John R. Plattenburg Biography Hancock 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 F. Crook The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 274 Hancock County JOHN R. PLATTENBURG. Three generations of the Platten- burg family have had as their chief business interest the editing and publishing of the Hancock County Courier, now published at New Cumberland by John B. Plattenburg, the grandson of the original founder. This newspaper has been in existence for more than a half a century, during which time it has become a part of the daily lives of the people of the county, whose opinions it largely moulds and whose actions it greatly influences. John E. Plattenburg was born at New Cumberland, Jan- uary 28, 1888, a son of Jesse T. and Lou (Lockhart) Plat- tenburg. His grandfather, J. W. Plattenburg, was born in Illinois, where his parents had been pioneers, and in young manhood adopted the vocation of teaching. This he fol- lowed for several years, in the course of which he went to Wellsburg, West Virginia, and there learned the printer 'a trade. Later, as a journeyman, he set the first line of type on the old Wheeling Intelligencer, His first newspaper, the Wellsburg News, was founded about 1859, and. was still being published when Mr. Plattenburg joined the Union Army during the war between the states as a captain of West Virginia infantry. He was wounded during his serv- ice, being shot through the shoulder, but continued in the army until the close of the war, when he resumed the printer's trade. In 1869, at Pughtown, then the county seat of Hancock County, he established the first newspaper in the county, known then, as now, as the Hancock County Courier. It was a four-page, six-column publication, demo- cratic in its policies, and while its form and style have changed to some extent during the fifty-three years of its existence, its politics have remained unswervingly the same. The paper continued to be published at Pughtown until 1895, with Mr. Plattenburg as editor and publisher, but in that year the county seat was removed to New Cumberland, and the paper went with the seat of government. The founder continued as its active head until his death in 1907, at the age of seventy-seven years. A good newspaper man and a capable writer, he made the publication well known and its articles and editorials were widely quoted by con- temporaries in the journalistic field. His widow, who was Sarah Wetheral, of Wellsburg, survives at an advanced age. At the time of his death J. W. Plattenbnrg was suc- ceeded in the ownership of the paper by his son Jesse T. Plattenburg, who died five years later, in 1912, after a career which had been devoted entirely to the paper. While attending Bethany College he met Lou Lockhar, also a student, and they did not wait until their graduation to be married. They became the parents of four children: Joseph L., who is identified with the Weirton (West Vir- ginia) Steel Corporation; John B., of this notice; Julia, who is the wife of T. T. Bambrick; and Mary, the wife of A. O. Dorman. John R. Plattenburg received his education in the public schools of New Cumberland and practically grew up in the office of his grandfather's and father's newspaper. From early youth he has been perfectly familiar with its every detail of preparation, make-up and production, and since the death of his father has taken over the duties of editor and publisher. He is now producing an attractive, inter- esting and thoroughly reliable eight-page, seven-column paper, which has a wide circulation throughout Hancock and the surrounding counties in this part of the state, and which wields a distinct influence in directing public opinion and action. Mr. Plattenburg is a democrat. He has a number of business and social connections and has taken an active part in civic affairs. During the World war he served for thirteen months in the adjutant general's depart- ment at Camp Johnson. Mr. Plattenburg married Miss Mary McDonald, and they have two children: John W. and Mary L.