This article, written by Todd Preston, President of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the SEPTEMBER 4, 2014 issue of THE SALYERSVILLE INDEPENDENT newspaper.

            Fall is quickly approaching!  We hope that everyone had a safe and happy Labor Day weekend with family and friends.  It is the season for fall festivals and Salyersville hosted its Heritage Days celebration which was very nicely attended.  We had many of our traditional visitors who have come to see us at the Magoffin County Historical Society down through the years as well as some who were here for the first time.  It was good to see Willie and Nellie Montgomery, William and Shirley Lunsford and family, Arnoldis Salyer Lamb and daughter Karan, Eddie and Jaynie Poe, Henry Clay Sizemore, Dallas and Kay Bentley, John Pace along with his sons and grandson, Paul and Lois Anderson who learned about us through the Salyersville Independent, Polly Manning, Diana Rowe McCoin, along with several others.

            We were pleased with the Magoffin County School Events and we were proud as a historical society to host these events for Heritage Days.  Teachers taking part in coordinating these activities were the directors Charlotte Gillum, Jaynie Poe, Theresa Gillum, along with teachers from South Magoffin, North Magoffin and Salyersville Grade School. We send our heartiest congratulations to all the children who participated in this event.  Our schools are doing a good job in preparing our youngsters for a bright future.

            We are satisfied with the response we are getting from our request for tributes to our military men and women who may not have been included in the six volume set of books we have printed since the 2006 Founders Days honoring veterans with a Magoffin County heritage.  It has been amazing to see the vast number of our citizens who have served our country and to read about their experiences and travels as soldiers. We ask that you honor the soldiers in your family by sending pictures (in uniform, with family, etc.) along with stories about their lives while in service and afterwards for inclusion in this last military volume we are printing.  The first part of the book will contain an index of the first six volumes then we will include the additional information that has come to us since the first books were printed.

            E-mailed info can be sent to [email protected] or write to us at Magoffin County Historical Society, PO Box 222, Salyersville, KY 41465.  You are also very welcome to come in to visit us at 191 South Church Street in Salyersville.

            The fall issue of the quarterly Journal we print that is a part of the regular membership of our historical society is now being worked on.  Elsie Risner Beiswanger sent us some material for inclusion in this issue and we found another Magoffin County veteran in the process.  He was Hersal Williams (1933-1975) who served in the Air Force.  Born in Magoffin County, he was the son of Walter and Lou Em Williams and grandson of Greenville “Green” Williams and Eliza Jane Arnett.  He, his parents and other members of his family are buried in Medaryville, IN.  We have not located Walter’s wife, Lou Em’s parents as of yet and ask that anyone who has knowledge of that branch of the family to contact us.

            Judy Salyer and her husband Gerald recently located a cemetery in Wise Co. VA where Gerald’s great uncle Fred Salyer is buried.  He was a veteran of World War I, the son of Thomas R. and Louisa (Barnett) Salyer who are buried on Puncheon Creek here in Magoffin County.  Judy has sent in pictures and information on Fred so that he can be included in the military book we are working on.

            James Williams, now of Lakeland, FL but originally from Magoffin County, sent a

very nice account of his military career complete with pictures. He is a grandson of

Warren Williams and Delia Bailey and of Branch Wallace “B. W.” Carty and Cornelius

“Nelius” Montgomery

            Research continues here at the “home-twenty”.  Visitors, Jim and Kathy Patrick and grandson Luke Bradley were interested in the Gene Patrick and Mary Coffey family.  Mary was born in 1921, a daughter of Columbus Coffey and his wife Margaret Wireman.  Columbus was born in Tennessee, a son of Thomas Jefferson Coffey and Rebecca Eagleton.  His wife Margaret was a daughter of Daniel “Dan” Wireman and Susan Bradley.  Dan was a son of Jacob Wireman and Susannah Sizemore.  Susan was a daughter of Jacob Bradley and Barbara Watkins. 

            We always have a lot of interest in the Dan Wireman family.  He was born 25 May 1850 in Floyd Co. KY (in a part that became Magoffin County in 1860).  He was a grandson of John Wireman and Rebecca Carpenter and George “Goldenhawk” Sizemore and Sallie Anderson. 

            Now to look into the line of Gene Patrick.  He is listed as J. B. Patrick in our Patrick family book and it is said he changed his name.  He was a son of Watt Patrick and Erin Higgins.  Watt was a son of Berry South Patrick (1867-1945) and Josephine Arnett (1867-1938.  Josephine was a daughter of Logan Arnett.

            Berry South Patrick was a son of Levi Patrick (1838-1898) and Nancy Salyer (1841-1909).  Levi and his wife Nancy are buried in the Mouth of Puncheon Cemetery at Seitz, KY.  There are two areas named “Puncheon” here in Magoffin County, the other is about 5 miles south of Royalton, KY off KY Rt. 7.

            Levi was a Civil War soldier, joining the Confederates, while his father Lewis and brother Irvin joined the Union cause.

            Lewis Patrick fought in the Battle of Ivy Point here in Salyersville, KY.  After his injury he was transported to a military hospital in Lexington, KY where he died of his wounds.  We recently received a picture of his gravesite from Elizabeth Avanell Arnett Patrick for our Sesquicentennial book.  Liz and her brother Garland Lewis Arnett are descendants of Lewis Patrick.

Lewis appears to be a son of William Patrick (b. 1795 VA) and his wife Nancy Prater (b. 1803 VA), according to the research of the late David Risner. 

            Lewis Patrick married Lucy Adams and they lived in the Burning Fork area which was part of Floyd County in the 1850s era.  By 1852 they had moved to the right hand fork of Middle Fork as they are listed in the Morgan Co. KY vital statistics.