Marion County Remembers

Remembering PVT William Melvin Conner (Fairmont/Millersville) November 9, 1906 - November 26, 1944 ---- "Still water runs deep" -1925 East Fairmont High School Orion Yearbook ---- PVT William Melvin Conner (Service #35760940) was born in Fairmont, WV on November 9, 1906, the son of Charles and Anne/Annese (Drake) Conner. City directories show their family living at 418 Diamond Street (1911 City Directory) and 217 Merchant Street (1913 City Directory) while Charles worked as a brakeman, before moving to Millersville to work as a car repairman for the B&O (first noted in the 1917 City Directory). Anna died sometime between 1913 and 1918. On October 14, 1918, when William was close to 12 years old, his uncle PVT Thomas Melvin Conner was killed in service during WWI. Their family remained in Millersville, and 1920 found Charles and William living with Charles' dad and brother (1920 Census).  Education: William attended East Fairmont High School, and graduated in the clas...

Remembering PVT Glenn Elbert Kern (Fairmont) April 30, 1914 - November 19, 1944 ---- "He has a noble, gentle temper." -1932 FSHS Yearbook, Glenn Kern's class quote ---- PVT Glenn Elbert Kern (service #35760006) was born in Fairmont, West Virginia on April 30, 1914, the son of Carl and Violet (Goddard) Kern. When Glenn was born, their family lived at "1234 6th Street," and Carl was a police officer (1915 Fairmont City Directory). By 1917 they had moved to 1106 Field Street, which would be Glenn's home for the rest of his life (1917 Fairmont City Directory). Carl had several theater jobs after 1917, including stage carpenter (1923 City Directory), maintenance man, and stage hand (1930 Census). Unfortunately, Carl's health took a turn for the worse, and by 1940 he was a patient at Saranac Lake in New York, which was well known at the time for their treatment of tuberculosis (based on the 1940 census and 1938 City Directory, this likely happened between 1938...

Remembering TSGT Mark Douglas Rollins (Fairmont) December 24, 1916 - November 11, 1944 --- TSGT Mark Douglas Rollins (Service #15171212) was born in Fairmont, WV on December 24, 1916, the son of Mark Hannah Rollins & Helen (Fleming) Rollins. At the time of Mark Douglas' birth, their family resided at 217 Albert Court ( Fairmont West Virginian, December 26, 1916 ).  Mark Hannah worked for the Fairmont Motor Car Company on the corner of 5th Street and Fairmont Avenue as a mechanic, while their family lived at 915 Field Street off of Locust Avenue ( 1918 WWI Draft Card ). By 1920, their family was living at 310 Pennsylvania Avenue (1920 Census) while Mark Hannah worked as a mechanic. In 1927, Mark and Helen divorced and both remarried. The 1930 census shows 13-year-old Mark Douglas Rollins living with his father and step-mother at 219 Madison Street. Mark Hannah was still a mechanic. On November 25, 1936, Mark Douglas married Margaret Elizabeth Rowan at First Presbyterian Church i...

Remembering CPL William Von Harris (Fairmont) May 24, 1917 - November 6, 1944 ---- CPL William Von Harris (Service #15324425)   was born in Fairmont, WV on May 24, 1917, the son of Lester and Arretia "Rita" (Williams) Harris. Their family lived on Front Street in Fairmont, and Lester was a laborer (1920 Census) and later a deliveryman for the laundry while the family lived at 702 Columbia Street (1930 Census). William, often listed by his middle name Von, attended East Fairmont High School for 4 years, though the 1946 EFHS WWII Honor Call does not give a graduation year for him.  Marriage and Enlistment: On October 8, 1936, Von married Mary Kathleen Richardson in Farmington, WV. They had two children, Thomas Leroy Harris (1939-2024) and Howard Paul Harris (1942-2011). Their family lived at 14 Roy Terrace near Monroe Street in Fairmont, while Von worked at Owens-Illinois as a laborer (1940 Census). Von registered for the draft on October 16, 1940 in Winfield, near whe...