300 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. Jessie, daughter of George and Sarah McConnell, of Triadelphia, and has one son, Charles W. He also has the agency for West Virginia, for Columbia bicycles and tricycles, in which he does quite a large business. Benjamin F. Goodwin, of Wheeling, a prominent citizen, holding the federal office of local inspector of steam vessels, has been a resident of that city since 1829. He was born November 29, 1828, in Fayette county, Penn., the son of Benjamin Goodwin, who removed with his family to Wheeling in the following year. The father was one of the early brick and stone masons of the city, but after following that trade there for a number of years, removed to McKeesport, Penn., where he died a few years subsequent to 1850. The subject of this mention, after he had reached the age of about fifteen years, began boating upon the river, engaging also in ship carpentry, and followed the two occupations alternately until 1851. He then purchased a steamboat, and during all the time that has sine elapsed up to 1888, he has been engaged in steamboating, with the exception of two years spent in New Jersey. As carpenter, assistant engineer, pilot and finally master, his experience as a river man has been very extensive, and he has navigated on the Monongahela, Ohio, Mississippi, Red and Wachita rivers, gaining an experience which makes him one of the ablest as well as one of the oldest river men of Wheeling. His appointment to take his present federal position occurred on April 26, 1888, during the administration of President Cleveland. Mr. Goodwin is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and is connected with Ohio lodge, No. 1, F. & A. M. He was married in 1854, at Wheeling Island, to Anna, daughter of William Greer, and they have had nine children, seven of whom are now living. William S. Goshorn, a venerable and prominent citizen of Wheeling, was born in Belmont county, Ohio, January 19, 1814. He is the son of John Goshorn, born near the mouth of the Juniata river, November 28, 1790, who came to Belmont county in 1810, and farmed there until 1815, upon a quarter section of land he had purchased, and at the end of that period removed to Wheeling. In that city he engaged at once oil a modest scale in general merchandise, and increasing his business from year to year, embarked in 1830 in an exclusively wholesale business, in dry goods, boots, shoes, hats, caps, etc. He pursued this business successfully until 1844, when he retired from trade, and making his home upon a farm four miles from the city, lived a life of quiet and ease until the time of his death, June 13, 1869. He was a member of the city council, was a director of the old Northwestern bank, of Virginia, and again of the Manufacturers' & Farmers’ bank, of Wheeling, also in Fire & Marine Insurance Co., and was a prominent Mason. The partner of his domestic life was Mary Farrier, who was born in Pennsylvania in August, 1790, and died in Wheeling, July 16, 1854. Three children were born to them: Jane, who died at the age of seven years; William S.; Isabella, who married B. F. Kelly, a general in the late war, and died April 23, 1860. Mrs. Goshorn's mother was a Scott, one of the family distin- OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 301 guished in the early history of Wheeling for their heroic conduct during the time of Indian warfare. Mollie Scott was one of the inmates of Col. Zane's block-house during the memorable siege of Fort Henry in 1782. Subject's great-grandfather, Joseph Scott, came here from Pennsylvania. He and son served through the Revolutionary war. His sons, John and Joseph, were killed by Indians on Scott's fork of Will's creek, near where Cambridge, Ohio, now stands. After peace was declared an Indian and his squaw came to Marietta, Ohio, where Alexander Scott, a brother of the two deceased, was living, and under the influence of fire-water, and not knowing of Scott's presence, boasted of having killed the two Scott brothers. That night Alexander Scott got the Indian out of the village and cut his throat, subsequently throwing the body in the river. William S. Goshorn, above-named, has made his home at Wheeling since he was brought here at the age of one year, by his father. He entered the business of his father, the style being first, John Goshorn & Co., then Goshorn & Kelley, and afterward Goshorn & Co., William being a. member of the latter firm. Since 1844 he has been virtually retired from regular business. He has served as a member of the council several times, was once a director of the Merchants' & Mechanics' bank, and of the Fire & Marine Insurance company. Mr. Goshorn was married in January, 1838, to Priscilla Jane Zinn, of Martinsburg, W. Va., who died in 1878, after forty years of marricd life, leaving six children: Mary, wife of James C. Hervey, of Ohio county; Isabella, widow of Joseph S. Irwin; John, farmer of Ohio county; Amanda Virginia, widow of Joseph S. Hamilton; Adelia A., wife of Richard P. Staub, of Baltimore; Laura E., wife of Alfred Caldwell, Esq., attorney-general. Herman B. Grimm, secretary of the Reymann Brewing company, is one of the well-known young business men of Wheeling. He was born in Saxony, Germany, July 23, 1853, and is the son of Charles W. Grimm, a dry goods merchant of Zeulenroda, Germany. The father died at Wheeling in 1884, in the sixty-third year of his age, and his widow survives, at the age of sixty-nine. Herman B. was their only child. The latter was reared and educated in Germany, and received a thorough training in various schools and from private tutelage. After leaving school he entered his father's establishment, but subsequently he was employed in the office of the recorder of deeds of the county or district in which he resided, as accountant and deputy, and he held that place about three years. At the end of that period he resigned what was to have been a life position, and in the fall of 188o came to America with his parents. They proceeded directly to Wheeling, and there in April, 1881, he entered the office of the Reymann Brewing company as a clerk. In January, 1882, he was given charge of the books, and from that position, in 1883, he was promoted to the position of secretary of the company, a position he still fills with notable ability. Mr. Grimm is also secretary of the opera house orchestra. John Grosscurth, a well-known German citizen of Wheeling, and 302 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. a leading wholesale and retail dealer in furniture at No. 1116 Main street, was born in the city of Meckelsdorf, Hesse-Cassel, Germany, January 15, 1826. In his youth he learned the trade of cabinet-making and house carpentry, and then served three years in the Prince's guard, of the Hessian army. Upon the revolution of the Hessian legislature against the prince in 1850, he left the army and came to America, leaving Bremen on November 17, and reaching New York January 23, 1851, after a voyage of fifty-eight days. After remaining in New York about four months he went to Newark, N. J., where he lived four or five months, and then went to Rochester, N. Y., where he remained until September, 1852, in the meantime wedding Theresa Wilhelm, a native of Saxony. Proceeding further west, his wife was attacked with cholera at Cleveland, and then upon her recovery, they came t6 Wheeling, reaching here on the night of September 11, 1852. This city has been his permanent home since. He worked at his trade until 1863, and then opened a shop on Market street, opposite the postoffice building, and carried a stock of furniture in addition to working at his trade. In March, 1868, he purchased a lot on Main street and erected his present business house, a three-story brick building, which he occupied with a largely increased stock of furniture. He continued the cabinet-making and undertaking business until about 1887, when he confined himself exclusively to the wholesale and retail furniture trade. Mr. Grosscurth is one of the substantial and influential citizens of Wheeling. He takes an active interest in public affairs, but is not a political partisan, being in favor of good government, which he is ready to applaud whatever party is responsible therefor. For the last thirty-eight or forty years he has been a member of the Reform church. Mr. and Mrs. Grosscurth have had twelve children, of whom there survive four sons and two daughters. Jacob W. Grubb, a prominent citizen and ex-mayor of Wheeling, is notable in a business way as a leading jeweler, maintaining a well-known and popular establishment at the corner of Market and Twelfth streets. Mr. Grubb's family is among the oldest in the upper Ohio valley, his grandfather, Jacob Grubb, having settled where Bridgeport now is, near the beginning of the present century. This ancestor subsequently removed to St. Clairsville, where he was for some time engaged as a cabinet maker. At that place his son, Andrew, the father of Jacob W., was born in 1814. The latter also followed the trade of cabinet-making, and was so occupied at St. Clairsville and at Bridgeport. Of the latter town he served as mayor for a time. In 1877 he removed to Wheeling, where he died in 1889. His wife was Trissa Turk, a native of St. Clairsville, and daughter of John Turk, an old resident of that place. Of their four children, the eldest, Jacob W. Grubb, the subject of this sketch, was born at Bridgeport, in August, 185o. He spent his boyhood days at Bridgeport, and in 1867 came to Wheeling, and embarked in the jewelry business as an employe of Henegen, Bates & Co., whom he succeeded ten years later.- In 1872 he removed to his present commodious and OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 303 centrally located store-room, which is the home of one of the most extensive jewelry establishments of the state. Mr. Grubb is also identified with numerous other enterprises and industries in Wheeling and vicinity. In public affairs as well as in business, Mr. Grubb has been active and prominent, and in addition to other honors conferred at the hands of his fellow citizens, he has served one term to the general satisfaction as mayor of Wheeling. Socially also, he is prominent, and in the Masonic fraternity he has attained high honors, being a member of Bates lodge, No. 33, an past officer of the grand lodge, and a member of Wheeling Union chapter, No. 1, and Cyrene corn mandery, No. 7, K. T. In 1876 Mr. Grubb was married to Lizzie, daughter of L. S. Delaplaine, and they have three children. Frank Gruse, one of the prominent young men of Wheeling who is active in politics and public affairs, now holds the position of president of the second branch of the city council, and is a member of the board of commissioners of Ohio county. He was born in Hesse, Germany, November 8, 1852, the son of Henry and Elizabeth (Schaub) Gruse. The family came to America in 1854, and proceeded directly to Wheeling, where they located, and have since resided. The father is now in his seventy-second year, and the mother in her seventy-fifth. Two children of these parents are living, the subject of this mention, and Mary, wife of Louis Bonenberger, of Wheeling. Frank Gruse was reared in Wheeling from the second year of his age, and was educated in the common schools and the Wheeling business college, under Samuel McCoy in 1872. For over one year he was employed in the dry goods business with George R. Taylor & Co. In In 1873 he took charge of the books for the large tailoring establishment of C. W. Seabright. Mr. Gruse is an enterprising citizen, is largely interested in real estate, and has unbounded faith in the future of the city. In 1884 he was elected a member of the city council from the Sixth ward, and he is now serving on his third term, having been re-elected in 1886 and 1888. In 1886 he was elected a member of the board of commissioners of the county, for Webster district, and was chosen president of the board. During this term of office on account of the famous political contests of 1888, the proceedings of the board became a matter of national interest. In the fall of 1888 he was re-elected and became the chairman of the finance committee. He was a candidate of his party for the presidency of the board, but the body being equally divided in membership politically, an arrangement was made whereby his party secured all the offices in the bestowal of the board except the superintendent of the infirmary and the coroner, and he withdrew from the contest, and P. B. Dobbins was elected president of the board. Mr. Gruse was married April 15, 188o, to Emma, daughter of Benedict Speidel, who died eighteen months later, leaving one daughter, E. V. He is a member of the Catholic church. David Gundling, a prominent retail dealer in clothing and furnishing goods, of Wheeling, is a native of Wurtemburg, Germany, born February 22, 1839. In 1855 he came to the United States, and resided 304 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. for several years in the state of North Carolina. He came to Wheeling in 1862, and embarked in the retail business, dealing in boots and shoes, and then for nine years subsequently was engaged with an eastern house as traveling salesman. He engaged in his present business in this city about the year 1876, and has the largest retail establishment in the city, at 34 and 36 Twelfth street, the trade of which extends throughout the suburban towns and adjacent country. The stock is large and. varied, but especial attention is paid to the finer lines of goods, of which the supply is always of a character to satisfy all demands without recourse to metropolitan retail establishments. Mr. Gundling has built up this extensive establishment and trade by the exercise of rare business qualities, which has made him one of the leaders in trade circles of West Virginia. Mr. Gundling was married in 1866 to Adeline Kline, by whom he has four children. His fraternal affiliations are with the Masonic order, the Knights of Honor, the A. 0. U. W. and the National Union. William H. Haller, for many years a resident of Wheeling, and -an honored member of the city council, was born in that city February 15, 1834. He is the son of Joseph Haller, a native of Frederick, Md., of German descent, and his wife Eliza, a native of Marshall county, W. Va., and daughter of Thomas and Caroline Clark. These parents settled at Wheeling about 1813, and there the father was engaged as a contractor and builder until his death in 1862. His wife died five years later. They had thirteen children of whom the third is the subject of this sketch. The latter at the age of eighteen began the trades of painting and paperhanging, and he followed those ten years afterward in favorable seasons, also being employed as steward on Ohio river steamers, among which were the " Air Line," the " Allegheny Clipper," the "Cinderella," and the " Talisman." In the spring of 1861, Mr. Haller enlisted in the Union army as a member of Battery D, First West Virginia light artillery, and he served until 1862, when on account of physical disability he was honorably discharged. He has since that time been engaged in the business of auctioneer and as a real estate dealer. In these lines of business he has gained a wide reputation for energy and integrity. Mr. Haller is a member of Sheridan post, G. A. R., and Wheeling lodge, No. 9, I. O. O. F., and he and wife are members of the English Lutheran church. In politics he is an ardent republican, and he takes much interest in municipal affairs. In January, 1879, he was elected to the second branch of the city council, and being re-elected served four years. Then in January, 1883, he was elected to the first branch, in which he is now serving his second term of four years, which when completed will end twelve years of faithful service in the council. During the years of 1887 and 1888 he also held the position of market master. In 1859 Mr. Haller was married to Martha A. Williams, a native of Wheeling, and daughter of Benjamin Williams, deceased, a venerable steamboat pilot. Mr. and Mrs. Haller have had fourteen children: Benjamin J.; Harry; Theodore, deceased; Florence; William Gilbert; Georgiana, deceased; Sue, deceased; George; Jerry A.; Jen- OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 305 nie, deceased; Lulu, deceased; Allie H., deceased; John A. Logan and a daughter that died unnamed. Few men have been more prominently identified with the growth and development of Wheeling and the surrounding territory than John Handlan. Mr. Handlan vas born in Greene county, Penn., May 2, 18o8. His parents moved to Wheeling when he was a small child. He remained with them until he reached his nineteenth year. In 1828 he went to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was employed in the pork packing establishment of Mr. Holcomb. When Holcomb moved his business to St. Louis, Mo., Mr. Handlan accompanied him and remained with him through the winter of 1830. At this time he engaged in a business of buying and selling grain in Illinois. In 1831 he went to New Orleans, and there he met a man by the name of Kelley,- who had worked for him in Illinois. Kelley had a contract with the city, and was glad to divide this with him. His knowledge of the pork packing business secured him a position with John Bozant, the most prominent beef and pork inspector in the city.. Here his superior ability as a manager was soon developed, and he was made the manager of the house. Returning to Wheeling in 1844, he married Mary E. Martin, a descendant of one of the early pioneer families of Wheeling. Mr. Handlan returned to New Orleans soon after and resumed his old position with Mr. Bozant, remaining with him until the year 1848, when he was appointed inspector by Gov. Joseph Walker, of Louisiana, and the firm of Bozant, Holmes & Handlan, pork and beef inspectors, was formed. He continued as the chief inspector and manager until 1852, when he left the city and- once more returned to his old home in Wheeling, Va. During his residence in New Orleans, Mr. Handlan bought two of the five-acre lots of the Fox farm, and a number of lots with coal privileges. After his return to Wheeling he opened and successfully started a coal business on his coal property, and shortly afterward formed the Boggs Run Mining company. The earnings of this company enabled him to buy a large amount of surface, and a vast quantity of coal privilege. He also bought 1,200 acres of land, on which was a grist-mill, twelve miles from the city of Wheeling, on Wheeling creek. He built a saw-mill near the grist-mill, and operated both successfully; but tiring of the annoyance incident to such a business, he sold the land in parcels, netting a handsome profit in the transaction. In 186o he was one of a company that prospected for coal in what is now the oil fields of West Virginia. It is claimed for him that he sunk the first oil well from which petroleum was obtained; and it is certain that he was the first to introduce' it as a lubricator. Mr. Handlan worked the oil wells for three years, when he succeeded in selling the lease of the company to a Michigan party for $3oo,000 in cash. In. 1869 he was elected president of the Citizens' Railway company, and continued in this office for nine or ten years. The stock of the company was worth but 4o cents on the dollar when he took charge of its affairs. He systematized the affairs of the company, and soon had the debt, amounting to $15,000, paid, and for a time seven per cent. semi-annu- 20—A. 306 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. ally was declared. The stock of the company, meanwhile, advancing to 140. Mr. Handlan, during his life, took an active interest in the affairs of Wheeling, and was largely connected with its advancement. He was a member of the firms of Pryor, Handlan & Company (wholesale grocers) ; Handlan, Ratcliffe & Company (general store) ; was president of the Boggs Run Mining company; the Citizens'. Railway company, the board of county commissioners, and director in several different manufactories, banks and insurance companies of the city. Personally, Mr. Handlan was a man of fine physique, a refined, open countenance, and precise in his every action. He was always ready to assist a friend, and once having gained his confidence, he trusted them fully. He was always kind and considerate to his employes, and was ever ready to lend them a helping hand in bettering their condition. His death occurred at his residence on South Chapline street, Wheeling, on the 30th day of April, 1880. A man of broad and charitable mind, with a heart as tender as a woman's, his death caused a vacancy impossible to fill in his happy home, and the business circles of Wheeling suffered an irreparable loss. A touching incident may be properly recorded here as evidencing the man's broad humanity. While in the far south the pitiable condition of a negress called forth his sympathy, to relieve her distress he paid the large sum of $1,500 and became her master. Mr. Handlan gave the woman her freedom, but she desired to pay for herself. He established her in a. laundry business, and ever after his linen received her closest attention. Finally she was taken sick and sent for her benefactor, wishing to- see him before she died. When he reached her bedside the dying woman feebly handed him a package containing the last shirts which she ever prepared for him. Her last breath was spent in blessing him. Of Mr. Handlan's family the following named are living: W. M. Handlan, Mrs. Mary E. Walton., John R. Handlan, Miss Sallie 'I'. Handlan, Joseph H. Handlan and Mrs. Carrie L. McVeigh. William C. Handlan was born in Wheeling, W. Va., then Virginia, April 25, 1823. At the age of nineteen years he was employed as a clerk in the Beef and Pork Inspection House of John Bozant, of New Orleans, La. He filled various clerical positions in this house for seven years. In 1850 he went west and settled in Pike county, Ill. Here he was engaged, in the town of New Canton, in the merchandising and pork-packing business. In March, 1852, he went overland to California, and returned to Wheeling June 23, 1853. Immediately after returning home he entered into a business partnership with his brothers, John and Augustine, and for twelve years managed the Handlan store. They carried on an extensive and lucrative business. In 1865 he formed a partnership with Oliver Pryor in the wholesale grain and provision business. One year later Pryor died, and Mr. Handlan then entered into a co-partnership with his brother John. This firm operated a very large business in provisions until the time of John Handlan's death in 1880. In 1884, Mr.. Handlan was elected sheriff of Ohio county, and during his incum- OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 307 bency of this distinguished and responsible office collected and disbursed about $1,000,000. The following extract from the Wheeling Intelligencer„ of September 7, 1889, speaks volumes for Mr. Hand Ian's efficiency. The article is headed, " A quick and satisfactory settlement. Ex-Sheriff Handlan made a final settlement with Clerk Woods, of the board of commissioners, yesterday. It was found that the county was indebted to him $87:17. The smallness of the amount goes to show that the business of the office has been very carefully conducted. Mr. Handlan has received many deserved compliments upon his faithful and efficient administration of affairs, and it may be said here, that this settlement is more satisfactory, and is concluded at an earlier date after the expiration of the term, than has sever before been made with any occupant of the sheriff's office." For a number of years Mr. Handlan was president of the town council of the town of South Wheeling, now the Eighth ward, and was president at the time the town was annexed to the city of Wheeling. He was elected a member of the first branch, of council, at the first election, and served four years. At the expiration of this time he was elected to the second branch, of which he was elected president. During his chairmanship of the committee on fire department, he created the paid fire department, and put up the fire alarm telegraph. To him the honor belongs for introducing and carrying through council the ordinance abolishing the iniquitous " fee system " of the city sergeant, and substituting in its stead a salary for that official. Under the old system the more arrests that were made the more money for the sergeant. He also succeeded in securing the passage of an act by the legislature, changing the " fee system " of the clerk of the police court to that of a salary. Few men have accomplished more for the public weal of the city than the subject of this biography. A broad-minded, public-spirited man, his unflagging labors in behalf of the city's good will be remembered by the children of the coming generations. Mr. Handlan was an elector-at-large for West Virginia on the democratic ticket. He has been twice married. His first wife was Rebecca Johnson, whom he married in 185o. The children of this marriage are: Mary Locke, Augustina, Eugenia Baptista and John Brown, the latter deceased. The second wife was Annie E. Woods, whom he married February 12, 1863, by her he had the following named children: Agnes Jane, Helena, Francis (deceased), J. Bernard, James Thales, Clair and Eulalia (twins, the last named now dead), and Anna Blanche. J. Bernard is in business in Wheeling at the present writing, and James is in business in Washington, D. C. Charles Hanke, prominent among the substantial citizens of Wheeling, was born in Brunswick, Germany, March 19, 1829. Leaving the old country in March, he reached the United States in April, 1849, and came directly to Wheeling, where he had relatives living. His first employment was in the rolling mills, for two years, afterward steamboating for a time, and he then learned the trade of a cigar maker, in which he began business on his own account in 185o, and has since continued, being one of the leaders in this important in- 308 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. dustry of Wheeling. He first manufactured in Ritchie town. Two years later he removed to Water street in center Wheeling, thence to Main street in the same part of the city, and from there to the corner of Fourteenth and Market streets, at the site of the chamber of commerce. ,A year later he removed to the place next door to his present establishment, and then he bought the land and began the building of his present large business house, situated at Nos. 1423 and 1425 Market street, which he has occupied since ante-war times. He carries on the manufacture of fine cigars, stogies and tips extensively, and conducts a tobacconist establishment which ranks with the best in the country. Aside from this business Mr. Hanke is interested in various important enterprises in the financial and commercial field, being one of the largest stockholders and a director of the Belmont Glass company, of Bellaire, for over twenty years a stockholder in the. German Bank of Wheeling, a stockholder in the Exchange National Bank of Wheeling, and in the Schmulbach Brewery company, and many other corporations. Mr. Hanke is one of the best known citizens of Wheeling, and his career is one of the most remarkable in the high.degree of success he has achieved, from humble beginnings, by the practice of those business principles which build up reputation and good character at the same time that they increase the worldly goods of their possessor. He is highly regarded and esteemed by a wide circle of friends. In 1852 Mr. Hanke was married to Hannah C., daughter of Dr. William Allen, of Philadelphia. To this union eleven children have been born, eight of whom survive: Alonzo L., Mina, Eugene, Alfred; Elwood S., of Pittsburgh; Theodore S., Edgar Leon, and Fannie C. Eugene, one of the rising young attorneys of Wheeling, is now clerk of the first branch of the city council. Mr.. Hanke and his wife are members of the Lutheran church of Wheeling.. Fred Happy, a member of the city council of Wheeling, and a well-known and popular citizen, was born at Gelting, Hanover, Germany, July 26, 1845. He is a son of Christopher Happy, who with his family, emigrated to America in 1846, and resided for two years at Baltimore, afterward, in 1848, coming to Wheeling. The father was a locksmith by trade, but after working at that for some time at Wheeling he bought a farm in Marshall county, and lived on the same about ten years, at the same time carrying on work at his trade. In 186o he again made his residence at Wheeling, and was engaged here at his trade and as a machinist in the Baltimore & Ohio shops until 1866, when he bought a farm in Michigan, and removed to that state, where he died in 1876, at the age of seventy-seven years. His widow and a son are still living in Michigan. Fred Happy remained on the farm in Marshall county until the time of the war, when he came to Wheeling, and found employments of various kinds until 1863, when he entered the brewery of Houston & Story. Three years later he was employed in the establishment of Beck & Reymann, and he has continued with that brewery to the present time. At the outset he took the position of cellar boss, and from that was promoted brewer. OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 309 Since the year 1870, he has acted as manager, and in 1880, upon the incorporation of the Reymann Brewing company he became a stockholder, and was elected to the position of manager of the works. Mr. Happy is an influential citizen, taking an active part in public affairs, is a member of various organizations, and is respected widely as a man who has by his own efforts reached a creditable position in life. He was elected in the spring of 1883, as councilman from the Fourth ward to the first branch of the city council, and in 1887 was re-elected. Mr. Happy was married in 187o, to Louise Seibert, and by this union has two sons and two daughters. William Hare, senior member of the firm of William Hare & Son, leading plumbers of Wheeling, is a native of Pittsburgh, Penn., born July 13, 1829. His father, Francis Hare, of Scotch-Irish descent, was a native of county Antrim, Ireland, born about 1796. In 1817 he was married to Elizabeth Taggart, a native of the same county, and on the day following the marriage they set sail for America. They made their home at Pittsburgh for a time, but subsequently engaged in farming, which was their occupation through life. The wife died in the spring of 1877, and the father in 1887. Ten children were born to them, of whom six survive. During William's childhood the family residence was in Pittsburgh, but at eleven years of age he went with them upon the farm, and there remained for five or six years. In the fall of 1846 he left home to learn the trade of plumbing, and at that he served an apprenticeship for five years, thoroughly mastering the business. He then worked at the trade for about four years, and at the end of that period removed to Wheeling, in the spring of 1853, and opened a plumbing establishment of his own. Having continued in the business ever since, he is now one of the oldest and leading plumbers of the city. The firm of William Hare & Son, above referred to, was formed in 1881 by the admission to the business of Frak T. Hare. Mr. Hare was married in 1855 to Jane L. Taylor, of Wheeling, and of the eight children born to them, seven are living: Frank T., Sallie, Mary E., Andrew S., Mattie J., Blanche E., and William H.. Artemas Crouder Harrell, a prosperous retail grocer of Wheeling, and a member of the city council, was born at Harrellsville, N. C., September 10, 1844. His father was Alpha B. Harrell, a native of Harrellsville, and son of Abner Harrell, a native of Gates county, N. C., in honor of whom the birthplace of our subject was named. The wife of Alpha Harrell was Ann E., daughter of John and Ann (Briggs) Mansard, the former a native of France and the latter of Gates county, N. C. Alpha Harrell died in 1866, and his wife in 1868. Of their six children the third is the subject of this sketch. In his seventeenth year Mr. Harrell enlisted in Company G, Thirty-first North Carolina infantry, and he served in that command one year, then enlisting in Company G, Second North Carolina cavalry, with which he continued until the close of the war, rendering honorable and gallant service in many severe engagements, and serving in all the desperate encounters in the vicinity of Petersburg and Richmond. 310 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. Then returning to Harrellsville he taught school three months, and then acted as superintendent for a lumber company on the Roanoke river about eighteen months. About 1868 he went to Martin's Ferry, Ohio, and after a year's residence there he moved to Wheeling, where he was employed for the first three years in the works of the Wheeling Iron and Nail company. He engaged in the grocery business in July, 1873, and has given his attention to that ever since, with marked success. In politics Mr. Harrell is prominent as a democrat. He is now serving his third year as a member of the city school board, and his seventh year as a member of the second branch of the city council, to which he was elected in 1883, 1885, 1887 and 1889. Mr. Harrell was married March 31, 1872, to Jennie Dean, of Martin's Ferry, and they have had five children: Lucy B., deceased; Herbert D., Clarence L., Royden and Archie. Mr. Harrell and wife are members of the Methodist church. Samuel B. Harrison, the chief clerk of the Mc Lure House, the leading hotel of the upper Ohio valley, was born in Wheeling, Va., now West Virginia, August 8, 1856. In his early boyhood, his parents removed to Cumberland, Md., and he there received his education. Mr. Harrison is, the descendant of an old and influential family. His father, George Harrison, was born in Somersetshire, England, in 1808. He was educated at Eaton college, in his native country, and in his early life he came to the United States and located at Wheeling. Sometime after, he removed to Cumberland, Md., where he died. The mother was born in Morgantown, Va., now West Virginia, the daughter of Simeon Woodrow, a prominent man in his day, and an officer in the war of 1812. Samuel B. is the youngest child born to them. Charles J., the second son, is the president of the Somerset county, Penn., National bank, and a prominent man in the financial world. Capt. George W., oldest son, is the general traffic agent of the West Virginia Central railroad. During the war of the rebellion he was quartermaster on Gen. Kelley's staff. J. Forsyth practiced law in Cumberland for several years, he then abandoned the practice of law and moved west, where he remained for several years. He is now the transfer agent of the West Virginia Central railroad, at Piedmont, W. Va. The subject of this biography began the active affairs of life by working in the " trace " office, B. & O., in clerk of the court's office, Cumberland, Md., and he afterward filled various positions of trust, among which may be mentioned his connection with the United States revenue office. In 1876, he was appointed clerk in the Queen City hotel, at Cumberland, and remained in that capacity for some time. Two years later, he accepted a position in the McLure House, and has by his thorough knowledge of the hotel business, worked his way up to his present responsible position. He is undoubtedly the most popular hotel man in the state. Mr. Harrison has acquired considerable celebrity in the literary world. He has corresponded for the press frequently, having contributed many acceptable articles, and is the author of a book, entitled, " Front; or Ten Years With the Traveling Man." This book has had quite an extended sale. Its chief OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 311 merit lies in its originality, he having simply reproduced the daily happenings of a large hotel.- It treats of a humorous and serious side of commercial life, giving the many little annoyances, as well as the joys, incident to a life on the " Road." He received -many favorable criticisms from such men as Bill Nye, and many others of like fame. The book was published by the American News company, of New York. Mr. Harrison is a member of the Episcopal church, and is also a member of B. P. 0. E., lodge No 28, Order of Elks. In politics he is a staunch republican. Killian W. Hamm, senior member of the firm of Hamm & Co., dealers in furniture and carpets, of Wheeling, was born in that city August 14, 1863. His father, William Hamm, who was born in Germany, in 1822, emigrated to the United States in 1849, and reached Wheeling on the first day of May of that year. He has since been a resident of the city, where he for some time followed his vocation as a tailor, but is now retired. He was engaged with several of the old merchant tailors, with Thomas Hughes for over fifteen years, and during the civil war was in business for himself. He was married at Wheeling to Anna Bousen, who was born in Germany in 1833, and died at this city. April 27, 1889. To these parents three sons and four daughters were born, of whom two sons and two daughters are living. Killian W. Hamm, the eldest son, and the second in age of the children living, was reared at Wheeling and received his education in the public and Catholic schools of the city. At the age of eighteen years he made a beginning in the business to which he has devoted his efforts, by becoming an apprentice at cabinet-making, in the employment of Arbenz & Co. After two years at the bench he was promoted to the salesroom, where he had an experience of ten years, fitting him in every particular for conducting the business intelligently and successfully. On March I, 1889, he formed a partnership with A. S. Arbenz, and under the firm name of Hamm & Co., they opened an establishment stocked with a large and complete line of furniture, carpets, oil-cloths, window shades, mattresses, etc., and also prepared for giving attention to undertaking in all its branches. Being experienced and practical men, and opening business on a fair and honorable plan, they met with remarkable success from the outset, and are bringing their establishment rapidly to the front. Mr. Hamm was married May 3, 1887, to Lizzie, daughter of Frank Crubler, who was at one time a member of the Wheeling police force, and for many years boiler boss at the Top mill. To this union one son, Leo. F., has been born. Mr. Hamm and wife are members of St. Alphonsus Catholic church. Samuel D. Harper, who was one of the pioneers in the wholesale trade at Wheeling, was born at Alexandria, Va., in 1789, of Scotch-Irish descent. He went into the wholesale and retail hat and cap business, and when he came to Wheeling he at once began the manufacture of hats and the wholesale and retail trade in that branch of business, his first establishment being on the corner of Eleventh and Main streets. In 1855 his sons, Henry and Samuel, became partners in 312 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. the business, under the style of S. D. Harper & Sons, and about that time the location was changed to the opposite side of the street. In 1868 the senior Harper died. He had been married in Jefferson county, Va., to Sarah K. North, who survived him until 1885, when she died at the age of eighty-nine years. Fourteen children were born to these parents, only four of whom are living, George W. publisher of Hinds county (Miss.) Gazette, Margaret M., Henry W., and Mrs. William McConell, of Philadelphia. Henry M. Harper was born December 28, 1834. He was reared at Wheeling, and received his education at the Linsly institute, and then, in i868, in partnership with his twin brother, Samuel, succeeded to the business founded by his father, upon the death of the latter. In 1870 Samuel died, and the surviving partner has since managed the business as sole proprietor. The name of the house, however, remains as before. The house does an extensive business throughout West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Maryland, in hats, caps, etc., employing six traveling salesmen. It occupies an honorable place among the leading wholesale houses of the city. Mr. Harper is interested also in the bank of the Ohio Valley, of which he is a director. He was married in 1873, to Marion, daughter of Prof. F. S. Williams, of. Wheeling, and two children have been born them. * Journalism is now admitted to be one of the " learned professions." Men now-a-days equip themselves for it as lawyers prepare for the bar, ministers for the pulpit, and physicians for the practice of medicine. The newspaper is the greatest educator on the earth. It is read by practically everybody. Its power, therefore, for good or evil is very great. Charles Burdett Hart, the subject of this sketch, is a born journalist. As soon as his college days were over he took straight to journalism. Brevity is the soul of wit. Horace Greeley, I believe, is the originator of editorial paragraphing. It is in the use of short, pithy editorial paragraphs that the American press differs most widely from that of England. Mr. Hart adopted the Greeley idea of writing short, pungent editorials, and adheres to it under almost all circumstances. He has an unerring " nose for news," and believes in the policy of cutting down editorials to give place for news. In this ever-growing feature of American journalism, Mr. Hart excels. Naturally witty, he dashes off paragraph after paragraph, on different subjects, with rapidity and ease, and at the same time keeps his news columns up to the highest standard of reliable news reports. Under his editorial management the Daily Intelligencer holds an enviable position among the newspapers of the Ohio valley. Charles Burdett Hart was born in Baltimore, Md., June 16, 185o. He is the eldest born of Mary Stevens Mulliken and Francis Burdett Hart. His paternal grandfather and grandmother came from England. On his mother's side, his ancestors came from England before the revolution, and settled in Maryland as planters, and took part on the patriot side in the war for independence. His mother's father was a soldier in the * By Hon. George W. Atkinson. OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 313 war of 1812. Mr. Hart was educated in the public schools of New York and Brooklyn, in the English and French academy in Brooklyn, and in a four-years' course in St. Timothy's Hall, Maryland, a military academy of high repute in its day. At St. Timothy's Hall he was the salutatorian of his class. He displayed more than common facility in acquiring languages, both ancient and modern. In these days of active business he gladly turns for mental rest and diversion to a good book in French, Spanish or German, and reads out of the original with fluency and satisfaction. From 1868 to 1869 he taught school in Queen Anne's county, Md. With no intention of being admitted to the bar, he read law with the Hon. Benjamin Harris Brewster, of Philadelphia, attorney-general in the cabinet of the late President Arthur. In early life he decided to adopt journalism as a profession. Accordingly, in 1871, he began his journalistic career by serving as reporter, city editor, telegraph editor, managing editor, editorial writer and Washington correspondent. Mr. Hart has been connected with the Chronicle, Inquirer, North American, and Press of Philadelphia. He was editorial writer on the Philadelphia Press, when, November 15, 1882, he purchased an interest in the Wheeling Intelligencer, succeeding the Hon. A. W. Campbell as editor of that well-known and thoroughly established newspaper. He is a republican in politics, and in 1872 cast his first ballot for Gen. Grant and the entire republican ticket, although at the time he was employed on an independent republican newspaper that supported Horace Greeley. Before he arrived at his twenty-first birthday he took an active part in political campaigns, delivering republican speeches, and has never been allied with any other political organization. An earnest student of politics, yet he has never been a candidate for political preferment, and has no taste for public office, or aspiration of any kind in that direction. 'He is a journalist in the broadest sense and meaning of the word, loves his calling, and will not allow himself to be side-tracked by the allurements of official favor, or ambitions of any kind whatever. January 25, 1877, he married Miss Mary Willie, daughter of Morgan L. Ott, of Wheeling. Two children have resulted from this union, Morgan Ott and Virginia Stevens, the latter deceased. Mr. Hart is not only a thorough journalist, but he is public-spirited and enterprising as well. He set on foot the movement that resulted in in the great gathering of West Virginians known as the Immigration Convention, that was held in the city of Wheeling in February, 1888, which had for its object the development of the boundless natural resources of West Virginia. That convention was attended by delegates from every portion of the state, which gave an impetus to an immigration movement that will not likely cease until West Virginia's wonderful natural advantages are made thoroughly known to the people throughout the country. Mr. Hart was chosen by that great convention as president of the state board of immigration and development, and has given to the position his best energies, which have already produced the most gratifying results. 314 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. William L. Hearne, a prominent capitalist who is devoting his capital largely to the upbuilding of the iron industry of the upper Ohio valley, has secured for himself a well deserved place in the esteem of the people, demands from an impartial historian also, by his career, such mention as wilt briefly but accurately show his relation to the development of those important institutions, which have in recent periods revolutionized to so large an extent the character of that region. It was not until Mr. Hearne had attained wealth by the successful prosecution of other business that he removed to Wheeling, and lent his aid to the manufactures peculiar to this valley. He is a native of Delaware, born in 1818, and was there reared; and while a young man, was married, in 1837, to a sister of Gov. Ross. In 1857 he removed to Missouri, and at Hannibal engaged in the tobacco business. Five years later he made his home in New York, and continued the same business there until May, 1865, after which date he was again a resident of Hannibal, Mo., for two years. In 1867 he came to Wheeling, and became a stockholder and director in the association known as Dewey, Vance & Co., owners of the iron works afterward known as the Riverside, one of the best appointed nail establishments in the country, which has done much to produce the wide reputation which Wheeling has acquired for the production of nails. When Mr. Hearne become a partner in the business the nail mill was in process of construction. The next enlargement of the plant was the blast furnace at Benwood, which was completed in 1871, and put in blast February 9, 1872. The average weekly product of this furnace is now 1,000 tons of pig iron, all consumed in the company's steel plant. The blast furnace formerly used by the Steubenville Furnace company, was purchased by the Riverside company, in 1885, and thoroughly remodeled, and it now produces for the company an average of 850 tons per week. A Bessemer steel plant was added at Benwood, which began operations June I I, 1884, perfectly constructed and equipped, and a plate mill, adjacent, was built in 1885. The company also has a mill for the production of bar steel and light T rails, steel pipe mills with an average annual capacity of 30,000 tons, and two large nail factories which can turn out 12,000 kegs of nails a week. Of late, the manufacture of steel pipe has been given special prominence, and with much success. About 1,500 workmen are given employment in the mills of this company. Upon the re-organization and incorporation Of the company in 1874, Mr. Hearne became general manager, and this position he held until 1876, when he was succeeded by his son, Frank J., but he is still a prominent stockholder and director. Mr. Hearne is also president of the West Virginia China company, which was founded in 1887, by him and others, and has one of the most important and extensive plants in the city. He is also a stockholder in the Woodward Iron works of Alabama. . Mr. Hearne, in 1877, was chosen a member of the house of delegates of West Virginia. He is a member of the Second Presbyterian church, of which he has been a trustee for twenty years. The first wife of OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 315 Mr. Hearne, by whom he had seven children, died in 1864, and in the latter part of 1865, he was married to a daughter of Col. J. B. Ford, to which union three children were born. Frank J. Hearne, son of the above, who occupies the responsible position of general manager of the entire plant of the Riverside Iron works, the largest iron and steel manufacturing plant in the state, and one of the largest west of the Alleghanies, assumed that position at the age of twenty-nine years. He possesses remarkable abilities of the order essential to the proper discharge of such a trust, and his grasp of the details of the business and executive power can best be characterized by simple reference to the immense establishment in whose management he has succeeded to so satisfactory a degree. Born at Cambridge, Md., September 21, 1846, he was reared there until in his eleventh year he accompanied his parents to Missouri. In 1861 he returned to the east and completed his education, attending schools at Sandwich, Mass., Norristown, Penn., and Brooklyn, N. Y., and in the fall of 1863, entering the sophomore class of the University of New York, and in February, 1865, the Troy Polytechnic Institute, where he was graduated in June, 1867. In the following month he returned to Hannibal, Mo., and became assistant engineer of the Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad, a position he held until he came to Wheeling in May, 1872. He then became assistant manager of the Riverside furnace, was subsequently promoted manager of the same, then assistant manager of the entire plant, and finally in 1875, assumed the position he now holds. Mr. Hearne is a member and vestryman of the St. Matthew's Episcopal church. He was married in Omaha, Neb., December 21, 1869, to Lillie Lee, and to this union one son, William L. Hearne, Jr., was born in 1878. Among the prosperous retail grocers of Wheeling should be mentioned Casper Heil, whose place of business is at No. 139 Eighteenth street. Mr. Heil was born at Grossenleider, in Hessen, Germany, November 21, 1828, the son of John and Elizabeth (Truschel) Heil, who passed their lives in their native land. He was the sixth born in a family of eight children, five of whom, Andrew, Ferdinand, Casper, Joseph and Mary, came to America. Two of these, Andrew and Ferdinand are now deceased. In 1847, at the age of nineteen years, Casper Heil came to America, leaving home March 18, embarking at London, in the ship Queen Victoria, and reaching New York, May 9. After working as a miner at Pottsville, Penn., a few months, he came to Wheeling, August 16, 1847, where he learned the trade of stone masonry with Thomas McLaughlin, and followed that occupation until 1866. Since then he has been engaged in the grocery business, and for the past twenty years has done a successful business at the place above named. Mr. Heil is influential in municipal affairs, and has served for four years as a member of the second branch of the city council. For more than twenty years he has been a stockholder and director of the German bank of Wheeling, and for several years he served as a director of the German Fire Insurance company. Mr. Heil was married July II, 185o, to Mary Hungermann, who was 316 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. born in Ubbenbiren, Prussia, the daughter of Gerhard and Catherine (Nottmeier) Hungermann. She came with her family to America in 1847, and they settled in McKeesport, Penn., where the mother and father died of cholera in 1849. Mr. and Mrs. Heil have had six children: George, deceased; George, John F., Mary B., Joseph and Henry. Mr. Heil and wife are members of the Catholic church, and he is a member of the St. Alphonsus society. George Heil, assistant secretary of the city board of gas trustees, was born at Wheeling, August 25, 1853. He is a son of Casper Heil, a well-known retail dealer in groceries of Wheeling, who was born in Germany about 1828, and came to America near the year 1847, settling at once at Wheeling. By his wife, Mary Hungermann, also a native of Germany, he had four sons and one daughter. Casper Heil is of much prominence as a citizen and has served several terms as a member of the city council. He and wife are members of the St. Alphonsus Catholic church. George Heil was reared at Wheeling, and received a liberal and classical eduction at St. Vincent's college. Though a young man he has had opportunities to prove his fidelity to public trusts, and is one of the popular men of the city. Under Sheriff R. S. Brown, now deceased, he served as deputy sheriff of Ohio county, and in 1881 he was appointed assistant secretary of the gas board, a position he held until he was appointed secretary, as which he served the board two years. In October, 1889, he was chosen assistant secretary for the term of two years. Mr. Heil was married January 22, 1884; to Miss Annie Yeager, daughter of N. Yeager, deceased, and by this union has two sons, William and Louis. He and wife are members of St. Alphonsus Catholic church. Of the early history of the Heiskell family but little is known, save that Christian Heiskell, first of the name in America, came to this country in the early part of the eighteenth century, and settled at Hagerstown, in the colony of Maryland. By his marriage to a lady by the name of. Stidinger, whose father was an officer in the Revolutionary army, he had four sons: Frederick, Peter,. Godolph and Adam, and one daughter. The daughter married a man by the name of Lauch, who served under Arnold in his siege of Quebec, and in the French and Indian war. Frederick alone remained in Hagerstown, the others settled in different parts of Maryland and the Old Dominion, where their descendants still reside. Frederick married Catherine Hampton, a niece of the revolutionary General Wade Hampton. She was the mother of several children: John, George, Amelia, Sara, Samuel, William, Frederick, Catherine, and Daniel. These children all settled in Tennessee. John, the eldest, was born at Hagerstown, June 9, 1775. Of his early life but little is known. He served in the American army, with the rank of captain, during the war of 1812 and at its close returned to Winchester, Va., where he edited the " Gazette," a whig journal. The following interesting mention is made of him in an old pamphlet, entitled, " Echoes from the Past, or Winchester and Its Environs in the Olden Times." Among the public-spirited men of the town (we must be allowed to say the OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 317 noblest Roman of them all) was Mr. John Heiskell, who conducted one of the town papers, and held many responsible offices at various times in the corporation. During his time there were more improvements going on and completed than ever before or since. His whole heart was wrapped up in the prosperity of the town. It may be said to have been his hobby. There has been no one to fill his place since he died. He was social in his feelings, though of a `fire and tow' temperament, easily excited, and as easily mollified. His heart was as open as day to the calls of charity. Of his lady we cannot speak in too high terms of commendation, therefore we will be silent. They have both gone to their reward." In another place in this town history we find John Heiskell spoken of in connection with the " first printing office." The article is given in full: " We have no authority for saying by whom the first newspaper was published in Winchester, but think it was by Richard Bowen, a gentleman who came from England, who was the father of Mr. John Bowen, printer, once of the town, and grandfather of J. R. Bowen, of this place. A newspaper in those days was a rarity, and as eagerly sought after as a hungry man would hunt after something wherewith to satisfy his appetite. We do not know for certain what. Mr. Bowen called his paper, but think it was the Gazette, or Winchester Gazette, nor do we know how long a period he continued its publication. If we err not, Mr. John Heiskell purchased the office from Mr. Bowen. As early as 1803-4, or thereabouts, it was issued by Mr. Heiskell, and conveyed to its different destinations by means of mail carriers, or post-riders, as they were called then. Stage coaches were scarce. A line plied between this and Staunton some years later. Mr. Heiskell had his own private mail to the different villages of Newton, Millwood, Front Royal, Whitepost, and so on. One of his post-riders was a colored man, by the name of Cupid (not the god of love, by long odds), a full-blooded African, who always put us much in mind of Calaban in the tempest. Cupid used to tell a sad story about the manner in which he was hampered and taken away from his home in Africa. He could converse very well in his own language, being of the tribe of Boblebindo, or Kaphusalem tribe of Ethiops. While with his parents (who had placed him at some distance from them), who were hoeing corn in a little patch close by, the buckra man trappers came suddenly upon them. The parents fled for dear life, and the poor little black nudity who, no doubt, resembled a monkey, put into a bag, lugged aboard ship, and brought to this country. Cupid once belonged to Judge Holmes, from whom Mr. Heiskell purchased him for the very extraordinary price of a four or five dollar pair of boots. Cupid lived to be almost a centenarian, read his bible, prayed as a good Christian should, died, and we hope--there can scarcely be a doubt about it—saved. The Gazette was published at different periods by various proprietors. About 1824 it was' purchased by Mr. Thomas Jones, a London gentleman, who had belonged to the army then warring with the Sepoys. Up to the last revolution it was owned by J. J. Palmer, when it ceased to exist. After the war it was 318 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. resuscitated by Major W. W. Goldsborough, of the confederate army, Maryland line, and is now published by the firm of Hunter & Hollis. John Heiskell was twice married. His first wife was Ann Sowers, whom he married June 17, 1802, by whom he had four children: Henry, Sydney, Otho and Robert. His second wife was Sarah White, their marriage took place March 16, 1824. The births, marriages and deaths of the children are recorded as follows: Henry Lee Heiskell, born March 16, 1803, married Margaret L. Baldwin (Margaret Sowers), November 12., 1833. Henry married for his second wife, Elizabeth Gouvenier, of Washington, D. C. (the granddaughter of President Monroe, and the mother of Capt. James Monroe Heiskell, of military fame), the ceremony taking place in June, 1842. He was first assistant surgeon-general in the ' United States army, and served in Florida during the Seminole war. Sidney Isabella, born May 22, 1806, married Samuel Ott, of Woodstock, Va., May 25, 1825; Otho Williams, born March 1, 1808, married Susan M. Gibson, May 16, 1837, by whom he had one child; Henry Lee Heiskell married a second time to Matilda Paxton, died September 30, 1885; Robert Patton, born March 25, 1812, died June 9, 1821; Ann Elizabeth, born June 27, 1826; John White, born February 12, 1829, and Amelia Susan. Heiskell, born July 24, 1826. Otto W. Heiskell was born in Winchester, Va., where he received his education, he came to Wheeling, Va., now West Virginia, in 1824, and entered the employ of Wade Hampton Heiskell as a clerk in his general merchandise store. Subsequently he established a dry goods business and operated it with much success until the breaking out of the war of the rebellion. He enlisted in the First Virginia volunteer infantry, and was made captain. His military career was crowned with bravery and honorable conduct. He was the only member of the family who fought on the side of the Union. Several of his kinsfolk gave their lives and services to the cause of secession. They fought with the same devotion and heroism, and although on , the defeated side, never flinched from their duty. Two of his cousins were killed at the battle of Cedar Mountain while bravely fighting for all that they loved best. After the war Mr. Heiskell returned to Wheeling, and spent the remainder of his days in retirement from active business life. His death was a public calamity, and the loving memory of his.life and deeds, his quiet, gentle charity and Christian spirit are the best monument which could possibly be erected to his memory. A true, honorable gentleman, a staunch friend, a sincere Christian and a brave soldier, is the epitaph which is written on the hearts of all who knew and loved him. His widow and seven children still survive him, they are: Otho, Annie, who married Augustus Burke, their two children are: Matilda Heiskell Burke and William Paxton-Burke, the latter now connected with the bank of the Ohio valley; William P., Matilda H., second daughter, married Henry M. Russell, a prominent lawyer of Wheeling; Eliza Paxton Heiskell, who married Judge J. R. Paull, mentioned elsewhere; Sydney and Daniel L. Charles F. Held, a well-known manufacturer and dealer in cigars, OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 319 of Wheeling, was born in that city August 7, 1858. He is the son of Frederick Held, who was born in Germany and emigrated to America when a young man, and soon after coming to this country made his home at Wheeling, where he married Susan Walters, who was also a native of Germany. Frederick Held died when his son, the subject of this mention, was only ten weeks old, but the mother is still living. Charles F. was reared at Wheeling, his native city, and educated in the public schools. When between thirteen and fourteen years of age he began to learn the cigar maker's trade, and advanced in his trade until in 1886 he engaged in the manufacture independently. He is now doing a good business at 1129 Market street, and the product of his factory is in popular demand. Mr. Held is a member of the Black Prince lodge, No. 19, K. of P., and of Nelson lodge, No. 3o, F. & A. M. Frank Heller, a leading cigar manufacturer of South Wheeling, was born at Benwood, Marshall county, March 15, 1856. He is a son of J. M. and Catherine (Kirchner) Heller, who were born in Bavaria, and there married before their immigration to America, which occurred in 1852. On reaching the shores of the new world they proceeded at once to Wheeling, settling first in the northern part of the city. Subsequently they removed to the German settlement in Marshall county, and from there removed to Benwood. At the close of the war they returned to Wheeling, where for many years the father was engaged in the manufacture of boots and shoes. He died in 1876, and his wife's decease followed in 1885. They were both worthy members of the St. Mary's Catholic church, and were highly esteemed by the community. Three sons and two daughters were born to them, all of whom are living. Frank Heller was reared in Benwood and Wheeling, and received his education in the Catholic schools. At about the age of fourteen he began to work at the business to which he has since devoted himself, and in May, 1884, engaged in the independent manufacture of cigars. At his factory, No. 54, at 3708 Jacobs street, he employs on an average six hands in the manufacture of stogies and tips. Mr. Heller is an enterprising and popular young citizen and takes much interest in politics and public affairs. Being prominent as a democrat, he was the nominee of that party, in the spring of 1889, for councilman from the Eighth ward, which is too strongly re publican for success on his ticket. He is a member of the St. Mary's Catholic church. Christian Hess, of Wheeling, is prominent among those German citizens who have for many years contributed toward the advancement of .the city, and whose careers are an interesting and important part of the history of the community almost from the infancy of the municipality. For over forty years, Mr. Hess, now the head of the extensive merchant tailoring establishment of C. Hess & Sons, has been identified with the business of Wheeling, and his energy and ability, manifested through this long period, have made his life a success beyond that of the average citizen, and highly deserving of mention in an account of the city. Mr. Hess was born in Germany,. 320 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. November 18, 1825, the son of Jacob Hess, a tailor by trade, who came to the United States in 1852, but in the same year died of cholera at Cincinnati. Christian Hess learned the trade of his father, and coming to America in 1845, with little capital, he settled at Cincinnati, where he made his home with a sister, and by working at his trade assiduously and practicing the closest economy, was able to earn a subsistence at the prices then ruling. He had served but a part of his apprenticeship in Europe, and he finished the learning of his trade with Lawrence Warner, of Cincinnati, from whom he received $85 for a year's work. Coming to Wheeling, where he had friends, Mr. Hess found employment in the tailor shop of Daniel Schambra at $10 a month and his washing and board. He soon determined to engage in business for himself, and having saved up $200, he formed a partnership with Christian Hausenhour, which existed until Mr. Hess assumed the entire business in 185o, since when he has conducted the business alone up to the time of the admission of his sons, Adam and Clements., From the modest start which has been mentioned, Mr. Hess has built up a business second to none in the state, in that line, and now ranks among the substantial and influential merchants of Wheeling. He has also from time'to time become connected with various of the successful business enterprises of Wheeling; was one of the incorporators and a director for many years of the People's bank; was one of the incorporators of the German Insurance company, and is a stockholder in the Belmont, Ben-wood and Bellaire Nail and Steel works, the Central Glass company, the AEtna Glass house in Bellaire, the Window Glass company, of Wellsburg, the Barnett Coal company, of Chester, Ill., and the First National bank, of Bellaire. Mr. Hess, also, in 1861 purchased a i00acre tract of land now in the corporation of Martin's Ferry, Ohio, from Eliza Woods, for $10,000, of which he converted twenty-five acres to the culture of grapes, and had Mr. Heinlein build for him a fine large arched ovine cellar and press house of stone at a cost of $5,000, to convert his annual crop of grapes into wine, which amounted from 5,000 to 8,000 gallons of pure excellent wine, but not finding it profitable he retired in 1882 and confined himself exclusively to the merchant tailoring firm of C. Hess & Sons, 1321 and 1323 Market street. In various social enterprises he has also taken an honorable part. Of St. Alphonsus Catholic church he is an active member, and was formerly a member of its choir, and he has served as vice president of the German benevolent society, organized in 1847. His devotion to business has precluded much attention to politics, but during the great crisis in national affairs he was loyal to the federal government and performed duty for a time in the West Virginia militia under Capt. Vance, subsequently sending forward a substitute at a cost of $310. In 1848 Mr. Hess was united in marriage with Agnes Blum, a native of Germany, who came to this country in 1846. She died May 12, 188o, aged forty-nine years and seven months. Of the children of this union, two daughters and four sons survive. In May, 1884, Mr. Hess was married to the widow of Christian Welty, deceased. OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 321 George W. Hess, proprietor of one of the leading meat-markets of Wheeling, was born at that city March 10, 1858. He is the son of Otto Hess, who was the first man to open a meat market in the city of Wheeling, and was one of the honored citizens of his day. George W. Hess learned the trade with his father and has ever since carried on the business at Wheeling, ranking now among the active and successful business men of the city. He is well-known and popular socially, is a member of the order of Odd Fellows, and the Knights of Honor, and in politics is republican. Mr. Hess was married May 7, 1888, to Mollie M. Ball, and they have- two children, Otto and Edna. Eugenius Augustus Hildreth, M. D., born at Wheeling, September 13, 1821, died at that city August 31, 1885, was one of the most distinguished practitioners of medicine of the upper Ohio valley. He was the son of Ezekiel Hildreth, a graduate of Harvard college in 1814, who married a daughter of Jonathan Zane, one of the founders of Wheeling. Dr. Hildreth, after receiving an education at Kenyon college, studied medicine with Dr. Townsend, of Wheeling, and in 1844 received the degree of M. D. from the medical college of Ohio, at Cincinnati. After a year's practice as resident physician at the state hospital, he returned to Wheeling, and began a practice which was continued without interruption for forty years. He possessed broad qualifications for success in life, was eminent in his profession, wise and far seeing in his business enterprises, scholarly and refined in his social relations. High in his conception of the duties of life, there was always evidence, however distinguished he might become in any department of action, professional or civil, that his noble character as a gentleman outranked all other distinctions. Besides performing faithfully all the requirements of his profession he made many valuable contributions to medical literature, particularly in regard to the climatology and epidemic diseases of West Virginia, and the annals of his profession in this region. He, was a member and president of the Wheeling and Ohio county medical society, an original member and president of the state medical society, became a member of the American medical association in 185o, and was an honorary member of the California medical society. In 1871 he attended, the meeting of the American medical association at San Francisco, and became a member of the Rocky Mountain medical association. Dr. Hildreth filled notable positions in the service of the city and state, being for thirty years a member and for many years president of the city board of education; one of the board of directors that organized the West Virginia hospital for the insane in 1864; a director of the state penitentiary from 1868 to 1872, and from 1873 until near the time of his death, secretary of the board of examining surgeons for pensions. In 1851 Dr. Hildreth was married to Susan L. McMechen, of one of the oldest and most distinguished families of Wheeling, and to them were born three sons and two daughters. The eldest son is in the Commercial bank at Wheeling, the second is secretary of the Nickle Plate Glass works of Fostoria, Ohio. The youngest son, a namesake of his father, was born in Wheeling July 21 — A. 322 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. 1864, received his education in thehisy 'schools and read medicine with hi's father and Dr. Dickey. He graduated at Jefferson Medical college, Philadelphia, subsequently entered Brooklyn hospital where he was house physician one year and then returned to Wheeling where he has attained high rank in his profession. George Hill, an honored old citizen of Wheeling, has been a resident of that city since 1827, when he came to America with his parents, Thomas and Hannah (Lazenby). Hill. These parents had eleven children, John (deceased), Thomas (deceased) , Mary (deceased), Hannah, George, Nancy, Charles (deceased), Diana, Sarah (deceased), Elizabeth and Matilda. After the death of the mother in 1832, the father was married to Nancy Logan, who bore him two children, Margaret J. and Thomas (now deceased) . The father, a farmer by occupation, died December 3, 1858. George Hill was born in Yorkshire, England, October 22, 1816. In his youth at Wheeling he was occupied as a plasterer and so continued until the breaking out of the war, when in the spring of 1861 he enlisted in Company A, First West Virgina infantry. He served three months and then re-enlisted in Company E, First West Virginia infantry, and was honorably discharged, November 26, 1864. He served in many engagements and distinguished himself as a brave soldier. After the war he followed his trade four or five years and then embarked in the grocery business, in which he has since been successfully engaged. Mr. Hill was married September 22, 1844, to Margaret Ann West, who was born at Hagerstown, Md., February 21, 1827, the daughter of Matthew and Prudence Elizabeth (Hawthorn) West. Her father died when she was about ten years old, and her mother died in December, 1883. They had six children, Nancy Jane, Margaret Ann, David James, John Joseph, William Henry and Sarah Elizabeth. Mr. and Mrs. Hill have had eleven children; William Henry (deceased), Elizabeth Ann, Sarah Olelo, Alverda Virginia, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson (deceased), Charles Edward, Thomas Jefferson, Mary Belle, Lillie May and Harry Grant. Mr. and Mrs. Hill are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. George W. Hill, a well-known retail druggist of Wheeling, doing business on the Island, at No. 41 Virginia street, was born in Tyler county, W. Va., November 11, 1862. His parents, William and Mary Hill, both now living, were natives, the former of Morgantown, Monongalia county, W. Va., and the latter of Hancock county, W. Va. Ten children were born to them, all of whom are still living. The subject of this mention, the third in age, was reared on the farm of his parents in Tyler county. He was given a good education, completing the common schools at the age of sixteen, and then taking up the higher branches, and pursuing a course in a normal school. From 1882 to 1886 he taught school, and during the same time carried on the study of medicine, preparatory to entering the drug business. In the spring of 1886 he embarked in his chosen calling by taking charge of a drug store at Sistersville, and he conducted the same until the summer of 1887. In October, of the same year, Mr. OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 323 Hill came to Weeeling and assumed the management of the establishment of Frank Falloure, and after a year's employment in that capacity, he purchased the business, which he has since conducted with much success. Mr. Hill is popular socially, and a worthy citizen. He is a member of Island council, No. 4, O. U. A. M. John Henry Hobbs, president of the Hobbs Glass company, the Wheeling Electric company, the Standard Axle Manufacturing company, and of the Ohio Valley Clay company, the three former of Wheeling, W. Va., and the latter of Steubenville, Ohio, and more or less interested in several other incorporated industries of the upper Ohio valley, is a native of Cambridge, Mass., where he was born October 17, 1827. His father, John L. Hobbs, was a native of Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, and his mother, Mary (Page) Hobbs, was born in Massachusetts. John L. Hobb's father came from England to South Carolina, and from Sullivan's Island migrated to Cambridge. At the latter place the son learned something of the manufacture of glass, and in 1845 came to Wheeling with his father, who embarked in this industry. At Richietown, now a part of Wheeling, associated with others, his father established the Barnes, Hobbs & Co. Glass works, now known as the Hobbs Glass company: The elder Hobbs died in Philadelphia, whither he had gone for medical treatment, November 1, 1881, having lived to the ripe old age of seventy-seven years. John H. Hobbs was educated in the schools of Cambridge and Boston, early in life joining his father in the glass industry. Turning his attention to the practical part of the business, he readily mastered its details and was soon recognized as a skillful and a successful manager. He accompanied his father to Wheeling in 1845, and in 1849 became a member of the firm of Barnes, Hobbs & Co. Upon the retirement of the senior Mr. Hobbs, in 1863, the style of the firm name was changed to J. H. Hobbs, Brockunier & Co., and in 1888 it was incorporated as at present. Mr. Hobbs was married at Wheeling in 1851 to Miss Mary A. Leech, and has two sons and one daughter, viz.: J. Harry, a hardware merchant of Kansas City, Mo.; Charles L., a manufacturer of Wheeling, and Helen F., wife of T. W. Phinney, of the Wheeling Axle company. He is the proprietor of the Windsor hotel, and in 1889 was president of the West Virginia Fair association. Louis Hoelsche, a prominent merchant of Wheeling, and member of the firm of D. L. Rattcliff & Co., was born in Germany, August 3, 1843. His parents, Gregor and Ursula (Eger) Hoelsche, emigrated with their family to the United States in 1847, and settled near Zoar, Ohio, whence they removed to Allegheny City, and from there in 1854 to Wheeling. Gregor Hoelsche was a potter by trade, and for many years conducted a pottery on the corner of Thirty-first and Chapline streets. The mother died in 1877, and about 1879 the father retired from business, and now makes his home at Pittsburgh, with a daughter. Both parents were members of the Catholic church. Four children were born to them, three of whom survive. Louis Hoelsche was educated in the Catholic schools of Pittsburgh and Wheeling, and 324 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY: at about fourteen years of age began to work for his own maintenance in the employment of F. Lobenstein, a tanner. Two years later he was apprenticed to Joseph Vogler, a shoemaker, with whom he finished his trade, and then worked at the same about one year. He then took a course in the commercial school of I. I. Hitchcock, and subsequently obtained a position with J. & W. C. Handlan, general merchants, on the corner of Thirty-sixth and Jacob streets. When the junior 'Handlan withdrew a year later, Mr. Hoelsche and D. L. Rattcliff were taken in as partners, the firm being known as Handlan, Rattcliff & Co. In 188o, John Handlan died and Messrs. Rattcliff & Hoelsche succeeded to the whole business. He has other important business connections, being a stockholder in the Hobbs Glass company, the West Virginia Tobacco company, and the Riverside Glass company, at Wellsburg. October 12, 1871, Mr. Hoelsche was married to Josephine Coleman, of Wheeling, and they are the parents of eight children. He and wife are members of St. Mary's Catholic church.. John G. Hoffmann, one of the prominent business men of Wheeling, came to that city in 1849, and at once began business, by opening a small tannery on the Island. He was born January 4, 1824, in the Grand Duchy of Baden, on the river Rhine. At the age of thirteen years and three months, he began an apprenticeship as a tanner, and then traveled for three years and eleven months, working at different places at that vocation. In June, 1844, he came to America, and was employed two years and a half at .Philadelphia, and a somewhat shorter period at Pittsburgh, after which ,he came to Wheeling, November 5, 1849. Embarking in business as above stated, he formed a partnership with Jacob Burger. The Island property of the firm was four and a half acres on the pond. The business was continued, gradually increasing to its present position, among the foremost in that line in the state, but with various changes in site and ownership. In 1857, the business was removed to the present location of the tannery, and in 1867, the senior partner died, and was succeeded by Jacob Burger, Jr., who remained one of the firm until 1876. Mr. Hoffmann is also interested in other enterprises of importance. For about twelve years, he was connected with the Belmont Glass works, and is now, and has been for eight years, president of the Benwood Iron works. He is also one of the founders and heavy stockholder in the /Etna Iron works. His connection with the iron industry, so prominent in the development of the valley, is of a conspicuous character, and evidences business capacity and executive ability of a high order. Furthermore, Mr. Hoffmann is connected with, and has extensive stockholdings in, the Exchange bank, the German bank, and the Street Car company. Mr. Hoffmann has taken a valuable part in the municipal affairs, discharging the duties of a good citizen, for ten years, as a member of the city council, and for six years as a member of the water works board. He is the only survivor of his father's family, in this country, two brothers who came with him to America, having since died. In 1866, he made a visit of much interest to him, to his -Row 1, Cell 1-