Monday, December 25, 2006

John Wesley United Methodist Church - Lewisburg, Greenbrier County


In early 2000 a cousin from Lewisburg sent me an old program from this church which listed the Pastors of John Wesley United Methodist Church in Lewisburg, West Virginia:

Rev. John Barnett (he officiated at marriages around 1875 - 1891)
Rev. E.A. Bolling (born in 1860)
Rev. J.L. Brown (he officiated at marriages around 1894-1895 - see previous post)
Rev. Michael Casongo
Rev. Henry K. James
Rev/ David E. Jasper
Rev. Abraham Jenkins
Rev. Moses Lake
Rev. J.W. Langford
Rev. R.P. Lawson
Rev. Julius C. Love
Rev. William Moorman (he officiated at marriages around 1891-92 - see 1/3/07 post)
Rev. Julius Williams
Rev. Roscoe Williams
(more names to be added)

Rev. J.L. Brown

Rev. J.L. Brown officiated at the following (Black) Monroe County marriages:

1894 -
Isaac Tucker Armstead & Bell Roles, 7/31/1894

1895 -
John Howard & Maggid Barrett, 1/3/1895

Rev. H.A. Brown

Rev. H.A. Brown officiated at the following (Black) Summers County marriages:

1897 -
John H. Cash & Lavenia Toler, 12/25/1897

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Rev. John H. Simpson

Rev. John H. Simpson officiated at the following (Black) Monroe County marriages:

1881 -
Robert Ellis & Francis Charlton, 3/14/1881
Cephalus "Fall" Moore & Sally Dunsmore, 7/3/1881

1883 -
William Moor & Bettie Nickell, 1/11/1883

1885 -
William Hubbard & Sallie Gilbreath, 12/29/1885
Lewis Nickell & Lucy Jane Dunsmore, 12/30/1885

1888 -
William Henry Brown & Relda Dunsmore, 10/10/1888

1889 -
Smith Albert Freeman & Mossie Peck

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Rev. R.H. Mason

Rev. R.H. Mason officiated at the following (Black) Monroe County marriages:

1880 -

Isaac Tucker Armstead & Ellen Bailey, 3/15/1880

Friday, December 22, 2006

Rev. T.R. Morris

Rev. T.R. Morris officiated at the following (Black) SC Marriages:

1896 - George Carter & Minnie Murrell, 9/30/1896

Monday, December 04, 2006

Anderson Jones

Anderson Jones is a notable Greenbrier County resident as he was involved in the only case in which "a ghost" helped to send a man to jail for murder.

Anderson was the son of one of the aforementioned "Martha Jones" (see previous post)
& Reuben Jones. He was the brother of Reuben Jones.
He may be the William A. Jones who appears on the 1880 Census, Greenbrier County (GC), Lewisburg District (LD), BM, 3, with Reuben Jones.
(although he appears in later censuses as being about two years younger - but then in 1930 he gives an age which squares with this entry).
He appears on the 1900 Census, Greenbrier County (GC), Williamsburg District (WD) as a Black male, age 20, b. 1879, son of Martha, brother of Reuben.
He appears on the 1910 Census, GC, LD, BM, 31, b. 1879, single, servant.
He appears on the 1930 Census, GC, LD, BM, 55, b. ?1875, servant in a private family, son of Martha Jones.
He appears in the book THE GREENBRIER GHOST AND OTHER STRANGE STORIES by Dennis Deitz, on pages 12, 15, & 16. Mr. Deitz indicates that Anderson was a witness to the events following the death of Zona Heaster Shue (1896) (It appears that in testimony Anderson thought he was about 11 years old where the censuses would put him at 17-20 years old)
He appears on a WORLD WAR I DRAFT REGISTRATION CARD at age 40 & indicates that he was born 8/1888, that he was a laborer at Ronceverte & that his nearest relative was his mother, Martha Jones of Lewisburg. The card also indicates that he was medium height & stout build with brown eyes & black hair.
He appears on WV DEATH CERTIFICATE # 8537 which indicates that he died on 6/17/1953 at Lewisburg & that he was a single black male, the son of Reuben & Martha Robinson Jones. At the time of his death he was thought to be about 76 years old. He is buried at the Clintonville Cemetery.

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Martha Jones

There may have been as many as 7 -12 women named Martha Jones in Greenbrier, Monroe, Summers, Fayette and Pocahontas Counties.

(1) Martha Jones who was the first wife of Peter Jones
She appears on the 1870 Census in Monroe County (MC), Second Creek (2nd Creek), as a Black Female, age 40, keeping house, with Peter Jones.

(2) Martha Ann Payne Haynes Jones who was the second wife of Peter Jones (who she married in 1885)
Her first husband was Solomon Haynes & she & Solomon had been the neighbors of Peter & his first wife, Martha. In the compilation "Black Residents of Greenbrier ..." by C. Haynes she is listed under Martha Ann Payne Haynes. She & Solomon Haynes married in Fayette County shortly after emancipation, on July 4, 1865. At that time she had five children (Socrates, Albert, Elizabeth, Dudley, & Catherine). She & Solomon would later have James & Percy/Purcy. During slavery she was Martha Payne & one of her children (Albert) would always retain the surname Payne even while his other siblings became known as Haynes.

(3) Martha/Catherine Robinson Jones who was the wife of Reuben Jones & the mother of Anderson Jones

1870 Census where she appears in GC, Big Levels District as a 20 y.o., Black Female, b. in Va., keeping house, with Reuben Jones
1880 Census where she apepars in GC, Lewisburg, as a 35 y.o., Black Female, b. in Va., wife of Reuben Jones (33) & the mother of Mary E. (9), Margaret A. (7), & William A. (3).
1900 Census where she appears in GC, Williamsburg District, unknown age & date of birth, widowed, b. in Virginia, had 8 children, 3 still living. (check this, the 8 could be due to poor penmanship or a blurry/hard to decipher document)
1910 Census where she appears in GC, Lewisburg, as a 54 y.o., b. ? 1856, widowed, had one child, one still living, servant/cook for the James M. Rader Family, with Ricky (14). (Note that William A. is probably Anderson)
1930 Census where she appears in GC, LD, BF, 74, with Anderson (55)
Mentioned in THE GREENBRIER GHOST AND OTHER STRANGE STORIES by Dennis Deitz, onpages 12 & 15, "Aunt Martha Jones", mother of Anderson Jones.
Shuck's Greenbrier County Birth Records, page 172
Shuck's Greenbrier County Death Records, page 145
WV Death Certificate # 4117, as the mother of the decedent, Mary Ellen Lewis, who died in Summers County in 1953.

(4) Martha Jones who married Samuel Robinson

(5) Martha Jones who was the wife of Charles Jones
On WV Death Certificate # 16059 she appears as the wife of the decedent, Charles Jones who died in GC in 1944

(6) Martha Jones who was the wife of Irving Jones
She appears on the 1880 Census in Fayette, Mountain Cove as a 16 year old married to Irving Jones.

(7) Martha Jones who was the mother of Jefferson Christian & who was the mother in law of Emma Haynes
Her son, Jefferson Christian, married Emma Haynes on 7/4/1882

(8) Then, there were another 6 Martha Jones who can not yet be positively identified as being the same person as one of the above.

--- Martha Jones who appears in the article "Lewisburg's Dr. Graybill", Journal of the Greenbrier Historical Society, Volume 7, #2, 2000, p. 17
--- Martha Jones who appears on the 1920 Census in Greenbrier County (GC), Lewisburg District (LD) as a Black female, age 70, widowed, servant for Conrad Skaggs
--- Martha Jones who is listed in the Greenbrier Cemetery Book for the LD, & who died on Jan/11/197X.
--- Martha Jones who was the mother of William Gibson Jones who married Mary Preston on 8/29/1893 in Summers County
--- Martha Jones who appears as the mother of the decedent, Martha M. Cousins on WV Death Certificate #11665
--- Martha Jones who appeared on the 1910 Census in Fayette County, Sewell Mountain as a Black Female, age 32, born in Va, servant, divorced (& who does not appear to have any children).

Monday, November 27, 2006

Rev. (? first name) Brooks

Rev. (? first name) Brooks officiated at the following (Black) Greenbrier County marriages:

1951 -
Edna Mae Parks & Charles Junior Lee, 8/20/1951

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Rev. Thomas Brooks

Rev. Thomas Brooks officiated at the following (Black) Greenbrier County marriages:

1926 -
Andrew Miller & Mary Frances Seams

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Rev. Bosley Boyce

Rev. Bosley Boyce officiated at the following (Black) Summers County marriages:

1883
Edward Lewis & Alice Pack, 5/11/1883
Alexander Hughes & Carrie Barnett, 12/27/1883
Samuel Morris & Amanda Hoke, 12/31/1883

(I'm not sure of Rev. Boyce's racial designation)
(On 2/9/1887 he married Johana Dickenson in Upshur, WV)

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Journal of the Greenbrier Historical Society, Vol 8, # 2, 2006

This issue of the Journal of the GHS contains an article by Mr. Layton in which he summarizes certain old courthouse documents including documents regarding free persons of color and enslaved individuals who lived in Greenbrier County. The journal is available through the GHS at Lewisburg, W.V. He indicates that he will summarize more courthouse documents in the next issue of the journal.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Rev. Charles Lewis (Black minister)

Rev. Charles Lewis officiated at the following (Black) Monroe County marriages:

1882 -
Charles Paxton Bradley & Georgia Williams, 5/24/1882

Note that Rev. Charles Lewis was the husband of Mary E. Lewis. He can be found on the 1900 Census, Greenbrier County, Fort Spring District where he is listed as a Black male, age 55, born May 1845 at Virginia. He was a Clergyman & had been married for 24 years to Mary E. (age 44). Also in the household were Willie (14), Lillie L. (11), Malan M. (9), Roland O. (7) & Cornelious R. (5)

There was another Rev. Charles Lewis in Summers County. He appears on the 1880 Census for Summers County at the Pipe Stem District, Black Male, 58, preacher of the gospel, with his wife, Ann (35).

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Rev. Floyd Meadows

Rev. Floyd Meadows officiated at the following (Black) Summers County marriages:
1876 -
Meshack Pack & Tessia (Letitia) Landcraft, 9/3/1876

Rev. J.J. Meadon

Rev. J.J. Meadon officiated at the following (Black) Summers County marriages:
1894 -
Mat R. Price & Ella Cheatwood, 1/13/1894

Rev. F.A./J.A. Meade

Rev. F.A./J.A. Meade officiated at the following (Black) Summers County marriages:
1895 -
Phil Williams & Aggie Preston, 4/2/1895
Willie W. Davis & Ellen Tinsley, 5/24/1895
1897 -
James Doran & Bettie Fletcher, 10/5/1897
J.E. Rhodes & Ida Wheeler, 10/6/1897
1901 -
P. Mann & Harriet Jackson, 8/29/1901

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Rev. J.D. Noll

Rev. J.D. Noll officiated at the following (Black) Monroe County marriages:
1874 -
Charles Crump & Mary Johnson, 12/9/1874
William Banks & Gracey Jefferson, 12/9/1874

He officiated at the following (Black) Summers County marriages:
1874 -
John Woodson & Cynthia A. Pack, 5/1874

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Rev. William N. Nickell

Rev. William N. Nickell officiated at the following (Black) Monroe County marriages:
1875 -
James Nickell & Eliza Susan Dunsmore, 12/29/1875
Samuel Kilbreath & Dora Nickell, 12/30/1875
1876
George Williams & Maggie Dunsmore, 12/21/1876

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Rev. B.P. Pennington

Rev. B.P. Pennington officiated at the following (Black) Monroe County marriages:
1905 -
William White & Alice Spotts, 7/30/1905

Friday, October 27, 2006

Rev. W.F. Patterson - Minister of the Gospel M.E. Church

Rev. W.F. Patterson officiated at the following (Black) Monroe County marriages:
1888 -
James W. Hill & Susan Brown, 12/26/1888
1890 -
Andrew Mann & Mary Emma White, 10/4/1890
&
He officiated at the following (Black) Summers County marriages:
1886 -
George Haynes & Louisa Shinall, 4/22/1886
James Jackson & Lizzie Marshall, 5/23/1886
Charles Kimbro & Ann Johnson, 5/?28/1886
Joseph M. Marshall & Robinett Wright, 7/2/1886
Moses Hunter & Mary Phillips, 11/20/1886
Charles W. Haynes & Sallie Johnson, 12/29/1886
1887 -
Jacob Wright & Fannie Cosby, 12/1/1887
Henderson Kent & Lora Wesley, 12/1887
1888 -
Houston Nickell & Mary E. Brown, 2/16/1888
Toge Loggins & Rose Johnson, 7/?20/1888
Benjamin W. Pride & Charlotte Brown, 8/25/1888
John H. Morris & Bettie Llewelyn, 10/5/1888
George Woodley & Minerva J. Harris, 10/25/1888
1889
Henry R. Ross & Eliza J. Herskins, 4/10/1889
William L. Anderson & Martha Clark, 6/10/1889
1890
William A. Smith & Amanda J. Fortner, April or May
Robert Daniel & Ida Pack, 12/25/1890
1891
John Thomas & Cynthia McGee, Jan/8/1891
Andrew W. Williams & Lelia Ross, 2/26/1891
John H. Johnson & Priscilla Trice, 4/31/1891
Allen Muse & Amanda L. Peyton, 12/24/1891