Foster Crossroads
Foster Crossroads (sometimes called Foster Cross Road or Foster’s Crossroads) is an unincorporated community in northwestern Scott County, just outside the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area. It is located near Grave Hill, west of Oneida.
See Also: Communities of Scott County
Geography
Although Foster Crossroads is usually referred to as part of West Oneida, it’s actually due west of Winfield, and northwest of Oneida. It is on the edge of the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area. It located between Bear Creek and the Big South Fork River, just south of the Tennessee-Kentucky border.
Business & Commerce
The Foster Crossroads community has never been a significant center of commerce, consisting mainly of small farms and private residences. There have been a few businesses located in the community through the years, including current businesses like Ralph Boyatt Logging and Puncheon Camp Knob Horse Camp.
Churches
Foster Crossroads United Baptist Church is located in the Foster Crossroads community. It was established in 1940. Next-door to the church is the Foster Crossroads Cemetery, which dates back to the 1860s. Churches further east include Grave Hill United Baptist Church and Big Ridge Missionary Baptist Church. The church at Grave Hill was organized in 1908 as a branch of Pine Creek United Baptist Church.
Schools
Traditionally, students from the Foster Crossroads community and nearby Grave Hill, as well as Big Ridge, attended school at Grave Hill. There was also a school located at Bear Creek to the east. Today, these students are zoned for Burchfield School (K-8) and Scott High School (9-12).
Origins and First Families
The first people to settle the Foster Crossroads area were the Boyatts — specifically, Thomas Boyatt (1805-1864) and Susannah Maxwell (1806-1863).
Thomas and Susannah were married on May 11, 1827, in Wayne County, Ky. It is not clear whether they lived at Foster Crossroads at the time of their marriage. More likely, they moved to Foster Crossroads after their marriage.
The Boyatts
Thomas Boyatt was born in Kentucky, the son of Jordan Boyatt (1770-1815) and Elizabeth Gregory (1780-1810).
The Boyatt family came to America in the mid 1600s with Edward Boyett (1630-1670). The family can be traced back to 12th century Scotland (spelled Boyd). After the migration to America, they lived in Virginia and North Carolina colonies before Jordan Boyatt moved to Wayne County, Ky. and married Elizabeth Gregory.
Thomas and Susannah had at least nine children: Jordan Boyatt (1828-1900), William Boyatt (1830-1831), Henderson Boyatt (born 1832), Granville Boyatt (1834-1880), David Boyatt (1836-1899), Margaret Slaven (1842-1920), Sarah Jane Boyatt (1844-1851), John Dallas Boyatt (born 1846) and Elizabeth Watters (1846-1904).
Jordan Boyatt moved west to the headwaters of No Business Creek in the present-day Big South Fork NRRA. Several other Boyatts remained in the Foster Crossroads area. Jordan Boyatt’s son, Ransom Boyatt, who also lived at No Business Creek, was murdered in the 1930s amid a manhunt for his son, Jerome Boyatt, who was accused of murdering two Pickett County lawmen. After his father’s death, Jerome Boyatt turned himself in, and was later lynched by a mob. He was buried at Foster Crossroads Cemetery.
Thomas and Susannah Boyatt are also believed to be buried at the Foster Crossroads Cemetery, though their graves are unmarked.
The Boyatt family remains very prominent in the Foster Crossroads community today. One of the roads in the community is Willie Boyatt Road, named after Willie Everett Boyatt (1894-1975), who is buried at the community’s cemetery. One of the community’s current residents is Tiffany Boyatt Jeffers, a descendant of Thomas and Susannah Boyatt who serves as Scott County Assessor of Property.
The Watsons
The Watson family of the Foster Crossroads community is descended from the Boyatts. Robert Lee Watson (1936-2008) was the son of Cress Boyatt (1913-1998) and Wilda Mae Watson (1922-2002). He married Veda Carol Slaven (1941-2015). They had 15 children: a son who died in infancy, Darlene Watson, Flonnie Marie Watson, Lucille Watson Webb, Flora Evelyn Watson, Jessica Louise Watson Jeffers, Lena Mae Watson Crowley, Michael Eugene “Booger” Watson, Marshall Wayne Watson, Rocky Lee Watson, Jason Watson, Mickey Watson, Donald Ray Watson, Scott Allen Watson, Derek Watson, and Jeffery Cress Watson.
The road that Robert and Veda Watson lived on is called Rob Watson Road. They are buried at Rob Watson Cemetery.
The Fosters
The Foster family that Foster Crossroads is named for dates back to Charles Foster (1824-1893). He married Lurany Marcum (1842-1881) late in life. It isn’t clear who his first wife was.
Charles Foster’s son, John Foster, married Emaline Phillips, and later married Sallie Slaven. He had at least five children: William Esau Foster, Arlenia Foster, Syrinda Jeffers, John Sherman Foster, and Jalie Privett.
Esau Foster married Mary Alice Simpson. He was a veteran of the Spanish American War. They had five children: Mabel Thomas, Homer Foster, Mattie Evelyn Koger, Mildred Foster, and Earl Foster.