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
Restrictions:

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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Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

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.

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
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard