Joseph W. Stoneburner was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, on February 11, 1865, being the son of Israel and Catherine (Welty) Stoneburner, natives of Ohio. The paternal grandfather was a native of Virginia, married in Harper's Ferry to Susan Sowders, whose ancestors were distillers for generations. He was a Dunkard preacher. The father of our subject is living in Decatur, Indiana, aged eighty-eight, being a retired farmer. He had three brothers who were preachers in the Dunkard church, one of whom lived to be ninety-two years old. The mother of our subject died on November 28, 1870. Her father, Peter Welty, was of German descent and a native of Virginia. He was a captain in the Revolution and was at Valley Forge and crossed the Delaware on the memorable night of the attack on the Hessians. His son, Colonel Seth Welty, was a colonel in the Civil war and is now a prominent attorney in Logan, Ohio. Our subject attended district school until sixteen, then entered Valparaiso college, where he studied two years, after which he learned the art of steam engineering. During his labor in this calling he saved money enough to educate a brother and also to put himself through his professional course. For five years he read medicine and then entered the Eclectic Medical Institute at Cincinnati, whence he graduated in three years. He practiced in Berne, Indiana, from July, 1892, to 1898, then came west to Leland and since that time has been doing a good practice here. Dr. Stoneburner has three brothers and two sisters, Jesse W., a preacher in the Dunkard church; Abraham, farmer; John B., a talented musician and handling a music store; Mary, wife of G. W. Woodward, a merchant; Allie, wife of W. Kitson, all in Decatur. Dr. Stoneburner is a member of the A. F. & A. M., Kendrick No. 26; of the I. O. O. F., being noble grand of Leland, No. 90; of the K. P., being past chancellor of Berne Lodge, No. 96, in Indiana. He is a stanch Democrat and has been a delegate to the state and county conventions and this past year was the strongest opponent to Hunt. The Doctor is popular and well liked as his good standing and gratifying practice testify.