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HARRISON COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA
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Submitted to the West Virginia Biographies Project by:
Valerie & Tommy Crook
vfcrook@earthlink.net
July 9, 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. 420
ALPHEUS W. PRITCHARD was born while James Monroe
was president of the United States, and his life was pro-
longed in good works until the beginning of the twentieth
century. The West Virginia community that should hold
his memory in special honor is Clarksburg, which he saw
grow from a village to a city, and in that growth he
shared as a constructive business man.
He was born at Morgantown, West Virginia, July 4,
1819, son of George and Elizabeth (Betts) Pritchard. His
parents were reared in Maryland, and Edward Pritchard,
founder of the American family, was a native of Devon-
shire, England. Alpheus W. Pritchard grew up before free
schools were instituted, and his education was acquired by
private instruction in some of the subscription schools which
then furnished educational advantages. He became an ap-
prentice blacksmith, a trade he thoroughly learned and in
which he was a skillful worker for a number of years,
inventing and making many useful articles.
As a young man he moved to Clarksburg, and his work
for several years was that of a blacksmith in this town.
Subsequently he enlarged his business enterprise to mer-
chandising, and eventually concentrated his energies almost
entirely in the field of real estate. He had in a remarkable
degree the faculty of foresight which enabled him to antic-
ipate future developments and at the same time influencing
developments. He acquired some holdings that became very
valuable. One of the most interesting of these properties
is situated on what was known in the early days as The
Point, and later Point Comfort. Here he owned many acres
of land and built his house on one of the most attractive
residence sites. He lived here for many years, and enjoyed
the situation the more because it affords a daily panorama,
from which he could estimate and observe the progressive
changes by which a small village had been converted into
a thriving city by the hand and industry of man. On the
site of his old home now stands the magnificent Thorne home,
one of the most attractive in the city. The house is English
architecture and was planned and designed by his daugh-
ter, Mrs. Joseph W. Thorne, whose husband is a native of
Harrison County.
Highly successful in business, the late Mr. Pritchard
was known by all his friends and associates as a man of
the highest integrity of character. His business brought
him in touch with the public, and gave him something of
a public character. He never took advantage of a man,
never foreclosed a mortgage, and he succeeded not by mak-
ing the misfortunes of others help him, but through his
constructive foresight and working always for the best
interests of his clients and the public at large.
June 27, 1843, Mr. Pritchard married Miss Mary Wolfe,
who was born in Harrison County, November 25, 1824. Her
birthplace was the farm which included the portion of land
now occupied by the Clarksburg Country Club. Her father,
David Wolfe; served as a soldier in the Revolutionary war.
To Mr. and Mrs. Pritchard were born nine children, the
youngest of whom is Mrs. Metta Victoria Thorne of Clarks-
burg. Mr. and Mrs. Pritchard were very actively identified
with the work of the Baptist Church.
Alpheus W. Pritchard died November 3, 1901, at the age
of eighty-two. His widow survived him and passed away
December 28, 1910, aged eighty-six.
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