WILLIAM CLOHAN
Companies G & K - First Sergeant

Agnes Anderson Clohan & son, William
William was KIA at Kernstown 23 Mar 1862.

Images owned by Linda Fluharty.

1860 Census, Ohio County, (W) Virginia
William Cloen 53, Coal Merchant, $500, b Ireland
Agnes Cloen, age not given, Miner (error), b Ireland
William Cloen 23, (He was probably a miner), $500 b Scotland
Agnes Cloen 21, b Scotland
Margaret Cloen 19, b Scotland
Alexander Cloen 17, b Scotland
Lewis Cloen 14, b Scotland
Lizzie Cloen 12, b VA
Dora Cloen 6, b VA

Wheeling Intelligencer, 27 March 1862.-- A member of the First Virginia Regiment Killed.-- A dispatch was received in the city last evening, announcing that Wm. Clohan, of the 1st Virginia Regiment, and a resident of this city, was killed at the recent fight near Winchester. The body will reach the city today. Clohan was a most excellent young man, and his death will be deeply regretted.

Wheeling Intelligencer, 29 March 1862.-- FUNERAL OF SERGEANT CLOHAN -- The funeral of Orderly Sergeant Clohan of the 1st Virginia Regiment, who was killed at the battle of Winchester, took place yesterday. The escort allowed by the army regulations was detailed by order of General Rosecrans, The funeral was one of the largest we have ever witnessed in the city. The remains were interred in Mt. Wood Cemetery.

Name: Clohan - This family is of Scottish origin, and through its present descendant, Mr. Alexander Clohan, has become one of the best known in the state of West Virginia.

The first member of the family to come to America was William Clohan, a coal miner of Scotland, who came to Preston county, Virginia, in 1849, where he followed the calling of a farmer for five years. He then removed to Ohio county, of this state, where he established himself for a time as a coal operator. He became successful in his undertakings, and attained a prominent position in the community. He was for many years justice of the peace in Webster District of Ohio county, and was president of the board of registration at Wheeling during the civil war, being prominent in all movements to sustain the Union cause. He was a distinguished member of the Masonic fraternity, being a member of Ohio Lodge, No. 1, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; Wheeling Union Chapter, No. 2, Royal Arch Masons; Wheeling Commandery, No. 1, Knights Templar; Knights of Pythias, past chancellor in that order. His religious connection was with the Presbyterian church, of which he was a consistent member. His death occurred in Wheeling in 1873, and his wife, who was Agnes Anderson, of Scotland, survived him, dying also in Wheeling in 1894. She was a sister of the Rev. William Anderson, of Old Calabar, Africa, who served fifty years as a missionary. Mr. and Mrs. Clohan had children: 1. William, who was among the first to answer to President Lincoln's first call for troops, enlisting in Company B, First Virginia Loyal Regiment; they were three months' men under Colonel B. F. Kelly, and after serving his time Mr. Clohan re-enlisted, this time becoming a member of Company G, First Virginia Regiment, under Colonel Joseph Thoburn, was promoted and transferred to Company K, as first sergeant, where at the head of his company he fell at Kernstown, near Winchester, Sunday, March 23, 1862; his body was sent back to Wheeling, where he was buried with military and civic honors, his remains being escorted to the grave by the Masons and the Odd Fellows; he was the first of Wheeling's soldier boys who sealed his devotion to his country with his blood. 2. Lewis, who is in the grocery business at Wheeling. 3. Elizabeth, who became the wife of William Erskine, a lawyer of Glendale, West Virginia. 4. Agnes, of Martinsburg, Berkeley county, West Virginia. 5. Margaret, also of Martinsburg. 6. Alexander, see forward. (II) Alexander, son of William and Agnes (Anderson) Clohan, was born at Hollytown, Scotland, April 8, 1846. He came with his parents to Preston county, Virginia, when he was three years of age, and attended the public schools until he was ten years old. He then engaged in the coal business with his father for a while, subsequently entering the employ of the Labelle Iron Works as a puddler. He remained with them for ten years, then secured a similar position with the Bellaire Iron Works, where he remained for five years. At the expiration of this time, in 1878, he came to Berkeley county, West Virginia, and purchased a farm in the Gerrardstown district, where he became an agriculturist. In the year 1906 he organized the Highland Orchard Company, of which he is president, and has become a most successful apple grower and a man of great prominence in his section of the country. The Highland Orchard Company has two thousand acres of orchard lands, three hundred of which acreage is planted in apple trees which are now six years old. The Hart Clohan Company is another of the large enterprises with which he is connected, and of this he is also the president. He is also president of the Gold Orchard Company, with a hundred and forty acres of bearing trees, and is a large stockholder in the Tomahawk, Cherry Run and Cherry Hill Orchard companies. In 1899 he was elected president of the West Virginia State Horticultural Society, holding this office for a period of nine years. He is also president of the Berkeley County Horticultural Society and has been since its organization. Governor McCorkle appointed Mr. Clohan as the Republican member of the state board of agriculture, 1895, and he has been a member since its organization of the Eastern Fruit Growers' Association, having twice been a delegate to that body. Since the year 1888 he has been a delegate to all the Republican state conventions, was chairman of the Republican executive committee from 1891 to 1897 and during this period the Republicans carried every election. In 1893 he was appointed deputy sheriff of Berkeley county, and in 1898 was appointed by President McKinley as postmaster of Martinsburg, was twice re-commissioned by President Roosevelt, serving altogether for a period of twelve years. Mr. Clohan is also in high standing in the Masonic fraternity, being a member of Robert White Lodge, No. 67, Free and Accepted Masons; Lebanon Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, of which he is the high priest at the present time; Palestine Commandery, Knights Templar; Osiris Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is a prominent member of the Presbyterian church, and an earnest worker in the interests of the Young Men's Christian Association. As a director in the People's Trust Company of Martinsburg, he has become very influential in business circles, and is now one of the best known men in the state of West Virginia. Mr. Clohan married, 1872, Celia, daughter of Enos R. Crouch, of Wheeling, by whom he had children: William E., who was killed by a runaway team when a young man; Herbert E., a farmer, now deceased; Robert A., a clerk in the Martinsburg postoffice; Louis G., a farmer in Berkeley county; Lucy, married W. S. Kline, of Martinsburg; Bessie, married Prince Dunn, of Martinsburg; Archie and Elsie, at home.

Alexander’s mother, Agnes Anderson, was the sister of the Rev. William Anderson of Old Calabar, Africa, who served there for 50 years as a missionary.

Alexander Clohan was the youngest of six children. His oldest brother, William, enlisted in Company B, First Virginia Loyal Regiment under Colonel B.F. Kelly. After serving his three-month enlistment, William re-enlisted, becoming a member of Company G, First Virginia Regiment under Colonel Joseph Thoburn. He was promoted to Company K as first sergeant and was killed at Kernstown, near Winchester, Virginia, on Sunday, March 23, 1862. His body was returned to Wheeling where he was buried with military honors, he being the first Wheeling soldier to give his life for the Union causes.

When a young man, Alexander Clohan went to work in the coal business with his father; he was later employed with LaBelle Iron Works as a puddler and then took a position with the Bellaire Iron Works. In 1878, he moved to Berkeley County with his wife and oldest son, 2-year-old William, in a two-horse wagon. He purchased the Clohan farm in the Gerardstown District and engaged in farming and truck gardening. In 1906, he organized the Highland Orchard Company as president; organized the Hart-Clohan Company on Opequon Creek (fruit and truck raising) as president, as well as the Gold Orchard Company, the Tomahawk Orchard Company, and the Cherry Run Orchard Company.

In 1899, Alexander Clohan was elected president of the West Virginia State Horticulturist Society, an office he held for nine years. He was president of the Berkeley County Horticultural Society; appointed - in 1885 - by Governor William A. MacCorkle to be a member of the State Board of Agriculture; member of the Eastern Fruit Growers Association in 1888; delegate to each Republican State Convention for 10 years; appointed Deputy Sheriff of Berkeley County (1893) by Sheriff L.C. Gerling; and appointed postmaster of Martinsburg in 1898 by President McKinley and twice by President Roosevelt.

In 1872, Alexander Clohan and Celia Crouch, daughter of Enos R. Crouch of Wheeling, were married. Their children were: William Clohan (deceased at time of writing); Herbert Clohan (deceased); Robert Clohan, Chief Postal Clerk in the Martinsburg Post Office; Louis Clohan (deceased); Lucy Clohan, married William S. Cline of Martinsburg; Bessie Clohan, married Prince Dunn of Martinsburg; Archie Clohan, soldier in World War I; and Elsie Clohan of Washington, D.C. Alexander Clohan died in Martinsburg.

Lewis Clohan, manager of the Spaulding Iron company at Brilliant, was born at Holly Town, Scotland, June 26, 1848. His parents, William and Agnes (Anderson) Clohan, came to this country from Scotland when Lewis was nine months of age, and after living for greater or less periods at various places in West Virginia, settled at Wheeling. The father was at the battle of Phillippi, and being a friend of Col. Thoburn, assisted the latter during the battle as an aide. In his early life he was a coal miner. He was a foreman during the construction of the Board Tree tunnel near Clarksburg, Va., and after the war, holding the office of justice of the peace, administered the iron clad oath to many. In the sixty-seventh year of his age he died, but his widow survived him some years, and died in the seventy-sixth year of her age. Both were members of the Presbyterian church. Ten children were born to them, six of whom are living. One of the sons, William, served three months in the army, then re-enlisted and was killed at Winchester, at the age of twenty-eight. Lewis Clohan began to maintain himself at the age of twenty-one in the puddling trade, at which he has ever since, been engaged. He is a thorough master of his craft in all its details. He was given the management for one year, five years ago, and and at the expiration of that time returned to the furnace. In August, 1888, he resumed the management which he has since held, with satisfaction to all concerned. He was one of the original incorporators of the company, and has been a stockholder and member of the board of directors since the organization. Mr. Clohan is a member of the Odd Fellows, and he and wife are affiliated with the Presbyterian church. He was married in 1869, to Henrietta, daughter of Thomas and Sarah Harris, of Wheeling, native of England, and they have three children living: Thomas, Frank and Katie.