This article, written by Todd Preston, the president of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the April 20, 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.

Remember that the Magoffin County Historical Society will be meeting this coming Sunday (the 4 th Sunday of the month), Apr 23 at 2 p.m. at our archives building.   We postponed it a week due to Easter Sunday coming this year at the regular meeting time. The Easter bunny would have found a frost on the ground this Sunday morning if he had made a mistake and come a week early. He could have come in on a large boat as Ol' Licking was out of its banks in many places after a severe thunderstorm. Bob and Betty Whittaker of South Carolina have everything ready for the marker and plaque dedications in Castlewood , VA in honor of Mark Whitaker, an early Methodist minister and the progenitor of the local Whitaker clan.   We hope to have a report on this next week and I am looking forward to going. We would like to thank all who have contributed to the Mark Whitaker fund to help defray the expense of these markers.   The memorial marker cost $1,357 and the installation was $425 for a total of $1,779.00.   The bronze plaque is being paid for by the church.   So far, $1,230 has been collected.   If anyone would like to help finish paying for this marker, please contact marker chairperson Bob Whittaker, 611 Piedmont Hwy , Piedmont , SC   29673 or send to the Magoffin County Historical Society, Box 222 , Salyersville , KY 41465 and we will place it in the Whitaker marker account. I would like to throw this in for good measure. I dare say Whitaker descendants would have never known a great deal about their ancestors Mark and Martha Whitaker had it not been for people like Donis & George Whitaker, Bernice Moore, Edwin Puckett, Bruce & Jo Stephens, Claudia Hasty Whitaker and several others who have expended many hours and many dollars in their quest for expanding the knowledge of early Whitaker genealogy.   The research provided by them provided the impetus for this memorial marker to be set for future generations.   Might I add these tidbits of information: Had it not been for Connie Wireman interviewing the late Les Risner about thirty years ago, we may have never known the burial site of Mark's wife Martha.   Had it not been for several trips into Virginia by Bruce & Jo Stephens and Bob & Betty Whittaker we may never have known the probable location where Mark was buried. It is always encouraging to hear that the search for our early ancestors is continuing. Judy Wulbrecht of Tempe , AZ sent in her membership renewal this week and included a donation toward any project we may need help with.   This was very kind of you, Judy, and we appreciate it greatly. Although we had misty rain Saturday evening, I traveled up Licking River Road to revisit cemeteries after some 25 years, taking GPS coordinates, taking pictures of veteran's grave markers and finding new cemeteries.   Starting with the Johnie Prater Cemetery I then traveled to the Harlan May Cemetery and then downhill to the “Teacher” grave that Beulah Hoskins Long always wanted to mark with a memorial.   A red ribbon has been placed on a bush (N 37-42.565, W 83-03.3.367, elevation 932) which supposedly marks the location of the grave of the man who taught in the Bull Branch School and died in the area.   No one remembered his name but he is thought to have come from Ohio . Would there be anyone who would like to make Beulah's wishes come true? I then visited the Boone Hoskins and Robert Hoskins cemeteries then found a new one, maybe known as Lige Murrell or Kelse N. Arnett Cemetery . From there I went to the Roy Arnett, the Bruce Arnett, the Calla Howard and the Jim Dyer cemeteries. By the time I got back to the home twenty the sun had broken through the cloudy mist. I was especially interested in the Collins family buried in the Calla Howard Cemetery . I knew Ben Collins, Jr. who was a veteran. He came home a paraplegic and drove a special equipped automobile as he had no use of his legs. It is sad to view this row of graves, Ben, Jr., his mother, and two sisters who met an untimely fate in 1956, plus his father, two brothers and another sister also buried here. The evergreens set between the monuments have obscured the names and dates on the Collins stones but can be parted to see the inscriptions. The cemetery is in excellent condition. On Sunday evening, I took another trip to the Mouth of Oakley area, first to the Salyer Cemetery , then the John G. Arnett, Patton, Patrick, Wiley Arnett and the Burdine Arnett cemeteries, all of which are in well kept condition. I now have over 350 pictures of veteran's footstones or headstones. I have also recorded some 50 or more previously missed cemeteries. Betty Pettiford ( [email protected] ) is looking for info on Izer Conley and Gypsy Shepherd. She knows they came from Magoffin County before moving to Ohio and would like any information we might have on them.   This has me stumped. I have spent several hours on this query but can't seem to find Izer/Isiah Conley or Gypsy Shepherd, it would be helpful to have their birthdates, names of siblings, or any other identifying information. A visit from Earl and Eleanor Holbrook gave the info that the first person buried in the Starpin Fork off Highway 134 or Johnson Fork was William Tyler who married an Elam .   In Magoffin Marriages we find that William Tyler married 24 Mar 1887 at the home of J. D. Allen to Franky Jane Allen. The 1880 Morgan County census lists William Tylor age 25 b. TN, wife Mary E. age 23. I don't find a marriage record. Living next door is Manuel Tylor age 52, b. TN, wife Dorcus age 34, b. TN.   So William may be “Manuel”.   There is also a Bartly Tylor age 24 b. TN listed.   I was quite surprised to find the Tyler surname in Magoffin County so I was intrigued and will appreciate any further information. Who was Eliza Bayes who married William “Salty Bill” Patrick? The 1840 Morgan census lists John (Isom) Bayes age 40 to 50 (b. between 1790 and 1800), wife b. between 1800 to 1810 with 5 children, the youngest born in the early 1830s.   The 1850 Morgan census has Sanford Reed age 46, Mary Williams, age 88 with an Eliza Bayes age 18 in this household. Next door is Elizabeth Bays age 60 b. VA. Could this be Eliza's mother? The 1860 Magoffin census lists William D. Patrick age 30, wife Eliza age 24. The 1870 Magoffin census has William Patrick age 40 and wife Eliza age 40. I am assuming Eliza was the dau of John Bays and gr/dau of Isham Bayes. Can anyone help? We have had a good amount of material brought in lately for our Veteran's book planned for this Labor Day celebration.   We thank all who have participated as we feel it is very important to show our respect and gratitude to our service men and women. You can call us at 606-349-1607, email [email protected], or write Magoffin County Historical Society, Box 222, Salyersville, KY 41465.