Tag Archives: Ben Adams

Ben Adams

24 Tuesday Oct 2017

Posted by in Big Harts Creek, Cemeteries, Lincoln County Feud, Spottswood, Timber, Warren

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Benjamin “Ben” Adams (1855-1910), son of Joseph and Dicy (Mullins) Adams, was a prominent logger, splasher, distiller, and tavern operator at Warren-Spottswood in Logan County, WV. He was a key participant in the Lincoln County Feud.

Ben Adams Cabin

Ben Adams residence (built 1892), located on Harts Creek between the mouth of Trace Fork and Smokehouse Fork in Logan County, WV. Photo taken c.1995.

Bell Adams well 2

Ben Adams well, Trace Fork of Harts Creek, Logan County, WV. Photo taken c.1996.

Ben Adams homeplace on Trace

Ben Adams home and still site on Trace Fork of Harts Creek, Logan County, WV. Photo taken c.1996.

Ben Adams millstone 1

Ben Adams millstone on Trace Fork of Harts Creek, Logan County, WV. Photo taken c.1996.

Ben Adams Scale 1

Ben Adams scale

Ben Adams Scale 2

Ben Adams scale

Book 1 Page 26

Ben Adams Baptism Record, Pilgrims Rest United Baptist Church Record.

IMG_8495

Ben Adams grave, Trace Fork of Harts Creek, Logan County, WV. October 2014. Photo by Kathy Adams.

Chapmanville District Schools (1927) 2

15 Thursday Jun 2017

Posted by in Big Harts Creek, Civil War, Halcyon, Native American History, Queens Ridge, Shively, Spottswood, Stone Branch, Warren, Whirlwind, Yantus

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Teachers identified the following schools in Chapmanville District of Logan County, WV, and offered a bit of local history in 1927:

Dave Dingess School, est. 1814

Ula Adams, teacher

One room frame school

“Harts Creek derived its name from Steven Harts, said to have been killed by Indians on the creek.”

Striker School, est. about 1874

Edward Chapman, teacher

One room frame building

Three Fork School, est. 1878

One room frame building, originally a log house

Nine Confederate veterans live here: George Doss, T. Doss, L.D. Stollings, Ed Dalton, Ruben Conley, John Conley, Ben Adams, E. Burton, Melvin Plumley. A Union veteran lives here; he originated elsewhere. Three branches of Crawley Creek are Road Fork, Middle Fork, and Pigeon Roost. Alonzo is the local post office.

Bulwark School, est. 1880

Robert Dingess, teacher

One room frame building

“All fought on the Confederate side” during the Civil War. One man gained great merit from our district as a marksman with the American marines during World War I.

Lee Dingess School, est. 1891

Cole Adams, teacher

One room frame

Five local men served in the Confederate Army.

Browns Run School, est. 1892

Ina Dingess, teacher

One room frame building

“Sent several soldiers to help the South.” The fork is named for a Brown who lived at its mouth.

Buck Fork School, est. 1894

No teacher given

One room frame building

A Church of Christ exists nearby. Three local men served in the Confederate Army. One local soldier lost both hands in World War I.

Ivy Branch School, est. 1895

Anna Adams, teacher

Albert Thornton was the first teacher here. “Trace Fork received its name from the original road leading to Twelve Pole Creek.”

Hugh Dingess School, est. 1897

Sallie Dingess, teacher

One room frame building

Conley School, est. 1897

J.L. Thomas, teacher

One room frame building

The first house built on Smoke House Fork at its mouth had no chimney for quite a while and smoked badly.

Dalton School, est. 1897

Thelma Dingess, teacher

One room frame building

“This district furnished a lot of Civil War veterans and played her part.”

Bud Dingess School, est. 1904

Beatrice Adams, teacher

One room frame building

“East Fork named on account of its being the most Eastern fork of Harts Creek.” One local soldier served in the Confederate Army.

Hoover School, est. 1910

Howard Adams, teacher

One room frame building

A Christian Church exists in the vicinity. Four local men served in the Confederate ARmy. “Harts Creek named from Steven Harts murdered by Indians.” Three boys went from here and one was wounded at the battle of Argonne.

George Mullins School, est. 1910

Dixie Mullins, teacher

One room frame building

“Buck Fork named from large number of male deer on creek.”

Rocky School (no date)

Daisy Given Dingess, teacher

References an Indian mound on Pigeon Roost where tomahawks, arrowheads, etc. can be found. Indian burial ground.

Under the Tim’s Fork entry, it says that John Dingess was killed in battle at Cloyd’s farm. Tim’s Fork is named for Timothy Dwight, who lived there.

Lower Trace School, est. 1919

Alice Dingess, teacher

Two room frame building

“Sent several soldiers to help the South.” Also, “Harts Creek named from Steven Harts.”

Piney School, est. 1921

F.M. McKay, teacher

One room building

No permanent churches exist locally; people meet occasionally in one of the school houses. Four local men served in the Confederate Army. “Piney was named because of so much pine growing there.”

White Oak School, est. 1922

Fisher Thompson, teacher

One room rented frame building

Manor School, est. 1923

Located at Limestone

Workman School, est. 1924

Fisher B. Adkins, teacher

One room frame building

Marsh Fork derived its name from the marshy land near its mouth.

Source: Local History and Topography of Logan County by J.A. Vickers (Charleston, WV: George M. Ford, State Superintendent, 1927).

Harts Creek Area Preachers (1893-1900)

21 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by in Big Harts Creek, Shively, Spottswood, Warren, Whirlwind

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The following list of Logan County marriages for the period of 1893 to 1900 reveals the names of preachers operating in the Harts Creek area. The source for this material is “Marriage Record 2 (1892-1913),” pages 2-146, which is located at the Logan County Clerk’s Office in Logan, WV. Many thanks to the county clerks and their employees who have always been so helpful to my research these past twenty-five years. NOTE: Marriage records for the Lincoln County section of the community are unavailable.

1893

Isaac Fry     March 1893     John H. Adkins and Caroline Nelson

W.D. Garrett     March 1893     Floyd Bryant and Mary E. Baisden

Washington Dempsey     April 1893     Spencer Mullins and Syntha A. Workman

Washington Dempsey     June 1893     Harvey Smith and Hester C. Collins

Washington Dempsey     07 July 1893     William Mullins and Mary Mullins

Washington Dempsey     14 September 1893     Henry Spry and M.J. Tomblin

Isaac Fry     14 October 1893     John Brumfield and Harriet Dingess

Washington Dempsey     09 December 1893     Robert Amburgey and Rebecca Hall

1894

None Given     February 1894     Robert Workman and Mattie Vance

W.D. Garrett     09 March 1894     John Q. Adams and Maggie Perdue

J.G. McNeely     11 April 1894     John Murphy and Matilda Dalton

Washington Dempsey     24 April 1894     Ben Adams and Polly Adams

Washington Dempsey     04 June 1894     Wayne Adams and Minerva McCloud

None Given     June 1894     Joseph Workman and A.E. Thompson

Washington Dempsey     July 1894 or 1895     James E. Farley and Darthula Dingess

None Given     05 July 1894     John B. Thompson and Julia White

P.H. Dingess     10 July 1894     James Thompson and Margret Baisden

W.D. Garrett     09 December 1894     Nasby Smith and Caroline Farley

W.D. Garrett     22 December 1894     Wash Farley and Mahala Pridemore

1895

Pyrrhus Hensley     19 January 1895     J. McNeeley and Ollie Barley

None Given     May 1895     William H. Watts and Yantie Dingess

Peter H. Dingess     July 1895     Burwell Adams and Bettie Adams

Gordon Farley     July 1895     Hugh Conley and Mary Shadrack

Peter H. Dingess     July 1895     Wash Priest and Margaret Lynch

John F. Farley     September 1895     Charley Lilly and Jane Conley

W.D. Garrett     21 September 1895     Robert Owens and Rebecca Hall

Washington Dempsey     01 November 1895     Floyd Bryant and Mary J. Smith

Washington Dempsey     December 1895     Melvin Baisden and Matilda Collins

1896

None Given     February 1896     John Workman and Mary Lambert

None Given     19 May 1896     Robert Mullins and Delphy Workman

1897

P.H. Dingess     24 January 1897     John H. Mullins and Martha Jane Burns

M.A. Robinson     22 March 1897     A.D. Robinson and Polly Aldridge

P.H. Dingess, Sr.     27 April 1897     Wedington Mullins and Margarett Jonas

1898

W.D. Garrett     03 April 1898     Charley Workman and Linnie Haner

K.H. Bevins     10 April 1898     Floyd Stollings and Ann Conley

Wash Dempsey     03 May 1898     Ralph Nelson and Caroline Browning

Jesse R. Browning     07 September 1898     Jesse Robinson and Mary A. Browning

1899

W.D. Garrett     12 April 1899     Wallace Toney and Julia Lucas

M.A. Robinson     03 August 1899     Albert G. Vance and Sarah E. Workman

M.A. Robinson     03 September 1899     John W. Workman and Lucinda Pool

Wash Dempsey     22 September 1899     William Mullins and America Mullins

Washington Dempsey     22 September 1899     S.P. Spry and Lucinda Bryant

Wash Dempsey     22 September 1899     Moses Tomblin and Rhoda Simpkins

Wash Dempsey     14 October 1899     Louis Thompson and Brazilla Collins

M.A. Robinson     27 November 1899     James B. Mullins and Emily Jane Johnson

Wash Dempsey     07 December 1899     George Spaulding and Harriet Carter

1900

H. Fry     23 February 1900    John Mans and Emily Workman

M.A. Robinson     27 February 1900     Elias Thompson and Elizabeth Dempsey

Isaac Fry     09 March 1900     Jeff McCloud and Louisa Thompson

W.D. Garrett     04 April 1900     George Thompson and Lucy Conley

Wash Dempsey     10 April 1900     Isaac Tomblin and Lucinda Collins

Wash Dempsey     17 April 1900     John A. Vance and Rhoda Browning

None Given     July 1900     Antony Bryant and Lucinda Lucas

M.A. Robinson     01 November 1900     E.B. Lilly, Jr. and Clarissa G. Riddle

P. Hensley     23 November 1900     James Tomblin and Julia Hensley

Interview with James Davis of Harts, WV (1997)

17 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by in Big Harts Creek, Culture of Honor, Harts, Lincoln County Feud

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

That evening, Brandon and I met up with Billy Adkins and went to see James Davis on West Fork. James lived on Spring Branch of West Fork, a little hollow just across the creek from Iris Williams. A few years back, his older brother Charlie had told Brandon about seeing Ed win a twenty dollar gold piece in a contest at the old Chapmanville High School.

We found the eighty-something-year-old James laying on the couch with a little fuzzy dog crawling all over him like a monkey. He said he didn’t remember Ed, so I mentioned how he was Milt Haley’s son, which got an immediate reaction. He had heard the story of Milt’s death from Cat Fry, although he didn’t immediately offer up any details. Actually, James was hesitant to talk about the 1889 murders — almost as if the participants were still around and living next door. His answers to our questions were very evasive.

We learned from James that it was Bill Fowler (not John Runyon or Ben Adams) who hired Milt and Green to ambush Al. It was all over competition between businesses. Fowler was a saloon operator and a gristmill operator, while Brumfield ran a log boom.

“They was all there making money,” he said. “You know how that stirs up trouble. Some a making a little more money than others. They was bucking one another, like money men does.”

Milt and Green ambushed Al and Hollena one Sunday as they rode down the creek on a single horse after a visit with Henderson Dingess. In the attack, Mr. Brumfield was shot through the arm, while his wife was shot in the face. Milt and Green were soon captured in Kentucky by the Adkinses and Brumfields, who held them them at Fry. Neither man would admit to anything so John Brumfield shot one of them in the head. He reputedly put his toe at the hole and said, “I put a bullet right there.”

Brumfield was himself shot in the head a few years later.

French Bryant, “who was pretty hard to handle,” was also involved in the killings.

Afterwards, people were afraid to touch Milt’s and Green’s bodies until Ben Walker allowed them to be buried on his property. The whole event “shook people up pretty bad.” Fowler sold out at the mouth of Harts and moved away.