Three Forks of the Kentucky River Historical Association

Biography

Stephen Fields

What I Know About the Fields Family
By Phillip H. Fields

Published April 21, 1932, in The Cumberland Empire,
A Quarterly of the Historical Society of Southwest Virginia

Submitted by Betty Mackey

All I know about the Fieldses in Kentucky is what my grandfather and great-grandfather told me. Therefore I can only give a brief sketch, but I hope it will be of value to the present and future generations.

My great-grandfather's name was Stephen and he was born and raised in Tennessee according to my information. He married there and had a family, all young when the idea got into his head to move to Kentucky. So sometime about the year 1818, or 1821, he armed himself with a flintlock rifle and a chopping axe and as much provisions as he could handy carry and started out alone across the mountains to locate a new home for himself and family.

After days of travel on foot over the hills and through the narrow valleys, he came to Mace's Creek in Perry County. There he chose to build his future home.

So he built a one-room round-log cabin. Did this all alone, with no tools save the axe he carried with him. At that time he had never seen a nail, so of course the house didn't have a nail in it. The roof! Why he split out boards, using the axe blade as a frow, laid them on the ribs and weighted them down with poles and heavy stones. That used to be the way all houses were covered here in the mountains.

After great-grandfather had his house finished he returned to Tennessee for the family.

At the time of the moving to Kentucky my grandfather, Mahleon Fields, was only two years old. It was decided that he had better be left behind with relatives, grandparents, I guess, until such a time as the family was settled in their new home. Seems strange that a father and mother would leave their two year old baby and strike off into the wilderness across hundreds of miles, not knowing if they would ever see him again. But that is what they say they done.

Anyway they started for their new home with just what they wore, could carry on their backs and what little stuff they crammed in their budgets which the womenfolks had made by whipping up some bed sheets and the men folks tying them on the backs of the one horse, cow and calf which they had brought along. That must have been a strange calvacade!

They arrived safely on Mace's Creek. And there great-grandfather spent his life.

Four years after they had settled in Kentucky, great-grandfather went back to Tennessee and brought little Mahleon home. That was the last trip great-grandfather ever made to his native state.

By his first wife, Stephen Fields had a large family of children. The boys were James, George and Mahleon, the girls were named Sally, Rebecca, Minerva, Polly, and Winnie.

After the death of his first wife, he married Susie Thomas and had one son by her. His name was Cornelius.

James Fields married and settled on Big Creek in Perry County, and raised a large family.

George joined the Confederate Army and was never heard of again.

Mahleon, my grandfather, married Mary Setser and settled on Mace's Creek, about one mile above his father. He too raised a large family.

The girls, daughters of my great-grandfather, all married. Sally married William Standifer, and raised a large family. A few of her children are still living in Perry County near where they were born.

Rebecca married William Miller and moved to Clark County. They had a large family.

Minerva married Benjamin Collins and they raised a large family.

Winnie married Aaron Collins and she also raised a large family.

My grandfather, Mahleon Fields, counted among the first settlers of Perry County, told me how he raised family. He liked to talk about the old times. He could not write a line, but he was well read for his day.

People will probably wonder why folks wanted to pull up and come into the wilds of Kentucky to live, when they were doing pretty well where they were. But that is easy to explain. At that time the Upper Kentucky River country was a paradise for the hunter, abounding in deer, bear and wild turkeys.

Grandfather said the worst trouble was in making corn meal, which was the only sort of bread they had in those days. He had to beat the corn into meal. He told me how he would get up early in the morning and commence to beat his corn. While he was at it he could hear hundreds of turkeys gobbling, answering the sound of his mortor. But with all these hardships to contend with he brought up a large, strong and healthy family.

The oldest son, Anderson Fields was my father. He married Clarinda Hall, daughter of Philip W. Hall, whose life sketch was published in the Cumberland Empire for April of this year. I am their oldest child and named for my grandfather Hall.

Grandfather Fields had other sons besides my father. Their names were: Jason, Davis, Hiram, Henry, and Dock. He named his girls: Martha, Hulda, Matilda, Clarissa, and Mary.

I remember my great-grandfather very distinctly. I have often heard him tell about coming to Kentucky and some things about the family. He said he had six brothers, all of whom, but one, came to Kentucky about the same time he did. One of his brothers named Esau, came with him and lived with him all his life, never marrying.

The others settled in different parts of Kentucky, all but one who settled in West Virginia.

One, and maybe two, settled in Carter County, and one settled in Letcher County. They never knew much about one another after coming to Kentucky as the country was wild and no roads over which to travel; and there was no mail service.

I believe all the Fieldses in East Kentucky belong to the same family.

-Transcribed by Betty Thomas Finger