USA > West Virginia > Men of West Virginia Volume II > Part 22
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West Virginia, where he still retains an office. On April 2, 1903, the Nash- ville College of Law, of Nashville, Tennessee, conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. His political affiliation has always been with the Republican party and he has long been regarded as one of its lead- ers in the northern part of the State. In 1891 he was elected county super- intendent of free schools of Preston County, and in 1896 was elected pros- ecuting attorney of Tucker County, and was re-elected in 1900. During his residence in Parsons, he served a number of terms on the City Council, and was honored by an election as mayor of that city. Mr. Conley has taken a very active part in the vari- ous campaigns and has almost con- stantly served either as a delegate or as a member of some important party or- ganization. He was made assistant secretary of the national convention at St. Louis that nominated the late Pres- ident Mckinley in 1896; was twice a delegate to the national convention of the Republican League Clubs ; was six years chairman of the Republican Ex- ecutive Committee of Tucker County ; and for several years was a member of the Republican Congressional Commit- tee, -- Mr. Conley is at present serving as assistant secretary of this commit-
tee. He is a faithful and appreciated party worker.
On July 14, 1892, Mr. Conley was married to Bertie I. Martin, daughter of Samuel and Harriet J. Martin. She was born near Kingwood, June 20, 1873. Mr. and Mrs. Conley have had a family of four children, and of these, Lillian and Donald, the eldest and youngest, survive; Willie and Marian are deceased. Mrs. Conley is a member of the Methodist Church, and Mr. Conley of the Presbyterian Church. He is an Odd Fellow and a Knight of Pythias.
MILLARD F. SNIDER.
MILLARD F. SNIDER, an at- torney-at-law of Clarksburg, West Virginia, has for some years past been
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located at the above-mentioned place, practicing his profession in the Cir- cuit Court of Harrison County, in the coutrs of adjoining counties, in the Su- preme Court of Appeals of West Vir- ginia, and also in the Supreme Court of the United States.
The high standard of the Harrison County bar has long been recognized by the lawyers and courts of Old Vir- ginia, and also of West Virginia since the formation of the State. Many able lawyers have earned a just reputation of eminence and legal fitness for the Harrison County bar, a member of whom have long since appeared before the judge of the great court, from whose decision there is no appeal; and their places have been filled by younger men, among whom is the subject of this sketch, who are striving to keep to its high standard the reputation that the Harrison County bar has won and to improve it, rather than to allow it to deteriorate.
Mr. Snider was born on Hunter's Fork, in Doddridge County, Virginia, now West Virginia, September 24, 1860, and is a son of Jehu and Vir- ginia (Apsy) Snider. His father, Jehu Snider, was a son of Jacob and Nancy (Childers) Snider, and was born September 29, 1832, at the mouth of Brushy Fork, of Meat House Fork,
in what was then Harrison County, but which has since been cut off and is now in Doddridge County. Jacob Snider, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was born at Bridgeport, Harrison County, June 6, 1804. He lived in Clarksburg while a young man and there married his first wife, Nancy Childers, of Milford, Harrison Coun- ty. He then moved to the western portion of what was then Harrison County, and lived upon a farm at the mouth of Brushy Fork for a short time, and then purchased a farm ad- joining, just above on Meat House Fork, where he lived the balance of his life, dying August 12, 1883. Jacob Snider was a son of John Snider, a na- tive of Fauquier County, Virginia, who, when a young man, was an early pioneer of Western Virginia, settling at Bridgeport, Harrison County, at a very early date. He afterward moved to Sycamore, in the same county, where he died at a ripe old age. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, and for his services in that conflict drew a pension until the time of his death. His ancestors were of German descent. Virginia E. Apsy, the mother of our subject, was born in Loudoun County, Virginia, July 30, 1837. Her parents were George Apsy, born August 20, 1805, died about 1839, and Mary
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(Swan) Apsy, born January 19, 1814, died January 9, 1898. George Apsy died in Loudoun County, Virginia, when his daughter, Virginia E., was a mere child, and about 1840 her mother with a brother, Thomas Swan, came to Western Virginia, and resided on the Alleghany Mountains about seven years, keeping hotel, and then moved farther west and settled in Dod- dridge County. George Apsy was a native of England, and his wife was a Virginian.
Jehu Snider, our subject's father, in early life learned the plasterer's trade, but later devoted himself to farming. He was married when 21 years of age, and he and his wife are both still living and reside at Salem, Harrison County. He has been a life- long Democrat. During the days of the Rebellion, he was an ardent Union man, did a great deal toward prevent- ing the western part of Virginia from seceding, and later volunteered in the Union Army, as a member of Com- pany A, 14th Reg., West Virginia Vol. Inf., from which he was honorably dis- charged at the close of the war. He now draws a pension from the United States government.
Millard F. Snider is one of a fam- ily of 13 children, II of whom are living, viz .: Martin V., who married
Carrie Mckinley, and resides at Sa- lem; Susan A., who married John A. Reeder, and resides at Clarksburg; Charles L., who married Rulina Sper- ry, and resides at New Milton ; Millard F., subject of this sketch: Amy M., who resides at Salem; Delia F., who married Robert Littleman, and resides at Salem: Laura Ellen, who married Sheridan Stockdale, and resides at Stringtown; Hattie L., who married Clete Randolph, and resides at Salem; Okey S., Fannie Bell, and Oliver H., who are single and live with their fa- ther, in Salem; and two who are de- ceased, -- Minerva J., who married Joseph Gray, and Mary Frances.
At the time of the birth of our subject, his parents resided on a rented farm on Hunter's Fork, in Doddridge County, and until he was eight years old they lived upon rented property there and elsewhere. In 1868, his fa- ther bought a farm on Brushy Fork, in Doddridge County, having but a small amount to pay down and going largely into debt for the residue. The farm was mostly in the woods and it was only after a long and hard strug- gle that it was cleared, paid for and brought into a good state of cultiva- tion. The farm is still owned by his father, who lately sold the coal, and still retains the residue of the land.
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It was by hard work from day- light until dark on this undeveloped land, that young Snider had instilled into him the principle, that best results are derived from diligent application and honest toil. He inherited a strong physique, a healthy body and a robust constitution which laid the foundation for physical and mental labor, and still serve him in his chosen profession. When a small lad he determined to ob- tain a good education, and early in life applied himself closely to his books, in school and out, thereby outstripping his brothers and sisters and all the neighbor boys in learning, and at one time almost determined to leave home in order to have a better opportunity to secure an education ; but on account of his father's being in need of help at that time he decided to remain. Al- though he was somewhat handicapped by the inefficiency of the schools, the public school system being at that time in its infancy, yet nothing deterred him, and by close attendance at school during the short terms, when he was not required at home to assist in gath- ering the crops in the fall, or in pre- paring for the next year's planting by assisting in clearing away the heavy forest in the spring, and by devoting himself to his books whenever he had spare time in the summer, by the time
he had reached the age of 20 he had acquired sufficient education to secure a certificate to teach school. At that age he began his career as a teacher, which he followed for about six years. He taught his first school on Tom's Fork, at what was then called the Lowther school, which was about two miles distance from his father's home, and across a large hill. He boarded at home, built the fires at the school house, kept it clean and walked across this mountain night and morning, feed- ing 12 head of cattle on his way to and from school. The next year he taught on the South Fork of Hughes River, at what was then known as the Stout school. Both of these terms were tauglit on a No. 2 certificate. He then went to Harrison County, obtained a No. I certificate and taught two terms on the Turtle Tree Fork of Ten Mile Creek, at what was known as the Meadow Valley school ; he then secured the principalship of the Mount Clare graded school and taught that school two years, which closed his career as teacher. In the meantime he had at- tended a select school, and the Fair- mont Normal School. He was in the graduating class of the Normal School for the next year had he returned, but a change in a part of the faculty of that school caused him to withdraw
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from there, and, after having read law a while with Hon. John Bassel, of Clarksburg, he went to the State Uni- versity at Morgantown, at which school he took part of the classical course and the full law course, gradu- ating in 1887.
Mr. Snider was in debt and about out of money when he left school, and in order to get a small amount ahead before locating, he traveled as a book agent for a few months and then en- gaged in the practice of the law at West Union in Doddridge County, in October, 1887, and was admitted to practice on his diploma from the Uni- versity at the November term follow- ing. Contrary to the general experi- ence of young attorneys, he had a pay- ing practice from the start; was soon enabled to provide for expenses, pay off the debt incurred while going to school, and start the foundation for a good law library. Among his friends, whom he remembers very kindly in his early struggles, are W. Brent Max- well, who loaned him money to go to school and has since been his client and faithful friend; Dr. Brooke, of the University, who went upon his bond when he went out to sell books ; Henry Ash, who assisted him with a free office and has ever since been his client ; and John Bassel, with whom he read
law and who has always been ready to willingly assist him in counsel and ad- vice.
After practicing at West Union for several years, he began to realize that the best practitioners at that place, himself included, were not receiving from their practice what he thought should be in store for a good lawyer, the opportunities at that place being too limited. He realized that if he should get the best practice that was to be had at West Union it would not be all that he desired. In the course of his practice in the State and United States courts he had met and success- fully contested with lawyers who were considered the best in the State, and, having met with a number of the oil men and being counsel for some of the oil companies, he determined to seek a broader field where he would have better opportunities, if he were able, to measure swords, as it were, with great lawyers, as he believed with hard study he would be able to do, and to become what he had always desired to be, a good lawyer with a lucrative practice.
In looking over the West Virginia field, he selected Clarksburg as the coming commercial center of the State, and in the spring of 1898 he com- menced his preparations to move to
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that city. He sold his home in West Union to Lewis Maxwell, one of the wealthiest citizens of Doddridge County, who now lives in the house that Mr. Snider built, and commenced the erection of his residence at Clarks- burg in May, and in June removed his office, although his family did not move until fall. His expectations were more than realized ; when he located at Clarksburg he found new clients ready to employ him. Among them was his friend and schoolmate, C. Sprigg Sands, cashier of the Traders' National Bank, who at once induced the bank officials to employ him as their coun- sel, and was instrumental in many ways, until removed by death, in as- sisting our subject in his new field, and was ever his faithful friend. He was also employed by several other cor- porations and wealthy citizens, and is still retained as their counsel. He now has a nice practice. His clients are mostly well-to-do citizens, some of them wealthy, and numerous corpora- tions. He devotes himself almost ex- clusively to chancery and civil prac- tice, corporation law sharing largely therein ; but he has also been engaged in a few important criminal cases. He not only has an extensive practice in the Circuit courts, but has been coun- sel in no less than 17 cases in the Su-
preme Court of Appeals, 16 of which have been decided, and of these his clients gained 12 and lost four. One of the cases that was gained in the Su- preme Court of the State was carried to the Supreme Court of the United States, and after briefs were filed was dismissed by the plaintiff in error, without having the case heard and de- cided.
Finding that it was not desirable to live alone, on October 4, 1892, he was united in marriage with Elizabeth Stuart, a daughter of the late Judge Chapman J. Stuart, who was a very able and prominent lawyer of Dodd- ridge County. Their marriage has been blessed with one child, Virginia Ann, a bright and charming little girl now nine years old.
Their home is situated on the north side of East Main street, on what is known as "Quality Hill," the most de- sirable residence section in the city. Although not so costly as some, they have one among the most beautiful places in the city.
Mr. Snider is simple in his habits, and admires plain and unpretentious people and has an especially high re- gard for people who are willing to do hard and honest work. He has often said that a man who is willing to toil for honest remuneration day in and
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day out for weeks and years is not a bad kind of a man, no matter what his social position may be. He does not use tobacco in any form, nor spirituous liquors except for medicinal purposes. He is a member of the United Brethren Church, the Young Men's Christian Association and the West Virginia Bar Association, and has always been a regular attendant at Sunday-school. He has always had great love and ad- miration for his father and mother, and no later than last fall he wrote them the following letter :
CLARKSBURG, W. VA., Nov. 23, 1902. Mr. and Mrs. Jehu Snider, Salem, WV. Va.
MY DEAR FATHER AND MOTHER :- At my age of 42, and after having come in con- tact with the busy affairs of life for a num- ber of years, and having a family of my own, I can the more appreciate the great benefit .bestowed upon me by having been reared by Christian parents, whose earnest and sincere desires were to live right, and to train their children to live honest and upright lives, and to love and fear God.
And, although when I was a boy I thought you were too strict and sometimes erred in keeping your children too close, I now see that if you erred, and I cannot say that you did, it was through your devout wishes to impress upon us the great importance of doing right and the urgent necessity of our keeping away from frivolous pleasure in or- der that we might be better prepared to meet the responsibilities of life.
Yon, perhaps, were not aware when, in your humble way, you were doing the best you could, by careful living and kind and earnest exhortations to your children, that you
were having as much influence as you were in forming and shaping characters for eternity.
I am very glad that I never heard a pro- fane word pass from either of your lips. Nor a quarrel between you. If one of you when somewhat irritated would speak to the other, it was always met or turned off in a way that led to peace instead of strife. And I have often wondered how you got along with such a large number of children as well as you did.
When you would talk to us children and correct us for doing wrong, it was in such an earnest and conscientious manner that it led me to believe that you were influenced by the power received through secret prayer and communication with God.
I am now conscious of the fact, from your manner of training, that, with the great bur- den that was upon you in rearing such a large family of robust children, some of us young- sters inclined to be unruly, that you must have kept close to the cross of Christ. And many were the times when your prayers ascended the Hill of Zion for strength from the Lord in our behalf, all unknown to us, and while we were traveling in the paths of sin or straying in the fields of unrighteousness, plucking at the seeming flowers of sinful pleasure.
And since I have been born of the Spirit, and for near 25 years have been striving to travel in the paths of right, and since you are now growing old, one passed and the other approaching three score years and ten, and you will soon be gathered home, before you cross the "river," my dear father and mother, I want to express to you my sincere gratitude for your noble Christian characters and ex- emplary lives and your loving care and influ- ence over me in rearing me and bringing me to know the Saviour, and the interest. you have taken in me since, even to the extent that mother was afraid for me to follow my chosen profession for fear it might cause me to stray from the loving Saviour; but I trust your prayers may follow me, and that her fears may be turned into joy, for God is able
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to take care of us in any calling if we trust it to him.
And I hope that your lives may have made such impressions upon each of your children, that all who have not yet been may soon be saved, so that all your grandchildren may be blessed with Christian parents.
Your days of usefulness may not yet be done; you may outlive several more of your children, and be able to still continue to do great good. You may not be great in one sense, but remember that no one is great un- less he is good. To be good is great, no mat- ter how humble.
And I hope your lives may henceforth be the purest streams of Christian pleasure and when your labors arc ended that your souls may be kissed into heaven by the Holy Spirit as the sun kisses away the morning dew.
Come down and take Thanksgiving din- ner with us. Let me know if you can come and I will meet you at the train.
Your Son. MILLARD F. SNIDER.
While a resident of West Union he served as a member of the School Board of the West Union Independent District, and was instrumental in hav- ing a graded course prepared for the school, and assisted in the erection of the new public school building at that place, and was a member of the build- ing committee for the United Brethren Church at West Union, to which class he still belongs.
In 1888 he was an unsuccessful candidate for prosecuting attorney in Doddridge County, on the Democratic ticket, and in 1900 was likewise an un- successful candidate of that party for
the same office in Harrison County, but in both instances very greatly reduced the majority against him, being de- feated at the latter place by 469 votes, while the regular Republican majority was over 1,200.
In his office work and counsel Mr. Snider is very careful and painstaking, in order that he may make no mistakes that might cause his clients trouble or loss by unconsidered advice; and as an advocate he is resourceful, logical and forcible. One of his greatest desires has always been to be a good lawyer and to be able to assist the commercial world to safely transact its business and settle its difficulties. For the bene- fit of young men who are hesitating as to the profession they will follow, he would say that when he choose the pro- fession of law he came to the con- clusion that other men who had no more natural ability than he had suc- ceeded ; by proper application he could do so, and he was willing to make the effort.
Financially Mr. Snider is not wealthy, but is approaching comfort- able circumstances. He is a stock- holder in three banks, a director in one, and is a director and secretary of the Wolf Summit Oil & Gas Company, and owns some building lots in the city of Clarksburg. His wife owns a valti-
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able farm in Doddridge County, of 173 acres, which she inherited as a part of her father's estate, which Mr. Snider looks after and grazes. He is inter- ested in the development of the State and the improvement of the city of Clarksburg.
R. S. HENRY, M. D.
R. S. HENRY, M. D., a promi- nent physician and surgeon of Charles- ton. West Virginia, was born May 28, 1855, in Harford County, Maryland, and is a son of Robert and Susan (Waltham) Henry, and a grandson of Col. Robert Henry of the Queen's Guards, Belfast, Ireland. He is a near relative of the celebrated Patrick Hen- ry on the paternal side, and through his mother is descended from the founder of Waltham, Massachusetts,
the great-great-grandfather being the man who established the Waltham watch and clock works.
The father of Dr. Henry was asso- ciated with educational affairs all his life, for a number of years was super- intendent of schools in Maryland and was noted throughout his State as a public speaker. He was prominent in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and served as grand master of the State for a number of years. His death occurred in 1879, at the age of 62 years. His widow still survives at an advanced age, and resides with our subject, who is the only survivor of a family of children.
Dr. Henry was educated at St. John's College, Maryland, and at the Maryland Agricultural College, re- ceiving the degree of A. B. in 1873 and the degree of A. M. in 1876, and was principal of the Washington County College at Hagerstown, Mary- land, until 1880. In 1876 he began the study of medicine and continued his studies during his career as a teach- er, later entering the office of Prof. Louis McLane Tiffany, professor of surgery in the University of Maryland, at Baltimore. After three years of study there, including hospital work, he graduated from that institution in 1883 and then did work of a special
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nature in diseases of the eye and throat, in the hospitals of New York and Baltimore. In 1892 he took special courses in the most prominent hospit- als of England, Germany, France and Austria.
Dr. Henry has been a resident of Charleston since entering the private practice of medicine in 1884. He is a member of the State Medical Society of West Virginia, and was president of the Medical and Surgical Society of the Kanawha Valley in 1887, and is now an active member of the Charleston Medical and Surgical So- ciety. For a number of years he was division surgeon and medical expert for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway and also chief surgeon of the Kanawha & Michigan Railway for eight years. His writings include papers on "Re- searches after Haemoglobin," with micro-photographs and an original method of obtaining the same, pub- lished in the Maryland Medical Jour- nal in 1883; papers on "Iritis," "The Use of Cascara." in the Medical and Surgical Reporter, 1884, and numer- ous papers and reports before medical societies. He has taken several post- graduate courses, both in New York City and in Baltimore, and keeps thor- oughly abreast of modern thought.
In 1876 Dr. Henry was married
to Angie Crampton, of Hagerstown, Maryland, and they have two daugh- ters, Nina and Cora. Fraternally he is a Mason of high degree, belonging to Kanawha Lodge, No. 20, A. F. & A. M., at Charleston. Not only is he prominent in his profession, but he is also one of the leading citizens of Charleston in municipal affairs and public movements.
COL. THOMAS SIKES.
COL. THOMAS SIKES, the present city treasurer of Huntington, West Virginia, was born in 1836 at Portsmouth, Ohio, and has been a res- ident of Huntington since 1872. At the time of his birth, his father, Rev. Levi Sikes, a Baptist minister, was re- siding on the latter's farm in Scioto County, Ohio.
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John J. Sikes, the grandfather of Colonel Sikes, served in the Revolu- tionary War, from Massachusetts, and his widow, formerly Sarah Cole, se- cured a pension in 1856. She attained the age of 99 years. Both grandfa- thers of Colonel Sikes were engaged in produce dealing and shipping on the Ohio River, and both lost their lives in the pursuit of their duties, either from drowning between Cincinnati and New Orelans, or through massa- cre by Indians.
Rev. Levi Sikes was born in 1796 in Massachusetts and removed to Ohio with his father in 1804, locating in the vicinity of Portsmouth, and was the first brick manufacturer there. The mother of Colonel Sikes was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia, in 1799. and died in 1876, one year later than her husband. Besides our sub- ject, the other members of the parental family were: James, who resides in Scioto County, Ohio, aged 76 years ; Melvin, deceased; Hiram, aged 62 years, who lives at Portsmouth, Ohio, Melvina, who died at the age of 79 years in 1900 ; Harriet, deceased ; Eliza, aged 79 years, who lives in Scioto County, Ohio; Sarah, who died some 40 years ago; and Elsie, aged 64 years, who lives in Scioto County, Ohio.
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