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WAYNE COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA
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Submitted to the West Virginia Biographies Project by:
Chris & Kerry
cmac4330@chesapeake.net
December 13, 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 II
pg. 154 & 155
JOSEPH WALTER THORNBURY, M. D., is a pioneer in the profession of medicine and
surgery in the Triadelphia District of Logan County, though he still commands
all the vigor of the years of comparative youth. His home is at Man, where he
located in 1909. The dozen years since have sufficed to cover practically the
entire period of development in this region. He was here before the Chesapeake
& Ohio built its railroad line into this section and, naturally, the development
of the coal deposits following the coming of the railroad.
Doctor Thornbury was born at Glen Hays on Tug River in Wayne County, West
Virginia, August 9, 1881, son of Dr. James Harvey and Nancy Isabel (York)
Thornbury. Several of his family were physicians before he entered that
profession. His mother is a sister of Dr. L. H. York, of Louisa, Kentucky. She
died in 1895, and was a daughter of James D. York. Dr. James Harvey Thornbury
was born on Marrowbone Creek in Pike County, Kentucky, and is now in active
practice of his profession at Stowe, Logan County, West Virginia. As a young man
he taught school, and in 1885 began attending medical lectures in the Cincinnati
Eclectic College, and graduated there in 1889. In 1890 he located at Dunslow in
Wayne County, and remained there twenty years in the performance of his
professional duties, since which time he has looked after his mining practice at
Stowe. He did much organization work for the republican party in Wayne County,
and is a member of Vinson Lodge of Masons at Fort Gay. Of the five children born
to his marriage four are living: Florence, wife of Dr. Everett Walker, of Wayne;
Jane, wife of Dr. B. D. Garrett, of Kenova, Wayne County; Joseph Walter; and
Sadie, wife of Samuel Peters, of Kenova.
Joseph Walter Thornbury attended school at Dunslow and was also a student under
Professor McClure at Wayne. He attended the State University in 1898, and for
two years following was assistant postmaster of Dunslow, and for one year was
at Yukon, Oklahoma. Then he spent another year in the postoffice at Dunslow, and
also clerked in a store there. With this varied business training and experience
he entered the Cincinnati Eclectic Medical College in 1903, and graduated in
1907. For one year after graduating he practiced at Kermit in Mingo County, and
one year at Genoa in Wayne County. From there he came to Man and has had
official relations as mine physician to the Man Mining Company, the Eagle Island
Bengal Coal Company at Kesler and a large general practice besides. He was one
of the organizers of the Merchants and Miners Bank at Man.
Doctor Thornhury is a leader in his section in behalf of better educational
facilities. He served six years on the Triadelphia School Board and a large
number of the good modern schools of the district were built during his term,
including the District High School at Man.
On July 3, 1907, Doctor Thornbury married Bertha Hegner, daughter of Philip
Hegner, of Wyoming, Ohio. The five children born to their marriage are James H.,
Jr., Frances Virginia, Lawrence, John and Nancy Isabel. Mrs. Thornhury is a
member of the Baptist Church. Fraternally he is affiliated with Aracoma Lodge
No. 99, F. and A. M., at Logan, Logan Chapter. R. A. M., Dunslow Lodge,
Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and in politics he is a republican.
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