The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-25
AR E7E M,
Broadway & 9th st,
TWELVE THOUSAND IN ONE FAMILY.
They Arc the webbs and Their Relatives in
Lctchcr County, NY.

" nc ~ Oht HfpuOttu
JEFFERsoNvILLE, Ind, July l7.-With hardly
an exception. every resident of Letchter. a little
county in eastern Kentucky. is related. directly
o. indirectly, to the Webb family. which makcs
that family without doubt tho most remarkable
one In the United States. There arc six surviv-
ing children of Benjamin Webb, the original
settler. and their immediate descendants are
legion. They are as follows: Aunt Lefty, aged
go. who has 80 grandchildren. so great-grand-
children, and an even dozen great-great-grand-
Aunt Polly, 80 years of age. who has Q living
children. 20 grandchildren, As great-grandchil-
grandchildren. She married very early In life
and her husband was killed in the war.
the fact that his descendants o%ufnumber those
house where he now lives-built more than sixty
were nineteen children born to him. sixteen OF
them are still living, He has $50 grandchil-
great-grandchildren. all OF whom live within
ten miles Of the old gentleman.
Ave winters. but Is still able to ride over the
mountains to visit his best girl-his sisterin-law,
BY the way; For I'VE years Uncle Miles has ?,
again marrying. He has II children all mar.
ried and having large families. He cannot tell
A reasonable estimate. he says, gives him 100
grandchildren, 70 ,great-grandchildren. and 10
grandchildren.
Aunt Sally. though 70 years old, is known as
n worker. Her husband. aged IS, is still living.
They have - children, 80 grandchildren. go
great-grandchildren. and 20 great-great-grand-
Uncle Wiley is the boy of the family. He 10
II, and has been n widower for seven years. He
has IL. children, IS grandchildren. 80 great
regrets the fact that his descendants do not ex-
tend to the fifth generation. He Is thinking
seriously OF marrying again and is very wealthy.
live there are about 500 Of their descendants.
and OF the 10000 population OF the county. 1t 10
said the degree of consanguinity can DO traced
easily en TTnn to prove sh them al al relatives ,Ss q each
came to be related, either directly or indirectly,
TO the Webb family. is as follows: The first set
tier in that district was Benjamin Webb. a man
Kentucky from Ashe county. n. c., about 1889
or 1890. Soon after three families-the Crafts.
Adamses and Halbrookes-settled near Webb.
and members of the ~latter's fNgnily married into
each of the three new families and their progeny
intermarried.
Aunt Polly is as spry as a girl. and thinks
nothing OF q ffteen.niile walk. She often takes
long rides alone over the mountains on a visit to
relatives. A few years ago Jason took his first
ride in u train. going to Tennessee. and the limo
walton in his life is still a source OF pleasure to
the old man. But two of them. Jason and Wiley,
ever saw q car.
Aunt Sally, because OF the long illness of her
husband. for years managed the farm. and 1t
was an ordinary sight to see her on her way to
mill with "A bushel OF corn on her shoulder. The
father OF these old people, Benjamin Webb. was
q first cousin of the noted pioneer, Daniel Boone.
He was an eccentric character and at the siege
OF Yorktown he was wounded, as IL was thought,
but after many months he recovered.
As might be imagined. the little county is q
small kingdom. over which the elder Webbs arc
political monarGhs. Should u Webb aspire to an
off, 60, the result is easily fOretold. There I'M
doubtcdly Is not another such state OF affairs
existing in any locality in the country.