On September 23rd, 1947, Thelma Pauline Martin and Edward Bert Martin welcomed their second child into their family, they named her Betty Jean. Betty was named after her maternal aunt, Betty Poling. Thelma gave birth to Betty at their home, in Tunnelton, WV. Betty was the second of five children. Betty describes her parents as two very hard-working individuals, she states, “their strong work ethic is all they had in common.” Edward was a retired veteran, who after returning from duty in the military, worked in the coal mines for many years before obtaining his license as a foreman. Thelma held many jobs throughout her life, some of which include working at a plant in Baltimore, MD where air plane parts were manufactured, she also worked as …show more content…
The boy on the couch knew there was a boy on the porch, but the boy on the porch didn’t know there was a boy on the couch.” She said, “I ran outside telling the boy on the porch I would get in trouble with my parents if they found out he was there.” Betty also had two best friends in high school, Beth Ann and Rosemary. Betty reports graduating 7th out of 50 graduates from Tunnelton High School. After graduating high school, Betty worked as a telephone operator and then gained employment at the local bank as a book keeper. In January of 1966, Betty Jean Martin married Harry Mancil Riley. Shortly thereafter Betty and Harry had their first son in November 1966, they named him Harry Patrick Riley. The only unpleasant experiences Betty reports in adulthood was living in poverty and the continued effects of choosing between her parents. Betty’s mom had to buy her two outfits to be able to perform her employment duties at the bank because she couldn’t afford it. Harry Riley, Betty’s husband worked in the coal mines and saw mill. Betty remembers a time in which Harry made 98 cents an hour while working at a saw mill. The couple eventually added 2 more children to their family, David Brent Riley on June 11th, 1971 and Amber Dawn Riley on October 11th,