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History and Progress of the County of Marion, West Virginia
by George A. Dunnington, Publisher 1880

Pen Sketches of Prominent Citizens
OTHER PROMINENT MEN

In addition to the foregoing citizens, there are in
Marion county many others who are also deserving of
special mention in this connection. The space at our
disposal, however, will not permit us to give even a
short life sketch of each one separately. Those whose
biographies appear in the foregoing papers are Marion
county men who have been most conspicuous in politics,
or whose intellectual attainments and valuable
services, rendered from time to time, entitle them to
be called the leading men of the county. There are
others whose names are closely identified with the
political and business interests of the county, who may
be classed among the prominent citizens of Marion.
Among the latter is Mr. James O. Watson, proprietor of
the Gaston coal mines.* Mr. Watson has been engaged in
developing the mineral and agricultural resources of
the county for a number of years, and is one of the
leading land holders. He is a man of great enterprise,
and is probably the best known business man in this
community. Shortly after the organization of the
county, he was clerk of the circuit court, and took
some part in politics, and was, at the same time,
engaged in the mercantile trade at the county seat. For
some years, however, he has taken no active interest in
political affairs, but has diligently applied himself
to his mining and agricultural pursuits, and has
contributed largely to the opening up of the county.
His present mines, which are situated on West Fork, are
connected with the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, at the
forks of the river, by a railroad about one mile in
length. Mr. Watson's handsome residence is near his
mines, and situated about a mile from Fairmont. He
communicates with his office in town by means of a Bell
telephone, the first and only telephone line used in
Marion county. Mr. A. J. Stone is the superintendent of
the Gaston mines, and is one of the leading businessmen
of the community. Mr. Morgan D. Orr, of the O'Donnell
mines, is another prominent man who is very popular for
having contributed largely to the business interests of
the county. Mr. Oliver Jackson, proprietor of the
Central mines, is and has been for years one of the
leading business men of the county. Previous to the
opening of his own, he was for some time superintendent
of the West Fairmont mines, and was for some time
engaged in the dry goods business in Fairmont. Among
other prominent business men may be named Mr. Joseph E.
Sands, cashier of the First National Bank of Fairmont;
Jacob N. Gould, cashier of the Farmer's Bank ; Captain
N. D. Helmick, superintendent of the Marion Machine
Works, Palatine; William Ridgely, president of the
Farmer's Bank; Peter Amos, of the firm of Peter Amos &
Son; Daniel Tennant, of the firm of Tennant & Co., of
Fairview, proprietors of the two largest steam flouring
mills in the county; F. H. Burt, of the firm of F. H.
Burt & Sons, Mannington, proprietors of the Mannington
Tannery; George W. L. Mayers, of the Mountain City
Planing Mills; John Wigginton, proprietor of the Iron
Foundry, Fairmont; Joseph and Elias Nuzum, of the
Fairmont Furniture Company; James Barnes,
superintendent of the Barnesville Woolen Factory, and
many others.

Among the men who have held office, or figured most
prominently in the political affairs of the county in
the past, (in addition to those whose biographies are
given,) and those who are at present conspicuous in
politics, and may consequently be classed among the men
of prominence and influence, we may name Messrs. Thomas
L. Boggess, Thomas G. Watson, William J. Willey, James
Neeson, John S. Barnes, David Cunningham, Richard
Thomas, William B. Ice, Benjamin Fleming, Ephraim B.
Hall, Ellery R. Hall, John J. Moore, Frank Conaway,
William C. Brice, W. M. Dunnington, Jesse Sturm, John
C. Clayton, Alfred Prichard, James H. Furbee, Alfred
Hood, A. W. Knotts, C. E. Wells, William C, Haymond,
Amos Prichard, Robert Lowe, S. W. Hall, Elias
Blackshere, John B. Crane, Lindsey B. Haymond, C. L.
Smith, U. N. Arnott, jr., Thomas H. B. Staggers, Jacob
Hayden, and others.