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BARBOUR COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA
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Submitted to the West Virginia Biographies Project by:
Valerie & Tommy Crook
vfcrook@trellis.net
March 19, 2000
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The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 355-356
WORTHINGTON CHENOWETH. In the profession of dental
surgery Worthington Chenoweth is one of the oldest ac-
tive practitioners in the state. His work and study have
been directed along that line for more than a half cen-
tury, and for forty-eight years his home has been in Phil-
ippi, where he is held in the highest esteem for the in-
fluence and quality of his good citizenship at all times.
Chenoweth is an historic name in Randolph County of
this state. His great-grandfather, John I. Chenoweth, was
a native of South Wales, and he and a brother came to
America before the Revolution and settled in Maryland.
John I. Chenoweth served as a soldier in the war for in-
dependence. After that war he moved into Western Vir-
ginia, and spent his life here near Beverly, at the home
of his son, John I., Jr., and he was laid to rest in the
cemetery near Beverly.
John I. Chenoweth, Jr., was a farmer near Beverly, his
farm being on Chenoweth's Creek, two miles from Elkins.
He cleared a good farm and owned a large body of land
in that vicinity. He was well educated for his time, pos-
sessed a strong mind and exercised great personal influence,
was in the official life at Randolph County, was a mem-
ber of the Primitive Baptist Church and a whig in pol-
itics. He voted for secession, and one of his sons became
a captain in the Confederate Army. John I. Chenoweth,
Jr., died about twelve or fifteen years after the Civil war.
He married Miss Skidmore. Their children were: Eli,
Washington, Archibald, Lemuel, Thomas, Elijah, Martha
and Jerusha. Only one of the sons served in the war be-
tween the states. Martha married Job Daniels and Je-
rusha married Allison Daniels.
Archibald Chenoweth, father of Doctor Chenoweth, was
born on Chenoweth's Creek in Randolph County, had a
country school education, and as a young man learned
the trade of wagon-maker. To this trade he devoted all
his active life, maintaining his shop in Beverly, where for
a short time he had his brother Lemuel associated with
him. He was a skilled worker, but was a modest and re-
tiring citizen. He became a member of the Presbyterian
Church after reaching middle life, and was a democrat.
Archibald Chenoweth, who died when about seventy-five
years of age, married Margaret Hyre. Her father, Wil-
liam Hyre, owned a farm at the head of Buckhannon River
in Upshur County, and was a noted hunter in that vicinity.
He was' a strong Union man, and two of his sons were
Federal soldiers and all of them were republicans in pol-
itics. Margaret Hyre was a daughter of her father's first
marriage, to Miss VanDeavender. Archibald Chenoweth
and wife reared one son and three daughters: Belle, who
died at Beverly, wife of John Leonard; Rose, resident of
Charleston and wife of John Conner; and Idella, who died
unmarried.
Worthington Chenoweth was born October 26, 1848, and
up to the age of twenty-four he lived in the historic com-
munity of Beverly. He attended some of the old sub-
scription schools, and finished his education soon after the
free school system was established. He has a vivid recol-
lection of some of the events and conditions of the Civil
war period. After one of the raids made by the Con-
federate general Rosser he helped bury the dead. For
several years he worked with his father in the wagon
shop, and he began the study of dentistry at Beverly with
Dr. D. B. Campbell, a pioneer dentist in Randolph County.
He remained with Doctor Campbell four years there, and
both of them in 1874 moved to Philippi. Since then Doc-
tor Chenoweth has carried on a very successful practice.
He has made a specialty of plate work.
In the line of public service Doctor Chenoweth was
for one term mayor of Philippi, twice served as treasurer,
for twelve years was a member of the Board of Educa-
tion and was on the Board when the property was ac-
quired for the site of the new high school. While he
has rendered public service he has not been in politics as
an active candidate for office. Some years ago he was
named jury commissioner for the District Federal Court
of West Virginia by Judge Alston G. Dayton. Judge
Dayton knew him intimately in civil and religious life,
and while they were not of the same political faith the
Judge explained his appointment by saying: "I know
him to be a man I can trust and I want him." Doctor
Chenoweth gave his first presidential vote to Horace
Greeley, and has voted for all the nominees of the demo-
cratic party for half a century, including three votes for
William J. Bryan.
Doctor Chenoweth is one of the very prominent Odd Fel-
lows of West Virginia, having joined the lodge at Philippi
the year he moved to that town. He has been financial
secretary of the lodge fifteen years, financial secretary of
the Encampment, and has represented both branches in
the Grand Lodge. He is also financial secretary of the
Knights of Pythias. When he was forty-nine years of age
he was converted and joined the Presbyterian Church, and
for a number of years has been an elder in the church
at Philippi and superintendent of the Sunday school.
At Philippi, February 23, 1889, Doctor Chenoweth mar-
ried Miss Mary H. Bosworth. Her father, Elam Bosworth,
was born in the Beverly community of Randolph County,
and married Miss Switzer, by whom he had four children:
Harriet, Mary, Squire and Erastus. By a second marriage
Elam Bosworth had two sons, James and Thomas, the for-
mer a merchant at Brownsburg, West Virginia, and the
latter a teacher in the high school at Richmond, Virginia.
Mrs. Chenoweth was born March 8, 1849, was liberally edu-
cated, and died January 5, 1922, at the age of seventy-
three. She was associated with her husband in the work
of the church, and both of them took an active interest
in the war work of the community.
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