By Keith Gibson
Alexander Buchanan was my great-great-great-grandfather on my mother’s side of the family. His son Thomas was appointed and commissioned 2nd Lieutenant on August 29, 1863, and served in the civil war in the 4th Regiment, Company K, of the Volunteer Calvary of West Virginia. The calvary was organized at Parkersburg and Wheeling, West Virginia; attached to Wilkinson’s Brigade-Army of West Virginia, 3rd Brigade, Second Division-Army of West Virginia, and Kelly’s Command. Their duties were at Parkersburg, Clarksburg, Grafton, New Creek, and other points on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, guarding the railroad and operating against guerrillas. He saw action at Salt Lick Bridge, Medley, and Williamsport, with operations in Hampshire and Hardy counties.
In a book titled “Virginia and Virginians”, written in 1888 by Robert Alonzo Brock it says: “Thomas Buchanan was honorably discharged in 1865 and as a private citizen he filled many offices of trust”. “He was appointed Assessor by the State Auditor, held the office for 2 years, and was then elected Recorder of Logan County, and held this office 2 years; was next elected Clerk of Court, which office he also held for 2 years, and Clerk of Board of Supervisors”. “He was Postmaster for 6 years, and has at one time held 7 offices of importance”. “No man in the county stands higher or is more beloved by his acquaintances”. He owns extensive coal and timberlands in Logan county, where he now resides at his beautiful home on the Guyandotte River, near Logan Court House.
Thomas Buchanan and his wife, Mary (Ellis) Buchanan were the parents of Floyd Buchanan. Floyd was born February 24, 1849, and was married to Eliza A. Williams on June 10, 1869 in Logan County, WV. Floyd and Eliza’s children were: Charles, born 1870; Thomas, born 1873; Mary, born 1876; John, born 1879; James, born 1882; George, born 1885; Lillie Mae (my grandmother), born 1889; Laura E., born 1892; and Hattie Pearl, born 1895. Unfortunately, tragedy struck the Floyd Buchanan family between the years of 1887 and 1910 when typhoid fever claimed 6 of the 9 children, including Floyd and Eliza who died only 24 days apart in 1909. The Floyd Buchanan family is buried in the Mullins cemetery at Lyburn, Logan County, WV; the gravestones revealing the very young age of the children when they died. Mary was 12 years old, John was 8, James was 19 and George was only 2. Laura E. was 18, and Hattie Pearl was 12. Three children survived and lived on into the 1900s, and even though Lillie Mae suffered from typhoid fever she lived to tell about it. When she became ill with typhoid her mother and father were alive, but tragically when she came out from under the grip of the fever, typhoid had claimed both. Her brother Charles died at the age of 64 on April 18, 1935, and Thomas died January 2, 1947 at the age of 74. Lillie Mae, however, was blessed with 82 years of life before departing this earth in 1971 at the old Buchanan homeplace at the mouth of Davy Branch.
Just got an email from my 1st cousin that I grew up with and he told me he remembered the old chest that was in Grandma Harless’ house, and remembering how there was a lot of talk about how old it was. He said that our aunt Blanche (Grandma Harless’ youngest daughter) probably took it
(to Florida) when Grandma died in 1971. He also said it was hand made, and where it is now is anyone’s guess. He also said he remembered seeing it when Grandma died (1971).
Keith, that’s amazing work by your cousin ?.
Sad though that no one ever took a
photo of the chest.
Now all you have to do is go online
& put in the county in FL. that Blanche
took the chest to.
Put the request in as hand made chest
in local shops.
You will see lots of photos & maybe
you might see the one from your
childhood.
Just thought I’d add this bit of information to the “BUCHANAN FAMILY HISTORY AND TRAGEDY” article. –
When you’re 71 it’s tough trying to remember things that happened during your “growing up years”, but when I came across an article that Dwight Williamson wrote in the Logan Banner, dated October 30, 2019, I immediately started remembering about grandma Harless and my mom talking about an old piece of furniture that was upstairs at grandma’s house. I didn’t think much about it at the time, but remember them saying it was really old, even older than the civil war. From the way they talked, it sounded like some sort of chest and was made of cherry wood. They also spoke of the burn marks on it where they said someone had tried to break into the chest by burning it. It seems they really didn’t know the story behind the strange chest that stayed upstairs in the old Floyd Buchanan homeplace. Maybe grandma Harless knew but just didn’t talk about it.
Thanks to Dwight Williamson, some light has been shed on the subject. In the article, Dwight wrote about a piece that was written in the Logan Banner in 1937 by Howard Alley, a historical writer of that era. It spoke of an “improvised strongbox” that was in the possession of Mrs. A.C. Harless of Lyburn who, according to the article, “lived only a few hundred yards above the old Lawson homestead”. According to the article the chest originally belonged to the wife of Anthony Lawson.
Andrew Clifford Harless was my grandfather on my mom’s side of the family. The article noted that the “chest of drawers’ still bore the age worn blackened scars of the red hot poker with which negro slaves had tried to burn open, in order to reach the money and silver locked away in the chest. I don’t know what ever happened to the old chest, but it was probably handed down to either my aunt Blanche, who passed away in 2008, or uncle Elzie, who passed away in 1998. I hope to be able to get some information from some of my relatives of where it may have ended up. I’ll post any updates –
Keith Gibson 8/24/21
How big was this chest, please describe further
I don’t really know. I’m 71 now and that was years ago. I remember mom and grandma talking about it and probably saw it once or twice when i was a kid, because we weren’t allowed to play upstairs and was very seldom up there. I may be wrong, but it seems like it was about as big as a standard size cedar chest.
Keith, if it was 29″ high, 46″ Long & 18″ wide,
I have it in my home. My Dad Joe got it about
1940 from someone in Logan as we lived in
Cherry Tree at the time.
It made it through the 1963 flood after sitting in
the water for three days.
It still looks new as it made it from WV. to CA.
in 1964. But the lock is broken.
The chest I remember mom and grandma Harless talking about was upstairs at the old Buchanan homeplace back when I was a kid in the early to mid 1960’s.
I will have to ask my Aunt what info she knew about it. My Mom had a very large weird cedar lined very heavy I’d guess you would call blanket chest maybe. It was so tall she used the top for dressing my lil brother as a baby. Tried googling and nothing came close. I do remember a little gold plated small key lock. The top opened up with massive space inside and 2 drawers at the bottom. God forbid if your head was under that lid and it slammed down. My grandfather and great Uncle side was the White/Buskirks. Sounds like Bob may have your lead tho.
I remember going with mommaw to visit (she was your Aunt Ruth) and being shown the chest with the burn marks. I was a small kid, but the chest was more like a chest of drawers.
Also, that the slaves murdered the woman who owned it. They tried to burn it open with no success. This was late 1950’s.
Great job cousin.
Thanks cuz, appreciate it. Have you read the one about Buchanantown? The info. I found on “Cloyd’s Island” really surprised me. I’m sure it was an actual island in the 1800’s.
Thanks for the compliment Bob, I contacted Joe Geiger, the Director of the WV Cultural Center in Charleston and he told me that in the 1921-22 listing book of Logan County one room schools it shows a one room school at the mouth of Davy Branch at Lyburn. So far this is the only evidence that it existed, but I guess it will have to do. I’m happy to find it.
Keith, outstanding job of research.
Hope lots of people read the story
on Facebook.