This article, written by Todd Preston, President of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the August 20, 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.

            One of the projects we are working on is a memorial marker for Archibald Prater. From writings of various sources we find the info that “Archibald and Sarah Prater lived near Salyersville, their second house overlooked the Licking River.  They were buried about 100 yards from their home on what is now the campus of the Salyersville High School.”  It is said when the Magoffin Baptist Institute built their stone school building, it was built over the graves of Archibald Prater and his wife Sarah as well as their son James and his wife.  The box-like structures that covered their graves were moved away.  The late M. F. Rice said these rocks were moved down near the river and made into a spring house. This newer building was built on the foundation rocks of the old stone building.  I have heard that bones were found during that construction.

            Now this is a disturbing story, but isn’t it better to know the facts concerning one of the early, if not the earliest settlers of our present-day Salyersville?  I would like to see a monument set with some of these facts printed and placed in the old Irvin Prater section of the Bluegrass Cemetery, unless a better idea emerges from his thousands of descendants. My particular interest, besides the historical value, is that my great grandchildren are the seventh great grandchildren of Archibald Prater.

            Cris Fee ([email protected]) writes for info on Ted Adams’ ancestry.  I knew your father quite well as my dad Curt Preston and your dad were brothers in the Masonic Lodge, so it is with pleasure I attempt to help you.

            Ted was the son of William Preston Adams b. 1875, a son of John Adams b. 1850 Morgan Co. KY and a grandson of Jackson Adams b. 1820. Jackson was a son of Daniel Adams b. 1788 and a grandson of Stephen Adams.  Stephen was a son of “Old John of All” Adams.

            Daniel Adams married in 1818 to Jane Stone, a dau of Cudberth Stone (Rev. War soldier) and Sarah Sisson.  Jackson Adams married first in 1837 to Nancy Cooper who died in 1846.  He next married in 1847 to Galathia Reffitt b. 1835 and interred in an abandoned cemetery on Brushy Fork of Lick Creek.

            John Adams, son of Jackson and Galathia, married in 1870 to Easter Elam b. 1849. She was the dau of Robert D. Elam b. 1827. Robert married in 1847 to Rhoda May b. 1829, dau of James May b. 1798 and Mary “Polly” Adams b. 1802.

            Robert D. Elam was a son of Jeremiah Elam b. ca. 1780 and Jane Donahew. She was born about 1794 to Henry Donahew and Sarah Fraley(?).

            William Preston Adams was born in 1875 and married in 1898 to Rosa Caudill b. 1898. Rosa was a dau of Matthew J. Caudill b. 1854. Matthew was a son of Able Caudill b. 1817 and a grandson of Matthew Caudill b. 1772. Matthew was a son of James Caudill, Sr.  Matthew Caudill married Sarah Webb who was born 1778 in NC, dau of James Webb and Lettie Nelson.

            Able Caudill married in 1842 to Mary Ann “Polly” Crace.

            Matthew J. Caudill b. 1854 married in 1874 to Rebecca Elizabeth Cooper b. 1855, a dau of Richard Lee Cooper b. 1826 and a Union soldier in the Civil War.  Richard Lee was a son of David M. Cooper b. 1802 and a grandson of John Cooper and Patsy McDaniel.  John Cooper was a Revolutionary War soldier.

            David M. Cooper married Celia Prater, dau of the Revolutionary War soldier, Archibald Prater.

            Richard Lee Cooper married in 1849 to Katherine Salyer. She was born in 1833, dau of Jacob Salyer and granddaughter of Zachariah Salyer.

            We had visitors yesterday. Mattie Conley Tipton of Honolulu, Hawaii and her sister Susan Conley of Mt. Sterling, KY who are descendants of John Connelley b. 1785 NC, 6^th child of Capt. Henry Connelley. John was married to Leah Joynes b. 1785, dau of Thomas Joynes and Sarah Caudill.  John and Leah settled “just west of Oil Springs in Johnson Co. KY” but seem to have migrated to the Crockett area of Morgan County and are thought to be buried there.  I searched there several years ago to no avail.  I would like to learn of a possible burial site and think a monument should be erected there so that his descendants may know of his existence and knowledge of him isn’t lost to future generations.

            I might note here that his brother Thomas Connelley married Susan Joynes and brother Edmond Connelley married Lydia Joynes so there are many cousins.

            We know less about John Connelley than about his brothers and their families.  Our visitors descend from John Connelley through his son Thomas Blaine Conley b. 1807 and married in 1832 to Jemima B. Jayne. Their 6^th child was William Franklin Conley b. 1844 who married Anna Jane Fyffe.  Their son Alfred Culbertson Conley b. 1833 married Dora Hutchinson and their son Roscoe Conley b. 1919 married in 1939 Morgan Co. KY to Mildred Lemaster. 

            We would like to encourage other descendants to share your information as I am one of your cousins, being a descendant of Edmond and Lydia Joynes Connelley.

            J. Walker McCoy ([email protected]) is a granddaughter of Turner Cole and is trying to trace any Cherokee Indian heritage.  Turner was married to America “Merkie” Perkins/Patrick, the dau of Elizabeth Perkins who died about 1977 in Ohio.  America married Turner Cole b. 1880 d. 1938. I found that Turner was married 26 August 1907 to Merkey Perkins at the home of Dan Prater by John W. Cole, minister.  The 1910 Floyd Co. KY census lists Turner Cole age 24 (b. 1886), America age 28 (b. 1882) with children Lloyd Cole age 13 (step-son), Bessie Cole age 10, Shadie Cole age 8, Rosa Cole age 6, Dora Cole age 4 and Lizzie Cole age 2 months.

            The 1900 Floyd Co. KY census lists Charley Cole age 39 (b. 1861) married 20 years, wife Eliza Perkins age 56 (b. 1846), mother of 9 children with 6 living. In the household are Turner Cole b. 1885, Louise Cole b. 1888.

            Charley Cole was a son of George Cole and Nancy Cole. George Cole was a son of William Anderson “Billie” Cole b. 1791 Buncombe Co. NC.  He married Obedience “Biddy” Collins. Billie Cole was a son of John Charles Cole b. 1755 d. about 1850 Lawrence Co. KY and Cuzzie Anderson.

            A thesis by Richard Allen Carlson, Jr. of Michigan State University claims the Coles are Saponi Indians, migrating from North Carolina to Grassy Rock, thence on to the Floyd and Magoffin County line, known as the Big Lick of Magoffin Co. KY and Cole Branch of Floyd Co. KY. They later migrated to the onion fields of Ohio, Indiana and thence to Michigan.

            Well, the good news is we’ve made it through “dog days” of summer.  I heard my first Katydid last night, the 12^th of August.  Now, I’m sort of hard of hearing so I might have missed the very first one but their chirping means we are entering into fall, even though it currently feels like July weather.

            We here at “headquarters” are extra busy as tourists to Pioneer Village are on the increase plus the girls have printed the Manns Clan cook book which is now on sale.  The pictures, old and new, are great in this volume and I think the recipes are also great for the Manns Clan has treated us to their excellent food at every monthly meeting.

            Now, by the time this appears in the newspaper, we will be hard at work, completing preparations for Founders Days number 31, honoring the Manns Clan!

            Our historical society board has agreed that next year’s Founders Days will be merged into Magoffin County’s Sesquicentennial or 150^th birthday celebration, provided of course, if the Sesquicentennial board votes to hold the main events during the Labor Day period.  Magoffin County’s actual birthday is February 22^nd so we expect some type of celebration then as well as at various other times during the year.  At the first meeting, Judge Hardin expressed an interest to see a book about Magoffin’s 150 years so let’s get pencil and paper out and begin writing!  You are invited! I understand there has been more written about our one-room schools than any other subject so what about branching out on the oil and gas industry or coal mining, logging and, most of all, the history of your own community?

            I stumbled on to a story on page 387 of our Reed Book, written by Ellazene Almallah, RN of Michigan City, IN, about the Cow Creek community. It contains a list of over 100 children delivered by midwife Daisy Reed, wife of Blaine Reed.  Now those children were born between the years of 1920 and 1942.  I added this for a sample of the stories such as this that needs to be put into print for future generations.

            Also, next year there is to be a time capsule to contain historical items of our time to be buried and opened in 3010!

            We urge everyone to get in on the planning as the more ideas that come forward the greater the celebration will be.