History of West Virginia old and new, Volume 2, Part 69

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George N. Hancock was six years of age when th family moved to Alderson, where he secured a gramma and high school education. He began railroading at th age of fifteen, and that vocation commanded his bes energies for a quarter of a century. He learned teleg raphy, became an operator, later station agent, trai: dispatcher and held increasing responsibilities in th freight and passenger departments of the Chesapeak & Ohio Railroad. Practically his entire service wa with this company, though for a few years he was in th West, chiefly in Illinois, Indian Territory and California Mr. Hancock in 1910 was made general agent of th Chesapeake & Ohio at Charleston, an office he fille- until 1917, when he resigned to enter the coal, rea estate, oil and gas business. His home has been & Charleston since 1910.

Mr. Hancock is secretary and treasurer of the Big Bottom Coal Company, which operates mines at Tad Kanawha County, on the Campbell's Creek Railway, and is secretary of the Blue Creek Development Company, s. oil company lie organized in 1912. In the real estat field he is president of the Mohler Realty Company o Charleston, owners and developers of the Mohler Addi tion. This high class residential addition is on the wes side, a half mile below the Kelly Axe Factory and comprises about twenty-five acres of land, divided int 158 lots, fronting on the Kanawha River with paved roa and Interurban Line. The addition was thoroughly de. veloped before being put on the market, the developmen consisting of modern sewerage construction, permanen - sidewalks and city water. It is in the pathway of th rapid development of Charleston down the river t Dunbar.

Mr. Hancock is a member of the Chamber of Com merce, Rotary Club, Benevolent and Protective Orde of Elks, is a thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Maso and Shriner, is a deacon in the First Presbyterian Church at Charleston, and votes as a democrat. I 1896 he married Miss Blanche Rice Montgomery, young est daughter of John C. Montgomery, a large real estat holder and former member of the State Legislature, wh died in 1918. Her grandfather was founder of the towy of Montgomery in Fayette County, where she was born The three sons and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Han cock are George Montgomery, born in 1898; James Ken ton, born in 1899; Lawrence Franklin, born in 1902, and Nancy Elizabeth, born in 1919.

E. BENNETTE HENSON, M. D. A prominent young physi cian and surgeon at Charleston, former medical officer i the army, Doctor Henson is secretary of the Kanawha County Medical Society, and his attainments give prom ise of a great record in his chosen vocation.

Doctor Henson wae born at Malden, Kanawha County in 1890, son of Walter C. and Martha (Wiley) Henson He acquired his literary education in the Charleston

Louis E. Schrader.

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gh School and in Marshall College at Huntington, and ·n entered the University of Louisville, medical de- rtment, graduating in 1914. The year after his gradu- on he spent in St. Elizabeth Hospital, Covington, Ken- ky, and on returning to Charleston spent two years the staff of the Charleston General Hospital. In 17 he joined the Army Medical Corps as first lieuten- ", and waa assigned to duty in the orthopedie division. He eived special training in post-graduate work in that e at Harvard Medical College, and several months er was assigned to duty as orthopedie aurgeon at mp Bowie, Fort Worth, Texas. Doetor Henson re- ved his honorable discharge in January, 1919.

He at once returned to Charleston, and is now well ablished in the practice of general medicine and sur- ry and is a member of the surgical staff of the Charles- 1 General Hospital. Besides his official connection th the Kanawha Medieal Society he is a member of , State and American Medical Associations, is affili- :d with the Elks and is a member of the American gion. Doetor Henson married Miss Lillian Davisson, Kanawha County, and they have a daughter, Frances :zabeth.

JACOB MOORE is a citizen and business man of prominence d influence in Gilmer County, where hia activities have eluded successful connection with farm industry, nking and trading, his home being maintained in the lage of Sand Fork. Mr. Moore was born at Mingo, .ndolph County, Virginia (now West Virginia), Janu- y 8, 1857, and is a son of James A. and Sarah A. hannell) Moore, both likewise natives of what is now est Virginia, where they were reared under the eon- ions and influences of what may be termed the ddle-pioneer period in the history of the county. After marriage James A. Moore continued his active asso- tion with farm enterprise in Randolph County until, 1863, he enlisted for service as a soldier of the Con- Jeracy in the Civil war, after the elose of which he turned to his native county and resumed his farming erations. There he was the owner of a farm prop- ty of 200 aeres, and he was one of the substantial d honored citizens of Randolph County at the time of 3 death, in 1874, his wife having died in 1872 and ving been a devoted member of the Methodist Epis- pal Church, South. Of the eight children six are ring at the time of this writing.

Jacob Moore was about sixteen years old at the time his mother's death, and two years later his father 30 passed away. He had received the advantages of e rural schools, and after the death of his parents found employment at farm work, his wages being ght dollars a month. Ile succeeded in saving about 00, and in 1877, with this financial fortification, he me to Gilmer County, where he attended the State ormal School at Glenville until hia funds were ex- usted. He then found employment as elerk in the neral atore of S. H. Whiting at Glenville, and from s salary of eight dollars a month he managed to save ough to enable him to continue his studies in the rmal school, in the meantime working for his board. ive for an interim of one year be continued in the aploy of Mr. Whiting from 1879 to 1885, and the one- ar interval he passed in Texas.

In 1885 Mr. Moore established his residence at Sand ork, where, with a capital of $250 he became asso- ated with W. T. Wiant in the establishing and con- teting of a general store. The enterprise proved most osperous and the partnership alliance was continued til 1916, when the store and businesa were sold to elfe & Wagoner.

In 1897 Mr. Moore was appointed sheriff of Gilmer ounty, to fill out an unexpired term, and at the next eetion he was elected to this office, of which he eon- aned the ineumbent two years. In 1900 he was again ected sheriff, for a term of four years, and his total rvice in this office covered a period of seven years id seven days, his connection with the mercantile busi-

ness at Sand Fork having continued during this inter- val. In a later enndidacy for sheriff he was defeated by twenty three votes, but in 1916 he was again elected sheriff, in which office he served until December 30, 1920, with characteristic efficiency. The final auditing of his accounts ahowed them to tally to a cent. llin civie loyalty has been further shown in servico as rond overseer and member of the Sand Fork School Board. Ile is the owner of a valuable farm property of 400 aeres, has stock in the Kanawha Union Bank nt Glen - ville, in which his wife has stock, and he is a stock. holder also in the Glenville Banking & Trust Company, besides being interested in oil and coal production enter- prise in this state. He is a past master of Gilmer County Lodge No. 118, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, be- sides having received the thirty-second degree of the Masonie Scottish Rite and being affiliated with the Mystic Shrine. He ia alao past noble grand of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and a member of tho Knights of Pythias. Mr. Moore is an uncompromising advocate of the principlea of the democratic party, and his wife is an active member of the Baptist Church.

September 23, 1856, recorded the marriage of Mr. Moore and Miss Emma Bartlett, who was born and reared in Ilarrison County. They have no children.

JAMES HENRY BROWN. Standing out as one of the strong figures in the early days of West Virginia, Judge James H. Brown will ever retain a permanent place in the history of the atate, not only because of his prominence and earnestness in the movements leading to ita formation and the diversity of his contributions to its welfare, but also be- cause of the breadth of his personality and his qualities as a scholar and a statesman. 'There were other leaders in pub- lie life, distinguished as jurists or workers for community betterment, but few in any eity or state combined in more marked degree than Judge Brown such qualifications for service in all these three branches of human endeavor.

Although identified with the State of West Virginia at and after its creation, he was a native of the Old Dominion, born in Cabell County, then Virginia, December 25, 1818. He was of English ancestry, a son of Dr. Benjamin Brown, also of Virginia. His mother, Matilda (Scales) Brown, waa the daughter of Major Nathaniel Scales of North Carolina.

Although Judge Brown had always been a staunch demo- crat, nevertheless, when Civil war threatened he strongly opposed the breaking up of the Union and the secession of Virginia, and with others of like view joined in organizing the counties west of the Alleghanies to resist the disrup- tion, thua laying the foundation for the new state, which after two years of bitter strife waa duly admitted to the Union. Judge Brown waa one of the leaders in the forma- tion of the new state, putting his shoulder earneatly to the undertaking, serving prominently as member of the several conventions and organizations looking to that end and to the upbuilding of West Virginia.

This distinguished lawyer and jurist was & man whose thoughts and acta impressed all those about him. He was also possessed of a striking personality which gave empha- sis to any efferts with which he was identified, as he was more than six feet in height, and as erect as an Indian. Sinewy and active, he retained bis full powers throughout his career, and up to the time of his last illness, in his eighty-second year, his step was as elastic as that of a man many years his junior.

James H. Brown received his education at Marietta Col- lege, Ohio, and Augusta College, Kentucky, graduating from the latter institution in 1840. Although his father waa a physician, he chose the law as the field for his life endeavors, and the years that brought honors to him and benefit to the state which he served, demonstrated the wis- dom of his choice. He read law under John Laidley, Esq., then one of the ablest attorneys of Cabell County, and was admitted to the bar two years after graduation from college. Immediate recognition of his ability reflected the skill of his instructor and the conscientious labor which had marked his preparation. Natural gifts of oratory gave force to his legal knowledge, and he soon held leading rank as an ad-

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vocate and counsellor, while the demands for his service as a trial lawyer gave him prominence beyond his years.

His standing as a member of the bar brought frequent mention of him as a prospective candidate for the bench, and when opportunity came his rise to the highest court was as rapid as had been his previous progress in the ranks of the profession. Prior to that time, however, he had sought a wider field than that offered in his home county by moving to Charleston on the Kanawha. The change was made after six years' practice among the friends of his early life.

Beginning in the new field, his clientele steadily grew. lle was recognized as a wise counsellor, and, grounded in the law, he rarely failed to convince in his presentation of legal principles before the courts. He practiced in both State and Federal tribunals, and his high standards, com- bined with other qualifications, stamped him as a con- structivo force in the profession.

It was with snel a reputation and with the keen insight into public affairs which he had acquired that he ap- proached the turbulent days of the Civil war, in whiel: clear thinking was needed to perform his share of public duty, and fully meet the trying issues of those times. He was a member of the Wheeling Convention of 1861, which submitted the question of a new state, and was an earnest advocate of the movement. At the same time he was a member of the Legislature, taking active part in both bodies. In all these matters he was a man untiring in his labors, conservative in his views, but prompt in action and content with no halfway measures.

His first judicial position was that in charge of the Eighteenth Circuit of Virginia, and a large part of his service as judge was performed amid the perils incident to the war. The records of the court in several of the counties of his circuit were captured and destroyed as rapidly as they were made, while on several occasions the court itself narrowly escaped capture. Nevertheless, he was uniformly courteous, firm and fearless throughout, and so thoroughly was his work done that no appeal from any of his decisions was ever taken.

Judge Brown's splendid service in the lower conrt led to his election in 1863 as one of the judges of the Su- preme Court of Appeals of the new state. He was equal to every demand in the higher position, and produced opinions which were models of logic and clarity of pre- sentation. Fitted by nature and education for the law, he possessed in a high degree the power of convincing statement. He was unswerving in his devotion to right and justice, and in his judicial position held that same confidence of the public which had characterized his pri. vate practice.

At the close of his term Judge Brown resumed active practice, and continned in it until a short time before his death, which ocenrred at his home in Charleston, Octo- ber 28, 1900. He served several times in the Legislature of the state, was twice nominated for the national House of Representatives and later for the United States Senate. He failed on these occasions because his party was in the minority, although he led his ticket each time. His last public service was in 1882, when he was again elected to the Legislature, which gave him opportunity to participate as a leader in the important measures then under con- sideration.

Judge Brown married Miss Lonisa M. Benhring in 1844, and their union was blessed by a large and talented family. One of the sons, Benjamin B., moved to Colorado, and after a successful career died in France in 1906; the other, James F. Brown, following in his father's footsteps, be- came one of the leading lawyers of the state.

Judge Brown was active and influential in the Presby- terian Church, and for more than forty years a ruling elder of that denomination, although his broad interest in the welfare of the community was of the kind which brought to all denominations his help and earnest good wishes.

1: JAMES FREDERICK BROWN, who died December 5, 1921, was distinguished fully as much by his lofty character and broad wisdom as by his achievements in the law and politics. This is the chief impression gained by a study

of his career and the many tributes to him as a man anc lawyer. His was an outstanding personality in a family of noted men in West Virginia and old Virginia. The family tree goes back to Sir William Brown, mentioned in the Virginia Charter of 1609. Major Henry Browne was a member of the Council of State in 1642. Willian Browne represented Surry County in the Grand Assembly of Virginia in 1659-60. Maxfield, the youngest of Wil liam's three sons, lived from 1675 to 1745, married Eliza beth Newman, and left one daughter, Elizabeth, and two sons, George and Newman. George Brown was survived by his son George Newman Brown, who fought in the Revolutionary war and held broad estates in Prince Wil liam County, Virginia. George Newman Brown married Sarah Hampton, first cousin of General Wade Hampton, ir 1772; their home was known as "Bloomsbury," where nearly a century later the battle of Bull Run was fought.

The children of George Newman Brown were Margaret. Martha, Henry, John, Richard, Robert, George, Jr., James and Benjamin. Henry Brown, who was the first sheriff of Cabell County, died abont 1810. His brothers Robert, John, Richard and James, served in the War of 1812. Robert and John were cavalry captains; Robert died in action in South Carolina. John was a wealthy farmer il Fanquier County when he died in 1849. His wife was Cecilia (Brent) Hunton, widow of General Eppa Hunton. lIe left no issue. Richard was lientenant of a troop which saw service under Gen. W. H. Harrison in the Northwest .. James died soon after his enlistment. George Newman Brown, Sr., was largely interested in the military grant issued to "Captain John Savage and his men" of 28,627 acres along the Ohio River, from the Guyandotte toward the Big Sandy. After the partition of these lands, about 1805, his sons Richard and Benjamin Brown moved to the part allotted to their father. The land lay where the City of Huntington, in Cabell County, is now located. There they built what is said to have been the first brick house in Western Virginia. Seventh Street in Huntington marks the upper boundary of the Brown estate. Richard sold out his interests to Benjamin and removed to Kentucky, where he lived to an advanced age and was survived by several daughters and a son, George Newman Brown, who was for many years a judge of the Circuit Court in Ken- tucky, and whose grandson, George B. Martin, has repre- sented the State of Kentucky in the United States Senate.

Benjamin Brown was born at "Bloomsbury" on June 16, 1786, and after moving to Cabell County, as above noted, hecame a prominent physician, well and favorably known in his own and in adjacent states. He married, on February 16, 1815, Matilda, daughter of Nathaniel and Mary (Frances) Scales, who was born February 16, 1797, in North Carolina. Major Nathaniel Scales, father- in-law of Dr. Benjamin Brown, removed from the French Broad River in North Carolina to the Ohio Valley ahout 1805 and purchased a large farm known as "Maple Grove," adjacent to the Brown farm and just above what is now Seventh Street in Huntington. Dr. Benjamin Brown died in 1848, and his wife, in 1877. Their children were: Ceres, Vesta, Josephine and James Henry Brown.

Judge James Henry Brown was born December 25, 1818, in Cabell County. He moved in 1849 to Kanawha, where le resided until his death on October 28, 1900. History has named him as one of the founders of West Virginia. He was conspicuons in the debates in the Wheeling Con- vention which resulted in the plan for West Virginia's creation and in its first state constitution. He was also for several terms a leader in its Legislature. He was an eminent lawyer, a judge of the Eighteenth Judicial Cir- cuit of Virginia, and after the separation of the state he was one of the first judges of the Supreme Court of Ap- peals of West Virginia. He married Louisa Mayer, dangh- ter of Frederick G. L. Beuhring of Cabell County, whose wife was Frances Dannenberg, daughter of Col. Frederick Dannenberg of the Revolutionary war. Six children were born to them-Virginia, who married W. S. Laidley, a lawyer; Lucy, who married T. L. Barber, M. D .; Emma Matilda, who married J. F. Bickmore, of Denver, Colorado, and died December 31, 1913; Nelle D., James Frederick and Benjamin Beuhring. The last named was born De-

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mber 7, 1863, married Annie Lewis Dickinson, May 3, SS, and died at Niee, France, December 30, 1906. He was lawyer and capitalist, and after marriage resided in enver, being president of the Colorado National Life surance Company at the time of his death, and having en one of the avndicate that first developed the Porphyry opper mines in Utah, now among the largest producers the country.

James Frederick Brown, a son of James II. and Louisa . (Beuhring) Brown, was born at Charleston, March 7. 352, and throughout his life maintained his home. "The lms. "' where he was born, although the residence was modeled and rebuilt during his later years. He had a beral education, having graduated from the Charleston stitute, next became one of the early graduates of West irginia University, and was Salutatorian of his class in 373. Besides the degree of A. B. he subsequently re- ived the degrees of M. A. and LL. D. Studying dili- ently under the guidance of his learned father, he was {mitted to the bar in 1875, when he and his father be- me partners, and from that time on until his death, forty- x years later, he was actively engaged in the practice ' the law. In addition to a large and lucrative prac- ce he, by his unusual ability, high character and pleasing ersonality, built up one of the largest elienteles enjoyed v any lawyer in the state. In 1SSS he formed a partner- ip with Malcolm Jackson, and on January 1, 1892, the "m of Brown & Jaekson was augmented by the admis- on of Edward W. Knight, thus creating the firm of rown, Jakson & Knight, which continued unchanged for most thirty years, until the death of the senior partner. James F. Brown served as a member of the city eouneil Charleston for many years. He waa a member of the egislature in 1883-84, representing Kanawha County. Hia ither was a member of the same legislature, and they ere elected as candidates of opposite political parties. rom 1890 to 1901 Mr. Brown, by appointment of differ- at governors, served on the Board of Regents of West irginia University. He was vice president of the Kana- ha Valley Bank, vice president of the George Washington ife Insurance Company, and for many years prominent . movements for the development of the resources of the anawha Valley, being a direetor in the Central Trust ompany, the Cabin Creek Consolidated Coal Company, 'est Charleston Improvement Company, Charleston Win- >w Glass Company, several eoal companies in the New iver field, and a promoter of oil and gas development on nds owned by him and associates in the Big Sandy Dis- iet and in the Blue Creek field. He served as trustee of e City Hospital of Charleston, of the Masonie Temple id the Kanawha Presbyterian Church, was a charter ember of Beni-Kedem Temple of the Mystic Shrine, and soeiated with a number of other elub and eivie institu- ons.

On September 13, 1877, he married Jennie M. Wood- idge, of Marietta, Ohio. He is aurvived by Mrs. Brown, re daughters, one son and five grandchildren, all resi- nts of Charleston. The daughters are Mrs. O. P. Fitz- rald. Miss Jean M. Brown, Mrs. A. W. McDonald, Miss eres Brown, and Mrs. Briscoe W. Peyton. The only son Benjamin Beuhring Brown, born March 14, 1893. The andchildren of J. F. Brown are Jean B., Gwendolyn, and] scar P. Fitzgerald, Jr., and Gertrude and James F. rown, Jr.

The sterling qualities of the late James F. Brown and e esteem in which he was held are well expressed in two iotations. The first is an abstraet from resolutions lopted by the Kanawha Bar Association:

" His publie services in our city council, in the Legisla- re, his peculiarly fortunate business ventures and gener- ly his studied interests in his home city, where he spent 1 of his nseful life, are all too well known to need re ital 're. We leave all these to the grateful memory of his low citizens, but with a conseious pride we reeall and eord now, though inadequately, only an appreciation of s eminent ability and suecess at our own bar, as well as the highest courts of the land, for hia fame as a learned id successful lawyer was not confined to his own state. fact there was very little litigation of prime importance

in our highest courts in which he was not engaged upon one side or the other. His services nlone, or an associate, Were eagerly secured in our highest courts, many cases coming to him from all over this and other states.

"By our lawyers, who knew him test, he was generally considered, inter pares facile princeps.

"It is difficult in this memorial to en amerate the virtue and just claims to distinction of such n citizen and leading lawyer. As to his personal character he combined a genial attractiveness with an ever courteous and kindly regard for all at the bar, with unaffected simplicity, of a truly democratie nature, with no cant or de ire fer publie office or the plaudits of his fellow man, he was the same in courtesy to all men whether of high or low degree. This. in a measure, was the touchstone of hia hold upon all with whom he came in contact. Whether in his office or in court he personified unremitting labor in his cases. l'n. tiring work and loyalty to his clients, which brought auch unusual success, seemed his second nature and greatest pleasure. Always modest, and 'in honor preferring others.' no wonder that he had no enemies but n multitude of friends.

"But though always an indefutigable worker and im- mersed in his private business and in litigation for others, his home life was ideal. No man ever loved his home more than he, and to him it was ever a aweet refuge, where only domestic happiness reigned free from all business or legal eares, which he always threw off upon entering its portals." The second is from an editorial that appeared in the Charleston Gazette several days after his death:

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History of West Virginia old and new, Volume 2, Part 69

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