I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving Day with your family! Sandi According to statistics, Kentucky had a population of only 73,000 in 1792 when it reached statehood. By 1820, this had grown to over 500,000 settlers. What did these earliest settlers do to occupy their time when they weren't building cabins, clearing land, fighting Indians and raising children? When we think of frontiersmen, we think of the wild and wooly west; but in early statehood, Kentucky was the wild and wooly west! The men and women were strong, courageous, hard working and ever so jealous of their new-found freedom. They had time finally to worship, to play, and to engage in other activities. Although the frontiersman was not without his faith in God, he at first didn't take much time and thought to churches as we know them now. They were blunt in their speech, many did drink and fight for their beliefs. To the cultured Virginians and other "east coasters", Kentuckians appeared coarse and sometimes downright vulgar. Visitors couldn't get used to the chawin tobaccy that was seen and those stinky spitoons. Tobacco spitting contests were well known in the local pub. Followed tobacco, drinking brought disgust to many observing the Kentucky way of life. Parson Elijah Craig was said to had made his first pot of mash whiskey in Bourbon County. When the people got to doing some serious thinking about church, it was not what we would picture as church today. Church was held in the woods for a long time, no grand edifice graced the landscape. As soon as the country was free of the threat of Indian attack, the people rushed from the crowded and filthy forts and started building their own cabins. Church during this time period had to be held outdoors; buildings would come later when the cabins were done. Religious services were often wild and chaotic! Each man bought not only his wife, but many crying babies, and their dogs. Dogs were popular, each family might own up to five. According to F. D. Srygley in "Seventy Years in Dixie" (Nashville, 1893, p. 66) he noted that his congregation one day consisted of "forty-five babies and seventy-five dogs, with only sixty adults to police the mob." The Methodists and the Baptists always engaged in heated arguments on which denomination was correct. Many times in the services, sinners repented and then displayed what we would call unusual behavior. They would bark, roll, yell, bark at trees (where the devil was hiding), jerk and twist. Even the "calmest" of outdoor services was very informal, and very long. Sermons might last for hour after hour with shouts of "Hallelujah" and "Amen" echoing throughout the woods. But when the settlers finally got their priorities straight and got back into the habit of attending services, Kentucky became to feel more like home. Weddings were always looked forward too. There were no long engagements normally, no engagement rings, no planning of honeymoons. Marriages occurred sometimes almost on the spur of the moment. When one takes from 20-100 people crowded into a fort with all its filth, noise and confusion, there were a shortage of eligible young ladies. The single men all slept in a "house" together with the actual houses (or apartments as we would think of them) saved for the married couples with children. Several families often shared one room. When a young single girl, even down to age 14, came to the fort, all the single men courted her unmercifully. Beauty was not highest on the list of requirements in a woman though I'm sure it helped. The head of the fort could legally marry a couple and sometimes engagements lasted all of one day before they were standing in front of the head man. Normally all it took was him looking at her seeing if she was strong enough to do work (in the fields as well as at home), or looked like she could have a pasle of babies; she looking at him to see if he looked like he would be a providing man. He would approach her, list his good points and her agreeing. After tying the knot, he would get his belongings, if he had any, they'd move into another house, likely with another family or families and no privacy and begin their married life. The wedding ceremony was short, the frolicking abundant, and yes, the drinking often heavy. Potluck dinners were often served and the dancing continued for hours. It depended upon the family of the bride if her family was there. Some weddings I am sure were a little calmer. If there was no wedding to go to, it wasn't Sunday - what else could one do? Well, there was always the funeral. Services were much different than today of course. Since embalming was unknown, the burial followed shortly after the death. But the funeral service might not happen for months. It has been said that this was because the minister wasn't available, the weather was too bad, but sometimes because a dying husband wanted to be sure that the grieving widow waited a decent time before remarrying! When the funeral was delayed, when it occurred, it was more of a gala affair. One family member tried to "out-grieve" another to show the greatest respect. The widow or widower often held a picture of their lately beloved (after the invention of the camera); the minister could preach for hours. He might do several funerals in a day or so. People gathered around the grave on "bleachers". But, other things might occur also. This was a good time when all the men folk were present and horse trading could transpire or attempts to find seeds, pelts, salt, etc., right in the midst of the sermon. The minister may or may not have known the deceased so was in a quandry as to what to say. He had to be very careful as to what he said so as not to turn the mourners against him! Of course, there was always the friendly fisticuffs. Frontiersmen were known to raise their fists over the simplest of circumstances. And the fists were used, and teeth and feet; ears and noses were sometimes bitten off. They fought until they had no strength left or one of the parties conceded. Most times, the pugilists went home friends ... just something to pass the time! Hunting and marksmanship were another pastime of the men folk. Much bragging went on about how clean a shot had been made at a bear, deer, squirrel or any edible animal. Some old Kentucky traditions said that only a shot in the left eye should count. Court meeting days were always looked forward to. It was not just a day to bring cases before the justices, but it was a family outing day. While the poor justices were trying to be heard over the affray outside, children played, neighbors visited, wares and foods were sold, games were played, horse races were run, fiddlers played and whiskey was sold. Betting on the outcome of the cases was also fair game among the men. If the results of the case resulted in a hanging soon, this was the entertainment of the year! The justices, judges, sheriff's and constables had to have a strong voice to be heard above all that was going on outside. It is said that here in Barren County, Kentucky one of the first clerks had a voice so strong, he could summon another justice 2 miles out in the county by just yelling for him. And then there was always election time. These were quite an event. The elections might span 2-3 days and resulted in a lot of arrests for drunkenness and betting on the election. Votes were bought and sold, candidates have been known to fight in the street, and, as today a lot of promises made. It is said that a politician running for office in Monroe County, KY heard that a Mrs. Chillian Carter had just given birth to triplets. Not to be bested by his opponent in congratulations, he introduced a bill authorizing the county court to deed Mrs. Carter "one thousand acres of vacant and unappropriated land lying in the state of Tennessee." [Thomas Clark, Rampaging Frontier, p. 136-137]. I wonder what Tennessee thought of that? Despite all the revelry, the brashness of the Kentuckian, he survived. Little by little, churches were built, families were established, businesses opened, elections became more controlled, weddings calmed down, funerals became more and more of what we know today ... but in the heart of a Kentuckian is a fierce pride and a willingness to stand up and be counted. See also "Revelry and Religion In Frontier Kentucky, James I Robertson, Jr. The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, Vol 79, No. 4, Autumn 1981. (c) Copyright 29 November 2002, all rights reserved. sgorin@glasgow-ky.com Col. Sandi Gorin Publishing: http://ggpublishing.tripod.com/ GORIN worldconnect website: http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/~sgorin SCKY resource links: http://www.public.asu.edu/~moore/Gorin.html