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  Magoffin County Historical Society 
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This article, written by Todd Preston, the president of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the February 16, 2006 issue of THE SALYERSVILLE INDEPENDENT newspaper.

 The Salyersville Independent is a weekly newspaper published and edited every Thursday. For inquires or comments, please write to , P. O. Box 29, Salyersville, KY 41465. Yearly subscription rates are $22.00 in Kentucky and $26.00 per year out of state.

 

Ol' Man Winter has visited us this week, which has curtailed my roaming around searching for cemeteries and/or squirrel hunting.  

“Sarge” Rowe and I did take another trip up Middle Fork to the Town Flats in search of a Caudill Cemetery that Mrs. Orville Wages thinks is off to the right of the road up at the head of the left hand fork of Johnson.   I also quizzed Joe Keeton who told me he showed the coal company where this cemetery was back when they were stripping coal.   We got to the strip mine road and searched as far as I thought we dared to go, as we were in my vehicle this trip.   We turned back, went on down the Lee City road and took another access road to the strip mine and parked above the Hoy Miller Caves and visited this spectacular site. We came back to the blacktop and on down as far as the 4-wheeler road going in to Wheelrim.  

We returned to Middle Fork and visited several cemeteries then went up Puncheon as far as the Clemons Cemetery and up the main hollow to where there is an old road then back to the left fork of Johnson.   On our return, we visited the Collinsworth and Mouth of Puncheon cemeteries thence back to Sarge's farm and up that hollow as there are gas well roads on his farm.

Now, you may wonder why I make these sojourns, first and foremost, to take pictures of veteran's graves and to find cemeteries we may have missed in 1977/78.   We have also noted the additional burials in the last thirty or so years and there have been some new cemeteries started.   Sadly, more cemeteries are now in an abandoned condition.

At our director's meeting, we discussed having a section in our proposed book that would depict the patriotism shown on the Magoffin County home front during various eras.   Back during WWII there was a scrap metal drive where citizens could bring in their scrap to a central location to be sent to the scrap yard to be melted down and reused.   Also, the ladies would meet and sew various articles for our troops.   County citizens also had many other functions that helped the war effort during World War Two.

I don't believe we've seen anything to match this show of effort in later years so we invite anyone to submit short stories about what they remember being done on the home front to help in the war effort.   We are looking forward to receiving some write-ups.

Another question, how many military personnel does our county have at present?   We would like an account of those overseas or stateside.   We need this information which, thus far, has not been forthcoming.   The message I would like to convey is that we would like to hear from anyone having info on any person born in or who lived in Magoffin County who was or is in military service.

Roy R. Igo, 2800 Rt. 348, Otway, OH 45657 was a recent visitor, inquiring about the gravesite of Minnie Igo Porter, wife of Noah Porter. They were married in 1921. Minnie's death certificate gives her death as 25 Sep 1925 and that she was buried in Magoffin County .   They have been told she was hauled to the gravesite in a sled; they probably lived east of Stringtown.

Roy is the son of Dewey Igo b. 1915, son of Minnie Igo b. 1894. Minnie was the dau of John Igo and Gillie Rose who is supposedly buried in the Grassy Cemetery in Morgan Co. KY.   Noah Porter was the son of Lois Cole who married Albert Porter.   Noah was listed as a stepson. Any help on these people would be much appreciated.

Tommy S. Martin, PO Box 313 , Harrods Creek , KY 40027 visited prior to the funeral of her uncle John Martin.   She inquired about Wyatt Martin and John R. Baldridge.

Walter “Wyatt” Martin b. 1895 was a son of Joseph Martin b. 1844 and grandson of John Martin, Sr. b. 1805. John Sr. was a son of William Martin b. 1760 and Susannah Tudor b. 1764.   John Martin, Sr. married 1 Nov 1831 to Anna Gayheart b. 1814.   Joseph Martin married Louisa Breashears b. 1848 in Letcher Co. KY.   Walter “Wyatt” Martin married Sally Conley b. 1910, dau of Elijah Conley b. 1858.   Elijah's wife was Emiline Calhoun.   Elijah was the son of John Conley b. 1822 and Leester Lawhorn.

John R. Baldridge b. 1914 was a son of George Baldridge b. 1893 Knott Co. KY and a grandson of John Wesley Baldridge. John Wesley was a son of Charles Baldridge b. 1835 Russell Co. VA and grandson of Robert Baldridge b. 1811 Russell Co. VA. Robert was a son of William Baldridge b. 1770 NC.

John R. Baldridge married Alice Goble. George Baldridge m. in 1913 to Bertha Hayes b. 1888. Bertha was the dau of Epperson Hayes and Katherine Hayes.   John Wesley Baldridge married Ellen Baldridge b. 1869. Ellen was a dau of John Baldridge b. 1848 John's Creek, Johnson Co. KY.   John was the son of John Baldridge, Sr. b. 1822 Russell Co. VA and Levisa Brown.   This John was a son of William Baldridge, Jr. b. ca. 1895 who was a son of William Baldridge, Jr. b. ca. 1895 and a grandson of William Baldridge b. 1770 in NC.   Ellen and John Wesley Baldridge were about third cousins.

Dave Patrick called me concerning Clay Lacy.  He said he had a half brother Beecher Fugate and as near as I can see this is the line: Clay Lacy at age 19, son of Clay Lacy and Margaret Fugate, married 15 Nov 1919 to Junie Kilgore, age 17, dau of Dudley Kilgore and Celia Alsept.

Beecher Fugate married 15 Jan 1912 to Lulie Alsept. Beecher Fugate at age 39, son of Alvin Craft and Margaret Fugate, married secondly on 24 Apr 1931 to Hattie Hensley, age 31, dau of Lee Hensley.   So Margaret was the mother of both Clay Lacy and Beecher Fugate. Thanks, Dave, for the info and any other help would be appreciated.

There is lots of work going on here at the “home twenty” now.   One project being completed is the first Journal of 2006 so be watching for your copy if you are a member of the historical society.   This will be our 28 th year of printing historical and genealogical material.  

Our mailing address is Box 222 , Salyersville , KY 41465 . Our email address is [email protected] and our telephone number is 606-349-1607.

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