xt70zp3vt865_110 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt70zp3vt865/data/mets.xml https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt70zp3vt865/data/63m46.dao.xml unknown 14 Cubic Feet 31 boxes archival material 63m46 English University of Kentucky Copyright has not been assigned to the University of Kentucky.  Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Harkins Family papers Mineral rights -- Kentucky -- Floyd County -- History. Law reports, digests, etc. -- Kentucky. Mining leases -- Kentucky -- Floyd County -- History. Practice of law -- Kentucky. Bankers -- Kentucky. Banks and banking -- Kentucky -- Prestonsburg. Coal trade -- Kentucky -- Floyd County -- History. Lawyers -- Kentucky. 1943-1954, undated text 1943-1954, undated 2016 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt70zp3vt865/data/63m46/Box_14/Folder_5/0001.pdf section false xt70zp3vt865_110 xt70zp3vt865 (I I
Februa ry 12th. 1947
Mr. J; T. Norris
% Ashland Daily Independent
Ashland, Kentucky
Dear Sir: ,

I was specially interested in a news item appear-
ing in the February 11th edition of the Independent, relative
to your address before the sehland Lions Club, relative to the
needs of a revised constitution for Kentucky, and especially
so wherein it was stated that you proved conclusively that such
a change was necessary because of the change that has taken
place since the formulating of the present instrument.

I am wondering if this address was written in ad-
vance. and if a copy of it would be available; and if so I would
very much like to have such a copy.

Frankly I am very much interested in this cuestion;
I have been a member of the committee of the State Bar Associa—
tion upon the State Constitution, and have studied the constitu- '
tions both of the Federal Uovernment and of the State'Governnent
very extensively, and think that I have read practically every
decision which has arisen upon the State Constitution. as well
as the Federal Constitution until about the "New Deal" construc-
tions. I realize that there are probably about a dozen amend-
ments to the present constitution which would be advantageous. but
have had in mind that such amendments could be had by first re-
vising Section 256 of the constitution, so as to permit any num-
ber of amendments to be submitted at one and the same time, and
then the twelve or other necessary amendments be submitted to the
voters at one time, all of Jhich I believe could be done at a
very limited expense. probably not over $25,000.00, while the
convention would probably cost a matter of $400,000.00 or
$500,000.00. Of course this cost would be governed substantial-
ly by the per diem compensation fixed by the act calling the con-
vention, to be paid to the one hundred delegates, plus the addi-
tional expense of other employee than the delegates, stenographic
work, printing.etc.

‘ I further have in mind that many of the suggestions
made by those sponsoring a new constitutional convention have
been embraced in the twenty-five amendments which have heretofore
been proposed to the existing constitution, sixteen of which have

 ’I
been rejected; and the increase of salary limitation has been
four times rejected by the voters.

Frankly I am apnrehensive as to what we would get
in a new constitution at this time; on the other hand if the re-
quisite majority of the voters desire a constitutional conven-
tion, then of course we will have one. I am not fully convinced
as to the desirability of such a convention, and especially at
this time, and have an open mind upon the subject. As you know.
I have a high regard for you personally, and for any opinions
you might express, and it is for this reason that I am reouest~
ing a copy of your address if the same is available in manuscript
form. I may say further that while I have read all the news
paper articles appearing from time to time as to different ado
dresses made pro and con upon this question, this is the first
time I have requested, or been interested in obtaining the full
address made by any speaker upon the subject.

. ”y'best personal regards.
Very truly yours,
Joseph D. Barkins
JDH/ec

 éj/
February
Twenty-seventh
1947
American prress Co.
65 Broadway
New iork, N. Y.
Gentlemen: I
3‘ My mother, Ere. Josephine D. Harkins, passed away .
J.ly is, 1946.

For approximately 20 years she spent most of her —'
«inters in slami, and I would usually purchase for her a sub-
stantial amount of express checks, which purchases were usually
made through The Bank Joesphine at Prestonsburg, Kentucky. In-
cidentally it will be of interest for you to know that this
bank was named for her, and so far as we know it is the only
bank in the world nared for a woman.

It frequently he pened that after I we'ld provide
her these checks for her, she would take care a surstantial
gortion of her expenses by personal check, ard Would return
home with some unused express checks. It is my understanding
that at one time she misplaced several hundred dollars of ex-
press checks, but we always expected to find Lhem.among her
papers, but to this date have been unable to do so. I am
writing to inquire whether or not you have a list of your ex—
press checks heretofore sold, and hich have not been sent in
for gayment, and if you could furnish us with the number, date
and amounts of the unused checks issued in the name of Mrs.
Jose hine D. Harkins,‘or hrs. Josie D. Harkins; and what pro-
ceedure would be necessary to be followed by her executors,
of whom I am one, to secure payment of such unused checks.

Of course I can have our Assistant Cashier at The
Bank Josephine, who handles these sales for you, to check
through all of the express checks which were solo to my hother,
and will do so unless you have a file m:ich shows the unused

- checks out standing in her name. .

I will appreciate your cooperation.

' Very truly yours,
Joseph D. Harkins
JDH/ec

 CARL F. EVERSOLE ' JOHN B. EVERSOLE
RESID‘CE PHONE 432 RESIDENCE PHONE Hes-J
'.
EVERSOLE AND EVERSOLE
ATTORNEYS-AT-LAW
OFFICE PHONE 787
WCHMOND.KENTUCKY
March 12, 1947
Mr. Joseph D. Harkins
Prestonsburg, Kentucky
Dear Sir:

We are informed that you are process agent for
the Riverside Coal and.Land Company. Is this the same
holding company and incorporators as the Riverside Coal
and Timber CompanZ or is it a separate corporation?

Yours very t aly,
. 1' o ' a: 12' LRSOLE. ATTYS.
A '
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A
Lou1SVIIIe Tltle Insurance Company
996 SOUTH FIFTH STREET
Louisville. 9. Kentucky
September 3, 1947
1%. J. D. Harkins, Attorney
Prestonsburg, Kentucky
In re: Combs & Combs, Attorneys
Prestonsburg, Kentucky
Dear Mr. Harkins:

This company has been requested to issue
policies of title insurance based upon title examinations
and opinions of Combs and Combs, attorneys of your city.
WOuld you be good enough to extend us the courtesy of ad-
vising whether or not you believe they have sufficient
ability and experience to render opinions on titles to real
estate that can be relied upon for the purpose of title
insurance?

Also, we Would be glad to have the benefit
of your advice as to their reputation in the community,
both as attorneys and as citizens.

Any other information you care to give us
will be greatly appreciated. Please accept our assurance
that your report to us will be kept strictly confidential.

Thanking you in advance, we are,

Very truly yours,
LOUISVILLE TITLE INSURANCE COMPANY
By @ KC. [EL WW
A. L. McDonald, Attorney
ALM:dbh

 ’ ,’, .
September
Five
1947
Hon. A. L. McDonald, Attorney
Louisville Title Insurance Company
223 South Fifth Street
Louisville 2, Kentucky
PERSONAL AfiD COEFIDEHTIAL
Dear Mr. McDonald:
I have your letter of September 5, 1947, relative
to Combs & Combs, Attorneys, Prestonsburg, Kentucky.
I beg to advise that there is a firm composed of Hon.
B. F. Combs and Ron. A. B. Combs, each of Prestonsburg,
Kentucky. Each of these gentlemen are lawyers of outstanding
ability, honesty, probity, have an excellent clientele and a
substantial portion of their practice has been buildod upon
abstracts of title and litigation pertaining to real estate
questions. I do not know any attorneys in my circle of at-
torneys throughout the state or country in whose judgment re?
lative to real estate matters and titles I would give more
weight. Mr. B. F. Combs began work at Prestonsburg in ab-
stracting of titles for a predecessor of the Beaver Creek Coal
a Coke Company which was a corporation in which Mr. W. F.
Hits of Huntington, West Virginia, Mr. John C. C. Mayo, C.
Bascom Slemp, J.W.M. Stewart, my father and I were interested
and through different consolidations of different companies, a
substantial portion of the properties finally reached the Elk-
horn Coal Corporation and to the large holding companies. When
is. Ford made his purchases onPondCreek in Pike County, Ken-
tucky some ten years ago, both of these gentlemen were called
in in connection with passing upon the titles to different pro-
perties acquired by Mr. Ford. They are both directors of the
First National Bank at Prestonsburg. Mr. A. B. Combs being
Chairman of the Board and I believe Mr. B. F. Combs is Vice-
President of the bank and they appear as attorneys for the bank.
Their reputation in Eastern Kentucky and in this their home town
both as attorneys and as citizens are of the highest.
Prior to the war there was another firm of Combs a Combs
in the same building composed of Mr. Leroy Combs ( a son of B.F.
Combs) and Bert T. Combs. Each of the young men were called
into the Army and Bert T. Combs was discharged as a captain in

 I;
1 1-2- ,

the J.A.G. Department and Leroy Combs was in the Intel-
ligence Department. Upon their discharge, Bert T. Combs ‘
went with the firm of Howard & Mayo who werefiistribt CounSel
for the Elkhorn Coal Corporation; Leroy Combs associated
himself with Kilmer Combs (a son of Mr. A. B. Combs) who has
but lately been admitted to practice. They are in the same
building and on the same floor with Hr. A. B. Combs and Mr. B.F.
Combs,rbut whether they are now practicing as partners and as a
separate firm or as Junior members of the main firm of Combs &
Combs.I do not know further than the fact that they are fre-
quently Entering motions in Court in cases for clients which I
know are represented by A. B. Combs and B. F. Combs.
9 While I have regard for the ability demonstrated by the
younger men considering the experience in practice which they
have had, I could not recommend to you the insurance of titles

. based upon their opinion; on the other hand Without the slightest
hesitation or reservation I would recommend that you insure any
title where the abstract and opinion relative to a title is signed
either by B. F. Combs or A. B. Combs.

I have made this letter extended to giye you the complete
set-up as to these gentlemen and to call to your attention spec-
fically the names of the two fir. Combs, either of Whom you should
ask to sign any report of title which you would consider insuring.

It is a pleasure to give you this information and to be of
any assistance that I can to you or the company at any time.

Ey best personal regards. '

‘Very truly yours,
Joseph D. Harkins
JDH:MB

 FLOYD COUNTY, 'KENTUCKY PRESTDNSBU-RG, KY.
Kentucky Cannol Coal Corporation
MINEPS AND SHIPPEPS
36414; 24W #mf/n/uel
II‘IE NATION’S fINEST CANNEl COAl
October 16, [947
A Mr. Joseph D. Harkins, Sr.
Prestossburg, Kentucky
Dear Sir:
Attached is a check For royalty collected From the
Parson—Gerlach Coal Co., Allen, Kentucky during the
period beginning September 1 to October 4 inclusive.
9/1 - 10/4/47 683.60 Tons Q 20y $136.72
Yours very truly,v’ .,
J; big/,11 (I! ”W “Wt/V;
Kentucky Cannel 6bal Corp.
' - 2m to 8m -

 .‘.) 5
October 50, 1947
Mrs. H. R. Gates
201 Van Euren Circle
Pittsburgh 29, Pennsylvania
Dear Hrs. Gates:

I was in Louisville on October 24th in attendance
upon a meeting of the Board of Commissioners of the State
Bar Association and while there our Registrar-Treasurer
handed to me the letter you had written the association
upon October 20, 1947, and I told him I would be delighted
to reply thereto.

I have always understood that Hugh Harkins came to
Kentucky from, at or near Altoona, Pennsylvania and I re-
call my father, Walter S. Harkins mentioned that on an oc-
casion when he was in that general section of Pennsylvania,
he made a special trip to Altoona and found two old maids
of the family name then living there. I rather incline to
the opinion that the date of this visit was in the 1890's.

Hugh darkins was admitted to practice law in Floyd
County, Kentucky on May 1, 1859; John Harkins in 1858;

Walter S. Harkins in 1877; and other members of the family
have been admitted to practice at the same Bar at the dates
shown upon this letterhead.

' It is my information that when Hugh Harkins first came
to Floyd County he was engaged in the business of tanning
leather, and I did not know of any connection that he had with
the development of the Peach Orchard Coal Company, although
this information which you have may be correct. I have never
known or heard that he served as County Attorney of Floyd
County, but my father, Walter S. Harkins did serve one term as
such officer in the early 80's which was the only time he was
ever a candidate for public office. Both he in his lifetime,
as well as I have frequently been appointed as Special Judge
of different Circuit Courts of the State of Kentucky. Walter S.
Harkins, my father passed away February 24, 1920.

 . J /
/
I
1.’
/
November 10, 1947
Mr. G. L. Howard
c/o Elk Refining Company
Kenawha Valley Bank Bldg.
Charleston, West Virginia
Dear Grover:

Furthering your telephone call this afternoon
advising as to your desire to have $5000.00 cash
available, I beg to advise that this amount is available
to you at any time you care to use it.

Very truly yours,
Joseph D. Harkins
JDH2MB
' p

 w- ’ .0 '
I L/’
November 20, l9h7.
Door hootioc:-

Somo several days ago I had a long distance call from Grover in which ho
stated to me that ho was purchasing a house in Charleston, at the price of
3 11,500.00, and that ho was wanting to borrow 3 5000.00 from The Bank Josephino
for three months, stating that ho was arranging to finance tho purchase through tho
FHA, and other institutions, and that ho would only need the monoy for three
months from the bank hero. Ho further requested me to writehim a letter that
day saying that 3 5000.00 would be available for him at any time upon request,
and I wrote him such letter.

His idea was that ho would borrow tho money here and have you endorse for
him, but I had to tell him that under tho Kentucky laws a married woman could
not become surety tor the dobt of another, unless a mortgage was executed to

oocuro the paymont of tho same. Ho than montioned that he would get you to
borrow the money, or also cash certificates of deposit to that amount, and

that he could transfer the monoy ovor to tho bank at Charleston, so that ho

could show thou that it was available, and than when be repaid it, you could
against re-invest it in certificates of doposit. I suggested to him that the
money Could be borrowed by you, placing the certificates of deposit as col-
lateral to a note, but he questioned this proceedurc saying the certificates only
paid 15% interest and the interest on a loan would be on the basis of 6i, and
that he thought such difference should be saved.

If you wish to get credit for 35000.00 and to let Grover have it, you
can endorse the certificates of deposit to that amount and get the money without
a note; or else you can endorse the certificates, and attach them to a collateral
form of note, and get the money, and then send Grover a certified check for tho
amount of $ 5000.00. Either way can be dono. '

I am afraid that Grover has himself in for some trouble. The Central Trust
Company of Charleston has sent over to tho bank a request~for verification of do-
posit in connection with his application for a FHA loan, stating that in his
financial statement ho represented that he had on deposit to [is checking account
the sum of $ 800.00 on November 12, 19h7, when as a matter of fact the balance to
his checking account was less than 3 10.00, and he only had 8 159 plus in his
savings account. Henry sent me down this request, saying that he didnt know what
to do about it, because of the substantial vorienco in his statement and tho
actual balance he had on the date mentioned; they ask if tho statement is approx-
imately correct, which it isnt; they also ask a statomont as to the avorago balance
during the past two months, and also the amount of secured and unsecured loans
outstanding to him, of which there is none. If we fill out the data requested,
then I am afraid it will have o decided adverse reaction on his application for
a loan as requested by him; if we dont fill out the request, then they will prob-
ably send a duplicate to be filled out, or else call over tho phone, and oak tho
questions thereon, which will havo to be answered, and correctly. I told Grover
not to sign any papers whatever without my first seeing them, but ovidontly my
recommendation was disregarded, or else he had signed the papers submitted to
the trust Company in advanco'of his call to mo, and did not tell no what he had
signed. I certainly hope it will work out all right for him, but am worried
about it; there would have been no trouble whotovor about it, in my judgment,
but for the substantial error in tho statement submitted by him.

’ Walter Scott, Rory Jane and Barbara Baker had expected to leave early this
morning for Detroit, to attend tho MichiganiOhio State gamo on Saturday, and to

 return home Monday night; however, this morning Barbara Baker awakened about h
o'clock with a severe coughing spell, accompanying a cold which she has had for
several days, and they were afraid to go on to Detroit with her. There is a lot
of chicken—pox in town, and I think that some of the children with whom she has
been playing now have it, and it may be that is what is developing; further,
there is also scarlet fever and there could be a question as to exposure as to
it.

Joe Jr and Billie had likewise wanted to go over to the game, and had tickets
as well as rooms at The Statler, but yesyerday they decided not to go, on account of
each of their children having bad colds. Guess it is better.

Reca has been getting her fall house-cleaning done, and is well tired out
although the house is looking specially nice.

we are as busy as can be here at the office, and most of my time is being
taken up in matters pertaining to coal leases. One man was down to see me at
the house last night, in regard to a stripping operation, and then I had to come
to the office to see two others with reference to a lease upon several pieces of
proyerty and was here until about ten o'clock.

The weather is cool here, but the sun is shining today, and it is nice
out of doors.

Lots of love from each and all of us,
JDB
c/c G. L. H.

 November 22, 1947.
Dear Hobtie:-

Lurthering your telephone call this morning in which you ad-
vised that Grover heard nothing from me relative to the § 5000.00
matter he was discussing with me on November 10, I have gone into
the files, and wrote him as follows:-

' " November lb, 1947.
11:1,. (foLoi‘iOWard’ ,
c/o 31k Refining Company,
fisnawha Valley Bank Building,
Charleston, fleet Virginia.
L.. {'.‘/1'.? {:.:-over :
burtherinr your telephone call this afternoon
advising as to your desire to have S 5000.00 cash
available, I beg to advise that this anovnt is available
to you at any time you desire to use it.
, ' Very truly yours,
s/ Joseph D. Harkins.
;Lil::.:23. "
This letter was dictated while he was listening in on the
shone so that I could be sure just what he wanted, and he said
it was entirely satisfactory. As soon as the letter was written
I took and deposited in the post office myself, so that there
could be no delay whatever, and he should have had it the follow-
ing morniné, or afternoon, at the latest. It was written on
stationery of :he ;ank Josephine, since I felt that it would carry
more weight being written by me as Chairman of the Board, than one
written on the office stationery. It was addressed as he told me
it should be, was mailed in our return printed envelope and has
never been returned here, and until you told me over the phone to-
day that it has not been received by him I was positive he had re-
ceived it; however, 1 am glad that he has the mattzr wwrked out
as you told me OVor the phone.
I called Job Francis and gave him the message which you sent
and he asked for your address, saying he would send the check to
y u direct. Seemed to so much pleased.
Lots of love from each and all of us,
JDH
c/c drover.

 E. w. #ALE. PRES. I MGR,
HALE COAL COMPANY
INCORPORATED :
PRODUCERS OF
ELKHORN COAL
HAROLD, KY.
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