ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Special appreciation to Ruth Mines who contacted Cora Mines Jickess and Margaret Mines Criss, both sending much information gleaned by the late Marie Harris Gum, concerning the earlier members of the Mines� lineage.
Thanks to all other family members who responded to my questionnaire and assisted in providing statistical and historical data.
I begin with Peter Mines, who came to America from England (perhaps from the Yorkshire area) prior to the Revolution. For the sake of the record I approximated the dates and gave his parents �assigned names� as shown in the Alphabetical List of Names. Perhaps at a later date I can authenticate them.
Anyway, Peter crossed the Atlantic and chose to settle in the state of Virginia. He met and married Ephy Martin, a Scotch lass, and had one son, Lewis. The early years of Lewis are obscure but in due time he married Hannah Gabbert (of Dutch or Austrian origin?) in February of 1810. Around 1837 Lewis and Hannah came to what is now Taylor County, West Va. and four years later to Harrison County where both passed away a number of years later and lie buried in the Gore Graveyard on the Shinnston Pike near Adamston. Lewis was a carpenter but gave his attention to other enterprises as well and became fairly successful.
The following is part of an article that was published in THE DAILY TELEGRAM of Clarksburg, W. Va. and transcripted by Marie H. Gum on Feb. 12, 1979.
�Mrs. Ellen B. Mines died at the home of her son, James H. Mines, in the Stealey addition at 7 o�clock Friday morning, Dec. 9, 1904. Until the last year she enjoyed the best of health all her long life and was a woman of most remarkable constitution and vitality. Old age, with all its susceptibilities, seized her and after a year�s feebleness death came. A woman of strong will and mental faculties, she retained her mind to the very last, although at intervals the few days before her death she was only semi-conscious. Mrs. Mines was a widow.
The husband of the deceased, James Madison Mines, was a product of the grand old mother of States, Virginia. Born in Augusta County in 1812 of his parents, Lewis and Hannah (Gabbert) Mines, also natives of that state, James, the only child of his parents, married in 1832 to Miss Ellen King, the subject of this sketch, who was the daughter of Richard and Mary King. Mr. King was English by birth, but after growing up he too came to America and married in Virginia. Mr. King was a stone mason by trade until his death about 1818. Mrs. King died about 1830. She had been married three times which explains the extra surnames of Ellen.
James and Ellen lived two-thirds of a century together and until death parted them and were parents of nine children. They became residents of Harrison County in 1841 and four years resided at what is knows as the �Stone House,� now the Gore farm. After that he settled in the wood at the mouth of Limestone Creek, at Adamston and there he acquired 550 acres of fine farming lands. Aside from tilling the soil he was engaged in other enterprises, teaming, etc., and for many years burned all the lime Clarksburg used. Their lives, as well as the children�s�, were busy ones. He started without capital, and all they accumulated was the result of their own industry, a splendid and creditable estate. He paid a man 50 dollars to bring him to Harrison County, and very soon afterward would have given that much more to have gone back, not being used to pioneer life, but they went to work with a will and prospered and were happy.
James died in March 1896, after an illness of seventeen weeks and at the age of 84 years. Ellen was largely responsible for her husband�s success, being an earnest, faithful helpmate, and because of her kind disposition and charitable nature none asked alms at her hands that were not objects of her benevolence. Had she survived until the 31st of December, she would have been 94 years of age.�
Of the nine children of James and Ellen, the most important to this writer is Lewis Henry, with James Harvey a very close second. L.H. was my maternal grandfather. Married twice, first to Emily Griffin, with whom he had 4 children: Nellie, Warren, Ray and Louisa. Emily passed away about 8 months before their 10th anniversary. His second wife was Caroline Titchenal (Carrie originally went to the home as a housekeeper) who bore him four sons and a daughter; Henry, Wilbur, Roscoe, Lloyd and Dorothy.
Lewis and Carrie brought their family to Ohio, in the County of Trumbull, part of the Western Reserve. (The children of Emily, now grown, did come up once to visit their father and stepmother. They decided to continue on in West. Va.) The original Mines home was a large 2 � storied house with 17 rooms, large dairy barn and numerous outbuildings. A picture of the homestead shows it to be sturdy yet rather ornate. After Lewis died it was vacant for quite a while and my parents would go and check on its condition from time to time. I remember it quite well. With its many rooms it was awesome, especially a closet that connected two upstairs bedrooms held a sense of mystery to me. I recall that the front hall boasted a set of stairs made from black walnut wood and there was a large kitchen that also had a spacious pantry. The property was eventually sold and in the late 40�s, the house was torn down and rebuilt as a bungalow. Some of the woodwork was salvaged and used in the new home. Then it was no longer a mystery - only a memory.
By this time the four boys had become men (and the daughter a maiden) and taken brides. H.C. (Caddie and Zoe) bought a farm in April 1924 and operated it as a dairy farm. The house (am I imagining it or was it a facsimile of the old homestead) and one barn were on one side of the road and a second barn was on the other. There was a pond and a great deal of open space in those days. The second barn was struck by lightning and burned down. After that, Caddie sold out and went into truck gardening, raising corn, cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, etc. He also had a milk route, driving his truck around the area picking up the large cans of milk and taking it to the processing plant. Being a �city� girl, going to the country was a novelty to me. I was fascinated with pumping water from the well or eating meals cooked on a wood stove. And not too far away would be the �woods� with all its mysteries. H.C. was a wealth of information. We went to visit my mother�s brother and sister-in-law Zoe quite often. In the sitting room there would be piles of National Geographic magazines on a large table or desk that also held a humungous radio and a one-armed black telephone. H.C. loved company and his conversation was very animated. The room was permeated by his cigars which he usually would put down and carry on with whatever he was saying. He was quite active on the School Board. Being young I didn�t want to listen to adult talk so I would wander around the yard or play with my cousin Janice who lived a little way down the road. The house was vacated in 1979 and burned down in 1985. Another memory added to the file.
Wilbur and May also operated a dairy farm. He also planted corn and grain and raised chickens. Every Friday would be delivery day of fresh eggs for the city folks. His oldest son, Bob, took over when he came back from the armed services around 1948. He sold out in 1977 but then went back in as a small operation dealing with Holsteins until his death in 1984. Bob and Betty were such pleasant people. I remember the first time I met Betty before she and Bob got married. He brought her to meet my parents and I answered the door. I thought to myself �what a pretty girl�. They were frequent visitors and we were always welcomed to their home. It wasn�t long before I had more cousins to play with. I think Bob was a chip of the old block, the block being L.H. I have yet to meet anyone that was as pleasant and outgoing as he. He also loved visiting and conversing with �Uncle Joe�. He started a collection of arrow heads that he found in the area after spring rains. The farm was an old habitat of an Indian tribe and at one time there was a waterfall that had long since dried up. Here again the house was on one side of the road and the barn on the other. As time went on it became harder and harder to get across because of the traffic.
Roscoe (and Rhea) worked for the city in the Water filtration plant. Roscoe lost his wife after just over ten years of marriage and remained a widower. He lived on the same street as we did in the city. After Patricia and Bill grew up and went their separate ways, he would often come up for supper and chat with Mom and Dad. His favorite singer was Burl Ives and he was a pipe smoker. He often helped my dad with digging up the garden in the spring. He developed cancer of the colon and after the operation my mother would help him with the daily dressing that was required.
Lloyd (and Bess) was the youngest and strangely he was the first to pass away. He also developed cancer and died at the age of 60.? Lloyd was taller and slimmer than the other three boys. H.C., Wilbur and Roscoe were stocky and had brown hair. As long as I can remember, Lloyd had a thick mane of snow white hair. He was very distinguished looking (you would never suspect he was a farmer�s son). L.A. was the most �citified� and pursued a career in banking. He and Bess had one son, James.
Dorothy worked in the County Court House prior to marrying Joe Rishel. They had four children.
Lewis passed away in November of 1912 and eventually Carrie, getting on in years, moved into a home on Grant St. with her daughter. Carrie was a typical Southern lady with the accompanying accent. I am told she was a wonderful cook (something my mother also inherited), had a great sense of humor yet could be very sedate. Somehow she contracted typhoid fever which weakened her and kept her bedridden for the last five years of her life, passing on in 1936.
Now another generation was coming along. Another war and then another generation. There were happy times and sad times. We made gains and suffered losses. High school graduations were followed by weddings which were followed by babies, the next generation. From Peter & Ephy to the present generation spans 8 generations with the 8th reaching marriageable age in some instances. It won�t be long before the ninth starts arriving.
As America changed from a rural society to an urban one, so the Mines family grew larger. And so it goes; the children of Lewis and Carrie started a tradition to keep a close relationship with one another. I would like to see it continue. It is up to the younger ones to carry on.
Regarding David [Rishel], I remember he liked to play the drums, and had a full drum set up in his attic there on Grant St. He played for me once and I remember that I thought he was very good. I also remember the great sadness when they received the gold star after he was killed in the war. Don't know any details about his war service or how he was killed.
I also remember that West Virginia relatives used to visit Uncle Joe [Rishel] almost every year and I think they went down there. I am pretty sure my folks didn't go back to West Virginia unless it was when I was very small.
One great remembrance I have about Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Joe was going over to their house at least once a week for years and playing 500 rummy with them and uncle Roscoe [Mines] as my partner. We always called Uncle Joe "long hand Joe" because he loved to get a long suit and run it.
Aunt Dorothy baked the best homemade white bread and as a special treat she would give me a loaf to take home, and I remember how good it was even now.
Every summer Uncle Joe, his kids, your dad and I would go out to the old Mines farm on Mines Road and pick blackberries for pies and jam/jelly. My mother [Bessie Mines] used to make at least 200 jars of different kinds of jams and jellies every year. Boy, they were really good and your dad, my dad [Lloyd Mines] and I would use up almost a jar a day.
Yes, I remember David Rishel. He died in Normandy, during the war. No, not during the Invasion (D-Day), and not on the beach. In the interior. He was with the combat engineers. He was a train nut, too. I remember he built some stuff for my train set. It was a Lionel set I got when I was five or six - five, I guess - that Dad got me for Christmas. He built a freight station and a couple street lights, in his woodworking class at school. I remember the street lights were sticks of wood with a socket from a Christmas light set into it. Uncle Joe was in trains, too. He worked on the Erie (Railroad) at the freight station in Niles. During World War II he worked for the Erie at Ravenna Arsenal. I think someone told me there were 500 miles of track in the arsenal back then.
