U.S. Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ -- USGenNet Inc. -- Please read the U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on the following page: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Westfall, George Gideon (1864-1942) ------------------------------------------------------------------- The History of Upshur County West Virginia From its Earliest Exploration and Settlement to the Present Time by W. B. Cutright Buckhannon, W. Va., July 1, 1907 Pages 594-596 REV. G. G. WESTFALL. Among the pioneers of Randolph, Upshur, Barbour and Harrison Counties is found the German name of Westfall (Westpha.) their ancestors came to America from Germany, that portion known as the Westfallen, and later known as the District of Westphalia, and settled In the German settlements of Pennsylvania and then to the country to the south branch of the Potomac. In 1772, James Westfall and a large family of children and grandchildren, came from the south branch of the Potomac and settled in Tygarts Valley, selecting the site of the town of Beverly, and the sons settling in different portions of the country. This was at the time when Virginia was making the offer of exemption from taxation for fifteen years and 400 acres of land and a pre-emption to 1,000 acres more adjoining, if the settler built a log cabin on the land and raised a crop of corn. Here the Westfalls found and buried the bones of the Files (Foyles) family, whom the Indians had killed nineteen years before, (1753). Here also on the lands of Jacob Westfall was built the Westfall fort in 1774. Family tradition has it that Jacob Westfall, prominent in the early history of Randolph County as a member of the first county court, first sheriff, first county lieutenant of the militia and second county clerk, was a son of James Westfall, the hardy German pioneer, who settled at Beverly. The subject of this sketch was informed by his grandfather, the late Col. Watson Westfall, that Jacob was the father of Zachariah Westfall, who was a boy of seven when his father and grandfather came to the valley. But he does not know who Jacob Westfall's wife was before her marriage. In 1788 Zachariah Westfall married Hanna Wolfe, an English girl, the daughter of the widow Wolfe. Later, after his father had moved to Kentucky, he left the valley and moved to Hackers Creek, Va., where he located a homestead. The children of Zachariah and Hannah (Wolfe) Westfall, were George, Clark, Owen, Elizabeth, wife of Jacob Cutright; one daughter, the wife of Mr. Casto; one, the wife of Mr. Queen, and Ruth, the wife of John Warner, and Hannah, wife of Robert Love. George, the oldest son, was born in Randolph County, at the old Westfall homestead, on the 12th day of April, 1796, and at the age of twenty years, (1816), he was united in marriage to Ruhama Cutright, daughter of Abram and Susan (Bush) Cutright. The children of this union were: Watson, Martin, Eli, Oliver, Enoch, George, Fanny, Lydia, Rebecca and Celia. He was united in a second marriage to Ruhama Cutright, daughter of Isaac Cutright. To this union one son was born, Perry. Watson, the eldest son, was born in Lewis County, Va., in the year 1818, and at the age of twenty-one years was united in marriage to Rachel Tenney, daughter of Samuel and Dorcas (Rohrbough) Tenney. The children of this union were: Jasper Newton, Samuel Tenney, George W., Elizabeth, Granville Dayton, Oliver, Alvin B., Rebecca Ann and Catherine. Jasper Newton, the eldest son, was born in Lewis County. Va., on Turkey Run, at the Westfall homestead (now known as the Lewis Karrichoff farm), May 22, 1840. and in his twenty-first year was united in marriage with Jane Reese, daughter of Solomon and Elizabeth (Dooms) Reese, the pioneer Reeses who came to this county from Augusta County, Va., where Jane was born, October 31, 1838. This marriage was solemnized at the home of Solomon Reese on Hickory flats, by the late Rev. Alford Lister, of the M. P. Church, on the third day of January, 1861. Gen. Henry F. Westfall, of Buckhannon was a witness of this marriage. To this union were born eleven children: Cora Alice, born November 12, 1861; Mary Elizabeth, born April 22, 1863; George Gideon, born August 4, 1864; Alonzo A., born December 6, 1865; Claudius LeRoy, born July 22, 1867; Lily Virginia, born March 27, 1869; Flora, born February 4, 1870; Charles Henry, born January 30, 1872; Ernest Jasper, born March 22, 1876; Ira Newton, born October 28, 1880; Mamie Jane, born May 10, 1884. George Gideon, eldest son of Jasper Newton Westfall, was born in Upshur County, W. Va., on the east side of the Buckhannon River, on lands then owned by the Rev. George Gideon Westfall, now of Beaver Falls, Pa., after whom he was named. He received his education in the free schools of the county, the old Academy of Buckhannon and the Spencerian Business College of Cleveland, O., at which place he also taught in the penmanship department. He began teaching in the public schools at the age of twenty-one, and taught for fourteen years. In 1894, on August 16, at the age of thirty, he was married by the Rev. E. R. Powers, of the M. E. Church, South, to Emma Alice Hamrick, daughter of Levi and Claranda P. (Wamsley) Hamrick, of Blue Springs, Randolph County, W. Va., where Emma Alice was born, March 17, 1874. The children of this union are five: Georgia Gresham, born July 14, 1895; Mary Maurine, born January 18, 1899; Watson Wesley, born April 17, 1901; Benton Bosworth, born June 9, 1904; Lillian Lucile, born April 8, 1906. In 1898 George Gideon became converted and united with the Methodist Episcopal Church at Mt. Rupert. In the same year was granted a license to preach and entered the local ministry, doing supply work on the following charges: Cowen, Winifrede, Montrose, Junior and Newlon. From Jacob, the first sheriff of Randolph County, down to the present generation, the Westfalls have been held in high esteem by their fellow countrymen, and have repeatedly been elected to positions of honor and trust. ------------------------------------------------------------------- From Death Certificate, Upshur County, WV #2514 FULL-NAME: George Gideon Westfall BIRTH-DATE: August 4, 1864 BIRTH-PLACE: Buckhannon, Upshur Co., W.Va. DEATH-DATE: January 18, 1942 DEATH-PLACE: St. Josephs Hospital, Buckhannon, Upshur County, WV MARITAL-STATUS: Married (Emma Hamrick) OCCUPATION: Minister & Farmer FATHER: Jasper N. Westfall (born in Va.) MOTHER: Jane Reese CAUSE-OF-DEATH: Myocarditis / Complications INFORMANT: June Westfall (of Buckhannon R.F.D.) BURIAL: Rupert Cemetery, Buckhannon (great-grandfather of George G. Westfall) Register of Deaths, Upshur County, WV (Page 32, Line No. 22) FULL-NAME: George Westfall BIRTH-PLACE: Randolph AGE-AT-DEATH: 77y-5m-20d DEATH-DATE: October 11, 1873 SPOUSE: Ruhama Westfall OCCUPATION: Farmer PARENTS: Zachariah & Hannah Westfall CAUSE-OF-DEATH: Old age INFORMANT: E. Westfall, son ------------------------------------------------------------------- If you've reached this file through a SEARCH, you can access other biographies for Upshur County, WV by going to the following URL: http://www.us-data.org/wv/upshur/bios.html -------------------------------------------------------------------