Joanna’s (West) Virginia Genealogy Page

By Joanna Newman

“The Family is the Seed From Which All Growth Begins”
Beth Mende Conny

My Maternal Grandparents
Dow & Malinda May Thompson
Logan County, West Virginia

My Logan County Roots

All of my Genealogy Articles and Posts

Important Legal Stuff…

NOTE: Most information found on these pages are to be used as STARTING POINTS only. When there is “hard” documentation I try to include the particulars so others can obtain the documentation for themselves if they wish.

Any information you find on this site is copyright protected.

While we are on this subject. There is information here I obtained before I knew how important it was to record the source. If you see any information on these pages you feel you are the source of, PLEASE contact me!

As always, NONE of this information can be used for profit. I support free exchange of genealogy information and cooperation between genealogy researchers.

The surnames listed here in CAPS are the lines I am most interested in.

ALLEN | DILLON | FARLEY | Griffith | GUNNOE| Lewis | MARCUM | MAY
| MASSEY/MASSIE |Osborn | PATTON | SOWARDS | THOMPSON |WARD

Joanna Newman
jobeth44@embargmail.com


Belle Allen Thompson was born about 1865 and died ? in Logan County, West Virginia. She was the second wife of Peter “Pete” Thompson, the son of James “Jack” & Juda White Thompson. She was the daughter of Christina Gunnoe Allen.

J. Brett Allen was listed in the 1900 Logan County annotated Census as being the father of Mary Elizabeth and Scott Allen, her older siblings. No paternal entry was found by her name. But as far as we know she shared the same father as Mary and Scott.

Belle was the younger sister of Mary Elizabeth Allen Thompson, who was the wife of her husband, Pete’s brother, James “Jimmy” Thompson. Thus, the two Allen sisters married the two Thompson brothers.

SOURCE: Photo and identification came from Wavolene Bloss, daughter of Nettie Thompson who was the daughter of James and Mary Elizabeth Allen Thompson.

Family of John & Rulana Massie May ca. 1900
Roach, West Virginia
Near Salt Rock, West Virginia
Off RT 10 in Cabell County

Left to right: Martha May Lewis (dau) & baby, Malinda May (later Thompson, age 8), Bernie May (grandson – son of Beckie May), Eustace May (son), Willard May (son), John Wesley May (husband), Rulana Massie May, (her mother was a Dillon) Oscar May (son)& baby, Otis May (son), Ben Lewis (husband of dau. Martha)

Rulana was a midwife and delivered many babies in her time.

*note* Martha May Lewis was standing so far to the rear and to the side because she was pregnant.  Oh, how times have changed!

 

Oscar May & sister Malinda Elizabeth May ~ Photo ca. 1898-99
Ages abt. 22/23 & 8/9 years
(Note Malinda’s (Lindy) left hand in behind her…

She had deformed index and middle fingers that she always took pains to hide. Eventually they were removed as an adult to leave the pinky and ring fingers and thumb…As children all of her grandchildren were fascinated to touch and stroke the soft skin where her fingers should have been…
and she always let us…)

 

Malinda Elizabeth May Thompson
ca. mid 1970s
August 5, 1890 – September 8, 1978

This is how I remember grandmom. She was soft and gentle and a true lady.

Malinda May (Thompson) was an inspiration to many, and a much loved lady who became the mother/grandmother of a large family as well as helping to finish raising the younger siblings of her husband, beginning when she was but 17 years of age immediately after their marriage.

She has had a granddaughter and several great-granddaughters named after her.

 

Elizabeth Johanna Thompson Murray
b.July 29,1922 ~ d. December 13, 1995
Holden, West Virginia

~ Jacksonville, Florida with great-granddaughter Malinda “Lindy” Daley

This is my favorite photo of Mom.

She died of a massive stroke less than one week later.
This was her last photo and the one that shows her just as she was.
She truly enjoyed her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.


More Family Photos

Click on any of the thumbnails to see the full-size images and descriptions.

11 thoughts on “Joanna’s (West) Virginia Genealogy Page”

  1. I’m interested in finding relatives and learning more about my family history. My grandmother was a Marcum before she married a Messer. They lived literally in a holler on the mountainside.

    1. Hi Cathy Buch! Wow…can’t believe i got on this site the same day as you! A real rarity for me. I have a Marcum line too. I would need to look on my Ancestry.com page to recall how, but certainly from Logan area a few generations back. Not sure by i believe via Thoompson, James Sr’s wife Juda White’s line.. i have to look. Ill but it here once i find it. Thanks for the note! guess we might be cousins of sort! 8,> D

  2. am looking for information on my cousin william dyer who supposedly shot asa harmon budd mccoy jr in the back in 1890 along with ples mccoy i believe from a new found relative i jusr learned bout he salid that there brother in laws william dyer parents i think were my 8th cousin william h dyer and his wife was margaret mccoy johnson hes the grandson of william dyer the 2nd is related to my 5th great grandfather james jasper dyer

  3. My first encounter with your site!!! My Grandfather on my mother’s side was named
    Robert (Bob) Gunnoe; they lived at Earling, W.Va. grandpaw was killed in the mines at Earling in the early 30s. My mother married Earl Esque at Earling.

  4. L. Christine May Callaway

    My “May” family also lived in Logan WV. My 2nd great grand was John William May b. 1843-1920, also known as J.W. May similar to John Wesley May born and died around the same time. I have 2 photos to send to you to put on your site that were found among my grandfathers things (Richard Jennings May). Will you send me a direct email address so that I can get to you? They are large jpg files. One of which is of a May family standing in from of J.W. May Dry Goods and Groceries (guessing 1890-1910). If you have any information on my family, please forward to me. Thank you so much.

  5. Joanna: What a wealth of information! I’ll be back many times. My Cherry Tree site was originally done with MS Frontpage which is pretty much a defunct program now. I’m in the process of redoing it with Word Press. I trust you can help me. (Retired educator here in California, graduate of Logan High School) I understand that The Logan Banners are archived at the Southern WV College at Mt. Gay. In the 1940’s and 1950’s each year sometime during August The Logan Banner published teacher assignments and students assignments. I’d like to research those to recreate school lists that now no longer exist due to the fire at the Logan Board of Education. That would be specifically for the 2 room school at Cherry tree, Mt. Gay Grade School and Logan Junior High School. Would you be interested or know someone who I could hire to research this for me? Preferably someone who is on the internet to make communication easy.
    BTW, I remember when Judge Chambers wife was gravely ill and an announcement was made over the PA system at Logan Junior High School for the students to please be quiet as they passed the Chamber residence.
    Thank you,
    Robert McCormack
    760 320 6272 lhswildcat1968@gmail.com
    http://cherrytreewv.com/ –my web site

    1. My grandfather was c.c. chambers uncle. My grandfather William chambers married my grandmother parlee curry, daughter of Victor curry and betty chafin. Victor was the son of Barnabus curry. My grandpa chambers was the son of Sam chambers. When I was growing up they lived on cow creek for the rest of their lives, he going in early 60’s and she 1970. I never knew the judge per se nor his wife,just commenting on this post.

  6. Lorraine Pauline Chambers Marcum

    Nice Picture. I was born in Logan WW and raised. My Family was from Lyburn WV. I have been searching for picture of my Grand parents WP and Hulda May Chambers. CC Judge Chambers was a cousin of mine. Thank you for a wonderful site love it.

    1. Katy Ryan kohearnr@mail.wvu.edu

      I know it’s been years since the comments to this post, but just in case I get lucky: Lorraine, when would your cousin have been practicing law in Logan CC? I am doing research on a murder case (Omar) from the mid 1920s, and the attorney named in news articles is “Chambers.” (At trial, a C.S. Minter was involved.) I would love to find someone who knows something about this particular trial. It involved the death of Rev. Edward Howard. On trial were two women, Maria Parker and Patti Howard. Parker was sentenced to the WV state penitentiary.

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