Opha Kennedy
(1876-1965)
Opha
Kennedy was born in 1876 in the Webster community of Taylor
County, WV, the son of Josiah and Ruth
Ann (Minerd) Kennedy Sr.
He had black hair and black eyes, and was of medium height and build.
He married Bertie Mayle (1876-1933), the daughter of Thomas and Mary Male, on Feb. 23, 1901, at the home of Rev. S.A. Cleavenger.
In 1917, when Opha was 41, he registered for the military draft during World War I. On his registration card, he marked that his employment was coal mining for Sterling Coal Company in Cecil. The draft board officer marked his race as white but also wrote, "Called Colored."
The Kennedys had at least two daughters, Opal Male and Ruth Ann Kennedy, who died at age two in 1923. Circa 1923, they resided at Flemington, WV, where Opha apparently labored at the Cambria Mines.
Sadly, at the age of 56, Birdie came down with a fatal case of tuberculosis in February 1933. Added to malnutrition and dehydration, she died the following month, on March 7, 1933.
The next year, in 1934, the widowed Opha made his home in Galloway, WV. In 1954 and 1963, he lived in Webster, Taylor County. Opha passed away in 1965, and was laid to rest with his wife and in-laws at Mt. View Cemetery. Handwritten burial records of Mt. View burials are on file today at the Taylor County Public Library in Grafton.
Daughter Opal Kennedy (1916- ? ) married Linsey Male (1909- ? ), the son of Eugene and Essie Mayle. The wedding took place on Oct. 7, 1934, at Philippi. At The time, the 25-year-old Linsey lived in Flemington, while the 18 year old Opal resided in Galloway.
|
| Well-tended Mt. View Cemetery, resting place for many generations of Kennedys. The church at this site closed in the 1960s and was dismantled in 1967. |
Copyright © 2005-2008 Mark A. Miner