Benjamin Woods McMechen

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/113518642/benjamin-mcmechen

From the 1850 federal census, Benjamin Mc Mechen lived with his daughters and son at Marshall County, Virginia. The family at the time consisted of:

• Head Benjamin Mc Mechen 73
• Daughter Susan Mc Mechen 24
• Daughter Lydia Mc Mechen 23
• Son Shepherd Mc Mechen 21
• Daughter Sarah Mc Mechen 18

Find A Grave Memorial

Benjamin married Nancy Boggs on November 27, 1804. She was a daughter of William Boggs.

BIOGRAPHY: Was born at Brownsville, Pa., in the year 1777, the temporary retreat of his father's family before referred to. After the return of the family to the Ohio river, below Wheeling, he continued on the paternal estate until his death, in 1885, dying at the advanced age of seventy-eight years. He became a successful and prosperous farmer, having acquired by inheritance and purchase a very large tract of land amounting at one time to 1,600 acres, in one body, 700 of which were river bottom. He became the father of a large family consisting of fourteen children, six sons and eight daughters, all of whom, as before said, lived to mature age, and twelve of whom married respectably, and became the heads of families. Their names were, Sidney, William, Hiram, David, James, Hanson, Mary, Elizabeth and Jane (twins), Benson, Lydia, Ellen, Sheppard and Sallie.

BIOGRAPHY: Sidney married Thos. H. List, a merchant, who became a man of property and influence, and was for many years president of the Commercial Bank of Wheeling. William married Mary Blake, of Marshall county, a lady of Scotch descent. Hiram married Hannah Armstrong, daughter of Rev. William Armstrong, first rector of St. Matthew's Protestant Episcopal Church, Wheeling, and sister of Rev. William Armstrong, jr., his son and successor. David married Mary J. Cummins, of Ohio, and sister of the Drs. Cummins, successful practitioners of medicine, in the city of Wheeling. James Hanson married Elizabeth A. Sehon, daughter of Major John L. Sehon, of Clarksburg, Virginia (now West Virginia), and sister of Rev. E. W. Sehon, D. D., late of the Methodist Church South. Mary married Joseph M. Bushfield, of Pittsburgh, Pa., afterwards an active business man of Wheeling. She was twice married, her second husband being Jesse Lazeaur, a gentleman of wealth and respectability, residing near Baltimore, Md. Elizabeth married John R. Morrow, a successful merchant of Wheeling, who has for many years lived in retirement on a part of the paternal estate, near the old homestead. Jane married Benoni S. Good, son of Major John Good, of Ohio county, and brother of Moses C. Good, a lawyer of high standing in the city of Wheeling. Lydia never married, but died a few years after the death of her father. Benson, a young man of promising abilities, was blown up on the steamer Louisiana (of which he was clerk and part owner), at the city of New Orleans, in the year 1849. Ellen married E. Halstead Caldwell, son of Judge Caldwell, of the United States Court, and who became himself judge of the Circuit Court of his own vicinity. Susan married E. A. Hildreth, a medical practitioner of the city of Wheeling, of considerable distinction. Sheppard married Alcinda Cockayne, daughter of Vincent L. Cockayne, a wealthy and prosperous farmer of Marshall county. His father having by deed and will, before and at the time of his death, made a pretty liberal provision for the rest of his children, left to his youngest son (Sheppard) the greater portion of his remaining estate, consisting of all his personal property and about four hundred acres of land, including the old homestead. Sheppard died in 1874, leaving to his widow and two children the most valuable part of his estate, the remainder to different members of his father's family, the principal part of which was given to James H. McMechen and his children. But, although his intentions were just and benevolent, he unfortunately entailed upon them an unpleasant and vexatious law suit, which is still pending in the courts, his widow having thought proper to contest the will. Sallie, the youngest daughter, married Aaron Kelly, a thrifty farmer, owning a choice body of land in the Short creek settlement, and in the upper end of Ohio county.

BIOGRAPHY: Benjamin McMechen, like the children of most of the early settlers, received but a very limited education. He was a man of sound judgement and sterling integrity.

BIOGRAPHY: Mr. McMechen was a justice of the peace for Ohio county, under the old regime, and continued to act in that capacity after the county of Marshall was struck off from the former county. Under the old constitution (before 1852), the county court was a self-perpetuating body, composed generally of men of wealth and influence. The sheriffalty of the county fell to each magistrate by rotation, according to seniority in ofice. In this way it came to Mr. McMechen twice. He farmed it, as was usual, to a man who proved dishonest and a defaulter, running away with the funds of the county. This gave him and his securities a great deal of trouble, and involved the bondsmen of the defaulting deputy in heavy losses. When the office fell to him a second time, he declined accepting it, and allowed it to pass on to the next rotation, thinking that he had seen enough of the sheriffalty for one short life time.

BIOGRAPHY: Mr. McMechen, at an early period in his history, united himself to the Methodist Church, that being the pioneer church and almost the only one of the day. He lived and died a consistent member of that body. He built a chapel on his place, and in his will secured it and the adjoining grave yard to the church of his choice. His contributions to the support of the ministry, and other charitable objects, were always liberal, but unostentatious.

BIOGRAPHY: From HISTORY OF THE PAN-HANDLE, West Virginia, 1879, by J. H. Newton, G. G. Nichols, and A. G. Sprankle.

BIOGRAPHY: Contributed by Linda Cunningham Fluharty.

Benjamin McMechen
BIRTH 27 Nov 1777
Brownsville, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, USA
DEATH 2 Apr 1855 (aged 77)
Marshall County, West Virginia, USA
BURIAL
Greenwood Cemetery
Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia,

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/113518642/benjamin-mcmechen

Children
Photo
Sidney McMechen List
1805–1887

Photo
William Benjamin McMechen
1807–1888

Photo
Hiram McMechen
1808–1877

Photo
James Hanson McMechen
1813–1889

Photo
Jane Taylor McMechen Good
1816–1877

Photo
Elizabeth McMechen Morrow
1816–1883

Photo
Benjamin Benson McMechen
1818–1849

Photo
Ellen McMechen Caldwell
1822–1906

Photo
Moses Shepherd McMechen
1827–1874

Photo
Sarah Boggs McMechen Kelly
1830–1879