Who Are Her People?: The Life and Family of Louise Maynard Hoskins

By Rebecca Hoskins Goodwin

Who Are Her People?: The Life and Family of Louise Maynard Hoskins

Like Josephs coat, this is a book of many colors. It is a genealogy, a family history, and a memoir. This book tells the loving story of Louise Maynard Hoskins and her family, who were descended from the pioneer families of the Tug River Valley in the mountains of southern West Virginia and eastern Kentucky. This book will tell the story of the people and the place from whence she came. This is the Maynard story, the Williamson story, the Hatfield story, the Scott story, and the stories of their related lines: McCoy, Stafford, Runyon, Cassady, Butcher, Taylor, and Varney.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jul 16, 2018
• ISBN: 9781532048494

Rebecca Hoskins Goodwin

Rebecca Hoskins Goodwin, EdD, is a graduate of Marshall University and West Virginia University. She has spent her life as a student, teacher, and school administrator and has been honored many times for her studies and her work. She is now interested in local history and genealogy, and this is her third book of family history. Her first two books, Did You Tell Them Who You Are? A Hoskins Family Story and Who Are Her People? The Life and Family of Louise Maynard Hoskins were very well received. They were reviewed as "well-written and informative," as "well-researched and entertaining", and as" an indispensable resource for genealogists."

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Copyright © 2018 Rebecca Hoskins Goodwin.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-4848-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-4849-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018905131

iUniverse rev. date: 07/13/2018

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part 1:   A Memoir

Louise Maynard Hoskins

Herman Ray Hoskins

Lida Williamson Maynard

Beverly Johnson Maynard

Louise’s Children

We Remember Mother

Part 2:   Who Are Her People? Family Histories

From Whence She Came: The Tug River Valley

DNA: What Does It Tell Us?

The Scott Family History: Scott, Wright, McCoy, Stafford, Runyon, Runner

The Williamson Family History: Cassady, Helvey

The Hatfield Family History: Musick

The Maynard Family History: Butcher, Taylor, Varney, Lawton, Smith

Remember the Women

Appendices

Appendix A: The Graduation Speech of Lida Williamson

Appendix B: Index of John Stafford’s Goods

Appendix C: The Will of William Scott

Appendix D: The Will of Archibald McCoy

Appendix E: The Will of Alvis Maynard

Notes and Comments

Bibliography

To my sisters and my brother, who shared their memories and their love of our mother. To my son and grandchildren, who continue to feel her joy and love of family. As always, with love to Jim—we agree we had the world’s two best mothers-in-law.

Acknowledgments

The internet has opened myriad possibilities for genealogists; one of these is corresponding with distant persons who turn out to be cousins of a sort. I am indebted to these email friends: Kenneth Dyer and Julius Johnson, who shared their research and that of Joe Sanders with me, and Roger Maynard and Derenda Hagy, whose DNA tests added to the Grimsley mystery. Derenda also shared Maynard photographs. The folks at the West Virginia Archives, especially Randy Marcum, are knowledgeable, professional, friendly, and helpful. Thanks. Special thanks to my oldest friend and Scott cousin, Sandra Deaton, who shared her uncle Grady Scott’s research and who went cemetery hunting in Mingo County with me. My husband, Jim, hunted in cemeteries and in the archives and constantly assured me that I would complete this. My brother and sisters contributed their stories and their memories. I am grateful to these friends and family and surely to more.

In a project of this scope, looking at four families and their related lines, there are sure to be errors or omissions. I have struggled for accuracy, but when you find mistakes, mea culpa.

Introduction

Like Joseph’s coat, this is a book of many colors. It is a genealogy, a family history, and a memoir—a very personal memoir. A genealogy is a tale of descendants. A family history is a tale of ancestors. A family history attempts to answer a common question in a land of close relationships where family traits are recognized and family ties are valued: Who are her people? Louise Maynard Hoskins was descended from the pioneer families of the Tug River Valley in the mountains of southern West Virginia and eastern Kentucky. She was born in the Mountain State and reared in Mingo County, a mountain county. She lived most of her adult life in Kanawha County, West Virginia, but Williamson in Mingo County, West Virginia, was always over home. This book will tell her story and that of the people and the place from whence she came. This is the story of the pioneer families of eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia—coal country, a land of steep mountains, deep valleys, and a raging river. This is the Maynard story, the Williamson story, the Hatfield story, the Scott story, and the stories of their related lines. It is a family history, but it is also a very personal memoir—the story of a remarkable woman, my mother, Louise Maynard Hoskins, and her family, her people.

Part 1

A Memoir

Who Are Her People?

Louise Maynard Hoskins

Herman Ray Hoskins

Lida Williamson Maynard

Beverly Johnson Maynard

Louise’s Children

Pix%202%20Louise.tif

Louise Maynard

Louise Maynard Hoskins

A Memoir

Louise Maynard Hoskins was strong like the mountains, graceful like the breeze that blows through the trees, and beautiful like the rhododendrons and the violets that bloom in the shade—a mountain girl. She was a lovely brunette with big brown eyes, whose dark pretty curls became white at an early age. She was slim and graceful and moved with a dancer’s ease. She faced life’s adversities with her Can’t never did anything attitude. She was a woman of grace and charm, of love and joy, of grit and determination. She was a sophisticated woman at home in New York or Miami or in her kitchen canning her homegrown produce. Mama was a mountain girl comfortable wherever life took her.

She loved. Louise loved to dance, to swim, to dive. She loved to ride horses and drive cars and boats. She loved the theater and sports. She loved to sew, to do needlework, and to cook. She loved her hometown, and she loved to travel. She loved her church work and her involvement in community theater. She loved her old friends and meeting new people. She loved her dogs, Snowball, Nicky, and Laddie. Most of all, she loved her family—her beloved husband, Herman Hoskins; her six children, Becky, Kay, Sue, Rocky, Ann, and Jane; and her grandchildren. Once her first grandson, Michael, asked his mother and his aunts what lessons we had learned from Mom and Dad that he should teach his children. Without exception, we replied, From Dad, we learned the importance of hard work, and from Mom, we learned to live life with love and joy. Louise lived life joyously, loving life and spreading love to all about her.

Myrna Louise Maynard was born on September 25, 1916, in Williamson, West Virginia, the only surviving child of Beverly Johnson Maynard and Lida Williamson Maynard. Lida was not well, and much of Louise’s care was entrusted to Lucy Aston, a black servant. All her life, Louise referred to her mother as Little Mother—elided to Lamuh—and to Mrs. Aston as Mama. Louise’s father, known as Bev, was a larger-than-life figure—a sportsman and a businessman. Unfortunately, while Bev and Lida both adored their daughter, theirs was not a happy marriage, but it endured until his death.

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Lida Maynard with her daughter Louise

In October of 1929, the stock market crashed, and for the next ten years, the United States was in its deepest and longest economic downturn. Millions of people were unemployed, but for a while, this was a prosperous time for Bev Maynard and his brother Ralph. Louise grew up in a financially comfortable situation, driving her car around town, spending summers at camp, and attending a private college.

For several years in the 1930s, Louise attended summer camp at Camp Dellwood, Waynesburg, North Carolina. She always remembered fondly those summers and the leadership of Lady Mary, an Englishwoman who was the camp director. During the summer, they swam in the cool mountain lake, played tennis, learned to shoot both rifles and bows, played softball, and, best of all, learned to ride and to properly show their horses. On special occasions, the campers dressed in white bloomers with sailor collars and ties, and, of course, they wore jodhpurs and boots when they went riding. In 1957, Louise took her children to the North Carolina mountains to show them this special place in her heart.

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Camp Dellwood

Two of Louise’s childhood friends, lifelong friends, were Willa Francis Hanifan, called Frankie, and Esculene Hall. Esculene once complained that she didn’t have a middle name, and her girlfriends happily gave her their first names—not legally, of course, but for the purpose of friendship. Esculene became Esculene Wilmyrna Hall, and Louise and Frankie dropped their first names forever. The three girls remained friends all their lives, and Frankie and Louise were always known by their middle names.

Louise and her friends attended public schools in Williamson, and she graduated from Williamson High School on May 25, 1934. However, during her senior year, in an effort to improve Lida’s health, Louise and her parents spent the winter in Miami, Florida. While there, Louise attended a private Catholic school. One of her classmates, called Sonny, was the son of the notorious Al Capone, and Louise remembered Sonny being accompanied by bodyguards to school. However, she said that the nuns did not allow the bodyguards in the classroom. She also recalled attending a birthday party for Sonny at his home and hearing an opera singer, a friend of Mrs. Capone’s, sing. I wonder if she sang Happy Birthday operatically.

While in Florida, Louise spent her free time swimming, taking dance lessons, riding on the bridle path of the Nautilus Hotel, and dancing in the hotel ballroom. When Louise reminisced about the months in Florida, she also remembered spending time with her father, who was a sportsman and a gambler and who took her to horse races, to jai alai, and to other sporting events.

After her high school graduation, Louise matriculated at Virginia Intermont College, a private women’s junior college in Bristol, Virginia. She majored in speech and dramatic arts under the direction of Miss Rhoda L. Nunnally and studied dance under Mrs. Kelly. During her time there, she acted in plays, including The Little Town of Bethlehem and As You Like It. She also participated in pageants, such as the George Washington Program, where she delightfully gave some selections from Washington’s letters and speeches.¹ After the Spring Pageant, the Bristol Herald review read,

Miss Louise Maynard, one of Mrs. Kelly’s most advanced and talented students, was equally proficient in group and solo work and compelled the observation that she is developing a splendid balance and a style of individuality very necessary for a successful dancer. Wood Sprite, by Serova and Rain Drops, by Chalif, were solo numbers in which Miss Maynard’s interpretative ability showed to excellent advantage. Group numbers in which she participated with distinction were Moment Musicale, by Chalif, and the Viennese Waltz, by Shawn.²

During her time at Virginia Intermont, Louise qualified for membership in two honorary organizations—Phi Rho Phi, the national forensic society for junior colleges, and Delta Psi Omega, the national dramatic society.³ In addition to her studies with Mrs. Kelly, Louise also studied dance in New York City with Louis Harvey Chalif, a noted Russian dancer and teacher.

With a degree in speech and dramatic arts, Louise Maynard graduated from Virginia Intermont on May 25, 1936. She dedicated her graduation recital to Dr. R. A. Salton of Williamson, a life-long personal friend of the family as well as physician and surgeon.⁴ She chose as her recital piece the play Florence Nightingale, by Edith Reid. The Bristol Herald wrote a lengthy and glowing review. An excerpt from that review follows:

Miss Maynard’s reading of the play was distinctive and impressive. It was beyond doubt a dramatic triumph. She made Florence Nightingale breathe and speak, and peopled the stage with rare skill with characters who revolved around this central, conspicuous figure … Miss Maynard is to be congratulated on her skillful treatment of a difficult play and the thoroughly sympathetic and intelligent portrayal of a lofty theme. Miss Nunnally’s pupil triumphed.⁵

Following her graduation, Miss Maynard went to Cincinnati, Ohio, where she studied at the Pep Golden School of Dance. After studying in New York and Cincinnati, Louise returned home to Williamson, where, in September of 1938, she opened Miss Louise Maynard’s School of Dancing and Expression. Assisted by Miss Mary Lou Schwachter, she taught Tap, Ballet, Toe, Acrobatic, and Ballroom Dancing as well as Dramatic Expression.⁶ Soon after opening the Williamson school, Miss Maynard opened a second location at the high school in Pikeville, Kentucky. The program for the February recital in Pikeville showed twelve dance pieces and nine readings with over sixty students participating. Louise was quite proud that one of her students, Bobby St. Clair, went on to dance on Broadway and was on The Ed Sullivan Show.

As a young dance and expression teacher in Williamson, Miss Maynard was frequently invited to share her talents with various civic organizations. A review of the Williamson papers in the late 1930s showed recitals at the First Methodist Church, at the Woman’s Club of Williamson, at Williamson High School, and at the Kiwanis Club in Huntington.⁷

In the summertime, a favorite place to relax was at the city pool, and in the summer of 1939, her friend Sam Cantees introduced her to a handsome lifeguard, Herman Hoskins. Herman had grown up in Matewan, the son of A. L. Hoskins and Lucy Patterson Hoskins, and attended Concord College. Now he was a teacher and assistant football coach at Williamson High School, and in addition to those jobs, he worked as a lifeguard in the summer and as a basketball referee in the winter. Louise and Herman fell in love and were married on December 21, 1939. The wedding was not the lavish ceremony that Louise’s mother might have preferred. In fact, Herman used to laugh that he had to referee a ball game that night to have enough money to pay the preacher. On December 22, 1939, this amusing story was on the Society News page of the Williamson Daily News:

Myrna Louise Maynard Weds Herman Hoskins Last Night

Creating considerable surprise and interest in Williamson society circles is news of the marriage of Miss Myrna Louise Maynard and Mr. Herman Hoskins.

This interesting marriage took place last evening in a quiet ceremony at Canada, Ky. at the home of the Rev. G. B. Bird. The Rev. Bird officiated with the simple but impressive single ring service.

The bride, one of the most attractive and talented members of Williamson’s young social set, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Beverly J. Maynard, of Dickinson Street.

Mrs. Hoskins, a lovely brunette, attended the local schools where she enjoyed wide popularity. She graduated from Williamson high school in 1934.

Receiving two years schooling at Virginia Intermont college, at Bristol, Va., Mrs. Hoskins majored there in expression and dramatics under Miss Rhoda L. Nunnally.

The bride, who is a talented dancer, studied in New York City in the famed Chalif school and received instruction in Cincinnati from the noted dancing teacher, Pep Golden.

For the past several years Mrs. Hoskins has conducted successful schools of dancing here and in Pikeville.

Mr. Hoskins is the son of Mr. and Mrs. A. L. Hoskins, of Matewan. He attended the Matewan schools and graduated from Magnolia high school.

Continuing his studies at Concord college, at Athens, Mr. Hoskins was a star athlete for the college. He graduated from Concord in 1936 and is a member of the Phi Delta Pi fraternity.

Mr. Hoskins, who is widely and popularly known in the county, is at present assistant coach at Williamson high school. The young couple will reside here.⁸

Theirs was a lifelong love affair. Once I had a confrontation with Dad, and when I did not get my way, I ran crying to my bedroom in a fit of teenage angst, slammed the door, and yelled, I hate you. The door opened immediately, and Mother directed me to get up, wash my face, and apologize to my father.

I tearfully replied, You love him more than you do me.

Without hesitation, she responded, Oh, yes I do. And as long as I love him more than you or more than anyone, you will always have a happy, loving home. Someday you will leave me, and I hope you find someone you love more than me, more than anyone. Then you too will have a happy, loving home. Now go apologize to your father right now.

I did that at once, and I never forgot that lesson.

When Herman and Louise had been married for over thirty years, Louise, her daughter Jane, and Jane’s friend Annette were sitting under a tree by Elk River. Herman, coming home from a business trip, drove by on the opposite side of the river and tooted his car’s horn. Louise jumped up, clapped her hands, and squealed, Herman’s home! Herman’s home! The teenage girls laughed then, but years later, as grown women, they realized the beauty of being in a loving relationship in which you joyfully welcome each other home.

Her daughter Sue’s friend Carol recalled, One thing that I loved about your mom was that she always sat in the center of the front seat close beside your dad! I always wanted to have that kind of love between a mom and dad! Thought it was just lovely!

Herman and Louise began their married life in the Simon Apartments on Logan Street in Williamson. The census enumerated on April 11, 1940, tells us that he was a public schoolteacher who earned $1,515, and she was a private enterprise dancing teacher and worked thirty weeks a year for about ten hours a week and earned $200.⁹ Louise also indicated that she had other income, but we do not know what that was. In