This article, written by Todd Preston, President of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the March 1, 2012 issue of THE SALYERSVILLE INDEPENDENT newspaper.

            Well, we are off to a good start on the 2012 Magoffin County Founders Days celebration as we have received many phone calls, letters and emails from people expressing their pleasure in the Marshall name being chosen to be honored this year.  We have also received a good number of surnames to be considered in the coming years, enough to last through a decade or more!  We thank everyone for the comments and suggestions.

            One of the queries we received came from Nancy whose email address is [email protected]. This message focused on Wilburn Marshall, son of George Mullie Marshall who was born in 1853 and married Rebecca Adams b. 1849.  George M. Marshall was a son of Mason Marshall b. 1823 and a grandson of Reuben Marshall b. 1781 in VA.  This Reuben Marshall was a son of Thomas Marshall and Sarah Johnson.  He married Elizabeth Nolan b. 1783 in Virginia. 

            Mason Marshall married Polly Barnett b. 1884 in Virginia, a daughter of William Barnett who was born in 1817 Virginia and wife Dicey Ray b. 1822 VA. Dicey’s mother was Sarah Ray b. 1790.

            Rebecca, the wife of George Mullie Marshall, was born in 1849 to Joel Adams.  Joel was born in 1814 and married Elizabeth Marshall b. 1822. Elizabeth was a daughter of Reuben Anson Marshall b. 1816 who was mistakenly shot by Union soldiers about 1864/65 at Bays, KY.  Reuben was a son of Reuben Marshall and Elizabeth Nolan.

            We have been looking again at an interesting email that came some time ago from Barbara Howard Pointer ([email protected]) concerning the burial site of her grandfather Joseph Newton Howard.  Joseph was born 7 July 1866 and died 20 September 1908.  His 2^nd wife was Sarah Permelia Howard, widow of James Clay Howard, whom he married on 2 September 1905. 

            We find Permelia Howard in the 1910 Magoffin census listed as age 42 and a widow.  Also in the household are Newt Howard (listed as head of household) age 19, Myrtle age 12, Ollie age 7, Osker age 11, along with Rose Gentry, age 35, a widowed aunt of head of household and a cousin Charles Williams age 16.

            Going back 10 years to the 1900 Magoffin census, Joseph Newton Howard lived in the Bloomington District and his near neighbors were Elisha and Mary Burns, Samuel and Lula Keeton and Elisha and Emily Howard.  At this time Joseph Newton and his wife had been married 14 years and were the parents of 6 children, all living.  The census taker that year wrote his wife’s name as “Marley”.  Barbara Pointer tells that her name was Martha Caroline Debord Howard and she was born 26 April 1862.  This was probably the census taker’s mistaken writing of “Marthy”.

            In 1900 the names of the children of Joseph Newton Howard were given as Orabell age 13, Lorry age 11, William age 8, Maudie age 8, Newton J. age 5 and Columbus age 2. 

            We are asking again if anyone can help with the burial site of Joseph Newton Howard?  Ruth Gardner told us that one Newton Howard was buried on Bloomington but it is not the Joseph Newton that Barbara is looking for.

            I have also been working on a Pace family query for Sharon Patrick Firebaugh.  One Ralph Pace was born in 1911 and married in 1936 to Orpha Patrick b. 1914.  Ralph was a son of Taylor R. Pace b. 1879 and a grandson of Matthew Pace b. 1835.  This Matthew was a son of John Pace and Sarah Ely who are buried in the head of Beartree Fork of Rockhouse Fork of Burning Fork.

            Taylor R. Pace was married 7 Aug 1895 to Sarah Adams b. 1880, a daughter of Jesse Adams (b. 1836) and Julie Ann -?-.  Jesse was a son of John Wiley Adams b. 1811 and a grandson of John W. G. Adams.

            John Wiley Adams married Sarah Meadows, daughter of Edward Meadows.

            Ralph Pace’s wife Orpha was the daughter of Rousseau Patrick who was born in 1870 to parents Robert Patrick (b. 1830) and Mary Hurt (b. 1845).  Robert Patrick was a son of William Patrick and Nancy Prater.

            Rousseau Patrick married Elizabeth “Lizzie” Prater, daughter of Richard Menifee Prater.  Richard M. was a son of Elijah Prater and Jincy Patrick.  Richard M. married Rachel Caudill, daughter of Rev. Benjamin Caudill and Abigail Pennington.