February gives us an extra day this year! We will try to use it to the fullest! It’s great to have a little extra "time"! Then comes the month of March with Daylight Savings Time beginning on the 13^th; the first day of Spring is on the 20^th and Easter Sunday comes on the 27^th. I think we are all looking forward to spring this year.

We have spent several days working on our membership list for those wishing to receive our quarterly Journals for this year of 2016. It is encouraging to us here at the historical society to see these renewals coming in and to read your comments. Some of you have also sent family history queries and these will be printed in the Spring Journal. With this column we will delve into one that came from Nancy Hughes of California.

Nancy wishes to determine the correct "Mary ‘Polly’ Salyer" who married Lewis Watkins in 1867 Magoffin County, KY. She writes that there are two possibilities according to the 1860 census records of Magoffin County. One "Polly Salyer" was born about 1851, the daughter of William and Luqueena (Howard) Salyer; the other "Polly" was born about 1848 and in the household of Samuel and Malinda (Arnett) Salyer.

We have many descendants of these families in the area and have material in several of our publications about them so we will attempt to clarify this for Ms. Hughes.

In 2012, the Magoffin County Historical Society participated in a marker setting at the Minix Cemetery on Oakley Creek for Thomas Watkins, a Revolutionary War soldier. This was a Government Issue marker procured through the efforts of Bob Whittaker of SC and Charlotte Gillum, a descendant. The marker setting and dedication was held in conjunction with a marker purchased by the historical society and placed for Reubin and Elizabeth (Nolin) Marshall, the progenitors of the Marshall family whose heritage we celebrated that year.

Thomas Watkins was born in 1750 NC and died in 1854 Floyd Co. KY (in an area that became Magoffin County when it was formed in 1860).

Thomas appeared in Open Court Floyd Co. KY in February 1834 at age 83 and made declaration for his Revolutionary War service pension. He was enrolled as a pensioner in March 1834. By 1845 he had married Elizabeth Shepherd, a daughter of David H. Shepherd and Lucretia Hale. In 1855 Elizabeth applied for a widow’s pension of a Rev. War veteran and was recorded on pension rolls in July 1868.

The mother(s) of Thomas Watkins, Sr.’s children is not presently known. His children are believed to be (1) Mary "Polly" Watkins b. 1805 m. John Salyer, (2) William Watkins b. 1807 m. Elizabeth Watkins, (3) Thomas Watkins, Jr. b. 1813 m. Lucinda Howard, (4) James Watkins b. 1816 m. Margaret Fraley, (5) Louisa Watkins b. 1818 m. Aaron Brown, and (6) Elizabeth Watkins b. 1820 m. Wiley Watkins. There may have been other children.

His son, Thomas Watkins, Jr., (according to the research of Mary Ann Million of Glen Rose, TX and other descendants), married in 1834 Floyd Co. KY to Lucinda Howard, dau of John Howard and Nancy Cameron. They are listed in the 1850 Floyd Co. KY census with his father Thomas Sr. at age 98 and wife Elizabeth age 40 living next door. Thomas and Lucinda are listed in the first census (1860) of Magoffin County.

The children of Thomas Watkins, Jr. and Lucinda were (1) Mary Watkins b. 1835 m. William Row(e), (2) John Watkins b. 1837 m. Luanna Barnett, (3) William Watkins b. 1839, (4) Lewis Watkins b. 1842 m. Mary "Polly" Salyer, dau of Samuel Salyer, (5) Nancy Watkins b. 1845 m. William P. Collins, (6) Luquena Watkins b. 1847 m. John Riley Bradley, (7) Samuel Watkins b. 1852 m. Mahala Joseph.

Lewis Watkins, son of Thomas, Jr., married in 1867 Magoffin County to Mary "Polly" Salyer and they lived in Breathitt County, KY by 1870 with two children, Lillian Watkins b. ca. 1868 and Margaret Watkins b. ca. 1869. This is the Mary "Polly" Salyer who was enumerated in the household of Samuel and Malinda Salyer in 1860.

The other Mary "Polly" Salyer was a daughter of William "Wee Willie" Salyer b. 1825 d. 1868, son of John Salyer and Mary "Polly" Watkins. William Salyer married Luquena Howard, dau of John Howard and Nancy Cameron.

The children of William W. Salyer and Luquena were (1) Louisa Salyer b. 1847 1^st married in 1874 Magoffin County to James Hamilton then married 2^nd 1877 to Solomon Joseph, son of William Joseph and Eliza Whitaker, (2) Easter Salyer b. 1849 married in 1866 to Brice "Flitterfoot Brice" Shepherd, (3) Polly Salyer b. 1851 married in 1867 to John E. Howard, son of Lewis Howard and Elizabeth Shepherd, (4) Nancy Salyer b. 1852 m. Dock Hamilton, (5) Van Buren Salyer b. 1854 d. 1875 at age 20 of neuralgia (his birth and death info is in Floyd County, KY Vital Statistics), (6) Lewis Salyer b. 1857 m. 1877 to Sally Whitaker, (7) John Salyer b. 1859 m. Jane Howard, dau of Kendall Howard, (8) Arty Salyer b. 11 Nov 1861 and (8) Jane/Jayne Salyer b. 1865 m. Flem Wireman and lived in Greenup Co. KY. Fleming was a son of Jacob and Susannah (Sizemore) Wireman.

This information will give Ms. Hughes some possible clues to pursue in her family research. The Magoffin County Historical Society would welcome any additional material for our records. If you wish to write to us our address is PO Box 222, Salyersville, KY 41465 or email ([email protected]).