BIO: Hazel, Peter, Union Co., KY --------------------------------------------- Submitted by MDT10 Apr 1997 -------------------------------------------- (From the book-Sturgis, KY 1880-1980, The First 100 Years) pg. 138 The Peter Hazel family moved to the Territory of VA in what is now known as Union Co., KY following the Revolutionary War. They were among the first white settlers in the Sturgis area and had received a land grant and purchased and additional one thousand acres of land. Peter Hazel was a relative of Caleb Hazel, one of Abraham Lincoln's first school teachers. Peter and his wife had nine children, one of whom was Fielding Hazel. Fielding and his wife Martha Collins had nine children. One of the children, James Ira Hazel and his wife Lela Lucy Berry, had two children, Robert Vanderbilt and Kenneth Rockerfellow. James Ira or Dick as he was called, purchased his brothers and sisters share of their father's estate following Fielding's death. This land that had never had a deed issued in anything but the Hazel name was still owned by the two brothers, Van and Kenneth, when Alcoa Aluminum purchased a large section of the area in the 1950's. Currently approximately two acres of this land is still owned by the Hazels and has a building lot and a family cemetery on it.Kenneth had one son, Kenneth Dudly, who makes his home in Mount Juliet, TN. Van and his wife Willia Nell Hoffman, of the Hoffman's from NC, had two daughters, Ruth Wayne and Norma Jean. Ruth and her husband, Robert Joseph Long, had one son, Robert Jr. , who now lives in Huntsville, AL. Norma had four children, Robert Scott Quinn, Anthony Allen, Patricia Anne and Alphonse Enu Bartolotto, OL. There is an area known as Hazel Bend, a bridge over Highway 109-85 at Hazel's Branch and several other landmarks areas attributed to Peter and his descendants. The first quarter horse race track in this area was located behind the Hazel Cemetery, one of the first preachers at the Bell's Mine Church was a Hazel. The original home place was built in a Walnut grove after the first selected site was found to be inhabited by a band of Indians when they arrived to start construction. Prior to the purchase of the land by Alcoa, there were three untouched grave sites on the last one hundred acres owned by the Hazels. Legend has it and was still being told in 1988 that Canilla Hazel killed a bear in a knife fight near the Tradewater River area of the farm and one of Peter's sons went to CA during the gold rush of 1849. He returned by boat that brought him into LA where he completed the journey home over land. The complete trip home took nearly a year. Over the years three coal mines have been located on the farm with the last coal being used for the family and tenant consumption in the 1940's. The original farm was self sustaining with grain, tobacco, hemp for rope, sugar maple trees for sugar, every vegetable and over ten different fruits being raised along with sheep for wool, goats, cows, horses, mules, chickens, turkeys and ducks. This area ended with the demise of small farms. (Personal note, I believe this was sent in for the book by Norma Jean, who is mentioned as a daughter above.) *************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free genelaogical information on the Internet, data may be freely used for personal research and by non-commercial entities as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format or presentation by other organizations or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for profit or any form of presentation, must obtain the written consent of the file submitter, or his legal representativeand then contact the listed USGENWEB archivist with proof of this consent.