McGrew - Hagans Memorabilia has been donated over the years by family descendents and community members and is on display for public viewing during various programs. One special feature in the collection is a cane that McGrew had made and presented to fellow statesman and kinsman William T. Willey.

   Other special items are commemorative family pieces, including a bookcase which once stood in McGrew's own library. It has come to us from his great-granddaughter, the late Martha Heermans Tittl and today holds treasures from various branches of the McGrew family, such as a child's cup inscribed from grandfather James to his grandson and namesake James II, donated by  great-grandson Dr. John R. McGrew; an ink pot McGrew purchased while traveling in the Far East, donated by great-great-granddaughter, the late Mary Ann Trotter Glenn; and Hagans' keepsakes, donated by great-great-great-grandson, the late A. Hudson Glenn IV.
   Mrs. Tittl also donated an autograph book, which Mr. McGrew had given and inscribed to his grandson Edward Heermans; an original copy of the memoir written by Mr. McGrew following Mrs. McGrew's death in 1893; and original portraits of both Mr. and Mrs. McGrew made by Mathew Brady when Mr. McGrew was elected to Congress in the early 1870s.  

All are prized elements in the McGrew Society's growing collection of McGrew Memorabilia. 

    Hagans' Family Bibles

   The McGrew Society gratefully acknowledges a singular addition to our collection of McGrew-Hagans memorabilia. Family descendant A. Hudson Glenn IV has donated two family Bibles which originally  belonged to Persis Hagans McGrew's older brother George M. Hagans. Both have been beautifully preserved. The older of the two is an 1833 leather-bound King James Version that, according to the tender  inscription just inside the front cover, was a gift from George to his betrothed, Martha Maria Randall, in 1838. Then George went on to provide a handwritten record of birthdates for his parents, Harrison and Jane McCollum Hagans, and each of his four younger brothers and five younger sisters. Sadly, George and Martha's marriage was short-lived; she died in 1842. Two years later, in 1844, George married Jane  McGee. Their 1845 pulpit-sized family Bible has also been given to the Society and contains an impressive list of their children's births, marriages, and deaths from 1844 to 1971.
     As any genealogist knows, having such first-hand documents is a treasured and invaluable resource. Not only is the mere survival of such material remarkable, but it can clarify lost or obscured details, such as the spelling of a name or the difference between the actual birth date and a church or headstone record.
     The Society expresses its deepest appreciation to Hudson for his continued generosity and faith in our efforts to preserve and share the McGrew-Hagans legacy. 

From the Original McGrew Homestead

    From the original McGrew homestead in Brandonville come these household items: a rope bed with quilt; an iron, pot-belly stove; a huge crock; a canning kettle; a rocking chair; and bedroom chests. We are deeply grateful to Jeannie McGrew for her generosity. 
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​                              J. C. McGrew Store Seal

   From 1846-1869, the McGrew Store was a fixture on Main Street, next to the County's Courthouse. McGrew was sole operator until 1862, when his older son William joined him as a partner. This embossed seal was clearly an important tool in their business operation. We know that it dates from c. 1864-65 because of the notation "W.VA."--after West Virginia had become the 35th State in the Union.