Bio-Everly, JohnAmaziah

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John Amaziah "Ami" Everly
(1872-1930)

John Amaziah "Ami" Everly was born on March 8, 1872 at Herring, near the Friendship school house in the Valley District of Preston County, WV, the son of Absalom and Sarah (Carroll) Everly. Also known as "J. Ami," he overcame early widowhood to become a successful teacher, Kingwood politician, and husband and father. He served as Preston County Assessor from 1917 to 1921.

Ami was married twice, and ironically, both of his wives were named "Lillie." His first wife was Lillie A. Forman, daughter of John E. Forman of Herring, Preston County. Tragically, she "only lived a few months after their marriage," said the Preston County Journal. Her date of death is not yet known.

Ami then married his second wife, Lillie Mae Wolfe (1876-1933), on Christmas Eve 1899. She was one of 13 children of Hezekiah and Mary Jane (Beatty) Wolfe, and was born on Salt Lick, near Amblersburg and Terra Alta, Preston County, on June 20, 1876.

The couple went on to have three children -- Paul Darlington Everly Sr., Mary Emily Crawford and and John Donald "Happy" Everly.

The family were members of the Kingwood Methodist Episcopal Church. Ami and Lillie are named three different times in a 1950 booklet, entitled Through the Years: A History of Methodism in Kingwood, West Virginia, authored by Ethel Peaslee Beerbower. Ami is recorded in this slim green volume for his work as Sunday School superintendent (in 1913). During World War I, Lillie served on a committee in 1918 to organize ladies' teas at the church for "war relief work." In promoting the teas, said the committee, "knitting needles and yarn will be much in evidence and the whole atmosphere will be decidedly patriotic. Each guest is required to bring her favorite food conservation recipe." She also was a charter member of the Craig Bible Class, organized at the church in February 1915. A local newspaper once said that Lillie "took an active part in church work and the community in which she made her home the greatest part of her life."

Lillie maintained an active social calendar and belonged to the Eastern Star, White Shrine and Pythian Sisters.

The Preston County Journal once said that he "is one of our kind of young men who took hold of work when he was a boy like he was not afraid of it, and has worked ever since... [His] father moved to the farm now owned by J.C. Elliott near Herring (in Hackleberry) when [Ami] was a boy. This farm was nearly all in woods at the time, and the son worked hard in summer, at clearing, splitting rails and farming, attended school in winter, and got his rudimentary education. Although only a 'chunk of a boy' he showed grit in those days and still has it."

As he grew into manhood, the Journal said, he left home "to support himself and help support a good sized family on the farm... He was not brought up with a pair of kid gloves on, nor born with a silver spoon in his mouth." He labored for "some of the best farmers" in the Valley District, among them E.M. Hartley, H.A. Hartley, James Watson, C.W. Ashburn. For three summers, he "drove a six horse team, hauling timber for the late Thornt Pickenpaugh of Morgantown, part of which time he worked on the Pickenpaugh farm."

At the age of 18, in 1890, he began an eight-year era of teaching school. His first assignment was in Reno, near Rowlesburg, Preston County, where he was "regarded as a splendid, painstaking teacher," said the Journal. He "never had to ask for a school after his first term... [The] remainder of his schools were in his own settlement, in Valley district," including as master of the Long Hollow School where he himself had been taught as a schoolboy.

Opening lines of Ami's lengthy profile in the 1923 book, History of West Virginia, Old and New

He then pursued a more lucrative career "in the mercantile business in Kingwood for a number of years," said the Preston County Journal, and was "store manager for the Bethlehem Mines stores in the Preston- Monongalia-Marion division." He became politically active, with extensive biographical articles published in the Journal during election campaigns. The Preston County Courthouse, where he worked as County Assessor, is seen at left. He is profiled in a lengthy feature in the 1923 book, History of West Virginia, Old and New, which states that:

When he had finished his last year at Long Hollow he turned to commercial lines, and at Kingwood spent two years as a clerk in a drug store, another two years with John H. Garner, and for seven years was associated with the veteran steamboat merchant James A. Lenhart. Following this he entered the service of the Tri-State Lumber Company, being bookkeeper of the mill and manager of the store and finally superintendent of the plant. After almost three years in the lumber business he joined the Coffman-Fisher Company at Howesville, but was soon transferred to Albright, and he only left this service after four years to perform his elective duties at the court house in Kingwood. Mr. Everly was a candidate for the nomination for county assessor at the republican primaries in the spring of 1916, contesting the nomination against five competitors. He was nominated and in November was given the largest majority on the ticket. He had been a regular party worker for a number of years, though never a candidate for office, and his candidacy was the convincing proof of his great personal popularity. Mr. Everly entered the assessor's office as successor to E.B. Hauber, and handled the responsibilities capably for four years. Before the expiration of his term he was appointed campaign manager for Preston County in the campaign of 1920. In that year of general republican triumph he set a new record for the party in Preston County, since never before had the county cast so large a number of votes and never before had a republican ticket received such a handsome majority. Since leaving the court house Mr. Everly has been in business. For a time he sold the Ford car, but is now a traveling representative for the John S. Naylor Company of Wheeling.

The federal census, taken in April 1930, shows Ami, Lillie and son Donald in Kingwood, with Ami employed as an automobile salesman. But fate intervened within a few months.

In May 1930, Ami and his wife were preparing to move to the old John C. Murdock property on High Street in Kingwood, and to open a summer hotel at The Inn. Tragically, while doing some odd jobs on the property on May 29, 1930, he fell over and died instantly. The death certificate gave his cause of death as "valvular heart disease." He was laid to rest in the Maplewood Cemetery in Kingwood.

Lillie only outlived her husband by three years, and owned The Inn in Kingwood during that time. In later years, the Inn would be owned and operated by L.F. Silbaugh, offering modern rooms, fine food and reasonable prices. The beautiful Inn building is seen here, as photographed in April 2009.

At Easter 1933, at the age of 56, she went to live with her married daughter Mary Emily Crawford in Whitman, Logan County. The Preston County Journal reported that she "had been confined to her bed practically the entire time she was there. The last few weeks she had shown a marked improvement and the attending physician had held hope for her recovery, but last week pneumonia set in and her untimely death followed." Her death occurred on June 8, 1933. Burial was with her husband at the Maplewood Cemetery.

In a front page obituary, the Journal eulogized: "In the last few years she had been in failing health but only those close to her ever knew that there was anything wrong. She was always cheerful and king and the news of her death came as a shock to her host of friends in Kingwood and the county."

~ Son Paul Darlington Everly Sr. ~

Son Paul Darlington Everly Sr. (1901-1940) married Margaret Shaffer. They had three children -- Anne Everly, Paul Darlington Every Jr. and John Howard Everly. He received a degree in mining engineering in 1926 from West Virginia University and circa 1933, he lived in Pittsburgh, and was employed by Pittsburgh Coal Company as a ventilation engineer. From there, he went to Holden, Logan County, WV, where he served as preparation engineer for the Island Creek Coal Company. In 1939, he moved to Bartley, McDowell County, where he was named superintendent of the No. 3 mine of the Pond Creek Pocahontas Coal Company, "one of the largest mines in the company," said the Preston County Journal.

The Carswell Mine in McDowell County is seen here, operated by Koppers Coal Company, closely affiliated with Pittsburgh Coal Company. The image shows the magnitude of the steep mountainous regions of the state's coal country.

While working at Pond Creek, in May 1940, he began to suffer from heart problems, and went to a hospital in Welch for treatment. The company decided to transfer him back "to his former home in Holden where he was to take an administrative position," said the Journal, "due to the fact that his health would not permit the work he was doing at Bartley." He was discharged and returned home to Bartley in late June, "and was apparently on the road to recovery when another [heart] attack proved fatal. He suffered the attack while in his room and was found by members of his family, death coming before the doctor arrived. He was one of the most popular young men in Kingwood and the news of his untimely death came as a shock to his friends throughout the county." Sadly, at the time of his passing, on July 19, 1940, he was but 38 years of age. Burial was near his parents' graves at Maplewood in Kingwood.

~ Daughter Mary Emily (Everly) Crawford ~

Daughter Mary Emily Everly (1904-1941) married William Crawford (1903- ? ), thought to have taken place in 1928 in Logan County. Circa 1933, they made their home in Logan, Logan County, WV, and in 1941 were in Marianna, Wyoming County, WV. Tragically, she began complaining of pain in her rectum area in mid-January 1941, and doctors diagnosed rectal cancer. She underwent colostomy surgery at the Cleveland Clinic on Feb. 2, 1941, but she never recovered.

She passed away three months later, at the age of 36, on May 19, 1941, at the Stevens Clinic in Welch, McDowell County, WV. Her remains were shipped back to Kingwood for burial at Maplewood Cemetery.

~ Son John Donald "Happy" Everly Sr. ~

Son John Donald "Happy" Everly (1911-1993) was single and living with his parents in Kingwood 1930 when the federal census was taken. He later married and had a family.

Donald was an active organizer of the annual Buckwheat Festival events held in Preston County in the 1940s, '50s and '60s during the month of October. In fact, in 1953, he was general chairman of the entire event. His other volunteer work with the festival included, in 1949 and 1950, as Firemen's Day Chairman; in 1951 as Director of Feeding; and from 1952 to at least 1960 as Public Relations Chairman. In June 1959 he and 10 other Buckwheat Festival volunteers traveled to Cacapon Lodge in Morgan County "to present 'The Festival Story' for the Southern Association Commissioners of Agriculture annual convention," said that year's program book.

Donald's wife served on the Costume Committee of the Festival in 1946. He is mentioned and quoted in the 1991 book, Golden Harvest: 50 Years At the Preston County Buckwheat Festival, published by the Kingwood Volunteer Fire Department.

Donald also was active with the Kingwood Methodist Church, the fourth generation family member to be so involved. He is mentioned five times and pictured once in the 1950 Beerbower book, ranging from his attendance in the Sunday School primary department classes in the fall of 1915 to role as a church steward in 1950.

Preston County's popular annual Buckwheat Festival program booklets from, left to right, 1941, 1950 and 1960

The Buckwheat Festival celebrated Preston County's position as "West Virginia's and the nation's number one county in the production of buckwheat," said a 1958 festival program. "Preston County threshed 63,800 bushels and had an acreage of 2,831... This grain is used in astronomical proportions during the Festival. It is the principal ingredient of 15,700 buckwheat dinners served at three Kingwood serving centers." The Festival honored local achievements and public service in the areas of firefighting, education and agriculture. At least three extended Minerd- Minard- Miner- Minor cousins are known to have served as Festival Princesses over the years -- Jo Ann Van Zandt in 1946 (son of Joseph Van Zandt and granddaughter of Jessie [Purinton] Van Zandt); Bonnie Overfield in 1950 (of the family of James "William" Overfield Sr.); and Mary Everly in 1949 (seen at left -- connection not yet precisely known, but thought to be Donald's daughter). Mary was elected in 1950 as president of the Methodist Youth Fellowship at the Kingwood Methodist Church, and is referenced in the 1950 Beerbower booklet.

Donald died on May 26, 1993, at the age of 82. Later that year, the program booklet of the Buckwheat Festival featured his photograph and short eulogy. It stated:

Once more, death has entered our ranks with a relentless stroke and quenched the activities of our beloved brothers... Brother Happy became a member of the fire department in 1934, working with the fire fighting section at that time. When the department expanded its activities to include the Buckwheat Festival, he became involved in its formation and continued this interest in administrative capacities to the recent year. He served as General Chairman in 1953 and other works with committees involving firemen's dances, dining room, kitchens, and department administration.