USA > West Virginia > Summers County > History of Summers County from the earliest settlement to the present time > Part 45
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JOHN CAPPELLOR, Locomotive Engineer And City Councilman.
JOSEPHUS PACK, First Clerk of the County Court of Summers County.
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THE NEW YORK PUBLIC MAGERY
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HISTORY OF SUMMERS COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA.
ALLEN HOUCHINS.
There is another family of Houchins who resided at Indian Mills. Allen Houchins, the ancestor, lived at that place for many years, and was an honorable carpenter and millwright. His two sons, John and Henry, were both millwrights and millers, who, with George W. Leftridge and Louis Witt, erected the lower mill and were the owners at one time. Henry married a daughter of Rev. Henry Dillon, removed to Greenville, in Monroe County, where he died in 1905. Another son, John, now lives at Barger Springs. Lewis, another son, is a railway mail clerk on the N. & W.
MANSER.
John Garfield Manser was born at Monterey, Mass., May 21, 1822, and came to Virginia in his youth, first to Culpepper Court House, later, to Gauley Bridge, where he had an uncle in business with James H. Miller. He graduated from the medical college at Cincinnati in 1851. He was twice married, his first wife being Araminta Dickinson, of Fayette County ; his second wife was Vir- ginia Pack. of the mouth of Bluestone, then Mercer County, and daughter of Anderson and Rebecca Pack. John G. Manser belonged to the Fifty-first Virginia Infantry as a surgeon in the Confederate Army. After the end of the war he practiced medicine in Raleigh and Summers Counties, first on the Flat Top Mountain, where he owned a large tract of land now known as the McAlexander place ; from thence he came to Summers County in 1872, living at the mouth of Greenbrier and Hinton, practicing his profession until 1884, when he removed to Burden, Kansas, where he died Septem- ber 17, 1886. He was an active, intelligent, strong man intellec- tually, took an active part in shaping the destinies of the new county of Summers ; for twelve years was a member of the county court and justice of the peace, and took an interesting part in the educational affairs. For several years he and Dr. Benjamin P. Gooch practiced medicine under the firm name of Manser & Gooch. He resided in and owned what was known as the Frank Dennis property, at the Upper Hinton Ferry in Avis. He has two sons residing in Burden, Kansas, Dr. William Henry Manser, a prac- ticing physician (he was at one time sergeant of Hinton and taught school there), and John Manser, a dentist, and three daughters, the oldest, Miss A. G., who married George H. Prince, a son of the late Edwin Prince, of Beckley, and Misses Mary and Virginia.
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HISTORY OF SUMMERS COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA.
McNEER.
McNeer is a Scotch name, the original being spelled "McNair." The original settler in Monroe County was James McNair, who came from near Washington, D. C., in Virginia. He married a Miss Busby ; his children were Andrew, Valentine, Richard, Keyser and Giles, Katie, who married C. Harper Walker, Margaret, who married Bartett Powell, and another daughter, who married a Smith. All of these children removed to Indiana while young, except Richard, who married Elizabeth Maddy, a sister of John and Charles Maddy, of Greenville. Richard married in 1810, and set- tled on Hand's Creek at the Sulphur Springs, where William Miller now lives. His children were Anderson, Richard, James. Augustus, Caperton, William B., Polly and Sarah Barbara. Polly married William Ryan and Sarah Barbara married William Erskine Miller, of Summers County; William B. settled on Lick Creek, having married Margaret Miller, both of whom died about 1868 on the William H. Ford land. They left surviving John C. McNeer, who lived in Summers County until recently, when he removed to Oak- hill, in Fayette County ; William N. McNeer now lives in Charles- ton. The McNeers were originally from Paisley, Scotland. The name is now spelled "McNeer." Hon. A. S. Johnson, editor of the "Monroe Watchman," married a daughter of James W. Mc- Neer, a son of Major Anderson McNeer, a son of Richard. Richard McNeer, a son of James, resides in Forest Hill. His son, John P., is the justice of the peace and president of the Board of Education. Richard (Dick) was a brave soldier in the Confederate Army. Miss Sarah lives at the mouth of Greenbrier. Another daughter of James, Mary J., married Major G. W. Goddard, and lives on Lick Creek.
McCULLOCH.
Samuel G. McCulloch settled in Hinton on the 6th day of May, 1886. He is a native of Montgomery County, Virginia, born February 10, 1864, and on the 28th day of March, 1893, he married Mrs. M. E. McCorkle, a daughter of Mrs. Mary McCorkle, who was a daughter of Charles Clark. the senior, and grand-daughter of James Thompson. John R. McCulloch, Benjamin McCulloch, Matthew McCulloch and Frank McCulloch, all brothers of Samuel G .. settled early in Hinton. John R., at that time, was a locomo- tive engineer, and became a citizen in 1877. All the brothers
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HISTORY OF SUMMERS COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA.
located in Bluefield when that town began building, and are now bankers, merchants and leading business men of that city. Samuel G. McCulloch engaged in the mercantile business for a number of years, was elected town sergeant of greater Hinton under the charter of 1897, and has filled the office of constable of Greenbrier District for eight years, being first elected in November, 1892. His mother was Elizabeth Bowers, daughter of Jacob Bowers, who was for many years the sheriff of Montgomery County, and re- moved to Texas overland during the gold days of 1849. Mr. McCulloch now occupies the office of constable and also that of city sergeant. He is an active Democrat in politics and takes an interest in the success of his party nominees.
THE FRENCHES.
This is one of the oldest families of the Southwest Virginia country, from which have descended a number of distinguished men, both in civil and military affairs.
The ancestors were from Scotland originally; thence removing to Wales, and removing to America many years prior to the great American Revolution.
They first settled in the northern neck of Virginia in Westmore- land County, and within the Fairfax grant. John French married in Westmoreland County, Virginia, in 1735. Matthew was born in 1737 from this union.
The Frenches came west of the Blue Ridge in 1775, among them John, and settled in the south branch of Potomac Valley, and French Neck is still known on the river, a beautiful and valuable body of land. John lived but a short time after this location, and his widow married Captain Cresap. This was in the present ter- ritory of Hampshire County. The sons of John were Matthew, above referred to, who, after his death, fell out with Captain Cresap, sold out, and went to Culpepper and married an Irish girl, Sallie Payne; William, James and a daughter, who married John Locke.
In 1775, Matthew, his wife and seven children crossed the Alle- ghenies into the New River Valley, and settled on Wolf Creek in what is now Giles County, Virginia, then Fincastle. The sons of Matthew were John, Isaac, James and David. Jolin married Obe- dience Clay in 1787; Isaac married Elizabeth Stowers for his first wife, and for his second, a Mrs. Fillinger ; James married Susan Hughes, a half-sister of William Wilburn. His second wife was Margaret Day; David married Mary Dingess; Martha married
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HISTORY OF SUMMERS COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA.
Jacob Straley ; Mary married Isaac Hatfield, and Annie married Elisha McComas.
The names of the children of John French by Obedience Clay French were William, Ezekiel, Charles C., James, George P., John, St. Clair, Hugh, Austin, Annie, Sallie, Orrie, Obedience, Nancy and Rebecca.
Isaac French had the following children: Isaac, Sallie and Docey.
The children of James French by his first marriage were Isaac, Reuben and Andrew ; Sallie, who married William - -; Mary, who married Daniel Straley ; Elizabeth, who married James Rowland; Isaac married Sallie Straley; Reuben married a Miss Meadows, and Andrew married Miss Day, and by the second mar- riage James had two daughters, Esther Locke, who married Kinzie Rowland, and Martha, who married William Miller.
The names of the children of David French and his wife, Mary Dingess French, were Guy D., who married Arminta Chap- man; Napoleon B., who married Jane Armstrong; Dr. David M., who married Miss Smoot : Rufus A., William H. and James H. The daughters were Cynthia, who married Judge David McComas : Harriet, who married Samuel Pack: Minerva, who married Colonel Thomas J. Boyd.
Matthew French, the founder of the French generation in this region, died on Wolf Creek in Giles County in 1814. He and his eldest son, John, were soldiers in the Revolution under Colonel William Preston. Their major was Joseph Cloyd and Thomas Shannon, captain. He fought at Guilford_C. H., Wetzel's Mill, in 1781, and in other fights.
The names of the children of Guy D. French were Henly C., who married Harriet Easly : Mary, who married William B. Mason ; Fannie, who married J. H. D. Smoot; Sarah, who married Dr. W. W. McComas (killed in the battle of South Mills), and then mar- ried Captain F. G. Thrasher : Susan, who married Dr. R. T. Elliot.
Captain David A. French first married a Williams, and on her death, Jennie C. Early ; W. A. married Sarah E. Johnson ; Charles D. married Annie C. Johnston : William A. died in 1902.
This family has not been numerous in this county. Napoleon B. French, who died a few years ago at Princeton, was elected to the Legislature and the secession convention from Mercer County, while it included a part of our territory. He was at one time the Greenback nominee for governor. His daughter, Miss Eliza, now a missionary in China, once taught school in Hinton. His son, Ed
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HISTORY OF SUMMERS COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA.
French, was an attorney at Princeton, an able lawyer and a cour- teous gentleman. Captain John A. Douglas, who for some time in the '80's resided in Hinton and practiced law, married another daughter. David, another son, resided at Concord Church, cele- brated for the "big yarns" he could tell. One of his origin he fre- quently told was "That a cold, snowy day in January, while every- thing was frozen up, he was cutting and splitting rails. He cut and split open a solid and sound oak tree, and found therein a dry land frog. Being in the solid tree, it was as flat as a case knife. He laid it out on the snow, and after a while it began to inflate itself, until it appeared as a full-grown dry land frog, and jumped off on the top of the snow crusts." This is a sample of the yarns he dispensed to the early students of the normal school in his town, of which the writer was one. His son, John Douglas French, studied law; another son, James, became a prominent minister in the M. E. Church South. His daughter, Miss Minnie, who'married a Mr. Shields, was the first lady to graduate at the Concord Normal School. Miss Bessie, another daughter, is a teacher, and another daughter of David French is an author of note and popularity.
Captain James H. French was the first principal of the Concord Normal School, being a very learned man, noted for his learning and eccentricities, as well as his high sense of honor. He was a law- yer by profession, but abandoned the profession and took up teach- ing. He remained principal of the school until his death-some twenty years-and his remains are buried in the school grounds, where a handsome monument has been erected to mark his resting- place by the students whom he had taught.
He was a brother of Colonel Napoleon B. French and W. H. French, who was a bachelor, and who owned a great plantation between Athens and Concord.
William French owned a farm on Lick Creek, where he died several years ago. He married the widow of Henry Gore, who was Adeline Keatley. He operated one of the first saloons in Hin- ton.
Wm. A. French owned and lived on the Overton Caperton place on Lick Creek. They came to the county from Giles County, Vir- ginia.
The Frenches are scattered throughout the South and West. Among them are many brilliant men and women. The men have been justices, sheriffs, lawyers, clerks, judges, statesmen and sol- diers.
William McComas, a descendant of Matthew French, was a
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HISTORY OF SUMMERS COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA.
member of Congress from 1833 to 1837, David McComas an emi- nent jurist, and Dr. W. W. McComas a distinguished physician and gallant Confederate soldier. Colonel James Milton French, a celebrated lawyer, was a brave and gallant Confederate soldier, now of Arizona, and practiced law in our courts. He was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Congress in our district in 1888. He married Miss Lucy Gooch, a sister of our citizen, the late Dr. Benj. P. Gooch. William Wirt French, now practicing law at Princeton, is his son. J. A. French, a prominent lawyer of Key- stone, West Virginia, is of the same family.
(See Johnston's History of the New River Settlements.)
Matthew and John French were soldiers in the American Revo- lution, and served in Colonel Win. Preston's Battalion of Mont- gomery Valley.
SHUMATE.
Tollison Shumate was one of the earliest settlers in this region of the New River Valley. At the formation of Monroe County, in 1799, we find his name among those named in the military estab- lishment of the county as a lieutenant, along with David Graham, George Swope and William Maddy, each of whom have direct de- scendants in this county at this day. Mat. Farley, Wm. Graham, Samuel Clark, Robert Nickell, as captains, who also have descend- ants in the county as well. James Gwinn, James Byrnside. James Miller, Alexander Dunlap, John Harvey and others, named as en- signs. These settlers, along with many others, came into the re- gion directly after the Revolutionary War, about 1780 to 1785. Tollison Shumate came from Fauquier County, Virginia.
The Shumates are direct descendants of this Tollison. The di- rect descendants who inhabited the county were Anderson and Wilson. The latter lived and died at an old age on Crump's Bot- tom. Anderson lived at one time on the Mercer Salt Works prop- erty of about 1,000 acres, which he owned at the date of his death in recent years. He was a very wealthy and prosperous man. The sons of Wilson Shumate still living in the regions of New River, in the county, are Tollison and S. T. Shumate. Anderson Shu- mate was the father of Hon. B. P. Shumate. Rufus H. Shumate owned the lower half of Crump's Bottom at his death, and the same is still owned by his descendants, one of whom is Carl Shu- mate, now residing thereon. Dr. Shumate, a prominent physician of Giles County, Virginia, Milton H. and Colonel Henderson Shu- mate, who owns and lives on the French farm, between Athens and
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Princeton, in Mercer County. Milton H. is president of the Bank of Athens, and has represented Mercer County in the legislature for two terms.
The Shumates are a thrifty and prosperous race, Anderson Shu- mate being a man of great wealth, as well as all of his sons being men of large property. R. W. Clark, the justice of Pipestem, mar- ried a daughter of Wilson, who was also a man of property. B. P. Shumate, Jr., a son of Hon. B. P. Shumate, resides at and is the present postmaster at True, and is a prominent merchant and thrifty citizen. Harrison Shumate, one of the oldest citizens of the county, died a few years ago in the upper end of Forest Hill Dis- trict, and was a somewhat noted character in his time.
J. T. Shumate, who married a Ferril about 1900, purchased the lower part of the Culbertson (or Crump's) Bottom farm formerly owned by W. C. Crockett, for which he paid $14,000. It is on this land the Pennsylvania gentleman, about the year 1890, drilled for oil 3,000 feet, and found a great supply of gas. His 'sons Carl and Frank succeeded to this farm. The former married Miss Josephine Coe Peck, a daughter of ex-County Clerk Peck, and died some five years ago. Carl and the son of Frank, an infant of tender years, still own the place, which is farmed by the former.
The Shumate family is of French descent. Daniel Shumate was one of the pioneers of Giles County, where he located soon after the Revolution. His sons' names were Tollison, Harden, Silas, John and Daniel. Tollison first married a Lilly, and then a Green. He had five sons-Thompson, Wilson, Anderson, Harrison and Parkinson. Anderson, Wilson and Parkinson were the direct progenitors of the present Shumate family in this county. Harden married Eliza- beth Leach. His sons' names were Edmund. Washington. Kend- ley, Daniel, William and Harden. Daniel married a Washington, and went to Missouri in 1852. Edmund and Kendley both reared families in Giles County. John Shumate went to Ohio in 1825. Daniel married an Ellison, and settled on Coal River. He has a number of descendants in Raleigh. Kendley Shumate, one of the younger generation. is a learned lawyer in Mingo County at this date.
BALLARD PRESTON SHUMATE.
Hon. B. P. Shumate was born near Parisburg, in Giles County, Virginia, on December 10, 1842, and is the son of the late Anderson Shumate. At the age of seven years his father located near Mer- cer Salt Works, on territory then in Mercer, but which now forms a part of Summers County. There Mr. Shumate resided up to the
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HISTORY OF SUMMERS COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA.
year 1858, when his father removed to near Glen Lyn, Giles Coun- ty, Virginia, where Mr. Shumate worked as a farm laborer until the breaking out of the Civil War in 1861, at which time he enlisted in the Confederate Army in the company of Captain Watts, and was assigned to the famous 22d Virginia Infantry Brigade. In the early spring of 1862, the company was reorganized and Mr. Shu- mate commissioned first lieutenant, this being the first office or com- mission held by him in his career. He continued with this com- mand, participating in all the great battles in which his regiment was engaged, up to the Battle of Dry Creek, in Greenbrier County, on August 26, 1863, in which he was wounded and disabled from service, being placed on the retired list; but later he was commis- sioned provost marshal for the southwestern counties of Virginia. In 1865, after the close of the war, he located in Pipestem District, then Mercer, now Summers County, and in the year 1871 he es- tablished a mercantile business at that place, which he has through all these years conducted personally and successfully. and without an intermission from that date to this day.
In the year 1872 he was elected deputy sheriff with Evan Hin- ton, which office he resigned in 1874. After the adoption of the amendments to the Constitution and the present county court sys -. tem went into effect, he was elected as one of the first commission- ers of that body. his associates being Joseph Hinton, of Greenbrier District, and John C. McNeer, of Green Sulphur District. At the expiration of his term of two years, he was again re-elected for a full term of six years.
In 1892 he was the Democratic nominee for the House of Dele- gates, and was elected over L. G. Lowe, the Republican nominee, of Forest Hill District. In 1894 he was again the nominee of his party, but in the landslide it went to the Republicans in that cam- paign. He was defeated by the Hon. M. J. Cook. of Hinton, by the small majority of 43 votes.
In 1898 he was his party's nominee for member of the Legisla- ture, and was elected by a very handsome majority. On the 7th day of October, 1903, he was commissioned by Governor White as a notary public. He is the present secretary of the Board of Educa- tion of Pipesten District, and has been for thirty-one years, re- gardless of the political complexion of the Board, which elects its secretary. He is the present postmaster of Pipestem Postoffice, and has been such since July 22. 1879. Mr. Shumate has been one of the most successful and enterprising citizens of this county, and is identified with its history from its foundation to the present date.
ELBERT FOWLER, Lawyer, Killed by J. S. Thompson.
HON. BALLARD PRESTON SHUMATE, Farmer, Statesman and Pioneer Merchant.
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIDMIRY
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HISTORY OF SUMMERS COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA.
THE DUNCAN FAMILY.
John Duncan was one of the first settlers on Lick Creek, in Green Sulphur District. It is impossible to give the exact date of his location, but it was some time prior to 1800. He was from Shenandoah County, Virginia, and married Elizabeth Patterson. He died in 1823, and it was at the house of his widow, on the old Duncan place on Lick Creek, that the first Baptist Church in that region was organized in 1832. He was an Indian fighter, and helped to defend the forts in that region. He was the father of eleven children, six boys and five girls. The three boys, who were known to the writer, were John, being the oldest, who resided on Mill Fork, almost in sight of Green Sulphur Springs, where his son, Harvey Duncan, now lives, and who married a Miss Adeline Hix, sister of John and William Hix, and aunt of Robert Hix. Charles married Cassie Alderson, a sister of the wives of David Graham and Robert Miller; and Nathan Duncan, who married Elmira Crews, of Monroe County. We are unable to ascertain any history of the other members of the older family.
Charles Duncan left two sons, Nathan A. and James, known as "Jim Curly," his son, Elliott Duncan, being the present deputy sheriff for Green Sulphur District ; and one daughter, who married A. J. Miller, now living in Roanoke, Virginia.
Nathan L. Duncan left surviving him George A. Duncan, who lives at the old Nathan Duncan homestead on Duncan's Branch. George A. Duncan married Miss Mollie Graham, a daughter of James L. Graham. James Sedley Duncan, who was a brave Confed- erate soldier, and fought throughout the Civil War in the Confeder- ate Army, and was desperately wounded at the Seven Days' fight, now resides on Lick Creek, and John L. Duncan, who married Miss Alice George, a daughter of Tom Lewis George, of the Meadows. His daughters were Ellen, Martha and Lucy. Lucy married John C. MeNeer, who now resides at Oak Hill, in Fayette County ; Ellen married a Mr. Watson, of Ashland, Ky., who died some years ago. and Martha married Charles Connor, and resides on Muddy Creek, in Greenbrier County.
John Duncan, Sr., was understood to be a Scotchman, and was a native of that country.
John Duncan the younger, or second, left the following chil- dren : John Hunter Duncan, who is a farmer residing near Elton. He has also engaged in saw-milling. He is a very tall, large man, noted for his slow speech and slow movements. W. H. (generally
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HISTORY OF SUMMERS COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA.
known as Harvey), who was disabled when a boy from the disease commonly known as white swelling. Marion, who was not of strong mind, and three daughters, and Michael-Miss Jerusha, who married Mr. John H. Ford, a prosperous farmer and horse trader ; Lovey Jane, who married W. L. Stanard, of Webster Springs, and Elizabeth, who married Marion Surbaugh, commonly known as "Bug," a nickname.
THE LILLY FAMILY.
In the year 1640, Cecil Calvert, a younger brother of the Second Lord Baltimore, brought about 300 colonists from England, and settled at St. Mary's. From some of the descendants of this colony originated the largest family now in Summers County, viz., the Lilly family.
About the years 1696 to 1702 was born in what is now the State of Maryland a family of three brothers, one of whom went to what is now the State of Georgia, and the other two crossed the Alleghe- nies. One settled on the Kanawha River below where Charleston now stands, and the other, whose name was Robert Lilly, settled in what is now Summers County, on Bluestone River, about four miles from its junction with the New River, on a bottom now owned and occupied by Joseph Lilly ("Curly Joe"), one of his nu- merous descendants. This was about the years 1740 to 1750.
Robert Lilly married a lady whose maiden name was Moody, and to them were born four sons, who, together with his wife, came and settled with him. The names of these sons were Thomas, Ed- mond, Robert and William.
Robert Lilly, one of these sons, died on Guyan River about the year 1828, at the age of 108 years.
Edmond Lilly lived and died at a very advanced age here in this county, the date not known. He was the father of Rev. Joseph Lilly, who was an honored minister of the Primitive Baptist Church. He also had a twin brother named Edmond. James and Jonathan were also twins. John Lilly, who died from the bite of a rattle- snake; Robert, Washington, who lived and died on Mountain Creek; Elijah, who spent his days on the great Flat Top Moun- tains; and William, known as "Dr. Bill," who lived near Glade Creek, in Summers County.
The family of Joseph Lilly consists of the following: Ander- son, deceased: Hugh, who was the father of Mrs. T. B. Barker, of Beech Run ; Alexander, known as "Alex the Jockey"; Joseph, known
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HISTORY OF SUMMERS COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA.
as "Blind Joe"; Jonathan K., ex-deputy sheriff of Mercer County ; Isaac, deceased; Henry Lee, deceased; Edmond, Russell and Thompson, deceased ; as well as several daughters, among whom are Mrs. John Roles, now living near Forest Hill, and Margaret, the first wife of Robert W. Lilly.
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