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Editor's Note:
Readers of The Kentucky Explorer have been introduced to the
Rev. John J. Dickey in past issues. Remember that he was a traveling
preacher throughout the eastern part of the state during the
years between 1880 and 1925. He helped to establish numerous
churches and at least two colleges. He was also a teacher and
a newspaper editor. However, his most enduring gift to us today
may well be his diary that he kept faithfully during some 50
years of his later life beginning in the 1880s. In all, over
6,000 pages written in his own hand make up this interesting
digest.
In this journal of his, Dickey often wrote down accounts of events
daily. Much of the material concerns his day to day life. However,
during the late 1890s he began to gather family history on various
families he met in his travels. We are offering these interviews
to our readers in the hope that they will be appreciated in the
sense that Rev. Dickey intended. These interviews were written
word for word as they were given to Rev. Dickey. Nothing has
been changed.
November 10,
1898
Manchester,
Kentucky
John E. Roberts, of Clay County, (Deponent)
My grandfather, Joseph Roberts, came to Clay County from Powell's
Valley, Virginia. My father said that when my grandfather came
to Clay County, there were only three families on Red Bird, viz.
Dillion Asher, John Gilbert, and Edward Callahan. Mr. Roberts
settled near the mouth of Big Creek on main Red Bird. He had
children as follows: Farris, (probably named for John Farris
of Laurel who settled first on Red Bird), Jesse, Thomas, George
Washington, (father of deponent) born about the time of the Battle
of New Orleans and was named in honor of that victory; Betsey
(Begley), Rachel Wilson (sturgeon people), Sookey Bowling, mother
of Elisha and Delaney Bowling of Laurel and Jackson counties;
Chana (Hacker), being a great bully; Action (Hacker), wife of
Claiborne Hacker, mother of Ulus; and Logan Hacker of Terrill's
Creek, Jackson County also "Long" John Hacker. Mr.
Roberts says further, Eli Vanover and his wife, Nancy Bailey,
of Harlan lives now on Buffalo Creek, Owsley County. He is 95
and his wife about 85, both active. He visited my house last
spring. She told me that James Burkhart, the man who lived in
the Sycamore tree in Harlan, lived to be 130 years old. When
he was 80 or 90 he planted a walnut tree and said he wanted his
coffin made from the wood of that tree, and it was done. The
body of the tree was split and hewed into boards from which the
coffin was made. When he was about 110 years old, his gray hair
came out like one who was afflicted with fever, and there came
in its stead a growth of black hair just like child. About the
same time he cut a full set of teeth, which were very white and
strong and continued so to the day of his death. After this he
would dance like a youth and claimed he was a boy again. Mrs.
Vanover was a girl at that time and saw with her own eyes. She
was reared near Buckhart. Al White, son of James White, the nephew
of Hugh White, married Davis Irvine's daughter. He lived at Richmond,
Kentucky. He represented his district in Congress. His brother
was mayor of Huntsville, Alabama, and died eight or ten years
ago.
February 2,
1898
Manchester,
Kentucky
John Eversole
I used to work for Hugh White. I was born in 1815. When 21 to
25 years of age and I was working for Hugh White. James White,
Sr., stayed all night with us, brother of Hugh, returning from
Lexington, Kentucky. where he had been to have Dr. Dudley remove
a gravel stone from his little boy. He was old and white headed
but had a young wife. He said it had been nine days since the
operation had been performed. The child was running about and
seemed to be doing well. (William White, son of Hugh White, remembers
the visit and thinks it must have been much earlier. He thinks
James White did not have a second wife. J. J. D.)
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