From "History of Wheeling City and Ohio County, West Virginia and 
Representative Citizens," by Hon. Gibson Lamb Cranmer, 1902. 

Typed by Polly Oliver.

Pages 805-806


C. B. COLBORN,  It is generally conceded that the standard of excellence 
in any community is but a reflection of the character and attainments 
of its representative citizens, and it is therefore true that the 
career of C. B Colborn, general manager of the Brown Coal & Coke 
Company, is expressive of the highest moral, material and intellectual 
development of Wheeling.  A native of Sommerset County, Pennsylvania, 
he was born December 4, 1874, and is a son of Andrew J and Susan 
Colborn.

No more typically high minded, gifted, substantial American Citizen 
ever mad his home in a town and dominated its interest with the 
optimism of his heart, the clearness of his thought, and the whole-
souled generosity of his judgment, than did Andrew J. Colborn, of 
Somerset, Somerset County, Pennsylvania.  A native of the state of 
William Penn, he became on of the pioneer settlers of Somerset, and 
came and went under the lime light of publicity as a lawyer of more 
than ordinary erudition, a politician who never sacrificed the 
interests of others for personal gain, and as a friend who never 
allowed a shadow to rest upon his reputation as one of nature's 
noblemen.  Much of his most conspicuous service was in the interests of 
the Republican Party in which he entertained a profound faith.  
Election time found him in the field armed with the convincing argument 
of the enthusiastic politician, and he became known far and wide as 
"Old Bald Eagle", on account of his ability as a stump speaker.  He was 
elected to many positions of trust, was in the State Senate form a 
term, and in the Lower House for eight terms during the latter service 
he was chairman of the ways and means committee for three terms.  He 
studied the principals of law under the able leadership of Hon. Jerry 
Black, and was a law partner of F. M. Kimball for twenty years.  He 
organized the first Pennsylvania troops during the war, and was 
appointed brigade inspector by Governor Curtin, with the rank of major.  
Fraternally he exercised a great influence in his neighborhood.  He was 
on of the original members of the Knights Templar in the town, and a 
charter member of the Masonic blue lodge at Somerset.  His death, 
August 6, 1901 at the age of seventy-nine years, removed one of the 
vital and resourceful elements of Somerset, and left a vacancy hitherto 
filled by a potent and penetration personality.  He was the life of his 
home and the neighborhood-one in whom there was no faltering or 
uncertainty or turning from the accustomed strength of his ways, and 
like the song rather than the accompaniment, he was sadly missed from 
the haunts with which he had became familiar.  A Baptist in early life, 
he in later years found greeted consolation in the fold of the 
Christian church, with which he and his wife were identified for fifty-
six years.  And it was in his home rather than in public resort, that 
the innate nobility of the man was most conspicuous.  Side by side, in 
an ideal communion of which may dream buy few realize, this couple 
formed a composite whole, the harmony of which was never disturbed by 
storms from without or within.  Mrs. Colborn is remembered as a 
benediction as a woman in who were combined rare traits of mind and 
heart.  She too lived beyond the biblical allotment, and at the time of 
her death September 14, 1895 was seventy years and three months old.
On April 14, of the same year the parents had celebrated their golden
wedding, and at the time there was present all the town to them joy,
besides 150 guest from Philadelphia, Washington and New York.  Many
valuable gift of gold attested the appreciation and love fostered through
long years of amicable association.  At the time of the funeral of the
mother, her six stalwart sons acted as pall-bears and the father was buried 
according to the impressive and beautiful rite of the Knights Templar.  
The two daughters and six sons who were permitted to dwell during their 
youth in the ideal atmosphere of their parents' home, there to receive 
that inspiration to well-doing which in each individual case has been 
prolific of a fine and honorable career, are all living at the present 
time.  They are H.J., who is now Mrs. H. J.  Miller, of Somerset; C. 
B.; L .C., who is an attorney at Somerset; F. K. is a bookkeeper for 
the United Sates Leather Company at Bayard, West Virginia; Eleanor, who 
is the wife of Frank C. Bell, a banker and hardware merchant, and also 
interested in the Savage Fire-Brick Company; H .B., who is a merchant 
and director of the Second National Bank at Frostburg, Maryland; A. J., 
a graduate of Bethany College, class of 1882, and has practiced law in 
Scranton, Pennsylvanian since 1884; and Robert G.  Robert G Colborn is 
now a resident of Scranton and has a fine record as solder.  During the 
Spanish-American War he enlisted with the United States Regulars, 
went to Porto Rico, and served throughout the entire war.  Upon 
retaining with his regiment he was stationed at Governor's Island for 
six weeks, and was then ordered to China, later to Manila, and still 
later to Samoa, where he participated in the last great fight.  For 
extreme bravery and long meritorious service, he was rewarded by 
appointment to the position of quartermaster.

C. B. Colborn was educated in Somerset, Pennsylvania, and graduated 
form the high school and the Millersville State Normal School.  In 
1862, he enlisted in company E, 133rd Reg., Pa. Vol. Inf., and was with 
army of the Potomac.  He participated in the battles of Antietam and 
Fredericksburg, and during the latter engagement received a flesh wound 
in each leg, which resulted in his being laid up in the hospital from 
December 1862, to April 1863.  Upon recovering, he rejoined his 
regiment and remained with it until the close of the war, as a private 
and non-commissioned officer.  With the return of peace he retained to 
Somerset and took an additional educational course, after which he 
became interested in the coal business, and since 1867 has been 
actively engaged in the coke and coal business.  Fro some years he 
lived in Virginia, and came to Wheeling in 1895, after developing a 
number of mines for the Elkins-Davis Coal & Coke Company.  He has been 
greatly interested in promotion the cause of education in the places 
where he lived.  He was on the board of education for twelve years in 
Virginia, for fourteen years in Pennsylvania, and was in the city 
council in Davis a Baird, West Virginia. For several terms.  He is a 
stanch upholder of the Republican principles and measures, and has been 
delegate to all state conventions.  Fraternally he is associated with 
the Somerset Lodge, No. 358, A. F. & A.M., and with the J. W. Holliday 
Post, No. 12, and Grand Army of the Republic.  November 29, 1870, Mr. 
Colborn married Margaret H. Parson, a native of Somerset, Pennsylvania, 
and a daughter of James and Caroline Parson, the former of who died at 
the age of eighty-six years, ant the latter is still a resident of 
Somerset.  The Parson family have long been resident of Pennsylvania, 
and are among the highly respected members of the community.  To Mr. 
and Mrs. Colborn have been born nine children, as follows: Susan C., 
now Mrs. E B. Roddy, who lives at Uniontown, Pennsylvania, and has 
three children-Carl, Edward and Robert; L.C., who died in 1891, at the 
age of twenty years; George K., who is a mine superintendent at Beech 
Bottom, West Virginia, married Miss S. C. High and has one child- 
Pearl; C B. Jr., who is a resident of Pittsburgh, married Miss P. C. 
Garrett, and has two children Hazel and Margaret; Nellie C.: Charlotte 
L.; Caroline P., who is attending school; and Mary and Frank, twins, 
who are also attending school.  Mr. Colborn is like his father a 
devoted member of the Christian church, having been admitted to the 
church February 14, 1862 while home on furlough during the Civil War.  
He is generous contributor towards maintenance of his church, and is 
standing in the community is enviable one and host of friends attest to 
his excellent personal characteristics.