SERIES OF MONOGRAPHS CONCERNING THE LINCOLNS AND R. Gerald McMurtry LINCOLN ROOM UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY MEMORIAL the Class of 1901 founded by HARLAN HOYT HORNER and HENRIETTA CALHOUN HORNER Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign http://archive.org/details/seriesofmonograpOOmcmu A SERIES OF MONOGRAPHS CONCERNING THE LINCOLNS AND HARDIN COUNTY, KENTUCKY By R. Gerald McMurtry, Director Department of Lincolniana Lincoln Memorial University Harrogate, Tennessee Published in Historic Elizabethtown, Kentucky, The First Home of Lincoln's Parents The County of Lincoln's Birth 7 was born Feb. 12, 1809, near where Hodginsville now is, then in Hardin County. . . " VALUABLE FOR LINCOLN STUDENTS— The publication of this series of monographs will give the Lincoln student a new insight into the events, conditions and environment of Lincoln's childhood years. Newspaper Serial — This series of monographs were originally pre- pared for publication in The Hardin County Enter- prise, an Elizabethtown newspaper. The first article entitled "The Elizabethtown-Lincoln Cabin Site" ap- peared November 23, 1935, and the series was pub- lished weekly, until April 29,1937. In preparing this historical material, the author has presented in an interesting and scholarly manner, numerous events in the study of the Kentucky Lincolns and the history of Hardin County. Unpublished Monograph — Appearing for the first time in this collection of historical articles, is the monograph entitled u The Interest of the Lincolns in the Breed- ing and Racing of Horses." General Content Material — In addition to the numerous Lincoln monographs appearing in this publication, there are .several articles devoted to the history of Hardin County, prominent residents, early visitors and other allied subjects which can be classified as collateral to the Lincoln material. Due to the predominance of Lincoln subjects discussed in this volume, this publication can be classed as a genuine Lincoln item suitable for in- clusion in a Library of Lincolniana. The Author — R. Gerald McMurtry, the author of this work, is recognized as an authority on Lincoln. He is a native of Hardin County, and was for four years Librarian of the Lincoln National Life Foundation of Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is now Director of the Depart- ment of Lincolniana of Lincoln Memorial University at Harrogate, Tennessee. LIBRARIES— PRIVATE, PUBLIC AND REFERENCE LIBRARIES OF LINCOLNIANA, KENTUCKIANA, AMERICANA This volume is well-printed on a high grade paper and is attractively bound. This work will prove to be interesting and valuable for both the Lincoln student and collector of historical works. Now in the Press Ready in Six Weeks The Lincoln student, biographer and historian will find many interesting historical facts in this volume which are newly published and which repre- sent considerable research on the part of the author regarding the Lincolns in Kentucky and the early history of Hardin County. Book — This book includes about thirty-eight separate monographs, and will consist of approximately 200 pages. First Edition — The first edition will consist of only 1000 copies printed in attractive style and nicely bound in hand- some covers. Price $2.50— Priced at $2.50 per copy, and orders will be filled as received until the edition is exhausted. ►^^•KM^X^K^I^*!^ ORDER BLANK ss Ky .193 Enterprise Pre Elizabethtown, Please ship Monographs on Check for to Li address below copies of ncoln and Hardin County/' .,— . inclosed herewith. "A Series of Name Street Citv State... (Note: To insure delivery, orders should reach us not later than Feb- ruary 15th, as more than 500 copies of this first edition already have been subscribed.) A SERIES OF MONOGRAPHS CONCERNING THE LINCOLNS AND HARDIN COUNTY, KENTUCKY By R. Gerald McMurtry Department of Lincolniana Lincoln Memorial University Harrogate, Tennessee Elizabetktown, Kentucky The Enterprise Press 1938 Copyright, 1938 The Enterprise Press Elizabethtown, Kentucky First Printing March 15, 1938 One Thousand Copies CONTENTS I. Thomas Lincoln 1776-1851 1 II. The Elizabethtown-Lincoln Cabin Site 6 III. Sarah Lincoln 15 IV. The Stepmother of Abraham Lincoln 17 V. Christopher Bush, Hardin County Constable 21 VI. Zachariah Riney-Lincoln's First School Teacher 23 VII. Educational Advantages During Lincoln's Residence in Kentucky 25 VIII. Lincoln-Elizabethtown Marriage Contacts 27 IX. Lincoln and the Edwards Family 29 X. Lincoln and John B. Helm — A Traditional Story of Lin- coln's Boyhood in Elizabethtown, Kentucky 31 XL A Traditional Story of Lincoln and John L. Helm 35 XII. Lincoln and Ben Hardin Helm 37 XIII. General Ben Hardin Helm — Elizabethtown's Forgotten Hero 39 XIV. Lincoln Haycraft Letters 41 XV. Lincoln-Haycraft Correspondence — 1860 45 XVI. An Important Lincoln Letter 48 XVII. Lincoln and the Hayerafts 51 XVIII. Duff Green, Elizabethtown Citizen 54 XIX. Lincoln, Green and Buchanan, Three Former Hardin Coun- ty Residents in National Politics in the Year 1860 57 XX. Lincoln and Duff Green— April 1865 60 XXI. Lincoln and the Wintersmiths 62 XXII. The Matrix — An Historical Novel of the Lincolns and Elizabethtown 64 XXIII. The Interest of the Lincolns in the Breeding and Racing of Horses 66 XXIV. Elizabethtown Lawyer — Subject of Sketch by Washington Irving 75 XXV. William P. Duvall in Elizabethtown 77 XXVI. Captain Spier Spencer's Riflemen, "The Yellow Jackets" 79 XXVII. Gilbert Imlay in Hardin County 81 XXVIII. Jacob VanMeter, Senior 83 XXIX. John James Audubon in Hardin County and Elizabeth- town 88 XXX. James Buchanan in Kentucky, 1813 92 XXXI. Elizabethtown's First Patriotic Celebration, 1807 103 XXXII. An Historical Letter Concerning the 1840 Elizabethtown Fair 105 XXXIII. Jenny Lind's Tour of Kentucky, April 1851 107 XXXIV. Ward Murder Trial Ill XXXV. Stirring Events of the Civil War in Elizabethtown and Hardin County 114 XXXVI. Residence of General George A. Custer in Elizabethtown, 1871-1873 119 XXXVII. A Miscellaneous Collection of Historical Facts 124 XXXVIII. A Summary of Facts Concerning the Lincolns in Hardin County 130 Jfarrumri While Mr. R. Gerald McMurtry was engaged in historical research work as librarian of the Lincoln National Life Foundation of Fort Wayne, Indiana, he compiled extensive historical notes pertaining to the Lincolns and Hardin County, Kentucky. Upon his return to his home in Elizabethtown, he was requested to prepare his notes into a series of articles which would appeal to the readers of the Hardin County Enterprise, a semi-weekly newspaper. His first article was published November 28, 1935, and due to the popularity of the monographs the series continued until April 29, 1937. As a result of the interest manifested in these articles, the Enterprise Press has published the work in book form. No attempt has been made to edit the material, except to group the monographs accord- ing to subject. Due to the fact that these articles appeared for publication over an extended period of time, and be- cause each article was composed as a unit, without re- guard as to what had been published before, there is some duplication of subject material. Mr. McMurtry's monographs are a distinct con- tribution to the study of Hardin County and Kentucky. From these monographs, students of history and cit- izens residing in the first home of Lincoln's parents and the original county of Lincoln's birth, will receive a new insight into the events, conditions and environ- ment of Lincoln's childhood years. Wesley E. Carter, Publisher. Enterprise Press March 21, 1938. Thomas Lincoln 1776-1851 "IT' EW characters in history have been so maliciously criticized as ■*- Thomas Lincoln. Probably no man deserved criticism less. Early biographers of Abraham Lincoln have delighted in making his father an arch-villain; modern biographers have followed the same trend of thought. By lowering their readers* estimation of Lincoln's father, they hope to contrast the greatness of his son. Thomas Lincoln was born in 1776, the son of Captain Abraham Lincoln, a well-to-do Virginia planter and Revolutionary soldier. Captain Lincoln, having the true spirit of a pioneer, left his estate in Virginia in the year 1782 and migrated westward with his family to the "Kentuckie Countrie," which was being settled by pioneers from the adjoining states and territories. When Thomas Lincoln was ten years old his father was massacred by an Indian who was with a raiding party of savages engaged in an attack against the white settlements near Louisville. Thomas Lincoln, according to tradition, was with his father at the time of his death and in all probability would have been killed if Mordecai, his older brother, had not immediately shot the savage. After the death of the father, the widowed mother with her five children left their Jefferson county homestead and moved to the ad- joining county of Washington. If there was any property to be in- herited by Captain Lincoln's survivors the English law of primogeniture would have made the older son, Mordecai, the heir. Thomas was the youngest son. There is evidence, however, which leads one to believe that Mordecai made some settlement with the other members of his family. 7k ^^a. JU Z<^#^~~ U a^coI , i &U^* I860 Hon. Samuel Haycraft, Dear Sir: Your second letter, dated May 31st, is received. You suggest that a visit to the place of my nativity might be pleasant to me. Indeed it would. But would it be safe? Would not the people lynch me? The place on Knob Creek, mentioned by Mr. Read, I re- member very well; but I was not born there. As my parents have told me, I was born on Nolin, very much nearer Hodgen y s Mill than the Knob Creek place is. My earliest recollection, however, is of the Knob Creek place. Like you, I belonged to the Whig party from its origin to its close. I never belonged to the American party organization; nor ever to a party called a Union party, though I hope I neither am, nor ever have been, less devoted to the Union than yourself or any other patriotic man. It may be altogether without interest to let you know that my wife is a daughter of the late Robert S. Todd, of Lexington, Ky., and that a half-sister of hers is the wife of Ben Hardin Helm, born and raised at your town, but residing at Louisville now, as I believe. Yours very truly, A. Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was born on the South Fork of Nolin River. This river has more bends and turns than any other river in the United States according to a report issued by the United States Geological Survey in March, 1932. The river winds twenty miles to the air line distance of six miles. There is a tradition that an early pioneer named Linn disappeared while in the vicinity of the river; probably he was drowned or killed by the Indians, and as the searchers reported "No Linn" the name Nolin was given to the river. Exhibit Three Springfield, III., Aug. 16, 1860 Hon. Samuel Hay craft, My Dccw Sir: A correspondent of the New York Herald, who was here a week writing to that paper, represents me as saying I have been invited to visit Kentucky, but that I suspected it was a trap to inveigle me into Kentucky in order to do violence to me. This is wholly a mistake. I said no such thing. I do not remember, but I did possibly mention my correspondence with you, but very certainly I was not guilty of stating or intimating a suspicion of any intended violence, deception, or other wrong against me by you or any other Kentuckian. Thinking this Herald correspondence must reach you, I think it due to myself to enter my protest against this part of it. I scarcely think the correspondent was malicious, but rather that he misused what was said. Yours very truly, A. Lincoln. Exhibit Four Springfield, III., August 23, 1860 Hon. Samuel Hay craft, My Dear Sir: Yours of the 19th just received. I now fear I may have given you some uneasiness by my last letter. I did not mean to intimate that I had, to any extent, been involved or embarrassed by you; nor yet to draw from you anything to relieve myself from diffi- culty. My only object was to assure you that I had not, as represented by the Herald correspondent, charged you with an attempt to inveigle me into Kentucky to do me violence. I believe no such thing of you or of Kentuckians generally; and I dislike to be represented to them as slandering them in any way. Yours very truly, A. Lincoln. Immediately after Lincoln's election Samuel Haycraft, Jr., no doubt wrote to Lincoln asking him to use his influence in securing the position of postmaster of Elizabethtown for D. C. S. Wintersmith. R. L. Winter smith, Sr., voted for Lincoln in his first campaign for the presidency, and he was the only man living in Elizabethtown to cast his vote for Lincoln. Immediately after Lincoln's election, he went to Washington and called upon the President, and while there he secured the appointment of his son, D. C. S. Wintersmith, to the office of post- master of Elizabethtown. Exhibit Five Springfield, III., Nov. 13, 1860 Hon. Samuel Haycraft, My Dear Sir: Yours of the 9th is just received. I can only answer briefly. Rest assured fully that the good people of the South, who will put themselves in the same temper and mood toward me which you do, will find no cause to complain of me. While I cannot, as yet, make, any committal as to offices, I sincerely hope I may find it in my power to oblige the friends of Mr. Wintersmith. Yours very truly, A. Lincoln. U Lincoln-Haycraft Correspondence 1860 ' fTIHE five letters which Samuel Haycraft, Jr., received from Abraham ■*- Lincoln in the year 1860 have been of great historical value to stu- dents making a study of the early life of the sixteenth President. This correspondence is also of interest because of the political significance at- tributed to certain statements made by Lincoln regarding a visit to Ken- tucky, which became a topic of propaganda at the time of his presidential campaign. On May 31, 1860, Haycraft wrote to Lincoln at Springfield, Illinois, and asked him, among other things, if it would not be agreeable to him to visit the scenes of his childhood. Lincoln facetiously replied to Haycraft concerning such a visit, probably because of the unfavorable reports he had heard concerning his chances in Kentucky in the coming presidential election. The reply which Lincoln made to Haycraft is in part as follows: "You suggest that a visit to the place of my nativity might be pleasant to me. Indeed it would. But would it be safe? Would not the people lynch me?" During the time that Lincoln and Haycraft were corresponding, a reporter for the New York Herald was living for a week in Spring- field, writing personal and political sketches about Lincoln for his newspaper. On August 8, 1860, the following paragraph appeared in the Herald: "He (Lincoln) had, he said, on an occasion been invited to go into Kentucky and revisit some of the scenes with whose history his father in his lifetime had been identified. On asking by letter whether "Judge Lynch" would be present he received no response and he therefore came to the conclusion that the in- vitation was a trap laid by some designing person to inveigle him into a slave state for the purpose of doing violence to his person." On August 16th, Lincoln wrote to Haycraft as follows: "A correspondent of the New York Herald, who was here a week writing to that paper, represents me at saying I have been invited to visit Kentucky, but that I suspect it was a trap 45 to inveigle me into Kentucky in order to do violence to me. This is wholly a mistake. I said no such thing. I do not remember, but I did possibly mention my correspondence with you, but very certainly I was not guilty of stating or intimat- ing a suspicion of any intended violence, deception, or any other wrong against me by you or any other Kentuckian. Thinking this Herald correspondence must reach you, I think it due to myself to enter my protest against this part of it. I scarcely think the correspondent was malicious, but rather that he misused what was said." So concerned was Lincoln in regard to the misinterpretation of his letter, and statement to the Herald correspondent, that he wrote to Mr. George G. Fagg, who was then a member of the Republican National Committee, enclosing a New York Herald clipping concerning the mat- ter, with the following statement: "This is decidedly wrong. I did not say it. I do not impugn the correspondent. I suppose he misconceived the statement from the following incident. Soon after the Chicago nomination, I was written to by a highly respected gentleman of Hardin county, Ky., inquiring if I was a son of Thomas Lincoln, whom he had known long ago in that county. I answered that I was, and that I was myself born there. He wrote again, and among other things, (did not invite me) but simply inquired if it would not be agreeable to me to revisit the scenes of my child- hood. I replied among other things, it would indeed, but would you not lynch me? He did not write again. I have play- fully (and never otherwise) related this incident several times; and I suppose I did so to the Herald correspondent, though I do not remember it. If I did, it is all that I did say from which the correspondent could have inferred his statement. Now I dis- like, exceedingly, for Kentuckians to understand that I am charging them with a purpose to inveigle me, and do violence to me. Yet I cannot go into the newspapers. Would not the editor of the Herald, upon being shown this letter, insert the enclosed scrap? Please try him, unless you perceive some sufficient reason to the contrary. In no event, let my name be publicly used." CORRECTION "We have such assurances as satisfies us that our correspondent writing from Springfield, Illinois, under date of August 8, was mistaken in representing Mr. Lincoln as expressing a suspicion of a design to inveigle him into Kentucky for the purpose of doing him violence. Mr. Lincoln neither entertains^ nor has intended to express any such suspicion" After the publication of the correction in the Herald, Lincoln wrote to Fagg thanking him for his interest in the matter. He stated in his letter that he was greatly annoyed by the publicity this comical state- ment had received. However, in his letter to Fagg he said that he intend- ed to let the subject run its course. Lincoln, after receiving Haycraft's letter dated August 19th, wrote to Haycraft on August 23rd, and gave a further explanation of his state- ment, which is as follows: "Yours of the 19th just received. I now fear I may have given you some uneasiness by my last letter. I did not mean to intimate that I had, to any extent, been involved or embarrassed by you; nor yet to draw from anything to relieve myself from difficulty. My only object was to assure you that I had not f as represented by the Herald correspondent, charged you with an attempt to inveigle me into Kentucky to do me violence. I believe no such thing of you or of Kentuckians generally; and I dislike to be represented to them as slandering them in any way." Haycraft, it appears, was not greatly concerned with the misinter- pretation of Lincoln's statement and letter because on the 19th of October he again wrote to Lincoln. On the 13th of November, Lincoln answered Haycraft which indicates that a good feeling existed between the two men. In this letter Lincoln has the following to say concerning his coming administration: "Rest assured fully that the good people of the South, who will put themselves in the same temper and mood towards me which you do will find no cause to complain of me." It is an odd coincidence that Elizabethtown, which was so closely identified with Lincoln's early childhood, should suddenly become a topic for pre-election campaign propaganda because of a humorous letter and joking statement regarding a visit to the scenes of his early home, Elizabethtown, duo to this incident and several other important occur- rences, probably assumed greater national political significance in 1860 than at any other time since its existence. 47 An Important Lincoln Letter AN several different occasions the letters which Abraham Lincoln ^-^ wrote to Samuel Haycraft, Junior, of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, have received considerable notice. These letters have been discussed from both an historical and political point of view; however, because of the importance of the May 28, 1860 communication in the study of general Lincolniana it is believed that additional discussion will prove cf interest, regarding the most important letter of the five received by Haycraft. This interesting letter was sent to Samuel Haycraft by Lincoln only two weeks after his nomination at the Republican Convention at Chicago for the presidency. The letter was in answer to one received from Haycraft, who made inquiries regarding his birth and family, and his connection with Elizabethtown and Hardin county. In response Lincoln answered the questions and then recalled circumstances of an early common environment with which he and his correspondent were familiar. Letters of presidents of the United States giving their early history, family connections and birth date are extremely rare. Recently an autograph dealer stated that a Lincoln letter as described above, and without a doubt the Lincoln-Haycraft letter of May 28, 1860, sold for $1900.00 in the year 1926. The Lincoln letters received by Haycraft were prized family heirlooms, and they were owned in 1911 by Mrs. Sallie H. Morton, of Owensboro, Kentucky, who was a granddaughter of Mr. Haycraft. Henry Morton, a great-grandson of Samuel Haycraft, sold the May 28, 1860 letter to a New York commission agent for $500.00. According to newspaper accounts published February 12, 1920, con- cerning this letter, it is related that the New York commission agent that acquired the document from the Haycraft family was a Mr. J. P. Horn. The letter next became the property of the noted antiquarian, Thcmas F. Madigan, of New York City. The late Mr. Madigan made the statement that in all of his many years experience collecting Lincoln letters, he had never before seen or heard of an original letter of Lincoln's in which he set forth in his own handwriting the date and place of his birth, and the names of his father, mother and stepmother. In answer to Haycraft's inquiries, Lincoln established without ques- tion documentary evidence concerning his parents and the place ?nd U8 date of his birth. The truth of his statements should not be challenged, and the claims of other communities desiring to establish Lincoln birth sites should be dismissed without comment. In his own words written to Haycraft, Lincoln has given to posterity the most essential facts con- cerning his parentage and childhood, which stand firmly against critical historians who desire to change the facts of history. The envelope which contained the letter, and which bears a Spring- field, Illinois, cancellation stamp, is also extant and is addressed as follows: Hon. Samuel Haycraft Elizabeth - Town Kentucky. It is not surprising that Lincoln separated the word Elizabethtown, as the town was first called Elizabeth, Elizabeth Town Court House, Elizabeth - Town and eventually Elizabethtown. Mistakes in spelling are to be noted in Lincoln's first letter to Hay- craft. When he first mentioned the name of his stepmother, he cor- rectly spelled her name JOHNSTON, while in the second mention of her name he incorrectly spelled her name JOHNSON. It is also of interest to note that he spelled Hodgenville incorrectly, the name being spelled HOGGINSVILLE. In referring to his step-mother, Sarah Bush Johnston, he called her Mrs. Sally Johnston, using the name by which she was commonly known. A copy of the letter with the mistakes un- derscored is as follow: Springfield, Ills., May 28, 1860. Hon. Saml. Haycraft Dear Sir: Your recent letter, without date, is received. Also the copy of your speech on the contemplated Daniel Boone Monument, which I have not yet had time to read. In the main you are right about my history. My father was Thomas Lincoln, and Mrs. Sally Johnston, was his second wife. You arc mistaken about my mother — her maiden name was Nancy Hanks. I was not born at Elizabethtown, but my mother's first child, a daughter, two years older than myself, and now long deceased, was. I was born Feb. 12, 1809, near where Hogginsville now is, then in Hardin county. I do not think I ever saw you, though I very well know who you are — so well that I recognized your hand-writing, on opening your letter, before I saw the signature. My recollection is that Ben Helm was first clerk, 49 that you succeeded kirn, that Jack Thomas and William Far- leigh graduated in the same office, and that your handwritings were all very similar. Am I right? My father has been dead near ten years; but my stepmother , (Mrs. Johnson) is still living. I am really very glad of your letter and shall be pleased to receive another at any time. Yours very truly, A. Lincoln. 50 Lincoln and the Haycraits npHE first connection between the Lincolns and Haycrafts was in the ■*■ year 1796 when Thomas Lincoln was employed by Samuel Hay- craft, Sr., to excavate ground for a mill race located just outside of the city limits of Elizabethtown. For this work Thomas Lincoln re- ceived on his first pay day the sum of thirty-nine shillings. Haycraft paid Lincoln three shillings a day or four or five shillings a rod, depending on the condition of the soil. The incomplete records of Haycraft's account book show that Lincoln received twenty-six pounds for this work. It is likely that the friendship created between the employer and employee during Lincoln's first residence in Elizabethtown was respon- sible for his return to the town in 1802. Through this early contact with Thomas Lincoln, Samuel Haycraft, Jr., the son of the elder Hay- craft, because interested in later years in the Lincoln family. Hay- craft, Jr., was born in 1795 and was twenty-one years old when the Lincolns migrated from Hardin County, Kentucky to Indiana. Haycraft's long public service commenced when he was fourteen years of age when he began to write in the office of the County Court Clerk and the Circuit Court Clerk of Hardin county. In 1816 he re- ceived the appointment of clerk of both courts and continued in this office until 1857. In this public office Haycraft became acquainted with Thomas Lincoln, who. due to numerous land suits and his positions with the county, frequented the court house on many occasions. Many public documents in which Thomas Lincoln had an interest bear the name of Samuel Haycraft. One has been discovered where Thomas Lincoln signed his name as a witness to a promissory note made payable to Samuel Haycraft, Sr. It is to be supposed that Haycraft, Jr., may have seen young Abra- ham sometime during his seven-year residence in Kentucky when he came to Elizabethtown with his father, which he likely did on many occasions. At this time no particular attention was paid to the Lincolns and if Haycraft saw Abraham Lincoln he did not recall it. In 1860 it was recalled by many citizens of Hardin county and Eliz- abethtown that the Republican nominee for the presidency once resided in the county. Haycraft, who was a prolific writer and historian, be- came interested in Lincoln's connection with Elizabethtown. In May 51 1860 Haycraft wrote to Lincoln regarding his Hardin county residence and Lincoln replied giving him the information he desired. The interesting fact concerning Lincoln's first letter to Haycraft is that he recognized Haycraft's handwriting. His letter in part is as follows : "I do not think I ever saw you, though I very well know who you are — so well that I recognized your handwriting, on opening your letter, before I saw the signature. My recollection is that Ben Helm was the first clerk, that you succeeded him, that Jack Thomas and William Farleigh graduated in the same office, and that your handwritings were all very similar." The question arises, how could Lincoln after so many years recognize Haycraft's writing. An explanation would be that Thomas Lincoln acquired in his many Hardin County Court transactions considerable paper, and Abraham likely in his youth assisted his father in his ac- counts and probably on numerous occasions read these documents written in Haycraft's hand. The court documents in that early day were written in long hand and it is not at all unlikely that Lincoln would become familiar with these records. It is mere supposition to say that Lincoln's first desire to read and write may have come from a desire to read these early court documents by Haycraft. In June 1860 Lincoln and Haycraft continued their correspondence, and eventually they became friends, even though they were not of the same political thought. Due to Haycraft's interest in the history of Elizabethtown, he inquired cf Lincoln concerning his ancestry and par- entage. As a result of this information concerning the Lincoln family and his descriptions concerning the town and the contemporaries of Lincoln's father of that early period, his book entitled "Haycraft's History of Elizabethtown, Kentucky" has become a source book of re- pute. Practically all the late biographers of Lincoln quote Haycraft on numerous occasions, and the earlier writers either visited Elizabeth- town to interview him or they corresponded with him concerning the Lincolns. In the notes of Albert J. Beveridge's book entitled "Abraham Lincoln" the following information is found about Haycraft: "... Samuel Haycraft of Elizabethtown, Ky., is a wit- ness of the highest possible credibility. No more esteemed and trusted man lived in Hardin county, where he was clerk of both county and circuit courts from 1816 to 1857 inclusive, 52 a member of the Kentucky State Senate and one of the most determined . . . supporters of the Union. Haycraft knew per- sonally those of whom he writes; . . . was a staunch friend of President Lincoln." Due to the Lincoln-Haycraft correspondence and Haycraft's early contacts with Lincoln's father, it is likely that he was the best informed person in Hardin county at that time concerning Abraham Lincoln's early years in Kentucky. The friendship which developed between the two men likely brought Elizabethtown closer attention from the chief executive of the United States than it had ever before received. 53 Duff Green-Elizabethtown Citizen ~¥~\ UFF Green was one of the most distinguished and versatile men *-* that ever resided in Elizabethtown. He was a school teacher, soldier, merchant, politician, diplomat and statesman. His accomplish- ments were outstanding and unique, and all that he lacks today for enduring fame is a competent biographer to exploit his achievements. So varied were his interests and so colorful was the period in which he lived, an account of his life would rival in interest a study of such a character as Cassius Marcellus Clay, whose career was not unlike the subject of this sketch. This extraordinary character was aspiring and ambitious and his various political positions caused him to become a national figure with an international reputation. His residence in Elizabethtown was not of long duration, but it was here that his political character was formed in a large measure, and it was during his Elizabethtown residence that he made a successful marriage into a distinguished family. He was close- ly associated with the early town, and on account of the conspicious positions he eventually attained, his life is of unusual interest to Ken- tuckians. He was a son of William Green, and was born in Woodford County, Kentucky, on August 15, 1791. "When he was about twenty one years of age he was employed by the Elzabethtcwn Academy as a teacher, and he remained in this position until August 28, 1816. About one year after his arrival in Elizabethtown, Green married on November 25, 1813, Lucretia Edwards, a sister of Governor Ninian Edwards, the first terri- torial governor of Illinois. As a teacher in the Elizabethtown Academy, young Green was a strict disciplinarian, making free use of the rod, which resulted in the organization of a fine school. By showing no partiality among his pupils, offenders of the school rules were punished, and the rich and poor alike at times suffered severe chastisement. Such measures re- sulted in the punishment of a future governor of Kentucky, John L. Helm, who swore vengeance against the exacting teacher, but forgot the incident in later life, in respect for the ability and character of the man. After four years of teaching in the Elizabethtown Academy, Green volunteered as a soldier in the company called the Yellow Jackets, under the command of W. P. Duvall, a lawyer and member of the Elizabeth- U town bar, who later became Governor of Florida. The Yellow Jackets went on a campaign up the Wabash River against the Indians, and in all engagements Green showed great skill and gallantry. On one oc- casion during this Indian warfare his horse was shot in the neck while he was mounted and in action. Upon returning from the Wabash campaign Green formed a partner- ship in an Elizabethtown mercantile firm with Major Ben Helm. Shortly afterwards Green received an appointment as surveyor of public lands in Missouri, and while engaged in this work he was commissioned a general in the militia. Upon receiving the government appointment, he sold hi.s store and left Elizabethtown in the year 1817, having resided here about six years. Advancement was rapid in the career of Duff Green, and during the years following 1817 he became one of the nation's most influential men in the activities cf the government. He received considerable patronage and became the government printer. While engaged as a publisher and as editor of the United States Telegraph at Washington, the confident- ial organ cf the Jackson Administration, he wrote several books on politi- cal subjects under the name of Beverly Tucker of Virginia, using his own name as publisher. One of his publications was entitled "A Key to the Disunion Conspiracy by Beverly Tucker, of Virginia, secretly printed in Washington in the year 1836 by Duff Green for Circulation in the Southern States." Duff Green became one of the most powerful politicians in the nation and as confidential adviser to President Andrew Jackson, he became known as a member of the President's "Kitchen Cabinet." This cabinet was composed of the following men: Duff Green, Editor of United States Telegraph, Washington, D. C. ; Major William B. Lewis, Second Auditor of the Treasury, Nashville, Tenn.; Isaac Hill, Editor of the New Hampshire Patriot, N. H.; and Amos Kendall, Fourth Auditor of the Treasury, Ky. The political career of Green was of a hazardous nature. He did not adhere to strict party lines and his decisions and political maneuvers required keen thinking and judgment in order to retain his power. In 1830 upon the alienation of John C. Calhoun, he took sides with the vice-president. He supported Henry Clay for the presidency in 1832 and Mr. Calhoun in 1836. Through all elections and political upheavals he came through each time stronger than before and was always a force with which opposing parties had to contend. Through the succeeding administrations after Andrew Jackson, Duff Green played a conspicuous part. Sometimes his role was that of a 55 political boss and at ether times he held elective offices, achieving po- sitions as high as the Congress of the United States. On one occasion he took upon himself the responsibility of an unofficial ambassador and went to London and interviewed members of the British Cabinet. He suggested policies of international scope which he advocated and his party desired. The strong political position of Duff Green continued uninterrupted in the national government up until the election of Abraham Lincoln, at which time he was completely shorn cf all power and prestige. This revolutionary political change so disheartened him that he became be- wildered and dejected, and after several years of forced seclusion and retirement, General Green died on June 10, 1875, a broken man, un- honored and forgotten. If at some future date, a biographical study of Duff Green is made by a competent author, Elizabethtown will necessarily receive adequate study as an important factor in the development of this extraordinary character. Lincoln, Green, and Buchanan THREE FORMER HARDIN COUNTY RESIDENTS IN NATIONAL POLITICS IN THE YEAR 1860 np HE fact is not generally known that in December 1860 the fate of ■*- the Union in a large measure rested in the hands of three former citizens of Hardin County, Kentucky. The three men most prominent in the public eye during these critical months were James Buchanan, the President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, the President- elect, and Duff Green, a Southern political leader of long standing. All three of these men had been residents of Hardin county and for several months during the year 1813 all three were living at the same time within the county's limits. It is generally known that the first seven years of Lincoln's life were spent in original Hardin county, but the fact has seldom been mentioned that James Buchanan, the future fifteenth president, was also a resident of this county during the year 1813. Green came to Eliza- bethtown in the latter part of the year 1812 and opened a school, which by a coincidence brought together in the same county and within a twenty-mile radius three future national political statesmen, two of whom became presidents of the United States. While Green resided in Elizabethtown, he married Lucretia Edwards, a sister of Governor Edwards. Mrs. Green's nephew, Ninian Wirt Ed- wards, and Abraham Lincoln married sisters and this family alliance led to a warm personal friendship between Mr. Lincoln and General Green. So close was the friendship of the Lincolns and Greens that when Abra- ham Lincoln went to Washington in 1847 as a member of Congress from Illinois he took up his residence in Carroll Place, then known as "Green's Eow" in order that he might be near General Green and his wife near Mrs. Green. President James Buchanan knew of the friendly relations that ex- isted between Green and Lincoln, and being a Democrat and pro- slavery, and knowing of Green's zeal for the Southern cause, he selected him as his envoy to Springfield, Illinois, with an urgent invitation to Lincoln to come immediately to the capital, with assurances that he would be received and treated with all due respect. The object of the 57 invitation, which Green explained to Lineoln, was that they might con- sult and act in concert to "save the Union without bloodshed." Such an invitation by Buchanan, whether the proposition came by authority or not, was quite a problem to Lincoln. He could not publicly question the truth of the envoy or the nature of his mission. The scheme was adroitly planned, and General Green's whole aim was to induce Lincoln to assume responsibility of the revolt in the South. Such a maneuver by Buchanan and Green, had it proved successful, would have been a great detriment to Lincoln upon his induction to the office of the presidency. When the proposition was first submitted to Lincoln, Green was greatly encouraged in his belief that Lincoln would accept, in order to ease the unfavorable sentiment that was daily growing in the South as a result of his election. One thing, however, interfered with the plan ; Lincoln had an appointment with Senator Ben Wade, whom he was expecting by every train. Green probably assumed that he would start to Washington as soon as he had met that appointment. Senator Wade eventually came and upon hearing of Lincoln's invitation to Washington, he immediately opposed such a trip. Lincoln in due time declined President Buchanan's invitation. The failure of the scheme did not discourage Duff Green, who next sought to obtain from Mr. Lincoln a letter which could be used in the Southern states to offset the "State Convention" and "Cooper Institute" speeches of Lincoln in which he emphatically stated "this government cannot endure permanently, half slave and half free." Such a state- ment led the South to believe that Lincoln and his party meant to destroy the institution of slavery and Green hoped to satisfy the South that they had no reason to fear any attempts to emancipate their slaves. In this he also failed because the carefully worded letter which Lincoln wrote to General Green was first sent to Senator Trumbull to be de- livered "if, on consultation, our friends, including yourself, think it can do no harm." Senator Trumbull and the friends of Lincoln in- tercepted the letter and Green had nothing tangible to work with. Thus the two very elaborate and wily schemes, that might have changed the whole aspect of Lincoln's administration from 1861 to 1865, were com- pletely foiled. It is likely that Lincoln saw clearly through the plans, but by his courteous interest he was able to diplomatically handle the propositions of General Green. Due to his friendship with Green and the warm per- sonal friendship between Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Green, Lincoln managed the situation in the best possible manner without openly antagonizing 58 Green and the prominent political friends of Buchanan. Such political schemes and maneuvers show what intricate problems Lincoln was com- pelled to deal with immediately after his election. However, the unusual and unique fact is that original Hardin county in the year 1813 had not one but three men living within its limits who were destined to play prominent roles in the beginning of the most drastic and critical period of the nation's existence. 59 Lincoln and Duff Green April, 1865 A T THE close of the Civil War the friendly relations that had pre- **■ viously existed between Abraham Lincoln and Duff Green, two form- er residents of Hardin county, came to an abrupt end. The immense party power that Green had exerted on the national government drew to a close with the secession of the southern states. The two men parted personal friends but political enemies. As to the relationship between Mrs. Green and Mrs. Lincoln little is known. However, it is likely they eventually grew apart in friendship, due to the fact that they were in sympathy with opposing sides and because they were living in differ- ent sections of the United States. The personal friendship between Lincoln and Green continued until April 5, 1865, which was the date of their last meeting, which took place on board the steamship, Malvern, at Richmond, Virginia. Nine days before his assassination, Lincoln was in Richmond spending considerable time on the flagship, Malvern, under the command of Admiral David D. Porter. On April 4, 1865, after Lincoln had visited the evacuated city of Richmond, he came on board the ship in order to rest after a great celebration that had been staged in that city by the Union sympathizers. On the night of the same date Lincoln and Admiral Porter were told that a messenger wished to ccme abroad bearing messages from General Grant for the president. Upon investigating, it was decided that he was a bogus dispatch bearer and he was refused admission to the boat. This messenger was a tall man with a black mustache who wore a slouch hat and a long coat. He resembled John Wilkes Booth, it was later recalled. On the morning of April 5, 1865, a man appeared on the shore dressed in gray homespun, carrying a large staff about six feet long. This staff could have been used as a very effective weapon. He hailed the boat and upon being asked who he was and what he wanted, he said, "I am Duff Green, and I want to see Abraham Lincoln, and my business concerns myself alone." Just as he was about to be sent away Lincoln said, "Duff is an old friend of mine, and I would like to talk to him." Before entering the president's quarters, Green was requested to throw way his staff, which he did. When he approached the president, 60 Lincoln sprang to his feet with the exclamation, "My dear old friend, can I do anything for you?" and extended his hand. Green refused it, stating that now he was his enemy. A heated outburst of condemnation came from Green. When the president could stand it no longer he stepped forward and ordered him from the ship. Green was put into a boat and taken to the shore. The Malvern next proceeded to get underway and headed its course to City Point. A few days later Lincoln returned to Washington, and on April 14th he was assassinated by Booth. No definite charges were ever established against Duff Green and absolutely no connection be- tween him and the conspiracy to assassinate Lincoln ever existed. The reason for the visit of Duff Green to the president's ship will likely never be determined. Whether he intended to kill the president with the staff or whether he hoped to make one more plea for the Con- federacy is not known. It is likely that this meeting was an outburst of passion coming from a broken man, who had failed in his attempt to save the southern cause. This Lincoln-Green episode is rather a unique coincidence because of the fact that both men had lived at the same time in Hardin County, Kentucky. This incident again indirectly linked Abraham Lincoln with the county in which he was born, and in -which his parents and relatives lived for several years. 61 Lincoln and the Wintersmiths nnHE Wintersmiths were the only Elizabethtown family to receive ■*• government patronage during Lincoln's administration. Such patronage resulted from the fact that Robert L. Wintersmith, Sr., was the only Elizabethtown resident to cast his vote for Lincoln in the 1860 presidential campaign. No candidate cf a prominent political party ever received as few votes for the presidency as Lincoln did in Hardin county in his two presidential campaigns. This county was the first home of Lincoln's parents and here many of his relatives lived, but out of 2,091 votes cast in 1860 only .six were for Lincoln. Robert L. Wintersmith, Sr., during Lincoln's administration was a prominent Elizabethtown merchant. His father was Horatio Gates Wintersmith, who had come to Kentucky from Martinsburg, Virginia, with Major James Crutcher in 1806. Horatio G. Wintersmith was married three timers, and Robert L. was born to his first wife, who was before her marriage Elizabeth Hodgen, a daughter of Robert Hodgen. Robert Hodgen and Thomas Lincoln, the father of Abraham Lincoln, were neighbors in Larue county during the time the Lincolns were living in Kentucky. Immediately after Lincoln's election, Samuel Haycraft, Jr., the Hardin County Court Clerk, knowing of Mr. Wintersmith's zeal for the Republican party, wrote to Lincoln asking him to use his influence in securing the position of postmaster cf Elizabethtown for his son, D. C. S. Wintersmith. Lincoln in a letter to Haycraft, written from Springfield, Illinois, seven days after his election to the presidency, had the following to say regarding the position: "While I cannot , as yet, make any committal as to offices, I sincerely hope I may find it in my povjer to oblige the f mends of Mr. Winter smith." Robert L. Wintersmith, Sr., immediately after Lincoln's inaugural went to Washington and called upon the president, and while there he secured the appointment for his son to the office of Elizabethtown postmaster. It is to be supposed that this family greatly appreciated Lincoln's influence in securing the appointment and likely remained staunch supporters of his administration throughout the Civil War. Charles G. Wintersmith, a (full) brother of Robert L. Wintersmith, Sr., was not of the same political thought. This brother was a Dem- ocrat and was wholly out of sympathy with the Republican administra- tion. Charles G. Wintersmith, having served as Judge of the Court of Common Pleas and as a member of the Kentucky Legislature, took great interest in national political affairs. Due to his prominence as a lawyer he was well known throughout the state, and he was well informed con- cerning political questions. This prominent Kentucky Democrat, on February 23, 1863, wrote a six-page letter to Governor Seymour, of New York, commending the Governor for the "bold, patriotic and statesman like sentiments and doctrines" contained in his inaugural message to the New York Legis lature. He stated that the opponents of secession have been led on by the government until they have become merely the instruments of the "infamous designs and plans of Abolitionism and allowed themselves to be its voting and armed defenders." Mr. Wintersmith suggested the advisability of withdrawing "this Conservative element from an active support of Abolitionism," for as he said, "it never has assisted Seces- sionism." He inquired in his letter: "... Could not the Conservative democratic true Union men of the country, unite in Legislative resolves, with preparation to sustain them, that the two proclamations of the President (Lincoln), one declaring martial law over the whole country and the other for the emancipation of seven-eights of the African slaves of the South, are unconstitutional, void and infamous, etc." Whether Governor Seymour in answer to Mr. Wintersmith made any statements regarding the Lincoln administration or whether he agreed with the Elizabethtown citizen is not known. However, it is un- usual that two brothers should be so different in political thought. It is not unusual that Charles G. Wintersmith should be in sympathy with the South, but in that early day it must have taken great courage for Robert L. Wintersmith, Sr., to have voted for Lincoln, who was at that time so greatly in disfavor with the people of Kentucky. 63 The Matrix AN HISTORICAL NOVEL OF THE LINCOLNS AND ELIZABETHTOWN AN HISTORICAL novel was published in 1920 by the Century Com- pany of New York, entitled "The Matrix." This 260-page publica- tion, written by Maria Thompson Daviess, attempts to reconstruct the romance of Nancy Hanks and Thomas Lincoln, the parents of Abraham Lincoln. This publication is considered an item of Lincolniana, and is to be found in practically every important Lincoln library in the country. As the setting of the major part of the story is laid in Elizabethtown, the book naturally is of interest to Hardin county citizens. In the foreword of the book, the novelist states that the romance of Lincoln's parents was one of the foundation stones of our democracy, and for that reason she has built her story around the traditions of the event that still remain. She further states that she "has dug deep into all legends and collected as much as possible of documentary evidence." Her inspiration for the story is based on the fact that "she was born and reared in the same little Bluegrass Valley which was the cradle of the great romance." In building up a documentary background for her work she cites the fact that her story agrees with the findings of the genealogists, Hannah Daviess Pittman and Caroline Hanks Hitchcock. After reading the foreword of "The Matrix" one, historically inclined, would naturally expect a most interesting story of the Lincolns and old Elizabethtown, but such expectations quickly fade. While it is true that an author may use "Poetic License" in a sense, nevertheless, the main theme of this story does not coincide with the historic facts that are so well established by all Lincoln biographers of importance. The most outstanding error in the book is that of the slavery question which the novelist injects into the story. There was no intensive slavery issue during the childhood of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks, and the father of the 16th President was never so zealous an ad- vocate of emancipation, or the first Kentucky abolitionist as he is pic- tured by the novelist. The writer of this book appears to have little knowledge of pioneer 6U life, and in many instances she puts the theme of the story a generation removed from the period of courtship of Lincoln's parents. In numerous cases she mentions cotton patches as being cultivated in Hardin county, and she has pioneer citizens gathering sassafras roots for cattle. Mole skin robes appear to have been an important item in every household, and no pioneer home was without a water pump. Elizabethtown is in- correctly described as being located at what was originally called Pleasant Grove, and according to the novelist the town boasted of a bank (first Elizabethtown bank was founded in 1818) before the mar- riage of Lincoln's parents in the year 1806. In summing up the motivating theme of the story it is readily notice- able that the novelist attempted to make Nancy Hanks a young idealist, and a moving force of Abraham Lincoln's personality. Nancy Hanks is described as being the most popular citizen of Elizabethtown. She could break spirited Kentucky horses, weave superb cloth, and twist the hearts of the Elizabethtown swains around her finger at will. Thomas Lincoln is described as being an awkward, ignorant "scion of the Lin- colns, gone to seed." While this novel may be of interest to many who wish to read a simple pioneer story, it can never be of any importance to historians who attempt to glean the true facts of history and biography. It is, however, an interesting fact that Elizabethtown was used as a setting for a novel, and this publication adds a link in the chain of the importance of Elizabethtown in the early history of our state and nation. 65 The Interest of the Lincolns in the Breeding and Racing of Horses rjlHE Lincoln family, like the majority of early Kentucky pioneers, ■"- were interested in good horseflesh. The President's father and uncle, while living in the "Kentucky Countrie," were able in a small measure to make a contribution in the improvement of the blood lines of Kentucky horses. This early interest in horses, manifested by tKe first Kentuckians, accounts for the Blue Grass State's present-day fame on the turf. This interest in blooded horses was handed down from father to son in the Lincoln family. While it is true that the younger generations of the Lincolns did not become leaders in the enterprise, nevertheless, they were undoubtedly interested in the thoroughbred and saddle horse. Authentic accounts show that the noted president was a skilled horse- man, and in his youth enjoyed a good horse race, as well as acting as an official in meets on numerous occasions. The interest of the pioneer Lincolns in this particular vocation is not surprising, as the state of Kentucky was, and is, ideally situated for such an enterprise. The early Kentuckians immediately sensed the possibilities of the horse industry. On May 27, 1775, the first law- making body of Kentucky met, and, after having provided for "courts" and the "common defense," this significant record was made: "On the motion of Mr. Boone (Daniel Boone) leave is given to bring in a bill for improving the breed of horses." It is to be concluded that the Lincolns, on their migration from Vir- ginia to Kentucky in the year 1782, used horses for transportation, and in the establishment of their new home these animals probably became an important factor. The pioneer Abraham Lincoln, after a four- year residence in Kentucky, was unfortunately massacred by an Indian. The inventory of his estate, compiled by the appraisers on March 10, 1789, shows that he owned along with other property: "one sorrel horse valued at eight pounds and one black horse valued at nine pounds and ten shillings." The valuation placed on these horses by the appraisers indicates that they were exceptionally fine animals, likely being produced from the stables of John Lincoln, the father of 66 Abraham Lincoln, Senior, who was one of Virginia's wealthiest men. The widow of Abraham Lincoln, Senior, after the death of her hus- band, moved with her five children from Jefferson county to Wash- ington county. Thomas Lincoln, the father of the President, was the youngest of the three sons, being ten years of age at the time of his father's death. Their new neighbor, John Caldwell, who was probably a relative of the family, was appointed, in the year 1788, as administra- tor of the estate. During this same year Caldwell was in possession of one of the finest stallions in Kentucky. On March 22, 1788, an ad- vertisement in the Kentucky Gazette, published at Lexington, an- nounced that: "Darius, the fastest horsa in Kentucky, will make the season at John Caldwells in Nelson county." Such a fine horse as Darius must have been greatly admired by Mordecai, Josiah, and Thomas, the three sons of the pioneer Lincoln. While living as a neighbor to John Caldwell, the President's father not only had an opportunity to see the fastest horse in Kentucky, but here in all probability he and his older brother, Mordecai, became interested in bloodstock production. As the law of primogeniture was operative in Kentucky at the time of the death of Abraham Lincoln, Senior, Mordecai, the oldest son, received the bulk of the estate. It was probably due to his close business relationship with John Caldwell, the pioneer horse breeder, that Mordecai was influenced to engage in Caldwell's vocation. He purchased the "celebrated stallion called Strong Sampson." In addition to this horse, he also owned at the same time five other horses, likely selected brood mares. Documentary evidence shows that one of the five mentioned horses was a "valuable brown mare." While Mordecai Lincoln may have operated a successful breeding stable, he had some unfortunate circumstances to befall his interests. Because of a misunderstanding concerning the purchase price of "Strong Sampson" Lincoln brought suit against Coonrod Matthis, the former owner of the stallion. The suit was eventually won by Lincoln after it had been on the docket for more than six years. One of the most discouraging incidents in the career of this pioneer horse breeder was the loss of a valuable brown mare. While Mordecai was on a visit to the town of Springfield, the county seat of Washington County, Kentucky, he left his mare in the care of a tavern keeper named William Pile. Upon calling for the mare she could not be found. 67 A suit was brought before the court by Lincoln against Pile which was as follows: "Mordecai Lincoln complains of William Pile in custody of a plea of trespass on the case whereas the Deft. . . . at the parish of Kentucky aforesaid was a public inn keeper, in the town of Springfield. . . . the plaintiff was possessed of a brown mare of the value of twenty-five pounds, and did, deliver said mare into the hands and keeping of said Deft., as tavern keeper to keep said mare for pay and restore said mare when requested to the plaintiff who ivas at that time the said Deft's. guest. Nevertheless the Deft, did so careless and neglectfully attend to the. mare of the plaintiff that she, the said mare, was lost or stolen out of the possession of the keeping of the Deft." The jury awarded Lincoln the sum of ten pounds, or $48.50. As few horses were appraised for more than five pounds as early as March, 1800, the date of the suit, it must be concluded that the sum of ten pounds was an exceptionally high valuation for a court to place on a horse. The fact that Mordecai valued the mare at twenty-five pounds must indicate it was a splendid animal. A compilation of the Commissioner's Tax Books of Hardin County shows that Thomas Lincoln listed for taxes as many as four horses at one time during his residence in Kentucky: 1804 - - Linkhorn, Thomas - - 1 Horse 1805 - - Linkhorn, Thomas - - 1 Horse 1806 - - Linkhorn, Thomas - - 1807 - - Linkhorn, Thomas - - 1 Horse 1808 - - Linkhorn, Thomas - - 1 Horse 1809 - - Linkhorn, Thomas - - 2 Horse 1810 - - Linkhorn, Thomas - - 2 Horse 1811 - - Lincoln, Thomas - - 1 Horse 1812 - - Lincoln, Thomas - - 3 Horse 1813 - - Lincoln, Thomas - - 2 Horse 1814 - - Lincoln, Thomas - - 3 Horse 1815 - - Lincoln, Thomas - - 4 Horse (1 Stallion) 1816 - - Lincoln, Thomas - - 4 Horse Out of 104 (tithables) taxpayers shown in the Commissioner's Book during the year 1815, only six other residents of the county had as many horses as Thomas Lincoln. The fact that he was required to pay an extra fee to own a stallion for breeding purposes indicates his interest in the improving of blooded stock. Although the limited financial status 68 of the President's father did not allow him to own as finely bred horses as his older brother, there are many indications of his interest along this line. On October 10, 1814, the year Thomas Lincoln owned three horses, he purchased at the Jonathan Joseph sale, held at the Court House door in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, "One curry comb." The purchase price was sixty-three cents. As the curry comb was seldom used by Kentucky pioneers, this indicates that he kept his horses in a well groomed con- dition. While living on Knob Creek in the year 1811, Thomas "took up" an estray gray mare and listed it on the "Book of Estrays" as required by law. The detailed description of this gray mare indicates that Lin- coln was a close observer of horses. The original estray notice reads as follows: "Taken up by Thomas Lincoln in Hardin county on Knob Creek, on the road leading from Bardstown to Nolin, a gray mare, eight years old, fourteen hands high, branded on the near thigh but not legible, a scar on her off side, a dark spot on her neck on the off side of the mane about size of a dollar, a sore back, trots naturally, appraised to twenty dollars." A traditonal story, which can be given little credence but which is of interest, appeared in the Hart County (Kentucky) News of April 7, 1919, as follows: "When Lincoln first moved to Larue county he had no horse and wanted to trade for one and having a fine rifle and .... a whipsaw he set to work to trade these articles for a horse, with which to tend his small crop of cereals. A neighbor by the name of Redmond, had a fine looking animal, but he would not work without first being whipped, but after re- ceiving a lively threshing, as old man Redmond termed it, of a morn, he would work right along the balance of the day. This animal he concluded to palm off on his easy going neighbor, so he saw Mr. Lincoln and told him that he had a horse for trade, set a time for Mr. Lincoln to come and try him. So Lincoln went according to promise, but Redmond had given the horse a whipping and was plowing straight ahead when Lincoln got there. He examined the horse, plowed him, in fact he suited him to a letter. The trade was made, Lincoln giving his rifle and saw for the horse. Within a few days Mr. Lincoln wanted to break some ground for a garden. He hitched the horse to 69 a plow, but behold he would not pull a pound. Finally finding he would not work for him, he went over to his neighbor, Red- mond, told him he wanted to borrow his gun, got it and came back, lead the horse a few hundred yards up Knob Creek and shot him dead, and returned it to the owner without mentioning the failure of the horse to work or alluding to the way in which he had been swindled." The story of the horse trade of Lincoln's father is in direct con- trast to a horse trade of his son, the President. The following tradition- al story likely has proved as popular as any connected with Abraham Lincoln : (( When Mr. Lincoln was a lawyer in Illinois he and a certain judge got to bantering one another about trading horses and it was agreed that next morning at 9 o'clock they should make a trade — the horse to be unseen until that hour and no backing out under a forfeit of $25.00. At the appointed hour the judge came up leading the worst looking specimen of a horse ever seen in those parts. In a few minutes Mr. Lincoln was seen approaching with a wooden saw horse on his shoulder. Great shouts of laughter from the crowd were greatly increased when Mr. Lincoln, after surveying the judge's animal, sat down his saw horse and exclaimed, 'Well, Judge, this is the first time I ever got the worst of it in a horse trade.' " Horse racing, the sport cf kings, was a favorite recreation of the early citizens of pioneer Kentucky. Because of many early racing meets, Kentucky was able to establish her prestige in this field. An advertisement in the Kentucky Gazette for August 22, 1789, announces a fall meet at Lexington, as follows: "A purse race at Lexington on the 2nd Thursday next, free for any mare, horse or gelding, weight for age, agreeable to the rules of New Market. 3 mile heats, the best two in three; one-quarter of an hour between heats allowed for rubbing. . . " While the Lincolns were living in Hardin County, Kentucky there were several race tracks in the county. They were called "race paths " and the race was called a "course." The best race path in the coun- try was located at Middle Creek, midway between Hodgenville and Elizabethtown, called Martin's Turf. This course was used while Abraham Lincoln lived in Kentucky, and it was only eight miles from the Lincoln farm. 70 A "corn list made and run for on Middle Creek" in the year 1810, listed thirty prominent citizens of Hardin county and the number of bushels of corn donated by them for purses for the different events. The total number of bushels of corn donated amounted to 520 in all. A copy of the original document is as follows: "We the undersigned wishing to improve the breed of horses in Hardin county do for that purpose, propose a course, race to be run on Martin's Turf on Middle Creek, on the third Thursday, Friday and Saturday in October next, to be free for any horse, mare or gelding owned by any residenter of Har- din county at this time; to run the first day three miles and repeat, the second day two miles and repeat, the third day one mile and repeat. To be run under the rules and direction of the Lexington Jocky Club, for which we, the undersigned, do oblige ourselves to pay the quantity of corn opposite our names, to the winners by their demanding it, between the first day of December next and the twenty-fifth, as witness our hands this 13th day of August, 1810." On such an important occasion it is probable that the family of Thomas Lincoln was present. As many of the men on the corn list were church members it is likely that they were allowed by their strict pioneer ministers to attend these meets, even though the pioneer church frowned upon such affairs. Possibly the clause "wishing to im- prove the breed of horses" gained the approval of the church officials. The minutes of the Severns Valley Baptist church, dated October 22, 1802, contains the following entry: "Some of the members informed the church of Brother John Haycraft's misconduct in riding his horse around the race ground." The date of this entry clearly indicates that race paths existed in Hardin county as early as 1802. Promiscuous betting was also engaged in by the early residents of Hardin county. In the suit of "Hanks vs Williamson" for the pay- ment of a note which likely resulted because of a horse race. Williamson charged "that note was won on a bet on a horse race, which makes it fraudulent." Hanks stated, "it was not bet on a horse race." The note, nevertheless, was dated November 7, 1810, about two weeks after the big race. In 1808 Joseph Hanks, a relative of Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks, 71 bought a black colt and a fine saddle at a sale. Very likely he rode this colt in the big racing meet of 1810. It may be supposed that the Ranks vs Williamson suit resulted in bets placed on this black colt. It is be- lieved that the race of 1810 was the outstanding sporting event of that community for many years. It was conducted under the Lexington Jocky Club rules and was not unlike a similar meet held in Lexington the same year. The provisions of the Lexington meet were as follows: "The first day the heat was to be four miles and the purse $150. The second day the heat was two miles, and the purse was the entrance money of the two preceding days. The horses were to start each day at twelve o'clock and carry weight as follows: aged horses, 126 pounds; six years old, 122 pounds; five years old, 114 jwnnds; four years old, 100 pounds; three years old, 86 pounds. The riders were to be dressed in silk or satin jackets and wear caps." Other important race paths from the standpoint of their Lincoln association were located on the Merrifield property, adjacent to the Lincoln birthplace farm. They were later destroyed by a citizen who sought to uplift the morals of the community. It was at these paths, situated only one-half a mile from Lincoln's birthplace, that the pioneers trained their horses for the more important meets of the county. When the Lincoln family moved to Indiana it is likely that they retained their interest in horses, but the new country in which they made their home afforded few opportunities to engage in the popular Kentucky sport. However, it is not at all unlikely that many unofficial racing meets were held and were either witnessed by or participated in by some of the members of the Lincoln family. When the family moved to Illinois, Abraham resided in New Salem. While living in this rural community he came in contact with a fast, wild, rollicking crowd of young men who would gamble, or fight on the drop of a hat. These men were interested in horse racing, and on many occasions races were held in that village. These sporting events were held on West Main street in New Salem; the race either starting or ending near the Berry and Lincoln store. In addition to the race track, New Salem could also boast of a cock pit which proved almost as popular as the race track. On Saturdays the men living in the surrounding communities rode into the town on their favorite horses, anxious to race and bet on their own favorites to win, place or show. 72 When these races were held Abraham Lincoln many times acted as judge. Undoubtedly his Kentucky background caused him to be consider- ed an authority on the rules and procedure of a meet. He must have estab- lished a name for himself as a racing official, because Stephen A. Douglas on one occasion while engaged in the Lincoln-Douglas debates made the following statement concerning his abilities along this line: "The dignity and impartiality with which he (Lincoln) presid- ed at a horse race or fist fight excited the admiration and won the praise of everybody that was present and participated." The influence of Thomas Lincoln's stable of horses on Knob Creek during the last few years of his Kentucky residence may account for the horse breeding establishments located there today. Knob Creek has always been famous for its horses. Many beautiful saddle horses shown both in New York and Chicago have been raised and trained on the farm adjoining the Lincoln tract. Red Light, at one time the champion saddle horse of America, was the product of a Knob Creek stable. During the years 1871 to 1873 General George Armstrong Custer with a battalion of soldiers was stationed in Elizabethtown. While re- siding in this community his men were able to procure fine horses from the town and surrounding country. The Seventh Cavalry because of these excellent horses probably became the best mounted troop of the entire regular army. When this troup was massacred by the Indians on June 25, 1876, the seasoned soldiers were using these Kentucky horses. Undoubtedly many of the horses were purchased in the Knob Creek country, although it would be mere conjecture to say some were of the strain of the Lincoln stock. The name of Lincoln's mother became a household word to a past generation of horse breeders because of the records of a champion trotting mare named "Nancy Hanks." Her record was 2.04 and her pedigree listed the names of "Happy Medium" and the dam "Nancy Lee" which was by "Dictator," a brother of "Dexter." During the years that this trotting mare was being raced, she became almost more famous than the woman for whom she was named. It cannot be said with credit to the American people that up until a few years ago the grave of the trotting mare was more appropriately marked in Kentucky than the grave of Lincoln's mother in Indiana. While the fame of the mare "Nancy Hanks" was still at its height, a group of Kentucky horse breeders, in order to appropriately cele- brate in their own way the one hundredth anniversary of Lincoln's birth, 73 on February 12, 1809 held a reception of horses in the President's honor. A newspaper account, taken from the South Bend (Indiana) Times on the anniversary date, reports the events as follows: "Nancy Hanks, former champion of the trotting turf was hostess at a reception at Hamburg Place Stud (Lexington, Kentucky,) today which was attended by many of the most famous horses in the world as aside from those quartered on the same farm, others were present from the farm of W. E. Stokes, Walnut Hill Farm, Harkness, and other breeders near by." "The reception was the unique plan of John E. Madden to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, the noted mare having been named for the mother of the martyred President. At the celebration this morning in the presence of several hundred people, Madden christened the yearling daughter of the mare 'Mary Todd' in honor of the wife of Lincoln." While Lincoln was president there are many accounts of his appear- ance on horse back. He is described as being a fine horseman, who could so completely manage a horse as to estabish himself immediately as its master. Many of his oft-repeated stories and jokes also concerned horses, racing, and horse trades. With the possible exception of our military Presidents, it may be said that Lincoln was one of the best horsemen ever to be elected to the presidency. The interest of the Lincoln family in the "Sport of Kings" should be one of the cherished traditions of the sporting world. 7U Elizabethtown Lawyer—Subject of Sketch By Washington Irving r |iHE Elizabethtown bar has always received considerable notice on •*■ account of its early lawyers, who achieved fame in state and na- tional affairs. Historians and biographers have recorded the accomplish- ments of the first members of the local bar, but the early life of William P. Duvall, an Elizabethtown lawyer became a subject in American literature written by the famed Washington Irving. Under the title of "The Early Experiences of Ralph Ringwood" ap- pearing in "Wolfert's Roost and Other Papers" and in the "Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon," Irving discussed the interesting early life of Du- vall which he recorded from his conversations with the Kentucky lawyer. Irving related the anecdotes and eccentricities of Duvall, whose career began in Kentucky courts and carried him to the governor's chair of Florida. The story of Ralph Ringwood (William P. Duvall) began with his life in Virginia where he was born in the year 1784. Due to a harmless prank involving a stubborn mule and a frightened negro mammy, which re- sulted in serious reprimands from his parents and relatives, Duvall de- cided to leave Virginia and enter the Kentucky wilderness to become a hunter. Upon bidding his father farewell he stated that he would not return untill he was a member of Congress. Young Duvall encountered many thrilling adventures upon entering the wilderness and because of the abundance of game in the territory now embraced in Ohio county, he lingered there several months, almost forgetting his resolution to pursue a political career. He became a proficient marksman and was able to stalk game as cleverly as the pro- fessional hunters, who became his friends. Irving, in relating his story mentioned the names of many real characters who were residents of that community during this early period. The desire to become a lawyer eventually prevailed over the leisure life of a hunter and he left his frontier friends. After aimlessly wandering for several days he arrived in Bardstown, Kentucky. Because of a beautiful girl and the prominence of the town's lawyers he decided to make his home in Nelson county. After an unsuccessful pursuit of the beautiful girl and a year's in- activity due to misguided study, Duvall became acquainted with a colonial gentleman, a "Sir Charles Grandison-Kentuckianized." This 75 pompous-looking man was Judge Henry P. Brodnax, a prominent lawyer of Kentucky and a member of the Elizabethtown bar. Under the tutelage of Judge Brodnax, Duvall became a successful lawyer and practiced in numerous county seats adjacent to the county of his residence. A month after being admitted to the bar he married the daughter of Andrew Hynes, the same girl who won his heart on the day of his arrival in Bardstown. Andrew Hynes, it must be remembered, was the founder of Eliza- bethtown, having named the town in honor of his wife, Elizabeth. The first mention of the demise of Andrew Hynes is found in a court docu- ment dated April 1805. Likely his wife, Elizabeth Hynes, moved to Bardstown after the death of her husband, and she was residing there when Duvall met the attractive daughter of the pioneer family. Shortly before DuvalPs marriage, Elizabeth Hynes died. The youthful lawyer became fully cognizant of his responsibilities to his wife, and a few days after his wedding date he plunged into the practice of law, knowing full well that only chance could save him against the polished lawyers of the numerous county circuits. In relating the circumstances of DuvalPs first case, Washington Irving made the following statement in his story of Ralph Ringwood: "We (Duvall and wife) had not been married many days, when court was held at a county town, about twenty-five miles distant." It is the writer's belief that the above mentioned county town, re- ferred to as being twenty-five miles distant from Bardstown, was Eliz- abethtown. Upon his arrival to the county seat town Duvall entered an inn, and immediately became involved in an altercation in which he knocked down an assailant and won the plaudits of all present. The next day while attending court without a case, he was unexpectedly picked for a de- fense lawyer by a man charged with passing counterfeit money. It is needless to say he won his case, and at the end of one week, when court adjourned, he returned to his wife with one hundred fifty dollars in silver, three hundred dollars in notes and a horse that he afterwards sold for two hundred dollars. As stated in the title of Washington Irving's sketch "The Early Ex- periences of Ralph Ringwood," the life of Duvall is related only to his entry into the legal profession ; however, it is an interesting fact that the life of an Elizabethtown lawyer became a subject in American literature written by a famous American author. 76 William P. Duvall in Elizabethtown WILLIAM Pope was one of the most distinguished lawyers that ever practiced before the Hardin county courts. Upon his entry into the legal profession, he achieved immediate success, probably in- heriting his talent for legal work from his grandfather, who is said to have been a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. Duvall's father was Major William Duvall, a Revolutionary soldier, who, like his dis- tinguished son, eventually moved to Kentucky. Due to the fact that young Duvall in all probability started his political career in the local county courts, his life is of unusual interest to residents of Elizabethtown and Hardin county. About the only source of information available concerning William P. Duvall in Hardin county is to be found in Samuel Haycraft's (Junior) "History of Elizabethtown." The author of this quaint historical work, which was written in 1869, has presented brief sketches of Duvall's life with about as much charm and interest as did Washington Irving in his story of the same character entitled "The Early Experiences of Ralph Ringwood." The first mention of Duvall by Samuel Haycraft in his history of Elizabethtown is that he was sworn in as attorney-at-law during the October term of the Hardin county court in the year 1804. At the time of admittance to the Elizabethtown bar Duvall was twenty years of age. So successful, financially, was the young barrister that his name was accepted, with that of Worden Pope in the year 1810, as security on a $10,000.00 bond for Major Ben Helm, the Hardin county court clerk. As a result of his popularity and brilliance he was appointed County Attorney of Hardin county, and was a regular practitioner in the local courts for eighteen years (1822). While attending the Elizabethtown courts (1810, 1811, 1812) William P. Duvall boarded at the home of Major Ben Helm, as did many of the circuit riders of his day. Due to the pleasing personality of Duvall and his colleagues, the house of Major Ben Helm was an endless fountain of facetious conversation and pleasant banter of wit. Haycraft described Duvall as being "the life of . . . social company" and "a good parlor singer." He was generous and liberal and his home at Bardstown was the "seat of hospitality." From his father young Duvall likely inherited an interest in the army, and during the war period (War of 1812) of his Elizabethtown 77 circuit riding days, he organized and commanded a company of soldiers called the "Yellow Jackets." This company of men went on a campaign up the Wabash river against the Indians. They engaged their adversaries in a fight and DuvalFs company performed with great gallantry. The opportunity to realize a life's ambition came to Duvall in 1812, when he was elected to Congress. While serving in that office he visited his relatives in Virginia, thus verifying an early statement that he would not return home until he was a member of Congress. The next step in the advancement of the career of William P. Duvall came in 1822 when President Monroe appointed him governor of the Florida territory. Subsequent appointments by President Adams and President Jackson allowed him to hold this distinguished position for many years. Governor DuvalFs successful and happy life was marred by the tragic fate that befell his son, Burr H. Duvall, who while still a youth, enlisted in the war between Texas and Mexico, and was killed by a Mexi- can firing squad. In his declining years Governor Duvall moved to Texas to make his home, and on March 19, 1854 he died at Washington, D. C. Elizabethtown is not as closely connected with the life and scenes of the early career of Governor Duvall as Bardstown, however, due to his close association with the Hardin county courts, and with many of our early distinguished citizens, it is well to give him an important niche in the annals of our historic records. 78 Captain Spier Spencers Riflemen, The Yellow Jackets IN THE "History of Elizabethtown, Kentucky," written by Samuel Haycraft, Junior, mention is made of a company of soldiers which was organized in Elizabethtown and Hardin county to fight in the Indian War of 1811. This company was called the "Yellow Jackets" and through the efforts of William P. Duvall, later territorial Governor of Florida, a great number of Hardin county residents enlisted for a term of approxi- mately thirty days, to fight the savages in the upper Wabash region of the Northwest Territory. William P. Duvall practiced law in Elizabethtown and was appoint- ed county attorney of Hardin county. He was a circuit riding lawyer and resided at Bardstown, having married the daughter of Andrew Hynes, one of the founders of Elizabethtown. Spier Spencer was also at one time a resident of Nelson county, and was a member of a prominent family of that section. Undoubtedly, William P. Duvall was acquainted with Spier Spencer, and because of this acquaintance was interested in the military expedition against the Indians under the command of Gener- al William Henry Harrison. The friendship between Duvall and Spencer would most likely account for the enlistment of so many men from this territory. In the biographical study of Duff Green, later a confidential adviser of President Andrew Jackson, Haycraft devotes a short paragraph con- cerning his (Duff Green) military experiences as follows: "Shortly after this, date not recollected, Green volunteered a company called the "Yellow Jackets," commanded by Governor W. P. Duvall (Territorial Governor of Florida) and went on a campaign up the Wabash against the Indians. In this Indian fight, Green showed great gallantry and the horse he rode was shot in the neck." While it is true that the Kentucky contingent was under the command of William P. Duvall while enroute to the Indiana Territory, he re- linquished his command to Capt. Spier Spencer upon their arrival at Corydon, Indiana, Spencer having organized an Indiana Territory troop to fight with the Kentuckians. Spier Spencer had fought with General St. Clair and General Wayne 79 in the early Indian wars, and organized, in the year 1811, a volunteer company for General Harrison's expedition. The prominent, but non- descript, Kentucky soldiers left the county in a unit under the leadership of Duvall and proceeded to Brandenburg, Kentucky, where they crossed the Ohio river. They continued their journey to Corydon, Indiana, where they were to receive instruction and training in Indian warfare. Early accounts relate that these mounted riflemen paraded in the streets of Corydon before moving up into the Wabash country. The soldiers were not disappointed in their desire for action and on November 7, 1811, the battle of Tippecanoe was fought. One of the heroes who fell was Captain Spier Spencer. With the expiration of their enlisted term, the Hardin county soldiers returned to their homes, returning by way of Brandenburg Ferry, at which point they were mustered out of the army. As the Indian War of 1811 did not decisively end the Indian uprising and British meddlings in the United States territorial affairs, many of these same Hardin county citizens re-enlisted for the War of 1812 and traveled over the same route to the Old Northwest Territory for service in the cause of their country. 80 Gilbert Imlay in Hardin County TIM" UCH evidence can be produced which will lead one to believe that *" the notoriously famous novelist, historian and surveyor, Gilbert Imlay, worked within the boundaries of this county and was familiar with all the topographical features of this territory. Imlay is one of the most interesting characters connected with Ken- tucky's early history. He was born in New Jersey in the year 1755 and he migrated west after the Revolutionary War. He settled in Louisville about the year 1784, and while living at the Falls of the Ohio he was em- ployed by George May as a surveyor for laying out lands in back settle- ments. Many Hardin County land surveys were made by George May, and there is every reason to believe that Imlay conducted some of these surveying expeditions into this territory. Gilbert Imlay was Kentucky's first novelist, having written while residing in this state "The Emigrants or The History of an Expatriated Family, being a Delineation of English Manners drawn from Real Characters." After spending about eight years in Kentucky he went to London and in the year 1792 published an early history, dealing exten- sively with Kentucky, entitled the "Topographical Description of the Western Territory of North America." In the year 1793, Imlay met Mary Wollstonecraft and they held a mutual affection for one another that eventually was equivalent to marriage. A daughter was born to them in 1794, and their child committed suicide in the year 1816. In 1796, Gilbert and Mary agreed to separate and she became the wife of William Godwin. A daughter was born to this union, at which time Mary Wollstonecraft died. The chief memorial to her pathetic and colorful life was her book entitled "Vindication of the Rights of Woman." The daughter born to the Godwins eventually became the wife of the English poet, Shelley. After the year 1796, the whereabouts of the "Handsome Scoundrel" (Gilbert Imlay) is not known, as he was lost to all history after his part- ing with the woman he so outrageously treated. There has recently been discovered among the private papers of Samuel Haycraft, Junior, the early Elizabethtown historian, a letter written by Imlay, addressed to a Mr. Woolfolk Helm regarding a survey to be made at the mouth of Salt River. This letter is of unusual interest 81 to persons interested in Hardin county history because of the mention of Indians in this territory in the year 1785. The letter is as follows: Gentlemen : Reposing the highest confidence in your Vigilence & abilities I Expect you (to) proceed with all possible Dispatch to survey the land here listed according to the Instructions given by Mr. J. May & as I would recommend to you to stop at the mouth of Salt River to survey J. Mays of 2000 acres adjoining Johnstons Military Survey & (Murkeis) of 2800 & odd so I would recom- mend you to take every percaution respecting the Indians and m no case to relax your Prudence in that respect. I expect you will survey all the land Entered in the name of John May. Bannister & Com.y and be Sure to make comments on all (lands) the Surveys that you make for me relative to its situa- tion soil or any real advantages it may have. Wishing you every success & praying that you will not return without Completeat- ing of the business Farewell G. Imlay Mr. Woolfolk Helm Louisville 20th of July 1785 82 Jacob VanMeter, Senior ONE of the old and honorable families of Kentucky is the VanMeter family. The VanMeter descendants trace their ancestry back to the original Kentucky Jacob who settled in Hardin county. Too often families of a more glamorous fame but of less stability have been mentioned as being connected with Hardin county's early history. Jacob VanMeter, Senior, can be honored for no significant deed or accomplishment — except that he was a settler and builder of a community and a nation. He is a subject of historical interest because he represents a cross-section of pioneer life, and in the study of this character, his contemporaries are also important as builders and settlers who saw the future of this community, county and state. It was men like Jacob VanMeter who were the back-bone of this Nation. Jacob VanMeter, Senior, was born in the year 1722 and in the year 1780, when he was 58 years old, he, with his wife and family, emigrated to Kentucky. One early document, dated June 1820 and signed by Issac VanMeter, stated that Samuel Haycraft, Senior was also a member of the party. This is likely authentic because Margaret VanMeter, a daugh- ter of pioneer Jacob, married the elder Samuel Haycraft. The VanMeters emigrated from the Monongahala River country. Many of the emigrants to Severn's Valley were from this locality, and like the VanMeters, stopped at the Falls of the Ohio before coming to Hardin county. When the VanMeters arrived in Severn's Valley they settled on the farm now owned by the Strickler family. On the creek running through the farm Jacob VanMeter built a grist mill for grinding corn and wheat. However, as early as 1869, there was not a vestige of this mill left. Of course, while living on this farm, the milling business was likely incident- al to farming and it is to be supposed that he was as good a farmer as he was a miller. This pioneer did not confine his activities to milling and farming. He was also interested in the community of Elizabethtown, sometimes called in his day Elizabeth and sometimes Elizabethtown Court House. We find that he was a charter member of the Severn's Valley Baptist Church, which was founded June 17, 1781. His religious teachings found their greatest expression in his son and in others of his descendants. Shortly after the migration of the VanMeters to Kentucky, there came from Virginia to Kentucky— the Lincoln family. When this family 83 eventually settled in Elizabethtown, Jacob Senior was quite old; how- ever, the two families became acquainted. Jacob VanMeter, Junior, who was born October 4, 1762, was a close friend of Thomas Lincoln, the father of the President. There are extant today signatures of Thomas Lincoln and Jacob VanMeter, Jr., on the same document. Jacob VanMeter the second, like his father, was religious, and he joined the Baptist Church at the age of eleven years. According to Samuel Haycraft, Junior, the historian, the life of Jacob, Junior was one of industry, toil, thrift and religion. He was always regarded as a firm pillar of the church, and during his seventy-eight years of member- ship was never under church censure or discipline. The VanMeters were prolific and the historian Haycraft stated, in the year 1869, that the least calculation that can be made of the descend- ants would amount to approximately 3000 souls. The number of the children of most of the VanMeter descendants averaged from nine to eleven, but frequently exceeded these numbers. Today the family can be considered one of the largest in the country. In this county many people can trace their ancestry to the VanMeters. In the year 1792, when this pioneer was in his seventieth year, he decided to make his will* as he had accumulated a valuable estate. The wording of this will is unusually interesting because of its religious nature and manner of stating bequests. The original will with its be- quests is as follows: VAN METER WILL— "In the name of God, Amen, I Jacob VanMeter being in health of body and of perfect mind and memory but calling to mind the mortality of my body and that it is appointed for all men unto die, do make and ordain this my last will and Testa- ment, and first of all I give and recommend my soul to the hands of Almighty God that gave it and my body to the Earth to be buried in a decent and Christian-like manner at the discretion of my executors-not doubting but at the general resurrection, I shall receive the same again by the mighty power of God. And as thinking such worldly affairs wherewith it pleases God to bless me within this world, I give and dispose of the same as follows: Imprimis I give and bequeath unto my loving wife Letitia VanMeter all and singular, my household furniture — to be enjoyed and disposed of by her at her pleasure — But if all or any part thereof should not be disposed or willed by her in her life time — in that case I allow the part or whole thereof 8U so remaining after her death to be equally divided between the whole of my children then living and any of my children that are or may then be dead, then they shall receive their parents' dividend. Also I allow my wife the privilege to be enjoyed by her dur- ing her valued life, and the house wherein I now live — the garden now occupying and adjoining the house — the one half of the plantation and half of the orchard, meadow, pastures and also one third of all the remainder of my personal estate after my lawful debts are paid and also she is to have the whole benefit of my negroes during her life time and after her death I allow the negroes Mac, Isaac and Delilah to serve my heirs until each of them arrives to thirty years old and at that age they shall be wholly free from servitude unless they present mischief. If my wife should outlive that time then they are to serve her during her lifetime and then if thirty or upwards to be free. And the benefit of their servitude from her death until they arrive to the age of thirty years old I alloiv to be divided as follows: They shall be set up at a market, each of my children or their heirs as aforesaid having received public value of the time and place of said market. If they are known to be in the Kentucky district and none shall be allowed to bid for said negroes, but my children and their heirs, neither shall they be compelled to serve any other masters, and when sold as afore- said the amount of the sum or sums that they may sell at shall be equally divided between my children and their heirs, and the other two thirds of my personal estate I allow to be equally divided between my children and what may remain of the other one third after my wife's death to be divided in like mariner — and it be understood that in each division aforesaid the heirs of any of my children that may be dead shall receive their parents equal divident — and for my lands I dispose of the same as fol- lows: All the land on the hill, I now give together with all claims I have to lands adjoining the same, I give and bequeath the same unto my son Jacob, to him, his heirs and assigns for- ever with the appurtenances thereto belonging only to his mother enjoying the aforesaid rights during her life. Then I give and bequeath unto my two sons Isaac and John VanMeter all my other lands to be equally divided between them except three hundred acres of land on Nolin at "Rock Dis- mal" to be theirs freely to be enjoyed by them, their heirs and 85 assigns forever, and I give the 300 acres above excepted, to my faithful Negro man Bambo, to him, his heirs and assigns forever. And I do constitute and appoint my son Jacob and Sam Hay- craft the sole executors of this my last will and testament and I do hereby revoke and disclaim all former wills and legacies by me heretofore executed or bequeathed. Ratifying this and no other to be my last will and testament — witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 10th day of April 1792." In one instance in this will, Kentucky is referred to as "Kentucky- district" and his lands on Nolin River are described as being located at "Reck Dismal." Very likely the location of "Rock Dismal" is today not known. This original will is today preserved in a large collection of Haycraft and Helm documents at Fort Wayne, Indiana. It is believed other wills were executed by VanMeter prior to the one now extant which is dated in the year 1792. In the year 1798, only six years after writing the above mentioned will, pioneer VanMeter died and he was buried on his own farm (Strick- ler Farm) 139 years ago (1937). It must have been an impressive funeral, because his grandson, Samuel Haycraft, Junior, remembered the occasion and at that time he was only three years and three months old. After his funeral, his son, Jacob, procured a sandstone slab and in- scribed these words: "HERE LIZES THE BODY OF JACOB VAN MATER DIED IN THE 76 YARE OF HIS AGE NOVEMBER THE 16 1798" His grandson, (Samuel Haycraft, Jr.), in writing his "History of Elizabethtown," stated that he visited this site on the 5th day of February 1849 and the stone was still in a good state of preservation. Haycraft said, "The spelling is rather of the normal style, and is an honest attempt to carry out the sound. Thus the word year is spelt 'yare/ containing all the proper letters of the word, but misplaced; but the sound as spelt in the epitaph is precisely as he always pronounced it for nearly ninety years. Therefore, let no man pretend to criticise it or alter it. It is a jewel to me; so all mankind let it alone. It is the honest 86 home-spun epitaph of a good man and Christian who braved all the perils and dangers of his day honorable, kind, hospitable and generous, and truly a patriarch." Because of the fact that the stone was so situated, it was saved from complete deterioration by the weather. The inscription was almost obliterated but was still legible, and the only work done on it was in October 1935 in the recutting of the letters. Fate has saved this stone for the present generation; however, the Strickler family and particular- ly the Elizabethtown Woman's Club should be commended for preserving this historic site. The identification of this grave should now last many centuries, and it is to be hoped that future generations will have the same regard for pioneer Jacob VanMeter as this present generation. The living descend- ants of this man should be proud of their progenitor, and the county should be grateful to this man for his courage in settling in this valley when it was a wilderness. It was men like Jacob VanMeter that made possible this great Nation of ours. 87 John James Audubon in Hardin County and Elizabetbtown jV]"0 AUTHENTIC evidence has ever been discovered concerning the - 1 - ^ residence of John James Audubon in Elizabethtown. Such a lack of documentary material concerning the great ornithologist would natur- ally lead one to believe that he had no connection with this city, except for the fact that Samuel Haycraft, Junior, the author of the "History of Elizabethtown" made this very definite and concise statement re- garding Audubon in a chapter (XXVII) of his book about early mer- chants : "Audubon and Rozier were also merchants m town at an early date. Their clerk was James Hackley, who afterwards be- came an officer in the regular army, one of the most starchy and fine dressing men that ever lived in our town. This is the same Mr. Audubon who has since been world-re-nowned as the greatest ornithologist in the world and has traveled through the United States, Central and South America, torrid, frigid and temperate zones, and has furnished the world the most complete specimens and descriptions of the feathered tribes, from the humming bird and the sparrow up to the condor, ostrich and cassowary, with all the grave and splendid plum- ages that adorn or beautify the birds of creation." As Samuel Haycraft's "History of Elizabethtown" is an accepted source book of good repute, which many prominent biographers and historians have termed as final and authentic, there is no reason in this case to doubt his statement concerning the mercantile establishment of the great artist ornithologist in Elizabethtown. Herrick, in his biography of Audubon, states that in the summer of 1807, Audubon and Rozier decided to engage in the mercantile busi- ness in the Ohio Valley, in the wilds of Kentucky. Louisville at the time seemed the most promising point for pioneer trade, so they migrated west for such an enterprise. Readers of Audubon biographies know of his life in Kentucky, his Louisville and Henderson business ventures, and of his unsuccessful partnership with Rozier, as well as his failure as a merchant. Certain periods of Audubon's Kentucky residence are 88 well known to historians, but as to his whereabouts, as well as that of his partner at certain times, historic records are vague. In all probability, Audubon and Rozier were in Elizabethtown during the early period of their Kentucky residence shortly after they arrived in the Ohio valley. Haycraft does not state the year of the establishment of Audubon and Rozier's Elizabethtown store. The lack of documentary records indicates that it must have been of short duration. Theories have also been advanced that the firm, Audubon and Rozier, in Elizabeth- town, might have been an itinerant business enterprise. It is not at all unlikely that the two young impractical business men might have ar- rived in Elizabethtown with a Conestoga wagon filled with merchandise which they sold for a short period, either from their store on wheels or from a building which they likely rented for a short time and when their stock of goods was sold, moved on to a new field of exploitation. Constance Rourke in her biography entitled "Audubon" (1936) made the following statement concerning the young merchants: "They (Audubon and Rozier) purchased goods and by the autumn of 1807 had made the journey to the falls of the Ohio. Audubon liked the little town (Louisville) there with its back against the wilderness and they sold their goods with some success, making trips along neighboring trails as peddlers and scouring the country as far south as the village of Nashville to consider a location for a future store" One of the most convincing statements made by Haycraft regarding the firm is that James Hackley was the clerk, and from his description and remarks he evidently knew Hackley and was acquainted with his connection with the historically famous mercantile firm. Little is now known of the Elizabethtown Hackley family; however, ample information is available that such a family did reside in early Elizabethtown during the time that Audubon and Rozier most likely made their residence here. Under a chapter (XL) of Hay craft's history entitled "Doctors," he states that a Doctor, who came to Elizabethtown about 1811, married a Miss Hackley who was a striking beauty. Is it mere supposition to say such a surpassing beauty could have been a sis- ter of James Hackley, the starchy and fine dressing man who was Audubon's clerk and later a commissioned officer in the United States army. Evidence of course is not available to prove the above point, nevertheless, the name, Hackley, was not that of an unknown family of the Elizabethtown-Audubon period. 89 While it is unfortunate that more information is not available con- cerning Audubon's store in Elizabethtown, the statement of Haycraft must necessarily be accepted as true and authentic, because of his accuracy and honesty in stating historic facts. When Audubon resided at Henderson, Kentucky, he came in contact on one occasion with a former citizen of Elizabethtown, named Henry P. Brodnax. This early Elizabethtown lawyer was one of the first mem- bers of the local bar, and afterwards was elected circuit judge. Accord- ing to Haycraft, "he lived and died a bachelor, was scrupulously neat, wore short breeches with white stockings, knee and shoe buckles of silver, and kept everything in print; was polite and attentive to the fair sex, and was urgent in his advice to them not to suffer a wrinkle in their stockings." This odd character of the old school resided in Eliz- abethtown during the period around 1807, which likely was the time of the establishment of the Audubon and Rozier store. In all probabili- ty Brodnax became acquainted with Audubon and Rozier during their Elizabethtown sojourn, and from their merchandise may have purchased articles of personal adornment so necessary to the appearance of a colonial gentleman. While serving as circuit judge at Henderson, Brodnax had occasion to preside over a case between the noted ornithologist and an assailant, who had attacked the pioneer artist. According to a tradition current at Henderson, Judge Brodnax left the bench and said: "Mr. Audubon, you have committed a serious offense, an exceedingly serious offense Sir, in failing to kill the dam rascal" As Audubon was such an active woodsman, it is likely that he made many visits to the territory that is now Hardin county. One of his visits to this county is recorded in his own writing concerning the life and habits of the "Passenger Pigeon." He made the following obser- vations. : "Whilst waiting for dinner at Young's Inn at the confluence of Salt River with the Ohio, I saw at my leisure, immense legions (passenger pigeons) still going by, with a front reach- ing far beyond the Ohio on the west, and the beech wood forests directly on the east." The above observations of the passenger pigeon were made by the great naturalist in the year 1813, while he was in West Point, Kentucky. Audubon always made extensive field notes, and it is an historic 90 fact that he was able to observe more closely and accurately the pass- enger pigeon in their Green River roosts, than at West Point. The naturalist's description of the passenger pigeon is one of the most interesting accounts to be found in his entire works, and his West Point observations are of interest to local historians. While following the course of the Ohio river, which was one of Audubon's favorite haunts, he must have on many occasions followed rare and strange birds whose flight was directed toward the Kentucky- Hardin county side of the river. If such be true, it must be agreed that Hardin county birds furnished Audubon subject material for some of his magnificent drawings. The historic facts connecting Audubon with Elizabethtown and Hardin county are vague and framentary; however, a close study of the naturalist's life leads one to believe that he was acquainted with the settlements of Elizabethtown and West Point, and knew all the haunts of bird life as well as the topographical features of this ter- ritory. 91 James Buchanan in Kentucky, 1 81 3 WHILE all the presidents of the United States have visited Ken- tucky, except George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jeffer- son — and there is a possibility that Washington may have visited eastern Kentucky in his youth — the fact that James Buchanan lived there for a short time is not generally known. Furthermore, the fact that James Buchanan, who preceded Abraham Lincoln to the presidency, lived in Elizabethtown, the county seat of Hardin County, for several months within approximately twenty miles of the Lincoln home on Knob Creek while Lincoln resided there, has seldom been mentioned. A great amount of literature has been written about Lincoln in Hardin County, which, since its establishment in 1792, has the distinction of hav- ing had within its limits many great characters of both state and na- tional importance. Original Hardin County, which derived its name from John Hardin, a Virginian who was murdered by the Indians the year of its establishment, embraced a large area, being approximate- ly 140 miles long and 50 miles wide, and from its beginning proved to be very attractive to both settlers and land speculators. Captain Abraham Lincoln, the grandfather of the president, came into Kentucky as a settler, and his son, Thomas, made his first purchase of Kentucky real estate in Hardin County in the year 1803. Thomas Lincoln engaged in many land transactions until the year 1816, when he left Kentucky, partly because of insecure land titles. Members of other prominent pioneer families, such as the LaFollettes, Clarks, and Boones, likewise left Kentucky because of land difficulties. James Buchanan, Sr., the father of President Buchanan, fourteen years after the Lincoln migration to Kentucky, bought a landed estate in Hardin County, causing his interest in the State to become that of a land speculator. The Lincoln and Buchanan connection with Hardin County resulted in events which gave this county the unique distinction of having, for several months in the year 1813, two future presidents living within its boundaries. The father of James Buchanan, upon arriving in this country from Ireland in the year 1783, at the age of twenty-three years, resided a short time in Philadelphia and a few months later removed to Stony Batter, Franklin County, Pennsylvania. In 1788 he married Elizabeth Speer, and their son, James, was born April 23, 1791. He undoubtedly came in contact with numerous persons who were moving West and was most likely induced by a land agent to purchase Kentucky real estate. As a rule Pennsylvanians were heavy purchasers of land in Ken- tucky, and Buchanan's acreage was approximately as great as were the purchases of the Lincolns. Many estates at this early date in Ken- tucky history literally ran into thousands of acres, but because James Buchanan, Sr., did not migrate to the West, his holdings were prob- ably bought more conservatively in proportion to his estate than were the investments of Captain Lincoln. Records in the Hardin County Court House (Deed Book A, page 233) show that on March 15, 1796, James Buchanan, of Franklin County, Pennsylvania, became a part owner with James Dickey of 3,610 acres of land located in Hardin County. This property was purchased at one dollar per acre, and the deed was made to James Buchanan, Sr., and James Dickey, both of Pennsylvania, by Michael Campbell and his wife, Sarah Campbell, and Charles Campbell, all of Nelson County. The deed to this property contains the name of John Speer, a witness to the proceedings, who was most likely the father or brother of Elizabeth Speer, the wife of James Buchanan, Sr. The deed was executed March 29, 1796, before James Reddle, of Pennsylvania, president of the several Courts of Common Pleas in the circuit consisting of Franklin, Bed- ford, Huntingdon, and Mifflin Counties. This land was Buchanan's first investment in Kentucky. The 3,610-acre tract is described as being located in Hardin County, two hundred poles below the mouth of Doe Run on the bank of the Ohio River, running to the line of John May's 3,000-acre survey, the line crossing the upper side of the mouth of Doe Run several times. This property, then in original Hardin County, is today located in Meade County. Another tract in which Buchanan had an interest contained 5,900 acres and is described as being on both sides of Nolin River in Hardin County; the lines ran near the mouth of the Big Sandy Spring and below the mouth of Valley Creek and near Nolin Creek. Little documentary evidence has been found concerning the Buchanan land immediately after the sale of the tract in 1796. No litigation oc- curred until seven years after the purchase; the property up to this time was probably considered a good investment. The owners most likely hoped, after the further settlement of Kentucky, to sell the land at a handsome profit. A large net return probably would have been realized had not incompetent executors of estates and insecure property titles entered into the bargain. 93 The land in which James Buchanan, James Dickey, and Robert Johnson, a later partner, had invested their money was originally in the possession of John LaRue (II), who died in the year 1792. In his will he appointed three executors — Isaac LaRue, Robert Hodgin, and Phillip Phillips — to administer his estate. The will devised that the estate be equally divided among his children, but the executors were to sell enough of his other property and lands, which he had not previously devised to discharge his lawful debts. James Buchanan did not buy the LaRue tracts from the executors of LaRue, but they had been sold to several other parties before he became one of the purchasers. The amount required to settle the lawful debts of John LaRue amounted to twenty-seven pounds, yet the executors had sold slaves and lands much in excess of the amount of debts. The heirs of LaRue brought suit against the executors for the recovery of the land, stating that the land and slaves should not have been sold and that they had acted without due authority in selling the property at a sacrifice in price and without necessity. This litigation started in the year 1803 and continued for many years in the Hardin County Court. Samuel Haycraft, Jr., in his original manuscript of the History of Elizabethtown stated, under the heading of March Term, Hardin County Court, dated March 8, 1813, that several land suits in the names of James Buchanan and James Dickey were then on the docket. The plaintiff, James Buchanan, he further asserts, was the father of James Buchanan (the future president). At this point in the manuscript there appears a note, "See James Buchanan," indicating that a further discussion of Buchanan occurred in other writings of his. Haycraft at the time of this court term was eighteen years of age, which would make it reasonably certain that his statement was made from first-hand knowledge and in- formation. Buchanan was elected to the presidency in the fall of the year 1856, and Haycraft wrote his history about twelve years later. Little attention was paid to the Buchanan land litigation at this early period. However, after the son had achieved fame, it is most likely that many citizens recalled the then future president's residence in Elizabethtown and the numerous land suits in which his father had engaged endeavor- ing to clear property titles. A manuscript from the papers of Haycraft show that in the year 1815 the suit was again before the court, as an U order was drawn by the County Court Clerk for money to be paid to John Helm, a witness, which is as follows: Hardin Circuit Court, September Term, 1815 "Ordered that William A. Clark, James Payne, Minor Lew- right, Ally Overall, and Thomas Lewis pay unto John Helm the sum of one pound, eight shillings and four pence for attend- ing this court term five days as a witness for them at the suit of James Dickey and James Buchanan and traveling forty miles and returning the same distance" A Copy Test, Ben Helm, C. H. C. C. The fact that John Helm, the surveyor, was summoned before the court would indicate that he was the surveyor of the lands in question. Owing to his education and his training for this work, he was considered one of the best in the profession, and because of his varied activities his life in the early nineteenth century in Hardin County was one constantly fraught with excitement and danger. These land suits which began in the year 1803 were twice carried to the Court of Appeals of Kentucky, as reported in Volume II, LittelVs Reports, page 258, under the case LaRue vs. LaRue, and in Volume III, J. J. Marshall's Reports, page 156, under the case of LaRue Heirs vs. LaRue Executors. So persistent was the elder Buchanan in his attempts to clear his land titles and save his investments that he sent his son to Kentucky to represent his interests. The son, a young lawyer, probably did all that was within his power to effect a clear and decisive settlement, but it is not to be supposed that, with the departure of Lawyer James Buchanan from Elizabethtown, that the property of James Buchanan, Sr., and his partners had clear titles. The maze of court entanglements had so engulfed these holdings that it is doubtful if any one of the persons concerned in the suits could foretell the outcome. Possibly the unusually active fight put forth by Buchanan and his partners during the early title difficulties was largely responsible for the long drawn out litiga- tion. Hardin County Court Records (Deed Book H, page 413) show that the three partners by an agreement decided to hold their lands as tenants in common and not as joint tenants. Upon the death of Robert John- son deeds dated June 8, 1809, were made partitioning the land to the executors of Johnson and to Buchanan and Dickey. Due to difficulties which arose concerning this land by reason of ad- verse claims, an agreement was made with Charles Campbell, one of the 95 original owners, to re-convey to him their tracts in Hardin County for an amount of cash totaling $1,454.47 and a deed to lands in Westmoreland County in Pennsylvania. This deed is dated March 15, 1821, and in- cludes the names of James Buchanan, Sr., and Elizabeth (Speer) Buch- anan, mother of James Buchanan, the president. The deed was record- ed by Samuel Haycraft, Jr., the clerk of the Hardin County Court, on February 5, 1823. It was in the fall term of court, 1822, that the case LaRue vs. LaRue was decreed, as related in LittelVs Rej^orts. In January, 1830, Marshall's Reports state that the case was appealed from a judgment of the Nelson Circuit Court. The result of the suit was that the heirs of LaRue were to receive the money due them from the executors, but the titles to the land in question were not to be affected, thereby forever settling and clearing the property titles of the Buchanan, Dickey, and Johnson lands which had been sold previous to this decree. Although it is reasonable to suppose that the Buchanans, due to increased land values, sold their property in 1821 at a considerably higher price than its initial cost, it is not probable that they realized any real profit on their investments in Hardin County because of the expense which was very likely incurred in defending their rights to the proper- ty. It is, however, an interesting historical fact that both the father of the fifteenth and the father of the sixteenth president of the United States owned property within the limits of Hardin County and that both were constantly engaged in court proceedings endeavoring to pro- tect their interests. Due to the intensity of the legal battles concerning the Buchanan, Dickey, and Johnson properties, the elder Buchanan's son, w T ho had a few years before completed a legal education, came to Elizabethtown to represent his father's interests in these numerous land suits. Possibly the trip appealed to young Buchanan as an opportunity for excitement and adventure as well as a chance to practice his profession in a new country which afforded excellent possibilities for advancement. In the numerous Haycraft manuscripts there is to be found in faded hand- writing an account of the trip of James Buchanan, Jr., to Kentucky, which is as follows: "Late President Buchanan about the year 1813 or 181J+ came to Kentucky, coming down the Ohio in a flatboat with Major James Crutcher and Thomas S. Crutcher with their goods" This account was possibly written by Haycraft one year after the 96 death of President Buchanan, as his death occurred in the year 1868 and Haycraft wrote his history in 1869. Possibly the death of Buch- anan recalled to Haycraft's mind the residence in Elizabethtown of the future president. The appearance of the manuscript indicates that he intended to give additional information, but for some reason it was never added. Like many early pioneers the future fifteenth president came to Ken- tucky by water route, on a flatboat. Major James Crutcher and his son, Thomas S. Crutcher, made frequent trips to Pennsylvania to pur- chase goods for their store in Elizabethtown, and young Buchanan likely was able to contact them through the wholesale house from which the Crutchers purchased their merchandise. Such a trip into the unsettled State of Kentucky, even as late as 1813, was more or less hazardous, not because of the Indians but on account of the river pirates and robbers that were usually encountered on the trip. Undoubtedly Major Crutcher and his son were very glad to accom- modate young Buchanan by bringing him to Kentucky, because he not only made an extra hand and guard but the civic interest of this Eliza- bethtown resident probably foresaw in Buchanan a permanent resident. Returning to the West from one of these trips, Major Crutcher met a young man at Martinsburg, Virginia, named Horatio Gates Winter- smith, and prevailed on him to come to Kentucky. Wintersmith, unlike Buchanan, became a permanent resident of Elizabethtown. It is not known definitely whether young Buchanan intended to make his home in the Western Country or whether he came to Kentucky merely to protect his father's interests. It is likely that he was un- decided as to his future residence, and if the town appealed to him, he probably intended to stay. Statements by him and Ben Hardin made several years later seem to indicate that he intended to stay. As he was admitted to the bar to practice law on November 17, 1812, it is probable that he would seek a new country where competition would not be so great. The trip of this young Pennsylvanian down the Ohio was probably a very pleasant experience. The river course was exceedingly beautiful, and the frontier setting likely appealed to him. According to Haycraft, Major Crutcher and all the merchants living in the southern counties of Kentucky docked their flatboats at the mouth of Salt River on the Hardin County bank. From Salt River young Buchanan would travel the last twenty-five miles of his journey on a wagon loaded with mer- chandise, passing into the Knob Country with its picturesque 97 Muldraugh's Hill and completing, upon his arrival at Elizabethtown, the long journey from Pennsylvania. Upon arriving at the frontier community of Elizabethtown, it is prob- able that young Buchanan made his home with Major Crutcher, for, in addition to being a merchant, he was also a tavern keeper. He was a very distinguished Kentuckian who, during his career, was a justice of the peace, a judge of the quarter session court, a trustee of the town, a trustee of an academy, and a representative, and a senator in the Kentucky Legislature. In such a home it is likely Buchanan's residence was made very enjoyable. In spite of his youth the young Pennsylvanian's fine appearance, courteous manner, and excellent education, in addition to the fact that he was a member of the bar of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, made him quite an asset to the community. Little did the citizens of Elizabethtown dream that he would become the fifteenth president of the United States, and that residing about twenty miles away on Knob Creek was a small boy four years of age who would become the sixteenth president, succeeding him to that office. Elizabethtown probably presented to Buchanan a very strange and picturesque frontier appearance. The town had been founded in the year 1793 by Colonel Andrew Hynes and named in honor of his wife, Elizabeth. Here was located the seat of justice, but the town did not prove of rapid growth as the third census credited the village in the year 1810 with only one hundred eighty inhabitants. However, at this early period in Kentucky history this community was a scene of much activity. Its people were ambitious, as is evidenced by the greatness that some of its citizens achieved. Social life was developed to a high degree and schools were established, provided in most cases with excellent teachers. The village was not an unattractive settlement inhabited by poor and miserable people, but comprised largely of good families from some of the more advanced sections of the Eastern and Southern States. In this early period the majority of the houses were of log construc- tion, but many of these houses were unusually spacious and made of large hewn logs. Two large brick residences created an imposing ap- pearance. In addition to these, several frame structures had been built. A stone jail, expensive for that day, and a new court house were in use, and the little town also boasted of a brick yard, a tannery, a distillery, and three stores, one of which was owned and operated for a short time by John James Audubon, the great ornithologist. There were several blacksmiths and gunsmiths, a shoemaker, a tailor, and a dancing master residing in the town. Costumes of the frontier still 98 prevailed, but here and there were to be seen — among the buckskin leggings, hunting shirts, coon skin caps, and moccasins — a few beaver hats, short breeches, low shoes with silver buckles, and knee buckles. The first record of Thomas Lincoln, the father of Abraham, in Elizabethtown is in 1796, three years after the town was established. Documentary evidence, through court records and early manuscripts, shows that Thomas Lincoln resided permanently in Elizabethtown from about 1803 to 1808. On June 12, 1806, Thomas Lincoln married Nancy Hanks in Washington County, and with his bride immediately returned to Elizabethtown to reside. In February of the following year the couple's first child, Sarah, was born. Little Abraham, who was born February 12, 1809, on the South Fork farm, very probably came to the county seat with his father on county court days. Documentary evidence has established the fact that Abraham Lincoln passed through Elizabethtown when the Lincoln family migrated to Indiana in the year 1816. It is not at all unlikely that in this small community James Buchanan knew Thomas Lincoln casually, as Lincoln was defending his property titles in the September, 1813, term of court, and Buchanan, being a lawyer, frequented the court house. It is not improbable that Buchanan could have seen little Abe, but due to the difference of their age and station in life, it is unlikely that any notice was paid by him to the future sixteenth president. Sarah Bush Johnston, who was to become the stepmother of Abraham Lincoln, was at this time the wife of Daniel Johnston, jailer of Hardin County. As it was the duty of the jailer to keep the court house in order, his wife assumed the duty in this case, and no doubt James Buchanan many times observed this industrious woman as she went about her daily task of cleaning and caring for the building. A careful study of documentary evidence and Buchanan biographies indicates that he resided in Elizabethtown in the year 1813. R. G. Horton, in his Campaign Biography of Buchanan, written in 1856, states that James Buchanan, Jr., was admitted to the bar November 17, 1812, when he was a little over twenty-one years of age. Horton further con- tinues regarding Buchanan's ability as a lawyer with the following comments : "He came to the bar of his native state when Pennsylvania was distinguished far and wide for the superior ability of her lawyers. She could boast then of her Baldwins, her Gibsons , her Rosses, her Duncans, her Breckinridges, her Dallasses and 99 her Semples, who shed not only honor upon their own state but who added materially to the legal reputation of the whole coun- try. With such men as these Mr. Buchanan was compelled to struggle for that eminence in his profession which he subse- quently attained and so firmly kept. Perhaps we do not go too far in saying that there never has been so rapid a rise in the legal profession as that afforded in his case." His election as a member of the House of Representatives of Pennsyl- vania in 1814 would rather substantiate the fact that his residence in Kentucky could not have been of long duration and did not extend into the year 1814. The fact that Haycraft mentions the Buchanan case in the 1813 March Term of Hardin County Court, in his original manuscript of the History of Elizabethtoivn, might indicate that unusual pressure was brought to bear by the plaintiff under the guidance of the son and attorney of the plaintiff, and that the year of his Elizabethtown resi- dence was 1813. When Buchanan represented his father's interests in these land suits, he was forced to oppose, at the age of twenty-two years with only about one year's experience, some of the finest lawyers in America. Samuel Hay- craft in his history states that "By 1806 twenty-two lawyers had been ad- mitted to the Hardin County bar." Among these were Felix Grundy, afterward senator from Tennessee; Ninian Edwards, afterward governor of Illinois; Thomas B. Reed, afterward senator from Mississippi; Henry P. Brodnax; Jchn Rowan; John Pope; and Robert Wickliffe. Haycraft observes of certain lawyers who practiced at Elizabethtown that any of them were "far ahead in legal knowledge, statesmanship, and admin- istrative capacities of some of our presidents." Ben Hardin, who was a noted lawyer and one of the most interest- ing characters in Kentucky history during the first half of the nineteenth century, resided for a while in Elizabethtown, and practiced for many years before the Elizabethtown bar. In Hardin's biography, written by Lucius P. Little, the following information is given concerning Buch- anan in Elizabethtown: "Before Horace Greeley had advised the 'young man' to ( go west,' ex-President Buchanan forsook his Pennsylvania home and came to Kentucky. 'I recollect very well/ said Mr. Hardin, in 1849, 'that some thirty^seven or thirty-eight years ago the celebrated James Buchanan, late Secretary of State under Mr. Polk, commenced the practice of law in the town of Elizabeth. 100 There I became acquainted with him, and at that time I dis- covered in him a man of fine education and respectable talents. In the course of a few months he began to look unhappy, and as if he was experiencing some disappointment. His father had given him a large landed estate in Hardin County, about which there was some difficulty. At length he made me his attorney at law and attorney in fact, and went back and settled in Pennsylvania, where he was raised. Ten or fifteen years afterward I met him in Congress, and over and over again have we laughed when he told me this story: " 'I went to Kentucky,' he said, 'expecting to be a great man there, but every lawyer I met at the bar was my equal, and more than half of them my superiors, so I gave it up.' " The Ben Hardin biography also contains Buchanan's description of Hardin's personal appearance: "Ex-President Buchanan spoke of seeing him on one occasion, at an early peroid of life, thus arrayed at Elizabethtown, the material of his apparel being linen, of home manu- facture." As to Buchanan's success as a lawyer in Elizabethtown, the fol- lowing account found in Collins' History of Kentucky clearly shows that the Elizabethtown bar was no place for a novice: "At the first term of court after his arrival among other visiting lawyers was Ben Hardin — dressed in a suit of unbleach- ed tow linen, its clumsy fit helping to give the wearer quite a clownish appearance. Buchanan was surprised to see him take a seat among the lawyers. On the third day of the term a case ivas called, in which the pleadings were very intricate and after the strictest English forms before the days of Chitty. His wonder grew that such a looking man as Hardin had the depth and grasp to grapple with such a case; but when he heard him argue it with a clearness, and tact, and power that evinced a master-spirit, he retired from the court house and pre- pared to abandon his new home — remarking to himself that if such looking men as Ben Hardin were so smart in Kentucky, there was a better opening for him in his old Pennsylvania home." The duration of Buchanan's stay in Kentucky is not definite, but it is more than likely that he resided in Elizabethtown for several months. Due to the slow processes of the law and court procedure, it was un- 101 doubtedly necessary for him to stay there long enough to attend to his father's land interests. Ben Hardin's statement that "in the course of a few months he began to look unhappy" would indicate that his resi- dence extended over a period of several months. Just when and how he departed for Pennsylvania is now not known, but it would have been the natural thing for him to join some party going to the East. Possi- bly he accompanied Major James Crutcher on an eastern trip for mer- chandise, taking the land route on horseback, as was the custom of many merchants traveling to the eastern markets. Buchanan's life from this period on, to the time of his election to the presidency and through the presidency, likewise his retirement after the election of Lincoln, is well known to historians and many others. Due to the lack of documentary evidence concerning Buchanan in •1813, most of his biographers mention nothing concerning his life or his trip to Kentucky during that year. The present generation, in its intensive study of Lincoln's life, should find early Hardin County of especial historical interest, due to the fact that the two future Presidents who were destined to play prominent parts in the most critical period thus far of the Nation's existence, lived in the same community in Kentucky, less than one hundred miles from the birthplace of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy. A bronze tablet to the memory of James Buchanan, President of the United States, who lived in Hardin County, has been placed in a cor- rider of the Court House by the Hardin County Historical Society. The tablet was erected in the year 1934, and it bears the following in- scription : James Buchanan 15 th President of the United States resided for several months at Elizabethtown in the year 1813 where he served as legal adviser in his father's western land litigations. 102 Elizabethtown s First Patriotic Celebration-1 807 rry HE fact is not generally known that, as early as 1807, the citizens of -■■ Elizabethtown celebrated the anniversary of American Independence. An old document in the Hardin County Court Records reveals that ex- tensive preparations were made, in the year 1807, for such a celebration. The court record is as follows: Monday, May 25, 1807 To the worshipful the County Court of Hardin County we the citizens of said county request your honor to give us per- mission to celebrate the anniversary of American Independence together with some other days as is customary among the citi- zens of the United States in the Court House we being respon- sible for all damage being done to said Court House during the time we may use it. May 25, 1807. Ben Helm, Ebenezer Goodtell, William Maxwell, William Montgomery, Bolt Bleakley, Jas. Quigley, Jep. Hardin, Daniel Wade, Wm. D. Stone, Jno. Alexan- der, Samuel Stevenson, George Hardin, Benj. Wright, A. Geog- hegan, H. Waide, James Perciful, Jacob Linder, Thomas Crutch- er, James Churchill, Steph. Rawlins, whereupon it is the opinion of the court that said citizens be allowed the privilege of the above and foregoing partition. Such celebrations were held in many parts of Kentucky in this early day, likely because large companies of Revolutionary soldiers settled here shortly after the War of Independence. At this particular celebration a barbecue dinner was served, with a plentiful supply of Kentucky whiskey on hand. Many speeches and toasts were offered, giving the celebration a patriotic and enthusiastic setting. A gathering of this type caused a lessening of moral etiquette, and the early churches endeavored to check the evil. The May, 1813 minute book of Bethel Church in Hardin County, of which the early pioneer preacher, Warren Cash, was minister, contains the following question: "Is it right for members of our church to visit Barbecues on the 4th of July?" Answer: "It is not right" 103 The hilarious patriotic Elizabethtown festival of 1807 likely caused much adverse criticism among the more pious citizens of the community, with the result that the following order was placed upon the county court records: Monday, Jan. 9, 1809 "Ordered that Benj. Ogden, keeper of the key to the Court House do not let any balls be held in the Court House in the future" 104 An Historical Letter Concerning the 1840 Elizabethtown Fair AN OLD letter taken from the Helm-Haycraft manuscripts, now locat- ed in the Lincoln National Life Foundation, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, throws an interesting light upon a fair that was held in Elizabethtown in the year 1840. This letter addressed to Mrs. Samuel Haycraft, Jr., severely but tactfully criticized the time, place and purpose of the exhibition. As it is anonymously written, it is impossible to determine who might have signed the letter X.Y.Z. This old document, due to its flowery and classical style is of unusual interest to students making a study of early Elizabethtown. Elizabethtown, July 30, 18 UO Dear Madam: In compliance with the almost general request which has been sent forth by you to the gentlemen of our place to write either a letter or letters (as to them may seem fit) to some one or more of the ladies f .... of the Elizabethtown Fair. I have resolved to comply, and in this, my first, to address my esteemed friend, Mrs. Haycraft — Permit me to say to you Madam, that . much pleasure it usually affords me to see my friends actively engaged in acts of real benevolence and charity, I cannot with- out regret look forward to your contemplated exhibition, or dis- play, on to-morrow of beautiful and fascinating young ladies in truth, though the avowed and ostensible object I know is to be an exhibition of useful articles for sale under the cover of raising means for benevolent purposes. It is only after mature deliberation on my part — having been present on similar oc- casions and having witnessed the course pursued by the young ladies to drain the pockets of the gentlemen present — / say, after what I have witnessed — that I am constrained to give it as my candid opinion that there is no existing exigency in the church at present requiring a resort to such means to raise funds. No, I do not believe it. Again, a more unpropitious time perhaps than the present for such an affair we have never witnessed. The whole country is now groaning beneath pecuni- 105 ary embarrassments of no ordinary magnitude. Are you ignorant that it requires our young men to make every effort, to use all economy to meet their contingent and necessary expenses? It is true, Madam. Can you then draw them to the shrine of beauty there to appeal to their pride and cause them to draw more liberally upon their already too limited resources than justice and duty to themselves would sanction? Pause for one moment, my esteemed friend, and think of this matter — Let conscience say whether it was expedient even (waving the question of its propriety at other times, places, and under other circumstances) to hold a fair in this place at present. Methinks, each young man who may visit you at this place appointed on to-morrow evening and looks upon the business and bustle of that little world with the philosophy with which Socrates surveyed the fair at Athens, will be constrained to turn away at last with the exclamation, "'How many things are there which I do not want. How much also here have my eyes beheld but which my conscience cannot approve." What think you, Madam? With much respectful regard, I am &c. X.Y.Z. 106 Jenny Lino's Tour of Kentucky, April, 1851 ONE of the greatest artists ever to visit Kentucky was Jenny Lind. In April 1851, she travelled by stage coach over the L&N turnpike from Nashville to Louisville, where she was advertised to appear in two concerts. Traveling along the turnpike, Jenny Lind was enthusiastically received by towns-people at every stop. While horses were being changed at these stops, she would alight from the coach and sing to the people who had gathered to see her. Jenny Lind sang at Franklin, Glasgow Junction, Mammoth Cave, Munfordville and Elizabethtown while en route to Louisville. A brief review of Mademoiselle Lind's musical successes in Europe and America shows what a notable personage she was. Jenny Lind, a soprano, and afterward referred to as the "Swedish Nightingale," was born in Sweden in 1821. From infancy she showed great talent and when nine years of age she was entered in the Stockholm Musical Academy, where, after a year's study she was considered ready for the stage. For two years she delighted Stockholm audiences, when her voice became harsh and clouded and she was forced to retire. While in re- tirement she studied instrumental music, having given up entirely her hopes of becoming a singer. By accident, while taking an unimportant part in an opera, she discovered that her voice had returned with increased purity and power. After additional study her voice was capable of registering two and one half octaves and had great sympa- thetic appeal. In 1844, she sang before a Berlin audience, and next she went to Vienna and other large cities where she was enthusiastically received. Her great success was in London, in 1844, where she created a sensation almost unequalled in the history of English opera. In Sept- ember 1850, she came to America under an engagement with P. T. Barnum to give one hundred and fifty concerts for $1000.00 for each concert. Her first appearance in New York stirred the audience to the wildest enthusiasm. Her share of the proceeds of these concerts, amount- ing to about $10,000.00, was bestowed upon local charities. On the 4th of April 1851, Jenny Lind, after giving a concert in Nashville, travelled by stage coach over the L&N turnpike to Mammoth 107 Cave. While en route to Mammoth Cave the stage stopped, probably to change horses, at Franklin, Ky. While there, tradition says, she stepped out of the vehicle and for the edification of the towns-people gathered about, rendered a couple of songs that held her audience spellbound. She left Nashville early in the morning with her party and arrived at Bell's Tavern (Glasgow Junction) about nine o'clock that night, having travelled a distance of ninety miles that day. She spent the night at Bell's Tavern and most likely sang for the guests stopping there. Early the next morning, April 5th, the party left the turnpike and took the side road leading to Mammoth Cave. A large party ac- companied her through the cave and while in one of the avenues of the cave she sat upon a large formation resembling a chair and sang several songs for the party. This formation is known today as the Jenny Lind arm chair. It is also said that she sang while on Echo river but undoubtedly this is not true, as the river was swollen at the time from the spring rains and the party had to forego the boat trip. She evidently left Glasgow Junction in the early afternoon of the 5th of April for Elizabethtown, stopping on the way at Munfordville at Kerr's Inn. It is a tradition and most likely true that she sang for the guests in the parlor of Kerr's Inn. Continuing the trip north the party arrived in Elizabethtown in the latter part of the afternoon or evening which was too late to continue the trip to Louisville despite the fact they were a day behind schedule. The old Louisville Courier has the following items concerning Jenny Lind: Thursday, April 3 1851 "Jenny Lind leaves Nashville this morning and will reach here on Saturday of this week." Saturday, April 5, 1851 "Jenny Lind will arrive in this city this evening direct from Mammoth Cave." No issue of the Louisville Courier Sunday, April 6, 1851. Monday, April 7, 1851 Jenny Lind arrived here yesterday afternoon about six o'clock in one of Thomas & Co's. stage coaches. She is registered at the Louisville Hotel with a suite of eight persons." As Jenny Lind was a day late in reaching Louisville she probably was in Elizabethtown from the evening of Saturday, April 5th, to the morning of Sunday, April 6th. She arrived in Louisville about six 108 o'clock in the evening, which most likely made her starting hour from Elizabethtown about ten or eleven o'clock Sunday morning. There is a tradition that Jenny Lind spent the night of April 5th at Kerr's Inn at Munfordville, but as the distance between Glasgow Junction and Munfordville is not so great, it is quite likely that she came on to Elizabethtown, but as to where she stayed had not been determined until Mrs. Ella Thomas Welch of Danville, Kentucky, a daughter of Samuel Beall Thomas, owner of the stage coach company, made the statement that Jenny Lind stayed at the Eagle House (now the Pusey Building). Very soon after people in and around Elizabethtown had learned that she had arrived, a large crowd gathered at the hotel begging to hear her sing. As the Eagle House did not have room to acommodate the crowd, Jenny Lind went up to Aunt Beck Hill's Inn (now the Brown-Pusey Community House) and stood upon the stone steps in front, where she sang several popular songs of the day in her marvellous voice. It is not known whether she sang Saturday evening or Sunday morning. Jenny Lind seemed to appeal to every one as she had a very likeable personality and was so charitable. It is likely that all Elizabethtown turned out to hear this thirty year old artist, and to see P. T. Barnum, her noted manager, who was most likely with her when she was in Elizabethtown. She was probably the greatest artist who has ever stopped in Elizabethtown and such an event would be practically im- possible to duplicate today. Jenny Lind left Elizabethtown on the north bound stage coach, owned and operated by Samuel Beall Thomas, who was referred to by Nathaniel P. Willis in a letter written in the early fifties as the "wealthy nabob" of Elizabethtown. Mrs. Welch stated that Jenny Lind sat upon the driver's seat with her father, S. B. Thomas, who drove the stage that day, in order that she might see more perfectly the beautiful scenery around Muldraugh's Hill. After Jenny Lind arrived in Louisville, Sunday night, April 6th, the private residence of Mrs. T. L. Shreeve whose place was on upper Sixth Street was placed at her disposal. Mr. Shreeve was probably one of the proprietors of the Louisville Hotel and she probably used the house for the reason that it had more conveniences than the hotel. The first concert in Lousville was held the night of April 7th, in Mozart Hall. Not a seat was vacant, and the crowd that stood around the walls numbered hundreds. This tremendous crowd of all types of people was not of the most peaceable sort. Charles D. Rosenburg, one 109 of the Lind party, in his book "Jenny Lind in America" said that he saw a drunken white knock down two "gentlemen of color." He said, however, the "Louisville crowd depended upon thew and muscle, rather than upon small shot and the bowie knife." The second concert was held on Thursday and was as successful as the first. On the program with Lind was an Italian opera singer named Signor Belletti and an orchestra. Also on the program for the second night a new singer by the name of Signor Salvi was to be added to the attraction, but because of some, unf orseen reason he did not arrive and instrumental music had to be substituted. Mr. Barnum had planned only two concerts in Louisville, but the people there were so anxious for a third concert to be held Friday that a Mr. Raine offered Mr. Barnum $5000.00 for a third concert. The offer was so large that Mr. Barnum could not turn it down, so the third concert was advertised with the added attraction of Signor Salvi. The receipts for the Friday concert were over $6,500.00 and a considerable profit was realized by Mr. Raine on the one night's speculation. Tickets to these concerts sold at auction as high as $175.00 each with hundreds unable to find standing room at $3.00 apiece. Many seats sold for $10.00 each. The first ticket of the first concert was sold to a Mr. Louis Trippe at a premium of $100.00. More than one thousand tickets were sold at prices ranging from one to nine dollars. The total receipts for the three concerts amounted to $19,429.50, averaging $6,476,50 for each concert. These amounts were not unusual for her concerts; how- ever, this was quite a showing for Louisville as the 1850 census showed only 43,194 inhabitants. On the following Saturday morning, Jenny Lind with her party left Louisville on the Cincinnati boat, the Ben Franklin, one of the finest boats in Western America. Her next concert was to be held at Madison, Indiana, the 12th of April. Jenny Lind was probably the most noted person to visit Louisville, after the visit of General LaFayette in May, 1825. 110 Ward Murder Trial £~\ NE of the most noted crimes in the annals of Kentucky history oc- ^-^ curred in Louisville, in the year 1853. The principals of this tragedy were people of education, refinement and breeding. The case aroused the most intense feeling among the people of Louisville and the state, and the press featured the affair as one of the big news stories of the year. The counsel for both the prosecution and the defense was composed of some of the most distinguished lawyers in Kentucky, with the bulk of talent and ability on the side of the defense. By a change of venue, the trial was transferred to Hardin county, because of the excitement which prevailed against the prisoners in Jefferson county. The prisoners, held for murder, were removed to the Elizabethtown jail in February, 1854, and the case of the Commonwealth vs. Wards was brought on the docket at the first term of the circuit court in April of the same year. The tragedy occurred in Louisville on the second day of November, 1853, when Professor William H. G. Butler, principal of the Louisville High School, was shot by Matt F. Ward, a native of the same city, while the educator was engaged in the pursuit of his profession. The defendant and his brother were arrested for the crime shortly after- ward, and Professor Butler died early the next morning. The day after the crime, Matt F. Ward was brought before Police Court Judge Joyes for the examining trial. A large number of witnesses were called, including several pupils of the high school. At this trial as well as the one in Hardin circuit court the account of the crime was related. On the day previous to the tragedy, Butler had resorted to mildly punishing some of his pupils with a strap for breaking a rule of con- duct. From the court testimony it is to be noted that a young boy of the Ward family, named William, brought some chestnuts to school, and after passing them around to other pupils, the professor discovered chestnut hulls on the floor. Butler chastised the boy seated at the desk where the hulls were found, with the result that the boy pointed an accusing finger at young Ward as the source of the nuts as well as to hulls near his desk. Butler in turn whipped young Ward and when William denied the charges he was called a liar and after receiving seven or eight blows of the strap, left school in a sullen mood. The next day William returned with his two brothers, Matt F. Ward 111 and R. J. Ward, Jr., and asked to see Mr. Butler. The professor went into the class room to meet them, and Matt F. Ward accosted him say- ing he had something to discuss with him and asked which he thought the worst, "the mean little puppy who asked his brother for chestnuts, and then told on him or the brother, who gave him the nuts." Words were then passed, accusations were made, apologies were demanded, and in a moment W. H. G. Butler fell to the floor mortally wounded by Matt F. Ward. Robert Ward, Jr., was at the same time flourishing a large dirk. Butler was shot in the left chest near the heart, with a small, single barrelled pistol. As a result of this act, Matt Ward was arrested, charged wth shooting with malice aforethought, and R. J. Ward, Jr., was held as an accomplice to the murder. The first day of the Ward trial in Elizabethtown was on Tuesday, April 18, 1854. On account of the small court room of the Hardin court house only the officers of the court, the members of the bar, press reporters and witnesses were allowed admittance. The counsel for the prosecution were the following: Alfred Allen, of Breckinridge county, Prosecuting Attorney; H. B. Carpenter, of Covington; Sylvester Harris, of Elizabethtown; T. W. Gibson, of Louisville. The counsel present for the defense were: Hon. John J. Crittenden, of Frankfort; Hon. John L. Helm, of Hardin county; Hon. Thos. F. Marshall, of Woodford county; Hon. Geo. A. Caldwell, of Louisville; N. Wolfe, of Louisville; T. W. Riley, of Louisville; C. G. Wintersmith, of Elizabethtown; R. B. Hays, of Elizabethtown. The style of the case was: The Commonwealth vs. Matt F. Ward and Rob. J. Ward, Jr. The judge presiding at the bench was Judge Kincheloe. The Hardin county jury consisted of the following men: Greene Walker, James Crutcher, T. M. Yates, Geo. Stump, R. Mc- Intire, John Young, Thomas Thurston, J. C. Chenowith, Asa Buckles, W. Eidson, Abraham Neighbors, Richard Pierce. The trial lasted for nine days during which time many eloquent addresses were delivered and fervent pleas were made either for the prosecution or defense of the aristocratic prisoners. The case was com- mitted to the jury on the ninth day of the trial and after approximately sixteen hours deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of NOT GUILTY. (A'nolle prosequi' entered in the case of Robert J. Ward, Jr., impleaded in the same indictment, and he was released from the jail.) 112 The citizens of Louisville received the verdict with the greatest indig- nation. The excitement was intense and the people seemed to desire to cleanse their city of the disgrace of the crime. On the Saturday morn- ing following the acquittal this notice appeared in the newspapers: NOTICE: "A meeting of the citizens of Louisville, favorable to the erection of a monument to the memory of the late lamented Professor Butler, is requested at the court house, on Saturday evening, Ajrtnl 29th, at early gas light" It has been estimated that approximately 8,000 to 10,000 people gathered at the court house, and in a very orderly manner they conduct- ed the business of their meeting and passed resolutions condemning the verdict of the jury. Their resolutions condemned the Hardin county jury and charged that the jurors were venal and corrupt and they re- quested that the Ward family and the members of the Louisville counsel for the defense leave the city, as well as resign their public offices of trust. It is needless to say such an indignation meeting got out of control and before the evening elapsed considerable damage was done to the palatial Ward residence. Effigies of Matt and Robert Ward, Jr., the members of the Hardin county jury and a number of other prominent persons were hanged and burned in the Jefferson county court house lawn by the indignant and outraged citizens. The verdict of "not guilty" rendered by the Hardin county jury in the Ward trial, was in all probability the most outstanding mis-carriage of justice in the annals of the Kentucky courts. Nevertheless, during the early part of the last century in the "pistol toting age" a man killed for honor and the aristocratic Ward family considered themselves honor- able. In summing up the effects of the tragedy, it might be said that the gun that killed Butler also killed the Ward family financially and socially, excepting of course the sister of the defendants, Sally Ward who was considered a leader of Kentucky society, as well as one of the most beautiful women in the world. NOTE : A book of 174 pages containing an account of the Ward trial was published in Louisville in the year 1854. This publication is com- posed of the reports of the trial by George Cole for The Louisville Courier and Louisville Democrat. 113 Stirring Events of the Civil War in Elizabethtown and Hardin County A FTER the presidential election of November, 1860, the "irresistible ■**■ conflict," a state of war between the North and South seemed evi- dent to all Kentuckians. Abraham Lincoln, the Republican Candidate and a native of original Hardin county, was elected, but he received few votes in the county of his birth. Out of 2,091 votes cast in the county, Lincoln received only six. In Elizabethtown one vote was cast for the successful candidate by R. L. Wintersmith, Senior, an esteemed and respected Republican of the community. The citizens of Hardin county and Kentucky desired to remain neutral in the impending conflict, but Elizabethtcwn's sympathy was decidedly for the South. Kentuckians in general hoped for "strict neutrality," and for ten days between May 8th and 18th, 1861, many petitions of Elizabethtown's "mothers," "wives," "sisters," and "daugh- ters" were sent to Kentucky's Governor, praying to "guard them from direful calamity of Civil War, by maintaining inviolate Kentucky's armed neutrality." The state did remain neutral, but practically every county, because of the commonwealth's geographical location, was af- fected by the war. Hardin county was the scene of many important skirmishes, and both northern and southern troops moved within its boundaries during the entire period of the conflict. Elizabethtown and vicinity was a strategic point during the Civil War because the community was located on the Louisville and Nash- ville railroad. On September 17, 1861, the first overt act of the war in Elizabethtown occurred, when Henry E. Read, Warren J. Larue and Whit Cunningham, assisted by a few nondescript strangers, seized a Louisville and Nashville passenger and freight train at the depot. The news of the attack spread immediately over the state with the result that General S. B. Buckner, the head of the State Troops, issued a proclamation of "strict neutrality," with force to carry out his procla- mation against the two belligerents alike. State troops were immedi- ately dispatched from Bowling Green to Elizabethtown the following day September 18, 1861, to carry out the state's policy of neutrality. During the ensuing months following the first outbreak of hostil- ities in the county, the Elizabethtown residents witnessed continual 1U preparations for war. Men were enlisted in both the southern and northern armies, and the little village settled down to endure the in- evitable struggle, during which time they would be torn first by one side and then the other side. During the Christmas Holidays, in the year 1862, the community was awakened by the fearless Confederate raider, General John H. Morgan, to witness the most exciting event ever to occur in Eliza- bethtown. From Alexandria, Tennessee, rode Morgan and his 3,900 men with the objective of destroying the Louisville and Nashville railroad, which was the chief means of supply between Federal head- quarters in Louisville and General Rosecran's forces in northern Tennessee. The Confederates destroyed many stations along the route of the railroad, which were garrisoned by Federal troops and built to resist an attack. Such fortresses were erected at Elizabethtown, Bacon Creek, Nolin and Upton. The first Hardin county town to fall into General Morgan's hands was Upton. On Christmas night, 1862, the raiders bivouacked in a dense wood near the village. While there, they celebrated Christmas by distributing gifts captured from a sutler's train, eating turkeys seized from the troop of the "Second Michigan" and singing Christmas songs. Little did Upton citizens realize that night the strange scene taking place in the densely wooded knobs about five miles to the southeast. While Morgan camped in a wood nearby, the Upton garrison manned by a group of Indiana Federals, likewise celebrated Christmas. The sentinels guarding the fortress were unaware that a swift moving superior force would attack on the morrow. Early on the morning of the 26th, "Boots and Saddles," as General Morgan was sometimes called, rode into the Hardin county railway station and took the Federals by surprise. With the aid of his tele- grapher he sent many faked messages to mislead the Union generals, and by this method he learned the locations of the troops in that vicinity as well as the numbers composing them. The Union authorities had not the faintest idea that Morgan's raiders were in the proximity of the Louisville & Nashville railroad shown by the fact that while Upton was in the Confederate's hands, a Union train steamed into the station. This train was loaded with ar- tillery and other supplies from the north. The train's crew seeing that an attack had been made on the garrison, quickly reversed their locomotive in time to escape with their valuable cargo. 115 General Morgan continued his movement northward, and in the late afternoon of the same day he took the Federal stockades and gar- risons at Bacon Creek and Nolin. The Nolin stockade was a two story structure built with towers from which to observe the approach of enemy raiders, but this well constructed fortress fell as a result of the southern general's onslaught. Their spirit, heightened by this success, caused them to continue their wild gallop onward through the state. On the night of the 26th of December, Morgan's troops went into camp a few miles south of Elizabethtown, A regiment of Illinois troops, 652 strong, under the leadership of a Colonel Smith, were garrisoned in Eliz- abethtown. Brick warehouses near the railroad station were loop-holed and strengthened for defense. This was one of the best fortified fortresses that Morgan was to encounter. After determining the strength of the Elizabethtown garrison, General Morgan threw a cordon of men about the town, and his artillery upon the cemetery hill opened fire. The firing from the Confederate artillery, in charge of a Captain White, started about noon. Approximately one hundred shots were fired in twenty minutes. The fire was accurate, and the stockade was com- pletely demolished. Eight or ten Federal soldiers were killed in the "Old Eagle House" located on the present site of the Pusey Building. Approximately the same number of men were killed in the Old Foerg building v/here the Union Bank building now stands. The old sycamore tree, that once stood on the corner by the Union Bank building had imbedded in its trunk a three inch solid shot. The building located on the site of Lex's Drug Store was shelled, and another shot made a hole in the Martin residence that stands today on North Main street. Numerous shots were also fired in other buildings with more or less disastrous results. The Federals, not having a ghost of a show to maintain their defense, surrendered to General Morgan. The Union men were then pa- roled and Elizabethtown was in the Confederate's hands. A Union officer, Colonel of the Army of Tennessee, was visiting his parents in the town and when the garrison fell he was taken into custody. He was not connected with the company of Union soldiers and took no part in the defense of the garrison. When time came for his parole he explained that he was there only on a leave of absence and if he were paroled it would be taken as an act of cowardice. After the intervention in his behalf by Elizabethtown citizens, the Confederate officer decided to take no official notice of him. The Union officer was then invited to 116 meet the southern men socially, and after spending an enjoyable evening they parted, wishing each other success in their great struggle. After the fall of Elizabethtown, General Morgan pushed northward, going parallel with the Louisville & Nashville railway tracks. On December 28th, 1862, he burned the great trestle works at Muldraugh's Hill. Two of the bridges were destroyed, being 80 or 90 feet high and some five hundred feet long. The Union garrisons of 600 and 200 men defending them, were captured. After accomplishing this great feat Morgan and his command crossed Rolling Fork river and moved on toward Bardstown. The next significant event of the war in Elizabethtown was the confiscation of two railroad carloads of furniture belonging to General Simon B. Buckner, C. S. A. General Buckner, formerly the head of the Kentucky State Troop at the beginning of the war, resigned to take a command of the southern army. The discovery by Federal soldiers of his furniture in railway cars on a siding, occurred May 15, 1863. On July 11, 1864, Elizabethtown was attacked by a band of Guerrillas but they were dispersed. This band of men consisted of both Union and Confederate stragglers and deserters who preyed on both armies and on all towns and villages that came within range of their depreda- tions. The United States draft also caused much excitement in Elizabeth- town. Many men who had remained neutral were not in favor of the U. S. draft, and as a result, enlisted with the Confederate forces. On October 27, 1864, three hundred men from Breckinridge, Meade and Hardin counties marched out of the state to join up with General H. B. Lyon and other Confederate officers. The Reverend Mr. Williams, a Baptist minister of Hardin county was drafted, resigned his pulpit, raised a company of men and enlisted with the Confederate army. His church offered to purchase a sub- stitute in order to relieve him from the U. S. draft, but he did not conscientiously believe he should decline any longer to fight for the cause and send some one else into battle for himself. Hardin county, during the Civil War, as in this modern day, had its grain and hog laws. Also currency inflation, Confederate money and government vouchers or script, caused numerous headaches among many residents. On November 7, 1864, the announcement was made that Vene P. Armstrong was authorized to purchase hogs with cash for the 117 U. S. Government in the counties of Adair, Barren, Breckinridge, Ed- mundson, Grayson, Hardin, Hart, Larue, Meade, Metcalfe and Nelson. The town during these hectic days was often visited by soldiers of both sides, who made rapid trips through the state on horseback. Gen- eral H. B. Lyon's Confederate forces, in the year 1864, retraced in some parts of the state the identical route taken by General Morgan in the year 1862. On December 23, 1864, almost two years to a day from the date of Morgan's Nolin raid, General Lyon's men attacked a train at Nolin Station and captured 200 Federal troops on board. From Nolin, after a wild gallop, they raided Elizabethtown on December, twenty-third and twenty-fourth, 1864. General Lyon captured the rebuilt garrison manned by forty-five men, and he then burned the stockade, railroad depot and two bridges. With the arrival of a Feder- al detachment, he hastily retreated South, not having the success of Morgan in disabling, for an indefinite period, the Louisville and Nash- ville railroad. Likely, the last Civil War engagement of any note to occur in Har- din county was on June 20, 1864, when Ben Wigginton and his Guerrillas attacked the citizens of West Point. The Guerrillas were repulsed and Wigginton was severely wounded. Elizabethtown and Hardin county have never again experienced ■such times as the hectic and exciting days of the Civil War. Neverthe- less, the town's citizens led a gay existence. Social life was at its height and many hosts were continually busy entertaining first a general from the South and then one from the North. Activity in society, business, traffic and military maneuvers caused little Elizabeth- town to awaken from its lethargy and become one of the most import- ant towns between Louisville and Nashville. 118 Residence of Gen. George A. Custer in Elizabethtown, 1871-1873 SHORTLY after the Civil War General George Armstrong Custer with his Seventh Cavalry was dispatched to Kansas to suppress an Indian uprising. This troop, after five years active service in the West in ad- dition to its service in the Civil War, was worn gaunt and tired by such a strenuous life and was badly in need of a long rest. The Federal Government at this time was stationing troops in many sections of the South to control the Ku Klux Klan and Carpet Baggers, and to break up illicit distilleries which had sprung up during the war. Such distinc- tive service as had been rendered by the General merited a rest and in the early .seventies this troop was ordered South. A battallion of the Seventh Cavalry and a battalion of the Fourth Infantry were sent to Elizabethtown in 1871, under the command of General Custer. This command was stationed in the town for two years, but as the town did not have an organized group of the Klan and as there were few illicit distilleries and no Carpet Baggers, the soldiers settled down for a prolonged rest which they so much deserved after their many years of active warfare. Most of these soldiers before their arrival had been engaged in fighting the Indians and practically all of them fought in the Civil War. The sympathies of Elizabethtown were largely with the Con- federacy and it was wondered by many what relations would exist be- tween the soldiers and citizens but when the battallions arrived they were received very cordially. General Custer was much impressed with the fine people and Kentucky hospitality, so this two years residence was very pleasant, contrasted with his hard life on the plains. The General, due to his personality, became one of the most popular men in the town and made many friends among the Elizabethtown peo- ple. He was a graduate of West Point, and served as aide-de-camp to General McClellan and Pleasanton during the Civil War. He was the youngest man who ever held the rank of major-general of volun- teers in the American army since the Revolutionary War, when the youthful Marquis de Lafayette received a similar recognition from the Continental Congress. Custer's rank during the Civil War was next to 119 that of General Phil Sheridan. Being a wonderful swordsman he com- pared favorably with Stuart, Mosby and Forrest of the Confederacy. He was over six feet tall and weighed about 190 pounds. He was a typical blonde, wearing his hair so long that it hung over his shoulders. The Indians called him "Yellow Hair." No soldier ever had a more courteous and distinguished bearing. He was respected and honored by all classes of society. His appearance was very striking in any com- pany and his very presence commanded attention. If General Custer had lived in the time of knight errantry he would have been a Richard Couer-de-Lion. Being a superb horseman he kept a fine stable of Kentucky thorough- breds and a pack of Russian wolf and English stag hounds, as he was very fond of hunting. While residing in Elizabethtown, he frequently hunted small game and would occasionally go to other sections of Ken- tucky in order to hunt deer. His life on the plains had made him an expert hunter, and as a diversion from army life he preferred hunting to any other form of recreation. The battalion, while stationed in Elizabethtown, was able to procure fine Kentucky horses, and the seasoned soldiers mounted upon their thoroughbreds presented a commanding appearance. The Seventh Cavalry at this time was probably the best troop of the regular army. During the stay of the troops in the town a very sad tragedy oc- curred. A small boy, the nephew of Stephen Elliott, a well known citizen of the community, was accidentally killed by one of Custer's men. The soldier was so frightened by the accident that he ran away and was never heard of again. It is not known whether he was killed or changed his identity. Tradition says that the tragedy was purely accidental. General Custer was very fond of children, and played games with them during his spare time. He also enjoyed playing chess with his Elizabethtown friends, and he attended many dances, which were held in the old "Kaufman Hall" which was situated on the present site of the First Hardin National Bank. Many of the officers were married and made their homes in Eliza- bethtown. Entertainments were frequent and the social affairs of Eliz- abethtown during these two years were very brilliant and enjoyable. The unmarried officers who boarded at the hotels were much in demand socially, and the entire town took on a metropolitan air which has never since been equaled. General Custer on many occasions attended political meetings in Louisville, as he was a loyal Democrat. On one occasion, while in Louis- 120 ville attending a political meeting, Colonel Blanton Duncan made a remark in Custer's presence which offended the General and he immedi- ately slapped Duncan in the face. Friends stopped the fight and pre- vented any further difficulty. So intense was his zeal for the Democrats that he was one of the few noted leaders to champion the cause of President Andrew Johnson. When the Grand Duke Alexis of Russia visited America he came through Elizabethtown on his way West for a hunting expedition, and a large crowd gathered near the depot to greet him. While the train was stopped at the Elizabethtown station one of the prominent citizens made him a speech, but the Grand Duke after he saw General Custer on his fine mount, with his wonderful pack of hounds, paid no more at- tention to what was being said. He alighted from the train and inspect- ed both the horse and the hounds. General Custer later accompanied the Grand Duke on his famous hunt, which included in its party the famous scout, Buffalo Bill, who acted as guide. The General and his wife, while stationed in Elizabethtown, made their home in a part of the Hill House, then kept by "Aunt Beck" Hill. This building is standing today and is known as the Brown-Pusey Com- munity House. It was remodeled and presented to the city by Drs. William and Brown Pusey, former residents of Elizabethtown, in honor of their aunt, Mrs. Hill. During the Elizabethtown residence of the Custers there were several small brick houses exactly like the small one joined to the building now standing. These small houses were a part of the Hill property, probably belonging to Mrs. Hill's step-son. A long porch ran the full length of these smaller houses and connected with the Hill House proper, and persons occupying these quarters could reach the dining room from their rear porch. It is most likely that the Custer's occupied one of the small houses, by reason of the fact that they were permanent residents. The transient guests possibly were given rooms in the large building. The meals of all guests, however, were served in the dining room of the Hill House. This dining room is today the assembly room of the Brown-Pusey House. The Hill House was in its zenith during the early seventies when General Custer and his command were stationed in Elizabethtown. A great many of the officers of higher rank boarded with Mrs. Hill. A quarter of a century before, no less a personage than Jenny Lind sang to a gathering of Elizabethtown citizens from the front entrance steps of this noted hostelry. The cavalry unit was stationed on the present site of the Ritz 121 Theatre on South Main street, and the horses were kept in stables adjoining and across the street from this site. Major Kane, who com- manded the battalion of infantry, had his men quartered where Pate's Garage now stands on Dixie avenue. Another barrack was located at the Fraize house near the New Post office. The parade grounds were located on the present site of the Christian church and on adjoining lots on Dixie avenue. The guard house was opposite the St. James School on Poplar street. The infantry drilled where the old Fair Ground was situated. The hospital was located in the Bobo house across the street from the Warfield property on Dixie avenue. Across the street from the hospital (Cofer House) lived Capt. John Smith. This officer was a brother-in-law to Custer and the Elizabeth- town citizens marvelled at the numerous times he would change his clothes during a day, alternating from uniforms to various civilian out- fits. Captain Smith was killed at the Little Big Horn. General Custer's residence in Elizabethtown was interrupted im- mediately after the Chicago fire, when with a part of his command, which included a Lieutenant True with a company of soldiers, he was ordered to that city to maintain order. He was stationed in Chicago several months until normal conditions were restored; he then received orders to return to Elizabethtown. Dr. B. F. Pope, a surgeon in the Seventh Cavalry, married an Eliza- bethtown girl, Miss Lee Poston, a daughter of S. D. Poston and a grand- daughter of Samuel Haycraft, Jr., the historian, of Elizabethtown. Dr. Pope died several years later in the Phillipines. It is more than likely that other marriages took place during the two year stay of the troop. In the spring of 1873, General Custer and the Seventh Cavalry were ordered to Dakota, which was then a territory. Life for the battalion was probably becoming more or less monotonous to the active soldiers, and General Custer, although much attached to his Elizabethtown friends, he desired to be transferred to the seat of the Indian hostilities which he was ordered to subject to his control. The troops with their families, immediately upon receiving their final orders hurriedly pack- ed and left Elizabethtown over the Louisville and Nashville railroad for Memphis, where three steamers transported them to Cairo. From there they were carried by rail to Dakota Territory. The massacre, which occurred June 25, 1876 at the Battle of The Little Big Horn, where General Custer and his 277 troopers were kill- ed by the Sioux under Sitting' Bull, is a fact well known in history. Probably in no place in the United States was there so much sorrow 122 over the death of this valiant soldier and his men as there was in Elizabethtown, where the famous Seventh Cavalry had many friends. While the battallion was in Elizabethtown, a man named John Rags- dale enlisted under Custer. Several years after the Custer massacre, Ragsdale returned to Elizabethtown, stating that he had been at the Battle of The Little Big Horn and was shot down, but by pretending to be dead, the Indians did not notice him and he was able to escape. Little credit, however, can be given to the Ragsdale tradition as several others have claimed the same feat. All but one of the creditable authorities of the Custer massacre say that the entire troop was killed. In 1880, Mrs. Elizabeth Bacon Custer returned to Elizabethtown for a day and while there many of her friends visited her. She was a very charming woman, who had spent a considerable portion of her married life in army camps, usually accompanying her husband on all of his campaigns. In 1885 Mrs. Custer published a book entitled "Boots and Saddles," in which she related, in one of the first chapters, her two year residence in Elizabethtown. In 1926, on the anniversary date of the Battle of the Little Big Horn, Mrs. Custer was interviewed by a reporter for the New York Sun. During this interview she recounted several incidents of her Kentucky residence. The Hardin County Historical Society in 1936 erected a bronze tablet on the site of the Custer stables in Elizabethtown inscribed as follows : A Stable Which Stood Upon This Site Quartered The Spirited Kentucky Thoroughbreds of The Famous Seventh Cavalry Commanded By General George Armstrong Custer Who Resided In Elizabethtown, Kentucky From 1871 - 1873 123 A Miscellaneous Collection of Historical Facts HARDIN COUNTY, 1792 HARDIN county was the 15th territory to be made a county in Ken- tucky. It was formed out of Nelson county by the first Legislature of Kentucky, in the year 1792, and was named in honor of Col. John Hardin. The original area of the county was approximately 700 square miles, exceeding in size the State of Delaware, having an estimated length of 140 miles and an average width of nearly 50 miles. As no survey was made, the original boundaries of the county were vague ex- cept that the Ohio, Salt, Rolling Fork and Green rivers were specifical- ly noted. From its original territory have been formed in whole or in part the following counties: Ohio county, 1798. Breckinridge county, 1799. Grayson county, 1810. Daviess county, 1815. Meade county, 1823. LaRue county, 1843. Hart (in part), 1819. Edmonson (in part), 1825. HARDIN COUNTY, 1810 Hardin county's population, in the year 1810, was between eight and ten thousand. Half a million people had settled in Kentucky, in 1816, the same year that the Lincolns migrated to Indiana. ELIZABETHTOWN, KENTUCKY, 1810 The third census of Elizabethtown credited the village, in the year 1810, with one hundred eighty inhabitants. 124 LARUE COUNTY, 1843 LaRue county was formed out of the southeastern portion of Hardin county and was named in honor of John LaRue (II), the grandfather of Governor Helm. This county was 98th in order of formation, and the petitioners for the county, in the year 1843, proposed that the new ter- ritory be called Lynn county. Due to the fact that John LaRue Helm, who was influential in politics at this time, suggested that the new county be named in honor of John LaRue (II), the first suggested name of Lynn was rejected. The name might also have been given to the new county because of the numerous LaRues who were living or had lived within the boundaries of the new territory. SALT RIVER The expression "Going up Salt River" is frequently used in referring to candidates who have met defeat in some political conflict. There is a tradition that this expression grew out of an experience of Henry Clay, who, while a candidate for the presidency, went up Salt River on a steamboat with a party of friends. Becoming engaged in a game of poker, he was unaware of the lapse of time, thus missing a speaking appointment which was said to have lost him the election. Bayard Taylor, an early author, visited Kentucky in the year 1855, and made some researches in connection with this phrase. He stated later in his book, "At Home and Abroad," that in pioneer times the salt makers, who were a rough and rugged lot, bore a reputation for rowdyism throughout the section where they were employed and that when flatboatmen on the Ohio became unruly or dissatisfied they were threatened with being sent up Salt River to the salt makers. Taylor says the phrase "Going Up Salt River" was used in connection with defeated candidates about 1840, but he evidently did not connect the phrase in any way with the Henry Clay story. DEMISE OF ANDREW HYNES The first mention in Hardin county court records of the demise of Andrew Hynes, the founder of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, appears in a court document dated April 13, 1805. BUFFALO IN HARDIN COUNTY At the beginning of the last century a band of hunters followed a buffalo that swam the Ohio River at the Big Bend. The hunters pursued 125 the animal a great distance and it was killed on Mill Creek in Hardin county. PRESIDENTS AND GOVERNORS In addition to Hardin county's two succeeding Presidents of the United States, (James Buchanan and Abraham Lincoln) whose terms ran from 1857 to 1865, records show that Kentucky Governors James Proctor Knott, Simon Bolivar Buckner and John Young Brown, whose terms ran from 1883 to 1895, all lived for a time in Hardin county and succeeded each other to that position. TAVERN RATES FOR HARDIN COUNTY Monday, June 22nd, 1807— The court proceeded to rate the several tavern keepers in the county as follows to- wit: English Money American Money For a warm supper, or dinner, or breakfast 0.1.6 For a cold supper, or dinner, or breakfast 0.1.0. For lodging for each person 0.0.6. Horse to hay for 12 hours 0.1.3. Grain per gallon 0.0.9. Pasturage for 12 hours 0.0.6. Whiskey per half pint 0.0.9. Rum per half pint 0.3.0 French Brandy per half pint 0.3.0. Wine per half pint 0.3.0. Peach Brandy per half pint 0.0.9. .36) .24) .12) .30) .18) .12) .18) .72) .72) .72) .18) It is ordered that the several tavern keepers in this county receive no more than the above rates. ELIZABETHTOWN MILL RACE In the year 1797, a mill and race way were constructed on Severn's Valley Creek by Samuel Haycraft, Senior. Thomas Lincoln, the father of the President, was employed by the Senior Haycraft to help in the construction of the mill race. Authentic records show that Lincoln re- ceived approximately $150.00 for this work. Today, the mill and race way are completely obliterated, however, a street in Elizabethtown, which was then situated near the channel, still carries the name, ''Race 126 Street." The following document dated in the year 1802 concerning the ancient structure has recently been discovered: Obligations Ewing to Haycraft, Obligations. This my obligation shall bind me, my heirs, etc., to Samuel Haycraft, his heirs, etc., not to raise a dam (for a mill have this day bought of him on the valley creek near Elizabethtown) (because of) higher bottom land above or below, and also I am nor my heirs to remove the raise (race) nor change it in any manner unless it shall hereafter be agreed upon. In witness hereunto I have set my hand and seal at Elizabethtown this 25th day of August, 1802. N. B. It is hereby understood and agreed upon that the above dam is to be raised as high as it was heretofore. Henry Ewing Witness A. Wickliff Chas. Helm ELIZABETHTOWN STEAMSHIP COMPANY, 1818 The Elizabethtown Steamship Company built a boat in the year 1818 called the "City of Elizabethtown." The boat was launched on the Ohio River at West Point. It was sold at New Orleans for about one- fifth of its original cost. IMPORTANT DATES IN EARLY ELIZABETHTOWN First Market House, March, 1821. First Sidewalks, August 25, 1825. First Fire Ladders, December 26, 1825. First Fire Works and Rockets, August 11, 1826. PIONEER POET— JOHN HELM John Helm, an educated and practical surveyor, came to reside in Elizabethtown, in the year 1780. His surveying assignments were very dangerous because of the Indians, and on many occasions he nar- rowly escaped death. Sometime during his Elizabethtown residence he is believed to have composed the following poem: "If ever I am doomed the marriage bonds to ware Kind Heaven propitious hear a Virgin's prayer 127 May the blest man I am destined to obey Still kindly govern by his gentle sway May his goodness improve my bitter thoughts May his good nature smile on all my faults May he take vice to be his mortal foe May every virtue his best friendship know Still let me find possessed of the dear youth The best of manners and sincerest truth Unblemished be his honor and his fa/me and let his actions merit his good name I'd have his fortune easy but not great for troubles often on the wealthy wait Be this my fate if ever, Tin made a wife or keep me happy in a single life. (Signed) John Helm CIVIL WAR FORTIFICATIONS IN HARDIN COUNTY In the Muldraugh Hill range of knobs in the northeastern part of Hardin county, near the rock fills on the Louisville and Nashville railroad which in the last few years have replaced the high trestles, are found fortifications that were probably erected by the Union army during the Civil War, to protect the old wooden trestles which were used at that time. These wooden bridges were later burned by the Confederates. The fortifications, which consist of earth works, are located at sev- eral different points near the site of the old trestles and are on high knobs which overlook the country for several miles around. Each fort is about fifty feet square and range from two to eight feet deep. At each corner mounds still stand which served as look-out stations. While history does not record that fortifications were built there, numerous relics have been found including several old cap and ball pistols and many minie balls, which would indicate that these forts were used and that conflicts ensued. SAMUEL HAYCRAFT'S APPRAISAL OF ELIZABETHTOWN, KENTUCKY, 1869 "For who can tell what Elizabethtown will be with her delightful and healthful location, with her enterprising and energetic population, her railroad facilities, her fine water, and her surroundings of intelligent and gentlemanly farmers, the best fruit country in the world, and her 128 future manufactories that must spring up. And when it becomes a large city it will be well to look back upon her starting point." ELIZABETHTOWN BANK An independent bank with a capital stock of $100,000.00 was organ- ized in Elizabethtown, January 26, 1818. MEXICAN WAR On August 31, 1847, in response to a call for two regiments of in- fantry for service in the war with Mexico, a company of soldiers was organized in Hardin county. KENTUCKY GIANT A newspaper article dated August 15, 1850, published in "The Elizabethtown Register," records the discovery in the bed of the Rolling Fork River of a thigh bone of a human being which measured in cubic inches six times the size of the thigh of an average sized man. A physician estimated the height of the giant to be about twelve or thirteen feet. KENTUCKY GOVERNOR John L. Helm was inaugurated Governor of Kentucky, September 3, 1867, while on his death bed at his home in Elizabethtown. NEW HOUSES IN ELIZABETHTOWN Seventy new houses were erected in Elizabethtown during the year 1868. AN ECLIPSE OF THE SUN AND A DISASTROUS FIRE On August 7, 1869, there was a total eclipse of the sun, which was said to have been the most remarkable since the year 1806. This eclipse was visible over most of the United States but Kentucky was in the main belt of obscuration. The thermometer rose and fell fourteen de- grees in one hour, and birds and fowl went to roost. During this dismal period of the sun's eclipse a fire broke out in the business section of Elizabethtown, causing an estimated loss of $125,000.00. Many negroes and superstitious persons believed the world was coming to an end. 129 A Summary of Facts Concerning the Lincolns in Hardin County LINCOLNIANA THE Hardin county court house located in Elizabethtown is one of the chief documentary sources of Lincolniana in Kentucky. HOME SITE OF THE LINCOLNS Elizabethtown is the only center of population that can claim a home site of the (Thomas) Lincolns. THOMAS LINCOLN'S FIRST HOME Immediately after their marriage, on June 12, 1806, Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks made their first home in Elizabethtown. SARAH LINCOLN Sarah Lincoln, an older sister of Abraham Lincoln, was born in Elizabethtown, February 10, 1807. LINCOLN IN ELIZABETHTOWN, 1816 Abraham Lincoln with his family passed through Elizabethtown en- route to Indiana, in the year 1816. LINCOLN-JOHNSTON MARRIAGE BOND Thomas Lincoln and Christopher Bush signed the Lincoln-Johnston marriage bond in Elizabethtown, December 2, 1819. Thomas Lincoln married Sarah Bush Johnston on the same date. PETER CARTWRIGHT Peter Cartwright, the noted pioneer Methodist preacher and an op- ponent of Abraham Lincoln for Congress in 1846, voted in an Elizabeth- town election, in the year 1822. SARAH BUSH JOHNSTON'S ELIZABETHTOWN LOT Thomas Lincoln and Sarah Bush Johnston sold their real estate in Elizabethtown to Thomas J. Wathen, in 1829, for $125.00. 130 LINCOLN'S RELATIVES Five members of the Lincoln family, including the grandmother and aunt of President Abraham Lincoln, lie buried in an abandoned church cemetery on Mill Creek in northern Hardin county. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 1860 In Hardin county, out of a total of 2,091 votes cast, in the presi- dential election of 1860, Lincoln received only six. A VOTE FOR LINCOLN IN HARDIN COUNTY J. 0. Long, a resident of Hardin county, voted for Lincoln for president, in the year 1860. Because of the intense feeling against him for his action, he decided to depart for a new country. He emigrat- ed to Ohio and became a boyhood friend of President Warren G. Harding. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 1864 Telegraphic election returns, dated November 9, 1864, reveal that General McClellan received 239 votes and Lincoln received 30 votes in Elizabethtown. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION RETURNS IN KENTUCKY, 1864 Selected Counties McClellan Lincoln Campbell 1286 1504 Fayette 1496 1882 Hardin 1010 83 Jefferson 6404 1066 LaRue 700 17 Lincoln 800 109 The official complete returns for Kentucky, 1864: McClellan, 64,301. Lincoln, 27,786. LINCOLN LETTERS Abraham Lincoln, while a candidate and president-elect in 1860, wrote five letters to Samuel Haycraft, Junior, a resident of Elizabeth- town. One of the letters dated May 28, 1860 sold for $1900.00, in the year 1926. 131 JOSEPH HOLT Judge Joseph Holt began the practice of law at Elizabethtown, in the year 1828. He gained great eminence in his profession, eventually becoming Judge-Advocate-General of the army, in the year 1862, by ap- pointment of President Abraham Lincoln. Judge Holt bore a conspicuous part in various court-martial and military commissions, especially in that which tried the assassins of President Lincoln. ELIZABETHTOWN POST OFFICE APPOINTMENT BY PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN R. L. Wintersmith, Sr., was the only man in Elizabethtown to cast his vote for Lincoln in the presidential election of 1860. Immediately after Lincoln's inauguration he went to Washington and called upon the president, and while there secured the appointment of his son, D. C. S. Wintersmith, to the office of postmaster. Mr Wintersmith held the office until the election of Grover Cleveland to the presidency, when Mrs. Emily Helm, the widow of General Ben Hardin Helm and a half sister of Mrs. Abraham Lincoln, was appointed. "THE CHRISTIAN'S DEFENSE" "The Christian's Defense," a book which influenced Lincoln's re- ligious thinking, was dedicated to Henry Power Brodnax, an Elizabeth- town lawyer. RINEYVILLE, KENTUCKY Zachariah Riney was a member of a Catholic colony that emigrated to Kentucky from Maryland in pioneer days. He settled near New Haven, during which time he taught school for one or more years in Hardin county, now LaRue county. It was at one of these terms that Abraham Lincoln attended school for the first time. About the year 1830, Zachariah Riney sold his place in Nelson county and bought a farm in Hardin county. This land was located at what is now called Riney- ville. He reared a large family and the community eventually took the name of its earliest settler. ELIZABETHTOWN CABIN A log house in Elizabethtown was torn down, on February 10, 1872, which was claimed to have been the residence of President Abra- 132 ham Lincoln and his parents. This structure was probably the cabin home of Sarah Bush Johnston. LINCOLN, LAFOLLETTE, BORAH Jesse LaFollette, the grandfather of Senator Robert M. LaFollette, of Wisconsin, was a neighbor of Thomas Lincoln on Knob Creek in Har- din County, Kentucky. The western ancestor of Senator William E, Borah, of Idaho, lived at a point near Mammouth Cave in Kentucky about forty miles south of where Lincoln was born. The Lincoln, La- Follette and Borah families all lived in Kentucky at the same time. -END- 133 i