Fellow researchers, I thought you might like to read an autobiography from one of the early Kentucky and Missouri pioneers, Capt. Joseph Holliday. Holliday was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky, in 1789. Shortly after his birth a new county was formed from his region called Harrison County. His family left for Pike County, Missouri in 1817. Holliday's account is very interesting to me because it involves my immediate ancestors. I hope you enjoy it! Bob Francis The following account will be in about four parts. Here's the first part: Autobiography of Joseph Holliday (1861) Copy annotated by his son, Samuel Newton Holliday, St. Louis, Mo. (1863) I was born on the fifyeenth (sic) day or September, 1789. in what was then Bourbon Co, Ky., now Harrison Co., about three miles southwest from where Cynthiana now is, on a bluff of Gray¹s Run, on the south side thereof, just above its mouth. My father¹s name was William Holliday. He was born in Ireland, near Londonberry, and came to America when he was seventeen years of age. He came to Pennsylvania where he married Martha Patton. She also came from Ireland, when she was eleven years of age, with her father and mother and a large family of brothers and sisters. When last heard from, two sisters of my mother were living near Urbana, Ohio; one named Nancy Steele, a widow; and, the other named Polly Wright, also a widow. They had a great many children. In the north of Ireland there was a Rebellion, about the year 1772, I think, the rebels belonged to a society named the Hearts of Steele (refer below under ³History² for a brief summary of The Hearts of Steel). They rebelled against the government, endeavoring to regain the lost liberty of Ireland, but did not accomplish much. There were a great many of them, but they could not do anything against the British Army. My father was a member of the Hearts of Steele, and as the British Government had detected the movements of the Society, and was endeavoring to ferret out its members, my father escaped in a vessel and came to America, in the year 1772. He had no brothers. He had only one sister I think her name was Martha (her name was June). She (Jane) married her cousin Joseph Holliday in Ireland. They came to America, and settled in Pennsylvania. Her husband, Joseph Holliday, was killed in Pennsylvania by the falling of a tree, which was cut down for a coon. He was holding the dogs, and, the tree falling the wrong way, killed him. They had two children; one son named Samuel, who has a family of children some where in Ohio. Sam was killed a few years ago, not far from Lebanon, Ohio, on Point Creek. He was hauling a load of joice or rafters, and going down hill, the load slipped forward and killed him; His sister died unmarried. My father¹s sister married a second husband, named Elliott, who had a son who was a Presbyterian Preacher, and a teacher in a college or Seminary at Allegheny City, Pennsylvania. They had a son who is a Physician, Dr. Elliott. My father died in February 1812. I think it was February. I know it was in 1812; and that it was a short time before war was declared. He was fifty-five years of age at the time of his death. My father moved to Kentucky after he was married and had three children, I think it was about 1786, three years before I was born. He settled at the place where I was born, on Gray¹s Run. My father had ten children, five boys and five girls, to-wit: Samuel, William, Sally, Nancy, Martha, Jane, Joseph, Rebecca, James, and John. John died when a small boy. (John Holliday died in 1796 aged 11 months) All are now (1861) dead but three of us, Jane Boyd, who is five years older than I; Rebecca McClintock, who is three years younger than I; and myself. John Boyd and her husband, Irving Boyd, live in Indiana, about fifty miles from Indianapolis, and one mile south of the railroad that goes from Indianapolis to Maton, Ohio. They have two boys, one named Rankin, and the other, I think, is named Irvin. Irvin lives in Illinois, not far west of Terre Haute, Indiana. Rebecca McClintock, widow, has three children living. One, William, lives near Indianapolis; another, Martha Patton, widow, has two boys by her first husband,named Nesbit. She resides in Indiana about twenty miles south of Jane Boyd on the railroad that goes from Indianapolis to Cincinnati, at Greensburg. Her mother lives with her. The third child, Joseph McClintock is now (1861) in California, but talks of returning. He has a wife and children. Sister Martha died unmarried, when she was about sixteen years of age. (Martha Holliday died in 1803 aged 16 years) Sister Sally died early, but left one daughter, her husband was named Alexander Martin. The daughter has been married several years, I don¹t know her husband¹s name. (Sarah Martin died in 1804 aged 20 years) Brother Samuel died near Pendleton Indiana, on Fall River, about 1845. He left about eight children. William, one of his sons, is a preacher, and resides in Indianapolis. Joseph, a lawyer, died a few years ago, while a member of the Legislature of Indiana. John is dead. Two of the girls live about Pendleton, the rest are all dead. One of the sons had prepared himself for the ministry, and on his return home just after he graduated in Pennsylvania, he died. Brother William died on Grassy Creek, near Louisiana, Pike County, Mo. about the year 1830. He left five boys, William, George, Samuel, James, and Joseph; and one daughter, Martha. Sally, another daughter, died young. My brother James died near Clinton, Indiana, about 1830. (He died June 8, 1822) He was a carpenter by trade. He built the Cout (sic) House in Eaton, Ohio. He left two daughters and one son. The son, named Patton Holliday, was killed, when about twenty years old, in the time of the Black Hawk War. (James Patton Holliday died Oct. 18, 1843, aged 20 years & 9 months) He was Lieutenant, and the Military were camping out, drilling at Eton, Ohio, and tried to play a prank on the guard by going through. He was shot with a wad and died a few days later. James two daughters now live in Eaton, Ohio. One married Alfred Denny and the other Dr. Minor. One, I think, is named Fanny, the other Caroline. They were very nice women,--very. EARLY RECOLLECTIONS. The frst thing I can recollect--about the frst thing, was the death of my brother John. I, and some of the other children were sent over to a neighbor¹s house to tell them about his death. I recollect I was very sorry to lose my little brother. About the next thing I can recollect is that my father kept a horse hitched outside the log cabin, with a hole in the wall, through which a chain was passed, which was fastened to the horse¹s neck.The chain was fastened inside, and the rattling of the chain was supposed to awaken my father if the Indians came to attack him. Father had his gun there, too. The Indians came around the house one night, when Father was gone to the salt works, down at Big Bone, in the lower part of Kentucky. My mother put the children, myself among them, in the loft. A young girl of the neighborhood was stayng with mother while father was gone. She was so badly scared that she got under the puncheon floor. I was very much afraid, still I did not sit up all night. Mother did. The Indians chopped with their ³Tom-a-hawks² at the door awhile. We could hear them talking. They were just on a stealing expedition. They stole some horses that night from old Johnny Lair, wholived over Licking, opposite us. Old Hinkson, an Indian fighter, raised some men and followed them, caught up with them near the mouth of the Licking, not far from where Cincinnati now is. Old Hinkson followed their trail, saw smoke rising from their camp, from the top of the ridge, waited until the Indians slept, crawled upand killed nearly all of them and got all the horses back. There were about twelve in all, all were killed except two, and one of them it was thought would die from the blood that was found. I recollect that the men came over to our house, to see the Indians, the next morning after the Indians were there, said it looked like they had been in our cornfield several days. My old friend George Redding was one of the men who came over. SCHOOL DAYS. I don¹t believe I went to school over a year, in my whole life. My first teacher was named Garmony, an Irishman; another teacher¹s name was Hinkson, a relation of the Indian fighter. I got my arm broken, wrestling, while I was going to school to him. Notwithstanding that, I still kept up the practice of wrestling for several years. I was never thrown two best out of three in my life. I can think of a heap of foolishness away back in my life, but I don¹t want it down here.