If you are lucky you can find something like this about your ancestors. This does not directly concern Boone County, but I am going to brag anyway.

One of our distant cousins forwarded this article from the 6 August, 1905 issue of the Henderson County paper. J.J. (James Jefferies) Sights was my great-great-grandfather. John E. Sights was the brother of my great-grandfather Henry Preston Sights. Some of the "facts" may be conjecture, specifically the "Seitz" part, (at least we have not been able to prove that part) but it still wonderfully informative and entertaining to read. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did!

The above cut is an excellent likeness of five generations of the Sights family of this county. The Sights family and connections in this county numbers up in the hundreds, and they are sturdy, thrifty, honest and hospitable people.

In the cut is Mrs. Elizabeth Jane Sights, who will be eighty-seven years old next Wednesday, August 9th. Sitting next to her is her son, Mr. J.J. Sights. The gentleman standing is Mr. John E. Sights, the son of J.J. Sights. The lady holding the baby is Mrs. William Scantland, the daughter of John E. Sights. Therefore the baby which is the child of Mrs. Scantland has a grandfather, a great-grandfather and a great-great-grandmother. The baby's name is Aileen May Scantland.

The Sights family of this county is descended from Jacob Sights, who probably spelled his name "Seitz". He came to this country from Germany and settled in Pennsylvania and afterwards moved to Kentucky. He was the great- grandfather of J.J. Sights, A.B. Sights, Uriah Sights and several other brothers and sisters. He fought in the Revolutionary war for American independence. He raised quite a family of children, and died at the age of ninety.

Preston G. Sights, the father of A.B. Sights and others last above mentioned raised eleven out of fifteen children. He died at the [age] of eighty-two. His widow, Mrs. Elizabeth Jane Sights, whose likeness is shown in the above cut, is a lady of the most charming personality, and bears her age well. She is a most happy and contented soul, and a noble example to many of us of the younger generation.

Her ancestors bore the name of Brown, and from Virginia to Kentucky in 1790. They were related to Peter Brown who came over in the Mayflower. The great-grandfather on the maternal side was named Sellars. He lived to be ninety years old. He, also fought in the Revolutionary war.

Another member of the Sights family, an uncle, George by name, is seventy-eight years old. He was twice married with a total of twenty-six children, eighteen of whom attained maturity.

At the last reunion of the Sights family held in this county, eighty-eight were present, and twenty-four absent, making a total of 112. The number has since increased, and will probably number 130 or 140. It will be seen that nearly if not all of the antecedents of this well known family were long lived.

Henderson county should be proud of such a family of useful and substantial citizens.

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This page is © Copyrighted 1996-98 by W.P. Sights III

Last updated 27 October 1996