Preston County, West Virginia Biography of Walter Elmo CHORPENNING This file was submitted by Tina Hursh, 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 111 Pg. 362 & 363 Walter Elmo Chorpenning. The Chorpenning family, while not one of the oldest in Preston County, have for seventy years occupied one of the most historic homes and homesteads of the county. This farm is still referred to occasionally as the old Forman place. The historic log mansion was build there by Isaac Forman in 1794. The apple orchard planted about the same time continued to bear fruit for 100 years. One of the sturdy trees produced regularly fifty bushels annually throughout its mature lifetime. The first newspaper published in Preston County was issued from the old log house on this farm, its publishers and proprietors being Frank Alter and Joseph Miller. The newspaper was called into existence during the memorable presidential campaign of 1840 and was named "The Mt. Pleasant Democrat" or the "Preston County Democrat." The paper's name belied its politics and confused or misled those who did not know its political tendencies, since it was a strong whig organ. In 1850 this farm was acquired by Jonathan Chorpenning, and it has remained in the Chorpenning name ever since, the present owner being Millard Fillmore Chorpenning. Jonathan Chorpenning was a son of Judge Henry Chorpenning, of Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Judge Chorpenning married Mary Shoaf. Jonathan Chorpenning had a large family of fourteen children. Among these are named Jonathan, Malinda, Franklin, Mrs. Clarissa Brown, Elizabeth, who marr[i]ed Cyrus Shader, Henrietta, who became the wife of William B. Marks, Hannah, Harrison, Simon Michael and Millard Fillmore. Jonathan Chorpenning spent his life at the old homestead. His son Millard Fillmore Chorpenning was born the year after the family came to Preston County and like his father before him, he acquired a liberal education and used it tot he advantage of agriculture and his community. February 2, 1885, he married Nancy J. Waddell. Their children were Alonzo J., Charles W., Walter Elmo, Lloyd S., Homer O., Henry Ward, Creed McKinley and Lucy A. Walter Elmo Chorpenning was born at Brandonville in 1888, moved to the old Homestead in 1895 and grew up there in a home where education was prized for its value in the training of good citizens. After finishing his education he took up electrical work, and is in the electrical business at Connellsville, Pennsylvania, where he has had his home since 1906. He married Miss Janet Stone.