Last Saturday, February 23, 2019, I took a trip to Wayland, Kentucky, in Floyd County to do some research in the Wayland Historical Society records and to meet and spend time with two newly learned cousins on the Allen side of my genealogy. Sam Bradley and his grandson Alexander Allen, who are both interested in genealogy, coal camp and UMWA history, and the history of the Floyd, Knott, and Wayland areas. We met and spent about two hours or so searching the records in the Elkhorn Coal Company personnel files which were miraculously saved from being lost by the fortunate accident of having been found in an abandoned building by someone with enough foresight to donate them to the historical society. The Wayland Historical Society is located in the Wayland, Kentucky, city hall and it also has decent museum of probably close to 2,000 square feet with a large, but somewhat disorganized collection of items related to the history of the coal camps in the area and to the growth of Wayland.
We spent a lot of time getting to know each other, sharing our common political ideas in favor of democracy, trade unionism, and Democratic politics. I was amazed to find the personnel records of several members of my family including my father, Ballard Hicks; my maternal grandfather, Woots Hicks; my maternal uncle, Mabry Hicks; my maternal uncle by marriage, Corbett "Carbide" Terry; and several others whom I had known when I was a child. I was able to copy these records and will use them to further my knowledge of my own genealogy; the history of Wayland, Beaver Creek, and Floyd County; and the history of the United Mine Workers in Eastern Kentucky. Since Sam Bradley and I knew dozens of people in common it was both wonderful to share stories and a bit confusing to realize that we are roughly the same age and had never met. I look forward to returning to the historical society to research further in their collections and spend more time with Sam Bradley and Alexander Allen.
I would strongly recommend that anyone who likes to learn about the history of the coal industry, Beaver Creek, Wayland, Floyd County, or the United Mine Workers contact the Wayland Historical Society and schedule a time to visit there and possibly research their collection. I do have some misgivings that the historical society has a small number of members, appears to not necessarily be well funded, and could be dealt with less favorably by future administrations in city hall. If you find it in your heart to do so, it would greatly appreciated if you could make a donation, however small, to the Wayland Kentucky Historical Society. Here is their contact information if you should find it in your heart to mail them a contribution, call for access to their records, or simply send them a post card to say thank you for working to preserve the history of Eastern Kentucky. 2662 KY Route 7, Wayland, Kentucky, 41666, (606) 358-9471.
