Ruth Ann (Minerd) Mayle
(1869-1969)
Ruth Ann (Minerd) Mayle was born in 1869 in or near Philippi, Barbour County, WV, the daughter of Henry C. and Mariah (Pritchard) Minerd.
Ruth
may have been named for an aunt, Ruth
Ann (Minerd) Kennedy. She married William
Stephen "W.S." Mayle (1867-1929) on June 22, 1887, at the residence of Rev. Lemuel Ryan.
He was the son of John and Elizabeth (Norris) Mayle. She was age 18 at the time
of marriage,
and he was 20.
They are believed to have had 11 children – among them John Edward Mayle (1891-1968); Ethel Male (1893- ? ); Henry C. Mayle (1897-1939); Icie Clara Norris, Okey Mayle Sr., Rockford E. "John" Mayle ( ? -1957); Emard Mayle (1905-1923), Ernest Mayle (1906- ? ); Andrew Mayle (1908-1922 ); and Enoch Mayle (1899-1929).
The Barbour County Personal Property Book for 1897 shows that William was considered a "colored male." He is marked as possessing no horses, cattle or hogs.
Circa 1903 and 1929, the Mayles resided near Philippi, residents of "the so-called Bloody Creek section of Chestnut Ridge," said the Philippi Republican newspaper.
The census of 1920 shows the Mayles residing in the
Philippi district of Barbour County, where William and son Henry were coal
miners. That year, among their neighbors was Ruth Ann's cousin Harrison Kennedy
and his wife Elsina. Tragically, two of the Mayles' sons died of tuberculosis or
related meningitis within eight months of each other in the early 1920s --
14-year-old Andrew on May 21, 1922, and Emard in 1923.
Heartache struck the family twice again in early 1929, when son Enoch died of tuberculosis, and then, a little more than two months later, William died at home of heart disease at the age of 61 on May 6, 1929. William's obituary in the Republican noted that his demise was "following a long illness but only a day or two of recent confinement" and that he was survived by Ruth Ann and only three children, which may not be accurate. "Burial was made Wednesday morning on Chestnut Ridge."
Ruth Ann survived her husband by a remarkable 40 years, and outlived nine of her children, and remained in the Philippi area. She died on July 17, 1969, "in an Elkins nursing home where she had been a patient for some four months," said the Barbour Democrat. Her death occurred just two months after celebrating her 100th birthday. She was laid to rest beside her husband and sons Emard and Enoch at Chestnut Ridge, with her funeral arrangements handled by the John M. Stemple Service, and the funeral service conducted by the Rev. Franklin Peoples. A simple metal plaque marks her grave today.
Graves of Ruth Ann (1969) and William S. Mayle (1929)
at Chestnut Ridge, separated by four decades of time
Son Enoch Mayle (1900-1929)
was six feet tall and slender, with black hair and eyes. At the age of 18,
in 1918, he was employed as a coal miner for the Franklin Coal Company in
Meriden. That year, he registered for the military draft during World War I.
The draft board officer listed him as "Negro" and added,
"Claims to be white but generally called colored." Enoch married Dosha L. Newman (1908- ? ), the daughter of Delbert and Ada
(Croston) Newman, on March 25, 1925. He was age 25, and she 16, at the time of
marriage. The Mayles had one daughter,
Opel Deola Johnson, and resided in Philippi. Heartache struck the young family
when Enoch died just a few weeks shy of his 29th birthday, on
Feb. 3, 1929, after suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis. His burial site was initially
stated to be in Belington, Barbour County, but in fact he rests for eternity at
Chestnut Ridge, with his grave marked by an upright, hand-carved marker still
barely legible when photographed in May 2007. Dosha later married (?) Kennedy.
At the age of 18, daughter Opel Deola Mayle (1927- ? ) married 22-year-old Shirley
Johnson (1923- ? ), the son of Willis and Polly Johnson, on May 31, 1945. Research by the late Glenn W. Barnett has been
helpful in researching this line of the family.
Son John Edward Mayle (1891-1968) was a coal miner, following a long-term area of employment in the family at large. He married Flossie M. (?), and they resided in Webster, Taylor County. The Mayles had no children. John died at age 76 on April 6, 1968, and was laid to rest in the West Hill Cemetery. His funeral service was preached by Rev. Winfield Mayle and Rev. Murray Mayle. Flossie's fate is unknown, but will be reported here when learned.
Son Henry C. Mayle (1897- ? ) was tall and of medium build, with brown eyes and brown hair. He registered for the military draft during World War I, and gave his employment in 1918 as the Lee Sandridge Coal Company of Meriden.
Son
Emard Mayle (1905-1923) was a coal miner. Sadly, he passed away of
tuberculosis at the age 18 on
Jan. 27, 1923. Emard's grave (seen at right) was marked with an upright,
hand-lettered stone (as photographed in 2007). His brother Enoch, who would
follow him to the grave six years later, would be buried next to him, with a
similarly shaped and hand-lettered stone marking the final resting place.
Son Andrew Mayle (1908-1922) died on May 21, 1922, in Barbour County. He was just age 14. The cause of his passing was listed as tubercular meningitis.
Daughter Icie Clara Mayle (1912-1955) married Isaac Norris (1893 - ? ) on June 6, 1932. He was age 39 at the time, and she was age 21. Isaac was the son of Chug and Polly Norris of Meriden. The Norrises resided in Philippi. They apparently had no children. Icie suffered from Hodgkins Disease, and died at the age of 43 at the Union Protestant Hospital in Clarksburg, Harrison County, on Oct. 21, 1955. Her remains were returned to Philippi for burial in the Norris Cemetery, with the funeral service conducted by Rev. M. Harris at the Chestnut Ridge Methodist Church. Icie's obituary was published in the Philippi Republican newspaper.
Son Rev. Okey Mayle, Sr. (1903-1994)
was a well known preacher who "was an early leader in the drive to
recognize the native heritage on Chestnut Ridge," said a feature article,
"We, the People of Chestnut Ridge," published in the Fall 1999 edition
of Goldenseal
magazine. On Feb. 5, 1933, Okey married Rosalee Margaret Adams (1915- ? ),
the daughter of E.E. and Lora Adams. Okey was age 30, and Rosalee 18, at the
time of their wedding. They had
seven children -- Rev. Menelus Mayle, Elzie Auentin Mayle, Tressie Walton,
Olivia Spiva, Barbara Newman, Geraldine Mayle and Okey Mayle Jr. Circa 1968,
they resided in Detroit, MI, but later returned to their home region. According to a
local newspaper, Okey "was a retired carpenter and painter 
and was, at the
time of his death, minister of St. Peter's A.M.E. Church at Chestnut Ridge. He
was a member of the Barbour County Senior Citizens and the Allegheny Nation,
Native American Association." He died at the age of 91 on April 1,
1994, and was laid to rest in the Chestnut Ridge Cemetery near his ancestors.
His son Menelus took over as pastor of his father's church, "known
today as Okey's Gospel Church," said the Goldenseal article. "Okey
was a wise and gentle man, and a true community leader." He also was
profiled in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in "Ridge Folks: Heirs to Uncertain
Identity" authored by Barry Paris, and published on Dec. 31, 1984.
Okey Sr. is pictured extensively in the book, Our Kind of People: Identity,
Community and Religion on Chestnut Ridge, authored by Thomas McElwain
and published in 1981.
Copyright © 2004-2008 Mark A. Miner