July 1, 2021

I've been posting quite a few old pictures to the Facebook Group "Lyon County Love Affair - Kentucky Celebration" lately.  I have quite a few pictures, from my grandmother and her sister, that show MANY people who lived in Lyon county.  They're not all relatives, although they might be, as my ancestors have been in Caldwell/Lyon/Trigg for a couple hundred years.  That means that I probably share DNA with most of these people, but haven't researched ALL the people who are not within three generations or so.  It's been a satisfying thing to do.  I wish everyone on the group would do it, as we ALL probably have pictures that contain someone else's ancestors and I know I'd LOVE to see pictures that other people have of MY ancestors.

Here's an example of one I posted:

This is one of my Aunt Iva Cummins (1880-1957).  I used the MyHeritage site (to which I have a subscription, but you can do a certain number of enhancements without a subscription).  Post those pictures folks!!!!!

Graves County KY Lunatic Inquest Book 1894-1901

The Graves County KY Lunatic Inquest Book 1894-1901 by Laura Wills (2002) and published by Simmons Historical Publications is available on World Vital Records.

Lyon and Caldwell County Sites in Kentucky

Here is an album of some pictures I took on a trip to Lyon and Caldwell counties in Kentucky:

http://picasaweb.google.com/debatchley/KentuckyPictures

I still have memories of those buildings in old Eddyville. Most of the town was torn down to make way for Barkley Lake. New Eddyville was built some miles away.

Property Records Made the Connection

I was able to tell that the Garrett Gray who was in Virginia was the SAME Garrett Gray who had been in Fauquier County Virginia. I was able to tell that the Willard C Town who bought land in Caldwell County Kentucky was the SAME Willard C Town who had lived in Coshocton County Ohio. I didn't have census records to correlate ages, spouses or children because the Garrett Gray document I used was from 1798. Willard C Town appeared in Kentucky in 1840. Both of these events were before the 1850 census that is always so much help to us. I didn't have marriage records or wills, so what did I have that proved to me that these were the same people? I had property deeds. Study your property deeds. Here's what I found.

Garrett Gray: 22 Jan 1798 District of Ninety Six. John Cannon and Elinor, his wife to Garret Gray, late of the County of Fauquier, VA 100 L sterling.........

Willard C Town: After his father "went west" and never reappeared in Ohio, Willard sold his part of his father's land to Cephas Parker, who then sold it to another member of Willard's family. When Willard C Town then purchased land in Caldwell County Kentucky, guess who witnessed this purchase - Cephas Parker. He and his family had moved with Willard C Town to Caldwell County Kentucky.

Deeds are wonderful things!!