Preston County WV

Biography of William H. Manser, M. D.

William H. Manser, M. D.,had that splendid satisfaction which comes to the man who found himself in a congenial vocation early in life and had steadily broadened and improved his service and capacity for doing good. Dr. Manser is now the oldest physician in point of continnous service at Burden, where he had practiced thirty-three years. Though of New England ancestry, the Mansers having located in Massachusetts in Colonial times, Dr. Manser is a native of old Virginia, born at Beckley in what was then simply Western Virginia and as a result of the Civil war became the State of West Virginia. … Read more

Biography of Harrison H. Guthrie, M. D.

Harrison H. Guthrie, M. D., has been in the active practice of his profession in San Bernardino since November, 1881. He came to California from St. Charles, Minnesota, where eighteen years of arduous labor and exposure in that rigorous climate had seriously impaired his naturally delicate constitution. He was born in Preston County, West Virginia, in April 1832, and is the son of a house carpenter, who was also a Virginian. The Doctor was left motherless when nine days old, and was taken and reared by his maternal grandparents in Maryland. Being of an active mental temperament, he advanced rapidly … Read more

Biography of Walter J. Pack

Walter J. Pack, a prominent figure in business circles in Muskogee, has also been a valuable contributing factor in the educational development of Oklahoma and has left the impress of his ability upon the lives of those who have come under his instruction. He represents a family whose members have largely consecrated their lives. to the spread of the gospel and who have proven most able workers in this great field of usefulness. It was in the capacity of preacher and teacher that Walter J. Pack became a resident of Tahlequah, being appointed head of the Baptist Mission Academy and … Read more

West Virginia Naturalization Records

Naturalization Certificate

Naturalization to become a U.S. citizen was a two-part process: the Declaration of Intent to Naturalize, or First Papers, and the Naturalization Record (including the Naturalization Petition), or Final Papers. The First Papers were normally filed five years before the Final Papers because of the five-year residency requirement to become a citizen. No centralized files existed before 1906. In 1906 federal forms replaced the various formats that had been used by the various courts. Copies were sent to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), creating a central file for naturalization papers. The INS is now known as the U.S. Citizenship … Read more