Lewis County, West Virginia    Biography of James FITZGERALD

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Submitted by Valerie Crook, <vfcrook@earthlink.net>, July 1999
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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. 173

JAMES FITZGERALD is superintendent of the West Vir-
ginia Central Gas Company at Weston. He was born and
reared on a farm in Western Pennsylvania, but early for-
sook the farm as a vocation, attracted by the dominating
industry, oil production, and has been a practical man in
every phase of this industry for many years.

Mr. Fitzgerald was born at Bradford, Pennsylvania, June
1, 1874, son of Patrick and Mary (King) Fitzgerald,
natives of Ireland. They were brought to the United States
by their parents at the respective ages of ten and thirteen,
grew up in Pennsylvania, acquired public school educations
and after their marriage located on a farm four miles from
Bradford. Patrick Fitzgerald owned and occupied his farm
of fifty-eight acres for fifty years, and then retired to
Bradford, where he died in 1912. Mary King was his sec-
ond wife, and she died in 1913. They were devout Catholics,
and he followed the fortunes of the democratic party. By
his first wife he had three sons, and of the ten children
of his second marriage seven are living: John, an oil pro-
ducer of Bradford; Anna, wife of H. L. Stoner; Mary,
wife of Frank Fesenmyer; Ella, wife of M. D. Carmody;
James; and Ed and Martin, oil producers.

James Fitzgerald acquired a public school education, and
at the age of eighteen attended a night school for six
months. He then left the farm to go to the work in the
oil fields, learned and performed nearly every duty required
of an oil man, worked as a pumper, and was a tool dresser
and driller. On October 13, 1909, he connected himself with
the West Virginia oil and gas fields, and began with the
West Virginia Central Gas Company as field foreman. He
has been superintendent of that corporation at Weston since
April, 1918. Mr. Fitzgerald has other business interests,
particularly in the line of his chief experience, and is a
stockholder in the Benson Oil Company, the Riddle Oil Com-
pany the Royal Oil Company, the Rex Oil Company, and
the Cayton Oil & Gas Company.

He married Mabel Curry, of Lost Creek, West Virginia.
Their four children are named James, Jr., Harry E., Martha
M. and John R. The family are members of the Catholic
Church. Mr. Fitzgerald is a Knight of Columbus and an
Elk and in politics is a republican.