Letters from Miss Jane and Betty Burton Manley

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn Miss Jane's Letters, UncategorizedLeave a comment

This week I have two letters to share with you. The first is one from Betty Burton Manley, who as a child lived across the street from the Kincaids with Mr. and Mrs. Charles Darnell.  You can read her letter first and then Miss Jane’s, who, you will notice, encourages Burl to write Betty. ~Ginger

Mr. Burl working in bluegrass seed.  If you’ve been reading the blog, you’ll know that a lot of Miss Jane’s letters were written to Mr. Burl while he was in the Midwest harvesting seed with Henry Ficklin, Uncle Ruby (Reuben Kincaid, Sr.), and R.W. (Reuben’s son).  
The front of Betty Burton’s note to Mr. Burl.
The note itself, which is transcribed below (complete with the spelling errors and incorrect grammar one would expect from a child her age).

Dear Burl
           How are you getting along. I will be glad when you come home. I miss you when I go to your mother and I don’t know where you could be. I forget where you are. Say Hello to Mr. Ruby and Mr. Ficklin for me. Are you still silly. I want you to hurry back. I want to see you and your mother want to see you to and we all want to see you and Mr. Ruby and Mr. Ficklin to. Have you found a girl yet if you haven’t found one I no one to watch for you her name is Ella Bohon.* Ha! Ha!
 
From your litter friend,
Betty Burton
*Ella Bohon Doggett Goodpaster.  Miss Ella is mentioned quite a few times in the letters, sometimes as a potential girlfriend for Mr. Burl, whose bachelor status was evidently of concern to the town!
Now, Miss Jane’s letter:

 Sunday Morning,
           We haven’t heard since last I wrote, but know you are expecting to hear from us.
           We are all O.K. Aunt May is having asthma, but has some medicine that relieves her.
            Daddy has discovered that the potatoes are rottening.  You know how he has always prided himself on his potatoes. Perhaps it is a wetter place in garden that he has dug from, and too, they are such nice big ones.
           I believe the damage by water in county is estimated at $500,000.  Everyone is telling of their losses.
           It did not rain Fri. night , Sat. or Sat. night, but looks like rain today. It is very hot this morning.
           Lewis is coming to take Burl down to Ruby’s place after dinner.
           Folks are talking about the Horse Fair now, what they will wear, their guests, etc.
           By the number of cars passing yesterday afternoon, there must have been a crowd at Morehead.*
           Marguerite and Dr. Lester** are considering cutting a door in “Guy’s room” on the alley and moving his dental office over there.
           Honey, try to find time to write Betty a card at least.  She said that Ruby had written her.
           Ella*** has come back to work again, starting tomorrow. I want to get finished up house-cleaning and rest awhile before my (or our) Iowa trip.
           Hope we hear from you today. We want to know how things are going since we have had so much rain.
Lots of love, 
Mother

*This was before the interstate was built.
**Dr. Lester was a dentist here in Owingsville and his office was in his house.  That house burned a few years ago. 
***There are two Ellas mentioned in Miss Jane’s letters: Ella Bohon Doggett [Goodpaster] and an Ella (who had a child the family called “Little Ruby”) who worked for the family and whose last name we don’t know, though Tommy Hodge says she is related to him.  We’re still trying to find out more about her, so if anyone knows, please send a message or leave a comment.

Sleigh Riding

On By donlkincaidIn Kincaid, Old PicturesLeave a comment



Mr. Burl’s old sled.
It’s a Flexible Flyer and about 90 years old.  



This week, Don writes about the sleigh riding stories his father used to tell.  We wanted to get this up while the snow is still either on or fresh in our memories, and I would have done it sooner, but I’ve misplaced a bit of writing that Mr. Burl himself wrote about it.  When I do find it, I’ll update this post, but for now we’ll share what we remember him telling us.  

We often heard sleigh riding stories about Daddy and his friends. Even though he and his first cousin,R.W.,* were both hurt badly sledding, they absolutely loved it! The hill to Sharpsburg was in front of their houses and when they were kids it was not paved.  It was not only gravel, but also very crooked, and it wasn’t until the 80’s that the whiplash curve at the bottom was straightened and a new bridge was built over Prickley Ash stream. 

Because of the curve at the bottom, the boys would bail out before they got to it if possible. Many were injured because of the bail out and the barbed wire along the road. Daddy’s injuries caused him to miss six weeks of school. In his words, he “peeled the hide” off his shin all the way down to the ankle. A local doctor made a daily house call to check on him and to put Mercurochrome on it and change the bandages.

R.W. had a bad sleigh wreck as well.  He was badly injured and would eventually need surgery – surgery which he did not survive. His brother Dr. Owings Kincaid was there with him when he died at St. Joseph Infirmary in Louisville.

Daddy also loved telling about tying the sleds to some old car and being pulled around town. He always bragged that his sled was the only one to survive all the crashes. Our guess on its age is about 90 years old.  It was new about 1926 when Daddy was ten or so.  We still have the sled and it still goes fast! ~Don

A young R.W. with his father Reuben.
R.W.’s grave marker at the Owingsville Cemetery.
Owings Kincaid (back row on the far left) when he was a resident at Vanderbilt.  He would go on to have a very successful career at the Mayo Clinic.
Owings and Burl Kincaid, first cousins and life-long friends.  Both men (and R.W.) served in WWII.


Here is a link to Owings Kincaid’s obituary.  Somewhere we have correspondence between Mr. Burl and Owings (who remained close throughout their lives), and when we get to that we’ll share any items that might be of interest.

A Letter From Donovan Darnell, Dated 1933

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn Darnell, Old PicturesLeave a comment
Donovan Darnell as a child.  He would grow up to serve in WWII, graduate from Morehead State, teach Industrial Arts in Greensboro, N.C. and, most importantly, start a beautiful family (even though they do sometimes root for the wrong team in basketball!).  
 
Happy 2015!  Our first post of this new year is an old letter written by Donovan Darnell.  “Uncle Don,” as we all called him, was not only the brother of Doris Darnell Kincaid (Don & Bill’s mother), but also a lifelong best friend of Mr. Burl.  In fact, Burl and Donovan were close friends long before Burl and Doris got involved romantically. Don Kincaid is named after Donovan Darnell, but “Uncle Don” disliked his name and called his nephew “Jack” for years.
 
In the following letter dated 1933, Donovan would have been 15 years old.  Miss Sallie, his mother, was sick and in some sort of treatment center (perhaps a sanatorium – Uncle Ruby also went to one and we’ll share his postcards later) and he has written his beloved mother, filling her in on what’s going on at their home on Coyle Street in Owingsville (see pictures of Coyle Street at end of this post).  Doris, by the way, would have been 7 years old and due to contracting polio when an infant, was left with lifelong health problems.  She always said her parents, especially her father, spoiled her because of that, and it was often left to her brother to discipline her.  
 
Owingsville, Ky
April 30, 1933
 
Dear Mother:
          I hope you are feeling much better by this time.  We certainly have missed you since you have been gone and are anxious for you to get well so that you can come home.
         How is Aunt Rosa?*
         We are all well at home now.  Doris had a sick spell last week and missed three days of school but she is allright now.  She said if she could have an ice cream cone all the time she would not get sick. Mamma** has not been feeling so awfully good.  Daddy and I are allright though.
         Mrs Tanner is feeling better and today she is sitting out in the yard. Martha is awfully cute. The other day she walked over to Mrs. Palmer’s*** back porch and knocked on the door.
         I went to the union play Friday night and it was certainly good.  I wish you could have seen it.
        They have already started working on the cess pool in the chicken lot. The kitchen sink and basement both lead into it.
         They are still working on the new house Mr. Denton is going to build. They almost have the foundation ready.
         Daddy took Mrs. McCarty home again Saturday afternoon.  We wanted Doris to take a nap before she went but she said she didn’t want to. About an hour before daddy came home we brought Doris in for her to lay down a little while. Mamma said it was to late for her to take a nap and didn’t want her to lay down. In a  little bit she laid down and went to sleep herself. 
         Doris stayed at home the day daddy came in.  He came in at 11 o’clock. At dinner I saw Miss Inez. She said she knew Doris was glad to see daddy come home for she would tell about both of you being gone and the big tears would roll down her cheeks.
         Everybody I see nearly asks me when I have heard from you, how you are and when we are expecting you to come home.
         It is time for dinner now so I must say
        Goodbye,
        Donovan
P.S. Tell Aunt Rosa hello for all of us.
 
*Rosa Jones
**The letter is written to his mother – we’re not sure who “Mamma” is, although our guess is his grandmother.
***Mrs. Palmer lived in the house on Coyle Street right by the Baptist Church.
 
We don’t know who the other people are or where Mr. Denton’s house would have been.  Please leave a comment or let one of us know if you have information you want to share.
 

 

Donovan, Sallie, and Jefferson Darnell, 
standing on the Coyle St. sidewalk with
 Ida Jones’s house behind them. The Jones house is no longer there.

 

Sallie Darnell on Coyle Street in Owingsville, KY.  Note the old car in the background, pointing towards Slate Avenue. 
Family Drugs is currently located in the building on the left.

 

Sallie Darnell (in center) with two unknown women.  If you know who they are, please leave a comment or send us an email.

 

Cousins Donovan Darnell and Darnell Snedegar on a day trip to White Oak.  They were driven by Jeff Darnell (Donovan’s son) to a
   cemetery located on the back of what was once the family farm.  

 

Jefferson Lee Darnell (Mr. Jeff to most everybody) with Sallie and one of the children. Jeff Darnell was a banker and  also evidently a big softie when it came to sick little girls! He built several houses on Coyle Street and was mayor of Owingsville in the 50’s.

Jefferson Darnell’s driving goggles.  “Mr. Jeff” left home for Colorado at one point, aiming to start a business there, but ended up coming back home.  These goggles now belong to his great-grandson Jacob Kincaid, who has left home for China.  He didn’t wear the goggles!

 

Another Letter from Miss Jane: “These are trying times unsettled.”

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn Miss Jane's Letters1 Comment
           A super sweet letter from Miss Jane from the late 1940’s – hope you enjoy it! ~ Ginger 
                                                                                                                                 
Sunday Aft.
Dear Baby,
            As some one* said over the radio, “The ‘humididity’ is bad this afternoon.” My hands are sticking to the paper.
            I guess you will write today. We are so anxious to hear how things are coming.
            I went to Sunday School and Church.  There was a good crowd and Bro. Frey** preached a good sermon.  Have you been to church at Boone?*** Don’t forget to pray dear. These are trying times unsettled. I feel you do good by example, but say a word when you can to help some one. Of course you are the dearest child in the world to us. So bright and happy when well. You know when you are happy – we are too.
            I heard that Mr. Add Powers and Mrs. Alt Swetnam are to get married.
           We ate dinner with May, and she came to the table – is doing fine. Daddy will mail this now – Lots of love, Mother.
 
*She uses “some one” twice in this letter. According to my research, the word “someone” began to be used around 1900, and its usage surpassed that of “some one” around 1930. Miss Jane probably learned to write it as two words.
**George C. Frey was a long time minister of the Owingsville Christian Church.
***Boone, Iowa

 

 Boone Kincaid (Miss Jane’s great-grandson) in Chicago.
No, he wasn’t named after Boone, Iowa.

 

Old Recipes

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn Recipes, UncategorizedLeave a comment


Just in time for Thanksgiving, here are some old recipes that might be of interest.  Sorry if some of them seem incomplete, but this is how they are recorded in the old cookbooks from which I’m getting them.  I guess it was a given that everybody would know what to do next.  I’ll try to put more up before Christmas. ~ Ginger

Pie Crust
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup shortening
6 tbsp. water

Mrs. Chester Jones
Kendall Springs Homemakers

Butterscotch Pie
2 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. cream
Boil to a wax and add:
Yolks of 3 eggs
1 cup water
2 tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
Boil together until thick.

Mrs. Chester Jones
Kendall Springs Homemakers

Rolls [Missionary Society Recipe Book / Owingsville First Church of God]
3 cups flour
1 cup milk – lukewarm
2 tablespoons lard
2 tablespoons sugar
pinch of salt
Dissolve cake of yeast in small amount of warm water.  Mix milk, lard, sugar, and salt.  Add yeast when milk is cool.  Let rise one hour.  Roll out.  Let rise again one hour.  Bake in hot oven 450 degrees.

Gladys Markland

Ma Bess’s Jam Cake [Missionary Society Recipe Book / Owingsville First Church of God]
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups butter
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups jam
2 cups flour (sifted before measuring)
1 cup chopped nuts
6 eggs – beaten separately
2 teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Cream butter, add sugar and beaten egg yolks.  Put all dry ingredients in flour and add alternately with buttermilk to butter, sugar, and egg mixture.  Add jam and nuts; then fold in beaten egg whites.  Bake in 4 layer cake pans 35 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Filling for Jam Cake
1 1/2 cups jam cake batter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup sweet milk
2 tablespoons butter
Mix all ingredients in sauce pan.  Cook over burner, stirring constantly until pastry thick or purplish color.  Spread between layers. (Cover sides and top of cake with any good frosting.

Unknown [Dorothy Butcher says Ma Bess refers to a “Ma Woodard” – Thank you, Miss Dorothy!]

Best Ever Caramel Frosting  [Missionary Society Recipe Book / Owingsville First Church of God]
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
3 1/4 cups sifted confectioner’s sugar
Melt butter; add brown sugar.  Boil and stir 1 minute or until slightly thick.  Cool slightly.  Add 1/4 cup milk; beat smooth.  Beat in confectioner’s sugar until of spreading consistency.  Frosts tops and sides of 2 9-inch round layers.

Louise Stone

French Beans [Woman’s Club Cookbook, 1954)
2 cans French beans
1 can mushroom soup
More than 1/2 lb. Chateau cheese*
Heat soup until good and hot, add cheese cut fine, and melt thoroughly.  Add 1/2 can Carnation milk; drain beans and pour into baking dish with soup and cheese mixture; add 1 tablespoon A.1 sauce and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, season with salt and a bit of Tabasco.  Bake until cheese is rather thick.

May S. Piper
Owingsville, Kentucky
*Chateau cheese was evidently a type of cheese sold around the 1950’s and was a bit similar to Velveeta but with a sharper taste.

Harvard Beets [Woman’s Club Cookbook, 1954]
Cook 12 small beets in salted water until skins slip off easily.  Cube. Mix 1/2 cup vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 heaping teaspoon flour, 3/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon butter.  To this mixture add cubed beets and cook until transparent.

Mrs. Ed Hickey
Bethel, Kentucky


1947 advertisement for Chateau cheese.

A Letter from WWI in Honor of Veteran’s Day

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn Brother, Dawson, Military HistoryLeave a comment
Jefferson Dawson Brother


           What follows is a letter written during WWI that Mr. Burl had kept in a box of his childhood mementos.  The “Dawson” who wrote the letter is Jefferson Dawson Brother, who was a relative. I’ve checked the WWI registration cards to try to find out who Addrou Kerns is, as well as Guy and Joe Arnold. I did find an “Augustus Adrien Kerns” who I think might be the Kerns who is referred to (perhaps “Addrou” is a nickname or misspelling) , but I have had zero luck finding out who Guy and Joe Arnold might be.  From what I understand, a lot of the Pioneer Infantries were made up of Black men, so that is one clue that might lead to discovering who they are.  Of course, if any of you reading this know the answer, please leave a comment or let me know.

A few comments:

  • Dawson mentions Burl, Jr. in his military uniform, and Don says there is a picture of his dad wearing it somewhere.  We still haven’t made it through everything, but if we find it in the future, I will post it on here.  Mr. Burl would have been three years old at the time this letter was written.
  • The letter mentions the flu.  The Spanish Flu pandemic was occurring at that time, and you can read what my great uncle Bill Karrick wrote about the flu in Bath County here.
  • The Cousin Henry referred to is Henry Ficklin, a preacher who baptized countless people in the area, often down in the Slate Creek at Kendall Springs. He was related to Mr. Burl on his maternal side (as was Jefferson Dawson Brother), and then he married Mr. Burl’s aunt (Aunt May) on his father’s side. 


Rugendorf, Germany
2 Feb. 1919

Dear Jane:
           Well I received that nice letter of yours some few days ago and it surely was a pleasant surprise.  Burl Junior certainly does look quite military in his uniform and when I come back will try and give him a little drilling. Believe me! it wouldn’t be long until he would hate the sight of that uniform.  But laying all jokes aside I was so glad to hear that you have all been well and I trust have escaped the flu.
           I came awfully near seeing Guy and Joe Arnold when we were on the front. One afternoon I was going down the road to our Reg. Headquarters and there were several squads of infantry men working the road and I asked one fellow who happened to be a Kentuckian what outfit he was in and he said Pioneer Inf.  I then asked him if he knew Guy or Joe Arnold and he said “yes” but they belonged to the Supply Co. and they were expecting him later there that afternoon.  So I waited all afternoon but never succeeded in seeing him.  Surely did hate to miss him too, because the only fellow I’ve seen over here that I know except those in our outfit was Addrou Kerns  from Sharpsburg. Wrote Willie [164 Inf] a card some time ago but I wasn’t sure of his outfit and of course don’t know whether he got it or not.
          Tell Cousin Henry that I still talk plain USA and haven’t acquired any brogue as expected.  Give my regards to all the folks and let me hear from you again sometime.  Dawson

          We hope you enjoy this letter.  I confess I have romanticized it a great deal and even have plans to frame and hang it.  I picture him writing it in a tent, huddled over and cold.  It is obvious that he misses home, so let it act as a reminder to all of us on this Veteran’s Day of the sacrifices that all who serve make on our behalf.  From our family to yours, Happy Veterans Day and God bless all who serve. ~ Ginger

 

Miss Jane Tells About the Horse Show and a Domestic Disturbance

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn Miss Jane's LettersLeave a comment
Another letter from Miss Jane from the late 1940’s.                                                                                                             
                                                                           Sunday Night
                                                                            9:00 P.M.               
Dear Burl Jr.
          We have thought you might call tonight, but don’t suppose you will now.  Of course your voice would have sounded good. —— Yes, and it did sound good and we could hear you so well.
           I will be ready to come when you say the word (if all are well), but can’t say for sure about Daddy.  He wants to come, but thinks he may have to stay over his vacation period.
           I went to Sunday School and Church Services. Aunt May had Mary Bell* for dinner, and Little Ruby** had a real nice dinner – fried chicken, beans, ice-cream, cake, etc.
           People and horses have come in ready for the Horse Show.  All rooming places are filled.  They soon ate all that Mrs. Riddle*** had cooked last night.
           Elizabeth Brother**** came home Friday.  She drove through with Logan Ratliff.  Did you know him?  He certainly looks like the Botts’.
           Mr. Horton***** said that some one had been offered 70¢ a pound for their seed.  Have you heard anything like this?
           _______ ________ and his wife had a “big” fight the other night – broke out window lights, then she knocked him cold with her shoe – lick in temple.******
           Marguerite’s glass door and stoop is an improvement to that side of her house. 
           Hope you have a good week.
           Lots of love, Mother and Daddy
*Maybe Mary Bell Ferrin – she worked for Reuben Kincaid at his store in Owingsville.  The store was later Honakers.  Mary Bell’s father owned a hotel at Olympia (the blue house by Crooks’ grocery).  The owners of the Iron Ore Mine stayed in the hotel. 
**We don’t know who Little Ruby is but would like to know because this person is mentioned numerous times in Miss Jane’s letters.  We are pretty certain it is not R.W. (Reuben Kincaid’s son), and we think it is possible that Little Ruby cooked and cleaned for the family.  If you know who Little Ruby is, please let us know as we would be very grateful.
***Mrs. Riddle cooked in the restaurant that was where H&R Block is on Main Street in Owingsville. 
****Elizabeth Brother – may be a member of the Brother family that owned the hardware store at one time (Richart Brother’s family – that family is related to the Dawsons and Miss Jane was a Dawson.)  We don’t know who Logan Ratliff is.
*****W.W. Horton lived on Hart Pike and U.S. 60 and at one time was school board superintendent.
******Our lips are sealed!
 

 

 

The X-Ray Mobile Comes to Owingsville

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn Miss Jane's Letters, OwingsvilleLeave a comment

In the summers of the late 1940’s, Mr. Burl, Reuben Kincaid, Henry Ficklin, and R.W. (Reuben’s son) went out west to harvest bluegrass seed.   Don will write more about the harvesting part a bit later, but what I want to share with you are the numerous letters Miss Jane (Mr. Burl’s mother) wrote to them while they were away.  

I love these letters, and I hope you enjoy them as well.  I’ll tag them all with the label “A Letter From Miss Jane,” and that way you can find them easily if you want to share or reread them at some point.  They shed a wonderful light on the Owingsville of that time period. If you want to add anything, please feel free to leave a comment.  We don’t know who everyone is that Miss Jane mentions so we could use your help!

Just a few notes to get started:

  • I’ll transcribe the letters, but also add scans of them. The bolded parts might be of particular interest and if you see an asterisk, I’ll have a note at the end about something.  Footnoting would work better than asterisks, but I need to figure out how to do that on here.
  • I’ll put a _______ instead of a name if I think there is even a chance that something she wrote might cause anyone embarrassment, and I do that in this letter.
Here’s the first letter we’ll share, written on a Thursday morning a long time ago.
 
Dear Son,
          Well, Henry arrived sooner than we expected, got here Tuesday night – and the chicken wasn’t fried – ha!  We were glad to see him.  He had been gone 8 weeks. He was so tired.
          We got your letter of the 20th yesterday.  You had some of the Missouri mud that May has talked about .  Hope you got your car out alright.
           Did you find any more seed?  Will you have more than one car?
           Tuesday and yesterday were very hot days and I believe today will be too.
           We are expecting the copper pipe any day now that Mr. Horton has ordered.  Ernie has promised to put the tub in as soon as the pipe comes.  
           _________ disappointed us in the papering, so Burl engaged George Harris* to come Monday.  I am so anxious to get through.  The porch floor is fresh and bright in its coat of green and the furniture is all out. You painted the chairs last year, I believe.  They look nice and white.  The lawns all through the street have been freshly cut and look so pretty.
          Marguerite** and I had the X-Ray yesterday – you know the X-Ray-mobile is here.  We had letters from Mr. Roschi*** saying this is the teacher’s year for a physical examination.
          There was a very swell wedding in the colored Methodist Church****  yesterday afternoon – a Duncan girl and the groom was from Colorado.
          Ella went back with Dan and Mimi*****, have you heard from her?
          Mr. John Crane is in hospital very ill.  He is up in 80, I believe.
          This is “fishing day” again.  I wish Daddy could have some luck.  Banks****** caught two bass last Thursday.
          We are all alright.
                                                                                                   Lots of love, 
                                                                                                   Mother
 
*George Harris was a prominent resident of Owingsville and a member of the city council (probably the first African-American council member in our town). 
**Marguerite Lester – she lived next door to Miss Jane (the house that burned by us).  Her husband was Dr. Lester.
***Mr. Roschi was the school superintendent.
****I think I wince each time I see the word “colored,” but it was a common term of that time period.  The “colored Methodist Church” she refers to is the A.M.E. church on West High Street by the old water tower.
*****Dan and Mimi Doggett.  Ella is Ella Doggett (Goodpaster).  
******Banks Thompson.  The “Daddy” she refers to is her husband, Burl, Sr. That was what she called him.
 

 

 

 
 

Coon Hunting with Uncle Jim and Uncle John: A Bath County Folktale

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn UncategorizedLeave a comment


Night hunters – this picture is courtesy of Oliver Hartley’s Hunting Dogs,
a book you can read for free at Project Gutenberg. 
Hartley published the book in 1909. 
Several months ago, I shared a folktale that my father-in-law had written down.  In that very short story, “Uncle John” and “Uncle Jim” jump a train to Mt. Sterling and later end up climbing trees to avoid what they believe is a rabid dog.  If you missed that tale, you can read it here.  Well, our protagonists are back once again, and this time they’ve gone coon hunting!

From the journals:

In days past it was a custom for men and boys to hunt with dogs at night.  On those forays through pastures and woods, the dogs would “tree” varmints either in dens or up trees.  The word “varmint” was used to cover most any wild animal found in the county, such as ‘possums, skunks, weasels, minks, coons, and muskrats.  It was a sport that could supply much entertainment and some monetary income.
It was something to look forward to and enjoy.  Some hunters would take a snack with them and maybe even roast some corn over an open fire.  Occasionally the dogs would catch a varmint on the ground and often the animal would be a skunk.
Uncle John and Uncle Jim enjoyed hunting with their dogs at night and spent many enjoyable evenings in quest of varmints.  One night the dogs treed a varmint in a den under a rock ledge.  Uncle John reached back under the ledge and could just barely touch the tail of the animal.  He suggested that Uncle Jim should reach in and get the varmint.  Uncle Jim stretched and could just reach the animal but suddenly jerked his hand back. 
Uncle John questioned, “What’s wrong?”
Uncle Jim retorted, “He swapped ends!”

Hope you enjoyed that little tale.  Hopefully, I’ll be back with much more soon.  We’re still working on the book, but we’ve all had a lot going on, and that’s been put on hold for a while. ~Ginger

You don’t have to go coon hunting to enjoy roasted ears of corn.
 You can use your grill or even the gas burner on your stove.

Old Pictures

On By Ginger Karrick KincaidIn Craycraft, Darnell, Goodpaster, Kincaid, Old Pictures3 Comments
Some old pictures you might like.  Please feel free to leave a comment, especially if you have information that might be of benefit to others doing historical or genealogical work!
May, Reuben, Sr., Jane, and Burl Sr. (Kincaid family), in front of what is now Marcelle Doggett’s home on East High Street in Owingsville.  You can see U.S. 60 on the far left and the steps and sidewalk in the background are still there.

 

Elliott Darnell, common Bath County ancestor of many.  Don and Bill Kincaid’s great, great grandfather. Born in 1810, married to Sarah Conyers, father of Thomas, Mildred, Josiah, John, Ruth, William, Isaac, Mary, and Martha.

 

Reuben W. Kincaid, Sr. in front of his store in Owingsville, Ky.  This store was located (I think) where the New Hope Clinic is now.  Lots of older folks remember getting ice cream from Uncle Ruby’s store.

 

Doris Darnell (Kincaid) and an unindentified woman in front of what was the old Owingsville school.

 

Jeff, Sallie, Doris, and Donovan Darnell and other women (in the photo on the right) who are unidentified.

 

Helen Craycraft Goodpaster, Ginger Karrick Kincaid (me), and Sherri Spencer Pergrem in Preston, Ky., 1968.