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BARBOUR COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA
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Submitted to the West Virginia Biographies Project by:
Valerie & Tommy Crook
vfcrook@trellis.net
July 9, 2000
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The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume III,
pg. 461-462
JOHN C. FELTON. One of the venerable and honored
citizens of Barbour County is Capt. John C. Felton, who
resides upon his fine homestead farm in the Valley of the
Tygart River, below Berryburg Junction. The Captain
was born in the family home on the summit of a hill at
Rowlesburg, Preston County, September 6, 1843, and is a
grandson of John Pelton, who settled in that locality in
the early days, upon removal from Frederick County, Vir-
ginia. John Felton was born at Taneytown, Maryland, and
his settlement in what is now Preston County, West Virginia,
occurred almost a century ago. He served as magistrate
and later as sheriff in that county, he having been a man
of marked ability and sterling character, and thus having
been well qualified for leadership in community affairs, the
while he became one of the substantial pioneer fanners of
Preston County. He was first a whig and later a repub-
lican in politics, and he and his wife held membership in
the Methodist Church. The family name of Mrs. Felton
was McHenry, and both attained to advanced age, he having
been almost about seventy years of age at the time of his
death, about 1850. Their children were nine in number:
Henry, John, Joshua, Caleb, Samuel, Betsy (Mrs. Wetzell),
Prudence (Mrs. Wotring), Sarah (Mrs. Judon), and Mary.
Henry Felton, father of Captain Felton of this sketch, was
born in the year 1801 and was about eleven years old at
the time of the family removal to Preston County. His
loyalty to the Union at the time of the Civil war was
manifested in service in behalf of the cause, though he was
sixty years of age at the outbreak of the war, and he was
thus in the Federal service when he was so badly injured
in a railroad wreck near Fairmont that his death soon
ensued, in 1864, his command having been on its way to
be discharged and his death having occurred about two
weeks after the wreck mentioned. He had given three
years of gallant service as a member of the Sixth West
Virginia Volunteer Infantry. His active career was marked
by close association with farm enterprises in Preston County,
his home having been near the present town of Albright
at the time of his death. He married Catherine Watring,
the original spelling of the family name having been Wot-
ring, and Abraham Wotring having settled in Pennsylvania
about the time of the birth of Gen. George Washington.
Mrs. Felton long survived her husband and continued her
residence on the old homestead near Albright until her death
in 1890. William, eldest of the children, passed his entire
life in Preston County, was a road-builder by occupation
and was past seventy years of age when he died, a number
of children surviving him. Elias died when a young
man. Malinda became the wife of Jacob Funk and died in
Preston County. Daniel was one of the venerable residents
of that county at the time of his death. Henry was a "Union
soldier in the Civil war, as a member of the Seventeenth
West Virginia Volunteer Infantry, and after the war he
was a successful farmer. He was killed by a railroad train
in 1892, and was survived by a number of his children.
Elizabeth, the wife of Elisha Atha, died near Steubenville,
Ohio. Eleanor died in Preston County. Her husband
Isaac Whetzell, died while in service as a Union soldier in
the Civil war. Captain John C., of this review, is the
youngest of the number.
John Clay Felton was reared in Preston County, along
the Cheat River, and well recalls the construction of the
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad line through Rowlesburg, where
he saw the first locomotive cross the bridge. He continned
his residence in his native county until 1869, when he re-
moved to Barbour County. Prior to this it had been his
desire to render loyal service as a Union soldier in the Civil
war. He enlisted in Company A, Seventh West Virginia
Volunteer Infantry, won promotion to the office of corporal
and later to that of sergeant, and he continued in service
with his original company until near the close of the
war, he having re-enlisted at the close of his first term
and he having received, under date of May 9, 1865, com-
mission as first lieutenant of Company F of the same regi-
ment. On the 26th of the same month he was commissioned
captain of his company, a few days prior to the surrender
of General Lee. Samuel Snyder was captain of Company
A when Captain Felton first entered the service, his suc-
cessor having been Captain Thomas Elliott, who later was
succeeded by Captain John Fordyce. At the battle of
Antietam the Seventh West Virginia Infantry lost one-
third of its members in killed and wounded. Thereafter
Captain Felton took active part in the battles of Freder-
icksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, in which last he
witnessed the famous charge of the Confederate forces
under Gen. George E. Pickett. Thereafter Captain Felton
took part in the Wilderness campaign, and fought at
Spottsylvania and Cold Harbor. His regiment next took
part in engagements around Petersburg, including the
battles at Ream's Station and Hatchers Run. The command
followed the retreating Confederate forces and at the time
of the surrender of General Lee was about one-half mile
in the rear of the main army. The regiment took part
in the grand review of the victorious forces in the City of
Washington, and at Wheeling, West Virginia, Captain
Felton received his honorable discharge on the 1st of July,
1865, he having never been wounded or otherwise injured
in his remarkably active career at the front. He became
one of the organic members of the post of the Grand Army
of the Republic at Rowlesburg, later was affiliated with the
post at Philippi and is now a member of Reno Post at
Grafton. He has attended numerous West Virginia state
encampments of this patriotic fraternity as well as the
national encampments held at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania;
Columbus, Ohio; and Indianapolis, Indiana.
Captain Felton cast his first presidential vote for Abraham
Lincoln, and has continued in unfaltering allegiance to
the republican party. He served ten years as magistrate
in Pleasant District, Barbour County, and he and his wife
are active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
He was formerly in active affiliation with the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows.
After his marriage, in 1869, Captain Felton soon removed
to Clover District, Tucker County, where he continned his
association with farm enterprise until 1891, since which
year he has resided on his present homestead in Barbour
County, where substantial success has attended his activities
in the cattle and dairy business, the raising of poultry and
the carrying on of general agriculture, his farm being one
of the well improved places of the county.
July 1, 1869, recorded the marriage of Captain Felton
and Miss Susanna M. Martin, who was born in Barbour
County, September 29, 1845, and, like her husband, she
acquired her education in the pioneer subscription schools,
which were maintained in log buildings of the type common
to the period and locality. Mrs. Felton is a daughter of
Henry D. and Margaret (Means) Martin, the former a
native of Barbour County and the latter of Preston County,
their remains resting in the family burying ground On the
old home farm in Barbour County. Barbara, eldest of the
Martin children, became the wife of Sanford Scott, and
she remained in Barbour County until her death; Anthony
was one of the successful farmers of this county at the
time of his death; Isaac died at Mount Morris, this county;
Catherine married Ezekiel Hart and died at Peeltree, Bar-
bour County; Jacob was a Union soldier in the Civil war
and was killed in battle at Cedar Creek; Apalonia is the
wife of E. C. Hull, and they reside in the State of Iowa;
Matilda, wife of George Ryan, died in that state; George
was a farmer at the old home place at Cove Run at the
time of his death; Mrs. Felton was the next in order of
birth; Lizzie became the wife of David Menear; Margaret
is the wife of Upton Forman, of Weaverville, North Caro-
lina; and Eveline (Mrs. Charles Cornwell) died in Barbour
County.
In conclusion is given brief record concerning the children
of Captain and Mrs. Felton: Henry Warren died in
young manhood, in 1891. George C., who now has charge
of the county farm in Taylor County, married Maggie
Leach, and their children are Florin, Tracy, Leta, Pearl and
Uriel. Jacob F., who resides at Clarksburg, this state, mar-
ried Lula Saffel, and they have four children: Lillie,
Howard, Bernard and Warren. Maggie is the wife of Ira
Hoffman, of Arden, Barbour County, and they have five
children: Lalah, Gerald, Clifford, William and Mary.
Edgar C., who is associated with his father in the manage-
ment of the home farm, married Miss Maude Proudfoot, and
they have three children: Beulah L., Deveda Grace and
Virginia Susanna. Harlan A. is identified with coal mining
at Simpson, Taylor County, the maiden name of his wife
having been Bessie McDaniel, and their children being
five in number: Harold, John, Audrey, Edna and Hoy.
Lizzie is the wife of Lee Colebank, who lives in Monongalia
County, West Virginia, but whose post office is at Point
Marion, Pennsylvania, and they have seven children: James,
Opal, Mildred, John, Donald, Marguerite and Ralph Upton,
the youngest of the children, has proved the rover of the
family and has variously employed himself in different parts
of West Virginia and other states.
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