The Holbrook-England Cemetery is located 3 miles up the right hand fork of Puncheon Camp Creek road off KY 1766. Back in July of 1977 when Austin and Connie Wireman, along with her mother, Mae S. Arnett visited this cemetery, it was well marked although in somewhat of an abandoned condition.

The area was once a thriving community, populated with a church and many families living in the vicinity. Near the cemetery was a path that was well used by those traveling by foot, by horseback or wagons to go from Magoffin County over to Floyd County and back again.

It was here that the Gapville Post Office was established on April 10, 1888 by Benjamin Holbrook. Gapville was originally 3 and 1/2 miles above the Gypsy Post Office and was about a quarter mile from the Floyd County line. The post office was so named because of being in the vicinity of the nearby gap by which travelers used to pass from the Licking River over to the Big Sandy watershed.

This cemetery is the last resting place of a Civil War soldier, Enoch England and Benjamin “Preacher Ben” Holbrook who was also an old time minister of the United Baptist Church.

We were alerted to the present condition of the cemetery by Judy Wireman Salyer, a descendant of both Enoch England and Ben Holbrook. Judy has been very helpful in providing information and pictures for an upcoming Journal article as well as updating cemetery listings for us. By coincidence, we also had other out-of-area Holbrook descendants visiting our library in search of genealogical info on their families.

In last week’s column we mentioned visitors Robert L. and Mary Jo Pickett of Lafayette, IN. Her maternal line goes back to William “Bill” England and his wife Sarah Elizabeth “Lizzie” Holbrook who was a daughter of Preacher Ben Holbrook.

A more recent visitor was Elizabeth Holbrook Faust of Florida who is a descendant of Preacher Ben Holbrook through his son Thomas Green Holbrook who married Isabelle Blevins.

Upon learning of the broken, scattered markers in the cemetery several other descendants and concerned citizens developed an interest in trying to rectify the damage that has been done.

“Preacher Ben” Holbrook was born in 1832 and died in 1897. He was the son of Randolph Holbrook and Zelphia Adams. His mother Zelphia was a daughter of Stephen Adams who was also the father of William “Uncle Billy” Adams, the man responsible for developing the town that we now know as Salyersville (called “Adamsville” prior to 1860).

“Preacher Ben” married Rhoda Spradlin, daughter of Jesse Spradlin and Sally Stone and they were the parents of (1) Susannah Holbrook m. Preston Prater; (2) Randolph Holbrook m. Sally Shepherd; (3) Thomas Green Holbrook m. Isabelle Blevins; (4) Jasper A. Holbrook m. Mary F. Stanford; (5) Zelphia Jane Holbrook m. Elijah Prater; (6) Sarah E. Holbrook m. William England; (7) Floyd H. Holbrook m. Jane Miller; (8) Newton P. Holbrook m. Ollie Hall; (9) Henry Hanson Holbrook b. 1869 d. 1871; (10) Harvey Trimble Holbrook m. Molly Hall.

You will find his name as minister on many marriage certificates in Magoffin and Floyd Counties. He was a minister of several churches and helped organize the Stinson United Baptist Church in 1884. He served as moderator of the Burning Springs Church from the death of Wallis Bailey in 1884 until his own death in 1897. A fine portrait of him hangs today in the church located at the mouth of Coal Branch in Salyersville.

We would welcome any help and/or suggestions for reviving this historic cemetery. We realize that there are several similar instances of cemetery restoration and repairs that need to be made in other parts of our county. So if you are unable to help with this particular cemetery perhaps there is something you can do at a cemetery near you in order that the gravesites of those who came before us are not neglected and forgotten.