orchards, but much of their fruit was given to the community. People came to Union Ridge to get fruit to can and to make apple butter. The peaches were so lovely. People have told me how delicious their fruit was.
My dad and mother, Walter and Julia Felix, lived here for a short period of time during this period. I have heard my family speak of John and Flora Miller and of how good the Millers were to them. The German fences always seemed a little straighter and the barns a little sturdier. As a child, I walked all over this area barefoot.
Leading from Union Ridge to the left was Hoop Pole Ridge. It is now known as Fairview Ridge. This ridge was where workers cut hoop poles for making barrel hoops. These were tall straight hickory timbers which the hill people would cut and put in bundles of approximately fifty to take to the river for shipping. The roads became very muddy during this time, and in the winter they had great ruts in them making it rough to travel on them. Oxen were often used in winter time to haul out their loads of hoop poles, animal skins, and fifty gallon barrels of sorghum molasses heading to Greenbottom to be shipped by boat to Cincinnati.
In addition to the cutting of hoop poles, men also cut barrel staves to take to a stave mill at Greenbottom. There was also a grist mill on or close to Fairview Ridge. This was where people took corn to be ground for bread. Many times you had to wait all day to get your corn ground. Cornbread was the main bread we used. We seldom had wheat bread, which is what we called white bread.
This was a bustling community. When you travel Fairview Ridge today, it is very quiet with only a few homes. Back in the day the Fairview community had a church and a school which were very active. The school was called Fairview and the church was called Vincent Chapel.
These people did a tremendous amount of work, but they had a good time. There were house raisings and barn raisings. There were community get-togethers. There were weddings in which everyone participated. After the wedding, there occurred what they called “bellings.” People gathered together with something to make noise. The couple appeared together, and the crowd began yelling, ringing cow bells, whistling, blowing or beating on an object such as a can. Occasionally someone would fire a gun in to the air. After the belling, the groom was expected to treat the crowd. If he didn’t treat, he was threatened to be ridden on a pole. I never knew of anybody not treating. Usually the treat was candy passed out to everyone present.
Most people living on Fairview Ridge lived in log homes. Their barns were built from logs as were their outbuildings. The only house I remember on Fairview Ridge was the Sherman Short house. I can remember the family slightly. Someone bought the old log house, tore it down, and moved it somewhere else.
My Aunt Lenora Spurlock Cooper lived on Fairview Ridge with her family. She was my grandfather’s sister. I don’t remember any of the family except Cousin Lillie Jackson. This family later went to California in a covered wagon. Cousin Lillie came back to visit a couple of times that I remember.
Cousin Lillie’s father left her mother and the children. He didn’t tell them where he was going—he just left. Soon a letter came saying he didn’t know why, but he couldn’t live in those hills any longer. Also, soon a man came saying he had come for the cow. Her father had sold the cow for seventeen dollars. That was a terrible blow since the cow was their main support. Her mother was so upset she cried. Had it not been for the goodness of her mother’s brother, they would have starved. That was my grandfather William Spurlock. Everyone called him Uncle Billy. He urged them to move down on Spurlock Creek and he would build them a log house. This they did. Uncle Billy built them two nice big log houses with a roof connecting them. One room was a living room with a ladder to climb up on. The
My dad and mother, Walter and Julia Felix, lived here for a short period of time during this period. I have heard my family speak of John and Flora Miller and of how good the Millers were to them. The German fences always seemed a little straighter and the barns a little sturdier. As a child, I walked all over this area barefoot.
Leading from Union Ridge to the left was Hoop Pole Ridge. It is now known as Fairview Ridge. This ridge was where workers cut hoop poles for making barrel hoops. These were tall straight hickory timbers which the hill people would cut and put in bundles of approximately fifty to take to the river for shipping. The roads became very muddy during this time, and in the winter they had great ruts in them making it rough to travel on them. Oxen were often used in winter time to haul out their loads of hoop poles, animal skins, and fifty gallon barrels of sorghum molasses heading to Greenbottom to be shipped by boat to Cincinnati.
In addition to the cutting of hoop poles, men also cut barrel staves to take to a stave mill at Greenbottom. There was also a grist mill on or close to Fairview Ridge. This was where people took corn to be ground for bread. Many times you had to wait all day to get your corn ground. Cornbread was the main bread we used. We seldom had wheat bread, which is what we called white bread.
This was a bustling community. When you travel Fairview Ridge today, it is very quiet with only a few homes. Back in the day the Fairview community had a church and a school which were very active. The school was called Fairview and the church was called Vincent Chapel.
These people did a tremendous amount of work, but they had a good time. There were house raisings and barn raisings. There were community get-togethers. There were weddings in which everyone participated. After the wedding, there occurred what they called “bellings.” People gathered together with something to make noise. The couple appeared together, and the crowd began yelling, ringing cow bells, whistling, blowing or beating on an object such as a can. Occasionally someone would fire a gun in to the air. After the belling, the groom was expected to treat the crowd. If he didn’t treat, he was threatened to be ridden on a pole. I never knew of anybody not treating. Usually the treat was candy passed out to everyone present.
Most people living on Fairview Ridge lived in log homes. Their barns were built from logs as were their outbuildings. The only house I remember on Fairview Ridge was the Sherman Short house. I can remember the family slightly. Someone bought the old log house, tore it down, and moved it somewhere else.
My Aunt Lenora Spurlock Cooper lived on Fairview Ridge with her family. She was my grandfather’s sister. I don’t remember any of the family except Cousin Lillie Jackson. This family later went to California in a covered wagon. Cousin Lillie came back to visit a couple of times that I remember.
Cousin Lillie’s father left her mother and the children. He didn’t tell them where he was going—he just left. Soon a letter came saying he didn’t know why, but he couldn’t live in those hills any longer. Also, soon a man came saying he had come for the cow. Her father had sold the cow for seventeen dollars. That was a terrible blow since the cow was their main support. Her mother was so upset she cried. Had it not been for the goodness of her mother’s brother, they would have starved. That was my grandfather William Spurlock. Everyone called him Uncle Billy. He urged them to move down on Spurlock Creek and he would build them a log house. This they did. Uncle Billy built them two nice big log houses with a roof connecting them. One room was a living room with a ladder to climb up on. The
Similar Books
