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.