The holiday season is upon us which means after Thanksgiving and Christmas some of us overeaters (gluttons?) have to loosen our belts another notch! I've already set my feet under several bountiful tables. The Seniors of Prater Memorial Methodist Church were treated to their annual Thanksgiving dinner with the youngsters doing the serving. We also had a living history exhibit by the 5 th KY CSA re-enactors after which we were treated to brunch at the local CAP office, another belt-loosening meal!
The DAV had another Flag Raising ceremony at our Pioneer Village sponsored by Magoffin County Outreach of Big Sandy Community Action Program with Linda Sparks, Coordinator and about fifteen high school students. They got a lesson from Comrade Willard Risner (Vice Commander) and Comrade Melvin Blanton (Chaplin) on how to respectfully retire and fold the American Flag. During the program they had dedicated and raised a new flag which was presented to us. This flag was flown over the US capitol Nov. 7 th 2006 and came courtesy of Hal Rogers.
After taps and a twenty-one gun salute, the students placed eighteen small flags around the flag pole in honor of the 17 troops now serving overseas and one who is enroute.
Mrs. John L. (Kaye) Webb, 2343 Utica Rd., Lebanon, OH 45036 arrived Friday and was interested in visiting several cemeteries in the Middle Fork area, basically the Gose family and their kinsmen. I couldn't get away to accompany Kaye and her friend to Middle Fork so J. W. Back acted as tour guide and when they returned they were well pleased with all they had found.
She had her father's army uniform, complete with medals, encased in a glassed-in wooden box, which was a perfect reminder of WWII serviceman. I placed this memory box at the flag pole where the students placed their flags. When Kaye Webb came back, I showed her how I had honored her father with the uniform on display. With tears in her eyes, she wholeheartedly approved and actually took part in the program.
Kaye made a donation toward the proposed Reuben Arnett memorial marker for, as she said, “He must be my kinsman in some way or other.” Now, this brings on the thought, if a person can donate to this memorial, not knowing if he is related, how about all the hundreds of people out there who are descendants who could and should donate to this cause? A memorial was set for Reuben's brother, Stephen Arnett in 2004. If a memorial could be set for Reuben then the ancestors of all local Arnett's would be memorialized.
Your children and grandchildren could have a bond to their Arnett ancestors. You and I are not going to be able to relate their heritage to them in a few more years as we will have gone the way of all our ancestors. As the old saying goes, “We will be pushing up daisies”, so let's get this memorial erected in the next few months. Let us hear your thoughts on this.
Lloyd Elwood Hammon visited; he is the son of Chapel Hammon b. 1914 and grandson of Thomas Harlan Hammon b. 1873. Thomas was the son of George W. Hammon b. 1855. George was a son of Thomas Hammon b. 1831 (Civil War soldier, 14 th KY Inf. died in service in 1863). Thomas was a son of Benjamin Hammon b. 1799 Wilkes Co. NC who married Sarah Johnson b. 1799.
Thomas Hammon married ca. 1853 to Catherine L. Cook b. ca. 1838, the dau of Havila Cook b. 1812 (per the 1850 Tazewell Co. KY census). Havila married Ursula Reid b. 1823 who is said to be the dau of William Reid and Catherine Dolsbury b. 1791. Catherine was the dau of Lyles Dolsbury b. 1745 d. 1850, a veteran of the Revolutionary War and said to have been of Choctaw Indian descent. Havila and Ursula Cook are buried in the Cook Cemetery near the mouth of Cripple Creek and Rt. 460.
Chapel Hammon married in 1937 to Edna Blankenship b. 1910, the dau of Steve Blankenship b. 1881. Steve was a son of James F. Blankenship b. 1867 and grandson of Wilburn Blankenship b. 1850 and Martha Lykins. Martha was a dau of William Stuart Lykins b. 1837 and gr/dau of William Stuart Lykins (b. 1797). William S. was a son of Isaac Lykins and gr/son of Marcus Lykins, a Revolutionary War soldier.
Isaac Lykins married Nancy Lacy. Wm. Stuart Lykins, Sr. married Rebecca Coffee, the dau of Ambrose Coffee.
William Stuart Lykins, Jr. married in 1849 to Lucinda Taulbee b. 1830 NC.
Chapel Hammon's father Thomas m. in 1894 to Louise Lykins b. 1878, dau of Elkanna Lykins b. 1857. Elkanna m. Rhoda Margaret Pugh b. 1861. Rhoda was the dau of Cornwallis (C. W. I.) Pugh b. 1841. He served in the Civil War in the Union Army, the son of Joseph Wesley Pugh and Melford Bailey. Melford was the dau of Elisha Bailey and Lucinda Stacy. This family is covered in the Bailey books, Vol. III.
Elcanna Lykins was a son of Caleb Lykins b. 1823 and Mary A. Allen b. 1824. Mary was a dau of Richard Allen b. 1794 and Edy Williams b. 1803. Edy was a son of Elder Daniel Williams and Violet Crouch.
Caleb Lykins was a son of Peter Lykins b. 1799 and Winnie Williams. Peter was a son of William Lykins and Margaret Ritter. William Lykins was a son of Marcus Lykins and Margaret Howes. Marcus is buried behind the home of Seldon Lykins, located just before crossing the river to Grape Creek.
Lloyd Elwood Hammon married Judy Poe, the dau of Garland Poe b. 1913. Garland was a son of Albert Poe b. 1883 and gr/son of James Poe b. 1854. James was the son of Hugh Poe and Sarah Montgomery.
James Poe married Hiley Caudill whose son Elbert Poe b. 1883 married in 1902 to Rebecca (or Francis) Perkins b. 1870.
James Poe apparently married 2 nd in 1897 to Clarria b. 1865 and had a son Irvin Poe b. 1899. Garland Poe married Ora A. Fentris b. 1919, dau of James Fentris and Judy Cotton. One Garland Poe at age 23 married 2 nd in 1936 to Mildred Nall, age 17 of the Children's Home Association, marriage witnessed by Edd Poe and Adam Smith.
This season is a time to count our blessings and one of my outstanding blessings happened last Thursday (Nov 16) when the stork brought our family a 9-pound 7-ounce baby boy. My baby girl, Abby, did the part of motherhood and as she couldn't give him the Preston surname, she gave him the first name of Preston. He is Preston Scott Conley, he shares the middle name of my son-in-law, Brian Scott Conley. Mother and son are doing fine, father is still in shock, and the family housecat is getting a lot less attention!
Write us at Box 222, Salyersville, KY 41465 ([email protected]).
Magoffin County Historical
Society
This
article, written by Todd Preston, the president of the
Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the
November 30
, 2006 issue of