William Riley Bentley b 22 Oct 1852 NC d 27 Sept 1953 Letcher Co KY; buried Riley Bentley Cemetery, Letcher Co KY; s/o Quiller Bentley and Lucinda Bagwell. William Riley Bentley b 22 Oct 1852; m. (2) Sarah Banks b abt 1882. No children.

Article From Mt Eagle Newspaper
Whitesburg, Letcher Co., KY, May 21, 1952
A Visit With Uncle Riley Bentley and Wife On Rockhouse

William Riley Bentley Turns 100 October 22, 1952

On Friday, May 1st Mr. and Mrs. Nolan of The Eagle visited in the home of Uncle Riley Bentley and his good wife on Rockhouse Creek. Uncle Riley told us he would be 100 years of age if he reaches October 22nd of this year. He stated that he has not been well for over a year, but seemed very alert and genuinely delighted for visitors to come, being most anxious to pass along some of the things of yesteryear and reminiscences from his early life. He went out into the yard to have pictures made with us, even put his shoes on himself, refusing aid from us. He holds his head up proudly and is not or drawn as one would think a hundred-year-old man might be. We asked him what he attributed his long life to and he immediately replied: "I have read in the Bible where it says, Honor your father and mother that your days may be long upon the earth." This I did and I always went out of my way to help my father, even to getting his wood for him after I married, and settled below his home. I would take my family and go and help him get his crops cultivated. I have tried to live by the Golden Rule. I have lived a simple but clean life. Many times I have helped others without fee or reward. Among the many things Uncle Riley told us was how few people lived on Rockhouse in his early life.

He said the nearest store for many years, was at the mouth of Rockhouse, it being the old Shade Combs store. Most of the shopping or trading was done on Shelby Creek in Pike County. Most of the travel was done through the hills by man-made trails and paths. He told us about the Civil War days when sections of the mountains were being raided. He said his father picked his family up and even though it was a long hard journey, took them to Ohio, a few miles South of Portsmouth where they lived until the close of the Civil War when he brought his little family back to his beloved hills. This is where Mr. Bentley has spent his entire life with the exception of the three years in Ohio during the war. He told us about the first term of court that was held in Letcher County, and remembered Judge Nat Collins, said he was a mighty fine man. He said the first term of court was held at the mouth of Peart Creek. That was before Whitesburg was decided upon as a location for the County Seat. He said he thought the County Seat should have been at Mayking. Mr. Bentley said his father was the late John Quiller Bentley and his mother was Miss Cinda Thacker before she married. They both lived to be over eighty, he said. Most of his family migrated from Virginia, he added.

We asked Mr. Bentley if he were to be given a new start in life. if he would begin as he did 100 years ago or start with the present, he replied: "The old way is the best, I would rather start as I started. This age is too fast for me." He thinks children are not being brought up right, and it is the fault of the parents they are not being taught the value of work he said. 'He recalled the days when he and his family would clear the new ground and till the soil, many times leave before day light and come in after dark. He said they often took their lunch with them to keep from having to climb the steep hill. People raised lots of sheep, cattle and horses then, he said. The only living member of Mr. Bentley's father's family is his brother, John Bentley who is 85 and lives a short distance from his home on. Rockhouse. Mr. Bentley stated that he and his first wife had 10 children, she passed away in 1910 and he later married Mrs. Sarah Banks no children were born to this union but they stated that they had kept quite a large number of children at different times and at varying ages in their home. Mrs. Bentley is now 70, is very active, makes her own garden and does a lot of canning of fruits and vegetables for winter use.

One story Uncle Riley enjoyed telling us about was the first release of logs by man-made water dams. There was much Yellow Poplar then he said and he and Bill Wright (Dr. B. F. Wright's father) would get the logs ready to go, some of the Poplar was over 4 feet through, then build dams at various places and splash them out into the Kentucky River. The biggest market for timber at that time was at Jackson, but some of it went on to Beattyville and other places farther down stream. He related one incident of how he saved a man's life, this kind of work was very dangerous he said. He said when Bill wright came down sick he sent for him and wanted him to let the dams go. Mr. Bentley said he told him he had not had much experience at that sort of thing, but Mr. Wright said, "I know you haven't, but I feel that you can do it as good as anyone." He showed us a picture of himself and Martin Wright, a brother of Bill, said he was a fine man.

Mr. Bentley said the game in his early youth was plenty, there being deer, squirrel, fish, coon, woodchuck, possums and rabbits, there were also a few bear in the early days, he said. "Deer meat was really good", he said. He said he could remember when there was not a cook stove in the county, and wood was the only fuel used. For many years he said, one of the hardest jobs to do in the fall, was to get in enough wood for the winter. They started burning coal about 45 years ago, he added. He remembers when he could walk through the hills to Neon which was only about 10 miles in a short time and to Whitesburg which is only about 12 miles, by the woods. He said he would love to be young again in order to do some work said he loved to make money, said on many occasions he had served as sort of a banker for his community, he keeping all the way from $2000.00 to $3000.00 dollars at a time for his neighbors and friends. Asked if he knew many people in Whitesburg, he replied "I know several young fellows over there, a young lawyer, Combs, Hawk, a young fellow Hale."

He said when the first courthouse was torn down the old brick in the building was up for sale, a certain local man appeared, went over and leaned against the brick, and said, "Boys, it's mine, I have come after it," then when the bid reached a pretty good sum he just walked off and said, "I was just going to see that no one got it for nothing." Uncle Riley laughed heartily as he told this one. In those early days he said there were lots of hitching posts in town, all around the court house, now not a hitching post can be found. There were no roads then, he added, and the mud in the streets was knee deep. Mr. Bentley said one of the hardest items to get in the early days was salt, and coffee, said most all of the salt was hauled in barrels by oxen from Prestonsburg. He remembers when three barrels were hauled in one load, each barrel weighing 300 pounds each. As we left Mr. and Mrs. Bentley extended an invitation to visit with them again. Mr. Bentley said he wished more people would come to see him, that he was not able to go anywhere, I feel like I am getting weaker every day he said. Needless to say we enjoyed our visit with these beloved people.