Cabell County, WV Heritage 1809 - 1996
Produced by: KYOWVA Genealogy Society, Huntington, WV
Page 166

Dunkles Family
     Gordon Sykes Dunkle (B-15 December 1918 - D-23 November 1982) and Jean Meredith Elkins (B-30 March 1926) were married 18 October 1947 - lived in Huntington, West Virginia and had 3 children; Joyce (B-5 July 1952) David (B-22 February 1956) and Diane (B-1 March 1965).
     Looking into the past and contemplating the relatives from whom we are descended, we know Dunkles had come to this country in 1730 from Germany, and Elkin's came from England in the early 1700's. Other ancestors came from Germany, England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland.
     Gordan's Father - Romeo Dunkle (B-18 January 1887 - D-13 July 1976). Gordon's mother - Myrtle Davis (B-24 August 1895 - D-13 July 1976). Their children - Gordon, Madge, Dorothy, and Roma Jean.
     Jean's Father - Seibert Elkins (B-28 September 1900 - D-29 September 1987). Jean's mother - Retha Myers (B-11 August 1899 - D-7 February 1993. Their children - Ernest, Jean, Carl, Lois and Lyndal.
     Family names from Gordon's side - Dunkle, Davis, Stewart, Humphreys, Eden(s), Hull, Topping(s), Dick, Slater, Walker, Morgan, Gilkerson, Karnes and Stephenson.
     Family names from Jean's side - Elkins, Myers, Harless, Coleman, Stone, Javins, Hine(r)man, Fox, Smith, Nelson, Doughlass, Basham, Fralix, Lyons, Bird, Bryant, Ashton, Stanley, Ward, Niday (Von Nida), Howard, Yates, Jones, Eazenson, Palmer, Yearsley and Southery.
     Seibert Elkins's parents - Oren Eugene and Mary (Harless) Elkins had 10 children; Nettie, Lillie, Ruby, Gracie, Opal, Seiber, Cecil, Bill, Byron and Beulah. Gracie and Beulah died in infancy.
     Seibert started the "Elkins Homemade Ice Cream" business when his children were small. He made the batches of ice cream early in the morning, and sold ice cream, pop and candy from a Horse-Drawn Wagon. Some years later his brother Cecil went into the laundry business at the Peerless Laundry, which he renamed Pilgrim Laundry. Seibert also went to work at Pilgrim and was there until his retirement. All four Elkins Brothers worked there for awhile. Gordon Dunkle worked for C & O Railway and then Pilgrim until he retired.
     Talford Myers and Lenna (Coleman) Myers had four children: Retha, Elma, Raleigh and Howard. Lenna died at age 29. Talford Myers was a carpenter.
     Retha Elkins, Isabel Toppings, Henry Dunkle, Greenville Davis and Jacob Myers (Moyers) all taught school.
     Oren Elkins was a store keeper and several of his children worked in the store.
     Daniel Davis fought in the Rev. War and is buried in Guyandotte Methodist Cemetery. George Hinerman from Germany fought in the Rev. War. Thomas Coleman from Ohio was a union soldier in the Civil War. Benjamin Jones and Ziba Fox were Blacksmiths. Ziba Fox's family can be traced back 6 generations to John Palmer, who owned land near Concord, PA, which he bought from William Penn in 1688.
     John Palmer came to PA, from England - lived a number of years in Bethel, PA. His wife was Mary Southery, daughter of Robert Southery of Bethel, England.
     Time has passed - our children now have children. We have 8 grandchildren: Becki, Andrea, Brad, Craig, Aaron, Meredith, Brianna, and Allen. We have a great grandson Ryan and a great-granddaughter Rachel.

Submitted by: Jean Dunkle