This article, written by Todd Preston, President of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the December 31, 2013 issue of THE SALYERSVILLE INDEPENDENT newspaper.

            The year 2013 has but a few days left as we write this and the year will be ended by the time you read it. It has been an eventful year with many memories; some sad, but for the most part good happenings that help us build a better future for us all.

            We observed the 1^st anniversary of the March 22, 2012 tornado that struck Magoffin and surrounding areas with much destruction of landscape and property.  Although some areas suffered loss of life we were fortunate to have escaped with only some injuries.  We began a collection of material about the tornado and the reconstruction work that has been done.

            Personally, I felt mighty proud to have a great many friends and family members gather in to celebrate my 85^th birthday this year.  It has been a year with a few extra aches and pains but I have gotten to do a lot of things I enjoy as well as go on a few trips thanks to my children and several friends such as Jerry Kyle Arnett, John Holbrook, Jack Sizemore, Henry Clay Sizemore and Randall Risner.

            Here at the historical society we began the year by making decisions as to the projects we should work on, in particular our 35^th year of sponsoring a Magoffin County Founder’s Day celebration.  We picked the Rudd family who had two brothers (sons of Archer and Martha Rudd) who came from Virginia and settled in eastern Kentucky.  One was Archibald Rudd who married Nancy Woosley.  He and most of his children lived on Johnson Fork here in Magoffin County.  Archibald’s brother, Riley Rudd and his wife Mary lived and died in Lawrence Co. KY area but they have descendants who live here in Magoffin. Both Rudd brothers served in the War of 1812. 

            As nearly all our readers will know, our Founders Days were a wonderful success and we were very impressed with the work the Rudd’s did to honor their ancestors.  Their children were always involved in the projects undertaken and we think that is very inspiring.  Their window displays, parade participation and all the programs were extraordinary! 

            We got to associate with many of our Rudd friends and neighbors as well as meet a lot of their cousins who live out of the area.  It has also been a pleasure to find Rudd ancestors for many of our research library visitors who had no idea they were related to the family.  It is a project we are still working on and we request that anyone who wishes to share their Rudd genealogy and family pictures to please do so soon.  In addition to a Rudd family genealogy book being one of our unfinished projects, we also need to plan a gathering to set memorial marker for Archibald and Nancy Rudd.  We intended to do it this fall but the weather was so unpredictable that those plans had to be postponed. 

            We have had monthly meetings at our historical society library and we enjoy and appreciate all those who attend.  One of our outstanding meetings was in June when we gathered at the home of John and Deanna Holbrook. This was a very memorable occasion for all of us.

            We mentioned visitors to our county who came to research their ancestry.  It is surprising to see the many states and even foreign countries that are represented in our visitor’s sign-in book.  We have continued with our helping others who not only visit our library but who also contact us by regular mail, email or telephone since our beginnings in 1978.

            We had a fine celebration of our 35^th year as an organization in April.  Kay Bentley always sees to it that we have one of her wonderful cakes which makes the occasions even more special.  This year we had a New Year’s Cake, TWO Welcome Rudd Family cakes, the historical society birthday cake and my own birthday cake, as well as a Christmas cake.  I suggest that we think of a few more occasions for Kay’s cakes next year!! (SMILE) 

            We proceeded with many of our printing projects this year, adding information to books that are in progress.  Special thanks to Bob and Betty Whittaker of SC who took the indexing Kay Bentley had done for the 2004 Whitaker family books and developed it into a wonderful volume with an every name index and much added material on the ancestry of the Whitaker family.  Connie and Dorothy also finished our 150 Years of Cooking in Magoffin County cook book and it has been very well received.  Soon the winter Journal will be complete which will make a set of four quarterly Journals for the year 2013.  At this time Kay Bentley is updating an index to our 35 years of printed Journals. 

We have participated each week with a column in our local newspaper, the Salyersville Independent and also maintain a Facebook page and a website on the Internet.  We have worked to keep up the grounds of the Pioneer Village so as to make our town a nicer place to visit.  We decorate with the seasons and we always get many nice compliments on our window displays.  We also try to be involved with any special occasions our county works on, such as the 4^th of July celebration, Halloween and the Hometown Christmas program.

We were pleased to get markers set for our early Conley settlers at the head of State Road Fork, these being for Edmond Connelley, Sr. and Edmond Connelley, Jr. Several descendants helped us secure these markers.

            Some very gracious and welcome gifts have been given to our historical society this year.  These include five volumes of area obituaries collected by Katherine Bailey and her daughters, indexed by Kay Bentley.  Marlena Lykins Howard and her sister Diana Lykins Howard gave us two of their mother’s hand-tacked quilts which we will display in the Pioneer Village.  Kathy and Greg Hall gave us a set of pictures taken by her grandfather William Quinn while a member of the local DAV.  Chryl Burgett Morgan gave us two old-time telephones.  Carolyn Arnett Coons gave some old school books for our school house cabin.  Nancy Bays gave the historical society a wonderful old portrait of her husband’s ancestor.

            We have had some very impressive books given to our library.  Among these are 4 volumes of genealogy on the Cooksey/Jobe, Kitchen, Carter and Diamond families of Lawrence Co. KY authored by Lennie Carter of Washington, DC.  Jimmie Allen gave us the E. L. Noble Volume on Bloody Breathitt Feuds.

            All our work would not be possible if it were not for participation and contributions of material from readers like you.  We invite your help to make our collection of history and genealogy more complete.

            And so, as this year ends, we wonder of what the new year will bring.  We wish for good health and happiness for all of us.  May the work we have begun continue to grow and preserve our past for our future generations.