He was born in Cabell County, Virginia in November of 1843 or 1844. At that time, Cabell County bordering the Ohio river, included the present day Lincoln County and was in West Virginia after that state's seccesion in 1863. We know that he died on September 1, 1898 in Hamlin, Lincoln County, West Virginia so he probably never moved from where he was born. He married Parmelia (Permelia?) Curry on May 24, 1870, reported to be his second wife, and had five children including Ira G., my great grandfather born in 1872, and Ezra M. born in 1874, Alva Garfield, 1882, Anna Belle, 1885, and Grace Lee, 1889.
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| WV Volunteer (not Linville) |
Linville served in Company G, 3rd West Virginia Volunteer Cavalry (US) from October 17, 1862 through June 30, 1865, making him one of the few Yankee soldiers in our lineage. He was likely in action as part of Averell's Union command against Echol's Confederate forces at the Battle of Droop Mountain, November 6, 1863, where another of our ancestors from the 22nd VA Infantry, CSA, was taken prisoner.
I can find little else about Linville at this time--not even a picture, but he is of great interest to me as a military man, not to mention as the grandfather of my grandfather, Arnold Bias, though he was born only three weeks before his grandfather's death.
Linville's father, Samuel, was a farmer, one of the second or third generation of white settlers to live and work the land in the Mud River valley. However, by the time he returned from the Civil War, coal was being mined all over southwest West Virginia. From 1870 on, many men and boys took jobs extracting the coal under horrific conditions. I don't know if or that Linville or his sons ever worked in the mines, but I suspect so since I once heard my grandfather remark that he and his brothers left the area to get away from mining.
Linville and his wife Parmelia are buried in the Curry Chapel Cemetery, just north of Hamlin, West Virginia.
(Two years after Linville's death, in 1900, Parmelia married Samson Roberts who was 50 at the time. She was 54 and lived until 1933 to the age of 88. There is no record of other children from this marriage, which is unlikely due to their ages.)
Linville's father, Samuel, was a farmer, one of the second or third generation of white settlers to live and work the land in the Mud River valley. However, by the time he returned from the Civil War, coal was being mined all over southwest West Virginia. From 1870 on, many men and boys took jobs extracting the coal under horrific conditions. I don't know if or that Linville or his sons ever worked in the mines, but I suspect so since I once heard my grandfather remark that he and his brothers left the area to get away from mining.
Linville and his wife Parmelia are buried in the Curry Chapel Cemetery, just north of Hamlin, West Virginia.
(Two years after Linville's death, in 1900, Parmelia married Samson Roberts who was 50 at the time. She was 54 and lived until 1933 to the age of 88. There is no record of other children from this marriage, which is unlikely due to their ages.)
Linville Bias was my great grandfather. Anna Belle Bias Browning was my Grandmother. I believe that Permelia Curry was Linville's second wife. My Grandmother died when I was twelve but I have a very clear memory of her telling me that her father fought in the Civil War. Karen Browning
ReplyDeleteThanks for that information Karen. If you can recall any other details that will either correct what I have written or give me basis to extend the commentary, I'd be glad to do so. I'm revising this post to indicate that Permeila was Linville's second wife. Thanks! W
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