"You are an active person, clever, sociable and idealistic. And you lead an active life in which you combine business and pleasure to good advantage. You are able through influential friends, and your own efforts, to rebound from the varied experiences that come your way. You have a good deal of optimism and elasticity and don't stay down in the depths for long. You take advantage of things as you find them, for you have no wish to mold people to your will. Rather, you make it a practice to adapt yourself. Thus, you are able to find something to interest you or something with which to earn your living wherever you pop up...and being a restless and active person, you're liable to pop up almost anywhere on a moment's notice. You like to travel, and would be a world traveller if you could be. Failing this, you travel when and as you can, or else take out your restlessness in the variety of your friends, books or studies. You are nervous, and voluble...a good conversationalist, and your stories are likely to become detailed, complex and long. You're a yarn spinner delighting in anything personal or romantic, but without malice.

Your affections are passive rather than ardent, and you quickly wear out the possibilities with your sweethearts and go on to new fields. You'll stand for no fooling, and will leave a husband rather than tolerate financial or personal injustice from him. You've a tendency to have two marriages in your life, surviving emotional turmoil and change well, rebounding and going on.

You have a precise and serious mental outlook ranging from the profound to the melancholy, but never frivolous or light. Knowledge is sacred to you. You have a profound intuitive and inspirational bent, but the depth may turn to trickery, and the moral sense be somewhat upset. You don't merely say things, you state them, outguess most people, and are rarely fooled. You inherit mental traits directly from your mother, resembling her in your internal makeup if not in appearance." (Heaven Knows What by Grant Lewi).

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She was born 14 June, 1883 in Grafton, Taylor County, West Virginia, the fifth of seven children, the second of four sisters. Cora's reputation in the family of Ramsey offspring was one of stylish clothes, beautiful jewelry and elegant living. Cora may have set the style among the Ramsey offspring of what elegance should be.

She married George Pennell on 22 June, 1902. George was a railroader, which probably gave Cora access to free or low-cost road travel, and she would likely make wide use of this perk since she loved to travel. She bore George at least five children, the last one being born after she and George divorced. (see Errata) Alton Bismark Pennell was born sometime in 1903 in Randolph County, West Virginia, and would take for a bride a lady named Mary, who bore him a son, William, and a daughter, Mary. Cora's next child was son Clarence C., who was born in 1905. He married a dietician and lived in California.

Cora's third child was George, Jr., who was born in 1907. Her fourth child was Paul, who was born in 1909 (see Errata).

Cora and George divorced when she was about 30 years old, according to family members, but when she was in her early forties she came to visit her niece, Jo Slaughter Meadows, and announced she was expecting her fifth child to George. The baby was named Rosalee, born around 1923 or 1924. At Cora's death Rosalee was looked after and raised by Cora's son, Bismark and his wife, Mary, until the child's death at age 15 from diabetes. Rosalee was laid to rest in grave #1, lot #519, in Maplewood Cemetery in Elkins, along with family members.

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[Josephine Meadows]: "I was about seven or eight when I remember Aunt Cora. She loved beautiful clothes and jewelry. Her husband, George, worked on the railroad; Aunt Cora got to go on the train free, and she loved that."

"Aunt Cora, she used to come and take me and keep me for two, three weeks, and I'd be...tickled me to death, cause she took me places and bought me all kinds of fancy food and everything in Elkins. She had plenty of money, her hands were just full of diamonds."

"George, Jr.'s wife was Ann."

[Geri, looking at photos]: "There's Aunt Cora now. She was the..busy one in town."

"Aunt Cora was the dresser. How she dressed...always dressed to kill..."

"She was in her forties when she had that little girl. Cora died in '34...and I think Rosalee was just about...seems to me she was just about eight years old. Anyway, she died at fifteen. She was fifteen, had sugar diabetes. I know that."

[Jo]: "She's the one's well dressed. She just dressed fancy all the time. He [husband George] worked on the railroad...got to go places free, you know. She just...helped him. She'd come to me...and my mother [Rose] lived over there..."

[Geri]: "She was 47 when she had the baby and the baby was fifteen when she died. Bismark...and all the boys, took care of the baby...everybody loved them. We lived in Huntington..."

[Author: What kind of personality did Aunt Cora have, any idea?]

[Ron]: "No, I don't."

[Nothing about her, eh?]

[Ron]: "I don't remember either her or Aunt Stella, either one. Or Uncle Elmer."

[Did you ever meet them? Do you remember?]

[Ron]: "I don't remember them."

[What became of Bismark, Clarence, or George?]

[Ron]: "Bismark, last time I saw him, was in 1956, at his home in Alexandria, Virginia. I met him and Mary and, of course, their daughter, Mary."

[He just have one child?]

[Ron]: "He had two children...William Alden (Alton?) Pennell, and Mary Pennell."

[Do you know what Bismark did?]

[Ron]: "Yes, he worked for, ahh...first he worked the railroad. Then he worked for the postal service. Then he became pretty high up in postal inspection. That's what he was doing when I last met him."

[What about Clarence or George, Jr.?]

[Ron]: "I don't know."

[Jo]: "Aunt Cora sure loved George. On her dying day she called for George. I just heard the story [wasn't there]. They were divorced. I think he was nice. I was too small to know."

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Cora Melissa Ramsey Pennell died on March 12, 1934; Dallie Davis' birthday.

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