George Harrison McGrew (1846-1917)
George Harrison McGrew
Youngest of the McGrew children, George began life in Kingwood, just as his older brother William and sister Mattie did. Though his interests and abilities, well-supported and encouraged by his parents, led him far from home, his mother Persis always kept his room just as it had been--ready for his return.
His first ventures were given to his academic studies, which yielded Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Wesleyan University in Middleton, Connecticut; and a law degree from Harvard. By 1873, he was once again in Kingwood, practicing law with family friend and kinsman, William G. Brown, Sr.
However, within two years, he sought further fulfillment and enrolled in Drew Theological Seminary, where he completed his Bachelor's in Divinity, was eventually ordained as a Methodist-Episocal minister, and spent the next 10 years as a missionary in India. He immersed himself so well in the Indian culture that his surviving sermons and theological writings, now housed in the archival collection of West Virginia University Library, were done in Hindustani. There, he also married fellow missionary, Dr. Anna Julia Lore, who had traveled to India to provide medical care to Indian women and children. Their own children--James Clark II, Elizabeth, and Dallas--were born in India.
When the family returned to America, George continued in the ministry and served several congregations in Ohio, Maryland, and New York. He also earned his Doctorate in Theology from Wesleyan in 1892, and shortly afterward, was ordained an Episcopal priest.
Throughout his life, no matter how far his travels took him, he steadfastly returned home for casual as well as important moments, such as his parents' 50th wedding anniversary and his father's 90th birthday. Even after their deaths, he continued to visit his brother and sister in Morgantown, and during one such visit, he fell ill. He died in his sister's home on August 15, 1917. One final time, he was returned home to Kingwood for his funeral service and internment near his parents in the McGrew family plot in Maplewood Cemetery.
His first ventures were given to his academic studies, which yielded Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Wesleyan University in Middleton, Connecticut; and a law degree from Harvard. By 1873, he was once again in Kingwood, practicing law with family friend and kinsman, William G. Brown, Sr.
However, within two years, he sought further fulfillment and enrolled in Drew Theological Seminary, where he completed his Bachelor's in Divinity, was eventually ordained as a Methodist-Episocal minister, and spent the next 10 years as a missionary in India. He immersed himself so well in the Indian culture that his surviving sermons and theological writings, now housed in the archival collection of West Virginia University Library, were done in Hindustani. There, he also married fellow missionary, Dr. Anna Julia Lore, who had traveled to India to provide medical care to Indian women and children. Their own children--James Clark II, Elizabeth, and Dallas--were born in India.
When the family returned to America, George continued in the ministry and served several congregations in Ohio, Maryland, and New York. He also earned his Doctorate in Theology from Wesleyan in 1892, and shortly afterward, was ordained an Episcopal priest.
Throughout his life, no matter how far his travels took him, he steadfastly returned home for casual as well as important moments, such as his parents' 50th wedding anniversary and his father's 90th birthday. Even after their deaths, he continued to visit his brother and sister in Morgantown, and during one such visit, he fell ill. He died in his sister's home on August 15, 1917. One final time, he was returned home to Kingwood for his funeral service and internment near his parents in the McGrew family plot in Maplewood Cemetery.