THE CORN AND MASSIE FAMILIES’ RECOLLECTIONS
Jackson Standard, Jackson, Ohio, 20 Feb 1873
A couple of weeks ago, the Ironton Register stated that there were four men in one family in Lawrence County: Big Jep, Little Jep, Old Jep, and Young Jep. Also, men named Green Corn, Yaller Corn, and Pop Corn. The Jeps were the Massie family, who formerly lived in this county. I knew four men known by the same names, but as Old Jep has been dead many years, others no doubt have taken the names. Big Jep was sometimes known as “Long Mountain Jep.”
When I remember, Moses Massie lived half a mile west of McDaniel’s Switch. Thomas Massie lived where Henry Thomas now lives, and in Oak Hill, Robbin Massie lived where Joseph Phillips now lives. A few years afterward, Jepthah Massie settled on the Evan O. Davis farm, half a mile south of where Jefferson Furnace is now. These men were all brothers and came from West Virginia, perhaps from Monroe County. Their father’s name, I think, was Jepthah, or as they pronounced it, Jepter. I think there were twelve brothers in all.
The four in this county were large, healthy men with large families. Thomas Massie’s wife was a McDaniel, sister of Levi McDaniel, the Baptist preacher. Moses Massie’s wife was a sister of Bazil Lewis, a man of considerable talent and perhaps the first Baptist preacher who ever resided in this county. He had many controversies with old Dr. McNeel about baptism. Robbin Massie’s wife was a sister of James Phillips, father of Joseph Phillips, while the wife of James Phillips was a sister of Bazil Lewis and Rebecca Massie, wife of Moses Massie.
The Massies were quite good citizens and most kind and obliging neighbors. Old Tom Massie was the laziest man (except his brother-in-law Jim Humphreys) who lived in Jackson County, Ohio. He was so lazy that when he went to a neighbor’s house, he would lie on the floor instead of sitting in a chair.
When cutting wood at the furnace, I spent many nights in the “shanty” with Ol Jep Massie and his five sons, Tom, Alec, Bill, Jep, and Ed. Old Jep was just the man with whom a boy liked to camp. Always kind and agreeable, he would tell marvelous hunting and fighting stories for hours, the scenes in West Virginia’s wilds. It was, to me, vastly more interesting than the best-written novels, not except the wonderful writing of Dickens.
Well, there was Old Jep and his son, Young Jep. Little Jep was the son of Moses Massie, while Big Jep was the son of Old Robbin Massie. The families all removed to Greasy Ridge, Lawrence County, thirty to thirty-five years ago.
I knew Green Corn but had never heard of Yaller Corn or Pop Corn. Jesse Corn was, for some years, our nearest neighbor. He had five sons by his first wife: Harrison, Henry, Henderson, Hiram, and Harvey. He would commence the names of all his boys with the letter H. He wanted to call the oldest son of his second wife, Hamilton, to go through with his favorite letter, but his wife objected. The boy was named Greenville. This is perhaps the Green Corn of the Register. He then had Clark and other sons, whose names I forget.
Big Jep Massie married Lucy Corn, Jesse’s sister, and I was at the wedding when I was a little boy. I intended to describe this wedding, as it was conducted as all weddings then were among the more respectable citizens of the south part of this county, but as this article is long enough, I must wait until next week.
Jackson Standard – Jackson, Ohio 8 June 1882
The Deputy Sheriff was out in Mason Township the other day and inquired for Bob Massie, whereupon he was asked, “Which Bob Massie – Old Moses’s Bob, Deaf Jonathan’s Bob, College Bob, Aunt Lucy’s Bob, Bradhaw’s Bob, Long Bob, Long Creek Bob, Aleck’s Bob, Jim’s bob, Greasy Ridge Bob, Bob Massie’s Bob or Bob L. Massie?” The Deputy whipped up his horse and, as he disappeared, was whistling, “Massie’s in the cold, cold ground – not much.” – Ironton Register.
About one hundred years ago, a man named Jephtha Massey lived on Coal River, now in West Virginia. He had twelve sons, four of whom, Moses, Thomas, Robert, and Jephtha, settled in the south part of Jackson County about sixty years ago. They were large, healthy men and had numerous sons and daughters. They were quiet, peaceable, good citizens.
Thirty-odd years ago, they nearly all removed to the Greasy Ridge in Mason Township, Lawrence County. Jephtha was a very common name among them, and they pronounced it Jepter, and for short, Jep. There was Old Jep, Old Je’s Jep, Big Jep, Little Jep, Long Mountain Jep, &c. Robert, Thomas, Moses, and Alexander were common names among them. They spelled their name Massey when in this county and not Massie.
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