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Yesterday And Today—Cogar Family Noted In Webster CountyBy SHIRLEY DONNELLYNot long ago the Wall Street Journal carried an item mentioning the name of a businessman with a Webster County lineage. He is George Cogar, vice president of the Mohawk Data Service.Prior to getting in on the ground floor of the Mohawk company, Cogar had been with the Uni-vac plant at Utica, N. Y.Mohawk Data Service willmanufacture devices and provide services for the management of information throughelectronics, according to theWall Street Journal.Through his aunt, Mrs. Artie Bragg of Leivasy, Cogar asks for data on the Cogar family of Webster County. Cogar also is seeking information on the frontier scout for whom Wetzel County was named. Cogar seeks any books dealing with Webster County’s early history.INFORMATION ON THE Cogar family is not extensive in print. But files in this library have some items. John Cogar came from Braxton County to Webster in 1842. He was the son of Jacob Cogar, who went on foot to Norfolk, Va., in 1813, with some other Elk River area men to fight the British in the War of 1812.Jacob Cogar lived to the age of 104 years. He was one of thelast ctirvivnrc nf nnr cnennrl warjamin Hamrick, John Kyer, Daniel Matheny, Thomas Cogar, George McElwain and James Miller.They joined a regiment at Lewisburg and immediately marched across the mountains to the Atlantic. Some men became typhoid and malaria victims. When they reached the Norfolk camp they were issued picks and shovels and set to work building fortifications.WHEN THEY COMPLETEDthe breastworks they were ordered to put the dirt back where they got it. This was to keep them occupied and to develop them physically. They did not see any action because there were no British troops in the area at that time. The nearest thing to contact with the enemy was the sight of the British flag on a man-of-war far out on the Atlantic.John R. Cogar married Mary Gregory and settled on the ridge between the Elk and Gauiey rivers. There he cleared away the forest and developed a farm. Horticulture was to his liking and he raised apples that were unexcelled in quality. Cogar also liked to keep bees.Even when past 70, if his friends wanted to find him when bees were storing up honey in season they had to look for Cogar in the woods. Cogar also was a fine hunter. Bear, deer and the last of the panthers of that area fell before his mountain rifle. He was the father of several sons who, with their father, helped get Webster county established as a new politicalsubdivision.names of Benjamin Cogar, John R. Cogar, William Cogar, Thomas Cogar, Tobias Cogar, A. Cogar, Silas Cogar, Archibald Cogar, Thomas J. Cogar and George Cogar—10 of the 98 names on the petition.From the election held in sections of other counties that were scheduled to be included in the formation of Webster County, the returns of all but one voting place are at hand. On Dec. 8, 1851, the election was held in the home of Mrs. Mary Arthur at Fork Lick. Of the 19 men who voted, all favored the new county. Included in that list were George Cogar, Peter L. Cogar, Archibald Cogar and Thomas Cogar.COMMISSIONERS appointed to select a site for a court house, jail and other public buildings for the new county were Thomas Cogar, Samuel Given, William Given and Thomas Reynolds. They met in the home of Thomas Cogar to draw up their findings. The location is the same as today—Webster Springs. They selected and staked off a lot 210 feet square “on the hill above the salt sulphur spring.’* The lot is the county public square now.Thomas Cogar was the first commissioner of revenue for Webster County. He lived in Fork Lick magisterial district. Among the first justices of the peace elected one of those for the Holly District was Christopher Cogar. Webster and Pocahontas Counties were in the same House of Delegate districtat the outset. Onlv one election
Newspaper Details
Beckley Post Herald
Beckley, West Virginia, US
Mon, May 03, 1965
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Jeff H.
NA, 15 Feb 2023
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