Scott County, Kentucky

Diary of Edward Callistus Barlow

1829 - 1897

Transcriber's introduction

James Edward (Ed) Barlow has been a friend of my family for over fifty years. He has no descendants of his own but has shared with us some of his pride in his Barlow heritage, so I have taken an opportunity to work with some of the materials he has made available to me. In particular, he has in his possession the journal of Edward Callistus Barlow, born in Kentucky in 1829, and also has a history and genealogy of the Barlows (in two parts) in document and chart form, written by E.C. Barlow's son James (Jimmie). The journal, which is transcribed here, is in a small book with a brown cover decorated with print paper in the bubble type of marbelizing. The book is 7 ¾" by 6 ¼" and contains unlined paper. The spine has been repaired with tape. The stitching is loose.

Ed Barlow, our family friend, is the son of Edward Callistus Barlow, born 1875. This is the boy referred to as "Callie" toward the end of E.C. Barlow's diary. Callie was E.C.'s grandson and the second son of James William Barlow, the beloved only child of E.C. Barlow, the writer of the diary. Thus, Ed Barlow is the great-grandson of Edward Callistus (E.C.) Barlow, born 1829 and the writer of the diary. In summary, the line is E.C., born 1829; Jimmie, born 1852; Callie, born 1875; and Ed, born 1910. E.C.'s wife Sallie lived on after his death until 1925 and spent her later years living with Ed Barlow and his parents. Astoundingly, this means that my granddaughter, born in 2002, is living at the same time as Ed, who personally knew and lived with someone born in 1834!

The words that Mr. Barlow wrote are sometimes difficult to decipher. There are some spellings and punctuations that are typical of the writer. I am retaining these where they do not affect the sense, but I have chosen to enclose some words, parts of words or punctuation in brackets when I have had to make a guess as to the letters or feel that punctuation is needed for clarity. Mr. Barlow tended to make the first letter of a sentence look like it was in lower case and his end punctuation looked more like a comma than a period (or there was none). He also used fewer commas than would be normal today and I will retain those characteristics almost always. I may need to occasionally insert a comment or a guess concerning the material and will do so in italics. I am using a double asterisk at new pages. Mr. Barlow usually put the date flush with the left side of the paper, then indented subsequent lines until the next date. I will change the margins as appropriate to duplicate his style.

Ed Barlow numbered alternate even pages, encircling the numbers, to facilitate referring to specific parts of the document. I will use his numbers.

I began working on the diary with photocopies, but later Mr. Barlow let me borrow the original diary. This helped greatly with interpreting the document and many puzzles were cleared up.

Occasional phrases especially difficult to make out, especially toward the end of the diary when E. C. Barlow was older. He used a pencil for some entries and there are different colors of ink throughout.

The diary is a record of the life of the Barlow family, of the businesses and trips that Mr. Barlow undertook, of various outlays of funds, and of the town of Georgetown in Scott County, Kentucky. The first two pages (the endsheets) are title pages, with "Edward C. Barlow" and the date repeated several times in different writing styles, with some scrolls and other decorations as well as with some jottings of mathematical sums and one note about either a visit or a death. The writer is usually clear if someone dies and he records many visits, so I think the reference is to a visit.

He apparently began the diary in 1856 and he devoted about the first two pages to a summary of his life until that time, principally since his marriage in 1851. He then began the actual diary April 3rd 1856, but still included miscellaneous earlier bits and pieces for several pages. There is also an account of his service during the Civil War that many may find interesting.

I hope to be able to share this material with Barlows and the people who have an interest in the history of Kentucky and of Georgetown.

Carol Cole Renfro
Daughter of Howard and Verna Cole
Of Alamance County, N.C., longtime residence of Ed Barlow

Surnames frequently mentioned:
Barlow
Allgaier
Rawlins
Thompson
Lyon
Robertson
Morgan, J.H., General

Other subjects:
Barlow, Edward Callistus - - Dairies
Georgetown, KY
Scott County, KY
Kentucky - History
United States - History - Civil War, 1861-1865
Mt. Sterling, KY

E.C. Barlow
Georgetown, Ky
April 14th, 1856

E. C. Barlow
Books
April 14th, 1856

1856
E. C. Barlow

??ll Hill {torn}was taken sick Sat 18th Apr 185{4?} & went home

1856

Diary

Page 6

I was born in Cincinnatti Ohio December 24th 1829 Edward Callistus Barlow. Sallie Eliza Barlow my wife was borned in Petersburg Scott County Kentucky July 25th 1834. Married 22 May 1851. James William Barlow son of E. C. & S. E. Barlow was borned September 7th 1852 in Petersburg Scott County Ky. My wife was a daughter of Dr. Rawlins & Gabriella his wife. [This last sentence is written very small, apparently inserted later.]

December 1st 1851. I commenced work with T. J. Shepard at 15$ per month I worked one month. & then rented the room of Dr. Jno Sutton at 154$ [150?] per year P. S. Mitchell pays for half Janry 1st 1852 The following year I occupied the whole shop my-self & am still keeping it at the same rent this April 14th 1856.

I boarded with my father in law ["in law" is added above the line] when I was first married, for about six months. I then came to Town & boarded with my Father for the next six months. While there I got a situation in Mr. Mathews

**silver smith shop. I got all I made at watch Repairing & mending Jewelry, which was from 70 to 80$ per month. They moved to Paris, Ky. I then rented the Same Room & commenced my self this was 1st January 1852. I at that time boar[d]ed with my father & Father in law together.

May 21st [25th?]1852 My father in law Dr. Rawlins gave us a brick House on Main Street & we commenced housekeeping on the above named date 22 May 1852. he also gave us Esther & her child Amanda. we lived on Main Street 3 years & about 3 months.

We then Rented Judge Duvalls house opposite the Methodist Church for one year commencing July 25th 1855 to July 25th 1856 for which we pay one hundred dollars per year. G. E. Trimble Rented store of me for three years 200 first year 235 Second 230 third. See article of agreement M Polk has it Sept 3rd 1855.

Page 8

**April 3rd 1856 I bought at Public Sale the House & lot adjoining A. Harcourt, formerly owned by George Allgaier, the T. J. [I.?] Shepard house, he got it of Jas Hann [Haun?] in 1837. it was sold at Public Sale in 185[3?][2?] by T. J. [I.?] Shepard & H. Prewitt bought it. H. Prewitt made a [&?] deed of trust to P. L. Mitchel, G.E. Prewitt & Levi Prewitt & by decree of Court, they sold it April 3rd 1856. I was the highest bidder & it fell to me at 900$ in three Payments, 301 66/100 I payed down, & gave two notes for 301 66/100 Each payable in one & Two Yea[r]s with out interest, having the force & effect of a replening [replenishing?] bond [fund?]. H. Prewitt bought out Mrs Eliza Shepards dower wright for 30 dollars cash & some claims he had against T. J. Shepard to the amount of 2 hundred dollars he shingled it in 1855.

April 3rd 1856 Rented above house to G. E. Prewitt at 10$ per month. he kept it for 5 months.

**April 14th I sett out 9 Peach trees at my House I got of H. Prewitt I also sett out the same day 3 nice Kataba Grape vines that I got of Degaris 1 & Mrs. [Fesinell?] 2 & 2 or 3 English Goosberrys.

I was married on the 22nd of May 1851 By the Rev Dr. Rhoton, 3 ¼ miles no[r]th of Georgetown at a place called Petersburg.

September 13th 1855 Cousin M. S. Allgaier's wife Harriet died She was a kind lady & universally beloved by all who knew her.

September 15th 1855 I left here for Philadelphia. I was gone 11 days.

July 12 1854 Bro Vic died of an illness of ten days of Flux. [This date is recorded as July 13 elsewhere.]

Births Esther was born June [8?] 18[39?] time of cholera Amanda was born 22nd Feb 1850 Esthers child Henry was born 10 Nov 1852 " " Laura was born Dec 24th 1855 " " Mary was born Sept 14 1857 " " Eliza " " Sept 17 1858 " "

**Patsy Esther Baby was born Augt 24, 1860

[Esther's birth date is quite difficult to read, but the third digit of the year really doesn't look like a 2 or 1; if it is a 3, however, that would mean her first child was born when she was 11, which seems unlikely. I'm assuming Esther was the slave given to them by Dr. Rawlins, his father-in-law. The last three babies are recorded in a different ink and evidently inserted later in limited space.]

Page 10

**June 17th 1856 I bought a buggy & harness of P. L. Mitchel [?] cost $125.00 also a lookin glass $6.50 2 ladders 60 Paid cash

M. S. Allgaier left for Kansas with his 3 boys,

June 19th 1856. I bought cutin [cutting? A mitre box?] Box 4$ Ward Robe 10$ of him.

June 9th 1856 Uncle George Allgaier married widow Goff.

June 27th 1856

I bought a hiefer Calf of W. C. White for which I pd a sett jewelry worth $22.00 cost me [WAJZ? Wholesale?] It is by R. Alexander's imported Bull Lord John & out of a full Blood cow of Comit & [Goldfinday?] It was born March 10th, 1856.

June 30 I bought a Rone Horse of D. Rawlins for which I pd him 75$ he was 5 year old last Spring.

Augt 5th 1856 I left home for New York & Philadelphia I arrived at Cin. Ohio at 11 o'clk a.m. left next morning Passed through Zenia, Columbus, & got to Cleavland at 3 o'clk p.m. Stay'd until 9 that night left on boat Cresent City aCross Lake Erie for Buffalo from there to Niagra Falls, stayed all day till 10 o'clk that night. while at the Falls we crossed the Niagra river & went on the Canida side, was at the Clifton House, & on the Battle [gruied?] [ground?] of [Lau] days [lane?] went to burning springs & spent a pleasant day. I crossed the Hudson River at A[l]bany, passed

**through Rochester, Syracuse, Utica Shenectada, & sevrel other large places & arrived at New York at 3 o'clock after Dinner Augt 8th 1856. & on the following Sunday I went in a boat to see the Ocean & went in a bathing a long with T. [J.?] [Barkley?][Darkley?], Rufus Rankin & severel others. I stayed in New York 4 or 5 days & left for Philadelphia I passed through New Jersey. I was in Jersey City, New brunswick, Trenton & other places. I was in Philadelphia 5 days & returned [home?]. Stop[p]ed in Allegany City & stayed all night. Stayed also one night in Cincinnati Ohio & arrived home Tuesday night Augt 19th 1856 only away from home 2 weeks. Sister Laura went as far as Cni. Ohio with me. I bought about 3 thousand dollars worth of stock.

August 26th 1856 We moved in the 2 story brick House on Main Street that I purchased of Henry Prewitt.

August 31 was Sunday & I went out to take dinner with Lot Rawlins Dr Bro from Delaware. Bro Mike is in Cincinati on a visit.

EC Barlow Diary, pages 12 - 23

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