Noah Ebenezer Zane (October 23, 1778 – June 3, 1833) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

pioneer and politician. Born near Fort Henry (which became Wheeling in his lifetime and is now in

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

), he represented several western Virginia counties in the Virginia Senate during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

Early and family life

Noah Zane was one of eleven children born to pioneer

Ebenezer Zane Ebenezer Zane (October 7, 1747 – Nov. 19, 1811) was an American pioneer, soldier, politician, road builder and land speculator. Born in the Colony of Virginia (possibly near what became Moorefield, West Virginia), Zane established a settle ...

(who served several terms in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

) and his wife Elizabeth McColloch or McCullough (October 30, 1748 – 1814). As an infant, Noah and his sisters survived the siege in September 1782, as his father, Zane uncles, aunt

Betty Zane Elizabeth Zane McLaughlin Clark (July 19, 1765 – August 23, 1823) was a heroine of the Revolutionary War on the American frontier. She was the daughter of William Andrew Zane and Nancy Ann (née Nolan) Zane, and the sister of Ebenezer Zane ...

and uncles Major Samuel McCulloch and Major John McCulloch fought Native Americans seeking to expel the settlers. His brothers Daniel (1788-1860) and Samuel (1784-1854) also outlived their parents, as did several sisters. In 1806 he married Mary Chapline (1787-1858), the daughter of Moses Chapline and Mary Caldwell, thus descended from two other important pioneer families in the area. Their only son to survive childhood, Platoff Zane (1815-1846) did not survive his parents, although he did have three sons and two daughters. Noah Zane's four daughters married and survived the American Civil War.

Career

Noah Zane farmed on both sides of the Ohio River near Wheeling (not using enslaved labor in the State of Ohio, since such was illegal), as well as administered the estates of his parents. He owned three enslaved people in 1810, and in 1820 owned seven slaves, with two free Black women also living in his household. In the final census of his lifetime, his household included four free Black women and one enslaved Black man (between 36 and 55 years of age), whereas his brother Daniel Zane who lived nearby still owned four enslaved Blacks. In 1812, Ohio County voters, together with those in several nearby counties of northwestern Virginia ( Monongalia,

Harrison Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places In Australia: * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin In Canada: * Inukjuak, Quebec, or "Po ...

Randolph Randolph may refer to: Places In the United States * Randolph, Alabama, an unincorporated community * Randolph, Arizona, a populated place * Randolph, California, a village merged into the city of Brea * Randolph, Illinois, an unincorporated commun ...

Wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...

and Brook Counties) elected Zane to the

Virginia Senate The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Virg ...

, where he succeeded James Pindall and was in turn replaced by George J. Davisson in 1816.Cynthia Miller Leonard, The Virginia General Assembly 1619-1978 (Richmond: Virginia State Library 1978) pp. 272, 276, 280, 284

Death and legacy

Noah Zane died in November 1833, leaving his widow to raise their children and grandchildren. His grandsons would fight on opposite sides in the American Civil War. Edwin Greathouse Zane (1839-1863) fought with the

27th Virginia Infantry The 27th Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Stonewall Brigade of the Army of Northern Virginia. The 27th Virgi ...

and died of wounds received at the

Battle of Williamsport The Battle of Williamsport, also known as the Battle of Hagerstown or Falling Waters, took place from July 6 to July 16, 1863, in Washington County, Maryland, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War. It is not to be confuse ...

in the Gettysburg campaigns, though his brother Noah Zane (1843-1916) also in the 27th Virginia infantry survived the war, as did their eldest brother, Samuel Sprigg Zane (1837-1912), who joined the 11th West Virginia Infantry.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zane, Noah 1778 births 1833 deaths Virginia state senators 19th-century American politicians Politicians from Wheeling, West Virginia West Virginia pioneers People of pre-statehood West Virginia