Aldine S. Poling Biography Barbour County, WV ********************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ********************************************************************** Submitted by: Valerie Crook The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 580-581 Barbour ALDINE S. POLING is a veteran editor and newspaper man of West Virginia, being founder and proprietor of the Barbour Democrat at Philippi. He was a successful teacher, later studied and qualified for the bar, but instead found his vocation and life-work in "the fourth estate." Mr. Poling was born in Glade District, Barbour County, January 14, 1867. His grandfather, James Poling, came to this section of West Virginia in pioneer times from old Virginia and spent his life as a farmer in Glade District He had a large family, his sons being Elam, Nathaniel, Perry, Brown, Isaac, Salathiel, Emery and Tazewell, while his daughters were Annie, who married Marshall Stal- maker; Rebecca, whose first husband was Mortimer Johnson and the second, C. K. Rymer; Luverna, who was the only one of the family who remained unmarried; and Virginia, who became the wife of Wesley Bean. These children not only married, but most of them had many descendants, and as many of these remained in Barbour County Aldine S. Poling probably has more relatives in the region than any other man. The father of Aldine S. Poling was Isaac Poling, who was born in Barbour County and who married Elfanzine Corder, a native of Warren County, Virginia. Her only child was Aldine S., but the latter has a half brother, Wade Poling, of Glade District, and half sister named Mrs. Etta Hudkins, Mrs. Matrona Wilmoth, Mrs. Bertie Wilson and Mrs. Rebeeca Elliott. Aldine S. Poling was reared in the home of an aunt in Pleasant District of Barbour County, and lived with her until he began his university career. He attended the rural schools, summer normals, began teaching at the age of sixteen, and for ten years his program was teaching a term or two and then attending school himself. In this way he secured the money to complete his legal education and was graduated LL. B. from West Virginia University in 1892. Before he could secure a clientele as a lawyer his old friend with whom he had first studied law induced him to start a democratic paper at Philippi. Thus he became the founder of the Barbour Democrat in 1893, the first issue of which appeared July 6, 1893. It has probably never missed an issue in nearly thirty years, and there have hardly been more than a half dozen issues of the paper run off the press without the editor's presence in the office. Mr. Poling is a man of ideals in the newspaper business. With the usual enthusiasm of youth he thought it necessary in early years to be strongly partisan, and he attacked his political op- ponents as vigorously as he boosted the interests of his own party in political or civic matters. Gradually experience and increasing years softened this part of his character, so that generosity and liberality have characterized his treat- ment of men and measures through his paper. He made the Barbour Democrat one of the first papers in the state ac- tively to advocate and fight the battle of temperance and prohibition. From the first he has believed that he had a duty to perform in editing and conducting a home news- paper, one free from sensation and the lurid presentation of crimes and scandals. In addition to his service as an editor Mr. Poling has been a notary public for a number of years, largely a gratuitous service, has been secretary and a member of the board of Education of the Philippi Independent District, and has been a trustee of Broaddus College since it was established here. He was one of the active leaders in se- curing this educational institution for Philippi, and he has seen it grow to be a larger institution than the State Uni- versity was when he was a student there. In polities Mr. Poling inherits democratic sentiments from both sides of the family. Fraternally he has been a Mason and Odd Fel- low since reaching his majority, and is also a member of the Knights of the Maccabees and the Junior Order United American Mechanics. He has sat in the Masonic Grand Lodge. For thirty-five years he has been a member of the Missionary Baptist Church, was superintendent of the Sun- day school ten years and represented the church in the Northern Baptist Convention at Boston, and has attended many of the general associations in the state. At Philippi in December, 1893, Mr. Poling married Miss Lizzie W. Grant, daughter of Edward F. and Lydia (Skid- more) Grant, an old time family of Barbour County. Her father was a cabinet maker and undertaker, and for many years served as postmaster at Philippi. He was a repub- lican, and he died during the childhood of Mrs. Poling. Mrs. Poling has a half brother, Charles Grant. Mrs. Poling went to work in one of the local banks at Philippi at the age of seventeen, is still an employe of the Citizens National Bank, and is credited with more banking experience than any of the bankers in the city. Mr. and Mrs. Poling have two sons, Forrest Blanchard and Lawrence Edward. Forrest Blanchard, who graduated A. B. from West Virginia Uni- versity and is now in the University Law School, is an ex- service man, and spent twenty-two months at Camp Shelby, reaching the rank of top sergeant. The second son is a graduate of Broaddus College of Philippi, and is now con- tinuing his studies in the Ohio State University. He volunteered as a member of the Students' Army Training Corps in the naval contingent, and was at Morgantown dar- ing a portion of the war.