Mingo County, West Virginia Biography of Luther William HELMINTOLLER This file was submitted by Valerie Crook, E-mail address: The submitter does not have a connection to the subject of this sketch. This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. All other rights reserved. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the WVGenWeb Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://www.usgwarchives.net/wv/wvfiles.htm The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume III, pg. 370 Greenbrier/Mingo LUTHER WILLIAM HELMINTOLLER, superintendent for the Buffalo Thacker Coal Company at Chattaroy, Mingo County, has run the full gamut of experience in connection with the coal-mining industry, his first work having been as a trapper boy, when he was but ten years of age. Mr. Helmintoller was born at Ronceverte, Greenbrier County, West Virginia, on the 17th of August, 1893, and is a son of William B. and Margaret (Morgan) Helmintol- ler, the former of whom was born in Alleghany County, Virginia, and the latter in Greenbrier County, West Vir- ginia, where their marriage was solemnized. Mrs. Helmin- toller passed to the life eternal on the 3d of March, 1919, at the age of fifty-four years. William B. Helmintoller was engaged in farm enterprise for a number of years, and for fifteen years thereafter he was identified with public work in Raleigh County, this state. He is a republican and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, as was also his wife. He now, at the age of sixty-eight years (1922) is living retired in the home of his son Luther W., of this review, who was fourth in a family of twelve chil- dren, of whom eight are living. Luther W. Helmintoller gained his early education in the public schools of Greenbrier and Raleigh counties, but early began to do practical work also in connection with coal mining, as noted in the preceding paragraph. By his mine work he earned the money to defray his course in the Dunsmore Business College, Staunton, Virginia. His first mine service was in Raleigh County, and he has since held various progressive positions in different mines, besides having had charge of general stores conducted by mining companies. His work has been in Raleigh, Logan, Boone, Kanawha, McDowell and Mingo counties, and his ambition and effective service gained to him consecutive advancement, as is shown by the fact that he became a mine superin- tendent when he was but twenty-three years of age. He has been a constant reader and student concerning matters per- taining to the coal industry, and has well earned the success which is his. He was with Jack Dalton in the World war period, and had charge of three mines on Coal River in Boone County. By thus spurring the production of coal he made effective contribution to the nation's war cause, the fuel production having been one of major importance. He has been associated with the Buffalo Thacker Coal Company in the capacity of superintendent at Chattaroy since August, 1920. He is a republican, is affiliated with the Blue Lodge and Chapter of the Masonic fraternity at Bramwell, and in the Scottish Rite Consistory at Wheeling he has received the thirty-second degree, besides which he is a member of the Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Charleston, the Lodge of Elks at Huntington, and the Lodge of Knights of Pythias at Pocahontas, Virginia. In 1916 Mr. Helmintoller married Miss Lillian White, daughter of Charles H. White, of Maybeury, McDowell County, and they have one daughter, Mary.