15 Monday Feb 2021
Tags
Appalachia, Ben Walker, Burbus C. Toney, Cain Adkins, Canoe Tree Fork, Eliza Adkins, Ellen Ferguson, genealogy, George Dickinson, Green McCoy, Green Shoal Creek, Guyandotte River, Harts Creek District, Hezekiah Adkins, history, justice of the peace, Lincoln County, Lincoln County Feud, timber, timbering, West Virginia
12 Wednesday Sep 2018
Posted in Atenville, Guyandotte River
Tags
Appalachia, county clerk, Darby K. Elkins, Dry Branch, genealogy, Guyandotte River, Hezekiah Adkins, history, justice of the peace, Logan County, Reese W. Elkins, Sugar Camp Branch, Virginia, W.I. Campbell, Wayne County, West Virginia, William Straton
Deed Book C, page 461, Logan County Circuit Clerk’s Office, Logan, WV. Note: This property is located near present-day Atenville, Lincoln County, WV.
Deed Book C, page 462, Logan County Circuit Clerk’s Office, Logan, WV
25 Sunday Feb 2018
Posted in Big Harts Creek
Tags
Appalachia, Archibald Elkins, Darby K. Elkins, genealogy, Harts Creek, Hezekiah Adkins, history, justice of the peace, Logan County, Nancy Brothers, Peter Dingess, Pigeon Roost Branch, Reese W. Elkins, Richard Elkins, Virginia, W.I. Campbell, Wayne County, West Virginia, William Straton
Deed Book C, page _____, Logan County Clerk’s Office, Logan, WV. This property is located in present-day West Virginia.
20 Friday Oct 2017
Posted in Big Creek, Ferrellsburg
Tags
Anderson Barker, Appalachia, Big Creek, Boone County, Crispin S. Stone, Elias Adkins, Ferrellsburg, genealogy, Hezekiah Adkins, history, Lincoln County, Logan County, Martin's Field, Mary Adkins, Obediah Godby, Regular Baptist, Virginia, West Virginia, William Martin, William Straton
Deed Book C, page 231, Logan County Clerk’s Office, Logan, WV. Elias Adkins, son of Hezekiah and Mary (Levon) Adkins, oversaw a plantation at present-day Ferrellsburg, Lincoln County, WV.
04 Tuesday Jul 2017
Posted in Cemeteries, Giles County, Harts, Native American History
Tags
American Revolution, Appalachia, Beech Fork, Beech Fork State Park, Billy Adkins, Brandon Kirk, cemeteries, Continental Line, genealogy, Giles County, Harts, Hezekiah Adkins, Hezekiah Adkins Cemetery, history, Isaac Adkins, John Lucas, Lincoln County, Missionary Baptist, Molly Adkins, Montgomery County, Native Americans, New River, photos, preacher, Revolutionary War, Ronnie Adkins, tourism, Virginia, Wayne County, West Virginia, Winslow
In 1990, Ronnie Adkins published THE definitive Adkins genealogy book. A great many researchers appreciated his work on Hezekiah Adkins’ line of the family. Hezekiah Adkins was born in 1759 in Virginia, served in the American Revolutionary War, moved from Giles County, Virginia, to present-day Wayne County, West Virginia, about 1810, and died in 1842. His grave markers are yet visible at Winslow on Beech Fork in Wayne County, WV. If you visit the grave site, you will find Hezekiah Adkins buried on the left and his wife Mary “Molly” buried on the right (unlike in this photo). Any Adkins researcher owes a great debt to Ronnie Adkins and his book. THANK YOU, RONNIE.
Here is a photo of my good friend and mentor Billy Adkins visiting the grave site in 1991. Years ago, Billy assisted Ronnie in gathering information about members of the Adkins family who settled in the Harts area of Lincoln County, WV.
Here is Hezekiah’s grave as it appears today (left). His wife Molly is buried to the right.
Hezekiah Adkins is my paternal great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather through his son, Isaac Adkins (1790-1854).
Here is Molly Adkins’ grave as it appears today. She is my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother.
Hezekiah Adkins has a nice military marker positioned at his feet.
I recently visited Hezekiah Adkins’ grave. 30 June 2017.
A short distance from the cemetery, beside of the highway, is this great historical marker commemorating Hezekiah Adkins’ service in the Revolutionary War. Beech Fork State Park is less than five minutes away. 30 June 2017.
08 Saturday Apr 2017
Posted in Big Harts Creek, Big Ugly Creek, Fourteen, Green Shoal, Guyandotte River, Harts, Leet, Little Harts Creek, Timber, Warren, Wewanta
Tags
Adam Lambert, Andrew D. Robinson, Appalachia, B.C. Curry, Big Ugly Creek, Boone County, Burbus Toney, Charles Spurlock, constable, Edley Elkins, education, Fourteen Mile Creek, genealogy, Guyandotte River, Harts Creek, Harts Creek District, Henry H. Hardesty, Hezekiah Adkins, history, Isaac Elkins, James White, Jefferson District, Jeremiah Lambert, Jesse Gartin, John Fry, John H. Brumfield, John Lucas, justice of the peace, Kiahs Creek, Laurel Hill District, Lewis Queen, Lincoln County, Little Harts Creek, Little Ugly Creek, Logan County, Methodist, miller, Rhoda Elkins, Richard Adkins, Richard Elkins, Sarah Elkins, Squire Toney, timber, timbering, Wayne County, West Virginia, William Lucas, William West
From “Hardesty’s History of Lincoln County, West Virginia,” published by H.H. Hardesty, we find this entry for Harts Creek District in Lincoln County, West Virginia:
This is the most southern subdivision of the county. It derives its name from Harts creek, a tributary of the Guyandotte river. On the north is Laurel Hill district, on the northeast is Jefferson, east Boone county, on the south Logan, and on the west Wayne. Guyandotte river flows northwest and divides the district into two nearly equal parts. There are several small streams, among which are Little and Big Harts creeks, Little and Big Ugly creeks, Kiahs creek, and Fourteen Mile creek.
The first settler was Richard Elkins, who reared his cabin in the month of September, 1807. Here he removed his family, and here Charles Spurlock became his first neighbor. Other early settlers were: Esquire Toney, John Lucas, Edley Elkins, John Fry, Hezekiah Adkins, John Brumfield, and Richard Adkins. Rhoda, a daughter of Edley and Sarah Elkins, was the first white child born in the district. The first grist mill was built by James White about the year 1821. It was a small tub-wheel mill, water being the propelling power. Isaac Elkins built the first saw mill in 1847 or 1848. It was constructed on the old sash-saw plan, and had a capacity for cutting from 800 to 1,000 feet per day.
The first school was taught in a log cabin one mile above the mouth of Big Harts creek about the year 1832, but who the teacher was cannot now be ascertained. The date, however, is remembered by an old resident, because it was the year in which he first visited this section. The first house for educational purposes was built near the mouth of Big Harts creek in 1834. It was a five-cornered building, one side being occupied by the ever-present huge fire place. There are now ten public school houses in the district, “some of which,” says an informant, “are in bad condition, but will soon be replaced by frames;” 334 boys and girls attend school in this district.
The first sermon was preached here in the year 1823 by a Methodist minister named William West, and here the same year he gathered a little church, one of the first ever formed in the valley of the Guyandotte river; but of its history or who composed its membership, nothing is known. When the writer asked of an old settler the question: “Who were the first members?” his reply was: “The register is gone, and no one living can tell.” When asked who organized the first Sabbath school, he replied: “There never was one in the district.”
The first township officers were as follows: Supervisor, Burbus Toney; justice of the peace, Jeremiah Lambert; constable, Jesse Gartin; clerk, Andrew Robinson; treasurer, B.C. Curry; school commissioners, Adam Lambert, William Lucas, and Lewis Queen. According to the census of 1880, the population was 1,116.
Source: The West Virginia Encyclopedia, Vol. 7 (Richwood, WV: Jim Comstock, 1974), p. 106-107.
NOTE: I descend from Richard Elkins, John Fry, John H. Brumfield, and Jeremiah Lambert.
01 Tuesday Nov 2016
Posted in Big Harts Creek, Big Ugly Creek, Ferrellsburg, Fourteen, Green Shoal, Leet, Little Harts Creek, Rector
Tags
A.H. Sanders, A.P. Sanders, Andrew J. Browning, Appalachia, Big Branch, Big Ugly Creek, Broad Branch, Brooks Summerville, Buck Lick Branch, Cassander Spurlcok, Charles Bowden Brumfield, Chloe Maynard, Climena Lucas, Clinton Spurlock, Daisy Brumfield, Ellen Ferguson, Evermont Ward Fry, F.F. Starcher, Fourteen Mile Creek, Francis Fork, G.H. Chenoweth, genealogy, George F. Miller, Giles Davis, Granville Mullins, Green Shoal Creek, Guyandotte River, Harts Creek, Henry C. Sias, Hezekiah Adkins, history, Hugh Evans, Isaac Gartin, J.H. Meeks, J.W. Breeding, J.W. Stowers, James C. Tomblin, James D. Porter, James I. Kuhn, Johnny Headley, Joseph E. Chilton, Joseph Gartin, Joseph Maynard, Julia Yantis Walker, Kiahs Creek, Koontz Realty Company, L.V. Koontz, Laurel Fork, Lena Ferrell, Leonard Lucas, Lettie Belle Fowler, Limestone Branch, Lincoln County, Lincoln Fuel Oil and Lumber Company, Mary A. Mullen, Mary Maynard, Midkiff, Nary Gartin, Nine Mile Creek, O.J. Wilkinson, Panther Branch, Patsy Ann Porter, Patterson Toney, Philip Hager, Polly Browning, Smith Ferrell, Squire Toney, Sulphur Spring Fork, Sylvanis Neace, Tucker Fry, Twelve Pole Creek, W.C. Mullen, W.L. Rector, W.L. Starcher, W.T. Gillenwater, Wallace Hager, West Virginia, William U. Stollings, Wirt Toney
The following deed index is based on Deed Book 53 at the Lincoln County Clerk’s Office in Hamlin, WV, and relates to residents of the Harts Creek community. Most notations reflect Harts Creek citizens engaged in local land transactions; some reflect Harts Creek citizens engaged in land transactions outside of the community. These notes are meant to serve as a reference to Deed Book 53. Researchers who desire the most accurate version of this material are urged to consult the actual record book.
Hezikiah Adkins to Julia Y. Walker 25 acres on West Side of Guyan River 7 January 1909 Fisher B. Adkins, NP p. 40
Polly Browning to Joseph Maynard 75 acres Laurel Branch of Twelve Pole Creek 14 January 1905 Hugh Evans, JP p. 412-413
Daisy Brumfield to Charley Brumfield 68 acres Big Branch of Big Ugly 7 September 1907 p. 219-220
J.E. Chilton to Lettie B. Fowler 150 acres East Side of Guyandotte River 15 February 1883 p. 365-366
G.D. Davis to Koontz Realty Company 113 3/5 acres (mineral) 8 May 1907 p. 329
Ellen Ferguson to L.V. Koontz 79 4/5 acres on Green Shoal Creek 14 December 1906 p. 304-305
Lena Ferrell to A.H. Sanders 49 acres (oil and gas) 5 December 1906 p. 305-306
D.C. Fry to Koontz Realty Company 4 acres 8 May 1907 p. 320-321
D.C. Fry to Koontz Realty Company 90 acres Green Shoal Creek 8 May 1907 p. 322-323
Joseph and Nary Gartin to W.R. and Mary Lucas and L.C. and Climina Lucas 75 and 15 acres on Sulpher Spring Fork of Fourteen Mile Creek 8 January 1910 p. 45-46
W.T. Gillenwater to Koontz Realty Company 82 acres (mineral) 16 July 1907 p. 315-316
Philip Hager to Koontz Realty Company 136 1/2 acres 17 May 1907 p. 318-319
Wallace Hager to Smith Ferrell 158 acres Broad Branch of Big Ugly 4 April 1907 R.E. Lowe, JP p. 166-167
L.V. Koontz to Koontz Realty Company 799 2/3 acres Big Ugly Creek 24 June 1907 p. 310-311
J.I. Kuhn to Isaac G. Gartin 75 acres Little Harts Creek 1 September 1879 p. 281-284
J.I. Kuhn to Climenia Lucas et al 496 acres on Fourteen Mile Creek 6 June 1880 p. 288-291
James I. Kuhn to William Mann and Isaac Garten 1 August 1879 Francis Fork of Hezekiah Creek p. 285-288
Lincoln Fuel, Oil, and Lumber Company v. A.P. Sanders, W.C. Mullen, and Mary A. Mullen correction to deed 5 October 1910 p. 243-244
L.C. Lucas to Climena Lucas 37 acres on Fourteen Mile Creek 13 December 1909 p. 53
Chloe Maynard to Joseph Maynard 100 acres Twelve Pole Creek 10 October 1907 p. 410-411
Mary Maynard to Joseph Maynard 85 acres Twelve Pole Creek 21 October 1905 p. 409-410
George F. Miller to Koontz Realty Company 33 acres (mineral) 13 May 1907 p. 317-318
Granville Mullins to William U. Stollings 10 acres Limestone Branch 28 March 1910 p. 416
Sylvanis Neace to J.W. Breeding 75 acres on Buck Lick Branch of Guyandotte River (Laurel Hill District) 12 February 1910 p. 133-134
J.D. Porter et ux to W.L. Rector Big Ugly Creek 27 March 1902 p. 333-339
Patsy Ann Porter to Joseph Maynard Tract on Ridge Between Laurel Branch and Wiley Branch 4 August 1908 p. 414-415
W.L. Rector et ux to G.H. Chenoweth 3/16 undivided interest in tracts on Harts Creek and Big Ugly Creek 28 December 1903 p. 340-
W.L. Starcher et ux to F.F. Starcher interest in four tracts on Big Ugly Creek 27 September 1907 p. 347-349
A.H. Sanders et ux to L.V. Koontz Stowers Farm on Green Shoal 10 December 1906 p. 288-291
A.H. Sanders et ux to L.V. Koontz 49 acres on Big Ugly Creek 12 March 1907 p. 301
A.H. Sanders et al declaration of trust to A.P. Sanders 25 July 1907 p. 329
A.P. Sanders to W.C. Mullen 150 acres Big Ugly Creek 2 October 1907 p. 164-165
A.P. Sanders to A.H. Sanders 278 acres Lick Branch of Laurel Fork of Big Ugly 31 October 1907 p. 227-228
Henry C. Sias to John T. Headley 75 acres on Steer Fork of Fourteen Mile Creek 17 February 1909 p. 1-2
Cassander Spurlock et ux to A.H. Sanders 89 1/3 acres on Big Ugly Creek 5 December 1906 p. 307-308
Clinton Spurlock et ux to E.W. Fry et ux 15 acres near Nine Mile Creek on Guyandotte River 3 June 1901 p. 194
Clinton Spurlock to Clinton Spurlock and E.W. Fry 7360 square feet at Midkiff 1 January 1906 p. 195-196
J.W. Stowers et al to A.H. Sanders 144 1/3 acres 7 December 1906 p. 308-309
Brooks Summerville et ux to F.F. Starcher interest in four tracts on Big Ugly Creek 1 November 1907 p. 346-347
James C. Tomblin to Andrew J. Browning Painter Branch, Big Branch of Harts Creek 19 March 1875 Jeremiah Lambert, JP p. 170-171
Patterson Toney et ux to L.V. Koontz 437 acres on Big Ugly Creek 29 December 1906 p. 302-303
Squire Toney et ux to Koontz Realty Company 295 52/100 acres Big Ugly Creek (mineral) 27 June 1907 p. 312-314
Wirt Toney et ux to Koontz Realty Company 203 61/100 acres (mineral) 4 May 1907 p. 324-326
O.J. Wilkinson, commissioner of school lands, to J.H. Meeks, trustee 1 February 1910 Piney Fork of East Fork p. 104-105 [references Abner Vance]
NOTE: I copied all of these deeds.
28 Wednesday Sep 2016
Posted in Big Creek, Big Harts Creek, Big Ugly Creek, Ferrellsburg, Harts, Toney
Tags
Aaron Adkins, Abijah Workman, Abner Vance, Andrew Robinson, Appalachia, Becky Workman, Cabell County, Calohill McCloud, Catherine Fry, Charles Adkins, Crispin Stone, Darby K. Elkins, Dolly Stollings, Elias Adkins, Elizabeth Dial, Gordon Lilly, Harts Creek, Harvey Elkins, Henderson Drake, Henry Adkins, Henry Conley, Henry Spears, Hezekiah Adkins, history, Isaiah Adkins, Jake Adkins, James Butcher, James Ferrell, James Lilly, James M. Berry, James Thompson, James Toney, John Chapman, John Elkins, John Godby, John Gore, Joshua Butcher, justice of the peace, Levi Collins, Logan County, Lorenzo Dow Hill, Lydia Eveline Mullins, Mary Workman, Meekin Vance, Noah Hainer, Obediah Workman, Reese W. Elkins, Richard Elkins, Robert Lilly, Robert Lilly Jr., Robet Lilly, Samuel Vanatter, Sarah Jane Dial, Spencer A. Mullins, Squire Toney, Stephen Lambert, Virginia, Wesley Stollings, West Virginia, William Lilly, William Smith, William Spears, William Thompson
Between 1847 and 1869, the following men served as justices of the peace in the Harts Creek community, then a part of Logan County, Virginia. The primary source for this material is Deed Book D, which is located at the Logan County Clerk’s Office in Logan, WV. Material is arranged based on the grantor’s name as given in the deed, the grantee’s name as given in the deed, and the date of the deed. Some of the deeds are partially destroyed, obscuring dates. This list is a work in progress and will be updated periodically. Many thanks to the county clerks and their employees who have always been so helpful to my research these past twenty-five years.
Elias Adkins (Logan County), 1847, 1850
Deed: James Thompson to John Godby 23 August 1847
Deed: Wesley and Dolly Stollings to Abner Vance 15 April 1850
Crispin S. Stone (Logan County), 1847, 1849, 1852, 1854, 1859, 1865
Deed: James Thompson to John Godby 23 August 1847
Deed: Henry Conley and William Thompson to John Godby 4 September 1849
Deed: Levi Collins to Noah Haner 2 March 1852
Deed: Robert Lilly to William Lilly 22 December 1854
Deed: Robert Lilly to Robert Lilly, Jr. 1 March 1859
Deed: Isaiah Adkins to Lydia Eveline Mullins 8 July 1859
Deed: Robert Lilly to Mary Workman 28 February 1865
Deed: Robert Lilly to Gordon Lilly 1 March 1865
Deed: Robert Lilly and James Lilly 26 March 1865
Joshua Butcher (Logan County), 1849
Deed: Henry Conley and William Thompson to John Godby 4 September 1849
Spencer A. Mullins (Logan County), 1853-1855
Deed: Richard Elkins to James Toney 5 March 1853
Deed: Price Lucas to Henry Adkins 7 October 1853
Deed: Richard Elkins to Isaac Adkins 27 December 1853
Deed: Enos “Jake” Adkins to Henry Adkins 12 April 1854
Deed: Squire Toney to Burbus C. Toney 14 October 1854
Deed: Darby K. Elkins to John W. Sartain 30 October 1854
Deed: Harvey Elkins to Isaiah Adkins 10 March 1855
Deed: Elizabeth Adkins et al to Charles and Isaiah Adkins 02 October 1855
Deed: Joel Elkins to Reece W. Elkins 17 November 1855
William Smith (?? County), 1853-1854
Deed: Baptist Fry to Charles Lucas 18 April 1853
Deed: Levi Collins to Anderson Barker 21 June 1853
Deed: Burbus C. Toney to Squire Toney 14 October 1854
Deed: John Workman to James Browning 17 November 1854
Lorenzo Dow Hill (Logan County), 1854-1856, 1858-1861, 1869
Deed: Burbus C. Toney to Squire Toney 14 October 1854
Deed: John Workman to James Browning 17 November 1854
Quit Claim Deed: Elias Adkins to Enos Adkins 18 August 1855
Deed: John Fry to Admiral S. Fry 26 January 1856
Deed: Robert Lilly to Gordon F. Lilly 8 April 1856
Deed: Rees W. Elkins to Elias Adkins 18 October 1856
Deed: Robert Lilly to James Lilly 16 April 1858
Deed: Meekin Vance to Andrew Robinson 31 March 1859
Deed: John and Catherine Fry to Aaron Adkins 11 February 1860
Summons: William T. Clark and Henry P. Gartin 28 February 1861
Commissioners Record Book No. 1, p. 122: January 1869
James Ferrell (Logan County), 1854-1858, 1860
Deed: Squire Toney to Burbus C. Toney 14 October 1854
Deed: Elizabeth Adkins et al to Spencer A. Mullins 07 February 1855
Deed: Squire Toney to Sarah Jane Dial 25 November 1855
Deed: Squire Toney to Sarah Jane Dial and Elizabeth Dial 20 May 1856
Deed: Squire Toney to Lorenzo D. Hill 24 January 1857
Deed: William Smith to James Lilly 17 February 1858
Summons: James M. Berry 18 February 1860
Hezekiah Adkins (Logan County), 1856
Deed: Darby K. Elkins et al to Rees W. Elkins 18 April 1856
John Chapman (Cabell County), 1856
Deed: Spencer A. Mullins to John Chapman 18 December 1856
Stephen Lambert (Logan County) 1856-1860, 1865
Deed: Rees W. Elkins to Elias Adkins 18 October 1856
Deed: Obediah Workman to Nighbert and Clarke 25 August 1857
Deed: Charles and Isaiah Adkins to John Elkins 24 November 1858
Deed: Meekin Vance to Andrew Robinson 31 March 1859
Deed: Isaiah Adkins to Lydia Eveline Mullins 8 July 1859
Deed: Obediah and Becky Workman to ____ Dempsey 28 September 1859
Deed: Henry Adkins to Aaron Adkins 31 March 1860
Summons: Jeremiah Lambert 3 September 1860
Deed: Abijah Workman to Calahill Daniel McCloud 12 January 1865
Samuel Varnater (Logan County), 1865
Deed: Abijah Workman to Calahill Daniel McCloud 12 January 1865
Henderson Drake (Cabell County), 1865
Deed: Henry Spears to William Spears 6 December 1865
John Gore (Logan County), 1868
Commissioners Record Book No. 1, p. 112: November 1868
27 Friday Sep 2013
Posted in African American History, Ed Haley, Music
Tags
Annie Adkins, Anse Blake, Appalachia, Ben France, Bob Claypool, Bob Glenn, Burgess Stewart, Cain Adkins, Champ Adkins, Charley Robinson, Dave Glenn, Ed Haley, fiddling, Frank Jefferson, Fred B. Lambert, George Stephens, Gilbert Smith, Harkins Fry, Hezekiah Adkins, history, Isom Johnson, Jimmie Rodgers, Kish Adkins George Crockett, Leander Fry, Lish Adkins, Lucian W. Osbourne, music, Percival Drown, Spicie McCoy, Staunton Ross
In a separate interview, one Mr. Miller told Fred B. Lambert, “Leander Fry used to come down from Lincoln on timber to play the fiddle. He was a great fiddler. Jack McComas was an old fiddler, as was also his brother. Mose Thornburg said that a man who wouldn’t fight to the music made by the musicians of the musters had no fight in him. Wm. Collins was a fifer. John Reece was a tenor drummer, Clarke Thurston a base drummer. On muster days, whiskey, ginger ales, cider, &c were plentiful. Hogs were fattened on the way East. That wore the valley out. Dishes were plain. Cups instead of glass. They were cheaper. No washboards. Lye soap. Used a board to beat clothes with. Later, washboards were made of soft wood and sold for 5 cents each. Old fiddlers: George Stephens and Wiley, — Joplin, Guyandotte (?). In later days Morris Wentz and Ben France.”
Amaziah Ross told Lambert about some of the other fiddlers.
“Old Charley Robison came from Alabama. Brought ‘Birdie.’ He was a colored man and a good fiddler. Bob Glenn lived up Ohio River about Mason Co., played at Guyandotte when I was a boy. A first class fiddler. His bro. Dave Glenn also was a good one. Jimmie Rodgers lived at Guyandotte. He was a bro. to Bascom Rogers who kept saloon at Guyandotte — The Logan Saloon when I was a boy.”
Ross gave Lambert the names of many old fiddle tunes, which I of course noted being an avid fan and collector of such things:
Shelvin’ Rock played by Ben France
Natchez Under the Hill
Seven Mile Winder
Money Muss
Devil’s Dream
Mississippi Sawyer
Sixteen Days in Georgia
Little Sallie Waters
Marching Through Georgia
Whitefield, Georgia
Annie Adkins — By herself a fiddler when my father was a boy.
Ocean Wave
Over the Way
Grasshopper
Cabin Creek
Fisher’s Hornpipe
Sailor’s Hornpipe
Ladies’ Hornpipe
Gerang Hornpipe
Forked Deer
Third Day of July
Butterfly
Birdie
Lop Eared Mule
Billy in the Lowground
Wild Horse
Old Bill Keenan
Round Town Girls
SourwoodMountain
Old Joe Clark
Greasy String
Cross Keys
Bet My Money on Bobtail Horse
Blue Ridge Mountain Home
Someone told Lambert about the dances held after corn-shuckings.
“After a few weeks, it was ready to shuck. It was an opportunity for young and old to gather and spend a day at work in the name of play. Of course, the women and girls prepared the noon meal and sometimes even the supper. When night came on, the labors of the day were followed by a dance, which of all pioneer amusements was king. Shooting matches with rifles, wrestling matches, foot races, fist fights between neighborhood bullies, or to settle old scores. It was not uncommon for contestants to engage in ‘gouging’, as a natural sequence of a first fight. Weapons were banned, but many a man lost an eye by having it gouged out.”
Another person said, “Dances were very common at weddings, and on many other occasions.” Some of the tunes played were:
The Devil’s Dream
Old Zip Cook
Billie in the Low Ground
Virginia Reel
“I had a Dog And His Name was Rover,
When he Had Fleas, He had ‘Em All Over”
Irish Washerwoman
Mississippi Sawyer
Myron Drumond gave these tunes to Lambert: “Sugar in the Gourd”, “Chicken Reel”, “Fisher’s Hornpipe”, “Cincinnati Hornpipe” (the latter two tunes for “Jig dancing”) and “Irish Washerwoman”.
These tunes and fiddlers came from “a Barboursville man:”
Tunes
Turkey In the Straw
Sourwood Mountain
“Hage ’em Along.”
The Lost Indian
Pharoah’s Dream
Hell up the Coal Hollow
The Devil’s Dream
Shady Grove
Arkansas Traveler
Little Bunch o’ Blues
New River Train
I Love Some Body
Hard Up
Fiddlers
Morris Wentz
Ben France
Percival Drown
Bob Claypool—Lincoln Co.
Staunton Ross—near Salt Rock
Burgess (“Coon”) Stewart — Lincoln Co. Buffalo Cr. Extra Good
Frank Jefferson — Nine Mile
Anse Blake — Nine Mile
A lot of Lambert’s research, particularly in regard to old-time music trailed off around the time of the War Between the States. He only mentioned Ed Haley twice — once in relation to Milt Haley and once in a list with Ben France, Blind Lish Adkins, Hezekiah Adkins of Wayne County, “Fiddler Cain” Adkins (a son of Jake Adkins), Gilbert Smith and Isom Johnson. His last letter on fiddling was from an uninterested Lucian W. Osbourne of East Lynn, Wayne County, who wrote in March of 1951: “Complying with your request, I send the names of a few old fiddlers, as follows: Champ Adkins, Kish Adkins, Ben Frances, George Crockett. All dead. For information about others write Mrs. Spicy Fry, Stiltner, and Harkins Fry, Kenova. Here are some of the old tunes: ‘Sourwood Mountain,’ ‘The Lone Prairie,’ ‘Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane,’ ‘Nelly Gray,’ &c. I know but little about the fiddling, as I am a Sunday School man, and interested in better things. I think it is better to say after one when he is dead that he is a Christian than to say he was a fiddler or baseball fan.”
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Genealogy and History in North Carolina and Beyond
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Brandon Ray Kirk 