We want to send birthday greetings to Jimmie Allen of Salyersville. Jimmie has been a very steadfast contributor to our historical society throughout our 39 years and we sincerely thank him for all that he has and is doing to help the Magoffin County Historical Society remain a viable organization.

&#Some time ago Jimmie brought in an old news clipping that gave much information on one of Magoffin County’s very earliest settlers, Elijah Patrick. We came upon this undated clipping again while we were in the process of preparing the 2010 Sesquicentennial volumes for printing and are sharing it here with you. We found the material originally came from the 1887 Perrin, Battle & Kniffin History of Kentucky book.

"Elijah Patrick, a native of Magoffin County, Kentucky was born April 10, 1828 (note: 189 years ago this week), a son of Meredith and Rebecca Williams Patrick, natives respectively of Russell County, Virginia and Magoffin County, Kentucky. Meredith Patrick was born in 1804, came to Kentucky with his father and was a farmer. He served as sheriff and magistrate of Floyd County, twenty-five years.

"William Patrick, grandfather of our subject, was a soldier in the War of 1812 and participated in the Battle of Norfolk. His wife was Annie Rains Patrick of Virginia. William Patrick was a son of Jeremiah Patrick, who was one of the earliest settlers of Kentucky, was a farmer by occupation, and died over seventy years ago.

"The maternal grandfather of Elijah Patrick was Isaac Williams, a farmer of Kentucky; his wife was Hannah.

"Elijah Patrick was educated in the common schools. When 25 years of age he began merchandising, which he continued until the war broke out, when he met with heavy losses. During the war he piloted Gen. Nelson from Montgomery County to Prestonsburg and stopped with him three or four days. He was in the Secret Service for Gen. Nelson, Gen. White, Gen. Burbridge, Col. Gallup, Col. True, and Col. Cranor, and acted as scout all though eastern Kentucky for two years. Soon after Nelson’s army had passed Mr. Patrick’s dwelling, the Confederates raided it and destroyed it and despoiled him of four thousand dollars worth of goods in revenge for his aid to the Federal army. Mr. Patrick then removed his family to Paintsville, where his house was again raided several times and robbed of fifteen hundred dollars. Mr. Patrick, also participated in the Battle of Paintsville and at the Battle of Puncheon against Clay, and was one of the guards who carried Clay to prison.

"In 1863 Mr. Patrick was elected to the State Senate from the Thirty-Third District of Kentucky, serving four years. He was postmaster at Burning Springs, Kentucky, from 1855 to 1861, when he resigned. After the war he engaged in merchandising for seven years, when he turned his attention to farming.

"In 1856 he married Louisa Rule of Johnson County, a daughter of Andrew and Nellie Friend Rule of Monroe County, Virginia. The following children have blessed their union, vis: Caroline, wife of Pearce Patton, Wiley, died in 1880, Kate, Ella, Fred, Bishop and Nannie. Mr. Patrick is a Republican politically and voted for Clay and Brakey in 1850 for Governor and Lieutenant-Governor of Kentucky."

Elijah Patrick is included in several publications printed by the Magoffin County Historical Society, notably the Patrick family book and the Civil War Soldiers series. Steve Rudd helped us greatly with research for these books.

Apparently Elijah’s parents lived in the area of Floyd County that became Magoffin officially in 1860. Elijah was age 22 in the 1850 Floyd County home of his parents Meredith and Rebecca Patrick. He lived in the Ivyton area of Burning Fork.

Elijah married on 16 Oct 1856 in Floyd County to Louisa Rule b. 1835 d. 1926. They are recorded in the first census of Magoffin County with a daughter Caroline age 7 months. The Magoffin County Vital Statistics records her birth as being 19 October 1859. She married Franklin Pierce Patton (b. 1856 d. 1915), son of Samuel Patton and Elizabeth Collinsworth.

By 1870 three other children had been added to the family (2) Wiley C. Patrick b. 20 Sep 1861 d. Feb. 1880 of typhoid, did not marry, (3) Kate Patrick b. 21 Aug 1865 d. 27 Mar 1916 m. Menifee F. Patrick, son of Francis Marion Patrick and (4) Ella Patrick b. 15 Sep 1869 d. 3 Aug 1942 m. James Haney Arnett, son of Farish Arnett. By 1880 these children had been born to Elijah and Louisa: (5) Fred Patrick b. 26 Apr 1871 d. 2 Mar 1950 Royalton, KY m. Teda Carpenter, dau of George Carpenter and Darcus Stephens, (6) Bishop "Bish" Patrick b. 1 Jan 1873 d. 9 Mar 1953 m. Mollie Rice, dau of Martin Van Buren and Nancy (Whitaker) Rice and (7) Nannie Patrick b. 5 Apr 1875 d. 5 Dec 1957 m. 1904 to Jack Whitaker, son of Elijah Whitaker and Sarah Patrick.

Apparently they had three children who died young and were not reported in the census records as in 1910 Louisa stated she was the mother of ten children with six living (son Wiley C. had died in 1880).

According to a great granddaughter Barbara Patrick Griesheimer of Ohio the names of two of the children who died young were Lincoln Patrick and Julia Patrick.

By the 1900 census Elijah Patrick was listed as age 72; his wife Louisa was age 64; their son Bishop and their daughter Nannie also lived in their household. They are listed with son Bishop Patrick and his wife Mollie in 1910.

Elijah Patrick died 23 Nov 1913 of paralysis at Ivyton, KY, age 85 years, 7 months and 13 days. His wife Louisa at age 84 and widowed was listed as mother in the home of Bishop and Mollie in the 1920 Ivyton, Magoffin County census.