George 'Goldenhawk' Sizemore

GEORGE SAMUEL SIZEMORE was born 1783 in Washington Co., N.C. (Tenn.), and died May 06, 1864 in Magoffin Co., Ky. He was called Goulden in earlier times and later he went by Goldenhawk. He was born some say in North Carolina and some say Virginia. He is the son of George "All" Sizemore, 1/2 Cherokee Indian and Agnes Cornett Shepherd. He was the brother of Henry "Hunting Shirt" Sizemore. George "Goldenhawk" is reputed to have fathered 55 children by, Anges"Sallie" Anders, Aletha Goodman-Richardson, Mary Ann Womack, and Annie Elizabeth Hart.

He was listed as age 77 in the 1860 Magoffin Co. KY census, the first census of the newly formed county. He died May 1864. He was a resident of the meadows section of Magoffin County near the mouth of Oakley Creek, about one mile north of Royalton, KY.

He married 1st Sally Anderson in 1810 in Hawkins Co., TN. Sally, daughter of George Anderson, was born between 1783 and 1792 in Hawkins Co., TN or NC and died 7 Apr 1840 or 1842 or 1850 in Royalton, Magoffin Co., KY. Their children are:

• John Sizemore was born in 1815 in Floyd Co., KY and died in 1862.
• Nancy Sizemore was born 1823 - 1821 in Floyd Co., KY and died about 1902 in Floyd Co., KY.
• Susan Sizemore was born in 1823 in Floyd Co., KY and died on May 15, 1882 in Floyd Co., KY.
• Vina Sizemore was born in 1825 in Floyd Co., KY and died in 1903 in Magoffin Co., KY.
• Florence Sizemore was born May 1836 to 1826 in Floyd Co., KY and died in 1904 in Magoffin Co., KY.
• Sarah Sizemore was born 1823 or 1828 in Floyd Co., KY and died on May 15, 1882.
• Agnes Sizemore was born between 1824 and 1833 in KY and died in 1916.
• Catherine Sizemore was born abt 1835 - 1828 in Floyd Co., KY and died after 1907.
• Sally Sizemore was born in 1837 and died on an unknown date.

He married 2nd Aletha “Ally Jendo” Goodman-Richardson in 1820 in KY. Aletha, daughter of Obediah Richardson and Sarah Jane Goodman, was born in 1790 in TN or SC and died in 1873 in Floyd Co., KY. Their children are;

• William "BlackHawk" Sizemore was born between 1816 and 1819 in Floyd Co., KY (same as Perry Co., KY) and died on May 6, 1879.
• Poly Sizemore was born About 1821 and died in 1906.
• Elizabeth Sizemore was born 1812 or 1821 in Floyd Co., KY and died on Oct. 25, 1866.
• Rachael Sizemore was born in 1822 and died in 1892.
• Winnie Sizemore was born in 1826 and died About 1887.
• George B. Sizemore was born About 1829 in Floyd Co., KY and died After 1907.
• Stokely Sizemore was born About 1831 and died on an unknown date.
• Vina Sizemore was born Between 1821 and 1825 and died After 1870.

He married 3rd Mary Ann Womack in 1848. Their child was:

• Granville Sizemore was born in 1833/34 in Magoffin Co., KY and died on an unknown date.

There are no known photos of Goldenhawk, but was said to be a big man and to have hair the color of gold, where he got his name from. He is buried at the Mouth of Oakley Cemetery near Royalton, in Magoffin County, Kentucky. There was found his headstone and a second stone with the initials G.S. and S.S. It appears that the stone with the initials is actually a footstone for Goldenhawk's grave.

He is well remembered and respected by his descendants. A great many of them travel from all parts of the United States to Magoffin County to visit his gravesite. A further mark of the reverence in which he is held is the fact that he has had a least three markers at his gravesite. He died during the Civil War and no doubt his family placed some type of marker at his gravesite which is located in what is thought to be one of the oldest cemeteries in the area. In the 1930’s several of his descendants placed another marker, an event that was reported in the Salyersville Independent.

In the 22 Jul 1938 issue of The Salyersville Independent a new item tells the following information: "THREE AGED GRANDSONS SET MONUMENT TO GRAVE Jeff Sizemore 96, Calloway Montgomery 81, and Crit Montgomery 77, grandsons of George Sizemore and his wife Sallie, recently set a monument to the graves of their grandparents who died in 1864 and were buried near the old RC Salyer home. They were assisted by Uncle Jeff Sizemore’s grandson WJ Sloan and his wife. The marker set in 1938 had fallen into disrepair. It had been mended but the glass inset that held the information on their ancestor had long since broken and disappeared. The Magoffin County Historical Society with the aid of many of his descendants placed a new marker for Goldenhawk in Oakley Cemetery on March 30, 2002.

What made George “Goldenhawk” Sizemore so unusual is that he fathered 54-57 children, a figure that is debated by historians. However, George, himself, boasted on at least one occasion that he had fathered 55 children. Census records show Goldenhawk at one time supporting four different families with 7 to 10 children in each of them. In 1860, he was indicted for bigamy in Floyd Co., Kentucky, and according to minutes from the hearing, the judge said, “Mr. Sizemore, I understand you have about 50 children, to which Goldenhawk replied, “I guess you’re right. But, judge, if I’d been half as pretty a man as you are, I’d had more than that.” There are no known portraits of Goldenhawk, but he was said to be one of the ugliest men that ever was, puzzling his descendants, leading them to believe he had more attractive qualities than good looks.

Lee Mueller further wrote, “...Goldenhawk’s biblical seed during the last century has spread across the land like puffs of dandelions in a strong wind. There are now so many Sizemore descendants that when the Magoffin County [Kentucky] Historical Society decided this spring [1999] to erect a proper tombstone to “the progenitor of many,” president Todd Preston remarked: ‘If all of Goldenhawk’s people donated just $1, we’d have enough money to build a monument as big as the courthouse.’”

George belonged to the Whitetop Laurel Band and was Chief of that Tribe in what is now Prestonsburg (Floyd County) Kentucky. Supposedly when he began dating a woman in North Carolina, named Sarah Anderson. Sally as she was called, had several brothers that objected to their sister dating an Indian. One night these brothers waylaid George with the intent of killing him. Goldenhawk fought vigorously, then went into the house, got his girl Sally and they left and entered Kentucky. From what has been found, Sally was Goldenhawk’s only “official” wife.

It has been told from generation to generation that Goldenhawk would just be walking along the road until he got to a house, he would then walk up on the porch and ask for a cup of coffee. If he got his foot in the door, they generally let him in. Eventually, Goldenhawk had a woman in this house over here and another one over there. Records do not indicate what Goldenhawk did for a living, but he was a landowner and maintained and fed several families, all of them his own.

Goldenhawk finally, in 1860, was indicted for bigamy in Floyd County, Kentucky, and according to the minutes from the hearing, the judge said, “Mr. Sizemore, I understand you have about 50 children.” Goldenhawk replied, “I guess you’re right. But, Judge, If I’d been half as pretty a man as you are, I’d had more than that.”

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http://www.geni.com/projects/George-Golden-Hawk-Sizemore/1010

George Goldenhawk Sizemore was born in Virginia in 1783 and died in Magoffin Co., KY in 1863. He had four wives/partners and 55 children. The purpose of this project is to verify those partners and identify which partner was the mother of which children. There is no known photos of Goldenhawk, but was said to be a big man and to have hair the color of gold, from which he took his name..

Background George "Goldenhawk" Sizemore, was called Goulden in earlier times and later he went by Goldenhawk. He was born some say in North Carolina and some say Virginia. He was the son of George All Sizemore and Agnes Cornett Shepherd. He was the brother of Henry "Hunting Shirt" Sizemore. He is buried at the Mouth of Oakley Cemetery near Royalton, in Magoffin County, Kentucky. The Magoffin County Historical Society with the aid of many of his descendants, has placed a new marker for Goldenhawk in Oakley Cemetery.

George "Goldenhawk" is reputed to have fathered 55 children by, Agnes "Sallie" Anderson, Mary Ann Womack, Alethia "Ally Jendo" Richardson and Annie Elizabeth Hart.

Between 1810-1812 in Hawkins County, Tennessee he married his first wife Sarah "Sallie" Anderson the daughter of George Anderson. Their children are; Elizabeth (Sizemore) Arnett, John Sizemore, William "BlackHawk" Sizemore, Nancy (Sizemore) Hoover, Susan (Sizemore) Wireman, Vina Sizemore, Florence (Sizemore) Wireman, Sarah Sizemore, Agnes "Aggie" (Sizemore) Montgomery, Catherine (Sizemore) Montgomery and Granville Sizemore. He married second wife, Mary Ann Womack. His daughters Agnes "Aggie" and Catherine Sizemore married brothers Silas and Samuel M. Montgomery. George and Alethia Richardson's children are; Polly (Sizemore) Hays, Betsy (Sizemore) Hunter, Rachel (Sizemore) Hays, Winnie (Sizemore) Martin, George B. Sizemore and Stokley Sizemore. George had a relationship with Annie Elizabeth Hart and probably fathered children with her. So we have the four partners but we don't have fifty-five children. At the inception of this project (12/7/10), Geni only showed 38 children, and some of them might be duplicates.

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George "Goldenhawk" Sizemore, was called Goulden in earlier times and later he went by Goldenhawk. He was born some say in North Carolina and some say Virginia the son of George "All" Sizemore a Cherokee Indian and Agnes Cornett Shepherd. He was the brother of Henry "Hunting Shirt" Sizemore. Between 1810-1812 in Hawkins County, Tennessee he married his first wife Sarah "Sallie" Anderson the daughter of George Anderson. Their children are; Elizabeth (Sizemore) Arnett, John Sizemore, William "BlackHawk" Sizemore, Nancy (Sizemore) Hoover, Susan (Sizemore) Wireman, Vina Sizemore, Florence (Sizemore) Wireman, Sarah Sizemore, Agnes "Aggie" (Sizemore) Montgomery, Catherine (Sizemore) Montgomery and Granville Sizemore. He married second wife, Mary Ann Womack. His daughters Agnes "Aggie" and Catherine Sizemore married brothers Silas and Samuel M. Montgomery, brothers of my great great grandfather, Miles Montgomery. George "Goldenhawk" is reputed to have fathered 55 children by, Sarah "Sallie" Anderson, Mary Ann Womack, Alethia "Ally Jendo" Richardson and Annie Elizabeth Hart. George "Goldenhawk and Alethia's children are; Polly (Sizemore) Hays, Betsy (Sizemore) Hunter, Rachel (Sizemore) Hays, Winnie (Sizemore) Martin, George B. Sizemore and Stokley Sizemore. There is no known photos of Goldenhawk, but was said to be a big man and to have hair the color of gold, where he got his name from. He is buried at the Mouth of Oakley Cemetery near Royalton, in Magoffin County, Kentucky. There was found his headstone and a second stone with the initials G.S. and S.S. It appears that the stone with the initials is actually a footstone for Goldenhawk's grave. It is not known where Sallie Anderson Sizemore, his first wife is buried. The Magoffin County Historical Society with the aid of many of his descendants, has placed a new marker for Goldenhawk in Oakley Cemetery.* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Mar 2 2020, 20:02:07 UTC