 Among the earliest families were Wileys, Maynards, and Queens.During the Civil War, Big Laurel Fork hosted a skirmish between Union Colonel George W. Gallup's 14th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry (275 foot soldiers) and 39th Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Infantry (150 mounted soldiers) and Confederate Colonel Milton J. Ferguson's 16th Virginia Cavalry.Fought on the morning of 15 February 1864, Gallup's troops won a victory over Ferguson's surprised rebels, killing 10, wounding several, and releasing 16 federal prisoners.