History of West Virginia old and new, Volume 3, Part 95

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deputy sheriff under the first sheriff of the newly-organized county, and later in life became county clerk, a position which he held for eighteen years and which he was occu- pying at the time of his death, February 2, 1860, when he was but forty-three years of age. He first married Sabina C. Sterrett, who was born in Missouri, in 1830, and died August 29, 1853, in the faith of the Presbyterian Church. They became the parents of three children, of whom John Bryne is the only survivor. In 1854 John P. Byrne took as his second wife Jane Hamilton.

John Byrne was but five years of age when his mother died, and his youthful education was somewhat neglected, although in later years he gained much practical knowl- edge through reading, experience and observation, and became a man of good education. When he was twelve years of age his father died, and he went to live at the home of his grandmother, Mrs. Sterrett, with whom he remained until reaching the age of seventeen years, when he began to be self-supporting. For some years he worked as clerk in a store and saved his money carefully, so that in 1871 he became a proprietor on his own account through the purchase of a modest stock of goods. This business he gradually built up from small proportions to become a flourishing and successful enterprise, and continued as its head until his retirement in 1916. Mr. Byrne gained suc- cess solely through his own efforts, aided by a reputation for fair and honorable dealing that has always been well- merited. During his career he has also interested himself to some extent in farming, and in this field, as in the other, hard work and intelligent management served as the me- dia through which prosperity was gained. Like his father, Mr. Byrne has been active and influential in public and political life. For several years he was one of the leaders of the democratic party, and served as chairman of the Braxton County Democratic Committee. In 1876 he was elected sheriff of Braxton County, and acted in that capacity for a period of four years, giving the people an excellent administration.

Mr. Byrne was united in marriage with Miss Frances C. Squires, who was born near Sutton, October 17, 1858, a daughter of Norman B. Squires, a native of Braxton County, who died of wounds received during the Civil war while serving in the Federal Army. Mrs. Byrne is a faith- ful member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Sutton. She is the owner of farming land in Braxton County. To Mr. and Mrs. Byrne there have been born fourteen chil- dren, of whom ten are living: Sabina C., the widow of Joel S. Berry; Norman, of Nicholas County, this state; Ella, the wife of Dr. M. T. Morrison; John P., a farmer near Sutton; Charles M., printer of the Braxton Central newspaper; Robert E. and Ethel, at home; George C., a traveling salesman; Mary A., the wife of John Newlon, of Sutton; and Clarence, a resident of Sebring, Ohio.

DANIEL C. FEATHER, whose death occurred January 13, 1922, was a retired farmer at Terra Alta, lived fourscore years, was an honored veteran of the Civil war, and for thirty years or more after coming out of the army his time and energies were devoted to the labors of his farm.

His ancestors came to Preston County when it was almost an unbroken part of the great trans-Allegliany wilderness. The family originated in Germany. The grandfather, Jacob Feather, was the original settler in the Lenox locality of Preston County, where he spent the rest of his years clear- ing away the timber and making a farm. Zaccheus Feather, father of Daniel Feather, was born at Lenox, July 14, 1805, and died March 1, 1891. He married Elizabeth Ervin, daughter of Isaac Ervin, and she was born August 6, 1814, and died January 26, 1898. They lived out their lives on the spot where their son Daniel was born, and were modest and unpretentious farmers. Zaccheus Feather voted as a democrat until the issues of the Civil war made him a republican. Two of his sons were soldiers, Daniel and Isaac, the latter in the Seventh West Virginia Infantry. A brief record of all their children is as follows: Clara Jane, who married Thomas J. Welch, reared a large family and died in Preston County; Isaac B., who was a farmer and is buried at the Crab Orchard Cemetery; Jacob, who

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also lived at Crab Orchard and is buried there; Mary Ann, who married B. A. Conner and died at Kingwood; Daniel C .; Nancy M., who was the wife of J. C. Stokes and died at Parsons, West Virginia; John S., a resident of Logan, Ohio; Miss Eva Catherine, of Lenox; Amanda Ellen, Mrs. John K. Peaslee, or Lenox; Martin Luther, who died in Preston County; Sarah E., who married Scott Kelley, of Terra Alta; and Minerva Belle, wife of Elmer B. Feather, a farmer near Lenox.

Daniel C. Feather was born at Lenox, Preston County, February 12, 1842, and he always observed his birthday in conjunction with Lincoln's anniversary, but his great ad- miration for the martyred president had other substantial grounds. Mr. Feather was reared on the home farm and lived there until past twenty years of age. He then joined Company B of the Fourteenth West Virginia Infantry, under Captain Clinton Jeffreys and Colonel Daniel Johnson. He first trained at Terra Alta, then spent three months drilling on Wheeling Island, mobilized at Clarksburg and soon went to the front and remained during the winter on scouting duty at Keyser. His command was then returned west to Parkersburg, thence to Charleston, and then crossed the mountains into Old Virginia, along the Virginia and Tennessee Railway. At Cloyd Mountain Mr. Feather was struck in the right hip by a musket ball, fracturing the thigh bone, and but for the help of comrades said he would have been "down to stay." While the Confederates were beaten off, two days later General Morgan came in and took the Federal wounded as prisoners, including Mr. Feather. These prisoners were put in the Emory and Henry College Hospital, where Mr. Feather remained five months. He was then sent to Richmond and a week later was exchanged and put in a parole camp at Annapolis, Maryland, and sub- sequently sent to Baltimore for hospital treatment. While there his discharge, previously applied for, arrived at An- napolis, to which point he returned and was there the night President Lincoln was assassinated. Mr. Feather retained a vivid recollection of all the excitement attending that tragedy. He left Annapolis for home in April, and his discharge separated him from the army without a final muster out. The bullet that wounded him was never found and is believed to have remained somewhere in his body. The wound it made frequently broke out afresh, and caused him distress and misery until 1920, when it seemed to have permanently healed and his troubles ended.

For some time after the war he was unable to resume work, but when sufficiently recovered returned to the farm- ing operations of his youth and established himself in his home community. He lived there until his removal to Terra Alta in 1894, except for a year and a half spent in Hock- ing County, Ohio, where be married. As a farmer Mr. Feather was a grain and stock raiser, and these depart- ments, together with the improvements of his farm and the maintenance of its soil, constituted the daily and yearly routine of his life until he gained a competence through years of drudgery and retired to Terra Alta to spend his declining years . in comfort. He established his home at the high point of the Alleghanies and lived there for more than a quarter of a century. He was a stockholder and one of the directors of the Terra Alta Bank. While in the army he cast his first vote for Mr. Lincoln for President, and every national election has called him out to vote the same party ticket. He filled the chairs in the Knights of Pythias Lodge of Terra Alta twice, was a representative to the Grand Lodge, and some thirty years ago was made an Odd Fellow at Bruceton Mills.

Deborah Ann Chidester was born in Preston County May 13, 1848, and as a young girl she entertained a high ad- miration of the youthful soldier, Daniel Feather. When she was nineteen years of age her parents moved to Hock- ing County, Ohio, and Daniel Feather followed her there, and on April 25, 1869, they were married. She was a daughter of Harrison and Sabina (Falkenstine) Chidester, her mother being a daughter of Samuel and Annie (Stuck) Falkenstine. Harrison Chidester was born near Bruceton Mills, in Preston County, May 6, 1826, spent all his career as a farmer, served with the West Virginia Militia during the Civil war, and in 1867 moved to Ohio and spent the

rest of his days near Logan, where he died February 5, 1897. His wife was born March 23, 1828, and died May 15, 1906. Mrs. Deborah Feather was the oldest of their children, and the others were: Nancy, who married John Feather and died in Hocking County; James, a resident of Wichita, Kansas; Elma, widow of Alfred Nimon, of Delaware, Ohio; Cyrus W., of Delaware; Isabel, wife of Jeremiah Ringer, of Terra Alta; and Emma, wife of Wilber Coy, of Payne, Ohio. The only child born to Mr. and Mrs. Feather was Amy Louella, who died when almost eleven years of age.

ALEXANDER GROVES. Long and varied experience with the mercantile business has contributed to the equipment of Alexander Groves and has fitted him particularly for the position which he holds as manager and part owner of the Standard & Company store at Gassaway. Like many who have made a success in business life, he entered upon his career as a teacher, but the greater part of his life has been passed behind the counter and in the office, in which locations the people of Gassaway have seen him for the past sixteen years.

Mr. Groves is a native of Nicholas County, West Vir- ginia, and was born July 2, 1873, a son of Harrison and Sallie (Davis) Groves, the former a native of Nicholas County, West Virginia, and the latter of Virginia. Harri- son Groves was reared in the county of his birth and was a son of John Groves, a pioneer of Nicholas County, who came to that part of West Virginia at a very early day and was engaged in farming. Harrison Groves was reared on a farm and received a country school education, the same as acquired by his wife, and after their marriage they started housekeeping on a farm in Nicholas County, which they cultivated as long as they remained active. In the evening of life they retired and lived quietly in their con- fortable home. They were the parents of three children: Alexander, of this review; Harrison, of Summersville, West Virginia; and Alfred, also of Summersville, West Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Groves were members of the Methodist Epis-' copal Church, and Mr. Groves was a democrat in his po- litical affiliation. The father of Mrs. Groves, David N. Davis, was a Confederate soldier in a Virginia infantry regiment during the war between the states, and was pres- ent at the surrender of Gen. Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Court House.

Alexander Groves, or Alex Groves as he is better known to his many friends, was given his primary education in the country schools of Nicholas County, and this was sup- plemented by a course at the county normal school. When he left the latter he engaged in teaching, and for eight years had classes in the country districts, where he gained a reputation as an efficient and popular educator. His first experience in the dry goods business was acquired in Nicholas County, where he was engaged until 1906, in the latter year coming to Gassaway, where he became identified with the business of Standard & Company in the capacity of manager, and since that time has also become part owner. This business is now incorporated and has the fol- lowing officials: Oscar I. Standard, president; C. W. King, vice president; and Alex Groves, secretary-treasurer and manager. Under his direction this has been built into a very successful enterprise and does a flourishing business over a wide expanse of territory. Mr. Groves has other interests, and is vice president and a director of the Bank of Gassaway. His reputation is that of a thoroughly ca- pable and reliable business man.

In 1906 Mr. Groves was united in marriage with Miss Cora Criss, a native of Braxton County, and to this union there have been born two children: Forest H., born July 5, 1907, who is attending high school; and Alex, Jr., born December 23, 1920. Mrs. Groves is a member of the Chris- tian Church. Mr. Groves is a democrat in his political affiliation, but has not cared for public office, although never neglecting the responsibilities of good citizenship. As a fraternalist he is affiliated with Gassaway Lodge No. 133, A. F. and A. M .; Sutton Chapter, R. A. M .; Sutton Commandery, K. T .; and Beni-Kedem Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Charleston.

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JOHN NEWLON. It is not given to all individuals to suc- wed along more than one line of work. Some achieve suc- cess in the learned professions, others find their life work in military or civic affairs, still others find themselves best suited to the directing of big business enterprises. In the business field alone there are comparatively few men who make an equal snecess out of more than one line of endeavor, but unusual as it is this has been the experience of John Newlon, of Sutton, who in addition to being general manager, secretary and treasurer of the Sutton Grocery and Milling Company, Incorporated, is an extensive trader in land in Braxton and Webster counties. His success in both lines has been all his own, for he has climbed every step up the ladder of advancement through hard work and intelligent application of his business gifts.

Mr. Newlon was born on a farm near Sutton, in Braxton County, January 13, 1877, and is a son of Camden and Dora (Sumpter) Newlon. Camden Newlon was born near Sut- ton, in July, 1850, and after receiving a common school education became an attendant at the State Hospital at Weston, West Virginia, where he met, and later married, another attendant, Dora Sumpter, who was born in July, 1852, in Gilmer County, West Virginia. After their mar- riage they settled on a farm near Flatwoods, where they spent the rest of their lives, Mr. Newlon dying in July, 1903, and Mrs. Newlon two years later. He was a democrat in politics, and she a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. They were the parents of eleven children: William, a bridge carpenter employed by the Baltimore & Ohio Railway; Jolin, of this notice; Lulu, the wife of John Skidmore; Bertie, the wife of C. B. Eakle; Charles N. and A. C., residents of Ashtabula, Ohio; Mabel, the wife of Ward Huffman; Anna, the wife of Fred Lorentz; and G. R., Draper and Henry, all of Point Pleasant, West Virginia.

The education of John Newlon was not of an extensive character, for at the age of thirteen years he left the country schoolrooms to commence to make his own way in the world. At that time he went to Weston, where he se- cured employment in the drug store of which his unele was proprietor, and following this was variously employed, ac- cepting such honorable work as fell to his lot until he was twenty-one years of age. He was then made deputy county clerk, a capacity in which he served for four years, then joining the Sutton Bank as assistant cashier and later be- ing promoted to cashier. In 1910 he joined the wholesale grocery and milling concern operating as the Sutton Gro- cery and Milling Company, of which he is at present gen- eral manager, secretary and treasurer. His fellow officials in this enterprise are: W. F. Morrison, president; P. B. Adams, vice president; and the above gentlemen, with C. C. Hines, G. P. Gillispie and Will Fisher, directors. This is a large and successful concern, with a trade extending over a radius of many miles, and much of its success can be accredited to the efforts and ability of Mr. Newlon, who is known as an aggressive business man and who has the full confidence of his associates. As before noted, in ad- dition to his connection with this company Mr. Newlon has been for some years a heavy trader in land, and at present holds about 1,100 acres in Webster and Braxton counties. Mr. Newlon is a democrat in his political tend- encies, but save for a short time in his youth has never found time to engage actively in political affairs, his busi- ness interests taking all of his attention. He is at the pres- ent time a member of the State Committee. He belongs to Sutton Lodge No. 76, A. F. and A. M .; Sutton Chapter No. 21, R. A. M .; Sutton Commandery No. 8, K. T., and to the Mystic Shrine at Wheeling, and is a past master, a past high priest and a past eminent commander. With his family he belongs to the Presbyterian Church.

In 1903 Mr. Newlon was united in marriage with Miss Mamie Bryne, a high school gradnate, and they have had five daughters: Elsie, who is deceased, Frances, a gradu- ate of the Sutton High School, and Dora, Mary B. and Margaret.

PEARSON B. ADAMS. The present county clerk of Brax- ton County, Pearson B. Adams, has an excellent public

record for efficient discharge of the duties of his position. During his career, which has been an active and honorable one, he has had experience in several lines of endeavor, and on various occasions has been identified with educational work, financial matters and business affairs. In all these avenues of activity he has so governed his actions as to gain him the esteem and confidence of those with whom he has come into contact.

Mr. Adams was born on a farm near Sutton, West Vir- ginia, his present home, March 2, 1886, and is a son of Jolın and Nancy (Cogar) Adams. His father, also born in the same locality, was reared to agricultural pursuits, to which he applied his energies throughout life and made a success of his efforts. Educated only in the public schools, he was withal a well read man and wielded some influence in his community, where he was active in politics and was twice elected sheriff of the county on the republican ticket. Fraternally he was affiliated with the Masons, in which order he completed the York Rite and was a Noble of the Mystic Shrine. Mrs. Adams, who was also born near Sut- ton, was, like her husband, a product of an agricultural family and a graduate of the common schools.

Pearson B. Adams attended the common schools of his native locality, where he acquired his primary education, following which he pursued a course at Marshall College, Huntington, West Virginia, and the Mountain State Busi- ness College, Parkersburg, West Virginia. Following his graduation from the latter institution he taught school for four years in Braxton County, and then started to work as assistant cashier of the Home National Bank, with which he was identified for about three years. He next became interested in the Sutton Grocery and Milling Company, of which he is now vice president and a member of the board of directors, and is likewise a stockholder in the Bank of Sutton. A stanch republican in his political sympathies, in 1915 he was elected clerk of Braxton County, a position which he has since filled with the utmost ability. As a fraternalist he is a York Rite Mason and a Noble of the Mystie Shrine.

Mr. Adams married Miss Bessie Mealy, who was born in Braxton County, where she received her education in the public schools. She is a leading and faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Sutton. To Mr. and Mrs. Adams there have come three children: Ruth, who was born in 1912; William N., who was born in 1918; and Nancy V., born in 1920.

B. A. HALL, superintendent and principal of the Flat- woods High School, is one of the scholarly men of dignified bearing whose mature efforts are being directed toward the betterment of the public school system of his section and the advancement of the pupils placed under his charge. An educator from choice, he is fortunate in having a natural as well as acquired faculty for imparting learning, and his pupils show the results of his watchful care and constructive training.

Mr. Hall was born on a farm in Braxton County, West Virginia, December 20, 1884, a sou of E. J. and Mary M. (MeElwain) Hall, the former of whom was born in Braxton County, March 17, 1859, and the latter in Webster County, West Virginia, in 1866. They were reared and educated in the rural districts, and after their marriage, which occurred in Webster County, they settled on a farm in Braxton County. At present he is a farmer, lumberman and con- tractor. He exercises his right of franchise by voting the republican ticket. The children born to him and his wife were as follows: B. A., whose name heads this review; Bailey L., who is a resident of Buffalo, New York; Ida R., who is the wife of W. B. Peterson, of Western West Vir- ginia; Floda, who is the wife of John Adams; T. S., who is a resident of Grafton, West Virginia; Hettie, who is the wife of Paul Lockhart; Ada S., who is the wife of Harry Bowen, of Parkersburg, West Virginia; Van F., who is at home; Clyde H., who is a student of the West Virginia Uni- versity; Velma, who is attending the high school at Weston, West Virginia; and Mona, who is attending the high school at Grafton, West Virginia.

B. A. Hall was reared at Holstead, and first attended the

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common schools and later the state normal school, of which he is a graduate. He has also taken up special studies at the West Virginia State University, and is always studying. For nearly ten years he has been in charge of the Flatwood schools, with the exception of the time he spent at Wash- ington, D. C., during the late war, when he was connected with the work of the Young Men's Christian Association.

In 1916 Mr. Hall married Miss Ada L. Hall, a graduate of the Glenville State Normal School, and prior to her marriage a teacher for about eight years. Mr. and Mrs. Hall have two children, namely: Evelyn and John N. Mrs. Hall is a member of the Baptist Church. A republican, Mr. Hall has taken an active part in politics, and is a member of the Republican State Committee from the Tenth Sena- torial District. Fraternally be maintains membership with Sutton Lodge No. 133, K. of P. Mr. Hall is a man who feels his responsibilities and endeavors to discharge them conscientiously, and that he succeeds in doing so the results prove. Abreast of the times in his profession, he seeks to give his pupils the results of his experience and learning, and his influence upon their minds and actions is proving to he a strong factor in shaping their lives and determining their usefulness to their community in the years to come.

HON. JAMES H. STEWART, State Commissioner of Agricul- ture, and for many years director of the Agricultural Ex- periment Station at Morgantown, exemplifies the most ad- mirable qualification for his present duties. He is a man of high character, represents the substantial social attain- ments of a family of long residence in the state, and has the advantage of thorough training and long and successful practice in the fundamentals of agriculture and stock raising.

Mr. Stewart was born on the Stewart plantation on the Kanawha River in Putnam County June 20, 1859, son of James and Martha Jane (Staton) Stewart. The Stewarts are a prominent family of Scotch-Irish origin, for many generations identified with old Virginia and later with West Virginia. Martha Jane Staton was a daughter of James Staton, member of the Staton family who first set- tled on the Kanawha River in Putnam County, about 1812. The original Staton plantation subsequently came under the proprietorship of James Stewart, who developed it into one of the famous estates of the Kanawha Valley. It remains in the family, being the birthplace of and still owned by James H. Stewart. The home of James Stewart in ante-bellum days was widely noted for its atmosphere of culture and refinement and its genuine hospitality. Many distinguished guests were entertained there, and the intellectual and social standards thus created have continued to this day. Martha Jane Staton was a rarely gifted woman in all the arts of the household, skill- ful in the making of fine woven fabrics and other furnish- ings for her home, and some of the counterpanes, table covers and kindred articles that she made with her hands are still in the home, priceless heirlooms.

James H. Stewart attended country schools, the Shelton College at St. Albans, graduated with the class of 1882 from the University of West Virginia, and also studied law in the University, graduating in 1885. However, he never practiced law, finding abundant occupation for his time and talents on the home plantation in Putnam County. In 1893 he was made one of the regents of the State Uni- versity, and in the following year the University author- ities literally took him away from the plow and placed him in charge as director of the Agricultural Experiment. Station. He therefore removed his family to Morgantown, and remained director of the station fourteen years. Fol- . lowing that, until 1916, he was agricultural agent of the Baltimore & Ohio Railway system.

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History of West Virginia old and new, Volume 3, Part 95

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