A local visitor this week was Sandra Kay Johnson Farthing of Staffordsville, KY who was researching her Johnson and Burke family connections. Her father was Leander Johnson who was a son of Martin Johnson. Martin was age 4 in the 1910 Floyd Co. KY census, a son of Eli Johnson and Rebecca Johnson. Eli Johnson was born 2 May 1880 Weeksbury, Floyd Co. KY and d. 24 Oct 1955. He was a twin to Daniel Johnson, sons of David D. "Doc" Johnson and Sarah Justice.

"Doc" Johnson was a son of David Johnson (known as King David) and Mary "Polly" Mullins, David’s 2^nd wife. King David Johnson was a son of Eli Johnson and Susannah Martin. Polly Mullins was a dau of Isham Mullins.

These families lived in Painter Harve, now known as Melvin, in Floyd Co. KY. It is believed the area was so named for Painter Harve Johnson (1835-1922), a son of David Johnson and his first wife Anna Mullins or Hall.

Eli Johnson’s wife Rebecca was born in 1885 and died in 1951. She was a daughter of Daniel Boone Johnson and Perlina Hampton. Daniel Boone Johnson was born in 1862 and died in 1899, a brother to David D. "Doc" Johnson. Perlina Hampton Johnson was born in 1864 and died in 1941, a dau of Caleb Hampton and Rebecca Tackett.

Martin Johnson’s wife was Zella Hampton b. 1908, a dau of Pleasant "Pleas" Hampton (a coal miner who was born in 1880 and died in 1957 Pike Co. KY) and first wife Laura Ann Tackett.

Pleas Hampton was a son of Sylvester "Vester" Hampton and Salome Johnson.

Sylvester was born in 1856 and died before 1900. His parents were Joseph Hampton and Susannah Caudill.

Sylvester’s wife Salome was born in 1845 and died in 1920, a dau of Pleasant Johnson and Annie Burke. Pleasant Johnson was born in 1819 Pike Co. KY and died there in 1901, a son of William Payne Johnson, Sr. and Lucy Ann Ayers.

Pleas and Laura (Tackett) Hampton were married 18 Sep 1901 in Pike Co. KY and sadly she died of TB on 22 Jun 1913 at only age 24 years, 4 months and 7 days. She was buried in the Matthew Tackett Cemetery at Melvin in Floyd Co. KY. Laura’s parents were William Henry Tackett and Mahala Tackett (1867-1892). Mahala was buried in the Amiel Little Cemetery in Pike Co. KY; her daughter Laura was about 3 years old. Pleas later married Arlena "Lena" Tackett b. 1890 d. 1951, dau of Able Tackett and Nancy Jane Warrix.

William Henry Tackett was born 30 Nov 1862 and died 26 Jan 1932 and is buried in the Matthew Tackett Cemetery. His tombstone reads that he was a member of the Joppy Church of Regular Baptist for 40 years. He is believed to have married twice more, to Rebecca Caudill and also to Willie Ann Warrix, a dau of Will Warrix and Mahala Patton.

William Henry’s parents were James Tackett and Delila Osborne.

On the Burke side of our visitor’s family we also see connections to Pike and Floyd Counties. William Paul "Willie" Burke was born in 1904 and died in 1946, the son of Bailey Burke and Rebecca Jane Mead.

Bailey Burke was born in 1869 Pike Co. KY (info from 1870 census) and died in 1922 at Hartley, Pike Co. KY. His wife Rebecca was born in 1878 Letcher Co. KY and died in 1959 Pike Co. KY.

Bailey Burke was a son of William Burke b. 1836 and Lucy Hall. Rebecca’s parents were William F. Mead and Rachel M. Hampton.

Willie Burke’s wife was Hazel Opal Johnson (1911-2002), a daughter of Caleb C. Johnson and Polly Whitaker.

Caleb C. was a son of Harvey Johnson and Sarah Caudill.

Caleb C. was first married to Mahala Justice. They show as newly married in the 1860 Floyd Co. census. The mother of Willie Burke’s wife Hazel was Caleb Johnson’s second wife Polly Whitaker who was born 14 Apr 1875 and died in 1964. Caleb and Polly were married in Floyd Co. KY on 23 October 1902.

Caleb C. Johnson was born 10 Dec 1843 Pike Co. KY and died 25 Mar 1937. He was buried in the Tackett Cemetery at Hartley, KY. Caleb was a Confederate Civil War soldier, serving in the 13^th KY Cav. Co. E. Polly Whitaker received a soldier’s widow’s pension in Pike Co. KY. She was a daughter of James O. Whitaker and Rebeca Puckett.

James O. Whitaker b. 1856 married Rebecca Puckett, a dau of Caleb Puckett and Mary Craft, generally known as "Polly" or "Pop". James O. (b. 1856) was a son of Frank Whitaker and Clarinda Brown. Frank was a son of James O. Whitaker b. 1804 who was the 5^th child of Mark and Martha "Patsy" Whitaker. This James O. Whitaker married Lurana Marshall, dau of Reuben "Dona" Marshall and Elizabeth Nolan. She had first married a Fletcher.

Info on this branch of the Whitaker family came from a section of our Whitaker books. Bernice Moore, Jo Ann Knott, Donis Whitaker and Claudia Whitaker all contributed info on this family.