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Uriah Gandee, Sr., was born 1753, in Philadelphia, PA, and served in the Revolutionary War, 1776-1777, with the Pennsylvania Continentals. It is believed that after this period he moved to Randolph County where he became involved in a Tory uprising, was 'forgiven', became sheriff for two terms and in 1798 moved to Mason County. He was possibly the Uriah Gandee who operated a floating grist mill on the Ohio River off Buffington's Island 1800-1810. In 1833 he lived with a son on the Ohio River in Jackson County. Uriah, Jr. married Massie Hughes, on 30 Jul 1806 in Mason County and later, around 1824, settled in the area that became Gandeeville, Roane County.
Uriah Gandee, Jr., who was the pioneer settler of Gandeeville, was born 02 Sep 1782. His wife, Massie, was the daughter of Jessie Hughes, the famous Indian Scout. They had twelve children and it is told that Massie fought off a pack of savage wolves near her home. With them tearing at her flesh, she shot and clubbed them with torches. After this heroic deed, she lived 70 more years, dying when she was 107 years old. She lived to see a village spring up where her cabin stood. Massie also lived to see four of her sons fighting against each other in the Civil War before she died 30 May 1883 and was buried between her mother and her husband.
 The James Stanley Gandee Family
Seated Left: JAMES STANLEY GANDEE (Age 86, son of Uriah and Massie Gandee)
Seated Right: FLOYD GANDEE (James' son)
Standing Left: OTMER GANDEE, SR. (James' grandson)
Child: OTMER THOMAS GANDEE, JR. (James' great grandson)
James Stanley Gandee was born 27 Jul 1832 and he first married Mary Leforce. They had ten children. After her death, he married Rachel Fields and to them were born ten children. He had filled many positions in Roane Co. from constable to sheriff. He died in 1925 at the age of 93. At his funeral 18 of his children were there. Rachel died in 1955 at the age of 96.
This picture taken in 1918 is a portion of the Floyd Gandee family. Floyd was the son of James Stanley Gandee.
 Left to Right)...Eva Gandee (Wife of Floyd's son Otmer Sr.) Margaret Fudge (Eva's mother) Martha Gandee (Floyd's daughter, twin sister of Mary) Floyd Gandee Sarah (Vaughn) Gandee (Floyd's wife) Mary Gandee (Floyd's daughter, twin sister of Martha) Photos submitted by Linda (Gandee) Sentelik
Historical Information from Roane County Family History 1989
The tradition in the Gandee family as confirmed by L. V. McWhorter, author of Border Settlers of North Western Virginia and The Life of Jesse Hughes, states that Martha, daughter of Jesse and Grace (Tanner) Hughes, was captured by Indians in 1787. Martha was fourteen years old and was kept as a prisoner for two years and nine months without any contact with her family. Believing that Martha was dead, another daughter was born to Jesse and Grace Hughes and they named this child Martha as a return of her that was gone. When the first Martha was restored to her parents, there were exclamations, "It is the mercy of God!". So the younger Martha was rechristened "Mercy", which, under the old Virginia manner of speech in which the "r" was suppressed and the "e" sounded as the "e" in they, the name "Massie" and hence was always so pronounced. This spelling is that given by McWhorter and others.
The third son of Uriah and Massie Gandee was William, born in Meigs County, Ohio in 1813 before the family moved to what is now Gandeeville, WV. around 1824. William married Margaret Nancy Casto and was for twenty-five years a prominent citizen taking part in all public affairs. He became a Justice of the Peace of the county, took part in formation and organization of Roane County, sitting as one member of the first County Court. On the outbreak of the Civil War, he was pro-Union and against secession, and became a captain of Home Guards, leading his men in defense of and keeping of legal authority in the county during the five years of that awful turmoil.
 To Captain William Gandee and his wife were born four sons and three daughters; William, Jr., Cynthia, Frederick, George W., Martha, Jemima, and Jacob. Frederick Gandee was born 31 Jul 1842 and would marry Carolina Canterbury,daughter of Zadoc and Marcenia (Snow) Canterbury of Monroe County, Virginia. Frederick was a "Union sympathiser" during the "War of the Secessions"and was in the series of shooting and surrender in 1862 of Spencer. Frederick served in the regularly enlisted ranks of the Union army 1861 to 1864 and was in the battles of Charleston, Cloyd Mountain, New River Bridge, Lexington, Carter's Farm, Winchester, Hall Town, Martinsville, Berryville, Opequon and Fisher's Hill as a member of Company B, 9th West Virginia Infantry. After the war he was elected and served two terms as a Justice of the Peace of Walton District, was a Delegate for the County of Roane in the 18th Session in 1887 of the West Virginia Legislature.
Photo ca1880 of Frederick and Carolina Gandee
Photo submitted by Rev. Robert Cruikshank
Historical information from History of Roane County, WV 1774-1927 by William H. Bishop
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