Wellington "Wink" H. Gallagher (8/15/1902
7/13/1971) was born in Belmont County, Boston, Ohio. He was the
younger brother of James (Jimmy) Walter Gallagher, who preached
72 years for the Lord's Church, and the son of John and Mary "Minnie"
(Mossburg) Gallagher. Wellington and Jimmy had ten brothers and
sisters and a half brother, Hila Carpenter, who still lives in
Barnesville, Ohio, at the age of 92.
Hila, being the only one left of the family, says
"... Wink grew up as a Catholic, coming from a poor family,
and since his mother did not have the ability to pay tithes they
had to leave the Catholic church." Wellington's father died
in 1906, and his mother married Clem Carpenter. Hila was born
in 1913. The family then began attending the Boston Church of
Christ. Hila said, "Wellington told my wife and me, after
our marriage ceremony that he performed, that we should never
go out separate, never have nights out alone. He called it a Halloween
and said when this occurs so can marriage problems."
Wellington began preaching at Fairview, Ohio,
at the Church of Christ in about1925 and preached for about 45
years. On September 4, 1929, he married Sylvia Opal Keylor (9/27/1904
4/21/1979), the daughter of Joseph Oscar and Nellie Mae (Hannahs)
Keylor at the Marietta Church of Christ, known as Sixth and Washington
Street Church of Christ. Evangelist Oliver Johnson married them.
Wellington and Sylvia had two children during
their 42 years of marriage: Twila Mae (Gallagher) Wilson (9/4/1933
1/20/1994), who died in Zanesville, Ohio, and Paul Orban Gallagher
(4/1/1937), who was born in Hundred, West Virginia.
Wellington preached in Hundred, West Virginia,
in the 1930's and in 1942-1946 he preached at Sistersville, West
Virginia. Then he preached at Isleta and Newcomerstown, Ohio,
from 1946-1951. The family spent one year in West Pittston, Pennsylvania
(1951-52), and returned the following year for a brief stay in
Wooster, Ohio, (summer of 1952). From there they went to West
Lafayette, Ohio (1952-53), and on to New Lexington, Ohio from
1953-54. His next move was to Danville, West Virginia (1954-56)
and then finally from 1956-1960 to Zanesville, Ohio (information
from Ray and Rosa Lee Coss), at the Woodlawn Church of Christ,
where he preached in that area for about 6 more years after retiring
from full-time preaching and bought a home, remaining here until
his death following his second stroke. Evangelist Eugene Carroll
officiated at his funeral service. Sylvia, his wife, died five
years later of cancer, and both are buried at Friends Cemetery
in Quaker City, Ohio.
Most of Wellington H. Gallagher's family lived
around Barnesville, Ohio. His hobbies included coon hunting and
listening to the Friday night fights on the radio sponsored by
Gillette razors, and he loved singing. He appeared to be closer
to his older brother Jimmy Gallagher who preached in and around
Belmont County, Barnesville, Ohio, for many years. In fact, Irene
Gallagher of Jerusalem, Ohio, said, "Wellington performed
the wedding ceremony for Jimmy (whose wife Lucille had passed
away in 1965) and Irene Straight on January 23, 1971, at his own
residence in Zanesville." I spoke to Irene personally at
Belmont County, Jerusalem, Ohio. I also received information from
Wellington's son, Paul Gallagher of Ft. Myers, Florida, and granddaughter,
Debbie (Gallagher) Bonilla of Coalinga, California. Brent Gallagher,
a distant cousin to Jimmy and Wellington, preaches in Fairmont.
367 South Main St., Philippi, WV 26416.