2424. Isaac Bowling
1 NAME Isaac Bolin /Bowling/
5292. James Sandlin Riley
Served in USA, WWII. Died in the Battle of the Bulge.
2437. James Baker "Pepper Box" Riley
James and Margaret Divorced in 1908.
Served in the Civil War USA.
From: "Jess Wilson" <jswlsn@prtcnet.org>
To: "Betty Finger" <bfinger@sacranet.com>
Cc: <KYCLAY-L@rootsweb.com>; "thousandandonenights"
<thousandandonenights@eGroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 06, 2002 7:18 PM
Subject: Re: Patsy Allen Wilson> MY THREE GREATS STEP GRANDMOTHER
> By Jess Wilson
> Note: I hope Betty Finger doesn`t mind my sharing this answer to her
> letter
> with you..
> To Betty Finger: Martha (Patsy or Patty) Riddle married William Allen.
> They
> had four sons, Adoniram, born 1899, Job, William Jr. and David. Adoniram
> was
> the father of River Jim Allen. In1814 Patsy, claimed some land "by right
> of
> settelment" for the infant sons of her deceased husband. See Clay County
> Court Order Book B. In 1820 she married the widower, Philip Wilso
> ggg
> grandfather. Thereby she became my ggg step grandmother and her
> descendants
> became my step cousins.
> Sometime later as Martha Wilson she became the second wife of Jonathan
> Hunt.
> This puzzled me for years as to who Martha Wilson was until it finally
> came
> to my fuzzy head that Patsy was the "pet name" for girls named Martha.
>> When River Jim Allen guided rafts of logs through the "Narrows" below
> Oneida, it was necessary for him to steer the raft so close to the le
> bank
> that the rear raftman could pat "Patty" Rock where Martha used to do the
> weekly laundry. It was then that the rear oarsman had to paddle like Hell
> to
> get the rear of the raft toward the rignt bank while Jim on the front oar
> called directions and with help from another oarsman worked to get the
> front of the raft to the left to make a sharp left turn turn into the "
> shute" where the breakers were often more than ten feet high and the
> flow
> was like a race horse in the last stretch. Or did Jim work on the rear oar
> so that his shouts could be heard better by the front oarsmen ? Does
> anyone
> have the answer?.
> If you have nothing bettter to do you may enjoy reading
> THE BALLAD OF RIVER JIM ALLEN
> By P. J. Baker, with some help from Jess Wilson
> There was a man in the olden days,
> His name was River Jim Allen,
> He knew the river and it`s wild, wild ways
> For a steeersman was his calling.
> Jim was a preacher of some aclaim
> And a singer of wide renown,
> He preached to save the souls in his church
> And sinners from "going to town".
>> He fought the Devil like he fought his way
> Thru the wild runs in the Narrows
> His voice boomed over the thundering waves
> Like his preaching of Hell`s fire`s harrows.
> Now Jim has left the Big South Fork
> And gone to the River Jordon,
> There we may meet him in the by and by
> If our lives like his are in accordance.
> So hit it up you bowman all
> And keep you life straight and steady,
> For River Jim`s call is to us all,
> "For trouble, always be ready."
> River Jim lived below the Narrows. In the early morning after a big rain
> when he heard the roar of the river he would ride his horse up river
> through
> a section called Road Run, a wide valley carved eons ago before the river
> broke through the Narrows. Above the Narrows he would find rafts tied up.
> As he boarded the first raft, a man on that raft would mount his horse and
> ride back through Road Run to Jim`s house. When Jim had guided that raft
> through he again got on his horse while the other man went on down river.
> I
> have been told that often he ran as many as twenty rafts through duri
> one
> "Raft tide".
> A moderate tide would bring log rafts down river. A very large tide
> when the water was smoother was a Salt Boat tide. But that is another
> story.
> Good night.Burial: Greenhill Cemetery, Moore's Creek, Jackson Co., KY.
Military service: Bet. 1861 - 1865, Served in Civil War, USA, KY.More About ESTHER MCCOLLUM:
Burial: Greenhill Cemetery, Moore's Creek, Jackson Co., KY.