USA > Kentucky > Trigg County > Counties of Christian and Trigg, Kentucky : historical and biographical > Part 5
USA > Kentucky > Christian County > Counties of Christian and Trigg, Kentucky : historical and biographical > Part 5
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61
49
HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN COUNTY.
in the militia, at the head of which he kept down the Tory spirit in his quarter of Virginia throughout the Revolutionary struggle. Upon the conclusion of the war, he represented his county in the Virginia Legisla- ture for several years, sustaining a high reputation for his civil as well as his military talents.
Col. Christian emigrated to Kentucky in 1785, and settled on Bear- grass. The death of Col. Floyd, who was killed by an Indian in 1783, rendered his location peculiarily acceptable to that section of the State, where a man of his intelligence, energy and knowledge of the Indian character, was much needed. In April of the succeeding year, 1786, a. body of Indians crossed the Ohio and stole a number of horses on Bear- grass, and with their usual celerity of movement re-crossed the river, and presuming they were in no further danger of pursuit, leisurely made their way to their towns. Col. Christian immediately raised a party of men, and crossed the Ohio in pursuit of the marauders. Having found their trail, by a rapid movement he overtook them about twenty miles from the river and gave them battle. A bloody conflict ensued, in which Col. Christian and one man of his party were killed, and the Indian force totally destroyed. His death created a strong sensation in Kentucky, for he was brave, intelligent and remarkably popular.
County Court .- The first court held in the new county convened on the 21st day of March, 1797. Present-Jacob Barnett, Moses Shelby, Hugh Knox, Jonathan Logan and Brewer Reeves, gents, Presiding Justi- ces of the county. They organized for business, and appointed John Clark Clerk, and Charles Logan Sheriff. The first business that came before court was the presentation of a deed by Young Ewing from Peter Tard- win and brother, which was ordered "to be certified." The next item disposed of was, " that James Henderson be appointed Commissioner of Tax for the present year, 1797." The third act of the court was the issuing of a writ to James Shaw to view and condemn a mill site on Big Eddy, and the fourth, one to Robert Cravens for the same purpose, on the Barren Fork of Little River. The monotony of the proceedings was then broken, by granting a license to Obadiah Roberts "to keep a public house." The next entry upon the records is as follows :
" Ordered that Moses Shelby, Jonathan Logan, Brewer Reeves, Young Ewing and Joseph Kuykendall, gents, or a majority of them, meet at the house of Capt. Wood, where Col. Starling now lives, on the first Friday in April next, and proceed to view the most suitable and convenient place for the seat of justice for Christian County, and .make a return to our next court." After another writ or two regarding mill sites, the court adjourned.
The next term convened July 18, 1797, and the first business was
50
HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN COUNTY.
the reports on the mill sites ordered "viewed and condemned," at the last term, which were ordered to be recorded ; also the issuing of writs to view and condemn other mill sites in various parts of the county, which, though very thinly populated, as we have seen, covered a large extent of territory. The last will and testament of James Davis was presented and " ordered to be certified." Mrs. Deborah Davis was appointed "to the safe keeping of the estate of the said James Davis, deceased," and it was ordered " that Moses Shelby, Jonathan Logan, Brewer Reeves, George Bell and James Davis appraise the estate of James Davis, deceased." A deed from Peter Tardwin and brother to James Davis was sworn to and ordered " to be certified." Several other deeds were disposed of in the same manner.
The next entry is as follows: "Ordered that James Richey, George Robinson, Sr., Samuel Kinkeade, Julius Saunders, James Decon, Charles Staton and James Kerr be appointed to view the most nearest and best way from James Waddleton's, on the Bigg Eddy to the bigg spring on Lewiston, from there to the Clay-lick settlement, and report the same to our next court." The next "order " is for the Surveyor of this county to meet the Surveyor of Logan County on the 8th day of August, in order to run the boundary line between the said counties agreeable to law, etc. Young Ewing then presented his commission from the Governor as head Surveyor for Christian County, and entered into bond, with Joseph Kuykendall as security. The next business was an order to the Sheriff, to "summon Jacob Barnett and Hugh Knox to attend at our next court to proceed to view the most suitable place for the seat of justice, in order to erect the public buildings," and then court adjourned.
The third term of the court was held Aug. 15, 1797, and, after dis- posing of some unimportant business, the following were established as "tavern rates :" Dinner, Is. 6d .; supper, 1s .; breakfast, 1s .; bedd, 4}d .; grain per gallon, 9d ; pasturage for 12 hours, 6d; horse to hay 12 hours, 1s .; whisky per gallon, 12s. The latter commodity seems to have been about as high then as now, but it is probable that the purity of the arti- cle made in those primitive days would offset the Government tax of the present day.
Locating the Seat of Justice .- Following the establishment of uniform prices for tavern-keepers, comes the entry regarding the location of the county-seat, as follows :
"Ordered, that the seat of justice be first at the Sinking Fork of Lit- tle River ; and that Young Ewing, Jonathan Logan and Samuel Hardin, gents, or a majority of them, do meet at the place fixed upon as the seat of justice, and proceed to view the most suitable place in order to erect public buildings as follows, to-wit : To let the public buildings, one
51
HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN COUNTY.
cabbin 20 feet square. one jail 14 feet square, and the logs hughed 1 foot square, and one pair of stocks, and make report to our next court." From the above entry it will be seen that the first officers of the county were not perfect in their orthography, but considering their educational facilities, they no doubt deserved as much credit for their learning as we do, with our greatly increased advantages.
At the next term of court, held November 21, 1797, it proceeded "to appoint a place to affix the seat of justice, and, after deliberating thereon, do appoint and determine on the land whercon Bartholomew Wood now lives; therefore ordered, that the seat of justice be fixed at the said Wood's, he having agreed to give five acres of land for public buildings, timber for building the same, and half of the spring." Thus was the seat of justice located, and to the credit and good business sense of the people be it said, it still remains upon the original site-the handsome and enterprising little city of Hopkinsville. Though efforts were at first made to remove it to other points, they failed, the majority always stand- ing up for the old location.
An interesting item, culled from the old records of the court, is the following " statement of the county levy for the year 1797 :"
£ s. d.
To the Clerk for the expense of fees. 5 0 0
To the Sheriff for the expense of fees. 7 10 0
To the State's Attorney. 15 0 0
To Young Ewing for surveying County line. 14 12 0
To persons for building a court house and jail .. 30 0 0
To John Clark for the expense of the Commissioners' book and one minute book furnished. 3 18 0
To Peter Carpenter, 1 old and 1 young wolf scalp. 11 0
To Henry Wortman, 1 old wolf scalp. 8 0
To Benjamin Couns, 1 old wolf scalp 8 0
To Abraham Hicks, 1 old wolf scalp 8 0
0
To James Lewis, 1 old and 1 young wolf scalp. 11
0
To David Smith, 1 old wolf scalp.
8 0
To John Clark, 1 young wolf scalp. 3 0
To Abraham Stewart, 3 old wolf scalps.
1
4
0
To W. Wallace, 3 old wolf scalps
1 4 0
To Joseph Kuykendall, 2 old wolf scalps
16 0
To James Elliott, 1 old wolf scalp.
8
0
To Benj Garris, 9 old wolf scalps.
3 12
0
To John Roberts, 1 old wolf scalp
8
0
To George Hardin, 1 old wolf scalp.
8
0
To Benj Hardin, 1 old wolf scalp.
8
0
To Joab Hardin, 1 old wolf scalp.
8 0
To Bat Wood, 2 old wolf scalps 16 0
To Peter and John Shaffer, 3 old wolf scalps. 1 4 0
Total 90 1
3
0 -
To Henry Clark, 1 old wolf scalp .. 8
52
HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN COUNTY.
It was ordered "that the Sheriff pay the above amounts to the several individuals, and that he have credit for 388 Tiths at 4s. 6d. each.". In the year 1800, the tithables had increased to 592, and "the county levy for the same year was fixed at 62} cents."
For faithfully and truly assessing the property of the people, the Com- missioner of Tax, as he was called, was bound up in the following iron- clad manner :
" Know all men by these presents that we Benj. Campbell and Young Ewing are held and firmly bound unto James Garrard Esquire, Governor of Kentucky and his suc- cessors in office for the time being in the penal sum of Two thousand. dollars. the pay- ment whereof well and Truly to be made to the said Governor or his successors in Office. We bind ourselves our heirs executors Administrators &C Jointly and Severally firmly by these Presents Sealed with our Seals and Dated this 20th day of January 1801.
"The Conditions of the above Obligation is Such that Benj. Campbell hath this day been appointed Commissioner of the Tax for the district of the County of Christian by the Justices thereof. Now if he shall well and Truly execute the Office of Commissioner in Taking in a correct List of Taxable property from each person Subject to Taxation in his said District. and make out the Several Alphabetical books as is required by Law & Transmit them to the several persons as is Intitled to them by Law. and agreeable to Law. and shall in Other Cases well and Truly execute the said Office of Commissioner agreeable to Law. and in the Time Prescribed by Law. then this Obligation to be Void Else to re- main in full force and Virtue. Signed sealed Delivered in the Presents of the Court."
Attest
" John Clark."
" Benja Campbell [Seal] Young Ewing " [Seal]
At the term of court held December 14, 1801, we find the following on record : " Ordered that John Clark be allowed for boarding and find- ing and attending upon Francis Leofftus when sick
27 days the sum of $10.00
For Keeping a stead horse, drenching and doctoring of him when foundered 69 days 12.00
For wriding 3 days on Leofftus' business. 3.00
For paying the doctor 10s. for wriding 1.67
For finding for the doctor .50
For all my trouble in burying of him, finding plank, getting the coffin made and for liquors and victuals furnished at the burying, the sum of .. 17.00
Such is the character of some of the business which came before the County Court for the first few years after the organization of the county.
Court of Quarter Sessions .- At the period when the county was formed, the Court of Quarter Sessions answered in the place of our Cir- cuit Court of the present day, and was held by two or three Justices, who were men perhaps more "learned in the law " than the Justices of the County Court. The first term of the court of Quarter Sessions for Christian County was held " at the court house in the town of Elizabeth " on the 17th day of February, 1801, the Hon. Adam Lynn and Hon. Samuel Hardin, Justices presiding. Solomon Brunts or Brents (the records are
53
HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN COUNTY.
indistinct) was admitted as an attorney. A "Grand Jury of Inquest" was impaneled and sworn. The record is a little torn and worn, and some of the names are gone. Those remaining and distinguishable are as follows : James Thompson, Foreman; Thomas Vaughn, James Lockard, William Stroud, Sr., William Cravens, Edward Taylor, Henry Wolf, etc. The records are so imperfect and faded, that but little could be gleaned from them of any interest.
The Circuit Court .- The Court of Quarter Sessions was succeeded, in 1803, by the Circuit Court, in accordance with an act of the Legisla- ture. The first term was held in Christian County March 28, 1803. Hon. Samuel Hardin and Hon. James Wilson presented their commissions from James Garrard, Governor, as Assistant Judges, and were sworn in by John Campbell, Justice of the Peace. The records inform us that " they took their seats, and the Sheriff opened court." Young Ewing was appointed Clerk pro tempore, and entered into bond, with Samuel Cald- well and Rezin Davidge, as securities, and took the required oath.
Rezin Davidge, Samuel Caldwell, Matthew Lodge, James H. Mc- Laughlan, John A. Cape, Robert Coleman and James H. Russell pro- duced their licenses, and were sworn in as attorneys at law in this court.
It was then "ordered that Rezin Davidge be appointed Attorney for the Commonwealth to this court." The first case was, "The Common- wealth, plaintiff, versus Matthew Lodge, defendant, for profane swearing." The result of the suit was, the defendant was fined five shillings and costs. The second case was, John Tadlock versus William Daniel and James Dillingham for debt.
The Grand Jury for this court was as follows : Samuel Bradley, Fore- man ; Isaac Stroud, William Husk, Hugh Johnson, John Wilson, William Cravens, Benjamin Mcclendon, Bartholomew Wood, John Weldon, Peter Thompson, Daniel Bristow, William Stroud, James Barnett, Thomas Martin, Thomas Vaughn, Isaac Hayes, John Caruthers and Joseph Stark- ley, " who being impanneled and sworn, and having received their charge withdrew from the bar to make up their presentments."
Several unimportant cases were then disposed of, and the "records of the late Court of Quarter Sessions, was received into the Circuit Court from John Clark, late Clerk of said Quarter Sessions Court."
The Grand Jury returned a number of indictments against different individuals, mostly for " profane swearing by God," and were then dis- missed. The court then proceeded to try the same, and in most of the cases fined the delinquents five shillings and costs.
Young Ewing was appointed Treasurer of the court, and after a few more unimportant cases for debt and other trivial offenses, court adjourned.
The next term was held June 27, 1803, the Hon. Ninian Edwards
54
HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN COUNTY.
(afterward Governor of Illinois) Judge and Hon. Samuel Hardin and James Wilson, Assistant Judges. The first entry in the records at this term is, " The Hon. Ninian Edwards voting for John Gray, by the votes of the two assistant Judges, ordered that James H. McLaughlan be ap- pointed Clerk of this court until next term." He was then sworn in, entered into bond with Rezin Davidge and Young Ewing as his securities in the sum of $3,000. Young Ewing was sworn in as Deputy Clerk. The court continued for three days and then adjourned. The next term was held, beginning September 26, 1803, and continued four days. The next term commenced March 12, 1804, Hon. Ninian Edwards, Judge, and Hon. Samuel Hardin and James Wilson, Assistant Judges. James McLaughlan presented a certificate of qualification from the Court of Ap- peals, and was appointed permanently Clerk of this court. He entered into bond of £1,000 with Rezin Davidge, Young Ewing and John Campbell as securities. March 29, 1803, Matthew M. Gooch was admitted as an attorney, and at the June term, 1803, Rezin Davidge was again appointed Attorney for the Commonwealth. At the March term, 1804, Henry Davidge and John Campbell were admitted as attorneys. At the same term William Wallace was admitted. The next term commenced June 11, 1804, and for the first time the name of Hopkinsville appears in the records. Hitherto it had appeared as the " Town of Elizabeth," " Eliza- beth Town " and "Elizabeth," being entered in the records in these three different ways. At this term William Featherston, Christopher Thompson and John Gray were admitted as attorneys, and after a four days' term court adjourned. The next term began September 10, 1804, Ninian Ed- wards Judge. At this term Joshua Crow, Henry Toulman and Samuel Work, were admitted as attorneys. Court adjourned after sitting four days. The next term commenced March 11, 1805, and lasted five days. Alney McLean was admitted as an attorney, and John Campbell was ap- pointed Attorney for the Commonwealth.
But if the reader has had enough of these early court proceedings the writer has, and the subject will be dropped. These extracts have been made in contrast to the voluminous proceedings of the present courts, and to illustrate the growth and progress of the county. The greater part of the business then and a large majority of the cases were trivial, and consist- ed mostly of profane swearing, cases of debt, drunkenness, riot, trespass, assault and battery, etc., etc. Even back at that date the records are kept in a neat and excellent style. The writing is plain, smooth and almost as easily read as print. Christian is to be congratulated upon the perfect, complete and unbroken records in both the County and' Circuit Clerk's offices, and for her kind and accommodating clerks, who are the very perfection of gentlemanly courtesy.
55
HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN COUNTY.
County Officers .- It may not be uninteresting in this connection to give a list of the county officers in the order in which they have served. Be- ginning with the Circuit Clerks they are as follows :
Young Ewing was the first Circuit Clerk, appointed at the first term of the court in March, 1803. He was succeeded by James H. McLaughlan, he by Nathan S. Dallam, and he by John H. Phelps, who filled the place acceptably until 1842, when Richard Shack- elford succeeded him. In 1853, R .. R. Lausden was appointed, but the next year (1854) was the first election under the new Constitution and John C. Latham was elected to the office, which he filled until 1862, when Joab Clark was elected. Mr. Clark served one term, giving way in 1868 to Nathan Gaither, who was then elected and re-elected in 1874. In 1880, B. T. Underwood, the present Circuit Clerk, was elected.
John Clark was the first County Clerk, and also Clerk of the Court of Quarter Sessions. He was appointed Clerk at the first County Court, March 21, 1797, and was succeeded by Justinian Cart- wright, May 15, 1798, who resigned in July following. Clark was then re-appointed and served until succeeded by Abraham Stites about the year 1824, who served until 1853. John S. Bryan was then elected, and in 1862 was succeeded by George H. Lawson, who served one term. In 1866, E. M. Buckner was elected; in 1870, B. M. Harrison ; in 1874, John W. Breathitt, who is now serving his third term, which will expire in 1886.
Abraham Stites .- A brief sketch of Mr. Stites is appropriate in this connection. He was a son of Dr. John Stites, and was born in Eliz- abeth, N. J., during the Revolutionary war, and with his mother was re- moved into a cellar to avoid danger resulting from a sharp engagement then going on between the British soldiers and the rebels of that day. A singular coincidence in the life of Mr. Stites is that he died in February, 1864, in Hopkinsville, during a skirmish here between the Confederate and Federal troops. He, with a large family connection of the Ganos and Stiteses, removed from New Jersey to the Ohio Valley in 1808, carrying their goods on horseback across the mountains to Pittsburgh, and thence by flat-boats to Cincinnati; his father's family settled near Georgetown, Ky. Mr. Stites had been educated for a lawyer, and licensed as such by Chan- cellor Kent. He commenced practice at Georgetown, and soon after mar- ried Miss Ann Johnson, daughter of Col. Henry Johnson, a Revolution- ary soldier. In 1818 he removed to Hopkinsville, where he resided un- til his death.
Mr. Stites was a man of fine education, and devoted to belles lettres and literary pursuits. He was a good lawyer-an excellent counselor- but seldom, after becoming a county official, made any charge for legal
56
HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN COUNTY.
advice. He was the confidant of many of the wealthiest men of the county, but was so opposed to litigation, that on all occasions, when he could do so consistently, he would use his efforts to conciliate rather than draw his friends into the meshes of the law. He was brought up, as it were, in the office of Johnson, the compiler of "Johnson's New York Re- ports," and aided in their preparation. He was public-spirited, and gave liberally to aid all public enterprises, and especially such as were de- signed to promote the cause of education.
In 1824 Mr. Stites was appointed Clerk of the Christian County Court, an office he held until 1851, when the present constitution went into effect, making all county offices elective. In that year he was elected by the people to the same place, and was the only one of the old officers of the county under the appointive system elected. He was defeated for the office in 1854, and retired to private life. For over thirty years he was Master in Chancery, and his reports in complicated cases furnish evi- dence of his capacity as a lawyer. As a clerk, he was accurate and atten- tive in the discharge of his official duties, and earned and retained the confidence of all who had business relations with him. As an evidence of the estimation in which he was held as a public officer, the following res- olution was adopted by the court September 5, 1854, and on motion of Robert McKee was ordered to be spread upon the records :
" Resolved, That Abraham Stites, former Clerk of this court, is en- titled to the respectful regards of all the citizens of this county for his faithful discharge of the duties of Clerk of the county for over thirty years past-duties with which he was familiarly acquainted, and which he discharged with promptitude to himself and to the satisfaction of all hav- ing business in his office."
Mr. Stites raised a large family of children, some of whom have be- come prominent in public life, and all of whom sought to follow his in- junction to render themselves useful members of society. Judge Henry J. Stites, his son, is Judge of the Common Pleas Court at Louisville, and one of the eminent jurists of the State. A sketch of him appears in the biographical part of this volume.
Sheriffs .- Charles Logan was the first Sheriff of the county, and was appointed at the same term of court that Clark was appointed Clerk. He served from March 21, 1797, to May 15, 1798, when James Wilson was appointed and served until 1800. Matthew Wilson served 1801, 1802; Samuel Means, 1803, 1804, 1805; William Armstrong, 1806, 1807; James M. Johnson, 1808, 1809; James Thompson, 1810, 1811; John Maberry, 1812, 1813; John Wilson, 1814; Samuel Bradley, 1815, 1816, 1817; James Bradley, 1818, 1819; James Moore, 1820; Benja- min Lacy, 1821; James Bradley, 1822, 1823; Matthew Wilson, 1824,
57
HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN COUNTY.
1825; Joseph Clark, 1826, 1827 ; Jonathan Clark, 1828; F. P. Pen- nington, 1829 ; James Bradley, 1830, 1831; Samuel Younglove, 1832, 1833; John Buckner, 1834, 1835; Cons Oglesby, 1836; Alfred L. Hargis, 1837; Powhatan Wooldridge, 1838, 1839; Edward Payne, 1840; R. D. Bradley, 1841; Thomas Barnett, 1842; William Henry, 1843; John Buckner, 1844, 1845; Lemuel Clark, 1846; Daniel S. Hays, 1847, 1848, 1849; Larkin T. Brasher, 1850; Benjamin Brad- shaw, 1851 ; Thomas S. Bryan, 1852, 1853 ; Richard D. Bradley, 1854, 1855; John B. Gowen, 1857, 1858, 1859, 1860; Richard T. McDaniel, 1861, 1862, 1863; Joseph McCarroll, 1864, 1865, 1866; James D. Steel, 1867; James O. Ellis, 1868 ; James Wallace, 1869, 1870, 1871, 1872; W. L. Garth, 1873, 1874; Polk Cansler, 1875, 1876; Peter F. Rogers, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1880; C. B. Brown, 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, and the present incumbent.
Assessors .- The first Assessor, or Commissioner of Tax, as formerly called, was James Henderson, but without following them through the old appointive system, we take the list from the adoption of the new consti- tution. . John W. Wiley filled the office until 1857, when O. S. and J. W. Brown performed the duties up to 1862; then J. Milton Clark, 1862- 1866; F. P. Stuart, 1866-1870; J. Milton Clark, 1870-1874 ; F. S. Long, 1874-1878; Young J. Means, 1878-1882; R. T. McDaniel, 1882-1886, the present incumbent.
County Judges .*- Alexander D. Rodgers, to 1862; H. R. Little, 1862-1866; A. G. Wooldridge, 1866-1870 ; James O. Ellis, 1870- 1874 ; A. V. Long, 1874-1882 (two terms) ; W. P. Winfree, 1882- 1886, and still in office.
Coroners.t-Alfred Younglove, 1854-1860 ; Thomas Wiley, 1860- 1862 ; William A. Sasseen, 1862, 1863; C. W. Mills, 1863, 1864; Thomas C. Truitt, 1870-1874 ; J. T. Meacham, 1874-1878 ; J. C. Courtney, 1878-1882; Beverly Kelly (colored), 1882, and the present incumbent. Additional to these are the Jailer and Surveyor ; and the more recently established officers, School Commissioner and Master Com- missioner, but of these we failed to obtain a list, even since the elective system went into effect.
Court Houses .- We have already in this chapter alluded to the order of the court for the erection of public buildings. Some time after the order was made the court appointed William Blackburn, Bartholomew Wood and William Padfield "to let the court house and jail." The specifications for the court house were as follows: To be twenty feet square, a story and a half high, with a partition of logs above the loft " skutched " inside and out, with puncheon floor, two doors and one win-
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