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

Typed by Carol Taylor Lanza.

Pages 718 and 719

JAMES M. DILLON, one of the oldest and most highly esteemed citizens of 
Wheeling, West Virginia, is an octogenarian, and has passed seventy-two 
years of his useful life in the "Nail City," and served the city 
efficiently as superintendent of the gas works for a period of sixteen 
years. 

Mr. Dillon was born in Guernsey County, Ohio, in 1819, and is a son of 
Samuel Dillon, who was a member of a prominent Virginia family.  Samuel 
Dillon was born in Culpeper County in the Old Dominion State, in 1776.  
In 1804 he came to Wheeling, and four years later moved into Ohio and 
followed carpenter work and cabinet-making.  He returned to Wheeling 
about 1828 and followed carpenter work until 1858, the year in which 
his death occurred.  He was always a strong Whig.  His wife, whose 
maiden name was Vashti Borton, was a native of New Jersey.  She was 
born in 1793 and lived to attain the great age of ninety-one years, 
passing to her final rest in 1884.  Her marriage was consummated in 
Oxford township, Guernsey County, Ohio, and she and her husband reared 
nine children, namely; George, Rachel; Agnes; William; James M.; 
Josiah; Benjamin; Alfred and Ezar.  James M and his brother, Josiah, 
are the only surviving members of the family. The latter resides in a 
small town near Pittsburgh.

James M. Dillon was the recipient of but a meager education, and while 
still young found work in a cotton factory; later in life he was 
apprenticed in a brass foundry in Wheeling, whither his parents had 
moved, and he completely mastered the brass worker's trade, and 
followed that occupation for more than thirty years, in all, as a 
general metal worker.  In connection with this, in 1837, he began to 
learn the blacksmith's trade, which he also mastered, and thus became 
doubly proficient as a mechanic.

In 1877, when the city of Wheeling secured control of the gas works, 
Mr. Dillon was appointed superintendent of the works, and retained that 
important position for sixteen years.  During that time, he was 
instrumental in building up the plant to such an extent, that the 
Wheeling works were conceded to be among the finest of the kind in 
America.  In 1888, Mr. Dillon retired from active pursuits, and has 
since lived a quiet, secluded life.

Mr. Dillon has been twice married, and has been a widower for the past 
ten years.  His first union was with Lucy Cunningham of Washington 
County, Pennsylvania.  Her death took place in 1854, and she left four 
children, as follows:  Mrs. Emma Trimble, who resides with Mr. Dillon; 
Mrs. Rachel Ratcliffe, also fo Wheeling; Edward, who is connected with 
the Wheeling Candy Company; and William, an engineer of St. Louis, 
Missouri.

Second union of Mr. Dillon was contracted with Ellen St. Clair, of St. 
Clairsville, Ohio.  Seven children were born of this marriage, viz: 
Kate; Thomas; Chester; Jessie; Harry; Abbie; and James.  The last three 
are deceased.  Socially Mr. Dillon has been allied with the Sons of 
Temperance since 1840; he has been a "teetotaler" all his life, and is 
proud of it.  In the early days of his residence in Wheeling, he 
attended the little old M.E. Church, 46 by 25 feet, in dimensions, 
which will be remembered by other pioneer residents, but in February, 
1839, he united with the Fourth Street M. E. Church, of which he is 
still an active member.  In politics, he was first a Whig, and later 
became a Republican.  Mr. Dillon has always evinced a deep interest in 
Wheeling, and has noted with pride it's growth and development.  As an 
upright and good citizen, he is receiving his just reward in the 
appreciation of his many excellent qualities by his neighbors and 
friends.