During
Founder’s Days 2006 we had the pleasure of meeting Deana Parker
Thomas Minix, the mother of Amanda Thomas who is stationed in
Iraq. Deanna is the wife of Robinette Minix. Deanna had stopped
in to buy a Year 2006 Founder’s Day “We Support Our Veterans” tee
shirt to send to Amanda in Iraq. We got to talking about the
troops and decided to send along a tee shirt for some autographs.
We got the tee shirt back last Friday and decided to share it with
all of you. This shirt has traveled throughout Iraq in a
helicopter to get signatures of different troops. Amanda was very
excited to share the support from her mom’s and step-dad’s
hometown of Salyersville. We sent a couple of hats to her
squadron. She is a mechanic for the helicopter in her aviator
troop. We continue to have Amanda and the rest of our troops in
our thoughts and prayers.
Each day as I
pass the construction site of the Magoffin County Administration
Building where the steel framing is going up I feel a sense of
pride at seeing a small American flag waving about ten feet from
the topmost steel beams. I suspect some of the construction crew
has temporarily set it up. I have longed to see a giant flag
installed in our town as Paintsville and Prestonsburg have several
in their vicinity. It would be nice if one could be flown near
this new building or between this building and the City Hall.
Perhaps the city and county could split the cost. The largest flag
now waving in Magoffin County is in front of the Community Center
which was donated to us by visitors a couple of years ago. It is
now fading even though I took it down last winter and replaced it
with a smaller one to make the large one last as long as possible.
This isn’t a one man job or I would have taken it down this
winter.
Bob Whittaker of
SC has intentions of spending about a week here in Magoffin County
the last of March. He has made arrangements to set the Henry C.
Bailey Confederate stone near the Mouth of Bullmire Branch as we
have not in late years found the location of the cemetery although
Connie Wireman and her mother Mae S. Arnett visited and copied it
in 1978 with the help of Jack Watson. Bob has invited Paul Bailey
of IN to lend a helping hand and invites all local people to get
involved. Kirk Howard’s sons have expressed an interest in
helping. Perhaps we might have a 21-gun salute by the Sons of The
Confederacy with the help of a few Muzzleloaders.
There is a large
cemetery there that is in need of clearing. Beecher Howard once
kept the cemetery clean but he has been gone several years now.
Bob and I started trying to clean it last year but it was too hot
for two old seniors so we gave it up temporarily, at least until
we get reinforcements!
We want to send a
big THANK YOU to Melvin Rudd for a monetary donation. There are
few, if any of our people who are more patriotic than Melvin who
nearly gave his all in the defense of our country in Korea.
Debbie Watkins
Prater, dau of Albert Watkins and Cassie Cole gave us the names of
the children buried in the Chestnut Orchard Cemetery on Bear or
Cole Branch Cemetery on Middle Creek. They are Orie b. 7 Sep 1925,
Dorie b. 7 Sep 1925, Ollie Watkins b. 28 Feb 1930. Albert
and Cassie have a granddaughter, Dollie Faye Watkins b. and d.
1951 buried there.
Albert Watkins’
father William “Bill” Watkins who was married to Margaret Collins
and they had a daughter Ida Watkins, a son Henry Watkins and his
wife Izana who have children Ballard, Ramey and Mabel Watkins
buried on the Chestnut Orchard Cemetery.
Mary Cole
contacted us. She and her grandson were here hunting for the
Chestnut Orchard two years ago. We lacked 85 steps in finding the
cemetery at that time. She would like to come this summer and get
up there to see it. Her grandfather Jimmie Perkins is buried
there. Her parents are Roy Cole and Lizzie Perkins who lived
on Big Lick Branch until they moved to Michigan about 60 years
ago. We are looking forward to seeing you again Mary and
having you and your grandson make the journey here. Take care, Roy
Cole and grandson Gage Cole.
We had an inquiry
from a descendant of Valentine Collins who had many family members
who went on to cross the river into Ohio and were known as Carmel
Indians (because they settled in Carmel, OH). Valentine
“Tiny” Cole b. ca. 1812 is claimed to be the son of William
“Billy” Cole b. 1791 Buncombe, NC and Obedience “Biddy” Collins.
Billy was the son of John Cole and Cuzzie Anderson via info from
Dr. Richard Allan Carlson of Michigan State University. We have
had no contact with him for several years.
Frank Whitt
(ladylily29 @yahoo.com) is searching for the parents of a Matilda
Blanton who married Buckner/Buck Slone. In the 1850 Johnson Co. KY
census we find John M. Blanton age 29 b. TN, wife Sarah age 26
with children James, Marinda, Samuel, Benjamin. In 1860
Magoffin is John W. Blanton age 52 m. 10 Sep 1858 to Martha. They
have a dau Matilda age 4 (b. 1866). In 1880 Magoffin is John
N. Blanton age 62, he and parents b. TN, wife Martha age 44 and
children Samuel age 31 and Matilda age 14.
Annals
of Johnson Co. KY tells that John N. Blanton age 28, widower,
b. Morgan Co. KY married on 16 Sep 1858 to Martha Conley, age 34,
b. Floyd Co. KY. Magoffin County marriages have Monroe Slone
married 8 Jun 1883 to Teeann Blanton at J. C. T. Blanton’s with
witnesses Melvin and Henry Slone.
Michelle Barnard
(mcarty @earthlink.net) writes that she is a daughter of Garnet
Sue Huff b. 25 Feb 1950 and a gr/dau of Oakley Huff b. 1929. She
would like to know more about her ancestors. Oakley Huff was as
son of Henry Huff b. 1903 and gr/son of John Henry Huff b. 1860
Wise Co. VA. John H. was a son of William Huff and Lavena Wells.
John Henry Huff
m. 1885 to Martha E. Conley b. 1866, the dau of James “Jeems”
Conley b. 1828. Jeems was a son of John Conley b. 1818 and
grandson of John Conley, Sr. John Sr. was a son of Capt. Henry
Conley and Ann McGregor. Ann was a dau of Archibald McGregor.
John Conley
married Leah Joynes, a dau of Thomas Joynes of NC. Their son John
Conley married Elizabeth Powers b. 1818. Elizabeth was a dau of
Lewis Powers and Elizabeth Prater. Elizabeth was a dau of
Archibald Prater and Sarah Fugate. Sarah was a dau of Josiah
Fugate.
James “Jeems”
Conley was a Pvt. in Co. I, 14th KY Vol. Inf. USA
during the Civil War. He married Cynthia Montgomery b. 1844, a dau
of James H. Montgomery b. 1821. James m. in 1840 to Elizabeth
Picklesimer, thought to be a dau of David Picklesimer and Sarah
Prater (a dau of Archibald Prater).
Henry Huff b.
1903 m. in 1824 to Celia McCarty b. ca. 1903. Celia was a dau of
James K. McCarty b. 1875 and a gr/dau of Jeremiah McCarty b. 1820.
Jeremiah m. in 1842 to Malinda Kilgore b. 1824, dau of John
Kilgore b. 1799 and Cynthia Addington.
John K. McCarty
m. in 1895 to Susan Dunn b. 1876, a dau of Jeremiah Dunn b. 1837
and Sarah Reed b. 1849. Sarah was a dau of Daniel Reed and Martha
Patsy” Lewis.
Jeremiah Dunn was
a son of Asa T. Dunn b. 1822 and a grandson of John Dunn. Oakley
Huff married Aurora Belle Burk, dau of John Burk and Ida Johnson
of Morgan Co. KY.
We have heard from
Goldie Shepherd of Wheatfield, IN who tells us she is extremely
pleased with our newest Good Times cookbook. She said the
pictures of the post offices in the book bring back a lot of
memories to her. She used to stop years ago at Mae Arnett’s in
Fredville and buy men’s lace back denim pants for her husband
Press. The brand may have been Duck Head. She wondered if anyone
remembered them. I have an old pair of this style pants (Anvil
brand) here in the Pioneer Village. They were a very stylish item
for young men about 50 or so years ago.
You may visit our
museum and library by coming to 191 South Church Street in
Salyersville (telephone 606-349-1607) or write to us at Box 222,
Salyersville, KY 41465 (email:
[email protected])
Magoffin County Historical
Society
