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HANCOCK COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA - BIOS: PLATTENBURG, John R.
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Submitted to the West Virginia Biographies Project by:
Valerie & Tommy Crook
vfcrook@trellis.net
September 26, 1999
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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. 274
Hancock County
JOHN R. PLATTENBURG. Three generations of the Platten-
burg family have had as their chief business interest the
editing and publishing of the Hancock County Courier,
now published at New Cumberland by John B. Plattenburg,
the grandson of the original founder. This newspaper has
been in existence for more than a half a century, during
which time it has become a part of the daily lives of the
people of the county, whose opinions it largely moulds and
whose actions it greatly influences.
John E. Plattenburg was born at New Cumberland, Jan-
uary 28, 1888, a son of Jesse T. and Lou (Lockhart) Plat-
tenburg. His grandfather, J. W. Plattenburg, was born in
Illinois, where his parents had been pioneers, and in young
manhood adopted the vocation of teaching. This he fol-
lowed for several years, in the course of which he went
to Wellsburg, West Virginia, and there learned the printer 'a
trade. Later, as a journeyman, he set the first line of
type on the old Wheeling Intelligencer, His first newspaper,
the Wellsburg News, was founded about 1859, and. was
still being published when Mr. Plattenburg joined the Union
Army during the war between the states as a captain of
West Virginia infantry. He was wounded during his serv-
ice, being shot through the shoulder, but continued in the
army until the close of the war, when he resumed the
printer's trade. In 1869, at Pughtown, then the county
seat of Hancock County, he established the first newspaper
in the county, known then, as now, as the Hancock County
Courier. It was a four-page, six-column publication, demo-
cratic in its policies, and while its form and style have
changed to some extent during the fifty-three years of its
existence, its politics have remained unswervingly the same.
The paper continued to be published at Pughtown until
1895, with Mr. Plattenburg as editor and publisher, but in
that year the county seat was removed to New Cumberland,
and the paper went with the seat of government. The
founder continued as its active head until his death in 1907,
at the age of seventy-seven years. A good newspaper man
and a capable writer, he made the publication well known
and its articles and editorials were widely quoted by con-
temporaries in the journalistic field. His widow, who was
Sarah Wetheral, of Wellsburg, survives at an advanced age.
At the time of his death J. W. Plattenbnrg was suc-
ceeded in the ownership of the paper by his son Jesse T.
Plattenburg, who died five years later, in 1912, after a
career which had been devoted entirely to the paper. While
attending Bethany College he met Lou Lockhar, also a
student, and they did not wait until their graduation to
be married. They became the parents of four children:
Joseph L., who is identified with the Weirton (West Vir-
ginia) Steel Corporation; John B., of this notice; Julia,
who is the wife of T. T. Bambrick; and Mary, the wife of
A. O. Dorman.
John R. Plattenburg received his education in the public
schools of New Cumberland and practically grew up in the
office of his grandfather's and father's newspaper. From
early youth he has been perfectly familiar with its every
detail of preparation, make-up and production, and since
the death of his father has taken over the duties of editor
and publisher. He is now producing an attractive, inter-
esting and thoroughly reliable eight-page, seven-column
paper, which has a wide circulation throughout Hancock
and the surrounding counties in this part of the state, and
which wields a distinct influence in directing public opinion
and action. Mr. Plattenburg is a democrat. He has a
number of business and social connections and has taken an
active part in civic affairs. During the World war he
served for thirteen months in the adjutant general's depart-
ment at Camp Johnson.
Mr. Plattenburg married Miss Mary McDonald, and they
have two children: John W. and Mary L.
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