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KANAWHA COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA - BIOS: LINN, Robert G.
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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. 414-417
ROBERT G. LINN, one of the leading attorneys of Kanawha county, W. Va.,
residing in Charleston, was born at Glenville, Va., (now W. Va.), April 6,
1849, son of Robert and Sophronia (Newcomb) Linn. The following facts in
regard to the genealogy of the Liun family have been ascertained and may
prove of interest to members of the family.
The Linns are of Scotch-Irish origin. Joseph Linn was born in 1725 and died
April 8, i800. He married Martha Kirkpatrick, who was born at Belfast,
Ireland, in 1728, and died March 7, 1791. She was the daughter of Andrew
Kirkpatrick. Joseph was adjutant in the 2d regiment of Sussex militia during
the Revolutionary war, Aaron Hankison being colonel. Joseph and Mary Linn had
four sons and four daughters, namely: Alexander (born Dec. 6, 1753), David,
Andrew, Margaret, Mary, Ann, Martha and John. David, Margaret and Andrew are
buried at the Yellow Frame.
(1). Andrew married Hannah, daughter of Nathan and Uphamy (Wright) Armstrong.
(2). David married Sarah, daughter of Brig. Gen. Aaron Hankison, and they
had eight children: Alexander married and went to Ohio. Mattie married Jacob
Shephard. Polly never married. Margaret mar-ried a Mr. Shephard. The Shepards
settled in Ohio. Aaron married Eliza Hankison, and settled in Finleyville,
Pa.
(3). Andrew was born in 1759, and died April 9, 1799. He studied medicine
under Dr. Samuel Kennedy at Log Goal. He married Ann Carnes of Blandensburg,
Md., and had five children, namely: Robert married Elizabeth Ryerson, and
settled at Hamburg, N. J. Margaret became the wife or Major William T.
Anderson of Newton. Mary married David Ryerson. Martha married, first, Hugh
Taylor, and second, Richard R. Morris, of New York. Alexander settled at
Easton, Pa.
(4). Margaret married Hon. Joseph Gaston, who was paymaster of Sussex
militia during the Revolutionary war.
(5). Mary
(6). Ann married Jacob Hull.
(7). Martha married, first, Isaac Schaeffer; second, Joseph Desmond. Martha
died In 1830 and was buried at Sandusky, Ohio. The Rev. Isaac Desmond was her
son.
(8). John married, May 19, 1791, Martha Hunt, a daughter of Lieut. Richard
Hunt. They had a large family of children, namely:
Elizabeth married Rev. Edward Allen. Sarah married Nathan Armstrong Shafer.
Andrew married Isabella Beardslee. Mary Ann married Rev. Benj. I. Lowe.
Caroline married Dr. Roderick Byington. Alexan-der was a physician at
Deckertown; he mar-ried Julia Vibbert. William H. was also a physician.
John Linn was appointed to the Court of Common Pleas of Sussex in i8o5, and
served until his death in 1823. He was twice elected to Congress, and died of
typhoid fever at Washington, D. C., during his second term. He was an elder
in the Presby-terian church of Hardyston.
The following facts have also been gathered in regard to other branches of
the family.
Joseph came into the Hardwick Patent from Lamington, Somerset county, N. J.
In the churchyard at Lamington there is a tombstone with this inscription:
"Alexander Linn Esq., who departed this life in the 64th year of his age, A.
D. 1776." This Alexander, it is said, was for many years in the commission
of the peace; he was an elder in the church, and for some time before his
death, one of the judges of the Court of Common Pleas. Another head-stone
marks the grave of Sarah Linn, daughter of Alexander and Sarah Linn, who
departed this life Sept. 12, 1755, aged twd years, three months and 15 days.
A third stone is in memory of Sarah Linn, daughter of James Linn, who
departed this life Oct., 1773, one year and six months of age. Mr. Mellick,
in his "Story of an Old Farm," says that Judge James Linn was one of
Somerset's aristocrats, and a citizen highly esteemed throughout the
cotintry; that he lived on a well improved plantation of 600 acres, which he
had inherited from his father; that he kept a retinue of servants and 20
slaves, and that he was elected in May, 1776, a deputy from Somerset to the
Provincial Congress of New Jersey.
>From another source it is learned that James Linn was a nephew of Joseph Linn
and that James was a representative in Congress, 1799-1801, from New Jersey.
When the Jefferson-Burr contest for President was thrown into the House and
the balloting had been so prolonged without result, James Linn broke the
deadlock in the New Jersey delegation, thereby throwing the vote of the
delegation for Jefferson and electing him President.
John Linn of Knowlton township, Warren county, N. J., came from Virginia,
fought in the Sussex militia during the Revolution, and was an elder in the
Presbyterian church, and died at the age of 102 years. His will is recorded
in the Sussex office, and is dated June 2, 1817. It names as his children,
James, John, Elizabeth, Jean, David, Joseph, Robert, Margaret and Cathering.
Among other property the will disposes of land in Greene county, Ky. The
birth dates of the three earliest Linns herein named are as follows:
Alexander Linn of Lamington, 1712; John Linn of Knowlton, 1715; Joseph Linn
of Hardwick, 1725.
Tradition says that the Linns of New Jersey and the Linns of Missouri were
related, and that their common home was in Virginia and West Virginia.
To return to our subject's direct line,
Robert Linn (grandfather of Robert G. Linn), born April 20, 1781, came to
Virginia probably from Pennsylvania about 100 years ago, settling at Linn's
Mills, in what is now Marion county, W. Va., where he died Sept. 9, 1834. He
was a farmer and miller. He married Catherine Lyon, who was born in
Pennsylvania Oct. i8, 1788.
Robert Linn, Jr., son of the aforementioned, was born in Marion county (now
in W. Va., but then in Ha rnson county, Va.), Dec.27, 1813, and died Dec. 7,
1860. He studied law in the office of Hon. Edgar C. Wilson, of Morgantown,
and was later admitted to the bar at Pruntytown, Taylor county, W. Va., in
1846. He subsequently practiced his profession in Gilmer county, W. Va. He
was elected for four successive terms to the office of prosecuting attorney,
by the Whig party, and was serving as sucb at the time of his death. At
different times he held other responsible offices, in which he served with
marked capacity, and was one of the best known and most popular citizens in
Gilmer county. He was an elder in the Presbyterian church. He was married in
Fairmont, W. Va, to Miss Sophronia S. Newcomb, who was born at Greenfield,
Mass., in 1816, a daughter of Ebenezer, Jr., and Sophronia (Smith) Newcomb.
She came of the old New England family of that name, a brief sketch of which
will be found subjoined to the present article. She was a lady of refinement
and culture, and was all her life a strong working member of the Presbyterian
church. Almost her entire life was spent in West Virginia, her parents
settling in Fairmont when she was but two years old. She died August 31, 1890.
The children of Robert Linn, Jr., and his wife Sophronia, were as follows:
Mary S., born Sept. 21, 1841, married Newton B. Bland, who died in March,
1896. She died January 28, 1910, leaving a son, Robert Linn Bland, now a
lawyer at Weston, W. Va., who is married and has three children. Nancy
Catherine Lyon, born May 3, 1849, married Marion T. Brannon, of Glenville, W.
Va., and has three children, namely: Hon. Linn Brannon, ex-judge of the
Circuit court of Gilmer, Calhoun, Jackson, Lewis and Clay counties; Alice,
who is married and lives at Fairmont, W. Va.; and Howard R. Brannon, who is
cashier of a bank at Glenville. Robert G., whose nativity has been already
given, is the direct subject of this sketch. Sarah L., born July 26, 1853, is
unmarried, and resides at Glenville.
Robert G. Linn, in October, 1866, while in his eighteenth year, became
assistant clerk in the circuit clerk's office at Clarksburg, where he
remained three years. In 1869 he entered the Cincinnati (0.) Law School, from
which he was graduated in the Class of 1870, with the degree of B.L. While in
college he had for instructors Ex-Governor Hoadley and Bellamy Storer. After
his graduation he practiced his profession in Glenville, W. Va., where he
became prosecuting attorney, later holding that office for three successive
terms-four years in Gil-mer county and eight years in Calhoun county, W. Va.
Returned to Glenville, Gil-mer county, in March, 1884, he remained there
until 1890, being associated with Hon. John S. Withers, and in 1900 he caine
to Charleston, having been associated in partnership here with George Byrne,
now of the Baltimore "Sun," and with William E. R. Byrne, with whom he is
still thus connected, as also is his son, Robert Linn. He has also a law
office at Sutton, Braxton county, W. Va., with Cary C. Hines and W. F.
Morrison, Jr., as partners; another at Weston, Lewis county, the firm name
being Linn, Brannan & Lively; and a third, or rather fourth, at Glenville,
the firm being Linn, Brannon & Hamilton. From 1873 until 1907, also he had
as partner, Hon. John M. Hamilton, present Congressman from the Fourth
district, with their office at Grantsville, Calhoun county. Mr. Linn stands
high in his profession and much of the important litigation in the county
passes through his hands and those of his partners. He is a Democrat in
politics, and is fraternally connected with the Odd Fellows lodge at
Glenville. In religion he is a Presbyterian
Robert G. Linn was married at Weson, W.Va., to Mary Hamilton, who was born,
reared and educated in that place. Her parents.were Dr. J. M. and Mary M.
(Lorentz) Hamilton, her mother being a daughter of John and a granddaughter
of Jacon Lor-entz. The latter, an early settler in this section, was a farmer
and merchant. He married a Miss Stalnaker, who died at an advanced age. John
Lorentz married Mary Regerboth, and both died when well along in years. Mr.
and Mrs. Robert G. Linti have been the parents of eight children, of whom the
following is a brief record:
Ernest died young. George died June 22, 1908, while a law student at the
Uni-versity of Virginia. Edna, born June 25, 1878, was educated at Wilson
college, Pa., and was for some time a teacher in the nor-mal school. She
resides at home. Mary, born April 25, i88o, was educated in the normal
school at Glenville and at Hollins, Va., and is also at home. Harriet, born
March 30, 1884, graduated from the Glenville Normal school, and as a trained
nurse from Washington, D. C. Robert, born July 25, 1882, graduated in law at
Morgantown,
W. Va. University in the Class of 1906, with the degree of B.L., was
admitted to the bar in the same year and has since been a member of the firm
with his father. He is unmarried. Ruth, born Oct.25, i886, is now taking a
course in nursing at Washington, D. C. John Hamilton, born Dec. 6, 1892, 15
now attending the city high school. The family attends the Presbyterian
church.
The Newcomb Genealogy -Francis Newcomb, born in England in 1605, came to
the American colonies in 1635, with his wife Rachel. Their son Peter, born in
-Braintree, Mass., March 16, 1648, married in April, 1672, Susanna Cutting,
daughter of Richard Cutting, of Watertown.
Jonathan, of the third generation, born in Braintree, Mass., March 1, 1685,
had wife D*borah, whose family name has not been ascertained. Their children
included Benjamin, born in Braintree, Mass., April 9, 1719, who on coming of
age removed to Norton, Mass., and died in 1801. He mar-ried, Nov.24, 1743,
Mary, daughter of John and Mercy Everett, of Dedham. She was born March 8,
1720-21.
Rev. Ebenezer Newcomb, fifth in line of descent, and maternal great
grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was born at Norton, Mass., in
November, 1754. He followed the various occupations of carpenter, joiner, and
farmer, and was also a Baptist minister. He fought for American independence
in the Revolutionary war, being a member of Capt. A. Clapp' 5 company. His
death occurred Feb.13, 1829. He married Wealthy Willis, Feb.23, 1779, who
died May 11, 1818.
Ebenezer Newcomb, Jr., son of the fore-going, and grandfather of Robert G.
Linn, was born Oct.22, 1785. He was a carpen-ter, joiner and cabinet maker.
He moved from Greenfield, Mass., to Fairmont, Va., where he died in 1859. He
married Sophronia Smith, who was born April 24, 1792. Their daughter
Sophronia, born Dec 6, 1816, died Aug. 30, 1890. A native of Deerfield,
Mass., she came with her parents to Fairmont, Va., when two years old, and as
before stated, she became the wife of Robert Linn, and the mother of Robert
G. Linn, the direct subject of this sketch.
Sandy Spradling
SSpradling@AOL.com
State Contact for WV GenExchange
http://www.genexchange.com/wv/index.cfm
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