Person:Calahill Tolley (1)

The Tolley family is of Swiss orgin. Rupp's book of names mentions Michael Vogelfanger Tolley, who with others described as inhabitants of Switerzerland, imported in the ship Lydia, arrived in Philadelphia, Sept. 24, 1747. That imigrant is probably the ancesstry to Ezekiel Tolley, who lived in the vicinity of Natural Bridge in Rockbridge county, Va., and who was probably the grandson of Michael, the Swiss imigrant.

Christopher Tolley, the son of Ezekiel, married in Rockbridge, about 1820, Elizabeth Goff. They had ten children, Calahill was the oldest.

Calahill Tolley lived on Wolf creek, Giles county, near Narrows, Va. In 1860 he bought two tract of land, about 1100 acres, costing $2000 situated on the upper waters of Piney River, Raleigh County. He moved to this location if 1861. In Jan. 1890 he purchased from Russel G. Trump a large acreage, the Ferguson Farm, this was located near Glen Daniel, then known as Marshes of Coal. He lived here until his death.

Calahill was a millwright by trade. He came to Wolf creek to build a mill for a Mr. William Hale. There he met Paulina M. Hale, the daughter of Daniel Hale and his wife Caroline E. Watts, he married Paulina Sept. 18, 1851. Calahill developed a successful mill on Piney, it was located near what is now called Whitby. Linnie E. was one of twelve children by Calahill.

This information was taken from a paper prepared in 1937, by a Mr. Winton A Riffe, attorney at Law, Beckley. Mrs. Wanda Tolley Shumate obtained a copy from Mary Jane Keaton, Athens, WVa, this was in 1987, I received a copy at that time. (Bill Cole)

HISTORY OF BECKLEY AND RALEIGH COUNTY Early Settlers of Raleigh County, West Virginia The following article by Judge W. A. Riffe appeared in the Beckley Post-Herald Centennial Edition on Aug. 26, 1950.

TOLLEY, Calahill E. - He came from Giles County by way of his native Rockbridge County, Va., and settled on Piney at Whitby in March 1861. He was a large landowner and millwright.

TOLLEY, Christopher - A brother of Calahill, he moved to Piney at Bacontown in February 1861. He was a Confederate soldier and a carpenter.