This article, written by Todd Preston, President of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the October 20, 2011 issue of THE SALYERSVILLE INDEPENDENT newspaper.

          A wonderful civic-minded and caring individual has passed from our midst.  Flora Sue Shepherd Rudd passed on Tuesday, October 4th.  She has been someone I admired for the last several years for all the community work she has done.  When I attended her funeral wake, I also saw what a loving and respectful family she has.  It was enough to bring tears to anyone’s eyes.

          I became acquainted with the Willie Shepherd family back in the 1950s when I wore the badge of Conservation Officer.  I helped him set all those pine trees on his farm above Royalton and also occasionally helped with the birthing of his sheep herd.  Willie and Sallie set good examples for their children and all became successful and productive citizens.

          Among the many activities Flora Sue was involved in was the VAMCCO (Veterans and Magoffin County Citizens Organization) group.  A huge undertaking of this group was setting a memorial marker for all Magoffin County veterans in Ramey Memorial park.  This has become a very special place in our county and brings a large number of visitors, both local and from afar, to view the hundreds of names of those who served our country down through the years.  As a member of the local DAV, I have been involved in several ceremonies conducted at this site.  Once a new flag was received and our Chapter 15 DAV group took down the old flag and replaced it with the new one with all due pomp and pageantry, we thought…Well, shortly afterward we received a telephone call from Flora Sue asking why the flag was flying upside down! We found out the rope had accidently turned over. Believe you me, we changed it quickly! 

          Flora Sue, we salute you!  To God be the Glory.

          Samuel Wesley May, Jr., 5731 Abercorn Drive, Orlando, FL 32812 visited us here at the historical society library.  His father once lived on Mash Fork and Samuel Jr. wanted to visit the old May farm.  He is the son of Samuel Wesley May, Sr. and Georgia Beatrice Converse Prater.  She was born in 1893, the daughter of James Prater and Anna.  Samuel Sr. was the son of William Louis May b. 1855 and wife Martha Patrick. Martha was the daughter of John Wesley Patrick and Abigail Salyer. 

          William Lewis May was a son of Samuel May and Celia Powers.  Samuel May was a son of Caleb May and Margaretta Patrick.

          I accompanied this couple to Mash Fork and the Williams Cemetery and also showed him the farm where his father had once resided, across from the Powell Kazee home.  This was told to me by Maxine Conley and Christine Auxier, daughters of Powell Kazee.

          I personally don’t remember seeing this home but believe from Maxine and Christine’s descriptions that it set where the Smith Williams home now is located.

I showed him the gravesite of Stella May on the Williams Cemetery.

          We then went up to Route 460 and I showed him where the old Prater log home once set. We also visited the Archibald Prater memorial marker in the Bluegrass Cemetery.

          We next visited the May Cemetery on Mason Creek that I refer to as the Samuel J. May Cemetery.  Samuel J. was born in 1852, the son of David May and Nancy Power.  David was a son of Caleb May and Margaretta Patrick.

          I would like to encourage any kinsmen to write to Samuel W. May, Jr. as he is very interested in his family history.

          We are still basking in the good memories of our Joseph marker dedication ceremony of a couple of weeks back.  This event has added new understanding and knowledge of this fine Magoffin County family.  It has also helped inspire several of those with Joseph ancestry to continue their search for information on their ancestry.  James “Jim” Joseph is one of these.  We mentioned last week that he and his wife Diane had escorted Dorothy and Connie to visit the grave of his ancestor Johnson Joseph on Salt Lick Creek.  This trip was much enjoyed by all but, more importantly, has given rise to a move to restore this old Magoffin County cemetery which has become one of the near-forgotten burial grounds of our area.  Jim has gotten the materials to help in resetting the fallen markers and has recruited a group of willing workers.  We are working on finding information about those buried in that cemetery.  Most of the graves have readable markers but the great storms of recent years have caused most of them to either fall or be displaced.  We will report on this project from time to time.