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Call Number: CS71.K98
Title: History of the Kuykendall Family Since Its Settlement in Dutch New York in 1646
Author: George Benson Kuykendall
This book contains the genealogy and history of the Kuykendall family of Dutch New York.
Bibliographic Information: Kuykendall, George Benson. The Kuykendall Family.
Kilham Stationery & Printing CO. Portland, Oregon. 1919.
Copyrighted 1919
History of
THE KUYKENDALL FAMILY
Since its Settlement in
Dutch New York
in 1646
WITH GENEALOGY
As Found in Early Dutch Church Records
State and Government Documents
TOGETHER WITH
Sketches of Colonial Times, Old Log Cabin Days,
Indian Wars, Pioneer Hardships, Social Customs, Dress and
Mode of Living of the Early Forefathers
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
-by-
GEORGE BENSON KUYKENDALL, M. D.
KILHAM STATIONERY & PRINTING CO.
PORTLAND, OREGON
1919
DEDICATED
TO THE MEMORY OF MY FATHER
JOHN KUYKENDALL
Whose kindness, solicitude, watchcare and guiding hand, during the tender years of childhood and youth, whose fatherly counsels during young manhood, directed my purposes and kept me from straying. The memory of his nobility of character, his unswerving rectitude of principle and purpose, his devotion to right and splendid example, have been the guiding star of my life.
As time has sped by, as the world, times and men have changed, his character and life have towered, as a great lighthouse, above the mists of the years, and illumined the voyage of my life. To him, to whom I owe the most of all I have ever been, or ever accomplished, of worth to myself or the world, I inscribe this volume,
In grateful rememberance.
CHAPTER CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.
Introductory Considerations. Object of this work--General indifference to family history--Kuykendall history covers a long time and wide area--Author's recollections of the past--Usual dryness of genealogy--Connecting up events in family history with contemporary events.
CHAPTER II.
Story of Search After History and Genealogy of Kuykendall Family. More than genealogical facts given--Author's knowledge of the family history--Family traditions--Sending searching party to Virginia--Difficulty in getting data--Holland Society of New York--Findings of its genealogist. Mr. Versteeg--Mr. Nearpass and "Church Life"--Mr. Stickney and Mr. Van Sickle--Ancient Kuykendall Deed--Sale of first ancestor's home at Fort Orange, N. Y.
CHAPTER III.
Origin of the Name Kuykendall. Its meaning and derivation--The name is Dutch--Traditions in regard to name--Mr. Van Laer's suggestions--Roosevelt and Kuykendall names formed similarly--Given names in the Dutch records.
CHAPTER IV.
Changes in the Name Kuykendall and How They Came. Different forms found in the old records--How some of the descendants explain the changes--Autographic signatures of some of the early Kuykendalls--Conclusions drawn from the manner of spelling the name.
CHAPTER V.
Fort Orange New York, When Kuykendall Ancestor Came. Rensselaer's settlements--Description of Fort Orange at that time--Location of first ancestor's home--The old church, the bell and pulpit, at Fort Orange.
CHAPTER VI.
Dutch Reformed Church Records. What are they--Their value to Kuykendall family--Manner of keeping them--Minisink, Deerpark, and Walpack records.
CHAPTER VII.
Other Notes Connected With Early Kuykendalls. The first Dutch church of New York--Pre-American Kuykendall's home was in Gelderland, Holland--Marriage of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal--His children--The Tietsoort family--Marriage of Jacob Kuykendall.
CHAPTER VIII.
Children of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal. Record of their baptism, as found in New York Dutch Records. Comment on his family record--Facts concerning his children's lives--Jacob Kuykendall's family record--Jacob with surveying party on Susquchanna--Further history--Reminiscences of George Labar.
CHAPTER IX.
The Family of Jacob Kuykendall. Minisink Island and the country around--Dutch ox carts--Wolves, panthers, and wildcats--Old home of Ks charming yet--Johannes Kuykendall marries Elizabeth Brink--Old cabin of John K--Millrace and masonry--Excerpts from Journal of House of Burgesses--Old deeds and records--Family record of Johannes Kuykendall, The Four Brothers in Indiana--Around old Vincennes, Indiana.
CHAPTER X.
The Four Brothers, Continued From Last Chapter. Peter (5), eldest of Four Brothers--What we know of him and descendants--Daniel (5) of the Four Brothers--His descendants.
CHAPTER XI.
Descendants of Henry Kuykendall (5), Youngest of Four Brothers. Marriage--Settlement--Mill building and other activities--Family record--Henry's sons George, John, and activities--James Wesley, son of Henry--Biographic sketch.
CHAPTER XII.
Descendants of Jacob Kuykendall, Continued. Jacobus (3), (James), son of Jacob--His children's baptismal record--Benjamin (3), son of Jacob--His public activities--Connection with early Virginia courts--Benjamin's death--Will and mention of children's names.
CHAPTER XIII.
Nathaniel Kuykendall 1st and Descendants. Nathaniel's life in Virginia--His family record--Nathaniel's descendants--Dr. Jacob Kuykendall of Vincennes, Indiana--Other Nathaniel descendants--Some of later generations--Biographic sketches--Captain Isaac Kuykendall and descendants.
CHAPTER XIV.
Cornelius Van Kuykendaal, Family Record and Comments. Short recapitulation--Cornelius' family baptismal record--Analysis and comments thereon--Leur, son of Cornelius, marries Lena Consalisduk--The name Manuel--The Gunsaulus family--Descendants of Cornelius.
CHAPTER XV.
Mattheus and Arie Van Kuykendaal. Birth and marriage of Matthew--Arie--His connection with the Quick family--Thomas Quick, Sr.--His murder by the Indians--Baptismal record of Arie Kuykendall's children--His daughter marries Roelof Brink--The Brink family--Recapitulation and remarks.
CHAPTER XVI.
Pieter Van Kuykendaal and Descendants. The family record--Marriage to Femmetje Decker--The Decker family--Early times at the old Kuykendall home--Moses Coykendall and descendants--Samuel Decker Coykendall, capitalist and philanthropist--Other descendants of Pieter--Recent prominent Coykendalls.
CHAPTER XVII.
Pieter Kuykendal Descendants, Continued. Those who lived about Sussex, New Jersey--Others about Port Jervis, N. Y.--The Wilhelmus branch--About the Mamakating regions--Burial place of Wilhelmus Kuykendall and wife--Pieter's descendants in Cayuga county New York--Old deed for slave--Further Pieter Kuykendal family data.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Correspondence from Kuykendall Descendants. Regions where the first Kuykendalls lived--Letters from Western Virginia Kuykendall descendants--From John A. Kuykendall--From his daughters--Some Illinois and Indiana correspondence.
CHAPTER XIX.
Southwestern Kuykendalls and Correspondence. Remarks preceding letters--Kuykendalls in early Carolina history--Excerpts from North Carolina Colonial Records--Activities of N. C. Kuykendalls near Rock Hill and Yorkville, South Carolina--Letters from Texas, Kentucky, Mississippi, and other states--Correspondence of Judge W. L. Kuykendall, and son, John M.--Biographic sketches.
CHAPTER XX.
Southwestern Correspondence, Second Series. Letters from Tennessee--and Texas descendants--Kentucky and other correspondence--Early Kentucky settlers--Trials and hardships--Moses Kuykendall and descendants--Summary and comments.
CHAPTER XXI.
Descendants of Kuykendalls who Settled in Southern Indiana and Illinois. General considerations--Grouping of letters--Vienna and Carmi, Illinois, Kuykendalls--White River, Indiana, early settlers.
CHAPTER XXII.
Texas Kuykendalls--Captain Abner Kuykendall first of family in Texas--Early pioneer struggles--Excerpts from early Texas history--Death of Captain Abner Kuykendall--Judge William Kuykendall of Tilden, Texas--His narration of family history--Benjamin Straysner Kuykendall, sketches and incidents by himself and others.
CHAPTER XXIII.
Kikendalls and Kirkendalls. Most Kikendalls trace back to New Jersey--Kikendall letters from Michigan--Washington state--Kentucky--Illinois--and other states. Change of name from Kikendall to Kirkendall--Letters showing ancestry of the two branches--Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Kirkendall branch and others--West Virgina and Iowa Kirkendalls and Curkendalls and others.
CHAPTER XXIV.
Cuykendalls and Correspondence. Martynus Cuykendall--His autograph signature--Cuykendalls who settled near Owasco, New York--Letters from Cuykendalls in various parts of the country.
CHAPTER XXV.
Coykendalls and Correspondence. The spelling Coykendall a more recent form--All Coykendalls are from the Pieter Branch--Michigan and New York Coykendall correspondence--Mrs. Dr. Pott's family record--Letter of M. A. Coykendall--Family history and sketch--Letter of John F. Coykendall and other correspondence.
CHAPTER XXVI.
Some Early Pennsylvania Kuykendalls. Sketches of early Allegheny and Beaver county settlers--Henry Kuykendall in Baptist Church records--Ira, James, and Christian Neff Kuykendall.
CHAPTER XXVII.
Kuykendalls in the Revolutionary War. Scantiness of Revolutionary soldier history--Difficulty of finding data--Revolutionary War Pension records obtained by author--Names and history of Kuykendall pensioners.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Early Migrations and Settlements of the Family. No nawspapers to tell of their moves--Early settlements all near the old home--Much moving after the Revolutionary war--Moved in caravans or in boats on the rivers--Crossing the Plains--Starting on the journey--Crossing Missouri--Prairie dog country, rattlesnakes, owls and Indians--A terrible thunder storm and rain--Alkali water and thirst--Night visits of coyotes--Beautiful mirages but deceptive--An experience with service berries--Crossing Snake river at Salmon Falls--"Cussing" as an aid in wading a river--Grotesque and hard ways of travelling--Down the Columbia in a barge--Death of little girl--Oregon at last.
CHAPTER XXIX.
Genealogy of the Kuykendall Family in the Order of Generations.
CHAPTER XXX.
The Rifle, Axe and Log Cabin. The axe hewed the way for civilization--The fall hunt--Yaugh houses, or bunting houses--The pioneer log cabin--The fireplace--Furniture and equipment--Dogs of the early settlers, their helpfulness to the pioneer.
CHAPTER XXXI.
Mode of Living and Home Life of our Ancestors. Women's work--Spinning, weaving, making clothes--Men's work clearing farms--Passing of the walnut tree--How our fathers obtained their shoes--Domestic wares--Cooking--Soap making--Maple sugar making--Pastimes and social amenities--Dress--Keeping time, time pieces--How our fathers made fires and lights--Corn, its uses and ways of making meal--Hominy block--Handmills or Querns--Tub mills--Makeshifts and substitutes.
CHAPTER XXXII.
Schools, Teachers and Education in Early Times. First schools of our Dutch forefathers--School discipline--Punishments and the instruments used for this purpose--Old time school books--Rusty cups and iron combs--Goose quill pens.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
Churches, Sabbath and Religious Meetings. The Early Dutch Reformed Church--Carrying guns to church--Early day singing--Sunday a day for rest and amusement--Lorenzo Dow waking people up.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
Marriage Customs and the Old Time Weddings. Forms of betrothal--Weddings great events--An old time wedding--Assembling of bride's friends--Company of the bridegroom--Run for the bottle--The wedding--Wedding dinner--The dance that came afterwards--Fiddles and fiddlers.
CHAPTER XXXV.
Sickness, Medicines and Medical Treatment. Housewives were the doctors--Herbs, barks, and roots--Spring medicine--Mustard plasters--Worms, symptoms and remedies--Rheumatism and cures--Bleeding--How it was done.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
Indian Warfare, Forts and Indian Atrocities. Stockade--Forts of the early settlers--Night flight to the forts--Boy fort soldiers--Life in the forts--Capture of white women and girls--Hard times and hunger--Going armed to farm work--Indian attack on early Virginia planters--When our fathers dreaded fine weather--Artifices and cruelties of Indians--A Kuykendall Enoch Arden.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
Pests, Outlaws and Tories. Many small insect scourges--Malaria--Milk sickness--Its work swift and fatal--Frontier renegades--Their miserable work among Indians--Tories--Their treatment by our forefathers--Branding with a hot spade--Tarring and feathering incidents.
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
The Old Mine Road and the Early Kuykendall Home. Mine road historic--Romance and mystery connected with it--Old copper mines--Tunnels--Myths and traditions--The old road connected with thrilling historic events.
CHAPTER XXXIX.
Forms of Servitude, Peculiar Customs, Witches and Old Time Superstitions. "Binding children out"--The Redemptioner--Slavery and the Kuykendalls--Witches--Signs, omens and superstitions--Testing witches--Washington Irving's Legends told by our ancestors--Amulets and charms.
CHAPTER XL.
Kuykendall Descendants in the War with Germany.
CHAPTER XLI.
More Light in Obscure Places in the History of the Kirkendalls. Correspondence of W. L. Kirkendale of Detroit, Mich.--Joseph Sargent Kirkendall--His family record--George Kirkendall, Shipping Master--Mrs. Jessie Polmeteer's letter--Tombstones of David Kirkendall and wife--Letter of Mrs. Proctor, Burlington, Ontario--Mrs. Daisy William's letter--Family record of David Kirkendall--Children of Samuel Kirkendall and Euphemia Lowry--William Kirkendall and Nancy Hess' family--Joseph S. Kirkendall of Carsonville, Mich.--Data from L. R. Kirkendall, Corning, N. Y.
CHAPTER XLII.
Additional Data Received too Late to Come in at the Proper Place. Statement of Henry J. Coykendall, Syracuse, N. Y.--Miss Harriet C. Johnson--Letter from Hiram Coykendall, Detroit, Mich.--McCage Kuykendall, letter--Family of Alfred Harden Kuykendall and Sarah L. Fort--Moses and Martha Andrews Kuykendall--McCage Kuykendall's family--Family of Garland and Belle Grattis Kuykendall--Lee and Oma Garret Kuykendall's family--Thomas and Maree Smith Kuykendall--Isaac N. Kuykendall's letter--Data from, Miss Mollie Cobb--J. M. Kuykendall, Cherokee, Tex.--Matthew Johnson Kuykendall--Wylie M. Kuykendall--Leander Kuykendall's family history.
CHAPTER XLIII.
Interesting and Curious Book Accounts and Documents, in Colonial and Ante Colonial Times. Ledger account of 1756, and 1757--Tinker's bill--Funeral expenses--Old tavern licenses--Price of bed with clean sheats--Cost of damning his royal highness--Doubling up, to cut cost of sleeping--Old time survey markings--Ancient deed of Walpack Church lot--Quotations from Minisink Valley Church records.
CHAPTER XLIV.
Genealogical Notes, Kuykendall and Stark Families. Rev. J. W. Kuykendall, biography--Early traits, education, "Boy preacher" at 18--Labors in Southern Oregon--Breakdown in health--Locates in San Jose, Calif.--His death--Rev. T. L. Jones' letter--Captain Isaac Kuykendall's family--J. Stewart Kuykendall--His public activities--Edgar Davis Kuykendall--College days--Studied law--Located in Greensboro, N. C.--Civil and military record--Capt. Isaac Kuykendall's daughters.
CHAPTER XLV.
Did More Than One Kuykendall Ancestor Come Over From Europe? Early Dutch New York documents--Powers of attorney--Accounts of Carsten and Urbanus Luursen--Church baptismal records.
CHAPTER XLVI.
Attempts to Trace the European History of the Kuykendall Family. Reference to "Willy Kukenthal" at Harvard College--Kuekenthal family history, back to 16th century--Ancestry of Maternal side of Kuykendall family--Tack family--Westphael ancestors of Jacob, Cornelius and Matthew Kuykendall's wives--Why we have no better knowledge of our ancestors.
CHAPTER XLVII.
Miscellaneous Portraits and Notes. Further sketch of Dr. William Kuykendall--Public activities as physician, in hospital, school legislation--Nathaniel Kuykendall, Gainesville, Tex.--Family sketch--Judge A. B. Kirkendall--His portrait--Family of Andrew Briggs Kuykendall--Group picture--Samuel D. Coykendall--Family record--Mrs. Harriet R. Frisbie's war work activities--Mrs. Mary K. Weaver, portrait--Charles Allen Kirkendall's portrait--Mrs. Nannie Kuykendall Collins.
CHAPTER XLVIII.
Autographs of Some of the Early Kuykendalls, Comments and Other Topics. Sundry notes and observations--Kirkendalls and Klingensmiths--H. J. Kirkendall's statement--Further account of Judge W. L. Kuykendall of Saratoga, Wyom.--His son, John M. Kuykendall--J. B. Kuykendall, Vienna, Ill.--Kuykendall family historical association--Its object, suggested plan--How to carry on--Conclusion.
PREFACE
As this is the first attempt ever made to publish a history of the family Kuykendall, there was no foundation to build upon, no precedent for guidance, and very little material to begin with. It has been a new work from the outset, and all the data was yet to be gathered. Coming to the author, as a large part of the data did, through correspondence, much of which was written with a pencil, and from people making no literary pretensions, the manuscript was often dim and difficult to read, and it would be a miracle if there were not errors in dates and names.
Different persons of the same families or branches often gave versions that varied considerably from each other.
Nothing but a sincere desire to know more of our people's history and to help other descendants to a better knowledge of their forefathers could have induced me to continue my efforts, under the many difficulties and discouragements that have been met. Our people who read this volume will find much therein that is new to them, and they will know much more about the family history than they knew before. I am sure that after reading the correspondence and other data contained herein, and talking it over among themselves, they will discover many relationships of which they never knew before, and that they will be able to clear up many things that before they had not been able to understand.
I am grateful to all those who have been so ready to assist in my work. There were a number of persons who were not in any way related to the family, who have been much interested and aided me greatly. Among these are the Hon. W. H.
Nearpass, of Port Jervis, New York, who is mentioned several times in the body of this volume. His extensive knowledge of the early history and genealogy of the Delaware valley and its pioneer settlers, makes anything he may say on the subject valuable, and besides all this, I found him to be a warm friend and Christian gentleman.
Mr. Charles E. Stickney, of Sussex, New Jersey., editor and proprietor of the "Wantage Recorder," gave me valued assistance. He is a local historian of extensive knowledge of the early history of the land of the Kuykendall forefathers. No man would undertake to write a history of that part of the country, without consulting his writings. Mr. J. J. Van Sickle, of Bevens, N.
J., who is a man that has served his country ably and efficiently, in offices of honor and trust, showed me much kindness and gave me valued assistance. I appreciated and enjoyed the hospitality of his pleasant home, while on a visit to the old home regions of the Kuykendalls, near his place. We went together over the site of the ancient New Jersey Minisink village, the old Fort, at Sandyston, and among the old stone buildings just across in Montague, Mr. Van Sickle pointing out many interesting and historic points, thus making it all much more interesting and helpful to me.
The valued assistance of Mr. A. J. van Laer is mentioned in the body of this book. His kindness was so disinterested and valuable, that it is proper to specially mention it here. His understanding of the modern and the old archaic Dutch language, and his extensive knowledge of the early Dutch records of New York, make his opinions peculiarly valuable. His position of State Archivist, and the fact that the re-translating and compiling of a large number of the old Dutch records have been entrusted to him, indicate the estimation in which his knowledge and services are held by those competent to judge.
Mr. Dingman Versteeg's work and kind interest were much appreciated, and I have been made sorry that his usefulness as genealogist for the Holland Society of New York, have been sadly hampered by trouble with his eyesight.
The late Hon. Virgil A. Lewis, of Charleston, W. Va., and his competent daughter, Maude, rendered me service that was much appreciated, in searching old Virginia records for data that was very helpful. Part of this kindness was shortly before the death of Mr. Lewis. I hope the knowledge of my appreciation of her father's kindness will be pleasing to her. The learned archivist and historian, the late Dr. R. Gold Thwaites, of the Wisconsin Historical Society, at Madison was very kind and helpful. I appreciated also the interest and help of the "Filson Club," of Louisville, Ky., which is mentioned in connection with the picture of the old Kentucky pioneer handmill, shown in this volume.
The assistance of my son, William B. Kuykendall, has been appreciated because of his having kept in touch with my progress, and he could, therefore, aid me as no other person could. The work of Mrs. Harriet R. Frisbie, of Roscoe, N.
Y., has been especially valuable in tracing the family of Wilhelmus Kuykendall. She has worked out the genealogy of that branch perhaps more fully than any branch has been heretofore traced.
Mr. James William Kuykendall of Moorefield, West Virginia, has been especially interested in my work, and has given me very valuable assistance, which has been greatly appreciated. While visiting in that part of the country I had the pleasure of enjoying the hospitality of his pleasant home and genial family. I had a signal illustration of the old time Virginia hospitality, which made my visit most delightful. Together we tramped over the old Kuykendall farms of our fathers and viewed some of the homes they builded, sites of their mills and the cemeteries where they were buried, generations ago. Time has not effaced the pleasant memory of my visit and stay with Mr. James W. Kuykendall of Moorefield, W. Va.
There were a number of people at Romney, Hampshire county, W. Va., who deserve mention, among whom are Miss Annie W. Kuykendall and her good mother, whose noble face bespeak intelligence and refinement. To all these good people and many more, I extend my sincere appreciation, and I hope the reading of this volume may contribute to their pleasure, and in some degree, at least, tend to compensate them for their efficient aid and kindness.
AUTHOR'S REMINISCENCES
Looking back over my past, one of the things that strikes me most forcibly is the wonderful changes that have, during my life time, taken place in the country and people. The changes pertain to our manner of living, and of doing almost everything done, the lighting, heating of our homes, the improvement in all domestic operations, the amazing profusion of books, papers and magazines and the wonderful improvement in their printing and illustrations, the modern speed of travel, transportation and transmission of news. The oceans and seas that once seemed to spread out infinite distances have shrunken to mere ponds, and the continents that once extend out beyond our confused comprehension, have shrunken to mere neighborhoods, within as easy communication and reach as our next door neighbor. The telegraph keys are touched and in a few minutes our thoughts are being talked in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Islands of the sea.
If old people who were living in my boyhood days could have been suddenly placed amid surroundings like those of today, they would have felt as if they had been ushered into a new and strange world. During the span of my life there have come the larger part of all the inventions and discoveries that have revolutionized the manner of living of civilized mankind.
My education was mostly received in the west. Following the acquisition of the common branches there came the study of the higher mathematics and the branches that go to make up the higher academic curriculum. Connected with these days there are a thousand delightful associations, memories of faces fair and young and forms manly, with pleasing personalities. There was the academy school life, the debating society, stirring debates, papers, readings, impersonations, songs and music. How charming the memory of them still! Then the pictures of our home life in beautiful southern Oregon, with its bright skies and balmy atmosphere, how memory sweeps back over the vista of years and brings fresh again the perfume of honeysuckle, eglantine and roses of May and June, as it stole in under the raised sash of my east bedroom window, while the morning breeze fanned the fluttering curtains. I seem to hear, even yet, the drowsy droning of the bees against the window panes, or among the climbing vines outside. Like a soothing lullaby there floated in the song of the robin, linnet, catbird and the cooing of the doves and noise of domestic fowls.
How indescribably sleepy I was on those lazy, balmy mornings! With youth and health, free from care, I seemed to be reposing upon a bed of down or floating dreamily away on cottony clouds, in the ethereal blue. I delved into my books, studied hard and had plenty of physical exercise about home. The months and years sped by. I read much in other books
than those in the regular school curriculum, and these opened up to me a new world. I was filled with the aspirations and ambitions of youth.
In 1861 there came the discovery of gold in eastern Oregon. With my father and two uncles, I went to the mines in the spring. That trip was full of thrilling adventures. Arriving at the mines, I was thrown into environments only to be found in a new mining camp. The mines, mining operations, mining towns of mushroom growth, the drinking, gambling, carousing, shooting, fighting and stabbing affrays, with the doings of frontier desperadoes, from all quarters of the world, brought humanity before me in an aspect entirely different from anything I had ever seen. I found profitable employment of a mechanical sort, and I had neither time nor inclination to become entangled with wild performances around me.
Well along toward winter we left the mines and returned to our homes to spend the winter. The next spring we went to the Idaho mines, in the "Boise Basin," where Idaho City was built. This was one of the wildest mining camps of the Pacific Northwest. Here were events that occurred with the most spectacular settings imaginable. From a little camp of a few rude rough log cabins, there grew up in a few weeks, a town of three or four thousand people, a town consisting mostly of stores and business houses of all the kinds found in civilized communities.
Late in the summer of 1864, tiring of mining camps and life among miners, I returned to civilization and home, and taught school and worked at the trade my father had taught me. Teaching did not seem to agree with my health, the constant exercise of my voice in oral work affected my throat and I went to California, spending the winter of 1866-1867 there, returning the following spring. After my return, my father had a very severe and dangerous illness, so that the physicians in attendance despaired of his recovery and said they could do no more, and gave up the case. Under these desperate circumstances I told the home folks I would never consent to abandon effort, and that we must exert ourselves and do all we could for he might possibly recover yet. They all seconded my efforts, following my lead and directions.
I had been for some time studying materia medica, and treatment of disease during my spare time, because I liked the study, but not with any serious thought of becoming a physician. The knowledge acquired certainly now came into good use. For eight days I scarcely ate or slept, but was in constant attendance upon my father. At the end of that time, almost utterly exhausted, I went up to my room for a little sleep and rest. About midnight, the neighbor who had been left in charge, came up to my room and said, "Your father is better and wants to see you." I was soon at his side, and found him better, but completely prostrated, so much so that he was powerless
to speak above a whisper, and could not lift his hands from his bed.
He gradually, but surely recovered, and lived thirty years of useful life.
When the physicians who had been in attendance met me, they generously complimented and congratulated me, and said, "Young man, it is plain what should be your business in life. You ought to fit yourself for the practice of medicine; that is your calling."
Later I married Miss Eliza J. Butler, who had been a pupil of mine in school.
We acquired a comfortable home and were getting along happily. But I had a constant feeling that I was not filling my place in the world. Then came the decision to complete my studies, graduate and enter the profession. By this time we had two little children. Nevertheless, I determined to go through. Our home was sold and turned into cash to pay my college expenses. How I digged and delved! After all these years, I think with admiration of the splendid courage and loyalty of my young wife, in giving up our home and standing by me through those anxious times of toil and study.
It was my good fortune to graduate at the head of my class, but I came through "worn to a frazzle." A malarial attack, a few days before final examination, almost finished me for the time. My funds were exhausted and I was left a thousand dollars in debt. Shortly afterwards I had an offer of a government position as physician at Fort Simcoe, Yakima Indian Agency, Washington. In my run down physical condition, and with my depleted finances the offer was accepted. I had to go out of my own state and leave my debts unpaid, but determined to go to my principal creditor and tell him what I wanted to do.
When I had stated my proposition to him, he said, "I know you and know all your people. I am not afraid of you. Go wherever you want to go, and when you can spare the money, send it to me. If you would like to go into business here, I will put up a drug store and stock it, and you can run it and practice medicine right here. If you want to go elsewhere, all right." He was "white" and fair with me, all through, and (though he has been dead a good many years, I think of Hyman Abraham, as a friend. If some of his children should see this, they will be pleased to know that I remember and appreciate the generous act of their father.
I arrived with my family at Fort Simcoe, in July, 1872, and entered upon one of the most interesting periods of my life, a period marked by experiences not common to the average medical man. Some of these experiences were thrilling--all were interesting. Here at the Fort I had the medical oversight of a large corps of government employes and instructors, pupils of the Indian schools, and about sixteen hundred Indians. Besides, there was an extensive range of practice among the outside settlements. The white people at the Fort had a two-fold mission; first, as government employes, secondly, as missionaries, whose object was to instruct the Indians in the white man's
ways and civilization. A complete history of events and our experiences while there would make an interesting volume.
Soon after arriving at Fort Simcoe, Major Powell, of the Department of Ethnology in the Smithsonian Institution, at Washington, D. C., wrote me asking me to take up in behalf of the government, the study of Indian ethnology, language, folk lore; their myths, traditions and beliefs and their ancient customs and usages. This, being undertaken, made a sort of diversion from the regular routine of my medical duties. A large amount of data was accumulated, and later part of it was printed and published, and has since gone into and become a part of the History of the state of Washington.
While at the Fort, much time was devoted to microscopical work and study, in the diagnosis of disease, and considerable attention was given to practical micro-photography. A large number of mounted microscopic specimen were prepared, many of which are good yet, after more than forty years. The people about the Fort in the government employ were of a high average intelligence, culture and morality, having been selected with special reference to their fitness in the qualities that would make them efficient as teachers and examples to the Indians. We had frequent visits from Washington City, from Indian Inspectors, and military men of the highest character, among whom were Gen. O. O. Howard, and numerous others. Under these circumstances it could hardly be said we were entirely isolated from intellectual and social environments.
Some of the great Indian councils and meetings while we were there were held amid the most dramatic and thrilling settings. Whatever we may have thought of Indians or Indian character, we discovered that there is much that is good in them, that only needs to be drawn out and cultivated to make them men and citizens.
During the Nez Perce Indian war of 1877, there was much excitement at times among the Indians on the reservation, lest the Snake Indians and tribes at war with the whites, should attack the reservation Indians and the whites about the agency. We had convincing proofs that the Indians around us were the friends of the whites. We learned afterwards that during the period of greatest fear and excitement, the leaders among the Indians came in the night and stood guard over the white people there, lest the hostiles should make a rush upon the place and murder us all. We did not know of this while it was being done; it was only after the trouble was all past that we heard of it.
I distinctly remember on one occasion when General O. O. Howard was at the fort with several of his staff, just before the Nez Perce Chief Joseph's Indians began hostilities. He came to sound the Indians there, and to discover what was their feeling, and if possible, learn what they knew of the disposition of the Indians on the upper Columbia. His stay continued over Sunday, and there was a large gathering of Indians, to see and hear the "big white chief." On Sunday there was a religious
service, which the General and his staff attended. The assembly was large and the interest profound. The Indians sang various hymns and songs, some of them in their own language. Various persons spoke, and among others General Howard and some of his company. The chief of the Yakimas, Joe Stwire, arose and told his experience while on a mission among the Warm Spring Indians. As he proceeded he became more enthused, and his eloquence rose to a high strain.
The large audience all around was deeply moved, both whites and Indians. I saw the tears flowing down the face of General Howard and the members of his staff, as well as of numerous others. The effect was profound and electrifying. I thought at the time, "What a power as a speaker this man might have been, if he had been educated and cultured."
Our stay at the agency embraced all that thrilling period before and during the "Chief Joseph War," and those exciting times of alarms and uprisings of the Indians up the Columbia river, above Priest Rapids, while the old renegade chief, prophet, and dreamer, Smohalla, was stirring up sedition among the "wild" restless ones of those tribes. At that time there were but few settlers in the Yakima valley, and all the upper Columbia river country. The distances between stock ranches and pioneer homes were long, and all the frontier was constantly exposed to Indian outbreaks.
We had been at Fort Simcoe almost exactly ten years, when I resigned my position to get out where there would be better advantages for school and society.
I wish that there could have been more space for a narration of our experiences among the Indians and pioneer people of the Yakima country; there were so many things that would have been intensely interesting. We had an adventurous trip from Fort Simcoe to Pomeroy, thirty-seven years ago. Looking back, after all these years, the sage, sand and dust, the terrific thunder storm we had, having been driven from our camps several times by rising water, and being compelled to go back to the hills among rocks, thorny cactus and rattlesnakes to make new camps, being tormented by mosquitoes and heat, and getting stuck in the sand, the turning bottom side up of my hack, emptying everything out into the water--all this can be looked at with complacency now, but at the time there was in it an element not calculated to contribute to comfort or pleasure. Arriving in Pomeroy, it was found that there seemed to be a demand for my services as physician, and soon there came to me all the medical practice I could manage. We identified ourselves with the interests of the community, whether material, educational or moral, though in those pioneer days, it was not always the popular thing to do. I have formed the acquaintance of many great-hearted, noble people, whose confidence and friendship has been valued more than could be measured in dollars and cents.
In the early days of my practice I often went on horseback, later in a buggy, but we knew nothing about automobiles, telephones or electric lights then. I remember well, on many a cold ride or drive, how anxiously I peered out into the darkness and storm, longing to see some signs of life, and wondered how far I should have to travel to reach warmth, rest and shelter, then how the gleam of a lamp in the window of the house to which I was going brought a thrill of joy and cheer. As I write, I remember how, when I was called at midnight to start out on a cold dreary drive, Mrs. Kuykendall was always up and had a cup of hot coffee ready, and something warm for me to eat before going. In those days the livery stable or my own hired man had to be called to bring a team for me. In later years I could be on my way with my automobile ten or twelve miles or to the place where I was going, before in earlier years I could have even started.
My wife was frequently of great aid to me in my professional work, especially in the case of very sick women and children. Her superior qualities as nurse, her skill in devising suitable and dainty foods for patients, and her quick perception of conditions and of changes in conditions caused me to be less worried
when I had to be away from a bad case looking after others. While I really appreciated these things at the time, like many others, I failed perhaps, in not expressing it sufficiently. We often expect more of our home people and give them less credit than we do to others.
There has never been any desire on my part for public office or to be prominent in politics, feeling that such things might cause a neglect of my patients. I have never been called lazy or of lacking in energy, and have always felt that it was due my patients to give them the best possible service, and to keep myself abreast of the progress of medicine and surgery.
To do this, a point was always made to visit the eastern medical colleges and hospitals, and take post graduate courses, so as to keep in touch with the leaders in the profession. My time has been so fully occupied with professional business that it was found impossible to give much attention to lodges and fraternal orders, though I was never opposed to them, and really held membership in several, for a number of years. I am now a member of the Holland Society of New York, member of the Oregon Pioneer Society and Oregon Historical Society, a member and secretary of the Garfield County Pioneer Association. For over sixty years I have been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and actively associated with its social and moral endeavors.
It has been an especial pleasure, and a benefit as well, to be associated with the Epworth League and young people societies of my church and the young of other churches, in their moral and intellectual endeavors. It has, perhaps, helped me to remain young in spirit and feeling.
As I now write, I am well along toward my seventy-seventh birth day, and am glad that my interest in the world and world affairs was never greater--it never gave me more pleasure to read, think, study and write--and the advance of the world in progress was never watched with greater interest or more pleasure.
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CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTORY CONSIDERATIONS.
When the study of the Kuykendall ancestry was first begun, it was not with the idea of publishing the results of my researches, but only as a matter of my own satisfaction. For many years my time and attention were so fully occupied with an extensive medical practice that it was impossible for me to devote much time to ancestor hunting. The work was therefore carried on in quite an intermittent manner, and as a sort of change and relief from the daily rounds of duty.
The farther the work was pursued the more fascinating it became, and the determination was reached to gather what data could be found and publish it, that others might share the benefit and pleasure I had derived from the information obtained.
Often when young, incidents were told me that took place in Virginia, where my grandfather and great grandfather had lived. I had listened with breathless interest to stories of horrible cruelties and tortures inflicted by the Indians upon captive men and women, and even little children. In my fancy I had often pictured the place where my forefathers lived, the appearance of their homes, and tried to imagine how they dressed and looked, and what kind of food they ate and how they did when they first came to America. When older I had heard repeated the traditions of the family in regard to religious persecutions in the old country. All these things made a great impression upon my youthful mind. When it came to correspondence to gather information, it was found that some people are very indifferent about such things. One correspondent vouchsafed the expression that he did not "care whether his people came across the Atlantic in a ship or a wheelbarrow." A few even professed to think that it is a foolish waste of time to attempt to learn about our forefathers, and that the study of such things tends to "foster pride."
There are persons who have given much time to the study of the pedigree of their horses or hogs, or even of their chickens, who could hardly tell their grandfather's given name. To me as a physician, the study of genealogy has been peculiarly fascinating, because it brings us at once into contact with the laws of hereditary transmission of mental, physical and moral traits through generations.
It seemed to me that a work on genealogy would be more interesting and useful, if it gave something in the way of family history, as well as of the purely genealogical facts, and that it would add still more interest to give an account of the home life, dress, daily employments, the dwellings, environments, toils, dangers and privations of the people whose genealogy was treated, especially when conditions were so different in the times when they lived.
Accounts of the lives and adventures of our American pioneers have always been thrillingly interesting, but the interest is greatly
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enhanced when the pioneers happen to have been our own people, our grandfathers and great grandfathers or further back ancestors. It has been my aim, as far as possible, to answer such questions as would naturally arise in the minds of thoughtful people in regard to their forefathers.
Who of us have not often thought, "what was the origin of my family?" "Where did they come from, to America?" "Where did they land in this country, and where first begin to make homes?" "What kind of houses did they live in?" "What were their modes of travel and what was the condition of the country?" These and hundreds of similar questions have arisen in my own mind many times.
The American history of the family Kuykendall began one hundred and twenty-six years before our government was founded, and to write it in full, would be almost to write a history of the country itself. A genealogy and history of the scope suggested by these questions would be impossible, yet we may so connect up the past of our family as to make it far more interesting than a bare genealogy. It has been my aim to show how the lives of our fathers were connected with contemporary people and with the events transpiring around them.
Coming from Holland, our forefathers spoke the Dutch language. They came from the old country with the old home traditions, predilections and tendencies.
Most of our earliest American forefathers were members of the Reformed Dutch Church, and came to this country bringing their convictions and principles with them. No sooner had they founded homes for themselves, than they established religious worship, as was the custom of their fathers, and Dominies of the Reformed church were called to be ministers and pastors to their people. It should be a matter of pride to every Kuykendall descendant that the record of baptisms and marriages of our earliest American ancestors are found in the registers of the Reformed churches, in the Hudson and Delaware valleys, along with those of other old Knickerbocker families, who have helped to build up the civilization and institutions of the country.
When we look over the names of the very early settlers of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and what is now West Virginia, we find the names of many who were friends and neighbors of our fathers, families with whom they intermarried, associates in business, society, and in church relations, and in various business enterprises. In the registers of the early Reformed churches are the names of neighbors who were present and participated in the ceremonies attending the baptism of Kuykendall children, and our forefathers performed the same service at the baptism of their children.
When the history of a family embraces a period greater than the duration of the nation, and its events cover the area of a continent, and all this during the thrilling experiences of pioneer times and savage warfare, and through more than two hundred and
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fifty years of the world's greatest activities, it is evident that such a history would have a great interest to its descendants.
We fain would roll back the screen of time and look upon our ancestors as they really were; we would like to know what they did, and to enter into their thoughts and feelings, their joys and sorrows. We would turn back the phonographic record of history and listen to voices that have been silenced for hundreds of years.
My object has been to gather such data as would enable living descendants of our ancestors to trace their family lines back to those who first came to America, to note the origin of our name and show the changes that have been made in it, and to account, as far as possible, for them. There are yet many sources of information relating to our family that have not been worked out, while the pre-American history has scarcely been touched. It is a matter of great regret that our fathers left such meager accounts of their history, that they did not write down and preserve records of their lives and what was going on around them. My correspondents frequently wrote regretfully, that they knew little or nothing about their forefathers. Nearly all American families have shown this same neglect to keep records of the back history of their people.
I, myself, have been sorry that forty or fifty years ago, I did not obtain from my parents and the older ones of the family a full account of what they knew of their forefathers. If this had been done, and then all had been written down and preserved, my work would have been much easier. My own memory reaches back clearly to more than sixty years ago, and to some events sixty- five or more years. My grandfather was born in 1785, and had heard his father and grandfather tell their recollections of the family history, so as to carry the tradition many years further back. My great grandfather was baptized in the year 1741, and he no doubt could remember what his father and grandfather told, and if their knowledge had been preserved and transmitted, what a clearing up there would be of things that must forever remain unknown.
There are many Kuykendalls living today, who are from seventy to ninety years old. Every branch of the family has some of these very old persons. If all of these had learned from their fathers all they could, and had preserved it, we should be able to trace practically every Kuykendall living, and have enough data to make a complete genealogical record since the coming of our fathers to America.
A purely genealogical work is, as a rule, very dry and uninteresting reading, except to a very few.
An uncle of mine used to have family prayer night and morning, and read the chapters of the Bible in rotation, as they came, regardless of their contents.
I remember of being at his home sometimes, when the morning prayer time came, which was always before breakfast; this I regarded as very inopportune in view of my appetite. On one occasion especially, the chapter
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happened to be where the genealogy of some of the ancient Jewish worthies is given, and where it tells of one patriarch begetting a son and giving him a jaw-breaking name, and the son in due time begat another, and conferred upon him another name fully as discouraging. The process was continued until there was a whole column of "begats" and tongue twisting names of the begotten. What most deeply impressed me at the time, was a "tired feeling," and regret that Jews living thousands of years ago should keep me so long from my breakfast.
With this personal experience still in my mind, I wondered whether there is not some way to obviate at least some of the tedium of a subject, that is usually as "dry as dust" to the ordinary reader. It could hardly be expected to invest a purely genealogical record with the charm of a thrilling narrative of personal adventures, and yet it seemed to me that we might combine the genealogical features with other relevant matter, that would make it interesting, especially to the family descendants.
It adds much to the bare facts of genealogy to keep in mind the contemporary history of the times in which the persons were living, and who were their neighbors, and how these ancestors were connected with the happenings going on around them. We can better appreciate the history of our ancestors if we keep in mind the condition of society, state of educational, industrial and scientific progress. All these things help to make genealogical charts and tables glow with interest, that would otherwise be dry. These thoughts have been kept in view while this work has been in progress. It is not possible to answer all the questions that will suggest themselves and that we should like to have answered, in regard to our ancestors. The time has been too long since our people came to America, and conditions and environments in early times were such that proper records could not be kept. It is hoped that our people will be pleased that even so much has been accomplished toward a genealogy and history of the family. With what is herein given many will be able to form a continuous line of descent from the first American ancestor of the family born in America. Hundreds have already had their ancestry traced back clearly, and by a little study and research many more will be able to straighten out the tangles in their family records.
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CHAPTER II.
STORY OF THE SEARCH AFTER THE HISTORY AND GENEALOGY OF THE
KUYKENDALL FAMILY.
It was a question with me whether to print only the results of my researches into our family history, or to tell something about how the results were obtained. It seemed to me that perhaps it would give more of a human interest and a personal touch to pursue the latter course, and that it would also add considerably to the pleasure of reading this volume. This latter course has been chosen, partly because many of my correspondents have written, "How did you learn of our family history?" "Where did you find all this,--it is very interesting!" "I wish you would tell more about where and how you learned all this." My aim has been to give our Kuykendall descendants the facts as nearly as possible, in regard to our ancestors, but in addition to the facts, inferences have been drawn from these; but where this has been done, they have always been stated as inferences.
It had always been said by my people that our ancestors were of Holland origin, and that in early times they spoke Dutch in this country, and that great grandfather Kuykendall spoke English with somewhat of an accent. I knew that both my grandfather and great grandfather and their brothers had lived in Virginia, that grandfather was born there, but whether great grandfather was born there or somewhere east was not known certainly by me.
Grandfather Henry Kuykendall, with three brothers, Peter, Daniel and John, went from Virginia to Indiana about 1805, and three of them located a few years later in Vigo County, Indiana, not far from Terre Haute. Grandfather Henry was the youngest of the four brothers. I had understood that he was with Harrison at the battle of Tippecanoe, which was fought in the fall of 1811.
Great Grandfather John died before his sons left Virginia, and when grandfather was a small boy. When young I had heard grandmother tell of happenings in the Revolutionary war, and of persons, events, and certain things, in a way that I knew she must have heard these things from older ones of the family, and that our people must have lived near to some of the scenes of that war. She told of the Tories, British and the Hessians, and of the brutalities of the soldiers of the British, and I was very much impressed by her accounts of early Indian atrocities. I can remember in my childhood, that grandmother and the older ones of the family, when wanting a term to express the utmost depths of human depravity and meanness, would say "as mean as a Hessian," and this was supposed to be about the utmost limit, because the Hessians were the hired minions of the British in the Revolutionary war.
At first I did not know the exact year of birth of my great grandfather John, but knew it was along somewhere about 1740. There was a span of something over 160 years, to take in the history back to great grandfather's birth. Still back of this there was the
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earlier history, going back to the coming of our people from Holland, and just how far back that it could be traced I did not know.
Our own family records had been destroyed by fire, and the further back records of grandfather had been lost or destroyed.
The most valuable sources of information to be found were old court records of the counties where the Kuykendall people had lived, such as deeds, wills, contracts and property inventories. The next valuable perhaps would be the family records of the oldest living descendants of our forefathers.
With the undertaking before me as here outlined, the work was begun in an extensive correspondence, in the endeavor to reach as many people of our name as could be found. Thousands of letters were sent out to different parts of the country, some to the addresses of Kuykendalls I had been able to locate, and others to various county seats, to county recorders, asking for recorded data concerning any of our people whose names appeared on the county books, on deeds, wills, voting lists, or any other papers that might give information of a valuable nature. Editors of newspapers were written to, notices were inserted asking for information, and by these various means, information began to accumulate. I was brought into touch with many Kuykendall descendants of whom I had never before heard.
I had an aged uncle, the only living brother of my father, who was very much interested in the past history of our family. He was well along toward eighty years old. By correspondence with him, it was found that he was able to give me a great many facts and helpful suggestions.
He said that our ancestors were from Holland, that they came to this country at a very early date, landing somewhere near where New York City now is. The date of their coming he could not give, but it was while New York was still under Dutch rule. That they lived in that state for years, but that they became dissatisfied with conditions around them. A little later they heard of a beautiful valley out West in Virginia. Some of the Kuykendalls and their neighbors fitted out an expedition to go west and explore this new country.
The expedition returned with a glowing account of finding a most beautiful valley, where the soil was very productive, but that it was far out beyond the frontiers among the Indians. This led a number of the Kuykendalls to sell their property in New York state and strike out for Virginia. As to the date when this took place, or what route they took he could not tell. They made the journey over the wilderness country and settled somewhere on the Potomac river, in a very beautiful valley. The country was very new and the date so early that our Kuykendall people were among the first settlers, and consequently had first choice of the lands. They lived there for many years and had a long and severe struggle with the Indians, and endured many privations and dangers, but finally succeeded in clearing up fine farms, and after a while owned negroes, and raised corn, cattle, hogs and other kinds of
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products, among which were tobacco. He said they had to fight Indians every summer for years, and often had to carry their rifles when out at their farm work, and that they built forts into which they collected in times of Indian outbreaks. He seemed to have remembered remarkably well the traditions of the family. This was very interesting to me. I was staring into a study of the family history just a little more than a hundred years after they left Virginia.
One of the most discouraging things one meets in correspondence to get genealogical information from people in regard to their ancestors is the general apathy and indifference of the average person in matters of this kind.
As a rule, however, our people were interested and glad to cheerfully co- operate, and wrote kind and appreciative letters expressing their interest and a wish for my success.
In the course of my correspondence articles and notices were sent to newspapers, making inquiries in regard to any Kuykendalls that might happen to see them. These brought many replies and much information. Correspondence was extended to librarians of the great libraries of the country, to state archivists, historians, genealogists, historical societies and various sources of information. It is a pleasure to note the fact that courteous replies were received, and a real interest was manifested by persons of learning and culture who had no interest in the matter other than a desire to be helpful to a fellow seeker after information.
Early in my researches I learned of the HOLLAND SOCIETY of New York. This society has for its object the collection and preservation of all information attainable, relating to the early history of that state, particularly while it was under the rule of the Dutch. The Kuykendalls having been pioneers of that state this society was evidently a favorable place to seek information. I found that Mr. Dingman Versteeg, the genealogist for the society, had discovered records of the Kuykendall family, in the old Dutch records of New York, going as far back as 1650. This was the first definite information received by me reaching so far back, and I was very much gratified, feeling that good progress was being made. Mr. Versteeg was employed to look the matter up and report to me. I was now anxious to learn the date of the first appearance of our people in Virginia, and wrote to the United States Census Bureau, asking the director for information. It was found that the census for Virginia, of the first United States Census was destroyed by fire, at the time of the capture of the city of Washington, in the year 1813, but there had been a census taken by the authority of the State of Virginia in the years 1782 and 1784. These returns show that there were no Kuykendalls enumerated in Virginia, anywhere except in Hampshire county (W. Va.), and knowing definitely that Great Grandfather John and his father had lived in Virginia, during these years, and as his name was found on the returns, it was certain that he was the John Kuykendall
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therein mentioned. Correspondence with the descendants of some of the Kuykendalls who now live in Hampshire county, showed that they are descendants of the same stock, the ancestors of those who came there in very early days from the Delaware valley and settled, some as early as 1743.
While this was developing, Mr. Versteeg, of the Holland Society, was working on the old Dutch baptismal records, and soon sent me a copy of the registry of Kuykendall descendants in the Reformed Churches of the Delaware and Hudson valley, going back to 1650. The data received from Mr. Versteeg showed that the first ancestor in America lived at Fort Orange, N. Y. (now Albany), and that he died there; that an account of the settlement of his estate had been found among the old Albany records. It was shown also that his son, the first American Kuykendall, had lived in the Hudson river valley, near Kingston, that he married there and had a large family, the records of whose baptisms were found, in the Dutch Reformed Church registers. All this was very interesting and marked decided progress.
Soon after beginning with my correspondence, my attention was drawn to the various ways the correspondents spelled their names, among them appearing Kuykendall, Coykendall, Cuykendall, Kirkendall, Kikendall, Curkendall and Kuyrkendall. The difference in all cases being in the first syllable of the name, there being only two exceptions to this; one family in North and South Carolina, (some of whom were found in Texas), spelled the last syllable dal, omitting one 1. Another family spelled the last syllable dol. The fact was disclosed that those who spelled the name Kuykendall, are found more in the west and south, while those who sign their names Coykendall or Cuykendall are found in New York and New Jersey, or are from ancestors who lived in times, not far back, in regions not far from Port Jervis, N. Y., or Sussex, N. J.
Quite a number of families supposed their own branches represented a distinct people from the others.
Correspondence with people of our descent in New York, soon brought me into touch with some of them who were very much interested in the family history.
One of these in particular, had made quite thorough researches, and with valuable results. This was a lady, Mrs. H. R. Frisbie, of Roscoe, N. Y. She is a descendant of the "Wilhelmus" branch. Wilhelmus was the grandson of Pieter, the youngest son of Leur Jacobsen (Van Kuykendall), our first American born Kuykendall. So far as I have been able to learn, all of this branch retain the original spelling, Kuykendall. Great credit is due her for her intelligent, persistent and earnest efforts. Her work, however, was almost exclusively limited to her own branch of the family.
The work of Mr. Versteeg, of the Holland Society, proved to be very satisfactory, as he was very familiar with the Dutch language and the genealogy of a large number of the old New York families of Holland descent. A letter was written to the librarian
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of the Port Jervis, N. Y., Free Library, and she referred me to Hon. W. H.
Nearpass, then Mayor of the city, who is one of the best informed men in all that country, on the history of the Dutch Reformed Church and the pioneer families in that part of the Delaware valley, and also the families of the Hudson valley about
Kingston. Mr. Nearpass had, something like nineteen or twenty years before, begun the publication of a paper at Port Jervis, called "CHURCH LIFE." In this paper he published a series of articles on the ancient Dutch Reformed Church at Machackemeck, giving genealogical sketches of the families that had from time to time
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joined the church, from its earliest history in that region. He published also brief historical notes and sketches of the old Dominies, elders, officers and leading members.
In response to my inquiries, Mr. Nearpass sent me a number of his papers, and among these was one that contained a genealogy of the Kuykendall family, and their connection with the Reformed Church, both in the Delaware valley about Port Jervis, and in the Kingston regions, on the Hudson river. He wrote me many letters afterwards, and sent me a tracing of a plat of the ancient village of Minisink, adjacent to the "Big Minisink Island," a few miles below Port Jervis, on the Delaware river. There appears on this plat the names of Jacob and Mattheus Kuykendall, who were owners of land there at that time, and who were interested in the founding of the old village, in 1725. On the plat the name is written Van Kuykendall, showing that our people at that time yet recognized the Dutch form of the name.
About that time I came across some of the writings of Mr. Charles E. Stickney, on the early settlement of that part of the Delaware valley, and was much interested in two series of articles published by him, in the "Wantage Recorder," a newspaper of which he was and is yet owner and publisher. One of the series was written upon the subject of "The Old Mine Road," and the other was the History of Deckertown." Deckertown was the early name of Sussex, in the County of Sussex, N. J. Mr. Stickney kindly sent me a number of the papers on the "Old Mine Road," one of which contained a brief sketch of the Kuykendall family as connected with the township of Wantage and the Sussex county regions, in early pioneer days, and of their neighbors who lived near to and traveled along that old highway. This old road was so intimately connected with the history of the family Kuykendall, that it deserves more than a passing notice, and if space will permit something about it, as related to our people, will be given elsewhere. For the present it may be said that the old mine road is a very ancient highway running from Kingston on the Hudson, N. Y., across the country to the Delaware river, and then down that river to an ancient copper mine, about three miles above the Water Gap. As nearly all the members of the first American Kuykendall family were born and raised in the vicinity of Kingston, and the family all migrated along down the old mine road and settled near it in the Delaware valley, anything about this old road very much interested me. It was much satisfaction to definitely locate exactly the home and scenes of our very early forefathers. It was learned by me that a gentleman named J. J. Van Sickle lived within a very short distance of the old home of Jacob and Mattheus Kuykendall, and that he was an authority on certain phases of the early history of that country and its pioneer settlers. He was written to, and he sent a very courteous reply, in which he gave some of the very information of which I had been in search.
He mentioned certain old stone houses and scenes, that he thought would make an interesting
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addition to the Kuykendall history, and offered to secure photographs of them. This proffer was accepted gladly.
It would perhaps be interesting to quote here some excerpts from Mr. Van Sickle's letters.
"The stone house built by Jurian Westfall or Jacob Kuykendall is still standing in the old Minisink village. It was built about 1751, and is in a fine state of preservation. You should have a picture of this house. The parchment deed you spoke of, you will find, I think, by writing to Edward Everitt, Orange, New York, or to the heirs of Martin Everitt, Port Jervis, N. Y. It might be that the Historical Society of Port Jervis has secured it. One of the old Westbrook or Kuykendall houses is still standing, that is referred to in the deal made for the cemetery purchased in 1731. Also the fort, built by the state of New Jersey (colony), in 1755. Pictures of these houses and some landscape views you should have for your history. In the old cemetery the headstones are lettered in Low Dutch language, and I cannot translate them. The first date is 1736." From another letter:
"In 1759, Sussex county was represented by Peter Kuykendall, and in 1760 by Solomon Kuykendall, as Chosen Freeholders. In the Continental army there were three Kuykendalls, Captains Samuel, Benjamin, and Simon. Samuel was wounded at the battle of Springfield, under Col. John Cleves Symmes. They were holding the British army in check, or covering the retreat of Washington
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across New Jersey. Samuel was wounded in 1776, and afterwards received a pension, on account of the loss of his hand from the wound."
The kindness of Mr. Van Sickle was very much appreciated and it gives me pleasure to acknowledge my obligation to him for many favors shown me. During my researches it was learned that at the time of the early settlement of the country, a certain deed had been given for lands that I was sure embraced the homes of some of the Kuykendalls. This old document was described as being written on parchment, and as having as the tribal signature of the Indians from whom it was purchased, a picture of a turkey, supposed to be the totem mark of the tribe to which the lands had belonged. This would be the first deed to the lands. I was much interested and determined to find the old document, if it was still in existence. After a long chase, by correspondence, covering a very wide range, it was finally located in Canada, or it was what I supposed was the deed sought. It was found belonging to the descendants of the Everitt family, and in possession of a daughter of Allen Everitt, Mrs. J. M. Hursh, of Macoun, Saskatchewan, Canada. She kindly consented to loan me the instrument, for examination, study and photographing. When the deed came, it was found to be, not the deed from the Indians, but far more valuable for me, because it had been given by Jacob Kuykendall, one of the original owners of lands at the old Minisink village, the very ancestor to which my own family traced directly back. There was his name signed to the document in his own hand writing. I had found not what I was looking for, but something of inestimably more importance. The venerable document was unrolled. It was stained and yellow with age, and one corner frayed and a small bit torn off, taking some letters of the latter part of the name of my great, great grandfather, Jacob Kuykendall. The deed was given nearly two hundred years ago. The writing was faded and the signatures were quite dim. It was written on sheepskin parchment, no doubt with a quill pen, for steel pens were not used for generations afterward.
What a tide of reflections came to me. What changes in the country since the deed was made. Since it was signed December, 1731, there have come a majority of all the great inventions and discoveries, in fact about all that now confer the greatest blessings and comforts of civilization. When it was made and signed there was no such thing as even a friction match for lighting a fire, no use of steam power, not a telegraph, telephone, steamer, or railway car for more than a hundred years afterwards. The United States and the American nation, with all their myriad population, had not yet even been thought of.
These reflections crowded upon my mind, and then in imagination I went back to the old village and the time when the deed was signed. There were a few log buildings, in a sort of clearing in the woods, a little tavern, blacksmith shop and a trading post. What kind of a place was it? Who were present
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when the deed was signed, besides those whose signatures now appear? What was said and done? How different the deed looked then, when clean and snowy white, with the beautiful writing, all fresh, and every letter and word standing out clear and sharp. Then I thought of the generations that have come and passed on since that time, nearly two hundred years ago. The makers and signers of the deed and thousands of their descendants have come upon the stage of existence and have passed away, their bodies have mouldered to dust, and even a knowledge of the resting places of most of them are lost. This old document was so valuable a find, that planning was at once begun to have it photographed, and many efforts were made to secure the best results. It did not belong to me, and if it had, it would not have been kept in my possession, but placed in care of some historical society for safe keeping. Various attempts were made at photographing it, and a number of processes were used to secure the best pictures possible.
While examining and handling this old deed the thought came to my mind, suppose that when the deed was signed and turned over to the party that bought the land, some one had said, "this deed will still be in existence two hundred years from now, and one hundred and eighty-three years from now a great great grandson
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of its maker will come across it, over three thousand miles from here, in a land now wholly unknown. The finder will cause a picture to be made of it, by sunlight, by a process that has never yet been conceived by man, and that will not be discovered yet for over a hundred years. When it is discovered, the children of the maker of this deed will have multiplied and spread all over North America from ocean to ocean." Such a prediction would have been considered the wild phantasy of a lunatic. Thus little do we know of the changes that time will work, or what will happen within two hundred years from now. The thought came to my mind, "Will any one, two hundred years from now be making any inquiry after us or know who we were, where we lived, or what we did?"
I had now the records in full, so far as known, of the Kuykendalls found registered in the old Dutch Reformed churches; had several fragmentary sketches of the genealogy of the Kuykendall family, or of that part of the family that remained in the country near where the fathers had lived. That part of the country comprised Orange, Sullivan, and Ulster counties, N. Y., and Sussex, Warren and Hunterdon counties, N. J., and a small strip of country on the other side of the Delaware river, in Pennsylvania, where a few of our people had lived.
I had the plat of the ancient village of Minisink, and of the old Jacob Kuykendall deed, and much other historical matter relating to the family, that I had not known of, before beginning my researches.
While all the work that has been described was going on, a correspondence was carried on both among the Kuykendall descendants in various parts of the country, and with the great libraries in various states, historical societies and all other known sources of information.
Letters had been received from Mr. A. J. F. Van Laer, State Archivist of New York, that were both very interesting and helpful. I shall never forget his unvarying kindness and the assistance he rendered me in looking up the Albany records in the Library of New York, at Albany.
Mr. Versteeg, genealogist of the Holland Society of New York, had already sent me a transcript of the sale of the house and lot of our Holland ancestor, Jacob Luyersen, after the ancestor's death, which must have occurred in 1656.
Both these gentlemen took much interest in looking up the origin and derivation of the name Kuykendall.
The wording in the contract for the sale of that emigrant ancestor's property shows conditions existing at the time, that are very interesting, independent of that which attaches to the fact of his being our forefather from Europe.
The record of the court, as found in the old Dutch minutes, will be good reading for Kuykendall descendants, and others, now, after a lapse of over two hundred and sixty years, and it is given below:
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Transcript from the Early Records of Albany County. 1656-1675.
"Terms and conditions on which the trustees of the estate of Jacob Luerszen propose to sell the house and lot of the said Jacob Luyersen, deceased, with the lot of the same, lying next to Fort Orange, according to the patent thereof. Ist there shall be delivered to the buyer of the house with all the fixtures and the lot, length 8 rods, breadth in front on the road 4 1/2 rods, breadth on the west side 3 rods 5 feet, all according to the patent thereof, except the gardenstof which is therein.
"Delivery shall be on August 20 of this year 1657. The payment shall be in good current seawant; the first installment to be on delivery of the house and the last on May 1, 1658.
"The buyer shall be held to furnish 2 sufficient sureties immediately to the seller's satisfaction. If the buyer cannot then furnish sufficient sureties, it shall be sold again at his cost and charge, and whatever loss it come to be worth, he shall be held to make good, and whatever more it becomes worth he shall enjoy no benefit therefrom. The auction fees shall become a charge to the buyer."
"After much bidding, Jansen Van Wytert remained the last bidder, for the sum of 813 guilders, according to the aforesaid conditions.
"Done in Fort Orange, July 18, 1657, in presence of
Louis Cobuson and Johannes Provoort."
Page 41.
"On this July 20 1657 appeared Andres Van der Sluys who delivered himself surety for the person of William Frederickse (Bout) in the action respecting the house which Hendrick Jansen Van Rytart, (Wytart) bought of the trustees of the estate of Jacob Luyersen, deceased, for so much as half of said house comes to, viz: 406 Guilders, 10 stivers.
Page 213.
"Paulus Martensen, (Van Benthuysen) grant and convey to Claes Cornelise Van den Bergh, a house and lot in the village of Beverwyck, near Fort Orange, bounded on the north by Captain Abraham Staets, south by the said Fort, as large as it lies in fence. according to the patent thereof, granted by the Lord Director General & Council to Jacob Luyerson, deceased, of date October 25th anno 1653, and the grantor acknowledges that he is paid and satisfied therefor: done in Fort Orange Oct, 12, 1662."
"Paulus Marten." Witnesses:
Philip Pietersen Schuyler
Adrien Gerritsen (Papendorp)
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The wording of this transaction tells us something of the conditions existing at the time the sale was made. The price of the house and lot was stipulated to be paid in so many guilders, good current seawant. The term "guilders" shows that the country was under Dutch financial control as well as domination otherwise. Seawant was a sort of small sea shell money, or wampum, such as was the currency of the Indians. It was really Indian money. The scarcity of silver was so great that the inhabitants were compelled to resort to whatever makeshift expedients they could, to carry on trade and exchange among themselves and the Indians.
It will be noticed that the "gardenstof" was to be reserved, and not to go on with the building and lot. Wonder if the old lady, Mrs. Jacob Luyersen (Van Kuykendall), our maternal ancestor, had not planted and cultivated that garden patch herself, and claimed it for herself and the "kinder"?
As the old Albany court record that has been quoted above, has reference to the Holland ancestor of all the American Kuykendalls, and the disposal of his property after his death, it can hardly be otherwise than very interesting to his living descendants.
The question naturally arises, "Did this first ancestor come to America alone, or did he have brothers and sister or other relatives that came at the same time or afterwards?" A pretty thorough search of the early Dutch Reformed Church baptismal and marriage records was made by me in Albany and in New York City, and they reveal the fact that there were three persons of the same name as our ancestor came to this country, if not together, then at times not far apart. They were Jacob, Urbanus and Christian Luursen. The names of the first two are so associated on the baptismal records, that one cannot resist the conclusion that they were brothers. The other's relationship is not so clearly indicated, but a strong inference is created that they were of the same family, possibly a little more distantly related. A chapter was prepared for this volume treating this subject in detail and quoting the records in full, but for lack of space this will have to be omitted.
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CHAPTER III.
THE NAME KUYKENDALL,
ITS ORIGIN, DERIVATION AND MEANING.
For a number of years I have occasionally met a person who formerly lived in Holland, and on hearing the name Kuykendall, the first thing almost that was said, was, "Your name is Dutch, or of Dutch origin." Several have told me they used to know people of our name in Holland, but that it was spelled a little differently there.
There has been a rather widespread tradition, or it was claimed to be a tradition, that the name is of Scottish origin. If the original name could be shown to have been Kirkendale or Kirkendal, its structure might suggest a Scottish origin to some, yet it would be quite as easy to arrive at the conclusion that it was of Dutch origin, even admitting it was formerly spelled Kirkendale. While Kirk in the old Scottish dialect means church, in the older Dutch the word kerk or kerche means church also, and the name Kerchenthal and Kirkendal would have the same meaning, Church-in-the-valley. Quite a little effort was made by me to determine the real origin and meaning of the name.
Genealogists of learning and prominence, heads of historical societies and genealogical societies have, without a single exception, pronounced the name to be of Dutch origin. In the early Dutch records it is written Van Kuykendaal, the prefix Van meaning from. The natural inference would be that the family formerly lived in some place or old homestead bearing the name Kuykendall or some name of similar sound, from which Kuykendall was derived, Among the authorities consulted on the subject were persons connected with the Holland Society of New York, also historians, archivists and persons of Dutch ancestry, who were known to be well informed upon Dutch names and patronymics.
Elsewhere in this volume there is quoted a letter that tells of a tradition that our earliest ancestors lived in Scotland several hundred years ago, but that on account of persecutions because of religious belief they fled to Holland, intermarried with the Dutch people, and there acquired the spelling Kuykendall, from Kirkendale. It was claimed that the Dutch mistook the first two syllables of the name for their word kuchen, (little chicken), making the name mean Chicken-valley, a supposed valley where there were a great many little chickens.
Two hundred years ago spelling was in a very chaotic state, hardly any two persons spelled the words the same, one way being considered as good as another, so long as it sounded rightly when spelled. There was really no standard for spelling proper names of either persons or places.
This applies to the English as well as the Dutch language. There are several instances of noted persons who spelled their names
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several different ways as shown by their autograph signatures still in existence.
Mr. A. J. F. Van Laer, Archivist for the state of New York, and New York State Library, writing to me in regard to the ancient home of the Kuykendall family, and the name, said:
"I suspect that Kijk-in-'t-dal is a locality near Wageningen, which lies on a high hill on the bank of the Rhine, and commands a fine view of the river." In a letter written later he says:
"There seems to be no doubt that your family originally came from Wageningen.
I am still inclined to think that Kijk-in-'t-dal may have been the form from which Kuykendall is derived, because there is an elevation near Wageningen, called Wageningsche Berg, from which one obtains a beautiful view of the valley of the Rhine, and secondly there are other names of similar construction in the Netherlands, the most striking being that of Kijk-in-de vegt, which is borne by a family in the province of Overijessel."
In relation to this subject, Mr. L. P. de Boer, historian of Dutch American families, wrote me in March, 1913: "I have struck analogies of the name Kuykendall in one of the Dutch periodicals, headed, "Rare and Curious Names," a locality, Kykenweide, near Overyossel, is mentioned to have existed in 1460-1496, 'Mead on View,' or 'View of the Mead.' I now remember to have seen a street in Groningen called 'de Ky-in-Jat Straat,' or "Look-in-the-gate' street. These examples strengthen my belief in the etymology of the name as suggested by Mr. Van Laer and you."
Kijk is an old Dutch word or form for view, and is pronounced as if spelled Kuyk or Kike. Mr. Van Laer says the derivation from Kijk-in-'t-dal, which in Gelderland dialect may well have been spelled Kuykendal or Kuukendal, seems altogether most likely.
Mr. Dingman Versteeg, genealogist for the Holland Society, says "That so- called Scotch tradition was simply invented afterwards, to account for the misspelling Kirkendall." It may help also to account for the mis-pronunciation of the name, for many even of those who spell it Kuykendall or otherwise, pronounce it as if spelled Kirkendall. Mr. Van Laer says "The explanation of the name meaning Chicken valley is absurd, for if named from a valley where young chickens abounded, it would be more likely Kippendal (chickendale).
There are several instances in the early records which would tend to show that the Kuykendall ancestors lived at or near Wageningen. We find Urbanus Luursen signed his name Urbanus Luursen van Wageningen, and the name of our ancestor appears in a power of attorney given by himself, signed "Jacob Luyersen van Wageningen."
At the time of the advent of our ancestor in America there were in use what are called patronymics, that is, father names.
The family name corresponded to what is the surname now, but was often the name of the ancestral home, and was preceded by the word van, meaning from. If the family had adopted the
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name of the place where their fathers lived, then the Van was begun with a capital V, for instance Van Etten, Van Meteren. Many patronymics had a suffix that meant son, or son of. For instance a man who was the son of a father named William was called William's son, which later became Williamson, the family name. Thus we have the names Johnson, Peterson, Davidson, and many others. In the case of Irish and Scotch names there were many that were preceded by Fitz or Mac, which being added to other names, as Simmons, Hugh, Donald, made Fitzsimmons, Fitzhugh, McDonald or Macdonald, the terms Fitz and Mac meaning son or son of. In all these instances and many other, if the families should now undertake to trace their names back to their original formation, they would come to a person bearing the name Simmons, Hugh, or Donald, or otherwise, and if they wished to go still further back, they would have to seek some other proof or data to enable them to proceed.
It appears that the Dutch, along about the time our ancestors came to America, preferred the use of the patronymic or father name. Mr. Versteeg, genealogist for the Holland Society of New York, mentioned before, who was for some years the editor and publisher of "The Netherland Register," had in one of the numbers of the magazine, a very interesting and instructive article pertinent to this subject. Speaking of changes of names he said:
"The Coykendall and Kuykendall families both trace their origin to Jacob Luurszen, but it was more than half a century after his death that his descendants began the use of the name Van Kuykendaal. The people were averse to using the family name, unless the person occupied a very prominent position." While, as Mr. Versteeg says, the family name Van Kuykendaal does not appear until fifty years after the death of our Holland ancestor, the evidence as to our lineal descent from Jacob Luurszen cannot be doubted. It is clear from the record that our ancestor's name was Luurszen. The Kuykendall family name is not peculiar or different in this respect from many other names found all over the country.
Take the name Roosevelt, for instance. The ex-president's ancestors came from Holland, and as it happened, from the same province of Gelderland as our Kuykendall ancestor. The Roosevelt name as found in early New York records was Claes Martinszen. His name is usually found written this way, and only twice as Claes Martinszen Van Roosevelt.
The family dropped the Martinszen and the Van, and adopted Roosevelt as the family name, so that now it is Roosevelt (Rose-field), the locality in Holland from whence the family came.
In precisely the same way the Kuykendall name was Luurszen, and our ancestor's name was Jacob Luurszen (Van Kuykendaal), as has been shown. Our people dropped the Van and the patronymic Luurszen, and retained the present family name Kuykendall.
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During an extensive correspondence with Kuykendall descendants throughout the country, letters were frequently received in which the writers mentioned the fact that their forefathers had "Bible names."
This was thought by the writers to be peculiar to their own families. This idea was found to be quite prevalent. Whoever will take the trouble to inquire, or will notice the names of people who lived three or four generations ago, will find that Bible names were extremely prevalent in nearly all families, especially those among Christian Bible reading people. The Kuykendall family was not peculiar or different in this respect, from many others in the country.
As found in the Dutch Church records and other early writings, even very common names such as Peter, Matthew, Solomon, are often much different from what they are today. One is frequently puzzled to know what would be the English equivalent for some of the names there found. If one happens to be familiar with the Dutch language and names, this difficulty would perhaps not be so great.
Having the records of the Kingston Reformed Church before me, I note the following: Styntie, for Christina. This was the name given to the first Kuykendall girl born in America. Marretjen, for Mary. The first Mary of the family was Marretjen, daughter of Cornelius, son of the first American born ancestor. She was named for her mother, Marretje Westfall. Jacobus(1), for James. The first James in the K. family, was Jacobus, son of Cornelius.
Annaatjen, daughter of Ary Van Kuykendaal, the first Annie or Ann of the American born Ks. Catryntie, the first Catherine, Fammetjen or Famety, (Sophronia), the first of the family was named for her grandmother Fammetjen Decker, wife of old Pieter Kuykendal of Machackemeck, now Port Jervis, N. Y.
Tatje, spelled sometimes Tjatje, stands for Charity, sometimes recently called Chatty. This name for girls was very common, especially among the descendants of old Pieter. Teunis was Anthony, Claes, for Nicholas, Ary, for Arian or Adrian, and sometimes for Aaron. Solomon was frequently Saam, Sarah and Solomon were often begun with Z, as Zara and Zaloman or Zaam. These are only a few of the old formations of the given names used by people of Dutch descent nearly two hundred years ago.
On the old baptismal records there were never found any middle names for two or three generations.
(1) Jacobus is often found in the Dutch baptismal records and always means James. It was sometimes shortened to "Cobus" and "Cobus" Keykendall is found in the Pennsylvania census for 1790.
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CHAPTER IV.
CHANGES IN THE NAME KUYKENDALL AND HOW THEY CAME ABOUT
In the old baptismal registers the name Kuykendall is spelled in at least nine different ways, and frequently the same individual's name is spelled in from two to four ways. We must remember that the names in the registers were not written by the persons themselves, but by the Dominies or a clerk. How the name appears in the register is no indication whatever how the person spelled it. Before the beginning of the nineteenth century it was never written in the records Coykendall or Kirkendall. Keykendall, Kirkendall and Kikendall were quite common about Revolutionary war times, in the old military records. There were instances in the old records where the widely different ways of spelling the name of the same individual led to the impression that there were two or three different persons referred to where only one was meant. Among the old Albany court minutes there appears an affidavit of Jacob Cuykendall and Thomas Kuick, (Quick), in relation to Indian robberies at Minisink, Orange County, N.
Y. This affidavit bears date of May 9, 1723. We know, however, that Jacob wrote his name Kuykendall as it appears signed to the deed made by him in 1731, which has been referred to before. Unless we have an actual autograph signature of a person's name written in those early days, we cannot know how he himself wrote it, and even then some spelled their own name in more than one way. In "New York in the Revolution," there appears the name of "Peter Kuykindolph, in Klock's regiment and Westfall's company."
It might be interesting to many of our people to know how some of the changes in spelling of the name came about, and there will here be given the statements of some of those who have written me in regard to their family history and genealogy. These instances are not given in any special order, but are taken at random as they happened to come.
Dr. J. L. Kirkendol, of Millen, Ga., writing on the subject, says, "Your way of spelling the name is correct. You will see on my letterhead how I spell my name. Mine has been changed from your way to the way we spell it now, by my immediate family, the idea being to shorten as much as possible, (without change of the original meaning), a long and hard name, and render it more easy of pronunciation, when seen in print."
Prof. J. W. Kuykendall, Superintendent of Schools, Fort Smith, Arkansas, wrote: "The name is said to have been derived from the Dutch word Kuyken, their word for chicken. Before the Revolutionary war, the family came from Holland to North Carolina. This was supposed to be a part of a general migration from Holland to North Carolina. There were three branches, supposed to be the sons of the three first emigrants. One branch went into Pennsylvania, another is thought to have gone into the Northwest Territory,
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and the third to have gone into Tennessee. Of the latter, we of Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas and Arkansas are descendants."
John Wesley Curkendall, of Volga, W. Va., wrote me February 23, 1913, and among other things said, "Kuykendall is the right way to spell the name, but we spell it Curkendall because it is more convenient to use than Kuykendall or Kikendall."
Z. W. Curkendall, brother of John W., wrote, "My father's name was John Curkendall, and he was the son of Simeon Curkendall. I do not know of any of the relatives here spelling it other than Curkendall." He then gave the names of his father, brothers and a brother Noah, who moved to Bloomfield, Iowa.
Upon writing to them, I found that they nearly all spelled their name Kirkendall. one brother only spelling it Curkendall. It was also discovered that a branch of this family retained the old original spelling, K-u-y-k-e-n- d-a-l-l.
During my researches I came across a newspaper from Oklahoma City, Omaha, containing a natice of a physician of that place, who spelled his name K-u-y- r-k-e-n-d-a-l-l. This I supposed was an error in printing the name. In replying to my inquiries in regard to the matter, he wrote me:
"I am sure we all sprang from the same branch, and that through vanity or some such peculiarity, of some of the members, the name has been changed to suit their fancy. I am enclosing a copy of a letter that I found in my father's prescription book, which may throw some light upon the subject."
The old letter he referred to is dated from Northfork, Henry County, Tenn., September 24, 1885, and is addressed to Dr. W. A. Kuyrkendall, (father of Dr.
L. C. Kuyrkendall), and is signed R. A. Kuykendall. At the bottom of the copy is a note which says: "Dr., from this I conclude that my grandfather was the one who added the R to our name, and my father concurs with me in that same opinion." It seems most likely that he had pronounced the name as if it were spelled Kirkendall, even when he spelled it Kuykendall, and the r was added to make it spell Kirkendall, even if in a rather singular manner.
Hugh Thompson Kirkendall, of No. 9 Central Avenue, Kansas City, in a letter dated November 14, 1913, says: "My father, Jacob Kirkendall, was born in Crabb Orchard, Ky. My father had two brothers who died in Platte City, Mo., about 1860. Their name was Kuykendall. One of them has a son in Saratoga, Wyoming."
D. W. Kirkendall, of Crawfordsville, Ind., wrote me: "My father, Jacob Kirkendall, was the son of Richmond Kirkendall and wife Elizabeth, and he was born in Barren County, Ky., August 11th, 1805. If my father had any brothers I have no record of it. Father was the man who changed the spelling from Kuykendall to Kirkendall, for what reason, I cannot say."
John S. Kikendall, of Albion, Mich., in a letter dated April 29, 1912, wrote me as follows:
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"I remember hearing my father tell of visiting an uncle Manuel Kikendall that lived in the eastern part of Pennsylvania. Father had three cousins that came to Michigan about the same time that he did, viz: John, James, Matthew and Cornelius; they all spelled their names Coykendall. Father's brother, Joseph, lived in Steuben County, New York. I never saw him or any of his family. I understand that he and his sons were in the Civil war, and that he always spelled his name Kirkendall." Here we have this one branch of the family with three different modes of spelling the name. This man, John S. Kikendall, has, or then had, a brother, James P. Kikendall, whose home was Eaton Rapids, Mich.
He wrote me: "I think our forefathers came from Holland about 1640 or -45. My father's only brother Joseph, lived in Steuben County, New York. He spelled his name with an r in it. He said every one called him Kirkendall, and so he would have it so. The name of my brother, who lived in your state, was Charles M. He left three children, two girls and a son named William, who has lately died. My nephew's name is James E. Kirkendall."
Judge A. B. Kirkendall, of Creola, Ohio, says of his people: "In my family Jonathan Kirkendall came from Holland or Germany, before the Revolutionary war. He married an Irish girl named Nicholson. He had sons, John and Solomon.
Solomon was a scholar, but we have no track of him. He changed the name from Kuykendall, 'Chicken Valley,' to Kirkendall, 'Church in the Valley.'"
C. A. Kirkendall, of Louisville, Ky., made a visit to Ohio the forepart of April, 1914, and there met Judge A. B. Kirkendall, and in writing to me of the visit and the family data gathered while he was there, says in reference to Judge A. B. Kirkendall's family history: "One of his father's sisters is still living and is 83 years old. She says her grandfather was John, Jonathan or Yohonnes Kuykendall. Her grandfather John had two brothers, Solomon and Eli.
John and Eli had no education, but Solomon had, and the two brothers changed their names to Kirkendall, and all came to Ohio, on the old National road, and stopped at Columbus, and went to the southern part of Ohio. She has the families of this old John, her grandfather, run down to the present date, but knows nothing of the families of Solomon or Eli."
Rev. H. W. D. Kirkendall, of Wenatchee, wrote me regarding the origin of the spelling Kirkendall in his own family, as follows:
"My father was Nathan Kirkendall, of Berwick, Columbia County, Pa., who was the son of Emanuel Kikendall, of Mifflin Township, Columbia near Berwick, Pa.
My great grandfather, Emanuel Kikendall migrated into that part of Pennsylvania from some place in New Jersey, when he was a young man. He had four sons, Joseph, Levi, Cornelius and Leonard, all of whom settled on adjoining farms, Levi and Cornelius dividing the old home. The place became known as 'Kikendall's Hill.' Emanuel Kirkendall, who settled in Wilkes-Barre, left a family there, some of whom have
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become prominent. The family name was changed from Kikendall to Kirkendall when I was a boy of about fifteen. It was not by design, but other people began writing the name that way, and gradually the whole race adopted the spelling except Stephen K., who persisted in the old way."
Emmett R. Kirkendall, of the firm of Roth & Kirkendall, of Toledo, Ohio, (attorneys at law), wrote me a short time back:
"I have in my possession an old book of numbers prepared in school by my great grandfather, James Kirkendall. It gives the
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date of his birth as February 9, 1794, and his 'master as Sam Flemin.' By master he meant teacher no doubt, since teachers in those days were generally called 'school masters.'"
This book gives the name of three of his children as follows:
Samuel Kuykendall, born August 7, 1816.
Sary Kuykendall, born May 16, 1819.
Christeny Kuykendall, born January 10, 1822.
I had looked at this book many times before, but this is the first time that I ever noticed that the name was spelled Kuykendall. I can get no idea from the book, however, as to where James was at the time he wrote it, and can only guess from vague tradition. The names of these children may have been written by some other person than James Kirkendall, and I can't understand why my father's name is spelled Kuykendall, when my father never heard that spelling before. My family has always lived near Athens, Ohio, until a few years ago, when they all went to Oklahoma, except me. I know nothing of 'Christeny' Kuykendall other than what I have given you from this book. Sary Kuykendall, my father tells me, was married to Milo Kirkendall, her cousin."
We have in the statement given by W. H. D. Kirkendall a very clear account of change in the name of his family. I had hoped that it would be found that the manner of spelling of the name might indicate what branches the different families belonged to, but it is evident that we have here no definite guide.
Some conclusions may be drawn, however, in regard to the matter of names that may be of some value. Among these are the following:
1. All persons spelling their names Coykendall or Cuykendall are the descendants of Pieter Kuykendal, the youngest son of our first American born ancestor, Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal.
2. There is only one of the Pieter Kuykendal branches that has retained the original spelling, beginning the name with Kuy, and this is the branch of Wilhelmus Kuykendall, grandson of the first Pieter.
3. Among the Peter branch, there are those who spell the name Coykendall, Cuykendall, Kirkendall, Kikendall and Kuykendall.
4. The descendants of Jacob, Cornelius and Matthew have, for the most part, clung to the old original spelling, and begin the name with the first syllable spelled Kuy, though there are some exceptions to this rule, as seen in the form Kuyrkendall and Curkendall.
No ancestor will be found in the second or third generation with an "r" in the name. Those who undertake to trace their ancestry must expect to come to where the name was Kuykendal, as found on the baptismal registers of the Dutch Reformed Church.
It is perfectly clear that our early ancestors understood that the first part of the name had the long sound of i, or of uy in the name Schuyler, Stuyvesant and similar Dutch names.
The change from Kuy to Ki was among the first made, and was evidently an attempt to spell phonetically.
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CHAPTER V.
FORT ORANGE, NEW YORK.
WHEN THE KUYKENDALL ANCESTOR ARRIVED THERE.
It will be interesting to many of our people to know something about Fort Orange, N. Y., the place where our Holland ancestor lived when he first came to America. Here was his first home in this country, and here he lived until his death, which occurred in the latter part of 1656, or beginning of 1657.
Fort Orange received its first settlers in 1624, and the fort was built the same year, near the present foot of Madison street, Albany.
The first settlers were Walloons, refugees who had fled to Holland, from France and Flanders, to escape persecution.
Two years later their settlements were broken up by hostile Indians. In 1629 Killaen Van Rensselaer, a wealthy diamond merchant of Holland, sent over other settlers to develop and improve a large tract of land he had acquired, lying up and down and back of the Hudson river.
Van Rensselaer's place of business was Amsterdam, and his home was in Gelderland, the same province in the Netherlands the Kuykendall ancestors came from. The Walloons of Fort Orange were a Protestant people, who had come to America seeking religious freedom and an opportunity to make homes. To meet their religious and social needs, the Dutch Reformed Church, in 1642, sent over from Amsterdam a pastor for their church people at Fort Orange.
From the beginning, there were Indian troubles, and the savages attacked and captured even some of the missionaries who were laboring among them trying to help them. Father Yogues, a French Catholic missionary among the Mohawks, was captured, held and tortured, and the Indians refused to give him up, even when offered a large ransom.
The Dutch aided the unfortunate priest in escaping and kept him secreted, until the Indians were pacified and agreed to his ransom.
Dominie Megapolensis, the Reformed Church pastor, was very kind to the Catholic Father and secured his passage back to France. It is pleasant to relate that two years later, Father Yogues showed his honor and gratitude by refunding the money paid for his ransom, after he had returned to America to take up his work again.
This same priest, in writing back home to France, describes Fort Orange in 1643 thus:
"There are two things in this settlement, which is called Renssellaerswick, as if to say settlement of Rensselaers, who is a rich Amsterdam merchant.
"First, a miserable little fort called Fort Orange, built with logs, with four or five pieces of Breteuil cannon, and as many swivels. This has been reserved and is maintained by the West
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India Company. This fort was formerly on an island, which the river makes; it is now on the main land, toward the Hiroquoise, a little above the said island.
"Second, a colony sent over here by this Renssalaer, who is a Patroon. This colony is composed of about a hundred persons, who reside in twenty-five or thirty houses built along the river, as each found convenient. In the principal house lived the Patroon's agent. The minister has his apart, in which service is performed. There is also a kind of Bailiff here, whom they call the Seneschel, who administers justice. Their houses are all merely of boards and thatched. There is as yet no mason work except their chimneys. The forests furnishing them many large pines, they make boards by means of their mills, which they have for that purpose."
In 1650, the year our first American ancestor was baptized, the first school house at Fort Orange was built. Rev. Gideon Schaats was the Dominie of the D.
R. church and the pastor of our Holland ancestor from the year 1652 until the time of his death, and no doubt performed the funeral rites at the time of his burial.
October 25, 1653, our forefather at Fort Orange was granted a lot in the village of Beverwyck, close up to Fort Orange, and received a patent for the same from the Lord Director General and the Council. The year following there was a great freshet in the Hudson river, that washed away one of the bastions of the fort, and must have come up very close to the house of our ancestor.
Up to that time most of the houses of the village had been erected close up to the fort and near the river, but the great rise of water and the damage to the fort caused some of the inhabitants to move their buildings back toward the hill, and new structures erected after that, were built further back on the street that is now called Broadway. There was but a narrow strip of flat land along the river, and from that the land rises quite abruptly, and was at that time covered with stumps and brush, so that it was natural for the settlers to build first lower down.
Peter Stuyvesant became Director General of the New Netherlands in the year 1646, and came to America about the same time that the first Kuykendall arrived. In the year 1656 John De Decker, the Patroon of the colony of Rensselaer, with the other church people, decided to erect a building that would serve as a fort in time of Indian outbreaks, and as a church in time of peace. Accordingly they raised a thousand dollars and proceeded to build what was called the "Blockhouse Church." It was fitted up with loop holes from which to shoot at hostile foes, in case they had uprisings. Three small cannons were mounted at the corners, in such way as to command the roads leading past the church. Having now a new church with cannon attachments, they were prepared to preach the gospel of civilization from the pulpit or to be the real thing in way of church militant, and preach with the booming of cannon.
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The people now decided that they must have a new bell and pulpit from Holland, and these were ordered from Amsterdam, but did not arrive until the next year, but as soon as they came they were duly installed in place, and began their long and honorable career.
The same pulpit, or "Predick Stoel," has been in use there ever since. When I was in Albany, N. Y., in the summer of 1914, it was my pleasure to sit in the First Reformed Church of Albany, built on the same spot, and listen to a sermon from the same pulpit that was built in Holland two hundred and sixty years before.
The John De Becker mentioned above is claimed as the progenitor of the large family of Deckers of the Delaware and Hudson river valleys in pioneer times, many of whose descendants still live there, and many hundreds are scattered all over the United States.
Peter Kuykendall, the grandson of the K ancestor who lived at Fort Orange, married Femmetje Decker, a descendant of this John Decker, and there were many intermarriages of the two families for nearly a century later.
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CHAPTER VI.
THE DUTCH REFORMED CHURCH RECORDS.
The reader will have noticed that mention has been made a number of times in this volume of the "Dutch Reformed Church Records" or "Old Dutch Records," both meaning the same. From these numerous references it will naturally be inferred that these records bear a very important relation to the history of the Kuykendall family in America.
The inquiry will arise, "What are the Dutch Reformed Church Records?" "Where were they to be found? How came they to be of such importance, as related to the history of the Kuykendall family?"
Because of a distinct remembrance of how little attention the writer had paid to them, previous to taking up the study of our family history, he is convinced that a great majority of even well informed persons know but little in regard to them. It will, therefore, be both interesting and helpful to tell something about these records, why so much is said about them, and then give some samples of the Kuykendall records as they appear in the Reformed Church registers.
The "Old Dutch Records" are the baptismal and marriage records of the early Dutch Church members of America. A majority of the very early settlers of New York were from Holland, but there were also numerous Huguenots and some Protestants from Spain, Belgium and other European countries that came over across the sea about the same time, fleeing from religious persecutions in their native lands.
As might be expected, leaving home and native land and crossing the Atlantic to a wild, new and unknown continent, for the sake of religious freedom, they were earnest Christian people, and one of the first things they did was to organize congregations and establish churches.
Following up the custom of their fathers, they started churches in America, and began to keep church records as their fathers did. These records contained data as to church organization, names of church officers, registry of the baptisms of their children, and marriages among their church members. They recorded the names and dates of baptism, names of parents and of witnesses or sponsors for the children baptized.
To give an account of the different steps in the study and search after the history of our fathers, it was necessary, in order to make a consecutive narrative, to mention some data contained in these records, hence there will necessarily be some repetition of things that have been incidentally mentioned.
The value of the records of the Reformed Church, as an aid in tracing the genealogy of the Kuykendall family cannot be overestimated. The same value attaches to them as they relate to many hundreds of other families whose ancestors were pioneers in the
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settlement of the valley of the Hudson and Delaware rivers, many of whose descendants represent some of the oldest and most prominent families in America.
Without these records there are very few of the old Knicker-bocker Dutch, Huguenot, and other very early families of the country that could give any intelligent account of their ancestry or past history. It is fortunate indeed for us that our forefathers belonged to a church that made it obligatory upon parents to see that their children were baptized, and upon the Dominies or ministers of the church baptizing them, to see that a correct registry was made, and that the records were safely preserved. The fact that they have been preserved nearly three hundred years, and that they are still legible, and for the most part in a good state of preservation, shows the care that has been taken of them.
It was the custom of the church to have infants baptized, if there were not something to prevent, when the child was about one month old. There were many cases, however, when the baptism could not be attended to at the usual time.
There were such instances in our own family, when the country was in a state of war, with Indian outbreaks, or there was some other hindrance, so that the baptism could not be attended to at the customary time, and it was done later.
Each permanent church had a strong, durable book in which to keep a record of the church membership, the registry of marriages and baptism of children or others. In these books were entered the names of the father, the maiden name of the mother, the name of the child and date of its baptism, together with the name of the witnesses or sponsors. These registers were preserved from year to year and from generation to generation, new entries being made from time to time, as births and marriages occurred. There are some of these registry books in existence yet in America, that are nearly three hundred years old.
When the first Dutch Reformed Churches in the valley were organized, the country was very new, and for the most part, a wilderness. The first church buildings erected in the valleys of the Hudson and Delaware, were in nearly all cases, small wooden structures, very much exposed to fire at any and all times, and particularly so during the many Indian incursions into the settlements. It would have been a miracle if some of the records had not been destroyed or lost.
The church registers of Kingston are regarded as the most important in a historical and genealogical way of any of the churches in the United States.
The marriages and baptisms of a large number of the pioneer families of the Hudson and Delaware valleys are found recorded in the Kingston registers, and among other marriages and baptisms are found a large number of those of the early Kuykendalls.
The first baptism recorded in the Kingston registers took place October 3, 1660. The rite was performed by Dominie Blom, and was recorded in a large heavy folio volume, bound in hogskin. The
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outside of the book bears the marks of much handling; the inside pages are browned and dinged, and in many places much worn, and in a few places have been torn. The book now, 1918, is about 258 years old. That the writing is not so faded as to be wholly illegible is certainly wonderful. There are now four of these old volumes belonging to the Kingston church, and the fact that the writing in some of them, even yet, is remarkably clear and distinct, bears testimony to the permanency of the ink used by our forefathers.
All the records made in these volumes, down to 1808, were in the Dutch language. The first Kuykendall baptism recorded in the Kingston church was that of Styntie (Christina) Van Kuykendaal, April 2, 1682. She was the first female Kuykendall child born in America.
The baptisms of the early Kuykendalls, who were members of the old Dutch Churches, are mostly found in the registers of the churches at Kingston, Minisink or Mahackemeck, (sometimes called the Deerpark church), and the Walpack church. The Walpack church was down the Delaware river a few miles below the Machackemeck settlement. The Machackemeck church, and Deerpark church were in New York, while the Walpack church was over the state line in New Jersey, Sussex County, about a mile from the present village of Flatbrookville. The Machackemeck church was where Port Jervis now is.
While collecting data for this work I made a visit back east to the old Minisink country, the early home of the Kuykendall people in the Delaware valley, and was much interested in the history of these old churches at the home of our forefathers. While there I happened to come upon a recent work published by the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, entitled "Minisink Valley Dutch Reformed Records, from 1737 to 1830."
In this work there is a facsimile photographic reproduction of a page of the Walpack Church Records, on which are found registered baptisms of several of the descendants of Jacob Kuykendall, son of Luur. Among others was that of Johannes, son of Johannes Kuykendall and Lisabeth Brink, baptized August 8, 1741. This Johannes was my own great grandfather. On the same page was recorded the baptism of Barbara, daughter of Diana Kuykendall and John Decker, and later in Virginia, I found in the old records of that State an account of this same Barbara Kuykendall, in connection with a most romantic "Enoch Arden" story that is mentioned elsewhere in this volume.
In some instances the baptisms of the Kuykendall family, and other families, were performed in one place and recorded in another. In the early Indian incursions, some of the Hudson valley churches were destroyed by fire, and perhaps some of their registers were destroyed at the same time.
It was not until the year 1891 that the records of the Kingston church were translated, compiled and published in the English language. The records of the churches at Machackemeck, Minisink
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and Walpack had been published in a fragmentary way, but in 1913 they were all assembled, arranged and published in one handsome volume, by the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society.
It will interest the Kuykendall readers of this work to know that it was through the liberality and public spirit of S. D. Coykendall, of Kingston, N.
Y., that the Kingston Church records were translated, compiled and published, he having, at the cost of several thousand dollars, financed the undertaking.
The translation and compilation was done with great care and painstaking fidelity, by Rev. R. R. Hoes, Chaplain of U. S. Navy, Norfolk, Virginia.
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CHAPTER VII.
OTHER NOTES CONNECTED WITH THE VERY EARLY KUYKENDALLS.
We have seen that our first ancestor born in this country was baptized in the Dutch Reformed Church of New York City. Before going on with a fuller account of the Kuykendalls mentioned in the records by generations that have gone before, a few words in regard to the history of this first church of America, where was baptized the first Kuykendall of America, will be interesting to our people. This interest grows out of the fact of the relation it bore to the beginning of our family history in this country.
This church of New Amsterdam, now New York, was organized in the year 1628, and has continued to this day, and is now the wealthy Collegiate Church of New York City, and has ten buildings and fourteen ministers. It was founded and organized by Rev. Jonas Michaelus. The church building in which our first American born Kuykendall was baptized was a stone structure erected in the summer of 1642, and therefore was at the time of his baptism a new building.
The pulpit and bell were made in Holland and shipped over to New York.
It was not the custom at that time to enter the name of the mothers, when children were baptized, and hence we do not see in this record the name of the mother of our first ancestor of American birth. This is unfortunate, as we are left without a knowledge of the early history of the first ancestor's mother, and family.
It is elsewhere explained that the patronymic, or father name of our first ancestor was Luur or Luer, or some modification of that name and that among the first baptisms of his children, the name Van Kuykendaal did not appear.
As stated he lived in Gelderland, Holland, in the vicinity of Wageningen. He and Urbanus Luursen probably came to this country together in the employ of the Dutch West India Company. The affairs of that company were at that time under the supervision of Killiaen Van Rensselaer, who was a wealthy dealer in diamonds and pearls in Holland. This man purchased a large tract of land on the Hudson river and sent over a lot of Holland people,--farmers, mechanics and artisans, to develop the lands.
Jacob and Urbanus were undoubtedly brothers, and it would seem, from the evidence of the old records, that they came over to New Amsterdam about the winter of 1646. Probably both were mechanics, the records say that Urbanus was a mason. We do not know whether Jacob was married before leaving Holland or not.
He went to Fort Orange soon after arriving in America, and may have been in the employ of the company up to the time of his death. He must have died in 1656. He had a grant from the Lord Director General and Council for a lot for building purposes, dated October 25, 1653.
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On this lot he had a home and little garden. Owing to the fact that the name of his wife does not appear anywhere in the records, we are unable to follow her later history as we should like.
There is little room to doubt that Leur grew up from early youth in the Esopus country, (the region about Kingston), and, as he married there and lived there, it is most likely that his mother, after the death of his father, moved from Fort Orange to Rochester, (now Accord), soon after she was left a widow.
At about the age of thirty, he married, in the year 1680, at Kingston, the daughter of a Hollander who lived in Esopus, her name being Grietje Tack, daughter of Aert Pietersen Tack and Annetje Ariens. The Tack family came from Holland at a very early day and settled at Esopus. Some of the family descendants lived there several generations.
There is today, at Stone Ridge, a little town of New York, about ten miles out from Kingston, an old hotel that was built by Johannes Tack, the great grandson of Cornelius Tack, the father-in-law of the first Kuykendall born in this country.
Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendall and his wife, Grietje Tack Kuykendaal, continued to reside in the vicinity of Rochester, until about the year 1700. During this interval they had seven children, all of whom were baptized at Kingston. Their eighth child, a daughter, Annetje, was baptized at Minisink, thus fixing the date that the family moved from Rochester to Minisink. At the time of their removal, Leur, father of the family, was about fifty years old. He had lived in that vicinity for probably forty years. He then had one daughter and five sons. We have here the beginning of the family Kuykendall on the western continent, now moving from Esopus, then one of the oldest and most thickly settled communities on the Hudson river, going to the Minisink country, then a far out frontier.
William Tietsoort was the first settler in the region to which they were moving. He had preceded the Kuykendalls about six years, having gone in there about 1694. Previous to that he had been living in Schenectady, a few miles out from Fort Orange, the childhood home of Luur's father. While Tietsoort was living there, the Indians attacked and burned Schenectady and he fled from there down to Esopus, (Kingston), where his brother Abram lived. The Indians in the Minisink country were friendly with the whites at that time and invited the blacksmith Tietsoort to go to their country and start a blacksmith shop.
He made his home there and the Indians deeded him a tract of land, the title of which they never afterwards disputed.
It was not long after that time that Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal moved to Minisink. Later Jacob, Luur's son, married Adrientje Tietsoort at Kingston, daughter of the brother Abram, of William, the blacksmith.
Quite likely the fertile soil, beautiful country and fine hunting and fishing opportunities had some influence in inducing the move.
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Jacob had by this time probably begun his fur trading with the Indians, and Minisink was a famous fur trading point.
We have now traced the family down to the Minisink country on the Delaware.
They went along down the old mine road, for there was at that time no other road to travel.
It has been stated before that the children of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendall's family were baptized and the record of their baptism made in the registers of the Reformed Dutch registers, in the churches where the family lived. All baptisms were recorded in the order of the date upon which they were performed, and as a matter of course, the names of other children would come between the names of the children of any one family. It will aid us to understand what the records really convey, to know something of the customs and practices of the Dutch Reformed Church in those days, in regard to baptism. Our forefathers were very punctilious in regard to their observance of the rite of baptism, and there were many little details carried out that are not observed today. Only such can be mentioned as will help to an understanding of what the record conveys.
When a child was presented for baptism, it was required that there should be two sponsors for the one baptized, if it were an infant; two witnesses, if it were an adult. The sponsors were supposed to take upon themselves the responsibility of the religious training of the child, and were to answer the questions and baptismal vow required. It was the father's place to see that witnesses were present and it was usual to have the sponsors or witnesses persons related to the baptismal candidate.
When therefore we see the record of the baptism, we know that the witnesses were not persons picked up by accident or convenience only. They were generally some way related by blood or marriage, and not merely friendly assistants; but circumstances sometimes caused variations from this rule. We may not at first discover the relationship between the parties, but on investigation it will generally be found that some kind of relationship existed.
We see from this that the witnesses or sponsors will, in many cases, afford a clue to the relatives of the family. In the forepart of the next chapter will be given the record of Leur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal's children's baptisms, with names of witnesses and sponsors.
Note--It will be seen that the name Luur is spelled Leur also. It was spelled variously in the baptismal records.
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CHAPTER VIII.
CHILDREN OF LEUR JACOBSEN VAN KUYKENDAAL--RECORD OF
THEIR BAPTISM AS FOUND IN THE OLD
DUTCH CHURCH RECORDS.
We present below the family record of the first American born ancestor of the Kuykendall family. The spelling is given just as it occurs in the old church registers, with names of sponsors or witnesses so as to convey a correct idea of the original record.
They are scattered throughout the register, according to the date of the baptisms. They have been brought together here in the order of the births, so as to appear as one complete family record, that can be easily referred to in the study of the family history.
The record is presented in three columns, the first colum contains the names of the children and the dates of their baptism; the second contains the names of the parents, while the third shows the names of the sponsors or witnesses.
Child's Name and Date of Baptism.Name of Parents.Names of Witnessesor or Sponsors.
Styntie Leur Jacobz, Stintie Douwes, April 2, 1682. Grietje Artz Tack.
Claes Teunisse.
Jacob, Luyr Jacobs,Annetie Arys, August 12, 1683.Grietje Tack.Jacob Jans Van Etten. Johannes,Leur Jacobs,Cornelis Aartz Tack, April 20, 1685.Grietje Tack.Sytie Van Etten. Cornelis,Leur Jacobs,Johannes de Hooghes, May 30, 1686.Grietje Tack.Jan Evers, Grietje Adriens. Johannes,Lur Jacobs,Johannes de Hooghes, September 30, 1688.Grietje Tack.Johannes Evers, Grietje Adriens.
Mattheus was born about 1690, no baptismal record found.
Arie,Leur Jacobs,Jan Van Etten, June 8, 1694.Grietje Tack.Janette Rosa.
Pieter,Luir Jacobs,Peter Van Etten, May 1, 1698.Grietje Tack.Hyltje Van Etten. Annetje,Luir Jacobsen,Willem Van Vreedenburg, May 19, 1700Grietje Tack.Cornelia Swart. Sara,Luir Jacobsen,Pieter Van Etten, June 14, 1702Grietje Tack.Eva de Hooghes. Seyte,Leur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal,Manuel Van Etten, October 27, 1706.Grietje Tack.Gertruy Tietsort.
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In view of the fact that most of our people have heretofore known but little about the very early history of the family, I feel sure they will be pleased to see the family record of the first American born ancestor. It can confidently be relied upon as correct, as it is a faithful copy from the old Dutch Reformed Church baptismal registers. If carefully and intelligently studied, it will convey more than at first sight appears.
There is nothing to show that Mattheus was ever baptized, though it is highly probable that he was, and that the record was lost. His birth coming between the births of his brother Johannes, 1688, and Arie, 1694, the birth of Matthew has been placed at 1690. His marriage is recorded under the head of "Marriages," in the Kingston Dutch Reformed Church register, as follows: "14th Jan. 1715.
"MATTHEUS VAN KUYKENDAAL j. m. born in Raycester (Rochester) and JANNETJE WESTVAAL, j. d., born in Kingston and both residing in Mennising, (Minisink).
Banns registered 3, April."
Rochester, (now Accord), is a little village about fifteen miles in direct line from Kingston. While Mattheus and his bride, at the time of their marriage, lived in the Minisink region, not far from Machackemeck or Port Jervis, they chose to go back to Kingston to be married, for this was the old home of both.
One of the first things that attracts our attention in the record is the great variation in the spelling of the names. Our ancestor's first name is spelled Leur, Luyr, Luir, and Lur, they all having the same sound. In those days they spelled by the sound, that is phonetically. If a word sounded right it was accepted without criticism.
It will be noticed that in every instance the mother's name is given as Grietje Tack. When Seyte's baptism was registered, the father's name is written out in full, LEUR JACOBSEN VAN KUYKENDAAL. It is clear from this, that the name was all along understood to have been Van Kuykendaal, but according to the custom of the time, in writing the name, the patronymic only was used, as Mr. Versteeg suggests.
We have in this baptismal record an illustration of several of the peculiar features connected with the baptism of our forefather's children, as, for instance, the custom of giving the maiden name of the mother, instead of the name by marriage, and of having witnesses or sponsors for each and every child baptized.
We notice in this family there were two children named Johannes. When a child was baptized, and afterward died young, it was a very common custom to give some child born later, the same name; this was done to perpetuate it in the family, or as they often said, "hand the name down" in the family. Many instances of this kind could be given both in church and family records of the time.
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STYNTIE or CHRISTINA, the first child, a daughter of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal and wife Grietje Aertze Tack, grew up with her parents about fifteen miles from Kingston, New York. She married Jurian Westfall, about 1710; the baptism of their first child took place in 1711. Jurian and his wife, Christina Van Kuykendaal, lived nearly eleven miles below the present site of Port Jervis, on the Delaware river, in Sussex County, N. J., adjacent to what was then called the "Big Minisink Island." Here Jacob Van Kuykendall and his brother-in-law, Jurian Westfall, lived on part of a tract of land they had bought jointly from Thomas Stevenson, of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, containing 500 acres. They sold a part of this tract to a man named Johannes Westbrook, and divided the remainder between them.
The plat of the old original village of Minisink, made April 7, 1725, shows the names of both Jacob Kuykendall and Jurian West-fall and also that of Jacob's brother, Mattheus. Just what time they might have moved on to this place is not known, but it may have been any time between 1714 and 1725, but was probably nearer the first named date.
The marriage of Jurian Westfall and Styntie Kuykendall was the first intermarriage of the two families. By this marriage Christina had three children, viz: Johannes, baptized June 24, 1711; Jacobus, baptized February 8, 1713; Jacob, baptized June 8, 1715.
Christina must have died soon after the birth of this child Jacob, for her husband, Jurian Westfall, married the second time to Marytje Koddebeck, August 20, 1717. Both Cuddebacks and Westfalls intermarried with Kuykendalls afterwards many times.
Family records and genealogical charts taken alone are not usually interesting reading. Family history, all history, in fact, is mostly the sum of the biographies of the men and women connected therewith. As the genealogical record of the sons and grandsons, and daughters of Luer Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal are taken up, we shall note some of the facts connected with their life histories. Unfortunately there are some of them of whom we have no record, except that of their baptism.
JACOB VAN KUYKENDAAL, or Jacob Kuykendall, as he later signed his name, the second child of Luer, was baptized August 12, 1683, at Kingston, N. Y. He was reared to manhood in the region about Kingston, and married Adrientjen Tietsoort, who was the daughter of Abram Tietsoort of Kingston, and niece of William Tietsoort, the pioneer blacksmith. The Tietsoorts, (now spelled Tittsworth), and the Kuykendalls intermarried in several instances later, as when William, a son of Stephen Tittsworth, married Catherine Kuykendal, daughter of Hendrick Kuykendal and Elizabeth Cole.
Jacob Kuykendall had only one child, Margrita, by his first wife. She was baptized at Kingston, N. Y., September 11, 1709. This first wife, Adrientje Tietsoort, must have died soon after the
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birth of her daughter Margrita, for his second marriage is recorded as having taken place at Minisink, February 3, 1712. The record in the Church register reads: "Married, Jacob Van Kuykendaal, wid'r of Adrientjen Tietsoort, and Sara Westvaal, maiden, both residing in Mennissing, (Minisink).
Family record of Jacob Van Kuykendaal now follows:
Margrita, baptized Sept. 11, 1709, by 1st wife Adrientje Tietsoort.
Johannes, (John), baptized Jan. 19, 1713, by 2nd wife Sara Westphael.
Jacobus, (James), baptized August 19, 1716, he and the others, by 2nd wife.
Dina, baptized Jan. 28, 1719.
Marretjen, baptized Oct. 22, 1721. Benjamin, baptized Sept. 1, 1723. Christina, baptized Feb. 12, 1727. Nathaniel, baptized Oct. 6, 1728. Abraham, was probably born in Virginia, no record found.
The family of Jacob, with some of his brothers and their families, went to Virginia, as elsewhere related, and some of their descendants are found still farther west and south. Going out into the frontier so early, many of the descendants lost trace of their forefathers.
The descendants of Pieter, the youngest brother of Jacob, who mostly remained in the east, will be interested with Jacob's descendants, because they have heretofore known so little about the Kuykendalls of the far west, or the source from which they sprang. Those of the early forefathers who remained in the east had considerably better opportunity of keeping trace of their ancestors, as they remained in the same locality, near the old ancestral home, generation after generation.
We find Jacob's name several times in the old records. He is mentioned in the Archives of Pennsylvania, as being connected with the survey of the line between New York and New Jersey.
There had been some doubt as to where the line really was, and the assemblies of the two colonies, New York and New Jersey, had passed several acts providing for the survey of the division line between them. The record reads:
"Whereupon the Commission ordered James Steel and Jacob Taylor to repair to Machackemeck, (a Dutch town on the east side of the Delaware river), when certain Commissioners from the above named provinces were appointed to meet." Steel and Taylor reported April 19th as follows: "We were appointed to set out on a journey to Machackemeck, in order to meet certain persons who were appointed by the government of New York and New Jersey, etc. "In pursuance thereof we sett out from Philadelphia, 20th day of same month (April)." The report goes on to say, they arrived there, "and having made inquiry of several Indians, and particularly
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of Solomon Davis and Jacob Kuykendall, (two Indian traders), about the branches of the river Delaware, that were between the said river, called the ffishkill and Susquehanna. The said Solomon Davis and Jacob Kuykendall, having, as well as those Indians, often traveled between those rivers, from one to the other, and therefore knew perfectly well what branches were to be found proceeding out of the Delaware.
The Commission appointed Maj. John Harrison to travel over from the ffishkill to Susquehanna, who took with him Jacob Kuykendall and an Indian for guides, and soon went on his journey, which he undertook on foot."
While this incident gives some account of Jacob Kuykendall's life, it also gives other co-related facts. Solomon Davis is well known to have been an Indian trader who lived in Machackemeck, near the present site of Port Jervis.
He and Jacob Kuykendall had, as Indian traders, made many a trip along the Delaware, and between that river and the Susquehanna.
The Davids were of English origin, and the name frequently appears written in the old records as Davids, Davis or Devins. One of the sons of Solomon Davids married Marretje Kuykendall, daughter of Cornelis, brother of Jacob Kuykendall.
Mr. Nearpass, in "Church Life," says, "This Solomon Davis was a son of Joris Davis and Johanna Davis, an Englishman, who first settled at Hellegat, on the Island of Manhattan, from thence he removed to Fort Orange (Albany), and in 1654, went with his family to Ulster County. He was a trapper, and in 1655 was an interpreter and principal mediator between Whites and Indians."
We have here disclosed the fact that the Kuykendalls and Davids began their acquaintance probably as early as 1654, at Fort Orange and may possibly have been acquainted several years before, for at that time our Holland ancestor, Jacob Luursen, was still living at that place.
Hanna, in his "Wilderness trail," mentions Jacob Kuykendall as Indian trader in Minisink, in 1719.
The next we hear of him is when a plat of the old Minisink Village is surveyed, at which time the name of Jacob with five others appears on a plat made by Cornelius Loew, April 7, 1725. A cut of this plat in reduced size is seen elsewhere in this volume. The names that appear on the plat are those of Jacob and Matthew Van Kuykendall, Johannes and Anthony Westbrook, Jan Cortright and Jurian Westfall.
Jacob Kuykendall was still living there at the same place six years later when the people of the community were wanting a place for a school house and cemetery. Several of them formed an association and purchased a tract from Johannes Westbrook, which was, according to the deed, to be for a "burying ground and a schule house forever."
That same year, 1731, Jacob sold out his interests at the Minisink Islands.
While he had lived there, he appears to have
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been in some sort of partnership with his brotherinlaw, Jurian Westfall.
Jurian had died before, and when the deed from Jacob Kuykendall was made, it was to the heirs of Westfall, and conveys all Jacob's interest in the five hundred acres that he and Jurian had bought from Thomas Stevenson.
At that time there was a flourishing village at Minisink, just on the main land, adjacent to Minisink Island, on the Jersey side of the Delaware. It is said in history that it was the first village in Sussex county, New Jersey, with a store, blacksmith shop and tavern.
What there may have been there in the way of local industries otherwise, we do not know, but there were a number of residences and a fort and trading post of quite extensive note.
After Jacob sold out in 1731, he appears, the next account we have of him, apparently a little lower down the Delaware on the Pennsylvania side. In 1741 a petition was sent to Thomas Penn, then Governor of Pa., asking relief from the aggressions of the whites, who were said to be crowding over upon and taking the Indian's lands. They sent this petition by a man who carried a letter signed by Abram Van Vampen, Jacob Kuykendall, Nicholas Depui and James Kuykendall. James was a son of Jacob Kuykendall.
I found in one of the public libraries of New York, a little book entitled "Reminiscences of George Labar, the author of which was 107 years old in 1780.
Labar was a pioneer in that part of the country about the Water Gap and Stroudsburg. He says, "The principal settlers in 1741, in that vicinity were N. De Pui, Abram Van Campen, Jacobus Kirkendall, Daniel Brodhead and Jacob Kirkendall, and that they had petitioned the Governor to send help, as the Indians were retaliating for the wrong of the "Indian Walk." That a great swindle was perpetrated against the Indians in that so called "Indian Walk Treaty" there can be no doubt. It is a pleasure to know that while our fathers were made to suffer for the wrongs against the Indians, Jacob and James Kuykendall were on the side of the Indian's rights, with their neighbors Depui and Van Campen.
Having now given some of the principal facts connected with the life of Jacob Kuykendall, eldest son of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal, down to the year 1741, from records that have been found, we may proceed to give an account of his children, so far as we have found data to do so. The record of their baptisms has been already presented in an earlier part of this chapter.
Note--It is quite possible that Jacob Kuykendall may not have moved down to the Water Gap. People anywhere within 25 or 30 miles were considered to be neighbors in those pioneer times.
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CHAPTER IX.
FAMILY OF JACOB KUYKENDALL, FIRST SON OF
LUUR JACOBSEN VAN KUYKENDAAL.
MARGARITA, was the first child of Jacob, born of his first wife Adrientje Tietsoort and baptized at Kingston, N. Y., Sept. 11, 1909, by Dominie Gaultherus du Bois. Her after history was not found.
Jacob's family was a healthy, vigorous one, and most of them grew to maturity and raised families. It was over thirty years after the birth of this Margarita that her father's family went to Virginia. In the meantime she may have married or may have died.
JOHANNES, the second in the family of Jacob Kuykendall was baptized at Minising, N. J., Jan. 19, 1713, by Dominie Vas. He grew up to manhood in the region where he was born and baptized. The country all about was still far out on the frontier, and settlements were few and sparse. Jacob, his father, was at that time engaged in trade with the Indians, buying and selling the peltry of fur bearing animals.
His business called him away from home for considerable periods of time, while he was out on his trading expeditions along the Delaware, Mohawk and Susquehanna rivers and their tributaries.
Here at the old home on the Delaware, the family continued to live, farming, raising gardenstuff, and doubtless much of the meat used by them was procured by the rifle and fishing rod. Those Kuykendall boys had the finest fishing, hunting and trapping and canoeing along the river. It was a beautiful place; the Delaware river and valley, and the hills back of the old place formed a charming picture.
There is nothing to show where Johannes received his schooling, whether at a home school at the old Village of Minisink, opposite the Minisink Island, or above at the Machackemeck school, near the home of his uncle, Peter Kuykendall. For a number of years the old Minisink Village was one of the most widely known business trading points of all this region. The soil there was very fertile, and remains very productive yet, after so long a time. It produced large crops of corn, vegetables, wheat and oats. When the Dutch settlers first located there, they planted out orchards, and soon there was an abundance of apples and large quantities of cider was made for home use and for sale or exchange at Esopus, (Kingston.)
The old home of Johannes was near the ancient mine road which ran through the village. Along this noted highway there was much travel between the Water Gap and the old Dutch town at Kingston on the Hudson. The village was a noted stopping place for travellers and teamsters who hauled ore from the old mine up to Esopus, and for the settlers hauling their wheat, cider,
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feathers, peltry and other products to market. These sturdy old Dutchmen camped there on their way, and at night gathered about their campfires or at the old tavern, telling stories, smoking their pipes, drinking cider, and according to history, some of them took something considerably more stimulating.
If we could conjure up by some magic power, and bring back those old times and people, and listen to the stories they told, what thrillingly interesting things we should hear; what portrayals of fishing, hunting, Indian fighting and heroic exploits, and what marvellous narrations about ghosts and witches and the comedies and tragedies of early pioneer life in far back times!
At the old Minisink home, where Jacob and Matthew Kuykendall live there was an old Indian graveyard, where for ages the Indians deposited their dead. Almost within a stone's throw of this Indian burying ground is the ancient cemetery purchased in 1731 for the use of the first white settlers. It is all overgrown with brush and concealed from the public gaze. In the thick brush there are a number of graves marked by head-stones. Among them there are two or three stones still standing erect and solid. In the picture opposite this page, the stone at the right was put up in memory of two Ks who died in 1746.
If our forefathers who lived there could come back to their old homes and witness the marvellous changes that have taken place in the country and people, how they would be struck with amazement.
During that period of time, the Dominies of the Dutch Reformed Church went down that way at intervals, from Kingston and baptized the children, held services and instructed the people in the catechism. There were a number of the Kuykendalls in the settlements around. Jacob and Mattheus lived in close proximity to the old village, while their brothers Arie and Cornelius lived in nearby regions, and old Peter lived about where Port Jervis is.
In those days they had no automobiles, not even light wagons or buggies. Their only wheeled vehicles were all wood, high wheeled Dutch ox carts. The wheels of these were about six feet high, had wooden "linch pins" to hold them on, and the wooden rims of the wheels had no metal tires. These carts were oxmotors, the necessary vim being excited by a hazel or hickory gad. Some of the more "uppish" folks had horses or mules. With all their lack of conveniences, people those days were very sociable and visited around among each other a good deal, when there were no Indian hostilities to prevent. For a long period the country was infested by wolves, panthers, bears and wildcats, that preyed upon the flocks and herds of the settlers. These wild animals became such a pest that a bounty was offered for their scalps or "heads," and the old Sussex county records show instances where some of the Kuykendalls and their neighbors received warrants for considerable sums in payment for "panther heads" or "wolf
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heads," as they were called in the old court minutes. For quite a number of years the wild animals were more an object of dread than the Indians. There were, however, not infrequently, scrapes with the Indians, caused mostly by the sale of rum and brandy to them by reckless white settlers or traders.
Johannes Kuykendall's grandfather, Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal and wife Marguerita Tack Kuykendaal were both living as late as 1720, as is shown by the records. The extent of education received by Johannes. we do not know, but his father was an intelligent and prominent man, who took an active interest in the moral and educational welfare of the community in which he lived. The country was new, and the state of society primitive; there were few books and practically no newspapers at that time, in the cabins of the pioneers.
Benjamin Franklin started, in Philadelphia, what is now the "Saturday Evening Post," the same year that Nathaniel, the junior brother of the elder Johannes, was born.
The books in the homes those days were mostly old heavy Dutch bibles and "psalm books" of the times, with an occasional book of other kind. The bibles were mostly printed in Dutch characters. There were Indians all around them, but when Johannes was young, they were, for the most part friendly, and lived in peace with the white settlers. The children of the Indians and whites played together, hunted and fished together and usually got along in a friendly and neighborly way.
Old Jacob Kuykendall, the father of Johannes, had so much dealing with the Indians, in his trading with them, that he learned to speak their language.
Many of the settlers could talk with the Indians. The country about the old Kuykendall farms was at first all covered with timber, but most of it has been cleared off for many years and used for agricultural purposes.
During the summer of 1914, just two hundred years after the baptism of my great great grandfather Johannes Kuykendall, I visited the ancient home country of our forefathers on the Delaware, and found it to be a charming region yet. It is also a very historic section of the country, where many thrilling events occurred in both colonial and pre-colonial times. It was among these romantic surroundings that Johannes Kuykendall was reared to manhood. While living here he met and married at Kingston, Miss Elizabeth Brink. She was a daughter of Thomas Brink, who, with Nicholas Schoonhaven, deeded the tract of land upon which stood the Walpack church, where Johannes had some of his children baptized. In the same church there were several of the Kuykendall children baptized. Johannes Kuykendall, Jr., the great grandfather of the writer was here baptized, August 8, 1741.
It was only a few years after the birth of Johannes Jr. that the family went to Virginia. Some of the Kuykendall's had already gone there and started homes. The country on the South Branch of the Potomac was then new, with very few settlers. There were no church organizations, nor church buildings in all the land,
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so there were no church baptismal records kept to show the genealogy of the people, as there had been in the country of the Delaware valley, where our folks had previously lived.
After getting to what is now Hampshire county. West Virginia, Johannes, Sr., or John, his brothers Nathaniel, Abraham, Uncle Matthew and others of the family located on the south branch of the Potomac, about six miles above the present town of Romney. This town was laid out under the direction of Lord Fairfax, the surveying and platting being done by George Washington, then a young man. Johannes, was, at the time of going to that country, about thirty years of age. He bought, March 10, 1760, a tract of 250 acres of land from Jonathan Coburn, on the side of the river opposite to his uncle, Matthew, who had located there before him. Here he built a mill for grinding wheat and corn for the settlers. This mill stood for many years, and is mentioned a number of times in the Hampshire county records. He dug a mill race over the tract of land, across a bend in the river, and where the water was taken out of the river he built two substantial walls of masonry to form a forebay, and the stone walls remain solid and in good condition yet.
The writer visited Virginia the summer of 1914, and was at the old place where his great great grandfather, great grandfather and grandfather lived, and saw the old mill race and stone masonry at its head.
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Johannes Kuykendall is mentioned in the "Journal of the House of Burgesses" and in "Henning's Statutes" of Virginia, in several places, as being connected with various business transactions. Among the earliest of these is where "John Kirkendahl" and John Welton had a land deal May 14, 1751. On the same day Matthias (Matthew) Kuykendall sold his place on the "South Branch."
In the Journal of the House of Burgesses of Virginia, session beginning March 25, 1756, pages 378 and 379, we have an account of payment made to men in the service against the Indians, on the South Branch, in 1755, for supplies furnished by persons living in that region. Coin was so scarce that tobacco was the common medium of exchange, and the greater part of the bills were paid in this commodity.
In the list of payments we find the following:
"To John Kirkendale, for 6 Bufhels 3 1/2 pecks of Corn, and 1 1/2 Bufhel Wheat, appraifed to..................175 lbs Tobacco
"To Nathaniel Kerkendale, for 3 steers, appraifed to 1200 lbs Tobacco.
"To Benjamin Kerkendale, for Pork and flour, valued at 1 Pound, 6 s, and 3 pence.
Johannes Jr., continued to live in that country until his death. We have not the exact date of death of either the younger Johannes or the death of his father, but the younger died in the latter part of 1777 or early part of 1778, for his estate was being probated the latter year, Henry Kuykendall Jr., being his administrator and executor. This Henry was son of Henry, brother of Johannes Sr. It seems that Johannes Jr. and his father Johannes Sr. and Benjamin, brother of Johannes Sr. all died within a short time of each other.
The elder Henry died in Bourbon Co., Kentucky, Benjamin died at his home in Pennsylvania, at the mouth of Peter's Creek, and the two Johns, (father and son), died on the South Branch of the Potomac, near Romney, W. Va.
There is a deed of record in Romney, bearing date of Feb. 17, 1804, from "Moses Kuykendall, heir at law of Benjamin Kuykendall, and executor of his will, to Henry Kuykendall, son and executor of Henry Kuykendall, of Bourbon County, Ky., for 219 acres in Hampshire County." This deed says that Henry Kuykendall, deceased, was a son of John Kuykendall, that his father was named Henry, and his grandfather was John, thus showing definitely the relationship between the parties.
A few more excerpts from the old Virginia records follow:
"Deed 8th Sept. 1807, by Henry Kuykendall of Ross County, Ohio and Betsy, his wife, to Jonathan Purcell, of Knox County, Ind."
Henry Kuykendall of Hampshire Vs Benjamin Kuykendall of Yohogamia. Injunction 1789. Amended bill March 13, says "Benjamin Kuykendall has died, leaving Moses Kuykendall heir at law."
Deed by Moses Kuykendall of Jefferson county Ky. to Henry Kuykendall of Ross County, Ohio.
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There are a number of other deeds along about that time showing among the Kuykendalls numerous property transfers, and transfers to persons of other names, that appear to have been relatives.
This changing about seems to have been partly on account of the death of the two Johns and the elder Henry, and partly because some of the parties interested in property in Hampshire County, Va., had moved to Knox County, Ind., and others to Ross County, Ohio.
There is little doubt that a careful search and study of the old records of Romney might give many sidelights on the subject, and possibly clues might be found that would lead to the unravelling of many perplexing tangles, for which we now seem to have no solution. During the civil war, a number of Hampshire county records were destroyed or lost, and much valuable data has disappeared, making the tracing of many of the old settlers very difficult or impossible.
After the death of Johannes Kuykendall Sr. born 1713, John Jr. born 1741, and Henry Sr. (date of whose birth we do not know), the families they represented, scattered away into different parts of the country. Some went to Kentucky, just who, how many, or what were their names, or their after history, we have no definite data, except in regard to the descendants of Johannes Jr. (4), (1741), whose history follows next.
JOHANNES KUYKENDALL (4), (1741), was the son of Johannes, Sr., and Elizabeth Brink. Johannes, Jr., hereafter called John, had four sons and one daughter.
Of the daughter we have only one family tradition and not a definite record.
The sons were of the fifth generation, as follows:
Peter Kuykendall (5), born (???), 1775, married Miss Julia Ann (???).
Daniel Kuykendall (5), born (???), 1779, married Phebe Price.
John Kuykendall (5), born 1779, married 1st Miss Van Kirk, 2nd Miss Mary Peary.
Henry Kuykendall (5), born 1785, married 1st Mrs. McFall, 2nd Miss Sarah Smith.
The brothers of this family are, for convenience, often called "The Four Brothers," and when this term is used hereafter, it will be understood that the above Peter, Daniel, John and Henry are referred to.
Their father, John (4), died when he was under fifty years of age, and when the youngest of them was but a small lad. Along about 1805, these orphaned brothers decided to go to Indiana. They went first to Kentucky and lived there for a time, and then went on to Knox County, Indiana. They stopped for some years at and about Fort Vincennes, which was the first place where the whites made settlements in Indiana.
There were a number of cousins of these four brothers who went in to Indiana and located at or near the same time. Among them were Dr. Jacob Kuykendall and his brother Abraham, whose
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history is given elsewhere in this volume. The lure of "Old Vincennes" fascinated these Kuykendalls and decided the destiny of themselves and their descendants.
At that time the country was new and unorganized. There was the old Fort Vincennes with a number of soldiers, a straggling little hamlet of French, English and Indians and mixed breeds. The brothers remained here in this vicinity for a few years, during which they found time to explore the Wabash regions above. Owing to the timbered condition of the country and lack of roads, traveling was done mostly by boats along the water courses. Vessels propelled by steam had not yet come into common use. The most commonly used water craft was the pirogue, the flat barge and canoe. Besides these there were all manner of boats of various sizes propelled by oars or sails.
At that time there were two principal routes taken for travel by emigrants going from Virginia to Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio. One of these was through the great forests, by land, and the other was by the Ohio river. A considerable proportion of the emigration went by this way, because it was easier and they could take along more of their personal property and goods, but in times of Indian hostilities it was very dangerous. On account of the danger perhaps the larger part of the travel was overland by means of caravans, in considerable bodies, for the protection of women, children and stock.
Many a young married couple went from Virginia or the interior of Kentucky, with all their earthly goods on a pack horse, or carried all they had upon the horses they rode.
In this way they traversed narrow Indian trails, through deep dark woods, along precipitous bluffs, mountain sides, or in ravines, amid overhanging limbs of trees, over logs, brush and rocks, making such progress as they could and camping wherever night found them.
When the four brothers arrived at Vincennes, the Indians were nominally at peace, but depredations by roaming, lawless bands were frequent, and made the condition of settlers precarious. There were constant threatenings of a general uprising that kept the pioneers in a state of dread and anxiety and prevented them from looking after their farming and gardening and other work.
The story of the adventures and experiences of these Kuykendall brothers would make very interesting reading. The "roughing it" in the new country; Indian alarms, sudden attacks causing the settlers to hasten to the little forts within stockades; fierce fights with the savages, where the women in the forts moulded bullets and loaded the rifles for the men; how the forts were sometimes fired by the Indians, and the girls and women went to springs and creeks under fire of the redskins to carry water to put the fire out; the dreadful malarial sickness the people had to endure; my Grandfather Henry's experiences in the campaign of Harrison in the years 1811;--these all would bristle with adventure and thrill with interest. But this must be passed by.
The separate history of these brothers will be taken up in the next chapter.
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CHAPTER X.
THE FOUR BROTHERS--CONTINUATION FRQM LAST CHAPTER.
Peter Kuykendall (5), born 1775, was the son of John (4), baptized August 8, 1741, son of Johannes (3), baptized Jan. 19, 1713, son of Jacob (2), baptized Aug. 12, 1683, son of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal baptized May 29, 1650.
Peter located near Terre Haute, Indiana, just across the state line in Indiana, on a rich, heavily timbered tract of land, on the Wabash river bottom, about the same time his brother Henry located on Sugar Creek. Here he succeeded in getting a nice tract of land cleared up and put into cultivation, and had begun to get a start in life, when his health failed. Realizing that this was to be his last sickness he made a will, which was dated in February, 1825. In this will he left his property to his wife and to a son William and a daughter Elizabeth. The daughter went to Wisconsin.
The son grew up in the country where he was born, but no history of him has been obtained. If there should living descendants of this son happen to see this sketch, he will be able to complete the line of his ancestry, back to our first American forefather.
The next one of the four brothers will now be considered.
Daniel Kuykendall (5), born 1777, was son of Johannes (4), born 1741, married Phoebe Price, and they had four children as follows:
Fanny (6), no birth date, married Benj. Painter, 4 children.
Henry (6), born April 15, 1818, married Nancy Brimberry.
Elizabeth (6), no birth date married Elias Hughes.
John (6), no birth date known, died at age of 21, unmarried.
Concerning these four children of Daniel's we know nothing more than is here stated, except in regard to Henry (6), born as stated, April 18, 1818. He died Sept. 20, 1904, and his wife died three or four years earlier.
Henry and his wife, Nancy J. Brimberry, lived all their early married life at Palestine, Crawford county, Illinois. Here some of the family were buried.
They had ten children. They moved later to Christian county, Kansas, during the great grasshopper invasion, and settled about five miles from Topeka. Here Mr. Kuykendall acquired a competence. He was a very fine man, generous, energetic and thrifty. He died at Topeka.
The children of Henry Kuykendall (6), and Nancy Jane Brimberry, were:
John A. (7), born Jan. 1, 1842, died Sept. 24, 1913.
Jerusha Ann (7), born Oct. 30, 1843.
Daniel (7) born Feb. 3, 1845, died in infancy.
Leander (7), born Jan. 3, 1847, lives near San Diego, Cal.
Henry Price (7) born Jan. 20, 1850, died in infancy.
Phebe Ellen (7), born Aug. 20, 1852, married James Whitehead.
Nancy Jane (7), born Jan. 20, 1854, married Henry R. Rice.
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William Rush (7), born March 27, 1856, lives at Topeka, Kan.
Joseph (7), born June 11, 1858 married, has three children.
Effie Afton (7), born March 28, 1864, died 1867.
Following up the history of this family we have first John A. Kuykendall, who married 1st Mary Lee, Dec. 26, 1864, who was born at Elizabeth, N. J., 1844 and died at Taylorville, Ill., July 3, 1873. He first met Miss Lee at the home of Abraham Lincoln, in Springfield, Ill. It was under the roof of the great emancipator that he wooed and won his wife, during the throes of the Civil war.
They were married in Springfield. They had four children, who were of the eighth generation. Seven years after the death of his first wife he married Miss Tabitha E. Hopkins, of Cloverdale, Ia.
He enlisted in the Union army August 16, 1861, and served in Co. D, 33, Reg.
Ill. Volunteers. He was under General Grant most of the time of his service, was in many battles and at the siege of Vicksburg. He was wounded in one of his arms, 1863. After the war he was in business several different places, and for several years was in Minneapolis, Minn., where he dealt in mines and mining stock, visited London and made successful sales there. He went to California fifteen years before his death. His last work
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was in connection with the settlement of a large estate involving several million dollars, with suit against railroad corporations. He made several visits to New York, Washington, D. C., and Chicago while in this business. He was suddenly stricken with apoplexy, while at home in Los Angeles, Cal., on a visit. His death followed in a few minutes, and he was buried in Rosedale cemetery, Los Angeles. He died Sept. 24, 1913. His widow still lives in Los Angeles, Cal. He had four children by his first wife:
Maude Kuykendall (8), born (???), married Edward Thomas, who is a druggist.
Edna Kuykendall (8), born (???), married Mr. Mitchell.
Nellie Kuykendall (8), was born (???), married Mr. Meister.
Henry (8), born, date not learned, died in infancy.
These daughters have lived for some years in California. Mr. Thomas, the husband of Maude, is a prescription druggist, and until recently resided in San Francisco, at 129 Guerrera Street. Mrs. Mitchell and Mrs. Meister live in Los Angeles, Cal., the former at 720 Cornwell Street, and at latter at 550 Nordyke Avenue.
With the death of Mr. John A. Kuykendall, the male side of his family ceased and there is no male living to continue the line.
LEANDER (7) was the second son of Henry Kuykendall and Nancy Brimberry, brother of John A., whose family we have just followed. Leander as seen in the family record was born Jan. 3, 1847. He married Anna Abbott, in Taylorville, Ind. He and his wife, when young, were school teachers.
They have five children: Gertrude, Edith, Arthur, Arle and Edwina. The family have lived for many years in California, their present home being near San Diego, at National City.
Leander has been for some years past in the transfer business at and around San Diego, Cal.
WILLIAM RUSH KUYKENDALL (7), brother of John A. and Leander, was born March 27, 1856, as seen in the family record. He has lived at Topeka ever since his father moved there many years ago. He has remained single, and has for years been engaged in the real estate and insurance business.
The third of the four brothers who went from Virginia to Indiana was JOHN KUYKENDALL (5), son of Johannes (4), born 1741. John located in Sugar Creek Township, about six miles west of Terre Haute, in 1819, within less than a mile of his brother Peter. Here at the age of about forty years he started to make a new farm on heavily timbered Wabash bottom land. He had married his first wife, Miss Van Kirk, eleven or twelve years before, and had three children by her, the eldest of which was George Washington (6), who was then about eight years old. The other two children were Belinda and Sarah Elizabeth. His first wife had died and he married the second time about the time he moved upon his newly acquired land. His second marriage was to Miss Mary Peary. He lived on this place until his death, Dec. 29, 1834, when he was fifty-five years old. His wife died Nov. 20,
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1858. A full list of his children is found in the section of this work, "Kuykendall Genesis," where most of his descendants are to be found in the order of their birth. Some discrepancy was found in the dates of birth, as given by different correspondents.
The eldest son of John Kuykendall and wife, Van Kirk, was GEORGE WASHINGTON (6), born Oct. 16, 1811, who married Nancy Forsyth Art, Nov. 26, 1840. They had a family of ten children. He lived a few miles west of Terre Haute, Ind., and died at his home Nov. 9, 1864, and was buried in the Pisgah cemetery, near Sandford, Ind.
Washington was a man of energy, character and of fine natural ability. He had a family whose sons and daughters have been useful citizens.
The first in the family of George Washington was JOHN THOMAS (7), born 1841.
He grew up at the old homestead and received his education in the schools of the community where he lived. At about the age of twenty-one he enlisted in Company C, 85th Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and served from August, 1862, until the close of the war. He was in numerous severe engagements and was with Sherman in his "March to the Sea." He received an honorable discharge, and after returning home married Miss Annie Rollins. They had no children. He died of heart disease Oct. 2, 1892. His widow lives in West Terre Haute, Ind.
WILLIAM ESPEY (7), son of George Washington and Nancy Forsyth Art, was born Sept. 18, 1844. He entered the Union Army Oct. 14, 1861, in the 43rd Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He was discharged for disability Sept. 28, 1862. When he had recovered, he re-enlisted in Company D, 11th Volunteer Indiana Cavalry, and served until the end of the war. He was married twice. First to Susan Lankford, July 5, 1866, and second to Sarah E. Smith, Dec. 28, 1882. He died Sept. 10, 1917.
Mr. William Espey Kuykednall was a man of intelligence, good judgment and business ability, a man of strict integrity and reliability. He was always a staunch friend of education, morality and progress.
His family were brought up under the influence and teachings of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he was a loyal adherent. Most of William Espey Kuykendall's children and grandchildren live in Illinois, not far from the old paternal home.
For the eighth generation the reader is referred to the section "Kuykendall Genesis."
JAMES McELROY KUYKENDALL (7), third son of George Washington Kuykendall, was born April 4, 1847, and married Lennie Adams. He died Jan. 20, 1899.
There are two daughters living. His widow, Mrs. Lennie Kuykendall, lives in West Terre Haute, Ind.
There were two daughters of George Washington that married brothers. The daughters were MARY JANE, born April 22, 1843, and married Hiram B. Smith; MARY ELIZABETH KUYKENDALL,
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born August 9, 1849, married George W. Smith. Hiram B. Smith was a veteran of Company A, 7th Illinois Cavalry, Union army. He died about 1901, and his widow, Mary Jane (Kuykendall) Smith, lives at West Terre Haute, Ind.
George W. Smith, husband of Nancy Elizabeth Kuykendall, was also a soldier of the Civil war, in 115th Indiana Infantry.
WELTON MODESITT KUYKENDALL (7), son of George Washington Kuykednall and Nancy Forsyth Art Kuykendall, was born Jan. 5, 1855. Welton's father died, leaving him an orphan at the age of nine years. He remained home until he was twenty- two years old, to aid the family. His early education was obtained in the old schoolhouse in district number two, Vigo county. After a varied experience in farming and other business, he married Miss Clara Olive Smith, daughter of Milton H. Smith of Edgar county, Illinois, Dec. 28, 1882. In the fall of 1844 he in company with his wife's people went out into Kansas and located on government lands, where they made homes.
ALFRED ANSON KUYKENDALL (7), son of Washington Kuykendall and Nancy Forsyth Art Kuykendall, was born Oct. 26, 1857.
He married Lizzie Ferguson, and they had two daughters and one son. Mrs.
Nettie Soloners, of South Bend, Ind., and Mrs. Verna Cooney, of Peoria, Ill.
The son's name is Mervil Kuykendall. Mr. Alfred A. Kuykendall had a grocery store in West Terre Haute, Ind. He died suddenly, 1913, of heart disease, when seemingly in good health. At last accounts his wife was still living in West Terre Haute, Ind.
Having now followed out the descendants of Washington Kuykendall (6), the first in the family of John (5), 1779, there comes next BELINDA (6), who was born (???), 1813, and married John Long, who was born in Tennessee. The children of Belinda Kuykendall Long and John Long are given below, according to the date at hand from which dates are missing:
Samuel (7), born (???), 1832.
Daughter (7), born (???).
Nancy Catherine (7), born (???), 1835.
Elizabeth (7), born (???), 1837, died in infancy.
Sarah (7), born (???).
Alfred (7), (no date of birth found).
Sabra (7), born in 1847.
John (7), born in 1852.
There is only one of the above children of whom there is anything definite known by the writer. Nancy Catherine, born 1835, married 1st C. Charlton, by whom she had five children. He then died and she married 2nd time, to Thomas C. Hill, and they have had seven children.
Mrs. Nancy C. Hill and her husband are living still, he at the age of 92 years and she 87. They are remarkably well preserved physically and mentally. They live at Manito, Ill., and raise a
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fine garden every year and raise pigs and chickens. They have a son, Dr. Hill, who practices medicine.
ELIZABETH (6), daughter of John Kuykendall and his wife. Van Kirk, was born (???), 1815, and married a man named John Logan. She died near St. Louis, Mo., and there are said to be two daughters living in the country yet.
WILLIAM KUYKENDALL (6), son of John Kuykendall and Mary Peary, second wife, was born April 27, 1820, and married Martha Simms, who was born April 24, 1824. William Kuykendall died Feb. 22 1890. He started at farming with forty acres of land, worked at clearing it of timber during the summer time, and taught school in the winter, saved his money and invested in more land. On this place is a tract of timber that remains much as it was a hundred years ago, covered with large fine beech, walnut, hickory, linden, oak and sycamore trees. Many years ago there used to be a "sugar camp" on this place, where the family made maple sugar.
Names and dates of birth of the children of William Kuykendall and Martha Simms Kuykendall are found below, with some of the facts connected with their life history, which can only be given very briefly.
Maurice (7), was born Feb. 28, 1844, died Nov. 15, 1865. He was graduated before he was seventeen, and when the Civil war began, he enlisted in the Sixth Regiment Ind. Indiana Cavalry. He was taken sick with typhoid fever and died Nov. 15 1865. He was never married.
John (7), was born March 26, 1846, and died May 5, 1869. He also served in the Union army in the Civil war. He married Lucy Farr, Nov. 22, 1866, left one daughter Nettie. His wife, Lucy, married the second time, and is now Mrs. Lucy Campbell living at West Terre Haute, Ind.
William (7), born Nov. 11, 1848, married Miss Mattie Scott and they had four children of the 8th generation. For names and date of birth, see "Kuykendall Genesis."
Pauline (7), was born Nov. 9, 1850, married Jacob Hixon. Mrs. Hixon resides in West Terre Haute, Ind., R. F. D. No. 6. She has children living. He died several years ago.
Henry Clay (7), was born March 7, 1853, and married Miss Sarah F. Engles, Dec.
19, 1871. They had an even dozen children, the names of which will be found in "Kuykendall Genesis," eighth generation.
Martha Jane (7), was born July 31, 1855, married Charles Wesser, Dec. 29, 1877. Address Charles Wesser, Marshall, Ill., R. F. D. 5.
Sarah Elizabeth (7), was born July 15, 1857, married John Davis. Address Mrs.
Sarah Davidson, Marshall, Ill., R. F. D. No. 1.
Mary Clotilda (7), was born Oct. 30, 1859, and married John L. Thompson, a carpenter. No children. Address Marshall, Ill.
Lyman Beecher (7), born June 2, 1862, married Minnie Cooper, August, 1890.
They have no children.
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Alzira (7), born June 30, 1864, history of her family not at hand; family is living somewhere near Marshall, Ill.
Minnie (7), born July 9, 1866, married John Franklin Murphy, Dec. 28, 1886. J.
F. Murphy was born Oct. 25, 1860. He is a farmer. They have children: Maud, Everett F., Vierling John, Virgil Leroy and Robert Edward. See "Kuykendall Genesis."
There will now be given a brief sketch of some of the members of the family of William Kuykendall (6), Sr., and Martha Simms, his wife.
When the Civil war began and Lincoln made a proclamation calling for volunteers, two sons, Maurice and John, offered their services and joined the army. Maurice enlisted in the 71st Regiment, Sixth Indiana Volunteers, and served with ability to the end of the war, coming out with a lieutenant's commission. Going back home from the war, he took typhoid fever and died Nov.
15, 1865.
John, the brother of Maurice, served through the Civil war, and died four years after his return home. He married Miss Lucy Farr, in 1866, and left one daughter, Nettie, who was living a short time ago. John's widow married again to a man named Campbell. Mrs. Lucy Campbell lives in West Terre Haute, Ind.
It is rather a curious fact that the widows of nearly all the Kuykendall Civil war soldiers in that part of the country, live or did live at or near West Terre Haute, Ind.
William Kuykendall Jr. (7), lives near the old homestead, on the rural mail route out of Marshall, Ill., close to the Indiana state line. He has been closely connected with the breeding and raising of fine horses and cattle, and has taken great pride in improving the farm stock of his community. He has a large, beautiful and fertile farm with a comfortable home. In the country near around live most of his children and grandchildren.
Henry Clay Kuykendall (7), is the next younger son of William Kuykendall (6).
He married Miss Sarah F. Engles and they have had twelve children, six sons and six daughters, most of whom grew up to maturity.
Henry Clay has had somewhat of a varied experience. In his early life he farmed, later followed the nursery business, and has far a number of years been a minister of the "Christian Church." He has, while preaching, carried on several little side lines, among which were raising medical herbs, such as ginseng, golden seal, plants that in early days were very plentiful in that part of the country.
Lyman Beecher, the youngest of the family of William and Martha Simms Kuykendall, married Miss Minnie Cooper. They have no children. They have a beautiful farm, situated in a very rich region, that certainly looks to be unsurpassed as a farming region. On this tract is the forest tract before mentioned. Here red and grey squirrels clamber over beech, walnut and hickory trees and rustle down the nuts as they did when the Indians were the only human inhabitants of the country.
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We have been for some time tracing the history of the descendants of John Kuykendall (5), one of the "Four Brothers," and have followed out the line of George Washington, and William, his two eldest sons, and have also mentioned some of the daughters.
We now come to Samuel Kuykendall (6), born January 8, 1825, who married Lorna Jane McMillen, Jan. 15, 1845. She was born Aug. 30, 1828.
Samuel died June 7, 1890. The family of Samuel Kuykendall are mostly traced out to the Eighth generation in the section on "Kuykendall Genesis." In addition to what is found in that section it may be said that William Clippinger Kuykendall, son of Samuel Kuykendall, lives upon his farm, a few miles out from Terre Haute, Ind. His sister, Mary Eleanor, four years older, stays with him. They have a large number of warm friends in the country about them. Mr. Kuykendall had the great misfortune to lose his wife, Jennie McCandless Smith Kuykendall, Nov. 19, 1910.
His son, Ernest, married Miss May Herrington. They have no children. A happy couple and very pleasant to meet.
Annie Celestia, daughter of Samuel (6), married Jerome Hogue and they have seven children, ranging in ages from 21 to 39 years (1917), with many grandchildren. Most of the family live near the border line between Indiana and Illinois.
We now go back to Alfred Kuykendall (6), third in the family of John Kuykendall and Mary Peary. As before shown, Alfred was born Dec. 20, 1823. He grew up to manhood in the vicinity of the old home and married Annie Long. In the year 1852 he and his wife with some other Kuykendalls and their neighbors, Longs and other people of the neighborhood, moved to Wisconsin. Alfred settled at Richland Center.
Their children's names were:
John (7), born Sept. 24, 1844, married Jane Kittle, born May, 1846.
Jacob (7), born Feb. 13, 1848, married Nellie Reed.
Of these two sons John married, as stated, Jane Kittle, and they had four children that lived to be of age. These children are of the eighth generation from the first American born ancestor. Their names are:
Cora May, born June 5, 1867. Alfred, born Nov. 10, 1870. Edith, born Dec. 23, 1873. Lena Belle, born July 29, 1884. Of these Alfred, the only son in the family, was brought up at Richland Center, Wis., was educated in the common schools of the country and later attended the University of Wisconsin and secured a good education. He engaged in school teaching, and after some experience there, he was elected School Superintendent. Later he was employed as principal of the high school at Pomeroy, Wash.; remained there for one year, and then he went to Los Angeles, Cal., and later back to Wisconsin. From there he went to Bellingham, Wash., to take charge of the Normal High School at that place in August, 1915.
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He was taken suddenly ill in the school room and died after a few hours of illness. His body was taken to Wisconsin for interment.
Lena Belle, his sister, went to Washington state, while Alfred was in Pomeroy, and taught school in Asotin county. There she met and married Charles Smith, and they afterwards went back to Wisconsin, where he died in the spring of 1918. They lived for a while at Eau Claire, Wis.; they had three children.
Mary (7), daughter of Alfred Sr., married David Henry, and they have several children.
Jacob (7), married Nellie Reed, June 27, 1869, and they have had nine children, five sons and four daughters, of the eighth generation, viz:
Frederick Paul, born June 13, 1871. Maurice, born Oct. 8, 1874. Emma Alice, born Feb. 9, 1876, married Jerome Fry, Aug. 16, 1896. Harry, born June 1, 1878. Frank, born July 4, 1881. Katie Marie, born Jan. 10, 1886, married George Ray, Aug. 22, 1903. Sydney, born Oct. 2, 1889. Jessie and Bessie (twins), born April 29, 1891.
Jessie married Albert Agnew, Jan. 19, 1908, and Bessie married Walter Lundgren, April 16, 1910.
All these are living, 1918.
Frederick Paul, son of Jacob Kuykendall and Nellie Reed, married Elizabeth Jackson. They have children: Ray, born April 24, 1892. Leta, born, 1894; Albert, born 1896; Thelma, born Jan. 26, 1906, and Chauncey Norman and Idel.
Maurice married Carrie Burges, Jan. 8, 1893. They have two children: Boyd, born April 8, 1896. (He is in the army.) Lela, born July 12, 1894.
Harry, married Edith Stull, Sept. 8, 1900. They have two children: Vera Lucile, born June 7, 1904, and Leon Claire, born Oct. 24, 1906.
Sydney, married Miss (???). They have three children: Archie Lowery, born Feb.
8, 1911. Junior, born Feb. 14, 1914, and Clermont, born (???), 1916. Sydney is in the army.
Frank, born July 4, 1881, married (???), May, 1907. They have three children: Clyde Milton, born Aug. 4, 1900. Alice, who died in infancy and Davol, date of birth not obtained.
Most of the children and grandchildren of Jacob Kuykendall, son of Alfred, Sr., are to be found in Wisconsin. Jacob still lives there at Richland Center, with most of his children not far away.
It will be noticed above, that John Kuykendall, father of this Alfred Kuykendall, married Jane Kittel. This is quite interesting in view of the fact that Petrus Kuykendal married Catherine Kittel, at Deerpark, N. Y., Dec. 17, 1752. Petrus was the son of old Pieter Kuykendal, who lived at Machackemeck, (Port Jervis, N. Y.) I surmise that this Jane Kittel was of the same Kittel family. It would be quite interesting to trace the matter out.
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CHAPTER XI.
DESCENDANTS OF HENRY KUYKENDALL (5), YOUNGEST OF THF
FOUR BROTHERS.
We now come to the youngest and last of the four brothers, sons of Johannes (4), grandson of Jacob.
HENRY KUYKENDALL (5), was born in Hampshire county, Virginia, 1785. Some of the activities of his life have already been mentioned in the account of the going to Indiana of the four Kuykendall brothers.
Henry married first at Vincennes, Mrs. McFall, a widow with two sons and a daughter. By this marriage he had one daughter, Mary. When Mary was only a small child, her mother died, and Henry again married, this time to Miss Sarah Smith, daughter of Henry Smith, who lived a few miles from Terre Haute. The first marriage was 1808-9 and the last about 1816. Henry and his wife moved upon a new tract of land he had entered that year, living in a tent or "lean to" while a new cabin was being erected. While still living this way, their first son, Daniel, was born. A history of Vigo county says "Daniel Kuykendall was the first white child born in the Sugar Creek Township."
There were still a good many Indians in the country, and they made frequent visits to the cabins of the white settlers, and were not very welcome to the women, when the men were away from home. The memory of recent outbreaks was too fresh in their minds for the redskins to be welcome visitors. They were very busy people, however, with plenty of hard work to occupy their time.
Henry Kuykendall cleared a tract of land and proceeded to build a home and a saw mill and grist mill. At that time little wheat was raised in the country, corn being the main reliance for bread. Henry and his wife and family lived on this farm for thirty years, and all their children were born on the old homestead. The family record is given below.
Mary Ann Kuykendall (6), was born June 10, 1810, by his first wife; by second wife, Sarah Smith, were born;
Daniel Kuykendall (6), born July 14, 1817, married several times.
George (6), born September 19, 1818, married Candace Stark.
John (6), born April 14, 1820, married Malinda Stark.
Ephraim (6), died in very early infancy, no record found.
Henry H. (6), born April 2, 1831.
William E. (6), born Dec. 22, 1833, both died young.
Sarah Ellen (6), born June 14, 1836.
James Wesley (6), born June 14, 1836; these were twin children.
Leonard (6), was born May 10, 1839, was never married.
Henry Kuykendall died in Monroe, Wis.; was buried there. Sarah, his wife, died at Sandford, Indiana, and was buried in Pisgah cemetery.
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CHAPTER XI.
DESCENDANTS OF HENRY KUYKENDALL (5), YOUNGEST OF THF
FOUR BROTHERS.
We now come to the youngest and last of the four brothers, sons of Johannes (4), grandson of Jacob.
HENRY KUYKENDALL (5), was born in Hampshire county, Virginia, 1785. Some of the activities of his life have already been mentioned in the account of the going to Indiana of the four Kuykendall brothers.
Henry married first at Vincennes, Mrs. McFall, a widow with two sons and a daughter. By this marriage he had one daughter, Mary. When Mary was only a small child, her mother died, and Henry again married, this time to Miss Sarah Smith, daughter of Henry Smith, who lived a few miles from Terre Haute. The first marriage was 1808-9 and the last about 1816. Henry and his wife moved upon a new tract of land he had entered that year, living in a tent or "lean to" while a new cabin was being erected. While still living this way, their first son, Daniel, was born. A history of Vigo county says "Daniel Kuykendall was the first white child born in the Sugar Creek Township."
There were still a good many Indians in the country, and they made frequent visits to the cabins of the white settlers, and were not very welcome to the women, when the men were away from home. The memory of recent outbreaks was too fresh in their minds for the redskins to be welcome visitors. They were very busy people, however, with plenty of hard work to occupy their time.
Henry Kuykendall cleared a tract of land and proceeded to build a home and a saw mill and grist mill. At that time little wheat was raised in the country, corn being the main reliance for bread. Henry and his wife and family lived on this farm for thirty years, and all their children were born on the old homestead. The family record is given below.
Mary Ann Kuykendall (6), was born June 10, 1810, by his first wife; by second wife, Sarah Smith, were born;
Daniel Kuykendall (6), born July 14, 1817, married several times.
George (6), born September 19, 1818, married Candace Stark.
John (6), born April 14, 1820, married Malinda Stark.
Ephraim (6), died in very early infancy, no record found.
Henry H. (6), born April 2, 1831.
William E. (6), born Dec. 22, 1833, both died young.
Sarah Ellen (6), born June 14, 1836.
James Wesley (6), born June 14, 1836; these were twin children.
Leonard (6), was born May 10, 1839, was never married.
Henry Kuykendall died in Monroe, Wis.; was buried there. Sarah, his wife, died at Sandford, Indiana, and was buried in Pisgah cemetery.
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Isaac Kuykendall (7), born, date not found, died 1862.
William L. (7), son of Daniel (6), was born July 3, 1850, and married Miss Mary Ann Chambers, March 7, 1872. They have had six children as named below:
Sarah Ellen (8), born March 28, 1873, married Frank Binnall, 1895. They have three children, June, Alfred, and Florence Hester.
Aaron (8), born August 17, 1875, is single, at Des Moines, Ia.
Mary Fleck (8), born August 17, 1875, died aged nine months.
Francis (8), was born Dec. 18, 1883, married Wyllie Alice John. They have no children.
William Harrison (8), born Dec. 4, 1888, was drowned while bathing in Little Wableu river, Mo., June 16, 1906.
Charles Lucius (8), was born Feb. 19, 1902, graduated at Des Moines College, 1910, and resides in Des Moines, Ia.
Daniel Kuykendall had another son, by his third wife, Anna Bailes, date of whose birth and subsequent history are not at hand.
We now come to the third in the family of Henry Kuykendall (5), GEORGE KUYKENDALL (6), who was born, as seen before, Sept. 19, 1818, at the old Henry Kuykendall homestead, on Sugar Creek, Vigo county, Ind.
He married Candace Stark, daughter of Jesse Stark, Feb. 27, 1846.
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It so happened that the lives of George Kuykendall and his brother John were cast more closely together than any of the other children of the family. At an early age they both manifested a decided mechanical tendency. In this they were encouraged by their father, who supplied them with material and tools to work with.
John, the younger of the brothers, married first, and George, the elder, married a younger sister of John's wife, three years after John's marriage.
They worked together at the old shop, then took building contracts together in the country round about Terre Haute, and together they moved to Wisconsin in the year 1846. In 1852,
they "crossed the plains" together, and located in the same neighborhood in Southern Oregon. They were intimately associated together in business for between forty and fifty years.
After living fourteen years in Douglas County, Ore., near the village of Wilbur, the family of George Kuykendall moved to California in the year 1867, and in 1870 they located in Santa Rosa, where they continued to reside up to the time of the death of the head of the family, which occurred June 13, 1900.
His wife, Candace Kuykendall, died Nov. 30, 1893. The home place fell into the hands of their son, William Stark Kuykendall, who has lived there ever since.
William had two children, both died in infancy.
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The children of George Kuykendall (6), (1818), and Candace Stark Kuykendall, that grew to manhood and womanhood, are scattered widely over the Pacific West.
The eldest daughter, Lutitia Kuykendall (7), born May 29, 1848, was educated at the Umpqua Academy, and married Rev. Samuel M. Woodward in Mendocino county, Cal., May 9, 1872. Her husband is a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church. They have labored in the Christian ministry over forty years, for the moral uplift of humanity.
They have four children. The eldest, Ida May Woodward (8), married Otis E.
Merrill. Walter L. (8), married Anna Ridling; Mabel E. (8), married George Calfee. Their youngest daughter, Mary Lois (8), is at home with her father and mother.
The second son of George Kuykendall and Candace Stark Kuykendall was Albert, (7) born May 15, 1849. Albert was brought up and received his education at Wilbur, Douglas County, Oregon, and while still young became a skilled mechanic. He married Miss Mary A. Melson at Portland. Oregon, August 10, 1875, and they have two children: W. Ray (8), born March 16, 1879, and married Miss Lera S. Gandy, July 7, 1909. They have one daughter, Gladys Hazel (9), born Sept. 7, 1911, and one son Donald Raymond (9), born Sept. 24, 1917.
W. Ray Kuykendall is an electrical engineer; he is skilled in his business, with inventive genius.
Herbert Chester (8), is the younger son of Albert Kuykendall (7), and is still attending school in Portland, Or.
Frank Kuykendall (7), son of George Kuykendall and Candace Stark Kuykendall, was born April 12, 1855, and was brought up at the old home in Douglas county, and attended school at the Umpqua Academy. He learned the trade of his father, but afterward took up photography, and followed this for a number of years, and later branched out in other kinds of business. He now resides in San Diego, Cal., where he has lived for a number of years. He married but has no children of his own.
WILLIAM STARK KUYKENDALL (7), the sixth in the family of George Kuykendall, was born Jan. 14, 1857, in Douglas county, Ore., near Wilbur. He also followed in the line of his father in mechanical pursuits. As before mentioned, when his father died he came into possession of his father's home in Santa Rosa, Cal. After the death of his mother, his father lived with William for a number of years. He married Miss Emma Jane Ingram. They had two children, both of whom are dead.
JAMES ORVAL (7), is the seventh and last in the family of George Kuykendall.
He was born March 14, 1858. He followed building and architecture in and around Santa Rosa, Cal., and later went to San Francisco, where he gave more especial attention to architecture and contracting. He recently moved from the city to Kenwood, a little hamlet in Sonoma county, Cal.
He married Miss Melvina Noffsinger, April 27, 1884, and they
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had one child, James Guy Kuykendall (8), born February 25, 1885. His wife died Nov. 30, 1887, and he married, May 27, 1891, Miss Dollie Fine, who was born Feb. 8, 1863. They have three children, viz:
Samuel Leroy (8), born Dec. 3, 1895, at East Portland, Ore.
Helen (8), born May 23, in Santa Rosa, Cal.
Earl Orval (8), born March 28, 1903, in Santa Rosa, Cal.
James Guy Kuykendall (8), son of James Orval (7), and Melvina Noffsinger, married Mabel Roach, July 16, 1911. She was born in San Francisco, Cal. They live in San Francisco. He is a marine engineer and machinist.
Sarah Luella Kuykendall (7), daughter of George Kuykendall and Candace Stark Kuykendall, was born April 2, 1865. She married Wilbur Nolan Noffsinger, a young man soon afterwards admitted to practice law. They lived at Eugene, Ore., for some time and several years later moved to Pomeroy, Wash., where they resided for a few years. He later moved to Kalispell, Mont., where they have lived ever since. Mr. Noffsinger has been engaged in the practice of law and has been succssful in other business adventures, has quite extensive property interests and a good home. Their children occupy useful and honorable positions in life.
The fourth in the family of Henry Kuykendall (5), was John. who was born April 14, 1820, about four years after his father located on Sugar Creek, in Vigo county, near Terre Haute, Ind. John inherited a large measure of the generosity that characterized his father, Henry. His father was a leading man in the community, and the work about his mills gave a number of his neighbors employment, and he was thus enabled to help them out, while they were clearing up their farms getting ready to produce something for their support.
Fortunately, he was somewhat better able financially than some of his neighbors, and had the disposition to aid them. On different occasions, when his neighbors were scant of food, he loaded into his wagon provisions, such as flour, bacon and vegetables to tide them over their immediate needs.
John grew up under such surroundings and influences. He had an active, inquiring mind, with a decided mechanical genius. He attended the district school of the neighborhood, and studied such books as Webster's spelling book, the old English Reader, Murray's grammar, and such branches as were taught in the common schools of his time. He early acquired a taste for reading and delighted in poring over books of travel, biographies of noted men, history, and later studied with great pleasure such books on science and philosophy as he could procure. When he and his brother George were mere lads only, twelve years old, their father built them a shop at his sawmill, and provided them with tools. They put up a turning lathe and became adept in turning anything that could be shaped on the ordinary lathe from wood. In those days many of the settlers ate out of wooden dishes, and had wooden bowls and cups. They gradually acquired skill and were soon doing all kinds of carpentry,
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building houses and making furniture. They extended their operations over the surrounding country and took contracts in and about Terre Haute.
Although John was the younger of the two, he was usually leader in their plans and operations. At the age of twenty-two, John married Miss Malinda Stark, daughter of Jesse Stark, who came of the branch of the family of John Stark of Revolutionary war fame. Their marriage took place Jan. 20, 1842. After their marriage they continued to live at the old homestead of their father, and there their first two children were born.
About that time there was much talk of the Wisconsin country. That state was not a forest country like Indiana, where they lived, but there were beautiful prairies, with scattering groves of timber, fine springs, creeks and a very fertile soil. John and George Kuykendall were yet young men. John, though younger, married first, and George three or four years later, married Candace Stark, the next older sister of John's wife. Soon after this the two brothers, with their families, and some of their brothers and sisters, moved, and located at Monroe, the county seat of Greene county, Wis. There they bought lots in town and built themselves homes, and at once identified themselves with the interests of the community. They erected the first Methodist church in Monroe, and were members of that church during their residence there. Here they lived five years. While they owned comfortable homes, and were living happily, the extremely cold climate made them think of some place where they could carry on their mechanical pursuits more continuously. They wanted a milder climate, and greater opportunities, and were looking for the future of their families. Along about that time there was much talk of the Pacific Coast and the "Oregon Country," and the discovery of gold in California caused them to center their dreams and aims upon Oregon. They made the big venture, and after a long, hard, and tedious journey reached the land upon which their hearts had been set.
It is only the work of a few minutes to record the fact that they crossed the plains in 1852 and reached Portland, Ore., Oct. 19 of the same year, but these few words cover a span of time and a series of events that formed a large chapter in the life of John Kuykendall and his brother George, and also changed the destiny of all their posterity. John Kuykendall was a man of great fortitude, and in time of trial and danger never "lost his head." The little frets and annoyances of life, that so frequently irritate the temper and sour the disposition, only seemed to bring out the finer elements of his character.
The families of the Kuykendall brothers spent their first winter in Oregon at Milwaukie, a few miles above Portland, and the following summer not far from Hillsboro, and in the fall of 1853 they moved to Southern Oregon and located in Douglas county, at what was afterwards called Wilbur. In looking for a place in which to locate a home, their first thought was not to get where they could make money, so much as to get where there would be the best
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environments amid which to rear a family. Soon after locating, the children were started to school, in a little log cabin schoolhouse, with very rude and primitive seats and desks, but they were looking forward to better things. At this place the Kuykendall brothers soon formed the acquaintance of Rev. J. H.
Wilbur, a prominent pioneer missionary of the Methodist church, and an ardent worker and promoter of education. This acquaintance ripened into a friendship that lasted through the lives of the parties. Soon plans were formed to erect a two story building for a school, and the organization of "The Umpqua Academy." In this plan John Kuykendall entered with heart and soul.
In the face of difficulties almost insuperable, the building was erected; and it was a proud day for Mr. Wilbur and John and George Kuykendall when the structure was completed, for John had planned its every detail and superintended its construction. It was with much satisfaction they saw the school begun under a competent and conscientious corps of teachers.
Years went on, the elder children grew up and were approaching manhood and womanhood. A better home was built, with improved surroundings. Mr. Kuykendall had a good home, a good two story shop, with material and appliances for running it. The boys and girls were trained to work and were sent to school, and at home were taught industry and helpfulness. For many years John Kuykendall stood by the institution, was a trustee and an advisor whose opinions always were sought. He contributed of his time and money, personal efforts and influence to make it a success. The home life of his family was such as to be an inspiration to the children and all others who shared its associations. It was the father's custom to read aloud winter evenings from books of travel, exploration and excavations of ancient cities, books on popular science, articles in papers and magazines, and to comment upon them and discuss them with his family.
The John Kuykendall home was always a favorite stopping place for ministers of all creeds and denominations, and for lecturers and public speakers. He always encouraged his young people to take an interest in speeches and lectures, and to take part in debates in the school lyceums. These things had a decided influence in moulding the character and in shaping the destiny of the children. Personally he took much interest in reading works upon astronomy, geology, and in antiquarian research. He had strong convictions in regard to morals and religion, and as to duty to his family, home and country.
After living at the old home about twenty years he accepted a position at Klamath Indian Agency, and there spent about three years. He then went to California, to Santa Rosa, where his brother George had lived several years, stayed there some time, but later came back to Oregon and soon went to the Yakima Indian Agency, as instructor in mechanical work. After this he located in Drain, Ore., a few miles north of his old home, where he remained until his
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death, taking an active part in educational interests. At Drain, he and his sons owned a drug store and a small newspaper. The disabilities of age began to interfere with his active participation in business, and he was compelled to retire. He was prominent among the founders of the Drain Academy, and was one of its trustees and warmest supporters, giving of his own means, out of all proportion to his ability, as measured by the contributions of others. In his latest activities it was a pleasure to him to be about his place cultivating his flowers and attending to his trees and vines. In the summer of 1892 he died, and was interred in the Drain cemetery, but after the death of his wife, March 22, 1911, his body was exhumed and placed beside hers, in the Odd Fellows' cemetery at Eugene, Ore.
This cemetery is in an elevated, beautiful location, that overlooks the city of Eugene and the Willamette valley, spread out beyond, through which runs the beautiful Willamette river. There the mortal remains of John and Malinda Kuykendall sleep side by side, their dust mingling with the soil of the country they toiled so hard to reach, the country to which they gave their hopes, their toils and their tears.
The children of John Kuykendall and Malinda Stark Kuykendall were:
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George Benson Kuykendall (7), who was born Jan. 22, 1843.
John Wesley Kuykendall (7), born August 12, 1844.
James (7), born (???), 1847, died in infancy.
Sarah Isabel (7), born Oct. 19, 1848.
Emma (7), born (???), 1849.
Charles (7), born January 10, 1853, at Wilbur, Ore.
William (7), born March 1, 1855, at Wilbur, Ore.
Henry Clay (7), born Sept. 30, 1856, Wilbur, Ore.
Celestia Florence (7), born May 15, 1858, Wilbur, Ore.
Olive (7), was born (???), 1860, died at the age of three.
Eddy Wilbur (7), born Sept. 30, 1865, at Wilbur, Ore.
Jesse Delman (7), born August 14, 1868, at Wilbur, Ore.
The record of the births of those who died very young was lost by the burning of the old family Bible in which the names were written. This is why the dates are missing here.
Family of George Benson Kuykendall (7), son of John (6).
George Benson Kuykendall (7), son of John Kuykendall and Malinda Stark Kuykendall, married Miss Eliza J. Butler, daughter of Judge Benjamin Butler and Lydia Beard Butler, January 30, 1868, at Oakland, Ore., at the home of the bride's father and mother. Benj. Butler was for many years Probate Judge of Garfield county, at Pomeroy, Wash. The children of George Benson Kuykendall and wife, Eliza J., are:
Chester Ernest (8), born March 3, 1869, at Oakland, Ore.
Elgin Victor (8), was born October 8, 1870, at Oakland, Ore.
Minnie Pearl (8), was born January 11, 1873, at Fort Simcoe, Wash.
Grace Orlena (8), was born Sept. 26, 1874, at Fort Simcoe, Wash.
George Vivian (8), was born Oct. 3, 1879, at Ft. Simcoe, Wash.
William B. (8), was born Oct. 26, 1883, at Pomeroy, Wash.
Hubert John (8), was born Jan. 18, 1885, at Pomeroy, Wash.
Bessie Eloise (8), was born March 29, 1887, at Pomeroy, Wash.
Chester Ernest (8), son of George B. Kuykendall and Eliza J. Butler Kuykendall, was brought up at the home of his parents, who in the early part of his life resided at Fort Simcoe, Wash. Among his first recollections are the events of life at the Fort, to which place his parents moved in early July, 1872. His father at that time took the position of physician and surgeon for the government at that place. Here in his early childhood and boyhood Chester had many varied and interesting experiences among the Indians, government employees, soldiers and other inhabitants. His first schooling was at the Fort, in a private school, taught in the second story of his father's home. Here, at Fort Simcoe, he went to Sunday school, where were gathered the Indian children, who were pupils of the Government Indian School, as well as the children of the whites who were living at the Fort. Chester Ernest, after going to Pomeroy, Wash., graduated at the Pomeroy High School. When quite young, he entered the drug store of his father, and by reading,
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study, and actual experience became a competent druggist. Later he bought the drug store from his father, and has carried on the business since, enlarging and extending the business from year to year.
He married Miss Cora May Crawford, daughter of A. A. Crawford and wife, of Pendleton, Ore. Chester has two children:
Lowell (9), born Nov. 5, 1905, in Pomeroy, Wash.
Radford (9), born June 24, 1916, in Pomeroy, Wash.
Chester Kuykendall has been prominent in business and social circles and in church work, and has been intimately associated with the educational interests of the city, as well as with other enterprises for the public welfare. He was one of the school board that planned and managed the erection of the Pomeroy High School building.
He has been for years identified with the M. E. church, is a member of the board of trustees and connected with the Epworth League, and is now Mayor of the City of Pomeroy. (1918.)
Elgin Victor (8), second son of George B. and E. J. Kuykendall, was born, as seen above, in 1870. He and Chester being of nearly the same age, had about the same environment and experiences in their early childhood and youth, at Fort Simcoe, Wash. They had many romantic experiences not common to the average youth of the country.
Elgin Kuykendall's first schooling was in the same private school where the Kuykendall children and others at the Fort were taught. He was always inclined to read and study. He graduated at the Pomeroy High School and soon began teaching in the county, was later elected Superintendent of Schools and was principal of the High School one or two years. He took up the study of law, pursuing his reading under the direction of Samuel G. Cosgrove, who afterward became Governor of the State of Washington. He was admitted to the bar in 1894, and in 1898 entered into partnership with Judge Mack F. Gose, a relation that existed until the appointment of the senior partner to the Supreme Bench in 1909, Mr. Kuykendall then continued the business. He has served several terms as city and county attorney, and in 1916 was elected State Senator for the Legislature of 1917.
He has been prominent in city affairs, in the church councils and public matters generally, and also among the Knights of Pythias.
He married Miss Marguerite Scully, September 9, 1896. She is the daughter of Matthew Scully and Mary Donnegan Scully, and was born Sept. 9, 1874. They have four children, whose names and dates of birth follow:
Lorraine Matthew (9), born June 9, 1897, at Pomeroy, Wash.
Ruth Lenore (9), was born June 1, 1898, at Pomeroy, Wash.
Berdina (9), was born Jan. 11, 1900, at Pomeroy, Wash.
Jerome (9), was born Dec. 8, 1907, Pomeroy, Wash.
MINNIE PEARL (8), the third in the family of Dr. G. B. and E. J. Kuykendall, was born at Fort Simcoe, Wash. When she was
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between nine and ten years of age her father moved from Fort Simcoe to Pomeroy, Wash.
Here at Pomeroy she attended the school and high school of the place and graduated. She early evinced talent for drawing and painting and took instruction in these branches and excelled in them, and became proficient, and began to teach painting, which she followed for several years. Later she married Alfred B. Kuykendall, who was at the time the principal of the Pomeroy High School. While the name is the same, the relationship is quite remote, the great grandfathers of the two were brothers. They had one daughter, Marjorie Virginia, born July 30, 1908.
Alfred B. Kuykendall died November, 1915, while occupying the position of principal of the State Normal High School at Bellingham, Wash.
Minnie Kuykendall married the second time, to Robert B. Spencer, who had been a teacher for some years. They have no children. They live at Hermiston, Ore.
GRACE ORLENA KUYKENDALL (8), the fourth in the family of Dr. G. B. Kuykendall and wife, E. J. Kuykendall, was born and reared in Pomeroy, Wash. She graduated in the high school and became prominent in church work, in the young people's societies of the church, and took an active part in the music of the church and became an excellent pianist and singer.
She married Gilman C. Start, who was, at the time, in the real estate and abstract business in Pomeroy, Wash. They lived in Pomeroy six years, then went to Sunnyside, Wash., where they have lived since. They have one son, Eldred Willard Start (9), born Dec. 13, 1902. He is a student in school at Sunnyside, Wash.
GEORGE VIVIAN (8), the son of George Benson and Eliza J. Kuykendall, married Miss Hazel Hobson, of Portland, Ore., daughter of Jesse Hobson and Mary Blair.
She was born January 10, 1889. They have two children:
Dorris Gale (9), born Sept. 26, 1911, in Portland, Ore., and Lois Jane (9), born June 24, 1914, in Portland, Ore.
When a young boy George became much interested in telegraphy. He and some neighboring boys stretched wires between their homes procured telegraph instruments, and with these practiced until they learned to send messages, and George soon became a competent operator. He has been for a good many years with the Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation Co., and is the Chief Operator in the office at 1201 Wells Fargo Building, Portland, Ore.
WILLIAM B. (8), sixth in the family of G. B. and E. J. Kuykendall, was born in Pomeroy, Wash., Oct. 26, 1883. He received his education in the schools and High School of Pomeroy, and afterward taught in the schools of the county round about. Later he engaged in the insurance and real estate business, in Pomeroy, and at the same time has been engaged in the study of law. He is a member of the Pomeroy Commercial Club, in which body he is
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active. He is also a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Pomeroy Orchestra. He married Bessie Belle Owsley of Pomeroy, July 16, 1907. They have two daughters: Dorothy Beth, born June 25, 1908, and Jean Lucile, born June 23, 1912.
HUBERT JOHN (8), seventh in the family of Dr. G. B. Kuykendall and wife Eliza, was born in Pomeroy, Wash., January 18, 1885, and was reared in the town and county of his birth. He attended the schools of his native town. He was early trained in the drug store of his father, and later entered the store of his brother, C. E. Kuykendall. He married Miss Nellie E. Halterman, daughter of Ephraim and Elizabeth Halterman, of Pomeroy, on January 18, 1909. They live in Pomeroy, Wash., where he owns and operates the "Service Tire Shop." He is an active member of the Commercial Club and belongs to the Knights of Pythias.
They have one son, John Hubert, born October 25, 1910.
BESSIE ELOISE (8), is the youngest child of Dr. and Mrs. G. B. Kuykendall. She was born March 29, 1887, in Pomeroy, where she has lived, and where she attended the schools of the city. She early evinced a taste for music, and having a voice that favored her tastes in the musical line, she has had considerable training in voice culture, and at the same time in the use of the piano. She has taught music for several years.
Going back now to the family of John Kuykendall (6), son of Henry, we find his second son was JOHN WESLEY (7), born Aug. 12, 1844.
His biography appears in another part of this volume.
He married twice. His first wife was Miss Jane Farris, to whom he was married in Southern Oregon, Nov. 1, 1871. She lived only a few years; had no children.
He married the second time, Miss Marilla Pierce, November 10, 1878. They had eight children, three of whom died young.
Of those who lived to mature years, the eldest, Jesse Delman, received an excellent education, learned the printer's trade and for some years engaged in the newspaper business, but later felt impressed that he ought to give up other work and enter the ministry, and accepted a pastorate at Victor, Ia., 1917, in the Congregational church. He married Miss (???), and they have one child, Bilee Marie (9), born March 13, 1917, at Victor, Ia.
OLIVE MALINDA (8), the third in the family of J. W. Kuykendall and Marilla Pierce Kuykendall, was born Sept. 21, 1882. She married Clayton D. Murphy, Nov. 6, 1905. They have one daughter, Elizabeth (9), born Sept. 17, 1912. The family lives in Santa Clara, Cal.
RALPH SIMPSON (8), son of J. W. Kuykendall and Marilla Pierce Kuykendall, was born April 12, 1885. He received his education in the common schools of California, and in Santa Clara College and Stanford University, California. He was with his brother, Jesse D., in the newspaper business for some time. Last year Ralph S. was working with the California History Survey.
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MAY LILLIAN (8), daughter of John Wesley and Marilla Kuykendall, was born June 9, 1892, and married Edward L. Wilson, Nov. 3, 1913.
They have one child, Dorothy May (9), born Aug. 29, 1916. They live in the suburbs of San Jose, Cal. Edward L. has been for some time past in the employ of the San Jose Engraving Co.
GRACE WILLIS (8), the last daughter of John Wesley and Marilla Pierce Kuykendall, was born March 29, 1896. She was educated at the schools at College Place, San Jose, Cal. She is a trained nurse in the employ of the State Hospital at Agnew, Cal.
The fourth in the family of John Kuykendall (6), son of Henry (5), (1785), was SARAH ISABEL (7), born October 19, 1848, in Monroe, Wis.
She went with her parents to Oregon in the year 1852, arriving at Portland the day she was three years old, Oct. 19. She received her education at Umpqua Academy, in Douglas county, Southern Oregon.
She had a bright mind, high ideals and a very loveable disposition. She married a dentist, Benjamin Richardson Freeland, 1866. He was born April 1, 1832, and died Jan. 28, 1907. She died March 24, 1887.
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They had eight children, five daughters and three sons. Their first son, FRANK MELVIN (8), was born Sept. 22, 1868, and died in Ogden, Utah, in the year 1890.
WALTER BENJAMIN (8), second son of Benj. R. Freeland and Belle Kuykendall Freeland, was born March 22, 1874, and married Jannette Reeser, Dec. 25, 1899.
They had one daughter, Constance Marie.
ROY ELWOOD FREELAND (8), third son of Benjamin and Belle Freeland, was born Feb. 22, 1879. He was married twice. First to Etta (???), from whom he was divorced, and he then married Miss Freda Carpenter, Oct. 23, 1910.
NELLIE ALICE (8), the first daughter of Sarah Isabel K. Freeland and Benjamin R. Freeland, was born April 25, 1871, married Brandenburg Pierce.
ETHEL BELL (8), second daughter of Sarah I. Freeland and Benjamin R. Feeland, was born June 22, 1877. She married George M. Vanatta. Their children were Anna Belle (9), Melvin Royal (9).
MABEL EUDORA (8), third daughter of Benjamin R. and Sarah Isabel Freeland, was born Oct. 7, 1881, and married Roy Prager. They have no children. They have for the most of the time resided in San Francisco, Cal.
ELVA (8), fourth daughter of Sarah Isabel Freeland and Benjamin R. Freeland, was born Dec. 7, 1883. She married C. L. Huntington. They have no children.
BELLE (8), the fifth daughter of Sarah Isabel Kuykendall Freeland and Benjamin Freeland, was born March 11, 1887, in
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Canby, Ore. Within two weeks her mother died and was buried in the Canby cemetery. Left an orphan and helpless infant, she was adopted by Rev. A. C., Fairchild and wife, and given the name of Belle Fairchild. Mrs. Fairchild was sister of the baby's father.
CHARLES KUYKENDALL (7), son of John and Malinda Stark Kuykendall, was born at Wilbur, Ore., Jan. 10, 1853. He attended school at Umpqua Academy. A few years later he went to Eastern Washington and lived for several years in Columbia and Garfield counties, but later went to Montana, where he had a farm, about nine miles from Horse Plains. He was accidentally drowned in Thompson's river, near his own residence, and was buried in the cemetery at Horse Plains. He never married.
WILLIAM KUYKENDALL (7), is the seventh in the family of John Kuykendall. He was born at the old home at Wilbur, Ore., March 1, 1855, received his education at the Umpqua Academy. He married Miss Mary Alysom, who was born near Scottsburg, Ore., Nov. 12, 1857. He studied medicine and graduated at the Lane Medical College, San Francisco, Cal. He had eight children, four sons and four daughters, two of the daughters died. Nellie died Aug. 12, 1884, when two years old, and Ada Olive died March 16, 1898, when not quite sixteen years old.
Dr. William Kuykendall has resided for many years at Eugene. Ore., where he has practiced medicine and surgery. He is owner of the Eugene Hospital, where most of his surgery is done. He is surgeon for the Oregon & California Railroad, and Grand Physician for the Women of Woodcraft. For some years he took some part in politics, and was elected State Senator, and President of the Senate. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and of several fraternal orders.
William Alysom (8), first son of William and Mary Ada Kuykendall, was born at Fort Simcoe, Wash., April 18, 1877. He attended school in the counties where he lived, and at the University of Oregon, at Eugene. He learned the business of pharmacy and drugs, and established a drug store in Eugene, Ore., where he still has a flourishing business. He married Miss Abigail Hemenway, at Eugene, Dec. 26, 1898, and they have two children:
Helene Kuykendall (9), born Sept. 6, 1899, at Eugene, Ore.
Jean Alysom (9), born June 14, 1911, at Eugene, Ore.
Delman Vernon (8), second son of William and Mary Ada Kuykendall, was born at Wilbur, Ore., Aug. 13, 1878. He attended school first at Drain, Ore., and then at Eugene, Ore., and graduated at the State University. Later he studied law at Georgetown University, Washington, D. C. He married Miss Anne Rozelle Mires, Dec. 24, 1905. They have three children:
John Kuykendall (9), born Feb. 8, 1907, at Klamath Falls, Ore.
William (9), born Oct. 13, at Klamath Falls. Ore.
Delman Vernon, Jr., (9), born April 27, 1911, Klamath Falls, Oregon.
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After his graduation and admission to the bar, Delman V. located at Klamath Falls and began practice, and has remained there since. Upon the death of Judge George Nolan, in October, 1915, he was appointed by Governor Withycombe as Circuit Judge, for the Thirteenth District, Oregon, his appointment having been recommended by the unanimous vote of the Klamath Bar Association. When his appointed term expired, he was elected to the same position.
Sibyl Estelle Kuykendall (8), daughter of William and Mary Kuykendall, was born Sept. 1, 1880. She married Robert Emory Smith, Oct. 2, 1906.
He was born Feb. 11, 1880, at Minneapolis, Minn. The children of Robert E.
Smith and Sibyl Estelle Smith are:
Dorothy Alysom Smith (9), born Aug. 16, 1907, at Scanlon, Minn.
Robert William (9), born May 29, 1910, at Eugene, Ore.
John Eberle (8), son of William and Mary Ada Kuykendall, was born May 31, 1885, and married Miss Winnifred Hadley, who was born Dec. 17, 1884. He graduated at the University of Oregon, Eugene, studied medicine and graduated at Lane Medical College, San Francisco, Cal. He has been associated with his father in the practice of medicine and surgery in Eugene, Ore. They have an extensive practice in the city and surrounding country. At present he is in the service of his country as Captain of an Ambulance Corps, and is now at Camp Lewis, Wash., likely to be sent to France very soon.
Mabel (8), the youngest daughter in the family of Dr. William Kuykendall and wife, Mary Ada Kuykendall, was born June 26, 1886. She attended the public schools of Eugene, Ore., and the University of Oregon. She married R. D.
McCarty in the fall of 1916, and resides in Portland, Ore., where Mr. McCarty is in business. They have no children.
Robert Benson (8), the youngest son of Dr. William Kuykendall, was born Aug.
16, 1891, in Eugene, Ore. He attended the schools of the city and graduated from the University of Oregon and studied law at Columbia University. He lately enlisted in the army, and has been made Lieutenant of Field Artillery.
He is not married.
HENRY CLAY (7), the eighth in the family of John Kuykendall and Malinda Stark, was born Sept. 30, 1856, at Wilbur, Or. He married Miss Nettie Thrush, Sept.
23, 1867, in Santa Rosa, Cal. She was born at Fort Madison, Ind. The children of Henry Kuykendall and Nettie Thrush Kuykendall were:
Ernest L. (8), born Jan. 2, 1882, at Inglenook, Cal.
Pearl (8), born Feb. 6, 1885, at Inglenook, Cal.
Carl (8), born July 28, 1892, at Lodi, Cal.
Ora (8), born May 8, 1894, at Oleta, Cal.
Henry Clay Kuykendall was a very skilful mechanic and had marked ability at drawing and sketching as well at painting. He
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was injured while in the employ of the Standard Electric Co. of Cal. This injury he never fully recovered from, and probably it had much to do in shortening his life. He died Aug. 4, 1913.
Part of his family have continued to live at the place he owned at the time of his death.
PEARL KUYKENDALL (8), daughter of Henry Kuykendall and wife Nettie Thrush, married W. L. Parrish, Feb. 14, 1910, in Oakland, Cal. They have one son, Walter L. (9), born(???)
CELESTIA FLORENCE (7), daughter of John and Malinda Kuykendall, was born May 15, 1858, at Wilbur, Oregon. She was educated at the Umpqua Academy, Douglas county, Oregon, and married Abner Pickering, at Fort Simcoe, Wash., May 30, 1879.
Abner Pickering was born July 11, 1854, in Wabash county, Indiana. He was the son of Hiram and Margaret (Jackson) Pickering.
He graduated from the U. S. Military Academy at West Point, N. Y., 1878, and was appointed 2nd Lieutenant of Infantry. Is now Colonel of the 11th U. S.
Infantry. He served in Cuba, the Philippine Islands, and in the United States.
Soon after his graduation he was sent with the command that removed to the Yakima Indian Reservation, Washington, the remnants of the Piutes and other sub-tribes that had been conquered by the U. S. troops. They were taken to the Yakima agency, in the dead of winter. When they reached Fort Simcoe the snow was very deep and the troops were ordered to remain in camp near the Fort.
While stationed here young Pickering became acquainted with Miss Lessie Kuykendall, sister of Dr. G. B. Kuykendall, who was then physician at Fort Simcoe. A mutual attachment sprang up between the young people and they were married May 13, 1879, the wedding taking place at the residence of Dr.
Kuykendall.
The children of Celestia Florence Kuykendall Pickering are:
Woodell Abner (8), born Oct. 22, 1880, at Walla Walla, Wash.
Celestia Yetive (8), born May 14, 1882, at Coeur d'Alene, Ida.
John Kuykendall (8), born April 22, 1885, at Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
Margaret Mauree (8), born Sept. 10, 1890, at Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.
Woodell Abner (8), was appointed to the U. S. Marine Corps, Oct. 21, 1900, and held that position until Sept. 17, 1912, when he resigned as Captain and entered the service of the "Westinghouse Co." (New England) in the position of "Charge of Buildings and Grounds," place of business at Springfield, Mass. He was called to go to France in the service of his country, and his regiment was just embarking to sail, when he received the news of his mother's death. It was a terrible grief to him to go without seeing her again, but he stayed by his duty and went with his regiment. They safely landed in France, and at the present writing is on the Western Front.
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John Kuykendall (8), son of Abner Pickering and Celestia Florence Pickering, married Camille Glubetich; at Manila, Philippine Islands, Nov. 30, 1911, and they have one daughter, Diana (9), born in 1912, in Manila, P. I.
John K. Pickering was in charge of the Philippine Exhibit, in San Francisco, beginning January, 1915, returning to the Philippines during the summer, he being deputy Auditor of the Philippine Islands.
When the United States declared this country to be in a state of war against Germany, John Kuykendall Pickering returned from Manila, Philippine Islands, to enter the service as Captain in the Quartermaster's Department, at Atlanta, Ga. He arrived home the day his mother took sick with her last illness, and remained with her until the end.
CELESTIA YETIVE PICKERING (8), married Captain M. C. Smith, 14th Cavalry, U.
S. A., Nov. 6, 1907. They have four children, viz.:
Celestia Mauree, James, Catherine Yetive and Matthew.
MARGARET MAUREE PICKERING (8) married Lieut. Frank Cadle Mahin, Sept. 25, 1913 at Washington, D. C. They have twin daughters, Margaret Celestia and Anne Yetive, born June 2, 1915, in Philippine Islands.
Colonel Abner Pickering was in all the Spanish-American war, and was also in the Philippine disturbances, serving alternately there and in Cuba for periods of two years in each field, from the beginning of the outbreak of hostilities.
EDDY WILBUR (7), son of John and Malinda Kuykendall was born at Wilbur, Oregon, Sept. 30, 1865. He received his education at the Umpqua Academy, married Mrs. Belle Keves, and lived for several years in the Rogue River Valley in Southern Oregon at Wolf Creek, where he had a large and valuable tract of land. He sold his interests there and went to Roseburg, Oregon, where he lived for several years and was in business. Later he went to Los Angeles.
He afterwards went to Chicago, and where he now lives, 1918. He never had any children.
We now return to the children of Henry Kuykendall (5), son of John Kuykendall (4), baptized 1741, at Walpack, N. J.
Lucretia (6), the fifth in the family, was born Feb. 16, 1822, near Terre Haute, Vigo county, Indiana, and married Elisha Ping, in Vigo county, Ind. He was born March 13, 1819. They were married 1840 and moved to Wisconsin a few years later, where they resided until 1852, when they crossed the plains with the Kuykendall company from Monroe, Wisconsin. They settled near Cole's Valley, in Douglas county, Oregon. The children of Lucretia Kuykendall Ping and Elisha Ping were:
Sarah Elizabeth (7), born Dec. 25, 1841, Vigo county, Ind.
Jemima Ann (7), born April 25, 1843, Vigo county, Ind.
Robert E. (7), was born Jan. 24, 1848, Vigo county, Ind.
Frank Edwin (7), was born March 9, 1856, Douglas county, Ore.
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Julia Lutitia (7), was born Feb. 10, 1857, in Douglas county, Oregon.
SARAH ELIZABETH (7), daughter of Lucretia and Elisha Ping, and granddaughter of Henry Kuykendall, married George W. Miller, in Oregon, and they had six children, all of whom are useful and prominent citizens. Their eldest was Chester Franklin, born Jan. 6, 1860, in Columbia county, Washington, studied law and was admitted to practice, and for many years he has been identified with the legal profession in Columbia county. He has served three terms as District Judge of the state district in which he lives, and his decisions have been almost invariably upheld by the Supreme Court.
He married Annette Clarkson Dorr, May 24, 1888, and they have six children, all girls: Haidee Dorothy, born May 6, 1889; Sarah Ellen, born Jan. 6, 1891; Hilda Mary, born Feb. 20, 1897; Conchita Cathleen, born Sept. 13, 1900; Luneta Florence, born Oct. 26, 1902; Alice Celeste, born Oct. 26, 1904. All born in Columbia county, Wash.
JESSE GRANT MILLER (8), son of Sarah E. Kuykendall Miller and Geo. W. Miller and grandson of Lucretia Kuykendall Ping, and brother of Judge Chester F.
Miller, graduated at the State University of Oregon, at Eugene, Oregon. He returned to Eastern Washington and was for several years Receiver at the land office at Walla Walla, Wash. Both, Judge and his brother Jesse Grant, have interesting and refined families.
Another brother, Fred. Lincoln Miller is a prominent farmer and stock raiser in Garfield county, Washington. The other brothers are men of business and standing in the communities in which they live.
JEMIMA ANN (7), the second daughter of Lucretia Kuykendall Ping, married twice. The second time to Simon Critchfield, by whom she had three daughters, Ida May, Prudence and Maude, and a son, Wilbur, born Nov. 17, 1875. All born and raised in Columbia county, Washington.
ROBERT E. (7), son of Lucretia Kuykendall Ping and Elisha Ping, married Margaret A. Payne, who was born in Oregon, 1852. They had eleven children, born in Columbia and Garfield counties, Washington, most of whom still reside in Eastern Washington.
FRANK EDWIN PING (7), son of Lucretia Ping, and Elisha Ping, married Mary Isabel Jones, who was born in Oregon, 1857. They had eight children, three sons and five daughters. Some of these live in Idaho and others in the State of Washington. Frank Edwin Ping resides about seven miles from Wenatchee, Wash., where he has a fruit ranch, and is engaged in fruit raising.
JULIA LUTITIA PING (7), youngest daughter of Lucretia and Elisha Ping was born, as seen above, Feb. 10, 1857, and married Franklin Pierce Cartwright, who was born in Ohio, July 5, 1854. He died in Walla Walla, Washington, March 28, 1907. He was a
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mechanic and builder. There were three sons and five daughters born in the family.
Bessie, born March 28, 1883; Eda, born June 1, 1885; Maude, born Dec. 19, 1886; Chester, born Dec. 26, 1887; Edward, born Sept. 17, 1889; Gladys, born May 30, 1891; Eloise, born June 21, 1895; John, born(???)
JAMES WESLEY (6) and SARAH ELLEN (6) twins, son and daughter of Henry Kuykendall (5) and Sarah Smith Kuykendall were born June 14, 1836, at the old homestead on Sugar Creek, in Vigo county, Indiana. He was married twice; first to America Smith, by whom he had a son and daughter; James Wesley, Jr. (7), born, date not at hand. Olive (7), born, date not at hand. The writer has little data concerning the son and daughter of "Wesley Kuykendall." They reside somewhere in the vicinity of Sanford, Indiana.
James Wesley Kuykendall had few opportunities for acquiring an education.
Early in life he travelled a good deal in the west. He, to a considerable extent, made up by reading and observation, what he lost by failure to get to go to school. When the Civil War began he enlisted in Company E., 11th Regiment, Sixth Indiana Volunteer Cavalry. He was in a number of battles and skirmishes. While in the service as an orderly, on the staff of General Stoneman, he was ordered to locate a certain battery, and was injured by the explosion of a shell fired in the battle of Sandtown Crossroads, in 1865. This injury disabled him so that he was discharged on the certificate of his surgeon.
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He was one of the first to go to Colorado after the discovery of gold at Pike's Peak.
He made quite extensive study of mines, minerals and mineralogy, and was engaged in mining one way and another for over forty years. At one time he was well situated financially, but through the fall of silver and other causes, he was caught in the pinch of financial depression and lost his fortune. Through failing health he was never able to recoup, and remained a poor man until death. He was almost seventy-seven years old when he died. While in the Civil War he was in the habit of keeping a diary and had written a history of Stoneman's Raid, which he had hoped to publish, but circumstances prevented.
He was deeply interested in the genealogy and history of the Kuykendall family, and read with pleasure and deep interest everything pertaining to the history of Holland, the ancient home of the K ancestors.
In writing me, in regard to the European ancestry of the Kuykendalls he said:
"The Kuykendalls lived in Holland as early as Charles the fifth of Spain, and during the reign of Philip II, about 350 years ago they furnished many soldiers who stood against the terrible oppressions of the Spaniard. As you will remember, Holland was then the strongest nation on earth, having greater possessions than Rome ever had. Our grand little country, Holland, stuck to Spain through a war of nearly a hundred years and wore her out, and started a republic of her own."
J. W. Kuykendall married twice. The first marriage was to Miss America Smith, and to this union there were born two children, a son and a daughter. Both grew up and married. He married the second time to Miss Blanche L. Jarboe, who was born in Louisville, Ky., Feb. 1, 1870, and lived in that state until she was thirteen years old. Her ancestors, on her mother's side, were Protestant Huguenots, and on her father's side were Catholics. Her paternal grandmother was of the Spauldings, of Kentucky, that gave the Catholic church several prelates and archbishops. When thirteen years old, she went to Indiana, where she attended the Asbury University. Afterward she taught school, and later went West with a younger sister, where she met, for the first time, Mr.
Kuykendall, who was destined to be her husband. This meeting took place at Colorado Springs, in June, 1888. Four years later there were married at Canyon City, Colo., Jan. 4, 1892. Although she was twenty-seven years younger than he, their married life was happy. She stood loyally by him through prosperity and adversity, and during his last long, painful sickness did everything in her power to cheer him and alleviate his sufferings. She still lives in Denver, Colorado.
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CHAPTER XII.
DESCENDANTS OF JACOB KUYKENDALL (2)--Continued.
We have now traced most of the descendants of Johannes (4), baptized 1741, son of Jacob, down to the living generations of today. It remains to give an account of the other members of Jacob's family, so far as we are able to trace and identify them.
JACOBUS (3), son of Jacob Kuykendall, was baptized Aug. 19, 1716, at Deerpark, N. Y., as shown in the Reformed Church records. He grew up at the old home of his father, at the Minisink Islands and married Alida Dingman, a daughter of one of the earliest settlers at Dingman's Ferry, on the Delaware. James had three children, who were baptized in the old Walpack church, as follows:
Sarah (4), baptized Sept. 12, 1742.
Abram (4), baptized Jan. 13, 1745.
Jacob (4), baptized July 12, 1747.
We have no further account of these children in that part of the country. The family went to Virginia, probably the summer following the baptism of Jacob.
While it is supposed James went to Virginia, it is not probable he remained there permanently, for he acquired a considerable estate in New Jersey before his death. He seems to have been a man of energy and business capability. That he died in New Jersey is shown in his will, which at the time this chapter was first written, was not known to be in existence. The will was proved April 8, 1746. A notation of it is found in the "Archives of New Jersey, Vol. XXX, page 286. It designates him as "Jacobus Kookendall" of Walpack, Morris County, N.
J., yeoman. It provides that his mother, "Sarah Kuykendall, is to be maintained out of the estate during her widowhood. œ200 to be divided equally, after ten years, among seven of his brothers and sisters, viz.: Margaret Free, Dena Decker, Marica Fanning, Nathaniel, Christina, and Sarah Kookendall. His wife, Aleday, and his children, Jacob, Sarah, and Abraham, to have equally the rest of the estate. The executors to be my uncle, Peter Kookendall, living at Fishkill, Orange County, N. Y., and Samuel Green, of Grinedge Township, Morris County, N. J."
The witnesses were Adam Dingmanse and Andrus Dingman. Proved April 8, 1746.
This will reveals the fact that Jacob Kuykendall, the father of James, had a daughter, Sarah, whose name is not found in the old Dutch church baptismal registers. Also that his daughter Marica (Marretjen) married a man named Fanning. It shows also that his mother was a widow and that therefore his father, Jacob Kuykendall, was dead. As he is known to have been living not long before, he must have died very recently. Since the wife of Jacobus was Alida Dingman, the witnesses to his will were undoubtedly of her family, and probably one of them was her father-in-law.
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Diana (3), second daughter of Jacob Kuykendall was baptized Jan. 28, 1719. She married John, or Jan Decker. The Deckers were well known very early pioneer settlers of the country. The first child of John Decker and Diana Kuykendall was baptized Oct. 19, 1743, and was named Barbara. Baptism took place at the Walpack church.
The records in Hampshire country, Virginia, clearly identify John Decker and Diana, a few years later as living on the South Branch of the Potomac, not far from Romney. He owned considerable tracts of land, and had several children at the time of his death.
There is a very interesting account on record at Romney, W. Va., that has in it phases of tragedy as well as romance, connected with Barbara Decker, eldest daughter of John Decker. The story will be found elsewhere in this volume.
Marretjen (3), the fifth in the family of Jacob Kuykendall, was baptized Oct.
22, 1721, at Kingston, N. Y. Marretjen, as explained before, is for the English name, Mary.
BENJAMIN (3), sixth in the family of Jacob Kuykendall was baptized at Kingston, New York, Sept. 11, 1723. When he was about 21 or 22 years old his people moved to Virginia, and settled in what afterwards became Hampshire county, W. Va. He and his brothers, John, Abraham and Nathaniel all had farms on the South Branch of the Potomac, near Romney. During the great Indian uprisings and war in 1755 and 1756 all of them were living there near each other, and later sold to the militia, corn, pork, wheat and beef. Some time before 1775, Benjamin moved to land he had entered on the Monongahela at the mouth of Peter's Creek, in Pa. When the Kuykendalls moved there they supposed they were still in Virginia, for the courts for all that section were held under the jurisdiction of that state. The line between Virginia had not been legally established.
Benjamin's wife was Sarah Ferree. The name was variously spelled Fere, Ferree, Freer and La Fever. The family came to America to escape persecution on account of their Protestant faith.
The first time Benjamin's name appears in the court records, was Feb. 22, 1775, and from that time on for several years, his name is found frequently.
He was for a number of years, one of the Justices that formed the court of the District of Augusta. During most of that time there was no established place of holding courts, and they were held at the homes of private parties. In 1776, in December, "Benjamin Kirkendall" was sworn in as Justice of the Court and from that time until near his death his name is frequently found connected with some kind of public business.
The early settlers had great difficulty in procuring salt for the use of their families, and the price ran up at times to an extravagant figure. There was actually distress at times because of its scarcity. In September of 1777 it was "Ordered that Benjamin Kuykendall, Esq., be authorized to have the 'public salt,' now lying
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at Israel Thompson's brought up, etc." When he had previously lived in Virginia, the settlers there had experienced great scarcity of salt at times, and a bushel of common salt was worth as much as a cow.
When the first court house was built in Washington county, Pa., Benjamin Kuykendall was an active promoter of the enterprise. Late in the fall of 1777 they had gotten up a new log building in which to hold court. October 27, it was getting to be rather cold for sessions in an open log structure, and there was no way to heat the house. On the 30th, Benjamin Kuykendall, with two others, were appointed to have built "a stone chimney in the court house and "goal," (jail)(???)and to have the court room chunked and plastered, also a good loft of clapboards, with a window in each "glebe" (gable), with four "pains" of glass, ten inches by eight, and the Goal room plastered." Windows with such small "pains" as these, would be rather miserable lights. Next fall found the court house still not "chunked and daubed," or the chunking had been knocked out, for Benjamin was on a committee again to have the matter attended to. At one of the sessions of court, when Benjamin was one of the Justices, there was authorized to be erected a pillory and whipping post, and also a ducking stool. These things were considered the proper machinery to aid in the enforcement of law, as punishments. The ducking stool was used mostly for scolding, termagant women, and was said to be effective, and work beautifully.
Benjamin Kuykendall prospered in business, became prominent in public and social affairs. He owned mills, farms, stock, large tracts of land, and was considered wealthy, as wealth was rated those days. His death occurred Oct.
18, 1789, when he was 67 years of age. His wife, Sarah Ferree, died Aug. 12, 1802, when she was 62 years old, as stated on their tombstones. Before his death he made a will, Sept. 6, in which he mentions eleven children, Moses, Benjamin, Nathaniel, Mary, Elizabeth, Susannah, Sarah, Margaret, Christina, Rebecca and Annotcky. Most of the children afterwards went to Kentucky, and the names of several of the daughters are found on the Kentucky marriage records at Louisville. Moses lived in Kentucky until his death. He was a prominent pioneer, had an active part in the Revolutionary War.
Benjamin himself had a tract of land "on the Kentucky river, forty miles above its mouth," as stated in his will. This was bequeathed to his daughters. He gave his land on Raccoon Creek, near where he lived, to his youngest daughter, Annotcky. To Benjamin, Jr., he gave "Negro Sam," to "youngest son, Nathaniel" a mulatto man, "Ned," and "Negro wench Nancy" was given to the mother of the children.
CHRISTINA (3), seventh of the family of Jacob Kuykendall (1683), was born at Minisink and baptized at the church there, Feb. 12, 1727. We have no further account of her.
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CHAPTER XIII.
NATHANIEL KUYKENDALL (1st) AND DESCENDANTS.
Nathaniel Kuykendall (3), son of Jacob Kuykendall, was born at Minisink, New Jersey, and baptized at Kingston, New York, Oct. 6, 1728. His father, Jacob, was baptized 1683, and his grandfather, Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal was baptized May 29, 1650.
Nathaniel grew to manhood in the old home in Delaware valley, and went with his parents to Virginia. His career indicates that he was a man of intelligence and force of character. The record shows that he purchased land from Lord Fairfax, the deed for which bore the date of June 15, 1749. There are several deeds yet in existence that were given to Kuykendalls of that region, bearing the same date. In those early days supply points for the settlers were quite remote and only reached by means of "horse paths." Every fall the neighbors fitted out among themselves a "caravan," or what would these days in the west be called a large "pack train," to go to Baltimore, Maryland, for supplies.
For several years there were no serious difficulties with the Indians, but later, when the French and Indian wars were started up, general hostilities began, and for years afterwards, the Kuykendalls and their neighbors lived in almost constant anticipation of outbreaks during the summer time. Often women and children were put in peril of the tomahawk and scalping knife, and not a few of their neighbors were murdered, or were captured and had to endure indescribable tortures.
There was one renegade chief, who hung around in the valley, "Old Killbuck" they called him. Before the war, he pretended to be very friendly with the whites, and was very well treated by them. He had been in their houses, over their places, and knew every nook and corner, and understood the strength and weakness of the settlers for defense.
When the war broke out in 1755, the old scamp proved to be a traitor to his white friends, and became a wily and most dangerous enemy, who aided the "wild Indians" in their devilment against the whites. All along from 1754 to 1764 and after, the settlers had only short "breathing spells" free from Indian disturbances, until after the Revolutionary War, a period of twenty-five years, during which the country was in a state of turmoil from Indian hostilities.
Hampshire county was cut off from Frederick, and the first court was held in the new county, in December, 1756. Nathaniel Kuykendall was one of the Justices when he was only twenty-eight years old. He was no doubt the youngest member on the bench. He owned at various times numerous large tracts of land and property of various kinds, as shown by the old county records, and was one of the leading men in the community. All through the Revolutionary War, he and his brothers, John, Benjamin and
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James stood firm for the American cause, and were out and out against Toryism.
The first census of Virginia was taken in 1782, shows that the Kuykendall brothers and their relatives nearly all owned a few Negroes.
In those days tobacco was generally cultivated, and the Negroes were used in the tobacco fields, or plantations as they were then called.
The home of Nathaniel Kuykendall 1st, was on the South Branch of the Potomac river about six miles above Romney, Virginia, now W. Va. His farm adjoined that of his uncle, Matthew,
which was immediately above his, on the "river bottom." His brother Johannes' place was on the opposite side of the river from Matthew and Nathaniel. The old places are still very beautiful and fertile, after cultivation for over one hundred and seventy years, without much, if any, artificial fertilization.
Nathaniel Kuykendall died March 18, 1796, and was buried on his farm, a short distance back from the river, overlooking the valley, the river and the mountain beyond. There are, in the cemetery, a few other graves, besides his own, marked by slabs of the dark stone found along the river, in that vicinity. A picture of the ancient burial place is shown on this page.
Nathaniel Kuykendall 1st, had six children, as shown below:
Abraham (4), born (no date), went to Indiana 1800-1804.
Isaac (4), born July 31, 1766, and died in 1845.
Jacob (4), born Oct. 31, 1770, died Sept. 9, 1833.
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Sarah (4), (no date of birth), married Adam Harness.
Katherine (4), (no date of birth), married George Fisher.
Blondius (4), (no date of birth), married Jeremiah Claypool. All of these were born in Hampshire county, Va.
Abraham and Jacob went to Indiana as early as 1800-1804, and stayed for a time at or near Vincennes, on the Wabash river, then went across the river and took land in Illinois, not far from Enfield.
Abraham had a large family, many of whom died young, and were buried in the old "Kuykendall Cemetery" near by, which still remains.
Isaac, son of Nathaniel 1st, was born in the valley of the South Branch of the Potomac, and was brought up in times when the primitive log school house was the educational institution in the land.
He married a Jane Calvin, who was born March, 1777, and died May 19, 1853.
Isaac was a very plain, outspoken man with a strong and striking personality.
He was prominent among the early settlers of the valley, and was connected with various business enterprises. Was Captain of local militia, a man of energy. He assisted his father, Nathaniel, in building turnpike roads and stone buildings. When he was about twenty-eight years of age he and his father erected a substantial stone house, on the South Branch of the Potomac, about four miles above Romney, that is yet in good state of preservation and forms a good residence. They built other stone structures in the valley in various places. Isaac had a large family of children that grew up and became respected citizens and left their mark upon the social, business and intellectual development of the country.
Jacob Kuykendall, son of Nathaniel, was born, as shown in the old family Bible, in Hampshire county, Virginia, Oct. 31, 1770, and died near Vincennes, Indiana, Sept. 9, 1833. He married Catherine Decker, who was born Feb. 29, 1776, and who died 1839. Jacob took up the profession of medicine and practiced about Vincennes and the country near by.
He helped to organize the "First Medical Society of Indiana," June 5, 1827, at which time he was elected its treasurer. Dr. Hiram Decker was a member of the same medical society, and as Dr. Jacob Kuykendall's wife was named Decker before marriage, Drs. Kuykendall and Decker were probably brothers-in-law. Dr.
Jacob Kuykendall and his wife were members of the "Indiana Presbyterian Church," but changed their membership to the church in Vincennes, by letter to the "Vincennes First Church," at which time he was made an elder. He died the September following.
A "Historical Atlas of Indiana," published 1876, says:
"In 1807, an act was passed by the General Assembly of the Territory of Indiana, for the incorporation of the University at Vincennes." The first board of trustees named in the instrument
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of incorporation was headed by Gen. W. H. Harrison, followed by twelve others, among whom were Jacob Kuykendall and Luke Decker."
"These men had large and liberal ideas of education, and they reflected the true spirit of the ordinance of 1789."
It will be seen from the above that the Decker family, whose destinies had been linked with those of the Kuykendalls nearly a hundred years before in the valleys of the Hudson and Delaware rivers, continued to be united in the valley of the Wabash. Jacob Kuykendall had several children, but so far as is known, there is not a single living representative left on the male side.
The following comprises a summary of what we know of Dr. Jacob Kuykendall and descendants.
Jacob Kuykendall was born in Hampshire county, Va., Octo. 31, 1770, and Catherine Decker was born Feb. 29, 1776. They were married April 2, 1799.
Jacob died September, 1833, and his wife, September, 1839, both at Vincennes.
The children were:
Eliza, born March 10, 1802, died June 18, 1844.
Sarah, born August 3, 1806, (no date of death).
John, born Jan. 22, 1810, died 1833, never married.
Hannah, born August 11, 1811, died young, no record.
Wm. Thornton, March 13, 1816, died June 18, 1863, in Union Army.
There was a Mrs. Eliza Decker who was a member of the Presbyterian Church at Vincennes 1833, who changed her membership by letter, that year. She was a daughter of Dr. Jacob Kuykendall, and wife of Dr. Luke Decker. She had four children; Sarah Anna Decker, who never married. Catherine Decker, who married George Rathbone, who was in the banking business at Evansville, Ind., and went to N. Y. state where he died in 1902. His wife died at Clifton Springs, N. Y.
Wm. Thornton, the only son of Dr. Jacob Kuykendall who grew to manhood, was killed in the Civil War, on the Union side. Three daughters of Wm. Thornton Kuykendall still live, viz.: Mrs. Eliza K. Johnson, St. Joseph, Mo. Mrs. Kate LeBart, Omaha, Neb. Mrs. Anna K. Wheeler, Indianapolis, Ind.
The only record we have of Abraham, brother of Dr. Jacob Kuykendall, is what was learned from his grandson, Perry C. Kuykendall, of Enfield, Ill. See his letter elsewhere.
Of the daughters of Nathaniel Kuykendall 1st, we have but little record.
SARAH, married Adam Harness, they lived on the South Branch of the Potomac, about three and a half miles above Moorefield, Hardy county, W. Va. The Harness family were early pioneers in the country there and Adam was an Indian fighter of local celebrity. He was a farmer and stock raiser, a man of prominence, and was identified with social and industrial movements of the times.
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KATHERINE, married George Fisher, who came of pioneer stock also who settled in valley in frontier times.
BLONDIUS married Jeremiah Claypool. The Claypools were of Scotch or English ancestry and blood, and at the time of the Revolutionary War some of them took sides with the English and were Tories. Tories in that region were never popular, and Gen. Washington sent a squad of soldiers from Frederick county to interview them. They were promptly converted to the American view of the situation, and were loyal afterwards.
While speaking of the Harness family it might have been said that they all descended from old Michael Harness and his wife, Jephebe, native of Pennsylvania. They were Hollanders, the same as the Kuykendalls originally were. Michael leased land of Lord Fairfax, for ninety-nine years, as did the most of the early settlers, with the privilege of buying, at the end of the time for a penny per acre. Michael and Elizabeth had a fort about three and a half miles above where Moorefield, Hardy county now is, which they built in 1744, just a little before Isaac Van Meter built Fort Pleasant. When Michael and his wife went to Virginia, Elizabeth, his daughter, rode in advance of the wagons or carts, and helped to clear the road and blaze the trees to mark the way. It is said she carried a punk-steel and tomahawk ahead of the caravan, and kindled the fires for the company. She is said to have been the first white woman that ever trod the soil of the South Branch of the Potomac. Three of old Michael's sons were scalped by the Indians. They were a daring, enterprising lot of people and had many thrilling adventures with the Indians.
There were several intermarriages between the Harnesses and the Kuykendalls, Cunninghams, and the Van Meters.
In tracing the descendants of the first Nathaniel Kuykendall (third generation, son of Jacob), the members of his family were not taken in the order of their birth, for no record was found showing the exact date of birth of any of the children except Jacob and Isaac.
Following up and tracing out the various descendants of an ancestor who lived several generations back, and trying to keep the different generations abreast, reminds one of the efforts of a person driving a large flock of sheep. In attempting to keep them even, the driver pushes forward those on one side of the flock and then goes back and brings up those that may be lagging on the other side. If he should follow on after any one lot too far, he would lose sight of the others.
So in bringing along an account of the descendants of the different branches, we must frequently turn back and bring up the record of the others.
We now go back and take up the descendants of Isaac Kuykendall of the fourth generation, son of Nathaniel first, son of Jacob, son of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal, the first American born of the family.
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The names of Isaac's children, with dates of their birth are given below, and the descendants will be followed, as we have data to do so, down to the seventh generation.
The children of Isaac Kuykendall were as follows:
Nathaniel 2nd (5), was born Sept. 25, 1796.
Jacob (5) was born Dec. 22, 1799.
John (5) was born Oct. 5, 1805.
Luke (5) was born Feb. 15, 1808.
William (5) was born Aug. 19, 1809.
Sarah (5) was born Sept. 25, 1813.
James (5) was born Oct. 6, 1816.
Susan (5) was born Feb. 14, 1821. All of these were born in Hampshire county, Virginia, (now West Virginia).
Nathaniel 2nd, son of Isaac Kuykendall, 4th generation from Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal, married Sallie Abernathy, daughter of a prominent settler in the valley. Nathaniel, during his lifetime, was one of the foremost men in the valley of the "South Branch," both in business and in relation to education, morals and in a social way.
He was closely identified with various public enterprises. He was Superintendent of the Eastern Division of the Northwestern Turnpike road, and had much to do with the construction of that great highway of the early times and the building of the bridges along its course, among these was the one across the South Branch
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of the Potomac, commonly called the "South Branch Bridge." The local papers of Romney, about one hundred and twenty years ago, contained numerous advertisements, wherein Nathaniel Kuykendall appeared as Superintendent of construction. He organized a stage line between Romney and Moorefield, and later connected it with a line from there to Parkersburg, Virginia.
The children of Nathaniel Kuykendall and Sallie Abernathy, who were grandchildren of Nathaniel 1st, were of the sixth generation. Their names and dates of their birth follow:
Isaac (6), was born Dec. 19, 1820.
William Abernathy (6), was born Aug. 17, 1822.
James (6), was born Nov. 27, 1824.
Nancy Jane (6), was born Jan. 3, 1827.
Harriet (6), was born Feb. 20, 1829.
Sarah (6), was born March 5, 1831.
Henry Clay (6), was born Oct. 7, 1833.
John (6), was born May 3, 1836.
Of the above, Isaac married twice. His first wife, Sarah Williams, had no children. His second wife was Hannah Fox, by whom he had four children, viz.:
Gabriel Fox (7), born Nov. 30, 1869, married Mary Lammiman.
Robert Lee (7), born May 3, 1871, married Hetty Alexander.
Ely Bell (7), born April 19, 1874, married Eva Munger.
Carrie Alberta (7), born April 2, 1879, married John B. Adams.
Gabriel Fox has children as follows: Alberta Irene, Clara Adala, Muriel Mae, George Fox, Raymond Lee.
Robert Lee's children are: Thelma Eldora, Ava Eloise and Loretta Bell.
Ely has one child, Charles Edwin Kuykendall, and the children of Carrie Alberta K. Adams are: Vivian Fay, Gertrude Bethel and Esther Alberta. All these latter are of the eighth generation.
William Abernathy Kuykendall (6), son of Nathaniel 2nd, married Jemima Fox, Nov. 13, 1850. She is still living (1918) at Romney, W. Va. The children of Abernathy Kuykendall and wife, Jemima Fox, are:
William Vanse (7), born Sept. 9, 1851, died Nov. 4, 1869.
Annie Wilson (7), born June 30, 1855, lives at Romney, W. Va.
Mary Hopkins (7), born July 11, 1867, married James Blackman.
David Fox (7), born Nov. 5, 1863, married Althea Combs. No children.
Harry R. (7), born April 4, 1867, married Jennie McIndoe, died May 4, 1892.
Lydia Williams (7), born Nov. 6, 1869, died Sept. 15, 1892.
George Finley (7), born April 21, 1872, married Mary Waller, died at Stewart, W. Va., left four small children.
James Kuykendall, son of Nathaniel 2nd, married Rebecca Harness, their children are found named in the list that follows:
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GEORGE HENRY (7), born May 26, 1852, who married first Jane Clark Gilkeson, by whom he had six children. His second marriage was to Miss Fanny Van Meter. Mr.
Geo. H. Kuykendall is a man of integrity, quiet and unassuming manner of refinement. He stands high in his community and church, the Presbyterian, of which he has been a member and elder for many years. He has long been connected with the State Bank at Moorefield, W. Va. His children are:
Mary Rebecca (8), born July 20, 1876, married J. H. Hannon, died 1915.
James Bell (8), born Aug. 19, 1878.
Ellen Gibson (8), born June 21, 1880.
Nathaniel White (8), born Aug. 30, 1882.
George William (8), born Aug. 27, 1884.
Clark Gilkeson (8), born Nov. 20, 1886.
Nannie Hopkins (8), born Dec. 20, 1889.
JAMES WILLIAM KUYKENDALL (7) was born Feb. 15, 1855.
SALLIE CATHERINE (7) was born Aug. 9, 1858, died March 31, 1911.
JOHN GIBSON (7) was born Sept. 22, 1860, married Floride Bowcock.
REBECCA HOPKINS (7) was born Oct. 11, 1862, married A. D. Wood.
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EDWIN HANSON (7) was born March 24, 1864, married Maude E. Grim.
James William Kuykendall (7), son of James Kuykendall and Rebecca Harness was born at Moorefield, W. Va., date as above. In early life he became a Christian and united with the Moorefield Presbyterian Church and has continued a member ever since. He has taken much interest in Home Missionary work in his own county, having served in that work as teacher and superintendent the greater part of his life. In 1871, he entered the Hoover High School of Moorefield and took a three year's course, and in 1874, won a scholarship entitling him to a year's free tuition at Washington & Lee University, which institution he entered in 1876 and took a year's course in Civil Engineering. In 1877 he won the Taylor scholarship. The same year he entered a business college in Baltimore, Md., graduating in 1878. He adopted Civil Engineering and Land Surveying as his profession, and devoted a large part of his time to this line of work, spending some time also at farming.
November 21, 1881, he married Annie
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Kate Sherrard, daughter of ex-Senator Robt. B. Sherrard. To them were born children: Robert Sherrard Kuykendall, Nov. 22, 1882, who married Mary Hale McNeill, to whom were born two daughters, viz.: Amanda McPherson Kuykendall and Mary Sherrard Kuykendall, and a son, Robert Sherrard Kuykendall Jr.
In 1885, Mr. Kuykendall was elected School Commissioner, and in 1890 was appointed President of the Board of Education, was re-elected in 1891 and has served as President of the Board for over twenty-five years. In 1893, he was appointed a member of the City Council, and has been re-elected every year since. In 1896 he became County Surveyor and has retained the position ever since. The writer made a visit to the east while gathering data for this work.
After stopping at Albany, N. Y., and at Port Jervis, N. Y., and in Sussex county, N. J., he went on to Washington City, and from there went to the "South Branch Valley" in West Virginia, the old home of his grandfather and great grandfather. There Mr. Ja's W. Kuykendall was met at his pleasant home.
Together we tramped over the old farms owned by our fathers, nearly one and three quarters centuries ago. I shall never forget the pleasure of my visit, nor the hospitality of Mr. K and his excellent wife, who has since died.
JOHN GIBSON (7), the fourth in the family of James Kuykendall and Rebecca Harness Kuykendall married Miss Floride Bowcock, April 14, 1891. He had trouble with his eyes, when sixteen years old, which prevented his attending college, after going to the common schools. He began his career in life in the retail merchandising establishment of I. H. Pancake, Romney, W. Va. At the age of twenty years he entered the wholesale shoe house of James Carey & Co., Baltimore, Md., as their traveling salesman, covering a large part of the eastern portion of West Virginia. He remained with this firm nine years, and then resigned his position, and the firm presented him an elegant gold watch in appreciation of his services. Leaving Baltimore he went to Roanoke, Va., held various clerkships and became cashier of the Exchange National Bank.
Later he became associated with Lewis, Hubbard & Co., and has remained with the firm twenty years. The children of James and Rebecca Kuykendall were fortunate in having parents of superior intelligence, refinement, and moral character, and a home of unusually pleasant surroundings.
John Gibson K was fortunate in his marriage to Miss Bowcock. Her father was a popular and successful physician, and two of her brothers followed the same profession. Dr. Matthew Bowcock is a prominent physician of Springfield, Ill.
Mrs. Kuykendall has decided musical talent and a fine mezzo-soprano voice. She had thorough training in New York City and in the New England Conservatory of Music and Boston, Mass., where she became popular in musical circles as a singer.
Mr. and Mrs. Kuykendall have two sons, James Edwin, born Aug. 30, 1893, and William Bowcock Kuykendall, born Dec. 23,
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1900. The elder of these attended the high school of Charleston, W. Va., and one year at the Lee Military Institute at Lexington, Va., and a year at Annapolis, Md. At the time of writing this, the younger son was in school, with an ambition to become a medical missionary to foreign lands.
Nathaniel White Kuykendall (8), son of George H., is a cultured gentleman and a minister of the Presbyterian Church. He is now, and has been for some years connected with the Stillman
Institute, a Presbyterian Seminary for negro preachers, where he has been Professor of Bible History, at Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
James Bell Kuykendall lives in Hardy county, W. Va.; George William lives in Charleston, W. Va., where he has been with a large wholesale shoe dealer for years. Clark Gilkeson K. lives at home with his father in Moorefield. Nannie Hopkins died when about fifteen years old. Miss Ellen Gibson Kuykendall, third in the family is a clerk in the Moorefield court house and is stenographer,
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and is very familiar with the county records, and very competent.
Going back to the family of Nathaniel Kuykendall 2nd, and Sallie Abernathy, their fourth child was Nancy Jane, who, as we have seen, was born Jan. 3, 1827. She married Robert H. Wilson, who died leaving no children. Her second marriage was to John B. Gilkeson, which took place June 3, 1857. This marriage resulted in the birth of John W. Gilkeson and Elizabeth Gilkeson. Mr. John W.
Gilkeson is a prominent and prosperous citizen of Moorefield, W. Va. He has a beautiful farm and home near town and is a banker and business man, a man of the highest standing and character, an elder of the Presbyterian Church, and has the confidence and respect of the community. He has since died.
Henry Clay Kuykendall, seventh in the family of Nathaniel 2nd, married Letitia Arthur, and they had one daughter, Carrie Bell, who married a Mr. Sherrard, and they live in Vicksburg, Miss. Henry Clay Kuykendall was a prominent banker in Vicksburg at the time of his death, and was a man of high standing in the city.
Harriet Kuykendall, daughter of Nathaniel Kuykendall 2nd, was born Feb. 20, 1829, and married John S. Wilson, in 1847.
Sarah Kuykendall married W. R. Pugh; further history unknown to writer.
We now go back to the family of Isaac (4) and follow the descendants of his second son, Jacob (5), who was born Dec. 22, 1799, married Fannie Cunningham and moved to Missouri. Jacob's children were: Susan, born (no record), married Dr. Davis. Isaac, (no further record of him). James Cunningham, born Jan. 28, 1857, at Gallatin, Mo. Fannie, no date of birth; married Isaac Hutton.
James Cunningham Kuykendall had two sons: J. J. Kuykendall, born May 27, 1852, at Gallatin, Mo., and William Maupin, born June 5, 1853, also at Gallatin, Mo.
The father of Willard M. died when Willard was only four years old, and he was brought up after that age by his grandmother and aunt. After the death of his father, his mother married ex-Governor Leslie, of Kentucky and Montana, and she had three children by this second marriage; Mrs. Wuller Shobe, of Twin Bridges, Mont.; Dr. Robert Maupin Leslie, of Great Falls, Mont.; Miss Emily Terry Leslie, who died several years ago.
Willard Maupin Kuykendall married Miss Jennie S. Brooks, who was born at Hartsville, Ky., March 9, 1859. Their children were:
Huse Leslie Kuykendall, born Jan. 16, 1879, at Greensburg, Ky.
Mary Stella, born May 14, 1883, at Hartsville, Ky.
Herman James, born Feb. 20, 1891, Mt. Washington, Ky.
Myrtle Snowflake, born May 20, 1894, at Lancaster, Ky.
Herman James married Miss Louisa Pyle, of Nashville, Tenn., Dec. 10, 1912, one daughter, Billie Pyle Kuykendall, born Sept. 12, 1913. Herman resides in Nashville, and is travelling salesman.
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Mary Stella Kuykendall married William H. Bourne, Sept. 25, 1907.
Myrtle Snowflake married Vernon Greer, Nov. 14, 1914.
Sallie and Susan Kuykendall were sisters of James Cunningham K. Susan married Dr. Davis and Sallie married a Mr. Hutton; they lived for many years in Sedalia, Mo. Rev. Willard Maupin
Kuykendall was educated in the Kentucky Military Institute, Georgetown College, and the Southern Missionary Baptist Seminary, at Waco, Ky. His services in the ministry have extended over forty years and a large section of Tennessee and Kentucky. During this service he has had many religious revivals, married many couples and made almost countless numbers of pastoral visits.
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Luke Kuykendall (5), son of Isaac was born Feb. 15, 1808. He was married twice, the first time to Elizabeth Welch, by whom he had three children; second marriage was to Ann Eliza Williams, by whom he had five children, names follow:
Joseph W. Kuykendall, born 1843, married Mary A. Scott. He practiced medicine at Petersburg, W. Va. Fannie, born 1858, married Dr. (???) Scott, died 1906, in Oaksdale, Cal. They had moved there a good many years before. She practiced medicine also. William Dempsie Kuykendall was born in West Virginia, 1831, moved to Illinois and located near Armstrong and was living there still in the fall of 1917. Mollie E. Kuykendall married a Mr. Switzler, they resided in Portland, Oregon, many years. Charles V. Kuykendall was born April 2, 1851, in the old stone house built by his grandfather in 1789, a picture of which is shown elsewhere in this volume. When he was a year old his parents moved to Indiana and rented a farm belonging to his mother's uncle, William Fox, near La Fayette. Here the family remained for five years, and in the spring of 1859 moved over into Illinois, near Danville, about one hundred miles from their Indiana home. They moved through rain and seas of mud to get to their destination in time to put in a crop of corn. They got in the corn all right, raised an immense crop, but the bottom fell out of prices; corn went down to eight cents per bushel and some farmers actually used it for fuel. Pork dropped to the amazing price of a cent and a half per pound. In the fall, Charles' father took what was called "milk sickness" and died, leaving five children. His mother sold her belongings and returned to Virginia. Charles was sent to school taught in a little log schoolhouse, with seats made of split logs that had legs put into the round sides below. He tells of how he sat there trembling in fear of being "licked" by the teacher, for those were the days when "lickin and larnin" were thought to go together. The teacher always had by him, in plain sight of the pupils an ample supply of the sinews of war, tough hickory sprouts.
The Civil War came on and with it strenuous times. The family lived in disputed territory, where neither side had complete ascendancy, so that the country was overrun by first one party and then the other. Writing of those day, Mr. Kuykendall says:
"I try to forget those days. The events now transpiring in Europe bring to mind some of the horrors of that rebellion. I thought we were right at the time, but long since have changed my mind. During the war we lived on my uncle's place on Patterson's Creek. At the close of the war, my mother moved to Moorefield, on the South Branch of the Potomac, one of the prettiest spots on earth.
In the fall of 1868, mother married a man by the name of Simmons who had lived for some years in Oregon, but was back in Virginia, on a visit. I did not want to go, but this grieved my mother so that I consented to accompany the others.
We went
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from where we lived to New York, and from there by the way of Panama. The night off Cuba we had the worst thunder storm I ever have witnessed, it discounting anything I ever saw anywhere. Nine days from New York we reached Panama, nine o'clock in the evening, were aboard the steamer about midnight.
We laid over the next day in the bay, the hottest day I ever saw. The voyage was tedious and monotonous, all the worse because we were in a dead calm, with not a ripple on the water. The fifteenth day from Panama we pulled into the Golden Gate, in a dense fog, which came near causing us to have a collision with
a clipper ship, but we landed safely twenty-five days after leaving New York.
After three days we boarded the John L. Stevens, for Oregon. That craft was the worst old tub that ever ventured to sea. After a tedious and smoky trip along up the coast, we reached the mouth of the Columbia and had to lay outside because of the rough water on the bar. We finally ventured and made it over into the smooth water in the bay. There was a general feeling of relief.
At the mouth of the Willamette we transferred to another boat and went on up to Vancouver.
My first winter in Oregon was spent about nine miles above Vancouver, where I attended school three months, and in the spring worked at the salmon fishery of the Hume Brothers. In July, I went out to Harney, Oregon, helped to put up and deliver a large amount of hay. Started back in November, found deep
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snows in the mountains and had a rough time. Took a steamer at The Dalles, and was in Vancouver the evening of the same day. Attended school that winter (1879) taught by E. D. Curtis, worked at the fishery during the canning season in the spring. Later in the season teachers were in much demand, and I concluded to try teaching, applied for a certificate. The school Superintendent asked me three questions and said I would pass, and wrote out a certificate, which I have always regretted I did not save to show my children.
I applied for a school in Cowlitz county, Washington, where the school had a hard name, as the last teacher had not been able to control the pupils and keep order. The trustees warned me of conditions and expressed doubt of my ability to manage the pupils, though they thought that my qualifications were all right otherwise. The school was taken on my proposition to try it a month, and if I failed I would step out and there would be no charges for my services. We had order that month, and two terms were taught and I was urged to take the school again, but owing to ill health the offer was declined.
Another term taught later in Clark county, Washington, finished my career as a teacher. I then went to Grand Ronde, Polk county, Oregon, and went to farming.
April 24, 1875, I married Miss Eliza J. Davis, and in the fall of the same year went to Yamhill county, in which county I have lived ever since.
We celebrated our fortieth wedding anniversary April 24, 1915. We have had twelve children, of whom ten are living. I have seven married daughters and three boys at home. The boys are Lawrence H., Charles D., and Marion G. The eldest daughter is Lena Walker, living at Chico, Cal. Her husband is a railroad man. The second is Estella B. Walker, living in Portland, Oregon; her husband is chief clerk of the O.-W. R. & N. Co. The third is Zillah B. B.
Wilson, her husband at present principal of the high school at McMinnville, Oregon, where they live. The fourth is Catherine Shreve. They live at Goble, Ore. He is an electrician. The fifth is Jennie J. Porter. They live in Portland, Oregon also, and he is an electrician. The next is Hazel Balshe, living near Moro, Oregon; they are farmers. The last is Mary L. Hutchcroft; they live here on a farm.
With a good home, a respected and useful family, beautiful home surroundings and fertile country, with their children pursuing laundable callings, he and his wife can look back upon an eventful life of useful endeavor.
Jacob (6), son of Luke, was born in West Virginia, moved to Illinois, lived near Danville, died there in year 1912.
Susan, born(???), married a man named Smith, descendants yet live in the country about Champaign, Ill.
Luke, born in West Virginia 1847, went to Oregon, died in year 1902.
Sarah, born in Indiana, died at the age of six years.
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In regard to the history of Luke's children, fifth generation, we give what follows; much more complete information could probably be obtained, for many are yet living.
Joseph W. Kuykendall, son of Luke, fifth generation, left two living children, Alexander Scott and Hugh Seymour. Alex. Scott was born Aug. 20, 1866. They live at Champaign, Ill.
Hugh Seymour was born May 17, 1868, lived until lately at Davis, West Virginia.
Luke, son of Luke, 5th generation, had four children:
Joseph Arthur, is a prominent physician of San Francisco, Cal. Searl lives in Portland, Ore., also Luke, Jr.; a daughter married Judge White, of Alaska, and they have two daughters, Eliza and Sarah.
We now come to the fifth in the family of Isaac Kuykendall, son of Nathaniel 1st, WILLIAM HENRY. As seen by the family record previously given, he was born Aug. 19, 1809. He moved to Oregon in the year 1845. He had a very eventful life, with many thrilling adventures, amid the hardships of pioneer living in Oregon and among the Indians of Mexico. He married Margaret J. Hines, March 9, 1848. She started "across the plains" to Oregon in the spring of 1847. Her father died of cholera on Platte river on the way, and Margaret took his place as teamster and drove the team all the rest of the way through to Polk county, Oregon. William H. and Margaret J. Hines Kuykendall had only one child, William Henry Kuykendall, born in Polk county, Oregon, and named for his father. He married Miss Lucia Ellis, June 13, 1875.
They have four children, all living; names as follows:
Clifford M., born July 24, 1876.
Charles A., born Aug. 11, 1877.
Ivy Maybell, born July 26, 1879.
William Roy, born Jan. 23, 1882.
Clifford and Charles are yet single. Ivy Maybell married D. S. Gardner, July 4, 1900, and they have a daughter, Pauline, born Aug. 13, 1901, and a son, Max Ellis, born May 26, 1903.
Mr. W. H. Kuykendall resides about three and a half miles above Clarkston, on Snake river, in Asotin county, Eastern Washington.
His son, Clifford, is somewhere in the Orient. Speaking Spanish and two or three other languages, his services are always in demand as a commercial traveller, or in the government employ.
Other interesting facts connected with the history of Mr. W. H. Kuykendall are seen in letters quoted elsewhere in this volume.
SARAH A., sixth child of Isaac Sr., of 4th generation, was born Sept. 25, 1813. She married Alfred Taylor, and they had one son, Isaac Taylor.
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JAMES KUYKENDALL, seventh in the family of Isaac, Sr., was born Sept. 8, 1818, and married Hannah Blue, who was born 1836, and died 1873.
The children of James Kuykendall (5) were:
Isaac (6), born Aug. 30, 1839, married Rebecca Davis.
Francis Blue (6), born Sept. 15, 1841, married Miss Taylor.
Michael Blue (6), born Dec. 9, 1845, lives at Reese's Mill, W. Va.
William (6), born April 26, 1852, married Miss Sloane.
James Lawson (6), born Oct. 20, 1849, married Miss McGlathery.
Thomas (6), born Sept. 12, 1854, married Kate McGill.
Susan (6), born Oct. 1, 1856, married Wm. N. Guthrie, who died Dec. 25, 1916.
There were three or four other children who died young.
ISAAC (6), son of James, was born on the farm of his father, now known as the "Hitchcock Farm," two miles east of Cumberland, Md. He received his education in the common schools where he lived and in the Academy at Cumberland. He enlisted in the Confederate army, in 1861, as a private under Capt. George Sheetze, Company F., 7th Virginia, Hosser's Brigade, under J. B. Stuart. When Capt. Sheetze was killed at Buckton, Va., 1862, Isaac Kuykendall was promoted to the position of Second Lieutenant, and at the battle of Cedar Mountain was made Captain of the company, when he had two horses shot under him, and was captured by the Northern Army. He was held prisoner four months, was exchanged and later captured at Blue's Farm, Springfield, W. Va., and was held prisoner eleven months, with bad sanitary conditions and contracted scurvey, and later typhoid fever. He was thought to be in a dying condition when released, but found his way to a log cabin, where he was cared for by a negro family and later made his way home, two hundred miles. When he recovered he secured another horse and returned to his company, arriving there one day before Lee's surrender.
After his marriage to Lucy R. Davis, 1870, they made their residence near Headsville until 1881 when they moved to Garret county, Md., and purchased what is known as "Promised Land," which was formerly owned by Col. Wm. Schley, brother of Admiral Schley. In 1894, they moved to Romney, W. Va., lived there until 1902, and then moved to Hanging Rock, on the South Branch of the Potomac, two miles west of Springfield, and lived there until his death, Nov.
29, 1909. He was buried in the old burying ground near Springfield, W. Va.
From a young man he was a member of the Presbyterian Church, was an elder at Burlington, W. Va., and at Oakland, Md. When the Captain's youngest daughter was baptized at Oakland, President Grover Cleveland and his bride, who had driven over from their summer home, Deer Park, were present and occupied the family pew. The sons and daughters
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of Captain Isaac Kuykendall are refined cultured people, prominent where they live and active in the advancement of morals and education.
He was beloved at home and in the army and left his mark in the community where he lived.
The children of Isaac Kuykendall and Lucy R. Davis were:
James Stewart (7), born Sept. 8, 1871, married Ruth Wharton.
Edgar Davis (7), born Aug. 13, 1873, married Mary Lehman.
Isaac Jr. (7), born Oct. 25, 1875.
Samuel McCool (7), born Sept. 18, 1877, married Anna DeBerry.
Hannah Lawson (7), born Oct. 23, 1879, is a trained nurse.
Nannie Blake (7), born Dec. 1, 1881.
Lucy Virginia (7), born Nov. 22, 1883.
Frances Lawson (7), born Oct. 26, 1885.
The family of Captain Isaac Kuykendall have occupied a foremost place in the community in which they have lived.
James Stewart, eldest son of Captain Isaac Kuykendall resides in Winston- Salem, N. C., where he is an influential and popular citizen. He is very public spirited and takes great interest in promoting
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every enterprise for the business, social and moral advancement of his city.
He is an attorney at law, and as secretary of the Winston-Salem Board of Trade has done much to advertise the resources of the city.
He is an active member of the Presbyterian church and a ruling elder.
Edgar Davis Kuykendall, brother of J. Stewart, is a resident of Greensboro, N.
C., is a lawyer by profession, and has served as municipal attorney of Greensboro. He is an enterprising, intelligent citizen, taking an interest in all progressive movements for the improvement of the city he has chosen for his home. He, like his brothers and sisters, is a member of the Presbyterian church, and is also an elder.
Isaac, Jr., the third in the family, took up the profession of the ministry, for which he made due preparation by study and proper education. He went as a missionary to Hankow, China, and was there for several years. On account of failing health and other unfavorable conditions he returned to America for recuperation, and to await better conditions. He went to the old home at Keyser, W. V., took down sick after some time, and died at the home of his mother in 1915. He was sincerely devoted to his work in the China mission and desired greatly to go back, but the undertaking had to be abandoned.
Samuel McCool, brother of Isaac, Jr., spent some time at the Nyack Schools of the Missionary Alliance, his wife attending at the same time, 1912-13. The way did not seem to open for them to go to China, and they are doing what they can in America. He is a traveling salesman.
Hannah Lawson, the fifth in the family of Captain Isaac, is a trained nurse, and her sister next younger, Nannie Blake, is a teacher.
All the family are filling, to the best of their ability, honorable and useful positions in society.
MICHAEL BLUE KUYKENDALL, third in the family of James, fifth generation, son of Isaac, Sr., was born Dec. 9, 1845, married and lives at Reese's Mill, W.
Va. Their children are given below:
William, born May 2, 1877.
James, Jr., born Sept. 29, 1879, married Elizabeth Adams, no child.
Edwin, born Sept. 29, 1881, married Anna Rinehart, 1906. One son.
Robert, born Sept. 19, 1883, married Lydia Fleck, 1910, one daughter, Pauline, born February 10, 1911.
Claude Lawson, born October 10, 1885.
May, born May 6, 1877, married Vincent Cunningham, whose father was known as "Long Jim," a valiant man in the Confederate army, in the company of Captain Isaac Kuykendall.
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Maude, born March 24, 1892.
This branch of the family had numerous intermarriages with the Blues and Lawsons, and because of their relationship these names appear as given names of the Kuykendall descendants. The first of the Blue family in the South Branch valley, so far as is known to the writer, was Eriah Blue, born Dec. 2, 1746, died April 14, 1814. His wife was Sarah Williams, born Nov. 25, 1754.
When a small child she was captured by the Indians and held by them for several years, but after being liberated, became the wife of Eriah Blue. From Eriah there came his son, Michael Blue, who married Francis Lawson, and these had a daughter, Hannah Lawson Blue, who married James Kuykendall, father of Captain Isaac Kuykendall. This explains how the Kuykendalls and Blues and Lawsons came to be related. There are numerous traditions in regard to the early Blues, as connected with Indian fighting in the valley.
The Lawsons are an old family of that part of Virginia in the Patterson Creek region. They came in there very soon after the close of the Revolutionary war, about 1779, and took up considerable tracts of land. The old records show the names of at least six of them. Benjamin Lawson was a lieutenant in the Revolutionary war and others were privates.
JAMES LAWSON KUYKENDALL, of the sixth generation, the fourth in the family of James, son of Isaac, was born Oct. 29, 1849, at Romney, W. Va.
He was brought up by Christian parents and received his education mostly in the county in which he was born. He was one of the best known citizens of Romney, and was a man with an unsullied character. He was modest and unassuming, of a generous disposition and kind nature.
He was a member of the Presbyterian church, and was a ruling elder, active in church and Sunday School work. He married Miss McGlathery, and they had one daughter, Susan, who married Mr. F. M. Amick, of Martinsburg, W. Va. He died as the result of a stroke of paralysis, Dec. 13, 1916, and was buried in the Indian Mound Cemetery at Romney.
WILLIAM KUYKENDALL, the son of James, son of Isaac, was born April 26, 1852, at Romney, W. Va., and married Miss Hannah Pierce Sloane, and they had children named below, viz:
James Sloane, born Dec. 9, 1878, married Bertha Williams, April, 1905.
Michael Blue, born March 22, 1881, married Edith Casey Pancake, April 3, 1906.
Richard S., born Oct. 2, 1882, married Virginia Lee Pancake, March 3, 1909.
Nellie Frank, born Sept. 16, 1889, died a month old.
James Sloane Kuykendall was brought up at Romney and received the earlier part of his education in the schools of his native county.
He afterwards studied law and began practice in his home town.
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He was elected and served in the state legislature, and when President Wilson was elected to the chief magistracy of the nation, he was one of the Presidential Electors.
Michael Blue and Richard S. Kuykendall, brothers of J. Sloane K., are farmers and fruit raisers, on the South Branch of the Potomac, a few miles above Romney, in one of the most beautiful and fertile sections of the country.
Their wives are sisters, daughters of Mrs. Susie Pancake, who owns the old farm once owned by the Kuykendalls, and upon which stands the stone house erected by Isaac and Nathaniel Kuykendall in 1789.
Thomas Kuykendall, sixth generation, and sixth in the family of James, was born Sept. 12, 1854, married Kate McGill, born in Montgomery county, Md., Oct.
15, 1858. They had a family of seven children, of the seventh generation, as named below:
James Edward, born June 6, 1884; Thomas McGill, born Sept. 28, 1885, died Sept. 3, 1886; Mary White, born Feb. 16, 1887, died Oct. 9, 1907; William Wallace, born Sept. 17, 1888; Lucy Belle, born Sept. 13, 1891; Helen McGill, born Aug. 21, 1893; Harry Russell, born April 21, 1895.
Thomas Kuykendall was born in Allegheny county, Maryland. While he was yet young his father moved over into Hampshire county, Virginia. For a number of years before his death he was engaged in general merchandising at Mt. Jackson, Virginia. He was a member of the Presbyterian church and an elder and took an active interest in the progress and welfare of his community.
SUSAN KUYKENDALL (6), the youngest daughter of James Kuykendall, son of Isaac, Sr., was born Oct. 1, 1856, and
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married William N. Guthrie, who resided in Romney, W. Va., for about twenty years before his death. Prior to that he was a merchant, dealing in general merchandise, at South Branch, in Hampshire county, W. Va. At the time of the Civil war, like many of his neighbors, he cast in his lot with the "cause of the South." He served as Captain in the Confederate army, with distinction. He was a man of generous impulses, liberal, open hearted and frank, and a man of unbending integrity, and had many friends. He was a member of the Presbyterian church, and a ruling elder. His death took place Dec. 25, 1915.
Mrs. Susan Guthrie was a woman of refinement and charming personality. She died 1917, her daughter, Mary, having died the year before.
Note--The Blue family were very early and prominent settlers in the Valley of the South Branch of the Potomac. They were distinguished for great energy, intelligence, and produced a number of men who have been leaders in science and education. Surgeon-General Rupert Blue comes, I understand, of the Blue family of Virginia. Eriah Blue's name was spelled as above printed, in the account of him first given me, but probably it was more commonly written Uriah.
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CHAPTER XIV.
CORNELIUS VAN KUYKENDAAL,
HIS FAMILY RECORD, WITH COMMENTS AND EXPLANATIONS.
In the beginning of chapter IX there is presented the record of the baptisms of the children of our first American ancestor, Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal, together with the names of the persons who were witnesses and sponsors at their baptism, as recorded in the registers of the Dutch Reformed Churches.
Following this there was begun an account of the individual members of that family, beginning with Christina, the oldest child, the first female Kuykendall born in this country. There was given the family record of Jacob, Luur's eldest son, with a sketch of some of the activities of his life. The history of a part of the Kuykendall family was traced from the Delaware valley to Hampshire county, Virginia, and on down to within the memory of living persons. The first Johannes of the family of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal died in infancy. The next in the family was CORNELIUS Van Kuykendaal (2), baptized May 30, 1686. The family record of Cornelius now follows, giving the names of his children, dates of their baptism and the names of their sponsors or witnesses. This is done to give the reader a more definite idea of how the baptisms of our fathers were recorded. The dates of birth and names of the children were in one column, names of parents in another, and those of the witnesses or sponsors in a third column.
Name of child and dateNames of ParentsNames of Witnesses Leur,Cornelis Kuykendaal,William Van Vreedenburg, Oct. 27, 1706.Marytie Westphalen.Seytie Van Etten. Margritt,Cornelius V. Kuikendaal,Jurie) May 7, 1710.Marytie Westfaalen.Sarah) Westfaalen. Marretjen,Cornelis Kuykendaal,Jacob Kuykendaal, June 22, 1712.Marretjen Westvaal,Jannetjen Westvaal. Nelletjen,Corn. Van Kuykendaal,Zymen Westvaal, June 8, 1715.Marretjen Westvaal.Nellitjen Quakenbos. Johannes,Cornelis Kuykendaal,Abel Westfael, June 5, 1717.Maritje Westfael.Antje Bogaert. Abraham,Cornelis Van Kuykendael,Jan Van Etten, Oct.
18, 1719.Marretjen Westvael.Jannetjen Roosa. Petrus,Cornelis Van Kuikendal,Lieur Van Kuykendal, July 4, 1733.Marretje Westval.Lena Consals Dyk.
The first four children of Cornelis Van Kuykendaal were baptized at Kingston, N. Y., the last, Petrus, was baptized at "Minisink," the others were baptized at Deerpark Church, New York.
It has been stated previously that it was expected that the sponsors at the baptism of children in the Reformed Church should be related to the child baptized. Let us examine the above record and see what additional information we gain from its study. The
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sponsors for the first child, Lieur, were William Van Vreedenburg and Seyte Van Etten.
The relationship between William Van Vreendenburg and the Kuykendalls came about by a previous marriage. His wife was Seyte Van Etten, as shown by the record. Just the date of the first marriage between the two families we do not know, but they had later several intermarriages. Some years later Seyte Kuykendall was married by Ary Van Etten. The Westfalls, Van Ettens and Kuykendalls were all quite closely related by numerous marriages. The sponsors for the next child. Margritt, were Jurie and Sara Westfall. In this instance Jurian Westfall had married Jacob Kuykendall's sister, Christina, and Jacob had married Jurian's sister, Sarah.
Because of the marriage of the three brothers. Jacob, Cornelius and Matthew Kuykendall to the three Westfall sisters, Sarah, Jannetjen and Marretjen (Mary), the Kuykendalls and Westfalls were as closely allied by ties of blood and marriage as any other families in the Delaware valley. It was not very uncommon for two brothers of one family to marry two sisters of another family, but it certainly was not very common for three brothers to marry three sisters.
The third child, Marretjen, had for sponsors Jacob Kuykendall and Jannetjen Westfall. Jacob being the brother of the child's father, and Jannetjen Westfall was the sister of the child's mother. The sponsors were uncle and aunt of the child baptized, and the child was no doubt, named for its mother.
The sponsors for the fourth child of Cornelius were Zymen Westfall and Nelletjen Quackenbos. Here we have again Westfall relatives acting as witnesses and sponsors. It will be seen that the child was given the name Nelletjen. She was undoubtedly named after the sponsor, Nelletjen Quackenbos.
As sponsors for the next child, Johannes, we have Abel Westfall and Antje (Ann) Bogaert. Here is another Westfall and Bogaert (relatives), acting as sponsors for Kuykendall children's baptisms. There were other marriages between the two families afterwards, for this Nelletjen Kuykendall, baptized on this occasion, married Jacob Bogaert when she had grown to be a woman, and we find they had a child baptized in 1737, and afterwards had several children.
At the time of the baptism of Abraham, son of Cornelius, October 18, 1719. Jan Van Etten and Jannetjen Roosa were the sponsors. We have already seen the relationship between the Van Ettens and Kuykendalls. Next we come to Petrus, the last son of Cornelius that is mentioned in the Dutch church registers. On this occasion Lieur Van Kuykendael and Lena Consalis Dyk were the sponsors.
The records show that on the same day that Cornelius had this last child, Peter, baptized, Lieur, son of Cornelius, had a son baptized also, and that Lieur stood sponsor for his father's child, while his father was sponsor for the grandson who was named Cornelius, after his grandfather. The date of both baptisms was
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the fourth of July. If the baptisms had occurred a hundred years later, we might think the day was chosen to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of the nation as well as the birth of babies, to father and son. But they happened forty-three years before the American nation was born, July fourth, 1776.
Noting the dates of birth of Cornelius Van Kuykendaal's children, we see that they came along approximately two years apart, until the birth of Abraham, when there was an interval of fourteen years before the birth of Petrus. One can scarely avoid wondering whether there were not other children born between these dates, whose names do not appear upon the records. The family of Cornelius Kuykendall lived at least thirteen years in the Delaware valley, after their last recorded baptism (that of Petrus), in 1733. Enough has been said to show that a critical examination of the old baptismal registers give us much knowledge that a casual inspection would not reveal. Of the four sons and daughters of Cornelius Kuykendall and Mary Westfall, born before the family left the Delaware valley, there is no account anywhere of the marriage of any of them except of Leur.
The marriage of Leur Kuykendall and Lena Consales brought together the Kuykendall and Gunsaulus families, in marriage for the first time. A brief sketch of the Gunsaulus family will now be interesting, and will aid us in understanding the Kuykendall genealogy. While gathering data for this work, as previously stated, there came letters to me from some of our people that mentioned the name Manuel, or Emanuel, as having been borne by some of their forefathers. In reading the "History of Sullivan County, N. Y.," written by Quinlan, we find him quoting from a manuscript history of that county, written by a Lotan Smith, part of which follows:
"About the year 1700 Don Manuel Gonsalus, a Spanish puritan, a young man fled from Spain, on account of persecution for his Protestant sentiments, married into a Dutch family at Rochester, in Ulster county. He moved to Mamakating Hollow, built a log house and entertained those who carried wheat to the Kingston market. Wheat, rye and corn were raised in abundance in Minisink, along the Delaware. Gonsaulus was a house carpenter, made shingles and raised some grain. He opened trade with the Indians, as they were friendly at that period."
Manuel was a name transmitted for generations in the Gunsaulus family and the name Joseph, also. The tavern and mill of the Gunsaulus people were the first in Sullivan county. Here at Mamakating the family lived for many years. The first mention of the name in the Kingston church records, was Nov. 16, 1694, when Manuel Gonsales and Marritje Davids had their son Manuel baptized. This is probably the Manuel that is buried about two miles above Wurtsborough, N.
Y. Daniel was captured by the Indians, when a child, and carried off by them, and adopted by the wife of an Indian chief. But he succeeded afterwards in escaping and returned home. His wife was Elizabeth Kuykendall, of Mamakating, a woman of abundant courage and sufficient physical ability to back it up.
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On one occasion during the Revolutionary war, when a number of the Tory neighbors, who had joined in with the Indians in committing outrages and terrorizing the settlers, went to the home of Elizabeth. She believed they wanted to capture a very small boy belonging to one of the neighbors, and so permitted the little fellow to hide under the ample folds of her skirts. There was a Tory in the crowd named John Van Campen, who suspected she had the little fellow concealed, and was about to make an attempt to get him. She finally succeeded in shaming him out of his cowardly undertaking. This Elizabeth Kuykendall was no doubt of the Wilhelmus Kuykendall branch of the family, as at that time Wilhelmus lived at Mamakating, though he was away in the service of the country. There were, in early days three Manuels Gunsaulus at Mamakating, supposed to be grandfather, father and son. They had lived at Kingston, before moving to Mamakating, and must have known the Kuykendall family there. This same branch of the Gunsaulus family were the ancestors of Rev. Frank W. Gunsaulus, of the Armour Institute.
The children of Leur Kuykendall and Lena Gunsaulus were the only grandchildren of Cornelius Kuykendall, whose baptisms are recorded in the registers of the Dutch Reformed Church. They had four children, names and dates of baptism as follows:
Cornelis (4), baptized July 4, 1733, at Minisink.
Manuel (4), baptized May 18, 1736, at Minisink.
Rebecca (4), baptized May 18, 1736, at Minisink.
Joseph (4), baptized May 29, 1739, at Minisink.
It is highly probable that Leur Kuykendall and Lena Gunsaulus with their family, went to Virginia, and perhaps later on went to North Carolina. The name Joseph Kuykendall is found in the Colonial Records of North Carolina, at a date and under circumstances which make it difficult to see how he could be any other than the son of Leur. We may safely conclude that the two Josephs were one and the same person.
MARGRITT, 3rd generation, second child of Cornelius Kuykendall and sister of Leur, married Abraham Kortrecht.
We find in the Church baptismal register the record of baptism of twin daughters:
Elizabeth, baptized at Deerpark, May 3, 1737.
Femmetje, baptized at Deerpark, May 3, 1737.
The Kortrechts were a prominent pioneer family of the Delaware valley, and there were a number of intermarriages between them and the Kuykendalls.
Jan Cortrecht's name appears on the old plat of the Minisink village, made April 7, 1725, in connection with the names of Jacob and Mattheus Kuykendall, Anthony Westbrook and Johannes Westbrook.
Jan Cortrecht was also one of the trustees named along with Jacob Kuykendall, in the deed made in 1731, of the Minisink cemetery.
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The name has been spelled very many ways, and sometimes one would scarcely recognize it in the forms it has taken. "Cortrite," "Cutrite," "Courtright," and "Cartright" are among the more common forms. Several of the family were active in the Revolutionary war, and were always brave and efficient soldiers.
There were at least two Captains Cortrecht in that war. The family has spread all over the country from coast to coast. The noted pioneer Methodist preacher Peter Cartwright, was, I believe, of this family, having come from a branch that left the Delaware valley for Virginia or Kentucky.
The third child of Cornelius Kuykendall and Mary Westfail, MARRETJEN (3), was baptized June 22, 1721 at Kingston, N. Y., married Tarrentius Davids and they had four children:
Johannes (4), baptized May 3, 1737, at Kingston, N. Y.
Jacobus (4), baptized May 30, 1739.
Artje (4), baptized October 17, 1743.
Abraham (4), baptized June 21, 1747.
Marretjen Kuykendall, wife of Tarrentius Davids, died and he married Hannah Cole. They lived in the Walpack precinct, Sussex county, N. J.
Nelletjen (4), daughter of Cornelius Kuykendall, was baptized June 15, 1715, married Jacob Bogaert, and they had six children. Abraham (4), was baptized July 6, 1737; Jessintje, October 20, 1739; Sara (4) was baptized June 21, 1741; Jacob (4), October 19, 1746; Sara (4) 2nd, baptized June 21, 1747; Benjamin (4), October 22, 1752. All were baptized at Kingston, N. Y.
Here is another instance of the giving of a second child the same name as one before, when that one died. In this case it is evident the family wished to carry on the name of Nelletjen's grandmother, Sarah Westfall, hence the second Sarah, the first no doubt having died.
Herman Meynderts Van den Boogaerdt, born 1612, came to New Amsterdam as a physician, was the first of that profession in New Amsterdam. In 1633, he was appointed surgeon at Fort Orange, which position he held a year, or a little over. He married the daughter of a Dutch settler that had been killed by an Indian, at Turtle Bay, Manhatten. The descendants settled mostly in the vicinity of Schenectady, N. Y., and dropped the Van den from their name, and it became Bogert or Bogardt.
The surgeon Bogaerdt, was an Indian trader as well as physician, and, like Jacob Kuykendall, had many thrilling experiences in his calling. Jacob Bogaert who married Nellie Kuykendall, was decended from the Kingston branch of the family, probably from Cornelis, who married Eva Hornbeck, born at Hurly, and residing at Wawarsing.
The last three sons of Cornelius, Johannes, Abraham and Petrus, were too young, while they lived on the Delaware, to figure in the history there. They went to North Carolina--no doubt, by way of Virginia, where they may have stayed some time. They had
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grants of land in North Carolina, and were conspicuous in Indian wars, and the Revolutionary war.
Going back to the family of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendall, his fifth child, Johannes, was baptized September 30, 1688.
In the report of the "New York State Historian," Vol. 1, page 442, there are given the names of those who volunteered to go on the expedition against Canada, July 11, 1711, from Ulster county, N. Y., there appears the name of Johannis Kuy Kendall, spelling as here given.
This could be no other than Johannes, son of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal, because there was, at that time, no other Johannes Kuykendall living, and no other appeared until 1713.
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CHAPTER XV.
MATTHEUS VAN KUYKENDALL AND FAMILY
AND ARIE VAN KUYKENDAEL.
Mattheus Van Kuykendael (2), was born about 1690, the sixth in the family of Leur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal. His name does not appear on the baptimal registers of the Dutch Reformed Church. His birth came between that of Johannes, baptized 1688, and Arie baptized 1694. Genealogists who have given attention to the matter, have generally placed his birth at 1690. His marriage record as found in the Dutch records reads:
"1715 March 27.
"Mattheus Van Kuykendael, j. m. born in Raycester (Rochester) and Jannetjen Westphael j. d., born in Kingston and both residing in Menising (Minisink), banns registered 13 March."
Their children were baptized either in Kingston or at Accord, which was near by, except Peter, who was baptized at Deerpark. Our fathers seem to have preferred to go to the more distant church, for the baptism of their children, rather than to the newer and smaller churches in the Minisink region, perhaps because the older ones of the family had spent their youth there, or because they had to make trips to Kingston and Rochester (now Accord) every year anyhow. The baptism of children was made a much more formal proceeding those days, and much more importance was attached to it as a ceremony. The names of the children of Mattheus are here given.
SYMEN, baptized June 24, 1716; PETER, baptized Jan. 28, 1719 at Deerpark, N.
Y. JACOBUS, baptized Oct. 22, 1721, at Kingston, N. Y. ELIZABETH, baptized Jan. 16, 1726, at Raycester (now Accord), N. Y. ELIZABETH, baptized Oct. 6, 1728, at Kingston.
Mattheus was a farmer, and his land was adjacent to the plat of the hamlet of Minisink, lying on the Jersey side of the river Delaware, while the land of his brother Jacob joined the village plat below. Probably Matthew's brother Jacob had by this time mostly given up the hardships and exposures of Indian trading, which he had earlier followed. He was now about forty-three years old and had quite a large family. The last baptism in Matthew's family before they left the Delaware valley, was that of his daughter Elizabeth, baptized, as seen above, October 6, 1728; his brother Jacob's son, Nathaniel, was baptized the same day and same place. The next notice we have of Matthew is in Virginia.
ARIE (2), comes next in the family of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendael. He was baptized in Kingston, N. Y., June 8, 1694. He grew to manhood in the Minisink region, but we have very little account of him, and the family, after the fall of 1735, when his daughter Margrita was baptized at Kingston. Arie married Margritje Quick, the daughter of Thomas Quick, Sr., who located in
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very early times, on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware river, near the present site of Milford, where he built a mill and residence. While he was living there, the Indians made a raid upon the settlers, and found the old gentleman and two of his sons out some distance from the house. They made an attempt to escape, but the old man, being rather fleshy and heavy, the Indians rapidly gained upon them, and it soon became evident that they were to be overtaken. He told the boys to leave him to his fate, saying that if they stayed to help him, all would be killed. Finding the Indians about upon them, they heeded the urging of their father and fled. The Indians killed the old man, cut off his head and rolled it about over the ground, kicking it about in a most shameful manner. This inhuman treatment so shocked and horrified Thomas, Jr., that he ever afterward had an inveterate hatred toward all Indians, and vowed vengeance upon the whole race, and killed an Indian at every opportunity.
He finally succeeded in killing the murderer of his father. When old and upon his death bed, he expressed regret that he had not been able to kill an even hundred Indians in his life time. It was said he had killed over ninety.
The earliest settlers of Minisink, of which we have any record, located there as early as 1694, and yet seventy-five or eighty years later, during the Revolutionary war, the country was still regarded and called "the frontier," and it is so mentioned in the reports of military operations in that country.
The Kuykendalls who were in that war and applied for pensions, all speak of their services as "guarding the frontier," or "spying and ranging on the frontier."
One cannot but notice how slowly the frontier moved westward during the earlier days of the settlement of the country. After settlements had become somewhat dense in Kentucky, Tennessee. Indiana, and Texas, where many of the Kuykendalls settled, the advance of civilization westward was much more rapid, and inside of seventy years, the populous cities of Omaha, Denver, Seattle and Portland had started. In the very early colonial days the struggle between civilization and wild beasts and Indians was often evenly balanced. Brawn and physical force was with the savages, but brain power, which conquors worlds and makes civilization, was with our forefathers.
The children of Arie Van Kuykendall and Margrita Quick were: CLARA, baptized Feb. 25, 1722; ANNAATJE, Feb. 16, 1724: JOHANNES, July 31, 1726: MARGRITA, baptized Sept. 7, 1735. All of these children were baptized at Kingston, N. Y.
No living Kuykendall, so far as known, has been found today who traces his ancestry back to Arie. It was but a short time after the baptism of Arie's daughter, Margrita, that the Kuykendalls began to migrate to Virginia, and inasmuch as he had no other children baptized in the old home country, we might reasonably infer that the Arie family went to Virginia along with some of the others. It is altogether probable that if he remained at his
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home on the Delaware, he would have had other children born there and a record of their baptism would have been found. He was only forty-one years old at the time of Margrita's baptism. As to the subsequent history of Arie we are wholly in the dark. The name Arie does not seem to have been carried down, or at least not in that form. The name Ira Kuykendall appears among the Ks that lived in Eastern Pennsylvania, whose ancestors lived on the Delaware.
ANNETJE (2), eighth in the family of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal was baptized May 17, 1700, at Minisink, N. J. The record of her marriage to Roeloff Brink is found in the Kingston church register of marriages and reads, Married, "Sept. 27, 1718, Roeloff Brink, y. m. born in Horly (Hurly), and Antjen Kuykendaal, j. d. born in Menissing (Minisink), Banns registered Aug. 31." In this translation we have a mixture of English and Dutch. The letters j. m. and j. d. are for young man and young "dochter," (daughter). The expression "banns registered" brings the old custom of the Reformed church, requiring candidates for marriage to publish their intentions, three Sundays before the event was to take place. This announcement was made in the presence of the congregation, and was called "publishing the banns." The banns were not only published from the pulpit in this way, but were put on record in the church registers, to show that the custom of the church had been carried out.
We have in this instance the first marriage of a Kuykendall and a Brink, though there were many afterwards. As the great great grandmother of the writer was Elizabeth Brink, the wife of Johannes Kuykendall, baptized at Minisink, Jan. 19, 1713, and a large number of descendants are now widely scattered over the country, perhaps a brief account of the origin of the Brink family will be interesting to many living Kuykendalls.
The first of the Brink family to come to America, was Lambert Huybertson Brink and his wife, Hendrickje Cornelis. They came across the Atlantic in the ship "Truow," with two children, and a third child was born on the ship on the way.
They came from Wageningen, Gelderland, a province of Holland, the same region that the Kuykendall ancestors came from. Wageningen is beautifully situated on the bluff, and overlooks the valley of the Rhine spread out below. The father of the Brinks who came to America soon died. "The old gentleman owned a certain house and garden situated in the neighborhood of Wageningen--a free and hired estate." These facts appear in a protocol bearing date of Nov. 28, 1660. The Brinks landed in this country and proceeded up the Hudson, to the Dutch settlements at Wiltwyck (now Kingston). Four years later, June, 1663, Wiltwyck was attacked and burned by the Indians and almost utterly destroyed.
There was a great slaughter of its inhabitants, and a large number were taken captive by the Indians. Among these latter were the wife and children of Huybertsen Brink. They were later rescued, and the family
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moved a short distance out from Kingston, to Hurley. Here they lived until their children grew up and married. All the children took the name Lamberts, except Peter Lamberts Brink. Huybert had a son named Roeloff (Ralph), baptized at Kingston, 1684. Huybert's wife who bore this child was Henrdickje Swartwout. This Roeloff was the one that married Annetje Van Kuyukendaal. The name Brink signifies in Dutch, almost the equivalent of the English park or mead.
This account of the origin of the Brink family is mostly taken from "Olde Ulster," a magazine that was published for ten years, in Kingston, N. Y., by a genial gentleman, Benjamin Myer Brink, whom I met in that city, in the summer of 1914. He is one of the descendants of the immigrant Brink mentioned in the account given above.
The children of Annetjen Kuykendall and Roeloff Brink were: Hendrickjen (6), baptized Sept. 27, 1719; Margriet (6), baptized June 4, 1721; Johannes (6), baptized Feb. 3, 1723; Huybert (6), baptized April 8, 1726; Gerrit (6), baptized Oct. 20, 1728; Isaac (6), baptized July 12, 1741. The baptism of all the foregoing took place at Kingston, N. Y.
The Walpack church was below the Minisink Islands where Jacob and Matthew Kuykendall lived for many years. The Brink family lived in the Walpack precinct not far from the church. As before mentioned, Thomas Brink was a warm friend of the Walpack church, of which he was an elder. The deed that he and Nicholas Schoonhoven gave to the tract of land for the church site, says they gave it "for their love and affection for the people of Walpack and the people about there."
An account has now been given of all the children of Luer Jacbsen Van Kuykendaal except Pieter, the youngest. All the facts found in the old Reformed Church registers concerning these children, and their history has been traced farther when data has been found to do so.
In the case of Arie Van Kuykendaal, there has been given all that was found relating to him, except that there is mention of him in the "Report of New York State Historian," saying that Arie was "private number 58, in a Company of Foot, in Shawangunk, Ulster Co. 1715."
All records showing the presence of Jacob, Cornelius and Matthew, in the Delaware valley, ceased, along during the years 1733 to 1747, and there are no baptisms found recorded for these families after that; the inference is irresistible that they left that part of the country. Therefore any record of their subsequent history must be sought elsewhere. While the registry of baptisms in the families of all those older sons of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal, ceased in the Delaware valley, during the period mentioned, we find records of numerous baptisms of the descendants of Pieter, the youngest son, for over a hundred years later.
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A very large majority of the Kuykendall descendants now to be found living in New York, New Jersey or Eastern Pennsylvania, are the descendants of the first Pieter Kuykendal, the youngest son of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal. There is a bare possibility that some of the daughters of Cornelius and Matthew married men who remained in the Delaware valley when their fathers went to Virginia, if so, they have lost their identity through change of name by marriage.
Probably not a descendant of Cornelius or Matthew is to be found in the east.
A brief recapitulation of the last baptisms in the families of the older sons will be given, then some facts from the early records of Virginia will be presented, to show where those Kuykendalls went, who left the Delaware valley, soon after their names ceased to appear on the baptismal registers there. This data will connect the Kuykendalls of Virginia with their forefathers who went to that colony from the Delaware valley. Some of the descendants of the first Kuykendalls who went to Virginia have traditions and records reaching back to their fathers who first went there, but heretofore they have not been able to go further back, so as to connect themselves with their earlier forefathers in New York and New Jersey.
The last child of Jacob Kuykendall baptized in the Dutch Reformed Church, back in the Delaware valley as we have seen was Nathaniel first, who was baptized October 6, 1728. Jacob's son, Johannes, and his wife, Elizabeth Brink, had their son, Johannes, Jr., baptized August 8, 1741, at Walpack. Another of Jacob's sons Jacobus (James), who married Alida Dingman, had a son Jacob baptized July 12, 1747, at the same church, at Walpack. In the family of Cornelius, the last baptism found recorded was that of Joseph (his grandson), son of Leur Kuykendall 2nd, and Lena Gunsalis, spelled in the record Consalisdyk. This baptism took place May 29, 1739. The last baptism in the family of Matthew, found on record in the Delaware valley, was that of Elizabeth, October 6, 1728. At these baptisms Jacob and Matthew Kuykendall and their wives, Sarah and Jannetje Westfall, were sponsors. After that time, all the Kuykendall baptisms recorded there, were the descendants of Pieter, the youngest son of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal. The families of Jacob, Cornelius, Arie and Matthew evidently left that section of the country.
In the "Journal of the House of Burgesses," of Virginia, there is convincing evidence to show where they went, and approximately the date of their migration and settlement.
At the "Old Virginia Court," held " Friday the 9th day of December MD, CCXLIII," we find this entry:
"On petition of Noah Hampton and others, for a road from Noah Hampton's mill, into a road on the Great Cacapon, near James Coddy's it (Fort), ordered that Jonathan Coburn, Isaac Thomas, Peter Kuykendall and James Delheryea, or any two of them, mark off the road petitioned for by the said Hampton, . . . and make returns to this court, etc."
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This shows that Peter Kuykendall, at the time (1743), had been in the country long enough to be recognized as a citizen, who was identified with the interests of the country and the location of its roads.
Who was this Peter Kuykendall mentioned in the Virginia court record? By reference to the chart between pages 126 and 127, showing the early Kuykendall family, and to the baptismal records of the Reformed churches in the old Kuykendall home regions, the matter is conclusively settled.
The family in America were as yet, few in number. There were then only four Peters among all the descendants. These were Pieter, the youngest son of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal, the first Peter in the family, who at that time was 45 years old, who was then living near where Port Jervis, N. Y., now is. Then there was his son Peter, born 1732, about eleven years old; also Peter, son of Cornelius, baptized 1733, and then only twelve years old. So we have Peter, son of Matthew, baptized 1719, left as the only one who could have been the one mentioned in the Virginia Court record in December, 1743.
The first mentioned Peter married Femmetje Decker and settled at Machackemeck (now Port Jervis), and remained there all his life. It is easy to be seen that the only Peter Kuykendall that could possibly have been the one mentioned, was Peter, the son of Matthew or Matthias. Now we have before found Matthew living in Sandyston Precinct, Sussex county, N. J., on the Delaware river, near his brother Jacob, in the year 1725, and he was certainly there as late as 1731.
The plat shown on page 9 has on it the names of Matthew and Jacob Kuykendall, with the prefix Van, the same as it appears in the old church registers. We have in the minutes of the court above quoted, the first account of the Kuykendall family in Virginia, and the data to positively connect the Kuykendall descendants of the Delaware valley with the colony of Virginia, as far back as 1743.
Other facts and traditions tend to confirm the same thing.
The first Virginia records also show that the old spelling of the name Kuykendall was retained by those who first settled in the colony of Virginia.
It may be definitely said that nearly all of the family in the west, who spell the name with the first syllable Kuy, have come from those who in early days went to Virginia and North Carolina. The only exception to this is, that there may be a very few of the descendants of Wilhelmus (baptized 1762), son of Peter 2nd, who are living in the west. These are the only ones of the Peter branch who have retained the old spelling.
The migration of the Kuykendalls from the Delaware valley home did not occur all in one year, but extended over several years, and the leaving of one or two families at a time, did not create much comment. There was at first, no doubt a good deal of passing to and fro between the families who remained and those who moved
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out further west. There were quite a number of Kuykendall families who went out of the Minisink country on the Delaware at different times from five to ten years or more after the first left. Some members of the families of Jacob and Cornelius remained in the regions of Walpack, N. J., for several years before finally leaving. James (Jacobus in the record) Kuykendall and wife Alida Dingman, who lived down in the Walpack township, had three children born before they left that country and went to Virginia. The last of the three was baptized July 12, 1747, as has been shown.
The last mention of the Cornelius family in the old church records is where his daughter, Maretje, and her husband, Torrentius Davids, or Davis, had their son Abraham baptized, June 21, 1747. At the time of this baptism, Cornelius Kuykendall and wife, Marretje Westvael, grandfather and grandmother of the child, were present, and acted as sponsors. This was at the Walpack church.
These and the others spoken of were the very last baptisms in the Kuykendall families of those who went to Virginia. Since one of these occurred nearly the middle of July, it is probable that they did not go to Virginia until the summer of 1748. In the summer of 1749, several of the Kuykendalls obtained titles to their land from Lord Fairfax. From that time on, we find names of the sons and other members of Jacob Kuykendall family appear in the records frequently. There are quite a number of others mentioned that we cannot at present identify and place accurately. It is possible that a more thorough search of the records of Hampshire county, Virginia (now W. Va.), might give more light on the subject. Unfortunately a good many of the early records of that county were lost or destroyed during the Civil War.
Records there show that "Nathaniel Kirkendall," on June 15, 1749, received a deed from Lord Fairfax for a tract of 347 acres of land upon the "Wappacoma," or the Great South Branch of the Potomac River."
Kercheval, in his "History of the Valley of Virginia," states that nearly all the deeds made by Fairfax for lands in the "Northern Neck of Virginia" bore that date, and that a large number of the settlers had already been living upon their lands several years, some as many as five to seven years.
It has been shown that Peter, son of Matthew, was the first Kuykendall mentioned in the old court records of Virgina. His father, Matthew Kuykendall, received a deed for 337 acres of land from Lord Fairfax. This deed is still in existence, and in the possession of the present owner of this identical tract or farm, and is kept in the same old building erected by Matthew Kuykendall, probably about 1744. This deed reads as follows:
"The right Honorable Thomas Lord Fairfax, Baron of Cameron, in that part of Great Britain, called Scotland, Proprietor of the Northern Neck of Virginia.
To whom all these present writings shall come, greeting:
KNOW YE, that or good cause and in consideration of the composition to me paid, and for the annual rent hereafter reserved, I have
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given, granted, and confirmed and by these presents, for my heirs and assigns, do give, grant and confirm unto Matthias Kirkendall, of the county of Frederick, a certain tract or Lot of land, upon the Wappacoma, or the Great South Branch of the Potomac River, known and distinguished with the plat of survey made by Mr. James Genn as No. 5 and is bounded as follows: &c."
Then follows the description, which would be of no interest.
"June 15, 1749, in the year of the 23 year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second, by the Grace of God, Great Britain, France and Ireland, King and defender of the faith &c."
FAIRFAX. Anno Domini 1749.
The deed given to Nathaniel was of the same date and every way similar, except as to description of the land.
It is shown elsewhere that the Nathaniel Kuykendall that received this deed from Lord Fairfax, was the same person as the Nathaniel whose baptism is recorded in the register of the Dutch Reformed Church at Kingston, New York, date of Oct. 6, 1728.
This definitely connects up the early Virginia Kuykendalls with those that were left back at their old home at Minisink. While these Virginia Kuykendalls have scattered out all over the United States and into foreign lands, there are quite a number of the direct descendants of Nathaniel and his brothers and other relatives, who have continued to live in the region where their forefathers first settled, when they went into that country.
The lands owned by the original Kuykendall settlers, one hundred and fifty to one hundred and seventy years ago, have mostly passed into different ownership. There are some of the old farms still owned by the descendants of the early Kuykendall pioneers, but only a small part of what their fathers originally held.
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CHAPTER XVI.
PIETER KUYKENDAL AND DESCENDANTS.
PIETER KUYKENDALL (2), the youngest son and the ninth in the family of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal, was baptized May 1, 1698, at Kingston, N. Y.
After the marriage of Pieter's father to Grietje Tack, they settled near Kingston and lived there for about twenty years afterwards. They then moved over into the Minisink country to Machackemeck on the Delaware. That was about the year 1700, when Pieter was about two years old. That region was at that time very far out in the frontier. Settlements were sparse and the people lived in primitive manner.
At Esopus, where they had previously lived, by far the greater part of the people were Hollanders. Their language, customs and ways were decidedly Dutch.
Nearly all the early settlers at Minisink. the neighbors of the Kuykendall family, had also come from the Dutch settlement at Esopus, travelling along the line of the old mine road, which followed the earlier Indian trails.
There was an indefinite period of several years of the beginning of the eighteenth century, of which we have but scant history of what was transpiring in the country of our forefathers. The Dutch were a quiet, industrious people, very busy clearing up farms and making homes. They were so busy that they had little time for writing history. The lives of our forefathers in those times were not marked by many history-making events. When the Kuykendall family moved from their old home on the Hudson, near Kingston, the whole number of settlers there was very few. We do not know the exact locality of the home of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal, Pieter's father, during the first years of the family's residence at Minisink. With a large family of healthy, vigorous children, with voracious appetites, used to living and working out in the open air, it probably kept them busy and hustling to procure food and clothing.
July 8, 1719, when Pieter was a little over twenty years old, he married Femmetje Decker. She was a daughter of Hendrick Decker and Antje Quick. Pieter owned a farm at Machackemeck, near the farm of his father-in-law. His place embraced the land comprising a large part of the present site of Port Jervis, N. Y., probably the most valuable portion of the city. The land was originally purchased of a widow named Heleca Decker. She had bought it from Joseph Kirkbride and Sarah Stevenson, of Bucks county, Pennsylvania.
Jacob Kuykendall and Jurian Westfall, his brother-in-law, bought their lands from this same Stevenson. Pieter Kuykendall's residence was located inside the present plat of Port Jervis, just at the edge of the first bench of land above the "bottom." It was in this vicinity that Pieter was brought up from the time he was
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two years old. Here he lived and died, and here lived also his son Peter, his grandson Elias and his great grandson Jacob. The place was in possession of the family for over one hundred and twenty-five years. It passed out of the family holding when Jacob sold it in 1840. Until within quite recent years, there was a barn upon the place that was built by Peter Kuykendall nearly one hundred years ago. At first the land was used exclusively for farming and stock raising. The old home place was covered with timber formerly, and had to be cleared before it could be farmed. As the country became more thickly settled, and there was more business and trade, there came a demand for better transportation facilities, then later, the Delaware and Hudson Canal was built, and there sprang up a demand for building places. The old Pieter Kuykendall farm was then laid out into town lots and streets.
Where the first old log cabin stood, and where the stock yard and pens for pigs, cattle and horses had been, and where corn, wheat and tobacco had been raised, all was laid out into building lots. The Canal with its tow path, ran along, closely skirting the base of the elevated knob, called "Point Peter," hugging the bluff, as it swept up the valley beyond the town plat. Lots were sold, new buildings began to cover over that part of the farm. Soon everything was entirely changed, and if today, old Pieter or any of his children could come back, they would not recognize their old home. Looking at it today, one would hardly suppose that where there are lawns, dwellings and business houses, there had been a field and pastures, with haystacks, and that still earlier, there was a deep dark forest inhabited by wolves, bears and lynxes.
The Kuykendalls intermarried with the families of the old pioneer settlers, the Deckers, Van Aukens, Van Ettens, Coles, Kettels, Van Inwegens, Westbrooks, Westfalls, Cuddebacks and many others. Perhaps no community ever showed a greater number of the old settlers related by marriage.
It was around in this immediate neighborhood that a large number of the early descendants of old Pieter settled, raised families and died. Out from here there swarmed many of those whose descendants are now found in all parts of the country, from ocean to ocean.
It is quite likely that the first building erected at Machackemeck (now Port Jervis, N. Y.) was built at Carpenter's Point, or near there, but it is quite probable that the tavern kept by the elder Pieter, and afterwards by his son Peter, was at the old home. This "Kuykendall's Tavern" was probably the first in that part of the country. It was mentioned in old accounts as early as 1761.
In 1762, the authorities were much exercised over the Quakers of that region, and the Lieut.-Governor of Pa. sent James Hynd-shaw, who at that time lived down on the Delaware at Bushkill, to Cushetunk (Cochecton), to learn what was going on there, and ascertain the temper of the venturesome Quakers." He took his journey, and on his return, made his report under date of April
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29, 1762, wherein he speaks of having been at "Kuykendal's Tavern" on the Delaware, at Machackemeck, both going, and on his way, returning. Whether it was the elder Pieter who kept the tavern at that time, we do not know; both were living. Peter Gumaer, the historian of Deerpark, says Pieter Kuykendall lived to be 80 years old.
The elder Pieter Kuykendal with his wife, Femmetje Decker, lived on the place they first bought, until they died, and all their children were born there.
The names of their children, with the dates of their baptism are given below:
HENDRIK (3), was baptized July 10, 1720, married Elizabeth Cool.
DANIEL (3), baptized January 28, 1722, married Elizabeth Van Aken.
ELIZABETH (3), baptized January 3, 1725, married Joseph Westbrook.
SOLOMON (3), born June 25, 1727, married Sarah Cole.
PETER (3), was born 1732, day of month not known.
MARTYNUS (3), born June 8, 1734, married Catryntie Cool.
JACOB (3), baptized August 8, 1737, died young.
JACOB (3), baptized October 30, 1739.
This last Jacob was doubtless given the name of his brother who died, to perpetuate it in the family.
HENDRIK KUYKENDAAL (as the name appears in the Reformed Church records), was, as seen above, the first of the family of the elder Pieter. He was baptized at Kingston, though there was a church organization nearer to Pieter Kuykendal's home. Our early ancestors seem to have had a liking for the old church at Kingston, where their father, Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal and their mother lived, and preferred to have their children baptized there. Many of the inhabitants of Minisink or Machackemeck were in the habit of making visits to Kingston and Rochester every year, as that was their main trading center, with more people. They went up with loads of produce from their farms, wheat, cider, feathers and peltry. They doubtless arranged some of these trips so that they could go back up to the old ancestral home, attend to business, do their trading and visiting, stay over Sunday and have their children baptized.
In the baptismal registers I noticed many instances where Minisink citizens were up at Kingston with their children for baptism, and some of their neighbors and friends were present and acted as sponsors and witnesses. This would indicate that there was some pre-arranged plan, and probably a number went up together.
There was a schoolhouse at Machackemeck at a very early date, and there were a number of teachers in that section, many of whom were of Irish birth. To the school taught there the Kuykendall children were sent. In those days they used Dutch school books.
Hendrick Kuykendal, as we have seen; married Elizabeth Cool, who was baptized October 21, 1721. She was the daughter of
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Willem Cool and Catryntje De Bois. The name Cool is variously spelled Cool, Kool, and Cole, but in all cases the name is pronounced as if spelled Cole, oo having the long sound of o. The Kuykendall family and the Coles were early pioneers and both had much to do in forming the character and directing the progress of the country. Hendrick's father, old Pieter, was the first Justice of the Peace in the country there, of which there is any record. Here he conducted a farm, ran a tavern and was a prominent member of the Dutch Reformed Church, in which he was an elder and officer for many years. His family grew up and stood high in the community, and as his sons and daughters came to maturity they took an active part in business and society, and were members of the church of their father.
Pieter was fortunate in marrying into a family noted as substantial, intelligent, reliable citizens. His wife, Femmetje Decker, came of a fine old Holland family, whose history had been long and honorable. She was the daughter of Hendrick Decker and Antje Quick. Hendrick Decker was the son of Jan Gerritsen Decker, who came from Heernden, Holland, and located at Esopus (Kingston), in the year 1664. Hendrick Decker and Antje Quick were married December 18, 1696. They lived at Rochester, then called Mombaccus. Here their daughter Femmetje was born and baptized, and when about twenty years old, she married Pieter Kuykendal. It should be remembered that Rochester (Accord) is where Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal, Pieter's father had lived, and where, no doubt, he knew the Deckers.
If Jan De Decker, who lived at Fort Orange, N. Y., was one of the same family of Deckers, as is generally thought, then the Holland emigrant Jacob Luursen (Van Kuykendaal) may have been acquainted with him back in Holland. This seems to be highly probable.
In passing it may be noted that there have been frequent marriages between the Deckers and Kuykendalls, for at least one hundred and seventy years. As has been shown before, Jan or John Decker and Diana Kuykendall, daughter of Jacob, the eldest brother of Pieter Kuykendall were married and went to Virginia.
Several other Deckers went there also, and it is more than likely some of them went at the same time that John and Diana moved. In Virginia there were other marriages between the Kuykendalls and Deckers, and some of the Deckers went to Indiana from Virginia. The wife of Dr. Jacob Kuykendall, one of the pioneer physicians of Vincennes, Indiana, and a member of the first Indiana State Medical Society, was a Decker, she having descended from the first Decker families that lived in the Port Jervis, N. Y., region, some of whom afterwards went from there to Virginia, some time along between 1745 and 1760.
Old Peter Gumaer, in his "History of Deerpark," written about 1858, gives the following interesting incident which shows some
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of the hardships to which the early Kuykendalls of the Delaware valley were exposed.
"It is now a few years over a century since the fall of the deepest snow ever known in this part of the country, and before it fell, Pieter Kuykendall and wife went to Esopus and left their children at home, where John Decker and his wife were to go daily and see them and render such assistance as would be necessary. Two or three days after they started this snow fell, and the morning after its falling, John Decker commenced to shovel and make a foot path through the snow to Kuykendall's house. He worked all that day and the greatest part of the next, before he got to it, and found the door shut, so that the children could not get out of the house. The door opened to the outside, and the snow laid so deep against it that it could not be opened from the inside, before the snow was removed.
It is probable that they first settled as near to each other as the situations of ground and water would admit. No victuals had been prepared for the children on the previous day, to serve them the next.
They contrived to get meal, mix it up with water, bake it some, on the hearth before the fire, and lived on it until otherwise provided for."
Experiences of this kind helped to make the children of our forefathers hardy and self-reliant. A visit was made to Sussex county, N. J., and Orange county, N. Y., the summer of 1914, to see what could be found in reference to the early Kuykendalls and Coykendalls of that region. The earliest date I found in the old court minutes was "The 21st day of March, Anno Domini, 1735." At the session of court, June 18, "Henry Kikendall" was one of
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the Freeholders. At that session the court was trying to adjust the "accounts of building the gaol," (jail). The cost of the gaol, according to the bill presented, was 37 lbs. 2 s, 10 pence. If currency was at par with gold or silver, this would make about $185.25 for cost of the jail, which would appear to be a pretty stiff price for a rough log house, that proved to be a very poor contrivance to hold prisoners. The county records show that after the building was accepted and prisoners put in, they got out and escaped, even while the "gaol was guarded."
At this term of court, while Henry Kikendall was a Chosen Freeholder, Joseph Westbrook was on the same board. Joseph Westbrook married Elizabeth Kuykendall, Henry's sister. In the court minutes along about this time, there was frequent mention of Hendrik Kuykendall, the name being spelled variously.
At the session of May 12, his name appears on the record as Henry Kuykendael.
The courts, in those days, were held first in one place and then another. This was on account of there being no regular court house.
In April, 1755, Henry Kuykendall appears as one of the Freeholders, and the name is recorded as Henry Kerkendall. In November, 1769, Henry "Kuikendall" is recorded as having been paid cash for "tickets for wolf's heads," 25 L. The same Henry was doubtless meant in each instance.
In the year 1762, there was a failure of the corn crop in Sussex county, N.
J., and "bread corn" was very scarce and there was almost a famine. The matter was brought up before the provincial legislature, in a report stating that "the inhabitants are reduced to great distress for want of bread corn," and that the county board could give no relief, on account of the lack of money, whereupon the legislature passed an act, on the 20th of June, authorizing the treasurer to "pay to Abraham Van Campen, Hendrick Kuykendall and five others, or any three of them, a sum not exceeding Two Hundred pounds, to be used to the best advantage in purchasing corn for bread, etc." These quotations are given to show not only some of the activities of Henrdik Kuykendall, but also because they throw an illuminating side light upon times and conditions where the early Kuykendalls lived in pioneer days, in New Jersey.
The names of Hendrick's children, with dates of their baptism, follow: CATRYNTJE, baptized May 30, 1738, at Deerpark N. Y.; FEMMETJE, baptized Oct.
30, 1739; HENDRICUS, baptized March 7, 1742; WILLEM, baptized Dec. 23, 1744; HENDRICUS, baptized June 21, 1747; JACOB, baptized Oct. 13, 1747; BENJAMIN, baptized Sept. 27, 1749; ANNATJE, baptized Sept. 21, 1751; JOSIAS, baptized Feb. 9, 1755; TATJE, baptized April 22, 1760.
We have two Hendrick baptisms here, which is thus explained. After Hendrick was first baptized, there arose a dispute as to
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whether Dominie J. C. Fryenmmoet had been property ordained and authorized to baptize, and to make sure of the matter, and to have Hendrick's baptism genuine, he was baptized the second time, four and a half years later.
Hendrick Kuykendal, father of the above named family was of the third generation; the line runs thus: Hendrick's father was Pieter, of second generation, baptized 1698, son of Leur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal, baptized 1650.
CATRYNTJE, the first child of Hendrick Kuykendael, married Stephanus Decker, who was of the same family of Deckers as her grandmother. We note here that the Dominies of the Reformed church were much in the habit of latinizing the given names of the children they baptized, writing Stephanus for Stephen, Hendricus for Henry, Martinus for Martin, and Petrus for Peter, and so on with many others.
Of FEMMETJE, the second daughter of Hendrik we have no further record.
HENDRICUS 2nd, baptized March 7, 1742, had children whose baptisms appear on the record as follows: CORNELIA (5), baptized March 25, 1764; MOSES (5), baptized May 29, 1766, and JONATHAN (5), baptized December 20, 1769. The second Henry was not as well known, or was not so prominent in affairs seemingly, as his father, but he left a large line of descendants, through his sons Moses and Jonathan. Many of these have occupied prominent places in business and society. Many are scattered over the country, from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans and from the Canadian line to Mexico.
Probably a majority of the descendants of Moses have adopted the spelling Coykendall, but some have it Kirkendall. It has been a difficult thing to establish the connection between some of these, but that it exists there can be no doubt.
We shall now follow the history of the family of Hendricus Kuikendal, born 1742, fifth generation. We have nothing in regard to the life of Cornelia, after her baptism.
Moses Kuykendall married Hannah, daughter of Samuel Decker, who was so far as is known, the first settler where the town of Sussex, N. J. now is and which was first named for him, and called Deckertown. Moses Coykendall (for so the name is called from this on), and his wife Hannah Decker had eleven children, whose names with date of birth appear below. All were born at Libertyville, Sussex county, N. J.
HENRY COYKENDALL, born Oct. 11, 1789. SAMUEL DECKER COYKENDALL, born Sept. 8, 1791. ELIJAH, born Sept. 17, 1793. SUSANNAH, born August 6, 1795. MARY, born June 16, 1799. JONATHAN, born Oct. 12, 1802. SARAH, born April 6, 1805.
MARGARET, born Aug. 28, 1807. JULIA, born Nov. 28, 1809. MADISON, born June 8, 1812. HARRISON, born May 26, 1815.
These children were of the sixth generation from Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal.
Of this family we first take up Samuel Decker,
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who was born as shown, 1791, and died Sept. 12, 1837. He had three sons:
Ellis Coykendall, born April 15, 1823, died May 20, 1876.
Simeon M., born Nov. 29, 1824, died March 12, 1872.
Adams born July 5, 1831, and died in the year 1918.
Of these, Simeon M., was a lawyer of prominence, at Union-ville, then at Sussex, where he continued until his last sickness. During his life he served as Superintendent of schools, was a director of the Farmer's National Bank.
During the Civil War he was warmly loyal to the Union cause. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church. He married Miss Mary Wilson Fuller, October 27, 1858. She is still living so far as known.
Adams D. had a daughter and a son, viz.: Ella J. (Gulick), who had no children, and Russell A., born October 27, 1865, who has a daughter, Muriel, born January 17, 1897. Russel A. Coykendall's place of business recently was 20 Bond Street New York City. He is probably at the same place yet.
ELIJAH, third in the family of Moses Coykendall (6th generation), married Malinda Sheppard, who was a descendant of Abram Sheppard, who was killed in the battle of Minisink. She was born December 23, 1801, and died August 14, 1864. They had seven children, viz.:
Harrison, born Nov. 11, 1827; Hannah M., born May 12, 1830; George, born Nov.
6, 1832; Margaret, born Feb. 16, 1835; Samuel D, born May 18, 1837; Martin D., born Sept. 28, 1840, and John, born May 19, 1843.
The first of these, HARRISON, married Jennie Beach, and they removed to Knoxville, Tenn., where they resided until their deaths.
Their children were: Edward, born Oct. 19, 1856; Samuel D., born May 21, 1866, and James B., born Aug. 6, 1869. These were, at last accounts, living at Knoxville, and in business here.
HANNAH M., the second in the family of Elijah Coykendall, son of Moses, married Franklin Caskey, who lived at Port Jervis, N. Y. Their children were Olive Caskey, born Feb. 24, 1853, who is the wife of Judge Amos Van Etten of Kingston, N. Y.
Jennie Caskey was born July 19, 1857, always lived at Port Jervis, N. Y.
GEORGE, third in the family of Elijah Coykendall, was born as seen above, November 6, 1832, married Emma London, lived at Kingston, died there January 11, 1918.
MARGARET, fourth child of Elijah Coykendall, lived at Port Jervis and died at the home of her niece, Miss Jennie Caskey, year 1916.
SAMUEL DECKER COYKENDALL, son of Elijah Coykendall and grandson of Moses Coykendall, was born in Wantage township, Sussex county, New Jersey. His mother was Malinda Sheppard, a descendant of Abram Sheppard, who was killed in the memorable battle of Minisink.
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In a previous chapter, the fact was mentioned that S. D. Coykendall financed the publication of the Baptismal and Marriage Records, from 1660 to 1810, of the Reformed Protestant Church at Kingston, N. Y., compiled by the Rev.
Roswell Randall Hoes. Mr. Coykendall was a person of such distinguished character as a business man, financier and philanthropist, that it is proper to give a more extended notice of his life and activities. He came from a family of the common people, of honest and honorable parentage. During his early life, his family moved from where he was born, to the little hamlet of Sparrowbush, a short distance above Port Jervis, and a little later, they moved into the latter place. He began his business career as clerk, in a country merchandise store, and steadily advance until he was made head of a branch business of his employer at Rondout, now a part of Kingston on the Hudson.
When the Civil War was started, he offered his services to his country, and raised a company of volunteers, that was incorporated with the 156th Regiment of N. Y. Volunteers. His business efficiency as an organizer, attracted the military officers, and when his regiment was sent to the seat of war, through the Gulf of Mexico and up the Mississippi river, he was assigned a position on the staff of Gen. N. P. Banks, in the Red River Campaign. During the war he served with distinguished ability, winning the highest commendation of his superior officers, for his heroic and faithful duty, and his ability as an officer. At the close of the war he married Mary Augusta, daughter of Major Thomas Cornell, and soon formed a partnership with him, carrying on business under the firm name of Cornell & Company. The firm did a freighting and towing business on the Hudson river. The growth of the business was phenomenal, spreading out to embrace, steamboating, railroading, banking and various other enterprises of an extensive nature.
As Mr. Cornell grew older, the management and care of the business fell more and more upon Mr. Coykendall, and when Mr. Cornell died, the whole business fell to the junior member of the firm. Under his management it grew and spread out until at the time of his death the firm's assets ran into millions, and its operations reached all over that part of the country. When Mr. Coykendall died, he was the owner and president of the Cornell Steamboat Company, owner and president of the Ulster & Delaware Railroad Company, president of the National Bank of Rondout, a trustee of the Rondout Savings Bank, and of the Rhinebeck and Kingston Ferry Company, owner of the Consolidated Rosendale Cement Company, the Hudson River Bluestone Company, owner of the Grand Hotel, of the Grant House at Catskill, and was largely interested in many other important business enterprises.
He was among the early members of the Holland Society of New York, member of the Union League Club, Metropolitan Club, Chamber of Commerce of New York City, member of the Sons of the Revolution, of the New York Genealogical and Biographical
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Society, the American Scenic Preservation Company, of the Museum of Natural History, trustee of Vassar College, trustee of the Kingston City Hospital, and of the Kingston City Library, besides being contributor to various funds for numerous exploration and excavation societies.
When the Holland Society decided, in 1886, to celebrate the anniversary of the relief of Leiden, he invited all the members of that organizatoin as his guests, to go to Kingston, and from there to Hotel Kaaterskill, in the legendary land of Rip Van Winkle, in the Catskill mountains. That summer resort had planned to close in early September, but Mr. Coykendall had it remain open, he retaining all the employes, servants and attendants, until the meeting was over at his own expense. He had a special train, for the use of the members of the society and their invited guests from similar societies, and had them all taken to Kingston, where they they had a fine lunch, and then repaired to the old historic Kingston Dutch Reformed church, where so many of their ancestors, and the ancestors of our Kuykendall people were baptized.
Here there was prayer offered in the Holland Dutch language, and speeches of welcome. After this, the crowd took a special train for the Hotel Kaaterskill.
Arrived there, each guest was assigned a separate room. Then there was sight seeing, story telling of events in the past, of this land of romance and wonders, with a generous dinner in the evening and breakfast next morning, then the ride back again through the delightful scenery, making a day that is still remembered as a great event in the annals of the Holland Society. After Mr. Coykendall's death, the "Freeman," one of Kingston's newspapers, published a tribute to him, by Judge Clearwater, which the editor says "will be universally accepted as an accurate delineation of the lofty nature of a remarkable man, by one who knew him long and well." From this contribution of Judge Clearwater, excerpts are here given.
"In the death of Samuel D. Coykendall the city of Kingston and the county of Ulster lose their most distinguished and public spirited citizen and captain of industry. For nearly half a century closely identified with the leading financial and business interests of Kingston, a leader in every charitable and civic enterprise, twice offered the nomination for governor of the state, invited to represent it in the senate of the United States repeatedly, consulted by presidents, senators and governors and heads of great banking and industrial corporations, his life added lustre to this ancient town.
Words are inadequate to describe his contributions to the alleviation of suffering and poverty, his benefactions to the cause of religion, humanity and education, his generosity to the thousands who have been in his employ, the unostentatious and generous manner in which he has bestowed pensions upon those, who through illness, were incapacitated for labor, and upon the widows and orphans of those dependent upon them.
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Of the most exemplary and industrious habits, the most charitable and chivalric nature, of great wisdom and wonderful sagacity, of infinite tenacity of purpose, always genial and approachable, wealthy beyond the dreams of avarice, with none of the pride of riches, ever the friend of good government, of dauntless courage, cultivating the highest ideals and governed by the highest principles, never doing or suggesting the doing of a dishonorable act, the warmest heart and the most inapproachable integrity, a devoted and loving husband, a benign and indulgent father, a loyal and unchangeable friend, guided in all of his actions by a firm belief in the wisdom of a divine Providence, full of honors and years, he has been gathered to his fathers, a rare man among men, whose memory will be fragrant, and whose death is a public calamity." Mr. Coykendall died Jan. 13, 1913, leaving six sons, Thomas C., Harry S., Edward, Frederick, Frank, Robert, Catheryn C., wife of Edward M.
Herzog of New York. Robert died in year 1913, and Harry Sheppard died October 9, 1914.
MARTIN DECKER, the sixth in the family of Elijah Coykendall and Malinda Sheppard, died 1882. The particulars of his life and activities are not at hand.
JOHN COYKENDALL, seventh in the family of Elijah Coykendall, was born as has been shown, in 1843. He married Luella Rand, daughter of Mayor Rand of Minneapolis, Minn. They had an only daughter, Katie. All the family of John Coykendall, Mayor Rand and most of his family were drowned in Lake Minnetonka, Minn., June 12, 1885. There were ten persons in all drowned at the same time.
They went out on the lake in a boat for a pleasure excursion, when a sudden gale came up and capsized their boat Mr. Coykendall and the mayor were both very popular in society circles, and the drowning of so many prominent people cast a gloom over the city, and produced a profound sensation.
Further mention of this family and drowning episode is found in correspondence of Mr. John A. Kuykendall, late of Los Angeles, California.
Going back to the family of Moses Coykendall, 5th generation, we have to consider the next son, Jonathan, born Oct. 12, 1802, who married Mary Decker, sister of his brother Moses' wife, Hannah. They had a family, but there is little data at hand pertaining to them. Record has been found of only one son, Levi, who married Esther Compton, and they had several children, among whom were Jonathan and Decker Coykendall. These, a few years ago, lived in Wantage township, near Sussex, N. J. There were probably other children.
MARGARET, eighth in the family of Moses Coykendall, married a Mr. Lambert, and was the mother of Judge George Lambert, now of Newark, N. J.
JULIA, daughter of Moses, married Enoch Ayers, and the family lived in Sussex county, N. J.
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MADISON COYKENDALL lived in Sussex county, N. J., at a little hamlet known as Libertyville, N. J. In Madison's family there were three sons at least, Martin, Charles and John. The old homestead at Libertyville has been in possession of the family descendants for several generations. We have now followed the descendants of Hendricus Kuikendal, 2nd, baptized 1742, some of them to the eighth generation.
We now go back to WILLEM (4), the fourth in the family of the first Hendrik.
WILLEM was baptized Dec. 23, 1744, and married Leah Decker. Their children, so far as we have record, were as follows:
HENDRICUS (5), baptized March 25, 1764.
JOSEPH (5), baptized May 13, 1766.
EMANUEL (5), baptized May 31, 1769.
JONATHAN (5), baptized June 22, 1783.
The first of these, Hendricus (son of Willem), married Mary Dewitt, Jan. 6, 1785. They lived several years not far from the old Sussex county home in New Jersey, and along about the beginning of the nineteenth century moved from near Port Jervis, N. Y., and settled in Cayuga county, near Owasco Lake. They made their journey into that then new country, with an ox team, over rough roads, camping out on the way, making slow and laborious progress. This branch of the family adopted the spelling Cuykendall, and the descendants mostly now spell the name so. They refer to their ancestor, Hendricus, as Henry Cuykendall. The name of Willem, father of Henry, appears in the Dutch baptismal register spelled Kuykendal and Kuyckendal. The names of the children of Henry Cuykendall and Mary Dewitt were as follows:
BODEWEIN, born April 18, 1786. LEAH, born 1787, married Evert Cortright. JAMES DECKER, born February 18, 1789. JOHN, born November 9, 1791. MOSES, born February 14, 1793. JACOB, born February 12, 1795. WILLIAM, born May 26, 1797.
MARY no date of birth. SAMUEL, born March 15, 1802. ANNE, born April 11, 1804.
CHARITY, born January 12, 1811.
The data to follow all these is not at hand, but it is hoped that with the aid of what is here given, many of the descendants can figure out their connection with the others.
LEAH, the second in the family of Henry Cuykendall and Mary Dewitt, married Evert Cortright and they had a large family. Their children were: MARY, MOSES, SUSAN, SALLY, JACOB, ELIZABETH, ANN and JOHN. Of these Moses married Ruth Tanner, whose daughter, Antoinette, married Reid Johnson, and their daughter, Harriet C. Johnson, has been an enthusiastic worker in Cuykendall ancestry research. Though she has been much handicapped in her efforts, she has made excellent progress, and her work should be much appreciated by such of her family line as have profited by her researches. Her residence is at Moravia, N. Y.
The fifth in the family of Henry Cuykendall and Mary Dewitt was Moses, born February 14, 1793, as shown above, and married
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Esther Van Wagener, May 19, 1818. She was born March 11, 1793. Moses Cuykendall was a farmer and wheelwright. The names of their children were as given below, with dates of their birth. They are of the seventh generation.
JOHN, born December 11, 1815. RACHEL, born October 23, 1817. HENRY, born April 23, 1820. REBECCA MARIA, born December 26, 1821. JOSIAH, born March 20, 1824.
EZEKIAL NELSON, born June 9, 1826. CHARITY, born July 6, 1828. ELIZA JANE, born May 10, 1831. JAMES, born March 2, 1836. DAY, born February 15, 1839.
REBECCA MARIAH (7), daughter of Moses Cuykendall, married Philip Duryea, July 13, 1844. Their children were: HENRY DURYEA (8), born September 19, 1845, died January 18, 1865. HELEN A., born December 3, 1848, died August 31, 1865.
EZEKIAL NELSON CUYKENDALL (7), son of Moses Cuykendall and Esther Wagener, married Matilda Ann Pettis. September 11, 1849. She was born November 25, 1825, and died 1908. Ezekial Cuykendall was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church and traveled and preached over much of Western New York. The children of Ezekial Cuykendall were: EUDELMER FITCH CUYKENDALL (8), born December 10, 1850, lives in Syracuse, N. Y. MOSES OLIN (8), born December 8, 1852, address Homer, N. Y. CARRIE LUELLA (8), born July 26, 1855, died April 1, 1883. CHARITY (8), daughter of Moses Cuykendall and Esther Van Wagener, married Solomon H. Hamlin, December 18, 1850, died July 8, 1894. ELIZA JANE (8), daughter of Moses Cuykendall, married Caleb Branch, who died October 8, 1860. John Marcus Duryea, son of Rachel Cuykendall and Richard Duryea, married Sarah Taylor, December 20, 1869; she was born April 15, 1843.
EUDELMER FITCH CUYKENDALL, son of Ezekial Nelson Cuykendall, married MARY WILLIS SAFFORD, December 29, 1892. She was born October 20, 1892; her occupation was teacher. They have one daughter, IRENE CUYKENDALL, born December 5, 1895. Mr. E. F. Cuykendall comes of fine ancestry, his great grandfather having been Martin Cuykendall, who had an honorable record in the Revolutionary war. Ezekial Nelson Cuykendall, father of E. Fitch, was the fifth in the family of Martin Cuykendall, and was a man of excellent ability.
He was a member of the Oneida Conference, now Central New York. During the years of his ministry he served his church and the cause of Christianity with ability and fidelity, and brought up his children to be Godfearing and honorable citizens. Mr. E. F. Cuykendall graduated from Cazenovia Seminary in 1872, and from Syracuse University in 1876, and has followed teaching the greater part of the time since. That he has been a success as a teacher is clearly shown by his record. His mother taught school for about ten years, and it is highly probable that he inherited some of his teaching talent from her.
His brother, Moses Olin Cuykendall, unmarried, taught school for twelve years and then went into other business. Prof.
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E. Fitch Cuykendall has taught over twenty-five years, and that he has pleased his patrons is shown by the demand for his services year after year in the same institutions.
It has been seen that Hendricus (1764), fifth generation, had a large family, consisting of eleven children. Of these we have traced a part only of the descendants--Leah and Moses. It is evident that there must yet be a great many living descendants of the other children of Hendricus, but doubtless some died without marrying.
Turning back again to the family of the first Hendrik Kuikendal, third generation, we find the next in order, there comes JACOB, baptized 1747; of his descendants we have no complete data at hand, and we come next to BENJAMIN, the sixth of the family, baptized as shown by the record, September 27, 1749. Here we come to one who spells his name Coykendall. As the history of Benjamin is given more fully in the chapter on "Kuykendalls in the Revolution," the reader is referred to that for information in regard to him.
Tracing the descendants of Pieter Kuykendal first, third generation, we now come to his second son, DANIEL. His name appears in the Dutch Reformed Church record as Daniel, son of Petrus Van Kuykendael, baptized January 28, 1722, at Rochester (Accord), N. Y. He was brought up at Machackemeck (Port Jervis), and married Elizabeth Van Aken, December 2, 1751.
Elizabeth, his wife, was born at Wawarsing, and at the time of the marriage her parents were living at "Theesacht," which is now called Rosetown, and is across the river on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware.
Here we have the first marriage of the Kuykendalls and the Van Aukens, though a number occurred afterwards. The Van Auken family, who lived in the Machackemeck section of the Minisink country, and across the Delaware below in Pennsylvania, came from Marinus Van Aken and Pieternella des Prez. The name Van Auken looks in the present form to be Dutch, but is most surely of French origin. It came from the old city of Aachen in France, commonly called Aux la Chapelle, from where the ancestors of the family came. The Dutch Van must have been substituted for the French equivalent, after the family went to the Esopus settlements, where the inhabitants all spoke Dutch.
Mr. W. H. Nearpass of Port Jervis, N. Y., says: "The name Van Aachen is evidently derived from the springs for which the place has always been famous, and was the burial place of Charlemagne, the great German Emperor."
Marinus Van Auken was the grandfather of Elizabeth Van Auken, the wife of Daniel Kuykendall. Though French, they evidently took up the use of the Dutch language, fell in with the Dutch ways and customs, and joined the Reformed Church, if they had not already been members before they left the old country.
The Van Aukens were prominent people in the valley of the Hudson and Delaware.
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Daniel, son of Pieter Kuykendall and Femmetje Decker, was a man of considerable prominence in the community. His name is mentioned in the minutes of the courts of Sussex county, N. J., as having considerable to do with public affairs. At the term of court held Tuesday, 19, 1754, among the justices present were Peter Decker, a near relative of Daniel Kuykendall's wife, and Anthony Vanatta, who was probably Anthony Van Etten. Among the grand jurors empanelled that day were Daniel Kuykendall. At this time Daniel was a man of family, with three children, the youngest of whom was Mariah, who was baptized only a few weeks before this session of court. Daniel was about thirty-two years old at the time.
The Reformed Church record shows the baptism of six children, viz:
PETRUS, baptized January 21, 1750, at Deerpark, N. Y.
SAMUEL, baptized June 24, 1752, had Revolutionary war record.
MARIAH, baptized November 3, 1754, at Deerpark, N. Y.
CATRYNTIE, baptized January 27, 1757, Deerpark, N. Y.
FEMMETJE, baptized January 8, 1764, at Deerpark, N. Y.
ELISABETH baptized November 22, 1766, at Deerpark, N. Y.
In the Dutch records the names of Petrus, Mariah, Samuel and Catryntje are written Kuykendal, while the names of Femmetje and Elizabeth are spelled Kuikendal, which is a later form of Dutch.
Of Petrus, the first of the family of Daniel, we have no definite knowledge.
The name Peter was so common among all the families of the Pieter branch, that it is exceedingly difficult to keep them differentiated.
SAMUEL KUYKENDALL, the second in the family of Daniel, was born May 28, 1752, and died November 26, 1835. He married Lydia Van Camp, who was born July 22, 1759, and died August 20, 1798. Their marriage took place March 16, 1775.
Samuel's second marriage was to Sarah Compton, who had two children. All the children were born at the old homestead at Libertyville, Sussex county, N. J.
This branch of the family adopted the spelling Coykendall, and from now on it will so appear, except when explanation is made. As before stated, some of this branch took the spelling Kirkendall, and this fact makes it hard to connect some of the descendants, who cannot tell by whom the latter spelling was adopted.
JEMIMA COYKENDAL, born January 18, 1776. DANIEL, born February 6, 1778. ANNA, born December 7, 1780. GERRETT, born April 9, 1783. MARY, born September 19, 1784. SUSANNAH, born March 24, 1786. ELIZABETH VAN AUKEN, born July 5, 1788.
JOHN, born October 29, 1791. JOSHUA, born October 23, 1793. JULIA, born March 16, 1796. HANNAH, born April 25, 1804. GABRIEL, born July 23, 1808. All were born in Sussex county, N. J.
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All the living descendants of our forefathers naturally would like to know as much as possible about their ancestors, especially those of them who had an active part in the great struggle that gave birth to the American nation. The family of Samuel Coykendall, as most of his descendants now spell the name, had five sons and seven daughters. The descendants of these would properly come under the designation of Sons or Daughters of the Revolution, and would be eligible to membership in various patriotic societies. Probably the majority of them are not aware of the relationship which they sustain to the Revolutionary heroes. Most of those who know or believe they are so related, cannot furnish evidence to sustain the fact. For the benefit of these, the history of Samuel Coykendall is given more fully in the chapter devoted to "Kuykendalls in the Revolution."
Scantiness of existing data, and the various changes in the spelling of the name make it exceedingly difficult to trace the different individuals and family branches. We have not at hand the data to follow the history of all of Samuel Coykendall's children. GABRIEL, the last child, married Harriet Ayers, May 19, 1811. He died October 20, 1894, and she died March 8, 1892.
Gabriel was a man of sound integrity and fine business ability. He learned tailoring, continued in that occupation for some time, but afterward started a ready-made clothing store, and followed merchandising until he was about seventy years old, when he relinquished the business to his son, Theodore, who continued it for some time afterwards. He died at the residence of Theodore in Deckertown, now Sussex, N. J.
The children of Gabriel Coykendall were ROSETTA, born December 8, 1831. FORD, born August 7, 1833. SEALY, born April 2, 1836. HALSEY, born March 9, 1839.
JOHN, born January 2, 1842. CHESTER, born February 5, 1845. THEODORE, born October 29, 1847. CHARLES EDWIN, born February 19, 1854.
ROSETTA (6), daughter of Gabriel Coykendall, married John Vought, and their children were James Christian, Harriet, Hattie L, Gabriel Ford, Halsey L. J., Jennie, Lizzie, William, Charles.
FORD COYKENDALL (6), lived in New York City over sixty years and was connected with the "New York World" newspaper, for thirty-five years of this time with the business management, and was treasurer for the firm at one time. After the death of Mr. Pulitzer, editor of the "World," Ford retired from business. He married but never had any children.
SEALY COYKENDALL (6), third in the family of Gabriel Coykendall, married Kitty Peary, January 15, 1865, and they have five children, viz: Ford, Nellie, Carrie, Sealy and Kittie.
HALSEY COYKENDALL (6), was a printer, lived in Sussex, N. J., married Elizabeth Kith Cart, who died 1907; he died four years before.
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JOHN COYKENDALL (6), born as before shown, 1842, married Miss Susan C.
Chandler, daughter of Dr. W. C. Chandler, of South Orange, N. J. John Coykendall began business for himself in the employ of the Erie Railroad Company, and remained with that company for fifteen years. In 1888 he established the coffee and spice firm in Newark, N. J., of which he remained the head
until his death. His business increased until it attained large proportions, and in 1907 he incorporated it, taking in with him seven of his old faithful employes. Mr. Coykendall was always identified with the business, educational and social interests of the city; was a member of the board of trade, was a director in a building and loan association, a member of the Masonic lodge, the oldest lodge in the state. He was also a member of the Holland Society of New
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York and of the Sons of the Revolution. He had the gun carried by his grandfather, Samuel Kirkendall, during the Revolution. He was a member of the Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church, and for years was one of the board of trustees. Mr. Coykendall was active in his support of schools and various charitable and benevolent institutions. Several years ago he became interested in the marble business, and at the time of his death was a large stockholder in the Colorado Yale Company, at Marble, Gunnison county, Colorado. His firm was awarded the contract for the white marble in the Lincoln Memorial Building, at Washington, D. C. Mr. Coykendall was fortunate in having an intelligent, Christian woman for a wife. She was an active member of the M. E.
Church and a leading worker in the Women's Foreign Missionary Society, and was affiliated with the Women's Club of Orange, and the Musical and Art Society and Saturday Club. She died the summer of 1915 and was buried in Fairmont cemetery, Newark, N. J. Mr. John Coykendall died November 10, 1915, at the residence of his son, Louis T. Coykendall, Maplewood, N. J., and was buried at Fairmont beside his wife. The cause of his death was apoplexy.
CHESTER COYKENDALL (6), died September 12, 1849, aged 4 years and some months.
THEODORE (6), the next in the family of Gabriel Coykendall, married Emma G.
Ayres and they had four children, all girls: Emma, born January 22, 1872.
Nora, born February 14, 1876. Mazie, born May 24, 1883. Loena, born June 14, 1886.
Theodore Coykendall is an honorable and much respected citizen of Sussex, Sussex county, N. J. He lives quietly at his pleasant little home place, enjoying the confidence and respect of his neighbors, with children and grandchildren near by, who visit him and he takes pleasure in his home life and associations.
CHARLES EDWIN COYKENDALL, youngest of the family of Gabriel, married Lizzie Hopper April 19, 1891.
An account of Peter Kuykendal's son, Hendricus and Daniel (3), having been given, the next chapter will consider his other children and descendants. But first there will be given a list of marriages found in the family Bible of Theodore Coykendall, at the time of my visit there in 1914.
MARRIAGES
"Gabriel Coykendall and Harriet Ayers, March 25, A. D. 1831.
Rosetta Coykendall and John Vought, April 23, 1855.
Halsey Coykendall and Elizabeth Kith Cart, August 2, 1861.
Sealy Coykendall and Kitty Perry, January 15, 1863.
John Coykendall and Fannie Ackerman, August 9, 1865.
John Coykendall and Euphemia Crooke, April 29, 1871.
Theodore Coykendall and Emma G. Ayers, June 15, 1873.
Charles E. Coykendall and Lizzie Hopper, April 19, 1891.
Nora Coykendall and Charles Compton, December 19, 1896.
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CHAPTER XVII.
PIETER KUYKENDALL AHD DESCENDANTS.--Continued.
ELIZABETH KUYKENDALL (3), third in the family of Pieter Kuykendall, was baptized January 3, 1725, married Joseph Westbrook, and they had three children: ANNATJE (3), baptized April 29, 1750. DIRK (3), baptized November 5, 1752, and LEVI (3), baptized December 9, 1753.
Elizabeth died and her husband, Joseph Westbrook, married Deborah Krom. The family lived in Montague township, near Nameneck, between the old village of Minisink and the Brick House on the Delaware.
SOLOMON (3), the first Solomon in the Kuykendall family, and the fourth child in the family of Pieter Kuykendal and Femmetje Decker, was baptized June 25, 1725, and married Sarah Kool, daughter of Willem Kool and Catryntie du Bois, November 23, 1751. Solomon lived a little below his father's place on the river. He was a prominent man in the country, both in church affairs and in business. In 1775, when the Revolutionary war broke out, Solomon and his brothers were ardent patriots, advocating the cause of liberty for the Americans. There were three of Pieter Kuykendal's sons who are known to have signed the "Pledge of the Revolutionary Association." This pledge bound the signers to take up arms in the defense of their country. Solomon was a justice of the peace, as was his father. His term of office as justice began 1771, and lasted probably to the time of his death, which occurred in 1787, when he was about sixty-four years old. There is an old paper on file at Goshen, Orange county, N. Y., that shows that "James Van Vliet, nephew of Solomon Cuykendall," was appointed administrator for Solomon's estate, December 2, 1789.
PETER KUYKENDAL was fifth in the family of Pieter Kuykendal first and Femmetje Decker. The baptismal register of the Dutch Reformed Church does not show any record of Peter's baptism. His birth has been placed usually at about 1730, but from data found it seems he was born in the year 1732.
There is an old Bible that was once owned by Jacob Kuykendal that had written on the fly leaf of the front of the book, "Jacob Cuykendal's family Bible." Following this below there is written "Peater Cuykendall died January, 1822, in his 90th year." This is said by the descendants to be the Bible owned by Jacob, the grandson of Pieter first.
Peter married Catherine Kittel, December 17, 1752, at Deerpark, N. Y., and the couple had children whose names and dates of baptism follow:
SOLOMON, JR., baptized October 21, 1753, at Deerpark, N. Y.
LISABETH, baptized May 1, 1757.
CHRYSTINTJE, baptized August 26, 1759.
WILHELMUS, baptized April 10, 1762.
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MARTINUS, baptized April 16, 1764.
LEAH, baptized December 8, 1765.
ELIAS, baptized in 1767. All of these baptized at Deerpark, N. Y.
We do not have a very full account of the life of Solomon, Jr. He lived in the vicinity where he was born, and married Maria Westbrook, May 1, 1771. He has not been spoken of as a soldier of the Revolution, but the records of the State of New York show that he was in the "Orange County, N. Y., militia, third regiment of enlisted volunteers." His name is written "Salm",--Solm Cuykendall. How long he was in the service we have nothing to show, but the records show clearly he was enlisted.
The children of Solomon Kuykendal, Jr., (4), were HENRY C. (5), born in 1778, at Deerpark, N. Y. CATHERINA (5), baptized June 22, 1783. FEMETY (5), baptized September 26, 1784. All were baptized at the Deerpark Church, N. Y.
The fact that Solomon, Jr., had a son, Henry C., was discovered by correspondence with one of his descendents, whose address I happened to learn.
This was Horton Cuykendall, then of Petersburg, Va., but who since has removed to Richmond, Virginia. The above mentioned Henry C. had a son, Benjamin, who went from somewhere near Skaneateles, N. Y., to Virginia, in the year 1854.
This Benjamin had two children, Charles Henry and Emma. Charles Henry had two children, Charles Horton and Cornelia May. These last two, with their father, Charles Henry, were living, very recently, in Richmond, Virginia. These represent the only male descendants of Solomon Cuykendall, Jr. See letter of Charles Horton Cuykendall in this volume. Of Solomon's daughters, Catherine, born June 22, 1783, and Femety, born September 26, 1784, we have no further knowledge.
We know nothing of the subsequent history of Elizabeth and Chrystintie, the second and third in the family of Peter Kuykendal and Catherine Kettel.
WILHELMUS, the fourth in the family of Peter Kuykendall and Catherine Kettel, was born April 10, 1762, and married February 16, 1784. Jane Gumaer, daughter of Jacob De Witt Gumaer and Huldah Decker.
Wilhelmus lived at Mamakating Hollow, otherwise called Mamakating Farms. His place was about half way between Wurtsboro and Summitville, N. Y. He was born at Machackemeck, or Port Jervis, and moved to Mamakating after his marriage to Jane Gumaer, who was born July 13, 1766.
The settlement where Wilhelmus lived was decidedly Dutch, though there were some Huguenots living there also; but all spoke Dutch, with sometimes an admixture of French. Quinlan, in his history of Sullivan county, N. Y., says, the Yankees were seldom met in that region, at that time, and that "The dwellings were after the Dutch style, and were constructed more for comfort than beauty." Washington Irving, in his "Legend of Mamakating Hollow,"
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says "they were modelled after a hen coop." Sullivan says: "Irving does these worthy people injustice, for according to other history they were as good as the houses of their neighbors or better." The Wilhelmus Kuykendall neighborhood was the Dutchest of the Dutch, of all the settlements of the Delaware valley. "All creeks were 'kills,' the little creeks were 'kiltjes' and the hills and mountains were 'burgs.'"
It was a wonderful region for fishing and hunting in the olden time, when the Kuykendalls and their neighbors went in there, and for many years afterwards.
Wilhelmus Kuykendall's wife came of the intrepid Gumaer family, French Huguenots, who fled from France on account of persecutions for their religious faith. Jane Gumaer, when Wilhelmus,
her husband, was in the Revolutionary war, frequently had to flee with her mother's family to the old stone fort at Cuddebackville for protection. Mrs.
Jane Ann Miller, granddaughter of Wilhelmus, has heard her mother tell how they used, during Revolutionary war times, to collect together, in the old stone fort, to escape being massacred in their homes. Mrs. Miller has lived many years at Middleton, N. Y., at 11 Little avenue.
During the revolution, Mamakating was an unhealthy location for Tories and British sympathizers, and there are several traditional stories and written accounts of tarring and feathering jobs, done to a finish during the war. Even after the close of hostilities in the field, the loyal settlers remembering the indignities they had suffered from the Tories while the war was going on, made it hot ior them.
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Wilhelmus Kuykendall and Jane Gumaer had seven children:
THOMAS, born March 14, 1786. JACOB, born February 20, 1788. CATY, born February 11, 1788. PETER, born August 12, 1794. HULDAH, born March 9, 1797.
HANNAH (NORCHA), born March 27, 1800. HENRY, born November 2, 1802.
In the above family record there must be an error, unless Jacob and Caty were twins, which the record does not state. Wilhelmus and his wife died at Mamakating, N. Y., and were buried in the "Old Stanton Graveyard," of which he was one of the owners for many years.
This old burial place has for many years been allowed to go to ruin, and has become overgrown with weeds, brush and trees. The head-stones are mossy with age and have mostly toppled over, and whatever inscriptions they bore once, are crumbling and fading away. Among these are to be seen two stones with inscriptions as follows:
"In memory of Jane, wife of WILHELMUS KURKENDALL, who died Jan. 13, 1844. Aged 77 y's and 6 mo."
"In memory of WILHELMUS KUYKENDALL, who died Aug. 15, 1848, aged 86 y's 4 mo.
5 ds."
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The descendants of Wilhelmus Kuykendall have been more fully traced out than any others of the Pieter branch, and the credit for this work is mostly due to Mrs. Harriet R. Frisbie, of Roscoe, N. Y.
This branch of the family have always spelled the name with the first syllable "K-u-y," as it was originally spelled. I do not know of any that spell it differently, but suspect there are a few who today go by the name Kirkendall or Kurkendall, for it will be noticed that on the headstone of the wife of Wilhelmus the name is spelled Kurkendall. It may be supposed from this that the name was pronounced in that region as if spelled Kirkendall, as it was, and even is yet today by many of the people about Sussex, N. Y., and Port Jervis, N. Y.
For an account of Wilhelmus Kuykendall's activities in the Revolutionary war, see the chapter in this volume on "Kuykendalls in the Revolution."
Early in my researches letters were received from a good many members of the Wilhelmus branch of the family, containing data that was both very interesting and helpful. Among these correspondents there were Mrs. Harriet R. Frisbie, mentioned above, who is a great granddaughter of Wilhelmus Kuykendall; Mr. C.
F., Kuykendall, of Edgewater, N. J.; W. H. Kuykendall, of Sheepshead Bay, N.
Y.: Miss Nellie A. Kuykendall, then of Nichols, N. Y., and now Mrs. Lawrence of Windham, Pa.; Theodore P. Kuykendall, Candor, N. Y.; Mrs. George Dayton, and Mrs. Huldah Kuykendall Frisbie, of Towanda, Pa., and numerons others who contributed interesting and helpful facts and incidents. "Aunt Huldah" Kuykendall Frisbie was the mother of the intelligent group of young men, who with her, appear in a picture in this chapter. This good old lady was much interested in the family history, and much wished to live to see it in print, but to the sorrow of a large number of friends she died before its completion.
There appears herein also a picture of Peter Kuykendall, born 1794, in Sussex county, N. Y., a son of Wilhelmus Kuykendall and Jane Gumaer. In early life Peter lived at "Mamakating Hollow," near the Wurtsboro, of N. Y., today. He married Deborah Coleman Van Duzer, daughter of the keeper of the old "Van Duzer Hotel." They lived in this region until they had a large family, and moved to Windham, Pa. This Peter was the progenitor of the Kuykendall correspondents above alluded to. Of this same family is William P. Kuykendall, whose picture and that of his wife are seen herein. The genealogy of these families is shown more fully in the section Kuykendall Genesis, or Kuykendalls by generations.
MARTINUS KUYKENDAL, of the fourth generation, and fourth in the family of Peter Kuykendal and Catherine Kittel, was born at Minisink, Orange county, N.
Y., February 18, 1764, and baptized April 8, 1764.
He married Anna Cole, February 16, 1789, who was born August 13, 1769, at Minisink, Orange county, N. Y. He died December
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14, 1843 and was buried at Owasco, N. Y. She died February 4, 1840, and was also buried at Owasco N. Y.
Martinus Cuykendall (for that is the way the descendants now spell the name), had thirteen children. His family record follows:
SOLOMON, born December 6, 1789, at Minisink, N. Y.
CORNELIUS, born June 24, 1791, at Minisink, N. Y.
LEAH, born, July 5, 1793, at Minisink, N. Y.
ELIZABETH, born August 25, 1795, at Minisink, N. Y.
MOSES, born August 11, 1797, at Minisink, N. Y.
EZRA, born October 30, 1799, at Minisink, N. Y.
PETER, born November 17, 1801, at Owasco, N. Y.
WILHELMUS, born March 5, 1804, at Owasco, N. Y.
LEVI, born March 7, 1806, at Owasco, N. Y.
ELIAS, born January 3, 1808, at Owasco, N. Y.
CATHERINE, born January 10, 1810, at Owasco, N. Y.
MARTIN, born January 23, 1812, at Owasco, N. Y.
JOHN, born October 31, 1814, at Owasco, N. Y.
About the last decade of the eighteenth century many of the Kuykendall descendants in the old home regions on the Delaware caught the moving spirit that prevailed so generally all over the country. Several of the family who had lived in the country around about where Port Jervis, N. Y., now is, and in Sussex county, N. J., moved away from those regions, most of them going into Western New York. Among these was Martin Cuykendall.
On returning home from the Revolutionary war, Martinus settled down at Minisink, among his people, and after between five and six years, married and went to farming. He continued to live there and farm until 1801, when he moved to Cayuga county, N. Y., and acquired land near the present site of Owasco.
Here he built a sawmill and grist mill and ran a farm, and soon became a prominent citizen of that section of the country. His mills stood there for many years, near the "old Owasco mills," but were destroyed by fire about the year 1864. Here he was elected many times to positions of trust and honor. He was justice of the peace for a number of years, and was an honored and prominent member of the Reformed Church. He donated the tract of land upon which the church building of that society stands, and gave largely of his own money and material from his mill for its erection.
He was a ruling elder of his church, holding this position for more than forty years.
A history of Cayuga county, N. Y., published in 1879, says: "Squire Martin Cuykendall came from Orange county, N. Y., and settled about a quarter of a mile north of Owasco, where his grandson, George, now lives. There was a country store in the village of Owasco, in early days, run by Cuykendall & Baker; it ran for awhile, closed for a year or two, then was reopened by John Cuykendall and David Tompkins."
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Martinus Cuykendall was the first postmaster at Owasco, he having been appointed to that position in 1817. His son, John, was postmaster at the same place from 1834 to 1860, and another direct descendant is now postmaster there, just a century after the appointment of Martin.
In the Niles township there were some years ago, living, Jacob and Levi Cuykendall, who had farms there, by the village of Kellogsville. Dr. James Harvey Horton practiced medicine there, beginning in 1853. He was born June 28, 1821. As shown later, James H. Horton married one of the Cuykendall's daughters.
As we have seen before, Solomon Cuykendall, eldest son of Martin, was born December 6, 1789, which was some years before the family went to Owasco, while they were still living at Minisink, near Machackemeck, or Port Jervis, N. Y.
Solomon continued to live with his father on the old homestead near Owasco, until he was twenty-nine years old: but at the age of twenty-six he married Mary Brann (daughter of John and Isabella Brann), who was born in Orange county, N. Y., 1792.
Three years after his marriage he bought a farm of seventy acres, about a quarter of a mile north of the village of Owasco, and lived upon it about thirty years, and then sold out to his son, John, with whom he lived until his death, March 24, 1872. Solomon, like his father, was a prominent man, and held various offices of trust. He was justice of the peace, commissioner of highways, and served his county and community in various positions. He was a loyal member of the Dutch Reformed Church, in which he was an elder and officer for many years. He died December 17, 1843, a victim of "black tongue," or a malignant form of erysipelas, of whom seven of the family died, all within the space of a few weeks.
Solomon and Mary Brann Cuykendall had three sons, two of which grew to manhood, viz:
MARTIN S., born November 23, 1816, married Ellen Brinkerhoff, of Niles, N. Y., they had one son, died infant. JOHN B., born December 17, 1818, married Sarah Cole, of Locke, N. Y., March 15' 1849. WILLIAM B.' born July 23, 1828, married Adelaide Tompkins, of Owasco, lived in Plymouth, O. Three children, all of whom are dead.
John B. Cuykendall, son of Solomon, has one son living, WILLIAM TITUS CUYKENDALL. This gentleman is of the seventh generation and the line runs back thus: William Titus, (December 12, 1849), son of John B., (December 18, 1818), son of Solomon, (December 6, 1789), son of Martin, (February 18, 1764), son of Peter (born 1732), son of Pieter, (May 1, 1698), son of Luer Jacobsen van Kuykendall, (May 29, 1650).
CORNELIUS, fifth generation, son of Martinus (1764), married Elizabeth Cortright, July 13, 1817, who was born November 11, 1794. She died March 13, 1844, one of the victims of black tongue, or malignant erysipelas. LEAH, daughter of Martinus Cuykendall and Anna Cole, married James Van Vliet. She died April, 1857.
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EZRA married Harriet Lisk, February 10, 1822, who was born April 7, 1800, and died January 29, 1830. They had a daughter, Betsy Hewett, born August 1, 1797, married 1831, died 1877.
PETER CUYKENDALL, son of Martin Cuykendall and Anna Cole, married Ruth Elston, who was born September 12, 1804, and died August 5, 1849. They had one child, Lovina Cuykendall (Hewett).
WILHELMUS CUYKENDALL married Mary Austin, February 23, 1830. She was born February 21, 1806, died December 2, 1859.
LEVI CUYKENDALL, son of Martinus Cuykendall and Anna Cole, died November 23, 1806.
ELIAS CUYKENDALL, son of Martinus Cuykendall and Anna Cole, married Emmeline A. Abel, March 27, 1834. She was born September 29, 1809, died December 10, 1876. One child.
MARTIN CUYKENDALL, son of Martin Cuykendall (1764), died December 23, 1812.
JOHN CUYKENDALL, son of Martin Cuykendall and Anna Cole, married Susan Powers, April 12, 1840, he died July 25, 1874; she was born February 17, 1814, died August 5, 1842.
We now go back to the family of Peter Kuykendall and Catherine Kettel, and take up the history of ELIAS KUYKENDAL, who was baptized November 15, 1767. He was born on the old homestead of his father and grandfather before him. He married Elizabeth Gumaer, who was born near Port Clinton, New York state, in the old Gumaer home. After their marriage they lived at the old Pieter Kuykendall home for about twenty years. Elias tore down the old original home building and erected in its stead a new frame house, and when completed he had it painted red. This building was erected in 1812. It was known all up and down the valley as the "Red House." When the village of Machackemeck was changed to Port Jervis, and the place began to grow, it took in the site of old Pieter Kuykendal's home, and the land was laid off in town lots. The old homestead changed hands, and there is standing today in Port Jervis, a house built by Mrs. George Broadhead, something like thirty-five years ago, that was erected very near where the old Pieter Kuykendal home was.
ELIAS CUYKENDALL (for so the family spelled the name after this), and ELIZABETH GUMAER CUYKENDALL had a family of ten children. Their names and dates of birth follow:
HULDAH, born August 21, 1791. CATHERINE, born December 6, 1792. MARY, born October 12, 1794. JACOB, born February 14, 1797. JANE, born December 23, 1798.
LEAH, born January 5, 1801. MARJORIE, born January 24, 1803, married James Hornton. WILHELMUS, born June 13, 1805. HANNAH, born August 13, 1807. HESTER, born November 11, 1810.
The descendants of Elias Cuykendall (4), born 1767, have become widely scattered, and to a large extent they have lost trace of each other and of their family origin. The lines of some of the
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descendants have been fully traced back, and the records of these will probably help others in locating themselves upon the Cuykendall genealogical chart.
JACOB, son of Elias Cuykendall and Elizabeth Gumaer, married Margaret Decker, January 17, 1820, at Minisink, and they had eight children, the records of whose baptisms are found in the Dutch Reformed Church register of Minisink, N.
Y. They were of the sixth generation. Their names were: JANE, born January 17, and baptized July 21, 1822. WILHELMUS, born July 7, and baptized 1824. ISAAC DECKER, born March 2, baptized June 1, 1828. ELIZABETH, born March 21, and baptized July 4, 1830. ELIAS, born September 18, and baptized November 18, 1832. LEVI, born January 5, 1834, and baptized December 1, 1835. MARY ELLEN, born September 2, 1837, and baptized February 11, 1838. JEMIMA, born December 1, 1838, and baptized July 24, 1839.
ELIAS JR., son of Jacob Cuykendall and Elizabeth Gumaer married and had four children, three sons and one daughter. The sons were J. W. CUYKENDALL, born April 6, 1858; J. R. CUYKENDALL, born March 2, 1861; CHARLES E. CUYKENDALL, born 1878. The daughter, CATHERINE M. CUYKENDALL, was born 1875 and married James R. Kurtz and lived in Dannemora, N. Y. During his correspondence with me, Mr. J. W. Cuykendall wrote an account of the family history, so far as he could give it, and gave an account of his and his brother's operations, which forms an interesting history of his start and rise in the canning business.
"My father, Elias C. Cuykendall, lived on a farm in Onandaga county, N. Y., Syracuse being the county seat. He was married in 1856, to Caroline M. Roosa.
They had four children, all of whom are living. When the writer was at the age of thirteen, father sold his farm in New York State and moved with us two children to the state of Delaware. The move proved to be disastrous, and when I was twenty and brother J. R. was seventeen we decided to quit fruit raising, as it was not paying. Father, a year or two previous, had gone into the fruit commission business in New York City. We kept our farm, but decided to start fruit drying on it. With a capital of twenty dollars I proceeded to erect a building 40 by 30, two stories high. Was able to purchase large pine trees for twenty-five cents each, seven miles from the sawmill. During one whole winter, I started out with an ox team, at two o'clock for timber. Had no money to pay for sawing logs, the mill agreed to saw them on shares. After getting lumber, we boys put up the building, doing most of the work by moonlight, as we were busy with our fruit during the day. Bought an evaporating machine on credit for $450, gathered up peaches from our neighbors, that were too ripe for sale, at a nominal figure. We dried these peaches, doing most of the work at night, and as the product was ready sale at a good profit, we were able to turn the dried fruit fast enough to pay for the labor. At the end of eight weeks the profits were sufficient to pay for the entire outfit. I was a very proud boy.
I went to Philadelphia to pay for the machine, but the manufacturer said to me, "You don't want to pay for this machine now, you should buy another one.
Go to the state of New York, find a good location and evaporate apples." He agreed to trust me for another machine. I found a location at Leroy, N. Y., had the machines shipped, and was soon ready to start work. The machines were operated four months, day and night.
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I had a room at my boarding house, but used it but very little, worked all day, and would lie down by the machines at night, with instructions to my helpers to waken me every hour in the night, that I might see that things were running right. In February the season was over. I returned to my home in Delaware, stopped at Philadelphia, paid for the two machines and had left $2500 in cash. Next year I started in a small way in the canning business, my brother securing a position with parties who were starting evaporating machines, at a good salary, as we were considered experts. In 1888 Canada put a tariff on canned goods entening that country, and I decided it would be a good idea to move the machines to that country. I did so, and was very successful and made considerable money. My brother J. R. was with me there, but the population was small, and new factories coming in, the business was soon overdone. I received an enquiry from Hoopeston, Illinois, wanting to know if I could recommend to them a first class canning man, who knew the canning business from A to Z. My brother suggested that I should recommend him, as there was not enough where we were for both. He secured a position in 1889 at a straight salary, and after the first year, a salary with a percentage on profits. A few years later he was partner in the company, and January 1, 1915, he retired from business worth considerably over $200,000, and is now traveling. He is a bachelor. In 1890 the writer had an opportunity to come west under the same conditions. Was married at the time. My daughter Virginia C. being then about two years old. In 1900 the writer owned a half interest in the Atlantic Canning Company's plant. In 1910 I purchased my partner's interest, and now own not only the Atlantic factory, but one in Fremont, Nebraska, and one in Shenandoah, Iowa, doing an annual business running into large figures. My brother Charles E. came to live with me when he was a small boy, and is now manager and stockholder in the Fremont, Nebraska, factory. He is married and has one daughter. My daughter Virginia C. was married three years ago, to Max Emmert, and they have one son. So you see I am now a grandfather. My father and mother are still living, and there has never been a death in the family, from father, mother and on down. Unless a son should be born to C. E. Cuykendall, or that bachelor brother should take a notion to start in, the Cuykendall name will run out with the death of us three boys, so far as our family is concerned."
This traces the descendants of Elias Cuykendall, Jr. (6) to the seventh and eighth generations, and brings us to the next in the family of Elias Cuykendall and Elizabeth Gumaer Cuykendall.
WILHELMUS (6) who married Eunice Van Auken, November 22, 1827. She died and he married Ruth Banker. Their children were:
BELINDA (7), born February 16, 1832, died 1912.
FRANKLIN (7), born September 16, 1834, died 1913.
JAMES HORTON (7), born July 30, 1836, died August 17, 1880.
ELIZABETH (7), born March 27, 1839, died March 27, 1860.
MONNAH (7), born Dec. 19, 1840, died Dec. 26, 1841.
MARY JANE (7), born January 3, 1843.
FIDELIA (7), born January 5, 1848, died March 8, 1899.
ELLA MARIAH (7), born April 16, 1850, died 1911.
WILLIAM DENTON (7), born July 22, 1853.
CHARLES HENRY (7), born October 23, 1854.
EUNICE ANN (7), born February 27, 1856.
CLARA (7), born March 10, 1860, died July 5, 1860.
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HESTER TERPENNING (7), born July 7, 1862, died January 8, 1899.
The data is not at hand to trace all of this family, but with the aid of one traced out, the others can be easily placed.
CHARLES HENRY (7), the tenth in the above listed family, married Julia Mather, August 30, 1880, who was born June 22, 1857. She is understood to be a descendant of Cotton Mather. Their children are of the eighth generation, and are: HOWARD, born November 25, 1883. RUTH, born March 31, 1884. EARL, born May 25, 1885. RALPH, born July 15, 1887. MARTIN, born January 23, 1891. SETH, born July 15, 1895.
Of these, Howard married Jessie M. Smith, January 1, 1902, who was born May 1, 1883, residence, Monrovia, N. Y. They have one child, Clarence Smith Cuykendall, born April 21, 1906.
Earl married Bertha Hardy, January 30, 1907, who was born December 6, 1886.
Their children are, Willard Adalbert, born July 10, 1909. Grace Loretta, born August 13, 1911. Eunice Maria, born September 6, 1912.
Ralph married Alberta Rundell, who was born 1893, address, Auburn, N. Y.
It is quite plain to see that this family has no symptoms of "race suicide." Elias, the ancestor of this branch had thirteen children, the last of which was born when he was past the age of fifty-seven. Miss Harriet C. Johnson, of Monrovia, N. Y., furnished me the data relating to this last family. The descendants of the Cuykendalls who first migrated to Cayuga county, N. Y., are very numerous, being widely scattered all through the west to the Pacific Coast. In their western migrations they seem to have gone first to Ohio, then to Illinois, from whence they spread out, and as before said, have mostly lost trace of each other. Letters from a number of these are printed in another part of this volume, which it is hoped may aid other Cuykendall and Coykendall descendants to find their place on the family chart.
It should be noticed that there are in the counties of Cayuga and Onandagua, a lot of Cuykendalls living in the same communities, that are of different ancestry, that is, one set are from Hendricus and the other from Peter, sons of old Pieter first. For instance, E. F. Cuykendall and his brother, M. O.
Cuykendall, are great great grandsons of Hendricus (3, 1720) while J. R.
Cuykendall and his brothers, J. W. and Charles E., the cannery men, come through Elias, the son of Peter, and are therefore great great grandsons of Peter Kuykendal and Catherine Kettel. The great grandfathers of both sets were brothers who were sons of Pieter 1st, and Femmetje Decker. The larger part of the Kuykendall descendants in the two New York counties mentioned above, spell their name Cuykendall. It appears as if their living near each other may have caused them to spell their names the same way.
There appeared in the "Port Jervis Gazette," January 26, 1902, the following article. It was clipped from the paper by my much
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esteemed friend, Hon. W. H. Nearpass, and kept by him for several years, and sent to me recently. The article referred to is an account of the death of Margery (Cuykendall) Horton and Margaret (Decker) Cuykendall. The article goes on to say:
"The first was the widow of James Horton, and the latter the widow of Jacob Cuykendall.
"Mrs. Horton was over 90 years old and died at the home of her daughter Elizabeth, wife of John Wesley Banker, at Nunda, Livingston County, N. Y., January 15, and was buried at Owasco, the day following her death.
Her maiden name was Cuykendall. She was the daughter of Elias Cuykendall and Elizabeth Gumaer, and was born in the old Dutch red farm house erected by her father in 1812, and which stood as a landmark until a recent date, on the brow of the hill, near the present residence of Mrs. George Brodhead, Port Jervis.
In this house took place the marriage of Margery Cuykendall and James Horton, March 20, 1824. Mr. Horton was a brother of Mrs. Abigail (Horton) St. John, wife of the late Stephen St. John of Port Jervis.
This was said to have been the first marriage of a Yankee to a Dutch girl of the Minisink valley. They lived for a time in the old stone house in Germantown (a part of Port Jervis), and finally removed to western New York, where they raised a family of children, all of whom survive them (1902). They are William St. John Horton, of Clifford, Pa.; Abigail St. John Horton and Elizabeth St. John Horton, wife of John Wesley Banker, of Nunda, N. Y., residing near Auburn, N. Y.
Mrs. Margaret Cuykendall's death took place a week before that of her sister- in-law, Mrs. Horton, at the age of 93 years. She died at the home of her son, Henry Cuykendall, at Moravia, N. Y. Mrs. Cuykendall was born in the town of Deerpark, N. Y., and was a daughter of Isaac Decker, who owned and occupied the farm of the late Simon Westfall, father of Mrs. W. H. Nearpass, on the Huguenot road. She was familiarly known as "Grietje." She married Jacob Cuykendall, a son of Elias Cuykendall and Elizabeth Gumaer, June 17, 1827. On the death of Elias Cuykendall, in 1828, the farm referred to in the outset of this article passed into the possession of this son Jacob.
In 1840 he sold the farm to Gilbert F. Mondon, of Port Jervis. It is now one of the most valuable parts of Port Jervis. Four generations of Cuykendalls have lived under the roof of the old red house.
The great grandfather of Jacob Cuykendall and Margery (Horton) Cuykendall was Pieter Kuykendall, who was married July 8, 1719, to Femmetje Decker, both residing at the time in the Minisink country Pieter Kuykendall and Femmetje Decker owned nearly all the land which constitutes the site of the city of Port Jervis. His son Peter married Catherine Kittel. He lived with his father and became owner of the farm, and from him it descended to his son Jacob."
Before passing on we pause to note some conditions and events that have about been lost to the memory of the present generation.
It is seldom that any one, these days, remembers the fact that slavery once existed in New York and New Jersey where our Kuykendall ancestors lived over two hundred years ago. Very few of their descendants of today ever thought of the fact, or even knew that some of their forefathers held slaves in the Delaware valley, as late as 1806. From the frequent mention of Negroes in that country prior to and after the Revolutionary war, we know that they were much more numerous in that region those days than at the present time.
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In looking over some papers made by the Kuykendalls at Port Jervis in olden days, I came across one wherein Elias Coykendall (or "Kerkendall") sold a "Negro Wench" to Henry Van Etten. As the document is somewhat of a curiosity and will interest the descendants of Elias and others, it is here given, substantially as written one hundred and twelve years ago.
"Know all men by these presents, that I Elias Kerkendall, of the town of Minisink, County of Orange, and State of New York, for and in consideration of One hundred and Sixty-two dollars and fifty cents, of Henry Van Etten, do bargain and sell unto the said Van Etten, a certain Negro Wench, named Han, about twenty-five years old, to have and to hold as a slave forever, during her natural life, &c. And the said Elias Kerkendall will warrant and forever defend against any person and persons, etc."
"In witness whereunto I have hereunto set my hand and seal, the thirtieth day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and six."
Signed, ELIAS COYKENDALL." Witnesses:
JAMES VAN FLEET, JR.
YACOB W. VAN ETTEN.
The regularly laid out streets and green lawns of the city of Port Jervis, of themselves have no story to tell of the times and conditions existing around there over a hundred years ago, when "Negro Wench Hann" and other negroes were plodding about there raising corn, "punkins," hogs, cows, and incidentally a little "ter-backer to chaw and smoke."
The old pioneers, for the most part sleep in forgotten graves, and the later generations have about wholly lost all memory and thought of those that once lived there and thereabouts.
The rush of modern business, the struggle for the "almighty dollar" and the race for personal preferment have almost obscured all sentiment in reference to these things. Notice the spelling, Coykendall in the signature, and the "Kerkendall" in the body of the deed.
We come now to the sixth in the family of Pieter Kuykendal and Femmetje Decker, MARTINUS KUIKENDAL, third generation, son of Pieter. He was baptized June 18, 1734, and was brought up at the old homestead of his father and mother at Machackemeck (now Port Jervis). He married Katryntje Kool, who was baptized May 30, 1738. She was the daughter of David Cole and Eleanor Westfall. I have been unable to find that this couple had any other children than their son Martinus. No record was found of the life and activities of this Martin, and I only found records of one son. He was entered in the Reformed Church Register as HERMANUS, who was of the fourth generation.
He married Catherine Beemer of Sussex county, N. J., Wantage township, about the latter part of 1783. There was some difficulty in finding, or rather in identifying his descendants when they were found. In his declaration for a pension, for services rendered in the Revolutionary war, he gives quite a full account of them. All
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of which was copied from the records at the pension office at Washington, D.
C., in the summer of 1914.
Harmon Coykendall's family record will be found in his pension application, as given in Kuykendalls in the Revolution, in this volume, to which the reader is referred for a fuller account of Harmon's activities.
At the close of the Revolution, Harmon Coykendall lived in Sussex county, N.
J., until his youngest child was twenty years old, when he moved to Delaware county, Ohio, where he lived until his death, in the year 1833. His removal was in the year 1820. How many of the children went along, we have no data at hand to show. After he died, his widow continued to live in Delaware county, Ohio, until her death, which occurred February 19, 1854. Her pension attorney wrote to the Commissioner of Pensions, advising him of her death, and stated that she had been drawing eighty dollars per annum, and that he left three heirs, viz.: Mrs. Charlotte Decker, Mrs. Elizabeth Finch and Peter Coykendall.
As no other heirs were mentioned, it may be safely concluded that there were no others then living, and that Harmon's son Emanuel and daughter "Caty" were dead. There is no history at hand of any of Harmon's children except Emanuel.
The wife of Dr. Edgar Potts, of Port Jervis, N. Y., has a Bible in which is the family record of Emanuel. This record says "EMANUEL COYKENDALL was born May 2, 1790." which corresponds exactly with the date given by Harmon in his family record. Mrs. Dr. Potts' record states further that Emanuel Coykendall married Sabrina Abers January 23, 1808. The Abers family were pioneers of Sussex county, N. J., and well known substantial citizens.
It would seem from the record that Emanuel married when he was about eighteen years old. He had been married about twelve years when his father moved to Ohio. He probably remained in Sussex county, or in the country in the vicinity of Port Jervis when his father moved away. The children of Emanuel Coykendall and Sabrina Abers, according to the family Bible of Emanuel were as found below:
MARIA, born February 27, 1809, married Wm. Wickham.
MARTIN, born August, 1810, married Margaret Van Sickle.
ABNER A., born January 12, 1813, married Huldah Willson.
MELLISCENT, born October 22, 1814, married Nelson Hoyt.
HARMON, born July 5, 1816, married Eliza Northrup.
CHARITY, born October 13, 1817, married John Cole.
ZELOTUS GRINNELL, born June 8, 1819, married Harriet Abers.
EMANUEL SIMMONS, born April 17, 1821, married Lydia Willson.
CATHERINE JANE, born April 15, 1822, married Hiram Beemer.
DAVID, born July 24, 1823, died June 3, 1830.
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SALLY ANN, born April 5, 1825, married Britton Ayers.
DANIEL, born May 11, 1826, married Julia Ann Perry.
JOHN, born November 22, 1827, died April 20, 1828.
LEWIS, born November 9, 1831, never married.
ALPHEUS born January 9, 1835, died in Civil War in 1862.
Of these children, I have no definite account of any except Martin. He married Margaret Van Sickle and they had seven children, names given below:
JOHN (no date of birth), died at age of twenty-five, single.
CHARLOTTE ELLEN (no date of birth), married Charles D. Angle; had one daughter, Olive, born 1876, died 1888.
EMANUEL, born September 18, 1835, married Sarah Hankins, first wife, and later Matilda Ackerman. Had three children, Edith, Laura and Margaret.
HARRISON, born (no date), died about 1902, married Mary Linley, and had five children, Dennis, Barto, Ida, Cora and Maude.
SEYMOUR, born (no date), married Celia Bartlett, and they had seven children, Horace, Seymour, Garfield, Norman, Harriet, Adeline and Arthur.
This last Emanuel Coykendall was born at Mount Salem, Sussex county near Colesville, N. J. He married twice as shown above, first to Miss Sarah Hankins, who died 1882, and he married second, Matilda Ackerman, 1835, and she survived him. He located in early life at Matamoras, Pa., just across the river from Port Jervis, N. Y., where he made his home. He served in the Union Army in the Civil War, in the 18th Pennsylvania State Cavalry. At his death in 1912, he left surviving him his wife and two daughters, Edith, wife of Charles N. Burrows, of Matamoras, Pa., and Margaret, wife of Wm. Burrows, of the same place; Seymour Coykendall, his brother and three sisters, Mrs. Ira Cole, of Matamoras; Mrs. C. D. Angle, of Port Jervis, N. Y., and Mrs. John Fisher of Middletown, N. Y.
GEORGIANA COYKENDALL, daughter of Martin was born in Matamoras, Pa., and married Ira Cole, in the year 1873. She died in the latter part of January, 1917, at her home, leaving her husband and four children, also her brother, Seymour Coykendall, of Matamoras, and two sisters, viz.: Mrs. John Fisher and Mrs. Charles Angle, both of Port Jervis, N. Y.
There has now been given a history, so far as data was at hand, of Pieter Kuykendal and Femmetje Decker's family. On August 23, 1737, they had a son baptized and named him Jacob. This Jacob died and they had another son born October 30, 1739, and gave him the name of Jacob, also, to perpetuate the name in the family. These sons were no doubt named for their uncle Jacob, or their great grandfather, Jacob Luursen. With the information at hand it is impossible to make a complete genealogy of the first Pieter's descendants, or that of any of his brother's.
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This brings us to the last two children in the family of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal and Grietje Tack, both of whom were daughters.
SARAH VAN KUYKENDALL, the tenth in the family of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendall was baptized June 14, 1725, at Kingston, N. Y. She married Jacobus Middagh, son of Joris Middagh, who emigrated to America from Heicop, South Holland and settled at or near Kingston, N. Y., and married Marretjen Martissen of that place, in 1691. The Middaghs were one of the Holland families who came early to this country. Aert Teunissen Middagh came to America on the ship "Beaver," in May, 1661, and is supposed to have been related to Joris from Heicop. The Middaughs went over into the Minisink country about the same time as the Kuykendalls, or slightly earlier. Like the Kuykendalls, the Middaghs have generally pushed out in the van of advancing civilization, and are found today scattered from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Where they have gone they have made their impress as solid citizens.
Sarah Van Kuykendall and Jacobus Middagh had six children, named below:
JACOBUS, baptized November 28, 1725. CIIRISTINA, baptized October 27, 1727.
MARRETJEN, baptized January 4, 1730. PETRUS, baptized February 1, 1733.
MARGRITA, baptized May 18, 1736. ELIZABETH, baptized January 6, 1746.
These were all baptized at Kingston, N. Y.
The eleventh and last child of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal was Seyte, who was baptized October 27, 1706, at Kingston, N. Y., and they had four children, all baptized at Kingston, N. Y.
ARIE VAN ETTEN, baptized December 7, 1729. CATRINA, baptized October 20, 1735.
ELIZABETH, baptized April 26, 1736. ANNETJEN, baptized July 4, 1742.
Arie Van Etten, husband of Sarah Van Kuykendaal died and then she married Cornelius Kool, the widower of Magdelena Decker, both were residing at the time at Wallkill. This second marriage took place June 28, 1747. We have no data to show whether Sarah and her second husband went to Virginia, after her own people went there or not.
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CHAPTER XVIII.
CORRESPONDENCE OF KUYKENDALL DESCENDANTS.
We know without a possibility of doubt that all living Kuykendall descendants came from the same common ancestor, who was born in New York state and baptized in New York City in the year 1650, yet there are many who cannot trace their lineage back to this ancestor. It would now be impossible to trace them by records alone. There are, however, a large number whose line of descent can be and has been traced. If we show the relationship between those who can trace their ancestry, and those who cannot, we shall be in a fair way to connect them up with the first ancestor also. As more and more have their line of descent cleared up, the easier the work becomes. Like solving a puzzle, when it begins to work out, the task becomes easy. It is with this idea in view that the letters which follow are presented, hoping that some who now cannot clearly trace their ancestry, will be able to discover how they are related to some who can, and thus be aided to connect themselves in line back to the first American ancestor. There will necessarily be some repetition and over-lapping in these letters but it is largely because of these repetitions, because different persons mention the same facts, traditions and "family lore," that the letters become valuable in showing relationships between the families of the writers.
It is the agreement in the testimony of witnesses that makes their evidence valuable in establishing a thing sought to be proven. Correspondence also introduces other facts and sidelights upon the subject, and besides, there is a certain charm of personality in letters not to be found in other forms of writing. It is also an advantage to have the matter presented from different angles of view, for in this way we gain a more comprehensive understanding of the subject under consideration. Instead of letters becoming tedious and wearisome because of overlappings and repetitions, they really become more interesting.
Before introducing letters, it will be stated here, that during colonial times, and for several years afterward, there were four principal regions where our ancestors lived, and from which there migrated the forefathers of practically all the Kuykendalls now living.
These different regions or groupings were as follows:
1. The settlement on the Delaware of which the site of the present city of Port Jervis, N. Y., was the approximate center, and which embraced within its area the western part of Orange county, N. Y., a part of Sullivan county, the larger part of Sussex, Warren and Hunterdon counties, N. J. There were a few of the family across the Delaware in Pennsylvania, living near the river.
2. Those Kuykendalls and descendants that settled in Hampshire county, Virginia, mostly on the South Branch of the Potomac, during the period from 1743 to several years later. These soon
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spread out over the territory now covered by a number of counties, and later over the south and west.
3. Dating from 1770 to 1790 there was another group of Kuykendall descendants that located in Washington county, Pennsylvania. This county was a little later divided into several counties, the principal of which were Washington and Allegheny. Mention of this settlement has already been made, where Benjamin Kuykendall ("Peter's Creek Ben") is spoken of.
4. Then there was, in the Carolinas, another group, the first of which went into that country in the year 1750, others following along for several years afterward, some of whom settled near King's Mountain, or a little to the south of it, after the close of the Revolutionary war.
The first letters introduced are, were from persons who are the descendants of the first group mentioned, and who date their memories and traditions back to Virginia. A large part of these are the descendants of Nathaniel 1st, third generation, son of Jacob.
The correspondence of Mr. James William Kuykendall, of Moorefield, West Virginia, was of almost inestimable value to me, in the study and researches into the genealogy and history of the Virginia Kuykendalls. When I was in West Virginia some time ago, I was at the home of Mr. Kuykendall, enjoyed his hospitality and had much pleasure in going over some of the old farms owned by our great great grandfathers, nearly one and three-quarters of a century ago.
His niece, Miss Ellen G. Kuykendall, who has had long experience in the court records of Hardy county, rendered valuable service also. In one of his letters Mr. Kuykendall writes:
"Ellen G. Kuykendall and myself recently went to Hampshire county to examine the records, and, though told that all the old records were burned during the war, we succeeded in procuring some interesting data, among which are two old Kuykendall wills, copies of which I mail you in separate envelopes. I also send you abstracts from deeds, from which you see that in the early forties, about 1744, there were at least three or four Kuykendalls (possibly brothers or cousins), with their families settled on the South Branch, from four to eight miles above Romney, viz.: Nathaniel Kuykendall, Benjamin Kuykendall, John Kuykendall, and Mathias Kuykendall. This Mathias Kuykendall, we see, leased land from Lord Fairfax, lot No. 5, three hundred and sixty-seven acres, on June 15, 1744 (1749). We also see other tracts leased in the forties, and on up through the sixties and seventies. Benjamin Kuykendall had a son Moses, who in 1804, conveyed land to Henry Kuykendall, grandson of the above named John K. There were several other families that settled on the South Branch about the same time the Kuykendalls came here, namely the Harnesses, Deckers, Cunninghams, Claypools and Fishers, with whom the Kuykendalls intermarried to some extent. The name of John Westfall appears about 1773, when he leased several tracts of land from the Honorable Lord Fairfax.
As to my own family, Nathaniel Kuykendall and his wife Sarah had six children, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Catherine and Blondius. Abraham of this family of children, married twice; first to a widow Claypool, who had a son Jeremiah.
His second marriage was to the widow of Michael Harness, and they had two children, Isaac and Sarah. See Abraham's will. Isaac married Jane Calvin, and they had seven
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children, as follows: WILLIAM; JAMES, who married Hannah Blue; LUKE, married twice, second wife was Anna Van Diver; JACOB, married Fannie Cunningham; SALLIE, married Arthur Taylor; SUSAN, married a Mr. Henshaw; NATHANIEL, married Sallie Abernathy.
NATHANIEL, the last in this family, was my grandfather, and his grandfather Nathaniel was my great great grandfather. My father, James Kuykendall, son of Nathaniel K. 2nd, and Sallie Abernathy, was the third son in a family of eight children. Nathaniel K. 2nd was born Sept. 20, 1796, Sally Abernathy was born Jan. 28, 1797. Children were:
ISAAC, born Dec. 19, 1829, married 1st Sarah Williams, Sept., 1852; 2nd, Hannah Fox.
WILLIAM, born August 17, 1822, married Jemima Fox, Nov. 13, 1850.
JAMES, born Nov. 27, 1824, married Rebecca Harness, Feb. 25, 1851.
NANCY, born Jan. 3, 1827, married Rob't H. Wilson, Oct. 11, 1842.
HARRIET, born Nov. 20, 1829, married John S. Wilson, Oct. 26, 1847.
SARAH, born March 5, 1831, married John W. R. Pugh, Apr. 28, 1852.
HENRY CLAY, born Oct. 7, 1833, married Letitia Arthur.
JOHN C., born May 3, 1836, died Aug. 28, 1840.
My brother George Henry Kuykendall raised a family of seven children and now has a number of grand children."
Some time after this, Mr. James W. Kuykendall wrote me another letter which, among other things, said:
"Your last letter was received night before last, and was a source of great pleasure to me, and I want to thank you for putting me into position where I have learned so much of our ancestors, to which I was heretofore a perfect stranger. I spent several days in Romney examining records, and among other things I find a deed to John D. Sutton Wall. One of your correspondents you have mentioned to me was named for him, I suppose. After leaving Romney, I made a tour on foot through the country above Romney, to the Trough, over the old Kuykendall settlement. I spent one night at the old Matthias Kuykendall house (log). It has been weatherboarded and added to, but the old stone chimney is still standing and in good condition. It is over five feet thick and ten feet wide, but the fireplace, which used to take in wood about six feet long, has been filled in and made smaller.
I also went through the old stone house, built by Isaac Kuykendall and his son Nathaniel, in 1789. It is wonderful, how well it is preserved. I have copied several grants to the Ks., also copied such of the records as I thought would be of interest to you."
Miss Annie W. Kuykendall, of Romney, W. Va., has been very much interested in the family history, and in her correspondence relating to the past history of her family, gave considerable information in regard to the Kuykendalls that settled in that country in early pioneer times. She also is a direct descendant of the old Nathaniel Kuykendall 1st, born in the Minisink country, on the Delaware, in N. J. He was one of the K brothers who settled near the present site of Romney, W. Va., over 170 years ago. Extracts from her letters follow:
"I will gladly give you all the information I can, but our family records were burned, in a house in Burlington, W. Va., February, 1856, so I can't go very far back in our family history. I don't know whether Mrs. Susie Pancake has answered your letter, but will say that she undoubtedly owns the farm that belonged to some of the old Kuykendalls. It is on her land where stands the old stone house that you speak of, Mrs. Pancake has a tenant living in the old stone house. An old Mr. Sloane (now dead) used to say that all the land along the South Branch of the Potomac, from the farm with the old stone house, on almost to the Trough, a distance of several miles, formerly belonged to the Kuykendalls,
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but passed into other hands. But, perhaps twenty-five or thirty years ago, a fine farm at the upper end of the tract came into the hands of a Kuykendall, and now it and another farm is owned by his two sons. These two sons, Michael B. Kuykendall and Richard married sisters, daughters of Mrs. Pancake. It seems quite strange that, after so many years have passed, the land owned by our ancestors should have come back into the hands of their descendants. * * * We are not sure whether our ancestors came from Holland or Scotland. My uncle, Henry Clay, used to say we were Scotch, but likely he was mistaken. We don't know when they came to America or where they landed. All we know is that they were amongst the first settlers of Hampshire county. Many of their graves are to be found on the land formerly owned by them. I have seen several of the graves, the stones of which were almost sunken in the ground. There are other Kuykendalls buried in a small graveyard, on a farm owned by James S. Pancake, Pancake, W. Va.
My great grandfather was Isaac Kuykendall, Sr. He died March 31, 1845, in the 79th year of his age. James, the son of Isaac, married Hannah Blue. They lived and died in this section, and there are many of his children, grand-children and great grand-children here in the country. The Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Kuykendalls are his grand-sons. Thomas Kuykendall, of Mount Jackson, Va., is his son, and Mrs. Wm. A. Guthrie, of Romney, W. Va., is a daughter.
There are other children of James also. All the old settler Kuykendalls that I have heard of were born and raised here in Virginia, now W. Va. Great grand- father Isaac, Sr., lived on a farm about eight miles up the South Branch of the Potomac, four miles above the old stone house.
"My parents, Wm. A. Kuykendall and Jemima Fox Kuykendall, had ten children, five sons and five daughters, but only two are living now, David Fox Kuykendall, cashier of the Second National Bank, Cumber-land, Md., and myself.
My youngest brother, George Finley, died last May, leaving a widow and four small children. My sister, Mary Hopkins Kuykendall, married James Blackman, of Beaver City, Nebraska. She died and left two daughters, who are grown, and a son. Brother Harry married, but had no children. His widow is now the second wife of James Blackman.
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The names and addresses of my Uncle, Isaac Kuykendall's children are, Gabriel F. Kuykendall, Newcastle, Placer County, Calif.; Mrs. H. B. Adams, same place; Robert Lee Kuykendall, same address; E. Bell Kuykendall, South Pasadena, Calif."
This somewhat lengthy letter is given because it contains facts and data that will be interesting and helpful to many descendants of the first settlers of the valley of the South Branch of the Potomac, West Virginia. All the Kuykendalls she mentions are or were the descendants of the first Nathaniel Kuykendall, and their line of descent runs direct back from the present generation to the first American born member of the Kuykendall family.
J. Stewart Kuykendall and his brother, Edgar Davis Kuykendall, of the adjoining counties, Forsyth and Guilford, of North Carolina are descendants of the old pioneer Kuykendall stock, and have taken up their residence in the "Old North State," because of business opportunities and other inducements. J.
Stewart resides in Winston-Salem, where he is prominent in business and social affairs. Edgar Davis lives in Greensboro, where he practices law, and has been municipal attorney. Several letters have been received from J. S. ?? K, extracts from which are found below. Like many, if not indeed all other people, he had given but little attention to genealogy or the history of his family, and he was somewhat surprised and pleased at the progress that had been made in collecting data relating to their past family history, as shown in his first letter, in which he said, among other things:
"I am under much obligation to you for the valued information given me relative to the Kuykendall family, and I have no words to express my deep appreciation for putting me in touch with so many of the name. I have copied the record sent and herewith return the original. I have today written Mr. J.
Sloane Kuykendall, Romney, W. Va., and made a copy of your letter, which I sent him, asking him if he would not look over the records there as soon as he could. Sloane is a young man, between thirty and forty years old, is Mayor of Romney, and represented Hampshire county in the legislature for four years, and I think will be glad to render you any service he can. You speak of Lord Fairfax and the surveys around Romney. I have always heard that Lord Fairfax surveyed the streets of Romney, and had the town laid off, every block exactly square, and the streets running north and south and east and west. I note what you say about the Van Meters and Blues. My grandfather, James Kuykendall, married Hannah Blue, who had two brothers, Michael and Lawson, one died about six years ago, and the other about three years ago, aged eighty-seven. My father died in the same home, a little over a year ago. This farm had been in the Blue family possession ever since the original grant, back in the 1700 period.
When I was home two years ago, I saw the old family bibles, bound in deerskin, with the hair partly on yet. Those bibles have the family records of that branch of the Blue family back to 1761 or 1763, I am not certain which. Mrs.
Mary Blue, wife of Michael Blue now lives at Springfield, W. Va., and doubtless has these old bibles yet. My youngest sister, Frances, married Charlie Blue, and lives two miles from Springfield, and she and her husband own the property adjoining the old Blue estate, which has 1300 acres in it."
In writing about his own family, Mr. J. Stewart Kuykendall gave the following additional information in regard to some of them:
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"My father, Captain Isaac Kuykendall, had the following named brothers, viz.: William, who has three sons now residing in Romney, W. Va.; J. Sloane Kuykendall; Michael and Richard Kuykendall.
Michael, another brother of my father Isaac K., had four sons: William, now residing in Canada with several other relatives. One daughter of Michael, Maude, resides in Alaska, W. Va. James, another brother of my father, has one daughter at Romney.
Thomas is another brother of father's, and is at Mount Jackson, Va. (since died). My father had three sisters, viz.: Susan, who married W. N. Guthrie, resides at Romney, W. Va. (has died since); Fannie, who married Isaac Taylor.
Of the above, Isaac, William and Michael are all farmers, all are members of the Presbyterian Church, and all elders.
Thomas, of Mount Jackson, Va., is a merchant and elder in the Presbyterian Church. James, son of Thomas, Mount Jackson, Va., is a traveling salesman.
Claude and Harry, in Baltimore, Md.; one with the post office and the other with a packing company. J. Stewart, son of Isaac, is commercial secretary, Winston-Salem, N. C. Ed. S. is a lawyer, and is city attorney, Greensboro, N.
C. Isaac is missionary at Hankow, China (since deceased). His brother, Samuel McCool, is traveling salesman, Keyser, W. Va.
My father has four daughters: Hallie S., trained nurse, Keyser, W. Va. Nannie and Lucy V are teachers; Francis, wife of Charles Blue, a farmer, Springfield, W. Va.
Sons of Captain Isaac: J. Sloane married Ruth Wharton, Greensboro, N. C., 1909. E. D. married May Lehman, Henderson, N. C., 1908. Samuel McCool married Annie D. Berry, September, 1911."
The following is from Mrs. Susie Pancake, Romney, W. Va.:
"I can give you the names of some of the Kuykendalls in Hampshire county and Ilardy county. I have two parchment deeds, signed by "Fairfax." One for lot No. 11, to Nathaniel Kuykendall, and No. 10 to "Giles Sullivant," both deeds dated June 15, 1749. On the old stone house you mentioned, there are two names, "Isaac and Nathaniel Kuykendall, 1789." The barn was built by my husband's father, John M. Pancake, in 1845, but the property, or that part of it has changed hands several times, and unfortunately was allowed to go down, only for the need of roofing.
On the deed to Sullivant, the seal of Great Britain is still good, but lost from the other. My two daughters married Kuykendalls. Should you come here, you would find many of the same name. I think many of the farms along the river here belonged to the Kuykendalls at one time."
Rev. Nathaniel Kuykendall wrote:
"My father lives in Moorefield, W. Va., near where he was raised, and he is now a banker. My mother, who has been dead twenty-two years, was Jane Bell Gilkeson. His brothers and sisters are James William Kuykendall, of Moorefield, farmer and surveyor. John Gibson Kuykendall, a member of the merchandising firm of Lewis Hubbard & Co., Dr. Edwin Kuykendall, eye, ear and throat specialist, who died in Chattanooga, Tenn., a number of years ago; Mrs.
A. D. Wood, nee Hopkins Kuykendall, and Sarah Katherine Kuykendall, who died 1911 My great grandfather for whom I am named was Nathaniel Kuykendall. He built a great part of the Northwestern Turnpike and along this road erected a number of stone houses which are still standing. I married Miss McCraw, from Virginia."
Rev. Nathaniel Kuykendall is the third Nathaniel in direct line from the first, and has a little son. Nathaniel the fourth. The first Nathaniel baptized October 6, 1728, was the son of Jacob Kuykendall, who was baptized August 12, 1683, and was son of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal, first male of the family born in America.
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The Kuykendalls had at an early period worked across into the western edge of northwestern Virginia to the Ohio river, traversing Grant, Barbour, Harrison, Ritchie and Wood counties. This area of country was all in one county in early days, but was afterward from time to time, divided into several smaller counties, as civilization moved westward. When they had reached the Ohio a large part of the migration built barges and floated down that stream until they came to the falls, the present site of Louisville, Kentucky.
Here will be introduced extracts from a letter from Mrs. M. K. Boreman, Parkersburg, W. Va., and there will follow others.
"My grandfather, Captain Nimrod Kuykendall, was born in Pendleton county, Virginia, May 21, 1815. He was the only son and only child of his parents. He married in this state Sept 15, 1836. He entered the army 1861 and continued to serve his country until the end of the war. He was captain of Company K, W.
Va. Volunteers. Two children were born to my grand-parents, both being sons, named Samuel (Sampson) and Jacob. Samuel was my father. My Uncle Jacob was captain in the same war in which father served his country and lost his life.
I think the G. A. R. Post at Harrisville is named for him. Our family lived at Pennsboro, and at Harrisville, before locating in Parkersburg. My father was in business in this city, twenty years or more. His health failed and he decided to change climate, and located in the west. Enclosed
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find death notice. He died a number of years ago. I had two brothers, but they have also been dead a number of years.
We always spelled our name Kuykendall, but have been told by my father that there were branches of the family that spelled their names differently. In the notice enclosed, they have not spelled his name as he spelled it. I have heard of Kuykendalls at Clarksburg, also at Romney, and I know of a family at Moorefield, W. Va."
In the notice referred to, the announcement is made that, "Mr. S. E.
Kurkendall, father of Mrs. Henry Boreman of this city, died Wednesday night at Cripple Creek, Col. He was formerly a prominent business man of this city, and is remembered by many persons here."
From Miss Lucy B. Kircheval, granddaughter of the historian Samuel Kircheval:
"I have heard my father say that Captain Nimrod Kuykendall, father of S. E.
Kuykendall, was first cousin to Nathaniel and Captain Luke Kuykendall of Hampshire County. Captain Jacob Kuykendall, son of Captain Nimrod Kuykendall, was brother to Sampson E. Kuykendall, who married my sister. Captain Jacob was killed in the battle of Cedar Creek, Virginia, and his father, Nimrod, was made captain in his stead. After the war, Captain Nimrod was postmaster at Pennsboro, Ritchie County, W. Va., a station on the Parkersburg branch of the Baltimore & Ohio R. R. This position he occupied for several years and was at the same time with his son, Sampson Ellery in a store, and from there moved to Rossville, Kansas, where he died several years ago. I am a grand-daughter of Samuel Kercheval, the historian, who wrote the "History of the Valley of Virginia."
In regard to Sampson Ellery Kuykendall, mentioned by Miss Kercheval, another party wrote that he moved from Kansas to Cripple Creek, Colorado and died there. While these Kuykendalls do not seem to know how they are related to the descendants of old Nathaniel the first, it is clear that they are closely allied, and trace back to the same ancestry.
The communication that follows is from Mr. William Dempsey Kuykendall, of Armstrong, Illinois. His letter was received rather early in correspondence, while collecting data. He writes:
"Our forefathers, I think, were Dutch, but I cannot tell anything about them further back than my grandfather Isaac Kuykendall. I think he was born in Virginia. He died when I was a small boy, I think at the age of about 75 years. He had five sons and two daughters. The sons' names were Nathaniel, William, Jacob, Luke, and James. The girls' names were Sarah and Susan. My father died in Vermillion county, Ill. He was twice married, had three children by his first marriage and six by the second. I am the oldest in the family. I am now a little past 80 years old (1911). My uncles are most of them dead, and their children are scattered over the United States. I had two half- brothers and two half-sisters in Oregon, but I think one of the girls is in Washington, and the last I knew of the other, she was in California, The brother in Oregon is named Charles."
The picture of Charles will be found in this volume, with correspondence.
It seems a little strange that people from the same part of the country, and from the same ancestors, should live so close together as some of the descendants of the Virginia Kuykendalls and not be aware of the fact. This William Dempsey Kuykendall lived in
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Vermillion county, Illinois, not far from the state line, while just across the river, only a few miles away, near Terre Haute, Indiana, there lived four brothers who had moved out of the same neighborhood in Virginia. One of these latter lived in Palestine and near by, for many years. All were rather closely related as cousins, and apparently were not aware of living so near to kindred, of the same branch of the family.
S. W. Kuykendall, of Champaign, Illinois, writing to me, said:
"I will send you all I can in reference to the Kuykendalls of my family at the present, and more later. I will also send you the names of other Kuykendalls at Moorefield, W. Va., where I was born and raised, who, I think, will be able to give you a pretty full account of the Kuykendalls of that country. These names are William Kuykendall of Moorefield, W. Va., I. E. Kuykendall, Fisher, W. Va., also A. S. Kuykendall, of Champaign, Ill.
Solomon, my grandfather, was born July 15, 1804. His children were:
JAMES M., born Sept. 2, 1822; GEORGE, born Aug. 26, 1825; SARAH, born Nov. 9, 1828; NATHAN, born Jan. 22, 1832; DECATUR, born Feb. 14, 1834; CLARA, born April 16, 1858; MARY, born June 14, 1841; JOSEPH HIRAM, my father, born Dec.
22, 1844; SEYMOUR, born October 22, 1846.
The exact date of Solomon's death I am unable to give at present, but as near as I can tell, it was either 1875 or 1876. My father is survived by one sister, Mary, but the date of death of the others I am unable to give. I was born August 12, 1868. I will send you my brother's and sister's date of birth if you desire."
Mr. Isaac Edward Kuykendall, of Moorefield, living four miles above that place, gave me the following statement:
"My grandfather's name was Solomon, who had a brother Jacob Kuykendall, both formerly lived at Brock's Gap, in Rockingham county, Virginia. Solomon has been dead about thirty years, and Jacob died about five years before that time. The sons of Solomon were: GEORGE, JAMES, JACOB, HIRAM, SEYMOUR, and NATHANIEL.
Hiram's sons were: ISAAC EDWARD KUYKENDALL, GEORGE SEYMOUR, SOLOMON WELTON, WALTER PRESTON, and JOHN VANMETER. The daughters of Hiram were FELISTE JANE, who married Jack Markwood, NATALIE EVENTUS, who married Frank Shartager, live at Mansfield, Ill.; ANNIE, who married George Smith, Hiram's address is Mahomet, Ill.
Seymour Kuykendall has a family bible that has the family record in it.
Address Mrs. Katherine Kuykendall, Kessel, W. Va.
Seymour's children were: ISAAC, HARRY, OLIVER, JOSEPH, HENRY, SUSAN; (oldest) SALLIE, LUCY, BESSIE, WILLIAM, who I think is the younger son.
Solomon Welton, son of Hiram Kuykendall, married Maggie Shaw, they have one child, Elvin Kuykendall. Their address is Champaign, Ill.
Walter Preston Kuykendall, son of Hiram, married Bettie Smith, their post office address is Mansfield, Ill. Their children are, NORA, HOWARD, ETHEL, and two others.
John Vanmeter Kuykendall married (???); lives in Iowa, write to the other boys for their addresses.
George Seymour Kuykendall married Temple Platt. They had four children, three are living, FLOYD, EMORY, ETHEL. JAMES KUYKENDALL, brother of Hiram, was killed in the Civil War, in the Confederate service. The great grandfather of Isaac Edward Kuykendall was named Nathaniel Kuykendall. Mr. Isaac Ed.
Kuykendall says his grandfather could speak Dutch, and was the only man in the neighborhood who could talk with the Dutch and German people.
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Mr. John A. Kuykendall, late of Los Angeles, Cal., wrote several very interesting letters in regard to the family history, among them the following:
"My father's name was Henry. He came from the Virginia branch of the family.
My grandfather's name was Daniel. My father, Henry Kuykendall, died about six years ago (this was written 1913), at Topeka, Kansas, in his 85th year. He was born 1818, at or near Palestine Ill. I, John A., was born Jan. 1, 1842. I have three brothers, Leander, William R. and Joseph. Leander lives in San Diego, California. William R. and Joseph live in Topeka, Kansas. I have three sisters, Jennie, now Mrs. C. S. Wood, lives in Oklahoma; Nellie, deceased; Nanny, who lives near Topeka; I cannot give you her address. The exact ages of the sisters I cannot give you at present. I am the oldest of the family, and we all were born at Palestine, Illinois. We afterwards lived at Taylorville, Christian county of the same state, until 1874, when father and all the family migrated to Topeka, Kansas. My father often spoke of George and John Kuykendall, who migrated from Wisconsin to Oregon at an early date, of their being related to him as cousins. As near as I can ascertain, all the Kuykendalls, all over the country are related, all by that name are of one family, the original F. F. Vs.
I knew Samuel Kuykendall, who lived in Minneapolis and conducted the largest wholesale drygoods store of the place. I believe, however, that it was John who was connected with the dry goods firm. He married Mayor Rand's daughter.
He and Samuel and the Rands were among the most prominent people of Minneapolis in their time. One Sunday this John, of these Minneapolis people (who spelled their name Coykendall) with his wife and other members of the two families were at Lake Minnetonka; they owned a yacht, and were out for a pleasure ride or sail. There came up a big storm and all aboard were drowned.
This broke up their wholesale business, and Samuel returned to New York.
I knew A. J. Kuykendall, who lived at Vienna, Illinois. He was a member of the Illinois legislature for forty-two years, was several times speaker of state representatives, then was one term in congress, at the time of the Credit Mobilier episode. Mr. A. J. Kuykendall's family now reside at Vienna, Illinois, one son is an attorney at law. A. J. Kuykendall was prominent in politics for many years. I used to meet him occasionally at Springfield, Ill.
He told me he was related to my father, just what the relationship was I do not remember. All the Kuykendalls are of Holland descent, same nationality as Teddy Roosevelt. I am personally well acquainted with Colonel Roosevelt, have had many interviews with him in the White House. I called at his office of the Outlook in New York when I was there.
There was a long time ago, a family of Kuykendalls lived in Vincennes, Indiana, who were prominent in their time. The head of the family was a prominent physician."
(This was Dr. Jacob Kuykendall, who is mentioned elsewhere in this volume.)
Mrs. Maud Thomas, daughter of John A. Kuykendall, wrote, September, 1915, giving many facts in regard to the family.
"My father lived in Los Angeles about fifteen years. His brother, Uncle Leander, came to California about twenty-five years ago, settling in San Diego, and was engaged in the transfer business. He is now an old man, almost helpless with rheumatism. He married Ann Abbot, at Taylorville, Illinois, and has five children, Gertrude, Edith, Arthur, Edwin, Arle, and Edwina, all of National City, Cal. Jennie Kuykendall, father's sister, married Charles Wood, they have three children. Nancy, another sister of my father's, married Henry Rice, of Topeka, Kansas, has one boy, Eugene. Nellie married John Whitehead; she died a few years ago, leaving three children: Hester, Mabel, and John.
William R. Kuykendall,
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father's brother, is in the real estate business, lives in Topeka, Kansas, is an old bachelor. Joseph, the other brother, has three daughters: Irene, Hazel, and Mabel. Their mother died several years ago. Joseph is in the grain and feed business.
My father had five children: Maud, Edna, Nellie, and Henry. My mother died at the birth of this last child, and was buried in the old "Bear Creek Cemetery" at Taylorville, Illinois. My Aunt Nanny lives at Eskridge, Kansas. My Uncle Leander and Aunt Nellie were school teachers in their earlier years.
Grandfather Henry Kuykendall died in the year 1904, with rheumatic failure of the heart. Grandmother Nancy Brimberry Kuykendall died three or four years previously. Grandfather was a farmer all his life, until he retired from the farm a few years before his death. He was a great provider, always believed in raising enough for himself and anyone who was needy, always looking out for the poor. They were grand old people, had plenty, left a fine farm to his children, five miles out from Topeka, Kansas. They came to Kansas during the first great grasshopper raid, traveling overland from Taylorville, Ill., on account of health, for they had to get out of Illinois on account of congestive chills. The whole family was afflicted, and the doctors told them they would have to change climate. They equipped themselves with all the comfort possible in those days. They started out with two big mule teams, had feather beds, carpets, tents, stoves to cook on, took plenty of time, and arrived in Topeka about three days before the grasshoppers. My father, John A. Kuykendall, was appointed administrator of the estate of Charles Durkee, Governor of Utah, and spent many years on that, being still engaged in that work at the time of his death."
Alexander Scott Kuykendall, of Champaign, Illinois, writes:
"Grandfather's name was Luke, he married twice. I have visited the three children by his first wife, who were Uncle Will, of Armstrong, Ill.; Uncle Jacob, of Danville, Ill.; and Aunt Susan Smith, of Danville also.
Grandfather's second wife, my grand-mother, was Miss Annie Williams. They have five children, all of whom, I think, were born in Grant county, West Va. Their names were Joseph, my father, Charles, Luke, Mollie, and Fannie. Uncle Charles lives in North Yamhill, Oregon, and Aunt Mollie Switzler lives at Halsey Street, Portland, Oregon. My father practiced medicine in Petersburg, W. Va.
Aunt Fanny was also a physician, later practicing in Oakdale, Cal., where she died. Her husband was a doctor named Scott. They have two daughters in California, Vida and Ava Scott. Uncle Luke is dead also, died in Oregon leaving three or four sons. My father married Miss Mary Scott, in 1865. Three sons were born to them: myself, Alexander Scott, Hugh Seymour, and Luke. Luke died when a child. Hugh Seymour is married and lives at Davis, W. Va. I am sorry I cannot give you any dates. I know that my people formerly came from Holland.
There is a Mrs. J. B. Conover here at Champaign, who was a Kikendall; her father was W. B. Kikendall, from Kentucky. She has brothers in Virginia, Illinois, and has a cousin, John Kikendall, in Springfield, Ill. There are three or four brothers north of here, who spell their names Kuykendall."
From this letter and some of those that have preceded it will be easy to see that the family of S. W. Kuykendall belongs to the Nathaniel branch of the Virginia Ks.
The writers of most of the preceding letters from Virginia descendants of Kuykendall ancestors, belong to what has been called, for convenience, the "Nathaniel Branch."
The letters from the late John A. Kuykendall (7), of Los Angeles, Cal., and his daughter, Mrs. Maude E. Thomas, represent the line of Daniel, one of the "four brothers" frequently mentioned
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before. William Kuykendall, the writer of the following letter is a descendant of John Kuykendall (5), another of those brothers. He writes from Dennison, Illinois:
"My grandfather's name was John. He entered land here in 1819. He died Dec. 29, 1834, aged 55 years. Grandmother's name was Mary Peary. My father, William Kuykendall, was born at the old homestead April 27, 1820, and died Feb. 22, 1890, aged 69 years and nearly 10 months. He had four brothers, two of which died when they were small. The others were named Alfred and Samuel. He had a half-brother George Washington Kuykendall and two half-sisters, Malinda and Nancy, all of whom are numbered with the dead.
Uncle Peter (grandfather's brother) had a farm of 120 acres of land that laid three-quarters of a mile east of father's farm.
My wife's maiden name was Mattie Scott, and we have four children living, the eldest of whom is a daughter named Iola Kuykendall, born Oct. 31, 1873. She married Fred Sachs and they have two children: Laura and Florence Sachs.
Ottie, a son, aged 36 (1912) married Sophia Sachs and they have three children. Flossie, aged 34, married Mr. Stoelting, and they have one son 6 years old (1912).
Henry Clay, my brother, is a minister of the gospel of some prominence. He is stationed at Neoga, Illinois. Lyman Beecher, another brother of mine, lives near here; his post office address is Dennison, Ill.
Uncle Peter Kuykendall, brother of Grandfather John Kuykendall, had two daughters, who married, and with their husbands went to Wisconsin. I do not think Uncle Peter died here, for there is no monument to him in the New Hope Cemetery. Samuel Kuykendall donated that cemetery to the public for the use of his friends and neighboring settlers."
The Peter Kuykendall mentioned above was another of the four brothers. He must have died at his old place, about twelve miles west of Terre Haute, Ind., for there is on file there a will made February 26, 1825, in which he mentions two children, William and Elizabeth. The will was "duly probated, proven and admitted to record in the Probate Court of Clark county, Ill., April 18, 1825."
The following letter is from William Clippinger Kuykendall, of Staunton, Illinois, another descendant of John (5), one of the four brothers. He writes as follows:
"My grandfather, John Kuykendall, entered land in Sugar Creek township, Vigo county, Indiana, Nov. 17, 1819. He lived on that place until his death, Dec.
29, 1834, when he was fifty-five years old. My father, Samuel Kuykendall, was born Jan. 8, 1825, and died June 7, 1890. Uncle William, his brother, was born April 27, 1820, and died Feb. 22, 1890. The others of the family I am unable to give dates of birth or death. My mother, Lorna Jeane McMillen, was born Aug. 30, 1828. Samuel Kuykendall and Lorna Jeane McMillen were married Jan.
15, 1845. Their children were:
SARAH ELIZABETH KUYKENDALL, born July 11, 1850, married John Butler.
AMANDA ALMEDA was born Dec. 3, 1851, married Theodore Reynolds.
MARY ELEANOR (NELLIE) was born Dec. 3, 1861, living, unmarried. LAVINA JANE, born Dec. 29, 1853. WILLIAM CLIPPINGER, born Dec. 9, 1855. (Myself.) ANNIE CELESTIA, born August 2, 1857. CHARLES was born March 9, 1859, died Nov. 29, 1863.
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LOLA JOSEPHINE was born Oct. 17, 1860. SAMUEL K. was born May 28, 1862. JOHN YOUNG was born May 23, 1864, died Nov. 14, 1867. RICHARD was born Sept. 26, 1865, died same day. CORA BELLE ZORA was born August 15, 1866, died March 16, 1882.
ALBERT was born April 29, 1869, married Sarah Crewes. I give you a mere outline of the history of the above-mentioned children of my father and mother.
"SARAH ELIZABETH married JOHN BUTLER, 1871. They had two children: Belle Zora, born Oct. 6, 1872, and another unnamed child that died the day of its birth, when its mother also died.
ANNIE C. married JEROME HOGUE, March 5, 1878. They had children as follows, viz.: Frank, Nellie, Frederick, Robert, Eva A., John G., Sarah Lavina, all born between the years 1877 and 1896.
LOLA JOSEPHINE, daughter of Samuel Kuykendall and Lorna J. Kuykendall, married Thomas Curtis Van Osdall, Oct. 17, 1888. Their children are: John Preston Van Osdall and Mary Kathryn. Mary married Chester Arthur Ballard, who resides in Terre Haute, Ind.
Next comes my own family. William Clippinger Kuykendall and Jennie McCandless Smith were married Dec. 25, 1879. She died Nov. 19, 1910. Our children are:
ERNEST, born March 25, 1881, on the old K farm, married May Herrington, May 12, 1902. No children. Their post office address is 1126 North Center Street, Terre Haute, Ind.
MYRTLE, born May 8, 1882, bookkeeper.
EDWIN, born June 12, 1887, remained at home on the farm, with his father. His address is Staunton, Ind.
MARY ELEANOR, my sister (Nellie) has never married, address Staunton, Ill.
Sister Lavina Jane married Theodore Reynolds, 1881, they have four children: Cora B., Bertha L., Mary Edyth, and Eudora. All these are married.
William Espey Kuykendall, of Kansas, Illinois, another descendant of John, one of the "four brothers," wrote:
"My father, George Washington Kuykendall, was a son of John Kuykendall, John being the brother of your grandfather Henry Kuykendall. Grandfather John was married twice, and my father, George Washington, was his son by his first wife. George W. was born at Vincennes, Ind., Oct. 16, 1811, and married Nancy Forsyth Art, Nov. 26, 1840. They had eleven children, of whom four died in infancy. The record of the births of those who grew up were, so far as I know, as follows:
JOHN THOMAS, born 1841, died Oct. 1, 1892, married Annie Rollins, no children.
MARY JANE, born April 22, 1843, married Hiram Smith.
WILLIAM ESPEY, born April 4, 1844.
JAMES McELROY, born April 7, 1847, died 1899.
NANCY ELIZABETH, born Aug. 9, 1849, married George Smith, Hiram's brother.
MALINDA and NANCY DEAN died in early infancy.
WELTON MODESITT, born June 5, 1855.
ALFRED ANSON, born Oct. 26, 1857. Two others died in infancy.
I will give some little account of these, beginning with myself, William Espey Kuykendall. I entered the Union Army Oct. 14, 1861, in the 43rd Ind. Volunteer Infantry, was discharged on account of disability, Sept. 28, 1862. Remained at home one year, then re-enlisted in Co. D, 11th Regiment Ind. Vol. Cavalry, and was mustered out at the close of the war, Sept. 19, 1865. I married Susan Lankford, July 5, 1866. We had three sons who lived to manhood, viz.: Harry E., who died Jan. 18, 1908, and left three children, one a son, Jesse Kuykendall; William
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Albert, married and lives in West Terre Haute, Ind.; George W., single, lives at Pine Bluff, Wyoming.
My wife, Susan Lankford, died and I married Sarah E. Smith. We had six children, of whom one died in infancy and two in their teens, and four are living, as follows: WALTER SIMPSON, aged 27; TAMSEY EVINDALE, aged 21; GRACE ETHEL McHENRY, aged 20; THOMAS HOWARD, aged 17. These are their ages 1912.
Continuing the family of George Washington Kuykendall: JAMES McELROY married Lennie Adams. He died 1899, leaving two girls. His widow lives at West Terre Haute, Ind.
NANCY ELIZABETH, daughter of George W. K., married George W. Smith, brother of Hiram. She died 1912. He was a veteran of the Civil War, in the 115th Indiana Infantry. Malinda, Henry Dean and another child died in infancy.
WELTON MODESITT, son of George W., was born 1855, married Olive Smith, and they live at Lewis, Kansas.
ALFRED ANSON KUYKENDALL, born 1857, married Lizzie Ferguson. They had three children. He died only a few years ago.
Religiously the Kuykendalls here are all Methodists and politically they are all Republicans."
Mr. William Espey Kuykendall wrote several letters giving other items of information, a few excerpts are given.
"Rev. William Allen Smith, your second cousin, is a superannuated member of the Northwestern Indiana Conference of the M. E. Church. The Smith family to which my brother-in-law belongs, is of the same family as your grandmother, Kuykendall. Hiram and George Smith were nephews of your grandmother. Their father was George Smith, who owned the land where the 'Saint Mary in the Woods' school buildings are.
Your uncle, George Smith, had five sons in the Union Army, William, Hiram, George and Joseph. Your great grandfather, Smith, was a German. His family consisted of Henry Smith, who lived to be 92 years old; John and David Smith who lived to be 84 years old. Leonard and Geo. W. Smith, five in all. The daughters were your grandmother, Sarah Smith (Aunt Sallie Kuykendall), one who married a man named Canady, and Betsy Smith (Hearn), who lived to be 92 years old. Rev. William Allen Smith is still living, so far as I know (1914), but has had a stroke of paralysis." (He died since.)
The writers of the foregoing letters, William Kuykendall, of Dennison, Illinois, William C. Kuykendall, of Staunton, Indiana, and William Kuykendall, of Kansas, Illinois, are all grandsons of John (5), of "the four brothers." None of them made any reference to their grandfather's son, Alfred, their great uncle. This Alfred was born in Vigo county, Indiana, 1823, and married his cousin, Anna Long, 1843, and moved to Wisconsin, 1852.
We have here an illustration of the way families lose trace of a member who moves off into a distant section of the country. These Wisconsin and Indiana families, in a few more years, would have lost trace of the fact of their being of the same blood and ancestry. There are quite a large number of descendants of this Wisconsin pioneer, Alfred Kuykendall, who moved to that state between sixty and seventy years ago. There is an old lady living in Manito, Illinois, Mrs. Nancy (Long) Hill, a granddaughter of John Kuykendall (5). She is well on between eighty and ninety years old, and her husband is past ninety. She is remarkable for her vigor of mind
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and body, and her clear memory of past events. Writing in regard to her family history, she said:
"My great grandmother was a Van Kirk, and my mother was Belinda Kuykendall, daughter of John Kuykendall. Mother's father died and left three children, Uncle Washington Kuykendall, my mother (Belinda Kuykendall), and Aunt Sallie.
Then later grandma died, and grandpa married Mary Peary, and they had William, Alfred, Samuel and the other children. Uncle Alfred went to Wisconsin. My father was John Long. Grandfather Long, Uncle Sam Long and Alfred Kuykendall all went to Wisconsin. Uncle Alfred has a daughter living at Eau Claire, Wis., and a son somewhere, but I do not know where."
The following letter is from Jacob Kuykendall, son of Alfred, whom the last writer referred to, but the writer did not know where he was. He writes from Richland Center, Wis.
"My father's name was Alfred. He moved from Terre Haute, Indiana, to Clark county, Illinois, but I do not think he lived there very long. He then moved to Richland City (now Gotham), Wisconsin, in the year 1852. I had one brother, John, of Twin Bluffs, Wis., who died June 10, 1910, at the age of 67. My father, Alfred Kuykendall, had two brothers, I think, at least I can remember of only two. Their names were Samuel and William. My father died in 1887 and my mother died in 1908. I have often wished I had questioned my father more about his people. Father had four children, two sons and two daughters. The sons were John and myself (Jacob). My brother John had one son, Alfred Kuykendall, formerly of Twin Bluffs, but now (1912), in Los Angeles, Cal., and three daughters. I have five sons and one daughter. I am writing to my sister at Eau Claire, Wis., to ask for further information about my father's people.
I was small when we came from Indiana, and hence do not know very much of the family history back there."
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CHAPTER XIX.
SOUTHWESTERN KUYKENDALLS AND CORRESPONDENCE.
We have a large number of people of the K family whose early ancestors lived in North Carolina, many of whom later migrated further south and west. Some went across the mountains into Kentucky and Tennessee, and from there on to Arkansas, Missouri and on to Texas. Others crossed the Ohio river from Kentucky into Illinois and Indiana. Some after getting across the mountains, spread along the valley on the west side down to Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and many of the descendants of these migrated to Texas. This last named state seems to have been, ever since its first settlement, a sort of gathering place for all branches of the family. The larger part of all these southwestern Kuykendalls are, I believe, descendants of Matthew and Cornelius Kuykendall, sons of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal, our first American ancestor.
Those Kuykendalls who now live in North and South Carolina, near where their fathers first located in that state, seem to have no memories or tradtions sufficient alone to connect them with their earlier ancestors, who moved from the Minisink regions on the Delaware, to Virginia. One of the principal objects in presenting correspondence from the southwestern Kuykendalls is to show how it fits in with the old church records, and with the early records of North Carolina to show the continuity of the Kuykendall history from its early period in the Hudson and Delaware valleys, down to the present time. I think the proof is convincing that the larger part of the southwestern Kuykendalls are descendants of Matthew and Cornelius, and that a number of those whose baptisms are registered in the Dutch Reformed churches were among the first Kuykendall settlers of North and South Carolina.
The study of the history of those Ks who migrated in early times from the Delaware valley to the west and southwest is rendered more difficult by the fact of the great changes since, in the boundaries of the counties to which they moved. In nearly or quite every state, the counties were very large at first, and later were cut up into many smaller ones, so that places that were at first in a certain county, are now in one of a different name. The states of Indiana and Illinois were at one time counties of Virginia. To make the search of county records successful, one should be familiar with the geography and past history of the state and county, at the time in question, and know the changes that have been made in boundaries since the counties were first made. In reading letters from people whose ancestors lived in certain counties, we must know when it was, and how the county lines were at that time, for later they were very likely much different.
The first record of the Kuykendalls in the Carolinas that I have been able to discover is found in a deed from Samuel "Cobron" and
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wife to James Kuykendall, dated April 2, 1750, to a tract of land on Leeper Creek, Catawba county, but which at that time was in Anson county, N. C.
There are many deeds on record in the county register's office at Wadesboro, N. C., in which Kuykendall names appear, the earliest of which is the one mentioned above. The first record of the family found in the "Colonial State Records" says:
"At a council meeting held at New Bern, N. C., September 28, 1750, present his excellency, the governor and members of the council (names follow), James Innes read the following petitions for warrants of land."
Among those applying were James Kuykendall, who asked for a grant of 600 acres in Anson county. New Bern is now in Craven county.
There are found in the minutes of this council meeting some very interesting side lights and clues to the history of the early Kuykendalls who settled there. Among these may be mentioned: The James Innes, who read the petitions, was probably one of the Innes family that lived near neighbor to the Kuykendalls in Minisink, on the Delaware river. The Innes family lived between one and two miles below the old Jacob and Matthew Kuykendall farms on the river. William Innes built a stone house there, which is still standing to this day. I took a picture of it in the year 1914. He was a one-armed man, a school teacher, who taught one of the first, if not the very first, school in that part of Sussex county, N. J., and doubtless there were some of the Kuykendall children instructed by him. It would be very interesting to know the whole history of the connection between these families, for it might show that some of the Kuykendalls and Innes people went west together from the old home in New Jersey.
There were a large number of land grants to the Kuykendalls in North Carolina; they owned in the aggregate many thousands of acres.
Who was this James Kuykendall that we have seen bought land from Samuel Cobron in 1750? Who were those Kuykendalls that shortly afterwards had grants from the state? What relationship was there between them? How were they related to their earlier ancestors who lived in the Delaware valley?
We have seen in a previous chapter that Jacob, Cornelius and Matthew, sons of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal, lived at Minisink on the Delaware, near the Minisink Islands, and that Matthew later went to Virginia and bought lands of Lord Fairfax, before 1749, which he sold in 1751. We find in the early records of North Carolina the names of the sons of Matthew and Cornelius, and that they secured grants of land and were among the first settlers of that part of the country. In order to bring the matter fresh to the minds of readers, part of the history of these sons and their families will be recapitulated, though this will necessarily cause some repetition of what has gone before. The sons of Matthew who were born before the family left the Minisink region were
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Simon, baptized 1716; Peter, baptized 1719; James (Jacobus), baptized in 1721.
The sons of Cornelius were Leur, baptized 1706; Johannes, baptized 1717; Abraham, baptized 1719, and Peter, baptized 1733.
Leur, the eldest son of Cornelius, married Lena Consalis, and four children were born to them before they left the Minisink country. Their names were: Cornelius, Jr., baptized 1733; Manuel and Rebecca (twins), baptized 1736; and Joseph, baptized 1739. As no further record is found of these in that country, and as other of their relatives went to Virginia, we may safely conclude these went along with them, or followed soon after.
It has been definitely shown that Matthew Kuykendaal had land in Virginia, and that he sold it in 1750. Then we find that he and his sons acquired land in North Carolina in 1750 and later, so the conclusion is clear that they sold out and went to North Carolina.
Soon after the first appearance of Matthew Kuykendall's name in North Carolina records, as shown above, there appear the names of his sons, and one of the grandsons of Cornelius. These we find obtaining grants of lands and that they were engaged in business of various kinds connected with the public, such as being in the militia companies, in defense of the frontier, on safety committees, as being connected with erection of court houses, jail, stocks and settling boundary lines.
Now, if we examine the old Dutch Church registers, where the baptism of the children and grandchildren of Luer Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal are found recorded, we discover that there could not have been any other Kuykendalls living of same names and ages, that could be confused with those mentioned in the Carolina records. We naturally conclude that the Matthew, Cornelius, Simon, James, Abraham, Peter, John and Joseph mentioned in the Carolina records are the same persons as those mentioned in the Dutch Church records. Take James Kuykendall, who bought land of Coburn, April, 1750, there was no other James Kuykendall in existence that could have been buying land in N. C., than James, the son of Matthew.
Many if not most of these sons and grandsons must have been living at the time of the Revolutionary war, some of them surely late enough so that they would be remembered by the fathers of those living in Carolina where the Kuykendalls first settled.
If we take the children of Cornelius, Sr., we find that if they lived to the year 1775, Leur, baptized in 1706, would have been 69 years old; John, baptized 1717, would have been 58 years old; Abraham, baptized 1719, would have been 56. Peter, baptized in 1733, would have been 42 years old.
Taking the sons of Matthew: Simon, baptized in 1716, would have been 59 years old; Peter, baptized 1719, would have been 56 years old; James, baptized 1721, would have been 54 years old.
The ages of the sons of Leur, grandsons of Cornelius, would have been at that time as follows: Cornelius, Jr., baptized 1733,
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would have been 42 years old; Manuel, baptized 1736, would have been 39; Joseph, baptized 1739, would have been 36.
Here we have ten sons and grandsons of Matthew and Cornelius Kuykendall, all of whose baptisms are recorded in the old Dutch Church registers of the Hudson and Delaware valleys, where the family had formerly lived. Quite a number, if not most of these, were living when the families went to North Carolina, and we might reasonably expect to find many of them living at the beginning of the Revolutionary war. Several of them were yet in the prime of life. To bring the matter more forcibly before us, let us see what dates these would have lived to, provided they attained the age of seventy years. They would all be living in the period between 1786 and 1791, and Joseph, son of Cornelius, Jr., would be living still in 1803. As the tendency of these families was to live to a good old age (several of the later generations having lived to from 85 to over 100 years), it might certainly be expected that some of them would be living after the year 1800.
All the earlier members of the Kuykendall family, and most all other families, had only a single name, but by this time some of them had middle names. Often in signing papers, they signed one given name only, even when they had a middle name. In other cases their names were so modified that we might not recognize them today. Take as an example the name James. Our fathers first wrote it Jacobus, the Dutch or German for James; often the name was shortened to Cobus. The name James appears as Cobus in the census report of Pennsylvania for 1790, and in other places. Many similar illustrations might be given.
We find among the Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and even among the Texas Kuykendalls evidence in the names given their children, a generation or two ago, that some of them were names carried down from ancestors that lived in the Delaware valley. The name Manuel is one of these. This came, as has been previously explained, from the Gunsaulus family. Leur Kuykendall, son of Cornelius, married Lena Gunsaulus, and they named their first son Cornelius, for Leur's father, and the second son, Manuel, for Lena's father. The Gunsaulus family were noted as great Indian fighters, both in the Hudson river valley and in the regions about Mamakating, N. Y., up above Minisink. They were of that romantic, adventurous disposition that prompted them to be constantly moving into the outer frontiers, and to keep well in the van of advancing civilization.
The Kuykendalls had not been living in North Carolina long before they began to have trouble with the Indians. The Cherokees were particularly warlike and treacherous. The settlers were compelled to organize companies of rangers and scouts, and keep them out scouting and guarding the settlements, to prevent surprise uprisings, and murderous attacks. There were numerous outbreaks, especially in the summer time.
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In Vol. XXII, page 820, Colonial Records of North Carolina, there is an account of a meeting at New Bern, N. C., of the "Committee on Public Claims," on the 18th day of March, 1760. At this meeting there were various claims presented by militia companies for services rendered as rangers, and among others there was the following:
"Captain John Kuykendall and his company, for ranging in 1759, 409œ 17s." This was to pay the company for services and perhaps also for subsistence. This Captain John could not have been any other than either the son of Matthew or son of Cornelius. The elder of these would have been only forty-five years, and the younger twenty-seven.
In Vol. XXII, page 820, "Colonial Records," there is a list of Samuel Cobrin's company, among which are found the names of John Kuykendall, Abraham Kuykendall and Corporal James Kuykendall. Peter Kuykendall is also mentioned.
It is evident we have here members of the families of Matthew and Cornelius, that we have been considering.
Shortly after the Revolutionary war steps were taken to build a court house for Tryon county, N. C. In Vol. XX, Laws of N. C., Chapter XII, page 964, we find an act for appointing commissioners for building a court house, prison and stocks, for the county of Tryon and for establishing a boundary line between the counties of Tryon and Mecklinburg. Among the commissioners appointed for the purpose there was Abraham Kuykendall. Abraham, son of Cornelius, was then 55 years old, and was therefore a man of the age, experience and judgement for such an important commission. The Revolutionary war broke out and the country was in a state of excitement and turmoil, and the court house building appears to have been for the time sidetracked, but in 1778 the need of the building was felt. Another commission was appointed, and Abraham Kuykendall was also appointed upon this, the commission was authorized "to appoint the place where the court house, prison and stocks should be, and to erect or cause the building to be erected."
The North Carolina Kuykendalls were all patriotic, and when they and their neighbors heard of the attempt of the British to enforce taxation, and heard how the Americans of Boston had dumped a shipload of English tea into the harbor, they were fired with enthusiasm, and highly endorsed the work of the Bostonians. On the 26th day of July, 1775, nearly a full year before the Jefferson declaration of Independence was signed, our North Carolina Kuykendalls with their friends and neighbors held a meeting in Tryon county to elect a safety committee. Among the committeemen for Captain Kuykendall's company was Abraham Kuykendall.
In Vol. X, page 120, Colonial Records, we have it recorded that an "Association was formed to consider the barbarous and bloody actions committed by the British on our Boston brethren, near Boston, on the 19th day of April, 1775, and May last, etc."
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On this occasion these forefathers discussed the hostile attitude of the British troops to the Americans near Boston, passing resolutions declaring their intention to resist British aggressions, as follow:
"We, therefore, the subscribers, freeholders and inhabitants of Tryon county, do hereby faithfully unite ourselves, under the most sacred ties of religion, honor and love to our country, to firmly resist force by force, in defense of national freedom and constitutional rights, against all invasions; and at the same time do solemnly engage to take up arms and risque our lives and fortunes in maintaining the freedom of our country, etc."
Among the signers were Joseph Kuykendall. This Joseph was doubtless the son of Leur, grandson of Cornelius Kuykendall, he having been born and baptized 1739, was at that time 36 years old, and in the prime and vigor of manhood. There was no other Joseph Kuykendall living at that time, of which we have any record, surely none old enough to be taking part in such weighty affairs.
Here is undoubtedly another person who is mentioned in the old Dutch Church registers, and also in the Colonial State Records of North Carolina. By the time of the meeting of the safety committee held on the fourth Tuesday in January, 1776, the whole country was aroused, a large number of militia companies had been organized, and at this meeting there were thirteen companies represented. Below are given the names of the captains and of the members of their company, who formed part of the safety committee. Perhaps a little comment, showing who some of these people were, and how they were associated and sometimes related to the Kuykendalls, will be interesting to some of their descendants, and may possibly be the means of unravelling some of the tangles connected with their genealogy.
The names of the captains and members representing the committee from the companies are given. Comments will follow with facts and inferences that will throw light on the subject.
For Captain Beaty's Company, David Jenkins.
For Captain Carpenter's Company, John Dollinger, Nicholas Friday.
For Captain Coburn's Company, Robert Alexander, lieu of James Coburn and Francis Armstrong.
For Captain Hardin's Company, James Hardin and Benjamin Hardin.
For Captain Hambright's Company, Frederick Hambright, James Logan.
For Captain Hampton's Company, Andrew Hampton, John Morris.
For Captain Barber's Company, Alexander Gilleland, Robert Park.
For Captain Magnee's Company, William Graham, James McAffee.
For Captain Aaron Morris' Company, John Walker, Esq., Robert Porter.
For Captain Baird's Company, James Baird, Robert Armstrong.
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For Captain McKinney's Company, John McKinney, Thomas Townsend.
For Captain Kuykendall's Company, William Yancey, John Ashley.
Those of the Kuykendalls living in North Carolina will be interested in knowing that their own people, with their friends and neighbors had such a patriotic part in the Revolutionary war, and doubtless there are descendants of many persons on this list who yet live in the country where the events were taking place.
We take up first the names of Beaty and Coburn. In the original minutes of the meeting the name of Coburn is wrongly spelled Cobrin. In my possession there is a copy of a deed made by Sarah Kuykendall to Samuel Kuykendall, under date of 1797. Samuel was of the county of Mecklinburg, and Sarah was of the county of York. One being in N. C., and the other in S. C., near the line. This deed recites that a part of the land was conveyed to Charles Beaty, the 23rd of February, 1754, and conveyed by him to Samuel Coburn. This deed shows that the Kuykendalls, Beatys and Coburns were living in that neighborhood twenty-seven years after the time of the meeting of the safety committee mentioned above where their names appear. According to the North Carolina census for 1790, we see that there were living in the Morgan district, Lincoln county, Sam Kikendal, with one female in his family, "sixteen years of age and upward, including head of the family." Sam and his wife were probably young people.
Over in Rutherford, Morgan District, lived Abraham Kirkendal, Jr., with one male in the family, over sixteen years of age, two males under sixteen and four females, "including head of the family." Abraham evidently had a wife, two sons and three daughters. Sam is the one that J. Clarke Kuykendal says, on page 192, settled where the Chester and Armstrong Ford crosses big Fishing creek. It is probable that the Samuel mentioned in the deed and the one mentioned in the census return were the same person. Of course it is possible that one might have been father of the other. Some of the Coburn family settled in very early days on the south branch of the Potomac, in Hampshire county, Virginia, a few miles above Romney. The first mention of the name in the records of that county is at the December term of court of Frederick county, Virginia, 1743, when Jonathan Coburn and Peter Kuykendall were appointed by the court to "mark and lay off a road," etc. Here we have the Kuykendalls, Coburns and Hamptons mentioned as neighbors in Virginia. It has been shown that this Peter was a son of Matthew, who had land on the "South Branch," across the river opposite to Coburn's tract. Both Coburn and Matthew Kuykendall bought their land of Lord Fairfax; Matthew's deed, and probably Coburn's also, bore date of June 15, 1749. Shortly after getting a title to his land, Matthew sold out, as has been shown. Coburn sold his land to John (Johannes) Kuykendall, great great grandfather of the writer, who built a mill there.
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We see here the close association of the Coburns, Kuykendalls and Hamptons as neighbors at this early date. We find the Hardins mentioned as belonging to the safety committee, and as neighbors of the Kuykendalls. Later the Kuykendalls and Hardins were neighbors in Kentucky and Tennessee. Both families had members in the campaigns of George Rogers Clark, in Kentucky and Ohio, and the Kuykendalls and Hardins intermarried in Kentucky.
There were two Hambrights in the list of members of the safety committee that we have been considering. The Hambrights were from Pennsylvania, and there were three of them in the Revolutionary war that served with distinction. Some of the Hambrights are living yet, in the country not far from King's Mountain, of Revolutionary fame. One of them was recently postmaster at the King's Mountain postoffice. Col. Hambright was in the battle of King's Mountain, where he was wounded.
A letter from J. Bolivar Scott, who lives near Yorkville, about twenty miles from King's Mountain, wrote me recently that:
"The Hambrights and Kuykendals were related, but I do not know just how, but it was handed to me from my grandparents. The father of Fred Hambright, the postmaster, above mentioned, was named James Kuykendall Hambright, named after my grandfather, showing some family relationship." Mr. Scott's mother was a Kuykendall.
The destiny of the Kuykendalls and Hamptons was brought together again in Kentucky, Tennessee, and later in Texas, where Captain Abner Kuykendall had in his company a Hampton, and several Kuykendalls of that branch of the family had sons Hampton. Many interesting and curious coincidences could be produced where the descendants of the early Delaware valley, Virginia, and Carolina Kuykendalls met the descendants of the friends of their forefathers in Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas and other western states. Sifting out the old records and studying them, so as to learn the relations socially and otherwise, of the people mentioned in them, brings many curious and interesting coincidences, and also many pleasing surprises.
Mr. J. Bolivar Scott, mentioned above, sent me some time back some excerpts from the county records of York county, S. C., and copies of inscriptions on tombstones in the cemeteries of that vicinity. Some of these will be helpful in showing the relationship of those Ks now living in that region, to those mentioned in the census report of 1790, also their relation to those earlier ancestors who lived in the farther east regions.
"Excerpts from public records and old graveyards in York county, South Carolina, relating to the Kuykendal family."
(1) At the April term of the court for York District, one PETER KUYKENDALL, late of Camden District, S. C., conveyed to WILLIAM BARRON three tracts of land on Fishing Creek, being parts of land granted by the state of North Carolina to George Cathov, on April 3, 1753, recorded January 29, 1796, in Auditor General's Office (Raleigh, N. C.), in Book L, No. 11, page 498, and part of a tract granted to PETER KUYKENDALL, November 15th, 1762, and a tract surveyed to ABRAHAM KUYKENDALL and conveyed to PETER KUYKENDALL, June 6th, 1768. Deeds recorded in York county, S. C.
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Consideration 12,000 pounds. Deed Book A, page 178.
(2) At the April Court, 1787, same district one ABRAHAM KUYKENDAL and wife Elizabeth, convey to Thomas Bridges a tract of land, 133 acres, on Buffalo Creek, in Camdon (York) district, for 310 pounds sterling. Deed recorded in Book A, page 178.
(3) At the January Court, 1788, one PETER KUYKENDAL conveys to James Wilkinson, Sr., a tract of 200 acres on Fishing Creek, S. C., for 600 pounds.
(4) At the January Court, 1788, one JOHN KUYKENDAL, of Washington county, N.
C., conveys to Wm. Jenkins a tract of land, 200 acres, on King's Creek, S. C., York county.
(5) On the 22nd day of November, 1803, one Jonathan Kuykendall and Mary Carroll convey to Samuel Kuykendal a tract of land, 77 acres, on Fishing Creek, York county, S. C., a part of the land willed to James Kuykendal, Jr., and coming to grantee by descent, being part of lands granted to James Kuykendal, Sr., for 90 pounds.
(6) On the 18th of December, 1805, one James Armstrong conveys to Samuel Kuykendal, a tract of land, 250 acres, on Fishing Creek, being part of land willed to James Kuykendal, Jr., and coming by descent to James Armstrong of Georgia, and others by descent, adjoining above tract and being part of a grant to James Kuykendal, Sr., for 35 pounds.
(7) By will dated July 8, 1806, one Susan Kuykendal bequeaths and devises her property to her sons, Samuel and Jonathan Kuykendal, and her grandson, Samuel Kuykendal, Jr.
(8) On the 24th day of November, 1818, one Susan Kuykendal conveys to her son, John C., a tract of land in York county, S. C.
(9) On the 22nd day of May, 1825, one Joseph Kuykendal of Tryon, N. C., conveys to Alexander Flemming a tract of land, 285 acres, on Fishing Creek, being part of the land granted to John Kuykendal, Sr., by North Carolina, on the 31st day of August, 1753.
(10) On the 16th day of December, 1843, one Andrew McConnell conveys to James Kuykendal, a tract of land, 76 acres, on Fishing Creek, York county, N. C.
We are often reminded of the unreliability of the human memory in regard to dates, and when it comes to dates of events very far back, there are very few persons whose memory can be relied upon. We are often puzzled at the contradictory statements given by different parties in regard to the very same events, both as to their date and otherwise. Where records and statements from memory clash with records we are bound to stand by the record.
Letters will now be introduced from Kuykendalls whose ancestors went, in an early day, to North Carolina, and will begin with the descendants who have remained in the regions where their forefathers first located. Some of these people lived across the line in South Carolina.
The following is an extract from a letter from J. Bolivar Scott, mentioned above, who lives near Yorkville, S. C.
"The Kuykendals once owned thousands of acres of land on Fishing Creek, as you see by the transactions mentioned in the excerpts I am sending you. I live within one and a half miles of Fishing Creek. I visited the Kuykendal burying ground, and found one of the slabs marking their graves, which reads, 'On the 16th day of November, 1810, Samuel Kuykendal of York county, S. C., departed this life, aged 59 years.'
"I don't know, but I believe he was my grandfather. On this same slab, 'In December, 1811, was buried Jesse Kuykendal,' the same year, 1811, also one Samuel Kuykendal. There were once a number of Kuykendals
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around in this country, but they are all gone except a few younger ones, in Rock Hill, S. C. The Kuykendals around Matthews, Mecklinburg county, N. C., are of the same family. Their great grandfather Isaac and their grandfather Elias were raised in York county, on Fishing Creek. Fishing Creek is a medium sized creek in the southeastern portion of the county. It is not far from my home. There are thousands of acres of bottom land on the creek and none of it in cultivation; it is subject to overflow. The uplands adjoining the creek are comparatively level and are considered to be among the finest in York county.
These lands before the war were owned by large farmers who did not live on them themselves, but had on them negro quarters, and the lands were managed by negro overseers, who did not take care of the lands as they should. Since the land has passed out of their hands, it has been taken care of better, but still not as it should have been. There are no houses on the lands that were occupied by the old Kuykendals.
"Near the family burying ground, you can see signs of a settlement, and I am confident that my great grandfather lived there, as he is buried there, in this old graveyard. These lands are worth from $40 to $60 an acre now."
Dr. Clarence M. Kuykendal of Rock Hill, S. C., wrote me, saying:
"To begin with I will give you a copy of a letter written to my sister by Uncle J. Clarke Kuykendal, in response to a request for information as to our family." Below will be found this letter.
"The Kuykendals are American for generations, settling first, as I understand, near York, Penn., and moving south through Virginia and the Carolinas. The name as I understand it is Dutch, and the Rev. Robert Lathan once told me that it means 'Church in the Valley.' Be this as it may, the first of our name so far as I know, in South Carolina, was my grandfather, Sam Kuykendal, and his brother, Jonathan, who came from Virginia with Gen. Greene's army during the Revolutionary war. After the war they settled in York District, S. C., Sam settling where the Chester and Armstrong Ford road crosses Big Fishing Creek, and Jonathan settling a mile or two west on a place belonging to D. A. Gordon, when I left that country. My father's mother was Miss Susan Hartgrove, a native of Mecklinburg county, N. C. She was twice married, her first husband being a Mr. Harris. Peter Harris married Sallie Edwards, by whom he raised a large family. His eldest two sons, John and Richmond, came to Texas in an early day, took part in the Texan Revolution of 1838, and located their bounty land in what is now Crimes county of this state, about 4,600 acres each. Since the death of Uncle Peter and his wife, the remainder of his family emigrated to this state. He lived and died on the place owned by Mrs. Nan Curry, when I left the country. Fannie Harris married David Carson, the uncle of Bill and John Carson. She raised two daughters, Susie and Peggie. Susie died in young womanhood unmarried, and Peggy married Le Roy McElhany, whom if you have ever seen, you may recollect.
"Uncle Davis and Aunt Fannie lived during my earliest recollections on a place belonging to Jack Lindsay, the father of Dr. J. F. Lindsay, in a hundred yards of the house in which 'Mammy Amy and Pap Dennis, colored,' lived, when I was in that country.
"Three of my father's sons, Jonathan, John Coburn, or Jack, and my father grew up together to manhood. Jonathan settled in Boulder county, Alabama, where he raised his family. Jack settled in Mocksville, Tenn. Only one child, a daughter, grew to maturity. He became wealthy, but for many years was an invalid from rheumatism. His daughter, it was said, had many suitors, of whom she married the fool.
"My grandfather's brother, Jonathan, raised one son, Isaac. He married Betsy Stedman, to whom were born four children, Elias, Calvin,
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James Williams, Mary and Racinda. Jonathan Kuykendal also raised three daughters, two of whom married and settled in Alabama, before my recollection.
One of his daughters married E. B. Smith (Abe). They raised a large family, James Harvey, who became wealthy, during and after the war, settled at Chester Court House, where he died a few years since. Sam Brown and William were both killed in Lee's army; Adeline and Eliza married in Alabama after the removal of their parents to that state, about 1855. Margaret married a Mr. Cross, in Alabama, and returned with her husband to Chester, C. H., after the war, where she lived until her death. Another sister, Lorna, married Dan Steadman, in Alabama, but returned to Chester after the war."
"Your grandfather Kuykendal was in the war of 1812, our second war with Great Britain. I have heard him speak of the march to Charleston, and of his trip from Charleston home, and also of being stationed at Hadderal's point, near the city. The levy to which he was attached was called to the flag for the purpose of defending Charleston, but as Charleston was not attacked he saw no fighting.
"In all the troubles in which our country has been involved, our name has come to the front, offering its services in the cause of right against might. My mother was Sallie Clarke. Her father or grandfather, I forget which, had to leave Ireland to save his neck, perhaps in consequence of some complicity with an uprising at Caracferges, if I mistake not, against the crown. So you see we are rebels against oppression on both sides of the house. In the struggle between the crown and the colonies, so far as I know, our family were whigs.
After the adoption of the constitution our family accepted the Jeffersonian interpretation of the constitution, instead of the centralization idea of Hamilton, in other words none of us has ever been a Tory or a Republican."
"The above was written, as stated in my letter to you, by my uncle, J. Clarke Kuykendal, the following is about all I know concerning our immediate family:
"My grandfather's name was James Kuykendal, who lived in this, York county, S.
C., was clerk of the court, elected, as was the law those days, for life or good behavior, and served until his death. He married Sallie Clarke, and there was born to them ten children, Samuel, Jesse, Bolivar, J. Clark, Louisa, Sallie, Evalina, Captain Cooper, Sarah Anna and my father, John Chambers, who is the youngest. Sam Kuykendal married a Miss Chambers, and there were born to them three children, one daughter named Sarah, who died of typhoid fever about 1871; she lived with my father during almost all her life. John, who is, I think, a Baptist preacher, living in Texas, and James is, I hear, a lawyer living in Oklahoma. Jesse and Bolivar died when they were about grown.
"J. Clarke was never married, moved to Texas after the war, on account of Ku Klux troubles (he belonging to the Klan), taught school there almost the remainder of his life, but came out here in the fall of 1910 and died here at the home of J. Bolivar Scott, who is a son of Louisa Kuykendal. Bolivar's father died before my earliest recollection. Bolivar lives on the old place where my grandmother lived and died. Sallie Kuykendal died quite young.
Evaline married Minor Jones and moved to Gonzales county, Texas, where his descendants live. Robert Cooper was a physician, and together with Uncle Sam and my father, served through the war. After the war he moved to Gonzales county and built up a very large practice, and was quite well off when he died. He married Miss Eliza Coe, a native of Texas, and they raised one child, a daughter, Claudia, who married a man named Staten Gillett. They have four children, a girl and three boys. Sarah Anna Kuykendal never married, and lived with her mother and sister until her death, about 1900.
"My father married Sallie McFadden in 1866 and there were born to them five children, the oldest, Cora Lee, has never married and is now living here with me. I am the second child, born in 1868. Louisa, the next born, was in 1872, and died in 1873. Pointset Johnson, the next,
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was born in 1874 and died in 1876, and Sallie Coburn, the youngest, was born in 1879 and died in 1890.
"My mother died in 1882 and my father married, 1884, to Miss Belle Williams, of York county, who is still living. My father was a druggist and conducted a drug business for more than thirty years, in Yorkville, S. C., where he died in 1896.
"I graduated in medicine in the University of Maryland in 1890, was married to Miss Mary Elliot Ruff, of this place, in 1894. We have had three children; our oldest, a girl, died at the age of about 8 months. We have two sons living, aged about 16 and 14 (1911). The oldest is Clarence M. and the younger is named Fletcher Ruff. J. Bolivar Scott is our nearest kin in this section. He has two sons and two daughters living. The eldest son, Rodney, is married and has one child. The eldest daughter, Annie, is married and has one child; the other son, John, and daughter, Mary, are single."
It appears from the letter of J. Clarke Kuykendal above that the people of this branch of the family understand their forefathers. Samuel and Jonathan Kuykendal, were the first of the K family to settle in that country, and that they went there from Virginia with General Greene's army during the Revolution, and that after the war closed they went back there and settled. It seems strange that there should not be with the Kuykendals living in that region today any traditions or history of those Ks who acquired land in Anson and Catawba counties, in the period from 1750 to 1765.
In the foregoing excerpts from the public records of York county we see that in 1787 Peter Kuykendal, "late of Camden District," sold several tracts of land on Fishing Creek, that had formerly been held by grants to Peter and Abraham Kuykendal as early as 1762.
If Samuel and Jonathan did not settle there until the close of the Revolutionary War, the date of their settlement must have been between 1783 and 1790. The war closed 1783, and being in Greene's army they would have had to have time to go back home to Virginia (if that was where they had lived) and get ready and move. It is highly probable that they did not move to Carolina earlier than 1784 or 1785 or even later, but must have gone there before 1790, for the census taker found Samuel there when the census was taken. If Samuel and Jonathan both moved there together, the question would arise why he was not put on the census roll also. We have seen that at that time, there were living in the Morgan District, Lincoln County, Sam "Kikendall," and in Rutherford county, only a few miles west there were "Abraham Kirkendal, Jr." "John Kirkendal," Mat and Simon.
In the excerpts from York county, November, 1803, is the earliest notice we have of Jonathan Kuykendal in that region, and that was thirteen years after the 1790 census where Samuel's name appears. It would be very interesting to know more about the early history of Samuel and Jonathan, and the exact relationship they bore to those other Kuykendals, Abraham, Jr., John, Matthew and Simon.
There are several things that are noticeable in regard to these families of Samuel and Jonathan Kuykendal. 1st. The date of
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their settlement in the country, as claimed by their descendants. 2nd. The statement that they went there first with Gen. Greene's army, from Virginia during the Revolutionary war, and by inference came back and settled there because of having been some way favorably impressed with the country. 3rd. The manner of spelling the last syllable of their name, using only one 1. This is, so far as I know, the only branch of the family that now spell it in this manner. 4th. The absence of any memory or traditions among them of the earlier Kuykendalls that first settled there nearly thirty years before Samuel and Jonathan did, provided their descendants of today are correct as to the time their forefathers settled there. We know that Kuykendalls continued to live there since
their first settlement, for Matthew Kuykendall, who was a pensioner in Kentucky, for Revolutionary war service, gives a definite account of his life and military service. He states that he was born in Mecklinburg county, N. C., 1758, joined an expedition against the Cherokees when he was about 18 years old, in 1776. He entered a company commanded by his uncle, probably the same Captain Kuykendall spoken of as being present at the meeting of the Safety Committee, mentioned as meeting in January, 1776. He also served under Captain Joseph Hardin, who was at this same meeting. After the Cherokee expedition he resided in Burke county and raised a company against the Tories, was in the battle of the Cowpens and wounded, and after some time moved to Davidson county, Tennessee, a part of which was afterwards a part of Butler county, Kentucky.
The labor of digging out the history of these families and branches would be considerable, but it is apparent that much could
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"My great great grandfather's name was James Kuykendall. He was grandfather of John Ephraim, my uncle, at whose home I now am. He and I are sending you this letter; he is older, and we can do better than either alone. As to my great great grandfather, I cannot give the name of his wife or his brothers. He lived and died in N. C.
"My great grandfather, Abraham Kuykendall, was born in Buncombe county, North Carolina, but came with his family to Georgia and died in Cherokee county. He lived to be about a hundred years old, dying on Christmas day, about forty years ago, and is buried at Carmel Church cemetery. His wife's name was Betsy Kuykendall, she is buried at the same place. They were both Dutch people. It is about one mile from Woodstock, Ga., to where they both are buried. His brother, Peter Kuykendall, came from North Carolina, and lived in Georgia several years. He was a Primitive Baptist minister. Later he went to Sand Mount, Alabama, after the Civil war. The names of the sons of Abraham Kuykendall were as found below:
"JAMES KUYKENDALL'S wife's name was Sallie A. Bly; she died in Alabama about fifteen years ago. CORNELIUS married Miss Simpson, went from Georgia to Arkansas in 1848, has been dead about twenty years. JESSE lived and died in Georgia. WILLIAM--We know nothing about the families of either William or Jesse. JOHN was born in 1818, in North Carolina, married Mattie Tate. He died about two miles from Woodstock, Georgia, about twenty-two years ago, and was buried in the Carmel church cemetery.
EDMUND KUYKENDALL, my grandfather, who was Cousin Ephraim's uncle, was born in Bucola county, N. C., and lived and died in Georgia. He was born 1820 and died nine years ago, about 83 years old when he died. His wife's name was Jerusha Snellgrove. THOMAS JEFFERSON was born in Georgia, 1822, and died (???). His wife's name was Frances Duke. He has been dead about 25 years. He died at Sand Mount, Alabama.
"The sons of James Kuykendall, son of Abraham, were: William, Charles, George, Calvin and Tabe. Calvin was in the Civil war.
"The sons of Jesse, son of Abraham, were: Washington and David Kuykendall.
"Sons of John, son of Abraham, were: John Ephraim, and William Fleming Kuykendall. John Ephraim is still living at Woodstock, Georgia. He was born September 27, 1848. His wife's maiden name was Frances Tyson.
"The sons of my grandfather, Edmund Kuykendall, are: James, who is about 54 years old, living in Cherokee county, Ga. The second son, Abraham Kuykendall, lives in Cobb county, Ga., and is about 50 years old. His wife's name was Martha Walker. The third son, John Daniel Kuykendall, was born September 25, 1859, and died 1904. He was my father. His wife is still living; her name before her marriage was Mary Louisa Walker. The fourth son, Hezekiah Kuykendall, lives at Powder Spring, Ga. He is about 50 years old. The fifth son, Calvin Jasper Kuykendall, lives at Acworth, Ga., and is about 48 years old. His wife's maiden name was Lillie Reddings.
"THOMAS JEFFERSON'S sons' names were Lee and Belton.
"The sons of JOHN EPHRAIM KUYKENDALL were William, Obadiah and Levi Allen Kuykendall (now in Oklahoma), Robert Anderson K., George Ephraim and Archibold Forest Kuykendall.
"The sons of WILLIAM FLEMMING KUYKENDALL are William, F. K., Jr., and Frederick Kuykendall.
"The sons of James Kuykendall are George Edmund, John Daniel, James and Belton.
"The sons of ABRAHAM are Edward and Allen Curley Kuykendall, Calvin Jasper and Henry Kuykendall.
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"The sons of JOHN DANIEL KUYKENDALL, my father (deceased), are William Henry, George Washington, Ernest Eugene, Franklin Benjamin.
"The sons of HEZEKIAH KUYKENDALL are: Emmett Henry, Claude, Almon and Arthur.
"The sons of CALVIN JASPER KUYKENDALL are: Jesse Hiram, Harry and Lucius.
"This is as correct a statement as we can give at the present time. If we can find anything more, we will send it later."
Dr. J. L. Kirkendol, of Millen, Ga., is of this family. He is mentioned elsewhere in this volume, says his people changed the spelling of the name from Kuykendall to Kirkendol. A few extracts will be given from letters from him, enough to show plainly that his family and that represented by Miss Cora M. Kuykendall, of Marietta, Ga., spring from the same ancestry. The relationship is best shown by a chart of the families.
He writes in part as follows:
"My father's father was Jesse, and grandfather's father was Abraham. Abraham's only brother, of whom I am able to find any record, was Peter. As I am informed, the said Peter was a "Hardshell Baptist" preacher, and an active man at his death, at 105 years of age. Brothers of my grandfather were Edmund, John and Jefferson, long since dead. Abraham lies buried in a spot about eleven miles from Acworth, Ga., on the line of Cobb and Cherokee counties.
"Abraham Kirkendol came from North Carolina, probably the western section. At that time North Carolina was a vast territory, covering several states. Neal Kirkendol was my father's uncle, a man of a great deal of wealth, owning some fifteen hundred negroes. He had a large family, in early days before the war, moved to Alabama. Don't know what became of him, but I think many of the southwestern Kirkendols sprang from this Neal. Dr. Clarence Kirkendol, formerly of Yorkville, S. C., I am informed, is living in Rock Hill, S. C. I am informed that Mr. J. B. Scott, of Yorkville, S. C., knows a good deal of the southern branch, and is much interested, is an interesting man to correspond with. His mother was a Kirkendol.
"As to language, my great grandfather spoke Dutch, both he and his wife. My father remembers that very clearly. I have been told that my great grandfather came from Virginia and located in Georgia."
Many of my correspondents mention the fact that their forefathers spoke Dutch.
It is certain that many of the older ones of those who first went to Virginia and North Carolina spoke that language, for some time after they went to those colonies. The older ones, while understanding both English and Dutch, preferred the Dutch and used it in conversation between themselves, while the younger ones generally spoke English.
It has been seen that Miss Frances J. Kuykendall, of Enid, Miss., said her great grandmother's name was Elizabeth Van Zandt. The excerpts from records at York county, South Carolina, show that at the April term of court in 1787, Abraham Kuykendall and wife, Elizabeth, sold to Thomas Bridges, a tract of land on Buffalo Creek, in Camden District, S. C. Inasmuch as the forefathers of Miss Frances were living at that time in that region, it seems certain that the Elizabeth Kuykendall mentioned in the record, was the Elizabeth Van Zandt Kuykendall her great grandmother.
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It is an interesting fact also, that in the Delaware valley, where the Kuykendalls came from to Virginia, there were living Van Zandts also. It is not at all improbable that the Van Zandts in the Carolinas were of the same families as those in the Delaware valley, and it would be no matter of surprise if investigation would show that the two families, Ks and Van Zs, went west about the same time, and possibly together.
The facts presented in this chapter certainly will be interesting to those Kuykendalls whose connection with the earliest North Carolina settlers is shown, and whose fathers lived in still earlier days in the Minisink region of the Delaware valley. Clues are here presented, which, if followed out, would be sure to clear up the line of descent of these families back to 1650.
Data is here put in print to form a permanent record, that otherwise would almost certainly be lost. I hope that some one will take up the research and carry it on further, and that what has been presented will aid in the work.
We notice that in giving his account of his family history, Mr. John Chambers Kuykendal says his father married Miss Elvira Chambers, whose grandfather, Chambers, was a captain in the Revolutionary war. It is interesting to note that during that war, there was a prominent and well known Captain Chambers who lived near the old Kuykendall home by the ancient village of Minisink, N.
J. It would be well worth while to make investigations to determine whether the Captain Chambers there, was not the Chambers, whose granddaughter was J.
C. Kuykendal's mother. The Kuykendals at Rock Hill, and around there, have a tradition as stated that their ancestors went to that country with Gen.
Greene, during the Revolutionary war, and that after the war they came back and settled in the King's Mountain region. General Pulaski was sent to South Carolina from the Minisink region, where the Kuykendalls lived, and a number of the K family were in the army at Minisink at the time.
We have here a number of decidedly interesting clues, that if followed up would undoubtedly lead to very interesting discoveries.
Judge William L. Kuykendall, late of Saratoga, Wyoming, was much interested in the past history of the Kuykendall family, and we corresponded on the subject, occasionally for years. Excerpts from this correspondence will now be given:
"My great grandfather lived in South Carolina, near the foot of King's Mountain, where my grandfather was born. The former was killed in the battle of that name, his house and household goods, and the family records were burned soon afterwards, by the Tories, followed directly afterwards by the death of my great grandmother. My grandfather, Richmond Kuykendall was, at the time, a very small boy, absolutely poverty stricken and too small to remember afterwards, whether or not he had any relatives in that part of the country. A kind neighbor cared for him, and very soon afterwards moved to Barren county, Kentucky, where my grandfather reached maturity, married, and where my father was born and grew to almost maturity, before my grandfather
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moved to Garrard county, Kentucky. By this time, 35 or 40 years had intervened since my grandfather left South Carolina. Father commenced an investigation, as soon as he could, after reaching manhood, and found that all the Kuykendalls that he could hear of in North and South Carolina, especially those living near King's Mountain, spelled the name as you and I do, and that it was pronounced by some Kikendall and by others Kirkendall, which accounts for my father and his next older brother spelling the name correctly, as you and as I do, while his two younger brothers spelled it Kirkendall. I have no doubt whatever that the King's Mountain Kuykendalls of the present time, one of whom (Dr. John C. Kuykendall), of Yorkville, S. C., are distant, if not comparatively near relatives of mine. You will notice that they have dropped one 1 from the name.
My grandfather's name was Richmond, and my father's name was James. The latter had three brothers, John, Jacob and Joseph. They are long since dead, and I know nothing of my uncle's families. My father, James Kuykendall, and mother, Celia (Thompson) Kuykendall's children were: ELIZA A., SARAH J., RICHMOND, WILLIAM L., and ROBERT G., all of whom are dead except myself. My brother James M. left only one son named John, who had a son named James M., born about 1891. My sons are John M. and Harry Lee, both of whom live in Denver, Colorado."
WILLIAM LITTLEBURY KUYKENDALL was born December 13, 1835, and after reaching maturity he was always prominent and actively connected with public affairs in every community
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in which he lived. He held numerous offices and places of trust. He was Justice of the Peace, County Clerk, Deputy Clerk of the District Court, United States Commissioner, Judge of Probate, and was a member of the legislature several times. He held the position of Grand Sire of the I. O. O. F. of the World, and was Grand Secretary of the A. F. & A. M. of Wyoming for over twenty-five years.
The Judge led a varied and active life, and all of it was in the frontier parts of the country, of which he was no small factor in the development. He was in Kansas during the stirring and stormy events preceding the Civil war.
His superabundant energy always found him "doing something." In 1870 he organized a large expedition for prospecting the Big Horn country. This expedition was stopped by the United States troops, but in 1876 he organized and led another company into that country that was successful, and that led to the opening up of the rich mines of the Black Hills country.
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Though in the Civil war he was found on the side of the South, there was no man, perhaps, that was more glad to see sectional bitterness pass away and the country united again. He was a man of great energy, strict integrity and great force of character, and wielded a potent influence in the building up of the country wherever he lived.
MR. JOHN M. KUYKENDALL, of Denver, Colorado, son of Judge W. L. Kuykendall, like his father, has been very much interested in the history of the K family.
The tragic fate of his great grandfather and mother, and the great obscurity connected with their earlier residence in South Carolina, would naturally arouse his interest and create a wish that he might know more of those worthy ancestors. His branch of the family like nearly all the others have from the beginning, been path makers for civilization. Mr. John M. inherited from his father a large measure of energy and business capacity, which he has used with marked success in life. He was born in Platte county, Missouri, April 25, 1860. He attended the public schools of Cheyenne, Wyoming, and later completed his eduction in Racine College, Wisconsin. His first experience with the business activities of life was with his father in the sheep business, during about twelve years. His first business undertaking of considerable magnitude was in 1875, when he organized the Wisconsin-Wyoming Land and Cattle Company, of the J. I. Case Threshing Machine Co., with a capital stock of $145,000, J.
I. Case as President, and J. M. Kuykendall as General Manager. Ten years later he organized a cattle company operated on Medicine Bow, in the same county, which was known as the J. M. Kuykendall Company, with a capital stock of $60,000, of which he was President and General Manager. In the year 1892 he organized the Columbia Coach Company, capital stock, $60,000, which was operated in Chicago during the World's Fair. Of this company he was President and Manager. In the year 1890, he organized the Denver Omnibus and Cab Company with a capital of $100,000 and in 1910 he reorganized the Denver Omnibus and Cab Company under the laws of Wyoming, and increased the capital stock to $525,000, and since then has increased the assets of the company to over $1,000,000. The business has gone on increasing from year to year, and he still continues to be president and manager. He has besides these, business interests in other large enterprises in mining and irrigation operations.
While he has been engrossed in business he has found time to look after social amenities. He is director of the Denver Club, the Overland Park Country Club, Denver Athletic Club, Chamber of Commerce, and numerous other organizations.
He was elected in 1887 member of the Territorial Legislature of Wyoming, when he was about twenty-seven years of age. His first experience in a legislature was as page of the first Territorial Legislature of Wyoming, when he was nine years old. He saved up a little money this way, and put it into sheep with his father's business.
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He married Miss Anna Thomason, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, January 1, 1889, who was at the time an orphan, the daughter of Zechariah Thomason, one of the pioneer cattle men of Wyoming. They have never had any children.
All Mr. Kuykendall's life has been spent in the west, mostly on the frontier.
He has been successful in his business undertakings and naturally feels a great attachment to the Colorado country. He sees Denver as the fairest spot in all the earth to him, and believes in its future and the future of the great state of which it is the metropolis. Here he has put in the best energies of the prime of life, and has seen a great and beautiful city spring up from a mere village and become a charming metropolis, the center of trade of an intermountain empire. He is happy to have done his part in the great transformation.
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CHAPTER XX.
SOUTHWESTERN KUYKENDALL CORRESPONDENCE, 2nd SERIES.
With an extensive array of letters from people of states widely separated, but which frequently show family relationships, it has been found impossible to classify them under chapter headings that would adequately fit them. While it was easy to see from letter contents that many of the families were closely related, yet the information they contained was not such as to enable one to make out a clear and definite line back to the first American ancestor. Taking these letters and trying to make a family history of them, reminds one of the attempt to put together the parts of a cut picture puzzle, when some of the parts are missing.
It is to be remembered that the further back we go, the more nearly all the branches and individuals of the family will be found related to each other. If we go back seven generations, there will be found practically only one single family, all brothers and sisters, or at furthest, only cousins. That far back the whole number of the family living was but very small. For three generations, at least, they must have had distinct recollections of the previous family history in America, and also numerous traditions in regard to the old country home.
One's self, father, grandfather and great grandfather make four generations, so that we can readily see that in the case of the oldest Kuykendall descendants now living, there cannot be a very wide gap to span, to link themselves with the first who came to this country. Quite a number of letters that I have received, almost completely span the whole genealogical gap in the line of the families to which they relate. The first letter to be introduced in the present grouping will be from Miss Fannie Kuykendall, of Cookeville, Tenn., with extracts from others she wrote. A chart has been made showing the relationship of all the persons she mentions and many more, but it is too large to be printed here. She wrote:
"My mother and father were both Kuykendalls, they being cousins, so it is natural that I should be interested in our ancestors.
In looking over a lot of old deeds and papers in our possession, the first thing of interest I find, is a grant of land to Peter Kuykendall in North Carolina, in the year 1798. It was for 900 acres on Sinking Creek, in Greene county, and the deed was registered in 1800.
Next was a deed, in Overton county, Tennessee, in 1811, made by my great grandfather, Jesse Kuykendall. I find ever so many deeds, etc., some in 1819, 23-26 and so on. He must have died in 1833 or 1834.
We have his tax receipt for 1833 and a letter from a lawyer and friend of the family, written in 1834, mentioning his death and his business affairs. We have the signatures and receipt of the heirs.
Their names were Matthew Kuykendall, Peter K., Curtis Terry K., Josiah J. K., Robinson, Noah, and Jesse Young K., and other papers give the name of Oliver K. also.
Matthew Kuykendall was my mother's father and Mrs. E. G. Sewell's father; they two alone are left of the family, but others lived to have families of their own and to have grandchildren. Noah Kuykendall
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was my father's father. Only three of that family are now living, viz.: Jasper K., Josiah K. and Mrs. Martha McGlasson.
My father was William Young Kuykendall, a Christian preacher, and he died when I was ten years old, thirty years ago. My mother says that her uncles Peter and Jesse Kuykendall moved to Texas, when she was a child, but she does not know the year. My mother is 67 years old. She says that Oliver and the Robinson families went to Mississippi. There were quite a number of Terrys here, so I suppose the Terry heirs lived here. Grandfather Matthew's wife was a Terry, and grandfather Noah Kuykendall's wife was an Anderson. I understood that great grandfather Jesse Kuykendall's wife was a Hall, and the Halls were originally from England. Great grandfather moved from North Carolina when grandfather was a child, probably about six years old. He was born in 1803, and could remember when they moved in wagons from Tennessee.
They must have moved between 1803 and 1811. There are deeds to land in Overton and Jackson counties, most of which is in the present county of Putnam. Other deeds were for lands in Morgan county, Tenn.
One tract owned by grandfather Matthew was from the Blount heirs.
We did not know that grandfather had ever been a Lieutenant. He was a lover of peace, but we found a quaint old paper that reads:
'Know ye that on account of special trust and confidence in the patriotism, valor, conduct and fidelity of Matthew Kuykendall, we commission him Lieutenant in the 18th Regiment of Militia in this state.'
Signed by Governor Daniel Graham, Nov. 25, 1825, in the 59th year of our independence.
Witness,
William Carroll.
Our ancestors were from North Carolina, and they came to Tennessee between 1803 and 1811. My mother says she heard father speak of an uncle who came with them and located in Kentucky. So we have connection between those of Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas and Mississippi. I had an uncle and a great uncle named Peter, an uncle and grandfather named Jesse, a cousin and brother named William, also a grandfather Matthew, names handed down from one generation to another. A cousin of mine, who lived in our home for years, is now in Kentucky, and is president of McClean's College, in Hopkinsville. Years ago when our people came from North Carolina, grandfather had an uncle Matthew who moved to Kentucky."
Besides the history given by Miss Fannie, she, herself and her immediate family, have had an eventful and interesting past. Her father, William Young Kuykendall, was an earnest, intelligent minister, who rode thousands of miles through the hills, woods and canebrakes, preaching in country schoolhouses, log cabins, or wherever he found an opportunity, stopping at the homes of the people.
The first home of Wm. Young Kuykendall was a two story log house about four miles from Cookeville, Tennessee. Afterwards a frame addition was built to this, and still later an addition of brick, so that the home as it is today represents over two generations of life, and the progress of the country from primitive pioneer times to the present. To relate the story of the struggles of the widowed mother and children, with great difficulties, and of their useful and successful lives, would fill an interesting book, that would be an inspiration to others. She and the family early learned that the accumulation of wealth is no measure of real
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success, but that a purposeful and helpful life is of far more value. This life was chosen by Miss Fannie, and she has followed it as an educator and teacher of art and interpreter of nature, and has done what she could to help others.
If the Matthew Kuykendall who was uncle of her grandfather, was the Matthew who was in the Revolutionary war, and was pensioned in Kentucky, and died there, this would bring the family into direct relationship with another large group of Kentucky Kuykendalls. There can be no doubt, at all events, that the families are
very closely allied. Some of the descendants of these have remained about Morgantown, Ky., and will be heard from further on.
The first Matthew and Cornelius Kuykendall brothers were sons of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendaal, Cornelius having been born 1688, and Matthew about 1690, as has been seen earlier in this volume. These were the first Kuykendalls to bear the names Matthew and Cornelius in this country. Both had sons named Peter; Matthew had sons James and Simon, all of which names have been found to be exceedingly common among those Kuykendalls who came over from Virginia and North Carolina to Tennessee and Kentucky. It can hardly be doubted that this family,
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which has just been mentioned, has come from these brothers, Matthew and Cornelius. The frequency of the names Matthew, James and Peter gives great weight to the supposition.
The great state of Texas early attracted many Kuykendalls, and nearly all branches had some representatives who moved to that state. The branch represented by Miss Fannie Kuykendall was not an exception to the rule. The chapter on Texas Kuykendalls gives an account of the old pioneer Captain Abner Kuykendall, his brothers and their families, who went from Kentucky to Arkansas and from there to Texas. No doubt a century ago they were all closely allied to the family of Miss Fanny's ancestors. A letter or letters will now be presented from one of the descendants of those Tennessee Kuykendalls of the family we have been considering who went to Texas. Mr. William T. Kuykendall, of Sulphur Springs, Texas, is both deeply interested in the family history of the Ks and is energetic and capable in collecting data. He writes:
"I am sending you all the letters and information that I have received, so that you can see what there is of it. I can't get it all connected up. If all would answer that I have written to, perhaps I could tell more. But you can see that my great grandfather's name was JESSE YOUNG KUYKENDALL. He came from North Carolina to Tennessee. He had four sons whose names were MATTHEW.
PORTER, NOAH, and JESSE YOUNG KUYKENDALL, who was my grandfather; three daughters, ELIZABETH, JENNIE AND POLLY. Some say that great grandfather had a brother, but I cannot say for sure. You will see by the data I am sending you that my father's brother was killed in the Civil war. If there is anything more I can send you, let me hear from you.
Wishing you prosperity and success, I remain your truly,
W. T. KUYKENDALL."
Accompanying this letter there were several others that he had received in his correspondence, and there was also a record of his grandfather, Jesse Young Kuykendall, as follows:
Family of Jesse Young Kuykendall and Wife, Jennie Hall.
"MATTHEW (date of birth not given), married Prudence Terry, and they had seven or eight children, and they lived in Middle, Tenn.
NOAH, married Katie Anderson, had nine children, lived in Middle, Tenn.
YOUNG, married Jane Gaw, had nine children, lived in Middle, Tenn., until 1848, when he moved to Texas.
ELIZABETH, married Curtis Terry, had seven children, lived in Middle, Tenn.
JENNIE, married Josiah Robinson, both died and left four children.
POLLY, married Elijah Oliver and moved to Mississippi.
Family of Young Kuykendall and Nancy Gaw.
PETER, fell during the Civil war in battle, while bearing the Confederate flag, at the battle of Chicamauga, Tenn.
ALEXANDER, died at the age of three years.
NEWTON ALLEN, was born December 1, 1850, and married Jane Gaw, October 18, 1875, and had four children, and died February 18, 1882.
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LAURA EDNA, was born October 19, 1878, married W. W. Rogers, November 29, 1898, had one child, Duane Carson, born November 6, 1899.
GEORGE ALLEN, born October 12, 1877, died April 16, 1881.
WILLIAM THOMAS, born May 1, 1879, married Leona Victoria Sheppard, October 17, 1905, one child, Ray Elton, born June 8, 1907.
MATTIE ELSETA, born June 30, 1881, died March 18, 1882.
JANE, died at the age of 15 years.
VINEY, married Tine Stirman, a Christian preacher, left no children.
MATILDA, married Dr. Pendergrass, lived in Texas, left a large family.
POLLY ANN, married William Cox. Cousin Will and his son Allen lived in Floyd county, Texas, near Lockney.
MARTHA, married a Mr. Corley and lives in Terrell, Texas; they have a large family.
Family of Noah Kuykendall and Katie Anderson.
GALLANT, born (no data regarding him).
JOSIAH, this party lives in Cookeville, can't hear from him, think one of his boys married one of uncle Math's girls.
WILLIAM was born (date not known to writer).
JAMES, born(???), married Ellen Terry, history not known.
JASPER and NEWTON were twins. Have written to Jasper, but could not hear from him. He lives in Cookeville, Tenn. Elizabeth was another daughter whose history is not known to me.
There were probably other children born after we left Tennessee, but this is all I can remember. Have heard that Noah had a daughter living in Greenville, Texas, named Mrs. Buford. Mrs. Buford is dead, her daughter is living in Greenville, Texas, by the name of Montgomery, at King, Texas, R. F. D. 2.
Family of Peter Kuykendall and Prudence Terry.
JAMES, married Mattie Hatton, sons are Dr. J. W. Kuykendall and Edwin Kuykendall, Fort Worth, Texas. Jesse and John died young.
NOAH, married first, Mary Ellison second, Elizabeth Keith, and had a large family.
ELIJAH, married Nannie Bratcher first, Martha McClellan second, and Mrs. Lloyd third, four children left. Matthew married Nannie Bagby.
KENDRICK, married Ellen Ely, has a large family.
MARY, married Mike Lukinbill, lived near Garden Valley, Texas, left a large family scattered over Texas.
NANNIE, married Bennett Flowers, raised nine children.
SALLIE, married James Slater 1st, Jack Carter 2nd, had three Slater sons and one Carter son.
LUCY, married James Merrill, left two children.
CAROLINE, called Babe, married 1st, William Flowers, and 2nd John Merrill, had four boys by Flowers and one girl by Merrill.
Among the children of Caroline is one preacher of the Christian Church, W. A.
Merrill, address, Magnum, Oklahoma, and Alden Merrill, a Baptist preacher, present address not known to the writer.
Family of Matthew Kuykendall and Henrietta Terry.
ALLEN was killed or committed suicide.
NEWTON, I know nothing of him.
REBECCA married Ridley Draper, lived in Middle, Tenn., had a son who lived near Ector, Fanning county, Texas, for a number of years, committed suicide.
His family still live there.
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LUCY, married E. G. Sewell, who was four years associate editor of the "Gospel Advocate," Nashville, Tenn., was still living there in 1913.
PRUDENCE TERRY, married a son of Noah Kuykendall.
Family of Curtis Terry and Elizabeth Kuykendall.
ELIJAH, married Sarah Anderson, sister of uncle Noah's wife.
VINSON, married his cousin, Sally Dowell, left a large family.
BRAZEWELL, married Amanda Pearson, moved to Texas, probably to Grayson county.
CLAIBORNE, nothing is known by me of his history.
JESSE, married Miss Johnson.
LOUISA, married a Johnson, moved to Texas, left several children.
ELIZABETH, married a Mr. Johnson.
VINA, married Pearson Dowell, had a son, Clyde, at Clyde, Texas.
Family of Jennie Kuykendall and Josiah Robinson.
The family lived in West Tennessee. Of this family there were two that I know of, viz.: Rasha, who was in Texas during the Civil war.
Peter married two or three times, the second time he married a widow in Smith county.
The Family of Polly Kuykendall and Elijah Oliver.
They moved to Mississippi and I never saw any of them, and knew nothing about them. Jessie died at the age of 19 years. Carlton married Elizabeth Jones of Marianna, Ark., now living at Sheffield, Texas, they have two children.
Elijah married Eulah High. They live at our old farm at Will's Point.
LEE, married Lola Burge, of Canton, Texas, now living in Houston, Texas, they have two children.
OLIVER, married Viola Harpey, of Dickens, Texas, now living in Plainview, New Mexico.
ELLA, married Brown Brundige, lived in Will's Point. Died last year, has one son, O. D. Brundige, a young lawyer in Dallas. One daughter, Mrs. John Mayne, wife of a Methodist preacher, now in Dalhart, Texas, one daughter, Mrs. J. E.
Williams, one son Clyde, at home in Will's Point with their father.
LAURA, married T. F. Young, now living in Lockney, Texas. They have two married sons and one single daughter.
FANNIE, married James Robinson, agent for the T. & P. Railway at Detroit, Texas. They have four small children.
BELLE, married Minor Wilson, and they live in Dickens, Texas, have one married son in New Mexico, and two married daughters and several children at home."
The foregoing letters and family records clearly show the relationship of these families to the Tennessee family to whom Miss Fannie Kuykendall belongs.
There are many more letters among those received during correspondence to secure data.
Rev. E. G. Sewell, long connected with "The Gospel Advocate" at Nashville, Tenn., wrote me in part as follows:
"My wife's maiden name was Lucy Kuykendall, the daughter of Matthew Kuykendall, who lived and died in what was formerly Jackson county, Tennessee, but now Putnam county. All of the family except two, my wife and one sister, who is now a widow, and still named Kuykendall, having married a Kuykendall cousin. Matthew Kuykendall had
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a brother named Noah, who also lived and died in the same neighborhood, and raised a large family, all of whom are now dead but three brothers. Josiah and Jasper, two brother are now living near Cookeville, Tennessee. Matthew and Noah were brothers to Young and Peter, whom I never saw. Their father was Jesse Kuykendall, who lived and died in the same neighborhood of Matthew and Noah. The above named family came orginally from North Carolina, but my wife cannot give the date. (See the letter of Miss Fannie Kuykendall.) One of my wife's aunts married a man by the name of Oliver, and she had a son named George, living somewhere in Texas."
It is very interesting to note that members of the same families and branches, when relating history of their people, are sure to give something different from the others, or something that the others forgot. By comparing the statements of the different members, we get a much fuller account.
Rev. Elijah R. Kuykendall wrote me:
"I was informed by my father, that my great grandfather was a German, that he came from Germany to North Carolina, and located there in an early day. I cannot give his name. My grandfather, Jesse Young, was a son of his. He migrated to Tennessee a few years after the Revolutionary war. He had one brother that settled in Georgia about that time. I think he had one brother, but do not remember where he settled. My father had three brothers, Matthew, Noah and Jesse Young. Uncle Jesse Young came from Jackson county, Tennessee, with us to Texas and died, I think in 1866. Mother's name was Prudence Terry, daughter of James Terry; she died in 1867. My father had three sisters. One married uncle Curtis Terry, in our old neighborhood, in Jackson county, now Cook county, Tennessee. One sister married Elijah Oliver and one married a Robinson. They located in west Tennessee. I do not remember the county. I think Robinson's given name was James, and grandmother's maiden name was Hall.
She came to Texas and died at the age of 96 in 1852. Her father was killed by the Indians in old North Carolina. She told me when I was a little boy, a great deal about Indian troubles and the Revolutionary war. My youngest and only living brother, W. K. Kuykendall lives at Clyde. Texas. He has my father's family record."
This venerable old gentleman has had a very interesting and adventurous history. The family to which he belonged moved to Texas when he was about eight years old, and settled in the vicinity of Grand Saline. At that time this was in the far western border of civilization. Most of the country was inhabited only by Indians and wild animals. There was only one little mill in all the land for grinding corn for everybody in the country, and that was a horse tread mill affair, and yet settlers came a long distance with corn to be ground into meal, which they sifted by hand at home. Texas was then a stockman's paradise, or would have been but for the Indian and Mexican thieves and robbers. Roads were few and were mostly Indian or cattle trails. The living things most in evidence were long horned cattle, scrubby Mustang ponies, coyotes, prairie owls, lizards and snakes, with an occasional bear, panther or lynx. School advantages were limited to a few months in the year.
Elijah R. had an elder brother who taught school in early days, and was deputy sheriff afterwards. Elijah, the younger, served in the Confederate Army until the close of the war, coming
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out with broken health. After some years spent in travelling, most of the time, he recovered his health fully. At the age of fifty years he became a minister of the gospel in the Christian Church. In earlier life he had learned the carpenter's trade, and after he began to preach, he often worked at his trade during the week, and preached on the Sabbath. He is glad now, in the evening of life, that he was able to sow that others might reap, and that he was able to make it easier for those who came after him.
Benjamin Hiram, his eldest son, has been for some years most of the time a peace officer. He is a portly man of six feet and two inches height and weights two hundred pounds. He has served as Justice of the Peace, deputy sheriff, deputy U. S. Marshal, and as City Marshal of Grand Saline, Texas.
There are a lot of letters
in my filing cases from members of the branch of the family to which these persons belong, but only one more can be mentioned, and it is given because it gives the history of this particular family more clearly and definitely. It comes from the youngest brother of Rev. E. R. Kuykendall, William Kendrick K., of Clyde, Texas, who wrote to me in regard to his people, as follows:
"PETER, son of Jesse Kuykendall was born in Tennessee, February 13, 1806, and died in Rockwell county, Texas, February 13, 1879. PRUDENCE TERRY, daughter of James Terry, of Tennessee, and wife of Peter Kuykendall, was born in Tennessee, September 25, 1810, and died in Benton county, Arkansas, January 31, 1869. Peter and Prudence Kuykendall had seven sons: JAMES JEFFERSON, JESSE HICKMAN, NOAH HAMPTON, ELIJAH ROBINSON, PETER ERASMUS, MATTHEW CURTIS and WILLIAM KENDRICK. They had five daughters: MARY JANE, NANCY MATILDA, SARAH MALINDA, LUCY ELIZABETH and HENRIETTA CAROLINE.
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Peter Kuykendall and wife, Prudence, emigrated to Texas about the year 1848, and settled in Vanzandt county, and after a few years moved to Smith county and located near Garden Valley. Here their youngest son, William Kendrick was born. They lived there and in Vanzandt county until the death of Prudence his wife. He married the second time and lived in Rockwell county until his death.
Peter Kuykendall was a Christian preacher, and a fine Bible scholar, and did much good in the state of Texas. His first and second wives and all his children were members of the Christian church, none of them ever became drunkards, and only one became a slave to the tobacco habit.
JAMES JEFFERSON KUYKENDALL married Martha Hatton. James Hickman Kuykendall died single. Noah Hampton Kuykendall married Sarah Ann Ellison; second wife, Elizabeth Kinman. Elijah Robinson, married Nancy Bratcher; second wife, Mrs.
Martha Smith. Erasmus Kuykendall married Mary Ann Hunt; second wife, Gincy Ann Bunch. Matthew Curtis Kuykendall married Nannie Bagby. William Kendrick married Ellen Ely. Mary Jane married Mike Lukenbill; Nancy Matilda Kuykendall married Bennett Flowers; Sarah Malinda married James Slater, second husband, Jack Carter; Lucy Elizabeth Kuykendall married James Merrell; Henrietta Caroline Kuykendall married William Flowers, second husband, John Merrell."
William Kendrick Kuykendall's wife, Eugenia Ellen Ely, daughter of George G.
Ely, was born in Erath country, Texas, December 9, 1863, they located at Clyde, Texas, in 1887, where they still live. They have two sons Robert Ewell and Carroll Kendrick. They had six daughters, Josie Ellen, Letta Evaline, Augusta Olive, Edessia Etta, Dolah Kreth and Ita. Letta Evaline and Ita are dead. Josie Ellen married W. Homer Shanks, December 22, 1909; they have two sons, Homer Kuykendall Shanks, born October 25, 1910 and one younger. When the Civil war came on William Kendrick Kuykendall's brothers went into the Confederate Army, and it fell to his lot to care for his father and the "war widows" of the neighborhood. Notwithstanding his lack of educational advantages, his quick perception and clear intelligence enabled him to secure an education and stock of general information superior to many who had much better opportunities, which he turned to good use in the business of life.
Writing of his early life he says: "The woods of Van Zandt and Smith counties were full of wild game, and most of my spare time was spent in hunting, which I enjoyed very much. My father always farmed some and raised cattle and hogs, which ran at large on the range, and a good deal of my time was spent looking after the stock, which employment suited my tastes very well. There were lots of wild hogs and wild cattle on the range, and if we did not watch ours very closely some of them would get in with the wild herd, and what a time we would have getting them home. We would sometimes kill our hogs and frequently would snake them by our ponie's tails, and when a beef steer got too wild to be driven up and penned, we would run him down and shoot him to death with our guns, which we nearly always carried with us in the woods. We killed lots of deer, wild turkeys and wild game. I was a good shot. When I was first married, my wife was a telegraph operator. I practiced telegraphy under her instruction, and two years later
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assisted her in her work in the office, and looked after the farming interests. Later we moved to Clyde, and part of the time while living there was postmaster and was in mercantile business."
By diligence and good management Mr. Kuykendall has been able to do well by his children in way of giving them good educational advantages and otherwise.
Gussie attended Britton's Training School, at Cisco, Texas, where Robert also went to school. Josie married Mr. W. H. Shanks, and they have two boys. Robert and Dessie have been teaching in the public schools. Mr. Wm. K. Kuykendall has retired from active business and is looking after and managing his farms and farming interests, from which he derives a comfortable income. (He has since died.)
We come now to correspondence from a rather closely allied family branch, of which Matthew was the ancestor, and who settled in early days in Tennessee and Kentucky. The name Matthew is so very common in all these families, as to strongly suggest a common ancestry not far back. It is so common that it is sometimes difficult to differentiate and identify the different ones. There appears to have been two Matthews born in the Carolinas at about the same time, and the accounts given of them sometimes are so similiar as to suggest the idea that they refer to the same person, whose history has been confused, or it may be one was the cousin of the other, or an uncle. At that early period these two Matthews must have been very closely related. Most, if not all the Kuykendalls who were in the Revolutionary war, were great grandsons of the first American born Kuykendall. This would show that none of the Kuykendalls then living could have been very distantly related. A study of the correspondence now to be presented for comparison, will be very interesting.
The first is from Andrew Briggs Kuykendall, San Antonio, Texas. He says:
"I will give you a genealogy of my forefathers, as given me in a written statement, by my father, several years before his death, which occurred in San Antonio, Texas, January 1, 1900, at the age of 86 years and six months. My great great grandfather came from Holland. His name was ABRAM and he served in the Revolutionary war as Captain. My great grandfather's name was MATTHEW. He was born in North Carolina, about the year 1760. He served three years in the Revolutionary war.
I will now give you the names of grandfather's children. They were REBECCA, MARY, ELIZABETH, MILDRED, WILLIAM, ABRAM, JOHN, JAMES, MATTHEW, ABNER, JACOB and ABSOLEM, my father, who was the youngest child. Abram and Abner came to Texas about 1830. My father, Absolem came in 1837. His father, Matthew Kuykendall, married Nancy Johnson, in North Carolina. Her parents were from England. My father, Absolem Kuykendall was born in Tennessee, August 25, 1814, was married to Nancy Dean, in Nashville, Tenn., September 14, 1834. My mother, Nancy Dean Kuykendall, was born December 17, in Tennessee; her father was English, her mother was Welsh. The children of my father, by my mother were:
RUTH CLARINDA, born July 18, 1835, in Tennessee.
JOHN CALLOWAY, born October 22, 1836, in Tennessee.
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NANCY JANE, born March 5, 1839, in Texas as were all those that follow.
MARY ELIZABETH, born February 11, 1841.
ABNER ROBERTSON, born April 21, 1842.
WILLIAM DEAN, born October 15, 1844.
ANDREW BRIGGS, born May 26, 1846.
MILDRED MINISHIA, born February 12, 1848.
WILEY PRESTON, born November 24, 1850.
ABSOLEM RUSSELL, born October 17, 1852.
My mother, Nancy Dean Kuykendall, wife of Absolem Kuykendall, died May 2, 1853. My father married his second wife, whose maiden name was Druzilla Dragoo, in Michigan, 1855. Their children were:
DRUZILLA AMANDA, born April 12, 1856, in Michigan.
MATTHEW JOHNSON, born April 7, 1858, in Wisconsin.
JAMES, born in Iowa, in 1860.
DAVID EDMOND, born April 6, 1862, in Iowa.
GEORGE RICHARDSON, born 1865, also in Iowa.
My father was a minute man in the time of the Texas troubles with Mexico, and was appointed guard over the state archives, in moving the capitol from Houston to Austin.
Now follows the history of my own family. I, Andrew Briggs Kuykendall, was born May 26, 1846, married Miss M. D. Dismuke, daughter of Dr. A. W. Dismuke, July 26, 1876, of San Antonio, Texas. Our children are: ART. ERNEST, born October 19, 1879, in Bexar county, Texas.
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DAISY DELL, born June 20, 1880, in Bexar county, Texas.
GRACE PEARL, born January 5, 1884, same county.
MARY LEE, born July 17, 1886, in Atascosa county, Texas.
ANDREW DISMUKE, born January 13, 1889, Atascosa county, Tex.
CLAUD ROGER, born April 5, 1891, same county.
GLADYS VERA, born February 21, 1894, Atascosa county, Tex.
RUBY OLY, born October 20, 1896, San Antonio county, Texas.
DEWY BRYAN, born July 21, 1898, Montague county, Texas.
Marriages of children named above:
Art. Ernest, married Frances Ella Hay, December, 1899, four children. Daisy Dell, married Matthew Crownover, June, 1895, seven children. Grace Pearl, married George Richardson, of Ballinger, Texas, one son. Mary Lee, was married to Joseph B. Harp, of Lamont, Iowa, five children.
Andrew Dismuke, married Grace Eva Lookabaugh, January 30, 1910.
The addresses of my brothers still living are:
John C. Kuykendall (oldest brother), Humboldt, Texas. William D. Kuykendall, Dow City, Iowa. Nancy Jane Kuykendall Miller, Dow City, Iowa. Lyman, oldest son of Abner Kuykendall (deceased), Poteet, Texas. Mary Kuykendall Shadin, Crescent City, Iowa. Wiley P. Kuykendall, Dow City, Iowa. Absolem Russell Kuykendall, Paeonia, Colorado.
My oldest sister, Clarinda Jett, lives across the street from me and all her children live here."
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It has been mentioned before that many of the Kuykendalls, in speaking of their forefathers refer to them as having come from Holland to North Carolina, Pennsylvania or Virginia. The ancestors they speak of were in almost all cases at least three generations, and often four generations later than the first Ks who came to this country. It is quite easy to understand why the younger generations came to suppose their grand parents came from Holland to Virginia or the Carolinas. The older ones still spoke Dutch after their removal to Virginia and the Carolinas, and from this fact the younger ones drew the inference that because their grandfathers spoke Dutch, they must have come from Holland. I remember well that my father, and the older ones of the family, often mentioned the fact that their people had spoken Dutch in Virginia, and they told me the Dutch words for various things.
A letter will now be presented from Andrew Kuykendall, of Nash, Oklahoma:
"My grandfather's name was Matthew Kuykendall. He was in the Revolutionary war, had his arm broken by a musket ball. After the war, he lived near the line of Virginia and North Carolina, and moved to Kentucky, about the year 1800. He was the first sheriff of Butler country, Kentucky. He married Margaret Hardin. I don't know what
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county of North Carolina he lived in. The children of Matthew Kuykendall and Margaret Hardin were: ALLEN, MOSES, MATTHEW, JOHN, ANDREW (who was my father) and MARGARET, called PEGGY.
The father of Eddy Kuykendall, of Morgantown, Kentucky, was my cousin. You might get some information also from Robert Kuykendall, of the same place. He had a niece who was writing a history of grandfather; her name was Sublett.
Grandfather was the first sheriff of Butler county, Kentucky. I was born March 30, 1840, and am a native Kentuckian. I don't know anything about my grandfather's family. He died when I was five years old."
The letter above from Andrew Kuykendall, refers to E. C. Kuykendall, at Morgantown, Ky., and a letter from him is now presented:
"Matthew Kuykendall, my great grandfather, was a full blooded Dutchman, and was in the Revolutionary war. He was from Virginia and went to North Carolina.
He married a Miss Hardin there, and moved to Tennessee and Kentucky. He had six sons and one daughter. They were: MATTHEW, MARK, JOHN, ALLEN, MOSES, ANDREW, and a daughter named MARGARET (Peggy). They all raised large families here, except Allen, who died young. Moses Kuykendall moved to Arkansas, and some of his descendants live in Texas, but I do not know where. He had a large family, who lived in Arkansas. John married Miss Wagner, had three boys and two girls. Mark (my grandfather), married Miss Sublett, had eight boys and one girl. Andrew married Miss Taylor, had four boys and two girls. Matthew (R. B.'s father) married Miss Talbert, had six boys and six girls. Peggy (Margaret) married a Mr. Wand, had six boys and one girl. Allen died young, never married.
R. B. K's father's records kept while he was sheriff, and which embraced some valuable information, were lost out of his buggy last February, while he was bringing them from his farm to town. If I succeed in finding them, will send them to you. I wish I knew who my great great grandfather was. I think from the family names he must have been named either Matthew or Josiah. Next summer, when the weather becomes good, I want to visit my grandfather's grave, I think probably I can get a little more information. The grave is about ten miles from here. Have been trying to find where his Bible is, but cannot.
Mark Kuykendall was my grandfather, my father was named Hezekiah, and was the first sheriff of Butler county, Ky. Mark, son of Matthew Kuykendall, was born March 12, 1796 and married Elizabeth Sublett, she was born November 27, 1800.
They had nine children, viz.:
ANDREW, born June 7, 1819, died October 20, 1840.
WILLIAM S., born March 22, 1821, married Mahala Jane Wilson, died in Texas, 1888.
JOHN, born February 9, 1823, died January 14, 1852, at Grand Gulf, by the explosion of the steamer George Washington.
POLLY DAVIS, born May 24, 1825, married James M. Cook, died April 25, 1901.
MARK HARDIN, born June 29, 1828, married Martha McDowell, died in Mississippi.
MOSES WARREN, born January 2, 1831, married his cousin, Eliza Kuykendall.
TEMPLE DAVIS, born June 27, 1833, married Vitula A. Hines, died in Denver, Colorado, date not known.
HEZEKIAH JAMES, born November 13, 1835, married Emily E. CLARK November 19, 1856; these were my father and mother.
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THOMAS P., born February 25, 1840, died September 19, 1845.
EDDY C. KUYKENDALL, son of Hezekiah Kuykendall and Emily Clark was born January 2, 1859, in Butler county, Ky., married Ida L. Overstrect January 28, 1885. Their children are:
MRS. GRACE TOMLINSON, Butler, Ark., age 28 (1912).
MRS. HALTON COOK, Jackson, Mich., age 29 (1917).
WILL K. KUYKENDALL, Morgantown, Ky., age 23 (1917).
EDWIN L. KUYKENDALL, El Paso, Texas, age 20 (1917).
Robert B. Kuykendall, son of Matthew Kuykendall and Martha B. Kuykendall, was born August 13, 1841, in Butler county, Ky., married Jennie Thornton, June 16, 1866, has five children:
Mrs. Eulalia Marshall, Eva Kuykendall, Mrs. Allie Lee, all of Morgantown. Mrs. Anna Gardner, Wichita, Kansas and Beulah Kuykendall, Morgantown, Ky. R. B. Kuykendall served one term as sheriff of Butler county, Ky., four years as Revenue Agent; the remainder of his life has been spent in farming in Butler county."
There were a good many Kuykendalls went to Tennessee and Kentucky about the time of the Revolutionary war and soon after-wards. These were mostly from the Carolinas and Virginia, though there were some from other parts of the country. These Morgantown descendants are most likely, indeed almost certainly, from the first Matthew of our American K. family, who with his brother Jacob lived near the Minisink Island, which is in the Delaware
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river, as heretofore shown. Another branch of the Ks is to be heard from through the letter that follows. Those of this branch are probably descendants of the same Matthew, through his son Simon. The letter is from Dr. A. R. Kuykendall of Weatherford, Texas. He writes:
"My grandfather left Tennessee when father was two years old, located in Mississippi. Later he moved to Greene county, Arkansas. Father was born either in 1828 or in 1830. His name was John Lamb. Grandfather's name was Matthew, he had six children, as well as I can remember. The only one of whom father kept trace, located in Bell county, Texas. I think his given name was Abner. One of the characteristics pertaining to this branch of the family was the giving of Bible names to their children, as Mary, Rachel, Matthew, Abner, Abraham &c. My father was a farmer; he was a Captain in the Southern Army, died in 1890."
Dr. Alexander Rhea Kuykendall belongs to a family that has always occupied a position of usefulness and honor in the community where they lived. He is essentially a self-made man, one that urged his own way forward by his own efforts, and has made a success of life. His first schooling came in three month installments, in one of the old styled log schoolhouses of frontier times. Later he had the advantages of good private schools, and attended the University of Arkansas. He graduated in medicine in St. Louis, Mo., and practiced successfully in Basque and Thurber counties, Texas, and later moved to Weatherford, where he continued to practice. He married Miss Anna J. Pierce, November 2, 1887. The doctor has three children: FRANCES, born December
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17, 1888; HARVEY McDOWELL, born July 26, 1890, and RHEA, born February 4, 1893.
The doctor is a diligent student and a safe counsellor and family physician.
The following letter was written to Rhea Kuykendall, a son of Dr. A. R.
Kuykendall, to be sent to me, in answer to inquiries for information in regard to the family history. It comes from Mrs. Mildred Kuykendall Fowler, of Bartlett, Texas:
"I have heard my father say that all the Kuykendalls he had known traced back to three brothers who came from Germany, I cannot say in what year they came, or what were their names. I think father said the brothers landed in Pennsylvania, and one brother came to Virginia and located there, and our branch of the family came from him. Brother Mat says all came to Virginia first. The first I knew of the family is in Tennessee. My grandfather was named Matthew, and married Miss Johnson, of English descent. I think they had a family of fifteen children. Your great grandfather Matthew went to Arkansas, also a younger sister named Mildred, who married Colonel George Richardson.
They went also to Arkansas. Some of the descendants named Richardson and some named Spirey I have met in this state. Those who came to Texas between 1830 and 1850 were John, James, Abraham, Absolem and the two eldest sisters, of whom Mary married a Mr. Bean. There were two brothers in Mississippi, one was named Jacob and the other's name I do not remember.
Of those who came to Texas, John and James settled in East Texas, (Van Zandt county, maybe), and reared their families there. The other brothers lived further west. Absolem went to Illinois from Texas, about 1850 and reared a family there. However, Absolem's eldest daughter, Clarinda, married a man named Jett, and has always lived near San Antonio. Mrs. Dean died in Bell county, where she had lived many years and left many descendants. Abram's family also lived in Bell county. They were there in 1855, and afterwards went further west, to San Saba county, I think. Abner was my father and came to Texas in 1831, settling in Austin's Colony, in what is now Fayette county, perhaps. My mother was Maria Duff, a native of Kentucky, but they were married in Tennessee, and came from there to Texas. My father was not the Captain Abner Kuykendall, who figures in the histories of Texas, and who came here in 1821. My parents knew him well, and said they were of the same family. My father was never prominent in public affairs, and was not in the battle of San Jacinto, to his life time regret. He belonged to Burleson's command and was away with a detachment that had been sent to the relief of some exposed settlements, when the battle took place.
It is a pity that the data is so indefinite. I wonder why it never occurred to us to write down the things father and mother told us, family names, dates and interesting incidents, both of the family and pioneer experiences. Many we enjoyed, which are now only a jumble in my mind. My grandparents must have married as early as 1770. The oldest grandchild was Robert Bean, and he was born 1806. The children of Matthew Kuykendall and Nancy Johnson, were MATTHEW, born December 26, 1798. Then JOHN, JAMES, ABRAM, ABSOLEM, and ABNER, who was born 1807, JACOB, MARY and MILDRED."
Dr. James Lewis Kuykendall, recently of Clay, Kentucky, was of the same line of descent as Dr. A. R. K. of Weatherford, and Prof. J. Wyse K, of Forst Smith, Ark. Writing to me of his ancestry he said:
"My great great grandfather was William Federeston (Featherston?) Kuykendall, was born in Union county, Ky., 1804 and died 1880. My
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grandfather, Jimmie, the oldest son, was born March 11, 1831. My father, Elihu, was born November 25, 1855. I was born September 27, 1882, in Webster county, my full name being James Lewis Kuykendall. I refer you to Captain.
William Kuykendall, Garvanza, California, a great uncle, who can probably tell you more of the family history than any one I know of, and also to a brother of his, Frank Kuykendall, his youngest brother, whose address is Monette, Arkansas. Simon Kuykendall, my great grandfather, came from Virginia and settled in Union county, Ky. He was of German descent, and I have been told by a great uncle, could speak our language but poorly. His father and two brothers came from Germany, I have been told, but cannot vouch for its correctness. Simon T. Kuykendall came from near Williamsburg, Va. After a diligent search I have been unable to find the facts regarding the birth, death or even the burial of Simon Kuykendall. I visited the old Simon Kuykendall farm, upon which he settled, when he came to Kentucky, but found no tombs nor burying ground there. I have visited the Pleasant Cemetery, the Bethel, Granny's Hill, and Cypress Cemeteries, but found nothing to mark his resting place. The Lindlys live on the old farm and it still bears the name of "The old Simon Kuykendall Farm." It is a beautiful place, and I thought as I wandered around, looking for his burying place, could trees be possessed with speech they could tell many thrilling things, and give me the much wanted information, by pointing to the spot where his body lies mouldering in the earth."
The Captain William Kuykendall to which he referred wrote that his grandfather, Simon T. Kuykendall, was born in 1778, and died about 1844, and that both he and his wife were buried in the Cypress Church cemetery. Dr. J.
L. Kuykendall is in error in regard to Simon T. Kuykendall having gone from Virginia to Kentucky or Tennessee. The fact seems to be established that he went there from the Carolinas, or from North Carolina, to Tennessee, then to the vicinity of Nashville, then to Hopkins county, Kentucky. Reading the letters herein, and many others from Kuykendalls in Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, and from Southern Illinois, one cannot resist the impression that they all came from a common ancestry, that once lived in Virginia, then North or South Carolina, then went from the Carolinas to Tennessee, then to Kentucky, and later spread out over the west and south. Many went directly from Tennessee to Georgia and Alabama and Mississippi.
Dr. James L. Kuykendall, the talented young physician whose letter has been quoted, was born in Webster county, Kentucky, September 27, 1882, died March 13, 1913. After he left school he took a first grade certificate and taught school, to make money to pay his way through medical college. He graduated in Louisville, Ky., in the year 1907, built an office in his father's yard and began to practice. Business increased so that he had little chance to rest and recuperate. In visiting his patients he contracted typhoid fever, but persisted in keeping at his work, until forced to give up and take to his bed, from which he never rose. His life was clean, honorable, and he was much beloved and had many friends. He gave his services to the poor with the same interest as to the rich. He was popular in society. His family were Presbyterian in their
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church affiliations. He was no doubt a descendant of Matthew or Cornelius Kuykendall, sons of the first American born of the family name. Most likely he was from Matthew through Matthew's son Simon.
Prof. J. W. Kuykendall of Fort Smith, Ark., wrote, giving the following:
"My grandfather, Matthew Kuykendall, with his brother, went from Tennessee to Mississippi, whence he came to Arkansas in 1842, settling in what is Lawrence county, in northeastern Arkansas.
Abner Kuykendall was quite prominent in the war of Texas independence, serving as second in command under General Burleson. One of my father's cousins was named Matthew, preserving grandfather's name in the Texas stock. My grandfather had several sons, only two have left children. My father left seven children, four sons now in Texas, two in Arkansas. One is dead. * * * I find that James Kuykendall became sheriff of Lawrence county, and died in office, 1836. My grandfather had a brother of that name. I have wondered if this man were the same, or perhaps an uncle, whose presence in Lawrence county caused my grandfather's coming. My grandfather named a son James M. (my uncle, for whom I am named)."
Along with Prof. J. W. K's letters there was a copy of recommendation of James M. Kuykendall, for sheriff, August, 1826, as follows:
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"We, the undersigned, beg leave to present to your consideration for appointment of sheriff of Lawrence county, vacated by the death of Col. Joseph Hardin, Mr. James M. Kuykendall. He has long been an approved deputy of that county, its last representative in the legislature, and unites, we believe, more of the confidence of the county than any other man. From long acquaintance with him personally, we do not hesitate to say he is qualified for the appointment."
Signed, Ben Desha, Thomas W. Newton, Robert Oden, Robert Crittenden. 28, August 1826.
It is proper here to give a brief sketch of the life and activities of Prof.
Kuykendall. His father was Captain John Lamb Kuykendall, born in Tennessee, 1828, and died in Texas, 1890. The children of John Lamb Kuykendall who lived to maturity were: BETTIE JANE, who married S. S. Luna, of Paragould, Ark. DR.
A. R. KUYKENDALL, of Weatherford, Texas; MRS. MOLLIE BOOTH, of Hico, Texas; MRS. CHETTA NUTT, of Jonesboro, Ark.; T. J. KUYKENDALL, of Houston, Texas; MRS. FANNIE HARRISON, of Dallas, Texas; and PROF. J. W. KUYKENDALL, Fort Smith, Arkansas.
James Wyse Kuykendall married Miss Ida Hopkins in 1894, daughter of Samuel Hopkins of Greene county, Arkansas, and has four children: Samuel J., born at Paragould, Ark., November 8, 1896. Ruth, born at Little Rock, Ark., September 17, 1899. Ray and Roy, twins, born at Fayetteville, Ark., September 18, 1903.
Prof. Kuykendall was educated in the school of Arkansas and Texas, and is a graduate of the University of Arkansas. He has been teacher and school officer in Arkansas since 1892, having been four years deputy superintendent of public instruction, and was a short time state superintendent. He was several years a member of the faculty of the University of Arkansas, and over ten years superintendent of schools at Fort Smith, Ark. His work has always brought up the grade and standing of the schools with which he has had to do. Under his superintendency the public schools of Fort Smith came up from fourth rating until they now have a standing among the best in the state. This did not happen spontaneously, but was the result of executive ability and progressive methods.
We have seen that Andrew Kuykendall, of Nash, Oklahoma, says his grandfather, Matthew Kuykendall, married Margaret Hardin. This was no doubt in North Carolina. The records of that state show, as we have seen, that the Hardins and Kuykendalls were neighbors in that state. The Kuykendalls and Hardins probably went from Kentucky to Arkansas together, having previously come from North Carolina. We have here confirmatory circumstances and clues that show that the two families were linked together many years and that the Kuykendalls whose descendants live yet about Morgantown, Kentucky, and those west in Arkansas
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and Texas are the same, and that they all descended from the original old Matthew.
There was living recently and probably yet lives at Monette, Ark., one of the same family of Kuykendalls that we have been considering, Mr. F. M.
Kuykendall. His letter was dated March, 1912. He wrote:
"I was seventy years old October last. My grandfather, Simon T. Kuykendall, was born I think at or near Saulisbury, N. C., about 1780, and when a young man came to near where Nashville, Tenn., now is, and later on came to Hopkins county, Kentucky, and married a Miss
Tompkins, and then moved to Union county, Kentucky, in 1802. My father, William Featherston Kuykendall, was born 1804. My father had one brother, Lorenza Dow Kuykendall, that was eighteen months older than himself. I was on a visit to see my great nephew in Kentucky in August, Dr. Jim Kuykendall, and I think he had written you about the history of the Kuykendalls so far as we know it. Doctor, I should like to hear from you, when you get this. Perhaps my old brother, Captain W. C. Kuykendall, who lives in Garvanza, Cal., can give you more information than I can."
In my correspondence there were found two Lorenzo Dows among these families.
In another part of this work was mentioned the fact of having received a letter from a colored man with
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the cognomen of "Rev. J. Ewing Kuykendall, D. D., M. D." Now is a good time to bring it in, as it contains interesting and helpful data. Speaking of himself, the writer says he was born in Butler county, Kentucky, graduated in medicine at Montreal, Canada, then took a theoological course at Lincoln University, at Chester, Pa. In explanation of his name he wrote:
"My father was named Dick Kuykendall, I have heard him say that his master's father came from Virginia and settled in Kentucky, among the pioneersmen.
There were of them seven brothers, named Matthew, Mark, Luke, John; their sons, John, Andrew, Josiah (who was a Dr.) and moved to Texas about 1860.
Kiah, Andy, Calvin, also Jesse Kuykendall, who now lives in Morgantown, Ky., where you will find the record of all the above mentioned persons. Governor Leslie, of Kentucky, married into the Kuykendall family, also a man named John Taylor, also Bob Sterrett and James Sublett, of Paducah county, Kentucky. I am very certain that our people belong to the Lorenzo Dow Kuykendall family. I have heard my father and mother speak of him (Lorenzo Dow) as a preacher, and have read of him."
It was very common for the black people of the south to take the names of their masters, especially if the masters were kind to them. This colored man spoke in the kindest of terms of "his people," the Kuykendalls, who had owned his grandfather.
We have next an epitome of letters from Lorenza Dow Kuykendall, of Wickes, Polk county, Ark.
"My father was named JAMES C. KUYKENDALL, born in North Carolina, December 18, 1830. My grandfather's name was JAMES, don't know the date of his birth, but he died between 1840 and 1850. Grandmother's maiden name was REBECCA NORTON, who died in 1866, I think in her 77th year. Grandfather had two brothers, PETER and BURRELL. Uncle Peter was the oldest of the family; he lived in Crawford county, Arkansas, and died 1888. He had a large family, but I cannot give his family record. My father was in the Federal Army, in the 2nd Arkansas Cavalry. He lived until 1907. He married Mary F. Strawn and they raised a family of four children, whose names were Peter, Lorenza Dow, Mary Jane and Amanda.
I, LORENZA DOW KUYKENDALL, married Rachel F. Lawrence, January 22, 1872, and we had children whose names were:
AMANDA LEONA, born December 6, 1872, married A. J. Lewey.
MARY FRANCES, born March 20, 1874, married George W. Maddox.
JAMES H., born February 27, 1877, married Louisa Maddox.
CHRISTOPHER C., born March 20, 1878, married Minnie Maddox.
WILLIAM R., born March 21, 1880, married Lutie Johnson.
JOSEPH P., born November 21, 1881, married Addie Sigler.
MARTHA ADELINE, born January 23, 1883, died August 3, 1883.
JOHN FRANKLIN, born September 11, 1884.
William R. has five sons and one daughter.
Christopher C. has three daughters and two sons.
James H. died leaving two boys and two girls; Christopher and William R. live in Carroll county, Mississippi.
Greenberry Kuykendall, son of Neal Kuykendall, lives in Crawford country, Arkansas, at Alma.
Uncle Burrell, father's brother, married 1st Celia Strawn, sister of my mother. She died leaving no children and he married the second time to Mrs.
Sallie Lloyd. His third wife was Malinda Cartwright, who had four children: Richard, who married James Kuykendall, Jr.'s wife,
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lived at Alma, Ark. Wallace Ward, who married Miss Fannie May, address, Wickes, Ark. Robert L. and Malissa.
Uncle Burrell signed his name B. B. Kuykendall, died of cancer, in Polk county, Ark., Cornelius or Neal was third cousin to my father, came to Crawford county in 1866-7, died in 1884."
Mrs. Mary F. Weaver, of Eau Claire, Wis., is one of those Kuykendalls whose forefathers went to Tennessee and Kentucky in the early pioneer days of those states. It will readily be seen that she is of the same branch as the writers of a number of the letters that have preceded. She writes:
"Your letter to my half brother, Joe Kuykendall, Princeton, Ky., has been forwarded to me, as I am the oldest of my father's family that is living. My father, HENRY FAYETTE KUYKENDALL, was born about 1834 and died five years ago.
His grandfather, LORENZA DOW KUYKENDALL was born August 3, 1803. He was a man of strong mind, with plenty of means to entertain friends and acquaintances. I can just remember seeing the big oak tree, cut smooth on one side, with "Lorenza Dow Kuykendall," burned in large letters, that delegates, ministers, friends and strangers all might see where to leave the old Belleville state road through Union county, Ky., to his large country home, one-fourth of a mile from the main road, eight miles from Morganfield, county seat of Union county. I can't recall my great grandfather's name, but remember hearing grandma saying he was from Holland. My grandfather had two brothers, one named Fed Kuykendall, long since dead, but he has two sons living. Write to Frank Kuykendall, Monette, Arkansas. The other brother was William Kuykendall, better known as "Red Fox," who is in California. The Red Fox was too hard for the Yankees to capture during the Civil war. Of course you know we were born in Kentucky, and raised there. I have one brother in Oklahoma and one is near here, in Benton Harbor, Michigan. I have a cousin, Joseph C. Kuykendall, at Pride. Ky., R. F. D. I am not sure, but I think my great grandfather's name was George Kuykendall; our oldest negro man's name was George Kuykendall.
Come and see us some time, we have a large country house, of twenty rooms, and will be pleased to entertain you."
Perhaps Mrs. Mary Weaver's father was of the same family as those Kuykendalls that the "Dick Kuykendall" spoken of by the colored minister, Rev. J. Ewing K.
The letters that have been presented offer a large field of inquiry and profitable investigation, and many suggestions as to relationships of the branches of the families and families mentioned, and create keen interest to know just how they are related to those earlier Ks of North Carolina, and to their still earlier forefathers of the Delaware valley.
Among the early settlers of Kentucky there were at least three different branches of the Kuykendall family, but the first found on record was Moses Kuykendall. The Kuykendalls who settled in Butler county, Ky., and the Kikendalls who located in other parts, some of whose descendants are found living in Illinois, were of different branches. Moses was son of Benjamin, who lived and died at his home on Peter's Creek in Allegheny county, Pa. Moses went over and in Kentucky, near Louisville, then called the "Falls of the Ohio." The ancestry of Moses runs in direct line back to our first emigrant ancestor who came to America from Holland, his father having been Benjamin, baptized September 1, 1723, son of
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Jacob, baptized August 12, 1683, who was son of Luur Jacobsen Van Kuykendael, baptized in New York (then New Amsterdam), May 29, 1650. Moses Kuykendall, it is well known, was a soldier of the Revolutionary War. It would not have been improper to have given an account of him in the chapter on Kuykendalls in the Revolution, but his revolutionary record has been lost, like that of many others. About the time Moses Kuykendall settled in Kentucky there was one of the hardest winters ever known in the state; that was in the winter of 1779-1780. He settled on the waters of Harrod Creek, in Jefferson county, a few miles from the "Falls of the Ohio," now Louisville. The Kuykendalls and their neighbors had a hard time that winter. The snow fell deep and remained on constantly until the general break up in the spring.
The Kuykendalls and their neighbors had quite a number of cattle and horses and the snow fell so deep that many of them perished from cold and hunger.
Even deer and elk became so famished that they came in from the woods and hung around the stock yards of the settlers trying to get something to eat. Many wild animals were found dead in the woods, that perished from hunger and cold.
There had been some corn grown by the settlers, but the supply had run out and the price came up to exorbitant figures, for the little that could be had at any figure. The settlers had to go without bread of any kind, and lived almost exclusively upon the flesh of such poor lean wild game as they could find. The snow was so deep there was not much getting out around, and they had for the most time to remain cooped up during the long tedious winter. The men hunted what they could, took care of their stock and gathered wood for their fires.
The women worked about the cabins, mending, making clothes out of dressed skins of deer, elk and other animals, making coarse buffalo wool cloth and linen out of the bark of nettles. They had practically no money, and the little continental paper money still in the country was so depreciated in value as to make the price of anything bought with it extravagantly high. The main medium of exchange, however, was the skins of beaver, bear, elk, coons and wildcats. The Revolutionary War at that time was going badly, which brought down the value of "shin plasters," as the paper currency was called.
The settlers managed to get through the dreary winter, but the spring and summer failed to bring much relief. When the weather became settled, the Indians began depredations, and the women and children were compelled to remain "forted up" for protection. The old Wilderness road, cut by Daniel Boone, was constantly watched by the Indians, who laid in ambush, to attack white travelers going over the mountains to or from Virginia or Carolina settlements. All travel was at great risk, unless the travelers went in crowds large enough to intimidate the Indians. The number of settlers was too small to send out companies large enough to be safe after food and supplies. Travel by boat down the Ohio was
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even more dangerous than overland through the wilderness. All boats were watched that were coming down with emigrants and were sure to be attacked somewhere on the route, and their occupants liable to be massacred or taken captive. George Rogers Clark was stationed that winter at the Falls of the Ohio, and in the spring of 1780 the British started a movement to drive him out. At that time the Revolutionary War was in full swing in South Carolina and Georgia and the British were paying the Indians a set price for scalps of the Americans, and to secure the reward the savages were slaughtering men, women and children indiscriminately. A baby's scalp brought as much as the scalp of a regular soldier or settler. All the Kuykendalls were on the side of the American cause, and were bitter against all British and Tories, particularly those who had been born in America and had espoused the side of the old country, and King George.
Despite the war, the Indians, and other obstacles to settlement, emigration kept pouring into Kentucky. Along in September our K people and their neighbors heard of the struggle going on in Georgia and the Carolinas, and of the invasion by General Ferguson and his army of the country about King's Mountain. Among the riflemen who went across the mountains were several of the Kuykendalls. Some of the K family, as has been shown, were then living in the King's Mountain region, and one at least (tradition says two) of these was killed at the revolutionary battle there.
Moses Kuykendall was the most prominent of the very early Kentucky Kuykendalls. His father had acquired much land and property, some of which was situated, as stated in his will, "on the Kentucky river, about forty miles above its mouth." The records show that Moses was taking an active part in the defense of the country as early as 1779, he being in a company of militia, under Captain William Harrod.
Before Benjamin, the father of Moses, died, he made a will, and named Moses one of the executors, and as stated before, he bequeathed his land on the Kentucky river to his daughters, Mary, Elizabeth, Susanna, Sarah, Margaret, Christina and Rebecca. As this Moses, son of Benjamin, had a son, Moses, Jr., it is sometimes difficult to determine which Moses is referred to in the public records.
In 1782 the Moses Kuykendall Station was built, on the waters of Harrod's Creek. The Hampshire county, Virginia, records show that Moses Kuykendall of Kentucky transferred, February 14, 1804, certain land to Henry Kuykendall.
This Henry was a son of Moses' uncle, John Kuykendall. Later Moses transferred land to Henry Kuykendall, August 3, 1807. This Henry was said in the deed to be living at the time in Ross county, Ohio.
These transactions may have been made by Moses, Sr. The records at Louisville, Ky., show that on June 20, 1808, William Steele married "Elizabeth Kuykendall, widow and relict of Moses Kuykendall." He must therefore have died between the two dates.
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The younger Moses went later to Mississippi and died there. After the death of Benjamin Kuykendall of Peter's Creek, Pa., most of his children went to Kentucky. The records at Louisville show the marriage of Moses's daughters as follows:
Samuel Green and Elizabeth Kuykendall, July 7, 1791.
Alexander Moore and Mary Kuykendall, March 5, 1795.
Joel Free and Christina Kuykendall, October 17, 1793.
Samuel C. Reynolds and Sally Kuykendall, June 1, 1804.
Charles Reynolds and Margaret Kuykendall, June 1, 1804.
The last two marriages were undoubtedly two sisters Kuykendall marrying two brothers Reynolds.
It will be seen that Christina married Joel Free. This name was almost surely Ferree, the same family name as Christina's mother's mother (wife of Benjamin Kuykendall) bore before marriage. In the public records the name is spelled variously Freer, Fere, Ferree and La Fever, the latter was the original French.
The late J. Sutton Wall, head draftsman in the Department of the Interior at Harrisburg, Pa., some time before his death, wrote me several letters. He was trying to find "some of the descendants of one of his relatives, Moses Kuykendall, whose mother was Elizabeth Sparks, sister of Mary (Sparks) Wall, deceased, of Allegheny county, state of Pennsylvania." In one of his letters he wrote:
"I find a letter from Major John Walker of Elizabeth, Pa., written to his wife from 'Louisville, Falls of the Ohio,' under date of August 26, 1801, which says, 'I have seen some of my acquaintances near this place, at Moses Kuykendall's, Caty Hart and Jake Frazier. You may tell Polly (Mary) Wall that her sister that lives with Moses Kuykendall, has joined the Baptist church and has been baptized, as well as those mentioned. There is a great stir of religion throughout many parts of Kentucky at this time."
We have seen that William Steele, according to the records, married Elizabeth Kuykendall, widow and relict of Moses Kuykendall, in 1804. Her maiden name was no doubt Elizabeth Sparks. Mr. J. Sutton Wall says "the mother of Moses Kuykendall (Jr.) was Elizabeth Sparks." The records at Louisville also show that Nathaniel Kuykendall, son of Benjamin and brother of Moses, also married Elizabeth Sparks. The Elizabeth that Nathaniel married was probably a niece to the wife of Moses. It would appear that the first intermarriage of the Kuykendall and Sparks families was by Moses, and repeated by his brother Nathaniel. Since at least four of the daughters of Benjamin Kuykendall married in the vicinity of Louisville, Kentucky, we should expect to find the descendants of some of these daughters still living in that region. The facts that have gone before are given to aid any of the descendants who may be wanting to know about the ancestry of their forefathers. Descendant daughters are more difficult to trace than sons, because of the change in their names by marriage. The letters and excerpts that follow will be interesting, in the light of
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what has gone before, as they show there are descendants of Moses Kuykendall still living in Kentucky, where their ancestors settled nearly one hundred and fifty years ago. The first to be presented is from Mrs. Adeline Kirkendall Y.
English, of Bedford, Kentucky, who wrote:
"My grandmother was a Miss Adeline Kirkendall. Our people spelled their name that way I think. I should like to write letters to you along the line of the Kirkendalls of the Kirkendall family that came across the waters so many years ago, but I am nearly blind, and can hardly see to write. When I hear from you again, I will try to send you some more facts but cannot do so now."
Mrs. May Morton Young, also of Bedford county, Ky., of the same family, wrote:
"In regard to the Kuykendalls of Kentucky, I am sorry to say I know nothing of them. I regret this very much, for my great grandmother on my father's side was a Kirkendall; I think that was the way they spelled their name. She married Aquilla Whitaker, and my father's mother was their only daughter, but they had several sons. Frances Whitaker, the daughter, married James L. Young, and they were my grandparents. These people all lived in Shelby county, Ky., and you might possibly get some information about the Kirkendall or Kuykendall family by writing to old Mr. Ballard, who lived in Shelbyville and knew the Young and Whitaker families well. My father, James F. Young, was the only son of Frances and James L. Young. They had two daughters, Adeline Kirkendall and Mary Elizabeth. Adeline, the eldest daughter, married Dr. Robert O'Brien and lived and died here at Bedford, many years ago. Mary married Thomas G. Rowland and they are both dead, and left no descendants. My father and mother, (who was Frances Morton Hunter), had four children, viz: Robert Hunter, John James, Miry Morton and Adeline Kirkendall, (named for her aunt, Mrs. O'Brien). My brothers are both dead. John left one son, Robert Custer Young, and my sister is married to Thomas D. English, of Boyle county, Kentucky."
The letter that follows is from Mrs. P. A. Shackelford, Paris, Kentucky:
"I will enclose you a short history of my grandfather, Aquilla Whitaker. His first wife was a Miss Kuykendall, daughter of Moses Kuykendall. I do not know her first name. My father, James Sullivan Whitaker, was her second son. I send you a sketch of his life. My grandfather moved to Florida, and I think died there, but some of his family moved to Mississippi, to what point I am unable to tell you. I am the only living child of my father's family and would like very much to learn something of my grandmother and her relatives. If you can give me any information I should be very thankful. It seems from your letter that Moses K., who was my grandmothers' father's father, and a son of Benjamin Kuykendall, was related to you. You may be able to tell me more about my family."
Accompanying this letter there was a sketch of the life of Col. Aquila Whitaker, which mentions that the Colonel was born 1755, in Maryland, settled in 1779 in Kentucky, near the Falls of the Ohio (Louisville), and gives a very interesting account of his connection with the military operations of George Rogers Clark, Capt. Bland Ballard, Col. John Allen, Benjamin Logan, and "others of the noble race of hardy men who laid the foundations of the new state of Kentucky. His first wife was a daughter of Moses Kuykendall, an early pioneer of Kentucky, whose father was Benjamin
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Kuykendall, who lived in Washington county, Pa. From his first marriage there were born seven sons and two daughters, etc."
This makes it absolutely certain that all these Kirkendalls were descendants of Moses, son of Benjamin Kuykendall, and that they have changed the name from that used by their ancestor.
Mrs. Shackelford, in another letter gives the following interesting bit of history:
"I know that my great grandfather, Moses Kuykendall, settled near Louisville, called Falls of the Ohio. My father was born there, in the fort, in a stable that was fitted up for my grandmother. Colonel A. Whitaker was afraid to have her in the block house that he lived in, near Shelbyville. The Indians were very troublesome. He would laugh and say that 'like the Saviour, he was born in a stable.'
The house in which my grandfather lived is still standing. It was built over a spring, and I was often in it with my father, when a child. Father had a brother killed by the Indians, while he was plowing in the field near this home. I regret very much that I cannot tell you more about my Kuykendall relatives, and would be very glad to know and meet some of them."
This very interesting communication confirms what has been said about the terrible conflicts and struggles the Kentucky people had with the Indians, in the days of its first settlement. As her letter shows, they often had to build their houses over springs, so that they could not be besieged and cut off from water by the blood-thirsty savages,
By comparing the preceding letters from Kentucky people, with some of those from Texas, Arkansas, and other states, we discover a close relationship between these families. They undoubtedly came from the same ancestry, not very far back. The letters from Kentucky Kuykendalls show that there are in that state the descendants of at least three different family branches of a still further back ancestry, as was stated previously. The descendants of Jacob, represented by Moses Kuykendall and his family; then we have the descendants of Cornelius and Matthew, brothers of Jacob. Then there are the descendants of a Kikendall family, which seems to have come direct from New Jersey to Indiana then went to Kentucky. Some of the Kikendalls went to Michigan, and these probably came from the same New Jersey family as the others. As we have seen, there are Kirkendalls in Pennsylvania today, who came from an ancestor Emanuel Kikendall from New Jersey. It seems highly probable that all the Kikendalls of today, and many who now spell the name Kirkendall, came from an original family in New Jersey that lived in Sussex and Warren counties. The foregoing letters present a very interesting study also in the transmission or "carrying down" of family names. While we cannot know always with certainty, that given names found frequently recurring in a family, were names borne by their forefathers, and have been handed down as family names, yet the presumption is very great that such was the case. For example, if we find the names Peter, Martin, Moses, Emanuel and Elias recurring in the different generations of any family of Kuykendall descendants, we can with confidence say
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that that family descended from old Pieter or Petrus Kuykendal, the first of the family in America to bear the name Peter. We at once say such family belongs to "the Peter branch." On the other hand, if we find frequently occurring the names Matthew, Simon, Abraham, Absolem and Abner, the presumption would be strong that their ancestor came from Virginia or North Carolina to Tennessee, then to Kentucky or Indiana and from these states had gone further west or south, and that they are the descendants of Matthew or Cornelius, brothers of Peter. Every one who has made a study of the genealogy of families going back to colonial times must have noticed these facts, and has been aided in tracing those families by the names that were borne by their ancestors and carried down to later generations.
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to Part 2 of 3, Chapters 21 - 29
to Part 3 0f 3, Chapters 30-48