Roy Wolde and Sean O’Connor: A Novel of the Northwestern Virginia Panhandle 1800–1865

By Bill Conner

This book continues my story about the family of Reverend Nathaniel Wolde, his wife, Mary Catherine, and their friends, Patrick and Lucy O'Connor, and Albert and Martha Sawyer. It is a close friendship, and the husbands, proclaimed themselves to be brothers. The story is set in the 1850", near Fairmont, in western Virginia, close to the Mononghela, River.

The Woldes have five children, sons, Roy and Riley, and daughters, Martha Jane, Sarah, and Lucy; Patrick and Lucy O'Connor have two sons, Sean and Michael and a daughter, Megan. The Sawyers, having no children, adopted those of their friends.

The book begins with the return of the Wolde family, and the O'Connor children, from New York City, where they had spent Christmas. None of them had ever been outside Marion County before, and it was quite an experience. The second Wolde son, Riley, returned to Scotland with his uncle, Ian MacTavish, to live with his grandfather, Baron Robert MacTavish, in Dunne, Scotland.

James Marsden, Superintendent of Construction for the B & O Railroad, was impressed by young Sean O'Connor, and offered him a job with the railroad, saying he would send the young man to Baltimore to finish his education, the from there to college, to become a full-fledged engineer. Thus, his career began.

Reverend Wolde and his two "brothers" formed a company to buy and sell land. Knowing he would not have time to look after the family farm, he gives this responsibility to Roy. The young man tells his father he cannot manage the farm with all the horses, cattle, and sheep they own, and no help to raise crops to feed them; the animals had to go; he would make money by cutting timber. Roy convinces Michel O'Connor to become his partner in the venture. The two young men form a bond that is never broken during their lifetime. It was further enhanced when they each married the other's sister; Roy and Megan, Michel and Martha Jane.

The book deals with all their successes as well as the heartbreaks they encounter. It follows young Sean O'Connor through the beginning of his career as a railroad man. It introduces a new character, David Sullivan, who comes from New York City, to live with the Wolde family, and join Roy and Michael in their timber business.

The story continues in Book # 3.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 22, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465305671

Bill Conner

I retired on the last day of the year 2008. I was seventy-eight years old, and it was a sad day; I found it very hard to let go. After several weeks of listening to my growling and complaining about having nothing to do, my wife gave me a challenge I could not refuse. I had talked for years about writing a book but claimed I never had time to do it. My wife said I now had plenty of time so I should get to it, and that’s what I did. I had no idea how to begin, but somehow I managed, and The Last Good Year is my eighth book to be published. I am halfway through writing the ninth and promised myself I would write a total of ten before I quit and retire again. It’s a pretty lofty goal for a man now eighty-four years old.

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Copyright © 2011 by Billie Conner.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2011960149

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4653-9123-0

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4653-9122-3

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4653-0567-1

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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CONTENTS

CAST OF CHARACTERS

PART ONE Home at Last

PART TWO Christmas in Virginia

PART THREE Marion County Real Estate Company

PART FOUR James Marsden and the B&O Railroad

EPILOGUE

CAST OF CHARACTERS

NATHANIEL NATHAN WOLDE—Adopted son of Ethan and Sarah Wolde. Farmer/preacher, husband of Mary Catherine Collingsworth. Parents were killed in Indian wars. Adopted by Ethan and Sarah Wolde.

MARY CATHERINE COLLINGSWORTH—Born out of wedlock, daughter of Baron Robert MacTavish, Scotland, and Judith Conaway. Raised by Maddie (Judith’s sister) and Clarence Collingsworth as their own child. Married Nathaniel Wolde. Mother of five children. Stepsister of Ian MacTavish.

ROY, RALEIGH RILEY, MARTHA, SARAH, AND LUCY WOLDE—Children of Nathan and Mary Catherine Wolde.

ETHAN WOLDE—Former British soldier, released from service due to severe wounds. Husband of Sarah. Adopted Nathan in Pittsburg at age six.

SARAH WOLDE—Hospital nurse in Philadelphia. Tended to wounded Ethan Wolde, then later married him.

CLARENCE COLLINGSWORTH—Metal worker/machinist/blacksmith, husband of Maddie, foster parent of Mary Catherine, but is actually her uncle.

MADDIE COLLINGSWORTH—Wife of Clarence, sister of Judith Conaway, foster parent of Mary Catherine, but is actually her aunt.

JUDITH CONAWAY—Sister of Maddie, mistress of Baron Robert MacTavish, mother of Mary Catherine.

BARON ROBERT MACTAVISH—Son of Augustus MacTavish, Dundee, Scotland, companion of Judith Conaway, father of Mary Catherine Wolde, father of Ian MacTavish.

ANN LEIGH MACTAVISH—Wife of Robert MacTavish, Dundee, Scotland, mother of Ian MacTavish, died following childbirth.

SYLVESTER ROTHCHILD—Solicitor in New York City, employed by MacTavish LLD, Dundee, Scotland.

LAWRENCE ROTHCHILD—Grandson of Sylvester.

ALBERT SAWYER—Former captain of China clipper ship. Retired from sea. Married to Martha. Captain of steamboat on Monongahela. Owns commercial warehouse, partners with Nathan in real estate venture.

MARTHA SAWYER—Wife of Albert, schoolteacher, godmother of Martha Wolde. Mary Catherine’s dearest friend.

JOSEPH JOE AND LUCY WINTERS—Migrated from New Jersey to Ohio. Lost all possessions when tornado hit barge carrying wagon down the Ohio River. Came to live with Nathan on farm. Joe was killed in accident while cutting timber. Lucy married Patrick O’Connor.

PATRICK O’CONNOR—Irish immigrant who lost wife to influenza. Met Nathan who allowed him and his family to come and live in the old homeplace in return for help on the farm. Father of Sean, Michael, and Megan.

LUCY O’CONNOR—Widow of Joseph Winters, who was killed in an accident cutting timber. Married Patrick.

SEAN, MICHAEL, AND MEGAN O’CONNOR—Children of Patrick O’Connor.

JAMES MARSDEN—Vice president for construction, B&O Railroad. Currently involved with extending B&O tracks from Fairmont to Wheeling. Hired Sean O’Connor, whom he planned to train to become his assistant.

IAN MACTAVISH—Son of Baron Robert MacTavish, stepbrother of Mary Catherine Wolde, mentor of his nephew, Charles Raleigh Wolde.

THOMAS PATRICK—Warehouse manager for MacTavish Ltd in New York City.

HANS AND INGA WILHELM—Longtime members of the household staff of the MacTavish estate in Scotland who traveled with Ian when he came to America.

CAPTAIN THOMAS STUART—Captain of the clipper ship Catherine Ross owned by MacTavish, LLD.

DAVID SULLIVAN—Nephew of Lawrence Rothchild. Came to the territory to seek his fortune. Lived briefly with the Woldes. Business partners with family and extended family.

WILLIAM C. WILLEY—Sixth District congressman.

JANIE WILLEY—Wife of William.

C. J. WILLEY—Father of William.

GEORGE GRAY—Owner of Feed and Seed Store, Grant Town.

FRANCES H. PIERPONT—Chairman, Board of Delegates, Wheeling, Virginia.

JOHN WILSON SR.—Banker and mine owner.

ELIZABETH WILSON—Wife of John Senior, DuPont heiress from Eastern Shore, Maryland.

JOHN WILSON JR.—Son of John Senior and Elizabeth. Partner of David Sullivan. West Point graduate. Degree in engineering.

TOM LEWIS—Warehouse manager for Albert Sawyer.

JENNY LEWIS—Wife of Tom.

ARTHUR STANLEY—Big lumberman and sawmill operator in Valley Falls, Barrackville, and Mannington. Eventually merged with Roy and Michael’s construction company.

SAM JENSEN—John Wilson’s attorney.

ED BARLOW—Head teller in John Wilson’s bank.

WILFORD BOB JAMESON—Publisher of weekly newspaper.

BESSIE JENKINS—Owner of boarding house and restaurant, Barrackville, on Buffalo Creek.

LEWELLYN LEW SMYTHE—Head of construction company owned by Roy Wolde and Michael O’Connor.

CATHERINE ROSS, ANN ROSS, AND MARY ROSS—Names of clipper ships owned by MacTavish.

PART ONE

Home at Last

Mary Catherine stood at the top of the steps and took a quick look around the depot as Patrick and Albert moved forward to help her to the ground. My goodness, she thought, it don’t look at all like I remembered it, but my good friends have come to greet me, and that’s all that matters.

She was welcomed with a big hug and a kiss by both men, then suddenly found herself in the embraces of Lucy and Martha. There were tears all around, and they all tried to talk at the same time. Then the girls were there—Megan, Martha Jane, Sarah, and Lucy. Conversation was put on hold while the children got their hugs and kisses. Of course, they all wanted to tell Aunt Lucy and Aunt Martha about the wonderful things they had seen and done.

Mary Catherine had just seen James Marsden come out of the warehouse and walk over to join the menfolk when Lucy spoke up. Why don’t we all move over to the inside of that building. There’s a toilet in there and some fresh water too if any of you would like a drink.

Good idea, Lucy, Martha said. We’ll give James a few minutes with our men while our returning heiress stretches her legs a bit before climbing into that big old wagon. We’ll put Nathan and the boys in Patrick’s wagon, and I’d sure like to hear some of their conversations. The girls will talk themselves to sleep by the time we top that first hill, and then, Mary Catherine, Lucy, and I are going to sit and listen while you tell us all about your adventures in the big city.

Nathan, it’s good to see you back, said James Marsden as they shook hands. He turned to welcome the boys and shook their hands too, but looked puzzled. Nathan, I seem to have missed one. Maybe he’s with the ladies.

No, James, Nathan replied, Riley went to Scotland with his uncle Ian, He saw shocked expressions cross the faces of Patrick and Albert.

Albert could see that this comment made his friend uncomfortable. Gentlemen, I believe this is something we should discuss at a later time.

I agree, Patrick said.

I know you are all anxious to get on the road home, Marsden said, but there’s a thing or two I’d like to mention before you go. Patrick, I need a big favor from you. I plan to spend at least two days and nights in Fairmont, and if it wouldn’t be too much of an imposition, I wonder if I could be a guest of your family while I’m in the area. This would give the four of us an opportunity discuss a few things of interest, I think, to us all. I need to spend some time talking to Sean too.

Excuse me, James, Nathan said, there’s something I need to tell you before you speak further. Mary Catherine and I told Sean about your interest in him. We both felt it would be something nice for him to hear at Christmastime. I hope you won’t think we took an unfair advantage of what you’d told us. It just seemed the proper thing to do at the time.

No, no, Nathan, I’ve no complaint, James said, then looked at Sean. Well, lad, how about it? You interested in hearing what I have to say?

Yes, sir, I am, Sean replied, and I want to thank you for considering me.

Patrick could stand it no longer. Will one of ye kindly tell me what ya’ll are talking about?

Why I just offered your son a job, and he’s agreed to listen while I tell him about it. This is what I was about to tell you when Nathan interrupted me. I planned to speak with you first and make sure you had no objections, but I’m glad things worked out the way they did. Do I have your approval to talk things over with Sean?

James, all this aside, ’twould be a pleasure to have you come and stay at our home. I’m sure the rest of me family shares this feeling. As for the other, my Sean is a man full-grown and can speak for himself. For my part, I thank you for giving my boy a chance. With the exception of meeting Nathan that day at the post office, knowing Albert as a friend and marrying Lucy, very little had gone well with my family. Lately, it seems we have been overly blessed. I thank the Lord for my wonderful wife, Lucy. She has been a strong influence in the lives of my children, who seem determined to make something of themselves despite their father’s failings. We’ll be proud to have you visit our home.

James Marsden reached over and shook the man’s hand. Patrick, I am already looking forward to spending some time with you and your family. Now, you fellers better go round up your wives and the girls and make tracks for home while I go see about making some tracks for the railroad.

Wait a minute, James, Nathan said. You come on and visit howsoever it suits your plans, but I think maybe you’d better stay for about three days. Another thing, Albert, you and Martha might as well stay with us for a while. It’ll take them women a few days to talk themselves out. Mary Catherine bought two big crates of dress fabrics, and we bought gifts for everyone too. All of it was shipped to your warehouse, Albert, before we boarded the train for home. What I’m thinking, Patrick, is you’re going to have a house full of women, girls, and fabric in a day or two. We can run the boys off to ride their horses, and the four of us can talk in peace and quiet at our house.

Sounds like a good plan to me, brother, Albert said. Patrick, I trust you’ll provide some refreshments.

What kind of refreshments are you talking about, Albert? James asked. I’ll be happy to help out with anything you need. Just let me know.

Never mind, James, Patrick said, you just bring yourself, and I’ll bring the refreshments. Boys, I guess ya’ll are tired of listening to us talk, so what say ye, let’s go home.

Sean, don’t lose any time worrying about what’s going to happen to you, everything’s going to be just fine, Marsden said. Now I bid you all good day.

Well, look at that, Lucy said. It appears our men have finally finished their bit of gossip. You watch, they’ll not head for the toilet like we had to do. All they have to do is pull over to the side of the road, and any old bush or tree is all that’s needed to get their business done. It seems a little unfair to us ladies, don’t you think?

Lucy, I guess we just have to put up with their strange ways, Martha replied, since we don’t seem to be able to get along without them.

I can hardly wait till all the things we shipped get here, Mary Catherine said. Lucy, I bought two crates full of all kinds of fabric and three books of patterns too, so there’d be enough for all of us. I can’t believe I spent so much money. I’d get scared, and then Ian would say, ‘Sister, you have enough money to do whatever you want to do, so enjoy it.’ Nathan and I agreed we should buy clothes for all the children while we were in New York. They have so much to choose from, and there’s not much of a choice here.

"My brother is such a devious young man and quite handsome too. Riley looks just like him, except for the beard. Anyway, he bought boots for all of us, dolls for the girls, some new kind of knife for the boys and Nathan—a Swiss Army knife, I think it’s called. You’d never guess what he gave me! Something I’d wanted with all my heart—a huge portrait of my father. Lucy, Martha, I near died when I saw it. He looked so handsome all dressed up in his uniform, and you know what? Nathan says that Sarah, Riley, myself, and Ian all look alike.

My brother made me put on one of my sophisticated gowns and some jewelry, then Inga did my hair. Oh my goodness! I haven’t told you all about Hans and Inga, have I? Anyway, Ian took me to this photographer’s shop and had him make two portraits of me—one for him to take to my father, and the other one I had wrapped for Nathan’s Christmas gift. There’s so much I have to tell you, but tell me what you two have been doing while I was gone?

Mary Catherine, honey, Martha and I have done nothing that would begin to compare with excitement you’ve had, Lucy said. Now, what’s all this about Hans and Inga, whoever they might be?

Oh, I’m sure going to miss them, she said. I’ll tell you what they did, they absolutely took care of us. I mean the cooking, the cleaning, running errands, looking after the children, taking us on tours around the city, helping us select the right clothes to wear and how to dress for whatever the occasion might be. Inga spoiled the girls, baking cookies and all sorts of special things for them to eat. They had hot chocolate to drink with marshmallows floating on top of it. Roy told Inga he liked flapjacks for breakfast, and she didn’t know what they were. But let me tell you something, that little green-eyed girl sleeping back there fixed a surprise breakfast for all of us right by herself. Flapjacks, of course, but bacon, sausage, and gravy too. Hans had gone out somewhere and bought a whole gallon of maple syrup. Can you imagine what it’s like to have someone just take care of you? It bothered me for a bit, then Nathan told me to relax and enjoy it.

Patrick, I learned a lot of things by making this trip to New York, and most of them were about myself. I found out that a man whose knowledge of life is limited to the things he learned while growing up in a place shut off from the rest of the world is ignorant.

Nathan, I think you’re being too hard on yourself, Patrick said. ’Tis my opinion, you’re a right intelligent feller.

To be truthful, Nathan replied, "I’ve always considered myself reasonably so, but here’s the problem. You see, I grew up with parents who cared for me, and for a while, I did my best to preach the Gospel to people who respected me. Then I met and married a beautiful lady, and we have five children together. I inherited a good farm, and I’ve managed to add a little more to it over the years. I have you for a friend and neighbor as well as Albert and Martha.

What I am trying to tell you, Patrick, is that I grew up comfortable and at peace with my lot in life. I was content with things as they were and became upset when any kind of change imposed itself upon me. One day I poked my head up out of the nest I’d made for myself and found out, while I’d been sitting on a stool by the fire, whittling shavings on the floor, the rest of the world had passed me by. Do you understand what I mean?

Yes, I do, Nathan, Patrick responded. My years before coming here were a tragedy while the ones since that time have been so good that even a hint of any kind of change scares me to death.

Well, old friend, you’d better get a tight grip on those reins because I’m fixing to change something. Just as soon as we get settled in from the trip and we’ve had our meeting with Marsden, me and Mary Catherine, and you and Lucy, are going to make a trip to the courthouse so I can sign over the deed to my father’s farm to you and Lucy.

Mother of god, Nathan! Did ye truly take leave of your senses up there in New York?

Patrick, this is only one of the changes I plan to make. I think they will not only surprise you, but make you happy too. I am determined that you, myself, and Albert are going to catch up with the world that passed us by. The three of us are going to open a real estate office somewhere here in Marion County as soon as I can get us a license and you can find us a building.

But, Nathan, I’ve no money to speak of, Patrick pleaded.

Oh, but I do, partner, Nathan replied. And when your brother has money, you have money. I figure we ought to put up thirty thousand dollars as the initial investment. I’ll put in your part, and you can pay me back when we start making some real money, and we will, I assure you. Does this sound reasonable to you, brother Patrick?

Nathan, I swear on me Bible, you’re gonna be the death of me yet. Lord knows I’m not deserving of all you’ve done for me.

Patrick, you’re my good friend. I respect you and I trust you. That said, why wouldn’t I want you to be my partner? Besides, you’re going to earn every penny of that money. Now, when we stop again, I’m going to move over Albert’s wagon and leave you here to dwell on what we’ve talked about. Meanwhile, let me get them boys up here to tell you about us all going dancing.

All right, partner. I didn’t look to see which hat you’re wearing, but I think we all need a little sip of something to get our temperatures back up where they belong.

If you don’t mind me asking, Nathan, what on earth were you all laughing so much about? Whatever it was, it must have been funny. I bet it got the women’s curiosity roused up too, Albert said as Nathan climbed up on the wagon seat beside him.

"Well, Albert, me and the boys were telling Patrick about going to a ball on Christmas Eve. It was a big thing, you know, especially for us, but it was a really nice place, big orchestra, smooth dance floor, place all decorated, and had a big tree too.

"Mary Catherine’s brother kept egging us on, teasing a little too, but, Albert, every single one of us finally got up and danced on that ballroom floor. I thought I cut a rather dashing figure out there, and to tell you the truth, I sort of liked it. Mary Catherine did too. The young-uns took right to it and had a good time. Course, them four glasses of wine I had did help a lot. When I got down out of his wagon, Patrick was telling them boys what a dancing fool he used to be.

"Albert, her brother Ian is absolutely a prince of a fellow. I wish you could have seen them when they first saw each other. I thought my heart was going to explode from happiness. And, Albert, the resemblance to each other is unbelievable. Wait, it gets better. When we got to the hotel and Ian met the children, Riley walked up to him and said, ‘My name is Charles Raleigh Wolde, and I’ve waited a long time to meet you.’

"I’m telling you, when the man looked at Riley, it stunned him so. He was absolutely unable to speak for a few moments. Do you know why? Albert, except for the beard, Ian was looking at himself twenty years ago. Ian gave Mary Catherine a big portrait of her father for Christmas. When you see him in this portrait, you will be looking at Ian thirty years from now.

Poor Ian, our two little ones stumped him too. When Sarah walked over in front of him, Ian asked her if she knew who she looked like, and Sarah said, ‘Of course I do, I look like my momma ’cause she’s beautiful.’ He’d just about recovered from that when Lucy, who is a little shy, took a step or two in his direction. Ian said, ‘Come on over here and let me see you, I promise, I won’t bite.’ Lucy walked right up into his face and said, You better not bite me ’cause I’ll tell Roy, and he loves to fight.’ Ian was quiet for a moment, apparently trying to figure how to respond, when Lucy lets him have it again. ‘If you’re my uncle, where’s my aunt?’ I swear, Albert, it was the funniest thing you ever saw, watching Ian trying to deal with those children. But you know something? The man was absolutely thrilled to death knowing he was part of a family."

Nathan, I can sort of understand the man’s feelings. Martha and me had no children either when we first met you and Mary Catherine, so we just adopted yours as they came along, and they’ve been a real blessing to us, and so have Patrick’s too.

"Brother, this trip opened my eyes to a lot of things that I want to tell you about, but first, I’ve got to get a little rest. Let me just run a few things by you real quick while we ride along here, and you can be thinking about them. First of all, there’s Lawrence Rothchild. A solicitor? Not on your life! The man may have a law degree, but how about financier, stock broker, stock analyst, and international banker? He has an office on Wall Street, heart of the financial district in New York City. A fine old gentleman whose pretty young wife works with him.

The Rothchild and MacTavish families have done business together for at least three generations. Ian told Mary Catherine the net worth of MacTavish LTD in this country alone would be about twenty million dollars. Something else we didn’t know was that the Baron, in addition to his estate in Scotland, has one in Jamaica and Portugal. It’s scary, Albert, real scary, to a mountain preacher like me. It’s no wonder old Lawrence rolled out the red carpet for us.

Nathan, none of us knew before you left just how big a deal this would be, but me, you, and Patrick all agreed your lives were probably going to be changed somehow, but we never mentioned money. Having a lot of money affects people in many different ways. Those who were born to it often pay little attention to it. I suspect there are others who hide it away somewhere, investments or trust funds, maybe, and just continue on with their normal lifestyles.

"Albert, I’m not sure just how all this is going to affect my wife. Right now, she’s sort of pretending nothing’s changed but all the time knowing it has. She told me that most people who were poor would be happy to discover they were now wealthy beyond their dreams. But then she said, ‘Nathan, I don’t remember ever being poor. I always had everything I needed,’ and asked me if I thought we were poor. I guess we’re just going to have to give it more time and see what happens.

"Enough of that, what is it you call it? Woolgathering, that’s what you always say. I rather liked Lawrence Rothchild, and he certainly has Ian’s trust. I wish you could have been there and heard the things they talked about. Lawrence and his financial friends are keeping a close eye on all the turmoil in our country and have already started to plan what they will do if war becomes imminent. By the way, if this happens—and they seem sure it will—Ian and Riley will bring one of their clipper ships to Philadelphia and take the women back to Scotland. He thought it would be too dangerous to come to Baltimore.

Can you believe this, brother? Ian suggested to me that I should open a bank in Fairmont, and I admit, he got me thinking about it pretty good. However, after we all sat in Rothchild’s office and talked about we’re maybe going to have a war, we agreed it was not a good idea right now. But Albert, Rothchild came up with another suggestion that really has me fired up. I mentioned it to Patrick just before I came over and got in your wagon. He was as bit shocked, but I think he liked it too.

"Albert, I’d like for me, you, and Patrick to open a real estate office in Marion County. Lawrence, Ian, and me talked quite a bit about this and how it would work. I am going to apply for us a license in