HARRISON COUNTY, WV: Bios - William A. Meredith
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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,
page 16
Harrison County

WILLIAM A. MEREDITH is one of the successful publishers
of West Virginia, began his apprenticeship as a printer's devil
in an office at Philippi, and from a printer's case his experience
broadened into the larger field of editorial and business
management. He is editor and publisher of the Shinnston
News.

His family has been an honored one of this state for more
than a century. His American ancestor, William Meredith,
came from South Wales about 1800, and after residing a few
years in Hagerstown, Maryland, came to what is now Marion
County, West Virginia. William Meredith married Hannah
Powell, and they had a son William, who married Harriet
Clayton. Rev. Clinton B. Meredith, son of William and
Harriet (Clayton) Meredith, married Marion Maxwell, a
native of Harrison County, and daughter of Amos Maxwell.
They are the parents of the editor and publisher at Shinnston.

Rev. Clinton B. Meredith is a native of West Virginia and
one of the permanent ministers of the Methodist Episcopal
Church. He has been in active work with the West Virginia
Conference since 1881, and has a creditable record of service
in several pastorates. He and his good wife now reside at
Morgantown. They were the parents of ten children.

William A. Meredith was born in Ten Mile District, Harri-
son County, March 9, 1882. Like the other children, he
attended school in the different localities where his father
resided as pastor, and, therefore, had frequent changes of
environment during his youth. He acquired a good common
school education, and while his father was pastor of the
church at Philippi he began his apprenticeship in a local news-
paper office. He remained in Philippi when the duties of the
church called his father elsewhere, and he continued work at
the printer's trade until 1902. In that year he first became
identified with the newspaper interests of Shinnston, as
manager of the News. About five years later he bought this
weekly newspaper, and Continued its publication until 1910,
when he sold out and, going to Salem, bought the Salem
Herald. He had active charge of this other Harrison County
newspaper until 1913, when he sold out and again bought the
property of the Shinnston News, and under his management
the paper has had a steady increase of circulation and in-
fluence. He also conducts a successful job printing business.

Mr. Meredith is a republican and has served as county
committeeman of his party. He is a thirty-second degree
Scottish Rite Mason and Shriner, and a member of the
Methodist Church. In 1910 he married Miss Eva B. Robin-
son. Her father, Thadeus Robinson, was a farmer in the
vicinity of Shinnston. The three children of Mr. and Mrs.
Meredith are: Madeline, William and Thadeus.
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