GAD

GAD, WEST VIRGINIA A MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY GONE FOREVER BUT NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN

The Town of Gad West Virginia was situated in Nicholas County on the present site of The Summersville Dam. After years of digging no seems to know who named it Gad. But this much is known the name Gad comes from the Bible. Gad can be found in the Bible in the book of Joshua it was one of the tribes of Israel and was situated near the River Jordon. The Book of Joshua Chapter 13 verse 24 And Moses gave Inheritance unto the tribe of Gad, even unto the children of Gad according to their families. -see also verse 25-28 - also in the Book of Joshua chapter 22.

The Summersville Dam was built between 1960 and 1968 at a cost of almost 48 Million Dollars in order to control flooding in the Gauley and Kanawha River areas and covers a drainage area of 803 square miles. In order to Build the Dam the little mountain communities of Gad and Sparks had to pay the price. Many families including my Hicks family lost their homes and farms that many had lived on for several generations. The Army Corps of Engineers moved 4 Cemeteries The George Bailes Cemetery - The Henry Neff Cemetery - The Dotson Chapel Cemetery and The Simpson Methodist Church Cemetery to a new goverment Cemetery located at Keslers Cross Lanes now known as the Dotson Simpson Memorial Cemetery. The Joseph Hicks Farm sat next to the Simpson Church at Gad. My great grandfather Joseph Hicks and many members of his family's graves were moved from Gad to Keslers Cross Lanes. My grandfather Cody Hicks was present when the graves were moved and he always said it was one of the worst things he had ever witnessed. For they moved his Father Joseph - Brother Arthur - Baby Son Cody - Aunt's - Uncles - Cousins - Brother inlaw - Niece - and friends he had known his whole life. The only cemetery spared was the small Hicks Cemetery containing the graves of 3 of Joseph and Mildred's children - George - Letha and Ella. The Dotson Chapel and The Simpson Methodist Church were moved to Irish Corner & Margaret Street in Summersville. The two churches merged and formed The Dotson-Simpson Memorial Methodist Church which is now located in Summersville.

The Army Corps of Engineers broke a long standing tradition in Naming the Summersville Dam. In all other instances Dam's where either named for a famous person or named for the town for which they were built on. They did not consider the name GAD DAM suitable. But just think of how many tourists would have flocked in to have their photos made beside a sign that read GAD DAM. The Summersville Dam was dedicated By Lyndon B. Johnson 36th President of the United States on September 3, 1966.

Grandpa Cody and all of his brothers and sisters were born at Gad. His mother Mildred was a midwife and delivered countless numbers of babies at Gad- McKee's Creek - Camp Fork and Enon. I can still remember the summer of 1974 when my uncle Adrian had come in from Ohio and we all went down to what was left of the old homeplace to pick apples from great grandfather Joseph's apple trees. There was grandpa Cody on what was left of his old home with four of his children my dad Reginald - Mable - Lewis and Adrian. It was one of the few times I ever saw him cry but he stood there at the fence of the little cemetery with tears rolling down his face. Grandma told dad "You better go see about your daddy" and dad told her "Let him alone he needs to be alone for awhile." a few short months later grandpa Cody like Gad would be gone forever and buried in the Dotson Simpson Memorial Cemetery on Christmas Eve 1974. So this website is for grandpa Cody and Gad both are gone but hopefully never forgotten.

Hicks Deeds Nicholas County

As I could fill up several web pages with these deeds I will be brief about them.

Deed Made the 17th day of April 1883 between George Brown and Fanny his wife to Joseph Hicks for the sum of one dollar 63 acres lying on the divide between the waters of McKees Creek and the Camp Fork of Peters Creek in Summersville Districit Nicholas County - Land bordered the McClung patent - Samuel Sebert - Davis Vanbibber - Delivered to Joseph Hicks July 28, 1889

Deed Book 96 Pages 313-314 -March 19, 1940 - This deed made this 19th day of March 1940 between Joseph Hicks and Mildred Hicks, his wife, parties of the first part, and Cody Hicks, party of the second part, both of Nicholas County, West Virginia. ---WITNESSETH; That for and in consideration of $1.00 and the love and affection which the said parties of the first part bears toward their son, said party of the second part, the said parties of the first part do grant, with covenants of general warranty, unto the said party of the second part the following two tracts of land; ---First; The following described real estate situeate, lying and being in Summersville District, Nicholas County, West Virginia, on Camp Fork of Peters Creek, which tract contains 63 acres more or less , and is the same tract of land which was conveyed to said parties of the first part by Lewis S. Fitzwater and wife by deed the 6th day of September 1905 and recorded in the office of the Clerk of the County Court of Nicholas County in deed book 41 at at page 164. This deed goes on to describe the 7 acre tract which was part of a 40 acre tract inherited by David McClung and A. H. McClung from their father Samuel McClung on the fence line of Samuel McClung and Hunter Sebert and the lands of Joseph Hicks.- delivered to Cody Hicks March 16, 1940

Deed Book 118 pages 417- 418- 419 - Dated April 24, 1960 - Deed between Cody and Edith Hicks & The United States of America for the sum of five thousand, nine hundred and sixty dollars. for a tract of land containing 35.11 acres tract of land desribed in a deed from John H. Hicks and Elva his wife to Cody Hicks dated August 5, 1948. Also in a deed between James E. Brown and Ottie his wife to Cody Hicks Dated January 8, 1945

Deed Book 199 pages 357-358 Dated March 18, 1963 Between Cody and Edith Hicks and the United States of America for all mineral rights except coal for the sum of $6.00

Deed Book 115 pages 435- 436- 437- 438 Dated October 4, 1947 Between Cody and Edith Hicks & The Peters Creek Coal Company for the sum of one thousand eight hundred nintey eight dollars and forty cents - $632.80 cash in hand paid. The coal company negotiated four promisary notes payable in the sum of $316.40 each payable on the following dates October 4, 1948 - Oct. 4, 1949 - Oct. 4, 1950 - Oct. 4, 1951 respectivly at the Farmers and Merchants Bank of Summersville - for the right to mine coal on two tracts of land one containing 81.46 acres and the other 35 acres more or less -- The said parties of the first part retain a vendors lien on the land herein conveyed to secure the payment of the deferred purchase money notes, the beneficial owner of which at the time of the execution and delivery hereof, is Cody Hicks, whose post office address is Gad, West Virginia.

Deed book 112 - Pages 113 thru 119 - Dated April 19, 1947 Between John H. Hicks widower and H. C. White for the sum of six thousand one hundred dollars cash in hand and other valuable considerations. Two tracts of land one containing 215 acres which John H. Hicks and wife purchased from Albert Jennings Bailes And Clara E. Bailes his wife Nov. 26, 1941 and the other containing 58 acres adjoining Joseph Hicks - Salley Duffy - Jennings Bailes on McKees Creek known as the George Brown Place this is the same tract of land conveyed to G. W. Bailes from B. C. Huffman and Sarah A. Huffman his wife on Nov. 2, 1907 and is the same tract of land devised to A. J. Bailes from his father G. W. Bailes in his will in Will Book 3 at page 100.

Note their are several more deed's belonging to Cody and John Hicks in Nicholas Courthouse plus a mountain of them for the family of Thomas & Mariah Hicks who were the other Hicks family in Nicholas County.

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