Heading West

By John A. Stegall < johnstegall@hotmail.com
Transcribed with permission by Samone Ratcliff on Mar 6, 2000.
This article appearing The Elliott County News on Friday, Sept 17, 1993.

	Have you ever looked at portraits of some of your ancestors, perhaps your great-
grandparents or great, great, grandparents, and wondered where they came from?  Did 
you wonder why they would leave their former home and set out on the long and 
dangerous trip to this area?  What preparations were required for the trip, and what, if 
anything, did they leave behind?
	If we use the 1870 census of Elliott County, we see a slight chance that your 
ancestors came from Tennessee, or maybe Georgia or Pennsylvania.  There is a strong 
possibility that they could have come from North Carolina, but the odds are very great 
that they were from Virginia, and more specifically, from Scott, Wythe, Russell or 
Patrick County.
Why did they decide to leave their already established homes and come here?  
The reasons are numerous, but if we study the occupations of those who resettled in this 
area, we find that, by far the majority of them were farmers.  And if we look at a map of 
Virginia, we can readily see that the above-mentioned counties were in the mountainous 
section of Virginia.  These farmers had tilled the steep land year after year, and with no 
fertilizer available, by the mid-1800s the land was just about worn out.  It was becoming 
very difficult for these mountain dwellers to raise barely enough to feed their usually 
large families.  Facing possible starvation, they had but one choice – move west.  
At that time our area had a considerable amount of arable land.  The earliest 
emigrants who had settled here in the early 1800s had discovered this land and it’s 
possibilities, and spread the word back to their relatives and friends living east of the 
Appalachians.  This was indeed good news to those people who were struggling to 
merely survive.
Soon the flow of settlers to eastern Kentucky began, slowly a first, but in a very 
few years the pace was much faster.  By the mid-1880s, this area was becoming home to 
thousands of new settlers.  It seems safe assume that your ancestors most likely came 
here to establish better and more productive farms.
Certainly we should not assume that all those who settled in this area came to far.  
There were other reasons, too.  Vast stands of virgin timber undoubtedly attracted some 
settlers; others were lured by stories of great mineral wealth, even gold and silver; while 
still others came just for the adventure.  But we must also keep in mind that as the 
population became more dense, the need for skilled artisans increased.  This attracted 
blacksmiths, carpenters, and millers.  Also, before long there would be a need for 
professional people, especially doctors and lawyers.  And, judging by the professions 
named in the 1870 census, there was a considerable number of each of these.
Other than kinfolks and friends, what, if anything, did these early settler leave 
behind when they commenced their journey to Kentucky?  Probably very little, and most 
likely, nothing.
When we study many of these families, we soon see that they were plagued by 
one of man’s most persistent enemies – depts.  And many of these people were so deeply 
indebted to their creditors that there was no way they could redeem the mortgages against 
their land and other property.  For many, it seemed that there was only one way out: turn 
the land over to creditors and head for Kentucky.
In same cases, the land was sufficient to settle the dept.  That meant that other 
property had to be disposed of before the westward trek could begin.
A good example of this can be seen in the case of Abraham Kegley, a Wythe 
County, Virginia, native who moved to present day Elliot County.  But let me emphasize 
that although he was somewhat in debt, Abraham appears to have had a fair amount of 
material wealth for his day and time.  But for some reason, he chose to leave Virginia and 
make his new home here in Kentucky.  Like all other departees, he had property that had 
to be disposed of, and due to the excellent documentation of that process, we today know 
exactly what transactions were required.
The record of Abraham Kegley’s transactions with his creditors and others is 
found in the deed books of Wythe County.  The first transaction was dated June 14, 1843, 
and states: “Abraham Kegley, being indebted to John Copenhaver for the sum of $752.37 
and another note for $150.00, whereas said Copenhaver is security to Abraham Kegley, 
Abraham being desirous of securing to said Copenhaver the said several amounts with 
interest and also to secure him from loss as security  (this was also for other smaller 
debts) Abraham sold to Joseph Kegley the following: 	
1st…The two lots deeded to him by John Moyers in 1832
2nd…33 and 1/3 acres…the King land deeded him 1838
3rd …33 and 1/3 acres…Joseph Felty land deeded in 1838
4th…The dower interest in Peter Moyers estate containing 84 acres.”
A fifth provision of the transaction dealt with the disposal of Abraham Kegley’s 
property other than land.  This, too, was sold to Joseph Kegley, and included: “One 
wagon, four houses, 2 colts, 9 cattle, 50 sheep, 30 hogs, 6 sets of horse gear, 2 plows, 1 
harrow, 3 shovel plows, one jack screw, one windmill, 1 cross-cut saw, 1 man’s saddle, 1 
wagon, 1 saddle, 1 woman’s saddle, 1 apple mill, 3 barrels and one hackle (this may have 
been a tool also called a hatchel and was used in the cleansing of flax), a quantity of flax, 
1 bureau, 6 bedsteads and clothing for same, 1 clock, 2 chests, 1 trunk, one large iron 
kettle, 1 copper kettle, wash tub, 1 cupboard and ware, 2 tables, a loom, 1 large wheel 
and 2 small wheels, 1 quilting wheel, 1 reel and all crops now in the field.”
You can see that Abraham Kegley possessed a considerable amount of wealth, 
and the above mentioned plots of land were not nearly all of the land he owned.  
Apparently not in any serious financial problem, why, then, did he desire to come to 
Kentucky?  The answer is not clear, and I have seen no records that give a sure indication 
as to why he left Virginia.  Incidentally, I have heard that Abraham kept a chronicle, 
which might make very interesting reading, just as the one kept by Willie Kegley many 
years later.)
As stated, the above-mentioned plots were certainly not all of Abraham’s land.  In 
a different deed book, we find the following entry: “Abraham Kegley sold to Trustees of 
the M.E. Church South (Methodist) ½ acre to include the house, known and used as the 
Peter Moyers house, and now in possession of Abraham Kegley, being the same house 
and part of dower land of Ann King, to be used for public worship.”  Water rights to the 
land were also given to the congregation.
Another transaction, recorded in the deed book, may give a slight hint that 
Abraham Kegley had some sort of dispute with a railroad company, and therein might lie 
a clue as to why he wished to leave Virginia.  This record mentions three 
“commissioners” by name, who “…met on the land of Abraham Kegley…” proposed to 
be taken by the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad Co., for its purposes and then and there 
described as follows: …(The record goes on to describe the boundaries of the land taken 
by the railroad company, and states that “the commissioners considered $600.00 just 
compensation.”)
At least one Kegley researcher believed that this action might have been of some 
influence in Abraham Kegley’s decision to leave Virginia.
By 1857, Abraham Kegley was already here in present day Elliott County, but at 
that time his home was in Carter County.  Despite all the disposal procedures that 
Abraham had transacted, he still had land in Virginia that had to be sold.  In that year, he 
appointed John Copenhaver, Attorney-at-law, to dispose of 230 acres.
Certainly not everyone who headed for Kentucky was in the same situation as 
Abraham Kegley.  Many of them were probably so poor that once the creditor was given 
a deed for the land they simply loaded what few earthly possessions owned into a wagon 
and began their journey.  But whether their possessions were small or large in quantity, 
these brave and hardy people were willing to part with them if need be, and head west to 
Kentucky.
By the time the late 1800s began, this resettlement by our ancestors was pretty 
well complete, and they generally “stayed put” here in Elliott and other eastern counties, 
except for some limited disruption by the Civil War and post-war activity.  But it was not 
to remain so.
By the 1940s, descendants of these early settlers were also facing difficult times, 
and in order to seek a better livelihood, had to move away just as their ancestors had 
done.  This time, the movement was north into the industrial cities such as Cincinnati, 
Dayton or Springfield in Ohio, Detroit and other cities in Michigan; and a number of 
cities in Indiana.  Now, many of these people are retired, or soon will be.  They seem to 
detest the crowed and violent conditions in the cities and yearn for freedom from them.  
Do I detect a movement back to our peaceful valleys?  Could very well be so.
(I want to thank Jack Kegley of Richmond, Virginia for passing alone much of the 
information making this article possible.)

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