Tag Archives: West Virginia

Harts Creek Area Deed Index (1884-1910)

25 Tuesday Oct 2016

Posted by in Big Harts Creek, Big Ugly Creek, Ferrellsburg, Fourteen, Green Shoal, Guyandotte River, Hamlin, Little Harts Creek, Ranger, Sand Creek, Timber

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The following deed index is based on Deed Book 52 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 52. Researchers who desire the most accurate version of this material are urged to consult the actual record book.

Aaron and Nancy Jane Adkins to B.W. Walker     100 acres on Allen Adkins Branch of Guyandotte River     12 June 1885     Cain Adkins, JP     p. 58-59 [NOTE: References logs, Mack H. Adkins]

Aaron Adkins, Jr. to B.W. Walker     Ridge Between East Fork and Guyandotte River (Upper 1/3 of 200 acre survey)     12 October 1889     Elias Vance, JP     p. 60 [references Samuel B. Price timber]

E.E. Adkins to Allen Brumfield, Jr.     185 5/8 acres     17 August 1897     p. 411-412

Enos Adkins et ux to Allen Brumfield, Jr.     2 Tracts     22 August 1895     p. 424-425

Enos Adkins et ux to Allen Brumfield     28 December 1894     Elias Vance, JP     p. 413-414

Isaac Adkins et al to Allen Brumfield, Jr.     22 June 1892     p. 420-421

Sarah Adkins to B.W. Walker     100 acres Allen Adkins Branch     14 August 1889     p. 61-62

Spencer Adkins to John P. Lucas     221 1/2 acres Guyandotte River (Laurel Hill District)     14 March 1896     p. 273-274

Spencer Adkins et ux to Martha Jane Lucas     63 5/8 acres     Big Branch (Laurel Hill District)     29 January 1908     p. 275-276

J.M. Brammer et ux to David Farley     44 1/2 acres     Laurel Fork of Little Harts Creek     11 April 1910     A.E. Wagner, JP     p. 300-301

Allen Brumfield to Hollena Brumfield     25 January 1904     p. 428-429

Allen Brumfield to Hollena Brumfield     70 acres     9 July 1904     p. 430-431

Louary Brumfield et al to A.C. Barrett et ux     Lot No. 6 Hamlin     23 July 1903     p. 308-310

C.E. Burns to Nancy Webb     52 1/2 acres Frances Creek     10 August 1908     p. 10

James L. Chafin to L.C. Browning et ux     Big Branch     19 January 1903     p. 314-315

John Conley et ux to Rosa N. Vannatter     66 acres Big Ugly Creek     19 October 1908     p. 117-118

B.C. Dial to Brad Toney     100 acres on East Side of Guyandotte River     23 October 1891     J.R. Wilson, NP     p. 241-242

John Dingess to Hollena Brumfield     7 August 1891     p. 418-419

J.P. Douglas, trustee, to Hollena Ferguson     p. 426-428

J.P. Douglas, trustee, to John D. Shelton     10 acres Sand Creek, Big Branch     6 June 1908     p. 38-39

Leo F. Drake et al to Lewis Thompson     100 acres Harts Creek     30 March 1905     p. 264-265

John F. Duty to Jefferson Duty     12 1/2 acres     28 July 1898     p. 114-115

William R. Duty to Emma Duty     80 acres     4 December 1897     p. 115-116

William R. Duty to Jefferson Duty     50 acres     4 December 1897     p. 113-114

Marvel Elkins to William A. Sias     100 acres Sulpher Spring Fork of Fourteen Mile Creek     7 February 1888     p. 27-28

Maggie Farley to Louis R. Sweetland     1/4 acre and 1 Lot Hamlin     15 August 1907     p. 365-367

Jonah Ferguson to Dollie Ferrell     30 acres Big Ugly     19 October 1907     P.M. Toney, NP     p. 289-290

James P. Ferrell to Bradford Toney     7 June 1887     Philip Hager, NP     p. 240-241

Smith and Nettie Ferrell to Elizabeth Duty     16 acres     21 November 1899     p. 116-117

Floyd Fry et ux to Bradford Toney     150 acre interest just above mouth of Green Shoal     28 June 1898     J.H. McComas, NP     p. 243 [references B.C. Toney farm]

A.B. Harrison and J.H. Fry to A.B. Staley     86 acres Fourteen Mile Creek (Laurel Hill District)     8 April 1892     p. 81

Sarah Headley to E.C. Lucas et ux     one acre Fourteen Mile Creek (Laurel Hill District)     2 March 1907     p. 313-314

L.D. Hill to Moses Lucas     100 acres Mile Branch     24 April 1903     p. 316-317

Alex Hollandsworth et ux to Lee Fry     House and Lot, Hamlin     26 March 1908     p. 367-368

James A. Holley et ux to Allen Brumfield, Jr.     Guyandotte River     6 June 1898     p. 415-418

Nancy A. Holley et ux to Maggie Farley     1/4 acre Hamlin     7 June 1907     p. 364-365

J.W. Johnson to Spencer Adkins and John P. Lucas     right of way     11 July 1908     p. 277-278

B.B. Lucas to Lottie Lucas     75 acres     Green Shoal branch     11 December 1906     M.C. Farley, NP     p. 220-221

Charley and Louisa Lucas et vir to Morgan Phipps     7 acres Laurel Fork (Jefferson District)     13 September 1910     p. 371

John P. Lucas to A.B. Staley     65 acres West Side Guyandotte River     26 December 1899     Jefferson Lucas, JP     p. 82-83

John P. Lucas to A.B. Staley     46 acres Fourteen Mile Creek (Laurel Hill District)     12 March 1907     Jefferson Lucas, JP     p. 78-79

William Mans to Mary Alice Mans et al     quit claim     12 May 1905     p. 11-12

A.F. Morris, special commissioner, to B.B. Lucas     75 acres on Green Shoal     7 December 1906     p. 218-219

W.C. Mullen et ux to A.P. Sanders     278 acres Lick Branch     17 October 1907     p. 369-370

Lewis and Malinda Nelson to A.E. Wagner     15 acres on West Side of Guyan River     4 December 1906     D.F. Smith, JP

Wesley Nelson to A.E. Wagner     23 acres     21 March 1906     p. 57-58

Floyd Rakes to Georgie E. Staley     50 acres on Fourteen Mile Creek (Laurel Hill District)      28 July 1892     p. 79-80

John W. Runyans to Canaan Adkins     66 2/3 acres (interest in 200 acres) West Fork and Guyandotte River     6 February 1889     p. 248

F.D. Stallings et ux to Abijah Workman     100 acre interest on Francis Creek     15 March 1899     p.7-8

Russell S. Stollings et ux to William D. Farley     35 acres Little Harts Creek and Francis Fork of Twelve Pole     24 March 1900     Isaac Fry, JP     p. 298-299

Ralph and Anna Steel to William R. Duty     73 3/4 acres     14 August 1903     p. 112-113

B.C. Toney to Bradford Toney     20 acres and 80 acres Big Ugly     20 February 1884     -. 239-240

Moses B. Toney et al to Allen Brumfield     10 June 1892     p. 422-423

Wirt Toney et al to Bradford Toney     140 acres Guyandotte River     1 April 1887     p. 244-245

O.J. Wilkinson, Commissioner of School Lands, to J.H. Meek, trustee     25 acres Ranger School     West Side Guyandotte River     20 December 1909     p. 207

F.B. Wilson to John D. Shelton     105 acres Sand Creek     Jerry Lambert, NP     1 October 1908     p. 36-37

J.R. Wilson to J.A. Holley     Timber on Bobbies Branch     15 November 1899     p. 155

Abijah Workman to Nancy Workman     30 acres Francis Creek     17 January 1900     Rufus Pack, NP     p. 9

David Workman to Brad Toney     140 acres     20 October 1891     p. 237-238

NOTE: I copied all of these deeds.

Frank Desoer (2016)

25 Tuesday Oct 2016

Posted by in Logan

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I recently met Montreal radio journalist Frank Desoer, who traveled to Logan, WV, to explore political trends in my part of Appalachia. Mr. Desoer and I enjoyed a two-hour conversation about Logan County’s political history and culture. My hope is that he found his story. 13 October 2016.

Harts Creek Area Deed Index (1886-1909)

25 Tuesday Oct 2016

Posted by in Big Ugly Creek, Ferrellsburg, Fourteen, Green Shoal, Little Harts Creek

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The following deed index is based on Deed Book 51 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 51. Researchers who desire the most accurate version of this material are urged to consult the actual record book.

John Q. Adams to Arena Ferrill     70 acres Mouth of Fowler Branch     2 May 1896     p. 163-164

J.K. Adkins et ux to Arrena Ferrell     119 acres East Side of Guyan River at mouth of Swift Shoal Hollow     28 June 1897     Allen Brumfield, NP     p. 162-163

Charley B. Brumfield and wife to Louis R. Sweetland     100 acres Fulton Branch     19 August 1903     p. 387-388

Charley B. Brumfield et ux to Louis R. Sweetland     62 acres Mud River     14 December 1906     p. 394-395

Sabin W. Colton, Jr. and George L. Estabrook (trustees for the Lincoln County Coal Land Association) to B.C. Spurlock and E.W. Fry     Nine Mile Creek     14 June 1904     p. 234

Sabin W. Colton et al (trustees for the Prentice Coal Land Association) to Blackburn Lucas     30 acres Spears Fork of Green Shoal Creek     1 July 1893     p. 181-182

S.M. Croft, trustee, to O.J. Spurlock     50 acres Big Ugly Creek     9 October 1908     p. 499-500

John Farley to Harvey Farley     35 acres Short Bend Branch, Fourteen Mile Creek     12 September 1902     p. 246-247

I.G. Gartin to William Mans     96 acres and 230 acres Rolin and Little Harts Creek     3 January 1899     Jefferson Lucas, JP     p. 436-437

J.B. Hainer to Louis R. Sweetland     133 3/4 acres (mineral) Limestone Branch     25 September 1899     p. 296-297

J.H. Hollandsworth to Charley B. Brumfield     100 acres Mud River     12 February 1903     p. 318-319

Charles Lucas to Sarah Ann Brumfield     75 acres Greenshoal Creek     6 July 1895     Elias Vance, JP     p. 189 [Note: Charles’ wife Lucinda was deceased]

Charles Lucas to W.B. Brumfield et al     50 acres Green Shoal     18 September 1886     Canaan Adkins, JP     p. 187-188

Charles Lucas to Blackburn Lucas     80 acres Green Shoal Creek (Spears Branch)     18 September 1886     Canaan Adkins, JP     p. 182-183

Elizabeth and B.B. Lucas and Sarah Jane Baisden to Louis R. Sweetland     15 acres and 30 acres on Limestone Branch     15 May 1909     A.F. Morris, NP     p. 293-294

William Mans et ux to William Manns     Little Harts Creek     3 January 1899     Jefferson Lucas, JP     p. 438-440

J.H. and Amanda McComas to B.B. Lucas     57/100 acres Green Shoal Creek     30 August 1899     W.B. Brumfield, JP     p. 184-185

Hiram Moore to S.S. Brumfield     122 1/2 acres Big Creek of Mud River     16 March 1900     p. 29-30

A.F. Morris, commissioner, to Louis R. Sweetland     92 acres Fourteen Mile Creek     12 June 1908     p. 405 [Note: This is the Andrew Elkins farm]

Arnold Perry to Emma Vance     41 acres Witcher’s Camp Branch     13 October 1900     Jackson Adkins, JP     p. 273-274

J.P. and U.S. Phipps to Louis R. Sweetland     109 acres Limestone Branch     25 September 1899     p. 302-303

J.W. Sarten et ux to Emma Vance     4 acres Copleys Trace of Kiah’s Creek     18 March 1905     p. 270-271

Telitha Spears et al to Blackburn Lucas     28 acres Green Shoal     26 July 1886     Canaan Adkins, JP     p. 185-186

Squire Toney et ux to George Vannatter et al     108 acres Big Ugly Creek     26 November 1899     p. 443

Gideon D. Vance to Emma Vance     Witcher’s Camp Branch     16 May 1900     Isaac Fry, JP     p. 274-275

Malinda J. Vance et al to Emma Vance     60 acres Copley Trace of Kiahs Creek     21 July 1904     W.B. Brumfield, JP     p. 271-272

Wilbur R. White et ux to Charley B. Brumfield     Mud River     20 August 1903     p. 392-393

NOTE: I copied all of these deeds.

Hometown Hamlin (2016)

23 Sunday Oct 2016

Posted by in Hamlin, Lincoln County Feud

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Many thanks to Hometown Hamlin for hosting us on 22 October 2016. We sold out of books! When in Hamlin, I typically visit the graves of Bob Adkins and his family. Bob was instrumental in helping me know about the Lincoln County Feud. Photo by Mom.

Johnson Hatfield v. Nancy L. Hatfield (1890)

23 Sunday Oct 2016

Posted by in Hatfield-McCoy Feud

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Johnson “Johnse” Hatfield’s relationship with Nancy McCoy represents one of the more interesting components of the Hatfield-McCoy Feud. I recently located Hatfield’s 1890 divorce record, which I transcribed as follows:

DOCUMENT 1

State of West Virginia

County of Logan to wit

In the Circuit Court of said County

The Bill of Complaint of Johnson Hatfield filed in the Circuit Court of Logan County against Nancy L. Hatfield.

To the Hon. Thos. H. Harvey, Judge of the Circuit Court of Logan Co.

Humbly complaining your orator Johnson Hatfield would respectfully ____ unto your Honor that on the 14th day of May 1881 he intermarried with the defendant Nancy L. Hatfield, then Nancy L. McCoy, that he was at all times to her a kind and affectionate husband, that some time in 1888 he was forced to leave his home in Logan County West Virginia, and that shortly thereafter the said defendant abandoned his home and went to the state of Kentucky where she has since that time been living in adultery with Frank Phillips, and ____ other lewd and lascivious _____.

Your orator further represents that he cohabitated with the said defendant for the last time on or about the 8th day of March 1888 in Logan County West Virginia and that they last lived together as husband and wife in said County within five years from the institution of this suit.

Your orator further represents that he be informed and so believes that some time in the month of December 1889, the said defendant was delivered of a child, which was as a ____ of more than twelve months since he had last had any sexual intercourse with her.

Your orator further represents that the adultery complained of was not committed by his consent, connivance or procurement or knowledge. He therefore prays that the bonds of matrimony existing between your orator and the said Defendant be dissolved, and that your orator be restored to his ________ rights, and as is duly bound he will ever pray

Johnson Hatfield, By Counsel

DOCUMENT 2

State of West Virginia

To the Sheriff of Logan County, Greeting:

We command you that you summons Nancy L. Hatfield if she be found in your bailiwick, to appear before the Judge of our Circuit Court for the County of Logan at rules to be held in the Clerk’s Office of said Court on the first Monday in February next, to answer a Bill in Chancery exhibited against her in our said Court by Johnson Hatfield

And have then and there this writ.

Witness: T.C. Whited, Clerk of our said Court at the Court House of said County, on the 1st day of February 1890, and in the 27 year of the State.

T.C. Whited, Clerk

DOCUMENT 3

Order of Publication.

State of West Virginia, Logan County, T0-Wit:

At Rules held in the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of said county on Monday the 3rd day of February 1890

Johnson Hatfield v. Nancy L. Hatfield, In chancery

The object of this suit is to obtain a divorce from the bonds of matrimony. This day came the plaintiff by his Attorney and on his motion it appearing from an affidavit filed with the papers of this suit that the defendant is a non-resident of this State, it is therefore ordered that she appear here within one month from the first publication of this order and do what is necessary to protect her interest herein.

Teste: T.C. Whited, Clerk

H.C. Ragland, Sol.

DOCUMENT 4

I, U.B. Buskirk, one of the Publishers of the Logan County Banner, a newspaper published in Logan County, West Virginia, do hereby certify that the annexed notice was duly published in said paper for 4 successive weeks, ending on the 27 day of February 1890.

Given under my hand this 28th day of February 1890

U.B. Buskirk

Printer’s fees: $6.00

DOCUMENT 5

State of West Virginia

Logan County to wit:

Johnson Hatfield the plaintiff whose name is signed to the forgoing bill being first duly sworn upon oath says that the facts and allegations contained in the forgoing bill are true except so far as the same are ______ stated to be upon information and that so far as the same are stated to be upon information he believes ___ to be true.

Johnson Hatfield

Taken, __________ and sworn to before me this 10th day of March 1890.

T.C. Whited, Clerk

DOCUMENT 6

Notice to Take Deposition

To Nancy L. Hatfield. You will take notice that on the 10 day of October, 1890, between the hours of 8 o’clock A.M. and 6 o’clock P.M., at the house of Anderson Hatfield, in Logan County, West Virginia, I will proceed to take the deposition of myself and others to be read as evidence in behalf of myself in a certain suit in chancery now pending in the Circuit Court of Logan County wherein you are Defendant and I am plaintiff and if from any cause the taking of the said deposition be not commenced on that day, or if commenced and not completed on that day, the taking of the same will be adjourned and continued from day to day or from time to time, at the same place, and between the same hours, until completed.

Respectfully, &c., Johnson Hatfield

DOCUMENT 7

The depositions of Johnson Hatfield and others taken before Pleasants Chafins a notary in and for the county of Logan and State of West Virginia  at the house of Anderson Hatfield on Friday October 10 in 1890, to be taken and consider as evidence in a certain chancery cause pending in the Circuit Court of said county wherein Johnson Hatfield is a plaintiff and Nancy L. Hatfield is a defendant.

Present Johnson Hatfield in person and by counsel , no appearance for the defendant.

Johnson Hatfield a witness of lawful age after being first duly sworn deposes in answer _____ as follows:

Q. What is your name, age, and where do you reside?

A.  Johnson Hatfield. I am 28 years old past. I was born and raised in this county.

Q. What relation do you have to this suit?

A. I am plaintiff.

Q. When were you and the defendant Nancy L. Hatfield married?

A. It was on the 14th day of May 1881.

Q. How did you treat her during the time that you and she lived together as man and wife?

A. .I always kept her plenty of everything she wanted and was always good and kind to her.

Q. State about when it was that you and your wife separated.

A. It was on the 18 of March 1888.

Q. Have you lived with her since that time or had sexual intercourse with her?

A. No, sir.

And the next came Alex Varney, witness of lawful age being by me duly sworn, deposed and say as follows:

Q. State your name, age, and residents.

A. Alexander Varney, Age 56 years. Residents Logan County, West Va.

Q. State wither or not you are acquainted with the partys in this suit.

A. I am.

Q. State whether or not you know anything about the defendant Nancy L. Hatfield living in adultery with Frank Phillips or anyone else since her separation from the plaintiff.

A. I saw her in Pike Co. Kentucky on the 13 day of September 1890. She was staying at the house of frank filips and she told me that she was living with him. She showed me her baby and told me that frank filips was its father.

Q. How old do you suppose that the child was.

A. She told me that the child was 9 month and 4 days old and I suppose it was about that old as it was still sucking.

[Deposition of John B. Gillespie]

Q. State whether or not you know anything about the defendant Nancy L. Hatfield living in adultery with any person.

A. I was at a house in Pike County  Ky. Frank Phillips and Nancy L. Hatfield were there. They called it their home.

Q. State whether or not it was the general impression throughout the community that they were living together as man and wife.

A. No, sir. Not as man and wife. It was that they were living together in adultery.

And further this _________ saith not.

John B. Gillespie

[Deposition of Johnson Hatfield]

_______ ________ __________ recalls and deposes as follows:

Q. State whether or not the acts of adultery committed by your late wife Nancy L. Hatfield with one Frank Phillips ______ in the two foregoing depositions were committed by or with your consent, knowledge, __________, or __________.

A. They were not.

And further this _________ saith not.

Johnson Hatfield, Jr.

State of West Virginia

Logan County, to wit:

I, Pleasants Chafins a notary in and for the county and state aforesaid do certify that the foregoing depositions were duly taken, sworn to, and subscribed in my presence at the time and place _____ in the notice here to _____.

Pleasant Chafin, a notary for Logan Co., W.Va.

Notary’s Fee

2 hrs work as notary     $1.50

DOCUMENT 8

Johnson Hatfield v. Nancy Hatfield, In chancery

This day this cause in which the defendant is prosecuted against as a nonresident and it appearing that the order of publication has been duly published and posted as required by law, came on to be heard upon the plaintiff’s bill and the depositions there with filed in support thereof together with the argument of counsel for plaintiff and the same being considered and inspected by the court the court is of the opinion that the plaintiff is entitled to the relief therein prayed for, whereupon it is adjudged, ______, and decreed that the said plaintiff Johnson Hatfield be and he is hereby divorced absolutely from the defendant the said Nancy L. Hatfield and that the bonds of matrimony now existing between himself and the said defendant be dissolved and the said plaintiff Johnson Hatfield be and he is hereby restored to all the rights, privileges and immunities of an unmarried man. And this cause having performed its object, the same is ordered to be stricken from the docket and it appearing that this order was made at the October 1890 term of this Court, and by _________ not entered, it is ordered that the same be entered now as for ____.

Source: Logan County Circuit Clerk’s Office, Logan County, WV, Case No. 33, File No. 35

The New Yorker (2016)

06 Thursday Oct 2016

Posted by in Chapmanville, Ferrellsburg, Logan

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John Hartford introduced me to The New Yorker magazine in the mid-1990s. “I need to get you a subscription to The New Yorker,” he told me several times. John had become familiar with the magazine as a youth. His parents were regular subscribers to the magazine; they encouraged him to read it because, they said, it contained the absolute best writing available. John told this story several times and I could tell by the way he retold it that he believed it to be true. In fact, after reading multiple issues (mostly John’s issues at the house, but also complimentary issues I spotted in medical offices), I agreed that, yes, The New Yorker did in fact contain the best writing available. Once I discovered Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, unquestionably the greatest true crime book ever written, and learned The New Yorker had frequently printed Capote’s writing, my love for the magazine became unshakable. For these reasons, and others, I am delighted to have made a small contribution to Larissa MacFarquhar’s story, “In the Heart of Trump Country,” published by The New Yorker on October 10, 2016. The opportunity to contribute to a New Yorker story, much less to appear in The New Yorker, is an honor.

You can read Larissa’s exceptionally well-composed piece by following this link:

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/10/in-the-heart-of-trump-country

Prior to the story, Larissa approached me (and other locals) about her desire to write a piece at least partly involving recent political developments in Logan County, West Virginia. I agreed to assist Larissa in whatever way I could for several reasons: I wanted to welcome her to my section of Appalachia, I wanted to be helpful, I wanted her story to succeed, I wanted her readers to better understand my region, I’m always anxious to discuss my region’s rich history… Larissa and I corresponded via email about general political history in Logan County, then enjoyed a memorable two-and-a-half-hour conversation at 317 Steak House in Logan. I liked her right away. I like her more after reading her story.

Larissa is an accomplished professional writer. You can read more about her impressive credentials by following these links:

http://www.newyorker.com/contributors/larissa-macfarquhar

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/17/larissa-macfarquhar-interview-people-think-im-a-total-freak-for-not-using-the-first-person

It was likewise pleasurable to meet photographer Alec Soth and his assistant, Galen Fletcher, who visited Logan, Chapmanville, Ferrellsburg, and Harts Creek, in order to capture images pertinent to Larissa’s story. Alec took a few photos of me in Ferrellsburg, one of which ultimately appeared in the story, then spent a hot evening taking a ton of photos at one of my favorite Harts Creek cemeteries (the Anthony Adams Family Cemetery) and a nearby historic log cabin (Squire Sol Adams residence).

You can find out more about Alec by following these links:

http://alecsoth.com/photography/

https://pro.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=CMS3&VF=MAGO31_10_VForm&ERID=24KL532_M

He even has a Wikipedia entry!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alec_Soth

These were nice folks. If they ever visit your part of the world, welcome them.

.

Ohio River Festival of Books (2016)

30 Friday Sep 2016

Posted by in Huntington, Lincoln County Feud

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Here we are selling books and meeting folks at the Ohio River Festival of Books in Huntington, WV. We are located at Pullman Plaza Hotel (second floor) on Friday, September 30, from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m., and Saturday, October 1, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. If you’re local, come and see us!

Logan, WV (1916)

28 Wednesday Sep 2016

Posted by in Holden, Logan

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Logan–Now and What It Will Be When Its Destiny Is Fulfilled

by G.T. Swain

Situated here among the “Hills of West Virginia” on the banks of the beautiful Guyan lies the little city of Logan–our home. Time was when a few years ago Logan was a struggling little village trying to pull herself out of the mud and how well she succeeded is left to you, gentle reader, to judge. We now have nicely paved streets, solid and substantial sidewalks, large and commodious business buildings and beautiful homes. Lots that were formerly occupied with frame buildings have been raised and have given way for substantial brick and stone buildings and more going up as fast as can be built with more to come in the future. Our people are liberal, energetic and hospitable and a glad hand and hearty welcome is extended to all newcomers, while the passing stranger is always welcome within our gates. Logan is situated in the very heart of the famous Guyan Valley coalfields and is surrounded with the natural advantages to become sometime in the near future a second Pittsburg. With branch roads leading in every direction, reaching a large number of mines from which pour forth every day an enormous of the famous “Black Diamond” which afford employment to a large army of laborers and positions for many more, with different kinds of business houses in the city requiring the services of a large number of skilled laborers we find our little city progressive in the fullest sense of the word and what Logan is at the present time will be nothing in comparison of the city in the near future. At the present time we boast of three wholesale houses, a great many department stores to supply your every want, and many handsome churches to look after your spiritual  needs, a large number of efficient lawyers to look after your legal affairs, quite a few experienced physicians and surgeons to attend your physical ailments and a large, commodious high school building and a large public school building to look after the education of your children and while we admit that “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” we have for your amusement two elegant and comfortable moving picture theatres at which you view the best pictures obtainable while we extend you an invitation to visit our park where you will be entertained with athletic sports. We take time during the strenuous hustle and activity to eat occasionally and we invite you to patronize our large and first class hotels, restaurants and boarding houses where you will be furnished the best food the market affords. If you have any surplus change that is too heavy to carry around in your pocket we have, for your convenience, two large and perfectly safe banks who will gladly receive your deposit or extend any other accommodation consistent with good sound banking.

Take a little time and sit down and rest while we furnish you with the Daily Courier and permit you to digest the very latest news fresh over the wires of the Associated Press. In fact call on us for any favor and we will do our utmost to supply your every need and should you unfortunately get in the way of any of our numerous “jitney buses” we will tenderly convey you to our new, fine hospital, just completed at a cost of $40,000 where your injuries will be treated while you wait.

Logan–Ten Years Hence–Or A Peep Into The Future

My–but can this be Logan? We stand in the cupola of the magnificent stone Court house and gaze up Island creek and as far as the eye can see we see numerous buildings of all description and we are told that they too extend up Main Island creek. We turn and gaze up Dingess Run and we find the same, while we are informed that all the way up the Guyan the buildings are too numerous to count. We look toward Huntington and find that the town has extended down the river while all the vacant lots that formerly specked the town are all now covered with handsome and elegant homes. On every hand we find new coal operations and the hum of the machinery dulls the sound of the hustle and bustle of the street traffic below. Wires leading from the large and power electric station situated on the banks of the river cover the county like giant cobwebs, carrying to various points the giant current for lighting and operating purposes. Coal trains loaded to doubled track road of the C. & O. capacity are moving West while empty cars are coming East. Electric cars are passing and branching off up into the hollows transporting their load of passengers and freight to all the operations while those that desire are accommodated by motor vehicles over the fine macadamized roads leading in all directions but in the end pointing the way back to Logan, the hub of all this activity. We look down to where the C. & O. formerly had a coop called a station and we find a large magnificent passenger station in keeping with the balance of the town. We hear that the former little ramshackle affair called the water system has given way to the march of progress and we learn that a short distance back in the mountain Logan has an enormous storage dam from which her people are supplied with water from the pure mountain streams and the water pressure is sufficient for all purposes. We look below and we find the streets patrolled by uniform police. We see the Logan Band pass by playing a patriotic air. The “newsies” are crying aloud the latest news that has been flashed over the wires and published in an extra edition of the Daily Courier. The mail is being delivered to the doors of all citizens by uniformed carriers at the expense of Uncle Sam. Many of the large number of visitors to the city are taking the cars of the incline railway for a trip to the beautiful fraternal home that crowns the crest of the reservoir mountain, while listen–down the street at full speed comes the organized fire department in charge of the very latest fire fighting apparatus. Surely this is the “Miracle Land.”

‘Tis said that Holden and Omar are only suburbs while Craneco is clamoring for annexation.

–What? Yes–why–sure climbing to the cupola of the Court house and enjoying the balmy breeze of pure mountain air, shaded from the rays of the noon-day sun I fell asleep and being espied by the janitor who being afraid my presence would molest the workings of the town clock has climbed up here and shaking me from my pleasant day-dream has invited me to plant my cute little “tootsies” on terra firma. Some dream. Believe me.

Source: Logan (WV) Democrat, 22 June 1916.

Rebellion in the Hills (2016)

28 Wednesday Sep 2016

Posted by in Civil War, Lincoln County Feud, Logan

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We had a great time promoting the book and meeting folks at Rebellion in the Hills in Chief Logan State Park on Saturday, September 24, 2016. Our next appearance will be this weekend at Ohio River Festival of Books in Huntington, WV.

 

Harts Creek Area Justices of the Peace (1847-1869)

28 Wednesday Sep 2016

Posted by in Big Creek, Big Harts Creek, Big Ugly Creek, Ferrellsburg, Harts, Toney

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Between 1847 and 1869, the following men served as justices of the peace in the Harts Creek community, then a part of Logan County, Virginia. The primary source for this material is Deed Book D, which is located at the Logan County Clerk’s Office in Logan, WV. Material is arranged based on the grantor’s name as given in the deed, the grantee’s name as given in the deed, and the date of the deed. Some of the deeds are partially destroyed, obscuring dates. This list is a work in progress and will be updated periodically. Many thanks to the county clerks and their employees who have always been so helpful to my research these past twenty-five years.

Elias Adkins (Logan County), 1847, 1850

Deed: James Thompson to John Godby     23 August 1847

Deed: Wesley and Dolly Stollings to Abner Vance     15 April 1850

Crispin S. Stone (Logan County), 1847, 1849, 1852, 1854, 1859, 1865

Deed: James Thompson to John Godby     23 August 1847

Deed: Henry Conley and William Thompson to John Godby     4 September 1849

Deed: Levi Collins to Noah Haner     2 March 1852

Deed: Robert Lilly to William Lilly     22 December 1854

Deed: Robert Lilly to Robert Lilly, Jr.     1 March 1859

Deed: Isaiah Adkins to Lydia Eveline Mullins     8 July 1859

Deed: Robert Lilly to Mary Workman     28 February 1865

Deed: Robert Lilly to Gordon Lilly     1 March 1865

Deed: Robert Lilly and James Lilly     26 March 1865

Joshua Butcher (Logan County), 1849

Deed: Henry Conley and William Thompson to John Godby     4 September 1849

Spencer A. Mullins (Logan County), 1853-1855

Deed: Richard Elkins to James Toney     5 March 1853

Deed: Price Lucas to Henry Adkins     7 October 1853

Deed: Richard Elkins to Isaac Adkins     27 December 1853

Deed: Enos “Jake” Adkins to Henry Adkins     12 April 1854

Deed: Squire Toney to Burbus C. Toney     14 October 1854

Deed: Darby K. Elkins to John W. Sartain     30 October 1854

Deed: Harvey Elkins to Isaiah Adkins     10 March 1855

Deed: Elizabeth Adkins et al to Charles and Isaiah Adkins     02 October 1855

Deed: Joel Elkins to Reece W. Elkins     17 November 1855

William Smith (?? County), 1853-1854

Deed: Baptist Fry to Charles Lucas     18 April 1853

Deed: Levi Collins to Anderson Barker     21 June 1853

Deed: Burbus C. Toney to Squire Toney     14 October 1854

Deed: John Workman to  James Browning     17 November 1854

Lorenzo Dow Hill (Logan County), 1854-1856, 1858-1861, 1869

Deed: Burbus C. Toney to Squire Toney     14 October 1854

Deed: John Workman to James Browning     17 November 1854

Quit Claim Deed: Elias Adkins to Enos Adkins     18 August 1855

Deed: John Fry to Admiral S. Fry     26 January 1856

Deed: Robert Lilly to Gordon F. Lilly     8 April 1856

Deed: Rees W. Elkins to Elias Adkins     18 October 1856

Deed: Robert Lilly to James Lilly     16 April 1858

Deed: Meekin Vance to Andrew Robinson     31 March 1859

Deed: John and Catherine Fry to Aaron Adkins     11 February 1860

Summons: William T. Clark and Henry P. Gartin     28 February 1861

Commissioners Record Book No. 1, p. 122: January 1869

James Ferrell (Logan County), 1854-1858, 1860

Deed: Squire Toney to Burbus C. Toney     14 October 1854

Deed: Elizabeth Adkins et al to Spencer A. Mullins     07 February 1855

Deed: Squire Toney to Sarah Jane Dial     25 November 1855

Deed: Squire Toney to Sarah Jane Dial and Elizabeth Dial     20 May 1856

Deed: Squire Toney to Lorenzo D. Hill     24 January 1857

Deed: William Smith to James Lilly     17 February 1858

Summons: James M. Berry     18 February 1860

Hezekiah Adkins (Logan County), 1856

Deed: Darby K. Elkins et al to Rees W. Elkins     18 April 1856

John Chapman (Cabell County), 1856

Deed: Spencer A. Mullins to John Chapman     18 December 1856

Stephen Lambert (Logan County) 1856-1860, 1865

Deed: Rees W. Elkins to Elias Adkins     18 October 1856

Deed: Obediah Workman to Nighbert and Clarke     25 August 1857

Deed: Charles and Isaiah Adkins to John Elkins     24 November 1858

Deed: Meekin Vance to Andrew Robinson     31 March 1859

Deed: Isaiah Adkins to Lydia Eveline Mullins     8 July 1859

Deed: Obediah and Becky Workman to ____ Dempsey     28 September 1859

Deed: Henry Adkins to Aaron Adkins     31 March 1860

Summons: Jeremiah Lambert     3 September 1860

Deed: Abijah Workman to Calahill Daniel McCloud     12 January 1865

Samuel Varnater (Logan County), 1865

Deed: Abijah Workman to Calahill Daniel McCloud     12 January 1865

Henderson Drake (Cabell County), 1865

Deed: Henry Spears to William Spears     6 December 1865

John Gore (Logan County), 1868

Commissioners Record Book No. 1, p. 112: November 1868

Recollections of a Guyandotte Valley Preacher (c.1870s)

23 Friday Sep 2016

Posted by in Salt Rock

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About 1910, Rev. Thomas H. Perry reflected on his long life, most of which was spent in the vicinity of Tylers Creek in Cabell County, West Virginia. In this excerpt from his autobiography, Mr. Perry recalled his early days as a preacher in the Guyandotte Valley.

After I had preached my first sermon, I then preached in the school houses in the most isolated places. I had two reasons for this: first, I thought I would meet with less intelligence; and second, that they heard so little preaching, but to my surprise the people would come for miles to my meetings, and I would wonder why they came. Do they come through evil curiosity, or do they come from a sense of duty? I would pray to the Lord, down deep in my heart and soul that He would help me at this hour to preach His word with such power that these people, who have come here this day through vain curiosity, that they may be made to feel the weight of their sins, but if they have come for the good of the soul that they may go away from this place feeling it was good to be at church to-day. The hardest struggles I had in my work was from the time I entered the church to the beginning of the sermon. The presence of strangers and noted people generally embarrassed me to some extent until after I had announced my subject and read my text. After that I did not notice them anymore than others. I never tried to change my voice from the natural or make it appear I was educated, but put my whole soul and heart in my subject with the hope that somebody might be saved to-day.

About the time I began to preach there were three other young men who entered the ministry, J.D. Carter, John J. Perry and John A. Petit. These young men lived on Tyler’s creek. John J. Perry was the founder of Susannah church, one of the good churches of Grant district. He was killed by falling timber, near Salt Rock, in 1884. John A. Petit was the founder of Bulahann church in Union district. This church was named in honor of my mother, because of the interest my father and John J. Perry took in its organization. Bro. Petit was a fine preacher and had a great many friends. He was pastor of a good church in Ohio. He died, I believe, in 1885. Bro. Carter was the founder of Zoar church, another good church in Grant district. He was a large man of fine personal appearance. His ability as a preacher was second to none in this end of the state. He died in 1906. Knowing these three men as I did, I considered them the three greatest lights that ever went out from Enon church.

Many time I have put corn in my saddle-pockets and rode up the Guyan valley as far as I could by eleven o’clock, and in good weather I would meet from fifty to seventy-five people at a school house. Some of the men were bare-footed, and had their guns and a poke of salt with them and some of the old women would smoke their pipes while I was preaching to them. The men said to me, “we came prepared to salt our cattle and kill a mess of squirrels as we go home.” Sometimes on my way home I would think a people that had so little regard for the Sabbath and not enough respect for a preacher to feed his horse were not worthy of the gospel; and then I would think if nobody will preach to them they will never do any better, and as Christ had said: “Preach His gospel to every creature,” and as Paul had said: “Woe is me if I preach not the gospel.” I felt I could not live, or that great calamity would come to me if I did not preach the gospel.”

About this time I was going to school at Salt Rock. A Mr. John J. Rowsey, a very noted teacher was our instructor that year. Some of the old men tried to discourage me by saying if God had called me to preach I did not have to go to school to learn how. But I felt the need of a better education and knew that some of my appointments did not pay me one dollar a year and I was hard pressed financially. These things would discourage me very much. I saw at once there was a race to be run and a battle to be fought in this life, and I remembered that the Bible said the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but to them that put their trust in the Lord. I believed every word in the Bible was the word of God, I could not treat it with indifference. I was determined to preach all I could and go to school all I could, and raise my finance all I could, and as to those people that go to church with their guns and those that sit and smoke during preaching, I have a great love for them as well as others; for their souls are as precious in God’s sight as the souls of the rich and most refined.

Source: From Youth to Old Age by T.H. Perry, Chapter 10, p. 25-27.

Poor Whites (1896)

18 Sunday Sep 2016

Posted by in African American History, Coal, Native American History

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On July 15, 1896, the Huntington Advertiser of Huntington, West Virginia, printed a story titled “The Poor Whites: Origin of a Distinct Class Living in the South.” Subtitled “The ‘Cracker of the Hills’ is the Direct Descendant of the ‘Sold Passengers’ Who Came to This Country in the Seventeenth Century,” the story initially appeared in the Chattanooga Times of Chattanooga, Tennessee. And here it is:

The notion that the poor white element of the southern Appalachian region is identical with the poor people generally over the country is an error, and an error of enough importance to call for correction. The poor white of the south has some kinfolk in the Adirondack region of New York and the Blue and Alleghany [sic] mountains of Pennsylvania, but he has few relatives any place else about the Mason-Dixon line. The states of New York and Pennsylvania were slave states until the early part of this century.

This poor white mountaineer descends direct from those immigrants who came over in the early days of the colonies; from 1620 to about or some time after the Revolutionary war period, as “sold passengers.” They sold their services for a time sufficient to enable them to work out their passage money. They were sold, articled to masters, in the colonies for their board and fixed wage, and thus they earned the cost of their migration.

The laws under which they were articled were severe, as severe as apprentice laws in those days. The “sold passenger” virtually became the slave of the purchaser of his labor. He could be whipped if he did not do the task set [before] him, and woe to the unlucky wight [sic] if he ran away. He was sure to be caught and cruelly punished.

And though he was usually a descendant of the lowest grade of humanity on the British islands, he still had enough of the Anglo-Saxon spirit about him to make him an unsatisfactory chattel.

From 1620 forward–the year when the Dutch landed the first cargo of African slaves on the continent–the “sold passenger” was fast replaced by negroes, who took more naturally and amiably to the slave life.

The poor white naturally came to cherish a bitter hatred for the blacks that were preferred over him. He already hated his domineering white master. When he was free to go, he put as many miles as his means and his safety from Indian murderers permitted between himself and those he hated and hoped he might never see again. In that early time the mountain region was not even surveyed, let alone owned by individual proprietors.

The English, Scotch, Irish and continental immigrant who had some means sat down on the rich valleys, river bottoms and rolling savannahs, and the poor white was made welcome to the foothills and mountain plateaus.

These descendants of the British villain of the feudal era grew and multiplied, became almost as distinct a people from the lords of the lowlands as the Scotch highlander was, as related to his lowland neighbor, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

The stir of the period since the close of our civil war has made somewhat indistinct the line that separates the mountaineer from the plainsman of the south, especially in the foothills and at points where the two have intermingled in traffic, in the schoolhouse and church, and especially where the poor whites have been employed at mining, iron making, etc. But go into the mountains far enough and you will find the types as clear cut as it was 100 years ago, with its inimitable drawling speech and curious dialect, its sallow complexion, lanky frame, lazy habits and immorality–all as distinctly marked as they were when hundreds of these people found Cherokee wives in Georgia and Tennessee in the early part of the century and bleached most of the copper out of the skin of the Choctaw as well as out of the Cherokee.

It is a pity that some competent anthropological historian has not traced the annals of this interesting and distinctive section of our population, and made record of it in the interest of science, no less than in the interest of the proper education and elevation of the mountain people. It has become, especially in the Piedmont section of the south, a most important labor element. The cotton mill labor by thousands comes from the “Cracker of the Hills,” and it is destined o become a great power, that labor population, social and political.

The redemption of the poor white began when slavery went down in blood and destruction, and it has gone on faster and traveled further than some of us think.

Recollections of the Civil War at Big Ugly and Six Mile Creeks in WV and Prestonsburg, KY (1862)

18 Sunday Sep 2016

Posted by in Civil War

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About 1910, Rev. Thomas H. Perry reflected on his long life, most of which was spent in the vicinity of Tylers Creek in Cabell County, West Virginia. In this excerpt from his autobiography, Mr. Perry recalled his participation in Civil War skirmishes at the Forks of Ugly and Six Mile Creek in present-day Lincoln County, WV, and military activity around Prestonsburg, Kentucky:

In 1862 my company was ordered to move from Chapmansville down the Guyan river. About three o’clock that day we ran into a company of Federal soldiers at the forks of Big Ugly creek, and as neither company was expecting trouble at this time, we were not ready for the fight, but our captain ordered his men in line, and we marched around the hillside, fronting the creek, and the Federals formed a line up the creek, fronting us. Here we tried our bravery for a few minutes, but as we had the advantage of some timber, the Federals broke ranks and went into the woods, except ten or twelve that lay flat upon the ground, and we captured them, and all the rations the company had, such as coffee and sugar, which was a treat for us in that country. About this time another company came up and followed the Federals into the woods. I never knew what became of them until after the war. Mr. T.E. Ball, of Mason county, told me after the war that he was a member of that company of Federals, and he was in the fight at the forks of Big Ugly, and that he was in the closest place that day of any time during the war. he said he was certain there were more than fifty shots fired at him as he ran through the field, and of the eighty-four men in his company, there was not a man that returned with his gun, and but few that had hats or shoes, for they were scattered in the woods and every man looked out for himself. The next day, we had six men in the advance guard. I was one of them, and as we turned the point at the mouth of Six Mile creek, six miles above the falls of Guyan river, we ran into a squad of seven Federal soldiers, who fired into us and killed William Jefferson, one of our bravest soldiers.

The next day we crossed the river at the falls of the Guyan and went through Wayne county into Kentucky. Here we were fired into every day and night for about three weeks. It was December and we had some very cold weather. Several times I have seen men and horses lying on the side of the road frozen so stiff they could not travel.

We had about fifteen hundred men with us at that time. We had several hundred prisoners and a great deal of army supplies that we had captured, and the cold weather and the Federals and so many bushwhackers to contend with, that we had no rest day or night. Just below Prestonsburg we captured seven flat boats that were loaded with army supplies, such as clothing and food, and many of us needed both, but we paid dearly for them, for many of our men on both sides lost their lives in this fight. For two hours and thirty minutes they poured the hot lead into each other as fast as they could. The battle lines of both armies extended from the river to the top of the mountain. I was on top of the mountain when the Federals broke rank. Our major ordered his men to go down both battle lines and gather up the dead and wounded and take them to the foot of the mountain.

I went down the Federal battle line in front of our men, and when I saw the dead and wounded and the guns and blood and clothing that was scattered from the top to the bottom of that mountain, I was perfectly disgusted with war. About half way down this line we found their major; he was shot through the heart. He was a nice looking gentleman; he had a long black beard. Our men seemed to have great respect for his body, because he was an officer, and gave special directions for his burial. Some of the prisoners cried aloud like children, while others cursed and said they were see every rebel in hell before he would cry. Just how many men we had killed and wounded in this fight I never knew. Some of our wounded we took with us, and some was so badly wounded we left them in private homes. From this places we turned to the south for winter quarters. My company was the rear guard that night. We thought the rear guard would suffer more than any other part of the army, but to our surprise after we had gone a few miles above Prestonsburg we heard considerable shooting and disturbance in our front about two miles from us. It was a very dark night, and when my company came up to about where we thought the shooting was, we heard horses and men groaning. After we had gone about two miles farther, we went into camp until morning. That morning one man told me one of our men that was killed last night lived in Parkersburg. The great question with us at this time was, can we ever get back to Dixie with our cattle, goods and prisoners? The Federals were above us and below us.

Source: From Youth to Old Age by T.H. Perry, Chapter 7, p. 18-20.

Note: As of 1862, Lincoln County did not exist and the surrounding area remained a part of Virginia. Big Ugly Creek was then located in Logan County and Six Mile Creek was located in Cabell County.

Note: The “forks of Ugly” references the mouth of Laurel Fork, at or near the old Hamilton Fry homeplace.

Jacob D. Cox Letter (1861)

18 Sunday Sep 2016

Posted by in Chapmanville, Civil War

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The following letter from Jacob D. Cox dated December 11, 1861 at Charleston, Virginia, to Adjutant General H.J. Samuels in Wheeling, Virginia, offers insight into war conditions in Chapmanville, Logan County.

Charleston, Va. 11 Dec 1861

Sir:

Geo. W. Workman, residing at Chapmansville, Logan Co. is represented to me by reliable parties as a reliable loyal man, & I have confidence in the representation. He desires authority to raise a company of home guards to protect that vicinity when marauding bands are doing mischief from time to time. Will you please give such authority as may be needed to enable him to organize a company & get it armed etc.

Very truly,

Your obedient servant,

J.D. Cox

Source: Adjutant Generals’ Papers, Union Militia 1861-1865, Ar 373, Letters, Logan County. West Virginia State Archives, The Culture Center, Charleston, WV.