Three Forks of the Kentucky River Historical Association

Researcher

Arch B. Bowman

When James F. Bowman was tragically killed, his brother Arch took up where he left off.
According to one Owsley Countian in his remembrance of Arch Bowman:
He used to call me at 11:30 at night and say: "Who'd you say your daddy was"?!!!!

Arch's work is on microfilm at the Kentucky Historical Society and is also being duplicated by us.
Thanks to the Breathitt County Library for their loan of the microfilm.
Look to this website for more material from the research of Arch Bowman.

GEOGRAPHIC HISTORY AND EARLY SETTLERS OF OWSLEY COUNTY, KENTUCKY
By ARCH B. BOWMAN

Copied by Betty Bowman Gabbard

Before 1734, all of Virginia west of the Blue Ridge Mountains was known as THE GREAT WOODS.

From 1734 to 1838 all of Virginia west of the Blue Ridge Mountains which she claimed by virtue of her charter was known as ORANGE COUNTY.

In 1838 Orange County was divided into FREDERICK COUNTY and AUGUSTA COUNTY.

Frederick County was bounded on the north by the Patomac River, on the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, and on the south and west by a line running from the head spring of HEDGEMAN to the head spring of the PATOMAC.

AUGUSTA COUNTY contained the remainder of Virginia west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a territory which at present constitutes four states and nearly forty counties of what was the western part of the original Virginia.

BOTETOURT COUNTY, VIRGINIA was formed in 1769 from the outlying parts of Augusta County.

FINCASTLE COUNTY, VIRGINIA was formed in 1772 out of the western part of Botetourt County.

COUNTY OF KENTUCKY, VIRGINIA along with Washington and Montgomery Counties was established out of Fincastle County on October 31, 1776.

LINCOLN COUNTY, VIRGINIA along with Jefferson and Fayette Counties was established on November 1, 1780 out of the County of Kentucky.

MADISON COUNTY, VIRGINIA was established in 1785 to become Madison County, Kentucky when the Commonwealth of Kentucky became a state on June 1, 1792.

CLAY COUNTY, KENTUCKY was carved out of Madison County in 1806.

OWSLEY COUNTY, KENTUCKY was established out of Clay, Estill, and Breathitt Counties, Kentucky in 1843. The formation of Jackson County, Kentucky in 1858, and Lee County in 1870 reduced Owsley County to its present boundaries.

James Moore, Sr. has been generally accepted as the first permanent settler in what is presently Owsley County, Kentucky. The first record of James Moore, Sr. is found on the 1782 tax list of Monongalia County, Virginia at which time he had five in his household. Harrison County, Virginia was established out of Monongalia County, Virginia in 1784 at which date James Moore, Sr. is found on the tax list. The next record of James Moore, Sr. is found in 1790 when he is on Flint Creek, Madison County, Kentucky near Waco, Kentucky. Most researchers agree that James Moore, Sr. first appeared on the South Fork of the Kentucky River in 1795 with residence just outside the present city limits of Booneville, Owsley County, Kentucky. He and his wife, Ellender Hamilton, daughter of William and Margaret Hamilton, are buried in the Shepherd Cemetery in graves marked with flat field stones stood on their ends enclosing each grave.

The Cornelius Bowman, Sr. family began migration from Kings Branch, Muddy Creek, Madison County, Kentucky to the South Fork of the Kentucky River, as close neighbors to the James Moore, Sr. family, in 1795 just after the Moores arrived on the South Fork. Cornelius Bowman, Sr.'s son and wife, John and Sarah Smith Bowman, were the first to leave Tennessee for Muddy Creek occurring on the Madison County tax list in 1794 and the first to arrive on the South Fork in 1795. All the Cornelius, Sr. family migrated from Tennessee except William. Cornelius, Sr. and Cornelius, Jr. were the last of the Bowmans to leave Muddy Creek in 1812 for the South Fork, where they remained to death.

The old Preacher-Indian Fighter, Joseph Proctor, resided for a short while on what is now (1981) the Dave Turner farm at the mouth of Fish Creek, Owsley County, Kentucky. He left Fish Creek for Proctor, (named for him) where tradition has him living to death on December 2, 1844 at age 89 years. If he died at Proctor, he died in what was then Owsley County, Kentucky, now Lee County.

Jacob Gabbard, wife, probably a daughter of Samuel Woods, Sr. (see note 1), and Henry Gabbard, wife Barbara Hunsucker, were early settlers in what is now Owsley County, Kentucky. Henry Gabbard entered land on Indian Creek, Owsley County, in 1790 but did not leave Rockingbridge County, Virginia to take up residence until 1814. Jacob Gabbard, Sr. (see note 2) lived at several locations in Owsley County before becoming Post Master at Travellers Rest in 1814. He and his wife last resided on what is now known as the S. A. Caudill farm where they are buried.

Tradition has Samuel Woods, Sr. the Revolutionary War Soldier, who is often confused with his son, Samuel, Jr., settling on Indian Creek, Owsley County, shortly after the close of the Revolutionary War in 1781. He is reported to have died at the home of Jacob Gabbard, Sr., Travellers Rest, Kentucky, on December 13, 1825 which has led to the conclusion Jacob Gabbard was his son-in-law. He is buried on Indian Creek in a grave marked by a War Department stone.

John "Rinty" Baker lived under a cliff one mile above the mouth of Upper Buffalo Creek in what is now Owsley County, Kentucky contemporary with the Samuel Woods, Sr. and John Abner, Sr. families. He remained at this location to death according to tradition.

John Abner, Sr. was the father of John Abner, Jr. who was the father of Elisha Abner, Sr. who was the father of Darcus Abner who married John Woods, a descendant of the Revolutionary War Soldier, in 1808. The Abners lived at the Mouth of Upper Buffalo Creek in what could be the present Owsley or present Clay County, Kentucky, however, 1860 census records indicates Owsley County Residence.

Arch B. Bowman

Notes by BBG:
Note 1:  The wife of Jacob Gabbard, Sr. was Margaret "Peggy" Smith, daughter of Edward Smith of Carter County, TN. Proof of this is in the will of Edward Smith.

Note 2:  Jacob Gabbard, Sr. lived near the mouth of Indian Creek, as evidenced by his involvement in the "Crump Survey" dealings. When he left Owsley County, he and most of his family went to Jackson, Rockcastle, etc. His son, Jacob Gabbard, Jr. married Susannah Bowman, daughter of Cornelius Bowman, Jr. Jacob Gabbard, Jr. is the one who was post master at Travellers Rest, lived, died, and is buried at the location mentioned above.

Note 3:  Clay County Court records verify that Samuel Woods, Sr. died at the home of Jacob Gabbard, Sr. Jacob's son Edward is also named as a witness to this fact.