OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 425 city collector as deputy, and remained there over one year, when he was elected assessor of water rents. Mr. Schellhase was married March 22, 1887, to Bertha T. Dean, of Wheeling, and they have a daughter, Miriam D. F. Schmeichel, a well-known citizen of Wheeling, who has been engaged since 1874 in the furniture business with notable success, was born at Graudanz, Prussia, April I I,1841. He remained in that country until early manhood, gaining his education, and learning the trade of cabinet-maker, at which he became skilled. In 1870, he landed at New York, and then came directly to Wheeling, where he worked as a journey-man for about five months, and then engaged in stair building. In 1873, he and Frederick Behrens joined their fortunes and opened a cabinet shop for themselves, and in 1874 opened a furniture store at 2267 Market street, which they conducted in connection with the shop and also engaged in upholstering. In 1883 Mr. Behrens died and Mr. Schmeichel took the proprietorship and managemenf of the entire business, which he has since conducted. He now has one of the leading houses of the city, and is still doing business at his old location, carrying a full stock of the goods usually found at first class establishments of this kind. He is a valued citizen, is a member of the Reformed church, and of the Knights of Pythias and Order of Red Men. Mr. Schmeichel was married in 1873, to Louise Ulrich, who was born in Germany and to their union have been born seven children.. Charles Schmidt, malster and assistant superintendent of the Reymann brewery, was born at Baltimore, Md., January 7, 1852. His. father, Charles Schmidt, was born in Wurtemburg, Germany, April 29, 1819, and in 1848, on account of the revolutionary troubles in Germany, emigrated and settled at Baltimore, where he was subsequently married to Mina Dittes, also a native of Wurtemburg. He was in the shoe business at Baltimore, until about 1859, when he removed to Washington, Penn., where he embarked in the hotel business. When the war broke out he organized the first company of volunteers in Washington, in the spring of 1861, and of this was chosen captain. He served during a part of the war, and then returned to Washington, and near that place engaged in farming, which is his present occupation. Captain Schmidt has been quite prominent in his county, and has filled various public positions. His wife, who was born May 9, 1829, is also living. Of the five children born to them, four are living. The oldest of the children, Charles, first mentioned above, left home in 1869, and came to Wheeling, where he found employment with Beck & Reymann, and with that brewery has continued as a. trusted employe, and subsequently as stockholder, to the present. He became a stockholder at the incorporation of the present company, and was then assigned the position of malster and general superintendent. He had filled the duties of the first named station for several years previous. In 1878 he was married to Minnie Dauber, of Wheeling, by whom he has two children. Mr. Schmidt is a member of the William Tell lodge, No. 6, I. O. O. F., and of various pleasure. societies. 426 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. Martin Schmidt, a native of Hesse Cassel, Germany, and a respected citizen of Wheeling, was born March 2, 1836, the son of John and Elizabeth (Uttu) Schmidt. The latter, who passed their lives in Germany, had four children, of whom Martin was the second born. In the latter part of October, 1854, Martin Schmidt set out for America, embarking at Bremen, and on the 31st of December he landed at Baltimore, whence he proceeded to Wheeling. Since the 4th of January, 1885, he has made his home at the latter city. He had learned the trade of a plasterer in his native country, but in his new home he found employment as a wood chopper at 1212 cents per day. For a long period subsequent he was employed in iron works, from 1855 to 1859 in the Belmont works, until 1861 at Steubenville in the Jefferson works, until 1864 again in the Belmont works at Wheeling, and until 1867 in the Top rolling mill, and in the Riverside works until 1884. He embarked in the grocery 'business at No. 48 Eleventh street, in March, 1885, and he has since given his 'attention to that business, with good success. He is an industrious and upright man; in religion, a member of the German Lutheran church, and in politics, a republican. He was married December 25,1859, to Catherine Muehlecker, a native of Baden, Germany, and the daughter of Jacob and Catherine Muehlecker, who brought her to America when she was a child: After short stays at Pittsburgh and Beaver, Penn., they settled at Wheeling, where they spent the remainder of their lives. To Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt have been born twelve children: George Henry, Ida Lenora, Martha Elizabeth, Anna Catherine, Emma Louisa, Harry Martint Morrison, Lillie Elma, Carl William, Julius Oscar, Arthur Edgar, John Robert, and John Albert, eight of whom survive. Henry Schmulbach, a well-known citizen of Wheeling, is president of the Schmulbach Brewing company, which conducts one of the largest brewing establishments in West Virginia, situated at the head of Thirty-third street, Wheeling. Mr. Schmulbach was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, in 1844. He came to the United States in 1852, with his parents, who settled at Wheeling. Before reaching the age of seventeen years he engaged in the retail grocery business in pdrtnership with his uncle, George Feller, and four years later, in 1865, embarked in the wholesale liquor business. His uncle retired from business in January, 1870, but Mr. Schmulbach continued it until 1882. In 1881 he became owner of a majority of the stock of the Nail City Brewing company, and January I, 1882, he took possession of the property, and formed the Schmulbach Brewing company, which was incorporated with a capital stock of $80,000. Mr. Schmulbach became president and H. C. Caldwell secretary. The capacity of the old company was from 6,000 to 8,000 barrels per year, but under the new organization the works were immediately improved and enlarged, new buildings were added, improved machinery was put in, and the capacity was gradually increased until it reached the ample proportions of 50,000 barrels annually, and in the spring of 189o, still greater improvements and enlargements increased the capacity to 200,000 barrels per annum. The product finds a ready sale throughout West OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 427 Virginia, and in Ohio, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Mr. Schmulbach has also been active in many enterprises. For twenty years he has been connected with the steamboat interests of Wheeling, owning at one time as many as six steamboats. He has been a stockholder and director of the Wheeling Iron and Nail company, the Junction Iron and Nail company, and the /Etna Iron and Nail company. At the present time he is a stockholder and director in the Hobbs Glass works; director and treasurer of the Washington Hall association; director of the German bank, and otherwise identified with various important industries of Wheeling. Mr. Schmulbach has rendered the city honorable service as a member of the board of public works, on which he is now serving his second term, being president of the board, and also as a member of the board of education. He is a member of the German Lutheran church and is prominent as a. Mason, of which fraternity he was made a member in 1867. He is a member of Bates lodge, No. 33, of Wheeling, of Union chapter, No. 1, and of Wheeling commandery, No. 1, K. T. Robert W. Schnelle, a leading druggist of Wheeling, is a native of the city, and is conducting a business, as the successor of Dr. G. Schuchardg, which was established in 1850. Mr. Schnelle was born February 18, 1856, the son of William F. and Elizabeth (Vogelsang) Schnelle, natives of Hanover, who came to America in 1850. They settled at Wheeling, where the, father, who for many years followed his trade as a tailor, still resides. His second wife was Lizzie Spear, of Wheeling, who is the mother of his four youngest children. The following children are living: Gunther R. W., William F. C., Louis A. W., George and Lizzie. Robert was reared at Wheeling, and received his education at the public schools and at the Linsly institute. Then, having a predisposition to the drug business, he secured a position in the drug store of the late Dr.-G. Schuchardg, of Wheeling, and under his instruction became thoroughly acquainted with the business. He succeeded to the proprietorship in 1884, at the old business location, and is conducting this well-known and popular drug store with much success. Mr. Schnelle was married in 1880 to Christina, daughter of Gottlieb Blocher, of Miltonsburg, and they have two children, Minnie and Robert. Mr. Schnelle is one of the popular young men of the city, and has promise of a successful and creditable business career. Richard Schoeppner, a prominent manufacturer of furniture, at Wheeling, is a native of Germany. He was born in Bavaria, December 31, 1849, the son of Andrew and Hannah (Harung) Schoeppner, and was reared and educated in his native land. His father was a cabinet-maker by trade, and that vocation the son learned in his father's shop. In 1872 he left his native land and came to America, settling in Wheeling, which has since been his home. During the first seven years of his residence here, Mr. Schoeppner was in the employment of G. E. Mendel & Co., and at the end of that period he embarked in the trade on his own account, and was soon on the high road of success. He manufactures all varieties of furniture, making 428 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO. VALLEY. a specialty of office and bar-room fixtures, his make of which are in popular demand. Mr. Schoeppner was married in 1874, to Lizzie, daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Hess, of this city, and they have five children, Amelia, George, Nellie, Carl and Lizzie. Andrew A. Schramm, a resident of Wheeling Island, and senior member of the firm of Schramm & Burkle, manufacturers of 'collars and harness, at 1020 Market street, was born in Hesse, Germany, November 16, 1863. In 188o he came to America unaccompanied by any of his family and is the only one of the latter in this country. After residing at Bellaire two months, he came to Wheeling and found employment at his trade of collar and harness making with Patrick Sharkey. After working in Wheeling about three months he returned to Bellaire, but in May, 1882, again made his home at Wheeling, where he has since remained. In 1886 he formed a partnership with William T. Burkle, and bought out the business and stock of Mr. Sharkey, his former employer, and they have since conducted the business and have met with gratifying success. The firm makes a specialty of manufacturing long and short straw collars, and does a large business, principally wholesale, which is largely in this city. An average of fifteen hands are employed. Mr. Schramfn was married in January, 1885, to Lizzie Burkle, and they have one daughter. Henry W. Schrebe, a leading retail grocer pf Wheeling, and a member of the city council, was born near Gottingen, Germany, January 21, 1850, the son of Henry and Julia Schrebe. In his native country he attended school and learned the turner's trade, which he followed until 1869, when he sailed from Hamburg and reached New York, September 24. Coming directly to Wheeling, he began his residence here on the 26th, and was employed some time in the Washington rolling-mill. He then followed cigar making until the spring of )875, when on May 7th, he embarked in the grocery business, in which he has since continued with much success. During the early years of his residence here Mr. Schrebe gave much attention to music, was a member of the Great Western band, and was one of the organizers, and for many years a member of the Wheeling city band. Mr. Schrebe is in politics active as a republican. In 1880 he was elected a member of the board of education in Union district, Marshall county, as which he served two years, resigning on account of removal from the district. He was elected to the second branch of the city council in January, 1885, and at the expiration of that term he was elected in 1887 to the first branch. He enjoys the general confidence and esteem. May 6, 1875, Mr. Schrebe was married to Carrie Meyer, daughter of Henry and Louisa Meyer, of Wheeling, and they have seven children: Lenora L., born April 5, 1876; Oscar C., February 8, 1878; Metha L., April 22, 1880, died July 14, 1881; Henry C., born April 15, 1882; Edward C., September 30, 1884; Fred C., March 9, 1887, died October 20, 1888, and Anna Augusta, born June 4, 1889. Mr. and Mrs. Schrebe are members of St. Matthew's German Lutheran church, of which he is president. John W. Schultze, for many years a valued and popular public offi- OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 429 cer of Wheeling, was born in Pultney township, Belmont county, Ohio, January 27, 1836. He is a son of August Carl Frederick Schultze, and his wife, whose maden name was Maria L. Koch, both of wiaom were natives of Hanover. They came to America in July, 1833, and settled at Wheeling, but two years later removed to Belmont county, where the father cleared and improved a farm. Subsequently returning to Wheeling, the father who was a window-glass blower by trade, followed his vocation for some time. In 1839 he was proprietor of a hotel on the site of the present Exchange bank on Twelfth and Main streets, which he kept for nearly six months. He was subsequently engaged in business until 1856. His death occurred December 21, 1870. He reared a family of four children in America, Henry, Charles, John W.. and Theodore. John W. Schultze spent his childhood and youth at Wheeling and vicinity, received his early education in the common schools and was graduated at the Nichols & Holliday business college in 1852. At the age of ten years he began to learn the manufacture of cider and vinegar with his father, who opened a factory for that purpose in Ritchietown, in 1841, and he remained in this business until 1856, when he was appointed deputy sergeant for South Wheeling, under his brother Henry. This position he held until 1858, when he was elected sergeant, an office he held for three years. At the outbreak of the war he testified to his devotion to country by enlisting May I I, 1861, in Company B, of the famous First Virginia infantry, and served three months, then receiving an honorable discharge. Returning home he was again elected sergeant in 1862, and in 1863 was elected constable for Ritchie township, which office he held for four years. He was also during the war period, enrolling officer for the tenth sub-district. In 1866, he was appointed register of Ritchie township, Ohio county, which position he held for five years. In May, 1867, he was appointed alderman of South Wheeling, and in the following May, was elected to the same position, a position he held until 187o. •n the meantime, in October, 1867, he was elected justice of the peace, an office which he has honorably and efficiently filled ever since. During the time that he held the office of alderman, which closed with the annexation of South Wheeling, he had the record of having collected more fines than all previous incumbents together up to the time he took office. In 1872, he was elected commissioner of Ohio county, and he haS since that time served in all eight years in that function. He has also, since 1881, held the office of coroner eight years in succession. Justice Schultze is prominent as a member of the Knights of Pythias, of which he was grand chancellor for the state for the term ending November, 1879. He is also a member of Washington council, No. 1, Order of United American Mechanics, of which he is state counsellor; of the A. O. U. W.; and of Holliday post, No. 12, G. A. R. Politically he has always been a republican. Mr. Schultze was married February 28, 1864, to Anna M., daughter of Frank Kappler, of Pittsburgh, and to them have been born eleven children; Charles F., Emma E. now dead; Theodore, Sarah J. (now Mrs. Samuel Wells), John W., Jr., 430 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. George O. D., Henry W., Anna M., August K., Blackburn B. D., and Hattie B. H. J. Schulz, a leading retail boot and shoe dealer of Wheeling, was born in the province of Hesse, Germany, in 1841. He was educated in the public schools of his native state, and was instructed in the trade of shoe making. In 1866 he came to the United States, and landing in New York city, proceeded from there to Savannah, Ga., where in about one year he went to Baltimore, Md., and remained there some eighteen months. 'In 1868 he came to Wheeling, which has since been his home. For six months he worked here at his trade, and then opened a store on Market street, also carrying on custom work. The latter work he abandoned in 1874, and opened a stock of eastern goods on Main street, near the corner of Eleventh, whence he later removed to Eleventh street. He remained here ten years, for the most of the time running two stores, and in April 1, 189o, removed to 1034 Main street, where he carries on an extensive business. Mr. Schulz had but little capital when he came to Wheeling, and his present enviable standing in business circles is due solely to his business ability, comprehension of the needs of the public and fair dealing. He is a member of the German Methodist Episcopal church, of which he has served as steward for eighteen years, and is now steward and trustee, and treasurer of the Cliapline German Methodist Episcopal church. He was married in 1869 to Gertrude Niesz, who was born at Allegheny, Penn., and reared at Miltonburg, Ohio. They have had seven children, of whom five survive. Frederick Henry Carl Schwertfeger, one of the enterprising business men of Wheeling, member of the well-known firm of George E. Stifel & Co., retail dry goods merchants, was born in the town of Adelepsen, Hanover, Germany, February 17, 1842. At the age of three years he emigrated to the United States, with his parents, and to the city of Wheeling, where his family established their home in the year of 1845. The father died when the subject of this mention was fourteen years old. Mr. Schwertfeger was reared at Wheeling, receiving his school training in the Fifth ward public school, and in the German Zion's Lutheran school. He found employment of various kinds, in childhood, and about the year 1857, entered the hardware store of Franzell 'Bros., as clerk. In the year of 1863, he began his career in the dry goods trade, in the establishment of Senseny & Cooper, and he was subsequently with Brues & Coffer, and then formed the partnership with Mr. George E. Stifel, which still exists. Mr. Schwertfeger is a member of the German Zion's Lutheran church. On October 7, 1869, he was married to Lena M., daughter of Mr. John Pfarr, of Wheeling, and they have three daughters. The mother of of Mr. Schwertfeger still survives, at the age of seventy-seven years. Mr.Schwertfeger came to this country with his parents as a poor boy, and by industry, honesty and economy, has achieved the position as one of our leading dry goods merchants and one of the prominent German citizens. N. B. Scott, of Wheeling, who is prominently associated with the OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 431 manufacturing interests of the upper Ohio valley, has also gained a national fame in recent years, through his connection with the leadership of the republican party, and as a member of the national cornmittee during the famous campaign of 1888. Mr. Scott was born in Guernsey county, Ohio, in 1843, and is of an old Scotch family distinguished for heroic conduct in the border wars which once raged in that country. Noted for great stature, some of them having a height of six feet four inches, or six feet seven, they were formidable figures in those days of internecine struggle. The first of the ancestors to settle in America was John Scott, a protestant, who left Scotland and removed to Ireland, making his home in county Donegal in about 1770. At a subsequent date he removed to America, and with a sister, Elizabeth Stewart, who had accompanied him, settled in Washington county, Penn. There his sister remained, and she is the ancestor of a large family of descendants of the name of Stewart. John Scott, however, removed to Guernsey county, Ohio, where he passed the remainder of his days. David Scott, his son, was born in Washington county, Penn., and was fifteen years of age when the family removed to Ohio. He was brought up as a farmer. About the year 1831 he was married to Mary Bay, whose parents were Americans of Scotch descent, and to this union three sons and three daughters were born. The father passed away in 1866, but the mother, at the age of eighty-one years, is now living with a daughter in Chicago. N. B. Scott was reared in Guernsey connty, and received his education in the public schools. During the struggle for national existence he played the part of a patriotic citizen, though not yet of voting age, when he enlisted in 1862. He served until the close of the war and was mustered out in July, 1865, with the rank of commissary sergeant. Returning, he engaged in merchandise, and in 1868 removed to Bellaire with his brother-in-law, J. G. Webster, and went into business with him. His connection with the manufacturing business began in 187o, when he engaged in the manufacture of glass in Bellaire, with the National Glass company. In 1873 and 1874 he was connected with the La Belle Glass company of Ohio, and in 1875 he was employed by the Central Glass company as salesman. Promotion soon followed, and he became secretary of the company in 1878, and president in 1883. The Central works are among the most extensive of the kind in the world, employing Soo men. Mr. Scott is also interested in a. number of other enterprises, manufacturing and financial, and president of the Dollar Savings bank. Since Mr. Scott became a voter he has taken a deep interest in political affairs, and has been an active worker in the interests of the republican party. When barely twenty-one years of age, he was elected mayor of Millwood, now Quaker City. After his removal to Wheeling in 1877, he was elected to the city council from the Third ward for two years, beginning in 188o, and was made president of the second branch of that body. While a member of the council he was nominated by his party for state senator, and was elected by a majority of 195 to succeed a democrat whose majority was about 700. In 1886 he was re-elected to that 432 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. office by a majority of over 300. While a member of the state senate for eight years he matured and had passed a number of laws of great benefit to the people of the state. In 1888 when a memorable contest was made by both parties for the state of West Virginia, he was a member of the republican national committee, as has been stated, and his earnest efforts contributed in no small degree to that success which though hardly hoped for, was well nigh achieved by his party. He is of Episcopalian preferences, though not a member of any denomination. He was married April 29, 1872, to Agnes V. Cowgill, of Iowa, and they have one son, Guy, a cadet in the naval academy, and a daughter, Ethel, who died December 20, 1889, aged fifteen years and three months. Charles W. Seabright, mayor of Wheeling, came to the city in 1849, penniless and unlettered: In his native language, with which he was alone acquainted, his name was Carl W. Siebricht, but a teacher in the Sunday-school to which his good mother sent him, translated his name, and being desirous of becoming an American citizen as soon as possible, he adopted that.version of the name which is now familiar to all. Mr. Seabright was born in Brunswick, Germany, October 11, 1836. On July 1, 1849, he arrived in America, with his mother and a sister and a brother. For four years before coming he had been employed it the German—mail service, in which his father was a contractor. On reaching this country he proceeded with those of the family with him to Wheeling, where he found employment for two months with a brother who had preceded him and was engaged in the meat trade. On September 1, 1849, he became an errand boy for Thomas Hughes, merchant tailor, and remained in the employment of that gentleman for twenty-one years and five months, and was head clerk at the close of his engagement. On February 1, 1871, having a capital of about $1,500, he formed a partnership with Charles Pfafenbach, under the style of Pfafenbach & Seabright. The senior partner retired in October following, and Mr. Seabright took in C. A. Schmulbach as a partner; under the firm name of Seabright & Co. On the first of the next February he purchased his partner's interest, and since then Mr. Seabright has conducted alone an extensive business in general tailoring and men's furnishing goods. He now carries a good stock of an average value of $25,000, and does an annual business of $6o,000, employing about forty hands. The trade of this large establishment extends in comsiderable portions of several states, and is a splendid testimonial to the business sagacity and enterprise of Mr. Seabright. In 1881, Mr. Seabright was elected to the state legiSlature as a democratic candidate, for a term of two years. In January, 1887, he was elected mayor of Wheeling by a majority of ninety-six over Capt. B. B. Dovener, and two years later was re-elected by a majority of 638. By an act of the legislature of 1889, on petition of the council, the mayor was given the power of a police judge, and Mr. Seabright has been exercising these functions since May, 1889. In his relations to the industrial advancement of the city, Mr. Seabright has been enterprising, and has assisted in the organization and is a OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 433 stockholder of several manufacturing concerns. He is'a member of Wheeling lodge No. 28, Order of Elks, and is a member of the Zion Lutheran church. Mr. Seabright was married in 1861, to Isabelle O'Callahan, who was born in 1839, at Sistersville, W. Va., and died in 1877. These are the children of this union: Mary C. wife of Henry Jager, of Chicago, now in the lumber business in C., Iowa; William H., in the store of his father, and Edward, in school. Thomas P. Shallcross, ex-United States special agent and inspector of mail service, and also one of the pioneers of Wheeling, was born in Philadelphia county, Penn., in the year 1818. He is the son of John and Sarah (Dewese) Shallcross, both Pennsylvanians. John was the son of Leonard Shallcross, a. descendant of the Shallcross who came to this country with William Penn. Leonard passed his life on his farm in his native state. Of the nine children born to him all are now dead. John was born in 178o, he received a limited education in the Philadelphia schools, and then worked on his father's farm. During the war of 1812, he raised a company of which he was elected captain. His death occurred in 1832, of cholera. He was married in 1804, to the mother of the subject of this mention, and by her had ten children, all of whom are dead, with the exception of Thomas and one sister, who is at present traveling in Europe. The mother died in 1864. Thomas P. Shallcross learned the trade of .a hatter after having completed his schooling, and was engaged in the manufacture of hats in Philadelphia until 1836, at which time he came to Wheeling, W. Va., and continued his business there for four years. Mr. Shallcross then embarked in the auction and commission business. In 1846 he was elected sergeant of the city, and held this office for about four years, during this time he brought to light eight very important United States mail robberies. In 1849 he was made special agent of the postoffice department. Two years later Mr. Shallcross was appointed superintendent of the state prison at Moundsville, which office he held for two and a half years. He was then re-ap pointed to the mail service and continued in that pursuit until 1884. The following year he occupied the office of deputy United States marshal. Mr: Shallcross has not been actively engaged in any business since 1889. In 1853 he established a transfer line in connection with B. & 0. railroad, having a contract with that company to transfer the passengers and baggage of-the company. The business is now ably managed by his so'n, Alfred P.'ShallcrosS. Sarah G. Lord became his wife in 1837. They are the parents ,of eleven children, seven of whom are still living, they are: Henry C., Thomas P., Jr., William D., Elwood W. Annie R., Sallie B. and Alfred. P. He has been a member of the Masonic fraternity for many years, and also of the I. 0. 0. F. Although he has never taken any active part in politics he has served as a councilman for thirteen years, being a representative of the democratic party. M‘r. Shallcross is now one of the oldest citizens of Wheeling. His life has been actuated by integrity, and faithfulness to any trust which has been entrusted to him. J. B. Sheppard, proprietor of the Wheeling saddle, harness and col- 28 — A. 434 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. lar factory, is one of the most enterprising citizens of the city. He was born in Cumberland county, N. J., in 1820, a son of Robert Sheppard, a native of the same county. Robert Sheppard married Maria Stratton, of another old Jersey family. The Sheppards and StrattOns were prominent New Jersey families, and Ferman SI; j.v,ppard, one of the ancestors, was an officer of the Jersey line in the war of the revolution. The family removed to Philadelphia in 1828, and in that city, Robert.Sheppard engaged in the wood business. There his son, J. B. Sheppard was reared, and educated. He served an apprenticeship of five years in that city, in the trade of harness making, and subsequently, in 1858, came to Wheeling and established a harness, saddle and collar store of his own. From that beginning he has developed his present extensive manufactury and wholesale and retail business in harness, saddles and collars, which is one of the leading enterprises of the city. He has remained in trade continually, and now has one of the oldest business establishmentg in Wheeling., Mr. Sheppard has always taken an interest in public affairs, and has been honored with various trusts by his fellow citizens. Just after the close of the war he served two terms as one of the board of commissioners of Ohio county. He served upon the city council for a number of years, representing the Seventh ward, and was instrumental in securing many of the improvements in that before neglected ward. Since 1842, he has been an Odd Fellow, and he is now a member of Virginius lodge, No. 2. Mr. Sheppard was married in 1852, to Irene Boyden, of Wheeling. who died ten months later. In 1856, he was married to Elizabeth, daughter of. Joshua Lukens, of Wheeling. by whom he has four children: J. Bickel], Laura (wife of Frank Zook), Emily and Robert. Members of the Simpson family have been from early days closely identified with the development and growth of this region, and none more so than the Honorable Robert Simpson. Mr. Simpson was born in Wheeling, Va. (now West Virginia), in 1834. His education was obtained in the public schools of his native city. His first business venture was made when he entered the general merchandising business at Bellaire, Ohio, in 1857. Three years later he removed to Claysville, Penn., where he was engaged in the same business.. Returning to Wheeling in 1866, Mr. Simpson then established the wholesale grocery house of Robert 'Simpson' & Co. He operated this concern with enviable success up to January I, 18go, at which time he retired from active business life. Few men have been more honored by the public than he. His political career has never been stained with reproach, and in whatever capacity he has served the people, the moving motive of his life has been to do that which would result in the most good to the community. In 1870 he was elected to the city council and served for five terms. For four years he was a gas trustee. He filled the office of a director of the West Virginia state's prison for one term, during which time he was the treasurer. From 1874 to 1878 inclusive, Mr. Simpson was an active and efficient member of the West Virginia legislature. During his incumbency of the postoffice at Wheeling the affairs of the office were conducted in a OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 435 manner highly satisfactory to the citizens, no man ever having done more than he for the advancement and efficiency of the Wheeling postal service. Mr. Simpson was appointed postmaster during Cleveland's administration, and completed his term of office in 1889. A representative man, both in public and private life. William B. Simpson, of Wheeling, head of the wholesale house of Simpson & Hoge, is a native of Marshall county, W. Va. where his father, John Simpson, a native of Ireland, settled. The Va., came to this country in 1820, and resided first at Baltimore, then at Harrisburg, then in Washington county, Penn., and afterward made his home in Marshall county, where he died in '1855. He was a stone mason .by trade, and soon after removing to Marshall county, came to Wheeling in 1832 with his family, and lived here during the greater part of the remainder of his life. He was married to Sarah Brown, who was born in Ohio county, August 14, i800, the daughter of Robert Brown, one of the pioneers of that county, whose occupations were farming and linen weaving. She died in 1887. Their children were: William B.; Robert, a wholesale grocer and formei postmaster of Wheeling; diza and John, both deceased. William B. Simpson was born November 14, 1831. Coming to Wheeling in the next year he was reared there and received his education. -fi He first engaged in business as shipping clerk for Cooper & Harris, proprietors of the old Washington Iron works, on the ist of October, 185o. In 1852 he embarked .in general merchandise at Cameron and Glen Easton, on the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, and continued in that until 1857, when he became connected with the establishment of which he is the present head, as traveling salesman for John S. Boyd & Co., wholesale dry goods merchants of Wheeling. In 1859 Mr. Boyd was succeeded by the firm of Norton, Simpson & Co., a firm composed of Joseph T. Norton, W. B. Simpson, Samuel J. Boyd and John E. Wilson, who carried on the trade in dry goods and notions with much vigor. Mr. Norton withdrew in 1861, removing to Baltimore, and the firm became Simpson, Wilson & Boyd. In the next year the name was changed to Simpson & Wilson on account of the return of Mr. Boyd, and this style was unchanged until 1869, when Mr. Lucius Hoge was admitted as a partner, and the firm name was made Simpson, Wilson & Hoge. Mr. Wilson retired from the business and soon afterward died, and in 1872 the present firm of Simpson & Hoge was organized, which has continued without change to the present, except that in 1887 Z. F. Robertson was admitted as a junior partner. , The business of the house was first transacted on Monroe street, subsequently on Main street, where Johnson's tin store is now, whence the store was removed about 1881 to its present site, 1409 Main and 1408 South street. The business of the house has been splendidly' developed, and three salesmen dispose of its goods throughout eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Mr. Simpson has not confined his enterprise to this establishment,' however. He was one of the first stockholders in the bank of the Ohio valley, of which he was for twenty years a director and ten years vice president. He 436 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. was connected with the AEtna Insurance company throughout its history, from the organization until it was wound up in 1888, and was president for eighteen years, and he is now president of the Wheeling Insurance and Bond agency, organized in March, 1889, He is also interested in, and a director of, the !Etna Iron and Steel company of JEtnaville, Ohio. In organizations for the higher purposes of social. life Mr. Simpson has always taken a great interest, and he is now a director of the Children's Home, one of the board of trustees of Linsly institute, a prominent member of the Second Presbyterian church, and of the Masonic fraternity. In brief, it may be justly said that his broad-minded interest in the commercial and industrial and moral improvement of the city and its surroundings, and his various engaging traits as a gentleman, have made him one of the highly popular men of Wheeling. Mr. Simpson was married in July io, 1860, to Mary A., daughter of George W. Johnson, deceased, once a manufacturer of considerable prominence at Wheeling, and to this union four sons and two daughters have been born. Charles H. travels for the house; Robert B. is with the Providence Washington Insurance company. John W. Sliffe, of Wheeling, W. Va., prominently identified with the grocery trade of that city, is a native of Washington county, Penn., the son of Philip Sliffe, who was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, of German descent, and died August 20, 1872. Has wife, who still survives, is Susanna, daughter of Amos de Normandie, who was born in Washington county, Penn., of French lineage. They had six children, of whom the subject of this sketch and a sister alone survive, John W. Sliffe was born at Claysville, August 7, 1859, and at six years of age accompanied his parents to La Grange county, Ind., where the family resided upon a farm seven years, until the death of the father. They then returned to Claysville, and in the spring of 1878 came to Wheeling, where Mr. Sliffe obtained employment in the hardware establishment of A. P. Franzell, for five years. Subsequent to September, 1883, he was engaged with D. J. McKee, grocer, eighteen months, and then was clerk in the hardware establishment of John Heiner, for four years. On October 29, 1889, he became the successor of W. R. Bassett, in the grocery business at the corner of Virginia and South Penn street, where he now conducts a profitable business. Mr. Sliffe is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and of the Senior Order of American Mechanics. George W. Smith was one of the pioneer citizens and ale brewers of Wheeling and Pittsburgh. He was a native of Lincolnshire, England, where he was born in 1799. He first came to the United States in 1819 with his father and family. Thomas, his father, was a wealthy citizen of Lincolnshire, but sold out all his possessions and came to Amerita. Leaving his family in Philadelphia, he and his son George traveled over the state of New York looking for a site to establish a home upon. He was possessed of $100,000 in cash when he came to this country, and he located a tract of land where the city of Syracuse now stands, and made arrangements for purchasing the same, but OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 437 upon returning to Philadelphia he sickened and died. Before he died he advised his son to take the family back to England, which he did. In 182o the son returned to New York, from which city he was engaged as supercargo to run between New York and Tampico, Mexico. He continued for a year or so in that calling, during which time he had many exciting adventures, having several fights with pirates. The last cargo he carried to New Orleans after trying to dispose of it in Mexico, but being unable to sell it there he loaded it on a model barge and took it up the Red river to Little Rock, Ark., then a frontier trading post. After selling the cargo he started on horse for New 'York. He rode through Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and crossed the Alleghenies in West Virginia to Baltimore, and from the latter place staged it to New York city. After that he and his brother started a brewery in New York on Broadway. After being in business there for several years he sold out and went. to Albany, N. Y., where he ran a brewery for some time. - In 1829 he was induced to go to Pittsburgh as a brewer for the firm of Brown & Verner, then extensive brewers of that city. He was paid the largest salary west of the Allegheny mountains for this position, the sum paid being $5oo. Remaining with that firm for three years, receiving for the last two years he was with them a salary of $1,000 per year, at the expiration of this time he was taken in as a partner. Three years later he bought the entire business, and ran it with great success, erecting a new brewery and making other extensive improvements. He continued in the brewery business in Pittsburgh until 1.862, when he sold out. In 1847 he purchased the old brewery in East Wheeling, which was built in 1822, by the father of Philip Henry Moore, purchasing it from the old Northwestern bank. After selling out the Pittsburgh brewery he operated the one in Wheeling until the fall of 1865, when he retired from active business. In 1856 he removed to Wheeling and bought the old Spring farm from Dr. Chappel, which he improved aed took possession of as a home for his family. He named the farm after his father's estate in England, Waddington. A. Allen Howell now owns the homestead. He was married in "Pittsburgh in 1834, to the widow Elizabeth Faddington, who was born in 1800 in Yorkshire, England. Three children were born to this marriage: Eliza, who married Joseph Fleming, a Pittsburgh druggist, and died in 1863; George, died in 1858; and our subject, Alfred E. The father died in 1872 on- his farm in Champaign county, Ill., where he was temporarily living, his home being in Chester, near Philadelphia, where he removed after his second marriage in 1865; having married Mrs. Darlington, mother of Harry Darlington, a prominent brewer of Pittsburgh. A. E. Smith was born in Pittsburgh, on Penn avenue, where Library Hall now stands, April 29, 1843. He was reared in Pittsburgh, attending Sewickley academy near Pittsburgh. In 1856 he came to Wheeling with his father and family. In 1859 his father sent him to England to complete his education. Attending the London university for one term he was then compelled to abandon his studies on account of the failure of his eyes. For a year he was under the care of Wal- 438 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. ton, the eminent oculist, who sent him to Malta, he then returned to the United States, arriving in New York the same night that Lincoln was first declared elected. He was under Dr. Houston's care after his return to Wheeling, until the summer of 1861, when he went to St. Catherines Springs, and remained there that summer, when his eyesight was recovered and he entered his father's brewery to learn the business. After his father's retirement from business he brewed for Carson, Darlington & Co., remaining with that firm in Pittsburgh for three years. He then .went to Newark, N. J., and worked for Peter Ballentine & Son, then the largest brewers in this country. After three years he returned to Wheeling and took his father's old brewery in partnership with Arthur Teece, his father being a silent partner. In 1877 the firm dissolved and. Mr. Smith bought out the old brewery known as the Brook Heart brewery on Market street, where he has since been engaged in the ale brewing business. February 9, 1869, he married Virginia Barton, daughter of John Barton, an attorney of Pittsburgh. Ruby, George W. and Allen E. are the issue of this marriage. John Smith, a native of Germany, and for many years an honored citizen of Wheeling, was born near Alsfeld, Hesse-Darmstadt, September 2, 1830, the son of Henry Adam' and Julia (Schoenhals) Smith. At his native place he attended school until fourteen years of age, and was then employed at a hotel three years. His parents, of whom he was the only child, came to America in 1847, and located at Wheeling, where they died a few years later, the father in November, 1851, and the mother in October, 1857. In 1849 the subject of this sketch joined his parents at Wheeling, and in 1851 he made his home on the island, where he has since resided, with the exception of a portion of 1863-4 spent in Monroe county, Ohio. Mr. Smith's first employment here was in a glass factory, and then as a gardener for two years for Daniel Zane. For the son of the latter, E. E. Zane, he worked from 1853 to 1863, and two years further after his return from Ohio. In 1866 he bought five acres of land in the southwestern part of the Island, where he has since resided and engaged in gardening, meeting with such success that he has increased his landed property to twenty-five acres, which has cost him, with improvements, not less than $15,000. He and wife are active members of the German. Methodist Episcopal church, and in politics he is a republican, having cast his first presidential vote for John C. Fremont in 1856. Mr. Smith was married October 13, 1853, to Caroline Schaub, who was born at Nordwiler, Rhine , province of Bavaria, the daughter of Michael and Elizabeth (Dauber) Schaub; with whom she came to AmeriCa when not a year old. Her family settled in Monroe county, Ohio, where the father died in April, 1873, and the mother in October, 1880. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have had eleven children: John H., Frederick E., David D. (deceased), Louis A., David L. (deceased), Elizabeth C., Harry, Anna J., Emma M., Charles W. and George F. Porter Smith, ex-chief of police, and present gas inspector of Wheeling, was born at New Castle; Penn., August 6, 1841. He was OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 439 reared at New Castle, and after obtaining his education he became an apprentice at the age of seventeen as a blacksmith. In 1857 he came to Wheeling and found employment working at his trade in the shops of the Belmont mill, and later in the Top mill, going from there to New Castle, Penn., where he took charge of .a shop. Return- ing to Wheeling in 1865, he was employed in various mills, while at home, until 1885. At the outbreak of the war in 1861, he was one of the first volunteers for the First Virginia infantry, and was elected fourth sergeant of Company E. After the close of three months' service sickness prevented his re-enlistment. In 1864 he was commissioned by Gov. Pierrepont, captain of Company D, state militia, and upon its reorganization he was elected captain and commissioned by Gov..Boreman. In 1866 was elected and served in council eleven successive years. While the capital was located at Charleston, he was appointed military store-keeper by Gov. Jacobs, and at that time he held the position of captain of Company C, Wheeling Grays. In 1885 Mr. Smith was elected sergeant of police for two years, and was re-elected in January, 1887, filling this position to the general satisfaction. In October, 1889, he was appointed by the board of gas trustees as gas inspector for the term of two years. Mr. Smith is a member of Wheeling lodge, I. O. O. F., Wheeling encampment, Alpha lodge, K. of H., and was first past chancellor, and has been representative of Ivanhoe lodge, K. of P. In 1865 he was married to Mary, only daughter of E. R. Bartleson, formerly editor and proprietor of the Wheeling. Times and Gazette. They have two daughters, one being employed as teacher in the public schools. George M. Snook, of Wheeling, head of the prominent dry goods house of Snook & Co., was born at Martinsburgh, Berkeley Co., W. Va., November 18, 1854. He passed his childhood and youth in that town, and at the age of fourteen years began his mercantile career as a clerk in a store at the same place. There he remained until 1876, when he removed to Wheeling, and accepted a position as clerk with C. T. Brues, in the dry goods business, and remained with that gentlemen until the firm of Stifel & Co. was formed, when he occupied a position with that firm until 1882, when he became a partner. In February, 1884, he organized the firm of George M. Snook & Co., his partners being George Reutsch and Albert Wilkie. This firm opened a line of dry goods, dress goods, notions and wraps, at No. I I io Main street, and soon, by a thorough grasp of, and attention to, business, established a fine reputation as a business house, and gained a trade that is constantly growing. Mr. Snook is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He was married in 1884 to a daughter of Henry Truxell, of Wheeling. Hon. J. B. Sommerville, a gentleman who has represented the people in both branches of the legislature with honor, is one of the worthiest members of the Ohio county bar. He was born in 1852 in Brooke county, W. Va., in the neighborhood of Bethany, a son of William M. and Margaret (Steele) Sommerville. , His father was a native of Harrison county, W. Va., and he was the son of a native of that county, who 440 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. was descended from ancestors of Irish descent, who came to this country about the beginning of the Revolutionary war. One of this family, the great-grandfather of the subject, was a pioneer of Harrison county.. The mother of the subject of this mention was a native of Brooke county, and died in 1872. To these parents there were seven children born, of whom five are living. J. B. Sommerville was reared in his native county, and was given the advantages of a good education. In 1873 he was graduated by the West Liberty Normal school, and he subsequently attended Bethany college. He engaged in teaching, and at the same time studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1878. He began the practice of his profession at Wellsburg, April i, 1879. While Mr. Sommerville was a student at Bethany college, he was nominated for the legislature by the democratic party, and was elected to the house of delegates in 1876. In 1884 he received the further honor of election to the state senate, representing the counties of Brooke, HanCock and Ohio. In May, 1887, Mr. Sommerville made his home at Wheeling, where he has since had a successful practice. Mr. Sommerville was married in May, 1879, to Agnes G. Hosie, of Brooke county, a native of Baltimore, Md. William C. Spargo, who has for several years been engaged in the retail grocery trade at Wheeling, is a native of Cornwall, England, the son of Thomas and Ann (Collins) Spargo, estimable people who passed their lives in that country. Mr. Spargo was born July 23, 1842, the third in a family of fourteen children, seven of whom, Thomas, William C., James, John, Stephen, Ann and Edwin became citizens of the United States. Thomas afterward returned to England, then resided in Chili twenty years, and is now living in England. Edwin was killed by falling iron ore at Lake Superior in 1881. Two other children, Richard and Christiana, are in Chili, Caroline is in Australia, and Thomas, Samuel and Eliza Jane are in England. William C., the subject of this mention, after he was ten years of age, was employed as a tin dresser until twenty-two years old. He then worked at mining two years, and in 1867 came to America, reaching New York February 28th. He was employed for a few months each in iron mines near Rockaway, N. J., and .at the British Bend iron mines of Pennsylvania, and in January, 1868, he went to Pittsburgh, whence he removed to Mansfield, Penn., proceeding from there to Wheeling, July 7, 1868. Here, for fifteen years, he was engaged in mining, but formed five years before the end of that period a partnership in the grocery business with A. C. Harrell. In 1883 he sold to his partner and established an independent business which he has since conducted with creditable success. Mr. Spargo was married November 25, 1863, to Grace Treeweek, daughter of Walter and Mary Treeweek, and they have had six children: William Thomas, Mary Ann, Walter Wilson, Caroline, Elizabeth Jones and Stephen, the latter of whom is deceased. The parents and four eldest children are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and Mr. Spargo is also a member of the Masonic fraternity. In politics he is a republican. OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 441 William Spears, the pioneer axle manufacturer of Wheeling, was born in the north of England, February 3, 1816, and came to the United States in 1840. He first settled at Pittsburgh, and from there removed to Cincinnati, whence he came to Wheeling. Here he engaged in the forging industry, and in that line did considerable steamboat and car work, and furnished all the under-ground work for the Wheeling and Belmont suspension bridge, when that structure was originally built. Conceiving that the manufacture of axles would be profitable, he was the first man in the city to engage in that industry, erecting a factory near the La Belle Iron works, where he carried on a limited but successful business until 1880, when. he retired from active life, and was succeeded in business by his son, Ralph R. The senior Spears continued to reside in Wheeling, until 1887, when he removed to his farm on Sand Hill, Marshall county, W. Va., where he now resides. While in England he was married, and on coming to America brought with him his wife and two children. She died at Pittsburgh, but the children, son and daughter, are still living. Subsequently he married at Pittsburgh, Isabel Reed, who died about 1865, leaving five children, four of whom are still living. Ralph W. Spears was born at Wheeling, July, 15, 1859. He attended the common schools of the city until his thirteenth year, and then entered the works of his father, and thoroughly mastered the manufacture of axles. As has been stated he succeeded his father in 1880, and after operating the manufactory for a number of years, he associated with him. self T. W. Phinney and A. D. Howe, in 1887, but in the same year became dissatisfied and sold out his interests to those gentlemen. He then organized a stock company, and in January, 1888, began the erection of the present works, on the corner of Main, Water and Twenty-seventh streets, covering an area of 100x200 feet. The buildings are one story in height, and are stocked with the latest and most modern axle machinery. Over fifty men' are carried on the pay rolls of the company, and an immense amount of material is turned out which finds a ready sale in all the markets of the west, northwest and south. Of the Spears Axle company, which operates this plant, Mr. Ralph R. Spears is president. He succeeded to the business at twenty-one years of age, but was well equipped, not only in mechanical skill, but in executive ability, and has won a high position among the manufacturers of Wheeling. Mr. Spears was married in 1884 to Jessie B., daughter of Marshall Ferguson, of Wheeling, by whom he has had three children, two of whom survive. Benedict Speidel (deceased), was born in Germany in 1814; came to America in 1832, and died at Wheeling, June 30, 1876. This brief record is probably graven on his tombstone, if not in so many words, then in terms equivalent; but the history of his every-day, unostentatious life has left a far more elaborate entablature upon the hearts of those who knew him, and who delight at this time to recall his memory. He was eighteen years of age when he arrived at Baltimore from the fatherland, possessed of a meager education, a few pieces of silver and a partially learned trade, that of stone mason. During the 442 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. winter of 1832-3 he came on foot via the old National road to Wheeling, and was here at once and for some months afterward employed as a mason on the construction of the old stone bridge over Wheeling creek. During the following year he moved to New Lisbon, Ohio, and from there twelve months later to Steubenville. In 1838 or 1839 he located at Wellsburg, W. Va., and was there about ten years extensively employed at contracting and building. The county court house at Wellsburg, the Carruthers building, the Kern building, and other well-known structures of that town, are lasting monuments to his skill. In 1849 Mr. Speidel returned to Wheeling, and at Ritchietown, now the Eighth ward, associated with a Mr. Edley, engaged in the brewing of malt liquors, the style of the firm being Speidel & Edley. At the end of three years he gave up brewing and embarked in .the grocery trade, an occupation that received his attention until 1874. Two years prior to his death he withdrew from all active business, and retired to the quiet enjoyment of a well-earned and ample competency. His widow is yet living at the old homestead in the Eighth ward of Wheeling. Her maiden name was Verona Meyers, and she was born in Germany in 1815. They were married at New Lisbon, Ohio, and of the ten children born to them, seven are living. Mr. Speidel was a consistent member of the Catholic church; in politics, prior to the war, he was a whig, but he voted for Mr. Lincoln in 186o, and ever thereafter stood by the prin6iples of the republican party. Joseph Speidel, son of the late Benedict Speidel, and the head of the most extensive wholesale grocery house in West Virginia, was born in Wellsburg, this state, October 1, 1843. His early education was limited to the opportunities of the times and the circumstances that surrounded his boyhood. At the age of twelve years he became a clerk in his father's grocery house and remained in that position five years. He was next employed by Hobbs .& Barnes, glass manufac turers, as shipping clerk. Having arrived now at young manhood, he took a course of training at Duff's Commercial college, Pittsburgh; returned to Wheeling, and for the ensuing year was book-keeper and salesman for the grocery firm of. George W. Reessing & Co. June 1, 1863, the firm of Speidel & Inderreider, composed of Joseph Speidel and August Inderreider,-was formed and launched into the jobbing of fancy groceries and tobaccos, in the building now occupied by the Franklin Insurance company on Twelfth street. In 1865 they removed to 51 Main street, and in 1867 sold out to Burke & Irwin. Mr. Speidel was next for a brief period associated with Alexander Turner in the wholesale grocery trade, and in the spring of 1868 embarked in that line for himself near the corner of Fourteenth and Main streets. In 1872 he admitted to partnership in his business his brother John and a Mr. John Waterhouse, and in 1876 they erected the elegant iron front building, comprising Nos. 1416 Main street, and 1414 South street. Mr. Archie T. Hupp succeeded John Speidel in the firm in 1878, and the real estate of the old firm passed by purchase to the subject of this sketch. The present magnificent buildings occupied OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 443 by the firm, to-wit, 1412 and 1414 Main street, and 1410 and 1412 South street, were completed in 1884. The structure is 44x16o feet, four stories and a basement, and has a total floorage of 42,240 square feet. The business of the firm extends throughout West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and the great south and west, and their aggregate annual sales amount to over $1,000,000. In addition to his mercantile interest, Mr. Speidel is prominently connected with-the Electric Railway company of Wheeling, the Fire and Marine Insurance company of Wheeling, the Savings bank of Wheeling, the Savings bank of Bellaire, the -National bank of Taylor, Texas (of which he is president), McCullough (Texas) Land and Cattle company, the Hobbs lass company of Wheeling, and the Pittsburgh, Wheeling & Kentucky Railroad company. From 1876 to 1888, minus the term of 1878-80, he served as a member of the board of county commissioners from Madison. district (one term as president of the board), and at the end of the last term declined further election. Though frequently solicited to accept various offices of trust and profit, he has steadily declined, preferring to devote his attention to business. He was married August 15, 1867, to Miss Lydia H., the accomplished daughter of James K. Wheat, Esq., and the children born to him are named respectively, John (deceased) , Hall, Joseph W., and Eliza. Mr. and Mrs. Speidel are communicants of the Episcopal church. Henry Speyer, one of the representative, business men of Wheel ing, is the proprietor of the extensive wholesale millinery and notions and furnishing goods house, which operates under the name of Speyer Bros. Mr. Speyer was born at Hartford, Conn., January 3, 1849, a son of Louis Speyer, who was born in Hesse, Germany, but has for .forty-five years been a citizen of the United States. The latter was engaged in the grocery business at Hartford for many years, but has retired from active trade, and is at the present time visiting with his sons at Wheeling. Henry Speyer was reared at Hartford and remained there until 1870, when he came to Wheeling to take a position as clerk in a millinery store. Three years later he engaged in the business for himself, opening a retail millinery and furnishing goods store, and soon succeeding in the retail line in doing the largest business in the city. In 1874, James Speyer, a brother, became a partner in the store, and in 1881 they added the wholesale department to their trade, and this house is one of the most popular jobbing houses of the city, doing an extensive business throughout a considerable territory. On December 26, 1884, James Speyer died, and since then Henry Speyer,has continued the business as sole proprietor, but with the old firm name. He is prominent in trade and financial circles, and is a director of the bank of the Ohio valley, and a stockholder in various other enterprises. He is a member of the Masonic order of the degree of Royal Arch. Randolph Stalnaker, ex-secretary of state of West Virginia, now a prominent citizen of Wheeling, is a native of Green Brier, Va., born June 8, 1847, a son of Randolph Stalnaker, a native of Randolph 444 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. county, Va. The boyhood days of Mr. Stalnaker were passed at Lewisburgh, Va., where he began his education in the common schools, finishing the same at the high school iri Monroe county. In 1861, he left home to join the Confederate army, enlisting in the Greenbrier , rifles, Company E, Twenty-seventh Virginia regiment, but his military service at that time was cut short .by his colonel, who sent him horfie, judging that his age was too tender for such duty. After remaining at home about a year, Gen. A. W. Reynolds appointed him an aid on the staff, and in that capacity he served until 1864, when he was made adjutant of Hounsell's cavalry, a position he held until the surrender.. After the close of the war he went into the oil regions of Wirt county, and became interested in the oil wells there, but subsequently returned to Lewisburgh, and embarked in the mercantile business. While a resident of that place, he was in 1876 appointed private secretary to Gov. -Matthews, and .at the close of that service, in 188o, he was appointed by Gov. Jackson, secretary of state, an office which he held for four years.. At the close of his official life at the capital, Mr. Stalnaker made his home permanently at Wheeling, and engaged in the manufacture of hardwood, etc., as a member of the firm of Hale & Stalnaker. About a year later, the works at Wheeling were destroyed by fire, and the seat of the business was then removed to Wirt county, and a company was incorporated, of which Mr. Stalnaker is a stockholder, which is doing business under the style of the West Virginia Bung company. This was recently consolidated with the Independent Bung company, of New York. Mr. Stalnaker is thoroughly devoted to the advancement of the manufacturing interests of Wheeling, and in August, 1887, he became one of the incorporators of the West Virginia China company, of which, in January, 1888, he was elected secretary, a position he holds at present. Mr. Stalnaker is a member of the Masonic order, of Greenbrier lodge. Frank H. Stamm, member of the firm of McLure & Stamm, proprietors of the McLure House, was born in Wheeling, February 27, 1859. He is a son,of Henry Stamm, a native of Germany, one of the pioneer hotel men of the city. He was given a liberal education, attending first the public schools of the city, subsequently spending one year at the university of Notre Dame, Ind., and a year at the state university of West Virginia, at Morgantown. He also took a course of one year in the Wheeling commercial college. He then entered the hotel business with his father, but left this temporarily to spend seven years in the wholesale grocery business, as traveling salesman and in office work. For four years after this he engaged in the wholesale produce and grain business on his own account, with much success. On June 1, 1887, he returned to the hotel business, purchasing the interest of Grant & Scott, in the firm of Grant, Scott & Co., proprietors of the McLure House. The firm then became known as Stamm & McLure, his partner being H. W. McLure. The house which they conduct is one of the famous ones of the country. It was built by John McLure, and opened to the public on the day that the Baltimore & Ohio railroad brought its first train to the city, Janu- OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 445 ary 13, 1853. The hotel has 135 rooms, and is furnished throughout with all the latest conveniences. The table is widely famed for the excellence of its service. Of this house, in its way one of the most prominent institutions of Wheeling, Mr. Stamm is general manager. Mr. Stamm was married June 3, 1884, to M. V., daughter of Petet Cassel, of Wheeling. George W. Steenrod, one of the venerable citizens of Ohio county, who has been spared to witness the wonderful development of the valley from Its condition in the early years of this .country to the present, was born in .this county in 1813, the son of Daniel Steenrod. The latter was one of the pioneers of this region, and was one of the contractors of the National road. George W. lost his hearing when two years old, and was educated at the deaf and dumb asylum at Philadelphia. He followed farming as a vocation for many years, and is now living in retirement from activity, in the suburbs of Wheeling, his home still shared by his faithful wife. She, whose maiden name was Elizabeth A. McClurg, was born at Pittsburgh, Penn., and educated at the deaf and dumb school at Philadelphia. To them four children were born, two of whom are living. Their son, Louis Steenrod, now sheriff of Ohio county, was born in this county in 1854. In youth he attended the Linsly institute and finished his education at the Chester (Penn.) military school in 1869. He then engaged in farming and dairying, and still manages his extensive agricultural interests. Always taking a great _interest in political affairs, he has been an active worker in the interests of the democratic party, and has for some years wielded a considerable influence. He did not, however, aspire to any office until 1888, when he became a candidate for the office of sheriff, to which he was elected in the fall of that year, and assumed the duties of the office in January, 1889. Mr. Steenrod was married in December, 1879, to Ella Updegraff, and they have four children. He is a member of the Episcopal church. Hugh Sterling, member of the extensive furniture firm of G. Mendel & Co., of Wheeling, was born at Steubenville, Ohio, December 3o, 1842. His grandfather, " Hugh Sterling, a native of the north of Ireland, was one of the pioneers of Steubenville, and was a merchant there until his death. His son, James Sterling, who was born in Steubenville, in 1818, continuing the business of his father, became the leading merchant of that place, and is so engaged at the present. He married Martha Jane Mills, who was born in Ireland in 1817, and died in the fall of 1880. Their son, Hugh Sterling, the subject of this notice, at fourteen years of age, began an apprenticeship in a printing office, and was there engaged until the outbreak of the war. On April 18,1861, he enlisted in Company I, of the Twelfth Pennsylvania regiment, as a private, and served the period of his enlistment, three months. In September, 1861, he re-enlisted in the Twenty-third Pennsylvania infantry, and served until September 6, 1864, when he was mustered out. He then returned to Steubenville, but on September 23, he was appointed by Col. John Ely, provost marshal gen- 446 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. eral, chief clerk of the inspection division of that department, with headquarters at Wheeling. He served in that capacity until the office was abolished in 1866, when he was transferred to the office of the superintendent of the volunteer recruiting service, at W eeling, under Major McGown, and remained in that position unti e e office was closed by order of the war department. He was the appointed assistant health officer of Wheeling, under Dr. Richard urn. In 1866 he was appointed to .a clerkship in the state legislature, and clerk to .the committees of claims and grievances, elections and privileges, and education and military affairs. Upon the opening lines of the Citizens' Street Railway company he was the first ac -secretary, and held that position six months, then resigning to accept the position of general delivery clerk in the postoffice at Wheeling, where he served one year. He was then engaged fifteen months as book-keeper for William Sumner & Co., general agents for the Wheeler & Wilson sewing machine company, after which he was appointed money order, stamp and registry clerk in the Wheeling postoffice and was so connected with the postoffice until his appointment as postmaster at Wheeling, February 10, 1879, by President Hayes. He held that important position for six years and nine months. On January 1, 1887, he became engaged in his present business. In the Masonic fraternity Mr. Sterling is prominent, being amember of Ohio lodge, No. r, Wheeling Union chapter, No. 1, Wheeling commandery, No. 1, has attained the thirty-third degree of Cerneau Scottish Rite, is a member of Osiris Temple, Mystic Shrine, and is past master, past high priest, past commander, past grand junior warden, past grand king, past grand lecturer, past grand commander and present grand treasurer of both the grand chapter and the grand lodge of West Virginia. Mr. Sterling was married June 22, 1865, to Matilda H., daughter of George W. Sights, of Wheeling, and they have one son, George S., who is in business with his father. A. F. Stifel, M. D., a son of John Louis Stifel, named elsewhere, was born at Wheeling, July 22, 1855. He received his early education in the public schools of this city, and then determining to prepare himself for the business of a.druggist, he attended, during the years 1871, 1872 and 1873, the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, where he was graduated in that profession, He was subsequently engaged in the drug business at New York city until 1875, when he concluded to enter the medical profession, and to that end, went to Germany and entered the University of Wuerzburg, later to Leipsic, where for four years he pursued the study of medicine, and was graduated in 1879. After, spending three months of 'practice in the hospitals of Vienna, he returned to his native land, and at Wheeling embarked in the general practice. His thorough preparation and scientific devotion to his profession has giveb him a creditable rank among the physicians of the city. He is a member of the. Medical society, of Wheeling, and of the county of Ohio, of which he was president one year, and he is a member of the Medical society; of West Virginia, and the American Medical association. OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 447 George E. Stifel, a son of John Louis Stifel, elsewhere mentioned, is among the foremost business men of Wheeling, and senior member of the well-known firm of George E. Stifel & Co., which stands at the front of the retail dry goods business in this city. .Mr. Stifel was born at Wheeling, May 5, 1849, and was educated in the public schools of his native city. On leaving school, in 1863. he entered the dry goods business in the employment of Stone & Thomas, with whom he remained until 1868, then becoming engaged with Brues & Sanders, afterward C. T. Brues, a house with which he was associated until the year 1878. He then formed his present partnership with Frederick Schwertfeger, and embarked on a business career which has been remarkably successful and in every way creditable. At 1158 Main street the firm occupies a double store, four floors in heighth, and 42)(132 feet in area, and the perfect management of this institution and its remarkable variety and completeness in stock, make it one of the notable places of the city. John Louis Stifel, prominent among the early German residents of Wheeling, was born at Neuffen, Wurtemberg, Germany, March 13, 1807. In his native land he learned and followed the trade of a dyer, and while traveling and following-that occupation he acquired the art of calico printing, in which he became proficient. In September, 1833, he emigrated to the United States, and first made his home at Philadelphia, going from there to Bethlehem, Penn., where he was engaged in the woolen mills about six months. He arrived at Wheeling in the fall of 1834, traveling on foot, and worked for his board on a farm during winter, and the next spring he opened a small establishment for dying clothing, on the limited capital of $10 dollars. Soon afterward he changed his place of business to a log house opposite Turner hall, on Market street. It was in this year, June 18, 1835, that he was married to Barbara Becht, a native of Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, then a resident of Steubenville, where the ceremony was performed. by Rev. Charles C. Beatty, then president of the Steubenville seminary. Mr. Stifel soon enlarged his business and began printing by hand calico that he bought of local merchants, and his was the first establishment for the printing of yard-wide indigo blue calico in the United States. In 1844. he removed his factory to its present location, and enlisted the assistance of his sons, Louis C. and William F. In 1857, when a hand printing machine was put in, the capacity of the works was about ten pieces per day, but there were gradual improvements and enlargements, steam was introduced in 1867, and in 1870, when the senior Stifel retired from the business, the daily capacity had reached forty-five to fifty pieces. .The founder of this business was prominent in the affairs of the young city, took an active part in politics, attending many state conventions, and served the county both as a justice and as one of the first supervisors. His death occurred in 1881, six years after the decease of his wife. Of the eleven children born to them, seven were reared, five sons and two daughters. Upon the retirement from business of John Louis Stifel, the factory went into the hands of two of his sons, Louis C. Stifel, who 448 - HISTORY OF THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY. was born at Wheeling September 30, 1838, and William F. Stifel, born at the same place August 12, 1840. They have very successfully conducted the business to which they succeeded, and have enlarged the works until the daily capacity is now about 200 pieces. Both are prominent in the affairs of the city, and in manufacturing and financial circles. Louis C. was a member of the state legislature in 1869, and served on the Wheeling school board from 1871 to 1874. He is a director of the Benwood Iron works, the Franklin Insurance company, the Belmont Glass works, the Wheeling Suspension bridge and the Children's Home, and William F. is a director of the Belmont Iron works, and president of the German Insurance company. Louis C. was married October 6, 1867, to Elizabeth Stamm, a native of Ohio county, who died August 28, 1882, leaving six children. William F. was married April 17, 1873, to Emma Schandein, who was born in Philadelphia. They have had three children, of whom two are living. Among the old and prominent German citizens of Wheeling is Christian Stoehr, who has been a resident of the city since 1850, the year in which he came America. Mr. Stoehr was born in Hesse, Germany, August 2, 1827, the son of Frederick Stoehr, who was born in 1801 and died in 1874. He was a land owner and extensive farmer in Hesse, his native state. His wife was born in 1800, and died in 1848. Their son, Christian, the subject of this sketch, labored on the farm of his parents until 1849, when he started out for himself. The next year found him in America without money or friends, but with a disposition to work and a determination to succeed. On reaching Wheeling he found employment in a brick yard, and also tended mason until the fall of 185o, when he secured a position in the brewery of George W. Smith, where he continued to work until 1873. He began in this establishment at $20 per month, boarding himself, and rose through various grades until he commanded a salary of $100 a month and expenses. In the year last named he retired from his position in the brewery and engaged in the liquor business on Seventeenth street, at which he is still occupied. Mr. Stoehr is a stockholder in the German Insurance company. He is a member of St. Alphonsus Catholic church. Albert Stolze, a well-known young grocer of Wheeling, was born at St. Clairsville, Belmont county, Ohio, February 21, 1857, the son of Henry and Dora Stolze; natives of Germany, who were married at St. Clairsville. The father died near that place when Albert was six years of age, and immediately afterward the widow and her children removed to Wheeling, where she still resides. The children, of whom the subject of this sketch is the oldest, Albert, Henry J., Charles F., and John C., are all residents of Wheeling. Albert Stolze, in youth, worked as a machinist, beginning at the age of fifteen years, and subsequently he was in the express business .for ten years. In September, 1889, he opened his present establishment, as the successor of Stolze & Bayha, at 1115 Market street, which ranks among the leading retail grocery houses of the city. He is an energetic and en- OHIO COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA - 449 terprising business man, and is popular with all. He is a member of the German Lutheran church. Elijah James Stone, one of the business pioneers of the upper Ohio valley, was born at Enfield, Hampshire county, Mass., November 2, 1819, and died at Wheeling April 23, 1887. At the age of nine years he left the home of his father, Clark Stone, a worthy farmer, and started out in the world with a capital of $3. About the year 1836 he came to the upper Ohio valley and began teaching a country school in Belmont county, Ohio, having prepared himself for that profession by his own efforts. While teaching at Whiskey Run he met, and afterward was married to, Elizabeth C., daughter of Edward Thomas, one of the pioneers of Belmont county. He soon associated himself with his brother-in-law, J. C. Thomas, boating coal down the Ohio river, and subsequently the two gentlemen engaged in the dry goods business at Wheeling. With this business Mr. Stone was connected until his death, and it is now carried on under the old firm name of Stone & Thomas, by his sons, E. L. and W. E. Possessed of remarkable business talent and financial ability, Mr. Stone became one of the most successful of the old merchants of Wheeling, and accumulated large property interests. H e was the largest real estate holder in the city in his time and erected a considerable number of buildings. He was also a stockholder and director in many enterprises, such as the Exchange bank, Fire and Marine Insurance company, and was director of the bank of the Ohio valley, the Belmont mill, the Riverside, Bellaire and Junction mills, and the Commercial bank. Public spirited and liberal in his relations to his fellows, he was frequently elected to positions on the board of county commissioners and the city council. As a member of the Methodist church he was influential and active, was instrumental in building the North Street Methodist Episcopal church, and after removing to the Island aided materially in the building of the Thomson church. His widow, the daughter of Edward and Catherine (Clark) Thomas, survives at the age of sixty-five years. Of the ten children born to their union seven are living. John L. Stroehlein, prominent among those citizens of Wheeling interested in the development of the insurance business, already grown to large proportions through the skillful management of these gentlemen, now holds the position of secretary of the Jefferson Insurance company. Mr. Stroehlein was born in Wurtemburg, Germany, October 29, 1830. In his native land he learned the profession of surveyor, passing examination in 1851. Two years later he came to the United States, and after a six weeks' stay at Philadelphia, removed to Wheeling, which then became his permanent home. He first found employment in the iron and wire store of E. C. Dewey, and after a year and a half's engagement there, was employed for five years by Tollent & Delaplain, wholesale dealers. His next engagement was as book-keeper for C. Stobel for a year and a half. In 1861 he entered the wholesale liquor and grocery business on his own account, and was so engaged for ten years. He then embarked in the insurance business, becoming secretary of the German Insurance company. In 29—A.