Copied from Rollin HURT’s notebook written in the year of 1907 by him and loaned to Ruby TAYLOR in 1962 by Mrs. Ralph HURT.
(Ruby TAYLOR’s notes are in ITALICS)

Many thanks to Carl Johnson for this submission.

The family was originally of Welsh extraction and the name was originally spelled “Hurtte,” instead of the HURT. My great-grand fathers name was Moses HURT and his wife’s maiden name was TURNER. My grandfather was William HURT born in 1757 but it is not certainly known whether he was born in Virginia or Wales. I have been told that he spoke English with a brogue, which would seem to indicate that he was foreign born, though not necessarily so. At the first authentic history of him, he was residing in Bedford County, Virginia. He is the ancestor of all the HURTs who reside in this county. He enlisted as a soldier in the 14th Regiment of Virginia Continentals. He spent the winter at Valley Forge where his feet were severely frost-bitten and he did not entirely recover from the effects of his exposure there during his entire life.

Shortly after the Revolution ended he came out to Kentucky and resided in Bourbon County. On making a journey to his old home in Va. he spent a night or nights in the house of John FIELDS (Moths ate the rest of the first page.) ——– acquainted in this way, they very shortly thereafter married and she returned to Kentucky with him. John FIELDS, mentioned here, became in after years very prominent as a merchant in Columbia, Kentucky and was the father of Dr. Samuel B. FIELDS. Mrs. Sarah FIELDS, who married William HURT, was formerly a Miss WHITE and the sister of Capt. Thomas WHITE, who died at the place where Mr. Junius Willis now lives (Mack’s father) (now Jack Smith’s) WHITE was an old Revolutionary War Captain (—— moths—–) through John P, Anderson in fact. The deed which is of record in the Adair County Courts clerks office shows that he (William HURT) purchased at this time 540 acres of land for the sum of one hundred pounds and Anderson made acknowledgment of the deed before the Fayette County court. (—— moths —–) accounts kept by him and which I now have in my possession contain a long list of names of his customers and which names are not familiar in this County. He spells the word Kentucky, at that time, 1792, as follows viz.; “Cantucky.” After he purchased the land above mentioned he came to live upon it bringing with him his stepson, John FIELDS, and two Negroes whose names were Thomas and Rebecca —— moths —– The first clearing made upon the farm was upon the hill between the lane and the bluff near the sinking branch and upon the right hand as you go from the Crocus road to the dwelling house. At this point, in the fall of the year 1793, my grandfather, with the assistance of John FIELDS and the Negro Thomas, cleared a patch of land and erected a cabin. In the winter of 1793 or 1794, my grandfather returned to Bourbon County to bring his family and his household effects, leaving John FIELDS and the Negroes to continue the work (account of Mrs. CASEY mending FIELD’s britches). In the spring of 1794 my grandfather returned from Bourbon with his family and a cart drawn by a yoke of oxen. This was the first wheeled vehicle used or brought into the county and he was the first man to open and live on a farm unprotected by a stockade or blockhouse in Adair County. His only and nearest neighbor was Colonel William CASEY. His journey from Bourbon County was made by way of Greensburg, where at that time, there was a frontier fort. A party accompanied him as far as Greensburg to assist in opening the way for the cart, as well as to protect him from the Indians. At this point he was met by Captain John BUTLER, Champ FARRIS, Samuel WHITE and others who were then residents of Adair County and the persons accompanying him then turned back. When they camped for the night my grandfather told the men that in the bottom of the cart was several pieces of bacon and a keg of whiskey. The men had not tasted bacon in several years, they having lived during that time on wild meat of the forests, they unloaded the cart, drank the whiskey and ate the bacon without cooking it, so keen was their desire to again taste the food of civilized life. The result was that all became intoxicated and while in this conditions party of Indians falling upon them, killed FARRIS and dispersed the others. They escaped with difficulty and had a severe bout in driving the Indians off. The men then escorted HURT and family to their farm.

After this beginning settlers came fast and in a very few years a great many had come. Among those who came and resided near to him were Capt. Thomas WHITE, Jesse WHITE, John C. WHITE and Garnett CONOVER, the last named was then called Garnett GOVENHOFER.

In those early days, the buffaloes sometimes came up with his cattle (here was the story of Indians stealing his horses which we have in print). He seems to have been a very prosperous man and in a few years was the owner of twenty or more slaves ( —moths — ) He was a wheelwright, which in that time was a very lucrative employment. He was also a distiller of whiskey and brandy and I have a great many times seen the old stone walls of his distillery, which stood west of the dwelling house upon his farm about 250 yards from the house and just beside where the Crocus road was formerly located. An old neighbor of his in Bourbon County by the name of CONOVER apprenticed two of his sons to him that they might learn ( — moths — ) about the year 1802 or 1803, he removed to the town of Columbia, where he kept a hotel.

In the year 1810 William HURT built a grist mill upon Petitts Fork just below the Cedar Cliff. When I was a boy a small portion of the old dam still remained.

About the year 1803 or 04 he erected a dwelling house upon the site of the present dwelling house upon said farm. It stood where the kitchen and dining room is now located. It was a two story, house of logs, sealed and weather-boarded and had a cellar underneath ( — moths— ) planks were sawed out from the logs with whipsaws. My mothers uncle, Cyrus MONTGOMERY has told me that when he was a boy, this house was the talk of the neighborhood-being regarded as a very fine house. This house had a very large log kitchen, which according to the custom of the times, was situated some distance from the house, and between it and the spring. (My father recovered both of these buildings about 1867 or 1868) (— moths—) The front of this house when first erected was to the West. Afterward when the-I Crocus road was changed to its present location, the front of the house was changed to the East and my father between 1850 and 60 erected the frame portion of said house. This farm was owned continuously by members of the family from the year 1793 until 1904.

At the time of my first recollection on the north side of the dwelling house and between it and the bluffs of the Sinking branch was an apple orchard of very large trees. All of these trees have long since disappeared.

The first cucumber known to have been grown in the neighborhood was grown near the spring in the Roper field upon said farm. My Uncle Alban HURT was then a small boy and had received very explicit directions not to pull the cucumber. Shortly, however, the cucumber was observed to be missing. Alban was suspicioned as being the thief, and being pressed confessed his guilt. He, however confidently relied upon escaping punishment, by insisting he had only been warned not to pull the cucumber and that he had not done so – that he had lain down and eaten it from the vine.

My grandfather was a very partisan Democrat in politics and in the year, 1800, rode from his home to Greensburg, a distance of 20 miles, to cast his vote for the electors for Mr. JEFFERSON, in his first race for President.

In religion my grandfather was a Baptist, until the coming of the Church of the Disciples or Reformed Church, when in his old age he attached himself to this Church.

His first wife died in the year 1814 and in the year 1817 he married a second time. His second wife was Elizabeth MCMURRAY, who at the time of their marriage resided in Barren County where ( — moths—) (account of settlement between Cyrus MONTGOMERY and William HURT we have this in print.) Fisticuff fights were the custom of that day. John C. WHITE, a neighbor, was a great and successful fighter and had never been bested by any one in the County. My grandfather sent to Virginia for Hugh DOUGLAS (a man of this name, married Mildred HURT, a daughter of William HURT. Probably the same man.) who was a renowned pugilist and offered him the sum of $500 which was a large sum of money at that time, if he would come out to Kentucky and whip WHITE. DOUGLAS came and he and my grandfather went to where WHITE was engaged with the other neighbors in building a house at the place where Richard DOHONEY now lives (on the hill).The challenge to fight was accepted and both men stripped to the waist. WHITE with his first blow knocked DOUGLAS to the ground but he recovered aria #a gave WHITE a severe beating. My grandfather then paid DOUGLAS the $500 and he returned to Virginia. It is related that when DOUGLAS fell at WHITE’s first blow, my grandfather said, “Tutt, tutt you scoundrel, I will not pay you a cent.”

NATHAN HURT
Nathan HURT was a brother of my grandfather, William HURT, but whether older or younger, I do not know. He came to Adair County at a very early day, probably before the year 1800. His dwelling stood near the line between the lands of John N. CONOVER and the BARGER farm and near to where the Sinking branch comes out of the ground in said CONOVER’s field. I have not the date of his death nor any information in regard to it but it was several years previous to 1840. His family and descendants have all been gone from this county for a great many years except the VAUGHNs’ and LEWIS’ of whom I will hereafter write.

Nathan HURT was the father of the following children: 1.-Frances-who married Zachariah VIGRESS. Nothing else known.
2.-Nathan HURT Jr. – nothing is known of him except that he was a very large and physically powerful man and a great pugilist.
3.-Charles HURT- He was a constable in Adair County in 1810 and raised a family. His daughter Seney, was the wife of Daniel LEWIS. I saw her in the year 1885 when she was very old. She had a son, Wilson LEWIS who died about the year of 1880 and left several children, who have resided in the State of Texas for many years. A daughter of Seney LEWIS married John Wesley McKinney who resides in this county but I know of no descendants. Joel HURT (son of Alban HURT, who was the son of William HURT and a first cousin of Charles HURT) first married a daughter of Charles HURT. She died without descendants. Then Joel married CABBELL.
4.-Peyton – no information or tradition.
5.-Mildred – married William WINN.
6.-Allen – no knowledge of him.
7.-Ruth – married Jesse ROGERS.
8.-Dicey – Robert CALLISON.
9.-Sarah William VAUGHN. She had several children but I have never known the name of but one. Her son, Oliver C. VAUGHN died about the year 1874 or 75. He was the father of Oliver C. VAUGHN, Jr. and Bram VAUGHN. His daughters:
(1) Zora married Thomas TURPIN;
(2) Abbie married Geo. CHEATAM;
(3) Minnie married Frank JUDD;
(4) Laura married Thomas COOK; and
(5) Helen married John CHARLES.
Sarah HURT VAUGHN’s family with the exception of Oliver C. went to Missouri many years ago.

Dr. (—moths—) HURT, who died about the year 1890 at Springfield, Tennessee, where he had resided for many years, was born in Adair County and was a grand son of Nathan HURT, Sr. but of which of his sons he was a son I do not know. Napolean B. HURT, who was a druggist at Lebanon, Kentucky. Henry HURT, once the proprietor of the Arlington Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky and Richard HURT, an actor, were brothers and were born in Todd County, Kentucky. They were also grandsons of Nathan HURT Sr., which one of his sons was their father I do not know, probably Allen or Peyton HURT. The above named children of Nathan HURT, Sr. seems to have disappeared from this county so long ago that no persons, during my recollections, have ever known anything of them except the little above stated by me. They seem to have gone before the year 1840.

WILLIAM HURT’S FAMILY HISTORY

William HURT married Mrs. Sarah White FIELDS in 1780 in Bedford County Virginia. She was born September 16, 1757 and died in 1814 In Adair County, Kentucky. Their children: (A) Mildred – born 1780 married Hugh DOUGLAS on January 25, 1796. The date of herdeath is not known. I have never heard of any descendants of hers except a grandson whose name was Dominicus DOUGLAS, and who was accidentally shot and killed by Henry BURBRIDGE at Butter Pint (Gadberry) during the Civil War. About 25 years ago, I knew a man in Metcalfe County whose name was DOUGLAS but whose Christian name I have forgotten, whom I have since learned was a descendant of Mildred DOUGLAS, but I did not know of it at the time I saw him, and have never heard of him since.

(B) Sallie (Sarah) – married Samuel MORRIS on December 2O, 1817 (on Green County record). She died between 1870 and 1875. I have seen her I was a child. Her children of whom I have known or heard:
1. Albert
2. James Francis – married Clarissa Emmaline GILL. They lived near the Loy graveyard on the Carding- factory branch. Great singers.
(C) Achney Berry – married Sallie (Nancy) CARLISLE on October 8, 1807. Her father was James CARLISLE. Their children:
1. James
2. William
3. Melinda, wife of Frank WEBB.
4. Susan (reared by Aunt Susan HURT BURBRIDGE); wife of Joseph MCCLAIN and afterwards wife of James Vigus.
6- Clementine, wife of _______ ATKINSON and afterwards WINTERS.

Achney Berry/HURT was a man of good education and promise. He resided upon the farm where Robert ALLEN, deceased lived for many year and is situated on the west side of Petitts fork. Sometime previous to 1840, he became deeply in debt and because greatly discouraged, shortly he disappeared from the community an( was never heard or known where he went to or what became of him afterwards. His conduct in abandoning his wife and family and going away so that no trace of him was ever afterwards discovered seems at this distance of time to be very ______, but it may have been less worthy of condemnation, if I had known all the circumstances, which I do not.

(D) William W. HURT born April 5,1786 died about 1870 married Pamelia HANCOCK, who was born August 17, 1778 and died April 27, 1835. Their children:
1. Felix Grundy – born January 12, 1809.
2. Bram – born April 17, 1812; died in Iowa.
3. Louisa Thompson – born September 19, 1814.
4. Birgis or William W. (called Bird) – born February 7, 1817; died in Missouri.
5. Mildred Jane – born Jan 20,1820; died April 10, 1846.
6. Sarah Ann Sanders – born July 6, 1822.
7. Caroline Malinda – born November 20, 1824; died November 6, 1827.
8. Francis Marion – born April 3, 1826; died in Missouri.
9. Oliver Martin – born August 4, 1829; was assassinated near Salem, Oregon about 1880.
10. Elizabeth Elenor – born November 28, 1833
One of the daughters married a man named DAVIS.
(D Cont.) He married Nancy Ware April 23, 1844. She was born February 2, 1809. Their children:
1. Mary Washington – born August 1, 1846.
2. Martha Logan – born March 16, 1848; went to Iowa.
3. Laura Ann Cornelia Hector – born October 26, 1850; married Daniel Boone BRYANT (Their daughter, Mary Ellen, married Green Murphy. They are Viola ANTLE’s parents.) After Bryant’s death, Laura married Woot COLLINS

(D-cont.)This William HURT lived on a branch which flows into Petitts Fork on the East side and at a place where Charlie CALLISON lived (now Elbert FRANKUM’s, 1963). When a child, I remember to have been at his house and he was then a very old and decrepit man. Also remember when my brother J.W. HURT came home one morning and announced that our Uncle Billy HURT was dead. The above named children of William (my great-uncle Billy) were all persons of good reputation so far as I ever knew or heard. Of the one called Felix Grundy I have no history, except that he was a great dandy and excessively polite in his manners. Bram HURT was a very eccentric man. He left a daughter, who is still living and was the wife of William J. Winfrey and now lives on Damron’s creek in this county. Oliver was a soldier in the War with Mexico in 1847 and afterwards lived in California and Oregon. He was never married and amassed a considerable fortune before his death all of which he devised to persons other than his kindred.

(E) Alban married Meeky MONTGOMERY, daughter of Francis MONTGOMERY (Mr. BRUCE’s family) Their children:
1. Meeky married _______ MEDARIS.
2. Joel married first a daughter of Charles HURT and second, _______ CABBELL.
3. William Bassett married first _______ BRADSHAW, then Ann SMITH.
4. Curren Owens
5. Burrell F.
6. Felix Grundy
7. _______ , wife of George BRYANT.

Alban HURT was a successful man in business and was a very prosperous man but in the later years of his life became addicted to drinking liquor and in this way wasted the greater portion of his property. His children at this time (1907) are all dead except Burrell (5), who resides in the state of Arkansas. Joel HURT(2) served as a soldier in Hewitts Battery in the War of 1861-65 and died in 1890. Curren Owens (4) died in the State of Missouri about 1903-04. He left a son, Thomas F. HURT, who now lives in Russell County, Kentucky. Felix Grundy (6)served as a soldier in the 13th Kentucky Infantry in the War of 1861-65 and died in 1892 or 93. William Bassett (3) was a very prosperous man, of great industry, and noted for the truth and integrity of his character. He died in the year 1904. The children of William Bassett HURT and his first wife, _______ BRADSHAW:
1. Larue Peter married _______ STONE; second wife, Lizzie Ellen BLAIR ROSENBAUM. (Mabel and Willie’s grandmother)
2. Alban I. (called Aubie) married Emma JOHNSTON.
3. Winfield married Corinna SNOW.
4. Finis E. married _______ HURT of Illinois.
5. Ellen married Bob ALLEN, second husband, Ed WALKER.
6. Bettie married Jim HAYES.

Children of William Bassett HURT and Ann SMITH, daughter of Richard SMITH:
1. Waller married Leona MCCLISTER.
2. Ulysses D. married Sofia WILLIAMS.

(F) Susanna – married William BURBRIDGE on May 26,1804. He was a Baptist preacher and the same one who donated the Zion Church grounds. She died on Dec. 9, 1836. (They owned and resided on the farm where Zeno HAMON now(1963 )lives-Ruby) They are both buried in the graveyard near the house. The portraits of William and Susanna BURBRIDGE are now (1907) in possession of Mrs. ________ CABBELL, who is a niece of Susanna.
(G) Lockey – born June 14, 1794; married Frances (Frank) MONTGOMERY, who was a noted silver smith and who once represented Adair County in the Kentucky Legislature. Their children:
1. Dr. William B. MONTGOMERY
2. James
3. Francis
4. Sallie married Winfield SQUIRES.
5 – _____________
All of whom are dead except last named.

(H) James HURT
He lived and died an old bachelor. He was a very eccentric man. He would never in his life do any kind of manual labor or any other kind of labor. When a boy he would sit in one side of the house while my grandfather sat on the other side. He did this because my grandfather, who believed every one should be industrious, would compel him to go work or leave his sight. The result was that the old gentleman would occupy the shady side of the house and Uncle James would thereby be compelled to sit on the side where the sunshine was exerting its utmost. The old gentleman would move around the house as the sun passed around and Uncle James would also move in order to be out of sight/of Grandfather and hence would have to sit in the sunshine all of the day which he would do in preference to working. When James was a young man my grandfather gave to I-him the farm near Tabor Church where J. Leslie Johnson now lives. Uncle James rented it to John C. WHITE for one year for 14 barrels of corn. Uncle James-, soon afterward was passing near the spring where WHITE and Dr. Bram WHITE, who was then a boy, were engaged in sawing with a whipsaw. Uncle James boasted of his great fleetness in running, when John C. WHITE proposed that he make a race on foot against Dr. Bram WHITE and the result was (one page missing). (I imagine Uncle James bet his corn crop and lost.)

(I) Clemmy born November 1, 1797 – died September 16, 1886; married Robert MONTGOMERY Dec. 20, 1812. Their children:
1. James M.
2. William F.
3. Joel Anderson – killed by son Rue.
4. Quintillion
5. Robert A.
6. Clementine Jane married W.D.W. MONTGOMERY.
7. Ann Elizabeth married William F. CABBELL. Their daughter married John YOUNG.
8. Locky married Schuyler MURRELL 1838 in first marriage. (Marriage book Columbia, Kentucky Court House.)
9. Mary S. married Dr. W.B. MONTGOMERY
10. Sallie Mildred married James B. MURRELL in 1852 (Marriage Book II p. 168).
11. Serena married Joseph PATTERSON.

Serena and Joseph PATTERSON resided in the Joppa community near Zion Church in Adair County. I do not know how long before but a number of years before the Civil War, PATTERSON was murdered and his body thrown into a sinkhole, where it was shortly found. The circumstances pointed to his wife as being the guilty one or at least an accessory and she was arrested and placed under guard at her home. My father realizing she would be found guilty at trial and hanged and thinking this a disgrace on the HURT family, rode one horse and led another near the house and set up a ladder to the little upstairs window where she was staying, got her out and slipped away from the guards and they rode posthaste to he house of Mr. Jack BULLINGTON, near Edmonton, in Metcalfe County where he arrived early in the morning. From this place, she with the assistance of BULLINGTON, escaped to the state of Illinois, where she lived until her death, which occurred 30 or 40 years ago. There she married again and brought up a large family. Two of her sons were soldiers in an Illinois Regiment during the Civil War and was stationed at (—moths—).

By his second wife, Elizabeth MCMURRAY, my grandfather, William HURT, was the father of the following children:
(J) Young Elisha HURT-born May 26, 1818 at 30 minutes after 11 o’clock P.M. and died February 17, 1871 at 30 minutes after 4 o’clock A.M.
(K) Marietta – born March 9, 1820; died February 26, 1846; married Josiah Hunter.
(L) Bowen Price HURT; married Melissa F. BRIDGEWATER on August 10, 1846. He removed from this state to Iowa about 1850 and was a soldier in an Iowa Regiment in the Civil War and died in the state of Georgia during Sherman’s march to the sea. He left three sons:
1. William, who was a preacher.
2. Campbell G.
3. __________
One or the other of the last named is the Mayor of Ft. Madison, Iowa, at this time.

(K-cont.) My Aunt Marietta was the first wife of Josiah HUNTER. They were married September 17, 1836. She is buried at the HURT graveyard. She left the following children:
1. William E. HUNTER
2. Benjamin – his daughter Ann married Ed HUGHES; their daughter – Vic CUNDIFF.
3. Victoria – who was the first wife of W.B. ROWE and mother of Josephine, Ben, Ed, and Marietta FLOWERS.

(M) My Aunt Rosina HURT was the first wife of Richard W. WALLACE, who was a preacher of the Campbellite Church. She died in the early 70’s and left the following children:
1. William WALLACE
2. Mollie, who became the wife of Dr. R.C. MORGAN.
3. Alva WALLACE – his daughter Del Ray married Will JONES.
4. Ray WALLACE
5. Annie, who became the wife of George PURDY.
6. Victoria, who became the wife of Henry REYNIERSON.
7. Joseph WALLACE
8. Hattie, who became the wife of one DRYE.
(N) Finis HURT- died in infancy.
(O) Newbern HURT- died in infancy.
My father, Young E. HURT, was married to Susan Roundtree MORRISON. She was born on August 16, 1814 and died December 7, 1851. Their children:
1. Joan Rosina – born September 28, 1842; died June 31, 1876; married William R. PATTERSON, a Christian Church preacher; she left two children:
1. Susanna Elizabeth married Jo Nat CONOVER, their children:
a. Dinple
b. Grace
2. Eliza Montery married James N. CONOVER, their children:
a. Mary (Marshall)
b. Rose
c. Henry
d. Paul
2. Leslie Combs HURT – born January 26, 1849 and died at Elwood, Kansas, July 31, 1868. He was never married. He was a soldier in the Civil War, 13th Kentucky Infantry.
3. Monterey Elizabeth – born April 12, 1847; died January 1937 in New Mexico; she had one son, Edgar, who died a young man.
4. James William HURT-born January 6, 1849; died April 10, 1913; buried in Columbia. He married Margaret PILE in December of 1870. He was twice elected Sheriff of Adair County. The first time in 1892 for two years then in 1897 for four years. Their children:
1. Jerome – born 1872; died September 1923. He never married.
2. Lucius Claudius – born 1875. He married two BUTLERs one Cecil; no children.
3. Henry married Nannie Lee BUTLER; died in Colorado 192 (1892?); no children. 4. Edwin married Mary Lou MCCAFFREE; died in Louisville; had four children.
5. Lena married Ralph Moss, she died in Alabama. Two children:
a. Oscar
b. Hubert
The four men are buried in Columbia. Lena, Jerome, and Edwin emigrated to New Mexico in 1907 but returned to Kentucky later.
5. Susanna Morrison – born November 13, 1850; died February 25, 1920 in Oklahoma; married S.W. MILLER on Dec. 27,1874 and emigrated to Texas in 1882. Their children:
1. Leslie Hurt married Hester HUNDLEY then Fannie _________.
2. John MILLER – a doctor.
3. Dorothy – never married.
4. Mattie – died a young woman.
5. Sammy married Nellie _________ ; their daughter – Juanita.
6. Mallie Jo married Lem TITTLE; their children:
a. Elouise
b. Ilene
7. Montry married L.O. Mann.
(Mallie lives in Oklahoma, all the rest died in Oklahoma.)

After his first wife died, Young E. HURT married Mary Morrison MONTGOMERY on the 28th day of May 1852. She was born April 3, 1826; died December 24, 1902. Their children:
1. Robert MONTGOMERY(Tobe) – born May 10, 1853 (died August 1921). He married Mattie GARNETT on February 20, 1892; no children. He has served several times as Sheriff of Adair County and was during the Admr. of Cleveland made an officer in the Internal Revenue Service and has been for about ten years in all a guager (sic.) and store-keeper. (Robert is buried at Hurt graveyard.)
2. Cyrus Bolivar – born November 27, 1854; never married. In 1882 he emigrated to Texas along with his sister Sue HURT MILLER and her husband. Soon after, his whereabouts were not known and he was not heard of for 15 years or more. He was finally discovered by accident and now lives at Chickasha, Indian Territory.
3. Lucien Bowen – born Dec. 8, 1856 (died July 1943 and buried in Columbia). He married Cora JOHNSON on October 4, 1882; one son, Young. He then married Hallie BOSLEY, their son, Joe (He died in 1920). Lucien was clerk of Adair County court four years and Master Commissioner 18 years.
4. Mattie Dora – born December 7, 1858; a school teacher; never married (died May 30, 1922; buried at HURT graveyard).
5. Rollin T. HURT – born October 18, 1860; married Cary CHANDLER on December 5, 1894; one son, Ralph born December 29, 1895 at 6 o’clock A.M. (A sketch of Judge R.T. HURT’s life in c clippings. He died Dec. 19, 1949.)
6. Marietta Cora – born July 13, 1862; married W.B. ROWE on January 20, 1884; one child, Bess, married Porter STRANGE. Cora was a school teacher. (she died in Oklahoma and is buried in Columbia, Kentucky)
7. Young Elisha HURT, Jr. (Bud) – born November 16, 1864; married Viola ROYSE on September 13, 1899. He was a farmer and lived with his mother. They had no children.
8. Jerome – born August 15, 1866 and died from croup on the 15th day of September at 30 minutes after eleven o’clock A.M. in 1869. He was a child of remarkable precocity and freely coined words in which to express his thoughts. He was playing in the yard of the house with me, when he complained of being sick and went into the house. Within fifteen minutes, he died. My father sitting at a table, when he discovered the suffering of the boy, and springing up took him in his arms. Though a mere child myself, I vividly remember the scene. My father burst into tears and exclaimed “Poor (blur) boy.” In a moment more the child was dead. I was greatly attached to him and have never been able to think of him with indifference and as I now write, the recollections fill my eyes with tears. (Mrs. Jenny JOHNSON told me that her mother was canning peaches the day Jerome died and many years later the cans had not been opened. He is buried at the HURT graveyard.)
9-Jennie Mollie – born June 22, 1868; married J.L. JOHNSON on March 11, 1896. She was a schoolteacher. They had one son, Morrison R. JOHNSON, who was born on March 16, 1900. (She died January 28, 1948 buried in Columbia City cemetery, as is her son Morrison. He married Ruby Taylor on December 18, 1919; their son Joe T. was born on July 12, 1922; married Ruth Kelsay on May 30, 1942. They have one daughter, Jo Ann, born on August 1O, 1944 and one son, James Carl (J.C.), born on August 3,1946.)

YOUNG E. HURT
My father t Young E. HURT was of very masculine build. He was six feet and three inches in height and at the time of my recollection weighed about 225 pounds. His hair was black and his eyes were hazel. His carriage was perfectly erect. During his lifetime he was owner at various times of considerable property, in lands and slaves, and when the slaves were emancipated his slave property was of the value of more than ten thousand dollars, which was a clear loss to him. He had never been a believer in the right to enslave the Negroes but his environments made him the owner of these by inheritance. He never did sell a slave, although sometimes was offered for them more than they were worth. He had considerable capacity for the making of money but was a very poor hand to retain it. During his life of 53 years, he became surety for many persons and paid for them many debts to the amount of more than twenty thousand dollars. His property was in this way nearly all swept away. He was an exceedingly hospitable man and I have seen enough persons eat dinner at his table in one day that it required more than one hundred horses to carry them. These horses would also be fed. No one was ever turned away and no person who came to ask a favor of him in the way of the sale of provisions or the loan of money was ever refused. He had a remarkable influence over men and boys and the young men and youths were more careful of their behavior and conduct in his presence than they were in the presence of their own parents.

I was only ten years of age at the time of his death, but I have heard him relate and I now remember many of the incidents of his life.

When he was about sixteen years of age his father directed him to take his six-horse team and wagon and make a trip to the city of Louisville. My grandfather the lived at his place two and one half mile south of Columbia. A journey to Louisville was then a great undertaking, and had to be accomplished by a road-wagon by the way of Greensburg and Bardstown. My father had never been from home before and was appalled at the difficulties of the journey and plead that he did not know the way. My grandfather’s answer was that he had learned him to speak the English and that he could find the way, and my father was obliged to make the journey and to bring from Louisville a load of merchandise. Having fallen in company with other teamsters on the way, he made his way to Louisville successfully. There the other teamsters engaged in the smoking of cigars. My father was persuaded to indulge also. He had never before essayed to smoke tobacco, the result was that he became deathly sick and was consumed with a raging thirst and was nearly stricken blind. To slake his thirst, he visited large ponds, which have long since been removed and are now in the heart of the city but were then the playing grounds of large flocks of geese and ducks. He knelt down upon his knees and drank repeatedly of these dirty waters. He did not recover from his sickness until he arrived at Greensburg on the return trip. The other teamsters kindly drove and took care of his team. One of these was a man by the name of Salithiel COFFEY. When they arrived at Greensburg a large number of persons were there engaged in drinking and one of them was particularly loud and boisterous in his behavior. COFFEY, to tease my father, silently approached him and whispered to him that he believed that the boisterous individual had undoubtedly smoked a cigar. COFFEY lived to a great age, and never failed when in company with my father to remind him of the cigar incident. My father never any more during his life indulged in the use of tobacco in any way, In June 1836, when my father was in his 18th year, he made a journey on horseback to the Brasos River country in Texas. Western Kentucky was then almost a wilderness, western Tennessee, Arkansas, Indian Territory, Oklahoma, and Texas were indeed an uninhabited wild. When he crossed the Mississippi River at Memphis he fell into company with a man who was journeying with his wife and children in a two-horse wagon and attended by an old man on horse back whose name was BEDFORD. The swamp, which then, extended from the river out into the State of Arkansas was forty miles wide and the water in many places scarcely fordable. The party journeyed on until night-fall through a downpour of rain. There was at that time only one cabin in the swamp upon the way they were traveling and was situated on a comparatively dry place about midway of the great swamp. Arkansas was then called “Rogue’s Harbor” and this house and its inmates bore no good reputation but was a place of rendezvous for robbers and murderers. For the want of any other shelter in which to spend the night, the party applied at this house for admission and a nights lodging. A large rough man answered their call and mighty and profanely ordered them to be gone and then retired into the house. BEDFORD then requested of my father to know if he had any weapons and my father answering that he had two pistols. BEDFORD answered that they would spend the night at the house, whether the occupants desired it or not. Dismounting my father drew his two pistols and BEDFORD produced a very long Bowie knife and thus armed and prepared, they forced open the door and entered. Luckily for them the man who had so uncivilly answered their request for admission was the only occupant. BEDFORD preemptorially directed him to go to his bed and not to (—– (blot) —) man had only Hobson’s choice and retired to his bed. BEDFORD then requested the man and his family in the wagon to come into the house, but the man feared to do so and refused, the wife and her children came into the house and slept during the night upon a pallet made of my father’s and BEDFORD’s great coats. Fearing the arrival of other parties, who might be in league with the proprietor of the house, my father and BEDFORD alternately kept watch and guard during the night. BEDFORD placed his large knife against the jam as though it were a poker, with the remark to remain there until he should have need of it. The unwilling host remained very quiet during the night and when morning came his guests took their departure but BEDFORD refused to travel further in the company of the man with the wagon and assigned as his reason, that he would travel with no coward. BEDFORD accompanied my father all the way into Texas.

My father, like my grandfather before him, was a Democrat in politics and during his lifetime voted for the electors of the following presidential candidates viz.:- Martin VAN BUREN, James K. POLK, Franklin PIERCE, James BUCHANAN, Stephen A. DOUGLAS, George B. MCCLELLAN, and Horatio SEYMOUR. In his youth, he first attached himself to the Campbellite Church but very soon severed his connection with this church and joined the Methodist church to which he remained steadfast until his death. He was also a member of the Masonic Fraternity. When the Civil War came about, although a slave-holder and a Democrat, he was an uncompromising Union man and supported the government in the war against Secession.

Previous to the Civil War, he was at one time a candidate for the democratic nomination for member of the Legislature, for Adair County, but met defeat in caucus. He felt this so keenly that he would never anymore stand for any such office, although often times pressed to do so and at times when his nomination and election was an assured fact. Early in the Civil War he was elected the Sheriff of Adair County and held this troublesome office during those times, in all, eight years and was serving a term at the time of his death. During the first years of his encumbering of this office, the county was overrun with soldiers, guerrillas, and the lawless men, whom the war had produced and he had a great many thrilling experiences with them. He attained a very high reputation for physical and moral courage and also for integrity of character and died very highly honored and respected. His popularity became so great, that no one after his first election would contest the poll with him. His position as Sheriff and his prominence as a Union man drew upon him the animosity of the Rebels, guerrillas, and politicians and resulted in many attempts of the Confederates to capture him for a prisoner. Many a time our house was searched in the hope of his capture and horses, mules, cattle corn, hay ,etc. carried away. On one occasion two hundred Cavalry was sent out from Columbia to effect his capture.

He lived at his father’s old place, where the Rev. Flavis BARGER now resides (1907). The Cavalry went out on the Columbia and Creelsboro road to where the Crocus road turns off from it, and then taking the latter road which then led from CONOVER’s Mill across the Crocus road to the Long View on the Creelsboro road and to the house of Young BENNETT, who then lived on the left hand side of the Crocus road, where they captured BENNETT and stopped to question him of my father’s whereabouts and the best way, to arrive at his house without being discovered. BENNETT was a near neighbor and had known my father from his youth and though greatly scared by the threats to take his life, he stoutly denied being acquainted with my father or his whereabouts. BENNETT was a very timid man. The road being dusty and soft in the summer time and the darkness of the night and the forests then on each side of the road prevented my father knowing the trap he was falling into, as he was then endeavoring to get to his house and riding up the road from CONOVER’s Mill, found himself in the midst of the Cavalry before he was aware of their presence. Observing in an instant that the darkness, prevented them from knowing of his presence, he took the bold course of riding among them, as though he was one of them, and looking for some avenue of escape, he rode up to the head of the column, where BENNETT was being threatened and examined. To his dismay he saw BENNETT turn his eyes upon him and knowing the timidity of his character, was fearful that BENNETT would, in his weakness, recognize him and point him out. BENNETT declared however that he had not seen him in a long time and the officers then dismissed BENNETT and directed the Cavalry to move forward quietly but rapidly and thus effect my father’s capture. When they began to move, my father being acquainted with the woods put his spurs to his horse and escaped under a rattling fire from the Cavalry, who knew that something had occurred but did not know what it was. I have heard my father say that when BENNETT was trembling and begging for his life, that he (my father) put his hand upon his pistol and determined that if BENNETT was foolish and cowardly enough to give him away, that he would instantly shoot him, and then take his chance of escape.

On another occasion Gen. Lyon was in Columbia with a considerable body of Confederate infantry and Cavalry. On one night he sent out two hundred infantry to effect the capture of my father and others of his neighbors. They came first to our house but before they were able to surround the house, my father escaped into the orchard and stood there concealed by the darkness, until they had made a search of the house. Then they took their way to the house of Mr. Oscar PILE, who lived on the hill on the opposite side of the road from Tabor Church, and from there to the house of Judge Richard GARNETT, who lived where his son H.B. GARNETT now lives (Horton’s) and captured him. He was a Home Guard Captain. My father followed them over this course endeavoring to approach sufficiently close to find out who it was that was acting as their guide. Finally in the darkness, he mingled with them and in this, way was able to approach near the front and at great hazard to himself discovered that it was a man by the name of STEPHENSON, and who was a neighbor, that was acting as the guide. Within a few nights thereafter a crowd of men visited STEPHENSON and taking him from his home, severely whipped him and ordered him out of the country. STEPHENSON did not wait for a second warning but left immediately and never returned. My father never imparted any information to me, as to what he knew about how STEPHENSON came to be whipped or who did it.

On one occasion during the Civil War, a large force of Confederate infantry and Cavalry under the command of (— blot—) came and camped at Columbia Kentucky. At once, parties were sent into the country, who captured Judge Richard GARNETT, Simon P. TAYLOR, and John BLAIR, who were Captains of Companies of Home Guards. These men were brought prisoners into Columbia, when the Confederate Commander made a proclamation for all of the Home Guards to bring and stack their muskets at the Long View on the Columbia and Jamestown road, about 3 miles, from Columbia on a certain night and that if they failed to do so, that he would at once hang GARNETT, TAYLOR and BLAIR. My father believed that this proclamation was a mere bluff for the purpose of working upon the fears of the friends of the prisoners and in that to procure the arms of the Home Guards. On the night appointed, my father went to the place designated and hid himself in the woods. Pretty soon the members of the Home Guards began to gather in, in twos and threes and to deposit their muskets and then to go hurriedly away. At a late hour in the night and after all, who intended to, had come and left their muskets, my father came out from his hiding place and taking the muskets one by one, he placed each in the fork of a convenient dogwood tree and bent the barrel of each of the guns, not sufficiently to be noticed, but enough to destroy its usefulness as a firearm. On the next morning a party of the Confederates were sent out for the guns and the prisoners were then released. On the same night a Confederate officer of the rank of Major spent the night at the house of Mr. Oscar PILE. After bending the muskets my father repaired to the house of PILE, where he captured the officer and carried him to the Harvey’s Ridge with the purpose that in the event GARNETT, TAYLOR, and BLAIR were hanged, to take revenge by hanging the Major. Learning, however, on the next day of the release of GARNETT and his associates, my father released the Major and allowed him to rejoin his command.

The most distinct recollection that I have of any incident of the Civil War was as follows: One morning three armed men on horseback came to the gate at the end of the lane in front of our house. My father accompanied by a neighbor, named John TILGHMAN, went out from the house toward the gate. When they had come very nearly to the gate, the men on horseback fired on TILGHMAN and my father, who resolutely returned the fire. Then the men wheeled their horses and fled at full speed. These men were evidently guerrillas and meant to murder my father and were only prevented by the resolute conduct of him and TILGHMAN.

On another occasion when General John MORGAN and his forces made a foray into this part of the country, my brother, J.W. HURT, and two colored boys, Rue and George, had been to secrete some horses in a wood, which then lay along near the upper end of the Cedar Cliff on Petitts Fork. After a ,time, to their great surprise, a body of Cavalry came across the creek near where they were. My brother and the boys fled with the horses and I can now remember seeing them running the horses at full speed down the old rocky road, which ran through my father’s farmland making for the woods on the north side of the farm. Particularly, I remember a ball-faced sorrel horse and a large mare called Beck. The Cavalry pursued them rapidly and captured the horses near the sinks of the sinking branch. I do not know upon what date this happened but I could not have been above three or four years of age.

Near the end of the Civil War, two young men, whose names were Porter ALLEN and Jim TURK, and who were neighbors of ours, and who were soldiers in the Confederate army were taken prisoners on Crocus Creek and were imprisoned by the Federal authorities on Johnson’s island in Lake (—dim—) and then both died. The horses they were riding at the time of their capture fell into take hands of the Federal forces at Columbia, who were under the command of General WOOD. He desired to send a spy to Bowling Green, Kentucky to learn the number and disposition of the Confederate forces in that country. He thereupon, sent for my father and requested him to undertake the mission. Mr. Oscar PILE accompanied my father to see General WOOD and when my father consented to make the journey, he asked for PILE to go with him. General WOOD furnished them horses to ride and without their knowledge furnished them the horses which had been taken from ALLEN and TURK. Either as they went to Bowling Green or as they returned, someone saw them, who recognized the horses, and gave the families of ALLEN and TURK information of it, thereby causing a feeling toward my father and PILE of great bitterness. My father and PILE did not learn until long afterwards, that they had ridden the horses which had formerly been owned by ALLEN and TURK. Shortly after this incident, and at night, a body of Confederate Guerrillas numbering more than one hundred came into my father’s farm at the upper end of the Cedar Cliff, and before he had any warning, the house was surrounded. Some of the Negro slaves came to notify him of his danger but it was too late. About that time, a loud banging commenced at the door accompanied by a demand to open the door and a rattling of sabers. My mother importuned my father not to open the door, as she knew they were guerrillas, but my father recognizing the futility of trying to prevent their entrance, opened the door, when the house was immediately filled with men armed with swords, guns and pistols. Although various forces of Confederates had sought to capture my father at various times during the Civil War and had uniformly failed and now for the first time had him in their power, it was at once evident that he was not the game for which they were seeking. They at once demanded to know where my oldest brother, Leslie HURT, was. My father answered that he supposed that he was in the Federal Army before Atlanta. They denounced this as a falsehood and said that they knew he was in the house and that unless he was immediately produced, they would burn the house. My father answered that it was a very good house but that it was of no benefit to him, as he was not permitted to remain in it and that if they desired they could burn it at once, that the fear of causing the burning of houses was all that had kept him from killing many of them during the years of the war just past and that his friends were actuated by the same motives and that if they burned his house and killed him, he was ready for it, as he full well knew that his friends would be revenged upon them. Leslie HURT had written a letter from the front that he would be at home upon that night and this had become known in the neighborhood and it was now evident that the foray had been planned for that night for the purpose of seizing and killing him but for some reason that I do not know, he failed to be discharged at the end of his enlistment and served for several months afterwards, to which circumstance, he certainly owed his life. The cavalry, however, made a diligent search of the house and premises and carried away everything that they considered valuable, including twenty-one head of horses and mules. They went from there to the house of Mr. Oscar PILE and took all of his livestock and then departed from the community, without molesting anyone else. My father believed that Mr. Robert ALLEN, the father of Porter ALLEN, was the person who had induced and caused this foray to be made upon him and died, in this belief, as he and ALLEN were never friendly afterwards. Since the death of both, my father and ALLEN, I have learned that my father’s suspicions were not just and that a young man whose name was STONE and who was a relative of ours was the individual who acted as guide for the Confederate upon this occasion. The marauders seemed to have minute information of the house and all things about it. My father always hung a gold watch, which he carried, upon a nail over the mantel in the family room. When the portion of the company which searched the house left the family room to go to the upper floors of the house my mother sprang out of bed and seized the watch and my father’s saddlepockets, which contained several hundred dollars of county tax money, which at that time the Sheriff had to ride over the county and collect and protect, and took them into the bed with her. Immediately one of the masked men of the party ran down the stairway into the room and looked to the nail over the mantel. He either knew or had been told of the watch and had forgotten it when they first or maybe did not want the others to know he had possession of it. My mother said when he saw the watch was gone he turned and looked straight at her and she said she never heard a watch tick so loud in her life but the man didn’t say anything and moved on out to where the others were coming.

Two wayfaring men from Tennessee were spending the night at our house upon this occasion, the Cavalry took their horses and taking the men out from the house, stripped them of their shoes, hats and clothing and then released them to find their way back to the house naked and barefooted.

The office of Sheriff, caused my father to have many thrilling experiences during the troublesome days of the Civil War and the years immediately thereafter. On one occasion a Negro was charged and being tried in the old courthouse at Columbia, upon an indictment charging him with an assault with intent to commit a rape upon a white woman. The Negro was unable to secure counsel and the court assigned Mr. Junius CALDWELL as counsel for him. A great deal of feeling was at that time rampart in this country against the Negroes generally, on account of the Civil War. Colonel John MORRISON was then stationed at Columbia with the 13th Kentucky Cavalry. MORRISON was an impulsive man and full of prejudices. He took strong grounds against the Negro and was loud in his assertions that he ought to be hanged and on the occasion of the trial came into the courtroom followed by about one hundred of his soldiers – all armed – and by his presence and otherwise undertook to overawe the court and jury and thereby force a conviction. When CALDWELL addressed the jury in behalf of the Negro, he mentioned the presence of MORRISON and his purpose and proceeded to soundly criticize him for his conduct. MORRISON, followed by a number of his soldiers, arose and started to come through the gate in the iron fence, into the bar, to assault CALDWELL. A low iron fence separated the bar from the remainder of the courtroom. My father, who was the Sheriff, warning the jurors to remain in their seats, met MORRISON at the gate with a drawn pistol and presenting it at MORRISON’s breast warned him that if he advanced further that he would shoot him or any one of his supporters. In this way he compelled MORRISON and his men to retrace their steps and to sit down. The judge, who was presiding, was an old man, whose name was KAVANAUGH and who became so paralyzed with fear, that he could not or did not speak. My father then turning to CALDWELL directed him to proceed with his speech, while he stood facing the crowd behind the bar with a cocked pistol. Under these exciting circumstances CALDWELL finished his speech. The Jury retired and bravely returned a verdict of not guilty. KAVANAUGH, who had by this time regained his composure, immediately directed my father to return the Negro to jail and before the soldiers and citizens were scarcely aware of what the verdict had been, my father had escorted the Negro out of their reach, where he released him.

I have heard my father say that the most desperate and undaunted man with whom he ever met, was one Isham KEITH. About the close of the Civil War, this man KEITH stole a very fine stallion in the state of West Virginia and fleeing with him came into this county. He was pursued by one Captain RIZEN, who had been a Confederate soldier. When RIZEN came into this county, he was directed to my father as the Sheriff of the county, by some person who gave the Capt. a description of the personal appearance of my father. RIZEN and my father met upon the public highway- neither of them attended by anyone. RIZEN instantly recognized him, from the description, and solicited his assistance in capturing KEITH and the horse. My father said that from experience, he had learned where a man would naturally rendezvous in this county, when he knew what crime he was guilty of. He and RIZEN immediately proceeded to the Harvey’s Ridge. RIZEN gave a good description of the horse but did not know the man. When they came near the house of Cager FLETCHER (Hawk FLETCHER, as he was called) my father left RIZEN in a place of concealment and he rode up to the house of FLETCHER to investigate and make inquiries for KEITH. Just as he arrived at FLETCHER’s yard fence, a man, whom my father knew by the description of the stolen horse, rode out from FLETCHER’s upon the horse. KEITH was a large, powerful man of over 200 lb. weight and six feet tall. My father desiring to bluff him into submissions approached him and presenting a pistol at his breast demanded his surrender. KEITH entirely undaunted instantly presented his revolver which my father grasped with his hand and undertook to take away from KEITH. KEITH held on and in his efforts to disarm KEITH was dragged down from his horse. There followed then a terrific struggle for the mastery. Sometimes one would be down and then the other and the nearby rail fence was thrown to the ground for several yards. Several times my father could have shot KEITH and ended the contest but he deferred that until the last necessity. Finally they were both upon their feet and each of them still holding to KEITH’s pistol with a death-like grip. My father called upon FLETCHER to come to his assistance but FLETCHER feared to do so. My father was just raising his pistol to shoot KEITH, when FLETCHER’s bull-dog came to the rescue and seizing KEITH by the leg held him like in a vise until my father could wrest the pistol from him and search him. He then beat off the dog and gave a loud call for RIZEN, who thinking that he was in distress, came at his horse’s topmost speed and with a cocked pistol in his hand. My father in the meantime, having handed KEITH’s pistol to FLETCHER to hold, RIZEN seeing FLETCHER, with the cocked pistol, thought that FLETCHER was KEITH and that he was standing my father off. RIZEN, galloping up at once threw his cocked pistol on FLETCHER and demanded his name. FLETCHER answered, “FLETCHER! FLETCHER! FLETCHER!” a great many times. Matters were then explained and my father turned KEITH over to RIZEN, who tied him upon the stolen horse. KEITH never at any time evinced the least fear or trepidation.

Thomas KEETON was one of the noted outlaws and free riders, who harassed this portion of the country during the Civil War filling the people with fear. The mother’s silenced their children by threats of his coming. He had at first enlisted as a soldier in the Federal army but was either discharged or became disconnected from the army in some way. He then associated himself with a band of men, who were like himself, and at their head, he infested the counties of Cumberland, Clinton, Russell, Adair, Metcalfe, Green, Taylor, and Marion. Under pretense of being an attaché of the Federal cause, he did not scruple to commit either murder, robbery, larceny or arson. He was a very daring man, who always made his words good, and was a superb horseman and a fine shot. My father learned that he was sojourneying about four miles from Columbia, near the Columbia and Burksville road and was accompanied by three of his men. My father called to his assistance, Benjamin STOTTS and his two sons, Samuel STOTTS and Dallas STOTTS, who were then scarcely grown men, and all well armed went in search of KEETON and his forces. The parties being equal in numbers encountered each other upon the Columbia and Burksville just after nightfall. Each recognized the other but not until my father’s party had dismounted. My father called upon KEETON to surrender and instantly, man for man, they covered each other with guns and pistols. KEETON seemed to realize that the hazard was too great to play for, and asked for a parley. My father covered by the weapons of KEETON and his party walked forward and seized KEETON’s horse by the bridle, all the time declaring that if a shot was fired into him, that he would certainly be able to kill KEETON and keeping his pistol with a drawn bead upon KEETON’s eye. KEETON made a movement to pull his horse backward and my father realizing that this was meant to distract his bead upon his eye, and instantly to fire, he warned KEETON not to move the horse again under penalty of instant death. Thus, they stood for a minute, each with a bead drawn upon each other’s eye – a duel of nerve – when KEETON unconditionally surrendered and at the same time, handed to my father his pistols and then his associates also surrendered and were disarmed. Just at this time my father discovered that he had an ally, of whom up to this time, neither of the parties had any knowledge. Hiram K. TURK, an old and reputable citizen, who lived near by and seeing what was impending had approached in the rear of KEETON’s party, and sinking upon his knees, so as to avoid injuring my father or any of his party had covered KEETON or some of his party with a musket. My father under an order from court took KEETON and his party to Louisville and placed them in jail there. General John M. PALMER of Illinois was then the military commander for the district of Kentucky, and his attention being called to the matter under some pretense, I do not know what, he issued a military order directing the release of KEETON from prison, which was immediately done, and he returned to Columbia on the day following my fathers return, and immediately proceeded to rob, plunder and murder, as before. He became emboldened by his release from prison, and everywhere threatened to kill my father, at the first sight of him and my father’s friends confidently believed that he would very soon carry out his threat. Shortly after this, Judge James GARNETT and my father riding together from Columbia, upon the Columbia, Jamestown and Creelsboro road and just as they were descending the hill at the “Long View” upon said road, they heard a galloping of horses, which seemed to come along a road, which led from the Crocus road, where the CONOVER mill road intersects the Crocus road, across to the “Long View.” In a moment KEETON and two other men, all armed, dashed up the road my father was traveling, and there halted, as though to wait for him. They had evidently been lying in wait for my father upon the Crocus road, but discovering that he had taken the other road, they galloped across to it, to intercept him. If my father had fled or shown any signs of trepidation, they would certainly have killed him, but inquiring of GARNETT if he was armed and receiving an affirmative answer, he directed GARNETT to draw and prepare for fighting and at that, same time he produced a revolver and holding it in his hand, cocked, he and GARNETT rode, at the same gate they were traveling, up to KEETON and his men. GARNETT said, “How are you, Gentlemen?” and this was the only word spoken by any of the parties and KEETON and his men turned about and galloped back in the direction by which they had come, without offering any injury to either of them. They evidently calculated that my father was going to sell out as early as possible, and feared that some of them would, also, meet death in the melee. My father had evidently, by this time gotten KEETON intimidated, because shortly afterward, he came to Columbia with a body of men for the avowed purpose of slaying John W. SUDDARTH, and proceeded to make search and inquiry for him. Thomas E. BRAMLLETTE was then Governor of Kentucky and resided at Columbia as well as General SUDDARTH, who was the Adjutant-General of the State. They approached my father and appealed to him to prevent the murder of John W. SUDDARTH, protesting that it was my father’s duty as Sheriff to interfere. My father then summoned the Governor and Adj.-Gen. to assist him, when they tried to excuse themselves, pleading their high office, but he was inexorable and required them to arm and come with him. My father then called KEETON aside and taking his watch in his hand, notified him that if he and his companions were not out of sight within fifteen minutes, that he intended to proceed to kill every one of them. Within the stipulated time, KEETON and all of his, companions had disappeared. Shortly after this, KEETON met his death near the Muldraugh’s Hill in Taylor County, as it was alleged from the kick of a horse, but many believed from a blow he received upon the head by one of his companions.

Upon another occasion my father had a warrant for the arrest of a horse thief, who had taken up with the company of the 13Th Cavalry, of which one Thomas WOODS was Captain. He went to make his arrest to a house on Leatherwood Creek, where he had information that he then was. My father was accompanied by two men and when they drew near the house at about dusk in the evening, the man wanted came out of the house and opened fire upon them. My father’s two assistants took to flight at their horses greatest speed. My father returned the fire then the man retired into the house and my father rushed into the house with the intention, then and there, having it out with him, but to his great surprise, when he came into the house, he found there Captain WOODS and several of his men. He instantly recognized from the fact that the soldiers had drawn and cocked pistols that he had no chance to make the arrest and was in imminent peril of being killed himself besides. After passing a few words he retired from the house backwards and escaped in the dark. After he left he heard someone following him at a gallop and not being in a very pleasant mood, he withdrew to the shadow of a tree beside the road and waited for his pursuer with the intention of shooting him when he arrived. When the horseman arrived, it was Captain WOODS and when my father notified him of his intention to shoot him, WOODS begged piteously for his life and any complicity with the thief upon his post. My father then gave up the purpose of shooting WOODS and left. On the next day when the 13Th Cavalry were passing through Columbia my father arrested the thief and put him in jail.

One of the Captains of the 13th Cavalry was John R. CURRY. He was a native of this County. He was a very brutal, tyrannical and lawless man. On one occasion when he was in command of a company stationed at Columbia — (dim)— and gagged one of his men, whose name was GRIMES. GRIMES was lying in the street with his face upturned to a hot July sun. He observed my father passing near him and appealed to him for assistance. My father stopped and was saying to the man, that he had no power to assist him; that he, GRIMES, was a soldier and under the jurisdiction of his officers and that he -my father- had no influence with his Captain. CURRY observing this came to where GRIMES was and drew the gag in his mouth tighter and so much so that the poor fellows mouth was torn and he began to cry. Whereupon CURRY presented a pistol at him and after considerable abuse, said to him that if he did not stop his snubbing that he would blow his brains out. This was too much for the blood of my father and whipping out a revolver he placed it against CURRY’s head and told him that if he did not put his pistol in its scabbard and cut GRIMES thongs and release him, that he would scatter his brains upon the street. CURRY had a drawn and cooked pistol but my father had the drop on him and CURRY was compelled to holster his pistol and to take his sword and stoop down and cut the thongs and release GRIMES. My father then required CURRY to put his hands above his head and walk away far enough from him that he could not use a weapon, This was done in the presence of several persons and CURRY felt the humiliation of it greatly and filling himself with liquor, on that afternoon he had started across the public square to raise a quarrel with my father, who observing it, prepared to defend himself in a very summary manner, but on the way across the square CURRY’s attention was called to a young man named LONG, whom CURRY had ordered to be arrested. The soldiers who made the arrest brought LONG to CURRY when CURRY undertook to murder him, shooting at him several times. LONG broke away and ran for his life, when Dr. S.K. RHORER furnished LONG with a pistol and he turned upon CURRY and in the pistol duel which followed, between LONG and CURRY, CURRY was killed. CURRY had caused LONG to be arrested because he was a paroled rebel soldier.

Beau SHORT was a very noted guerrilla during the Civil War. His scene of operations was chiefly in Monroe and Cumberland Counties. He was finally killed in Monroe County in bed. On one occasion he was in Columbia, on some mission or other, and my father asked him to point out to him a certain desperado for whom he had a warrant and to assist in his arrest. SHORT assented at once to do so and mounted on their horses, he and my father proceeded to hunt the man. When near the old Presbyterian Church, they met the man and my father demanded his surrender. The man immediately drew a pistol, when my father putting his spurs to his horse cast him against the mount of the desperado so suddenly that he overturned him and his horse. SHORT then undertook to shoot the fallen man and my father only prevented it by threatening with drawn pistol to kill SHORT if he did and to shoot the other fellow, if he did not submit, which the desperado did. My father did not know, at the time, that SHORT and the man were enemies.

While my father was Sheriff two men were convicted of murder and adjudged to be hanged. The names of these parties were Green JOHNSON and William SMITH. JOHNSON killed a man whose name was John MILLER in this county, at the old Miller house on the Columbia and Creelsboro road. John was brother of Sam MILLER who married Sue HURT. A chicken squawked and John thought a thief was at the backyard and stepped out of the house in the dark and a shot killed him. He was a Union soldier and some rebel or guerrilla shot him it was thought. JOHNSON was found guilty. SMITH killed a man whose name was MORGAN in Cumberland County. My father executed these sentences by hanging them on the hill, which is to the south of the Male and Female High School building (now Junior High-1963). I can remember the occasion of the hanging of one of these men, but which one, I cannot remember, I remember to have seen my father, while at home, preparing the noose. The last time, that the benefit of clergy was ever plead for any criminal in the State of Kentucky, it was done by a lawyer who had formerly lived in Columbia-and whose name was JOHNSTON. This plea had become obsolete at the time and had not been -used or heard of for many years. The criminal was a Negro convicted of assaulting a woman. The place was Glasgow or Bowling Green, tradition does not say which. The granting of the plea by the Judge caused great indignation against him, as well as the lawyer. The mob kept the lawyer up in a hotel for several days, until the news reached Columbia, when a crowd of about twenty of the most resolute men in this county, went to his rescue. They were all large, tall men and my father was one of them. The rescuers took JOHNSTON from the hotel and with him paraded the streets of the town and invited the mob to any kind of conflict it desired but tile challenge was not accepted.

My father was always reputed to be a very true man to his friends and when a young man, his friend and neighbor Stephen WHITE, killed a man named COMES (name was dim) somewhere near the cave out of which the big spring runs, on the farm at the right of the read just on this side of Butter Pint (1963-Forest Jones t cave, just over fence from Joe JOHNSON’s farm). My father out of friendship for WHITE’s family, concealed WHITE in the garret of the house where BARGER now owns and was then occupied by my father and his mother, for one year, at the end of which time, WHITE came forth and surrendered to the authorities and was thereafter tried and acquitted.

A long time ago when my father was a very young man, a pitched battle was fought to a finish by John C. WHITE and his cousin James WHITE, on the hill south of the dwelling house of Richard DOHONEY. These young men had agreed to settle their differences by a fight to a finish in a ring on a day appointed. The countryside all gathered to see it and my father acted as the second for John C. WHITE who won the fight. The family of James WHITE then became so belligerent that it became necessary for my father to knock two of them down, which he promptly did.

Another incident of my father’s life during the Civil War illustrates to what necessities men are driven in lawless times and what one resolute man can accomplish against a host. My father had sold to the Federal authorities a large quantity of corn and the soldiers were removing it with a good many teams. They refused to follow the road to his crib and instead pulled down his fences and were driving through his wheat, to its destruction. father requested them to desist from this but they gave his request no consideration. Thereupon armed with a pistol he rebuilt the fence and when another relay of wagons and soldiers came and approached the fence to pull it open, he warned them not to do so, which warning they insultingly scoffed at and several approached the fence. Presenting the pistol, he declared his purpose to kill the first man who would remove a rail, stating at the same time that he well realized that their numbers were such that they could and would certainly kill him, but that he would be sure to kill some of them. The crowd was awed because no one of them wanted to be the man to die. Whereupon they followed the road to the crib and no more trouble was had.

During the Civil War, at one time, GRIDER’s Federal Regiment was encamped at Columbia and being very ill supplied with, the necessities, and a severe winter coming on, they sickened in great numbers and sought shelter everywhere, my father opened his house freely and at one time, there were twenty-four sick, bed-ridden soldiers in his house. Among these were Thomas FORD, Thomas ADAMS, John ADAMS, and BARTLEY, EMERSON, BRAY and others from Monroe County.

Withall being a strenuous man, my father was likewise a man who excelled in the arts of peace. In the year 1859 or 60, I do not know which, he raised, threshed and saved 1400 bushel of wheat upon his farm (now Bargers). So far as I know this is, the largest crop of wheat any one person has raised and saved from one farm in this county, either before or since said time. He bought and introduced the first threshing machine ever in Adair County as well as the first mowing machine and the first cast-iron can…. (page torn) mill. My grandfather had always been a distiller of spirituous liquors and when my father was a young man he made a journey to the city of Louisville for the purpose of purchasing two stills, in order to enter the business himself. He made the purchases and went to his hotel for the night. During the night he considered the matter further and on the next morning returned to the party from whom he had made the purchase and paid him a sum of money to make a rue bargain with him. His mind had changed on the subject during the night and he never engaged in the business.

From newspaper clippings:
My grandfather HURT (William HURT) reputed to have killed a bear at the Eubank Spring in Columbia.
His brother-in-law was killed in the battle of Monmouth.
My grandfather, William HURT, was a member of the first grand jury impaneled in Adair County.