Helen
(Purinton)
Manear Liady White
(1867-1927)
Helen (Purinton)
Manear Liady
White was
born on April 28, 1867 in or near Independence, Preston County, WV, the eldest
of four daughters of Thomas
L. and Matilda 'Tillie' (Hanshaw) Purinton. Helen was married three times --
her second husband tragically dying during construction of the river tunnels in
New York City, and her third a husband a prominent state legislator, newspaper
editor, publisher and postmaster in West Virginia.
Helen's first husband was (?) Manear. Nothing is known about him, except that they had a son, Bernard Purinton Manear, born in April 1889 in Kingwood, Preston County.
In 1892-1893, Helen boarded in Wheeling, Ohio County, WV at 7 South Broadway, as recorded in Wheeling City Directories (as researched and published on Isabel Carter's pages on Ancestry.com).
How the Manears' marriage ended is lost to history, for now. By 1894, Helen wed her second husband Michael Harry Liady (1865- ? ). He was a native of Maryland, the son of Aaron G. and Emma Liady.
The Liadys first lived in Kingwood, and had one son, Thomas Lagee Liady. At the time of the son's birth in 1894, the family resided in Burton, Wetzel County, WV, where Helen's uncle and aunt, Robert M. and Marian (Percy) Hanshaw, also lived. Burton at that time was a key Baltimore & Ohio Railroad delivery point for equipment used in the burgeoning oil and gas industry of Wetzel County.
Circa 1908, the Liadys resided in New York City. Helen's sister and brother in law, Kate and Charles Haller, also lived in New York during that era. One of their addresses is believed to have been 1253 Amsterdam Avenue.
At the death of her uncle Dr. Guy Hanshaw in 1908, Helen was entitled to receive 1/32 of the estate, which included lucrative oil and gas wells. She received an immediate payout from the estate of $57.81 in 1909. At intervals over the years, she received royalty payments from the wells. The high point was in 1918, when she received $24.54. The records of these transactions are still on file in the Ritchie County courthouse in West Virginia.
Family oral history says that Michael obtained employment in the construction of one of the tunnels in New York City. Tragically, likely while working in cofferdams under the river, breathing compressed oxygen, he contracted the "bends," and passed away of its effects. His death occurred sometime before 1910. An online search of the New York Times obituary archive, in 2006, did not locate a printed notice Michael's passing.
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Manhattan skyline of the early 1910s -- about the time Helen and Michael Liady resided there while he helped construct a river bridge |
When the 1910 federal census of Manhattan, NY, the 43-year-old Helen was widowed, and employed as a dressmaker. Making their home under her roof that year were 21-year-old son Bernhard Manear and 15-year-old-son Thomas L. Liady. Bernhard was employed as a subway clerk, and Thomas as an office broker.
On March 5, 1921, at the age of 56, Helen married widower James Wesley White (1858-1946), who had been a prominent newspaper editor and politician in her home turf of Preston County, WV, and may have been a friend from her early years. She was living in New York City at the time, but apparently moved back to West Virginia following the marriage, making her new home in Webster, the county seat of Webster County.
James has been called the "dean of West Virginia newspaper publishers."
James was the son of John Nelson and Malinda Jane (Feather) White. He and his first wife, Nettie F. Graham (1872-1896), had two children -- Martha J. Snyder and Kathleen Graham White. At the time of his marriage to our Helen, James had been a widower for some 25 years, his first wife passing away on Feb. 1, 1896, at the age of but 24. (James' daughter Kathleen died in 1918, at the age of 25, adding to his heartbreak.) James' only surviving daughter from the first marriage, Martha J. Snyder, thus became Helen's step-daughter.
There is an extensive biography of James in volume III of the 1923 book, The History of West Virginia, Old and New, published by the American Historical Society, Inc. It has been reprinted on RootsWeb, with an original copy in the West Virginia and Regional History Collection at West Virginia University. The biography states that James was "a citizen of maximum progressiveness and influence in Webster ... he is serving as postmaster and is also editor, publisher and active manager of the Webster Republican, a weekly newspaper that is an effective exponent of local interests and of the principles of the republican party." He also was a member of the Masons for more than six decades.
Early
in his career, James began an apprenticeship in the printing business, and
worked as a "journeyman" with the community's newspapers, including
the Preston County Journal. (A sketch of the Journal's offices, on
the Main Street of Kingwood, is seen here.) Later, he became an investor
in the Journal with E.M. Heermans as an editor and publisher. Says the
Old and New history:
[A]fter a period of ten years he sold his interest in this paper and became editor and publisher of the Preston Leader and New Era. With this paper he continued his active alliance until 1910, when he purchased the plant and business of the Webster Republican, of which he has since been editor and publisher and which has been brought to a high standard under his vigorous and progressive management. While a resident of Kingwood Mr. White there served two years as postmaster, besides which he represented his native county two terms in the Lower House of the State Legislature [circa 1893]. He has been a resolute and resourceful advocate and supporter of the principles and policies for which the republican party has ever stood sponsor in a basic way, and has done much to advance its local interests, both through his newspapers and his activity in its councils and campaign work.
James was great friends with two Governors of West Virginia -- William M.O. Dawson (who served from 1904 to 1908) and William G. "Gus" Donley (1928-1932). He and Conley, said the Shepherdstown (WV) Register, "made for themselves enviable reputations as baseball players. Their team, with Mr. White as pitcher and Mr. Conley using an extra size bat, could beat almost any challengers that came their way. Uncle Jim retained his interest in baseball and kept track of the big league games with the best of baseball fans..."
For a decade, James was secretary "of what was known as the 'Three-Jim Committee'," said the Republican, a Preston County committee which was recognized as being highly influential in Republican politics, and which was able to 'make' or 'unmake' political candidates both in the county and in wider areas. Serving with him on the committee were James W. Flynn and James A. Lenhart."
The Webster Echo once said of Helen:
She
came into our midst seven years ago as a consequence of her marriage to our
esteemed fellow-citizen, J.W. White; and since her coming this sweetness of her
character, the power of her strong personality and the constructive forces of
her pioneering mind have been felt in every way of our community life. With a
character broadened and sweetened by years of service and sacrifice, she
possessed that inimitable understanding of the ebb and flow of human emotions
which enabled her to walk always with cheer and comfort among her neighbors and
friends. Her pleasing personality mellowed and ripened by the passing years,
made her home a sanctuary for those who sought diversion from the aggravating
cares of daily life, and as a result her intimate and loving friends were
legion.
She knew no hate; every arrow which left her bow was
tipped with love. Simple good was her panacea for all ills occasioned by envy
and hate and greed. In the conflicts and cross currents which must inevitably
arise from active participation in civic affairs, she carried herself in such a
way as to earn the respect and admiration of those who differed from her point
of view. She made no enemies; though many crossed her views, they respected her
sincerity of purpose and utter devotion to principles.
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| Helen's prominent obituary in the Webster Echo (see red arrow) |
While in her 50s, Helen suffered
from problems with her heart valves. She died of a heart attack, at the age of 60, on
Sept. 22, 1927. The Webster Echo said that "While Mrs. White had
been an invalid for nearly a year from heart trouble and had been near death
several times, it was though for the past several days that she was growing
stronger, and while it was known that she would never be strong again her sudden
death cast a gloom over the town and community." The funeral was held at
the Baptist Church in Webster, and "Banks of beautiful flowers surrounded
the casket, many of which were sent by friends, relatives and societies to which
she belonged."
Her remains were shipped to Kingwood, "her old home," where they were laid to rest in the Maplewood Cemetery. It can be found in section AMOS 3, Section 9. Her son Thomas signed her official certificate of death. The Webster Echo and Preston County Journal newspapers both carried lengthy obituaries. Attending her funeral were her sister Jessie Van Zandt of Newburg, Preston County; sister Kate Tower of Pleasantville, NY; stepdaughter Martha Snyder of Shepherdstown, WV; and other relatives including Mr. and Mrs. Joe Van Zandt of Newburg, and Mr. and Mrs. Cole and a sister of Mrs. Cole of Bridgeport, WV.
At the time of her passing, son Bernard resided in Bell, Los Angeles County, CA, and son Thomas in Webster Springs.
In 1938, Helen's sons then began receiving their share of the estate payments. The checks stopped coming in 1942, when nothing was left in the estate. All told, Helen and her children received $267.18 in inheritance over the span of 36 years.
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| Graves of James W. White and his first wife Nettie at Kingwood |
Widowed for the second time, James continued to live a full life. As one example, observed the Webster Republican:
He owned a farm up in Webster
county which happened to have the only level space large enough to land and
airplane. Not so many years ago, and since he had turned eighty, he was at his
farm when a couple of young men who owned a cub plan suggested he fly with them
to Martinsburg. Uncle Jim did not wait to send word ahead of his unexpected trip
to this section. He just hopped in the plane, and in an hour or so was in
Martinsburg. The pilot of the plane, Uncle Jim said, was a fine 'driver,' but
the only trouble was it took longer to get to Shepherdstown from the Martinsburg
airport than it did to fly from the farm to Martinsburg.
James spent his final years living with his daughter in the winters in Shepherdstown, Jefferson County, WV, and in the summers at his home in Webster Springs. He suffered during that time with uremia, hardening of the arteries, and problems with his esophagus. He passed away at Martha's home at the age of 87, on May 20, 1946. The Shepherdstown Register carried a lengthy obituary in its May 23 edition. His daughter Martha Snyder signed his official death certificate.
After a funeral in Charles Town,
WV, his remains were shipped to Kingwood for burial near his two wives. Despite
his obvious prominence, James rests today under a rather simple grave marker,
not indicative of his lifetime of journalistic and civic accomplishments. Surviving
were his daughter Martha; three grandchildren -- Mrs. John B. Schley of
Asheville, NC; Cora Crawford Snyder, a cadet nurse at Duke University Hospital
in Durham, NC; and William Baldwin Snyder, Jr., who had served in the U.S. Army
during World War II; and two great-grandchildren -- Elizabeth Boone Schley and
John B. Schley, Jr., of Asheville, NC.
James' passing generated major news headlines in the Webster Republican and Shepherdstown Register. In fact, the Republican ran two obituaries, one at the top of the editorial page.
In later years, Helen's son Bernard P. Manear (1889-1973) married Edith Rudd (1886-1965) and resided in Los Angeles County, CA. He received payouts from the estate of his great-uncle Guy Hanshaw in 1941 and 1942, collecting a grand total of $8.13. The Manears had twin daughters -- Helen Rudd Manear and Marjorie R. Manear, born in 1917. Bernard died in the Los Angeles area three days before Christmas in 1973.
Helen's son Thomas Lagee Liady (1894-1963) married Lena Ferry (1895- ? ) and Mary Sue Nolls (1907- ? ). He had children with both wives. He resided in or near Atlanta, Fulton County, GA, where he died Dec. 26, 1963. More will be reported here when learned.
Copyright © 2004, 2006, 2008 Mark A. Miner.
Grave marker photos by Gary Maxwell.