Cabell County, West Virginia    Various Biographies

This file was submitted by Valerie Crook,
E-mail address:  <vfcrook@earthlink.net>

The submitter does not have a connection to the subject of this sketch.

This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit
organizations for their private use. All other rights reserved.

Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval
system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other
means requires the written approval of the file's author.

This file is part of the WVGenWeb Archives. If you arrived here inside
a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at

http://www.usgwarchives.net/wv/wvfiles.htm


***************
The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 174-175
Cabell

CHARLES WELLS STRICKLAND. Shortly after finishing
his education Mr. Strickland went to work with the engi-
neering department of a coal mining corporation, and suc-
cessive years of training and experience with different or-
ganizations have brought him increasing responsibilities of
a technical and executive nature. For several years past
he has been located at Huntington as general manager of
the mining interests of Cunningham, Miller and Enslow.

Mr. Strickland, who was born at Morristown, New Jer-
sey, October 29, 1880, was named for his maternal grand-
father, Charles F. Wells who was born in New Jersey in
1836 lived at Morristown and later moved to Philadelphia,
where for many years he conducted an extensive business
as a building contractor, and where he died in 1914.

Allen S. Strickland, father of the Huntington business
man, was born at Morristown, New Jersey, in 1854, and
while living at Morristown developed an expansive business
as a grain merchant, with offices in Philadelphia, and finally
removed to that city in 1886, living there until his death
in 1902. He was a republican and a member of the Ma-
sonic fraternity, being affiliated with St. Johns Command-
ery, Knights Templars, of Philadelphia, and Lulu Temple
of the Mystic Shrine in Philadelphia.

Allen S. Strickland married Laura Virginia Wells, who
was born at Morristown, New Jersey, December 13, 1861.
She was the mother of four children: Charles W.; Mabel,
wife of George Hane, an artisan living in Philadelphia;
James, who died at the age of nine years; and John, a
cabinet maker in Philadelphia.

Charles Wells Strickland attended the public schools of
Philadelphia, and in 1899 graduated from the Central Man-
ual Training School, where he was given some of the techni-
cal training which proved valuable to him in his early expe-
rience in the mining industry. For about a year after
leaving school he was employed in the maintenance depart-
ment of the Pennsylvania Railroad. On February 1, 1900,
he became a rodman on the engineer corps of the Mitchell
Coal & Coke Company at Gallitzin, Pennsylvania. He re-
mained there until December, 1902, in the meantime being
promoted to assistant chief engineer. For a number of
years Mr. Strickland's field of work was in Kentucky. At
Sturgis he was a mining engineer for the Crittenden Coal
& Coke Company until 1905, in the latter year became as-
sistant engineer of the West Kentucky Coal Company at
Sturgis, and in 1911 was promoted to chief engineer. He
left these duties and came to Huntington on February 1,
1918, since which date he has been general manager of the
mining interests of the widely known firm of coal operators
and coal land owners, Cunningham, Miller & Enslow. The
bulk of the interests of this firm are situated in the mining
fields of Kanawha and Logan counties. Mr. Striekland's
offices are in the First National Bank Building of Hunting-
ton. He is also a director in the Bengal Coal Company.

Mr. Strickland is a republican, a Presbyterian and a
member of the Guyandotte Club of Huntington. His fra-
ternal affiliations are in Sturgis, Kentucky, where he is af-
filiated with Kelsey Lodge No. 658, A. F. and A. M., is a
past high priest of Sturgis Chapter, R. A. M., and past
chancellor of Silver Lodge No. 68 of the Knights of Pythias.

On December 26, 1905, at Gallitzin, Pennsylvania, he
married Miss Mary K. Gunning, daughter of James and
Mary Gunning, her mother a resident of Gallitzin. Her
father, now deceased, was a hotel proprietor there. Mrs.
Strickland finished her education in the Mount Aloysius
Academy of Crescent, Pennsylvania. The two children of
their marriage are: Mary, born June 22, 1913; and Vir-
ginia, born September 15, 1919.

***************
The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 175
Cabell

PAUL HARDY acquired his early experience in the steel,
iron and mining industry in his native state of Ohio, and
for a number of years past has been the leading business
man of Huntington, where he is president of the Steel Prod-
ucts Company.

He was born at Columbus, Ohio, January 7, 1879. His
grandfather, George Hardy, was a native of Scotland, came
as a young man to America and settled at Lebanon, Ohio,
where he was a merchant and where he married. He died
at Lebanon in 1840. His son, Charles James Hardy, was
born at Lebanon in 1828, and was twelve years of age
when he lost both his parents by death. He arrived in
Columbus, Ohio, shortly afterward in a stage coach, before
the days of railroads, was reared and educated there, and
became a distinguished factor in the life and affairs of
the capital city of Ohio. Banking was his chief business,
and, when he finally retired from service he had the dis-
tinction of being the oldest bank cashier in point of dis-
tinguished years of service in the country. He was for
many years cashier of the Deshler National Bank of Colum-
bus. He was a republican in politics and one of the lead-
ing members of the Trinity Episcopal Church.  Charles
James Hardy, who died at Columbus, Ohio, in 1914, mar-
ried Emily M. Carpenter, who was born at Lindonville,
Vermont, in 1854, and died at Columbus in 1918. They
were the parents of four children: Chester, associated with
the Peoples Savings Association of Columbus; Jean M.,
wife of A. W. Forrest, a real estate man at Columbus;
Caroline C., of Cleveland, Ohio; and Paul.

Paul Hardy graduated from high school in Columbus in
1895. He continued his education for two years in Ohio
State University, and then followed a period of two years
in which he was an employe of the Otis Steel Company at
Cleveland. In 1898 he re-entered the Ohio State University,
remaining until he graduated in 1902, with the Mining
Engineer's degree. He is a member of the Sigma Chi col-
lege fraternity. After graduating he spent two years as
chief engineer for the Columbus and Hocking Coal & Iron
Company and one year as field man for the Jeffrey Manu-
facturing Company of Columbus. Mr. Hardy's first busi-
ness interests in West Virginia were as chief engineer for
the U. S. Coal and Oil Company, now the Island Creek Com-
pany, at Holden. He was promoted to general superintend-
ent, then to general manager and finally consulting engi-
neer, and continued with the corporation until 1914. In
that year he organized the Coal River Coal & Coke Com-
pany at Dobra, West Virginia, and was president of that
business until it was sold in 1916. In the meantime he or-
ganized the Monte Coal Company at Ottawa, West Virginia,
became president of the company and sold out in 1921.

Mr. Hardy has been a resident of Huntington since 1914.
In 1915, in conjunction with others, he organized the Steel
Products Company of Huntington, and is president of that
important industry. He is also a director and general
manager of the Hardy Burlingham Mining Company, own-
ing some large coal mines in Eastern Kentucky; and is a
director of the Huntington National Bank.

His business offices are in the Loop Building. Mr. Hardy
is an independent voter, is a member of the Episcopal
Church, and is owner of considerable real estate in Hunt-
ington, including a very attractive home on Washington
Boulevard. During the World war he had some responsible
duties in supervising the manufacture of high explosive
shells in the plant of the Steel Products Company. Two
hundred men were employed in this department of the busi-
ness at the time.

In 1907, at Columbus, Mr. Hardy married Miss Anne
Brown Huff, daughter of Winfield S. and Anne Huff. Her
father is a retired insurance man of Columbus. Mr. and
Mrs. Hardy have one son, Paul, Jr., born August 21, 1914.


***************
The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 184-185
Cabell

CHARLES MARSH GOHEN at the age of fourteen began
work as a messenger in a Huntington bank. That was over
thirty years ago, and his service has been continuous with
one banking institution, under two organizations, and
throughout he has been in close touch with the practical
and technical side of banking.

The bank that first employed him was the Commercial
Bank of Huntington. From messenger he became teller.
In 1894 the consolidation of this bank with the Bank of
Huntington resulted in the present Huntington National
Bank. Mr. Gohen continued with the new institution in
the capacity of teller, and was successively promoted to
assistant cashier, cashier and other responsibilities, and
since July 1, 1919, has been president of this, one of the
largest and strongest banks in the state, with total re
sources aggregating nearly $8,000,000. The bank has a
capital of $700,000, which with surplus and undivided prof-
its total considerably over a million. The deposits in 1921
averaged over $5,000,000.   The active executive officers
are: Charles M. Gohen, president; James K. Oney, H. O.
Aleshire, C. R. Carder, J. W. Ensign, Frank Enslow, C. W.
Phellis, vice presidents, and W. H. F. Dement, cashier.

Mr. Gohen's grandfather was Thomas A. Gohen, who was
born in Ireland in 1832 and as a young man came to Amer-
ica and settled at Cincinnati. He was a chemist by profes-
sion and was associated with the Marsh & Harwood Chem-
ical Company of Cincinnati, where he lived until his death
in 1900. He married Anna De Coursy, who was born in
France in 1834, and died at Cincinnati in 1902. They reared
a family of three daughters and five sons. There are three
sons still living: James A., whose record follows; David
M., secretary of the trustees of the Sinking Fund of Cin-
cinnati; and George A., in the insurance and real estate
business at Cincinnati. One of the deceased daughters was
Elizabeth, wife of the late Stark Arnold, who was a nephew
of Stonewall Jackson and was a prominent West Virginia
attorney and afterward a minister of the Methodist Church.
Their son, Gohen C. Arnold, is now president of the State
Senate of West Virginia.

James A. Gohen, father of the Huntington banker, was
born in Cincinnati May 5, 1849, was reared there, married
in Aurora, Indiana, and was a carriage manufacturer at
Aurora and other places, and in 1884 established his home
in Huntington, West Virginia, where for twenty years he
was connected with the motive power department of the
Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad. In 1904 he removed to In-
dianapolis, where he was with the motive power depart-
ment of the Big Pour Railroad until he retired in 1914.
He is still living in Indianapolis. James A. Gohen married
Malvina Fenton Marsh, who was born at Aurora, Indiana,
September 8, 1852, and died at Indianapolis in December,
1920.

Charles Marsh Gohen, only child of his parents, was
born at Aurora, Indiana, September 18, 1876, and has lived
at Huntington since he was eight years of age. He at-
tended the public schools of this city until at the age of
fourteen he took up his banking career. Besides his office
as the executive head of the Huntington National Bank he
is president of the Clearing House Association of Hunting-
ton, is president of the West Virginia Paving and Pressed
Brick Company of Huntington, and vice president of the
Fesenmeier Packing Company of Huntington. He is a mem-
ber of the West Virginia State and American Bankers Asso-
ciation, is a democrat, a vestryman in the Episcopal Church,
a member of the Rotary Club, Guyandotte Club, and Guyan
Country Club of Huntington. During the World war he was
County chairman for the War Savings drive, also an ac-
tive factor in filling the local quota for the Liberty Loans.
Mr. Gohen owns a fine home at 1418 Fifth Avenue.

June 14, 1906, at Huntington, he married Miss Mary
Elizabeth Emmons, daughter of Carlton Delos and Minnie
(Gibson) Emmons, residents of Hnntington, where her fa-
ther is president of the Emmons-Hawkins Hardware Com-
pany. Mrs. Gohen is a granddaughter of Delos E. Emmons,
who was commissioned by his brother-in-law, Collis P. Hnnt-
ington, of New York City, to lay out the City of Hunting-
ton, and he was active in the upbuilding of this West Vir-
ginia railroad and commercial center. Mrs. Gohen is a
graduate of the Hollins Seminary of Roanoke, Virginia.



***************
The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 185
Cabell

R. P. ALESHIRE, representative of Cabell County in the
Legislature, is one of Huntington's prominent financiers,
head of a real estate and investment brokerage business in
that city.

Mr. Aleshire was born at Gallipolis, Ohio, and his grand-
father, Reuben Aleshire, was a pioneer in that city on the
Ohio River, going from Luray, Page County, Virginia. He
was a flour miller at Gallipolis, where he lived until his
death at the age of seventy-five.  He married Margaret
Shepard, who was born in 1818 and died at Gallipolis No-
vember 19, 1896, at the age of seventy-eight.

Edward S. Aleshire, father of R. P. Aleshire, was born
at Gallipolis in 1841, and as a young man enlisted from
that city in Company F of the Second Ohio Heavy Artil-
lery and served all through the war. He was also engaged
in the flour milling industry at Gallipolis, but about 1890
moved to Huntington, West Virginia, and became manager
of Armour & Company's branch house in that city. He died
at Huntington January 3, 1905. He was a democrat, a
vestryman of the Episcopal Church and affiliated with the
Masonic fraternity. Edward S. Aleshire married Justine
Onderdonk, a native of New York State, now living at
Huntington. She became the mother of seven children:
Walter, who died at Gallipolis at the age of seventeen;
Henry O., vice president of the Huntington National Bank;
Edward S., secretary and treasurer of the Standard Print-
ing Company at Huntington; R. P. Aleshire; Halsey W., a
merchandise broker at Huntington; Morris B., an artist in
New York City; and Justine, who died in infancy.

R. P. Aleshire graduated from the Gallipolis High School
in 1889, and also attended the Gallia Academy in that city
for two years. After completing his education his early
experience was in banking, and he was bookkeeper and
subsequently promoted to assistant cashier of the Ohio Val-
ley Bank of Gallipolis. He also became interested in poli-
tics while in Ohio, and in 1901 was democratic candidate
for state treasurer, but was defeated in the republican
landslide of that year.

Mr. Aleshire removed to Huntington in 1905, and has
since been in the real estate and investment brokerage busi-
ness. He is president of the Aleshire-Harvey Company,
real estate dealers and brokers, and is a director in several
real estate organizations. He is secretary-treasurer of the
Mutual Land Company, Home Land Company, Steel Prod-
ucts Company and the Boone Block Mining Company, all
Huntington business organizations.

Mr. Aleshire was elected to represent Cabell County in
the Legislature in November, 1920, on the democratic ticket.
During the session of 1921 he ably represented his constitu-
ents, and was a valued member of the committees on finance,
mines and mining and labor. He is a member of the Epis-
copal Church, of Huntington Lodge No. 313, Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks, and is past exalted ruler of his
former home lodge in Gallipolis. He is a member of the
Rotary Club, Guyandotte Club and Guyan Country Club of
Huntington. Mr. Aleshire is unmarried.


***************
The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 187
Cabell

HUGH B. HAGEN, president of the corporation of Hagen,
Ratcliff & Company, the oldest and most substantial whole-
sale grocery concern in the City of Huntington, has been
a resident of Cabell County from the time of his birth. He
is a representative of one of its honored pioneer families,
and he has witnessed and assisted in the development of
the fine industrial City of Huntington, which he has seen
evolved from a corn field into a fine city of more than
50,000 population. His father, the late William H. Hagen,
was born at Wellsburg, Brooke County Virginia now West
Virginia, in the year 1823, a son of John Hagen, who was
of Irish ancestry and who gained a due share of pioneer
honors in what is now West Virginia. As a young man
William H. Hagen came to Cabell County and engaged in
the general merchandise business at Guyandotte. He mar-
ried Mary, daughter of William Buffington, one of the early
settlers of the county, where he became the owner of large
tracts of land, including a portion of the site of the pres-
ent City of Huntington. After the death of Mr. Buffing-
ton this land was purchased by the late Collis P. Hunting-
ton, the great railroad builder, who intended to establish
here the terminus of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad. The
home of William H. Hagen was situated on the Guyandotte
River, in what is now the City of Huntington, and there he
and his wife reared their six children. Mr. Hagen became
a citizen of prominence and influence in the community,
served fifteen years as president of the County Court, and
on this account became widely known as Judge Hagen. He
served also as a member of the City Council of Huntington
in the early days, and was a director of the old Bank of
Huntington, which gained the questionable distinction of
having been robbed by Jesse James. He was also a director
of the First National Bank. He was a great admirer of
Alexander Campbell, he having been one of the early gradu-
ates of Bethany College, which was founded by Mr. Camp-
bell. William H. Hagen was one of the venerable and
honored citizens of Huntington at the time of his death,
and his name and memory are revered in the city and county
which long represented his home.

Hugh B. Hagen was born December 7, 1866, and when
Huntington was founded the future city came to him rather
than his having gone to the city. From the corn field and
meadow he has seen every phase of the growth and develop-
ment of Huntington, and his loyalty to the place and his
native county has never wavered, but rather has found
expression in civic liberality and effective contribution to
business advancement. He completed his youthful educa-
tion in Marshall College when sixteen years of age, and in
1884 he entered the service of the First National Bank of
Huntington, at a time when it had only two office executives,
who did all the detail work. In this institution he won
advancement to the position of paying teller. In 1887 he
aided in the organization of the wholesale grocery firm of
Hagen, Ratcliff & Company, and he has been an influential
factor in the development and upbuilding of the large and
prosperous business.  The concern was eventually incor-
porated, as a matter of commercial and financial expediency,
and he is now its president. He continues a member of
the directorate of the First National Bank, and is one of
the quiet, unostentatious and substantial citizens and busi-
ness men who have made the name of Huntington a synonym
of civic and commercial integrity and progressiveness. Mr.
Hagen has received the thirty-second degree of the Scottish
Rite of the Masonic fraternity, is a member of the Mystic
Shrine, is a democrat in politics, and he and his family hold
membership in the Johnson Memorial Church. He has had
no desire for public office, but his civic loyalty has been
shown by his service in past years as a member of the city
council. Mr. Hagen married Miss Etta Gaines, and they
have four children.


***************
The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 191-192
Cabell

LESTER J. HUDSON is prominently concerned with the
industrial activities of the City of Huntington, where he
is manager of the United States Chain & Forging Company,
the extensive plant of which, together with the general of-
fices, is situated at Fifteenth Street, West, and Adams
Avenue. This well ordered corporation, one of the most
important in its special field of enterprise in the United
States, manufactures a large variety of iron and steel
chains, especially for railroad and dredging purposes, and
Mr. Hudson has the general supervision of the work of 125
employes.

Lester J. Hudson was born in Wood County, Ohio, July
5, 1887, and is a son of Frank M. and Catherine (Miller)
Hudson, both natives of Seneca County, Ohio, where the
former was born in 1853 and the latter in 1855, the father
being now a resident of Deshler, Henry County, that state,
and being still active in the supervision of his fine farm in
that county, his wife having passed to the life eternal in
1917. He is a republican in political adherency and is a
zealous member of the Presbyterian Church, as was also
his wife. Gaylord, eldest of their children, is an electrician
and resides at Deshler; Laura is the wife of Henry Wentz,
of Elkhart, Indiana; Elmer is a farmer near Attica, Ohio;
Lester J., of this sketch, and his twin brother, Chester A.,
were next in order of birth, the latter being an employment
manager in the City of Cleveland, Ohio.

Frank M. Hudson was reared and educated in his native
county, where his marriage was solemnized and where he
continued his activities as a farmer until he removed to
Wood County, Ohio. In the latter county he was engaged
in farm enterprise until 1892, since which year he has been
one of the substantial exponents of agricultural and live-
stock enterprise in Henry County, that state.

After attending the district schools of Henry County,
Ohio, Lester J. Hudson there continued his studies in the
high school at Deshler until his graduation in 1907. He
taught two terms of school in that county, and in 1910 he
graduated from the Lima Business College at Lima, Ohio.
He then became stenographer in the offices of the Stand-
ard Chain Company at St. Marys, Ohio, and he so thor-
oughly familiarized himself with the details of the business
that he won consecutive advancement and finally, in 1912,
was made manager of the company. In 1918 this concern
sold its plant and business to the American Chain Company,
and Mr. Hudson was transferred to the latter's plant at
Columbus, Ohio, where he held the position of purchasing
agent three months. He then, in November, 1919, resigned
and accepted his present responsible office, that of manager
of the United States Chain & Forging Company.

Mr. Hudson is a thoroughgoing republican, but has had
no desire for political office. He and his wife are members
of the Fifth Avenue Baptist Church at Huntington, in
which he is a member of the church orchestra. He is a
past grand of Shawnee Lodge, I. O. O. F., at St. Marys,
Ohio, where he is affiliated also with St. Marys Lodge No.
219, Knights of Pythias. He is a member of the West
Side Country Club of Huntington. He gave loyal service
in support of the various patriotic movements in connection
with the World war, and was specially active in advancing
local campaigns in support of the Government bond issues,
he having been responsible for bonds sold to the employes
of the company of which he was an executive.

At Pittsfield, Illinois, in 1917, Mr. Hudson wedded Miss
Cora C. Laugh, who was born near Cincinnati, Ohio, and
who graduated from high school in that city and also from
a training school for nurses. Mr. and Mrs. Hudson have
no children.

Mr. Hudson is a scion of one of the sterling pioneer fami-
lies of the old Buckeye State, his paternal grandfather
having been born in Seneca County, Ohio, in 1817, a date
that indicates the pioneer priority of the family in that
commonwealth. In his native county the grandfather be-
came the owner of a valuable landed estate and was an
extensive and successful farmer, his death having there
occurred in 1897.


***************
The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 194-195
Cabell

THOMAS J. JONES. The lumber industry at Huntington
has had since 1919 a worthy, capable and progressive rep-
resentative in the person of Thomas J. Jones, sole proprie-
tor of the Leon G. Brown Lumber Company, a wholesale
concern. For many years Mr. Jones was one of the best
known figures in telegraphic circles, having held numerous
important positions with the leading companies.  He is
purely a self-made man, as he has been making his own way
since fourteen years of age, and the success that he has
attained is added evidence of the value of the possession
of the virtues of persistence, integrity and fidelity.

Mr. Jones was born at Dade City, Florida, December 9,
1871, a son of Matthew Jones. His father, who was born
in 1819, was a veteran of the Seminole war as well as of
the war between the states, in the latter of which he fought
as a Union soldier. For a number of years he lived in
Pasco County, Florida, where he carried on extensive opera-
tions as an agriculturist, and his death occurred at Dade
City, that state, in 1879. He was a democrat in politics,
fraternized with the Masons, and was a local preacher of
the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Jones married Miss
Emily Jackson, who died near Dade City in 1880, and they
became the parents of the following children: William A.,
who resides at St. Petersburg, Florida, and is engaged in
the real estate business; Mary, the wife of John O'Berry,
a farmer of Blanton, Florida; Martha, who married Isham
Howell, and died at Terracea, Florida, where Mr. Howell
is engaged in farming; Emily, who married Newton D.
Eiland, and is now deceased; James M., superintendent of
the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company at Brunswick,
Georgia; Leila, the wife of Clarence Lockhart, a farm
owner of Jacksonville, Florida; Thomas J., of this review;
Julia, who died as the wife of John Klein, a prominent
farmer of Melrose, Minnesota; and Marvin, superintendent
for the Pressed Steel Car Company at McKee's Rock, Pitts-
burgh, Pennsylvania.

Thomas J. Jones was reared on a farm near Dade City,
Florida, and as his parents died when he was still a lad
his education in the public schools was cut short when he
was fourteen years of age, at which time he went to Tampa,
Florida, and learned the cigar-making business, at which
he spent three years. His next location was San Antonio,
Florida, where he entered the railway station and learned
the art of telegraphy, a field of endeavor in which he made
rapid strides. He followed this line of work with the Or-
ange Belt Railway, now a part of the Atlantic Coast system,
until 1890, in which year he joined the Florida East Coast
Railway and remained with that system for six years. He
was then with the Plant system, now a part of the Atlantic
Coast system, with which he remained until 1898 as a teleg-
rapher, being then made rate clerk, a post which he held
until April, 1899. At that time he removed to Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, and joined the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in
the train despatcher's office, but November 6, 1899, left
that post and joined the Pressed Steel Car Company at
McKee's Bock, Pittsburgh, as general file clerk, a position
which he held until 1905. He was then head of the order
department until May 25, 1910, when he resigned and
joined the Western Union Telegraph Company as a branch
manager in the Stock Exchange at Pittsburgh. On October
1, 1911, he became district manager of the Western Union
Telegraph Company, covering Northern West Virginia and
Western Pennsylvania. On April 1, 1912, he was appointed
district cable manager at Pittsburgh, covering the states
of West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York,
and June 1, 1916, was made district commercial manager,
covering Western Pennsylvania, with headquarters at Pitts-
burgh.  He received further promotion August 1, 1916,
when he was appointed district commercial manager of the
Western Union Telegraph Company, in charge of all offices
in West Virginia, with headquarters at Huntington, and
resigned this position March 1, 1919, at which time he en-
gaged in the wholesale lumber business by becoming sole
owner of the Leon G. Brown Lumber Company. Mr. Jones'
offices are situated at 717-1/2 Ninth Street, and he has built
up one of the leading enterprises of its kind at Hunting-
ton. He has a splendid reputation for business integrity,
and has the esteem and confidence of all with whom he has
been identified whether in a business or social way. In
polities Mr. Jones is a democrat, but he has never taken
more than a good citizen's interest in political matters.
His religious connection is with the Methodist Episcopal
Church, South. Fraternally he affiliates with Huntington
Lodge No. 313, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
He took an active part in all local war activities, assisted
in all the drives for funds for all purposes, bought bonds
and War Savings Stamps, and contributed to the various
organizations to the limit of his means.

On December 7, 1898, at Tampa, Florida, Mr. Jones was
united in marriage with Miss Electa Carlin, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Carlin, the latter of whom is de-
ceased. Mr. Carlin, a resident of Los Angeles, California,
is a retired locomotive engineer, who was in the employ of
the Fort Wayne Railroad for forty-two years. Six children
have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Jones: Marion Leila,
Thomas Marvin and Margaret E., graduates of the Pitts-
burgh High School; and Melvin, Flavia and Regis, who are
attending the graded schools of Los Angeles.


***************
The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 196-197
Cabell

GEORGE B. SEAMONDS, in his second term as Circuit Court
clerk at Huntington, was formerly a railroad man and man-
ufacturer in that city, and represents one of the very old
and prominent families of Cabell County.

His grandfather, William R. Seamonds, was born in
Cabell County in 1812, spent his life there as a farmer, and
died on land that is now a part of the City of Huntington.
His death occurred in 1889. He married Nancy Harsh-
barger, a native of Cabell County, who also died at the old
home in Huntington.  Their son, William H. Seamonds,
was born near Barboursville, Cabell County, June 21, 1840,
was reared and married in the county, and spent his life
there as a more than ordinarily successful farmer. In 1914
he retired to Huntington to spend his last days in comfort,
and died there February 22, 1919. As a young man he
was a captain at the muster days at Barboursville, and was
a member of the Home Guards during the Civil war. He
served on the board of education and as road surveyor of
Barboursville District, was a democrat and affiliated with
the Baptist Church. William H. Seamonds married Sarah
J. Lusher, who was born in Barboursville District June 20,
1842, and is now living at Huntington. She is the mother
of the following children: Randolph Moss, an employe of
the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad Company at Huntington;
Mary M., of Huntington, widow of James G. Hatfield, a
building contractor and road builder; Susie L., of Hunting-
ton, widow of Benjamin F. Goolsby, a shop employe of the
Chesapeake & Ohio Eailroad Company; Lena, wife of Will-
iam H. Tinsley, a Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad man at
Huntington; William, who died at the age of nineteen
years; George R.; Maggie, wife of J. Alvin Burdette, a
locomotive engineer with the Chesapeake & Ohio at Hunt-
ington; Andrew J., also a locomotive engineer at Hunting-
ton; and Kate Gem, wife of W. Alonzo Toney, a railroad
conductor living at Huntington.

George R. Seamonds was born at Barboursville, Cabell
County, February 17, 1873. He was educated in rural
schools, and graduated in 1893 from Morris-Harvey College
at Barboursville.  The following fifteen years Mr. Sea-
monds spent in the clerical department of the Chesapeake &
Ohio Railroad at Huntington. From 1908 to 1914 he was
secretary of the Jarvis Machine & Supply Company of that
city, and in November, 1914, was first elected Circuit Court
clerk for the term of six years. In November, 1920, he was
re-elected, and his present term in the Court House at
Huntington expires in 1927. Mr. Seamonds has been one
of the busy men of his community for nearly thirty years,
and has become widely known for his ability, his thorough-
ness and his integrity.

He is a democrat, a member of the Baptist Church, and
fraternally is affiliated with Huntington Lodge No. 53,
F. and A. M., Huntington Lodge No. 313, B. P. O. E., Mod-
ern Woodmen of America, Ancient Order of United Work-
men, and Cabell Council No. 196, Junior Order United
American Mechanics. He is owner of some valuable real
estate in Huntington, including his own eight room brick
house at 919 Ninth Street, and an adjoining dwelling sim-
ilar in size and appointments at 917 on the same street.
During the war Mr. Seamonds went to the full extent of
his means and influence to support the Government in all
the drives.

He married at Huntington in 1905 Miss Cora Lee Jarvis,
daughter of Joseph C. and Alice N. (Pippin) Jarvis, resi-
dents of Huntington. Her father, now retired, was for
many years owner and operator of a machine shop. Mrs.
Seamonds, who died June 17, 1921, is survived by one daugh-
ter, Alma Louise, born October 4, 1906.


***************
The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 246-247
Cabell County

EDMUND L. HENSLEY. Among the labors to which men
devote their activities there are none which have a more
important bearing upon the business and financial welfare
of any community than those of the business educator. The
community which may boast of able and energetic workers
in this field seldom want for enterprise and civic zeal. In
his connection mention is made of Edmund L. Hensley, pro-
prietor of the West Virginia Business College of Hunting-
ton, a man of broad, varied and thorough experience, who
has developed an institution that is accounted one of the
leaders of its kind in the state.

Mr. Hensley was born in Bath County, Kentucky, July 31,
1881, a son of Edmund C. Hensley. His great-grandfather,
Samuel, came from near Jamestown, Virginia, and took up a
claim at or near the present site of Catlettsburg, Kentucky,
prior to or about the time of the Revolutionary war, in
which community was born the grandfather of Edmund L.
Hensley, Richardson Hensley, in 1821. He became a pioneer
near Holbrook, Kentucky, where he was engaged in farming
all his life, and in his death, which occurred in 1888, his
locality lost one of its enterprising agriculturists and de-
pendable citizens.

Edmund C. Hensley was born December 14, 1848, at Hol-
brook, Kentucky, and was reared and educated in that
community, but as a young man went to Bath County,
where he was married and where he carried on agricultural
pursuits for many years. In 1904 he retired from active
pursuits and settled at the home of his son, with whom
he now lives. He is a democrat in politics and a, member
of the Christian Church, of which he is a strong supporter.
Mr. Hensley married Miss Lydia Hall, who was born in
Bath County, Kentucky, in 1853, and died in that county
in 1893. Of their two children, Edmund L. and Elbert, the
latter is a graduate of Bethany (West Virginia) College,
and is now a minister of the Christian Church at Sparta,
Kentucky.

Edmund L. Hensley received his education in the public
schools of Salt Lick, Bath County, Kentucky, where he was
graduated from the high school with the class of 1899, and
for a number of years taught in the rural districts of that
county. In 1904 he left the educator's profession tempo-
rarily, accepting employment with the Cherry River Boom
and Lumber Company of Richwood, Nicholas County, West
Virginia, but in 1909 again became an instructor, when he
went to Clarksburg, West Virginia, and taught in the
West Virginia Business College until 1911. In that year
he removed to Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, and became prin-
cipal of the commercial department of the high school, a
position which he retained for one year, and January 1,
1913, came to Huntington as instructor in the West Virginia
Business College. During the summer of the same. year he
became proprietor of this institution by purchase, and since
has built up this college to one of the leaders of its kind in
the state. It has more than a state-wide reputation, as
its pupils are attracted not only from all over West Vir-
ginia, but from Ohio, Kentucky and other states as well.
The college occupies the entire third floor of the Miller
Building and is complete in every department. Mr. Hensley
is independent in polities, and a member of the Christian
Church, in which he officiates as a deacon. He holds mem-
bership in the Huntington Chamber of Commerce and the
Huntington Business Men's Association, and is active in
civic affairs. His comfortable home is located at 1110
Eleventh Avenue, in a desirable residence district of the
city.

In 1911, in Braxton County, West Virginia, Mr. Hensley
married Miss Bessie Riffle, who was born in Braxton County,
and is a normal school graduate. She was a school teacher
prior to her marriage to Mr. Hensley, and is now his assist-
ant in the college. Two children have been born to Mr. and
Mrs. Hensley:  Edmund, born November 1, 1912; and
Eluda, born May 13, 1914, both attending the Huntington
schools.

***************
The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 249-250
Cabell County

WALTER LOUIS FERGUSON has practiced law at Huntington
for ten years, and in that time has widened his reputation
throughout his district, both as an accomplished lawyer
and as an earnest citizen with the abilities that count for
leadership everywhere.

Mr. Ferguson was born at Huntington September 18,
1879.  The Ferguson family came out of Scotland and
settled in Virginia in Colonial times. Mr. Ferguson's great-
great-grandfather, Lewis S. Arthur, was a Revolutionary
soldier.  His grandfather, John Ferguson, was an early
settler in West Virginia. He was born in Fluvanna County,
old Virginia, in 1818, was reared in America, and subse-
quently established his home in what is now Putnam County,
on the Kanawha River in West Virginia. His wife, Lucy
Arthur, came to what is now West Virginia in the early
'60s. In addition to operating his farm he owned and con-
ducted a blacksmith, wagon making and repair shop. A
notable incident of his life is that he shoed the horses of
the famous James Brothers just prior to the robbery of the
Huntington Commercial Bank, now known as the Hunting-
ton National Bank. John Ferguson died at Huntington in
1896.

His son, John Henry Ferguson, was born at Red House,
Putnam County, in 1850, but since 1862 has lived at Hunt-
ington. For many years he has been a leading general
contractor of that city. He is a stanch republican and a
member of the Masonic fraternity. John Henry Ferguson,
married Lucy Frances Roberts, a daughter of Absalom
Roberts, an early family of Virginia. She was born in
Cabell County in 1850. A brief record of their children is
as follows: John A., a painting contractor at Huntington;
Sallie Belle, wife of Charles W. McClure, Jr., who for the
past thirty years has been a machinist in the Huntington
Shops of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad; Cola, wife of
Charles Neutzling, connected with the Nicholson-Kendle
Furniture Company of Huntington; Charles Henry, a
general contractor of Huntington; Walter Louis; Emmett
Blaine, a furniture dealer at Huntington; and Clarence
McKinley, a general contractor.

Walter Louis Ferguson as a youth attended the grammar
and high schools of Huntington, and for five years he studied
law in the office of Judge Lewis D. Isbell. Mr. Ferguson
was admitted to the bar in 1911, and at once began his
work as a general practitioner. In his practice he has
handled many important cases in the local, state and federal
courts, and has appeared a number of times in what is
known as the Tri-State District. His offices are in the
Prindle Building on Fourth Avenue.

Mr. Ferguson is a republican, holds a commission as a
notary public, is affiliated with the First Methodist Episco-
pal Church, is a member of the Huntington Council, Junior
Order United American Mechanics, and the Cabell County
Bar Association. He was one of the county leaders in the
various organizations and the patriotic program during the
World war, serving as a member of the Legal Advisory
Board of the county, and giving a large amount of his time
to assisting the recruits in filling out their questionnaires.

On January 1, 1914, at Parkersburg, he married Miss
Ethel Josephine Coen, daughter of Henry C. and Margaret
(Barkwill) Coen, residents of St. Marys, Pleasants County,
where her father is a merchant. Mrs. Ferguson was well
educated in music, being a skilled pianist. Mr. and Mrs.
Ferguson have three children:  Walter Louis, Jr., born
November 11, 1914; Henry Coen, who died at the age of
nine months; and Margaret Jane, born November 14, 1918.

***************
The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 250-251
Cabell County

J. S. D. MERCER, sheriff of Hancock County, occupies his
present position because of his fearlessness as an officer,
his executive talents, and his courteous and pleasing per-
sonality. This is his second occupancy of the office, prior
to becoming the incumbent of which he had filled other
posts, and his entire record from the time that he started
out to make his own way in the world has been one of stead-
fast effort, marked industry and conscientious performance
of the duties of public and private life.

Sheriff Mercer was born in Grant District, in the north
end of Hancock County, on Mercer's Run, where his great-
great-grandfather, William Mercer, had settled about 1800,
upon his arrival from Washington County, Pennsylvania.
One of his ancestors was General Mercer, a noted officer of
the Revolutionary war. The father of J. S. D. Mercer was
Robert Mercer, a school teacher in Hancock County for
some years, and later engaged in the furniture and under-
taking business at Hookstown, Pennsylvania, where he was
taken sick. Then he removed to Hancock County where he
died at the early age of thirty-five years. Robert Mercer
married Sarah Elizabeth Allison, a daughter of Jonathan
Allison, Jr., a descendant of James Allison, one of the ear-
liest settlers of the north end of Hancock County, the old
home being on a fork of Tomlin's Run. There were two
children who reached maturity: J. S. D.; and J. W. F.,
a blacksmith of Chester, West Virginia.

J. S. D. Mercer was five years of age when his father
died, and he was taken into the home of his maternal grand-
father, Jonathan Allison, a large land owner. He attended
the public schools and was reared on the original Allison
homestead, where he remained until twenty-one years of
age, then learning the carpenter's trade, at which .he worked
for about fourteen years, mainly at East Liverpool, Ohio.
His first public office was that of town clerk of Chester, in
which he served for one term, being then elected mayor
of Chester, an office in which he acted with excellent execu-
tive ability for two terms. When he left that office he was
chosen county assessor, and served one term, and in 1912
was first elected sheriff of Hancock County, and was the
incumbent of that office for four years. During the four
years that followed the expiration of his term he was
engaged in business successfully as a building contractor,
but again in 1920 re-entered public life when he was elected
sheriff as the nominee of the republican party. He ran
far ahead of his ticket. Sheriff Mercer devotes his entire
time to the duties of his office, and is one of the best offi-
cials the county has known. He requires only one deputy,
this being his son, M. D. Mercer, and the affairs of the
office are taken care of in an efficient and expeditious man-
ner, much to the satisfaction of the people of the county.
Sheriff Mercer is courageous in action, prompt and ener-
getic, and possesses more than the average detective ability,
which has assisted him in making the county a law-abiding
community. He has the support of all good citizens.

Sheriff Mercer married Miss Martha B. Allison, of the
same stock of Allisons from which he descends, her mother
being a Pugh of Pughtown. Five children have been born
to them: James Raymond, D. D. S., who is engaged in the
practice of dentistry at Akron, Ohio; Merwyn D., his
father's deputy in the sheriff's office; Thelma Elizabeth, a
teacher in the public schools of New Cumberland; and
Martha E. and Mary L., who graduated from the high school
at New Cumberland as members of the class of 1922. The
family was reared in the faith of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, to which Sheriff Mercer belonged until recently,
when he transferred his membership to the Presbyterian
Church at New Cumberland. As a fraternalist he belongs
to the Knights of Pythias; the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, in which he has passed through the chairs and at
one tune sat in the Grand Lodge; and the Junior Order
United American Mechanics, in which he has also passed
through the chairs.


***************
The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 263-264
Cabell County

DAVID FOX. The entire absence of competition in his
special line of business endeavor at Huntington cannot
account for the worthwhile success that has attended the
career of David Fox, proprietor of the Branchland Supply
Company, jobbers in oil and gas well supplies. This enter-
prise is entirely of Mr. Fox's own development, and in its
building up he has displayed all the characteristics included
in the make-up of a successful business man, including
perseverance, aggressiveness tempered by practical con-
servatism, and an integrity that has become proverbial.

Mr. Fox was born at Cincinnati, Ohio, September 27, 1888,
a son of Sam and Henrietta (Adler) Fox. Sam Fox, now a
resident of Huntington, was born February 26, 1863, in
Bavaria, and was a youth of seventeen years when he immi-
grated to the United States. In his native land he had
received a common school education and learned the trade of
tailoring, and on his arrival at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1880,
applied himself to his trade and subsequently established
himself in business as a merchant tailor. He was married
in that city, where he continued to make his home until
1899, in that year removing to Huntington, West Virginia,
where he opened a tailoring establishment. He has enjoyed
constantly increasing success, and is now one of the leaders
of the city in his line of business. Mr. Fox is a republican
in his political sympathies, and belongs to Oheb-Sholom
Temple, Huntington. He is fraternally affiliated with the
Masons and with Huntington Lodge No. 313, Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks. Mr. Fox married Miss Henrietta
Adler, who was born in 1863, in Baden, Germany, and died
at Huntington in 1911, a woman of many excellencies of
heart and mind. Mr. and Mrs. Fox became the parents
of the following children: David, of this review; Hilda, a
graduate nurse of New York City, who saw much active
service as a nurse in France during the World war; Leo,
who is engaged in the insurance business at Huntington;
Erwin, proprietor of the Fox Dry Cleaning Company of
Huntington; and James, who is attending the Huntington
High School.

David Fox attended the graded schools of Huntington
and the high school through the sophomore year, and, leav-
ing school in 1904, joined his father in the merchant tailor-
ing business. He remained with the elder man for four
years, and in 1908 joined the Guyan Oil Company, as chief
clerk at Huntington, continuing with that concern until
1913. At that time he became the founder of the Branch-
land Supply Company, jobbers in oil and gas well supplies,
and has built up a prosperous and flourishing business, the
only one of its kind at Huntington, where he maintains
well-appointed offices at 201-2 Day and Night Building.
Mr. Fox has won success entirely through his own ability
and progressiveness, and at the same time has maintained
a high standing in the esteem and confidence of those with
whom he has been associated. He is a stockholder in the
Huntington National Bank and the Ohio Valley Bank of
Huntington. His political views make him a republican, and
he is a member of Oheb-Sholom Temple of Huntington. As
a fraternalist he holds membership in Huntington Lodge
No. 313, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the
B'nai B'rith. He is likewise a member of the Guyan
Country Club of Huntington and the Huntington Rotary
Club. He owns a comfortable, modern residence at No.
1115 Tenth Avenue.

In 1915, at Cincinnati, Ohio, Mr. Fox was united in mar-
riage with Miss Blanche Goodman, daughter of Abram and
Nessie (VanCleef) Goodman, the latter of whom is de-
ceased, while the former still resides at Cincinnati, where
he is the proprietor of a sales stable. Two children have
come to Mr. and Mrs. Fox: Betty Jane, born August 19,
1916; and David, Jr., born February 19, 1921.




***************
The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 320-321
Cabell

CLYDE HAMILTON SNEDEGAR. The part public utilities
have played in the development of the country has never,
perhaps, been fully realized by those who enjoy the benefits
accruing therefrom, but as time progresses people are com-
ing more and more to appreciate the debt owed by them to
the men who keep these conveniences in working order.
Particularly is this true with reference to the great railway
systems, although the general public usually hears only
about the heads of these companies and little about those in
more humble positions, whose duties, however, are just as
exacting and important in comparison, and whose respon-
sibilities are numerous and heavy. In this connection is
mentioned Clyde Hamilton Snedegar, of Huntington, train-
master -of the Huntington Division of the Chesapeake &
Ohio Railway Company, a man who has worked his own
way up to responsibility, and who in his present capacity is
working along lines of mutual interest, confidence and
opportunity.

Mr. Snedegar was born at Ona, Cabell County, West Vir-
ginia, July 3, 1877, a son of Robert Jesse and Mary Eliza-
beth (Douglas) Snedegar. His father was born in 1843, in
Greenbrier County, Virginia (now West Virginia), where
he worked on his father's farm until 1861. At the outbreak
of the war between the states he enlisted in the Union army,
joining a West Virginia infantry regiment which was later
consolidated with the Thirty-sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
Mr. Snedegar saw four years of service, was severely
wounded in the left shoulder and participated in the second
battle of Bull Run and other notable engagements. He had
a splendid record for valiant service and fidelity to duty,
and on the receipt of his honorable discharge served on
United States Government surveys in Missouri, Indian
Territory and other sections of the then West. In 1871 he
returned to Huntington, where he became a pioneer fireman
for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Company, and in 1873
was promoted to the post of locomotive engineer, a position
which he held until his death at Huntington in November,
1917, at which time he was one of the oldest engineers of the
road in point of service. He was a republican in his politi-
cal convictions, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal
Church. While with the surveying party, at Kansas City,
Missouri, he was initiated into the mysteries of Masonry,
and continued to be a member of that order until his death.
He also held membership in the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers. Mr. Snedegar married Miss Mary Elizabeth
Douglas, who was born in 1858, in Rockbridge County, Vir-
ginia, and died at Huntington in April, 1918. They became
the parents of seven children, as follows: Clyde Hamilton,
of this notice; Pearl, who is unmarried and an employe of
the Anderson-Newcomb Company department store at Hunt-
ington; Vesta McCorkle, the wife of Eli McComas, of
Huntington, a locomotive engineer for the Chesapeake &
Ohio Railway; Lilla, the wife of Wiley Agnew, of Earling,
West Virginia, store manager for the Logan Coal Company;
Percy D., of Huntington, a conductor for the Chesapeake &
Ohio Railway; Lillian, unmarried, a clerk in the time-
keeper's office of the same road; and Robert, a Chesapeake
& Ohio locomotive fireman, residing at Huntington.

Clyde Hamilton Snedegar received his education in the
graded and high schools of Huntington, leaving the latter
at the age of sixteen years to become a telegraph operator
for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, a vocation which he
followed for four years on the Huntington Division. In
1904 he was made train dispatcher at Huntington, and in
1918 was advanced to the post of trainmaster, which he has
since held, his offices being situated in the passenger station
building of the road, on Seventh Avenue, between Ninth
and Tenth streets. He is a thoroughly competent railroad
man, who has the confidence of his superiors and associates
and the good will and friendship of his men. In politics
he is a republican, and his religious connection is with the
Presbyterian Church. He belongs to Syracuse Lodge No.
82, K. of P., of Huntington; Huntington Camp, M. W. A.;
and the Huntington Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Snedegar
owns a modern residence at 1664 Sixth Avenue, a com-
fortable and attractive home in one of Huntington's exclu-
sive residence districts.

In February, 1902, at Milton, West Virginia, Mr. Sned-
egar married Miss Mary Agnes Martindale, a daughter of
Hugh and Matilda (Irwin) Martindale, the latter of whom
is deceased. Mr. Martindale, who was formerly a school
teacher and farmer, is now retired from active life and is
making his home with his son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and
Mrs. Snedegar. The latter have five children: Mildred,
who is a freshman at the Huntington High School; Robert
Hugh, a freshman at the Junior High School; Ruth, who
is taking a preparatory course at Marshall College; Helen,
attending the graded school; and Creth, the baby.

***************
The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 321
Cabell

WILLIAM WINFRED SMITH. To those who are interested
in the facts concerning the development of their community
there is something attractive in the lives of those who have
been connected with the law. The jurist and legist occupy
a place which can be filled by no others in our country and
under our form of government. While all may aspire to
and attain positions of high distinction in public life, the
man versed in the laws of the country must be depended
upon to conserve human rights and to see that each class
of our citizenship may have its representation in a legal
way. Of the lawyers of Cabell County who have attained
distinction in their profession during recent years, one whose
career has been more than ordinarily successful and who
has been the recipient of numerous honors is William Win-
fred Smith, of Huntington.

Mr. Smith was born in York County, Pennsylvania, Febru-
ary 24, 1877, a son of Henry N. and Mary A. (Hildebrand)
Smith, and received his early education in the public schools
of his native county and of Ceredo, Wayne County, West
Virginia, where he was a member of the first graduating
class, of 1894, graduated from the Ceredo High School. He
then entered Marshall College, Huntington, graduating in
1896, following which, in 1897 and 1898, he was principal
of the public schools of Kenova, West Virginia. In 1898 he
entered West Virginia University, from which he was
graduated with the class of 1902, receiving the degree of
Bachelor of Arts, and in the year 1904 was given his
Master of Arts degree from the same institution. He com-
pleted the law course ..in 1905 and received the degree of
Bachelor of Laws and was admitted to the West Virginia
bar in the same year at Morgantown. Mr. Smith had a
somewhat remarkable college career. He was admitted to
membership in the Phi Sigma Kappa Greek letter fraternity,
was president of the college Young Men's Christian Asso-
ciation in 1901, was president of the Parthenon Literary
Society during 1901, was editor-in-chief of the College
weekly, The Atheneum, in 1902, and during his senior year
of the academic course took the Wiles prize in oratory,
$100 in gold; the W. C. T. U. prize for an essay, and the
State Tax Commission prize for an essay, the subject of the
last named being "Taxation in West Virginia."

On leaving college Mr. Smith practiced law at Morgan-
town from 1905 until 1910 and then came to Huntington,
where he has since carried on a general civil and criminal
practice, his offices being located at 300 and 301 First
National Bank Building. During his residence at Morgan-
town Mr. Smith was elected a member of the city council,
and rendered the service of compiling the ordinances of that
city. At present he is attorney for the town of Ceredo.
He holds membership in the Cabell County Bar Association,
the West Virginia Bar Association and the American Bar
Association. He took an active part in all local war move-
ments, helping in all the drives, serving on the Legal
Advisory Board of Cabell County and speaking throughout
the county as a "Four-Minute Man" in behalf of the
Liberty Loan campaigns, Red Cross and other patriotic
organizations, which he also assisted liberally with his
means. He is the editor and compiler of "The Honor
Roll of Cabell County, West Virginia," an illustrated his-
torical and biographical record of Cabell County's part in
the World war, perhaps the most elaborate work of its kind
of any county in the United States. In January, 1922, Mr.
Smith was appointed by Governor E. F. Morgan as a West
Virginia representative to the Illiteracy Commission of the
National Educational Association, and attended the first
conference, held at Chicago, February 24 and 25, 1922, at
which conference the slogan coined by Mr. Smith, "No
Illiteracy by 1930," was adopted. He is also a member of
the Advisory Board of the Prisoners' Belief Society of
Washington, D. C., and served as its managing director for
a time, and his interest in this direction is also indicated
by his membership in the American Sociological Congress.

Mr. Smith has a number of important business connec-
tions, being secretary of the Bungalow Land Company,
president of the Park City Oil & Gas Company, secretary
and treasurer of the Huntington Cannel Coal Company, and
secretary of the Cabell Oil and Gas Company, all of Hunt-
ington, and secretary of the Williams Sanitarium Company
of Kenova. He owns a modern residence at 232 Sixth
Avenue, a comfortable home in an attractive and exclusive
residential section of the city, and also holds some suburban
property. In polities he is a republican, and during 1904
and 1905 was a member of the city council of Morgantown.
His religious connection is with the Congregational Church,
of the movements of which he has been an active and gener-
ous supporter, and formerly served as state president of the
West Virginia Christian Endeavor Union.

Mr. Smith has been very prominent in fraternal affairs.
He is a member of Reese Camp No. 66, W. O. W., and is
past head consul of the jurisdiction of West Virginia of
the Woodmen of the World, this jurisdiction including West
Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia.
He was twice sovereign delegate to the national conventions
and is a member of the sovereign law committee of the
Woodmen of the World. He is also a member of Hunting-
ton Lodge No. 33, Knights of Pythias, of which he is past
chancellor, and was for four years chairman of the judiciary
committee of the Grand Lodge of West Virginia of the
Knights of Pythias, now being grand inner guard of the
Grand Lodge of West Virginia of this order. He belongs
also to Huntington Council No. 191, Junior Order United
American Mechanics, and Huntington Lodge No. 347, Loyal
Order of Moose, and is treasurer of the Fraternal Society
Law Association of Chicago, Illinois, a national fraternal
legal association. Mr. Smith likewise holds membership in
the Huntington Chamber of Commerce and the Kiwanis
Club of Huntington.

On March 7, 1907, at Morgantown, Mr. Smith was united
in marriage with Miss Lide Allen Evans, a daughter of
Thomas R. and Delia (Allen) Evans, the latter of whom re-
sides with Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Mr. Evans, who died at
Morgantown in December, 1920, was a business man of that
city. The Evanses were pioneers into that part of Virginia
now included in West Virginia. Mrs. Smith is a member
of the Daughters of the American Revolution and of the
Mayflower Society of Connecticut, and is a direct descend-
ant of Elder William Brewster.

***************
The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 321-322
Cabell

WILLIAM JOSEPH QUINN, president of the General Coal
Company at Huntington, has secured standing as one of the
progressive and substantial business men of the younger
generation in this city. He was born at Girardville, Penn-
sylvania, April 7, 1894, and is a son of William Joseph
Quinn, Sr., and Lucy (Griffiths) Quinn, both natives of the
old Keystone State, where the former was born in 1863
and the latter, in Schuylkill County, in 1866. The father
became fire boss for coal mines in the district near Girard-
ville, Pennsylvania, and was only thirty-three years of age
when he met his death in a mine explosion at Lost Creek,
Pennsylvania, in 1896, his widow being still a resident of
Girardville. Mr. Quinn was a stanch republican, was affi-
liated with the Knights of Columbus, and was a com-
municant of the Catholic Church, as is also his widow. Of
the children the subject of this review was the fourth in
order of birth, and he was two years of age at the time of
his father's tragic death; James is a resident of West
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is a railroad employe;
Thomas is superintendent of the A. D. Cronin Coal Com-
pany at Accoville, West Virginia; Anna is the wife of
Arthur Brown, of Girardville, Pennsylvania, Mr. Brown
being an electrician in the service of the Philadelphia &
Reading Railroad Company; Robert S. is superintendent of
the U. S. Block Coal Company, with residence at Woodville,
West Virginia.

William J. Quinn graduated from the high school depart-
ment of Girard College in June, 1910, and thereafter he
worked in various clerical capacities until 1912, at Girard-
ville and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Atlantic City,
New Jersey. In 1912 he became a clerk for the Berwind
Lumber Company at Berwind, West Virginia, and six
months later became shipping clerk for the New River &
Poeahontas Consolidated Coal Company, which one year
later transferred him to similar service in the City of
Charleston. In 1914 he accepted a position as salesman with
the Winifrede Coal Company, the mines of which are in
Kanawha County, this state, and he was a representative
of this corporation at Cincinnati, Ohio, until 1917, when he
organized a company to take over the properties and busi-
ness of the Ruffner Coal Company of Accoville, Logan
County, West Virginia. He was concerned in the operation
of the mine of this company until August, 1920, and was
vice president and general manager of the company. In
1920 the Ruffner Coal Company sold its mine and business
to the A. D. Cronin Coal Company, in which Mr. Quinn
retained an interest and was made general manager, a posi-
tion of which he is still the incumbent. In 1919 the
Ruffner Coal Company acquired the .Franklin Mine in Boone
County, and this mine likewise is now owned by the A. D.
Cronin Coal Company, the aggregate output capacity of
whose mines is 175,000 tons of coal annually.

In 1919 Mr. Quinn purchased the U. S. Block Coal
Company's mine and business, the mine having a capacity
for the production of 50,000 tons of bituminous coal a year,
and this property he still owns. In 1919 also he effected
the organization of the General Coal Company, for the
handling of the output of the mines with which he is iden-
tified, and of this sales company he has since continued
the president. He is president also of the U. S. Block Coal
Company, and his executive offices are at 918-919 Bobson-
Prichard Building in the City of Huntington. Mr. Quinn
is a stanch supporter of the cause of the republican party,
and is affiliated with Huntington Lodge No. 313, Benevolent
and Protective Order of Elks.

In March, 1920, at Covington, Kentucky, was solemnized
the marriage of Mr. Quinn and Miss Vivian Brown, who
was born at Millersburg, that state, and who is a popular
factor in the social circles of Huntington.