Today in Wheeling History: September 29--Martin Luther Connelley, prominent Ohio County farmer and insurance company founder who established his homestead in Liberty District ten miles northeast of Wheeling, was born in Richland District (1842).
Martin Luther Connelley was born September 29, 1842, in Richland District, Ohio County, to Elisha and Lorena (Eaton) Connelley. His father Elisha, originally from Maryland, settled in Ohio County after moving through Pennsylvania, becoming a successful farmer who owned four farms and was an early Republican supporter of Abraham Lincoln in 1860.
Martin received his education in local schools and attended West Liberty Academy before dedicating his life to farming. In 1870, he established his homestead farm of 110 acres in Liberty District, Ohio County, ten miles northeast of the City of Wheeling, specializing in sheep raising. The farm was historically significant, as one of the first cabins in that part of Ohio County had been erected on the property. Connelley chose to build his house near the fine natural springs in the vicinity.
He served fourteen years on his district's school board, demonstrating his commitment to education. In 1893, Connelley lost his left arm below the elbow while operating the first corn husking machine brought across the Ohio River into West Virginia. Despite this setback, he continued his agricultural pursuits and co-founded the Farmers Mutual Insurance Company with A.R. Jacob, serving as secretary and treasurer from incorporation until 1920. The company grew from $150,000 to over $5,000,000 in coverage.
Connelley married Mary E. Giffin on March 29, 1870, and they had four children: Lena Jane, Frank Edwin, Laura L., and Joseph Luther Benjamin. Mary died in 1884. A devoted member of Roney's Point United Presbyterian Church for fifty years and lifelong Prohibition Party supporter, Connelley died July 3, 1928, at Valley Grove.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library – Martin Luther Connelley (https://tinyurl.com/yj3cufjy), USGenWeb Archives – Biography of Martin Luther Connelley (https://tinyurl.com/56xe3uad), Ohio County Public Library – Wheeling History Online (https://tinyurl.com/3t957ffm), Family Search - Martin Luther Connelley (https://tinyurl.com/yc5ck4c4), Ancestry - Martin Connelly Family History Records (https://tinyurl.com/359nyesn), Find a Grave Martin Luther Connelley (https://tinyurl.com/2pyb5s3s)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Find a Grave
Martin Luther Connelley was born September 29, 1842, in Richland District, Ohio County, to Elisha and Lorena (Eaton) Connelley. His father Elisha, originally from Maryland, settled in Ohio County after moving through Pennsylvania, becoming a successful farmer who owned four farms and was an early Republican supporter of Abraham Lincoln in 1860.
Martin received his education in local schools and attended West Liberty Academy before dedicating his life to farming. In 1870, he established his homestead farm of 110 acres in Liberty District, Ohio County, ten miles northeast of the City of Wheeling, specializing in sheep raising. The farm was historically significant, as one of the first cabins in that part of Ohio County had been erected on the property. Connelley chose to build his house near the fine natural springs in the vicinity.
He served fourteen years on his district's school board, demonstrating his commitment to education. In 1893, Connelley lost his left arm below the elbow while operating the first corn husking machine brought across the Ohio River into West Virginia. Despite this setback, he continued his agricultural pursuits and co-founded the Farmers Mutual Insurance Company with A.R. Jacob, serving as secretary and treasurer from incorporation until 1920. The company grew from $150,000 to over $5,000,000 in coverage.
Connelley married Mary E. Giffin on March 29, 1870, and they had four children: Lena Jane, Frank Edwin, Laura L., and Joseph Luther Benjamin. Mary died in 1884. A devoted member of Roney's Point United Presbyterian Church for fifty years and lifelong Prohibition Party supporter, Connelley died July 3, 1928, at Valley Grove.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library – Martin Luther Connelley (https://tinyurl.com/yj3cufjy), USGenWeb Archives – Biography of Martin Luther Connelley (https://tinyurl.com/56xe3uad), Ohio County Public Library – Wheeling History Online (https://tinyurl.com/3t957ffm), Family Search - Martin Luther Connelley (https://tinyurl.com/yc5ck4c4), Ancestry - Martin Connelly Family History Records (https://tinyurl.com/359nyesn), Find a Grave Martin Luther Connelley (https://tinyurl.com/2pyb5s3s)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Find a Grave
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