“Uncle Bob” Blevins in Jail
At 105 - - But only as a guest!
Robert (Uncle Bob) Blevins of Weeksbury who says he is 105 years old and produces the figures to confound any doubting Thomases, last Wednesday spent the night in jail here.
No, he hadn’t been cutting capers unbecoming to a man of his years; he was the guest of his longtime friend and jailer Everett Collins.
In fact Uncle Bob Blevins is a deeply religious man and has been a member of the United Baptist Church since he was 16 years old. “ I never was in jail as a prisoner” he stated last Thursday morning but one time in my life that was when I was a youngster, I shot at a spot across the road and killed a horse by mistake.
No, Uncle Bob laughed, he wasn’t that reckless with a gun ordinarily. In younger days he could use a “Hawg Riffle” with such dexterity that he could fetch a squirrel from the highest tree by “BARKING” it; that is by shooting between the squirrel and the limb of the tree on which the squirrel laid, killing the squirrel without drawing blood.
Mr. Blevins stopped here to spend the night with jailer Collins while in route from his home to visit his brother Elisha Blevins of Johnson County; and to make a pilgrimage to the graves of his wife and daughter at Paintsville.
Slight of figure, a little stooped by the weight of years, slightly hard of hearing, minus any spectacles and a cane, which often are the trademarks of advanced age, but not Uncle Bob, he looks no more than 80 years. Uncle Bob solemnly assures all that he was born in Johnson County on February 26, 1841. Moreover, he will tell you: My mother, Polly Ann Meade Blevins was 14 years old when she married my father, Lewis Blevins. She always told me she was 15 when I was born. She died at the age of 96, 24 years ago, and then he reminds one to subtract 15 from 96 to get her age at the time of her death and to add 24 to that to arrive at his age now.
A relative expressed the belief that Uncle Bob may be a little mistaken in his age, honestly mistaken, because I don’t believe he is over 100 or 101 the relative stated. Whatever his age the Weeksbury patriarch is a very interesting character. Medicine he does not “use”, prayer is his daily treatment. Night and morning I thank the Lord.
Uncle Bob has only been confined to bed three times with illness. He chews tobacco and drinks coffee and he eats anything he wants to, meat when I can get it. I’ve got seven pretty good teeth left he proudly adds.
Whiskey, the last drink I took was when I was going to see my wife. His wife, Marsha King Blevins died around a quarter of a century ago, when she and Uncle Bob lacked only 10 days of having been married 50 years.
Mr. Blevins is pure Eastern Kentucky. He has been out of this section only twice in his life, once to Huntington, West Virginia and again for a short spell to Wise County Virginia. His recollections extend to pre-civil war days and onward through the coming of the first steamboat up the Big Sandy, trains, and the transition of roads from mountain trails to modern highways, the pillage of the hills for the timber and later the burrowing of the wealth that lay under the hills. Through all of this Uncle Bob stuck to the quiet, even tenor of a farmers life until the infirmities of age forced him into looking on it all from the peaceful shade of his front porch or a tree in his yard. During my interview at the jail the youngest son and daughter of Butler Spivey (jail attendant), ran and through theirs arms the visitor’s neck. Holding them so Uncle Bob recalled that he once had been a “great” singer and that folks don’t these days sing the old-time songs as they use to sing them. Then holding the children he sang in a strong voice a simple hymn of undaunted faith and bright hope.
At Weeksbury Uncle Bob lives with his grandson Virgil Blevins. He has been a resident of the Left Beaver Creek mining town for 28 years. His five children are scattered and he doesn’t see them often. Dock lives at Weeksbury, Floyd at Tram, Harrison at Springfield, Ohio, Garfield at Van Lear, and Ben at Man, West Virginia. This trip may be my last to Paintsville, Mr. Blevins remarked. I’m getting old you know!!
One last question Uncle Bob, what is your politics? I’m a Republican he replied. My brother was elected jailer in Johnson Co. on the Republican ticket but if there is a good man on the other ticket, I will vote for my country. You were a Roosevelt man weren’t you a bystander interpolated, “YOU HAPPY RIGHT I WAS” the grand old-timer responded.
Hello friend,
Yes my ancestors were pillars of Johnson, Floyd and Lawrence counties. I think the Elisha in this case is the brother to my Great Grandfather Robert. The Elisha I'm looking for is the grandfather to the 11 people listed below. Above is an article on my great grandfather that the Prestonsburg paper did on in 1946. This man lived with my parents and me until his death in 9/1948.
Regards,
1. Robert Blevins born: 26 FEB 1855 in Johnson Co., KY
2. Lydia Blevins Born: 1857 in Johnson Co., KY
3. William W. Blevins born: 25 SEP 1859 in Johnson Co., KY
4. Solomon Blevins born: 23 NOV 1861 in Johnson Co., KY
5. Samuel J. Blevins born: MAR 1863 in Johnson Co., KY
6. Cynthia Ella Blevins born: 1865 in Johnson Co., KY
7. Elisha N. Blevins born: 1869 in Johnson Co., KY
8. John S. Blevins born: DEC 1872 in Johnson Co., KY
9. Levi Blevins born: 6 JUN 1874 in Johnson Co., KY
10. George Blevins born: JAN 1878 in Johnson Co., KY
11. Sarah J. Blevins born: DEC 1879 in Johnson Co., KY
Augie would love to hear from anyone with connections to this family.
