This year the month of March has a lot of activity going on! Last Sunday (Mar 13^th) Daylight Savings Time began and hopefully we have all had time to adjust to that. Today (March 17^th) is St. Patrick’s Day and this coming Sunday will be the first day of Spring. Good Friday comes on the 25^th then we will observe Easter on Sunday the 27^th.

With the spring weather more visitors come to our county searching for their "roots". Jason Hunter of Greenwich, OH was one of those this last week. This was the latest of several visits he has made to our county. This time he was looking for the parents and ancestors of one Josie "Blevins" Kilgore. Incidentally, in all the records we have seen for Josie Kilgore, her maiden name is given as "Bevins" except twice. We will give those references later in this article.

The Kilgore family has deep roots in Magoffin County and many of the surrounding counties. Their ancestor John Kilgore was born in 1799 and married first in Virginia to Cynthia Addington. Their known children were (1) Charles C. Kilgore b. 1821, (2) Matilda Kilgore b. 1823 m. 1^st to James Collinsworth, m. 2^nd Aaron Roberts and m. 3^rd to Daniel Adams, a brother to Salyersville’s Uncle Billy Adams, (3) Malinda Kilgore b. 1824 m. Jeremiah McCarty, (4) Luanna "Annie" Kilgore b. 1828 m. Thomas Whitley, (5) Nancy Kilgore b. 1833 m. Irvin Collinsworth, (6) Minerva Kilgore m. George Hackworth, (7) Rebecca Kilgore m. Isaac Warden, and (8) Rev. John Kilgore, Jr. m. Almeda Haney.

John Kilgore, Sr. married secondly to Isabelle Roberts and their children were (9) Cynthia Ann Kilgore b. 1845 did not marry, (10) Isaac Kilgore b. 1848 m. Josephine Bevins, (11) Burdine Kilgore b. 1850 m. Mary Hall, (12) Sarah Marinda Kilgore b. 1852 m. James Poe, (13) Henry Kilgore b. 1854 d. 1921 Greenup Co. KY, (14) Esther Kilgore b. 1856 m. Martin Barnett, and (15) Mary Rowena Kilgore b. 1861/62 d. 1938 Scioto Co. OH married 1^st -?- Stanley, m. 2^nd Frank Jones, m. 3^rd Rufus Roberts and m. 4^th Henry Music.

It appears that John Kilgore, Sr. died before 1870 as Isabelle appears in the 1870 Magoffin census with Samuel Miller, Jr. and two of his children, Margaret Miller and Anderson Miller. Samuel and Isabelle were married 20 Feb 1870. Isabell has two of her children in the household, Sarah Kilgore age 14 and Rowena age 9. By 1880 she lived in Floyd County, KY and used the surname Kilgore. With her are daughters Cynthia A. age 31 and Rowena age 17. There are also three grandchildren in the home, John, Margaret, and James.

Now we will give what info we have on our visitor’s question. Isaac Kilgore, the son of John Kilgore and Isabelle Roberts was born about 1848 (from census records) but his death records gives his birth as January 1851 in Morgan Co. KY. Isaac was in the home of his half-brother John H. Kilgore and wife Almeda in 1870 Morgan County. He was age 19. There are two marriage records in Magoffin County for Isaac, the first is to Elizabeth Whitaker on 22 Aug 1873 at the home of Hiram Patrick with witnesses William Miller and Samuel Miller.

Isaac Kilgore then received license to marry Josephine Bevins on 13 May 1879. The marriage return info was not recorded on the certificate. Isaac at age 22 and "Josie" at age 15 are on the 1880 Magoffin census with a son Jeff age 4 months. A 50-year old Lucina b. VA and listed as "mother" is also in the household. We know that Isaac’s mother’s name was Isabelle so we assume Lucina was the mother of Josephine Bevins.

We have 12 children born to Isaac and Josephine: (1) Jeff Kilgore b. 1880 d. 1913 Wolfe Co. KY, (2) Dudley Kilgore b. 1881, (3) Burdine Kilgore b. 1883 d. single 1936, (4) Margaret "Sis" "Peggy" Kilgore b. 1885 d. 1939 Bath Co. KY, wife of Bradshaw Walters, (5) Mollie Kilgore b. 1887, (6) Rosie Kilgore b. 1891 m. Adam Collins, (7) John Kilgore b. 1894, (8) Robert Kilgore b. 1896, (9) Daisy Kilgore b. 1899, (10) Celia Kilgore b. 1902 m. Kels E. Risner, (11) Rowena Kilgore b. 1904 and (12) Ollie Kilgore b. 1910.

Isaac Kilgore died 18 Apr 1912 in Magoffin County. Dr. W. C. Connelley signed his certificate on which his occupation was recorded as "farmer, basket maker, chair maker, tanning leather". His wife Josie Kilgore gave the information. He was buried in the Henry Alsept Cemetery at Seitz, KY.

The 1920 Middle Fork, Magoffin Co. KY census shows Josephine to be married to Marion Ritchie. She has her son John Kilgore age 26 and daughter Rowena age 16 with her. Marion Ritchie died of typhoid on 15 Nov 1923 in Magoffin County. John Kilgore gave the info for the certificate, giving Crockett Ritchie of Knott Co. KY as his father.

In 1930 Josie Kilgore lived on River Road in Magoffin Co. and was age 65, widowed, a laundress. Her daughter Rosie, age 38 and also widowed lived with her along with Rosie’s children Ressie Collins age 13, Jessie Collins age 10 and George Collins age 8.

We see Josie Kilgore’s surname given as "Blevins" two times. The first was in a Lexington Herald Leader obituary for her daughter Celia. The obituary says "Sellia" Kilgore Risner died Friday, May 4, 1984 at Mary Chiles Hospital, dau of Isaac Kilgore and Josephine "Blevins". Sellia was the wife of Kelsie E. Risner and was buried at Little Slate Cemetery, Mt. Sterling, KY. Her children were Raymond Risner, Robert Risner, Bud Risner, Katheryn Wilhort, Thelma Joseph, Josephine Setters and Cynthia Mauhdia.

At the time of the death of Jeff Kilgore (son of Isaac and Josie) in 1913 his mother’s surname was recorded as "Blevins".

This has been an interesting family to research and there is still much that we would like to know. Anyone who wishes to write may contact us at Magoffin County Historical Society, PO Box 222, Salyersville, KY 41465 or email [email protected].