>Henderson gleaner 1934 >Descendant of British Peer at Pool reaches 93rd Year By Jessie Spencer. >From Sunday Gleaner and Journal, Henderson Kentucky March 4 1934 page seven. > >Mrs. Peachie Thornberry observed he 93rd birthday march 2, at her home in >Poole, Webster County, Kentucky with members of her family. >Mrs. Thornberry was born march 2, 1841, and is the oldest citizen living in >this location. She is the mother of eight children, all of whom lived to be >past 21 years of age. They are: Mrs. Lander Pool, Providence; >John Thornberry, deceased; Perry Thornberry, Detroit; Mrs. H. Crowley. Miss >Lydia, Tom. Jim, and William Thornberry all of Poole. She also has a number >of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. >She was, before her marriage to Franklin Thornberry on March 2, 1858, >Peachie Pamelia Walker, daughter of Nancy Poole Walker, whose ancestors were >among the early pioneers who came from Ireland and settled in Virginia, and >Linn Banks Walker, who as a nephew of General Banks, a grandson of Captain >William Walker of Revolution fame, and a great-grandson of Sir Edward Walker >who migrated from Wales about the year 1708 and settled in Caroline county >Virginia >At the close of the war Patrick Henry gave to Captain William Walker, the >son of Edward , a track of 1,000 acres of land in what is now Fayette >County. Kentucky, in recompense for his service during the struggle for >freedom. From then members of the family later moved to their present >location near Poole. >"Aunt Peachie" as she id familiarly know to all the community, comes from a >family characterized by preserverence, energy, optimism, vivacity and >longevity, and it seems that she has inherited a full measure of these >tracts. Despite the weight of the years, the writer upon coming into contact >with her, has always found her to be cheerful and optimistic. Though small >in stature and frail of figure, she seems to have a possessed a remarkable >degree of energy abd to have been endorsed with indomitable courage and >determination. Until the past three years she did her own cooking and >helping with the household duties. >She is now confined to her bed part of the time, but until recently she was >usually to be seen setting by the hearth in the afternoon, her hair parted, >combed back, and twisted at the back of her head, an old fashioned shawl >around her shoulders, and a small clay pipe between her teeth. Sometimes her >hands engage in seeding cotton, a favorite pastime of the late years. >She enjoys recalling events of her early days and many are the tales of true >happiness which she delights the ears of he youthful listeners. To them it >is like being transported to another land to experience vicariously some of >the happenings of those bygone days. >She tells of the early settlement pf Poole; pf the grist mill and the tavern >operated by her material grandfather, John Poole, from whom the village was >named. Upon coming from Virginia he too up a large tract of land here and >later gave each of his children a town lot of 100 acres. Mrs. Thornberry >lives upon a portion of the lot given her mother by her grandfather. At the >time of these early settlements this section was so densely wooded that one >of the Walker boys walked from his fathers homestead to Poole, a distance of >over a mile, upon logs and undergrowth without letting his feet touch the >ground.. >In one of he stories she tells of a race which she has with a neighbor boy >on horseback while riding a hoped saddle on her way to a dance at the home >of a neighbor. >She attended school at "Old Salem," a log cabin school house several miles >distant from her home. The seats were made of hewn logs set upon pegs and >once while running with the avowed intention of reaching her seat before a >playmate, :Aunt Peachie" fell and struck he head on a hickory log abd >cutting a ugly gash. >However, she refused to be taken home for treatment until the school was >dismissed for the day. >The husband and older brothers of Mrs. Thornberry were away from home >after the outbreak of the Civil war and her mother having recently been left >a widow, the family was left to brace the dangers and hardships of theses >times alone and unprotected. >They endeavored to grow their own food supplies. Their hogs were wold in the >woods. They raised patches of Corn in the clearing, the ears of which they >plucked from the stalk, dried, and graded upon a piece of tin, thus making >meal for their bread. They grew their own cotton and from it and the wool >of their sheep they carded, spun and wove cloth for their clothes and for >household purposes. They also grew flax which was hacked, spun and woven >into linen at home. >The entire family stood staunchly for the Union, and a cousin Jim Poole. A >northern spy, often came to their home for protection during the night. In >the floor was a trap door under which was a hole where winter vegetables >were stored and upon one occasion the spy remained in this hole all night >while southern soldiers surrounding the house stood on guard. Each night a >quilt was hung over the window lest the suspicions of their neighbors be >aroused upon occasion when secrecy was necessary because of the visits of >the spy who was later shot and killed form ambush. The family was taught to >fear raids of guerillas who pillaged the country confiscating whatever they >chose to take. Once while going to church on horseback the girls saw strange >men also on horseback riding in their direction. Fearing that the riders >were guerillas who might molest them were it known that their sympathy lay >with the North, the girls hid there mittens which were knit of red, white >and blue yarn until the men were past the riders. Upon one occasion the >guerillas invaded the community and among other things took a beautiful >black horse from a girl friend of the family, named Louisa Sellars. >Sometime later when the mews of their capture by northern soldiers -- among >Dave Poole and later John Wood-- reached their ears the neighborhood women >congregated at the Sellars home, among them Mrs. Thornberry and her baby. A >cortege filed by the women and Louisa's horse was espied, and she stood by >uttering vile maledictions upon the luckless head of the thief. However, the >animal was later returned to her. >The Walker family kept a close lookout for the dreaded marauders during >these days. They (hid their money in the balls of yarn) which were kept in >the clothes bag. >One morning the fatherless family was alarmed at the approach of a group of >armed men. They hastily ran in all directions, hiding valuables of various >sorts. One of the young girls, Ibb, by name latter the wife of the late Joe >Tucker of this location, hastily caught up the bag of clothes within which >the yarn balls with their money was secreted and running at full speed >dumped the sack into the ash hopper disclosing as she did so the northern >uniform of her older brother. Another sister, the late Jane Walker, ran to >the stable opened the door and sat in the door way with the avowed intention >of protecting her favorite horse. >The men. approached the stable and addressed the brave girl, asking why she >sat in the stable door. One of them said, "you think you will keep us from >taking your horse don't you? Well it isn't a horse we want this time, we >only want some breakfast." Whereupon they started toward the house. As the >passed the ash hopper their eyes were attracted by the bright buttons of the >blue uniform exposed there. They made some remark and passed on. >After receiving their breakfast they rode away, leaving the property >unmolested. Years later Jane had grown to womanhood, she started to >Virginia to visit relatives there. As she was changing trains while enroute >she met the keen gaze of a gentleman who removed his hat and bowed to her >saying "You are the girl who sat in the stable door in Western Kentucky, to >keep me from stealing your horse. " >Of this interesting pioneer family but three members now survive namely. L. >B. Walker of Henderson; a sister Bettie Royster, of near Robards and Mrs. >Thornberry of Poole. >Our commonwealth owes a great tribute to such families as these who come >from Virginia, braving the dangers of the frontier and bringing civilization >to a wild and unsettled domain. >"Aunt Peachie" says that this will be her last birthday and we are saddened >at the thought of the departure of one so generally beloved and yet what >picture can be more sublime than a well spent life nearing its set? >NOTE: Peachie Permelia (Walker) Thornberry died September 22, 1934. This >article was copied by Patricia (Thornberry) Saunders. A great-granddaughter. > > > > >