USA > Kentucky > Trigg County > Counties of Christian and Trigg, Kentucky : historical and biographical > Part 34
USA > Kentucky > Christian County > Counties of Christian and Trigg, Kentucky : historical and biographical > Part 34
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Soils and Productions .- Adjacent to the streams the soil is alluvium of great depth and fertility. On the higher+lands is a clay soil, in the limestone region a red clay, which is very productive. The higher ridge land rests on a light clay, and is much less productive than the red clay. Wheat and corn are grown extensively, and are well adapted to the soils of the county. Tobacco however is the principal crop, and has been produced to an extent to injure and wear out the lands prematurely. It will be a bright period in the history of the county when the farmers cease raising so much tobacco and give their time and attention to stock- raising and the production of grain. The latter industries are already beginning to receive more attention each year, which is to the prosperity of the county. But there is room for still greater change and improve- ment.
Tobacco is considered by many one of the most valuable crops pro- duced in the United States, but in its cultivation comes the real "drudg- ery" of farm life. It is never off the farmer's hands, for before he can get his crop into market he is preparing for another crop, and thus it goes on from year to year. A great need of the times is to make rural life so attractive and at the same time to make pecuniary profit in it so pos- sible as to hold the boys and young men on the farm. This can hardly be done by the universal growing of tobacco. It is a very mistaken idea of gentility, of ease of life, of opportunities for culture or for winning
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HISTORY OF TRIGG COUNTY.
fame, which draws a large percentage of the brightest boys into the so- called learned professions, or into trade. With proper surroundings of the home, with a proper education at school, with a proper administration of the economies of the farm, with a sufficient understanding of the op- portunities for a high order of intellectual and social accomplishment in the rural life of this country, this need not and would not be so. This is not intended as a wholesale condemnation of the growing of tobacco, which it is to be confessed is a necessary evil; but it is merely to show the advisability of more equally dividing the crops cultivated. Grow less tobacco, and more corn, wheat, clover and grass, and raise more stock. A few years will disclose the value of the change in more ways than one.
Mounds .- That a strange and semi-civilized people resided through- out all the country in times which antedate the Indians' occupancy of the soil is established by conclusive evidence, aside from the most universal denial of the savage tribes of their having had any participation in the erection of the vast number of earthworks scattered throughout the con- tinent. All that is known of this mysterious people has been discovered from the decaying remnants of their works; but their origin and final fate are enshrouded in hopeless obscurity. Although the pre-historic re- mains of Trigg County are few in number and comparatively uninterest- ing in detail, yet a few words here may not be out of place, descriptive of some of the more prominent ones.
The largest mound in the county perhaps is the one near Canton. It covers about one-eighth of an acre of ground, and when first known to white people was of considerable height. On opening this mound a num- ber of axes (stone), pipes, and other relics of the Mound-Builder were found in profusion. An image was also found, which from its appearance might be a statue of the "lost link " between man and the "Darwinian theory." On the Grace farm, in Cadiz Precinct, is another large mound. This mound has likewise been opened, and in it were found a large num- ber of relics. Smaller mounds than the two above described are found in other parts of the county, principally in the neighborhoods of Cerulean Springs, Roaring Springs, etc., etc. They are noticed further in the chapters devoted to those particular sections, and further mention here is superfluous.
Settlement by White People .- It is difficult at this remote period to fix upon the exact year in which white men first came into what now con- stitutes Trigg County. But from the most authentic of the scant sources of information it appears to have been as early as 1778. "The first of these were hardy adventurers from the Carolinas, who floated down the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers on flat-boats, and after erecting a few temporary huts contiguous to the banks of the streams, remained but a
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HISTORY OF TRIGG COUNTY.
few years and then suddenly disappeared, leaving no traces behind them except the rude habitations that could not be dignified with the appella- tion of cabins. What their object was speculation can hardly furnish a conjecture. There are no evidences of their having been hunters or trap- pers, and the fact of their showing no disposition to plant even so much as a patch of corn, was a conclusive proof that if they had a motive at all, it was not an agricultural one." The next comers, according to Col- lins, were Dr. Thomas Walker and Daniel Smith, the Virginia Commis- sioners appointed to establish the boundary line between the western por- tions of Virginia and North Carolina (now Kentucky and Tennessee), and their surveying party. "On the 23d of March, 1780, having run the line entirely across the county westward, and across Tennessee River, they closed their survey according to directions from Richmond. They made a tolerably good map of Cumberland River, the first that was ever made. One of them went down the river with the baggage while the other proceeded through the woods with the survey. Their report speaks of the Cumberland as a 'fine stream, navigable at least 700 miles above its mouth.'"'
Following close after these came several families of permanent settlers, but few of whom have left any traces behind them. The site of one of the first oldest settlements in the county is in the neighborhood of Ceru- lean Springs, but the names of the majority of the first-comers have long since faded from the memory of the oldest inhabitants. As early as 1782 or 1783, Robert Goodwin, of North Carolina, and his sons Samuel and Jesse, were living near where Robert Goodwin, Jr., now resides, a short distance from the village of Cerulean Springs. They were, like the ma- jority of the early pioneers, fond of their gun, and were good hunters, but when the season was over for the pursuit of game, they displayed a laud- able ambition for some more permanent industrial business enterprise. They cleared up fields, planted and cultivated them, and aside from look- ing after their farming interests, paid considerable attention to the raising of domestic animals. They had considerable herds of cattle in a very early day, and seemed much more fortunate with them in the neighbor- hood of the springs than in any other localities. After the Goodwins came the Spencers, James Daniel and sons Elijah and George, John Blakely, William Johnson, Joel Thompson, John Goode, Eli Hasber, Ja- cob Stinebaugh, John Guthrie, David Haggerd, Samuel Campbell, Wiley Wilson, Seth Pool, Joel Wilson, William Wilson and Adam Thompson, all of whom became citizens, and had homes in the northern part of the county as early as 1800.
Between the Rivers .- About the same time of the second influx of permanent residents, quite a settlement had sprung up between the rivers.
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HISTORY OF TRIGG COUNTY.
" Allan Grace, the grandfather of W. D. Grace, lived in a block-house near the present location of Redd's tanyard as early as 1793, and there were older settlers than he." Moses McWaters and his sons John, Levi and Davis, Robert Forgeson, Abraham Lash, Robert Ferguson, James Benham and Eli Kilgore were all living between the rivers shortly after the beginning of the present century.
" The settlements on Dyer's Creek, Donaldson's, Casey's Creek and Sinking Fork were all made about the year 1798. It is possible, how- ever, that the settlement on Dyer's Creek was made one or two years in advance of the rest. John Mayberry was living one-fourth of a mile from the mouth of the creek, and having a small field opened, the indications are that he had been there a year or so previous to that time." Near the head of the creek lived a man by name of Thedford, who built a rudely constructed horse-mill near the site of Trigg Furnace as early as 1798. His brother, James Thedford, "squatted " in the same locality, and op- posite the old Empire Iron Works an old man by name of Gillahan had a cabin about the same time. A man by name of Curtis was one of the earliest pioneers of the county and made his first improvements on what is known as the Dyer farm. John Grasty came from South Carolina, and settled not far from Trigg Furnace, near which place he taught the first school in Trigg County. The Standrods came to the county as early as 1807, and settled on the road between Princeton and Rock Castle. Other early settlers located in the same neighborhood, of whom a more extended notice will be given in the precinct history.
The Dry Creek settlement dates from about the year 1798, at which time a large family of the Westers came from North Carolina, and located homes at various places along the stream. "They were a hardy, impul- sive, energetic, upright family of people ; loved the adventurous spirit that characterized the inhabitants of a new country, and as soon as the settlement on Dry Creek began to crowd them, they pulled up stakes and crossed the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers into Jackson's Purchase, where they said they wanted a wider range and more elbow room." Sam- uel Skinner and his brothers William, Joseph, Theophilus and Wiley, came from North Carolina, and settled not far from the village of Linton as early as 1802-03. Richard Ricks, Jesse Cox (a Baptist Preacher), William Scott, John Tinsley, William and Henry Bibb, David Rogers and Abel Olive all settled in what is now Canton Precinct at or near the date mentioned above.
Other Settlements .- As early as the year 1800 the most populous and thrifty settlements in the county were on Donaldson Creek. The most prominent families who resided there at that time were those of John Futrell, Shadrach Futrell, Drury Bridges, Josiah Outland, Enos Outland,
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HISTORY OF TRIGG COUNTY.
Joel Cohoon, James Lawrence, Basil Holland, Nathan Futrell, James Dixon, Hiram Dixon, John Wilson, Sr., John Wilson, Jr., Ben Wilson, James Wilson, John Craig, James, Joshua, Caleb and Carlton Lindsay, " Larry " Killabrew, the majority of whom came from North Carolina. James Thomas came in the summer of 1806, and settled in the same neighborhood. A further notice of this prominent family will be found in the history of Canton Precinct.
Another old settled portion of the county is in the neighborhood of Roaring Springs, and the most prominent families living there prior to 1820 were those of Elijah Burbridge, James Daniel, John Ford, Corne- lius Burnett, the father of Dr. Isaac Burnett, John Greenwade, Elder Mc- Cullom, William Cook, the Northingtons, Lindsays, Dawsons, Blantons, Ledfords, Millers, Torians, Colemans, Crenshaws, etc.
The settlement at Boyd's Landing, or Canton, as it is now known, was made about the year 1799, by Abraham Boyd, the most noted and prominent of all the early settlers of Trigg County. A more elaborate account of this distinguished family will be found elsewhere in this volume. Other early families that should be mentioned in this chapter are the Wadlingtons, Cunninghams, Osbornes, Carrs, Sheltons, Norvells, Mathi- ses, Dawsons, Sumners, Campbells, Binghams, Bakers, McCulloms, Mc- Cullochs and Thompsons. The foregoing list comprises only a portion of the pioneers deserving mention, and in the history of the various precincts will be found additional names and facts concerning the early settlements.
Pioneer Hardships .- The first thing for the family to do was to erect the little log-cabin, and while this was being done by the men, assisted by the neighbors who came for the purpose four or five miles, the families were obliged to live in the carts or in a tent of boughs, bark and blankets, or in the cabin of some neighbor. The cabin, such as it was, often with- out floor or permanent roof, and destitute of door or window, was very often ready for occupancy at night of the day it was begun. Blankets served for doors, greased paper for windows, while the floor was perhaps the bare earth. The furniture was such as the settler could manufac- ture with an ax and auger. Hand tools when possessed were always a part of the load, and nothing was more advantageous to the pioneer in setting up housekeeping in a new country. Bedsteads were often made by boring a hole in the wall, in which rested one end of a pole, the other end of which was supported by a forked stick in the ground. Upon this were placed impromptu seats, supported by one side of the cabin and the foot rail, and upon this structure hay, dry leaves and skins were placed. Chairs were mere blocks of wood with holes bored in them, in which legs were put; and tables were a packing box fortunately brought with the family, or were constructed of puncheons split from the tree, provided with legs as were the chairs.
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HISTORY OF TRIGG COUNTY.
These characteristics were true in only the earliest habitations, and were seldom all combined in any one. A few nails and some glass and hard- ware were occasionally brought in by some rather well-to-do emigrant or thoughtful pioneer, but the other picture had its counterpart in every set- tlement in the county. But with such inconveniences the people, many of whom had known something of refinement in older communities, had no time for repining or melancholy. People were more sociable then, and all were neighbors for miles around. Although the pioneer possessed some characteristics repellent to refined ideas and modern culture, yet in their social intercourse with each other they displayed those exemplary traits of character which might well be esteemed a bright legacy to a more ad- vanced age. If they deviated from the strict rules of morality and in- dulged themselves in habits and excesses which have been discarded by progressive civilization, they still retained those estimable virtues which are the tokens of a generous and sympathetic people. Unpretentious and unostentatious, they tendered whatever of hospitality their humble homes afforded, and were assiduous in their efforts'to provide for those whom chance brought within the circle of their charities. Affectation had no place in the cordial entertainment tendered visitor or stranger, and self- seeking was never the incentive which prompted their open doors and hospitality. It is worthy of remark that society had not yet matured enough at that time to produce the "tramp," and the foot-sore traveler was likely to be a worthy recipient of their kindness.
The pioneers brought but a meager outfit of this world's goods, but strong in faith and hope expected to increase their worldly store and pro- vide a home in old age. Some came in frontier wagons drawn by horses and oxen, and some used the more primitive pack-horse as a means of migration. Some came in one-horse carts, while others came on flat-boats down the river, and were many days and weeks in reaching their destina- tion. While on their journey their encampment for the night was made wherever night overtook them. A fire was built by the wayside, over which an iron kettle was suspended, in which the frugal evening meal was cooked. The father's gun through the day provided abundance of fresh meat, for game was plenty and the deer could be had for the shooting.
Yet let the advantages of the journey be the best, it was one of toil and privation. There were no bridges over the streams, and each immi- grant followed the general trail, but sought a new track for his own team. If the season was one of much rain, the ground they were compelled to pass over would be almost impassable, and the roads heavy. If dry the roads were rough, so that at its best the journey could not be said to be pleasant. Under such circumstances nothing but the necessities, and those in small bulk, could be brought hither.
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HISTORY OF TRIGG COUNTY.
It is difficult at this day to imagine a state of society where even the commonest means of social progress must be invented and set in motion, but the pioneer found this fact a very prominent and practical one in his early experience. The supplies brought into the country by the immi- grants were occasionally by the closest economy made to last until the growing crop or garden could supply the necessities of the family. For years the people were thrown entirely upon their own resources. The nearest point where meal could be obtained was at Nashville and other points equally as far distant. A temporary supply of corn was occasion- ally secured from some older settler who had harvested a crop which sufficed until the growing corn became of sufficient size to eat. When the kernel was sufficiently firm the grater was brought into requisition and a sort of bread or porridge was made. This old grater was an eyesore to most of the children, as it occupied the greater portion of their time dur- ing certain seasons of the year. When the grain became hard and the grater no longer effective, recourse was had to the mortar and pestle. This consisted of a block or stump in which a kettle-shaped excavation was made by burning and scraping. A pestle was made of a heavy pole to the end of which a block of iron was fixed. Almost every cabin had its " hominy block," and among the earlier sounds about the house was the monotonous pounding of the frontier mill. This machine furnished sev- eral grades of meal, from fairly fine to simply cracked grains, and this was separated by sieves constructed of deer-skin tightly stretched over a frame and punctured with small sized holes. The finer part was trans- formed into the dodger, which was baked upon the hearth, while the coarser product was served up as hominy. Some of the better provided settlers possessed hand-mills, which were made of nigger-head buhrs. In the upper stone was made an eye and a handle inserted ; the boys would grind hour after hour at this slow method. Although the streams af- forded good sites for the construction of water-mills, the necessary machinery and the mechanical skill were for a long time wanting. Horse- mills came in to supply this need, and while they were called corn-crackers, did much more effective service than the name would imply. These con- sisted of a small set of nigger-head buhrs, propelled by a large cog wheel set upon a perpendicular axis. In the lower part of this axis horizontal levers were attached so that two teams might be attached to give the machinery motion. Such mills were constructed in various parts of the country at different dates and greatly relieved the farmers in the task of making meal. They ground very slowly, and the patron was obliged not only to furnish his own motive power, but was often obliged to wait several days for an opportunity to use it.
Mills .- Several water-mills were attempted in a very early day, but
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HISTORY OF TRIGG COUNTY.
the character of the streams made the experiments rather unsatisfactory. During the greater part of the year the mill could not run for lack of water, and at other times the sudden risings of the water would wash out the rudely constructed dams. Wild meat for many years furnished the pioneer farmer his chief means of subsistence, game of all kinds being plentiful and easily procured. Deer were found in great abundance, and the earliest settler found no difficulty even if not an adept in the use of the rifle to kill all he needed without leaving the precincts of his cabin. Large droves of these animals were seen in the woods, and the pioneer, who was in the habit of carrying his gun wherever he went, need not spend much time in the special duty of providing meat for his family. Buffaloes were killed by the first settlers in the neighborhood of Cerulean Springs, and bears were numerous for many years in the woods skirting the various water courses. Mr. Goodwin states that his father killed fifty bears during one season. Grouse were found in unlimited numbers, as were also wild turkeys, and no cabin was deprived of their delicacy. Wild hogs served also to vary the frontier fare. These were animals that had escaped from the older settlements, and subsisting upon the nuts and roots of the woodland had gone wild in the course of nature. They were of a long-legged, gaunt species and kept the timber pretty closely. They were no particular damage or annoyance to the settlers, but fur- nished capital hunting sport and gave a relief to the monotonous recur- rence of venison upon the table of the settler. Wolves were of more annoyance to the settlements, attacking sheep, pigs, cattle, and when rendered desperate by hunger, even man himself.
The streams of the county have always sustained the reputation of being the best stocked rivers with fish in the State, from the earliest knowledge of the whites to the present time. Before any settlements were made, rumors of the profusion of fine fish came to the frontiers through the Indians, to whom this was a favorite place of resort each fall and spring. Here bass, mullet, salmon, suckers, and other varieties having been found weighing several pounds. With this abundance of what are now considered luxuries, it would seem at a casual glance that the pioneer's life was one of ease rather than of hardship, but when it is considered that these were the sum total of their early luxuries, and what we deem the common necessities and find so cheap as to pass almost unnoticed in our estimate of family supplies and expenses, were to early settlers almost inaccessible and the most expensive, a great change is wrought in our estimate.
Salt was more expensive than sugar, and even the variety of game pro- vided soon failed to answer the purpose of beef and pork. The system was exposed to the ravages of disease, and, subject to the trying experiences
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HISTORY OF TRIGG COUNTY.
of hard farm labor, demanded something more substantial ; nor could all give their attention to hunting. The prime reason for the presence of most of the pioneers was to build up homes, and to lay the foundations of future competence, and to accomplish this the larger part of the commu- nity centered here had only their hands with which to accomplish their mission. It was no uncommon occurrence to find men surrounded by this profusion who never shot a deer, and occasionally one who never owned a gun.
We might go on and describe primitive farming, and enter into details concerning the hardships incident to the gradual development of the country, but it would be only the repetition of an oft-told tale. Suffice it to say, however, that the pioneers did their work wisely and well. Their whole lives was the story of toilsome duty, well and nobly per- formed, and the examples of their virtues and self-denying devotion are among the richest legacies to a grateful posterity.
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HISTORY OF TRIGG COUNTY.
CHAPTER II.
ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY-ACT OF THE LEGISLATURE FOR ITS FORMA- TION-JUSTICES OF THE PEACE FOR THE NEW COUNTY-THE FIRST OFFI- CERS-NAME OF THE COUNTY-COL. STEPHEN TRIGG-LOCATION OF THE SEAT OF JUSTICE-REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS-CADIZ-COUNTY COURT-THE FIRST CIVIL DIVISIONS-TAVERN RATES-ORDERS FOR MILLS AND ROADS-THE FIRST CIRCUIT COURT-EARLY JUDICIARY AND BAR-THE GRAND JURY-EXTRACTS FROM THE QUAINT OLD RECORDS- LAYING OUT THE COUNTY SEAT-FIRST TRUSTEES-COURT PROCEED- INGS-HON. LINN BOYD-VOTE ON RE-LOCATION OF COUNTY SEAT- CHANGES OF BOUNDARY-MARRIAGE LICENSE -- THE CENSUS-STATIS- TICS-COUNTY OFFICERS, ETC., ETC.
W HEN the first permanent settlements were made in the present County of Trigg, it formed a part of Christian County, and was under the jurisdiction of that county for a number of years and in fact until it became quite thickly settled. Christian County was originally a large district of country extending north to the Ohio River and west of the Mississippi. As it settled up new counties were formed and its territory lessened by frequent drafts until the close of the year 1819, when efforts began to be made for the formation of Trigg County.
The legislative act under which the county was created is entitled " An Act for the formation of the county of Trigg out of the counties of Christian and Caldwell," and was passed by the Kentucky Legislature at the regular winter session of 1819-20. It was approved by the acting Governor, Gabriel Slaughter, on the 27th of January, 1820. The ma- terial part of the act reads as follows :
" Be it enacted by the General Assembly, that from and after the 1st day of April next, all that part of said counties of Christian and Caldwell contained in the following boundaries, to wit :
" Beginning at a point ten miles due west from the northwestwardly limits of the town of Hopkinsville ; thence southwardly to Lindsay's Mill on Little River; thence due south to the Tennessee State line ; thence west with said line to the Tennessee River ; thence down the same to the mouth of a creek on which Levi Davis now lives ; thence up said creek, leaving Davis in Caldwell County; thence to the mouth of Crooked Creek, so as to leave the inhabitants on said creek in the pro- posed county, except Daniel Osborne Esq. ; thence toward Simon Sher- ford's horse-mill to the Christian County line, so as to leave the inhab- B2
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