Lynchburg City-Danville City County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Biographies.....Walsh, William Walton 1888 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.rootsweb.com/~archreg/vols/00001.html#0000031 March 2, 2008, 6:52 pm Author: Leonard Wilson (1916) WILLIAM WALTON WALSH THE element in our population known as Scotch-Irish has made a most distinguished record, especially in the period between 1740 and 1800. It was then composed of men who were born pioneers, hardy, industrious, thrifty and fearless. For sixty years they were always in the van of the westward movement—so that West Virginia, western North Carolina, east Tennessee, Kentucky and sections of the Middle West were literally made by these hardy people. Of this Scotch-Irish stock comes William Walton Walsh, of Lynchburg, who (though a mere youth in years) is a business leader with a wonderful record of achievement behind him. The history of the world is rich in stories of remarkable old men and remarkable young men. Gladstone at eighty-four was Prime Minister of England, and was matched by Pitt, at twenty-six, holding the same office. Von Moltke, the great Prussian strategist who fought the Franco-Prussian War when well advanced in the seventies, was matched by Napoleon, who at twenty-seven was the Conqueror of Italy. We do not have to go abroad to find examples of these wonderful young men. George Washington, at twenty-two a Virginia Colonel, held for four years with a thin regiment three hundred and fifty miles of frontier against wily Frenchmen and savage Indians. Conditions have changed, and achievement is now measured largely by professional or business success; and it is in business lines that W. W. Walsh has already made most successful history. He was born in Danville, February 15, 1888, son of Logan W. and Mary Catharine (Tuck) Walsh. His father is Secretary and Treasurer of the Lynchburg Foundry Company and its associated companies. Young Walsh secured his educational training in the public schools of Lynchburg, taking the full course, including the High School, and eight years ago (then a youth of eighteen) he entered upon business life as a clerk in the office of the Superintendent of Construction for the Lynchburg Foundry Company. He remained in this position until January 1, 1910, and then, not twenty-two, at a time in life when most young men are only starting in business, he organized the Mutual Savings Bank and Trust Company, with a capital of ten thousand dollars, of which he was active manager with the title of Secretary and Treasurer. He remained in this position three years until January 1, 1913, and during that period his stockholders were paid dividends of 18 per cent, and a surplus of $35,000 was accumulated. This surplus, however, was not altogether upon the original ten thousand dollars—for the first year's work was so successful that the stockholders increased the capital to twenty-five thousand dollars in 1911, and to one hundred thousand dollars in 1912. The young man had shown the metal that was in him, and gained the absolute confidence of the people who had money to invest. Aside from this interest, in 1911 he had done some construction work on his own account, and during 1912 he carried on construction work under the firm name of Ivey and Walsh. On January 1, 1913, he retired from the active management of the Bank, and at that time was made Vice-President. Immediately thereafter he organized the Peoples Building Company, of Lynchburg, with a capital of fifty thousand dollars, which did construction work on a wholesale basis in several Virginia cities. The success of the ideas which he had worked out was so great; and his plans proved so practicable, that he was able to go further afield. He organized the Roanoke Construction Company, at Roanoke, Virginia, and the Winston-Salem Construction Company, at Winston-Salem, North Carolina. All of these companies are doing a large business in their respective territories. On January 1,1914, the capital of the Peoples Building Company, of Lynchburg, was increased to three hundred thousand dollars. All of these concerns, which make a specialty of building residences, are not only managed by Mr. Walsh, but he owns the controlling interest in them. During 1913 they built over two hundred houses, and in January, 1914 (one month), they contracted for eighty-two houses. Mr. Walsh is a Director and the Vice-President of the Mutual Savings Bank and Trust Company, of Lynchburg; Vice-President and Treasurer of the Peoples Building Company, of Lynchburg; President and Treasurer of the Winston-Salem Construction Company, Winston-Salem, and General Manager of the Roanoke Construction Company, of Roanoke. That Mr. Walsh will travel far is a foregone conclusion, but best of all, his travel is in the right direction. He is of the constructive type, he is a builder up—one that gives to the public value received for its money; so that any measure of success that has come, or may come, to him is honestly earned. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, both in the Blue Lodge and Chapter. In social life he holds membership in the Piedmont Club, of Lynchburg. Religiously, he is identified with the First Christian Church of Lynchburg, in which he holds the office of Deacon. He was married September 28, 1909, at Banner Elk, Wautauga County, North Carolina, to Sallie Louise Whitehead, born at that place September 30, 1888, daughter of James W. and Jennie V. Whitehead. They have one daughter, Thelma Whitehead Walsh, born December 6, 1912. Mrs. Whitehead's father is a large landowner and stock raiser of eastern Tennessee and western Northern Carolina and is a man of large wealth. Mr. Walsh's maternal grandfather, Tuck, was for a long time principal of the Danville Schools, until his death in 1887. His maternal grandmother, Tuck, nee Sarah A. Nally, was the bearer of an old Virginia name. Mr. Walsh's paternal grandfather, Rev. Dr. John Tomline Walsh, was one of the distinguished men of his generation. He was born in Hanover County, Virginia, February 15, 1816, son of William Walsh, who was one of four brothers, the other three being Dickerson, Abner and James. The family was founded in Virginia by four Scotch-Irish brothers, who came to the State prior to the Revolutionary War—but not all of them remained in Virginia, some moving further west. Dr. John T. Walsh was a posthumous child—his father dying of hemorrhage of the lungs four days before he was born. His mother was a frail woman, and as a boy he was exceedingly small and very delicate. Though he had a long life, his health was never robust. Arriving at manhood, he entered the ministry of the Methodist Church, after a brief period of school teaching, and was making his way as a minister when he became dissatisfied with his religious aflSliation and allied himself with the Baptist Church. Evidently he was a man given to very keen self-examination and analysis, and his conscience was still not satisfied, and to put it in words that the layman will understand, he could not see how the Baptists could reject Apostolic succession and practice baptismal succession. All this resulted in his finally allying himself with the Christian Church, of which Alexander Campbell was the founder and at that time the great leader. He studied medicine, graduated in due course, and from then until the end of his long life he divided his time between the practice of medicine and the work of a missionary preacher, covering large sections of Virginia and North Carolina; and not satisfied with these abundant labors he became an editor of religious publications, a poet of no small merit and an author of note. He was a man of unusual ability and magnetic personality. Everywhere he went people were drawn to him, but he lived in a time when liberality was not a cardinal virtue among the saints, with the result that his passion for preaching the Gospel chained him down to a life of most narrow means. He lived worthily and well. Dr. Walsh did a great work in his day and left his imprint upon his generation. He was twice married. His first wife was Eliza Ann Beazley. Of this marriage there were five sons and three daughters. He outlived seven of these eight children. His second wife was Miss E. J. Green, of Jones County, North Carolina, and of this marriage there were six children—four sons and two daughters. Of these Logan W. Walsh, father of William W. Walsh, was the third child and second son. The first record of the Walsh family in Virginia is of Thomas Walsh, who came with Captain John Upton to Isle of Wight County in 1643—but this family evidently bears no connection with that early immigrant. Of the four brothers reported to have come over about the middle of the eighteenth century, and who founded this family, apparently John, Patrick and Thomas Walsh were three. The name of the fourth cannot be stated. From these, numerous descendants are now scattered abroad throughout our country, as useful citizens in every generation as their pioneer forefathers were in theirs. The Coat of Arms of the Walsh family of Ireland is thus described: "Argent an inescutcheon gules; in chief three martlets of the last. "Crest: A cubit arm holding a tilting-spear. proper." Additional Comments: Extracted from: MAKERS OF AMERICA BIOGRAPHIES OF LEADING MEN OF THOUGHT AND ACTION THE MEN WHO CONSTITUTE THE BONE AND SINEW OF AMERICAN PROSPERITY AND LIFE VOLUME II By LEONARD WILSON, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ASSISTED BY PROMINENT HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL WRITERS Illustrated with many full page engravings B. F. JOHNSON, INC. CITY OF WASHINGTON, U. S. A. 1916 Copyright, 1916 by B. F. Johnson, Inc. Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/lynchburg/photos/bios/walsh90gbs.jpg File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/lynchburg/bios/walsh90gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/vafiles/ File size: 10.2 Kb