TIP #114: MONEY & MILEAGE Good morning! Welcome again to a LOT of new subscribers, so glad to have you with us! Before continuing with the lists of Revolutionary War soldiers, county holdings, etc. thought you might be interested in this. I will be quoting from several sources on this topic. The first is taken from Collins' History of Kentucky where he noted that the early settlers of Kentucky experienced a difficulty in the early days - that of making "change". However, the immigrants coming into the state soon brought a small supply of silver coin. It was in the shape of the Spanish milled dollars. But, sometimes it was necessary to use a coin of lesser value. Thus, the people came up with the idea of cutting this coined dollar into four equal parts or quarters - worth of course, 25 cents apiece. These were divided again into 8 total parts which made 12 ½ cent pieces. Then someone came up with the idea of cutting the dollar coin into 5 quarters or ten eighths - or close to that. Smaller change than 12 ½ cents when required were repaid by the store keepers in goods - needles, pins, writing-paper, etc. rather than cut the coin any further. Collins writes that that the "specie payments" were suspended in 1837 and silver coinage disappeared. It was not until 1862 and leading into the Civil War that change was again demanded and a substitute of a paper bill "promise to pay" or "shinplasters" were issued by the government and merchants. During the war it was more expedient to adopt the issue of fractional currency or small notes from the General Government which were uniform in value, of legal tender. If one studies the early deeds in Kentucky, you will note that some of these are expressed in English currency, some in dollars and cents. There was a fluctuation for many years as some pioneers were used to the English currency - much like, I imagine, the resistance of Americans to go to the metric system. The common English coins were pounds, shillings and pence. There are 20 shillings in a pound and 12 pence or pennies in a shilling. A pound was supposed to be worth the weight of a pound of silver and you will see it abbreviated as a fancy "L". There is almost no way of equating or calculating the value of one against the other due to inflation. One web site, maintained by a Roy Davis, has worked out a conversion program with inflation included so you can enter the value paid beginning in 1800 and see what it would be worth in 1995. This address is: http://www.westegg.com/inflation/ Another of their sites shows the history of money from ancient times up to the 1800's and is quite interesting for browsing: http://www.ex.ac.uk/~RDavies/arian/llyfr.html Other things were used as money also. In Virginia and also into the Kentucky times, tobacco was used as paying debts because the metal used to make coins was scarce. Beaver pelts were also used in the early states and of course, the Indians used wampum or beads. For a detailed write-up by the same authors about the early settlement days of the United States in regard to money, click on this site: http://www.ex.ac.uk/~RDavies/arian/northamerica.html MILEAGES: Being a fan of the Collins' works, I was looking through the back of the book and came across something that was of great interest to me. On the surface, it doesn't sound too "researchey" to print a list of mileages from point A to point B, until one remembers that this book was compiled in 1874 and that many of these locations no longer exist. They are based on the waterways that were used for transportation of people and goods and many reference ferries etc. named for the operators. So this will be part one of a new series. We're starting with the Cumberland River. It was noted that the U S Government survey made the distance to Nashville 9 miles less and to Point Burnside 20 miles less but the rest are considered accurate by Collins. This is a long river so will take 2 posts. Let's cruise down the Cumberland River. Landing County Miles Smithland Livingston 0 Fowler's Same 4 Doomer's Same 5 Dunlap's Same 7 Kelly's Livingston 8 Nine Mile Ferry Same 9 Sandy Creek Same 12 Shelby's Livingston 15 Pinckneyville Same 16 Clay Lick Creek Same 18 Cobb's Furnace Same 20 Couch's Crittenden 21 Dyeusburg Same 22 Livingston Cr. Same 23 Frazier's Same 25 Jacob's Same 26 Harmon's Ferry Same 27 Peterson's Same 29 Ross' Livingston 30 Hosford's Same 32 Marshall's Lyon 34 White's Same 35 Hinson's Same 37 Bradshaw's Same 38 Dyker's Same 39 Catlett's Same 40 Boyd's Same 42 Petty's Same 43 Wilcox's Same 44 Kelly's Forge Same 47 Eddyville Same 50 Mammmoth Furnace Same 55 Watkins' Same 57 Gray's Same 59 Evans' Same 60 Hillman's Rolling Mill Same 61 Fulton's Furn. Same 62 Empire Furnace Trigg 63 Rockcastle Same 64 Little river Same 67 Canton shiff Shop Same 68 Shoemaker's Same 69 Canton Same 71 Hobson's Same 72 Carson's Same 75 Abernathy's Same 76 Laura Furnace Same 77 Holland Same 78 Live Island Same 80 Linton Same 81 Lineport Same 83 Vinson's Stewart,TN 84 Tobaccoport Same 85 Saline Creek Same 86 Hale's Same 88 Nolen's Same 91 Iron Mt Furn. Stewart, TN 92 Jackson's Same 94 Kelly's Same 95 Peytona Furn. Same 97 Fort Donelson Same 99 Dover Same 100 Stoll's Same 101 Bellwood Furn. Same 105 N. Cross Creek Same 107 Cumberland Rolling Mill Same 108 R & R Furnace Same 110 Bull-Pasture Same 111 Checkered House Same 112 Noler's Same 113 Smith's Same 114 James' Same 116 Cumberland City Same 117 Bowling Green Same 118 Valley Forge Same 120 Sailor's Rest Same 121 Poplar Springs Montgomery 123 Dr Marble's Same 124 New York Same 125 Carbondale Same 127 Outlaw's Same 128 Palmyra Same 129 Brown's Same 134 Kentucky Same 136 Linwood Same 137 Freece's Same 138 Red River Same 139 Clarksville Same 140 Searcy's Ferry Same 143 Seven Mile Fer. Same 147 Hurricane Cr. Same 151 Davis Riffle Same 153 Carrollsville Same 154 Major's Mill Same 155 Moseby's Ferry Same 156 Baxter's Same 157 Asie's Same 159 Betseytown Same 160 Raworth Cheatham 161 Newton's Same 162 Edwards's Same 163 Purdon's Same 164 Harpeth River Same 166 Stewart's Same 167 Gebber's Same 169 © Copyright 13 Jan 1998, Sandra K. Gorin, All Rights Reserved. >>}}}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,KYBIOS,SOUTH-CENTRAL-KENTUCKY lists - Write for info. ------------------------------