Nicholas County, West Virginia Biography of JOHN MARSHALL WOLVERTON This biography 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. 567-568 Nicholas JOHN MARSHALL WOLVERTON. In point of continuous service John Marshall Wolverton is the dean of the Nicholas County Bar. He is the present prosecuting attorney, serving his second term, and for many years has enjoyed an extensive practice in all the courts of this district. His father was a farmer, and the son grew up on a farm, but was named in honor of the great chief justice, John Marshall, and the name may have had something to do with his choice of a career. Mr. Wolverton was born on the home farm at Big Bend in Calhoun County, West Vir- ginia, January 31, 1872, son of James S. and Eliza Ann (Ferrell) Wolverton. His father waa born in 1832 in Taylor County, West Virginia. His mother was born in 1835 at Uniontown, Pennsylvania, and was a child when her parents settled at White Day in Monongalia County, West Virginia. James S. Wolverton was both a farmer and business man at Big Bend in Calhoun County, and for twenty-four years held the office of justice of the peace at that place. He was a democrat. His father, Joab Wolverton, was a Baptist minister, but in the absence of a church of that denomination James S. Wolverton became affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. He passed away venerable in years, highly re- spected and honored and within a month of his eightieth birthday. Hia widow is now living with her oldest son, Thomas 3., on the home farm in Calhoun County. The nine children of these worthy parents were: Helen A., wife of S. G. Yoke, of Morgantown; Thomas J., mentioned above, a bachelor; Lewis C., a farmer also on the homestead; Robert F., deceased; Joab D., an attorney at Long Beach, California; James A., deceased, who died a short time before graduating in medicine; Lillian, who died in infancy; John Marshall, next to the youngest of the family; and Hattie M., wife of Doctor S. W. Riddle, of Mount Zion in Calhoun County. John Marshall Wolverton grew up in his native county, acquired a common school education, attended the Glenville and Fairmont State Normal schools, and graduated in the Law Department of West Virginia University in 1901, being admitted to the bar at Grantsville, Calhoun County, the same year. Mr. Wolverton practiced law at Grantsville until August 1904, when he moved to Richwood, Nicholas County, and has since been permanently established there. He was a partner of A. L. Craig, under the firm name of Craig and Wolverton, for a number of years, until the retirement of Mr. Craig. Since then he has been associated with Mr. Ayres, and the firm is now Wolverton & Ayres. For three years, until April 1, 1922, W. G. Brown, present state prohibition commissioner, was a member of the firm, under the name of Brown, Wolverton and Ayres. Mr. Wolverton was elected in 1912 for a term of four years as prosecuting attorney of Nicholas County. He had the distinction of being the only republican elected on the county ticket that year. His efficient service justified in every way the confidence of the people indicated by his election. In 1920 he was again elected prosecuting attorney, and in the line of public duty he also served one term as mayor of Richwood. Mr. Wolverton owns the building where his office is located. It is thoroughly modern, and contains perhaps the best law library in Nicholas County. Mr. Wolverton is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. South, and is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In December, 1907, he married Laura V. Harold, a native of Nicholas County and daughter of Lanty W. and Laura B. (McNutt) Harold. Her father was a prominent and substantial farmer and stockman of Nicholas County. Four children of Mr. and Mrs. Wolverton were: John Lanty, born April 12, 1913, and died March 31, 1914; Helen, born June 22, 1914; James H. born June 19, 1916; and Barbara Ruth, born September 17 1918.