WV-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest Volume 99 : Issue 12 Today's Topics: #2 HIST: Protestant Ep [Valerie & Tommy Crook 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 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 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 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 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.