|
PRESTON COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA
******************************************************************
Submitted to the West Virginia Biographies Project by:
PTyler107@aol.com
February 13, 2000
******************************************************************
The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume II, pg. 129-130
Ivan Davis is a banker at Kingwood, being cashier of the Kingwood
National Bank. He acquired his early business training at Morgantown, where
he was connected with the glass industry for many years.
Mr. Davis succeeded W. A. Schaeffer as cashier of the Kingwood National
Bank and is also one of its directors. This bank was organized in 1902 by
local capitalists, the moving spirit being James W. Flynn. Other associates
were Ira Robinson, of Grafton, Senator Stephen B. Elkins and S. H. White. The
capital has always been maintained at $25,000 and the surplus and undivided
profits now stand at a similar figure. The officers are: Mr. Flynn,
president; C. A. Craig and George A. Herring, vice presidents; Mr. Davis,
cashier; and Charles Manown, bookkeeper.
Mr. Davis represents one of the older families of West Virginia, both his
father and grandfather having been born in the state. His great-grandfather
more than 100 years ago came from New Jersey and established his home in
Doddridge County, where he lived out his life as a farmer. His son William
was a Doddridge County farmer all his life, and the third generation of the
family here was represented by William G. Davis, father of the Kingwood
banker.
William G. Davis was born in 1834, and has now reached venerable years,
his active life having been devoted to farming. He was a Confederate soldier
and was in the army until the close of the war. He was a private, and though
in many battles he escaped wounds or capture. That has been practically his
only service outside of his farm and home community. Like most of his
ancestors he has been satisfied to vote as a democrat, and he is a member of
the Baptist Church. William G. Davis married Miss Martha Hall, who died in
June, 1921, at the age of sixty-eight. Her father was Lemuel Hall, of Auburn,
in Ritchie County. William G. Davis and wife had seven sons and one daughter:
Newton F., Lewis T., William L., Cyrus A., Marshall, Fred, Ivan, and Lydia,
the latter the wife of W. Lewis of Doddridge County. All the sons are farmers
but William L., who is a Baptist minister, and Ivan.
Ivan Davis was born near Salem, Doddridge County, November 7, 1882, and
he grew up near the county seat and was a factor on the farm until about
eighteen. He then supplemented his common school education by attending Salem
College three years, and at the age of twenty-one completed the course of the
Mountain State Business College at Parkersburg. With this education and
training Mr. Davis became an office man for the Mississippi Glass Company at
Morgantown, and was continuously with that corporation for fifteen years,
seeing it grow from a plant employing about seventy-five men to and industry
with a pay roll of about 300. he was assistant manager of the company when he
resigned in July, 1917, to remove to Kingwood and enter upon his duties as
cashier of the Kingwood National Bank.
Mr. Davis is a member of the minority party in Kingwood, a democrat, and
only once has been a candidate for office. He was on the ticket in 1920 for
county clerk of Preston County, and made a splendid showing in spite of the
inevitable defeat of that year. He is a Methodist, and a member of the
Masonic Lodge. Mr. Davis and his wife planned their very attractive home at
Kingwood, which is of English style of architecture and was completed in 1921.
Mrs. Davis before her marriage was Miss Isa Lynne Bucklew. She was born
in Preston County in 1892 and was married at Kingwood, December 25, 1912. Her
father, George W. Bucklew, represents one of the pioneer families of West
Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Davis have two sons: George William and Delroy Richard.
|
