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Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Friday, August 18, 2023

Clan Stirling of Scotland

 Clan Stirling



Clan Stirling is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands.[2]

History

Origins of the clan

The Scottish town of Stirling and Stirling Castle lie at the crossroads of Scotland and this could account for the derivation of the name which means place of strife.[2]

Appearing in a charter of David I of Scotland in around 1147 is Thoraldus who held the lands of Cadder.[2] His descendant was Alexander de Strivelyn, fifth Laird of Cadder who died in 1304.[2]

Wars of Scottish Independence

During the Wars of Scottish Independence Alexander's heir, Sir John de Strivelyn, was killed at the Battle of Halidon Hill in 1333.[2]

15th and 16th centuries

The grandson of Sir John de Strivelyn was Sir William who had two sons.[2] The succession passed through his eldest son, also called William, for four generations.[2] After this it passed to a grandson of the second son, Sir John de Strivelyn, third Laird of Cragernard.[2] Sir John was the governor of the royal Dumbarton Castle and sheriff of Dumbartonshire.[2] James I of Scotland appointed him as Comptroller of the Royal Household and armour bearer.[2] He was knighted in 1430.[2] His son, William, acquired from the Earl of Lennox the lands of Glorat.[2] William also held Dumbarton Castle and this appointment passed to his son, George, who defended it for the Crown between 1534 and 1547.[2] George fought at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh and died of wounds received there.[2]

In 1581 Malcom Kincaid of Clan Kincaid was killed by a Stirling of Glovat (Glorat).[3]

17th century and civil war

George's great grandson was Sir Mungo Stirling of Glorat who was a staunch supporter of Charles I.[2] In recognition of his bravery Charles knighted Sir Mungo.[2] Sir Mungo's son was George Stirling who was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia in 1666.[2]

The Stirlings of Keir had acquired the lands of Keir in Perthshire in the mid 15th century when Prince James, son of James II of Scotland rebelled against his father and Sir William Stirling of Keir was one of his supporters.[2] Sir William Stirling's descendant, Sir Archibald Stirling of Keir was a prominent lawyer who supported the king during the Scottish Civil War and on the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660.[2] The Stirling of Garden branch of the clan descend from this Sir Archibald Stirling.[2] He was also appointed to the Supreme Court with the title Lord Garden.[2] His third son, James Stirling (1692 – 1770), was a prominent mathematician.

18th century and Jacobite risings

During both the Jacobite rising of 1715 and the Jacobite rising of 1745 the Stirling Lairds of Keir fought for the Stuarts.[2] James Stirling of Keir was tried for high treason after the "Gathering of Brig o' Turk" in support of James Stuart's abortive invasion of 1708, but acquitted.[4] His estates were forfeited for his part in the rising of 1715 but they were later restored.[2]

Walter Stirling of Faskine served in the Royal Navy and was appointed commander-in-chief of the fleet by George III of Great Britain.[2] The Stirling of Faksine branch of the clan claimed descent from a nephew of William the Lion but they were in fact a collateral branch of the Stirlings of Cadder.[2]

James Stirling of Drumpellier fought in the war against America in 1812 and was later made Governor of Western Australia.[2]

Modern history

The Stirling family's historic connection with Dumbarton Castle continued into the twentieth century when in 1927 Sir George Stirling of Glorat was appointed keeper of the castle.[2] Stirling of Garden was Lord Lieutenant of Stirling and Falkirk (until 2005).[2] Sir David Stirling of the Stirling of Keir branch of the clan was the founder of the British special forces regiment, the Special Air Service, in World War II.[5]

Clan chief

The current chief of Clan Stirling is Francis Stirling of Cadder, Chief of the Name and Arms of Stirling.[1]

Clan castles

Spelling variations

Note: Clan Stirling has no recognized septs.

Spelling variations[6] of the name Stirling include (among others):

Staereling, Stairline, Stairling, Starlin, Starling, Stairlink, Sterline, Sterling, Sterlink, Sterlline, Sterlling, Sterllink, Steuline, Steuling, Steulink, Stewline, Stewling, Stewlink, Stirine, Stiring, Stirink, Stirline, Stirling, Stirlink, Strifelan, Strifeland, Strifelane, Strifelant, Strifelen, Strifelend, Strifelent, Strifelind, Strifelint, Strifelyn, Strifelynd, Striffelan, Striffeland, Striffelane, Striffelant, Striffelen, Striffelend, Striffelent, Striffelind, Striffelint, Striffelyn, Striffelynd, Strivelan, Striveland, Strivelane, Strivelant, Strivelen, Strivelend, Strivelent, Strivelind, Strivelint, Strivelyn, Strivelynd, Sturline, Sturling, Sturlink, Styrline, Styrling, Styrlink.

See also

References

"Clan Stirling Profile". scotclans.com. Retrieved 7 December 2013.


Way, George of Plean; Squire, Romilly of Rubislaw (1994). Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia. Glasgow: HarperCollins (for the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). pp. 328–329. ISBN 0-00-470547-5.


Way, George of Plean; Squire, Romilly of Rubislaw (1994). Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia. Glasgow: HarperCollins (for the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). pp. 186–187. ISBN 0-00-470547-5.


Cobbett, William (1828) [1719]. "The Trials of James Stirling of Keir". In Howell, T B (ed.). State Trials. Vol. XIV. London: Longman. p. 1395.


Cowles, Virginia (1958). The Phantom Major: The Story of David Stirling and the SAS Regiment. Collins. ISBN 978-1848843868.


  1. "Spelling The Name". rickster.org. Retrieved 26 November 2022.

External links

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Jerry Kaml

May 30, 2012


My Debt to Jerry Kaml


By Winfield Sterling


Jerry Kaml and I were boyhood friends in the South Texas town of Edinburg (almost Mexico).  World War II was in progress so we were allowed to buy only one piece of bubble gum per person.  But there were few limits on the quantity of food we could eat in the cafeteria.   There we were served such delicacies a mashed potatoes, green beans, macaroni with cheese and jello for desert.  While standing in line with all the other hungry kids from our elementary school, a fellow standing behind me struck up a conversation.  To set the stage, it was not normal for anybody to start a conversation with me because I was a very private and bashful kid who really hated the regimentation of school and would much rather be out enjoying my freedom on the farm hunting doves with a slingshot – or something.  But for Jerry, conversation came naturally and he quickly put me at ease.  From that casual beginning, we have remained friends for about 77 years.  
I don’t remember the exact year that we became friends, but I would guess it was about the third grade.  From that point, we shared most of the same classes in each grade until we graduated from High School.    
Our Poem


One of my favorite teachers was Miss Brown in the fifth grade.  She gave our class an assignment to write a poem.  Jerry and I decided to combine forces to see if we could win the prize for best poem in our class.   We worked it over and over a few times and finally came up with:


Texas


There had never been heard
such a wonderful word, as Texas.
Where cotton will grow and
farmers will sow their grain.
Where blackbirds will fly
way up in the sky
and mockingbirds sing
on the wing
With a flag of red, white and blue
which I respect and so do you.
Texas is a beautiful land
with pretty birds
and white, white sand.
With horses and mules
and cows and pigs
and squirrels that sit
on little green twigs.

To my amazement, we won!


Peanuts and Operettas

 
In maybe the 7th grade, Jerry and I both performed in “Circus Day” – an operetta.  Standing on a stage in front of God and everybody, we sang:


Peanuts, peanuts roasted good and brown,
Jumbo likes them better than anything else in town.
So here’s the reason, hard for cap and gown,
Does the Elephant eat the peanuts up
or does he eat them down?


Riding Horses with Girls


In the 8th grade or so, Jerry invited some of the prettiest girls in our class to ride horses.  My part was easy.  All I had to do was provide the horses from our ranch.  So, we saddled up the horses and road out in maybe a 5 mile loop, picking up pretty girls along the way.  It was sorta like a date except that nobody paired up – it was just good, clean fun.  I would never have considered organizing such an event, but Jerry did it with such casual grace that it seemed almost too easy.


When I Get Rich


Somewhere – maybe in high school – we chatted about our futures.  I ventured that I would likely be a farmer/rancher like my dad.  Jerry offered that he planned to become very rich and that he would buy a farm and that maybe I could come run it for him.   So, if nothing else worked out for me, I always had Jerry’s offer to fall back on.


Joined the Marine Corps 


I guess we just grew tired of school.  After our freshman year in college, Jerry and another friend (Charles Alexander) decided we needed some kind of adventure in our lives.  We had all been drafted and would likely be forced to serve in the Army if we did not volunteer for some other branch of the service.  We had grown up watching John Wayne and Audie Murphy type war stories where when somebody was shot, it was always a clean kill – not like the exploding head stuff our grandkids watch today.  It was all very heroic, Iwo Jima, flag-raising stuff.  So, we decided to join the Marines -- where we were promised various choices of military specialties.   I chose a nice, cushy job of Aircraft Control.  So, once we had joined, they handed me a rifle and said that there were no openings in Aircraft Control.  Jerry ended up in the 3rd Battalion and I in the 2nd Battalion of the Fifth Marines – as riflemen.


We were proud to be members of the Marine Corps, but I spent almost every day counting the days until my 3-year sentence would be over.  Jerry adjusted more easily and through connections he found a way to be transferred to battalion headquarters where he served as Court Recorder for military court martials.  I was huffing and puffing on long hikes and digging fox holes, Jerry rode in a Jeep.  Guess he felt sorry for me, so he arranged a transfer for me so we could work together again.  Ultimately, we were both transferred into Battalion Intelligence where we served the rest of our sentence.


Bought a Car


Jerry understood much better than I did, that to attract the girls, it was very useful to have a car.   So, he talked me into joining with him in buying one.   It served primarily as transportation from Camp Pendleton to his Aunt May’s in San Luis Obispo.   There we ate Aunt May’s great food, drank a few beers and listened to Johnny Mathis records.  It was a wonderful break from the monotony of Marine life.  I guess we met a few girls along the way, but none that really stick in my mind.  Although my old girlfriend from Edinburg had by then already written me her “dear John,” I just wanted to go back home to Texas.   So after being discharged, I returned to Texas and Jerry stayed in California.  You know the rest of his story.


Doctor Kaml


We exchanged letters for a while but frequency of correspondence deteriorated into occasional Christmas Cards along with photos of each other’s families.  We both got busy doing graduate work, starting families and making a living until we almost lost contact.   Interestingly, we both ended up as teachers.
Reunions at San Louis Obispo


One day I received a phone call from another old friend (Tosh Williams) who announced that he had called Jerry and we had been invited to Jerry’s home.  So, five old friends from Edinburg met at Jerry and Sherry’s home for a couple days to share stories of our wayward youth.  It was my first time to meet Sherry.  It made me wonder how Jerry was ever able to attract such a fantastic woman.   Anyway, they were delightful hosts and we all had a very good time.   But, after we began telling the same stores for the second and third times, it was time to part company.

  
Anyway, looking back over our lives, I have formed a deeper appreciation of the benefits of having a friend like Jerry.  I can’t think of any major benefits he got from our friendship, but I hope this short review will make it clear that I remember his contributions to my life.

Thanks Jerry and happy 50th to you and Sherry.  Don’t forget to invite Pat and me to your 100th anniversary.


Winfield Sterling
Master Chain Saw Operator and Gardener

Tuesday, July 4, 2023

A Turner Family Romp Through Kentucky



Turner Family Crest


July 7, 2023

The genesis of the idea for this visit to Kentucky was a story we read about a feud in Kentucky that included members of the Turner family.  It was a bloody feud that took the lives of some Turner and Howard families and gang members.  The headquarters of the Turner family was the William Turner II mansion in Harlan, Kentucky.  The Howards lived downstream in Pineville — both occupying the Cumberland River Valley in southeast Kentucky.  The Turners were one of the first four families to settle in this Valley and once owned about 10 miles of river and its branches, including the area where Harlan town is now found.

As is our normal procedure, usually the first place we visit in a new town is the visitor center.  When we asked the receptionist if she knew any Turners, she referred us to a lady who worked at the Harlan County Courthouse.  So, at the courthouse, we met Jessica Turner — a very pleasant lady who helped as much as she could, but as with most of the folks we interviewed on this trip, could not remember any of her ancestors beyond their grandparents or maybe great-grandparents — as is true of most folks.

Jessica Turner


Consequently, we could not find any definitive link between her immediate family and ours.

However, she proved to be very helpful when she offered to introduce us to James Turner who is currently serving a State Representative of Harlan County.  Unfortunately, he had some commitments he could not duck, so we were introduced to David Turner who worked as an assistant for an attorney in Harlan County.  David ushered Pat and me into his boss's office and we met Sid Douglas — the attorney who knows much of the history of Harlan County and is especially knowledgeable about the Turners who lived there.

Sid Douglas


Mr. Douglas was almost exuberant in his willingness to share his historical knowledge of the Turner family in Harlan.  He simply took off from his schedule at his law practice to invite us to ride with him in his pickup to see places of importance to the Turner family.  So, Pat and I and our little dog Tiger climbed in his pickup, and off we went.  The first stop was the downtown cemetery that had recently been recovered and cleaned up.  There, we found the headstone of William Turner III.

Then he took us a few miles east of Harlan to the small town of Everts, where he showed us the Turner Baptist Church and an adjacent home where some members of the Turner Family had lived.

Later, we googled and found the Turner Family Cemetery uphill maybe a quarter mile behind the Turner church.  We drove our Winnebago View up the narrow driveway until low-hanging branches prevented us from going further.   I left the motorhome with Pat and walked up the remainder of the steep driveway to the cemetery.  I found some Turner headstones, but none that seemed to link to Pat’s direct ancestry.  Hearing honking in the driveway below, I hurried back to find I had blocked the driveway to a  home.  I apologized to the fellow I had blocked but explained that there was no other place to park.

 Coal Miner and Pat

He understood and explained that he is a coal miner who just finished his night shift — looking forward to a little rest.  Nice guy!  I was a little surprised about his occupation because I thought that most coal mining had been banned in the area.  He allowed us to turn around in his driveway and we went on our way.

Main Characters in This Story

So please dear, gentle reader, allow me to digress from this story to explain the major characters in this drama.  And, we will follow my wife, Patricia Turner Sterling’s ancestors in the Turner family, generation after generation from Devon, England to London, to Virginia, Kentucky, Kansas, and Texas.  Before William I came to America, there were two generations of John Turners in Devon, England. The primary focus of this yarn will be on those ancestors who contributed to Pat’s gene pool.

Our own family records on ancestry.com reveal three major individuals of my wife Pat Turner Sterling’s ancestry that are confusing.  (See the Sterling Family Tree of 12-20-2019). The heads of the first three Turner generations in the USA were named “William” with no middle name to distinguish them.  For convenience, we will name them William one, two, and three.  William One was born in 1748 and later moved from London to Virginia.  

William II was born in 1770 but left his hometown of Henry, Virginia to cross the Cumberland mountains where he settled in the Cumberland River Valley in the vicinity of what was to later to become the town of Harlan, Kentucky.  It is difficult for me to imagine the labor involved in clearing native forests to produce farmland.  There were huge American Chestnut trees growing in the Appalachian Mountains at the time — until the Chestnut blight entered the USA in about 1900 and wiped out most of them.  

William also carved a large farm out of the wilderness on Clover Fork of the Cumberland River, where (according to Mr. Douglas) his slaves grew corn which was used to make whiskey.  It was not illegal to distill corn liquor until the prohibition was enacted in 1920.  Then, after prohibition was canceled, our government decided it needed a share of the wealth by taxing liquor.  But legally or illegally, William II became relatively wealthy by the standards of the day.  He and  Susannah Bailey had nine children. William III was born in 1812 and although he did not contribute genes to Pat’s gene pool, he was apparently convicted of murder and died in prison in 1887.
 

George and Mary Turner
George was the sixth child who was born ca. 1816 in Harlan and married Mary.  He built what came to be known as the Turner Mansion near the courthouse where the Presbyterian Church now stands.  He later moved to Green, County KY., and was Pat’s 2nd great-grandfather.  Apparently, George and Mary had only one child — John Bailey Turner.  

 John was born in 1845, married two ladies named Roxy Ann Dye and Phoebe, then died in 1890.  He served as a minister and was buried in the Hammonsville Cemetery.  He had moved from Green County to nearby Hammonsville, KY in Hart County where James Irwin Turner was born in 1868.

John Baily Turner

Malissa and James Turner

James also became a minister and married Malissa Ann Gaddie — they had five children and moved to Wellington, KS in about 1814.

Winfred Turner (Pat’s father) was the second child and married Lela Margaret Hill in 1929 — after he moved to Edinburg, TX.  They had three children, John, Jim, and Patricia (Pat).

So, Pat and our children and grandchildren all carry genes from these ancestors — except William III.

Hart County Turners

Because Pat’s Father was born in Hart County of central Kentucky, it seemed logical to search there for family connections.  On passing through Munfordville — the county seat of Hart County — we noticed the Hart County History Museum.  Inside, we found Macy and a couple of her friends.  They seemed almost anxious to help us.  When I explained that we were on a quest for Turner Family linkages, they soon found a folder containing newspaper clippings of stories relating to any mention of a Turner. 

They searched diligently but found no direct linkages to James Irwin or Winfred Turner.  

They concluded that our best bet was to visit Arthur Lee Turner in the nearby town of Hammonsville.  He is a well-known farmer in the community and if anybody in the area knows of a connection between your families, it could be him.  “He lives in a rock-fronted home on a hill — you can’t miss it.”

Now, Hammonsville might have once been an incorporated town or something, but now seems to be composed of a few homes along Hwy 357.  As we entered the area, we noticed a road sign labeled “Gaddie Cemetery Road.”  Because Pat’s grandmother’s maiden name was “Gaddie,” we were hooked.  Wow, a family cemetery might be very useful, we surmised.  So, we drove on this small road, passing several old tobacco barns along the way — but no Gaddie Cemetery.  After several miles, we found a fellow in a pickup truck that was parked along the road.  So I stopped and queried him about the location of the cemetery.  He introduced himself as Bill Heath.

Bill Heath

He replied, “You should turn around and enter those woods back on the road you just came from.  After you enter those woods, look for a green gate that is the entrance to the cemetery.”  We thanked him, turned around, found a green gate, and walked maybe a half mile on a driveway with many overhanging branches that prevented us from entering our motorhome.  The driveway ended at somebody’s home.  No cemetery.  On the way back, we met a man and woman that looked upon us with some suspicion because we were unknowingly trespassing on private land.  When it became obvious to them that we were not carrying any stolen goods from the house at the end of the road, and after we explained that we were searching for the Gaddie Cemetery, they relaxed and explained that we should drive a little further to a second green gate.  So, we did.  There was no sign at the turn-off that identified the cemetery.

The Gaddie Cemetery was recently mowed and well-maintained.  We made way for a fawn to escape the confines of the cemetery fence.  Then we photographed the headstones, but could not find any direct connection to Pat’s grandmother Malissa.  But, we got a little exercise and saw some pretty country, so the experience was not without some value.

After completing the Gaddie Cemetery loop, we found Arthur Lee Turner’s home and knocked on the door.  No answer.  As we prepared to leave, one of Arthur’s workers drove in and explained that Arthur was working on some equipment out back.  The large area behind his home was where large trucks, tractors, combines and such could maneuver.  This equipment yard was surrounded by large storage bins, sheds, and many kinds of farm equipment. 

Arthur Lee Turner

Arthur soon appeared and I felt a little guilty.  Arthur was wearing headphones with which he could make phone calls and direct his farm operations.  He could order farm equipment parts, instruct his workers or chat with a relative while keeping his hands free.  He was obviously a very busy man with a large operation.  However, he was very congenial and helpful.  He had taken over the operation of this farm when a tree limb fell and killed his father.  Arthur was a leader in the community and the kind of fellow that would help a neighbor in time of need.

I explained our quest for Turner family connections, but he could think of none, so he called a close relative that he thought might be able to help.  The relative would be there in about 45 minutes, so we found a shady spot in the Hammonsville cemetery to nap and wait.  After a short nap, I walked the cemetery and took photos of headstones that contained the Turner name.

When we returned to Arthur’s home, a fellow in a pickup motioned for us to follow him.  We followed him to his home nearby and he invited us inside.  He introduced himself as David Turner and I explained our mission.

David Turner

Behind his home was a field of tobacco — one of the few that we observed in Kentucky.  “Arthur farms it for me,” David said.  Arthur had told me the story earlier.  “We don’t make much money growing tobacco,” he said.  “But, we have a family of Mexicans that comes here every year on some sort of special visa to help us with the crop.  Fundamentally, I grow the crop to provide them with some income so when they go back to Mexico for the winter, they can live on their savings.”

Tobacco Field

Anyway, David showed us his family tree, but we could not see any tangible family connection.  But we did determine that he is a guitar aficionado.  There is a display of guitars in his living room — some that he made himself.

Trip Summary

We made one large loop in Kentucky from Bowling Green, north to the state capital at Frankfort, east to Mt. Sterling, south-east to the Red River Gorge, then on to Harlan, the headwaters of the Cumberland River, into Stony-gap Virginia, back across the Cumberland Gap into Kentucky, northwest to London, then west to Lake Cumberland, Glasgow, Hopkinsville, Land Between the Lakes, then we left Kentucky into Clarksville, Tennessee, and home to Texas.
We stayed at several commercial RV parks, state parks, and three Harvest Host parks where camping is free — an old train station, the Axe Handle Distillery, and an apple orchard.

While writing this story, I realized that there was not a single person that we met in Kentucky — especially the Turners — that I did not like.  Just solid, friendly folks with a ready smile and willingness to help us in our quest.  We never know how we will be received on a trip like this, but these folks could not have been much more accommodating.  

Thank you all.












 

Thursday, June 22, 2023

Harlan County Turner Feud

 
Feuds of Harlan County Kentucky

Harlan Co. Courthouse around 1880
Skecth of Wilse Howard
Jonathon K. Bailey & family around 1884


The Howards who had cousins in Clay Co. Ky. Had a feud of their own in Harlan Co. It is an adjoining county to Clay and is where my family migrated to around 1846 but did not get involved within the feud clans, if you read about the feuds associated with Clay Co. Then you will remember an individual by the name of Chad HALL who was involved within both counties.

Chad Hall was born April 15, 1859, the son of Alfred Hall and Sarah Hall of Lee County Virginia, his father was a rather prosperous mill owner, but Chad had choose to move to Harlan, he married Susan Nolan and bought a house on "Martins Fork". While Susan stayed home Chad traveled through the counties of Harlan, Leslie, Clay and Bell counties dehorning cattle, trimming holves, shoeing horses, and doing general blacksmith work. His sister Jane married Jim Shackleford, who was with the Howards when the Bakers killed Wilson Howard and Burch Stores and wounded Bal. Chad was a friend to the Howards in both Clay and Harlan counties, a lot of folks thought he was something like a hired gun for them.(after the confession of killing Tom Baker they could have been right),General Garrard had as many as a dozen men who acted as gaurds around his home in Clay County.( I will interject something on Chad Hall in my records I have Chadwell (Chad) Hall b, 16 May 1859 to Alford S. Hall and Sarah Hall of Harlan Co.? So says the record)

The TURNERS of Harlan Co.,Wiliam Turner had a large farm on "Clover Fork" and he also opened a general store in Harlan, his son William-2 was born in 1812 and married Elizabeth Brittain, they had one son George Brittain Turner who stood about 6.3 and weighed around 350 pounds. William and his second wife Susannah also had James, Sarah and Lucy. James married Elizabeth Clay in 1833, and they had nine children; sons William and James (Devil Jim) seemed to be the worst of the lot. Some considered the Turners community leaders that helped out the less fortunate, but the author of A Cumberland Vendetta C. A. Ballou called them "demons of greed and ambition." The Turners were in trouble long before their feud with the HOWARDS, in the spring of 1852 a storm had blown down a fence and a neighbors cows (J.T. Ward) were wondering in their pasture, William and Devil Jim solved the problem by shooting the cows. John Skidmore opened a hotel and a general store, but when his store became to much competition, he was in turn threatened with death. Cambell Hurst who owned a hardware business was elected court clerk, he defeated the Turners choice and shortly afterward he was killed by a man named Jones, a Turner relative, no one was indicted.

The Howards had no such vile reputation when they began to clash with the Turners after the Civil War, Ben Howard a veteran of the Revolution had come through Cumberlin Gap from Virginia around 1800, settled near Cumberland Ford (Pineville). They moved up the Cumberland River and settled in what would become Harlan County, Samuel and Chloe Howard built a home there around 1796, when Harlan County was created in 1819 the county court bought 12 acres from them for $5, located where Martins Fork, Poor Fork and Clover Fork join to form the Cumberland River. Samuel Howard built the first courthouse and jail, in 1833 William Turner owned a tavern and two stores, in 1853 Devil Jim Turner married Sarah Jones, but did not settle down too much, him and his brother William, John, and Hezekiah Clem and Nolan alledgedly killed John Clay and robbed him of $95, David Lyttle their attorney got them aquitted,(the LYTTLES of Clay were aligned with the Bakers). By 1860 Jim was in trouble with his cousins, the Middletons, and Narcissa Middleton accused him of trying to kill her husband, William. During the Civil War Jim enlisted in the Union Army, but deserted before his time was up. At the end of the war William Middleton was killed, alledgely by Devil Jim and his gang, in 1869 Williams widow, Narcissa, testified that Jim,(Turner) his brother William (Turner) and Francis PACE killed David Middleton, Williams brother. But before they could be tried for murder Campbell HURST who was to testify against them, was stabbed and killed on the main street of Harlan, in what Narcissa said was a set-up to keep him from testifying against them. On December 5, 1874, Jim, William and Francis Pace were convicted and sentenced to life in prison. William died in prison in 1877, Francis Pace was pardoned in 1891, Devil Jim got out on parole and went with his son Hiram to Washington, where he suffered a stroke fell into a fireplace and died of burns. (Tom Walters says that Devil Jim was shot by Wood Lyttle, in any event he died).

It is of note also that the Howards like their cousins in Clay Co. Were Whigs and fought for the Union and had come back home to take up a job of making a living.

In 1884 George Turner built a handsome home not far from the courthouse, it became known as the Turner mansion, Wix Howard opened a store in Harlan but quit the business, he claimed the Turners were harrasing his customers, the Howards with their friends the GILBERTS had angered the Turners as early as 1855, they had insisted Devil Jim be arrested for theft, assault, and rape. Will Turner met Bill Gilbert on the street and killed him dead, he was arrested but freed on bond and never tried,,,but the Turners had poked a hornet's nest.

One crucial thing happened when Wix Howard got into a disagreement with Little Bob Turner over a poker game when each blamed the other for cheating, the next day they met on the street and Little Bob shot Wix in the arm, however Wix raised his shotgun and shot Little Bob in the chest who died later that night in the Turner mansion, a few weeks went by and Little George Turner and one of the Bailey boys went down to the Howard store which also sold whiskey, they ordered Alice who was alone in the store not to sell whiskey to George Sr. And little George apparently talked rough to her, that also proved to be a mistake, Alice Howard was the daughter of Hezekiah JENNINGS who would be in the thick of the feud with the Turners, this feud more or less rose out of the whiskey business. When Wilse heard of the encounter with his mother, the following week on the road to Hagan Va. Wilse ran into Will Turner and a man named Bob Maupin, shots were fired but noone had gotten killed, that night the Howard home was attacked by a group led by Will Turner, will was wounded.

George Turner apparently issued a challenge to meet the Howards at the courthouse, the Howards however figured they would be waiting for them in the courthouse and fire on them from there, so, the Howards rode into town early and quietly took up positions, Berry, Hiram and James Howard were in the courthouse along with Hezekiah Jennings, Wilse, Alex and Elijah Howard were across the street, it is possible Chad Hall and Bud SPURLOCK were with them. A dozen or so Turners, unaware the Howards were waiting for them walked casually out of the Turner mansion and toward the courthouse.But before they could reach it someone spotted the Howards on the second floor and gave alarm. Everyone started shooting, Will Turner attempted to rush the door but was hit a second time, he was helped to the front porch of the mansion screaming in pain (gut shot), "Stop that his mother snapped, Die like a man, like your brother (Little Bob) did." Will stopped screaming and died, no one else was killed that day four had got hit but none seriously.

Finally Mrs. Hezekiah Jennings Will's mother called on Mrs. Turner to end the violence, walking to the front porch Mrs. Turner pointed at the blood where Will had died,"You can't wipe out that blood,.Either the Turners will rule or the Howards but not both." Strong words from a woman who in Judge Lewis's letters to the governer only wanted peace.

A few weeks later near Sulphur Springs on August 4, 1889, Little George Turner was traveling up Catrons Creek when him and Wilson Howard met up and a gun battle ensued, Wilson was wounded badly in the thigh but Little Bob was hit 4 times and killed. According to J.K. BAILEY in an endless stream of letters to the governer apparently Wilse was tracking George and blantly murdered him. Any deal of a truce died with Little George and in September of 1889 anyone who could lay pen to paper was begging governer Simon Buckner to send troops to the area to restain order.

September 7, 1889 governer Buckner sent troops to the area but only to protect the courthouse, not to intervene in the Howard-Turner trouble or relieve the elected officials of their duty to enforce the law and maintain the peace, this did not please Judge LEWIS, who continued to beg the governer to clean out the Howards. No sooner had the troops left when on October 11, 1889 John CAWOOD was shot and killed and Hezakiah HALL who was walking with him was also killed. A few miles up the road Hiram CAWOOD was shot and died the next day, soon after Stephen CAWOOD was fired on below John Cawood's farm but escaped. No one was arrested for the murders but Wilson Lewis finally had a bloody shirt to wave, Lewis wrote that after the Cawood and Hall murders, the remaining Cawood's and others fled to the Harlan Couthouse, Wilson Howard and Will Jennings organized 25 men and sent word to the good citizens of Harlan to leave town because they intended to burn it, all Wilse had to do was to threaten to burn the town and Lewis went into a panic, governer Buckner refused and told Lewis if the people wanted the Howards out, then the people would do it. He did empower Lewis to raise a posse of a hundred men to get the job done, if he felt he did not have enough men to do it. Lewis raised about 9 men 3 were killed and 3 wounded in their going after the Howards, in history Wilse mentions no losses but said a young boy named Bird Spurlock was wounded when they fired on us.

Finally Wilse and Hezekiah Jennings decided to attack the Turner mansion itself (the Hall boys were probably with them) were 16 members were having breakfast among the wounded or they thought they had killed were John & Alexander BAILEY, so Wilse, Will and the two Hall boys headed to turn themselves in for people they thought were dead, when they were fired on from ambush Pearl Bailey stood up to get a better shot and was killed, shot through the head. So the four rode on toward Middleton's to confess to murder of John & Alexander Bailey who were not dead and Pearl who was actually dead, but on the way the Hall boys decided against it, the average killer in the state of Kentucky at the turn of the century only served about 7 years and was pardoned by the governer, Wilse and Will figured it was a good time to see the west, they rode down to Pineville and caught a train going in the direction, they went to St.Louis and from there Traveled to Kansas, Colorado and on to New Mexico, Wilse got into real trouble when he was arrested for killing a deaf mute in Missouri. he jumped bail and headed for home arriving in March of 1890.

He had not been in town a week before judge Lewis organized a posse and set out to capture him, the posse surrounded the Howard home and tried to set fire to it, a gunfight ensued, Wilse charged out of the house and drove three of them into the river, George Hall was killed, Bob Craig shot Bud Spurlock but saw Wilse approaching and ran. General Hill was sent to the area he met with Wilse and Jennings and told them he only wanted peace, he had talked to many people of Harlan who had spoke well of the Howards they informed Hill that if he got the Turners and Lewis to put down their guns then they would do the same not before, he agreed to talk to Lewis. Will and Wilse sensed their luck was running out that night they said goodbye to their mother and headed west again, but this time went their seperate ways Will went to Missouri and Wilse headed for California, Wilse was arrested in June 1893 for robbing a Wells Fargo stagecoach and was tried and sent to prison, he was going under the name Brown but someone spotted him in prison and recognized him from an old wanted poster, Imboden the one tracking him for the killing of the deaf mute came and idenified him and he was taken back to Missouri. As he surrendered to the Sheriff who was to take him back he said,"I am Wilse Howard of Kentucky, the man you are looking for."

On the stand he named the men who he had killed during the feud, Bob Craig, Will Turner, George Turner, George Hall, and John Bailey, he made no mention of killing the Cawoods or Hezekiah Hall and maintained his innocense of killing the deaf-mute. Wilse was led to the gallows on August 4, 1894 and was asked if he had anything to say, and he said, "Only the hope to meet you all in heaven." The hatred that fueled the feud in Harlan finally cooled down and in the 1910 business directery, four doctors were listed in town, a HOWARD, a CAWOOD a Martin and G. PEARL BAILEY. One, HALL and two Howards were listed as engineers, and there were two Turners, three Howards and a Hall listed as attorneys.