Albert Gallatin Chrislip

Albert Gallatin Crislip (Friedrich Carl Christlieb¹, Jacob Christlieb², Abram Chrislip³, Ervin G. Chrislip⁴) [754], born 26 August 1859, Virginia; died 23 November 1946, Barbour County, West Virginia; burial was in Masonic Cemetery, Philippi, Barbour County, West Virginia; married in 1898, Taylor, West Virginia, Sarah Ella Nuzum, born 22 October 1873, West Virginia, died 16 August 1956, Barbour County, West Virginia; burial in the Masonic Cemetery, Philippi, Barbour County, West Virginia. She was the daughter of Allen F. Nuzum (1834-1914) and Sarah Robinson Nuzum (1838-1900).

“Albert G. Chrislip, born near Elk City, 1859, son of Ervin G. and Mary (Daniels) Chrislip, was married near Boothsville, October 27, 1898, to Ella, daughter of Allen Nuzum. Mr. Chrislip is a member of the M.E. Church and his wife is a Baptist. He is an Odd Fellow, and a wholesale and retail merchant in Philippi. The Chrislips came from Germany and the Daniels from Holland. He began life on the farm; tried the West three years; taught two years in the Philippi schools, introducing the worked method; clerked in the store of Job Glascock, and then wrote in the County Clerk’s Office under Luther C. Elliot, and finally went into the mercantile business in connection with his brother, William L. Chrislip, dealing in farm implements and fertilizers. They introduced the first corn drill and the first ball-bearing mowing machine into Barbour County. They handle 50,000 pounds of wool a year and their sales of merchandise aggregate $40,000 annually. The Chrislip family has been in Barbour 107 years. The first comer, Jacob settled six miles west of Philippi in 1792.” History of Barbour County, West Virginia, p. 359.

From the book entitled The History of West Virginia, Old and New, published in 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 353, is found the following:

ALBERT GALLATIN CHRISLIP. An ambition to be a merchant was the leading motive in the early career of Mr. CHRISLIP. Having no capital but what he could earn, he farmed, taught school and clerked until the day of realization came when he could get into business for himself. In point of years of service he is the oldest merchant of Philippi, and is one of the very successful and substantial citizens of that community.

His family name involves an interesting story of his original German ancestor. At the close of the thirty years' war in Germany, known as the war of extinction, after which that country was left practically desolate, a lonely babe was found in an old oven and the king of the province was asked to name the child. He called it "Chrislieb," meaning Christ love. After coming to manhood this youth came to America and settled in Pennsylvania, establishing his home near Carlisle in the Cumberland Valley. The family name has since undergone a change of form, and a number of branches of the descendants of the original settler have become scattered over the Allegheny region and further west.

The grandfather of the Philippi merchant was Abram CHRISLIP, who, accompanied by two brothers, Isaac and Samuel, settled in Barbour County and were successful farmers near Elk City. Abram Chrislip married Amanda Britton, and they are buried in the graveyard near the little Village of Elk City. Of their children Ervin was the oldest child; Elza lives at Elk City; Elmore Lee lives with his older brother; Elizabeth is the wife of Albert Reeder, of Carthage, Illinois; and Julia, married Alpheus Corder and died at Carthage, Illinois.

Ervin CHRISLIP was born near Elk City and spent his life there on a farm. He was a Confederate soldier, going through the war without injury. He died in April, ??? at the age of eighty-five. His wife, who died in March, 1874, when about fifty years of age, was Mary Darnels. Her father, Joseph Daniels, was a pioneer in this region of West Virginia, his home being near Elk City, and he died during the Civil war. He came here from Augusta County, Virginia. At one time he was elected a member of the Legislature in old Virginia, and attended the legislative sessions, journeyed to and from Richmond on horseback. Ervin CHRISLIP and wife had the following children: William L., a merchant of Philippi; Albert Gallatin; Edmond H., who died, leaving a family, at Elk City; Emma, wife of Jacob Rogers, of Philippi; Abram, a graduate of Columbia University, New York and an educator living at Berkeley, California; and Bessie, wife of Lawrence McGee, of Elk City.

Albert Gallatin CHRISLIP was born near Elk City, one of the old villages of Barbour County, on August 26, 1859. During his youth he attended a brief term of instruction in the country school each winter, and the rest of the time he worked on the farm. At the age of twenty-two he began teaching, and taught in the country for two winters. In 1882 he came to Philippi, and after taking a course in the select school of Professor Cornwell, taught in the public schools at Philippi for two years, For another year he was a deputy in the office of County Clerk Luther C. ELLIOTT, one of the good old citizens of Barbour County, long since passed away. About that time came the opportunity to get experience in the line which he had determined to follow permanently, and he became a clerk in the store of Job H. GLASSCOCK, this being then the largest general store at Philippi. Two years later he started in business for himself as an implement dealer, and he brought to Philippi the first improved farm machinery ordered for sale here. About the same time he became a representative of a fertilizer manufacturing concern, and it is claimed that Mr. CHRISLIP sold the first stock of fertilizer in Barbour County. This business brought him in direct touch with farmers, and he was soon marketing for his customers large quantities of raw wool. But his business expanded step by step, and later he added a stock of groceries and finally merged all his departments into one large general merchandise business on Main Street now known as the Farmers Supply Store, which runs an annual aggregate of sales totaling $30,000. He erected his business house on Main Street, one of the modern structures in the town, and also owns one of the beautiful and attractive residences of the city.

In the line of public duty Mr. CHRISLIP responded several times to election as a member of the City Council. At that time plans were being made for some of the public improvements which have since been completed. Mr. CHRISLIP for many years was an active democrat, but with passing years he has cut away from partisan affiliations and regards himself as strictly independent. Since the age of fourteen he has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and fraternally he is a past noble grand of the Lodge of Independent Order of Odd Fellows and one of the oldest members of that fraternity at Philippi, also belongs to the Encampment and is a member of the Kiwanis Club.

In Taylor County, October 28, 1898, he married Miss Ella NUZUM, daughter of Allen NUZUM, Boothsville, that county, where she was born and reared on a farm. Mrs. CHRISLIP was one of a family of two sons and four daughters. Mr. and Mrs. CHRISLIP have four talented children. Lillian Nuzum CHRISLIP, the oldest, graduated from Broaddus College of Philippi, and in 1922 graduated from the Boston Conservatory of Music [New England Conservatory of Music]. John Howard, the second child, is a graduate of the Philippi High School and of Broaddus College, and is now taking a course in electrical engineering. The two younger children are Allen Rockwell, a high school boy, and Charles Woodrow.

Children of Albert Gallatin Chrislip and Sarah Ella Nuzum

• Lillian Nuzum Chrislip (Friedrich Carl Christlieb¹, Jacob Christlieb², Abram Chrislip³, Ervin G. Crislip⁴, Albert Gallatin Chrislip⁵) [754], born 25 June 1900; died 7 September 1997 at age 97, Barbour County, West Virginia; burial in Masonic Cemetery, Philippi, Barbour County, West Virginia.

• John Howard Chrislip (Friedrich Carl Christlieb¹, Jacob Christlieb², Abram Chrislip³, Ervin G. Crislip⁴, William Luther Chrislip⁵) [755], born 16 July 1902, West Virginia; died December 1977, burial in Mount Vernon Memorial Cemetery, Philippi, Barbour County, West Virginia.

• Allen Rockwell Chrislip (Friedrich Carl Christlieb¹, Jacob Christlieb², Abram Chrislip³, Ervin G. Crislip⁴, William Luther Chrislip⁵) [755], born 7 May 1904, Philippi, Barbour County, West Virginia; died 5 August 1973, Clarksburg, Harrison County, West Virginia; burial in Masonic Cemetery, Shinnston, West Virginia; married Mary Hursey.

• Charles Woodrow Chrislip (Friedrich Carl Christlieb¹, Jacob Christlieb², Abram Chrislip³, Ervin G. Crislip⁴, William Luther Chrislip⁵) [755], born 19 February 1913, Barbour County, West Virginia; died 5 December 1975, Anne Arundel County, Maryland; burial in Masonic Cemetery, Philippi, Barbour County, West Virginia.

Here are photos of the burial sites and headstones for most of the family of Albert Gallatin Chrislip:

Headstone for the Chrislip family plot in the Masonic Cemetery, Philippi, Barbour County, West Virginia.

Albert Gallatin Chrislip Headstone - Masonic Cemetery.

Headstone for Sarah Ellen Nuzum Chrislip - Masonic Cemetery.

Headstone for Lillian Nuzum Chrislip - Masonic Cemetery.

Headstone for Charles Woodrow Chrislip - Masonic Cemetery.

Headstone for John Howard Chrislip - Mount Vernon Memorial Cemetery, Philippi, Barbour County, West Virginia.