Anthony Lawson Survey (1849)
16 Tuesday Feb 2021
Posted Atenville, Guyandotte River, Little Harts Creek
in16 Tuesday Feb 2021
Posted Atenville, Guyandotte River, Little Harts Creek
in02 Saturday Jan 2021
Posted Atenville, Guyandotte River, Little Harts Creek
in28 Monday Dec 2020
Posted Guyandotte River, Little Harts Creek
in27 Tuesday Aug 2019
Posted Atenville, Fourteen, Guyandotte River, Little Harts Creek, Twelve Pole Creek
inTags
Appalachia, Charles Adkins, Charles Lattin, Elizabeth Adkins, Enos Adkins, Evaline Adkins, Fourteen Mile Creek, genealogy, George W. Adkins, Guyandotte River, Harmon Stroud, Henry Adkins, Henry H. Adkins, history, Isaac Nelson, Jacob K. Adkins, Laurel Fork, Lewis Adkins, Lincoln County, Little Harts Creek, Mary Louisa Adkins, notary public, Price Lucas, Reece W. Elkins, Sand Island Branch, Spencer Adkins, Sulphur Spring Fork, Trough Fork, Twelve Pole Creek, West Virginia
Deed Book 59, page 269, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV. Henry Adkins (c.1811-c.1873) was the son of Isaac and Elizabeth (Adkins) Adkins.
Deed Book 59, page 270, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV.
07 Thursday Feb 2019
Tags
Appalachia, Boone County, Crawley Creek, Dick Johnson, Elizabeth Hart, Fred B. Lambert, genealogy, Harts Creek, Henderson Dingess, Henry Clay Ragland, history, Jacob Stollings, James Hart, John Baker, Lincoln County, Little Harts Creek, Logan Banner, Logan County, Logan County Banner, Mud River, Native Americans, Roane County, Smokehouse Fork, Stephen Hart, West Virginia
From the Logan County Banner of Logan, WV, comes this bit of history written by amateur historian Henry Clay Ragland relating to Stephen Hart and the naming of Harts Creek in Lincoln and Logan counties, West Virginia, dated 1896:
Logan County (WV) Banner, 8 April 1896.
***
On 13 April 1937, the Logan Banner printed another story about Hart and his relationship to Harts Creek. This latter story was generally derived from Ragland’s 1896 history.
Harts Creek Named After Stephen Hart—A Wanderer And Famous Deer Hunter
Much has been told about Harts Creek in late years, but little is known about the first settler who built his home in the long hollow and gave it a name.
Stephen Hart built a cabin on the farm which Henderson Dingess later owned at the forks of Hart’s Creek. He cared nothing for the soil, but spent his time hunting deer and curing the meat. He didn’t stay long in one place.
Near his cabin he built a house in which to store his cured venison between his infrequent trips to the settlements down the river and was altogether self-sufficient. His neighbors knew little about the man. There is no record of a family reared by him and he told neighbors little of his past history.
His was a roaming nature. He, like the Arabs, pitched his tent where the water was clearest, the game gamest, and the soil most fertile.
To commemorate his short stay at the forks of Harts, neighbors named the creek for him after he had loaded his gun, food stores and skins on a pack mule, and started west.
His few friends heard no more about him, but they remembered him as a “quiet man, a good shot, and a good neighbor.”
Just “around the bend and over the ridge,” Jacob Stollings, John Baker, and Dick Johnson brought their families and built their homes. From descendants of this family comes much of the record of Stephen Hart who gave the creek a name.
Hart’s venison was known for miles around as the tenderest, the most delicately cured meat in the Hart’s section and Stollings, Baker, and Johnson always put in a small supply of Hart’s meat for the winter, sometimes to take an unusually large supply off the hunter’s hands but most times just because they liked the venison.
John Baker married a daughter of Jacob Stollings, and Dick Johnson married a sister of Baker’s. Both men reared large families whose names are familiar in the county’s history.
But Hart left only the name of his beloved deer hunting grounds as a reminder that he had first set foot on Hart’s Creek.
MY NOTE: Of importance, much confusion remains regarding the source for the naming of Harts Creek, essentially relating to the fact that Stephen Hart was born too late to have inspired the naming of the stream. I first attempted to unravel this story when I published a profile of Stephen Hart in a Lincoln County newspaper in 1995/6. Stephen Hart, son of James and Elizabeth Hart, was born c.1810 in North Carolina; Harts Creek appears on a map printed prior to 1824 (Hart was still quite young). In the early 1900s, amateur historian Fred B. Lambert noted that Hart’s father had been killed by Native Americans at the mouth of present-day Little Harts Creek (according to a Hart descendant). Possibly it is Mr. Hart’s father who inspired the naming of the local stream. Problematic to this possibility is the fact that, based on Stephen Hart’s estimated year of birth, his father would have been killed in 1809-1811, which is about fifteen to twenty years too late for an Indian attack in the Guyandotte Valley. Stephen Hart did settle locally. He may well have squatted on Harts Creek land, as Ragland reported in 1896. Based on documentary evidence, he acquired 50 acres on Crawley Creek in 1839. He appears in the 1840 Logan County Census and the 1850 Boone County Census. By 1860, he had settled in Roane County, where he died in 1896–the same year that Ragland published his history. He also left plenty of local descendants in the Mud River section of Lincoln County. How did Ragland garble this section of his history so badly? For those who wish to avoid sorting out this confusing tale, consider this version: at least one early account states the creek was named “hart” due to the prevalence of stags in its vicinity.
21 Tuesday Aug 2018
Tags
A.L. Smith, Aaron Adkins, Allison Ferrell, Arisba Ferrell, Big Branch, Big Ugly Creek, Bill Duty, Blucher Lucas, Broad Branch, Climena Lucas, Elizabeth Adkins, Ellen Adkins, Evermont Ward Fry, Fourteen Mile Creek, genealogy, George W. Hill, Gilbert Topping, Guyandotte River, Harts Creek District, Heenan Smith, Henry Adkins, history, Isaiah Adkins, Jacob K. Adkins, James I. Kuhn, James Toney, John Adkins, John F. Duty, Keenan Toney, Kiahs Creek, Laurel Fork, Lena Ferrell, Limestone Creek, Lincoln County, Little Harts Creek, Lower Big Branch, Matthew Spurlock, Middle Fork, Minnie Mullins, Moses Adkins, Moses Dempsey, Mud River, N.B. Mobley, Nancy E. Fry, Overton Elkins, Parlee Hunter, Patton Thompson, Ralph Nelson, Sams Branch, Sankey Gillenwater, Sarah E. Thompson, Sarah Gillenwater, Sarah J. Nelson, Smith Ferrell, Susan Adkins, Trough Fork, U.G. Shipe, Van Donley Lambert, W.C. Smith, W.M. May, West Hamlin, West Virginia, William May
The following deed index is based on Deed Book 59 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 59. Researchers who desire the most accurate version of this material are urged to consult the actual record book.
Aaron Adkins et ux to Moses Adkins et al 54 1/4 acres Little Harts Creek 12 March 1906 p. 481-482
Elizabeth Adkins et al to Jacob K. Adkins 1902 acres Little Harts Creek 01 September 1901 p. 272-273
Ellen Adkins to John Adkins 25 acres Lower Big Branch 22 February 1910 p. 95
Henry Adkins to Elizabeth Adkins et al 1962 acres Little Harts Creek, Fourteen Mile Creek, Trough Fork, Laurel Fork 28 June 1870 p. 269-270
Henry Adkins et ux to Ralph Nelson 20 acres Big Harts Creek 21 March 1905 p. 198-199
Isaiah Adkins et ux to John Adkins 45 acres Lower Big Branch 11 August 1906 p. 89
John Adkins Sr. et ux to K.E. Toney 30 acres mineral Big Harts Creek 27 July 1909 p. 91-92
John Adkins Sr. et ux to K.E. Toney 35 acres Big Harts Creek 25 February 1910 p. 93-94
Board of Education of Harts Creek District to John E. Fry et al 1/2 acre Big Ugly Creek 1 August 1905 p. 498
L.H. Burks et ux to Gilbert Topping 110 acres Little Harts Creek 30 March 1906 p. 5-7
Moses Dempsey to K.E. Toney 24 acres mineral Big Harts Creek 19 March 1910 p. 96-97
William Dempsey et al to Moses Dempsey 24 acres Big Branch 13 April 1908 p. 71-72
William R. Duty et ux to John F. Duty 50 acres Broad Branch 9 December 1887 p. 429-430
Allison Ferrell et ux to Sarah Gillenwater 133 acres Big Ugly Creek 26 October 1897 p. 499
Arisba Ferrell et al to Parlee Hunter 42 acres Broad Branch 15 February 1905 p. 168-169
Arrisba Ferrell et al to John F. Duty 25 acres Broad Branch 8 April 1891 p. 425-427
Lena Ferrell to Nancy E. Fry 5 acres Big Ugly 3 June 1905 p. 495
Smith Ferrell et ux to John F. Duty 55 acres Ugly Creek 5 April 1907 p. 428-429
William T. Fowler et ux to Mathew Spurlock 100 acres Sams Branch of Middle Fork of Mud River 9 January 1890 Elias Vance, JP p. 376-377
Sarah A. Gillenwater et vir to Nancy E. Fry 133 acres Big Ugly Creek 19 February 1898 p. 496-497
George W. Hill et ux to W.M. May 30 acres Limestone Creek 3 November 1906 p. 137-138
J.I. Kuhn, attorney, to Overton Elkins 100 acres Fourteen Mile Creek 1 June 1880 p. 420-423
V.D. Lambert et ux to Sarah J. Nelson 20 acres West Side Guyan River 13 April 1906 p. 289
Blucher N. Lucas to Climena Lucas 50 acres Fourteen Mile Creek 1 July 1910 p. 308-309
N.B. Mobley to Sankey Gillenwater 50 acres Limestone Creek 15 December 1909 p. 121-122
Minnie Mullins et vir to William May 30 acres Limestone Creek 29 January 1910 p. 140-141
A.L. Smith et ux to Susan Adkins 48 acres Big Harts Creek 11 July 1907 p. 225-226
A.L. Smith et ux to Ralph Nelson 2 acres Big Harts Creek 13 April 1907 p. 204-205
Heenan Smith to W.C. Smith 75 acres Guyandotte River 15 July 1902 p. 468-470
Sarah E. Thompson et vir to E.W. Fry 150 acres Guyandotte River, Laurel Hill District 12 February 1897 p. 487-488
P.T. Thompson to U.G. Shipe et al Lots 64-65 23 February 1909 p. 329
James Toney et ux to Gilbert Toppins 35 1/4 acres Kiahs Creek 03 January 1908 p. 7-8
NOTE: I copied all of these deeds.
23 Monday Jul 2018
Posted Guyandotte River, Little Harts Creek
inTags
Appalachia, Elizabeth Adkins, Eveline Adkins, genealogy, George W. Adkins, Guyandotte River, Harts Creek District, Henry Adkins, Henry H. Adkins, history, Jacob K. Adkins, John C. Ferguson, John Sartin, L.C. Queen, Lincoln County, Little Harts Creek, Mary Adkins, Mary Louisa Tomblin, notary public, Ohio, Spencer Adkins, Wayne County, West Virginia
Deed Book 59, page 272, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV. This deed involves the heirs of Henry and Mary “Polly” (Dalton) Adkins, Sr.
Deed Book 59, page 273, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV.
17 Tuesday Jul 2018
Posted Little Harts Creek
inTags
Aaron Adkins, Appalachia, clerk, E.G. Reed, Francis Adkins, genealogy, Guyandotte River, Harts Creek District, Harvey Elkins, history, Lincoln County, Little Harts Creek, Moses Adkins, Nary Adkins, notary public, Robert Hager, West Virginia
Deed Book 59, page 481, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV. Note: The deed references “a school house lot.”
Deed Book 59, page 482, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV.
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.
08 Thursday Feb 2018
Posted Guyandotte River, Little Harts Creek
inTags
Amanda Lucas, Appalachia, Archibald Elkins, genealogy, Guyandotte River, Henry Adkins, history, James Ferrell, justice of the peace, Lincoln County, Little Harts Creek, Logan County, Price Lucas, Spencer A. Mullins, Virginia, West Virginia
Deed Book C, page ___, Logan County Clerk’s Office, Logan, WV. This property is located in present-day Lincoln County, WV.
Deed Book C, page ___, Logan County Clerk’s Office, Logan, WV.
02 Tuesday Jan 2018
Posted Little Harts Creek
inTags
Abiel A. Low, Appalachia, Francis Fork, genealogy, Guyandotte River, Harts Creek District, history, Isaac Gartin, James I. Kuhn, Kiahs Creek, Lincoln County, Little Harts Creek, Rollum Fork, Samuel Damron, Samuel Short, Twelve Pole Creek, West Virginia, William H. Aspinwall, William Manns, William T. Nichols
Deed Book 53, page 284, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV. Typically, the Kuhn-Lowe deeds granted land already owned by the grantees but reserved mineral rights. The idea was to grant “disputed” surface ownership in exchange for relinquishment of claims to mineral rights. Local property owners who did not wish to challenge the mineral claim in court accepted the Kuhn-Lowe deed. Lincoln County records show many of these deeds.
Deed Book 53, page 285, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV.
31 Sunday Dec 2017
Tags
Allen Robinson, Anthony Tomblin, Appalachia, Barbara Dempsey, Bertha Browning, Big Branch, Big Ugly Creek, Caleb Browning, Caroline Brumfield, Charles Adkins, Charley Brumfield, Charley Curry, Emarine Dempsey, Fourteen Mile Creek, genealogy, Gordon Fry, Grant Farley, Green Shoal Creek, Guyandotte River, Hamlin, Harts Creek, Harts Creek District, Hiram Lambert, history, Ike Fry Branch, Isaiah Adkins, Jacob Adkins, Jefferson Lucas, Jerry Lambert, John Clay Farley, Josephine Robinson, Julia Lambert, justice of the peace, Laurel Fork, Lincoln County, Little Harts Creek, Lydia Evaline Dingess, Mary Clark Burks, Minnie Lambert, notary public, Paris "Witch" Brumfield, Risba Lambert, River Road, Short Bend, Short Bend Branch, Vira Brumfield, Wade Lambert, Wash Dempsey, Wash Dempsey Jr., West Virginia
The following deed index is based on Deed Book 57 at the Lincoln County Clerk’s Office in Hamlin, WV, and relates to residents of the Harts Creek community. These notes are meant to serve as a reference to Deed Book 57. Researchers who desire the most accurate version of this material are urged to consult the actual record book.
Charles and Caroline Brumfield to Paris and Vira Brumfield 70 acres Guyan River land for $750 references Little Harts Creek and River Road, left hand of Short Bend, coal bank, Ike Fry Branch 25 October 1910 p. 74-76
John C. Farley to Grant Farley 55 acres on Fourteen Mile Creek references Short Bend Branch of Fourteen 12 September 1902 Jefferson Lucas, NP p. 94-95
Mary Clark Burks, executrix to Gordon Fry 90 acres Big Ugly Creek references Laurel Fork of Big Ugly Paid $1 17 June 1908 p. 196-198
Lida Evaline Dingess to Charley Curry 45 acres Big Harts Creek references below Charley Curry house Paid $200 19 June 1908 Charles Adkins, JP p. 246-247
W.S. and Julia Lambert to Minnie Lambert 40 acres Greenshoal Creek references the garden 3 December 1910 Jerry Lambert, NP p. 335-336
Allen and Josephine Robinson to Hiram Lambert 30 acres Big Harts Creek references Anthony Tombourlin and Wash Dempsey 14 May 1907 Charles Adkins, JP p. 392-393
Wash and Emmarine Dempsey, Sr. and Barbary Dempsey to Risba Lambert 30 acres Big Harts Creek references Wash Dempsey, Jr., mouth of Big Branch, L.C. Browning Paid $200 25 February 1905 Charles Adkins, JP p. 394-395
L.C. Browning to Bertha Browning et al. 100 acres Big Harts Creek references Big Branch, Jacob Adkins, Isaiah Adkins 18 May 1908 p. 396-397
Note: I copied all of these deeds.
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.
03 Sunday Dec 2017
Posted Atenville, Big Ugly Creek, Harts, Little Harts Creek
inTags
Al Brumfield, Alice Dingess, Appalachia, Big Branch, Bridge Branch, Browns Branch, Caroline Brumfield, Cass Gartin, Charles Adkins, Charley Brumfield, Daisy Brumfield, Dave Dingess, Dry Branch, Elias Vance, Enos "Jake" Adkins, genealogy, George W. Dillon, Georgia Brumfield, Hamlin, Harts, Harts Creek, Harts Creek District, Hendricks Brumfield, history, Hollena Brumfield, Hollena Ferguson, Ike Fry Branch, James Brumfield, justice of the peace, L.C. Denison, Lettie Adkins, Lincoln County, Little Harts Creek, Martha J. Dial, Olga Brumfield, Paris Brumfield, Rachel Spry, Rhoda Gartin, Shingle Branch, Sidney Brumfield, W.L. Ferguson, Walton Brumfield, Ward Brumfield, Wesley Ferguson, West Fork, West Virginia, William Adkins, William Workman
The following deed index is based on Deed Book 50 at the Lincoln County Clerk’s Office in Hamlin, WV, and relates to residents of the Harts Creek community. These notes are meant to serve as a reference to Deed Book 50. Researchers who desire the most accurate version of this material are urged to consult the actual record book.
James and Sidney J. Brumfield to Olga Brumfield land for $245 30 June 1909 p. 46-47
L.C. and Rhoda Gartin to William Adkins 32 acres Dry Branch 2 June 1893 Elias Vance, JP p. 58-59
Caroline and Charles Brumfield to William Workman 50 acres Forks of Ike Fry Branch for $180 28 July 1904 Isaac Fry, JP p. 100-101
Allen and Hollena Brumfield to William Workman 195 acres Brown’s Branch for $200 26 June 1900 Isaac Fry, JP p. 101-102
W.L. Ferguson, Trustee of George W. Dillon (bankrupt), to William Workman and Rachel Spry 7 acres Mouth of Bridge Branch 18 November 1907 p. 103-104
Charles and Caroline Brumfield to William Workman and Rachel Spry 10 acres at Mouth of Little Harts Creek for $175 16 September 1909
Calls of Land Allotted to Rachel Spry from the Paris Brumfield Estate (Lot 7) 80 acres below Little Hart p. 106
Allen and Hollena Brumfield to Sarah Mullins and Mary A. Vance 25 acres Bridge Branch for $12 24 December 1903 p. 108-109
Charles Brumfield to Caroline Brumfield Three Tracts on Ike Fry Branch 07 August 1894 p. 111-112
Hollena and Wesley Ferguson, Ward Brumfield, Hendrix and Georgia Brumfield, to Charlie Brumfield 100 acres Guyan River 20 March 1907 Charles Adkins, JP p. 113-114
David and Alice Dingess to Caroline Brumfield 50 acres on Lower Branch of Little Harts Creek for $200 02 January 1909 Charles Adkins, JP p. 114-115
Walton and Daisy Brumfield to L.C. Denison 156, 59, 72 acres on Big and Shingle Branches of Big Ugly Creek 18 July 1908 p. 292-294
Enos and Lettice M. Adkins to Martha J. Dial 93 acres East Fork of Big Harts Creek for $250 12 June 1893 Elias Vance, JP p. 308-309
Note: I copied all of these deeds.
22 Wednesday Nov 2017
Posted Little Harts Creek
inTags
Abiel A. Lowe, Ambrose C. Kingsland Jr., Appalachia, Charles Adkins, genealogy, Hamlin, history, Isaac Gartin, James I. Kuhn, James Renwick, John A. Aspinwall, John W. Minturn, Lincoln County, Little Harts Creek, Lloyd Aspinwall, Price Lucas, West Virginia, William E. Aspinwall
Deed Book 53, page 281, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV.
Deed Book 53, page 282, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV.
Deed Book 53, page 282, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV.
Deed Book 53, page 283, Lincoln County Clerk’s Office, Hamlin, WV.
23 Monday Oct 2017
Posted Little Harts Creek
inTags
Anthony Lawson, Appalachia, genealogy, history, James Lawson, John Lucas, Lincoln County, Little Harts Creek, Logan County, Logan Court House, Mary Lucas, Price Lucas, Virginia, West Virginia
Deed Book C, page 261, Logan County Clerk’s Office, Logan, WV. Price Lucas, the son of John and Mary (Fry) Lucas, is my great-great-great-great-grandfather. This land is located in present-day Lincoln County, WV.
14 Friday Apr 2017
Posted Fourteen, Little Harts Creek, Queens Ridge
inTags
Appalachia, Brandon Kirk, fire towers, Gartin Knob, history, Lincoln County, Little Harts Creek, Lloyd Frye, Manns Knob, photos, Phyllis Kirk, U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Reference Mark, Wayne County, West Virginia
West Virginia once hosted more than 70 fire towers. Today, the number is just over a dozen. For more on West Virginia fire towers, follow this link: http://www.firehouse.com/news/10508169/west-virginia-fire-towers-make-unique-tourist-attractions
The Manns Knob Fire Tower, built during the 1930s, sits at an elevation of 1439 feet. I love the little house that is located beside of the tower. My great-uncle Lloyd Frye once lived here. 12 February 2017.
U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey (USC&GS) Reference Mark. For more on these, follow this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._National_Geodetic_Survey
One view from the tower. 12 February 2017.
Photo by Mom. 12 February 2017.
08 Saturday Apr 2017
Posted Big Harts Creek, Big Ugly Creek, Fourteen, Green Shoal, Guyandotte River, Harts, Leet, Little Harts Creek, Timber, Warren, Wewanta
inTags
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.
09 Thursday Mar 2017
Posted Big Harts Creek, Lincoln County Feud, Little Harts Creek
inTags
Appalachia, board of education, coal, Cora B. Nester, Daniel J. Nester, Daniel Nester, education, farming, genealogy, Harts, Harts Creek, Harts Creek District, Henry H. Hardesty, history, Isaac Fry, Isaac Granville Perry, James Lewis Nester, Lincoln County, Little Harts Creek, Logan County, Minnis Wirt Nester, Sarah Ann Perry, timber, timbering, Valeria Nester, West Virginia, William Riley Nester
From “Hardesty’s History of Lincoln County, West Virginia,” published by H.H. Hardesty, we find this entry for William Riley Nester, who resided at Little Harts Creek in Lincoln County, West Virginia:
Was born in Logan county, (now) West Virginia, June 18, 1858, and came to Hart Creek district before the organization of Lincoln county. He is a son of Daniel and Valeria (Brumfield) Nester, residents of Logan [sic] county. In Lincoln county, December 25, 1879, the Rev. Isaac Fry united in wedlock William R. Nester and Cora B. Perry. She was born in Logan county, August 7, 1860, and her parents, Isaac Granville and Sarah Ann (Clark) Perry, came to Lincoln count in 1871. Mr. and Mrs. Nester have been the parents of two children: James Lewis, born November 19, 1880, died the same day; Minnis Wirt, November 14, 1881. William Nester was president of the board of education for two years, and is its present secretary, in Hart Creek district, Lincoln county. He owns fifty acres of fine farming land between Big Hart and Little Hart creeks. The land is very productive and abounds in coal and iron ore, and is heavily timbered. Daniel J. Nester, brother of William R., resides with his mother on a farm adjoining William R. Nester’s land. The post office address of William and Daniel J. Nester is Hart, Lincoln county, West Virginia.
Source: The West Virginia Encyclopedia, Vol. 7 (Richwood, WV: Jim Comstock, 1974), p. 136-137.
06 Monday Mar 2017
Posted Civil War, Little Harts Creek
inTags
Appalachia, Camp Chase, civil war, Confederate Army, Daniel Nester, genealogy, Georgia Belle Nester, Henry H. Hardesty, history, Isaac Fry, James Dalton, Jane Dalton, Jane Nester, John S. Nester, Lincoln County, Little Harts Creek, Logan County, Malinda Nester, Roxy Ann Nester, timbering, Valeria Nester, West Virginia, William Henderson Nester
From “Hardesty’s History of Lincoln County, West Virginia,” published by H.H. Hardesty, we find this entry for John S. Nester, who resided on Little Harts Creek in Lincoln County, West Virginia:
John S. Nester and Malinda Dalton were united in the holy bonds of wedlock in Logan county, West Virginia, January 22, 1877, Rev. Isaac Fry officiating clergyman. John S. Nester was born in what is now Lincoln county, December 11, 1853, and his parents were Daniel and Valeria (Brumfield) Nester. His mother is still a resident of the place of his birth. Mrs. Nester was born in what is now Lincoln county, July 3, 1853, and she is a daughter of James and Jane (Workman) Dalton. Mr. and Mrs. Nester are the parents of four children, born: William Henderson, November 23, 1877; Jane, May 2, 1879; Roxy Ann, October 19, 1880; Georgia Belle, March 11, 1882. Daniel Nester, father of John S., served about two years in the late war; he came home on a furlough and was taken down with the fever, during which time the Federal soldiers came, and in order that he might remain at home, Mr. Nester took the oath of allegiance. A woman folded a letter in a paper and sent it to her husband in the Southern army, but through mistake the letter came into the possession of the Federal officers, and Mr. Nester was sent to Camp Chase, and there died. John S. Nester was living here when Lincoln county was formed, and is a farmer on Little Hart creek, owning 150 acres of land, a number of acres under cultivation. The farm is well timbered, and coal, iron ore, building stone and sand beds are abundant. Hart, Lincoln county, West Virginia, is the post office address of John S. Nester.
Source: The West Virginia Encyclopedia, Vol. 7 (Richwood, WV: Jim Comstock, 1974), p. 136.
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