Reedsville Cemetery

Sylvester "Monroe" Martin was born in February 1846 (or 1840) in or near Reedsville, Preston County, WV, the son of Henry and Keziah (Miner) Martin.

He and a brother and two brothers-in-law were veterans of the Union Army in the Civil War, while his brother Presley took up arms for the Confederate cause -- a real-life example of brother vs. brother in our family.

Sylvester's grave, seen here, was bathed in such strong backlight of a late afternoon sun in October 2008 that the otherwise-legible lettering can hardly be made out.

Sylvester claimed a birthdate of Feb. 11, 1840, and a birthplace of Preston County. As an adult, he had hazel eyes, dark hair and dark complexion, and stood five feet, eight inches tall.

In 1863, Sylvester was joined in holy wedlock with Kesiah "Kezzie" Emeline Orr (1846-1933), the daughter of Hiram and Keziah (Menear) Orr of Scotch Hill, Preston County. The wedding took place in Cumberland, Allegany County, MD. No return was made by the minister to the court of Allegany County, as it apparently was not required by law at the time. 

While a 1914 history book, A History of Preston County, authored by H.S. Whetsell, states that the Martins raised 10 children, the actual number may be 13. Their known children, as recorded in the Preston County Courthouse birth records and U.S. census records, were William T. Martin, Clara Belle Curtis, James C. Martin, Morgan Dale Martin, Minnie Martin, Charles S. Martin, Martha O. "Mattie" Carpenter, Ella Virginia Watson, Thomas F. Martin, Harry H. Martin, Maud Zinn and Mary G. "Mollie" McKinney, born over a 26-year span between 1865 and 1891. One other child died young, sometime before 1900. The discrepancy may involve those who lived to adulthood, and those who did not.

Book naming Monroe

During the Civil War, Sylvester served in the 17th West Virginia Infantry, Company I. He joined in 1861, and at the time of enlistment lived at Zinn's Mills, Preston County. He is known to have returned home on furlough in August 1861, suffering with typhoid fever. He began to have bouts of severe diarrhea while at Buckhannon, WV in February-March 1862, and hemorrhoid problems in May 1862 while at McDowell, Highland County, VA. He was left behind in a field hospital in Little Petersburg, WV that May when his regiment was ordered elsewhere. He rejoined the 17th Infantry about the time of the Second Battle of Bull Run, in which he took part, in late June/early July 1862, but did not do any duty of any magnitude. His regiment's physician, Dr. E.C. Thomas, finally sent Sylvester in September 1862 to the Carver General Hospital in Washington, DC. Sanford Watson, a sergeant with the regiment, recalled that "I placed him in the ambulance and sent him to the hospital ... at Washington City, D.C." A little more than a month later, on Nov. 5, 1862, he received an honorable discharge for his disability. 

After returning home, boyhood friend Hiram M. Massie said, "He was then reduced down with diarrhea and piles and was confined to his bed and house more or less during the winter of 1862-3. I lived within one mile of him at the time and knew he was under treatment by Dr. A. Brown." Dr. Brown himself testified: "For when he came home he was almost most dead & it took him a long time to recuperate."

With much rest and making a full recovery, Sylvester enlisted again, in the 3rd WV Infantry, Company C, on Feb. 11, 1865. He was discharged four and a half months later, on June 30, 1865, after the war ended. He returned home again a sickly man. Family friend Sylvanis L. Zinn testified that "I seen soldier at his home immediately after his discharge. He was at his home sick confined to his bed with diarrhea."

In the postwar years, the Martins are known to have owned a 127-acre farm in Kingwood Township, Preston County. In November 1866, they sold the land to William H. Brand Jr. and James F. Brand. The acreage contained rich stands of crabapple, black gum, dogwood, chestnut, white oak and hickory trees.

In 1869, the Martins moved to near Fairmont, Paw Paw Township, Marion County, WV. When the census was taken the following year, in 1870, they were enumerated in Paw Paw, with Sylvester working as a farm laborer. 

Bird's eye view of bustling Newburg

In October 1874, they moved back to Preston County, to the town of Newburg, where Sylvester was a laborer, and stayed there at least until 1890. In 1891-1897, they were near Gladesville, Preston County.

At some point in time, in about 1875, Sylvester lost the sight in his left eye when accidentally struck by a nail. 

Tragedy rocked the family in the mid 1880s when the Martins lost three of their children to disease. On Nov. 25, 1885, nine-year-old son Charles S. Martin died after contracting spinal meningitis. The following year, on Jan. 21, 1886, four-month-old son Thomas F. Martin passed away after developing pneumonia. Then, on July 11, 1888, 14-year-old daughter Minnie Martin died of pneumonia at Valley in Preston County.

When the federal government undertook a special census in 1890 of Civil War veterans and their widows, Sylvester was listed as living in "Gladesville, West Va." and that he had disabilities of "Piles & Heart Disease" incurred during the war.

Reedsville, Preston County, WV

Sylvester began receiving federal pension payments in the 1890s at a rate of $10 per month. Among those who testified on his behalf were cousin James Eyster Murdock of Kingwood in October 1897. Dr. Ashford Brown, in 1888, testified that he had known Sylvester "for a bout 10 years before enlistment before he had his growth. The oportunity I had of knowing him I was his Father's Family Physician previous to his enlistment." Interestingly, Dr. Brown added that "The reason I could not give precise dates a company of Rebbles to the government under one Jones destroyed my Books in April 26 & 27 1863." Other longtime friends and neighbors supporting Sylvester's pension applications with testimony of their own included James Harrington of Newburg; B.B. Smith of Newburg; shopkeeper George M. Shaffer of Independence; 

Preston County Journal

In 1891, after Sylvester's mother had died, he and his adult siblings were sued by their brother Presley. In the matter, Presley wanted the court to approve the sale of the mother's old house and lot in Independence, WV, so the funds could be used to offset costs of her care during her final years. Sylvester received a copy of the legal complaint, and apparently did not enter an objection to it. He was named in legal advertisements that year in the West Virginian newspaper of Marion County, WV.

After decades of living away in Pennsylvania, Sylvester's twice-widowed sister Rebecca Catherine Johnson Moore relocated back to Reedsville in about 1905. She moved into the Reedsville residence of David F. and Celia Zinn, and was their household servant. Catherine remained there for the rest of her life, and passed away on June 28, 1917, at the Zinn home, at the age of 89. She was laid to rest in the Gordon Cemetery, about four miles from Reedsville.

Preston County Journal

The Martins lived in Reedsville, Preston County, in their later years. In May 1912, they sold five town lots in Reedsville to John McKinney for $650, with $50 made in down payment, and $10 per month to be paid thereafter. The lots were in the Bannister Addition, fronting on Graham Street, each measuring 50 feet by 100 feet.

Sylvester suffered a stroke on Aug. 10, 1915, which paralyzed his entire left side. He never recovered, and died at home in Reedsville on May 30, 1916. Dr. W.H. Post attended him during the final illness. In a brief, one-paragraph obituary, the Preston County Journal noted that his passing followed "a long illness of about nine months." He is buried at the Reedsville Cemetery, with the name "S. Monroe Martin" inscribed on his grave marker.

As a widow, Kesiah was entitled to draw his Civil War pension payments, but needed to complete the paperwork. A friend at the Farmers & Merchants Bank in Reedsville, cashier J.S. Lantz, assisted her in the summer of 1916 with this task. 

Keziah outlived her husband by 18 years. She also survived eight of their children. She passed away of influenza as she neared her 87th birthday, on Jan. 2, 1933. She was laid to rest at the Reedsville Cemetery. Son Morgan Martin of Reedsville was the informant on her death certificate. In an obituary, the Preston County Journal said that Keziah "was a member of the Gladesville Baptist Church and was active in the work of the church. She had a wide acquaintance in Preston county and the news of her death was a shock to her many friends."

~ Son William T. Martin ~

Son William T. Martin (1864- ? ) was born in 1864. 

His fate is lost to history.

~ Daughter Clara "Belle" (Martin) Hood Birgel Curtis ~

Daughter Clara "Belle" Martin (1868-1937) was born on March 5, 1868 in Morgantown, Monongalia County, WV. She migrated to Hamilton, Butler County at the age of 13 in about 1881.

In about 1886, when she would have been age 19, she married Albert Hood ( ? - ? ), a Massachusetts native.

The couple produced three known sons -- William Hood, Lewis Hood and Elmer Hood.

Sadly, Albert died sometime before 1900. His untimely passing left his wife with three young mouths to feed.

The widowed Belle resided in Hamilton, Butler County, OH in 1900. She took in outside washing to earn income.

Then in 1905, she wedded a second time to Joseph Birgel (May 2, 1864-1919), an immigrant from Germany, also spelled "Bergel." He was the son of Michael and Catherine (Eckert) Birgel. Joseph had been married before and brought three known children to the second union, William Michael Birgel, Mary Eva Korn and Lena I. Seabold Dow.

They made a residence in St. Clair, Butler County, OH, with Joseph earning a living as a coke works laborer for Coke Otto, a company with 120 ovens in what is now New Miami. They are shown in St. Clair in the 1910 census. Grief swept over the family when Joseph was diagnosed with stomach cancer. He suffered for two years and died from its effects on April 24, 1919. His remains were placed into repose in Greenwood Cemetery.

At some point Belle began raising a foster daughter, Mrs. Earl Korn.

On Christmas Day 1922, at the age of 54, Belle married for a third time to Frank Curtis (1867- ? ).

He too had been married once before, and brought 10 stepchildren into the marriage with Belle.

When the federal census enumeration was made in 1920, Belle and Frank resided on a farm in Green Township, Clinton County, OH.

Belle and her son Elmer Hood were injured in an automobile mishap in August 1929. Reported the Hamilton (OH) Evening Journal, they were riding on Williamsdale Road, with Elmer driving, "when he lost control of the car and it plunged down a steep embankment, hiting a pole..." He suffered a broken nose and cuts on the scalp and face, while Belle was hospitalized.

In 1930, at the time the federal census was taken, the Curtises lived in Martinsville, Clinton County, with Frank continuing his labor as a farmer. They were members of the New Miami Church of christ.

Belle's final years were spent living in Wilmington, Clinton County. They were tenants on the farm of C.G. Janes along the Cuba Pike near Wilmington.

In February 1937, as she approached her 69th birthday, Belle fell and was injured. Blood poisoning ("septicemia") set in to her system. She suffered for about a month, and died at age 69 -- on March 10, 1937 -- just five days after her birthday. She was laid to rest in Greenwood Cemetery in Hamilton, Butler County, OH, with Rev. Joseph in charge. Son Louis Hood of Jeffersonville, OH was the informant on her death certificate. Obituaries or death notices were printed in the Cincinnati Enquirer, Dayton Daily News and Wilmington News-Journal.

Frank's fate is not yet known. He may have died at the age of 85 on June 13, 1951.

Son William Hood (1886-1930) was born on Nov. 13, 1886 in Hamilton, Butler County, OH. In 1907, at the age of 19, he was married to 17-year-old Lydia Ann Osborn (1890-1971), born in South Lebanon, OH to Manville and Ellen (Reed) Osborn. The couple were the parents of these children -- Amber M. Hood, Ellen A. Hood, Joseph Hood, William Hood Jr., Louis Hood and Clara Belle Hood. Their eldest daughter Amber was born in Ohio in 1907, but within a year or two the young family relocated to Illinois. There, William was employed in Kankakee, Kankakee County as a molder in a foundry. Then between 1911 and 1914, they moved back to Ohio, making a home in New Miami near Hamilton. There, he worked as a control room engineer and railroader with the Hamilton Coke Company. In his free time, he belonged to the local lodge of the Masons. Senseless tragedy rocked the family when the 42-year-old William was killed in a freak accident just two minutes into the new year 1930. During that evening, he and his widowed friend David Spivey were visiting at a local gasoline filling station near their home on Seven Mile Pike. In a driving rain, they left the building and began walking home, supporting each other arm-in-arm. As they walked along the road, at the crest of a hill, they were struck by a vehicle driven by Fred Dinnie of Seven Mile. Spivey's neck was broken, and he died instantly, while William's skull was fractured. he was rushed to Mercy Hospital, but it was too late. Burial was in Greenwood Cemetery, with funeral services led by Rev. Kobb of the New Miami Church. The sensational news was printed in detail in the Hamilton News Journal, noting that William's wristwatch had stopped just minutes into the new year. Lydia Ann outlived her spouse by more than four decades. She wed again to George Spivey ( ? -1958). He had been married before and brought three sons to the union -- William Spivey, Donald LeRoy Spivey and Eva Rowe. For a decade, she earned a living through her work at Mercy Hospital. She belonged to the Ladies Home League and the Salvation Army. In her final years, she lived with her son Louis at 72 Highland Avenue in New Miami. She died at home at the age of 81 on July 22, 1971. Her remains were lowered into the soil in Hickory Flat Cemetery, with an obituary appearing in the Journal News.

• Granddaughter Amber M. Hood (1907- ? ) was born in about 1907 in Ohio. Circa 1971-1975, she was married to (?) Sprain and lived in Hamilton, Butler County.

• Granddaughter Ellen A. Hood (1909- ? ) was born in about 1909, likely in Kankakee, Kankakee County, IL. At the age of 15, on Nov. 5, 1924, she and 18-year-old Ralph A. Jones ( ? - ? ) eloped to Jellico, TN. He was the son of James M. Jones of Coke Otto. A story in the Hamilton Journal News said that the "young couple ... left immediately to visit relatives in Kansas City." They were the parents of a daughter. Early in the marriage, the couple lived in Coke Otto, and Ellen frequently visited her mother. By 1926, the marriage had ended, and Ellen had married a second time to Fred Hill ( ? - ? ). They bore a daughter, Rena Mae Hill and in 1926 lived in Overpeck, Butler County. By 1930, the Hills had relocated to Dayton, KY.

• Grandson Joseph Hood (1911- ? ) was born in about 1911, likely in Kankakee, Kankakee County, IL. He dwelled in Seven Mile, OH in 1971-1975.

• Granddaughter Clara Belle Hood (1914- ? ) was born in about 1914 in Ohio. She appears to have been twice married. Her first spouse was John Martin (1906- ? ). The chldren born to this marriage were Robert Martin and Marilyn Martin. Circa 1935, they made a home in Hamilton, Butler County and then moved by 1940 to New Miami, Butler County, with John working as a pipe fitter foreman in a steel mill. In 1956, when she was age 42, she was joined in matrimony with Albert W. Stall Jr. ( ? -1977), the son of Albert W. and Ida Stall Sr. of Cincinnati. They made a home in New Miami. For 35 years, until his retirement in 1971, Albert worked for Champion International. Their address in 1977 was 42 Highland Avenue. Albert died at the age of 63 on March 9, 1977, pronounced dead on arrival at Mercy Hospital. Interment was in Hickory Flat Cemetery. An obituary was published in the Hamilton Journal News.

Great-grandson Robert Martin (1933- ? ) was born in 1933, likely in Hamilton, Butler County, OH. In 1951, at the age of 18, he joined the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. He spent 20 years in military service. Now living in Milwaukee, WI, he retired after 20 years in the Navy. His mother and sister traveled to attend a special dinner in his honor. He remained in Milwaukee circa 1977.

Great-granddaughter Marilyn Marie Martin (1936- ? ) was in Fort Lauderdale, FL in 1971. Then by 1977, she established a home in Shelbyville, TN.

• Grandson William B. Hood Jr. (1916-1975) was born in about 1916 in Ohio. He grew up attending schools in New Miami and Seven Mile. On May 21, 1938, when he was about 22 years of age, he was united in wedlock with Daphne Kunz ( ? - ? ), with the nuptials held in Newport, KY. They produced one daughter, Kathleen Deaton. For 27 years, he was employed at the Coppers [Koppers?] Tower Chemical plant and then for 11 years by the New Miami Board of Education. Active in the community, he served for 26 years as a trustee of New Miami and belonged to the New Miami Church of Christ. The Hoods' address in the 1970s was 3705 Hamilton Trenton Road. Sadly, at the age of 59, William died on Sept. 5, 1975 as a patient in Mercy Hospital. He was pictured in an obituary published in the Hamilton Journal News. He was survived by 11 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.

• Grandson Louis Hood (1921- ? ) was born in about 1921. In 1971, he lived at 72 Highland Avenue in New Miami, and his mother died in his home after living there for some time. He relocated to Florida and was there in 1975.

Son Louis Hood (1896-1978) was born on the next-to-last day of 1896. During World War I, he served as a private in the U.S. Army. Louis married Mildred L. Allen (June 18, 1911-2001), a native of Madison County, OH. They produced a son, Ronald L. Hood. Louis worked over time as a farm laborer. The couple lived in Jeffersonville, Fayette County, OH in 1937 and in Washington, Jackson County in 1940. Later, they moved again to Franklin, Warren County, OH. He passed away in Dayton at the age of 81 on April 16, 1978. Mildred survived another 23-plus years. She entered eternity on Nov. 24, 2001. A short death notice was printed in the Dayton Daily News. The couple reposes in Miami Valley Memory Gardens in Springboro, Warren County, OH. The inscription on their flat bronze grave marker reads "Together Forever."

• Grandson Ronald L. Hood (1939- ? ) was born in about 1939 or 1940 in Washington Township, Jackson County, OH.

Son Elmer Hood (1900- ? ) was born in Jan. 1900 in Hamilton, OH. In adulthood, he worked as a craneman. On Sept. 27, 1919, he was united in matrimony with Edith Isaacs ( ? - ? ), daughter of A.B. and Sallie (Kane) Isaacs. Rev. Charles R. Sine, of the High Street Church of Christ, officiated. The newlyweds immediately moved into a vacant house in Williamsdale, as noted in the gossip columns of the Hamilton Evening Journal. They are believed to have borne two children, Charles Hood and Mildred Hicks. Within a year or two they relocated to a house in Coke Otto. Elmer was seriously wounded by a double-barreled shotgun blast in the back and head during a fight with 38-year-old neighbor Charles Fowler in December 1922. What transpired was that Fowler assaulted Edith one day when he came to the house asking the whereabouts of his dog. She claimed he had knocked her down, while she was holding one of her children, and attempted to rape her in her bed. It was only when her brother James Isaacs arrived on the scene that the assailant fled. Fowler's story was different. "After securing the dog," said the Hamilton News Journal:

...Fowler started to return to his home. He met an acquaintance on the road and stopped to talk. The dog then returned to the Hood house. Fowler did not return for the dog but proceeded on to his home. Fowler said that he was seated in his home at 1 p.m. Sunday eating his dinner when a machine drove to the front of the house and stopped. Jim Isaac, Williamsdale, Hood's brother in law, entered the Fowler yard and walked to the rear door where he knocked. Fowler arose from the table to answer the knock. As he opened the door, it is said, Isaacs reached for his hip pocket as if to reach for a gun. Fowler slammed the door in his face and jumped for a rifle that was standing in a corner of the kitchen. Fowler's wife, scenting trouble, grabbed the rifle and wrested it from her husbands grasp. Deprived of the rifle, Fowler said, he ran to another room and secured the shotgun. As Fowler stepped from his house, Isaacs was entering the machine that he had left with the engine running in front of the Fowler home. He is said to have called back to Fowler -- "you had better get out of here for Elmer Hood is going to get you." Then Isaacs departed in his machine. Fowler saw Hood walking through an alley in the rear of the Hood home toward the home of Deputy Sheriff Harry Gets. he stated after him to ask him to explain Isaac threat. Fowler and Hood met on the Pennsylvania railroad track. Words were exchanged, following which Fowler said he knocked Hood down, according to Fowler, he aimed his gun at Fowler's head. Hood was again knocked down by Fowler, and the latter started to walk away. When about 40 yards from where the fight had occurred, Fowler told authorities Hood took deliberate aim and was on the point of firing when Fowler shot with his gun a half-raised position. The two charges from Fowler's gun struck Hood, who dropped to the railroad tracks.

Initial news reports hinted that Elmer would die of his wounds. But he recovered over time. In March 1929, he and the family moved to new lodging on Helvey Avenue in New Miami. Later that year, in August 1929, he and his mother were injured in an automobile mishap in August 1929. Reported the Hamilton (OH) Evening Journal, they were riding on Williamsdale Road, with Elmer driving, "when he lost control of the car and it plunged down a steep embankment, hiting a pole..." He suffered a broken nose and cuts on the scalp and face, while Belle was hospitalized. But the marriage was troubled, and the couple separated. In Sept. 1929, after a decade of marriage, Edith sued for divorce on the grounds of cruelty. Her claim, as reported in the Hamilton Journal News, was that "he used abusive language toward her and frequently struck her and threw things at her." The divorce was granted in December 1929. Elmer then left Ohio and moved to Pennsylvania, where he resided in 1937 in Norristown, Montgomery County. U.S. Census records for 1940 show him in Norristown, now married to Rae Carter (1901- ? ). She brought three stepsons to the union, Joseph C. Carter, Rae Carter and Claude Carter. In 1940, Elmer worked as a crane operator at a coke plant. Former wife Edith married again to plumber Lee McClain (1907- ? ), also of Cincinnati. The McClains then took the children to live in Phoenix. She was in San Diego in 1954 at the untimely death of her son Charles in New Jersey.

• Grandson Charles E. Hood (1920-1954) was born in about 1920 in Hamilton, Butler County, OH. He wedded Ruth ( ? - ? ). They were the parents of six children, among them Robert Hood, Charles Hood and Ruth A. Hood. In about 1944, the family relocated to Camden, NJ, where Charles secured work as a maintenance contractor. He also managed a three-story apartment building. Fire swept through the apartmentafter an oil burner backfired, but Charles, Ruth and their sons Robert and Charles escaped without injury. Their address in 1949 was 532 Penn Street and in 1954 was 828 Pearl Street. By 1952, Charles was now manager of apartments in six dwellings on Penn Street. Sadly, at the age of 33, he was admitted to Cooper Hospital in Camden and died on Jan. 16, 1954. An obituary in the Camden Courier-Post said that burial was in Harleigh Cemetery.

• Granddaughter Mildred Hood (1923- ? ) was born in 1923 in Ohio. After her parents' divorce, she relocated to Phoenix with her mother and stepfather and is shown there in the 1940 federal census. On June 30, 1940, in a ceremony held in Yuma, AZ, Mildred married Thomas V. Hicks ( ? - ? ). At the time of their nuptials, Thomas lived in San Diego and served in the U.S. Navy. The Hickses resided in San Diego in 1954.

Stepdaughter Elizabeth Bergel (1898- ? ) was born in about 1898.

Stepson Kenneth Curtis (1887- ? ) was born in 1887 in Ohio. He married Alta (?) (1903- ? ). The couple were 16 years apart in age. They were farmers, living near his parents in 1920 in Green Township, Clinton County when the census was taken.

Stepson Bertsell Curtis (1898/1909- ? ) was born in about 1898. He also was a farmer. He married Ruth (1911- ? ). In

~ Son James C. Martin ~

Son James C. Martin (1869- ? ) was born in 1869.

James' fate is lost to history.

~ Son Morgan Dale Martin ~

Preston County Journal

Son Morgan Dale Martin (1871-1966) was born in 1871.

He was unmarried at age 28 when the federal census was taken in 1900. That year, he was employed as a teamster and boarded in the home of Uriah and Mary J. Orr in Kingwood, Preston County, who may have been an uncle and aunt.

Later he may have been married and widowed.

In 1933-1940, he made his home in Reedsville. The federal census-taker in 1940 marked him as widowed, at age 68, with no occupation.

He died at the Sundale Rest Home in Monongalia County, WV at the age of 94 on July 4, 1966. The Preston County Journal said he had endured a "lengthy illness." He was buried in Reedsville Cemetery.

~ Daughter Martha O. (Martin) Carpenter ~

Daughter Martha O. "Mattie" Martin (1879-1944) was born in 1879.

She was joined in wedlock with Ora E. "Orie" Carpenter (1884-1969) in about 1902. He was a streetcar conductor when they lived in West Virginia, and later in Ohio was a house carpenter and a building contractor. 

The Carpenters had at least eight children -- Beatrice Carpenter, Opal L. Corkreen, Mary F. Williams, Albert "Monroe" Carpenter, Walter "Douglas" Carpenter, Edward L. Carpenter, Dorothy N. Hickman and Pauline N. Hensley. 

The census of 1910 shows them in the Union District of Marion County, WV. In 1920, when the federal census was taken, they lived on Brighton Drive in Akron, Summit County, OH. In about 1929, they moved to a new home at 150 Elm Street in Ravenna, Portage County, OH. 

In her early 60s, Martha contracted colon cancer. When she also suffered from congestive heart failure, it led to her death, on June 5, 1944, just five days before her 65th birthday. She was buried at Maple Grove Cemetery in Ravenna. [Find-a-Grave]

Ora outlived his wife by a quarter of a century. He is believed to have married again to Luvera Morris (1882-1961). She was born in Monongalia County, WV.

Luvera passed into eternity on June 17, 1961.

Ora joined her in death eight years later in 1969. Burial was in Maple Grove Cemetery.

Daughter Opal L. Carpenter (1904- ? ) was born in 1904. She married (?) Corkrean. In 1987, she made a home in Largo, FL.

Daughter Mary F. Carpenter (1905- ? ) was born in about 1905. She was joined in marital union with (?) Williams ( ? - ? ). She lived in Cuyahoga Falls, OH in 1987.

Son Albert "Monroe" Carpenter (1909-1987) -- nicknamed "Monty" --  was born on Feb. 27, 1909 in Fairmont, Marion County, WV. At the age of 12, he migrated to Ohio with his parents, brothers and sisters. He was joined in wedlock with Audrey H. Mills (1911-1969), a native Pennsylvanian. They were the parents of Dennis Carpenter and Nancy Carpenter. When the United States Census was taken in 1930, the couple resided in Akron, Summit County and by 1940 were in Tallmadge, Summit County, OH. Monroe made a living as a machinist with Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, joining in 1926 and retiring after four decades in 1996. Active in the community, he was elected Mayor of Munroe Falls, OH in 1945, serving until 1948. He was a member of the local Masons lodge, the Knights Templar, Goodyear Foremen's Club, Goodyear Zeppelin Squadron Alumni, Goodyear Zeppelin Old Timers Club, Zeppelin Engineering Squadron and president of the Goodyear 25-Year Club. With a deep interest in the Boy Scouts of America, he spent 25 years as a District Commissioner of the Standing Rock District of Northeast Ohio and led the Boy Scout Exposition to New Mexico's Philmont Scout Ranch. As if that weren't enough, he belonged to the Nashville Grange, Daughters of America and Nashville United Methodist Church. Sadly, Audrey died at the age of 57 or 58 on April 17, 1969. Burial was in Ravenna's Maple Grove Cemetery. Monroe survived for another 18 years. In about 1970, he was wed a second time to Verda (Kaylor) Taillon ( ? - ? ), of Nashville, OH, who brought two stepsons to the marriage -- William Taillon and Gordan Taillon. News of their marriage license application was printed in the Dover (OH) Reporter. He relocated to Nashville, OH in 1971, with an address of Route 39, and spent his final 16 years of life there. As his health failed, he was admitted to Altercare in Millersburg, Holmes County, OH. He died there on Valentine's Day 1987. Rev. Dan Jenkins officiated at the funeral service held at Maple Grove Cemetery. An obituary in the Akron Beacon Journal said he was survived by seven grandchildren and one great-grandson.

• Grandson Dennis Carpenter ( ? - ? ) was born in (?). As a young man, he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. In March 1968, at a ceremony held in New York City's Little Church Around the Corner, he married Iliana Caradimas ( ? - ? ), daughter of Costas Caradimas of New York. Their reception was held at the famed Plaza Hotel. She was an alumna of Hunter College. He resided in Seattle, WA in 1987.

• Granddaughter Nancy Carpenter (1932- ? ) was born in about 1932. She married Mark Lyle ( ? - ? ). Their home in 1987 was in Munroe Falls, OH.

Son Walter "Douglas" Carpenter (1913- ? ) was born in 1913. He resided in California in 1961. He was deceased by 1987.

Son Edward L. Carpenter (1917-1998)  was born on Sept. 30, 1917 in Akron, Summit County, OH. He relocated as a boy with his parents and family to Ravenna, Portage County. He was joined in marital union with Charlotte Keevert (Dec. 7, 1919-2008). Their marriage endured for six decades. Their children were Thomas Carpenter, Judith Lynn Perrine and LuAnn Sage. They were members of the First United Methodist Church of Ravenna. For many years, Edward was employed as an inspector by North American Rockwell Corporation in Newton Falls, OH. In his free time, he belonged to the local lodge of the Masons and Order of Eastern Star. He retired in 1976, at the age of 59. At the age of 80, admitted to Robinson Memorial Hospital, Edward died on April 20, 1998. Funeral services were led by Rev. Thomas Poremba, with burial in Maple Grove Cemetery in Ravenna. Charlotte lived as a widow for another decade. She passed into eternity on Feb. 5, 2008.

• Grandson Thomas Carpenter married June. Their home in 1998 was in Augusta, GA.

• Granddaughter Judith Lynn Carpenter wedded (?) Perrine. She lived in Houston, TX in the late 1990s.

• Granddaughter LuAnn Carpenter married Clifford Sage. In 1998, they were in Rootstown, OH.

Daughter Dorothy N. Carpenter (1920- ? ) was born in about 1920. She married (?) Hickman ( ? - ? ). She dwelled in 1961-1987 in Edinburg, Portage County, OH.

Daughter Pauline N. Carpenter (1922-2012) was born on July 4, 1922. She was united in matrimony with Allen P. Hensley (1921-1980). Allen died in 1980 at the age of 58 or 59. Pauline then spent 32 years as a widow. In 1998, she dwelled in Hudson, OH. The Angel of Death swept her away on the Fourth of July 2012, just a day before her 90th birthday. They rest in eternal sleep in Maple Grove Cemetery in Portage.

~ Daughter Ella Virginia (Martin) Watson ~

Preston County Journal

Daughter Ella Virginia Martin (1882-1932) was born in 1882. 

She married Arthur D. Watson (1876- ? ), of Newburg, in about 1910.

They resided in Reedsville, where Arthur was an track laborer in local coal mines, and later office building laborer. 

Arthur had been married once before, and brought one son to the marriage -- Norman Watson. They also helped raise a nephew, John Byron McKinney (see below). 

Sadly, Ella died of a stroke at the age of 50 in Reedsville on Nov. 26, 1932. Following a funeral led by Rev. Cunningham and Rev. A.J. Renick, along with ritualistic services conducted by the Kelly Circle, Grand Army of the Republic Ladies, she was buried in the Reedsville Cemetery. The Preston County Journal eulogized that she "had resided in this county her entire life. She  was a member of the Reedsville Women's club, of the Methodist Episcopal church, the Reedsville Rebekah lodge, and the Pythian Sisters Temple of Kingwood." 

~ Son Harry H. Martin ~

Son Harry H. Martin (1884- ? ) was born in 1884.

His fate after that is a mystery.

~ Daughter Maud Isabelle (Martin) Zinn ~

Daughter Maud Isabelle Martin (1887-1965) was born in 1887.

She married Alonzo "Lon" Zinn (1880-1970) in 1905. He was the son of William H. and Jenny (Trickett) Zinn of Gladesville, WV. 

They produced a family of five children -- Virginia P. Zinn, Charles Kenneth Zinn, Thelma Zinn, William Zinn and Eleanor Zinn. 

Circa 1910-1933, they lived in Morgantown, where Lon labored as a brakeman on the Morgantown and Kingwood Railroad. He eventually retired from the railroad.

Sadly, Maude died in 1965, at the age of 78.

Lon outlived her by five years, residing in their home in Over Cheat. He passed away in Fairmont at the age of 89 on May 27, 1970. At the time, he was survived by three grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

Daughter Virginia Pauline Zinn (1906-1990) was born on Dec. 18, 1906. She wedded (?) Cooper. She resided in Monrovia, Los Angeles County, CA in 1970. Death carried her away in Los Angeles on Sept. 22, 1990.

Son Charles Kenneth Zinn (1909- ? ) made his home circa 1970 in Raytown, MO, a suburb of Kansas City.

Daughter Thelma Zinn (1912- ? ) died young, but her details are not yet known.

Son William H. Zinn (1916-1975) was born on Aug. 2, 1916. He lived in Sacramento, Sacramento County, CA in 1970. He passed away in Sacramento on Jan. 15, 1975.

Daughter Eleanor Zinn (1920- ? ) was born in 1920. She married (?) Thomas. Circa 1970, she lived in Alhambra, Los Angeles County, CA.

~ Daughter Mary G. "Mollie" (Martin) McKinney ~

Daughter Mary G. "Mollie" Martin (1891-1981) was born in 1891.

She married John A. McKinney (1891-1972) in 1908, when he was age 19, and she 18.

They together bore four children -- Edward "Dale" McKinney, John Byron McKinney, Mrs. Howard Hoffmeyer and Mrs. Max Fisher.

In 1910, they lived near Mollie's parents in the Valley District of Preston County. Circa 1933, they made their home in Morgantown.

Sadly, John died in 1972.

Mollie outlived him by nine years and passed away in 1981. Interment of their remains was in Bethel Cemetery in Morgantown.

Son Edward "Dale" McKinney (1910-1979) was born on March 8, 1910. He was united in matrimony with Virginia E. (March 3, 1916-1989). They resided in Morgantown in 1939. The angel of death carried him away on Feb. 5, 1979. As a widow, Virginia endured for another decade. She succumbed to death on Oct. 9, 1989.

Son John Byron McKinney (1915-1939) made his home with his aunt and uncle, Ella (Martin) and Arthur D. Watson. He married Mary (?), but the marriage may not have endured. While in Morgantown, John was employed as a mine engineer. At the age of 23, in early February 1939, he came down with a strep infection on top of bronchio-pneumonia. He fought the illness for a week, but lost the battle, and died on Feb. 11, 1939. He is buried in Morgantown's Oak Grove Cemetery.

Daughter (?) McKinney married Howard Hoffmeyer and in 1939 made their home in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, OH. 

Daughter (?) McKinney wedded Max Fisher and lived in 1939 in Cleveland.

Copyright © 2001, 2007-2009, 2013, 2019, 2021 Mark A. Miner