Ethel Posey's Adventure

In July, 1894, Ethel Daisy Posey, a ten year old girl who lived in Confluence, had a wonderful adventure when she spent a couple weeks with her grandparents, Andrew J. and Sarah (Dennison) Hopkins in Gilmer County. Ethel wrote the following letter .1

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Dear Circle,2
In company with grandpa, we took the evening train July 5, and after an hour's ride arrived at grandpa's.

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On July 7, Uncle [Walter] Lee Hopkins [26 y/o, unmarried] and I went over on Cedar Creek. [To the right is Cedar Creek today.] I rode "Nig," and she was so large I was only a big fly on her back. We rode over two big mountains, mostly through the woods, and they were very steep and high.

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Put up at Uncle L. M. [Lucian Minor] Hopkins, [He & wife Melissa were in their 40s, had kids aged 2, 6, 9, 14.] and had music and a general good time. We spent two days with them. We went down to Cutlipsville to to Uncle N. W. [Narcissus Washington] Hopkins and found my little sweet cousin Virgil, [four months old] and loved him as much as I could, and back at grandpa's, making a ride of about twenty miles, the longest ride I ever had on horseback.

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Uncle Willie [William Jackson, 20 y/o, unmarried at the time] Hopkins took me to Uncle William Skidmore's [m. Sabina Hopkins in '89]; there my horse got out and left me. I had a good time with my little cousins. From there back to grandpa's.

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I then went to Flatwoods, to Uncle Will Meadows [m. Alice Hopkins in 1887]. I spent a few days with them; then home again. A visit of two weeks - the longest I ever was away from pappa and mamma. We will have a Children's Day service at our church third Sunday in August. I am on the programme twice.

Wishing cousin Paul and the Circle well, I bid you all good by.
Ethel D. Posey
Confluence W. Va., July 23, 1894

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Ethel was married to Grover Van Horn for a short time and they had a son, George Marion. Her second husband was Porter Bennett, and they had four children. (Porter, from Gilmer County, doesn't seem to be related to the Orlando Bennetts.) Porter graduated from WV University and later records say he was a salesman. They moved for a short time to Florida, but returned to West Virginia. Porter died in Tanner, Gilmer County in 1941 and Ethel died in Sarasota FL 33 years later in 1974.

Ethel Posey was a cousin of Daniel Floyd "Flukey" Posey whose story is in the March '07 entry Flukey Posey – Baritone, Sheep Shearer & More. Floyd (who would get the nickname "Flukey" as a young adult) was 4 years older than his cousin. Their dads were brothers who were raised on Posey Run. BTo the right is a photo of their dads and the other children of Alfred and Christina Posey still alive at the time of the photo.

To the right: Ethel's dad, George Jackson Posey, is second from the right, Floyd's dad was John Fontain Posey, third from the right.
Alfred and Christina Posey's kids, left to right: Amanda (Posey) Heater, Mary Posey Knight, Andrew Newton “Ruddle Posey”, Edward A.Posey, John Fontaine Posey, George Jackson Posey, Alfred Jerome Posey

Footnotes
1. Paragraphing is by the editor, as are the [bracketed] comments.

2. The "Circle" is not explained, but it seems to have been a religious group or publication.

Thanks to Ron Skinner for including Ethel Posey's letters in his family tree [Ron Skinner's Posey file.FTW][Brøderbund WFT Vol. 3, Ed. 1, Tree #4772] .

Do you hae a photo of Ethel (Posey) Bennett you can share with us?