Stanley P. Gower's Tavern Bond 1825

Before receiving a license to operate a tavern, the tavern keeper had to post bond to guarantee that he would faithfully perform the requirements associated with keeping a tavern.  The bond could be renewed yearly.

The bond below is of special interest as it was granted to Stanley P. Gower, who operated a tavern in what was originally called Bell Tavern, but was later known as the Gower House. This bond was granted 3 October 1825 and was the first known license granted to Gower to keep a tavern in Smithland.   The bond was recorded in Livingston County Order Book G, page 160.

"Know all men by these presents that we Stanly P. Gower are [sic] held and firmly bound unto the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the penal sum of One Hundred pounds current Money for the payment of which will and truly to be made we bind ourselves and heirs &c jointly and severally firmly by these presents sealed and dated this 3d day of October 1825.               

               

The condition of the above  obligation  is such that whereas the above bound Stanly P. Gower hath this day obtained a license to Keep Tavern at his own house  in the County of Livingston.

               

Now if the said Gower shall Constantly find and provide in his said Tavern good wholesome Cleanly Lodging and diet, for Travellers and Stablige and provinder or pasturage for horses for the Term of one year from the date hereof And shall not suffer or permit any unlawful gameing, in his house nor suffer any person to Tipple of drink more than is necessary, or at any time Suffer any disorderly or Scandalous behaveour to be practiced in his said house with his priority or Consent and also pay and Satisfy the Taxes on said license then this obligation to be Void else to remain in full force and Virtue."

[signed] Stanly P. Gower {seal}   Joseph Haydock {seal}   Att: Ro. C. Bigham, Clk.

               

                

Published 28 September 2016, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/

Smithland, Kentucky in 1835

Copyright by Brenda Joyce Jerome, CG

May not be copied without written consent

Genealogy is more than collecting names and dates. To understand what kind of life our ancestors lived, we need to put them in context of events occurring not only in the local area, but also nationally. As I am working on a project on Smithland, Kentucky, I decided to see what life was like for residents in 1835.

A variety of sources was checked with much of it found online. Using Google, I did a search on the weather in 1835 and learned about the cold wave in January. That's also the way I learned about politics, Halley's Comet, and the cholera epidemic. While Google might not have anything specific on your ancestor, you are almost sure to find data on events that impacted his life.

Other sources were used too. Livingston County court minutes revealed to whom and when tavern and ferry licenses were granted. Previous research in circuit court records revealed the details of the death of Dr. Louis Sanders.

By 1835, Smithland, Kentucky was a thriving river town. Steamboats were a common sight as they rolled along the Cumberland and Ohio Rivers, stopping to disembark passengers and to load and unload freight. Although Smithland was located far from a metropolis, news of the world came from visitors and newspapers delivered to local residents.

Businesses, including taverns, lined Front or Water Street. The Bell Tavern, operated by Stanley P. Gower, offered spirits as well as lodging for travelers. Gower purchased Bell Tavern the next year, it became known as the Gower House and it still stands today.

Gower House in 2009

Just down the street was the tavern of Thomas McCormick, a native of Ireland. David W. Patterson also kept a tavern at his dwelling house at the corner of Water and Court Streets.

Taverns weren't the only businesses in Smithland. Henry Wells and Benjamin Barner were commission merchants and did a brisk business storing and shipping goods. Other businesses were the Olive, Martin and Company Warehouse and the Smithland Dock Company, William Gordon, President.

As Smithland is located at the junction of two rivers, ferries were often busy transporting people and stock to the Illinois side of the rivers. Laws regulated the operation of these ferries with each ferry keeper posting an annual bond to promise he would keep a good, safe boat and would charge the fees set by the court.

Dr. Gustavus A. Brown, a native of Virginia, had been owner of a ferry in Smithland for some time. In January of 1835 he renewed his bond to keep a ferry across the Cumberland River from Smithland to the Point and and also across the Ohio River from the Point to Cumberland Island. Shortly thereafter, Brown was charged with not keeping his ferry according to the law and the county court decided the ferry should be discontinued. Three months later, the town trustees were allowed to establish a ferry from Smithland across the Cumberland River to the opposite shore. Robert Harrison Jr. also kept a ferry across the Cumberland River.

An epidemic of cholera, while not as severe as the one in 1833, hit nearby Russellville in Logan County in 1835 and surely would have been of concern to residents of Smithland. Most likely they had not forgotten that over 500 people had died during a two month period in the summer of 1833 in Lexington, Kentucky. With no water sanitation or filtering system, contaminated water was the perfect venue to spread cholera throughout the area.

February 1835 brought a cold wave to the southern part of the United States. It must have been miserable for local residents as Smithland sits high on a bluff and the slightest wintertime breeze can bring a chill to even the most hearty soul. The temperature that winter dipped down to 20 degrees below zero in some parts of Kentucky.

One sure way to get heated up, though, was to become embroiled in a discussion on the latest political events. In late January of 1835, President Andrew Jackson became the first president to escape an assassination attempt when an unemployed house painter twice attempted to shoot Jackson, but the guns misfired both times. No matter, though, as the president used his walking cane to club the would-be assassin. Convinced his political opponents were behind the attack, Jackson was thereafter paranoid about his safety. This event must have been of interest to Sterling M. Barner of Nashville, who was a friend of Jackson and who would later move to Smithland to go into business with his brother, Benjamin Barner.

Another event likely of interest to Smithland residents in 1835 was Halley's Comet, which is only visible every 75-76 years. Can't you see people standing on the river front and watching as the comet passed overhead? Wouldn't it be interesting to know what they were thinking?

The year 1835 ended with the shooting death of Dr. Louis Sanders by Townsend Ashton following Christmas festivities at the home of Thomas McCormick. This event was covered in this blog of 7 June 2008.

The events mentioned here are just a portion of what was going on in the world during one year. Knowing what events occurred helps me to better understand my ancestors.

Published 17 Jan 2010, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/

Dr. Gustavus A. Brown of Smithland

I hope to do a biographical sketch periodically on some of the early residents of Livingston County. The first sketch is on Dr. Gustavus A. Brown, who only lived in Smithland for a short time, but even before he moved to Smithland, he made a name for himself in the area.

On 20 May 1811, Gustavus A. Brown gave notice that he intended to apply to the Livingston County Court to establish a town in the point above the mouth of the Cumberland River, at the confluence of the Cumberland and Ohio rivers. He stated that both rivers were navigable, timber was present for ship building and everything necessary for the erection of houses was present. Just two months later, Brown had established his town of Westwood with Lilbourn Lewis, John Daniel, James Gamble and Robert and Cullen Cook as town trustees.

This land on which Westwood was situated had been patented to Gustavus Brown’s father, William Brown of Alexandria, Virginia, as part of a military grant through the newly formed Land Office in 1784. In fact, this tract of land was the first entry filed in the Virginia Military District, which was opened that year for veterans of the Virginia Continental Line. Kentucky did not become a state until 1792 and Livingston County was created in 1798/99 so this land was in Virginia when the land was entered. Gustavus Brown inherited this land by virtue of his father’s will of 1791.

It is unknown if Brown realized any profit from the land he inherited from his father, but we do know from Livingston County land records that a portion of the land was lost due to non-payment of taxes in 1824.

In April of 1831, Brown swore in county court that he did not move to Kentucky with the intention of selling the slaves who came with him. Very likely he arrived in Livingston County not long before that time. It didn’t take long for him to become part of the lively social and business scene in Smithland. In 1832 at Stanley P. Gower’s Hotel, he attended a meeting of merchants, planters and others interested in establishing a national hospital for “the accomodation of boatmen and others who navigate” the Ohio River and its tributaries. Brown was appointed to the committee to prepare a report on the project.

Following the shooting death of Lewis Sanders by Townsend Ashton on Christmas Day 1835, Gustavus Brown was charged with aiding and abetting Ashton in the murder. He was acquitted, as was Ashton. [See my blog of 7 June 2008]

In April of 1838, An event occurred that would end the life of Gustavus Brown. The 18 Apr 1838 issue of the Nashville Whig reports the following: “We learn from S.B. passengers from Smithland that a most dreadful and fatal affray took place at Gower’s tavern in that place on Wednesday night last. Dr. G.A. Brown, an old resident of Smithland, being inebriated at the supper table, the landlady requested another boarder by the name of Clark to assist him to his room. On hearing this, Brown commenced abusing Mrs. Gower, and Clark thereupon forced him to his room, on reaching which, B. drew a pistol and shot C. through the body, immediately below the ribs. C. then plunged a dirk into the heart of B. and left him a lifeless corpse upon the floor. Clark was still alive at the last accounts, though with but little hope of recovery.”

On the 7th of May 1838, a writing purporting to be the last will and testament of Dr. G.A. Brown was produced in open court, but continued to the next term. Again, the will was presented, this time by his slaves, who were to be freed by the provisions of the will. The heirs of Brown objected and had the will set aside. The case went to the Court of Appeals, which decided the will was to be accepted and recorded.

The burial place of Gustavus A. Brown is unknown. Many of the early inhabitants of Smithland are buried in Smithland Cemetery. If Brown is buried there, his resting place is unmarked.

Sources:
Brenda Joyce Jerome. Livingston County, Kentucky Estate Records 1799-1842, (Evansville, IN: Evansville Bindery, 2004), 130.

"Establishment of Town of Westwood, Livingston Co., KY," Western Kentucky Journal Vol 1, No. 3 (Summer 1994), 23.

Published 17 June 2008, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://www/genealogyblogspot.com/