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CABELL COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA - BIOS: DARNALL, Harry Hairston (published 1923)
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Submitted by
Valerie Crook
vfcrook@trellis.net
September 16, 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. 240-241
Cabell County
HARRY HAIRSTON DARNALL. While he has been a mem-
ber of the West Virginia bar only fifteen years, nothing
less than a state-wide reputation attaches to the name of
Harry Hairston Darnall of Huntington. His forte has been
the criminal law. Numerous causes celebre have tested
his resourcefulness in this branch of the law. In the prep-
aration of his cases, and in the presence of court and jury,
he rises to some of the highest standards that have been
used to measure the attainments of eminent lawyers of
either the present or past generations.
Mr. Darnall comes of a distinguished old Virginian fam-
ily. His great-grandfather was Henry Darnall, a native of
Virginia. His grandfather, Richard Darnall, was born in
Giles County, that state, in 1810, and was a planter and
slave owner before the Civil war and spent his active life
in Franklin and Giles counties. He died in Floyd County,
Virginia, in 1896. His wife was Sarah Hardaman, who
was born in Franklin County in 1810, and died in Floyd
County in 1898.
The father of the Huntington attorney was a well-known
Virginia banker and business man, Henry Mauze Darnall.
He was born in Giles County, September 13, 1859, spent his
early life in Giles and Franklin counties, and in 1881 mar-
ried at Martinsville in Henry County. He remained in
Henry County until 1882, operating a tobacco plantation.
Then, in 1882, he became assistant cashier of the old
Roanoke Trust, Loan and Safe Deposit Company at Roanoke.
He was with that institution a number of years, was for a
time general manager of the Gas and Water Company of
Roanoke, was president and manager of several land com-
panies, and for several years before his death was commis-
sioner of revenue of the City of Roanoke. He retired from
business in 1915, and died at Roanoke July 16, 1916. He
founded and incorporated the First State Bankers Asso-
ciation of Virginia. Outside of business his influence was
steadily exerted in behalf of better schools, and he was one
of the citizens of Roanoke who did most to establish per-
manent and a high class school system. For a number of
years he was president of the city school board. He was
also president of the city council a number of years. In
politics he was a democrat, and was a devout member of
the Presbyterian Church. Fraternally he enjoyed the im-
portant honor of grand keeper of records and seals in the
Grand Lodge of Knights of Pythias of Virginia, and was
a member of four other fraternal organizations.
Henry M. Darnall married Mary Louise Hairston, who
while retaining a summer home in Eoanoke resides at Brad-
entown, Florida.
Through his mother Harry H. Darnall is related to one
of the oldest and most substantial of Virginia families. His
mother's grandfather, George Hairston, was born in Henry
County, and died at Hordesville in that county. He was
owner of about 90,000 acres comprised in plantations in
Henry, Patrick, Floyd and Franklin counties. A man of
wealth, he was prominent in public affairs, and for thirty
years was a member of the Senate or House of Delegates of
Virginia. He was elected to office even after he was eighty
years of age. Robert Hairston, maternal grandfather of
Harry H. Darnall, was born in Henry County in 1824, and
for many years he owned and operated and lived upon the
Roundabout Plantation in Henry County. Prior to the Civil
war he was considered one of the largest slave holders in
the state. He and his brother George owned 7,000 acres in
Henry County. In his time and even now there is no su-
perior tobacco land in the country to that comprised in the
Roundabout Plantation. On this plantation he lived out
his life and died there in 1903. Robert Hairston married
Miss Elizabeth Saunders, who was born at the pretentious
country home of the Saunders family known as Bleak Hill
in Franklin County, Virginia. She was born in 1825 and
died in Henry County in 1890.
Henry M. Darnall and wife had a family of four children,
the oldest being Mary, wife of Mercer Hartman, an attor-
ney at Norfolk, Virginia. Harry Hairston is the second in
age. Thomas Mauze is an attorney, member of the law firm
of Hoge and Darnall at Roanoke. Elizabeth is the wife of
Edward J. Snyder, who owns and operates a large orchard
near Roanoke.
Harry Hairston Darnall was born at the old family plan-
tation in Henry County May 13, 1884. He acquired a pub-
lic school education in Roanoke, graduating from high school
in 1902, spent three years in the Virginia Polytechnic Insti-
tute at Blacksburg, and in 1905 entered Washington and
Lee University at Lexington, Virginia, to pursue his law
course. He remained there two years, and in June, 1907,
was admitted to practice by the Supreme Court of Virginia.
In July following his admission to the Virginia bar he
came to West Virginia and for three years practiced at
Beckley. For two years of that time he was town recorder,
and he also acted as mayor part of one term. In 1910 he
removed to Huntington, and since then has been one of the
busiest members of the local bar of that city. Probably 80
per cent of his law practice is in the criminal branch of the
law. There has hardly been an important criminal case
tried in Cabell County since 1910 with which he has not
been identified. His practice as a criminal lawyer is by no
means confined to this one county. His law offices are at
803 Fifth Avenue.
Mr. Darnall is a democrat, a Presbyterian, has twice been
exalted ruler of Huntington Lodge No. 313, Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks, has served as district deputy grand
exalted ruler of the West Virginia Elks, is a member of
the Guyan Country Club and belongs to several social or-
ganizations. Mr. Darnall owns a fine suburban home, a
brick residence situated on twenty-seven acres of land
along the Barboursville Road. He has acquired other real
estate in Cabell County. During the World war he em-
ployed his profession and all his personal influence to aid
the Government in the successful prosecution of the war.
He was a member of all the committees for raising funds,
was on the legal advisory board of the county, and spent
much time helping recruits fill out questionnaires.
In Huntington, June 4, 1908, he married Miss Em
Holderby, daughter of Edward and Columbia A. (Stewart)
Holderby, the latter still living in Huntington. Her father,
who died at Huntington in 1890, was a prosperous farmer
of Cabell County, and he owned the old Holderby homestead
on the Sixteenth Street Road. One-half of the modern City
of Huntington is built on the old Holderby farm, which
was patented in 1790. Mrs. Darnall was liberally educated
in Marshall College of Huntington and the Virginia College
at Roanoke. Two children have come into the home of Mr.
and Mrs. Darnall, Harry Holderby, born April 30, 1910,
and Lucy Holderby, born March 15, 1919.
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