Ohio County, West Virginia      Biography of William H. MAGEE

This biography was submitted by Kerry Armour,
E-mail address:  <cmac4330@chesapeake.net>

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The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.
Chicago and New York, Volume II
pg.65 & 66

WILLIAM H. MAGEE, who was born in the country north of Wheeling, is now
designer for the Central Glass Works of Wheeling, has concentrated the
energy and study of his mature career to the glass industry, and has
filled a number of expert and responsible offices with glass plants
all over the Ohio Valley.

Mr. Magee was born at Wellsburg, West Virginia, October 15, 1878. His
father, Joseph Magee, was born in Donegal, Ireland, in 1841. He lived
there until he was twenty, then crossed the ocean to Hamilton, Canada,
and for two years was employed as a physician's assistant in a hospital.
On leaving Canada he went to Akron, Ohio, learned the tinner's trade,
and followed it as a journeyman for seven years. In 1870 he located at
Wheeling, and owned and operated a tin shop and store at the corner of
Eleventh and Market streets until 1877. In that year he removed to
Wellsburg, where he continued the same line of business. From 1888 to
1898 he conducted his business at one of the leading centers of the
Ohio oil fields, Findlay. For twenty years following he was in business
at Newark Ohio and in 1918 retired and now, at the age of eighty, is
living at Charleston, West Virginia. He is a republican, a stanch member
of the Episcopal Church, and is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias.
Joseph Magee married Hannah Richardson, who was born at Wheeling in
1849. Her father, William Richardson, was a native of England, came
to the United States and settled at Wheeling when a young man, and
was a merchant tailor for many years. He married in Wheeling,
Elizabeth Barrett, who was born in Ireland in 1808 and died at
Findlay, Ohio, in 1892. Joseph Magee and wife had three children,
William H. dying in infancy and the third son was also named
William H., he being the glass maker at Wheeling. The second son,
Charles Frizzell, is a clergyman of the Episcopal Church with home
at Charleston, West Virginia. There was also an adopted daughter,
Hannah Ethel, who died at Newark, Ohio, in 1918, wife of Franze B
ahlke, who is now an employe of the Republic Truck Company at
Alma, Michigan.

William H. Magee spent the years of his childhood and early youth
in Wellsburg, West Virginia, and Findlay, Ohio, acquiring his public
school education there. He left school at thirteen, and his labors
as boy and man have been entirely devoted to the glass industry. He
was a boy worker in the mold department of the Dalzell, Gilmore &
Leighton Company at Findlay for seven years. From 1898 to 1902 he
was mold maker for the A. H. Heisey Glass Company at Newark, Ohio.
He first came to the Wheeling industrial district to take charge of
the mold department of the West Virginia Glass Company at Martins
Ferry. This plant was abandoned in 1904 and Mr. Magee was then put
in charge of the mold department of the Jefferson Glass Company at
Steubenville, Ohio, in 1906 went to Rochester, Pennsylvania, to fill
a similar position with the H. C. Fry Glass Company, was there two
years, and did similar work for the McKee Glass Company at Jeannette,
Pennsylvania. He then returned to the Jefferson Glass Company, who
had relocated at Follansbee, West Virginia, and was general manager
of that plant until 1910. For nearly a year he was in charge of the
mold department of the Imperial Glass Company of Bellaire, and on
January 1, 1911, he organized and opened the Grafton plant of the
Columbia Tile Company. He continued as general manager of this West
Virginia industry until January, 1915. From that date until January
1, 1921 Mr. Magee had charge of the mold department of the Libbey
Glass Company at Toledo, Ohio. On leaving Toledo he came to Wheeling
as designer for the Central Glass Works. This is one of the prominent
industries of the Wheeling District, located at Fifteenth and
McColloch streets.

Mr. Magee is a republican in politics, a member of the Episcopal
Church, and is well known in glass manufacturing circles and as a
citizen of a number of communities. During the war he acted as
salesman in every one of the five loan campaigns. He owns a modern
home at Park View, Elm Grove, Wheeling. He married at Wellsburg,
West Virginia, in 1903, Miss Margaret Frances Spooner, daughter
of Samuel and Anna (Carless) Spooner, now deceased. Her father
was a rolling mill heater in sheet iron mills. Mrs. Magee was
reared and educated in Wheeling, and died at Toledo, Ohio,
February 23, 1921. She is survived by four children: William
Spooner, born at Steubenville, Ohio, May 1, 1904; Nancy Lee,
born at Rochester, Pennsylvania, April 7, 1906; Samuel Joseph,
born at Follansbee, West Virginia, December 11, 1908; and Robert
Barrett, born at Grafton, West Virginia, November 7, 1912.