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This article, written by Todd Preston, President of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the AUGUST 13, 2015 issue of THE SALYERSVILLE INDEPENDENT newspaper.

The Salyersville Independent 
P. O. Box 29, Salyersville, KY 41465. Telephone (606) 349-2915.  Yearly subscription rates are $24.00 in Kentucky and $32.00 per year out of state.

With the beginning of the school year, we know we are entering the fall season even though there are still a few weeks of "summer" left on the calendar. It is time for fall festivals and we are preparing for the Labor Day weekend event, Heritage Days, sponsored by the City of Salyersville. Our historical society will take part in this event by underwriting the Magoffin County School Events scheduled for Friday, September 4th.

We hope to have our local Boy Scout troop here during this event to honor the memory of the late Ralph Mullins. Ralph, along with co-scoutmaster Haskell Sizemore, always came out to our Founders Days with the Boy Scouts to be in charge of the flag raising and Pledge to the Flag during our opening ceremonies. They also attended several memorial marker dedications.

Our group has invited the Magoffin County Library to conduct their popular book signing by area authors which will be also be held on Friday on the lawn of the Hall Community Center.

We have asked the State Road United Baptist Church to hold services in our log church cabin on Sunday, September 6th. We will be remembering the late Buster Blanton who came every year to deliver a sermon in this church building.

We got an Adams query on our Magoffin County Historical Society Facebook page (there is also a Magoffin County Historical Society Group on Facebook). An inquirer wanted to know if anyone had info on one William Adams who married in 1868 Magoffin County to Martha Hanshew. We find the Rev. Johnson M. Adams performed the marriage with witnesses Jackson Hamlin? and Franklin Kazee. Martha was a daughter of Henry Hanshew and Elizabeth Price who show in the 1850 Floyd County, KY census. We generally see the name spelled "Handshoe" today.

In 1850 Henry Hanshew was age 22, wife Elizabeth was age 21. Their children were Andrew Hanshew age 5, Sarah Hanshew age 3 and Martha Hanshew. Their near neighbors were 33 year-old William Bradley and wife Elizabeth; 44 year-old Hiram Hicks and wife Fanny; 67 year-old George Brown and wife Anna; also 70 year-old Reuben Thacker and wife Nancy so they probably lived in the Middle Creek section of Floyd County, just outside Prestonsburg, KY.

By 1860, they had added these children to the household: (4) Daniel Hanshew b. 1858, (5) Margarette Hanshew b. 1855, (6) Tandy Hanshew b. 1858 and there was also 22 year-old Jas. H. Duncan, born in Virginia, with the family.

William Adams and Martha Hanshew had two known children. They were (1) Sarah Elizabeth Adams b. 1871 d. 25 Oct 1947 and (2) Aaron Adams b. 1873 Carter Co. KY.

We find no definite evidence of this William Adams after that date. In 1879 Carter Co. KY Martha A. Handshew age 24 married 19 year-old (according to marriage record) Henry B. Henderson and they appear in the 1880 Carter Co. KY census.

In 1880 H. B. Henderson was listed as age 28; wife Martha was age 29. They had Sarah Adams and Aaron Adams in their household along with Matilda F. Henderson age 1.

They are said to have had other children: Harrison Morris Henderson, Henry Robert Henderson, Trinvilla Henderson and Jane Henderson. Apparently Martha Henderson died 14 Dec 1906 in Randolph Co. Arkansas.

William Adams was born about 1847, a son of Johnson M. "Bud" Adams (b. 1828 Scott Co. VA-died 18 May 1912 Sun City, Kansas) and Susannah Whitaker (b. 1831-d. 1861/1862 Magoffin Co. KY). Johnson M. Adams m. 2nd Elizabeth Owens and m. 3rd Lucinda Bailey Marshall.

Johnson M. Adams, according to descendants in Sun City, KS, led a caravan of people westward in 1871. It is believed that Johnson’s son, William Adams, was in that group that went west and that he married secondly in 1871 to Minerva Puckett (b. 1855 Breathitt Co. KY d. 1933 Sun City, KS), dau of Caleb Puckett and Mary Craft.

We would certainly like to hear from anyone related to or having knowledge of any of these families mentioned here. Please write to Magoffin County Historical Society, PO Box 222, Salyersville, KY 41465 (email: [email protected])

We mentioned in an earlier column that Pam Bandy Douglas had visited our library and left us a Bandy family booklet. This material is also connected to the Reed, Williams, Keeton, Prater and other surnames of our area.

This material has been quite interesting to read as Ms. Douglas included family recollections along with copies of documents to tell of the lives and genealogy of her ancestors. The earliest Bandy recorded in the booklet is one William W. Bandy b. 1816 Tazewell Co. VA d. 1890, son of Thomas C. Bandy and Nancy Peery.

William’s first wife was Ella Harrison. His second wife was Malinda Woosley whom he married in 1865. Malinda was a daughter of Hezekiah Woosley and Margaret Lowe. The surname "Woosley" is of interest to us as it occurs in the Rudd family also. The first Rudds in our area were Archibald Rudd b. 1790/92 and his wife Nancy Woosley b. 1809, dau of Benjamin and Elizabeth Woosley.

One of William’s children was Guy H. Bandy. Guy’s 2nd wife was Lydia Prater, dau of John Prater and Betty Rowe. This John was a son of Riley Prater and Lucretia Shepherd. After Guy Bandy’s death, Lydia Prater married in 1926 to M. P. Whitt, son of John C. Whitt and Delila Amyx.

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Last modified:      Thursday, August 20, 2015