Fried Potatoes, Mustard Greens, Fat Back, Soup Beans, and Cornbread. . .

When Kentucky was established as a new state in June 1792, the mountains of Eastern Kentucky was virtually wilderness; traveled only by lone trappers and hunters. Soon afterward, permanent settlers began to show up in these mountains. They came mostly from North Carolina and Virginia; they entered Kentucky through “Cumberland Gap” and “Pound Gap”.

Accepting this review of the migratory routes available to immigrants at that time in history, one can reasonably conclude that such early pioneers as Arthur Adams. John V. Borders. Hezekiah Sellards, Thomas Wiley, and others traversed at least one of these major passageways.

As children we heard stories of the hardships faced by these early pioneers- - - cold weather, short supplies, sickness, inadequate housing, poor sanitation and death. Once settled, other problems included bears eating their calves and pigs, wolves killing the sheep, foxes, hawks and eagles eating the chickens, and many other problems that can now only be imagined. Out of this struggle for survival came a way of life that persisted in many ways, right up to the early years of the 20th Century. If permitted to visualize what may have occurred when our ancestors settled in Kentucky, one may extrapolate from the few remarks we can recall from our grandparents and other relatives--

“They came into Kentucky by ox-wagon and on mules over roads which were really no more than narrow paths used by the wild animals and their hunters. Part of the way they made the trails over territory through which it didn’t seem possible that anyone had been before.  They settled in a section of Eastern Kentucky that was still known in 2003 as Irish Creek. At Irish Creek, before and after the Civil War, they made their living by farming on the hilly terrain of that part of the country. A few of the men worked in the coalmines, and they supplemented their income by trapping and hunting, and selling the animal hides, as the hills were full of wild animals--”

It wasn't until 1923, at the age of 31, when Elijah and Pearlie Jane Adams moved their family from Chattaroy, West Virginia to Ohio. Elijah was in pursuit of finding a means of support of his growing family without having to rely on intermittent work in the coalmines. Work in the mines had become erratic due to several strikes by the miners. During the walkouts, he and some relatives would travel to a farming area north of Chillicothe, OH near Hallsville and Kingston, OH each fall of the year to cut corn during a strike period. The demand for seasonal hired hands was great during that time of the year when the crops were harvested. This was an opportunity for Elijah to return to an occupation he enjoyed, and a vocation that was deep rooted in the Adams' heritage. The following contribution from Aunt Opal (Adams) Forrester is representative of many memories we can all recall and share: