This article, written by Todd Preston, President of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the June 21 2012 issue of THE SALYERSVILLE INDEPENDENT newspaper.

            Another historian has passed into the sunset of life. Few could describe our town’s growth, tell of the floods of Old Licking, and other pertinent information about our area much better than Charles Rowe.

            As I took my morning walk in the park, my thoughts turned to all the stories Charles had told about growing up on the banks of the Licking River.

            Charles was born July 12, 1920 and died at age 91 on June 6, 2012.  He was the son of the late William and Lizzie Prater Rowe, affectionately known as Uncle Bill and Aunt Lizzie.  Lizzie was the youngest daughter of Leander Prater and Margaret Morton.  Bill was the son of Wade Rowe, a Methodist preacher, as was his grandson Charles.  We send our condolences to his wife Iva Jean Arnett Rowe, their children, family and friends.

            I have set out to honor one Edmund Connelley b. 1752 Chester Co. PA who first married Ann McGregor and married secondly to Temperance Hitchcock.  Edmund was the eldest child of Captain Henry Connelley.

            Edmund is buried in the cemetery now known as the Abel Caudill Cemetery above the home of Joe Carroll on State Road Fork.  He is buried in an unmarked grave, probably near his son Pvt. Haustin Conley (Co. I, 14^th Regt. KY Vol. Inf.), killed in Salyersville on 21 Sep 1863.  His grave is marked by a government marker but Edmund and at least eighteen more have only field stones to mark their final resting place.  There are a couple marked graves.

            I have got this site cleaned up and have received some donations from Conley/Connelley descendants. With a little more monetary help, the family will be able to set a monument for Edmund Connelley, father of Edmund Conley, Jr., William Smith Conley, Henry Jack Conley, Nancy Jane Conley (m. Stephen Crace), Wallis B. Conley and Isaiah Conley.  So, let this be a last reminder, we hope to be able to set a monument and perhaps a cemetery sign in the near future.

            My neighbor Jerry Kyle Arnett and I made a Saturday evening trip to the “Edmund Field” Cemetery and found someone had decorated the four graves that have headstones and had put a single flower at a few unmarked graves.  I would like to know who took the time and effort to do this and I assume they knew who was buried in the unmarked graves.  If this is the case I wish they would let me know for I intend to get some factory-made stones to back up or replace the field stones.  Names could be painted on them which would be better than what they have now.  I would also like to find some stump killer to get rid of the tree stumps.  I know this is a “tall” undertaking but I believe it can be done.  After all, it should be remembered that Edmund Connelley, Sr. was one of Magoffin County’s truly great pioneers!

            We are working on material to make a window display for the month of July.  We have a flag quilt made by Jean England Wireman of Waldo and have started a collection of soldier’s pictures who have a Marshall ancestor.  We know about these Marshalls by the surname who served in some branch of the armed forces: (1) Add Marshall, son of Anderson Marshall, (2) Adam Marshall, son of Guy Marshall, (3) Adam “Buddy” Marshall, son of William Marshall, (4) Afton Marshall, son of  Claude Marshall, (5) Astor Marshall, son of Add Marshall, (6) Billy J. Marshall, son of Lacy Marshall, (7) Claude Marshall, son of Logan Marshall,  (8) Claude J. Marshall, son of Miles Marshall, (9) David Marshall, son of Martin Marshall, (10) Earl Marshall, son of Sherman Marshall, (11) Everett Marshall b. 1922 Royalton, KY, (12) Freddie Marshall b. 1945 Gypsy, KY, (13) Guy Marshall, son of Logan Marshall, (14) Harold Marshall, son of Curtis Marshall, (15) Henry Marshall b. 1895 d. 1955, (16) Hoker Marshall, son of Curtis Marshall, (17) James Marshall, son of Len Marshall, (18) James Daniel Marshall, son of James Marshall, (19) Johnnie Marshall, son of William Marshall, (20) Kenneth Marshall, served in Vietnam, (21) Lacy Marshall, son of William Marshall, (22) Lorenzo J. Marshall, son of Lacy Marshall, (23) Oran Marshall, son of Add Marshall, (24) Paul Marshall, son of Roy Marshall, (25) Ronnie Marshall, son of Guy Marshall, and (26) Tom Marshall, son of Len Marshall.

            Just this week we saw the obituary for Ray Marshall, son of Curtis and Liza Marshall.  Perhaps you know of other Marshall’s who were in service. We would like to borrow pictures to copy for our window.  We are also looking for service men and women whose mother was a Marshall.  You may mail these to Box 222, Salyersville, KY 41465 (email: [email protected]) or bring in at 191 South Church Street here in Salyersville.