This article, written by Todd Preston, President of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the June 18, 2009 issue of THE SALYERSVILLE INDEPENDENT newspaper.

The Salyersville Independent  is a weekly newspaper published and edited by Michael David Prater, P. O. Box 29, Salyersville, KY 41465. Telephone (606) 349-2915.  Yearly subscription rates are $24.00 in Kentucky and $30.00 per year out of state.

            The family of Raymond and Beulah (Hoskins) Long came in Friday morning to make a trip to the gravesite of “The Teacher”.  The story of “The Teacher” was related to me several years ago by Beulah and it was her desire to see the unmarked abandoned gravesite marked.  She told that a man drifted into this area, her grandfather believed he was from Ohio but his name had been lost to time.  He was a worker and boarder at the Hoskins home as well as a teacher at the old log Bull Branch School.

            He died in that community and was buried on the Hoskins farm.  Bob Whittaker, Wendell Hoskins, my son Toddie and I was setting monuments for the Moses Hoskins family that the late Raleigh Shepherd, Jr. had purchased and while working I pointed to the area of the Teacher’s grave and told them the story.  Bob Whittaker then secured a marker which Bob, Wendell and I set.  The burial site had been described to me by Beulah and his marker was placed on the fence row between the present Hoskins and May farms, a short distance below the May Cemetery.

            We had hoped to have a dedication for the Teacher’s marker but as it was misting rain, no one showed up, but now there are others who know of the whereabouts of the gravesite.  I have tried to let a younger generation know these things.  We thank Jan Grunwald and Kay Gross for a monetary donation in memory of their mother, Beulah, a great lady who helped promote the Magoffin County Historical Society in its infancy. 

            I accompanied some World War II veterans to the airfield in Martin County Saturday to a ceremony held in the airfield hangar.  Comrade Randall Hardin took Melvin Blanton, Ramey Montgomery, Belsey Connelley and I to this event in honor of WWII veterans on the 65^th anniversary of D-Day.  I was expecting a re-enactment but the reenactment team had been detoured to another ceremony and only one re-enactor was present with a table of World War II memorabilia.  It was a great display.

            The old vets were supposed to be interviewed but I didn’t see any of that being done.  I talked to several of them and gleaned what I could but was not prepared to record it which should have been done.  There was a good meal served from the airfield restaurant.

            We are still working on making a list of all the World War II veterans who still reside in Magoffin County.  We also would like to hear of area veterans who are living in other counties or states.  I’ve racked my memory and came up with about 40.  Surely there are more out of the hundreds of men and women who entered the service from or were born in Magoffin County.

            We would like for you to send us the names of WWII vets still alive.  We may try to honor them in some way.  Now, put this task on the front burner, don’t put it off.  These soldiers are reaching the sunset of their lives; their ages probably range from 75 to 90.

            Maybe we can have them in the 4^th of July parade with all the pomp and pageantry we can muster up to show them our gratitude for what they accomplished.  We could be under foreign leadership had it not been for the D-Day event.

            Here is the list I have assembled thus far: Edgar Blanton, Belsey Connelley, Marcus Connelley, Vanzel Borders, John T. Arnett, Gobel Caudill, Chalmer “Bub” Patrick, Ray Holbrook, B. F. Holbrook, Halbert Patrick, Thomas Patrick, Henry Clay Patrick, Dona Patrick, Ramey Montgomery, Marvin Ray Adams, Earl Howington, Ernest Powers, Paul Hensley and Ben Patton, Jr.

            I do have some more names.  Yes, I am classed as a World War II vet. I was working at the Corner Service Station when those veterans were getting off that Greyhound Bus about seven o’clock in the evening but the draft caught me and seven others so we volunteered.  Roy Conley and I are the only ones left alive of that eight.

            Jack Sizemore, Randall Risner, Woodrow Wireman and Ol’ Todd helped Magoffin Granite’s personnel set monuments on Tuesday.  We placed one for Elbert Patrick and for “Fightin’ Jack” Patrick near the mouth of Gun Creek. It was almost more than we could do to get the markers up that steep hill even with the use of a wheelie or dolly.  Ol’ Todd stayed up on the hill digging the foundation holes while the second marker was brought up!  (Smile)

            We then traveled on up Licking to Rt. 404 on Howard’s Branch and set a monument for Samuel Howard born 1819 died about 1890, son of John Howard and Nancy Cameron.  This was set in the well kept cemetery of the Howard-Conley family.  Luckily we could drive right to this cemetery.  There we were met by Connie and Austin Wireman, Mrs. Wade (Berta) Howard and her daughter Myra.

            A Civil War monument was obtained for Marshall Adams and was installed June 6^th in the Howes or Dewey Cooper Cemetery by family members.  We are glad to see that families and interested citizens are taking the time and effort to see that gravesites are marked. About 40 family members were at that dedication.  Two members of Marshall’s family visited us on June 8^th, Allen Roark of San Jose, CA and his sister Barbara Roark Hensley of Springfield, OH.  They were doing research on the Roark-Adams-Risner ancestors in their family. They are particularly interested in the Civil War soldier Marshall Adams b. 1843 VA and d. May 9, 1932.  Marshall married first in 1867 to Sarah Margaret Clay and she is the Roark’s ancestor.  Marshall was also married to Isabelle Hay in Carter Co. KY and his last marriage was to Dicey Stidham.  Allan and Barbara’s grandparents were Sarah Alice Adams and Wilburn Risner.