Excerpts from History of Kentucky,
by Lewis Collins
Covington, Kentucky: Collins
& Co., 1882
- (p. 66)
- Bourbon county was formed in the year 1785, and is one of
the nine organized by the Virginia legislature before Kentucky
became an independent State. It was named in compliment to the
Bourbon family of France-a prince of that family, then upon the
throne, having rendered the American colonies most important
aid, in men and money, in the great struggle for independence.
The county is bounded north by Harrison, east by Montgomery,
south. by Clarke, and west by Fayette. It lies in the heart of
the garden of Kentucky-the surface gently undulating, the soil
remarkably rich and productive, based on limestone, with red
clay foundation. Hemp, corn and wheat are cultivated in the county,
and grasses, generally, grow in great luxuriance; but stock appears
to be the staple article of commerce. Horses, mules, cattle and
hogs, in great numbers, are annually exported. The Bourbon cattle
are unsurpassed in beauty, or in the fine quality of their meat,
by any in the United States.
- Towns.-Paris, the county seat, was
established by the Virginia legislature in 1789 under the name
of Hopewell, and so called for a year, then Bourbonton
for a short time, and in 1790 received its present name. It is
the southern terminus of the Maysville and Lexington railroad,
Northern Division, and the most important shipping point on the
Ky. Central railroad from Covington to Nicholasville; population
in 1870, 2,867, and on Jan. 1, 1873, about 3,500. It has two
enterprising weekly newspapers--the Western Citizen, established
in 1808 by Joel R. Lyle, published, 1832-67, by Wm. C. Lyle and
J. L. Walker, mainly, and now owned by McChesney & Fisher;
and the True Kentuckian, established in Feb., 1866, by
John G. Craddock. It is one of the wealthiest and most substantial
cities in the state, steadily improving in population and business,
and has 9 handsome churches and many elegant private residences.
A new court house, to cost $100,000, is in process of erection
on the site of the old one, which was built in 1797-99, and destroyed
by fire May 8, 1872. Millersburg, on the Hinkston creek,
and the M. and L. R. R., 8 miles N. E. of Paris, was established
in 1817, and named after John Miller; is the seat of the Kentucky
Wesleyan University, and of a fine Methodist female college;
population in 1870, 675. North Middletown, 10 miles S.
E. of Paris, population in 1870, 320. Flat Rock, 8 m.
E. of Paris; Centerville, 8 m. w.; Clintonville,
9 m. s.; Ruddell's Mills 7 m. N. ; Jacksonville,
9 m. N. W. Houston, Hutchison's, Shawhan,
and, Stony Point, stations on Ky. C. R. R.
- Members of the Legislature from Bourbon County,
- Senate--John A. Prall, 1859-67; Wellington Cunningham,
- House of Representatives--Oscar H. Burbridge, 1859-61;
Brutus J. Clay, 1861-63; Richard H. Hanson, 1863-65; Robert T.
Davis, 1865-69; Edward Myall, 1869-71; Cassius M. Clay, Jr.,
- (p. 67)
- The First Agricultural Fair in Bourbon county was
held in 1818. The present association held its first fair in
1836, and regularly every, year since, except two years during
the war. Many fairs in other counties, begun in 1837 to 1840,
died in 1841-42 during the disastrous financial times.
- Maj. Daniel Hibler, in 1829, began to sell stock at auction
in Paris, on county court days-the first man who introduced this
now popular system of disposing of stock. He was still actively
engaged in it, in Dec. 1872.
- The First Distillery in Bourbon county was near where
the manufactory of W. H. Thomas stood in 1869; and was erected,
about 1790, by Jacob Spears and others from Pennsylvania. Two
negroes cut down trees and hauled them to the distillery, while
Mr. Spears cut the timber into suitable sizes, distilled, went
to mill, and also attended a fine stallion he had brought with
him. Others claim that Capt. John Hamilton, who ran away from
Pennsylvania on account of his participation in the whisky insurrection,
distilled this region before Mr. Spears. Capt. H. died a few
years ago, aged about 100.
- The lands in Bourbon are in a high state of cultivation,
being all enclosed, and the woodland well set in grass. The soil
of the "Caneridge lands" is of a reddish color, which
is supposed to be more durable than the black loam, and not so
easily affected either by a dry or wet season. Primitive limestone,
without any apparent organic remains, occurs in this section
of the county in huge masses.
- The only salt spring in the county is on the farm of Joseph
Wilson, Esq., in the Caneridge neighborhood. It was formerly
worked, and is said to be more strongly impregnated than the
waters of the Blue Licks. Sulphur and chalybeate springs are
common in the county. Lead ore is occasionally found in small
quantities, as also an inferior species of iron ore.
- The line A B, in the annexed drawing, represents
an ancient ditch across a narrow neck of land intercepted in
a bend of Stoner, about one and a fourth miles below Paris. The
peninsula thus cut off by the ditch, embraces an area of about
fifty acres. The figures 1 and 2 represent mounds of earth. The
first is situated on the lowest bench of the bottom land, and
the other is on the top of the cliff. The mound in the bottom
has been opened, and human bones were discovered therein. An
old settler of the county has informed me, that swell defined
cause-way, or smaller ditch, was perceptible at the Period of
the first settlement in the county, which extended from this
ditch one and a half miles west to another large mound, on an
elevated piece of ground. (p. 68) This latter mound is one of
a range or chain of mounds, that extend quite across the county,
in a northwest by west direction, than which, for telegraphic
purposes, their position could hardly have been better selected
by the most skillful engineer. Indeed, it is conjectured by some,
that beacons were sometimes kindled on their summits, as coals
have been found just below the surface, and occasionally, human
bones, stone hatchets, spears, arrow points and a peculiar kind
- This draft represents an ancient circular
fortification with embrasures at the cardinal points, near the
junction of Stoner's and Hinkston's forks of Licking, six miles
north of Paris, bear to which is the village of Ruddell's mills,
and near the old Ruddle's station. No tradition points to a period
when, or by whom this entrenchment was made; but being situated
upon low ground, subject to overflow, there is reason to suppose,
that it has been constructed within the last hundred and fifty
years; for if it had been formed anterior to this period, all
vestiges of its configuration would have been destroyed by the
action of the confluent waters.
- Three miles further up Hinkston's fork, there is a similar
fortification, with the addition of two mounds; one within, and
the other without the circle. Stone axes, hatchets, chisels,
dirks, spear and arrow points of flint, also a hatchet of iron,
very much corroded with rust, have been found here.
- On all of the principal water courses in the county, Indian
graves are to be found, sometimes single, but most frequently,
several grouped together. Single graves are usually indicated
by broad flat stones, set in the ground edgewise around the skeleton;
but where a number have been deposited together, rude stone walls
were erected around them, and these having fallen inwards, the
rocks retain a vertical position, sometimes resembling a rough
pavement. Many of these piles appear to be in various stages
of decomposition, according to the lapse of time they have been
thus exposed to the action of the elements. From the deliberate
care that seems to have been bestowed upon their dead, and other
indications, it is manifest that at no very remote period, the
territory of Bourbon had a native Indian population. In proof
of this, the vestiges of a large Indian town are still perceptible
near where Pretty-run empties into Strode's creek, on the farm
of Peter Hedge. The centre of the site is distinguished by three
small mounds ranged in a line; and flanked on either side by
the remains of double rows of lodges or huts; and at the distance
of about one hundred rods to the eastward, on a bluff of Stoner,
was their regular burial ground. At the western extremity of
the, village, on a slight elevation of black earth or mould,
the bones of almost every species of wild animal are to be found,
those of the buffalo, the bear and the deer being, the most.
- At a short distance from this, on a similar elevation, is
where either the funeral pyre or the stake, for the purpose of
torturing prisoners was erected as it is at the spot that coals,
ashes and calcined human bones have been found; sad vestiges
of their cruel orgies. A variety of ornaments such as bears'
tusks and claws with holes drilled through them, stone medals,
shells, etc.; fragments of vases with handles, stone axes, and
implements of warfare, have been found in profusion.
- The growth of the timber, on the site, and in its immediate
- (p. 69)
- within reasonable certainty the period, when the village
ceased to be inhabited. This timber is of the same varieties
with that of the primitive stock on the hills, with this singular
difference, that the former invariably grew two or three trees
from the same roots, and when a portion of them were cut down
by the present Owner, they exhibited the uniform age of ninety
years, counting the annulations. The current supposition is this,
that the original growth wall cut down by the inhabitants of
the village, and after they made their exit, that two or three
sprouts had sprung up from the still living roots, among the
ruined wigwams, and thus exhibiting a contemporaneous growth
at the present day. However this may be, it is evident that this
aboriginal town had a tragic end. In every direction the bones
and teeth of its unfortunate inhabitants, corresponding to every
age, have been discovered just beneath the surface of the soil;
sometimes lying across each other within the foundation of their
huts, but most numerously in the bottom below the site of the
town, whither perhaps the tide of battle and the devoted inhabitants
met their fate at the hands of some hostile band.
- In excavating a place for a building in this town a few years
since, two or three large bones were found fifteen feet below
the surface, in a fissure between two rocks. They were not as
large as the bones of the mammoth, but were larger than those
of any known species of living animal of this continent.
- Five miles below Paris, on Stoner, a cave has been recently
discovered, containing a number of skeletons in a good state
of preservation. The crania is of Indian conformation, and one
of them appears to have been pierced by a rifle ball. It is highly
probable that these are the relics of some of the hostile Indians
that were killed in the siege of Hinkson's station, a few miles
below, as it is well remembered the same band of British and
Indians encamped in the vicinity of this cave after the reduction
of Hinkson's station, while on their march to attack Martin's
station, which was located on Stoner about three miles below
- (p. 70)
- This work, which seems incontestibly of a defensive character,
is situated on Stoner creek, at the mouth of Flat Run, in Bourbon
county, Kentucky. The wall throughout is composed of earth, and
is slight, not exceeding three or four feet in height. A number
of mounds and excavations occur within the enclosure, together
with other remains, consisting of raised outlines, two or three
feet broad and one foot high. Twenty of them are found within,
and fourteen without the walls; the latter occupying the point
of land to the north of the enclosure. The larger one is called
"the palace" by our fanciful authority, and is represented
to be eighty feet long by seventy-five broad. To the north of
"the palace" is an elliptical, hollow area, fifteen
feet deep. The Lexington road passes through this work.
- The Kentucky Wesleyan University, at Millersburg,
Bourbon county, was established in 1866, as the continuation
or successor of the Millersburg seminary, established in 1852
by Rev. John Miller, M.D. It is under the care of several conferences
of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, but is not so well sustained
as it ought to be by a church so powerful in numbers, intelligence,
- The First Survey of Land within the present boundaries
of Bourbon county. Was probably made by Col. John Floyd, in June,
1775. The Land Office records show that during that month he
was surveying both on "Licking creek" and on the waters
of Elkhorn. James Douglass, spoken of on the next page, on June
14, 1774, surveyed 1,000 acres for James McDowell, of Va., on
a "south fork of Licking creek," which was probably
in now Montgomery county, but may have been in Bourbon.
- The Howard Family.-In Feb. 1856, were living, in Bourbon
county, the parents and 8 out of 9 children of a family without
a parallel in the known world-for their size, height, weight,
good health, age, and strength-suggestive of the Bible record
in Genesis vi, 4: "There were giants in the earth in those
days." The father, then in his 70th year, was brought to
Kentucky when quite young; and raised, in Bourbon county, his
family of six sons and three daughters, whose height, weight,
and aggregate age are here given:
||6 ft., 4 in.
||6 ft., 1/2 in.
|| 6 ft., 4 in.
|| 230 lbs.
||6 ft., 2 in.
||6 ft., 6 in.
||6 ft., 2 in.
||6 ft. 11 1/2 in
||6 ft., 3 in.
||6 ft., 3 in.
|| 6 ft., 6 in.
||6 ft., 6 1/2 in
- The family, 11 in number, in the aggregate measured 70 feet
1/2 inch in height, weighed 2,298 pounds, and the sum of their
entire ages then was 557 years. The computed strength of the
father and six sons was 6,300 pounds.
- At that date (1856) there were several grandchildren over
6 1/2 feet high, and still growing. The mother, Mrs. Katy Howard,
nee Current, died, aged 88, on May 14, 1870, near Ruddell's Mills,
where she had lived for 60 years-7 children surviving her. She
had 12 brothers and sisters-each over 6 feet high.
- The First Corn ever raised in Bourbon county was in
1775, by John Cooper, near Hinkston creek. Living alone in his
cabin, he was killed by Indians on July 7, 1776. In 1776, Michael
Stoner (on the place where Samuel Clay lived for many years),
Thomas Whitledge, James Kenny, and several others raised corn,
a quarter of an acre to two acres each.
- Abandoned. -Hinkson's settlement, on Licking (since
called Hinkston's creek,) not then being fortified against the
Indians, was abandoned in July, 1776, because of Indian depredations
and murders. John Hinkson and 18 other settlers reached Boonesboro,
July 20, 1776, on their way back to Virginia, and caused a panic
there, which induced 10 men from that fort to join them--leaving
only 30 men to protect that exposed point.
- (p. 71)
- The First Court in Bourbon county was held May 16,
1786, at the residence of James Garrard (near Talbott's Station,
4 miles N. of Paris), by the following: James Garrard (afterwards
governor of Ky.), John Edwards (afterwards U. S. senator), Thos.
Swearingen, Ben. Harrison, John Hinkson, Alvin Montjoy, Thos.
Waring, Edward Waller, and John Gregg. John Edwards was appointed
clerk, and Ben. Harrison sheriff. An order was made regulating
the rates of tavern keeping, as follows: Whisky per gallon 10
shillings, brandy and Continent rum each 15s., West India rum
and wine each 24s.; cold dinner 1s., warm dinner 18. 6d.; breakfast
1s., and if with tea, coffee, or chocolate 3d. additional; lodging
in clean sheets 6d.; corn per gallon 6d. The courts continued
to be held at Gov. Garrard's residence for several years.
- Among the oldest records of Bourbon county before 1789, are
several suits against Daniel Boone, then a resident of Maysville,
and against Simon Kenton, a resident of Washington-both places
now in Mason county, which was then a part of Bourbon. The old
pioneers were not money-wise, and could not always pay their
debts promptly; judgments went against them.
- James Douglass, a surveyor from Williamsburg, Virginia, who
in 1773 visited Big Bone Lick, in Boone county, and made some
surveys and explored up the Kentucky river and towards Mercer
county, and in 1774 again visited the state and executed many
surveys on the waters of Elkhorn, Hickman, and Jessamine creeks,
finally settled in Bourbon county. He was one of the first grand
jury, in the first court of quarter sessions, after the admission
of Kentucky into the Union as a state, on June 18, 1793, but
died soon after.
- Thomas Kennedy came to Kentucky in 1776, and first built
a cabin on Kennedy's creek, which was named after him. He assisted
Michael Stoner--the same who, in 1774, in company with Daniel
Boone made the extra-ordinary trip from Virginia through the
Wilderness to the Falls of the Ohio, by order of Gov. Dunmore,
to conduct into the settlements a party of surveyors--in building
a cabin in 1776, upon Stoner's fork of Licking, now Stoner creek.
At that time they lived for three months without either bread
or salt-& circumstance which now would seem as remarkable
as the manner in which the father of Thomas Kennedy, Dr. John
Kennedy, became an American; when a boy of six or seven years,
he and several other boys were kidnapped from the shore of Ireland,
brought to the colony of Maryland, and sold for a term of years-which
term they faithfully served out. From a letter of date Feb. 16,
1781, at Bedford county, Virginia, from
- John Kennedy (grandfather of the present Eli M. Kennedy),
to his brother, said Thomas, directed to "Strode's Fort,
on Licking," during the war of the Revolution, it appears
that in August, 1781, a draft for regular soldiers took every
fifteenth man, and another draft was then pending (Feb. 1781)
for every thirteenth man. Before that drawing of names took place,
a British force was announced as "within a day's ride,"
and John Kennedy was summoned to join, in less than three hours,
the troops designed to resist the invaders. He was taken prisoner,
shortly after, at Guilford Court House, North Carolina, placed
"on board a British prison-ship, and literally starved to
death !" The same letter conveys intelligence of the escape
from captivity at Detroit of three young men who had been taken
prisoners at the surrender of Martin's and Ruddle's Stations
in this county, on June 22, 1780 (see full account under the
head of Harrison county); they left the other prisoners, who
had been spared from butchery, comfortably settled in the neighborhood
of Detroit, and treated very kindly by Col. Byrd, the commander
of the expedition which captured them. ,
- Stations.-The "improvements above referred to
always included a cabin; but these cabins were very temporary
in their construction, seldom being a sufficient protection against
the weather to justify living in them. John Martin's cabin, on
Stoner, 3 miles below Paris, grew into a "station"
or cluster of cabins arranged for defense; as did, also, that
of John Hinkson, with an undesigned addition of a "t"
to the name-the station and the creek both being called Hinkston
after him. Isaac Ruddle actually originated and erected the station,
in 1779, which included Hinkson's cabin of 1775; and it has been
more generally known as
- (p. 72)
- Ruddle's station, (latterly spelled Ruddell) although indiscriminately
called by either name. Miller's, near Millersburg, Huston's or
Houston's on the site of Paris, Cane Ridge, and probably one
at or near Lowe's, on the Ky. Central railroad, were the other
stations, in or before 1790.
- The First Church in Bourbon county was Presbyterian,
organized at Paris in 1787 by Rev. Andrew McClure, who had been
preaching in the place occasionally for three years. It is possible
that a Baptist church may have been organized before, but we
know of no written record that will prove it. During 87 years,
from 1787 to 1874, 27 ministers in all preached to the Presbyterian
churches (of which during 25 years there were two) in pastorates
varying from six months to 8, 10, and 22 years in length. In
one revival in 1818, over 100 persons were added to the membership,
134 in another in 1828, 39 in 1833, 39 in 1838, 22 in 1842, and
34 in 1843. Of young men reared in the church and sent out as
ministers, one (Rev. Wm. Alexander) has been. a missionary in
the Sandwich Islands for over forty years, and has lived and
labored through the conversion of those Islands from barbarism
- Practical Joke on the President.-When Gen. Jackson
passed through Paris in 1829, on route to be inaugurated president,
some Adams men changed the sign-board east of town, so as to
make the "To Maysville" sign point to Mountsterling.
The general and party passed on towards the latter place some
distance, before discovering the mistake. It was afterwards claimed
that this was, in great part, the cause of the old General's
vetoing the Maysville road bill.
- At a period when there were but few settlers in the county,
a band of Indians, numbering about twenty, ventured into it,
for the purpose of stealing horses. A party of a dozen hunters,
followed their trail, and overtook them on Stoner, a few miles
above Paris, and fired a volley of rifle balls into their camp,
which killed one of their number and wounded two or three more.,
The Indians then fled; but after a short interval, contrary to
their usual custom, they came back, and fired in turn upon the
hunters while they were engaged in securing their stolen horses.
Both parties then took trees, and the fight was continued obstinately
for a long, time. Finally the ammunition of the Whites failed,
and being nearly all wounded, they were obliged to leave the
Indians masters of the field. In this skirmish, which was the
last that took place in Bourbon, it was supposed the Indians
lost half their number in killed and wounded. The hunters lost
but one killed, (Frank Hickman, it is believed was his name),
whose skeleton was afterwards identified by the initials on his
- In June, 1780, Martin's station, in this county, was captured
by a large body of Canadians and Indians, under Colonel Byrd,
an officer of the British army. For the particulars of the expedition,
and the capture of Ruddle's and Martin's stations; see Harrison
- On the night of the 11th of April, 1787, the house of a widow,
named Skaggs, on Cooper's run, in this county, became the scene
of an adventure of thrilling interest. She occupied what is generally
called a double cabin, in a lonely part of the county, one room
of which was tenanted by the old lady herself, together with
two grown sons, and a widowed daughter, at that time suckling
an infant, while the other was occupied by two unmarried daughters
from sixteen to twenty years of age, together with a little girl
not more than half grown. The hour was 11 o'clock at night. One
of the unmarried daughters was still busily engaged at the loom,
but the other members of the family, with the exception of one
of the sons, had retired to rest. Some symptoms of an alarming
nature had engaged the attention of the young man for an hour
before anything of a decided character took place.
- The cry of owls was heard in the adjoining wood, answering
each other in rather an unusual manner. The horses, which were
enclosed as usual in a pound near the house, were more than commonly
excited, and by repeated snorting and galloping, announced the
presence of some object of terror. The young man was often upon
the point of awakening his brother, but was as often restrained
- (p. 73)
- fear of incurring ridicule and the reproach of timidity,
at that time an unpardonable blemish in the character of a Kentuckian.
At length hasty steps were heard in the yard, and quickly afterwards,
several loud knocks at the door, accompanied by the usual exclamation
"who keeps house?" in very good English. The young
man, supposing from the language, that some benighted settlers
were at the door, hastily arose, and was advancing to withdraw
the bar which secured it, when his mother, who had long lived
upon the froniers, and probably detected the Indian tone in the
demand for admission, instantly sprung out of bed, and ordered
her son not to admit them, declaring that they were Indians.
- She instantly awakened her other son, and the two young men
seizing their guns, which were always charged, prepared to repel
the enemy The Indians, finding it impossible to enter under their
assumed characters, began to thunder at the door with great violence,
but a single shot from a loop hole, compelled them to shift the
attack to some less exposed point; and, unfortunately, they discovered
the door of the other cabin, which contained the three daughters.
The rifles of the brothers could not be brought to bear upon
this point, and by means of several rails taken from the yard
fence, the door was forced from its hinges, and the three girls
were at the mercy of the savages. One was instantly secured,
but the eldest defended herself desperately with a knife which
she had been using at the loom, and stabbed one of the Indiana
to the heart, before she was tomahawked.
- In the meantime the little girl, who had been overlooked
by the enemy in their eagerness to secure the others, ran out
into the yard, and might have effected her escape, had she taken
advantage of the darkness and fled, but instead of that the terrified
little creature ran around the house wringing her hands, and
crying out that her sisters were killed. The brothers, unable
to bear her cries, without risking every thing for her rescue,
rushed to the door and were preparing to sally out to her assistance,
when their mother threw herself before them and calmly declared
that the child must be abandoned to its fate; that the sally
would sacrifice the lives of all the rest without the slightest
benefit to the little girl. Just then the child uttered a loud
scream, followed by a few faint moans, and all was again silent.
Presently the crackling of flames was heard, accompanied by a
triumphant yell from the Indians, announcing that they had set
fire to that division of the house which had been occupied by
the daughters, and of which they held undisputed possession.
- The fire was quickly communicated to the rest of the building,
and it became necessary to abandon it, or perish in the flames.
In the one case there was a possibility that some might escape;
in the other, their fate would be equally certain and terrible.
The rapid approach of the flames cut short their momentary suspense.
The door was thrown open, and the old lady, supported by her
eldest son, attempted to cross the fence at one point, while
her daughter carrying her child in her arms, and attended by
the younger of the brothers, ran in a different direction. The
blazing roof shed a light over the yard but little inferior to
that of day, and the savages were distinctly seen awaiting the
approach of their victims. The old lady was permitted to reach
the stile unmolested, but in the act of crossing, received several
balls in her breast, and fell dead. Her son, providentially,
remained unhurt, and by extraordinary agility, effected his escape.
- The other party succeeded also in reaching the fence unhurt,
but in the act of crossing, were vigorously assailed by several
Indians, who throwing down their guns, rushed upon them with
their tomahawks. The young man. defended his sister gallantly,
firing upon the enemy as they approached, and then wielding the
butt of his rifle with a fury that drew their whole attention
upon himself, and gave his sister an opportunity of effecting
her escape. He quickly fell, however, under the tomahawks of
his enemies, and was found at day-light, scalped and mangled
in a shocking manner. Of the whole family, consisting of eight
persons, when the attack commenced, only three escaped. Four
were killed upon the spot, and one (the second daughter) carried
off as a prisoner.
- The neighborhood was quickly alarmed, and by daylight about
thirty men were assembled under the command of Colonel Edwards.
A light snow had fallen during the latter part of the night,
and the Indian trail could be pursued at a gallop. It led directly
into the mountainous country bordering upon Licking, and afforded
evidences of great hurry and precipitation on the part of the
fugitives. Unfortunately, a hound had been permitted to accompany
the whites, and as the
- (p. 74)
- trail became fresh and the scent warm, she followed it with
eagerness, baying loudly and giving the alarm to the Indiana.
The consequences of this impru-dence were soon displayed. The
enemy finding the pursuit keen, and perceiving that the strength
of the prisoner began to fail, instantly sunk their tomahawks
in her head, and left her, still warm and bleeding, upon the
- As the whites came up, she retained strength enough to wave
her hands in token of recognition, and appeared desirous of giving
them some information with regard to the enemy, but her strength
was too far gone. Her brother sprung from his horse and knelt
by her side, endeavoring to stop the effusion of blood, but in
vain. She gave him her hand, muttered some inarticulate words,
and expired within two minutes after the arrival of the party.
The pursuit was renewed with additional ardor, and in twenty
minutes the enemy was within view. They had taken possession
of a steep narrow ridge, and seemed desirous of magnifying their
numbers in the eyes of the whites, as they ran rapidly from tree
to tree, and maintained a steady yell in their most appalling
tones. The pursuers, however, were too experienced to be deceived
by so common an artifice, and being satisfied that the number
of the enemy must be inferior to their own, they dismounted,
tied their horses, and flanking out in such a manner as to enclose
the enemy, ascended the ridge as rapidly as was consistent with
a due regard to the shelter of their persons.
- The firing quickly commenced, and now for the first time
they discovered that only two Indians were opposed to them. They
had voluntarily sacrificed themselves for the safety of the main
body, and had succeeded in delaying pursuit until their friends
could reach the mountains. One of them was instantly shot dead,
and the other was badly wounded, as was evident from the blood
upon his blanket, as well as that which filled his tracks in
the snow for a considerable distance. The pursuit was recommenced,
and urged keenly until night, when the trail entered a running
stream and was lost. On the following morning the snow had melted,
and every trace of the enemy was obliterated. This affair must
be regarded as highly honorable to the skill, address, and activity
of the Indians, and the self devotion of the ear guard is a lively
instance of that magnanimity of which they are at times capable,
and which is more remarkable in them, from the extreme caution,
and tender regard for their own lives, which usually distinguishes
- A few weeks after this melancholy affair, a very remarkable
incident occurred in the same neighborhood. One morning, about
sunrise, a young man of wild and savage appearance suddenly arose
from a cluster of bushes in front of a cabin, and hailed the
house in a barbarous dialect, which seemed neither exactly Indian
nor English, but a collection of shreds and patches, from which
the graces of both were carefully excluded. His skin had evidently
once been white-although now grievously tanned by constant exposure
to the weather. His dress in every respect was that of an Indian,
as were his gestures, tones, and equipments, and his age could
not be supposed to exceed twenty years. He talked volubly but
uncouthly, placed his hand upon his breast, gestured vehemently,
and seemed very earnestly bent upon communicating something.
He was invited to enter the cabin, and the neighbors quickly
collected around him.
- He appeared involuntarily to shrink from contact with them;
his eyes rolled rapidly around with a distrustful expression
from one to the other, and his whole manner was that of a wild
animal, just caught, and shrinking from the touch of its captors.
As several present understood the Indian tongue, they at length
gathered the following circumstances, as accurately as they could
be translated, out of a language which seemed to be an "omnium
gatherum" of all that was mongrel, uncouth, and barbarous.
He said that he had been taken by the Indians, when a child,
but could neither recollect his name, nor the country of his
birth. That he had been adopted by an Indian warrior, who brought
him up with his other sons, without making the slightest difference
between them, and that under his father's roof he had lived happily
until within the last month.
- A few weeks before that time, his father, accompanied by
himself and a younger brother, had hunted for some time upon
the waters of the Miami, about forty miles from the spot where
Cincinnati now stands, and after all their meat, skins, &c.,
had been properly secured, the old man determined to gratify
his children by taking them upon a war expedition to Kentucky.
They accordingly built a bark
- canoe, in which they crossed the Ohio near the mouth of Licking,
and having buried it, so as to secure it from the action of the
sun, they advanced into the country and encamped at the distance
of fifteen miles from the river. Here their father was alarmed
by hearing an owl cry in a peculiar tone, which he declared boded
death or captivity to themselves, if they continued their expedition;
and announced his intention of returning without delay to the
- Both of his sons vehemently opposed this resolution, and
at length prevailed upon the old man to disregard the owl's warning,
and conduct them, as he bad promised, against the frontiers of
Kentucky. The party then composed them
- selves to sleep, but were quickly awakened by their father,
who had again been warned in a dream that death awaited them
in Kentucky, and again besought his children to release him from
his promise, and lose no time in returning home. Again they prevailed
upon him to disregard the warning, and persevere in the march.
He consented to gratify them, but declared he would not remain
a moment longer in the camp which they now occupied, and accordingly
they left it immediately, and marched on through the night, directing
their course towards Bourbon county.
- In the evening they approached a house, that which he had
hailed, and in which he was now speaking. Suddenly, the desire
of rejoining his people occupied his mind so strongly as to exclude
every other idea, and seizing the first favorable opportunity,
he had concealed himself in the bushes, and neglected to reply
to all the signals which had been concerted for the purpose of
collecting their party when scattered. This account appeared
so extraordinary, and the young man's appearance was so wild
and suspicious, that many of the neighbors suspected him of treachery,
and thought that he should be arrested as a spy. Others opposed
this resolution, and gave full credit to his narrative. In order
to satisfy themselves, however, they insisted upon his instantly
conducting them to the spot where the canoe had been buried.
To this the young man objected most vehemently, declaring, that
although he had deserted his father and brother, yet he would
not betray them.
- These feelings were too delicate to meet with much sympathy
from the rude borderers who surrounded him, and lie was given
to understand that nothing short of conducting them to the point
of embarcation, would be accepted as an evidence of his sincerity.
With obvious reluctance he at length complied. From twenty to
thirty men were quickly assembled, mounted upon good horses,
and. under the guidance of the deserter, they moved rapidly towards
the mouth of Licking. On the road, the young man informed them
that he would first conduct them to the spot where they had encamped
when the scream of the owl alarmed his father, and where an iron
kettle had been left concealed in a hollow tree. He was probably
induced to do this from the hope of delaying the pursuit so long
as to afford his friends an opportunity of crossing the river
- But if such was his intention, no measure could have been
more unfortunate. The whites approached the encampment in deep
silence, and quickly perceived two Indians, an old man and a
boy, seated by a fire, and busily employed in cooking some venison.
The deserter became much agitated at the sight of them, and so
earnestly implored his countrymen not to kill them, that it was
agreed to surround the encampment, and endeavor to secure them
as prisoners. This was accordingly attempted, but so desperate
was the resistance of the Indians, and so determined were their
efforts to escape, that the whites were compelled to fire upon
them, and the old man fell mortally wounded, while the boy, by
an incredible display of address and activity, was enabled to
escape. The deserter beheld his father fall, and throwing himself
from his horse, he ran up to the spot where the old man lay,
bleeding but still sensible, and falling upon his body, besought
his forgiveness for being the unwilling cause of his death, and
- His father evidently recognized him, and gave him his hand,
but almost instantly afterwards expired. The white men now called
upon him to conduct them at a gallop to the spot where the canoe
was buried, expecting to reach it before the Indian boy, and
intercept him. The deserter in vain implored them to compassionate
his feelings. He urged that he had already sufficiently demonstrated
the truth of his former assertions, at the expense of his father's
life, and earnestly entreated them to permit his younger brother
to escape. His companions, however, were inexorable. Nothing
but the blood of the young Indian
- would satisfy them, and the deserter was again compelled
to act as a guide. Within two hours they reached the designated
spot. The canoe was stilt there, and no track could be seen upon
the sand, so that it was evident that their victim had not yet
- Hastily dismounting, they tied their horses and concealed
themselves within close rifle shot of the canoe. Within ten minutes
after their arrival, the Indian appeared in sight, walking swiftly
towards them. He went straight to the spot where the canoe had
been buried, and was in the act of digging it up, when he received
a dozen balls through big body, and leaping high into the air,
fell dead upon the sand. He was instantly scalped and buried
where he fell, without having seen his brother, and probably
without having known, the treachery by which he and his father
had lost their lives. The deserter remained but a shod time in
Bourbon, and never regained his tranquility of mind. He shortly
afterwards disappeared, but whether to seek his relations in
Virginia or Pennsylvania: or whether disgusted by the ferocity
of the whites, he returned to the Indians has never yet been
known. He was never beard of afterwards.*
- CAPTAIN GARRARD'S TROOP.
- We copy the "Muster roll of a troop of volunteer state
dragoons, for twelve months, under command of Captain William
Garrard, of Major James V. Ball's squadron, in the service of
the United States from date of the last muster (October 31, 1812),
to the 31st December, 1812, inclusive," with the remarks
appended to each name. The roll is certified as correct, and
the remarks as "accurate and just," by the officers.
The roll will awaken old reminiscences, and will be examined
by many of our readers with great interest.
- William Garrard, Captain, frost bitten.
Edmund Basye, 1st Lieut. do, and wounded.
David M. Hickman, 2d do., wounded.
Thos. H. McClanahan, Cornet, frost bitten.
Chas. S. Clarkson, 1st Serg't, sick on furlough.
William Barton, 2d do., do.
John Clark, 3d do., died Nov. 15, 1812.
Benj. W. Edwards, 4th do., Serg't Major.
James Benson, 1st Corporal, sick on furlough.
Wm. Walton, 2nd do., frost bitten.
Jesse Todd, 3d do., sick, absent.
Jno. S. Bristow, 4th do., frost bitten.
Joseph McConnell. Farrier, wounded Dec. 18.
Ephraim Wilson, Trumpeter, frost bitten.
William Daviss, Saddler, do., resigned Nov. 20.
- John Finch, frost bitten, appointed Sergeant.
William Beneer, present fit for duty.
David B. Langhorn, frost bitten.
John Wynne, sick, absent.
William Mountjoy, frost bitten.
Samuel Henderson, do.
Henry Wilson, wounded Dec. 18th, 1812.
William Jones, sick on furlough.
John Terrill, frost bitten.
Walter Woodyard, do.
Moses Richardson, do, wounded 18th Dec.
Jacob Shy, frost bitten.
Lewis Duncan, sick on furlough.
Robert Thomas, frost bitten.
Jacob Counts, absent on furlough.
John Snoddy, frost bitten.
Thomas Bedford, killed in action 18th Dec.
James Finch, frost bitten and sick.
Walker Thornton, present fit for duty.
Thomas Eastin, wounded on the 18th Dec.
Gerrard Robinson, sick on furlough.
William M. Baylor, frost bitten.
Alexander Scott, do.
William Scott, do., wounded Dec. 18.
James Clark do, sick.
Roger P. West, burnt by the explosion of powder.
Frederick Loring, frost bitten.
Thomas Barton, do.
Samuel J. Caldwell, frost bitten and sick.
John Baseman, do.
Jesse Bowlden, do.
John Funston, do.
James Johnston, do.
John Layson, do.
Will. B. Northcutt, do.
Jonathan Clinkenbeard, do.
Thomas Webster, wounded on the 18th Dec.
Abel C. Pepper, frost bitten and sick.
Beverly Brown, killed in action 18th Dec.
Edward Waller, fit for duty.
Gustavus E. Edwards, wounded, frost bitten.
Stephen Barton, do. do.
Stephen Bedford, do.
John M. Robinson, do.
Jacob Sharrer, sick on furlough.
Isaac Sanders, rejoined 26th November.
James Brown, frost bitten.
Henry Towles, sick on furlough.
John Metcalfe, frost bitten.
Stephen Owen, do.
James Conn, sick on furlough.
Jacob Thomas, frost bitten.
William Allentharp, not yet joined the troop.
Nathaniel Hill, do.
Strother J. Hawkins, wounded, frost bitten.
Edward McGuire, sick on furlough.
Troy Waugh, servant, frost bitten.
- * Sketches of Western Adventure.
- (p. 77)
- The number of horses marked as killed, on the roll, is eight,
and eight as wounded.
- This county was the residence of Governor JAMES GARRARD,
whose biographical sketch will be found under the head of Garrard
county. The monument to his memory, erected by the state of Kentucky,
contains the following inscription:
- "This marble consecrates the spot on which repose the
mortal remains of Colonel JAMES GARRARD, and records a brief
memorial of his virtues and his worth. He was born in the county
of Stafford, in the colony of Virginia, on the 14th day of January,
1749. On attaining the age of manhood, he participated with the
patriots of the day in the dangers and privations incident to
the glorious and successful contest which terminated in the independence
and happiness of our country. Endeared to his family, to his
friends, and to society, by the practice of the social virtues
of Husband, Father, Friend and Neighbor; honored by his country,
by frequent calls to represent her dearest interests in her Legislative
Councils; and finally by two elections, to fit the chair of the
Chief Magistrate of the State, a trust of the highest confidence
and deepest interest to a free community of virtuous men, professing
equal rights, and governed by equal laws; a trust which, for
eight successive years, he fulfilled with that energy, vigor,
and impartiality which, tempered with christian spirit of God-like
mercy and charity for the frailty of men, is best calculated
to perpetuate the inestimable blessings of Government and the
happiness of Man. An administration which received its best reward
below, the approbation of an enlightened and grateful country,
by whose voice, expressed by a resolution of its general assembly
in December, 1822, THIS MONUMENT of departed worth and grateful
sense of public service, was erected, end is inscribed. He departed
this life on the 19th day of January, 1822, as he had lived,
a sincere and pious christian, firm, constant and sincere in
his own religious sentiments, tolerant for those who differed
from him; reposing in the mercy of God, and the merits of his
Redeemer, his hopes of a glorious and happy Immortality."
- This county has been the nursery of many prominent, and some
very distinguished men, particularly at the bar and on the bench.
It was the residence of Judge Robert Trimble, of the supreme
court of the United States, (see Trimble county)-of Judge Mills,
of the court of appeals of Kentucky-and of Judge Bledsoe, who
was remarkable for his forensic powers. Captain William and General
James Garrard, were active soldiers in the war of 1812--both
frequent representatives in the legislature, and the former for
many years clerk of the Bourbon county court. Several distinguished
pioneer divines were also residents of this county, who are noticed
under proper heads.
- The Honorable Thomas Corwin, the able and eloquent senator
of Ohio, and the Rev. John P. Durbin, D. D., late president of
Dickinson college, and one of the most eloquent divines in the
United States, are both natives of Bourbon county.
- Colonel James Smith, whose interesting narrative of his captivity
in western Pennsylvania and residence among the Indians, was
published many years since, and transferred, in an abridged form,
to the "Sketches of Western Adventure," settled in
Bourbon, seven miles above Paris, in 1788. Having been prominent
in his native State, as an Indian fighter, a member of the Pennsylvania
convention, and a member of her legislature, his public and private
worth became speedily known in Bourbon; and in the first year
of his residence, he was elected a member of the convention,
that sat at Danville, to confer about a separation from the State
of Virginia. From that period until 1799, with an intermission
of two years only, according to his narrative, he continued to
represent Bourbon county, either in convention or as a member
of the general assembly. A few extracts from the narrative of
Colonel Smith are subjoined.
- On the second evening succeeding his capture, (in the year
1755), Colonel Smith arrived with his captors at fort Du Quesne,
now Pittsburgh. When within half a mile of the fort, they raised
the scalp halloo, and fired their guns. The garrison was instantly
in commotion, the cannon were fired, the drums were beaten, and
the French and Indians ran out in great numbers to meet the party
and partake of their triumph. Smith was instantly surrounded
by a multitude of savages, painted in various colors, and shouting
with delight. They rapidly formed in two long lines, and brandishing
their hatchets, ramrods, switches, etc., called aloud upon him
to run the GAUNTLET.
- Never having heard of this Indian ceremony before, he stood
amazed for some time, not
- knowing what to do; one of his captors explained to him,
that he was to run between the two lines, and receive a blow
from each Indian as he passed, concluding his explanation by
exhorting him to "run his best," as the faster he run
the sooner the affair would be over This truth was very plain;
and young Smith entered upon his race with great spirit. He was
switched very handsomely along the lines, for about three-fourths
of the distance, the stripes only acting as a spur to greater
exertions, and he had almost reached the opposite a. tremity
of the line, when a tall chief struck him a furious blow with
a club upon the back of the head, and instantly felled him to
the ground. Recovering himself in a moment, he sprung to his
feet and started forward again, when a handful of sand was thrown
in his eyes, which, in addition to the great pain, completely
blinded him. He still attempted to grope his way through; but
was again knocked down and beaten with merciless severity. He
soon became insensible under such barbarous treatment, and recollected
nothing more, until he found himself in the hospital of the fort,
under the hands of a French surgeon, beaten to a jelly, and unable
to move a limb. Here he was quickly visited by one of his captors,
the same who had given him such good advice, when about to commence
his race. He now inquired, with some interest, if he felt "very
sore." Young Smith replied, that he had been bruised almost
to death, and asked what he had done to merit such barbarity.
The Indian replied that he had done nothing, butthat itwas the
customary greeting of the Indians to their prisoners; that it
was something like the English "how d'ye do!" and that
now all ceremony would be laid aside, and he would be treated
- Smith was still a captive and at fort Du Quesne, when General
Braddock was defeated, the same year, and nearly the whole of
his army cut down, or dragged into captivity, and reserved for
a more painful death.
- "About sunset, [on the day of battle] he heard at a
distance the well known scalp halloo, followed by wild, quick,
joyful shrieks, and accompanied by long continued firing. This
too surely announced the fate of the day. About dusk, the party
returned to the fort, driving before them twelve British regulars,
stripped naked and with their faces painted black! an evidence
that the unhappy wretches were devoted to death. Next came the
Indians displaying their bloody scalps, of which they had immense
numbers, and dressed in the scarlet coats, sashes, and military
hats of the officers and soldiers. Behind all came a train of
baggage horses, laden with piles of scalps, canteens, and all
the accoutrements of British soldiers. The savages appeared frantic
with joy, and when Smith beheld them entering the fort, dancing,
yelling, brandishing their red tomahawks, and waving their scalps
in the air, while the great guns of the fort replied to the incessant
discharge of rifles without, he says, that it looked as if h-ll
had given a holiday, and turned loose its inhabitants upon the
upper world. The most melancholy spectacle was the band of prisoners.
They appeared dejected and anxious. Poor fellows! They had but
a few months before left London, at the command of their superiors,
and we may easily imagine their feelings, at the strange and
dreadful spectacle around them. The yells of delight and congratulation
were scarcely over, when those of vengeance began. The devoted
prisoners--British regulars--were led out from the fort to the
banks of the Alleghany, and to the eternal disgrace of the French
commandant were there burnt to death, one after another, with
the most awful tortures. Smith stood upon the battlements and
witnessed the shocking spectacle. The prisoner was tied to a
stake with his hands raised above his head, stripped naked, and
surrounded by Indians. They would touch him with red hot irons,
and stick his body full of pine splinters and set them on fire,
drowning the shrieks of the victim in the yells of delight with
which they danced around him. His companions in the meantime
stood in a group near the stake, and had a foretaste of what
was in reserve for each of them. As fast as one prisoner died
under his tortures, another filled his place, until the whole
perished. All this took place so near the fort, that every scream
of the victims must have rung in the ears of the French commandant!"
- Colonel Smith has an article in his pamphlet on the manners
and customs of the Indians, their traditions and religious sentiments,
their police or civil government, ect. The following extracts
- "'Their traditions are vague, whimsical, romantic, and
many of them scarce worth relating; and not any of them reach
back to the creation of the world. They tell of a squaw that
was found when an infant, in the water, in a canoe made of bull-rushes;
this squaw became a great prophetess and did many wonderful things;
she turned water into dry land, and at length made this continent,
which was, at that time, only a very small island, and but a
few Indians in it. Though they were then but few, they had not
sufficient room to hunt; therefore this squaw went to the water
side, and prayed that this little island might be enlarged. The
great Being then heard her prayer, and sent great numbers of
water tortoises and muskrats, which brought with them mud and
other materials, for enlarging this island, and by this means,
they say, it was increased to the size that it now remains; therefore,
- they say, that the white people ought not to encroach upon
them, or take their land from them, because their great grand-mother
made it. They say that, about this time, the angels or the heavenly
inhabitants, as they call them, frequently visited them and talked
with their forefathers; and gave directions how to pray, and
how to appease the great Being when he was offended They told
them they were to offer sacrifice, burnt tobacco, buffalo and
deer house; but that they were not to burn bear or raccoon bones
- The Indians, generally, are of opinion that there are a great
number of inferior Deities, which they call Carreyagaroona, which
signifies the Heavenly inhabitants. These beings, they suppose,
are employed as assistants in managing the affairs of the universe,
and in inspecting the actions of men: and that even the irrational
animals are engaged in viewing their actions, and bearing intelligence
to the gods. The eagle, for this purpose, with her keen eye,
perched on the trees around their camp in the night; therefore,
when they observe the eagle or the owl near, they immediately
offer sacrifice, or burn tobacco, that they may have a good report
to carry to the gods. They say that there are also great numbers
of evil spirits, which they call Onasahroona, which signifies
the inhabitants of the Lower Region. These spirits are always
going after them, and setting things right, so that they are
constantly working in opposition to each other. Some talk of
a future state, but not with any certainty: at best, their notions
are vague and unsettled. Others deny a future state altogether,
and say that after death they neither think nor live.
- "I have often heard of Indian kings, but never saw any.
How any term used by Indians in their own tongue, for the chief
man of a nation, could be rendered king, I know not. The chief
of a nation is neither the supreme ruler, monarch or potentate:
He can neither make war or peace, league or treaties: He cannot
impress soldiers or dispose of magazines: He cannot adjourn,
prorogue or dissolve a general assembly, nor can he refuse his
assent to their conclusions, or in any manner control them. With
them, there is no such thing as hereditary succession, title
of nobility or royal blood, everI talked of. The chief of a nation,
even with the consent of his assembly, or council, cannot raise
one shilling of tax off the citizens, but only receive what they
please to give as free and voluntary donations. The chief of
a nation has to hunt for his living, as any other citizen."
- BENJAMIN MILLS was born in the county of Worcester, on the
eastern shore of Maryland, January 12th, 1779. While he was quite
young, his family emigrated to the vicinity of Washington, Pennsylvania,
where he obtained his education, and engaged in the study of
medicine. While yet a youth, he was called to the presidency
of Washington Academy, an institution which was soon after erected
into Washington College, and which has sent from its walls a
number of prominent public men. Having removed with his father
to Bourbon county, Kentucky, and relinquished the study of medicine
for that of the law, in 1805 or '06, he commenced in Paris the
practice of the latter profession. His abilities and diligence
soon ensured him, in his own and the adjacent counties, an extensive
practice. For several years he was elected to represent the county
of Bourbon in the legislature, and in 1816 failed of an election
to the senate of the United States, in competition with Isham
Talbot, Esq., by only three votes. In 1817, to relieve himself
from an oppressive and injurious practice of the law, he accepted
the appointment of judge in the Montgomery circuit. In the succeeding
year, by the unanimous request of the Fayette bar, he was transferred
to that circuit. In 1820, he was elevated to a seat on the bench
of the court of appeals, which he filled with great firmness,
through a period of extraordinary excitement with reference to
the judiciary of the State, till he retired in 1828. Having resigned
this post, he removed from Paris to Frankfort, to engage again
in the practice of the law in the higher courts of the State.
Success commensurate with his wishes again crowned his labors,
till the morning of the 6th of December, 1831, when, by an apoplectic
stroke, his mortal existence was terminated.
- As a man, Judge Mills was never remarkably popular. Though
kind and faithful in every relation of life, he aimed, by a course
of firm and inflexible integrity, rather to command the approbation
than to win the affections of his fellow men. He was, to a very
great exent, a self-made man, and affords a fine example of the
ennobling tendency of republican institutions, and an encouragement
to all meritorious young men who are struggling in obscurity
- As a practitioner of the law, by a profound and thorough
knowledge of its principles, and the most approved forms of practice,
he soon rose to eminence. As a public speaker, he was clear,
logical and forcible; but not possessing a fine voice, and seldom
using the ornaments of rhetoric, he was less admired as an orator
than many others.
- As a legislator, he was zealous and active in the promotion
of wise, and the resistance of injudicious measures. Some of
the most valuable provisions of the statutes of the state, had
their origin in his conceptions. His efforts on the exciting
new election question in 1816, will be remembered by those familiar
with the polities of that day, as having a great influence in
settling a construction of the constitution, which, in several
instances since, has been acquiesced in with happy effects by
the people of the state.
- As a circuit judge, he conducted the business of the courts
with uncommon industry and energy. The promptness and general
accuracy of his decisions, and the perfect impartiality of his
administration of justice, gained for him the respect of the
orderly portion of the community.
- While on the bench of the court of appeals, his official
acts tended not only to enlighten, but to enlarge the sphere
of his profession, and to establish a system of legal polity
alike favorable to the country and honorable to himself. His
written opinions furnish abundant proofs of the clearness of
his perceptions, the depth of his legal researches, the strength
of his memory, his power of analysis, and the steadiness and
sternness of his integrity.
- For the last twelve years of his life, he was a member of
the Presbyterian church, and for a considerable portion of that
time a ruling elder. His life, during this period, was in a high
degree consistent with his profession; and the extent of his
charities in the support of all the great benevolent enterprises
of the day, was surprising to those who knew how limited were
- JESSE BLEDSOE was born on the 6th of April, 1776, in Culpepper
county, Virginia. His father, Joseph Bledsoe, was a Baptist preacher.
His mother's maiden name was Elizabeth Miller. In early life,
Judge Bledsoe's health was delicate, and from weakness in his
eyes, could not be sent regularly to school. When his health
and sight were restored, which was not until he had become quite
a large boy. (having emigrated with an elder brother to the neighborhood
of Lexington, Kentucky), he went to Transylvania seminary, and
by the force of talent and assiduous industry, became a fine
scholar. Few men were better or riper classical scholars; and
to the day of his death it was his pleasure and delight to read
the Grecian orators and poets in their original tongue. After
finishing his collegiate course, he studied law, and commenced
its practice with success and reputation.
- Judge Bledsoe was repeatedly elected to the house of representatives
of the Kentucky legislature, from the counties of Fayette and
Bourbon; and was also a senator from the latter county. lie was
secretary of state, of Kentucky, under Coy. Charles Scott; and
during the war with Great Britain, was elected a senator in the
congress of the United States from the state of Kentucky, for
an nnexpired term, serving in that capacity for two or three
years. In 1822, he was appointed by Coy. Adair, a circuit judge
in the Lexington district, and removed to Lexington, where he
received the appointment of professor of law in the Transylvania
University. He held the offices of judge and professor for five
or six years, when he resigned both, and again commenced the
practice of law.
- In 1833, he removed to Mississippi, and in the fall of 1835
or spring of 1836, he emigrated to Texas, and commenced gathering
materials for a history of the new republic. In May, 1836, he
was taken sick in that portion of Texas near the line of the
United States, and not far from Nacogdoches, where he died.
- At an early age, he married the eldest daughter of Colonel
Nathaniel Gist, who survived him.
- Judge Bledsoe possessed a strong and powerful intellect,
and was surpassed in popular and forensic eloquence by but few
men of his day.
- JOHN ALLEN was born in James City county, Va., in 1749. When
the revolutonary war broke out, he joined the American army,
and devoted all his energies to the service of his country. He
rose to the rank, of major, and acted for some time as commissary
of subsistence. At a tea party in Charleston, South Carolina,
which was attended by British and American officers, the conduct
of the former towards the latter became very insulting; and an
officer named Davis repeated the insult so frequently as to provoke
Major Allen to strike him with his sword, which instantly broke
up the party. In the course of the war, Major Allen was taken
prisoner by the same officer, (Davis), and what was most remarkable
- in the history of the times, was treated by him with special
- In 1781, Major Allen married Miss Jane Tandy, of Albermarle
county, Virginia. and engaged in the practice of the law, having
studied his profession with Colonel George Nicholas, then of
Charlottesville. He emigrated to Kentucky in 1786, in company
with Judge Sebastian, and located in Fayette county. In 1788,
he removed to Bourbon, and settled in Paris, then containing
but a few log cabins-the ground upon which the town is now reared
being then a marsh, springs of water bursting from the earth
in great profusion. After the organization of the State government,
Major Allen was elected one of the commissioners to select a
site for the permanent seat of government. During the first term
of Go,. Garrard, under the old constitution, Major Allen was
appointed judge of the Paris district court, the duties of which
he discharged with general acceptance. In 1802, after the adoption
of the present constitution, and during the second term of Gov.
Garrard, he was appointed judge of the circuit court, including
in his district the county of Bourbon.
- Judge Allen died in the year 1816, having devoted a large
portion of his long life to the service of his country, and leaving
behind him a name which will be held in grateful remembrance
by his posterity.
- For biographical sketches of Rev. Andrew McClure, Rev. Samuel
Rannells, Rev. John Lyle, Rev. John McFarland, Rev. Barton W.
Stone, Gov. James Garrard, and others, see those names in the
Index. Also, for further incidents, see same-title Bourbon county.
- JESSE KENNEDY--born on Kennedy's
creek, in Bourbon co., Aug. 11, 1787, on the same farm where
he had spent his life, and died April 3, 1863, aged nearly 76-was
the son of Thos. Kennedy, who in 1785 settled on and redeemed
from the wilderness that farm. The latter came to Kentucky in
1776, lived for several years in the fort at Boonesboro, in 1779
assisted Capt. Strode in building "Strode's station,"
and in 1776 had helped Michael Stoner (a Ky. pioneer as early
as 1774) to clear and plant "Stoner's field," at the
mouth of Stoner's spring branch, noted in early times. Capt.
Duncan, Michael Couchman, and the Clays came soon after, and
left their mark, with honored names and generations, near by.
As a soldier in the war of 1812, as constable, justice of the
peace, representative in the Ky. legislature in 1829, 1831, 1832,
and 1841, occasional contributor to newspapers, citizen and Christian,
Jesse Kennedy was useful, intelligent, faithful, and will be
- JOEL REID LYLE, whose portrait appears in the group of distinguished
editors and publishers, was born in Rockbridge county, Virginia,
in Dec., 1764; was well educated in the schools of the day; in
1800 removed to Clark county, Ky., where he engaged in teaching
school until 1807, when he married and settled in Paris; assisted
his brother, Rev. John Lyle, as a teacher in the Bourbon academy
for a time; purchased the printing materials of the Kentucky
Herald (the second paper published in Kentucky), and in January
1, 1808, established the Western Citizen, continuing its editor
and publisher until 1832; was succeeded by his son, Wm. C. Lyle,
who was one of the editors and publishers until his health broke
down in 1867. The Citizen is now the second oldest paper in the
state, the Lexington Reporter having been established some time
in 1807, and afterwards united with the Observer, which was established
some years later. Joel R. Lyle, although not great, was distinguished
for the ability, firmness and zeal with which he maintained his
principles in the political struggles through which he passed,
and in the agitations of his church. He was for 27 years a ruling
elder of the Presbyterian church, a useful Christian gentleman.
- RICHARD HAWES, the most distinguished citizen of Bourbon
county now living (Dec., 1872), was born in Caroline county,
Virginia, Feb. 6, 1797. His father, Richard Hawes, a man highly
esteemed for intelligence and integrity, and who was a delegate
from that county for several years in the legislature of Virginia,
emigrated to Kentucky in 1810. The son completed his education
- at Transylvania university; studied law with Robert Wickliffe,
one of the great lawyers of the state, and became his co-partner
in the practice for several years; Nov. 13, 1818, married Hetty
Morrison Nicholas (youngest daughter and child of George Nicholas,
one of the most eminent lawyers and statesmen of America), who
after more than 55 years of wedded life still lives to 1bless
the world around her. In 1824, he removed to Winchester, Clark
county, to practice law; represented that county in the 'legislature
in 1828, 1829, and 1834; represented the Ashland district--Clark,
Fayette, Woodford, and Franklin counties-in congress for four
years, 1837-41; in 1843, removed to Paris and continued to practice
law until the fall of 1861; May 10-12, 1861, took a leading part
in efforts to harmonize in favor of an armed neutrality, the
action of the state (see pp. 89, 90, vol. i); failing in this,
and becoming a mark for the bitterness of those who were inciting
to military arrests, in the fall of 1861 he took refuge in Virginia
to escape imprisonment by the Federal authorities; being too
old (64 years) for active field duty, he was for eight 'or nine
months brigade commissary in the Southern army; after the death
(April 6, 1862,) of Geo. W. Johnson, who had been chosen provisional
governor by the convention of people of Kentucky at Russeilville,
Richard ilawes was unanimously elected by the legislative council
of the Confederate Provisional Government of Kentucky, his successor,
and served as such to the end of the war. Returning in the fall
of 1865, to his home in Paris, he found his small possessions
almost gone--his property having been occupied and devastated
by the Federal forces; but his fellow-citizens, of all persuasions
in the late struggle, greeted him with a hearty welcome. In August,
1866, they elected him, without any efforts of his own, by an
almost unanimous vote, judge of the Bourbon county court for
four years, and in 1870, re-elected him to the same office, which
he still well and worthily fills.
- GARRET DAVIS was born in Mount Sterling, Ky., Sept. 10, 1801.
His father, in early life a blacksmith, was a man of energy and
good sense, gained a competency, and served one term in the legislature.
Two of his brothers, Singleton and Amos, were brilliant young
men--the latter a member of congress. 1833-35, and dying, June
5, 1835, before he could be re-elected. Garret Davis in his boyhood
was a deputy in the circuit clerk's office at Paris; admitted
to the bar in 1823; a representative in the legislature in 1833,
'34, and '35; elected to congress from the Maysville district
in 1839-41, and was thrice re-elected, 1841-47, from the Ashland
district, Bourbon county having been transferred to the latter;
was a member of the Constitutional convention in 1849, and so
determinedly opposed to an elective judiciary that, solitary
and alone, on Dec. 21, he voted against the new constitution,
refused to sign it, and left the convention (Richard H. Hanson
being elected to fill the vacancy, and who signed the constitution);
was elected U. S. senator, 1861-67, and re-elected, 1867-73,
but died Sept. 22, 1872, aged 71 years and 12 days. In congress
he acquired distinction by his earnest advocacy of the principles
and measures of the Whig party; and when about to retire in 1847,
Henry Clay appealed to him as a personal favor to make the race
for another term, but he had invited Chas. S. Morehead to take
the field and could not honorably consent. He was a prominent
leader in the "Native American" movement, as he was
afterwards in the "Know-Nothing" or "American"
party; and his anti-Catholic views, boldly and ably expressed
in a speech in the Constitutional convention in 1849, gave him
considerable notoriety; he was nominated in 1856 as the American-party
candidate for the presidency, but declined. He was nominated
for lieutenant governor in 1848, on the Whig ticket with John
J. Crittenden for, governor, but declined; and when nominated
for governor by the American party in 1855, also declined; thus
he declined more good positions, even when election was certain,
than most ambitious men succeed to. He was among the few lending
Kentuckians who opposed secession in 1861; and up to the third
ear of the war, advocated the war policy of the Administration.
But when it became apparent that the object of the war was less
for the preservation of the Union, and more for the abolition
of slavery, with characteristic fidelity to his own convictions
- he assailed the Administration and the conduct of the war
as vigorously as he had supported them; from that time to his
death, he zealously represented his state in the senate, and
bitterly denounced the infractions of the constitution by the
Radical party. Mr. Davis was remarkable for the earnestness and
pertinacity with which he pressed his opinions. However much
they dissent from his views, all concede that he was candid and
honest, bold and fearless, a ready debater, an able lawyer, an
exhaustive thinker. His was undoubtedly a high order of intellect
. His eldest son and law partner, ROBERT TRIMBLE DAVIS, has already
represented Bourbon county in the legislature, for four years,