This article, written by Todd Preston, President of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the February 25, 2010 issue of THE SALYERSVILLE INDEPENDENT newspaper.

The Salyersville Independent , a weekly newspaper.
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.

            I’m getting a little bit tired of this cold, snowy weather.  I realize people around us are experiencing more devastating weather conditions.  My reason for disliking the current weather is that it has curtailed us making preparations to celebrate Magoffin County’s 150^th birthday!  I can’t get out and accomplish some of the projects I have in my mind and that is causing me to be kind of “stir crazy” and I feel like I’m locked up in our “Green Onion” jail cell! (Smile)  I just looked out and saw that it was snowing…again!

            I have spent many hours looking through books in search of Civil War stories and I’m asking you to help in this endeavor by writing your remembrances of stories handed down in your family about how this conflict affected your ancestors.

            I set out to take pictures of reconstructed log homes in our county as I believe we may have more in our county than most.  I’ve also looked into the history of some of our older churches in the area.  I encourage every church in our county to get your history written and submitted for publication.  I also encourage all civic, fraternal and even those with knowledge of past organizations to get involved, such as the Independent Order of Oddfellows (IOOF) or the Red Man Lodge.  Let’s don’t sleep through this 150^th birthday of our county.  Let’s leave some written history for our grandchildren and anyone who will want to know about our past.  A time capsule is to be prepared and opened fifty years from now (2060).  What will it contain to tell about our lives?

            We had our meeting of the Sesquicentennial committee last evening and it would seem that plans are shaping up very nicely.  I picked up this notice that will be posted in various places: The Sesquicentennial Committee needs your story to include in the book they plan to publish to celebrate the 150^th year history of Magoffin County.  Tell us about the founding of your church, community or other events you want to share.  Stories should be two pages or three pages if pictures are included.  Please don’t delay.  Get your stories in to the county judge’s office by March 1, 2010.

            By the time you read this the time may have already passed but send the stories in anyway!

            Wanda Lee Keeton Simonton, 32 Indian Creek Road, Sanders, KY 41083 wrote to us that her grandmother was a Hoskins and she would also like info on her great grandmother who was a Collinsworth.  Wanda is Ricky O. Keeton’s daughter, age 78 years old.

            Our research reveals that Ricky O. Keeton was born in 1906 and died in 1993, the son of Henry Clay Keeton who was born in 1852.  Henry Clay was the son of George Washington Keeton born in 1809 VA and the grandson of Abraham Keeton (b. 1770) and Rebecca Jane McGuire (b. 1785).  George W. Keeton was married to Lena/Assena Davis who was born in 1810. 

            Henry C. Keeton married 1^st to Peggy Vanderpool and married 2^nd to Temperance Burton.  His third wife was Mella Susan Hoskins b. 1877 to John B. Hoskins.  John B. was born in 1854, a son of John Robert Hoskins.  John R. was born in 1822, a son of Moses Hoskins and Margaret Clemons.

            John B. Hoskins married Mary Collinsworth b. 1857. Mary was the daughter of John Collinsworth b. 1825 and a granddaughter of Thomas Collinsworth and Hannah Williams. John Collinsworth married Susan Montgomery, a daughter of John Montgomery, Jr. and Sarah Flannery.

            Ricky O. Keeton married Virgie b. 1915. Virgie was a daughter of H. Clay Arnett b. 1872 and a granddaughter of Wiley Arnett b. 1838.  Wiley was a son of Stephen Arnett b. 1808 who married in 1834 to Elizabeth Gullett.  Wiley Arnett married Easter Rose who was born in 1850 to James Rose and Haney McGuire.

            H. Clay Arnett married first to Alice Arnett and m. 2^nd to Amanda Patrick. Amanda was a daughter of Hiram Currie Patrick b. 1859.  Hiram C. was a son of Hiram Patrick.  His grandparents were William Patrick, Jr., a son of William Patrick and a grandson of Jeremiah Patrick and Sarah Blair.

            Hiram Currie Patrick married Eliza Collinsworth.  Hiram Patrick married Elizabeth Spradlin.  William Patrick married Nancy Prater, the daughter of Archibald Prater and Sarah Fugate.  Sarah was the daughter of Josiah Fugate.

            Anyone with info on the Collinsworth family is invited to contact Wanda Lee Keeton Simonton.

            We have been receiving Journal subscription renewals for 2010 and thank all those who are choosing to stay with us for another year.  The Journal for Winter 2009 seems to have gotten quite a good response.