Persis Hagans McGrew (1821-1893)
Persis Hagans McGrew
Born January 5, 1821, in Brandonville, Virginia, to Harrison and Jane McCollum Hagans, Persis was the oldest daughter in the family of 10 children. Understandably, she learned homemaking arts at an early age as she helped her mother with her younger siblings, but she also showed such intellectual and spiritual depth that her parents arranged for her to have other opportunities to study, first, at Louisa Werninger's Select School for Girls in Morgantown; later at Union Seminary in Uniontown, Pennsylvania; and ultimately as a student of Rev. Joseph Uncles, a recent graduate of Alleghany College, who served as tutor to all the Hagans' children. She was a deeply religious young woman, who selflessly shared her talents within her family and church throughout her life.
In 1841, Persis married James Clark McGrew and moved to Kingwood, where James had built a home for his bride. There they lived together for the next 52 years, reared a family of three children--William Clark, Sarah Martha "Mattie," and George Harrison, and hosted their grandchildren and other family members in times of joy and times of great sorrow.
Guided and sustained by her faith, she provided strength for her family, especially when James was in Richmond during the Virginia Convention and throughout the ensuing war. Nightly, she led her family in worship at the family's altar, which she had established when she and James were married. She also regularly welcomed itinerant Methodist ministers to stay with her in their travels and led prayer sessions, Sunday School, and the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society, which she organized for the Kingwood Methodist-Episcopal Church, their church home. She was instrumental in the construction of the new church building in 1879 and served as a primary source when, years later, the church history was compiled.
She was ever an influence of goodness and selectively taught young women who sought instruction in keeping an efficient and well-run home. Each young woman would live with the family and worship together with them until she had learned enough to move on with her life. Persis provided the same kind of direction for the young men whom James accepted as apprentice-clerks in his store. Each young man lived with the family until he had mastered the mercantile trade to move to other employment.
Throughout their marriage, Persis provided sound counsel to her husband in both business and political affairs. James himself said that she was an excellent judge of character and that he never made an important decision without first consulting her. He stood forever in awe of her courage when, in April 1863, the only Confederate force that reached Kingwood arrived at their home and she met them at the threshold of their home and refused them entrance.
Her children were her greatest joy. She sewed their clothing when they were little, made certain that they could play the piano, supported their extended education, and corresponded with them regularly, no matter how far their travels took them.
She was not afraid of travel herself. In fact, she ventured with James all the way to California, with a stop at newly created Yellowstone National Park, and to Niagra Falls and New York City, in addition to the years that she lived in Washington while James served in Congress. She also delighted in visiting the Philadelphia World's Fair in 1876.
Persis died in her home on October 14, 1893, following a long illness. As her husband describes, "Surrounded by those whom she loved, she fell asleep in Christ." Even her funeral service was conducted there in the home that she had made and loved so dearly. Her burial followed in nearby Maplewood Cemetery in Kingwood.
In 2021, the McGrew Society published The Persis Memoir, written by her husband James as a loving tribute to his love and respect for her, their marriage, and their family. That book, along with the biography James C. McGrew: Statesman and Servant, can be found in the McGrew Gift Shoppe and are often sold as companion texts as a special price. Ask about each when you visit or by e-mailing [email protected].
In 1841, Persis married James Clark McGrew and moved to Kingwood, where James had built a home for his bride. There they lived together for the next 52 years, reared a family of three children--William Clark, Sarah Martha "Mattie," and George Harrison, and hosted their grandchildren and other family members in times of joy and times of great sorrow.
Guided and sustained by her faith, she provided strength for her family, especially when James was in Richmond during the Virginia Convention and throughout the ensuing war. Nightly, she led her family in worship at the family's altar, which she had established when she and James were married. She also regularly welcomed itinerant Methodist ministers to stay with her in their travels and led prayer sessions, Sunday School, and the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society, which she organized for the Kingwood Methodist-Episcopal Church, their church home. She was instrumental in the construction of the new church building in 1879 and served as a primary source when, years later, the church history was compiled.
She was ever an influence of goodness and selectively taught young women who sought instruction in keeping an efficient and well-run home. Each young woman would live with the family and worship together with them until she had learned enough to move on with her life. Persis provided the same kind of direction for the young men whom James accepted as apprentice-clerks in his store. Each young man lived with the family until he had mastered the mercantile trade to move to other employment.
Throughout their marriage, Persis provided sound counsel to her husband in both business and political affairs. James himself said that she was an excellent judge of character and that he never made an important decision without first consulting her. He stood forever in awe of her courage when, in April 1863, the only Confederate force that reached Kingwood arrived at their home and she met them at the threshold of their home and refused them entrance.
Her children were her greatest joy. She sewed their clothing when they were little, made certain that they could play the piano, supported their extended education, and corresponded with them regularly, no matter how far their travels took them.
She was not afraid of travel herself. In fact, she ventured with James all the way to California, with a stop at newly created Yellowstone National Park, and to Niagra Falls and New York City, in addition to the years that she lived in Washington while James served in Congress. She also delighted in visiting the Philadelphia World's Fair in 1876.
Persis died in her home on October 14, 1893, following a long illness. As her husband describes, "Surrounded by those whom she loved, she fell asleep in Christ." Even her funeral service was conducted there in the home that she had made and loved so dearly. Her burial followed in nearby Maplewood Cemetery in Kingwood.
In 2021, the McGrew Society published The Persis Memoir, written by her husband James as a loving tribute to his love and respect for her, their marriage, and their family. That book, along with the biography James C. McGrew: Statesman and Servant, can be found in the McGrew Gift Shoppe and are often sold as companion texts as a special price. Ask about each when you visit or by e-mailing [email protected].