Compiled
by Teresa Martin Klaiber
Sophia
Mae “Hopie” Sexton was born 9 March 1910 in Boyd County, Kentucky. She was the
daughter of Jasper Newton Sexton and Mariam Roberts Lambert Sexton. Whenever family remembers and talks about her
she is simply “Hopie.” Her father’s
nickname was “Hop.”
Hopie
went to Portsmouth, Ohio and was working as “forelady” for a steam laundry
company when she was eighteen. When she
and her friends went to the river to swim and cool off. Tragedy struck. Hopie drowned in the Ohio River on June 30,
1930, when she was twenty.
The
Portsmouth Daily Times told the sad
story. “…Found near foot of Harmon Street where she met death
Monday night -Companions rescued. Zelda Lowder of Bluefield and
Everett Harlowe 12 have close call. Strangled by waves from a ferry
and a barge ...Miss Hopie Sexton 20, of 2334 Jackson
Street, was drowned in the Ohio river...occurred about 300
yards west of the upper ferry landing...body was recovered...by city
firemen. … about 20 minutes after the victim disappeared
the rescue squad of the city fire department hooked the body and lost it as it
neared the surface. The body was later recovered near the same spot which is
close to the place where she went down...Miss Sexton is the fourth drowning
victim here this month...Zelda Lowder and Everett Harlowe were saved by the
girl’s father C. L. Lowder. John Wall 17...Clarence
Johnson 19...Nobel Sadler 21 ...Charles Lemon 35 of 2334 Jackson Street cousin
of the drowned woman....others....were bathing in the river near the scene when the drowning
occurred and went to the rescue...Miss Sexton came here from Cannonsburg, Kentucky
south of Ashland, Kentucky about two years ago. She was employed in
the American Steam Laundry. For the past two months she had been living with
her cousin Mrs. Charles Lemon[i].
Previous to that time she resided on Glover Street. She is survived
by her parents Mr. and Mrs. Jasper Sexton, three brother, Edgar, Harold and
Mert[ii] and one sister Billie[iii]
all of Cannonsburg …”
Hopie
Mae’s death certificate[iv]
simply states “Accidental drowning” “Drowns while in River.” Her brother Thomas Edgar Sexton was the
informant for the death certificate.
Thomas became a pastor for the Church of God in Boyd County, Kentucky.
The Ashland Daily
Independent
was either given incorrect information or confused the death. On July 2 the paper stated that Hopie Mae
Sexton had died at her home after an illness of several days. If this were the only article, researchers
would incorrectly think Sophia “Hopie” Mae Sexton died in Kentucky, which would be an
error. The family brought Hopie back to Boyd County, to be buried in Klaiber
Cemetery on 3 July 1930.
