Nelsonville,

Nelsonville, Ohio

Obituary of Elias Poston, industry leader October 9, 1931

Elias Poston dies suddenly at age of 69. He was a leading factor in the Hocking Valley Coal Industry for Three Decades. Heart Attack Early causes his death, Funeral Services to be held Monday.

Elias McClellan Poston, industrial and financier, president of the New York Coal Company, a leading factor in the coal industry of the Hocking Valley for the last three decades, widely known in the brick and clay industry and a national figure in the electrical world, died suddenly at his home in Columbus about 3 o'clock this morning of heart failure. Mr. Poston was 69 years of age. His death removes not only a prominent citizen of Columbus and of Ohio but a staunch and loyal friend of Hocking district where his extensive and varied interests were centered.

Mr. Poston was born in Nelsonville Oct. 26, 1862, where he grew to young manhood. His education he literally wrestled from experience. His first employment was in the company store of John W. Scott at Lick Run. He later worked as a billing clerk in the Nelsonville railroad yards.

Among his first business ventures was the lighting of the streets of his native town. He secred a five year contract from the Nelsonville City Council about 1896 and after operating a gasoline lighting system for one year, Mr. Poston with David L. Sleeper and John P. McGill, secured a franchise in 1899 for lighting the streets of Nelsonville electrically and to engage commercially in the lighting industry. Mr. Poston operated the first alternating current generator west of the Alleghanies.

From his humble beginning of the Nelsonville Electric Company, there was later developed the Hocking Power Company and as the genius of Mr. Poston realized the tremendous possiblilities of electricity he developed and expanded his organization building the big poser station at Floodwood where much of the electricity used throughout Southern Ohio is generated.

In 1899 Mr. Poston engaged with Joseph Slater, Charles Kurtz and others in the coal business with leased mines at Chauncey and Floodwood held by the New York and Western Coal Company. In 1902 these two properties were sold and the Continental Coal Company and Mr. Poston acquired the New Yourk and Western Company which was re-organized as the NEw York Coal Company. Through his operating affiliate, Manhattan Coal Company, this enterprise operated five large coal mines in the district at Chauncey, Luhrig, Lick Run and Tropic.

Early in the history of the company, Mr. Poston became interested in the development of the surface lands and under his direction the company has pursued a uniform policy of attempting to build up and utilize for farming and grazing purposes its surface lands. It has fenced in several thousand acres of hill lands for grazing and has developed to a high state of cultivation its river bottom lands and other lands suitable for tillage. Mr. Poston's pride was the spendid orchard of 100 acres in Waterloo Township Athens county.

Mr. Poston has been extensively interested in brick and clay development in the Hocking Valley for many years. His companies own and operate brick and fire proofing plants at Nelsonville, The Diamond, Logan, Zanesville and Portsmouth.

Brief funeral services will be held at the family residence in Columbus Monday morning at 10 after which the body will be brought to Nelsonville and taken to the P. B. Verity residence, W. Franklin Street, Mr. Poston's boyhood home. Serviced conducted by the Rev. Lloyd Evans, pastor of the Presbyterian Church will be held at 2 o'clock. Burial will be made at Greenlawn.

Mr. Poston leaves his wife Mrs. Theresa Erb Poston and seven children, Donald R. of Chillicothe, Mrs. Anna Renner of New York City, John B. Poston, Mrs. Charlene Caren, Mary, Carl M. and Elias M. Poston Jr. all of Columbus.

Obituary from the Athens Messenger Oct. 9, 1931

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