USA > Kentucky > Fayette County > Lexington > History of Lexington, Kentucky : its early annals and recent progress, including biographical sketches and personal reminiscences of the pioneer settlers, notices of prominent citizens, etc., etc. > Part 9
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John Carty, Sen., was born in 1764,t in Burlington, New Jersey, of which place his parents were old citizens. His young school-days were interrupted by the bloody struggle of the colonists for independence, and while yet a boy, at the age of seventeen, he assisted at the repulse of the Brit- ish at Springfield, in his native state, and shortly after shared in the campaign which ended in the defeat and sur- render of Cornwallis. At the close of the war he joined the host of westward bound emigrants, and settled perma-
*Old Kentucky Statesman.
|Family Record.
102
HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.
[1783.
nently at " Lexington station," together with a number of his comrades in arms. His wife, Mary Ayers, was born near Annapolis, Maryland.
The freaks of fortune are marvelous. Shortly after his arrival, the young settler was offered a large tract of land comprising several " out-lots," then thickly covered with cane and forest trees, in exchange for his well-worn old fashioned "bull's eye" watch; but, as the ancient time- piece had been his father's, and as he had already one lot to improve, he refused to exchange it for "cheap cane- brakes."* Much of the best part of Hill street now occu- pies the refused "canebrakes," and is valued at several hundred thousand dollars.
John Carty, Sen., was one of the organizers of the "Society of the Cincinnati," established at a very early day in Lexington, by citizens who had participated in the Revolutionary war ;; and he and the elegant and amiable Waldemarde Mentelle, Sen., introduced into Kentucky the manufacture of earthenware,¿ which, in that day of slab tables, wooden spoons, and horn cups, was welcomed with gratitude by the pioneers, and soon became an important branch of trade. John Carty, Sen., was with General Anthony Wayne in his celebrated Indian campaign of 1794, and participated in the decisive victory of August 20, near the river Miami of the lakes. During that war, he was sergeant of a company of which the afterward "Gen- eral" Harrison was then lieutenant. Mr. Carty lived to see an elegant and flourishing city take the place of the canebrakes and the old fort. He died at his residence in Lexington, November 25, 1845, at the green old age of eighty-one, and was buried in the family lot in the Episco- pal Cemetery. He was mourned by a multitude of friends, by whom he had long been greatly beloved and respected. One of his sons, Henry Carty, died a glorious death on the bloody field of Buena Vista, and now sleeps under the shadow of the state military monument at Frankfort.
John Carty, the successful merchant and true man, who
*Old Inhabitants. tOld. Gazette. ¿S. D. Mccullough.
103
HOWARD, DUDLEY, AND RUSSELL.
1783.]
died April 8, 1867, was another son, whose rare sagacity and noble qualities will long be remembered by Lexington.
Benjamin Howard, a native of Goochland county, Vir- ginia, was another soldier of the Revolution, who settled in Fayette about the year 1783. He received five wounds at the battle of Guilford Court-house. One of his daughters was the first wife of Robert Wickliffe, Sen., and his only son, Benjamin, was governor of Missouri. This venerable pioneer died at the extraordinary age of one hundred and three years, in Lexington, at the residence of Major Wool- ley (who married a grand-daughter), after having been a member of the Presbyterian Church for upward of eighty years .*
Colonel William Dudley, of Spottsylvania county, Vir- ginia, emigrated to Kentucky when quite young, and settled at an early date in Fayette. His tragic fate is well known. He served under General Harrison in the cam- paign of 1813, as colonel of Kentucky militia. On the 5th of May in that year, he was sent with some raw troops to silence a British battery opposite Fort Meigs. He suc- ceeded in spiking the guns, and then, in a moment of rash gallantry, attacked some troops in the vicinity, was sur- rounded by the Indians, and terribly defeated. Weak and disabled by wounds, Colonel Dudley defended himself des- perately against a swarm of savages who closed in upon him. He fell at last, and his body was mutilated in a most barbarous manner .; The disastrous fate of this brave man and his command will cause "Dudley's defeat" to be long remembered by Kentuckians.
Colonel William Russell, one of the most distinguished of the settlers of Fayette county, arrived in 1783. He was a native of Culpepper county, Virginia, and was born in 1758. He served his country well in the revolutionary struggle, and bore a valiant part in the glorious and deci- sive victory of King's Mountain. After removing to Ken- tucky, he successively held posts of danger and honor un- der Scott, Wilkinson, and Wayne, in their expeditions against the Indians; was made colonel in the regular
*Collins.
tCombs and Collins.
104
HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.
[1783.
army ; was a prominent actor on the bloody field of Tippe- canoe; was assigned the command of the frontier of In- diana, Illinois, and Missouri, and led several successful ex- peditions against the Indians. He represented Fayette repeatedly in the legislature, and was always one of her most useful and honored citizens. Russell county, in this state, was, with great propriety, named in his honor .* Colonel Russell died, July 3, 1825, at his old home in the county he had served so well.
*Collins.
-
1
105
FIRST IMPROVEMENTS OF LEXINGTON.
1784.]
CHAPTER XI.
The Village of Lexington-First Dry Goods Store-A Dis- ciple of Tom Paine-The First General Election-James Wilkinson-John Coburn-First Presbyterian Church-The Rankin Schism-Pastors-Church Edifices-Incidents.
BY this time (1784), Lexington had assumed the appear- ance of a frontier village. The few cabins which existed, were all log ones, and very much scattered ; Main street was extended a short distance through and beyond the fort, in the direction of the present Lexington Cemetery, but it was sadly obstructed by roots and stumps, and in bad weather was almost impassable; the favorite paths of the settlers were "traces" made as hard as modern roads, by the wild animals which had traveled over them for centu- ries. There was a one-story log school-house, but no church building, and most of the present city was then occupied by groves, corn-fields, cow pastures, and patches of cane. But the coming and going of emigrants made the village look lively in spite of disadvantages, and as the emigrants frequently brought with them articles much needed by the settlers, and as game was abundant, and the soil was being successfully cultivated, the inhabitants began to live better, and they even found time for amusements. Trials of skill with the rifle, horse and foot races, and dancing were the pastimes, as most of them are yet, in modern Lexington; "house raisings " are not to be forgotten, nor "fives," nor " long bullets," a game in which the sturdy settlers vied with each other, in efforts to jerk a cannon ball to the greatest distance. Much to the delight of the inhabitants, particularly the female portion, that extraordinary and welcome novelty, a dry goods store, was opened in the vil-
106
HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.
[1784.
lage by General James Wilkinson, in the spring of 1784 .* It was the second one of the kind opened in Kentucky, and the gaudy calico and other "store finery," gave im- mense satisfaction. The goods came from Philadelphia to Pittsburg by wagon, from thence by flat-boat to " Lime- stone," now Maysville, and from thence to Lexington on pack horses, which traveled slowly in single file over the narrow "trace " which connected the two settlements.
A novel trial took place in the village of Lexington, in the latter part of May, 1784, caused by the appearance of a disciple of Tom Paine, named Galloway, who propagated the doctrine of his master, that Virginia had no right to the lands of Kentucky, which ought to be taken possession of by Congress. Encouraged by Galloway, several persons actually took preliminary steps toward appropriating their neighbors lands, under an act of Congress which he assured them would soon be passed. A great hubbub was the re- sult, and Galloway was arrested; but upon what ground could he be punished, was the perplexing question. For- tunately, after much searching, an old law of Virginia was found, which inflicted a penalty in tobacco at the discre- tion of the court, upon the " propagation of false news, to the disturbance of the good people of the colony." Gal- loway was quickly fined a thousand pounds of tobacco, but as it was impossible to get so much tobacco at that time in Kentucky, he had a fine chance to spend some time in the stocks. At last he was let off on condition that he would leave the district, which he joyfully did without loss of time .¡
During the summer, at the suggestion of prominent cit- izens of Kentucky, the militia companies of Fayette and of the other counties of the district each elected a delegate to meet in convention, at Danville, to consider the subject of self-defense,{ as it was believed at that time that the Indians were preparing to again invade Kentucky. The election was accordingly held, and the convention met,
*Marshall.
+Id. ĮId.
107
GENERAL JAMES WILKINSON.
1784.]
December 27, 1784. This convention proved to be the entering wedge to separation from Virginia.
General James Wilkinson, whom we have already men- tioned as having settled in Lexington this year, was prob- ably the most eminent of the many distinguished officers and soldiers of the Revolution, who had so much to do with the rapid advancement which Lexington made in refine- ment and intelligence. General Wilkinson was born in Maryland, in 1757. He went into the American army at the very commencement of the Revolution, and was ap- pointed captain when but eighteen. He served with Arnold in Canada, was on Gates' staff as lieutenant-colonel, was brevetted brigadier-general in 1777, was at the surrender of Burgoyne, and subsequently served in the legislature of Pennsylvania. When he came to Lexington, at the close of the war, he represented a large trading company formed in Philadelphia. From this time forward, he was one of the most energetic and influential of the leaders in the early civil and military conflicts of Kentucky. In 1784, he made a speech in Lexington, urging the immediate sep- aration of Kentucky from Virginia, headed the "country" party which favored it, strongly opposed the " court" party led by Colonel Thomas Marshall, and was twice a delegate from Fayette to Danville conventions. His ap- pearance at this time is thus described by one with whom he was by no means a favorite :*
"A person not quite tall enough to be perfectly elegant, was compensated by its symmetry and appearance of health and strength. A countenance open, mild, capacious, and beaming with intelligence; a gait firm, manly, and facile ; manners bland, accommodating, and popular; an address easy, polite, and gracious, invited approach, gave access, assured attention, cordiality, and ease. By these fair forms he conciliated; by these he captivated. The combined effect was greatly advantageous to the general on a first acquaint- ance, which a further intercourse contributed to modify."
During the summer of 1787, General Wilkinson origi-
*H. Marshall.
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HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.
[1784.
nated and opened up trade between Lexington and New Orleans. He subsequently commanded successful expedi- tions against the Indians, was made brigadier of regular infantry, and commanded the right wing of Wayne's army in the battle of the Maumee. In 1796, he was appointed general in chief of the northwestern army, and in 1806, governor of Louisiana Territory. It was while he occu- pied this last position, that he was charged with favoring Burr's designs to form a new empire, of which New Orleans was to be the capital, but an investigation demanded by himself cleared him of these allegations .* In 1816, he wrote his voluminous "Memoirs," another example of his great physical and mental energies. This enterprising man and distinguished soldier, who did so much for the material welfare of Lexington, and reflected so much honor upon his adopted home, died near the city of Mexico, Decem- ber 28, 1825. General Wilkinson's residence in Lexington was on the site of the house now standing on the corner of Main and the alley next the negro Baptist church, between Broadway and Jefferson.
The prospects of Lexington as a future mercantile point gave her another accession in 1784, in the person of Judge John Coburn, who afterward became an influential demo- cratic politician, judge of the territory of Michigan, and one of the most efficient political writers of his time in this state. He was a citizen of Lexington for ten years, during which he married Miss Mary Moss, of Fayette. He finally settled in Mason county, and died there in 1823.1
The first Christian church established in Lexington was organized in 1784, by the Presbyterians, who were more numerous in the village at that time than any other relig- ious people. They secured a lot and erected a log house of worship, on the southeastern corner of Walnut and Short streets, where city school No. 1 now stands, and called to the pastorate of the church, the Rev. Adam Rankin, of Augusta county, Virginia, who arrived early in October of the same year (1784). The church was first
*Am. Ency. +Bishop and Davidson.
ţId.
109
THE RANKIN SCHISM.
1784.]
known as "Mount Zion," but is now more generally recog- nized as "Mr. Rankin's Church."
Mr. Rankin's call was the signal for strife. The Pres- byterian churches at that time were convulsed with dis- putes upon Psalmody, one party strongly claiming that the literal version of the old Psalms of David should be used, and the others as stoutly demanding the version of Dr. Watts. Mr. Rankin was a declared enemy of the Watts' version, and finding it in use in Mount Zion church on his arrival, labored earnestly for its expulsion. In course of time, two parties were formed, and the congregation was soon in the same distracted condition as many bodies of their brethren. Finally, in 1789, charges were preferred against Mr. Rankin, before the presbytery of Transylvania, one of them being, that he had " debarred from the table of the Lord, such persons as approved Watts' psalmody." Mr. Rankin made a trip to London about this time, and his case was not tried until April, 1792, when he protested against the proceedings of the presbytery, and withdrew from it, carrying with him a majority of his congregation which sustained and indorsed his action, and claimed and held the meeting-house, on the corner of Walnut and Short. In May, 1793, Mr. Rankin and adherants joined the Asso- ciate Reformed Church, and remained connected with it for twenty-five years, but at the end of that time, broke off from it and became independent. After Mr. Rankin resigned the pastorate of Mount Zion, in 1825, the church rapidly declined, and after struggling on for some years, finally became extinct.
Mr. Rankin was a native of Pennsylvania, and was born in 1755. He graduated at Liberty Hall (now Washington and Lee University), in 1780, and two years after married Margaret McPheeters, of Augusta county, Virginia. He was a talented, intolerant, eccentric, and pious man, and was greatly beloved by his congregation, which clung to him with a devoted attachment through all his fortunes. After leaving Lexington, he set out on a tour to Jerusalem, but died on the way, in Philadelphia, November 25, 1827.
The party in Mr. Rankin's church favoring Watts'
110
HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.
[1784.
psalms, and adhering to the presbytery, gave up Mount Zion church to the seceders, and took "the new meeting- house," a half-finished frame building commenced some time before the church trouble had culminated. This edi- fice stood on the corner of Short and Mill streets, fronted on Mill, and the lot on which it stood, which had been "granted to the Prisbyterians,"* by the trustees of Lex- ington, extended back to the present Cheapside. The sub- scriptions for building this house were mostly paid in ba- con, hemp, and corn .; By 1795, through the exertions of Robert Patterson, John Maxwell, James Trotter, Robert Megowan, Robert Steel, and other members of the church, the building was put in a comfortable condition, and the Rev. James Welsh, of Virginia, was called to fill its pulpit, and was ordained the succeeding year first pastort of what is now called the First Presbyterian Church. Ministers of all churches were so poorly paid at that day, that most of them had to resort to other means than preaching to obtain a living. Mr. Welsh was no exception to the rule, and was obliged to practice medicine to support his family, and did so up to 1799, when he was appointed professor of languages in Transylvania University. In that year, also, the church edifice was further improved, a gallery was made, a cupola raised, and a bell hung. Mr. Welsh continued in the pas- torate of the church up to 1804, after which the pulpit was temporarily filled by Dr. James Blythe, then president of Transylvania University ; Rev. Robert Stuart, nearly forty years pastor at Walnut Hill, and the faithful and earnest John Lyle, all of whom served at different times until the installation of the second regular pastor, the Rev. Robert M. Cunningham, of Pennsylvania, in 1807.
Just before Mr. Cunningham came, the church leased or sold its property on Mill and Short, and commenced the erection of a brick house of worship on the southwest corner of Broadway and Second streets. This house was opened and the pews rented in the summer of 1808.||
Mr. Cunningham remained in charge of the church until
*Trustees' Book.
+Kentucky Gazette. ¡Old Journal.
įDavidsons.
111
PASTORS.
1784.]
1822. He died in Alabama, in 1839. Mr. Cunningham's pulpit was frequently filled by Rev. William L. McCalla, then a young minister, and also by Dr. John Poage Campbell. Mr. McCalla was the son of that good man, Andrew McCalla, of Lexington, Kentucky. He was at one time chaplain to the navy of the Republic of Texas, and was noted for his powers as a debater. Dr. Campbell (whose father was one of the early settlers of Lexington) was born in Virginia in 1767, and lived to be one of the most brilliant and scholarly ministers of his church in Kentucky. Gifted as he was, he was compelled to eke out a living on a miserable salary, and at one time his family existed for six weeks on pumpkins only ; but so proud and sensitive was he, that the fact did not become known until accidentally discovered by his neighbors .* He died in 1814, from disease contracted by exposure while preaching. In 1815, the Second Presby- terian Church was founded, and its history will be found under that date. In July, 1817, during the pastorate of Mr. Cunningham, while the congregation was at worship, the church was struck by lightning, and two ladies were killed.
The Rev. Nathan Hall, of Garrard county, Kentucky, succeeded Mr. Cunningham in 1823. He was the initiator of the protracted meetings which resulted in the great re- vival of 1828, which gave the finishing blow to infidelity, which before that had been only too prevalent in Lexington. Mr. Hall was a powerful exhorter, and on one occasion, after several vigorous efforts, admitted over a hundred persons to the church. Mr. Hall was pastor of the church for twenty- three years, during which time it greatly prospered; but, unfortunately, just a little while before he resigned his charge, a number of his congregation became dissatisfied, seceded, and united with the McChord or Second Church. Mr. Hall died in Columbus, Missouri, June 22, 1858.
Dr. Robert J. Breckinridge, long the most prominent minister of the Presbyterian Church of Kentucky, followed Mr. Hall in 1847, and continued in the pastorate until 1853,
*Davidson's History.
112
HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.
[1784.
when he removed to Danville, having been appointed pro- fessor in the Theological Seminary at that place. Dr. Breckinridge was a son of Hon. John Breckinridge, and was born in Fayette county, Kentucky, March 8, 1800, graduated at Union College in 1819, commenced the prac- tice of law in Lexington in 1823, after which he repeatedly represented Fayette county in the Kentucky legislature. In 1828 he connected himself with the Second Presbyterian Church of Lexington, retired from political life, devoted himself to the study of theology, and in October, 1832, was ordained pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Baltimore, where he became distinguished as a minister, and noted for his anti-slavery views and for his bold and uncompromising opposition to Roman Catholicism. During his pastorate of the First Presbyterian Church of Lexing- ton, he wrote his work on the "Internal Evidences of Christianity," and a few years after, published his "Theol- ogy, Objectively and Subjectively Considered," which are considered his most able productions. At the beginning of the late war, Dr. Breckenridge and others established the Danville Review, which strongly supported both the Federal Government and the General Assembly. Dr. B. died December 27, 1871, and was buried in the Lex- ington Cemetery.
The successor of Dr. Breckinridge was Rev. J. D. Mat- thews, whose ministry was so acceptable to the congregation that he was for many years retained as pastor, and much beloved and esteemed. In 1853 he succeeded Dr. Breckin- ridge as Superintendent of Public Instruction. In 1857, while Dr. Matthews had charge of the church, the old house of worship, which had been used for fifty years, was torn down, and the building now owned and used by the Broadway Christian Church was built, and all went on harmoniously and prosperously until the beginning of the late war. All during the war, trouble was brewing from causes too recent to require mention, and resulted, at the close of that terrible struggle in an open rupture in both the First and Second Churches, and the formation of two congregations in each church. In the First Church, Dr.
113
CHURCH EDIFICES.
1784.]
Matthews was the pastor of the Southern Assembly party, and Rev. R. Valentine pastor of that of the General As- sembly. In May, 1869, the difficulty was adjusted, and the church property distributed. The pastors of the several churches resigned. The two congregations adhering to the Southern Assembly united, and the other two adhering to the General Assembly did the same, forming two churches out of four. The property of the churches was valued and divided in proportion to membership. The Broadway property fell to the Southern Assembly party, now known as the First Church, and the Market street house to the General Assembly adherents, or the present Second Church. In March, 1870, Rev. William Dinwiddie, of Virginia, the present efficient and beloved pastor of the First Church, commenced his ministerial labors in Lexington. In May of the same year, the church on the corner of Second and Broadway was sold to the Christian congregation, and a new, large, and handsome edifice was commenced on Mill street, between Church and Second, and completed in the spring of 1872.
114
HISTORY OF LEXINGTON.
[1785.
CHAPTER XII.
Town Fork-Taverns-Streets-Elections-Bourbon County Created-Mrs. Vaughn, the First White Woman born in Kentucky.
THE state of affairs in Lexington, in the year 1785, may be inferred from a number of things. "Main Cross street," now Broadway, was opened. The trustees ordered " all cabins, cow-pens, and hog-pens to be removed from the streets."* Notice was given that all vacant lots would be reclaimed, "if not improved in one year by the erection of a good hewed log-house on the same."} Robert Parker was appointed the first surveyor of the town, and clerk of the trustees, and allowed four shillings and sixpence for every deed by him drawn."} Boys were prohibited from obstructing the " gangway" over Town Fork, when fishing in that stream, which was then of quite a respectable size, in fact, frequently when there was a " rise," it would cover the entire width of the present Vine and Water streets.
The first tavern of which Lexington could boast, was opened about this time. It stood on West Main street, " be- tween Main Cross (Broadway), and the graveyard" (Baptist churchyard). A little swinging sign in front of the com- fortable size log-house bore the coat of arms of Virginia, and the ambitious announcement, " Entertainment for man and beast, by James Bray."
The early taverns of Lexington were veritable old En- glish "Inns," with quaint signs, smiling bonifaces, and every- thing to match. Robert Megowan's tavern, sign of the "Sheaf of Wheat," was the second one built. It was a two-
*Trustees' Book.
+Id. ţId.
115
EARLY TAVERNS OF LEXINGTON.
1785.]
story log-house, stood on Main street, between Upper and Limestone, occupying the site of the building now used by Thomas Bradley. In 1792, the first State Treasurer's office was temporarily in this tavern. These taverns were suc- ceeded by "The Buffalo," kept by John McNair, on Main street, opposite the present court-house, and Kiser's " Indian Queen," which stood on the corner of Hill and Broadway, on part of the lot now owned by Mr. John T. Miller. This " house of entertainment" was kept by the grandfather of our highly respected fellow-citizen, Mr. Ben. Kiser, now probably the oldest native resident of Lexington. Ayers' tavern, sign of the "Cross Keys," was on the corner of Spring and Main. Satterwhite's "Eagle" tavern was on Short, back of the court-house. Usher's "Don't Give up the Ship," stood on Short, near the Lusby house, and the noted old Brent tavern was on Jordan's Row, near the corner of Upper and Main. The Phoenix Hotel is the oldest house of entertainment now in existence in Lexington. It was first known about the year 1800, as " Postlethwaite's tavern," and then as " Wilson's." The famous Aaron Burr was its guest at one time during Wilson's proprietorship. His pres- ence was first detected by a young boy,* who saw him as he entered town on horseback, followed by his white man- servant, and recognized him by a wonderfully faithful rep- resentation he had seen of him in a collection of wax works exhibited in Lexington, a short time before. The tavern was next known as " Keene's," and then as " Postle- thwaite's and Brennan's," since which time it has been kept by Messrs. John Brennan, Chiles, Worley, Robinson, and others, and under the name of "Phoenix Hotel," has for many years been known far and wide.
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