I am often guilty of forgetting the fact that places matter just as much as people when it comes to genealogy, but that fact is never so true as in the case of a beloved family home. 163 Maple Road, Belle, WV was home to many people over the years, but it started its life as a small "honeymoon cottage." Sometime during the winter of 1939, Ernest Zacharias "Zack" Hunt proposed to Madeline Eva "Madge" Moore. To his delight, she said yes! When he asked her when she wanted the wedding to be, she said "Oh, how about the 4th of July?" because to her "it sounded like a long way away."
It wasn't long after the 4th of July that they got married. On September 20, 1940, Mamaw Madge told her mother and father that she was going to spend the weekend at her brother's house. That was not her destination, however - instead she traveled to Catlettsburg, TN with Papaw Zack; his father, Andrew; his sister, Margaret; and Margaret's young son, Roy. They were married by a justice of the peace on September 21, 1940, with Andrew and Margaret as witnesses. Mamaw later laughed about the fact that on both the journey and the return journey the next day, Papaw and his father sat in the front seat of the car while Mamaw, Margaret, and Roy sat in the back seat.
The honeymoon cottage that Papaw built became the home that they lived in their entire lives. Over the years it was home not only to them and their children, but also to their grandchildren, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, and many others who stayed under its roof at one time or another.
As is often the case when the progenitors of a family pass away, the house was sold after Mamaw's passing in 2017 (Papaw had preceded her nearly 9 years before). I never met the family that bought the house, but I hope that it brings them as much joy and happiness as it brought to our family.
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