Byrd Prillerman

PROFILE -
BYRD PRILLERMAN -
Byrd Prillerman was the son of John Franklyn Prillerman & Charlotte Prillerman. He was the husband of Mattie Eugenia Brown. He was born on 10/19/1859 in Shady Grove Va. (Franklin). He can be found on the 1880 Census in Kanawha County, Poca, as a 21 year old mulatto man, single, b. in 1859, School Teacher. Brother of Harvey Prilliman. (Bird) He can be found on the 1910 Census in Kanawha, Union, as a Black male, 50, b. about 1860 in Virginia.
He became the President of W.V. Colored Institute (WV State). He was a friend of Amanda (the sister of Booker T. Washington & references to him can be found in the BTW papers) & his name appears in her obituary.
For more information on Byrd Prillerman see:
http://digilib.nypl.org/dynaweb/digs/wwm9712/@Generic_BookTextView/3796:pt+27
http://www.wvculture.org/histor/histamne/prillerm.html
http://www.wvculture.org/history/histamne/fergusod/html
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~maudenna/f519.htm
www.prillamanfamily.com/ancestorsaa.html
http://www.rootsweb.com/~wvraleigh/black/br.htm
http://genforum.genealogy.com/prillaman
Celebrating Our Roots - Origins of Black Families in West Virginia - by Elsie Mae Davis (McKnight's Inc., 102 Willow Drive, Dunbar, WV 25064) (& a copy is maintained by the WV Division of Culture & History at Charleston)
History of WV State College 1891 - 1965 by John C. Harlan
http://www.wvculture.org/history/education/wvstatecollege01.html
West Virginia Death Certificate 6094 - which states that he died on 4/25/1929 at 69y5m6d at Kanawha, BM, Wd, husband of Mrs. Mattie E. Brown Prillerman, b. 10/19/1959 at Shady Grove, Va. Occupation - Director of Religious Education/President Emeritus WV (State). Son of Franklyn Prillerman & Charlotte Prillerman. Buried at Fran Cemetery on 4/28/1929.

Rev. Stewart Aiken Lewis

Rev. Stewart Aiken Lewis appears on the 1880 Census for Greenbrier County (GC) at the Fort Spring District as a 22 year old, b. in Virginia, teacher, & brother in law of Peyton Lewis. On this census his name appears as "Stuart Akins Lewis".
Rev. Lewis officiated at the following (Black) Monroe County marriages (where he usually signed his name "S.A.Lewis" or "S.J.A. Lewis"):
1880 -
Samuel Young & Ellen Burks at Red Sulphur Springs, 9/23/1880
1883 -
Allen Roles & Jennie Allen at Gap Mills, 2/4/1883
Floyd Smith Walker & Winnie Peyton, 4/18/1883
Thomas Triplet & Francis Bailey, 1/17/1883
John Porter & Charlott Crump, 12/25/1883
1884 -
William Henry Bailey Martha Triplett, 2/5/1884

In 1920, GC, FtSD, there was an entry for a man surnamed Lewis. His first name was hard to read but appeared to end with the letters "art". He was a Black male, 52 years old. I believe this was also Reverend Lewis.
Rev. Lewis was the informant for the death of Agnes M. Lewis (Greenbrier County, 1921, WV Death Certificate # 245)
In Dr. Montgomery's papers (housed at the Greenbrier Historical Society) he notes that Rev. Lewis was a Preacher. Also see The Negro Historical Sketch of Lewisburg, WV by M.J. Cabell - Through the Looking Glass - in the Journal of the GHS, Vol VII, No. 5, 2003, p. 92 (Aiken Lewis)

Agnes M. Lewis was the daughter of Charles Lewis & Martha Crawford Lewis. She died on 4/27/1921 at 68 years old at GC. The informant (for her death certificate) was "Stewart Aiken Lewis of Baltimore, Maryland". She is buried at the Lewisburg Cemetery.

Rev. H.R. Laird

Caucasian minister, Rev. H.R. Laird officiated at the following (Black) Monroe County marriages:
1878 -
Thomas Lee & Lucy L. Johnson, 11/7/1878
1882 -
Robert J. Taylor & Anna Yancy, 12/21/1882
1883 -
Marshall Trice & Mary Ludington, 4/3/1883

(Note that in the 1880 census, Henry L. Laird appears in Monroe County, Wolf Creek as a White Male Clergyman, age 38, b. in Va., with his wife, Sarah (WF-35, keeping house) & his children John H. (7) Lilla P. (5), and Henry R. (3)).

RESOURCE for Mercer County -
A genealogy buddy loaned me four volumes of a wonderful book - A NEW RIVER HERITAGE by William Sanders, McClain Printing Co, Parsons, WV 1991 relative to Mercer County. Some surnames (Black) mentioned are: Harris, Goins, Gray, Murphy, Davidson, Medley, Pace, Gore, Adams, Hye, Terrell, Saunders, Rucker, Stevens, Walker & Jones.

Rev. Rufus Pack (Caucasian officiated at Black marriages)

There were a number of instances where Caucasian clergymen officiated over the weddings of Black residents. For instance, Reverend Rufus Pack officiated at the following (Black) Summers County marriages:
1874 -
XXX Nickell * & Phoebe Mastin; Lewis Eddleton & Julia Jane Johnston;
1875 -
John Smith & Nancy J. Fortner, 7/?/1875; William Henry Smith & Nancy Ann Stafford, 7/17/1875; Lewis P. Fortner & Isabell Smith, 12/5/1875
1881 -
Overton Walker & Louisa ? Mikens, 8/13/1881; Satchel/Satabel Kelly & Phillis Williams.
* (XXX = I was unable to understand the writing on the marriage register)
--- Also see PACK SLAVES by Dr. Vallentine, p. 3

Rev. Charles L. Campbell (Black minister)

Reverend Charles L. Campbell was born around 1840 in WV. In the book, HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY, on page 190, the author tells us that Reverend Campbell was born a slave near Pickaway on the plantation of Robert Campbell. He worked in Ohio but returned to Union (Monroe County, W.V.) and became active in the "improvement of his people". He taught for several years. He was ordained an elder by a board of white preachers. In 1870 he organized the colored Baptist congregation at Union where he was the pastor for several years. He died in 1912 at the age of 72. At the time of his death he was the oldest minister in the Valley Baptist Association (colored).
My own research reveals the following:
He can be found in the 1910 Census, Monroe County, as a Black Male, b. ?1839 (he is listed as Rev. C.L. Campbell).
He officiated at the following (Black) Monroe County Marriages:
1875 -
Washington Sanders & Harriet M. Banks, 5/12/1875; Albert Erskine & Ann Burton, 6/10/1875; Madison "Mack" Jordan & Sarah C. Goodwine, 12/28/1875; Willis Smalls & Harriet Brown, 12/30/1875
1876 -
Isaiah Cornelious Bailey & Alice Williams, 4/12/1876; William Erskine & Clara Brown, 10/17/1876
1877 -
Christopher Chambers & Mary Ellen Edgar, 7/25/1877 at the Baptist Church of Union, WV.; Elias Triplett & Harriet Whitlock, 7/26/1877; Phillip Roy & Luvenia Gibson, 10/17/1877 at the Baptist Church at Union
1878-
Alexander Wardy & Mary Ellen Branch, 2/12/1878, at his house in Union
1879 -
John H. Bailey & Laurena Erskine, 6/4/1879; Lee Bartley & Lucinda Banks, 12/15/1879; Robert Daniel Riddle & Mattie Ellen Williams, 12/31/1879, at the Lewis place in Gap Mills
1880 -
Charles Edward Seagans & Francis Evaline Banks, 12/28/1880
1881 -
George Lewis & Isabell Anderson, 5/26/1881; Clark G. Campbell & Martha Jane Forts, 11/17/1881
1882 -
John Henry Randolph & Sarah Nelson Smalls, 5/3/1882; Socrates Haynes & Ella French, 12/21/1882; Beauregard Smalls & Lucy Emma Erskine, 12/28/1882; Alexander Baldwin & Grace Triplett, 12/28/1882
1883 -
Guy R. Dickason & Mary Fannie A. Ross, 12/15/1883; Elijah Dunlap & Maria Jane Ross, 12/26/1883; Wesley W. Ross & Mary S.C. Banks, 12/27/1883
1884 -
Robert Allen French & Sally Johnson, 9/24/1884; Achilles Johnson & Mary Alice French, 10/22/1884
1889 -
Harvey Baker & Eliza Lewis, 1/4/1889; William Burness & Susan Rella Hamilton
1891 -
William Lee & Ora Williams
1892 -
William Henry Twist & Nannie Kent, 1/6/1892 at the Baptist Church of Union
1894 -
Charles William Bane & Lizzie Newsum
1897 -
John Black & Lucy J. Edmonds, 10/27/1897
1898 -
Charles Henry French & Emma Jane Chambers, 12/26/1898
1899 -
Edward Newton Spotts & Alice Francis Hamilton, 2/22/1899; Daniel Webster Armstead & Louisa Pearis, 12/26/1899
1903 -
William Rucker & Julia Carter, 10/22/1903
1905 -
Rosa May Campbell & William T. Jamison 9/26/1903

Rev. J. Ford Baggs

Rev. J. Ford Baggs officiated at the following (Black) Monroe County (MC) Marriages:
1892 -
Lucian Gordon Dixon & Alice Cosby - 9/8/1892; Charles H. Harris & Annie C. Hale - 10/20/1892
1893 -
John Richardson & Carrie Williams - 9/21/1893 at the Baptist Church in Alderson

Rev. P.B. Baber

MARRIAGES:
Rev. P.B. Baber officiated at the following (Black) Monroe County Marriages:
1874-
Charles Robert Whiting & Rachel Chapman - 11/12/1874
1875 -
William King & Elizabeth Roles - Jan 23, 1875; Goin Shovler & Mary J. Burk - 9/9/1875
1876 -
Caroline Johnson & Lewis Johnson - 2/18/1876; William Pack & Mary Smith - 12/21/1876
1899 -
John Campbell & Flora St. Clair - 2/9/1899; George Goen Shoveler & Caroline Bishop - 6/14/1899

Rev. Martin Bibb

MARRIAGES:
Reverend Martin Bibb was a Caucasian minister who appears on the 1880 census in Summers County as a white male, age 55. He officiated at the following (Black/African American) Summers County marriages:
1878 -
William Green & Lucy Payne, 12/23/1878; Albert M. Miles & Angeline Harris, 12/23/1878
1879 -
George W. Hunt & Clara Fortner, 9/29/1879; Ruben J. Mickens & Lizzie Derico, 12/22/1879
1880 -
Lawrence Harman & Rhoda Allen, 9/8/1880
1881 -
Monroe E. Wilson & Emma Bailey, 8/27/1881; Benjamin Harris & Maggie Preston, 9/13/1881;
Samuel Anderson & Lizzie Bird, 10/8/1881
1882 -
Thomas Ervin & Annie Vaughan, 3/27/1882; Albert Harmon & Charlotte Derico, 2/1/1882
1883 -
Richard Wingfield & Margaret Hunter, 6/20/1883; Dennis Pettiford & Mattie Christmas, 7/29/1883
1884 -
William T. Woods & Nannie Clay, 3/20/1884; Patrick Pryor & Anna Scott, 7/7/1884
1885 -
Allen Matthews & Nettie J. Nalley, Jan. 27, 1885; Primus Cheatwood & Ella Brooks, 2/14/1885
1887 -
Joseph N. Robinson & Emma Simpson, 4/25/1887
1888 -
Lewis Rhodes & Minta Pack, 3/22/1888; William J. Johnston & Maggie A. Waller, 8/16/1888