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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. 359
JOHN McKENZIE is a Scotch Canadian, and the back-
ground of his early life and experience was a thrifty farm
on the north shore of Lake Erie. With the characteristic
enterprise of his race he fitted himself for complete exer-
cise of all the talents he possessed. He became a teacher
and then qualified himself for the ministry. He has sev-
eral degrees from colleges and universities, marking stages
in his training for usefulness. For the past thirteen years
West Virginia has been the scene of his activities. He has
found time to do regular church work as a pastor, but
the community at Philippi at least particularly appreciates
the work he has done in building up a thoroughly modern
and efficient school system for that city.
Mr McKenzie was born at Chatham, Ontario, July
20, 1874, son of Murdoch and Ann (Wilkinson) McKenzie,
Loth of Scotch ancestry. His grandfather, Murdoch Mc-
Kenzie, was born in the Scotch Highlands, representing one
of the historic clans of the country, and on coming to
America settled near Chatham, Ontario, and devoted the
rest of his life to the farm. His son Murdoch was also
a farmer, and died in August, 1920, at the age of eighty-
two. Of his eight children six are still living: John;
Kenneth, a farmer at the old home; Alexander and Roland,
also farmers near Chatham; Etta, wife of Robert Hender-
son; and Miss Mary Belle.
While a boy on the Ontario farm John McKenzie at-
tended public school in a country district where the average
term was ten and a half months. After completing his
work in the Dover public school he entered the Chatham
Collegiate Institute, finished the course there, and then
trained for teaching in a model school at Chatham. For
several years he taught in public school work, and followed
that with a year in the Hamilton Normal School at Ham-
ilton as a student of his chosen profession. He attended
Toronto University one year, and after an intermission of
two years, during which he did high school work, he re-
turned to the University and graduated A. B. in 1903,
being one of the honor men of his class. In preparation
for the ministry Mr. McKenzie pursued his theological
studies in Knox College of Toronto tor three years, grad-
uating in 1906. In that year he was ordained minister of
a church at Hornby, Ontario, and preached there two
years. In the fall of 1908, continuing his higher educa-
tion, he entered Yale University at New Haven, and in
1909 received his Master of Arts degree and the Bachelor
of Divinity degree from the divinity school.
With this preparation Mr. McKenzie came to West Vir-
ginia to take up the substantial work of his life. In
September, 1909, he began his duties as a member of the
faculty of Da vis and Elkins College of Elkins. For six
years he held the chair of English in that school and for
two years was dean. He left the college to become prin-
cipal and superintendent of the public schools of Belington.
During the next four years he proved his ability as an
administrator and as a progressive factor .in educational
work by adding to the curriculum of the school's agricul-
ture and commercial courses.
In September, 1919, Mr. McKenzie answered the call
to a new field of labor at Philippi, as superintendent of
the public schools. Philippi high school at that time was
rated in the "second class," the high school work being
done by two teachers and a three-year course. The school
building was without any modern facilities, and had been
constructed a number of years before at a cost of about
$20.000. In the two school years since Mr. McKenzie
took charge, Philippi has been given "first class rating"
among the schools of the state. There are now five teachers
in charge of the high school program, which is a four-year
course. Additions to the course under Mr. McKenzie have
been science, chemistry and commercial subjects, while
plans are now under way for the establishment of a domes-
tic science course and then manual training. On the site
of the old building stands a modern school structure which
cost the community $125,000. It contains a gymnasium
43 by 85 feet, an auditorium seating 700 people, and about
$800 have been expended in addition to laboratory equip-
ment and for 1922 $400 were appropriated for books and
periodicals for the school library. It is the policy of the
school to give the students some vocational guidance for
their future work, and many of the graduates since Mr.
McKenzie took charge have continued their education in
higher institutions.
In the ministry Mr. McKenzie did his first work in West
Virginia as a supply in Randolph County, and his first
regular pastorate was at Beverly in the same county. He
has served as pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Philippi,
and has been pastor at Belington for seven years.
At Hesper, Ontario, in July, 1910, Mr. McKenzie mar-
ried Mary Christina Gilchrist, a daughter of Peter Gil-
christ, also of Scotch ancestry. Her parents were born
in Scotland and were Canadian farmers. Mr. and Mrs.
McKenzie have three children, Margaret, John and William.
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