History

The Brady Brothers…Then and Now

Wink, Bill, John and Mike were no strangers to hard times.  Survival was a daily struggle for them.  Part of their daily routine included following the milk man on his rounds so that they could steal milk from their neighbors’ doorsteps before they could be discovered.  The oldest children, Wink and Bill, looked after and cared for their brothers while their parents were gone, often for days at a time.

Their parents exhibited numerous problems in providing stability for them.  Their father was frequently absent for long periods without the family knowing where he was.  When he was home, he would often drink and become abusive.  Mike recalls his mother making him hide behind a stove to escape his father’s wrath after a drunken episode.

Their mother left them alone for days at a time while she frequented bars and had liaisons with men.  Bill recalls being locked in a closet or in the apartment by his mother so that she could go out.  Sometimes she brought men home and instructed the boys to go through their pockets while she entertained the men.  The money found by the boys was then given to their mother.

Sometimes the boys were left with relatives while their parents absented themselves, but more often they were left alone to fend for themselves.

In November, 1946, while the boys visited their grandparents, their father appeared.  He took the boys by train to Clarksburg where he placed them in an orphanage, the Sacred Heart Children’s Home.  The boys never saw their father again.

While at the orphanage, their mother visited them several times.  She had since divorced their father and remarried.  In July, 1948, their mother removed them from Sacred Heart Children’s Home without authorization and took them to Charleston to the Davis Child Shelter.

Separated

After experiencing so many adversities together, the boys had grown close.  They were the only family they had.  Several hours after their arrival at the Davis Child Shelter, however, Wink and Bill were taken from the facility by Mr. and Mrs. Price.  As was the practice in those days, couples often took children to their homes for a “vacation” period of two weeks.  Many times children remained with the couples and were later adopted by them.  Wink and the Prices hit it off, and when the social worker visited at the end of the two week period, the decision was made that he would remain.  Bill wished to rejoin his brothers at the shelter. Each of the remaining children in turn left the Davis Shelter.  In September, 1948, Mike left the facility to live with Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher, was later adopted and renamed Larry Thatcher.  In December, 1948, Mr. and Mrs. Fouty took Bill for a Christmas vacation and adopted him as a result.  In August, 1949, John was placed with Mr. and Mrs. Nailler and later adopted by them. Each of the remaining children in turn left the Davis Shelter.

To see a recent photo of the Brady brothers place cursor on the photo. They are standing in the same order Wink, John, Larry (Mike) and Bill.

Together Again
All were victims, all were survivors, and they thank and love their adoptive parents for the lives that were given to them, but they never forgot they had left behind at the Davis Child Shelter in the late forties.  Each in his own way searched for the others.  Finally, in 1969, they were reunited after Larry launched a city-to-city search for his brothers.  This search took him to Huntington in search of Wink, to Greentown, Ohio to find Bill, and ended at John’s home in Morgantown.  They were reunited after twenty years of separation and have maintained ties and become close since that time.

Over the years, they have been able to fill the gaps of the lost years and, as with any family, when they are together they reminisce about the times they had together.  All have said that the “best thing their mother ever did for them was to take them to the Davis Child Shelter.”  While they have ambivalent emotions about their mother, they are grateful in some way to her for this last gift to her boys – as are four adoptive families.

Wink recalls how dedicated his new mother, Mrs. Price, was to his educational development.  When he first arrived at the Price home, he could not read or write, despite being twelve years old.  His new mother worked with him throughout his school years and he graduated only one year behind.  He says his new father taught him the value of work.

Bill worked by Mr. Price’s side in his Mobil filling station and followed him about constantly.  Bill says he was close to them, especially his new father.

John couldn’t believe his first Christmas with the Naillers.  He says, I had never seen so many presents.”  John thinks his adoptive parents are wonderful people and through his new parents he was provided with the support of a family, as well as many community relationships and mentors.  John speaks of Mr. Nailler’s accomplishments with obvious pride.

Larry (Mike) was troubled in his youth and haunted by the loss of his brothers.  His adoptive parents, the Thatchers, adopted another child, Becky, from the Davis Child Shelter.  Larry and his sister are very close today.  Larry says his new mother tells him the story of the day the Thatchers came to the Davis Child Shelter.  A small boy approached Mrs. Thatcher, took her by the hand and said, “Are you going to take me home with you?”  The boy was Larry and the Thatchers did take him home with them.  Larry describes his adoptive parents as loving and goodhearted people.

Today
Charles Winidred Price now lives in Huntington with his wife.  He is retired from the Army Corps of Engineers, where he received several outstanding performance awards.  He attended Marshall University.  His current interests include tracing his family’s genealogy.  He says he is happy and enjoys his children and grandchildren.

Bill Gene Fouty lives in Clendenin.  He spent most of his professional life as a law enforcement officer.  He began his law enforcement career in 1974 as the Chief of Police in Clay, WV.  He served as Law Enforcement Officer and Assistant Chief Deputy in Spencer, WV and as a law enforcement officer in Clendenin, WV until 1992 when he was forced to retire due to a stroke.  He is currently recuperating and looks forward to visits from his brothers.

John Thomas Nailler lives in Morgantown with his wife.  He attended West Virginia University.  He spent thirty years in the mining industry and retired from ConSol Coal Company as an Assistant Superintendent for Maintenance in 1995.  He has four children and six grandchildren.  He reports he is happy.  He always enjoys and looks forward to a good game of golf.