We have worked very hard on finishing Volume 3 of the set of Sesquicentennial books and the end is near! These are the books that contain stories of people, places and events in Magoffin County between the time period of 1860 when our county was formed and the year 2010 when we celebrated our 150^th birthday. Those of you who enjoy reading and seeing pictures of area happenings will like these books. We are very grateful to the many people who contributed their material to us for printing.

We worked with a visitor who is descended from the Shepherd/Bradley, Conley/Lawhorn, Fletcher/Adams and Puckett/Craft families recently. Raymond Shepherd of Addison, MI was particularly interested in finding the gravesites of William Riley and Amanda (Conley) Shepherd during this visit.

Raymond is a grandson of Solomon (sometimes spelled "Saul" or "Sol") Shepherd who was born 28 Feb 1883 and died in Michigan on 2 Aug 1967. Sol married in Magoffin County in 1911 to Kirgie Fletcher. Kirgie was born 1883 to Irvin Fletcher and Wilda Belle Puckett.

Solomon Shepherd was a son of William Riley Shepherd (4 Jan 1842-30 Jul 1913). In 1900 William Riley and his wife Amanda (Conley) Shepherd lived on Spring Fork of Breathitt County, KY. That year they had the following children in their home: John W. Shepherd b. 1875, Lester b. 1877, Green b. 1879, Saul b. 1883, Julia b. 1885, Willie b. 1889 and Lizzie b. 1891. By 1910 they had moved to Magoffin County and lived in the Meadows area near Royalton, KY.

Sol and Kirgie (Fletcher) Shepherd are listed in the 1930 Hillsdale, Montgomery Co. Michigan census. At that time Sol was age 57 and Kirgie was age 48.

William Riley Shepherd was a son of Bryson R. Shepherd and Rebecca Bradley. Bryson R. was a son of Jacob Shepherd and Elizabeth Hale. Rebecca was a dau of George Bradley and Elizabeth Briggs.

Kirgie’s father Irvin was a son of Simon or Simeon C. Fletcher b. 1827 d. 1875 and Mary "Polly" Adams. Polly was born 1827 and died in 1900. She was a dau of William Tolson Adams and Francis "Franky" Adams.

Simeon C. was a son of George W. "Old George" Fletcher and his 2^nd wife Louisa Marshall. Louisa was born in 1802 to Reuben Marshall and Elizabeth Noland. All those in attendance in 2008 at the dedication of the Fletcher marker on Gun Creek will remember the wonderful ceremony to dedicate the marker and the performance of the play by descendants telling of the life and times of George Fletcher. This event was under the direction of Col. Morris O. Fletcher and his wife Deborah of Michigan.

Kirgie’s mother Wilda Bell was a dau of Caleb Puckett (1822-1865) and Mary Ann "Polly" Craft. Caleb was a son of Morgan Puckett and Susan Whitaker. Polly was a dau of John Craft and Susanna Hagins.

Another visitor at the same time period was Cheryl Alspaugh Biggers of Wilmington, OH. She came here to visit the gravesite of her ancestors Dr. George W. Wheeler and Nancy (Williams) Wheeler. Nancy was a dau of Elijah Williams and Elizabeth Prater.

Her mother’s grandparents were Reginald Roosevelt "Reggie" Wheeler and Anna "Annie" Bailey who married in 1929 in Magoffin County. Our Williams and Bailey family books were a great help in completing her chart.

Reggie was a son of Anthony Clay "A. C." Wheeler b. 1869, a son of George W. Wheeler and Nancy E. Williams. We have an excellent article in our quarterly Journal dated Winter 2015 on the Wheeler and related families by Melody Robinson Rumpke. Ms. Rumpke has also helped with several other pictures and articles for our Journals as well as the Sesquicentennial book.

Dr. Wheeler’s son A. C. "Clay" married in 18 Apr 1899 in Magoffin Co. KY to Caroline "Carrie" Flint. A. C. was a minister. He was born 23 May 1869 and his grave marker gives the date of death as 30 Apr 1941. They lived in Salyersville in 1900 and in Scioto Co. OH in 1920. We did not find a listing for them in 1910. By 1930 they lived on the "Garrett Highway" (present day US 460 between Salyersville and Paintsville) in Magoffin County.

Anthony C.’s wife Carrie was born 7 Oct 1873 to Hiram Flint and Nancy Jane Adams. Carrie died 20 Sep 1940 at Hamond in Letcher Co. KY at the home of her daughter Gaynell "Birdie" and husband John S. Mullins.

Reggie’s wife Anna Bailey was a dau of Walter B. Bailey and Gertie M. Patrick.

Walter was a son of John A. "One-Arm" Bailey and Elizabeth Powers. John was a son of Alfred Bailey and Margaret "Peggy" Adams. Gertie was a dau of Bascom C. Patrick and Louisa Adams. Bascom was a son of John Wesley Patrick and Abigail Salyer who were married in 1858 Johnson Co. KY.