U.S. Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ -- USGenNet Inc. -- Please read the U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on the following page: ------------------------------------------------------------------- McGinnis, John (1797-1862) ------------------------------------------------------------------- History of Ritchie County by Minnie Kendall Lowther Wheeling News Litho. Co., Wheeling W.Va., 1911 Pages 613-614 John McGinnis, the head of another old family of this county, deserves recognition here. He was a native of Greene county, Pennsylvania, as was his wife, Mary Hoffman McGinnis; and from there, with his family, he came to this county in 1852, and settled near Ellenboro, where his son, Benjamin, now lives. Here he died during the Civil war, at the age of sixty-five years, and at Riddel's chapel he rests. His family consisted of ten children; viz., Benjamin, of Ellenboro; Sarah, who is Mrs. John Moore, of near Harrisville; Joseph, of Griswold, Iowa; the late James; Thomas, who died in the Union army; David, George, Nancy (the late Mrs. Henry Garrett), and two others, who have all passed on. John McGinnis, junior, was the son of a former marriage. Benjamin McGinnis, the eldest son of the second union, has long been a prominent citizen of this county. He was born in Greene county, Pennsylvania, on April 10, 1835, and, with his parents, came to Ellenboro in his boyhood. He early manifested an interest in education, and, with his brother, James, walked back to his old home in Pennsylvania in order that he might have better school advantages; and there studied under a private instructor, working of nights and of mornings for his board; and while enroute home he contracted smallpox. He later taught school for two years; served as assessor (1868); was member of the House of Delegates in 1871-2; and again in 1903 and '04; and filled the office of County commissioner from 1886 to 1892, being the president of the court for four years of this time. He enlisted in the Union army in July, 1861, in Company K of the Third Virginia Infantry, and served until August, 1864. In 1882, he was married to Miss Alice Virginia McCullough, daughter of Elmore McCullough, of Ellenboro, and three children are the result of this union; viz., B. F., the eldest son, who was graduated from the law department of the State University at Morgantown, in the class of 1908, now has a law office of his own at Pennsboro; and Sadie and J. W. are at home. ------------------------------------------------------------------- There's a tombstone in Riddles Chapel Cemetery, Ritchie County, WV John McGinness died Apr. 21, 1862 aged 65 yrs 22 ds ------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 -------------------------------------------------------------------