Talt CHAMBERS b. 17 Apr 1895 Mingo Co. WV d. 01 Mar 1972 Mingo Co. WV: Appalachian Aristocracy

1895 - 1972 (76 years)

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Name	Talt CHAMBERS
Born	17 Apr 1895	Mingo Co. WV
	World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 Name: Talt Chambers County: Mingo State: West Virginia Birthplace: West Virginia Birth Date: 17 Apr 1895 World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 Name: Talt Chambers Age: 47 Height: 5 9 Eye Color: Blue Hair Color: Red Weight: 180 Complexion: Red Birth Date: 17 Apr 1895 Birth Place: Red Jacket, West Virginia Residence Year: 1942 Residence: Buskirk, Kentucky
Gender	Male
Died	01 Mar 1972	Mingo Co. WV
	Social Security Death Index Name: Talt Chambers SSN: 233-20-5909 Last Residence: 25678 Matewan, Mingo, West Virginia BORN: 17 Apr 1895 Died: Mar 1972 State (Year) SSN issued: West Virginia (Before 1951) West Virginia Deaths, 1853-1970 Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah. Name: Talt Chambers Death Date: 1 Mar 1972 Death Place: Mingo, West Virginia Father Name: Reece B. Chambers Mother Name: Mary McCoy FHL Film Number: 2114527
Buried	Buskirk Cemetery, Buskirk, Pike Co. KY
	Grave location and tombstone photo: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=111336612&ref=acom Inscription: PVT US Army World War I
Notes	CENSUS RECORDS 1900 Census Name: ??Alt Chambers [Talt Chambers] Age: 5 Birth Date: Apr 1895 Birthplace: West Virginia Home in 1900: Magnolia, Mingo, West Virginia Race: White Gender: Male Relation to Head of House: Son Marital Status: Single Father's name: Reece B Chambers Father's Birthplace: Virginia Mother's name: Mary Chambers Mother's Birthplace: Kentucky Household Members: Name Age Reece B Chambers 35 Marg Chambers 30 Talt Chambers 5 Burgett Chambers 3 Edward Chambers 6 months Ace Runyon 20 [lodger] Don Runyon 24 [lodger] 1910 Census Name: Talt Chambers Age in 1910: 15 Birth Year: abt 1895 Birthplace: West Virginia Home in 1910: Magnolia, Mingo, West Virginia Race: White Gender: Male Relation to Head of House: Son Marital Status: Single Father's name: Russ B Chambers [Reese] Father's Birthplace: Virginia Mother's name: Mary Chambers Mother's Birthplace: Kentucky Native Tongue: English Occupation: Farmer Employer, Employee or Other: Wage Earner Attended School: Yes Able to Read: Yes Able to Write: Yes Out of Work: N Number of weeks out of work: 0 Household Members: Name Age Russ B Chambers 45 Mary Chambers 35 Talt Chambers 15 Edward Chambers 10 Elsie Chambers 8 1920 Census Name: Talt Chambers Age: 22 Birth Year: abt 1898 Birthplace: West Virginia Home in 1920: Magnolia, Mingo, West Virginia Street: Main Street Race: White Gender: Male Relation to Head of House: Son Marital Status: Single Father's name: Reese Chambers Father's Birthplace: Virginia Mother's Birthplace: Kentucky Able to Speak English: Yes Occupation: Laborer Industry: Coal Mine Employment Field: Wage or Salary Household Members: Name Age Reese Chambers 54 Talt Chambers 22 Edward Chambers 20 Elsie Chambers 17 Name: Tolt Chambers [Talt] Birth Year: abt 1896 Gender: Male Race: White Birthplace: West Virginia Marital Status: Married Relation to Head of House: Head Home in 1930: Matewan, Mingo, West Virginia Home Owned or Rented: Rented Home Value: 15 Radio Set: No Lives on Farm: No Age at First Marriage: 24 Attended School: No Able to Read and Write: Yes Father's Birthplace: Virginia Mother's Birthplace: Virginia Able to Speak English: Yes Occupation: Coal Loader Industry: Coal Mines Class of Worker: Wage or salary worker Employment: Yes Veteran: Yes War: WW Household Members: Name Age Talt Chambers 34 Lydie Chambers 39 1940 Census Name: Talf Chambers [Talt] Age: 45 Estimated birth year: abt 1895 Gender: Male Race: White Birthplace: West Virginia Marital Status: Married Relation to Head of House: Head Home in 1940: Pike, Kentucky Street: Tug River Farm: No Inferred Residence in 1935: Rural, Mingo, West Virginia Residence in 1935: Rural, Mingo, West Virginia Resident on farm in 1935: No Occupation: Miner House Owned or Rented: Rented Value of Home or Monthly Rental if Rented: 10 Attended School or College: No Highest Grade Completed: Elementary school, 8th grade Hours Worked Week Prior to Census: 35 Class of Worker: Wage or salary worker in private work Weeks Worked in 1939: 52 Income: $1200 Income Other Sources: No Household Members: Name Age Talt Chambers 45 May Chambers 40 Marie Hatfield 20 [step daughter] Willard Hatfield 15 [step son] Cecil Hatfield 13 [step son] Helen Hatfield 10 [step daughter] HISTORY The Battle of Matewan or the Matewan Massacre was a shootout in the town of Matewan in Mingo County, West Virginia on May 19, 1920. It was between local miners and the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency. At this time miners worked long hours in unsafe and dismal working conditions, while being paid low wages. Adding to the hardship was the use of coal scrip by the Stone Mountain Coal Company, because the scrip could only be used for those goods the company sold through their company stores. The miners, under John L. Lewis of the United Mine Workers of America and Mary Harris "Mother" Jones were organizing the miners. About 3000 had signed union cards, and the Stone Mountain Coal Corporation fought back with mass firings, harassment, and evictions. Tensions were high when the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency sent Albert C. Felts and 12 other men to evict families that had been living at the Stone Mountain Coal Camp just on the outskirts of town. After the evictions had been made, Felts and his men went to the Urias Hotel at Matewan for dinner, then they walked toward the train depot to catch the train back to Bluefield, West Virginia. They were stopped by Matewan Chief of Police Sid Hatfield, who claimed to have arrest warrants from the Mingo County sheriff. Hatfield, a native of the Tug River Valley, was a supporter of the miners' attempts to unionize in the southern coalfields of West Virginia. Detective Felts and his brother Lee Felts then produced his own warrant for Sid Hatfield's arrest. News of the evictions soon spread around the town. The detectives were unaware they had been surrounded by armed miners, who watched intently from the windows, doorways, and roofs of the businesses that lined Mate Street. Sid Hatfield, his deputy,Fred Burgraff, and Mayor Cabell Testerman met with the detectives on the porch of the Chambers Hardware Store. It is still unknown whether it was Hatfield or the leading detective, Albert Felts, that shot Mayor Testerman first, though what followed was Sid Hatfield shooting Albert Felts. This began a gun battle that became known as the Matewan Massacre, or the Battle of Matewan leaving seven detectives and three townspeople dead, including the Felts brothers and the mayor of Matewan, Cabell Testerman. Some of the bullet holes from the battle can still be seen today in the old post office. Among the men who were indicted in the massacre were Reese Chambers, Ed Chambers, Talt Chambers, Hallie Chambers, Charles Kiser, Ben Mounts, Doug Mounts, Art Williams, William Bowman, Bowser Coleman, Jim Overstreet, Clare Overstreet, N. H. Atwood, Van Clay, Jess Boyd, Lee Toler, and John Patrick. [Note: Reese is his father, Ed is his brother, and Hallie is his cousin.] The most important eye-witness to this shooting was one Anse Hatfield (not "Devil Anse" Hatfield of the feud fame), who knew most of the men who took part in it and who testified before the Grand Jury, which indicted Sid Hatfield and others. A very short time thereafter, and after dark, he was assassinated by being shot while sitting in front of his hotel. A few days before he was killed, authorities say he received a letter threatening his life. On September 9, 1920, the Mingo County Grand Jury returned indictments in connection with the killing of Anse Hatfield, at Matewan against Sid Hatfield, chief of police of Matewan, Hallie Chambers, Ed Chambers, and Talt Chambers. With the exception of Talt Chambers, the men indicted were charged with seven counts of murder in connection the Battle of Matewan on May 19. When the charges against Hatfield, and 22 other people, for the murder of Albert Felts were dismissed, Baldwin-Felts detectives assassinated Hatfield and his deputy Ed Chambers on August 1, 1921, on the steps of the McDowell County courthouse in Welch, West Virginia. Of those defendants whose charges were not dismissed, all were acquitted.
Person ID	I34526	Master File
Last Modified	29 May 2016

Father	Reese B. CHAMBERS, Jr., b. 6 Jan 1865, Tazewell Co. VA , d. 27 Aug 1958, Cabell Co, WV (Age 93 years)
Mother	Mary McCoy, b. 1875, Pike Co. KY , d. Aft 1910, Mingo Co. WV (Age 36 years)
Married	09 Jan 1896	Mingo Co. WV
	West Virginia Vital Records http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_view.aspx?Id=10733267&Type=Marriage
Family ID	F6024	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family 1	Lydia Mounts, b. ca 1891, Kentucky , d. 14 Feb 1937, Roane Co. WV (Age ~ 46 years)
Married	20 Sep 1920	Mingo Co. WV
	West Virginia Vital Records http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_view.aspx?Id=10336658&Type=Marriage
Last Modified	29 May 2016
Family ID	F14337	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family 2	Mollie Mae Wright, b. 13 Mar 1900, Pike Co. KY , d. 24 Jun 1959, Pike Co. KY (Age 59 years)
Last Modified	29 May 2016
Family ID	F14336	Group Sheet \| Family Chart