Hughes River Omnibus

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copyright © Loraine Cox Metz, 2004, 1984

Family Records, N-W

Clyde Nelson family

Clyde was born December 25, 1903, at Petroleum, the son of Charles and Ursula Ford Nelson. He was the youngest of four chldren: Sadie, Dick and Lydia. Clyde had only two years of schooling, and this he attended at Flint Run School.

He was a farmer and served three years in the service. While still in the army, he married Rosa B. Kerns on December 28, 1928. He was discharged that same year.

Rosa B. Kerns was born at Adamston, June 18, 1903, the daughter of B. F. and Anarha Powell Kerns. She was one of ten children. Blaine, Jesse, Sherm, Bill, Ted, Joe, Alice and Ellen. Rose attended the Dry Ridge School through the eighth grade. At this time, she was offered the opportunity to go into the field of teaching.

Clyde and Rosa had five children--four boys and one girl. Charles, the first child, died at birth; at this time they lived in South Parkersburg. Later moving to Dry Ridge, home of her parents, their second son, Clyde Wesley, was born along with two other sons, Elmer Blaine and Benny Leo. Later the family moved into a house on Route 47 across the river from the old stone quarry. It was here their fifth child, a daughter, Ursula Ann, was born. Also from here, the three boys started to school. They crossed the river in a rowboat, then walked two miles to the Freeport school. Wesley and Elmer would sometimes arrive early and would stoak up the wood stove so that the classroom would be warm when the others arrived. They went to the Freeport School until 1944 or about three years for Wesley. A short time of this was attended from the Collums house, where the family had moved from across the river. In 1944, the family moved to Parkersburg, where Clyde had found a job as a welder for the O. Ames Plant. His employment ended due to ill health.

While living with Rosa's parents, she and Clyde took in and raised Joe Kerns' two children, Joe Jr. and Emza, after the death of their mother, Beulah Bucey Kerns. Emza married and had one son. She was killed in an automobile accident. Joseph, or June, as he is known by his friends, married Cleo Richards of Rutherford, changed to Milton, and now known as Gillespie. Joe and Cleo have three children, Emmett, Wilma and Bonnie.

Rosa and Clyde then raised her brother Bill's two children, until their father took them to raise with him. Their names were Ray and Hilda Kerns. They attended the Dry Ridge School; both are now deceased.

Clyde Wesley married Anna Way: Elmer B. married Irene Powers; Benny L. married Betty Cook and Ursula Ann married James Oliver. Clyde and Rosa had 14 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. Clyde died November 11, 1963; Rosa died January 7, 1983.

The children of Clyde and Rosa are keeping the Kerns farm in the family for hunting. Elmer and Irene purchased two and one-half acres from Hazel Cox Brown on Buffalo Run in 1978, and they use this for hunting and camping.

Charles Wesley Nelson family

Charles was the son of J. W. and Mary Nelson. He married Ursula Ford in 1898. They lived on the Staunton Pike near the junction of the Dry Ridge road. They had four children, Clyde, Dick, Sadie and Lydia. After the death of Charles' first wife, he married Cora Jane Whitman, daughter of R. H. and Hannah Hoover Whitman. Cora Jane had three children: Mary Alice Barker, Clellie Holbert and Robert, who lives in Ohio. They were to have one daughter, Cora Belle Luce. She was born in 1928, and is now deceased.

Frank Nelson family

Frank (1875-1940) married Sarah Lane (1889-1938) and lived on Route 47 near Freeport. He and Sarah raised a large family. The children were: Norf, Ida Bodie, Janie Modesitt, Sophia Modesitt, Ethel, Pearl Modesitt, Oscar Earl (1896-1938), Sophia (1901-1950). Ethel and Pearl are both deceased.

Norf Nelson family

Norf (1891-1980) married Alma Waggoner, daughter of Claude and Minnie Waggoner from Dry Ridge. Alma, born in 1903, lives in the Parkersburg area. Norf and Alma had ten children, including triplets. Their children are: Claude, who lives in Ohio; Ernest, who married Rosemond Cantwell who died in 1983; Charles; Lloyd; Norf James (1930-1931); Mary Mackey; Patricia Nelson; Rosetta Goodnight; Cecelia Bell and Alma Lemley.

Harold T. Nelson family

Harold, the son of Arthur and Edna Moore Nelson, married Sylvia Cunningham. They moved from Parkersburg to the Russell Cox farm on Buffalo Run in 1956. They have two sons, Thomas and Herbert. They sold the farm to West Virginia Pulp and Paper in 1960 and moved to Kanawha, where they still reside.

Nathaniel Nelson

Nathaniel (1865-1909) was the son of Isaac and Hannah Nelson. Hannah was the daughter of Rachel Deems. Than, as he was called, married Sarah Jane Tennant, the daughter of Alpheus and Mary Ann Enoch Tennant. There were three children born to this union: James A., born in 1894; Floyd B., born in 1893; and Laura, who was born in 1897. After the death of Nathaniel, Sarah married William R. Jenkins on May 13, 1912. James A. married Edna Moore; Floyd married Etta Valentine. He and his four children were drowned in a flash flood in the Island Run area, August 5, 1943; Laura married Socrates Stanley. William Jenkins is buried at the Pribble Cemetery.

James A. Nelson family

Ott, as he was known, was the son of Nathaniel and Sarah Jane Tennant Nelson. He married Edna Moore, daughter of John and Lula Cox Moore. The family moved from Freeport to Buffalo Run in the 1930s. They lived for a few years on the Aubrey Hardesty property, later moving into the Russell Cox home in 1945. The children attended Dry Ridge School and Buffalo Methodist Church. They were parents of five children: Harold married Sylvia Cunningham and lives at Kanawha; Alma married William Williams and lives in Wood County; Calvin married Betty Carpenter and lives near Glendale; Robert married Edith Cooper and lives near Lubeck; Richard and Sharon live in Parkersburg.

Herbert Netser family

Herbert C. Netser married Marvel Thrash (1903-1970), the daughter of Charles W. and Sallie Thrash. Herbert operated the store at Petroleum for several years and was a mail carrier. They had one daughter, Doris, who is married to Calvin Vinson. Herbert is now remarried to Ellen Marshall Burgy and lives in Cairo.

F. M. Netser family

Francis Marion Netser (1875-1968) married Emeranda Groves (1873-1959). He was the son of Jacob and Nancy Dye, married in 1896. To this union there were five children born:

Icy (1897-1969) married Archie Barnard of Harrisville.

Frank (1899-1922) never married.

Herbert, born in 1901, married Marvel Thrash and second marriage to Ellen Marshall Burgy.

Ralph, born in 1918, married Louise Affolter and lives in Parkersburg.

Ray, born in 1912, died in Florida in January 1977. He was married to Irma Cutright.

Marion operated the store at Petroleum from 1912 until 1945, when his son took over.

Frank Nagy

Frank and Ada live in Parkersburg. Ada is the former Ada Boston of the Dry Ridge area. She was the daughter of William and Clara Boston. She was married first to Mansel (Bunt) Sims and lived at the old Sims place in the 1930s. They had one daughter, Betty Arnett, born in 1927, and died while living in Connecticut in 1981.

Ada married the second time to Hershel Lanham and lived in the Rusk community. Hershel died in 1970, while living in Parkersburg. Denzil Lanham lives in the house at Rusk. After Hershel's death, Ada married Frank.

Elias Nutter family

Elias (1878-1959) was the son of B. B. and Blanch Hawkins Nutter. She died in 1957. Six of his children: Cline of the Petroleum area; William of New York; Howard of Vienna; Ralph of Ohio; Lucy Kimble Reamer; and Maymie McCullough. Maymie died in 1980, she lived in Vienna.

Frank Null family

Frank and Lillie Brumage Null lived near Cisco at Macfarlan. Frank worked for the oil company. They attended the Buffalo Church. Lillie was born in 1900, died in 1982; Frank is also deceased. They were parents of two children: Francis (Ben) Null of Warren and Sylvia Sarver of Belpre.

Harry Null family

Harry was the son of Alvin and Eva Null. He married Isabelle Lewis, born in 1897, and lived in the Rusk area. They had one son, Robert (1915-1982). Harry died in 1932; Belle remarried and lives at Rusk.

Isaac Null family

Isaac and Lavina Pribble Null lived in the Cisco and Dry Ridge area all their lives. Their children, at one time, attended the Fairview School. There were five sons: Emery J. (1874-1960) married Nancy Phelps; Edward B. (1893-1963) married Grace Varner (1901-1980); Norval L. (1896-1967) married Velma Freed; Isaac Waitman (1891-1979) married Goldie Joy. There was another son, George. Emery and Nancy had the following children, Marion, Frank, Harley, Ralph, Versa Shephard, Nellie Roush, Lessie Foutty Waggoner. Edward and Grace had two children, Edward G. and Gwenvere Romine.

I. W. Null family

Wade and Goldie Joy were married November 30, 1916. They started housekeeping at Petroleum, lived on Buffalo Run and moved to Flint Run to a 70-acre farm. My dad worked for B & O, and was a farmer and saw mill operator for many years. Wade (1891-1979) and Goldie had ten children:

Orval Lee, born in 1917, married Thelma Valentine, and they have four children and five grandchildren.

Beryl (1919-1968) was married to Pauline Anderson.

Carl Lesley, born in 1921, died in 1935.

Noble Ray, born in 1923, died when less than a month old.

Russell J., born in 1924, married Doris McFadden in 1959. Russell has three children by a former marriage and three grandchildren.

Eva Mae, born in 1927, married Glen R. Patterson (deceased) and has two children and two grandchildren.

Hobert Okey, born in 1929, married Eleanor Wildman in 1952. They have six children and six grandhildren.

Bernard Perry, born in 1931, married Shirley Winter in 1954. They have three children and three grandchildren.

Hollie Denzil, born in 1933, married Virginia Ann Clegg in 1959, and they have three children and one grandchild.

All the children live in the Ohio and West Virginia area. Lee, Beryl and Russell all served in World War II. Hobe served in the Korean conflict and Hollie was in the peacetime Navy, 1955 to 1957.

We grew sugar cane, and my dad made sorghum molasses. We had a cane mill that pressed the juice from the cane. Our horse went around and around; it was fun for us kids to watch. Dad was an expert at making the molasses. My brothers and I went to a one-room schoolhouse about a mile from our house on Flint Run. We went to a Methodist church on our farm. I remember the Rev. John Nutter and the Rev. Clifford Phillips. I was 12 years old at the time they held revival meetings, and my dad was the song leader.

My younger brothers and I used to walk to the grocery store, Ray Ash's on Parish Fork or Charlie Marshall's at Cisco. It took almost all day, especially when we took the old cow pony. She would stop and wouldn't move. It was great fun when we took eggs; they were selling for 10 or 12 cents per dozen. We had horses, a beautiful yoke of oxen, goats, chickens, guineas, rabbit dogs, coon and fox hounds. When Dad harvested the crops, he buried the apples and the potatoes. He and Mom pickled corn and beans in large barrels.

My brother, Lee, named me for two of his favorite teachers, Eva Moore and Fannie Mae Weaver. Growing up on the farm and having wonderful parents was just great. We go back to Flint Run to the homeplace for our family reunions every October.

Cecil Nutt family

Cecil moved with his father to the Cisco area in the spring of 1932. He had two brothers, Arden and Denver, and one sister, Murlie, who lived at the family home.

Cecil married Thelma Lewis on November 22, 1932. They lived in West Virginia, where their three children were born. They moved to Macksburg in 1938 and later to Porterfield, Ohio. Cecil was employed at the Ideal Corrugated Box Company for 31 years, retiring in 1976. He died October 15, 1982, while living in Belpre, where his widow still resides.

They had three children; all married and graduated from Belpre High School:

Ruth married Paul Nolan and lives in Vincent, Ohio.

Velma married Harold Looney and lives in Parkersburg.

Delmar is married and lives in Porterfield, Ohio.

Granville Nutt family

Granville and his wife, Sylvia, lived most of the time at Cisco where he operated the blacksmith shop. The house and shop were located across the road from the Methodist Church. They had five children: Mary, who married Fred Lamm and lived in the area; Allie, who lives in Ohio; Mae, who lives in Parkersburg; Ted, who lived in Akron and passed away in April 1984; Guy died at a very early age. The mother of these five children died in 1921 when they were small. After the death of their mother, the children lived on with their father and attended school at Buffalo. Sylvia and Guy are buried at Newark in the Fought Cemetery. Granville is buried at the Beckner Cemetery. At the time of his death in 1936, the river was flooded and they could not take him to Newark.

Wright Nutt family

Wright Nutt moved to the Ben Rogers farm near Cisco from Parkersburg after the death of his wife, Bertha Norris Nutt. He moved here in the spring of 1932 with his three sons, Cecil, Arden and Denver and a daughter, Murlie. They lived here only a short time when Mr. Nutt died in September 1932. Denver went to live with an older brother, Anthony, in Harrisville. Murlie and Arden went back to Parkersburg to live and were employed at the American Viscose Company. While living in Parkersburg, Murlie married, and she and her husband moved to Ravanna, Ohio, and were employed in the arsenal plant there. Arden and Denver enlisted in the service in 1940. They both served in the U. S. Army in World War II; both were wounded and awarded the Purple Heart. After returning home, they both married and lived in Ohio, West Virginia and Florida. Arden died in 1977; Denver is also deceased. Murlie Stockslager of Ravenna is the only surviving member of the family. Cecil married Thelma Lewis and lived in the area for a few years.

Edward J. Nutter

Ed lived on Dry Ridge for many years. He was the son of Thomas J. and Melissa Nutter from Virginia. He died while living on Dry Ridge from pneumonia, June 12, 1934; he was born in 1871. A woman by the name of Mae Cantwell lived in the home and was the housekeeper. She later went to Ohio to live.

Ted Nutt family

Ted and his wife lived for a while at the end of the swinging bridge at Cisco. He was the son of Granville and Sylvia Nutt. Ted had two sisters, Allie and Mae.

Powell family

David Powell and Ascenith Riley Cecil came to Myers Fork, three miles from Volcano, in 1861. She died in 1900 and he in 1904. Their children were the following: James William (born in 1863), Roberta (born in 1866), Richard Granville (born in 1867).

James William and Mary Smith were married in 1887; their children were Hattie Florence Powell Ogden and Roberta Powell West, both deceased, and Frank Vinton Powell.

Roberta Powell and William W. McFarland were married and their children were: Stella McFarland, John David McFarland, Homer Martin McFarland, Joseph Luther McFarland, William Albert and Wilbur Rutherford McFarland.

Richard Granville married Jessie Cowan in 1893. Their children were: Janet Isabel Powell who taught at Fairview for some time; Asenth Mary Lemley, and Howard Leslie Powell.

J. W. Powell was 19 days older than West Virgina, and he often said he was older than the West Virginia Hills.

Everett Parsons family

This is the only family living on Dry Ridge today. They live in the old homeplace of the Daubenspecks. There are other houses on the ridge, but they are used for summer homes or hunting cabins. After all the years and all the people living here, it is hard to imagine only one family remaining.

Fred Pribble family

Fred, born in the area, married Lilly Jackson, born in 1885. She was the daughter of Ulysses and Kathryn Foutty Jackson of Cisco. They were the parents of three children: Kathryn, who lives in Parkersburg; Virginia; and Cecil Edwin who are both deceased. Fred died in 1930 and Lilly in 1955.

Perrin family

In the 1840s, my great-grandparents, Robert B. Perrin and his wife, Judah Belle Schnieder Perrin, from Bedford County, Pennsylvania, came to what was then Wood County, Virginia. They lived first near the mouth of the Hughes River. In 1856, they bought 250 acres of land from the estate of Adam Deem; on this they built a double log house (two log houses with a large chimney between with a fireplace opening in each house), barn, grainery, chicken house, etc.--improvements he valued at $4,000. Much of the land was given to their children. Their youngest son, George, married Dora Wiblin. They were my grandparents. George died in 1890, leaving his wife with four children. The oldest, Will Perrin, was my father. My grandfather was a cabinet maker and made many beautiful pieces of furniture, some of which his grandchildren have today. Dora lived on with her father-in-law and kept house for him, and he supported her and the children. Bobby (as he was known) served a term in the West Virginia legislature. Myrtle Mahaney tells me that he practically raised her father, Will Hull. Will Perrin was born in 1879 and died in 1956; Alice, born in 1884, died in 1950.

My mother was Alice Roberts Perrin from Eatons. She was a school teacher. Her parents lived in East Liverpool, Ohio, where Papa worked in a pottery when they were first married. They came back to the Perrin place on Hughes River in the spring of 1911. I was born there that fall and my sister, Mary Alice, was born in 1913; Nelly in 1917; and Willa Lee in 1921. In 1925, we moved to Eatons, where our youngest sister, Patricia Anne, was born in 1928. I married Robert Lee; Mary Alice married Cheselyn Jonas; Nelly married Fred Anderson. Willia Lee married Wayne Jenkins and Patricia married Mike Burkey.

All this has been a long time ago, but I still dream of living in that old double log house and remember all the relatives, friends and neighbors as if it was yesterday.

The Perrin place of 80 acres still belongs to us. There have been oil wells drilled on it since Civil War days, then again in or around the 1890s, then again during the first World War, and then two years ago, another was drilled.

Henry B. Perrine family

Henry B. Perrine (1859-1938) and Ella Headlee Perrine lived in Petroleum and operated a store. There were several children who grew up in the area. William F. (1906-1978) married Francis Booth; Cassell lives in Charleston; Henry C. is in California; Ralph C. (born in 1907) is in Ohio; and there were also Hazel, Ruth and Clay.

Willis Russell Pierson family

Rusell, born in 1899, was the son of Ulysses and Georgiana Lemon Pierson. He married Flora Edith Cooper (1906-1974) and they lived in the Freeport / Cisco area. Russell died in 1976. They were the parents of twelve children, scattered all the way to the West Coast. Warren, Everett, Jesse, Virgil, Russell, Larry, Carolyn Shafer, Hilda Dulin, Ivana Priselac, Juanita Berry, Ora Yonlly, Mary Reynolds.

Ulysses Pierson family

Liss was first married to Georgiana Lemon, who died young. He then married her sister, Mary, and lived on Dry Ridge. He was born in 1869; Mary in 1880, and she died in 1975. Russell was a son by his first wife; from the second marriage, there were Dessie, who married Virgil South; and Myrtle, who married Kendall Marshall and a son, Emory Carl (1917-1918). The family lived on Dry Ridge for several years. The children attended the Dry Ridge School. Liss's wives were the daughters of George and Mary Collum Lemon of Freeport.

The Rev. Clifford Phillips

Clifford and Lucille came to the Cisco-Rusk area in the mid 1930s. This was his first charge. They had one daughter, Dorothy, who married Charlie Brown and lives in Ohio. His brother, Rev. R. L. Phillips, frequently helped him in revival meetings. Rev. R. L. died in 1981.

The Phillips family

My grandfather was Benjamin Franklin Phillips, who was an early settler in 1830 on the North Fork of Hughes River. In 1837 he married Mary Ann Deem, a daughter of Phillip Deem, a veteran of the War of 1812. Ben Phillips claimed 500 acres of land in what was then Wood County and over 200 acres of the land is in the name of his descendants.

My father was Arthur Burl Phillips who was the son of Alvia Hamilton and Mary Emily Davis Phillips. My mother was Marian Abigal Deem, daughter of Washington Lafayette and Francis Holland Deem.

I was born at Elizabeth; my sister, Delores, was born in 1927 after we had moved to Wood County. The family then located in Ritchie County where sister Marian Pauline was born in 1930, and brother Alvia Earl in 1934. It was a lifetime dream of my father for his children to attend school and graduate from college. When we were all four away in college it was frugal times for both mother and father and miracle stories can be told how father emerged from those "Depression years." Earl is in Illinois; Delores (Mrs. Frank Buskirk) lives in Minnesota; Pauline (Mrs. Wayne Carry) lives in Ohio; and I live in Parkersburg. My wife, Mercedes, was a school teacher. Our roots are here. We enjoy the old home place on Hughes River to go for vacations and weekends.

Forrest Pribble family

Hugh Pribble, my grandfather, was born on his father's farm in 1851. He married Mary Ellen Dulin. To this family were born 14 children; one of his sons--Forrest--is my father. My father and his brother, Shirley, bought another farm from their father. We still own part of that farm today. I can remember as a small girl, we had to haul hay shocks. The sun was hot, but there were cattle to feed.

The Methodist parsonage was close to our house. Rev. Smith moved in to preach on the Rusk circuit in 1935. He died in 1936, leaving a wife and seven children. I married his son French in 1943. We have three children, Connie Hill Jones, Lynn Hilkey and Richard; three grandchildren, Missy and Matt Hill and Jennifer Smith.

I had one sister, Marjorie, who married Ralph Kuhn and lives near Rusk.

Mose A. Pribble family

Mose and Lena Lockhart Pribble lived at Freeport. They had three daughters: Bernice, who lives in Parkersburg; Glenna Kinsinger; and Gladys Pribble, who died in 1978.

Andrew Jackson Pribble

Andrew Jackson Pribble and Lillie Duff (1887-1978) lived in the Petroleum area. Lilly was the daughter of Henry and Linda Jenkins Duff. They had one daughter, Elizabeth Virginia (1914-1982), who worked in Parkersburg at Broughton's Dairy for 28 years.

Shirley M. Pribble

Shirley (1887-1961), son of Hugh and Mary Dulin Pribble, married Anna Dulin and lived all his life in the Rusk area and was a farmer. They were the parents of one son, Wayne, who married Marjorie Pribble and lives in Wood County. Fred and Virginia Bush and family live in the old homeplace now.

Hugh Pribble family

This was one of the early pioneer families in the area. Hugh married Mary Ellen Dulin, and they were parents of several children. The only one still living is Sherman, who married Ella Rogers and lives in Pennsylvania. The other children were: Carl (1891-1973); Forest, who died in 1963; Shirley, who died in 1961 at the age of 74; John, who lived in Ohio; Mabel (1893-1984), who lived in Parkersburg and married Clarence Geer; Daisy, born in 1882, married Charles Marshall, died in 1955; Lelia, born in 1884, married Ira Jackson and died in 1960. There were other children, but records are lacking at this time.

Charles F. Putnam family

Charles, born in 1849, and Agnes Rowe Putnam, born in 1849, came to Buffalo Run from Bath County, Virginia, about 1913. They lived here the rest of their lives. Charles died in 1935 and she in 1941. There were several children: Lou S. married Floyd Ballangee and lived at Freeport; Grace married Clifford Davis and lived on Buffalo Run for several years; Alma married William Tanzey and lived on Gillespie; Orlando (Buster) never married--he lived on Buffalo Run. He was born about 1873 and died in 1960. Robert was killed on the railroad in 1943; Winfield married Agnes Conoway and was killed in the mines; Walter and brother Bernard never married and both were killed on the railroad. Stella, a sister, burned to death before the family left Virginia.

Buster will be remembered as a great horse trader. He had horse trading reunions, and men would come leading their horses to attend the day's events. I'm sure many tales were swapped during the day.

Clyde E. Putnam family

Clyde (1880-1963) was the son of A. F. and Jemina Heck Putnam. He married Iva Stanley, who died in October 1972. Clyde was born in Doddridge County but spent most of his life in the Rusk-Racy area and raised a large family here. They were parents of 11 children; Sylvia, who married Clyde Border; Hazel Eddy; Beatrice Null; Lillian Layfield; Opal Grimm; Enid Lewis; Bethel Border; Ernestine Summerland; Verdis Lewis; Mescal Mates. One son, Lester, born in 1908, was killed when struck by a car near his home in Ohio in 1978. They are buried at Mason Cemetery.

A. J. Queen

Mr. Queen was born about 1856 and his wife, Emma, was born about 1854. They lived on Buffalo Run. The 1880 census lists A. J. as an oil field worker living on Buffalo Run. Mrs. Queen was not happy living here and spent much time with her family who lived near Walker. Mr. Queen was killed in a tragic accident, when a porch roof fell on him and killed him in the mid-1920s.

John W. Quick

John Quick (1875-1939) and his wife, Persis Liddle Quick (1892-1982) lived near Rusk for many years. They had four children: Wiley and Joseph of Vienna; Arda Lewis in Florida; and Charles (1915-1975). Charles and his wife, Catherine, had one daughter, Donna Kay.

After the death of Mr. Quick, Persis married Lawrence Layfield, and they lived in Cairo until her death.

Benjamin Franklin Rogers family

This family moved into the Cisco area from Copen Run, Braxton County, in 1914. They purchased the Ben Marshall property near the junction of the Buffalo Run road and the Cairo-Cisco road. The farm had well over 200 acres, and my father made a living for his family on the farm. I remember one experience in our lives that happened in 1922. We started to Florida in a Model T ton and-a-half truck. We were nine days getting there. We spent the first night in Parkersburg and the second night about twenty miles beyond Cincinnati. We had a tent and my father would get permission from the farmers along the way to stop and pitch our tent for the night. My mother would cook supper for us children and get us bedded down for the night and fix breakfast the next morning and then we would head South again. When we arrived in Plant City, Florida, the truck would not go in the sand. We had hard rubber tires and my father had to put soft-pneumatic tires on so the truck would move in the sand there. One year later, we headed North to our home at Cisco, and it took seven days to return.

My grandparents on my father's side were James Rogers and Jane Moss Rogers. My mother's parents were John Wilson Haymond and Sara Elizabeth Yancy Haymond.

My father, Ben Rogers (1872-1929), married Lenora Margaret Haymond (187_-196_) on September 16, 1891. To this union thirteen children were born:

Nellie, born in 1893, lives in Florida. She married Wilbur Bugg in 1912. Wilbur is now deceased.

Jennie (1894-1982) married Clarence Bartlett, who is also deceased.

Lee was born in 1896 and died in 1901.

Ella, born in 1898, married Sherman Pribble in 1921 and lives in Pennsylvania.

W. F. (Frankie) was born in 1900 and died in 1901.

Harry was born in 1901 and is now deceased.

Lucy, born in 1901, married Cecil Dulaney in 1924. Cecil died in 1974 and Lucy lives in Vienna.

Farrie (Fairy Gay) (1905-1981) married Cecil Tennant December 8, 1923. Cecil died in 1978. She later married George Richards and lived in Vienna.

Worthy, born in 1906, married Kathleen Pierce in May, 1925.

Charles, born in 1907, lived one week and died September 13, 1907.

Noble John, born in 1908, married Genevieve George.

Floyd, born in 1910, married June Wilcox, February 14, 1943. Floyd has the Rogers Used Cars in Parkersburg. He has been in the business 52 years.

Grace (1912-1979) married Harley Schoolcraft August 28, 1926. Harley is now deceased. At the time of Grace's death, she was married to John Walton. The Rogers homeplace was sold to Westvaco a few years ago. My parents are both buried at the Marshall Cemetery near where they lived for many years.

John W. Roberts family

John (1892-1974) was the son of John William (1858-1927) and Clara Fultz (1868-1952). He married Gertrude Eddy, born in 1905, and still lives at Petroleum where they lived all their life. John worked in the oil fields and lived at the end of the bridge in Petroleum. They were parents of four children: John W., Ralph, Louise and Lucille.

John W. married Agnes Shuck of Cisco and was overcome by carbon monoxide fumes while working in the oil fields in 1970.

Ralph lives in Florida.

Lucille Sanders lives in North Carolina.

Louise married Max Flanagan and lives in the Cairo area.

John and Clara Fultz Roberts were parents to four other children in addition to John W.: Ralph (1899-1980) married Ora Mae McGinnis; Ruth (born in 1901) married Roy Pepper (1885-1968) and lived at Cairo; Louis Mahaney (1903-1978) lived in the Cairo area; Jean Saunder lives in South Carolina.

Tom Rawson

Tom, son of S. A. and Nancy Rawson, lived in the area. He loved to fox hunt and was at one time a singing teacher. He was born in 1874 and lived in Pennsboro and Bluefield before he came to Dry Ridge. He lived alone on the Fairview Hill, and lived in Parkersburg at the time of his death.

William Lester Rawson

W. L. was the son of Charles E. and Bertha Riggs Rawson. He married Adlessia Koehnlein and lived at Petroleum. He was born in 1912 and died in 1972. Adlessia was born in 1909, and they were parents of one daughter, Anita Jean Jogue. Lester was employed for many years at Union Carbide Corporation.

David M. Roberts family

David married Nancy Jane Mackey. Nancy (1889-1960) lived in the Petroleum area. They were parents of these children: James, Jennings, Jackson, Gene, John and Jessie Jenkins.

Arthur Henry Richards

Arthur married Minnie Carpenter Richards and lived in the Petroleum area. Minnie was born in 1897 and died in 1983. They had several children: Hubert, Clyde, Lesley, Louise and Dale, born in 1927 and died in 1983.

Robert H. Rutherford family

Robert was first married to Nora Lee; they had two children: William E. and Robert H. William E. (1887-1960) married Elizabeth Morrison (1895-1919). He and Elizabeth were parents to four children: Howard and Arnold, Lillian Watering and Mrs. Howard Daily. Arnold married Ruth Boston from Dry Ridge and lived in Vienna. He and Ruth are both deceased.

Robert Rutherford (1882-1966) was twice married: first to Ella Curry, and to this union there were two children born: Russell (1905-1982); and Adalaide (1906-1975), who married Wade Cross.

The second marriage was to Anna Bradford (1898-1981) and there were four children: Dorothy, who married Francis Jonas; Ronald; William (1914-1982); and Clyde.

Arthur Reynolds

Arthur operated the store on Walker Ridge. He was married to Grace Conley, daughter of Jack Conley. He was well known in the Freeport area and also the Dry Ridge area. Grace was born in 1881 and died in 1954.

(I'm sure there are others that have been missed in the listing.)

Settle family

This family moved to the area and worked as timber cutters. Mrs. Settle was Tick Hayes from Stumptown; worked and lived in the Freeport area.

Guy Stutler

Guy lived in the Freeport area. Mrs. Stutler taught school, and Guy is rememberd for his singing. He and a magician by the name of Pickett had a major part in the program at the J. P. Beckner farm when the Staunton Pike was dedicated, and an all-day celebration took place.

Andy Smith

Andy visited his cousin, Mrs. Daubenspeck on Dry Ridge, often. He lived in the Walker area near the Mt. Carmel Church. Andy was noted for being extremely honest in all his dealings.

Freddy Simons

Freddy lived on the old William Sharpnack place in the Dry Ridge area.

The Sharpnack family

Sharpnack is of German origin and was originally spelled "Scharpenack." The first one of this family, Peter, set sail in 1759 but died before he reached America. His son, Henry, was born after his mother arrived in Philadelphia in 1760. Henry married Mary Rice in 1783--the beginning of this long line of descendants. William B. Jr. (1810-1890) came to the Dry Ridge area from Pennsylvania. His first marriage was to Sarah Harris. They moved to a tract of land of about 400 acres on the site of the "California House." Sarah died here, leaving three small children: Elias, Anthony and Elizabeth. Elias was born about 1838; Anthony born in 1840, was married to Elma Garrison in 1866. They had four children: Emri J., Clara E., Francis M. and David A. Elizabeth died as a young girl.

William's second marriage was to Margaret Cokeley of Harrisville, who lived only a short time. After her death, William married her sister, Mary, and they had three children: John, Frank and Martha. John I., born about 1856; Frank D., born about 1866, married Laura. Their children were Cora, Mary and William. In 1913, they sold their farm to Frank Kerns and moved to Dover, Delaware to raise strawberries. Mary and her husband were back on a visit in 1951. Martha (1863-1894) married William Cox and lived in the area until her early death.

William married again for the fourth time, Eleanor Pipes of Tyler County. Ella died in 1911. William divided his land among his children. Hiram and Anthony received land on opposite sides of the road. John received acreage near Anthony's; John and Frank received money to care for their step-mother, Ellie, as long as she lived.

William was a Methodist and captain of militia before the Civil War. He is buried at Freeport along with several of his family. Two sweet apple trees and one crab apple tree were still living in 1951 that Ella brought with her from Tyler County in her suitcase.

John Sharpnack

John was a cousin of William and Hiram. He moved to the Buffalo Run area with his wife, Hannah. He lived here during the 1840s and reared a large family. His children included: Hiram, Abraham (1832-1854); Elma (1838-1868), Lydia; Sarah; Mahala and Henry. Records are lacking on this family, but two of his children, Abraham and Elma, are buried at Freeport.

Hiram Sharpnack

Hiram came to the Dry Ridge area in 1848. He settled near his brother, William, who lived near the California House. He was skilled in wood-working and cabinet-making and was also an iron worker and became a very properous man. Hiram (1818-1880) married Lydia Harris who died in 1886. Lydia was a sister to Sarah Harris. This couple was to have nine children born to them:

One son, William H. (1844-1912) was a Union soldier. He married Catherine Smith (1845-1906) of Freeport. They had three children: Sinclair died as an infant in 1867; Joseph (1868-1929) lived in Cairo, was county clerk from 1915 until his death. Minnie, born in 1873, married Rolandus Marshall and lived many years in Cairo after leaving Freeport. William was a school teacher in the area; he was also a skilled carpenter, built his father's house, Uncle William's house, Sharpnack Church and Dry Ridge School in 1880.

Another son, Daniel (1845-1914) married Eleanor Reitz (1844-1919). They moved to Petroleum in 1869. Three of their children were: Alice, born about 1875; Thomas, born in 1880; and Rachel (1870-1955). Rachel married Sidney Curry and lived all her life in the Petroleum area. Dan Sharpnack's house burned in March 6, 1914, and he lived only three weeks after this tragedy.

Other children were:

Lucy, born about 1855 and never married.

Mary V. (1858-1886), married Alfred B. Enoch.

Ella P., born in 1864, married Winfield Clark.

Rachael A. married Thomas Bathgate.

Isaac N. married Ida J. Huntington.

Sarah F. married James Lillie who died in 1905.

Martha E. never married.

William, Lydia and some of their children are buried on a knoll on the farm and the beautiful grave stones are still there.

(Some of the details on this family furnished by Ann Daubenspeck.)

Spears family

Sylvester Spears married Addie Jane Sprout and lived in the Eatons area and raised his family. The children were: John, William, Fulton and Emma.

John married Ada Jenkins (both deceased) and raised five children: John Jr., William, Robert, David and Nora Jane McLaughlin.

William M. married Weltha Hawkins, lived in the Eatons area. They were the parents of ten children: Franklin Dale; Hollia A.; Gertrude Trembly; Thelma Littleton; Cora Lou Metz; Betty Ann Swearingon; Addie, who married Ralph Heater, died in 1969; William (Bud) married Doris McCrady and died in 1977; Paul, born in 1925, was killed when hit with a baseball in 1931; John D., born in 1931, died in 1934. Cora Lou and Franklin Dale (Jim) both died in 1984.

Fulton married Bernice Jenkins and lived in the Eatons area. They had five children: Fulton Dale Jr., James H., Laura June Miller, Addie Alice Miller, and one son, Paul Lee, who died at a young age.

Emma Foley lived in Oklahoma at the time of her death in 1983. She had three children: Mildred, Geraldine and Gerald Cox.

Robert Shutts

Robert is remembered in the Eatons area as going about the community and helping out in the time of death. He was willing to help "lay out" the bodies and often helped undertakers. He and his family lived on the hill above Goose Creek. I remember two children: Cecil, who was a school teacher; and his sister, Winnie. He always came to our house when some of the family died.

George Stage

George married Lonia P. Deems, daughter of C. D. and Emma Deem Tennant. He lived on Buffalo Run and moved to Oklahoma in 1922. All of us remember the Stage place on Buffalo Run, lived in by several families. Lonia died in 1967 at the age of 83 in Oklahoma. They had one daughter, Mrs. Ralph Hunsecker.

Preston Simmons family

Press, as he was known, was born in 1879 and died in 1961. He was the son of Alfred and Mary Sinnett Simmons. He married Winnie Kerns (1880-1967), and they were parents of nine children and lived in the Cabin Run area.

Ruby married John Turner; Florence Mollohan; Eva Conaway; Nina Whipkey; Edith Rouner; Preston Jr., living in California; Marion; and Raymond (deceased); Blanche (1903-1984) married Joe Grillon, who died in 1981. Press was a farmer and hard-working man.

Ralph Swisher family

Ralph (1891-1974) was the son of Arch and Mary Ann Booth Swisher. He married Ella Deem and lived in the Rusk community. He was an oil field worker. Ella died in 1952; they were the parents of six children: Dennis, Kenneth, Olen, Willie, Marjorie Moyers and Deloris Daugherty.

J. Frank Showalter family

Frank and his wife, Jessie, lived in the Volcano area. He was an oil field worker. There were five children: Virginia Showalter, Alice Duncan, J. Frank Jr., Harry and Francis L.

Homer Sprouse

Homer and his wife, Cornelia Mahoney Sprouse, lived in the Volcano area. They had several children: Alice married Elza Trembly; Harvey (1902-1980) married Ruth Webb and lived in the area all his life; Bill married Helen Stutler; Lattel married Russell West and second marriage to Earl Stutler.

The Shriver family

John Hagen Shriver, born in 1854, married Agnes Twyman in 1876. They moved to Ritchie County to be near her brother, Benjamin, who was already here teaching school. They were parents of six children: John H., Bertha Webb, Rebecca Cantwell, Benjamin, James Blane and Hardman H. They are all deceased. John's second wife was Grace Dotson and they were to be parents of six children:

Edna, born in 1897, died at the age of five years.

Olive G. (1899-1984) married Ensel Metz.

Myrtle, born in 1901, married Clyde Affolter.

George F. (1904-1973)

Frona Marie (1909-1977) never married.

Mark Dotson, born in 1917, still lives at the Shriver home place. The log house burned to the ground in 1911; a new house was built and stands today.

James Henry Simms family

James Henry was born about 1842 in Virginia; he married Mary Melissa Cronin, who was born in 1848. He died in 1919 and she in 1934. James Henry was the son of Robert and Margaret Holmes. Margaret later married David Hill, after her first husband's death. James and Mary were to become parents of three children:

John V. (1878-1978) married Lucy Lemon (1872-1972). Note that both of them died just before their 100th birthday. They were parents of three boys: Mansel S., born in 1901, died while living in California; Preston (Bunt) married Ada Boston. Bunt was born in 1904 and died in 1945. C. Dale, born in 1909, married Coral Lemon. Coral was killed in a tragic car accident in 1983. Dick's wife, Garnet Jackson, also died in 1983.

Margaret was first married to Thomas Lemon. They had several children: Harley, Wesley, Lee, Ica Showalter, Laura Alexander, Margie Smith, Evelyn King and children who died in infancy. Margaret died in 1971.

Mary Jane, born in 1874, was first married to Ulysses Cox. They had six children: William, Fred, Russell and Ernest--all deceased. Gerald, born in 1900, lives in Pennsylvania, and Hazel, born in 1903, lives in Virginia. In later years, Mary married Emri Sharpnack, moved to the midwest and returned to this area a few years before her death in 1970. Emri died while living in Iowa.

Martin Luther Schoolcraft family

Lew, as he was known to his many friends and neighbors, was first married to Ella Swisher. They had two children: Garnet, who married Noel Higgins. Garnet died in 1969. She later was married to Virgil Alspach. Harley (1906-1969) was married to Grace Rogers. They had one son, Robert, who lives in Parkersburg. Ella died, leaving two small children, in 1914. Lew's mother helped take care of them. He married Lucy Mae Tennant in 1920. They were to become parents of three children. Naomi, born in 1921, was first married to Heber Deem. After Heber's death, Naomi married Bill Casto. Naomi died in September 1983. Lucille is married to Wilbert Bowman, and they have one son, Arden. Bernard married Betty Edman and has two boys, Tom and John. He lives in Parkersburg.

When Lew came to the Dry Ridge area, he came from Marion, Ohio, and bought the Sharpnack house which was a log house. He built the two-story house that was to be home for the family all their childhood days. Lew worked in the oil fields. Mae, before she started her family, taught school for ten years in the area.

Harley Shuck family

I was born and raised in Burning Springs. I was the daughter of Ben and Ellen Reynolds. I was born September 13, 1898, on Chestnut Run in Wirt County. My father bought a farm just below Burning Springs when the big oil excitement was there. He worked in the oil fields and was a blacksmith and a farmer. He had to hire men to drive the two teams of horses to do the work in the oil field. I attended Burning Springs Independent District School. It was a five-room school, and they taught up to the twelfth grade. At that time, Burning Springs was a small town; there were over 300 scholars in school at that time. The only transportation was buggy or by gasoline or steam boats.

I married Harley Shuck in December 1919, and he went to work on the California lease on Hughes River. We moved to Fairmont, where Harley worked in the mines for two years. We moved back to Cisco and bought the farm from Jim Beckner. Here we had eight children:

Audra, born in 1920, married Richard Jonas and lives in Parkersburg.

Agnes, born in 1922, was first married to John Roberts who died in 1970. Agnes is now married to Russell Chevrent.

Harley John, born in 1924, married Jean Shue.

Sadie Pearl, born in 1927, married Paul Valentine. Sadie Pearl and her baby died May 1949.

Eva Ellen, born in 1929, married Stanley Null.

Kelsie was born in 1935 and married Mildred Baker.

Veda Jean, born in 1938, married Joseph Maynard.

Peggy Sue, born in 1942, married Charles Pickrell.

Harley was born in 1894, died in 1974. He worked for Melon Oil Company for 38 years. He served in World War I in France and Germany. Harley was injured in 1956. We sold the farm and bought a home in Elizabeth. After he passed away, I sold the home and moved to Marietta on Kelsie's place, one and one-half miles out of Marietta on Pine Hurst Road.

Leo South

Leo and his family lived in the Dry Ridge area. He married Dessie Pierson, daughter of Ulysses and Mary of Dry Ridge. The family moved to the Florida area, where Dessie still lives.

Rev. Robert R. Smith family

This family moved to the Rusk charge of the Methodist church in 1935. He died in 1936, leaving his wife and seven children. Mrs. Smith lived on in the area after Rev. Smith's death. Her children married and settled in the area.

French married Mary Virginia Pribble, a neighbor girl, and has lived in the house at the junction of the Petroleum and Cairo-Cisco road for several years.

Lawrence served in World War II and lived in Virginia for several years. He died in April 1980.

Raymond lives in New York.

Olive Kerns lives at Murphytown. Iris Parks lives in Florida and Edith Mason lives at Petroleum.

Mrs. Smith died in 1968.

Rev. Frank Spiker family

Rev. Spiker lived in the parsonage at Petroleum. He was married to Edna Cantwell Spiker and they had five children: four daughters and one son. The girls were: Wilma, who lives in Wheeling; Jo Ann; Linalee; and Phyllis who lives in Charleston. Frank, Jr., the son, married Opal Cox and lives at Williamson.

Rev. Spiker died in November 1980 while residing in Charleston; his widow still lives there.

Guy Sinnett family

This family lived on Dry Ridge around the 1940s. There were several children in the family. Three of the children (Harley, Flo and Carl) were students at Dry Ridge the last year the school was open.

Fred Stutler

Fred (1887-1949) and Esther G. Stutler (1890-1961) lived in the area around Petroleum. They are both buried in the Petroleum Cemetery.

Martin Tennant family

Martin (1852-1918) lived on Dry Ridge. He was the son of Daniel and Martha Tennant. He married Lovie Cain (1859-1940). He was a farmer, and he and Lovie had ten children:

Hulda (1877-1963), the only girl and the oldest child, married Thomas Backus.

Adam Martin, the oldest son, was born in 1878.

Martin Ashby (Bee, 1880-1937) lived all his life on Dry Ridge and never married.

Thomas Clinton (Tom, 1883-1946) lived at home and never married.

Roy, born in 1886, married Virginia Lemon. He died in 1971.

Elias Dan, born in 1888, married Edna Harbert and is now deceased.

Joshua Hiram, born in 1892, married Clara Harbert, and is deceased.

Charles Lewis, born in 1894, married Edna Isabelle Wilson (1907-1931). They had two sons, Charles and Martom, who grew up in the Wilson's home. Lew died in 1978.

Cecil, born in 1898, married Fairy Rogers. He and Ora lived at Petroleum for several years. He died in 1978.

Ora, the youngest, born in 1900, married Violet Cantwell. They had two children: Mary Lou and James Edward (1925-1940). Ora later married Mary Cantwell and they had one son, Robert O. Ora died in 1984, the last member of his family. Five of the boys served in World War I, and several members of the family are buried at Dry Ridge Cemetery.

Simon E. Tennant family

Sime, as he was known to his neighbors, lived all his life on Buffalo Run in sight of the site where he was born in a log house. He was the son of Daniel (1817-1861) and Martha Buchannon Tennant (1822-1914). Simon (1856-1921) married Lucy Ellen Cain (1855-1941). She was the daughter of Jesse (1812-1898) and Margaret Nutter Cain (1814-1900). With the help of C. T. H. Cain, he built the house downstream from his home. This house was to become the home for he and Lucy and their nine children:

Cora Ellen (1879-1961) married Walter Phillips (1879-1942).

John, born in 1880, lived for only a few weeks.

Zora Edna (1882-1966) lived all her life on Buffalo Run.

William Creed (1886-1972) married Maude Slack, lived in the Charleston area and had five children. Maude died in 1983.

Ralph (1888-1918) lived at the family home and never married.

Lucy Mae (1891-1971) married Luther Schoolcraft (1881-1963) and lived in the Dry Ridge area all her life.

Raymond (1893-1930) married Meda Lacy. He died at his home on Buffalo after a lengthy illness.

Inez Jane (1896-1978) lived all her life at the family home.

Bernice Mable (1899-1950) married Russell Cox and lived on Dry Ridge.

The home was sold in 1966, after Edna's health failed. After the death of her first husband, Martha married Lewis Logue in 1865 and lived in the house on Buffalo Run, until her death in 1914. Several members of the family are buried at Dry Ridge and the children attended the Fairview School.

William Calvin Trembly family

Cal, as he was known to his friends, was born in 1866, the son of Abraham and Catherine Yoho Trembly. The family moved from Woodsfield, Ohio, in 1866 to Burnt House, Ritchie Mines, and later to Dry Ridge. The family crossed the Ohio River in a covered wagon when Calvin was one year old. Two daughters--Annie and Adda--are buried at Dry Ridge. George married Zilda Foutty and lived in the area; George died in 1930. Hattie married Van Deems and moved to Maryland. Ella, born in 1874, was married twice: first to John McIntire and second to Scott Reed. She lived in Ohio. Abraham and Catherine are buried at Dry Ridge. Catherine married the second time to Isaiah Deems (Van's father) and lived with him until her death in 1911. He died in 1926. The Tremblys came from New Jersey. David, who married Emma Cline, came to the Northwest Territory, and his known sons were Nathaniel, Isaac, Abraham and Henry. Abraham was born in 1840 and died in 1882.

Calvin and Icey Hewitt Trembly were parents of eleven children. Icey was the daughter of Carey Breckrenridge and Mary Elizabeth Briggs Hewitt. She and Calvin were married in 1895. Calvin attended school at Dry Ridge; he farmed and cut timber.

John, the oldest son, born in 1896, married Elsie Lemley and lived at Petroleum and worked for the B & O for many years. They had one daughter, Marie Reynolds. John married the second time to Sally Underwood and lives at Clarksburg.

Earl, born in 1898, married Edna Morris; he farmed and cut timber. He lived in Ohio for much of his life and has three children: Russell, Glenn and Betty Henderson.

Elza, born in 1900, married Alice Sprouse and died in 1974. They had three children: Ray, Eugene and Janell Tumllin.

Ralph, born in 1903, married Eunice Lemley and operated a sawmill.

Joseph, known as Joe, born in 1905, married Edna Boston and lives near Parkersburg. They have four children: Ivan, David, Virginia and Wandalee.

Cecil, born in 1907, married Gertrude Spears and lives near Walker. They have seven children: Troxal, Dale, Dan, Frank (deceased), Roy, Ellen and Sue.

Viola, born in 1909, married Cecil Lemley and has two children: Ruth Leonard and Robert.

Clyde, born in 1912, married Helen Farnsworth and has one son, Charles. Ruby, born in 1916, married Wilbert Boston, and they have three children: Leonard, Orville and Evelyn.

Howard, born in 1918, married Eleanor Purdum who died in 1982. He married the second time to Loraine Cox Metz and lives in Parkersburg. He had five children from his first marriage: Robert, Roy, Dorotha, Emma and Iva.

Mable, born in 1920, married Robert Starn and lived in Fairmont. They had five children: Robert, Michael, Stephen, Rick, Sandra.

The family moved to Goose Creek in 1912. Their property was near where three counties--Wood, Ritchie and Wirt--join. The first school near them was started in 1924. The new school, known as Cox School, was opened three years later. Calvin, born in 1866, died in 1949; Icey, born in 1878, died in 1963.

James E. and Martha Mason Thomas

The family lived near Cisco and operated a store there in the early twenties. They lived on the farm later owned and occupied by the Harley Shuck family. There were three children: Harley, who married Grace Beckner; Cora, who married Harvey Mason; and Bertha, who married Charlie Mason.

Aaron P. Twyman

Aaron married Virginia Wilson and lived on Flint Run, Cisco, and Goose Creek. They were parents of several children: Okey, Woodrow J., Pearl Gaines, Hazel Hobbs. Names of the other children are missing now.

Hilton Twyman

Hilton (1890-1973) was the son of Ben and Nina Twyman. He lived on Goose Creek with his wife, Ivy. She was born in 1903 and died in 1937.

Grover Twyman

Grover was the son of Ben and Ann Arnold Twyman. He married Flossie Wildman, and they lived on Flint Run and Goose Creek. Grover died in 1960 while living at Mineral Wells. Their children were: Lawrence E., Denzil P., Glenn D., Lindly L., Marie Harris, Evelyn Sissen, and Grover C. (Dick).

John E. Thrash

John and his wife, Amelia Pew Thrash, lived in the Dry Ridge area and Goose Creek. They were parents of several children, including:

John (1888-1967); Frank; and Minter, born in 1885, died in 1977 while living in Arizona. Minter married Margaret Curran. Alice married James H. Dinnin and lived on Dry Ridge for many years.

William A. Thrash

Tim, as he was known, was born in 1904, the son of Charles W. and Sallie Skidmore Thrash. He lived all his life at Petroleum. He was the postmaster for several years. His wife, Margaret McFarland Thrash, took over the post office after Tim's death in 1972. They had three children: Wesley, Duane, Charles Robert and William A.

Walter C. Taitt

Walter married Francis Mahoney and lived in the Petroleum area for many years.

Ben Twyman

Ben operated a store at Rusk. He was also a school teacher and taught in the area for several years. He had a large family: John, Hilton, George, Grover, Etta and Joseph, who was killed in military service.

Gerome Thoma

This family came from Cincinnati during the Depression in the early 1930s. They lived at the vineyard farm near Freeport. Gerome was very inexperienced in farming but managed to make a living for his family. The family were well thought of and took an active part in the community affairs. They added much to the community of Freeport. It is not known where members of the family are living.

Charles Taylor

Charles was the son of Pappy Taylor, who operated a store at Freeport. Pappy died while living at Freeport. Information on other members of this family is missing.

Charles W. Thrash family

Charlie was born in 1874, and married Sallie Skidmore, born in 1878. They lived all their life at Petroleum. Charlie is rememberd as missing one leg, and he loved to pitch horse shoes. He was postmaster for several years. He and Sallie were parents of two children: Tim--or William--and Marvel, who was married to Herbert Netser and lived in Petroleum. Charlie died in 1945 and Sallie in 1956.

Adam Tennant family

Adam Tennant (1847-1921) married Emma Leep Deem. He lived all his life on Buffalo Run. When Emma came to Buffalo Run, she brought with her five children from her marriage to C. D. Deem, who had died in 1884 at the age of 32 years. These children were: Maude (born in 1874), married Charles Pribble; Lizzie A., married James Lewis; Lonia P. married George Stage; Dora (born in 1879) married F. L. Liebottom; Frank married Lillian Satow. All these children are now deceased. She and Ad were to have five more chilren: Eva, born in 1887; Ara Carle, born in 1891; Mamie, born in 1893; Ira, born in 1890; and Samuel, born in 1896. This family are all deceased.

They lived on what was to be known as the Stage place on Buffalo Run. It was one of the last houses to remain standing, but the house is now gone, like all the others that once dotted this once prosperous community.

Ad's first wife was Harriett Littleton (1854-1882). She died, leaving five small children: Alice, who married Harry Higgins; Clara, who married William Boston; Charles T., who lived with his wife Laura in Marion, Ohio. Simon McClure, who was first married to Effie Boston and second marriage to Sallie Ree; and Harriett Lacretia, who was born at the time her mother died but lived only three months. Emma must certainly have had much love for Ad to take on a job this size, raising eight children as small as these were.

Simon McClure Tennat family

Family and friends referred to him as "Little Sime." He had an uncle by the name of Simon and this was used to distinguish the two men. Sime's first wife was Effie Boston, and they were parents of three children: Ernestine (1903-1978) married Pearly Geer in 1923. They had four children: Kenneth, Nina, Thelma and Isabelle. Pearly died in 1962.

Dora, born in 1905, married Burt Stotlar and lives in Ohio.

Ruby died at the young age of twenty years in 1921. She had one son, John, who was born in 1919. Sime was born in 1873 and died in 1952.

He later married Sallie Reed. She was born in 1884 and died in 1961, while they were living in Parkersburg.

Oliver Varner family

This was a large family who lived at Petroleum, and Al--as he was known--worked for the B & O. He married Elizabeth Ellen Harris (1880-1977). Al was born in 1876 and died in 1940. There was a family of 17 children growing up:

Charles, born in 1902, married Stella Kerns. They had two children: Charles Jr. and Della. Charles died in 1959.

George married Julia Bell and lives in the Cairo area. They have four children: George Jr., Peggy, Roy and Janet.

Utah married Waneta Morton and they have five children: Rick, Boyd, Alma, Kitty and Robin.

Virgil (Jack) and Lucille had two children: Jeff and Scott.

Calvin married Leola Bunner and had four children: Michael Oliver, Pam, Lois and Calvin, who was killed in an automobile accident in 1975.

Shirley married Pauline Bunner and has two children: Jack and Dale.

Stella married Burl Dotson, and they have four children: Barbara, Clinton, Michael and Patrick.

Nellie married Charles Metz, lives in Parkersburg, and they have six children: Denton, Dennis, Kenneth, Mickey, Carol and Cheryl.

Inez was first married to Robert Ruble and had four children: Bobby Lee, Sandra, Pat and Gregg. She married the second time to Larry Smith.

Grace married Edward Null (1893-1963) and they had two children: Edward and Gwenview Romine. Grace died in 1980.

Clara married Sherman Sims and lived in Parkersburg. They had four children: Herbert Lee, Sherman Jr., Charles and Rosemary. Clara died in 1967.

Mary Jane (1898-1978) married Frank Midcap and lived in Petroleum where Frank worked for the B & O. They had six children: Bob, who lives in Ohio; Okey; Roy, living in Ohio; Edith married Howard Cronin and lives in Ohio; Betty married Willis Alkire; and Deloris married Ben Bell. In later years, Frank and Jane moved to Parkersburg.

Verna married Tom Wilson, who is deceased. They had four children: Robert, Elizabeth, Carolyn and Virgil.

Nina married Harold Miller. Harold died in 1984. They had two children: Eugene and Larry Allen.

Julia married Daniel Donnolly and lived in Akron. They had five children: Rosemary, Marlene, Phyllis, Danny and Jerry.

Ella, who died in 1958, married Fielding Metz and they had thirteen children: Frank, Gene, Roger, Mary Lou Deem, Dorothy Kirl, Judith Lowther, Sharon Williams, Shirley White, Barbara Young and Thomas Hall. Three children are deceased: Jessie Starke, Marie and Jack. Ada married Wilford Enoch and had one son, Gary.

Alonza Valentine family

"Lawn," as he was known to his friends, lived at Petroleum all of his married life. Born in Wirt County, he married Maude Webb, daughter of Jonas and Martha Terrell Webb. They moved to Petroleum in 1910, where they bought a farm and raised their family. Lawn died in 1957, and Maude was over 100 years old when she died (born January 1879; died June 1980). There were five children: George (1908-1975) married Florence Hughes; Mary K. Sarkris (1918-1978); Miles Wayne died in 1920 at the age of five years and Byrl died in 1913, having lived only about a year. Audrey married Russell Rutherford.

William F. Valentine family

Bill, as he was known to his family, lived in Petroleum and worked for the State Road. They owned a large farm near Petroleum, and this remained in the family until recently, when Ralph sold out and moved to Parkersburg. Bill married Ara Jane Howell (1870-1961). She was the daughter of Monroe and Mary Jane Tennant Howell from Goose Creek. To this union six children were born: Bill was born in 1870 and died in 1937.

Straud (1895-1960) married Bertha Swearingon.

Joe Carl married Daysie Jones and lived at Pennsboro. They had two children: Bill and Robert. Carl died in April 1975.

Herman (Tom) lived on the farm and never married. He was born on July 4, 1899 and died in 1984.

Another son, Thomas, lived about one month, dying in January 1910.

Mary married Carl Burgy and lives in Parkersburg. She was a school teacher. Ralph married Ruth Ross. They lived at the family home for many years. They now live in Parkersburg.

Oscar Valentine

Oscar lived at Petroleum and is remembered as a fur buyer. Oscar died November 24, 1943.

William Wyatt

William and his wife, Mary, lived in the Petroleum area. They raised their family, which included Walter Aaron (1901-1980); Lucille; Myrtle; Robert and Tink.

Robert James Wyatt

Rob, as he was known, married Mary Koehnlein and lived in Petroleum, where he raised his family. He worked in the oil fields. They were parents of four children:

John, born in 1922, married Evelyn Akers and was a Church of Christ preacher. He and Evelyn had four children: Bill, Dan, Pam and Dottie. John died in 1979.

Robert lives in Glenville.

Thomas is in Illinois and Mary Alice DeVaughan lives in Parkersbug. The children attended Petroleum school and Cairo High School.

Wilson family of Ellis Run

Three Deems boys married three Leep girls and all settled in Ellis Run. One of the three couples, John M. and Molly Leep Deem, was the parents of Icey Belle Wilson. William Kyle (Bill) Wilson and Icey Bell Deem married in 1905 and moved to Ellis Run in 1920. At the time they moved, they had six children: Edna Isabelle (1907-1931); Joseph Elliott (1909-1973); Edgar Kyle (1910-1974); Addie Belle (born in 1913); Daisy Garnet (born in 1919) and Luda (born in 1916). After they moved in 1925, Charles Clarence was born.

Isabelle married Charles Tennant in 1925 and had two boys, Martin and Charles. Martin (born in 1926) married Nettie Moss and has three children: Richard, Jeffery and Mark. Charles (born in 1930) married Doris Moss and has two children, David Martin and Jim Lewis--all live in North Carolina.

Joseph Elliott Wilson married Garnet Deems. They had three boys: Robert Franklin, Larry William and Victor Eugene (deceased). Robert married Alberta White and has five children: Teresa, Gregg, Lori, Aimy and Joshua. Larry married Jean Thomas and has two children: Larry William and Tonya.

Edgar Kyle married Beulah Hardesty and had five children: Edgar Holmes married Virginia Stout; William married June Morrison; Kenneth O'Neil married Sharon Grogg; Nolan married Sharon Green and Sandra Jean Zirkle. Edgar married again to Helen Marteny.

Addie Belle married Charles Boston and had three children: John married Carolyn Layfield; Lavonne married Robert Jenkins and is now married to Haymond Kendall; Donald married Patty Bell.

Luda married Floyd Fluharty in 1936. They have five children: Icy Virginia married and has five children and lives in the Northwest; George and Connie have three children and live in Virginia. Edna Louise is married and has three children; Donna married Jay Arrington and has two children: Danny and Judy; Patricia married Jerry Waters and has two children, Mike and Tammy.

Daisy Garnet married Homer Umpleby and has five children: Isabell married Robert Paul Radzyminski and has one child, Michael D., who lives at Davisville; Beth married Kent Matlack and has three children: Aimie, Erin and Andrew. Rhonda married Kenny Hammond and has one child, Molly; Ellen Ann married Edward Carter and lives in Georgia.

Charles C. married June Howell and has five children: Patrick Charles married Vickie Pitman and has two children: Sherri and Shanell; Joseph married Terry Pitman and has one child, Julia Ann; William Howell married Linda Trippett and has two children, Anglia and Trevor; Loretta Sue married Jerry Hapney and has four children: Jennifer, Gerrald, Eric and Joshua; Randolph Shannon lives in Parkersburg.

All the Wilson children went to Fairview School. Bill worked for the B & O and farmed. He purchased two pieces of property on Ellis Run, the Kelly place and the Frank Joy place. In the early 1940s, he purchased the Charlie Thrash place in Petroleum and moved there.

Mr. Wanger

This gentleman lived on Buffalo Run. I have been unable to find anything about his family. It is believed he lived on the property later occupied by the Cox family. Leslie Hardesty remembers working for him when just a young boy.

Cora Weaver

Cora came to work for the Beckners when she was 16 years old. She made her home at the Jim Beckner home. Very few children who were in the age group to go to Buffalo Church during her life, do not remember her or had her as a teacher in the Primary Sunday School Class. Cora is buried at the Beckner Cemetery in sight of where she went to church and lived for many years. She was born in 1876 and died in 1944.

Claude Waggoner family

Claude and his wife, Minnie, lived on Dry Ridge, and some of his children attended the Dry Ridge School. There were twelve children, but they did not all move with the family. Fairley married Hazel Nutter and died in 1964; Perry married Nora Davis; Tom died in 1980; Cecil married Lessie Foutty; Harley; Harvey ("Bee") died in 1980; Sarah Frymier; Gae Elliott; Alma married Norf Nelson; Delcie Elliott; Elsie married Ralph Metz and Opal married H. T. Davis. Some of the children married and lived on in the area for several years. Both Mr. and Mrs. Waggoner are deceased; he died in 1958 and she in 1973

Howard Oswald Weekley

The Weekley family dates back many years in the area. Howard's father was a teamster and drove in the oil fields of Petroleum, Volcano and Standing Stone. Lucus Ashwell Weekley (1858-1935) married Roberd C. Adams and had four children. The children attended the Petroleum School.

Cameron Randolph, born November 1885.

Orpha Pearl, born January 1888.

Clarence William, born September 1890.

Lawrence Porter, born July 1894.

Lucus married the second time to Sarah Davis and had three boys.

Walter Clifton, born December 1903, married Jessie McQuaid Smith.

Howard Oswald, born July 1906, died February 1983, married Cora Higgins of Rusk.

Cecil Milton, born January 1909, married Gladys Berdette.

Howard and Cora lived several years near Rusk and moved to Parkersburg, where Cora still makes her home.

Edmund H. Wyatt family

Ed, born in 1915, was the son of E. H. and Ruth Koehnlein Wyatt. He was born and spent his life in the Petorleum area. He married Lucille Zicklefoose, who is now deceased. They were parents of two sons, Charles David and Daniel. Ed died in 1981.

Russell Wyer

Russell married Isabelle Null in 1934. They purchased the Elza Moats property at Rusk, and Isabelle still lives there. Russell died in 1959. They purchased this beautiful old landmark in 1950. Belle was born in 1897.

Badger Weekley

Badger and his wife, Bernice Davis Weekley, lived in the Petroleum area. Their children were: John, Harold, G. R., Alice Hanlon and Ernest, born in 1901 and died in 1962.

Jehu S. Webb

Jehu with his wife, Mary, lived in the Petroleum area. They were the parents of Ruth Sprouse, Paraby McCue, Harley, Luka Webb, Clyde E., and Naomi Ferrell.

Ferrell, Mrs. E. H. Marrs and Mrs. Pete Kelly.

George E. Waller family

George (1852-1924) was a blacksmith. He worked in the Volcano oil fields and lived in Petroleum. He married Mary E. Pew (1849-1924), and they had five children. They lived down the railroad tracks from Mary's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Pew.

Their oldest son, Frank, married Docia Deem, who died in 1952. They had one daughter, Daisy, who was an English teacher at Parkersburg High School.

Homer, the second son, married Lelia Robinson. He was a rig builder and had three children. Lelia died in 1910, leaving these children: Rhule, who died at the age of fifteen in 1917; and two daughters, Mary and Eleanor. After the death of their mother, Mary and Rhule lived with their grandmother and Eleanor (Frankie) went to live with her Uncle Press. Eleanor married Meryln Dreisbach and lives in Akron. Mary married Gene Peregory and lives in Parkersburg. During the Depression, Gene and Mary lived at Uncle Press's farm on Dry Ridge. Their son, Kenneth, was born here.

Samuel Preston (1877-1959), the third son, married Alice Reese (1878-1958), and they had two sons. Both are deceased. One son was Charles and their son, Joe, born in 1902, was killed in a plane crash in Parkersburg on July 2, 1938. Press was road supervisor for 28 years. Politics changed and he didn't have a job. He later worked as janitor at Cairo High School.

G. William (1880-1971) married Kate Devaughan (1888-1970). He was a farmer. They had a daughter, Ruby, who died at the age of 17 years, and four sons: Shirley lives in Ohio; Chester lives in Florida; Willard (deceased); and Holly lives in Ohio.

Andrew (Dugan) (1882-1970) married Bertie Boston (1882-1934) and lived on Dry Ridge. They had two children, George and Nellie, both deceased. George, born in 1906, was first married to Sarah Gatrell (deceased). They had two children, Paul and Ramona. George then married Opal Ellis (1910-1983). George died in 1983. Nellie Waller Cunningham died in 1949. Andy was a farmer and worked on the roads some. When George and Mary built their house and moved to the Petroleum-Cisco road there were only about three houses. Later Press and Andy built homes not far from their dad. Bill Boston and James Simms built homes nearby. George and Mary are buried at the Petroleum Cemetery.

C. Dale Welch

Dale married Louise Cunningham. She was the daughter of Isaac and Isabelle Cunningham of the Petroleum area. Louise lived most of her life in Belpre, born in 1900 and died in 1984. Dale died in 1977; they had one son, Dr. Gene A. Welch.

Wagner family

In 1916, a Wagner family moved from Kentucky into the Hiram Sharpnack farm and lived there a few years. Their children attended the Dry Ridge School. They were Harlan, Luther, Emma, Tots and Annie Margaret. Later, the Marshall Jenkins family lived here.

William Williams

William was born in 1822 and married Leah Higgins, born in 1827. They lived on Buffalo Run and moved to the Oxbow area about 1850. Their daughter, Mary, born in 1850, married John Border in the year 1868. John was born in 1836. These were the early ancestors of the Border family who live around the area at this time.

Grover Whitecotton

Grover, born in 1888, was related in some way to the George family. He had a brother, Delbert. The father of these boys, James, was killed with an elevator rod while at work on an oil well on the George farm located on Dry Ridge. Accidents were common in the oil fields in this era.

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John M. Jackson
This page last updated:
February 26, 2007