The Hartzell's photos were sent to me by: Betty Hartzell Richards.
She also sent along some of her memories of growing up as a Coal Miners Daughter in West Virginia.

This is her story.

I was a child growing up at Yolyn during the early 40's. I went to Yolyn school during WW2.
I lived two different places there. We first lived at Yolyn beside the Lawrence Moore family. The Moores had a son Huey, who married Mary Bevino, A son Orville and a daughter named Margie.

I walked to the Slagle store many times. My dad, Otha Hartzell, worked in the coal mines at Slagle. He later went on to painting automobiles at Minton Chevrolet.

I later lived 2nd house above the school. Hobe Ramey shot himself in the house where he lived between us and the school while we lived there.
The Keatons lived in the first house at Cub Fork Hollow next to Yolyn school as you start up the hollow.

I remember a man coming around wanting to know how many children were in the family. My mother wouldn't tell us why until later at Christmas time when a big truck with Santa Claus in the back came with bags of goodies for all the coal company kids.
And, yes my dad did owe his soul to the company store!!

Eight of us lived in a four room house. Mom and dad's bedroom was the living room. There was a water spigot ever so often by the road for people to draw water from.

My dad raised hogs and chickens. I remember Johnny Triplett coming to the house and asking: Mrs Hartzell, mom wants to know if she can borrow enough meat for daddy's bucket(The Ernie Triplett family). He worked in the mines also. (Johnny just passed away a couple of weeks ago).
There was a bunch of Nelson's who lived above the school. (Elzie Nelson family).

I remember several things about school. Every once in a while the girls would clean the rooms and the boys would clean the school yard on Friday and go home afterwards, Sometimes they would have Sneak Day on Friday and if you could sneak out without getting caught, you could go home.

During the war, they would send us home early to tell our parents to get prepared for a blackout that night. Bertha Chambers son Jimmy was in the Air Force and came home on leave and she had him to come and talk to the children about the war.

I remember a man named Dick Justice who worked at Slagle with my dad. He was a great guitar player and has some recordings that have been re-released in later years.

I left Logan in 1957 and now live in South Lebanon, Ohio, but, Logan will always be our home.
We come back every chance we get. I still have 2 sisters there, Jackie Hartzell and Patsy "Hartzell" McRoberts
I have so many many memories and I hope I never lose them.

Betty Hartzell Richards
149 E Broadway
South Lebanon, Oh. 45065
My email address:  Click Here

Betty and husband Ransom "Hank" Richards