The days of the Civil War were upon the land, and already the soldiers of both armies, in their hastily gotten-together uniforms, had ridden and marched into the little town of Grayson, in the lush valley of the Little Sandy River. They had taken things into their own hands, in a high-handed way, as young men do sometimes when they are suddenly vested with some authority.

Already the Union soldiers had taken over the newly built pretty church of the Methodist congregation and desecrated the sanctuary by keeping their horses there, and they had also confiscated Landsdowne Hall, a stately manor on the edge of town. Now they threatened to invade the courthouse, the proud structure built on a knoll that overlooked the business section of the little town. This first courthouse was presumably built – or started – in the year 1838, as old court records show the recording of the deed for the land on June 2, 1838.

Elias P. Davis, who was the County Court Clerk at the time as well as the Circuit Court Clerk – since the two offices were at that time combined – knew that a safe place must be found quickly for the court records, land deeds, marriage licenses, and all of the many records that make up a county court file. If these were destroyed, it not only would affect everyone who lived in Carter County, but it would have a bearing on the lives of all generations to come. Mr. Davis had begun his term of office in 1860.

Jacob Kibbey, the great-grandfather of Delbert V. Kibbey, a retired attorney, and of Mrs. Faye Cargo, who has during the past year returned to Grayson after many years of service on the western Indian reservations, was quartermaster of the Home Guards of Grayson, a group of men too old for military service. They had been organized for the purpose of protecting the citizens of the little town. On his farm out Carter City way, on Tygart Creek and near where the Old Charlotte blast furnace was built, were numerous caves along the cliffs and among the hilly terrain that surrounded the valley. Clear sparkling water from one of the caves was carried to the house for drinking and other purposes.

Since Jacob was around fifty-five years of age at the time of the beginning of the War, he sent his son, William A. Kibbey, to carry the court records from the courthouse out to the farm. There they hid them in a great hole or cave in a cliff on the farm, eighteen feet underground. This cliff was at the mouth of the lower cave on the farm. Along with the court records they put a loaded musket gun.

This farm has long since been owned by Robert and Trestle Adams, who celebrated their golden wedding anniversary last year. It had belonged to Mr. Adams’ father before the time of their marriage, as he brought Trestle there as a bride.

Another great-grandson of old Jacob Kibbey, William Ottis, or “W.O.” as he is known to all – brother of Faye and Delbert –lives on the home place that was owned by their father, Samuel Ezekiel Kibbey.

All during the War, William Kibbe also transported provisions from his father’s home to the Home Guards at Grayson, who used the courthouse as their headquarters. Allen Duncan was captain of the guards at Grayson and Herm Conley held a like position in Olive Hill. During the December term of Court in 1862, patrollers of the Home Guard were also appointed. At any rate, these are listed in the old records of that time as George W. Dickerson, Jackson B. Ward and James McGlone. The Honorable John McGuire had been seated as the County Judge in September of that same year.

Jacob Kibbey, whose wife was the former Malinda Everman, was a woodcutter and farmer by profession. In his prime, he could cut five cords of furnace wood per day with a poleaxe, which is similar to a large hatchet, having only one blade, and is common to country folk. A broad axe, or double-bit, has two blades.

He raised a large family of boys and girls there in the Tygart valley, Sarah, Harriett, Mildred and Amanda being his daughters. Of his six sons, only Thomas served as a soldier in the War, and was a first lieutenant in the 22nd Infantry. But William, likewise served – as we have said – faithfully guarding the court records and by the carrying of provisions to the Guard.

Lieutenant Kibbey was killed during the Battle of Vicksburg, and among the hometown boys who helped to bury him were Pierce Carver, Nelse Perry and Jim Fultz, who were in the same company. There is a beautiful heavy gold locket – much larger than are most lockets – in the family, that Lieutenant Kibbey sent back from the War to his sister Mildred, with his picture in it. This heirloom now belongs to Ruby Huffman, who was one of his sister Mildred’s children. Ruby, who was first married to a Mr. Martin, then later to a Mr. Ogden, now lives in St. Louis.

We have digressed from the court records, to bring you these details of the Kibbey family and the Home Guards, and now we digress again as the war was nearing the end, at least in Carter County, though the actual cease fire order was not to come before April of the following spring. On July 11, 1864, an order was issued to the Federal troops in and about Grayson to disband and take care of the grass, so that hay would be plentiful for the winter. On the same date the militia or Home Guard was issued an order to either disband or to at least have a two weeks furlough. War activities in and about Carter County were at a standstill.

Then finally the great War had reached a standstill and was over throughout all of the land, and it was time to return the court records back to the courthouse. Once again, William Kibbey was entrusted with them, and as he brought them and the musket out from their hiding place, he saw a squirrel frisking about a large poplar tree that was close by. Firing the musket, he killed the squirrel with the load that had been in the gun these four years or more. The papers had never been molested – there had been no occasion to use the gun.

It has been told that, before the records were returned to the courthouse, a trial was held there in the cave – the first after the War – because of the immediate necessity for a trial, but there has been no such record found of such a trial. It could well have been true.

I am indebted to Delbert Kibbey for much of the information for this story, as he has recently spent long hours at the courthouse reading over old records of the Civil War times. He has made notes as he went along, on the dates and the names of the men who served on the Home Guard. He has reread the deed of the land purchased for the purpose of building the courthouse, and he has jotted down the books and pages where he has found the material so that perhaps someday I, too, can read these fascinating old records. I owe him many thanks.

And to his sister, Mrs. Faye Cargo, I am indebted for the information as to the exact place where the records were hidden on her great-grandfather’s farm, and for other interesting bits of this story. She has loaned me notes, written from time to time during the latter years of her father’s life, when he was reminiscing, and she sat listening eagerly with pencil and note pad, as some day she hopes to complete a family history. I am most grateful for the use of these notes. Today – as then – there is always a bustle about the Carter County Courthouse, in a much-enlarged building than that present during the Civil War. This building was built sometime after the beginning of the century. The courthouse is the hub of interest in this county seat town of Grayson – as the courthouse is in most county seat towns. Clyde F. Johnston, the present County Court Clerk, is pleasant and helpful as he does the varied duties of recording the business of the day, a record for the present and the future generations of Carter County.

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