The Howard surname has always been one of the most popular among those seeking info on their ancestors at the Magoffin County Historical Society. We now have a new research tool, thanks to Bob Whittaker of SC and Jesse Buckwalter of Annapolis, MD who have compiled a book of their 11 years of investigating material found in various libraries and archives in Georgia, Maryland, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia. Bob and Jesse have very generously donated to us the rights to print and sell the book and we now offer it for sale at $40 in house or $43 by mail.

The book is 345 pages and contains much documentation and annotation of sources. This book picks up from the 1985 Howards of Eastern Kentucky published by the MCHS and traces the Howard ancestors back to the original immigrant Matthew Howard, Gentleman of Virginia.

We are grateful to Bob and Jesse for their generous contribution to our historical society and also for the hard work, time and expense in researching and preparing the manuscript for printing. This book will be a very valuable research tool for those with Howard ancestry.

Work is continuing here as issue two of the 2017 Journal of the Magoffin County Historical Society has just been mailed to members and we are already working on the next issue. Memberships are $15 for calendar year from Magoffin County Historical Society, PO Box 222, Salyersville, KY 41465.

So far the month of July has been a busy one as we have had many visitors researching their family history. Cindy England Bullock of Atoka, Tennessee was one of these. Her paternal grandparents were Benjamin Holbrook "B. H." or "Brooks" England and Bessie Hopkins and her maternal grandparents were Gordon Ratliff and Bessie Spradlin. Her ancestors are from Magoffin, Johnson and Floyd counties and several removed to Michigan and Indiana.

Brooks England was born 5 Mar 1891 and died in Jackson, MI in 1957. He was a son of William England and Sarah Elizabeth Holbrook. Brooks married 3 Sep 1920 to Bessie Hopkins who was born 2 Apr 1902 and died 27 Jan 1975. They lived in the Galdia community, south of Royalton, Magoffin County, KY.

Brooks’ father William was born 19 Nov 1867 and died 21 Oct 1936; a son of Enoch England and Nancy Collins who were married in 1849 Perry Co. KY. His mother Elizabeth was a dau of "Preacher" Benjamin Holbrook and Rhoda Spradlin.

Brooks’ wife Bessie was a dau of William Wiley Hopkins and his second wife Mary Jane Arnett. William Wiley was born 19 Jun 1869 and died 31 Mar 1958 in Silver Lake, IN, a son of George Hopkins (16 Jun 1836-1 Mar 1912 Brainard, KY) and Sarah Jane Adams (dau of William Adams and Margaret Bays). William Wiley Hopkins was first married in 1889 to Delilah "Ilant" Richardson.

George Hopkins first shows in Kentucky in the 1870 Floyd Co. census at age 32 with wife Sarah and son William Wiley. By 1880 George and Sarah Hopkins lived next door to Lark and Polly Howard in the Meadows area of Magoffin County. Besides William Wiley, they also had a son Smith W. Hopkins b. 1871, a son Gilbert E. Hopkins b. 1877 and a daughter Margaret W. Hopkins b. Oct 1879.

The 1900 Floyd County census shows the family living on Abbott Creek. Their son Gilbert was age 22 and a school teacher. By 1900 two other sons had been born to George and Sarah: Samuel Hopkins b. 1882 and Franklin Hopkins b. 1885. In 1910 George, Jane and son Frank are listed as living on Dotson Branch of Abbott in Floyd County, KY. Jane stated she had 5 living children of 7 born.

William Wiley Hopkins’ wife Mary Jane was born 20 Oct 1884 and died 19 Mar 1961 in Indiana, the dau of Roland Arnett and Evaline Marshall. Roland (22 Jul 1855-12 Jan 1948) was a son of Stephen M. Arnett and Mary Jane Risner. Evaline was a dau of Mason Marshall and Mary Barnett.

Our visitor Cindy’s grandfather Gordon Ratliff was born in Barnett’s Creek, Johnson County and was a son of John Elliott Ratliff and Dolly Trimble. John Elliott (30 Apr 1884-23 Apr 1954) was a son of Jim Ratliff and Polly Spradlin. John Elliott’s wife Dolly (22 May 1880-25 Apr 1953) was a dau of Will Mart Timble and Clarinda Picklesimer.

Gordon’s wife Bessie Spradlin was a dau of Sanford "Sant" Spradlin (22 Dec 1879 Denver, KY-25 Nov 1938) and Julia Conley (1884-20 Dec 1983). Sant Spradlin was a son of John W. Spradlin (1852-1920 Staffordsville, KY) and Mary. Some researchers name her as Mary Adams b. 1855 Letcher Co. KY but several family records name her as "Mary Belt". Is her surname "Adams" or "Belt"? Was she possibly married before her marriage to John W. Spradlin?

Sant Spradlin’s wife Julia (1884-1893) was a dau of Thomas J. Conley and Sarah H. Reynolds.