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  Magoffin County Historical Society 
"Preserving Our Past for the Future"

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This article, written by Todd Preston, the president of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the March 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.

            We are still busy trying to corral all of Magoffin’s veterans of WWI, Spanish American War, Philippine Insurrection, WWII, Korea, Granada, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Kosovo, as well as those who served in peacetime in between these conflicts.  World War One was thought to be the war that would end any and all future wars.  How peaceful we seemed to have been prior to 1941.  Yes, I well remember and enjoyed those days without the dark cloud of war hanging over us.

            We are now living, much the way a mother hen of yesteryear scratching to uncover tidbits of food for her chicks, whilst keeping one eye watching the sky for a hungry hawk who had a habit of swooping down and grasping one of her chicks.

            Since World War Two, the present generations do not realize the true feeling of peace and we need to realize that what peace we do have today we owe to our military men and women, so we urge you to help us recognize each and every one with info and pictures in our 2006 Founder’s Day book.  We don’t want any of our military people to go unrecognized.

            Our community and our historical society have lost two faithful members.

            Emily Slusher Robinson was a contributor to our society down through the years and was one of our contacts scattered about the county who could be counted on to help with needed information.

            Billy Roger Gullett was another one of our contributing members. Any time we called on Roger, he would be right by our side pitching in to help in any way he could.

            We thank these two beloved associates for helping make the MCHS one of the leading societies in our area.  Remember, the clock of time is wound but once and no man has the power to tell just where the hand will stop at late or early hour.

            My outings this week were on Wednesday afternoon when I got with Patrick Purcell and explored the Settlement Branch of Johnson, then on up to Star Pen Branch. I have read that there are some Patrick’s buried on “Starry Pea Ridge of Johnson” but upon inquiry “Star Pen” and “Starry Pea” Ridge seem to have no connection.

            I did copy an old cemetery on Star Pen that I missed in 1978. I shall call it the Joseph D. Allen Cemetery as he has the oldest dates (b. 1820 d. 1907), although there were 6 or more unreadable and others hard to read, including something like “weip” b. 1818 d. 1891 – coordinates: N-37-44.920, W-83-14.879.

Joseph P. Quicksell b. 1871 d. 1893 (in the 1880 census he shows as the son of John Quicksell b. 1844 VA).  Then there is Lucinda Taulbee 1857 and a Lucinda Tyler who was born in 1906 and died in 1908, apparently the dau of William Tyler b. 1850.  His second wife was Franky J. b. 1871 and per marriage record was an Allen: William Tyler m. 24 Mar 1887 at the home of J. D. Allen to Frankey Jane Allen.  Coordinates: N-37-44.920, W-83-14.920.

            On Thursday evening, I went to see Mike Walters and we climbed that steep hill. Mike carried the steel marker to the site we have declared to be the burial site of George Washington Hammons, Jr. and set the marker for all future generations.

            We then got with Patrick Purcell and went to the head of the Long Branch of Johnson to what is called the Coffee Cemetery.  Edgar coffee b. 1908 d. 1941, Hattie Coffee b. 1934 d. 1937, Iceil Coffee b. 1928, Ersil Crace b. 1916 d. 1941, Orael Gullett b. 1923 d. 1932, and one unmarked grave. Coordinates: N-37-44.097, W-83-13.796, elevation 1108. This cemetery is in an abandoned condition. We then stopped at the Charlie Patrick Cemetery (N-37-44.246, W-83-13.708, elevation 931).

            We journeyed on to the Lindon/Purcell Cemetery which is near, if not in, Morgan County. It is a well kept cemetery near the Mouth of Roark Fork of Johnson (N-37-45.007, W-83-15.200, elevation 1120).   

            On Friday evening, I went to the Salyer Cemetery about 2 1/2 miles east of Salyersville on Rt. 40 or Stringtown.  I copied this old cemetery in 1977 and tried to find it again last summer but failed.  In 1977, I found 11 marked graves, 15 unmarked and classed the cemetery as abandoned.  This time it is still abandoned, the tombstones are less readable and one, if not two, had been dug into, I’m sad to report.

            I was able to confer with my mother about this cemetery in 1977. She said there was a Pop Perkins buried there.  I did find a Perkins marker, first name unreadable, b. 1823 d. 1896.  Mom had told me the Salyer family lived across the creek where Bennie Patrick’s children live today.

            I copied V. S. Salyer b. 1783 d. 1886, Helen Salyer no dates (grandau of Evaline Salyer), Sarah Sparks, Dora Sparks, Lura Sparks (no dates), Evaline S. Salyer no dates, Martha Gullett (no dates, mother of Estill Gullett, information probably given to me by my mother), “Pop” Perkins as above and another marker with only D. S., another with Al. C. Darnell.  I’m told this is Ed Darnell, the father of Sgt. Edward Darnell b. 22 Sep 1889 d. 15 Sep 1950, veteran of WWI who is buried in the Salyer Cemetery located above the Tackett Cemetery. Coordinates: N-37-45.989, W-83-02.869, elevation 1017.

            You may wonder why I record the coordinates details.  Remember that I mentioned recently about driving by two cemeteries that apparently had been bull dozed off? I understand there are counties getting money for a one-time clean up of cemeteries, some are even fencing burial plots.  But that’s a one-time deal, what is the future for abandoned or neglected burial sites? I can right quickly name fifty or more even from my feeble memory, one cemetery is located about 200 feet from and another about 800 feet behind my house but the greatest loss for an amateur genealogist like me the loss of approximately one hundred plus grave markers behind the old bank building, right here in Salyersville.

            Over the weekend, I got a couple of hours free time so my daughter Jessica and I made a trip into upper Cow Creek but, without a guide, I only found three cemeteries. The first may be called the Jesse Reed Cemetery as he and his wife were the first burials according to the grave markers. Jesse was born in 1929 and died in 1899; his wife Mary (Polly Walters) was b. in 1833 and died in 1897.

            Felix Walters b. 1830 Morgan Co. KY d. 1910? is also buried here. His tombstone is missing but a handmade concrete marker has been put there with only his name sketched on it.  He married Nancy Reed b. 1833 d. 1901. I see in our Reed book that this cemetery is referred to as the Joe Reed Cemetery (N-37-43.533, W-83-10.467).

            The Joseph Reed (b. 1859 d. 1921) Cemetery is nearby.  He m. Nora Dyer (b. 1866 d. 1930).  Also, there is Robert Collins b. 1842 d. 1960 m. Lucretia Reed b. 1896 d. 1960, Anna Belle Thornsbury and infants Randolph Row, Ernest Reed and an infant of Albert and Myrtle Reed.

            The Elijah Stephens Cemetery was the last cemetery I found before the road was closed by a locked gate.  I didn’t copy the Stephens Cemetery as we have it in our cemetery book, volume two. It is located at N-37-40.436, W-83-11.112 and is in a well kept condition.

            My children, Toddie, Jessica, Abbie and I made a sojourn into the Town Flats area in search of the Caudill Cemetery. We traveled down the strip mine from the Tower to the Hoy Miller Caves but we were not able to find a cemetery but did visit the caves.

            We then traveled on down trying to locate access to the Raven Rocks.  We went up one fork and Toddie and I set out on foot per advice from some folks we had asked for directions but after we got to the top of the hill, we didn’t find the rocks so we traveled on down to Lee City to the Parkway and then back home.

            Remember the dedication of the Mark Whitaker Memorial in Castlewood VA is on Apr 15th, 2006 at the Fort Gibson United Methodist Church. The dedication of the granite Memorial Marker at the cemetery will be Saturday April 15th at 2 p.m. The dedication of the bronze plaque on the church will be at 3 p.m. The church will have a reception in their social hall after the dedication of the plaque. All are invited. The dedication of the granite Memorial Markers will be handled by the Russell Co. Historical Society. The dedication of the bronze plaque will be handled by the present church pastor, Rev. Layell. Those wishing to donate to the bronze plaque may write to: Fort Gibson UMC, C/O Rev. Layell, 3225 Dogwood Dr., Saint Paul VA 24283. Any person interested in donating to the granite marker fund may send donations to the Magoffin County Historical Society.            

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

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