CHENOWITH: Of Reedy.
Ira S. Chenowith with his wife and possibly the first born of their children, made their farm home near the head of Right Fork of Reedy, on the Ravenawood and Spencer turnpike, three and a half miles west of the village of Reedy; here attacked the forest and made their home, possibly before the Civil War.
He was, may be, relative by marriage to John Stalnaker, who had his home at the head of the other fork of Right Reedy; Mrs. Stalnaker being a Chenowith by birth. Ira S. Chenowith was the first farmer of that creek to abandon the log house and build a new frame dwelling. "Lives in a white house," was an expression tinged a little with envy in those days -- about 1875. He was an active man of good judgment, successful for that time and environment. He encouraged me, the writer of this, by assuring me it was worth while to get an education. On the pike, among a number traveling to the county seat, Spencer, where on that day was a mass convention to nominate candidates for county offices,the company selected me to make a nominating speech, placing the name of Ira S. Chenowith, of Reedy, as a candidate for commissioner of the county court. I made the speech, he was nominated, and won in the general election; was president of the court for one year; his name appears on the records of the court for the years 1885 to 1889, with those of William D. Kelley and Almarine B. Jackson.
At the farm on Reedy, above mentioned, Ira S. Chenowith and his wife ended their course of life.
To them were horn and by them brought up the following children, named in order of ages: Martha J., James 0., Mary A., Job, George M., Bertram ("Bert"), and Clay.
Martha A. married Albert Hutchinson September 17, 1867.
James 0. married Miss Alice Lance September 7, 1876.
Mary A. married Gallatin J. Hamrick December 15, 1885.
George M. married Nora McClung December 13, 1891; his age 24, her's 24, she a daughter of M. A. McClung, of Reedy.
We do not have the marriages of Job, "Bert" or Clay.
Source: History of Roane County, West Virginia, 1774-1927 William H. Bishop, Esq. p 477-478
Submitter:Sandy Spradling, November 28, 1999
