Two of our favorite people celebrated a milestone event on May 6^th at the Burning Fork Community Church. Dallas and Brenda Kay (Conley) Bentley were honored by family and friends on the occasion of their 50^th wedding anniversary. Those of you who have read these Comments columns will remember Dallas and Kay from all the events and everyday chores they have helped the Magoffin County Historical Society with down through our 40 years as an organization, everything from meeting and greeting during Founders Days to indexing many of our publications to baking scrumptious cakes for our meetings and special occasions. We send our warmest congratulations and best wishes to this special couple.

We received a follow-up email from Ruth Ragland of Beaufort, SC concerning the Kilgore family that we provided information on in the March 17, 2016 issue of the Salyersville Independent.

Ruth’s mother Gladys was a daughter of John Kilgore and Vernie Patrick. John was born 17 Apr 1893 in Magoffin County and died at Mt. Sterling on 23 Mar 1958. His wife, whom he married in Magoffin County on 27 Apr 1920, was Louverna "Vernie" Patrick. Vernie was born 12 Jan 1892 to Green Patrick and Mahala Alsept in Magoffin County and died 27 Mar 1948 in Bath Co. KY.

Ruth says her mother always told that she grew up on Cow Creek but was not sure of the county name. We did find the family living on Cow Creek in Magoffin County in 1940. At that time Johnnie Kilgore was age 46, his wife Vernie was 44 and their four youngest children were in their home: Eulah Kilgore, Gladys Kilgore, Hershel Kilgore and Mason Kilgore.

Their near neighbors on Cow Creek were Henry and Celia Alsept, Kash and Alice Alsept, Johnnie and Nora Alsept, Dewey and Gracie Alsept and Den and Jane Roark.

In 1930 John and Vernie’s family lived at Elmrock in Knott Co. KY where John worked in the logwoods. The children in their home were Dorcia (Dorsey) b. 17 Mar 1921 in Magoffin County, Eula b. 1924 (m. Wardie Roark), Gladys b. 1926 and Steve b. 1929. It appears that "Steve" as listed in the 1930 Knott County census and "Hershel" as found in the 1940 Magoffin census are one and the same. "Steve" was reported as being 10 months old when the census was taken in 1930 and "Hershel" was born 14 Jun 1929

Ruth reports that Dorsey died as a child and she has been unable to find a death certificate for him.

The 1920 Middle Fork of Magoffin Co. KY census shows John Kilgore at age 26, a step-son in the home of his mother Josephine who had remarried to Marion Ritchie b. 1856. John’s father, Isaac Kilgore, had died in 1912 in Magoffin County.

Other generations of the family are contained in the March 2016 article.

We found some information on Ruth’s grandmother Vernie Patrick Kilgore. She was the daughter of Green Patrick and Mahala Alsept.

Green Patrick was born in 1850 Floyd County, KY, the son of Lewis Patrick and Lucy Adams. Lewis was born in 1816 and died on 1 May 1864 from wounds suffered in the Civil War; he was a son of William Patrick and Nancy Prater.

Lewis Patrick married Lucy Adams in Morgan County, KY on 14 Mar 1837. Lucy was born in 1818 and died in 1895 at Seitz in Magoffin Co. KY, a daughter of Stephen Adams and Mary Webb, and a sister to William "Uncle Billy" Adams.

Green Patrick’s wife Mahala Alsept was age 22 in the 1880 Magoffin County home of her parents Robert Alsept and Jane "Jensie" Risner. Robert Alsept b. 1828 d. 1921 was a son of Henry Patrick and Elizabeth Alsept. Jane "Jensie" (b. 1827 d. 1900) was a daughter of Michael Risner and Sarah Howard.

Green Patrick and Mahala Alsept were married in 1881 in Magoffin County. In 1900 they lived on Johnson Fork in Magoffin and were the parents of these children: (1) Kenoah Patrick b. 1880, Reuben Patrick b. 1882, Ashland Patrick b. 1884, Elizabeth Patrick b. 1887, Myrtle Patrick b. 1889, Verna Patrick b. 1891, Benny Patrick b. 1893 and Smith Patrick b. 1897. This family also lived on Johnsons Fork in 1910 and 1920. They 1930 Magoffin census shows Mahala Patrick as a widow, age 76 in the home of her son Rube Patrick.

By 1940, Mahala was listed as age 84 and widowed in the home of her son Bennie Patrick who was also widowed. His wife was Caroline "Carrie" Dykes. Mahala died 16 Feb 1946 and was buried at Ova, KY in Magoffin County.

We invite Ruth to share with us some of her mother’s memories of growing up in Magoffin County. Perhaps Ruth’s family will be able to visit Magoffin County sometime in the future and see the places where her ancestor’s lived.