Wirt County Journal September 11, 2002 Obituaries Charles Bibbee Jr. Charles E. Bibbee Jr., 46, of Parkersburg, died Sept. 4, 2002, at his residence. He was born Dec. 26, 1955, a son of the late Charles E. and Patty White Bibbee. He was a 1976 graduate of Parkersburg High School. He had worked at Long John Silver's in Parkersburg and had been employed as a manager at Captain D's in Columbus. He is survived by one brother, Michael Bibbee of Elizabeth; two sisters, Barbara Schultz of Williamstown and Sue Ellen Downs of Logan; two nephews; four nieces; and one great-niece. Services were held Saturday, Sept. 7, at Lambert-Tatman Funeral Home in Parkersburg with pastor Terry Holley officiating. Burial was in Evergreen North Cemetery. Kenna M. Lipps Kenna M. Lipps, 85, of Ritchie Street, Buckhannon, formerly of French Creek, W. Va., died Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2002, at Ruby Memorial Hospital, Morgantown. He was born Sept. 7, 1916, in Bonnie, W. Va., a son of the late Walter Lee and Lillie Mae Singleton Lipps. He married his wife, Martha Jane Pringle Lipps, Sept. 18, 1948. He was a coal miner and worked for C&W Coal Co. He was a Protestant by faith. In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons, Dwaine and Teresa Lipps of Buckhannon and Donald Lipps of Elliston; four daughters, Deloris Lipps of Elizabeth, Barbara and Mitchell Arthur of Parkersburg, Delma and Larry Lockhart of Parkersburg and Sharon and David Hall of Coraopolis, Pa.; two brothers, Richard Lipps and Carl Lipps of French Creek; two sisters, Marjorie Benko of Independence, O., and Shirley Skalecki of Parma, O.; five grandsons; four granddaughters; two great-grandsons; and two great-granddaughters. He was preceded in death by his parents; four brothers, Delbert, Lawrence, Olen and Eugene Lipp; and two sisters, Madeline Martin and Virginia Harding. Services were held Saturday, Sept 7, at 2 p.m. at Poling-St. Clair Funeral Home with Pastor Beryl McKisie officiating. Burial is in Rock Cave Cemetery at Rock Cave, W. Va. Elva Mildred See Elva Mildred See, 100, a resident of Ohio Valley Health Care Center, departed this life Sept. 6, 2002, at the center. She was born March 22, 1902, at Hartley, a daughter of the late John A. and Mary Serepta Haught Barnett. She was a graduate of Parkersburg High School, a homemaker and had been an active 77-year member of the Lynn Street Church of Christ. She enjoyed hunting, fishing and metal detecting. She is survived by one son, Jack See of Parkersburg; six grandchildren, Robert E. See, Richard M. See, Robin Duke, Jay See, Laura Green and Kate Kephart; two step-grandchildren, David Eddy and Mary Jo Eddy; 14 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; several nieces and nephews; and two daughters-in-law, Melanie See and Cathi See Cummins. She was preceded in death by her husband, Gilbert G. See; one son, Richard "Dick" See; one grandson, John D. See; one daughter-in-law, Carlene See; three brothers, Herbert Barnett, Hubert Barnett and Albert Barnett; and two sisters, Effie Barnett and Edna Doak. Services were held Monday, Sept. 9, at 11 a.m. at Lynn Street Church of Christ in Parkersburg with Evangelist Teddy Tackett officiating. Burial will be at Parkersburg Memorial Gardens.

The Bethel Church on Elizabeth Hill was burned Wednesday evening. I have attached two articles from the Parkersburg News and Sentinel http://newsandsentinel.com. Mark Parkersburg News and Sentinel Friday, December 17, 2004 Questions surround church fire By BRETT DUNLAP ELIZABETH - A historic church near Elizabeth has been destroyed by fire, leaving its pastor and others in the community with many questions. Wirt County fire personnel were called out around 9:50 p.m. Wednesday to a fire at the Bethel Church on Elizabeth Hill, just outside Elizabeth. The church is located along Rose Hill Road just off West Virginia 14. As he looked over the rubble that was once his church Thursday afternoon, Pastor John Barker was still trying to take it all in. "We were here Sunday evening,'' he said. "We meet at 6 p.m. and we had services. We left and then we got the call (Wednesday) night the church was on fire. When I got out here it was pretty much gone. It is upsetting.'' Representatives with the state Fire Marshal's Office, the Wirt County Sheriff's Department, the Wirt County Volunteer Fire Department and agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were on the scene Thursday inspecting the site. Investigators have not made a determination of the cause; however, Barker said early information indicates someone may have intentionally set the fire. "(The investigators) haven't made any determination,'' Barker said. "They have given me the indication that it was arson, but they haven't ruled it.'' Brad Hartley, assistant state fire marshal, said Thursday the incident remained under investigation and his office was not ready to make a ruling on the cause. A cause and the origin point should be determined and presented this morning, he said. The Wirt County VFD was on the scene within a few minutes because firefighters were at the station that evening, Chief Charles Siers said. The department responded with an engine, a tanker truck and a support vehicle and 18 firefighters. The tanker made continual runs to a water source about a mile away, Siers said. The structure was fully engulfed in flames when the first crews arrived on the scene. Only two walls were standing. Siers said fire crews had two propane tanks on the side of the building they had to contend with. They worked to cool the tanks down to prevent them from exploding, Siers said. One of the tanks was venting. Once they got those under control, firefighters extinguished the hot spots. Crews were on the scene until about 2 a.m. Barker could not imagine anyone who would want to do him or the church any harm. "I've got no enemies,'' he said. "I have been in the ministry for over 20 years and I don't have one single enemy.'' Since establishing the church this past year, Barker said, they have tried to help people in need and have never turned anyone away. The church has helped those in need, he said. As Barker walked around the ruins of his church, he had a sofa in the back of his truck he was planning to deliver to a needy family. "We would help anyone,'' he said. "We would do what we can to help.'' Barker was thankful no one was hurt. The church, which measured 20 feet by 26 feet, was built in 1898 and has been predominately Methodist and Protestant throughout its existence, never standing empty for more than a couple of years, said trustee Denver Cline. The building was old, but it was still in sound shape, he said. The church was purchased from a Methodist group and put into a trusteeship in 1963, Cline said. Five to six pastors have set up churches at the site. A small cemetery sits adjacent to the church. "I was devastated when I came out here and saw it,'' Cline said. "It is a tremendous community lost. It is something that has been here since 1898. You just can't replace it. It is gone.'' Cline said the building is a complete lost and nothing can be salvaged from it. What remains will be pushed together into a pile and removed. "I don't understand why people would want to do this,'' he said. "It is such a community lost.'' With a congregation of 15 to 18 people, Barker was not being paid to be a minister. He did it for his own spiritual needs. The congregation has put all of its money back into the church in hopes of restoring the building, Barker said. When they started they had just a building and the pews. "The church had no money and no insurance,'' he said. "Everything we had went right back into it. "It was getting better and better, structurally inside and out. A lot of hard work has gone into this.'' The congregation had started with just Barker's family and had been growing to include older people from the area. The church did not have an affiliation with a denomination. "We had a small group of people, but we had great plans out here,'' Barker said. The only problem the church has had involved people parking on the lot and throwing beer bottles on to the property. The church was broken into a month ago and someone stole about $2,000 worth of tools. "Someone knew what was going on and just waited for the opportunity,'' Barker said of whoever may have started the fire. "That is what I feel.'' Barker said the congregation is planning to find another meeting place and continue weekly services. The church has an open account at the Peoples Bank branch at the Southgate Shopping Center in south Parkersburg which will accept donations. "If I was a rich man, I would start rebuilding tomorrow,'' Barker said. "We are going to continue to put our regular tithes in the bank account. "The Lord will provide. If we ever come up with a substantial amount of money, we hope to be able to build another building right here. We want to show the people who did this that we are better than they are. We plan on having a church here and seeing a congregation working in this area to minister to this community. That is our plans right now.'' The state fire marshal's office wants anyone with information on this fire to call 1-800-233-FIRE. Saturday, December 18, 2004 Wirt County church fire ruled arson By BRETT DUNLAP ELIZABETH - Arson was the cause of a Wednesday night fire that destroyed a historic Wirt County church and might have been a cover for the theft of several items from inside the church. Samples have been taken and sent to the West Virginia State Police Lab to determine if accelerants were used, but the West Virginia Fire Marshal's office said the fire at Bethel Church was an arson. There was also evidence of grand larceny and breaking and entering prior to the fire. Wirt County fire personnel were called out around 9:50 p.m. Wednesday to a fire which had fully engulfed the church on Elizabeth Hill, just outside Elizabeth. The church is located along Rose Hill Road, off West Virginia 14. Investigators at the scene earlier this week were trying to determine the location of portable heaters inside the building and were interested in tire tracks which were found on a small hillside leading upto the church. One propane heater has turned up missing while another one appears to have been disconnected but left at the scene, Pastor John Barker said adding all of the church's five-foot wooden pews, 18-20 in total, are missing as well. Barker believed the pews were original pieces of the church, which was constructed in 1898. "When we were at the fire the other night I initially couldn't understand why I didn't see any pieces of the pews in the debris,'' Barker said. The pews were solid wood, Barker believed they could have been made of oak, and had been painted brown. The pews were nailed into the floor deep, he added. "The perpetrators had to have been inside the church for a long time,'' Barker said for anyone to have gotten those pews loosened and removed. He said each pew was heavy enough to have to have two people be able to move them. One theory is someone had broken into the church, took what they could and then set the fire to try and cover up the crime, Barker said. The Wirt County Sheriff's Department could not be reached Friday for comment. In the late 1980s, the church was also the victim of arson, but damage was repaired and services continued into the early 1990s. Since then, the church has been vacant except for brief periods. Barker has said he could not imagine anyone who would want to do him or the church any harm. The church was a complete loss. Barker said they didn't have any insurance and very limited funds. The church has an open account to accept donations at the Peoples Bank branch at the Southgate Shopping Center in south Parkersburg. The church, which was established over the past year, had up to 18 people who regularly attended services. The congregation had put all of its money back into the church in hopes of restoring the building, Barker said. When they started they had just a building and the pews. "We had done a lot of work there,'' he said. "We hope to be able to rebuild and put another church on that site.'' On Dec. 26 the church's congregation will start meeting at the downstairs reception room at the Matheny Funeral Home in Elizabeth at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., Barker said. Manager Judith Matheny said they are there to help people in need when they need it the most and the people of Bethel Church needed help. "They were in need,'' she said. "It was that simple.

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Miller / Roach / Millstead / Milstead Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/CFC.2ACI/876.1 Message Board Post: Believe my Clarice Millstead to be Clarcie Milstead

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Millstead / Milstead Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/CFC.2ACI/99.1.1.1 Message Board Post: Believe my Clarice Millstead to be Clarcie Milstead

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Horrigan, Sweeny, Bonar, Goins, Jones, Parmer/Palmer, Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/CFC.2ACI/779.1.1 Message Board Post: Hello! Thanks so much for the reply. I'm sorry I haven't responded earlier. I own an Irish gift shop and with Christmas upon us it has been crazy! Please give a little more time and I'll gladly post whatever information on JD Leonard that I have. Thanks again Barb

Tucker Creek is just 3 mi. out of Elizabeth, WVA. There is also a BALL CEMETERY up Tucker Creek. Will send info. Molly Ball Stoddard Ballm370@aol.com

Is it possible for someone to check to see if an obituary was published in any Wirt County newspaper for the above person. She lived there as a young girl and was married in the area. She died ca 18 January 2004 according to the SSDI. She was living in Panama City, FL but the newspaper there stated that they didn't find an obit. She was daughter of USG Pierson and Mary Naomi Lemon Thanks Merry Anne Pierson

You are invited to attend the Washington County Genealogy Society's meeting on Saturday, November 20th, at 2:00pm at the Second Congregational Church - located near edge of Marietta on SR 26 about ¼ mile beyond Broughton's Dairy. The entrance to the meeting room is on the lower level and there is a big parking lot. Our special speaker is Harley Dakin of Newcomerstown, Ohio, a genealogist of and descendant of the Cline and Williamson families. He organized the Cline Family DNA study that has shown a connection between the Cline families of Monroe and Washington County, Ohio, and Wirt County, WV. Come and learn more about DNA and how genealogists are using it in their family research. Millie

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Leonard Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/CFC.2ACI/1009 Message Board Post: I am looking for any information on a Leonard family in Wirt county circa 1804. George Leonard moved from Fauquier county Va with wife Susanna Drake Hopkins Leonard with her six children from a previous marriage and had six sons with George. Humphrey Drake born 1804, Albert Gatlin born 1807, William H born 1810, John C and Jacob Drake born 1812 and George Kettle Leonard born 1815. Any information appreciated. Nora

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/CFC.2ACI/779.1 Message Board Post: Barbara I have a Jacob Drake Leonard listed in my family history. He was the son of George Leonard and Susanna Drake (Hopkins) born around 1812 in Wirt county WV. George, his father, was a brother to my gg grandfather William and a son to my ggg grandfather Matthew Leonard. I would love to have any information you may have on Jacob. What kind of minster was he? Susanna his mother was a Quaker first in Pa and then in Va. Best regards Nora

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Showalter Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/CFC.2ACI/1008 Message Board Post: Is there a local library, historical society or other organization that I could contact in order to obtain genealogy information from Wirt County? I'd like to obtain some birth records and obituaries from the 1870 - 1910 era and don't know who to contact.

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/CFC.2ACI/1006.3.1 Message Board Post: Millie, your invitation is on it's way. If you don't find who you're looking for right away, hang on because we have lots more to add. Enjoy! Charlene

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/CFC.2ACI/1006.3 Message Board Post: Would appreciate invite. I am looking for the burial site of my grandmother's sister - Lavisa Alice Mullens Coe Barnes b. 29 Apr 1878 d. 2 Sep 1964 at Elizabeth in Wirt Co WV Alice married 1905 Winfield F. Barnes b. 1855 d. ?

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/CFC.2ACI/1006.2 Message Board Post: I have digital photos of most of Hill Grove Cemetery and some of Groundhog Cemetery. Contact me if you want to use them.

Concensus of opinion is to keep up the detail so here is some more........lol ____________________________________________________________________________ John R 14 Noah G 12 Martha 10 Robert 8 ___________________________________________________________________________ Receipts For Sore Throat: One ounce Borax, on of Saltpeter, one of cream of tarter dissolved in water. Take 2 tea spoonfull every hour. For Bowel complaint: one half teacup of vinigar put in as mutch salt as it will disolve then fill the cup with boiling water. Set by until it is cool, Strain of all dregs & give the patient--Three spoon fulls each day until he's well _____________________________________________________________________________ Pleasant Vally Sunday School of the M. E. Church for the year 1857 Officers & Teachers 6 Bible Classes 2 Infant Classes 2 Volums in library 85 ______________________________________________________________________________ Register for The Tuckerrs Sabbath School 1847 Bennajah Jennings S. T. William L. Ball A. S. T. John A. Ball Sec-Lib. & Treas John Walter Manager Jackson Vaught Man Abrahaham Vaught Man ____________________________________________________________________________ Officers for 1848 B. Jennings S. T. John A. Ball Sec Lib & Tres John Walters James P. Ball & Abraham Vaught Man ______________________________________________________________________________ Officers Names John A. Ball S. T. James P. Ball A. S. T. Barnet F. Ball Sec. Li & Tr Peter Walter Manager Jacob Walter & George For the year of our lord 1849 ___________________________________________________________________________ John A. Ball, Superintendant James P. Ball, Asst. Supt Barnet F. Ball, secretary Lib & Treas. Managers Peter Walters Jacob Walters, George Walters _____________________________________________________________________________ Officers Names 1854 John Rowan, Superintendant Barnet F. Ball, Sec, Lib, Treas Wm L. Ball, Manager Alfred B. Ball Manager Margret E. Ball, T ET ______________________________________________________________________________ __ Officers Names 1851 B. Jennings ST A. B. Ball Wm W. Lyons, Managers Barnet F. Ball, sec. Lib & Tres Alfred B. Balls Class Hesakiah Rowan, Luke 22 20 L. W. Ball, Mathew 9 Jefferson D. Ball 9 Lousa Ball, Mathew Third Chapter 7 Elizabeth Ball, John first to the 17 Hesakiah Rowan 11 of John 1 to the 10 ___________________________________________________________________________ To be continued Molly Ball Stoddard _Ballm370@aol.com_ (mailto:Ballm370@aol.com)

Have heard from many people saying to continue on with details from my Barnet Foley Ball Copy Books so will do so........ As time permits.......lol lol Molly Ball Stoddard Ballm370@aol.com

The below message was gatewayed thru the Wirt County message board. To request a membership to the Wirt County, WV Tombstone site, is not automated. I will also need to know your full name (given and surname) and the email address you'd like to use for your membership notification. PLEASE be sure to put "Wirt Invitation Request" in the subject line so I won't overlook it in my mailbox! Send all requests to wvwirt@casinternet.net. Thank you! Floa Swisher ========================================================================== This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: McCray Cemetery Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/CFC.2ACI/671.731 Message Board Post: We have the McCray cemetery on our Wirt County, WV Tombstone site, if you'd like an invitation to the site, it is free to join! Please contact me at wvwirt@casinternet.net and put "Wirt Invitation Request" in the subject line. Good luck with your research!

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Showalter Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/CFC.2ACI/1007 Message Board Post: Does anyone there do obituary lookups? I'd like to obtain obits for my g.g.grandparents Christian J. and Lucinda H. Showalter. Christian died 11 Jan 1907 and Lucinda died 4 June 1908. If nobody actually does obit lookups, could someone please tell me where I could write to obtain them. I thank you in advance for any help you can provide. Kathy S.

My Allen Ball is in the 1810 Calvert Hundreds, MD census. This places him in the area of Moses and Ann (Brashear) Ball. Have always had feeling he was connected in some way to them but have no proof. He (according to family bible) was born 20 January, 1775. His family went on to Wood (Wirt) County W VA following his death shortly after 1810. Any ideas?????? Would love to find parents or siblings for him before I bite the bullet!! Time is running out!!! Any thoughts greatly appreciated...... Molly Ball Stoddard _Ballm370@aol.com_ (mailto:Ballm370@aol.com)

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Pribble Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/CFC.2ACI/875.3 Message Board Post: Hi Jacoba, I have took a few pictures at the Pribble Cemetery this summer and happened to get one of Thomas Pribble's headstone. If you'd like me to find it and post it for you, I will!