Samuel Edgar Lively Sr. [44]

  General Notes:

Went by the name "Edgar" or "Uncle Edgar".

Born 1885 in Fayette County at Meadow Bridge, West Virginia, died 1871 in Gridley, California where he had farmed for a number of years, sometimes dairy farming on 80 acres, sometimes growing alfalfa. To the south the farm faces directly at the north face of the Sutter Buttes, to the north Mt Lassen can easily be seen.

He married (it is believed) Cora Eagal (her own spelling) of Fayette County, West Virginia. For both Cora and Samuel background information has been difficult to locate. We do get an occasional glimpse, however, such as small notes some have jotted down to preserve recollections. For instance, "Ed and Nellie line in Oak Hill. Both in very poor health. Ed says he recalls when John (Lively) and Edgar (Samuel Lively) worked in the mines at Red Star, West Virginia."

Samuel Edgar Lively is buried in the Gridley-Biggs Cemetery alongside his second wife, Ida Mae Forren.

Samuel Edgar started 1910 working as a laborer for the railroad in Fayette County, West Virginia. He also spent some time working in the Red Star coal mine. He came to California about 1915.

ABOUT THE RED STAR MINE:
The Red Star Mine is on Dunloop Creek above Thurmond, West Virginia. The mines were owned by the Star Coal and Coke Company, C. T. and G. W. Jones. The Red Star Mine has a drift opening in the Sewell coal bed with thickness of five feet. The company employed 126 men who worked 88 days. With 38 pick and 23 machine miners an output of 66,735 tons of coal was produced.

Red Star is a small town that borders Dunloop Creek and is located between Glen Jean and Harvey, West Virginia. There was a town in Virginia named Star so they gave it the name of Red Star to avoid confusion. The Jones Brothers opened a deep mine here and later a number two mine was opened.

They built homes to accommodate their employees and a company store which sat right close to the site of Red Star Market. A tipple was built for coal processing and a stable erected to take care of the many mules that were used to pull the cars of coal. The stable boss was Grump Evans, the dad of Oscar Evans.

It was great fun hanging around the stable watching the men bring their mules in to be fed.

The grocery store would deliver the groceries with a wagon pulled by a horse. The driver was Jim Ayers who lived in the house by the cement bridge. He always smoked a big cigar and would let the kids sit on the back of the wagon and go with him.

Then there was the big boarding house that still stands, and was operated by Jim DeViese, a mine boss and the song leader at the church.

The church was the center of attraction for everyone and it was full at all times. The ice cream suppers held in the ball park with lights strung up were really wonderful as were the two great ball clubs. The white and black teams were both very good.

Some of the first Ministers of the Church were Alvin J. Cook, Charles Ball, and Reverend Charles Walker.

Some of the black families that played a part in the history of Red Star were the Pryors, Hicklins, Lees, Minors, Claytors, Reynolds, Dewsons, Thompsons, and others.

Red Star once had a large tennis court where the employees of the store and office played tennis.

Some of the first men who were employed at the mines were:
Elmer & Avon Whitt - Foremen
Emmitt Lively - Mine Foreman
John Edwards - Electrician
Charles Whitehead - Superintendent
Walter Massey - Superintendent
Jim DeViese - Mine Foreman
C.P. Hicklin - Head of the Office
B.P. Frantz - Store Manager
Hugh & Frank Garmets - Store Clerks
Jessie Parrish - Scrip Clerk
William J. Scott - Fire Boss

Thanks to June Kelly, Glen Jean Historical Society.

SRC: 1900 - 1910 Census and family documents.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Gravestone Marker: Biggs-Gridley Cemetery, California.

• Land: Gridley, California. Pictured here is a present day photo (2003) of the family barn.

• Family: Samuel Edgar (right) with brother John.

Samuel married Cora A. Eagle [45] [MRIN: 44], daughter of Henry Edward Eagle [2076] and Virginia Frances Puckett [2077]. (Cora A. Eagle [45] was born on 31 Aug 1897 in Fayette County, West Virginia and died before 1960.)

Samuel next married Ida Mae Forren [558] [MRIN: 45]. (Ida Mae Forren [558] was born on 15 Dec 1895 in Buffalo, New York, died about 9 Jan 1969 in Gridley, California and was buried in Gridley-Biggs Cemetery, Gridley, California.)