George Washington McVey (1815-1889)
George Washington McVey (1815-1889)
Fayette County Teacher
George Washington McVey was the father of Mary Jane McVey Blizzard, mentioned in the most recent newsletters. I have compiled information about him from several sources.
George was listed as head of household in Greenbrier in 1850, with his wife, children, and parents. According to History of the Great Kanawha Valley, he and his father, Samuel, both moved to Fayette County, (W)Virginia, in 1852. This source, compiled in 1891, states that George was born in Greenbrier County and died July 27, 1889. Census records 1860-1880 have him listed in Fayette County. It’s important to note that sometimes people get him mixed up with his son, George Washington McVey, Jr., who was a sheriff in Fayette County for two terms, 1885-1889 and 1897-1901.
Panorama of Fayette County, by John Cavalier, mentions G.W. McVey as a teacher in Lansing, which is between Victor and Edmond.
An account by L.M. Darnell is included in the book, in which he states the first school was built in 1867 two miles east of Lansing, Mountain Cove District. G. W. McVey was the first teacher. "He was a kindly old man. The school began in the fall of 1867. The term was four months. The school was made of hewed logs clinked and daubed with clay. The seats were made of split chestnut, about 10 inches wide, hewed flat on one side with four pins put through holes for legs. There were four windows on each side. A large fireplace was the method used in heating; the fuel was wood and the scholars had to cut it. . . "
EDMOND HISTORY By Garnet McVey, Fayette Tribune 9/26/63, says...
I will attempt to touch on a few incidents in the history of this small community as I have heard and read of them.
I have heard my husband's grandmother, Rosa McClung McVey, who lived to be 94 years old tell of how her father-in-law, George McVey, and his brother Alec [Alexander McVey], came here from the Alderson area and took land grants for their families and settled when there were only two other families living here. They later leased the mineral rights to their land to the Nuttall families for 50 cents per acre. The Nuttalls began mining coal in the vicinity and people began moving in from other states and even other countries. Several families settled here from England.
George Washington McVey Family Group Sheet, by K. Barrera
5. Register of Voters, Mountain Cove, Fayette County, West Virginia, 1866
6. Last Will and Testament of George W. McVey, July 24, 1889, Fayette County, WV
Fayette Co Register of Death 1889, page 26-27 (transcription)
W. McVey, age 74, farmer, Widower, Cause of Death: Cholera Morbus, Place: Nuttall, Burial: Nuttall Mt. 29 July 1889, Physician: L.B. Rupert of Nuttallburg; Death Reported on July 31, 1889.
John Blizzard. “Some of the Old Trails: A Brief Historical Sketch.” Fayette Tribune, Aug. 22, 1934.
George Washington McVey is mentioned as a teacher in this article by his son-in-law, John Blizzard. The article describes the area in which he lived.
If you would like more information or documentation about this family, please contact me, and I will be happy to help.