USA > Kentucky > Boone County > History of Boone County, Kentucky > Part 2
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On February 8th, 1819, a Charter was granted to a stock company to build an artifical stone road from Georgetown to Cincinnati. This road was to follow the same course as the Dixie Highway but the U.S. Goverment was at that time building a National Highway west from Baltimore and the Legislature of Kentucky by a resolution Feb- ruary 3rd, 1828, recommended to Congress to extend a branch from Zanesville, Ohio, down through Kentucky, but it appears that when it came to a vote a Kentucky senator voted against this proposition and all senators from the Southern States did likewise. After this measure was lost the State then became more active and began to make appropriations on condition that the State would contribute $1.00 every time the subscriber and stockholder contributed $30.00 for the purpose of building a McAdamized road and by 1837 the State had spent $26,000 on the road from Covington to Williamstown, a distance of 37 miles, and when it was completed to Lexington, 85 miles, it had cost the State around $170,000 besides what the stockholders paid and subscriptions. This road was built of broken stone and spread 9 to 10 inches deep and the roadway was graded 20 to 50 feet wide and the stone laid 16 to 20 feet wide.
Toll gates were built at convenient places, and it became the most traveled road in the State and paid the best dividend (4%) of any road in the State. About 12 miles of this road lies in Boone county. When the auto appeared these toll roads charged 20 cents a mile for a motor driven machine, this had a tendency to keep the auto off the roads as the horse and buggy days were here and the horses became frightened and caused many accidents. Think of it, $2.40 for a round trip from Florence to Burlington!
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BOONE COUNTY FIRSTS
The first white man to visit Boone County was M. Longuiel who was at Big Bone Lick in 1739.
The first white woman in Boone County was Mrs. Mary Inglis at Big Bone Lick, 1756.
The first settlement was Tanner's Station (Petersburg) in 1783.
The first white child born was Polly Ann Ryle in 1790.
The first white child born after the county was organized was John Underhill, 1798.
The first survey was made by Thomas Bullitt in 1773 at Big Bone Lick and the second survey was made by John Floyd in 1774.
The first state senator was Squire Grant, 1801.
The first representative was William Arnold, 1801.
The first Baptist church was organized at Bullittsburg in 1794.
The first census of Boone County was taken by the U. S. Govern- ment in 1800-population 1534.
The first salt manufactured in Boone County was by the Indians at Big Bone Lick.
The first salt made by the white men was in 1812 at Big Bone Lick.
The first shoemaker, Wm. Underhill, was at Taylorsport in 1790.
The first run-away slaves ever advertised were in 1794. A reward of $15 was offered.
The first Baptist preacher was John Tanner 1789-the second was Lewis Dewees in 1792.
The first agricultural fair in Boone County was held at Florence in 1855.
The first prisoner ever captured by the Indians was John Tanner in 1790, age 9 years. This boy lived with the Indians for 28 years after his capture.
The first town to be incorporated was Burlington in 1824.
Aaron Burr made his first trip through Florence in 1805 and his second trip in 1806.
General LaFayette and his son, Col. Geo. Washington LaFayette, passed the night at Florence in 1826. The writer of this article has a fifty cent coin that was issued by the Mint in 1820 that the General used to pay part of his lodging.
The first school term established in Boone County consisted of 3 months-1838.
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In 1869 the school term was extended to five months.
The first Lutheran Church was organized in 1807.
The first Lutheran preacher was William Carpenter who came in 1813.
The first Christian Church was at Florence in 1835. The original building burned and was replaced in 1842 by the brick building which still stands.
The first Methodist Church was organized in 1842 and Reverend Gilby was the first minister.
The coldest day in Boone County from 1818 to 1870 was Jan- uary 19, 1857, when the temperature fell to 242 degrees below zero.
The hottest day from 1818 to 1870 was September 3, 1854, when the temperature soared to 102 degrees. Also on August 14, 1870 the temperature rose to 102.
The first railroad(a short line)was from Covington to Louisville and was built in 1869.
The first serious accident on the short line railroad was near Ver- ona. A train fell through an iron bridge killing 2 and wounding 53 in 1872.
The first horse to bring fame to Boone County was Purity, bred by L. A. Loder.
The first law enacted to allow Boone County to levy a tax to pur- chase tools to be used on public roads was in 1822.
The first charter granted to build the road from Georgetown to Cincinnati was in 1861-this is known as Dixie Highway.
According to John Uri Lloyd, the only time the Confederate Flag ever flew over the State Capital building at Frankfort, it was hung there by Felix Moses. He was a Jew peddlar who traded in Boone County for many years.
REVOLUTIONARY WAR SOLDIERS
It is a credit to the State of Kentucky to know that she owed her intellectual development to the fact that at the close of the Revolution- ary war, in 1781, many of her officers and soldiers from Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland sought homes in Kentucky.
At least three thousand of these brave men came to our State. It is difficult to trace them as the pension records only have names of the wounded and invalid. Many refused aid from the Government they had
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helped make free and many died or were killed by Indians during the period from 1781 to 1798, when Boone county was organized, or 1840 when Kenton county was organized.
The writer has searched old records and will vouch for these men who served in the Revolutionary War.
Boone County: Joseph Barlow, William Brady, Jacob Brenno, Peter Brumback, John H. Craig, Daniel Goff, Richard Hubbell, Cave Johnson, A. Ross, John Brown, Hugh Steers, John Tomlinson, Geo. West, Jerusha Alexander.
Kenton County: Joseph Casey, Stephen Collins, John Ducker, John Keen, Edmund Massey, Wm. Worthington, Nancy McGlasson.
No doubt there are several more but our ancestors are dead. We failed to get this information while they lived and very few records are now available.
EARLY CURRENCY PROBLEMS
The early settlers of Boone county experienced difficulty in making change with currency. In the early times, skins of raccoons, minks and other animals were used for currency. When our first settlers came they brought a small supply with them. Most of this was silver coin, this was the Spanish milled dollar and it failed to relieve the small change short- age.
Mr. Tanner, in his 1816 shop book, states that these silver dollars were laid on the anvil and cut into four equal parts or quarters, worth twenty-five cents each. Very often it would be cut into eight equal parts and when so cut this money was called "sharp skins" because of its wedge shape. If the change was less than 122 cents the shopkeeper generally gave pins, pencils, or needles as change.
During the period of 1816 Mr. David Thomas, a scientist, traveled through Boone County and this is what he says, "In this district, cut money is very common, if change cannot be made, the chisel and mallet are introduced, but there is a speculation even in the business, for one- fifth is often palmed on the traveler for a quarter. This invention is sup- posed to be of Kentucky origin and was probably caused by necessity."
"In this country, so far as we can discover, the banks have done nothing to accommodate the people with change."
The writer has found that the milled dollar was often cut into five quarters or ten eights. This practice was justified on the grounds that a person should be paid for expense of coinage.
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A Mr. John Bartle conducted two large stores, one in Cincinnati and one in Newport. He became exasperated at the wedge-shaped coins and had them barreled and shipped by water to Pittsburgh, then by wagon to Philadelphia. There the first mint was located and had all these sharp- skin pieces recoined.
He also had the mint officials send him several barrels of those large pennies, which are dated 1824-1825, some earlier and some later than these dates.
A number of Boone County people have them as keepsakes.
It seems that Mr. Bartle got the jump on other store keepers and they thought of mobbing him at one time, but finally concluded to bar- rel their own and have them recoined.
The writer of this article has in his possession twenty large pennies and several two-cent pieces, a fifty-cent dated 1820, and one dated 1826. There came a time in 1873 that all specie payments were suspen- ded and all silver change disappeared and paper money (shin-plasters) in amounts of less than one dollar were issued by cities, towns, and villages.
There being so many different varieties and backed by different people, the exigencies of the Civil War of 1862 demanded a substitute for the retired silver change and the government of the U.S. issued fractional currency.
The writer of this article has two of these and they are also called "shin-plasters." This fractional currency was issued in March 1863 and on the back we find inscribed the following: "This note is exchangeable for United States Notes by the Assistant Treasurer and designated depositories of the United States."
This act of the government gave this currency uniformity of value freedom of circulation and a certainity of redemption of the larger national currency, the legal tender and national bank notes.
There were very few banks for the Boone County settlers to patron- ize. The nearest one was a private and only temporary one establish- ed in Covington in 1821 by Benjamin W. Leathers in connection with his store. This bank was organized when fractional currency was called for. Mr. Leathers issued his own promise to pay or "shin-plaster" in demoninations of 64, 122, 25 and 50 cents. This seemed to have help- ed, but the day of redemption came, and Mrs. Leathers took them in like an honest banker. He threw them in a large fireplace, little realizing that a strong wind carried them up the flue, and deposited them in the street in front of his store where people picked them up and had them cashed the second time.
...
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Finding his assets nearly exhausted, he found the wind caused all the "shin-plasters" to go up the flue. He then got an old trunk and deposited all "shin-plasters" there-in, and took them to the Beechwood Farm where under his watchful eye he could see the flames of fire con- sume them.
FROM CINCINNATI NEWSPAPERS, 1813
Col. Johnson's big bull dog got mashed to death in John Houston's wolf trap.
Col. Sebree and John Hornsby, who took a flat boat load of pork to New Orleans, have returned. They gave a thrilling account of their re- turn afoot through the Indian country. They came through Nashville, Tennessee, and report Gen. Jackson raising a large army to meet the British at New Orleans.
Col. John J. Flournoy, who lives in the big house in Petersburg, received a clock from Philadelphia two or three weeks ago, the first one in Boone County. People from far and near go to see the wonder- ful machine. Mrs. Parker's black man Jack, went to see it Sunday, and when he returned home he said he heard it strike seventeen times and still kept on clocking.
Our women are busy with spinning wheels and looms, making material to clothe the soldiers under Gen. Harrison and Dick Johnson.
Robert Mosby and Mary Spangler were married during the holi- days. The bride was handsomely attired in a linsey dress of her own making, from the spinning wheel up. The groom looked every inch a man in his regulation suit of brown jeans. Robert Kirtley, the youthful pastor of Bullittsburg Church, performed the ceremony.
Kittlehead John Grant returned lately from the army near the Great Lakes, where he was shot in the knee by an Indian and disabled for further duty.
The keel boat Christopher Columbus, passed up from New Orleans to Pittsburgh last week, heavily loaded with sugar and molassess, 57 days out. It took three hours of hard pulling and cussing to get her through the swift water in front of Laughery bar.
Bears have been very destructive on hogs this winter. They raid somebody's hog pen almost nightly.
While Sam Johnson was breaking flax, the brush took fire and destroyed nearly everything around.
Expectation has been on tip-toe for some time on account of a report that a steam-boat would pass down the river on its way from Pittsburgh to New Orleans.
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RABBIT HASH
From old Kentucky history books, old papers, private diaries of men who explored the river front of Boone County I gain the following information:
During 1816 Mr. Meeks conducted a ferry across the Ohio river to what is now Rising Sun, Indiana. During the period between 1816 and 1840 a great number of salt agents and fur agents traveled the route from Cincinnati by way of Rising Sun, crossing the Ohio river at Meeks' ferry.
It so happened that two of these agents going in opposite direc- tions met at the landing on the Indiana shore when one remarked, "Can you get anything to eat at Meeks' ferry?" The other replied, "Yes, plenty rabbit hash." It was at this time that the Ohio river was just receding from flood water that had driven all the rabbits from the lowlands to the hillsides where they were killed in great numbers and used as food called "rabbit hash."
Rabbit Hash lost its name for a short period of time. In 1879 she felt big enough to ask Uncle Sam to let her have a Post Office as all other places in Boone County had one and why not she? So Uncle Sam granted her a Post Office on January 3, 1879, it was called Carlton, with Mrs. Elizabeth C. Kennon as Postmaster.
Where there is a cause there is surely an effect and no Rabbit Hashers or Carltonians received any mail. What was the cause ? One man found the cause when lingering in Carrollton, Carroll County, Ky. and Uncle Sam advised a change of name in the Post Office and on the 12th day of March, 1879, Uncle Sam had its baptismal name restored (Rabbit Hash) as a Post Office and it has retained this name to the present time. When the rural routes became popular about 1912 Uncle Sam discontinued the post office. The name Rabbit Hash will be here as long as Bunny exists. He still knows his way to the hillside when the floods come.
HOPEFUL LUTHERAN CHURCH
Do you know the third oldest church in Boone County was erected at Hopeful in 1807 and if the building industry keeps going westerly as it had during the past four years, there is reason to believe that this territory which was a wilderness 150 years ago will become a part of the city of Florence in the not too-distant future.
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What was here in 1807? Just a little log church and five log houses to accommodate a colony of religious home seekers that wished to wor- ship God according to the dictates of their own consciences, and clear the forests and make the land tillable so that they and their children would have a future home.
We have past evidence that they did their part well. In 1813 they employed Rev. William Carpenter as a regular pastor and in 1823 the congregation had so grown in numbers that a new and larger log church was built. Their minister, Rev. Carpenter, passed away in 1833.
The Rev. Jacob Crigler of Berlin, Pa. was called and became their pastor and remained there until 1842. It was during his time, 1837, that a brick church was erected. It continued to be used as a place of wor- ship until 1917, when the present church building was completed.
In searching over our records we find that Rev. Crigler was a faith- ful, progressive pastor. He was heartily in favor of preaching his sermons in English instead of German, although he formerly lived in the state of Pennsylvania, a state opposed to slavery, when he came here he pur- chased a slave woman named Tina for the sum of $180, on the 30th day of December, 1839. This slave had previously belonged to Joseph Kendrick and Jacob Clarkson.
Rev. Crigler after leaving Hopeful in 1842 went to Ohio and organ- ized several Lutheran churches. He returned in 1845 to his farm near Hopeful, where he died in 1847.
RYLE FAMILY
During the autumn of 1790 two brothers James and John Ryle with their families, a sister and a colored slave left North Carolina for Boone County, following the Daniel Boone trail. James, Jr., age 9, a son of James Ryle, rode on a horse all the way behind the colored slave. They arrived at Tanner's Station, (Petersburg) in his fort, and while there a daughter was born to James Ryle and wife, (Polly Ann Ryle) undoubtedly the first white child born in Boone county. When she became grown she married William Presser, and was the mother of the late Hogan Presser.
In the spring of 1791 they left the fort at Petersburg and located near the mouth of Middle Creek, where they remained for about two years, but the land being swampy they contracted fever and were compelled to seek higher ground, purchasing from the government a
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great number of acres of hill land near Waterloo and Belleview at a low cost of 722ć per acre. A great part of this land is still in possession of the Ryle family.
As a whole all the former immigrants to Boone County were religious, the Ryle's united with the Bullittsburg Baptist church, walking a distance of 14 miles to their church on Sunday, taking their dinner with them. This church was their place of worship until 1803, when the settlers along Middle Creek erected for themselves the old Middle Creek Baptist church. (Now called the Bellveiew Baptist church). A few of the settlers of Middle Creek in addition to the Ryle's were the Hogan's, Porter's, Presser's, Campbell's, and John Marshall who had fought in the French and Indian wars and died at the ripe old age of 91 years.
LEONARD STEPHENS
Leonard Stephens was the younger of two boys and was born in Orange Co., Va., March 10th, 1791 and died in Boone County, Ky. March 8, 1873. With the aid of his father and brother John, he erected a fine colonial mansion on the Richardson pike not far from the Boone County line and at that time the residence was in Campbell county, as Kenton county was not organized until 1840.
When Mr. Stephens came here with his father in 1807 there was no Williamstown, Dry Ridge, Walton or Florence. Cinncinnati had two brick buildings, two frame buildings and a few log cabins. Burlington had a log court house, a log jail and a few cabins. Where Covington is now located we find that Thomas Kennedy had a stone residence at what is now Second and Garrard Sreets. Mr. Kennedy also operated the ferry across the Ohio River and transferred the soldiers who took part in the Indian raids. His craft consisted of row boats for foot pas- sengers and the cost per person was 12 cents. For carrying horses across he used large flat boats controlled by oars. In 1823 when the side wheel or treadle came into use, this mode of transportation was used until 1833, when steam ferry boats were used. This was the best crossing for travel of the inhabitants over the Ridge Road for the central part of the State.
Mr. Stephens represented Campbell County in the lower House of the General Assembly from 1823 to 1826 and the counties of Camp- bell and Boone from 1829 to 1833 in the Senate.
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Mr. Stephens built his large brick home on the Richardson Pike with the assistance of his father and brother. The bricks were made by them and this mansion was the high spot for Northern Kentucky politicians, who met with him in his mansion, then off to Big Bone Springs where the candidates for office would plan the strategy that was needed to become an office holder for the county or state. Big Bone Springs from 1815 up to 1845 was one of the best watering places and health resorts west of the Alleghany Mountains, an ideal place at the Clay Hotel (named for Henry Clay) for Mr. Stephens, who was always deeply engrossed in politics. When Kenton County was organized in 1840 he became the first high sheriff, he held the office of Justice of the Peace of Campbell County in 1839.
Mr. Stephens was a member of the old Dry Creek Baptist Church and took an active part in the proceedings of the Association, which was held there September 25 and 26, 1819. During April, 1855, letters of dismission were given to D. M. Scott, Benjamin Dulaney, Leonard Stephens, Henry Snyder, Sally Snyder, Polly Scott, and Louisanna Finch for the purpose of constituting a Church at Florence. We find later during the year 1855 seven others were dismissed in order that they might be received on application to the Florence Baptist Church. The names of the messengers that requested admittance into the Association were Leonard Stephens and D. M. Scott. We futher find that Mr. Stephens continued to represent the Florence Baptist Church as a Messenger to all the Baptist Association meetings until 1861.
Mr. Stephens died March 8, 1873 (aged 82). He was laid at rest in a family cemetery near the colonial residence he built. The residence is now gone and a brick bungalow adorns the site.
FIGHTING NEAR FLORENCE
During the Civil War, great excitement was caused in Boone County when Gen. Kirby Smith marched his army in and around Lex- ington. Brig. Gen. Henry Heath with 5000 veteran Confederate troops from Gen. Smith's army was camped at Corinth and several companies had reached Snow's pond near Walton, thus threatening the three cities of Cincinnati, Covington and Newport.
Had Gen. Heath moved immediately upon these cities no doubt he could have captured them, but he was prevented by orders from Gen. Smith who held until Gen. Bragg, who had the main army and
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was at the present time at Paris gave orders to move and Gen. Bragg failed to send such orders. In the meantime the people of Cincinnati were alert. Business houses closed and nearly all business suspended.
All male citizens, ministers of the gospel, old men, were forced into miltiary service and drilling these undisciplined men was begun. Large earthworks were thrown up at Ft. Mitchell and at Ft. Perry in order to protect these three cities.
Gen. Lew Wallace was in command of all the forces around Cincin- nati, September 15, 1862, his pickets encountered the Confederate advance guard at Florence, where an engagement took place between these two forces, and one man was killed. The Confederates fell back as far as Walton. A skirmish took place near here and one company of Union soldiers was captured and the regiment put to flight, retreating back to the entrenchments south of Covington.
Gen. Wallace then ordered several regiments to proceed out the Covington and Lexington Turnpike and when they arrived near Walton Gen. Basil W. Duke, with a regiment of Morgan's Confederate Calvary hastened up the Ohio River in order to make a crossing and threaten Cincinnati from the East, thus expecting to draw back the Union soldiers which were near Walton. The Union officers immediately sent two gun- boats, the Belfast and Allen Collier to prevent this crossing, but the Confederates had howitzers and the gunboats fled down the river and out of range of the cannon fire.
A fierce battle was fought near Augusta, in which 125 home guards fought so bravely that Gen. Duke after losing 21 killed and 18 wound- ed fell back towards Brooksville and this ended any further threat by the Confederates.
DESTRUCTION OF A MILL
The story of the Civil War has been written and many books have been printed. These books cannot be large enough to contain all the incidents of local interest. To many people the community happenings are of most interest. One purpose of the Boone County Historical Society is to record as many of these incidents is can be found.
Kentucky tried to remain neutral, but she finally abandoned this position and, being a border state, she soon became a recruiting station and battle ground for both the North and South. We find Boone County men enlisting in the Northern army and in the Confederate army.
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Sometimes brothers in the same family faced each other in battle.
Many slaves escaped or were stolen from their master and trans- ported across the Ohio for enlistment in the U. S. Army. A bounty was offered for such enlistment. Reports indicate that this bounty was seldom collected. All captured slaves were ordered enlisted in Kentucky Regi- ments by the Provost Marshal of each County.
General Stephen Burbridge ordered the arrest of a number of citi- zens of Boone County because they had been reported as having sympa- thized with the South. Some of these were Dr. John Dulaney, Spencer Fish Henry Terrell, Warren Rogers, Edmond Grant, James T. Grant, Julius Rouse, and George E. Rouse. Mr. Fish will be remembered as owning a great many acres of land west of Shelby street in Florence. At a very early date he formed the Fish Subdivision to the city of Florence. The City Clerk is trying to locate a copy of the plat of this subdivision. He would be glad to know where one can be found. Dr. John Dulaney was a practicing physician who had a wide practice throughout Boone County during the War.
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