Early Settlers in Lawrence County, Ohio

EARLY SETTLERS IN LAWRENCE COUNTY, OHIO

Luke Kelley’s Reminiscences #1
Submitted by Bob Davisson
Ironton Register July 27, 1854

We have mentioned Luke Kelley’s settlement on Clinch River, in Russell County, Va., which was in 1790, and where he remained until 1797 when he commenced making preparations to remove to the “Northwest Territory.”

In the Fall of that year, together with his brother James who brought his family, Luke Kelley came first to the place where he died and bought a cabin of Christopher Stump, a squatter, which was on the farm now owned by S. W. Dempsey, above Union Landing, and having laid in a stock of meat with his gun and knife, he returned to his place on Clinch.

In April 1798, he came back and, with his brother, cleared three acres of land near the cabin, plowed, fenced, and planted it, and again returned to Clinch for his family–from which place to “the new settlement” the route lay over the Cumberland mountains to the west fork of Big Sandy, distance about 260 miles.

The family’s goods were packed on the horses; near where Prestonsburg now is, part of the family took a canoe down Sandy, and the rest continued down the bank or bed of the stream with the horses and the cattle. They arrived at the cabin in the latter part of August and found the three-acre crop doing finely and the dried meat (bear, buffalo, and deer) in good condition for family use.

As stated, Luke Kelley and his wife began life with none of this world’s goods. Up to the time of their leaving Clinch River, about 20 years after they were married, they had lived in frontier settlements, exposed to inroads of Indians and the various hardships incident to a new country, and of course, had not become “wealthy.”

But they sold out on Clinch River to such advantage that they had with which to come to “the new settlement,” their cattle, horses, some family goods, and $800 in specie–$400 in gold and $400 in silver; $300 of this specie John, who was now 18 years of age, had earned by “milling hemp.” The mother took charge of the money; the silver and the gold were tied up in rags separately and placed on a feather bed, which was doubled over and sewed together for packing on a horse. On arriving at the cabin, the rag of gold was missing–supposed to have been slipped aside by some thievish person as it lay on the bed before sewing up; it was a heavy loss.

At this time, August 1798, what is now Lawrence County, Ohio, had not been surveyed, although the survey commenced that year. There was a small cabin opposite the mouth of Big Sandy, occupied by a man named “Sammons,” as he was called–we believe Simmons is the true name, and that he was a relative of C. W. Simmons, the present Sheriff of Lawrence County, but have not the means of information just at hand; next below, Luke Kelley’s cabin, bought of Stump, who moved to Kentucky and died; next the cabin of James Kelley, brother of Luke, who afterward went west; then the cabin of Vincent Ferguson, from whom was named “Ferguson’s Bar,” in the Ohio River, and who died on Ice Creek; and that of Peter Van Bibber, near where Charles Austin now lives, went west; and near where George J. Trumbo now lives was the cabin of George Stewart, the father of John C. Stewart, of Symmes Township.

These six were all the cabins in what is now Lawrence County. Andrew Yingling, a brother-in-law of Christopher Stump mentioned above, built a cabin about the same time where Christopher Yingling, his son, who was then a boy of some ten years, now lives. Yingling had previously lived for some five years at “Alexandria,” the old place just below the old mouth of the Scioto.

Thomas Gilruth, father of the present Wm. Gilruth lived in the first cabin below the present County line; then came the settlements of the “French Grant“–settled in 1797–Jervis lived where Haverhill now is, owned 4,000 acres of land, afterward returned to France, below where Validan, Duduit, Lacroix, Genet, Rousseau, Dutil, Chabot, Bertrand, Vincent, and others.

Of the original French stock–Bertrand is yet living, about 90 years of age; Peter Chabot, as we are informed, died about 12 or 18 months ago. And below the French Grant and above the Scioto was a single beech cabin, that of Emanuel Traxler, where is now the city of Portsmouth–said Traxler built the first water mill in this part Ohio, on Little Scioto. The next year, 1799, Maj. Bonser settled at the mouth of Little Scioto. Above Big Sandy, the first settlement, we believe, was at Raccoon, six miles below Gallipolis.

After the first few settlements in 1797 and 1798, until 1802, very few persons came into this region to settle, and it had become unhealthy. The Kelley family was healthy, and so, perhaps, were their immediate neighbors; but at the Grant, Jervis had sold his 4,000 acres to a New England man named Hunt, who, together with a brother, both died of fevers at or near where Haverhill now is. Also, a company of hands they brought with them from New England all died of fevers except Joel Church, who, we believe, still lives on Genet’s Creek. Fevers and ague were then prevalent, but they have long since mostly disappeared.

In 1799, the surveys were prosecuted with vigor, but from some cause, the lands were not brought into the market until 1802–previous to that time, all were squatters. That year, all the lands on the river from Big Sandy down to the Grant were entered. Luke Kelley and John entered a section of 640 acres and a fraction of 30 acres at a price at that time, $2 per acre, besides $9 for surveying and $12 for the patent–entered in great part on credit, and John Kelley’s gun earned the money to pay the debt.

Above the Brubakers, Daniel and Samuel entered land; next below John Stover, father of Joel Stover of Ironton; then Peter Lionbarger, father of the late Peter Lionbarger, Jr., Esq., also Jacob Heplar, recently removed to Missouri, who married a daughter of Peter Lionbarger–all these above Ironton, and all from Shenandoah County, Va.

The land at Ironton was entered by John Davisson, father of the present Isaac Davisson. Below Josiah Lambert located, grandfather of William Lambert, Esq.; then came Benj. Carpenter, father of Wm. Carpenter, now of Missouri, and the builder or principal builder of Centre Furnace: then a man named Sperry and another named Dollarhide made entries.

Below Union Landing, Stephen Colvin, from over the river, and another made the entries and sold out to Judge Nathaniel Davisson, Andrew Davisson, and Amaziah Davisson. The Davissons were brothers and, together with Josiah Lambert, came from Harrison County, Va. Josiah Davisson, another brother, settled in Greenup County.

We shall continue these rambling sketches from facts drawn out in our rambling conversation with Mr. Kelly for some weeks to come.