JOHN WESLEY JARBOE and Mary Frances (Henninger) Jarboe lived on a farm on Long Lick Creek for twenty years. They had eleven children and attended Pleasant Hill Methodist Church ,,,, McDaniels, Kentucky Mary was born October 19, 1850, daughter of Harry Harrison Henninger and Celia (Brown) Henninger. On March 27, 1890 a cyclone destroyed their home and killed Mary who had given birth to their last child two days before. The following is copied from The Breckinridge News,' Cloverport, Kentucky, March 27, 1940- FIFTY YEARS AGO TODAY A GREAT CYCLONE HIT BRECKINRIDGE COUNTY: THREE I PERSONS WERE KILLED Half a century has passed since the great cyclone of 1890 swept over Breckinridge County. Several students of Breekinridge County High School have collected some interesting data on this great tragedy which after fifty years remains a vivid memory for those whose lives it touched. The following report was given to Kathryn Lawson by her grandfather, Rev. Henry J. Jarboe, who witnessed the Cyclone of 1890 and whose mother was killed. On the 27th of March in 1890 there occurred in the neighborhood of McDaniels and Axtel one of the worst cyclones that has ever been known to pass through Breckenridge County. It destroyed all in its path which ranged from a few yards to several hundred yards. There was a heavy hail before and after the cyclone passed. The "Twister" as it was called destroyed many homes and buildings and several lives. The first place it was known to strike in Breckinridge County was on the Tanner farm a few miles from McDaniels. On this farm it destroyed a lot of timber and several log buildings. It next struck James T Jarboe's farm, a few miles farther north, where it destroyed all buildings except his dwelling house. Then it struck the home of John Wesley Jarboe where occurred one of the great tragedies of the Neighborhood. MOTHER OF INFANT BABY KILLED All stricken homes were tragic but this one particularly so because the mother of a two-day-old baby (ten other children) was killed by stones which fell from the chimney as the house was torn apart. Mrs. Jarboe was lying in front of the wide fire-place that was located on one side of the room. The smaller children were all standing at the window watching the hail beat against the pane and the wind bend the trees low. The trees could be heard falling in the nearby woods. The wind was so strong that it blew open the front door. Frank, one of the oldest boys, went to close the door. Mrs. Jarboe had told the children to come away from the window. At just that moment there was heard a great roaring as the children were pushed under a bed in a far corner. The door was blown past Mr. Jarboe and the whole house top was lifted from its foundation. Mattie had the baby, Lillie Mae, whom she threw on the bed as a rafter struck her across the back. She was left unconscious. The upper part of the chimney was blown down through the roof of the house where it completely covered Mrs. Jarboe and her oldest daughter, Alice. This all happened in only a few seconds but to the victims it seemed ages. Mr. Jarboe, who was not seriously injured, although he had been hit by falling joists, began to search for his family. Before he could see if all were there some cotton which had been stored in a room upstairs had blown down into the fire and out into the room, scattering fire about the rooms, and if Mr. Jarboe had not been quick enough to put out the fire the whole building would have gone up in flames. MRS. JARBOE KILLED INSTANTLY Mrs. Jarboe was instantly killed as there were 2 fragments of rocks which had pierced her skull. Alice was not seriously injured, although she was pressed flat by the heavy stones. She had nearly smothered because the rocks had kept her from breathing. A doctor was immediately called to care for the injured. He said that Frank Jarboe would not live more than five years as he was hit in the back of the head with a rock, but this proved to be untrue for he is still alive today. Alice had nerve in her face affected so as to cause one eye to jerk. These were the injuries besides cuts and bruises. When the children were moved to their uncles, James and Will Jarboes' homes, their hair was so stiff with mud that their heads looked like mud cakes. It was said that the cyclone had sucked up the water and mud as it crossed over the creek. Jarboe and his children resided at his brothers' until the house could be rebuilt. The baby was taken by her aunt and kept until she was three years of age. When the barns were examined they were totally destroyed. Mr. Jarboe had an orchard that had been planted only a few years before which was destroyed for the most part. One tree had a rail driven through it which eight men could not pull out . Another home destroyed was that of Mr. Jim Pearl, who lived on James Jarboe's Their house had blown down and burned but all had escaped unhurt. After the storm had passed they came to Mr. Jarboe's for some clothes. Mrs. James Jarboe went to a closet to get some clothing and found the closet in flames. MENS HAIR TURNED GRAY FROM SHOCK Mr. John W. Jarboe was so overcome with shock and grief that his hair turned gray only a few months after the cyclone. He realized that his children were not only motherless but homeless and he had a task before him, which he had to perform with God ' s help. Soon after the cyclone, John W sold the farm and bought the Coomes farm just a cross Long Lick Creek. He lived there until his death twenty-three years later. His oldest daughter, Alice, assumed the role of mother and raised the other children. All the family worked on the farm and the operation was successful. They acquired more land, 1500 acres in all. In 1901, Ernest, the youngest son, died of pneumonia. He was buried in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery next to his mother. In later life, after the children had all married and the land had been divided up, John W lived with his oldest daughter and her husband, Yen McClellan, near the Coomes house. John W died of pneumonia in 1913 at the age of 71 and was buried at Pleasant Hill Cemetery. John W was active in getting the Sand Knob Methodist Church built, giving the land for the church and cemetery. The church was completed a year before he died. His oldest son, Henry, was a Methodist preacher. Children of JOHN WESLEY JARBOE and Mary Frances Henninger HENRY ERNEST JARBOE b 10-13-1871 m 2-12-1894 ANNIE PATTERSON d 4-13-1939 MARY ALICE JARBOE b 8-7-1873 m William Kenneth McClellan res: Axtel JAMES WILLIAM JARBOE b 1-29-1875 m 4-2-1902 Maud Noblett d 4-13-1939 res: Axtel, Ky. JOHN FRANCIS JARBOE b 5-1-1877 m Eliza Margaret Noblette d 4-27-1955 res: Axtel, Ky. HATTIE RHEA JARBOE b 3-24-1879 m 12-22-1897 John H Galloway d 10-24- 1968 res: Roff, Kentucky SAMUEL ERNEST JARBOE b 1-30-1881 d 11-26-1901 single CELIA DORA JARBOE b 11- -1882 m Jesse West GEORGE LANIER JARBOE b 11-19-1884 m Florence Butler res: Glen Dean, Kentucky ANNA BELLE JARBOE b 9- -1886 m I John Edd Wilson m 23 Ben Miller res: McDaniels, Kentucky CLYDE WAYNE JARBOE b 3- -1888 m Mae Wilson res: Leitchfield, Ky. LILLIE MAE JARBOE b 1890 m Bill Clark res: Kingswood, Kentucky Except from Book III Jarboe Family by Mary Jo Maguire Randy Dunavan Longview, Texas