Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Gone days of Gurdon

By Sam Callaway

Gurdon Times

March 10, 1906

In the early forties Bill McLelland, then a boy about 12 years old, was riding a horse beside a stallion, and (the) stallion reached his head around to bite the horse Bill was riding and grabbed Bill by the leg and bit it off just below the knee, and galloped off with his leg in its mouth.

This was too much for Bill and he said cuss words, and as the stallion ran along with his leg, said to his boy companion: Do you see that dn horse with my leg?

Bill was the grandfather of the McLelland boys who lived in Beirne. He was a rude boy, but he married and raised a nice family and was a good citizen. He passed away in the 60s or 70s.

Now in the late 30s or early 40s there lived near Boswell on a creek which took his name, Dr. Love, a man of high attainments though of singular habits, a fine physician and a skilled surgeon.

One of his boys broke his arm between the shoulder and elbow. Gangreen and mortification took place, and the doctor (Love) unjointed the arm at the shoulder and cured the boy unexpected to everybody. He contended that it was the only chance to save his boy.

The boy made a man of himself, but I lost sight of him during the (Civil) war. The old doctor passed his checks in the early 50s.

Among the early settlers was Dr. John Nelson, grandfather of Hayden Nelson, of Beirne.

He was what was called at that time a steam doctor. I recollect that he was sent of when I got my foot torn to pieces on a pair of trucks.

He came about midnight, gave me some laudanum and took a pair of scissors and clipped the leaders of my foot and sewed up part of my foot and bound up the balance. He certainly did me a good job.

The doctor was a Methodist preacher, and I have heard him preach many times. He preached several times at my great- grandmothers and sometimes at our house. He was a good man.

Also among the early settlers were the Stroopes: George, Jake Sr, William and Jake Jr. They were of German origin.

Old man George had 13 wives and survived them all but two, one of which quit him and the other was living with him when he died.

Eleven of his wives are buried in a row on Copeland Ridge on the west side of the Jim Norton place. Jacob Stroope Sr was the father of several children of which old man Perky Stroope is still living.

William Stroope, known as Uncle Billy, lived a near neighbor to my father, and he was a neighbor in the fullest sense of the word.

He, a grandson and several great-grandchildren are living east of Amity about five miles. His grandson, John Wesley Stroope, is a Holiness minister. He is a most excellent man and a true Christian. Jacob Stroope Jr was the father of W.S. Stroope of Murfreesboro, and Captain Lawson Stroope of Curtis. He went to Texas in the 50s and died shortly after going there.

John Stroope, brother of W.S. and Lawson Stroope (of course I do not remember) is the oldest native of Clark County and the next on the list is old man Isom P. Langley, who lives down in Beech Creek Township on Terre Noir Creek. The next is old man Field Huddleston of Hollywood, and your humble servant next, and in a few years more we will not be here to tell what happened with the Indians or a big bear story.

Uncle Sam, as he was familiarly known by everyone, was one of the oldest citizens in the county, and a most prominent character in the make-up of the countys history ...