Collins historical sketches of Kentucky. History of Kentucky: Vol. II, Part 67

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 67

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* Ky. Geological Survey, i, 222.

t History of Tennessee, pp. 33, 34.

---

415

JOSH BELL COUNTY.

A Memorandum of John Swift's Journal has fallen into our hands,* which is an exceedingly curious document; it has the appearance of being a copy of a portion of the same document referred to above by Judge Haywood. It describes with some minuteness the journeys of 1761 (which began at Alex- andria, Virginia), 1762, 1764, 1767-8, and 1768-9, and alludes to three other trips of which he kept no account. "On the Ist of Sept., 1769, we left be- tween 22,000 and 30,000 dollars and crowns on a large creek, running near a south course. Close to the spot we marked our names (Swift, Jefferson, Mun- day, and others) on a beech tree-with a compass, square, and trowel. . . . No great distance from this place we left $15,000 of the same kind, marking three or four trees with marks. Not far from these, we left the prize, near a forked white oak, and about three feet underground, and laid two long stones across it, marking several stones close about it. At the forks of Sandy, close by the fork, is a small rock, has a spring in one end of it. Between it and a small branch, we hid a prize under the ground; it was valued at $6.000. We likewise left $3,000 buried in the rocks of the rock house." One of the com- panies in search of the mine was Staley, Ireland, McClintock, Blackburn, and Swift.

This Silver Mine of Swift's has been located by tradition in different coun- ties in eastern Kentucky, from Josh Bell in the south to Carter in the north. The most recent claim is that of the Greenup Independent, in Feb., 1873, of which the following is an extract:

" When Swift was driven from the silver mines in Kentucky, by the ap- proach of hostile Indians, he returned to his home in North Carolina. The money which he had with him created suspicion among his neighbors, and he was arrested as a counterfeiter. In those days there existed no mint in the United States, and the only test of the circulating money was the purity of the metal. Upon the trial of the case against Swift, it was proven that the coins in his possession were pure silver, and the charges were dismissed.

"The ancient tools and instruments used for coining money, which fell from a cliff in Carter county were seen and examined by men now living. These men are highly respectable and entitled to full credit, and they vouch for the truth of the statement. One of the first settlers of the county found near his cabin a quantity of cinder, of such unusual color and weight as to induce him to have it tested by an expert. This was done, and the result was a considerable amount of pure silver, which at his instance was converted into spoons ; these spoons are still in the possession of the family.

"Several years ago, a couple of Indians, from the far West, visited Carter county, and acted in such a manner as to excite the attention of the citizens. They remained for a considerable time, and were continually wandering over the mountains and making minute examinations of the country along the small streams. When about to leave, they told an old gentleman with whom they staid that they were in search of a silver mine which the traditions of their tribe located in that section of Kentucky ; but they were unable to find it, owing to the changed condition of the country.

" At an early day, silver money was in circulation in the settlement of what is now West Virginia, said to have been made by Swift. It was free from alloy, and of such a description as to indicate that it never passed through an established mint.

" A bar of pure silver was found many years ago near a small mill in Car- ter county, which was thought to have been sinelted from ore obtained from the silver mines said to exist in that country. And, within the past few days, a piece of ore which has every appearance of silver ore, and a small quantity of metal which is said to be silver, was shown by a gentleman of undoubted veracity, who testifies that he got the ore in the mountains of Kentucky, and with his own hands smelted the metal from ore obtained in these mountains."

Earliest Explorers and Hunters -In 1750, a small party of Virginians from Orange and Culpepper counties-Dr. Thomas Walker, Ambrose Powell, and Colby Chew, among them-entered what is now the state of Kentucky at

# Through the courtesy of Col. Wm. G. Terrell, from the papers of Wood C. Dollins, of Mountsterling, Ky.

416

JOSH BELL COUNTY.

Cumberland Gap, being THE FIRST WHITE MEN KNOWN TO HAVE VISITED INTERIOR OR EASTERN KENTUCKY. The date was preserved by the distinct recollection and statement of Dr. Walker, the most prominent man of the party, and by the carving upon the trees, those silent recorders of Kentucky's earliest history. Isaac Shelby, the first governor of the state, stated that in 1770 he was on Yellow creek, a mile or two from Cumberland mountain, in company with Dr. Walker and others, when Walker told him of having been upon that spot twenty years before, and "yonder beech tree contains the record of it ; Ani- brose marked his name and the year upon it, and you will find it there now." Col. Shelby examined the tree, and found upon it, in large legible characters, "A. POWELL-1750."* The party traveled down the Holstein or Holston river, crossed over the mountains into Powell's valley, thence through Cum- berland Gap, and along the route afterwards celebrated as the Wilderness, until they arrived at the Hazelpatch in now Laurel county. Here the com- pany divided .. Dr. Walker and his party turned northward, to the Kentucky river, which he called Louisa or Levisa river, followed down its broken and hilly margin some distance without finding much level land, became dissatis- fied and turned up one of its branches to its head, and crossed over the mount- ains to New river, in Virginia, at the place now called Walker's Meadows.

Other Explorers and Hunters .- In 1761,f a company of 19 men-among them Wallen, Skaggs, Newman, Blevins, and Cox -- part of them from Penn- sylvania but the greater part from contiguous counties in Virginia, went through the Mockason gap in Clinch mountain, established a station on Wal- len's creek, a branch of Powell's river, in now Lee county, in southwestern Virginia, and hunted there for eighteen months. They named Powell's mount- ain, Powell's river, and Poweil's valley, from seeing the name of Ambrose Powell inscribed on a tree (see ante, page 000,) near the mouth of Wallen's creek, on Powell's river. They gave names to Clinch river, Copper ridge. Newman's, Wallen's, and Skaggs ridges-the latter three after three members of the company. They passed through Cumberland Gap; and Wallen- hailing from Cumberland county, Va .- gave that name to the mountain ; and the river of that name he called North Cumberland. How far they penetrated into Kentucky on that excursion, is not known.

This same company of hunters (except two or three who remained at home) in the fall of 1763 again passed Cumberland Gap, and spent the season in hunting on the Cumberland river.# Their fall hunt of the next year, 1764, was made on Rockcastle river, near the Crab Orchard, in Kentneky-a region so profitable for hunting that for several years afterwards they continued to visit and hunt there. The same historian who records this says that "Daniel Boone, who then lived on the Yadkin, came among the hunters to be informed of the geography and locography of these woods-saying he was employed to explore them by Henderson & Co. Henry Scaggins (or Skaggs) was after- wards employed by them to explore the country on the banks of the Cumber- land, and fixed his station at Mansco's Lick," in what is now Tennessee but was then part of North Carolina.# Judge Haywood doubtless makes a little confusion of dates here; for Boone, according to his own autobiography as written by John Filson, never crossed through Cumberland Gap into the Ken- tucky country until 1769, when he and John Stewart, Joseph Holden, James Monay, and Wm. Coole, under the guidance of John Findlay penetrated as far as Red river, probably to what is now Estill county-where Findlay had been in 1767 or 1768, when trading with the Indians.

In 1766, about the last of June, a party of five persons passed through Cumberland Gap, along or near a portion of the southern border and down part of the Cumberland river to southwestern Kentucky and the Ohio river- whose travels or explorations are preserved, with as much minuteness and distinctness as the scarcity of known points of locality and the universal wilder- ness state of the country would allow. These men were Capt. James Smith,

John Bradford's Notes on Kentucky, published in 1827. Marshall's History, vol. i, page 7, says it was 1758. Hubbard Taylor thinks Dr. Walker told him it was in 1752. But Col. Shelby's statement in person to John Bradford, and the confirmation of the tree, place the date beyond doubt.

t Haywood's Tennessee, page 33. # Same, page 35.

417

JOSH BELL COUNTY.

(afterwards, until his death about 1814 or later, a prominent citizen of Bour- bon county, Ky. )-the historian of the party-and Joshua Horton, Uriah Stone, Wm. Baker, and a mulatto slave about 18 years old of Mr. Horton. They " found no vestige of any white man."* The south branch of the Cum- berland river which empties into it eight or ten miles above Nashville, they named Stone river, after one of their number.

In 1767, a party from South Carolina-Isaac Lindsey and four others- came, through Cumberland Gap, to what Lindsey called Rockcastle river, from a romantic-looking rock, through the fissures of which the water dripped and froze in rows below. They proceeded down that river to its junction with the Cumberland, and down that stream as far as the mouth of Stone river-where they found Michael Stoner, who had come hither with Harrod from Illinois to hunt, having reached there down the Ohio from Fort Pitt. These two adventuring hunters and woodsmen became, seven to ten years later, somewhat prominent in Kentucky-James Harrod at or near Harrods- burg, which was begun by and named after him, and Michael Stoner, in Bourbon county, where Stoner creek was named after him. Before that time, some French, from their settlements in southwestern Illinois, had settled on the bluff where Nashville now stands. They also had a station at the same time on the Tennessee river, 10 or 12 miles above its mouth, and one at Fort Massac on the Illinois shore of the Ohio river, opposite MeCracken co., Ky.

For John Findlay's trading visit in 1767, see sketch of Daniel Boone under Boone county ; and under Madison county.

For Daniel Boone's visit in 1769, piloted by Findlay, see same sketches.

The Long Hunters .- A company of over 20 men from North Carolina. and from Rockbridge county, and the valley of New river in Virginia-John Rains, Kasper Mansco, Abraham Bledsoe, John Baker, Joseph Drake, Obadiah Terrell, Uriah Stone, Henry Smith, Edward Cowan, Thomas Gordon, Hum- phrey Hogan, Cassius Brooks, Robert Crockett, and otherst-each with one or more horses, left Reedy creek, a branch of New river, in June, 1769, com- ing by what is now Abingdon and Powell's valley to Cumberland Gap; thence to Flat Lick, 6 miles from Cumberland river, down which they traveled, and crossed the river at "a remarkable fish dam which had been made in very ancient times ;" thence passed a place called the Brush, near the fish dam- where briars, brush, vines, and limbs of trees were heaped up and grown to- gether, and near by immense hills and cliffs of rock. Following for some dis- tance and then crossing the South fork of Cumberland, they came to a place since called Price's Meadow, near an excellent spring, in Wayne county, 6 miles from Monticello-where they made a camp and a depot for their game and skins, which they were to deposit there every five weeks. They continued to hunt to the west and southwest, through a country covered with high grass which seemed inexhaustible, and finding no traces of human settlement; though under dry caves, on the sides of creeks, they found many places where stones were set up that covered large quantities of human bones ; they also found human bones in the caves with which the country abounds. Some of the company returned home on June 6, 1770; while ten of them-includ- Jewing Mansco, Stone, Baker, Gordon, Hogan, and Brooks-built two boats and two trapping canoes, laded them with furs and bear meat, and started down the Cumberland and Mississippi rivers to the French fort Natchez, and thence home.

In the fall of 1769, James Knox, Richard Skaggs, and four others left the main party upon Laurel river because game had become scarce; and start- ing westwardly, crossed Rockcastle river, and going up Skaggs' creek, met a party of Cherokee Indians. Learning they were hunting for meat, the head or chief Indian, Capt. Dick (who was pleased at being recognized by several of the party who had seen him at the lead mines on the waters of Holston), told them to go up that creek to the head, and cross the Brushy ridge, and

Life of Col. James Smith, Philadelphia, 1834 ; and vol. i,p. 16.

t Haywood's Tennessee, pp. 75, 76.

II ... 27

418

JOSH BELL COUNTY.

they would come upon his-ever since called Dick's-river, where they would find meat plenty ; " to kill it, and go home."* Deer and bear were plenty.

In the fall of 1771, Manscof came out again to the same (Wayne county) region-in company with James Knox, Henry Knox, Richard Skaggs, Henry Skaggs, Isaac Bledsoe, Abraham Bledsoe, Edward Worthington, Joseph Drake, John Montgomery, -. Russell, -. Hughes, Wm. Allen, Wm. Lynch, David Lynch, Christopher Stoph, and others-22 in all, with several horses. They were so successful in getting skins they could not pack them all back; and as their hunt was prolonged, they built what they called a skin house, at a common center in what is now Green county, upon the Caney fork of Rus- sell's creek, almost upon the very spot now occupied by a Baptist meeting- house called Mt. Gilead. Their hunt extended into the barrens of Green river. One of the hunters named Bledsoe wrote on a fallen poplar which had lost its bark, near where Creed Haskins lived until his death in 1851, "2,300 Deer Skins lost ; Ruination by God."* Part of the company returned to the settlements in February, 1772, but others remained. Stoph and Allen were captured by Indians, and the camp deserted for awhile. The dogs remained at the camp; and when the party came back, after two months absence, had grown quite wild, but in four days were as well tutored as ever. The party fixed a station on Station Camp creek, this circumstance giving the name to the creek which it still retains; in their absence this station was plundered by 25 Cherokee Indians, who carried off all the pots and kettles, clothing, and 500 deer-skins. Joseph Drake (who was hunting again in 1775 around where Bowling Green now is) discovered Drake's Pond, a great resort for deer, and Drake's lick-both named after him; Isaac Bledsoe discovered Bledsoe's lick, and Mansco the celebrated lick named after him. The party returned late in 1772, some of them having been out from home for between two and three years ; they have been known ever since as the Long Hunters. Most of them afterwards settled in the new country-Mansco and the Bled- soes in Tennessee, Col. James Knox, Capt. Ed. Worthington, Henry Skaggs, and others, in Kentucky. alles Rame.

Hon. JOSHUA FRY BELL-in honor of whom this county was named-was born in Danville, Ky., Nov. 26, 1811, and died there, Aug. 17, 1870, aged nearly 59. His father was a leading merchant of Danville, a native of Newry, Ireland ; his mother, Martha Fry, of Virginia, was the daughter of Joshua Fry, distinguished for his literary attainments and, after his removal to Ken- tucky, as an educator of many of the great men of the state, and the grand- daughter of Dr. Thomas Walker, already spoken of under this county as the first white visitor to the interior of Kentucky (in 1750), and who in 1780 surveyed the boundary line between Kentucky and Tennessee. His great grandfather, Col. John Fry, of Virginia, was commander of the American forces during the Colonial days, previous to the election of Gen. Washington.

Joshua F. Bell graduated in 1828, when 163 years old, at Centre College, then under the presidency of Rev. John C. Young, D.D. ; studied law at Lexington ; spent several years in travel in Europe; at 22, returned to Dan- ville, and entered upon the practice of law, obtaining a large and lucrative practice, which he zealously cultivated until ill health prevented, a few months before his death ; was representative in congress for two years, 1845-47; sec- retary of state under Gov. John J. Crittenden, 1850; made a remarkable race as the opposition candidate for governor, in 1859, being beaten by Gov. Magoffin ; was chosen by the Ky. legislature, by a unanimous vote in the senate and 81 to 5 in the house, one of six commissioners to the Peace Conference at Washington city, Feb., 1861 (see vol. i, page 86) and there plead most ear- nestly for "peace between embittered and hating brothers ;" March 19, 1863, was nominated by the Union Democratie state convention for governor, re- ceiving 627 votes to 171 for acting-governor James F. Robinson (see page

# Statement of Col. James Knox to Win. Buckner, while surveying together before 1800, repeated in 1841 by the latter to and written down by John M. S. MeCorkle, and by him sent to the author in Aug., 1871. Also, letters to the author from Dr. Chris- topher Graham, grandson of Edward Worthington, one of the Long Hunters. R. II.C. t Haywood's Tennessee, pp. 78, 79.

419

KENTON COUNTY.

121, vol. i), but, April 24th, declined the nomination-because under then ex- isting circumstances he would be elevated rather by the bayonet, than by the free suffrage of the people. From the beginning of the great civil strug- gle he was a zealous advocate of the Union-" for the upholding and main- tenance of the government, right or wrong." His last service in public life was as a member of the Kentucky house of representatives, 1865-6.

Mr. Bell, in politics was emphatically a Whig, of the staunch old Clay stripe; and to the end of his life remained true to those early principles --- never yielding himself, even for expediency or policy, to the Democracy or to Know-Nothingism ; against the latter, his Irish blood, transmitted from his father, rebelled most violently. After the disruption of the old Whig party, the only party with which he united was that, originating after the war was over, called the " Third Party," and formed for what its members believed to be " the good of the state and the people." Even while he co-operated with this, he claimed to be " a thorough Whig still."

Mr. Bell was acknowledged to be one of the ablest candidates in the state- a close terse logician, a powerful pleader, joined to a beauty and eloquence as a rhetorician which gained for him the sobriquet of the "silver-tongued." His power of 'sarcasm was terrible, his wit sparkling, his fund of anecdote and humor inexhaustible, his conversational power remarkable and brilliant. As a "stump", orator he had few equals even in Kentucky.

In 1836, Mr. Bell married Miss Helm, of Lincoln county, who, with three daughters and a son, survives him. He was an active member of the Presby- terian church from his youth.

Statistics of the City of Covington, Kenton county, Ky.

It will appear, in the ensuing pages about Kenton county, that her chief city, Covington, the second in population in the state, was founded so lately as 1815. In 1820, no separate census was taken. With only 715 inhabitants in 1830, her growth to 24,505 in 1870 has been wonderful. The actual in- crease of population from 1830 to 1840 was 183} per cent. ; from 1840 to 1850, 3643 per cent. ; from 1850 to 1860, 75; and from 1860 to 1870, 482 per cent. The increase from 1870 to 1873 has been only 6.57 per cent., or at the rate of 22 per cent. for the current decade ; yet influences are at work which will cause a more rapid growth.

The increase in taxable property from 1845 to 1873, only 28 years, was $10,000,000, or 1,000 per cent. The taxable wealth of the city is increasing more rapidly than the population.

Year.

Popula- tion.

School Children.

Tith- ables.

Taxable Property.

Year.

Popula- tion.

School Children.

Tith- ables.

Taxable Property.

$1830

715

1861

16,394

4,173

3,582 $6,612,206

*1840

2,026

1862

15,396

4,624

3,244 +5,399,335

1845

4,338

$1,065,245

1863

16,730|

4,815

3,631'

6,834,275

1846

4,976

1,420,962

1864

18.117

5,401

3,804, 7,380,136

1849

7,014

2,759,837

1865

19,628|

6,253

4,220;

7,529,208

*1850

9,408

4.934,455

1867

21,460

16,295

4.495

8,080,315

1853

12,154

5,559.650

1865

22,15Sł

7,165,

4,922 10,589,654

1854

14,800

3,000

3,107

6,483,420

1855

12,371|

2,966

2,947

6,394,340

1870

7,071

5,638

1856

12,496

3,012

2,965

+6,302,400|

#1870

24,505

1857

12,736

2,840

6,493,365

1871

25,526

8,892

6,380

11,359,700

1860

15,112

3,782|

3,361

6,843,287

1872

25,860

9,140

6,233 11,467,325

*1860

16,471|

1873

26,117

8,686

6,565 11,606,315

1866

19,017

5,441

4,066

7,837,409

1852

1869

* From the U. S. census. The rest is from the city Assessor's books.

t Decrease, because the courts declared exempt from taxation the property of Richard Southgate and others, until the same should be laid off into lots.

# Decrease, or extraordinary depression, caused by the Civil war.

Previous to 1867, all from 6 to 18 were enumerated as school children ; after that date, all from 6 to 20 years.

420

KENTON COUNTY.

KENTON county is one of the newest and smallest in the state, the 90th in order of formation ; and was organized in 1840, out of the west half of Campbell county, as divided by Licking river. It is only from 6 to 12 miles wide, and 25 miles long ; the turn- pike to Lexington making it easy of access along its western length, as does the Kentucky Central railroad along its eastern border. The southern border is at Grassy creek, a little N. of DeMossville, and only a short distance N. of Crittenden, Grant co. It is situated in the extreme northern part of the state, oppo- site Cincinnati, Ohio ; is bounded N. by the Ohio river, E. by the Licking river which separates it from Campbell county, s. by. Pendleton and Grant counties, and w. by Boone county. The bottom lands are rich and very productive ; the uplands undulat- ing or hilly, but grow fine wheat, corn, and tobacco. The county is dotted with fine gardens and has many excellent dairy farms, for the supply of the Covington and Cincinnati markets. The lands along the Lexington turnpike are of very superior quality.

Towns .- Independence is the original county seat, 11 miles s. of Covington ; incorporated in 1842; population in 1870, 134. But the necessities and convenience of the people have gradually invested Covington, also, with nearly all the advantages of the county seat-it being the place of record of all conveyances of property in and near its limits ; and the longest terms of all the courts, as well as terms of the U. S. District court for Kentucky, being held here. Covington is situated on the Ohio river, imme- diately at and below the mouth of the Licking river (which separates it from Newport), and opposite the great city of Cin- cinnati, Ohio. It is built upon a beautiful plain, several miles in extent ; and the principal streets running from the Ohio river were so laid off as to present the appearance of a prolongation or continuation of those of Cincinnati. Population in 1870, 24,505 ; in March, 1873, about 27,000. The public buildings are-a large court house and city hall, just rebuilt, greatly enlarged, and beauti- fully furnished (March, 1873) ; 24 churches (2 Baptist, 1 Meth- odist Episcopal South, 3 Methodist Episcopal, 2 Presbyterian, of which one in connection with the Northern General Assembly and the other with the Southern General Assembly, 1 Disciples of Christ, 1 Protestant Episcopal, 1 German Methodist Episcopal, 1 German Lutheran, 2 German Evangelical Reformed, 8 Roman Catholic, and 2 for colored people, 1 Methodist Episcopal, and 1 Baptist) ; 4 large and substantial (one of them elegant) public school buildings, and a beautiful High School building in course of erection ; 8 Roman Catholic school buildings; 1 water works and 4 fire company buildings; gas works ; 4 banks (Branch of the Northern Bank of Kentucky, Ist National, and Covington City National, each with $500,000, and German National, with $250,000 capital) ; and Odd-Fellows' Hall. Congress in Feb.,

421

KENTON COUNTY.

1873, appropriated $130,000 for a post office and U. S. court building and public offices. There are 28 benevolent institutions (Masonic, Odd-Fellows, Good Templars, Knights of Pythias, Improved Order of Red Men, Ancient Order of Druids, and Ancient Order of Hibernians) ; 46 lawyers; 31 physicians ; 24 dry goods, 49 boot and shoe, 12 drug, 6 book or stationery, 12 furniture, 12 wholesale and 137 retail grocery, 4 hardware, 4 queensware, 23 notion, 12 millinery, 5 saddle and harness, 19 merchant tailor, 10 clothing, 9 tinware, 8 jewelry, 9 sewing- machine, and many other stores, besides small shops; 8 tobacco factories ; 21 cigar factories; 12 carriage or wagon factories ; 8 hotels ; 12 confectioneries ; 28 meat stores ; 89 saloons for retail of beer and liquors ; 15 bakeries ; 1 rail mill ; 1 iron rolling mill ; 2 stove foundries; 4 planing mills ; 4 flour mills ; 10 coal yards; 10 cooper shops; 4 distilleries ; 5 breweries ; and many other branches of business and manufacturing industry. A wire sus- pension bridge (the longest single-span and one of the most beauti- ful in the world) connects Covington with Cincinnati ; and a wire suspension bridge, also, with Newport. West Covington, incorpor- ated in 1858, adjoins Covington on the west (population in 1870, 993), and South Covington is 2 miles distant on the south, with about 200 inhabitants. Ludlow, on the Ohio river, 1 mile w. of Covington, is a growing town ; population in 1870, 817. Bromley, on the Ohio river 1 mile w. of Ludlow ; population in 1870, 121. The other villages in the county, all very small, are : Sandford- town, 4 miles w. of s. of Covington, Benton's Station or Kenton P. O .; Mullins' Station or Morning View P. O., Canton or Visalia (the latter incorporated in 1869, was the old county seat of Camp- bell county), Staffordsburg, 13 miles s. w. of Canton, and Fisks- burg, 6 miles w. of Mullins'. (See p. 419.)

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Collins historical sketches of Kentucky. History of Kentucky: Vol. II, Part 67

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