Elliott County’s Confederate Civil War Veterans
By John A. Stegall   <  johnstegall@hotmail.com

	One installment in a series of articles Mr. John A. Stegall prepares and publishes in The 
Elliott County News, this article first appearing in the Friday, June 18, 1999 edition of said 
paper .  Transcribed with permission from the author by Samone Ratcliff. on Nov 16, 1999. 


 	Samuel S. Adkins: Records indicate that Samuel S. Adkins entered military service Oct 
21, 1961, at West Liberty, Morgan Co, KY and was assigned to Co. B, Fifth Reg,t Inf., Ky., Vol.  
By the end of his term of service, he listed as 2nd Lt.  The term of service for this particular 
Company was for one year, therefore, we may assume that this veteran was mustered out on Oct. 
20, 1862.  
	I should point out that a Samuel Adkins entered military service on Oct 23, 1861 in 
Prestonsburg, however, I cannot determine whether he was the Samuel S. Adkins who 
volunteered on Oct 21 in West Liberty.
	When the 1870 Elliott County census was taken Samuel S. Adkins was living in the 
Martinsburg Precinct, in, or very near, the village by that name.  Sandy Hook was listed as his 
post office.  When the census taker enumerated this particular family on Aug 18, 1870, Samuel 
indicated that he was 32 years of age, and gave his occupation as “County Court Clerk”.  His 
wife, Abigail, was 28 years old, and their only child, John W., was 1 year old.
	Morgan Co. KY marriage records show that a Samuel S. Adkins and Abigail Barker were 
married on June 23, 1867.  If the census record for 1860 is correct, Abigail was a daughter of 
William and Jane Fraley Barker (Morgan Co. marriage records indicate that William Barker and 
Jane Fraley were married Nov 15, 1831).
	When the 1880 Elliott County census was taken, Samuel S. Adkins was not found living 
in that county.  In fact, he may have been a resident of the Redwine community in Morgan Co.  
One of his descendants living in California a few years ago had this to say: “ Samuel Seaton 
Adkins and Rebecca Abigail Barker Adkins, lived in and around West Liberty and Redwine, 
probably following 1870.  Samuel Seaton was wounded as a Rebel in the Civil War, spent time 
in prison and eventually died of his wounds (1883).  After the Civil War, as a teacher, he 
apparently could handle pen and ink well enough to keep the county records for those elected to 
such office as County Clerk.  I am not too sure whether it was Morgan Co. or Elliott, maybe 
both.  After Samuel died, leaving “Aunt Abigail”, as she was regularly known, with six kids, she 
married an Adams and lived in another community in KY”.  (Morgan Co. marriage records do 
not show a marriage record for Abigail and a Adams, therefore the marriage could have occurred 
in Elliott Co., and if so, the record probably burned in the courthouse fire.)  The descendent 
continues: “Eldest son, John William Adkins, set out for Indiana in about 1890.  My grandfather, 
Robert Weaver Adkins, the second son, married Atlas Crisp at The Ridge in Oct of 1897, and 
they began to have their eleven children before they and Abigail and the rest of her brood moved 
to Clarence, Ill. and environs to join John William Adkins an the beginnings of his eleven 
children”.
	The descendent does not mention the month and day of Samuel’s death, neither does he 
state the place of death.  I assume that he died and is buried somewhere in the Redwine area of 
Morgan Co.
	Spencer Adkins: This Civil War soldier indicated that he entered Co. G, Fifth Reg. Inf., 
Ky, Vol., in Piketon, KY, on Oct 28, 1862.  
	A Spencer Adkins is mentioned frequently in Elliott Co. records, however, I cannot be 
sure that his the Confederate soldier mentioned in Civil War records.  
	Spencer Adkins is named on the roster of officers as the 3rd Sgt., then later as the 1st Sgt.
	I do not find Spencer Adkins named in the 1860 Morgan Co. census or the 1870 Elliott 
Co. census.  A Spencer Adkins is found in the 1880 Elliott Co. census, however, if his age (24) is 
correct, he could not have been in the Civil War.  I am inclined to believe this was the Spencer 
Adkins who was killed by Lewis Adkins around 1886 to 1888.  This Spencer Adkins had 
married Elizabeth Barker, daughter of Jeremiah and Catherine McMillan Barker.
	As of this time, I am unable to positively identify the Spencer Adkins that served in the 
Confederate Army.

	Straley Adkins: On Oct 21, 1861, he enlisted at West Liberty and was a 4th Sgt., in Co. 
B, Fifth Reg’t, Kentucky Volunteers.  The last entry on his record reads : “Died Jan 20, 1862.  A 
good soldier.”
	There is no indication of the cause of death or where he died.  I assume that he was 
buried somewhere near the place of his death.
	Adkins family records show that a Straley Adkins, born around 1842, was a son of 
Straley Sr. and Andocia Day Adkins.
	This same record indicates that Straley and Spencer were brothers with Spencer having 
been born in 1843; however, I find no further record that I can use to verify this.

	Noten Adkins: Listed as Pvt., in Co. B, Fifth Reg’t, Ky Vol., his record indicates that he 
enlisted Oct 25, 1861 at West Liberty.
	The 1860 Morgan Co. census names a Noten Adkins, age 19, and living in the home of 
James K. Hunter in Martinsburg (Sandy Hook).  I do not find him mentioned again in any of my 
Adkins records.  I am assuming that he died young or moved away from this area.

	(I am sure that there were many other members of the Adkins family that served in the 
Civil War, however, this concludes the list as I have it in my records.  If the readers of my 
column know of other Adkins men who served, please let me know.)

Finished

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