This article, written by Todd Preston, President of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the April 14, 2005 issue of THE SALYERSVILLE INDEPENDENT newspaper.
 

            Another project was culminated Sunday that has been in the minds of several people for a couple of years now and, you might say, a dream for Bob Whittaker of South Carolina. 

Bob and his wife Betty made a trip to Castlewoods, VA to meet with others of that locality to find a place to set a memorial marker for Mark Whitaker, husband of Martha “Patsy” Whitaker.  You will remember that we set a memorial marker for her last Labor Day near Swampton on the Licking River during our Whitaker Founder’s Days.

            After the Virginia trip, Bob and Betty then headed to Magoffin County and a group of us set out to Breathitt County to find the gravesite of Confederate veteran Ambrose Mullins.  SCV member Faron Sparkman of Hazard, KY has had a government marker on hand for him for a couple of years.  We had been planning to get together for some time for this event so when Bob was scheduled to come in, we made several telephone calls and planned to meet on the county line on top of the hill on Route 542 at 2 p.m. Sunday evening.

            Bob, Betty, and Toddie took his ATV and I took my old dilapidated 4-wheel drive truck.  We met Melvin Minix and our guide Hurley Manns who had ridden in from Tip Top on Melvin’s ATV.  Bill and Dorothy Wireman came in on their all-terrain vehicle. As we were about an hour early, we decided to make a search for the gravesite so around the coal haul road we went and then down in the Hawes Fork area.  I saw it was possible to drive my truck down there to a gas well.  Toddie went back to the planned meeting area as it was near time for Faron Sparkman and Steve Bowling (a Breathitt County Historical Society member) to arrive.

            Afterwards Bob and Faron and I loaded the monument, ready mix, etc. in to my S-10 and down we went to the gas well and met up with the other searchers who thought they may have found the cemetery but that a road had been bulldozed through it.  Dorothy suggested Bill take me back down there to search using my dousing rods. I gave it a large scale search but ruled it out so we started back out and met Steve Bowling who told us Bob Whittaker had remembered a man who knew the correct place.  Steve called his wife on a cell phone and got the man’s phone number then Melvin Minix talked to him.  We headed for the hollow as we were directed and as we started up, I saw a patch of greenery and told Bill that looked like a promising spot.  We went up the next hill and found a cemetery.  I suggested Bill go back and get Steve. When he went back he found Steve had gone up to where I saw the greenery and the cemetery so he came back to get me. I had taken the coordinates and copied the only grave marker that had a modern stone which was Queen Collins b. 22 Apr 1877 d. 11 Jun 1905 (N-37°-34.401  W-83°-01.699, elevation 1157).  I would like to hear from someone who can tell more about that cemetery.

            Bill hauled me back down there and they were already taking the marker up the hill on a dolly, two pulling and two pushing up a hill too steep for a four wheeler.

            When I got there and told them about the other cemetery Steve Bowling set out for that cemetery as Hurley had told them he had heard of an Indian cemetery in that vicinity.

            A large cedar tree had toppled over and turned over a monument in the cemetery where Ambrose Mullins was buried so Toddie made a trip back to my truck to get my chain saw. When he returned with it and my fire rake, I began clearing the briars and small brush as he sawed up the cedar tree.

            Faron Sparkman had brought post hole diggers and he dug a foundation, set the monument, filled it with ready mix, etc.  Then it was pictures taking time, after which Faron was encouraged to make a talk.  He remarked he seldom got so much help in setting such memorials and that he had helped with some 750 such memorials.

            The four-wheelers made about three trips to get everyone back to my truck and I started the trip back up.  It looked and felt like it would take a small miracle to get to the top.  When we made it to the top, I pretended to kiss the truck cab which got a big laugh. We then said our goodbyes with the satisfaction of knowing that another Confederate veteran now has a marker.  Now, there are two more Civil War soldiers in that same vicinity of some 2,000 acres of land that is uninhabited and I understand no old homes still stand.

            If anyone knows or has knowledge of where the Manns Confederate soldiers are buried or how to get there, it would be very helpful.

            Now, this brings to mind Confederate veteran Henry C. Bailey buried on Bullmire Creek of Licking River. His marker is already at a local funeral home and needs to be set. This is a top priority project for this spring.

            Remember that the 3^rd Sunday (April 17 this time) at 2 p.m. is our regular meeting time so let’s designate this as Hammond Get-Acquainted Day. We desperately need input from every Hammon/Hammond/Hamman family, however you spell the surname.  Mark Hammond visited Tuesday, working on his and other Hammond families.  He has promised to try to get some help to clean up the cemeteries. We plan to set up another Hammond genealogy meeting near the end of the month. We will let you know the date after we hear back from Mark.

            Sue Howard is searching all the family books we’ve printed and I am searching all our other reference books. We are copying every reference on the Hammond family.

            We have two Hammond cemeteries to clean up and keep them shipshape when we set and dedicate two beautiful markers. They don’t come cheap so keep those contributions coming in.

            I hope you local people that are on the local cable are watching Channel 62. The local school system keeps showing past Founder’s Days festivals. You can see we are going to have to hustle and everyone needs to work together to have a festival to compare with those of the past.  We hope you will enter into Founder’s Days with renewed excitement. Let us hear from everyone who is willing to keep Founder’s Days going. We need to know what part you and your club would like to sponsor.

            Yesterday I accompanied Bob Whittaker to the Patsy Whitaker and Stephen Arnett memorial markers site. We tidied up a bit but our main purpose was to use our dousing rods to try to find the actual gravesites where Patsy and others are buried back of the Arnett Cemetery.  We scoured the hillside as best we could but to no avail. The downed pine trees coupled with briars and vines makes it almost impossible to get through. We then took a brief visit to the Harris Howard Cemetery just across the road. It is in dire need of cleaning and clearing. We then stopped and located the John and Polly Salyer Cemetery where Bob thought his Prater ancestor might be buried.  Connie and Austin Wireman had copied this cemetery in 1978 and listed ten identifiable graves and 14 graves with no markers so a Prater could be buried there.

            Mr. Mullins who lives at the bottom of the hill told Bob there was a cemetery above his home.  If anyone knows where Praters may be buried in the vicinity, let me know.

            Jim Dixon, 2420 Neff Bratton Rd., So. Webster, OH 45682 visited. He is stalled on his ancestor Abigail Kelly who died in Johnson Co. KY. Jim is the son of Jack Dixon b. 1924 and a grandson of Clark Dixon b. 1872. Clark was a son of Isaac Dixon b. 1839. Isaac was a son of Andrew F. Dixon b. 1801 Grayson, KY who m. 5 Jun 1881 to Abigail Kelley b. 8 Apr 1908 Washington Co. VA d. 6 Jun 1883. Who were her parents?

            Andrew F. Dixon was a son of Henry Dixon b. 1774 Craven, NC. He m. in 1854 Johnson Co. KY to Joyce Farmer. Henry was said to be the first resident of Paintsville and buried in the Old Town Cemetery. He was a son of Thomas Dixon b. 1735.

            Isaac Dixon m. in 1865 to Ella Margaret May b. 1846, dau of Caleb May, Jr. b. 1823 and Sarah Pelphrey b. 1819. Sarah was a dau of Alexander Pelphrey and Alsey Lemaster.  Caleb May, Jr. was a son of Caleb May, Sr. and Margaretta Patrick.

            Clark Dixon m. in 1897 to Minta Alice Rice b. 1880, dau of John J. Rice and Mary “Polly” Salyer.

            Gay Gullett Wilson ([email protected]) sent a Hello from Oklahoma. She reports that the amount of funds presently in the account for purchasing a marker for Jesse and Elizabeth Gullett totals $372.83.  Miss Gay is having some health problems and needs others to help complete this project.  In my opinion, the monument should be bought and set by Memorial Day 2005 so we ask you Gullett descendants to step up and help carry this project through.  You owe it to your ancestor and those who come after us in the future.