SPECIAL FEATURE of Web Site:  If you click on the "TOOLS" menu option above 
and then select "RELATIONSHIPS" you will be able to select your name and 
another member of the family tree from a pop-up menu and it will display in 
full details your genealogy connection to that family member.  I personally 
recommend that you get familiar with each one of these menu items; each gives 
you a unique view and displays different information on the individuals 
included in our genealogy.

The Asher family trace their ancestry back to the Bible.

Asher was the eighth son of Jacob. His sons were "heads of their fathers 
house, choice and mighty men of valor, chief of princes". 1 Chronicles 7:40
In 1698 King Louis XIV of France nullified the religious freedom decree of 
1598 of King Henry of Navarre. This nullification resulted in the exodus of 
the Hugenots, Protestants of France. Many fled to England and Germany.

Ancestors of  William Asher and wife, Polly Blevins Asher of Jewish decent, 
had fled to England. William's son,  Dillion Asher, born 1774 married a 
English girl by the name of Nancy Davis, daughter of Richard and Elizabeth 
Preston, who was born in 1775. They immigrated to America to settle in North 
Carolina. They had not been in America very long when Mrs. Asher died, and 
Dillion married her sister. They emigrated to Kentucky to settle in a area of 
queensdale of Red Bird River, near what became known as "Dog Rock"
The Cherokee Indians, who were known as the most progressive and friendly 
tribes, had also settled on Red Bird River, which had been named for their 
chief, Red Bird.

After the Revolutionary War, Dillion returned home as a Captain, and made an 
individual treaty with Red Bird, a treaty which was never violated. Dillion's 
second wife died and he married a Collett girl. When she died he married her 
sister. Their children mingled with the Indians, and some of the Leslie 
County Ashers of today claim to have Indian blood in their veins.

Dillion became the keeper of the first toll gate in Kentucky, near Pineville. 
This toll gate was established by the Legislature in 1795, and the fees were 
used to maintain and improve Wilderness Road. Dillion died in 1844 and is 
buried near the old log house which he built on Red Bird, and which has been 
set up by Kentucky Historical Society as a memorial shrine.

John W. Culton of Clay County told Rev. Dickey the following: " The Ashers 
have been great factors in the development of the timber industry in the 
mountains, chief among the Asher brothers, sons of Jackson D. Asher, who lived 
and died on the head of Red Bird. These sons, George, Mattison, Thomas J, 
Andrew, Jackson, Hugh L., and Abijah B. were raised barefoot. Their father was 
a money man, made by saving. He raised stock and loaned his money. Then began 
the lumber industry by pushing small lots of logs from the woods into the 
Cumberland River on contract. Each year he put in more logs. 

Matt and Jack took a trip to California, but they soon returned and they all 
went in together. Their father helped them and the other brothers joined them 
so they soon became Lumber Kings of the mountain. Four of the brothers formed 
the Asher Lumber Company:  Matt, Tom, Jack and Hugh They created mills, put in 
booms, bought large tracts of timber on the upper forks of the Kentucky River 
and began business on a large scale. They made money rapidly. They ran the 
business for years, then sold to Ford Coal Company of Michigan. Matt, hugh 
and Jack bought fine farms near Lexington where Hugh and Matt still live. Tom 
now owns one of the best mills south of the Ohio, one mile above Pineville and 
is operating a mill at that point. These two have $200,000 worth of lumber on 
their yards at present." (1896-1898) 

John Asher, a decendant  of these Ashers, son of Robert and Polly Asher, 
operated a thriving lumber industry in Leslie County untill his death in April 
1977. His brother Dillion (Dill), born October 1, 1893 was a well known 
merchant and businessman in Hyden untill his death in July 1970. Another 
brother , McKinley was also a leading merchant and businessman at Hyden.
(This information from Dill Asher, C.A. Dixon, Roger Asher, The Dickey Diary, 
and Homer Ledford)


Our family tree includes many notorious people; some of which I'm still 
researching and will add information updates as time permits.  The tree spans 
several decades past the connection to Rebecca "Pocahontas" Matoaka to King 
Henry (Plantagent), Edward Beaufort (a.k.a Edward Longshank) and into the Holy 
Roman Empire era to name a few.  Since I began my research, I have discovered 
that these families listed cross over on different levels.  In any event, 
please feel free to submit any detailed information for the family tree to the 
email address link above and use "Family Tree" in the subject line.  Happy 
ROOT digging!