Biography of Rush Floyd Farley, MD - Mercer Co. WV


The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume II,
pg. 545-546


RUSH FLOYD FARLEY, M. D. One of the well-known and
capable members of the medical fraternity practicing in
the coal mining districts of Mingo County, and a veteran of
the World war, is Dr. Rush Floyd Farley, of Burch.
While he has been engaged in the practice of his calling
for only comparatively a few years, he has made
rapid advancement therein and is accounted the leading
citizen of Burch Post Office, or Adanac Station, as the
community is also known, being a leading property holder
and prominent in all civic affairs.

Doctor Farley was born March 6, 1887, in Mingo
County, West Virginia, and comes of an old Virginia family
of Irish origin, being a son of Thomas Benton and Nancy
(Pinson) Farley, natives of Virginia. Thomas B. Farley
was a young man when the war between the states came on,
and he enlisted under the flag of the Confederacy, as a
private in the Thirty-sixth Virginia Infantry, his com-
manding officer being Gen. Jubal Early. At the battle of
Winchester he was wounded and captured by the enemy,
having at that time risen to the rank of top sergeant, and
was confined at the prison at Point Lockout for six
months. Upon his exchange he returned to his home, re-
covered from his wound and engaged in farming and mer-
chandising. Subsequently he married a Virginia girl and
reared a family. He became one of the well-known and
prominent farmers and merchants of Mingo County, where
be had considerable property holdings, and where he was
esteemed and respected by all who knew him.

Rush Floyd Farley attended the public schools of
Burch Post Office and the Concord Normal School at
Athens, following which, having decided upon a profes-
sional career, he entered the University of Kentucky, at
Louisville, where he pursued a medical course and was
duly graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine as a
member of the graduating class of 1912. At that time he
entered upon the practice of his profession at Holden,
West Virginia, but after one year decided that he needed
further preparation for the successful practice of his chosen
life's vocation and accordingly went to Rochester, Minne-
sota, where he did post-graduate work with the eminent
Mayo Brothers. Later, in 1914, he further fitted himself
by doing post-graduate work under the late Doctor
Murphy, the distinguished Chicago surgeon.  Returning
to West Virginia, he "re-engaged in practice at Ivaton
Coal River, and was there engaged until July 17, 1917, when
he enlisted in the Medical Reserve Corps of the United
States Army.  He went to Fort Benjamin Harrison,
Indiana, November 15th, was transferred to Camp Meade,
Washington, D. C., and on December 15th sailed from
Hoboken, New York, for overseas. Landing first in Eng-
land, he sailed from Southampton across the English
Channel to LeHavre, France, and went to the Vosges
Mountain Hospital in Alsace-Lorraine, this being the One
Hundred and .Fourth Field Hospital, which was on the
move the greater part of the time owing to its proximity to
the front line.  He was then transferred to Souilly,
France, and later to Creel, where he was assigned to the
mobile operation unit, with a detachment of French troops
to do first aid duty. After two months he was sent to
Neuf Chappelle, later to Riveville, where he was with the
Third Cavalry, Twenty-sixth Division, and then to Varenns,
with a first aid outfit. During the period that he was in
France his headquarters were Base Hospital No. 66, his
being the first regular army outfit in France from Amer-
ica and on the move, giving first aid everywhere. When
the armistice was signed he was on the road to Sedan,
and remained there until February 15, 1919, when his
outfit moved back to St. Nazaire, and after ten days left
for home, arriving at Newport News, March 1, 1919. He
went then to Richmond, Virginia, later to Baltimore, Mary-
land, and then to Washington, D. C., and Boston, Massa-
chusetts, finally receiving his honorable discharge March
15th after twenty months in the service. He was pro-
moted to captain. Returning to Holden, West Virginia,
Doctor Parley became surgeon for the Island Creek Coal
Company, with which he was connected one year, and finally
came to Burch Post Office, where he engaged in the general
practice of his profession, specializing in surgery. He
still holds membership in the United States Medical Re-
serve Corps. He is highly thought of in his profession in
Mingo County, and has gained the full confidence of a
large number of patients.

On April 17, 1917, at South Charleston, West Virginia,
Doctor Farley was united in marriage with Miss Clara
Mae Burlington, daughter of Sherman and Fannie Bur-
lington, the former of whom is in the Government service,
having charge of Lock No. 6. Doctor and Mrs. Farley have
had one child, William Allen, who died in September, 1921,
when nine months old. They are consistent members of
the Baptist Church and have been active in their support
of its various movements and enterprises.

Doctor Farley is a valued member of the Mingo County
Medical Society, the West Virginia State Medical Society,
the American Medical Association and the American Col-
lege of Surgeons. As a fraternalist he holds member-
ship in the Blue Lodge of the Masonic Order, the Bene-
volent and Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of
Pythias, in which he has held all the chairs and has been
a member of the Grand Lodge, and the Independent Order
of Odd Fellows, in which he has held all the chairs. He
has been very successful in a material way and is the
owner of much property at Burch.


Submitted by Valerie Crook <vfcrook@earthlink.net> 

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