This article, written by Todd Preston, President of the Magoffin County Historical Society, was taken from the October 21, 2010 issue of THE SALYERSVILLE INDEPENDENT newspaper.

            These last few days I have spent many hours working on making a list of the abandoned, semi-abandoned and endangered cemeteries that I know about in our county and have come up with some staggering information.  For instance, I have come up with about a dozen within our city limits of Salyersville. Some of these I’ve been able to keep cleaned to some degree but I’m sort of winding down…

            On the other hand, there is some good news as there are many formerly abandoned or neglected cemeteries that have been upgraded with new stones, fences, and signs.  There are many Good Samaritans here in our county as well as in other states who have taken an interest in honoring their ancestors and departed relatives by marking their final resting places.  Some of these people we know but there are many out there who have worked at this who are not known to us. Some of the volunteer workers we know are Bob and Betty Whittaker of SC, John and Debbie Britton of OH, and some from right here in Magoffin such as Henry Clay Sizemore, Jack Sizemore, Randall Risner, J. W. Back, Thomas Marshall, and others.

            Why do we have so many abandoned cemeteries? As the older patriarchs of a family pass away or the farm or land area changes hands sometimes the new landowners do not know about the cemeteries located on their land or sometimes maybe there may be some who do not respect these last resting places.

            Often our historical society has people who come in because they want to go and visit a certain cemetery and they cannot find it.  On occasion we have been able to escort them to the cemetery.  This has brought on the thought that many of our cemeteries need to have signs placed so as to aid those searching for their family graveyards.  This is especially needed for the now abandoned or semi-abandoned cemeteries.

            There are some that also need paths or roads.  Some of our ancestors seem to have chosen the highest points on their land for the cemeteries and these are often hard to reach, especially for our older folks who would like to visit.

            I am behind with the queries that have come in.  One that I have worked on is from Jerry Pack (jerrypack48@yahoo.com) who writes he is the son of Nora Farler and John Pack and a grandson of Allen Farler who is buried in the Gilbert Adams Cemetery.  He also states he has a sister and a brother also buried in that cemetery in unmarked graves near the fence. 

            Jerry says he is now disabled and it is hard for him and his wife Phyllis to climb that hill but he would like to know if there is any record of his siblings being buried there.

            I looked into the Farler family and found that Jerry’s ancestor Allen Farler was born in 1847 and was a Civil War soldier in Co. I, 53^rd KY Infantry and was a son of Clay Farler b. in 1820 and Polly (last name unknown) b. 1825.

            Allen married first to Serapta Morrison who was born in 1842 and had four children (1) Sarah Farler b. 1872 m. Reuben “Ruby-Do” Marshall, (2) Martha Farler b. 1874, (3) James B. Farler b. 1878 and (4) Mary Josephine Farler m. in 1904 to Scott Marshall.

            Allen Farler married 2^nd on 11 Feb 1894 to Nancy Jane Gipson b. 1870, the daughter of Squire Gipson and had 12 more children. These children are (5) George Farler, (6) Virgie Farler, (7) Lowar Farler, (8) Belle Farler m. Clarence Porter and Palla Gipson, (9) Willie Farler, (10) Nancy Farler, (11) Henry Farler, (12) Flora Farler, (13) Fred Farler, (14) Amy Farler, (15) Lucy Farler and (16) Nora Farler who married John Pack. 

            This query was from Nora and John Pack’s youngest son.  Would there be someone out there who may have information on this family and contact Jerry?  He says his brother drowned in the Ohio River and he never knew his sister as he was the youngest child. 

            I found in the records that there was a Jimmie Farler who died in 1919.  In the marriage records I found Fred Farler married Carey Hackworth in 1932, Willie Farler m. Mae Arnett in 1944, George Farler m. Marie Blair in 1936, Henry Farler m. Rosa Bailey in 1925 and Willie Farler m. Versie Jordan in 1928.