Hall, Tacket, Adams and Cranfield(fill) are my ancestors who lived in Calloway Co. KY. I have scattered info about all except the man named Tacket who married Sarah Hall possibly in Rowan/Davie Co. NC by 1839. They were living in Calloway by 1853 according to a letter written by John Cranfill in 1853. He was a neighbor. Does anyone have info about Tacket families in the Calloway Co. area at that time. I am trying to find Sarah's family. She could be a daughter of Moses Hall who died in Calloway Co before 1853. Thanks,, Gerri Ann Stanley-Lockman

I've come across Knight KY... several times. Apparently Calloway Co. flooded by TVA to make KY Lake. Does anyone have/know its history? frankie moody On Tuesday, May 13, 2003, at 09:00 PM, Bill Utterback wrote: > My friends - > > Today, we are going over to Calloway County to review of the history > of the little town of Newberg, which no longer exists, but which, at > one time, was a thriving community. > The sketch below was written in the 1930's by the late John C. Waters, > whom I had the privilege of knowing prior to his untimely death in the > late 1960's. > > Tomorrow, we will look at an additional person or point of interest in > the JP region. > > -B > ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > Calloway County - "Newberg 'On the Tennessee'" - by John C. Waters > > "Newberg, located on the Tennessee River, in southeast Calloway > County, is one of the oldest continued business places in the county. > It came into prominence as an important shipping place during the > Civil War. During that war, gun boats of the Federal Fleet scattered a > few shells on and around this serene little village, and a cannonball > was shot directly through the home of Capt. Levi Williams. Grant's > transports wooded here on his trip up the river(Tennessee) to the > Battle of Shiloh. They were two days in passing up the river,and > during this time the sky was black with smoke, and the river was > filled with boats of soldiers. > Previous to the war, Newberg was known as Warberg. After the war, the > post office went down, and the village was renamed Blood. In 1921, the > place was named again, by order of the post office department. At this > time, it was given the name of Newberg, which it has held ever since. > The name 'Blood' came about by reason, that during the war it was a > great crossing place of 'guerilla' parties, and several lost their > lives there at the hands of the Home Guards. Near there is a burial > plot where lie buried the bodies of these 'guerilla' bands. Many lost > their lives in swimming their horses across the river. > Newberg was the center of the smuggling of goods from the Cumberland > River, across the Tennessee River to all points in West Kentucky. The > men worked during the night, and sunk their crafts in daytime to keep > them from being destroyed by the soldiers. During the war, gunboats > destroyed 1000 barrels of salt at this place. At the time it was > destroyed, salt on the east side of the river was worth twenty-five > dollars a barrel. After it was ferried across the river, it was worth > fifty dollars a barrel in West Kentucky. Grim reminders of the past > are the large cannon balls unearthed at intervals in the vicinity of > Newberg. It was in direct line of the gunboats during the war. Newberg > figuratively speaking is above high water mark of the Tennessee River. > Only once in its history has it been molested with the waters of that > stream, and that was during 1897." > > [Note: This was written before the TVA's Kentucky Dam Project was > carried out, which placed the present location of Newberg under the > waters of the Kentucky Lake - the guerilla cemetery was moved during > that dam project.] > +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > > > ==== KYJacksonPurchase Mailing List ==== > New Subscribers are invited to post the surnames which they are > researching on the JP Surnames Database website at > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~kyjpsurnames/ > Contact the webmaster to add your e-mail address and surnames to the > site. > > "Baghdad's rumor mill says that not only is Saddam Hussein alive and well, but that he has kidnapped the Scrabble (copyright til you die) expert he had hired to prepare him for a one-time, winner-takes-all, challenge game with President George Dubya Bush. While the hail of bombs and rockets and mortar and hellfire forced Hussein to cancel the previously scheduled game, we understand he's frantically trying to set up yet another, a last-ditch effort to win his fiefdom back from the Americans. Some who claim personal knowledge say he's completed his 7s and is working on his 8s. The office of the U. S. president has responded to queries with obvious disdain, although one report indicates an elementary level spelling book fell to the ground as the first family recently dehelicoptered from a trip to Camp David. I'm safe, as I'm using my astral self to negotiate the sticks and stones of the postwar; I would like to thank the good people of Scrabble(copyright til you die)dom for their many expressions of concern for my safety." Thoreau Maskin. "Report from an alleged Iraqi insider." May 7, 2003. Courtesy Spuemout Press. P. O. Box 666. Hell MI 48169. Copyright© 2003. all rights reserved. (Violators will be taken to and mercilessly pummelled by egoconcentric players who have been sentenced to gameland purgatory and who are beating their way to the pearly gates)

My friends - Today, we are going over to Calloway County to review of the history of the little town of Newberg, which no longer exists, but which, at one time, was a thriving community. The sketch below was written in the 1930's by the late John C. Waters, whom I had the privilege of knowing prior to his untimely death in the late 1960's. Tomorrow, we will look at an additional person or point of interest in the JP region. -B ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Calloway County - "Newberg 'On the Tennessee'" - by John C. Waters "Newberg, located on the Tennessee River, in southeast Calloway County, is one of the oldest continued business places in the county. It came into prominence as an important shipping place during the Civil War. During that war, gun boats of the Federal Fleet scattered a few shells on and around this serene little village, and a cannonball was shot directly through the home of Capt. Levi Williams. Grant's transports wooded here on his trip up the river(Tennessee) to the Battle of Shiloh. They were two days in passing up the river,and during this time the sky was black with smoke, and the river was filled with boats of soldiers. Previous to the war, Newberg was known as Warberg. After the war, the post office went down, and the village was renamed Blood. In 1921, the place was named again, by order of the post office department. At this time, it was given the name of Newberg, which it has held ever since. The name 'Blood' came about by reason, that during the war it was a great crossing place of 'guerilla' parties, and several lost their lives there at the hands of the Home Guards. Near there is a burial plot where lie buried the bodies of these 'guerilla' bands. Many lost their lives in swimming their horses across the river. Newberg was the center of the smuggling of goods from the Cumberland River, across the Tennessee River to all points in West Kentucky. The men worked during the night, and sunk their crafts in daytime to keep them from being destroyed by the soldiers. During the war, gunboats destroyed 1000 barrels of salt at this place. At the time it was destroyed, salt on the east side of the river was worth twenty-five dollars a barrel. After it was ferried across the river, it was worth fifty dollars a barrel in West Kentucky. Grim reminders of the past are the large cannon balls unearthed at intervals in the vicinity of Newberg. It was in direct line of the gunboats during the war. Newberg figuratively speaking is above high water mark of the Tennessee River. Only once in its history has it been molested with the waters of that stream, and that was during 1897." [Note: This was written before the TVA's Kentucky Dam Project was carried out, which placed the present location of Newberg under the waters of the Kentucky Lake - the guerilla cemetery was moved during that dam project.] +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

does anyone have access to these records Kentucky, 1774-1924 Land Records Thanks for your time Bill Ratterree diver466@earthlink.net

My friends - Today, we are moving back over to Calloway County to review more early newspaper snippets. Today's group covers the 1906-1910 time frame. These snippets can contain information on a wide variety of subjects, covering such things as visitation notices, death notices, birth announcements, obituaries(and there is a difference between a "death notice" and an "obituary"), criminal activities, court cases and on and on. Sometimes the snippets can contain very valuable genealogical clues, while in other cases, they merely give us a glimpse back into an earlier time. Subscribers to the JP and Calloway lists can request the text from a snippet shown in the listing below by sending a request to me. As is usual, I would ask that no more than three (3) snippets be requested, as some of them are lengthy. And your continuing assistance in not resending this entire message back to me with the request is appreciated. As an aside, and a bit of administratavia, I may need to remind us again that list guidelines prohibit the posting of virus warnings to any list that I host. There was an attempt made today to post one, but it had incorrect addressing on it and bounced to me directly. As I have said before, if anyone has a concern that is so serious about a virus problem, send those concerns to me directly and I will investigate. If the situation warrants a posting, I will make it myself. Also, list guidelines ask that we avoid "chat" on the lists. After an initial inquiry posting is made to the list, subsequent discussions about the intricate specifics of families and individuals within those families should be carried on between the interested individuals via private e-mail, not through the list. Tomorrow, we will move to Marshall County. -B +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Calloway County - Early Newspaper Snippets - Continued Holsapple, W.D. | Shaw, Mattie | Marriage Diuguid, Beckham Wall, Dr. Eurie Scruggs, Cuthbert (Vacation) Pace, D.F. (Visitation) Broach, Ira (Accident) Parks, Bill (Illness) Ellis, Jake (Night Riding Appeal) Michaux, F[lavius] J[oseph] (Illness) Michaux, Emmett Michaux, Alden Boyce, Joe (Visitation) Smith, Hansford (Death) Richie, Daisy (Death) Stubblefield, Bernie (Relocation) Schroader, Mrs. Dal (Illness) Veale, Mary (Visitation) Brown, Buford (Assault Charge) Goodloe, John (African-American - arson) ~to be continued~ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I am looking for connections with the DAMRON-McCLAIN-SHULTZ-STUNSTON families........... I know there are several.......I am happy to share ........hope to hear from you...........pj

My friends - I am glad to be able to finally be able to announce that the Graves County Order Book G Page Images with Every Name Index CD-ROM is available for distribution. This CD contains individual images of all 652 pages in the Graves County Circuit Court Order Book G, covering the 1853-1856 time frame, as well as an every-name index to the entries in that book. There are over 3000 entries indexed. In addition, the Index has clickable links to each page image(many thanks again to Don Larson for this improvement), and the Index itself has been extensively revised and corrected(with thanks to Cheri Casper for her work in this area). This material constitutes the earliest existing county based records for Graves County, since the December 1887 courthouse fire destroyed 99% of all county records. The CD will function on Windows or MAC operating systems, and offers the user the choice of "automatic" clickable links from the Index directly to the page images via a web browser(Internet Explorer or Netscape will operate with this feature), or the "manual" approach, in which the user can open each page image through any image file viewer, such as MS Paint, Adobe Photoshop, or any other such program. This CD represents literally hundreds of hours of work in the part of our volunteer indexers, myself, and our beta testers and other contributors over a two and a half year period. Subscribers to the lists which I host are offered the opportunity to obtain this CD at a discounted cost of $12.00(the general public will be asked to pay $15.00), which includes First Class shipping. The CD will be packaged in a "slimline" jewel case for protection and will be appropriately labeled on its surface, with instructions included on accessing the information. Please e-mail me off-list for any further information and for the address to which to send payments. -B +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Another try!!!! I am researching the Hood family that came to Calloway Co. Surely there are some descendants on this line that might have my missing links. Breifly------wanting the family of Roland Hood d. ca 1816 in Sumner County, TN. The settlement of the estate indicates wife to be a "Mary" perhaps but I have just found bible records to indicate that his wife was Charlotte "Hood"---same name she had a twin sister Morelotte Hood m. James Sumers Children appear to be Alexander b. 1798 m. Mary ? Martha b. 1802 m, Bazel Smith Elizabeth b 1804 m. William Miller Washington b. 1807 m. Elizabeth Martin Nancy b. 1810 m. John Bourland Susan b.? m. Jake Ripley Sumers (Somers) Charles b. 1785 VA (Charles may be a brother to Roland rather than son) Looking for any records that can link these Hood families. They are from VA and maybe later NC. Thanks, Joy

My friends - Today, I am sending along another segment taken from Professor Gordon Wilson's little book entitled, "Fidelity Folks". Fidelity was an earlier name for New Concord in Calloway County. Professor Wilson relates, in his inimitable style, what it was like growing up in Fidelity. This segment is titled, "Fourth Sunday in May at Mount Zion", and relates the annual homecoming of many of the African-Americans of the area to the Mount Zion Church every year on the fourth Sunday of May. It is also something of an interesting commentary on the relationship of the races to one another in that earlier time and its narrative should be read with that context in mind. Tomorrow, we will move over to Hickman County. -B ==================================================================== FIDELITY FOLKS -Gordon Wilson Fourth Sunday in May at Mount Zion "As the Negroes were a definite part of our lives and had lived in the Jackson Purchase since its settlement, it would be unfair to them and to us to omit them from this picture of the old-fashioned village. They were nurses for us when we were small, they washed and ironed our clothes, they helped us clean house, and in many homes they were cooks and housekeepers. We grew up with Negro children quite as casually as with white children. We "went in a-washing" with the Negro boys in Beechy Fork or Blood River and vied with them in sports. Though we had separate schools, we loved to quiz our darker friends about what went on in the school at Mt. Zion and were surprised to find that they were taught the same things that we were and often quite as well. Negro mammies saw to it that their white charges knew where the line between white and colored should be drawn. Not to draw it properly would have branded us as "'poor' white trash," about the worst thing that any person could be called. Father as the country doctor knew the Negroes well, from the most honest and industrious to the "low-down." He brought their children into the world and doctored their ills throughout their sometimes hectic lives. Some of the Negroes owned land and had other Negroes for tenants; others were shiftless and desperately poor. But a great bond held them together, the bond of a common history and a common menial position. Nothing in their whole history near Fidelity ever impressed me so much as did their annual homecoming at Mt. Zion on the Fourth Sunday in May. When Marse Peter Rowlett came to the Purchase from North Carolina, he settled between Fidelity and the Tennessee River. In 1848 he established on his plantation a tobacco factory and worked his own and his neighbors' slaves there in the winter months. He bought up all the tobacco in that area and manufactured twists, plugs, and sacks of smoking tobacco on a rather large scale. After the Civil War the ex-slaves remained, and others flocked from distant areas to work for hire in the factory. In my boyhood Marse Peter died and was succeeded by Marse Jeffy. It soon became evident that older things had passed and that it would be better to have the factory on the railroad rather than several miles away from the declining river traffic. When the factory was moved to the county seat, the Negroes followed en masse, so that only a few who owned farms or were not connected with the factory remained in the neighborhood. Long before the exodus there had been a custom of having an annual big day on the fourth Sunday in May; this custom was continued, becoming now a homecoming for those who had moved to the county seat or even farther away. Before the days of automobiles all the horse-drawn vehicles owned by the livery stables at the county seat were rented long in advance. The few remaining Negroes in the old community prepared for the big day by butchering pigs, and sheep, and goats, in addition to preparing the usual fried chickens and all the other delicacies of meeting all day and dinner on the ground. New clothes were bought or old ones carefully washed and mended. You could tell by the tunefulness of the hired hands that great things were being anticipated. There was no other topic of conversation for days in advance. Early on the morning of the big day the procession started down the "big road," the one leading from Fidelity to Tennessee River: pedestrians, often carrying in their hands their precious shoes, to be put an at the branch just before they reached the church; buggies, farm wagons with spring seats or split-bottomed chairs for the adults and quilts thrown over hay for the younger ones, surries, double rigs from the livery stables; horseback riders, frequently two or more on a horse. To give the occasion thorough respect and safety, an officer of the law would be invited to spend the day there. The women saw to it that he got an abundance of fried chicken and barbecued lamb and cake. Only rarely was there any disturbance, when some bad white boy had come seeking trouble or when two colored boys had staged a razor battle. The officer was largely for form's sake, but something embarrassing might have occurred if he had not been there. All day the preaching went on, with a brief intermission for dinner on the ground. just like our dinners at Sulphur Springs and Mt. Carmel. And in the late afternoon we children watched the long line of dust-covered vehicles filing back along our main road. For a week or more afterwards we heard various comments on the occasion, for the hired hands acted it all out for us. They imitated the preachers, or sneered at some hypocritical or worldly sister who was too obviously dressed, or shouted like Sister Lucy, or prayed like Brother Blanton, to the great delight of us children, who were forbidden by our stern Scotch-Irish father to go near the Negro church on this occasion. How often since I left Fidelity have I thought of this annual event and how much it reveals of the faithfulness of these black neighbors of ours! The older ones had grown up in slavery and had found in their church life a way out. From the hard work in the new ground or the factory they had come to the little old, church to feel what can never be described by any one not gifted with the Negro's imagination and tropical fervor." ==========================================================================

I have noted several occasions when there have been tie-ins between Wilson County, Tennessee and Calloway County, Kentucky, including a recent posting on this list. My own ancestor settled in Wilson County (abt 1808), then moved to Calloway County between 1826 and 1829. Later, sons of this ancestor moved back to Wilson County (by 1850). I was wondering if anyone could share some insight on the historical, physical and cultural environment that might have made migrations take place between these two counties.

My friends - Today, we are resuming data posts with a return to our review of the 1878 Calloway County Vital Statistics birth records. We are now about two-thirds of the way through this series. Subscribers to the JP and Calloway lists can obtain the full dataset for a birth shown in the listing below by sending a request to me. These datasets usually include the date of birth, gender of the child if not obvious, name of father, maiden name of mother and the birth state for each parent. As always, your continuing assistance in not resending this entire message back to me with the request is appreciated. Tomorrow, we will move over to Graves County. -B +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Calloway County - Vital Statistics Records - Births - 1878 (Supplemental) - Part 11-S (M)=Male (F)=Female (NGG)=No Gender Given Wells, Laura Miller, ------ (F) Hagerty, Malachi Alexander, Nancy Daniel, Sarah Acree, Lula H. Parker, George Hunt, D. Glenn Miller, ------ (M) Wallis, John Houston, S.A. (F) Chadwick, Emile Reddy, Herbert A. McCuiston, John D. Linn, Bryant Carneal, ------ (F) Cherry, Mary L. Meadow, Florence Phillips, Edmond Stubblefield, Flora Koonce, Mahala F. Thornton, Ina M. Williams, Cora J. Ingram, Maggie D. Jones, Thomas M. Curd, Wade H[ampton] Allen, Elmus Coleman, William L. Knight, Sally A. Wilson, James H. ~to be continued~ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

My husband's great-grandfather, Ezekiel Witty, is listed in the 1850 Wilson Co., Tennessee census in the household of his parents. He is shown as 21, male, born in Tennessee, and Attended School within the year. Six months later, in April of 1851 Ezekiel married Azubah (Ashaby) Winchester (daughter of William and Margaret Winchester) in Calloway County. I am curious as to how Ezekiel and Azubah met since his parents seem to have remained in Tennessee. Is there any significance to the fact that he is listed as having attended school at age 21? Specifically, would there have been any institution of higher learning in the Blood River area of Calloway County in 1850 that Ezekiel might have attended? Elma Witty in far eastern Oregon

My friends - I have had the opportunity to work on and convert a couple of additional items form the several hundred old 5" floppies that I refer to as "miscellaneous files". The files are the Ray Cemetery and Watson Cemetery in Calloway County. Both of these are rather small cemeteries, with perhaps 30-40 known burials in each one. The earliest birth year in the Ray Cemetery that was found was 1798(for Hix Ray), while the earliest in the Watson Cemetery was 1815(for Evaline Watson). Surnames in the Ray Cemetery include: Ray, Brazzell, Cates, Green, Hurt, Kinney, Pember, Mathis, Riley and West. Surnames in the Watson Cemetery include: Watson, Beach, Drinkard, Bean, Creason, Farless, Williams, Smith and Johnson. Subscribers to the JP and Calloway lists can obtain either or both of these files by sending a request directly to me(not to the lists, please). The file names to be requested are "Ray Cemetery" and/or "Watson Cemetery". The files are available in either plain text or Adobe Acrobat PDF. The files will be sent as a plain text attachment to an e-mail message unless PDF is specified. If attachments are not workable, the files can also be sent in the body of an e-mail message, although this method will often skew the columnar alignments. If this method is needed, please specify that the file(s) should be sent as a "straight e-mail message". The complete file(s) will be sent. Time constraints do not permit me to go into the files and extract data on individual surnames. As an aside, we are very close to completing the final, polished version of the Graves County Order Book G CD-ROM. If all goes well, it may become available before I leave for my next scheduled visit to the JP region, which will occur beginning 11 April. -B ====================================================================

James Ingram and Phoebe Woodward married 11 Sept 1823 in Calloway Co., KY. They are in the 1830 and 1840 Calloway Co. census. I believe this is the same James and Phoebe Ingram in Monroe Co., AR by 1847. By 1880, some of the descendants were in Fresno Co., CA. Wish to correspond with anyone researching this family. Have lots of information to share. Wanda Ridge

I found a reference to a marriage record in "Marriage Records, Calloway County, Kentucky, Part II 1852-1859" compiled and printed by Danny R Hatcher, July 12, 1967. I would like to find out if an original record exists and if so, where it might be found. Can anyone help me with this? The specific reference is on page 7: FAKES, D.L. to HART, Sarah A dated 2/10/1853. I'm hoping to glean more information off the original document. Thank you in advance for your asistance!

I am looking for information or a source for information on the history of Humility, KY. Humility was the name of what is now New Concord, KY. Thanks in advance. Slainte Va! (Health to you) B. J. McCuiston PO Box 2193 Gilroy, Ca 95021-2193

I am still needing help from Hood descendants on the Roland Hood d. 1816 Sumner Co. TN. Have found new info that he was married to Charlotte Hood. Have not found their marriage but did find her twin sister Morelotte m. William James Somers 31 July 1806 Sumner Co. TN Charlotte is suppose to have come to Calloway county after Roland Hood died with perhaps 7 or so small children. I have the list of children just need some proof to back up all these facts. Some one surely has a bible record or some family record that would back up these finds. Will gladly share what I have with anyone who is researching this family. Thanks Joy, TN

My friends - Today we are returning to our series taken from the "History of Kentucky", published in 1922 by the American Historical Society. Our subject today is Dr. William Speer Stone, who practiced medicine in Marshall County, but was heavily connected to Calloway County through his first wife, who was a Risenhoover, and through his parents, who resided in Calloway. Tomorrow, we will look at some new web sites for research. -B +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ WILLIAM SPEER STONE, MD Marshall County "In the midst of these epoch-making times, the recognition of the work of the medical profession has come to a fresh and even thrilling distinction. Through its skill and knowledge that wonderful machine, the human body, is not only rehabilitated, but sometimes reconstructed. Medical science is elastic, its boundaries are limitless, but it is at all times held firmly in the grasp of the intelligent men who uncover its mysteries. Not only, however, is the physician called upon for material assistance, but the ideal medical man irradiates the sick chamber with the light of his cheerful presence, lifting his patient out of the slough of despondency into the higher plane of sane thought. No matter how many patients a physician may have upon his hands, he is expected to give to each one a full measure of his individual thought and careful consideration, and the conscientious man never gets away from his work. Other men can throw off the burdens of their everyday cares, but the medical man has them with him at all times, as he does their calls upon him, so that there is little wonder that many of the skilled physicians sink under the burden; the marvel is that so many remain to further aid humanity. One of these dependable medical men of Marshall County is Dr. William Speer Stone of Birmingham. Doctor Stone was born near Murray, Calloway County, Kentucky, February 22, 1862. The Stone family originated in England from whence immigration was made to the American Colonies, and settlement effected in New York. The great-grandfather of Doctor Stone was William Stone, an eminent lawyer of Tennessee, who moved to Calloway County after he had retired from his practice, and died there at an advanced age. His son, William Hardaman Stone, the grandfather of Doctor Stone, was born in Montgomery County, Tennessee, in 1799 and died near Murray, Calloway County, in 1879, having moved to Kentucky prior to the outbreak of the war between the North and the South, and there developed large farming interests, although while in Tennessee he was connected with the operation of a furnace in the rolling mills. He was married to a Miss Russell, a native of England, and she died in Montgomery County, Tennessee. One of the children of William H. Stone and his wife was John William Stone, father of Doctor Stone, and he was born in Montgomery County. Tennessee, in 1829 and died in Calloway County, Kentucky, in the vicinity of Murray in 1891 from traumatic tetanus. He was reared in his native county, but was married in Wayne County, Tennessee, and lived there until he came to Calloway County a short time prior to the outbreak of the war of the 60's, in which he enlisted from Calloway County, under General Bragg of the Confederate army. Later he was transferred to General Forrest's cavalry, and participated in the in engagements at Shiloh, Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Corinth and other important battles, remaining in the service until the termination of the war. Returning home, he continued to reside on his farm, but followed his occupation as a carpenter and builder. He possessed much inventive genius and invented the first plug tobacco machine produced for plug tobacco, and this he patented in 1870.Mr. Stone was a man of the highest character, and lived up to the finest of Christian manhood. Early joining the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, he held to its creed in the strictest manner, and was the main pillar of the local congregation. Zealous a Mason and Odd Fellow, he exemplified in his life the best ideals of these fraternities, and he was equally conscientious in his support of the principles of the democratic party. A stern, upright man, he, however, asked not nearly as much of others as he demanded of himself, and his influence in his community was emphatically of a constructive nature. John William Stone was married to Charlotte M. Speer, who was born in Wayne County, Tennessee in 1832, and died at Birmingham, Kentucky, in 1897 of a complication of diseases. She was a daughter of Robert Speer, native of North Carolina, who was of the pioneer farmers of Wayne County, Tennessee. Mr. and Mrs. Stone became the parents of the following children: J. F., who is a physician and surgeon, lives at Lafayette, Christian County, Kentucky; Martha Susann who married J. L. Wells, a tobacconist of Martin, Tennessee; and Doctor Stone, who is the youngest living. Doctor Stone attended the rural schools of Calloway County, and studied medicine under his brother until he was prepared to enter the University of Louisville, Kentucky, and was graduated from its medical department in 1888 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine Since then he has attended a number of clinics at his alma mater. After receiving his degree Doctor Stone began the practice of his profession at Fairdealing, Marshall County, Kentucky, and remained there from 1888 until 1891, when he moved to Birmingham and was the pioneer of his profession in this community. Since then he has been engaged in general medical and surgical practice and has earned and holds the full confidence of his fellow citizens. For fifteen years he was president of the Marshall County Board of Health, and in that capacity rendered this region a valuable service. In politics he is a democrat. Doctor Stone is a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and he belongs to T. L. Jefferson Lodge No. 622, A. F. & A. M. of Birmingham, of which he is past master, and which he has served as secretary for six years. Professionally he maintains membership in the Marshall County Medical Society, the Kentucky Medical Society, the American Medical Association, the Southwest Kentucky Medical Association, and the Southern Medical Society. He belongs to the Alumni Association of the Louisville University. Doctor Stone's offices are on Washington Street. In May, 1888, Doctor Stone was married first to Miss Nannie E. Risenhoover at Murray, Calloway County, Kentucky. She w a daughter of Rev. B. B. and Susan (Beasley) Risenhoover, both of whom are now deceased. Mr. Risenhoover was a clergyman of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Mrs. Stone died at Birmingham, Kentucky, in 1899, of pneumonia. There were no children. On January 23, 1919, Doctor Stone was married second to Miss Zora P. Smith, a daughter of Frank M. and Martha (Finch) Smith, residents of Eddyville, Kentucky, where Mr. Smith is serving as a guard at the penitentiary, but they regard Birmingham as their permanent home, and own a residence here. During the late war Doctor Stone was very active in local war work, subscribing liberally to all of the drives and doing all in his power to assist the administration in carrying out its policies. He is a man of broad mind and tender sympathies, and his friends are legion. Having lived in this locality for so many years he understands its people thoroughly, and takes a deep pride in them and what they have accomplished. Always realizing the necessity for better sanitation, both as health official and private individual, he has worked to secure needed improvements, and has more than once averted the spread of an epidemic by his prompt and vigorous action. Such men as he are an honor to their learned profession and a valuable asset to their localities. -History of Kentucky W.E.Connelley & E.M.Coulter Editor: Charles Kerr Chicago: American Historical Society, 1922 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

My friends - One of our subscribers asked me yesterday when I would be posting another excerpt from Dr. Gordon Wilson's little book, "Fidelity Folks", which represents life in and around New Concord in Calloway County in the late 19th and early 20th century. Professor Wilson's down-to-earth presentation and his interesting commentary about his early life in Calloway County give us some glimpses into a world that was far simpler and gentler than that in which we find ourselves today. Because of the large response to my weekend offering concerning depositions and affidavits, I find myself "snowed under" in attempting to get these prepared and responses sent. As a result, I am going to bring another excerpt from "Fidelity Folks" to the List today, and I will resume data posts tomorrow. This except is entitled, "Being Entertained", and it describes what the young people of an earlier era found in the way of outside entertainment. -B ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Fidelity Folks" -Gordon Wilson BEING ENTERTAINED "Most of our entertainment was of our own devising: parties, exhibitions, dinner on the ground, picnics. Sometimes we liked to have others entertain us, just as a boy will eat heartily away from home the things that he will disdain on his own mother's table. When we entertained ourselves, we did not have to pay and thus saved our money for a grand blow-out. Thus the seventy-five cents I made by taking the place of a farmer in our tobacco-cutting crew was spent to the last cent the next week at the circus. My old diary records that I got to see the animal tent and the big top, and also had enough money left for some pink lemonade. At school some forty-five years[this written in 1945] ago the children who lived in Fidelity told us that a man was going to exhibit a talking machine that night in the lumber room upstairs over one of the stores. Father was away on one of his calls, but Mother gave her permission and each one of us boys a dime to get inside the building. On the way we met Father in the dusk, and so camouflaged our voices that he failed to recognize us. We were afraid he might not want us to be so extravagant. About twenty turned out to see and hear the new contraption. In those early days there was no loud, blaring horn; you put some ear-phones over your head and heard a far-away squeaky voice or still squeakier music. We took turns about with the ear-phones, until we had heard some dozen every-day songs, like "Old Folks at Home" and "Old Kentucky Home" and "Where Is My Wandering Boy Tonight?" But after the magical event was over, away we went in the night air, different boys ever after, for we had been exposed to one of the wonders of modern invention. Later our postmaster-druggist owned a phonograph, but we highly favored ones, had been ahead of our time and place by listening through ear-phones. There were two tent shows that I remember, and I honestly believe that they were the only ones that came to us after I was big enough to attend. One set up its equipment in the old broomsedge field just east of Fidelity, at the edge of the woods. To attract the attention of the assembled yokels, a daring man in tights, walked a tight rope and danced a jig on it and even stood on his head. Then we went inside, where two clowns told corny gags that were then new to us, and a magician swallowed a sword and did stunts with balls, and a ventriloquist and his dummy made every one of us resolve to be showmen to the end of our earthly days. The final act was again outside, where a cinnamon bear danced a jig when someone sang a weird Gypsy song and beat on a tambourine. The other tent show came several years later, after moving pictures had come into slight use. This show was much more varied. There was a magician, again; a boy did some marvelous papertearing; there was a Punch and Judy show; there were short movies, somewhat like our modern newsreels; and there were colored slides thrown on the screens representing well-known songs, the phonograph meanwhile playing the songs illustrated. To the end of my days I will remember how effectively "My Old Kentucky Home" was illustrated by the slide showing the sale of the Negroes "down South" to pay the master's debts. And then came a showboat, which I believe is the best type of folk entertainment. A group of us were picnicking down at Pine Bluff, on Tennessee River, when a showboat came in and tied up at the landing. We peered into the boat and were courteously invited aboard. There were some twenty of us, but we felt that we must have a show, just for us. The proprietor agreed to charge us only twenty cents apiece instead of the regular dime when more people came. That meant forty cents for me,for I had a date. But, after all, what is a big sum like that when it is being spent for HER? There were some fairly good moving pictures, some slides in color, and some of the best fiddle-playing I have ever heard. The crew of the boat consisted of only three people: the proprietor, his wife, and the fiddler. This boat, I learned later, spent twenty years on the Ohio and its tributaries, always adapting itself to changes in types of shows, from the earlier clown acts to the moving pictures when I saw their show. On our way home late in the afternoon we met numerous farmers and their families going to the night performance. We felt big in having had a command performance rather than the regular show. About the last country school I attended we had a man who had been reared in our section who came back to put on his show as an expose of Oriental magic and its kindred arts. He came to our school and gave several demonstrations of hypnotism, his helper being the worst boy in the neighborhood. But we were sufficiently convinced that we thronged the union church that night. All lights were put out except some very dim, weird-looking ones that belonged to the magician. All sorts of stunts were done, gradually becoming more and more corny. The same bad boy did his stunts less convincingly than ever. The village eccentric, who had the reputation of being a half-wit, could not be hypnotised, much to the delight of the audience, which had begun to suspect that we had been taken in. We had paid our money, though, and we sat through about the dullest, most silly program that I was ever around. After this show we did not brag about having attended, for we were thoroughly disgusted with the hokum we had witnessed." ==========================================================================

My friends - Since my posting of a few days ago concerning the KY Court of Appeals cases of Thompson vs. Thompson and Beadles & Wife vs. Thompson, in which I listed some of the individuals in Calloway and McCracken counties who had given affidavits and depositions in this case, I have had a number of inquiries about whether the contents of those items might be made available. After looking at the depositions and affidavits, I have decided to offer image files of many of them, and, in those cases in which some of them are too lengthy to be offered in that fashion, I will make them available by photocopy and snail mail, on a reimbursed cost basis. In the listing below are the names of those who gave statements of some sort in this case. Subscribers to the JP, McCracken and Calloway lists can request the image files for these items, with the exception of those that have an asterisk (*) after the name, for which the length precludes preparing image files for them, but interested subscribers can contact me privately and discuss photocopying the pages involved. The images should be requested by the name of the individual who gave the testimony. I am going to place a limit of three (3) on requests for these items, primarily because the size of the combined files will start causing problems on the receiving end, if we go above that number, as there are a fair number of ISP's who place limits on the size of incoming messages with attachments. With the exception of the items involving the Thompsons, Quisenberrys, Breckenridges, Quarles and Beadles families, the general content of the testimony consists of how the deponent was acquainted with Samuel or Albert Thompson, what business they had with one or both, and other such matters related to the case. There may be no family information at all in the items, but one can get a general feel for how these individuals expressed themselves, and step into just a little of their personal lives. Because of the time consuming nature of preparing all of these items, I would ask that my usual suggestion that "if you don't hear from me in 48 hours, query me" not be applied in this case, as it may take several days to get them items out. -B ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ McCracken & Calloway Counties - Affidavits & Depositions - Thompson vs. Thompson & Beadles & Wife vs. Thompson - 1867 - 1878 Items marked with an (*) cannot be sent as image files and interested subscribers should contact me via private e-mail for copies. Beadles, James Nicholas McElrath, John C. McElrath, Thomas Sr. Williams, Rufus King Cargill, Mrs. E.L. (*) (2 items) Mayes, Mrs. Elizabeth (2 items) Trimble, L.S. (*) Martin, Jonas Boaz, P.M. Stubblefield, W.J. (*) (2 items) Harding, Henry William (*) Holt, G.A.C. Ellison, Paris Marshall Nix, R.F. (2 items) Roe, J.H. (*) Quarles, James Monroe (*) Biggers, J.M. (*) Sledd, W.S. (*) Curd, Charles McKnight, Samuel Churchill, J.E. Boyd, Linn Curd, Irena Worthington Crenshaw Curd, Benjamin Smith Quarles, Nancy Jane Petty (2 items) Turner, Oscar Waterfield, D.F. Flournoy, W.J. Brahm, Thomas J. Humphries, Dr. J.P. Wrather, W.T. Anderson, Ervin Thompson, Alice Quisenberry, S.F. (and others) Breckenridge, Martha Matilda "Mat" ====================================================================