This article, written by Todd Preston, President of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the March 24, 2005 issue of THE SALYERSVILLE INDEPENDENT newspaper.
 

            The Easter season on Burton Fork was a very important event in the lives of the great flock of Preston children and was nearly as exciting as Christmas.  A great deal of preparation went into the boiling and coloring of several dozen eggs.

            We would first stock up on eggs for several days and then make a trip to the store to get the coloring ingredients.  We boiled the eggs then on the eve of Easter we would color them and let them dry overnight.

            We were up early on Easter morn and got the milking and feeding done early for we almost always had company in the form of cousins from Paintsville.  Sometimes they brought artificial eggs. 

            A couple of us would hide the eggs in the woods and the rest of us would stay way on the other side of the house with no peeking!  When the eggs were hidden, everyone stormed around the corner to see how many eggs we could find.  Of course, some eggs would be stepped on and crushed by little feet.  These were counted but ended up in hungry little mouths.  Afterwards came another round of hiding and hunting and this would go on nearly all day or until too many eggs got broken or got eaten by a hungry dog who found and ate them before we did.  Sometime the eggs got hidden so good it might be several days later before we would stumble onto the few eggs that were overlooked.

            The artificial eggs could be halved and then they made excellent sailboats to float down the creek until they tipped over and sank. 

            Easter also meant baby chick time. They were ordered by mail and you could go into any country post office and hear hundreds of chicks chirping nearly any spring day.  That was a part of life in yesteryear.   We had a brooder house with a rock furnace built in the middle of the floor. This meant we had to get in plenty of hickory wood to keep a fire to keep the chicks warm.  If they were warm, it would prevent them from piling up to keep warm and smother to death. You had to get up at night to keep the fire going. Another job was to keep the rats thinned out or the chicks would become a meal for them. An old tomcat or a chicken hawk could also make baby chicks live hard.

            An Easter egg hunt on Burton Fork would hardly be feasible today as it is so overgrown now that a rabbit could hardly maneuver through the undergrowth but it doesn’t keep an old man from picturing in his mind the tufts of broom sedge that made excellent places for Easter eggs.

            The daffodils have finally blossomed out after suffering through snows, frosts and cold rains for the past few weeks. The robins can be seen in great flocks which gives a little hope that spring is about to burst in all its glory.  Maybe some of us who have suffered through bouts of flu and/or pneumonia can sort of get on track again.

            It was a pleasure to see film on Channel 62 of the 1988 Montgomery Founder’s Day.  Just think, some of those youngsters in the spelling bees and other contests are now parents themselves. Somehow, things have changed through the years and a new generation is appearing on the scene.

            Thank you, Bob Whittaker of SC for the donation!  He telephoned and said he would be bringing a bunch of light fixtures when he comes this way. He will be here soon to help find the gravesite and set a Civil War marker for Ambrose Mullins on Hawes Fork of Breathitt Co. KY.  They are also making a trip to Tazewell, VA in search of the gravesite of Mark Whitaker as there is some interest by descendants in setting a marker for his grave.

            Ol’ Todd will try to keep up with him on some of those jaunts if he can shake off some mulliegrubs of influenza.

            We want to ask that more people become involved in Founder’s Days this year as we kind of got down in the dumps for awhile there. We have taken a long hard look at how much Founders Days meant to the children so, with help from a big bunch of our civic minded people, we are determined to make this Founder’s Day the best ever. Won’t you help?

            We have contracted two nice memorial markers for John and Joseph Hammonds which will be set during Founder’s Days.  We ask for your help in getting these paid for. These gravesites do not have legible markers as of right now; also don’t forget Middle Fork Reuben Arnett, Raccoon Creek Thomas Howard, Pricy Creek Jesse Gullett, Ivyton William Patrick and Mollie Reins.

            We are going to revive the Memorial Brick project formerly sponsored by the City of Salyersville so we want to let people know that these will be available again.

            J. W. Back came in and made a donation for the John Hammond Memorial Marker. Thank you, J. W.!

            Jan Bailey ([email protected]) is searching for James “Big James” Howard. He was married on 26 Jul 1841 in Morgan Co. KY to Cynthia Howard. She was born in 1825 but parent’s names are unknown.

            I have searched for this family which shows on page 557 of our Howard book. They are also found in the Morgan Co. KY marriages and the 1850 Morgan census. They show up in 1860 and 1870 in Magoffin County but then James and Cynthia seem to vanish from all records.  Some of this family moved to Carter Co. KY. Can anyone shed more light on this family?

            Carol Murray, 605 Ellen Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45255 visited looking for info on “Big” Sam Brown as well as pictures of Richard Brown and Mary Ann Isabelle Charles and her parents.  Carol is the dau of Pierce Brown b. 1912. Pierce m. in 1935 to Ruth Morris, dau of Lee Morris and Mae Gose.

            Pierce is the son of Richard Brown b. 1877 and m. in 1903 to Mary Charles b. 1888. Pierce m. 2^nd to Mary Williams. Richard was the son of William Thomas Brown and Mary “Polly Anna” Lykins. Mary was b. in 1843 to John Lykins and Jane Ferguson. William T. Brown was the son of “Big” Sam Brown b. 1840 Lick Creek, Morgan Co. KY. Sam was the son of Daniel W. Brown and Rebecca Brown.  Big Sam was sheriff of Magoffin County and m. 1^st to Rebecca Prater who died in 1903. After her death, Sam married Rebecca “Becky” Gullett.

            Mason Cantrill of Wellston, OH ([email protected]) is the 4^th great grandchild of Elijah Cantrill and Peggy Connelley through John, Henry, John Mason, Oscar and Ben Mason Cantrell.  Mason has spent some time searching for a John Clinton Cantrill who married into the Williams family.  

            John Clinton Cantrill b. 1882 d. 1942 m. Sarah H. Nickell b. 1882 d. 1964. They are buried in the Cantrill Cemetery on Tick Lick Creek of Magoffin County. John Clinton was the son of George Washington Cantrill b. 1855. He m. in 1877 to Martha E. Williams b. 1856, dau of Abraham Williams and Mary Mead. Mary was b. in 1826 to Robert Meade and Susan Clark.

            Wilson Cantrill b. 1870 d. 1958 m. Sarah Elizabeth Conley b. 1875 d. 1961. Sarah was the dau of John H. “Glover” Conley b. 1856 and d. 1927. His mother was Martha M. Crace b. 1860 to Campbell Crace and Mahala Craft.  Martha had been previously married to John Dixon Conley.

            Wilson Cantrill was the son of George Cantrill b. 1841. He m. in 1861 to Nancy Jane Salyer b. 1844, dau of Henderson Salyer (b. 1822) and Elizabeth Williams. Elizabeth was born in 1819 to John M. Williams. Henderson Salyer was the son of Benjamin Salyer b. 1796 and Francis Conley b. 1800.

            George Cantrill was a son of Henry Cantrill b. 1806 and m. in 1825 to Rachel Blanton b. 1810. Rachel was the dau of George Blanton and Martha Shepherd. Henry Cantrill was a son of Elijah Cantrill and Peggy Conley.

            Roger Graham, 414 California Street, Enid, OK 73701 ([email protected]) writes that his grandfather was Albert “Bill” Cole b. 1907 Louisville, KY d. 1939 Oklahoma City, OK. He was the son of Chester A. Cole b. 1879 Magoffin Co. KY and was a sheriff or deputy here at one time. His wife was Jona or Jonie Cole and they had three children, Lula B. b. 1900, Lona B. b. 1904 and Albert “Bill” b. 1907.

            This family lived on Big Lick and Roger was told that Chester is buried in the Locust Grove Cemetery and was the son of Wallis Cole b. 1847. Wallis m. in 1914 to Margaret “Peggy” Poe b. 1854, dau of Meredith Poe and Angeline Adams.

            If Chester is buried in the Locust Grove Cemetery, I didn’t find a headstone in 1978. There are twenty-some unmarked graves there. He may have been a deputy sheriff as he doesn’t appear on the list of elected sheriffs of Magoffin County.

            In Magoffin Marriages, we find Chester A. Cole m. in 1899 to Jona Gipson. Chester Cole m. in 1911 to Loulie Cole. Chester Cole was age 35 in 1923 and gave his parents as Wallis Cole and Peggy Poe.  Vadie Cole was age 18, dau of Leander Cole and Nancy Cole, per info on their marriage record.

            The 1900 Magoffin census lists Chester Cole age 18, Jannie Gipson age 15. I did not find Chester in the 1910 census. In 1920 there is Chester Cole age 38, Lulie (Cole) age 38, Roy Cole age 14, Jake Cole age 11 and Greely Cole age 6.

            Chester’s siblings were Farrish Cole b. 1873. He m. in 1889 to Martha A. Cole. Stairvilla was born in 1875 and m. in 1890 to George Nickols. Elbert was born in 1877 and m. in 1895 to Polly Salyer. James L. Cole was born in 1879. Chester A. was born in 1879. Laura B. was born in 1888. Grover was born in 1890 and Newton Cole was born in 1895.

            Wallis Cole was a son of Charles Campbell Cole and Charlotte Cole. She was born in 1826 to William Anderson Cole and Biddie Collins. Charles C. Cole was born in 1829, the son of William Campbell Cole and Luana Cole.

Luana was born in 1780 or 90 to John Charles Cole and Cuzzie Anderson.  If anyone can add to this, please contact Roger Graham.

            Marcia Hurt ([email protected]) has been searching for a John Jordan supposedly born 6 Apr 1890. Birth and Death records in Kentucky were not officially started until 1911 although there was a collection of such records kept for earlier years. I can’t find a John Jordan that fits your 1890 birthdate. Please send more information.

            Charles Lockhart and his wife Maudie of 3594 W. Quarry Rd., Gullevell, MI 49840 visited. Charles is the son of Lola Howard who was the son of Daniel Boone Howard b. 1885 and Ollie Sturgill. Daniel B. was the son of Wiley Howard b. 1847 who m. in 1869 to Minerva Jane Patrick. Minerva was a dau of Dr. Jackson Patrick who is buried across from the John T. Arnett School on Rt. 7.

            Wiley Howard was a son of Samuel Howard b. 1899 and m. in 1838 to Delana Jones. She was a dau of Charles Jones and Jemima Spradlin. Samuel was a son of John Howard b. 1799 and Nancy Cameron (dau of Rev. War soldier James Cameron).

            John Howard was a son of James Howard b. 1772 Wilkes Co. GA and Elizabeth Green b. 1776 VA.

            I urge all kinsmen to get in touch with this fine couple as this was their first trip to Kentucky and they desire to become acquainted with distant kinsmen.