Jane
Adelia 'Jennie'
(Hanshaw) Huggins
(1845-1903)
Jane Adelia 'Jennie' (Hanshaw) Huggins was born in 1845 in Preston County, WV, the daughter of Hiram B. and Catherine (Miner) Hanshaw. She was married to a Civil War soldier who was wounded in action.
On
Jan. 18, 1866, Jennie married Eugene Huggins (1841-1909). Brother in law Thomas
L. Purinton witnessed the wedding. Official
records of the marriage were "entirely destroyed" in the great
courthouse fire in Kingwood, WV of 1869.
The Hugginses had a son, M. "Frank" Huggins and a daughter, Pauline Brown Engelbrit.
Before the Civil War broke out, Eugene worked as an ambrotypist, an early day photography technique, circa 1860.
Eugene was a member of the 3rd WV Infantry, and later was transferred to the 6th WV Cavalry, Company D, of which he was a sergeant. He stood 5 feet 8 inches, and weighed 144 lbs., with dark hair and blue eyes.
During the war, his regiment was stationed at Clarksburg and New Creek, WV. Later, in battle at McDowell, VA, on May 8, 1862, Eugene received a slight gunshot wound in the right forearm. The ball remained in his arm the rest of his life. The battle was fought between the armies of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson and Union General Robert Milroy. This was the first battle in Jackson's famous "Valley Campaign" where his foot cavalry marched 400 miles in 40 days and defeated four armies commanded by four different generals.
Mountainous McDowell battlefield where Eugene was wounded
After his discharge, on Aug.
15, 1864, Eugene returned home to Newburg, Preston County, where he worked as
"clerking, carpenter & tinner..." They lived in Newburg for a time,
but later moved to Morgantown, Monongalia County, WV. A rare old bird's eye
postcard view of Morgantown, hard by the Monongahela River, is seen here.
To be certified to receive a federal pension for his war wound, he often was summoned to physical examinations by authorized physicians. At one point, he was unable to go, and later had to testify why:
…I was employed in an undertakers shop. At that time my order was sent to me and the Proprietor not being here I could not leave as the Typhus was vary bad here at that time. I was called in nearly every day and often two and three times a day. I could not get any one to fill my place in the shop. Going before the board I would [have] had to [have] been away nearly all day and one night I was sick my self a great deal of the time and not able to go. If I could of left the business as there was no other undertakers shop here or near here. It was nessary that I should be here all the time.
While residing in Newburg, Eugene "was one of Preston county's prominent citizens, and served as justice of the peace for several terms. He was engaged in the insurance business with his son, Frank Huggins, and as very successful in this field of activity."
Wiley's 1882 History of Preston County
says that in 1870-1871, Eugene served as clerk of the Lyon District of the
county.
Jennie died suddenly in her sleep on Feb. 5, 1903, at age 57. The West Virginia Argus eulogized:
…Sister had been a member of the church since early life, and was a faithful and consistent Christian lady. The M.E. Church of which she was a member, has lost in her death a valuable and consistent member. Her life was exemplary, pure and beautiful…. The very large assemblage of people attending the funeral service … was an indication of the high regard in which this elect lady was held.
The Argus also reported that "Her death was very sudden from heart failure, having retired at a late hour apparently in good health as at any time in the past and an hour later was discovered by her husband to be sinking into death in tranquil silence." She was buried at Newburg.
On May 31, 1905, Eugene married 34-year-old maid Annie Morrell (1871- ? ) at Cumberland, MD. Their marriage lasted a relatively short 4 years, until Eugene's death.
He died in his residence at
16 Union Street in East Morgantown on March 7, 1909, at age 68. The Morgantown New Dominion
said that the announcement "came as a great shock to a large number of
friends, many of whom did not know of his illness.
He suffered from a complication of illnesses, which gradually undermined
his strength." His remains were brought by rail to Newburg Cemetery for burial.
After his death, widow Annie moved to the railroad town of Meyersdale, Somerset County, PA, residing at 413 Beachly Street, and later at 413 Salisbury Street. Her fate is unknown.
Jennie and Eugene are mentioned in the 1987 book, Huggins Families of Western Pennsylvania and Northern West Virginia by Charles E. Huggins (Gateway Press, Inc.).
Copyright © 2000-2005 Mark A. Miner