Talt CHAMBERS

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.


Birth:
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

Buried:
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

Died:
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

Talt married Lydia Mounts 20 Sep 1920, Mingo Co. WV. Lydia was born ca 1891, Kentucky; died 14 Feb 1937, Roane Co. WV; was buried , Matewan, Mingo Co. WV. [Group Sheet]

Talt married Mollie Mae Wright. Mollie was born 13 Mar 1900, Pike Co. KY; died 24 Jun 1959, Pike Co. KY; was buried , Buskirk Cemetery, Buskirk, Pike Co. KY. [Group Sheet]