I am searching for information on a Daniel Matthewson that lived in Murray in the mid 1800's. Daniel was b. about 1810 in TN and married a Lucy Gabrella Scruggs. They had several children shown in the 1860 & 1870 Census records. In 1870, he was age 60; wife 47, b. KY. Children: William E., 18; Emily C., 13; Rubin ?, 11; Gerturde, 9; and Hubbart, 4. Rubin may have been named Francis R. based on the 1860 Census, which also included a Celia 12; a Tobias, 14 and Mary A., 16. I am a descendant of Dr. John Jay Matthewson of Paris, b. 1816, and suspect he and Daniel were related--perhaps brothers. J. J. has been a serious brick wall for me, so am just searching in all directions at this point. Any help appreciated. Jeanetta Sharp GA

My friends - Recently, I again posted information about the 1880 Defective, Dependent and Delinquent Schedule found in the 1880 census. This schedule lists those individuals(who would also be shown on the 1880 population schedule - the one with which we most often work) who are blind, insane, deaf-mute, inhabitants of a county poor house, homeless children, idiots and in jail. Starting today, I am going to post to the List, as we go forward, the names of those individuals shown in the 1880 DDD Schedules for the 7 counties(at that time) of the JP region, showing the classification under which they appeared. We will begin with Calloway County. *At this point, I cannot provide further information beyond what is shown below*. I have, in some cases, shown some added information that was present in the schedule for certain individuals. My plan is to transcribe the entire contents of the DDD Schedule for the 7 JP counties, with all of the associated information contained on these individuals. This series of postings is to serve as something of a "notification" of the presence of these individuals on the DDD Schedule. That may be helpful to some of us, especially if we have a bit of a brick wall problem concerning what may have happened to an individual. Unfortunately, as we often see in these cases, the enumerators involved in gathering this information in Calloway County left many informational columns blank, either because they could not get the information or because the enumerator felt doing so was not worth the effort to do so. One cannot help but have a tug at the heartstrings - even now - when seeing the report of the two homeless children shown below, and then also see their names in the county poor house. That must have been a really terrible existence for those two youngsters. It was a difficult existence even for adults in the poor houses of that era. Tomorrow, we will have another selection from Dr. Gordon Wilson. -B +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ New Series - 1880 DDD Schedule - Part 1 - Calloway County BLIND: Manning, Sarah J. Manning, Eulah Cain, Polly Stuart, James Taylor, Mary Taylor, Emly[sic] Curd, Kane (onset at age 84) Curd, Sarah Timmons, Butler Childers,John C. Hodge[?], William B. Smoot, W.G. Pea, Elizabeth Johnson, Mary Hornsby, Jeremiah Ellison, W.T. Meloan, Andrew B. Wilson, E.M. Wilson, Elizabeth INSANE: Butler, Jane Swann, John Crass, M.J. Dunaway, A.M. Fennel, Wiley Adams, John W. Duncan, Adelia IN COUNTY JAIL: Jones, D.F. (Murder charge) [two others in jail - illegible] HOMELESS CHILDREN: Miller, Alabama Miller, Ollie May DEAF-MUTES: Huie, Marget[sic] J. Huie, William M. Bean, Rachel E. Fallon, Margaret N.C. Daniel, W.C. Rowlett, P.E. Siggen, Evans Paschal, Nancy A. Paschal, Victory B. Paschall, Maggie D. INHABITANTS OF POOR HOUSE: Scott, Jane (admitted 1867) Wade, Richard (admitted 1879) Strader, Sallie (admitted 1877) Miller, Delpha (admitted 1872 - leg amputation) Boyd, Mary (admitted 1879) Miller, Alabama (see "Homeless Children" above) Miller, Ollie May (see "Homeless Children" above) Curd,Kain Butler, Jane IDIOTS: Adams, Sarah B. Dick, Lonie B. Green, Denara Ann West, Lorena May A. Alexander, Cassandra Lee, John M. Jones, Wiley Timmons, Buster Smalley, Henry F. Darnell, James W. P'Pool, Radilla Dixson, Juda Evans, M.C. Thompson, R.X. Stone, M. Stone, George P. Spencer, Burnett Spencer, Charles A. Shelton, Joe ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

My friends - Today, we are moving to Calloway County to continue our review of newspaper snippets concerning people in that county. These snippets are in the 1905-1909 time frame, and may contain anything from death notices to obituaries to visitation information, criminal proceedings and various other matters which were of interest to the people of that era. Subscribers to the JP and Calloway lists can obtain the text of a snippet from the listing below by sending a request to me. The usual limit of 3 requests will apply, as some of these are lengthy. And, as always, your continued assistance in not resending this message back to me with the request is appreciated. Tomorrow, we will move to McCracken County. -B ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Calloway County - Early Newspaper Snippet - Continued Champion, Dr. E. (Night Rider Conviction) Hughes C.C. (Visitation) Gilbert, Headley B. Hale, Noah (insanity) Crabtree, Lee Ola (Memorial) Hayden, James (Injury) Clayton, Robert | Whitnell, Alma |Marriage Lawrence, Wayne (Shooting) Bannister, Andy (Death) Hurt, James (Relocation) Ross, Harvey (Insanity) Ballard, Joe (Death) Brown, Bud | Beach, Willie |Marriage Wilson, Isaac Newton (Memorial) ~to be continued~ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

My friends - Today we are reviewing another of the delightful little essays which Dr. Gordon Wilson incorporated in his little book, "Fidelty Folks", which was written in the middle 1940's as a reflection of the experiences Dr. Wilson had as a young boy in New Concord, in Calloway County, which was known briefly as Fidelity, years before Dr. Wilson was born. Today's essay is titled, 'Being Entertained' and takes us back to the era of travelling shows and showboats. As is now customary, there will be no data post tomorrow or on the weekend. I do hope to drop by in that period with another miscellaneous file, however, if all goes well and time permits. -B ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ BEING ENTERTAINED -Dr. Gordon Wilson “Fidelity Folks” 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 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 gave 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 everyday 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 hypnotized, 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. ===========================================================================

I would like to find any information on JOHN SIMEON BERRY from anyone who may be searching this line. He is listed on the 1830/31/32 tax list for Calloway and lived there up until 1849. This is the only information that I have on him. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated. I have nothing prior to the tax list and could use any lead you may have. Sincerely Jeffrey

My friends - I hope that everyone had a pleasant Easter. Today's posting is something of a potpourri of items, gleaned from various sources(mostly newspapers), and containing death notices as well as a few obituaries and memorials in the 1900 - 1910 time frame in Calloway County. This is not a lengthy list, but I am going to send it along, as there may be someone of interest to our subscribers in the group. Subscribers to the JP and Calloway lists can get the full text of the material on an individual shown in the listing below by sending a request to me. Some of these are lengthy, so I would ask that no more than 3 names be requested. Tomorrow, we will move to Graves County. -B ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Calloway County - Death Notices - Early 20th Century Ratterree, Columbus R. Linn, B[urrell] B[ell] Stubblefield, Patty Moffatt, Dollie Collins, Bettie Hendley, Otto Bolling, Mrs. W.T. Morse, Thomas E. Boggess, Joseph Allen Gatlin, Dr. Z.T. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My friends - Today, we are reviewing another of the delightful essays written by the late Dr. Gordon Wilson, from his little book, "Fidelity Folks", published in the 1940's. Fidelity was another name for the town of New Concord, in Calloway County, where Dr. Wilson was born(a son of Dr. Marquis Pillow Wilson)and spent his growing up years. This essay is entitled, "Out Into the Night", and takes us back to the late 1890's and the activities of the young people of that era which have long since passed into history. It was a simpler and gentler time, which makes our spirit yearn, at times, to be able to return to those earlier and less stressful days. As is now customary, there will be no data posts per se tomorrow or on the weekend. I hope to be able to drop by with a miscellaneous file offering. I have one file on which I am working, and I hope to get it completed before the end of the day Sunday. -B ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ OUT INTO THE NIGHT -Dr. A. Gordon Wilson "Fidelity Folks" At almost any time of the year we "stepped out" by going somewhere at night. In summer the amount of energy needed to keep the crops going limited our running around to Saturday nights or Sundays, but at other times of the year we never seemed too busy to get away. I am not referring to courting, which had all seasons for its own, but to visits in which all could participate. After the heat of summer was over, we were eager to get out. Probably the first real event that we attended was sorghum making. The mill ran all day, of course, but it was more romantic to go with a merry gang after nightfall and watch the evaporator working. Usually the grinding of the cane ceased at sunset, with several barrels of juice saved up for the night shift. The patient men stayed over the evaporator day and night, taking turns out for sleep. Molasses is something that has to be watched all the time, especially when it is almost done. Greenhorns were always being made the butt of crude tricks around a sorghum mill. The skim hole was slippery around the edges and offered a perpetual trap for the unsuspecting. And there was always a chance to taste the new syrup as it was poured out into the barrels or jugs or buckets. No one ever thought of taking a spoon from home to eat the new molasses; the standard spoon was crudely whittled from a joint of sorghum. Most of us liked the sticky foam better than the clear syrup and also felt that by eating this we were not really doing any damage to the output of real molasses. Good humor, watching the artistic syrup maker at his work, and the frolic of going with a good-humored gang repaid us for the tramp in the night. When the nights got shivery, we went hunting for 'possums and 'coons. Usually this did not involve a far trek, for the woods were all around us, with small timber on the ridges and immense trees in the creek bottoms. Nearly every kind of dog could tree these animals; we had no trained dogs that I can remember. After the varmint was treed, some daring boy would volunteer to climb up and shake it out. Sometimes the boy got out on a limb and had to be rescued by some more agile climber. Wastefully we often cut down the tree to get the animal, and then there would be a great fight with the dogs. Some of our best jokes concerned boys who fell out with the animals and were badly torn up by the dogs. In the winter after Christmas there were often parties on Saturday nights, a continuation of the Christmas festivities. It was never too cold or too snowy to go on horseback, even beyond the state line, to a winter party. Sometimes we were allowed to take our girls, but most of our trips to faraway places were with boys only. We had to depend on the girls who lived close to the parties for partners in games. The adventure of riding so far on bad nights was our chief reward. The Christmas parties were really a chain of house parties, with the girls staying all night and the boys returning home for the day's work between each two. By the end of the holidays we were sometimes worn out with loss of sleep and surfeited with rich food. Colds and general puniness would then attend us for the rest of the winter. The custom of serenading a newly married couple with a chirivari still prevailed at Fidelity, though we called it a "shiveree." The custom was so old that it had rules as constant as those of Town Ball or Prisoner's Base. We met in some centrally located place with all the noisemakers we could find: shotguns, rifles, hand bells, tin pans, cowhorns, tin horns, and anything else that we could devise. We organized into groups like military companies, so as not to kill each other, Then we crept stealthily to the house where the couple were staying and turned on our artillery, marching around the house in some agreed fashion. After the first burst of noise was over, we would try to get the bridegroom to come out; otherwise we went in and got him and gave him a good ride on a sharp rail. If the parents of the bride or bridegroom were kindhearted, they passed us out some cider or cake or sometimes stronger stuff. In a very few instances some one got hurt, but nobody lamented the custom and wondered why fellows in a shiveree could not take care of themselves and stay out of danger from shotguns. The serenade was a more decorous thing and often took place during the Christmas holidays as a sort of tour of good wishes, Nearly everybody had piles of cakes cooked up, anyway, and we knew it. We rarely came home hungry. Our songs were seldom carols, for we did not know any, but the most of our singing was from the church hymns, as it seemed a little too sacred an occasion to sing nonsense. At school late in the fall when I was about ten years old some of the children from across the creek told us that some Indians were camping by the spring on the second farm above us. We had never seen any Indians and had expected every one to be in war paint and wearing feathers. That night we got our neighbor man to go with us across the footlog and through the fields to the camp. We took the lantern and kept pretty close to it, for we did not want to get scalped ("skelped," we called it). I have suffered many disillusionments in my life but probably none that hurt any worse than the one of that night. I do not know to this day whether they were Indians or were merely white people who had not washed their faces in a month of Sundays. We hunkered around their campfire on the chilly fall night and asked some idiotic questions of the only grown man in the party. He answered in hillbilly English with no trace of foreign accent and probably told us what we wanted to hear. His wagon, standing a few feet away, smelled worse than our Negro cabins; the unwashed brats, some of them stark naked, crowded around the fire; and there were several dogs that had no sign of good manners. The Indian man told us he was a Cherokee, When we asked him to say something in his language to his wife, she answered in something that was not English, but the tone of it plainly said enough. There was no further questioning of either man or woman, in any of the known languages. We took our lantern and went disconsolately back across the fields, and the footlog, with one more dream shattered. Somehow the pictures of noble Red Men never seemed alluring after that. Better than all other types of collective going was the habit of sitting till bedtime. We could do just about everything that was customary at parties, with no formality. We could have play-party games, we could sing, we could have clog-dancing; and we could also have popcorn or roasted chestnuts or apples or cider. When we went to sit till bedtime, we were dressed in everyday clothes and could afford to be freer and more at ease than we were when we were dressed up, "fit to kill," for a party. All these goings in the night tied up our community into a social whole, about as nearly as anything that you could think of. Our politics and religion usually kept us apart; our big dinners were likely to be limited to our own social circle; but the gangs that tramped across the fields to sit till bedtime represented the best and the worst that our little community had to offer. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Senate vote on HB 100, titled "An act relating to security of vital records," is scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, March 23rd. You still have a few hours left to have a say in this matter, and concerned parties have been invited to do so. (1-800-372-7181) As I understand it, if this act passes tomorrow, no retiree living today will EVER have access to their ancestors' birth records. Those records began in 1911. The birth certificates for 1911 will become available to the public in 2011. In 2012, we will be able to see the birth certificates for people born in 1912, and so forth. Calculate your age and do the math. Some stand a better chance than others, but no matter who you are, you can forget about the birth certificates for your aunts, uncles and cousins. You will not live long enough to see those. In my opinion, 100 years is too long a period of time to restrict birth records, and I would hope that death records and marriage might be restricted for a shorter period of time as well. Brett Guthrie is the Senator for Warren and Butler counties. The people in his office are very interested in our concerns about this bill. Any person interested in the passage or failure of HB 100 has been invited to telephone the following number and express his or her feelings about the bill. You get a live person, who takes down what you say and passes it to the senator of your choice. (1-800-372-7181) A list is compiled of the number of people for and against the bill, and that figure is definitely taken into consideration. You may limit your objection to that part of the bill restricting birth records for 100 years, marriages and divorces for 70 years, and deaths for 50 years. The telephone number is 1-800-372-7181 You can find your senator at http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/whoswho/whoswho.htm You can read the entire bill at http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/record/04rs/HB100/SCS1.doc If you live out of state, you can also express your past or present desires (if any) to travel to Kentucky and spend your money here, while you do research. I do not object to the entire bill. I do find it incredible that hope of preventing identity theft is considered greater from a 1911 birth certificate than from ever once (1) logging onto the internet, (2) using a credit card, or (3) obtaining a driver's license---all activities which are not restricted by the government in any way. TennTuckie

In a message dated 3/21/04 2:03:24 AM Central Standard Time, Gerri Ann writes: The Kentucky Legislature needs to remember that without the migration of many people from outside Kentucky they most likely would not be sitting in their cushy jobs today. I live in TN, I'm from NC and I had many ancestors who left Rowan Co. NC in the early 1800's to help settle territory and create prosperity for future Kentuckians. I don't have a representative in KY but if you will send me an email address for the person representing the Jackson Purchase area or counties I will be happy to send them a letter. Thank You for sending, Gerri Ann Hi, Gerri Ann, Sharon and fellow researchers, I am in the same position as Gerri Ann. I am from TN and I now live in TX, and I am very concerned about this bill HB 100, so today I went to the KY legislature website that Sharon sent to the KYCALLOW digest ... [Thank you, Sharon, for the "heads up" on this bill!] ... copied below: You can find your Senator at http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/whoswho/whoswho.htm Gerri Ann, I went down the list of Representatives and Senators and I sent an email to every Senator of every county in Kentucky that I have been doing research in, asking that they please vote against the HB 100 bill. Since I am not a constituent of any of the Senators, I chose to write to the ones who represent my counties of interest. I think I ended up sending only about six or seven letters because many of the Senators were representing multiple counties of interest to me, so I didn't have as many Senators to have to write to, and I just copied the letter and changed the Senators name accordingly. I hope it helps!! Nancy Sue

The Kentucky Legislature is getting ready to drastically limit access to Kentucky vital records including BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, and DIVORCE. (MILITARY RECORDS are also being limited but I do not know which bill is involved.) You can find the entire bill at: http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/record/04rs/HB100/SCS1.doc Death certificates will still be public record after 50 years but more recent death certificates will only be available to: 1. the decedent's widow or widower, 2. child eighteen (18) years of age or older 3. parent 4. grandparent 5. sibling eighteen (18) years of age or older 6. funeral director handling the decedent's funeral arrangements 7. personal representative of the decedent's estate 8. a named beneficiary of an insurance policy of the decedent 9. a person with a claim against the decedent's estate This means that genealogists can no longer order great-uncle Jasper's death certificate to see his parents' names. Birth records will be have limited access while the person is living but will still be public record after 100 years. Divorce and marriage records will be closed for 70 years. We are very late in the process. Jan 6-introduced in House; to Health and Welfare (H) Jan 15-posted in committee Jan 29-reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute Jan 30-2nd reading, to Rules; floor amendment (1) filed to Committee Substitute Feb 2-posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Tuesday, February 3, 2004 Feb 10-3rd reading, passed 94-2 with Committee Substitute, floor amendment (1) Feb 11-received in Senate Feb 17-to State and Local Government (S) Mar 16-reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute Mar 17-2nd reading, to Rules THIS TUESDAY, March 23, this bill will be voted on in the full Senate. If it passes, it will go to Gov. Fletcher for his signature into law. Call and email your senator and let him know that you want HB 100 to fail. Time is critical! Do it by Monday, at the latest. You can find your Senator at http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/whoswho/whoswho.htm Telephone: 502-564-8100 FAX : 502-564-6543 Postal address: 700 Capitol Avenue, Frankfort, KY 40601 Toll Free Numbers - 2004 Session (only for Kentucky) Bill Status Line: 1-866-301-9004 Legislative Message Line: 1-800-372-7181 This is the same bill that failed in committee during the last Legislative session. The genealogists of the state worked together to stop its passage. Please pass this information along to others.

Kentucky residents may be interested in attending a series of discussions about Kentucky life in the Great Depression sponsored by the Kentucky Historical Society. The Great Depression started earlier and lasted longer in Kentucky than it did in more urban states. Spend four evenings with noted historians Tracy Campbell and David Hamilton in a series of lively discussions about Kentucky life throughout the 1930s. The four topics to be discussed are: * "Kentucky during the Great Depression." Tracy Campbell begins the series with a detailed look at the impact of the Great Depression on the commonwealth. Thursday, April 8 * "Rural Life and the New Deal." David Hamilton shares how the New Deal affected the lives of rural Kentuckians. Thursday, May 13 * "Franklin Roosevelt in Kentucky." Tracy Campbell returns to discuss the public response to President Roosevelt's visit to Kentucky and his New Deal policy. Thursday, June 10 * "Depression Diversions: 1930s Popular Culture." David Hamilton concludes by exploring books, movies, music, and other aspects of cultural life in the thirties. Thursday, July 8 Background reading materials will be provided and a Depression-era dessert will be served at each session. All sessions begin at 7 p.m. at the Kentucky History Center. The fee is $40 for members of the Kentucky Historical Society or $45 non-KHS members. Preregistration and prepayment are required because attendance is limited. You may register and pay with a credit card by calling Joanie DiMartino at (502) 564-1792 ext. 4467. Kentucky Historical Society Attn: Joanie DiMartino 100 West Broadway Frankfort, KY 40601 (502) 564-1792 ext. 4467 <mailto:joanie.dimartino@ky.gov> joanie.dimartino@ky.gov. <http://history.ky.gov/> http://history.ky.gov <http://history.ky.gov/Programs/ky101.htm> http://history.ky.gov/Programs/ky101.htm

My friends - In looking over some *very* old correspondence which I have in storage, I found some letters I had exchanged in the 1960's with Eurie Pearl Wilford Neel , a tireless genealogical information gatherer who published several large books on Trigg County and other genealogical subjects. She and I corresponded about a number of things, but she was very interested in trying to locate the graves of Revolutionary War soldiers, both in Trigg County and in the JP region. She sent me a listing of the soldiers whose names she had gathered from Quisenberry's work and a few other sources. I am going to use today's posting to pass along the names she sent me of the soldiers who ultimately resided in Calloway and Graves counties. I will post the other counties from time to time. I have posted a few items from time to time in this same subject area, but not with lists as complete as those which Eurie provided. I have no other information beyond what is provided below. Tomorrow, we will move to Marshall County. -B ==================================================================== Revolutionary War Soldiers Who Resided in Calloway and Graves Counties [From listing provided by Eurie Pearl Wilford Neel, 1964] The state in which the Revolutionary War service occurred follows each name. Calloway County: Bridges, Benjamin (NC) Barham, John (VA) Cooke, Robert (VA) Greenwood, Joseph (MD) Glover, Joseph (VA) Henson, Jesse Sr. (VA) Hamlet, John (NC) Jones, Sgt. John (VA) McGrew, Thomas (SC) Meloan, Andrew (MD) Mullins, Charles (NC) Owens, George (MD) Ogilvie, Kimbrough (NC) Stone, Rowland (SC) Smith, Thomas, (VA) Taylor, Edmund (NC) West, Leonard (NC) Dunn, Joseph | Frizell, Nathan | State of service not given Galloway, Charles | Wilkins, William | Graves County: Ross, James (NC) Adams, (NC) Brimmage, John (MD) Cook, William (NC) Gilbert, Charles (MD) Hawthorne, John (SC) Lovelace, Vachel (NC) Odom, Willis (SC) Odill, John (SC) Rhodes, Benjamin (NC) Rowden, George (MD) Stokes, John (NC Stafford, John (MD) Fox, Daniel | Gamblin, Joshua | State of service not given Dobson, David | ~to be continued~ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Genealogy Workshop Thursday April 8, 2-4 p.m. Kentucky History Center 100 W. Broadway Frankfort, Ky. Discover how to track the paths early Kentucky settlers traveled as they moved to the commonwealth with Kentucky history and genealogy specialist Ron Bryant. Learn how immigration routes can help you track your ancestors before they arrived in Kentucky. Free. Please register by calling the Thomas D. Clark Library of the Kentucky Historical Society at 502-564-1792, ext. 4460 or by email RefDesk@ky.gov by April 7. http://history.ky.gov

Hello! I have been offline for about 8 months and have lost all e-mails in that time. I am researching the following surnames--- Kirks, Walker, Orr, Timmons, Harris, Terry, Singleton, and Sampson. Lisa R. Komnick

My friends - Just a quick additional note to say that I have found that Dr. Marquis Pillow Wilson's wife, noted in my earlier posting as perhaps having been a Holland, was, in fact, Malinda Jane *Robertson* by maiden name. -B =====================================================================

My friends - Today, we are moving over to Calloway County to continue our review of some early newspapers snippets. This group cover the period 1900 - 1905. These snippets may contain anything from marriage and death notices, obituaries, and visitations to jury notices, criminal activities and almost anything else deemed to be newsworthy in this time period. Sometimes, the contents of these snippets can fill in a missing genealogical peg, but they are always an interesting glimpse into that long ago time. Subscribers to the JP and Calloway lists can obtain the full text of a snippet shown in the listing below by sending a request to me. The usual limit of no more than three requests for snippets remains in effect, since some of these are fairly lengthy. You continued assistance in not resending this entire message back to me with the request is appreciated. Tomorrow, we will look at more marriages from Marshall County. -B +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Calloway County - Early Newspaper Snippets - Continued Dodd, Chal (Death) Miller, Albert | Lee, Ida |Marriage Streit, A.A. | Smith, Ida May |Marriage Miller, Joel (Death) Grogan, Walker (Visitation) Tucker, Bettie Dick (Obituary) Payne, W.C. | Cunningham, Modie |Marriage Dodson, Mary Jane Bogard (Obituary) Washburn, Dal | Turner, Mrs. Rebecca |Marriage Hicks, Emma Perry (Obituary) Chiles, Arthur Hugh Thomas DeWitt Talmage Hardin Ireland Marion Edmund Linnie Branch Sam Jones Pigue Reuben Walker (Longest Name in Western Kentucky) Stewart, Zeb (Illness) Stark, Thomas (Visitation) Carson, Will (Death) Atkisson, Newt (Baseball Injury) ~to be continued~ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thank you for another wonderful posting, I really enjoy reading the works of Dr. Gordon Wilson. Dr. Wilson's writings have given me such a grand view of the area where my great great grandparents lived and how they may have lived within the community. However, this time it made me wonder what side of town my Burton family was living in. Does any one know which side of town the Liberty area would be considered in? Karen

My friends - Today, we are looking at another of the delightful essays composed by the late Dr. Gordon Wilson. This one comes form his little book, "Fidelity Folks" and is entitled, 'East Side - West Side', referring, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, to the subtle differences between the land and the people who resided on the west and east sides of Calloway County. Dr. Wilson was an "east-sider", since Fidelity was the village of New Concord, where he was born and raised. Dr. Wilson's ability to conceptualize and reduce to writing those simple pleasures and attributes of an era gone by have made these essays one of the most positively commented upon series that I have brought to the lists. I expect to be about fully recovered from this pesky respiratory ailment in another day or two, and I will hope to be able to bring a miscellaneous file offering to the List in the next few days. As is now customary, there will be no data posts tomorrow or on the weekend. -B +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ EAST SIDE - WEST SIDE -Dr. Gordon Wilson “Fidelity Folks” The county where I lived early became divided into east side and west side. The west side was fertile and level, with soil especially adapted to the raising of the big black tobacco that was for generations the chief money crop. Though the roads were poor, they at least led across level stretches to the county seat and allowed people to make this journey without killing their horses with fatigue. Young people on the west side thus came to know something about town life and felt at ease whenever they ventured forth on Saturdays or county court days or when candidates were to speak, On the east side the plateau broke down into rough hills, with exposures of red mud and washy, sandy banks. Going to town was a severe task, not to be attempted except after long planning. The east-siders were rugged individualists, always suspicious of the better-dressed west-siders as well as of the city folks. When some country-looking fellow came into the county seat, he was usually branded without investigation as from the east side. And long after the west-siders had put up modern houses and bought rubber-tired buggies, the log houses were still plentiful on the east side, and families made the long journey to the county seat in farm wagons or, at best, old-fashioned steel­tired buggies. In spite of the Sunday admonitions to love those who despitefully used us, I felt a keen disdain of the smart-alecs from the county seat and the west side who drifted into our community and looked down on us. We may not have been so stylish as they and may not have been so much at ease, but we could plow corn the longest summer's day without batting an eye; we could lift at the end of a handstick until our eyes bulged; we could cut tobacco all day in a temperature of a hundred in the shade. Our hair did need cutting a little oftener than it was cut, but we could allow a good-sized boy to swing his weight on it and never wince. And our daddies usually owned the farms they lived on and, like Longfellow's village blacksmith, "looked the whole world in the face," and for the same reason, "for they owed not any man." Old Fidelity was poor but proud, It had never been other than a small village, but, like so many of us, it had seen better days. As long as the railroad kept away from the county seat, that is, until 1891, Fidelity remained much as it had been in pioneer days, a self-sufficient village. Then came the railroad, and gradually the village began to show signs of deteriorating. Proud yet, in spite of being off the railroad, it was lacking in any importance except locally. Some of the citizens moved to the county seat or on to even more remote places. Enough ties were left, however, to draw many old-timers back, especially in summer. Heads of families often came back to show their children, born elsewhere, just what Fidelity had been like in the old days. Local citizens, proud of their city company, brought them to church and Sunday School. One returned native dropped a dollar into the collection plate and almost created a scene. If any of our visitors could be induced to talk, they were asked to teach the adult Bible class or comment on the lesson after the classes had reassembled. Most of them declined graciously and preferred to sit in their old places and listen to the same old comments that were being made before their exodus. Housewives vied with each other in doing their fanciest cooking and showing the visitors a good time. We polished up on the grammar we had learned in the Fidelity school; we also remembered our best manners, such as they were. In every way we tried to make a good impression on the people who had come to see us and tried also to hide a little of the contempt we felt for people who lived outside the Fidelity neighborhood. If visitors came on week days, we sometimes took them to see the haunted house, over on Panther Creek. Or we drove down to Marse Jeffy's tobacco factory to listen to the Negroes sing as they worked in the stemming room. Sulphur Springs, with its alluring woods and fine spring water, was always on our itinerary. Rarely we gave a party for our company, but that was only when the visitors were all young people. Most of the people who sought us out on the east side were family groups, That meant a weekend visit, with many of us having to sleep three a bed or even sleep on the floor. I got so much experience then that I can still stretch out on the ground in a pup tent and go to sleep as if I were on the downiest couch a poet ever raved about. Viewed several decades later, the distinction between east-siders and west-siders seems pretty small. All of us were crude, east and west alike; all of us were poorly educated; none of us had traveled more than a county or two away; nearly all of us were hedged in by inherited prejudices and taboos. A visitor from a more enlightened area would have found us equally interesting and equally funny. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elizabeth Anne McQuade Huggins Ferguson was my gggrandmother who was born in Hopkins County, KY 14 August 1824 to Henry McQuaid and Hester Metcalfe. She married Josiah Huggins 12 December 1844, and when he died she married James D. Ferguson 25 November 1857. Elizabeth was one of 8 children: Robinett, Mary, Elvira, Isabell, William Henry, and James Milton. "Anne" and Josiah had four children: Malissa Isabell who married Samuel William Taylor; Robert Henry who married Sarah Elizabeth "Betty" Bogard; James Harvey who married Nancy Ellen Robertson; and Mary Jane "Jennie" who married Marcus Melville Williams. The marriage to James Ferguson produced two children: Joseph who married Kate Sexton and Martha Ann who died as an infant. Robinett married Charles Graham, Jr. and moved to Calloway County, where her sister Elizabeth "Anne" and her husband James also moved. Is there a researcher that is researching these families? I would be happy to share what I have.

My friends - Today is the day usually reserved for posts which contain biographies or other material from the various publications that have appeared covering the history of the JP region, often contained in larger publications about the overall history of Kentucky. Our subject today, coming from the 1922 History of Kentucky in Five Volumes, is William O. Wear. The Wear family was well known in Calloway County, and the descend from a Revolutionary War soldier whom I also share(Andrew Meloan). As is now customary, there will be no data posts tomorrow or on the weekend. If time permits, I will drop by with a miscellaneous file offering at some point in this time frame. -B ==================================================================== WILLIAM O. WEAR, proprietor and publisher of the "Calloway Times," is one of the newspaper men of this region who has fairly earned the right to dominate public opinion, and is responsible for much of the progress which has been made of recent years in this section of the state. He is an experienced man in his line and understands the grave responsibilities resting upon him. He was born at Murray, Kentucky, January 21, 1847, a son of A[rchibald] H[ugh] Wear, and a member of one of the aristocratic Southern families. The name was originally spelled Weir, and those bearing it came to the American Colonies from Scotland, locating first in Virginia, from whence migration was later made to Alabama and thence to Kentucky. A. H. Wear was born at Tuscumbia, Alabama, in 1817, and died at Murray, Kentucky, in November, 1903. His parents came to Calloway County, Kentucky, when he was a lad, and here he was reared, educated and married. After the Town of Murray was organized A. H. Wear settled in it and continued to make it his home until his death. He was the pioneer druggist of the place and of Calloway County, and two of his sons still conduct his original store. He was a strong democrat. The Christian Church had in him one of its earnest members and generous supporters. A Mason, he was a member of Murray Lodge No. 105, A. F. and A. M., for many years, and for fifty years served it as treasurer. He was married to Sallie Meloan, who was born at Mount Sterling, Montgomery County, Kentucky, in 1830, and died at Murray, in 1910. Their children were as follows: William O., who is the eldest; Samuel, who died at Murray when still a boy; Emily J., who died at Murray when she was seventy years of age, was the wife of Edmund Starks, a farmer, now deceased; Lucy, who died in Florida, was the wife of the late D. W. Jones, a merchant while living at Murray, but a farmer after going to Florida, where he, too, passed away; Andrew M[eloan], who is a saddler and harnessmaker, lives at Jackson, Tennessee; John M., who died at Los Angeles, California, was also a saddler and harness maker; D[avid] M., who was a farmer, died at Murray in 1918; H[ugh] P[erry], who is engaged in conducting his father's old drug store at Murray; Mattie E., who is unmarried, resides at Murray; J. V., who died at La Center, Kentucky, was a newspaper publisher; B. B., who is a partner of his brother, H. P.; and E[dwin] W[ilder], who is the publisher of the "La Center Ad­vance," lives at La Center, Kentucky. William O. Wear attended the public schools of his native city and was graduated from its high school in 1867. Upon leaving school he went into his father's drug store. In 1875 he established the "Calloway Times," and has been its sole proprietor ever since. This is the official democratic paper of Calloway County, and is the leading pioneer newspaper still in existence in this part of the state. The plant and offices are on Fifth Street, and the former is equipped with modern machinery and appliances for the proper conduct of a first-class newspaper. This journal circulates in Murray and Calloway and surrounding counties. Mr. Wear is a strong democrat, and has served in the Murray City Council, and was elected to succeed himself. He is a member of the First Christian Church, and belongs to Murray Lodge No. 105, A. F. and A. M.; Murray Chapter No. 92, R. A. M.; and Murray Council, R. and S. M. His residence on Fifth Street, which he owns, is one of the finest in the city. During the late war Mr. Wear used his paper to promote all of the local activities, and through its columns and personally was an effective participant in all of the drives in behalf of the Liberty Loans, the Red Cross and similar organizations. In 1869 he was married at Murray to Miss Mary Linn, a daughter of R. C[onn] Linn and his wife Jane (Irvan) Linn, farming people, both of whom are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Wear became the parents of the following children: Sallie, who married W. E. King, a machinist, resides at Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Reubie, who is unmarried, lives with her parents; and Boyd, who lives at Murray, is assisting his father in the paper. At one time he belonged to the Kentucky National Guard. Mr. Wear's grasp of public affairs is clear and comprehensive, and he knows how to present them and local topics of special interest in such a manner as to meet with the approval of his readers. He has always been fearless in his support of those measures he deemed to be for the good of the majority, and has never failed to put his shoulder to the wheel of progress whenever there was necessity for such exertion. -History of Kentucky In Five Volumes Charles Kerr, Editor Chicago: American Historical Society,1922 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~