USA > West Virginia > Barbour County > The history of Barbour County, West Virginia, from its earliest exploration and settlement to the present time > Part 42
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teaching until 1872, when he became a canditate for and was elected clerk of the circuit court of that county under the new constitution, going into office on the 1st of January, 1873. He was twice re-elected to the same office, retiring on the 31st of December, 1890, after a continuous service of eighteen years. He became a candidate for the Democratic nomination for State Auditor, and was nominated and elected to that office in 1892 for the term of four years.
"Auditor Johnson has been twice married, his first wife being Miss Fannie Link, of Bridgewater, Virginia, to whom he was married on the 24th of December, 1874, who died August 25th, 1891, and by whom he had three children. His second wife was Miss Fannie Kemper, of Shendun, Virginia, to whom he was married on the 20th of September, 1893. He is a Master Mason, a member of Bigelow Lodge, No. 52, Philippi, Barbour County, W. Va., and an Odd Fellow, a member of Philippi Lodge, No. 59, and is a member of the M. E. Church, South."
At the close of Mr. Johnson's four years' term of service as Auditor, not being a candidate for re-nomination or re-election, he turned his office over to his Republican successor, Mr. L. M. La Follette, and moved to Roanoke, Virginia, where he now resides, being engaged principally in farming pursuits. During Mr. Johnson's term of service as auditor, his office was kept in the perfect order and system characteristic of his nature and disposition. He made many valuable and original recommendations to the Legislature concerning the improvement of the service and change in the administration of the office. No defaults in the collection of the revenue occurred during his term, and defaults in previous terms were prosecuted. It is but justice to say that West Virginia never had a better Anditor, or more deserving and popular official. The loss which West Virginia sustained by his removal was a positive gain to the "Old Commonwealth," for whom Mr. Johnson, by reason of his birth, education, association and service there during the Civil War, retained an affectionate remembrance.
Mr. Johnson's children are Miss Ivy, the eldest, named in imitation of of the initials of her father's Christian name, and who is now the wife of Mr. Mark Cordier Price, of Roanoke; and Frank and Virginia, all of whom, with Mrs. Johnson and himself, during his term at Charleston, participated in and formed part of the social functions of the administration at the Capital.
JOSEPH LINDEN JOHNSON, born 1846 at Meadowville, son of Hon. Will- iam and Lydia Ann (Wells) Johnson, was married January 12, 1869 to Ella Rebecca, daughter of Michael and Catherine (Strickler) Crim. Children, Lillian Amanda, Lennie Crim, Clifford C., Warren Wellington, William Michael and Emma Virginia. He is a member of the M. E. Church, South, a Democrat, and a farmer and merchant residing at Meadowville. He was in the Confederate service, on General Imboden's staff. Mr. Johnson owns
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86 acres, all improved. Part of the Keller Hill is on his lands. Indian graves and flint arrow-heads in that vicinity render it probable that aborig- ines lived there in considerable numbers.
LEVI JOHNSON, born 1849 on Teter's Creek, son of John G., and Cath- erine (Parsons) Johnson, was married in 1873 on Teter's Creek, to Helen A., daughter of Emory and Catherine (Gainer) Poling. Children, Bernice C., Herman G., Otie E., Johnnie, Emory, Lloyd S., Stewart L., Helen A. In politics he is a Democrat, and is a member of the M. E. Church, South. He resides on Teter's Creek where he owns 238 acres, largely improve d and he is a very successful farmer.
RICHARD M. JOHNSON, born 1841 on Mill Run, son of John G. and Catherine (Parsons) Johnson; was married in 1859, on Teter's Creek, to Nancy, daughter of Samuel M. and Elizabeth (Carpenter) Gainer. Chil- dren, Orvilla D., Orlando, James, W. W., Troy, John G., Raymond. Mr Johnson is a member of the M. E. Church, South, a Democrat, and a farmer owning 126 acres, 90 improved, on Teter's Creek. He has always lived in Barbour, except nine months spent in Texas in 1879, and has dealt in horses which he takes to Virginia and North Carolina where he trades them for cattle.
CAPTAIN MORTIMER C. JOHNSON, born 1836, son of William Johnson of Meadowville, was married to a daughter of James Poling, and had two daughters. At the commencement of the Civil War, he entered the Con- federate service, in the Barbour Greys. In 1862 he was discharged because of deafness, and came home and raised a company of his own, known as Company H., 62 Regiment, Virginia Infantry, Imboden's Brigade. Just before his death he had come home on a furlough, and was killed while re- turning to the South. The names of those with him were, H. L. Yock, Samuel Cleavenger, David Cleavenger, Ezra Reger, Harrison Coberly, Peter Reed, and Lorenzo Adams. They passed through Tucker County, and were pursued by Captain Nathaniel J. Lambert, of the Home Guards, and were fired upon at the Sinks of Gandy in Randolph County, and Cap. tain Johnson and one other Confederate were killed, and Lorenzo Adams was wounded in eighteen places, but subsequently recovered.
CAPTAIN WILLIAM KESTER JENKINS, born 1824, near Franklin, Pen- dleton County, son of William and Jane (Kester) Jenkins, was married January 11, 1848, at Elk City, to Roda, daughter of John and Nancy (Brown) Daniels. Children, John Morgan, born 1849; Margaret Jane, 1851, married Adam Corrick, of Santa Rosa, Cal .; Mary E., 1853; Lydia J., 1855; Henry A. Wise, 1856, married Mary J. Mckenzie, of Louisa, Ky .; James Hall, 1858, married Anna Weeks, of Cal .; Albert, 1860, married Kate B. Weeks, of Logansport, Ind .; William K., 1863, married Mary McCracken; Roda Belle, 1866; Joseph Lee, 1867, married Zella M. Moore, of Cal .; Burton Claude, 1870. Captain Jenkins married the second time, June 18, 1872, to
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Mrs. Mary Jane Reed, widow of William N. Reed. Her maiden name was Callihan, born 1835, daughter of John and Malinda Callihan. Her first marriage occurred in 1851, and her children were, Caroline, Charles C., who married Fannie Dillon, of Cal .; James D. H., married Hattie S. Wood- ford, daughter of Adam Woodford; Emma, Etta. Captain Jenkins is a member of the M. E. Church, South, is a Democrat, and has been a Notary Public fifteen years at Elk City. His ancestors, on his father's side, were English, his father coming from England and settling in Rockingham County, Virginia, where the parents of the subject of this sketch died when he was five years old and he was taken to raise by his aunt, Mary (Kester) Findley. The Kesters were a noted family in border history. They came from England, although the name would suggest a German origin. They were among the earliest settlers in Pendleton County, and lived in the southern part of that county during the French and Indian war. James Kester, (son of the first Kester who came to America) had two brothers and an only sister in 1758, when Killbuck, the Shawnee Indian, invaded Pendleton County at the head of fifty or sixty savages. The settlers fled to Fort Seybert, which surrendered without fighting, although it could have probably held out against the Indians. James Kester saw his only sister tomahawked by the Indians, and he, and presum- ably his two brothers, were carried into captivity, together with James Dyer, the ancestor of E. R. Dyer, now of Barbour County. James Kester returned from captivity and subsequently served seven years in the Amer- ican army during the Revolution. Fred Kester, an uncle of Captain Jenkins, served in the War 1812. Captain Jenkins bought the first lot in Elk City.
HENRY MIDDLETON JENKINS, born 1836, on Stewart's Run, son of Jonathan and Amanda (McKensie) Jenkins, was married November 6, 1863, near Flemington, Taylor County, to Mary Ann, daughter of Lewis and Cynthia (Bailey) Fleming. Children, Ella C., Hattie, Amanda V., Martha P., Albert G., Patrick H., Jonathan Lewis, Chester M. and Corder J. He is a member of the Missionary Baptist Church, a Democrat and a farmer, living on Hacker's Creek, where he owns 128 acres, largely improved. He has been a member of the Board of Education, and was eight years Over- seer of the Poor. His daughter, Ella, married John C. Moats and lives five miles east of Philippi; Hattie married Robert E. S. Holden and lives in Philippi; Amanda married Mr. Rowe and lives in Taylor County; Martha married Boyd W. Doak and lives in Pennsylvania. His great grandfather came from Ireland and settled on Goose Creek, Loudoun County, Virginia; and his grandfather, Jesse Jenkins, served in the War of 1812, as well as his uncle, William McKinney, who, with his brother, Thomas, (grandfather of the subject of this sketch) were early settlers in Barbour, locating on Stewart's Run. His great grandmother, Jenkins, came from Wales. The
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Baileys and Flemings were Irish, the Mckinneys Scotch. Edward Flem- ing, great grandfather of Mrs. Jenkins, served in the Revolutionary War. Mrs. Jenkins' brothers, John and Lewis, served in the Union army, and Patrick in the Confederate army.
REV. JOHN L. B. JONES, PH. B., was born in 1865, at Calhoun, Bar- bour County, son of Solomon S. Jones, a family originally from Virginia. He attended public schools of the county, the West Virginia College, Flem- ington, the Conference Seminary, at Buckhannon, Butler, Missouri, the Music School, at Pittsburg, the Dubuque Vocal Institution, Iowa. In addi- tion to these schools, he attended instruction under several private teach- ers, last of whom was Portius, and the Mountain Lake Park Chautauqua. Early in 1899 the Taylor University, of Upland, Indiana, conferred upon him the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy for special work done. He married Adaline, daughter of John T. Moss, of Barbour. They have six daughters, Winnie, Alice, Grace, May, Agnes, Ruth. In 1891 he entered the ministry, and has had charge of Ireland, Flatwoods and Aurora circuits. He is a hard student, an excellent scholar and an able preacher. He has given much attention to music, and is a successful composer of Church and Sunday School music; nor does he confine himself to sacred music, but composes both songs and music, patriotic and sentimental. He has set to music many of the songs written by Miss Ida L. Reed, Barbour County's talented hymn writer. He supplies Christmas and Easter music for churches in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Pittsburg, Cincinnati, St. Louis and elsewhere. Among his best known music are, 'America is Good Enough for me," "The Parting Hour," "Only a Song and a Memory," etc.
ALBERT W. JONES, born near Calhoun in 1853, son of Ephraim and Malinda (Yoke) Jones; was married April 22, 1880, in Barbour, to Ida, daughter of Benjamin and Jemima (Morgan) Shafer. Children, Effie Dove, Frona May, Benjamin Franklin, Dora Beulah, Charles Manzell, Frederick E. and Emma Gay. He is a member of the M. E. Church, an Odd Fellow, a Democrat, farmer and carpenter, and lives near Calhoun, where he owns 100 acres, mostly improved, and bearing choice fruit. He attended the county schools, and was four years a Justice of the Peace. His wife is a de- cendant of Morgan, the Indian fighter. His uncle, William Jones, died in the Federal army, after three years of service.
MATHIAS JENNINGS, born 1849, in Washington County, Pennsylvania, was married at Kingwood, West Virginia, to Miss Conley, daughter of Elias Conley. Their child's name is Marietta. He is a member of the M. E. Church, is an I. O. O. F. and Junior O. U. A. M. He is a Republican, and since 1894 has been proprietor of the Valley House at Belington. He attended the common schools, and is of English and Irish decent, and his wife in descent is German, Irish and Welsh.
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ROBERT EDWARD JACKSON, born 1863 at Jane Lew, Lewis County, son of James W. Jackson, was married at Lightburn, Lewis County, in 1891 to Mollie R., daughter of J. J. Lightburn. Children, Joseph Goodloe and Edith Lyle. Mr. Jackson is a member of the Baptist Church, and belongs to the orders I. O. O. F., K. of P. and M. W. of A .; in politics is a Demo- crat, and by occupation a merchant, of the firm of Brooks & Jackson, at Belington. He was educated at the West Virginia University, and at East- man Business College, Poughkeepsie, New York. He was Mayor of Bel- ington in 1898. He is a relative of General Stonewall Jackson.
K
JAMES LEWIS BURBRIDGE KELLEY, born near Philippi in 1847, son of John and Mary (Yoke) Kelley; was married in Barbour, May 11, 1874, to Annie M., daughter of Jacob and Margaret (Arndarf) Boehm. Children, Corbin L., Alpheus B., Augusta, Jacob Woodbridge, Carrie O., Rachel L., Margaret M., Henry M. Mr. Kelley is a Republican, and a farmer on Ford's Run, owning 51 acres underlaid with coal. His grandfather, Ebe- nezer T. Kelley, came from New Jersey and settled near Meadowville about 1795, and his father, John Kelley, was a Justice of the Peace in Randolph County before Barbour was formed. He joined Captain Haller's com- pany of Home Guards in 1864 and served till May 30, 1865. His father was in the War of 1812, and helped defeat the British army which attempted to capture Baltimore.
The Kelley family has kept a record more fully than most families, and it is possible to give the family history more fully. Samuel Kelley, the great grandfather of the subject of this sketch, lived in Somerset County, New Jersey, as early as 1763, and his wife's name was Eunice. On October 2, 1763, their son, Ebenezer T. Kelley, was born. When he was 27 years old, in Alleghany County, Maryland, (Dec. 2, 1790), he married Rachel, daughter of Robert and Mary Johnson. Rachel Johnson, was born October 22, 1769, in New Jersey. They lived in Maryland two years, then moved to Hampshire County, Virginia, where they remained three or four years and then crossed the Alleghanies into Randolph (now Barbour) and settled near Meadowville in 1795 or early the next spring. Following is a list of child- ren, with births and deaths: Mary, born in Alleghany County, Maryland, January 15, 1792; Eunice, born in Hampshire County, Virginia, September 27, 1793, married a man named Cade, and died in Monroe County, Ohio, 1835. In the old family record is written this verse:
Eunice Kelley is my name and virtuous is my life, And happy is the man who gets me for a wife.
Isaac and John L. Kelley who seem to have been twins, were born February 20, 1796, in Randolph County. Isaac died in Monroe County, Ohio, 1845, and John L. in Barbour in 1866; Rebecca was born June 8, 1798, in Randolph, married a man named Carpenter, and died 1860 in Iowa; Osa
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was born March 25, 1800 in Randolph, died in Barbour in 1875; Hannah, born in Randolph, June 8, 1802, married a man named Yoke, and died 1843 in Barbour; Samuel was born September 9, 1804 in Randolph, died 1863 in Barbour; Jane was born August 5, 1807, in Randolph; Johnson was born July 25, 1810 in Randolph. The children of John L. Kelley were: Isaac, born August 9, 1823; Rebecca, born November 29, 1824; one died young; Solomon, born November 14, 1827; Stingley, born November 30, 1830; Elias, born January 8, 1833; Oscar, born January 13, 1835; Sarah Ann, born Nov- ember 11, 1837; Cymon and Garrett, born April 18, 1840; Elam, born Febru- ary 25, 1842; James Lewis Burbridge, born May, 4, 1847.
COLUMBUS KELLEY, born 1854 near his present home, is a son of Elias and Catherine (McGee) Kelley, was married May 6, 1884, near Arden, to Jemima, daughter of James and Julia (Hoffman) Fry. Children, Edwin L., Lenora M. and Eva. He is a member of the M. E. Church and an Odd Fellow, and he owns part of the Kelley land, and his farm of 125 acres around the mine is improved. The mine was largely developed through his industry and perseverance, and is named from him. A history of the mine will be found elsewhere in this book, and need not be repeated here.
WARREN BRANCE KITTLE, born 1872 at Belington, son of George M. and Charity Ellen (Poling ) Kittle, was married June 30, 1897, at Philippi, to Zonie, daughter of W. S. and Virginia (Baker) Wilson. Their child's name is Virginia. He is a member of the M. E. Church, is a Republican and a lawyer, residing at Philippi. He took the degree of L.L. B. in the West Virginia University in 1894. His father is a son of Cyrus and Tirza (Stalnaker) Kittle, and was born in Randolph in 1847, and in 1871 he mar- ried Charity Ellen, daughter of Martin G. and Hulda (Limbers) Poling. Their children were Warren B., George Bruce, Rutherford M., Lucy Re- becca, Anna Mary and Francis Gordon. Cyrus Kittle was born in 1819 and died 1885. He was a politician of considerable importance, and held four- teen offices in Randolph County. He was a Union man during the Civil War and was concerned with military affairs and had several narrow escapes. In 1862 he was in St. George at the time of the Imboden raid and escaped by burying himself in the hay in Adam Tait's barn, although the soldiers unwittingly prodded him with pitchforks while throwing out hay for their horses. Again, the next spring he was in Beverly when Imboden attacked that place, and he had barely time to hit the road for Philippi be- fore the Confederates cut off retreat. He narrowly escaped Confederates in Barbour, and hurried into Taylor and took the road for Fairmont just in time to run into another Confederate army above Fairmont, under Jones. Taking to the open country he fled into Pennsylvania and reached Pitts- burg penniless. He worked in the iron mills and earned money enough to take him home. He was at that time Colonel of the West Virginia Militia. He was a member of the first West Virginia Legislature, and was on the
LIEUT .- COL. DAVID BERKLEY LANG.
Shortly before Lieut .- Col. Lang was killed, a comrade painted his portrait on a pine board, and from that portrait the above engraving was made.
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committee which designed and adopted the State Seal and Coat of Arms. He found the design on a tombstone in a Wheeling cemetery and had it copied. He was ten years a minister in the M. E. Church. The children of Cyrus Kittle were, Levi, George M., Creed, Amassa, Mary L., Emmett, Ulman Wirt, Eliza L., Cenna, Grant and Ellen (twins), Waitman T. Willey. The father of Cyrus Kittle was Elijah, born 1798, who married Lucinda, daughter of John Waldo. Their children were, Cyrus, John Waldo, Amassa, David A., Alva, Hulda, Prudence, Pauline, Emmeline, Harriett, Sally and Louisa. The grandfather of Cyrus Kittle, John Waldo, lived on Booth's Creek, now Marion County. He spent many years a prisoner with the Indians. The father of Elijah Kittle was Abraham, who married a daugh- ter of John Chenoweth, who was an American soldier in the Revolution. This Abraham was a son of Abraham Kittle, the first of the name in West Virginia. He was born in New Jersey in 1735 and died in 1816. His grave is yet to be seen in the old Collett graveyard four miles below Beverly. His children were, Richard, Jacob, Abraham, George, John and one daughter.
JACOB HENRY KNAPP, born in Barbour County January 8, 1868, son of John B. and Sallie Ann (Smith) Knapp, was married near Elk City, Sept. 7, 1893, to Florence Emma, daughter of Mordecai D. and Armettie (Hudkins) Riley. Children, Jacob H, Jr., born Aug 4, 1894, and Florence Marjoram, born March 22, 1899. Mr Knapp is a Baptist, a Knight of Pythias, a Dem- ocrat and a merchant residing at Philippi. He was educated in the free schools of Barbour. From July 1, 1893, to December 1, 1898, he was U. S. Deputy Collector of Internal Revenue. His grandfather, Henry Knapp, came from the State of New York and was a Barbour County pioneer, working for years at the trade of chair maker. His grandmother Smith was a pioneer settler on Sugar Creek, near Meadowville, and was a woman of remarkable intellect and business management. The subject of this sketch began working from home at the age of thirteen, and kept it up for about seventeen years, following many lines of work. He applied the prin- ciple that persistent labor will bring results and he thinks that want and poverty would be materially lessened if all boys and young men would try the same principle.
ADAM KERR, born 1820 in Pocahontas County, son of Robert and Susan (Arbogast) Kerr, was married in 1845 to Hannah, daughter of Moses and Mary (Waybright) Arbogast; in 1856 to Rosanna Rogers; in 1869 to Rebecca Thompson; in 1875 to Martha Gordon; in 1888 to Virginia Pugh. Children, Ezra, William Bailey, Enoch and Margaret Jane. He resides on the Buck- hannon River.
JAMES KNOTTS, who was Sheriff of Barbour in 1871, was born at Knottsville, Taylor County, son of James and Susanna (Miller) Knotts. On October 29, 1857, at Belington, he was married and lived one year at Knottsville, then moved to Barbour, where he followed farming and mer-
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chandizing. He resigned the office of Sheriff after one year, because of poor health. He was a member of the M. E. Church, South. He died October 26, 1895, and was buried at Belington.
BENJAMIN J. KNIGHT was born in Taylor County, son of Thomas and Catharine (Rosier) Knight.
LIEUTENANT COLONEL DAVID BERKLEY LANG* was born January 31, 1831, near Bridgeport, Harrison County, West Virginia. His father, Lemuel Lang, married the daughter of Thomas Berkley, who laid warrant on the land that the town of Astor, Taylor County, is built upon.
A few months after David's birth the two families moved to Missouri, and while on the way David's mother died with cholera, and his father, leaving the child with its grandparents, returned to his former home, and in about three years married Miss Surrepta Bartlett, and went back to Missouri and brought David home, who was three years old, but remem- bered how his Grandmother Berkley lamented when they parted.
His youth was spent upon the farm in summer, and he attended coun- try schools in winter, and obtained a good English education.
He was married August 24, 1851, to Elizabeth Powell, daughter of Burr and Elender Powell, of Taylor County, and settled at Fairview, Taylor County, (now Astor) where he engaged in the mercantile business, a few years. After disposing of his store, he built a steam flouring mill on Simp- son's Creek, near Flemington, but the business did not prove a financial success. He lost over $500 in one year by investing in wheat when it was high. In the spring of 1859 he moved to a place three miles south east of Belington, having exchanged the mill with Mr. Shepler for a farm, (now owned by Charles Stipes) where he farmed and practiced medicine in that part of Barbour and the north western part of Randolph until the Civil War. He had studied medicine before he was married and while he was running his store. In 1861 he was having a very successful and lucrative practice. In boyhood days he had somnambulistic babits. His father often found him on the rungs of the ladder that led to his bed room, sound asleep with his book in his hand. At one time he awakened and found the covers off of his bed. Not being able to find them in the room he lit a candle and while hunting for them he discovered them wound around the outside post of an unfinished portico frame. He had walked out of the door of the upper room, on the joist, while asleep, and he would not walk out to take them down when he found them, but procured a pole and unwound them with it. There had been no recurrence of this strange habit from his boy- hood days until the fall of 1860. In that year his wife awakened one night and saw him by the light of the moon sitting by his stand writing. When he came to bed she awoke him, and asked him what he had been writing.
This sketch was written by an intimate friend of Major Lang for the History of Barbour,
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He said, "nothing." But when he procured a light he found a letter on the stand written to Lemuel E. Davidson, of Flemington, Taylor County, in which he spoke of a war between the States, and said that he had taken side with the South, and his friend that of the North, which proved to be the fact in the years that followed. Mr. Davidson, however, did not take part in the conflict, but was a Union man, and a member of the first legis- lature of West Virginia and a member of the committee that designed the Coat of Arms of the State. The letter was very well written, with the exception of a few places, where the ink on his pen had become exhausted before refilling. He often showed this letter to his friends as a curiosity, and the strange part of it was, that at the time it was written he was very much opposed to Virginia's seceding from the Union, and made several speeches against the Ordinance of Secession, but when a majority of her citizens said, "she must secede," he, like R. E. Lee and T. J. Jackson, being strongly in favor of State's Rights and believing that his allegiance to his native State was greater than to the General Government, cast his fortunes with the South, and yet he was always opposed to slavery.
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