E-MAIL ME WITH ANY COMMENTS . THANK YOU LAURA
THE HISTORY OF
ELIZABETHTOWN, KENTUCKY
AND ITS SURROUNDINGS
BY HON. SAMUEL HAYCRAFT
WRITTEN IN 1869
CHAPTER I
I cheerfully comply with your with your request. Although born in it
seventy-four years ago, in order to furnish a history of the town and its
founders I shall be compelled to draw a little upon tradition, running back
to the fall of 1779. In order to give a just idea of the kind of men, their
mode of life, &c; who first came to the valley in which the town is now is
situated, (my father and mother being among the first, ) enables me to
speak with some certainty, as I received it from them.
Elizabethtown is situated in Hardin County, on the southern slope of
Muldraughs Hill, Severn"s Valley creek, a branch of Nolin, which empties
into green River. The town is ten miles south west of the Beech and Rolling
Fork of Salt river, forty-two miles from Louisville, by the Louisville and
Nashville railroad, and forty-five miles by way of the Louisville and
Nashville turnpike road, and those two roads cross at right angles in
Elizabethtown.
The valley took its name from John Severns, an early adventurer, who being
attracted by the beauty of the location, entered land, and gave the name to
the creek and valley. The head waters of the valley creek, and Rawling"s
fork each about three or four miles long, form a junction in the town,
where it takes the name of Severn"s Valley Creek. This beautiful stream, in
its course downward, is fed by Shaw's creek, Billy"s creek, East and West
Rhode"s creeks, and by numerous never failing springs of limpid water, cool
and refreshing. About eight miles below town it disembogues into the stream
of the nolin. The whole stream is about twelve miles long. The valley
through which it runs varies from two to seven miles wide. The greater
part, particularly that portion surrounding the town, was oringinally a
dense forest of heavy timber. Poplar, walnut, sugar maple, wild cherry,
hackberry, gum,&c; and various other growths, and undergrowths of spice
wood, leather wood, & c; indicating the richest soil. The greater portion
of this beautiful and fertile valley was taken by JOHN SEVERNS, ANDREW
HYNES, JACOB FUNK, CLAUDIUS PAUL RAGUET, OSBURN SPRIGGS, JOHN HANDLEY,
JACOB HARRIS, and others not now remembered . It was then in Jefferson
county, and belonged to the old mother of States, Virginia--afterwards it
was divided and became Nelson county.
Virginia; and in 1793 Hardin county was founded, bounded by the Ohio river,
Salt river, Rolling fork to Salt lick, striking across the hills to Green
River, and down the river to the Ohio, embracing all the counties of
Hardin, Meade, Breckenridge, Davies and Ohio, and the great parts of Hart,
Grayson and part of Edmonson.
About the fall of 1779 and winter of 1780, the early settlers were CAPTAIN
THOMAS HELM, COLONEL ANDREW HELM and SAMUEL HAYCRAFT, each of these persons
built fort with block houses. The forts were stockades, constructed of
split timber---then deemed sufficient for defense against the Indian
rifles. The sites were well selected, each on elevated ground, commanding
springs of never failing and excellent water.
The forts formed a triangle, equi-distant a mile apart. Captain HELM"S fort
occupied the hill on which Governor HELM"S residence now stands. Colonel
HYNES' was on the elevation now occupied by J.H. BRYAN, formerly by AMBROSE
GEOGBEGAN, Sen; and for many years by JOHN H. GEOGBEGAN, Esq. HAYCRAFT"S
fort was on the hill above the Cave spring in which the flesh of many a
deer, buffalo and bear were preserved for use, as salt in those days were
not to be had. There were no other settlements at that time between the
falls of the Ohio and Green river. Those forts were subject to frequent
attacks by the Indians. The report of a gun at either of these forts was
the signal by which the other forts were warned of the danger and summoned
to the aid of the beseiged fortress, which was promptly responded to. many
were the inroads made by savages upon the infant settlements at that early
period. Soon after a hardy set of adventurers came in and settled around
the forts, consisting of the MILLERS, VERTREESES, VANMETERS, HARTS, SHAWS,
DYES , & c, who assisted in repelling the attacks of the Indians. Many
deeds of daring valor were performed by the sturdy pioneers. It cost some
blood. HENRY HELM, son of old Captain THOMAS HELM, was killed; also DAN
VERTREES, the honored grandfather of Judge W.D. VERTREES, our fellow
citizen. DAN VERTREES was a stalwart young man of daring. He with the late
Colonel NICHOLAS MILLER and others, were pursuing a band of Indians,
MILLER, then young, was tall, slenderly built, as active as a cat, and as
fleet as hind, and as brave as Julius Caesar. This company coming upon the
Indians, suddenly, a desparate fight ensued, VERTREEs was killed at first
fire. A stout warrior seized a white man, wrestled his gun from him and was
about to cleve his head with an axe, MILLER at that moment, with a celerity
of action which few men could equal, and with a power that few
possessed---in the language of John Glenn " snatched the white man from the
Indian as he would a chicken from a hawk," and with an equal rapid motion,
killed the Indian. This turned the tide and the remaining Indiana fled,
leaving several dead on the ground.LLFW
side to side, loading and firing, and keeping at bay a band of savages for
a considerable length of time, was finally killed, and his wife and two
children taken prisoners. It may not be uninteresting to note a
circumstance showing the capability of endurance possessed by those early
settlers. Mrs. ELIZABETH HART, the widow of MILES HART, was regarded as a
very delicate woman for those days. She was enciente when taken a
prisoner---in an advanced state. She was burdened with camp kettles and
other Indian plunder, they crossed the Ohio river into the Northwestern
territory. After journeying a few days, at nightfall, she was compelled to
kindle the Indians fires, and then made to go aside and kindle a fire for
herself, raking up as best as she could rubbish from under the snow, and
there alone, unaided by the kind assistance known to civilized life, was
delivered of a son . The squaws then show a little kindness in the morning
, by giving her a little water in which a turkey had been boiled . Then
cutting a block from a tree, they wrapped a piece of blanket around the new
born infant, fastened it to the block, and laid the block upon her back
with camp kettles, &c; amd pursued their way, and in the course of a day,
waded a river waist deep, and yet strange to tell, she experienced no
serious inconvenience but from hard usage and inhuman treatment, the child
died at six months old.
She lingered in captivity and wretched slavery for several years, until a
trading Frenchman at detroit purchased her from the Indinas , and restored
her to her relations. She afterwards married and raised a considerable
family. BAILEY T. PRICE, Mrs. THOMAS TABB, and Mrs. JOHN TABB, are her
grand children, and now live among us.
Another instance to show the hardships of the people of those days. On the
25th day of December, 1780, the late BENJAMIN HELM, Esq; then a lad of
fourteen years of age, (son of captain THOMAS HELM, ) walked barefooted to
the falls of the Ohio (now Louisville) for meal or salt. Mr. HELM ,
afterwards, lived to an advanced age, over ninety years. He died some years
ago, a wealthy and highly esteemed old gentleman , of the old school,
having spent a life of sobriety, honesty and industry, having filled the
offices of Circuit and County Court Clerks many years, and various other
respectable stations, and was justly considered a benefactor in the
community, built the Methodist Church here almost unaided and died a member
of it--a true christian.
On the 17th day of June , 1781, under the shadow of a green sugar tree, near Haynes' station, a Baptist church was constituted with eighteen members , by Elder WILLIAM FAYLOR and JOSEPH BARNETT, preachers, with Elder JOHN GERRARD who was ordained first pastor. The church was called the Regular Baptist Church of Servern Valley . The church still exists in Elizabethtown and is know by the name of the United Baptist Church of Jesus Christ, called Severn"s Valley, and is now the oldest Baptist church that maintains an existence in Kentucky. All the members and preacher emigrated from Virginia, and Elder GERRARD might have been emphatically styled, " the voice of one crying in the wilderness".
This man of God was only permitted to exercise the functions of his office for nine months. For in common with his friends he was compelled to seek the game of the forest for a living, and being with a hunting party they were surprised by a band of Indiana, all except Elder GERRARD made their escape, he being lame, was taken, and whether he was slain outright, burnt at the stake, or lingered in captivity was never known, and like Moses the place of his sepulture is not known to this day. He left a family and his decendants, the MILLERS and THOMASES, are among us to this day. The elder and younger JACOB VANMETER and the wife of the elder were in the original constitution of the church. The decendent"s of the first JACOB VANMETER now number upwards of 3,000 and are scattered over nearly all the States of the Union. He was my grandfather, he died on the 16th day of November 1798, and was buried on his own farm, now owned by GEORGE STRICKLER. A plain stone of sand rock now marks the spot, the letter on it all legible, though of seventy years standing. "to be con"t"llfw
CHAPTER II
(taken from March 15th, 1889 Edition of the Elizabethtown News)
Church going folks of the present day who make it a point to appear in their best attire at the public religious services might feel some curiosity to know how our ancestors appeared on such occasions and I hope they will not blush at the description.
I received my information from JACOB VANMETER, who was the younger VANMETER in the original constitution of the church. He died a few years since at the advanced age of about ninety-five, having been a Baptist eight-four years.
They then had no house of worship. In the summer time they worshipped in the open air, in the winter time they met in the round log cabins with dirt floors, as there were no mills and no plank to make a floor. A few who had aspired to be a little aristocratic split timber and made puncheon floors.
The men dressed as Indians , leather leggins and moccasins adorned their feet and legs. Hats made of splinters rolled in buffalo wool and sewed together with deer sinews or buckskin whang, shirts of buckskin, and hunting shirts of the same, some went the whole Indian costume and wore the breech-clouts. The females wore a coarse cloth made of buffalo wool, underware of dressed doe skin, sun bonnets something after the fashion of men"s hats and the never failing moccasin for the feet in winter, in the summer time, all went barefooted.
When they met for preaching or prayer, the men sat with their trusty rifles at their sides, and as they had to watch as well as pray, a faithful sentinel keeping a lookout for the lurking Indian. But it so happened that their services were never seriously interrupted, except on one occasion. One of the watchers came to the door hole during a sermon and endeavored by signs and winks to apprise the people that something was wrong---not being ezactly understood, a person within winked at the messenger, as much as to say, don't interrupt us. " But the case being urgent, the outsideman exclaimed " none of your winking and blinking--I tell you the Indian s are about"
That was understood, the meeting was closed, and military defense organized. Now, gentle and fair reader, I beseech you, not to blush or be ashamed of your forerunners, they were the chosen of God and nature"s nobility. There was no distinction or turning up one"s noses in that day, each was his other"s equal, they were brothers and so esteemed and loved each other.
No burdened field of corn, no waving fields of wheat came to harvest, no potato crop burrowed the earth. The wild game that roamed the forest was the only dependence the first year, the rifle was indispensible. It was made common cause, food was obtained at the risk of life. The successful hunter lacked nothing. The man who brought down the bufalo, the deer, of bear, divided out and all had plenty. When news reached a fort that Indians were around, all were upon the alert, the men seeing that their weapons were in order, and the women, God bless them, went each to their neighbors and enquired, " have you plenty of meat?" if you have not I have it. " and immediately there was an equal division.
Often has the writer heard old people talk with great fondness of old FORTING times as a green spot in their history--they loved to dwell upon the scenes of early trials and dangers, when men and women were all true hearted and no selfishness.
At an early period CHRISTOPHER BUSH settled in the valley, in what is now the boundry of Elizabethtown, He was a German descent, a stirring, industrious man, and had a large family of sons and daughters. The sons were stawart men, of great muscular power, there was no back out in them, never shunned a fight when they considered it necessary to engage in it, and nobody ever heard one cry out "enough" The most of the family left Kentucky. One of the daughters married THOMAS LINCOLN, the father of the late president, ABRAHAM LINCOLN, who was the son of a former wife, and she had the principal care of the rearing and educating the future president. She was an excellent woman.
CHRISTOPHER BUSH, Jr. the youngest son of the original CHRISTOPHER BUSH, remained and died in Kentucky. He was a good citizen and sucessful farmer. He reared a large family and paid more attention to the education of his children than any other member of his family, and it turns out that his labor was not in vain. His eldest son MARTIN M. BUSH, Esq. is one of the best surveyors in the state. The Hon. W.D.P. BUSH is a lawyer of considerable distinction, he has frequently been in the Legislature of Kentucky and was in some degree a leader of the Democratic party, and is now reporter of the decisions of the Court of Appeals. Two other sons, ROBERT Y. BUSH and SQUIRE H. BUSH, are lawyers of promise.
One of the daughters was married to Col. MARTIN H. COFER. Col. COLFER, son of THOMAS COFER, was born in the vicinity of this town, and under adverse circumstances commenced the study of law, and soon after entered upon a lucrative and successful practice at the Elizabethtown bar. At the commencement of the late civil war, he took sides with the Confederates and commanded a regiment throughout the war, and was regarded as an able and gallant commander and now bear upon his person some receibis that will accompany him through life. As soon as the war was ended , having passed through many of the most terrible battles of that disastrous war he returned to Elizabethtown, having lost all but his honor, and immediately applied himself assiduously to his profession, gracefully submitting himself to the laws and the powers that be, in such a manner as gave him the esteem of all parties, acknowledging that the wager of battle had decided against sucession. He has since published a valuable work on the decisions of the court of Appeals of kentucky, and is now regarded as one of the best lawyers in Kentucky.
to be con"t llfw
