Upshur County, West Virginia Biography of WILLIAM H. GASTON 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. 428-429 Upshur WILLIAM H. GASTON is another of the native sons of West Virginia who has attained to success and influence in connection with commercial enterprise of important or- der, as is shown in the fact that he is secretary, treasurer and manager of the Werdenhamer Wholesale Grocery Com- pany at Buckhannon, Upshur County, a concern that con- trols a substantial business throughout the territory tributary to this city as a distributing center. Mr. Gaston was born in the Freeman's Creek District of Lewis County, this state, October 19, 1868, and is a son of Abram and Sarah A. (Morris) Gaston, the former of whom was born in the Duck Creek neighborhood in Harrison County, in February, 1830, and the latter of whom was born in September of the same year near Lost Creek, that county. After their marriage the parents moved to Lewis County and settled in the midst of the forest, where the father reclaimed a farm and improved a valuable place of 281 acres. He was an upright and loyal citizen, a democrat in politics and an active member of the United Brethren Church, as was also his wife. Of their children two died in infancy, Addison and Floyd. Adaline Bird died at the age of thirty-one and Dr. L. H. died at the age of forty-three years. Miss Mary resides in the Duck Creek District of Harrison County. Jane is the wife of M. J. Hall, of Freeman's Creek, Lewis County. Virginia is the wife of R. H. Hall, of Weston, Lewis County. Miss Ida May resides at Janelew, Lewis County; E. A. is a resident of McConnelsville, Ohio. Adaline is the widow of Lee Mundell. L. B. is cashier of the Peoples Bank at Janelew, Lewis County. He whose name introduces this review was reared on the home farm, and in addition to receiving the advantages of the public schools of his native county he attended the West Virginia Conference Academy, the nucleus of the West Virginia Wesleyan College at Buckhannon. There- after he graduated in a business college in the City of Lexington, Kentucky. As a young man he taught nine winter terms of school, for three years he clerked in mer- cantile establishments, and the next five years found him engaged in farm enterprise. In April, 1903, he established his home at Buckhannon, and he has been closely and in- fluentially identified with the upbuilding of the substantial business of the wholesale grocery house of which he is the active manager, this position having been his since 1913. The company is incorporated with a capital stock of $150,- 000 and he is its secretary and treasurer also. He is also president of the Buckhannon Milling Company, of which Hugh Starcher is vice president and George E. Gaston, the secretary, treasurer and manager. Mr. Gaston and his wife are most zealous members of the Methodist Protestant Church at Buckhannon, he being treasurer, a trustee of its parsonage and teacher of a class of young women in its Sunday School. His political support is given to the demo- cratic party, and he is one of the progressive business men and representative citizens of Buckhannon. In 1894 Mr. Gaston wedded Miss May Lawson, of Ber- lin, Lewis County, and they have six children: George E., a graduate of high school, and with three years in Wes- leyan College, is now manager of the Buckhannon Milling Company, as noted above; Howard L. is a high school graduate, has attended college three years, and is now at- tending Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, class of 1923; Loreene graduated in the Buckhannon High School and the West Virginia Wesleyan College, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and is also a graduate in the musical department of the same institution; Junior H. is now (1922) attending the Buckhannon High School; and the two younger children of the parental home circle are Law- son, attending the grade school, and Virginia May.