This article, written by Todd Preston, the president of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the April 19, 2007 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.

Bob and Betty Whittaker of SC and another visitor Sharon Nutt of OH have returned home after spending some time with us.  As Betty and Sharon helped Dorothy here at our archives building, Bob and I got several projects completed that had been hanging in limbo, with the help of Herley Manns, Charles Puckett, Rosco Hampton, Preston Hale and his son Brandon Hale, Wendell Hoskins, Toddie Preston and others. We were especially glad to have the monuments that the late Raleigh Shepherd, Jr. had gotten several years ago placed at the gravesites of several first settler’s of Magoffin County.  Also completed were tributes to the John Bailey/Henry C. Bailey Cemetery on Bullmire as well as placing a chain link fence and setting the Henry C. Bailey monument at the Wiley Salyer cemetery and placing the Lewis Howard family markers at the Howard Cemetery at the mouth of Bullmire.                 Before parting we took another trip to Town Flats.  Katherine Bailey of Red River in Wolfe County came in and volunteered to show us where she remembered the Caudill Cemetery being located in an area where she had picked blackberries as a young girl. Bob and I walked all over that location without finding any clues. The area had recently been burned, I suspect by lightning striking a large oak tree which literally burst the tree off its stump.  I think this made the seventh time I’ve searched for this elusive cemetery. There may be two cemeteries in this area from information I’ve received from the people I’ve talked to, maybe more.  We didn’t find a cemetery but Bob got to see the Town Flats. We drove up on a flock of buzzards gathered on the flats so we skedaddled away before the birds tried to make a meal out of old men! (smile)                 We’ve moved into an “April winter” and it appears the early blooming fruit trees have been frostbitten. I told my neighbor A. B. Conley that at least he wouldn’t have to stand guard to keep his neighbor Ol’ Todd out of his peach trees this summer.                 The beautiful iris that were in full bloom around the cabins were “picked” by Jack Frost so now I’ve got to get the flower bulbs given to us by Katherine Bailey into the flower beds. I finally got the wheat mowed down, you see, last Founder’s Days we were almost rained out so we scattered straw to help keep people out of the mud so we had a fine crop of wheat this spring.                 We will attempt a few queries: One was from Tara Noble (baritonegal2007 @yahoo.com) asked for info on her grandfather Elmer Patrick and his ancestors. Elmer was a son of Charles Patrick b. 1894, a grandson of Elbert Patrick b. 1862. Elbert was a son of John E. Patrick b. 1818 and a grandson of Robert Patrick b. 1764. Robert was a son of Hugh Patrick b. 1732 and a grandson of Robert Patrick b. 1705 Frederick Co. VA. From information taken from Patricks In Retrospect, a book by the late Dr. Lee Wellington Patrick, this Robert was a son of Hugh Patrick b. 1678 Scotland who was a son of Robert Patrick b. 1735.  Robert was a son of John Kilpatrick b. 1605 and gr/son of Thomas Kilpatrick b. 1580. Thomas was a son of James Patrick b. 1552 and gr/son of John Patrick b. 1460. John was a son of John Patrick b. 1429 of Ayshire.                Another query came from Charles Watkins who is a son of Frank Watkins b. 1892. Frank was a son of John Watkins b. 1862 and a grandson of James M. Watkins b. 1830. James was a son of Benedict Watkins b. 1760.  James married in 1851 to Mary Poe, a dau of James Poe b. ca. 1860/1870. John married Rosanna Perkins b. 1862, dau of George Perkins and Biddy Watkins.               Frank Watkins married Lucy Spradlin b. 1916, a dau of Jim Spradlin b. 1891 and Polly Fletcher b. 1892. Polly was a dau of Irvin Fletcher b. 1858 and Belle Puckett. Irvin was a son of Simon Fletcher b. 1854 and Mary “Polly” Adams b. 1856. Polly was a dau of George Adams and Nancy Adams.               Jim Spradlin was a son of William Spradlin b. 1865 and Emily Crace b. 1868. Emily was a dau of Henry Crace b. 1848 and Surilda Francis Stone. Henry Crace was a son of Alfred Crace and Ruth Spradlin.               Another query on the Hicks family was received from LuAnn Pack of Wittensville, KY. Wilma Hicks b. 1920 m. Harold Williams.  Wilma was a daughter of William Hicks b. 1892. William was a son of Elliot Hicks b. 1855 and grandson of Hiram Hicks b. 1806. Hiram was a son of Aulse Hicks b. ca. 1775 and Sarah Handshoe b. 1776.  Hiram Hicks m. 1. in 1831 to Frances “Fanny” Brown and m. 2. Eliza Skeens. Elliott apparently 1st to Matilda -?- and m. 2nd to Nancy Slone, more research needs to be done on this info.               William Hicks married Sissie Whitaker, a dau of Morgan Whitaker b. 1876. Morgan was a son of George Whitaker. Morgan married Mollie Risner b. 1877, dau of Isaac Risner b. 1850. Isaac was a son of Jacob Risner b. 1815, a son of Michael Risner and Sarah Howard. Jacob married Mary Ann Marshall b. 1819, a dau of Reuben Marshall and Elizabeth Nolan.  Elizabeth Fletcher was a dau of Simon Fletcher and Mary “Polly” Adams.               We are sorry to report the passing of Dorothy Wireman’s mother-in-law Stella Hale Wireman, the widow of Tonie Wireman.  We send our deepest sympathy to Stella’s family which includes her sons Luther “Bill” Wireman, Vellis Wireman and her daughters Irene Borders and Ruby Bailey and their families.  The good family she raised is a tribute to her life and they are assets to the communities in which they live.               We have been sort of “lost” around here without Dorothy for the last few days.  Write to us at Box 222, Salyersville, KY 41465 (email: [email protected]) or telephone 606-349-1607.