We had our minds all set on an early spring after the groundhog didn’t see his shadow on February 2^nd. The daylight hours are longer and the sunshine seems to promise spring is coming soon. In addition we have been hearing the "songs" of those early spring "peepers" frogs and it has been reported that several people have crocuses beginning to bloom. Other spring flowering bulbs such as the daffodil that we used to call "Easters" are being seen. All this surely appears like spring is near, but we have word that Magoffin County’s favorite weathermen, Chris Bailey and Jim Caldwell, both of WKYT Lexington, are promising snow and ice for the next few days.

We have continued working on family group sheets this week. We have one we hope you can help us with. George Wesley Puckett (1867-1942) married Mary Ellen Hale (1873-1951). Family records say Ellen was the daughter of one William Hale and Mary. We have been unable to locate any other info on this family so far.

We want to send a huge thank you to Judy Wireman Salyer who read of our request for help a few weeks ago on the family of "Bill Hawk" Sizemore, a son of William "Black Hawk" Sizemore and Martha Millum. Judy had sent us a good amount of info on the family, complete with documentation, so that we can print an article in our Spring quarterly Journal. We appreciate all the help we receive and request that you send us any new and/or corrected info on anything that we may print. Our mailing address is Magoffin County Historical Society, PO Box 222, Salyersville, KY 41465 or email: [email protected]

We have some information on the Walters family of Magoffin County sent to us a few years ago by Alvin I. Walters of Indiana. His great grandfather was Felix Walters who was born in February of 1830 in Morgan Co. KY. Felix was the 4^th child of Thomas Walters and Matilda Wilson.

Thomas Walters was born in 1802 and died about 1845 in Morgan Co. KY. His wife was Matilda Wilson b. 1806 d. 1880 in Morgan Co. KY, dau of Andrew Wilson and Mary Nickell. Matilda appears as a 44 year-old widow in the 1850 Morgan County census. With her are these children (1) Franklin Walters age 23, (2) Felix Walters age 20, (3) Berthena Walters age 18, (4) Thomas Walters age 16, (5) Mary Walters age 14, (6) Oliver Walters age 11, (7) Eveline Walters age 8 and Francis Marion Walters age 7. She and Thomas also had a son Andrew Walters b. 1824 who married Manervia and appears in the 1850 Morgan County census. A daughter Elizabeth Walters born in 1830 apparently died before 1850.

Matilda Wilson Walters is listed in the 1860 and 1870 Morgan County census records, living in the Caney area.

Thomas and Matilda’s son, Felix Walters, married on 16 December 1852 in Morgan County to Nancy Reed. She was born in 1837 and died in 1901, a daughter of Daniel Reed and Martha Lewis.

In 1860 Morgan County Felix and Nancy have the following children (1) Elizabeth Walters b. 1854 married William Risner, (2) Thomas Walters born 1855 died in 1938 at age 82 of a fall from a truck in Ezel, KY. His wife was Milly Ann Burton, (3) Elvin Walters b. 1856 married Elizabeth J. Walters and (4) John Walters b. 1859 m. 1^st to Mary Power and 2^nd Nancy Power.

Felix and Nancy Walters are in the 1870, 1880 and 1900 census records of Magoffin County. The later census listings show these additional children (5) Survilla Walters b. 1863 m. John J. Walters, (6) William Walters b. 1866 m. Sarah Bolen and Dulcenia Armstrong, (7) Samuel Walters b. 1868 m. Lora Bolen, (8) Arty Walters b. 1870 m. Jerry Dunn, (9) Daniel Walters b. 1874 m. 1^st –?- and m. 2^nd Geneva Lykins and (10) Fanny Walters b. 1877 m. 1^st Butler Watkins and m. 2^nd -?- Alsept.

The 1900 Johnson Fork, Magoffin census has Felix and Nancy alone in their household. By 1910 Johnsons Fork, Magoffin County, Felix’s age was given as 84 and widowed in the home of Daniel Walters and his second wife Geneva Lykins. The census was taken in April. Some descendants say Felix died in June of 1910.

Another Walters family lived on Johnson Fork and Middle Fork of Magoffin County. We do not know at this time of the relationship of the Thomas Walters family and the Hiram Walters family.

Hiram Walters was born about 1836 married 3 Jan 1858 Floyd Co. KY to Rosanna Hoskins. She first married William Bays and had children (1) Allemander Bays b. 1852 d. 1915, (2) Mary Frances Bayes b. 1853 d. 1933 m. -?- Power, (3) Jackson Kern Bays b. 1855 and (4) William Harrison Bays b. 1856 d. 1931.

The children of Hiram and Rosanna were (1) Susannah Walters b. 1860, (2) Diancy Walters b. 1862 m. G. W. Collinsworth, (3) Rhoda Walters b. 1863 m. Henry Hardin Holbrook, (4) Robert Walters b. 1864, (5) Moses Walters b. 1886 m. Mary Ellen Montgomery, (6) Bradford Walters m. Polly Benton (they were parents of the "Singing Mailman" Moses Walters b. 1899), (7) Henry C. Walters b. 1869 m. Mattie McFarland, (8) Madison Walters b. 1870, (9) Rebecca Walters b. 1874 and (10) Hiram Walters b. 1876.

The Walters family has had a positive influence on the history of Magoffin County and eastern Kentucky. Our historical society would like to add more information on them to our files.