USA > West Virginia > Men of West Virginia Volume II > Part 25
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Abram L. Helmick is a well known citizen of this locality and has been very prominent in both political and fraternal circles for a number of years. A Republican in politics, for the past four years he has been chair- man of the Fairfax District Republican Committee; was elected county com- missioner of Tucker County in1899; and for the past three years has been the efficient president of the County Court of Tucker County. Under the administration of President Benjamin Harrison, he was appointed postmaster of Thomas, West Virginia, and is now the acting postmaster of the same town. Mr. Helmick is a member of Lodge No. III, K. of P., of Hend- ricks, and represented the lodge in the Grand Lodge at Charleston, in 1897.
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He is a charter member of Thomas Lodge. No. 145, I. O. O. F., and rep- resented this lodge in the Grand Lodge at Harper's Ferry, in 1896.
In 1891 Mr. Helmick was married to Kate Flynn, who was born in 1862, near Yonkers, New York, and died in 1902, being a daughter of Patrick and Katherine Flynn. Two children, Mar- garet Marie and Joseph, survive her. She was a devoted member of the Catholic Church.
HIRAM KENDLEY SHUMATE.
HIRAM KENDLEY SHU- MATE, a prominent citizen of Will- iamson, West Virginia, and the leader of the Mingo County bar, was born in that part of Fayette County, Virginia, now included in Raleigh County.
West Virginia, January 10, 1844. He is a son of Daniel and Narcissa ( Bur- gess) Shumate.
Daniel Shumate was born in Giles County, Virginia, where he became a man of substance and importance. He served as clerk of both courts of Raleigh County from the time of the county's formation until his death, in 1863, at the age of 41 years. Mr. Shumate entered the Confederate service at the beginning of the Civil War and his death, at a comparatively early age, was caused by hardships endured as a prisoner of war. He was prominent in the Masonic fraternity. He was a member of the Baptist Church. The mother of our subject was born in Mercer County, then in- cluded in Giles County, and has reached the age of 77 years. She is a beloved member of a son's household, at Raleigh Court House. She is a mother in Israel in the Baptist Church. A family of three sons and four daugh- ters was born to Daniel Shumate and wife.
Hiram K. Shumate was educated in the local, select and subscription schools and Alleghany College, at Blue Sulphur Springs, Virginia, now West Virginia, and was a student there at the outbreak of the Civil War. With youthful enthusiasm, he enlisted
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in Company C, 36th Regiment Vir- gin Infantry, of which Col. John B. McCausland was commander. In 1864 he was captured at the battle of Cloyd's Farm and was incarcerated at Camp Chase, Ohio, being exchanged in March, 1865, when he returned home to Raleigh Court House. Mr. Shu- mate then engaged in school teaching for about five years, in the meantime employing his leisure moments in reading law. When the lawyer's test oath was removed, he was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of his profession in Fayette County in 1870. The following year he went to Kansas and remained in that State for three years and then returned to West Virginia. Soon after he was elected prosecuting attorney of Wyom- ing County where he resided until 1879, when he removed to Wayne County. In 1890 he settled in Logan County and when the county of Mingo was formed from Logan, in 1895, he removed to Williamson, selecting the county seat as a promising field. His judgment has been justified. He took a very active part in the formation of the new county and has a wide repu- tation as a capable, and eloquent law- yer, as well as a progressive and pub- lic spirited citizen.
In 1868 Mr. Shumate married
Margaret C. Squires, who was born in 18.49, in Braxton County, Virginia, now West Virginia, and they reared a family of nine children, seven of these still surviving. . Mrs. Shumate is a member of the Baptist Church. Fraternally Mr. Shumate is a Mason and an Odd Fellow. Politically he is a Democrat.
ELBA MARION SMITH.
ELBA MARION SMITH, until recently manager of the Grafton office of the great Weaver Coal & Coke Company, of Chicago Illinois, but now located in the interest of this company at Weaver, West Virginia, was born in 1880 at Louisa, Kentucky, and is
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a son of Rev. Harrison and Sarah Frances ( Newman) Smith, both of whom were born in Wayne County, West Virginia.
Rev. Harrison Smith entered a business house in young manhood as a salesman and continued there 15 years and then entered the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church. For the past 15 years his work has been with that religious body and he is now pre- siding elder of the Clarksburg district. His wife died in August, 1902, aged 53 years. They had a family of three children born to them, namely: Min- nie, wife of William L. Steven, an at- torney-at-law of Grantsville: Sallie; and Elba Marion of this sketch.
After completing the common sshool course, our subject entered the wholesale house of Horner, Galor & Company, and remained there two years and then went with the Ran- dolph Coal & Coke Company, at Womelsdorff, West Virginia, in the capacity of mine clerk. He remained there one year, and in 1899 became car agent for the Weaver Coal & Coke Company, which controls immense properties, including the Maryland Smokeless Coal Company and the Belington & Beaver Creek Railroad Company. Mr. Smith was made man- ager of the Grafton office in 1902, and
most efficiently filled this position, an unusual one for one of his age. He recently removed to Weaver, West Virginia. His grasp of business, his energy and industry, have attracted the attention of his employers, whose confidence he enjoys to the fullest extent.
AUGUST SCHAD, one of the founders of the city of Benwood, Mar- shall County, and a leading butcher of the community, is the son of Matthew and Susanna Schad, and was born in Schwarzau. Germany, November 17, 1837. He attended the schools of his native country and learned the butcher trade from his father. He followed this business until 1857, when he embarked at Bremen for America. He arrived at New York June 15th, and at Benwood on the 20th of the same month. For some time he was employed at the Ben- wood Rolling Mill and later by the butchers of the community. During the years of 1863 and 1864 Mr. Schad conducted a saloon and restaurant op- posite the Wheeling post office. One year later he purchased a house and lot in Benwood from Hiram McMechen, and opencd a meat market at that place. In 1869, Mr. Schad bought another house and seven and one-half acres from Benjamin Fisher and laid the plot
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of ground out in lots. During his res- idence in Benwood he erected two business and seven tenement houses. In company with Peter Teatemple, Mr. Schad bought seven additional acres of land, which adjoined his original pur- chase. This land was also laid out in lots. The present city building and the German church stand on land formerly owned by Mr. Schad. The lot for the church was virtually donated by him, since he only accepted a nominal price for it. It was largely due to Mr. Schad's self-sacrificing efforts that St. Matthew's German Lutheran Church was established at Benwood. For many years consecutively he has held office in the congregation, at the present act- ing as its treasuer.
Despite the awful flood disaster of 1884, through which Mr. Schad lost meat-shop, slaughter and smoke-house and a large stock of salted meat and lard, nevertheless he did not lose heart and nothing daunted, rebuilt his place of business and met with flattering suc- cess thereafter. Mr. August Schad has always been a public spirited citizen. When the town of Benwood was incor- porated, his many friends urged him to become the first mayor. He modestly declined, however, but for two years served his fellow citizens as member of the first City Council. At present he is
a stockholder of the Bank of Benwood and the Benwood Electric Light Com- pany, as well as a member of the Logan Tribe of Red Men.
In 1864 Mr. Schad was married to Magdalen Roth, who was born at Ipo- fen, Bavaria, Germany. Five children sprung from his first marriage, name- ly : Catherine, now dead; William, Louis, Sophie, now Mrs. F. Gatho, and Charles. His wife died while the chil- dren were still young, and Mr. Schad was married a second time, in 1872, to Loretta Schemrich, who, like her hus- band, had been born in Schwarzau. Seven children were born to them, Sus- anna, now Mrs. Holdermann, George, Frank, Oscar, Frederick, Aurelia and Bertha. George and Frank have died since. Mr. Schad's parents and broth- er George arrived in this country in 1863. The father assisted his son in the butcher business and died in 1883, 76 years of age, the mother in 1891, ged ; 9 years. Another brother, named Ludwig, landed on this continent in 1861, enlisted in the Union Army the next year and was killed in 1863 in the service of the land of his adoption. Mr. Schad's sister, Mrs. Catherine Nieber- gall, resides at Benwood at the present time.
August Schad is not only very favorably known in Benwood, but in
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Wheeling as well. He enjoys the high- est esteem and respect of his fellow citi- zens, because of his undisputed integ- rity, upright character, splendid charity and lifelong fair dealing with all men. On account of failing health he retired from active business in 1899, his sons, William, Louis, Charles and Frederick, succeeding him.
W. W. WHYTE.
W. W. WHYTE, ex-sheriff of McDowell County, West Virginia, a prominent citizen of Welch, and a leading politician in the southern portion of the State, was born in
Amelia County, Virginia, in 1860, and came to West Virginia in 1888.
Prior to coming to West Virginia, Mr. Whyte filled a number of clerical positions connected with railroad work and in other lines. He was one of the early coal operators in the Pocahontas Flat-Top field, and was connected with the Houston Coal & Coke Company until 1896, when he was elected sherriff. Since 1892 he has served as chairman of the Republican party organization in the county, and has been a powerful factor in the po- litical situation. His father was an old line Whig and with his earliest breath our subject imbibed Republi- can doctrines. In 1900 McDowell County gave the late President Mc- Kinley a majority of over 2,500 votes out of a total of less than 5,000, a re- sult mainly attributed to the excellent management of Mr. Whyte. Since March, 1900, he has been a member of the board of directors of the West Virginia Penitentiary at Moundsville. Mr. Whyte is very prominent also in fraternal circles and is one of the lead- ing Masons in the county, belonging to the blue lodge at Welch; the chapter at Bramwell: Ivanhoe Commandry, No. 10, K. T., at Bramwell; and Beni-Kedem Temple A. A. O. N. M. S., at Charleston.
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WILLIS S. MICHAEL, M. D.
WILLIS S. MICHAEL, M. D., a practicing physician of Hendricks, Tucker County, West Virginia, whose professional skill has gained him the confidence and patronage of the res- idents of the town, was born in 1868 in Preston County, West Virginia, and is a son of Dr. John F. and Annie (Meyers) Michael, both of whom were also natives of Preston County.
Dr. John F. Michael has been a prominent physician of Preston Coun- ty for 28 years, and for 20 years has been a member of the pension exam- ining board. He saw service during the Civil War, enlisting in 1863 in the Union Army, in the 3rd Reg., West Virginia Vol. Inf., and remain-
ing in the ranks until the cessation of hostilities. In politics he is iden- tified with the Republican party. He holds fraternal relations with the Ma- sons, Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias. Both he and his wife belong to the Methodist Church. They reared a family of nine sons.
Dr. Willis S. Michaels was edu- cated in the common schools and the State Normal School at Huntington. For four years he taught school dur- ing the winter months and then began to read medicine, with his father. Two years later he was prepared for college, and in 1890 entered the Col- lege of Physicians and Surgeons, Bal- timore, Maryland, where he was grad- nated in 1893. He began practice at Hendricks, where he is still located, and where he has become one of the much esteemed citizens. He has been physician and surgeon for the Dry Fork Railroad Company at Hen- dricks, West Virginia, for the past nine years. He belongs to the West Virginia State Medical Association. In 1891-92 he served on the pension examining board.
In 1894 Dr. Michaels was married to Lena Roy, who was born in 1877 in Randolph County, West Virginia. Two children have been born to this marriage. The Doctor and his wife
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belong to the Methodist Church. Fra- ternally he is a Knight of Pythias, and, politically, a Republican.
ROBERT EMMET HUGHES.
HON. ROBERT EMMET HUGHES, member of the West Virginia House of Delegates from Ripley, Jackson County, and one of the prominent members of the State bar. was born April 12, 1867, in Summerfield, Noble County, Ohio. He is a son of Rev. Robert Hamilton and Elmira (Grizzle) Hughes, the former of whom was a son of Fran- cis Hughes, who was born May 30, 1812, of Welsh descent and located in Belmont County, Ohio. Grand-
mother Hughes, formerly Nancy Howell, was a niece of Gen. Anthony Wayne. Our subject's mother was a daughter of Thomas Grizzle and his wife, who was a Hamilton.
Rev. Robert Hamilton Hughes was a minister of the Methodist Church.
The education of Robert E. Hughes was secured in the common schools of West Virginia, supplemented with two terms at the Ohio University at Columbus. After a comprehensive study of the law, followed by his ad- mission to the bar, he began practice in Charleston, West Virginia, on January 1, 1897. In August, 1901, he removed to Ripley, Jackson Coun- ty, where he has continued ever since, and which county since 1902 he has represented in the Legislature. Mr. Hughes had previously been a member of the Legislature, having been elected to the House of Delegates in 1896, from Kanawha County. He has been an active yet conservative member of the House, and is generally conceded to be one of its best speakers. He showed his power as an advocate on the floor of the House, in the speech he made on the reconsideration of the famous "Hinton Charter Bill," which had been decisively defeated, on its second reading. The unanswerable speech he made in behalf of the people
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of Hinton secured its reconsideration by a vote of 34 to 29, and it was given its place on the calendar, and later was passed by a vote of 40 to 20.
On November 14, 1889, Mr. Hughes married Mayme Wintz, who is a daughter of James P. Wintz, of Hardin County, Texas. The five chil- dren of this union are: Leah Foster, Laura Chilton, Hugh Latimer, Amelia Rives and Emmet Dalzell. Mr. Hughes has been a strong supporter of the Republican party all his life and has been identified with many of its important movements in his part of the country. He is well known in fraternal circles and belongs to Lodge No. 42, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; Lodge No. 4, Knights of Pythias : Lodge No. 2. Improved Or- der of Red Men ; and Order of Un- ited American Mechanics. He is a consistent member of the Methodist Church.
JOHN T. CARTER, A. M., M. D., has been located in practice at Triadelphia, Ohio County, since 1878. He was born on a farm in Ohio Coun- ty, Virginia, now West Virginia, which his father also claimed as his birth- place. His grandfather purchased
this farm at an early day, and it has re- mained in the possession of members of the family for more than one hun- dred years.
Richard Carter, the Doctor's father, was born in 1813, and died at the age of 74 years. He was of Scotch-Irish descent, and his ancestors came to this country long before the Revo- lutionary period.
Dr. John T. Carter prepared at Washington and Jefferson College, Washington, Pennsylvania, and gradu- ated in 1871, from Princecon College at Princeton, New Jersey. He then completed a course in the study of medi- cine in the Ohio Medical College at Cincinnati. Through a competitive ex- amination, he became resident physi- cian at the Good Samaritan Hospital in that city, and subsequently rose to the position of physician in charge. He then served as assistant superintendent and physician in a hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1878, he located in Triadelphia, and formed a partnership with Dr. J. H. Storer, who had been engaged in practice there for 30 years. This association continued about 10 years, and since then Dr. Carter has practiced alone. He is a man of high character and enjoys to a marked de- gree the confidence and esteem of his
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patients and of his fellow citizens in general. He has mastered his profes- sion in a manner that has brought him prominence in the community and well deserved success. During his residence in Cincinnati, he gained through a com- petitive examination the Bartholow prize. He is a member of the West Virginia Medical Society, and an hon- orary member of the Massachusetts Medical Society. Fraternally, he lias been a member of Triadelphia Lodge, No. 49, I. O. O. F., for 19 years, has passed through the different chairs, and upon two occasions was sent as a rep- resentative to the Grand Lodge.
Dr. Carter was married, in 1885. to Harriet Webb, a daughter of Dr. J. W. and Mary (Shumate) Webb. Dr. Webb, who was a minister of the Gospel for more than 50 years, and who died at the age of 70 years, was a noted Methodist Episcopal minister of West Virginia, and was presiding elder for many years. Dr. and Mrs. Carter have one child, a daughter Grace, who was born in September, 1888. They are members of the Stone Presbyterian Church. In 1898, the Doctor built a IO-room house, of two and a half stories ; it is equipped in modern style, has a private water system, gas heaters in each room, and is the best residence in Triadelphia.
LOUIS E. MCWHORTER.
LOUIS E. MCWHORTER, a leading attorney and a prominent and influential citizen of Charleston, West Virginia, was born November 30, 1856, at Spencer, Roane County, Vir- ginia, now West Virginia. He is a son of Judge J. M. McWhorter, a prominent citizen of Lewisburg, Green- brier County. His mother bore the maiden name of Julia A. Stalnaker.
Judge J. M. Mcwhorter was the first Auditor of the new State of West Virginia and filled the office from March 4, 1865, to March 3, 1869. He was a son of Dr. Fields McWhor- ter, an old resident of Lewis County, Virginia, now West Virginia, where he was born April 30, 1828. While yet a young man, Judge McWhorter removed to Roane County and from
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1856 to 1863 he was clerk of both County and Circuit courts. He was the first to represent Roane County in the State Legislature, this being in 1863, and his statesmanlike qualities during this time convinced the people that he was the man for State Auditor and consequently he was elected to that honorable position. After this, he removed to Greenbrier County. In 1870 he was appointed by Governor Stevenson to the judgeship of the Sev- enth Judicial Circuit, to fill a vacancy occasioned by the removal of another official. His wise decisions and im- partial rulings again gained him the approbation of the public. His term of office, by the ratification of the Con- stitution of 1872, ended December 31st of that year. He has always been stanch in his adherence to the Repub- lican party. He was elected judge of the Tenth Judicial Circuit over Judge Nelson Campbell of Monroe County, in November, 1896, taking the office January 1, 1897. He is a man uni- versally esteemed and beloved by those who are permitted intimate acquain- tance. The mother of our subject died August 26, 1869, the mother of 10 children. The second marriage of Judge McWhorter took place October 26, 1870, the bride being Julia Kins- ley, who was a daughter of
Rev. Hiram and Elsie S. Kinsley, of Geneva, Ohio. Four children have been born to this marriage. In relig- ious connection Judge. McWhorter is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Fraternally he is a Mason.
Louis E. Mcwhorter, of this sketch, acquired an excellent education in the common schools of Greenbrier County and the Lewisburg Academy .. For a time he read law under the in- struction of his able father and Judge. H. C. McWhorter, president of the. Supreme Court of Appeals, and then: entered the law department of the Uni -- versity of Virginia, at Charlottesville. and obtained his license to practice law January 30, 1882. He was admitted to the bar, but did not engage in the active practice of his profession until in 1886, when he entered into partner- ship with Judge H. C. McWhorter of the Supreme Court of Appeals, the partnership lasting until 1897, when H. C. McWhorter was elected judge of the Supreme Court. Our subject then entered into partnership with Isaac Loewenstein and the firm is recognized as one of the strongest in Southern West Virginia. Both partners are men of rare ability, the younger one being a graduate of the State University at Morgantown. The firm of McWhor-
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ter & Loewenstein make a specialty of chancery and commercial law. L. E. Mc Whorter has resided in Charleston, West Virginia since 1878.
On June 27, 1883, Mr. McWhorter was married to Emma M. Champe, who is a daughter of Sewall and Ala- meda Chamipe, honored residents of Kanawa County. The religious con- nection of the family is with the Meth- odist Church in which our subject is a trustee and steward; for seven years he was superintendent of the State street Methodist Episcopal Sunday- school. In politics he is a stanch Re- publican. He is one of the public spirit- ed citizens of Charleston and has served as president of the Board of Education and in other municipal organizations.
DR. WILLIAM ALLEN CRA- CRAFT, SR., a well known physician of Ohio County, residing at Elm Grove, was born in Claysville, Pennsylvania, February 23, 1844. In 1848 his father's family moved to Triadelphia, Ohio County, Virginia, now West Vir- ginia, where he was reared, receiving his academic education at the West Alexander Pennsylvania Academy. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he en- tered the Confederate Army, though but 17 years of age, as a private in the
"Shriver Grays," Company C, 27th Regiment, Virginia Infantry, "Stone- wall" Jackson's Brigade, and partici- pated in all the engagements with his regiment in 1861 and until the battle of Kernstown, March 23, 1862, when he was taken prisoner and confined in Fort Delaware until August 5, 1862, then being exchanged at Aiken's Land- . ing. Virginia. He at once rejoined his command and, although his year's en- listment had expired the preceding May, took part in all the battles of his regi- ment until after the battle of Sharps- burg. Maryland, September 19, 1862, when he accepted an honorable dis- charge, and re-enlisted in the cavalry service as lieutenant of Company I,
20th Regiment, Virginia Cavalry, William L. Jackson's Brigade, Lomax's Division, Fitzhugh Lee's Corps. He commanded his company in every bat- tle in which the regiment participated, from the date of its organization to the termination of the war, receiving his parole of honor under the terms of Lee's surrender.
After the close of the war, our subject returned to his home and en- tered upon the study of medicine. Dur- ing 1866 and 1867 he attended the University of Virginia, where he re- ceived his medical education, and then commenced the practice of his profes-
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sion in Triadelphia, Ohio County, West Virginia, in June, 1867, remaining there until April, 1871, when he located at Elm Grove, Ohio County, West Vir- ginia, where he has remained ever since. From 1872 to 1893 he was attending physician to the Ohio County Infirm- ary, and in 1894 he was appointed visit- ing physician to "Altenheim;" also visiting physician to the Orphans' Home for Boys and Girls at Elm Grove.
Dr. Cracraft was married, January 28, 1874, to Mary Key, of Elm Grove, daughter of Abner and Elizabeth Key, four children being born to them namely : Georgia Key, deceased; Will- iam Allen, Jr., a graduate of medicine from the University of Virginia, June, ICOI, and located at Elm Grove ; Mary Elizabeth; and Leech Key, at present a student of medicine at the University of Virginia. Abner Key, deceased, was born in Maryland, and Elizabeth Key, deceased, in Lancaster, Ohio.
Dr. George A. Cracraft, father of Dr. William Allen Cracraft, Sr., was a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Medicine and practiced in Tria- delphia from 1848 to 1888-the year of his death-with the exception of three years, during which time he held the position of surgeon, with the rank of major, in the 19th Regiment, Vir-
ginia Cavalry, C. S. A. His wife was Jane Knox, of Washington County, Pennsylvania, and of Scotch-Irish descent. Dr. George A. Cracraft, was the son of William Atkinson Cracraft. of Washington County, Pennsylvania, whose father was Maj. Charles Cra- craft. a full surgeon in the Revolution- ary War, later prominent in Indian warfare as a major, being wounded and captured near Fort Henry ( Wheeling), in 1781, by a force of Indians under the renegade Simon Grity. Maj. Charles Cracraft was a son of Joseph Cracraft, who immigrated from Lin- colnshire, England, to the vicinity of Frederick, Maryland, in 1720.
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