Winston Adkins 1805

(Randy Ratliff's G-G-G-Grandfather)

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Winston ADKINS
Born: 1805 in Virginia
Died:  ca 1885  [Cemetery]
Father:  Winright Adkins 1775
Mother:  Lucy Thacker

Winston married
Hannah COLEMAN on 2-28-1828
Born: 
Died: 
Father:  Stephen Coleman
Mother:  Sarah Rankin

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Winston and Hannah had the following children:

• Clarinda Adkins - b. 5-1828, d. 1-6-1906 - m. Zachariah Phillips, Jr. on 2-27-1846 in Pike County, Ky. Zachariah Sr. was a Revolutionary War soldier and he and Elizabeth Charles Phillips were the parents of Zachariah, Jr. Zachariah, Jr. was a Civil War veteran (Confederate) and was shot and killed by Winright Adkins (son of Henry), who was Clarinda's first cousin.

• Louisa Adkins – b. ca 1830 – died as infant.

• Eli Adkins – b. 1832 – m. Margaret McClannahan on 3-13-1850, a daughter of William McClannahan. Eli never returned home from the Civil War.

• Stephen Adkins – b. ca 1835, d. 12-3-1902, and is buried in the Stephen Adkins Cemetery at Delbarton, W. Va., along with some of his children and grand children.

• Peter Adkins – b. 3-12-1834, d. 2-12-1916 – m. Louisa Belcher on 3-25-1858, a daughter of William and Cynthia Adkins Belcher. Louisa was b. 1-17-1838, d. 9-4-1917. Peter and Louisa both are buried in the Adkins Cemetery at Winright, Ky.

• Winright Adkins - b. 3-5-1837, d. 1-1-1918 - m. Nancy Phillips on 9-24-1860. As far as can be determined, no children were born to this marriage. We do not know what happened to his first wife, Nancy Phillips, but Winright m. Louisa Epling on 11-26-1868. Louisa was b. 10-1-1845 and d. 2-1-1927. Both Winright and Louisa are buried in the Winston Adkins Cemetery at Winright, Ky.

• Joseph Adkins - b. 3-20-1839, d. 9-18-1906 - m. Jane Vance on 2-7-1867.

• Mary Adkins - b. 1841 - m. Thomas H. Powell on 10-25-1859.

• John Henry Adkins - b. 1843 never married. He was killed during the Civil War. He enlisted in the army of the Confederate States along with three of his brothers.

• Moses Adkins - 1846, never married. He was also killed in the Civil War. He enlisted in Company C, 5th Kentucky Mounted Infantry along with his brother Winright, at Princeton, Va. (now W. Va.)

• Elisabeth Adkins - b. 9-2-1847, d. 7-24-1922 - married Samuel Daniels on 5-24-1874.

• Rachel Adkins - b. 9-1856 - married Daniel Richard May.

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Notes:

The following is excerpted from ADKINS of Eastern Kentucky and Surrounding Areas by Joseph T. Daniels

Although no one living today ever saw Winston Adkins and there are no existing photographs to my knowledge, I have obtained a brief description of him through the eyes of one of his daughters, Elizabeth, as related to my father, and thus related to me. He was described as being about 5 ft., 8 inches tall and weighing about 180-190 lbs. and a very powerful build. His hair was completely white, with a full head of hair. He had piercing blue eyes and a prominent nose.

We do not know the location where Winston and Hannah lived on Peter Creek, possibly on Road Fork, but when they moved to the "river", he built a house at the mouth of what is now known as Winston's Creek. The creek is located about halfway between Pikeville, Ky. and Elkhorn City, Ky in Eastern Kentucky.

In the year 1865, a great flood came (comparable to those of 1957 and 1977). Ignoring advice to rope off this house and tie it to several large trees, Winston, feeling that his house would be safe, did nothing. The water rose higher than it had ever been before and the house broke up and washed down the Big Sandy River. No doubt, a large part of our heritage went with the house.

Winston subsequently erected a large two-story log house far above the high water mark on the exact spot where Crit May (husband of Dulcie Adkins) built a modern house that is still standing. Don May, helped tear down the two-story log house built by Winston. It was torn down in the year 1918. Winright, son of Winston, lived in the log house after the death of Winston ca 1885. This property was deeded to Winright Adkins, son of Winston, with the understanding that Winright and his wife, Louise were to take care of Winston and Hannah as long as either one lived.

Don May described the Winston Adkins home as follows: "I slept in the second story of this house many nights. It had no stairway but was entered by a ladder from the back side of the house. A four foot square hole was cut out for the entrance. The house had a large rock chimney, located in the center of the house. The logs were yellow poplar hewed out and were about 15 inches high and six to ten inches thick. This house had porches, upstairs and down stairs, front and back. It had oak riven shingles, gabled ends. It had twelve pane glass single hung windows".

Essie Adkins White, now deceased, gives this description of this home. "My grandfather, Winright Adkins, lived at Winright, Ky. He had a farm house, with three large rooms upstairs, a front porch and back porch upstairs, straight across, English style, and a large back porch. He had a large barn, a large grainery (crib) with a driveway between the cribs, a pear and apple orchard above the barn. An apple house and root cellar were located below the barn. A large spring house was also on this property that you had to step down to get the water".

The spring house and spring is still there at this writing. (1988).

Winston Adkins, as were his sons, Peter and Joseph, were members of the Raccoon Creek Baptist Church and indicated in the church records in the year 1848. We assume these people rode horseback up Lower Pompey Creek and across the hill down into Raccoon Creek to attend church meetings. All three obtained their church letters and moved them to the "river" at Millard, Ky. ca 1851, where they helped to establish a branch or "arm" from the Raccoon Creek Baptist Church. This church was a log house structure and was located at the mouth of"Biggs Branch" or on the spot where the "Pollyanna" drive in theatre now stands. Land for this building was given by Peter Adkins.

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