Marion County Remembers

Remembering PVT Paul Wade Fowler (Mannington) July 2, 1912 - June 1, 1944 ---- PVT Paul Wade Fowler (service # 35760510)   was born July 2, 1912 in Mannington, WV, the son of James and Zeffie (Harden) Fowler. Paul was the middle child of five kids- four sons, one daughter. The family lived on Glover Gap Road. Paul's father, James, was a carpenter who worked on oil rigs in the United States and Mexico. Unfortunately, James died on April 7, 1920 in Lewis County. Paul married Frances Olive Currey in 1935, and they remained in Mannington. Paul entered the draft on October 30, 1940. He listed himself as 5'10.5" and 145 lbs with blue eyes and brown hair. At the time, Paul and Frances were living at 232 Grant Street in Mannington, and he worked at Bowers Pottery. He enlisted in Clarksburg, WV on August 27, 1943. He is listed as a semi-skilled miner or mining machine operator who completed grammar school. While in the military, Paul served in the 179th Infantry, 45th Division.  PV...

  Dedicated to the men and women who served at home and abroad in the World War HONOR ROLL The Following men died while in the service 1914-1918 Q1C James Gilbert Arnett PVT Thomas Russell Arnett CPL Thomas Ray Atha CPL Paul Leon Barket George H. Bartlett PVT Joseph Harkley Bell CPL Thomas Bennett PVT Dennis Earl Berry PVT Buie Ward Boydoh PVT Lloyd E. Brown CAP John Robert Buckingham PVT Abie Leo Burke PVT Charles Elsworth Cartwright PVT Thomas Melvin Conner PVT Gerardo Dapruzzo PVT Harold A. Davis SGT David Howard Dumire PVT William Wesley Elder PVT Arlington Fleming PVT Robert Sheron Fletcher Claude Russell Fluharty PVT Albert Gerkin James Scott Grubb PVT William Ernie Grubb CPL Herschel J. Hamilton 2LT John T. Harris PVT Arlie Haught Zellan Haught PVT Carley R. Hawkins PVT Maynard Earnest Hayes PVT Orval R. Hayes SGT Fred Rock Heintzelman Isaac A. Hinerman PVT Floyd Burdette Huffman Norval Scott Inghram Carl L Jones PVT Clement Hayes Jones PVT Clark Kemper, Sr. PVT Earl William...

Remembering 2LT William Lavelle Watson (Fairmont) June 6, 1917 - May 24, 1944 ----- 2LT William Lavelle Watson was born June 6, 1917 in Elkins, WV, the son of Roy and Eunice (Kildow) Watson. Roy was a railroad conductor in Elkins, but unfortunately died on December 10, 1922 when he fell under a moving train. Eunice was left alone with their three sons- Robert (7), William (5), and George (2). Eunice married again in 1927, this time to George Raymond Smith. At that time, the family moved to Fairmont. Not much is known about Eunice's youngest son, George, but a family member of theirs on Ancestry speculates that he died around 1927 as well. I haven't been able to find anything corroborating or denying that information, but he did not appear on any census records after 1920. In the 1930 census, the Smith/Watson family was living in the Grant District of Fairmont, with George working as a laborer on a milk wagon. Education and Marriage William graduated from Fairmont Senior High Sc...

Remembering 2LT Louise Grumbach (Barrackville) July 7, 1917 - May 24, 1944 ---- Note: Louise is one of two WACs that I've found so far from Marion County who died during their time of service. It's also unclear whether her name was Ann(a) Louise or Louise Ann, it's printed either way in multiple locations.  ---- Anna Louise Cestaric was born July 7, 1917 in Grant Town, WV, the daughter of Joseph and Marie (Dreskovich) Cestaric. Her parents were both from Yugoslavia, but immigrated to the United States around 1909. When she was born, her family was living at the Jamison Coal Company Settlement and her father was a coal miner (1920 census).  Anna was the middle child of five siblings, with two older brothers-- Joe, Jr. and John-- and two younger sisters -- Julia and Elizabeth. Her family later moved to Green Township in Harrison County, Ohio (1930 census), where Joseph operated a grocery store. By 1935, they were back in Barrackville, with their address listed as "13 Bar...

Remembering PFC Salvatore "Sam" Oliverio (Monongah)    June 23, 1925 - May 13, 1945 --- PFC Salvatore "Sam" Oliverio was born June 23, 1925 in Chiefton, WV (near Worthington), the son of Giovanni "John" and Costanza (Iaquinta) Oliverio. Both of Sam's parents were born in San Giovanni in Fiore, immigrating around 1909 (John) and 1913 (Costanza) for John to work in the coal mine. Sam attended Monongah High School for three years (1941-1943) before leaving school to join the military. Sam listed "Student-Monongah High" as his occupation when he completed his draft registration on June 23, 1943-- his 18th birthday. He listed himself as 5'6" and 140 lbs with brown hair, brown eyes, and dark skin. Sam enlisted on August 28, 1943 in Clarksburg, WV. He served in the 132nd Infantry Regiment, Americal Division. The U.S. Army Center of Military History records : "On 8 January 1945, the Division began movement to Leyte and Samar, to take pa...

Remembering 1LT Frank Kinsey Evans (Fairmont) April 28, 1916 to May 13, 1944 "He is a gentleman in whom we place absolute trust." - 1934 FSHS Yearbook ------ 1LT Frank Kinsey Evans was born in Fairmont, WV on April 28, 1916 to William and Ora (Kinsey) Evans. William was the Chief Clerk for a local coal company. The family lived in a variety of locations in Fairmont, all on West Side: 1910 Census: 416 Madison Street 1920 Census: 224 Spring Street 1930 Census: 724 Mt. Vernon Avenue 1940 Census: 414 Gaston Avenue Education Frank graduated from Fairmont Senior High School in 1934. The 1933 yearbook states that Frank's ambition was to become an engineer, while his classmates said of him in the 1934 Maple Leaves "He is a gentleman in whom we place absolute trust." While at Fairmont Senior, he participated in Hi-Y and French Club. Next, Frank enrolled at Fairmont State Teachers College (now Fairmont State University). Frank was the student manager of the Fighting Teach...

  Remembering 2LT John Clark McKinney III (Fairmont) April 12, 1916 - May 9, 1944 --- 2LT John Clark McKinney III  (Service #O-701449) was born April 12, 1916 to John Clark (II) and Eleanor Helena (Rogers) McKinney, in Fairmont. John II was a newspaper reporter with The Fairmont Times.  The family moved fairly often, finally settling on Diamond Street: 1910 Census: 318 Merchant Street 1920 Census: Ferry Street/Columbia Street 1930-1940 Census: 507 Diamond Street In addition to being a newspaper reporter, John II was a Deputy U.S. Marshall. The West Virginian newspaper announced his appointment on May 22, 1918. Education, Draft, and Marriage John III attended East Fairmont High School and graduated in 1933, before moving on to attend Fairmont State Teachers College. He graduated in 1937 with a bachelor's degree in English. While at Fairmont State, he participated in the band, orchestra, and choral club, as well as in the fraternity Omicron Pi. John was the band's stu...

2LT William Fay Davis was born August 9, 1922 in Everson, West Virginia to Marcene and Willa (Everson) Davis. William was the third of four children, with two older sisters (Mary Margaret and Virginia) and one younger brother (John). William spent much of his life in Baxter, WV, while his father worked for Consolidated Coal in Rivesville, first as a trackman (1930), then as a timberman (1940). William entered the draft on June 30, 1942. At the time, he was also employed by Consolidated Coal in Rivesville. He listed himself as 5'11" and 151 lbs, with blue eyes and brown hair. He only attended two years of high school according to the 1940 census, presumably at Rivesville High School. Military Service: He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in Wheeling on February 5, 1943. On May 4, 1944, 2LT William Fay Davis died in a plane crash near Westover Field in Ludlow, Massachusets, when all four engines experienced catastrophic engine failure. All three crewmen on board died in the acciden...

CPL Richard Edgar Shurtleff was born June 6, 1909 in Fairmont, West Virginia, the son of Richard Aaron and Gladys (Kile) Shurtleff. The  youngest of 3 children, Richard lived with his parents on the West Side of Fairmont, first at 608 Sixth Street (1910 Census), then 1124 Field Street (1920 Census). His father, Richard A. Shurtleff was a shoe merchant who owned his own store. Unfortunately, he died at age 42 while in Boston attending the National Shoe Dealers' Convention. This left Gladys alone with their three children, ages 19, 12, and 10.  Gladys remarried a traveling electrical appliance salesman named Richard B. Berry in 1922, and the family moved to 5 Sunset Drive (1930 Census). Gladys and Richard Berry had one daughter together, Barbara, born in 1924 when Richard Edgar Shurtleff was 15. Education: Richard graduated from Fairmont Senior High School in 1927. While there, he performed in "El Bandido," and "The Trysting Place," as part of the Dramatics Club, ...