TIP #1004 IF YOUR ANCESTORS LIVED IN PENDLETON, PERRY, PIKE, PULASKI, OR ROCKCASTLE COUNTY

The reader might ask “why do I want to know about all these Kentucky counties in the 1840s?” Simply stated, a good family researcher needs more than the dates of birth, death, marriage and children’s names. They need to have an idea of who their ancestors lived their daily lives. Lewis Collins, noted historian of the past, described to us, some 164 years later, how our ancestors might have lived. He showed populations, the “lay of the land”, businesses that existed that our families visited, churches where they could have attended. This “fleshes out” our ancestors. We can picture in our minds their daily life and see them traveling by horseback or wagon to the local mercantile; going to the County Clerk’s office to obtain a marriage license; sitting in old wooden pews at their church. So, we continue looking at the counties.

Pendleton County was formed in 1798, named for the honorable Edmund Pendleton of Virginia. The county is in the northern section of the state and nearly square in shape, about 300 square miles in 1847. Kenton and Campbell Counties are on its north; Bracken on its east; Harrison on its south and Grant and Owen Counties on the west. The Main and South Licking Rivers flow here and other smaller streams. Collins noted that much of the land was still undeveloped and suggested that enterprising individuals could convert the land into profitable farms or grazing lands for cattle. Only 1,128 white males over 21 lived in the county and 1,156 children between the age of 5-16 years. The total population in 1830 was 3,886 and in 1840, 4,455.

Falmouth was shown as the county seat and the only town in the county. It was made up of the court house and other county buildings, four churches (Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist and Christian), two lawyers were practicing, only two physicians. There was a male and female school, four stores, two taverns, a wool factory and 10 mechanics’ shops. It’s population that year was 300.

Perry County was formed in 1820; named for Oliver Hazard Perry, U. S. Navy. It is located in the south-east part of the state, on the headwaters of the Kentucky River. Breathitt County lies to its north; Floyd and Letcher on the east; Harlan on the south and Clay County on the west. The land here was hill and mountainous and was not cultivated; in the valleys the soil was rich. Horses, cattle, hogs, salt, coal, ginseng and wool were the chief products exported from Perry County. The population in 1840 was 3,089. Hazard is the county seat which was described as a small village – the only town shown.

Pike County, formed in 1821, was named for General Zebulon M. Pike. Located in the extreme eastern part of the State, the lands are drained by the West and Tug forks of Big Sandy River. Johnson and Floyd Counties make up its north boundary; the NE, E and SE and S lies the State of Virginia; on the west is Letcher County and the NW, Floyd County. Near the waterways the land was fertile and productive but the uplands were broken and mountainous with poor soil. Stone coal, iron ore, salt wells, corn, oats, wheat, rye, buckwheat and potatoes were exported from Pike County. Population in 1840 was 3,567. Pikeville is the county seat, located on the West Fork of the Big Sandy River about in the center of the county. It had the typical county buildings, three lawyers, three doctors, nine stores and groceries and 8-10 mechanics’ shops.

Pulaski County was formed in 1798, named for Count Pulaski. It’s in the south middle part of the state and is drained by the Cumberland River. Lincoln County is on the county’s north; Casey and Laurel on the east; Wayne on the south and Russell and Casey Counties on the west. The northern portion of the county Collins called gently undulating; the remainder of the county hilly or mountainous. Coal mines were located in the county along the Cumberland River area. Salt was manufactured at the Fishing Creek Salt Works. The Cumberland River, being navigable for smaller steamboats provided an outlet for the products produced in the county which also included corn, wheat, rye, oats and tobacco. Population in 1840 was 9,620. Somerset, the county seat had three churches (Baptist, Methodist and Christian), one school, six lawyers, five physicians, 13 stores and groceries, four taverns, an iron foundry, a tannery, 10 mechanical trade shops and had a population of about 300. Waitsborough was a small village and had only a warehouse and a few residences.

Rockcastle County was formed in 1810, named for the Rockcastle River which is the county’s south-eastern boundary. Madison and Garrard Counties lie on east; Pulaski on the south-west; Lincoln on the west. The lands vary from hilly and broken with many creeks and some fine rich bottom lands. Timber of many varieties are found here – hickory, poplar, white, chestnut, black and spotted oak, lynn, walnut and dogwood along with stately sycamore. There were sugar orchards in some areas. In 1840 the population was 4,238. Mount Vernon, the county seat, was the primary town and was located on the main road from Crab Orchard to the Cumberland Gap. It had the court house and associated buildings, four churches (Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Christian – with four more churches out in the county), a school in town and several in the county, eight lawyers, two physicians, two taverns, six stores, five tanneries and some mechanics’ shops. 200 people lived here at that time.

To be continued.

© 20 Oct 2011, Sandra K. Gorin