Shinnston Tornado

John L. Finlayson collected and published photos and personal accounts of the people who lived through and responded to what became known as the Shinnston Tornado. This scarce book is now being republished. The storm system that created the tornado outbreak remained one of the most devastating storms in our nation's history for many decades.
About the Author: John Livingstone Finlayson, noted Shinnston businessman and historian, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on November 10, 1889, a son of James and Elizabeth (Lyon) Finlayson. The other children, all sons and all born in Cleveland, were: James, Jr. (1884-1886), Robert Lyon (1886-1946), William Wallace (1892-1977), and James Dyer (1894-1963). In 1909 they came to Shinnston. At that time Shinnston was the business and shopping center of a sizable oil and gas field then being developed. Young and ambitious, John, while still in his 20's, opened a store and for many years it was one of Shinnston's best-known. It closed after John suffered a stroke in 1949 which left him partly paralyzed. John was among the prominent Shinnston men of his time. Active in Republican politics, business, and civic affairs, he worked diligently to promote the town's welfare and betterment. He was a dedicated member of the town's Masonic lodge and in 1932 served as its Worshipful Master. The history of Shinnston and the surrounding countryside fascinated him. He consulted early records and books and interviewed numerous men and women, some of whom remembered events that occurred before the Civil War. Through the years he wrote several historical articles and also wrote three books: "History of St. Johns Lodge No. 24," published in 1945; "Shinnston Tornado," published in 1946; and "It Happened Here," published in 1948. On March 2, 1914, John married Byrd Whiteman, (1891-1936), only child of Everal J. and Maudella (Sturm) Whiteman. To them were born three children: Gwen, married Robert H. Reger; Jean, married George B. Rice; and John Everal, known as Jack, married Delores Taylor. A valiant pilot in the Second World War, Jack lost his life when his plane fell into the English Channel on January 18, 1945. John married his second wife, Edith Sandy on June 2, 1942. She was a daughter of William Francis and Jennie Louise (Martin) Sandy, of Sunnybrook Farm, near Worthington. John then resided at Sunnybrook Farm for the remainder of his life. He and Edith enjoyed entertaining, and their home was the scene of many happy and memorable gatherings of relatives and friends. On November 3, 1956, John and Edith were killed in Georgia in a head-on collision while driving to Florida to spend the winter. A truck whose driver had fallen asleep collided with their automobile. John Livingstone Finlayson and his two wives are buried in the Shinnston Masonic Cemetery.