Collins historical sketches of Kentucky. History of Kentucky: Vol. II, Part 105

Author: Collins, Lewis, 1797-1870. cn; Collins, Richard H., 1824-1889. cn
Publication date: 1874
Publisher: Covington, Ky., Collins & Co.
Number of Pages: 1654


USA > Kentucky > Collins historical sketches of Kentucky. History of Kentucky: Vol. II > Part 105


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NELSON COUNTY.


NELSON county was formed in 1784 by the general assembly of Virginia, the 4th county erected in the district (now state) of Kentucky, and named in honor of ex-Gov. Thomas Nelson, of Va. It then embraced all the territory lying between Salt and Green rivers, as far E. as the E. line of Washington county. Out of that original territory have been formed the following counties: Washington, Hardin, and part of Green in 1792, part of Bullitt in 1796, Ohio in 1798; Breckinridge in 1799, Grayson and part of Butler in 1810, Daviess in 1815, part of Hart in 1819, Meade in 1823, part of Spencer in 1824, part of Edmonson in 1825, part of Anderson in 1827, Hancock in 1829, Marion in 1834, Larue in 1843, Taylor in 1848, and part of MeLean in 1854. In its present limits, it is situated in the northern middle portion of the state, and is bounded N. by Bullitt and Spencer counties, E. by Anderson, Washington, and Marion, s. by Washington, Marion, and Larue, and w. by Larue, Hardin, and Bullitt. Chapline's and Beech forks of Salt river form most of its E. and s. E. bound- ary line, and the Rolling fork of Salt river its s. w. line. The surface of the county is undulating. The soil generally is excel-


644


NELSON COUNTY.


Jent, but in the southern portion, off the creck bottoms, is rather thin. Corn and hogs are the largest exports, but cattle, horses, mules, hay, hemp, tobacco, flour, whiskey, and apples are also exported.


Towns .- Bardstown, the county seat, was established by the legislature of Virginia in 1788, as Bairdstown, after David Baird, one of the original proprietors of the 100 acres on which it was laid off ; is situated on an elevated plain, 2ths of a mile N. of the Beech fork of Salt river, 50 miles from Frankfort, 40 from Louis- ville, and 27 from Lebanon, and is the terminus of the Bards- town branch of the Louisville and Nashville railroad; contains a stone court house. 4 or 5 churches, 13 lawyers, 9 physicians, a good number of stor s and mechanics' shops, and several factories ; population in 187(e 1,835-indicating a growth of only 200 in 40 years. Bloomfield is a handsome town, 12 miles N. E. of Bardstown, and 27 from Shelbyville by the new Cumberland and Ohio railroad now building (1873) ; incorporated in 1819 ; popu- lation in 1870, 435. Fairfield is in the extreme N. part ; incor- porated in 1820; population in 1870, 167. Chapline, 15 miles N. of E. of Bardstown ; incorporated in 1850. New Haven, in the s. w. part, on the Lebanon branch railroad ; incorporated in 1839; population in 1870, 99. Other villages and railroad stations are Boston, Deatsville, Gethsemane, High Grove, Hunter's, New Hope, Nazareth, and Samuels'.


FEMALE COURAGE .- The following record of the indomitable courage and ama- zing physical strength of one of the pioneer females of Kentucky, we copy from the interesting work of Mr. McClung, the Sketches of Western Adventure :


" During the summer of 1787, the house of Mr. John Merrill, of Nelson county, Ky., was attacked by the Indians, and defended with singular address and good fortune. Merril was alarmed by the barking of a dog about midnight, and upon opening the door in order to ascertain the cause of the disturbance, he received the fire of six or seven Indians, by which his arm and thigh were both broken. He instantly sunk upon the floor and called upon his wife to close the door. This had scarcely been done when it was violently assailed by the tomahawks of the enemy, and a large breach soon effected. Mrs. Merrill, however being a perfect Amazon, both in strength and courage, guarded it with an axe, and successively killed or badly wounded four of the enemy as they attempted to force their way into the cabin.


"The Indians then ascended the roof, and attempted to enter by way of the chimney ; but here again they were met by the same determined enemy. Mrs. Merrill seized the only feather bed which the cabin afforded, and hastily ripping it open, poured its contents upon the fire. A furious blaze and stifling smoke instantly ascended the chimney, and brought down two of the enemy, who lay for a few moments at the mercy of the lady. Seizing the axe, she quickly dispatched them, and was instantly afterwards summoned to the door, where the only remaining savage now appeared, endeavoring to effect an entrance, while Mrs. Merrill was engaged at the chimney. He soon received a gash in the cheek, which compelled him, with a loud yell, to relinquish his purpose, and return has- tily to Chillicothe, where, from the report of a prisoner, he gave an exaggerated account of the fierceness, strength, and courage of the " long knife squaw !"


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BAKER.BRO


GEORGETOWN COLLEGE, GEORGETOWN, KY.


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ST. JOSEPH'S COLLEGE, BARDSTOWN, KY.


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NELSON COUNTY.


STATISTICS OF NELSON COUNTY.


When formed See page 26 Tobacco, hay, corn, wheat ...... pp. 266, 268


.p. 258


Horses, mules, cattle, hogs p. 268


Population, from 1790 to 1870 whites and colored. ... p. 260 Taxable property in 1846 and 1870 ... p. 270


towns ... .p. 262 Land-No. of acres, and value of .... p. 270 Latitude and longitude. .. p. 257


white males over 21. ... p. 266


children bet. 6 and 20 yrs. p. 266


Distinguished citizens .. ... see Index.


MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE FROM NELSON COUNTY.


Senate .-- Wm. McDowell, 1792-96 ; Wm. McClung, 1796-1800; Andrew Hynes, 1800 ; Jos. Lewis, 1801-03 ; Austin Hubbard, 1803-11; Dr. Burr Harrison, 1811-15 ; Martin H. Wieklifie, 1815-19, '23-27; Samuel McLean, 1819-21; Samuel Carpenter, 1821-23 ; Ben. Hardin, 1827-33, '51-53 ; Stanley Young, 1835-39 ; G. Clayton Slaugh- ter, 1839-48; Thos. P. Linthicum, 1848-51 ; William Johnson, 1865-73 (Speaker, 1867-69.)


House of Representatives .- Robert Abell, Matthew Walton, Wm. King, Joseph Hobbs, Joshua Hobbs, Edmund Thomas, 1792 ; Edward S. Thomas, Win. McClung, Cuthbert Harrison, Michael Campbell, 1793; Henry Crist, Wm. Rowan, Jas. Slaughter, 1795 ; Ninian Edwards, Robert Slaughter, 1798 ; Chas. Morehead, 1798, 1808; David Stone, 1799; Thos. Roberts, 1799, 1800, '03; Wm. Rogers, 1799, 1800, '01, '06 ; Adam Guth- rie, 1800, '02, '03, '04, '05, '08 ; Thos. Hubbard, 1801, '12; Austin Hubbard, 1802. '13, '14, '15 ; James Cox, 1802, '03; Felix Grundy, 1804, '05, '06; W. Brashear, 7808; Vincent Davis, 1809, '10 ; -. Quinton, -. Talbott, 1809; Ben. Hardin, 1S10, '11, '24, '25 ; Dr. Burr Harrison, 1810, '18, '19, '26, '27, '31, '32; John Huston, 1811, '12; Benj. Meason, 1811; Chas. A. Wickliffe, 1812, '13, '20, '21, '33, '34, '35 ; John Rowan, 1813, '14, '15, '16, '17; Francis Smith. 1814 ; Henry Cotton, 1815, '16, '17, '20 ; Richard Rudd, 1816, '26, '28, '30 ; Samuel T. Beall, 1817, '18, '28, '29, '30 ; Jos. Me- Closky, 1818 ; Abner King, John Hays, 1819; Wm. Wakefield, 1820 ; Thos. Speed, 1821, '22, '40; Wm. Chenowith, 1822 ; Benj. Chapeze, 1822, '24 ; Jas. Allen, 1825; Jonathan Simpson, 1827, '34; Gabriel E. Cox, 1829, '41; Daniel S. Howell, 1831, '42; Stanley Young, 1832, '47 ; Wm. J. Merrifield, 1833; Jas. M. Wright, 1835, '36; Geo. W. Gaither, 1836; Thos. P. Linthicum, 1837; G. Clayton Slaughter, 1837, '38 ; Asher Bodine, 1838; Wm. Elliott, John Rowan, Jr., 1839 ; Jas. Speed, 1840 ; R. Logan Wickliffe, 1841, '43 ; Elijah Davis, 1812 ; Henry Gore, 1843, '44, '45 ; Wm. R. Grigsby, 1844; Albert G. Botts, 1845, '46 ; Nathaniel G. Thomas, 1846 ; Wm. H. Duncan, 1847 ; B. Rowan Hardin, Geo. W. Hite, 1848 ; Green Duncan, 1849 ; Thos. W. Riley, 1849, '50 ; Elisha F. Wells, 1850 ; Ellis Duncan, 1851-53; Archibald C. Wilson, 1853-55 ; David R. Dugan, 1855-57; John C. Wickliffe, 1857-59 ; Sylvester Johnson, 1859-61 ; Felix G. Murphy, 1861-63; Wm. Elliott, 1863-65 ; Jas. Wood, 1865-67; David P. Stout, 1867-69 ; Benj. Hardin, 1869-71; Wm. N. Beckham, 1871-75.


A Natural Tunnel extends under Bardstown, of circular form and several feet in diameter, commencing at the eastern and terminating at the western declivity of the eminence on which the town is built.


Mineral Springs .- The public well at Bloomfield, R. B. Grigsby's white sulphur well, the Washington Bell mineral spring on Sulphur Lick creek, and the mammoth well on the west branch of Simpson's creek, all furnish water which analyses prove to have valuable medicinal properties.


Cane and Pea-vines, the latter especially about " Burnt Station," grew luxu- riantly in the N. E. portion of what is now Nelson county, at the date of its first settlement, about 1780. The undergrowth at present is spice and paw- paw. In the s. and w. the soil is quite thin.


Salt, in limited quantities, was made at an early day by boiling down the weak brine obtained from springs on the east fork of Simpson's creek.


Hydraulic Limestone, in a bed 12 to 18 inches thick, comes in under the lowest bench of magnesian limestone, in a hill s. w. of and near Withrow's creek.


Iron Ore, of excellent quality and rich enough for profitable smelting, is found in the Knobs s. E. of New Haven and at Nelson Furnace. Kidney ore from the former locality showed 29.69 per cent. of iron, and grey kidney ore from the latter, 35.64 per cent. of iron, requiring little or no limestone to flux it. In 1857, Nelson Furnace made about 12 tous of pig iron per day.


Marl, or ash-colored clay, on Big Lick, near Bell's and New Haven, and from the deep cut in the Bardstown turnpike, 23 to 3 miles s. w. of New Haven, was analyzed in connection with the geological survey, and found to contain valuable proportions of potash, sulphuric acid, magnesia, lime, and soda, and but a moderate quantity of phosphoric acid.


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NELSON COUNTY.


Capt. John Hardin, in the fall of 1786, led some volunteers on an expedi- tion against some Indians. They fell in with a party of them, killed three or four, and put the others to flight .*


Lystra was the name given by some English speculators to a paper town, laid off in 1794, on the south side of the Rolling Fork of Salt river, between Salt Lick and Otter creeks. The plant was one of the most beautiful in the world. It was the choice spot of 15,000 acres of land purchased; and was laid off in 25 large blocks or squares, the center of each being a kind of park. In the center of the plat was a circular park, surrounded by an avenue 100 feet wide. The four indented or semicircular quarters of the four blocks whose corners are embraced in this park, were dedicated to public use-as sites for a church, college, town hall, and place of amusement. The streets were each 100 feet wide; the houses upon streets running N. and s. were re- quired to be set back 25 feet from the line, but upon streets running E. and w., to be built on a line with the streets. The plan probably proved money- making in London, but the town was never built in Nelson county.


. A still larger emigration scheme was started in England, and 120,000 acres of land purchased in Nelson county, to be settled by emigrants from Wales-the principal settlement to be at a. point five miles from Salt river. If it had any success, it was very limited.


In August, 1792, information was communicated to Major Brown, of Nel- son county, that a party of Indians were committing depredations on the Rolling fork of Salt river. He immediately raised a company of volunteers, and commenced a vigilant search for the marauders. Falling on their trail, he pursued and overtook them, when a brisk skirmish ensued between his men and the rear of the Indian force, consisting of twelve warriors. In this spirited conflict, four of the Indians were left dead upon the field, and the remainder were dispersed. The loss of the whites was one man killed, and two wounded.


See biographical sketches of Robert Wickliffe, under Fayette co .; Gen. Martin D. Hardin, under Washington co .; Gov. Ninian Edwards, under Logan co .; James Guthrie, under Jefferson co. ; Rev. Nathan L. Rice, D. D., under the sketch of the Presbyterian church.


BENJAMIN HARDIN, one of the great lawyers of Kentucky, was born in 1784, in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania; was the son of Ben. and Sarah Hardin, cousins, the latter a sister of Col. John Hardin. He was brought, in 1787, to the neighborhood of Springfield, Washington county, Ky .; received his early education from Ichabod Radley, and then, at Bardstown, and at- Hartford, Ohio county, from Daniel Barry, an Irish linguist; studied law in 1804, at Richmond, Ky., with Martin D. Hardin, and in 1805 at Bardstown with Judge Felix Grundy; in 1806 was licensed, married to Miss Barbour, and settled at Elizabethtown, where he remained not quite two years. Some friends of Wm. Bray, under arrest on a charge of murder, employed young Hardin to defend him " until the big lawyers came down from Bardstown." The full meaning of that expression and qualified employment flashed upon Hardin at once: going immediately home, he told his wife they must pack up forthwith and remove to Bardstown, or he would never be called a big lawyer ; and before Bray was indicted, at spring term 1808, Mr. Hardin was a resi- dent of Bardstown, and continued to live there until his death; yet in about 46 years, he was not absent from more than six terms of the Hardin circuit court and frequently attended the county court. Ile was an indefatigable practitioner in the counties of Nelson, Washington, Hardin, Bullitt, Meade, Grayson, Marion, Breckinridge, and sometimes Spencer, and in winter-time in the court of appeals, and at special calls in Louisville and in the state of Indiana. His practice yielded him a handsome revenue and a consequent handsome fortune, in spite of the extremely low fees he charged. At full prices for his services, his fortune would have been immense, for he had one side or the other of nearly every seriously contested case. His consultations with his clients were very brief; he seemed to catch the points and facts of


Littell's Narrative, Appendix, p. 23.


t Winterbotham's United States, iii, 141.


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NELSON COUNTY.


A case by intuition ; this enforced brevity sometimes gave offense, but on the trial no client ever complained that he did not fully understand his case. His memory was extraordinary, and was cultivated and relied upon ; he steadily refused to take a single note, and yet, in the concluding argument, was often known to trace correctly the evidence of a dozen witnesses, repeat what cach witness swore, and answer all the points made by the two opposing counsel. He seldom dealt in figures of speech or fancy sketches; his force lay in his perspicuity, in clearly arraying facts and fitting the evidence to sustain each fact in its proper place; he was an animated speaker, always commanding the closest attention, even if not carrying conviction.


Mr. Hardin served his county in the house of representatives of Kentucky in 1810, 1811, 1824, and 1825, and in the senate from 1828 to 1832; and rep- resented his district in congress from 1815 to 1817, from 1819 to 1823, and from 1833 to 1837-ten years in all. From Sept., 1844, to Feb., 1847, he was secretary of state, under Gov. Owsley, with whom he had one of the most heated controversies which has ever taken place among the public men of Kentucky; his speech defending himself before the senate committee on executive affairs, in Jan., 1847, was remarkable for its length, power, and keenness. His last public service was in the convention that formed the present constitution of Kentucky, in 1849-50; where he and his colleague, Charles A. Wickliffe, made more than four times as many speeches as any member except two-Squire Turner, of Madison, and Beverly L. Clarke, of Simpson. In the summer of 1852 Mr. Hardin was badly crippled by a fall from his horse, which confined him to his house; he died soon after, Sept. 24, 1852, aged 68 years. Throughout his life he was a firm believer in the Bible ; during his last illness, he made a profession of religion in connection with the Methodist E. Church South, and gave some bright evidences of a change of heart.


While in congress, few occupied higher rank as a debater than Mr. Hardin. His style was peculiar, pungent, sarcastic, pointed, and energetic-making him an antagonist to be feared. The eccentric John Randolph, of Roanoke, in allusion to Ben. Hardin's peculiar style of oratory, used to call him the " Kitchen Knife," rough and homely, but keen and trenchant. His person was tall and commanding, his eye remarkably keen and penetrating, and his countenance exhibited striking indications of decided talent. In politics he was a Whig.


Gov. CHARLES ANDERSON WICKLIFFE, the youngest of nine children of Charles and Lydia (Hardin) Wickliffe, and brother of the late Robert Wick- liffe, of Lexington, was born June 8, 1788, in a log-cabin, on Sulphur run, a branch of Cartwright creek, 6 miles s. w. of where now stands Springfield, Washington county, Ky .; and died at the residence of his son-in-law in Howard co., Maryland, Oct. 31, 1869, aged 81 years. His mother was a sister of Col. John Hardin, so celebrated in the traditions of the west for his heroism and tragic fate (see sketch under Hardin county).


His early education was limited. He remained at home until his 17th year, then spent a year at a grammar school in Bardstown under Rev. Dr. Wilson, and the ensuing nine months under the instruction of Rev. Dr. James Blythe, acting president of Transylvania university. He studied law in the office of his cousin, Gen. Martin D. Hardin. The bar of Bardstown, when he settled there and began his professional career, was the ablest (perhaps excepting Lexington ) west of the Allegheny mountains. It comprised such men as John Rowan, an advocate unexcelled and rarely cqualed in his day- afterwards a judge of the court of appeals and U. S. senator; John Pope, one of the strongest debaters that this country has ever produced ; Ben. Mardin, one of the great lawyers of the state; and, at a subsequent period, that prodigy, John Hays, whose marvelous eloquence is never spoken of without enthu- siasm, by those who had the good fortune to hear him. In this battle of the giants, Mr. Wickliffe, by fair and honorable exertion, forced his way to a high place in public estimation.


After war had been declared in 1812, Mr. Wickliffe volunteered as a private, but was soon appointed aid to Gen. Winlock. He was elected to represent


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NELSON COUNTY.


Nelson county in the legislature in 1812, and re-elected in 1813. When the news of the appalling disaster at the River Raisin, which covered the state with mourning, reached Frankfort, the legislature requested the venerable Col. Isaac Shelby, then governor for the second time, to take command of the Kentuckians and lead them to victory and vengeance. Gov. Shelby by proclamation invited his fellow-citizens to meet him at Newport; Mr. Wickliffe again volunteered, was appointed aid to Gen. Caldwell, of the Kentucky troops, and rendered valuable service at the battle of the Thames.


In 1820 and 1821, he was again a member of the legislature, and for ten years consecutively, 1823 to 1833, represented his district in congress. In 1825, when the choice of president of the United States devolved upon the U. S. house of representatives, Mr. Wickliffe, in opposition to most of his colleagues, voted for Gen. Andrew Jackson in preference to John Quincy Adams-which action his constituents sustained by a re-election with over 2,000 majority. He was chosen by the house one of the managers of the im- peachment of Judge Peck before the U. S. senate, and made one of the ablest speeches reported in the proceedings of that trial.


In 1833, 1834, and 1835 Mr. Wickliffe was again a member of the Kentucky house of representatives, and in 1834 was chosen speaker after an animated race, over Daniel Breck and John L. Helm. In 1836, he was elected lieuten- ant governor, upon the Whig ticket, with Judge James Clark for governor- receiving 35,524 votes, to 32,186 cast for Elijah Hise, the Van Buren candidate. By the death of Gov. Clark, Mr. Wickliffe became governor, Oct. 5, 1839, until Sept., 1840. He was U. S. postmaster-general, in the cabinet of Presi- dent Tyler, Sept. 13, 1841, to March 3, 1845; during which time, Aug. 1, 1843, an attempt was made to assassinate him by a crazy man (see Collins' Annals, vol i, page 49).


In 1845, he was sent by President Polk on a secret mission to Texas, and thus took a considerable share in bringing to its final consummation the an- nexation of the "lone star republic." In 1849, he was a member of the con- vention which formed the present (or third) constitution of Kentucky, in which body he was exceedingly active and useful. In Feb., 1861, he was elected by the legislature a member of the celebrated peace conference at Washing- ton city (see Annals, vol i, p. 86) ; in June, 1861, by a majority of 5,498 was elected to congress for two years, 1861-63 (see Annals, vol i, p. 92); and in Aug., 1863, had the moral and physical courage, in the teeth of bayonets and threats of arrest, to make the race as the Democratic candidate for governor- receiving only 17,344 votes to 67,586 cast for Col. Thos. E. Bramlette, the " Union" candidate (see Annals, p. 127).


Previous to his last term in congress, Gov. Wickliffe was seriously crippled by a fall from a stage or carriage, and compelled to use a crutch, the rest of his life. He was also blind for several years before his death; this occurred, however, after his visit to St. Louis in 1866, as a commissioner of the Presby- tery of Louisville in the Old School Presbyterian General Assembly, when he and his cousin, the venerable Mark Hardin (still living, 1873, aged 91), and Rev. Stuart Robinson, D. D., and Rev. Samuel R. Wilson, D. D., were "ipso factoed" or expelled, for having signed and adhered to the celebrated " Dec- laration and Testimony." It was consistent in Charles A. Wickliffe thus to bear testimony to the truth, at the close of a long, honorable, and useful life as a citizen, man of business, and Christian gentleman.


JOHN FITCH, the first inventor of steamboats, was at two different periods an inhabitant of Nelson county, and at his death a citizen. He was born in Windsor, Conn., Jan. 21, 1743, and died in June or July, 1798, in Bardstown, Ky., aged 55 years. His early education was quite limited, but he had a vigorous intellect and remarkable perseverance. He spent some time learn- ing the trade of a clockmaker or silversmith; was lieutenant in the New Jersey line in the Revolutionary war, but became offended at some neglect and resigned; continned with the army as armorer or gunsmith, and sold tobacco, beer, and other articles to the troops, and laid up quite a sum of depreciated continental money. He went out to Kentucky and pre-empted 1,000 acres of land on Simpson's creek, before May, 1778, and surveyed land


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NELSON COUNTY.


for others. On the way he was captured by Indians (see under Greenup county ), but ransomed in a year. In June, 1780, while sitting upon the bank of the Ohio river, the thought forced itself upon him that a good God had not provided such a magnificent stream without designing it for the use of his creatures, and that such use involved the overcoming its currents by a new mode of navigation. He retired to his surveyor's camp, to think ; and remein- bering that Watt in England was propelling mills by steam, concluded that he could propel boats by the same power.


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The story of his struggles is the experience of inventors generally. In April, 1785, he conceived the idea of a steam carriage for common roads, but in a week abandoned it as impracticable. In August, 1785, he petitioned congress in reference to his steamboat, and in September presented a draw- ing of the boat, models, and tube boiler to the American philosophieal society. In succession, he petitioned the legislatures of Virginia, Pennsylvania, Mary- land, New Jersey, Delaware, and New York; obtained, not money, which he most needed, but exclusive privileges to navigate certain waters by boats propelled by fire or steam. In 1787, 1788, and 1789, he built several boats, which had temporary success, making passages between Philadelphia and Burlington at the speed of 4 miles, and then of 73 miles per hour. But the machinery was too slight, and broke down, discouraging the friends who had aided him; on one trip the boiler bursted, and was replaced with great diffi- culty, for want of the faith that finds means to work with. He wrote three volumes of manuscript, which he sealed up, in the Philadelphia library, to be opened thirty years after his death. When opened, they contained his speculations on mechanics, and the story of his embarrassments and disap- pointments. He predicts great success for his plans in the future, and says touchingly : " The day will come when some more powerful man will get fame and riches from my invention; but nobody will believe that poor John Fitch can do any thing worthy of attention." In less than thirty years his predictions were verified.


He continued to make improvements, and in 1790 petitioned congress to grant him a patent for his steam-engine, stating " that he was able to make a complete steam-engine, which, in its effects, would be equal to the best in Europe." A committee of the New York legislature, after a thorough in- vestigation, decided, "that the boats built by Livingstone and Fulton [several years after Fitch's death] were in substance the invention patented to John Fitch in 1791." Judge Rowan, one of Fitch's executors, says : " I was con- vinced, from his statements, explanations, and papers, that Fitch was the real inventor of steamboats." Having previously been disappointed in Eng- land, in 1793 he sought aid from France and Spain, but it was in vain. In 1795, he was compelled, by his desperate circumstances, to retire to his lands on Cox's creek. Here he became despondent, and his mind and body grad- ually gave way under despair, and he sought relief in habitual intoxication. When his tract of land was reduced to 300 acres, he bargained with a tavern keeper to give him half of it, if he would board him while he lived, and allow him a pint of spirits each day ! He afterwards increased the quantity of land, on condition of an increase of liquor !




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