U.S. Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ -- USGenNet Inc. -- Please read the U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on the following page: --------------------------------------------------------------------- History of Wetzel County, West Virginia by John C. McEldowney, Jr., 1901 Pages 93-95 FORMATION OF WETZEL COUNTY. Wetzel county was formed in 1846 from Tyler, by an act of the Assembly of Virginia; was named from Louis Wetzel, a distinguished frontiersman and Indian scout (see Louis Wetzel). The first session of court was held in April, 1846, in the house then owned by Sampson Thistle, which was designated for the place by the legislature. It was situated on the corner of Main and Jefferson streets, and is now the property of Otto Soland. The officers of the court were Joseph L. Fry, judge; Friend Cox, clerk of the Circuit Court; Pressley Martin, clerk of the County Court; Edward Moore, crier of the court; James Snodgrass, attorney for commonwealth; Lewis Williams, surveyor. The justices were P. M. Martin, P. Martin, B. F. Martin, Wm. Anderson, P. Witten, F. E. Williams, Owen Witten, Andrew McEldowney, Samuel McEldowney, Hezekiah Alley, E. W. Cox. James Paden, Daniel Anderson, James Morgan, Henry Garner, J. V. Camp, Wm. Sharpneck and Stephen Carney. Wm. Sharpneck, being the oldest justice, was made sheriff. At each term of the County Court, three justices acted as commissioners of the County Court. The first to act were B. F. Martin, P. M. Martin, P. Martin, Wm. Anderson and P. Witten, with P. Martin as president. The deputy sheriffs were Charles McCoy and Archibald Thistle; the commissioners of revenue were Thomas Snodgrass, Sampson Thistle, Wm. Little, Ebenezer Payne, James G. West, Ebenezer Clark, Hezekiah Joliffe, James Ruckman, Isaac E. Haskinson, Wm. Anderson, John Alley, John Klepstein and Jacob Talkington. On April 7th, 1846, J. W. Stephens, C. W. Clark, W. J. Boreman, R. W. Lock, J. R. Morris, F. W. McConaughy, I. W. Horner, James Snodgrass, G. W. Thompson and Thomas Jones were permitted to practice law in the courts. On May 4th of the same year, Isaac Hoge, J. Morris and Abraham Samuels were permitted to practice law before the court. The house of Sampson Thistle was bought for f400, and R. W. Cox and B. F. Martin appointed to see that the court house was properly repaired, and to superintend the building of a jail. In 1848 the county had sufficient funds in the treasury to build a new court house, which they did, but it was not completed until the year of 1852. The ground where the court house and jail were built was donated by Sampson Thistle and Pressley Martin, and when the court house was completed it was pronounced one of the best houses of its kind in the State. Court was held in the building until 1900. The building was beginning to look shabby, it was behind the times, and was very inconvenient, and the county court, which consisted of James Joliffe, John De Bolt and Abe Fair gave the contract for the erection of a new building, which will cost about $100,000 when completed. The first grand jury appointed by Sheriff Sharpneck were John M. Lacey, foreman; Absalom Postlewait, Frances Hindman, Archiles Morgan, Hiram J. Morgan, James Cochran, Caleb Headlee, J. Van Camp, Jeremiah Williams, Thomas Stiel, Richard Postlethwait, Joseph Wood, Robert Leap, Zadoc L. Springer, Andrew Workman, John Roberts, Jacob Rice, Jacob McCloud, and Wm. Little. The first indictment brought against a person was the commonwealth against Elisha McCormick, for assault and battery. Wm. McDonald, a native of Cork, was the first man to be naturalized. The first trial before the County Court was the Commonwealth vs. Holden Cooper, upon his recognizance for a felony. The first estate settled in this county was the estate of C. B. Pitcher, of which J. C. Pitcher was administrator, and Friend Cox, Pressley Martin and B. F. Martin were appraisers. The estate amounted to $207.05. On May 31, 1861, delegates from twenty-five counties in Virginia assembled at Wheeling and determined that they would not take part in the war against the Union without the will of the people. The delegates from Wetzel county were Elijah Morgan, T. E. Williams, Josephus Murphy, Wm. Burrows, B. T. Bowers, J. R. Bead, J. M. Bell, Jacob Young, Reuben Martin, E. Read, R. S. Sayre, W. D. Walker, Geo. W. Bier, Thos. McQuown, John Alley, S. Stephens, R. W. Lauck. John McCaskey, Richard Cook, Andrew McEldowney and B. Van Camp. The next convention was held June 11 of the same year. The members of this convention being elected, the others being appointed. The State was represented by thirty counties this time. At this convention Wetzel county sent James G. West, Reuben Martin and B. J. Ferrell. At this convention Francis H. Pierpoint was elected the first governor of the State. The third convention was held November 20 of the same year, for the purpose of reorganizing the government. The delegate from Wetzel county was R. W. Lauck, Another convention was held two years later, in 1863, at Charleston. It was under the new constitution. Septimius Hall was elected. Officers of Wetzel county from the formation down to the present time: Sheriffs — Wm. Sharpneck, Edwin Moore, Wm. Anderson, Josephus Clark, Levi Shuman, A. P. Brookover, W. M. Brookover, John Stender, B. B. Postlethwait, John Stender, J. N. Wyatt, James Pyles and Alex Hart. Clerks of the County Court — Pressley Martin, J. W. Newman, Friend Cox, Z. S. Springer, J. D. Ewing, Z. S. Springer, H. E. Robinson, John C. McEldowney, the latter serving twenty-six years, having been appointed for two years, and Henry Thompson. Clerks of the Circuit Court — Friend Cox, John C. McEldowney, J. W. Neewman and John Kauffman, Mr. Newman having served eighteen years. Prosecuting Attorney — James Snodgrass, L. S. Hall, R. W. Leuck, Wm. Guthrie, George Boyd, L. S. Hall, M. R. Crouse. W. S. Wiley, M. R. Morris and E. L. Robinson. ------------------------------------------------------------------- If you've reached this file through a SEARCH, you can access other articles in this book by going to the following URL which contains a linked index for the book. http://www.us-data.org/wv/wetzel/history/mceldowney.html -------------------------------------------------------------------