Madison County KyArchives Biographies.....LANHAM, THOMAS 1757 - March 1840 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ky/kyfiles.html ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Clifford Lanham http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00015.html#0003627 August 19, 2006, 6:52 pm Author: Clifford LANHAM Previously submitted Additional Comments: The Journey to Find Thomas Lanham Grave site, 2006 Cindy, my wife, and I departed Madison, Alabama on 27 March 2006 and traveled to Madison Co., Kentucky, to do more research on the LANHAM’s of Madison Co. This time we will have the assistance of Linda Ashley a local genealogist which I have been corresponding with for over a year to track down Thomas and his property. Using the archives of Eastern Kentucky University, we proceeded to search for Lanham data. In the Library we found the law suites between Green Clay and Thomas LANHAM. In the Clay vs. Lanham, 1806, land dispute, both were suing the other over disputed land alone the Hines Creek and Jacks Creek area north of Richmond. In the court records we found a map of the land dispute and proceeded to determine the present location of the land today, 2006. The land in question is near Jacks Creek and Hines Creek. See map on the next page. This particular land is now part of the Shiloh Point residential development. Traveling to the construction site was not a problem, however to determine the proximity of the land in question Linda Ashley had already run a reconnaissance of the area prior to our arrival in KY. Coordinating with the construction company Linda had narrowed the area of the land in question to an area now called Hines Creek Street within the subdivision. According to the construction company a burial plot had been discovered at the corner of Hines Creek St. and . The construction company did not disturb the grave site and in effect made the site a common area for the community. See the pictures of the grave site on the next page. Looking west toward Hines creek and beyond to the Kentucky River, pictures _______, _________, and ________. There appears to be at least two burial head or foot stones at the site and perhaps even a third head stone. None of the stones have markings on the stones. This is very common for the period. The present home owner was gracious enough to allow the photography of the grave site and the opportunity to look south to Jacks Creek and west to Hines Creeks and onward to the KY River. See the following photographs. Is this the grave sites of Thomas and Patience Lanham? There is another recorded cemetery about a quarter of a mile from this site with a number of readable headstones of which none were LANHAM’s. However, this cemetery had come into existence after 1840. Thomas died in 1840 and it is assumed that Patience died about 1836. Perhaps this is Thomas and Patience grave site. The location is right, the time is right and the style of marking the graves is right. Perhaps a DNA check would answer the question as to the individual (s) buried there. Leaving Hines Creek we drove east toward Otter Creek which is about 10 miles east of Hines creek. See map locations again. Thank goodness that Linda Ashley was with us for there is no way we could have ever found South Fork Otter Creek and Campbell Branch Creek. Only the locals could navigate the back roads and hollows to get to the intersection of Campbell and South Fork Otter Creek. See Photo of the creek(s) intersection. Arriving at the intersection we found three homes within 500 meters of the intersection. While looking at the creek and wondering if we were in the right location a local arrived and told us we were at the right location and that she lived on the left side of Campbell Creek up the draw about a quarter of a mile. She informed us that her home was over 50 years old and that the original section of the house was actually built on top of a 150 year old log cabin. This cabin had once belonged to GREEN. Now this really pecked out interest for Stephen Lanham had sold his land to a GREEN. The woman informed us that a local family by the name of Cosby lived down stream about a quarter of a mile might know more about prior families that had resided in the area. They had been on the land for at least two or three generations. Arriving at the Cosby home I introduced myself and Mrs. Cosby said with a surprise look, “Would you know anything about a Stephen LANHAM that married an Eleanor SELBY?” At this point if there had been any wind blowing I think I would have been blown over. Of course “I said yes! And that he was a relative.” Mrs. Cosby said “He is my relative also” Of course we looked at each other for a few moments and then both of us started laughing and she most graciously invited us into her home. Mrs. Cosby pulled out her genealogy Family diagram chart and sure enough there was Stephen and Eleanor Selby LANHAM. Stephen’s daughter Elizabeth married a Willie Powell. The Powells, Moores, Cosby, Spurlin families are interwoven in the local area. If you remember, my Dad corresponded with Allie Ruth Spurlin back in the 1980’s in researching our line and Allie Ruth line is from Stephen LANHAM. About 300 meters up the hill from Mrs. Cosby’s home is a local cemetery of Scudder’s, Park, Fowler, Powell, Green and a couple of other families. Is Stephen buried in the old cemetery? We DONOT know! All of the well marked graves in the cemetery are after 1850. There are eight to ten unmarked graves. A check with Mrs. Wilma Powell Taylor there does not appear to be any LANHAM’s buried in this site. However, the only recorded graves are those with legible grave stones. There is a possibility that Stephen Lanham may be buried in the Powell Cemetery near Brookstown Rd. We were not able to visit this cemetery; however, Mrs Ashley will do so at a later date File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ky/madison/bios/lanham361gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/kyfiles/