Ohio County, West Virginia    Biography: William F. STIFEL

**************************************************************************
USGENWEB NOTICE: Material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, 
as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is 
obtained from the contributor of the file.

These pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation 
by other organizations.  Persons or organizations desiring to use this 
material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of 
the contributor.

Submitted by Valerie Crook, <vfcrook@trellis.net>, March 1999
**************************************************************************

The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., 
Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 11-12

WILLIAM F. STIFEL. To know aught of the history, civic
and industrial, of the City of Wheeling, West Virginia,
implies high recognition of what the name of Stifel has
here signified in connection with normal development and
progress. He whose name introduces this paragraph is
president of J. L. Stifel & Sons, which concern here con-
ducts an extensive manufacturing enterprise as printers of
cotton goods—a business that was founded by his father in
1835 and that is one of the most important industries of
the city at the present time. He is president also of the
Wheeling Fire Insurance Company, the only fire insurance
corporation in West Virginia.

J. Louis Stifel, father of William F., was born and
reared in Wurtemberg, Germany, where he learned the
trade of calico printing, and where he became manager of
a large manufactory in this line. He came to the United
States in 1833, and in 1835 became one of the pioneer
manufacturers at Wheeling, then little more than a vil-
lage in the western part of Virginia. In 1837, at Steuben-
ville, Ohio, he wedded Barbara Becht, a native of Darm-
stadt, Germany. On coming to Wheeling Mr. Stifel estab-
lished a small calico-printing shop at the corner of Main
and Ninth streets, and six years later he purchased the
property at this location. There he erected and equipped
a larger plant, and with the passing years the industry has
constantly expanded in scope and importance. The sons,
Louis C. and William F., were thoroughly trained in all de-
partments of the business, in which they became partners
after the close of the Civil war. The honored father retired
from active connection with the business in 1878, and he
was one of the venerable citizens and honored pioneer
business men of Wheeling at the time of his death, in 1882.
The two sons continued to be associated in the control of
the business until Louis C. met a tragic death in a street-
car accident in 1899. In his calico-printing and indigo
work the father at first conducted all operations by hand,
and at the time of his retirement, in 1878, his calico-
printing plant was the largest establishment of its kind
in the Central States. Mr. Stifel was a strong Union man
in the period of the Civil war, and was a member of the
convention whose action brought out about the separation
of the present State of West Virginia from Virginia, inci-
dental to that war. He was a man of prominence and
influence in Wheeling, liberal and public-spirited, and
served as a member of the Board of County Commissioners.
He was one of the organizers and original directors of
the National Savings Bank of Wheeling, which later was
consolidated with the Wheeling Savings Bank, and he served
a number of years as president of the institution. He was
concerned in the organization of the Benwood Iron Works,
now a part of the Wheeling Steel Corporation's holdings,
and he continued a stockholder in the same until his death,
besides which he was a director of the Belmont Bridge Com-
pany and a stockholder in the company that gave to Wheel-
ing improved railroad facilities. Mr. Stifel never returned
to Germany, was a most loyal and appreciative American
citizen, and he brought his father to this country after the
death of the mother, the venerable father having passed the
remainder of his life at Wheeling. Mr. Stifel and his wife
were earnest members of the Evangelical Protestant Church,
and he was one of the founders of the church of this de-
nomination in Wheeling, besides being one of the most
liberal contributors to the erection of the original church
edifice, which is now the Presbyterian Memorial Mission, on
Eighteenth Street, the fine modern edifice of the church
itself being at the corner of Twenty-second and Ohapline
streets. Mrs. Stifel passed to the life eternal in the year
1875. Of the children the eldest was Louis 0., of whose
death mention has already been made; William F., of this
review, was the second son; Amelia became the wife of
Frederick Linke and died at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
Matilda, the wife of Louis Demmler, likewise died in that
city; Charles F., formerly engaged in the tanning business
at Pittsburgh, is now living retired in that city; George E.
is a merchant at Wheeling; Dr. Albert F., who was grad-
uated in a leading medical institution in Germany, was one
of the most able and popular physicians and surgeons
in the City of Wheeling at the time of his death, when but
thirty-eight years of age, and his two sons likewise are
physicians of ability, Richard being engaged in practice
at Cleveland, Ohio, and John at Toledo, that state.

The original firm title of J. L. Stifel & Sons is retained
in the continuing of the industrial enterprise founded by
J. L. Stifel, and Edward and Henry Stifel, sons of the
late Louis 0., as well as Arthur, son of William F. Stifel,
are now interested principals in the industry. Edward
Stifel went to Germany and gained practical experience in
the same factory with which his grandfather had been con-
nected as a youth. Henry also attended school and gained
business experience likewise in Germany. Arthur Stifel
was graduated in Cornell University and also in a textile
school in the City of Philadelphia.

William F. Stifel has been a resident of Wheeling from
the time of his birth, and in all the relations of life has
well upheld the prestige of the family name. He has been
connected with the business founded by his father since
he was a lad of sixteen years, and the concern now gives
employment to 200 persons, while the average shipments
of bleached fabrics and dyed prints are several car-loads
daily, the output being sold to jobbers and clothing manu-
facturers. The present modern plant was erected in 1899,
and is one of the most important industrial institutions in
the city and state. Mr. Stifel is one of the original stock-
holders and directors and the present president of the Wheel-
ing Fire Insurance Company, specifically mentioned on other
pages, and he is a director of the Wheeling Steel Corpora-
tion, the Wheeling & Belmont Bridge Company, the
Superior Coal Company, the Wheeling Sanitary Manufac-
turing Company, and the Fostoria Glass Company, Mounds-
ville, West Virginia. He was reared a democrat, but in
his young manhood was strongly opposed to the secession
movement that culminated in the Civil war. He has been
one of the liberal and progressive citizens of his native
city and has done all in his power to further its civic and
material advancement and prosperity. He was born in a
house that stood on the site of his present beautiful home,
and the date of his nativity was August 12, 1840.

As a young man Mr. Stifel wedded Miss Emma Schan-
dein, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and her death occurred
thirty-two years later, in 1908. She is survived by two
children, Arthur and Flora, the latter being the widow of
P. K. Witmer, of Des Moines, Iowa. In 1912 Mr. Stifel
married Miss Etta McFadden, a sister of Richard McFad
-den, of Moundsville, this state, in whose personal sketch,
on other pages, is given record concerning the family.