USA > West Virginia > Men of West Virginia Volume I > Part 26
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Later in the "nineties" of the 18th century he moved west and make the first permanent home in what is now Wyoming County, West Virginia.
John W. Cooke was educated in the common schools, and in the Normal School at Athens, West Virginia, in 1897. At the age of 17 years, he began teaching, in which profession he con- tinued for a considerable period, con- ducting both township and select schools in Logan, Mercer and Summers coun- ties. Until recently, Mr. Cooke has taken but little interest in local politics. The family has been generally Demo- cratic, but our subject identified him- self with the Republican party, by cast- ing his first vote in 1896 for the late President Mckinley. In 1902 he was selected as the Republican representa- tive to the Legislature, and after a very active campaign was elected to the office, running ahead of his ticket and ahead of the candidates for Congress. His at- titude in the House has been that of a conservative, voting with his party in all important measures. Although he has entered upon a successful political life, Mr. Cooke desires to perfect him- self in the law, and with this end in view proposes to take a course in the University of West Virginia. He still retains his home on the old farm in
Wyoming County, which is valuable not only for its adaptability for farming operations but also for its mineral re- sources.
On August 9, 1898, Mr. Cooke was married to Mary Elizabeth Swope, who is a daughter of Attorney J. J Swope of Hinton, Summers County, West Vir- ginia. Mrs. Cooke's great-grandfather was captured by the Indians when a small boy and eight years of his young life was spent with them. He became greatly attached to them and their mode of life and, when rescued by his people at one time, went directly back to con- tinue life among them but was finally persuaded to remain with his own peo- ple. Mrs. Cooke's great-grandfather, Johnathan Swope, was of German par- entage, and great-grandmother, a Corn- wallis, of English descent. The Swope family were the first permanent settlers in what is now Monroe County, West Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Cooke have two children : Paul Haddon, born July 1, 1899, and Nida Elizabeth, born October 6, 1901. Mr. Cooke belongs to the Lodge No. 48, A. F. & A. M., at Athens, West Virginia. For a num- ber of years he has been a member of the Missionary Baptist Church and has always taken an active part in both church and Sunday-school work. Mr.
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Cook is one of the rising young men of Wyoming County, and is held in high esteem by members of all parties. parties.
HON. EDWARD CLARK COLCORD.
HON. EDWARD CLARK COL- CORD, who stands high among the public men of West Virginia, represents Kanawha County in the State Senate and is one of the substantial business men of St. Albans. He was born in Franklin County, Vermont. September 4. 1851, and is a son of John and Pru- dentia (Bowman) Colcord, the former a native of Vermont and the latter of Pennsylvania. John Colcord was a prominent agriculturist of his day, and spent his entire life at that honorable calling. He and his estimable wife
were members of the Methodist Epis- copal Church.
Edward Clark Colcord received his preliminary education in the public schools of his native State, and took an advanced course of study at Montpelier Academy. Soon after leaving school, he engaged in railroad work but did not find it to his liking. He settled at Will- iamsport, Pennsylvania, after a time, and embarked in the lumber business which he followed continuously for a period of 16 years. In 1889 he came to West Virginia, settling at St. Albans, and became interested in the lumber manufacturing business, at which he has continued ever since. He is a man of excellent business qualities and has been very successful in his dif- ferent ventures. He is an unswerving Republican in political affiliation, and in 1900 was elected to represent his county in the House of Delegates. In 1902, he was elected to the State Senate and is now serving in that body. He is broad minded and public spirited and is always to be found in support of those meas- ures calculated to benefit his State and clistrict.
In 1884, Mr. Colcord was joined in marriage with Agnes McManigal, by whom he has seven children. Frater- nally, he is a member of Washington Lodge No. 58, A. F. & A. M .; Tyrean
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Chapter, No. 13. R. A. M .; Kanawha Commandery, No. 4, K. T., of Charles- ton ; and Beni-Kedem Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Charleston.
JOHN W. ENSIGN.
JOHN W. ENSIGN, district man- ager of the American Car & Foundry Company, one of the great industries of Huntington, West Virginia, was born March 30, 1871, at Lime Rock, Litch- field County, Connecticut, and is a son of the late Major Ely Ensign, whose sketch and portrait appear elsewhere in this volume.
The plant of the American Car & Foundry Company was originally founded by the late Major Ensign and associates, in 1872, since which time it has increased its business and facilities
until it is one of the largest of its kind in the whole country, and employs from 1100 to 1200 men.
Mr. Ensign was educated at Mar- shall College, but at the age of 16 years became associated in this business with his father, and grew familiar with all the details of the business through du- ties perfomed in all the offices and the different departments. He has traveled over a large extent of country in the in- terests of the business and has carried the merits of the company's goods as far as the Hawaiian Islands. From Au- gust, 1901, he liad been located at St. Louis, Missouri, with the first vice- president and general manager of the company, W. J. McBride, but was called home at the death of his father, and succeeded him as district manager in July, 1902. Mr. Ensign is financially interested in a number of other leading enterprises of the county ; is vice-presi- dent of the Huntington National Bank ; director of the Union Savings Bank & Trust Company; partner in Sehon, Stevenson & Company, wholesale gro- cers ; director in the Stevenson Banking Company, a new enterprise that plans to erect a large baking plant convenient to the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway tracks; and is also a director and vice-president of the Huntington Chamber of Com- merce.
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In 1900 Mr. Ensign was married to Lena W. Lobban, daughter of Capt. J. G. Lobban, of Alderson, West Virginia. Mr. Ensign is one of the vestrymen in Trinity Protestant Episcopal Church. Like his father, he is a Gold Democrat, and is recognized as one of the progres- sive young men of the State. He has succeeded to many of his father's inter- ests and conducts them on the same lines laid down by this able parent, who was one of the distinguished men of West Virginia. Mr. Ensign comes of fine old New England stock, both his grandfathers, Sidney Ensign and Will- iam H. Walton, belonging to the pio- neer families of Litchfield County, Con- necticut, and both of them recognized as representative citizens of the State.
R. S. WATERMAN, a successful and enterprising druggist of Wheel- ing, West Virginia, is located at IIth and Market streets, and enjoys a first- class patronage. He was born in Ath- ens County, Ohio, September 12, 1850, and is a son of Charles W. Waterman.
The father of the subject of this biography was also born in Athens County, Ohio, in 1820, and followed farming throughout life. He married Marion A. Stone, who was born in Ohio in 1826, and they reared two sons,
-R. S., and Frank E., who was cash- ier of the Woods County Bank a num- ber of years and now resides in Park- ersburg, West Virginia, where he is State agent for the New York Life In- surance Company.
R. S. Waterman, after completing his schooling, entered the merchandise business at Athens, in 1867. In 1880, he located in Kansas City, where he was employed in the office of the Chicago & Alton Railway Company for six years. He then removed to Washing- ton, D. C., where he was engaged in the drug business for a time. He was also employed in the office of George E. Lemon, pension attorney. He left Washington in 1892, and located in Weston, West Virginia, where he was engaged in the drug business. He re- moved to Wheeling in 1899, and pur- chased the McLain drug store at the corner of IIth and Market streets, which he has since conducted. His store is an ideal one, complete in all its appointments, and well stocked with every thing customary in that line of business.
Mr. Waterman was married on No- vember 13, 1896, to Winnie Wright, a daughter of Capt. B. B. Wright, of Galesburg, Illinois, who was born in 1875. They have one child, Charles Wright, who was born May 1, 1900.
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In politics, Mr. Waterman casts his ballot in support of the Republican party.
O. A. PETTY.
O. A. PETTY, a prominent busi- ness man and enthusiastic worker in the ranks of the Republican party in West Virginia, is postmaster of the city of Charleston, in which capacity he has efficiently served since 1898. He was born in Wirt County, Virginia, now West Virginia, September 7, 1859, and is a son of Grandvill C. and Mar- tha E. Petty.
Grandvill C. Petty was a prominent merchant throughout his active life, and lived to reach the age of 67 years, his death occurring in 1892. His wife died in 1881, at the age of 62 years.
Religiously, both were members of the Baptist Church.
O. A. Petty was educated in the common schools of Meigs County, Ohio, and in early life clerked in his fa- ther's mercantile establishment. At the age of 16 years he began to shift for himself, and followed mercantile pursuits in Charleston and Sistersville, West Virginia, continuing in this line for some twelve years. He disposed of his interests in 1898, when he was appointed postmaster of Charleston, a position he has since filled with credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of the general public. He was re-ap- pointed February 1I, 1903, and was confirmed on February 12th of the same year. He has been a very prom- inent factor in the Republican party, being considered a leader in county and State politics. In 1894 he was elected to the City Council from the Third Ward, which now forms a part of the Fifth Ward, and most ably served his constituents.
In 1885, Mr. Petty was united in marriage with Lillie M. Weldon, who comes of a prominent family of Meigs County, Ohio. Her maternal grandfa- ther owned the land on which Middle- port is now located, and was not only the founder of the town but was the first treasurer of the county. Mr.
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and Mrs. Petty have two children, Lawrence and Virginia. Mrs. Petty is a member of the Northern Presbyte- rian Church. Fraternally, our subject is a member of Middleport Lodge, No. 366, A. F. & A. M.
HON. LLOYD HANSFORD.
HON. LLOYD HANSFORD, a leading member of the bar at Parsons, Tucker County, West Virginia, and a prominent citizen who is identified with many of the leading business concerns of that section, was born in 1857, in Tucker County, Virginia, now West Virginia, and is a son of William W. and Sarah Ann (Fausler) Hansford, both of whom were born in what is now West Virginia.
William W. Hansford was born in Randolph County and now lives at Hendricks, Tucker County, retired from activity, having reached the age of 79 years. His life has been spent in agricultural pursuits ; for a number of years he was an active participant in county movements and served both on the Board of Supervisors and the Board of Education. In politics he has always supported the Republican party, but has never sought many political honors and was never defeated for an office. He is one of the valued members of the Methodist Church at Hendricks. His wife was born in that part of Ran- dolph County now included in Tucker County. and died in 1867, at the age of 38 years. She was a member of the Lutheran Church. Their children were: Pierce F .; Ann C., who mar- ried Lloyd Parsons at Parsons ; Lloyd, our subject ; Ruth E., who married Da- vid P. Long, of Tucker County; Alice M. (Mrs. John Ford), of Hendricks ; Zellie (Mrs. Alexander Wilson), of Philippi; and Sarah ( Mrs. Jetson D. Garthrop), of California.
Lloyd Hansford secured a good common school education and in 1879 graduated from the State Normal School at Fairmont, being the first graduate from Tucker County from any State institution. He spent sev-
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eral years in teaching and then entered the law department of the University of Virginia at Charlottesville, where he remained a student from 1889 until IS92. His reading had been done with Caleb Boggess at Clarksburg, West Virginia, with whom he remained two years. He was admitted to the bar in 1881. His practice has been conducted in Tucker County. While Mr. Hans- ford has been successful in his profes- sion, he is more widely known in polit- ical circles. He has been a leading Democrat in Tucker County for a num- ber of years, and has held a number of responsible positions. For several terms he was mayor of St. George dur- ing his residence there. From 1892 to 1897 inclusive, he was a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, during all of which time he served on the judiciary committee and was also chairman of the railroad committee. In 1895 he was appointed by Speaker Hanan a member of the Constitutional Commission. Mr. Hansford is a man of large means, holding stock in at least two banks and is interested in a number of lumber and other companies. He owns a large amount of both farm- ing and wild lands.
Mr. Hansford was married on Au- gust 25. 1892, to Mary A. Wamsley, who was born in 1859 in Randolph
County, and is a daughter of Andrew M. and Mary A. ( Harper) Wamsley. Their son and two daughters are Will- iam L., and Nest and Mary M.
HON. ROBERT LIVINGSTONE GREGORY.
HON. ROBERT LIV - INGSTONE GREGORY, a member of the West Virginia Legisla- ture, is a prominent attorney of Sis- tersville, West Virginia, and a well known and popular politician. He was born in 1869, in Henry County, Vir- ginia. When a youth, he removed to Texas, where he spent the greater por- tion of his boyhood's days in herding cattle on the plains. Returning to his native State, he entered school, and
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when but 18 years of age he branched into journalism, editing several week- lies. In 1889, in association with others, he began the publication of the Roanoke Daily Herald, the first Repub- lican newspaper in the section. Then Mr. Gregory devoted his attention to the law, the University of Virginia be- ing his alma mater.
In February, 1897, he settled in West Virginia, at Sistersville, the great oil metropolis, and there he has built up a law practice equal to that of any practitioner of his age in the State. He is a fluent talker and a very effective campaign speaker, hence he has been called upon to work for his party, and is justified in his assertion that he is probably personally acquainted with al- most every man, woman and child in Tyler County. In November, 1902. only a few days prior to the election, his party, without his solicitation, placed his name on the Republican tick- et for the Legislature, in order to fill an unexpected vacancy, and he was elected by a handsome majority, he, with his running mate being the only ones on the ticket elected, all the other offices going to the Democrats.
Mr. Gregory as a member of the Legislature became one of the leaders in all matters of great moment, and was a champion of the improvement of
the Ohio River, and secured a joint resolution during the session, favoring a national appropriation of a large sum, and the instruction of the West Vir- ginia members of both houses to work and vote for such an appropriation as would give the Ohio a nine-foot stage of water. Mr. Gregory is looked upon as one of the coming men in his State.
WALLACE BRUCE GRIBBLE.
WALLACE BRUCE GRIBBLE. Circuit Court clerk of Doddridge County, West Virginia, is a representa- tive citizen and belongs to the younger political element in his section of the State. Mr. Gribble was born near Ox- ford, Doddridge County, West Vir-
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ginia, October 14, 1873, and is a son of John M. Gribble, who was one of the early settlers of the county and one of its most highly respected citizens.
Wallace B. Gribble received his ed- ucation in the common schools of Dod- dridge County, and engaged in farm work until the age of 17. The succeed- ing two years were spent in teaching school, after which he took a course of study in the West Virginia Business College, at Clarksburg. In 1893 he was appointed deputy sheriff of his native county and served in that capacity for four years. In the summer of 1896 he was nominated by the Republican party for the office of Circuit Court clerk, to which he was elected, defeating his op- ponent, Gordon G. Duff, by a majority of 576 votes. This office Mr. Gribble still holds and enjoys the distinction of being the youngest Circuit Court clerk in this State. He is a firm believer in the principles of the Republican party, and is an active worker for their suc- cess.
Some of the brainiest and most suc- cessful of West Virginia's sons today are yet in the flower of their youth, and Mr. Gribble belongs to this class. He is a student of men and events as well as of the past and enjoys his fine library, which contains more than 600 volumes. He is a man of fine address,
genial and companionable, and has a host of friends at his home, West Un- ion, Doddridge County.
HENRY CLAY SIMMS.
HENRY CLAY SIMMS, senior member of the firm of Simms & Ens- low, corporation attorneys for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Company, and a citizen of high standing in Hunt- ington, Cabell County, West Virginia, comes of old Virginia stock, of Scotch- Irish ancestry, and was born June II, 1847, in Kanawha County, Virginia, now West Virginia, near Scary. He is a son of Robert Marshall Simms, a farmer and merchant, and a grandson of Henry Simms, who was also born in Virginia. His mother was a daughter of John Nalle, who died during the Civil War. Mrs. Simms died in 1897, aged 79 years.
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Henry Simms, the paternal grand- father came to Kanawha County in 1817 and resided there until his death in 1849. He secured a fine farm on the river which is still in the possession of the family ; it was a part of the military grant to Henry Banks. Henry Simms married a niece of Gen. Humphrey Marshall, of Kentucky. Both he and the maternal grandfather of our sub- ject were stanch Whigs.
Robert Marshall Simms was born August 13, 1813, in Culpeper County, Virginia. and died at the old home in Kanawha County, West Virginia, in October, 1891. Prior to the Civil War he was active in the Whig party, and after its close was a Protection Demo- crat.
Henry Clay Simms of this sketch was one of a family of six children born to his parents, the other five being : Mrs. Kirtly, who resides on the home farm; Howard, who is engaged in business at Huntington ; James M., who is con- nected with the Charleston Gasette; Joseph E., who, prior to his death in 1900, had been engaged in a lumber business at St. Albans; and Mrs. Dr. H. L. Judge, of Norwalk, Ohio.
Mr. Simms secured his primary edu- cation at home from a governess, who prepared him for entrance to the Mor- gantown Academy, in 1865. Two years
later he entered Marietta College, and in 1869 went to Harvard and completed his law education there, being a member of the graduating class of 1872. The high esteem in which he was held by his associates there was evidenced by his election to the vice-presidency of the Harvard Law Association. Hon. Jo- seph H. Choate is the president of this association, and Mr. Simms holds a life membership and regularly attends the annual meetings that are held in Me- morial Hall.
Mr. Simms was admitted to the bar of West Virginia in 1871 and his first partnership was formed with Eustace Gibson, under the firm title of Gibson & Simms, which continued from 1873 to 1876. In the latter year the present partnership with Frank B. Enslow was formed under the style of Simms & En- slow; they engaged in a general law practice, in addition to representing the interests of the Chesapeake & Ohio Rail- way Company in West Virginia. Mr. Enslow attends chiefly to the local business, although both partners carefully watch the interests of the corporation mentioned. They have pleasant and convenient offices over the Huntington National Bank, where Mr. Simms has been located ever since 1872.
Mr. Simms married a daughter of W. A. Lyons, who came to Huntington
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in 1879, in the employ of the Standard Oil Company, and who died some years since. The three children born to this union are: Harry, now attending the University of West Virginia ; and Rob- ert Marshall and Mary. The family home is at No. 1137 Third avenue. The family attend the Protestant Episcopal Church. Mr. Simms belongs to the Ir- ving Club. In 1876 he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention that nominated Samuel J. Tilden for the presidency, and in 1880 was a dele- gate from West Virginia to the con- vention at Cincinnati where General Hancock was nominated for president.
HENRY W. SCHREBE, one of the leading grocers of Wheeling, West Virginia, is a director in the South Side Bank of Wheeling, and a member of the Board of Education. He was born in Wibbeke, near Gottingen, in Han- over, Germany, January 21, 1850, and is a son of Henry and Julia (Linde- man) Schrebe. His father was a weav- er by trade. His brother, Charles, is deceased; and his sister, Louisa, wife of Henry Yeager, resides on 46th street in Wheeling.
Henry W. Schrebe, the subject of this sketch, learned the trade of a turn- er in his native country. In the fall of 1869, in company with his uncle, Fred
Lindeman, he located in Wheeling. Mr. Lindeman was a millwright by trade and died about 1890. Mr. Schrebe was 19 years of age when he settled in Wheeling, and first worked in the old Washington Rolling Mill about three months, and when the mill stopped running was obliged to look for other employment. He then began the cigar making business and also joined the Wheeling Musik Band, known first as the Great Western and later as the Opera House or Kramer's Band, in which he played cornet for many years. After his marriage in 1875, Mr. Schrebe engaged in the gro- cery business in old Drover's Home in Marshall County, where he conducted a general store for seven years, and while there was elected a member of the Board of Education from Union district, serving as such two years. In March, 1882, he removed to his pres- ent location, the building then being owned by C. T. Cowan. Mr. Schrebe bought this building at auction some time after moving into it and has en- larged and remodeled it generally. Its dimensions are 82 by 27 feet, and in the rear are flour and feed warehouses. It is one of the largest establishments of the kind in Wheeling, and six people are employed in the store. He lost heavily in the flood of 1884, most of his
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stock of $5,000 being entirely ruined. His methods of business are honest and fair, and customers always re- ceive prompt and courteous attention. He is a man of more than ordinary business ability and has met with much success in all his undertakings.
May 6, 1875, Mr. Schrebe was united in marriage with Caroline Mey- er, who was born in Wheeling, a daughter of Henry and Louise Meyer. Her mother is living at the age of 78 years; her father was a farmer and stock raiser. Mr. and Mrs. Schrebe have the following children : Eleanora, born April 5, 1876, is the wife of Charles F. Seidler, of Wheeling; Os- car, born February 8, 1878, assists his father in the store; Metha, born April 22, 1880, died July 14, 1881 ; Henry, born April 15, 1882, is an electrician at the car barns in Wheeling; Edward C., born September 30, 1884, is in high school; Fred C., born March 9, 1887, died October 20, 1888; and Anna Au- gusta, born June 4, 1889, who is also in school.
Mr. Schrebe is a Republican in pol- itics, and was elected a member of the City Council in 1885, serving two years in the second branch and four years in the first branch. In 1898 he was elected a member of the Board of Ed- ucation for a term of six years. He
has been president of the Mozart Sing- ing Society for the past two years ; is a member of the Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks; and Zion Benevolent Society. Religiously he is a member of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Benwood, West Virginia, and was one of the charter members in 1879. He has been president of the church organization for the past 12 years, and has also held the office of sccretary of that body. He is one of the most public spirited men of Wheel- ing, and always gives assistance when any public enterprise is undertaken.
MAJ. HANSON WALKER HUNTER.
MAJ. HANSON WALKER HUNTER, serving as cashier of the Marshall County Bank, at Mounds-
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