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

It’s a couple of weeks after Founder’s Days and everything is getting back to normal, that is to say, we are still at work as Connie had the Fall Journal ready for Dorothy and me to print, staple and get in the mail.  I’ve slipped out a few times to take pictures of the new bridge being installed over a dry Licking River, wishing it could have happened two weeks earlier as parking problems were bad during Founder’s Days!           I walked over the installed section of the bridge Saturday on the Community Center side and I must say it feels much safer than the old swinging bridge.  We hated to see the old bridge go as it had become a tourist attraction, there are not too many such bridges left and once nearly every home located on the side of the river away from the main road had one.           When the Journal was safely in the post office I got my dogs loaded up and stopped near little Nora Patrick’s grave site and sure enough, James McCarty has the steps installed to get up to the gravesite.  We would like to have a dedication there and are waiting for Olive Marshall, Ben Patton, Jr. and other relatives to set a time now that the weather is cooling down.           I went on up the hollow to see the log house that is there.  I unloaded my “old” dog and his pup. This was the pup’s first outing and we immediately startled some deer, one being a fawn which sort of “barked” at our interference and that, in turn, startled the pup.  I found the deer had been drinking out of the puddle of water that was left in the otherwise dry creek bed.           I found the log cabin to be in better condition than I expected as it has a right good roof on it to protect the logs.  I suspect James McCarty or someone has kept the bottom around it mowed.            I went on up the hollow but it got such a rough going that I came back out. My old dog half-heartedly treed only one time and the pup just played doggie games.           Pamela Lynn Scott (psBonJovi @aol.com) writes her father is Mace Junior Carpenter b. 1928.  Dollie (Della Mae?) b. 1926 is his sister.  Pamela listed all her siblings, their spouses and children.  It would be nice to have all the dates and places for the proposed Carpenter book.  Mace Carpenter is found in the 1920 Magoffin census as age 33 (b. 1887) married to Creesie (Loucresie) Howard age 40 (b. 1880).  Their children are Breez age 4, Helen age 2, Lovana age 1 and they have Rhoda Craft in the household.           The 1930 Magoffin census has Cresie Carpenter, widow of Mason with children, Breeze age 14, Louvanna age 11, Edna age 9, Dolla Mae age 4 ½ and Junior 1 year 6 months. Mace Carpenter married 20 Jun 1914 to Crecia Craft. They are found in the Harken Craft home at the head of Craft Creek on the right near the Breathitt County line.  I have been there to the cemetery a couple of times and I would have to report it in a near-abandoned condition.           Mace Carpenter was born in 1889 and died in 1929. His wife was born in 1890 and died in 1957.  Mace was a son of Breckenridge Carpenter b. 1855 and Louisa (Eliza) Howard b. ca. 1857.  Breckenridge was a son of Stephen Carpenter b. 1834 and Lourany Lovely, dau of William Lovely and Nancy Fraley.           Stephen was a son of William Carpenter and Sarah Howard, dau of William Howard and Molly Salyer. William was a son of Fielding Carpenter and Delphia. There are several Howard wives that I can’t identify, such as Creasie.           I might add that Mason Carpenter age 22 and Wise Carpenter age 20 are found in the 1920 Magoffin census with their mother Levisa Marshall who is listed as age 52 and divorced.  Wise is listed as a nephew of Irvin Carpenter in 1910. They had a brother Linville also.           Susan Collins Dunbar (sdunbar @greatlakes.net) writes she is trying to learn where the Magoffin/Johnson county line is located in the narrows of Jennies Creek. She had been told it heads up in Magoffin but can’t find a map to show where.           Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I was assuming the line was at Trimble Gap but on inquiry I’m told it crosses “the Narrows” at the railroad trestle creek crossing about a quarter mile east of Trimble Gap.  Where’s the county line sign?           Gary L. Stone of Sykesville, MD asked about the Cudy Stone who is buried behind Orval Adams’ home on Middle Creek of Floyd County and wonders if it could be the Cudberth Stone who was a veteran of the Revolutionary War.  This Cuddy Stone was a descendant of the Rev. War veteran.  I have searched for the elder Cudberth’s gravesite with no luck.  I would suggest a marker be set somewhere in the Abbott or Middle Creek area, noting the burial site is unknown so that his name won’t be lost to future generations.  It could be in a cemetery that is easily accessible to the public such as the Chestnut Cemetery on Middle Creek. I ask would there be sufficient interest among Cudberth Stone descendants to follow up on this suggestion?           We have had an inquiry if there is a male descendant of Samuel Helton, George Helton, Jr. or Jacob Helton in our area who would be interested in having a DNA test done.  The writer has had a DNA test which shows he has the profile of a descendant of John Bryant Helton who was a brother to Nathaniel Newman Helton who was the father of my ancestor George Helton who married Malinda Wade.           Lucy Mae Risner b. 1940 of Magoffin County has been researching her family. Lucy is the dau of Earnie Risner b. 1907, son of Wilburn Hager Risner b. 1873. Wilburn was a son of Reuben Risner b. 1845 and a grandson of Archibald John Risner b. 1815. Archibald was a son of Michael Risner and Sarah Howard. Sarah was born in 1790, dau of James Howard.  Archibald Risner m. Nancy J. Howard b. 1824. Reuben Risner m. Sina Marie Crace b. 1847, dau of Campbell C. Crace b. 1814 and Mahala Craft b. 1819, dau of James Craft and Drucilla Hammons.           Wilburn Risner m. Sarah Alice Adams b. 1870, dau of Marshall Adams. Marshall was born in 1834, was a Union soldier in the Civil War and married Sarah Clay. Ernie Risner m. Ina Mae Hensley b. 1908 Greenup Co. KY and they are the parents of Lucy Mae Risner.           Ina Mae Hensley was a dau of John Oliver Hensley b. 1872. John O. was a son of John Wesley Hensley b. 1851 and Lourenda Howard b. 1856.  John Wesley was a son of Stephen Hensley b. 1834 and Polly Ann Howard b. 1831.           John Oliver Hensley married Minnie Ann Howard, a dau of Jesse Howard b. 1858. Jesse was a son of Thomas Howard b. 1819 and a grandson of Mose Howard b. 1797. Mose was a son of Thomas Howard, Jr. b. 1770 who married Frances Jackson.           Moses Howard m. Mary “Polly” Patrick, dau of James Patrick. Thomas Howard married 1st to Mary “Polly” Perkins and m. 2nd to Mary Sturgeon (or Sturgill).           Jesse Howard m. 1st to Cora -?- and had children Moses and Deanie.  Jesse m. 2nd to Elizabeth Rigsby b. 1872, dau of Henry Rigsby b. 1834. Henry was a son of Lewis Rigsby b. 1810 NC and Elizabeth (last name unknown).           We would appreciate any help with info mentioned in this column or other family history questions.           We want to thank Eula Slone, wife of the late J. R. Slone of Ohio for her help with our projects.  We also thank J. W. Back and Betty Risner Brown for their help with expenses for Founder’s Days.  Kay Bentley baked a beautiful cake with the Carpenter logo on it to help raise funds for the Carpenter marker we are planning.  We appreciate Kay and Dallas’ help with all of our projects. Kay was the person who planned the tribute to Maxine Carpenter Arnett that we had in our library.            Jim and Emma Day Turley were welcome visitors during Founder’s Day.  Emma Day baked us a pie that we all really enjoyed!  They also made a donation toward the Jesse Gullett marker and the work of the Magoffin County Historical Society.  Write the Magoffin County Historical Society, Box 222, Salyersville, KY 41465 (email: [email protected]). The telephone number is 606-349-1607 and we are located at 191 South Church Street in Salyersville.