U.S. Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ -- USGenNet Inc. -- Please read the U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on the following page: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Thornburg, George E. (1846-1927) ------------------------------------------------------------------- Men of West Virginia, Volume II Biographical Publishing Company George Richmond, Pres.: C. R. Arnold, Sec'y and Treas. Chicago, Illinois, 1903 Pages 682-684 GEORGE E. THORNBURG, a prominent general merchant of Barboursville, Cabell County, West Virginia, was born June 28, 1846, in the above named county, and is a son of Hon. Thomas and Margaret (Miller) Thornburg. He is also a grandson of Solomon Thornburg, who removed to Cabell County from Jefferson County, Virginia, now West Virginia, in the early settlement of the county. He located one mile from Barboursville and the land has never passed out of the possession of the family, being owned now by our subject. Solomon Thornburg married Mary Staley and they reared these children: Elizabeth, Thomas, John, James and Mary. They were among the early Methodists in their section and did much toward the establishment of that religious body. Mr. Thornburg advocated old Democratic principles in politics. Hon. Thomas Thornburg, the eldest son of Solomon Thornburg, and father of our subject, inherited the property and added materially to its extent. At the age of 12 years he began business life as a clerk in a store, this early experience giving him an inclination to mercantile pursuits, and he became one of the most successful merchants and substantial citizens of Cabell County. His character was that of an upright man and his 80 years of life were crowned with the respect and esteem of his fellow men. During the Civil War, he closed up his store and boxed his goods, permitting his building to be used by the Union troops as a commissary. While he was a Democrat, he was not in sympathy with secession, and, although some members of his immediate family entered the Confederate Army, he was stanch in his support of what he believed to be right. He died in October, 1899, his wife having passed away many years previous, in 1857. Thomas Thornburg was prominent in the Democratic party and on two occasions represented Cabell County in the Legislature, and was a member of the Constitutional Convention that made the present Constitution of the State of West Virginia. He was a charter member of Minerva Lodge, No. 13, A. F. & A. M., of Barboursville and a charter member of the chapter of Royal Arch Masons. George E. Thornburg is one of a family of five children born to his parents, the others bearing these names: Mary S., Elizabeth, Ellen E. and John. He was educated in the ante-bellum schools of Virginia, where he was prepared for Marshall College and he was a student there when it was under the management of the Methodist Church. After the close of the war, in 1865, our subject, in answer to a popular demand, opened up his father's store and has been actively engaged in the mercantile business ever since. He is a Democrat in political sympathy, but has never aspired to office. He is a member of the various Masonic bodies, having been made a Mason in Minerva Lodge, No. 13, A. F. & A. M., in 1872 and belongs to Huntington Chapter, R. A. M., and Huntington Commandery, No. 9, K. T., also to Beni-Kedem Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S.; in 1885 he was grand master of the State. In 1869, Mr. Thornburg was united in marriage with Nannie A. Wilson, a daughter of James Wilson. Mrs. Thornburg is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. ------------------------------------------------------------------- DEATH CERTIFICATE, Cabell County WV, #7110 FULL-NAME: Geo. Edgar Thornburg BIRTH-DATE: June 28, 1846 BIRTH-PLACE: Barboursville, W.Va. DEATH-DATE: June 18, 1927 AGE-AT-DEATH: 80y-11m-20d DEATH-PLACE: Barboursville, Cabell County, WV MARITAL-STATUS: Widower OCCUPATION: Merchant FATHER: Thos. Thornburg (born in Barboursville, W.Va.) MOTHER: Miller (born in Barboursville) CAUSE-OF-DEATH: Old age / enlarged heart INFORMANT: M. C. Johnson (of Barboursville, W.Va.) BURIAL: Oak Lawn ------------------------------------------------------------------- If you've reached this file through a SEARCH, you can access other biographies for Cabell County, WV by going to the following URL: http://www.us-data.org/wv/cabell/bios.html -------------------------------------------------------------------