U.S. Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ -- USGenNet Inc. -- Please read the U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on the following page: --------------------------------------------------------------------- Hartley, Henry Amos (1837-1925) --------------------------------------------------------------------- A History of Preston County West Virginia Biographical Department, Supplied by J. R. Cole Kingwood, W. Va., The Journal Publishing Company, 1914 by H. S. Whetsell Pages 582-586, HENRY AMOS HARTLEY The Hartleys are of Quaker origin. They came from the Mother Country, England, to America probably about 1682 or 1683. They are English on the father's side and Welsh-Irish on the mother's. Prior to 1702, Anthony, James, Edward and Henry Hartley, probably brothers, came to this country. Edward and Henry, known to be brothers, settled in Solebury township, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. Edward had a deed of land consisting of 300 acres made to him. May 28, 1702, and on which he lived until he died in 1745. The land was located near the line of Buckingham township, and less than a mile from Buckingtham Meeting House, where the Friends of both townships worshiped until 1810, when a meeting house was erected. Edward Hartley made his will June 13, 1744, devising his estate to his daughter Jenet Hughes, his son Thomas Hartley, his son Roger's seven children, Thomas and John Hartley. Thomas Hartley, son of Edward, born about 1700, died in 1787, made application for membership in Buckingham Meeting of the Society of Friends, October 1, 1724, and was admitted a couple of months later. In February, 1725, or 1726, he declared his intention of marrying, before this meeting, Elizabeth Paxson, daughter of John Paxson of Solebury, and on March 1, 1725, or 1726, they were granted permission according to the good order maintained among Friends. On June 19, 1725, his father conveyed to him 100 acres of land, a part of the old homestead, and to this he had at his death added about 500 acres more of land. His will, dated January 27, 1787, devised to his sons, Anthony, Benjamin and William, and daughter Letitia Rice and to son Joseph, one hundred pounds. The children of Thomas and Elizabeth (Paxson) Hartley, married March 1, 1725 or 1726, were: (1) Sarah, born 1725; Mary, 1727, died 1746; Thomas, Jr., 1729, died 1746; Anthony, born 1730, twice married; William, 1732, married Katherine Fisher in 1757, died without issue in 1805. Elizabeth, born in 1753, married in 1774, to John Fell; Martha, born 1735, married Luke William; Anne, 1758, married James Hill; Rachael, 1740, married Ephraim Smith; Joseph, October 18, 1742, married May 27, 1765, (1) Sarah Richards, (2) November 8, 1767, Elizabeth Wasson; Benjamin, born 1745, married in 1760 (?) to Elizabeth Sincook; Mahlon, born in 1749, married 1773, Hannah Moon. Joseph Hartley's second wife, Elizabeth, married November 8, 1767, daughter of John and Ann Wasson, was born October 12, 1747, and died December 6, 1834. Their children were: (a) Benjamin, born June 8, 1766; (b) Camelia, born August 28, 1768, died June 2, 1838; (c) Ulysses, born October 21, 1770, died August 5, 1793; (d) Joseph, born February 10, 1773, died June 28, 1868; (e) Polly, born September 21, 1775; (f) Horatio Gates, born December 6, 1777, died February 1, 1851; (g) Elisha, born July 28, 1781, died February 12, 1785; (h) Edward, born October 19, 1783, died February 27, 1863; (i) Elijah, born August 19, 1785, died December 24, 1864; (j) Elizabeth, born July 7, 1789, died August 25, 1793; (k) Amos Garrett, born March 20, 1792, died August 28, 1837. The house of John Hartley now standing on Pricket, Marion county. West Virginia, was built about 1760 or 1770. Edward Hartley, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch above mentioned, married Margaret Miller, December 20, 1808, and moved to West Virginia, settling near Fairmont, this state. She was born October 3, 1788, and died May 5, 1843. From a record left by Edward Hartley himself we copy the following: "Peter M. Hartley (his oldest son) was born January 9, 1810; Elizabeth, January 27, 1812; Charlotte, May 13, 1813; Mary, March 22, 1815; Calder, November 6, 1817; Joseph, December 5, 1819; Emily, February 21, 1823; Henry, May 29, 1825; Nancy, January 23, 1826 (1827?); Amos, May 20, 1829; Margaret, June 29, 1832." The grandfather, Edward Hartley, was called into the War of 1812, but hired a substitute, and soon afterwards moved with his family to Masontown, locating first in a little log house below where the bank now stands. This land was deeded by Samuel Hanway to Joseph Hartley, father of Edward, in 1805, deed acknowledged May 16th of that year. The farm, consisting of 640 acres, preempted by John Pierpont and Samuel Hanway in 1788. Peter Hartley inherited part of this land, erected his house on the lot now occupied by the residence of Amos Hartley, which the latter built in 1880. He was an extensive farmer, a large stock raisen a justice of the peace for twenty years, county supervisor, and a member of the county board also for a long time. He was chairman of the County Convention which declared, "We are for the Union Unquestionably." Peter Hartley married Susan Swindler, January 8, 1835. She died in 1872. He died September 22, 1882. Her father and a little girl erected a grist mill on Bull Run and operated it about twenty-five years. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Hartley were as follows: (1) Edgar M., born February 28, 1836, died November 10, 1912. He was a merchant in Masontown for about thirty years and left considerable property. He was also a stock raiser and farmer. (2) Henry Amos, born December 3, 1837. (3) Katie, born April 24, 1840, married Sanford Watson. (4) Joseph M., president of the First National Bank fifteen years, now president of the Brownsville Woolen Mills, was born October 20, 1842. He is a merchant in Fairmont. (5) Samuel W., born June 5, 1845, now a resident of Morgantown. He is a retired farmer and interested in street railways. (6) S. Calvin Hartley was born April 17, 1848, married Mary Elizabeth Smoot, June 6, 1878. They had four children: Charles H., Pearl S., Earl S. and J. Ray. He located in Meyersdale, Pennsylvania, in 1873, and embarked in the mercantile business; was a member of the town council; a member of the school board twelve years; superintendent of the M. E. Sunday school for twenty years; director of the Citizens' National Bank; director of Pittsburgh & Connellsville Railroad, Union Cemetery, and Cooperative Mutual Fire Insurance Company. He was prominent in his church, town and community. (7) Luther E. Hartley, born November 29, 1S50. He was educated at the West Virginia University, spent several years in the retail drygoods business in partnership with his brothers, and finally drifted to New York where he engaged in manufacturing. He is at present secretary of the Chemical Refining Company of New York, but spends much of his time at Wildwood, his country place in western Massachusetts. In 1900, he married Elizabeth Pierce Towns, daughter of the late Ora Pierce, first cousin to President Franklin Pierce. Homer P. Hartley was born November 3, 1853. He attended school at the West Virginia University and Mount Union College. On September 5, 1882, he was married to Lulu Collins, daughter of Johnson Collins. Two children were born to them: Frank C., born December 2, 1891, died June 20, 1892; Nelly Katherine, born June 11, 1897. He resides at Beaver, Pennsylvania, and is in the shoe business at Beaver and Rochester. He is vice-president of the First National Bank of Rochester and president and treasurer of the Rochester Realty Company. With the exception of his three years of military service in the Civil War, Henry Amos Hartley has spent his whole life on the farm where he was born and now lives. He received a common school education, is a man of business, an agriculturist and raiser of fine stock. He is known as a successful farmer and has been a member of the State Board of Agriculture since the year 1904. During the war he was commissary sergeant of the 14th W. Va. Inf., and served in the 8th Corps. His regiment took part in the Shenandoah campaign. He served two terms in the legislature. He was elected delegate in 1890 and again in 1892. On November 16, 1865, Mr. Hartley was married to Martha Vandervort, daughter of William and Margaret (Jenkins) Vandervort of Monongalia county. She died March 11, 1910. No issue. JOHN E. HARTLEY. John E. Hartley, a cousin of these brothers, is a son of Henry Hartley, above mentioned, who died February 6, 1898. His death took place very suddenly while at church. He was a farmer and a fine stock raiser, and a resident of the old Edward Hartley homestead. The house now occupied by the widow was built in 1874. Mr. Henry Hartley was a large, fine-looking gentleman in appearance, much like his brother, Peter M. Hartley, whose engraving stands at the head of this chapter. His wife was Miss Ann Bayles of Monongalia county. She was a daughter of John and Ora Bayles — he being of Welsh descent and having lived nearly a hundred years before he died. Agnes Bayles was born April 5, 1837, and was married to Henry Hartley, March 30, 1862. Two children were born of this union: (1) Alice Bell, born February 6, 1863, died August 30, 1887. She had one child, Miss Myrtle Lemon, by her husband Benjamin E. Lemon, born August 31, 1889. John Edward Hartley, the second child, was born March 1, 1866. He owns the original Hartley homestead and operates it as a stock farm. On April 2, 1890, he married Elvira Robey, daughter of Albert and Louisa (Cornwell) Robey, for history of which see pages 106, 479. Three children were born to this union, namely: Florence, born June 22, 1894; Laura, born August 5, 1896, and May, born September 18, 1901. The above picture, seven boys and one girl, children of Peter M. and Susan Hartley, was taken September 3, 1909, at a family reunion at the home of S. C. Hartley, Meyersdale, Pennsylvania. Their positions are according to age, from the oldest to the youngest, September 5, 1911, a reunion was held at the home of H. A. Hartley, on the old home farm, near Masontown, West Virginia. The average age at this time was over 68 years. Two months after this the family record was broken by the death of the oldest brother, E. M. Hartley. They have all been successful in business, interested in farming, stock raising, merchandising, banking and real estate. They were born Methodists and Republicans and adhered to both. --------------------------------------------------------------------- From Register of Deaths, Preston County, WV (Page 15, Line 31) FULL-NAME: Henry Amos Hartley BIRTH-DATE: December 3, 1837 BIRTH-PLACE: Preston County DEATH-DATE: 1925 at age 87y-7m-19d DEATH-PLACE: Masontown MARITAL-STATUS: Widower OCCUPATION: Farmer --------------------------------------------------------------------- If you've reached this file through a SEARCH, you can access other biographies for Preston County, WV by going to the following URL: http://www.us-data.org/wv/preston/bios.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------