Berkeley County, West Virginia         Biography of HANNON REED

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The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 416-417


HANNON REED has been successfully identified with farm
enterprise and coal operations in his native state, and is
now one of the substantial and popular citizens of Martins-
burg, Berkeley County.

Mr. Reed was born in the Village of Romines Mills, Har-
rison County, West Virginia, and on a pioneer farm in
the same county his father, Fielding Reed, was born Febru-
ary 19, 1832, a son of Minor Reed, supposedly a native of
Virginia and for many years numbered among the prosper-
ous farmers of Harrison County. Late in life he removed
to Ohio, where he continued to reside until his death, his
wife, whose family name was White, having died in Har-
rison County, West Virginia.

Fielding Reed was reared on the old home farm, and after
his marriage he resided for some time at Romines Mills.
He next engaged in farm enterprise in that county, and
later purchased a farm in Lewis County, where he remained
about five years, at the expiration of which he returned
to Harrison County and purchased a farm on Elk Creek.
There he continued his successful activities as an agricul-
turist and stock-grower for many years and there he died at
the venerable age of eighty-two years, as one of the hon-
ored native sons of the county. He became extensively
engaged also in the buying and shipping of live stock,
which he consigned to the markets in Philadelphia and
Baltimore. His wife, whose maiden name was Sarah Debar,
was born in Upshur County, a daughter of William and
Nancy (Reed) Debar, the latter of whom was a daughter
of Stephen Reed, a Virginia farmer. Mrs. Sarah (Debar)
Reed died when comparatively a young woman and left
four small children:  Hannon, Nancy, Lincoln and Ida.
Nancy became the wife of William Miles and is now de-
ceased; and Ida married Stephen Stewart. For his second
wife Fielding Reed married Mary Boyer, who died January
9, 1922, at Clarksburg, West Virginia. Of this union were
born four children:  Florence, Watt, Minnie and Mary.
Florence is the wife of Robert Stewart; Minnie is the wife
of Holden Stewart; and Mary is the wife of John Cum-
mings.

Hannon Reed gained his early education in the rural
schools, and early acquired valuable business experience.
At the age of twenty-one years he became associated with a
partner in the operating of a coal mine, and later he was
engaged in farming in Barbour County, where he remained
one year. He then returned to Harrison County, where lie
continued his active alliance with productive farm industry
until 1908, since which year he and his wife have maintained
their home at Martinsburg, where he has been identified
with various lines of business. He purchased a tract of
land on the hill overlooking the city and surrounding coun-
try, leveled the tract effectively and there erected the
modern house in which he and his wife now reside.

November 19, 1884, recorded the marriage of Mr. Reed
and Josephine Miles, who was born on a farm five miles
southeast of Buckhannon, Upshur County, a daughter of
John J. Miles, who was born in England. John J. Miles'
brother William and sister Priscilla likewise came to the
United States, and Priscilla married a man named Williams,
they making settlement in Ohio; William settled in Upshur
County, West Virginia. In this county John J. Miles pur-
chased a farm, and he not only became one of the successful
agriculturists of Upshur County but also actively identified
with the mining of coal. He died in that county, aged
seventy-seven years.  He married Mary Miller, who was
horn in Virginia, a daughter of Joseph Miller, who was a
carpenter and farmer, his farm having been on Beverly
Pike, about three miles distant from Buckhannon. Joseph
Miller had five sons, Jacob, John, Joseph, Jr., James and
George, and of the number all except Jacob became Union
soldiers in the Civil war, George having been killed in battle
and all of the others having long survived the war and
having received pensions from the Government. Mrs. Mary
(Miller) Miles died at the age of sixty years, she having
become the mother of seven children:  Susan, Priscilla,
Josephine, Philip, John, Sarah and Charles. Susan became
the wife of Sherman Shreeves; Priscilla married Lafayette
Westphall, who also served in the Civil war. In conclusion
is given brief record concerning the children of Mr. and
Mrs. Reed; Dorsey Miles Reed is in the employ of the
United States Government. Tressie May is the wife of
Owen S. Fisher. Russell Fielding Reed entered the military
service of the United States in April, 1918, and at Camp
Lee, Virginia, was assigned to the Three Hundred and
Seventeenth Regiment. of the United States Army, with
which, on the 25th of May of that year, he sailed for
France and proceeded with his command to the front lines.
He gained a full share of the arduous and hazardous ex-
perience on the stage of conflict in the great World war,
and he was both wounded and gassed, lie having been in a
hospital in France at the time when the armistice was
signed and brought the war to a close. Russell F. Reed
received his honorable discharge after his return home, and
to his enduring honor will stand his record of service in
the greatest war in the annals of history.