"Prominent Men of West Virginia"
George Wesley Atkinson, Alvaro Franklin Gibbens
Published by W. L. Callin, 1890 - West Virginia

JAMES McNEIL STEPHENSON. 

JAMES M. STEPHENSON was born November 4, 1796, in Greene county, 
Pennsylvania. His father and mother, Edward and Elizabeth
Stephenson, in 1800 removed to Harrison, afterwards Wood, county, 
Virginia, and settled near where Parkersburg now stands. He was
educated in the rough log school house of the pioneers. Compelled
to labor with his hands for a support, but being frugal, as well
as industrious, he was enabled, while yet a young man, to own a
tannery in Parkersburg, then a village. Unsatisfied with this
occupation, and thirsting for knowledge, he determined to study
law, which he did without a tutor. Many times he might be found
currying leather in his tannery, with his law book open before
him; and while laboring with his hands for a support he was at
the same time storing his mind with legal knowledge. By this
means and the unsparing use of the “tallow dip” he became
qualified for and was admitted to the Bar and commenced practicing
law in Wheeling, but shortly afterwards removed to Middlebourne,
the county seat of Tyler county. Here he practiced his chosen
profession for a number of years, and by judicious investments in
real estate in Tyler, Wood and other counties, he prospered beyond 
many of the favored of fortune. 

When he was thirty-three years of age he married Miss Agnes 
M. Boreman, then between fifteen and sixteen years of age. 
They reared to manhood and womanhood a family of six chil- 
dren, three boys and three girls. He was extremely fond of his 
wife and children, and the love he bore them was the great in- 
centive to the accumulation, not of wealth, but, as he often said,
"a competence for his family." 

As a lawyer he had, perhaps, no superior and few equals in 
the State. Without the advantages of an education he became 
a hard student, and, endowed by nature with a first-class intel- 
lect, by application and strict discipline over self, he became, in the 
truest sense, a learned man. His reading took a wide range, in law, 
politics, science, philosophy and ethics. He mastered the intricacies of 
the Virginia land law, and was a terror to opposing counsel in every 
action of Ejectment in which he engaged, which were numerous. He was a 
very successful lawyer. The great reason of his success in the practice 
of the law was not only the ability with which he managed his cause, but 
his unswerving honesty and integrity, which always won the confidence of 
both judge and jury. By his legal knowledge and business tact he was 
enabled to accumulate a large fortune for the time in which he lived; and 
no one ever said J. M. Stephenson made a dollar dishonestly. About 1840 
he removed to Wood county, to a new and commodious residence, in the 
suburbs of Parkersburg, which he had erected, and where for many years it 
was his delight to entertain his friends. He was an indefatigable worker, 
just in his requirements, indulgent to his debtors and prompt in the 
fulfillment of his engagements. 

He was a Whig in politics, an ardent admirer of Henry Clay; 
he did all he could to advance his political fortunes. He repre- 
sented Tyler county, which was strongly Democratic, three suc- 
cessive times in the Virginia House of Delegates, in 1838, 1839 
and 1840. For a number of terms he represented Wood county 
in the Virginia House of Delegates. 

He was a man of large public spirit, especially in the matter of 
internal improvements. To his exertions more than to those of 
any other one man is the Northwestern part of the State indebt- 
ed for the railroad from Parkersburg to Grafton, which is now 
part of a great trunk line from New York to St. Louis, and of 
inestimable value to the people of the Northern portion of the 
State. So much was he interested in this road that he declined 
a nomination to Congress, when he could easily have been elect- 
ed, and chose rather to go back to the Virginia Legislature and 
complete the work of securing that road. He may be considered 
the projector of the Northwestern Turnpike, which, in its day, 
was to Virginia what the National Road was to the general 
Government. He was also an earnest advocate in the Legisla- 
ture of the James River and Ranawha Canal. Many times he 
traveled by stage coach to the Virginia capitol, taking days to 
accomplish the journey, and neglected his business, and toiled 
night and day for months, at each session of the Legislature, to 
secure a highway over which his successors could make the jour- 
ney in one-fourth the time, and with comfort to themselves. He 
was working like a true man for those who were to follow. 

His eldest son, around whom and in whom his affections 
seemed to center, at the outbreak of the civil war, left his
home and went South. This did not move the father; when Fort 
Sumpter was fired upon every pulsation of his heart was for the 
Union, which he dearly loved. Amid that terrible strife he 
stayed at his home. The conduct of the war, and the suspicion 
of former friends, cooled his ardor for the Union cause some- 
what. During the war he was called upon to defend a trem- 
bling woman, the daughter of an old friend, from the charge of 
holding communication with the enemy. She was brought be- 
fore the Judge of the District Court of the United States, one of the 
kindest of men and a friend of Mr. Stephenson. The Judge 
occupied a position of the greatest delicacy. On the one hand 
trying to do his whole duty to the Government, whose servant 
he was, and was closely watched by the ultra Union men to see 
that no favors were granted to sympathizers with the South- 
ern Confederacy, and on the other hand trying to be just 
and as honest as possible, consistent with his duties, to those 
charged with disloyalty and brought before him, he had, indeed, 
a difficult task before him ; but right well did he perform it, and kept 
peace where there would otherwise have been anarchy. 
The woman was trembling and weeping. Mr. Stephenson’s great 
heart was filled with sympathy. The Judge said something like 
this : “It seems to me the women and children of the country 
think they can talk and act disloyally to the Government with 
impunity, but it cannot be permitted.” Mr. Stephenson arose, 
almost choking with emotion, threw his gold spectacles down 
on the table, and spoke about thus : “I am a husband and a 
father. I have a wife and daughters. Your Honor had better 
read the interview between Adam and the Angel. When Eve 
had partaken of the forbidden fruit the Angel told Adam he 
could go to heaven, but his wife should go to hell, but he said, 
No! No!! I would rather go to hell with her than to heaven 
without her! Go read this, and then see whether you can de- 
liver such a lecture as that.” The Judge was somewhat offend- 
ed, but his respect for Mr. Stephenson, and his knowledge of his 
integrity and honesty of purpose, prompted him to pass it by. 

He had collected money due his son Kenner during the war 
and had sent it to him through the lines. Just after the war the 
Legislature passed what was known as the “Lawyers Test 
Oath,” which was that the lawyer “had given no aid and com- 
fort to those in rebellion,” etc. Mr. Stephenson had some cases 
pending in the Supreme Court which decided the test oath Con- 
stitutional. He went to Wheeling to submit his cases, which 
he could not do without taking that oath. He arose and said, 
substantially : “May it please the Court, I have some cases 
here which I wish to submit. I cannot submit them without 
taking the test oath. I will not take that without an interpre- 
tation of it by your Honor. I will tell you the only possible im 
pediment to my taking it, then I wish your Honor to say whether 
I can take it. I have a son dear to me. He was a Confederate 
soldier during the late war. I collected his money for him. He 
needed the money for his own use. I sent it to him through 
the lines, to keep him from suffering, and under like circum- 
stances I would do it again. Now, if you think I can take this 
oath I will do so, if not, I will go home.” The Court at once 
told him that what he had done could not prevent him from 
taking the oath. 

When about seventy years of age he retired from the practice 
of the law, but he attended to his other business to the end of 
his life. He had a deep interest in the Parkersburg National 
Bank and in the Northwestern Bank, which preceded the Na- 
tional Bank. The Cashier and President ot the Bank both died, 
and the Directors found its affairs in a terrible condition. At 
one time actions were pending to recover about $25,000 of bad 
loans. Mr. Stephenson was elected President, and through his 
influence a young man was made Cashier. By their manage- 
ment the Bank was soon in a sound financial condition, and be- 
came one of the best Banks in the State. 

He was a slave-holder, or, rather, his slaves held him. He 
bought a number, but never sold one. They were a great ex- 
pense to him, but he was kind and indulgent to them. He bought 
from “the block” an old colored man, “Sam,” who was indeed 
a faithful servant to his master. When “Sam” died his master 
had him buried in the same burying ground in which the body 
of his mother reposes, and he erected a tombstone, on which he 
caused to be put this inscription : “Here lies buried Samuel 
Johnson, the faithful servant and friend of James M. Stephen- 
son.” 

In the last year of his life he said to his son-in-law, whom he 
had made his executor: “When I die I want you to have me 
buried in a plain, black walnut coffin.” “Another charge I make 
on you is, have no hired carriages at my funeral. I would be 
glad to believe that my neighbors and friends will respect my 
memory sufficiently to come to my funeral without being hauled 
there in hired carriages." The pledges were given, and he was 
not buried in a gilded casket, hut in a nice, black walnut coffin,
and no carriages were furnished except for the family. In his
obituary notice it was said: “Notwithstanding the inclemency of the 
weather there was an immense concourse of citizens of all classes, 
professional, business and working men.55 When Mr. Stephenson died
“the poor wept," for he was their friend and benefactor. Those who
had been his slaves wept, for he had been their friend, and they
loved him. In early life he was a Methodist class-leader. He became
more liberal in his religious views, but never lost sight of the
cardinal doctrine of Christianity, “Salvation through faith and
Jesus Christ.55 This doctrine he believed and accepted, and it
comforted his heart in life and was his solace in death. 

James M. Stephenson was a learned man. He was a man of 
wealth, yet had no money wrung unjustly from any one. He 
was a public spirited man, doing much for the public good.
He was a benevolent man, giving thousands of dollars for the
good of mankind. His gifts were unostentatious; he did not make a 
boast of his benevolence. He was a kind husband and father. 
He was a good man and a Christian; “his life was gentle, and 
the elements so mixed in him that Nature might stand up and 
say to all the world, this was a man." He died on the 12th of 
April, 1877, in his eighty-first year. 

Submitted by Linda Fluharty.