I've started a roof-painting job here at the cabins so I haven't traveled around too much this week. We want to thank Bob and Betty Whittaker of SC for the donation of the roof coating treatment that we are using.
David C. Arnett visited us Friday and I went with him to the Boyd Arnett Branch of Middle Fork. I recopied this cemetery that Betty Arnett Lykins had copied in 1978. On David's return home he mailed in his veteran's info and also sent a recipe for our upcoming cookbook.
Then on Saturday, I traveled to Tip Top, picked up Melvin Minix and Herley Mann. We went into Hawes Fork and cut out a better access trail to the William Mann, Jr. Cemetery as Steve Bolen has a Confederate memorial marker to be set at William's grave. We went through the William Mann, Sr. cemetery to get to William Jr.'s grave.
William Mann, Sr. and his wife Rhoda Howard are buried in unmarked graves in what is known as the Benton Manns Cemetery . I would like to suggest to their descendants that they try to get some kind of a marker. Hurley has painted rocks with their initials but, folks, Hawes Fork will not lay in its present slumbering condition very much longer. There are too many natural resources, coal, timber, etc. in that area. When the railroad was built large boulders were blasted over the hill and took part of what little level land there was. A wishful thought on my part is that the area could become a national wildlife refuge. This may sound impossible but what about the Middle Creek National Battlefield that came about. Most local people didn't know about that happening until the signs were erected a week before it was dedicated. Anyway, the beautiful Hawes Fork area needs to be protected from exploitation, nuff said?
We had our monthly meeting Sunday evening, the 19 th of March. We were pleased to have Jack and Wanda Reed of Bowersville , OH who have made another donation toward the Jesse Gullett marker fund. Gay Gullett Wilson and Ruie Nickell have worked hard for this fund. Jesse was born in 1814 NC and died in 1905 in Magoffin Co. KY. He was the son of William and Tempy Hopper Gullett and was married to Elizabeth Coffee. His children were William Wiley Gullett, Telitha Gullett, Tempy Gullett Brown, James F. Gullett, Margaret Gullett, John M. Gullett, Elias Gullett, Nancy Jane Gullett Patrick, Thomas J. Gullett, son b. 1860, and Martha Gullett b. 1863. We would like to complete this project this spring, if possible.
Jodi Wright was also a welcome visitor. She is staying a few days at Paintsville Lake and is interested in locating a place to park her travel trailer in or around Salyersville with water and sewage access. She would like to find employment and settle down in Ol' Magoffin! Jodi is related to the Pace family of Rockhouse and Beartree communities.
Another lady, Ruby Marshall, was also present. She is a member of a Vietnam Veteran's support group whose aim is to set a monument for all Magoffin Vietnam Veterans and would like to do so in time to dedicate it during Founder's Day 2006. She needs help to assure that all Vietnam veterans are identified.
Dallas and Kay Bentley also attended. Kay brought in information on several soldiers and has finished indexing Vol. II of the Gullett family book. Stacey Blanton and Connie Wireman copied the file over to a master file so it can be sorted. Kay is now working on indexing Vol. III of the Gullett book. If anyone has additional info on the Gullett family you need to get it to us soon as Kay will soon finish this project.
Stacey Blanton has taken on the job of scanning to disk the 250 plus pictures of veteran's markers that I have accumulated. Connie says these could be put in the forthcoming veteran's book so I'm gonna have to put a lot more miles on my wagon getting all such pictures that I can find. If you have a veteran with a government marker, would you take a photo and get it in to us? Time is a big factor, especially if your name starts with A, B, C, or D as this book will be printed in alphabetical order.
Folks, it's now or shortly never to get your veteran in this book of honor to our men and women who have served our country from World War I days to the present day. Belsey and Luva Connelley as well as Jack and Wanda are also busy writing some stories of life in service as well as what it like on the home front.
The DAV was invited to do military honors for Comrade Monroe “J. R.” Slone b. 1928 in the Flat Fork area of Magoffin Co. KY. He was buried in the Flat Fork churchyard. Chances are this veteran would not have been in our forthcoming book. Before the services, I took pictures of nine veteran's graves in that cemetery. No doubt there were other veteran's buried there that had no marker indicating their service.
Then yesterday Alex Whitaker and his sister Angela (Whitaker) Pattergale of Rensselaer, IN visited. They were here for the funeral of their father, Russell Whitaker, a Navy veteran. They were surprised to learn that he was eligible to be included in our veteran's book and also a DAV military honor salute.
I would like to make this request to you who read this, to write down all names of veteran's from WWI through peacetime or wartime down to the present and get this list to us so we can check your list against ours.
Sue Chiles (
[email protected]
) needs info on Elijah Combs and wife Gertie Row b. ca. 1914 to Elzie Rowe. Her mother and siblings are not known. Elzy Row was born in 1844 to Alexander Row b. 1844 and Bethene Fletcher b. 1847. Alex m. 2 nd to Martha Trusty, dau of John Clay Trusty.
Alexander was a son of Sarah Row b. ca. 1813 TN. Information on her son Nathan Row's death certificate gives Jack Hayes as his father.
Elzy m. 1 st about 1889 to Ellen Ray then m. 2. 29 Jul 1919 to Lonia Arnett, dau of Martin Arnett and Cassie Joseph. Gertie was born about 1915 and shows in 1920 as the dau of Ellen Ray b. ca. 1850. Siblings were Ardella b. 1892, Gracie b. 1895, Fredrick b. 1897, Estill b. 1899, Ada b. 1902, Altie b. 1903, Millie b. 1905, Michey b. 1908, Berty b. 1910 and Gertie b. 1915.
Lena Auxier (
[email protected]
) has written us a nice letter. She is the dau of Herley Mann of Tip Top, my cemetery hunting buddy. Lena reports the cemetery below the railroad is called the Benton Mann Cemetery because Benton made some of the stones and took care of the cemetery. Benton was married three times and had 16 children. His 2 nd wife was Minnie Rowe b. 1891 d. 1924, dau of James Rowe and Mary J. Bailey. Benton was buried in another cemetery in Breathitt County .
Lena believes that Samuel Mann was the son of William Mann and Rhoda Howard. She also thinks that Sarah Mann Joseph who married Charles Joseph was the dau of William Sr. and Rhoda. We want to thank Lena for her information.
Herley got in touch with Steve Bolen of Jackson who has Confederate markers for John Mann and William Mann, Jr. so these stones will be set as soon as the weather breaks. It would be great to have some markers to set at the gravesites of William Mann, Sr. and Rhoda Howard Mann.
Norma J. Eyerman, 898 Pin Oak Pl. , Washington C. H., OH 43160 inquired about a Bailey-Sebastian family line. Pauline “Plynie” Sebastian married 1 st to Sherman Adams then m. 2 nd to Burnie Bailey. My findings are that Pauline Sebastian was born 17 Apr 1882 and d. 17 Jan 1961 in Columbus , OH . She was a dau of John E. Sebastian b. 1844 Fayette Co. IL and served as Pvt. in Co. D, 45 th KY Mtd. Inf. He died 6 Mar 1917 in Magoffin Co. KY on the Trace Branch off Rt. 460, east of Bloomington .
John E. was a son of Wesley Sebastian and Mary Birchfield. Mary was a dau of Adam Birchfield and Nancy Taulbee. Wesley Sebastian was a son of Hezekiah Sebastian and Rachel Bryant.
John E (or F.) Sebastian was a Union soldier in the Civil War, captured at Salyersville and sent to Richmond , VA to a Rebel prison for 150 days where he almost starved to death. He was given extra food by a German cook and was discharged at Catlettsburg , KY on 24 Dec 1864 at age 20. John ran a small grocery and post office at Mountain, KY, now known as Trace Branch, and he was buried there.
John F. Sebastian, age 19, b. Morgan Co. KY, residence Magoffin Co. KY, married on 11 Aug 1865 to Tissie Hamons, age 17, b. Morgan Co., residence Magoffin Co. KY.
John F. Sebastian's grandfather is listed in the 1850 Morgan Co. census: Hezekiah Barker, age 63 b. NC, wife Rachel (Bryant) age 38. The compiler, Harley S. Little, footnoted the entry thusly: This is Hezekiah Sebastian, alias Barker, who is buried in the Pomroyton Cemetery, Menifee Co. KY.
Letisha/Christina “Tissie” Hammons b. 1847 is the dau of Andrew J. Hammons b. 1819, a son of John Hammons b. ca. 1784 VA and Margaret “Peggy” Evans b. 1788 who are buried in the Hammons Cemetery on the bank of the Bloomington Branch near its confluence with the Licking River at Bloomington , KY.
Andrew J. Hammons m. Jane “Jincie” Prater b. 1823. Jencie was the dau of Rev. Elijah Prater b. 1795 and Jincy Patrick b. 1800. Jincy was the dau of William Patrick and Mollie Reins. Mollie was a dau of Meredith Reins. William was a son of Jeremiah Patrick and Sarah Blair. Rev. Elijah Prater was a son of Archibald Prater and Sarah Blair.
Pauline Sebastian married 1 st to Sherman Adams then m. 2 nd about 1912 to Burnie Bailey b. 1884 d. 1963. Burnie was a son of Jackson L. Bailey b. 1858 and Nancy Vivian Puckett b. 1859. Nancy was the dau of John Wiley Puckett b. 1835 and served in the 45 th KY Vol. Inf. He married Patsy Bailey b. 1838, dau of Lemuel Bailey and Annie/Betty Dykes. Annie was a dau of James Dykes and Presha Bailey.
Jackson L. Bailey was a son of William Bailey b. ca. 1830 and Polly Ann Foster b. 1843. Polly was a dau of John Foster b. ca. 1812 and Nancy Bailey b. 1810. Nancy was a dau of Joseph Bailey and Martha “Patsy” Brashears. John Foster was a son of Isaac Foster.
Can anyone tell me who the parents of Sherman Adams were? Did he die or was he divorced from Pauline Sebastian?
Contact us at telephone 606-349-1607, email
[email protected]
or write the Magoffin County Historical Society, Box 222 , Salyersville , KY 41465.
Magoffin County Historical
Society
This
article, written by Todd Preston, the president of the
Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the
March 30, 2006
issue of