This article, written by Todd Preston, President of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the January 31, 2008 issue of THE SALYERSVILLE INDEPENDENT newspaper.
 

          We still have many family names in Magoffin County that deserve recognition and honor.  We are proud of our early founding families and look forward to recording their history in some form. 
Now that the Fletcher family has been chosen to be the honored family for Founder’s Day 2008, this means a lot of work has to be done by a “large bunch” of people in a short space of time to make it happen!  I have made a search of the Fletcher families of Magoffin County and have found the majority of them descend from “Old” George Fletcher who married 1st to Dicey Johnson and had at least one son, Alexander Fletcher.
          George married 2nd to Levisa Marshall and had the following 11 children: Isaac, Reuben, Henley, Simon, Elizabeth, Epperson, Manda, Meredith, Rebecca, Johnson M., and Mason, who died as a child.
          There is at least one other Fletcher family in our county and this is Elizabeth Fletcher, said to have been an Arnett, who had at least one son Kelsey N. Fletcher. Kelsey married Malinda Arnett.
          Who were “Old” George Fletcher’s parents?  There is a question that has been a stumbling block down through the years and hasn’t been answered to our knowledge.
          George, born ca. 1796 probably in Lee Co. VA, is thought to have been in the War of 1812.  He received $6 per month for his services and $8 a month for his horse. 
          We are now asking everyone to submit Fletcher family information, stories and pictures to us as quickly as possible.  Please don’t expect some other member of your family to do this for you.  Each family needs to get involved to be sure your family information is included and as correct as possible.
          I’ve looked at the census records in Scott, Pittsylvania, Russell, Orange, Giles, and Tazewell counties in Virginia, as well as Floyd, Johnson, Breathitt, Wolfe, and Morgan counties of Kentucky for information but the real “down to earth” information has to come from the Fletcher’s themselves.  Let us hear from you!
          I shall take a bit of space here to brag on the estimated 300 people who gathered in the Community Center to give our National Guard troops on their deployment to Afghanistan, some taking their 2nd or 3rd tour.
          This outpouring of our people was reminiscent of what took place during WWII when communication was quite different, when it took months for letters to reach families whose sons were on foreign soil.   House windows in our county would have one or more stars shining brightly to signify the number of children they had in service.
          There were many handkerchiefs used during this send-off of our troops last Saturday.  A good meal was enjoyed by that large crowd and, I understand, there was enough food left over to have fed another hundred.
          A bit more news: The dance teams at the Salyer Elementary and Whitaker Middle School won first place at the MAC in Prestonsburg last Saturday. This is the 6th time they’ve carried away these honors.  Of course, their coach being my daughter Jessica makes my head size quite a big larger! (Smile)
          Michelle Williams Cole (mcole @go-concepts.com) wrote to us about the American Revolutionary War soldier, William R. Hagins.  She is searching to find where William R. and his wife Mary “Polly” Linville are buried.  If he does not have a military headstone, she would like to order one.
          “Searching For Ancestors” by Kirk and Rita Martin of Jacksonville, FL, prepared in 1986 contains some information on the Hagins/Higgins clan.
          William R. “One-Eyed” Hagins, descendant of the Northern Irish Higgins family, was born 25 Jun 1759 in Lancaster Co. PA, entered the Army while living in Rowan Co. NC and served three years.
          He migrated into South Carolina and then into Georgia, finally northward to Perry Co. KY.  Sometime around 1840, he settled with his family near Spring Fork of Quicksand which is presently Breathitt Co. KY (formed in 1839 from Perry Co.).
          The 1830 Perry Co. KY census has William Haggins, age 60-70, no wife, 1 male age 20 to 30, 1 male age 15 to 20, 1 female 10 to 15.  He doesn’t show in the 1840 census.
          I didn’t find William in any of the printed cemetery records that we have of Breathitt Co. KY and would suggest contacting Steve Bowling of the Breathitt County Historical Society.
          Our monthly meeting was held last Sunday, the 20th, with our regulars attending, namely Charlotte Gillum, J. W. Back, Dallas Bentley, Kay Bentley, James Montgomery, William Elsey “Belsey” Connelley, Leola Cole and myself.  It was great to have Dallas and Kay back with us again!  We will excuse Ms. Connie Wireman who didn’t attend the meeting as her mother Mae S. Arnett was blowing out the candles on her birthday cake.  Happy birthday wishes, Mae!

The next meeting will be Sunday, February 17th at 2 p.m. at our library so please mark your calendars.  Of course, you are welcome to come in anytime at our headquarters at 191 South Church Street.  Write to us at Magoffin County Historical Society, Box 222, Salyersville, KY 41465 (email: [email protected]).