Spencer A. Mullins Survey (1848)
07 Monday Dec 2020
Posted Guyandotte River, Sand Creek
in07 Monday Dec 2020
Posted Guyandotte River, Sand Creek
in21 Saturday Sep 2019
Posted Big Harts Creek
inTags
Appalachia, Charles Adkins, Cole Branch, Elias Adkins, Elizabeth Adkins, genealogy, Harts Creek, Henry Adkins, history, Isaac Adkins, Isaac Adkins Jr., Isaiah Adkins, Lincoln County, Logan County, Lydia Eveline Mullins, Parthena Adkins, Polly Adkins, Spencer A. Mullins, Virginia, West Virginia
Deed Book ___, page 447, Logan County Clerk’s Office, Logan, WV. Note: This property is located in present-day Lincoln County.
Deed Book ___, page 448, Logan County Clerk’s Office, Logan, WV. Note: Isaiah Adkins is my great-great-great-great-grandfather.
16 Sunday Dec 2018
Posted Big Harts Creek
inTags
Appalachia, Charles Adkins, county clerk, genealogy, Harts Creek, Harts Creek District, history, Isaac Adkins, Isaac Fry, Isaiah Adkins, J.L. Hager, justice of the peace, Lincoln County, Lower Big Branch, Lower Big Branch Mountain, Malinda Adkins, Mill Branch, Robert Hager, West Virginia
Deed Book 55, page 52, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV.
Deed Book 55, page 52, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV.
Deed Book 55, page 53, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV.
12 Wednesday Dec 2018
Posted Big Harts Creek, Guyandotte River
inTags
Appalachia, Charles Adkins, county clerk, Edmond Toney, Elizabeth Adkins, genealogy, Guyandotte River, Harts Creek, Henry Adkins, history, Isaac Adkins, Isaiah Adkins, Jane Toney, Lincoln County, Logan County, Lydia Eveline Mullins, Mary Jane Adkins, Parthena Adkins, Spencer A. Mullins, Virginia, W.I. Campbell, West Virginia, William Straton
Deed Book C, page 446, Logan County Clerk’s Office, Logan, WV. Isaac and Elizabeth (Adkins) Adkins are my great-great-great-great-grandparents. I descend through their son, Isaiah.
Deed Book C, page 446, Logan County Clerk’s Office, Logan, WV. This land is located in present-day Harts, Lincoln County, WV.
25 Tuesday Sep 2018
Posted Guyandotte River
inTags
Appalachia, county clerk, genealogy, Guyandotte River, history, Isaac Adkins, Lincoln County, Logan County, Lorenzo D. Hill, Mile Branch, Squire Toney, Virginia, W.I. Campbell, West Virginia, William Straton
Deed Book C, page 488, Logan County Clerk’s Office, Logan, WV. This property is located in present-day Lincoln County, WV.
15 Saturday Sep 2018
Posted Big Harts Creek
inTags
Appalachia, Charles Adkins, Cole Branch, county clerk, Elias Adkins, Elizabeth Adkins, genealogy, Harts Creek, Harvey Elkins, Henry Adkins, history, Isaac Adkins, Isaiah Adkins, Jacob Stollings, Lower Big Branch, Lydia Eveline Mullins, Mary Jane Adkins, Polly Adkins, Spencer A. Mullins, W.I. Campbell, William Straton
Deed Book C, page ___, Logan County Clerk’s Office, Logan, WV. Note: This property is located in present-day Lincoln County, WV. Also note the spelling of COAL (not COLE) Branch.
07 Friday Sep 2018
Posted Atenville, Guyandotte River, Sand Creek
inTags
Appalachia, Bend of the River, Emerine Lambert, genealogy, Guyandotte River, history, Isaac Adkins, Jefferson Lucas, Lincoln County, Martha Sias, notary public, Sand Creek, Sarah J. Nelson, Van Donley Lambert, West Virginia
Deed Book ___, page ____, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV. This property is likely located at the Bend of the River opposite Sand Creek and below Atenville.
Deed Book ___, page ____, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV. I descend from Van Donley’s sister, Martha (Lambert) Sias.
03 Sunday Jun 2018
Posted Big Harts Creek, Guyandotte River, Harts
inTags
Aaron Adkins, Al Brumfield, Appalachia, Bill Fowler, C&O Railroad, Charley Brumfield, CSX Railroad, Guyandotte River, Harts, Harts Creek, Harts PreK-8 School, Isaac Adkins, Lincoln County, Paris Brumfield, photos, West Virginia
During the feud, this site hosted Bill Fowler’s store and saloon, as well as the Hart Post Office. During the 1890s, Al Brumfield’s saloon and store was situated here. 24 May 2018.
Looking up the Guyandotte River from Harts, WV. The mouth of Big Harts Creek is just to the right. 24 May 2018.
Looking up the CSX (former C&O) Railroad tracks from Harts, WV. This site is part of the old Isaac and Aaron Adkins farm. 24 May 2018.
Here’s a cramped view of the new Harts PreK-8 School, built on what was once the Paris Brumfield farm. Charley Brumfield’s family owned this property from the 1890s until several years ago. 24 May 2018.
04 Friday May 2018
Posted Atenville, Guyandotte River, Little Harts Creek
inTags
Appalachia, Charles Adkins, Elizabeth Adkins, genealogy, Guyandotte River, Henry Adkins, history, Isaac Adkins, Isaac Adkins Jr., Isaiah Adkins, Lincoln County, Little Harts Creek, Logan County, Polly Adkins, Spencer A. Mullins, Virginia, W.I. Campbell, West Virginia, William Straton
Deed Book C, page ___, Logan County Clerk’s Office, Logan, WV. This property is located in present-day Lincoln County, WV. Isaiah Adkins is my great-great-great-great-grandfather.
15 Sunday Apr 2018
Posted Guyandotte River, Harts
inTags
Appalachia, genealogy, Guyandotte River, history, Isaac Adkins, Lincoln County, Logan County, Lorenzo D. Hill, Mile Branch, Squire Toney, Virginia, W.I. Campbell, West Virginia, William Straton
Deed Book C, page 488, Logan County Clerk’s Office, Logan, WV. This property is located in present-day Lincoln County, WV.
25 Monday Dec 2017
Posted Atenville, Little Harts Creek
inTags
Appalachia, Elizabeth Adkins, Enos "Jake" Adkins, genealogy, Guyandotte River, Henry Adkins, history, Isaac Adkins, Isaiah Adkins, James Toney, justice of the peace, Letty Adkins, Lincoln County, Little Harts Creek, Logan County, Nancy Toney, Price Lucas, Spencer A. Mullins, Virginia, W.I. Campbell, West Virginia, William Straton
Deed Book C, page 376, Logan County Clerk’s Office, Logan, WV. Elias “Jake” Adkins was the son of Elias and Susannah (Fry) Adkins. Letty Adkins was the daughter of James and Nancy (Gillispie) Toney. Henry Adkins was the son of Isaac and Elizabeth (Adkins) Adkins. Jake and Henry were first cousins. I descend from Henry’s brother, Isaiah.
Deed Book C, page 377, Logan County Clerk’s Office, Logan, WV. This property is located in present-day Lincoln County, WV.
04 Tuesday Jul 2017
Posted Cemeteries, Giles County, Harts, Native American History
inTags
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.
11 Tuesday Apr 2017
Posted Cemeteries, Harts
inTags
Appalachia, Billy Adkins, cemeteries, Elizabeth Adkins, genealogy, Harry Edward Mullins, history, Isaac Adkins, photos, Wayne County, West Virginia
Harry Edward Mullins, a genealogist, appears here visiting Adkins-Fry graves in Wayne County, WV. Harry was dedicated: he purchased modern headstones for several noteworthy Harts area residents, including Isaac and Elizabeth Adkins. Photo courtesy of Billy Adkins.
22 Wednesday Feb 2017
Posted African American History, Civil War, Harts
inTags
Appalachia, Brandon Kirk, cemeteries, Elizabeth Adkins, genealogy, Harts, history, Isaac Adkins, Lincoln County, slavery, West Virginia
Isaac and Elizabeth Adkins section of the Adkins Family Cemetery in Harts, WV, 21 May 2016. The slave cemetery is located just beyond the trees.
Here I am standing in the old Adkins slave cemetery. Isaac Adkins is my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. 21 May 2016.
08 Thursday Oct 2015
Posted Big Harts Creek, Chapmanville, Civil War, Crawley Creek, Green Shoal, Harts, Little Harts Creek
inTags
129th Regiment Virginia Militia, 34th Battalion Virginia Cavalry, Aaron Adkins, Abbotts Branch, Abijah Workman, Abner Vance, Addison Vance, Admiral S. Fry, Albert Abbott, Alexander Bryant, Alford Tomblin, Allen B. Brumfield, Anderson Barker, Andrew D. Robinson, Andrew Jackson Browning, Andrew Jackson Vance, Arnold Perry, Barnett Carter, Battle of Boone Court House, Battle of Kanawha Gap, Benjamin Adams, Benjamin Barker, Big Branch, Burbus C. Toney, Calahill McCloud, Canaan Adkins, Carter's Company, Charles McCloud, Christian T. Fry, civil war, Crawley Creek, Daniel Bill Nester, David Workman, Douglas Branch, Edward Garrett, Enos "Jake" Adkins, Evermont Ward Brumfield, Fleming Fry, Fulton D. Ferrell, Garland Conley, genealogy, George Bryant, George Godby, Griffin Stollings, Guy Conley, Harts, Harts Creek, Harvey S. Dingess, Henderson Dingess, Henderson Lambert, Henry Conley, history, Hoover Fork, Ira Lucas, Isaac Adkins, Isaac G. Griffith, Jackson McCloud, James Bryant, James Dalton, James Dingess, James Mullins, James P. Ferrell, James Tomblin, Jefferson Thompson, Jeremiah Perry, Jesse W. Carter, John C. Chapman, John DeJarnett, John Dingess, John H. Adkins, John McCloud, John Quincy Adams, John R. Robinson, John W. Workman, Josiah Browning, Lewis Baisden, Lewis Jupiter Fry, Lewis Vance, Logan County, Martin Dalton, Martin Van Buren Mullins, Mastin Conley, Mathias Elkins, Moses Tomblin, Moses Workman, Obediah Workman, Oliver Conley, Peter C. Dingess, Peter Fry, Reuben Conley, Riland Baisden, Robert Bob Mullins, Robert Fry, Rufus Bryant, Russell Fry, Shade Estep, Smokehouse Fork, Spencer A. Mullins, Squire Toney, Thomas Conley, Thompson Perry, Tolbert S. Godby, Weddington Mullins, West Virginia, William A. Dingess, William C. Lambert, William D. Elkins, William S. Dingess, William T. Fowler, William Workman
The 129th Regiment Virginia Militia, commanded by Colonel John DeJarnett, consisted of men primarily from Logan County, (West) Virginia. The 129th existed to protect Logan County. Carter’s Company, captained by Barnett “Barney” Carter, consisted of many Harts Creek men, all of whom enlisted on 27 August 1861 at Logan Court House, Logan County, (West) Virginia. The 129th, including Carter’s Company, participated in the Battle of Boone Court House on 1 September 1861 and the Battle of Kanawha Gap on 25 September 1861. In 1862, Carter’s Company essentially became Company D, 34th Battalion Virginia Cavalry. (This list will be updated periodically.)
Albert Abbott*, Abbotts Branch
Benjamin Adams, Crawley Creek
John Quincy Adams, Harts Creek
Aaron Adkins
Canaan Adkins, West Fork of Harts Creek [Lincoln County Feud]
Enos “Jake” Adkins, 1st Lieutenant, Douglas Branch (Ferrellsburg)
Isaac Adkins, Jr., Harts Creek (Big Branch area)
Isaac Adkins, 2nd Sergeant, Harts Creek (Big Branch area)
John H. Adkins
Lewis Baisden
Riland Baisden
Anderson Barker
Benjamin Barker
James M. Berry
Jacob Browning
Josiah Browning, 4th Sergeant
Andrew Jackson Browning, Harts Creek
Allen B. Brumfield, Big Ugly Creek
Evermont Ward Brumfield, Big Ugly Creek
Alexander Bryant, Harts Creek
George Bryant, Harts Creek
James Bryant, Harts Creek
Rufus Bryant, Harts Creek
Ed Burchett
William F. B_____
Jesse W. Carter
Barnett Carter, Captain, Hoover Fork of Harts Creek
John C. Chapman, 1st Corporal
Garland Conley, Smokehouse Fork of Harts Creek
Guy Conley, Conley Branch (Chapmanville)
Henry Conley, Conley Branch (Chapmanville)
Maston Conley, Chapmanville
Oliver Conley, Crawley Creek
Reuben Conley
Thomas Conley, Conley Branch (Chapmanville)
James Dalton, Harts Creek
Martin Dalton, Harts Creek
Harvey S. Dingess*, Crawley Creek
Henderson Dingess, Smokehouse Fork of Harts Creek [Lincoln County Feud]
James Dingess, 3rd Corporal
John Dingess
Peter C. Dingess, Crawley Creek
William A. Dingess
William S. Dingess
Mathias Elkins
William D. Elkins*, 2nd Corporal
D.J. Estep
Shade Estep, 4th Corporal
Fulton D. Ferrell, 3rd Sergeant
James P. Ferrell, Big Ugly Creek
Samuel Ferrell
Isaac Fleming
William T. Fowler, West Fork/Marsh Fork of Harts Creek
Admiral S. Fry, Green Shoal
Christian T. “Jack” Fry*, Abbotts Branch
Fleming Fry
Lewis “Jupiter” Fry, Big Ugly Creek (Gill)
Peter Fry
Robert Fry
Russell Fry
Edward Garrett, 2nd Lieutenant
Isaac G. Gartin, 2nd Lieutenant, Little Harts Creek
George Godby
Tolbert S. Godby, 1st Sergeant
Isaac O. Jeffrey
Henderson Lambert, Bend of the River
William C. Lambert, Bend of the River area
Ira Lucas
Calahill McCloud, Harts Creek or Twelve Pole Creek
Charles McCloud
Jackson McCloud
John McCloud
B. McNeely
James Mullins
Martin Van Buren Mullins, Harts Creek
Robert “Bob” Mullins, Harts Creek
Spencer A. Mullins, Bridge Branch area (Atenville)
Weddington Mullins, Harts Creek
Daniel “Bill” Nester, Browns Branch
William Owens
Arnold Perry
D.H. Perry
Jeremiah Perry
Thompson Perry
Andrew Robinson, Harts Creek
John R. Robinson
Griffin Stollings
Jefferson Thompson, Thompson Branch of Harts Creek
Alford Tomblin, Sr., Harts Creek
Alford Tomblin, Jr., Harts Creek
James Tomblin
Moses Tomblin
Burbus C. Toney, Green Shoal area (Toney)
Squire Toney, Big Ugly Creek
Andrew Jackson Vance
Abner Vance, West Fork of Harts Creek
Addison Vance
Lewis Vance
James Wills
Abijah “Bige” Workman
David Workman
John W. Workman
Moses Workman
Obediah Workman
William Workman
(*) denotes my direct ancestors
30 Tuesday Jun 2015
Posted African American History, Harts
in20 Saturday Jun 2015
Posted Big Harts Creek, Big Ugly Creek, Fourteen, Green Shoal, Harts, Little Harts Creek, Queens Ridge, Sand Creek
inTags
A.F. McKendree, Abbotts Branch, Abijah Workman, Abner Vance, Admiral S. Fry, Albert Abbott, Alexander Tomblin, Allen Adkins, Allen Butcher, Anderson Barker, Andrew Dial, Andrew Elkins, Anthony Lawson, Archibald Elkins, Arnold Perry, Baptist Fry, Barnabus Carter, Big Ugly Creek, Burbus C. Toney, Cabell County, Charles Adkins, Charles F. Dingess, Charles J. Stone, Charles Lattin, Charles Spurlock, Charleston, Christian T. Fry, Crispin S. Stone, Cultural Center, Dicy Adams, Douglas Branch, Edmund Toney, Elias Adkins, Elijah A. Gartin, Evermont Ward, Fourteen Mile Creek, Francis Browning, Garland Conley, genealogy, George Hager, George Perry, Grandison B. Moore, Green Shoal, Hamilton Fry, Harts Creek, Harvey Elkins, Harvey S. Dingess, Harvey Smith, Henderson Dingess, Henry Adkins, Henry Conley, history, Ira Lucas, Isaac Adkins, Isaac Fry, Isaac Samuels, Isaiah Adkins, Jacob Stollings, Jake Adkins, James Browning, James Butcher, James Justice, James Smith, James Toney, James Wilson, Jeremiah Farmer, Joel Elkins, John Dalton, John Dempsey, John Fry, John Gore, John H. Brumfield, John Rowe, John W. Sartin, John Washington Adams, John Workman, Joseph Adams, Joseph Fry, Joseph Gore, Josephus Workman, Joshua Butcher, Kiahs Creek, Levi Collins, Lewis Adkins, Lilly's Branch, Limestone Creek, Little Harts Creek, Logan County, Lorenzo D. Hill, Low Gap Branch, Mathias Elkins, Meekin Vance, Melville Childers, Moses Brown, Moses Harrison, Moses Workman, Noah Hainer, Obediah Merritt, Obediah Workman, Paris Vance, Patton Thompson, Peter Dingess, Peter Mullins, Polly Vance, Price Lucas, Ralph Lucas, Reese W. Elkins, Richard Elkins, Richard Vance, Robert Elkins, Robert Hensley, Robert Lilly, Royal Childers, Sally McComas, Samuel Damron, Samuel Ferrell, Samuel Lambert, Samuel Parsons, Samuel Short, Samuel Vannatter, Sand Creek, Sims Index to Land Grants, Spencer A. Mullins, Squire Toney, Stephen Lambert, Thomas A. Childers, Thomas Dunn English, Thomas P. Spears, Wesley Vance, West Virginia, West Virginia State Archives, William Brown, William Buffington, William Dalton, William Hainer, William Johnson, William P. Blankenship, William Smith, William Straton, William T. Nichols, William Thompson, William Vance, William Wirt Brumfield
Persons receiving land grants between 1812 and 1860, including acreage totals, for the following streams located in Logan and Cabell counties, (West) Virginia: Big Harts Creek, Big Ugly Creek, Fourteen Mile Creek, Little Harts Creek, Sand Creek, Kiah’s Creek, Green Shoal, Brown’s (Abbott’s) Branch, Douglas Branch, Low Gap Branch, Lilly’s Branch, and Limestone (partial). This list does not necessarily reflect ALL of the person’s landholdings; only land in the Harts Creek community are noted. Also, some persons are duplicated due to receiving grants individually or jointly. Known nonresident landowners are denoted by a (*). My ancestors are placed in bold font. Note: This is a work in progress.
Anthony Lawson*, 6502 acres
Anthony Lawson et al*, 3400 acres
Charles Lattin et al, 2667 acres
John H. Brumfield et al, 2328 acres
Spencer A. Mullins, 2145 acres
John Dempsey et al*, 2090 acres
Isaiah Adkins, 2058 acres
Evermont Ward*, 1800 acres
William Johnson, 1794 acres
Elijah A. Garten, 1620 acres
Charles J. Stone, 1610 acres
Hamilton Fry, 1488 acres
William Johnson et al, 1435 acres
Burbus C. Toney, 1332 acres
William Straton et al*, 1319 acres
Thomas Dunn English*, 1085 acres
Thomas A. Childers et al*, 1050 acres
Samuel Damron et al, 1043 acres
Joshua Butcher, 808 acres
William Straton*, 791 acres
Elijah A. Garten et al, 770 acres
Isaac Adkins, 720 acres
Moses Harrison et al, 700 acres
Abner Vance, Jr., 642 acres
George Hager et al, 600 acres
Isaac Adkins, Jr., 595 acres
Samuel Short et al*, 561 acres
Elias Adkins, 560 acres
George Hager, 520 acres
Crispin S. Stone et al, 485 acres
John H. Brumfield, 480 acres
Moses Brown, 412 acres
Peter Mullins, 408 acres
Robert Lilly, 393 acres
Joseph and Dicy Adams, 384 acres
Charles Lattin, 378 acres
Albert Abbot, 370 acres
Christian T. Fry, 367 acres
Lorenzo D. Hill, 340 acres
Lewis Adkins et al, 325 acres
Enos “Jake” Adkins, 320 acres
Richard Elkins, 311 acres
Obadiah Merret*, 310 acres
Squire Toney, 307 acres
Isaac Samuels et al*, 300 acres
William T. Nicholls et al*, 296 acres
Samuel Lambert, 269 acres
Richard Elkin, Jr. et al, 260 acres
Anderson Barker, Jr. et al, 250 acres
Noah and William Haner et al, 250 acres
William Smith et al, 250 acres
Harvey S. Dingess, 242 acres
Abijah Workman, 239 acres
Samuel Ferrell, 238 acres
Noah Haner et al, 235 acres
Charles F. Dingess & Peter Dingess, Jr., 233 acres
Henderson Dingess, 233 acres
Richard Elkins et al, 230 acres
James Justice*, 220 acres
John Fry, 204 acres
Elias and Allen Adkins et al, 200 acres
James Smith and Harvey Smith, 200 acres
James Toney et al, 200 acres
James Browning, 190 acres
William Buffington et al*, 190 acres
Charles Lucas, 190 acres
James Wilson et al*, 190 acres
James Butcher, 185 acres
Jacob Stollings, 185 acres
A.F. McKendree et al*, 185 acres
Grandison B. Moore, 180 acres
Peter Dingess, 170 acres
Joseph Fry, 162 acres
Robert Elkin, 160 acres
Admiral S. Fry, 157 acres
Robert Hensley, 154 acres
Richard Vance, 153 acres
Levi Collins, 150 acres
Harvey Elkins, 148 acres
James Smith, 148 acres
Reese W. Elkins, 125 acres
John Fry, Jr., 125 acres
Price Lucas, 125 acres
Ralph Lucas, 125 acres
William Dalton, 123 acres
Andrew Dial, 120 acres
Lewis Adkins, 116 acres
Patton Thompson, Jr., 112 acres
John W. Adams, Jr., 110 acres
Charles Adkins, 110 acres
Obediah Workman, 106 acres
Stephen Lambert, 105 acres
John Goare, 104 acres
Moses Workman and John Workman, 100 acres
James Toney, 95 acres
Francis Browning, 94 acres
Alexander Tombolin, 94 acres
Allen Butcher, 93 acres
Ira Lucas, 93 acres
William P. Blankenship, 92 acres
David Robison, 92 acres
Joseph Gore, 90 acres
Archibald Elkins, 87 ½ acres
Anderson Barker et al, 85 acres
Isaac Fry et al, 85 acres
Paris Vance, 84 acres
William Brumfield, 75 acres
Henry Conley, 75 acres
Squire Toney et al, 75 acres
Andrew Dial et al, 73 acres
Burbus C. Toney et al, 73 acres
Henry Adkins, 70 acres
Isaiah and Charles Adkins, 70 acres
John W. Sartin, 70 acres
Barnabus Carter, 65 acres
Mathias Elkin, 63 acres
Patton Thompson, 62 acres
Samuel Parsons*, 60 acres
Harvey and Andrew Elkin, 55 acres
Meken Vance, 55 acres
Joel Elkins, 50 acres
Jeremiah Farmer, 50 acres
Baptist Fry, 50 acres
William Smith, 50 acres
Thomas P. Spears, 50 acres
Charles Spurlock, 50 acres
Samuel Vannatter et al, 50 acres
Edmund Toney, 46 acres
Sally McComas et al heirs, 45 acres
George Perry, 44 acres
Arnold Perry, Jr., 40 acres
William Thompson, 40 acres
John Workman, 40 acres
Josephus Workman, 40 acres
John Rowe, 38 acres
Melville Childers et al*, 37 acres
John Dalton, 34 acres
Polly Vance and William Vance (son), 33 acres
Garland Conley, Jr., 32 acres
Moses Workman, 26 acres
William Brown, 25 acres
Royal Childers*, 25 acres
Wesley Vance, 25 acres
Richard Vance, Jr., 13 acres
Source: Sims Index to Land Grants in West Virginia (Charleston, WV: State of West Virginia, 1952). Thanks to the West Virginia State Archives at the Cultural Center in Charleston, West Virginia, for use of the book.
16 Wednesday Jul 2014
Posted Big Harts Creek, Big Ugly Creek
inTags
Abijah Workman, Abner Vance, Arnold Perry, Big Ugly Creek, Buck Fork, Burbus Toney, Charles Spurlock, Edmund Toney, Elias Adkins, genealogy, George Spears, Green Shoal, Guy Dingess, Guyandotte River, Harts Creek, Harvey Elkins, Henderson Branch, Henry Conley, history, Hoover Fork, Isaac Adkins, Jacob Stollings, James White Jr., John Fry, John Gore, John H. Brumfield, John Rowe, John Workman, Joseph Adams, Joseph Fry, Joshua Butcher, Kiahs Creek, Levi Collins, Lorenzo Dow Hill, Marsh Fork, Mekin Vance, Moses Brown, Moses Workman, Obediah Workman, Patton Thompson, Peter Dingess, Peter Mullins, Price Lucas, Ralph Lucas, Richard Elkins, Richard Vance, Robert Hensley, Rockhouse Fork, Samuel Lambert, Smokehouse Fork, Squire Toney, Trace Fork, William Dalton, William Wirt Brumfield
Listed below are land grants and early deeds citing the Harts Creek and Big Ugly Creek areas of what was then Logan and Cabell counties, Virginia. The list will be updated and improved periodically.
1812 Squire Toney 100 acres 1 1/2 poles from A.W. grave
1813 Jacob Stollings 185 acres Harts Creek, mouth
1814 Henry Conley N/A Hearts Creek
1815 George Spears 300 acres Guyan River at upper end of William Brumfield’s line
1817 Edmund Toney 40 acres Guyan River near Harts Creek
1819 William Brumfield 75 acres Below Big Ugly on Guyan River
1819 William Brumfield 75 acres Waters Guyandotte
1821 Charles Spurlock N/A mouth of Harts Creek
1824 Jacob Stollings 50 acres N/A
1824 Peter Dingess 170 acres Harts Creek
1827 John Goare N/A Marsh Fork
1828 Elias Adkins N/A Waters Guyandotte
1828 Richard Elkins 18 acres Harts Creek
1828 John Fry N/A Green Shoal Creek
1833 Isaac & Elias Adkins N/A Mouth of Harts Creek from Richard Elkins
1834 Henry Conley N/A Harts Creek
1834 Abner Vance, Jr. N/A Harts Creek
1834 Richard Vance N/A Smokehouse
1835 Isaac Adkins N/A Waters Guyandotte
1835 Moses Brown N/A Guyandotte River
1835 John H. Brumfield N/A Waters Guyandotte
1836 Harvey Elkins N/A Harts Creek
1836 Richard Elkins N/A Harts Creek
1836 Squire Toney N/A Ugly Creek
1837 Richard Vance 25 acres Trace Fork
1838 Joseph Adams 100 acres Mouth Rockhouse Fork from Guy Dingess
1838 John H. Brumfield 255 acres Big Ugly Creek
1838 Ralph Lucas N/A Ugly Creek, Green Shoal
1838 John Rowe 38 acres Ugly Creek
1841 Joseph Adams 30 acres Buck Fork
1841 Moses & John Workman N/A Harts Creek
1842 Joseph Adams N/A Harts Creek
1842 Robert Hensley N/A Smokehouse
1842 Lorenzo Dow Hill N/A Buck Fork of Harts Creek
1842 Peter Mullins 25 acres Harts Creek, from Abijah Workman and Mekin Vance
1842 Burbus Toney N/A Limestone
1843 Joshua Butcher N/A Smokehouse
1843 Price Lucas N/A Harts Creek
1843 James White, Jr. N/A Rockhouse?
1844 Joseph Adams N/A Four Tracts, Harts Creek and Buck Fork
1844 Peter Mullins 50 acres First lower branch of Trace Fork
1844 Meken Vance N/A Harts Creek
1846 John Workman N/A Hoover Fork
1847 William Dalton N/A 2 Tracts, Harts Creek, Kiahs Fork
1847 Samuel Lambert N/A Marsh Fork
1847 Arnold Perry N/A Hoover’s Fork
1847 Obediah Workman N/A Henderson’s Branch
1848 Joseph Fry N/A Ugly Creek
1849 John H. Brumfield N/A Ugly Creek
1849 Levi Collins N/A Ugly Creek
1849 Peter Mullins N/A Harts Creek
1849 Patten Thompson N/A Marsh Fork
08 Saturday Feb 2014
Tags
Al Brumfield, Andrew Elkins, Bill Fowler, Cabell Record, Harts, history, Isaac Adkins, John Dingess, John W Runyon, timbering, Warren, writing
By that time, according to land records, Al Brumfield was the chief businessman in Harts. In 1890, he bought 150 acres of property, including a 100-acre tract from John W. Runyon valued at 188 dollars. (For some reason, deed records imply that Hollena bought it from John Dingess and not Runyon for $525 on August 7, 1891.) The following year, he bought 272 acres on Frances Creek, probably for timbering, and improved the value of a building on his land to 200 dollars (likely a home, store or sawmill). In 1892, his recently widowed mother deeded him 100 acres on Guyan River. That same year, he bought 50 acres on Fourteen Mile Creek (presumably for timbering) and improved the value of his building to 500 dollars. In June, he acquired the old 330-acre Toney farm at the mouth of Harts Creek. He bought out all of the heirs (including his mother), then paid Bill Fowler and Isaac Adkins $1550. Thereafter, he spent three years building that beautiful white home I saw on my first trip to Harts with Lawrence Haley in 1991.
By the early 1890s, the local timber industry was in full swing. “Considerable poplar timber has been cut out of Lincoln county for the last twenty years, and all the walnut that ever was, but there still remain magnificent tracts of tens of thousands of acres of timber which have never been touched by the woodman’s axe,” according to The Mountain State: A Description of the Natural Resources of West Virginia (1893). “Fully one-half the county is yet covered with magnificent oak forests, and the greater portion of this with poplar also. There is also much ash, beech, some chestnut, a little pine, and some other timber, all of which may be easily gotten to market by means of the Guyandotte. Little timber has ever been sawed at home, it being cheaper to float the logs out and saw them closer to market. Even staves are taken out in this way, not being sawed or split till they have reached a railroad point. The northern portion of the county has been cleared and settled to a greater extent than the southern [Harts], where the greater part of the timber that is still standing is to be found.”
Cashing in on the timber boom was Al Brumfield. In the mid-1890s, however, Brumfield and his capitalistic ventures suffered a minor setback: at that time, the traditional post offices were discontinued and relocated in the backcountry away from the Guyandotte River. (Harts was discontinued in 1891 and Warren in 1894.) For a brief time, Harts residents were left with a Fourteen address, named after nearby Fourteen Mile Creek. Andrew Elkins, an old Confederate veteran, served as postmaster there from 1880 until 1898. But there was hope for Brumfield and Harts: there was talk of a railroad coming to the Guyandotte Valley, scheduled to pass smack dab through town, connecting Logan County with Cabell County towns near the Ohio River.
By 1899, Brumfield owned nine tracts of land totaling 714.5 acres worth $2,774. On his property were three buildings valued at $150, $150 and $750 — all of these figures not including the money he was making from his log boom, store, saloon, ferry, gristmill, and orchard. The next year, in 1900, he re-established the Harts Post Office and, within a few years, the local economy shifted back to the banks of the Guyan. It was a prosperous time: timber was in its hey-day and the railroad was on its way. “Allen, son of the late Paris Brumfield, who has a big lot of property at and near the mouth of Hart’s creek, says times have been good,” according to The Cabell Record of July 26, 1900. “He has a pretty home and one of the finest store-houses along the river.” Later in October, The Record reported: “Times were never in better shape along the river. Timbermen are active and saw mills are busy. The farmers are doing well, and the new railroad is giving employment to many.”
06 Thursday Feb 2014
Posted Culture of Honor, Ed Haley, Lincoln County Feud
inTags
Aaron Adkins, Al Brumfield, Bill Abbott, Bill Adkins, Bill Fowler, Billy Adkins, Brandon Kirk, Cain Adkins, crime, Fed Adkins, feud, Green McCoy, Harts Creek, history, Isaac Adkins, John W Runyon, Mac Adkins, Milt Haley, Paris Brumfield, Ras Fowler, West Virginia, Will Adkins, writing
In the months following my trip to Harts, Brandon finished his undergraduate work at college and moved into a three-room house at Ferrellsburg. He spent his mornings and afternoons teaching in the local schools and his evenings hanging out with Billy Adkins. One night, he interviewed Billy’s father, Bill, Sr. — that colorful old fiddler laid up with Alzheimer’s. As Billy asked his father questions, Brandon crouched in the doorway prepared to write down his answers. At first they weren’t even sure if Bill was awake. Then, his eyes still closed, he began to tell a little bit of what he knew about the Brumfields and their 1889 troubles.
Al Brumfield, Bill said, put in a four-log-wide boom at the mouth of Harts Creek and charged a tax on all logs passing through it. John Runyon arrived on the scene just as Brumfield was making a small fortune and put in a rival business. “John Runyon was against the Brumfields,” Bill said. He bought twelve Winchester rifles and armed several men to protect his property, then hired Milt Haley and Green McCoy to kill Brumfield. In the ambush, Al was shot in the arm and his wife was shot in the mouth. Haley and McCoy immediately left the area but were soon caught on Tug Fork and jailed in Kentucky. A Brumfield posse got the necessary legal papers and brought the two back to Harts through the Twelve Pole Creek region.
They were on their way down Harts Creek when a spy warned them of an ambush organized by “old man Cain Adkins” at the mouth of Big Branch. Thereafter, the Brumfields went over a mountain to the Guyandotte River and crossed it in boats. They took Haley and McCoy to an old log house later owned by Tucker Fry where they were killed by a mob that included Bill’s uncles Will Adkins and Mac Adkins.
Bill said his uncle Will Adkins died just after the Haley-McCoy killings on November 23, 1889.
“He got drowned in the backwater over here,” he said. “They had a boom across the creek four logs wide. He fell off in the backwater there and drowned hisself. I think Dad was the cause of it. Him and old Bill Abbott was in a row with each other. Uncle Will come along and heard them. He started across there to see what was wrong, to help Dad out if he needed any help. Of course, he fell in that water and drowned himself. He’s buried up on the hill at Ferrellsburg. Old Bill Fowler bought his tombstone. Boy, she’s a big’n. I bet it cost him right smart of money. Uncle Will was named after old Bill Fowler. He was kin through marriage. He married Granddad Aaron’s sister.”
Bill said John Runyon’s attack on Brumfield was one of several violent attempts to secure the property at the mouth of Harts Creek. A little later, Paris Brumfield feuded with Bill Fowler, a local merchant, miller, farmer, and a saloon operator. Fowler was a highly successful businessman; unfortunately, he built his interests on land that Brumfield desperately wanted. Finally, presumably after some trouble, the Brumfields “burned Bill Fowler out”. Bill’s father, Fed Adkins, said he stood at the riverbank watching barrels of alcohol explode straight into the sky as Fowler’s store and saloon burned away.
“The whiskey run into the river,” one Fowler descendant later told Brandon. “They said he had big costly horses and it burned them, too.”
In 1890, after intense pressure from the Brumfields, Fowler sold his property at the mouth of Harts Creek (two tracts of land totaling 165 five acres on the west side of the river) to Isaac Adkins. One tract, according to land records at the Lincoln County Courthouse, was 75 acres and worth six dollars per acre, while the other was 90 acres worth four dollars per acre. Fowler left Harts and settled at Central City in present-day Huntington. Al Brumfield, meanwhile, acquired the Fowler property and employed Ras Fowler, a son of Bill, to work his store. The younger Fowler was a schoolteacher and postmaster. Actually, he was postmaster at the time of the Haley-McCoy trouble.
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