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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
November 8, 1999
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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. 296-297
Barbour
NOAH S. PARKS. Probably no business man is better
and more favorably known in the agricultural districts of
a number of counties around Philippi than Noah S. Parks.
His active association with the farms and their owners in
this extensive territory has come from his business as a
salesman of agricultural implements and machinery. All
along he has carried on some farming of his own, the
occupation to which he was reared and trained as a youth.
His grandfather, whose name was also Noah S. Parks,
came to this section of West Virginia more than a century
ago and settled on Brushy Fork in Harrison County. He
was one of five brothers who started west from old Virginia,
and he was the only one to locate in West Virginia, the
others going on into Ohio; Noah S. Parks was a man of
God from boyhood, practiced his religion and contributed
faithfully of the tenth of his income for the support of
the Gospel. He was a man of good judgment as well, and
left a good estate. When he settled on Brushy Fork he
bought land at twenty-five cents an acre, and in subsequent
years he gave each of his children a farm, on the condition
that the property was to be held for the use and benefit
of each child as long as he lived and at death it should
be divided equally among the respective children. Noah
S. Parks and wife spent their lives at their home on Brushy
Fork. He was well read, especially in Bible and church
literature. He voted as a republican. This pioneer died
at the age of eighty-two. His wife, Rachel Willett, whom
he married in Harrison County, died a number of years
before him. Their children were: David, who died in
Harrison County, leaving two daughters by his wife, Re-
becca Lawson; Robert, who was a farmer in the home
community, married Semantha Hickman, and left two daugh-
ters and a son; Mary Jane, who died in the community
where she was reared, the wife of Amos G. Marple; Gran-
ville, the subjects' father; and Albert, who lived at the
old homestead, married Ann Hart and is survived by one
daughter and two sons.
Granville Parks was born on Brushy Fork in Harrison
County, May 12, 1841. There were practically no schools
for him to attend, and he learned to read, but could scarcely
write. His life was devoted to the farm, and with more
than an average degree of success. After the Civil war
he moved to Barbour County, and his home for fifty-six
years was on the waters of Elk Creek, where he died Janu-
ary 30, 1922. He was industrious, thrifty, accumulated
property, and was very religious. He was reared in the
Methodist Episcopal Church, South, later was a member of
the United Brethren Church on Brushy Fork, an institution
he practically built, and in the last years of his life he was
a communicant of Hall Church of the Methodist Episcopal,
South, near Elk City. He was a sympathizer of the South
during the war and a democratic voter. In early days he
was a noted singer, and he taught singing school. He
was a man of fine and rugged physique, six feet, four
inches high and weighed about 200 pounds.
In Harrison County Granville Parks married Barbara
Susan Hardman, who was left an orphan when a child
mid was reared in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Rominn.
She acquired a common school education, and has been an
example of greatest loyalty to the duties and obligations
of motherhood and of Christian conduct. Everyone loves
and respects her for her splendid character. She is now
eighty-two years of age. Her children were: Noah S.
Parks; Mary Jane, wife of John Fridley, of Barbour
County; Sidney L., of Tucker County; Homer Albert, a
farmer near his father's old home; Jennie, who married
Mordecai Reed, of Clarksburg; Martha, Mrs. Ira Wood-
ford, of Philippi; Amos G., a farmer near the old home;
Berthena, wife of William Nutter, of Clarksburg; John
C., who has spent most of his life as a soldier in the
Regular Army, was in the Spanish-American war, and dur-
ing the World war was a drillmaster and did other work
in the training of soldiers, and is still an officer in his
regiment; Grover C., the youngest, a railroad man with
the New York Central Lines in New York.
Noah S. Parks was born at Brushy Fork, Harrison
County, August 2, 1863, and two years later his parents
moved to Barbour County, where he has had his home ever
since. He acquired a country school education, and was
the only one of the children to remain on the home farm
until he reached his majority. After leaving home he
worked as a farm hand at 50 cents a day, and put in
long hours to earn this modest stipend. The first money
he made for himself was filling a contract with a neighbor
farmer to cut and split 1 000 rails at 50 cents a hundred.
He did this work with his ax in five days' time. After
two years as a wage earner he married and settled on a
farm near Philippi, and soon bought a small place in that
locality, and continued to give his personal attention to
his farming for about three years.
About the time he left the farm Mr. Parks entered
business as a salesman of farm machinery. For four years
he traveled for the International Harvester Company, and
then joined the Feiser Manufacturing Company of Waynes-
boro. Pennsylvania. For twenty-two years he sold the
poods of this firm. Since January 1, 1922, he has been
with A. B. Farquar of York, Pennsylvania, selling the
heavy machinery made by this firm, including saw-mills,
threshers, boilers, traction engines and similar goods. The
territory in all these years has been in his own state. His
immediate jurisdiction is fourteen counties, and he is prob-
ably better informed as to agricultural conditions and has
a larger personal acquaintance among farmers and farm
owners there than any other man.
Mr. Parks for many years has been interested more or
less in the lumber business as a manufacturer. He has
shipped out large quantities direct from the saw-mills in
the woods, and is still interested in that line. He is a
half-owner of the city garage at Philippi, and was one
of the firm that put up the building in the spring of 1916.
The City Garage is the authorized Ford Agency in Philippi.
Mr. Parks is a democrat, having cast his vote regularly
for the democratic candidates since the time of Grover
Cleveland. In local affairs he is not particularly partisan,
considering the man rather than the party. Mr. Parks
has been a successful business man, he owns the old home-
stead where he grew up, and some valuable nroperty in
Philippi. He has filled the chairs in the Encampment
degree of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, is also
a member of the Subordinate Lodge and the Grafton
Lodge of Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is a
member of the United Brethren Church, is liberal in his
donations to other denominations, and the unfortunate and
the afflicted have always had in him a generous helper
and one ready to respond with his personal aid and his
purse.
January 29, 1889, Mr. Parks married Miss Mary Etta
Zinn, daughter of John Riley and Amanda (Simon) Zinn.
She was born in Barbour County, February 23, 1865, the
third in a family of six children the others being: Ingaby,
wife of Josiah Nutter; Margaret, who was the first wife
of Josiah Nutter; Francis, a farmer in Barbour County;
Jacob, who operates the old homestead; and Aldine, one
of the very successful farmers of Barbour County.
The children of Mr. and Mrs. Parks, Lulie, Opal, Rosa,
Miss Von, Miss Zella and Lowell, were all liberally edu-
cated in the public schools. The daughter Lulie is the
wife of William Brown, of Akron, Ohio, and has a son,
Blaine. Opal is the wife of George Hall, of Wheeling.
Rosa married Fred Daddisman, of Philippi.
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