows, Richard Harrison and Asa Hall.
1812 .- Joshua Hickman, William Conner, Joseph Fore- man, Peter Mason, Robert Abercrombie.
1816 .- Daniel McCollum, Frederick Hersh, Richard Fore- man, Ralph Berkshire, James McGee, William Haymond, Jr., John S. Barnes, Samuel Minor and Rawley Martin.
In 1819, but two districts remained, as Preston was struck off. No accurate record was kept after this.
SECRET ORGANIZATIONS.
Monongalia has had her share, with other counties of West Virginia, of secret organizations. The following have been established in the county :
Masonic Fraternity .- A Royal Arch Chapter was organ- ized years ago, but went down. Gill Commandery No. 4 was organized in 1867, and remained till 1874. Among its members were : Knights H. Reed, J. J. Fitch, W. W. Dering, William Wagner, W. H. Houston, W. A. Hanway, O. H. Dille, E. J. Evans, A. L. Nye, William Dann and Charles W. Finnell.
Morgantown Union Lodge No. 93, A.F. & A.M. was char-
548
HISTORY OF MONONGALIA COUNTY.
tered December 15, 1812, by the Grand Lodge of Vir- ginia, and on February 10, 1813, at its first meeting, Thomas Irwin and Thompson McKain (of Union No. 92, of Penn.), Simeon Woodrow and William G. Payne, P.M.'s appointed by the Grand Lodge of Virginia, installed the following offi- cers : Ralph Berkshire, W.M .; Rawley Scott, S.W .; George S. Dering, J.W .; William G. Payne, secretary ; William N. Jarrett, treasurer; Simeon Woodrow, S.D .; W. B. Linsey, J.D .; and Nathaniel Webb, tyler. From 1819 to 1825, the Lodge was dormant, and in 1826, the charter must have been returned. December 16, 1846, a new charter was granted. January 24, 1867, a new charter was received from the Grand Lodge of West Virginia, and the number of the lodge was changed from No. 93 to No. 4. The lodge has met regularly from 1846 to the present time -since 1852 in the "Commercial Building." The present membership is about fifty. Present officers : W. H. Hous- ton, W.M .; L. W. Joseph, S.W .; E. J. Evans, J.W .; John J. Brown, secretary; M. L. Casselberry, treasurer; E. C. Allender, S.D .; J. E. Dent, J.D .; William Wagner, chap., and H. D. McGeorge, S. and T. Masters from 1812 to 1883 : Ralph Berkshire, 1813-26; Peter T. Laishley, 1846-47. From 1847, two were elected each year : 1848, H. Reed, A. B. McCans ; 1849, J. E. Tucker, George S. Ray; 1850, J. Beck, E. G. Brooke; 1851, E. G. Brooke, J. E. Tucker ; 1852, J. E. Tucker, U. Griffith ; 1853, U. Griffith, George S. Ray ; 1855-57, H. S. Reed ; 1857, Elijah Morgan, H. Reed; 1858, U. Griffith, I. Scott ; 1859, J. M. Mickle ; 1860, William Britt ; 1861-4, D. C. Pickenpaugh ; 1864, A. L. Nye ; 1865, E. C. Bunker, E. H. Coombs ; 1866 to May, 1867, W. A. Hanaway ; to December, 1869, E. H. Coombs ; 1869, (Dec.), F. M. Durbin ; 1871, W. W. Dering; 1872, E.
549
MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY.
H. Coombs; 1873-6, W. H. Houston ; 1876, E. H. Coombs ; 1877, E. C. Allender ; 1878, W. H. Houston ; 1879-80, E. H. Coombs ; 1880-4, W. H. Houston.
Secretaries from 1812 to 1883: William G. Payne, Wil- liam N. Jarrett, E. P. Fitch (1847), John Beck, J. J. Fitch, N. Gillespie, M. M. Dent, J. E. Tucker, Z. Morgan, E. C. Bunker, U. Griffith, L. Wilson, H. Reed, F. M. Durbin, E. H. Coombs, W. W. Dering, C. W. Finnell (1868), and John J. Brown from 1869 to the present time.
Independent Order of Odd Fellows .- Orphan Friend En- campment No. 23 of Virginia was instituted at Morgantown, June 25, 1850. Officers : D. R. Hoxie, C.P .; W. Carr, H. P .; Elijah Morgan, J.W .; F. J. Fleming, S.W .; P. R. Mitchell, scribe, and J. Nimon, treasurer. Under the juris- diction of West Virginia, the encampment became No. 14, on the 27thi of April, 1870, and its officers were James A." Davis, C.P .; David H. Stine, H.P .; Henry Reese, S.W .; John C. Davis, J.W .; Manliff Hayes, scribe, and Daniel Fordyce, treasurer. The encampment went down a few years ago.
Monongalia Lodge No. 62 I.O.O.F., of Virginia, was in- stituted at Morgantown, January 27, 1848. Charter mem- bers : by card, P. R. Mitchell, N.G .; John Beck, rec. sec'y; Rev. S. P. Dunlap, chaplain, J. W. Bell and E. L. Stealy : by initiation, George S. Ray, treasurer; R. B. Carr; cor. sec'y ; Thomas Evans, V.G .; W. E. Grove, William Hay- mond, Jr., John G. Evans, William S. Evans and Watson Carr. Under the jurisdiction of West Virginia, it became Monongalia Lodge No. 10, and held its first meeting February 17, 1866, when George C. Sturgiss was initiated a member. Its present officers are : Job S. Swindler, N.G .;
550
HISTORY OF MONONGALIA COUNTY.
Joseph E. Watts, V.G .; David H. Stine, sec'y, and James C. Wallace, treasurer. Its present membership is eighty- four, and the total membership since 1848 is three hundred and nine.
Lodge No. 80 of this order was organized, and is still in existence at Blacksville.
Knights of Honor .- On September 10, 1879, Morgan Lodge, No. 1762, of this order, was organized at Morgan- town, by instituting-officer R. C. Dunnington, of Fairmont. Its charter members and first officers were : J. I. Harvey, dictator; William Moorhead, vice dictator; J. M. Wood, assistant dictator; M. L. Casselberry, past dictator ; E. Shisler, treasurer ; W. C. McGrew, reporter; R. C. Berke- ley, financial reporter; G. W. Lazear, guide ; J. C. Wallace, sentinel; C. W. Finnell, guard. The lodge now numbers twenty-nine members, and its present officers are: W. C. McGrew, D .; M. L. Casselberry, V.D .; S. P. Houston, A.D .; J. S. Stewart, P.D .; E. Shisler, treas .; W. K. Hoffman, R .; William Moorhead, F.R .; R. C. Berkeley, chaplain; John I. Harvey, guide; O. H. Dille, S .; C. Vandevort, guard.
Among other provisions of the order is one for the pay- ment, upon the death of any member in good standing, of a two-thousand dollar benefit to his family or heirs. During the four years which have elapsed since this lodge was organized, only one death has occurred among its members. This was the death of W. S. Cobun, clerk of the county court, whose benefit of $2,000 was promptly paid to his family. The average cost of these benefits is about $25 per year for each member.
Patrons of Husbandry .- In 1874, White Day Grange, No. 331, was organized at Smithtown, and held regular meetings
551
MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY.
for several years, but no records could be secured, and nothing further can be stated. Another grange was estab- lished in the county, the name and number of which we have been unable to procure.
Temperance Societies .- See pages 451-2-3.
LITERARY SOCIETIES.
Sixty-nine years ago there was a library styled "The Morgantown Circulating Library." An act of Assembly passed November 15, 1814, recites that the stockholders of this society should have annual meetings and elect a presi- dent and five directors. Here all record of it ends. Tra- dition is silent, and the memory of the oldest inhabitant can add nothing.
Thespian .- There was a literary society at Morgantown over fifty years ago, which was dramatic in its character, and performed Shakespeare's plays. Thomas P. Ray and Eli B. Swearingen were members. It is said to have been the Thespian Literary Society.
The Young Men's Society for the Promotion of Literature, Science and Morality was organized in 1843, at Morgantown. No account can be found beyond the fact that. W. T. Willey, R. L. Berkshire and many other prominent men were mem- bers. Henry Clay, George McDuffie, and several other United States Senators, were elected honorary members, who responded acknowledging their election. Judge Berk- shire has these letters.
The Columbian Literary Society was started by the students of Monongalia Academy after 1852. Becoming of large membership, it divided, and a portion of its members organized
The Monongalian .- These two societies were revived by
552
HISTORY OF MONONGALIA COUNTY.
the students of the West Virginia University in 1867. The Monongalian was afterward changed to the Parthenon, The Willey was organized by members of the Columbian, but went down in a short time.
The Union Literary Society was instituted January 1, 1857. The founders were E. H. Coombs, L. S. Layton, John Thorn, W. E. Wells, A. C. Pickenpaugh, F. M. Dur- bin and Thornton Pickenpaugh. Its membership was in- creased by the addition of John Marshall Hagans, Dr. H. W. Brock, E. C. Bunker, J. M. Heck, H. T. Martin and many others. It met in one of the jury-rooms in the court-house, and its records show that among other per- formances, it discussed the live questions of the day. It ran from 1857 to April, 1861.
MONONGALIA INVENTIONS AND INVENTORS.
We have mention from various sources of the following inventions in Monongalia County, with the names of the inventors :
Invention.
Inventors.
Year.
Corn planter
D. Halderman 1853
*Seed Sower.
Moses D. Wells 1852
Rubber wagon lock.
Sausage cutter.
James Kern
Washing machine.
Elijah Morgan 1854
Breech loading gun. Lewis Evans
Automatic hand (printing) press feeder ( E. Mathers
W.D.Siegfried
1855
Corn sheller
Nimons.
Washing Machine.
J. M. Kerns
Washing Machine .. .Daniel Haldeman
Churn J. Boyers.
Dish saw.
James Kern. 1856
Churn
.Dr. H. N. Mackey
+Shingle machine
H. D. McGeorge 66
Grain sower
James Kern. 66
* These sowers were sold at $5 each. Nearly five thousand of them were made, and they were sent to all parts of the United States.
t The shingle machine was highly recommended in the papers of that day.
553
MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY.
INSURANCE HISTORY.
On the 29th of March, 1851, "The Monongalia County Mutual Insurance Company" was incorporated by the General Assembly of Virginia. Charles McLane, Edgar C. Wilson, George D. Evans, John E. Fleming, William Lazier, Addison S. Vance, Joseph A. McLane and Elza C. Lazier were the incorporators, and were named in the charter as the first board of directors. These men are all dead now, except Dr. Joseph A. McLane and Elza C. Lazier. The company was to have its office at Morgantown, and insure no property outside the county. Its organization, however, was never perfected.
Some time during the civil war, another attempt was made to form an insurance company in Morgantown. A large amount of stock was subscribed, but the company never organized for business. The stock was afterward merged in a Parkersburg insurance company, which did business a few years and then wound up its affairs.
Among the earliest life insurance agents in the county was Henry Robertsen, now of Baltimore, who, about 1865, rep- resented the Ætna Insurance Company, of Hartford, Conn. T. P. Ray succeeded Robertson as the representative of that company. About 1867, a Rev. Mr. Yard, of Baltimore, and - Dix, of New York, were here, the former in the interest of the Knickerbocker company of New York, and the latter representing the Globe, of the same city. Pre- vious to this, R. T. Bowman, of Morgantown, had become agent for the Home of Columbus, and the Continental of New York. George M. Hagans was among the early insu- rance agents here.
C. W. Finnell began the insurance business at Morgan- town in 1863, and continued it until 1876, when he removed
554
HISTORY OF MONONGALIA COUNTY.
to Pittsburgh. Returning in 1880, he resumed the business, and now represents the following fire companies : American, Continental, United States, New York Fire, and German American, of New York; Manufacturers' and American, of Wheeling ; American, of Boston; American, of Hartford ; Fire Assurance, of Philadelphia; Germania, of New Jersey; City of London, London, Eng .; Liverpool, London and Globe, of Manchester, Eng .; Metropole, of Paris, France. In life insurance, Mr. Finnell represents the Maryland Life Insurance Company, Baltimore; Travelers' Life Association, New York, and the Valley Mutual, of Staunton, Va. He is also agent for the Emmetsburg (Md.) Mutual Live Stock Insurance Company.
Prof. A. W. Lorentz began the fire and marine insurance business in Morgantown in 1870, and has continued it to the present time. He represents the Ætna of Hartford, Niag- ara of New York, and Peabody, Franklin and German, of Wheeling.
D. H. Chadwick, it is said, was the first man in the county to insure his property against fire. He did this while in thé castern cities purchasing goods. Before 1860, there was little or no insurance in the county.
TELEGRAPH HISTORY.
Previous to 1866, Monongalia County had no telegraphic communication with the outside world. In that year the Pacific and Atlantic Telegraph Company with headquar- ters at Pittsburgh, erected a line through the county, run- ning from Pittsburgh to Fairmont, and opened an office in Morgantown. A considerable quantity of the stock of this company was taken by citizens of the county, but we have no data from which to ascertain or even estimate the amount. Alexander L. Wade was the first operator in
1
555
MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY.
Morgantown, and, being also county recorder, he established the telegraph office in the court house. He was succeeded as operator in 1870, by H. R. Dering, who moved the office to his hardware store. On July 1, 1875, the Pacific and Atlantic company leased this line, among others, to the Western Union Telegraph Company for twenty years, the latter assuming the payment of four per cent per annum on two million dollars stock of the former company. This pay- ment has always been promptly made. T. P. Reay was the third operator, and was succeeded by George Kiger, Jr., who has had charge since September, 1880. Since that year the office has been in Durr's Commercial Hotel. The telegraph service here has always been prompt and efficient.
BUILDING ASSOCIATIONS.
The first building association in the county was formed in March, 1872. It was the "Enterprise Building Association of Morgantown," and A. W. Lorentz, J. A. Davis, W. C. McGrew, W. P. Willey and W. W. Dering were the charter members. The shares were $100 each, and by the terms of its charter it was to " expire in seven years from the date of incorporation, or when a sufficient amount had been re- ceived by the association to make each share of stock worth one hundred dollars." It did business for six years and seven weeks, when its stock had increased to its par value, and, according to the provisions of the charter, its business was closed up and its stockholders were paid in full. At the close of business, in May, 1878, the association had about thirty members and its stock amounted to $27,000. Not a cent was lost in any manner, it is said, during its entire course of business.
While the affairs of the "Enterprise " were being wound up, another building association was organized, and incor-
556
HISTORY OF MONONGALIA COUNTY.
porated April 2, 1878, as the "Morgantown Building Asso- ciation." Its charter members were W. C. McGrew, E. Shisler, M. L. Casselberry, George C. Sturgiss, J. C. Wag- ner, J. M. Hagans and Henry M. Morgan. Its shares were $100 each, seven of which were taken by the charter mem- bers, and it was empowered to increase its capital, by the sale of additional shares, to $200,000 in all. Its object was stated to be " raising money to be used among thie members of such corporation in buying lots or houses, or in building or repairing houses." Its principal office was to be in Morgantown, and its charter "is to expire on the first day of April, 1898." The first officers of the Association were as follows : Manliff Hays, president ; James A. Davis, vice president ; Jolin C. Wagner, treasurer; E. H. Coombs, secretary; J. M. Hagans, solicitor; M. L. Casselberry, W. C. McGrew, E. Shisler, W. W. Dering and William Wagner, board of directors. Its present officers are: E. Shisler, president ; William Wagner, vice president; M. L. Cassel- berry, treasurer; E H. Coombs, secretary ; J. M. Hagans, solicitor; A. W. Lorentz, William Wagner, George Hall, S. P. Huston and Nimrod N. Hoffman, directors. At present there are seventy members in the association, owning $39,300 of stock, of which $27,215, or over sixty-nine per bent, is paid in.
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