This article, written by Todd Preston, President of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the March 7, 2013 issue of THE SALYERSVILLE INDEPENDENT newspaper.

            We sadly report the loss of one of our friends and valued members of the Magoffin County Historical Society. Clarice Minix was the daughter of Fred and Audie (Gullett) Minix and has been a working member of our group since the beginning.  She is the sister of Sharroll Minix. You will see their names as contributors of material in a great number of our publications. Back in our early days, their mother Audie even made a couple of genealogy inspired quilts to auction off so that we could have enough money to continue operating our historical society.  This family attended planning meetings of our group and went out into the community to collect information and pictures.  They also copied cemeteries and worked toward getting markers for some of our early settlers.  One of Clarice’s biggest projects was during the Minix Founders Day year of 1991 when she collected funds and purchased a marker for Charles Minix, the progenitor of the Minix family in our area. 

            Another project of Clarice’s was to replace the marker for Elizabeth Sizemore Arnett b. 1812 d. 25 Oct 1866, first wife of Wiley “Ole Wile” Arnett. Wiley and Elizabeth were the ancestors of her mother Audie and this project was completed a couple of years ago.  This cemetery is where Clarice was laid to rest this week among many generations of her family.

            Clarice and her family will not be forgotten. Their work assures that many of us will know more about our roots and our history. 

Clarice’s sister Sharroll has continued researching her family names and her diligence has found us other children of an early settler, Samuel Mann.  There is unfinished work that needs to be done with this family.  We would like to identify the first wife of Samuel Mann.  The children he and his first wife had were (1) William Mann b. 1808 m. Rhoda Howard; (2) an unidentified female child born between 1800 and 1810; (3) Nathaniel Mann b. 1811 d. 1881 in MO m. Mary Ellen Elkins; (4) Sally Mann b. about 1814 m. Reuben Arnett and (5) Thomas Mann b. 1815 (a Confederate soldier) m. Eliza Craft.

Samuel Mann married secondly to Preshi Dykes and their children were: (6) John Mann married in early 1840s to Lucinda Craft; (7) Mary Mann.

The estate settlement of Nathaniel Mann lists Margaret, the wife of Charles Minix, as one of his next of kin. It is hoped that finding the name of the mother of Samuel’s first children will also identify the mother of Margaret Minix. 

We expect the Mann family manuscript will be in excess of 1,000 pages. We have many pages of pictures to insert before it can be printed.

Even though we have experienced another little taste of winter this week, there are signs that spring is coming.  It brings to my mind a little tree that once stood on the creek bank below our family’s log home on Burton Fork of Mash Fork. We called it “Bam-i-gilly” but I later learned it is called Balm of Gilead.  The resin from this tree could be made into a healing salve.  This little tree known from my childhood holds fond memories for me and was the only one on Burton Fork to my knowledge.  Some years later when I was serving as a conservation officer, I found specimens of the tree in the south Magoffin area and brought some of the sprouts in and set them here in the Pioneer Village but they did not grow.  My uncle Powell Kazee transplanted some and they did live. 

When our tree on Burton Fork would bloom it would attract all kinds of wasps and bees that would feed on the syrup it produced. 

I believe there are still some of these trees that grow in some areas of the county. A few years ago a family member brought in a bouquet of the blooms to the funeral of Jim Wireman, father of Albert and Arnold, who lived on the Trace Fork of Licking.  Jim, like me, liked the little tree that grew on his farm.

Another tree that I think has passed away is the Chestnut tree and it has been a long time since I have seen a slippery Elm.  As a boy some eighty years ago, I used to cut off a bit of the bark and chew it somewhat like chewing gum.

I spent a great deal of time out in the woods as I was growing up. How many of you remember the “blowing viper” or “milk snake”?  Its actions could make chills run up your spine even though it was harmless.  If struck at, the snake would seem to roll over and die but after a short time it would come alive again.  An old tale was that this snake sucked our milk cows so we didn’t let them live very long…or any other kind of snake, for that matter, as they ate the eggs of our chickens and ducks.  We stayed prepared for them with our trusty sling-shots.

Among the genealogy work we have done this week is researching the family of Burlie Pennington (1928-2012).  He was the son of Jeremiah “Jerry” Pennington (1875-1945) and 2^nd wife Vina Ellen Blair (1887-1972).  Jerry was a son of Jesse Pennington and Sarah Salyer.  Jesse was a son of Joshua Pennington (b. 1789 NC) and Nancy Sparks.   

Sarah Salyer was born in 1854 Johnson Co. KY, the daughter of Jeremiah Salyer and Elizabeth Conley.

Burlie’s mother Vina Ellen Blair was a daughter of Levi Franklin Blair (1867-1916) and Mary Jane Conley.  Sarah was a sister to Isaac Salyer b. 1845 who married Perlina Bailey; and to Malissa M. Salyer and John R. Salyer.

We found Jeremiah “Jerry” Pennington in the 1900 Johnson Co. KY census in the household of his uncle John R. Salyer and grandmother Elizabeth Conley Salyer who was age 70 and a widow.  Jerry was listed as a grandson, age 23 and had been married for 1 year to Gertie Jackson, age 19. They had a daughter born that year, Cornelia Pennington.