NOTE: CORRECTION TO WOLFE CO HOLDINGS: Knowing that the printed page can sometime be in error, Sandy Lassen sent me the following note reference the Wolf County holdings: "ALL Wolfe Co. records before 1913 were NOT destroyed. I've seen this error before and don't know why it keeps getting perpetuated. I have personally researched at the Wolfe Co.Courthouse and DEEDS from 1860 forward exist! In fact, I obtained copies of a number of them on my own family lines. (The Handybook also mentions that land records are available from the 1860's forward.) I was even told by Wolfe Co. residents that "there's nothing at the Courthouse - everything burned" and some of my cousins were amazed later when I walked in the reunion with deed copies! They had lived there all their lives and never double-checked! So...Wolfe Co. researchers should not give up hope entirely. Lots of good stuff in those land records. " TIP#124 - A STEP BACK IN TIME IN KENTUCKY - PART 1. NOW - let's take a step back in time through the writings of William B. Allen as published as "A History of Kentucky", Louisville, KY, 1872. Sometimes it helps to step back to the beginning to see how it all started and comb the records of those early days of our Commonwealth in order to see why, where and how our own families arrived in the Blue Grass State. I will be abstracting from Mr. Allen's works; the headings are mine and comments will be added as necessary. The Indians: "Of all the States of this great confederacy of ours, there is none whose history is richer in variety and interest than the State of Kentucky. Before it was ever visited by any of the Anglo-Saxon race, it was a dark forest and cane thicket, and formed the vast hunting ground of several tribes of Indians both north and south of the territory which separated them. The tribes north, which disputed the first settlement of this wilderness country with the whites, were the Shawnoes, the Delawares, and the Wyandottes; and the tribes south were the Cherokees, Creeks, and Catawbas. The fierce contests which occurred between these tribes and the first white settlers of Kentucky were frequent, of long continuance, and disastrous to the whites in the extreme before their final expulsion." The Whites: "The first account we have of a visit of any of the Anglo-American race to Kentucky was by Dr. Walker, of Virginia, in the year 1750, to the northeastern portion. Another account, however, says that he visited the eastern and south-eastern parts in 1747. In 1751 Christopher Gist was sent out by what was called the Ohio Company, on an exploring expedition, and descended the Ohio River to the Falls, where Louisville is now situated. The next account we have of a visit to Kentucky was June 8, 1765, when Col. George Croughan [sic - Croghan], a British officer, descended the Ohio from Fort Pitt to a point below the Wabash, where he was encountered and taken prisoner by the Indians. In 1766 Kentucky was visited by James Smith. In 1867, by John Findley, on a trading expedition. In 1769 Daniel Boone first visited Kentucky, and was accompanied by John Findley and others. The party built a rude hut to protect themselves from the storms, and remained two years, traversing in the meantime the northern and middle regions with great attention. The visits by whites to the country previous to this time were obscure, and of but little importance. In 1770 Col. James Knox visited the county. The party led by him was called the Long Hunters; they were from Holston, on the Clinch River, and explored thoroughly the middle and southern regions of Kentucky. Boone was a native of Pennsylvania, but had emigrated to North Carolina; both these parties were in the country at the same time, but never met. It was in this year that George Washington descended the Ohio as far as the northeastern part of Kentucky. Boone's party was greatly annoyed by the Indians, and James Stewart, one of the party, was killed by them, and Boone himself was taken prisoner, but afterwards escaped. They returned in 1771, and gave such glowing accounts of the country, its fertile soil, its climate, great abundance of game, &c., that considerable emigration soon set in from the western part of Virginia and North Carolina." The Virginia Soldiers: "The Virginia troops who had served in the French War were given bounty lands in Kentucky, and in 1773 surveyors were sent out to survey those lands upon the Ohio River. Thomas Bullitt conducted a party of surveyors down the Ohio to the Falls (now Louisville), where they erected a fortification for their protection from the Indians. A great number of surveys were made in Kentucky during this expedition, and much of the country explored with a view to future settlement. James, George, and Robert McAfee accompanied Bullitt in this expedition, but separated from him at the mouth of the Kentucky River, explored extensively, and made surveys in various places. In 1774 James Harrod erected a log cabin where Harrodsburg now stands, which soon grew to be a station, and which was probably the oldest in Kentucky. Daniel Boone, having been employed by Richard Henderson to survey the country, to which he had set up claim by purchase from the Indians, and to select favorable situations, in the spring of 1775 laid the foundation of Boonesborough; by the middle of April the fort was completed; and by the middle of June of that year, Boone's wife and daughters arrived, and resided in the fort; the first white woman as far as known who ever stood on Kentucky soil. This same year Simon Kenton, the renowned pioneer, erected a log cabin, and raised a crop of corn where the town of Washington, Mason County, now stands. In the fall of that year he removed to Boonesborough. The renowned Kenton was the maternal uncle of Col. Wm. Owen, late of Adair County …." "In September, 1775, three more ladies arrived in Kentucky, and, with their husbands and children, settled at Harrodsburg, to-wit: Mrs. Denton, Mrs. McGary, and Mrs. Hogan. In 1776 Col. Richard Calloway brought his wife and two daughters to Boonesborough, and Col. Benjamin Logan and wife and family to Logan's Fort, near where Stanford now stands, in Lincoln County. In the summer of this year Boone's daughter and two of the Misses Calloway, out at play near the fort, were taken prisoners by the Indians, but were rapidly pursued by Boone and Floyd, and eight others, and, about forty miles distance of the fort, were overtaken, the Indians dispersed, and the girls recovered. During the summer of this year Col. George Rodgers [sic - Rogers] Clark visited Kentucky for the first time. He employed the greater part of his time in hunting alone, visited the different stations, but made no locations." County of Kentucky formed: "In the winter of 1775 Kentucky was formed into a county of Virginia. The first Court of Quarter Sessions was held at Harrodsburg, composed of John Todd, John Floyd, Benjamin Logan, John Bowman, and Richard Calloway. Levi Todd was clerk. About this time Harrodsburg, Boonesborough, and Logan's Fort were successively assailed by the Indians. They withstood the furious attacks made upon them; not, however, without great loss. During the succeeding summer they were considerably reinforced by a number of men from North Carolina, and about one hundred under Col. Bowman from Virginia." Indian and Canadian attacks in 1778: "In 1778 Kentucky was invaded by an army of Indians and Canadians under the command of Captain Duquesne; and the expedition of Col. George Rodgers Clark against the English post of Vincennes and Kaskaskia took place this year. In February of this year Boone, with about thirty men, was engaged in making salt at the Lower Blue Licks, when he was surprised by about two hundred Indians. The whole party surrendered upon terms of capitulation. The Indians carried them to Detroit, and delivered them all up to the commandant, except Boone, whom they carried to Chilicothe. Bone soon effected his escape and returned to Boonesborough in time to give them information of an intended attack of a large body of Indians on that place. In consequence of the escape of Boone, the progress of the Indians who were collected at Chilicothe was greatly disconcerted and delayed. After a delay of some weeks, however, Captain Duquesne, with about five hundred Indians and Canadians, made his appearance before Boonesborough, and besieged the fort for the space of nine days, but finally decamped with the loss of thirty men killed, and a much great number wounded. The loss of the garrison was two killed and four wounded; beside this, much of their stock was taken off, and great destruction of their improvements. In 17876 Col. George Rodgers Clark started upon an expedition against the British Posts in the northwest, and, having descended the Ohio in boats to the Falls, he there landed thirteen families who had accompanied him from Pittsburgh; and by these emigrants the now flourishing city of Louisville was laid. About the first of April, 1779, Robert Patterson erected a block house, with some adjacent defenses, where the city of Lexington now stands. " Virginia's Occupying Claimant Law: "This year, the celebrated land law of Kentucky was passed by the Legislature of Virginia, usually called the Occupying Claimant Law. The great defect of this law was, that Virginia, by this act, did not provide for the survey of the country [Kentucky] at the expense of the State, and its subdivisions into sections, half sections, &c., as it is now done by the United States Government. Such a course would have prevented unnumbered lawsuits and vexations litigation. Each one holding a warrant could locate it where he pleased, and survey it as his own cost. The law required that entries should be made with great precision, in order to avoid difficulties; this, however, was not often observed by the unskillful hands of pioneers and hunters, and surveys were lapped and piled upon each other all over the country in endless perplexity; the consequence of this law was, however, a flood of emigration during the years 1780 and 1781. During this period the emigrants were greatly annoyed by the frequent incursions of the Indians, and their entire destruction sometimes seemed almost inevitable. This law was a great feast for the lawyers of that day, many of whom amassed great wealth, especially in lands." To be continued with the division of Kentucky into three counties. © Copyright 17 February 1998, Sandra K. Gorin, All Rights Reserved. sgorin@glasgow-ky.com >>}}}0>> <<0{{{<< Sandi Gorin - 205 Clements Ave., Glasgow, KY 42141-3409 502-651-9114 - sgorin@glasgow-ky.com GORIN GEN PUB: http://members.tripod.com/~GorinS/index.html KYRESEARCH ON THE WEB: http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgwqury/Ky/Tips/ ~~~~~~~ KYRESEARCH,KYBIOS,SOUTH-CENTRAL-KENTUCKY lists - Write for info. ------------------------------