Minerva (Minerd) Mayle
(1874-1909)
Minerva
B. "Nervie" (Minerd) Mayle was born in 1874 in Barbour County, WV,
the daughter of William and Margaret
(Male) Minerd.
Minerva apparently was not raised by her parents. When she was six, as shown in the 1880 census, she lived with an uncle and aunt, Charles and Rachel Croston, in the Pleasant District of Barbour County.
She may have been married to Granville Male circa 1880, but this is highly unlikely, and is not confirmed.
At the age of 17, Minerva married Ellsworth O. Mayle (1865-1952) on Sept. 14, 1891 at Deer Park. He was the son of Isaac and Sarah Male, and their marriage license noted that they were "second cousins." The Minerd/Minard and Mayle families were close, and Minerva's brother Dewitt Minard married Ellsworth's sister Rebecca J. Mayle.
They are believed to have had eight children -- Ernest H. Mayle, Billy Male, Erma Gertrude Shaffer, George "Dewey" Mayle, Henry Russell Mayle, Grace Sines, Helen Mayle and Tina Mabel Madden. They also raised a brother in law, Clarence A. Mayle, who was like a son.
A newspaper once noted that Ellsworth "lived on a farm at Swallow Falls for about 60 years. He was a member of the Methodist church."
In 1899, Ellsworth's mother died, and the following year, in October 1900, having inherited 10 acres of land from Ellsworth's widowed father, the Males attempted to sell the tract. It was part of the Western end of Military Lot #1700 in Garrett County, and they conveyed it to Hester J. Garrett. However, the deed was defectively prepared, and in July 1903, after Hester's death, they prepared another deed to convey the property fully and legally to her widower John J. Garrett and children Resley M. Garrett, Revin C. Garrett, Granville V. Garrett, Lorenzo J. Garrett, George F. Garrett, Lillie M. Hoge (wife of Isaac R. Hoge) and Mary E. Brant (wife of Albert Brant). Also in July 1903, the Males sold the coal and mineral rights of a 40-acre parcel to Edward G. Bucher of Blair County, PA, for $800. In a third transaction dated July 1903, Minerva purchased a 50-acre tract in Garrett County, known as Military Lot #1700, from relatives Isaac Male, Hugh Male, Rebecca and DeWitt Minard (all of Garrett County), and Idella and Upton Croston (of Marion County, WV).
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Bray School Cemetery in a farm field near Thayerville, MD -- tranquil burial site of Minerva and Ellsworth Mayle |
Rachel passed away in 1909, at the age of 35, and is buried at the Bray School Cemetery in Garrett County.
Ellsworth outlived her by 43 years. The 1930 census shows him living with his son Henry and working as a general farmer.
Son Henry Russell
Mayle (1907-1950) was just two years of age when his mother died. He was a
member of the Methodist Church at Bray, near Swallow Falls. Heartache rocked the family when
he became sick in December 1950, and was admitted to the Garrett County Memorial
Hospital. He did not recover, and died there on Christmas Day 1950, at the age of 43.
The funeral was held in the Pine Grove Church of the Brethren at Swallow Falls.
Pallbearers were Theodore Sines, William Ream, William Lee, Thomas Winters,
Kermit Helms and Clayton Markley. Others attending the funeral, said a local
newspaper, were Ernest Mayle and daughter Viola, Mr. and Mrs. Dewey Mayle, of
Shinnston, WV; Mr. and Mrs. Emory Shaffer and two children of Terra Alta, WV;
John F. Rose and May Rose of Piedmont, WV; and Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Durham and
two daughters of Westernport, MD. In a published
"card of thanks" in a local newspaper, Ellsworth and family
wrote:
We desire to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to all our friends and neighbors for their kindness and helpfulness during the illness and following the death of our son and brother, the late Henry Russell Mayle. We also want to thank all who gave flowers and contributed the use of their automobiles for the funeral service. ELLSWORTH MAYLE and FAMILY
Ellsworth died on March
31, 1952, at the age of 87, at the home of his married daughter Grace Sines on
old Deer Park Road in Oakland. The funeral was held at the Pine Grove Church at
Swallow Falls, officiated by Rev. H.O. Teagarden of Oakland and Rev. Jonas W.
Sines. He was buried beside Rachel. At the time of his death, he and Rachel
had produced 27 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren.
Adopted son Clarence A. Male (1883-1970) married E. Mae (1898- ? ). He lived in Swallow Falls near Oakland in 1952. He passed away in 1970, and was buried at the Taylor/Sines Cemetery in Garrett County. Mae's fate is unknown. They had at least one son, Clarence W. Male Sr. (1922-1977), who also rests for eternity at Taylor/Sines.
Son Ernest Mayle (1891-1970?) lived in 1952 in Peora, near Shinnston, Harrison County, WV. He married Nettie Beryl Miller (1902-1943), the daughter of Joseph Nathan and Alice Belle (Metz) Miller. They had five children -- Dennis Wright, Carma Mayle, La Esta Belle Mayle, Viola Mayle and Donna Jean Mayle. Sadly, Nettie suffered from an incurable case of pulmonary tuberculosis, and at about age 40 went to live in the Hopemont Sanatorium, where she remained for 11 months. As she neared death, she was taken home by ambulance so she could pass away there. Death came a day later, on Sept. 7, 1943, when she was only age 41. She was laid to rest at the Masonic cemetery in Shinnston. At the time, her son Dennis and two young grandchildren lived in Baltimore. Said a newspaper, "Out-of-town people attending the funeral were Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Mayle and three sons, Mr. and Mrs. Jonas Sines and grandsons, of Oakland; Mr. and Mrs. Emory Shaffer and five children of Terra Alta; Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Madden, of Grafton, W.Va.; Miss Helen Mayle, Piedmont, W.Va." Ernest is thought to have returned to Garrett County, where he passed away at the age of 79 in May 1970.
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Industrial Grafton, with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad roundhouse and shops in the foreground |
Daughter
Grace Mayle (1893-1985) married Jonas W. Sines (1892-1969) in about 1917, when
they were both age 25. They had four children -- Faye G. Coulter, Emma V. Sorge,
Mary G. Lewis and Chester Sines. The Sineses lived in Preston County, WV circa
1930, where he worked as a coal miner; and later on old Deer
Park Road in Oakland, Garrett County. Jonas also is believed to have been a preacher
and helped with the funeral of his father in law in the Pine Grove Church in
Swallow Falls 1952. Jonas passed away in 1969. Grace outlived him by 16 years.
She died at Memorial Hospital in Cumberland, Allegany County, MD on Nov. 15, 1985,
at the age of 92. Following funeral services at Stewart Funeral Home in Oakland,
Grace was laid to rest at the Garrett County Memorial Gardens, officiated by
Rev. Arlie W. Sigley. At the time of her death, Grace (and Jonas) had produced
14 grandchildren, two step- grandchildren, 20 great- grandchildren, eight step-
grandchildren and five great-great grandchildren. In Grace's obituary in the Grafton
Mountain Statesman, daughter Faye Coulter was listed as living in Arlington,
VA; daughter Emma Sorge in Grafton; and daughter Mary G. Lewis in Oakland.
Daughter Emma Gertrude Mayle (1901- ? ) married Emory Shaffer ( ? - ? ). Their home was in Terra Alta, Preston County, WV in 1952 and 1971. They had two children.
Son George "Dewey" Mayle
(1898-1971) made his residence in Shinnston, Harrison County, WV circa
1952-1971, where he labored as a coal miner. He married Audra Nay ( ? - ? ) and
had five children -- George Herbert Mayle (1933-1991), Jean Dunlap, Clara
Annalee McCoy, Betty Lou Oldaker and Vada Ruth Mayle. The family belonged to the
United Methodist church at Peora. Dewey passed away at his home at Peora, Route
1 in Shinnston in 1971, following an illness of a decade's duration. Said a
local newspaper, "Relatives attending the funeral included Mr. and Mrs.
Clarence W. Mayle and two sons, Mrs. Paul Mellott, Richard Gerlach and Mrs.
Jonas Sines, of Oakland; Mrs. Milton S. DeWitt and daughter, of San Run; Ray
Mable, of Waldorf; Miss Helen Mayle, of Piedmont; and Emory Shaffer and Mr.
Turley, of Terra Alta." He was laid to rest in the IOOF Cemetery in Wyatt,
WV. Surviving his passing were 13 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Daughter
Helen S. Mayle (1895-1986) never married. She lived in Piedmont,
Mineral County, WV. The Keyser (WV) News-Tribune said she was a member of
Trinity United Methodist Church for 69 years. She died at the age of 91, at
Potomac Valley Hospital, on Nov. 24, 1986. Services were initially held in
Piedmont at the Fredlock Funeral Home, led by Revs. Curtis Saville and S.D.
Sawyers. Her remains then were returned to Oakland for the funeral at the
Stewart Funeral Home led by Rev. Jonas Sines, with burial at Garrett County
Memorial Park. Her obituary was published in the Keyser News-Tribune.
Daughter Tina Mabel Mayle (1903-2005) married Thomas "Clarence" Madden ( ? -2005). They lived in Grafton, Taylor County, WV. She was a "waitress at many restaurants in Grafton and a former elevator operator at the B&O Hotel in Grafton," said the Grafton Mountain Statesman. "She was a member of the Grafton Baptist Church." Clarence died in December 1976. Tina outlived him by more than a quarter of a century. She passed away at the age of 101 on May 13, 2005.
Copyright © 2004-2008 Mark A. Miner