
“Elbert on Horse,” exact location and date unknown. Part of the Adkins-Carper private collection.
15 Sunday Mar 2020
Posted Spurlockville
in“Elbert on Horse,” exact location and date unknown. Part of the Adkins-Carper private collection.
11 Wednesday Sep 2019
Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk | Filed under Spurlockville
25 Sunday Aug 2019
Posted Coal, Spurlockville
inTags
Belmont County, Christmas, coal, genealogy, history, Maud Bellville, Ohio, Powhatan Point, Rebecca Carper
Card sent by Maud (Carper) Bellville to her mother Rebecca (Spurlock) Carper. Powhatan Point, Belmont County, OH. This card was written between 1923 and 1936.
14 Sunday Jul 2019
Posted Big Creek, Big Harts Creek, Civil War, Hamlin, Harts, Logan, Midkiff, Ranger, Spurlockville, Toney
inTags
Appalachia, assistant postmaster, Big Creek, Cabell County, Charles Spurlock, Cheat River, Cincinnati, civil engineer, civil war, doctor, genealogy, gunsmith, Hamlin, history, Jane Spurlock, John Spurlock, Lifas Spurlock, Lincoln County, Logan Banner, Logan County, Logan Post Office, Marshall Spurlock, Midkiff, Montgomery County, Omar, Pete Spurlock, preacher, Ranger, Robertson Spurlock, Seth Spurlock, Sheridan, sheriff, Spurlockville, Stephen Hart, surveyor, Union Army, Virginia, West Virginia
From the Logan Banner of Logan, WV, comes this bit of history about Stephen Hart and Harts Creek in Lincoln and Logan counties, West Virginia. The story is dated April 14, 1937.
Stephen Hart Settled at Cheat River, Pete Spurlock, A Great Grandson, Reveals
P.A. (Pete) Spurlock, assistant postmaster at the Logan post office, this morning revealed the destination of Stephen Hart, who went went after he had lived for a short time at the forks of the creek in the lower end of Logan county which now bears his name.
Spurlock said that Hart went to the Cheat River and settled permanently there to hunt deer and rear a family. He said the family name of Hart is as familiar there as the name Dingess is familiar in Logan county.
A daughter of Stephen, Jane, was Spurlock’s grandmother. She lived until 1913 and told her grandson much of the early history of the family which made its home in and around Spurlocksville, Sheridan, Ranger, and Midkiff.
Charles Spurlock, the progenitor of the Spurlock family, came to what used to be the Toney farm below the mouth of Big Creek in 1805 from Montgomery county, Virginia.
“Uncle Charley was a funny old cuss,” his great grandson Pete said this morning. “The story is told that a sheriff of Cabell county was given a capias to serve on the old codger for some minor offense when he was growing old and rather stout.
“Meeting him in the road one day, the sheriff informed Uncle Charley he had a capias to serve on him.
“None abashed, the old man informed the sheriff he was a law-abiding citizen and laid down in the middle of the road and told the sheriff to take him to jail.
“The ruse worked, for the sheriff chose to look for less obstinate prisoners,” Uncle Charley’s grandson said, chuckling.
Another story about the eccentric “Uncle Charley Spurlock” which has gone down in history, whether true or not, was that he lived for a short time below Big Creek under a rock cliff (known as a rockhouse) during the early summer while he was getting his cabin in shape for winter.
The tale is out that “Uncle Charley” explained his strange dwelling place in this way to his neighbors:
“Well I took Sarah (his wife) in a good substantial frame house in Virginia and she wasn’t quite satisfied. I took her to a log house and she wasn’t satisfied. I took her to a rail pen and still she grumbled. Then I took her to a rock house built by God Almight and still she wasn’t satisfied.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do with Sarah.”
Sarah evidently became accustomed to “Uncle Charley” for the couple reared four sons. They were John, Seth, Lifas and Robertson. There were no daughters.
Seth was P.A. Spurlock’s grandfather. His father, Marshall, is 78 and lives on his farm near Cincinnati.
Spurlock says “Uncle Charley” is buried on a point at Spurlocksville overlooking the haunts of his early manhood.
Robertson was a gunsmith and lived near Hamlin. Seth was a civil engineer and helped survey much of Logan county. He was a Union soldier. John was a country doctor who practiced at Ranger.
Lifas was a preacher for sixty years and lived at Sheridan.
Charles Spurlock, of Omar, is a distant cousin, the assistant postmaster said. He is the only relative that lives in this section of Logan county, Spurlock said.
Spurlock, at Omar, was born at Spurlocksville and is a grandson of one of the original “Charley’s” boys.
11 Thursday Jul 2019
Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk | Filed under Spurlockville
12 Wednesday Jun 2019
Tags
Appalachia, history, Lincoln County, logging, photos, Spurlockville, timber, timbering, West Virginia
Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk | Filed under Spurlockville, Timber
08 Saturday Jun 2019
Back caption reads: “Here is the Team I am working now. We had these pictures made yesterday morning and got them this afternoon. You can Rase corn now. Z.D.A.”
Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk | Filed under Spurlockville, Timber
23 Wednesday Jul 2014
Posted Barboursville, Big Ugly Creek, Coal, Gill, Logan, Spurlockville
inTags
Alvin Spurlock, Barboursville, Big Ugly Coal Company, Branchland, forest fires, genealogy, Gill, Guyandotte Valley, history, Lee Adkins, Lincoln County, Lincoln Republican, Logan, Mae Sperry, Palermo, Philip Sperry, Spurlockville, West Virginia, William McKinley Sperry
“Reporter,” a local correspondent from Gill in Lincoln County, West Virginia, offered the following items, which the Lincoln Republican printed on Thursday, April 5, 1923:
Prof. Lee Adkins, of near Palermo, has just closed a successful singing school here, and is going to teach another one in the near future.
There is a lot of sickness in this neighborhood.
The Sunday school has opened up at this place with a good attendance.
Philip Sperry was a business visitor at Branchland last week.
The Big Ugly Coal Co. has closed down operation here.
There is some talk that the Railroad Co. is going to double track the Guyan Valley from Logan to Barboursville in the near future.
Forest fires have been raging in and around Gill the past week.
Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Spurlock, from Spurlockville, were the recent guests of Mr. and Mrs. W.M. Sperry.
10 Thursday Apr 2014
Posted Big Ugly Creek, Gill, Spurlockville
inTags
Arminta Holbrook, Big Branch, Bluefield, Charley Walker, education, Emma Blake, Farabelle Smith, genealogy, Gill, history, Huntington, Isaiah Bowles, James Chafin Brumfield, Josephine Smith, Jupiter Fry, Kentucky, Lincoln County, Maggie Adkins, Maud Gill, May Holbrook, Olga Brumfield, Pea Ridge School, Pearlina Fry, Spurlockville, Stella Fry, Ten Mile Creek, Thomas Jefferson Gill, Tom Miller, Vesta Fry, W.F. Holbrook, W.R. Jackson, West Virginia
“Grandpa,” a local correspondent at Gill in Lincoln County, West Virginia, offered the following items, which the Lincoln Republican printed on Thursday, October 13, 1910:
James Brumfield’s small child is very sick with pneumonia fever.
Charley Walker, who is working at this place visited home folks last Sunday.
Mrs. Emma Blake and son, of Huntington, are visiting relatives and friends at this place.
Squire Spurlock and son, of Spurlockville were business visitors here Thursday.
Miss Farabelle Smith fell while playing at school and sprained her ankle.
Mrs. Maggie Adkins, of Ten Mile is visiting her sisters, Mrs. Henon Smith and Mrs. James Brumfield.
Miss Maud Gill, of this place, is teaching the Pea Ridge school.
W.R. Jackson was calling on the merchants of this Creek the first of the week.
Tom Miller has just returned from a visit to his home in Kentucky.
Tobacco crops are fine in this vicinity.
I.J. Bowles, who has been confined to his room, caused by stepping on a rusty nail, is improving.
T.J. Gill made a trip to Bluefield this week.
Mr. and Mrs. Tender, of Gill, are visiting their former home in Kentucky.
Mrs. Tom Fry, of Big Branch, was visiting Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Fry, Saturday and Sunday.
Miss Stella Fry was shopping at Gill, Saturday.
Mr. and Mrs. W.F. Holbrook’s little daughter is very sick.
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