Fayette County, West Virginia         Biography of WILLIAM A. BROWN

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The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 552
Fayette

WILLIAM A. BROWN. Few men in West Virginia know
the actual practical operation of coal mines or have had
as much to do with the development of the coal industry
of the state as William A. Brown, now a resident of Alder-
son.  His entire life has been devoted to the business
from the time that he worked as a mule driver, through
the period that he labored in every intervening branch
of the industry until the present, when he is an owner
and operator.

Mr. Brown was born at Ashland, Schuylkill County,
Pennsylvania, February 8, 1858, a son of David P. and
Margaret (Hamilton) Brown, natives respectively of Eng-
land and Scotland,  The parents of David P. Brown
died when he was a lad, and he accompanied an aunt
to the United States, where, having come of coal mining
people, he naturally drifted into this line of endeavor
and was a pioneer in the anthracite field when coal was
carried by gravity to the point of shipment. He married
in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, and subsequently moved
to Goshen, West Virginia, where he assisted in the de-
velopment of ore mines. Later he located at Quinimont,
where he engaged in agricultural pursuits, and was so
engaged until his death. His worthy wife passed away
at Hemlock, West Virginia. They were the parents of
eleven children, seven daughters and four sons.

William A. Brown had only meager opportunities for
the securing of an educational training, but he made the
most of what he had, and in later life has improved his
knowledge by self teaching, reading and observation. He
was only eleven years of age when he began to work,
and by the time he was seventeen years of age he was
driving a team of mules in the mines. He was indus-
trious, faithful and persevering, and was later advanced
to boss driver, then to mine boss at Berry, and later to
the same position at Caperton. Mr. Brown at this time,
having saved his earnings carefully, became a fifth owner
in the Alaska Mine in Fayette County, where he had
charge of the inside operation, and later was put in
charge of the Greenwood, Hemlock and Laurel Creek mines,
on Laurel Creek. In the meantime, in 1919, he moved
to Alderson, where he now makes his home. Mr. Brown
has witnessed practically the entire development of the
coal mining industry in this section, and has had a part
in most of it. In 1874, right after the advent of the
railroad, the Quinimont coal mine was started by J. L.
Berry. John Nuttall opened the Nuttallburg Mine, and
John McGuffin started, the Sewell Mine, these being the
three pioneer operations.  Later on the Page Mine at
Anstead, the Fire Creek Mine and the Stone Cliff and
Caperton mines were established, and still later the Royal
and all the mines on the north side of New River below
Caperton. These were followed by the Ephraim's Creek,
Slater and Loup Creek mines, after which the south side
of the river brought in mines, those coming later including
the Laurel Creek branch, Kinney Creek branch, Piney
branch, the Meadow River country, the White Oak and
the branch up to Minden, these practically comprising the
coal activities in this section. Mr. Brown is not only a
thoroughly informed mine owner and a business man of
the highest integrity, but is a thoroughgoing American
citizen and a loyal supporter of all worthy causes for the
general good.  In politics he is a republican, and has
served as a member of the Board of Education, and also
was for a time postmaster at the mines. In religion he
is a Presbyterian, and as a fraternalist is a Knight Templar
Mason and a Noble of the Mystic Shrine.

Mr. Brown married for his first wife Miss Henrietta
Hughes, who died after having been the mother of ten
children: Harry; Ellis; William; Perey; Lester, deceased;
Joseph, deceased; a child who died unnamed in infancy;
Annie, the wife of Harry Nickol; Courtney, the wife of
Dr. F. W. Groome; and Margaret. Of these, Ellis served
in the World war as an officer and saw service overseas,
where he had a splendid record. The second wife of Mr.
Brown was formerly Miss Maude Hickline, daughter of
Jesse Hickline, of Bath County, Virginia.