Marion County Remembers

Remembering TSGT Samuel "Sam" Fox II (Fairmont) July 11, 1924 - June 13, 1944 ---- TSGT Samuel Fox II (Service Number 15115126) was born July 11, 1924 in Braxton County, WV, the son of Samuel and Myrtle (McClung) Fox. When Samuel was born, his father was working as a book keeper for the Railroad Company (1920 census).  Sometime between 1920 and 1930, their family moved to 1303 Virginia Avenue in Fairmont so that Samuel Sr. could be the accountant for Consolidated Coal, a position that he continued through at least the 1950s (1930-1950 census records) even as they moved to various houses in Fairmont. Sam attended East Fairmont High School. The 1942 East Fairmont High School Orion yearbook, where this photo of Sam came from, said that his nickname was "Great Orie" and that he participated in Student Council. His future wife, Jean Mathias, was also in the EFHS class of 1943. Enlistment and Marriage: Sam entered into the Army Air Corps on June 15, 1942 (in Kentucky), th...

2025 Data: January: Running tally for adding GPS to graves: 3,062 (+74 added by me, +1 someone else) New Woodlawn Findagrave Memorials created: 415 (+6, 445 memorials total)  Percentage of graves with GPS: 32% Photo requests fulfilled: 2 May: Running tally for adding GPS to graves: 3,185 (+132 added by me) New Woodlawn Findagrave Memorials created: 433 (+18, 459 memorials total)  Percentage of graves with GPS: 33% Photo requests fulfilled:  ---- 2024 Data: January: GPS data added to graves (by uploading photos): 1,873 (+338) New Findagrave Pages created: 79 Percentage of graves with GPS: 21% February: Running tally for adding GPS to graves: 2,094 (+384) New Findagrave Pages created: 294 (+51)  Percentage of graves with GPS: 23% [Broke foot at the end of February, still only adding photos taken in November]  May: Running tally for adding GPS to graves: 2,213 (93 added by me, 13 added by Terry Ward) New Findagrave Pages created: 303 (+9)  Percentage of graves...

Remembering SSGT Kenneth L. Morgan (Fairmont) September 16, 1920 - April 26, 1945 ---- SSGT Kenneth L. Morgan (Service Number 20544885) was born in Fairmont, WV on September 16, 1920, the son of William and Lovie (McShaver) Morgan. MSGT William H. "Curley" Morgan was a veteran of more than 14 years of service, including in France during WWI. At the time of Kenneth's birth, William was working as a policeman, and the family lived at 617 Spring Street. They remained there for a least a decade, before moving slightly further up the mountain to 723 Spring Street, between 1930 and 1935. By 1930, William was working as a fireman for the Fairmont Fire Department, which was his career until he retired as Fire Chief. Education: Kenneth attended Fairmont Senior High School, from which he graduated in 1939. Kenneth was a student at Fairmont State when WWII began overseas. While at Fairmont State, he was a member of the Tau Beta Iota (TBI) fraternity Military Service: He enlisted on ...

Remembering  PFC John Lee Ensminger (Watson) July 19, 1914 - December 3, 1944 ---- PFC John Lee Ensminger (Service #35375948) was born in Watson (Fairmont), West Virginia on July 19, 1914, the son of Fred and Jennie June (Hamilton) Ensminger. Fred was a coal miner (1920 Census) and track man at the coal mine (1930, 1940 Census), with their family living in what at the time was called the "Sandy Ridge" area of Watson. John followed in his father's footsteps, working at the Virginia & Pittsburgh Coal & Coke Company together in Kingmont (Draft card). On October 16, 1940, 26-year-old John registered for the draft. He was 5'11" and 160 lbs, with blue eyes. blonde hair, and light skin. Somewhere after the draft, and after the publication of the 1941 Fairmont City Directory, John married Dorothy Ellen Stealey. Military Service:  PFC John Lee Ensminger enlisted on April 7, 1942 at Fort Hayes. According to a December 29, 1944 article from the Fairmont Times, John ...

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 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...

Remembering S1C William Emmett "Bill" Buckey, Jr. (Fairmont) September 15, 1923 - October 24, 1944 ---- Early Life: S1C William Emmett Buckey, Jr. (Service #7004347) was born in Fairmont, West Virginia on September 15, 1923, the son of Emmett (Sr.) and Ada (Talkington) Buckey. Willian Sr. and Ada met while they were both students at Fairmont State Normal School (now Fairmont State University) and married in 1915. The 1912 FSNS yearbook, The Mound, says of William: "His future--ask Ada." The 1920 census lists the duo as residing in Morgantown, with William's occupation as "student." In 1923, William became the principal of Fairmont Senior High School, after graduating from WVU with a Master's degree in 1922. Their family lived at 804 Locust Avenue when William Jr. was born and throughout his whole life (1923 City Directory-1945 City Directory). Education and Enlistment: William, Jr, known in his high school yearbooks as "Bill," graduated f...

Remembering PFC James Edward Monroe (Worthington/Fairmont) July 7, 1922 - September 8, 1944 ---- PFC James Edward Monroe (Service #33554254) was born in Chiefton, WV (near Worthington) on July 7, 1922, the son of Arch and Lura (Post) Monroe. Their family spent most of James' life in the Grant District of Marion County, where Arch worked as a "mining machine" operator (1920 Census) and farmer (1930 census). The 1935 Fairmont City Directory shows a brief detour to the Westchester area of Fairmont, but by 1940 they were back in the Grant District, this time specifically on a side road near Boothes Creek/ (Old) Monongah Road (1940 Census). At that time Arch was working as a "coal loader" (1940 census).  Military Service: James entered the draft on Jume 30, 1942 in Calvert County, Maryland. At that time he was living in North Beach, Maryland and working at "Uncle Billy's Amusement Park." James was 6'1 1/4" and 191 lbs, with gray eyes, brown hai...

In Memory of Pvt. James H. ("Harry") Shuttlesworth, who died in France merely one day before the end of WWI (November 10, 1918). Harry Shuttlesworth was born July 29, 1895 in Ohio (though his gravestone reads 1896). He gave "mine laborer" as his occupation on his draft card, and listed his town of residence as Worthington, WV when he enlisted in the military on June 5, 1917.  His card also lists that he was of medium height with a slender build, gray eyes, and brown hair. At his time of death, he was a member of Company B of the 128th Infantry Regiment, assigned to the 32nd Division. "In the closing months of the war, the 128th Infantry participated in several major campaigns including Alsace, Aisne-Marne, Oise-Aisne and Meuse-Argonne. For their fury in combat, the nickname "Les Terribles" or "The Terrible Ones" was given to them by the French. As they pierced the famed Hindenburg Line, the 32nd became known as the "Red Arrow" Divi...