Jonathan Malcolm Abernathy

Jonathan Malcomb Abernathy was born in 1862, the third son of his father, Jonathan Albert Abernathy the leader of ‘one of the branches of the most notorious families in Kingsport’. The family, at the time, was diversified in its interest but wealthy enough that any of the members could pursue their own interests within relative ease. Malcomb, as he was often known, was permitted by his father to follow more scholarly interests as he was not essential to carry on the family name and or fortune.

He was educated at Harvard and held degrees in Medicine, History and Chemistry by the time he finished. After his graduation he traveled extensively and was reported to send several artifacts from his ‘primitive’ attempts in archaeology. When he returned to the family estate, his collection out far outgrown his own bedroom, the basement and parts of the attic. He would need his own space to continue his research - which most of those who knew the family considered a waste of time and money.

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Using what finances he had available to him, Malcomb purchased some forest-covered land north of the Abernathy estate and there he constructed a large home to house his collection an afford him some much-needed privacy for himself and his newly married wife, Abigail Winters.

Through pressure exerted by his father, he was eventually forced to put his medical training to good use and service some members of the community. By the mid 1880’s a curiously strange illness began affecting the children of the town and none seemed to know to cure it. Fearful of contagion, Malcom offered up some rooms of his own home to house the injured children while they were being treated. He reportedly worked around the clock for days attempting various cures and remedies to treat their illness but none survived. By the time the sickness had burned itself out in the city 95 children, all between the ages of eight and twelve, had died. The city applauded Malcom’s tireless devotion to their care and his efforts were seen as commendable.

The private journals of the family of the time period (for such fragments that still exist) regard his actions as laudable if mysteriously and uncharacteristically selfless. Many could not see why he shifted from an isolated eccentric who was entirely focused upon his academic research to a tireless philanthropist.

Because of his somewhat pale complexion and his rather bookish demeanor he was given the scandalous nickname of “Poe”. He did not seem to question its use though he did smile when called that as though it was a private joke that only he knew the punch line. Since the Abernathy family crest is that of a crow and the poem, The Raven, had been published in 1845 the two things seemed a tired play on words. His home, the farm, was dubbed as “Nevermore” because it was assumed that there would be “never any more” children in that house.

Advanced
Interestingly, less than four decades later, in the later half of the 1910’s, another serious plague struck the city as the Spanish Flu epidemic. Though well into his fifties, Malcolm once again lent his skill to their cure and, once again, nearly a hundred children (all of the same age range) died. Shortly afterwards his strength failed him and he was said to pass in his sleep. The house was given to a local charity that turned it into an orphanage. Originally boasted as a haven for those forgotten by their parents and society, the house quickly became a darker edifice after the stock market crash of the 1920’s.

As families lost home and hearth, their children were turned over or taken by the orphanage. Many who entered their walls never made it out for one dubious reason or another, their names forgotten and no family to claim them, they were buried in nameless graves around the tomb of the orphanage founder. At one time, the number of bodies being inturned around the mausoleum grew so numerous that it began attracting birds who feasted upon the exposed worms and insects. It’s then that someone noticed that the tomb was a favored roost for crows. It wasn’t long until someone named the hill upon which the tomb sat and around which the graves were placed as “Raven Hill”.

The house was severely damaged in a fire set in the 40’s and later destroyed in the 50’s. The only piece of dear old Malcomb that still remains is his tomb up on Raven Hill - a frequent spot for hikers curious to see the ‘Poe’ and the many dozens of ravens which seem to guard it against trespassers. The tomb was damaged in the 1960 and 70’s and later restored by a philanthropist and fan of the local history. His name was J. Morris Blackwell of Boston Mass. When asked why he put forth the money to repair the tomb he explained that one of grandparents had been an orphan at the old farmhouse and he wished to pay his respects.

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His interests were never fully divulged to the public though they were said to include investigating what some called the ‘Ancient Mysteries’. The only ‘normal’ behavior he was ever noted for was his interest and fondness for feeding the crows which seemed to gather near a small hill by his farm. He would walk their often and read, write in his journal or simply feed the crows that came to watch him.

It was noted by one that when Malcomb began his ‘medical’ practice, he was seen carrying notebooks with an odd, key-like glyph upon the cover. He said that he adopted the icon as a monogram though no one could see any sign of his initials within it. Some scholars of the occult might note its similarity to the alchemical symbol for sulphur or possibly bearing a likeness to the symbol for female. Others, who follow a more serious cabalistic calling would recognize it as ‘The Key’ an alchemical an arcane symbol which means “to open” to “unlock” or “make attainable”. Another interpretation could be “that which joins two things together”.

A final note in his mother’s journal mentioned something rather odd concerning his physical appearance.”Malcomb, my beautiful, blue-eyed boy.” which is incongruous with a later account which described him after his efforts to thwart the first plague as the “Amber-eyed savior.”