GEORGE WASHINGTON PRIEST AND ELIZABETH GILLIAM

George Washington was born in 1856. In 1879 he married Mary Elizabeth Gilliam. George moved outside of Pikeville to Coal Run in Pike County and lived next to his in-laws. Mary and George had eight children: James Monroe “Monroe”, Lucretia, Jay, Benjamin Morton “Morton”, John Andrew, Gabrilla, Ernest and Elizabeth June “June”. Mary had consumption off and on throughout her adult life and died of tuberculosis 1914 at 52. The George Priest family has had a history of TB problems.

Apparently George was kind of a character. After his wife died and June was still at home he would take his vegetables to town to sell them and disappear for several days. June would go to the neighbors and stay until he came home. Although he never remarried, he liked to have his picture taken with the ladies. Although we we aren’t quite sure what kind of ladies these were based on the peacock feathers in the background.

George had a big house and lots of land in the country. Alice Priest Harwood remembers the big stone fireplace in the house. He also owned a movie theatre and several buildings in Pikeville. He would take a movie projector around the countryside showing movies for free. He said he did it because otherwise the people would never see a movie.

Towards the end of his life he became unmanageable, physically abusive, and was very ill (today he probably would have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease). Ernest took him to the Eastern State Hospital (Asylum) in Frankfort where he died. His land and property had to be sold to pay his bills.

James Monroe “Monroe” was born in 1880. George had enough money to send all of his boys to Roanoke, Virginia to study at Draughton’s School of Business. Roanoke is very close to where the Priests came from in Russell County, Virginia. After attending school Monroe and his father had a falling out and he never went back to Kentucky. He met and married a woman in Roanoke named Mary “Mollie” Keziah Harbour. In 1915 he was an accountant for a plumbing firm Engleby & Brother in Roanoke and later moved to Spiro, Oklahoma where he was a Rural Letter Carrier and delivered the mail on horseback.

He and Mollie had five children: Mary Elizabeth, Mildred Monroe, Elaine, James Monroe Jr., and Marion Eugene.

Lucretia was born in 1882. Very little is known about her other than she married Teddy Ball, had two daughters, lived in Pikeville, Kentucky and died of tuberculosis.

Jay was born in 1884 and died shortly thereafter.

Benjamin Morton “Morton” was born in 1888. He also went to the Draughton’s School of Business in Roanoke and traveled around the country before settling down and marrying Emma Ester Syck in 1914. Benjamin and Emma  had 10 children: Maurice Abner “Abner”, Ruby Irene, Virgil Edward, Alice May, Edna Aline, Linton Clay, Sylvia Bernice, Stella Marie, Audrey Ellen, and Lucy Lavonne. Morton taught school for one or two terms but he really loved farming and being out of doors so he quit teaching and became a farmer.

His daughter Lucy Priest Carter marvels about how he fed his whole family from his farm. I am in contact with his daughter Lucy and her sister Alice Priest Harwood who now lives in Oregon. Lucy has been a wealth of information about Kentucky and wonderful about opening doors for me to her siblings and cousins. She is wonderful. I have to note that although she had pictures of Morton visiting Monterville’s farm in Green Forest, Arkansas she really didn’t know about the aunt and uncles who moved to Arkansas. Although she grew up in Coal Run nothing was said about Susan, Mary Jane or other James relatives who remained in the Floyd County area. She remembers visiting the Crider’s in Catlettsburg although she didn’t quite know who they were. Also, even though Lucy was brought up in Pike County, Kentucky, there was nothing (except a “do you know we are related to Jesse James” from her brother) was said about being related to the James family. Finally there were the rumors of “Indian” blood in the family, but again, not to be talked about. These seem to be common themes throughout the extended family.

Virgil was stationed in California during WWII and was the first of Benjamin’s children to migrate to there. Most of the children ended up in California with Audrey in New York and Edna in Iowa. Benjamin and Emma eventually moved to California where he died in 1979.

John Andrew was born in 1890. He joined the Army during WWI and was stationed in Rhode Island where he met and married Arzella Harper. According to his son John Jr., John went into the service and wanted to make a career of it but Arzelia didn’t like the military life, so he left. He was working in a lumber company during the depression that went bankrupt. They then lived in Kentucky for awhile. He also tried logging in Maine. He had tuberculosis at 51 and was in a sanitarium for awhile. John remembers his Dad as a hard worker (another common theme in the Preist family). John and Arzella had four children John Andrew Jr., Lillian, Mary, and Ernest. Lucy Priest Carter remembers John and Arzella would come to Kentucky quite a bit to visit. They loved Arzella because she had a great sense of adventure and would be all dressed up and in her high heels going down the dirt roads to visit friends and family. She was definitely a “city girl.” John’s son John Jr. still lives in East Providence, Rhode Island. Unfortunately he died before I had a chance to really talk with him.  He is a wonderful man.

To the left is a picture taken in 1972 of John, his sister June on the left and his wife Arzella on the right.

Gabrilla J. was born in 1894. Luckily I found out more information about her when I was in Kentucky. She had some physical deformities – notice her blouse doesn’t hang quite right.  She married her cousin Harmon Gilliam and had nine children: John, Arsco, Shirl, Roscoe, June, William, Louise, Grant, and Ruby. She and Harmon moved to Lamar, Colorado because she had tuberculosis. She died there in 1930. The family may have moved back to Kentucky because Harmon is buried in Ashland, Kentucky.

Ernest E. was born in 1896. Ernest was very good looking and in love with a woman in Pike County, Kentucky. Apparently, she jilted him and he never recovered. According to John Priest he started drinking and then followed his brothers to California. He got a job at Pacific Gas and Electric and never married.

  The youngest child was Elizabeth June “June”. She was born in 1901. She married Grover Clark and had four children: Ernestine, William, George, and Garnet. Her son George died in a rife accident.  (It is a sad coincidence to note that both June and her uncle Monterville had sons named George who died as teenagers in rifle cleaning accidents.)  Here is a picture of the boys William and George.

After June and Grover married they lived with and took care of her Father George for several years until he went to the hospital. Her son William is a retired State Patrolman living in Pike County, Kentucky and I am lucky enough to be in contact with her daughters Ernestine and Garnet through Lucy Priest Clark. Ernestine “Ernie” Clark McCoy lives in Virginia and Garnet Clark Ramey lives in southern Kentucky. They are delightful. They have been very helpful and most of these wonderful pictures came from Ernie.

It is interesting that Minerva’s granddaughter is named Garnet and George’s granddaughter is also named Garnet. Being an unusual name, originally I thought maybe Garnet Clark Ramey was named for Garnet Crider Ewing. Not so, Garnet Clark Ramey was named for a neighbor. It is, however, another interesting family coincidence.