HISTORY OF BELL COUNTY KENTUCKY VOLUME 1
By
HENRY HARVEY FUSON
PREFACE
I began this history while County Superintendent of Schools for Bell
County, in 1907. At that time I wrote two chapters that appear in this book:
"The Cumberland Ford Settlement" and "Cumberland Gap in the
History of the State." These chapters appear practically as written at
that time. A few additions have been made to the first one mentioned. The
chapter on Cumberland Gap has been abridged and some few additions made.
There has been no attempt to write a complete history of Bell County.
Even if the attempt had been made, it would have been hard of fulfillment. I
have tried to cover the main facts of the history of the county, and give some
idea of its place in the history of the counties of the state, I have
considered of first importance the early settlers of the county, and have
given to this subject three chapters. These chapters form the background of
the book and stand as a basis for all that is Bell County today.
I am indebted to many people for information used in writing this book.
To P. W. Woollum, former Superintendent of Schools of Bell County, for
information about the people of Left Fork of Straight Creek; to Jasper Howard
for information about the people of Right Fork of Straight Creek; to Simon
Delph, former County Superintendent of Schools of Bell County, for information
about this family and about the Asher and Kellems families; to C. G. Turner
for information about the people of Yellow Creek and Clear Fork of Yellow
Creek; to Rev. Joe H. Peace for information about the people of Clear Fork of
Yellow Creek; to H. C. Chappell, editor of the THREE STATES, for information
in general and encouragement to finish this history; to Howard Douglas,
Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce of Middlesborough, for the businessmen of
Middlesborough; to Scott Partin, of South America, for information about the
people of South America; to Rev. Hiram M. Frakes for information about the
Henderson Settlement School; to Rev. W. T. Robbins for the chapter on
"History of the Churches," which he wrote in its entirety; to Bob
Hollingsworth for the names of the Circuit Court Clerks; to the late W. T.
Rice, of Harlan, Kentucky, for information about the boundary and origin of
Bell County, and information about the Rice family; to Judge M. J. Moss and
Captain W. M. Bingham, in their lifetime, for information on the "The
Cumberland Ford Settlement"; to William Lowe, in his lifetime, for
information on "The Cumberland Ford Settlement" and Swift's Silver
Mine; to Raleigh V. Trosper, County Agricultural Agent of Bell County, for
"The Present Status of Agriculture in Bell County"; to the Filson
Club, Louisville, Kentucky, for "The Building of Middlesborough-A Notable
Epoch in Eastern Kentucky History" by Charles Blanton Roberts; to the
late J. D. Tipton for his book, THE CUMBERLAND COAL FIELD AND ITS CREATORS; to
Anna Walker Burns for information in the chapter on "Some Early
Statistics of the County"; to the late Dickey Thompson for information
about the people of Greasy Creek; to the late Shelton Evans, of Middlesborough,
Kentucky, for information about the people of Little Clear Creek; to Robert
Partin for information about the people of Big Clear Creek; to Joe Parsons for
information about the people of Upper Cumberland River; to Levi H. Lee,
Gilmore Cox, and J. B. Cox for information about the poeple of Browney's
Creek; to John M. Durham, J.C. Hoskins, and Rev. J.C. Buell for information
about the people of Hances Creek; to Ben Risner for information about the
people of Hances Creek; to Elmer Decker for some information on the early
history of Bell County and Cumberland Ford; to Frank Durham for information in
regard to the veterans of World War One and some facts about his father, Dr.
C. C. Durham; to Herndon Evans for information about the newspaper and editors
in Pineville and vicinity; to J. J. Howard, County Court Clerk of Bell County,
for a list of county officers; to E. G. Asher, Louisville, Kentucky, for the
chapter on "History of the Schools of Bell County,
continued";
to Maurice Tribell for "The Present Status of the Bell County
Schools"; to J. L. Lair, Superintendent of the Pineville Schools, for
information on "The Present Status of the Pineville Schools"; to A.
E. Lehman, Superintendent of the Red Bird Settlement School, for information
in regard to the school; to W. M. Slusher, Superintendent of the Lone Jack
High School, for information in regard to that school.
I am especially indebted to H. C. Chappell, Editor of the THREE STATES
in Middlesborough. He came to me about two years ago (1937) and asked me to
complete this History of Bell County, and stated that he would aid in selling
it through the press, if I did so. I told him, at the time, that I would
consider it and let him know. The more I thought about it the more it appealed
to me, and so I wrote him that I would undertake the task. The two years
(1937-1939) work on the manuscript have been pleasant years, but the task has
been laborious at times. It tried my persistence to the limit. I was tempted
time and again, to give up the task; but interest in the work held me to it.
After having gone over the field and having done what I reasonably could to
write the history of the county, I realize how far short of what it should be,
it is. However, the attempt will show something of the history of the county
and will be a basis for future histories of this Gateway to the West.
I feel that this is a debt I owe to my people, and, having performed it
in the best way I could, under the circumstances, I am sure that they will
accept it, with all of its short-comings, and will give me credit for having
been faithful to my task. With a heart full of love for each individual in
Bell County, with malice toward none, I send this history on its mission.
H. H. Fuson