William R. Chapman

William Rumsey Chapman, from Beaver Dam, born 6 Dec 1841, applied for a pension for his service in the Confederate Army.

WILLIAM PATTON MIDKIFF

WILLIAM PATTON MIDKIFF was born July 2, 1845, in Ohio County, Ky., where he grew to manhood and where he still resides. His father, Thomas B. Medkiff (sic), a native of Ohio County, died in 1858, aged about thirty-one years. He was the son of Joseph Medkiff, an early pioneer, and many years a teacher in Ohio County, who died in 1852. His father was Franklin Medkiff. Thomas B. married Adeline, daughter of William and Hulda (Ross) Garth, of Shelby County, Ky., (now living, about sixty years of age); their union was blessed with William P., Henry C., Thomas B., John E., and Stephen A. (deceased). March 10, 1867, William P. united in marriage with Mary A., daughter of Thomas W. and Nancy (Wright) Wedding, of Ohio County, born March 23, 1847, and to her and husband have been born the following named children: Oscar H., Alphonso, Thomas P., Oria E., Joseph F., James E., and Allen W.  Mr. Medkiff is a farmer, owning 185 acres of land in a high state of cultivation. At the age of fifteen years, he entered the service of his country, as a soldier in the Seventeenth Kentucky Infantry; in politics he is a stanch Republican.

Source: J. H. BATTLE, W H. PERRIN, & G. C. KNIFFIN 1895

Mr. Midkiff (nickname "Buck") died 19 Feb 1940 in Ohio County and is buried in the Midkiff Cemetery.

The following is the work of Daniel Mahard and was found on a web site that is no longer online:

Benjamin Midkiff of Ohio County, KY

"The patriarch of the Ohio County, Kentucky Midkiff family is Benjamin Midkiff Sr. Benjamin is identified as the son of Curtis Midkiff of Lancaster, Pennsylvania by family oral tradition. Very little is known of Curtis after he leaves Pennsylvania. Both Curtis and his son Benjamin are found in the records of Lancaster up to about 1770, when it is believed they emigrate out of that region. The family may have moved into the Virginia Valley or further West into Greenbriar County, Virginia; an area now known as West Virginia. No documents have been found in the Virginia records to identify the Midkiff family there; however, the families they married into and are later found living amongst in Kentucky can be traced their origins back to this area of Virginia. It is said that Curtis Midkiff eventually settled in North Carolina, but this has yet to be proven by record.

The primary source for the life of Benjamin Midkiff is Jerry Long of Owensboro, Kentucky. Mr. Long has spent years collecting information on Benjamin Midkiff and his descendants and the main body of our knowledge of Benjamin is based on the work he has done. Mr. Long has established that Benjamin Midkiff came to Kentucky by 1796, possibly with the Robinson family of which his first wife Elizabeth belonged. Elizabeth’s father, James Robinson, and her brother-in-law appear in Madison County, Kentucky tax list of 1790; however, there is no evidence of Benjamin at this time. The Robinson family can be traced back to Botetourt County, Virginia where Elizabeth’s sister her sistere Sarah married John Sawyer in 1786 and her Jane married James McMullin in 1788. Elizabeth’s sister, Rebecca, is said to have married Lindsay Carson and was the mother of mountianman Kit Carson. The Midkiffs and Robinsons both appear in tax records of Madison County, Kentucky and by 1805 left records indicating they had settled in Shelby County, Kentucky. James Robinson died in Shelby County in 1805 and left a will dated the 03rd of May 1805 naming among his his heirs, a daughter Elizabeth and her husband Benjamin Midkiff. The will further identifies the Midkiffs by naming one of their children. Later records indicate that many of Benjamin’s children were born in Shelby County, further establishing the link. Benjamin also left a deed in Ohio County, Kentucky stating he had come from Shelby County.

Benjamin Midkiff and his children settled northeast of Fordsville in Ohio County in a place known as McGans or McGan’s Station. Though Benjamin did not remain in this area, several of his children did and several Midkiffs are buried in an old graveyard now known as the Capp Cemetery.

On the 03rd of May 1816, Stephen May of Nelson Co., Kentucky deeded to Benjamin Midkiff 5,000 acres of land in Ohio County, Kentucky for the sum of $2.00. At that time, Benjamin was already a resident of Ohio County. This large tract was located in the vicinity of Kough Creek. The land had been deeded to Stephen May on the 10th of June 1795 by William and Mary May, who had received the original grant to the land on the 18th of June 1787. The land granted to the Mays in 1787 is described as being located in Hardin County, which must have been the parent county of Ohio. Ohio County records show other large grants from the May family to other settlers in the region and further identify William May as the Surveyor for Nelson County. It is not clear if the Mays did not correctly register their grants or if they were selling land that had not been granted to them in the first place, but their dealing with Benjamin Midkiff would have dire consequences for Midkiff. This land would become the subject of a law suit brought against Benjamin Midkiff on the 09th of July 1822, which concluded in Midkiff’s eviction from his land and his complete loss of improvements. The case is referred to in later documents as John Doe on the devise of Hubbard Taylor vs. Benjamin Midkiff. Midkiff’s inability to establish his claim to the land was the genesis of a string of misfortunes for Benjamin, which would end in his insolvency at death and continued litigation against his heirs as late as the 1850s.

The lawsuit against Benjamin Midkiff later gave rise to another suit brought by the heirs of James Sutton of considerable length and confusion. The Sutton suit generated over one hundred pages of court documents, which provide a rich source of information on Benjamin Midkiff, including numerous depositions by family, friends, and acquaintances. These records have been personally reviewed by me and prove to be valuable in establishing the story of Benjamin’s final years, as well as, the naming of all his heirs. The basis for the lawsuit appears to date from the time before the loss of Benjamin’s title to the May tract in 1822. Benjamin Midkiff exchanged with a James Sutton of Indiana, 100 acres out of the May tract in Ohio County, Kentucky for two lots (118 and 119) in the town of Evansville, Vandenburgh County, Indiana. The transfer of land took place about 1818 or 1819. By this time, Benjamin’s home farm was a tract of land of 220 acres of which 100 acres were transferred to Sutton. When Midkiff lost title to his land in 1822 and was evicted from his property, James Sutton too lost his title to the 100 acres. On the 23rd of May 1854, the Sutton heirs, convinced that the Midkiff heirs had received money from the sale of land once owned by James Sutton in Indiana, brought suit against Benjamin Midkiff’s heirs for to recovery money that their father had lost. There is some discussion as to the fact that the land was not exchanged and therefore the Indiana land that Benjamin obtained through the transaction would not default back to Sutton or his heirs, since Midkiff conveyed the land “as is.” There also appears to be a parallel suit for the Sutton heirs’ claim to the town lots in Evansville that raises several confusing and conflicting questions about what actually happened and when. The court eventually concluded that Benjamin Midkiff left no estate and that his heirs never received money, so that there was nothing for the Sutton heirs to recover. It is interesting to note that James Sutton’s will, which was proved on the 21st of May 1842, is witnessed by Benjamin’s son John Midkiff. The two families were obviously on good terms at this time. James Sutton’s will makes no mention of the loss of the land or any debt to the Midkiffs and leaves most of his estate to his eldest son James Sutton. The suit against the Midkiffs appears to be spearheaded by the children and not the father. Another clue to the genesis of this litigation is a deed executed by William C. Midkiff, the son of Benjamin Midkiff by his second wife Jemima. On April 3, 1850, William conveyed to James C. Sutton, son of James Sutton Sr., his share in the two tracts in Evansville for the sum of $25 or $10 dollars. Though the deed is provided by Sutton, neither William Midkiff or the witnesses claim it was executed. To further confuse issues, in the deposition of Benjamin’s elder half-brother, Joseph Midkiff, Joseph states that his father died in August 1834 or 1835 and left no estate in Kentucky and that he believed that the lots in Evansville were sold for taxes. He proceeds to state that in March of 1850, he sold his interest in the tracts to a John Huson for $25. It may be that these conveying of interests in the land was not a formal deed, but giving Huson and Sutton the right to go to Indiana and claim the land lost to taxes, but that does not seem to make sense either. In all, it appears the litigation went on for many years.

The lawsuit does give a great deal of information on Benjamin Midkiff and is the primary source of information on his life. It also is the primary source that records the names of his children, including William C. Midkiff who is often excluded in family group sheets. In the complaint of the Sutton suit it states that Benjamin, “removed from this county (Ohio) about the year 1823 ... and (removed) to the state of Indiana about the year 1827 or 1828.“ The story that emerges from the lawsuit is that Benjamin was evicted from his land in 1822 and in the following two years is forced to default on loans made to him, since he had no source of income. People like Benjamin’s son-in-law Joseph Barnett also lot money, since he had secured Benjamin’s debt. In a deposition dated November 1853, Elijah Phipps the former Deputy Sheriff of Ohio County recalls that he was forced to take property belonging to Benjamin Midkiff to pay off claims against Midkiff, but found this difficult as Midkiff had little left after the loss of the May grant. By 1823, Benjamin Midkiff appears to have borrowed money from William Wadkin and John Calhoon. Benjamin managed to pay the Watkins debt off, but the Calhoon debt appears to have not been satisfied. Phipps states that Benjamin Midkiff “was called an industrious man and made money and property and had as much property about him in 1823 as most of the families of that day.” This statement again suggests that the loss of his title to the May grant was the primary cause of Benjamin’s financial problems. Insolvent, Benjamin left Kentucky and settled in Indiana where he had purchased two town lots in Evansville, Vandenburgh County, Indiana. The move to Indiana would have allowed him to start anew, since he could not be sued for debt in another state; however, Benjamin’s luck did not improve in Indiana. By this time, Benjamin was in his late 60s. It is not clear what happened in Indiana, but his two lots appear to have been lost to taxes. In the complaint of the Sutton suit it states that Benjamin died in August of 1834 in Indiana and that “no one has administration on his estate in Kentucky or Indiana or believe he had no property ...” This has been confirmed by Jerry Long who has looked at both Kentucky and Indiana records and found no probate.

Benjamin was married twice and raised a large family. Though some of the Midkiffs are buried in the Capp Cemetery, no Midkiff family graveyard has been located and no family Bible has surfaced to give a full account of the births, marriages, and deaths in this family. Benjamin married first Elizabeth Robinson, daughter of James Robinson of Shelby Co., Kentucky about 1796. No marriage record has been found for the couple in Kentucky. Jerry Long has searched the records of both Madison and Shelby counties and have found no evidence of their marriage. However, the will of Elizabeth’s father in Shelby County proves this relationship and the birth of their first child in 1797 indicates they were probably married by that point in time. It is possible that Benjamin and Elizabeth married in Virginia where it is known that the Robinsons had settled for a short time before removing to Kentucky. Early Virginia records are poor and to date have not been searched. Benjamin and Elizabeth had at least eight children that lived to adulthood, all appear to have been born in Kentucky and most in Shelby County. Sometime between 1816 and 1825 Benjamin married Jemima Garner who bore him his last child; William Curtis Midkiff. Nothing is known of Jemima or her family. There are no Garners or Gardners in the Ohio County area and it is thought that perhaps she came from the neighboring county of Breckenridge (now Hancock Co., KY). Breckenridge lost their early marriage records in a fire in the 1950s, which would explain the absence of a marriage bond. Jemima Midkiff is found in the 1850 Census as a widow living with her son William C. Midkiff in Hancock County. She must have died before the lawsuit of 1853/4, since she is not named as an heir to Benjamin Midkiff.

Many of Benjamin’s children remained in the Ohio County area. It should be noted though that there is another “Medcalf” family in Ohio County, starting with the arrival of George Medcalf who is found in the 1800 Census well before Benjamin’s arrival. It is believed that the two families are not related. Though Benjamin came from a Quaker family in Pennsylvania, the family abandoned their early religious roots and most became Baptists. The papers involving the Sutton claim against the Midkiffs indicate that most of the Midkiff men could not sign their name and instead chose to “mark” their documents. This is not a clear indication of illiteracy, since some people could often read, but not write or if they could not write well, they often chose to mark instead. However, the 1860 Census indicates that James G. Midkiff could not read or write, so it is possible that none of these men had any formal education. In the Civil War the family became divided over loyalties to the Union and to the Confederacy. Children of John Midkiff, who appears to have been the only slave owner in the family fought on the side of the Confederacy. John Midkiff had married into the Smith family, which were slave owners in the County and with his bride came slaves. The children of James Midkiff are known to have sided with the Union." 

James L. Davisson

James L. Davisson, 45 Walnut Street, Fordsville, applied for a pension during April, 1912, for his service with the Confederate Army.  Mr. Davisson worked for the railroad as a station engineer.  His wife was Mary E. Lamastus.  He was born 26 Oct 1837 and died in 1933 at age 95.

1895 Grand Jury Members

Hartford Herald 5 June 1895

Horse Play

HORSE PLAY 

by Dana Brantley,  News@mykynews.com

John and Rhonda Leach have always loved horses.  In fact, it was through horses that they met.  What they never dreamed was that their love of horses would not only touch the lives of their children, but also the lives of countless others through Ohio County Equestrian, Inc.

Ohio County Equestrian, Inc. provides therapeutic horseback riding for children and adults who are physically or mentally challenged.

Before the creation of OCE, the Leaches’ horses were providing therapy for their own children---Dena, Chris and Elizabeth.  Soon after Elizabeth’s birth, the children were all diagnosed with a rare genetic disease called Friedreich’s Ataxia—Spinocerebellar Degeneration, a fatal progressive neuromuscular disease.

Before their diagnosis, the older children had already started riding horses.  As they grew older all three continued to ride and the doctor’s were amazed at how well they were doing.

“They said the kids shouldn’t be that healthy at that stage, “ Rhonda said.  “I said ‘they ride horses’ and the doctor just scratched his head.  He was amazed that they were doing so well, and a big reason for that is because of riding.”

The journey into the creation of OCE began in 1991 when the Leaches held a birthday party at their farm for a student in the classroom of one of Rhonda’s friends.  It was then that Rhonda was told about an equestrian program through another charity organization.  It became an obsession for her and she began looking into it.

“If you have five horses and you turn them out in that field whether you trail ride them or no matter what you do with them, they might eat just a hair more food, but if you have them it’s not going to cost any more to let 100 kids ride them as it does for you to ride them,” she said. “And that is what we did.”

So it was then, after seeing the benefit of horses on their own children, that they began inviting others to ride.

In 1993, one of the riders had the opportunity to compete in a national competition, but Rhonda said she was unsure how they were going to get the $1,200 to send him to Connecticut to compete.

“I sent a letter to Ellis Park and asked them if they could help us raise the money since it was horse related,” she said.  “Well I got called right back and said they would do a fundraiser.  I think we were only out $100.”

As the program grew, the Leaches saw a need for additional funds to help keep the program going and in order to raise money they needed to incorporate as a charitable organization.  One day at the doctor’s office, she was asked how things were going with their riding endeavor.  She explained how she would love to incorporate, but didn’t have the money to file the necessary papers.

“God was prodding me to do this (incorporate), but I couldn’t do it until I had the money,” she said.  “One week I was at the doctor’s office and the next week I got a check from Perry and Colleen Lewis for $500 to incorporate.  I read the letter that said they wanted us to take the money and incorporate the program.  Hence, Ohio County Equestrian was born.”

The Leaches knew nothing about running a charity and they never had any intentions of doing anything like this.

“If God had told me ‘Rhonda, come do this.’  It would be like him telling Noah about building the ark,” she said.  “I would have probably just run off somewhere.”

Although it wasn’t part of their plan, the organization grew.

“We never planned anything like this,” John said.  “It just started growing and growing.”

“It has truly been a God thing.”  Rhonda said.  “The two of us have trouble finding each other.  We are the most unorganized people you can possibly run into, but with God all things truly are possible.”

They have a physical therapist that has been with them for 18 years that assists them, along with about six to eight regular weekly volunteers.  The Knights of Columbus gave OCE some money which volunteers used to build restrooms and a picnic area at the facility.  The United Thoroughbred Trainers of America and William H Fires and Jockey Charles R Woods Jr were instrumental in getting the barns built.

The facility is open to riders Tuesdays and Thursdays (and now some on Fridays to accommodate all the riders) where they not only learn to ride, but also learn fine and gross motor skills such as learning how to pick up things, put things like Easter eggs together and blow bubbles all while sitting on a horse.

Their children, Chris and Elizabeth still continue to benefit from riding.  Dena has since passed away.

The Leaches are still amazed at the benefits horses have on the riders.

“Chris sits in his (wheel) chair and when you pick him up, he is almost rigid, but you can put him on that horse and in five minutes he is as limber as a dish rag.” John said.

Rhonda said the opposite is true as well.  Someone who is limp and can’t sit up straight will learn to do so while riding.

“It is amazing how some children who are too scared to get out in the rain are fearless on a horse,” Rhonda said.  “It is a whole different world for them---to be able to pull something and make that 2,000 pound horse go right or go left or stop or stand still or go faster.”

“They can go from point A to point B without anyone else’s help.”  John said.  Not all horses work this well with the riders.

“We have learned over time that there are some tricks when you first see the horse,” John said using the example of buying Chris a horse.  “Normally with these horses if you pull a wheelchair up to them and they are afraid of the wheelchair, forget it because it won’t work.”

The Leaches see this as their ministry—no one is paid for their work—and the glory goes not to them, but to God.

They are a charitable organization and are a United Way agency—meaning they receive money through United Way.  They also receive funds through the annual Friends in Faith Benefit Horse and Mule Fun Show.  The 13^th annual event took place Saturday, Sept 9 at the Ohio County Park.

“None of this could be possible if God hadn’t planned on it being this way,” Rhonda said.  “Everything we have needed has always been provided.”

Daniel B. Trout

Daniel B. Trout applied for a pension based on his service with the Confederate Army. Daniel was married to Aeratta Plummer and they lived in Cromwell at the time of his application for pension. Daniel died 1 Sep 1917 in Ohio Co.

Daviess County Map - 1876

I realize this is not really related to my blog, but I love these old maps and I thought some of you might enjoy seeing this map of neighboring Daviess County from 1876.

Col. Ercie Joyce Leach

When I first became interested in my family tree and began my search for records and relatives I met (on the internet) this charming man, Ercie Joyce Leach. He also had the genealogy bug and he had traveled to the Library of Congress as part of his search - and he happily shared his family information with me.  What a nice person and  what a help to me, a distant cousin. Sadly, I never had the pleasure of meeting him in person.

Ercie was the son of Willis Riley Leach (1905-1952) and Lucy Ophelia Smith (1908-1964) and he was born in Beaver Dam.  His date of birth was 26 Sep 1931 and he died 4 May 2013 in Summerville, South Carolina at age 81.  Ercie was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.

Ercie attended Western KY University and joined the Army 5 Feb 1953 at age 21. He later completed his college degree at Omaha University, Omaha, NE.  He retired from the Army on January 31, 1984 in Fort Rucker, AL with the rank of Colonel.  He served in KY, MD, OK, WA, AL, Korea, CO, KS, TX, HA, GA, Vietnam, CA, VA, DC, AK, and Germany. During his military career he was an Artillerymen and a Pilot. Some highlights of his career include working at the Pentagon and flying President Harry S. Truman. During his service with the Army Colonel Leach was awarded the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross (for Heroism), Bronze Star(Three Awards), Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal (Seven Awards), Army Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal and seven other Service and Campaign Medals. Following retirement from the Army he worked in cellular telephone communications for Whalen & Company, Inc., Lafayette, CA as a Project Director, Market Team Leader, Mar 1990 to Nov 1995. His teams built more than 800 Cellular Sites in Germany, Argentina, Oakland-San Francisco area, Detroit, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Tampa and Boston. He retired in Chicago on April 14, 1996 and moved to South Carolina to live out his Golden Years.  He was a Professional Soldier in the United States Army.  He was a Methodist.  He was named after Ercie Jarnigan, Ercie Irvin Leach and Joyce Raley.

Ercie was married to Emily Dorrine Pochelu on June 9, 1956 in Powell Butte, Crook County, OR.  Dorrine is a graduate of Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon. In Ercie's words, "From the time we were married in 1956 until I retired in 1984 I moved Dorrine and our children to 25 different houses, apartments or government quarters and she and the children never complained. Well, maybe once, when I was stationed at Fort Ord, California in 1970-1972.  I got horses for my 12 and 14 year old daughters since we had a riding facility and stables on the Army Post. But in 1972 I got ordered to the Pentagon in Washington, DC and had to sell the horses. Needless to say, they would have rather sold “old dad”, than the horses. But, pretty soon, they came to understand."

Here is a note that Ercie sent me about 15 years ago: 

     "Manda was kind of a nickname, I guess you could call it that, the real name of the old post office (when there was one) was Mount Pleasant. It is still known as the Mt. Pleasant or Manda community. Old folks who lived up there called it Mandy. The story goes that the first Postmistress was Amanda somebody, and it took that nickname. The old church (I think Methodist) is still there. We lived there when I was about one to four years old. My dad would carry me to church, lay me in the back pew, and carry me home again after the Sunday Evening Service. We lived about a mile back South down the road toward Select and Rob Roy. Mount Pleasant is about 3 or 4 miles on up the Sandefur's Crossing Road (now Rob Roy Road) from Mt. Zion Church. If you drew a line on the map from Horton to Select, Mt. Pleasant would be about half way between the two. From Mt. Pleasant there is another road (I think KY 505) that goes past the Leach Community into Rosine.  My Leach relatives (Old William who came with his sons to Ohio County about 1799-1800) settled on the Muddy Creek very close to the present Mount Zion Church on Sandefur's Crossing Road. The old farm was passed down to his son Leonard, then to his son John Nelson, then to John Nelson's son John Crittenden, then his son Nelson Dudley, my Grand father.The farm was about 300 yards from the present Mt. Zion Church. All of the above Leaches are buried in the Mt. Zion Cemetery, except my Grandfather and Father. They are buried in the Sunnyside Cemetery in Beaver Dam. Many of my Leach relatives also lived in Select, Cromwell and Rob Roy. My Smith, Bennett, Benton, Hayes, English and Chapman relatives lived in No Creek, near Hartford, and Horton in Ohio County and Yeaman and Spring Lick in Grayson County. My Great Uncle George Leach, Dudley's brother, and family lived in Select. My two older sisters attended Excelsior School - their first 2 or 3 years in 1930-34."

     "My Dad worked at several places as a Foreman with the WPA. I think he took that job sometime in the mid 30's. I can remember living in the James Sandefur House, the Sept Leach House, then Horton, Fordsville (we all had measles there), Elkton in Todd County (there was a  Haunted House on the street where we lived, Hobart and I got in to the house some way and took a ceremonial sword of some kind, I couldn't understand why it wasn't sharp; anyhow, Mama made us take it back to the house. We hated to go in that time, we were sure the ghosts would know us.), and then Morgantown."

     "We moved to Morgantown in 1940. I thought Morgantown must be a very evil place, a man was killed by Captain John Smith (Everyone called him Uncle John), the Town Marshal, the night of our first day there. The man cut Uncle John pretty bad before he was shot. Daddy took us to town to see what we could see. I think I remember seeing the man who was shot laying pretty close to the street under a cover of some kind. Maybe this is just my imagination from a long time ago. I do remember seeing Uncle John's uniform all cut up, when he brought it to the pressing shop for Bess Wilson to mend and clean. I fired the boiler for Bess for the pressing machines. (My first paying job in 1941 at age nine) We lived in four different houses in Morgantown. The first one burned down on 6 Dec 1941, a terrible tragedy in my memory. Everything we had burned. The thing I remember most though was how badly I felt that I had 35 cents in my dresser drawer and it burned. I don't remember much about the bombing of Pearl Harbor that happened the next day, but the previous day is "burned" into my memory."

Colonel Ercie Joyce Leach - a self-made man of honor. A proud man from Ohio County. A patriotic man that served his country well. A dignified man that should be remembered.  If you are ever in Arlington Cemetery, go visit Ercie. He is in Section 54, Site 2076.  Thank him for his service.

Hartford Herald 5 Jul 1899

Ohio County 100 Years Ago

Dated 5 Jul 1899

If you have trouble reading this newspaper you can try to copy it to your clipboard and then view it as a jpg file in Microsoft "pictures" or whatever software you use to view photos.  These programs usually have an enlargement capability.

Charles F. Westerfield

Charles F. Westerfield, of Hartford, applied for a pension April 29, 1912 for his service as a Confederate soldier. Charles Franklin Westerfield was born 15 Dec 1848 and died 24 Apr 1928 at age 79.  He married Margaret Elizabeth Lake and they had eleven children.

Charles & Margaret Westerfield - 1895

Photo from M. G. Westerfield