Emancipation of Slaves

Slaves in Kentucky were set free from servitude through petition to the county court or by the last will and testament of the slave owner.  The document below shows that Isaac S. Coffield chose to free two slaves through a petition to the county court. This document was found in Box 5 of the Livingston County, Kentucky County Court Clerk's Papers.  It reads as follows:

"I Isaac Coffield do hereby emancipate and set from [sic] my two negroes slaves, To wit, Dick & his wife Cloe to be from thence foreward under their own free will and controul  given under my hand this 20th day of July 1818.   [signed] Isaac S. Coffield."

Isaac Coffield lived in the part of Livingston County that became Crittenden County in 1842. He died testate in 1843. It is curious that he freed two slaves in 1818, but when he died, almost 20 slaves were listed in his estate inventory.

Published 21 Mar 2013 on Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/

Tombstone Tuesday - Mary and Richard Barnes

 

 

Here

lies the

body of

Mrs. Mary Barns:

Consort of

R. Barns:

died Nov. 22, 1838

Aged 42

 

 

Richard Barnes

Born

Sept. 17, 1797

Died

Feb. 6, 1871

 

 

Buried Cedar Hill Cemetery, Princeton, Caldwell County, Kentucky. Tombstones photographed 18 March 2011.  The stone for Mary Barnes is more primitive and common for this area of Kentucky during the 1830s and 1840s while Richard Barnes' tombstone illustrates how the styles had evolved during the 30 plus years between their deaths.

 

On the 19th of October 1812, Richard Barnes was bound to Jacob Houts in Livingston County to learn the tanner's trade, Richard "being 15 years old the 17th day of September last." [County Court Order Book E:148]

 

Richard Barnes and Polly Wiley married 23 July 1818 in Livingston County, Kentucky. Richard Barnes and his family are found living in Princeton in 1820 and thereafter.

 

Published 19 March 2013, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog,  http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/

 

 

 





Fires Destroy Businesses

 

Marion, Kentucky the day after the great fire of 28 March 1905

 

During the early years of the 1900s, many business buildings in western Kentucky were still of wooden construction. Because of this, fire was always a concern. In Marion, Crittenden County, the entire business section was wiped out on 28 March 1905, resulting in a loss of $200,000. A similar disaster visited Marion again in 1919.

 

A disastrous fire struck Salem, Livingston County, as a result of boys shooting off Roman candles on the night of 17 December 1902. Suffering losses were J.D. Faris, dry goods; Vernon & Matlock, dry goods; John Eberly, grocery; Dock Grassham, blacksmith and Jesse Faris, liveryman.

On 6 July 1913, a large portion of Sturgis, Union County, with a population of about 2,500, was destroyed by fire, which started in a drug store early in the evening. The town had no water works and citizens fought the flames with a bucket brigade. By 11 p.m., virtually all of the business houses and 30 dwellings were in ashes and the fire was still raging. Loss was expected to exceed $250,000.

Mogranfield, Union County, seems to have suffered more than most towns during this era. On 19 January 1904, fires were set at several different parts of town. Young & Waller's warehouse and over 100 tons of hay were destroyed. At the depot, a boxcar containing several barrels of whiskey were burned about the same time. Later Frank Aton's blacksmith shop was burned and then Frank Sparks' blacksmith shop was destroyed. Frank Sellar's saloon caught fire, but was saved with slight loss. At an early hour on 9 April 1904, fire was discovered in a large brick building on Main street in Morganfield, Union County. The building was occupied by T.C. Day's grocery, J.W. Field's saloon and Podgett & Sales' saloon. All were destroyed. In March 1910, fire supposed to have been deliberately set destroyed the following businesses: Green River Department Store, Masonic Temple, the opera house and the Bank of Union County. This fire is said to have been started in the department store.

Published 14 March 2013, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/

Tombstone Tuesday - John Gregory

 

 

In



memory of

John Gregory

Born

Mar. 20, 1767

Died

Jan. 1, 1846

Aged

78 y. 9 m. 11 d's

 

Buried Old Marion Cemetery, Crittenden County, Kentucky. Tombstone photographed 24 October 2012.

 

John Gregory came to Kentucky from Bedford County, Tennessee prior to April 1838 and settled on the waters of Crooked Creek in what was then Livingston County. When Crittenden County was created in 1842, this land fell into the new county.  John Gregory was married multiple times with his last wife being Rachel Lacy, widow of John Lacy. They married in 1841 Union County, Kentucky.

 

John Gregory wrote his will on the 15th of July 1843. When presented in court after his death, it was rejected. Named in this unrecorded will, which is found among loose county court papers in the Crittenden County Clerk's Office, are the following persons:  wife Rachel; son John D. Gregory; son-in-law Greenbury Jacobs, husband of Rachel Gregory; son-in-law Jonathan Duncan, who married Elizabeth Gregory; son-in-law Thomas Lee, who married Sally Gregory; son-in-law Silas Stone, who married Miriam Gregory; son Robert Gregory; son-in-law Asa Stone, who married Rebecca Gregory; son-in-law James Cannon, who married Rhoda Gregory.

Published 12 March 2013, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog,  http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/



Reviewing Your Files

How often do you review your family files? Do you abandon a family when you run into a road block, never to return? I've found that a little time away from a family and then a return review often reveals clues I missed.  Keeping a log in each family file is a handy trick, too. The log shows the last time the file was checked, clues previously missed, if any,  and a plan of attack (i.e. research plan). Clues probably won't be found every time the file is reviewed, but it keeps the information fresh in my mind.

Published 7 March 2013, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/

Tombstone Tuesday - Irene S. Webb

 

 

 

Irene S.

wife of

John W. Webb

Died

Oct. 2, 1872

Aged

27 Years

7 Days

 

Buried Smithland Cemetery, Livingston County, Kentucky. Tombstone photographed 14 February 2011.

 

Miss Irene Sanders married John W. Webb 2 May 1867 in Smithland. She is found on the 1860 Livingston County census with her parents D.B. Sanders and Jane W. (Lillard) and her siblings David, William, Lizzie J. and Kate. On the 1870 Livingston County census, J.W. and Irene Webb and their son are living in the home of Jane Sanders, Irene's widowed mother.





 

Full view of Irene S. Webb's monument

 

Published 5 March 2013, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog,  http://wkygenealogy/blogspot.com/



News From Morganfield 1916

Since there are no extant newspapers prior to 1924 for Union County, Kentucky, it is always a treat to find obituaries and accounts of marriages in the newspapers of other towns. The following items appeared in the Evansville, Indiana Courier on Friday, 25 August 1916.

Morganfield, Ky., Aug. 24 - Miss George Ray and Mr. Solon West Dunn were quietly married at the home of the bride Tuesday morning. The bride was attractively attired in a brown taffeta suit with hat and shoes to match and white gloves. Mrs. Dunn has been a popular teacher in the graded school for several years, and after graduating from the high school here, attended Bowling Green Normal School. Mr. Dunn is a graduate of Bowling Green Business university and is now with the wholesale grocery firm of Davidson Bros. at Bowling Green. They left Tuesday morning for a northern trip. Rev. G.B. Swan of Sebree officiated using the ring service.

Mrs. Barbara Benson died at her home near Spring Grove Tuesday evening of cancer of the stomach, after an illness of several years. She was the widow of Dr. Willis Benson and leaves a niece and nephew whom she reared, Miss Ellen Ashby and Nurbon Jones. The funeral was preached by Rev. G.S. Kennard of the Morganfield Baptist church at the home Wednesday and interment was at Pike's Peak cemetery.

Published 3 March 2013, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/