William B. Zinn (December 6, 1795 – 1875) was a nineteenth-century farmer, mill-owner, militia leader and politician, who ultimately freed his slaves and became one of the founders of the State of West Virginia.

Early life

Born on December 6, 1795 in what was then called Gladeville, in

Preston County Preston County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the population was 34,216. Its county seat is Kingwood, West Virginia, Kingwood. The county was form ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

(but which became Kingwood,

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 ...

during his lifetime), William Zinn was born to Jacob Zinn (1773–1857) whose father had emigrated from Germany, and his second wife, Sarah "Sallie" (Byrne) Bland, the widow of Thomas Bland. He had three older half-brothers, and two younger brothers: Charles B. Zinn (1797–1863) and Peyton Zinn (1807–1860) and sisters Clara and Permelia Zinn Brown (1804–1886). He married at least twice. From his first wife ___Franklin, he inherited slaves and about $8000 in gold and other property when her parents died. His second wife was Juliet Caroline Franklin Zinn.

Career

Zinn farmed and operated a mill in Preston County, which the

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

reached in the mid-1950s. In the 1850 census Zinn owned 22 slaves. At some time he may have freed most, for in the 1860 census he only owned three slaves, compared to the seven slaves owned by his fellow

Unconditional Unionist The Unconditional Union Party was a loosely organized political entity during the American Civil War and the early days of Reconstruction. First established in 1861 in Missouri, where secession talk was strong, the party fully supported the preserv ...

, William Gay Brown, Sr. (who had succeeded him in the House of Delegates in 1832). Preston County voters elected Zinn to represent them, part-time, 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 ...

eight times. He also led the local militia, with the rank of Major. After the

Virginia Secession Convention of 1861 The Virginia Secession Convention of 1861 was called in Richmond to determine whether Virginia would secede from the United States, to govern the state during a state of emergency, and to write a new Constitution for Virginia, which was subsequent ...

voted to secede from the Union over the vehement opposition of Preston County's delegates, Brown and James C. McGrew, Zinn became one of the Preston County leaders who attended the first

Wheeling Convention The 1861 Wheeling Convention was an assembly of Virginia Southern Unionist delegates from the northwestern counties of Virginia, aimed at repealing the Ordinance of Secession, which had been approved by referendum, subject to a vote. The first ...

in May 1861. Zinn served as the Convention's chairman beginning on May 13. The Secession Convention expelled Brown and McGrew on June 29, and five Preston county men voting in a confederate camp on October 24, 1861 elected others to replace them. By contrast, Major Zinn also served as Preston County's representatives to the Restored Government at Wheeling beginning on June 25, 1863 alongside McGrew.

Postwar career

After the war he served in the

West Virginia House of Delegates The West Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the West Virginia Legislature. Only three states—Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia—refer to their lower house as the House of Delegates. Organization Regular sessions begin with ...

for a term beginning in 1866 and then was elected to the state Senate and served until 1869.West Virginia Bluebook, p. 115 available at https://books.google.com/books?id=tawGAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA115&lpg In 1870, Zinn and his wife Julie lived in Rowlesburg, a lumber and mill town that was the second largest in the county, along with two young men who worked on his farm.

Death

Zinn died in Preston County in 1875 and is buried in the family cemetery in Arthurville, West Virginia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zinn, William B. Members of the Virginia House of Delegates Members of the West Virginia House of Delegates West Virginia state senators People from Kingwood, West Virginia People of Virginia in the American Civil War 1795 births 1875 deaths 19th-century American politicians