John Machir was among the earliest settlers in Mason County and built Machir's Station there in 1788. He served in the Kentucky Senate from 1796-1800. He is credited with building the first row house in Kentucky which still stands in old Washington. Machir sold 462 1/2 acres of the Rankin survey to James and Eleanor Spurgeon on June 14, 1805 for $500.

James and Eleanor Spurgeon gave 248 acres of this land to their son, John R. Spurgeon, on May 8, 1807 in consideration of "love, good will and affection." John R. Spurgeon was born August 8, 1765 in Maryland and was married to Catherine Morris who was born in 1768 in Virginia. John and Catherine became the parents of 10 children. When they moved to their acreage in Adams County, they already had eight of their children.

John and Catherine built a two story log house on the property -- which still stands today, incorporated into part of a barn -- shortly after being given the land by John's parents. If this is true, their last two children, Dorcas, born January 16, 1808, and Anna, born October 3, 1809 -- were probably born in the log house. Anna Spurgeon lived her entire life in Adams County, was married to John Peterson, Sr. and has a host of descendants still living in the area.

John and Catherine sold their farm in 1826 and moved a few miles north to the hamlet of Newport, at the forks of Ohio Brush Creek. (There, John became known as "Newport Johnnie.") This community is known as Lawshe today. Both are buried in the Lawshe Cemetery. Interestingly, on Catherine Spurgeon's top stone it reads, "Consort of THE KING." Both John and Catherine died in 1851.

John Carskadon, Sr. and John Carskadon, Jr. bought 200 acres of the Spurgeon farm -- including the house -- on July 14, 1826 for $700. John, Sr. was a native of Scotland who ran away from home at age 13 and made it to the American Colonies. According to a great granddaughter, together, John Sr. and John built the brick house which is now used as the Murphin Ridge Inn on the former Spurgeon land. John died in 1830, so, if the family tradition is correct, the house must have been constructed sometime between 1826 and 1830. John Jr. inherited the farm after his parents' death. He was born March 28,1799; married to Anne Elizabeth Hempleman who was born in 1801 -- daughter of Adam and Elizabeth Carskaddon Hempleman. John died May 1860. Ann survived until 1877. They are both buried in the Unity Cemetery. The property remained in the possession of John and Ann's heirs for several more years. One son, Robert Buck Carskadon, (born 1840) lived in the brick house for a few years with his wife, Elizabeth Mary Nixon. Elizabeth died 1887 in DeKalb, Missouri. Robert died 1915 in Idaho.

The property was owned for several decades this century by Homer Seaman.

Source for the above narrative: Southern Ohio Genealogical Society, 1998