Abraham Kuykendall - Elizabeth

The Kuykendall family was High Dutch. Abraham Kuykendall, came to what is now Henderson County, North Carolina, very late in life, and lived near the Mud Creek Church. He kept a tavern which furnished accommodations for those travelling the old State Road, which passed through that section, -- later selling the place to Samuel McGuffey, a son-in-law, and to Samuel King.

The tradition is that Abraham Kuykendall to be about 104 years old, and that his wife during the time he was a resident of this section was his second.

One of the most widely known traditions of early settlers is that when he sold his property near the church, Kuykendall received payment for it in gold coins At that time, there was no bank in Western North Carolina, and for safe keeping, the old man blind folded tow of his slaves, led them out through the forrest, and in dead of night, had them dig a hole and bury the money. Later, when he wished to visit the place, he was unable to remember or find its location, -- and that it was while searching for his buried treasure he fell and received injuries which resulted in his death. Search goes on at intervals to this day for the buried gold on Pheasant Branch.

The country near his home and mud Creek church was sparsely settled at the time Abraham Kuykendall died, and it has been said that trees were cut, split in half and used to wall and reenforce his grave, and so protect it from ravages of wild animals.

Abraham Kuykendall had been a member of the Tryon Militia when that county was created in 1770; later when it was divided to form Lincoln and Rutherford Counties, he was named on the commission to provide a court house for Rutherford, was a justice of the peace there, and belonged to its militia.

When the Committee of Safety was organized in Tryon County in 1775, he was a member of that, and during the Revolutionary War, served in Capt. Coburn's Company.

Some of his children were: Easter, Rebecca, a daughter, James, Simon and Jacob, Abraham Jr and Elizabeth.

© 2002

by Lee Case
Last updated on Sunday, November 10, 2002