WV-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest Volume 99 : Issue 159 Today's Topics: #1 Bio:French D. Walton- Wheeling, WV [Joan Wyatt ] #2 Garfiel Davies- Morgantown, WV [Joan Wyatt ] Administrivia: To unsubscribe from WV-FOOTSTEPS-D, send a message to WV-FOOTSTEPS-D-request@rootsweb.com that contains in the body of the message the command unsubscribe and no other text. No subject line is necessary, but if your software requires one, just use unsubscribe in the subject, too. To contact the WV-FOOTSTEPS-D list administrator, send mail to WV-FOOTSTEPS-admin@rootsweb.com. ______________________________X-Message: #1 Date: Thu, 16 Dec 1999 20:19:00 -0500 From: Joan Wyatt To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <38598F80.525FCD03@uakron.edu> Subject: Bio:French D. Walton- Wheeling, WV Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-mac-type="54455854"; x-mac-creator="4D4F5353" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit 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. ______________________________X-Message: #2 Date: Fri, 17 Dec 1999 08:25:21 -0500 From: Joan Wyatt To: WV-FOOTSTEPS-L@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <385A39BD.C6684D90@uakron.edu> Subject: Garfiel Davies- Morgantown, WV Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-mac-type="54455854"; x-mac-creator="4D4F5353" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc. Chicago and New York, Volume 11 Page 175 Garfield Davies In the impersonal discharge of their official duties a large majority of the incumbents of public office appear to feel that they have fully fulfilled their responsibilities. In a way this may be true, but, and this is a fortunate thing for various of our communities, there are others who are not satisfied merely with taking care of their duties by rote and rule, but are constantly seeking opportunities by which they may benefit their communities and add to the value of their service. In this latter class undoubtedly stands Garfield Davies, clerk of the Circuit Court of Monongalia County, and a public-spirited citizen whose ideals of citizenship have found an outlet in his identification with a number of constructive and beneficial civic movements. Mr. Davies was born August 14, 1888, in Wales, and is a son of William A. and Mary (Phillips) Davies, both also natives of that country. His father, an ironworker in Wales, brought the family to the United States in 1892, and was one of the first expert workmen to come to this country when the steel industry was beginning to assume important proportions, through expansion. He located at Gas City, Indiana, where he was employed in the mills until 1905, in which year he removed to Morgantown, where he has been living. Garfield Davies received his early education in the public schools of Gas City, where he had arrived as a lad of four years. From 1902 to 1904 he attended the Marion (Indiana) Normal School, and his business experience was commenced in the latter years as bill clerk for the Vonnegut Hardware Company of Indianapolis, where he advanced by promotion to the position of credit man of that company, with which he continued for eight years. During that period he applied himself at night to the reading of law, and was admitted to the Indiana bar in 1909, at the age of twenty-one years. He entered the University of West Virginia in the spring of 1914, taking parts of the arts and science course and a part of the law course. In the winter of 1917-1918 Mr. Davies worked at the Bertha Mine near Morgantown, and five months later was called to the main office of that corporation at Pittsburgh. After two weeks he left that concern and returned to Morgantown, where he accepted a position as court reporter. He thus became well known to the public because of his daily attendance at court proceedings, and this, in connection with his knowledge of the law, his general popularity and his all-around ability, caused him to be considered as good material for the public office. In the spring of 1920 he was successful in the republican primaries for the nomination for the office of Circuit Court clerk of Monongalia County, and in the ensuing election was put into office by a large majority for a term of six years, starting January 1, 1921. His record thus far has been an excellent one and his conscientious and energetic services has won him the esteem of his fellow-officials and the confidence of the public. During the World war, being prevented by physical disabilities from entering the United States service as a soldier, Mr. Davies became secretary to the Advisory Board of Monongalia County, which body worked in conjunction with the Draft Board and performed other valuable service. Mr. Davies is secretary of Monongalia Lodge No 10, I. O. O. F,; secretary of Orphans' Friend Chapter No. 14 of that order; manager of Camp No. 6931, Modern Woodmen of America; and an active member of Monongalia Lodge No. 264, Loyal Order of Moose. He has been associated with several movements for the welfare and recreation of boys and young men, and is director of the Sunday School choir of the First Baptist Church of Morgantown, of which he is an active member. Energetic, enterprising and public-spirited, he is a force for advancement and progress in his city, where his acquaintance is wide and his friends are legion. On August 5, 1920 , at Morgantown, Mr. Davies was united in marriage with Miss Martha Elizabeth Snyder, a daughter of Allison W. Snyder, a well-known agriculturist carrying on operations on his valuable property located in the vicinity of Kingwood, Preston, West Virginia.