Gary Weiner, Collector, Clarksburg Historical Records, 1850/2006, bulk 1870/2000

Access and use

Location of collection:
West Virginia and Regional History Center
West Virginia & Regional History Center
West Virginia University
P.O. Box 6069
1549 University Avenue
Morgantown, WV 26506
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Lori Hostuttler
Phone: (304) 293-3536
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Requires signed form, since special access restriction applies.

Researchers may access digitized and born digital materials by visiting the link attached to each item or by requesting to view the materials in person by appointment or remotely by contacting the West Virginia & Regional History Center reference department.

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Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Gary Weiner, Collector, Clarksburg Historical Records, A&M 3729, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
16.8 Linear Feet 16 ft. 10 in. (8 record cartons, 15 in. each); (5 document cases, 5 in. each); (1 document case, 2 1/2 in.); (2 small flat storage boxes, 3 in. each); (6 flat storage boxes, 3 in.); (1 medium flat storage box, 5 in.); (2 large flat storage boxes, 5 in.); (2 large flat storage boxes, 3 1/2 in.); (1 large flat storage box, 2 in.); (1 large flat storage box, 3 in.); (3 loose framed items, 3 1/2 in. total) and 0.0004 Gigabytes 4 files, .docx and .rtf formats
Creator:
Weiner, Gary S., 1942-2007
Abstract:
Papers of Gary S. Weiner, documenting his personal and family history, and his collecting interests in the Lynch family and the history of Clarksburg and Harrison County, West Virginia. The Weiner family papers include letters written to Gary Weiner (ca. 1960-2005) and correspondence and printed materials about Clarksburg Iron and Steel Company (ca. 1980-1999), among other items. The Lynch family papers include correspondence between Gretchen and Lawrence Lynch (ca. 1905-1960), various notebooks and diaries (ca. 1910-1960), and Lynch family photographs (ca. 1860s-1939), among other items. Materials related to the history of Clarksburg and Harrison County include: correspondence to Clarksburg families, such as the Anderson/Freeland family (ca. 1880-1992); Fourco Glass Company's Clearlite Window Glass advertisements (1936-1937); and Washington Irving High School materials (1920s and 1960s), among other items. Additional materials include a Victorian photograph album stand containing pictures of European royalty (ca. 1880-1886), sheet music (1900-1940), and correspondence from Noel A. Conley during his service in World War II (1942-1946). For additional Clarksburg historical and Lynch family materials, see also A&M 3038.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Gary Weiner, Collector, Clarksburg Historical Records, A&M 3729, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

Papers of Gary S. Weiner, documenting his personal and family history, professional activities, hobbies, and his collecting interests in the Lynch family and the history of Clarksburg and Harrison County, West Virginia.

The collection is divided into the following 11 series:

Series 1. Lynch Family Papers; ca. 1850-1960; boxes 1-7.

Series 2. Weiner Family Papers; ca. 1900-2005; boxes 8-11.

Series 3. Subject Files; ca. 1880-1992; box 12, folders 1-4.

Series 4. Miscellaneous Correspondence; ca. 1879-1994; box 12, folders 5-13.

Series 5. Miscellaneous Manuscripts; ca. 1850-1991; box 13, folders 1-5, and boxes 14-15.

Series 6. Miscellaneous Printed Materials and Ephemera; ca. 1910-1990; box 13, folders 6-11, and box 16.

Series 7. Miscellaneous Photographs; ca. 1850-1984; boxes 17-20.

Series 8. Sheet Music; ca. 1900-1940; boxes 21a and 21b.

Series 9. Artifacts; 1890-2006; box 22.

Series 10. Oversize Materials; 1874-1985; boxes 23-27, 3 loose framed items.

Series 11. Periodicals and Clippings; ca. 1900-1999; boxes 28-29.

Note regarding correspondence in this collection: In cases where letters were removed from their envelopes and do not bear the date of postmark, that date was written in brackets at the top right corner of each leaf. Correspondence includes letters, postcards, telegrams, and greeting cards, generally filed in chronological order.

This series contains materials related to the Lynch and Spindler families, the bulk of which are letters. Purchased by Gary Weiner at a house sale held by the children of Lawrence R. and Gretchen Spindler Lynch, the Lynch Family Papers include a collection of approximately 300 letters, postcards, and other documents belonging to three generations of the Lynch family of Clarksburg, WV, as well as the Spindler family of Winfield, Kansas. The materials begin with Charles Wesley Lynch (1851-1932), an attorney and judge, and John Wesley Spindler (1850 May 11-1934 March 4), a school superintendent; continue through Lawrence Robinson Lynch (1890 May 29-1964 January 9) and his wife Gretchen Spindler Lynch (1892 July 5-1980 May); and conclude with correspondence between Lawrence, Gretchen, and their three children, Barbara Virginia, Mary Gretchen, and Charles Wesley Lynch, II. See Historical Note for more information. Electronic materials from Bill Arnett include: a 180 page document of transcripts, a 24 page document of transcripts (which are probably all included in the 180 page document, though perhaps with different metadata), a historical note, a 29 page documents of research notes from newspapers etc., and a document recording emails with Bill Arnett which include details pertaining to the collections materials.

Additional Lynch family materials can be found in Series 10. Oversize Materials and Series 11. Periodicals and Clippings. Transcripts of a few Lynch letters can be found in box 11, folder 1.

Other correspondents include former Governor Glasscock, who wrote a letter to Lawrence to congratulate him on his Master's Thesis (Columbia University) and published paper on the West Virginia Coal Strike; and Harry Westcott Worley and his wife Zela Wiltsie Worley, prominent Methodist missionaries who spent three decades in Foochow, China.

Topics covered in the Lynch correspondence (boxes 2-6) include education; world events; Clarksburg; Charleston; developments in West Virginia, including politics, conservation, personalities, and sermons; Ohio Wesleyan University; details of Lawrence's educational experiences at Columbia University when it had the preeminent Master's program in Political Science in the country; and details of his law classes at Harvard Law School.

Other correspondents include former Governor Glasscock, who wrote a letter to Lawrence to congratulate him on his Master's Thesis (Columbia University) and published paper on the West Virginia Coal Strike; and Harry Westcott Worley and his wife Zela Wiltsie Worley, prominent Methodist missionaries who spent three decades in Foochow, China.

Topics covered in the Lynch correspondence (boxes 2-6) include education; world events; Clarksburg; Charleston; developments in West Virginia, including politics, conservation, personalities, and sermons; Ohio Wesleyan University; details of Lawrence's educational experiences at Columbia University when it had the preeminent Master's program in Political Science in the country; and details of his law classes at Harvard Law School.

Other correspondents include former Governor Glasscock, who wrote a letter to Lawrence to congratulate him on his Master's Thesis (Columbia University) and published paper on the West Virginia Coal Strike; and Harry Westcott Worley and his wife Zela Wiltsie Worley, prominent Methodist missionaries who spent three decades in Foochow, China.

Topics covered in the Lynch correspondence (boxes 2-6) include education; world events; Clarksburg; Charleston; developments in West Virginia, including politics, conservation, personalities, and sermons; Ohio Wesleyan University; details of Lawrence's educational experiences at Columbia University when it had the preeminent Master's program in Political Science in the country; and details of his law classes at Harvard Law School.

Other correspondents include former Governor Glasscock, who wrote a letter to Lawrence to congratulate him on his Master's Thesis (Columbia University) and published paper on the West Virginia Coal Strike; and Harry Westcott Worley and his wife Zela Wiltsie Worley, prominent Methodist missionaries who spent three decades in Foochow, China.

Topics covered in the Lynch correspondence (boxes 2-6) include education; world events; Clarksburg; Charleston; developments in West Virginia, including politics, conservation, personalities, and sermons; Ohio Wesleyan University; details of Lawrence's educational experiences at Columbia University when it had the preeminent Master's program in Political Science in the country; and details of his law classes at Harvard Law School.

Other correspondents include former Governor Glasscock, who wrote a letter to Lawrence to congratulate him on his Master's Thesis (Columbia University) and published paper on the West Virginia Coal Strike; and Harry Westcott Worley and his wife Zela Wiltsie Worley, prominent Methodist missionaries who spent three decades in Foochow, China.

Topics covered in the Lynch correspondence (boxes 2-6) include education; world events; Clarksburg; Charleston; developments in West Virginia, including politics, conservation, personalities, and sermons; Ohio Wesleyan University; details of Lawrence's educational experiences at Columbia University when it had the preeminent Master's program in Political Science in the country; and details of his law classes at Harvard Law School.

Items include Lawrence's class notes (1910s); two small ledgers relating to Mary Virginia Robinson Lynch and a church fundraiser (1901-6); financial records; event programs; Gretchen's diary (topics include social activities, household chores, her children, etc.), notebooks, and calendars (1937-1960); and a program for the inauguration of West Virginia Governor John J. Cornwell, at which C. W. Lynch administered the Constitutional Oath (1917). This box also contains Lynch family photographs (cartes de visite, tintypes, cabinet cards, and mounted photos), some of which are identified. Subjects include Charles, Lawrence, and Gretchen Lynch, as well as Robinson family members (Lawrence's mother's family).

This series contains materials related to Gary Weiner, his family, and his business and personal life. See Historical Note for information regarding Gary Weiner.

This series also includes incoming letters to Gary Weiner, historic preservation correspondence, manuscripts, and Jewish materials (box 8); miscellaneous material collected by Gary Weiner and photographs (box 9); records regarding Clarksburg Iron and Steel and West Virginia University fraternities (box 10); and miscellaneous Weiner family records, including records regarding Clarksburg Iron and Steel Company (box 11).

Additional materials related to the Weiner family may be found in: Series 3, Subject Files; Series 6, Miscellaneous Printed Materials and Ephemera; Series 9, Artifacts; Series 10, Oversize Materials; and Series 11, Periodicals and Clippings.

Topics include holiday greetings, business matters, and Weiner's participation in various organizations, including the Tree of Life Synagogue and Jaycees. The correspondence folders are ordered chronologically, with separate folders for materials regarding the Harrison County Historic Landmark Commission (business meeting correspondence, applications for WV State Historic Preservation grants, a project involving Salem-Teikyo University's Administration Building auditorium restoration) and Stonewall Jackson materials (Stonewall Jackson Civil War Round Table letters, and correspondence about the acquisition of highway signs to mark Clarksburg as Jackson's birthplace). Also includes information on George Braxton Bennett and a photo of him with Ronald Reagan. This box also contains Weiner family manuscripts, including invitations to JFK inauguration events, Gary's report cards, a Tree of Life Sisterhood Book of Life (1940s-1960s), and other Jewish texts and ephemera.

Includes Gary Weiner's school autograph album (1955), family recipes (ca. 1940-1970), miscellaneous ephemera and printed materials collected by Gary (regarding West Virginia University football, Jaycees, historic preservation, etc.) (1923-2004), a WVU Homecoming program (1960), and Weiner family photographs (ca. 1850-2000). Photographs include unidentified studio portraits from New York (probably Weiner family members, ca. 1920-1940), candid images of West Virginia University's Delta Tau Delta Fraternity members and Jaycee events, photos of celebrity handprints and footprints at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, etc.

Includes correspondence and printed materials about the Clarksburg Iron and Steel Company (ca. 1980-1999); Delta Tau Delta (ca. 1960-1999); and Hush, Inc., a music company of which Gary Weiner was a stockholder (1997-1998). There is also historical information on fraternities at West Virginia University (WVU), beginning with Gamma and Delta Prime at Monongalia Academy, heavily emphasizing the beginnings of the Delta Tau Delta chapter at WVU in the early 1900s, and concluding with information about other WVU fraternities (covers 1882-1967).

Includes business and legal documents, Clarksburg Iron and Steel Company materials, miscellaneous correspondence, and miscellaneous printed materials (ca. 1927-2003).

This series contains materials related to the Anderson/Freeland Family of Clarksburg, WV (correspondence, photographs, and printed materials related to Bertha Freeland Anderson, her husband Cecil E. Anderson, and their family; ca. 1880-1992), and art (prints, book plates, and a few original paintings and sketches; ca. 1905-1983). For periodicals belonging to Bertha Anderson, see Series 11, Periodicals and Clippings.

This series includes personal correspondence to Frank A. Smith of Bridgeport, WV (1879-1894); letters to Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert N. Black of Clarksburg, WV, and Atlantic City, New Jersey (bulk 1925-1930); correspondence from World War I and World War II, including letters from Noel A. Conley of Clarksburg, WV and a photo of him with his B-17 bomber and crew (1917-1945); and additional letters and postcards. Much of the correspondence is about daily life and travel.

This series includes notebooks, typescripts, autograph albums, diaries, etc. Few items show a direct connection to West Virginia.

Includes notebooks, typescripts, etc. Highlights include a history of the Brake Family in West Virginia (1946), a journalism class notebook from Fairmont State College (1938), a typescript of a speech welcoming Elmer Guy Cutshall to the presidency of West Virginia Wesleyan College (ca. 1923), and a marriage license of Emmett Ewing and Bessie Wallace of Kaufman County, Texas (1924).

Contains a "Token Album" autograph book which includes inscriptions and autographs (1850s); a diary or ledger which includes account information, recipes, and correspondence, possibly belonging to J. P. Hyde or family (1890s-1910s); a pilot log (1998); a blue diary which includes references to travel between and experiences in Clarksburg and eastern cities, including Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Atlantic City (1925); Ella M. Stealey's ledger of her account with the Eureka Loan and Building Association (1899); Bella Spritzer's autograph album (1920); a brown diary which includes references to the unknown author's work at Hope Natural Gas Company, church activities, WWI events, and time at Camp Meade (now Fort George G. Meade in Maryland) where the author was first assigned to the 154th Depot Brigade, 314th Infantry, 79th Division. (1918-1920); and a small blue and yellow notebook (undated).

Contains a scientific scrapbook of flora specimens with accompanying notes for each specimen (1908), and a store ledger containing customer names, items purchased, and whether the accounts are paid (1874-1875).

This series includes advertising materials (many from West Virginia businesses), calendars, phone books, etc.

Includes advertisements, calendars, etc. Highlights include Clearlite Window Glass advertisements from Fourco Glass Company featuring the Dionne Quintuplets (1936-1937) and a souvenir program from the musical South Pacific, directed by Joshua Logan (ca. 1950-1955).

Contains small books and pamphlets (including an Order of DeMolay Monitor of Ceremonies booklet (1975); a history of the US Postal Service in Lost Creek, WV, by Alton Bell (1983); and instructions to census enumerators (1910)); as well as packages of unused greeting cards, some of which were sent to Gary Weiner (undated).

This series includes tintypes, cartes de visite, cabinet cards, mounted photographs, prints on paper, and real photo postcards. The majority of the photos are portraits, with some candid family photos.

Additional photo albums can be found in Series 10, Oversize Materials.

Includes: identified portraits, many from Clarksburg, Parkersburg, or Baltimore studios (ca. 1870-1984); Ball family photos and real photo postcards (ca. 1900-1950); unidentified portraits, some from Clarksburg, Grafton, and other West Virginia studios (ca. 1850-1980); photos related to WWI and WWII (1917-1918 and 1941-1945); and a photo album of a joint bar mitzvah celebration for the boys of the Hadar School (1971), among other items. Note: unidentified portraits from New York studios can be found in Series 2, Weiner Family Papers, box 9. Also note that some of the photographs in this box may have fallen out of other photo albums in this collection (e.g. photos in folder 27 may once have been in the WWI album in box 24).

Contains a photo album of mostly unidentified cartes de visite and tintypes created in Morgantown and Clarksburg, including portraits of Frank Young, Lucy Fleming, and Icie Nevada Lynch (ca. 1850-1880); and a blue cloth-covered album of unidentified cabinet cards, mounted portraits, cartes de vistite, and a tintype from studios in Grafton, Clarksburg, Fairmont, and outside of West Virginia (ca. 1890-1910).

Contains a brown album of unidentified cabinet cards, cartes de viste, and tintypes, some of which were created in studios in Clarksburg, WV (ca. 1860-1890); and a tan and red album of unidentified cabinet cards, cartes de viste, and tintypes, many from studios in Pennsylvania (ca. 1860-1910).

Contains a gilt or brass framed photograph of a baby (undated) and a Victorian photograph album stand, possibly a souvenir (ca. 1880-1886). The stand includes brass decorations and clasp, measures 13 inches tall by 7 1/2 inches wide, has gilt page edges, and probably originated in Germany. It contains 29 portrait cabinet cards; subjects include Queen Victoria, Kaiser Wilhelm I, Frederick III, Leopold II of Belgium, Empress Eugenie de Montijo, and other European royals.

Contains 29 items of sheet music for theater orchestra arrangements of popular melodies (1917-1924); each of these arrangements include most or all parts. Some of these items were sold at the H. Boffa Music House in Clarksburg, WV. Titles include:

"At the End of the Road (That Leads to Home Sweet Home)"; 1924

"Dearest You're the Nearest to My Heart"; 1922

"Deedle Deedle Dum"; 1922

"Don't Bring Me Posies, It's Shoesies That I Need"; 1922

"Every Morning She Makes Me Late"; 1918

"Everybody Shimmies Now"; 1918

"Jazz Baby"; 1919

"The Lovelight in Your Eyes"; 1922

"Maggie! Yes! Ma'am!"; 1923

"Mickey" and "Come on Papa"; 1919

"Moonlight Blues"; 1916

"My Yankee Sailor Boy (or Along the Road to Hong Kong)"; 1918

"Naomi"; 1919

"Never Mind"; 1922

"No One Knows What Happens in the Old Arm Chair"; 1923

"Rag-a-Minor"; 1917

"Rose of the Desert"; 1920

"Shadows Will Fall Away"; 1920

"She Loves Me"; 1924

"Somewhere in Dixie"; 1917

"Sunrise and You" and "Roses of Love"; 1924

"Sweet Hawaiian Moonlight" and "You Can Have It -- I Don't Want It"; 1918

"Sweetheart"; 1920

"That Naughty Waltz" and "Fan San"; 1919

"While the Incense is Burning"; 1917

"Who Is It Who Loves You, Who Is It -- Huh?"; 1923

"Whose Izzy is He (Is He Yours or is He Mine)"; 1924

"You're in Kentucky Sure as You're Born"; 1923

Contains approximately 70 items of sheet music for popular songs and piano pedagogy, some of which may have belonged to Gretchen Lynch (ca. 1900-1940); and a circular from the publicity department of Irving Berlin music publishers regarding sheet music of dance tunes for sale (1924)

This series contains political buttons, textiles, name tags, etc. It also includes a West Virginia Masons pin (undated), black fabric samples from Perkins & Co. (1890), and a political button supporting Raese for Governor (1988).

This series includes photographs and photo albums, scrapbooks, diaries, and ephemera. It also includes items related to the Lynch family (boxes 23, 24, and 27) and to the Weiner family (boxes 23 and 24). For additional materials related to the Lynch and Weiner families, please see Series 1. Lynch Family Papers and Series 2. Weiner Family Papers. Please note that some of the photographs in Series 7. Miscellaneous Photographs, box 17 may have fallen out of photo albums in this series (e.g. photos in box 17, folder 27 may once have been in the World War I album in box 24).

Three loose framed items include a portrait of an unidentified woman, a photographic panorama of a city and river, and a colored etching of Woodburn Circle on the West Virginia University Campus in Morgantown (all undated).

Contains John Spindler's diploma from Ohio Wesleyan University (1895); four group portraits of the Washington Irving High School Band of Clarksburg, WV (1960s); facsimile photograph of Gary Weiner and an unidentified man (1965); facsimile group portrait of unidentified individuals (ca. 1920); facsimile group portrait of the Clarksburg chapter of the Order of DeMolay (undated); facsimile composite of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity at West Virginia University (1966); photo of West Virginia Capital Building, Charleston, WV (1916); official West Virginia certificates for "West Virginia Ambassador of Good Will Among All People" for Gary Weiner and Irene Adams (1979); calendar (1985); and four print blocks, likely of Charles and Lawrence Lynch (1900-1910).

Contains an 11 in. x 16 in. scrapbook that includes Lynch-related clippings (ca. 1919-1926); a 9 in. x 11.5 in. scrapbook created by Eva Waldo of Clarksburg that includes clippings and correspondence (ca. 1918-1920); a WWI photo album depicting soldiers and Camp Lee, Virginia (ca. 1917-1918); a red "Album of Snapshots" and accompanying folder, which includes correspondence, ephemera, and photos belonging to Lawrence and Gretchen Lynch (1910-1952); an official document regarding Charles Lynch (1877); a hardcover photo album possibly belonging to John Spindler during his time as a student at Ohio Wesleyan University containing portraits of fellow students, many of whom are identified (1870s); three softcover photo albums containing family photos, probably belonging to the Weiner family (ca. 1920s-1940s); and a box lid featuring an artistic rendering of a woman's face (undated).

Contains two broadsides advertising a concert in Uniontown, Pennsylvania by B.B. King and Esther Satterfield, 22 in. x 15 in. (ca. 1975); two Fourco Glass Company Clearlite Window Glass advertisement broadsides, 34 1/2 in. x 18 in. (1937); a photograph of an unidentified person playing a guitar at a musical performance, 20 in. x 30 in. (undated); and two photo portraits with charcoal shading in large oval frames (ca. 1890-1910).

Contains Rachel Boynton's scrapbook of Washington Irving High School in Clarksburg, WV (1920s), Raymond Rowe's Washington Irving High School "Reminiscences" yearbook (1924), and clippings related to the class reunion (1974-1986), and program and news clipping regarding senior classes of Washington Irving High School (1946-1968).

Contains photographs and ephemera. Highlights include three mounted portraits of Lawrence and Charles W. Lynch with a hunting and fishing party (ca. 1905-1910), one group portrait taken on an Atlantic City beach (ca. 1910), Delta Tau Delta (WVU fraternity) composites (1977-1981), an agricultural auction broadside (1919), and large Valentine greeting cards (ca. 1930-1950).

This series includes magazines, newspapers, and clippings. Topics include historic preservation, Jewish topics, general interest, and the Lynch and Weiner families. For additional materials related to these families, please see Series 1. Lynch Family Papers and Series 2. Weiner Family Papers.

Contains early to mid-1900s magazines, including three needlework journals belonging to Bertha Anderson (1917), an issue of American Druggist (1931), an issue of Time (1944), and an issue of Good Housekeeping (1929); and magazines to which Gary Weiner subscribed that cover Jewish topics (1960-1994). For additional materials related to Bertha Anderson, see Series 3, Subject Files

Contains three folders of newspaper clippings: Lynch-related, Weiner-related, and miscellaneous (ca. 1900-1999). It also contains a facsimile page of the August 1773 issue of The Maryland Journal &c. (The Maryland Journal, and the Baltimore Advertiser; undated); early to mid-1900s newspapers (including two issues of The Saturday Evening Post, local papers about WWI and FDR's death; 1913-1963); and contemporary newspapers collected by Weiner (ca. 1985-1999). Contemporary newspapers include: Senate Chambers (a Florida Jaycees publication); The Harrison County Value Guide; Four Star Review (a B'nai B'rith publication); WVU Alumni News; The Senator from Davis & Elkins College; Times-West Virginian from Fairmont, WV; and The Shinnston News & Harrison County Journal/The Shinnston News.

Biographical / historical:

Gary Weiner

Gary Stephan (Steven) Weiner was born to parents Robert and Ethel Belle in New York City on July 29, 1942. He grew up in Clarksburg, West Virginia (WV), graduated from Washington Irving High School in 1960, and graduated from West Virginia University (WVU) in 1964. He returned to Clarksburg where he assisted his father in operating Clarksburg Iron and Steel Company and various other businesses. Gary became President of Clarksburg Iron and Steel Co. upon his father's death. He was also a stockholder of Hush, Inc.

Gary was a member of many social, community, and charitable organizations including the Jaycees, the Order of DeMolay, B'nai B'rith, and the Tree of Life Synagogue. He was a member and benefactor of the Gamma Delta chapter of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity at West Virginia University (WVU), and served as chapter advisor in the late 1970s and 1980s. He was also a member of Phi Sigma Delta at WVU. Gary was also a historian of Clarksburg who collected historical materials on the area and local families such as the Lynches, and involved himself in local historic preservation. He was president or chairman of the Harrison County Historic Landmark Commission in the early 1990s, and was a member of the Stonewall Jackson Civil War Round Table. He passed away on August 3, 2007.

Lynch and Spindler Families

Charles Wesley Lynch (1851-1932) was an attorney and a judge. He served in the West Virginia Supreme Court and West Virginia House of Delegates, was Prosecuting Attorney for Clarksburg, and was a prominent Methodist and Mason. He was a long-time member and President of the Board of Trustees of West Virginia Wesleyan College. He is the Lynch whose name is honored in the Lynch-Raine Administration Building on the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan College. Charles was married to Mary Virginia Robinson (a.k.a. Jennie Robinson, 1857-1939) of Clarksburg, WV, on March 8, 1888.

John Wesley Spindler (May 11, 1850-March 4, 1934) earned his B.A. and M.A. from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1876 and 1895, and earned a law degree from Cincinnati Law School in 1882. He was superintendent of the school system in Winfield, Kansas for 22 years. In 1888, he married Mrs. Mellie Zook (nee Mary Camellia/Camilla Butler; December 4, 1861-March 22, 1909), and his daughter Gretchen was born in 1892. He then relocated the family to Ohio before moving to Clarksburg, WV in 1921.

Lawrence Robinson Lynch (May 29, 1890-January 9, 1964), son of Charles and Jennie, graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1913, Columbia University in 1914, and Harvard Law School in 1917. He met Gretchen Marie Spindler (July 5, 1892-May 1980) while attending Ohio Wesleyan. They married on August 30, 1916, and eventually relocated to Clarksburg, WV. Lawrence was responsible for the development of the Harrison County airport formerly known as Benedum Airport (now North Central West Virginia Airport). Charles and Jennie Lynch as well as Lawrence and Gretchen were pillars and primary contributors to the First United Methodist Church on Pike Street in Clarksburg.

Physical location:
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / URL: West Virginia & Regional History Center
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