JOHN L. COLEBANK

The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 375
Monongalia

JOHN L. COLEBANK. One of the most useful citizens of
Monongalia County is John L. Colebank, whose home is a
high class farm in Union District, seven miles north of
Morgantown. Mr. Colebank is a teacher as well as a
fanner, is still active in the pedagogical role, and in teach-
ing, farming and the duties of citizenship he is known
as thoroughly constructive in his thinking as well as in
his acts. He appreciates among other things the value of
good roads, has given his influence to secure such improve-
ment, and he has taken a part in all the organized agri-
cultural movements and has tried on his own farm to set
a good example of progressive agriculture.

Mr. Colebank was born in Union District of Monon-
galia County October 19, 1871. His parents were Thomas
J. and Margaret (Stewart) Colebank. His father, who
was born in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, in April, 1844,
was brought when a boy to West Virginia. Thomas J.
Colebank has been a farmer, timber dealer, and in the
early days rafted great quantities of logs down the river
to Pittsburgh. He grew and fed cattle and sheep on a
large scale. It is said that he has served on the Grand
Jury more frequently than any other man in the county,
and he has always been active in the republican party and
has been a constant attendant and official member of the
Eden Methodist Protestant Church.

John L. Colebank attended the common schools, spent
three terms in the State University at Morgantown, and
has taken correspondence work and attended a number of
Teachers Institutes and kept in touch with educational
ideas by mingling with his fellow workers and through
books and magazines. He began to teach at the age of
twenty, and altogether has taught twenty-five terms, giv-
ing a part of practically every year to work in the rural
schools in his home vicinity.  Most of his teaching has
been done in the home school district. There are many
now in the professions and in business who credit him
with some of the inspiration and influence that molded
their early lives.

As a farmer Mr. Colebank is a breeder of Shropshire
sheep, Berkshire hogs, and always has a large herd of cattle
grazing over his 230 acre farm.  He acted as census
enumerator in 1900, has been deputy assessor, and for
six years was on the County Board of Equalization. He
has attended as a delegate a number of local republican
conventions. Mr. Colebank and family are members of the
Eden Methodist Protestant Church. He has been super-
intendent of the Sunday School for many years, trustee
of the board for years, and teacher in the Sunday School
for many years, having attended for years without missing
a Sunday.

At the age of twenty-four Mr. Colebank married Miss
Lizzie Shanks, of Clay District, Monongalia County. Their
four children are Elmer Gay, Claude, Ocie and Thomas L.


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