U.S. Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ -- USGenNet Inc. -- Please read the U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on the following page: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Freer, Romeo Hoyt (1845-1913) ------------------------------------------------------------------- History of Ritchie County by Minnie Kendall Lowther Wheeling News Litho. Co., Wheeling W.Va., 1911 Pages 614-617 The Freers. — This little volume would not be complete without a few lines in regard to the life and public ser\ice of the only citizen of the county, who has been honored with a seat in the Congressional hall at Washington City; and this citizen is no other than the honorable Romeo Hoyt Freer, who has, perhaps, had more "laurels" conferred upon him than any other individual within the bounds of the county. Mr. Freer is of French extraction and is a product of the "Buckeye" state. His ancestors, leaving France shortly after the massacre of St. Bartholomew, in 1592, took refuge in Holland; and from there Hugo Freer, senior, emigrated to Ulster county, New York, and settled on a tract of land, granted him from the Indians, near the town of New Paltz, about the year 1670. He (Hugo) had three sons, and one of these sons had a son, called Jonas, who was the antecessor of Romeo H. Freer; he being the father of Johannes, and the grandfather of Martinas Freer, who married Miss Martha Deyo, a member of an ancient Dutch family, of his native town — New Paltz, New York, and settled in Trumbull county, Ohio, in 1800, where Josiah Deyo Freer, the father of Romeo, was born. Josiah Deyo Freer married Miss Caroline Persis Brown, a native of the Green Mountain state, about the year 1835; and settled near his parental home in Trumbull county, Ohio. Mrs. Freer was the daughter of William Brown, a distinguished citizen of Vermont, who was an officer in the war of 1812, and who served as a member of the Legislature and held other positions of public trust in his native state. In her early life, she taught school on Hero Island, in Lake Champlain, and among her pupils, here, was John G. Saxe. the renowned poet with whom she retained an intimate acquaintance until his death in 1887. Both the Freers and the Browns were of fighting stock, some of each name having won distinction in the Revolution, and in the war of 1812. Romeo H. Freer, the subject of this sketch, was next to the youngest member of the family of four brothers and one sister. He was born at Bezetta, Trumbull county, Ohio, on November 9, 1845, and with his parents removed to Hart's Grove, Ashtabula county, that state, when he was but three years of age. Here, his early life was spent on his father's farm. He obtained a limited education in the public schools of Ashtabula county, and spent one term at the Grand River Institute, at Austinburg, Ohio, — a preparatory school for Oberlin college. In 1862, he enlisted in the Union army, and served as an orderly on General Grant's staff during the earlier part of the war, and had the misfortune to have the General's horse shot under him (Mr. Freer) at Vicksburg, while performing an important service as messenger boy. He was a participant in a number of hot engagements, and served creditably to the close of the conflict. In 1866, he removed to Charleston, West Virginia, and read law with the well-known firm of Smith and Cracraft, and was, two years later, admitted to the bar, and became a law partner with the honored H. C. McWhorter, who recently resigned his trust as Judge of the Supreme court. He filled the position of Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Kanawha county from 1868 to 1870, being also Prosecutor for Fayette and Boone counties at the same time. In 1870, he was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Kanawha county — a position that he held for two years, until his failing health occasioned his resignation. That same year ('72), he was sent as United States consul to Nicaragua, Central America, where he remained until 1876, when he resigned and returned to Charleston, where he resumed the practice of law until 1882, when he came to Ritchie comity. He was first married to Miss Lillie Fuller, daughter of Judge I. L. Fuller, of Warren county, Ohio, who passed on in 1873, leaving one son, Romeo H. Freer, junior, who is a skillful civil engineer, and is now engaged in building a railroad in Gautamala, Central America. His second wife was Miss Mary Iams, of Harrisville. Since coming to this county, Mr. Freer has filled many and varied positions of honor and trust: He represented the county in the State Legislature in 1891; was elected Prosecuting Attorney the following year, and at the expiration of his term in this office, was made Judge of the Circuit court (in 1896); and two years later, was sent to Congress. While here, he served as member of the Judiciary Committee, of the Committee on Patents, and was one of the Special Committee that expelled the Mormon, Roberts, from this body. In March, 1900, he was elected Attorney-General of the State, serving in this capacity until March, 1905, when he returned to Harrisville and became the senior partner of the law firm of Freer and Robinson. He has been editor, lawyer, mayor, and is now serving as post-master of the town. Added to all of these honors is a rare gift of oratory, and a generous amount of wit, which has made him a most popular public speaker. This wit is well illustrated by the following amusing story which went the rounds of the press, while he was a member of Congress, and which we take from "Success Magazine:" "A good story is told in West Virginia involving two of the Congressmen from that snug little state, and Thomas B. Reed, the gigantic speaker of the House. The two West Virginians are Hon. B. B. Dovener and Romeo H. Freer. Both are small of stature, and wonderfully alike in their general appearance, and together they went up to be introduced to the ponderous Maine man. 'Humph,' said Mr. Reed, 'is that the best the Persimmon state can do?' 'What do you mean?' asked Mr. Freer. 'Nothing,' drawled out the elephantine speaker, 'I was only wondering at the uniformity of things down your way. I suppose the horses are all ponies, and the persimmons all dwarfs——' 'Well," interrupted Mr. Freer, 'there is one thing in our favor, the persimmon has more taste than the pumpkin.' "The laugh was on the speaker, and he acknowledged it by cordially grasping the hands of the Lilliputians and joining in the merriment." ------------------------------------------------------------------- Register of Deaths, Ritchie County, WV (Page 56) FULL-NAME: Romeo Hoyt Freer AGE-AT-DEATH: 67y-6m DEATH-DATE: May 9, 1913 DEATH-PLACE: Harrisville MARITAL-STATUS: Married OCCUPATION: Lawyer CAUSE-OF-DEATH: Tuberculosis INFORMANT: H. M. Rymer, M.D. ------------------------------------------------------------------- If you've reached this file through a SEARCH, you can access other biographies for Ritchie County, WV by going to the following URL: http://www.us-data.org/wv/ritchie/bios.html -------------------------------------------------------------------