House Pho. from the Eugene F. Jones, Jr. collection, Meadow Creek, WV... The Joseph Bleau home at Meadow Creek, WV ca. ~1894. This house, built ~1878, was located below the C&O Railway tracks near the mouth of Meadow Creek. All that remains of the house day (2013) is the one sry kitchen that set on the left side of the original house. This house kitchen is the oldest building in Meadow Creek. I have heard some people say that the two-sry portion of the house was damaged by a flood and was rn down, others saying no that. The E-911 address is: 141 North Riverside Rd. Joseph [Guillaume?] Bleau was the son of Joseph & Rose Jenny Bleau. Joseph, a snemason, was born ~1848 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and died June 4, 1921. His first wife was Virginia Ann Gwinn (May 24, 1856 May 24, 1896) of Meadow Creek, WV. They were on Oct. 30, 1872 by Rev. A.J. Carper. Virginia is buried in the. Virginia was the daughter of William & Mary Polly (Richmond) Gwinn 1
. Joseph & Virginia Bleau s known children are: Joseph William, Sr. 1873-1963 Samuel M. Bessie Ann. Fredrick Andrew Ernest Vivian Daisy R. Birt B. Violet Mary 1875-1897 1879-1901 1881-1947 1884-1952 b. Dec.1887 1891-1943 1894-1962 #1 Eliza M. Stickler #2 Effie Florence Ennis never Henry J. Huff Lula Florence Duncan Mamie Fox Hughes Woodsie Waugh Arthur A. Addleman Joseph s second wife was the widow Annie Beasley born December 1869 in PA. Annie was the daughter of Henry & Mary Snyder. Rev. David G. Richmond them on April 3, 1897 at Meadow Creek, WV. 25977 Annie Beasley may have had children with her first husband. Joseph and Annie left Meadow Creek about 1914. They possible lived in the Kanawha Valley area, eventually living in Ohio and it is assumed they are buried there. Joseph and Annie Bleau s known children are: Ruth b. ~1897 Youell Nelson Margaret b. July 1898 Clifford Slack Daniel b. 17 Nov. 1899 Madeline Noel Paul Edith I. b. ~1906 William Richardson Theodore Ted died in au. accident. Josephine A. b. ~1909 Frank L. Mehlmann In the pho it appears the family members in front of Joseph Bleau s house are: from left right: Frederick Andrew, Ernest Vivian, Virginia Ann, in chair, Bessie Ann, Violet Mary, in stroller, Daisy R., and Joseph in chair with Birt B. Bleau. Summers County, WV Cemetery Book has the following Bleau family members listed as buried within the County. Bessie A. Bleau Bessie Dale Bleau Birt B. Bleau Effie F. Bleau Elizabeth M. Bleau Fred A. Bleau Glenn Harvey Bleau 1879-1901 1915-1993 Apr. 19, 1891-Jun. 26, 1943 Jun. 12, 191-Jan. 24, 1947 Sep. 24, 1878-Oct. 7, 1922 1881-1947 1917-1933 2 Richmond Cemetery DeQuasi Cemetery
Joseph W. Bleau Lula F. Bleau Samuel Bleau Virginia Bleau Woodsie W. Bleau Violet M. Addleman Arthur A. Addleman Jun.7, 1873-Nov. 11, 1963 1890-1960 Jun.9, 1875-Jun. 7, 1897 1856-1896 Aug. 12. 1903Jul. 16, 1894-Dec. 7, 1962 Aug. 24, 1888-Apr. 10, 1967 Restwood Cemetery Restwood Cemetery The wn of Meadow Creek is named after the creek that flows form the meadows on p of Gwinn and Wallowhole Mountains. Most of the water gathered in the meadows flow northwest form the Meadow River emptying in the Gauley River, then New River. Smaller part of the water flows south down the mountain and emptying in New River, is called Meadow Creek. At the p of the mountain this drainage water goes thru a wn called Meadow Bridge. At the point where the water of Meadow Creek enters in New River, the area and small wn is called Meadow Creek, Summers County, WV. Joseph Bleau most likely came the area ~ 1868 work for the C&O Railroad, building a railway along the New River canyon Gorge. The railroad required many bridges requiring sne buttress. This building effort started shortly after the Civil War and the railroad started operating in 1873. Legend has it that John Henry, the steel driving man, died laying steel rails in this railroad s Big Bend Tunnel at this time at Talcott, about 15 miles south east of Meadow Creek. Joseph built a small waterwheel powered electric generar on Meadow Creek generate electric power for his house years before electricity was made available everyone in Meadow Creek. This property was originally more than 2¼ acres, perhaps more than 5+ acres before being divided in lots. Records show Joseph & Virginia Bleau s home property (2¼ acres) ownership hisry is: Oct. 6, 1877 Oct. 31, 1917 April 2, 1921 Nov. 19, 1917 Jan. 10, 1922 Jan. 9, 1945 May 6, 1957 April 23, 1958 Dec. 9, 1961 May 13, 1992 William Gwinn Virginia Ann (Gwinn) Bleau Bleau decendents Arthur A. Addleman Huff descendents J.P. Buckland Addleman, Huff & Buckland decendents J.E. Gwinn Joseph E. Gwinn C.G. Brightwell Execur, Hersie Fox Zama A. Rodes Zama A. Rodes James M. Collier J.M Colliers Dewey Pettry & Lula Faye Acord Lula F. Acord Dewey & Icie Pettry widow Icie Pettry James R. & Nancy F. Pettry Dewey Pettry and his aunt, Lula F. Acord, bought the kitchen and property (2¼ acres) from [I was ld] a retired Army Sergeant, James M. Collier on 23 April 1958. Dewey (21 Feb.1899 Dry Creek, WV-14 July 1978 Beckley, WV) and his wife Icie Marie (Williams) Pettry (21 Feb. 1906 Bald Knob, WV-11 Feb. 2000 Germanwn, OH), Lula F. (Pettry) and her husband Gilbert Bee Acord, used the kitchen as a fishing camp. Dewey bought Lula s interest in the property on 9 Dec. 1961. This kitchen is now used as a srage house and is the oldest building in Meadow Creek. 3
Dewey and Icie Pettry lived at Packsville on Little Marsh Fork of Marsh Fork of Coal River, Raleigh Co., WV, also bought the home and property next the Joseph and Virginia (Gwinn) Bleau s 2¼ acres property from Thomas Guthrie & Zama (Adkers) Rodes on 22 Jan. 1965 containing a home on 1/8 acre of land. Thomas Rodes was a retired C&O Railway employee. Zama Rodes had obtained the property from the widow Roberta Brightwell s estate on 25 Jan. 1945. C.G. Brightwell was a retired C&O Railway employee. Dewey and Icie moved in the Rodes house in the spring of 1965. After Dewey died, Icie lived here until ~1994 then went and lived with her daughter Verna Mae Sparks in OH. I believe the Rodes house was built by or for C.G. and Roberta Brightwell in the 1920s. The Rodes remodeled this house in the late 40s by adding a kitchen with a small basement under it, a bedroom, indoor plumbing, and bathroom, enclosed the front porch and installed central heating. Icie Pettry deeded both properties on 13 May 1992 her son, James Roland and Nancy K. (Faulconer) Pettry, P.O. Box 1067, King George, VA 22485. Ph: 540-775-7144. Roland is a retired electronics engineer and Nancy a retired teacher; they have one child, daughter Jamie Kay Wood, 7457 Shire Pkwy, Mechanicsville, VA. 23111 Phone: 804-599-0150 Fredrick Andrew Bleau (Sept. 1881 Meadow Creek-Dec. 1947 C&O Hospital, Huntingn, WV), the son of Joseph Bleau, was a C&O Railway fireman promoted locomotive engineer and owned the house next [south of] the Rodes property. During the New River flood of Aug. 1940 this house had be cabled the railroad rails after it floated off its foundation. Fred and Lula F. (Duncan) Bleau s known children are: Rheda Virginia Reta (~1905-1937) Gladys (b. 1908) Earl F. (1910-1960) Larry Raymond Lucille Maddie Glenn Harvey Helen Lula H. Lester Leck Spencer Louis Provenzano #1 Geneva #2 Alice M. (1913-1978) #1 Millie Lewis #2 Elizabeth Lawson (b. ~1915) #1 Frank Allen #2 William G. Bill Miller (14 May 1917-26 Jan.1933) Became ill after playing basket ball at Sandsne High School and died 5 days later. (7 July 1924-1997) Fredrick W. Red St.John Fredrick A. and his wife Lula (Duncan) Bleau (1890-1960), are buried in the. Lula Bleau sold this property Lawrence W. Chisel Burdette, Sr. in ~1957. Chisel, 89 years old, was killed on 16 February 2006 as a result of an eastbound Amtrak No. 50 The Cardinal train-car collision at Sandsne s railroad crossing. This house is now owned by Chisel Burdette s daughter, Barbara (Burdette) Welch, 7012 Kanawha Farm Circle, Charlesn, WV. 25312. Ph: 304-984-3940 Ernest Vivian Bleau was a telegrapher for the C&O Railway. He used a railroad quad cycle (Velocipede) get himself different telegraph offices in the area. Millie (Lewis) Bleau, age 93, died May 23, 2012 and is buried in Wallace Memorial Cemetery, Clinnville, WV. 4
Raleigh Co. WV s 1910 census records list Joseph William Blue, 36, 13 years, wife Eliza M. 32, no children. He lived at Lester, WV and was a merchant and postmaster. I saw a picture of him and Elizabeth Eliza standing in front of his business building with a sign on it; Blue Mercantile. Joseph and his first wife Eliza divorced. Joseph W. and his second wife Effie Florence (Ennis) Bleau are buried in the. One of Joseph William Bleau sons, Joseph William Bill Bleau, Jr. (98) is alive and lived in Meadow Creek in Evert Gwinn s house until recently. He now lives in Marie, Summers Co., WV (2013). Bill is the last of the Bleau family members live and own property in Meadow Creek. Of the proximally 50 homes in Meadow Creek, about 7 are summer vacation home of absentee owners. I was ld only 3 people in Meadow Creek are employed, some are retired but most are living on some kind of social programs. It appears that many of the Bleau family suffered from TB and heart problems, and some died young. Joseph Bleau had two families and it appears that most of the families members never keep in uch with each other. Like members of most families in Meadow Creek, offspring s had leave the area find jobs. THIS IS WORK IN PROGRESS 27 Marsh 2013 Comments, corrections or additions this article will be appreciated. You are welcome copy this article in part or whole. James R. Pettry Compiler P.O. Box 1067 King George, VA 22485 jrpettry@crosslink.net Phone: 540-775-7144 Eugene F. Jones, Jr. Meadow Creek Hisrian P.O. Box 85 Meadow Creek, WV 25977 Phone: 304-466-1389 5
Sharon E. Bleau 415 Woodlawn Ave. Apt. 8 Beckley, WV 25801 Phone: 304-253-4869 Sherryb2us@yahoo.com Daughter of Larry Raymond and his 1st wife Millie (Lewis) Bleau (d. May 23, 2012 at 93) Ronald Bleau St.John 1011 W. Bombay Way Palatine, IL 60067 Phone: 847-991-4248 Helen Lula (Bleau) St.John s son. Ronald B. St. John, PHG, CPG ron@st-ma.com St. John-Mittelhauser & Associates 1401 Branding Ave., Suite 315 Downers Grove, IL 60515 Phone: 630-427-8111 Mobil: 630-803-0254 Fax: 630-427-8129 www.st-ma.com 6