[September, 1905]

Thomas B. Scott, of Mill Creek, one of the oldest as well as one of the most prominent figures in the history of the county, died at his home near Mill Creek at 11 a.m. Saturday, September, 16th, 1905 of uraemia. He was born November, 3rd, 1823, within a stones throw of the place where he died, on the same farm where resided all his life, and would have been 82 years of age on the 3rd of November next. He was the fourth and youngest son of Benjamin T. Scott and Jane Scott, his mother being a daughter of Wm. Currence Jr. and Polly Currence, who was a daughter of Sylvester Ward. He had three brothers, Holman who resided near Moorefield, Hardy County, and who died in 1888, leaving two sons Thomas B. and David M. and one daughter, Eliza who now resides there. William, who resided in Upshur County, and who died in 1887, leaving several sons and daughters: and John L. who formerly lived at Maysville, Ky., but who removed after the Civil War to Fort Worth, Texas, where he now resides at the age of 86, having raised sons and daughter. Mr. Scott had five sisters all of whom are long since dead, Mary J. was the wife of Robert Crawford of Beverly, Catharine was the wife of Rev. Isaac McClaskey of Parkersburg, Amelia was the wife of Judge Cyrus Hall of Parkersburg, Virginia was the wife of Smith Hall, prominent lawyer of Harrisville, and Elizabeth died when twelve years of age.

Benjamin T. Scott, his father, was the son of John and Mary Scott of Hardy County, now Grant born at the Stone house about one mile from Petersburg; and was appreticed to Sethman Holman who raised him to manhood, and located him in the Tygarts Valley at the mouth of the Dry Run where he settled in 1808, and where he remained for thirty years until he died in 1838.

The subject of this sketch and his brother John L. were attending the North Western Virginia Academy at Clarksburg in 1838, when their father died, and he had expected to enter Washington College the next year, but by the will of his father he was given the home farm and required to take care of his mother and four sisters. And to pay his sisters $900 each when of age or married; and although he was but fourteen years of age, he quit school, abandoned his ambition to follow a profession, and returned home, and devoted his life to the cared of his widowed mother and younger sisters; the sisters soon grew up and married, but his mother lived with him for thirty years after her husbands death, when she died at the age of 83 years.

Physically, like the hardy race of Scotch-Irish pioneers from which he sprang, he was large and robust, six feet and slightly over, in height, and weighed 212 pounds and within a week of his death was erect and straight (as he himself often said “as an Indian”.). His mind like is body was strong and vigorous, He began his career in 1838 at fourteen years of age, and when the Civil War broke out in 1861, he was among the foremost business men of the Valley, handling stock, and farming and had acquired large boundaries of timber and coal lands, but he was located within the “military zone”, and the hostile armies despoiled him of his herds and laid his lands waste, and he never recovered altogether his losses.

He was married in 1846 to Mary Ann Hutton, daughter of Moses Hutton and raised six children, three of whom, Felix, Lucy and Mary Ann are dead, and three, Elizabeth, wife of Z.T. Wamsley, Cyrus H. and Virginia, wife of J.W. Wamsley are still living. His wife, died in 1862 and in March married Martha Wilmoth, daughter of Elias and Eliza Crawford Wilmoth, and one son George C. Scott was born, who resides in Elkins. In 873, his second wife died and in 1876 he again married, his third wife being Mrs. Rebecca Parsons, widow of Solomon Parsons, and daughter of Isaac Crouch, his nearest neighbor, who has been dead for several years, and who left one child, Mrs. Evelyn Ward of Mill Creek.

In his early life he belonged to the Methodist Church, but in 1880 joined the Presbyterian Church of which he was a member until his death. He was kind and obliging to all and was greatly beloved by the poor, who always found in him a kind friend. He held many public offices during his early life, and was always honored and respected in every walk of life, and leaves behind and example worthy of emulation of future generations.

As a husband and parent, and in his home life, he was kind and affectionate, and his neighbors and acquaintances were greatly devoted to him. For fifty years, “Uncle Tom” has been a familiar figure and he will long be remembered.

The funeral was preached at the Presbyterian Church in Huttonsville on Monday afternoon at three o’clock by the Pastor the Rev. Mr. Hudson, and the remains were followed to the grave by a large circle of sorrowing relatives and friends, and were laid to rest in the family burying ground at the old Brick Churchyard.

True Copy of the original death notice in Randolph Enterprise. (Handwritten)

Retyped September 5, 2005 by Tom Hackman from typed copy in the records of Cyrus Scott Smith, great-grandson of the obituary’s subject. All spellings and wording left as in the original.