USA > Kentucky > Trigg County > Counties of Christian and Trigg, Kentucky : historical and biographical > Part 6
USA > Kentucky > Christian County > Counties of Christian and Trigg, Kentucky : historical and biographical > Part 6
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* From the adoption of the new Constitution.
t Ibid.
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HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN COUNTY.
dow, with a seat for the justices, a table for the Clerk and Barr for the attorneys, and benches for the jury. We are not responsible for the reader understanding or misunderstanding the above specifications; we give them as we find them in the records, and leave the intelligent reader to picture in his imagination the imposing structure that doubtless arose from so lucid architectural designs. Rude as it must have been, it served the infant county until the increase of population and the accumulation of wealth engendered sufficient local pride to demand a more pretentious temple of justice. And so, at the August term, 1802, we find the fol- lowing entry : "The Court proceeded to erect new public buildings, to- wit : A court house of brick twenty-six feet square, two story high, thir- teen feet to the first story from the floor, and the upper story eight feet and six inches, covered with good poplar or walnut shingles eighteen inches in length, one chimney with two fire-places above convenient for a clerk's office and jury room, one door below, and that in the end (the end of what ?) six windows below and four above, of the size of fifteen lights below and nine above," etc., etc.
There is no record of this house having been built, and no reference is again made to public buildings until the May term of court, 1806, when it is ordered that John Clark, James H. McLaughlan, Rezin Davidge, Edward Bradshaw and Nehemiah Cravens are appointed Commissioners to "let the building of the brick court house on the public square accord- ing to a model exhibited by Dr. Edward Rumsey and others." It was further ordered " that one-fourth of the expense was to be laid in the next county levy, and one-fourth every year thereafter until the whole allow- ance be made." The undertakers of the contract were to be bound up in the sum of $10,000 for the faithful performance of their work, and were to have the walls up and the house covered by the first of November, 1808, and the entire building completed by the first day of September, 1810. This building was finally erected and finished off according to the plans originally made. It served the people of the county as a temple of jus- tice, and often as a tabernacle of worship for a quarter of a century or more, when it gave place to a larger, more modern and more pretentious edifice. About 1836-38 the third court house was built. Like its prede- cessor it was a two-story brick, but a more spacious building. It stood un- til during the late civil war, when it was burned, as noted in the chapter on the military history of the county. In the year 1869 the present court house was completed. It is a superb model of architectural beauty, and an ornament to the city and county. It is a large two-story brick build- ing with stone finish, metal roof, cupola and bell, clock faces, but minus the clock. Upon the first floor are located the different county offices, viz .: County and Circuit Clerks, Sheriff, County Judge, Surveyor, Assessor,
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HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN COUNTY.
School Commissioner, Coroner, etc., while the second story comprises the court room, jury rooms and attorneys' consultation rooms, all handsomely furnished, well lighted and thoroughly ventilated. The original appro- priation for the building was, in round numbers, about $75,000. But changes in plans, additions made to the original designs, furnishings, and all extras combined, have left the cost not far short of $100,000. It was erected under the supervision of J. K. Frick, architect and builder, and does credit to his energy and genius.
Jails .- The first jail was built of hewed logs, and was twelve. feet square. The logs were twelve inches square, and the floor was of the same material, as well as the loft. This was a rather formidable prison in those primitive days, but in this age of " criminal perfection," when burglary and house-breaking have become a science, it would exercise but a very slight restraint upon the class for whose benefit such buildings are erected. A new jail was decided upon at the time the first brick court house was ordered, which was to be built according to "a plan drawn by John Clark, and now in his possession, and that John Clark, William Padfield, Bartholomew Wood and John Campbell be appointed Commis- ioners to superintend the building, by letting it to the lowest bidder, tak- ing bond and sufficient security for the faithful performance, and to do other acts and things relative to building at any time they think it proper." This jail when completed was a log pen, the logs hewed and fitted very close together, and outside of the pen a solid brick wall was built, with only small " air holes." This was called the dungeon, and was the re- pository of criminals. The upper story was more airy, and was called the debtors' prison, for such a law (imprisonment for debt) was in existence here in early days.
A brick jail was built about the time of the second brick court house, and stood in front of where the present one now is. It was torn down some years ago, and the present jail erected. It is a substantial structure, built of brick, with a jailer's residence in connection. It is finished off with all the modern arrangements for rendering prisons safe, having iron cages and stone floors, and is otherwise secure and substantial. When prisoners enter within its gloomy walls, it is expected they will stay there until wanted by the proper authorities.
The Census .- The growth and development of the county is better shown by a comparison of the census reports than in almost any other way. Although the county has been reduced in area from time to time, almost from the date of its formation it has steadily increased in popula- tion, with the exception of one decade, when both Todd and Trigg were taken off. The census reports show the following figures : In 1800, the first report after the formation of the county, the population was 2,318; in
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HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN COUNTY.
1810, 11,020 ; in 1820, 10,459 ; in 1830, 12,684; in 1840, 15,587; in 1850, 19,580; in 1860, 21,687 ; in 1870, 23,227; in 1880, 31,683; males, 16,145, and females, 15,538. The distribution over the county in 1880 was as follows: Hopkinsville, city and election district, 7,- 150; Bainbridge election district, 2,302; Casky, 1,122; Fruit Hill, 1,218 ; Garrettsburg, 1,418; Hamby, 1,617; Lafayette, 2,555 ; Long- view, 3,182 ; Mt. Vernon, 1,573 ; Pembroke, 2, 606 ; Scates' Mill, 1,803; Stewart, 1,381; Union Schoolhouse, 2,827; Wilson, 867. Their nativ- ity is as follows: Born in the State, 25,874 ; 5 in British America ; 35 in England and Wales ; 110 in Ireland; 6 in Scotland; 59 in the Ger- man Empire, and 9 in France.
Election Precincts .- For the better execution of the laws in the dif- ferent departments, and the more convenient dispatch of business, the county was laid off into districts. At a term of the County Court held June 14, 1802, we find the following entry : "Ordered, that Christian County be laid off into four districts, agreeable to the following bounds, to wit: The road from Logan court house by Christian court house to William Prince's-the old road separate the four districts by the first line, and the other line to run from the mouth of Little River along the wagon road to Christian Court House, from that along the new road this day es- tablished to Henderson County line on a direction to Robinson's Salt Works, make the other division; and that that part of the lines including the Pyle settlement be called the 'Northeast District ;' and that part in- cluding the Hardin settlement be called the 'Northwest District;' and that part including the Means settlement to be called the 'Southeast Dis- trict ; ' and that part including the Gillehan settlement to be called the ' Southwest District.'" These districts contained voting precincts, but, under the old Constitution of the State, the voters were not confined to any particular precinct as now, but could cast their ballots any where, or at any voting precinct in the county. And as the election was then con- tinued for three days successively, the large majority combined " business with pleasure," and repaired to the county seat for the purpose of exer- cising their right of franchise.
But under the new Constitution, adopted in 1850, all this was changed. Each voter, by its provisions, is required to vote in the election district in which he lives, and elections are held but for a single day at a time. When the new Constitution went into effect, the county was laid off into a certain number of election districts with a voting precinct in the most central part, and in some of the larger districts, for the greater conven- ience of the people, there are two voting precincts. These election dis- tricts correspond with the townships of the more newly organized States, and have two Magistrates and one Constable to each, who transact the legal
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HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN COUNTY.
business of the district not of sufficient importance to go into the higher courts. With numerous changes in boundaries, and the establishing of a new district or two, the county is at present divided into fifteen election districts-including the new district of Crofton-as follows: No. 1, Hopkinsville District, including the city and precinct ; No. 2, Mount Vernon District ; No. 3, Pembroke ; No. 4, Longview ; No. 5, Lafayette ; No. 6, Union Schoolhouse; No. 7, Hamby ; No. 8, Fruit Hill; No. 9, Scates' Mill; No. 10, Garrettsburg; No. 11, Bainbridge ; No. 12, Casky ; No. 13, Stewart; No. 14, Wilson; No. 15, Crofton. The latter has been created since the county map was published, and embraces the coun- try around Crofton Village, being taken from Scates' Mill, Stewart, Ham- by and Fruit Hill Districts.
The Poor-Farm .- " The poor ye have with ye alway," said the Mas- ter, and to care for them is a duty incumbent upon us as civilized beings. Kindness costs but little, and to the child of misfortune it sometimes goes almost as far as dollars and cents. The writer recently visited one of these institutions called poor-houses, and was pointed out a man, who, it was said, could once "ride ten miles on his own land," but a series of misfor- tunes brought him to the poor-house. None of us know how soon we may go " over the hills to the poor-house." Then be kind to the poor, for in so doing you may " entertain angels unawares." We find allusions quite often in the early records of the county to the poor and appropria- tions for their benefit, but it was not for many years after the organization of the county, that steps were taken to provide a county farm and poor- house. Some fifty years ago a poor-farm was purchased, and it is a poor- farm in more senses than one. The land is poor and almost worthless, and for many years after its purchase the buildings were scarcely fit to shelter human beings. Under the administration of Judge Long as Coun- ty Judge, the old buildings were torn down and new ones erected, which, although they are not what they should be, are substantial and comfort- able. Judge Long also laid out a cemetery on the place, and planted an orchard, as well as making many other needed improvements.
The poor-farm is in Hopkinsville Precinct, four miles north of the city, and comprises about two hundred acres of land. The buildings are log and frame, and have been built within the last few years. The cost to the county of each pauper will average nearly $100, and the number of panpers varies from fifteen to thirty. It seems just a little strange that the County Board are not better financiers. Were they to purchase a good farm and erect comfortable buildings, it would be economical in more ways than one. Many paupers go there who are able to do consid- erable work, and the farm, was it good land, could make the institution almost self-sustaining. Then the idea of having to work when able, would
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HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN COUNTY.
keep many from going to it who now apply' for admission in order to live without work. This plan is followed by many of the Western States, and has been found to work well. It seems to have been the original idea here to conduct the poor-house in a manner that no one would care to enter it except as a last resort to prevent starvation. This was neither wise, economical nor humane. That improvements have been made in the insti- tution of late years is vastly to the credit of the reformers and to the county .- Perrin.
CHAPTER III.
FOLLOWING THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE PIONEERS-ADDITIONAL FACTS CON- CERNING THEM-LATER SETTLERS-JERALD JACKSON-GALBRAITHS AND MCFADDENS-THE BRADSHAWS-CRABTREE, MORRIS, CUSHMAN AND OTHERS-JOSHUA CATES-JAMES H. MOLAUGHLAN-PIONEER PASTIMES -THE OLD MILITIA MUSTERS-LAND SPECULATIONS AND TROUBLES- CRIME AND LAWLESSNESS -- THE PENNINGTON FAMILY-ALONZO PEN- NINGTON-HIS SHARP PRACTICES-THE CRIME THAT BROUGHT HIM TO THE GALLOWS-HIS TRIAL AND EXECUTION-THE WAY OF THE TRANS- GRESSOR-REGULATORS AND THEIR WORK-SUMMARY, ETC., ETC.
T THE early inhabitants of Kentucky and of the Great West were men and women of that hardy race of pioneeers to whom the perils of the wilderness are as nothing, if only that wilderness be free. Some of them had not reached life's meridian, but they were hopeful, courageous and determined. They were poor in actual worth, but rich in possibilities, and were ready to face danger and endure cold and hunger if a home stood at the end of their journey. For the grand simplicity of their lives, they achieved recognition and fame, as Enoch Arden did, after death. It was their lot to plant civilization here, and sneer at them as we may, yet, in their little space of time, they made greater progress than ten centuries had witnessed before. The work thirty generations had not done they did, and the abyss between us of to-day and the pioneers of Kentucky is wider and more profound than the chasm between 1815 and the battle of Hastings. Of them, Dr. Redford in his " Methodism in Kentucky " says : " They were rough, independent and simple in their habits, careless and improvident in their dealings, frank of speech and unguarded in their intercourse with each other, and with strangers friendly, hospitable and generous. Deprived of educational advantages, they were generally their own schoolmasters, and their book the volume of nature.
* * * * *
" The settlement of Kentucky by the Anglo-American pioneer was no easy task. The fierce and merciless savage stubbornly disputed the right
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HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN COUNTY.
to the soil. The attempt to locate upon these rich and fertile lands was a proclamation of war, of war whose conflict should be more cruel than had been known in all the bloody pages of the past. On his captive the Indian inflicted the most relentless torture. Neither the innocence of infancy, the tears of beauty nor the decrepitude of age could awaken his sympathy or touch his heart. The tomahawk and the stake were the instruments of his cruelty. But notwithstanding the danger which con- stantly imperiled the settlers, attracted by the glowing accounts of the country and the fertility of its soil, brave hearts were found that were willing to leave their patrimonial homes in Carolina and Virginia, and hazard their lives amid the frowning forests and dismal prairies of the West. Thus valuable accessions were continually received by the first emigrants."
It is no easy task to picture in the imagination a more lonesome and dreary waste than this immediate section of the country presented at the time of its settlement by the whites. The vast stretches of barrens, cov- ered with rank grass, were almost as cheerless as the prairies of the West. In the autumn, when the grass of the barrens or "prairie seas " became sear, it was burned, and the smoke from these fires filled the atmosphere for hundreds of miles, darkening the face of day, and hanging like mourning drapery upon the horizon. Recalling the days when monot- onous solitude was all that was here is to modern people but ringing the changes on the story of the "Lost Mariner," when the poet tells us he was
" Alone, alone, all, all alone, Upon the wide, wide sea."
We have attempted, in a preceding chapter, to give some account of the earliest settlers of Christian County, together with sketches which were intended to illustrate what manner of men they were. These pen- sketches are all that can be given of a people that have passed away, and of whom the artist and painter had left no recorded signs. Of necessity, such sketches are drawn by those who never saw the originals, and who can know of them only by much talking and communications with those who did know them long and well while they were here and playing their part in life. Such sketches, we say, are drawn by those who per- sonally knew nothing of the originals. It is best that this is so, for then there is less apt to be prejudice, either for or against the subjects that constitute the picture. There is less incentive (there should be none) to suppress here and overdraw there; in short, less of prejudice and conse- quently more of truth. If the statistics of a people, together with these character sketches that are the statistics of that inner life of men, are both truly given, they constitute the true history of that people.
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HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN COUNTY.
To say that in this chapter it is purposed to write the history of every family in the order in which they came into the county would be promis- ing more than lies in the power of any man to accomplish. But to sketch some of the leading pioneers and representative men of the times is our aim, and to gather of them such facts, incidents and statistics as we may, and present them in a tangible form must suffice. In subsequent chapters, devoted to the various election districts, each family laying claim to the title of early settler will be fully noticed, so far as it is possible to learn their history. We have already given the names of a large number who were here prior to 1800, and will now proceed to chronicle additional facts concerning some of them, as well as mentioning others who have been overlooked. Many of these early settlers, as elsewhere stated, are dead and gone, and no one now living in the county remembers them, the only evidence of their existence even being the county records.
Additional of the Settlers .- Among the early settlers already briefly alluded to is Bartholomew Wood, who originally owned the land upon which the city of Hopkinsville stands. He was prominent in its early history, and in the chapter devoted to that subject a sketch of Mr. Wood will be given. Jacob Barnett, Moses Shelby, Hugh Knox, Jonathan Logan and Brewer Reeves, were the first Justices of the Peace of the new county, but beyond the early service in that capacity, nothing is known of them. Charles Logan was the first Sheriff, and John Clark the first County Clerk. Obadiah Roberts was a son-in-law of Bartholomew Wood, and was the first man licensed to keep a tavern in Elizabeth, as Hopkinsville was then called. Benjamin Lacy settled near Pilot Rock, in 1796, and was from North Carolina. John Campbell was a surveyor, one of the first in the county. Young Ewing was one of the early politicians; was the first Clerk of the Circuit Court, the first regular Surveyor of the county, and is extensively noticed in the political history. James Kuykendall was the first Representative in the Legislature from Christian County-nothing further is known of him. The Hardins, a numerous family, were early settlers in what was then the north west part of the county, and beyond the limits of the present boundaries. Adam Lynn was an early Justice of the Peace, and James Henderson was the first Assessor of the county. The Meanses were early settlers in what is now Union Schoolhouse Precinct. Michael Dillingham was indicted by the first Grand Jury for profane swearing, and afterward fined five shillings by the court for the offense. The county would soon have an inexhaustible treasury if it was to fine every one of its citizens five shillings now for profane swearing. The Cravenses settled very early in the west part of the county ; John Mc- Daniel was an early settler in the same neighborhood, and is said to have been the ugliest man ever born into the world. Levi Cornelius was a son-
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HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN COUNTY.
in-law of Bartholomew Wood, and settled near Hopkinsville. Justinian Cartwright was the next County Clerk after John Clark. William Dupuy, Joseph Cavender and Robert Warner were Revolutionary soldiers. Ed- ward Davis was a son of James Davis, the pioneer. Of the others men- tioned we have learned nothing definite.
Later Settlers .- The names of settlers who came in later than those mentioned were as follows : James Crabtree, the Dulins, the Bradshaws, James Clark, Joseph Kelley, the Galbraiths, the McFaddens, the Blues, Samuel Davis, the Ezells, James H. McLaughlan, the Meachams, Joshua Cates, Rezin Davidge, James McKenzie, Dr. Edward Rumsey, Jacob Walker, Laban Shipp, William Padfield, Alpheus Palmer, Matthew Patton, Maj. Thomas Long, Josiah Anderson, Thomas Allsbury, Judge Benjamin Shackelford, Larkin Akers, William Daniel, Richard Faulkner, Samuel Finley, Hawkins Goode, John Gray, Morgan Hopkins, George Cushman, Colden Williams, the Metcalfs, James Gilkey, John Johnson, Samuel Underwood, the Sheltons, John Wallace, Joseph Clark, James McKnight, Jacob Morris, Jerald Jackson, and a great many others who came in prior, perhaps, to 1810, and who will receive mention in the precinct chapters, and in the war history, under the head of Revolutionary soldiers. This chapter, we repeat, is not intended to give the complete settlement of the county, but merely a brief notice of some of the pioneers who were among its early citizens.
Jerald Jackson, one of the pioneers mentioned above, was an eccen- tric character. Whence he came no one knows, but he was here when there were but few settlements within the present bounds of Christian County. He was tall and ungainly, and the skin on his hands and face, through long exposure to the sunshine and storms, was almost as rough as the outter coat of a shell-bark hickory. He lived in camps and spent his time in hunting and trapping. His favorite retreat is said to have been on Brushy Fork of Treadwater, and he used to range over the great wilderness as far distant as Boone's Fort (Boonesboro), in pursuit of game. He was peculiar and shrewd ; he knew nothing of a Government of rigid laws and stern police regulations, and subjected to such could neither have thrived nor lived. He sought no acquaintances, but on the contrary avoided his kind so far as possible. When settlers began to come in, he sought the wilds of Missouri, and wandering through its forests became a voluntary subject of the King of Spain. But eventually he dragged his wearied limbs back to his old hunting-ground to die. He died in the north part of the county about 1812-13, and in death his pecularities did not leave him. At his urgent request, it is said, he was buried on a high hill in the southwest part of Scates' Mill Precinct, in a grave made of rocks on top of the ground, and to be covered with a large slab of rock which
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HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN COUNTY.
he had himself prepared for the purpose. He also requested his gun and tomahawk to be put into the grave with his body. His grave, we learn, is still to be seen, and is on or near the farm now owned by the heirs of Jacob Morris. Jackson was childish in his simplicity, but his requests as to his burial denote a superstition equal to the savages of the wilderness.
Jacob Morris came from South Carolina about the beginning of the present century, and settled in the northwest part of the present county as bounded. He made the journey on foot, carrying his ax on his shoul- der, his wife riding a small pony and carrying a few articles of clothing. He died but a few years ago, upon the place of his settlement. Joseph Clark came here about the year 1803, from South Carolina, and settled first in what is now Fruit Hill Precinct. He was an early Justice of the Peace, and afterward became Sheriff of the county. James McKnight
was an early settler in the same neighborhood. The Metcalfs, three brothers, also came from South Carolina, and settled in what is now Hamby Precinct. Another South Carolinan was George Cushman. He settled on the headwaters of the Sinking Fork, on the farm belonging to the estate of Allen Williams, as is supposed, previous to 1800. He built the first " horse mill " in that part of the county. Colden Williams was a Baptist preacher, and came about the time of Cushman. About the year 1815 he removed to Missouri. As early as 1805, there was a Hardshell Baptist Church on his place, where that peculiar sect were wont to wor- ship.
Judge Benjamin Shackelford and Maj. Long are mentioned in other chapters of this work. Alpheus Palmer settled in the south part of the county, and was a relative of Gen. John M. Palmer, of Illinois. William Padfield was a commissioner to build the first brick court house in the county. James McKenzie has recently died in the northeast part of the county, at over a hundred years old. The Ezells settled down in the southwest part of the county. Samuel Davis settled in the eastern part of the county, but now just across the line in Todd County. He was the father of Hon. Jefferson Davis, the President of the ex-Confederacy, and the great soldier and statesman was born in a little unpretentious house, still standing in the eastern part of the village of Fairview.
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