From HISTORY OF THE PAN-HANDLE, West Virginia, 1879, by J. H. Newton, 
G. G. Nichols, and A. G. Sprankle. Page 266.  

Contributed by Linda Cunningham Fluharty.


CHARLES J. RAWLING is a native of Washington, D. C., and was born November 26th, 
1831. He is the only son of the late John S. Rawlings, of Cambridge, England, 
born the 5th December 1797, and who came to this country in 1826. The old 
gentleman was a linen broker in England, but on arriving in America sojourned 
several years at Georgetown, D. C., coming to Wheeling with his family in 1835. He 
subsequently died at Moundsville, on the 22d of August, 1811, aged 80 years. 
Charles J., the subject of our sketch, in 1848 first went with Sweeney, Bell & 
Co., on Twelfth street, remaining two years, when he engaged with the late F. A. 
Bentlinger, druggist, also on Twelfth street, subsequently serving other drug 
houses, down to 1865, when he went into business for himself, in partnership 
with Dr. Logan. Subsequently he bought out the doctor's interest, but in 1867, 
being appointed post master, Mr. Rawling sold out the business to Messrs. Silvey
& List, assuming his government office April 16th of that year. He received his 
appointment under Andrew Johnson's administration, and ably performed the duties 
down to February 1879, when he was succeeded by Mr. Sterling. During his conduct 
of the office, to wit, in August, 1874, the letter carrier system was adopted, 
and the following year, to facilitate the increasing business, which was more 
than doubled during his incumbency, Mr. Rawling had every department under his 
control remodeled. Nor should we fail to state, during the late war, he was a 
volunteer in 1861, and served in the First Virginia Light Infantry under Captain 
[John] Trimble two years. He was wounded at the battle of Winchester, and afterwards 
transferred to the chief clerkship in the quarter master's department for West 
Virginia. He was married in 1866 to Maria, eldest daughter of a Mr. Donnelly, of 
Maryland, and has one son.