This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/QEC.2ACE/2210.1 Message Board Post: Beatrice is a village in southern Ritchie Co. on State Route 47 between Macfarlan and Smithville. I doubt is there is any info about the village on line. There is no Post Office and I do not know of any stores. I believe there may have been a grade school there in the 1950's as there were students in Harrisville High School from there. I would be glad to look for any of your ancestors. Send names and approx dates. Jean

Hi, I conducted a survey of Rt 47 as part of a project documenting historical sites, etc. along the old Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike. Following is some information I gathered about the Beatrice area (the mile markers indicate how far the site is from the Gilmer/Ritchie County line): RCM 15.9 - Beatrice. This community is located at the mouth of Indian Creek. George Braden owned a store at this intersection and the post office, called Bradens, was established here in 1891. John Haught then purchased the store and in 1899 changed the name of the post office to Beatrice for his daughter. According to postal service records, his first request was Deemsville but the postal service refused it so Beatrice was selected. In later years, a store and garage was on the left side of the road just past the bridge. Neither store exists now. Deemsville seemed appropriate considering that the Deem Chapel and the Deem Cemetery are located on the hill overlooking Beatrice. According to Frances Frederick's "The Village of Beatrice", an article in "The History of Ritchie County, WV - To 1980", Deem Chapel (Methodist) was built on land donated by John Deem, by deed dated February 28, 1888. The Church of Christ was built on land donated by Albert E. Lamp, by deed, dated August 6, 1915. Trustees were Albert Lamp, Austin Parks and John F. Deem. Beatrice was and still is an oil and gas center. An interesting article on the The Haught Family Drilling Business, which started in this area in 1903, is on pages 282-283 in "The History of Ritchie County, WV - To 1980". This was also an active center for the early timber industry. The previously mentioned Clark/Haught book provides a history of both industries in this region. Included is an interesting account of how the early timber industry used the creek and the river to transport logs to the Greenville mill in Wirt County. The river was used so often that the rafters even had names for some sections of the river. A section below Beatrice was called the "Devil's Race Path". At the end of this stretch of river was a whirlpool called the "Devil's Dodging Hole". "Cornfield Bend" and "The Devil's Tea Table" were beyond Macfarlan, near Freeport and "The Goose Neck" was located just before Greenville. The Clark/Haught book reports the danger of rafting logs led to George Pribble falling off a raft at Webb's Mill and a Mr. Mitchell drowned just above the Smithville bridge. These incidents show that the river was also used above Indian Creek. In fact, oral history tells of a tram road that was used to haul timber to the South Fork of the Hughes River not too far downstream from Oxford, near the Doddridge County line. The frequency that the river was used did not escape the eye of one businessman. The Clark/Haught book commented on the long walk back home by the loggers after they delivered their rafts to the mill. Thinking perhaps that a jug of whiskey might be in order, the Ritzenberger distillers painted their advertisement on the rock at Macfarlan so the rafters could see it on their way downstream. Just a few hundred feet up Indian Creek, on the east side of the creek, one can see the cut stone foundation for the covered bridge that crossed the creek. The old turnpike used this bridge. A mile and a half up Indian Creek is the site where the Cedar Grove Church and the Cedar Grove School (formerly Phillips School) stood. The old church building was destroyed by a tornado in May, 1989. The first school in this area, and one of the first in the entire county, stood on this site and was called the Hodge School. The Clark/Haught book contains a photo of this school dated 1862. Indian Creek heads up just west of Pullman about three miles east of the center of the county. In 1772 a party of explorers, which included Col. William Lowther and Jesse & Elias Hughes, discovered the mouth of this stream and named it Walnut Creek. In 1781, a fight between Indians and settlers from the West Fork River occurred near the mouth of Indian Run, a small tributary of Indian Creek. Walnut Creek has forever since been known as Indian Creek. RCM 16.1- Deem Cemetery - Road on north side goes up hill to Deem Cemetery. War veterans buried in cemetery: WW1 - 1; WW2 - 2. RCM 16.2 - Two story house on south side. Built around 1930 by Felix Deem. RCM 16.3 - Two story house on north side. Built around 1910 by Marion Deem. Marion and Felix were the sons of "old" John, who was born at the old house, no longer standing, across from the Nutter cemetery (RCM 23.9). John was the son of James W., who was the grandson of Adam, Sr. who settled at mouth of Goose Creek. That's all. Maybe it will help some. If you forward some family names to Jean, perhaps she can find some specific information about your family. David ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, February 06, 2006 6:17 PM Subject: Re: Beatrice, Ritchie County > This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. > > Classification: Query > > Message Board URL: > > http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/QEC.2ACE/2210.1 > > Message Board Post: > > Beatrice is a village in southern Ritchie Co. on State Route 47 > between Macfarlan and Smithville. I doubt is there is any info about the village on line. There is no Post Office and I do not know of any stores. I believe there may have been a grade school there in the 1950's as there were students in Harrisville High School from there. I would be glad to look for any of your ancestors. Send names and approx dates. Jean > > > ============================== > Search the US Census Collection. Over 140 million records added in the > last 12 months. Largest online collection in the world. 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