When I was a child, my grandfather lived with our family. His presence attracted visitors and relatives who liked to rehash "the old days."
If I was very quiet, they forgot I was in the room. I heard all of the gossip, scandals and strange things that happened to the family. But I liked best hearing them tell the old folk tales and ghost stories that were popular among North Carolina mountain people. Their stories prompted me to read books on folk tales and ghosts and to love history.
More than anything, I wanted t o s ee a r eal ghost or to visit a haunted place.
When I began working on my family's genealogy, Imade a thrilling discovery.
I am a descendent of a man who is supposed to be a ghost. I visited his grave, but he didn't make an appearance.
Abraham Kuykendall lived in Henderson County. Because of his service in the Revolu-tionary War, he was giv-en a land grant. He was a shrewd businessman who owned a prosper-ous tavern and inn. He was suspicious of paper money and accepted only coins in payment.
When his wife died, he married a younger woman who loved to spend the money he kept in chests at home. Determined to save his money, Abraham hid it in the woods near Pheasant Creek. When he was about 94, he wanted money for a business venture and went to retrieve it.
Unfortunately, he fell, hit his head and died. No one ever found his money. Old Abraham is supposed to haunt an area near the creek.
If you "Google" Abraham Kuykendall buried treasure, you will find many different accounts of this story. Some are more accurate than others.
If you are interested in ghosts, folk tales or genealogy, Hickory Public Library has an array of materials to satisfy your curiosity. Those materials are in both the nonfiction and fiction areas. In Patrick Beaver Memorial Library's genealogy room, we have resources to help you find your ancestors. Who knows, you might be kin to a ghost, too.
Hickory Public library is a department of the city of Hickory. Patrick Beaver Memorial Library and Ridgeview Branch Library are open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can reach the genealogy department at 304-0500 x-7283.
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