Always Keep the Memories Alive: A Memorial Day Tradition in Edwight

This article was originally published in the Winter 2022 issue of Goldenseal magazine. It is re-published today for Memorial Day in remembrance of Daniel Wilson (1942-2023).

Written by Jennie Williams. Photos by Mike Keller.

On Memorial Day, one might drive by a cemetery and see brightly colored flowers dotting each gravesite in remembrance of those who have passed. For Doretha Mollett and her family, they reserve this holiday every year to carry on a tradition of remembrance and reunion at both private and publicly accessible gravesites located in southern West Virginia. Since 1959, Doretha and her four siblings, affectionately referred to as the “WV 5” when they are together, have dutifully returned to visit their community cemetery in Edwight (Raleigh County) to clear off the graves, lay flowers, and honor the memory of their ancestors and the tradition their grandmother Bell Wilson had started. They now bring their children and grandchildren on this pilgrimage so that the next generations may carry on the tradition for years to come.

Ready with rakes and bags full of flowers, 27 family members gathered in Edwight on May 30, 2022. A former coal camp community where the WV 5 and Daniel “Uncle Danny” Wilson were born and once lived, Edwight is now an unincorporated community. Its historically Black cemetery is located within the grounds of a routinely guarded coal mine property. Each year, the family arranges with the coal operators to allow their entry. A sign that reads “CEMETERY” marks the trail entrance to the Edwight cemetery, which is now otherwise hidden within a wooded bend of a winding gravel road. The family never knows what condition to expect of the cemetery until they arrive, but for the last seven years, the coal operators have cut back the underbrush and trees prior to their arrival. The Mollett’s extend their heartfelt thanks to the coal operators, who have made their access to the cemetery easy and have participated in its maintenance over the years.

The WV 5, siblings Cleo Vernell Mollett, Sr. (72), David Lee Mollett (70), Doretha Elaine Mollett (69), Tanners Lee Mollett (67), and Christina Mollett (65) reflect on their relocation in 1959 when the coal company closed and demolished their neighborhood, effectively displacing their young family and community. Tanners was three years old when his family left, and he describes the experience of coming back each year to decorate the graves on Memorial Day. “It became a tradition, even a family reunion of sorts because that’s the time that was automatic for us to be together. It also coincided with our graduations — that was a big deal for our family.” Their uncle, Daniel Wilson (80), son of Allen Wilson (1885-1955, buried at Edwight) and Bell Wilson (1907-1991, buried at Boone Memorial Gardens in Madison) tells stories about Edwight. He remembers the town, the company store with a pool room and a post office, the coffee shop and the bus stop, the family names of his neighbors, and the Glorious Church of God and Christ.

Anissa Mollett (27), daughter of David Lee Mollett, shared the story about “the house on the hill,” a story which her father, aunts, and uncles imparted to her about the importance of the Glorious Church of God and Christ. “They always talk about the house on the hill,” Anissa explains. “They moved from Edwight, West Virginia after the coal mines closed, but the coal mining company was tearing down all the houses because they owned them, but they couldn’t tear down the church itself which had been built by the people in the community. So, my family was able to gather the wood from the church in Edwight and take it back to Switzer, West Virginia (Logan County), and build on the land.”

The tradition of returning to the Edwight cemetery began locally, as Bell Wilson would bring her family to visit from Logan County two hours away. They used to meet up with the Clay family, their Edwight neighbors, and the families would share in food and fellowship, preparing a lunch of fried chicken, potato salad, and chocolate cake. As the WV 5 grew older, had their own kids and moved out of state, the tradition began involving extended members of the family, including aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends traveling from out of state to attend. In recent years, members of the family have traveled from their homes in New Jersey, South Carolina, and Delaware, with Uncle Danny traveling all the way from Florida. They now visit cemeteries in Madison and Logan as well during the same trip.

In 1996, folklorist Mary Hufford and photographer Terry Eiler documented stories and took photographs of the Mollett Family at the cemetery in Edwight, which are now part of the Coal River Folklife Collection housed at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Anissa was impressed to learn that this collection features an interview with her Uncle Tanners during a Memorial Day visit to the Edwight cemetery. When her father asked Anissa to describe her feelings of visiting the cemetery for the first time this year, she said, “It feels a lot more significant, like I should have been on this trip a long time ago, but I’m thankful to be here now.” Anissa recorded the stories her family shared during this trip so that she could remember and carry on their memories.

Doretha Mollett knows that the next generation will soon need to take up the torch as it becomes increasingly difficult for her aging family to travel to West Virginia. She reached out to the American Folklife Center (AFC) to see if someone would be available to meet up with their family to record stories and reflections nearly thirty years later. The AFC notified me of the request, and I immediately connected with Doretha who kindly invited West Virginia Humanities Council photographer Michael Keller and me to attend. The Mollett family introduced me to a place where I likely would not have known about without their invitation. It was inspiring to witness the Mollett’s commitment to their family tradition and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to record their reflections and memories of Edwight.

This story is a reminder that the traditions we practice are not static, rather we have to prepare and adapt if family traditions are to stand the test of time. Over the past six decades of returning to the Edwight cemetery on Memorial Day, the Mollett family has seen a changing landscape surrounding the cemetery, new coal operators who need to be notified of their arrival, and changing attendance as friends and family have passed on and the children grow older. “You’re honoring your ancestors. You tell the stories to your kids, and they tell it to their kids,” Doretha reflected, “You always keep the memories alive and the family history so you know where you came from.” The Memorial Day 2022 documented photos and recordings are to be deposited in the West Virginia Folklife Collection at the West Virginia University Libraries for future generations to access.

I would like to extend a very special thank you to Doretha Mollett for providing consultation during the writing of this article, and for inviting the West Virginia Folklife Program to attend this event – it was a great honor. Thank you as well to Daniel Wilson, Anissa Mollett, and the Mollett Family, Michael Keller, Black By God Founder Crystal Good for including a family photo at the cemetery in the Juneteenth 2022 BBG issue, Allina Migoni and Michelle Stefano at the American Folklife Center, and folklorist Mary Hufford.

JENNIE WILLIAMS is our state folklorist with the West Virginia Folklife Program. She writes a regular column for GOLDENSEAL. You can contact her at williams@wvhumanities.org or 304-346-8500.