As we prepare for our portion of the festivities planned for the 2015 Heritage Days here in Magoffin County we also continue working to solve the genealogy puzzles that come to us. Heritage Days, sponsored by the City of Salyersville, begins on Tuesday, September 1^st and continues through Sunday, September 6^th. We are looking forward to meeting in person some of our members and people we have corresponded with during this time of homecoming in Magoffin County.

Back in 2005 we had the pleasure of having a noted Hammond researcher, Doris Rose of California, here for the Hammond (all spellings) Founders Day celebration. That year we placed two markers at gravesites of our earliest Hammond settlers. They were for Joseph Hamon at the mouth of Greasy Creek, Edna, KY and for John Hamman at Bloomington, KY.

This week we had an email from Doris posing a genealogy question for us. She is researching the family of Mary Jane Sebastian who was born in 1869 at Bloomington, Magoffin Co. KY to John Sebastian and Artelia Christina "Tissa" Hamman.

John and Tissa were married in 1862 Magoffin Co. KY. This John was a son of Andrew Jackson Hamman and Jane Prater who were married in 1840 Morgan Co. KY by Mason Williams, Justice of the Peace. Is this the Jane "Jincy" Prater who was also married to Jack Kennard?

Andrew Jackson was a son of John Hamman who was born in 1781 VA and died in 1854 at Bloomington in what was at the time a part of Morgan Co. KY but became Magoffin County in 1860. John Hamman married in 1803 Floyd Co. KY to Margaret Evans, daughter of Thomas Evans.

Now, back to Mary Jane Sebastian. She was first married to a William Litteral and they had a son Turner Litteral born about 1887 in Magoffin County, KY.

Mary Jane later married in 1895 Morgan Co. KY to William Jackson Griffith. Sometimes we have seen the surname spelled "Griffitt" and "Griffey". We believe Wm. Jackson was the son of George Franklin Griffith (1836-1915) and Mary Elizabeth Wyatt. William Jackson and Mary Jane (Sebastian) Griffith are buried in the Mt. Zion Cemetery in Lucas, Richland Co. OH.

The children of Wm. Jackson and Mary Jane were: (1) Myrtle Griffith b. 1895 m. Warrick Powers; (2) Ordney Griffith b. 1897; (3) Maude Francis Griffith b. 1900 m. Oscar B. Slusher; (4) Stanley Griffith b. 1903; (5) Autie "Ott" Griffith b. 1904; (6) Carrie Griffith b. 1907 and (7) Hattie Elizabeth Griffith b. 1909.

The 1930 Morgan Co. KY census taken on April 14^th lists William at age 55, wife Mary age 57, with son Stanley age 27, dau Hattie age 21 and a 12 year-old grandson Curtis Whitt living in the White Oak area.

Curiously, in the 1930 Scioto Co. OH census taken April 18th, we find William J. Griffith, age 54, and wife Mary, age 56, in the household of their daughter Myrtle and her husband Warrick Powers. Two of their adult children are also in the household, Autie Griffith age 23 and Hattie Griffith age 21. Hattie later married Finley Frederick.

We ask that anyone with any knowledge of any of these families contact us at PO Box 222, Salyersville, KY 41465 (email: [email protected]) and/or email Doris Rose at [email protected] Perhaps some of our readers in Ohio can help with this query. We are interested in the Litteral, Sebastian and the Griffith surnames.

Several groups of people visited our genealogy library around the time of Community Day (August 15^th). Donald Minix, his son Danny Minix along with Donald’s brother Jerald W. Minix with his wife Pamela were here visiting with Jack and Lori Sizemore and Henry Clay Sizemore. In addition to enjoying the music in Ramey Park they also took some time to visit family cemeteries in our area.

A few weeks ago, Ben Jenkins, Jr. of Hilliard, OH came to see his parent’s old homeplace. He is the son of Ben Jenkins (b. 1900 d. 1975 Portsmouth, OH) and Rissie Hunley. His paternal grandparents were Francis Marion Jenkins and his 1^st wife Cynthia Phipps (dau of Henry Howard and Betsy Phipps). His maternal grandparents were George Hunley and Etta Conley.

Francis Marion Jenkins was a son of the Civil War soldier William M. "Billy" Jenkins who was born in 1827 and died 1 Feb 1908. He was a preacher in the United Baptist Church. He is buried in the Jellico Cemetery. Billy’s wife was Sarah Montgomery, a daughter of Alexander "Sanders" Montgomery and his wife Elizabeth.

Billy Jenkins was a son of Robert Jenkins born 1788 in VA and died between 1860 and 1870 in Morgan Co. KY.

Another visitor in August was Fletcher Joseph Mann and his wife Sharan. They were interested in finding info on Sharon’s mother Wanda Jean Conley who married a Scarbrough. Wanda was one of the 13 children of Oscar Conley and Agnes Allen.

Oscar was a son of Able Garfield Conley and Amanda Whitt who were married in 1883 at the home of Henry Whitt.

Able G. Conley was a son of David H. Conley and Mahala Jane Hitchcock. David H. was a son of Henry Conley (b. 1797 NC) and his wife Nancy. Henry was a son of Edmund Conley and Lydia Joynes.

Sadness has come our way since we last wrote these Comments. Aaron Arnett, son of Clyde Arnett and Merle Henry, died on August 13. His wife Alma, daughter of Tone Bailey and Della Mann, had died only a few months ago on 24^th of February. They had been members of our historical society since we began and always looked forward to reading our quarterly Journals.

We are also grieved to report the death on August 14^th of our "Country Common-tator", Mary Lou Brown Byrd of Nicholasville, KY. Mary Lou was born on Burning Fork of Magoffin County to Thomas Herbert "Hub" Preston and Lilly Frances Patrick.

Mary Lou was a talented writer and archivist who has preserved much area history and genealogy for generations to come. She once wrote a weekly column for the Salyersville Independent that was read and is still remembered by many. She had lived in many places, including Plains, Georgia where she was editor of the newspaper there during Jimmie Carter’s term of presidency but Magoffin County and our people were always very dear to her. Once President Carter’s sister visited Magoffin County with Mary Lou.

Count us among Mary Lou’s many friends and relatives who will greatly miss her.