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GADD AND MARTIN FAMILIES OF VIRGINIA AND WEST VIRGINIA
Powell Wade Gadd and Emma Melissa Martin
























Ordie Robert Vest, Dorothy M. Gadd Epling, and Robert Lee Gadd. Go to In Memory page. 

Updated June 14, 2021
Gadd -- origin of surname. "English - occupational; from Middle English meaning 'goad, spike,' referring to a cattle driver."  (“The Wordsworth Dictionary of Surnames,” Terry Freedman & Iseabail Macleod, 1997, Wordsworth Editions, Hertfordshire, Page 89.) 

Powell and Emma Gadd -- a short biography (PDF in Dropbox)

Powell Wade Gadd, son of Andrew Powhatan Gadd and his wife Delilah Ferguson (See Gadd Page 1), was born 15 Sept 1853 and died 26 July 1924, in West Virginia.  WV Project birth record. He married Emma Melissa Martin, daughter of Adam Martin and wife Rebecca Scott.  According to entries made by daughter Emma Stella in two Bibles, Emma Melissa and husband Powell had the same birth date: 15 Sep 1853. In a 1974 letter, granddaughter Frances Hatcher Gramm said Powell was born on 15 Sep 1853 and Emma Melissa on 14 Sep 1853. Emma died on 17 Aug 1921.
 Photos: Powell, Emma Melissa and unidentified child.  Powell and Emma Melissa.

For more about Emma's family, go to Page 4 Gadd Family - The Martins.

Powell and Emma and son George are buried in a cemetery "located on the John Hudson farm, which was the original Spangler home," according to information in the Tallery Mountain chapter of A New River Heritiage, Volume II, by William Sanders, McClain Printing Co., Parsons, W.Va., 1992, Page 208-209.

Find A Grave Memorial 91894149 and 91894853.

Stories about Powell Wade Gadd:
Daughter Emma Stella said Powell had a red beard. When Stella had her first child, son Dewey Via, her parents assisted her. She sat back in her father’s arms while her mother helped her grandchild into this world. 

Powell had a sense of humor and was a bit of a trickster. One of his granddaughters remembers how he would ask her to get him a cup of cold water from the spring. He told her that only she knew how to fetch his water just right.   In a March 1992 letter, Nina Vest Bennett Worley (Stella and Leonard Vest's daughter) wrote about her grandparents, Powell and Emma Gadd: 
Well, I have to tell you a little about my Grandmother & Dad, Gadd. They always went to church. Rode in a wagon. The horses had to be curried and clean. They wore gloves to church in those days, up to their elbows. One time mother (Emma Stella) didn't put any on because there was a hole in one finger of a glove. Grand daddy noticed, made her go back and put on her gloves and told her to be sure and get some from the store and have a pair extra in case she had a bad pair. They were Methodists. Mother was saved when she was 16. 

Party at Annie's House. In 1959 Annie Gadd Turner invited her sister Stella Gadd Vest, her nieces and a nephew and their families for a get-together. Lots of pictures were taken. (Pdf in Dropbox. You can download the document  by clicking on "Download" in right corner of Dropbox page.)

Children of Powell Gadd and wife Emma Martin 

  • Mary Ellen Gadd, born 30 May 1875 in Raleigh County, W.Va./died 13 Aug 1925 in Blue Jay, Raleigh County, W.Va. and was buried in the Anderson Vest Cemetery, Summers County, W.Va. Birth record. Death record. She married John H. Vest in 1892 in Summers County, W.Va. Marriage record. His name is also seen as John H. L. Vest. John was born Mar 1869 in West Virginia, a son of Charles Jackson Vest and wife Mary J. Harvey. Mary died in 1925 and was burined in the Anderson Vest Cemetery. Find A Grave Memorial 44990414.  After Mary’s death, John married his sister-in-law Rosa Gadd George on 12 April 1930 in Allen County, Ind. John, 62, was working in Kendallville, Ind., on a farm. He went for a swim with several other people to cool off after work. John, an “expert swimming” had a heart attack and drowned on 4 Aug 1930. A brief death notice said his wife was living in Seattle, Washington. Children of Mary Ellen and John:  Jane Vest Pack, B.L. Vest, Ordie Jennings Vest, Emma Vest Wilson and Sarah E. Vest. 

  • Mahala E. “Hallie” Gadd born 14 Jul 1877 in Raleigh County, W.Va./died at 15 after the birth of her son. Birth record. Hallie, 14, married  Michael Isaac “Mike” Harvey, 21, on 29 Oct 1891 in Summers County, W.Va. Marriage record. Michael was born 08 Mar 1870 in Mount View, Summers Co., W.Va., a son of Austin Ballard Harvey and wife Mary Ann Ellison.Michael's birth record. Hallie and Michael's son: Alfred Adolphus Harvey, was born 09 Oct 1892 in Summers County. Hallie died a week later on 16 Oct 1892.  Hallie is buried Charles Vest Cemetery, Streeter, Summers County, W.Va. Find A Grave Memorial# 88870606. Her gravesite was located and recorded by Brittany Wykle. In 1899 Michael married Anna Jane “Annie” Meadows in Summers County. She was born 11 Mar 1884 in Raleigh County near Shady Spring, a daughter of Irvin Delaware Meadows and wife Ellen B. Moomaw. Michael and Annie had six daughters and three sons (list from Find A Grave): Cassie O. Harvey Murphy, Minerva Faye Harvey Workman, Myrtle, Edith Irene Harvey Keefer, Nora Albany Harvey Davis, Selma J. Harvey Martin, Clarius Woodrow Harvey, Youell Harvey, L.C. Harvey and Delbert E. Harvey. L.C. and Delbert died in childhood. Michael died 24 Jun 1944 in Talcott, Summers County. Annie, 61, married James William Hall, 61, in 1946 in Summers County. She died 01 Feb 1955 in Hinton Hospital, Summers County. Michael and Annie are buried in the Hinton Family Cemetery, Hinton, Summers County. Find A Grave Memorial 91880903 and 91880922. Michael's death record. Michael's obituary. Adolphus's obituary.

  • Emma Stella Gadd was born on 23 May 1879, in Pipestem, Summers County, W.Va. (Both a birth date entry in the family Bible written after Stella’s death and the birth date on her tombstone are May 23. However her birth record says May 20.) Stella died on 24 Jan 1965, in the White Oak Mountain, Raleigh County, W.Va., home of her daughter Golda Vest Smith, with her family at her bedside. She married three times. Stella and Anderson – James Anderson Elmer Via -- were married on 06 Nov 1900 in Summers County. Anderson was a son of Isaac Via and Mary E. Vest Via. Stella and Anderson’s son Dewey Abshire Anderson Via was born on 17 Jan 1902 in Summers County. Dewey was only 10 months old when his father was killed at work on 21 Nov 1902 in Shady Spring, Raleigh County. A tree fell on him. Stella married Charles Odey Farmer, 34, of Pittsylvania, Va., in 1904. Farmer was abusive and the marriage ended in divorce. Stella married Leonard Haliburton Vest on 11 June 1907, in Hinton, Summers County. He was born 27 Nov 1880 in Raleigh County, a son of Columbus Washington Vest and wife Malinda Jane Cochran. Leonard had a son, Claude Raymond “Claudie” Vest, by his first wife Clara Alice Plumley Vest. Clara was born 13 Jun 1884 in Raleigh County, a daughter of Isaac Plumley and wife Mary J. E. Elizabeth F. Vest of Richmond District. Clara gave birth to their son Claude “Claudie” Raymond on 21 Nov 21, 1901. Clara died on 29 Apr 1902. Children of Leonard and Stella: Dewey Via, Claude Vest, Verna Veatrice Vest Bennett, Golda Mae Vest Smith, Nina Arabell Vest (Bennett) Worley, Sylvia Gladys Vest, Josephine Vest and Ola Pearl Vest (Hinte) Riffle. (A note on Ola’s name probably written by Nina: “Named Ola at birth - called Flossie. Nina sent “Pearl” in to Vital (Statistics) age of 9.”) Three children died young. Sylvia, 8, and her sister Josephine, 1, died at home within a few hours of each other of diphtheria. Stella’s family Bible records the date as 02 Sep 1921, for both girls. However, their sister Nina remembered Sylvia dying at 9 p.m. and the Josephine dying at 9 a.m. the next morning. Stella’s son Dewey, 34, died 12 Sep 1936. He had health problems from birth. Dewey lived at home and never married. Anderson is buried in the Anderson Vest Cemetery in Summers County. Find A Grave Memorial 52935416. Clara's place of burial is unknown. Stella and Leonard are buried in the Smith Cemetery on White Oak Mountain. Find A Grave Memorial 38583216 and 38583133 

  • George W. Gadd, born 24 June 1881 (WV birth record), died 30 May 1914 in Quinnimont, Fayette County, W.Va., after being struck by a loose railroad car. He married Ethel Powell in 1910 in Raleigh County, W.Va. Marriage record. George and Ethel's son: Carlos L. Gadd (15 Sep 1911/28 July 1979). Source of dates: Social Security Death Index. According to a family member, Ethel had three other children, two sons and a daughter. Ethel married John W. Bailey in 1919. Marriage record. Ethel died 17 Apr 1936 in Beckley, W.Va. The Death of George W. Gadd   

  • Sarah Ann Frances “Annie” Gadd, born 25 May 1884 in West Virginia/died 07 May 1966 in St. Thomas, Pa., at the home of her youngest daughter, Frances Hatcher Gramm. The original source for her birth and death dates is a letter written by Mrs. Gramm in August 1974. Annie, 16, married James William Hatcher, 24, on 01 March 1901 in Summers County, W.Va. James was born 19 Oct 1876 in Raleigh County, W.Va., a son of Daniel Hatcher and Barbara Johnson Hatcher. Children of Annie and James: Rebecca Jane Hatcher (married Henry Dunham and Clancy Dawson); Ethel May Hatcher (married Earl Foley, Alfred Blackburn and Walter Correll); Walter Lee Hatcher; Goldie Athaline Hatcher (married Lenwood Hicks and David Ferris); Sylvia Hatcher Morales; and Frances A. Hatcher Gramm. After Annie and James divorced in 1920, James married Susan Etta Wood (1883-1966) on 19 Oct 1921 in Raleigh County. Susan was a daughter of Martin G. Wood and Lucinda Cooper Wood. James and Susan had two children, Opal Pearl Hatcher Taylor; and Roy Emerson Hatcher. Susan’s first husband was David Ward Buchanan, who died in 1920. Susan and David had nine children. Walter Winfield Buchanan, Chloe Edith Buchanan Johnston, Wilton Howard Buchanan, Lacy Roscoe Buchanan, Loena Buchanan Reed, Letha Mae Buchanan, Kermit Green Buchanan, Nancy Arminda Buchanan Fuller, and William Oscar Buchanan. Obituaries for the Hatcher children refer to an older half brother, Arnold George Hatcher. I found Arnold’s obituary and a delayed birth certificate issued in 1960. His parents are listed as Leah Harvey and James William Hatcher. Annie married George Walter Turner in 1921 in Beckley, Raleigh County, W.Va. Marriage record. Mr. Turner was born Abt. 1871 in Franklin County, Va.  Annie and "Turner," as she called him, did not have children. (Annie's obituary says Turner died in 1955 but I have been unable to find either a West Virginia death certificate or obituary for George. I did find a George Turner -- Find A Grave Memorial 32577984 -- who may be one and the same.) James Hatcher died 26 Nov 1941 in Stephenson, Wyoming Co., W.Va. He is buried in Shrewsbury Cemetery, Beeson, Mercer County, W.Va. Find A Grave Memorial 51646246. Annie is buried in the Smith Cemetery on White Oak Mountain in Raleigh County. Find A Grave Memorial 38583372.

  • Rosa Geales Gadd, born on 25 Nov 1887 in Summers County, W.Va. In 1914 she married Edward Franklin George in Seattle, Wash. According to their marriage records, Rosa was divorced and Edward was a widower. It was a third marriage for both the bride and groom. According to a George family researcher who provided the marriage record, Rosa and Edward "had one son Edward F. George, born April 13, 1920, but he died apparently the same day or within a few days of birth." The 1920 federal census shows Rosa George, 32, living in Seattle, King County, Washington, with husband Edward F. George, 49, a millwright, born in Michigan, and his daughter Beulah, 10, born in Washington. Rosa’s fourth husband was John Vest, widower of her sister Mary Ellen. They married on April 12, 1930 in Allen County, Ind. He died on Aug. 14, 1930, in Noble County, Ind., after suffering a heart attack while swimming. A brief death notice provided by a Gadd researcher says his wife was living in Seattle. Mrs. George, 62, died on March 22, 1950, in Kitsap County, Wash., (Death record: Rosa G. George, Certificate: 4724, Washington State Digital Archives.) in her Bainbridge Island home. There were two news accounts of her death: Rosa George, Bremerton Sun, 27 Mar 1950, Page 7, and Funeral Today For Mrs. George, Elderly Widow, Bainbridge Island Review, 30 Mar 1950, Page 8. Funeral services for Rosa Gadd George were held on March 30, 1950, at the Bainbridge Funeral Home. A place of burial was not listed. Her death notice in the Bremerton Sun says that her only known survivor was “an adopted daughter in Washington D.C., to whom she left everything in a will drawn up sometime before her death.” The funeral announcement in the Bambridge Island Review said she was survived by a daughter, Mrs. Thelna [Thelma?] Overstreet of Washington D.C., a brother and several stepchildren. In reality, Rosa had five living siblings. Find A Grave Memorial 91901477.

  • Ada M. Gadd, born 12 Sept 1888. According to a letter written by a niece in August 1974, Ada "died as a baby." That birth date is in conflict with information online: GADD, Ada M. d. Nov. 21, 1890 at age 1 and 21 days of diptheria. Parents: P.W. & E. M. Gadd. From West Virginia Genealogy Trails, Summers County, West Virginia Death Records [Except where noted, submitted by K. Torp]. Accessed 10 Oct 2009. Find A Grave Memorial 91902031.

  • Clowney William Gadd was born in 1891 in West Virginia. Clowney’s birthday and birth county vary according to the source. His birth record says he was born on 15 July 1891 in Summers County. His sister Stella’s family Bible has his birthday listed but the figure is unclear -- it is either 15 or 16 July. His death certificate says he was born 06 June in Raleigh County. He died on 02 Dec 1951 in Mercer County, W.Va., and was buried in Monte Vista Park Cemetery, Bluefield, Mercer County. Find A Grave Memorial 16588752. Clowney married three times: 1. Eliza Francis Redden, marriage in 1915 in Raleigh County, W.Va. Eliza was a daughter of Oliver Redden and Member Berry, born on 12 May 1899 in Table Rock, Raleigh County, W.Va. A date of death or place of burial has not been found for Eliza. 2. Mary Harriet Carver, 1922 in Mercer County, W.Va. Mary was born in 1901 in Virginia, a daughter of Samuel David Carter and wife Martha Jane Tabor and died on 03 Dec 1926 in Mercer County, W.Va. Mary’s obituary says she will be buried in the family cemetery in Hicksville. That might be the Hoges Chapel Cemetery in Bland County, Va., where her parents are buried: Samuel, Find A Grave Memorial# 35552005, and Martha, 35552061. Children of Clowney W. Gadd and Mary Harriet Carver: Elsie Marie Gadd Akers, Charlie Powell Gadd and Frances Louise Gadd. 3. Maude Elizabeth Davis, 1930 in Mercer County, W.Va. Maude was born 06 Sep 1900 in Kellysville, W.Va., a daughter of Joshua Albert Davis and wife Mary Jane Pennington. She was buried in Monte Vista Park Cemetery, Bluefield, Mercer County. Find A Grave Memorial# 70797904. Children of Clowney W. Gadd and Maude Elizabeth Davis: Carlos David Gadd, Clowney W. Gadd Jr., Donald Gene Gadd, Chris Eugene Gadd, Roger Carr Gadd and Verna Jane Gadd (Whittaker) Lambert. Maude had four children with her first husband Montray Blankenship:  Una Lee Blankenship, Georgia Mae Blankenship Bruce, Montry Lee Blankenship Jr. and Troy Boyd Blankenship.

  • Arabelle Emma Gadd, born on 21 Feb 1894 in Raleigh County, W.Va./died on 15 Mar 1963 in Weston Hospital in Lewis County, W.Va., after a six-month illness. (Name variations: Her sisters called her Arabelle. Name on her obits: Arabelle and Irabelle. Tombstone: Arabella. The name on her birth record was Emmy Arminta Gadd.) Arabelle, 19, married Walter Martin, 23, in 1913 in Summers County, W.Va. Note about place of burial: Mrs. Martin’s obituary (Mrs. Arabelle Martin, Sunday, 17 Mar 1963, Page 2, Raleigh Register/Post-Herald) states she was to be was buried in Hilltop Cemetery, Summers County, W.Va. According to a researcher who visited her gravesite, her tombstone is at a burial site about a mile away. The Summers County, West Virginia, Historical Society Cemetery Book (1996), Page 332, lists her final resting place as Adkins (2) with a notation that “Was also listed in Esquire [cemetery].” Find A Grave Memorial 91902419. Children of Arabelle and Walter: Catherine Martin Sears, Edna Mae Martin Dodson, Minnie Arabell Martin Lilly, and Henry Harding “Harry” Martin.

  • Noah Levi Gadd Sr. was born in August 1898. His birthday varies with the source: Noah’s birth record has 10 Aug as his birthday. But his World War I and II draft cards, a marriage record, the Social Security Death Index. his tombstone and obituary have 06 Aug. His sister Stella’s family Bible has 20 Aug. Noah died on 19 Jun 1967 in the Huntington State Hospital, Cabell County, W.Va. He was buried in Athens Cemetery, Athens, Mercer County, W.Va. Find A Grave Memorial 50648486. He was married three times: 1. Granger Beatrice “Bea” Gore, daughter of Granger Gore and Lucy Vaught Gore. She was born 15 Dec 1903 in Pride (now called Speedway), Mercer County, W.Va. and died 10 Nov 1999 in Princeton, Mercer County, W.Va. She is buried in Resthaven Memorial Park Cemetery, Princeton. Find A Gra ve Memorial 101265302. 2. Emma Virginia Donnelly Griffin, daughter of Elisha Donnelly and Cosby Smith Donnelly, in 1951 in Tazewell, Va. She was born on 20 Apr 1906 in McDowell County, W.Va. Emily was married twice before, J.J. Pennington in 1922 and William Linza Clinton Griffin in 1944. Griffin died in 1948. Emily died on 01 Feb 1953 in Mercer County and was buried in Smith Cemetery, Littlesburg, Mercer County. Find A Grave Memorial 32563618. 3. Gerlean Bennett, daughter of William Bennett and Roxie Plumley Bennett. She was born 07 Sep 1916 in Raleigh County, W.Va., and died 02 Mar 1998 in Raleigh County, W.Va. Burial was in the New Salem Baptist Church Cemetery, Abraham. Children of Noah and Beatrice: Daisy Gadd Jones' obituary says she was from a family of 17 children. Dorothy Gadd Epling's obit said she was the oldest of 18 children. Note: Previously I listed Amanda, based on information given to me by a researcher. But close family members said Amanda was not a sibling so I deleted that name. Here is my list of 18 children: Dorothy M. Gadd Epling, Daisy Garnet Gadd Jones, Noah L. “Buddy” Gadd Jr., twins Russell Bee Gadd and Robert Lee Gadd, Earsie George Gadd, Carlos Ray Gadd (who died as an infant), Alvie L. Gadd, Frank N. Gadd, Lotus Gadd, Rholdolphas Gadd, Vada Verona Gadd, Versel Nadine Gadd (McLaughlin) Bonacci, Zula Gadd Patterson, Anna Faye Gadd, Infant Son, stillborn (Source: family member), Leola Sherl Gadd (who died in childhood), and Fred Herbert “Freddie” Gadd.


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