U.S. Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ -- USGenNet Inc. -- Please read the U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on the following page: --------------------------------------------------------------------- Watson, David Ellsworth (1870-1937) --------------------------------------------------------------------- A History of Preston County West Virginia Biographical Department, Supplied by J. R. Cole Kingwood, W. Va., The Journal Publishing Company, 1914 by H. S. Whetsell Pages 685-687, DAVID ELLSWORTH WATSON. The subject of this sketch, merchant and former postmaster of Tunnelton, W. Va., is a descendant of one of the oldest families of Preston county. He was born September 27th, 1870, in a one room old fashioned round log cabin on what has been generally known as the old Barker farm, back on the hills of the old "Winding Cheat," in Valley district. His parents moved from here when he was about two years old, to a small farm near the North Union School house. Here they lived in an up-to-date hewed log house, having one large room below and a half-story above. The only means of reaching what was then called the loft was by climbing the old style straight ladder. It was here that the large family of children slept on their beds of straw. Early in life the subject of this sketch had become ambitious for an education and preparation for business; and many and fanciful were his plans for a future life in the business world. But because of the fact that his parents were very poor and by the time that the younger children of the family had reached the age that they should have been in school the father and mother were both failing in health with the rapid advance of age, consequently he was deprived of at least a common school education. But such misfortunes as those do not necessarily need to be an absolute barrier in the way of any young man gaining success. So very early in life we find this young man availing himself of every opportunity of learning everything possible in regard to the mercantile business, first by doing chores of whatever kind he could get to do for the proprietor of the little country store near where his father then lived, and where George A. Herring, now one of the leading merchants of Kingwood, W. Va., first permitted him to stand behind the counter in his little store at Herring, Here he tore calico and weighed sugar, and was a mighty proud lad indeed. In the year 1888, he was employed as clerk by his brother, William A. Watson, (now of Tunnelton,) but who then lived at and conducted an extensive mercantile business at Fellowsville, W. Va. He remained in the employ of his brother for five years, where with the help of him and the actual experience that he got, he was able to procure a pretty thorough knowledge of the mercantile business. In the spring of 1894, he went to Indiana, where he worked on a farm during that summer. In the fall of that same year he went to Illinois, first working on a farm, later securing a clerkship in the store of J. P. Wolford, of Galton, Ill. He remained here and in possession of this job until the spring of 1899, when he returned to his native State, On September 27th, of that same year he was united in marriage to Mattie Frances Hanway, daughter of S. H. and Elizabeth (Poulson) Hanway of near Evansville, W. Va. Immediately after their marriage (omitting the honeymoon trip) they took up their residence in Tunnelton, and as Mr. Watson now jokingly puts it, with two hundred dollars borrowed money and his newly wedded wife he made his first personal business venture. Beginning as he did at that time without any money of his own, and in the midst of strong opposition, it was necessary for him to keep everlastingly at it, and by so doing he has made, his mark in the business world, and while not yet having reached the height of his ambition he certainly deserves great credit for the advancement he has made. However, he modestly admits that he should not take upon himself all of the credit for their success for he attributes a great deal of their success to the help rendered by his splendid wife, who has not only been as energetic, but always as willing to make personal sacrifice when necessary (and which has been quite often) in order to help tide over a season of hard times or financial losses that have come quite often during the fifteen years of their married life. Aside from, the two stores that he now owns in Tunnelton, Mr. Watson has also accumulated considerable real estate in Tunnelton, and elsewhere in the county, as well as being interested in several banks. In 1910 Mr. Watson was appointed postmaster at Tunnelton, serving a term of four years. For a number of years he has been very active in politics, but he has never asked for any political office at the hands of the people, being satisfied to work for his friends without any promise of recompense, and while he enjoys to the fullest extent a hard political scrap he has always adhered to the rule that politics should be kept as clean as your individual business, hence those to whom he was opposed, as well as those for whom he might be working, always knew just where he stood at all times. It has been his one desire, as regarding both business and politics, to build for himself a character rather than a reputation. --------------------------------------------------------------------- From Death Certificate, Preston County, WV #16607 FULL-NAME: David E. Wilson BIRTH-DATE: September 25, 1870 BIRTH-PLACE: near Masontown, Preston Co., W.Va. DEATH-DATE: November 4, 1937 DEATH-PLACE: Tunnelton, Kingwood District, Preston County, WV MARITAL-STATUS: Married OCCUPATION: Merchant FATHER: Scot Watson (born in W.Va.) MOTHER: Elizabeth Poulson Watson (born in W.Va.) CAUSE-OF-DEATH: Cebreal hemorrhage INFORMANT: Mrs. D. E. Watson (of Tunnelton, W.Va.) BURIAL: Masontown --------------------------------------------------------------------- If you've reached this file through a SEARCH, you can access other biographies for Preston County, WV by going to the following URL: http://www.us-data.org/wv/preston/bios.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------