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Rev. Uncle Dyke Garrett

Rev. W. D. “Uncle Dyke” Garrett (1841-1938)

Rev. W. D. GarrettRev. Uncle Dyke Garrett was a widely known throughout Logan County. His preaching career spanned 55 years. He was a Confederate veteran and a member of the famous Logan Wildcats serving under Capt. Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield. When Garrett became a preacher, he became renowned for baptizing “Devil Anse” and for his statement, “Today, I baptized the devil”. Rev. Garrett also officiated at Devil Anse’s funeral in 1921. William Dyke Garrett was born at Big Creek in Logan County on Dec. 10, 1841 and died on May 29, 1938 at the age of 96. He is buried at the Garrett Cemetery.

Charleston Daily Mail, Sat. Feb. 19, 1938

Uncle Dyke Garrett and Wife Of Logan, Married 71 Years

By Mary Yvonne Scales

Logan, Feb 19 – “If I married 50 times, I’d marry Sallie every time.” That is the comment which is often made by Rev. W. D. (Uncle Dyke) Garrett about his wife, “Aunt Sallie” to whom he has been married 71 years today. For 62 years the two have lived on the site of their present home at Curry, near Chapmanville.

Uncle Dyke, a veteran of the Confederate army and a pioneer mountain preacher, was 96 last December. Mrs. Garrett celebrated her 90th birthday in November.

The Garretts are native Logan Countians, as were their mothers before them. Rev. Mr. Garrett’s parents were the late John Garrett and Eliza Godby Garrett. Mrs. Garrett is a daughter of the late William Smith and Mary Ann Butcher Smith. “Uncle Dyke” is the only surviving member of a family which there were 11 children and Mrs. Garrett is the only survivor of a family of seven children. Seven of their nine children are still living. The include the following, according to their ages: Elbert E. Garrett, of Lake; P.D. Garrett, of Curry; Jim Garrett, who lives at home; Mrs. Scott Justice, of Huntington; Mrs. John Ferrell, of Logan; Mrs Virgil O. Duffin, of Louisville, Ky.; Miss Ida Rose Garrett, of Huntington.

Rev. and Mrs. Garrett have 30 grandchildren and 28 great grandchildren. Five of their children were born at the site where they now reside, in a log cabin, which was replaced about 27 years ago by a modern farm house.

“Aunt Sallie” was a young school teacher when she became Mrs. Garrett. She taught husband how to read the Bible, because at that time he could neither read nor write. Industrious by nature, she was seamstress for her whole family, and made her first dress when she was 13 years old.

More than half of “Uncle Dyke’s” life has been devoted to public service, for which he refused to accept any financial remuneration. For more than a half a century, he went into the mountains “preaching the gospel,” visiting the sick, marring people and holding funeral services. The high mark of his career came with the baptism of “Devil Anse” Hatfield of the Hatfield-McCoy feud fame.

It has been only within the past seven years that Uncle Dyke has given up preaching altogether. And it has been about three years since he quit making frequent visits to Logan, when a standing joke with him, on the occasion of meeting friends and acquaintances, was: “Yes, I came to town. But I must go back to Sallie—the girl I left behind me.”

The couple enjoys having company. Not long ago a visitor inquired of Mrs. Garrett how a woman could manage to live with one man “that long.” Never at a loss for a ready reply, “Aunt Sallie” answered: “By having the patience of Job and the wisdom of Solomon.”

Obituary

Charleston Gazette, Mon, May 38, 1938

Rev. W.D. Garrett, 96, Dies in Logan
‘Uncle Dyke,’ Confederate Veteran, Passes Suddenly

Logan, May – (AP) – Rev. W. D. (Uncle Dyke) Garrett, veteran of the Confederate Army and a widely known mountain preacher, died at 3 a.m. today at his home near Curry, Logan County. He would have been 97 years old had he lived until December 10.

By his side at the end was his 90-year old wife, known throughout a number of West Virginia counties as Aunt Sallie. They observed on Feb. 19 the 71st anniversary of their marriage, which took place in Logan County where each was born and brought up.

Daughter Present – His Daughters, Mrs. Scott justice and Miss Ida Rose Garrett of Huntington and Mrs. John F. Ferrell of Logan, were present at his death. They had come for the Memorial Day weekend with no premonition of tragedy. Another daughter, Mrs. Virgil O. Duffin of Louisville, Ky., reached Huntington tonight en-route to Curry.

Also surviving are three sons, Elbert E. Garrett of Lake, Logan county, and Peter B. and James M. Garrett of Curry; 29 grandchildren and 31 great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at the residence tomorrow at 3 p.m. Rev. John Green McNeely will officiate. Burial will be in the family cemetery.

The son of John Garrett, whose father was one of the early settlers of Logan county. William Dyke Garrett was born , Dec. 10, 1841, in a farmhouse only a few miles from the scene of his death. When the war of secession came he enlisted under the Confederate flag and served there as a member of the famous Logan Wildcats.

Became Farmer – Returning from the war, he became a farmer. He married Miss Sallie Smith at the home of her father, William Smith of Crawley Creek, Feb. 19, 1867. Mrs. Garrett, recalled today that he played the fiddle and danced to his own music.

Sixteen years elapsed before he entered what was to be the distinguishing work of his life. He entered the ministry, in which he was to continue fifty-five years.

He became a familiar figure in Logan and surrounding counties, riding horseback from church to church. Sometimes he went afoot on his missions and his tall, spare form—he stood 6 feet 2 inches in his bare feet—was known to all the people of the mountains and valleys of the Guyandotte, the Big Sandy and Coal rivers.

As minister Mr. Garrett was know prominently in state and general conventions of the Christian church. Wider fame came to him as the minister under whose guidance the late Capt. Anderson (Devil Anse) Hatfield and a number of his sons embraced Christianity and were baptized, and also as the clergyman who officiated at Capt. Hatfield’s funeral and burial in 1921.

*Photos courtesy of Lillian Porter-Smith.

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18 thoughts on “Rev. Uncle Dyke Garrett”

  1. My grandfather, Robert Hayner lived up the Hayner (spelled differently now)Branch below Barkers Dairy. Seem like I remember him getting his mail addressed to Curry. P.O was near the dairy.

    1. Yes, Mickey, the P.O. was near the dairy at one time. But, I’m guessing that sometime in the late 40s or early 50s the P.O. was moved further down Garretts Fork. It was between Rock Lick and Clover Lick near Blevins’ store.

  2. My grandmother was raised at Hainer Branch of Garrett’s Fork. All of her old letters were addressed to her at Curry, WV.

    1. Curry post office was established by order dated Dec-22, 1898 with Tolbert F. Barker appointed postmaster. By order dated February 14, 1901, Curry post office was relocated with Cleophas Sanders appointed postmaster. By order dated August 24, 1907 Curry post office was relocated ½ mile northwest and Henry Carpenter was named as postmaster. By order dated August 5, 1911, Curry post office was relocated 1 mile west and Charles B. Blevins was named as postmaster. By order dated March 6, 1916, Curry post office was relocated 1 mile southeast and Nora Beckett was named as postmaster.
      By order dated August 2, 1918, Curry post office was discontinued with mail directed to Chapmanville. By order dated May 25, 1921, Curry post office was re-established effective June 15, 1921, with Peter D. Garret, Jr. appointed postmaster.
      Effective April 30, 1924, Curry post office was discontinued with mail directed to Chapmanville.

      1. I grew up near the old Barker’s Dairy off Garrett’s Fork Rd. I’ve been told that at one time the Curry P.O. was located near the forks of the road by Barker Dairy. I don’t remember it being there, just heard stories over my growing up years. I do remember as a youngster that the post office was located further down Garrett’s Fork and Pete Garrett was the post master. Later, when the post office was dissolved and mail channeled thru Chapmanville P.O., Mr. Garrett was the carrier and delivered the mail to those who at one time had to come to him to get their mail. I once read that one of the Barker men married a woman with the Curry surname and that the area was presumably named for her. Wish I could remember that Barker’s name.

    1. Thanks for mentioning Uncle Dyke. He was my great, great grandfather. I really never knew much about him until I came into the ministry myself. I hope your mother relayed fond memories.

  3. Grew up at Goby Branch near Chapmanville but never heard of an area called Curry. Where is it? Having Curry as my last name I would have remembered it. Barnabus, we was named after Barnabus Curry and that’s in
    Logan county.

    1. Curry was (is) the area between the mouth of Barker Fork of Garretts Fork and where it comes into the Lake/Mill Creek road

  4. I love finding these old articles, w dyke Garrett is my great great grandfather and it’s amazing to see my families history being preserved

    1. Alice and Jim Garrett were my great aunt and uncle. Alice was a Peyton and sister to my grandmother, Eunice Peyton. As a young girl, I spent many nights at Alice’s house, the one pictured at the top of the article. She was one of the kindest, sweetest and most beautiful women I’ve ever known. I never knew Jim as he passed many years earlier, but my parents farmed the ground around the house for many years and it was where I learned how to garden myself. On occasion I’d sneak upstairs and spend time looking around in the two bedrooms and also the two front rooms of the house. Alice had lots of old pictures, furniture and things that would fascinate a young girl. I wish I had the opportunity to talk to her more now as I didn’t understand the historical significance and role that she, Jim and Dyke played in the area.

  5. Barbara J Browning

    I am so blessed to have found your site. I love Logan County history. Is there a place that you can purchase these stories? I am very interested in Uncle Dyke Garrett. Thank you so very much for such a wonderful site.

      1. Tammy Pridemore-Crum

        Valeria Garrett Blevins is my Great Great Grandmother and her and Uncle Dyke were brother and sister. I grew up on Garrett’s Fork “ aka Curry and I spent many wonderful days at the old home place visiting with Uncle Jim and Aunt Alice and Ida Rose as a child….. I sure do miss those days

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