The Spiker Family Gathering Place

Return to the CURRENT EDITION
of the Spiker Gazette

Written by:  Bobbi Spiker-Conley

     I ran across this fascinating photo from my mother's albums. She labeled it "Horn Creek Baptist Church Cemetery, Gilmer County, WV. Marion Bukey & Alice buried here." Of course, she was referring to our great-grandparents, Marion Bukey and Alice (Bush) Zinn.

     While searching for additional information about this cemetery, I "met" Nancy (Stewart) Allman online. She told me "The lumber for the Horn Creek Baptist Church was cut and sawed from Marion Bukey Zinn's farm on Sugar Camp Road, near Coxs Mills, Gilmer County, WV. The leftover lumber was then used to build Henry and Tensie Fay (Zinn) Allman's home. My husband, Arden, is their grandson. We now live in that house." (Editor's note: Tensie Fay is also our great-aunt -- one of Grandmother Gay's sisters.)

Circa 1905, Coxs Mills, Gilmer County, WV.   Photo courtesy of Nancy & Arden Allman
Pictured (l to r) father Henry Irvin Allman (1874-1944) son James Marion Allman (1903-1955) 
daughter Joy A. Allman (1899-1991) and mother Tensie Fay (Zinn) Allman (1875-1958)

Spring 2012, Coxs Mills, Gilmer County, WV. Photo courtesy of Nancy & Arden Allman

Photo courtesy  -		Photo courtesy -
Photo courtesy Connie Majilka - 2010		Photo courtesy Nancy Allman
Photo courtesy Connie Majilka - 2010		Photo courtesy Nancy Allman

     In the Gilmer County, West Virginia History and Genealogy Group on Facebook, Edwin and Vernon Ware remembered that their father, Page Ware  (1910-1992,) originally built and erected a cross on the hill at the cemetery. After it rotted away, Rodney Williams put up the cross seen in the photos above (per Nancy Allman.)

    We've opened the link to Horn Creek on our Churches and Cemeteries page. You can view it here. 

*  Submitted by Bobbi Spiker-Conley -- The Annual Ramp Dinner at the South Fork Grange in Berea, WV (near Willa Dean Bonnell Spiker's childhood home) is Saturday, April 21. The family-style meal begins at 2:00 PM and continues until the food runs out, so get there early.

The menu includes ham, potatoes, ramps, ramp salad, soup beans, cornbread, applesauce, horseradish pickles, cake, and coffee or iced tea.

Adults $15
Children (under 10) $5

♦  Submitted by Bobbi Spiker-Conley -- Reminder that the Annual Spiker Family Reunion is Sunday, May 27. Bonus visitors this year -- we have received confirmation that Gary W. Zinn and Ken Zinn (and probably his wife too) will be attending for the first time. Be sure to give them a hearty welcome.

EDITOR'S NOTE - Publication updated September 2018 to add photo of the Allman home as it appeared in the Spring of 2012.