West Virginia Statewide Files  WV-Footsteps Mailing List
WV-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest				Volume 99 : Issue 12

Today's Topics:

  #2 HIST: Protestant Ep   [Valerie & Tommy Crook <vfcrook@tre]
  #3 HIST: The Presbyter   [Valerie & Tommy Crook <vfcrook@tre]
  #4 HIST: The Catholic    [Valerie & Tommy Crook <vfcrook@tre]
  #5 BIO: Albert M. DOYLE, Kanawha Coun   [Valerie & Tommy Crook <vfcrook@tre]
  #6 BIO: Charles CORLISS, Wetzel Count   [Valerie & Tommy Crook <vfcrook@tre]


______________________________X-Message: #2
Date: Thu, 16 Sep 1999 12:48:31 -0400
From: Valerie & Tommy Crook <vfcrook@trellis.net>
Subject:  HIST: Protestant Epiocopal Church


From the Semi-Centennial History of West Virginia, by James Callahan, 1913.
pg. 534-536

THE PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN WEST VIRGINIA
By George W. Peterkin, Bishop of West Virginia.

The Protestant Episcopal Church in West Virginia was a part of that
Church in the State of Virginia from May, 1607—the date when Rev.
Robert Hunt of the Church of England held his first service at Jamestown—
until October, 1877, at which time West Virginia was formally set apart
as a separate Diocese. How soon this church began to acquire a hold
upon that mostly uninhabited and, at the best, sparsely settled territory is
not known, save that we have a list of nine clergymen who labored in what
is now West Virginia from 1700 to 1785.

In the convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church of 175, in Rich-
mond, Va., we have the first notice of any delegate from West Virginia,
and such attendance of clergy and laity was regularly kept up until 1877,
when, for the last time, the original undivided Diocese of Virginia met in
Staunton. During that time (ninety two years) Bishops Madison, Moore,
Meade, Johns and Whittle lived and labored.

The membership of churches, and ministers, rose very slowly. In 1842
the clergy. In what is now West Virginia, numbered ait; in 1853 there
were thirteen and 636 communicants. In 1877 there were 15 clergy and
1,033 communicants.

Subsequent development will he noticed, but it is important now to
mention some of the causes for the slow start in growth which this
church made.

The Episcopal Church of Virginia commenced with the first settlement
of the first colony in Jamestown, Va., 1607, but she had to labor under
great disadvantages during nearly the whole period of her early existence,
on account of her connection with the Government and the Church of
England. America was, in early days, largely settled by those who from
various causes, had left, or were leaving, the church of England—the
church of their fathers. In asserting the cause of popular rights and
liberties against the crown, in the times of Elizabeth (1859-1603) James
I. (1603-1625) and Charles I. (1625-1649), owing to the connection of church
and state, many persons came to look upon the established church as their
enemy, and to make it equally with the state, the objects of their assaults,
and this is not strange, for the great principles of religious liberty were
not at the time understood, either by those who remained in the Church
of England, or by those who left her fold. The Bishop of London was in
charge of the church in Virginia, but his superintendence was of necessity
only nominal. And so for about one hundred and eighty years did the
Episcopal Church in Virginia, as elsewhere in the country, try the experi-
ment of a system whose constitution required such a head as a Bishop, but
which was actually without it. So she everywhere suffered for lack of this
office, so indispensable to the most important parts of her ecclesiastical
administration and discipline.

The clergy necessarily came from England, for there was no Bishop
here to confirm and ordain, and so, as the Revolution approached, dissatis-
faction with the mother country grew, and with it, naturally, dissatis-
faction with the mother church. Since the clergy came from England,
many of them very naturally showed attachment to the King, and this
subjected the church to suspicion; and this notwithstanding the fact that
the prominent laity in the state, churchmen as they were—the Washing-
tons and the Lees and Henrys and Pendletons and Masons and Nelsons
and Meades and Mercers and Harrisons and Randolphs—were also ardent
patriots. This state of things was common throughout the country, as out
of 55 signers of the Declaration of Independence 35 were Episcopalians.
So it came to pass that, whereas, when the Revolutionary war began,
Virginia, in her sixty-one counties contained ninety-five parishes, one
hundred and sixty-four churches and chapels and ninety-one clergymen,
she came out of the war with a large number of her churches destroyed,
twenty-three of her parishes extinct, and thirty-four more destitute of all
service, while only twenty-eight out of ninety-one clergy remained, and
they subject to the suspicion of which we have spoken.

In 1790 Dr. Madison was consecrated in England as Bishop of Virginia,
and the church began at length to spread, as we shall try to show, through
that part of the old state now known as West Virginia. Owing to the great
extent of territory and the imperfect means of communication, it was,
time and again. In the interest of a better supervision, proposed to divide
the Diocese—in 1821, 1851, 1865, 1872, 1873, 1874 and 1876. Finally, in
1877, it was accomplished. At that time there were 13 clergy, 1,048 com-
municants, 22 churches and chapels and 10 rectories. In 1890, 13 years
after the division, there were 23 clergy, 2,929 communicants, 56 churches
and chapels and 23 rectories. In 1900 there were 34 clergy, 4,175 com-
municants, 67 churches and chapels and 26 rectories and in 1913 there
were 41 clergy, 6,067 communicants, 95 churches and chapels and 10
rectories. The money raised tor all purposes has increased from $10,000
In 1878 to $100,000 annually. The Diocese has under its control two hos-
pitals, caring for about 1,800 patients annually, more than halt of whom
are practically free. During all this time the state has increased from
600,000 to 1,220,000 in population. Bishop George W. Peterkin has been
in charge of this work since May, 1878, when it was started on its inde-
pendent existence, and since 1899 has been assisted by Bishop W. L.
Gravatt. The growth of the church during the period spoken of has been
encouraging, but there are still 17 counties where we have no church—
two in what we call the Eastern Convention, eight in the Northwestern
Convention and seven in the Kanawha Convention.

During these years of independent existence, there have been confirmed
8,287 persons in the diocese, 47 ordained to the sacred ministry and 73
churches consecrated. The Episcopal Church, though small in numbers, is
well represented in all sections of the state, especially in the large cities
and towns.

______________________________X-Message: #3
Date: Thu, 16 Sep 1999 12:49:38 -0400
From: Valerie & Tommy Crook <vfcrook@trellis.net>
Subject:  HIST: The Presbyterian Church


From the Semi-Centennial History of West Virginia, by James Callahan, 1913.
pg. 532-534

THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
By Rev. Dr. James H. Flanagan, Grafton.

According to the history of the Presbyterian Church given by Ogllvie,
"There are in America 13 organizations of the Presbyterian and Reformed
Order, holding to the Calvlnistic system of doctrine. They may be divided
into three general classes: (1) those which sprang into existence inde-
pendently on American soil; (2) those that were planted as branches of the
Reformed Churches of the Continent, and continued for some time in or-
ganic connection with these churches; (3) those which were organized
as branches of the Scottish churches, and were long in affiliation
with their Scottish parent churches. Of these the first to enter the
continent in order of time was the Dutch Reformed. Next came the
Scotch and Scotch-Irish population, which, combining with the Presby-
terian element within English Puritanism that had found its way into
New England, sprang into the strictly so-called Presbyterian Church in
the United States of America."

The church of the Presbyterian faith became a permanent organization
whose influence early began to be felt in the land. At a meeting of the
General Synod in 1758 the resolution was adopted that the Synods of New
York and New Jersey, Philadelphia, Virginia and the Carolinas be created
out of the General Synod. In 1802 the resolution was adopted that the
Presbyterians of Hanover. Lexington and Winchester be constituted a
synod to be known as the Synod of Virginia, that the Presbyteries of
Redstone, Ohio, and Erie be constituted a synod to be known by the name
of the Synod of Pittsburgh, and that the southern boundary of the Synod
of Pittsburgh be from the mouth of the Scioto up the Ohio River to the
mouth of the Great Kanawha, thence a line due east to the top of the
Allegheny mountains. This surrounding was such as to build up the
Presbyterian Church in the territory of West Virginia. The Synod of
Virginia was to develop denominational interest in the southern part of
Western Virginia, and the Synod of Pittsburgh was to look after the north-
ern portion. The Presbytery of Redstone was very careful in looking after
points where a church organization could be planted. Dr. Power, Dr.
Fairchild and Dr. Stoneroad were faithful in their care of Morgantown
Falrmont, Clarksburg, French Creek and other points. From such careful
attention on the southeast, southwest and northern portion, many churches
were built up in Western Virginia. From these sections came those who
settled in Western Virginia, and who built up the churches that were
scattered here and there throughout the territory.

At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, almost the entire body of the
Southern Presbyterian Church withdrew their connection from the old
General Assembly, and united with the organization of the General As-
sembly of the Presbyterian church in the Confederate States of America.
The organization was effected at Augusta, Georgia, December 4, 1861. The
second Assembly convened at Montgomery, Alabama, May 1, 1862, since
when the meetings have been held at the same time as the meetings of the
northern portion of the church. At the separation, it called upon the
original body to make some arrangements with regard to the ministers
and churches still remaining in connection with the northern General
Assembly. It was a question that required some thought and planning.
"What shall be done with them?"

At the meeting of the General Assembly of the church in session at
Peoria, Illinois, in 1863, the following resolution was adopted, viz;.: "That
it be recommended that all the ministers in West Virginia south of the
southern line of Pennsylvania extended to the Ohio river be detached from
their Presbyteries, and formed into a new Presbytery to be called the
Presbytery of West Virginia, to meet at Parkersburg on the 1st Tuesday
of October next at ten o'clock A. M. to be opened with a sermon by Rev.
H. W. Biggs, and that the Presbytery be attached to the Synod of Wheeling.
On that day the Presbytery of West Virginia was organized with a dis-
tinctive work with regard to the State of West Virginia. It was admitted
that this seemed like a large work handed over to a very few men. But
with the determination to follow out the direction of the General Assembly
the Presbytery of West Virginia was organized. At its organization, it was
said by one of the youngest members: "Let us grasp the opportunity that
is ours, and do the best we can, and, by the blessing of God, sometime In
the future we will see not only a Presbytery, but a Synod of West Vir-
ginia." The action of the General Assembly tended to draw the lines be-
tween the southern and northern elements more distinctly in the bounds
of the state. From that time forth the two parties have remained dis-
tinctly separate. To give the Presbyterian Church of the state Its proper
standing, both parties must be considered. The southern church in West
Virginia consists of Greenbrier and Kanawha Presbyteries, with some
churches in the Winchester Presbytery.

At the first meeting of the Presbytery of West Virginia the following
statistics were reported:
Ministers, 5; members 442; funds, benevolence, $129; congregational,
$1,200. The work went on until the Presbytery of West Virginia had
grown sufficiently to be divided into two Presbyteries. By action of the
General Assembly at Buffalo, New York, May 28, 1902, the following reso-
lution was adopted, viz.:

"We recommend that the Presbytery of Washington be and hereby is
divided on the state line, and that those ministers and churches which
now belong to the Presbytery of Washington that are in the bounds of
the state of West Virginia constitute the Presbytery of Wheeling; that the
Synod of West Virginia be and hereby is erected, to consist of the Pres-
byteries of Wheeling, Grafton and Parkersburg."

According to the direction of the General Assembly the Synod of West
Virginia was organized October 18, 1904. In comparing the statistical
report of 1912 with that of 18'63, it shows that much growth has been made
in the church. The report of 1912 was: members, 2,546; benevolence,
$34,809; congregational funds, $105,775. Greenbrier Presbytery reported
in 1912: members, 3,076; benevolence, $14,358; pastors funds, $12,669.
Kanawha Presbytery reported: members, 3,268; benevolence, $14,375;
pastors tundd, $12,855.

The Presbyterian Church is very proud of Davis and Elkins College.
This college was organized by the southern branch of the church, but
since the organization of the Synod of West Virginia, composed of the
northern churches, the two branches of the church have been united in
the work and fellowship of the institution.

The work of the Presbyterian church is moving on in a very prosperous
way year by year, and is exerting an influence for good.

______________________________X-Message: #4
Date: Thu, 16 Sep 1999 12:49:03 -0400
From: Valerie & Tommy Crook <vfcrook@trellis.net>
Subject: [WV-FOOTSTEPS] HIST: The Catholic Church

From the Semi-Centennial History of West Virginia, by James Callahan, 1913.
pg. 536-538

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
By Rev. Father Edward E. Weber, Chancellor of the Diocese.

The Diocese of Wheeling comprises the State of West Virginia ex-
cept the following counties, which are in the Diocese of Richmond:
Pendleton, Grant, Mineral, Hardy, Hampshire, Morgan, Berkeley and
Jefferson. It also includes the following counties of Virginia: Lee, Scott,
Wise, Dickinson, Buchanan, Washington, Russell, Grayson, Smyth, Taze-
well, Carroll, Wythe, Bland, Floyd, Pulaski, Montgomery, Giles, and a
portion of Craig. In territory it comprises a total of 29,172 square
miles of which 21,265 are in West Virginia, and 7,817 are in Virginia.

The Diocese was formed from the Diocese of Richmond by Apostolic
letters dated 23 July, 1860. The Rt. Rev. Richard Whelan, D. D., at that
time Bishop of Richmond was transferred to Wheeling as the first bishop
of the newly-created see. He had been consecrated the second Bishop
of Richmond, 21 March, 1841. The earliest record preserved in the Wheel-
ing Chancery sets forth that Rev. Francis Rolf was appointed pastor of
Wheeling in 1829. He records a baptism performed by him on 3 Novem-
ber, 1828. There is evidence of a priest having visited Wheeling at an
earlier date. Wheeling was established as a town in 1796, and one vague
tradition has it that it took its name from a certain Father Whelan, a
Catholic priest, who came occasionally to minister to the spiritual wants
of the members of his flock. The western part of Virginia, which in 1863
became the State of West Virginia, had never many Catholics settlers,
nor does it appear to have had many professing any religion. In 1912
the Catholic population was estimated at about 60,000 and the total
population at 1,000,000. A letter preserved in the archives of the Diocese
of Wheeling dated Baltimore, 13 April, 1832 and signed James Whitefield,
Archbishop of Baltimore, states the inability of securing a priest to be
stationed at Wheeling, but the letter goes on: "I desired the priest who
attends a congregation, on the way to Wheeling, about 40 miles on this
side (Brownsville it I remember), to go and give Church once or twice
a month.—He seems to say that he would comply, as tar as he could, with
my wish".

>From Feb., 1833, to Jan., 1844, Rev James Hoerner was in charge of the
Catholics in the Wheeling district. He was succeeded by Rev. Eugene
Comeford, who was in Wheling till the arrival of Rt. Rev. Richard Whelan,
Bishop of Richmond, in Nov., 1846. The bishop took charge of the mission-
ary work in the Wheeling portion of the Richmond See till he was trans-
ferred as the first Bishop of the new Diocese of Wheeling. The zeal of
Bishop Whelan in labouring under the most difficult and trying circum-
stances for a period of twenty-tour years is still remembered by many of
the faithful, and often referred to as a striking example of genuine saintly
piety. He did much manual labor in addition to the other duties of his epis-
copal office. The present Wheeling cathedral was planned by him, and built
under his supervision. He was architect and supervisor, and did much
of the actual work in building the edifice. He also established a sem-
inary of which he took personal charge, and some of the priests who
were educated by him are still labouring in the Diocese. St. Vincent's
College for laymen was also instituted under his auspices. Bishop
Whelan had among his self-sacrificing clergy one especially conspicuous
tor his saintly life, the late Very Rev. H. F. Parke, V. G. This servant
of God met a tragic death by being crushed under the ruina of a falling
building 9 April, 1896. Bishop Whelan (d. 7 July, 1874) was succeeded
by the Rt. Rev. John Joseph Kain, D. D., who was consecrated the second
Bishop of Wheeling 23 May 1876. In 1893 Bishop Kain was appointed
coadjutor to the Archbishop of St. Louis, Missouri, and became arch-
bishop of that see, 21 May, 1896. He died on 13 Oct., 1903. During the
eighteen years of Bishop Kain's administration, the work, so well begun
by hia able predecessor, was continued and made rapid progress. He
was consecrated at the age of thirty-four and devoted his talents and
energy to the increase of clergy, the establishing of new missions, and
the building of churches and parochial schools, so that, at the time of
his transfer, the diocese was well established although it was still greatly
in need of priests, about thirty-five of whom covered an area of 29,172
square miles. The Catholics were much scattered and there were but
few points at which the necessary support of a pastor could be obtained.

Rt. Rev. P. J. Donahue, D. D., was consecrated the third Bishop of
Wheeling, 8 April, 1894. At the time of his appointment he was rector
of the cathedral at Baltimore. During the nineteen years of Bishop
Donahue's administration the number of clergy has been doubled, many
new missions established, and the following institutes founded in the
diocese: Home of the Good Shepherd, situated near Wheeling, where
two hundred wayward and homeless girls are provided for—the sisters
in charge conduct a large laundry and sewing school; The Manual Train-
ing School, near Elm Grove, W. Va. six miles east of Wheeling conducted
by the Xaverian Brothers, and St. Edward's Preparatory College, Hunt-
ington, W. Va., in charge of the secular clergy of the diocese, of which
the Rev. John W. Werninger is the first president. Besides these institu-
tions two large additions have been built to the Wheeling Hospital, and
a new orphanage for boys at Elm Grove, W. Va. a large addition to St.
Vincent's Home Elm Grove, W. Va. and St. Joseph's Hospital at Parkers-
burg, W. Va., and St. Marys Hospital at Clarksburg, W. Va., have been
erected. Prior to 1895 there was one religious order of priests, the Cap-
uchin Fathers, and three religious orders of women, the Sisters of St.
Joseph, Visitation Sisters, and the Sisters of Divine Providence, Pitts-
burg. Since then, the Marist and the Benedictine Fathers have been
introduced as also the Good Shepherd Sisters, Sisters of St. Francis,
the Felician Sisters, Sisters of the Pious Society of Missions, Carmelite
Nuns and the Sisters of Divine Providence of Kentucky. There are
academies for girls at Mt. de Chantal (near Wheeling), Parkersburg
Wytheville, Wheeling, and Clarksburg. There is a Catholic high school
at Wheeling and there are 16 parochial schools in the diocese.

______________________________X-Message: #5
Date: Thu, 16 Sep 1999 18:49:09 -0400
From: Valerie & Tommy Crook <vfcrook@trellis.net>
Subject: BIO: Albert M. DOYLE, Kanawha County


Bedford County (Va) Families and History,
Compiled from Henry Hardesty's
Historical and Geographical Encyclopaedia,
First Published 1883
page 57

ALBERT M. DOYLE — was born September 18, 1845, in Kanawha
county, now part of West Virginia. He was a son of Samuel C. and Harriet
(Thayer) Doyle, who died in the county of his nativity. His family for a
number of generations have been residents of Virginia, and were of Irish
stock. At Lagrange, countyseat of Troup county, Georgia, Rose C. Calloway
became the wife of Albert M. Doyle, and two sons have been given them:
Albert M., born September 13, 1880; John C., October 22, 1881. Rose C.,
daughter of John and Lucinda W. (Saunders) Calloway, was born in Bedford
county, April 5, 1851. This county was the home of her parents until their
death. Her mother's father was David Saunders, a colonel of the 1812 war.
Colonel Saunders was absolutely a self-made man, being left an orphan at an
early age, and serving for a number of years as a "bound boy." In after
years he was sheriff of Bedford county, and a member of the State legislature,
possessing great wealth and influence. The Calloway family are of English
descent, although John Colloway's mother was a Miss Calland of Scotch pa-
rentage.  The Calland name is now extinct except as a family name.
Albert M. Doyle is cultivating a farm of 800 acres which he owns in Otter dis-
trict. and on which he has his residence. His postoffice address is Goodes
Crossing, Bedford county, Virginia.

______________________________X-Message: #6
Date: Thu, 16 Sep 1999 18:57:58 -0400
From: Valerie & Tommy Crook <vfcrook@trellis.net>
Subject: BIO: Charles CORLISS, Wetzel County, WV


The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 235-236
Wetzel County

CHARLES CORLISS, whose experience in the building of
public works is practically nation wide, has for some years
been settled down as a resident and business man at West
Virginia and has been one of the principals in developing
an important industry for the supply of building material
at New Martinsville, where he is president of the Ohio
River Gravel Company.

Mr. Corliss was born in Monroe County, Wisconsin, May
7, 1864. His father, Samuel Corliss, who was born in
Vermont in 1841, was a rugged New Englander and early
identified himself with the arduous work of the great lumber
woods. As a young man he went to Wisconsin, became a
timberman and was active in the lumber industry of that
state for many years, his home the greater part of the
time being in Monroe County. He was a republican in
politics and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Samuel Corliss died in Wisconsin in 1907. He married
Mary Williams, who was born in England and died in
Wisconsin in 1907. They became the parents of two sons,
George and Charles. George is a railroad man living at
Minneapolis.

Charles Corliss acquired a public school education in
Monroe County, Wisconsin, but at the age of fifteen was
earning his own way. For four years he was employed in
sawmills and the lumber camps of Wisconsin. After that
he took up the somewhat itinerant occupation of employ-
ment on various public works, including bridge building,
and this experience in time took him over practically all
of the United States and even into old Mexico. Mr. Corliss
has been a resident of West Virginia since 1911. For four
years he was superintendent during the construction of
the dam at Woodland. Then, in 1916, he moved to New
Martinsville and established the Corliss Sand Company.
In August, 1919, he incorporated the business and in Jan-
uary, 1921, consolidated it with the New Martinsville Sand
Company. The company is now known as the Ohio River
Gravel Company and was organized on January 1, 1922,
consolidating with the Wheeling Sand and Gravel Com-
pany, the Armstrong Sand Company of Wheeling, the New
Martinsville Sand Company, the Marietta Sand Company
of Marietta, Ohio, and the Parkersburg Sand Company of
Parkersburg, West Virginia. The officials are:  Charles
Corliss, president; George Ross, of Parkersburg, vice presi-
dent and general manager; A. P. Turley, of Parkersburg,
secretary and treasurer. The company has all the facilities
for the rapid and economical handling of sand and gravel,
digging it by dredge and elevator from the Ohio River.
The capacity of each plant is a thousand tons per day
for sand and gravel. This material is shipped to Fair-
mont, Clarksburg, Weston, Buckhannon, Elkins, Grafton
and, in fact, all over Northern West Virginia. The plant
and offices are on the banks of the Ohio River in the north
part of New Martinsville.

Mr. Corliss is an established resident of New Martins-
ville, owning a modern home at 915 North Third Street.
He is a republican voter, a member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church and is affiliated with the New Martins-
ville Kiwanis Club and Phoenix Lodge No. 72, Knights
of Pythias, at Memphis, Tennessee. In 1911, at St. Louis,
he married Mrs. Dina Falentine Stocker, who was born in
Germany and came to the United States at the age of
seventeen. Her parents were Mr. and Mrs. John H. Falen-
tine. Her mother is now deceased, while her father still
lives in Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Corliss have one son,
Robert, born August 8, 1913.

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