West Virginia and its people, Volume II, Part 80

Author: Miller, Thomas Condit, 1848-; Maxwell, Hu, joint author
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: New York, Lewis Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 866

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(I) William Henderson, the founder of this family, was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1778. In 1799 he came to the United States of Amer- ica, and he made settlement in Virginia. There he was a planter. In the war of 1812 he served his adopted country as a colonel of militia. He married, in Virginia, in 1805, Elizabeth Newton, born in Westmoreland county, Virginia, in 1786. Children : William, George, Robert, Andrew Jackson, of whom further.

(II) Dr. Andrew Jackson Henderson, son of William and Elizabeth (Newton) Henderson, was born December 24, 1828, died at Washing- ton, D. C., 1894. He was a physician. In the civil war he was a Confed- erate soldier. His political principles were those of the Democratic party, and his church was the Baptist. He married, in Virginia, in 1851, Mary Elizabeth, born January 7, 1833, daughter of Captain Dandridge and Elizabeth (Chewning) Cox. Children : Mary Emma, born April II, 1855; Robert, September 11, 1859; Octavius Jennings, of whom further.

(III) Dr. Octavius Jennings Henderson, son of Dr. Andrew Jack- son and Mary Elizabeth (Cox) Henderson, was born at Heathsville, Virginia, January 20, 1864. His education was begun in the public ; schools, and prosecuted at Locust Dale Academy. In 1889 he graduated from the Medical College of Virginia. Since the time of his graduation, Dr. Henderson has been steadily engaged in the practice of medicine and

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surgery, and since February 15, 1894, he has also conducted a drug stor, at Montgomery, Fayette county, West Virginia, where he makes h home. Dr. Henderson has thus been engaged for about twenty years i professional practice, remaining in one place, and has a large clientage a and about Montgomery. He is active also in the commercial life of h: community, and is the chairman of the board of directors of the Mont gomery National Bank. He is a member of the Free and Accepte Masons and of the Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine also of the Knights of Pythias and of the Improved Order of Red Mer Dr. Henderson is not, however, active in politics. He is a member of the Protestant Episcopal church. Dr. Henderson married, in Washing ton, D. C., December 2, 1896, Lucy Isabelle, born at Heathsville, Virginia March 9, 1871, daughter of Mottram Ball and Fannie Ann (Campbell; Crallé. Her father, son of Jefferson Ball and Alpha (Kenna) Cralle was a merchant, and the clerk of his county. Child of Dr. and Mrs Henderson : Jennings Crallé, born September 21, 1898.

COLEMAN The Colemans of West Virginia were of those sturd pioneers to whom the Virginians owe so much. Th progenitor, Malcolm Coleman, is recorded as havin; done garrison duty in the early days at Fort Pitt, Wheeling, Mariett; and Belleville. At that time the battle for the possession of the Ohio valley was being fought out between the red men and the white settlers Many are the tales that have come down to us of undaunted courage and of thrilling adventure on the part of the settlers, and of brutal atrocitie inflicted upon them by the savages. The early pioneers of the Coleman name played their parts in this thrilling drama, and have left to thei posterity a heritage rich in romantic achievement, and appealing to the imagination in their heroic struggle against the relentless savages who continued to wage war against the white men in the Ohio valley until Wayne's treaty with the Indians in 1795 put an end to the struggle. The following is one of the stories told of that time of savage atrocities and of as fierce reprisals :

In the month of February, 1793, a party composed of Malcolm Coleman and his son John, James Ryan and Elijah Pixley, left the garrison at Belleville for the purpose of getting a supply of meat. They descended the Ohio in a pirogue to the mouth of Big Mill creek. thence proceeded up that stream and encamped near the site of Cottageville. In a few days their boat was loaded with a supply o: venison and bear meat. Meanwhile the creek had frozen over and they were not able to reach the Ohio. Thus detained. John Coleman and Elijah Pixley re- turned overland to the garrison for a supply of flour and salt. They were ex- pected to return from the garrison on the morning of the third day, and Mal- colm Coleman and James Ryan prepared an early breakfast. While Colemar was invoking the Divine blessing, the Indians in ambush poured a shower oi. balls upon them, and Coleman fell dead. Ryan, who was but slightly wounded made his escape and conveyed the sad intelligence to Belleville. A party at once set out for the camp, and upon arriving there, found it plundered and the body of Coleman scalped and stripped of its clothing. The body was buried on the spot, and the party returned to the garrison. From that time John Coleman be- came noted as an Indian hunter, never losing an opportunity to run down and kill every Indian that crossed his path in revenge for this wanton murder.

(I) Malcolm Coleman, the progenitor of the Coleman family in the western part of Virginia, left a large family of children : Samuel, James, John, Thomas. Margaret and Jane. All of these married and had chil- dren, and their descendants are numerous and scattered over many states. Most of them, however, still reside in Wood and Jackson counties, West Virginia, and in Meigs county, Ohio, and constitute a farming popula-)

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tion on both sides of the Ohio river at Belleville and Long Bottom and the surrounding towns where a little more than a century ago their ances- tors blazed their way through the primeval forest and drove the Indians from the Ohio valley The greater number of those who remain in West Virginia are descended from James, of whom further.

(II) James, son of Malcolm Coleman, died and was buried at Jack- son, Ohio. He married Nancy Anderson, and left two children: I. Thomas, of whom further. 2. Polly, married James White and became the mother of ten children. These, with their numerous descendants, are widely scattered, although most of them still reside in Meigs county, Ohio, and in Jackson county, West Virginia.

(III) Thomas, son of James and Nancy (Anderson) Coleman, was born at Letart Falls, Virginia, June 22, 1801. He was two years old when his father died, and until the age of fourteen years, lived with an uncle. Later he obtained a position as cook on a river boat, and soon rose to that of push hand, subsequently becoming captain. With his earnings he bought a farm, paying for it in salt, and at the age of twenty was the owner of a good tract of land without encumbrance. He grad- ually added to his original purchase of farm lands and at the time of his death owned more than three thousand acres of valuable land on Muses Bottom and in the country contiguous thereto, in Jackson county, West Virginia. In 1860 he built a fine brick church, known as "Coleman's Chapel," Methodist Episcopal Church. South, on a beautiful site on his farm, and this is still in excellent condition, and is the regular house of worship for that section of the country. At the rear of the church he set apart a plot of ground as a family graveyard, and inclosed it with a block stone wall six feet high which will last for ages. He was a man of indomitable energy and perseverance, and by his industry and thrift accumulated enough to give each of his family a home. His education. which had been acquired entirely by his own efforts, stood him in truer stead than that of many others who had had greater early advantages ; and few men had a hardier good sense or a sounder judgment. He con- tended with many hardships, did good to all about him, and left to his descendants a noble example of what can be accomplished by a combina- tion of honesty, frugality, perseverance and thrift. He married, at Letart Falls, Meigs county, Ohio, December 23. 1823, Sarah Roush, who died April 6, 1882. at the age of seventy-seven years. They had ten children, probably not in order of birth: I. David S., born April 21, 1827, died in St. Genevieve, Missouri, of smallpox. July 23, 1854. 2. Nancy, born April II, 1829: married W. M. Roberts, and is living at Muses Bottom. 3. Mary A., born June 26, 1831, died July 8, 1876; she married I. M. Adams. 4. Henry R., born December 3, 1833 ; at an early age he entered the ministry of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church, South, and at present ( 1913) resides in Louisville, Kentucky ; he twice visited the Holy Land and made extensive researches there, and wrote a large volume upon his travels and explorations entitled "Light from the East," which has had a wide sale: for more than thirty years he has been lecturing on the Holy Land in all parts of the Union, and has achieved well deserved fame on the platform. 5. Eliza J., born July 3. 1836; married P. D. Williams, and lives at Muses Bottom. 6. Samuel H., born March 1. 1843, died July 10, 1849. 7. Virginia C., born July 22, 1845, died November 8, 1896, at Cincinnati, Ohio: she married R. S. Morgan, a prominent citizen of Jackson county. 8. Mariah Me- lissa, born December 25, 1847 : married J. B. Morgan, a brother of R. S. Morgan, and a leading citizen of his county ; lives at Ravenswood, West Virginia. 9. Sarah E., born April 18, 1852; lives in Jackson county, West Virginia. 10. Thomas B., of whom further. The descendants of Thom-

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as and Sarah (Roush) Coleman now number more than one hundred and are widely scattered over the United States. Henry R. and Thomas B. Coleman, however, with their descendants, are the only posterity of his branch of the Coleman family who bear the family name.

(IV) Thomas B., son of Thomas and Sarah (Roush) Coleman, in- herited from his father the home place in Muses Bottom, and a tract of six hundred and twenty-five acres of land of great value, extending back from the Ohio river at the widest part of the river bottom. His home is located on a beautiful rise extending lengthwise with the river bottom, intended, it would seem by nature, as an attractive site for the building of homes. He is a successful farmer and resides on the old homestead. He married, at Belleville, West Virginia, October 11, 1863, Mary Ann White. They had children: 1. John R., who holds a responsible position with one of the largest wholesale hardware houses in the country as trav- eling salesman ; this firm has its headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, but Mr. Coleman resides at Parkersburg, West Virginia; he married Bird R. Braidon, of Parkersburg. 2. Emmett L., was graduated from Marietta College with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and from the law department of the Western Reserve University, of Cleveland, Ohio, with the degree of Bachelor of Laws ; he located in Parkersburg for the prac- tice of his profession, and there built up a large clientele, but his health becoming impaired, he removed to Corpus Christi, Texas, November. 1911, where he has regained his health ; he has already resumed his pro- fessional work, and is rapidly building up a lucrative practice ; he mar- ried Susie B. Ames, of Cleveland, Ohio. 3. William H., was also gradu- ated from Marietta College with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, then became a student in the medical department of the University of Louis- ville from which he was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medi- cine : he located in Louisville in order to pursue his professional work, and has built up an extensive practice ; in addition to his professional labors he has been one of the lecturers in the medical department of his alma mater : he married Grace Witten, of Wichita, Kansas, and to them three children have been born. 4. Thomas, of whom further. 5. Charles, died in infancy. 6. Sarah F., married William Oscar, son of Judge Wil- liam A. Parsons, of Ripley, West Virginia; the former followed in the footsteps of his father and took up the law for his life work, early achieving distinction in his profession : he was a candidate for congress in 1908 on the Democratic ticket, and came near being elected in a dis- trict that was strongly Republican : he was naturally of a frail constitu- tion. and the strain of this campaign added to overwork in his profes- sion undermined his health; in February, 1909, he went to Charleston, West Virginia, to argue a case before the supreme court of appeals, was suddenly stricken in the hotel there, and died, leaving a widow and two young sons ; Mrs. Parsons with her two children resides at Ravenswood, West Virginia. 7. Sophia O., married Robert H. Silliman, and to them four children have been born, one of whom died in early infancy ; they reside in the old Coleman homestead at Muses Bottom, where Mr. Silli- man is extensively engaged in farming and poultry raising. 8. Wade H., has a fine suburban home at Elkins, West Virginia, and is employed as manager of the Kendall Furniture Company at Elkins, in which corpor- ation he is one of the principal stockholders.

(V) Thomas (2), son of Thomas B. and Mary Ann ( White) Cole- man, was graduated from Marietta College with the degree of Bachelor of Arts ; from the University of West Virginia with the degree of Bache- lor of Laws: from Columbia University, New York City, with the de- gree of Master of Arts. At Marietta College he obtained special honors in Latin and philosophy, and after graduation was elected to the chair of

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Latin and English at Watson Seminary, at Ashley, Pike county, Missouri. He held this position two years, then went to New York City in order to take a post-graduate course in political science at Columbia University. He obtained a university scholarship, and was a member of a seminar of that university that investigated, as a part of their sociological studies, five hundred cases of poverty in the city of New York. These investiga- tions were as extensive and accurate as any of the kind that have ever been made in the country. At the end of this course he was awarded his degree of Master of Arts.

While he was in the university he formed the acquaintance of Mr. James G. Cannon, then vice-president of the Fourth National Bank of New York City, now president of the bank, and formerly treasurer of the National Republican committee, president of the New York State Bankers' Association, president of the National Association of Credit Men, and well known as one of the leading financiers of the country. Just prior to the close of his work in the University, Mr. Coleman was invited by Mr. Cannon to take a position in his bank for the summer ; this offer was accepted, and after being associated with the bank for a period of three months he was engaged by Mr. Cannon to visit the lead- ing cities of the country and conduct a personal investigation of the bank clearing house system of the United States, and gather data for a book upon this subject. In the course of these investigations, Mr. Cole- man visited nearly all the important cities of the United States and Can- ada, and made most extensive inquiries into the history, methods and ad- ministration of the clearing houses of both countries, and gathered a great wealth of data upon this subject. As a result of these labors an exhaus- tive treatise on clearing houses was published, which called forth the most flattering notices from the banking, financial and other business pub- lications of the country. This work has had a large circulation, both in this country and in Europe, and is cited by all writers on this and kindred subjects as the standard authority on clearing houses. Mr. Coleman is also the author of many articles for legal and other publications. At the West Virginia University he was elected president of his law class after a spirited contest, and was chosen one of the four debaters to represent his class at the commencement, in the public debate which was staged as one of the chief features of the commencement exercises. After his graduation he located at Parkersburg for the practice of his profession, and has continued there ever since. He has an extensive practice in the state and federal courts and in the supreme court of appeals of West Virginia. He has been connected with many notable cases, and has had a full measure of success. He is attorney for the Farmers' Building & Loan Association, and is doing a large business at Parkersburg. In poli- tics he is a Democrat. He has never severed his connection with the in- stitutions of learning in which he was a student, and is a member of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity of the University of West Virginia. He is also a member of the Country Club of Parkersburg. Mr. Coleman has always shown a keen and generous interest in all charitable and philan- thropic work. His religious affiliation is with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, of which he is a member.

CONNOR The Connor, or O'Connor, family, is one of the very few families existing in America, which claims a traceable an- cestry through the whole of history. Perhaps no other family, except among the Chinese and Hebrews, claims such a lineage. Several other Irish families, however, have taken their origin from the O'Connors, and are therefore genealogically the same, in early days.

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Among the sons of Noah, Japheth is taken as the ancestor ; ancient Kings of Scythia stand in the line; after these, but preceding the migration to the British Isles, chiefs in North Africa, where Carthage was afterward built. On the route to Great Britain, Spain and Portugal were visited, and partly conquered. The settlement in Ireland is placed about B. C. 1700, and one of the family soon became king. From the fifth to the fifteenth centuries, A. D., the O'Connors reigned, almost continuously, in the kingdom of Connaught. In the fifth century they were converted to Christianity. The surname was adopted by King Charles, or by his son Teige, about the beginning of the eleventh century, in honor of the form- er's father. The last king of this line surrendered to King Henry II., of England, and at a later time retired to a Monastery. The O'Connors have been a distinguished family since that time, with many noted men, both in Ireland and in America.

(I) Peter Connor, the first member of this family about whom we have definite information, came from Scotland, and settled at Monon- gahela, Fayette county, Pennsylvania. Both in Scotland and in the United States he was a coal miner.

(II) Charles, son of Peter Connor, was born at Calderback, Lanark, Scotland, April 30, 1850. At a tender age he began working in the mines. When he was twenty-four years old he determined to educate himself, and for two years attended night school. Then he enrolled in the South Kensington College of Sciences and Arts, in London, England, which he attended for three years, continuing his work at the same time. Here he mastered the subjects of geology, mechanics, theoretical and practical steam engineering, applied mechanics, mechanical construction and draw- ing, inorganic chemistry and mathematics. Each of these three years he won honors. He was then made a deputy overman for a mining com- pany in north Scotland, and held this position for three years. During this period, in 1879, he nearly lost his life by gas suffocation when he was leading a rescuing party after the Blantyre explosion. Through these three years he continued his studies, giving attention to surveying und mine engineering. In 1879 he came to America and he was for one year a miner at East Palestine, Columbiana county, Ohio. The next year he was mine foreman at Fayette City, Fayette county, Pennsylvania ; then for six months he held the same position with H. C. Frick & Company. From there he went to Uniontown, Fayette county, Pennsylvania, where he remained three years as foreman in the East Shaft mines. He then resigned to accept the position of superintendent of mines of the Rock- hill Iron and Coal Company, at Robertsdale, Huntingdon county, Penn- sylvania. This position Mr. Connor held for seven years, when he re- signed in order to accept the appointment as Pennsylvania state mine inspector in the bituminous coal region. From the 15th of May, 1893, he was in this position for two terms of four years each. He then resigned to accept the general superintendency of the Dominion Coal Company, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, but on account of the rigorous climate which did not agree well with him he returned in one year to Pennsylvania and accepted the position of division superintendent of the Pittsburg Coal Company in the Redstone district. Three months later he was appointed general inspector of mines, under the same company, having his headquarters in Pittsburgh. Three years later he came first into the Virginias as a resident. taking the position of general manager of the Stone Gap Colliery Company at Morgan, Virginia, but these mines were shut down a year later and he was engaged to open the mines of the George's Creek (Maryland) Coal Company. At Morgan he had pur- chased a hotel, which was burned while he was in Maryland, so Mr. Con- nor resigned in order to rebuild this, and he remained at Morgan, con-

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ducting it, for three years. The Pittsburgh Coal Company then induced him to accept a superintendency ; after one year he returned to the hotel and remained there until the Pocahontas explosion, when he was offered and accepted the general superintendency of the Pocahontas Consoli- dated Colliers' Company. Holding this for one year he was appointed by mine inspector Laing, chief deputy in the state of West Virginia, which office two years later was abolished by the legislature and he accepted, August 15, 19II, his present position, superintendent of mines, for the Davis Coal and Coke Company, Pierce, Tucker county, West Virginia.

Mr. Connor is vice-president of the West Virginia Mining Institute ; was for three years vice-president of the Mining Institute of America, and since 1886 has been a member of the American Institute of Mining Engineers. He is prominent in all these organizations. He has contrib- uted to trade journals, and read papers before societies. He is regarded as an expert on mine explosions, and has been called to all these within the last fifteen years. In fact he is an all-around mining expert. All the Pennsylvania mine examinations, from 1882 to 1904, he has passed. and he holds all certificates of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. In 1909 and 1911, while he was chief deputy mine inspector, he conducted examina- tions in West Virginia. South Kensington College. London, England, conferred upon him in 1879 the degree of M. E. He is a Mason, having held all the chairs as far as past eminent commander of the shrine; a member of the Knights of Pythias: and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In Scotland, from 1875 to 1878, he was deputy chief grand master of the Scottish Independent Order of Good Templars. Mr. Connor is a communicant of the Episcopal church, but Mrs. Connor and the children are Methodists.

Mr. Connor married Jane Mosgrove, of Barrack, Tweed, Northum- berland, England. Children: I. John MI., died at the age of twenty-four ; he was engaged in mercantile business in Pittsburgh. 2. Peter M., after a high school course and graduation, entered into mining and is now foreman of the Annabelle Mine, of the Pittsburgh-Buffalo Coal Com- pany at Fairmont, Marion county West Virginia. 3. Genie S., married Bowling, of Norton, Virginia : she is a graduate nurse of the Con- nellsville, Pennsylvania, Hospital, and before her marriage was superin- tendent of nurses in the hospital at Morgantown, Monongalia county, West Virginia. 4. Anna T., married - Pierpont, of Norton, Virginia : she is a graduate of the University of West Virginia at Morgantown. 5. Charles W., a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, with the degrees of Mechanical Engineer and Civil Engineer : at this time he is superintendent of the Virginia-Pocahontas Coal and Coke Company at Coalwood, West Virginia. 6. George M., auditor of the mine inspector's office at Charleston, West Virginia. 7. Mary M., living at home, she is a graduate of Martha Washington College, Bristol. Virginia, and of the Training School for Nurses of the Nashville, Tennessee, Hospital.

The Wells family, of Wheeling. West Virginia, has been. WELLS identified with the business interests of that section of the country for several generations, and is now ably repre sented by John Howard Wells, county clerk and probate judge at Wheel- ing.

(I) John Wells, grandfather of John Howard Wells, was born near Buffalo, New York, and was a young lad when his parents removed to Baltimore, Maryland. Subsequently he migrated to Wheeling. West

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Virginia, established himself in merchant tailoring business there, and was occupied with this for many years.

(II) Robert R., son of John Wells, was born in Wheeling, Virginia now West Virginia, April 20, 1844, died July 6, 1894. His education was the usual one of the time, and in 1861 he enlisted in Company B. First West Virginia Infantry ; later he re-enlisted in an Ohio company. Upon the close of the war he returned to Wheeling and engaged in his work in the nail mill. He married in 1866, Sarah L., daughter of Dr. James Rush Holmes, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They had children : John Howard, see forward: George N., born 1870; Robert R., 1874; Harry M., 1877; Eugene S., 1879: Louis D., 1886 : Maggie S., 1887, died in the same year.

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West Virginia and its people, Volume II, Part 80

Author: Miller, Thomas Condit, 1848-; Maxwell, Hu, joint author Publication date: 1913 Publisher: New York, Lewis Historical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 866

Author: Miller, Thomas Condit, 1848-; Maxwell, Hu, joint author
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: New York, Lewis Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 866