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Brandon Ray Kirk

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Brandon Ray Kirk

Tag Archives: Laurel Hill District

Lincoln County, WV (1928)

07 Wednesday Dec 2022

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in Boone County, Guyandotte River, Hamlin

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Abraham Lincoln, Appalachia, Boone County, Cabell County, Carroll District, Duval District, Guyandotte River, Hamlin, Hamlin Chapel, Harts Creek District, history, Jefferson District, Kanawha County, Laurel Hill District, Lincoln County, Logan County, Mud River, Putnam County, Sheridan District, Union District, Washington District, West Virginia

From West Virginians, published by the West Virginia Biographical Association in 1928, comes this profile of the Logan-Boone Highway in southwestern West Virginia:

Lincoln County

Lincoln County occupies a place in the southwestern section of the State, and is one of the few counties created by the State of which it is a component part. The organization of the county was authorized by an act of the legislature passed February 23, 1867, from a part of the counties of Cabell, Putnam, Kanawha and Boone. The formal organization of the county government was made on March 11, following, at the Hamlin Chapel, a short distance away from the present seat of justice. Lincoln county is drained by the Guyandotte and Mud rivers, and has a land area of 448.76 square miles. The population in 1920, according to the official enumeration of the United States Census Bureau, was 19,378. Later estimates from the same sources do not increase the figures. The county has a great diversity of natural resources, coal, oil and gas predominating. It also has large agricultural interests, and its horticultural products are of no inconsiderable value. The assessed valuation of property within the county, as returned at the 1927 assessment, is as follows: Real estate, $7,000,460; personal property, $3,666,350; public utility property, $8,751,297; total $19,418,107. The county is sub-divided into eight magisterial districts, Carrol, Duval, Harts Creek, Jefferson, Laurel Hill, Sheridan, Union and Washington. There are but few who are not familiar with the life story of the man whose name is borne by this country—the martyred Abraham Lincoln, rail-splitter, country lawyer and sixteenth President of the United States. No towering shaft; no swiftly flowing stream; no sub-division of this land of ours, welded into one by his work and sacrifice, is needed to keep his memory green. His name is so emblazoned on the pages of American history that it will remain bright, shining and untarnished long after letters engraved upon granite rocks are dimmed and dulled by the rust and erosion of the years as they come and go. Lincoln—homely in feature and tall in stature—grows with the years and honors are paid him and his memory that are accorded no other, save only Washington, the founder. Hamlin, the county seat, is named in memory and honor of Hannibal Hamlin, of Maine, Vice President of the United States during the first administration of Abraham Lincoln. The site was selected as a proper place for the county seat at the organization of the county, and was made the permanent county seat by legislative enactment of February 26, 1869. Hamlin has an elevation of 642 feet above sea level, and in 1920 had a population of 516. It is the only incorporated place in the county.”

NOTE: Hamlin is NOT named for Hannibal Hamlin!

NOTE: By 1869, all land was returned to Putnam and additional land was taken from Logan County.

Richard and Spencer Adkins Deed to Sarah Adkins (1892)

13 Friday Dec 2019

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in Fourteen, Ranger

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Appalachia, county clerk, David F. Smith, Eliza Adkins, F.M. Johnson, Fourteen Mile Creek, genealogy, H.C. Adkins, history, justice of the peace, Laurel Hill District, Lewis Adkins, Lincoln County, Olive F. Adkins, Richard Adkins, Sarah Adkins, Spencer Adkins, West Virginia

Richard Adkins to Sarah Adkins 1

Deed Book __, page __, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV.

Richard Adkins to Sarah Adkins 2

Deed Book __, page __, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV.

Henry C. Sias Deed to Isaac F. Nelson (1909)

22 Saturday Sep 2018

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in Fourteen, Wewanta

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A.F. Morris, Appalachia, Charlie Lambert, Elisha Plumley, Fourteen, Fourteen Mile Creek, genealogy, Georgia Cheuvront, Hamlin, Henry C. Sias, history, Isaac F. Nelson, John W. Nelson, Laurel Hill District, Lincoln County, Louisa Collins, Martha Sias, notary public, Rufus Pack, Steer Fork, Vicie B. Sias, West Virginia

Henry C. Sias to Isaac Nelson 1

Deed Book ___, page ___, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV.

Henry C. Sias to Isaac Nelson 3

Deed Book ___, page ___, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV.

Henry C. Sias to Isaac Nelson 4

Deed Book ___, page ___, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV.

A.F. Morris and E.W. Holley Deed to John P. Frye (1900)

09 Sunday Sep 2018

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in Fourteen, Wewanta

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A.F. Morris, Appalachia, Big Branch, Caleb Headley, E.W. Holley, Fourteen Mile Creek, genealogy, George Hager, history, James Wilson Sias, Jeremiah Sias, John P. Frye, Laurel Hill District, Lincoln County, Louisa Sias, Steer Fork, Sulphur Spring Fork, T.M. Smith, West Virginia

Morris and Holley to John P. Fry 1

Deed Book ___, page ___, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV. John P. Frye is my great-great-grandfather.

Morris and Holley to John P. Fry 2

Deed Book ___, page ___, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV.

Morris and Holley to John P. Fry 3

Deed Book ___, page ___, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV.

J.I. Kuhn Deed to Climena Lucas et al. (1880)

27 Monday Nov 2017

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in Fourteen, Wewanta

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A.A. Low, Allum Branch, Ambrose C. Kingsland Jr., Appalachia, Cain Lucas, Caroline Lucas, Climena Lucas, Fourteen Mile Creek, genealogy, George Hager, history, James I. Kuhn, James Renwick, Jefferson Lucas, John A. Aspinwall, John Minturn, Laurel Hill District, Lincoln County, Lloyd Aspinwall, Minerva Lucas, New York, Samuel Parsons, Sulphur Spring Fork, West Virginia, William H. Aspinwall, William Johnson

J.I. Kuhn to Climenia Lucas DB53 p288 LiC 1

Deed Book 53, page 288, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV.

J.I. Kuhn to Climenia Lucas DB53 p288 LiC 2

Deed Book 53, page 289, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV.

Rev. Eliphus Spurlock

05 Friday May 2017

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in Hamlin

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8th West Virginia Infantry, Appalachia, Battle of Boone, Battle of Rocky Gap, Boone County, Cabell County, Charles Spurlock, civil war, Dicie Spurlock, Elijah Elkins, Eliphus Spurlock, farming, genealogy, Hamlin, Henry H. Hardesty, history, Laurel Hill District, Lena Spurlock, Lincoln County, Logan County, Martha Elkins, Martha Spurlock, Methodist, overseer of the poor, Pattison Spurlock, preacher, road surveyor, Selpha Spurlock, Stephen Spurlock, Union Army, West Virginia

From “Hardesty’s History of Lincoln County, West Virginia,” published by H.H. Hardesty, we find this entry for Rev. Eliphus Spurlock, who resided in Laurel Hill District in Lincoln County, West Virginia:

Is a son of Charles and Lena (Hager) Spurlock, who came to Lincoln county in 1798. He was born in Cabell county, May 11, 1824, and in Boone county, (now) West Virginia, in 1853, he was joined in marriage with Selpha, daughter of Elijah and Martha (Elkins) Elkins, residents of Boone county. She was born in Logan county, (now) West Virginia, in 1834, and is the mother of three children living in Lincoln county, and one dead: Martha, born February 14, 1857; Dicie, September 17, 1859; Stephen, April 30, 1862; Pattison, May 8, 1864, died November 29, 1866. Mr. Spurlock enlisted in the war between the States in September, 1861, serving in the Federal army, in the 8th West Virginia Infantry, and was in the battles at Boone, Scary, Maryland and Rocky Gap. Eliphus Spurlock came to Lincoln county in 1851, and in 1868 he was overseer of the poor in this county, as well as road surveyor. He is an ordained Methodist minister, and was on the Hamlin circuit one year, in 1866, as a supply, but has since been a local Preacher. Beside ministering the gospel, Mr. Spurlock is engaged in farming in Laurel Hill district, owning 60 acres of land, upon which there is a good orchard of apple, peach, and pear trees, and a part of the land is timbered with oak and chestnut. He may be addressed at Hamlin, Lincoln county, West Virginia.

Source: The West Virginia Encyclopedia, Vol. 7 (Richwood, WV: Jim Comstock, 1974), p. 141-142.

Hugh C. Adkins

30 Sunday Apr 2017

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in Fourteen, Ranger

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Albert W. Adkins, Appalachia, Ballard Smith, farming, Fourteen, Fourteen Mile Creek, genealogy, George T. Adkins, Guyandotte River, Henry H. Hardesty, history, Hugh C. Adkins, Laurel Hill District, Lewis B. Adkins, Lincoln County, Riland Adkins, Sarah M. Adkins, Sina Smith, timbering, West Virginia

From “Hardesty’s History of Lincoln County, West Virginia,” published by H.H. Hardesty, we find this entry for Hugh C. Adkins, who resided at Fourteen in Lincoln County, West Virginia:

Is one of the farming population in Laurel Hill district, Lincoln county, owning 50 acres of good land on Guyan river, at the mouth of Fourteen. The land has good improvements and a part of it timbered with poplar, pine, and oak. Mr. Adkins was born in Lincoln county, April 17, 1853, and his parents’ history follows this. Sarah M., daughter of Ballard and Sina (Myers) Smith, was born in Lincoln county, January 20, 1852, and in this same county, in 1873, she became the wife of H.C. Adkins. The children of the union are: Riland, born November 24, 1873; Albert W., January 25, 1878; George T., October 3, 1880; Lewis B., August 11, 1883. Mr. Adkins is a very industrious man, and is prospering in his farming. He may be addressed at Fourteen, Lincoln county, West Virginia.

Source: The West Virginia Encyclopedia, Vol. 7 (Richwood, WV: Jim Comstock, 1974), p. 138-139.

Albert M. Adkins

27 Thursday Apr 2017

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in Civil War, Fourteen, Ranger

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Albert M. Adkins, Appalachia, civil war, coal, Confederate Army, Cosby J. Adkins, Fourteen, Fourteen Mile Creek, genealogy, Henry H. Hardesty, history, Jeremiah Lambert, Laurel Hill District, Lewis Adkins, Lincoln County, Melcina Adkins, Sarah Lambert, Tazewell County, timbering, Virginia, West Virginia

From “Hardesty’s History of Lincoln County, West Virginia,” published by H.H. Hardesty, we find this entry for Albert M. Adkins, who resided at Fourteen in Lincoln County, West Virginia:

At the age of eighteen, enlisted in the late war, in 1862, and bravely did he fight for Virginia and her rights. He served in the Confederate army, was taken prisoner and held ten months. Mr. Adkins was born in what is now Lincoln county, West Virginia, August 27, 1844. His parents are Lewis and Melcina (Hunter) Adkins. In Lincoln county in 1868, Albert M. Adkins wedded Cosby J. Lambert, who was born in Tazewell county, Virginia, in 1843, and whose parents, Jeremiah and Sarah (Hedrick) Lambert, settled in Lincoln county in 1856. A.M. Adkins is one of the farming population in Laurel Hill district, dealing to some extent in lumber, and is the possessor of 400 acres of land, situated on Fourteen-mile creek. A portion of the land is cultivated, and the rest is heavily timbered with oak, poplar, pine, and walnut, and coal and iron ore are found in abundance. Any mail for Albert M. Adkins may be addressed to Fourteen, Lincoln county, West Virginia.

Source: The West Virginia Encyclopedia, Vol. 7 (Richwood, WV: Jim Comstock, 1974), p. 138.

Harts Creek District (c.1883)

08 Saturday Apr 2017

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in Big Harts Creek, Big Ugly Creek, Fourteen, Green Shoal, Guyandotte River, Harts, Leet, Little Harts Creek, Timber, Warren, Wewanta

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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.

Evermont Adkins

28 Tuesday Mar 2017

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in Civil War, Fourteen, Ranger

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2nd Virginia Regiment, Appalachia, Catherine Drake, civil war, Confederate Army, Elizabeth Hester Adkins, Emma J. Adkins, farming, Fourteen, Fourteen Mile Creek, genealogy, Guyandotte River, Henderson Drake, Henry H. Hardesty, history, Laurel Hill District, Lewis Adkins, Lincoln County, Mary E. Adkins, Melcina Adkins, Paulina F. Adkins, school trustee, Wayne County, West Virginia, William H. Adkins

From “Hardesty’s History of Lincoln County, West Virginia,” published by H.H. Hardesty, we find this entry for Evermont Adkins, who resided at Fourteen in Lincoln County, West Virginia:

Is a son of Lewis and Melcina (Hunter) Adkins, whose personal history follows this. He is a native of Wayne county, West Virginia, born February 1, 1839, and he came to Lincoln county in 1844. Evermont Adkins was united in wedlock in Lincoln county, in 1865, with Elizabeth Hester Drake, and to them four children have been born, namely: Mary E., October 21, 1866; Paulina F., February 24, 1869; William H., April 10, 1871; Emma J., June 29, 1882. Mrs. Adkins was born in Lincoln county January 2, 1848, and her parents, Henderson and Catherine (Lucas) Drake, are both deceased. Mr. Adkins enlisted in the War Between the States in 1862, serving two years in the 2nd Virginia Regiment, Confederate army. He is, at present, a prosperous farmer in Laurel Hill district, owning 767 acres of farming land, a part of which is situated on Fourteen Mile creek, and a part on Guyan river. The land is well timbered, and has upon it a young apple and peach orchard. Evermont Adkins is school trustee in Laurel Hill district, and receives his mail at Fourteen, Lincoln county, West Virginia.

Source: The West Virginia Encyclopedia, Vol. 7 (Richwood, WV: Jim Comstock, 1974), p. 138.

Lewis Adkins

27 Monday Mar 2017

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in Fourteen, Ranger

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Albert M. Adkins, Anderville Adkins, Appalachia, Cabell County, Emily Adkins, Emmazetta Adkins, Evermont Adkins, Fourteen, genealogy, Hansford Adkins, Henry H. Hardesty, history, Hugh C. Adkins, Jacob Adkins, John H. Brumfield, Laurel Hill District, Lewis Adkins, Lincoln County, Melcina Adkins, Paris Brumfield, Pheobe Adkins, Rachel Brumfield, Ranger, Richard Adkins, Sampson Adkins, Spencer Adkins, Wayne County, West Virginia

From “Hardesty’s History of Lincoln County, West Virginia,” published by H.H. Hardesty, we find this entry for Lewis Adkins, who resided at Fourteen in Lincoln County, West Virginia:

Was born in Wayne county, (then) Virginia, in 1814, and in 1841 came to what is now Lincoln county. Jacob and Pheobe (Bradshaw) Adkins were his parents, both now deceased. Lewis Adkins has been twice married; his first wife, Melcina Hunter, died, leaving eight children, born as follows: Evermont, February 1, 1839; Anderville, February 28, 1842; Albert M., August 27, 1844; Hansford, October 27, 1847; Emily, August 1850, died in 1866; Hugh C., April 17, 1853; Spencer, May 17, 1856; Richard, May 26, 1861. In Cabell county, in 1866, Mr. Adkins was again united in wedlock, with Emma Brumfield, and to them one child was born: Sampson, December 27, 1866. Mrs. Adkins was born in this county, in 1824, the year in which her parents, John and Rachel (Haskins) Brumfield, settled here. Mr. Adkins is one of the farming population of Laurel Hill district, and any mail for him may be addressed to Fourteen, Lincoln county, West Virginia.

Source: The West Virginia Encyclopedia, Vol. 7 (Richwood, WV: Jim Comstock, 1974), p. 139.

NOTE: Emmazetta (Brumfield) Adkins was a sister to my ancestor, Paris Brumfield.

Alderson B. Rutherford

01 Sunday Mar 2015

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in Fourteen, Ranger

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Alderson B. Rutherford, culture, genealogy, history, Laurel Hill District, life, Lincoln County, photos, West Virginia

Alderson B. Rutherford, resident of Laurel Hill District, Lincoln County, WV

Alderson B. Rutherford (born c.1880), resident of Laurel Hill District, Lincoln County, WV

Fourteen Mile Creek Post Offices

01 Sunday Mar 2015

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in Fourteen, Wewanta

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Albert M. Adkins, Albert Neace, Alexander C. Collins, Alta M. Farley, Andrew Elkins, Earl McCoy, Elihu D. Burdett, Fourteen Post Office, genealogy, Henry H. Sias, history, James Wilson Sias, Laurel Hill District, Lincoln County, postmaster, Ranger, Rayburn Adkins, Tice Elkins, Vinson Ramey, West Virginia, Wewanta Post Office, William A. Sias, Winfield S. Enochs

Fourteen Mile Creek, located in Harts Creek District and Laurel Hill District of Lincoln County, West Virginia, has hosted two post offices: Fourteen (1877-1933) and Wewanta (1903-1947). Today, no post office exists on Fourteen Mile Creek. I descend from several of these postmasters.

Fourteen Post Office (1877-1933)

Albert M. Adkins: 10 January 1877 – 27 April 1880

Andrew Elkins: 27 April 1880 – 22 June 1898

William A. Sias: 22 June 1898 – 26 July 1898

James W. Sias: 26 July 1898 – 6 July 1905

Tice Elkins: 2 January 1907 – 6 February 1907

Albert Neace: 6 February 1907 – 19 August 1916

Henry H. Sias: 19 August 1916 – 15 October 1918

Post office discontinued: 30 September 1918, effective 15 October 1918, mail to Wewanta

Alta M. Farley: 14 April 1926 – 30 December 1933

Post office discontinued: 9 December 1933, effective 30 December 1933, mail to Ranger

Wewanta Post Office (1903-1947)

Alexander C. Collins: 6 May 1903 – 30 September 1903

Elihu D. Burdett: 30 September 1903 – 4 May 1904

Winfield S. Enochs: 4 May 1904 – 14 February 1921

Rayburn Adkins: 14 February 1921 – 23 February 1923

Earl McCoy: 23 February 1923 – 18 November 1924

A. Vinson Ramey: 18 November 1924 (9 December 1924, assumed charge) – 15 September 1947

Post office discontinued: 3 September 1947, effective 15 September 1947, mail to Ranger

Source: U.S. Appointments of Postmasters, 1832-1971, maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration.

1910 Election Officers in Lincoln County, West Virginia

11 Friday Apr 2014

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in Big Ugly Creek, Harts

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A.E. Waggoner, Aaron Adkins, Albert O'Daniel, Andrew J. Lucas, Ballard Payne, Charley B. Brumfield, E.W. Scites, election, Eli Cremeans, Gilbert Topping, Harts Creek District, Harvey Farley, history, John Fry, Laurel Hill District, Lee Adkins, Lewis Thompson, Lincoln County, Lincoln County Court, Lincoln Republican, Matthew Farley, Millard F. Adkins, O.F. Smith, politics, W.L. Smith, Walter Spurlock, Ward Brumfield, Ward Lucas, West Virginia

According to the October 13, 1910 edition of the Lincoln Republican, the Lincoln County Court appointed the following election officers for 1910 in Harts Creek District, Lincoln County, WV:

Precinct 1

Ward Brumfield, Lewis Thompson, and M.C. Farley, commissioners

Aaron Adkins and Gilbert Toppings, challengers

Precinct 2

A.E. Wagoner, Ward Lucas, and Eli Cremeans, commissioners

John Fry and Charles B. Brumfield, challengers

The election officers for adjacent Laurel Hill District were:

Precinct 1

Millard F. Adkins, Ballard Payne, and E.W. Scites, commissioners

Albert O’Daniel and Walter Spurlock, challengers

Precinct 2

O.F. Smith, Andrew J. Lucas, and Harvey Farley, commissioners

Lee Adkins and W.L. Smith, challengers

George W. Ferrell 1

25 Friday Oct 2013

Posted by Brandon Ray Kirk in Big Ugly Creek, Ferrellsburg, Music

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Archibald Harrison, Arena Ferrell, Big Ugly Creek, C&O Railroad, Cleme Harrison, Daniel Fry, Don McCann, Ferrellsburg, genealogy, George W. Ferrell, Guy Harrison, Guyandotte River, Guyandotte Valley, Harold Ray Smith, Harts Creek District, history, Keenan Ferrell, Laurel Hill District, Lincoln County, Logan County, Martha E. Harrison, Martha Harrison, music, Nancy Fry, Nine Mile Creek, Phernatt's Creek, Tazewell County, Virginia, writing

Around the turn of the century, in the years just prior to the arrival of the C&O Railroad in the Guyandotte Valley, George W. Ferrell, a musician in present-day Ferrellsburg, busily wrote songs about local personalities and events. Today, Ferrell’s solitary grave is marked with an ornate tombstone that sits at the edge of what was, until recent years, a garden.

George W. Ferrell was born on October 10, 1874 to Archibald B. and Martha E. (Fry) Harrison. Archibald was the son of Guy P. and Cleme (Harmon) Harrison of Tazewell County, Virginia. Mary was the daughter of Daniel H. and Nancy P. (Bailey) Fry of Logan County. Ferrell’s birthplace is not known because, soon after his parents married in 1865, they left the area, settling at first in Kentucky and then elsewhere.

In 1878, George, then four years old, returned to Lincoln County with his parents. In 1880, his family lived near the mouth of Big Ugly Creek or at the “Bend,” just across the Guyandotte River. Shortly thereafter, they made their home at Phernatt’s Creek, further downriver in Laurel Hill District.

By 1889, Ferrell’s father — who was perhaps recently divorced from his mother — had sold all of the family property in Harts Creek District and at Phernatt’s Creek and relocated to Nine Mile Creek.

Details concerning Ferrell’s early life remain elusive. It is not known who influenced him musically or when he even started writing or playing music. There is no indication of his father or mother being musicians but his mother’s first husband, Jupiter Fry, was a well-known fiddler on Big Ugly. Some of his first songs may have been inspired by his father’s stories of the Civil War.

At some point in his young life, and for reasons unknown, Ferrell was adopted by Keenan and Arena Ferrell, a childless couple at Ferrellsburg in Lincoln County.

“I heard he was just a big old boy when the Ferrells took him in,” said Don McCann, current owner of the property surrounding Ferrell’s grave. “They didn’t have any children of their own.”

In the 1900 Lincoln County Census, Ferrell was listed as their 25-year-old adopted son. More than likely, he was assisting the Ferrells in the operation of their store and business interests.

It is easy to see how Ferrell would have become acquainted with his future foster parents.

“His father worked a lot of timber around Big Ugly or Green Shoal,” said Harold R. Smith, Lincoln County genealogist and historian. “And that would have put him in close contact with the Ferrells at Ferrellsburg.”

But why was he not living with his mother (wherever she was), who died in 1901, or his maternal grandmother, who was alive on Big Ugly? And what was his connection to the Ferrells?

Feud Poll 1

If you had lived in the Harts Creek community during the 1880s, to which faction of feudists might you have given your loyalty?

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Feud Poll 2

Do you think Milt Haley and Green McCoy committed the ambush on Al and Hollene Brumfield in 1889?

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  • Logan (WV) Banner News Article
  • Lunch With Books
  • Our Overmountain Men: The Revolutionary War in Western Virginia (1775-1783)
  • Pinterest
  • Scarborough Society's Art and Lecture Series
  • Smithsonian Article
  • Spirit of Jefferson News Article
  • The Friendly Neighbor Radio Show 1
  • The Friendly Neighbor Radio Show 2
  • The Friendly Neighbor Radio Show 3
  • The Friendly Neighbor Radio Show 4
  • The New Yorker
  • The State Journal's 55 Good Things About WV
  • tumblr.
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  • Website
  • Weirton (WV) Daily Times Article
  • Wheeling (WV) Intelligencer News Article 1
  • Wheeling (WV) Intelligencer News Article 2
  • WOWK TV
  • Writers Can Read Open Mic Night

Feud Poll 3

Who do you think organized the ambush of Al and Hollene Brumfield in 1889?

Recent Posts

  • Sheriff Joe D. Hatfield, Son of Devil Anse (1962)
  • The C&O Shops at Peach Creek, WV (1974)
  • Map: Southwestern West Virginia (1918-1919)

Ed Haley Poll 1

What do you think caused Ed Haley to lose his sight when he was three years old?

Top Posts & Pages

  • Sheriff Joe D. Hatfield, Son of Devil Anse (1962)
  • Jack Dempsey’s Broadway Restaurant Location in New York City (2019)
  • Anse Hatfield Letter to Perry Cline (1886)
  • Levisa Hatfield (1927-1929)
  • Anthony Lawson founds Lawsonville

Copyright

© Brandon Ray Kirk and brandonraykirk.wordpress.com, 1987-2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Brandon Ray Kirk and brandonraykirk.wordpress.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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Tags

Appalachia Ashland Big Creek Big Ugly Creek Blood in West Virginia Brandon Kirk Cabell County cemeteries Chapmanville Charleston civil war coal Confederate Army crime culture Ed Haley Ella Haley Ferrellsburg feud fiddler fiddling genealogy Green McCoy Guyandotte River Harts Harts Creek Hatfield-McCoy Feud history Huntington John Hartford Kentucky Lawrence Haley life Lincoln County Lincoln County Feud Logan Logan Banner Logan County Milt Haley Mingo County music Ohio photos timbering U.S. South Virginia Wayne County West Virginia Whirlwind writing

Blogs I Follow

  • OtterTales
  • Our Appalachia: A Blog Created by Students of Southern West Virginia CTC
  • Piedmont Trails
  • Truman Capote
  • Appalachian Diaspora

BLOOD IN WEST VIRGINIA is now available for order at Amazon!

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OtterTales

Writings from my travels and experiences. High and fine literature is wine, and mine is only water; but everybody likes water. Mark Twain

Our Appalachia: A Blog Created by Students of Southern West Virginia CTC

This site is dedicated to the collection, preservation, and promotion of history and culture in Appalachia.

Piedmont Trails

Genealogy and History in North Carolina and Beyond

Truman Capote

A site about one of the most beautiful, interesting, tallented, outrageous and colorful personalities of the 20th Century

Appalachian Diaspora

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