Family notes for Boaz ADKINS and Nina Melrose BLAIR Daniels p.109
Notes for Boaz ADKINS Boaz was born at Millard, KY, at the mouth of Biggs Branch, as Peter and Louisa
lived there at the time. Boaz's father, Peter was an ordained minister in the
Baptist Church (now Primitive Baptist) and was away from home much of the time.
The boys were in charge of the farming, and Boaz, later, liked to tell his
children about things they did to relieve the boredom of work. He also told of
'scrapes' that he and John, the two youngest sons, got into.
One cold winter day, a number of preachers had gathered at Peter's home and
spent the entire day discussing the Bible. John and Boaz were required to keep the
fire going but had to sit in the back of the room where it was cold and they
became very upset about it. After replenishing the fire several times, John
suggested a way to move the preachers back from the fire. Boaz agreed to the plan
and the next time they went to get coal, they mixed some black powder with it. The
next time they were called to fix the fire, they threw the mixture of coal and
black powder into the fireplace. Of course there was an explosion that threw most
of the hot coals out of the fireplace and scattered them around the room. As Boaz
told it, some of the preachers are still running from the explosion! The explosion
almost resulted in the house being burned down and they were severely punished,
but they remember the incident as fun.
When Boaz was in his twenties, it became necessary for him to join the army as he
and several others had been active in the Ku Klux Klan and were caught. The judge
offered all the chance to join the army or go to jail. All joined the army and
finished up in the Philippine Islands, and fought in the Spanish American war.
After returning home, Boaz decided to sell his part of the farm in Letcher
County, KY, to get money to pay his way through the University of Louisville
Dental School. After completing the training for his chosen profession, he
practiced dentistry in Letcher County for many years. A severe heart attack in
1941 forced him into retirement.
Boaz did not marry until he had finished dental school. He was 31 years of age
at this time and chose Nina Blair to be his wife. It was ironic that the judge
that forced him and the others to join the army, became his father-in-law!
Boaz and Nina lost their first two children. When the third son was born, the two
grandfathers were given the honor of naming the child. He was given the name
Blair, and has always said that his grandfather, Judge William Blair, saved him
from being named 'Billy Peter', the name suggested by his grandfather Peter.
Nina and Boaz lost two more children in infancy but raised eight into
adulthood.
Boaz was always very close to his children. He adored his daughters, and they
felt the same way about him. He was a very strict father, but was fair, when
disciplining his children, and they had great respect for him.
Boaz was a very patriotic man. He tried to enlist in the army in WWI, but was
turned down because of his age. He wrote to the Secretary of War offering his
services. The reply was that when they needed him they would send for him. He had
three sons in WWII.
After his retirement in 1941, Boaz tried to stay as active as his health would
permit. During WWII, he took the responsibility of delivering telegrams to the
people in Letcher County that had sons reported missing or killed in the war. [55]
Sources | 55. | Book, Joseph T Daniels, 1988, Adkins of Eastern Kentucky and surrounding areas, Private publication, Library of Congress LC control #:88194814 |
| 72. | Email, Sarah Dawn, 4 January 2007 |
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