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Membership
Individual membership - $12.00
Family membership - $20.00
Businesses - $100.00
Life membership - $200.00
Membership Benefits:
Access to the Meigs County Museum; Quarterly newsletter - "Meigs Historian": Voting privileges in selecting trustees; Membership year January 1-December 31.
Meigs County Historical Society
P.O. Box 145
Pomeroy, OH 45769
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Members Address_____________________________________________________
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Individual: $12.00 _____________ Family (Same Household): $20.00__________
All Research Requests must be written for by mail.General questions pertaining to what is available can be answered by phone or email, but not actual research requests. Following are fees and type of records available.
The fee for general research is $5.00 for a half-hour search per individual name, plus cost of copies (.50 cents a page, minimum of $1.00).
This research can include:
Census
Marriage - 1819-1913 - (Wes Cochrans transcribed book is used for general research)
Transcribed death records from 1909-1926.
Various County and Family Histories
Cemetery Tombstone Records
And numerous other resources. We have a very extensive library of Meigs County genealogical and historical resources, as well as compiled information for surrounding counties.
Research of the Official Records for Marriage 1819-1930, Birth and Death - 1867-1908, Estate Records - 1819 - 1935 (these are the original probate records) are charged at a $3.00 non-refundable search fee per record. If a birth, death or marriage record is found, a copy is either typed or photo-copied (marriages are not photo-copied) and mailed. Add $1.00 for notarized copy. Original Estates & Wills - 1819-1935 Probate Records -Wills of three pages or less will be copied and mailed with no further charge. However, Estate files can often be large or some may contain very little. Large files are generally not copied until requestor is notified what is available. These may contain estates, wills, inventories, guardianships, etc.
Checks are made to the Meigs County Historical Society, P.O. Box 145, Pomeroy, OH 45769 or we can bill for completed research.
Following are a couple of articles from a recent quarterly newsletter.
Editors Note: The following articles are just some of the information you can find in one of the new publications being offered for sale by the Meigs County Historical Society. These books contain births, deaths, marriages and divorces (as well as an occasional interesting story) photo-copied from the actual Meigs County newspapers. See information elsewhere for prices and how to order.
Instantly Killed, August 8, 1893
On Monday morning as Conductor Ed. Smith’s train was speeding southward around a curve in the Ohio River Railroad, about a hundred yards above New Haven, W.Va., the engineer was horrified to see on the track, at no great distance from the train a man moving leisurely in the same direction as the train.
Quickly as human hands could do it, the whistle was touched, the engine reversed, the brakes applied. Neighbors who realized the ill-starred man’s perilous situation screamed in desperation, but failing of their purpose in this, they gesticulated wildly and at the very instant when the attention of the unsuspecting man was arrested, and he was in the act of turning to see what was the matter, the ponderous wheels of the engine bore him down, and the next moment the stalwart form of James Cundiff was little more than a quivering lump of flesh.
Poor man had been out in the neighborhood of the coal banks looking for a stray hog, and returning found it convenient to return along the railroad track, as before stated, little dreaming that his earthly life was so soon to be blotted out forever.
Years ago the deceased removed from New Haven to Antiquity where he followed the blacksmith trade for the Ohio River Coal Company, under the control of Robert Stobart. While at Antiquity he became a member of the I.O.O.F. At Racine, but was afterward transferred to the New Haven Lodge, of which he was a member at the time of his death.
As may be already inferred he was a blacksmith by occupation, and lacking lucrative employment of late, he had arranged to move shortly to Hanley Run in the Hocking Valley, where his sons, John and Robert, are employed.
He was about 55 years of age, and leaves a wife, a brother, two married and two single sons, two married and two single daughters, and a large circle of sympathizing friends. He was a man who stood high in the estimation of his people, and will be sadly missed. His remains will be interred in the Odd Fellow’s cemetery today.
Capt. Dor DeWolf, J. H. Blackmore, Commissioner John N. Hayman and Lute Curtis were on the train at the time, and say that the carrying of the unfortunate man’s remains into the depot presented a most sickening spectacle.
No man regrets more than Conductor Smith this awful calamity, and none could have done more to avert it than he and the crew. A life was snuffed out, but they are blameless.
A dispatch from Huntington to the Cincinnati Post, says that yesterday as Charles Wade and his wife were crossing a high trestle on the Ohio River Railroad, they were overtaken by a train and the woman was ground to pieces.
Editors Note: The headline noted that James Cundiff was half-deaf.
Fatal Runaway - August 22, 1893
Rev. S. P. Humphrey made a few appropriate remarks at the Bellows home on Sunday afternoon at two o’clock, after which the remains of the unfortunate man were laid to rest in the Miles cemetery.
Mr. Bellows has always been known as a great horse man, was quite venturesome, and was apparently afraid of nothing. It was said by one of his neighbors here on Saturday last, that there was hardly a bone in his body that has not at sometime been broken by a bull or stallion
The deceased leaves an invalid wife, two sons - Ceph and Dudley - both in the far West, six daughters - Elizabeth, Henrietta, Mrs. Charles Giles, who are in the West, and Mrs. Joe Campbell, Mrs. Frank Diehl and Mrs. Newt Hawkins, in Meigs County.
Mr. Bellows was about 75 years of age, is well known in the county, has always led a very active life, and was one of those quiet, inoffensive, unpretentious and upright citizens whom it is a real pleasure to know.
The team ran a distance of about two miles, when it was stopped. One wheel was broken to pieces, but further than that there was little damage done to either team or wagon.
The Conductor and engineer stopped the engine, ran quickly to the injured man, helped him to his feet, and asked him if he was hurt. He replied that he didn’t know. He was then carried into Mr. Sayles’ when he called for his wife. Mrs. Bellows is an invalid and could not be brought. A physician was sent for, but internal hemorrhage was doing its work, and the unfortunate man died a few minutes later.
Mr. Bellows, no doubt, saw the engine move on with the front part of the train, and drove ahead immediately after it, not knowing that a portion of the cars had been left behind. The engine switched the cars first taken over, and was returning for the others just as Mr. Bellows had reached that part of the public highway lying closely parallel to the K.& M. Railroad near Perry Sayles. At this moment the engine emerged from the deep cut on its return trip for the remaining cars. Seeing the danger he was in, Mr. Bellows quickly alighted from the wagon, took his horses by the bits ,and waited the approach of the engine. When it came up, the team took fright, trampled the old gentleman beneath their feet and dragged the wagon over him, the vehicle crossing his body in the abdominal region.
When the trains are heavy, as this one proved to be, the train is cut in two, and a half taken over the Noble’s summit at a time. The crew took the front half of the train and hauled it over the summit, leaving the rear half below the covered bridge, and so hidden by willows and other timber that it could not be seen.
After doing his trading, Mr. Bellows started home about nine o’clock. He must have reached Thomas Fork at the time the local K. & M. Freight train was passing north.
Saturday morning last Mr. Bellows drove into Middleport from his home two miles west of the village of Rutland. He was in a wagon to which was attached two fiery young horses that many a young man would not have driven without considerable hesitation.
We are called upon in this issue to record the death of William Bellows, one of Meigs County’s oldest and best known citizens.
New Books: We are offering the following four volumes of books compiled from newspaper clippings of Births, Deaths, and Marriages (some Divorces) for 1890, 1891, 1892 and 1893. See the publication page for how to order.
1890 Births, Deaths and Marriages from the newspapers of that year.
1891 Births, Deaths and Marriages from the newspapers of that year, plus some additional clippings from the Tribune.
1892 Births, Deaths and Marriages from the newspapers of that year.
1893 Births, Deaths and Marriages from the newspapers of that year.
Cost per book is $20.00 plus $4.00 for shipping & handling.
