Clyde Junior Smith: Whispers from the Grave; Klaiber Cemetery, Boyd County, Kentucky

 

Compiled by Teresa Martin Klaiber

As I have mentioned in previous posts in this series, we have several homemade gravestones in our cemetery.  But some times the data on the stone does not match the official death certificate information.

Clyde Junior Smith was the son of Lewis Dewey Smith and wife Cynthia Ann Church, His paternal grandparents, John and Sarah Catherine Dowdy Smith are buried in Ross Cemetery on Jack’s Fork of Boyd County, Kentucky.

Clyde’s birth “carved in stone” says he was born 11 July 1927 and died March 23 1931.   Clyde Junior Smith’s official death certificate (#5830) states he was born July 11, 1927 and was 3 years 8 months and 10 days old when he died at home on Garner of Boyd County, Kentucky, 21 March 1931.  

The little boy contracted bronchial pneumonia that progressed from a simple cold. His father gave the information and the place of burial is cited as Sexton Cemetery not to be confused with Sexton Cemetery on Pigeon Roost on the next ridge above Garner.  Klaiber cemetery has had several aka’s including Garner Cemetery and Sexton Cemetery.

The last family member to be buried in Klaiber aka Sexton Cemetery was Sister Rebecca Smith Moore on 21 April 2023. Sister, Bertha Mae Smith Shepherd, died on 2 July 2021 and is also buried in Klaiber Cemetery.  A brother James Richard Smith born 24 Dec 1924, was a World War II veteran who died 25 Jun 1988 and was brought back to Klaiber Cemetery for burial from his residence in Anniston, Alabama.

Their father Lewis Dewey Smith was born 5 March 1899 in Lawrence County, Kentucky, a farmer, died 9 October 1977. His funeral was conducted at Ross Chapel on Bolt’s Fork and burial was in Klaiber Cemetery. Lewis and Cynthia had eleven children.  Mother Cynthia Ann Church Smith was born 30 April 1901 in Lawrence County, Kentucky.  She was the daughter of James Monroe Church and wife Rebecca Bryant.  At her death, March 1994 she had 58 grandchildren, 82 great grandchildren and 15 great great grandchildren.

 

 

Leonard and Mary “Mae” Gallion Enyart. Whispers from the Grave; Klaiber Cemetery, Boyd County, Kentucky

 

Compiled by Teresa Martin Klaiber 2023

Leonard L. Enyart was born 7 July 1888 near the Falls of Blaine in Lawrence County, Kentucky.  He was the son of William Frank Enyart (1855-1935) and Sarah E. Lett Enyart (1859-1917). 

Leonard usually left a smile and had a story to tell to those around him.  Luckily the late local historian, Evelyn S. Jackson, captured some of those stories in her writings.

When Leonard was 21 he married Mary “Mae” Gallion  13 February 1910, in Boyd County, Kentucky[i].  Mary would turn 16, the month after they wed so her father signed consent on the 12^th of February.  They were married in the presence of her father Thomas “Allen” Gallion and, her uncle by marriage, Mont Clay.[ii]  Mary’s mother was Belle Stanley.  Belle and Thomas Allen Gallion had married in 1892 and Mary was one of seven children.  Leonard came from large family of ten.

Sixty years later, when they celebrated their anniversary the Ashland Daily Independent carried the story[iii]. The article stated that at that time they had fifty-nine grandchildren and 76 great grandchildren.  Together, the couple had thirteen children and ten were still living to help them celebrate.

Leonard was a farmer in Boyd County. You don’t retire from farming so at age 80 a picture of Leonard and his “Texas size pumpkin” appeared in the Ashland Daily after a torrential downpour in August[iv].  I smile at the title of the article “Bear Creek Gullywasher Uproots Giant Pumpkins.”  I still hear the locals (including yours truly) using the word gullywasher when our creeks swell and overflow.  One of Leonard’s sixty pound pumpkins was located wedged under a house trailer almost a mile from his garden. 

I think my favorite story was written by Evelyn Jackson in the Press Observer[v]  when Leonard  told  stories “that made his blood run cold…” Among his several encounters is the tale of haunts on the adjoining property that we own where Klaiber Cemetery is located. “I heard this thing coming in behind me when I got up pretty close to the old Mrs. Dowdy place…she lived in the old log house there beside the road…the moon was kind of shining and it come… icicles all over it rattle, rattle, rattling. I looked around at it and seen it plain. It just flipped right by me and took straight up that road…I never did find out what it was.”  Let me assure my readers that the haunts and souls in Klaiber Cemetery are gentle and kind.

Mary Gallion Enyart died 4 November 1973, at the home of their daughter, where they were living.  Her funeral was conducted at Mavity Freewill Baptist Church and she was laid to rest in Klaiber Cemetery.  Leonard died 6 January 1975. His funeral service was conducted at Grassland United Methodist Church and burial was beside his wife, in Klaiber Cemetery.

 

 

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[i] KY Boyd Mbk 31A p 21

[ii] Montville Clay 1861-1943 married Nancy Jane Stanley

[iii] Ashland Daily Independent 22 Feb 1970

[iv] Ashland Daily Independent 25 Aug 1968

[v] Jackson, Evelyn S. Press Observer 30 Oct 1975 Boyd County, Ancestors

Thomas & Sarah Crabtree Dowdy Whispers from the Grave; Klaiber Cemetery, Boyd County, Kentucky

 

Compiled by Teresa Martin Klaiber 2023

 

Thomas Dowdy was born 2 March 1895 in Wayne County, West Virginia, the son of Hugh Caperton and Martha Jane Harris Dowdy. Before Thomas’ fifth birthday the family had moved to Twin Branch, Lawrence County, Kentucky and by 1910 the family was living along the East Fork in Boyd County.

The 1917 Military draft describes Thomas as tall, thin, with black hair and blue eyes.  Who can resist blue eyes?  Thomas served, as a Private, in the U. S. Army from August 1918 until December 1918.  At this writing I have no further details of his four months in service.

Thomas fell in love with Sarah Crabtree, also from Lawrence County, Kentucky.  By the time they were ready to marry, her parents Harvey and Vina Holbrook Crabtree were living in Mingo County, West Virginia.  Many local farmers tried their hand at coal mining and when the mines in our area of eastern Kentucky slowed some moved to West Virginia; others to Jackson and Perry counties in Ohio.  Thomas and Sarah were married 18 November 1919 in Mingo County. West Virginia.  They settled in with her parents and Thomas went to work coal mining.

On 14 August 1936 daughter Martha, at the age of 14, married Edgar Jay Diamond, age 16 in Lawrence County, Kentucky.  Both set of parents were present.  Edgar was the son of John and Carrie Lee Diamond.

The Dowdy’s don’t appear to own property but moved several times. By 1940 they are back on the East Fork in Boyd County, at Bear Creek, renting, and Thomas is now farm labor with daughter Martha, seventeen years old.  She is once again using her maiden name, Dowdy, and marked as single. 

The World War II draft has been nicknamed the “old man draft” and Thomas, by 1942, had gray hair. He reported to the registrar, Dorothy Prichard, who helped him fill out the card.  He signed by mark and Prichard made a comment under physical character as “knuckle knocked down on right hand.”   She was a precise registrar giving his address as “one mile up Jerry Branch near the mouth of Trace”, Boyd County.  He told her he was working for Emmit Crace on the Crace farm at that time.

Thomas’ nephew, Fred Dowdy[i] and wife Argie Triplett Dowdy settled on Long Branch, on property adjoining where Klaiber Cemetery is located. Trace is just a few miles from Long Branch “as the crow flies” (a great Kentucky expression).  Thomas’s parents, Hugh and Martha Jane Harris Dowdy, who died 1918 and 1928 respectfully, were deceased and buried in Hogan Cemetery, on Route #3 in Boyd County.

Thomas J. Dowdy died 29 April 1969 in the VA Hospital in Huntington, West Virginia.   His normal place of residence was cited as Ashland, Boyd County, Kentucky.  The hospital gave his occupation as a saw mill operator and farmer.  He died from bronchopneumonia and carcinoma of the lung.  The certificate said “Removal to Big Garner Cemetery” with Carman Funeral Home at Russell in charge of arrangements[ii].

The obituary in the Ashland Daily Independent stated he was a retired farmer and had moved to “Ashland” 64 years ago from Lawrence County.  The only surviving person listed in the obituary is his wife Sarah Crabtree Dowdy.  The 21^st Street Tabernacle in Ashland provided the service led by Rev. Paul Diamond.  The obituary correctly said burial was to be in Klaiber Cemetery on Big Garner.

On May 2^nd, 1969 Sarah filed a Headstone Application for Military Veterans.  She gave her address as 709 Greenup Avenue, Ashland.  The form must be signed by the person that will receive the military stone. Nephew Fred Dowdy, living just down the road from the cemetery was the consignee.  The contractor was the Columbus Marble Works in Columbus, Mississippi.  A follow up application dated the 16^th of May included the freight station at Russell, Kentucky and that Herbert J. Greene would transport same.

 

 

Sarah died two years later in January 1971[iii]. Her obituary in the Ashland Independent stated that she had been in an Ashland nursing home.  She was survived by two brothers, Charles Crabtree of Columbus and Albert H. Crabtree of Ashland.  Kilgore & Collier Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements and burial was beside her husband in Klaiber Cemetery.  Sadly, no one made arrangements for a stone to mark her grave.

A special thank you to Phillip Dowdy, Sr., grandson of Fred Dowdy for sharing data that confirmed the link between Fred and Thomas.

 

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[i] Fred s/o William and Nancie/Nancy J. Large Dowdy; grandson of Hugh Caperton Dowdy.

[ii] WV Vital 69-006494

[iii] KY Vital 001 00115