The Camp Family has been in Monongalia County, WV, since before it was West Virginia, settling on a farm just outside of Morgantown in the late 1700s. Later generations of the Camps went back and forth between Westover and the farm, including Bill Camp (1912-1980), until he and his wife Helen (1910-1998), and their daughter Joy’s young family built houses on the property in the 1970s.
Both Bill and Helen worked for the Mon Power Company when Bill felt “called to the ministry.” He never went to seminary but became a Methodist Minister by doing book reports through the Methodist Conference.
As an only child, my grandma (Joy) remembers going with him to the various churches in his charges–sometimes visiting two in a row every Sunday. Rev. Bill preached at several of the churches featured in the Kenneth L. Carvell Archive at some point, including Mount Union I (now Tyrone Methodist Church) and Mount Union II (now Mount Union Methodist). He loved music and always tried to incorporate music into his services–which meant Joy was at the piano or on the accordion a lot.
Rev. Bill Camp was beloved by many in his congregations and died in the pulpit at Woodland United Methodist Church in August 1980, just like he always prayed he would.
After her father’s death, Joycelyn (Joy) Camp (b. 1945) continued to play piano and select music for church services at Woodland Methodist Church. Today, she attends Faith Baptist Church in Morgantown, WV. And although the accordion became somewhat of a hassle to get out and play, she would always break it out for some carols at Christmas every year for her many grandchildren when we were younger. (Click here for interview clip transcript.)
