Easter Morning 1960?

 Sherry sent me this photo that was shared with her recently...

I can recognize Grandma Angeline, Becky and Nell Anderson.  Can someone name any of the others?

Interesting Reading

If you've never tried Google Book Search you really should check it out.  I've found lots of good stuff using it.  I recently found a very interesting report from the U.S. Geological Service published in 1908.   It is titled...

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BULLETIN 348

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COAL RESOURCES

OF THE

RUSSELL FORK BASIN

IN KENTUCKY AND VIRGINIA

I know what you are thinking, "Clyde has lost his freakin' mind!  How can a century old government report about coal possibly be interesting?" 

I must admit it isn't bestseller material and it is kinda' boring reading in stretches.  It is a government report after all.  But sprinkled here and there are familiar place names.  Here are places listed in the Table of Contents;

Powell Creek and Millard	Biggs Branch
Daniels Creek	Harless Creek
Jimmie Creek	Road Creek
Ferrell Creek	Beaver Creek
Grassy Creek	Marrowbone Creek
Pond and Jesse Creeks	Little Creek and Moores Branch
Elkhorn Creek

I know what you are thinking, "Yeah, yeah, that's where many of us grew up.  We've heard those names all our lives.  But I still don't want to waste my time reading about a 21 inch seam of coal on Daniels Creek located at an elevation of 975 feet. Blah, blah, blaaah, blah, blah."

OK, I admitted it was kinda' dry reading in places, but consider the following entry from the bottom of Page 43 about coal deposits on Road Creek...

No, that isn't the Joe Looney you knew.  Remember this was published in 1908.  It is based on field work done in 1906.  The Joe Looney mentioned here is Great-Grandpa Joe Looney.

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A little farther up Road Creek we find on Page 44...

That name may not be familiar to some of you.  Marshall Farmer was a brother to our Great- Grandmother Mary Farmer who married George Stalker.  Dad says they pronounced his name MASH' ul.

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Farther up the river is Pond Creek and Jesse Branch.  On the bottom of Page  62 we find...

John Hawkins was a brother of Martha (Hawkins) Bailey, our Great-Great-Grandmother.   Grant Hawkins was John's son and Martha's nephew. 

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In the discussion of coal in the head of Elkhorn Creek we find the following on Page 68...

The Levi Potter and Ben Potter mentioned here are most likely uncles or cousins of Ted Potter's Great-Grandfather William.  The John Wright mentioned is almost certainly the famous 'Bad John Wright'.
There are lots of other names mentioned that could be related to us in some way.  George Belcher mentioned several times in the discussion of Ferrells Creek may be Squire George that married Martha Bailey's daughter Mary Alice, but I don't know for sure.   The many Coleman, Ratliff, Mullins and other names mentioned are, quite likely, distant relatives.  

Interesting isn't it, all that coal under land owned or worked by our forefathers, and the only coal money we got is what Dad earned working in the mines for Republic Steel. 

See, I told you it was interesting.

Cosby Bailey Cavins

I ran across this document this week at the local library...

This is the Certificate of Death for Cosby Cavins (Dad's Grandmother). It lists her parents as George Bailey and Martha Hawkins, both born in Virginia. It indicates that she died of TB on Feb. 5, 1915, at the age of 35.

The Elisha Hawkins who provided the information on the certificate and served as 'Undertaker' was probably a cousin. The certificate lists her 'Place of Burial or Removal' as Jesses Br. This would be the little cemetery that Dad, Luci, Jeff and others visited a few years ago. Dad says that both Cosby and her mother, Martha are buried there, along with several more Hawkins relatives.

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UPDATE: Due to the construction on US 460, the gravesites in that little cemetery have since been moved to the Dow Brooks cemetery.

Census Data 1910

I'm still tinkering with the genealogy of our family. I've actually been able to find a lot more about Jennie's ancestors than I have about ours. I need to get with Willie one of these days and see what he has gathered.

I did run across something interesting today. Here is part of a page from the 1910 Census for Pike County, Magisterial District 8 Precinct 13. (NOTE: It will soon be a hundred years since it was written.)

It's difficult to read but the census taker has recorded the members of what he listed as family number 297. It included:

 

Name	Relation	Sex	Race	Age	MaritalStatus
Bailey Martha	Head of Household	F	W	70	Wd
Cavins Cosby	Daughter	F	W	29	Wd
Bailey Angeline	Granddaughter	F	W	12	S
Bailey Ardaline	Granddaughter	F	W	9	S
Bailey Delia	Granddaughter	F	W	7	S
Bailey Mary	Granddaughter	F	W	5	S
Cavins Rachel	Granddaughter	F	W	2	S
Cavins Eunice	Granddaughter	F	W	1/12	S

I can't imagine what it must have been like for Martha Bailey, 70 years old, widowed, living with her daughter, also a widow, and six granddaughters, and trying to survive in rural Kentucky in 1910. I'm sure young 12-year-old Angeline had her childhood cut short, having to help with all those little sisters.

Part of what I found interesting is that immediately following is family number 298 ...

 

Name	Relation	Sex	Race	Age	Marital Status
Stalker George	Head of Household	M	W	33	M1
-------- Mary	Wife	F	W	27	M1
-------- Malissa	Daughter	F	W	13	S
-------- Rissie	Daughter	F	W	11	S
-------- Frank	Son	M	W	10	S
-------- Jane	Daughter	F	W	8	S
-------- John	Son	M	W	7	S
-------- Clarence	Son	M	W	5	S
-------- Lilburn	Son	M	W	4	S
-------- Liza	Daughter	F	W	2	S
-------- Walter	Son	M	W	1+	S

I am embarrassed to admit that I had no idea Grandma Angeline and Grandpa John Stalker had grown up living close if not side by side. The census doesn't indicate how far apart their two households were.

I also hadn't realized she was older than him. The ages in these census records have to be taken with a grain of salt though. Great Grandpa Joseph Looney is shown as being 25 years old in the 1880 census but, 20 years later he has aged 25 years and is recorded as being 50 in the 1900 census.