Perhaps you have come to page from the Cathell Family in West Virginia. Before their odyssey to Green Valley West Virginia, I believe Platt and Sarah Cathell lived in this mill town along the Jones Falls stream in northern Baltimore. For history information on Woodberry please go to the History of WoodberryUse "back" to return here.
The Cathell family was established on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and nearby Delaware and Virginia since before 1700. As with most colonists, the Cathell's were farmers (especially tobacco), but also engaged in blacksmithing, sawmilling and ship building--really anything necessary to maintain their mostly self sufficient existence. At least 10 of the Cathell's served in the Revolutionary War. My family was from the Levi Cathell line, however some event lost in history caused one of his sons to leave the area and my grandfather's greatgrandfather Mitchell Kershaw Cathell to be raised in Bethel, Sussex County Delaware in association with a relative, Jonathan Cathell, a strong-willed sea captain and ship builder. Later ship building at Bethel is better documented, however, it apparently started at the very end of navigation on the rather small Broad Creek because the nearby marshy land had never been cleared for agriculture and the climax forest remained in the early 1800's. After this local source of ship timbers was exhausted, ship building continued in this unusual location simply because there were men who knew how to build ships. Early shipbuilding was done without plans and mostly with the simplest of tools. Even though entire ships hulls, masts and spars were built in Bethel, usually the ship was towed (or rudimentary sails were installed and the ship was sailed) to Baltimore where specialized ship riggers would install the sails and sheets needed to get the new ship into business. Much of the sail cloth came from the Woodberry duck cotton mills.
As with some other Cathell's of his generation, Mitchell and his wife Jane Huffington Cathell left the Eastern Shore in the late 1830's for "more opportunity and better education for their children" and settled in downtown Baltimore where most Cathell's were boilermakers and machinists on the relatively new technology of the time, the B&O Railroad. My grandfather's grandfather, Platt Cathell, lived and worked with his brother Robert Cathell up until after 1870 when Platt and his family moved to pristine Green Valley West Virginia and started a line of the family that still call West Virginia home. Before leaving the Baltimore area, the Platt and Robert Cathell families had moved to Woodberry for unknown reasons; as railroad machinists they were often laid off when business was slack, perhaps they got employment in the Woodberry mills and when called back to the railroad, they did not move out of the mill town. Possibly a coincidence, but their shipbuilding relative, Jonathan Cathell more than likely would have known the sail cloth manufacturers in Woodberry.
This almost remote enclave of Baltimore is now the home of small shops and apartments occupying the former mill buildings as well as single homes that once housed the mill workers. On the the top of hill above Woodberry is Druid Hill Park
This somber appearance in early May 2009 was because of a slow moving weather front that had produced rather heavy rain all week, limiting my desire to further explore Woodberry.
The mills in Woodberry were there because of the waterpower of the Jones Falls. As its name suggest, this stream travels down steep topography and over the fall line, creating energy potential. The small tributary in this photo powered the rather large mill here, which in its last productive use appears to have been a foundry. The small size of this unnamed stream probably required a reservoir higher up the watershed to store water overnight to be released during working hours.
Use this link to go to the Cathell Family in West Virginia Home Page
Green Valley, West Virginia
August 4, 2007
Green Valley, near Etam West Virginia. Platt Mitchell Cathell homestead. Currently owned and occupied by Gerald "Pete" Cathell, grandson of Platt M. Cathell
1907 Map of Etam West Virginia. The Cathell homestead is just off of this map to the southwest.
Platt and Sarah, as well as many of their offspring are buried in the Etam Methodist Church cemetary.
| Name: Cathell, George E. | Year of Birth 1865 | Year of Death: 1932 | Birth Place: Baltimore MD |
| Spouse: Sarah E. Robinson | Spouse Birth/Death:1867-1954 | Burial:Etam Cemetary | Child: Roy Cathell 1900-1901 |
| Child: Clarence M. Cathell 1890-1983 | Child: Bertha I. Cathell Britton1891-1973 | Child: James A. Cathell 1895-1964 | Child: Nora A. Cathell 1893-1983 |
| Residence: Green Valley WV | County: Preston | Occupation: Farmer | Notes: |
| Name: Cathell, Joseph Huvington | Year of Birth 1868 | Year of Death: 1964 | Birth Place: Baltimore MD |
| Spouse: Callie V. Adams | Spouse Birth/Death:1884-1960 | Burial:Etam Cemetary | Child: Perl A. Cathell |
| Child: Edith J. Cathell | Child: Dora M Cathell | Child:Earl C. Cathell | Child: William E. Cathell |
| Child: Elsie E. Cathell | Child: Dorothy C. Cathell | Child:T.Gordon Cathell | Child: W. Donald Cathell |
| Residence: Etam WV | County: Preston | Occupation: Farmer | Notes: 95 years old at death |
| Name: Cathell, James Mitchell | Year of Birth 1860 | Year of Death: 1941 | Birth Place: Baltimore MD |
| Spouse:1) Carrie Coburn 2) Annie Turner | Spouse Birth/Death:__________ | Burial:Etam Cemetary | Child:Virgil Cathell |
| Child: Claude Cathell | Child: | Child: | Child: |
| Residence: Belington WV | County: Barbour | Occupation: | Notes:Died in Rowlesburg at Will's |
| Name: Cathell, Steward H. | Year of Birth 1870 | Year of Death: 1953 | Birth Place: Baltimore |
| Spouse: Cyrena May Lipscomb | Spouse Birth/Death:1871-1952 | Burial:Etam Cemetary | Child: Thomas Oscar Cathell |
| Child: Anna L. Cathell | Child: Harry Ervin Cathell | Child: Lula Mabel Cathell | Child: Elmer Neal Cathell |
| Child: Orville Ross Cathell | Child: Theodore Platt Cathell | Child: Boyd Williard Cathell | Child: Stewart Lee Cathell (loved cake) |
| Child: Goldie Grace Cathell | Child: Everett McKinley Cathell | Child: Mary Katherine Cathell | Child: Kenneth Hall Cathell |
| Child: Arthur U. Cathell | Child: Avril Cathell | Child: Robert W. Cathell | Child:Ruth M. Cathell |
| Residence: Hepzibah Community | County: Taylor | Occupation:Farmer | Notes: |
| Name: Cathell, William Luther | Year of Birth 1878 | Year of Death: 1956 | Birth Place: Green Valley -Etam, WV |
| Spouse: Elsie M. | Spouse Birth/Death:1883-1959 | Burial:Etam Cemetary | Child:Merrill (Myrl)Cathell |
| Child: Charles (Charley) Cathell | Child: | Child: | Child: |
| Residence: Rowlesburg WV | County: Preston | Occupation: Engineer, B&O | Notes: Pension card in Rowlesburg book |
| Name: Cathell, Charles (Charley) | Year of Birth 1880 | Year of Death: 1952 | Birth Place: Green Valley -Etam, WV |
| Spouse: Mable (Mae)Gaines | Spouse Birth/Death:1887-196_ | Burial:Etam Cemetary | Child:Betty (Cathell) Sohn |
| Child: Dolly M (Cathell) Bolyard Dutton 1914-2002 | Child: Gerald (Pete) Cathell, Green Valley, WV | Child: Richard (Rich) Cathell, Chesapeake, VA | Child: Violet (Cathell) Carver |
| Child: Augusta Cathell | Child: Mildred M. Cathell | Child: C. Harold Cathell | Child: |
| Residence: Green Valley, WV | County: Preston | Occupation:Farmer | Notes: bought homeplace from siblings |
| Name: Cathell, Jane | Year of Birth 18__ | Year of Death: 19__ | Birth Place: Baltimore MD |
| Spouse: Thomas Springs | Spouse Birth/Death:_______ | Burial:_______ | Child: |
| Child: | Child: | Child: | Child: |
| Residence: | County: Taylor | Occupation: | Notes: |
| Name: Cathell, John Wesley | Year of Birth June 22, 1872 | Year of Death: August 25, 1951 | Birth Place: Baltimore, MD |
| Spouse: Jane Haymon or Layman | Spouse Birth/Death:_______ | Burial:Concord Church | Child: Callie Cathell Corley |
| Child: Johnnie Cathell | Child: Ralph William Cathell | Child: Daisy Cathell | Child:Howard Cathell |
| Child: Mitchell Cathell (of John, not of Clarence) | Child: Carrie V. Cathell | Child: Inez D. Cathell | Child:Myrtle E. Cathell |
| Child: Bretsel L. Cathell | Child: Bud Cathell | Child: Clifford B. Cathell | Child:Blanch Cathell |
| Child: Dolly P.Cathell | Child: | Child: Sarah E.Cathell | Child: Nellie R. Cathell |
| Residence: rural Belington WV | County:Barbour | Occupation: Farmer | Notes: |
| Name: Cathell, Jonathan | Year of Birth abt 1873 | Year of Death: ? | Birth Place: Baltimore MD |
| Spouse: _____ | Spouse Birth/Death:_______ | Burial:? | Child: |
| Child: | Child: | Child: | Child: |
| Residence: | County: | Occupation: | Notes: Jonathan might be John Wesley-above? |
| Name: Cathell, Martha W | Year of Birth abt 1876 | Year of Death: ? | Birth Place: _________ |
| Spouse: _____ | Spouse Birth/Death:_______ | Burial:? | Child: |
| Child: | Child: | Child: | Child: |
| Residence: | County: | Occupation: | Notes: |
| Name: Cathell, Rutherford B. | Year of Birth abt 1876 | Year of Death: ? | Birth Place: West Virginia |
| Spouse: Grace E. Francis Cathell | Spouse Birth/Death:12/25/1879/? | Burial:? | Child: |
| Child: | Child: | Child: | Child: |
| Residence: Harrison Co. WV | County: | Occupation: | Notes: Married Grace 1899 |
Notes-Need to classify/verify
1900 Census
Preston County
listed under Stuart (Steward) and May
Arthur U Cathell abt 1899
listed under William L
Charity Cathell abt 1882
listed under Jos. H.
Eunice E Cathelll abt 1872
Perl A. Cathell abt 1890
Edith J. Cathell abt 1892
Dora M Cathell 1894
Earl C. Cathell abt 1897
1910 Census
Preston County
listed under William and Elsie
Merrill Cathell abt 1905
Charley Cathell abt 1908
listed under George E. and Sarah
Florence M. Cathell abt 1890
listed under Charles and Mabel (Charley and May)
Augusta Cathell abt 1907 (Gusty, a visitor to my home in the 1960's ?)
listed under James M.
Virgil Cathell abt 1901
listed under Stewart H. and (Cyrena) May
Arvel Cathell abt 1900 (seen elsewhere spelled Avril ?-if Avril, died Sept 20 1964 Mineral Co WV- retired B&O RR)
listed under John and Jane-Upshur County--assumed to be the same as John Wesley
Daisy Cathell abt 1895
Howard Cathell abt 1904
Mitchell Cathell abt 1904 - spouse was Mary Russie Malcomb-died March 1953
1920 Census
Preston County
listed under John and Jane
Carrie V. Cathell abt 1909
Inez D. Cathell abt 1914
Myrtle E. Cathell abt 1915
Bretsel L. Cathell abt 1916
Bud Cathell abt 1916
(listed in 1930 census--Barbour Co- Under John and Jane)
Blanch Cathell abt 1913
Clifford B. Cathell abt 1918
Dolly P. Cathell abt 1920
Sarah E. Cathell abt 1922
Nellie R. Cathell abt 1922
listed under William L and Elsie
Myrl Cathell (same as Merrill?) abt 1905
Charles Cathell abt 1908
listed under James W. (1861)
Anna Cathell abt 1881 (Annie Turner)
Claude Cathell abt 1909
listed under Stewart and (Cyrena) May
Robert W. Cathell abt 1909
Ruth M. Cathell abt 1918
1930 census
listed under Theodore Platt-Monongalia Co (of Stewart and Cyrena May) Coal miner- died Sept 1936
Hazel M Cathell about 1905-spouse from Maidsville WV
Charlotte C Cathell abt 1925
Harley N Cathell abt 1926
Richard L Cathell abt 1927
Della M Cathell abt 1930
Rita M Cathell abt 1895?
listed under Charles R abt 1908-Preston Co (of _________)
Augusta Cathell abt 1908
Mary L Cathell abt 1926
Jack Cathell abt 1928
listed under Charles (abt 1881) (of Platt and Sarah) and Mabel abt (1888) (May) -Preston Co in addition to above)
Mildred M Cathell abt 1921
C Harold Cathell abt 1924
Gerald L. Cathell (Pete-current owner in 2007 of homeplace) abt
1926
Richard G. Cathell (Rich-resides in Chesapeake VA in 2007) abt 1929
listed under Joseph H. (of Platt and Sarah) and Callie V. ( in addition to above )
William E Cathell-abt 1915
Elsie E. Cathell abt 1916
Dorothy C Cathell abt 1917
Ethel D Cathell abt 1919
T Gordon Cathell abt 1921
W. Donald Cathell about 1924
listed under Thomas O (Oscar)-Preston Co (of Stewart and Cyrena May)
Ora M Cathell (spouse?) abt 1895
Roy E Cathell abt 1915
Thelma E Cathell abt 1917
Mary E Cathell abt 1922
listed under Harry E --Taylor Co (of Stewart and Cyrena May)
Elizabeth Cathell (spouse?) abt 1897
Edwin H Cathell abt 1920
Stewart A Cathell abt 1923
Mary S Cathell abt 1926
Dorsey L Cathell abt 1928
"abt" = about date of birth
source: http://search.ancestry.com
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