USA > West Virginia > Upshur County > The history of Upshur county, West Virginia, from its earliest exploration and settlement to the present time > Part 62
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Children : Lula, born June 13, 1893; Ottia, born December 23, 1894; Mina T., born June 15, 1898; Grace, born November 15, 1900.
BRYANT JOSIAH MARTIN was born April 23, 1874. Son of Thomas Martin and Sarah C. Moore, his father was born April 30, 1842, and died May 30, 1906, and his children were: Henry W., Harriet L., Elizabeth K., Annie E., Mary L., Bryant J., Clara M., Flora A., Una F., and Lucy A.
His grandfather was Josiah Martin and his great grandfather was George Washington Martin of Marion County.
The subject of this sketch married Louella Gertrude Russell, the daughter of John R. Russell, December 24, 1896, she was born July 15, 1877. Their children are: Raymond, Bernard Goff, Reta Pauline, Orza Justus, Holt Gaines, Leota Ellen.
Mr. Martin, is a member of the Baptist Church and is a hard worker for his denomination. He farms and has two hundred acres of land, with which to farm. His farm is known as the Thomas Martin farm. He is a Republican in politics.
HENRY W. MARTIN, is a minister in the Baptist Church, has been Pastor at Holly Grove, Sand Run, Ten Mile, Tallmansville and Hacker's Valley, appointments for the past four years. He is also a farmer and owns 100 acres of land near Carter Postoffice on which he lives. He was born November 18, 1867, and was married March 26, 1894, to Celia Rose Elmer, who was born January 21, 1872, and their children are: Junia Inez, born April 8, 1896, and Wirt Warren, born April 27, 1900.
The subject of this sketch was a son of Thomas and Sarah C. (Moore) Martin and the grandson of Josiah and Kissa (Vincent) Martin of Holly Grove. His wife was a daughter of E. F. and Susan (Thomas) Elmer and the grand- daughter of Adeniga and Mariah (Weld) Elmer, who came to this County from New York in 1866.
LUTHER MARTIN, one of the oldest and largest retail coal dealers at Buckhannon. His parents came here before the Civil War and the subject of this sketch was a Major in the 133d Virginia Militia up to the breaking out of the war, when he became wagon master in the Northern Army.
His parents were Jonas and Mariah (Paugh) Martin, and his grandfather was William Martin of Loudin County, Va., and his grandmother, the wife of Levi Paugh, the father of his mother, Peggy Conley, was fresh from the green field of Erin. He was the second child of a family of eight, his brothers and sisters being: William Marshall, Jonas W., dead, Margaret, dead. John D., Matilda Jane, Susan E., Orvill F., Tilletson, Vassilla.
Mr. Martin was raised on a farm as a farmer and has always lived up to his early teaching. Owns 120 acres of good grass and coal land, one mile north of the town of Buckhannon, on which he keeps ever good horses and fine cattle.
He married Mary L. Jackson, daughter of Peter Jackson, of Scotch-Irish
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descent, of Virginia. And his children are: Henry Clay, who lives in Colorado; Benjamin L., Guy, who married Lily Haskins; Daisy, Ernest J., and Opha.
MARGARET J. MARTIN, daughter of Adam Jane (Coyner) Faught, born September 20, 1859. Married to Orvill F. Martin, November 28, 1884.
Living children : Lillian L., born December 8, 1888; Adam Harold, born July 29, 1891 ; Lona L., born January 26, 1893; Atwell Dewey, born October 22, 1896. OBADIAH WARREN MARTIN was born March 10, 1844, in Marion County, Va., now West Virginia.
Immigrated to Upshur County, W. Va., in 1859, with his father, Josiah Mar- tin, and his grandfather, George W. Martin, and settled on the Buckhannon River near what is now Alexander.
His grandfather, George W. Martin, was a pioneer M. E. Minister, who lived during the Civil War, in that country, and married a larger number of people than any other man in that country.
O. W. Martin' . her was Kizziah Vincent, daughter of Enoch Vincent and Elizabeth (Duvol) Vincent.
George W. Martin married Prudence Lucy Carpenter.
O. W. Martin enlisted in Company B, 10th West Virginia Infantry, at Beverly, Randolph County, August 20, 1862, and was discharged at Richmond, Va., June 30, 1865. He was in fifteen hard fought battles and in his own langu- age, "He dreaded entering each succeeding battle more than he did the preceding one."
He was married May 23, 1867, to Louisa Stansberry of Barbour County, W. Va., daughter of Jonah and Sarah Stansberry, and nine children were born to them: Lasora, wife of Dr. F. F. Farnsworth; Victoria, wife of J. D. Miller ; Enoch E., who was shot by the accidental discharge of a gun in the hands of Roy Carpenter, August 12, 1904, and died August 18, 1904, leaving a widow, "nee" Cora M. Allman, and one son, Dexter Clayton, aged two years ; Stalnaker, who died July 31, 1897, at the age of 22 years; Thomas S., who married Mary Raikes; Granville Ray, who married B. Maude Wilson; Clayton J. and Josiah, both single, and Sarah, dead.
After his marriage he settled on the head waters of Laurel Fork, a branch of French Creek in the virgin forest, and improved a good farm and built good buildings and continued to live there until 1902, when he moved to Beechtown, where he bought the farm of the late Jared M. Armstrong, which contains 200 acres, on which he now resides.
He is much interested in good stock and good buildings.
In 1877 he was converted and united with the M. E. Church, and helped to build the old log Bethlehem Church. He was prominent in supplanting the old log church by a good frame building, second to no country church in Upshur County, in 1899.
WILLIAM T. MARTIN, born May 19, 1861, son of George W., and Rebecca Ann (Hyre) Martin, daughter of Elijah and Margaret (Loudin) Hyre, who was a daughter of Thomas and Hannah (Conley ) Loudin.
George W. Martin was born in Augusta County, Va., son of Woodson and Sarah (Crizer) Martin, natives of Nelson County, Va. He came to Upshur County in 1844, with his father and both followed the brick mason trade and built the first brick house in Buckhannon, known as the Mullin House. George W. Martin was a soldier in Captain Hagan's Company.
William T. Martin was married on May 1, 1884, to Kate Rollins, daughter of Lemuel and Elizabeth (Reese) Rollins. Lemuel Rollins was a son of Barney
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and Catherine ( Wetherholt) Rollins. And was first chair maker in the town of Buckhannon and a member of the first Council.
Children : Harold Clyde, born May 15, 1885, died July 31, 1897; Carl Frank, born December 22, 1886; George Lemuel, born August 20, 1888; Ica, born December 1, 1890, died October 20, 1896; Wm. A. E., born August 18, 1892; Ada Mabel, born April 4, 1894; Ether Maud, born May 9, 1896; Woodson, born May 27, 1898; Clifton, born November 24, 1900; Theodore Roosevelt Lincoln, born February 9, 1903.
William T. Martin was one of the first councilmen elected when South Buckhannon was incorporated, which office he still holds. He is a Republican in politics. His two brothers are : Robert C. and Jacob E., and his sisters are Mary E. and Sarah M.
GEORGE EDWIN MATHERS, born February 7, 1870, in Buckhannon, son of Dr. J. R. Mathers, the grandson of Rev. Edward Mathers a minister of the M. P. Church, who came from New York and located in Wheeling, W. Va., at first and later moved to Upshur County. His mother was Lucinda J. Rohr- bough, daughter of Jacob Rohrbough, who was a son of Simon Rohrbough. After completing his education in the public school of the town, he entered the lumber business, which he has followed for the last twenty-two years, repre- senting some of the best firms in this part of the State. Being the only child, and his mother having died when young, he was raised by George Stuart.
Married Clara Norris, daughter of Elias and Elizabeth Norris, who emigrated from Virginia to Lewis county and lived there, September 20, 1891, when the ceremony of matrimony occured. Child : Ruby Bera, born July 28, 1892.
ISAAC R. MATTHEWS, son of Simon Matthews, a Confederate soldier, Company A, 25th Infantry, and Lee Anna Murphy, daughter of Marshall Murphy, soldier in the war of 1812, and Mary Poe, daughter of Stephen Poe, who was the son of Samuel Poe, a Revolutionary soldier. He is a saw fitter by trade and came to Upshur County in 1891, with Smoot, Berthy & Co.
Married Minerva C. Bennett, daughter of Jacob Bennett, January 3, 1877. Children : Icy B., Virginia C., James B., Simon R., Russell Alverta, Lee Anna, and Adda.
He now lives in Webster County.
CAIOUS McATEE, employe of the J. L. Henry Planing Mill Company. Son of William and Rebecca Ellen ( Maxwell) McAtee. Born November 29, 1858, in Wood County, Va., married for his first wife Anna Swiger of Wood County and for his second wife Victoria Paugh, he has but one living child, Bessie.
JOHN A. McCARTNEY, born August 26, 1836, in Lewis County, son of William B. McCartney and Phoebe B. Riffle, grandson of Thomas McCartney and Sarah Bennett. Thomas McCartney came direct from Scotland.
Phoebe Riffle was a daughter of George Riffle and Susan McCaulley, of Scotch-Irish descent.
Sarah Bennett was the daughter of William Bennett.
At the termination of the fratricidal war of 1861-5, Mr. McCartney settled in Upshur County and in 1880, he married Hannah V. West, the daughter of John and Abagail West.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Mr. McCartney cast his lot with the South, and in compliance with this decision volunteered at Hacker's Valley May 12, 1861, in Captain Mollehan's Company, afterwards Company G, 25th Virginia Volunteer Infantry, and went forth to fight for his convictions. His company was
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in Garnett's retreat from Beverly, in the Alleghany Mountain fight, December 13, 1861, the second battle of Kernstown, the charge on the Brick House, where Gen. Mulligan was killed and was with Lee's Army while Grant was marching toward Richmond. He saw the surrender of Lee and took his parol on April 10, 1865.
He is a citizen of Bank's District, lives near the Postoffice of Kanawha Head and a Democrat in politics.
WILLIAM HENRY McCLAIN was born September 13, 1838, and was married to Mary E. Ferrell, who was born April 16, 1841.
Children : Charles Everett, married Minty Eubant ; Emory Wells, Samuel Edward, married Georgia Mick; Emma Cordelia, married P. S. Harper ; George Alvin ; Mary Martha, married Wm. H. Bennett; William Lewis, married Anna Tierney ; Alvin Wade, Rosa May, married Gilbert Simons ; Robert Murrel, mar- ried Hattie Bennett ; Ernest, married Mamie Potts.
The subject of this sketch is a son of William McClain, who was a son of Henry McClain, who emigrated from Ireland to Pennsylvania, then came to Virginia and died at the age of 96 years. William McClain, came from Virginia and located on White's Camp, waters of the West Fork River, bought a woodland farm containing 150 acres. He died July 2, 1849, and left a widow with 12 child- ren, who succeeded in having the farm cleared out.
Mrs. McClain, the wife of the subject of this sketch was a daughter of Lewis Ferrell and Martha (Loving) Ferrell of Albermarle County, Va., who came to this county in 1845.
Mr. McClain is a member of the M. E. Church South, and a Republican.
ELIZA JANE VANGILDER McCLAY, daughter of Frederick and Har- riet Dorcas Vangilder, born December 7, 1860, married Josiah McClay an employe of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company for the past sixteen years, May 14, 1877.
Children : Mary, born June 6, 1878, lives in Ohio; Edward, born December 31, 1880, B. & O. office, Grafton ; John Francis, born January -, 1882, a salesman ; Jennie H., born May 25, 1884, wife of Elza Young ; Frederick Nelson, born March 6, 1887.
The Vangilders are descendants from Holland emigrants.
MARY VIRGINIA McCOY, daughter of Estridge McCoy of Barbour County, a farmer and son of Benjamin and Matilda (Johnson) McCoy. Was born in 1851. Estridge McCoy married Barbara Ellen Corder, daughter of Allen E. and Margaret (Talbott) Corder, April 14, 1874.
Children : E. A., M. V., Rodolph, T. O., R. L., H. A., Jessie F. and L. M. JOSEPH COLEMAN McCRAY, son of Robert McCray of Cleveland, Webster County. Was born May 28, 1837, and was married April 8, 1869 to Margaret Marietta Young, who was born January 19, 1839, the daughter of Anson and Anna (Brake) Young.
The Young family came from New England here and is one of the oldest families in the County. Mrs. McCray was a teacher in Centerville, for several years before her marriage, which function she is filling with fidelity and honor.
Their children are : Adelia Alice, wife of James W. Hefner ; Sabina R., born in 1872 and died 1873; Louvenia R., married N. S. McCray of Lewis County ; Hardy Y., a lumberman ; James R., an engineer on the railroad ; Charles J., lum- berman, single, and Bertha May, wife of M. D. Poling, of Richwood.
His politics are Democratic and his religion M. E., South.
RICHARD C. McCRAY is a farmer owning 130 acres of land on the Little Kanawha river near Cleveland. Is a Democrat in politics. Is the son of Robert
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and Jerusha (Lake) McCray and the grandson of Robert McCray of Cleveland. His birth occurred September 25, 1866, and on January 4, 1894, occurred his mar- riage to Martha S. Harper, who was born February 19, 1872.
Mrs. McCray is the daughter of W. L. and Catherine W. (Childress) Harper. Their children are: Doris, born May 19, 1895, died November 24, 1897; Kelvin L., born October 23, 1898; Ulva L., March 29, 1897; Olga L., May 5, 1900 ; Mabel L., August 15, 1902 ; Algia L., March 28, 1904; Floy L., July 2, 1906. MOSES MITCHELL MCCUE, son of William Boyd and Frances ( Wine- barger) McCue, grandson of Charles McCue and great grandson of John McCue of Scotland, who came to Nelson County, Virginia, at an early date, and settled and lived there until his death. The grandfather, Charles McCue, was a school teacher of Nelson County, Virginia. W. B. McCue went from Nelson County to Albermarle, and there united in marriage, January 28, 1828, to Frances Wine- barger, and after marriage lived in Albermarle County until November, 1847. Then leaving their old homestead they came to Upshur County, and for six months William Boyd McCue was miller at the Jacob Hyre mill on Finks Run. In 1848, he moved to Stone Coal, near the present postoffice of McCue, and there, on January 21, 1852, was born the subject of this sketch, who is a farmer and elder in the Presbyterian Church. His brothers and sisters are: Ann Rebecca, wife of Wm. Bethel; Charles Franklin, who married Parthena Hudson ; Wm. C., who married Cornelia Fanarlsdarling; James S., who married Mary E Ham- ner ; Jolin W., who married Margaret Ludridge; Mary F. wife of G. P. Eckes ; Henry D., who married Elsie A. Lemmons; Moses M., who married Olive Casto, eldest daughter of Asahel and Jane (Peterson) Casto, February 18, 1875. Charles F., oldest son of William B. McCue, built a grist mill near the present site, where his son, John F. McCue, now resides. William B. McCue and son C. F., were the founders of the McCue Presbyterian Church, which was com- pleted in 1883. William C., second son of William B. McCue, went from this place to Fairfield County, Ohio, residing there for some years, then moving from there to Lawrence County, Missouri, where he now resides. James S., third son of William B., resided on part of the place formerly owned by his father, until the year 1901, when he departed this life. John W., fourth son of William B., resides near Evergreen, Upshur County ; Henry D., fifth son of William B., re- sides on a farm near the old homestead. Moses M., the sixth and last son of Wil- liam B., is a farmer and resides at the old homestead; his children, Sophrona May, died September 10, 1905; Lydia Frances, married James A. Duncan, No- vember 22, 1893. and to this union have been born two daughters; Sadie Jane, married William G. Lanham, October 14, 1903; Joseph Ray, married Maude May Mace, September 6, 1905; Julia Matilda, Daisy Virginia, William Cyrus, all single, living with their parents near McCue.
JAMES A. McDOWELL was born March 1, 1874, the son of John Alex- ander and Margaret (Donelly) McDowell. John A. was the son of John and Anna (Curry) McDowell. John McDowell died September 21, 1866, and Anna (Curry) McDowell died March 12, 1883.
John A. McDowell was married February 2, 1854 to Margaret Donnelly. who was born in Monroe County, Va., December 26, 1833, the daughter of James and Hannah (Dunbar) Donelly. Their children are: Elizabeth S., born February 27. 1855, married Lloyd J. Curry, merchant at Centerville ; Isaac N., born November 24, 1856, married Tabitha E. Jackson of Texas ; H. Bruce, born October 21, 1858, married M. Hettie Reger of Lewis County; Malissa J., born February 6, 1861, married William A. Kincaid, Postmaster of Centerville ; Martha
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R., born June 27, 1865, married Andrew Mearns ; Mary S., born May 28, 1863, died July 17, 1892; Sarah E., born January 23, 1868, died February 1, 1868; Irene Ada, born May 28, 1869 : William K., born September 25, 1871, married Iva Kincaid ; James A., born March 1, 1874.
James A. McDowell is a sadler and harness maker. In politics a staunch Prohibitionist and in religion a Missionary Baptist. His residence is in Center- ville.
CLARA GOULD McLEOD, was born on the waters of Glady Fork of Stone Coal, in 1860, and lived there until 1871. was a pupil in the Buckhannon Graded Schools from this time until 1880, with the summer spent in study and school at the French Creek Academy, select schools and normals in Buckhannon, taught school in Rural Districts of Upshur on a No. I Graded certificate during winters of 1880 and 1881. In August, 1882, she went to Howkan, Alaska, under the aus- pices of the Presbyterian Board of Home Missions as teacher to the Hydah Indians. She was missionary for three years, after which time she was commis- sioned by the U. S. Government to teach the same school. She worked and labored with the Hydah Indians as Government teacher for ten years or until 1895.
In 1890 she married W. D. McLeod of New York City at Howkan. In 1895 Margaret Elizabeth was born. In 1904 Gilbert Donald was born.
Hers was the first white wedding witnessed among the Hydah Indians and her daughter was the first white child born among them.
Since 1901 she has been living in Daykoo, in McLeod Bay, on Dall Island. within three miles of the British line.
HENRY L. McQUAIN is a farmer of Banks District. Was born January 22, 1866. Was married August 26, 1886, to Hulda J. Hickman, who was born October 1, 1862. Their children are: Rosa, born April 13, 1888; James L., born May 29, 1890; Etta L., born April 2, 1893. Mrs. McQuaid died June 2. 1896. On September 18, 1896, he married Virginia M. Andrew. Their children are: Laura B., born December 21, 1897; Audra M., born May 2, 1901 ; John L., born December 16, 1903. Mrs. Virginia McQuaid died June 16, 1904.
On October 26, 1906, he married Harriet Wimer, daughter of Elihu and Rosanna (Brake) Wimer.
His home farm contains 75 acres on the waters of the Little Kanawha River, He and his wife own a farm of 110 acres on West Fork. They are Methodists in religion and he is a Republican in politics.
ROBERT WELTON McQUAIN has been mail carrier for 14 years with- out failure or fine. Owns two farms, one of 40 acres near Centerville and one of 100 acres on White's Camp Run. He was born March 4, 1855. Was married in 1877 to Virginia Susan Marley, daughter of Samuel Marley and their child, William Luther died November 21, 1878.
Mrs. McQuain died January 18, 1882.
He married for his second wife Lyda Susan Siron, the daughter of Valentine and Emily (Flesher) Siron of Highland County, November 30, 1882.
Lydia Susan McQuain was born July 25, 1861, and her children are: Trude Margaret, Edward Harrison, Lizzie Blanche, Sarah A., dead. India Orpha, Mary Emily, Perry Waid, Thomas.
Mr. McQuain's parents are : Thomas and Sarah Ann (Stone ) McQuain.
J. M. McVICKER, farmer and teacher. Son of Granville G. and Lucretia M. (McCorkle) McVicker, born March 3. 1875. Granville G. McVicker emi- grated from Scotland and was the father of Joseph Lee, William Harry, Walter
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T., Bookkeeper for the Belington Lumber Co., L. C., of the Signal Corps of the Philippine Islands, J. M., Octavia and Hazel.
DR. J. M. MCWHORTER was born of Scotch-Irish extraction on the 22d day of January, 1822. He is the grandson of Henry McWhorter, the first McWhorter who settled in West Virginia, and from whom all the McWhorters in West Virginia are directly descended. He was the tenth child of Walter Mc- Whorter and Margaret Herst McWhorter. He descends from good Revolution- ary stock, his grandfather, Henry McWhorter having been a Revolutionary soldier, fighting under Washington at White Plains and elsewhere, and his grand- father Herst, on his mother's side, having served in the Continental Army during almost the entire Revolutionary War.
Dr. McWhorter was born and reared in Harrison County where he lived until 1860, when he moved to Upshur County. In 1848 he married Rosetta Marple, daughter of John W. Marple, and to them were born eleven children, eight of whom lived to maturity, seven of whom are still living. When his two youngest children were very small, his wife died, and some years later he married Mrs. Phebe Cunningham, of Ritchie County, who died in 1905. For twenty-five years he was actively engaged in the practice of medicine, his practice soon growing large and extending into several counties in this state. When he became about sixty-five years old he retired from the practice of his profession, spending his spare time in writing, lecturing and preaching. He was ordained a local minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, but later retired therefrom and joined the Universalist Church, whose doctrines he has openly espoused for more than sixty years, and was then ordained a local minister in that Church. Being the pioneer advocate of Universalism in West Virginia, and the first licensed min- istser of that church in this state, and the people at that time being generally uninformed of the nature and character of that doctrine so that much feeling and opposition were aroused against him, his religious life became an active and strenu- ous one, and he wrote and delivered many sermons and lectures in vindication of his church doctrines, and in defending them from assaults made upon them by other church adherents. A book of his sermons and lectures was published. His open advocacy of his church doctrine at so early a date unavoidably kept him in almost constant controversy and debate for many years until, through the gen- eral diffusion of knowledge and liberality among the people and churches, his defensive warfare practically ceased as opposition subsided.
Dr. McWhorter was an extensive farmer, as well as physician, but a few years ago, feeling the weight of approaching age, he disposed of his farming interests and removed to Buckhannon, where he has since lived, and where now, at the ripe age of eighty-five, he is still living in exceptional mental and physical vigor.
His has been a most arduous and active life, without the advantage of a col- lege education, he, through his tireless energy and incessant toil and studious application, attained eminence in the medical profession, a number of his articles giving the results of his original investigation and treatment of many diseases having been published and commented upon in various medical journals published throughout the United States.
As an illustration of the strenuous life he has led from his youth, it might be of interest to recall the fact that when a boy, only from sixteen to eighteen years old, he carried the mail from Clarksburg through the wilderness and across the Cheat Mountains, both winter and summer, to where the city of Durbin now stands, the place then being called Traveller's Repose, and he also carried the mail
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from Clarksburg through by way of Weston to the Little Kanawha River, where Glenville now stands, thence by way of Sutton and Burnsville to French Creek in Upshur County, then back to Weston by way of Buckhannon, the entire route being through an almost unbroken wilderness, and Buckhannon at that time being only a small village of a few scattering houses, the postoffice being kept by Henry Westfall at his residence where the Hart property now stands in Buckhannon. At that time, he says, when the mails were open, the postmaster would place the mail for the town in the crown of his hat, then go to the few houses and business places and distribute it. This is the first free delivery of mail Buckhannon ever had-and to this date, 1907, the last.
On one of these trips down Leading Creek, near where the Catholic Church now stands, while traveling alone through a dismal forest, early in the morning, a panther attempted to jump on him from the road side. It was so close to him that he says he could have struck it with an ox gad. Although unarmed, he main- tained his presence of mind and cowed the beast by looking it sternly in the eye each time it attempted to spring until he got past it. It repeatedly crouched to spring, wringing its tail and throwing out its long, ugly claws, but as it would look up for the spring it would catch his eye and sink back again. There seems to be something about the human eye, when backed by coolness and nerve, that terrorizes a wild beast, at least it did so in this case. He says that it was a terribly gaunt, hungry looking animal. At another time, while coming through the Allegheny Mountains one dark night, just before daybreak, with the snow up to the saddle girth, a panther screamed right by the roadside. This is one time when, he says, he was actually scared, and expected every minute to feel the ani- mal's claws. At different times on these trips he saw wild bears as well as pan- thers. When a boy he also walked from Clarksburg across the mountains to Loudoun County, Virginia., Washington, Baltimore at different times driving stock at thirty-three cents per day. On his return trips he yas expected to walk a hundred miles every three days on two meals a day, and was paid accordingly.
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