This article, written by Todd Preston, President of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the October 29, 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.

            We had a special visitor last week!  Myrtle Cole Fletcher Hughes came in with Jack Sizemore.  Myrtle not only gave a contribution for our historical society projects but also brought me a home-baked pie topped with wonderful meringue!  It was good to see Myrtle again and it brought back memories of the Fletcher Founders Day year that was such an enjoyable occasion.

            A preliminary committee for Magoffin County’s Sesquicentennial (150^th birthday) for 2010 has been appointed by Judge Charles Hardin and Mayor Stanley Howard at a meeting held October 20^th.  The group is working toward getting acquainted with the necessary objectives for the celebration and exploring possibilities for the Sesquicentennial.

            Every organization in our county is invited to start planning on how they can get involved, be it school, church, fraternal, business, etc.

            Judge Hardin would like to see a book published for Magoffin County with materials in the way of pictures, life stories, histories of clubs, businesses, schools, churches, etc. along with records of actual activities conducted throughout the year in this book.  A time capsule is also being planned.

            Those of us who participated in the 1960 Centennial celebration have an idea as to what could be done although we shouldn’t copy that year but come up with new ideas.

            You owe it to your great-great grandchildren to give them a view of your life time.  Have you thought of writing your life history?  I’m sort of trying to do just that.

            The “Golden Girls”…er, "Goldie Shepherd and her girls" paid us a visit and I must say it livened things up around here!  Goldie, her sister Lucille and Goldie’s daughter’s Linda and Carolyn went over to the Senior Citizen’s Center with me for lunch and there was a big bunch of hugging that went on as Goldie met several of her kinfolks over there.

            I then took them for a short tour of the cabins and although time did not permit looking at all of the cabins, they were fascinated with what they saw, especially the newest addition, the Wireman log home.  Goldie said she had visited the original cabin many times when it was located on Trace Fork.

            Melvin Minix stopped by and enjoyed meeting Goldie.  When we came back into the historical society, we found Bridie Shepherd and her neighbor Deveda Hanson had come in.  Bridie and Goldie had never met but knew each other’s families so they had a good time reminiscing about their Magoffin County roots. 

            Ol’ Man Jack Frost paid us a visit Saturday night. I had taken the precaution of covering up the large 300-pound pumpkin with a quilt so Frosty didn’t get to cover it with his icy breath.  You see, after we use it for a Halloween decoration, it is to be taken to the Senior Citizens for punkin pies and punkin rolls, yum, yum!  We thank Leola Cole for furnishing the pumpkins and cushaws for our display.

            We had sisters Judy and Jenny (daughters of Willie Jr. and Ruth (Hale) Whitaker of Greenwich, OH visiting our library, along with their cousin Bernice Whitaker Cole of Gun Creek here in Magoffin County. We discovered that Bernice was Myrtle’s daughter-in-law – Myrtle had “borrowed” eggs from Bernice’s husband Ralph to make my pie (smile).  The girls all grew up in the Gunlock area and are cousins of Dorothy Wireman who joined in on story telling of their growing up days.   Listening to their reminiscing got me to thinking.  Since our 150^th birthday is taking place next year, what if everyone would contribute their life stories, not just about school days, but the real down-to-earth happy and sad stories of everyday life happenings.  Among Goldie’s stories, she told of sneaking a sample of her father’s Brown Mule chewing tobacco and getting so sick she turned red, then purple and green…hope Goldie doesn’t mind me telling this on her.

            The home-twenty crew here at the historical society has done a four-volume set of books “Life Along the Licking River” with many wonderful life stories along these lines.

             I’ve heard so many people say, “If I had only known…” after a publication has already been printed, so do not let this happen to you this year.  I’m steadily trying to patch up the story of my life history but I’m sure it is not as exciting as yours.

            We had a query from Fred May of Austin, TX about an SAR application.

Dennis Fairchild was born in 1875, son of John Fairchild b. ca. 1833 and grandson of Acy J. Fairchild.  Acy J. was a son of Abiud Fairchild, a Revolutionary War soldier.

            Acy Fairchild married in 1821 to Nancy Conley b. 1812, daughter of Thomas Connelley b. 1777.  Thomas was a son of Henry Connelley b. 1752, also a Revolutionary War soldier.

            John H. Fairchild b. 1836 married Clarinda May b. 1836, daughter of David May b. 1806. David was a son of Caleb May b. 1780 and Margaretta Patrick b. 1783. Margaretta was a daughter of Jeremiah Patrick (another Revolutionary War soldier) and his wife Sarah Blair.

            David May married Nancy Power b. 1810, daughter of Lewis Power and Elizabeth Prater b. 1791. Elizabeth was the daughter of Archibald Prater b. 1755, also a Revolutionary War soldier who married Sarah Fugate, daughter of Josiah Fugate.

            Dennis Fairchild married Louellen Mayo b. 1876, daughter of William J. Mayo b. 1820. William J. married Rhoda Martin b. 1834, a daughter of John Martin b. 1807. John was a son of William Martin and Susannah Tudor.  John Martin married Ann Gearheart.

            The Floyd County marriages list the 22 Sep 1854 marriage of John H. Fairchild and Clarinda May.