Graphic collage © by Kristen Mohn '02

My Eastern Kentucky Family Roots

This site grew out of my initial efforts to trace my Eastern Kentucky roots, primarily through my maternal line. My maternal grandfather was ALVIN HALL (1887-1974), one of many Halls to populate Letcher and surrounding counties. My maternal grandmother was MARY "POLLY" (FRANKLIN) HALL (1884-1989). They are pictured at the left, shortly after their marriage in 1905.

As I traced the pedigree chart back in time -- and as I explored the collateral lines through marriages -- it was obvious that my own family tree was thoroughly intertwined with many of the pioneer families that settled the "back country" highlands of Southwestern Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, and East Tennessee, following the trail blazed by Daniel Boone and other "long hunters" out of western North Carolina.

When the Letcher County Historical and Genealogical Society published the two-volume "Family Histories of Letcher County" (now out of print) in 1995, I had a wonderful resource to flesh out the picture of the intermarriages and collateral lines of my Hall and Franklin trees. But I also discovered that the hundreds of "family group" submissions had not been cross-indexed in any database. I have slowly undertaken that project. In the process, I have discovered -- and sometimes had pointed out by others bluntly! -- that there were many errors and even more undocumented claims.

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©2001-2004 Dan C. Mohn. All rights reserved.
Revised: December 26, 2005.