JAMES HENRY
AKERSBorn December 16, 1876, Buffalo Creek, Johnson
County, Kentucky
Died March 19, 1969, Wenatchee, Chelan
County,
Washington
My Grandfather wrote this
about
1954 or 1955. It was first transcribed by my cousin,
William C. Akers of Lexington KY. He and I both have
refrained from changing the spelling, punctuation or
grammer which our Grandfather used.
I guess
I
had better introduce my
family. First, my father was John R. Akers. He was a Union
soldier. Went through the entire war. He was born the 16th
of December, 1842. Just at the close of the war he married
my mother, Miss Trinvilla Price. They were married about
1868. They bought a farm on Buffalo Creek consisted of one
hundred and sixty acres. This is where I was born and we
lived there until I was about sixteen years old. Father
sold the farm for six hundred and fifty dollars. Today
this farm could not be bought for twenty thousand. It was
covered with popular, pine, white oak, hickory and all
kinds of fine timber and also all kinds of coal. I had
three sisters older than I. The oldest was Priscilla, the
second was Nannie and the third was Alice. They were all
married and have all passed on. Also I have one brother,
his name is Jerome. Also Lincha, Louisina, Verlin, Gracie
and Hester. Also another brother, Edgar. He died when he
was seventeen years old. Father died at ninety five and
mother died at the age of eighty nine.
I was
born Dec. 18th, 1876. My first school was in 1882, when I
was six years old I started in my first school. My teacher
was an old man by the name of
Christopher Kistner. He was
crippled could not walk. He was in a wheel chair. He also
was a Christian preacher. He taught us to sing too. Our
school house was an old log cabin. No windows. Had a
fireplace burned wood for heat. The chimney came up in
about three feet of the top of the building. Our seats were
chesnut saplings about ten inches thick then split through
the middle, then two holes bored in each end and legs stuck
in them and made a bench for us to sit on. These benches
were about ten or twelve feet long. We had no desks as they
do today. We just had five months of school. I mastered the
first grade that school. We had to walk about three miles
to school. We learned such songs as Plant Me a Rose that
will blossom O'er our graves, When I Am Young, Old Kentucky
Home, etc. Also, Take Me Back Let Me See What Is Left That
I Know, Can It Be That The Old House Is Gone.
1883. My
second year. This school was moved two more miles down the
creek which was Buffalo Creek. Rented another old log house
for that year of school. It was much larger house than the
previous one although they the trustees moved the same
benches from the old house we occupied the previous year.
We had a different teacher his name was Washington Mayo, a
brother of the famous John C.C. Mayo the million air who
bought all of Johnson County and started the mining
industry in Johnson Co. Ky. The roads were about one third
of the way through the creek bed and when fall rains came
it was tough going. Mr. Mayo taught the next year that was
1884. This was my third year. I studied the spelling book
and third reader, first mental arithmetic, and writing. Our
spelling book and reader was McGuffys literature. The
spelling books prior to the McGuffies we used what we
called
the old blue back spelling book. The third reader had lots
of good poetry in it such as the Oken Bucket etc. and lots
of good prose.
1885. Well this brings us up to fourth
year of school. So we had another new teacher whose name
was Miss Laura Price. She was a good teacher and a nice
lady. She was from the town of Paintsville, Ky. That was
our County seat. She stayed at the home of Mr. Sam Preston,
of which was close to the school house.
1886. My fifth
year of school. My teacher was Mr. Martin L. Robinson. He
sure kept good order in school. My studies this year
consisted of spelling, reading, writing, geography and
arithmetic. On Fridays we would have spelling bees. They
would choose a boy and a girl to do the choosing of the
scholars and each would have the same number on each side
and then they would start the spelling with the last two
chosen. The side which spelled down the other side was
considered the best spellers. As a general thing they
always chose a girl by the name of Miss Rosie Preston and
myself and it was always tit for tat with her and myself
which could spell the other down the most of the time. Past
time at recess was playing marbles or black man or tug.
Then Mr. Robinson learned us to play ball. It was called
round town then. That was before baseball was invented. We
had six or eight boys my age and a little older. I could
name them all but what the use. This was the year I had
carbuncles on my head and the scars are there until this
day. They sure were painful. Father taken me to Dr. Gable
about fourty miles and he cured them by washing them with
carbolic acid. It took about three months to do it.
1887. This brings me up to my sixth year of school. Mr.
George Perry was my teacher. My studies this year were
consisted of the following books of which were spelling,
reading, geography, arithmetic and grammer and U.S.
History. This year we had six months of school and also a
new school house. Our past time was as usual round town
ball and marbles. We still kept our spelling bees on Friday
mornings. We would recite poetry. We always had a good time
this year. We learned to sing the Star Spangled Banner and
Battle Hymn of the Republic, also Yankee Doodle and others.
The Battle Hymn of the Republic was writen by Julia Ward
Howe in 1819. The Star Spangled Banner was written by
Francis Scott Key in 1814 during the war of 1812.
1888.
This was my seventh year of school. Mr. Martin Robinson was
my teacher. So we were getting along fine in our new school
house. Where it was built was about half way to where we
had to walk the previous years. We were sure proud of the
new school. Our studies this year were spelling, reading,
grammer, civil government, history, geography and
physiology. So it kept us pretty busy but we had our
spelling bees. We sang such songs as the Battle Cry of
Freedom and Just Before The Battle Mother. There were old
civil war songs.
1889. My 8th year in school with my
sister Nannie Akers teacher. This year we had the same
books for studies as we had the previous year. That year we
celebrated Columbus day in October. We had a full day of
acties. We recited poetry, marched and had dinner on the
ground. We sang songs such as Colba the Gem of the Ocean,
written by Daniel Emmet of Ohio around the year 1859. This
year Father sold our farm on Buffalo Creek and bought a
fifty acre tract on Thoms Creek about 20 miles from where
we lived on Buffalo Creek but still in Johnson County, Ky.
We lived there on Thoms Creek when I got married in 1895.
Will tell about that later on.
1890. This brings me up to my ninth year of
school. So had just moved from Buffalo Creek to Thoms Creek
this spring so I am starting in a new district and of
course we have a new teacher. Her name is Miss Sussie Van
Hoose. Our studies are the same as last year. She is a good
teacher. Our past time was the same as previous schools.
There was nothing of importance happened this year.
1891. This brings me up to my tenth year of school. So
we have another new teacher. A man this time. His name is
John H. Stambaugh. He lived above us on a little creek
called Froghonery. He is a good teacher. We lived just
across the creek from the school house. A little bottom
about four hundred feet wide is the distance I have to walk
now also a Christian Church house at the end of the school
house.
1892. This brings me to my eleventh year of
school. This year another new teacher. His name is Mr. Jeff
Fields who later married my cousin, Moulvary Akers. Was a
fairly good teacher. We did not go by grades like they do
now but I believe we had better schools then than we do
now.
1893. This brings me up to my twelfth year. So we
have Mr. John H. Stambaugh as teacher. Good school as
usual. Our studies were as usual but we enjoyed it.
1894. Well we have two teachers this year. They were
John H. Stambaugh and Daniel Orsborn, a Baptist Preacher.
They were both good teachers and we learned fast.
1895.
Well this is my last year of school. Had the same teachers
for the summer school. I also went to winter school that
winter and I also got married that winter so this ends my
schooling. I was married to Carrie Louise Rice to whom I
love and adore and then that fall High Gambil got a job
sawing crossties for Sam Stapleton on Mud Lick Creek. We
had worked one week and we started home on Saturday evening
and I asked High if he would not raise me from fifty cents
to sixty cents per day. That made him mad. He stormed out
before any man can strike on me I will pay seven dollars
for a man to take his place. So that ended my saw milling.
That was in 1900. I builded me a house on fathers place and
made a crop then sold out and went to Covington, Indiana.
Not much work. I husked corn and got about four days on the
rail road. So I got home sick and sold out and went back to
Thoms Creek. Then we moved down to Grave Shoal. I got a job
on the C&O Railroad. They were extending the line from
White House on up Big Sandy and I worked on the Grade.
So
that year Father sold out on Thoms Creek and bought a farm
on Gragston Creek in West Virginia close to the Big Sandy
River. So he wanted me to build a house there on his place
and I move down there and so I did and he owed two hundred
dollars on his place and Jerome and I made three hundred
fifty cross ties hauled off the hill down to the creek
bottom and rafted them and took them down to the river and
he sold them for sixty cents a piece and paid off his debt
on the place. This was done in the winter and early spring
so I farmed that summer and the Norfolk Railroad started
that summer to extend its lines up Big Sandy and Tug
Rivers. So I got a job on the grade and worked until it was
finished. That was 1903. 
So
When
they got the tracks laid up to Prichard, W.Va. I got a job
on the section. Got one dollar and ten cents per day. I
worked on the section for twenty months and got a section.
I was made forman by L.C. Ayers. My section was at Fort
Gay, W.Va. I liked it very much. It was most straight line.
Mr. Ayers told me that was Lawerence McNamara section. When
the Road Masters office was moved to Portsmouth, Ohio, so I
was there almost two years before the change was made. So I
was sent to Kermit, W.Va. to take charge of that section. I
stayed there for about two more years. I had an attack of
Typhoid fever at Fort Gay and also at Kermit. So after I
got over the fever at Kermit I went to Portsmouth as an
assistant forman with an extra force of Greeks and did not
stay long got on braking on run from Portsmouth, Ohio to
Williamson, W. Va.Worked that job for six months and had
another siege of typhoid that lasted for about three
months. So I did not railroad for about two years. Then in
1910 I got a job as assistant forman under Charlie Hays. I
worked two weeks for him. Then he got drunk so I took his
gang. I got $85.00 per month then. I was following up the
rail laying gang spacing and retieing so we finished up. We
started from Maugatck, W.Va. and finished up at Kenova,
W.Va. a distance of eighty miles. So the gang was layed off
the first of December and I went to work as assistant to
James Brumfield for that winter, this was 1912. Then that
spring had bought a small farm on Twelve Pole in Wayne
County, W.Va. and had to build a house so I did not R.R.
that year. Carroll my oldest son joined the army and was
stationed at Mobile, Alabama. While there the President was
to speak at Meridian, Mississippi. While on the trip his
train wrecked and he was killed. That happened October
1913. So I sold out on Twelve Pole and bought my fathers
farm on Gragston Creek. That was in 1918. I stayed on that
farm until 1920. Sold out and moved to South Webster, Ohio.
We lived in Ohio until 1921. Had a auction sale and sold
out. Moved to state of Washington close to Wenatchee.
Stayed in Washington until July, 1925. We settled upon
Stimelt Hill. There I farmed and worked at the saw mill
until 1925 then went back to Kentucky.
1926. When I
landed up at Raceland, Ky. on the C&O Railroad, April 11th
1926. I worked as a laborer three days for Bob Griffith on
the 14th I took charge of the extra force in the Russell
yards. I did resurfacing and retieing in the yard. They
were having trouble on Section 201. This is the first
section out west of the yard. Ky Brown was the forman there
on that section. He had a couple of men on the job that
done more of the bossin than the forman did. They were
having one wreck after another so the assistant Division
Engineer wanted me to take charge of that section. Mr John
Keely was the man. He was a nice man too. So I told him the
only way I would accept the job if he would give me the men
and material to put the track up in good shape I would take
it. So the first day of May, 1926 I took charge of Section
201. This section consisted of three tracks four miles
long. The section was run down. No road bed had surface and
rotten ties. I told Mr. Keely that I could make this
section the best on the whole C&O System but it would take
me seven years to do the job and I did. The first year that
was 1926, I put in thirty six hundred ties, laid four miles
new rails, resurfaced four miles of track and dumped gravel
ballest on the four miles of surfaced track and built three
miles of road bed. I worked from thirty five to fourty men
all that year. I got rid of the dead beats that was on the
job when I took over. They thought they could tell me when
to work and how it should be done. They did not last long.
I gave them to understand I was the boss and if they worked
there they would do what I said. So we done good for the
year 1926. I moved from Raceland to Wurtland in the year
1927 where my headquarters were.
1927. So I started this
year with about twenty five men. We would build road beds
during the winter months when it to bad to work on the
tracks. This year we installed 3200 ties and laid three
miles of new 130 lb. rail on No. two track. Surfaced three
miles on No. two track and balasted same three miles. We
had to dress all tracks and get ready for inspection. The
C&O Company started the inspection of tracks in 1926.So in
1927 I was first place and got the award which was twenty
five dollars. I always rode the inspection train from
Ashland, Ky. to Pourtsmouth, Ohio. We always had a banquit
and speeches from the President. We sure had a swell time.
1928. This year we are starting in with sixteen men. My
work was as usual surfacing and tieing and building road
bed But I have been sick so much this spring that it takes
about all the strength I have to go. So I worked up to the
first of August and had to go to the hospital for an
operation for ulcers of the stomach. I had to stay two
weeks for a build up before they could operate. So I had
the operation and was off from work about six weeks. The
boys carried on the work and we got the premium again that
year.
1929. This year there was a new chemical plant
built just 1-½ miles below my place there at Wurtland and
they had three tracks and three switches and that placed
more work on me. I had to look after their tracks too
besides the King Powder Co. had three switches to look
after. Our work was as usual that year. I worked several
days in surfacing tracks. I would crawl from one pull to
another and then lay down until the jacks were tamped off,
then crawl to another. So we made that year and got the
premium again that year.
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