Cabell County, West Virginia Biography of A. J. DALTON ************************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: Material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. These pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor. Submitted by Valerie Crook, , April 1999 ************************************************************************** The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 45-46 A. J. DALTON. There are some individuals who are able to develop to the highest possible degree of effi- ciency the possibilities and potentialities of their char- acters, so that whatever they seek to attain is reached and successfully passed. To such men there is no such word as fail, and their characteristics are of such a nature as to create respect and inspire confidence. When circumstances place them in command of large interests they are able to direct them wisely and capably. In this connection mention is due A. J. Dalton, one of the largest coal operators of Huntington and a man of unerring business judgment, practical views and great energy, as well as unquestioned integrity. He is in control of extensive interests, in the handling of which he has shown an inclination to safe- guard the welfare of all concerned with their operation. Mr. Dalton was born June 5, 1874, in Pittsylvania County, Virginia, a son of Patterson and Mary (Adams) Dalton. Patterson Dalton was born in Virginia, and spent his entire life in Pittsylvania County, that state, where he applied himself to agricultural pursuits until his early death, June 3, 1874. He was a democrat and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Mr. Dalton mar- ried Miss Mary Adams, who was born in 1827, in Pittsyl- vania County, and survives him as a resident of Altavista, Campbell County, Virginia. They were the parents of four children: Hester, who is the wife of Samuel T. Patterson, a farmer of Altavista, Virginia; Dinnie, the wife of Will Walton, also a farmer of that community; Berry, twin of A. J., who was a miner and died in 1896, at Thacker, West Virginia; and A. J. A. J. Dalton was born two days after his father died, and as his mother was not left with any great amount of means he was denied the pleasures that are the natural right of youth and had none of the advantages of other lads. His schooling was confined to six months' attendance of the school at Pittsylvania, yet he was naturally so quick and intelligent that the training he received, meagre though it was, served as a foundation upon which he later built a superstructure of information through extensive reading, observation and self teaching. When he was only nine years of age he started to work on the farm of an uncle, C. T. Adams, with whom he remained three years, then en- tering the service of the L. & D. Railroad Company as water boy, at a wage of 75 cents a day. By this time he was a lad large and strong for his age, and after six months he succeeded in getting a position as laborer with a section gang, being thus employed for two years. At the age of fifteen years he came to Elkhorn, West Virginia, and after spending some time in working on the right-of-way for the railroads, obtained a position on the mine tipples. His next natural step was to become a miner in the coal mines, and as such dug coal for three years. Mr. Dalton was always willing, energetic and intelligent, and through exercising his natural qualities he secured ad- vancement to the post of slate boss of the mines, a posi- tion which he filled for six months. He then returned to railroad work, with the Norfolk & Western, braking for six months during the dangerous days of hand-brakes and link- and-pin couplers, long before the modern automatic devices were invented. He managed to pass through this appren- ticeship without serious accident, and was promoted to loco- motive fireman, and after six months went to Deadwood, South Dakota, where he fired on the Burlington Railroad for six months. While at Deadwood he also worked in the Homestead gold mines for a short time. Returning to Elk- horn, West Virginia, he was made assistant mine foreman, and was next promoted to foreman, later to superintendent of mines and still later to general superintendent of Lynch- burg, Eureka, Powhatan, Elkridge and Peerless mines at Elkhorn. He remained in this capacity until 1913, when he removed to the Guyandotte field of Logan County, West Virginia, having acquired a lease on 29,000 acres. He went to that community to develop these coal lands, and is still engaged in developing and operating them. At this time Mr. Dalton is president and director of the Main Island Creek Coal Company, operating twenty- three mines in Logan County, with a capacity of 3,000,000 tons a year; president and a director of the Omar Coal Com- pany, at Omar, Logan County, with Omar mines Nos. 1 and 2, having a capacity of 360,000 tons per annum; president and a director of the Middle Fork Mining Company, oper- ating mines Nos. 1 and 2 at Chancy, which have a capacity of 300,000 tons per annum; president and a director of the Procktor Coal Company, with mines at Armisdale, West Virginia, having a capacity of 360,000 tons a year; presi- dent and a director of the Procktor Eagle Coal Company, at Robinette, West Virginia, with a capacity of 120,000 tons a year; president and a director of the Mandanay Coal Company, also at Robinette, with a capacity of 60,000 tons a year; and president and a director of the Procktor Win- fred Coal Company at Armisdale, with a capacity of 120,000 tons a year, all of the foregoing being in the Guyan Valley. He is also president and a director of the No. 5 Block Coal Company at McNeer, Logan County, capacity 180,000 tons per annum; president and a director of the Madison Coal Company in Boone County, this state, capacity 120,000 tons per annum; and president and a director of the Superior Eagle Coal Company at Jeffrey, Boone County, capacity 60,000 tons per year, the last three companies being situ- ated on the Little Coal River. Mr. Dalton owns several of the above-mentioned coal companies outright, and has controlling interests in all the others. His offices occupy the third floor of the Robson-Prichard Building at Hunt- ington. Mr. Dalton is also president of four oil companies, of which three are operating in Kentucky and one in Wyom- ing. He is president of the Dalton Kelly Real Estate Com- pany of Huntington, president of the Dalton-Kelly Real Estate Corporation of AItavista, West Virginia, and presi- dent of the Huntington Coal Sales Company of Huntington. J. A. Kelly is a full partner in all of Mr. Dalton's business operations. Together they own a modern residence at the corner of Thirty-first Street and Third Avenue, a fine home surrounded by a five acre lot. In addition thereto they are the owners of much realty at Huntington, and seventy-five acres of town lots at AItavista, where they also have a fine home. Mr. Dalton is unmarried. He is a democrat in his polit- ical views, but has been too busy with his business affairs to enter public life, although he has been a supporter of worthy movements of a civic character and those which have tended toward the betterment of education, religion and cit- izenship. His religious faith is that of the Roman Cath- olic Church. As a fraternalist he is a life member of Blue- field (West Virginia) Lodge No. 159, Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks, and also holds membership in the Guyandotte Club and the Guyan Country Club, both of Huntington.