USA > Kentucky > Lewis County > History of Lewis County, Kentucky > Part 2
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George Calvin, a noted Indian fighter, was then an inmate of the old Block House Fort, and gave aid to the settlers against any band of
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History of Lewis County, Kentucky
lurking Indians, and his services were marked, and his hatred for the Red Man was very bitter. Mr. John H. McCann tells us he was shown a spot, several years ago, by Samuel Ails, now de- ceased, that Calvin pointed out to him where he, Calvin, had killed an Indian. It happened about this way: In an early day it was the custom, when you turned your horses out to graze, to fasten a bell to the leader's neck so they would be easily found. On this particular morning the horse was wanted for some purpose, and search was made for it, but it could not be found. Finally the sharp ear of Calvin detected the sound of the bell far back in the forest on the side of the river hill. He became suspicious at once. Slipping away into the forest with his trusty rifle in hand, he crossed the ridge on the Quick's Run side, coming up behind the spot from which the sound of the bell was com- ing. He had a suspicion it was an ambuscade of one or more Indians, using the belled animal as a decoy. Moving silently and carefully through the forest, ever on the alert for Indian sign, he was finally rewarded. Looking just ahead of him, he saw an Indian standing watch- ing the approach of the men from the valley. His intention was too plain to be mistaken. Calvin, raising his rifle, took deliberate aim and fired. The Indian leaped into the air with an 3
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History of Lewis County, Kentucky
agonizing yell, and fell at the foot of the tree, a crumpled heap. Mr. Calvin died many years ago, and is buried near the old church at Martin, on Quick's Run, in an unmarked grave.
James Martin was another occupant of this fort, and while there, in 1793, his wife gave birth to a daughter. She was named Sarah, and afterwards became the wife of John Stalcup and the mother of B. C. Stalcup. Mr. B. C. Stalcup is still living near the mouth of the creek on a part of the old homestead, and is past eighty years of age.
Perry Martin, a relative of old James Martin, is still living at this date, and has reached the advanced age of ninety-four years. He was a soldier of the Civil War.
James Martin, after serving at the station for a year or two, moved from there and took up a large tract of land on the waters of Quick's Run, about two miles from the station on a stream that has ever after been called Martin's Fork. He remained here the rest of his life, and was buried on the farm. He has numerous descendants in the county. Mr. James Strick- lett is the owner of the old farm at the present.
Jacob Stricklett was another occupant of this fort. He married Martha Cox, a widow, whose husband had been killed by the Indians. They were married in Adams County, Ohio, in
1535224
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History of Lewis County, Kentucky
1798, and soon after settled near where Mr. Thomas Irvin now lives, at the mouth of Martin's Fork. He reared a numerous family, and many of his descendants are living in the county still. William G. Stricklett is a grand- son, and Mr. Thomas Stricklett and son, of Vanceburg, are all descendants of his. He died many years ago, and is buried in the old burying place near Martin.
Mr. Turner Davis came to what is now Lewis County in 1796, and proved up on a large tract of land extending from Martin's Fork, up Quick's Run, including what has been known in later years as the Henry Pell farm. He had a large family, and settled them on land around him. The old homestead is still stand- ing, and, no doubt, is one of the oldest houses in the county. John Doyal married one of his daughters, Christena, in 1796, and settled on a farm up the creek about one-half mile, on what was known for years as the Doyal Branch. Mr. Doyal was of Irish descent. He was born in Maryland in 1762, and fought in the Revolu- tionary War. He came to Kentucky soon after, and fought the Indians for several years. He , was one of the spies, in 1792, that ranged up and down the Ohio River from Limestone (Mays- ville) to the mouth of Big Sandy River. (See "Collins' History of Kentucky.") When Lewis
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History of Lewis County, Kentucky
County was organized, in 1806, he was appointed justice of the peace, and occupied that office for several years. You will find his name prominent among the first officers of the county in its organization. He was a volunteer in the War of 1812, and served one year. The most of his life was spent in the service of his country. He died December 8, 1845, and was buried on his farm, and his grave is marked only by a grove of pine trees that are keeping vigil over the old warrior and pioneer's resting place. He left a large number of descendants: David M. Doyal, of Carrs; William T., of Martin, are his grandsons; and Mrs. Susie Ruggles, of Martin, is a grandaughter.
Another daughter of Turner Davis married Turner Nelson, and settled at the mouth of Nevel Branch. David, a son, settled on what is known as the William Pool farm, but did not remain there long, selling out to Mr. Shephard and moving farther West. The mother of the Hon. S. G. Hillis, deceased, was a daughter of this Mr. Shephard, and was born there in 1800, and married William Hillis, the father of S. G. Hillis.
Another daughter married Mose Arrns, and settled on what has been known for years as the Henry Pell farm. They had several chil- dren. One daughter, Sarah, born in 1800, mar-
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History of Lewis County, Kentucky
ried Henry Pell, and came into possession of the old farm. The whereabouts of the other descendants is unknown.
Mr. Pell was the father of several children, but most of them went West, and none now live in Lewis County.
The Ails family were early settlers on Quick's Run Creek. Benjamin Ails had a claim of several thousand acres of land near the mouth of the creek. They also had one or two water mills. Numbers of their descendants are still living in this county.
The Voires family were also early settlers, and many of the descendants are living on this creek and in the county.
The Thomas family were also early settlers on this creek. Plummer Thomas, who repre- sented this and Greenup County in 1809 in the State Legislature, lived on the farm now owned by William Doyal.
John Carter, father of Thomas Carter, of Vanceburg, deceased, and of several other sons and daughters, settled on the farm now owned by Mose McVaney.
John and Elijah Cox settled on Martin's Fork in an early day, John on the farm where William Lawson now lives, and Elijah on the farm now owned by William Stricklett. They both built water mills in the forties, but have
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History of Lewis County, Kentucky
long since died. The Millers ran these mills until 1855, when a great cholera epidemic broke out in Martin's Fork, and a large number of the Bevens, Burrises, Kenards, and others, died with this dreadful disease.
John Irvin, grandfather of Thomas M. Irvin, Esq., of Martin, and Mrs. Elijah Graham, Mrs. George Queen, Mr. Robert N. Irvin, of Man- chester, Ohio, bought the farm now owned by Elijah Graham and T. M. Irvin, of a Mr. Pitts, in 1827. Also a water mill and a distillery. Mr. Irvin discontinued the distillery, but oper- ated the water mill for years, grinding both wheat and corn. He took several boat loads of flour to New Orleans. The mill has long since gone down. Mr. Irvin's first wife, Margaret, died March 13, 1839. Mr. Irvin died Decem- ber 15, 1864.
John Greenhow emigrated from Yorkshire, England, to the United States, and moved to Lewis County and settled on Quick's Run. He bought the old John Doyal farm. Several children were born, who are among the best citizens of our county. Mr. John Greenhow still owns the old farm. Mr. Richard Greenhow, of Vanceburg, is one of his sons. Mr. Greenhow and his wife died several years ago, and their lives were not in vain.
Nevel, a tributary of Quick's Run, was
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History of Lewis County, Kentucky
named in honor of its first settler, who built a home on this creek in an early day. Whatever became of him is not known.
Thomas Essex was the next settler, and he sold out to Edward B. McCann, in 1852. Mr. McCann raised a large family, a part of which is now dead. Edward and his wife, Elizabeth, have long been dead. W. W. McCann, the youngest son, still owns the old homestead. William McCann was born in Pennsylvania in 1788 of Irish parents. His father's name was John, and his mother's maiden name was Nancy Culbreath. They came to Kentucky in a flat- boat in 1792. The party was attacked by Indians near the mouth of the Scioto River, and some of the party were killed. They landed at Limestone (Maysville), and went from there out to Miller's Station, in Bourbon County; and after the danger of Indians was passed, they settled on a farm in what is now Nicholas County, not far from Carlisle. Big John McCann, as he was called, raised three boys- William, James, and John. James went to Indi- ana in an early day, and his descendants live now in Boone County, Indiana, and near Indi- anapolis. John married and remained in Nicho- las County. William came to Lewis County and married Jane McKinzie, daughter of Alex- ander McKinzie, in 1812. In 1820 he bought
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History of Lewis County, Kentucky
a farm of Samuel Cox, near the headwaters of Quick's Run. He and his wife raised a family of eight children-four boys and four girls. John, the oldest son, went to Illinois in 1839, where he died, leaving one son. Alexander was married twice, and raised a large family, and was a soldier in the Civil War. He is now dead. The third son, Edward, married Eliza- beth Burris, a daughter of Abel Burris, one of the pioneer families of the county. Thomas, the fourth son, left a family of three children. One daughter, Ella, occupies the old homestead. Mary Ann, the oldest daughter, and also an- other daughter, Amanda, who never married. Nancy married a man by the name of Bolinger. They had no children. Ailsie married Morgan Cadwalader and had one son, and they live near Martin's on Quick's Run. William, his wife, and all of their children have long been dead. He was in the War of 1812, and witnessed the killing of Tecumseh, the great Indian chief.
Thomas Pool settled on the headwaters of Quick's Run in the early part of the last century. He served in the War of 1812, and was with Commodore Perry when he captured the English Fleet, Captain Barclay in command, and sent that great message to General Harrison, "We have met the enemy and they are ours." They landed then and helped General Johnson defeat
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History of Lewis County, Kentucky
Tecumseh and the English, at the battle of the Thames, on October 5, 1813. Thomas Pool was truly a great and good man. He married a daughter of Alexander McKinzie, and was a brother-in-law to William McCann. He raised a family of several children, all of whom are dead. He has some grandchildren in the West. He died about 1853, and is buried in the old graveyard at Salem Church.
Shaw, Frank G., was born in New York in 1801, and moved to Decatur County, Ohio, with his parents. In an early day he moved from there to Ripley, Ohio, and learned the tanner's trade at Maysville, Ky. He moved from Ripley, O., to Vanceburg, Ky., in 1845, and went into the drygoods business in a little corner store, just below the old Cane's building. The next year he moved into the old Cane's building, on Front Street. He built a tanyard near Esculapia Springs, in 1846, and sold it to Jesse R. Grant, father of U. S. Grant, and bought a tanyard of the Grimes brothers, on Quick's Run, about two miles above the village of Martin, and took possession of it in 1847. He operated this tanyard two years, and then turned it over to his sons and moved back to Ripley, O., and bought a tanyard there, and operated it until 1865. He died at Washington C. H., O., in 1874. He married Harriet M.
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History of Lewis County, Kentucky
Harden, and to this union were born seven children. R. H. Shaw died four years ago on the old farm near Muses Chapel, and is buried at that place. Allan lived in Illinois, and died in 1911. E. A. lives on Salt Lick, was in the Civil War, and is a jolly good fellow. Frank, Green, and Alfred, we think, are all dead.
THE VILLAGE OF MARTIN .- G. L. Queen and Thomas M. Irvin, general store and post- office; B. F. Jackson, grist mill and steam saw milling; Thomas Jackson, blacksmithing; James Stricklett, farmer and dealer in railroad cross- ties and fence posts; C. E. Stout, physician and surgeon; one Odd Fellows Lodge; one Independ- ent Order of Red Men; Henry and Shumate, farmers and blacksmiths; Elijah Graham, farmer and poultry raiser. The town contains one Christian Church, a fine building, and the Church is in a flourishing condition; one fine public school building, finished in 1911. Claude and Forest Queen, farmers and dealers in fine stock. William Kissick, retired farmer; John T. Beven, L. M. Beven, Moses McVaney, Roland Harvey, Morgan Cadwalader, S. B. Campbell, R. O. Parish, W. W. McCann, George Greenhow, Frank Greenhow, Robert Gilbert, John Doyal, Arthur McCann, John L. Thoroughman are farmers of marked ability and enterprise. Wil- liam Lawson, mail carrier; a Methodist Episcopal
CHRISTIAN CHURCH AT MARTIN, ON QUICKS RUN.
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History of Lewis County, Kentucky
Church, situated two miles above Martin, on Quicks Run, Rev. W. H. Morris, Pastor; W. H. Hughs, carpenter, and Eli Belyew, farmer.
JACKTOWN .-- Craycraft and Henderson, deal- ers in drygoods and groceries, and post-office; Thomas Ruggles, blacksmith and general repair shop; Andrew Jackson, Thomas Burris, R. H. McCann, T. J. McKey, John McCall, Peter McCall, Thomas Manley, B. G. Kirkendall, Charles May, and John McCane are farmers of no mean ability of this community, and hon- ored and respected citizens. William McCane, carpenter. There is one school house, District No. 25, near Jacktown.
AILS DISTRICT. - One schoolhouse, one Christian Church, Elder Hilderbrandt, Pastor. There is, running the length of Quicks Run, and then east up the river to Vanceburg, one turnpike road in very good condition.
CABIN CREEK .- Cabin Creek lies almost entirely in the limestone belt of Lewis County. Its course is very irregular, running, during its length of fifteen miles, towards nearly all points of the compass; but a straight line down from its source to its mouth would have a bearing of about N. 70° W. Its source is in a free-stone formation, and its upper waters is what is termed soft water. While the lower twelve miles, as it passes through the lime-stone, gradually loses
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History of Lewis County, Kentucky
its free-stone nature and changes to hard water. No section of Kentucky could boast of finer timber than grew along the hillsides and on the bottom lands of Cabin Creek. Sugar tree was the predominant growth, but black walnuts, blue ash, and black ash hickory, and red oak were abundant; and if the original black walnut trees were standing as they were in a state of nature, they would be worth on the market to-day, perhaps, half as much as the assessed valuation of the land. It was no uncommon thing to see one four feet in diameter and fifty or sixty feet without a limb. Such a tree, to-day, would pay for several acres of land; in fact, so plentiful was this timber, and so little did the early settlers value it, that not longer ago than twenty years a large per cent of the ordinary fence rails was of black walnut. Fully fifty per cent of the natural growth was sugar tree or hard maple, as it is usually called, and every farmer had his sugar camp opened each year as soon as the season would permit; and the sugar-making season was quite an active one.
Troughs were usually made of soft buckeye, which was admirably adapted to the purpose and seemed to grow in that locality for this purpose alone. The wood is soft and easily converted into troughs, but, lacking durability, great care was required in keeping them dry dur-
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History of Lewis County, Kentucky
ing the warm season. But alas for change! these primeval forests are mostly gone. The soil upon which they grew, when cleared, would produce large crops of any of the cereals, suited to the climate, such as corn, wheat, oats, po- tatoes, etc., and the sugar camp was made to give place to the cornfield. However, quite a number of the more thoughtful farmers on the creek have sugar tree orchards yet.
The timber growth on land usually indicates the quality of the soil, and while this is not at all times a safe guide, it may be taken as a very strong indication. Sugar tree, black walnut, blue ash, etc., may, at times, be found growing in inferior land, but it will be found characteristic of Lewis County, at least, that they never predominate on this soil.
The soil on Cabin Creek is a dark-brown loam, and is the most productive in the county. On many of the north slopes and in the bottoms it is frequently two feet deep. As an evidence of the fertility it may be as well to give an example. Mr. William Barkley had a bottom field measured by a surveyor, and then care- fully measured the corn that grew on it one year, and found it produced a fraction more than one hundred bushels per acre.
About the year 1840 farmers began the cultivation of hemp, and found it to be a profit-
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History of Lewis County, Kentucky
able crop. But few of them, however, engaged in its cultivation, owing to the fact that it in- volved a great deal of very hard labor; William Fenwick, John D. Tully, Chas. J. Tully, and John L. Bradley being the only men on the creek who made a regular business of it from year to year. The cultivation of tobacco was not begun to any great extent until about the year 1875, after the introduction of the white burley variety. From that time to the present tobacco raising has been the principal business of most of the farmers, obviously to the injury of the land. Tobacco raising has not proven a success to the farmers of Cabin Creek-they are poorer to-day, and their land is poorer than it would have been if they had never commenced
its cultivation. Apparently twenty years' ex- perience ought to convince them that it is best to abandon its cultivation altogether and go back again to stock and grain raising. The raising of tobacco, instead of adding to the wealth and prosperity of a community, is evi- dently an element of weakness to it, if long persisted in.
About the year 1854 or 1855 James H. Barkley introduced the short horn breed of cattle, and made a faithful effort to induce his neighbors to do the same thing; but the process was slow. Previously the stock of cattle was
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History of Lewis County, Kentucky
inferior, but gradually the scrubs were made to give place to superior stock; and principally through the persistent effort of Wm. Barkley, assisted a few years later by Harlan Teagar, Cabin Creek can boast to-day of as good cattle as are to be found anywhere. However, they were twenty-five years in doing what might have been done in ten.
Strange as it may seem, reform along all lines are slow in their operation. People seem inclined to hold on to old ideas and habits until forced by circumstances to let them go; and in no case is this peculiarity more rapidly carried out than in an effort to improve stock. Farmers, by the way, and very much to their own disadvantage, take hold of improvements more sluggishly than any other class of men. Even in this advanced age, when the demand is for the best of everything, many of them per- sist in handling inferior varieties of stock, vegetables, fruits, grains, etc. There is no paying market for an inferior article when the superior is obtainable, and the sooner the farm- ing element of our country learns this truth the better it will be for them. "Produce a less quantity and a better quality," should be the motto of every farmer.
The geological character of Cabin Creek is peculiar in that its rocks seem to have been
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History of Lewis County, Kentucky
formed, almost exclusively, of the remains of sea animals. The loose surface stones, es- pecially, are the pure fossiliferous limestone. Every rock is a study for the geologist, and various kinds of petrified sea animals may be found along any of the tributaries of the creek, while in places, for instance in the vicinity of Cottageville, the geological specimens are plenti- ful and interesting, especially to any one who delights in tracing the origin of things along dim lines. He might ask, "How did these little creatures get so far away from their natural home?"-at least six hundred miles from the nearest sea water, and fully four hundred feet from the sea level. "What great upheavel of nature located them where they are? What mysterious power changed then from animal life to indestructible stone? Has our old world yet assumed its unchangeable makeup?"
And many more questions of a like character might suggest themselves to the scientist-all of which we leave for him to answer. While timber growth is a strong indi- cation of the quality of the soil upon which it stands, yet it is only an indication, but rocks may be taken as a proof, and all soil having fossiliferous limestone as its basic mineral prin- ciple is rich in the elements of plant food. The entire slopes of Cabin Creek, excepting a
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History of Lewis County, Kentucky
few of its upper tributaries, are abundantly supplied with this stone; in fact many of the hillsides facing the south have them so abun- dantly as to be somewhat in the way when plow- ing, but they are of a fine shape for fence build- ing, and can be, and are, largely utilized for that purpose. Perhaps there is more stone fence on Cabin Creek than on any other creek in the county of its drainage. In the creek bed the stone lies in regular strata having a slight dip to the east.
These strata are from three to eight inches thick, and can be quarried at small cost, so that even fence necessary to be built on any of the farms on the creek can be put up at a cost not to exceed $1.25 per rod. This provision of nature renders the farmers independent of the owners of timber and the manufacturers of wire. This is true not only for the present, but will be true for thousands of years yet to come. In an early day, when driftwood was abundantly distributed along its banks, the creek would, at times, do much damage by washing away soil and fencing. By getting rid of the driftwood this has largely been checked, so that now but little damage is ever done by high water; how- ever, since most of the hillsides have been cleared off, and quite a number of them have been set in blue grass, the shedding of the water into the
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History of Lewis County, Kentucky
creek channel after a rain is much more rapid than formerly, so that, at long intervals, the creek yet does much damage. But if the land- .owners would quarry the rock from the creek bed with which to build fence, instead of taking them from the surface, where they are needed as a fertilizer, the channel would be deepened and all danger from high water would be ob- viated. It will not be out of place to note in this connection, that if Cabin Creek ran towards the east, instead of running towards the west, high waters in it would be much more common. The creek and clouds would then be moving in the same direction, and the smaller streams would all be brought down together-of course this assuming that a very large majority of our storm clouds move eastward, which is the fact. They come up from the west and shed their waters first on the lower tributaries, and, owing to the fact that the drainage is sudden and rapid, the lower tributaries receive and dis- charge their waters before the upper waters come down. It can be seen that if the creek and cloud were moving in the same direction, and the condition as to soil and other circum- stances remained as they now are, tremendously high water would frequently be the result. Salt Lick runs towards the east, but lacks one important condition in the chain of natural
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History of Lewis County, Kentucky
causes that tend to make a creek subject to damaging floods, namely, a clay subsoil. When the territory is perfectly saturated with water, as it sometimes is, this logic fails, so that streams conditioned like Salt Lick are, under such cir- cumstances, liable to get very high-usually in the winter months, and very rarely in the summer. Nature seems to have provided for these matters by causing streams, in this sec- tion at least, whose water-shed has a clay sub- soil, against the general direction of storm clouds. Cabin Creek is bridged three times- once by the M. F. S. L. and V. Turnpike Road Co .- this is a substantial lattice bridge, built by Thos. Hinton, of Flemingsburg; once by the T. P. F. and C. Turnpike Co., and once by Cabin Creek Turnpike Co. These last two bridges are substantial structures, built by a Mr. Bryant, of Ohio.
Tributary to Cabin Creek are about twenty- two miles of macadamized road, operated under five different charters; and, having plenty of limestone for repairs, they are among the best roads in the county. Cabin Creek has one pike exactly five miles long, extending from the Tollesboro and Concord pike, down the creek to the Mason County line. This is one of the nicest buggy roads in Kentucky, being through- out its whole length very nearly level, and is
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