Logan County, West Virginia    Biography of JAMES H. FORD

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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. 643


JAMES H. FORD finished his education after he had been
recruited in the service of West Virginia's greatest industry,
coal mining. His experience began at the bottom, and
from an employe he has promoted himself into the ranks
of the operators. He is general manager and treasurer of
the Buffalo Eagle Collieries Company at Braeholm in Logan
County.

The president of this company is P. J. Riley of Barbours-
ville. Operations were started in 1914, and since then the
mines have been opened and the company has installed its
own power plant. It is the only mine in the Logan field
similarly equipped. Around the mines the company has built
an ideal town, with schools and churches and attractive
homes for mine workers. The railroad station is Beeco, a
name made up of the initials of the company.

Mr. Ford was born on his father's farm at Maplewood in
Fayette County, June 18, 1881, a son of W. A. and Georgia
A. Ford, who are still living on their farm at the ages of
seventy-eight. Their family consisted of four sons and two
daughters.

James H. Ford acquired his early education in the schools
of Fayette County, and taught three terms of school. He
finished his education with a two year course in college at
Richmond, Virginia. In 1905 Mr. Ford became a coal
loader for the Piney Mining Company on Loop Creek, and
was employed there about a year before he went away to
college. After returning he was in the service of the New
River and Pocahontas Coal Company at Layland as script
clerk, later as bookkeeper, and remained with them three
years. For a time he had his headquarters at Charleston,
as auditor for the West Virginia properties of the corpora-
tion. He left there in 1914 and came to the Logan field,
and has been here from the beginning of the development
work for the Buffalo Eagle Collieries Company to the
present time.

In September, 1915, he married Theresa Riley, daughter
of P. J. Riley, of Barboursville, who is president of the
coal company. Mr. and Mrs. Ford have two children, James
H., Jr., and Joseph Martin. Mrs. Ford is a member of the
Catholic Church. Mr. Ford is affiliated with Laurel Lodge,
F. and A. M., at Fayette, the Elks, belongs to the Royal
Arch Chapter of Masonry at Hinton, Huntington Com-
mandery of Knights Templars and the Mystic Shrine at
Charleston. He is a democrat in politics.