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KANAWHA COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA - BIOS: BLAKE, Otis Colwell
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Submitted to the West Virginia Biographies Project by:
Sandy Spradling
SSpradling@AOL.com
September 25, 1999
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History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and Representative
Citizens
W.S. Laidley
Richmond Arnold Publishing Co., Chicago, ILL.
1911
p. 405-406
OTIS COLWELL BLAKE, for a number of years was a well known citizen of
Charleston, W. Va., identified with the city's business interests, and prior
to his death was connected with the Bradford-Noyes china store. He was born
November 24, 1858, in Fayette County, W. Va., and died at Charleston, July
24, 1904. His parents were McDowel and Lizzie (Win-sor) Blake.
Both the Blakes and Winsors are old families of the state, generations of the
Blakes having lived and died at Hill Top, in Fayette County. McDowel Blake
and wife are both deceased hut a sister of Mrs. Blake survives, Mrs. Minerva
(Winsor) Richards, who is the wife of William Richards, of Oak Hill, W. Va.
They are probably the most venerable of all the residents of this section,
Mrs. Richards being ninety-one years old and Mr. Richards being one year
older. They are members of the Christian church and both are actively
in-terested in all that goes on in the neighborhood despite their advanced
age. A large family was born to McDowel Blake and wife, of which the late
Otis Colwell Blake was one of the intermediate members. Those who still
survive are: Thomas, who is a substantijal citizen of Fayette County; Edgar,
who is in the contract-ing business and lives in California; and Mrs. Mintie
Brown, a widow, who resides at Cincinnati.
Otis Colwell Blake was married at Charleston to Miss Ella Rand Means, who was
born in this city, March 10, 1859, and was reared and educated here; and with
the exception of an absence of eight years in Fayette County, following her
marriage in February, 1883, Mrs. Blake has spent her whole life here. She is
the only daughter of Joseph and Fanny (Craig) Means, natives of Kanawha
County. Mr. Means was a well known business man of Charleston. During the
Civil War he was a Unionist in his attitude on public questions, and was
always a highly respected citizen. He married Fanny Craig, who was born in
Kana-wha County in 1845 and still survives. They had two children: William
and Ella Rand. William Means was born in 1861 and died in 1898. He was a
stationary engineer and followed his profession at Charleston. In poli-tics
he was a Democrat and he belonged to the fraternal organization, the Red Men.
He never married.
To Mr. and Mrs. Blake three children were born, namely: Gaston, who died at
birth; Mildred, who was born in June, 1884, at Hill Top, W. Va., and is the
wife of Stephen Harmon; and Allan McDowel, who was born in October, 1887. He
was educated at Charleston and lives with his mother. He is an energetic and
succesful young business man and is agent for an automobile company.
The late Otis C. Blake was reared oh a farm in Fayette County and when he
came first to Charleston he followed the carpenter's trade and later became a
salesman for the above named china company. He was identified with the
American Mechanics. In politics he was a
Republican. He was a consistent member of the Presbyterian church, always
active in its work, and his widow and children belong to the same religious
organization.
Sandy Spradling
SSpradling@AOL.com
State Contact for WV GenExchange
http://www.genexchange.com/wv/index.cfm
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