Proud to be from WV today

Over the years, People have told me that if I did not "lose the west virgnia drawl," I would never be taken seriously. That people would always treat me like a redneck. Even my husband likes to pick on me. He often tells me, "Your family tree is not a tree, its a wreath." Or "You are related to 1/2 the state of West Virginia and most of that is because of imbreeding."

My family is from one of those small WV towns. (Terra Alta) Even my mama is buried on a mountian top in a small WV town. (Elk Garden)

My grandma used to tell stories about what it was like growing up in Vindex, Md. That is the mine my great grandfather worked in most of his adult life. She would talk about how they would walk or catch a ride over to Terra Alta to pick up boys. Not only was Grandpap Newt a miner there, but many of his cousins and siblings were as well. Mining is a family tradition. My mom's uncles were miners, and thier sons were miners. Thier daughters married miners. At my grandma's funeral...several of the people present were married to miners or were daughters of miners. And my grandma was too the daughter of a miner. She used to love that old song, "Coal miners daughter." She would say that was a story of her life.

Even my cousins that I grew up, they are now miners. Boys that used to torture me for fun. Cousins who thought it was thier job to teach me dirty nursery rhymes, and laugh when they had me sing them to my mom. Who would steal drinks of my grandpap's beer....or steal one of his cigerattes to smoke it. Family.

Profiles of 8 of the 13

Capsules on Some of Trapped W.Va. Miners

By The Associated Press

Brief profiles on some of the 13 people who were trapped in an underground mine in Tallmansville, W.Va.:
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Alva Martin Bennett
Alva Martin Bennett's father was a coal miner and his only son also worked at the mine. As far as relatives knew, it was the only job "Marty" ever had.

"He loves it, that has been his life," Marie Bonner said of her 50-year-old nephew.

Bennett's brother-in-law, Roger Perry, was one of at least five miners who got out of the mine after the explosion.

"Marty was very knowledgeable and such a good worker he could do just about anything," Bonner said.
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Jim Bennett
Donald Marsh never understood how his half-brother, Jim Bennett, could stand to make a living underground.

"He wouldn't quit," Marsh said of Bennett, 61, of Philippi. "Hell, he loves the mines."

Bennett, a coal miner for several decades, also was a religious man, relatives said.

"Everyday he would come home and pray for who was going in (the mines)," said his son-in-law Daniel Merideth.

Bennett didn't talk about work much but had planned to retire this year.

"Right now he is probably in there witnessing to people," Merideth said earlier. "He would be organizing and praying."
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Jerry Groves
Jerry Groves had been a coal miner for more than 30 years and followed in the footsteps of his father, grandfather, and another brother, relatives said.

Groves, 57, of Cleveland, who had hopes of retiring soon, was married with two adult children, said his brother, Raymond.

"Times are pretty hard here in West Virginia," Raymond Groves said.

"(Mining) is about all you can do to make a living."
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Terry Helms
A coal miner for 35 years, Terry Helms would not let his 25-year-old son become a miner.

Nick Helms said his family never discussed what his father did for a living because "he never wanted us to worry."

Helms, 50, of Newburg, who had worked at the Sago mine about six months, was a fire boss. He was the first one to enter the mine Monday morning for inspections, according to Helm's sister, Judy Shakelford.

Virginia Moore described her fiance as an avid hunter, golfer and fisherman who never really expressed any fears about working in the mine.

"He didn't talk too much about his work, he pretty much left it at the mine," she said.
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David Lewis

David Lewis started working in the mines 2 1/2 years ago so he could be home at night with his three daughters while his wife, Samantha, worked on a master's degree in health care administration.

Lewis, 28, of Philippi, had worked in the timber industry and construction but those jobs kept him away.

"This was a good way to make a living until we could find something different," Samantha Lewis said. "It's just a way of life. Unless you're a coal miner or you have a college degree, you don't make any money."
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Randal McCloy (sole survivor)
The sole survivor, Randal McCloy, wanted to quit mining, his wife said.

"It was too dangerous," said Anna McCloy, who met him in grade school. The couple has been together for 12 years.

Randal McCloy, 27, drives an hour each way from his home in Simpson to make money for his family — 4-year-old Randall Jr. and 1-year-old Isabel.

McCloy was a licensed electrician, but the money in the mines was just too good to pass up, family members said.

"You do what you've gotta do to take care of your family. Everything is a risk nowadays," said his aunt Pat Miles.
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Martin Toler
Martin Toler, a mine foreman, had worked in mines most of his life, relatives said.

The 50-year-old previously worked with his 29-year-old son in a different mine for about four years before Chris Toler was laid off.

"I am going to tell him to retire when he gets out," Chris Toler said earlier.
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Fred Ware Jr.
A coal miner for six years, Fred Ware Jr. always told his fiancee, Loretta Ables, he was going to die in the mines.

Ware, 59, an operator from Tallmansville, had previously broken his ankle in the mine when a rock fell off a rib.

Ables said she and Ware had been engaged about six years and were planning a Valentine's Day wedding.

"He's given me 35 gray hairs sitting here worrying myself over him," she said earlier.

Ware had worked through the holidays except for Sunday and had considered taking Monday off too.
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