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Gc 976.9 C68h v.2 1550955
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GENEALOGY COLLECTION
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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 00827 0909
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016
https://archive.org/details/collinshistorica02coll 0
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5M
CLARA
ELBY
BOONE
KENTON
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COLLINS' HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF KENT
HISTORY
OF
KENTUCKY:
BY THE LATE LEWIS COLLINS, Judge of the Mason County Court.
REVISED, ENLARGED FOUR-FOLD, AND BROUGHT DOWN TO THE YEAR 1874, BY HIS SON, RICHARD II. COLLINS, A. M., LL.B.
EMBRACING
PRE-HISTORIC, ANNALS FOR 331 YEARS, OUTLINE, AND BY COUNTIES. STATISTICS, ANTIQUITIES AND NATURAL CURIOSITIES, GEOGRAPHICAL AND GEOLOGICAL DESCRIPTIONS, SKETCHES OF THE COURT OF APPEALS, THE CHURCHES, FREEMASONRY, ODD FELLOWSHIP, AND INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS, INCIDENTS OF PIONEER LIFE, AND NEARLY FIVE HUNDRED BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF DISTINGUISHED PIONEERS, SOLDIERS, STATESMEN, JURISTS, LAWYERS, SUR- GEONS, DIVINES, MERCHANTS, HISTORIANS, EDITORS, ARTISTS, ETC., ETC.
VOL. II.
Illustrated by 84 Portraits, a Map of Kentucky, and 70 other Engravings.
COVINGTON, KY .: PUBLISHED BY COLLINS & CO. 1874.
ILLUSTRATIONS.
1. Portrait of Daniel Boone. Frontispiece. | 43. University of Louisville .358
2. Portrait of Simon Kenton
3. Portrait of Gen. Geo. Rogers Clark"
4. Portrait of Gov. Isaac Shelby
5. Portrait of Henry Clay
6. Portrait of John J. Crittenden 66
7. Portrait of Col. Rich'd M.Johnson"
8. Seal of Kentucky . Title page
9. County Map of Kentucky. .Page 17
10. Fac-Simile Letter of Daniel Boone 61
11. View of Main Street, Paris 66
12. Wesleyan University, Millersburg. 66
13. Fortification near Paris .. 67
14. Fortification in Bourbon County ... 68
15. Ancient Fortifications in same ..... 68
16. Gov. Garrard's residence near Paris 68
17. Ancient Work in Bourbon County. 69
IS. Deaf and Dumb Asylum, Danville. 85
19. Deaf and Dumb Alphabet 86
20. Centre College, Danville 87
21. Augusta College, Augusta 87
22. Kentucky University, Lexington .. 184
23. Transylvania Medical Hall, Lex ... 184
24. Henry Clay's Residence, near Lex.217
25. Masonic Hall, Lexington .. 217
26. Eastern Lunatic Asylum, Lex'ton.223
27. Ancient Fort, Fayette County. .. 227
23. Signature of Daniel Boone.242,498,661
29. High School Building, Frankfort ... 245
30. Maj. Love's House, Frankfort. .245
31. First Permanent State House. 246
32. Second Permanent State House 216
33. Third ( Present) State House .. 247
34. Proposed New State House. 248
35. Clock-faces of Mean Time. 272
36. Ancient Monuments, Greenup Co ... 302
37. Portsmouth Group, Greenup County 302
38. Fortification, Greenup County ... .. 303
39. Ohio River Bridge, at Louisville ... 356
40. City Hall, Louisville .. .. 356
41. Court House, Louisville. .372
42. Old Prison, at Louisville .372
44. Medical Department of University of Louisville. 358
45. St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Lou- isville. .363
46. First Presbyterian Church, Louis'e363
47. View of Main Street, Louisville ..:. 360 48. Signature of Col. John Campbell .... 360 49. PublicLibrary of Kentucky, Louis'e 395 50. View of Smithland ...... .395
51. Chimney Rock, Kentucky River ... 397 52. Orr's Female Academy, Covington424 53. St. Elizabeth Hospital, Covington.424 54. Cov. and Cin. Suspension Bridge ... 430 55. District School House, Covington ... 430
56. Signature of Simon Kenton ... 450
57. View of Bank Lick 454
58. Fortification in Larue County 457
59. Esculapia Springs, Lewis County .. 465 60. Plat of Boonesborough 515
61. Boone's Rock, Madison County ... .. 525
62. Names on Stone. 525
63. Old Fort at Boonesborough. 529
64. Court House, Maysville . 555
65. John Kenton's Station, Mason Co.555 66. View of Maysville. 546
67. Harrodsburg Springs 603
68. Bacon College, Harrodsburg. 604
69. Main House at Shaker Village .004 70. Fortification near Mt. Sterling ..... 633 71. Georgetown College, Georgetown .. 644 72. St. Joseph's College, Bardstown .... 644
73. Lower Blue Lick Springs. .651
74. Gov. Metcalfe's Residence. 653
75. Signature of Wm. Oldham 668
76. Female Collegiate Institute, Georgetown .. 698
77. Warren Female Institute .. 698
78. Court House, Bowling Green. 737 79. Old Fort, in Warren County .. 739
80. Antiquities in Woodford County .765
1550955
Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1874, by
RICHARD H. COLLINS, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.
38W 3M
ARBLI
TO HIS FATHER, JUDGE LEWIS COLLINS,
WHOSE LABORS, IN 1846-7, AS A HISTORIAN OF KENTUCKY, WERE MOST APPRECIATED AFTER HIS DEATH, IN 1870 ;
.
TO THE
KENTUCKY LEGISLATURE of 1869-71,
WHICH, BY CONTRACTING FOR COPIES OF IT AS A FOUNDATION FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL LIBRARIES THROUGHOUT THE STATE, GENEROUSLY AND CONFIDINGLY ENCOURAGED ITS PUBLICATION ;
TO THOSE MEMBERS OF THE
KENTUCKY LEGISLATURES of 1871-73 and 1873-75, WHOSE JUSTICE AND LIBERALITY SUSTAINED THE ACTION OF THAT OF 1869-71
AND TO THE Hon. FRANCIS FORD, of Covington, and other noble Friends,
WHOSE GENEROUS AND HEARTY APPROVAL AND KIND WORDS ENCOURAGED HIM AMID UNWORTHY OPPOSITION AND UNFORESEEN OBSTACLES, DURING THE FOUR YEARS OF ITS PREPARATION ;
THIS WORK IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR.
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION, 1847 ..
THE late H. P. Peers, of the city of Maysville, laid the foundation for the work which is now presented to the reading community. Mr. Peers designed it to be simply a small Gazetteer of the State; and had collected, and partially arranged for publication, the major part of the materials, comprising a description of the towns and counties. Upon his de- cease, the materials passed into the hands of the Author, who determined to remodel them, and make such additions as would give permanency and increased value to the work. He has devoted much labor to this object; but circumstances having rendered its publication necessary at an earlier day than was contemplated, some errors may have escaped, which more time, and a fuller investigation would have enabled him to detect.
Serious obstacles have been encountered, in the preparation of the Biographical Sketches. Many of those which appear in the work, were prepared from the personal recollections of the Author ; while others have been omitted, because he did not know to whom he could apply for them, or having applied, and in some instances repeatedly, failed in procuring them. This is his apology, for the non-appearance of many names in that department, which are entitled to a distinguished place in the annals of Kentucky.
In the preparation of the work, one design of the Author has been to preserve, in a durable forin, those rich fragments of local and personal history, many of which exist, at present, only in the ephemeral form of oral tradition, or are treasured up among the recollections of the aged actors in the stirring scenes, the memory of which is thus perpetuated. These venerable witnesses from a former age, are rapidly passing away from our midst, and with them will be buried the knowledge of much that is most interesting in the primitive history of the commonwealth. It is from sources such as we have mentioned, that the materials for the future historian are to be drawn ; and, like the scattered leaves of the Sybil, these frail mementos of the past should be gathered up and preserved with religious veneration. If the Author shall have succeeded, in thus redeeming from oblivion any considerable or important portion of the early history of the State, his design will be fully accomplished, and his labor amply rewarded.
Of all the members of this great republican confederacy, there is none whose history is more rich in the variety, quality, and interest of its materials. The poet, the warrior, and the statesman can each find subjects, the contemplation of which will instruct him in his art ; and to the general reader, it would, perhaps, be impossible to present a field of more varied and attractive interest.
It is proper that the Author should state that he has received the assistance of many able pens, in the preparation of the work. The " Outline History," embracing about eighty pages, was written by John A. M'Clung, Esq., of Washington. William P. Conwell, Esq., of Maysville, has rendered important aid, particularly in the biographical department. He is the writer of the Sketches, among others, of the Hon. Henry Clay, Gen. George Rogers Clark, Col. Daniel Boone, and Gen. Z. Taylor. The author is also greatly indebted to Col. Charies S. Todd, of Shelby county ; Henry Waller, R. H. Stanton, and William H. Wads worth, Esqrs., of the city of Maysville; Noble Butler, Esqr. (author of a late and excellent
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V
PREFACE.
work on English Grammar), of the city of Louisville; Bruce Porter, Esq., of the town of Flemingsburg ; Thomas W. Riley, Esq., of Bardstown; and Professor O. Beatty, of Centre College, Danville, for valuable contributions. Col. Todd furnished some seven or eight biographical sketches; among them, those of Gov. Shelby and Judge Innes. Mr. Waller prepared the whole of the county of Mason, Mr. Butler a large portion of the county of Jefferson, Mr. Porter a portion of the county of Fleming, Mr. Riley a portion of the county of Bullitt, and Mr. Beatty the article on the Geology of Kentucky. A distinguished citizen of the State contributed the interesting Sketch of the Court of Appeals.
The Historical Sketches of the several religious denominations, were prepared by the following gentlemen : Rev. John L. Waller, editor of the Western Baptist Review, Frank- fort, of the Baptist church; Rev. W. W. Hill, editor of the Presbyterian Herald, Louisville, of the Presbyterian church; Rev. George W. Smiley,* of the Northern Kentucky Confer- ence, of the Methodist Episcopal church ; Rev. James Shannon, president of Bacon College, Harrodsburg, of the Christian Church ; Rt. Rev. B. B. Smith, D.D., bishop of the Diocese of Kentucky, of the Episcopal church ; Rev. Rich. Beard, D.D., president of Cumberland College, Princeton, of the Cumberland Presbyterian church ; and Rev. M. J. Spalding, D.D., Vicar-General of Kentucky, Louisville, of the Roman Catholic church.
He also acknowledges his indebtedness to the following gentlemen, for information con- cerning their counties, for incidents connected with the early settlement of the State, or for biographical sketches, &c., viz :
James W. Carter, Esqr., of Adair county ; W. F. Evans, Esqr., of Allen; J. W. Crock- ett, and J. H. Stovall, Esqrs., of Ballard; B. N. Crump, Esqr., of Barren ; James M. Pres- ton, Esqr., of Boone; Hon. Garrett Davis, Dr. Joseph H. Holt, Dr. William M. Garrard, and William C. Lyle, John G. Scrogin, and W. G. Talbot, Esqrs., of Bourbon ; Rev. J. C. Young, D.D., president of Centre College, of Boyle ; General John Payne, of Bracken; Jolin Hargis, Esq., of Breathitt ; Hon. John Calhoon, Joseph Smith, Joseph Allen, and Francis Peyton, Esqrs., of Breckinridge ; W. T. Samuels, and Michael O. Wade, Esqrs., of Bullitt ; B. J. Burke, and L. W. Moore, Esqrs., of Butler ; Charles B. Dallam, and Marcus M. Tyler, Esqrs., of Caldwell; E. H. Curd, Esqr., of Calloway ; Gen. James Taylor, and A. D. Smalley, Esqr., of Campbell; David Owen, Esq., of Carroll; G. W. Crawford, Esqr., of Carter ; Daniel H. Harrison, A. G. Stites, and R. R. Lansden, Esqrs., of Christian ; W. Flanagan, and Willis Collins, Esqrs., of Clarke ; Dougherty White, and William Woodcock, Esqrs., of Clay ; R. Maxcy, and E. Long, Esqrs., of Clinton ; R. L. Bigham, and H. R. D. Coleman, Esqrs., of Crittenden ; E. B. Gaither, and Th. T. Alex- ander, Esqrs., and Dr. David R. Haggard, of Cumberland; John P. Devereaux, Esqr., of Daviess ; A. M. Barrett, Esqr., of Edmonson; Robert Clarke, Esqr., of Estill ; Hon. George Robertson, Gen. Leslie Combs, Gen. John M. M'Calla, Col. Richard Spurr, Hon. Robert Wickliffe, Rev. Robert J. Breckinridge, D.D., and John C. Breckinridge, William S. Waller, John Bradford, James Logue, Samuel D. M'Cullough, and Fielding R. Bradford, Esqrs., of Fayette; C. C. Lane, and W. S. Botts, Esqrs, of Fleming; Edwin Trimble, and Daniel Hager, Esqrs., of Floyd; Gov. William Owsley, Hon. Benjamin Monroe, Hon. James Harlan, Gen. Peter Dudley, Col. James Davidson, Orlando Brown, John W. Finnell. Wil- liam D. Reed, H. I. Bodley, and A. S. Mitchell, Esqrs., of Franklin ; Major J. W. Gibson, and R. A. Hatcher, Esqr., of Fulton; Rev. Benjamin Fuller, of Gallatin ; A. J. Brown, Esqr., of Garrard; John W. M'Cann, Esqr., of Grant; Jack Thomas, Esqr., of Grayson ; G. W. Montague, Esqr., of Greene; W. L. Poage, Esqr., of Greenup ; D. L. Adair, Esqr., of Hancock ; Dr. Samuel B. Young, and Thomas D. Brown, Esqr., of Hardin ; E. V. Unthank, Esqr., of Harlan; Gen. L. B. Desha, and J. V. Bassett, Esqr., of Harrison ;
* It is due to Mr. Smiley to state, that the Sketch of the Methodist Episcopal Church, was prepared by him upon a few days' notice.
vi
PREFACE.
Robert D. Murray, and John Bowman, Esqrs., of Hart ; Dr. Owen Glass, O. H. Hillyer, and J. E. M'Callister, Esqrs., of Henderson ; W. B. Edmunston, and N. E. Wright, Esgrs., of Hickman ; Samuel Woodson, Esqr., of Hopkins ; Hon. Henry Pirtle, Tal. P. Shaffner, Esqr., and Dr. Bullitt, of Jefferson ; R. E. Woodson, Esqr., of Jessamine : John House, Esqr., of Johnson ; Hon. James T. Morehead, and J. W. Menzies, Esqr., of Ken- ton ; B. H. Ohler, Esqr., of Knox; John Duncan, and William Beelar, Esqrs., of Larue ; G. F. Hatcher, Esqr., of Lawrence; W. B. Hampton, Esqr., of Letcher ; R. G. Carter, Esqr., of Lewis ; J. Campbell, Esqr., of Lincoln; William Gordon, Esqr., of Livingston ; M. B. Morton, and Albert G. Rhea, Esqrs., of Logan : Abner Oldham, Esqr., Col. John Speed Smith, and Col. David Irvine, of Madison ; Nicholas S. Ray, Esqr., and Captain Edmund A. Graves, of Marion ; Henry Hand, Esqr., of Marshall ; William Fairleigh, Esqr., of Meade : Hon. Adam Beatty, Col. James C. Pickett, Dr. J. M. Duke, R. H. Col- lins, and Joseph B. Boyd, Esqrs., of Mason; William H. Jones, Esqr., of M'Cracken; Gen. Robert B. M'Afee, Captain Samuel Daveiss, Dr. C. Graham, and James M'Afee, Esqr., of Mercer; William Butler, Esqr., of Monroe ; Richard Apperson, Esqr., of Mont- gomery ; James Elliott, Esqr., of Morgan ; Charles F. Wing, Esqr., of Muhlenburg ; Hon. Charles A. Wickliffe, G. Clayton Slaughter, and A. G. Botts, Esqrs., of Nelson ; Charles Henderson, H. D. Taylor, and Stephen Stateler, Esqrs., of Ohio ; G. Armstrong, Esqr., of Oldham; J. W. Bacon, Esqr., of Owen ; William Williams, Esqr., of Owsley ; S. Thomas Hauser, Esqr., of Pendleton ; John D. Mims, Esqr., of Pike ; E. Kelley, Esqr, of Pulaski; Col. Elisha Smith, of Rockcastle ; Joseph T. Rowe, Esqr., of Russell ; John T. Steffee, Esqr., and Rev. Howard Malcom, D.D., of Scott; Thomas J. Throop, I. Shelby Todd, and John H. Todd, Esqrs., and Rev. Abraham Cook, of Shelby ; John Hoy, Esqr., of Simpson; Ralph Lancaster, Esqr., of Spencer; W. H. Wells, and R. E. Glenn, Esqrs., of Todd ; Kain A. M'Caughan, and Robert Baker, Esqrs., of Trigg ; W. Samuels, Esqr., of Trimble ; J. W. Cromwell, Esqr., of Union ; Hon. A. W. Graham, Hon. Joseph R. Underwood, and Loyd Berry, Esqr., of Warren ; W. B. Booker, Esqr., of Washington; W. Simpson, Esqr., of Wayne; W. S. Cooke, and Squire Gatliffe, Esqrs., of Whitley ; Major Herman Bowmar, of Woodford .- Also, to Thomas B. Steven- son, Esqr., Dr. J. R. Buchanan, and Rev. Thornton A. Mills, of Cincinnati.
Maysville, Ky., August, 1847.
LEWIS COLLINS.
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION, 1874.
TWENTY-SEVEN years, 1847 to 1874, have elapsed since " COLLINS' HISTORY OF KEN- TUCKY " quietly and modestly claimed recognition among the standard local histories in the great American republic. That has been an eventful period. Death, too, bas been busy with the names in the Preface above-has claimed alike the author and compiler, Judge LEWIS COLLINS, and about one hundred and fifty more of the honored and substantial names who contributed information or other aid towards preserving what was then unwritten of the history of the state. The author of the present edition (now nearly fifty years of age) is the youngest of the forty-two contributors who are still living ; while several of them are over eighty, and one is over ninety-two years of age. Time has dealt gently with them ; fame has followed some, and fortune others ; a few have achieved both fame and fortune, while a smaller few lay claim to neither.
It is not often, as in this case, that the mantle of duty as a state-historian falls from the father to the son's shoulders. It has been faithfully and conscientiously worn ; how well and ably, let the disinterested and unprejudiced judge.
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PREFACE.
The present edition had its origin in this : When Judge COLLINS died, the Legisla- ture of Kentucky was in session. As its testimonial of appreciation of his services and character, this resolution was unanimously adopted, and on March 21, 1870, approved by Gov. Stevenson :
Resolved by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky :
That we have heard with deep regret of the death of Judge LEWIS COLLINS, of Mays- ville, Kentucky, which has occurred since the meeting of this General Assembly. He was a native Kentuckian of great purity of character and enlarged public spirit; associated for half a century with the press of the State, which he adorned with his patriotism, his elevatel morals, and his enlightened judgment. He was the author of a History of Kentucky, evidencing extended research, and which embodies in a per- manent form the history of each county in the State, and the lives of its distinguished citizens, and is an invaluable contribution to the literature and historical knowledge of the State. His name being thus perpetually identified with that of his native State, this General Assembly, from a sense of duty and regard for his memory, expresses this testimonial of its appreciation of his irreproachable character and valued services ..
This touching, and tender, and noble tribute to the departed Author and Editor, was but the culmination of a sympathy broader than the state, for it was echoed and sent back by many citizens from a distance. He had lived to some purpose. It was no small comfort to his family, to know that their bereavement was regarded as a public bereavement; and that his name and works would live on, and be green in the memory of the good people of Kentucky-the place of his birth, the home of his man- hood, the scene of his life's labors, his grave. In a spontaneous tribute of praise and sympathy, the entire newspaper press of the state, and many in other states, an- nounced his decease. The Lexington Kentucky Gazette made this gratifying mention of it:
DEATH OF A VETERAN .- Judge LEWIS COLLINS, of Maysville, author of the best history of Kentucky ever published, and a work of intense interest, which we are sorry to say is out of print, died in this city on Saturday last. He was for many years editor of the Maysville Eagle, and a writer of great strength and vigor. He will be best known hereafter as author of the work spoken of, and for this deserves some mark of respect from the publie, and should have a monument raised to his memory at the public expense, and should be interred in the State Cemetery at Frankfort. Few who lie interred in that beautiful spot deserve better of the State than he who has written its history and preserved its traditions in a form that will carry them to the latest posterity. Judge COLLINS had attained an advanced age (nearly 73 years), and his death was not unexpected.
That action of the state, and those generous outpourings of sympathy and regard, started fresh inquiries for the work that had made him best known-" COLLINS' HIS- TORY OF KENTUCKY." It had been out of print, for more than twenty years ! It was known that I had been associated with my Father as an editor, and then his successor, and had assisted him with his " History." Hence, many applications and inquiries for the book were made to me ; always with the suggestion that I ought to prepare a new edition, enlarged, and bring down to the present the history of the state. It was an important undertaking-as delicate as important. I shrank from the great responsibility, and declined. But the urgency continued, for the necessity of a state history was felt. The great State of Kentucky, the mother of statesmen and heroes, the advance guard of civilization west of the great Apalachian chain, had no published " History " of the last twenty-six years; and no " History " at all in book-form, now accessible to more than a few thousand of the intelligent minds among her million- and-a-third of inhabitants. The duty of preparing this History sought me, and not I it. It has been a task of tremendous labor, extending through the long weary months of nearly four years. But it has been a sweet and a proud task, and the destiny that seemed driving me on is almost fulfilled. I wish I could know the ver- dict of the future upon iny labors, but that is impossible. The carping and noisy fault-finding of the dissatisfied and ungenerous few are far from being pleasant; but the consciousness of duty done, with an honest heart, and the praise of the liberal ones who will appreciate the work, will be a noble and a proud satisfaction, and a joy ceasing only with my life.
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viii
PREFACE.
The Author acknowledges the following special contributions for this work, prepared at his request : Gen. Geo. B. Hodge, of Newport, wrote the last or closing CHAPTER VII, of the " Outline History ;" Prof. Robert Peter, M.D., of Lexington, the article on the " Geological Formations of Kentucky ;" Thomas E. Pickett, M.D., of Mays- ville, in Sept., 1871, that on "The Pre-Historic Inhabitants of Kentucky ;" the late Lawrence Young, of Louisville, nearly half of that on " The Climate of Kentucky ;" Rev. A. II. Redford, D.D., of Nashville, Tenn., more than half of that ou "The Methodist Church ;" Rev. James V. Logan, of Harrodsburg, pages 468, 469, 470 and 471, of that on " The Presbyterian Church," and Rev. Edward P. Humphrey, D.D., page 473 of the same article; Charles Eginton, of Covington, the sketch of " Free- masonry," and Rev. Howard A. M. Henderson, D. D., of Frankfort, part of the sketch of " Odd-Fellowship ;" the late Maj. Walter B. Overton, of Louisville, prepared the larger part of the biographical sketches of Gen. John C. Breckinridge, the late Presi- dent Abraham Lincoln, ex-President Jefferson Davis, and several others. The remainder of the work-of course, exclusive of that portion of the First Edition incor -. porated herein, either bodily or with necessary modifications (in all about 350, out of nearly 1,500, pages)-the present Author has prepared almost "unaided and alone," except so far as he gives proper credit in connection with the articles. He has some- times adopted sentences or expressions of biographical sketches or other information furnished him in writing.
For the information embodied in this work, other than alluded to above, the Author has searched diligently every attainable source. He has spent several months of labor in exploring, in person, the court records, of dates 1784 to 1820, of the counties of Kenton, Campbell, Mason, Fleming, Nicholas, Bourbon, Fayette, Madison, Lincoln, Mercer, Jefferson, Harrison, and Pendleton, besides the record of many cases from Montgomery, Clark, Jessamine, Bath, Nelson, Franklin, Woodford, Logan, and several other counties, and the land office of the state at Frankfort. This opened to him a rich mine of history never heretofore explored; and iu the 9,750 depositions examined (of which he took notes of over 1,200), he found sworn and indisputable data by which he now makes clear and consistent many statements in the local history of counties heretofore involved in obscurity, or gives the true detailed account of battles and adventures hitherto inaccurately reported or only partially preserved. He is thus enabled to publish, for the first time, minutely, much of the very earliest history ; to record the dates and localities of many surveys in 1773, 1774, and 1775 ; the names, in some cases, of the surveying parties ; the first visitors to, or "improvers" of land in, the first settled counties ; and the steps by which and the men through whom the most teeming and beautiful wilderness of Colonial America was redeemed to cultivation, and the " dark and bloody ground " of contending savage tribes converted to the abode of civilization and peace.
Besides this new and extraordinary source of historic knowledge, and some MS. and fugitive published articles which he gathered up, and thus made available for the first time, in connection with Kentucky history, the Author acknowledges the special value in preparing the Annals of Kentucky, in Volume I, of a large number of bound and unbound newspaper volumes and files, for which he was indebted to the courtesy of the following parties : To the Lexington Library, for access to the files of the Lexington Kentucky Gazette, 1787 to 1830, and the Lexington Kentucky Reporter, 1808 to 1830, each from its commencement ; to Enoch T. Carson, of Cincinnati, for the loan of the Cincinnati Centinel of the North- Western Territory, Nov., 1793, to June, 1796; to Harry I. Todd, of Frankfort, for the Frankfort Western World, Aug., 1806, to Jan. 1, 1808, and the Frankfort Palladium, June, 1806, to Dec. 17, 1807; to A J. Morey, of Cynthiana, for the Cynthiana Guardian of Liberty, 1817 to 1819 ; to Wm. C. Lyle, of Paris, for the Paris Western Citizen, 1817 to 1867; to the Maysville Eagle, 1824 to 1860, and to Thomas M. Green, for the continued files of same, 1860 to 1872, to the Lexington Observer and Reporter Co., for that paper, 1860 to 1865 ; to Col. Samuel Davis, of Covington, for the Covington Journal, 1853 to 1874; to Col. John G. Craddock, for the Paris True Kentuckian, 1866 to 1873 ; to the Kentucky State Library,
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