Collins historical sketches of Kentucky. History of Kentucky: Vol. II, Part 122

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 122

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The Hardin Family, the most prominent branch of it, settled in Washington county in 1786. After the massacre of St. Bartholomew, three brothers named Hardin, being Huguenots, emigrated from France to Canada, and- because of the climate-thence to the then British colony of Virginia, where two settled, one going on to South Carolina. Martin Hardin, a descendent of one of the former, removed about 1765 from Fauquier co., Va., to George's creek, on the Monongahela river. His seven children, four daughters and three sons, born in Virginia between 1741 and 1760, all removed to Ken- tucky in 1786-87, and all but the youngest daughter, Rosanna (Mrs. John McMahon), settled within a circuit of ten miles, near where Springfield now is and stretching towards Lebanon, upon their own land-which they and their descendents continued to occupy for more than sixty years. Martin Hardin, the youngest son, died about 1849, in his 92d year ; he was the last survivor of that family of brothers and sisters. One of the emigrants, then a boy of four years, still lives (August, 1873), in his 92d year, honored and beloved-the venerable Mark Hardin, of Shelbyville (see Annals, page 216, vol i, and also page 648). Col. John Hardin, the second of the above sons, and father of Mark, just named, was killed by Indians in 1792, ia north- western Ohio, when proceeding to their towns with a flag and terms of a treaty of peace from Gen. Washington, then president of the United States (see under Hardin county, page 316). His oldest son, Gen. Martin D. Har- din (see brief sketch under this county), was probably the ablest and incet distinguished of the naine. His daughter Sally, wife of Rev. Barnabas McHenry, was the ancestor of a distinguished family. His sister, Lydia Hardin, wife of Chas. Wickliffe, was the mother of Robert Wickliffe, of Lexington, Chas. A. Wickliffe, of Bardstown, Maxwell Wickliffe, Nathaniel Wickliffe, and five daughters who raised families of useful and influential citizens. Sarah Hardin married her cousin, Ben. Hardin, and was the

.p. 258 Horses, mules, cattle, and hogs ..... p. 268

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WASHINGTON COUNTY.

mother of the great lawyer, Ben. Hardin, of Warren Hardin, Mrs. Rosanna McElroy, and three other daughters, who married and raised useful families.

Besides these, the other children of Mark Hardin, sen., had large families of children, most of whom bore a useful part in the settlement and growth of middle Kentucky. Other branches of the family settled in other counties, and they and their descendants made their mark upon the communities where they lived. Many of the families of the names of Hardin, Wickliffe, Helm, Mellenry, Harwood, Cofer, McElroy, Tobin, Barnett, Ray, Ewing, Caldwell, Chinn, Buford, Railey, Estill, Field, Torrence, Yager, Roberts, with honor- able pride trace back their lineage to the Huguenot brothers who fled for refuge from persecution to the thinly settled regions of Virginia and Penn- sylvania, and thence to Kentucky. A county in Ohio was forined and named, - in 1820, in honor of Col. John Hardin ; and some years later, a town bearing the same honored name, and now quite prosperous, was laid off in Shelby county, covering the very spot where Col. Hardin was murdered while on his peace mission, about 90 miles E. of N. of Cincinnati, and 73 miles N. of w. from Columbus.

The Springfield and Washington County Bible Society was organized in Jan., 1817; Rev. Nathan H. Hall president, and Rev. Barnabas McHenry vice- president. Of the 130 original members, four were still living in 1871, 54 years thereafter, viz. : A. McElroy, Hugh McElroy, Wm. Beal, and Mrs. Rebecca Holloway.

The Cumberland and Ohio Railroad passes, in a general N. and s. course, through Washington county, from Taylorsville, via Bloomfield, Springfield, and Lebanon-furnishing railroad connection with Louisville and Cincinnati.

The First White Visitor to any part of what is now Washington county was the James Sandusky named below, in July, 1774 ..

In the year 1776, James Sodowsky, or Sandusky, removed from Virginia to Washington county, and built Sandusky's station, on Pleasant run. On the breaking up of Harrod's settlement, in 1774, Jacob Sandusky, a brother of James, and connected with Harrod's settlement, traveled to Cumberland river; there pro- cured a canoe, descended the Cumberland, Ohio and Mississippi rivers, to New Orleans ; from thence he took shipping, and went round to Virginia, via Balti- more. He is believed to have been the first white man that ever descended those rivers, except French or Spanish. Shortly after, he returned to Kentucky, and set- tled with James, at Sandusky's station. From this station the brothers removed, in 1785, to Jessamine county. Jacob died in Jessamine, and James in Bourbon county. The nephews of Jacob state that he kept very full notes of the settle- ment of the country, and often pronounced the published histories to be incorrect in many particulars.

The following account of the adventures of John Lancaster, in 1783, we copy from " Early Sketches of Catholic Missions in Kentucky," by the Rev. M. J. Spalding, D. D. :

"John Lancaster was descending the Ohio river in a flat boat, bound from Maysville to Louisville. His companions on the boat were Col. Joseph Mitchell and son, and Alexander Brown. When they had reached the mouth of the Mi- ami river, on the 8th of May, 1788, the boatmen discovered a large party of In- dians lying in wait for them. They did not make this fearful discovery until they were very near the party; and unfortunately the current bore the boat directly towards them. Escape was hopeless. The savages displayed a white flag, in token of friendship : but at the same time leveled their muskets at the man who was at the oar, and would have shot him down, had not the chief interposed. This man was called Captain Jim, or Shawnese Jim, and he spoke a little broken English, which he had probably learned at some of the British military posts in the north-west. He assured the white men that his people meant them no harm, and that they merely wished to trade with them.

" Meantime, a skiff, manned by four Indians, was seen to put off from the shore, and was rowed rapidly towards the boat, which it struck with so much violence as to upset the skiff, and to precipitate three of the Indians into the river. John Lancaster here showed great presence of mind, by leaping promptly into

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WASHINGTON COUNTY.

the river, and aiding the struggling Indians in their efforts to escape from a wa- tery grave. He succeeded, and had reason to hope that he had done much to conciliate their good will-a hope which the event did not, however, justify. On entering the boat, the Indians seized on the white men, and made them prisoners, two of them struggling violently for the possession of Mr. Lancaster. Some time after they had reached the shore, these same two savages came to blows, and had a desperate fight on the same ground of quarrel, when Captain Jim inter- posed, and decided in favor of the first who had seized the person of the captive.

" The boat was soon rowed to the shore and robbed of all its effects. The In- dians then decamped with the booty, and the four prisoners whom they had taken. The first night was devoted to revelry and drunkenness ; the savages liaving car- ried with them the whisky with which the boat was partly laden. The prisoners. were bound down on their backs to the earth, with cords which were passed around their limbs and bodies, and tied closely to stakes driven in the ground. During the whole night, the rain poured down in torrents, on their faces and bodies ; while their only covering was a blanket, their Indian captors having al- ready stripped them of their clothing and money. They passed a sleepless night, witnessing the wild revelry of the Indians, and musing sorrowfully on the dread- ful fate which probably awaited them on the morrow.

"On the next morning they were released from their confinement, and were hurried on towards the Indian village in the interior, which Mr. Lancaster esti- mates was about sixty-five miles from the mouth of the Miami, and twenty-five miles lower down the Ohio river. After they had reached their encampment, which was probably one of the Shawnese towns, they were made to witness new scenes of stirring interest. While the captives were gloomily meditating on their probable dooni to the stake, the Indian master of John Lancaster suddenly came up to him, and embraced him, shedding tears, and exclaiming, amidst sobs and lamentations that 'he was his brother, who should take the place of one who had been slain during the previous year!' Immediately the Indian ceremony of adoption took place. Mr. Lancaster was stripped of his blanket, and had his body greased with bear's oil, and painted of a vermilion color. He was then taught some scraps of Indian song, and was made to join in the savage festival which ensued. This consisted of songs and the war-dance, one Indian beating time with a stick, the head of which was curiously wrought and trimined with the hoofs of deer. After the performance of this singular ceremony, he was viewed as having been regularly adopted into the Indian tribe.

" Mr. Lancaster continued a captive in the Indian camp for eight days, during which he made great proficiency in the knowledge of Indian manners and cus- toms. He was called Kiohba, or the Running Buck, from his remarkable activity and fleetness of foot. He was placed on an equal footing with the Indians, and his new brother treated him with great kindness. After some days, however, this foster brother was sent off from the camp, and then he experienced rougher treat-

ment. Captain Jim, under whose charge he was now left, became sullen and vindictive. He quarreled with his wife, who, fearing his vengeance, fled from the camp. Jim immediately pursued her, threatening vengeance, and was soon perceived returning to the camp, after having, in all probability, been her mur- derer. As he was returning, his daughter, who was well acquainted with her fa- ther's moods, and who had entertained a partiality for Kiohba, said to the latter : puck-e-te-run! He took her advice, and instantly darted from the camp.

"On casting a glance backward, from a neighboring eminence, he perceived Captain Jim beating the elder Mitchell with a tent pole. After his final escape from the Indians, he learned that, soon after his departure, young Mitchell was painted black and burned at the stake : but that his father and Alexander Brown, after suffering almost incredible hardships and privations, were finally ransomed by their friends, and returned to Pittsburgh.

" John Lancaster was soon out of sight of the Indian encampment. He took the direction of the Ohio river, but ran in different directions, and crossed repeat- edly the various Indian trails, in order the more easily to elude pursuit. He was particularly fearful of about fifty Indian dogs, who had been trained to following the footsteps of man. He was, however, fortunate enough to escape all these multiplied dangers ; and after running for six days, during which his or y sub- wIstence was four turkey eggs, which he had found in the hollow of a fallen tree,

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POPE-GRUNDY-HARDIN.

he safely reached the Ohio river. Exhausted as he was, he immediately tied him- self with bark to the trunk of a box-elder tree, and after four hours' unremitting toil, succeeded in crossing to the Kentucky side. While crossing he had swal- lowed much water; and he now perceived that his strength had almost entirely failed.

· " After resting a short time, he determined to float down the river, to the sta- tion at the Falls, which he estimated was between twenty and thirty miles dis- tant. Accordingly, he made a small raft, by tying two trees together with bark, on which he placed himself, with a pole for an oar. When a little above Eigh- teen Mile Island, he heard the sharp report of a rifle, when, thinking that his pursuers had overtaken him, he crouched down on his little raft, and concealed himself as best he could. Hearing no other noise, however, he concluded that his alarm was without foundation. But shortly after, a dreadful storm broke upon the river ; night had already closed in, and he sank exhausted and almost lifeless on his treacherous raft, drenched with the rain, benumbed with cold, and with the terrible apprehension on his mind, that he might be precipitated over the Falls during the night.

" At break of day, he was aroused from his death-like lethargy, by one of the most cheering sounds that ever fell on the ears of a forlorn and lost wanderer- the crowing of a cock,-which announced the immediate vicinity of a white set- tlement. The sound revived him ; he collected all his energies for one last effort, and sat upright on his little raft. Soon, in the gray light of the morning, he dis- covered the cabins of his countrymen, and was enabled to effect a landing at the mouth of Beargrass-the site of the present city of Louisville. He immediately rejoined his friends, and their warm welcome soon made him forget all his past sufferings. He lived for many years to recount his adventures ; and died about 1838, surrounded by his children and his children's children."

Gov. JOHN POPE, one of the most distinguished politicians and statesmen of Kentucky, and for many years a resident of Washington county, was born in Prince William co., Va., in 1770, but brought to this state when quite a boy. In early life, while attending a cornstalk mill, he had the misfortune to lose his arm-an accident which turned his attention to the profession of the law. Being a young man of great native vigor of intellect, he soon at- tained eminence. He settled in Shelby, which county he represented in the Kentucky legislature in 1802; then removed to Lexington, and in 1806, '07, was a representative in the lower house from Fayette county, a colleague of Henry Clay and Col. Win. Russell. Of that body, his great talents rendered him an eminently conspicuous and influential member. He was U. S. senator from Kentucky for six years, 1807-13-a colleague of Henry Clay, Buckner 'Thruston, and Geo. M. Bibb; and twenty-four years later, a member of the lower house of congress from the Springfield district, for six years, 1837-43. In the meantime, he was appointed by President Jackson governor of the territory of Arkansas, which office he held for six years, 1829-35. He died at his residence in Washington county, July 12, 1845, aged 75 years. In early life, he belonged to the Federal party, but in after years to the Demo- cratic.

Judge FELIX GRUNDY was born in Berkeley co., Va., Sept. 11, 1777 ; brought in early boyhood to Washington co., Ky. ; educated at Bardstown Academy ; studied law, and began the practice at Springfield ; in 1799, a month before reaching the age 22, was elected a member from Washington county of the convention which formed the second constitution of Kentucky ; a representa- tive in the Kentucky legislature, from the same county, in 1800, 1801, and 1802, and from Nelson county in 1804, 1805, and 1806; was commissioned, Dec. 10, 1806, one of the judges of the court of appeals of Kentucky, and April 11, 1807, five months before he was 30 years old, chief justice of that high court; removed, in 1808, to Nashville, and took the highest rank at that bar; was a representative in congress from Tennessee, 1811-14, and after- wards for several years in the legislature of Tennessee; U. S. senator, 1829-38; in the latter year, was appointed by President Van Buren attorney general of the United States; resigned that position in 1840, and was again

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WAYNE COUNTY.

elected U. S. senator, but did not take his seat-dying at Nashville, Dec. 12, 1840, aged 63. Judge Grundy was one of the most distinguished lawyers and statesmen of the western country ; in the councils of the nations he had but few equals and fewer superiors. His politics were democratic, of which party he was always a most zealous and efficient supporter.

Gen. MARTIN D. HARDIN, above mentioned, one of the most distinguished citizens of Washington county and of Kentucky, was about six years old when his father, Col. John Hardin, emigrated in April, 1786, with his family from the Monongahela country to a point on Pleasant Run, a branch of the Beech Fork, about 3 miles E. of where Springfield now is. He studied law with Col. Geo. Nicholas, and practiced at Richmond and afterwards at Frankfort,; with great success; indeed, was the leader of the bar at each place. He was a man of marked talent and of very decided character. In 1812, he was a major in the rifle regiment of Col. John Allen, in the campaign on the northern border during the war with Great Britain, and approved himself a brave, vigilant, and efficient officer. He was secretary of state of Kentucky under Gov. Isaac Shelby, 1812-16; and was appointed by Gov. Gabriel Slaughter to fill a vacancy in the U. S. senate, serving one session, 1816-17. He died at Frankfort, Oct. S, 1823, aged 43. He was the father of the gallant Col. John J. Hardin, an ex-member of congress from Illinois, 1843-45, who fell in the battle of Buena Vista in Mexico, Feb. 23, 1847.

This county derived its name from Gen. GEORGE WASHINGTON, commander- in-chief of the American armies during the war of the Revolution, and first president of the United States under the federal constitution. Any narrative of his life is almost superfluous ; for what citizen of the republic has it not engraven upon his heart ? A patriot without blemish, a statesman without guile, a leader of armies without ambition, a magistrate without severity, yet inflexible in uprightness, a citizen exemplary in the discharge of every duty, a man in whose character weakness and faults appeared but as specks on the brightness of the sun-who had religion without austerity, dignity without pride, modesty without diffidence, courage without rashness, politeness with- out affectation, affability without familiarity-such was the man whose mem- ory the great and the good of all nations have delighted to honor.

WAYNE COUNTY.

WAYNE county, the 43d in order of formation, was established in 1800, out of parts of Pulaski and Cumberland counties, and named after Gen. Wayne, familiarly called " Mad Anthony " Wayne. It is situated in the s. E. middle portion of the state ; is watered by the Cumberland river and its tributaries, the South fork passing entirely through the county, from the s. in a direc- tion a little w. of N .; and is bounded N. by Pulaski, E. by Whitley, s. by the state line of Tennessee (and the counties of Fentress and Scott, beyond), and w. and N. w. by Clinton and Russell counties ; the Cumberland river forms most of the north- ern boundary line. Much of the surface of the county is broken with hills; but the valley lands are fertile and productive, the soil very generally based upon limestone. No county in the state is so favored as this by an equal distribution of farming and mineral land. The principal exports of the county are horses, mules, cattle, and hogy.

Towns .- Monticello, the county seat, is about 90 miles s. of Frankfort, 47 miles s. w. of Mt. Vernon, Rockcastle co., on the II ... 48

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WAYNE COUNTY.

Knoxville branch of the Louisville and Nashville railroad, 403 miles s. E. of Columbia, Adair, co., and a few miles s. of the Cumberland river ; was incorporated Jan. 18, 1810, and named after the home of President Thos. Jefferson. The other villages (all small) and post offices of the county are: Mill Springs, 8 miles from Monticello, on the s. bank of Cumberland river ; Robertsport and Norman's Warehouse, both lower down on the Cumberland ; Berryville 6 miles, Weaverton, 11, and Parmleysville 14 miles from Monticello ; Newberry, s. E., and Clio N. E. of Monticello, the latter near the Pulaski county line and 10 miles from Somerset.

STATISTICS OF WAYNE COUNTY.

When formed. See page 26 Corn, wheat, hay, tobacco .. pages 266, 268

Population, from 1810 to 1870 .p. 258 Horses, mules, cattle, hogs. .p. 268

whites and colored ... p. 260 Taxable property, 1846 and 1870 .... p. 270

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

white males over 21 .p. 266

children bet. 6 and 20 ..... p. 266

Distinguished citizens. .. see Index.

MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE FROM WAYNE COUNTY.

Senate .- Edward N. Cullom, 1809-13, '13-17; Martin Beatty, 1824-28, '32 ; Rodes Garth, 1811-44 ; Milton P. Buster, 1861-65 ; Barton W. S. Huffaker, 1873-77. [From Wayne and Pulaski counties-John McHenry, 1833-36.]

House of Representatives .- Archibald E. Mills, 1803; -. Crabtree, 1806; Geo. W. Gibbs, 1809; Isaac West, 1810; -. Cooke, 1811; Rodes Garth, 1813, '14, '24, '28; Lewis Coffey, 1815 ; Jas. Jones, 1816; Walter Emerson, 1817, '19, '20 ; Geo. Berry, 1818; Jas. Rapier, 1822; Thos. Hansford, 1825 ; Moses Sallee, 1826, '27 ; Sherrod Williams, 1829, '30, '31, '32, '33, '34, '46; Nimrod Ingram, 1835 ; J. S. Pierce, 1836 ; Shelby Coffey, 1837, '38, '39, '42, '43 ; Leo. Haydon, 1840 ; Micah T. Chrisman, 1841 ; Littleton Beard, 1844 ; Milton Mills, 1845 ; Marshall N. Hudson, 1847 ; Martin Beatty, 1848 ; Jas. V. Warden, 1849 ; John L. Sallee, 1850 ; Isaac N. Shepperd, 1851-53 : Wal- ter E. Hall, 1853-55 ; Ephraim S. Van Winkle, 1855-57; Jas. C. Belshe, 1857-59; Shelby Coffey, Jr., 1859-61; John S. Van Winkle, 1861-63; H. W. Tuttle, 1863-65; Barton W. S. Huffaker, 1865-67; Thos. J. Eades, 1867-69; Jas. S. Chrisman, 1869-71, '71-73 ; Pearson Miller, 1873-75.

The Coal Field embraces one-half of the area of Wayne county-divided by the state geological survey into three districts : 1. The high ridge land, between the Big and Little South forks and the Tennessee state line ; 2. The ridges between the waters of the Sinking creeks on the east, and Elk Spring and Kennedy's creeks on the west; 3. The high lands between Elk Spring creek and the Little South fork, and between Otter and Beaver creeks. The principal development is on the Big South fork, where the coal averages two inches less than 4 feet in thickness. Besides the five sub-conglomerate coal veins, the large beds of the upper coal measures show themselves in the s. E. corner of the county. Much of the coal is sulphurous.

Sandstone, ripple-marked and fine grained, in 8-inch layers, and quarrying in 10-foot slabs, admirably adapted for building purposes, is found w. of Dick's Jumps, in a ridge of Turkey creek.

Iron Ore is found all over the coal region-in some places strewn over the top of the ridges, in others in belts near the coal beds.

Dick's Jumps is the singular name given to immense masses of the conglom- erate which have fallen from the hills, and now lie in the Big South fork of Cumberland river, just above the mouth of Wild Dog creek, blocking it up and rendering navigation from above impossible. These blocks could be easily blasted, and scattered into the deep water-thus opening the way to the tine coals above.

For biographical sketch of Gen. Anthony Wayne, in honor of whom this county was named, see page 769.

755

WEBSTER COUNTY.

WEBSTER county, established in 1860 out of parts of Hender- son, Hopkins, and Union counties, was the 109th in order of formation ; and was named after Daniel Webster, one of the greatest of American orators, statesmen, and lawyers. It is situ- ated near the center of the middle-western portion of the state ; has over 292 square miles of territory ; and is bounded N. by Union and Henderson counties, E. by Daviess, s. E. and s. by Hopkins, s. w. by Crittenden, and w. by Union county. Green river forms most of its E. boundary line, and Tradewater river that on the s. w. ; it is watered also by Deer creek, with its East and West forks, Pitman, Clear, Highland, Crab Orchard, Caney fork, Slover, and Graves creeks. It contains much bottom land, with rich soil; the dividing ridge between the waters of Green and Tradewater rivers runs through the center of the county, making the middle portion of the county very hilly, but the soil is very productive ; there is much fine land in the county vet unsettled-hickory, poplar, white oak, and dogwood being the principal forest growth. Tobacco is the great staple, the annual production ranging from 3,000,000 to 5,000,000 pounds ; in 1870, Webster was the 8th largest tobacco-growing county in the state ; corn, wheat, and oats are extensively cultivated ; stock raising is much neglected, and yet the export of hogs, horses, and cattle is quite large.

Towns .- The county seat, Dixon, near the center of the county, 30 miles E. of Caseyville, on the Ohio river, is on the Evansville, Henderson, and Nashville railroad, 00 miles s. of Henderson and 00 N. of Hopkinsville; has a good brick court house and jail, 1 church (used by Cumberland Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, and Reformers or Christians), 7 lawyers, 4 physicians, school house, Masonic and Odd Fellows' hall, 8 stores, 4 mechanics' shops, 4 taverns, 2 tobacco factories, a steam flouring and saw mill ; population in 1870, 330 ; incorporated Feb. 6, 1861 ; named after Hon. Archibald Dixon. Providence, 11 miles from Dixon, on the Madisonville and Shawneetown straight-line railroad, was incorporated Feb. 18, 1840; has 3 physicians, 5 stores, 2 hotels, brick school house, Baptist church, Masonic hall, 3 tobacco stem- meries ; population about 150. Slaughterville, named after an old settler there, G. G. Slaughter, is on the E., H., and N. railroad, near the Hopkins county line ; has 4 stores, 3 taverns, 1 church, 3 physicians, 3 tobacco factories, and is a thriving place ; incor- porated April 4, 1861 ; population in 1870, 130. Clay, or Clay- ville (named in honor of Henry Clay), in w. end of the county, 10 miles from Dixon, and near the M. and S. railroad ; has 2 taverns, 2 tobacco factories, 1 store, several mechanics' shops, 2 physicians; population 170, in 1870. Sebree City (named after Col. Sebree, but formerly called Springdale), 10 miles N. E. of Dixon, on the E., H. and N. railroad, has 3 stores, 2 taverns, 1

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Collins historical sketches of Kentucky. History of Kentucky: Vol. II, Part 122

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

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