U.S. Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ -- USGenNet Inc. -- Please read the U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on the following page: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Barbee, Andrew Russell M. D. (1827-1903) ------------------------------------------------------------------- Men of West Virginia, Volume II Biographical Publishing Company George Richmond, Pres.: C. R. Arnold, Sec'y and Treas. Chicago, Illinois, 1903 Pages 415-418 ANDREW RUSSELL BARBEE:, M. D. — One of the best known and most highly regarded citizens of Mason County, West Virginia, is Dr. Andrew R. Barbee, who was born December 9, 1827. His father, also named Andrew Russell Barbee, was a native of Virginia, and died at the age of 87 years. During the greater part of his life he was a farmer, and also taught school. A stanch Democrat, he was active in politics, but never accepted office. Both he and his wife were members of the Baptist Church. He married Nancy Britton, also a Virginian, who survived her husband but two years. Their six sons and six daughters all arrived at ages of maturity, bearing these names: George B., deceased; Eliza Ann, deceased; Gabriel T. (now past his 90th anniversary), for four years a member of the Virginia State Senate, is a merchant at Bridgewater, Virginia; William R., deceased, was a sculptor of talent, spent several years in Florence and Rome, Italy, and is the author of "The Coquette," "Fisher Girl," "Young American," and many other life-size statues; Ellen, deceased; Lewis C, deceased; Jane is the widow of Jonathan Bean, who died from a battle wound received in the Confederate Army; Andrew Russell; Caroline and Adaline, deceased; Joseph S., who served in the cavalry during the Civil War, is a newspaper man and artist, in Los Angeles, California; and Mary, deceased. Dr. Barbee obtained his education under the care of his sister, at home, and in the country schools, and spent two years as a pupil of Professor McCarty, at Petersburg. He then read medicine with his father-in-law, Dr. J. J. Thompson, of Luray, Virginia, and in 1848 entered the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1851. Afterwards taking a course in the Richmond Medical College, he went to Flint Hill, Rappahannock County, Virginia, and practiced there six months and then lived at Criglersville, Madison County, Virginia, until 1858. Failing health caused him to suspend his practice for a time and he engaged in the exhibition and sale of his brother's marble sculptures. In 1839 he bought a farm near Raymond City, Putnam County, Virginia, now West Virginia, and practiced in partnership with his father-in-law. When the Civil War broke out, Dr. Barbee, though violently opposed to secession, together with some of the ablest men of the State, "stumped" the Kanawha Valley in opposition to the cowardly subterfuge of "peaceable secession," — yet, when the State, which gave him birth, by a large majority had severed its relations with the Union of States by an ordinance, cast his lot and fortunes with his State, whether right or wrong, and made requisitions on his company of 1O3 bear and deer hunter men, most of whom were six-footers, who had made him captain several years previous to the agitation of the so- called "peaceable secession" and as against coercion. He was the first to engage the Federal troops near his home in their march up the Kanawha Valley early in July, 1861, and entered the Confederate service as captain of the Border Riflemen, and when the regiment was re-organized in the fall of 1861, he was made lieutenant- colonel and on the death of Col. George M. Ratton succeeded to the colonelcy. Prior to this he had received a wound in the arm, at Dry Creek. Later he went into the medical department, retaining his rank and was assigned to Gen. John C. Breckenridge in a medico- military capacity. After General Breckenridge was made Secretary of War, he was assigned to the staff of Gen. James L. Kemper. Obeying his first order, he was sent to Saltville, in Southwestern Virginia, in a medico-military character to inspect the sanitary condition of the army there and to ascertain the need for medical and surgical supplies as well as to look into the want and necessities in the ordnance department. On reaching Saltville (the only source from which supplies of salt for the Confederate Army were obtainable), he found about one-third of the army there down with small-pox, but managed to control it. Ere his report to General Kemper on sanitation, medical and military wants could be made, General Burbridge, in command of 4,000 colored troops from Kentucky, bounced in upon him. Retaining his military rank, Dr. Barbee engaged actively in the fight the day long, when General Williams with infantry and General Jones with cavalry re-inforced, and thus the last chance for Confederate salt was saved, General Burbridge retiring, with loss of many men, killed, wounded and prisoners. Dr. Barbee took part in many of the battles in the Shenandoah Valley and was with General Morgan when he was shot, and was one of his pall-bearers. The first battle in which he felt more than usually interested was four miles from his home and a part of the enemy confiscated and threshed out his wheat, oats, rye, etc. He was also at Giles Court House, New River, White Sulphur and other points. After the close of the war, Dr. Barbee accepted the situation, took the oath of allegiance, being the first man in West Virginia to do so, and returned to the home of his father-in-law, his own estates having been confiscated. Soon after, he resumed practice at Coalsmouth, and found his time occupied with the care of a camp of convalescent Union soldiers; later in 1865, he moved to Buffalo, Putnam County, where he practiced until 1868, when he moved to Point Pleasant, West Virginia, where he has resided ever since. He has become one of the leading citizens of the county, an important factor in Its educational and professional development. For 15 years he served as president of the Board of Education, both white and colored, and was the first organizer of a colored school in Point Pleasant. Dr. Barbee is a member of the West Virginia Medical Association, of which he has been president; of the Ohio Valley Medical Association; and of the medical society of the county. Since its organization in 1881, he has been a member of the State Board of Health. Under Governor Atkinson's administration, he was elected secretary and executive officer of the State Board of Health, and registrar of vital and mortuary statistics of West Virginia, an office in which he has been continued during various administrations. For a number of years he was examining surgeon for the U. S. pension board, resigning in the latter part of President Harrison's administration; he also served for many years as the efficient health officer and county coroner of Mason County. Dr. Barbee has also been a leading factor in politics. He is of Republican faith and from 1881 to 1884 was a member of the State Senate. In 1884 he was a candidate for Congress, but was defeated by 43 votes. On May 22, 1852, he was married to Margaret A. G. Thompson, who was born in Luray, Virginia, in 1834, and is a daughter of Dr. J. J. Thompson, an eminent physician, who practiced for 20 years in Luray, Virginia, and three years at Point Pleasant, and spent the remainder of his life on his farm opposite the mouth of the Poca, on the Great Kanawha River, West Virginia, dying at an advanced age, in 1881. Dr. Thompson was a member of the Virginia Legislature that passed the Ordinance of Secession, and took a strong stand against it and voted against it. A family of six children was born to Dr. and Mrs. Barbee. namely: John R., deceased; Mary B., the widow of C. W. Harper, deceased, who was a coal merchant at Raymond City: Kate Louise, who married, first, John McCullough, who died in 1881, and second. J. Samuel Spencer, an attorney at Point Pleasant; Ann Rebecca, who married O. E. Darnall, superintendent of the West Virginia Reform School; and Hugh A., a physician at Point Pleasent. Mrs. Barbee is a member of the Presbyterian Church. The Doctor is a Mason. He is a man of great intelligence and a genial companion. His reminiscences of the past are most instructive and interesting. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Register of Deaths within the District of Pt. Pleasant, for the county of Mason in the Year Ending 31st December, 1903. Pages 474-475, Line No. 5 FULL-NAME: Andrew K. Barbee BIRTH-DATE: December 11, 1829 BIRTH-PLACE: Pruntytown, W.Va. DEATH-DATE: August 5, 1903 AGE-AT-DEATH: 74 years DEATH-PLACE: Mason County, WV CONSORT-OF: M. A. G. Barbee OCCUPATION: JPhysician PARENTS: A. R. & Mrs. Barbee CAUSE-OF-DEATH: General Debility INFORMANT: Hugh A. Barbee, son ------------------------------------------------------------------- If you've reached this file through a SEARCH, you can access other biographies for Mason County, WV by going to the following URL: http://www.us-data.org/wv/mason/bios.html -------------------------------------------------------------------