Cree Lahti
Libraries Director
The History Room at McClintic Library in Marlinton received a donation of genealogical material compiled by Ruth Wilfong Horner during her lifetime.
Ruth was always generous with her time and was willing to share her research anytime she received a question or query from anyone. Ruth’s will stipulated that her genealogical material be placed in the History Room so the public could access it, thereby extending the spirit of generosity for which she was known.
Ruth had compiled her material in an assortment of well-worn, three-ring binders filled with pages of family history that she herself had collected over the years, supplemented with material many respected local researchers had shared with her.
To ensure Ruth’s work would withstand years of public use, Jan and Roger Orndorff volunteered to scan Ruth’s notebooks and arranged for the material to be printed and bound in a manner more suitable for research in the library.
The 21 bound volumes, containing more than 11,000 pages, will be an excellent resource of the family lines of Eye, Horner, Lindsay, Oliver, Phares and Wilfong, plus many interrelated family lines of the greater Pocahontas County region. A second set of the 21 volumes will be donated to the West Virginia Culture and History Library in Charleston for use by future generations of genealogists.
The library extends a deep appreciation to the Ruth Horner Estate and family for the donation of Ruth’s research work and for the financial resources to ensure her work is preserved for generations to come. Ruth was passionate in her pursuit of her own genealogy as well as that of many interrelated families. She wanted her work to be preserved for the public. Through these volumes, this portion of her legacy will live on for many years.
The volumes are available for research at the McClintic Library in Marlin- ton. Please call 304-799-6000 to schedule an appointment to view the books.