This article, written by Todd Preston, President of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the April 21, 2005 issue of THE SALYERSVILLE INDEPENDENT newspaper.
 

            It’s tater planting time and we’ve had some summer weather to enable folks to start gardening and this may be the first year ever that I won’t be doing one.  I’ll just oversee my neighbor A. B. Conley’s garden. I’ve been counseling him for years and I think he’s capable of striking out on his own. (Smile)

            Bobby Davis of Wheatfield, IN and his friend came in Sunday and I accompanied them to the Knott-Floyd County line to the Shepherd Cemetery then back to Abbott Creek.  We visited Joe Skeens to learn about the location of Bobby’s ancestor George Washington Williams that we had hunted for last year to no avail.  Joe told us about a cemetery that we hadn’t found last year so we went to the Williams Fork of Abbott where we had to wade the creek as the gas company keeps the gates locked.  We found the Spears Cemetery then went on up Abbott and down State Road to Middle Creek.

            Bobby contacted a friend who said he thought the Williams family may be buried on Myrtle Fork so on Monday we went up Myrtle as far as we could drive then started walking. We got to the top of the hill, went up the ridge to the right, and found a large well kept cemetery. I don’t know its name but Wesley Prater and son Turner Prater are buried there.

            We then started back out of Abbott and visited Josephine Richardson, Callie Salyer, and finally my son-in-law Larry Dotson. Larry said he would call some neighbors on State Road Fork. By the time we got back to the historical society Larry called and directed Bobby to Garnett Vaughn who gave him a phone number for a grandson of George W. Williams. He told where the cemetery was located, the same place we visited last year!

            So, back to Williams Fork we went even though it was already 5 o’clock. We started up the creek but after searching all over, we found nothing. We were tired and disillusioned so we started back to the car. Instead of climbing over another gate, I went up and crawled under a side fence. I looked across and saw some greenery that I thought resembled old fashioned flag plants.  I told Bobby to take a look and sure enough, it was the George Washington Williams Cemetery. Both of George’s wives were also buried there.  The coordinates are: N-27° - 40.322  W-082°-51.622, elevation 830 and it is located across from the Spears Cemetery: N-37°-40.292  W-082°-51.64.  So it was back then to Salyersville to supper at Stacey Blanton’s, even though it was 8 o’clock when we sat down at her table.

            Bart Hammond ([email protected]) wrote to thank everyone for the interest in the Hammond family.  He used to clean up the Benjamin Hammond Cemetery annually but had not for the last four or five years but is planning on another clean-up on the 17^th or 18^th of this month.

            He questioned whether or not Joseph Hammonds was buried there as on his first visit there several years ago he had found Benjamin’s tombstone about 6 inches underground.  He happened to hit it with a spade and was unable to uncover it.  He cleaned it and left it exactly where it was and he noticed that my cemetery survey of 1978 didn’t mention a Joseph Hammond. 

            If Bart comes in, I plan to help him work on the Hammond Cemetery.  In answer to his question about Joseph Hammond being buried in this cemetery, all the reports that I have read states that Joseph is buried there.  When I tried to copy this cemetery in 1978, it appeared like a jungle. As I remember, I copied about thirty graves and estimated 15 or more unidentifiable graves.

            I copied the following inscriptions: B. F. Hammond d. 10 Jul 1867, -?- Hamon d. 18--?, Esther Hamon b. 1834 d. 21 Dec 1856, Whitt H. Hammon b. 7 Aug 1855 d. 25 Sep 1923, Rachel Hammon b. 13 May 1849 d. 14 Feb 1933, Coon Hammond Hall (Lette) b. 3 Mar 1870 d. -?-, probably wife of W. M. Hall b. 1869 d. 1938, V. Hammon, Benj. Hammon Sr. d. 11 Aug 1882 age 82 years (he married Sarah Johnson b. 1806 d. 1884, dau of Thomas Johnson).  Mark Hammonds has pictures that show a couple of stones about four feet tall. Are they also covered up?

            The left side of this cemetery is kept in fair shape and it is where the Colvins and Vanovers, etc. are buried. If anyone has knowledge of this cemetery, please let us know.

            Rod Oney ([email protected]) is searching for the date of marriage and death date for Bertha Oney.  Our Lykins book has Bertha Oney b. 1881 m. 6 Mar 1899 to Perry Harvey Whitt. Magoffin Marriages has Perry Whitt m. Bertha Oney at the home of W. C. Oney on 6 May 1899.  Bertha was the dau of Elisha “Lige” Oney and Elizabeth Whitt.

            Elisha was a son of Wm. C. “Dock” Oney who married in 1874 to Mary Jane Lykins, dau of Rollie Coffee Lykins b. 1833 (a Civil War soldier) and Sarah Buffington.

            George and Norma Owens, 164 Richard St., Sebastian, FL 23958 wrote to ask for an estimate as to how much is still needed for the Raccoon Creek Thomas Howard marker.  A rough estimate is we have $400 but since a memorial marker hasn’t been selected, I can’t say how much is needed.  I wish a tall one that could be seen from the highway could be purchased but it would cost about $1,600.  Contact Floyd and Dorothy Howard, 1534 Stewart Blvd., Fairborn, OH 45324.

            K. James ([email protected]) is researching the Bryce Gibson family who was in Magoffin in 1860.  Bryson or Brice Gibson was in the Floyd Co. KY census in 1850 and in the 1860 Morgan Co. KY.  I have Bryson b. 1782/85 Wise Co. VA, son of Thom Gibson b. VA or NC.  Bryson married Fannie Green, both born in VA according to the census records. It is hard to reconstruct a listing of his children but here goes: Alexander Gibson b. 1810 m. Mary, Tyra Gibson m. Sally Cooker, Ava Gibson, Burel Gibson b. Highland Co. OH, Frankie Gibson b. Floyd Co. KY, Ira Gibson m. Polly Nickles, Betty Gibson m. Allen Farler, Kizzie Gibson, Nancy Gibson, Hezekiah Gibson m. Nancy Nickles, Polly Gibson, Dicey Gibson, Mary Gibson, Squire Gibson and Sibby Gibson m. Doc Spradlin. 

            The 1850 census of Floyd Co. KY shows Kenah/Cary Ann age 16, Hezikiah age 14, Dicey age 12, Jefferson age 10, Ira age 25, Francis age 19, Squire age 23 m. Francis Nickles and Mary age 26.

            The 1860 Morgan Co. census has Brice Gibson age 78, Fannie age 50 b. VA, Cary Ann age 26, Nancy age 24, Hezekiah age 22, Elijah age 18, Clarenda age 9, Marlena age 8, Gary age 5, Saray age 3 and Creda age 3. So you can see the difficulty, hope you can help unscramble all this.

            Malinda McCarty ([email protected]) wrote “In your March 24^th column you mentioned ‘Don’t forget Reuben Arnett, Thomas Howard, Jesse Gullett, William Patrick and Mollie Reins.’  Do you mean they don’t have headstones?”  That is correct, Malinda, and I could mention a dozen or so more including William Patrick, Jr. and John Hammond.  We know there are a lot of caring people out there who would like to see a lasting memorial for their ancestor. We hope to hear from you.

            We were forwarded a message that Ian Moody ([email protected]) was looking for a Ruby Prater born in Magoffin County and enlisted in the Army in 1938 and wanted a look up in the 1930 Magoffin census.  The 1930 census has Glen M. Prater age 39, Jessie I. (Patrick) Prater age 25, Morrison age 16, Ruby Lee age 14, Ernest age 12, Earl age 8, Calvin C. age 5 and Joe Kenneth age 4 mos.  I married in 1950 their sister Phyllis Joy Prater b. 1932.  All children are deceased except the youngest daughter Lydia Gail.  Morrison served in the Navy, Ruby Lee, Calvin and Joe served in the Army.  Ruby Lee Prater’s ship was bombed during the Pearl Harbor incident. It was not in Pearl Harbor but was out at sea.  Ruby was wounded and hospitalized in Australia where he met and married a nurse.  After being discharged, he came back to Magoffin County and married secondly to Mildred Cantrell, moved to Michigan, was employed at Ford Motor Company and died there in 1945 but was buried here in Salyersville in the Bluegrass Cemetery.

            Ernest D. Risner, 830 Glynwood Rd., Wapakoneta, OH 45895 ([email protected]) wrote to ask where and when the next Risner Reunion would be held and the contact person.  I would suggest you contact Betty Brown, 116 East Grace St., Rensselaer, IN 47979. If anyone else has any info on a Risner Reunion, please let us know.

            Ashley Cordes ([email protected]) wrote to ask the name of the flowers we have growing by our cabins, a tall plant with pink flowers on top, as she has pictures of her grandmother in front of her cabin in Kentucky with these flowers. Ms. Cordes would like to purchase some to plant at her home.  I think this is what we call the “Spider” plant which probably isn’t the official name. They reseed themselves and we probably have some seeds here. Can you send a copy of the picture so we are sure we are on the right track?

            Come see our window display.  Bessie Wireman has provided the quilts for the month and the spring theme makes a very pleasant scene.