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Note: ÙCbÙDMany of the family have started spelling the name as Weekly without the last e in recent years.
Article from the local St. Mary paper:ÙC/bÙD
ÙCbÙDSenior Citizen: Mrs. Alley
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Mrs. Bertha Weekley Alley is honored this week by the St. Marys Women's Club. She was born June 7, 1884 at Moundsville, W. Va. Her father and mother were James and Barbara Etta Byles Weekley. Mrs. Alley spent her early childhood in Moundsville, having been born and raised in the same house.
Her early schooling has a rather quaint note in that her sister Gertrude, who was less than two years older than she, would go to school and at the end of the day, she would return home and teach sister Bertha just what she had learned during the day. Thus when Mrs. Alley started to school, she was immediately started in the same grade as her older sister because had advanced for pupils her own age due to the efficiency of the teaching of her sister Gertrude.
Some of Mrs. Alley's early teachers were Miss Bell Martin, Miss Sara Porter. Miss Lena Henderson, Miss Laura Martin - all teachers in the Moundsville Public Schools.
Mrs. Alley is one of ten children in the Weekley family, seven girls and three boys and she is the eighth child. Surviving only is one brother who is nearing 90 years of age and still lives in Moundsville.
Between finishing school and her marriage she spent a great deal of time helping her older sisters with their children.
Mrs. Alley met and married Lawrence E. Alley in Moundsville proper. Mr. and Mrs. Fred Stilwell were the best man and Matron of honor and still reside there.
To this union of Mr. and Mrs. L. E. Alley there were four children, Evelyn who passed away at the age of six months; Mrs. Adrian (Eleanor) Belt of Fairmont, Who was librarian at Waitman Barbe Library for six years before moving to Fairmont: Mrs. Kramer (Naomi) Sellers of St. Marys, who is a teacher of French in the local schools starting with 7ÙCsupÙDthÙC/supÙD grade through High School: and Lawrence Alley of Clearwater, Florida, who owns the Clearwater Hardware Store. All three of her children received their college degrees while residing in Salem, W. Va.
Mrs. Alley has seven grand children and four great grand children.
Her hobbies range from gardening to sewing to homemaking. She enjoys a membership in the Pemberton Garden Club of St. Marys as a charter member, is a former charter member of the Shinston Woman's Club transferring her membership to the St. Marys Woman's Club, then retiring from active membership. Order of Eastern Star holds Mrs. Alley's Membership with a Demit, having been transferred to St. Marys group from Williamstown.
Mr. Alley's business was in glass and at the time of their marriage he worked at Fostoria Glass Company at Moundsville, which is still in business there. He promoted and organized glass factories several places in the state of West Virginia, first in table ware then started in the Marble business. This business was begun in Sistersville in 1930, then to Pennsboro, then moving to St. Marys where the Alley family has always made their home (since that time).
They came to St. Marys in 1937 and began the Alley Agate Glass Company which was sold in 1949. Mr. Alley retired then and passed away March 1952. The Alley Agate Company then known as the Marble King was destroyed by fire around 1956.
Mrs. Alley's Church affiliations have been very active during her lifetime. She was Baptized in the Ohio River at Moundsville at the age of 14 Years by Methodist Minister Rev. Clark. When she was about 18 Years old she became a Baptist and has continued with that denomination since. Over her years she has taught a class of young girls in Moundsville, and until recent years, has taught many classes of different age groups in Sunday School. She is an active member of the St. Marys Baptist Church.
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