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HANCOCK COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA
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Submitted to the West Virginia Biographies Project by:
Valerie & Tommy Crook
vfcrook@earthlink.net
July 23, 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. 562-563
Hancock
WALTER S. BAMBRICK, who is United States postmaster
at Weirton, demonstrates in his life the truth of the saying
that real merit receives proper recognition, and the other
saying as well, that nothing succeeds like success. Persist-
ent, conscientious endeavor alone, along legitimate lines,
has resulted in his case in public advancement, and in his
official position he has discharged his duties faithfully and
rendered the people of his community splendid service.
Mr. Bambrick was born at New Cumberland, Hancock
County, West Virginia, September 19, 1888, and is a son of
Lewis S. and Sarah M. (Baxter) Bambrick, natives also of
Hancock County. The grandfather of Walter S. Bambrick,
Thomas Bambrick, was born, reared and educated in Ire-
land, where as a young man he was a teacher. He immi-
grated to the United States about 1820 and settled in West
Virginia, where he first engaged in teaching and later
turned his attention to farming, also carrying on surveying
work all over the state. As he was possessed of a superior
education, he was frequently asked to do work of a semi-
legal character for the pioneers, particularly before the
creation of the County Court. He was the father of the
bill which brought into being Hancock County, which was
cut off from Brooke County, and sat as a delegate in the
House of Representatives at the time the county was cre-
ated, in 1848. He named the county seat Pughtown, and
as such it continued for many years or until being removed
to New Cumberland. He was a stalwart democrat, and in
his death, at the age of eighty-four years, his community
lost a strong leader and a reliable and straightforward
citizen.
Like his father, Lewis S. Bambrick was a teacher in his
earlier years, but later turned his attention to farming and
continued to be engaged therein in Hancock County all his
active life, with the exception of two years passed in Wayne
County, Iowa. He is now living in retirement, having
reached four-score years, but takes a lively interest in the
affairs of life and is a member of the Board of Equaliza-
tion. In politics he is a democrat. Mr. Bambrick married
Miss Sarah M. Baxter, daughter of Samuel Baxter, who
was born in Brooke County, West Virginia, and at marriage
came to Hancock County, where he spent the rest of his
life in agricultural operations, being a progressive cattle
and sheep breeder. He died when eighty-four years old.
Mrs. Bambrick died at the age of sixty-six years, after a
happy married life of about forty-five years.
Walter S. Bambrick received his education in the graded
and high schools of New Cumberland, and in 1912 came to
Weirton as an employe of the shipping department of the
Weirton Steel Company. He remained with this concern,
until named postmaster, the duties of which office he as-
sumed September 5, 1916. At that time the office boasted
of two employes, occupied a one-room building, 11x36 feet,
and had annual receipts amounting to $9,000. There are
now eight assistants, the post office occupies a rented build-
ing, 33x72 feet, and the receipts amount to $160,000 annu-
ally. Mr. Bambrick gives his entire time and attention to
the work of his position and has improved the service ma-
terially. At the present time there are no deliveries made
and no rural free delivery system, as the work of numbering
the houses on the various streets has not been done in
this fast-growing municipality. As soon as this work is
accomplished deliveries will commence. Mr. Bambrick has
the distinction of having his name on the Honor Roll and
sent to the postmaster general at Washington, D. C., as a
mark of special distinction. When the sale of War Sav-
ings Stamps and Thrift Stamps was discontinued the new
Treasury Savings Certificates were offered the public, and
Postmaster Bambrick was an entrant in the postmaster con-
test which closed December 31, 1921, in competition with
all other postmasters of the same class offices in the Fifth
Federal Reserve District, being one of the winners in this
state. A bronze honor pin of attractive design, bearing
the inscription "Honor Postmaster," has been conferred
upon Postmaster Bambrick by Howard T. Cree, director of
the Government Savings Organization, Richmond, Virginia,
as a reward for patriotism and faithful service. Mr. Bam-
brick is a member of the Knights of Pythias, and during
his vacations humors his hobby of hunting.
Mr. Bambrick married Miss Myrtle Herron, of New
Cumberland, and they are the parents of two children:
Walter Lewis and William Herron.
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