Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1897-09-16
600 IN ONE FANNY
they Are the Webbs and Their Refa-
tfves I'm Letchter County. ky.

With hardly an exception every resi-
lent of Letchter, little county in eastJ
arH Kentucky, is related directly or
Indirectly, to the Webb family, which
makes that family without doubt the
most remarkable one in the United
States. There are six surviving chill
1ren of Benjamin Webb, the original
settler, and their Immediate descend
ants are legion They are as follows
Aunt Lefty, aged so, who has so grand
children, so great-grandchildrena and an
even dozen of great-great-grandch
iren.
Aunt Polly, So years of age. who has
sight living children, 20 grandchildren.
As great-grandchiidren and almost half
as many great-greatgrandch She
married very early in life snd her hus-
band was killed in the war;
Jason, who is but IS years of age. is
proud of the fact that his. descendants
outnumber those of any of his brothers
or sisters. In the same house where he
iives-buiit more than 60 years ago
he began housekeeping. and there We're
70 children born to him. Sixteen of
them are still living. He has $50 grand
children, so great-grandehildren and 90
great-great- grandchildren, all of whom
live within ten miles of the old gentle
man.
Uncle Miles has seen the SHOWS of IS
winters, but is still able to ride over the
mountains to visit his best girl-his
sister-in-faw, by the way. For five
years Uncle Miles has been a widower,
and he is thinking seriously of again
marrying. He has II children, all mar
ried and having large families. He can
not tell the exact number, but merely
estimates them. A reasonable estimate.
he says, gives him 100 grandchildren.
IS great-grandchi1dren and 40 great
great-grandchildren.
Aunt Sally. though IS years old, is
known as a worker. Her husband, aged
rs. is still living. They have Is children.
so grandchildren, 60 great-grandchil-
dren and 20 great-great-Erapdch
Uncle Wiley is the boy of the family.
He is II and has been wiClower for
seven years. He has IL children. 65
grandchildren, 30 Observation-Disclosures,
and the old gentleman very smuch re-
grets the fact that his descendants do
not extend to the fifth generation. He
is thinking seriously of marrying again
and is very wealthy.
Within the vicinity where these old
people live there are about 500 of their
| descendants, and of the ID 900 popuia-
| ton of the county it is said the degree of
consaguinity can be traced easily
enough TO prove them all relatives of
each other. The way in which all the
| nhabitants came to be related, either
directly or indirectly, to the Webb fam
| ily is as follows. The first settler in
that district was Benjamin Webb, a
| man with prolific family, who moved
| to the wilds of Kentucky from Ashe
county. North Carolina, about 1889 or
| 1890. Soon after three families-the
| Crafts, Adamses and Halbrookes-
| tied near Webb, and members of the
| latter's family married into each of the
| three new families and their progeny
| ntermarried.
Aunt Polly is as spry as girl, and
| thinks nothing of a 15-mile 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
train, going to Tennessee, and the ia
novation in his life is still a source of
| pleasure to the old man. But two of
hem, Jason and Wiley, ever saw car.
Aunt Sally. because of the long ILL
ness of her husband, for years managed
| the farm, and it was an ordinary sight
| to see her on her way to the mill with
| bushe1 of corn on her shoulder. The
father of these old people, Benjamin
| Webb, was n first cousin of the Motel
/ pioneer, Daniel Boone. He was an &c
centric character, and at the siege of
| Yorktown, he was wounded, as it was
thought. fatally. He was thrown among
the wounded, but after many months he
recovered.
As might be imagined, the little coun-
ty is small kingdom, over which the
felder Webbs are political monarchs.
| Should Webb aspire to an Office, the
result is easily foretolde There I'M
doubtedly is not another such state OF
affairs existing in any locality in the
| country.-St. Louis Republic.