They Came Here
A History of the Families and Communities in the Petroleum-Cisco-Freeport Area,
Ritchie and Wirt Counties, West Virginia
compiled by Loraine Cox Metz, 1984
| Part
1: Communities Churches Schools |
Part
2: Family Histories A-G |
Part
3: Family Histories H-M |
Part
4: Family Histories N-W |
Introduction to the Online Version
When I began working on my family history in the late 1970s, I was disappointed to find that there were very few printed sources available for the portion of West Virginia in which my family settled. While Ritchie and Wirt County histories both make mention of families in the Petroleum-Cisco-Freeport area, there has been little effort to document the area's rich history and, consequently, a great deal of that history has been lost.
A 1984 compilation of information by Loraine Metz has done a lot to preserve that history. Assembling information from a variety of sources and several helpful individuals, Mrs. Metz published a book that is a great resource for anybody searching for information on the community and its families. (As helpful as the genealogical information is, I've always enjoyed the little sidelights featured in the book, containing reminiscences about the community's traditions and social life. Such glimpses into their daily lives tell us a great deal more about our ancestors than just names and dates.)
In 1999, I approached Mrs. Metz about publishing a revised second edition, and she graciously granted me permission to do so. I knew from the beginning that this would be a long-term project but had hoped to complete it by the end of 2002. Unfortunately, other matters have intervened which have put me behind on the project. Because there have been several requests for copies of the original work, however, it seemed a good idea to make it available on the Internet while work on the revision continues.
This online version of the book--presented with Mrs. Metz's kind permission--is only slightly revised from the original print version. My revisions to the text have been restricted mostly to correcting a few typographical errors and making very minor changes here and there to grammar and punctuation for clarification. In addition, the few sketches placed at the end of the book--because they had come in too late--have now been moved to their respective places within the text.
Frequently Asked Questions
Now that I've read your introduction, how can I see the online version of the book itself?
Because the file is 117 pages in length, it has been divided into four sections. The section links at the top of the page will help you navigate through the book. For faster connections, the book is available as a single, convenient document by clicking here.
Where can I buy a copy of They Came Here?
Neither Mrs. Metz nor I have any copies of the original work for sale. One of the purposes of making the book available on the Internet is to answer the several requests we have each had for copies. You are obviously welcome to print out the entire online version for your own personal research use, but Mrs. Metz of course retains full copyright on the work, and it may not be printed out for sale or otherwise distributed without permission.
When will the updated version be completed?
In short, I don't really know how long it will take, but I continue to work on it and will finish it one of these days. I am alway happy to receive new material.
I had an ancestor who lived in Cairo/Smithville/Elizabeth/etc. Would you like to have information on them?
This book deals with a very specific local area. If you'll look at a map of Ritchie County and draw a line from Petroleum to Mellin to Macfarlan, then to Freeport in Wirt County and back to Petroleum, you'll have a pretty good idea of what area we're dealing with. Of course, topography and human settlements don't lie along straight lines, so it would be ridiculous to say we're not interested in anything outside this border, but it is important to understand that this book covers a very small area. It is not--and is not intended to be--a county history. Please don't send me materials that are not related to this geographical area.
I found a mistake about my family in the book. Will you fix it?
The text in this online version is as close to the original as possible, with the exception of a few very minor alterations, mostly in punctuation. Obviously, with a work as large as this, compiled from so many different sources, there are bound to be some errors. If you see any errors and can show them to be such, the corrections will go into the revised edition. Currently, I do not plan to alter this online version, except in cases where I made an error in transcribing from the original. A guarantee regarding the accuracy of information in this work is neither given nor implied and researchers are urged to double-check data through primary source documentation when possible. If you have information that was not included, or can correct an error, please e-mail me, and these changes will appear in the revised edition, with credit given for the source of information.
How can I search for my ancestor's name without reading the entire text?
Those who haven't used the Internet much may be surprised to learn that the great thing about having the text available online is that your browser serves as an index and searching for a particular name is very easy. For those unfamiliar with full-text searching, the following should be of some help: In Internet Explorer, click on the "Edit" command on the toolbar, then choose "Find" from the drop down menu. Enter your search term in the box which appears, then click "Find Next." To find successive occurrences of that word, keep clicking on "Find Next." The procedure for Netscape Navigator is very similar: Click on "Edit," then choose "Find in This Page." If you don't find anything, you might try entering variant spellings.
Can you help me with my genealogy?
I am not a professional genealogist and, unfortunately, do not have much time to do any kind of research on behalf of others. If you have a specific question about a family in this area, I'd be very happy to hear from you and may be able to offer some limited assistance.