USA > West Virginia > Summers County > History of Summers County from the earliest settlement to the present time > Part 61
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Mr. Flanagan was twice elected to the House of Delegates of the West Virginia Legislature, serving one term at Wheeling, when the capital was in that city, and the other in Charleston. He voted in favor of removing the capital from Wheeling to Charleston. He was a member when the act was passed creating Summers County, and voted in favor of the passage of the act, and was active in securing the formation of the new county. For his services in the Legislature, see the acts of the session of 1870 and of 1871. Members of the Legislature at that time, under the old Constitution, being elected each year, he served two terms in that office. He died on the 4th of July, 1884, and is buried in Hilltop Cemetery, at Hinton, where a handsome granite monu- ment has been erected at his grave by his sons.
Mr. Flanagan was a wealthy man at his day, being the owner of lands in the New River coal field. On their development, lands which had been almost worthless before became very valuable.
The children of R. R. Flanagan are Frederick, Andrew, Marie Lucile and Eliza Louise.
The only living child of Andrew G. Flanagan is Miss Vella, who married the attorney, Judge A. D. Daly, of Hinton.
DANIEL MORGAN MEADOR
Was born March 16, 1856, in Raleigh County, West Virginia. His parents were Lewis and Rachel Meador. His mother was Miss Rachel Cox. His grandfather's name was Thomas, and he settled and lived at the old Pack Mill, seven miles above the mouth of Bluestone. Lewis Meador is known all over this region of country by reason of his having carried the mail from here to Raleigh Court House for many years, and with many courtesies extended to the people on the route.
D. M. Meador was married November 28. 1878, to Miss Syl- vira Richmond, a daughter of William Richmond, of Raleigh County, and a sister of Mrs. William Plumly, Jr., and of Allen
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Richmond, of Jumping Branch, and of John and Lewis Richmond, citizens and merchants of Hinton. The brothers of Mr. Meador were LaFayette, who was a merchant in Hinton for many years, and is now in the lumber business in Virgina; Isaac, of Shady Springs, Raleigh County, Henry and Matthew.
D. M. Meador was elected a justice of the peace from Rich- mond District, which position he held for four years. He is a Democrat in politics and a Christian Baptist in religion. He has been a merchant in Hinton for many years, is a large property owner, and one of the promoters of and stockholders in the Hin- ton Foundry & Machine Company. He has been engaged also in the lumber manufacturing and stave business for a number of years, now operating on a large scale at Cliff Top, in Fayette County, and is an enterprising and thrifty citizen. He is a de- scendant of the original pioneer Meador who settled in the Blue- stone region.
HARVEY.
The late Allen L. Harvey resided for many years and until his death, on the 9th day of February, 1883, on his farm, a good plantation on New River, above Crump's Bottom, in Forest Hill District. He was born at Red Sulphur Springs, in Monroe County, then Virginia, on July 28, 1822, and was the oldest son of James and Nancy Harvey. He had three sisters-Sallie, who married William Adair; Mary, who married Dr. Ward Cook, who resided in the State of Indiana, and Amanda, who married Hon. Wm. Haynes; and two brothers, James A. Harvey and J. S. Harvey.
Mr. Harvey made his home with his parents at Red Sulphur until he was twenty-five years of age, when he married Miss Melinda J. Pack, daughter of one of the old settlers of the county, Archibald Pack, who then lived in Mercer County. Immediately after the marriage of Mr. Harvey he removed to his farm on New River, where his sons now reside, known as the "McDaniels Farm," and at which place .he resided until his death. He left surviving him a wife and eleven children, eight girls and three boys, all of whom are still living and all married, except one son, James H., and one daughter. His wife died on the 30th day of March, 1904.
Mr. Harvey was a very intelligent and prominent citizen in Monroe County before the formation of Summers County, and in the latter after its formation. He held the office of Commis-
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sioner of Internal Revenue by election in Monroe County for four years; also deputy sheriff four years, and high sheriff of Monroe County four years, and was a justice of the peace in Summers County for a number of years, as well as one of the justices of the county court under the old Constitution, when that tribunal held jurisdiction in all chancery and civil causes.
John E. Harvey, the oldest son, is a farmer and surveyor by occupation, having been educated in the public schools and at the Concord Normal School. He was twice elected surveyor of this county, and held the office for two full terms of four years each, and declined further election. His two brothers, James H. and William L., are both enterprising farmers, and also reside on New River, in Forest Hill District. All are loyal citizens.
They are each active, loyal Democrats, noted in the councils of their party. One of the daughters of A. L. Harvey, Miss Lin- nie, married A. J. Keatley, the present sheriff of Summers County ; another married Rev. James Sweeney, of Beckley, and another Captain Bob Sanders, of Forest Hill.
A. L. Harvey was a Democrat the greater part of his life and up to about 1880, when he cast his fortunes with the Greenback organization, believing, along with many other Democrats and Republicans, in the doctrines of that party on the money issues. He was largely the promoter of the establishment of the Hinton "Banner" in 1878, a newspaper founded for the purpose of pro- claiming the doctrines and faith of the Greenback party, and which, on the collapse of that political organization, collapsed with. it.
The Harveys' farm was in aboriginal times a town of some ancient peoples. A great many human skeletons have been plowed . up from beneath the surface. Parts of crockery and earthen utensils of various characters, some in the shape of pots, and many evidences are yet constantly appearing of populations of a prehistoric race.
Near the mouth of Indian Creek, a short distance below the Harvey place, there is a cliff of rocks, on one of which there is the imprint of an Indian figure, and traditions have it that there is a jar of gold buried beneath this cliff, and the "get-rich-quick" and fortune-hunters have sought for it by digging beneath the rocks, but with the usual results-their labor was lost.
A. L. Harvey was also sheriff of Monroe County during the period of the Civil War, and his two brothers, James A. and John S., were each soldiers in the Confederate Army.
Mr. Harvey was a prominent and useful citizen. and one of
ROBERT R. FLANAGAN, Capitalist and Financier.
JOHN E. HARVEY, Eighth Year Surveyor of Summers County.
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THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX ANE TILDEN FA NOT TS
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HISTORY OF SUMMERS COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA.
the history-makers of the county at its formation, and until the date of his death, and his sons and children are honest, loyal citizens.
John E. Harvey has had some remarkable experiences. While a student at the Normal School, he was accidentally shot through the. body by one of his schoolmates from his own county, Oscar Roles. The wound was exceedingly serious, and it was a remark- able escape from death. While engaged in repairing his barn, in 1905, lie was struck by a piece of timber and very dangerously wounded. His physicians were hopeless of his recovery, and di- rected that he be brought to the Hinton Hospital. He was un- able to be transported by any conveyance except by a skiff. He was placed in a skiff and started for Hinton after dark, a distance of twenty miles, and he was brought down the river all the way after night, lying in the bottom of the boat, one man rowing. He reached the hospital at eleven o'clock that same night, and thus his life was saved. He was brought through the rapids at the mouth of Greenbrier. Bluestone and Warford, as well as other swift and dangerous places, and with no moonlight.
JAMES H. GEORGE.
James H. George, ex-sheriff of Summers County, and now president of the Bank of Pineville and cashier of the Bank of Wyoming, was born at Green Sulphur Springs, on his father's farm, on February 20, 1868, on Lick Creek, then Greenbrier County. On the 9th day of October, 1895, he married Miss Jes- sie G. Pollock, of Muddy Creek, in Greenbrier County. Having been elected cashier of the Bank of Wyoming, he removed to Oceana, in that county, on the first day of February, 1903. He was educated in the common and private schools on Lick Creek, reared on his father's plantation, and engaged in teaching the free schools for one or two years. He is a son of Thomas Allen George, one of the most influential citizens of Green Sulphur Dis- trict. His mother was Mary Hinchman. of Monroe County, a daughter of William Hinchman, and one of the descendants of William Hinchman, the English pioncer settler near Lowell, in this county.
In 1896 James H. George was nominated by the Democratic party for sheriff of Summers County over ex-Sheriff O. T. Kes- ler, one of the strongest men in the county. At the ensuing elec- tion in November, he, with his other Democratic associates, was
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HISTORY OF SUMMERS COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA.
elected, his majority being - votes. He filled the full term of the office for four years, beginning January 1, 1897, his deputies being W. R. Neely, Jr., John W. Wiseman and James D. Bolton. During his term he was appointed a member of the Book Board of Summers County, which he resigned upon his removal to Wy- oming County.
The wife of Mr. George died on June 22, 1899. He is considered an excellent financier and business man, and has managed the affairs of the banks over which he has control and supervision with excellent skill and judgment. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church, having united with that organization in his early youth, and is a descendant of the Greenbrier Georges and Monroe Hinchmans.
ENOS C. FLINT.
I am unable to give as full a history of the honorable family of this name as desired, for want of full and complete information. There were two settlers by the name of Flint who located on Griffith's Creek, in Talcott District, many years ago. One, C. A. Flint, was the father of Enos C. Flint, and the other his brother, Jeremiah Flint, both of whom reared families, J. A. Graham, of Hinton, having intermarried with the daughter of Jerry Flint.
C. A. Flint was born in Monroe County, that part of which is now Summers, in 1843. His wife was Elizabeth Ellis, of Grif- fith's Creek, a daughter of Enos Ellis, and one of the very first settlers of that region of country. They left surviving them five children-Mary J., who married a Mr. Barnett, being the oldest, born October 17, 1844; Enos C., born December 3, 1845; Nancy R., who married Matthew A. Withrow, of Lick Creek, born March 26, 1848: Thomas G., a farmer, who resides on Griffith's Creek, born August 11, 1849; Melinda F., born January 27. 1853.
Enos C. Flint married Sarah A. Withrow, a daughter of Sam- uel H. and Amanda, of Lick Creek, on the 10th day of April. 1873. Mrs. Flint was one of the old students of the old "Gum School." at which place she attended school in her youth, along with many other of the youths of Green Sulphur District. Many of the pranks and games and much of the fun of the youth of that region being acquired, as well as their education, at the old log temple of learn- ing, situate under the old gum tree at the Liek Creek Ford, on the lower end of the Samuel Withrow farm.
Enos C. Flint resides on the farm where he was born. He has
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been throughout his life one of the substantial citizens of that community, and was elected to the office of justice of the peace, which office he held for a term of four years, fulfilling his duties to the entire satisfaction of his constituency. He has been nomi- nated frequently for other positions, all of which he has refused to accept. except for a part of one term, filling the office as men- ber of the Board of Education. He is a Democrat in his political faith, and a Missionary Baptist, as well as his wife, in his re- ligious belief, both being members of that church organization.
C. A. Flint died April 3, 1902, his brother, Jerry Flint, dying some years previous, leaving a family, whose names I have not learned, one of his sons being Thomas Flint. now residing in North Alderson, and a citizen of excellent standing.
CLAYTON.
This place derives its name from an incident occurring many years ago, before the railroad, the telegraph and the balloons had reached this portion of the Western wilderness. Richard Clayton was a resident of Cincinnati, Ohio, and in April, 1835, made a balloon ascension in that city, at 5 o'clock P. M .. landing the next morning, at 2 o'clock A. M., in the top of a large tree on Stin- son's Knob, the highest point of Keeney's Knob, or Keeney's Mountain, near the chalybeate spring, designated as the Mossy Spring, then Monroe County, now Summers County, being near the corner line of the three counties of Monroe, Summers and Greenbrier. Mr. Clayton had some ropes with him in his balloon, with which he lowered himself to the earth, landing in a com- plete wilderness. After some search he found a dim path leading to some cabins two miles distant, in which resided Samuel and James Gill, whom he secured to look for his balloon, but they were not successful in their search at first. By their directions, Mr. Clayton found his way to the house of Mr. Jos. Graham, the father of David Graham, the historian of the Graham family. The Gills, in the afternoon, found the balloon, and that night brought it to Mr. Clayton at Joseph Graham's house. This was on Thurs- day .. On Friday the two Gills and two of Mr. Graham's sons. John, the surveyor, and James, the farmer, and Clayton, secured the balloon and brought it to the house.
In those days, as Mr. Graham stated in his history, the militia was required to train twice a year, in April and October. The next day following, Saturday, was a militia training day, and the .
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HISTORY OF SUMMERS COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA.
two Graham boys, who were then young men, went to the drill for muster in the militia, and there spread the news of the won- derful event of the landing of the balloon on Keeney's Knob. The people doubted their veracity, as it was remarkably strange news for a man to come from Cincinnati in nine hours, a distance of 360 miles.
Hiram Graham was secured by Mr. Clayton to convey him- self and the balloon to Charleston, then in Virginia, now West Virginia, in Kanawha County, by wagon, which they proceeded to do on the following day, which was Sunday. On Sunday morn- ing the cavalcade began its march, and the citizens and the peo- ple along the route put in their appearance, doubting the veracity of the story of this wonderful performance by the balloonist. The balloon was somewhat torn by the limbs; otherwise, it was un- injured. Mr. Clayton, with his wagon and balloon, returned to Cincinnati, crossing Keeney's Knob, passing down Lick Creek, up Mill Creek, across the Sewell Mountain, War Ridge, to the old James River and Kanawha Turnpike; thence down the same to the mouth of Gauley, and thence to Charleston, there loading his balloon and himself on a steamboat, and proceeding to Cincin- nati. there being no other means of transportation between these two points in those days. Hiram Graham was hired to haul the balloon to Charleston.
The present postoffice of Clayton, when established a few years ago, was named after Richard Clayton. this balloonist, and from the incident herein recited. This postoffice is located on the site of the old Joseph Graham residence, now owned and occupied by Mr. David Graham Ballangee, the owner and a grandson of Jo- seph Graham, the present postmaster, and. in fact, the only post- master, who has ever filled that position at that place.
HON. A. N. CAMPBELL.
The family of Campbell is a Monroe family, but there are descendants of the original ancestor, as well as numerous connec- tions and relatives, within our territory, who have been identified with our history from the beginning. including Andrew L. Camp- bell, the present county surveyor, and Mrs. M. A. Manning, of Talcott, children of Isaac Campbell, who are descendants of the first settler in this country, Robert Campbell, who emigrated to America from Armagh County, Ireland, locating in Greenbrier County, near the Pickaway Plains, which is now Monroe County.
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HISTORY OF SUMMERS COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA.
Robert Campbell, the ancient ancestor of this family in America, was born in Armagh, Ireland, the same county from which the McCreery ancestors came, and was the son of Archie, who lived and died in that country. Robert, after his location in the Pick- away country, married a Miss Jeffries, a Welsh lady, who came from Wales in her childhood with her father. Andrew Campbell, the son of Robert, and the great-grandson of Archie, and the father of the older generation of the Campbell family now inhabit- ing this county, married a Miss Hawkins, whose father was born in England. The Campbells are Scotch-Irish, the ancient ances- tors having emigrated from Scotland to Ireland, and from Ireland a later generation emigrated to America, by which reason they are known as Scotch-Irish. Andrew Campbell lived to be eighty- five years old. He died on the old Campbell homestead near Pick- away. He left the following sons: Archibald, Echols, Newton, Boyd, Andrew, Nelson and Rev. James Patrick, all of whom were noted for their handsome physical proportions, being tall, stout, muscular and finely developed men. Hon. Andrew Nelson Camp- bell has been largely identified with affairs in Summers County from its formation. He was one of the first lawyers admitted to practice at its bar, and has practiced his profession of law at intervals since that time therein. He was born on September 25, 1842. In 1867 he married a Miss Leach, a member of the ancient family of Leach and one of the prominent families of Monroe County. He entered the Confederate Army first as a member of the Greenbrier Cavalry at the beginning of the Civil War. After the expiration of one year that company disbanded, Captain Bob Moomaw being its captain, and for the remaining three years of the war he was a member of Bryan's Battery, and was then and has since been known as the "Big Sergeant." In 1867 he graduated from the law school of Washington College, now Washington and Lee University, at Lexington, Virginia, but was not admitted to practice his profession by reason of the infamous test-oath restrictions until 1870, and after the abolition of that infamous piece of restrictive legislation. In 1870 he was admitted to the practice, and formed a law partnership with the late Senator Frank Hereford, which continued for many years, after which he continued to practice alone. In 1871 he was elected from Monroe to the House of Delegates of West Virginia, and served in the session of 1872-3. He served for a term as a member of the Regents of the West Virginia University. In 1888 he was elected judge of the Circuit Court of the Tenth Judicial Circuit, including
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the counties of Greenbrier, Monroe, Pocahontas, Summers and Fayette, which position he held for the term of eight years, and at the expiration of which he was renominated by his party for re-election, but the district having become Republican through the development of the coal regions and emigration, he was de- feated by a greatly reduced majority by the late Judge J. M. Mc- Whorter. Since his retirement from the bench he has practiced his profession, his entire time being engaged, however, in looking after the legal affairs of the vast interests of the late Colonel Joseph L. Beury and the Deepwater Railway Company, now the Virginian. For the past five years he has been counsel for that corporation, located at Beckley, and has been largely instrumental in securing the right of way for that great railroad now being con- structed for a considerable distance through Raleigh County, and was the leading attorney in a large number of litigated law suits concerning the right of way, and especially in the noted "Jenney Gap" case, in which instance the Deepwater Company bought and owned a tract of land on which the Jenney Gap is located. The C. & O. Railway Co. desired to extend its Piney Branch line through this gap into Wyoming County ; made its surveys, brought condem- nation proceedings and had its right of way condemned. The commissioners reported a large amount of damages, approximating $25,000. The Deepwater made is survey through the same land and located its tunnel, and contested the right of the other company, which contest was sustained by the court of last resort, and which held that the property could not be condemned. and that the Deepwater had the preference. The C. & O. Railway Co. pro- ceeding on the theory that the condemnation would be sustained, constructed its tunnel at a cost of probably $75.000. The case was carried to the Supreme Court of Appeals, and the lower court reversed, the decision being in effect that the Deepwater held preference. It proceeded to oust the C. & O., and took possession of the tunnel which had been constructed, and is now operating same without compensation. Judge Campbell has recently retired as attorney for the Virginian Railway Company, and has retired from the practice of the profession, retaining only the winding up of his engagements with the Beury estate. He is a man of great legal learning, remarkable for his fine recollection and ability to cite the reported cases and established law. His great ability as an attorney has been recognized throughout this section of the State, and he has been engaged in the trial of many contested controversies, especially in the counties of Monroe and Greenbrier
REV. JAMES PATRICK CAMPBELL, A Soldier, Teacher and Veteran Baptist Minister.
JUDGE A. NELSON CAMPBELL, Lawyer and Jurist.
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONE.
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during the days of his active practice, including the famous Jarrett and Perry will cases. He is large in both body and mind, as well as heart, and one of the most genial men it has been our good fortune to know. He has been spoken of frequently for the Su- preme Court of the State, but he has never been a politician or an office seeker, though a pronounced and active Democrat, re- maining loyal to his party throughout all of its vicissitudes. In religious matters he is a Presbyterian, being a member of that organization, as are the Campbell generation, with the bare excep- tion, as we remember, of his brother, the Rev. J. P. Campbell, who was a minister in the Missionary Baptist Church. There is one son of Judge Campbell, Andrew, who is now a citizen of Sum- mers County, being an assistant in the Hinton Department Com- pany stores.
In retiring from the active practice of his profession, Judge Campbell does so with a handsome fortune. He has never resided in the towns. Early in life he acquired forty acres of the blue grass lands near Pickaway Plains, six miles from Union, the county seat of Monroe County, where he has resided since, pre- ferring the country and agricultural surroundings and the domes- ticity of the country. He was a brave soldier, a learned lawyer, a faithful friend and a loyal citizen, and the most widely known Campbell in the State. The person and the reputation of "Nelse" Campbell is known in almost every hamlet throughout the State, and his reputation has gone beyond its confines as one of the ablest men that the State has produced.
REV. J. P. CAMPBELL.
No history of the city of Hinton or of Summers County would be complete without a mention of this most excellent citizen and minister of the gospel and his family. He was a son of Andrew and Anna Campbell, born December 26, 1846, at Pickaway, Mon- roe County, Virginia ; attended the neighborhood schools and two sessions of the Academy at Union, taught by the pioneer Presby- terian preacher, educator and missionary, the Rev. Dr. Samuel Houston and Hugh A. White.
The Civil War coming on when Mr. Campbell was little more than fourteen years of age, he, with his brothers Arch and Hon. A. Nelson Campbell, enlisted in the service of the Southern Con- federacy at the beginning of hostilities, his brother Arch being killed in the first battle of Manassas.
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Mr. Campbell remained on his father's farm, the larger part of the management of the same devolving upon him, and until he was seventeen years of age, the time at which he enlisted in the Southern cause. He served the first year of the war in the position of adjutant of the Fourth Battalion of Virginia Infantry, com- manded by Colonel S. M. Wallace. At the close of the war he returned to his father's farm in poor health, and, after remaining there a short time, again entered school at Union, in Monroe County, then taught by Rev. S. R. Houston, but on account of continued ill health, caused by exposure during his army service, he was forced to abandon school and devote himself to outdoor life, by reason of which his school life terminated, practically, with the beginning of the war.
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