"Alfred - more properly Ælfred - is the only English king ever to have been designated 'the Great.' He
earned this epithet by his stalwart resistance to the Danes, by his wise government and law-making, and
because of his revival of learning in England. Even though he never ruled the whole of the counrty, he
was the first king of Wessex to call himself 'King of England,' and all the English not under Danish rule
came to recognize him as their sovereign lord.
Alfred probably never expected to become king, as he had three elder brothers (a fourth had died before
his father). Alread was perhaps the most promising of the four boys, if the following story is to be
believed (as recounted by his flattering biographer Asser, writing towards the end of his reign):
In fact it was not until much later in his life that Alfred actually learned to read and write.
In 853, at the age of only four, Alfred was sent to Rome, and again in 855, possibly on pilgrimage with
his father Æthelwulf. During these journeys he spent some time at the court of Charles the Bald, king of
the West Franks, and it seems from this that Alfred acquired some knowledge and admiration for Charles's
grandfather, Charlemagne.
Since the last years of the previous century England had been subject to raids by the Vikings - a
catch-all phrase for the Scandinavian raiders or Norsemen, most of whom as far as England was concerned,
came from Denmark. Eventually the Viking raiders, arriving in ever larger numbers, turned to conquest and
settlement. In the mid-860s a Danish 'Great Army' under Ivar the Bonelesslanded in eastern England and
occupired Northumbria (then comprising all of eastern England north of the Humber). Then the Danes began
to cast their eyes on Mercia (an Anglo-Saxon kingdom roughly occupying the area of the Midlands) and on
Wessex itself, which extended across much of southern England.
In 867, the year of Alfred's marriage to Ealhswith, a princess of Mercian descent, he and his brother led
an expedition to resist Danish incursions into Mercia. The Danes refused to give battle, and were
eventually bought off by the Mercians, but the sortic took the pressure off Æthelred's own kingdom - for a
while. The Danes went on to penetrate East Anglia, killing its king. Then at the end of 870 they turned
their attentions towards south-west - to Wessex.
In mid-April 871, before the last of these battles, Alfred's brother Æthelred I had died, and Alfred had
become king. Although Æthelred I had left two young sons, the succession in those days often passed to
the most competent relative - and by this time Alfred was an experienced military leader. After the
defeat at Wilton in May, a peace was agreed, and for five years the Danes turned their attentions to other
parts of England.
As he grew older and wiser, Alfred adopted different, more cautious tactics for dealing with the invaders.
He would besiege their fortified positions and starve them out, or shadow their armies with guerrilla
forces and prevent them from living off the land. He reorganized the fyrd the militia of each
shire, dividing it into two groups working in shifts, so that cultivation of land would not be entirely
neglected while the men were at war. He also fortified and permanently garrisoned key positions (old
Roman towns, new settlements, old and new forts), to protect the population and their goods, saving them
from Viking plunder.
The result of these changes was that Alfred defeated the Danes at Cynwit and Ethandum in 878, forcing
their leader Guthrum to convert to Christianity (Alfred was godfather at his christening). In another
campaign in the mid-880s Alfred took London (866), and scored further victories at Farnham, Benfleet and
Buttington in 893. In this latter year Alfred's diplomacy with the Welsh paid off, as they sent troops to
aid him in his fight against the Norsemen. It was after the capture of London that all the English not
under Danish rule (and perhaps also the Welsh) submitted to Alfred. By 896 the Danish threat to Alfred's
kingdom had dwindled away - although they still held fast to their vast territories in eastern England,
and it is possible that Alfred may have bought peace by paying tribute money - the so-called Danegeld.
- the shire militias - has already
been touched on, as has his fortification of key locations. These strongholds, known as burhs (the
Old English word is the origin of our word 'borough'), were positioned no more than 20 miles from each
other, and their defence had to be paid for by the inhabitants. Some had street plans, from which it seems
that Alfred intended them to be permanent market towns and commercial centres, rather than just
strongholds in time of war.
Alfred also promulgated his own code of laws, incorporating statutes from both Mercia and Kent, presumably
to encourage acceptance of his claim to dominion over all the English. He reinforced his kingly authority
by introducing a new law on treason and an oath of allegiance. His own introduction to the law code links
his laws with the Ten Commandments, suggesting he wanted people to think of him as a lawgiver with divinely
sanctioned authority.
Culture and learning
The long years of raiding by the Danes had had a disastrous effect on learning. Even many of the English
clergy were ignorant of Latin, the universal language of the Church, and Alfred recalled that when he
ascended to the throne he knew of no man south of the Thames who could translate a letter from Latin.
Alfred longed for learning, and later in his reign he established a court school, as Charlemagne had done
at Aix-la-Chapelle, and imported scholars from Europe and Wales; among the latter was Asser, who was to
write his biography (albeit a hagiographical one). Alfredalso encouraged art and architecture, and,
althrough the enthusuasm for monasticism was not to arrive in England for two centures or more, he was
responsible for foundations at Athelney and Shaftesbury.
Alfred set himself the task of translating (and sometimes annotation with his own comments) a series of
texts from Latin into Old English, including Pope Gregory's Pastoral Care, St. Augustine of Hippo's
Soliloquies and Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy. Various other works and translations
originally attributed to him (such as Bede's History) are now thought to be by others, but were
carried out at his bidding. One of Alfred's most lasting legacies was his patronage of the Anglo-Saxon
Chronicle, the compilation of which began during his reign, and continued until 1155, providing one of
the most important sources for the history of England in the early Middle Ages. Alfred's own purpose may
have been somewhat different. The early parts of the Chronicle, written in the mid-890s, emphasize
Alfred and his predecessors as the champions of Christianity against Norse paganism, and celebrate
Alfred as the ruler of a peaceful and properous Wessex, destined to rule a peaceful and prosperous England.
"I desire to live worthily as long as I lived, and to leave after my life, to the men who should
come after, my memory in good works." King Alfred, annotation to his translation of The
Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius.
"We must bring it to pass, if we have the peace, that all the youth now in England, born of free men
who have the means that they can apply to it, may be devoted to learning until such time as they can read
well what is written in England." King Alfred, letter to his bishops, circa 890.
Alfred's Mystery Illness
Asser, Alfred's biographer, left this tantalizing glimpse into the human being behind the legend:
"From his twentieth to his forty-fifth year (in which he now is) he has been troubled incessantly by
the severe visitation of an unkown disease; never an hour passes but he suffers from it, or is nearly
desperate from fear of it."
Apparently the worst visition occurred on the day of his wedding, so one may perhaps infer a psychosomatic
element in the affliction, as well as a degree of hypochondria -although all the other evidence of
Alfred's life points to a man of great sanity and sagacity.
Timeline
|
849: Birth of Alfred
853: Visits Rome, where according to legend, he is anointed by the Pope
855: Second visit to Rome
858: Death of Alfred's father Æthelwulf
860: Winchester sacked by the Danes
867: Marries Eathswith
868: Accompanies his brother Æthelred in a campaign against the Danes in Mercia
870: Danish victory at Englefield
871: (4 January) Defeated by the Danes at Reading
871: (8 January) he and his brother defeat the Danes at Ashdown
871: (March) Defeated at Meretun
871: (April) Succeeds to the throne of Wessex after the death of his brother
871: (May) Defeated at Wilton
878: (May) Victories over the Danes at Cynwit and Ethandun
884: Defeates the Danes at Rochester
886: Captures London
887: Learns to read
892: Begins his series of translations of Latin texts
893: Victories over the Danes at Farnham, Benfleet, and Buttington
899: Death of Alfred |
Athelstan, King of England, King of Mercia, and King of Wessex
(924-939)
Born: 895 A.D. Died 22 October 939, at Gloucester. Buried: Malmesburn Abbey.
Succeeded: 2 August 924. Style: Rex totius Britanniae ('King of all Britain'). Father:
Edward The Elder, King of England (899-924). Mother: Ecgwynn. Married: died a
bachelor.
Athelstan - the eldest son of the eldest son of Alfred The Great, King of England
and King of Wessex (871-899) - was the first king to rule over all of England, apart from Cumbria. A
great soldier and 'lord of warriors,' he annihilated a joint Norse-Scottish-Irish invasion force at
Brunanburth, so securing his kingdom.
Athelstan was also an effective ruler, arranging dynastic matches for his sisters, and at home securing
the peace, drawing up codes of law and establishing national assemblies of nobles and chrchmen from all
over the country. He thus helped to shape the future political life of 10th-century England.
Towards unification
Athelstan was brought up in Mercia by his aunt Æthelfleda, the Lady of the Mercians, and this probably
helped to secure the loyalty of the Mercians to Athelstan's dynasty, the house of Wessex. After
Æthelfledadied in 918 his father Edward The Elder, King of England (899-924)
ruled Mercia directly, and on Edward's death in 924, Athelstan was proclaimed king of Mercia, being
crowned king of Wessex the following year.
In 926 he arranged the wedding of one of his sisters to Sihtric, ruler of the Viking kingdom of York.
When Sihtric died a year later, Athelstan seized not only York, but the whole of Northumbria - a vast
territory extending from the Humber to the Tweed. Constantine II, king of Scots, submitted to Athelstan
at Bamburgh, the ancient stronghold of the Northumbrian kings. At Hereford, the Welsh princes had already
made their own submissions.
The Battle of Brunanburh
Athelstan's expansionist moves made many enemies. His military incursion in 934 as far north as Edinburgh
alienated Scots, while Olaf Futhfrithsson, son of the ousted Irish-Norse ruler of York, planned his
revenge from his base in Dublin. Eventually Olaf assembled a coalition of Irish Vikings, Scots, and
Strathclyde Britons, and in 937 launched an invation of England. They met the English army at a place
called Brunanburh, somewhere in Mercia.
The fighting lasted all day, and losses on both sides were heavy, but the English came out victorious.
The coalition lost many of its great men, five kings and seven earls among them, including Owain of
Strathclyde and the son of Constantine II of Scotland. It was a mighty victory, and was celebrated as
such in a splended narrative poen by an unknown hand, incorporated in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
Athelstan and Europe
As the threat from the pagan Northmen receded, Athelstan positioned himself as one of the princes of
Christendom, establishing bonds with his fellow Christian princes of Europe. One of his sisters married
Otto the Great, who became Holy Roman Emperor; another married High the Great, duke of Burgundy. European
royalty also came to Athelstan's court: Louis IV of France took refuge there, while Haakon of Norway was
raised in England as Athelstan's foster-son.
Athelstan, something of a connoisseur, exhanged precious gifts with rulers all over Europe. Among the
presents from Duke High - sent with the emissaries seeking the hand of the king's sister - were two of
Athelstan's most treasured possessions: the sword of the Emperor Constantine, and the lance of Charlemagne,
weapons belonging to two of the great champions of Christendom. There is little doubt that Athelstan saw
himself as one of these champions, for was he not, in his own words, 'King of the English, elevated by the
right hand of the Almighty, which is Christ, to the Throne of the Whole Kingdom of Britain'? By the time
of his death, with substantial parts of Britain under his suzerainty and purged of the pagans, this claim
was only a partial exaggeration.
"He offered indeed most ample gifts, which might instantly satisfy the cupidity of the most
avaricious: perfumes, jewellery . . . a vase of onyx, carved with such subtle engraver's art that the
cornfields seemed really to wave, the vines really to bud, the forms of the men really to move, and so
clear and polished that it reflected like a mirror the faces of the onlookers. . ." William of
Malmesbury, writing in the 12th century, describes some gifts to Athelstan by High, duke of Franks.
"Athelstan King, Lord among Earls, Bracelet-bestower and Baron of Barons, He with his Brother,
Edmund Atheling, Gaining a lifelong Glory in battle, Slew with the sword-edge There by Brunanburh, Brake
the shield-wall, Hew'd the linden-wood, Hack'd the battle-shield, Sons of Edward with hammer'd
brands." Anon., 'The Battles of Brunanburh,' from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, translated by
Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1876).Timeline
|
895: Birth of Athelstan
924: (2 August) Proclaimed king of Mercia
925: Crowned king of Wessex
927: Takes control of Northumbria
934: Invades Scotland
937: Defeats a coalition of Vikings, Scots, and Strathclude Britons at Brunanburh
939: (22 October) Death of Athelstan |
Anderson County, Kentucky
"ANDERSON: 1827 (82nd county) Anderson County is bordered by Nelson, Spencer, Shelby, Woodford, Franklin, Mercer, and Washington counties. Taken from
parts of Franklin, Mercer, and Washington, it is located at the western edge of the famous
Kentucky Bluegrass Region. Anderson consumes an area of 206 square miles, which is drained
by the Kentucky and Salt Rivers.
The county was named for Richard Clough Anderson Jr., a nephew of General George
Rogers Clark (Founder of Louisville, KY). He served in Congress and was appointed Minister
to Columbia by President Monroe. Anderson was the first diplomat from the United States to
negotiate a treaty with a South American country.
Lawrenceburg is the county seat. Originally settled in 1776, the town was not actually
incorporated until 1820. It is located 13 miles south of Frankfort, and 23 miles west of Lexington,
Kentucky.
The economy is historically based on farming, yet more than 50 distilleries were in operation in 1818.
Kentucky River limestone is quarried in large parcels, and other chief industries include the
manufacturing of carpeting, wall tile, pipe coating, metal fasteners, dairy products, and meat
processing." Source: Written by Robert A. Powell Kentucky Counties, page 7-8;
1989.
"ANDERSON COUNTY in 1827, Anderson County was formed from parts of Franklin, Mercer, and Washington
Counties. The county is located in what is generally regarded as the Bluegrass (north central) area of
the state. Lawrenceburg is the county seat.
The county is named for Honorable Richard Clough Anderson Jr., who was born in
Louisville in 1788. A graduate of William and Mary, Anderson served in the Kentucky House of
Representatives and then two terms in the United States Legislature before being named by President Monroe
to serve as minister plenipotentiary to Columbia in 1823. Received in Bogota with much enthusiasm,
Anderson negotiated the United State's first treaty ever with a South American republic. He died in 1826
while on his way to serve as a delegate to the Panama Congress. Source: Kentucky County Maps,
p.4.
Col. Richard Clough Anderson Sr.
The following items are from the "Soldier's Retreat" on Hurstbourne Lane, Louisville, KY. in the family cemetery.
"Soldiers Retreat sign #1968. Home of Col. Richard C. Anderson, 1750-1826. American Revolutionary War Patriot. Aide
to Lafayette, wounded at Seige of Trenton and Savannah, captured at Charleston, fought at Yorktown, where surrender of
Lord Cornwillis to Washington in 1781 completed the Revolution. Married Elizabeth Clark, sister of General George Rogers Clark (Founder of Louisville, KY). Second wife Sarah Marshall, cousin of Chief
Justice John Marshal. [over] Soldier's Retreat: Completed by Anderson in 1794, with massive walls of limestone over
two feet thick, it was a refuge from possible Indian attacks. Damaged bye earthquake 1811 and by lightning 1840, the
homestead was later dismantled. Distinguished by 1983 listing on National Register of Historic Places, Soldier's
Retreat reconstructed by L. LeRoy Aighbaugh, Jr."
Military Grave marker: "Richard C. Anderson Virginia Lt. Col, Continental Line Revolutionary War 12 Jan 1750-16 Oct
1826"
Masonic order grave marker: Masonic square & compass symbol "First Master of Lexington Lodge 25 F.&A.M. (Virginia) in
1788, now Lexington Lodge no. 1 F.& A.M. Erected by Lexington Lodge no. 1 F. & A.M. 1988 Lexington, KY."
"Elizabeth Clark Anderson, daughter of John & Ann Clark ?????? wed to Col. Richard C. Anderson. Born 1768 Married 1787
Died 1795."
History of Grand Lodge of
Kentucky F&AM
Below is a brief listing from their history:
"At a Grand Lodge, holden by adjournment at the Mason's Hall, in the city of Richmond, on the 17th day of November,
1788 ... a petition of Green Clay, in behalf of sundry Brethren residing in the district of Kentucky was read, praying
that leave be granted to them to hold a regular lodge at the town of Lexington, in the district aforesaid.
Ordered, that a charter be granted to Richard Clough Anderson, John Fowler, Green Clay, and others, to hold a regular
Lodge of Free Masons at the town of Lexington, in the district of Kentucky, by the name title, and designation of the
Lexington Lodge, No. 25.... (Signed) Alex Montgomery, G.M., p.t. Teste William Lambert, G.Sec'y, pro tem.
The three men named in the record were of some stature in both the profane and Masonic worlds. Richard Clough Anderson,
the first Master of Lexington Lodge No. 25, was a native of Hanover County, Virginia. He was a captain in the Virginia
Continentals during the Revolution and crossed the Delaware in the first boat at the Battle of Trenton in 1776. He also
saw service at Brandywine, Germantown, and Savannah before being taken prisoner at Charleston in 1780. After the war he
moved to Kentucky and became a principal surveyor of bounty lands to be entered for veterans of the Revolution.
Anderson eventually established his residence on a farm called "Soldier's Retreat" near Louisville. Anderson was a
member of the first electoral college and a member of the Kentucky legislature. He married Elizabeth Clark, the sister
of George Rogers Clark. His children included Richard Clough Anderson, Jr. for whom Anderson County was named, and
Civil War (Union) Brigadier General Robert Anderson. Richard Clough Anderson died in 1826.
Accordingly, the Grand Lodge of Virginia saw fit to grant a charter to the little band of Masons "at the town of
Lexington, district of Kentucke." Thus the first lodge in the western country was established in Lexington the "Athens
of the West" four years before Kentucky was admitted into the Union.
It is an interesting fact and one that shows the importance Masonry played in the early settlement of Lexington, that
out of the party of eight pioneer hunters who located the site of the city, three were Masons; Robert Patterson, Levi
Todd and John Maxwell."
Honorable Richard Clough Anderson Jr.
U.S. Congressman;
U.S. Minister to Columbia.
Anderson County, Kentucky
was named for Richard C. Anderson Jr., a nephew of
General George Rogers Clark (Founder of Louisville, KY). He served in U.S. Congress
and was appointed Minister to Columbia by President Monroe. Anderson was the first diplomat from the
United States to negotiate a treaty with a South American country.
"Richard Clough Anderson, Jr., legislator and diplomat after whom Anderson County was named, was born on 4
August 1788, at Soldier's Retreat in Jefferson County, Kentucky, to Richard Clough Anderson and Elizabeth
(Clark) Anderson. He was a graduate of William and Mary College. After studying law in Virginia, Anderson
practices law in Louisville and served in the Kentucky legislature in 1815. He was then elected to two
terms in the U.S. House of Representatives (1817-1821), where he chaired the Committee on Public Lands. He
was returned to the Kentucky legislature in 1821 and chosen Speaker of the House in 1822. Anderson was
appointed U.S. minister plenipotentiary to Colombia [by President Monroe] on 27 January 1823, and in 1826
he was confirmed as a delegate to the Panama Congress of Nations. While on his way to Cartagena, he died
of yellow fever on 24 July 1826, in Turbaco, Panama.
Anderson married Elizabeth Gwathmey in 1810; they had three daughters and one son. Anderson was buried in
the family cemetery on Hurstbourne Lane in Jefferson County.
See Alfred Tischendorf and E. Taylor Parks, eds., "The Diary and Journal of Richard Clough Anderson, Jr.
1814-1826 (Durham, N.C., 1964). SECTION Written BY Charles Snow Guthrie for the history as written in
The Kentucky Encyclopedia, page 21; 1992.
John Baird (Pioneer, Methodist)
"Pioneer Methodist (KY Road 210 at 462, LaRue County)
John Baird (Beard) was born 1768. In 1791, became a Methodist circuit rider in Marland.
Immigrated to Kentucky in 1795. Preached first sermon in this area at house of Phillip Reed, August 1796,
that lead to organization of the Level Woods Methodist Church. He died in 1846. Buried in the family
cemetery near Level Woods Church. "An able expounder of the Word of god." Roadside History: A Guide to
Kentucky Highway Markers p.119.
Baird's Town, Kentucky (City of) (a.k.a. Bardstown,KY) (Nelson
County,KY)
"Bardstown: (Nelson County). This 4th class city and the seat of Nelson County is on U.S. 31E, 62,
and 150, 32 miles sse of downtown Louisville. According to tradition, the site had been settled by 1776
and was first called Salem or Salem Town. In 1780 William Bard (1738-1802), a Pennsylvania-born surveyor,
arrived to represent his brother, David, who had been granted a 1000-acre tract here by Governor Patrick
Henry of Virginia. William soon laid off the town, which as Bardstown was variously spelled Bards Town,
Bardstown, Bairdstown, and even Beardstown partly because of confusion about the proper spelling of the
family name. The bards were the sons of Archibald Bard, an Irish immigrant, who was also known as Beard.
In Scotland, years before, their family name had been spelled as Baird. To complicate matters, unrelated
families of Baird and Beard had also settled in the area before 1800. The post office was established as
Bairdstown on 1 October 1794, with Benjamin Grayson, postmaster, and is said to have retained this
spelling until around 1820 when William Bard's sons legitimized the present form. 199, 465, 1078."
Written by Robert M. Rennick, Kentucky Place Names, 1987, p. 14.
Major Bland Williams Ballard (Pioneer, soldier, legistator) (1761-1853)
BALLARD, BLAND W. (born Spotsylvania County, Virginia, 16 October 1761; died Shelby County, Kentucky 5 September 1853). Pioneer, soldier, legislator. Ballard
was the third child and eldest son of Bland Ballard [Sr.]. Ballard and his father came to Kentucky in
1779. Ballard joined the militia that year and served in Col. John Bowman's expedition against the
British and their Indian allies in the Revolutionary War. Ballard also accompanied General
George Rogers Clark against the Pique towns in 1780 and 1782, spied for Clark in the 1786 Wabash
expedition, and served with General Anthony Wayne at the battle of Fallen Timbers on 20 August 1794.
Ballard reached the rank of Major during the War of 1812 and led the charge into Frenchtown, Michigan,
where he was wounded and taken prisoner.
Ballard's family settled first in the Louisville area. In 1787, they moved to Shelby County's
Tick Creek, where Ballard's father, stepmother, brothers John and Benjamin, and three younger children lived in a cabin
located about a hundred yards from a fort known as Tyler Station [their cousins]. In spring 1788, a party of Delaware
Indians shot and killed John at the woodpile, then surrounded the house. As Ballard rushed out to guard his father's
front door, several Indians ran to the back of the house, broke out chinking, and shot and killed the elder Ballard,
fourteen year-old Benjamin, and one small daughter. Mrs. Ballard was tomahawked as she ran out the front door. Another
little daughter, injured by a hatchet, recovered. A son, James, was not at home. It is said that Ballard fired six
shots and killed six Indians. The enemy later admitted that they had lost seven. The attack became known as the Tick
Creek Massacre.
In addition to his duties as soldier and scout, Ballard helped mark the best route from the site of Shelbyville to the Falls of the Ohio, served as a trustee of Shelby Academy, and
represented Shelby County, Kentucky in the General Assembly (1800, 1803, 1805). He married
Elizabeth Williamson. The couple had seven children: James, Mary, Dorothy, Susan, Sally, Martha "Patsy," and Nancy.
His second wife was Diane Matthews; his third wife was Elizabeth Weaver Garrett. He was buried near his home but was
reinterred two months later in the state cemetery at Frankfort. In 1842 Ballard County,
Kentucky was named in his honor.
See Margaret Morris Bridwell, "Notes on One of the Early Ballard Families of Kentucky, Including the Ballard
Massacre," Filson Club Historical Quarterly 13 (Jan. 1939): 1-10, Lewis and Richard H. Collins, History of
Kentucky, vol. 2 (Frankfort 1966; original publication 1874); G. Glenn Clift, Remembering the Raisin!
(Frankfort 1961); E.D. Shinnick, Some Old Time History of Shelbyville and Shelby County (Frankfort 1974)."
Compiled by Mary Lou (Smith) Madigan for The Encylopedia of Louisville, 2000.
Ballard County, Kentucky
"Ballard County: 254 square miles. Population 9,000. County Seat: City of Wickliffe.
Ballard County was established in 1842 from Hickman and McCracken counties and named for Major
Bland W. Ballard (Pioneer, soldier, legistator) (1761-1853), Indian fighter and scout for General
George Rogers Clark's Ohio and Wabash campaigns, who later fought in the War of 1812 and served in Kentucky
legislature." Written by Robert M. Rennick, Kentucky Place Names, 1987, p. 12-13.
"Ballard County: is named after Major Bland Williams Ballard (Pioneer, soldier,
legistator)(1761-1853) a frontier Indian fighter. A fifteen year career on the frontier culminated in General
Wayne's victory at Fallen Timbers in 1793, Ballard served five terms in the Kentucky legislature between 1795 and 1811.
He fought at Tippicanoe and after the War of 1812 began he was wounded twice and captured at Raisin River, but escaped
the Indian massacre after that battle. Born in 1759 [other sources say 1761] at Fredericksburg, Virginia, Ballard died
5 September 1853.
Ballard County was formed in 1842. Located in the far western part of the state, in that area known as the "Purchase,"
it was formed from parts of Hickman and McCracken counties. The Ohio and Mississippi Rivers join at the southwest
corner of the county. The county seat is located at City of Wickliffe." Source: Kentucky
County Maps, p.5.
Ballard High School (Jefferson County, KY) ("Rogers Clark Ballard Memorial H.S.)
Ballard High School (Jefferson County, KY) as it is known by its shorter name, has also been called "Pig Sty High"
because it was built on a former pig farm in the mid 1960s. 1968 was the first year for the school to open.
Originally, they had grades 7-12. The first graduating class was in 1974 (for students having started in the 7th
grade). The school was not damaged by the tornado of 3 April 1974. After Kammerer Middle School was opened, middle
school grades 6-8 were transferred there as high school populations from the baby boom generation had overcrowded the
school. During the 1970s, the creation of television courses occurred as there are more students to teach and too few
teachers to help out. The school had oversized rooms that could hold hundreds of students in both the north and south
buildings on the second floors. These rooms could be sub-divided with moveable walls that were mounted on tracks in the
ceiling. TV sets hung from the ceilings in each of those sub-divided rooms, so whether it was one large room or several
smaller rooms, everyone had a TV within a close range.
Ballard, Kentucky (City of)
(in Anderson County, Kentucky)
(McBrayer). This virtually extinct crossroads hamlet on KY Road 842, 7.5 miles southwest of Lawrenceburg, is in the
"Cut-off" section of the county, so called from its having been cut off from Mercer and Washington counties when
Anderson County, Kentucky) was formed. The post office, established on 8 August 1893 was
named either for Thomas Ballard, who, as postmaster of Lawrenceburg at that time, had helped to secure the post office
for the community; or for William Ballard, the first of that name to be listed in a county census and whose farm was a
short distance from the post office site. It closed in 1904. Caldwell's Store, an earlier post office in the area,
established by Benjamin F. Caldwell and in operation from 1866 to 1883, may also have been referred to as
Ballard 712, 958, 1387." Written by Robert M. Rennick, Kentucky Place Names, 1987, p.12.
Ballard Post Office (Floyd County) (a.k.a. Garrett P.O.)
"Garrett (Floyd County) (Wayland). This coal town with a post office is on KY Road 7 and 80 and the Right Fork of
Beaver Creek, 13 miles south of Prestonburg. It was founded around 1914 as an Elk Horn Coal
Company town named for the brothers John and Robert Garrett, Baltimore bankers and coal company financiers. The post
office established as Ballard Post Office on 2 June 1910, with Nathaniel Estepp, postmaster, became Garrett in
1914." Written by Robert M. Rennick, Kentucky Place Names, 1987, p. 114.
Ballard School (now called "Chance School" on Lime Kiln Lane) (Jefferson County,
KY)
Ballardsville, Kentucky (City of) (in Oldham County, KY)
"Ballardsville (Oldham County). This hamlet with extinct post office is centered at the junction of KY Roads 22
and 53, 2.5 miles sse of LaGrange. The post office was established sometime before 1829 and named for a family of early
settlers. It closed in 1903. 1316" Written by Robert M. Rennick, Kentucky Place Names, 1987, p.13.
Blandville (City of)
"Blandville (Ballard County). This hamlet with a post office is a recently
disincorporated town, located at the junction of Kentucky Roads 802 & 1837, 6.5 miles east of the City of Wickliffe. It was established in 1842 as the first seat of Ballard County. Like the county, it was named for [Major] Bland Ballard (1761-1853), famed Indian
fighter and state legislator. John H. Stovall, on whose land the town was laid out, became the first postmaster on 11
November 1842. The town was incorporated on 14 January 1845. After a courthouse fire in 1880 in which all
records were destroyed, the seat was removed in 1882 to the City of Wickliffe, a new town on
the Mississippi River. 169, 444. Written by Robert M. Rennick, Kentucky Place Names, 1987, p.26.
The Honorable, Dr. Josiah Barlett, M.D., Col. (Signer of Declaration of
Independence) (Continental Congress) (1st Gov. of New Hampshire)
"BARTLETT, Josiah. 1729-1795. Signer [Declaration of Independence], Mass. After a classical
education, he started the student of medicine at [the age of] 16 and five years later began practicing in
Kingston, N.H. A successful doctor who introduced many medical reforms, he entered the provincial assembly
in 1765 and served continuously until the Revolution. He was named J.O.P. in 1767 and in 1770 took
command of a militia regiment. Governor Wentworth dismissed him from both posts in February 1775 for his
open opposition to the Crown. In 1774, he became a member of the committee of correspondence and was sent
to the first provincial congress. He had been elected to the 1774 Continental Congress, but was unable to
accept when his house, apparently maliciously, was burned down. In 1775, he was again elected and served
until 1777 when he resigned for poor health. He signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. In 1777,
he was with Stark at Bennington as agent of the state in providing the N.H. troops with medical supplies
and was Col. of militia 1777-1779. He was re-elected to Congress in March 1778 and voted in 1781 for the
Articles of Confederation, which he had helped write. He served on many major committees and, worn
physically by Congress's many moves in 1778-1779, he refused re-election. Appointed chief justice of the
N.H. court of common pleas, he continued in the legal field when, in 1782 he was named associate justice
of the superior court. In 1778, he was made chief justice, serving two years. He helped ratify the
Federal Constitution in 1788, and was chief executive (then called president) of N.H. 1790-1792. In
1793, when the title was changed, he was elected first Governor and served for another year. He
organized and was first president of the N.H. Medical Society in 1791, the year after he was given an
honorary M.D. degree by Dartmouth." Source: Encyclopedia of the American Revolution by Mark K.
Boatner, p. 61.
Beckham County, Kentucky
"BECKHAM COUNTY, an eighty-day wonder that was abolished by state courts, was carved out of Carter
County in northeastern Kentucky, along with corners of Lewis and Elliott, as Kentucky's 120th county.
Beckham County was created by the legislature on 9 February 1904, during a period of rapid growth, in a
mix of local pride and political ambition. First envisioned as being named Harscrabble, then Goebel, it
was in the end named for the sitting governor, J.C.W. Beckham (1900-1907), with Olive Hill as county seat.
Disputing a seventy-dollar debt judgment, C.V. Zimmerman filed suit against the new county judge, Capt.
C.C. Brooks, claiming the county was unlawful because it left the parent county with few than four hundred
square miles of area each and had less area than that itself. Carter County joined the suit, claiming that
Beckham County ran too close to Vanceburg and Grayson, Both county seats, violating a ten-mile minimum set
by the state constitution. The suit also claimed that Beckham County would rob Carter of rightful taxes.
The court of appeals dissolved Beckham County on 29 April 1904. Postal orders and marriage licenses
remain the only official records of its existence. See George Wolford, Carter County, a Pictorial
History (Ashland, KY., 1985)." Written by George Wolford for The Kentucky
Encyclopedia, page 65-66; 1992.
"BECKHAM COUNTY: This was the 120th county formed in Kentucky, but you won't find it on any
current map. It lasted for only 80 days! It was made up of parts of Carter, Elliott and Lewis County. Many
historical reference works, including Everton's, does not even list it. It was abolished after being
created on 9 Feb 1904. It had been named for the sitting Governor, J. C. W. Beckham. It was also called
Hardscrabble and Goebel. Postal orders and marriage licenses remain the only official records and it is
unknown where these are stored." Source:
http://www.rootsquest.com/~jmurphy/lessons/tip_04.htm
1.) Beckham County; Parent County/Counties: Carter
Date Approved: 9 February 1904; Date Effective: 9 February 1904
Reference: "Acts of the Kentucky General Assembly," 1904, pages 27-30.
Note: Named for J.C.W. Beckham, Kentucky Governor, when the county was created. Olive Hill was designated
the county seat. The court of appeals dissolved this county on 29 April 1904.
Text of Act Creating New County:
Note: Beckham County would have been the 120th county established or the 121st if voters had approved
the establishment of Henrietta County in 1867.
CHAPTER 5. An ACT creating the county of Beckham. Approved 9 February 1904. Emergency Provision.
BE it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky:
SECTION 1. That the county of Beckham be, and the same is hereby, created, and the boundary lines
thereof are established as follows:
Beginning on three black oaks by the county, or old State road, the corner of John Reid.s and Wilburn
Hall.s and Marion Oldfields. lands, being ten and one half miles by survey from Grayson, the present county
seat of Carter county, Kentucky; thence south 12 degrees 6. east 36,740 feet to a small locust; thence
south 56 degrees west 2871 feet to a black oak near the open fork of Big Gimlet, thence north 4 degrees 30.
west 19,860 feet to a white oak on Mauck Branch so as to exclude William Binion.s house; thence with the
act of 1869, approved 26 January 1869, making Elliott county; thence with Mauck Ridge to the corner of
Rowan, Elliott and Beckham counties; thence north 70 degrees 6. west 14,465 feet; thence north 26 degrees
16. west 70, 157 feet to the point near Briery Creek; thence due north 31,480 feet; thence north 9 degrees
15. east 65, 297 feet; thence due south 12,238 feet to a small hickory and oak on top of Three Prong ridge;
thence south 5 degrees 19. west 52,528 feet to the point of beginning.
SECTION 2. The seat of government or county-seat of said county is Olive Hill.
SECTION 3. Said county is, for the present, divided into five magisterial districts, numbered and
bounded as follows:
District No. 1. Beginning at the point where the line of this county crosses Cave branch; thence with
the division line between this county and Carter county to where it crosses Tygart's creek; thence up said
Tygart's creek, with the meandering thereof, to the mouth of Jarvis branch; thence up said branch, with the
meanderings thereof, including the farms of James Jarvis and William Jordan, to the county road at the head
of said branch; thence with the county road to the Corey school-house, on top of the hill; thence with the
county road to the Elliott county line, crossing Big Sinking Creek at Providence school-house; thence with
the Elliott county line to a set stone in said line, at a point due south from the main forks of Big
Sinking Creek; thence with the county road leading to Limestone, but excluding all of Limestone West of the
Jack Thompson branch; thence down Tygart's creek to the forks thereof, at the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad
bridge, near the residence of Ex-Senator Carpenter; thence up and with the Fleming Fork of Tygart's creek,
to the mouth of Smith's Run creek; thence up said Run to the headwaters thereof, at a set stone on the
ridge dividing the waters of said Smith's Run from those of Grassy, near the residence of Samuel J.
Rayburn, but excluding it; thence with the top of said ridge to the Joseph Tutt's farm, on the headwaters
of Buffalo creek; thence an East course with the top of the ridge that divides the waters of Buffalo and
Smoky creeks, to where the old Oakland school-house was burned; thence down Cave branch to the
beginning.
District No. 2. Beginning at the point where the line between Beckham and Carter counties crosses
Tygart.s creek; thence following the division line between said counties to the line of Elliott county;
thence with the Elliott county line to the corner of District No. 1; thence with the boundary lines of
District No. 1, to the beginning.
District No. 3. Beginning at the forks of Tygart.s creek, at the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad bridge, a
corner of District No. 1, and thence with the line of District No. 1 to the Elliott county line; thence
with the line of Elliott county to where it intersects the line of Rowan county; thence with the Rowan
county line to a set stone on top of the ridge which divides the waters of Tygart's creek from those of
Kinniconick creek; thence with the top of said ridge to the corner of District No. 1, near the residence of
Samuel J. Rayburn and including it; thence with the boundary line of District No. 1 to the beginning.
District No. 4. Beginning at the corner of District No. 1, at the Joseph Tutt.s farm; thence running on
top of the ridge dividing the waters of Buffalo creek from those of Laurel creek to the Lewis county line;
thence with the line of Lewis county to the line of Greenup county; thence with the line of Greenup county
to the line of Carter county; thence with the line of Carter county to the beginning.
District No. 5. Beginning at a set stone in the Rowan county line, a corner of District No. 3; thence
with the line of District No. 3 in an east course to the corner of District No. 4, at the Joseph Fults'
farm; thence with the north line of District No. 4 to the line of Lewis county on Stafford's Hill; thence a
west course with the line between Lewis and Beckham counties to the Rowan county line; thence with the
Rowan county line to the place of beginning.
SECTION 4. For the purpose of selecting and acquiring grounds upon which to erect and maintain all the
necessary public buildings for said county, a board of commissioners is hereby created, to be composed of
three members, who shall be appointed by the Governor within ten days after this act takes effect, from the
two political parties, who shall be residents of this county, and who shall hold the office until the work
of the said commission is completed, and any vacancy on which shall be filled by appointment by the fiscal
court of said county.
SECTION 5. The said commission shall have power, and it shall be its duty, to provide temporary places
for holding the courts and keeping the public records of said Beckham county until permanent buildings are
provided for such purposes.
SECTION 6. When this act takes effect it shall be the duty of the Governor to appoint from the eligible
citizens of said Beckham county all the officers provided for a county by the Constitution and laws of this
State, such officers to hold until the next regular State election and until their successors are elected
and qualified.
SECTION 7. Inasmuch as the people living in the territory comprised by said Beckham county live very
remote from the county seats of their former counties and are compelled to travel long, tedious and
expensive journeys thereto, and as the expense of litigation and other public duties and privileges is very
heavy, an emergency does exist, and therefore this act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
approval by the Governor.
REF: "Acts of the Kentucky General Assembly," 1904, pages 27-30.
CHAPTER 72. An ACT to amend section 5 of an act, entitled "An ACT creating the county of Beckham" and
providing for transfer of assessment lists. Approved 21 March 1904. Emergency Provision.
BE it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky:
SECTION 1. That section 5 of an act, entitled, "An act creating the county of Beckham," and which
section reads as follows:
SECTION 5. The said commission shall have the power, and it shall be its duty, to provide temporary
places for holding courts and keeping the public records of said Beckham county until permanent buildings
are provided for such purposes, be so amended as to read as follows:
SECTION 5. The said commission shall have the power, and it shall be its duty, to provide temporary
places for holding the courts and keeping the public records of said Beckham county until permanent
buildings are provided for such purposes; that it shall be the duty of the county courts of any county,
whose territory is affected by the act creating the county of Beckham, to direct the county court clerks to
compile, make up and certify to the county court clerk of Beckham county the property assessment lists,
already made for the current year, of the property properly assessable in Beckham county by reason of its
location therein; and the sheriffs of said adjoining counties so affected are respectively relieved from
the responsibility of the collection of such tax lists so certified to the county court clerk of Beckham
county. For the service of so compiling and certifying such lists as herein provided, the fiscal court of
Beckham county shall allow to such county court clerks a reasonable compensation, payable out of the
revenues of said Beckham county.
SECTION 2. WHEREAS, It is necessary that the taxes due the county of Beckham be collected when due, an
emergency is declared to exist, and this act shall be in force from and after its passage and approval by
the Governor.
REF: "Acts of the Kentucky General Assembly," 1904, pages 155-156.
Source:
Secretary
of State Land Office
Honorable John Crepps Wickliffe Beckham
35th Governor of Kentucky; U.S. Senator; Speaker of Kentucky House of Representatives; Second Governor
of KY to ever succeed himself
Actually three Governors of KY did fill two consecutive terms (Gov. James Garrard 1796-1804; Gov.
J.C.W. Beckham 1900-1907; Gov. Paul Patton 1995-Present)...our 35th. Governor J.C.W. Beckham (3 Feb. 1900
to 10 Dec. 1907) (b. 5 Aug. 1869-d 9 Jan. 1940)(Democrat). I am related to Beckham, to his grandfather,
the "14th. Governor of KY (Honorable Charles Wickliffe) (Whig Party). Charles had
three sons and five daughters and the most prominent was his son Robert C. Wickliffe, was quite active in
politics and became governor of Louisiana [1856-1860]." I am related to these three governors who were all
born in Bardstown, KY.
From the Book, "Governors of Kentucky": "Beckham seceded to the governorship upon the death of Governor William Goebel.
In November of that same year [1900] he was elected by the people to fill out the rest of the unexpired term. He was
then re-elected to succeed himself for a full term, making his tenure last nearly eight successive years. John Crepps
Wickliffe Beckham was born at "Wickland" [Home of three Governors]
, at the edge of
Bardstown, the son of William and Julia Wickliffe Beckham. His mother was daughter of former governor Charles Anderson
Wickliffe. Beckham attended Central University at Richmond. He was appointed as principal of Bardstown public schools
in 1888, and was admitted to the bar in 1889. Beckham left his position as principal to establish a law practice in
Bardstown. In 1893 he was the Democrat nominee for the legislature, elected without opposition. He was a member of the
Kentucky House 1894-98, serving as Speaker in 1898. Beckham was selected as the nominee for Lt. governor on the
Democratic ticket with William Goebel in the election of 1899. At the age of 30, barely old enough to serve as
governor, Beckham was sworn into office on 3 February 1900, though Gov. William S. Taylor refused to vacate the office.
The Democrats retired to Louisville for a short time, and Kentucky had two state governments. The case of Taylor vs.
Beckham was decided in favor of the Democrats by Circuit Judge Fields of Louisville, a decision that was upheld by the
Court of Appeals and the Federal courts. To determine who should fill the unexpired term of Governor Goebel, a special
election was held 6 November 1990, in which Beckham defeated John W. Yerkes. Had Beckham lost the election, Kentucky
would have had four governors in less than one year's time; as it turned out, we had only three, and the third one last
over seven years. Governor Beckham married Jean Raphael Fuqua, daughter of Joseph A. Fuqua of Owensboro, 21 November
1900, shortly after the special gubernatorial election. In 1903 he was elected to succeed himself as
governor, this time he defeated M.B. Belknap, T.B. Demaree, Adam Nagel and Alfred Schmultz.
Beckham ran again for the governor's chair 20 years later and was defeated by Flem D. Sampson. He was elected to the
U.S. Senate in 1915, serving until 1921. He was not successful in his attempt at re-election to the Senate, and in 1927
was defeated by Sampson in the gubernatorial election. He died in Louisville at the age of 70, and was buried in the
Frankfort Cemetery."
Source reference Kentucky Governors by Robert A. Powell, published and distributed by Kentucky
Images, 527 South Upper Street Lexington, KY 40508-2993; Published 1989.
Honorable John Crepps Wickliffe Beckhams' history as written in The Kentucky
Encyclopedia, page 65; 1992.
"John Crepps Wickliffe Beckham, governor during 1900-1907, was born to William Netherton Beckham and Julia Tevis (Wickliffe) Beckham on 5 August 1869, in Bardstown, Kentucky. He was the grandson of Honorable Charles Anderson Wickliffe (1839-1840). He attended Central University in Richmond,
Kentucky, and then became Bardstown's principal of public schools (1888-1893). Admitted to the bar in 1889, he
opened a law practice in 1893. Beckham was elected to three terms in the state House of Representatives as a Democrat
(1894-1900). In 1899 William Goebel, accepted Beckham as his running mate for lieutenant governor.
[Initially it was thought that,] They lost, and Republican William S. Taylor was elected. But the Democratic majority
in the General Assembly reversed the decision, and when Goebel died of an assassin's bullet a few days after being
declared governor, Beckham succeeded to the office. In a special election held on 6 November 1900, to determine who
should fulfill Goebel's term, Beckham defeated Republican John W. Yerkes, 233,052 to 229,363. Anxious to reunited his
party and to calm the state, Beckham stressed non-controversial issues and the need for compromise. In 1903 he was
easily nominated for a full term as governor; he defeated Republican M.B. Belknap by 222,014 to 202,764.
As governor, Beckham called for improved roads, greater attention to penal and charitable institutions, and
improvements of the state's educational system, all consensus positions. The governor did not display strong
leadership, and the legislature showed little inclination to initiate reforms. Beckham was able to reduce the public
debt, and under his leadership a uniform textbook law was passed in 1904 and two state normal schools were created in
1906, at Bowling Green and Richmond. Beckham's ideas about railroad regulation were considerably more moderate than
Goebel's, and he did little to stop the violence of the tobacco farmers' Black Patch War. During his term, work was
begun on an imposing new state capitol.
Denied the nomination for the U.S. Senate in 1908, Beckham returned to his law practice, but in 1914 he defeated
another former governor, Augustus E. Wilson (1907-1911), in Kentucky's first popular election to the Senate and served
from 4 March 1915 to 3 March 1921, his support of President Woodrow Wilson and of prohibition cost him the election,
which he lost to Republican Richard P. Ernst by fewer than 5,000 votes. He was the Democratic candidate for governor
in 1927, but a number of his own party rejected him, and he lost to Republican Flem D. Sampson, 382,306 to 350,796. In
return for his support of Gov. A. B. Chandler (1935-39, 1955-59) in 1935, Beckham was appointed to Kentucky's Public
Service Commission in 1936. He also served as the chairman of Government Reorganization Commission. Beckham made one
further attempt to gain the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in 1936, but was unsuccessful.
In 1900 Beckham married Jean Raphael Fuqua; they had two children. Beckham died on 9 January 1940, and was buried in
the Frankfort Cemetery.
See Nicholas C. Burckel, "From Beckham to McCreary; The Progressive Record of Kentucky Governors," Register 76
(Oct. 1978): 285-306; Glenn Finch, "The Election of United State Senators in Kentucky: the Beckham Period," FCHQ
44 (Jan. 1970): 38-50: Lowell Harrison, ed., Kentucky's Governors 1792-1985 (Lexington, KY., 1985)." Written by Lowell H. Harrison for The Kentucky Encyclopedia, page 65; 1992.
Julia Tevis (Wickliffe) Beckham
"Julia Tevis (Wickliffe) Beckham,
the daughter, sister and mother of state governors, was born in the family home, Wickland-
Home of three Governors, in Bardstown, Kentucky, 1835. She was the youngest daughter of Honorable
Charles Anderson Wickliffe, governor of Kentucky during 1836-1840, and Margaret (Crepps) Wickliffe. She was named
for teacher Julia A. Tevis, who had established Science Hill School for girls in Shelbyville, Kentucky, which Julia
Wickliffe attended along with her four older sisters. Her sister Nannie married David L. Yulee, who was elected a U.S.
senator from Florida; her brother Honorable Robert C. Wickliffe was governor of Louisiana from 1856
to 1860. On 16 October 1855, Julia Wickliffe married William Netherton Beckham, a Kentucky legislator who represented
Nelson County for one term. The couple's son. Honorable John Crepps Wickliffe Beckham, served
as governor of Kentucky during 1900-1907.
Julia Beckham died at "Wickland" on 1 August
1913, and was buried in Bardstown Cemetery."The Kentucky Encyclopedia, page 65; 1992.
Elizabeth Blankenbaker [Garriott] (Early settler of KY)
Henry Blankenbaker (American Revolutionary War Veteran, early settler of
Jeffersontown, KY)
Jacob Blankenbaker (Early settler of Jeffersontown, KY)
John Nicholas Blankenbaker (1717 immigrant to North America)
Nicholas Blankenbaker (American Revolutionary War Veteran, early settler of
Shelby County, KY)
Samuel Blankenbaker (American Revolutionary War Veteran, Founder of
Jeffersontown, KY)
Thomas Blankenbaker (American Revolutionary War Veteran, early settler of
Jeffersontown, KY)
Elizabeth Blankenbaker [Garriott] (Early settler of
KY)
The daughter, Elizabeth, married Ambrose Garriott. He was in the 1787 property tax list in Virginia.
Except for one very early child in the church records, they left no mark there.
All of Jacob Blankenbaker (Early settler of Jeffersontown, KY) sons,
except Nicholas Blankenbaker (American Revolutionary War Veteran, early
settler of Shelby County, KY), moved to Jefferson County, KY; Nicholas moved to Shelby County, KY.
Elizabeth, and her husband, Ambrose Garriott, moved to a different county in KY.
Jacob Blankenbaker (Early settler of Jeffersontown, KY) directed in his
will that his estate be be divided when the youngest child was 21. Elizabeth, at this time, would have
been almost 70 years old, so there was about a fifty-year spread in his children's ages.
Henry Blankenbaker (American Revolutionary War Veteran, early
settler of Jeffersontown, KY)
Henry Blankenbaker (died 1801), a Revolutionary War veteran, entered 1,317 acres of land in old
Fayette County, Virginia (now Kentucky) in 1783. In 1797, he owned 250 acres on Floyd's Fork of the Salt River in Jefferson County, KY.
The second son of Jacob Blankenbaker (Early settler of Jeffersontown,
KY) to go to Kentucky was probably Henry, who is not in the 1787 Culpeper, Virginia, personal
property tax list. He was a sponsor at the baptism of a child of Joshua Yager, his brother-in-law, in
1785. At this time, he was almost 30 years old.
Jacob Blankenbaker (Early settler of Jeffersontown, KY)
Jacob Blankenbeker (Blankenbaker) migrated to Kentucky in 1782 and entered claims for 2,776 acres. He
later received 187 acres in Jefferson County, Kentucky, from his son Samuel. Blankenbaker Lane and
Blankenbaker Road were named for this family.
Jacob Blankenbeker (Blankenbaker) was the father to Henry Blankenbaker
(American Revolutionary War Veteran, early settler of
Jeffersontown, KY), Elizabeth Blankenbaker [Garriott] (Early settler
of KY), Nicholas Blankenbaker (American Revolutionary War Veteran,
early settler of Shelby County, KY), Samuel Blankenbaker (American
Revolutionary War Veteran, Founder of Jeffersontown, KY), and Thomas
Blankenbaker (American Revolutionary War Veteran, early settler of Jeffersontown, KY).
Jacob directed in his will that his estate be be divided when the youngest child was 21. Elizabeth Blankenbaker [Garriott] (Early settler of KY), at this time,
would have been almost 70 years old, so there was about a fifty-year spread in his children's ages.
John Nicholas Blankenbaker (1717 immigrant to North
America)
John Nicholas Blankenbaker was the father of Jacob Blankenbaker (Early
settler of Jeffersontown, KY) and grandfather to Elizabeth
Blankenbaker [Garriott] (Early settler of KY), Henry Blankenbaker
(American Revolutionary War Veteran, early settler of Jeffersontown, KY), Nicholas Blankenbaker (American Revolutionary War
Veteran, early settler of Shelby County, KY), Samuel Blankenbaker (American
Revolutionary War Veteran, Founder of Jeffersontown, KY), and Thomas
Blankenbaker (American Revolutionary War Veteran, early settler of Jeffersontown, KY).
Nicholas Blankenbaker (American Revolutionary War Veteran, early
settler of Shelby County, KY)
Nicholas Blankenbaker (1758-1849) a Revolutionary War veteran was listed on the Mercer County,
Virginia tax list in 1789. In 1797, he bought a 175-acre tract of land in Jefferson County, KY.
Probably, the first son of Jacob Blankenbaker (Early settler of Jeffersontown,
KY) to go to Kentucky was Nicholas, who was a Revolutionary War veteran. He was in Class 1771 of
the Culpeper Classes, and was drafted, i.e., he was the selection out of the class. It is believed that
he moved shortly after the war to Kentucky. He has no records in Virginia after his military service.
All of the sons, except Nicholas, moved to Jefferson County, KY; Nicholas moved to Shelby County, KY. His
daughter, Elizabeth Blankenbaker [Garriott] (Early settler of KY), and
her husband, Ambrose, moved to a different county in KY.
Samuel Blankenbaker (American Revolutionary War Veteran, Founder of
Jeffersontown, KY)
Samuel Blankenbaker (1754-1827) severed in the American Revolutionary War. In 1783, he entered
claims for 2,700 acres in old Lincoln County, Virginia (now KY) and, 1785, he claimed 517 acres on the
Sandy River in Bourbon County, Virginia (now KY). Samuel was granted 390 acres of land in Jefferson County
in 1792.
Samuel was on of the original founders of the Lutheran Church in 1795 in Jeffersontown, Ky. This church
was considered a part of the Hebron Lutheran Church (Culpeper County, Virginia). Samuel was also one of
the original trustees of Jeffersontown, KY in May 1797.
Samuel was a communicant in 1790 (without a wife), at the German Lutheran Church in the Robinson River
Valley; however, he was not in the 1787 tax list for Culpeper County. (There is one Samuel there, but that
should be his nephew, who was 20 years old). Some say that his first wife, Amy Yager, died in 1788, so
there may have been a complicated story here. For example, he and his wife may have gone to Kentucky,
where his wife died. He may have then returned to Virginia briefly, made an appearance at the church, and
then went back to Kentucky.
Graveside ceremony honors Samuel Blankenbaker
Article published on 24 June 2008
Samuel Blankenbaker, the man known for allowing an extension to be built on his property that connected
Jeffersontown and Middletown, will be honored in a graveside ceremony on Independence Day.
The ceremony will start at 11:30 a.m. 4 July 2008 next to Blankenbaker Pond, off Bluegrass Parkway between
Campus Place and Papa John's Boulevard.
Blankenbaker, who served in the Revolutionary War and died in 1827, was granted 390 acres of land in
Jefferson County in 1792. In 1797, when Middletown and Jeffersontown were incorporated as cities, a local
court ordered Blankenbaker, who lived between the two cities, to find an agreeable route for a road to
connect them.
Blankenbaker Road, which smoothed transportation between the two cities, was extended from Jeffersontown's
Ruckriegel Parkway in 1997. In 1999, the road now known as Blankenbaker Parkway was extended to
Shelbyville Road in Middletown.
Thomas Blankenbaker (American Revolutionary War Veteran, early
settler of Jeffersontown, KY)
Thomas Blankenbaker (1763-1835) a Revolutionary War veteran, bought 115 acres on the Floyd's Fork
of the Salt River in 1796. In 1811, he had 115 acres on Floyd's Fork of the Salt River, 60 acres in Madison County,
and in 1830, owned 221 acres on Pope Lick in Jefferson County.
Thomas, was having children baptized up to 1798 in Virginia. Comparing the dates for Jacob's
move, it appears that Thomas probably went with his father (Jacob Blankenbaker
(Early settler of Jeffersontown,
KY)) to Kentucky.
Breckinridge County, Kentucky
"BRECKINRIDGE: 1799 (39th county) Breckinridge is the 6th largest county in Kentucky. It contains 566
square miles, and is bordered by the Ohio River, and the counties of Meade, Hardin
County, Grayson, Ohio and Hancock. To form the county, a portion was taken from Hardin County, KY. 19 years after Capt. William Hardin-(Revolutionary War
Capt.) erected his log fort on the site that became Hardinsburg, in the county seat. The county is
named for John Breckinridge, a Lexington lawyer and contemporary of Henry Clay. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in
1802 and served as U.S. Attorney under President Jefferson.
Cloverport, just 12 miles northwest of Hardinsburg, was established as a town
in 1828. It was the largest community in the county until 1960, when Hardinsburg
edged ahead. In 1816, when Abe Lincoln's family migrated to Indiana, they crossed the [Ohio] river at Cloverport
on a raft with a team of oxen, a cow, and household goods. Four miles outside of Cloverport was a well-known
health resort called Tar Springs, which had eleven kinds of mineral waters. It was the birthplace of
Judge Wiley B. Rutledge, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1943-1949. Coal oil was first produced
here in 1851, then exported to England via New Orleans for gas manufacture. It was used by Queen Victoria to light
Buckingham Palace. Joseph Holt lived near Cloverport. He held the offices of Judge Advocate General,
Postmaster General, and Commissioner of Patents during the Civil War." Source: Written
by Robert A. Powell Kentucky Counties, page 13; 1989.
"Breckinridge County: Named in honor of John Breckinridge, a Virginia who was one of the early Kentucky pioneers, became
our 39th County in 1800. It was formed from part of Hardin County. Its northern boundary is the Ohio River. The county
seat, Hardinsburg, was originally a frontier fort established in 1790 by William Hardin, known to the Indians as "Big
Bill." With "Big Bill" furnishing them with courage and leadership, the settlers never abandoned their Hardin fort, and
today Hardinsburg is a modern community with well-preserved, gracious old homes and a progressive outlook. Addison Dam
and Park at Lock 45, in the Ohio River on Highway KYK-144, make a popular place for picnicking and boating. North of
this dam are the birthplace and grave of Joseph Holt, Judge Advocate General of the Union Army during the Civil War. The
Holt mansion was build 180 years ago with brick made from Ohio River clay. The small town of Cloverport is touched by
the Lincoln Heritage Trail. Here Abraham Lincoln's family ferried across the Ohio River from Kentucky to their new home
in Indiana. The trail is a 1,000 mile circle tour that may be said to originate in Kentucky at Hodgenville, where the
great emancipator was born. It touches any number of sites related to Lincoln's life, and proceeds from Kentucky into
Indiana, where Lincoln grew up, and on to Illinois, where he later made his home. The Rough River and the lake formed by
damming it up, Rough River Reservoir, are on Breckinridge County's southern border. Just across the lake, in Grayson
County, is one of Kentucky's newest resort parks, Rough River Dam State Park. You can fish, boat, or water-ski on the
35-mile lake, and camp along the water's edge." Source:
http://www.rootsquest.com/~jmurphy/lessons/tip_255.htm
Honorable U.S. Vice President John Cabell Breckinridge
"Many men have contributed much of the success of the Scottish Rite in Kentucky. Space does not permit a detailed
biography of each of them. Among the many prominent Kentuckians who held membership in the Scottish Rite was John
Cabell Breckinridge, 33°, who served as the first Sovereign Grand Inspector General in Kentucky for the Supreme Council
whose headquarters are in Washington D.C. He was elected Vice-President of the United States in 1856, serving from
1857-1861; at the time of his election he was only thirty-five years old, the youngest Vice-President in the nation's
history. As a Presidential candidate in 1860 he received 82 electoral votes.
Seven men have guided the destiny of the Scottish Rite in Kentucky as Sovereign Grand Inspector Generals, Breckinridge
was followed by Frederick Webber and John H. Cowles and these two men governed the Rite from 1859 until 1952. Both also
held high positions in the Supreme Council, Cowles serving as Grand Commander for 31 years, retiring in 1952. Fourth,
Fifth and Sixth respectively were Judge Stephen S. Jones, 33°, Charles J. Weber, 33°, and George R. Effinger, 33°.
The current Sovereign Grand Inspector General in Kentucky of the Supreme Council and the titular head of
the Scottish Rite in Kentucky is John E. Moyers, 33°, who is also a Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge
of Kentucky, Free and Accepted Masons.
John E. Moyers, 33°
Sovereign Grand Inspector General"
Source of
information
Clark County, Kentucky
"CLARK: 1792 (14th County) Clark County was carved from Bourbon and Fayette.
It spans 259 square miles and was named for pioneer hero General George Rogers Clark
(Founder of Louisville, Kentucky). He is best remembered for his conquest of the old
Northwest Territory during the Revolutionary War. Clark is bordered by Fayette,
Bourbon, Madison, Montgomery, Powell, and Estill. Winchester, is the county seat, was
named for a town in Virginia. The Courthouse, built in 1853, holds some of the oldest documents in the
state with several pertaining to Daniel Boone's land transactions. The first and last speech Henry Clay
gave was in Clark County. His first was from a tree stump, and his last was a case in the courthouse.
On Ironworks Pike, 12 miles east of Winchester, is the site of Indian Old Fields. It was a
Shawnee town called Eskippakithiki; the last Indian Village in the state. John Findley
visited it in 1752, when he was a fur trader.
Old Providence Church, between Winchester and Boonesborough, was built about
1787 of native limestone. Daniel Boone and members of his family attended services here. Noted
personalities of Clark County history include sculptor, Joel T. Hart; Honorable James A. Clark,
13th governor of Kentucky (1836-1839); and Richard Hickman, lieutenant governor (1812-1816)." Source:
Written by Robert A. Powell Kentucky Counties, page 18-19; 1989.
General George Rogers Clark's Fort (Revolutionary War Time)
Look to the bottom, center of the map to see the fort written in red. It is just southeast of Danville,
Kentucky.
General George Rogers Clark
About George Rogers Clark (1752-1818)
"At 26, George Rogers Clark was a confident frontiersman with a vision that would nearly double the size of his country in one stroke. A red-haired
six-footer, Clark was a knowledgeable frontiersman, an outstanding field commander, and extremely confident of his abilities to move and persuade
anyone to do what was necessary to succeed against formidable odds of time, money, and manpower.
Kentucky was a rich wilderness before the American Revolution. The abundant game, meadows and virgin forests attracted both Native Americans from
the North and frontiersmen from the East. George Rogers Clark was one such frontiersman who described Kentucky as a "fair land". By 1776, a few
isolated settlements had sprung up, as settlers refused to heed England's proclamation of 1763 that forbade such westward settlement. When the
Revolutionary War broke out, the settlers found themselves caught without protection from Indian raids that were backed and encouraged by the
British army. Ever concerned about the safety of settlers, Clark persuaded Virginia to declare Kentucky a county of Virginia, which entitled it to
an identity, a government and supplies. Clark then convinced Virginia's governor, Patrick Henry, to send him with a small army to the areas north
of the Ohio River to capture British outposts there, thus reducing the Indian threat for Kentuckians.
After the war, George Rogers Clark settled in the rapidly growing town he had founded, Louisville. He built a cabin on land in Indiana given to him
and his men by the government, he participated in Louisville's civic affairs and helped resolve problems of land grants for his former troops. He
also served on Indian commissions because of his expert ability to negotiate with the Native Americans. Later in his life, ill health resulting
from the dreadful exposures during his long march to Vincennes began to limit his activities. Clark went to live at Locust Grove with his sister
Lucy Croghan and her family in 1809 after undergoing an amputation of his leg as a result of a serious burn. Clark continued to receive visits and
give advice towards the community at large while under the care of his sister's family. He stayed at Locust Grove until his death on February 13,
1818. He was buried in the family plot behind the house and later reinterred at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville.
Clark's contributions to Kentucky and to the nation are numerous. As a military commander he was
unmatched. It is to George Rogers Clark that Locust Grove remains a memorial." Source: http://www.locustgrove.org/aboutgrc.html
George Rogers Clark facts
At the age of nineteen, George Rogers Clark had a land claim on Fish Creek in what is now West Virginia. In 1783 Thomas Jefferson asked Clark if he
would lead an expedition to explore the western part of the continent. This endeavor was not undertaken, but Clark later would bring younger
brother William to Jefferson's attention. George Rogers Clark accepted a commission in the French Army in 1793 with the expectation that he would
lead Kentuckians against the Spanish. President George Washington ordered Kentucky Governor Honorable
Isaac Shelby-(1st. & 5th. Gov of KY) to have Clark arrested. Shelby refused. In
1812 George Rogers Clark was awarded a $400 disability pension from the Commonwealth of Virginia. An honorary sword also was awarded at that time
and is on exhibit at Locust Grove." Source:
http://www.locustgrove.org/aboutgrc.html
Locust Grove-former home of General George Rogers Clark
Locust Grove facts
"William Croghan served in the British army before joining the 8th Virginia Regiment to fight for independence. William and Lucy's son John Croghan
received medical training from Dr. Benjamin Rush, who also had instructed Meriwether Lewis in preparation for the Lewis and Clark Expedition. John
Croghan owned Mammoth Cave from 1839 until his death in 1849 and the family held the property until the 1920s. The reproduction shingles on the
house and some of the outbuildings are made of concrete, not wood. The property survived the 1811 New Madrid earthquake and sustained minimal
damage during a tornado in 1883 that struck the northwest corner of the house." Source: http://www.brennancallan.com/fam1.html#GGRC
George Rogers Clark and the Illinois Campaign (1778-1779)
"In 1778, Clark traveled down the Ohio River to the Falls of the Ohio with soldiers and many families who joined the military convoy for security
and protection from American Indian attacks. For his camp, Clark chose an island at the Falls of the Ohio River. He named the place Corn Island.
This event, which took place on May 27, 1778, marks the founding of the settlement later to be named Louisville.
Clark trained his troops at Corn Island and launched a successful campaign into the lands to the north, capturing British posts at Kaskaskia and
Cahokia on the Mississippi River and Vincennes on the Wabash River. However, British Lieutenant Governor Hamilton marched from Detroit and
recaptured Vincennes from the Americans. Settling in for the winter of 1778-79, Hamilton planned to reclaim the two Mississippi posts in the
spring. Clark never gave him that opportunity.
In a daring concept, considered one of the boldest in American military history, Clark took fewer than 200 men on foot across 175 miles of flooded,
frozen plains to recapture the British fort at Vincennes. This dangerous mission took almost three weeks, but British spies never sighted Clark's
men. When Clark ordered his men to begin firing on the fort, the British did not know how many Americans were surrounding them. Clark's
frontiersmen were deadly shots, convincing the British that they were outnumbered. Hamilton surrendered and Clark ensured American control of the
Northwest Territory, a region that included the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan." Source: http://www.locustgrove.org/aboutgrc_war.html
In the words of George Rogers Clark (1752-1818)
Fall, 1775, to the Virginia Council requesting support for Kentucky:
"I am sorry to find that we should have to seek protection elsewhere . . .if a country were not worth protecting, it was not worth claiming.
"Clark was requesting that Kentucky be recognized as part of Virginia."
March 6-26, 1777, Diary excerpts at Harrodsburg:
"Thomas Shores and William Ray killed near Shawnee Spring. . . A small party of indians killed and scalped Hugh Wilson. . .Archibald McNeil died of
wounds. . .A large party of indians. . .killed and scalped Garret Pendergreet; killed or took prisoner Peter Flin." That's 6 heads of families in
three weeks. There were only about 200 people in Harrodsburg at this time."
June 24, 1778, Memoir of the outset of the campaign:
"We left our little island and run about a mile up the river in order to gain the main channel, and shot the falls at the very moment of the sun
being in a great eclipse, which caused various conjectures among the superstitious. . .The whole of our force consisted only of four
companies."
Summer, 1778, Speech to the Indian Chiefs at Cahokia:
"Men and warriors, pay attention. . .I carry in my right hand war, and peace in my left. . .Here is a bloody belt and a white one. Take which you
please. Behave like men. . .if you take the bloody path you shall leave town in safety. . . and we will try like warriors to keep our clothes
stained with blood. . .If, on the other hand, you should take the path of peace and. . . listen to the bad birds that may be flying through the
land, you will no longer deserve to be counted as men but as persons with two tongues who ought to be destroyed. "He spoke to the Indians from a
position of the power that he didn't have in a voice they were unaccustomed to hearing. The British gave them presents, Clark had none to
give."
February 3, 1779, To Gov. Patrick Henry of Virginia:
"I know the case is desperate, sir. . . no time is to be lost. Was I shoer of enforcement, I should not attempt it. Who knows what fortune will do
for us? Great things have been affected by a few men well conducted. Perhaps we may be fortunate. "This was to explain his subsequent winter march
on Vincennes with only approximately 180 men."
February 23, 1779, Ultimatum to Lt. Gov. Henry Hamilton at Vincennes:
"I expect you shall immediately surrender yourself with your garrison prisoners at discretion. If any of the stores be destroyed or any letters or
papers burned, you may expect no mercy, for by heavens you shall be treated as a murtherer."This from a commander with less than 175 effective men
to a commander well fortified until spring when many Indian reinforcements were due." Source:
http://www.locustgrove.org/aboutgrc_letters.html
George Rogers Clark National Historic Park--Indiana
Link to Park
George Rogers Clark Memorial
An intense interest in commemorating the great accomplishments of George Rogers Clark had developed among the citizens of Vincennes and the state
of Indiana during the early 1920s as the 150th anniversary of the American Revolution neared.
After various proposals had been considered, President Calvin Coolidge signed into law a resolution establishing the George Rogers Clark
Sesquicentennial Commission on May 23, 1928. The 15-member commission was created for the purpose of "designing and constructing at or near the
site of Fort Sackville . . . a permanent memorial, commemorating the winning of the Old Northwest and the achievements of George Rogers Clark and
his associates."
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt dedicated the memorial June 14, 1936. In 1940, the memorial became a unit of the Indiana Department of
Conservation. In 1966, Congress made the building and grounds a part of the National Park Service. The measure was signed into law by President
Lyndon B. Johnson during a ceremony at the memorial on July 23, 1966.
The Clark Memorial is more than 80 feet high and is 90 feet across at the base. The walls are two feet thick. The exterior is composed of
granite from Vermont, Minnesota, and Alabama. Towering over the entrance is an eagle with outspread wings. Above the 16 Doric columns is an
inscription which reads: "The Conquest of the West - George Rogers Clark and The Frontiersmen of the American Revolution."
Inside the rotunda are seven murals, each created on a single piece of Belgium linen 16 feet by 28 feet. They were painted by Ezra Winter
during a period of approximately two and a half years. Hermon Atkins MacNeil, designer of the Standing Liberty quarter, sculptured the bronze
statue of Clark.
Three of Clark's quotations are inscribed in the memorial: "Great things have been effected by a few men well conducted;" "Our cause is just .
. . our country will be grateful;" and "If a country is not worth protecting it is not worth claiming."
There are Roman numerals at three locations. Left of the steps are the numerals, 1931, the year construction of the memorial began. Above the
memorial's entrance door are the Roman numerals for the years, 1779 and 1933. In 1779, Clark captured Fort Sackville from the British and in 1933,
the memorial was completed. Clark's birth and death years of 1752 and 1818 encircle the statue's base.
It is highly fitting that the nation honors the great individuals and deeds of the past. Certain things do not change. The virtues that Clark
and his men exhibited transcend an era. A memorial such as this serves as a reminder that courage, fortitude, and valor do not go out of style. The
truly great heroes of history age well and provide guidance for the future.
To learn more about the history of the Memorial, please read the Historic Structures Report/Historical Data written by Edwin C. Bearss (1970).
Upon entering the memorial rotunda, the presence of George Rogers Clark is immediately felt as one sees the Herman McNeil statue of soldier,
patriot, Clark, standing in military uniform. The bronze statue of Clark, which stands eight feet tall and weighs seven and one half tons, depicts
a young man. Clark was only 26 years old when he conceived of the idea of leading his brave frontiersmen into the Illinois Country. Truly a man of
vision, Clark felt that only a strike at the heart of the British controlled countryside would lead to an end to the horror of Indian raids on
frontier settlements.
The inscription at the base of the Clark statue reads, "If a country is not worth protecting it is not worth claiming."
Upon the walls of the memorial rotunda, seven murals depict the Clark expedition story. The murals, which are oil on canvas, stand 28 feet
tall. It would take artist Ezra Winter and six assistants two years to complete them.
George Rogers Clark Memorial Murals
Mural #1
Kentucky:
Entering the Great Valley |
Mural #2
Cahokia:
Peace or War with the Indians |
Mural #3
The Wabash:
Through Wilderness and Flood |
Mural# 4
Vincennes:
The British Barrier to the West |
Mural# 5
Fort Sackville:
Britain Yields Possession |
Mural# 6
Marietta:
The Northwest, A New Territory |
Mural #7
St. Louis:
Way Opened to the Pacific |
Statue
George Rogers Clark statue
in the Memorial rotundra |
Memorial
George Rogers Clark Memorial |
Clark's & Logan's Flag
Although we do not know what "rebel flag" was raised above the fort on the day of the surrender,
we do have records of one flag used by Clark.
This flag was authorized by George Rogers Clark and was designed by Captain Leonard Helm. In all
probability, it was the flag that Lieutenant Governor Henry Hamilton mentioned in his journal on
December 17, 1778. Hamilton says: "On my approach to St. Vincennes (I) was not a little surprized
to see at a landing place about a small mile above the fort, our boats with a small guard, and the
Gunboat with the flag, hawled on shore- The American flag at the same time being displayed on the
Fort I now presumed that some reinforcements had come to the Garrison. . . ."
To understand the origin of the colorful red-and-green flag, now known as the flag of George
Rogers Clark, it is necessary to look at the ledger of Vincennes inhabitant Francis Bosseron. On
November 12, 1778, Bosseron listed in French the following items:
Paid to St. Marie for 5 ells [an ell of material measured 45 inches] of red serge for the
flag (pavillion) at 9; 45 Livers [livres]
Paid to Mr. Dajene for 3 3/4 ells of green serge at 10; 37 Livers [livres]
Paid to Madame Goderre [Godare] for making the flag; 25 Livers [livres].
Of all the flags and banners used by Clark and his men, the 13-striped-red-and- green flag is the
only one that historical records describe.
General William Clark
Governor of Missouri Territory (Bet. 1813 - 1821)
Corps of Discovery (Bet. 1803 - 1806)
Served in KY Militia and commissioned a lieutenant in U.S. Army (1792)
Indian Agent for Louisiana Territory (Bet. 1807 - 1813)
Superintendent of Indiana affairs (Bet. 1807 - 1938)
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark (Co-leaders of the Corps of Discovery).
Source: Independence National Historical Park
"Over the course of two years, four months, and nine days the legendary Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
along with their expedition members traveled a total of eight thousand miles and embarked upon a threshold
of discovery that would later become one of the most productive and successful military operations and
scientific explorations known to the United States of America.
Sent by president Thomas Jefferson, Captain Meriwether Lewis' mission was to merely map a water route
across the continent and gather information on Indian cultures and the nature that he would encounter
along the way. Lewis was given the ability to hand select his expedition members and almost immediately
Lewis' former comrade William Clark was selected to help lead the expedition.
Together, the expedition explored, catalogued, and discovered remarkably scientific things, including 178
new plant species, along with 122 previously unknown animal life species. They recorded a variety of
natural flora and fauna and peacefully met with a variety of Indian groups. Countless new geological,
meteorological, and topographical records were formed of the area between the Missouri River and the
Pacific Coast, vastly changing what was known about the world around them."
Photo courtesy of Filson
Club, Louisville
"Meriwether Lewis was born in Virginia in 1774. At age 18, he was managing his family's plantation in
Virginia. He joined the militia in 1794 and later joined the United States Army in 1795. Lewis served
with General Anthony Wayne and moved on to a rifle company commanded by Captain William Clark where a
friendship was formed between the two. Lewis then advanced to Captain in 1800 and in 1801 was asked to
serve as Thomas Jefferson's private secretary in Washington. Jefferson gave Lewis the chance of a
lifetime, an opportunity that would later become one of the greatest journeys and legends known in the
United States. Jefferson selected Lewis to head an expedition to the Northwest in 1803, Lewis immediately
accepted. Afterwards, Lewis was appointed governor of Louisiana Territory in 1807 and later committed
suicide in 1809, leaving the journals of the expedition behind."
Photo courtesy of Filson
Club, Louisville
"William Clark was born in Virginia in 1770, as the younger brother of General George Rogers Clark. In
1785, his family relocated to Jefferson County, Kentucky. In 1792, Clark was chosen as second lieutenant
in the United States Army; serving under General Anthony Wayne, where he would participate in the battle
of Fallen Timbers. He later became captain of a rifle company in which Meriwether Lewis served. Clark
resigned from the army in 1796 to spend time with his family, but in 1803 was requested by Lewis to
accompany him on an expedition to the Northwest. Immediately Clark jumped at the chance and joined Lewis
in his endeavors. In 1807 Clark was selected to be chief Indian agent and brigadier general of the
militia and later as the governor for Louisiana Territory. He died in St. Louis in 1838."
General William Clark (1770-1838)
"William Clark came to Kentucky with his parents in 1784. In 1789 he fought the Indians in an expedition
led by Col. John Hardin-(Revolutionary War Col.). In 1790 he was sent on a
mission to the Creek and Cherokee nations and in 1791 served as an ensign and acting lieutenant on the
expeditions under general Scott and Wilkinson against the native Americans on the Wabash. General
Washington commissioned him a first lieutenant in the 4th Sub Legion under General Wayne in March 1793.
William came home to Kentucky in 1796 and lived with his parents at Mulberry Hill. When they died, he
inherited the homestead but sold it to his brother, Jonathan, in 1800. He then moved to Clarksville,
Indiana, with his brother, George Rogers Clark.
In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson commissioned Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to make a western
expedition to establish an American presence in the far northwest; to investigate a water passage to the
Western Sea; to map and investigate the new Louisiana purchase; to report the culture, commerce, and
capabilities of the many native-American tribes of the area; and to observe and collect botanical and
biological specimens.
Members of the expedition assembled at Louisville, KY, in October, 1803, and moved on to camp above St.
Louis on the east bank of the Mississippi for the winter, pending signing of the Louisiana Purchase. Upon
reaching the native Mandan villages in present-day South Dakota, they acquired the services of Toussaint
Charbonneau, a French trader, and his pregnant 15-year-old Shoshone wife, Sacagewea (Suh-COG-uh-wea, "Bird
Woman"), as interpreters, not as guides.
By June of 1805, Lewis and Clark and their party were at the Great Falls of present-day Montana and made a
difficult 10-day portage around it. Obtaining horses from the Shoshones, they crossed the Bitterroot
Mountains, came down the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean in late November, and wintered at Fort
Clatsop (Oregon). The expedition returned to St. Louis on 20 September 1806, to the astonishment of many
who had given them up for dead months ago. After disbanding most of the company, Lewis and Clark returned
east in October, pausing for three weeks at Locust Grove, home of Clark's sister, Lucy Clark Croghan.
Lewis then moved on to report to the President in Washington City where Clark later joined him.
After Clark's marriage in 1808, he was appointed Indian agent at St. Louis. In 1813, he was made Governor
of the Missouri Territory. In 1822, President Monroe appointed him Superintendent of Indian Affairs to
establish and secure treaties with the western tribes. He died in St. Louis in 1838, esteemed by all who
knew him."
General William Clark facts
"William Clark, born in 1770, was the only son of John and Ann Rogers Clark's six sons who did not
participate in the Revolutionary War. William Clark was married twice. He and older brother Jonathan are
the only siblings whose ancestors continue the Clark name. York, William Clark's slave who accompanied
Clark on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, was not granted his freedom, or manumitted, until over a decade
after their return from the Pacific. William Clark's grandson, Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr. founded the
Louisville Jockey Club, later Churchill Downs, and the Kentucky Derby."
Lewis & Clark Story
"Meriwether Lewis and William Clark visited Locust Grove together on 8 November 1803 upon returning from
their historic expedition to the Pacific. Locust Grove is the only verified remaining structure west of
the Appalachian Mountains known as a stopping point for Lewis and Clark. It was here that people at the
Falls would have had perhaps the first opportunity to learn about what remains the greatest exploration
venture in our county's history. George Rogers Clark, older brother to William Clark, spent the last nine
years of his life at Locust Grove, from 1809 until his death in 1818."
Lewis and Clark at the Falls of the Ohio -- A Timeline
by James J. Holmberg, The Filson Historical Society.
The following is an excerpt from a longer piece by the same title:
23 September 1806 - The Lewis and Clark Expedition arrives in St. Louis, essentially ending the epic
journey. Lewis and Clark collaborate on a letter to Jonathan reporting their successful return and
reporting on the expedition since leaving the Mandan villages in April 1805. Since he will soon be with
Jonathan can tell him more then. The letter is intended for publication and in a letter to Jonathan dated
the following day, William reminds his brother to have it published. He also anticipates their arrival at
the Falls about October 9 or 10 [they arrived November 5] and says they will remain in the neighborhood of
Louisville for a few days.
23 September 1806 - Lewis to Jefferson. Reports the expedition's successful return. States their
intended route east will be through Cahokia, Vincennes, Louisville, Crab Orchard, Ky., Abingdon, Va. . . .
to Washington. Direct his mail to Louisville.
9 October 1806 - William's letter to Jonathan is published in the Frankfort Palladium. It is the first
detailed printed account of the return of the expedition. This report is reprinted in newspapers
throughout the country and abroad.
10 October 1806 - the members of the Corps of Discovery are discharged at St. Louis.
5 November 1806 - Jonathan Clark diary. "Captains Lewis & Clark arrived at the Falls on their return
from the Pacific Ocean after an absence of a little more than three years." [Lewis and Clark and the party
with them (some but not all of the men) took the southern route rather than the Vincennes route they had
planned to. They crossed into Kentucky from Illinois and came up through the counties bordering the river
to the Falls. That same day and over a number of succeeding days Clark is in the store of Fitzhugh and
Rose in Louisville. During this time Lewis and Clark apparently spent most of their time in the
Louisville area, but probably were in Clarksville also.
8 November 1806 - Jonathan Clark diary. Jonathan with Lewis and Clark at the Croghan's Locust Grove
estate for a family gathering and welcome home celebration.
9 November 1806 - Lewis at Louisville writes secretary of War Henry Dearborn.
Ca. 11 November 1806 - Meriwether Lewis and most of the party, including two Indian delegations going
to Washington, leave Louisville, traveling to Frankfort and then separating and going by different routes
- one overland due east through Lexington and the other (led by Lewis) southeastward through the
Cumberland Gap and then down Virginia's Great Valley.
14 December 1806 - Clark, near Louisville [?] to William Croghan. Will leave tomorrow for the eastward,
stopping first at Col. Richard C. Anderson's [east of Louisville] and taking the Wilderness Road via
Danville. Ca. 15 December 1806 - William Clark and most likely York leave the Louisville area for the
East, traveling overland via the Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap and down Virginia's Great
Valley.
Ca. April 1810 - Nicholas Biddle interviews William Clark re: the official expedition history (published
in 1814). From these conversations, Biddle's notes recorded that Lewis joined Clark who then resided at
Louisville and from Louisville they proceeded by water to St. Louis; the party consisted of three groups
of men, one of which was young Americans from the neighborhood of Louisville, they numbered nine and joined
at Clarksville and/or Falls of the Ohio (York is listed separately as Clark's servant); the original design
of Lewis and Clark was to go up the Missouri in boats from Louisville after wintering at Charette (about
150 miles up the Missouri). [How accurate Biddle's notes are and how accurate Clark's recollections are
cannot be fully determined. As written it is clear the facts are a bit incorrect based on the previously
cited primary sources from the date of the events themselves. After Clark's apparent statement that his
and Lewis's intent was to go up the Missouri from Louisville, Biddle bracketed in St. Louis, apparently
assuming Clark meant to say it instead. This is not necessarily so. In Clark's mind, he very well may
have considered the start of the expedition to have been Louisville (more correctly the Louisville area).
His statement that he resided in Louisville is not completely correct, because we know he had moved across
the river to Clarksville earlier that year. Given his brief residence in Clarksville after living in
Louisville
