"We have been parked here in Casey County, KY, for about 2 weeks. I knew the Rayburns were from here, so a couple days ago looked up where our great-great grandfather Samuel Rayburn (Grandma Brown's grandfather) was buried. I found it pretty easy. Willow Springs Methodist Church is the building, near Yosemite, KY.
There is also a Rayborn Hill Road near here that I drove down, but did not see any Rayburn/Rayborn names on the few mailboxes.
So here I am, back where our roots reach down to 4 generations ago. I also contacted one of mom's first cousins who lives in Indianapolis. He is 94, a well driller for most of his life; he remembers our great-grandpa Henry Clay Rayburn. From him and others, stories make it evident that a cantankerous, grudge-holding spirit ran in the Rayburns, with many of them having a hard time getting along with other members of their family (i.e. Joe and Buel not getting along for 20 years is a sample of that, and that is just one sample among several).
Also, Clayton Hamilton told me that two of his uncles were well drillers. The one was Clayton Rayburn (I think that was his first name) who died when he backed his rig into power lines in Indianapolis. I remember mom talking about that. Clayton Hamilton learned well drilling from the two uncles, and had seen Clayton Rayburn the day before he died in the electrical accident. Like a lot of old guys, he seemed to enjoy talking about his life. He remembered our grandpa Brown, but had not spent a lot of time with him I don't think."
So it makes sense that Terry's uncle Joe Brown, his mothers brother, was a well driller most of his life in Indiana until he passed at 88 in 2019. This was the beginning of how and why Terry Atnip started Atnip Well & Pump Service, Inc. Terry went to work for his Uncle Joe Brown from 1997 to 2007 in Knox, Indiana until he moved back to Wyoming and started his own water well drilling & pump installation business.
