Mercer & Summers Counties,

West Virginia

New 42Page Booklet

Information is somewhat sparce on Mercer and Summers Counties, WV, but we've gathered all we could find into this spiral-bound booklet comprised of excerpts from four rare vintage books: Historical Collections of Virginia by Henry Howe (1845); West Virginia in History, Life, Literature and Industry by Morris Purdy Shawkey; History of West Virginia by Virgil A. Lewis; and Virginia, a Guide to the Mountain State, a WPA publication (1941). The booklet is printed on 60# opaque paper, with the print size enlarged as needed to fit the 8 1/2 x 11 size. The front cover is a parchtex card stock, protected with a vinyl sheet.

Area communities include: Mercer: Athens (formerly Concord Church), Bluefield, Princeton, Matoaka, Rich Creek, Lurich, Glen Lyn, Oakvale, Flat Top, Giatto, Hiawatha, Springton, Arista, Freeman (Simmons), Bramwell, Summers: Hinton, Pence Springs, Talcott, Jumping Branch

Among the many subjects included are: Physical features; formation of the county; Bluefield Colored Institute (later Bluefield State Teachers College), a school for African Americans; Concord State Teachers College, Princeton in the Civil War, a beaver hat bank till, a visit by Frank James, Five year conflict for the county seat; Lilly Family Reunion at Flat Top, Lake Shawnee, Early Settlers and early days; Twin Big Bend Tunnels and John Henry; Railroad Builders; and other bits of history and trivia.

Attention Genealogists: This booklet contains relatively detailed biographies of many county residents of the late 1800s. They frequently include ancestors, siblings, children, in-laws, affiliations, war records, and business activities, in the course of which they often shed light on the businesses, churches, professions and institutions, and on the events of the day.booklet contains biographies of many county residents of the late 1800s, often going into considerable detail. They include:

MERCER: Irvin A. Downey, Clyde E. Elliott, Samuel J. Evans, William E. Gilkeson, Howard B. Lee, David B. Lepper, Johnson H. Lilly, Clyde Maxey, Bernard McClaugherty, Fred S. Richmond, Russell S. Ritz, John W. Sasser, Andrew J. Stewart, George G. Strong, Alton L. Smith, Samuel Turk.

SUMMERS: Charles D. Bolton, Paul J. Carr, Orville J. Hale, Robert W. Hamer, Isaiah B. McComas, James G. Meadows, Joseph M. Meador, Margaret Nicely, George K. Nutting, George L. Pence, Dorsy M. Ryan, James W. Stokes, and William L. Van Sant.

Wouldn't this make a unique gift?