USA > West Virginia > Men of West Virginia Volume I > Part 7
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Levi Henshaw's second wife, Ann McConnell, was born September 18, 1773, was married to Mr. Henshaw, May 1, 1806, and died November 15, 1838. Their children were: Mary Ann, born April 7, 1807, died Febru- ary 14, 1836; James, born April 27, 1808, married Susan Heiskell, March 19, 1833, and after her death married Louisa Beall in 1839; Washington, twin of James, born April 27, 1808, married Mary E. Delgarn, April 12, 1838, and after her death married Susan Kuykendall, in October, 1841; Isabella Jane, born March 24, 18II, married William B. Gorrell, April 17, 1834; John, born July 10, 1812, was graduated from Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, but was drowned in the Mississippi River shortly after his
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ordination as a clergyman in the Prot- estant Episcopal Church; Charles, born December 18, 1813, married Ann V. Beall, in 1840, and after her death married Susan Henning, in December, 1856; Levi, born July 14, 1815, mar- ried Sarah Ann Snodgrass, December 16, 1851, and died February 21, 1896; Anderson, born May 7, 1817, married Jane Busey, in October, 1846; Thorn- ton, born December 8, 1818, married Susan Rawlings Snodgrass, April 30, 1845; George Warren, born June I, 1828, married Rebecca Montgomery, November 19, 1850.
Levi Henshaw was prominent in the affairs of the State and county. In 1810 he was a justice of the peace. In 1821, 1822, 1830 and 1831, he was elected a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. In 1840 he was the sheriff of Berkeley County.
The following was copied from the American and Gasette:
"The following tribute to the mem- ory of the late Levi Henshaw, Esq., (who was his guardian) was written on the occasion of his death, by Capt. James W. Gray, of this county.
The midnight heavens are filled with low'ring storms :
Opposing tempests hurling clouds profound ; While from the bosom of their blackened forms
Red lightnings flash and thunder shakes the ground.
On, on, approaching, they together lock In elemental strife: their mingling roll Midst whirlwinds fierce. Earth trembles at the shock
And Heav'n's artillery shakes the distant pole.
The black rent vapors pour their stores of rain ; The gentle brook, swell'd to a mighty stream, Seems, roaring, dashing o'er the trembling plain, A flood of fire beneath the lightning gleam.
Torn from their holds and on the waters thrown,
Buildings and trees in wild disorder scud; Now moving on erect and now borne down, Amidst the crashing ruins of the flood.
'Twas thus by ancient Mill Creek as I stood, A mournful voice as from the hilltop's height
Rose o'er the immingled roar of storm and flood,
And thus it wailed along the troubled night :-
"Pour, pour your storms, ye scowling clouds of heaven,
Till louder thunders from your bosom break ;
Let the fierce lightning fiercer still be driven, And trebled darkness follow in its wake.
"And let the deluge speed with loosened rein Its lashing waves and darkling, foaming spray ;
And like a giant monster grasp the plain, And heave the rocks and massive walls away !
"For nature's voice can soothe the storm to sleep. Calm the wild waves and hush the torrent's wail, And man again his gates and walls shall keep, And time renew the verdure of the vale.
"But death's dark pall hangs o'er the land- scape wide,
And worth has gone that time can ne'er re- store,- Sage of the vale, its ornament and pride,
The good and generous Henshaw is no more !
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"No more amidst the councils of the State, Nor in the social circles to appear ;
There as the faithful, worthy delegate,
The citizen beloved and honored here.
"A magistrate of sound, unbiased mind ; Justice his aim, its path he sternly trod ; Fearless performed his duty to mankind,
And sought alone the favor of his God.
"No more the orphan's guardian friend in- deed,
The poor man's stay, the neighbor, social, kind;
The man with heart and hand to help in need; The mind sagacious, pious and resigned.
"For lo ! he lies a tenant of a shroud,
With clouded eyes and visage ghastly pale ; His weeping household round in grief are bow'd,
And nature mourns him with her loudest wail.
"And though lone wanderer, midst night's alarms,
For whom the darkness and the lightning's gleanıs,
The wind's deep voice and thunderclap hath charms
That rouse thy spirits and indite thy themes, "Well mayst thou mourn whom time hath lowly laid,
The guardian of thy youth, the constant friend
Whose wisdom oft thy headlong passions swayed
And taught thee much thy wild follies to mend.
"The scenes of dark adversity among,
His counsel, oft the only gleam of light- Cheering when right, and righting thee when wrong --
Armed thy young soul with firm resolve and 1night.
"'Twas thus until thy gathered trouble fled,
As flies the waning storm-cloud, dark'ning less ;
And brighter Heavens their genial influence shed
Around thy path and crowned thee with suc- cess.
"Then strike unto his memory in a lay,
Whose echo lingering for a while may last, Where Mill Creek murmurs down its rocky way-
A tribute to his worth, a storm-lay of the past." 6
So sang the spirit voice and mingled with the blast.
Ann (McConnell) Henshaw's fa- ther, William McConnell, was a mem- ber of the first grand jury impaneled in Berkeley County. Kercheval quotes from his journal in his "History of the Valley." page 158:
"It is extracted from the journal of a 'Squire McConnell in my possession. The writer says that about the 3rd day of March, 1774, while himself and six other men, who were in company with him, were asleep in their camp in the night, they were awakened by the fierce barking of their dogs, and thought they saw something like men creeping towards them. Alarmed at this they sprang up, seized their rifles and flew to trees. By this time one In- dian had reached their fire, but hearing them cock their guns he drew back, stumbled and fell. The whole party now came up and appearing friendly, he ordered his men not to fire and shook hands with his new guests. They tarried all night, and, appearing so friendly, prevailed with him and one of his men to go with them to their town, at 110 great distance; but when they arrived he was taken with his compan- ions to their council, or war house, a war dance performed around them, the war club shook at or over them, and
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they detained, close prisoners and nar- rowly guarded for two or three days. A council was then held over them, and it was decreed that they should be threatened severely and discharged provided they would give their wo- men some flour and salt. Being dis- missed, they sat out on their journey to the camp, but met on their way about 25 warriors and some boys. A second council was held over them, and it was decreed that they should not be killed, but robbed, which was accordingly done and all their flour, salt, powder and lead, and all their rifles that were good were taken from them, and being further threatened the Indians left them, as already noticed. This party consisted of seven men, viz., 'Squire McConnell, Andrew McConnell, Law- rence Darnell, William Ganet, Matthew Riddle, John Laferty, and Thos. Canady."
Kerchevel gives this as one of the links in the chain of causes combining to produce Dunmore's War.
The great-grandfather of Mr. Henshaw, Capt. William Henshaw, was born March 16, 1736, and died in June, 1799. His wife was Agnes An- derson. She was more familiarly called "Nancy" and "Annie." Their children were: Levi, whose first wife was Nancy Davidson, and his second
wife, Ann McConnell ; Hiram married Mary McConnell; Jonathan Seaman married Elizabeth Stafford; Rachel married J. Lamon; Rebecca married Lewis Moore; Ruhamah married a Mr. Duncan; Washington; William Slaughter, who married Harriet Lyle, was commissioned captain of the 5th Infantry, U. S. A., in 1808, and was a hero of the War of 1812 .- his three commissions are still valued posses- sions in the family ; Uriah; and Adam Stephen. Capt. William Henshaw owned a large tract of land on Mill Creek, and Edwin S. Henshaw, one of his descendants, still owns and is still living in the old Henshaw home place. He also owned 2,000 acres in Shelby County. Kentucky, and a large tract on the Kanawha River, West Virginia, as shown by copies of old deeds which are still in the possession of the family. Capt. William Henshaw was in the battle of Point Pleasant (Dunmore's War) October 10, 1774, and was pres- ent at the signing of the treaty of peace with the Indians at "Camp Charlotte", near Chillicothe, Ohio .- See Jacob's "Life of Cresap."
He was one of the most active agents in having the county of Berke- ley established in 1772 and among the most prominent actors in its early civil and judicial history. He was a bonds-
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man for Gen. Adamn Stephen, the first sheriff of the county. A copy of Gen- eral Stephen's commission with the names of his bondsmen is in the Court House in Martinsburg. Capt. Will- iam Henshaw served with distinction in the Revolutionary War. He was in Col. Hugh Stephenson's regiment. (See Aler's "History of Berkeley County".) It is a tradition in the family that he never collected any pay for his services. He was made a jus- tice of the peace in 1785, and in 1787 when Gerrardstown was established he was one of the trustees. He is bur- ied in the old graveyard of Christ Church at Bunker Hill. His will was probated at Winchester, in 1799.
A quaint old receipt :
June 1799 Received of Levi Henshaw for a sermon delivered at the burial service read at the funeral of William Henshaw deceased ten dollars.
Given under my hand this 14th day of April 1800.
$10.00 ALEX. BALMAIN.
Capt. William Henshaw was de- scended from Joshua Henshaw. The latter and his brother Daniel were born in Lancashire, England, and were brought to this country when the older brother was less than 10 years of age. In 1653 the executor of the estate pre- tended to send the boys to London to attend school and reported afterwards that they both died there of the plague.
In reality he sent them to New Eng- land and placed them in the family of Rev. Richard Mather of Dorchester, near Boston, an eminent divine, who educated them with money forwarded for that purpose. It is said that they were sent here by parties interested in keeping them out of England as they were heirs to considerable property, and this tradition is to a certain de- gree corroborated by documents that still remain. The arms of the family are described as being-Argent, a chevron between three moor-hens proper; quartering Houghton sable, three bars argent. Crest, a falcon prop- er, billed or beaked and numbered sa- ble, preying upon the wing of a bird argent. The motto is Esse quam videsi.
Agnes (Anderson) Henshaw was a daughter of William Anderson, a Scotchman of good family, of proper- ty, and education. In his native coun- try he stood by the Stuarts, and in 1715 befriended and fought for Prince James. Then he was forced to fly, and after wandering about England for some months, he contrived to reach Virginia, where he found many people of his way of thinking, relatives, and a permanent home. Very soon after his arrival in Virginia, he became the owner of a fine place, that has ever
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since been known as the "Anderson Bottom". It is on the North Branch of the Potomac in Hampshire County, that was afterward formed, embracing this place. Fort Cumberland, five miles distant, was erected a good many years after Col. William Anderson's occupation of the bottom. This region was then for the most part a howling wilderness, and savage Indians were the principal human inhabitants. Will- iam Anderson was a soldier by nature, and brave, and in his efforts to protect the infant frontier settlements had many conflicts with the Indians. He and his son Thomas joined Braddock's forces at Fort Cumberland, on their way to Fort Duquesne, near which they were destined to suffer a disas- trous defeat. Col. William Anderson was somewhat eccentric with all his noble qualities. He always wore a Scotch style of dress ; and when he died in 1797, at the age of 104, his heavy head of hair was perfectly black, his teeth sound and white, and his eyesight as good as ever, so that he read with- out glasses.
But this sketch would not be com- plete without at least a brief sketch of Mr. Henshaw's Snodgrass ancestors.
William Snodgrass, David Snod- grass, and - Snodgrass (whose Christian name is not recorded) left
Scotland during one of the Scottish feuds early in 1700 and finally immi- grated to the colonies of America, and eventually settled in Virginia, William Snodgrass on Back Creek in Berkeley County, - ----- Snodgrass on Tusca- rora Creek in Berkeley County; David Snodgrass moved to Ohio. They were Presbyterians. William Snodgrass, ancestor of Mr. Henshaw, married Catherine Patterson. He died on Back Creek and was buried at Mount Zion Church graveyard, Hedgesville. Rob- ert Snodgrass, third son of William and Catherine Snodgrass, was born October 14. 1742, married March 23, 1762, and died August 7, 1832. He was a commissioned officer of the 67th Regiment of the Virginia Militia, first an ensign and the next commissioned was second lieutenant. His old com- missions are valued heirlooms in the family. Herewith is given a copy of one of them :
No. 10.
THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA.
To Robert Snodgrafs, Gentleman: Know you, That from the fpecial Truft and Confi- dence repofed in your Fidelity, Courage, Ac- tivity, and good Conduct, and upon the Rec- ommendation of the Court of the County of Berkeley, our Governor, purfuant to the Act "For regulating the Militia of this Common- wealth," doth appoint you the faid Robert Snodgrafs, Enfign in the Bat- talion of the Sixty Seventh Regiment of the faid Militia, to take Rank as fuch agreeably to the Number hereof.
In Testimony Whereof, Thefe our letters
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are Sealed with the Seal of the Common- wealth, and made Patent.
Witness, Henry Lee Efquire, our faid Governor, at Richmond, this fifteenth Day of May, 1793.
(Registered.) (Seal)
HENRY LEE.
Susannah Rawlings, the wife of Robert Snodgrass, was born December 26, 1742, died November 2, 1820, and is buried at Mount Zion Church grave- yard, Hedgesville. Their children were: Elizabeth, born March 5, 1763, married Thomas Duncan; Stephen, born January 3, 1765, married Eliza- beth Verdier, and died June 29, 1831 ; Catherine, born October 27, 1766, married Wallace Reed, and died Au- gust 21, 1806: Ann Snodgrass, born January 13, 1768, married Isaac Evans, and after his death married John Evans, and died October 14, 1820: Sarah, born March 24, 1770, married Paul Verdier, and died in March, 1821 ; Robert, Jr., born March 16, 1773, married Catherine G. Evans, and died November 20, 1830; William, born August 7, 1775, married Nancy Fryatt, and died in May, 1835; Mary, born January 9, 1778, married James Verdier ; Priscilla, born September 19, 1785. married Edward Foreman.
This section of the country was (during the lives of these early set- tlers) included in the frontier and the Indians were continually making dep-
redations upon them. The whites lived in cabins, and at one time during the infancy of Elizabeth Snodgrass (eld- est child of Robert and Susannah ( Rawlings) Snodgrass), her mother saw the Indians approaching the cab- in; she was alone and took her babe under the floor with the intention of smothering her if she cried, rather than to allow both of them to fall into the hands of the Indians. Whilst the In- dians were in the cabin she heard fight- ing above her, and as some blood came through the crevice in the floor, she feared that her husband had returned, and had been killed, but after all was quiet she soon discovered that one In- dian had killed another.
Our subject's grandfather and grandmother Snodgrass were first cousins. His grandfather, Col. Rob- ert Verdier Snodgrass, was the son of Stephen Snodgrass and Elizabeth Ver- dier, born September 21, 1792, mar- ried May 29, 1821, and died January 6, 1861. His grandmother was the daughter of Robert Snodgrass, Jr., and Catherine G. Evans, his wife, born October 14, 1806. The children of Col. Robert Verdier Snodgrass and his wife were: Catherine Elizabeth, born February 2, 1825, married Maj. Israel Robinson, C. S. A .; Sarah Ann, born November 1, 1827, married Levi
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Henshaw, Jr., December 16, 1851, died May 21, 1899; Lucinda Virginia, born January 18, 1830, married Elli- ott White Tabb; Susan Pendleton, born March 14, 1832; Stephen, born January 19, 1834, married Bettie Lit- tle Mckown; Mary Louisa, born Feb- ruary 5, 1836, married Richard Snow- den Ridgeway; Hannah Ellen, born August 10, 1838, died August 16, 1887; William, born September 2, 1846, married Jennie Boone; Laura Jane, born August 10, 1849, died Au- gust 10, 1851.
Col. Robert Verdier Snodgrass was a commissioned officer of the 67th Regiment of the Virginia Militia. He was elected a member of the House of Delegates of Virginia in 1832-34-36- 39. Elizabeth Verdier, his mother, was a descendant of Francis Verdier and the Countess of Monti. The Ver- diers were natives of France and emi- grated from France to Switzerland during the persecution of the Hugue- nots, in the reign of Louis XIV and finally immigrated to America and set- tled at Verdierville, in Orange Coun- ty, Virginia. An old Huguenot pray- er book and the old French Bible are still owned by her descendants.
Joseph Evans, grandfather of our subject's mother, served as a corporal and sergeant in Capt. Joseph Crock-
ett's company, 7th Virginia Regiment, commanded by Col. Alexander Mc- Clenalian, in the Revolutionary War.
HON. C. W. SMITH.
HON. C. W. SMITH, a prominent member of the Mercer County bar, and one of the leading citizens of Princeton, belongs to one of the old and influential families of this part of West Virginia. He was born January 3, 1852, in Mer- cer County, and is a son of Theodore Smith, and a grandson of Benjamin Smith, and a grand-nephew of Capt. William Smith, the founder of Prince- ton. His mother was a French, an- other one of the old families of this section.
Theodore Smith was born in Logan
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-
County, Virginia, and was a son of Benjamin Smith, a son of Isaac Smith, who, with his son Benjamin, removed from Rockingham to Giles County, Virginia, and later removed to a place on the Guyandotte River, above the present site of Huntington. Ben- jamin lived for a number of years in Logan County, representing that coun- ty one or more sessions in the Virginia Legislature. He spent his last years in Mercer County, where his son Theo- dore resided for many years, officiating as a magistrate for a considerable peri- od. In 1873, the latter removed to Kansas where he died in 1880, aged 56 years. His widow still resides in that State. Their children were: Albert B., a prosperous grain merchant of Robinson, Kansas ; Judge C. W. of this sketch; Dr. F. W. of Bluefield, West Virginia ; James E. L., a farmer of Doniphan County, Kansas; and two daughters who were married and also reside in Kansas, besides a son and a daughter, who are deceased.
Until the age of 17, Judge Smith resided in Mercer County, and then went to Kansas, continuing his educa- tion at the Highland University, at Highland, Kansas, for three years. Later he attended Wabash College, at Crawfordsville, Indiana, and there had the good fortune to read law in the
office of Maurice and William Thomp- son, the former being the distinguished attorney, as well as well known author and poet. Mr. Smith continued with them during 1877, 1878, and 1879. He was admitted to the bar and in the spring of 1880 began practice at Prince- ton. He has been in continued prac- tice ever since, with the exception of six years, from 1895 to January, 1901, during which time he occupied the bench of the Criminal Court of Mercer County. He is engaged in a general practice but gives special attention to land law and real estate practice, fre- quently appearing in cases involving very large interests.
Judge Smith was married, in 1889, to Mary S. Sutton, daughter of Rev. Philip S. and Victoria Sutton. Her mother was a daughter of Judge A. Mahood, of the Virginia bench, a fam- ily of prestige in this section. Mrs. Smith died in September, 1901, leaving four sons, namely : Ajax T., the bright 12-year old stenographer in his fath- er's office, Fredrick W., Carl and Stanley N.
Judge Smith owns one of the most beautiful and desirable homes in this part of the State. The estate comprises about 100 acres, and is situated near Princeton ; the residence is an elegant brick, surrounded by about five acres
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of natural forest. Here the Judge has built private water-works, made pos- sible by a natural spring, with a fall- of some 60 feet, and all modern con- veniences give him the comforts of a city life. It is here that he spends his leisure hours, in literary pursuits, in a library well stored with the ancient and modern classics. In politics he is a Re- publican, and has occasionally taken part in political discussions, having met, in joint debate, a number of the ablest men in the State.
Judge Smith is a member of Con- cord Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Athens, West Virginia.
COL. DELOS W. EMMONS.
COL. DELOS W. EMMONS may justly be termed the father and founder of the city of Huntington, Cabell Coun-
ty, West Virginia, on account of his long and prominent connection with a great developing organization which opened up this beautiful portion of the State for permanent settlement. Colo- nel Emmons was born in 1828, in One- onta, New York, where he remained until the age of 25 years.
Colonel Emmons began his business career as a merchant, at Aldenville, Pennsylvania, and was connected with the large tannery of Pratt & Alden for four years. Upon his return to New York, he with others purchased a tan- nery which was located on East Canada Creek, the line of Herkimer and Ful- ton counties, and there he remained for 13 years, engaged in the business of sole-leather tanning, using in that length of time about 60,000 cords of hemlock bark, and employing from 75 to 300 men. His prominence in that locality was emphasized by the naming of the place Emmonsburg in his honor. In 1870, Colonel Emmons sold all his interests in that locality in order to be- come business agent for the late mil- lionaire railroad builder. Collis P. Huntington. At this time the owners of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway de- sired to have the railroad completed from White Sulphur Springs to the Ohio River and Mr. Huntington, with a distinguished company which in-
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cluded Colonel Emmons, made a trip from White Surphur Springs to the mouth of the Big Sandy River, which resulted in the purchase of the road by Mr. Huntington. Colonel Emmons procured the right of way from Kana- wha Falls to Catlettsburg, Kentucky, about 100 miles, and was the general construction agent of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Company, until the completion of this great undertaking, and for about 20 years served as gen- eral agent in charge of lands, etc., finally resigning to look after his per- sonal affairs. Colonel Emmons se- lected and purchased 20 farms, about 5,000 acres, immediately below the mouth of the Guyandotte River, and decided the location of Huntington as a terminus, and to his business judg- ment that city is indebted for much of its rapid growth, making it second in the State in population. The city was laid out in 1871. He has been prom- inently identified with leading business enterprises of the city, but for some time has been retired from active business.
Colonel Emmons married Mary J. Stoddard, of Connecticut, and has a family of four sons and one daughter, namely : Arthur S., of the Emmons- Hawkins Hardware Company; Collis H., who is in the hardware business at Fresno, California; Carleton D.,
president of the Emmons-Hawkins Hardware Company, of Huntington, the largest established business in its line in the State; J. Alden, clerk at the American Car & Foundry Company's works at Huntington ; and Elizabeth S. For a time, after his business brought him to West Virginia, Colonel Em- mons resided at Guyandotte, near which is located "Pleasant View," his pres- ent fine 15-acre estate, at the junction of the Guyandotte River with the Ohio River. The surroundings are all that Nature could accomplish in the way of adornment, and Colonel Emmons has called in the assistance of art to increase its beauties. Among the many artistic furnishings of the home is an Aeriol piano. In politics, Colonel Emmons is a Democrat, but does not belong to the silver wing of the party. He is prom- inent in Masonic circles, a 33d degree Mason and for 17 years was treasurer of the Grand Commandery of the State. Two of his sons belong to the Protestant Episcopal Church, but the other members of the family are Pres- byterians.
R. H. LIST .- Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia, has its full quota of vigorous, intelligent and worthy business men, none of whom is more highly regarded or stands higher
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