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UPSHUR COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA
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Submitted to the West Virginia Biographies Project by:
Valerie & Tommy Crook
vfcrook@earthlink.net
July 4, 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. 412-413
ROBERT A. DARNALL is one of the prosperous citizens of
Upshur County. He is a farmer and farm owner near
French Creek, but his career has been one of varied service
and activity, and he is one of the best known men of the
entire county.
He was born in Upshur County June 20, 1850, son of
Morgan A. and Jane (McDowell) Darnall. His father was
a native of Greenbrier County and his mother of Monroe
County, and they grew up in the same vicinity. Both were
well educated, though they had only the subscription schools
during their youth. After their marriage they settled on
a farm in Upshur County, living near French Creek, and
in 1859 moved to the farm now owned by Robert A. Dar-
nall. Here the father died in 1883 and the mother in 1911.
They were active members of the Baptist Church, of which
Morgan Darnall was a deacon. He was affiliated with the
Masonic Order and was a republican. During the Civil
war he became captain and later was colonel of the Tenth
West Virginia Infantry, Union Army. For a number of
years he held the office of justice of the peace. Of his
sixteen children, nine are still living.
Robert A. Darnall grew up on a farm in Upshur County
and his advantages in the common schools were supple-
mented by two terms in the French Creek Academy. As a
young man he taught school eight years. He was in the
lumber business fourteen years, and since then has been
quite steadily identified with the management of his farm
of 325 acres in the French Creek neighborhood.
Mr. Darnall was for six years a member of the County
Court of Upshur County, is now one of the overseers of
the poor, and is a fire insurance agent for the Grange
Mutual Insurance Company. He is a republican, a mem-
ber of the County Grange, and is a Baptist.
June 20, 1880, he married Malinda C. Rexroad, who was
born in the south end of Upshur County. They have five
children: Thomas A., a mechanic at Buckhannon; Roscoe
A., a merchant of Gilmer County; Porter A. who is in
the wholesale and retail feed business with his brother,
Roscoe A.; Nellie, wife of Fay Hammer, of Upshur County;
and Nora E., wife of Philip Phillips, of Upshur County.
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