THE HISTORY OF ELIZABETHTOWN CHAPTER II Written By Hon. SAMUEL HAYCRAFT 1869 Typed as published in the Elizabethtown New, Elizabethtown, Ky March 15, 1889 Edition By Laura Frost Wright CHAPTER II (taken from March 15th, 1889 Edition of the Elizabethtown News) Church going folks of the present day who make it a point to appear in their best attire at the public religious services might feel some curiosity to know how our ancestors appeared on such occasions and I hope they will not blush at the description. I received my information from JACOB VANMETER, who was the younger VANMETER in the original constitution of the church. He died a few years since at the advanced age of about ninety-five, having been a Baptist eight-four years. They then had no house of worship. In the summer time they worshipped in the open air, in the winter time they met in the round log cabins with dirt floors, as there were no mills and no plank to make a floor. A few who had aspired to be a little aristocratic split timber and made puncheon floors. The men dressed as Indians , leather leggins and moccasins adorned their feet and legs. Hats made of splinters rolled in buffalo wool and sewed together with deer sinews or buckskin whang, shirts of buckskin, and hunting shirts of the same, some went the whole Indian costume and wore the breech-clouts. The females wore a coarse cloth made of buffalo wool, underware of dressed doe skin, sun bonnets something after the fashion of men"s hats and the never failing moccasin for the feet in winter, in the summer time, all went barefooted. When they met for preaching or prayer, the men sat with their trusty rifles at their sides, and as they had to watch as well as pray, a faithful sentinel keeping a lookout for the lurking Indian. But it so happened that their services were never seriously interrupted, except on one occasion. One of the watchers came to the door hole during a sermon and endeavored by signs and winks to apprise the people that something was wrong---not being ezactly understood, a person within winked at the messenger, as much as to say, don't interrupt us. " But the case being urgent, the outsideman exclaimed " none of your winking and blinking--I tell you the Indian s are about" That was understood, the meeting was closed, and military defense organized. Now, gentle and fair reader, I beseech you, not to blush or be ashamed of your forerunners, they were the chosen of God and nature"s nobility. There was no distinction or turning up one"s noses in that day, each was his other"s equal, they were brothers and so esteemed and loved each other. No burdened field of corn, no waving fields of wheat came to harvest, no potato crop burrowed the earth. The wild game that roamed the forest was the only dependence the first year, the rifle was indispensible. It was made common cause, food was obtained at the risk of life. The successful hunter lacked nothing. The man who brought down the bufalo, the deer, of bear, divided out and all had plenty. When news reached a fort that Indians were around, all were upon the alert, the men seeing that their weapons were in order, and the women, God bless them, went each to their neighbors and enquired, " have you plenty of meat?" if you have not I have it. " and immediately there was an equal division. The dried venison , called "jerk" was the bread, the fat, juicy bear, the esculent, the bulky buffalo, the substance, and the turkey the dessert, nobody had the dyspepala and all had good teeth, but soon the brawny arm leveled the forest, fields were opened and a plenty of the substantials of life soon blessed their labors. Often has the writer heard old people talk with great fondness of old FORTING times as a green spot in their history--they loved to dwell upon the scenes of early trials and dangers, when men and women were all true hearted and no selfishness. At an early period CHRISTOPHER BUSH settled in the valley, in what is now the boundry of Elizabethtown, He was a German descent, a stirring, industrious man, and had a large family of sons and daughters. The sons were stawart men, of great muscular power, there was no back out in them, never shunned a fight when they considered it necessary to engage in it, and nobody ever heard one cry out "enough" The most of the family left Kentucky. One of the daughters married THOMAS LINCOLN, the father of the late president, ABRAHAM LINCOLN, who was the son of a former wife, and she had the principal care of the rearing and educating the future president. She was an excellent woman. CHRISTOPHER BUSH, Jr. the youngest son of the original CHRISTOPHER BUSH, remained and died in Kentucky. He was a good citizen and sucessful farmer. He reared a large family and paid more attention to the education of his children than any other member of his family, and it turns out that his labor was not in vain. His eldest son MARTIN M. BUSH, Esq. is one of the best surveyors in the state. The Hon. W.D.P. BUSH is a lawyer of considerable distinction, he has frequently been in the Legislature of Kentucky and was in some degree a leader of the Democratic party, and is now reporter of the decisions of the Court of Appeals. Two other sons, ROBERT Y. BUSH and SQUIRE H. BUSH, are lawyers of promise. One of the daughters was married to Col. MARTIN H. COFER. Col. COLFER, son of THOMAS COFER, was born in the vicinity of this town, and under adverse circumstances commenced the study of law, and soon after entered upon a lucrative and successful practice at the Elizabethtown bar. At the commencement of the late civil war, he took sides with the Confederates and commanded a regiment throughout the war, and was regarded as an able and gallant commander and now bear upon his person some receibis that will accompany him through life. As soon as the war was ended , having passed through many of the most terrible battles of that disastrous war he returned to Elizabethtown, having lost all but his honor, and immediately applied himself assiduously to his profession, gracefully submitting himself to the laws and the powers that be, in such a manner as gave him the esteem of all parties, acknowledging that the wager of battle had decided against sucession. He has since published a valuable work on the decisions of the court of Appeals of kentucky, and is now regarded as one of the best lawyers in Kentucky. to be con"t llfw _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. 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