Tour of Stith Valley

map

From Rachel Hardin:  "I marked map but did not make running comment as Lucille Seymour and I drove through Stith Valley. Jessie Williams said the Taylor place was marked wrong which you have found out - she said it was down toward Aunt Mag
Hardaway's."  This trip was prior to the one below noted by Bette Callow, per Rachel.   The Taylor place was later the Pate Dooley place.  See Harold Stith's memoirs.   J. Scott, Dec 2000

Key to County Map

1. Jack Williams Farm (where they had that 50th anniversary we have picture of).
2. Black Jack School
3. Elijah Shacklett Farm
4. Richard Stith Farm. Now Walter Scott farm.
5. Rachel and SamWilliams Farm - house still standing.
6. Uncle Jakey Williams. House still standing?
7. Hicks Farm - House still standing and owned by Hicks'?
8. John Hayden Taylor Farm. (I think wrong location.)
9. Aunt Hannah Stith Farm - on hill.
10.Meadville once located - few stores and stage coach stop.
11.Hill Grove Church - older one located on hills to West.
12.Benjamin and Elizabeth Shacklett Farm.
13.House where Irby and Mary were born - 3rd from corner.
14.Location of "academy" where Dick Shacklett taught.
15.House where Aunt Mollie Shacklett and lst husband Carrico lived - still standing.
16.House where Rachel and SamuelWilliams went to housekeeping. First 3 children born there. House still standing.
17.Buck Grove Church and cemetery.
18.Williams Farm - Williams still live there - Hannah and husband.
19.Garnettsville Cemetery next to road.

TOUR OF STITH VALLEY  (Notes by Bette Ray Callow per Rachel Hardin, her cousin) page1 page2 page3

July 11, 1982
Drive on Sunday afternoon after Lois Groves's funeral. Thomas Hart, Stan Kile, Bette Ray Callow, Paul Shacklette, with running commentary by Lucille Seymour.

Lucille Seymour's house is out road from Garret, Ky.

Turn right out of her gate. "All of this was in woods. A hunter named Jackie built a cabin here. That's where the name Jackie's Grove comes from. This was all full of game."

Jog on Rt60 to right and then back to left. To right, "Hayden Hill" was there. The last stage coach went over it and a Shacklette drove it. The road went from West Point to Hardinsburg and your Grt, Grt, Grandfather Ben Shacklette surveyed it.

Cousin Bernice lived on left. On right Lucille grew up at Jackie's Grove. "There were cabins in it." The Burches pushed the Shacklettes off the land because of an oral agreement which the Burches failed to honor.

Pass Black Jack School road. Lucille's brother's house at corner. Richard Stith built 1st house in Meade County. "It burned a few years ago." It was near Walter Scott's on left. Negro worked for Uncle Jakie. Big Spring Road. Elijah Shacklette's over rise in a clump of trees. Past house on right, Uncle Bud farmed.

Past Dick post office. Past a road leading to Stith Valley subdivision on left. "Oh, you don't want to know about that."

Ralph and Thomas J. s on right. Old log house on left -Adams. "Cousin A1len owned all this." Ralph's house near road, Thomas J.'s at end of a road. "T.J.'s old house burned.

"Your Great Grandmother Rachel's house is there with the spring house below." In the earlier log house uncles Thomas and William were born. To left can see Walter Scott 's. "To the left was where Richard Stith built the first house in Mead County. The original burned thirty years ago. "This area has many everlasting springs all through here."

. . . Williams house and spring on rt. Uncle Jakie's house.

To left Rawlins Hill. "All the Negroes after they were freed lived there." At cross roads turn right.

John Williams owns this old cabin to right and back from road and has put tin around it. Many beautiful springs. Wade Richards's sister lives here on left just opposite a spring. Originally the old Hicks place.

All of older families of Meade County kissing kin. the four families just married each other. Those descended from Barbara Quick and John Shacklett settled between Stith Valley and Hill Grove.

Aunt Hanna lived upon hill to left.

In 1796 the Shacklettes came to Falls of Ohio, stayed a year then to Cliffton's at Flippen's Run. Then to High Ground at Hill Grove. Saw Fringed Gentian and Bottled Gentian as well in this area. Cox place on right. Tobin's mother Maria Shacklette.
One son killed during the War in July. A little skirmish in which he was wounded. Took him to Wolf Creek in a spring wagon.

Past Camp Salem Baptist retreat.  Meadville Center on left. Cemetery at place marked Wickliff. Bernice, Irby, and Lucille's Daddy cleaned it out in W.P.A. days before the Boards bought that place. Cemetery yard is still there.

Hill Grove Church. Elizabeth and Rachel married brothers. They were very devout. Met and prayed for a church "The brothers heard them and built the original Church back to right in woods." This a new church. Three churches burned before this one. Can't bury here, too wet when you dig down. Cemetery at side of church 170 years old but none of our folks are buried here.

Inside: Lucille Seymore painted the back of the baptistery with scene of Jordan First window on Epistle side: Jacob M. Williams & Family

Back window, Gospel side: In Memory of Thomas J. & Hannah Stith by T. E. Stith & Family

3

Lois said her parents married here. (Rachel Hardin says not correct) Bernice and Bud Price were married here. She gave the organ. Old Church was on beyond hill. Huge poplar logs up by a spring. High Ground about two miles on. This loop is where history interests us most.
Continue from present Hill Grove church.

Squire Boon lived at Garnetsville. Married Elizabeth Ashcraft. Up hill Gt Gt GrdFather Benjaman. They had sugar trees up the hill (up along a grave1 road) we bear to left.

Our last common ancestor married a Hayden. Turn right 1238/60. All this owned by Benjaman, ran to Hill Grove and Jackie's Grove. On right on hill is still his house, a log house is inside the remodeled house. First brick house in Meade County built by a Woolfork.
Turn left, back to Lucille's.