Merry Christmas, everyone!!  We are extremely pleased here at the "home-twenty" with the visitors, letters, cards and visits we have had from local people as well as several tourists.

We want to mention one couple, Mr. and Mrs. Sal Rotolo who were visiting from Brick, New Jersey during their ten-day trip to eastern Kentucky. Although the temperatures were in the low 30’s they opted for a tour of the Pioneer Village. They were impressed with all the cabins but especially enjoyed the School House Cabin as Mrs. Rotolo was a former teacher. Many pictures were taken as mementoes of their trip to Magoffin County, KY.

Another reason for our high spirits is that we have the Winter Journal completed and in the mail to our members. We wanted our readers to have it in time for some Christmas reading. We want to remind you also that we are now taking memberships for the year 2017. Those wanting to receive our four quarterly Journals this coming year may send $15 and their request to Magoffin County Historical Society, PO Box 222, Salyersville, KY 41465. We try to have a rich variety of material in our Journals, everything from genealogy, stories, old and new pictures, queries, etc.

We also invite you to share your genealogy and pictures with us to print in the Journals.

Some of our members are several generations removed from our area time wise but are connected to Magoffin County through an ancestor who lived here long ago. Such is the case with Jerald W. Minix of Kansas who wrote asking about one Martha Jackson who married Sherman Minix. We found that Martha and Sherman were married in Magoffin County in 1891. Martha was a dau of George and Idress Jackson. Sherman was a son of Greenville Minix and Electa Salyer who also were married in Magoffin County, on 1 Sep 1869. We are hoping to hear more about the family from Mr. Minix to add to the family genealogy we have on hand. Jerald mentioned his appreciation of the help and friendship he had received from Henry Clay Sizemore and Jack Sizemore when he and his family visited Magoffin County.

Some of our visitors live nearby such as Charla Helton from Paintsville, KY. Several members of her family are buried in Highland Park Cemetery at Staffordsville, KY. Charla is a descendant of Roy Helton (b. 1928 d. 2011) and Mary M. Baker (she was a dau of Sam Baker and Dora Grimm).

Roy Helton was a son of Kelse "Tobe" Helton b. 18 Apr 1897 d. 22 Sep 1983 and Lexie Alice Lemaster b. 1907 d. 1983.

Kelso was a son of Isaac Bascom Helton and Ada E. Rule. Isaac was born 28 Oct 1858 and died 15 Jan 1929 in Johnson Co. KY. He and his wife Ada, the dau of Charles Rule and Priscilla Turner, are listed in the 1900 Johnson Co. KY census. Their children listed that year included (1) George P. Helton b. 1888, (2) Lurley L. Helton b. 1890, (3) Virgie Helton b. 1892, (4) Kelsey Helton b. 18 Apr 1897 Staffordsville, KY) and Priscilla Helton b. 1900.

Isaac B. Helton was a son of Jacob "Jake" Helton and Lucinda Williams. According to their marriage record dated 15 Jan 1854 in Morgan Co. KY, Jacob lived at Bloomington, KY and Lucinda lived on Lick Creek (these two areas became part of Magoffin when the county was created in 1860).

Jacob "Jake" or "J. W." Helton and his wife Lucinda are listed in the first census of Magoffin County (1860) with a son Addison S. Helton and a son Isaac B. Helton.

Jacob was a Civil War soldier and by 1870 he, at age 36, was the sheriff in Johnson Co. KY. In his home were sons Addison age 14, and Isaac B. age 10, along with daughters Mary age 8 and Clora age 1. Also in the home was 55-year old Elizabeth Williams as housekeeper.

It is not known what happened to Lucinda Williams Helton; she may have died in the late 1860s.

Jacob Helton remarried in 1873 to Lucinda Reed and they appear in the 1880 Middle Fork, Magoffin County census. Jacob’s age was given as 49, Lucinda was age 31, she was a daughter of William Reed and Lydia Rice. Two of Jacob’s children from his first marriage were still in the household: Addison Helton and Mary Helton. In addition there was a daughter Rosia Helton age 6. Her death certificate in 1933 lists her as "Mont Rose" Blanton, wife of Bud Blanton and daughter of Jacob Helton and Lucinda Reed. This is Arminta Rose b. 1874. Her first marriage was to Gardner Blanton and she married secondly to Harry B. Ward.

Jacob’s son Addison Helton became a doctor and worked as a surgeon in Washington, DC. Addison married in DC in 1856 to Marion Virginia Hazard. He died in Delaware Co. PA in 1929 and was buried in Washington, DC. His birth certificate gives the info that he was born 4 May 1856 at Bloomington, KY, a son of Jacob W. and Lucinda (Williams) Helton.