John Goshorn, 1790-1869 and
William Goshorn, 1814-1891
John Goshorn came to Belmont County, Ohio, in 1810, eventually removing to Wheeling. He married Mary Farrier, who died in Wheeling on July 16, 1854. They had three children: Jane, who died at the age of seven; William S., and Isabella, who married Benjamin Franklin Kelley, later a general in the Civil War. She died April 23, 1860.
Arriving in Wheeling, John Goshorn engaged in merchandising. He served at various times as a member of city council and as a director of the old Northwestern bank of Virginia, Manufacturers’ and Farmers’ Bank, and Fire & Marine Insurance Co., and was a prominent Mason. In 1844, he retired from trade and made a home outside the city, living a gentleman farmer’s life until his death on June 13, 1869. He left a very large estate at the time of his death.
His son, William S. Goshorn was born in Belmont County, Ohio, January 19, 1814. William was educated in Wheeling public schools and Washington College. He then engaged in the sale of general merchandise and embarked in 1830 in the sale of dry goods, boots, shoes, hats, caps, etc. William married Priscilla Jane Zinn, and they had six children.
Connected to John and William Goshorn is one of the more well-known slave stories of Wheeling, concerning Sara Lucy Bagby. Lucy is considered the last fugitive slave returned to western Virginia under the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law. She was purchased by John Goshorn for $600 in January 1852, and in 1857 she was given to John's son, William. In 1860, Lucy escaped to Cleveland. Apparently someone in Cleveland alerted William Goshorn to Lucy's whereabouts, and he traveled to that city where he contacted the U.S. Marshal and demanded her return. It was proven that she was the property of William Goshorn and that under the Fugitive Slave Law she had to be returned to Wheeling and her owner. She later was freed and returned to Ohio, where she lived the rest of her life. As William Goshorn lay dying, it is said she came back to Wheeling to visit him in 1891.