Pioneers Blaze the
trail into Kentucky
From Pieces of the Past, by Jim Reis
People flooded into Kentucky by the thousands in the 1800s following paths blazed by others. Those who had come before in the 1700s were the true pioneers. For the most part they were free spirits, men and women almost obsessed with seeing what was just beyond the next ridge. In some cases they were malcontents, fugitives or personalities who never seemed to fit into polite society. In the end the pioneers met a mixed state.
Some, like James Taylor and Thomas Kennedy became pillars of the community. Others like Daniel Boone and Simon Kenton left Kentucky looking back with contempt, feeling they had been cheated out of what was rightfully theirs. Still others, like Dr. Daniel Drake, left priceless accounts of those early years.
Daniel Boone is without a doubt the best known pioneer. Born in 1735 he was one of 11 children of English immigrants in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Thanks to television a whole generation has grown up thinking of Boone as a tall, clean-cut, broad-shouldered family man, ready to fight an Indian or a bear at the drop of his coonskin cap. The real Daniel Boone was 5 feet 10 inches tall, his long hair dangled in a pigtail and he wore a black felt hat. Boone was a robust man, but he was just as likely to talk his way out of a tight spot as to fight.
As for his family life, Boone was not a man to be held by the walls of a home. More often than not, he was away from home exploring the next ridge and the valley beyond, sometimes leaving his family for months at at a time. Boone first explored Kentucky in 1769 and returned with his family and friends four years later, only to be driven out by Indians. Boone's oldest son, James was among those killed. He returned in 1775 and built the fortification that became Boonesborough. He explored of what is Northern Kentucky and became a legend. Boone lost most of his claims to Kentucky land because they were not properly filed. He moved to Missouri to escape his problems and died there in 1820. 25 years later he was reburied in Frankfort.
Simon Kenton was a little over 6 feet and weighed 190 pounds, had dark auburn hair, gray eyes and a soft tremulous voice. He was born in Fauquier County, Virginia and at 16 fell in love. A rival won the woman's affections and Kenton tried to stop the marriage, but he was beaten up by the groom's relatives. He returned and beat his rival so severely he thought he had killed him. Thinking he was a murderer, Kenton fled to Kentucky using the name Simon Butler. His rival did not did and no charges were filed.
Kenton built a trading station in Mason County and took part in a variety of explorations and attacks on Indian villages. In one instance, Kenton was surprised by Indians while sleeping. He escaped with nothing but a shirt on his back, evading the Indians for six days before finally reaching safety. Like Boone, Kenton became involved in land disputes and moved to Urbana, Ohio. Faced with charges of not paying his debts in Kentucky, Kenton's friends elected him jailer in Urbana so he could keep himself in custody. Kenton died in 1836 at age 81.
Daniel Drake was a noted doctor, professor and author of early works on the history of the Cincinnati area. Drake was born in Plainfield, New Jersey 20 October 1785, but moved with his family to Mason County in 1788. He grew up in Mayslick. At 15 Drake started attending medical school in Cincinnati graduating in 1804 at age 19. During his life he traveled, opened a medical school in Cincinnati, taught at Transylvania College in Lexington, practiced medicine in Mayslick, and wrote of his experiences. he died in Cincinnati 5 November 1852.
The Grant Family immigrated from Scotland in the early 1700s. Family members included John Grant, born in 1754 and Captain Samuel Grant, born in 1762. Grants Lick in Campbell County was named after John Grant, and Grant County is named after Samuel Grant.
Squire Grant, another family member, survived the Indian ambush at Blue Licks, and was a state senator from Campbell County from 1801 to 1806, county sheriff in 1810 and a company commander for the Kentucky Mounted Volunteers. The company was recruited in Newport during the War of 1812. Elijah Grant was a Campbell County state legislator from 1816 to 1818.
Mary Draper Inglis a Virginian was captured in 1755 by Shawnee Indians and brought to Campbell County. She escaped with another woman while on a salt making trip to Big Bone Licks. The escape was remarkable, but what made it even more remarkable was that he not only outdistanced her Indian captors, but she also had to deal with the erratic behavior of the other woman, who some believe may have been insane. Her route covered some 850 miles part of which Kentucky 8 follows today.
David Leitch was born in Glasgow Scotland September 11, 1753. He emigrated to Virginia while still a young boy. Leitch joined the American Army during the Revolutionary War becoming a general's aide-de-camp. For his wartime service, Leitch was given a grant of land in what is now Campbell County. He attended the first Constitutional Convention in Kentucky in Danville in 1784. Four years later he settled along the Licking creating the first settlement, Leitch's Station.
The site between Ky 9 and the Licking River is in Wilder and identified by a historical marker. Leitch died November 9, 1794 after catching a cold while on a surveying party. Leitch's wife, Keturah Moss, later married James Taylor, the founder of Newport.
James Taylor was born in Carolina County Virginia in 1769, the son of James Taylor who served as a lieutenant colonel with the Virginia state militia during the Revolutionary War. As a result of his father's military service, the son was given 2500 acres of land including part of what is Newport, Bellevue, Dayton and Ft. Thomas. In 1792 the younger Taylor moved to Kentucky settling in what is now Newport.
He is credited with helping lay out the route of the Newport to Lexington turnpike, US 27, exploring the fossils at Big Bone Licks, and persuading the government to locate a major Army barracks in Newport. Taylor was quartermaster and paymaster of the Northwest Army during the War of 1812. As payment, Taylor had to dip into his own funds to pay for supplies. This later triggered lengthy disputes between Taylor and the federal government. He died November 14, 1848.