Continuation of Tolle's writings about the Skaggs Creek area of Barren Co. "Since the above was written I have been informed that Rev. Ralph PETTY was once a citizen of Skaggs Creek, I suppose he lived near the head of the creek. He belonged to Glovers Creek Church which is in the section of the country of Skagge Creek. He afterwards moved to the Blue Spring country. One of his historians had this to say about him: "Ralph PETTY was the most distinguished of the early pastor of Blue Springs Church. He was born in Virginia December 17, 1767. His parents moved to Ohio and settled near Cincinnati. Here he was raised up and in his young manhood, married Isabell, daughter of James McCLURE of Hamilton County, Ohio. Mr. McCLURE was afterwards killed by an Indian, while standing in his yard in Bourbon County, Kentucky, where he had settled after the marriage of his daughter to Mr. PETTY. Mr. PETTY also moved to Kentucky and settled in Bourbon County. Here during the great revival in 1801, he obtained hope in Christ, and was baptized. "In 1802 he moved to Barren County, and settled on Fallen Timber Creek. Here he united with Glovers Creek Church, and the [in] following years was ordained to the deaconship. He was licensed to exercise a public gift, February 3, 1804, and ordained to the full work of the Ministry, March 3rd, 1805. He was called to the pastoral care of the Glovers Church, Mt. Pisgah, Dripping Spring and Skeggs Creek churches, all in Barren County. Afterwards he gave up the care of Skeggs Creek Church, and acceptede that of Blue Spring to the neighborhood of which he had moved in 1823. "Mr. PETTY possessed medium preaching gifts, and was a mild, conservative man. He was of easy, pleasant, address; and was a great lover of peace. He was a good pastor, and much beloved by his people. Besides his long and faithful pastoral labors, he did much preaching among the poor and destitute, and in the early part of his ministry aided much in building up the Redeemer's cause. His co-laborers, in the eastern part of Green River Association were STOCKTON, NUCKOLS, ELKIN, LOGAN and others. "During the great excitement in the Green River Association on the question of Missions, Mr. PETTY was chosen Moderator of this body, on account of his conservatism. The difficulties were happily adjusted, for the time. When the first split occurred in that body in 1833, Mr. PETTY remained with the Missionary party, but when the second split occurred in 1838, he adhered to the Antimissionaries. He was pastor of Blue Spring Church when it excluded Thomas EDWARDS for joining a church that believed in "Human Societies." "Mr PETTY became very corpulent in his old age, but continued to preach until he was attacked with a flux of which he died July 26, 1851. He was speechless several days before his death. "One of Mr. PETTY's chief exellencies as a preacher, was his great simplicity, by which he made the most illiterate understand him. Andrew NUCKOLS said to him, on one occasion, "Bro. PETTY, how is it that the people like your preaching so much, and think so little of mine, when we both preach the same doctrine? "Because,", replied Bro PETTY, "{I cut mine up so that they can eat it, while you feed them yours whole." End of the Skeggs/Skaggs Creeek area story. Sandi SCKY Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=south-central-kentucky Barren Co Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=kybarren Sandi's Puzzlers: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gensoup/gorin/puz.html