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HAYCRAFT'S HISTORY of ELIZABETHTOWN, KY.
Gc 976.902 EL4h 14 15140
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
N
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01715 1850
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016
https://archive.org/details/historyofelizabe00hayc_0
A HISTORY of ELIZABETHTOWN, KENTUCKY AND ITS SURROUNDINGS BY SAMUEL HAYCRAFT (Written in 1869)
PUBLISHED BY THE WOMAN'S CLUB of ELIZABETHTOWN, KY.
1921
COPYRIGHT, 1921, BY THE WOMAN'S CLUB of ELIZABETHTOWN, KY.
1415140
PRELIMINARY NOTE
Samuel Haycraft's "History of Elizabethtown and Its Surround- ings" was published in the Elizabethtown News in 1869 and republished in 1889-90. The preservation of this history through its publication in the News is a happy occurrence, for in no other way would much of the early history of the town have been accurately preserved.
Mr. Haycraft was a son of one of the three pioneer settlers of the town, and was born when the town was still an early pioneer settlement. At the time of his death he had lived here 83 years, and he was the only remaining citizen whose life went back to the town's earliest days. Elizabethtown is now 140 years old, and it will not be long before no one will be left whose interest in the town's history is quickened by per- sonal memory of its early inhabitants. When that time comes, tradi- tions will rapidly grow vague, and the knowledge of its early history and characters will be lost. On account of facts like these the Elizabeth- town Woman's Club undertook the publication of Haycraft's History in book form. The original suggestion of this came from Mrs. William Allen Pusey, of Chicago. There are many Elizabethtown people both at home and abroad to whom the town is dear and who are interested in preserving its history. When this matter was proposed to them there was a gratifying response which has enabled the club to proceed with the undertaking.
Quite aside from local interest and personal feelings there are other good reasons for the publication of this work. It is an exceedingly in- teresting document, particularly in the vivid description which the writer gives of pioneer customs and conditions. The author loved the town and its early history, and he describes it in vigorous style and with a quaint sense of humor. He was little disturbed in his writing by the laws of composition, but his descriptions flow on easily, and the reader is never uncertain as to what he is trying to say. The original copy has been reproduced without any effort at alteration or correction. A few chapters, composed of material not really a part of the history of the town and its surroundings, have been omitted.
Goodspeed 12.50 9-5-67 27513
The history ends abruptly with a short sketch of Ben Hardin which it was evidently intended to continue. It is to be hoped that the example of this history will stimulate some later public spirited citizen to continue the history of the town down to the present day.
For the privilege of publishing this history the Woman's Club is indebted to Mr. H. A. Sommers and the other owners of the Elizabeth- town News and takes pleasure in expressing here its obligations to them.
THE WOMAN'S CLUB OF ELIZABETHTOWN, KY.
MISS LILLIE GOLDNAMER,
MISS EMILY PAYNE, MISS MARGARET STEWART, MRS. W. H. ROBERTSON, MRS. J. R. SELBY,
MRS. R. W. CATES,
MRS. R. B. PARK, Committee.
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Samuel Haycraft Taken in Sept. 1877, in his 83d year
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Sarah B. Haycraft Taken in 1872, in her 73d year
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SAMUEL HAYCRAFT
Samuel Haycraft was born August 14, 1795, in Elizabethtown, Ken- tucky, in a double, round-log cabin. His father was Samuel Haycraft, a Revolutionary soldier, and a man of great public and private worth, who settled in Kentucky early in the latter quarter of the eighteenth century. His mother was Margaret VanMeter, daughter of Jacob Van- Meter, and belonged to one of the old and honorable pioneer families of the State. The subject of this sketch, one of the most remarkable men who ever lived in Elizabethtown, spent nearly seven years of his boyhood in the country schools, the last two chiefly in studying the Latin language. He was a careful, discriminating, and extensive reader, and few men of the country were so thoroughly and universally well in- formed. His long public career commenced when he was fourteen years of age. At that time, in October, 1809, he began to write in the office of the County and Circuit Clerk, Major Ben Helm. The duties of this position he performed, with little variation, until 1816, when he re- ceived the appointment of Clerk of both Circuit and County Courts of Hardin County, and held this clerkship, uninterruptedly, until 1857. He said of himself, "That, from the time he entered this office, he was attentive to business, and never neglected it; but, in leisure moments, was fond of gay and lively company, particularly of dancing parties, but hardly ever descended to low company or rowdyism, but was a wild, wicked sinner." On retiring from this office, in 1851, the court and bar adopted, and placed on record, resolutions in every way flattering to him in his official capacity, as well as social and private relations of life.
He, then, began the practice of law at the Elizabethtown bar ; but after four years of legal practice, was again called by the people to fill the vacant clerkship of the Circuit Court, caused by the death of the incumbent. In 1857 he was elected to represent the people in the State Senate and held this position for four years. He was, therefore, a member of the Legislature during the most important and critical period of the State's history. His record made in that body was most honora- ble to himself, and, in the light of the present, is stamped by a wisdom, foresight, and fearless devotion to just and true principles, of which
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any man might well be proud. He was instrumental in enacting some' measures beneficial to the general good ; and it was through his efforts, mainly, that the Legislature was induced to appropriate even the meagre sum it did for the erection of a monument to Daniel Boone. And, in that body, he was one of the most determined and staunch supporters of the Union. He was then sixty-seven years of age, and had lived with his father through the greater part of the life-time of the nation, and now stood in the Senate, gray with time and honor, one of the noblest Romans of them all, ever ready to say, "The Union must and shall be preserved." But neither in that august body nor among his friends and neighbors at home, was he ever obnoxious in his opinions ; on the con- trary, however, conciliatory, generous and discriminating, claiming only to himself his private opinions, and deeply sympathizing with the troubles of his neighbors and the evils and misfortunes of the times. He was again elected Clerk of the Circuit Court and retired in 1868, at the age of seventy-three, after an unparalleled service of sixty-five years. He said of himself that "On the first Saturday in April, 1832, my wife and I were baptized by Elder Warren Cash, who also married us; and, in answer to my mother's prayers, she lived to see all her children in the Church, and to hear her youngest son preach the Gospel." For over forty years he was a member of the Baptist Church, a teacher in the Sabbath-schools and observed family prayers twice a day. For several years he was a Trustee of Georgetown College, to which he made some bequests. Of himself, he says: "I have occupied the same seat in church for over forty years, and never sit back in the scorner's place. On the 29th of October, 1818, I was married to Sarah Brown Helm, a daughter of Judge John Helm, of Breckinridge County. I regard the transaction as the most fortunate move of my life, tem- porally speaking." They had four children : Edgar H., DeSoto, Iowa ; Sarah M., wife of S. McMurtry, Hardin County ; Louisa Ann, wife of William Dix, Breckinridge County; and Margaret J., wife of C. D. Poston, once Representative in Congress from Arizona. Mr. Hay- craft was a fine public speaker and one of the most interesting conversa- tionalists. His disposition to joke was inveterate and a vein of humor seemed to underlie the most serious moments of his life. He was a man of fine address, most genial temperament, courteous manner and splendid personal appearance ; and few men of his age showed such
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high preservation of all the noble elements of manhood. He stood as a monument of the effects of correct principles and practices of life, both physically and mentally. Yet he modestly said: "My life has been rather quiet and monotonous, and does not afford much matter for- history, especially of an extraordinary character."
He evidently found pleasure in composition on subjects which were of interest to him; these were especially the pioneer times and people, his church, and religion. He not infrequently wrote letters to the Louisville papers, and was an occasional contributor to religious publications. In Ford's Christian Repository of May, 1875, PP. 350 to 361 he has an autobiography. In the same of October, 1875, pp. 276 to 285 there is a sermon by him.
This history was probably suggested to him by an investigation which he made and embodied in a very interesting "Letter to the churches comprising the Salem Association of United Baptists" read at Big Spring meeting house September 22nd, 1871. Although read after the publication of his history, the context shows that it was prepared in 1843.
His wife died August 14th, 1878. They had been married 60 years, lacking two months. To her he repeatedly paid tribute throughout his career, and she was as much of a character in the town as he was. A gentle, generous, pious woman of the old generation she was "Aunt Sallie" to the whole community. Many of us still remember her agree- able peculiarity of always having on hand "sweet cakes" for distribu- tion to the children who came to her house. She and her husband lived in the fine square colonial brick house that stood on the northeast corner of Main and Poplar Streets, the first brick house erected in Elizabeth- town. Two magnificent magnolia trees stood on either side of the portico. It was a house of character, and it was a loss to the town when it was destroyed by fire about 1882.
He followed his wife to the grave in his 84th year on December 22nd, 1878, four months after her death.
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COPY OF A LETTER WRITTEN PRIOR TO LINCOLN'S ELECTION TO PRESIDENCY
Following is a letter which came into the possession of Mrs. W. H. Courtney, Owensboro, Ky., written by Lincoln to Hon. Samuel Hay- craft, grandfather of Mrs. Courtney, just prior to his election in 1860:
Springfield, Ill., Aug. 16, 1860.
Hon. Samuel Haycraft,
Elizabethtown, Ky.
My Dear Sir :
A correspondent of the New York Herald, who was here a week writing to that paper, represents me as saying I have been invited to visit Kentucky, but that I suspected it was a trap to inveigle me into Kentucky in order to do violence to me.
This is wholly a mistake. I said no such thing. I do not remember, but I possibly did mention my correspondence with you, but very cer- tainly I was not guilty of stating or intimating a suspicion of any intended violence, deception, or other wrong against me by you or any other Kentuckian.
Thinking this Herald correspondence must reach you, I think it due to myself to enter my protest against this part of it.
I scarcely think the correspondent was malicious, but rather that he misused what was said.
Yours very truly, A. LINCOLN.
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CHAPTER I
Having been requested by you to furnish my recollections of Eliza- bethtown, I cheerfully comply with your request. Although born in it seventy-four years ago, in order to furnish a history of the town and its founders, I shall be compelled to draw a little upon tradition, running back to the fall of 1779, in order to give a just idea of the kind of men, their mode of life, etc., who first came to the valley in which the town is situated. My father and mother being among the very first, enables me to speak with some certainty, as I received it from them.
Elizabethtown is situated in Hardin county, on the southern slope of Muldraughs Hill, and Severn's Valley creek, a branch of Nolin,. which empties into Green river. The town is ten miles southwest of the Beech and Rolling Fork of Salt river, forty-two miles from Louis- ville, by the Louisville and Nashville railroad, and forty-five miles by the way of the Louisville and Nashville turnpike road, and those two roads cross at right angles in Elizabethtown.
The valley took its name from John Severns, an early adventurer, who, being attracted by the beauty of the location, entered land, and gave the name to the creek and valley. The head waters of Valley creek, and Rawlings' fork, each about three or four miles long, form a junction in the town, where it takes the name of Severn's Valley creek. This beautiful stream, in its course downward, is fed by Shaw's creek, Billy's creek, East and West Rhude's creeks, and by numerous never- failing springs of limpid water, cool and refreshing. About eight miles below town it disembogues into the stream of Nolin. The whole stream is about twelve miles long. The valley through which it runs varies from two to seven miles wide. The greater part, particularly that por- tion surrounding the town, was originally a dense forest of heavy tim- ber. Poplar, walnut, sugar maple, wild cherry, hackberry, plum, etc., and various other growths, and undergrowths of spice wood, leather wood, etc., indicating the richest soil. The greater portion of this beautiful and fertile valley was taken by John Severns, Andrew Hynes,
Thomas Helm, Joseph Stover, Jacob Funk, Claudius Paul Raguet, Osburn Spriggs, John Handley, Jacob Harris, and others not now remembered. It was then in Jefferson county, and belonged to the old mother of States, Virginia-afterwards it was divided and became Nelson county.
On the Ist day of June, 1792, Kentucky was made a State by the consent of Virginia : and in 1793 Hardin county was founded, bounded by the Ohio river, Salt river, Rolling fork to Salt Lick, striking across the hills to Green river, and down the river to the Ohio, embracing all the counties of Hardin, Meade, Breckinridge, Davies and Ohio, and the great parts of Hart, Grayson and part of Edmonson.
About the fall of 1779 and winter of 1780, the early settlers were Captain Thomas Helm, Colonel Andrew Hynes and Samuel Haycraft; each of these persons built forts with block houses. The forts were stockades, constructed of split timber-then deemed sufficient for de- fense against the Indian rifles. The sites were well selected, each on elevated ground, commanding springs of never failing and excellent water.
The forts formed a triangle, equidistant a mile apart. Captain Helm's fort occupied the hill on which Governor Helm's residence now stands. Colonel Hynes' was on the elevation now occupied by J. H. Bryan, formerly by Ambrose Geoghegan, Sen., and for many years by John H. Geoghegan, Esq. Haycraft's fort was on the hill above the Cave spring, in which the flesh of many a deer, buffalo and bear were preserved for use, as salt in these days were not to be had. There were no other settlements at that time between the falls of the Ohio and Green river. Those forts were subject to frequent attacks by the Indians. The report of a gun at either of these forts was the signal by which the other forts were warned of the danger and summoned to the aid of the beseiged fortress, which was promptly responded to. Many were the inroads made by savages upon the infant settlements at that early period. Soon after a hardy set of adventurers came in and settled around the forts, consisting of the Millers, Vertreeses, Van- meters, Harts, Shaws, Dyers, &c., who assisted in repelling the attacks of the Indians. Many deeds of daring valor were performed by those sturdy pioneers. It cost some blood. Henry Helm, son of old Captain Thomas Helm, was killed ; also Dan Vertrees, the honored grandfather
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of Judge W. D. Vertees, our fellow-citizen. Dan Vertrees was a stal- wart young man of daring. He, with the late Colonel Nicholas Miller and others, were pursuing a band of Indians; Miller, then young, was tall, slenderly built, as active as a cat, and as fleet as hind, and as brave as Julius Caesar. This company coming upon the Indians, suddenly, a desperate fight ensued. Vertrees was killed at the first fire. A stout warrior seized a white man, wrestled his gun from him and was about to cleve his head with an axe. Miller at that moment, with a celerity of action which few men could equal, and with a power that few possessed -in the language of John Glenn, "snatched the white man from the Indian as he would a chicken from a hawk," and, with an equal rapid motion, killed the Indian: This turned the tide, and the remaining Indians fled, leaving several dead on the ground.
Miles Hart, while defending his domicile with an open door, spring- ing from side to side, loading and firing, and keeping at bay a band of savages for a considerable length of time, was finally killed, and his wife and two children taken prisoners. It may not be uninteresting to note a circumstance showing the capability of endurance possessed by those early settlers. Mrs. Elizabeth Hart, the widow of Miles Hart, was regarded as a very delicate woman for those days. She was enceinte when taken a prisoner-in an advanced state. She was burdened with camp kettles and other Indian plunder ; they crossed the Ohio river into the Northwestern territory. After journeying a few days, at nightfall, she was compelled to kindle the Indian fires, and then made to go aside and kindle a fire for herself, raking up as best she could rubbish from under the snow, and there alone, unaided by the kind assistance known to civilized life, was delivered of a son. The squaws then showed a little kindness in the morning, by giving her a little water in which a turkey had been boiled. Then cutting a block from a tree, they wrapped a piece of blanket around the new-born infant, fastened it to the block, and laid the block upon her back with camp kettles, &c., and pursued their way, and, in the course of a day, waded a river waist deep, and yet, strange to tell, she experienced no serious inconvenience but from hard usages and inhuman treatment, the child died at six months old.
She lingered in captivity and wretched slavery for several years, until a trading Frenchman at Detroit purchased her from the Indians, and restored her to her relations. She afterwards married and raised
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a considerable family. Bailey T. Price, Mrs. Thomas Tabb, and Mrs. John Tabb, are her grand children, and now live among us.
Another instance to show the hardships of the people of those days: On the 25th day of December, 1780, the late Benjamin Helm, Esq., then a lad of fourteen years of age (son of Captain Thomas Helm), walked barefooted to the falls of the Ohio (now Louisville) for meal or salt. Mr. Helm afterwards lived to an advanced age, over ninety years! He died some years ago, a wealthy and highly esteemed old gentleman, of the old school, having spent a life of sobriety, honesty and industry, having filled the offices of Circuit and County Court Clerks many years, and various other respectable stations, and was justly considered a benefactor in the community ; built the Methodist Church here almost unaided, and died a member of it-a true Christian.
On the 17th day of June, 1781, under the shadow of a green sugar tree, near Haynes' station, a Baptist church was constituted with eighteen members, by Elder William Taylor and Joseph Barnett, preachers, with Elder John Gerrard, who was ordained first pastor. The church was called the Regular Baptist Church of Severn's Valley. The same church still exists in Elizabethtown and is known by the name of the United Baptist Church of Jesus Christ, called Severn's Valley, and is now the oldest Baptist church that maintains an existence in Kentucky. All the members and preacher emigrated from Virginia, and Elder Gerrard might have been emphatically styled, "the voice of one crying in the wilderness."
This man of God was only permitted to exercise the functions of his office for nine months. For in common with his friends he was compelled to seek the game of the forest for a living, and being with a hunting party they were surprised by a band of Indians, all except Elder Gerrard made their escape, he being lame, was taken, and whether he was slain outright, burnt at the stake, or lingered in captivity was never known, and like Moses the place of his sepulchre is not known to this day. He left a family and his decendants, the Millers and Thomases, are among us to this day. The elder and younger Jacob Vanmeter and the wife of the elder were in the original constitution of the church. The decendants of the first Jacob Vanmeter now number upwards of 3,000 and are scattered over nearly all the States of the Union. He was my grandfather ; he died on the 16th day of November, 1798, and was
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buried on his own farm, now owned by George Strickler. A plain stone of sand rock now marks the spot, the letters on it all legible, though of seventy years' standing.
CHAPTER II
Church going folks of the present day who make it a point to appear in their best attire at the public religious services might feel some curiosity to know how our ancestors appeared on such occasions and I hope they will not blush at the description.
I received my information from Jacob Vanmeter, who was the younger Jacob Vanmeter in the original constitution of the church. He died a few years since at the advanced age of about ninety-five, having been a Baptist eighty-four years.
They then had no house of worship. In the summertime they wor- shipped in the open air, in the winter time they met in the round log cabins with dirt floors, as there was no mills and plank to make a floor. A few who had aspired to be a little aristocratic split timber and made puncheon floors.
The men dressed as Indians ; leather leggins and moccasins adorned their feet and legs. Hats made of splinters rolled in Buffalo wool and sewed together with deer sinews or buckskin whang; shirts of buck- skin and hunting shirts of the same; some went the whole Indian cos- tume and wore breech-clouts. The females wore a coarse cloth made of Buffalo wool, underwear of dressed doe skin, sun bonnets, something after the fashion of men's hats and the never-failing moccasin for the feet in winter, in summer time all went barefooted.
When they met for preaching or prayer, the men sat with their trusty rifles at their sides, and as they had to watch as well as pray, a faithful sentinel keeping a look out for the lurking Indian. But it so happened that their services were never seriously interrupted, except on one occa- sion. One of the watchers came to the door hole during a sermon and endeavored by signs and winks to apprise the people that something was wrong-not being exactly understood, a person within winked at the messenger, as much as to say, "Don't interrupt us." But the case being urgent, the outside man exclaimed "None of your winking and blinking-I tell you the Indians are about."
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That was understood, the meeting was closed, and military defense organized. Now, gentle and fair reader, I beseech you, not to blush or be ashamed of your forerunners; they were the chosen of God and nature's nobility. There was no distinction or turning up of noses in that day, each was his other's equal, they were brothers and so esteemed and loved each other.
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No burdened field of corn; no waving fields of wheat came to the harvest; no potato crop burrowed the earth. The wild game that roamed the forest was the only dependence the first year; the rifle was indispensable. It was made common cause, food was obtained at the risk of life. The unsuccessful hunter lacked nothing. The man who brought down the buffalo, the deer or bear, divided out and all had plenty. When news reached a fort that Indians were around, all were upon the alert, the men seeing that their weapons were in order, and the women, God bless them, went each to their neighbor, and inquired, "Have you plenty of meat ? If you have not I have it." And immedi- ately there was an equal division. The dried venison, called "jirk," was the bread; the fat, juicy bear the esculent, the bulky buffalo, the sub- stantial ; and the turkey the dessert ; nobody had the dyspepsia and all had good teeth. But soon the brawny arm leveled the forest fields were opened and a plenty of the substantials of life soon blessed their labors.
Often has the writer heard old people talk with great fondness of old forting times as a green spot in their history-they loved to dwell upon the scenes of early trails and dangers, when men and women were all true hearted and no selfishness.
At an early period Christopher Bush settled in the valley, in what is now the boundary of Elizabethtown. He was of German descent, a stirring, industrious man, and had a large family of sons and daughters. The sons were stalwart men, of great muscular power; there was no backout in them ; never shunned a fight when they considered it neces- sary to engage in it, and nobody ever heard one cry "enough." The most of the family left Kentucky. One of the daughters married Thomas Lincoln, the father of the late President, Abraham Lincoln, who was the son of a former wife, and she had the principal care of rearing and educating the future President. She was an excellent woman.
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