Prof. Edward Anderson Bolling is a native of Greenbrier County where he was born on November 28, 1860, just before the outbreak of the Civil War. His father was Henry Bolling; his mother, before her marriage, was Rhoda Anderson, daughter of Henry and Martha Anderson.
Young Bolling grew up in Richmond where he attended the public schools. When ready for college, he matriculated at Morgan College, Baltimore. After his graduation he taught in the Richmond Schools for four years. He then returned to his native county and for a generation has taught at Lewisburg. He is now Principal of the Lewisburg High School.
His work is well known and he holds a prominent place among the educators of the State.
Prof. Bolling has been married twice. His first marriage was on Thanksgiving Day, 1884, to Miss Alice Seams, of Greenbrier County. Of the five children born to this marriage, the following are living: Edward A., Jr., Ella (Mrs. Creech), Edna Rhoda (Mrs. Smith). Mrs. Bolling passed to her reward February 4, 1892. His second marriage was on Thanksgiving Day, 1897, to Miss Eliza Gardner, of Lewisburg. By this marriage, there are three children: Lucy A., Mary Jane and Fannie Virginia Bolling.
Prof. Bolling has long been an active and prominent member of the M. E. church and has served as steward, trustee and Superintendent of the Sunday School. In 1896 he was licensed as a local preacher and is frequently in demand for supply work at his own and neighboring churches.
Among the secret orders and benevolent societies he affiliates with the Masons and St. Lukes.
In his reading he indulges a fondness for history and biography. Some years ago he wrote and published a pamphlet on "The Progress of the Negro," which was well received.
For five consecutive summers, 1910-14, Prof. Bolling was one of the instructors in the State Summer School for colored teachers at the West Virginia Collegiate Institute. In 1915 he was granted a State Life Certificate by the West Virginia State Board of Education. This Board is composed entirely of white men who are among the leading educators of the State. This high honor has been conferred on only a comparatively few white persons and on only about ten colored men of the entire State. In Mr. Bolling's own county of Greenbrier only two white and no other colored persons have been awarded this honor.
During the late great World War he was most active among his people in all the war works, selling Liberty Bonds, raising money for Red Cross and the Y. M. C. A. Societies. He was a delegate to the West Virginia War Convention held in Charleston in September, 1918. This Convention was composed of the leading white and colored citizens of the State and was called for the purpose of raising West Virginia's quota of the war funds.