This article, written by Todd Preston, President of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the June 12, 2008 issue of THE SALYERSVILLE INDEPENDENT newspaper.

            I suppose some readers of the Independent think I am kind of eccentric to delve into cemeteries, especially the old abandoned ones, but as I am now entering my 80^th year I continue with the life long interest I have had in genealogy.  I would like to mention some info found on page 131 of our Prater book.

            “Hugh Patrick married Mary Jane Prater June 3, 1826 Floyd Co. KY and they first lived on Oakley Creek, Morgan Co. KY.   Hugh Patrick bought 50 acres of land on Johnson’s Fork above Starry Pea Branch and this is where Hugh is buried with a marker that reads ‘Here sleeps this pioneer and rugged character who was beloved by all who knew him.’”

            This brings on several questions. Where was Starry Pea Branch?  If the marker had the above inscription on it, it had to be a fairly large marker, where is it?

            I copied a cemetery on Johnson Fork in 1980 that I labeled as the Patrick, Williams and Reed Cemetery.  This cemetery was partly moved downstream to the Sam Henry Patrick Cemetery near the Linville Harvey farm when the Mountain Parkway was built.

            These graves weren’t marked, to my knowledge, when they were reset so these plots have probably now become lost to the present generation.

            Is there someone out there that can give any information concerning Starry Pea Branch? Would it in fact be called Star Pen Fork? Was one of the graves that was moved actually Hugh Patrick b. 1805 who married Mary Prater b. 1810, dau of Archibald Prater and Sarah Fugate?

            Surely a monument with the above information on it would have been moved along with the grave.

            Folks, this was a pioneer family who are the ancestors of hundreds of you out there. They are currently buried (or re-buried) in unmarked graves and this should be of concern to many of you Patrick’s who live in the area where those reburials are.  These graves should somehow be marked while there are folks who know where they are located. We do not know what the future holds. When these graves were moved the genealogy craze hadn’t come into its heyday, now we are told it is one of America’s top hobbies.

            As I was taking my daily morning walk in the park this morning I had lots of company.  I could hear the mourning doves cooing along with the chatter of the cicada’s which have made their 17-year appearance, plus the robins were pulling their favorite meal from the neatly mowed laws.  I could even detect a few fish making ripples in Ol’ Licking River. I felt blessed to be alive.  I’ve had my share of narrow escapes with death. Now my children, in-laws, etc. try to keep Ol’ Todd off roofs and out of trees but I can’t help but try to do some of these forbidden chores.

            One thing for sure, these high gasoline prices are keeping my SUV off the highways!  I can remember when one bought gas at Grady Harmon’s store at Falcon for about 25 cents a gallon and had to hand-pump it up into a big glassed-in container and then empty it into your automobile.

            My assumption is these gas prices will escalate until there will be a disaster in our country, perhaps world wide.

            I was raised in an oil field. I followed my dad as he went about his job as pumper. He worked for $30 a month and raised ten children, now thirty dollars will only half fill my gas tank!

            I’ve seen oil bring only 5 to 7 dollars a barrel. I’ve worked a team of mules, pulling and servicing those oil wells in the Burton Fork field when I was about 14 years old, receiving 50 cents a day.  I later spent 38 years in the secondary or water-flood re-pressuring of these wells which more or less got most of the oil to the surface.

            You may wonder why I’m relating this work history of my life, well; I just received Happy Birthday greetings via telephone from John Britton up in Ohio. By coincidence his wife is celebrating her birthday on this day also.  I couldn’t grasp the number of barrels of oil he has sold this quarter.

            Yep, this is the same couple that went with me to find the Elias Risner Cemetery on Owl’s Nest Fork of Middle Fork a couple of months ago. We are planning to get a Civil War marker for Elias.  Here is another old gravesite that few, if any others except for David Risner, have knowledge of its location.  It needs to be marked, Government Issue marker or purchased marker.

            John Britton descends from Katherine (Risner) Harvey, a sister to Elias. Katherine is buried almost opposite the hill from Elias.

            Here’s another query that touches on the Fletcher family and a descendant of Reuben Arnett whose memorial marker we set recently.

            Wade Arnett, son of Henry Arnett and Tressie Patrick, married Pauline Arnett, dau of Curtis Arnett b. 1892. Curtis was a son of Granville Arnett b. 1852 and a grandson of Stephen Arnett b. 1808. Stephen was a son of Reuben Arnett b. ca. 1784 and Susan Kilgore.  Stephen Arnett married Elizabeth Gullett b. 1828, a dau of John Gullett. John was born in 1767 to Daniel Gullett.  John married Mary Hamby b. 1800, a dau of John Hamby.

            Granville Arnett married in 1877 to Mary Elizabeth Fletcher b. 1861, dau of Meredith Fletcher. Meredith was born in 1837, a son of George Fletcher and Louisa Marshall.  Meredith married 2^nd in 1861 to Margaret “Peggy” Whitaker b. 1841, a dau of Mark Whitaker and Nancy Cundiff.

            Curtis Arnett married Fannie Arnett b. 1899, a dau of Larkin Arnett b. 1853.  Larkin was a son of David Arnett b. 1812 and a grandson of Reuben Arnett and Susan Kilgore.

            David Arnett married in 1837 to Lydia Gullett b. 1817 (a sister to Elizabeth Gullett, they were daughters of John Gullett and Mary “Polly” Hamby).

            Larkin Arnett married in 1870 to Fannie Patrick b. 1855, dau of “Squire” John Patrick b. 1813. Squire John was a son of Reuben Patrick b. 1791 and a grandson of William Patrick b. 1762.  William was a son of Jeremiah Patrick b. ca. 1738 d. 1819 and buried in the Dyer Cemetery near Carty Branch intersection of Rt. 30 on Middle Fork.  Jeremiah married ca. 1760 in Virginia to Sarah “Sally” Blair.

            William Patrick married in 1790 VA to Mollie Reins (both are buried at Bradley, KY in the Meredith Patrick Cemetery).

            Reuben Patrick married in 1812 to Charlotte Wilson b. 1794 Giles Co. VA and both are buried on Middle Fork.

            Squire John Patrick married in 1836 to Charlotte Wilson, dau of William Patrick II. William II was born in 1795 and married in 1816 to Nancy Prater. Nancy was born about 1802, a dau of Archibald Prater and Sarah Fugate.

            William Patrick II was a son of William Patrick Sr. and Mollie Reins.

            Be sure and come by our library and see the window display which has been very lovingly decorated by Brian Ann Arnett this month in honor of the late John G. Arnett, the grandfather of her husband Gary Arnett.

            Please remember that the Phillip Hamman Family Reunion will be held on July 25 through 27^th this year with accommodations at the Four Points Hotel by Sheraton, 1938 Stanton Way, Lexington, KY.  Special rates are available for reservations made before 30 June for Phillip Hammond group.  Bring your family histories, pictures, family group sheets! On Friday a drive is planned to Mt. Sterling, then to the 40-year home site of Phillip & Christina Cook Hamman with group meetings, business and presentations on Saturday. The guest Speaker is Charles E. Darnell, descendant of Henry Cook, brother of Christina Cook Hamman. For more information, contact Doris Brown Rose, Email: [email protected] or telephone 510.799.6421.