This article, written by Todd Preston, President of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the June 26, 2008 issue of THE SALYERSVILLE INDEPENDENT newspaper.

            May I be excused this week for asking for answers to queries as I seem to be unable to answer most of them myself?  Perhaps I’ve spent too much time mowing and weed eating, trying to keep the Pioneer Village as well as my own half-acre and a couple of cemeteries clean.

            We’ve had many visitors, most of whom take tours of the Pioneer Village. I will name a few so you can see how far they are traveling. Most of our advertising is by word of mouth, so we must be getting some very nice comments from prior visitors.

            Some of those signing in this week were Garnett Puckett of Munith, MI researching Hackworth and Prater.  Gary and Karen (Back) Simons, Mt. Vernon, IL researching the Back family.  Gene Back and wife of Longview, WA were here and turned out to be a cousin to the aforementioned Karen Simons.  Martha Lovejoy and other spouses of some of the carpenters working on the local First Baptist Church were here from Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  Delmer Jones and family of Georgetown, KY came for a tour of the Pioneer Village.  Barbara (Castle) Pugh of Paintsville researched her Rev. War ancestors, including John Hammons of Bloomington.

            Kawana Faye Johnson and her family of Butler, GA toured the village and researched the Conley clan.  Ken and Marie Wood of Gloucester, ENGLAND came to visit.  June Kimberlin of Dillow, WV visited the Pioneer Village and the area around Wheelrim.  Wayne and Mavis Hammond were also visiting among others.

            Diane Bayes Smiley, Camden, OH (dianne6678 @yahoo.com) is still researching the John N. “Bull” Blanton and Malissa Saylor family.  Perhaps some of our readers can shed more light on this.  The 1850 and 1860 census records of Harlan Co. KY lists Zachariah Saylor b. 1807 d. ca. 1880 Leslie Co. KY who married Mary Salyer b. 1807, dau of Benjamin Salyer and Mary Bishop.

            Zachariah had children: Martin, Nancy, Margaret, Elizabeth, Melissa b. 1841, Hiram, Sally, Benjamin and Lucinda. 

            The 1870 Johnson County KY census lists John Blanton age 31 (b. 1839), Celissa J. (Melissa?) b. 1841 and their children Joseph S. age 6 (b. 1864), Sarah Jane b. 1868 and Lewis age 7 months (b. 1870).

            In the 1880 Johnson Co. census, Melissa Blanton is listed as a widow and there are these additional children in the household: Mary C. b. 1872, Farish? b. 1874, John S. b. 1877 and Lucina b. 1870, so apparently John Blanton died between 1879 and 1880.

            Who were John Blanton’s parents and where is he buried?  What happened to his widow Malissa and their children?

            Zacheriah Saylor’s child Martin Saylor b. 1830 married Clarinda Salyer, Nancy Saylor b. 1832 m. George Caldwell, Margaret Saylor b. 1835, Elizabeth Saylor b. 1837 m. Hendricks Caldwell, Hiram Saylor b. 1842 m. 1^st to Nancy -?- and m. 2^nd to Fanny -?-, Sally Saylor b. 1846, Benjamin Saylor b. 1849 and Lucinda Saylor b. 1851 m. Orville Blecher.  Please contact us and/or Dianna if you have any other info.

            Then here’s another email query that is unanswerable without your help.  Dottie Brooks (dot402001 @yahoo.com) writes that her husband’s grandparents were Henry and Izana Watkins and that Izana was probably married before she married Henry and would like more info.  Dottie did not list the names of her husband’s parents.

            The 1930 Magoffin census has Henry Watkins age 23 (b. 1907), wife Izana Brown age 32 (b. 1898) with children Ethel Watkins age 5, Robert Watkins age 3 and Hattie Watkins age 8 months. 

One Henry Watkins b. 1870 died about 1943, was the son of Benjamin Watkins and America Bradford.  He married Lidda Watkins, a dau of John Watkins and Rosana Perkins.

The 1900 Floyd Co. KY census has Benjamin Watkins age 44 (b. 1856), wife America Bradford age 42 (b. 1858), son Henry Watkins age 20, dau Sarah Watkins age 19, and son Wiley Watkins age 17.  The 1910 Floyd Co. KY census lists a Henry Watkins age 40, had been married 9 years to Liddie age 26 and they have children Lola age 7 and Byrd age 2.

The 1920 Floyd Co. KY census has a Benjamin F. Watkins age 69 with Mercia age 35.

The Henry Watkins Cemetery is located on Rt. 114 of Middle Creek Road on the Elzie Poe farm between the Ivyton Railroad Trestle and Cole Hollow.

Henry Watkins b. 1870 d. ca. 1943 along with Liddie Watkins b. 1884 and several unidentifiable graves are in this Watkins Cemetery that I copied in 1978.

The Chestnut Grove Cemetery located on the county line between Bear Branch and the Cole Hollow is supposed to be the burial site of Henry Watkins and Izana Poe and their children Ballard, Raymond and Mable.

Hager Jack Sizemore and Randall Risner visited this week.  They, along with the assistance of Willard Risner, have set several monuments very recently.  On the Boone Howard Cemetery at Gypsy, markers have been set for Jacob Risner and wife Josephine Slone.  The Joe “Crack” Howard Cemetery at Gypsy has new markers for Martin and Cynthia (Whitaker) Risner, also Margaret (Howard) Risner and Gordon Howard.  New markers were set on the Fletcher Cemetery on Gun Creek for George Washington Fletcher and wife Sarah Jane Bailey.

Jack and Randall are interested in finding the burial site of Linboyd “Cap” Reed b. 1873.  Cap was the son of Aronton L. Reed and Mary Whitt.  Cap married in 1895 to Barbara Ellen Watson.  Their eldest child Clarence Reed b. 1897 married Prudence Hamilton. Prudence m. 2^nd to Add Marshall and m. 3^rd to Hager Sizemore.

Clarence Reed’s and Prudence Hamilton’s children were Goldie Reed b. 1918, Adolph Reed b. 1920, Gertie Reed and Lavotis Reed.

Gertie Reed would thus be a half-sister to Jack Sizemore and Henry Clay Sizemore who want to mark Gertie’s grave if anyone can tell where she is buried. 

Gertie Reed’s death certificate gives Grape Creek precinct as place of death.  Gertie’s date of birth 15 Jul 1917 and date of death as 1 Aug 1917. The person giving info was Lonie Reed of Epson, KY and burial was made in the Cap Reed Cemetery. 

The Magoffin County Historical Society extends heartfelt sympathy to Bernice Moore and her family on the passing of her husband Ballard Moore. Bernice and her family have been so helpful to a great many people. We can always depend on her to help with any genealogy of the families in her area.