USA > West Virginia > Men of West Virginia Volume II > Part 7
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Court, to which position he had been elected in the preceding November. In 1901, the State of West Virginia was divided into two judicial districts, and Judge Keller, of the United States Court, appointed Mr. Bernheim clerk of the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Vir- ginia. This position he filled until July 15, 1902, when he resigned, and be- came a candidate for re-nomination as clerk of the County Court of McDow- ell County. He was re-nominated unanimously, a tribute to his popular- ity, and as no one was nominated by the Democratic party, his election in November, 1902, was without oppo- sition.
Since 1892 Mr. Bernheim has been secretary of the McDowell County Re- publican Executive Committee and has taken a leading part in both local and outside politics. He has important business interests in Welch and is one of the useful and progressive citizens.
On June 5, 1901, Mr. Bernheim was married to Ida P. Topham, who was born in Washington, D. C., and is a daughter of James S. and Anna M. Topham. They have one son, James Topham. Mrs. Bernheim is a member of the Methodist Church.
Mr. Bernheim is prominent in fra- ternal life, belonging to McDowell
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Lodge, No. 112, A. F. & A. M. ; Bram- well Chapter, R. A. M. ; Ivanhoe Com- inandery, No. 10, K. T., of Bramwell; and Beni-Kedem Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Charleston.
HON. JAMES H. MARCUM.
HON. JAMES H. MARCUM, an ex-member of the West Virginia State Senate, and a representative citizen of Huntington, was born in Virginia, September 14, 1842, and is a son of Stephen M. and Jane (Damson) Mar- cum, both of whom were also natives of the Old Dominion.
James H. Marcum received but limited educational advantages in the private and subscription schools of his locality, his schooling being inter-
rupted by the outbreak of the Civil War. He was one of the first loyal youths of his section to enlist,-becom- ing a member of Company B, 45th Reg., Kentucky Vol. Inf. He served three years, and was with the Army of the Tennessee; when he received his honorable discharge he had attained the rank of sergeant major.
After the close of the war, Mr. Marcum returned to his home and en- gaged in agricultural pursuits for a time, and then accepted a position as traveling salesman for Shipley, Crane & Company, of Cincinnati, Ohio, with whom he remained about nine years. He then returned to Huntington and bought and very successfully operated a livery and sales stable for four years, and then sold the business in order to resume farming.
Mr. Marcum has long been active in political life, and in 1890 he was elected a member of the West Virginia Legislature and served four years. After an interim of four years, he was again elected to that honorable body, and again served his constituency with ability and efficiency. For four years he was the popular postmaster of Huntington, and during the adminis- tration of Governor Wilson was a di- rector of the West Virginia Peniten- tiary for a term of five years.
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In 1881 Mr. Marcum was united in marriage with Fannie B. Williams and their son, P. H., is a member of the class of 1903, in the law department of the University of West Virginia, at Morgantown. In religious belief, Mr. Marcum is a Methodist. His fraternal relations are with Huntington Lodge, No. 53, A. F. & A. M.
WILLIAM BURBRIDGE PAYNE.
WILLIAM BURBRIDGE PAYNE, clerk of the Circuit Court of McDowell County, West Virginia, and a prominent citizen of Welch, was born in that county in 1866 and is a son of the late John D. and Clara (Cornett) Payne.
John D. Payne was born in Taze- well County, Virginia, now McDowell County, West Virginia, and died in
1898 at the age of 62 years. During the Civil War he served four years in the Union Army, as a private in Company I, 39th Reg., Kentucky Vol. Inf., and was once captured and once wounded. In politics he was a Re- publican. In business he was success- ful as a lawyer, farmer and merchant. The mother of our subject was born in 1841 in North Carolina and now re- sides at Bradshaw, McDowell County, West Virginia. The three children born to Mr. and Mrs. Payne were: David C., who is a deputy United States. marshal and deputy sheriff of Mc- Dowell County; William Burbridge, of this sketch; and Wilburn Grant, de- ceased.
William Burbridge Payne was reared in his native county and was educated in the common schools and the Normal School at Concord. From 1887 to 1892 he was engaged in a mercantile business at Bradshaw, and removed from there upon being elected to the office of clerk of the Circuit Court. In 1896 he was honored with a re-election and his popularity and efficiency were emphasized by a second re-election in 1902.
On May 10, 1896, Mr. Payne was married to Jennie Beavers, who was born in Union County, South Dakota. Three children have been born to them,
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viz. : Hobart Elkins and Meldramn Deane, living, and Mirriam Joyce, de- ceased. Mrs. Payne is a member of the Presbyterian Church.
Fraternally, Mr. Payne is a mem- ber of McDowell Lodge. No. 112, A. F. & A. M., of Welch, of which he is past master, and of Ohio Consistory, Valley of Cincinnati, and is a Shriner. In politics he is identified with the Republican party.
ROLAND YUENGLING LUTHER.
ROLAND YUENGLING LU- THER, assistant general manager of the Peerless Coal & Coke Company, at Vivian, West Virginia, is one of the energetic and progressive young men of the day. Mr. Luther was born in
1875, in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Roland C. and Therese (Yuengling) Luther, the former of whom is president of the Peerless Coal & Coke Company, and also general superintendent of the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company, with headquarters at Pottsville, Pennsyl- vania.
Mr. Luther has been a resident of Vivian since February, 1901, and has become an important factor in the coal fields of that locality. His company is a leading one in the section and gives him a wide field of operation.
W. L. GLESSNER, one of the foremost business men of Ohio County, West Virginia, is president of the Laughlin Nail Company, a Wheeling corporation, with office and plant at Martin's Ferry, Ohio. This is a very extensive plant and is the largest cut- nail manufactory in the world, having had a wonderful growth from its in- ception, in 1878. Mr. Glessner is a na- tive of Ohio, and is a son of Jacob and Mary Laughlin Glessner.
Jacob Glessner was born 92 years ago at Somerset, Pennsylvania, and is now a resident of Zanesville, Ohio. He spent the major portion of his active life as editor and publisher of a news-
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paper, and in his later years was a man- ufacturer of news-paper. He married Mary Laughlin, who was a daughter of John Laughlin, an old resident of Wheeling. She died at the age of 83 years, having had thrce sons and one daughter, as follows: John, vice-presi- dent of the Champion Mower & Reaper Works, of Springfield, Ohio, but a resi- dent of Chicago; George, secretary of that concern; W. L., the subject of this biographical record; and Jessie A., the the youngest child and only daughter who married Mr. Chanaller, a promin- ent attorney-at-law of Zanesville, Ohio, who died August 8, 1901, she now re- sides in Zanesville.
IV. L. Glessner has made his home in Wheeling since 1872, and has always been a power in business circles. For six years he was identified with the Ben- wood Iron Works. In 1878 the Laugh- lin Nail Company was organized and incorporated as a joint stock company, and Mr. Glessner served as its secretary from 1878 until 1885. Alexander Laughlin was the first president, and after his death, in 1885, was succeeded by Mr. Glessner. The plant has always been located at Martin's Ferry, Ohio. The company originally employed 150 men, but now employs about 600 work- men in the cut-nail department, when in full operation. The nail factory has a
capacity of 12,000 kegs per week. In 1899 an extensive shovel plant was added, manufacturing large shovels, with a capacity of 300 dozen per day. The shovels are made from the raw material, and at the present time from 200 to 225 men are employed in this de- partment. A sheet mill, its product be- ing intended for corrugating, galvan- izing and metal ceiling work, is being rapidly pushed to completion, which, when completed, will give employment to about 700 men. The buildings, with a floor space of from three to four acres, are constructed of brick and iron, and are practically fireproof. The grounds of the plant cover 22 acres, and the com- pany also owns 300 acres of mining land, and mines its own coal. The total force of men to be employed upon the completion of the plant,-all Union labor,-will number about 1,500. The present secretary is F. K. Dixon, who has served in that capacity one year. In 1885 the Laughlin Nail Company erect- ed a Bessemer steel works, which they operated for about 10 years. From 1895 until 1899, they operated a tin mill which they built, and which is now the property of the United States Steel Corporation. Mr. Glessner is a mem- ber of the Board of Trade of Wheeling, and has lived in the city for many years. He recently erected a magnificent home
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in beautiful Pleasant Valley, where he resides with his wife and daughter.
Mr. Glessner's first wife was a daughter of George R. Taylor, and is deceased. He formed a second union, wedding a granddaughter of Mr. Tay- lor, and they have one daughter, Mary. Politically Mr. Glessner has always been a Republican, and is a strictly temperate man. He is a member and trustee of the First Presbyterian Church of Wheeling.
WILLIAM T. HAMRICK.
WILLIAM T. HAMRICK, a suc- cessful business citizen of Clay Court House, Clay County, West Virginia, engaged in the flour and feed line, and one of the most prominent and influ-
ential Democratic politicians of Clay County, was born April 7, 1858, on Big Buffalo Creek, 10 miles southeast of Clay Court House. He is a son of R. D. and Dicey ( Mullens) Hamrick, a grandson of William Hamrick and Thomas Mullens, and a great-grand- son of Joel Hamrick, William Mullens and Joel Wright. The Hamrick, Mul- lens and Wright families are of Irish descent. though there is also some Dutch blood in the Wright family and in the Browns, from whom Grand- mother Hamrick descended.
Our subject was educated in the common schools of West Virginia and prepared himself for the profession of teaching which he followed during the winter seasons, for 13 consecutive years, his labors being confined to the public schools of Clay County. In 1889 he was made deputy sheriff and capably served in that position for four years, from 1889 to 1893, inclusive. In 1896 he was elected county clerk of Clay County on the Democratic ticket, and served until 1902, at a second elec- tion being defeated by James Reed. Like his father, who, at one time was a member of the County Board of Su- pervisors and once a member of the County Court, Mr. Hamrick is a pro- nounced Democrat, and is one of the most active workers for his party in
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his section. In 1903 he established a flour and feed business at Clay which he is pushing with the vigor which is characteristic of him. Mr. Hamrick is a self-made and almost a self-educated man and has won his way in the world by force of merit.
In the fall of 1886 he was married to Ella A. Hamrick, who is a daughter of Morris Hamrick, of Clay County, and five children have been born to them, namely: Frederick A., Patrick A., Ethel M., Vernon R. and John R. For many years back, the families of both our subject and wife have been identified with the Baptist Church, and Mr. Hamrick liberally contributes to the support of this denomination.
In fraternal life Mr. Hamrick has a long and honorable record in both the Odd Fellows and the Masonic or- ders. He is a member of Pisgah Lodge, No. 108, I. O. O. F .; and of Lodge No. 97, A. F. & A. M., in which he has taken all the degrees; Tyrean Chapter, No. 13, R. A. M., at Charles- ton; Kanawha Commandery, No. 4, K. T., at Charleston; and Beni-Kedem Chapter, No. 13, R. A. M., at Charles- ton. While Mr. Hamrick has been an active politician and is a successful business man, he has always found time to give attention to all the move- ments of progress in his community
and has shown his appreciation of the bond of common interest which should unite the people of one section.
GEORGE E. LEWIS, M. D.
GEORGE E. LEWIS, M. D., a prominent physician and surgeon of Chester, Hancock County, West Vir- ginia, is descended through a line of distinguished ancestors from early American colonists. Seven brothers in the Lewis family came from Scotland to America in the early days, settling" in the colonies of Pennsylvania, Mary- land and Virginia.
John Lewis, great-grandfather of our subject, was born March 1, 1775, and was reared within 30 miles of
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Baltimore. He followed the occupa- tion of a shoemaker. He went to Lake Erie and lived for a time, then moved to Uniontown, Pennsylvania, and later to Morgantown, Virginia, now West Virginia. He served as captain of a company of militia during the War of 1812, and acquitted himself with hon- or. He later went to Ohio to live, and about 1845 met death by drowning in Wills Creek, in attempting to cross the stream during a freshet. His wife was Elizabeth MeKelvey, and among the children born to them was George W., grandfather of Dr. Lewis.
George W. Lewis was born in Un- iontown, Pennsylvania, and removed to what is now West Virginia in 1820. He was a shoemaker in early life and lived to reach the advanced age of 87 years and three months, dying at Val- ley Grove in October, 1901. He mar- ried Nancy Gibson, who is now living at the age of 81 years, making her home in Ohio County, West Virginia.
William Lewis, a son of George W. and Nancy (Gibson) Lewis, was born in Marshall County, West Virginia, and now resides in Ohio County, where he is engaged in agricultural pursuits. He married Samantha Chambers, who was born in Marshall County and is a daughter of James P. and Mary ( Porter) Chambers, who
were natives of Marshall County, Vir- ginia, and Washington County, Penn- sylvania, respectively. Her grandpar- ents were Joseph Hamilton and Re- becca (Bell) Chambers, the former be- ing a son of James Chambers, and the latter a daughter of William and Eliz- abeth (McConnell) Bell.
Dr. George E. Lewis was born in Ohio County, West Virginia, January 19, 1873, and is one of six children born to William and Samantha (Chambers) Lewis, viz : James C., P. I., George E., Mary A., a teacher in the schools of Wheeling; Florence, who is also teaching at Wheeling; Lillian and Wilma. Dr. Lewis was reared in Ohio County and educated in the public and State Normal schools, graduating from the latter institution in 1893, hav- ing taught school in Ohio County for three years previous to graduation. He then took up the study of medicine at the Western University of Pennsyl- vania; he was granted the degree of M. D. in 1897 and engaged in practice at Hanover, Ohio. His health failed him and for one year he gave up his professional duties. In 1900 he moved to Chester, Hancock County, and has succeeded in acquiring a large general practice in medicine and surgery. He is a man of high character and is held in high esteem by his fellow citizens.
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On October 6, 1897, Dr. Lewis was married to Hettie Curtis, who comes of a prominent and respected family. She is descended from John and Elsie (Wilkins) Curtis, who were prominent in Virginia at an early day. Her great-grandparents were Josiah and Hester (Earnsparger) Curtis. Will- iam Baker Curtis, a son of Josiah and Hester ( Earnsparger) Curtis, made an enviable record during his service in the army. He was first a captain, la- ter colonel of the 12th West Virginia Regiment, and was mustered out as a brevet general. He was at one time a merchant at West Liberty, Ohio Coun- ty, where he died August 25, 1891, at the age of 70 years. He married Han- nah M. Montgomery, and among the children born to them was Josiah Montgomery Curtis, father of Mrs. Lewis. Josiah Montgomery Curtis was born at West Liberty, Ohio Coun- ty, Virginia, and died in 1875. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he enlisted in Company D, 12th Reg., West Vir- ginia Vol. Inf., of which his father was captain, and at the time he was mus- tered out was lieutenant of Company I of that regiment. He was the man who planted the United States flag on Fort Gregg, for which act he was made lieutenant and Congress presented him with a bronze medal. He married Em-
ily Walker, who was born in Brooke County, Virginia, now West Virginia, and now resides at West Liberty, Ohio County. She is a daughter of Allen and Mary Ann ( Mounts ) Walker, and granddaughter of Alexander and Es- ther ( Montgomery) Walker.
Dr. and Mrs. Lewis have one child, Helen Virginia, born July 19, 1900. Religiously, they are members of the United Presbyterian Church, in which Dr. Lewis is an elder. He is a member of the State Medical Society.
HON. C. W. SWISHER.
HON. C. W. SWISHER, a prom- inent young business man of Fairmont, Marion County, West Virginia, who is
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identified with much of the material development of that section, was born in Marion County, West Virginia, May 26, 1867. He is a son of Alpheus and Abigail (Van Gilden) Swisher, who were of German extraction. Al- pheus Swisher was a prominent lumber man for many years, and was well known through Marion County, where he died in October, 1901. The mother, a member of an old and honorable Vir- ginia family, still survives.
C. W. Swisher received his educa- tion in the public schools of Marion County and started out in life as a mine boy in the employ of the Wat- sons, now the Fairmont Coal Compa- ny, his humble occupation being the driving of mules. The lad was, how- ever, capable of a higher grade of work and his superiors soon found it out and he was continually promoted from one position to another. In 1889 he became superintendent of the Brit- ton Coal Company, on the Mononga- hela River, in Marion County, and he continued with this corporation for three years, resigning the position then in order to enter the real estate busi- ness. He recognized the wide field in that line and few men in that activity have been more successful. His sales in valuable coal and timber lands have caused much property to change hands,
and he has been the means of attract- ing a large amount of capital to the State. Many of the coal mines, gas and oil wells, as well as electric roads, have been developed through his ef- forts in calling the attention of out- side capital to the section where his op- erations are chiefly centered.
While promoting enterprises for the public good, Mr. Swisher has not neglected his own interests and is a stockholder in the Fairmont & Clarks- burg Electric Railroad Company ; a di- rector in the Fairmont Savings Bank; in 1903 he became interested in the El- kins syndicate; and is a stockholder and director in the Charleston & Kana- wha Water & Light Company, and in other minor enterprises. He owns much coal and oil land of a valuable character. Starting out in life with no capital, his has been a remarkable career. Successful in business, he has also been successful in politics, and in 1899 he was elected a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, and in 1903 was elected to the State Senate. He is actively identified with the Republican party.
Fraternally Mr. Swisher belongs to Fairmont Lodge, No. 9, A. F. & A. M., Fairmont Chapter, R. A. M .; Crusade Commandery, No. 6, K. T., and the Mystic Shrine.
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D. W. CUNNINGHAM.
D. W. CUNNINGHAM, a prom- inent citizen of Charleston, Kanawha County, West Virginia, who has effi- ciently served in the position of United States deputy marshal for a period of 14 years, is a native of West Virginia, and was born in Jackson County. His father. Joel Cunningham, who after being an officer in Jackson County for 20 years, organized Company E, 8th Regiment, West Virginia State troops, in 1861, and died in the service, Janu- ary 7, 1862. He was a man of in- domitable will, great personal courage and was seldom unsuccessful in his un- dertaking's.
The mother of our subject, Mary Cunningham, belonged to one of the old Virginia families of prominence.
Her father was one of the organizers of his (Jackson) county; he was a justice of the peace for 21 years and was made sheriff of the county under an old law by virtue of his office as justice. Eleven children were born to our subject's parents. One of these was Nathan Cunningham, who entered the army in boyhood and served two years in the Civil War; returning to the scenes of his childhood, he resumed peaceful occupations. A few years later he was appointed deputy United States marshal, on account of his fear- less and courageous character. For doing his duty well, he was foully as- sassinated in 1887 by a band of crim- inals, known by West Virginians as the Kuklux Klan. They were all outlaws who had terrorized Kentucky, Tennes- see, the western portion of Virginia and the southern part of West Vir- ginia. Marshal Cunningham by his bravery had seriously crippled the band in its work of murder, incest and vio- lations of the law, and for this cause it added still another crime, resulting in the death of Nathan Cunningham. He is still well recalled in his com- munity.
D. W. Cunningham is the subject of this brief and inadequate sketch, as a comprehensive one would fill a vol- ume. He grew to manhood in Jackson
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County, and was educated in the pri- vate schools of his locality. He en- gaged in teaching for 14 years, retiring from that profession to accept a posi- tion as a special deputy United States marshal. Soon after, he was made a deputy under President Harrison and was re-appointed by the late President Mckinley. The life of an officer in this service is necessarily one of adventure and thrilling interest. Especially is it so in the case of Mr. Cunning- ham, whose fearlessness and bravery are well known all over the State; while he has so many friends he cannot num- ber them, his name is enough to strike terror to the class whose machinations it is his business to destroy. The crim- inal records in the Department of Jus- tice at Washington, D. C., show the great mass of work accomplished dur- ing the past 14 years by this competent and reliable officer. For three years he was stationed in McDowell County along the Norfolk & Western Rail- way. Prior to this, the locality had been infested with outlaws who com- mitted every crime in the calendar. Mr. Cunningham has the reputation of being a man who has never flinched in the path of duty. He has been vilified and maligned, but only by those in sym- pathy with desperadoes. Among the notorious gangs who have been forced
to surrender by Mr. Cunningham were the Hatfields and the Mullen gang. The father of the latter operated illicit distilleries for more than 30 years and in defense of his lawless business killed a number of officers. The names of the Skenns, Counts, Kisners, Ham- monds, Fields, Harpers, Vances, Hat- fields and many others long were a ter- ror in the West Virginia mountains. They are all kindred, having continu- ally intermarried, and while banded to- gether in their nefarious operations carry on united vendettas against the lovers of law and orde.
Probably Mr. Cunningham has had to fight the most ungovernable of this class of criminals in the United States, but he has done it under the law, open- ly and fearlessly, and deserves the high opinion in which he is held. A man of iron nerve, he treads his dangerous path each day in the pursuit of duty, and it is through his efforts that trav- elers and tourists may now safely vist the wilds of this beautiful State. Per- sonally, Mr. Cunningham is a man of commanding presence and is of schol- arly attainments. Withal he is modest in speaking of his notable achieve- ments and although ready to give in- formation in his pleasant conversa- tional way, one can only hear from other lips of the greatest dangers he
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has faced and the sum of what he has accomplished.
In 1893 Mr. Cunningham married Beulah C. Greenleaf, who is a de- scendant of a prominent old Jackson County family. Three children have been born to this marriage, namely : Pearl, Clarence and William. Frater- nally Mr. Cunningham is an Odd Fellow.
SAMUEL C. BURDETT.
SAMUEL C. BURDETT, a prominent attorney at Charleston, West Virginia, who bears the reputa- tion of being the best criminal lawyer in the State, was born September 16,
1847, in Scioto County, Ohio. He is a son of Samuel and Sarah ( Ratcliffe) Burdett, the former of whom was born in England and the latter in Pennsyl- vania.
Samuel Burdett, our subject's fa- ther, was for a long period known as a skilled painter and interior decorator and his artistic work won him ample means and an extended clientele. In his later years he engaged in teaching, dying at the age of 52 years, in 1869. His widow resides at Ironton, Ohio, spending the evening of life with one of her daughters. A family of eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Burdett, five of whom reached matur- ity: Fannie, Mary, Lizzie, Sue B., who is assistant principal of one of the public schools of Ironton, Ohio, a very prominent educator ; Robert, in the em- ploy of the Georgia Railroad; and Samuel C., of this sketch.
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