I suppose we could now declare that we are getting some spring weather but it sure took its time in changing from almost frosty mornings. Spring must have come a bit earlier up on Puncheon ‘cause I've seen ‘tater patches up that-a-way large enough to start “graveling”.
Yes, I've had good enough health to go to a bunch of cemeteries all over the northern and eastern part of the county and got upriver to the Salt Lick area. If I can find guides I hope to keep going. I've taken pictures of over 500 footstones of veterans which will be in our forthcoming book for Founder's Day 2006.
Now all deceased veterans don't have military footstones and many, many Magoffin veterans are buried in other counties and other states or, in fact, other countries, so if you can get a picture of Magoffin County's contribution of its sons and daughters who served in the military forces it will be appreciated and help memorialize them.
The DAV (Disabled American Veterans) ordered 1,000 small American flags to be set at veteran's graves and they were left here at the historical society to be given out to people to be set at Veteran's gravesites. They were a little late coming in so in order to get them placed James and Ruth Anna Montgomery and I went to the Bluegrass Cemetery here in town and set one at every veteran's grave. We discovered we had used nearly eight dozen flags!
James and Ruth took a few dozen to the Oakley Creek area and I started hop-scotching the larger cemeteries, the Gardner, Earl May, Prater May, Tackett, Elzie Conley, Bailey, Smith Adams, Caudill, Isaiah Conley, Williams, Prater, Penix, Cain/Bailey, Roark, Prater and Patrick cemeteries on Burning Fork. I suppose I set twenty dozen. We gave large quantities to people to take to other cemeteries but sadly enough, not many were taken to the Licking and Trace areas and there are only about a dozen left.
It was not the intention of the DAV for us to set all the flags. It was intended that we hand them out to other people but as I said earlier, they came in late and not many people knew to come in, but at least a thousand of our veterans have flags this Memorial Day.
While on the subject of veterans, there is a current strong move to purchase a memorial for Magoffin County Vietnam veterans. I believe a pyramid type marker has been ordered similar to our early founder's marker in the community center yard. People may remember that our valiant soldiers of this time era had to fight an unpopular war and some were badly treated.
It is time we set about letting these soldiers and their families know that their efforts were appreciated. Magoffin County is currently noted for its memorials honoring its veterans. I would like to make it plain, I am not a warmonger, but let's face it; we will never know peace again as it was before Pearl Harbor . Neither have we ever had war in nor on our American soil so our people have never seen actual battles in our country but as long as the threat of a missile being launched from a foreign country, we will not have peace.
I put a flag on Adam Smith's grave at the Tackett Cemetery. Why do I mention this particular veteran? Adam and many more of his comrades who were in World War I were sent to the coldest part of Russia to fight the Bolsheviks who were a threat to Russia. These American soldiers were sent there under British officers. Why good ol' Uncle Sam did this when they had capable officers eludes me. Now “Uncle Sam” sent provisions for these troops but some they never got. These troops had to kill dogs, mules, etc. to survive yet they were put on the front lines. When World War I was over, it was years before they came home. If you want to read about this blunder, it's in the book “Quartered In Hell”.
Bob Whittaker of SC called to tell me that he is sure that the cemetery I visited in the Oakley Creek area that had field stones with only initials such as “J. C.” is the family of John Wesley Cole b. 1808 d. 1859 who married Katie Minix b. 1815 d. 1877. Their son William C. Cole and their grandson Irvine Cole who died in 1903 will be getting some markers. Bob and Betty will be here this fall to clean up the cemetery and set the markers.
Bob also told me that he and Betty had made a trip to Maryland and had located the “Green Springs” property of Hans Michael Risner then in Middletown , MD found the Thomas Whitaker property. Both are his ancestors and he was surprised they lived only about 11-1/4 miles apart in the 1730s-1750s and were about the same age.
Last Saturday morning I was supposed to meet Myrtle Cole and others on Gun Creek to try to find the grave of George Fletcher. As there were several people at our library I was about half an hour late so I missed them but I did get to put a flag on my ol' buddy Epp Fletcher's grave as well as other veterans in that area.
On Sunday I went out early in the Mash Fork area and put a flag on cousin Frank Power's grave as well as others. I then attended services on the Prater Cemetery then went on down to the Williams Cemetery where I was joined by my sisters, Luva, Ida Jane and Sue. We visited our brother Roger's grave and went on to the Penix cemetery where we had recently set a monument for Smith and Sally Reed.
After grabbing a burger we went up the Vanderpool, now called Fairchild Branch, and stopped at the Ray Fairchild and Crace cemeteries and on up to our Helton Cemetery. From there we went across to State Road and up Burning Fork to the “Tater” Bill Howard Cemetery where Sue's late husband Bill George Howard is buried. We then went on up to sister Ann's husband Houston Kelly's gravesite in the Doc Miller Cemetery .
On Monday I got my Ranger pick-up on the road and went down to our cabins and loaded it with chairs and took them to the park where the DAV was to have a flag raising ceremony. I found Randall Hardin already at work so I came back and got our PA system. We had a sizable crowd and a good program which was covered by the Salyersville Independent as well as the local TV station.
I've been accused of having “too many irons in the fire” and I guess that is true for my “table” has become so cluttered I've started working on a second table and have probably neglected some queries and emails. They seem to be getting harder to answer and I urge you to include as much info as you are aware of when you write then bear with us.
Herbert Dupree (
[email protected]
) would like to find proof that John Montgomery Jr. is the father of Silas Montgomery who married Aggie Sizemore. Perhaps there are DAR members out there who have proven this link. Is there a Bible record? The Kentucky birth and death records did not start until 1911.
Doris Rose (
[email protected]
) has written to announce that the descendants and friends of Phillip Hamman/Hammond (b. 1750 Germany , American Revolution soldier) are having a bi-annual reunion on 10-12 August 2006 at the Hilton Gordon Hotel, Oklahoma City, OK. Contact Doris for details.
A Caldwell researcher (
[email protected]
) is asking for info on Samuel E. Caldwell b. 1862 d. 1930 buried in the Tackett Cemetery on Rt. 40 and married Artelia Gullett, dau of William Gullett and Delila Austin.
Archie Caldwell's book “Caldwell's and Their Cousins” gives info Samuel Martin “Sam Mart” Caldwell b. Sep 1862 Harlan Co. KY d. 1943. He was the son of Jefferson Caldwell and married 6 Aug 1877 in Magoffin Co. KY to (Ar )Tellia Gullett b. May 1868 d. 1930 and buried in the Tackett Cemetery .
I need to get back on the road again as I would like to get on up Licking River above Salt Lick or I will feel like I've neglected my good buddies Farley Shepherd and Van Shepherd and others but I need some guides who will show me where they and other veterans are buried. Hint, hint!
Our telephone number is 606-349-1607 and our research library is located at 191 South Church Street , Salyersville, KY. Our mailing address is Box 222, Salyersville, KY 41465 or email us at
[email protected].
Magoffin County Historical
Society
This article, written by Todd Preston, the president of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the
June 8, 2006 issue of