This article, written by Todd Preston, President of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the January 29, 2009 issue of THE SALYERSVILLE INDEPENDENT newspaper.

            Two dozen or more people came out to attend our monthly meeting of the Magoffin County Historical Society.  A great many of them are connected to the “Manns Clan”, yep, that’s how they have chosen to be known.  They have decided they would like to have that slogan on their tee-shirts, knives and other souvenirs for the 31^st Magoffin County Founders Days celebration.

            Herley Manns spoke to the group stating that Bob Whittaker of SC who has done so much for eastern Kentucky genealogy and has searched diligently in his family tree for a Manns ancestor but finding none has requested that he be adopted into the family this year. Herley said he was willing to adopt him for a period of eight months.  Dorothy amended the amount of time to nine months with an option for additional time at the end of that period and all agreed unanimously. 

            Those who signed in at the Sunday meeting were Ettazene Manns Montgomery, Imogene Manns Stevens, Cassie Manns Carpenter, Dallas Bentley, Kay Bentley, Charlotte Gillum, Dorothy Wireman, Randall Mann, Roy “Todd” Preston, Jim Auxier, Lena Auxier, Ben F. Gardner, Ruie Howard, Joe Howard, Debbie Mann, Green Mann, Jim Back, James Collins, Brenda Jenkins, Herley Manns, Belsey Connelley, and Connie A. Wireman.  Ettazene Montgomery was celebrating her birthday that day and Green Mann was having a birthday in a couple of days.  We had some really scrumptious snacks in their honor, including a cake, cookies and doughnuts.

            One project the group has undertaken is to set a memorial monument at the unmarked gravesites of Samuel Mann’s oldest son, William Mann and his wife Rhoda Howard.  These graves are on the Hawes Fork of Breathitt County.  Our good buddy Herley Manns and his daughter have begun the fund toward purchase of those markers.

            I talked with Ettazene Montgomery and her sisters Imogene and Cassie at length.  They were born and raised near the railroad trestle at the mouth of Hawes Fork.  We have a picture album of my many treks into the lovely Hawes Fork area. They filled me in on the history of that valley, telling me there used to be a hundred plus homes in the valley where there are now none.  I told them that in the spring when the daffodils are blooming one can still see where those homes had been.  It’s somewhat sad to learn that those residents had to leave that beautiful area to find employment and or/schools and now it’s a Mecca for ATV’s.  There are hundreds of them there every weekend in the summer.

            One of the ladies said she and her siblings would get above the rail tracks as the train crew would throw candy out to them.  She said the conductor once informed her parents he would like to adopt and “school” her.  This scared her as she didn’t want to leave her family.  I’ve encouraged her to write her life story for the Manns family book.

            Everyone at this meeting showed a lot of enthusiasm.  A lot of them, including Brenda Jenkins, were acting sort of like a cheerleader would when their team got that last shot in that won the game!

            Now, down to earth, I’ve got to get the snow swept off the sidewalks, etc. which curtails any monument setting or even squirrel hunting.  In yesteryear this kind of weather would have been a dandy time for tracking rabbits!

            Jimmie Allen showed me recently a couple of unmarked graves in the local Bluegrass Cemetery that he figured only he knows who they were.  We now have stones set for John Elliott Harmon (1870-1916) and Lou Adams Harmon (1863-1923).  Randall Risner and I set the monuments recently obtained for John Elliott Harmon who married in 1889 to Lou Adams. They were the parents of Eulah Gray Harmon who married Dr. John S. Cisco and Carrie Harmon who married W. W. Cartwell.  I will add their names to our cemetery book, along with those of Polina (Prater) Patrick and her son Payne Patrick.

            This is another example of making an effort to identify unmarked gravesites before they are lost in this generation.

            I suppose one could surmise that Ol’ Todd is on a quest of trying to bring to life the history of the early settlers of our area, especially our Revolutionary War soldiers.

            It has been an obsession of mine to try to find Cudberth Stone’s gravesite for many years now. I’ve trekked over quite a bit of the Middle Creek/Abbot Creek area of Floyd County in that search but to no avail although I did find a few abandoned cemeteries along the way.

            I thought I had hit “pay dirt” when Orville Adams told me of a Cudberth Stone being buried behind his dwelling up on the point between him and the Hensley Nursery hollow. We went to that cemetery but found it to be in the head of the Hensley Nursery hollow.

            Cudberth Stone was born in 1758 in South Carolina and died 24 Jun 1844 at age 86. He was married on 17 Mar 1784 in South Carolina to “Sally” -?-

            The 1810 Floyd County census lists an Ezekiel Stone at age over 45. Who was he? The 1820 Floyd census lists both Ezekiel and Cudberth Stone, both being “age 45 and up”.  Cudberth bought 20 acres from John Davis on the Lost Fork of Middle Creek. The whole of Rt. 14 was called the “Lost Fork” in 1819.  Cudberth apparently sold the 20 acres on the Lost Fork to Ezekiel Robinson for $120.

            I’ve searched extensively between the Big Branch area of Abbott Creek and present day Rt. 114 as several people think there is an “abandoned” cemetery in that area.

            Now, what is my special interest in Cudberth Stone?  First I would like to see all Revolutionary War soldier’s graves marked. Secondly, it has come to my attention that the DAR is closing entry into their ranks to those soldiers who don’t have a legible grave stone. Thirdly, and most of all, think of the history lost to future generations.  We’ve lost enough through neglect.