Cabell Creek Community

The third settler on Cabell Creek was Billy Adams. This farm is still held 

by his descendants, children of Frank Adams. Next came Billy Bowen and 

David Smith. Smith located on what is now the Henry Jordan farm and Billy 

Bowen on what is called the John Jordan place. 

John M. Arthur, son of Thomas, and father of John V. William, and Margaret 

Arthur Gibson, entered land on Cabell Creek so that he might have the 

right to vote. In very early history of this state, a man could vote if he 

owned a horse, many men, but none of Cabell Creek Community as I have 

learned, made shaving horses and swore that they owned a horse in order to 

vote. Later on it became necessary, that one owned land before he would be 

given the right of franchise. So John M. Arthur a very loyal American, not 

to be outdone in this right, entered the land upon which his son John V. 

and Joseph McComas now live. 

Wild animals were plentiful in early history. The boys, who had to hunt 

for the cows which roamed at large through the forests, had to be ever 

watchful, for wolves and panthers could be heard in any direction. One 

night Thomas Arthur was awakened by the barking of his watch dog that was 

guarding the sheep in the sheepfold. By the time he could get to him the 

wolves had torn the dog to pieces. Not only were wild animals numerous but 

venomous snakes as well. Doctors were scarce and hard to get so that the 

settlers had to learn much in the way of doctoring themselves. One day 

while hunting along Mud Lick near the present Yoho residence, Thomas 

Arthur and his hunting dog were bitten by a rattle snake. He knew it would 

be death for him if he took a drink or did not do some thing at once, so 

he ate all the powder from his hunting horn then lay in the stream. His 

eyes soon swelled shut and his tongue swelled out of his mouth. Sometime 

in the night he was found crawling up stream. His dog was found dead where 

it had gotten a drink from the stream. 

Churches

The first preaching ever held on Cabell Creek was at the Jerry Blake home, 

held by a circuit rider, Charles Carrol, who also preached at Henry 

Marsdin's where Jim Chapman now resides on Barker Ridge, and at Daniel 

Spurlock's on Spurlock Creek. 

Preaching services in those days were held in homes. Later on, vacant 

dwellings were used for churches, the seats, being made from lynn logs 

with pegs for legs. 

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