Ohio County, West Virginia Biography of French D. WALTON ************************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: Material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. These pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor. Submitted by Joan Wyatt , March 2000 ************************************************************************** The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc. Chicago and New York, Volume 11 French D. Walton- Wheeling WV French D. Walton has affected a crystallization of his former years of newspaper experience by establishing in the City of Wheeling an important business enterprise, which he conducts under the title of the Wheeling Publicity Bureau. He was born in this city, October 23,1875, and is a son of John and Allie (Ebbert) Walton. The latter died when French D. was but six weeks old. John Walton was born at Woodfield, Ohio in 1842, was reared and educated in the old Buckeye State and represented the same as a gallant soldier of the Union in the Civil War,shortly after the close of which he came to Wheeling, West Virginia, where he eventually he beacme a leading member of the bar of Ohio County and where during the last fifteen years of his life he held the office of chief deputy of the Circuit Court for this county. He was a stanch democrat, was an earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and was long and actively affiliated with the Masonic fraternity. He was one of the honored and well known citizens of Wheeling at the time of his death in 1898. At the inception of the Civil was John Walton enlisted in the Twenty-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry; and his active service covered virtually the entire period of the war, save for the intervals when he was incapacitated by wounds. His regiment took part in the various engagements of the Army of the Potomac, he was twice wounded, and as a result of the severe wounds he received at the battle of Gettysburg he suffered the loss of part of his left foot. He vitalized his interests in his old comrades by his affiliation with the Grand Army of the Republic. Of his three children the first, William, died in childhood; Lotta is the wife of Edward S. Campbell, a traveling salesman, and they reside in Wheeling; and French D., of this sketch, was an infant at the time of his mother's death, as previously noted. In the public schools of Wheeling French D. Walton continued his studies until he was sixteen years of age, and he then took a position in the tea store of the C.D. Kenny Company, where he continued to be employed three years. He then initiated his career in connection with newspaper work by becoming a reporter on the Wheeling News, with which he continued his connection five years. On account of ill health he next entered the service of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company, in a position that did not list so heavily against his physical powers, but as soon as expedient he resumed his active alliance with newspaper work as a reporter for the Wheeling Intelligence. He continued with this paper until 1905, when he accepted the post of cashier in the freight office of the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad. In 1907 he resigned this position to take that of court reporter for the Ohio State Journal at Columbus, Ohio, but one year later he returned to Wheeling and became a reporter on the staff of the Daily News. Thereafter he served in turn as city editor and telegraph editor of the Wheeling Intelligence, and later was telegraph editor for the Wheeling Daily News. In 1918 Mr. Walton became assistant general manager of the Wheeling Chamber of Commerce, and of this executive office he continued the incumbent until 1920, on the 5th of August of which year he established the Wheeling Publicity Bureau, of which he was the sole owner and the active manager. This bureau has the best of modern facilities for the effective conducting of publicity campaigns in connection with commercial, industrial and mercantile enterprises and for other promotive service of the first grade. Here are prepared and issued booklets, folders, form letters, etc. and Mr. Walton specializes also in writing publicity articles for newspaper, magazines and trade journals. The Wheeling Publicity Bureau is a center for well directed general advertising and promotive service, has a department devoted to addressing and mailing commercial letters, with a complete multigraphic equipment. In short, Mr. Wilson has capitalized his long and successful newspaper experience in a prosperous and valuable business enterprise of his own. He maintains his well appointed headquarters at 205-206 Court Theater Building. Mr. Walton is aligned in the ranks of the democratic party, is a member of the Official Board of the Methodist Episcopal Church in his home city, besides being assistant superintendent of its Sunday School, is past chancellor of Mystic Lodge No. 24, Knights of Pythias, and is an active member of the local Kiwanis Club. He owns his attractive home property, in the Edgedale District of Wheeling. In the World War period Mr. Walton gave characteristically earnest service in the furtherance of local patriotic objects, was publicity secretary in the Government loan drives, Red Cross campaigns, etc., in Wheeling and Ohio County, and did all in his power to advance the work to which he thus set himself. February 28,1898, recorded the marriage of Mr. Walton and Miss Edna R. Watkins, daughter of the late Charles H. and Annee (Marsh) Watkins of Wheeling. Mr. and Mrs. Walton have three children: John Marsh, who was born November 26, 1900, is a graduate of the Linsly Institute at Wheeling, later continued his studies in the University of West Virginia, and there, at the age of eighteen years, he became a member of the Students Army Training Corps when the nation became involved in the World war, he being now in the employ of the Clarke Paper Company of Wheeling; French D., Jr., who was born November 10, 1901, is an assistant in his father's offices; and J. Elwood, born October 23, 1904, is, in 1921, a student in the Triadelphia District High School.