We have had the pleasure of having Bob and Jeanne Adomaitis visiting Magoffin County for several days. They came all the way from Eden Prairie, Minnesota to learn more about Jeanne’s ancestry, the May, Holderby, Pelphrey, Patrick and Power families. They had learned about our historical society from the Internet. While here they visited various county sites and several cemeteries in search of members of Jeanne’s family.

After some preliminary research we sent them to the May Cemetery about two miles west of Salyersville, KY where Caleb May Sr. and his wife Margaretta (Patrick) May and many family members are buried.

Caleb May, Sr. was born in 1781 in the part of North Carolina that later became a portion of the state of Tennessee. Caleb, Sr. died 15 April 1827. About 1801 Caleb was married in Russell Co. VA to Margaretta Patrick. She was born in 1783 Lee Co. VA and died 13 Dec 1861 in Magoffin County, KY, a daughter of Jeremiah Patrick and Sally Blair.

Caleb and Margaretta were listed in the 1810 census of Floyd County, KY, by tax list records they were there as early as 1801. Caleb was a minister of the United Baptist Church. He is recorded as representing the Burning Spring Church at an 1813 Association meeting.

Caleb and Margaret had a large family: John May b. 1802, William "Bill" May b. 1804, David May b. 1806, Blair May b. 1808, James May b. 1811, Margaret May b. 1813, Samuel L. May b. 1815, Martha May b. 1817, Sarah May b. 1820 and Caleb May, Jr. b. 1823.

Our visitor’s ancestor is Caleb May, Jr. According to the US mortality schedule he was born 5 Mar 1823 and died 4 May 1880 in Magoffin County, having been a resident for 41 years.

Caleb Jr.’s wife Sarah Pelphrey was born 3 Mar 1819 and died 1 Feb 1892, a daughter of Alexander Pelphrey and Ailsey Lemaster of Johnson Co. KY. They are first recorded in the 1850 Johnson Co. KY census; Caleb was age 27; Sarah was age 31 and they had three children (1) Artemissa May b. 1845, (2) Ella Margaret May b. 1846, (3) James S. May b. 1848.

The family appears in the 1860 and 1870 Magoffin County census records. Children added to the family were (4) William A. May b. 1850, (5) Lewis Sanford May b. 1852, (6) Leander C. May b. 1855 and (7) David May b. 1858.

By the 1880 Magoffin census, Sarah "Sally" May was age 61 and widowed. In her household were sons Lewis Sanford May and Leander C. May. Next door was her son William May age 28 and his wife Fannie E. age 35 with a 4 year-old son Emmitt May. They also had several boarders in the home, Jack Snow age 28, a carpenter, James Adams age 20 and Nelson Adams, age 31, both laborers, and Robert Fuller age 42, a shoemaker.

This son Will May was visitor Jeanne’s great grandfather. He married Frances "Fannie" Holderby b. 1845, dau of James P. Holderby and Sarah Powers. Sarah was the daughter of Lewis Power and Elizabeth Prater. Lewis’ wife was born in 1791 and died in 1876, a daughter of Rev. War soldier Archibald Prater and Sarah Fugate.

James P. Holderby was born about 1812, most census records give Virginia as his birthplace. He married Sarah Power(s) who was the mother of his children (1) Frances "Fannie" Holderby b. 1846, (2) James Lewis Holderby m. Mary Alice Caudill, (3) Sarah J. Holderby b. 1851, (4) Mary A. Holderby b. 1853 d. 1936 m. Sam Fairchild, (5) William Holderby b. 1855 and (6) Emily Holderby m. Lewis F. May. They lived in Morgan County in 1850 and 1860.

By 1870 James P. Holderby had married Lucinda Bethel Perkins Needham (1824-1887) and they lived in Wolfe Co. KY. James P. was appointed postmaster of Hazel Green in 1862 and then postmaster of Holderby, KY in 1866. In 1880 James P. and Lucinda lived in Booneville, Owsley Co. KY.

His daughters Fannie Holderby and Sarah J. Holderby were in the home of Samuel and Celia May in 1870. By 1880 Fannie had married William A. May.

William "Will" May and his wife Fannie were the parents of two sons: Emmitt May b. 1876 and Walter H. May b. 9 Sep 1884.

The census listings of 1910, 1920 and 1930 Magoffin County record Will May’s occupation as a medical doctor. His wife Fannie died in 1913 and was buried on the Will May farm on Rt. 460 east of Salyersville.

Dr. Will May’s death was reported in the Salyersville Independent as well as recorded in the Prater and Dunn Funeral Home Records. He was born 12 Sep 1850 and died 12 May 1939 and buried in the "home cemetery".