La Posta January 2002 33
cording to May Stone, the co-founder of the Hindman of twenty offices have not yet been accounted for, and
Settlement School, in their 1941 manuscript study of three very early offices have not been located. Twenty-
some eastern Kentucky stream and community names, six offices had names not originally intended for them.
it was named for the historical witches of Salem, Ten served communities or neighborhoods with other
Massachusetts. (There’s not much likelihood of its names. Two had name changes.
having been named for a Knott County witch.)
Footnotes
The Amelia post office was established on June 14,
1
Knott’s four mother counties came together near
1902 by William Riley Amburgey on Little Carr, some
Hindman, its somewhat centrally located and enduring
four miles below Bath. Since his first name prefer-
county seat. From Letcher came the valleys of upper
ence Oak was in use in Bell County, Amburgey had to
Carr and the Right Fork of Troublesome; from Perry
find another name, but whose is not known. No Amelias
came the area along the lower Troublesome, and lower
are listed in any of the Amburgey family histories. By
Carr; from Floyd came the area of the Right Fork of
1913 this office had been moved to Breedings Creek,
Beaver and its Salt Lick, Jones Fork, and Caney Creek
to the vicinity of the recently closed Witch, where, in valleys; and from Breathitt came the upper Quicksand
watershed.
mid-May 1916, it too ceased to operate.
2
A separate 2 ¾ mile long Carr Fork branch was long
Conclusion
known as Betty’s Troublesome Creek. But who was
Betty? We can probably rule out James Still’s suggestion
Of Knott’s eighty-five post offices (including the five
of the early practice of summer burning of the natural
that operated wholly before the county’s establish-
gas on the creek’s waters which might have given the
ment), sixteen (Hindman, Pippa Passes, Mousie, Sas-
name Bettnig (Anglo-Saxon for oil). How many early
safras, Garner, Topmost, Leburn, Vest, Redfox,
settlers would have known this?
3
Emmalena, Littcar, Mallie, Kite, Carrie, Fisty, and Pine The more centrally located Forks of Troublesome was
considered preferable to the two other contenders for theTop) survive. The first two serve currently incorpo-
new county seat – sites on Right Beaver and Carr Fork.
rated places. At least thirty offices were the foci of
4
The Hoeing 1890 state map identifies this vicinity as
once viable communities (several still are). Most of
Cornett, perhaps for the family of Manton and W.R.
the others served local schools, churches, and/or stores.
Cornett, the first Sassafras postmasters. In the earlier
In addition, two offices were formally established but
Crandall and Hodge (1884) and Hoeing (1886)
southeast Kentucky maps, it’s actually identified asdid not operate: Amburgey on Little Carr (1898) and
Cornett Post Office.
Elizabeth Hall’s inexplicably named and unlocated
5
See Robert M. Rennick’s Place Names of Pike
Hattie whose June 11, 1906 authorization was re-
County, Kentucky, Lake Grove, Or: The Depot, 1991,
scinded the following March.
P.72.
6
Twenty-eight offices were named for local or area per-
Ibid, The Post Offices of the Upper Big Sandy Valley,
sons/families, while three honored well known non- Lake Grove, Or: The Depot, 2001.
7
Coburn’s first name choice Salt Lick was then, as
local persons, and two may have borne the names of
now, in use by a Bath County office.
Post Office Department employees from outside the
8
Hippo was re-established in 1926 in Floyd County,
region. Geographic or descriptive words were given
some 2 ½ miles up Brush Creek, another Right Beaver
to eight offices. Distant places accounted for three
branch. (see Rennick, op.cit. )
names, while ten offices were given the names of local
9
The Bolyn family, and apparently John M. Too,
or nearby streams, and anther was named for the moun-
variously spelled their name Bolyn, Bolen, and Boleyn.
tain in which it was located. Two names had literary 10
According to Mousie Martin Gibson (1896-1976), the
origins; two more referred to local industries; another
name source, her name had been suggested by her
may have been that of a product then in use by local
grandfather W.J. Martin since she had an older sister
women; and one is said to have had sentimental sig- Kitty. Mousie, however, is not an uncommon given
name in eastern Kentucky.
nificance to its namer. One office may have been named
11
Slones in the Caney valley and elsewhere in the
for a local animal; another for a local church; and a
county have variously spelled their name Slone, Sloan,
third, according to local tradition, for the witches of
and Sloane.
Salem, Mass. One name was corrupted from its origi-
12
Just three weeks before the establishment of Knott
nal referent. Several explanations, equally valid, have
County’s Weissert post office, another office, in Custer
been offered for yet another. The names
County, Nebraska, was opened in this name. It’s said
that the preferred name for the Nebraska office,
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