USA > West Virginia > Men of West Virginia Volume I > Part 35
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Dr. Smith wields a facile pen, and has contributed a number of thought- ful articles to current medical literature. A paper on "Health in its Relation to the Life of a Soldier," presented by him at the State encampment in 1895, was widely published. He has also done notable work in the department of original medicine and collateral branches and has received commend- ation from both the press and the pro- fession. In 1893 he was made an honorary member of the Pharmaceut- ical Association of Kansas, the Uni- versity of West Virginia having conferred the degree of Doctor of Pharmacy in 1892. He has compiled, through research, a chart of the visible symptoms of disease, which has been pronounced authoritative by the lead- ing practitioners of the United States.
Dr. Smith has a fine suite of offices on the corner of Princeton avenue and Bland street, Bluefield, and is interested in real estate in the city. Fraternally he is a Mason. Religiously he is a Presbyterian.
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JAMES W. HOLT.
JAMES W. HOLT, editor and pro- prietor of the Daily and Weekly Graf- ton Sentinel, of Grafton, West Virgin- ia, one of the prominent and active po- litical leaders of Taylor County, was born February 14, 1849, in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Alfred T. and Maria ( Stone) Holt.
James W. Holt was educated in the public schools of Kingwood and the old Kingwood Academy. He learned the printing trade at this place in the office of the Preston County Journal, and was 21 years of age when he removed to Grafton, having completed his three years apprenticeship in Preston County. The Grafton Sentinel had been estab- lished about eight weeks prior to this, and he took charge of it as editor and publisher. In less than a year the able
and ambitious young man had secured the entire plant and from that time to the present has held a prominent place in the history of the paper. In 1875 he sold the entire plant to C. M. Shinn, but six months later Mr. Holt re-pur- chased a one-half interest, and it was jointly operated for one year, when our subject again became the sole propri- etor, purchasing Mr. Shinn's interest. In 1878, Mr. Holt took E. G. Jeffrey into the business as a partner, which combination lasted until 1880, when George Dunnington, of Fairmont, suc- ceeded to the ownership and manage- ment for one year, selling then to Mr. Jeffrey who continued as owner and publisher until 1885. In the same year Mr. Holt and S. P. McCormick became the sole proprietors and remained so until the death of the latter, when our subject again gained sole control and has continued as editor and proprietor ever since.
The Weekly Sentinel is a 12-page six-column paper, of strong Republic- an principles, is well edited and replete with foreign, general and local news, and has a large and increasing circula- tion. In order to keep abreast of the times and meet the growing wants of a critical public, Mr. Holt inaugurated the Daily Sentinel, an eight-page, six- column sheet,-an evening paper satis-
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factory in every respect to the rapidly growing city of Grafton. From the start it met with generous favor, and is now considered one of the fixed fea- tures of the city. Politically, Mr. Holt is a stanch Republican, and as such wields a great deal of influence in the councils of his party. In 1881, he was appointed to a position in the internal revenue service, which he filled three years, and under the administration of President Harrison and also under that of President McKinley he served as postmaster of Grafton, holding the po- sition five years. In 1885, Mr. Holt served one term as mayor of West Graf- ton. He is now holding the position of president of the Board of Education of the city.
In May, 1873, Mr. Holt married Annie J. Jordan, daughter of John and Catherine Jordan, of Grafton, who died in November, 1897, at the age of 45 years, leaving these children: John A., of Horton, Kansas; Alfred A., William H., Howard, Annie L., and Maria K. Mr. Holt is connected with various social organizations, is a mem- ber of Mystic Lodge, No. 75, A. F. & A. M., of which he was for a number of years secretary; and of Friendship Lodge, No. 8, Knights of Pythias, be- longing also to the Uniform Rank of that order.
BENJAMIN F. MURPHY.
BENJAMIN F. MURPHY, a jus- tice of the peace, and a leading mer- chant of Clay Court House, West Vir- ginia, was born July 29, 1873, at Gould, Clay County, West Virginia, and is a son of Henry H. and Sarah J. (Daw- son) Murphy.
The first settler in the Elk River Valley prior to the Revolution was Pat- rick Murphy, our subject's great-great- grandfather, who came with his wife from Ireland and took out a patent for 160 acres of land on Strange Creek.
Henry H. Murphy and his wife still reside at Gould, Clay County, being substantial farmers of that locality. Mr. Murphy was born in Clay County
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in 1853, and 1872 married Sarah J. Dawson, who was born in 1855, a daughter of Richard H. Dawson. Their family consisted of nine sons and four daughters, viz .: Benjamin F .; Eustace G .; Marion; Oscar W .; Edison F .; Robert Roy; Arlie F .; Leonard Rus- sell: Cora, who died at the age of 17 years ; Glendora, at home ; Virginia, at home; and Muriel, who died at the age of six years. Mr. Murphy was reared a Democrat, but has favored prohibi- tion legislation all his life, even before it became a party issue.
Benjamin F. Murphy was educated in the common schools and spent two years at the Concord Normal School. He then began teaching, which profes- sion he followed for 13 years in Clay County, teaching in the Clay Normal School at Clay Court House in connec- tion with Professor Hickman, and was principal of the schools of that town for two years. He has always been a man of pronounced literary tastes and abili- ty, and has contributed many articles to the press. His work has received special attention in the West Virginia School Journal and the magazine Pop- ular Education, of Boston. Many of his articles have won prizes and his name is a very familiar one to students. He has also been in much demand as an educational lecturer, in institute work.
Mr. Murphy has been in active po- litical work for a considerable period, and has been a leader in Republican ranks for some years. His first vote was cast for the late President McKin- ley. He has been a delegate to State conventions which met at various points and in July, 1900, at Charleston sup- ported Horan for State Senator. In 1900 he was elected a justice of the peace for four years, and he has ab- sorbed about all of the business in the justice line since his election, having tried 258 cases, his decisions giving uni- versal satisfaction. He is popular with lawyers and clients alike. In addition to his duties as justice of the peace, he carries on a very successful mercantile business. In 1902 he was elected re- corder for the town of Henry.
On January 11, 1892, Mr. Murphy was married to Emma F. Friend, who is a daughter of Mellville E. Friend, a native of Braxton County, who settled in Clay County some years ago. Four children have been born to this mar- riage, three of whom survive.
Mr. Murphy is one of the leading citizens and will probably be heard from in the councils of the State at a later period. Beside his other qualifications, he has a wide acquaintance and is uni- versally popular personally. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal
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Church and is superintendent of the Sunday-school. Fraternally, he is a member of the Jr. O. U. A. M.
GEORGE E. HOUSE, one of the representative business men of Wheel- ing, West Virginia, is at the head of the largest department store operating on the installment plan, in that city, and has had a wonderfully active and suc- cessful business career. The name of the firm of which he is the head is House & Herrmann, and they carry a most complete line of furniture, carpets, stoves, queensware, wall paper, cloth- ing, shoes, hats, bicycles, trunks and general house furnishings. They have a very extensive credit system and make sales on easy payments, and the asser- tion of the firm,-"Your credit is good," -- is familiar to purchasers everywhere in the vicinity. Mr. House is a thor- oughly practical man, having spent about 25 years in this business. The parent house of the firm was established in Washington, D. C., in 1885, by Messrs. House & Herrmann. The busi- ness was established in Wheeling in 1888, at No. 1300 Main street, and soon became far too great for the meager ac- commodations there, necessitating a re- moval to the present large building on the corner of 14th and Market streets ;
the volume of business is more than thrice its original size. The Pollock Building, which the firm occupies, con- sists of six stories and a basement, and is 66 by 120 feet in dimensions. The first floor is devoted to furniture and other goods, such as chinaware, sewing machines, lamps and silverware. The show window on Market street is 60 feet long, and is attended to by an expert window dresser. The firm is the most extensive advertiser in the State, having numerous original and effective meth- ods. In front of the door, at the north- east corner of the building, is a bulletin board, on which are given the main events of each day, the firm having pri- vate arrangements with leading news- papers for items of public interest. The second floor is devoted to clothing, shoes, hats, trunks, etc. ; and the third floor to wall paper, unholstered fur- niture and carpets,-a sewing room being conducted in connection there- with. Power is used to run the ma- chines, thus greatly aiding the opera- tors. The fourth floor contains a com- plete stock of bedroom suites and mis- cellaneous furniture. The fifth and sixth floors are used for warehouse purposes and duplicate stock, and the basement for stoves. The building is equipped with two electric light plants, the power for which is furnished by
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steam and natural gas is used as fuel. The office of the firm and the reception room are located on the first floor. This is the pioneer department store operat- ing on the installment plan in the city of Wheeling : it employs about 60 peo- pie. The business was incorporated in 1891, with Mr. House as president and active manager, and George S. Otte, secretary. The store is an exceedingly attractive one, an especial feature being the number of electric lights and the amount of gold leaf in use. Several teams are used in the delivery of the heavier class of goods, such as furniture. The company extends the fullest credit to purchasers, and allows them, where convenient, to carry their own parcels away from the store. It is a very pub- lic-spirited corporation, and its action in securing $1,780 for the relief of Gal- veston sufferers, by the publicity of the bulletin board at their store, was highly commended by the citizens of Wheeling and was an incentive to others to do likewise.
Mr. House was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and first engaged in busi- ness when 15 years of age. Ambitious and energetic, success came to him wholly through his own efforts. He is now an active member of the Board of Trade and has been among the foremost in the development of Wheeling, always
subscribing to new and beneficial in- dustries. He erected an apartment house at the corner of Ninth and Main streets, and has since invested heavily in this class of buildings. He resides, with his wife and family, on 12th street.
WILLIAM H. WOLFE.
WILLIAM H. WOLFE, who for over 38 years has been prominently identified with the banking interests of Parkersburg, West Virginia, and who is still a large stockholder in various enterprises, was born at Parkersburg. He is a son of Daniel N. and Lydia Ann (Smith) Wolfe, and a grandson of Reese Wolfe, who came here from Delaware, in 1797. securing at that time considerable land along the Little Kanawha River. Reese Wolfe was a
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local minister in the Methodist Church and was a magistrate and also high sheriff of Wood County. He died in his 85th year, in Highland County, Ohio, one of the grand old characters of local history.
Daniel N. Wolfe was born in 1805, in Wood County, Virginia, now West Virginia, and died at Parkersburg in 1865. He taught school for a number of years and was the owner of property in Parkersburg and land in Wirt Coun- ty. He lived nearly all his life in Parkersburg. He was pro-slavery in his political views, but all during the Civil War supported the Union and served the government on several occa- sions when the bushwhackers would have made his life the forfeit had they known all. The mother of our subject was a daughter of E. E. Smith, who removed at an early day to Parkersburg from New York. She was reared in Parkersburg and passed away in 1844. Our subject's one brother, Daniel Reese, younger than himself resides in St. Louis, Missouri, engaged in the iron business.
William H. Wolfe had excellent ed- ucational advantages and was prepared for business at an early age. He first accepted a clerkship in the post office and store of T. G. Smith, and then be- came a bookkeeper with the Parkers-
burg branch of the Northwestern Bank of Virginia, in which bank he finally became teller. In 1865 he assisted in organizing the Second National Bank, was appointed its cashier and remained in active connection with that bank for 32 years. For sonie years he was its president and still retains his stock. Mr. Wolfe has been financially interested in many of the successful business enter- prises of the locality. He was one of the organizers of the Parkersburg Chair Company and is a director and the vice-president of this great corpor- ation. He is also a member of the Traders' Building Association, which he assisted in founding, and which is one of the strongest business organizations of the city. He has been continuously one of its directors and most of the time its president.
Mr. Wolfe married Mrs. Joanna M. Wait, a daughter of T. A. Cook, a member of one of the leading families of the county and also of Southern Ohio. Mr. Cook came to Wood County at the age of six years and later owned the land on which a large portion of Parkersburg is built. Mr. Wolfe's children are: Ina W., who married Joseph S. Spencer, a farmer living near Parkersburg; and William H., Jr., a practicing attorney-at-law of Parkers- burg, who is a graduate of Marietta
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College and of Columbia University, New York. Miss Bettie C. Wait, of Parkersburg, is our subject's step- daughter.
Politically Mr. Wolfe is an active Republican, but not to the extent of ac- cepting office. For a number of years he has been engaged in oil producing in West Virginia. The religious con- nection of the family is with the Pres- byterian Church.
WILLIAM SEIBER.
WILLIAM SEIBER, mayor of Central City, Cabell County, West Vir- ginia, and owner and operator of the Central Veneer Company at Central City, was born at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1868. He was reared at Cincinnati
and obtained a common school educa- tion. After leaving school he entered into the employ of The E. D. Albro Company of Cincinnati,-dealers and manufacturers, and remained with that firm for II years.
In 1892 Mr. Seiber located in Cen- tral City and practically established the present veneering plant, soon after ac- complishing the organizing of the Cen- tral Veneer Company. Later he bought the interests of the various stockholders and is now the sole owner and operator. The product is veneers exclusively, mainly for use on pianos, organs and fine furniture. All varieties of wood are utilized, almost all the raw material coming from the sec- tions of country along the Chespeake & Ohio and the Norfolk & Western railways. Mr. Seiber has enlarged his plant until it now covers two acres ; he has erected the most substantial build- ings, employs 38 men and daily pro- duces a carload of the finished product. Mr. Seiber has built up his business by his own energy, has done the most of his own traveling, ships to all parts of the North, East and West, and has rep- resentatives at Grand Rapids, Michi- gan, and in Canada. His railroad fa- cilities are excellent, a spur track lead- ing to each road.
Mr. Seiber has been prominently
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identified with politics in his section and is a leader in the Democratic party. He is now serving his second term as mayor of Central City, his administra- tion of municipal affairs giving satis- faction to both parties. His handsome new residence, probably the finest priv- ate home in the city, was finished in September, 1901 and is situated on Washington avenue. He owns a large amount of real estate in the town and takes pride in its improvement.
In 1893 Mr. Seiber married a daughter of Joseph Doll, an old resi- dent of Cincinnati, and two children have been born to them,-William J. and Mary E. The religious connec- tion of the family is with the Catholic Church of Huntington. In fraternal life Mayor Seiber has been deeply inter- ested for a number of years. In the Knights of Pythias, he has served through all the chairs and is the present representative of Good Faith Lodge; is a member of the Elks and since April, 1902, has been exalted ruler of Hun- tington Lodge, No. 313; and belongs also to the Eagles, Modern Woodmen of America and the United Commercial Travelers.
Mr. Seiber is ranked with the lead- ing business men of the southwestern section of West Virginia. His success and rise to prominence are due to his
own efforts, as he is a self-made man as well as a representative citizen of Cabell County.
HOWARD L. SWISHER.
HOWARD L. SWISHER, one of Morgantown's best known citizens, has attained a high degree of success in a few brief years. As a student in col- lege, his ambitions were to become a journalist and in this field he would no doubt have attained high distinction had not the success of his business ven- tures diverted his attention to other channels. He is president of the Acme Publishing Company, president of the South Branch Merchandising Com- pany, secretary of the Federal Savings & Trust Company, director in the Val-
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ley Wood Working Company, owner of the Monongahela Valley Posting & Dis- tributing Plant, manager of Swisher's Theater, and editor of the Ghourki.
Mr. Swisher was born in Hamp- shire County, West Virginia, Septem- ber 21, 1870, and is a son of D. W. and Katharine ( Bonnifield) Swisher, be- ing of German-French descent. He passed his early years at the home of his father, "The Levels," and at the age of 18 years became a school teacher in his native county. He later attended Fairmont State Normal School, from which institution he was graduated. After visiting the Northwestern States, and making a journey through Mani- toba, Assiniboia, Alberta and British Columbia, he spent two years at Fresno, California, during a part of which per- iod he taught school. He returned home and entered West Virginia Uni- versity from which he was graduated in 1897, with the degree of A. B. While in that institution he edited the college paper, The Athenaeum, and the volume produced under his direction is claimed by those who are in a position to know to have been the best ever gotten out in that college. He previously published a book of poems, entitled "Briar Blos- soms," which he dedicated to John Wal- lace, of Wheeling. While in the West
he frequently contributed to the news- papers, usually in prose, but occasion- ally in verse. His verses have been pronounced charming by critics, and at times they remind one of James Whit- comb Riley. For instance :
There is many a spot on the old home place, That I am wishing and longing to see, But the dearest of all is the meadow lot And the spring ' neath the old gum tree.
With Hu Maxwell, Mr. Swisher compiled a "History of Hampshire County," which was issued in 1897. His connection with the active business life of Morgantown began in the spring of 1897, when with a capital of $700 he opened up the Acme book store. This business had a rapid growth, and in April, 1898, he organized the Acme Publishing Company which has had a most prosperous existence. In politics, Mr. Swisher is an enthusiastic Demo- crat, although in no sense a politician. In 1900 he was the choice of a large fol- lowing for State Superintendent of Free Schools, and in the race of 1902 for the State Senate, from the Eleventh Senatorial District, led his ticket. He received the largest Democratic vote ever received in Monongalia County.
In August, 1897, Mr. Swisher was united in marriage with Mary Dering of Morgantown, where both have a host of friends.
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CHARLES H. SHATTUCK.
CHARLES H. SHATTUCK .- The following is taken from "The Der- rick's Hand Book of Petroleum," pub- lished by The Derrick Publishing Com- pany, Oil City, in 1900.
"When Edwin L. Drake struck the first oil on the famous Watson flats on August 28, 1859, the subject of this sketch was then engaged with and was one of the firm of the Aladdin Oil Com- pany, who had just built on the Alle- gheny River, a mile above the mouth of the Kiskiminetas, in Armstrong Coun- ty, Pennsylvania, a factory for the manufacturing of oil from cannel coal.
"Two years previous to this time, before coming of age, believing there must be a great future in a business that could improve upon the animal and
vegetable oils then in use as light pro- ducers, he had leased the coal under the large tract of land upon which these Aladdin Works were afterwards built, and hiring a Welsh miner drove a drift 500 feet into the coal, the Welshman doing the digging and Shattuck the wheeling.
In the spring and summer of 1859, Messrs. Brereton, Wilkins & Johnson, of Pittsburg, furnishing the money and Shattuck the coal, a factory was built which was probably among the best of the kind in the United States. They had scarcely got into operation when, as before stated, Drake made the first strike on Oil Creek and brought the obscure but fertile fields of Venango County into great notoriety.
It did not take young Shattuck long to conclude that making oil from coal would soon be history. By the merest accident he learned a few days later of the oil springs, or as they were called, the "oil diggings" on Hughes River, in Wirt County, West Virginia, and a few days later found him there and the owner of the property. It will be a surprise to most oil men of to-day to learn that within 30 days from the date of Colonel Drake's strike on Oil Creek, Pennsylvania, an oil well was being drilled on Hughes River, West Vir- ginia.
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Shattuck found no oil on Hughes River, nor has there ever been oil of any amount gotten in this section, al- though the surface oil is in larger quan- tities probably than in any spot in the United States.
Eight dry wells, ranging in depth from 200 to 250 feet, was the reward of his pluck,-together with whatever honor may lie in being the oil pioneer of West Virginia.
"However, Mr. Shattuck afterwards became a large producer and continued actively in the business until the year 1876, when he was elected sheriff and treasurer of Wood County. After the expiration of his term of office, he or- ganized the Citizens' National Bank of Parkersburg, where as president of the same he has been very successful.
"He is and always has been a large holder of oil property, and looks back with pride upon his early struggles in the West Virginia field.
"Mr. Shattuck is not only the pio- neer in the production of oil in West Virginia, but is also a pioneer in the coal oil business, that led the way to and created the necessity for petroleum, which business, with all its vast com- mercial resources, has grown to be a leading one of the world."
Referring to what is said above in regard to the organizing of the Citizens'
National Bank of Parkersburg, it may be said that Mr. Shattuck's career as a banker, while only an episode in his busy life, has been one of the most suc- cessful periods of that life. The phe- nomenal growth of this bank, which opened its doors in 1882, is entirely due to his own efforts and methods. By
his careful and liberal yet conservative management, he has established it upon a solid foundation, and to its great suc- cess it may be said that his personal popularity has contributed not a little.
Mr. Shattuck has made Parkers- burg his home since he came to West Virginia in 1859, and has always been one of the foremost promoters of every enterprise which could add to its pros- perity. In 1897 he recognized the fact that the time had come for the small but wide-awake little city to have an electric railroad to supersede the old horse cars then in use, and with charac- teristic energy proceeded to put this en- terprise on its feet. As president of, and large stockholder in, the company which was already supplying the city with electric lighting, he was in a posi- tion to carry out his scheme, and has built and put in operation in the little city of Parkersburg one of the best electric lines to be found in the country. Later, in 1902, he succeeded in obtain- ing control of the electric road of a near-
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by city, Marietta, Ohio, and has con- nected the two cities with an inter-urban line 13 miles in length.
Mr. Shattuck does nothing on a cheap scale, and in construction, equip- ment and service his electric lines are models. It is difficult to estimate the value of the inter-urban road to bothi the cities which it connects, and to the country through which it passes, and its conception and achievement are due to the genius and perseverance of Mr. Shattuck alone.
In addition to his labors in con- nection with his electric lines and the bank (of which institution he still re- tains the presidency, whose policy is en- tirely dictated by him, and where he may be found at his desk every day), he is the head and manager of the West Virginia Oil Company, which is sup- posed to be an outside branch of the Standard, and which owns several thousand acres of territory in the fam- ous oil fields of West Virginia.
It will strike the average reader that hard work has no terrors for this man, who seems indeed to have an almost limitless capacity for it.
It is only a just tribute to Mr. Shat- tuck to say that Parkersburg has no citizen who has done more for her welfare, or who has been more prompt to make generous response to every de-
mand upon his time, his abilities and his means. His broad business views, his wise judgment, and his unstinted pe- cuniary assistance have ever been at the service of every enterprise looking to the advancement of the city's interests.
It goes without saying that such a life means a strong, forceful personali- ty. He is unswerving in his adherence to what he thinks is right, and is un- bending in his determination to carry it out. He counts no service too great to be performed for one he calls his friend, while he is as strong in his un- compromising attitude toward an an- tagonist.
ALLEN BROCK, an honored and highly respected citizen of Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia, and one of its most successful business men, was born in Monroe County, Ohio, Decem- ber 5, 1854. The first 15 years of his life were spent in Monroe County, where he received his mental instruc- tion, and he afterward taught school for two years in Monroe and Belmont counties.
Mr. Brock then gauged tanks for the Union Tank Line Company for some time, and in the spring of 1875 located in Wheeling, where he entered the em- ploy of the Kraft Brothers' notion house as clerk, and retained that posi-
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tion until he was appointed assistant postmaster under Robert Simpson, in March, 1885.
After four years Mr. Brock again entered the employ of the Kraft Broth- ers' notion house and remained there until 1892, when the Joseph Speidel Grocery Company was formed and Mr. Brock became a stockholder, and was made secretary and treasurer, and still gives his entire attention to the welfare of his business.
Mr. Brock is also a director in the Bank of Wheeling, was for many years a member of the City Council, and is one of the greatest promoters of the North Glade Club, of which he is pres- ident. He is a member of Nelson Lodge, No. 30, A. F. & A. M .; Wheel- ing Union Chapter, No. 1, R. A. M .; Wheeling Commandery, No. I, K. T .; Osiris Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S .; Scottish Rites; and B. P. O. E. Mr. Brock was married to Mrs. Emma Brown, who died November 19, 1900.
At present he has apartments in the Reilly Building. Religiously, he is a member and vestryman of St. Mat- thew's Protestant Episcopal Church.
The Joseph Speidel Grocery Con- pany is the largest wholesale grocery in West Virginia and has the most per- fect facilities for handling an immense business. On the first floor of the store are kept all heavy goods, such as bar- rels, flour in sacks, etc. The firm has a cold storage room which has an ice machine run by a 10-horse power gas engine, the same engine also running the dynamo which furnishes electric lights for the building. Prompt rail- road connection is supplied by a switch track in the rear of the building. The plant employs 54 hands, all of whom are kept constantly busy. Mr. Brock has been a stockholder in the company for a number of years, and is considered by all a man of great industry and wise judgment.
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