Three Forks of the Kentucky River Historical Association

Researcher

The Works of Isaac "Long Ike" Gabbard

Letters that were written by Ike Gabbard to James Bowman

Ike Gabbard's work is at Berea in the Special Collections and Archives Room

Photo of Isaac "Long Ike" Gabbard from the Lulie Hensley collection

Transcribed by Harley T. Bowling

Ricetown Ky
12-12-62
Wednesday Night

Hello Jimmie

Got your letter today. Glad to hear from you. We are all on the go This winter blast is sure pretty pinching. Maybe there will be a let-up some time. The info about about John Gilbert the father of A. B. marrying a Bowling. I had not known this before. Also a daughter Caty marrying a John Amis, and have a son Wiley. Also a John that married Sarah (Sally) Eversole dau and old Billies, one of his first children by his wife Elizabeth Bowling. Wiley Amis married Rachel (Cottonhead) Riley and left Breathitt County just after the Civil War and located finally in Calif. Wiley came back here and married Lydia Oliver and had two sons, Joh & Ed. Jeff & Lydia raised these two boys on upper War Creek. Jeff died when they were small.

John (Horton) Amis, a brother to Wiley was killed from ambush while on his porch. His widow Sarah (Sally) married James W. Baker of Upper Indian Creek

Mucker John (Jack) Baker's son, Big Jim Baker, I am sure married the dau of this Bowling widow that married his (John Jack's) father. Big Jim's wife was named Lottie Bowling had a brother Mack Bowling that lived on Sugar Camp near Booneville. Mack had what they always said twin thumbs on each hand.

This family of Bowlings were of the Perry County family of Bowlings & Also a family of them in Breathitt County. John Horton Amis that married Sarah (Sally) Eversole killed a gambler by the name of Ellison with Abner Eversoles pistol That was part of the trouble that caused them to ambush him. He (John Horton Amis) also was a friend to the Eversoles. I have seen an enlarge picture of his at A.J. Baker's home, He was AJ's wife Betty s father.

I have not traced the Herd family much. Tyler E. DeBord came in here from Tenn. and found out about the Herds of this county and went & seen some of them & he said that they were the same Herds as his mother's people. Jack DeBord lives up here on the creek a son of Tyler's, Jack, married Brown Minter's dau.

In regard to the dates on the older Gabbards here in our graveyard, there is but a very few of them that has any dates. Sarah (Sally) Peters-Gabbard's dates - born on Oct 1800 and died 1881. This is the only old one in our graveyard. About the 2nd & third generation of the Gabbards buried down here, there is some of them, I would like to visit some of the graveyards through this country. I guess I have relatives buried in almost almost all of the biggest ones.

I will send a letter to Homer Ledford address where he was when he first wrote me and maybe they will send it to him in Colo.

About a week ago Howard G. Wilson sent me a lot of info on the White family. Said he was sending you a copy also. I am unable to send his information anything on the White family.

Ricetown
8/18/55

Hello Jimmie,

Rec'd your letter today. Good to hear from you. Thanks for the Gabbard information you sent me. You will find enclosed a separate sheet with some names of who they married and dates sent to me a few days ago by John H. Roberts of Manchester, Ky.

I have a letter from Roy White of Manchester, Ky. I wrote him in regard to this place down here on the river where Carl Stepp lives, who Luther Brawner bought it from and who he sold it too.

He seemed to think that Luther Brawner bought it from some Bowmans and sold it in 1859 to a Cawood.

White's grandmother was Elizabeth Brawner. So far I havn't any info from Wash. D.C. about Eli Bowling.

I had a conversation with Harrison Johnson at Booneville in regard to the Bowlings on my side. I knew a lot about the Bowlings on his side, he knowed nothing about my side.

You will note the date of marriage of David Bowling and Eliza Herd 1858. This date is to late a one to connect my great gr mother Viney Bowling Woods. Viney was born 1832 or 33.

I have a complete list of the children's names of Robert and Joseph Herd.

The Col. Robert Hord I referred to was a Confederate Col. in civil war and had lost an arm, he lived in Breathitt County.

It would be my guess that Viney Bowling Woods was born in Knott County. The Woodses stayed a spell in Knott County before coming into Clay. Do you have the date on Clay County when it was made a county?

I havent rec'd the other books on the Breathitt County Feuds yet.

There is an old Wilson man living in Breathitt not far from Jackson.

I am doing my best to get the deeds signed through here to Cow Creek for the state, it is already surveyed. We may be able to get some work done on it this fall and winter.

This Old Wilson man in Breathitt is a close relate to the Meadow Creek Wilsons. In regard to Ben Combs and Patsy Brown Combs, the date of Ben Combs and Jane Brown 1816. The Ben and Patsy Combs are my gr gr grand parents. My great grand mother Margaret Combs Gabbard was born 1816 or near this date, so the Ben and Jane Brown Combs wasn't my ancestors. Ben and Patsy were married in Tenn, both were born and raised in Tenn.

Well, its pretty hot here. So I guess I had better quit for now.

With best of luck,
I am yours sincerely,
I.W. Gabbard.

Ricetown, Ky Oct. 3. 1957

Hello Jimmie,

Got your letter a few days ago, glad to hear from you as usual.

I have been for awhile listing all the ex-magistrates and those that are in office at the present time. I have a list of them. I am not able to give the year and time they all served. I sure would like to find something about Edward & Margaret Bowman. I have picked up some Gabbards in Oklahoma & Arkansas that are close related to us here, but I knew of them. You may be able to add to the list of has been magistrates. Old man Jackson Thomas died Oct 1st. He was born around 1863-64. Sometimes I get tired of doing things, but I like to scribble a little regular.

My father Pleasant H. served 2 terms and was appointed to 2 years. This was due to Delaney Bowling getting elected and refusing to qualify. Thereafter the 2 years there were an election and John C. Moore of Cow Creek was elected. I do not know how long Able C. Gabbard held the Magistrate place. William B. Gabbard my great uncle served as magistrate and also as county judge. I do not know how many times that he was magistrate. The Joseph Smith of Cow Creek - he married George Eversole's dau Sarah. They had 2 sons and he died, and Sarah married William Jennings. Also. the William Moore that was magistrate of Island Creek was a son of Fiddler Jim.

I will have to see somebody that can help me on the Breathitt Co. Gabbards. I do not have all of the 2nd generations of them. Sometime back, I worked out some of the 2nd generations of some of the older Gabbards. I received a letter from H. G. Wilson a few days ago, and he is building up Davis Wilson's generations. I sent him some of the descendents of Davis Wilson.

Nello left the hospital on the 1st. He met a man by the name of Thomas King of Crab Orchard, Ky. He told Neilo there were 2 Gabbards lived near him. They were Luther and Lucian. I intend to write them. King was born in Clay Co. Ky.

I will write Mr. John Brewer about the poor house question. He should know.

William B. Gabbard was a lawyer but never would practice. Also, James Anderson, a brother to Dr. Charles M. Anderson

Some of the Farmer families did get married into the Herds. Isaacs & Callihans but was not able to get a line on them.

I am sending you the clipping I cut out of my paper about Dr. John Gabbert Bowman. Do you think we could get any info about his lineage? I am sure that some of the Gabberts settled in Penn.

You may know something about this Bowman Mace. Wishing you & yours a Merry Xmas and a happy new year.

Until next time
Best Regards
I am -
Yours Sincerely,
I. W. Gabbard

Say Jimmie. I will check the dates in our graveyard and send them to you.

Ricetown, Ky
10-10-62
Afternoon

Dear Jimmie,

Got your letter this morning; Sure was glad to hear from you again. You did write me last. I beg to be excused. Early this year, no the latter part of Jan, I had a swollen prostate gland that stopped my water line. On the 7th of Feb. I went under surgery and had it removed. I stayed in the hospital at Oneida for 14 days. I was able to do some light chores around the place within 2 months. I am doing spendidly. I have been working pretty hard along this spring and up until now. We are all getting along pretty well. I did some searching around for Taylor P. Gabbard. He wanted information about some old log buildings.

Along the Combs lineage. I finally dug up information about some odds and ends I need sometime back. I heard you was doing some work or either working on the history of Owsley County. I guess that you did some nice work on your farm at Sturgeon. Farming is a job that requires quite a lot of attention and work.

In Regard to my Bowling lineage. I have this information from 2 different sources and at different times, that after Nancy Herd and William Wilson either by death of Wilson or divorce, that Nancy married in the name of Nancy Herd to Eli Bowling in 1817 and that they had 6 or 7 children of which my gr. gr. mother Viney or Levina was one of these. Before Eli Bowling married Nancy Herd he had been married to an Anderson woman in Tennessee and had 6 children. In Eli's later day he was stabbed to death just in Clay County at some kind of fair. The man that stabbed was named Lucas. Eli never lived in Clay County but his children by Nancy Herd did. His father was Levi Bowling and the same Bowlings as settled in Perry and Breathity County.

Blame Ledford's brother Homer had been in this county early this spring to see his brother Blame, so I had wrote Blame in June 1956 about a week or so ago. Blame killed himself by shooting. Eli had lived in Tennessee and later in Knox County, Ky. They claim that Nancy Hert that married William Wilson in 1812 was the same that married Eli Bowling in 1817 and that she may have had a middle name Louisa.

I dont think we ever did place this William Wilson did we? I guess that he must have been the father of Gap John.

10-12-62

I will continue from here as my other pen gave out. I will use this one.

Say Jim. I called Belle Cornett of Cow Creek in regard to Howard. Hope you and yours are all OK.

We had some rain on 10th night last and this morning w really go some. The branches are all rising.

Well I haven't tried to find out any news along genealogy lately.

Yes, I had forgot, I received a letter about a month ago from William Barret's girl of Butlersville, Indiana. Old Tom Barrett and Barbara Gabbard's son William, he married Nancy Jane Bowling a dau. of old John D. Bowling and wife a Baker, dau. of (Baldy) George Baker.

This woman I heard from was Sylvania Barrett. She first married Jackson Woods he died. Later she married an Englishman by the name of John D. Davies. She had 8 children by Jackson Woods. None by Davies. She is a sister of 'Bad' George W. Barrett that was hanged in Indiana for killing a federal agent.

So I will close for now,

I.W. Gabbard.

Ricetown
11-5-62
Monday evening Hello Jimmie,

Your letter reached me on the 31st of Oct. Glad to hear from you. I've been in the tobacco stripping.

Yes, Eli Bowling's two sons, Jame & Stokley married Wilsons. These two sons of Eli's were by Eli's first wife an Anderson. Their children as follows:

1. James b. 2-7-1807 d. 2-11-1882 m. 1829 Mahala Wilson 2nd 1-19-1855 Martha Benge
2. Nancy Bowling m. Thomas Boone Roberts s/o Jesse Roberts, Sr.
3. Rebecca Bowling m. 11-24-1822 Jesse Roberts, Jr.
4. Blevens Bowling m. 1-2-1837 Harriett McCollum
5. Lydia Bowling m. 2-27-1839 Clem Herd
6. Stockley Bowling m. a Wilson

Eli & Nancy Herd were m. 3-9-1817 - Children:

7. Palace Bowling m. 3-28-1845 Polly Cornett d/o Hiram
8. William Bowling m. 1st Edy Baker d/o Andy 'Pandy' Baker
   2nd Jane Baker d/o John H. Baker
9. Eli Bowling, Jr. m. Ibbie Baker d/o Andy 'Pandy' Baker
10. Mary 'Polly' Bowling never married
11. Elijah Bowling moved to Ohio and died at an early age.
12. Elizabeth Bowling m. _____ Woods
13. Levina Bowling m. 1st Samuel Woods, Jr.
    2nd James 'Fiddler' Moore

Eli must have been born close to 1785, a son of Levi. Levi, Jesse, and William (known as Black Water Bill) all brothers born in Va. Jesse was a vet of the Revolutionary War.

Homer Ledford is now stationed somewhere in Colorado. These boys (Ledfords) mother, Mrs. Kate Ledford lives in Louisville, a dau. of Pleas Bowling. Pleas a son of James Bowling and wife Martha Benge.

Eli Bowling was a nephew of Jesse Bowling that settled in Breathitt County. They claim that all of the Bowlings of Eastern Kentucky are all the same single set of Bowlings and all akin.

They buried Hobert B. Wilder this afternoon here in the Gabbard Cemetery. Mrs. Mary Hicks-Gabbard died on 29th Oct and was buried on the 30th Oct. in Gabbard Cemetery.

Hobert B. Wilder died suddenly about 6 O'clock in the evening. We had a little bit of snow this morning. I hear from Taylor P. Gabbard regulary. He wrote a biography of Isaac H. Gabbard 1st for Howard Wilson's son Michael. It won't take me long to get my tobacco stripped.

Well, tomorrow is election day. We have a board member race between Lynn Duff and Everett Byrd. From all reports its going to be very close. We have the voting machines. All of U-Buffalo votes up here at the school house. But only the Bee Branch votes in our school board race. Until next time.

I. W. Gabbard

Ricetown
7/16/58

Hello Jimmie,

Your letter of the 15th inst. Glad to hear from you. This leaves us all on the go. I have not done much farm work since the rain began.

In regard to the record you are preparing for me. Take all the time you that you need. I am in no hurry about it. I have forgot whether I sent you in the Gabbard material the following. Jane Gabbard and William Thomas Isaac's children and who they married. Also Jane Gabbard and Pleasant Moore's children and who they married. Later, if I didnt include them. Well you can let me know for I have them all. Maybe I just as well send them along to you as I have them already listed.

Also on the Reynolds record you can add this name to the list. Pleasant Reynolds son of Richard Sr., wife was Rebecca Henderson.

Jacob W. (Broker Jake) Gabbard b. 1855 d. 1928 and wife Jane Bowling b. 1857 d. 1914.

1. Pleasant Moore Gabbard   m. Lulu Baker
2. John Gabbard  m. 1st Elizabeth Bowles
   2nd Ida Young
   3rd _____ Smith
3. Isaac (Dick) Gabbard   Never married. Died 1914
4. Logan Gabbard   m. 1st Flossie Vires
   2nd Elizabeth Cole
5. Alfred (Al) Gabbard   m. Maggie Reynolds
6. Elihu Gabbard   died as small boy.
7. Belle Gabbard   m. 1st John Palmer
   2nd Bill Becknell

Steve (Dock) Gabbard   m. Neeley

Well I am glad you and yours are all OK. So I will close for now.

Best regards,
I. W. Gabbard