It is always a pleasure to hear from those who have read these "Comments" or seen an issue of our quarterly Journal or who have visited and sent us feedback on their trip and "finds" while here in search of their family genealogy. Special thanks to Sarah Donaldson of Independence, KY for her phone call and to Becky Thomas of Warsaw, IN and Lorrene Waddle of Waynesfield, OH for their nice long informative emails. We are currently going through our regular mail to enter Journal membership renewals and we are very much enjoying the personal notes included with these.

Our "To Do" list has had to be put aside until better weather visits our area. It has been a struggle to keep our parking lot and sidewalks cleared with the several snowfalls we have had recently. We certainly want to apologize to a family who visited recently and wrote in the "visitor comments" that they had trouble getting into our parking lot because of the snow!

The weather hasn’t deterred Ben Gardner from getting the Hammonds-McGuire Cemetery at Bloomington, KY cleaned and in good order. This is where we set a marker for John Hamman in 2005. Some years earlier family members set a marker in the same cemetery for John McGuire, Revolutionary War soldier. We greatly commend Ben and his wife Ruth for all the community activities they do for our county.

The same year (2005) we also set a marker for Joseph Hammon of Greasy Creek, near Edna, KY.

Some research has been done on the surname Vanover this week. We found an early descendant by the name of Cornelius Vanover who was born about 1830 in Ashe Co. NC and appears to be the father of Daniel Vanover who has family connections to Magoffin County, KY.

The 1820 census of Ashe Co. NC has several Vanover heads of households: Cornelius, Elijah, Samuel, Daniel, Cornelius, Jr., William, and Henry.

Daniel Vanover was born about 1799 in Ashe Co. NC. He married Nancy Collins who was born in 1800 Ashe Co. NC and died in 1870 probably in the area that in 1911 became known as Jenkins, Letcher Co. KY. Daniel and Nancy are in the 1820 Ashe Co. NC census, then in Pike County, KY in 1830 and 1840. They are enumerated in the 1850 Russell County, Virginia records then back in Pike County, KY for the years of 1860 and 1870. In 1870 they lived in the Robinson Creek section of Pike County; at that time Daniel’s age was given as 72 and his wife Nancy as age 70.

The family of Daniel and Nancy Vanover, as near as we can determine, were (1) John Vanover b. 1816, (2) Rebecca Vanover b. 1820, (3) William Vanover b. 1824, (4) Cornelius Vanover b. 1825, (5) Mary Vanover b. 1827, (6) Nancy Vanover b. 1828, (7) Peggy Vanover b. 1833, (8) Henry Vanover b. 1836, (9) Elijah Vanover b. 1837, (10) David Vanover b. 1839.

We will continue with David Vanover b. 1839. He married Mary "Polly" Mullins of Pike Co. KY.

One of the children of David and Polly Vanover was McClelland "Clel" Vanover. According to his death certificate he was born 20 Jun 1859 in Knott Co. KY and died 7 Sep 1939 at Limeville, Greenup Co. KY, buried Mt. Olive Cemetery. His parents are given as David Vanover of Pound, VA and Polly Mullins of Pike Co. KY. Clel’s son Francis Marion "Sonny" Vanover gave the information on the certificate.

Clel Vanover and his wife Nancy are in the 1900 Millstone, Letcher Co. KY census. At that time their children were (1) Francis Vanover, Jr. b. Mar 1883, (2) Cosby Vanover b. Aug 1886, (3) Josy Vanover b. Feb 1889, (4) Henry Vanover b. Dec 1892 and (5) Cora Vanover b. Jul 1896.

Francis Marion "Sonny" Vanover married 23 Aug 1886 to Ester Reed, a daughter of Eli "Bud" Reed and Manerva May. In 1910 they lived at Bloomington in Magoffin County. They had one daughter Elsie Vanover b. 1908 in their home.

The 1920 Barnett’s Creek census of Johnson County, KY has Francis at age 35 and Esther Vanover at age 33. In addition to their daughter Elsie they also have a son Amos Vanover b. 1911, a daughter Elma May (this is "Una Mae") b. 1913 and a son Emmonds Vanover b. 1915.

By 1930 "Sonnie" Vanover is back in Magoffin County and gave his post office as Gifford, KY. "Sonnie" Vanover was married to "Stella" and these children were in their household (1) Una b. 1910, (2) Fred b. 1912, (3) Henry b. 1914, (4) Dawson b. 1918 and (5) Edith b. 1920. Apparently the census was recorded incorrectly that year because this family is listed in the 1940 Greenup Co. KY as Francis and Esther Vanover.

The family of Sonnie and Esther is listed in the 1990 Magoffin County Historical Society Reed books from info given by their granddaughters Patsy Reed Adams and Aileen Reed Arnett.

Elsie Vanover married Millard Rice, son of Washington Rice and Pearlie May. Elsie was a teacher and Millard was a merchant.

Amos Vanover married Hattie Howard, dau of Saul Howard

Una Mae Vanover m. Rube Reed, son of John Reed and Nevada Patrick. Una was a teacher and Rube was a farmer and miner.

Emmons Vanover (veteran) b. 1914 Elsie, KY d. 1993 Greenup Co. KY married Evelyn Chaffins, dau of Joe Chaffins and Sina.

Everett Vanover (born at Elsie, barber and funeral director) married Juanita Nichols.

Charles Dawson Vanover (veteran) b. 1922 Magoffin Co. KY d. 1996 and buried in Atlanta, GA, married Juanita Stewart

Edith Gray Vanover married Estill Bailey (he was a jeweler in Greenup Co. KY), son of Estill Bailey and Sarah. Edith married 2^nd to Herbert Fritz.

Any additional info would be appreciated by the Magoffin County Historical Society, PO Box 222, Salyersville, KY 41465 (email: [email protected])