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Abraham Lincoln's
Contemporaries
James Buchanan
McMurtry Papers
Excerpts from newspapers and other
sources
From the files of the
Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection
7/. 2oo?, o%
April
19,
193.3
aim fcasfston
aftissabSihlo'.-rn, %.
Dear ^aat
>
.j
t am writing an article for an historical MBfiatiat
concerning the residence of Parses Bi*ahana»
Its £llzab@thtovn»
X am enclosing *
a-ho/*'. article concerning bis residence there
aft& B$$ will notice th-t toantlon is wade that. w&$ lawyer in
tracing land titles discovered that James Boelanas!. had a largo
trast of land i» Kardln bounty,
ara tfon&oHLns If gw* hara
-sver seen anything concerning
this tract.
I am &fyi»g to establish the fact that Buchanan was
in &is&fe#thicwtt
apt If
I oo -Id prove tint he did o^n property
in the coimty it would go a Ion* way in prerirc tMa claim.
l#tS have, probably been asked by many jptitelt lately
about the Buchanan estate, by people trying to place claims for
a share of nscmey that is ewppesod to be distribute to the heirs.
I am ml interested in that an?le at all»t aa Merely interested
in getting up eons Information for this article which I hope to
publish in a few months.
2 will appreciate anything you can do
f'ov a© in this
research, and f might say that
I wish you snob luck in your
raco for county elerk.
Tours Sincerely
B. Gerald Msitartry
librarian
Lincoln Rational life Suundation
Elizabeth town,
Ky.
April 25th,
1933.
Mr.
R.
Gerald McMurtry,
Fort Wayne,
Indiana.
Dear Gerald:
Per request of your letter of April 25th,
I have examined
our deed records from 1793
to 1858.
I find only one deed
to James
Buckhanan, which must be the one referred to in the article you
inclosed.
This deed is dated March 15th,
1796,
is made by Michael
Campbell and wife Sarah
to James Dickey and James Buckhanan of
Franklin County, State of Pennsylvania, for 3610 Acres of land in
Hardin County.
Then
in. 1821
I found where Buckhanan and Dickey
made
a deed
to Charles Campbell. Am afraid this is
too early
to
be the James Buchanan, you want.
Thanks for your good wishes and anytime
I
can look over
the records here for information you want,
dont hesitate
to call
on me,
I
shall be glad
to do
it.
Sincerely,
April
24,
1933
Mr, Otis
If* Mather
Hodgenville, Ky*
Dear to*
Ifethar:
I an preparing an article concerning th© short
resid-jaoe of James. Buchanan In Eliaabethtown and
haw road the short article about Buchanan la your
book entitled H3ls Oanaarations Of Lames and Alllad
Families'1' and 2 have a newspaper clipping taken froa
the Louisville Courier Journal written by you In regard
to Buchanan.
1 am wondering if you have discolored any
additional data that Bight be of som® help to
ras.
I have access to quite a large collection of original
manuscripts and my data on the subject is proving more
intereating a»
X work into it,
Tc^r fcodte mentions Xdttll's and Marshall^ 2eports,
v70uld It profit m to have these T^pott^ for additional
information? If so ishere could I get co las J
1 mailed you a copy of ray pamohlet entitled "The
Lincoln® In Kli2ab©thto^,£entucfey
,, and I hope you enjoyed
It, even though It contained little information probably
that you did not already know*
1 am enclosing a little pamphlet that
X wrote concerning
Dr. Warren which might interest you,
*f you can help me in MP search for MM Buchanan material
I will appreciate vary raaeh hearing from you.
Yours Y©iy fruly
E. Gerald tfeMttrtry
Librarian
Lincoln National Life Foundation
OTI S
M. MATH ER
ATTORNEY AT LAW
HODGEN VI LLE, KY.
April 87,1933.
Mr.iH.S'eraia Kci'nrifry,
Fort
ffayne , Ind
Dear Mr^MoMtirtryJ
I have your
letter of the
24th inst., and
am
pleased
to hear
from you. I trust
that you may he
ahle
to
add-
something
to what has
he en xmblished in regard
to
the
sojourn
of James Eucah.nan in ElizaD*thtown»However, I
do
not think
I
can give you any information on the
subject
further than what
you will
find in the article
I wrote
for
the
Courier- Journal.
The
original record of the
suit which was carried to
the Court
of Appeals
of lontucky twice, as
stated in my article^ in the
Courier -Journal, would probably throw some
further
light
on the
subject .You can find
the reports of the
cases
in Littell's
and
Mar shall
1 s Kentucky Court
of AMteals Reports, in volumes
and pages
shown in my article .These
official Reports
could
likely be
seen
in the
library of the
Port Wayne Bar Association( if these
is
such
an organization)
or
in the
library of some
lawyer
in your
city.
as
T remember, the
ease was
appealed
from
a
judgment
of the Kelson
Circuit
Court, and the oripnnal pipers
in
'
;uit woul^
there'djose
be
in Bardatown,if they are
in existence.
I thank you for your booklet, "The
Lincolns
in Eliafabethtown" twhioK
I received
some
time
ago
and read with inter est, also
for
the pam-
phlet
on Dr. arren.
I
shall
be glad
to see what you write on Buchanan.
'; /i th kind
r e gar ds , I
am
1/ery truly,
,
I enjoy "Lincoln lore", which
I trust will continue
to
come
to me.O.LlX-- ^
April
27,
1983
*<H83 thAloft Xautom
2X4s?ahethtovffc t Kentucky.
Bear $helms$
I received your letter concerning the dead records
of
«TiMkifi 'dco&bm&n and t was very glad to get thia information.
!2his is Just the Jamas Buchanan 1 wanted to law* about. Shis
James ras the father of President Buchanan and it was because
of this land in Hardin County that the future president oaa
to ^llgabethto<m«
If
it
is not
too mash trol^KL© I would like to have
copies of these deeds,
2 would Jlso like to have the pag*
numbers of the boafea
Uttft the
(lands are recorded in, and if
possible to -mow in *hat vicinity this Land is situated.
X
hope
* h.iV« not asked you for too aaich.X am assuming that these
deeds will not bo so very long
.are U-^Pd. to co^y.
In writing an
.article of
this? typo H
tlf almost necessary to have all the
information I cm get on the subject,
tihen I use this information
1 tnet&d ba able
1(9 g yo the place such information is found
so
t"l;.e date of book and T?age ttomber ia very important.
7. am sending JW W&torf separate ©over a small,
pafflphltft
tliat
1 haw recently kH^.tea abovdb
the Lincolns In idisabeth-
town,
1 can't
ftffl
tf&&
J5K£» very glad 1 am that you ^ore able
to
fino* tale fufro^a^? on for ^.because it
assure'.; tho suceeas
of my magasino article,
**hen the article is fg&lifthad 1
??ill
send you & copy.
Again I want to thank you for thia trouble.
Sincerely
Gerald MBMnrtry
22,
1933
Up. Otto A* Bothert
The Hleon Gluh
118 feet Brecfeiisrldge Street
Iiouigrille » Kentucky,
Dear Hr. Bothertt
I am sending yea along with this letter a manuscript
that I have recently written ®ntitledMJames Bachamas X»
2C^ntuGky
,, • I hhve "been rosy fortunate in ngr researches
on this subject finding a wealth of new material in the
Hardin County Coixrt house In %ls?a*bethtown,and in the
Baycraft manuscripts that are now in our collection,
Lincoln literature ie continually increasing and
much Is being written about Xdaeoln in Hardin Oonnty.but
newer has mention been mad© to
s§r knowledge of the fact
that- while I&neoln was living in Hardin County,Jasies
Bachanan was llwlng in the eoimty seat of the same county.
X believe each information should he made oral table to
students and X hope I hare been success**! in preparing
thla article In such a form that it will he worthy of
publication in your magasin© 3Ehe Jllstm Club History
Quarterly,
Mg such an article does not suit your magaaine,
X hop© you will read tt and tell me what yon think of it,
I have always been very interested in Kentucky history,
and from time to tiiae I have read numerous articles in
newspapers concerning James Bachanan in ^Wtueky.however
such articles always seen very wage,and for soma reason
It seems that little work has been- done on the subje-i,
until X beeasas interested*
I have prap,ar®d
JS5 notes to accompany thla article
and I heller® the will Increase the interest very mock,
however t may have in some instances mad© them to leftr£ity
lensias^sr
If you should h® interested in publishing such as article
ss the on© enclosed the notes could "be revised as you see
fit.
I will appreciate a word from yon in vogsrdi to thla,
and in the event you do not publish the article I will want
the manuscript returned in order that X can submit
it elas*
where.
M
-3,-J**t^
R. C. BALLARD THRUSTON
PRESIDENT
J. ADGER STEWART
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT
MISS MARY VERHOEFF
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT
GUSTAVE A. BREAUX
THIRD VICE PRESIDENT
OTTO A. ROTHERT
SECRETARY
ALLEN M. REAGER
TREASURER
MISS LUDIE J. KINKEAD
CURATOR
INCORPORATED
ORGANIZED MAY
15,
1884. FOR COLLECTING, PRESERVING. AND PUBLISHING
HISTORIC MATERIAL. ESPECIALLY THAT PERTAINING TO KENTUCKY
118 WEST BRECKINRIDGE STREET
LOUISVILLE. KENTUCKY
June
23,
1933
Mr.
R.
Gerald McMurtrie,
Lincoln National Life Foundation,
Fort Wayne,
Indiana.
Dear Mr. McMurtrie:
Your letter
of
June
to Mr.
Rothert was
received,
also your manuscript
on
"James Buchanan
in Kentucky."
Mr.
Rothert
left
today
for
Y/estern Kentucky.
He will return
in
about
a week and will then give your manuscript
immediate
attention
.
Sincerely,
Evelyn
R.
.Dale
B
R. C. BALLARD THRUSTON
PRESIDENT
J. ADGER STEWART
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT
MISS MARY VERHOEFF
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT
GUSTAVE A. BREAUX
THIRD VICE PRESIDENT
OTTO A. ROTHERT
SECRETARY
ALLEN M. REAGER
TREASURER
MISS LUDIE J. KINKEAD
CURATOR
©Ij? JTtiBmt dhth
INCORPORATED
ORGANIZED MAY
15.
1884. FOR COLLECTING, PRESERVING, AND PUBLISHING
HISTORIC MATERIAL. ESPECIALLY THAT PERTAINING TO KENTUCKY
118 WEST BRECKINRIDGE STREET
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
July
13,
1933
Mr.
R.
Gerald McMurtrie,
Lincoln National Life Foundation,
Fort Wayne,
Indiana.
Dear Mr. McMurtrie:
On June 23 we acknowledged receipt
of
your letter of June 22 and your manuscript
"James Buchanan
in
Kentucky,
l$l3."
I have gone
over
the MS. with great
care and much
pleasure.
Your research,
evidently,
is
thorough,
your
cita-
tions
of authorities
are good, and your presentation
of
the
subject
is interesting.
We will he glad to publish
it
in
The Filson Club History Quarterly.
I will make a few slight changes
in
one
or two foot notes,
the most important are
these:
No.
20: will start
out:
It
is
said that the expression,
etc.
The reference
in the
second last
line
should read Louis-
ville
(not Lincoln)
etc Turnpike.
Uo.
31:
Third paragraph will start
out:
There
is an
old
tradition that
it was
in the home
of John Rowan
etc.
This
paragraph will end:
from Kentucky, retaining his Bardstown
place as
a country home.
Our October number
is already
"taken up,"
so January,
1934,
is
the first
chance,
unless something unexpected turns up and
I
can get
it
in the October,
1933,
issue.
Look up up any time you are
in Louisville.
I
suppose
you
get
to E
f town now and
then.
With best wishes
to you
and Dr.
Warren,
I
am as ever,
Sincerely,
/;
Otto
A.
Rothert,
'
Secretary
July 15, 1933
Ife, Otto
II* Rothaart
Th® 111 son Club
118
I
.'v..'
-:vld.:f® St.
'
lOTllltt.
J*y«
ftesr Mr.
Rof-Jsarti
tffts very g&ad to £33.0** th^t you liked sgr
teisaaoript
entitled**?
.
:
te %
t » in l&atu^jy®.
I if courr-
it pre&litv
T if
tfe
!t ls%ltr
:
la
the Jmaoaxy Issue will
a|j alright.
In pron^rizv
. article
-li'ive aggsi?
&ta a lot of valuab:
rtioa sihlch Is la
-jrltteB fam sbioh. I
"
Id be valuable to the files of the fltsea Clui
.
Z rail
.
-
'
"
fcerial to 'vara tm
ISSms
3£nd,
I
S s aonth sfesn I
isstiil be la Ells*;
^ow
tli-;t you have doc
to -publlsli
t,
JcJ«
1 ean so©
iio
fdjrtbar ''use the data e«?did as |o
.
however In the event I should
"rant,
it again
**•
- at 700, to loan It
to SB for a s2±ort ohil
.
$3
ali article is publisliad it
^a of
iatoi'03t to you to go through t'lis iaffcrmstiea to
£iorti> coi^letoly c&oek a^ statosaontB.^hiii
.
tt
•30
la Just a suggestion*
*t present
* do
aofc a
s
t„
as I have loaned iaf oopy to 9r, %llism &!le& I*tts ",
however as soon at bo retisms it I trill srtte to you
again possibly giving you a for 3light
ch&":
bat
I think should b©
fciafto.
2 regret the f^*t; the* I d*&
not Twit nor©
tiara on the notes .however I belie -re they
T7lll"fit in alright.
£ suroly appreciate your
i
',
•and I assure you I will pay you a vie".
I am in I*ouisville with leisure time.
Tours Very Truly
E.Gerald ite&uriry, IAferqrian
R. C. BALLARD THRUSTON
PRESIDENT
J. ADGER STEWART
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT
MISS MARY VERHOEFF
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT
GUSTAVE A. BREAUX
THIRD VICE PRESIDENT
OTTO A. ROTHERT
SECRETARY
ALLEN M. REAGER
TREASURER
MISS LUDIE J. KINKEAD
CURATOR
Sty? m&an OUuh
INCORPORATED
ORGANIZED MAY
15,
1884, FOR COLLECTING, PRESERVING, AND PUBLISHING
HISTORIC MATERIAL, ESPECIALLY THAT PERTAINING TO KENTUCKY
1 18 WEST BRECKINRIDGE STREET
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
July 17,
1933
Mr.
R. Gerald McMurtrie,
Lincoln National Life Foundation,
Fort Wayne,
Indiana.
v
Dear Mr. McMurtrie:
Since writing you
on July
I have
gone
over your foot notes more
critically,
resulting in
the
following comments
and questions:
I
suggest we substitute
the enclosed for your Foot
Note
No.
2.
Foot Note
No.
is
taken from V/arren's Lincoln's
Parentage
and
Childhood,
page
121.
Some quotation marks
are missed
"by him and,
in turn,
"by you.
Please give me
a revised copy.
Foot Note No.
f refers
to Sommers
' History
of Elizabeth-
town.
Is
this
H.
A.
Sommers?
If
this
is
a newspaper
article,
give name
and date
of paper;
if a book
or pamphlet,
give
date and place
of publication?
If
this
refers
to
Samuel Hay craft's book
then Chapter 48
is
the wrong reference.
Foot Note No.
8 refers
to Lroy Martin's Facts About
Elizabethtown
.
The
questions
asked above
regarding No.
apply
to No.
8.
We have neither of
the
two
in
our library
Sincerely,
J
D
Otto
A.
Rothert,
Secretary
7*
July
SO, 1933
%?. ©it® 4. lotbert
the Jllson 0$$*
IIS West Breckinridge St.
LoolSTille, S&atuc!-y.
Bear Mr. Bothsrt*
Ton will find enclosed a correction for ay
i&wtsorlpt
«iaase Seehanan la Kosttscky** 2his slight
correction should bfsatsie because 2
assuaied too
nsaeli
whom I state that tl 1821
tl»» land was sold at a profit,
the land in Westaoralasd Oeuuty was probably valuable
and £ belies© that a profit wee realised. %ls correction
should bo made on page
6. last paragraph.
X have encolsed
what I
tfeiafc a properly worded correct "on.
X haw else enclosed eerreations for the notes ae
-
you. requested la your recent- letter.X am sorry
tbsdfe
&nre.&ad& this aastra work aafassary for you.however X
appreciate very such j&w interest
in helping n© get the
article in proper shape to be published.
•f will be lageasfble for
sae to come, to the tilson
01ub this nest week ©nd.howewer I will
"be in &entuei?y
several times daring ^agttst.snd * shall
lusfee it a po- nt
to call at ywar office*
Saturday 1 will send you eonlee of the
deeds .photostats of raanuseripts sad etc. for you to place
In the Jilaon 01ub files.
t alee..«Mfc to call attention to the correct spelling
ef sy aaaauXXapefil ay man* StsMartry.however the old way is
Me%rtrfe. &y family have always used y instead of ie.so
When the article goes to prose X hope
you will see that
the name is spelled as I spell it.
In the event you think any additional research should
be made concerning ey article
I ^5dr tfa]
Afcrifer gry
* tt%lft%rA]
X cm to get the additional information. So not hesitate to
call on me at any time.
Yours Very ^ruly
DR. WM. ALLEN PUSEY
1301 CHICAGO BUILDING
7 WEST MADISON STREET
CHICAGO
hours: 10 to 12 A. M. and
by Appointment
State 0070
State 0071
July Nineteenth
Mr.
R.
Gerald McMurtry,
Lincoln Life Foundation,
Fort Wayne,
Indiana.
Dear
Mr.
McMurtry:
Your letter
of
the 18th
received while
Dr.
Pusey
is
out
of
the
city.
In view
of
the fact
that you need
the copy
of
the manuscript
James Buchanan in Kentucky
in
such
a
short time
I
am inclosing it herewith
rather than waiting until
Dr.
Pusey gets hack
to
the
city.
Yours very truly,
R.
W.
Baldwin
Secretary
to
Dr.
W.
A.
Pusey.
Incl
DR. WM. ALLEN PUSEY
1301 CHICAGO BUILDING
7 WEST MADISON STREET
CHICAGO
Hours: 10 to 12 A. M. and
by appointment
State 0070
STATE 0071
July Twentieth
Mr. H. Gerald McMurtry,
Lincoln Life Foundation,
Fort Wayne ,
Indi ana
.
Dear
Mr. McMurtry:
I
am
sorry
I overkept your
Buchanan manuscript.
I put
it aside
to
take
some notes
from it
and delayed longer than
I
expected.
I am glad
the paper
is coming out
in the Filson Club Quarterly •
To see
it
there wi 11
be
soon enough for my purposes.
I shall be glad
to
see
you
any time
in Chicago or Elizabethtown.
I hope
to be *le to be down at Christmas.
Yours cordially,
WAP-B
DR. WM. ALLEN PUSEY
J3.0.1 CHICAGO BUILDING
7 WEST MADISON STREET
CHICAGO
Hours: 10 to 12 A. M. AND
by Appointment
STATE 0070
STATE 0071
June Twenty- third
Dr.
R.
Gerald McMurtry,
Lincoln Life Foundation,
Port Wayne,
Indiana.
Dear Dr. McMurtry:
I should like very much
t(
"
to see
the James Buchanan in Kentucky manuscript.
Thank
you for
thinking of me
in connection with
it,
I should think
the
Filson Club would be anxious
to
get it.
Yours
cordially,
WAP-B
R. C. BALLARD THRUSTON
PRESIDENT
J. ADGER STEWART
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT
Oty? JUlamt dlith
INCORPORATED
MISS MARY VERHOEFF
ORGANIZED MAY
15.
1884. FOR COLLECTING, PRESERVING, AND PUBLISHING
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT
HISTORIC MATERIAL. ESPECIALLY THAT PERTAINING TO KENTUCKY
GUSTAVE A. BREAUX
third vice president
1 18 WEST BRECKINRIDGE STREET
OTTO A. ROTHERT
SECRETARY
ALLEN M. REAGER
TREASURER
MISS LUDIE J. KINKEAD
CURATOR
LOUISVILLE. KENTUCKY
July 24,
1933
Mr.
R.
Gerald McMurtry,
Fort Wayne,
Indiana.
Dear Mr. McMurtry:
Your letters
of July 15 and July 20 were
received.
In
the
one
of July 20 you enclosed
a number
of foot-
note
suggestions
and
alterations,
all
of which
I will take up
with you when you
come here
in August.
We today received
the
large envelope
you sent from
Elizabethtown containing notes and source material
on your
"James Buchanan
in Kentucky"
This,
too,
I will keep with your
manuscript until we have
had a chance
to
go
over everything
together.
Today
I received a letter
from Judge
Otis M. Mather
call-
ing my attention
to
the
fact
that the name
of James Buchanan
appears
as
a witness
to a power-of-attorney given
in March
1795.
I am enclosing the page containing the
reference
re-
ferred
to
in the
July number
of
our History Quarterly,
page
159.
I,
of
course,
do not know who
this
James Buchanan
is.
He may have
"been the President's father.
Looking forward
to seeing you next month,
I am as ever
Sincerely,
^^1^/^
Otto
A.
Rothert,
Secretary
**m
Vol. 7
]
Calendar of Bond and Power of Attorney Book
159
Jacob Larue, of Frederick Co., Va., appoints Alexander and
Robert Breckinridge of Jefferson Co., Ky., his lawful attorneys
to ascertain
all the interfering claims within the bounds of two
surveys of 18,000 acres, between Floyd's Fork and the trace lead-
ing from the Falls of the Ohio to Bullitt's Lick, and to adjust and
settle all disputes to the interest of said Larue.
March 9, 1795.
Witnesses:
Worden Pope, John Drake and James Buchanan.
Recorded March 6, 1798.
[Bl, p224-]
Henry Lyne, of Henry Co., Va., appoints Stephen Ormsby, of
Jefferson Co., Ky., his lawful attorney to convey, by deed, unto
Richard Reynolds two-third part of 500 acres of land granted to
Henry Lyne by patent May 27,
1785,
in Jefferson Co., on the
Ohio and adjoining lands of William Fleming and George Lyne,
agreeable to a division made of the said tract between Richard
Reynolds and Isaac Hite of Jefferson Co., and also to convey to
Isaac Hite a deed for the other third of the 500 acres.
May 25,
1793.
Witnesses:
J. Colman, Joseph Kellar.
Recorded July 20, 1798.
[Bl, p225.]
Benjamin Sebastian, of Jefferson Co., releases Michael Horine,
of Lincoln Co., Ky., from any actions or causes of actions, debts,
bonds, contracts, covenants, etc., which he ever had against him.
October 23, 1797.
Witnesses:
Jno.
Speed,
Jas.
A.
Sturgus
[A'Sturgus],
Charles
Beeler, Lewis Field.
Recorded February 6, 1798.
[Bl, p226.]
Cad.
Slaughter
agrees
to a recorded
obligation from
Col.
Richard Taylor to Benoni Demant.
June 5, 1790.
Witnesses:
Francis
R.
Slaughter,
James
Sloane.
Recorded
March 6, 1798.
[Bl, p226.]
James Smith, of Jefferson Co., being endebted to John Stucky,
of same county, for £40 lawful money; and John Stucky having
gone James Smith's bond for certain money to William Allison,
and also for several others in small debts; James Smith, in order
to pay debts, assigns and sells unto the said John Stucky all man-
ner
of
goods,
chattels,
debts,
money,
and
one
sorrel
horse.
February
20,
1798.
Witnesses:
Jno. Miller, John Ad Bory [Booy?], Martin Pottorff
.
Bill of Sale recorded March 6, 1798.
[Bl, p227.]
fcugagt
24,
193"
Iff. Otto A.
Hot!...
if.
Do.:^ ;&. l$t3wt:
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BW8S*
apy article
!,'. t4 ti$w«? 'bdou in X«jt«&?/»
S o^yel^ anjo«0d Idw
i^stv Isews 2 Sppsi in ths
sad Hke %•
Bssdlto?i I
IfcirSe it ©sten&a
Yours ?©?y ^raiy
&• feral a Ketetry
Librarian
L9.nooln Sfeitional Life Found.
R. C. BAiLARb THRUSTON
president
'
j. adger stewart
firstJvice president
miss mary verhoeff
second vise president
gustave a. breaux
third vice president
otto a. rothert
secretary
allen m. reager
treasurer
miss ludie j. kinkead
CURATOR
®ijp 3?tlan« dlub
INCORPORATED
ORGANIZED MAY
15,
1884, FOR COLLECTING, PRESERVING, AND PUBLISHING
HISTORIC MATERIAL, ESPECIALLY THAT PERTAINING TO KENTUCKY
11 8 WEST BRECKINRIDGE STREET
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
January
20,
1934
Mr.
R.
Gerald ^c
lWurtry,
Lincoln National ^ife Foundation,
Fort Wayne,
Indiana.
Dear R.
Gerald:
Some time ago
I told yDU that your Buchanan in
Kentucky would appear in the January,
1934,
number
of
our History
Quarterly,
for
such was my plan.
I now wish
to report
to you
that
I found
it best
to
shift
its publication to our April,
1934,
number.
I will send you
a
copy of the January number as
soon as
it
is printed,
about February
1.
As
ever,
Otto
A.
Rothert,
Secretary
D
Zamaiw
22,
1934
S&o Bison Olub
118 tfost Irac&iapi-aGa St.
ItoulortllOtKontuc&gr,
'09aP %• Rotnortt
2 au rather dleap"?oatod that yoa ar© plajrartttg to
hold ap Buoihaaaii ^rtiole*" -*or the April lesna* Of oours© I
realise that you km^ 'beat about tola m.tt©r t aad X ©ppreoiat©
r eneSi th© acceptance of the artiol® for your publication*
Xa % fow aontha th© Ksrdia County Historical Society
la gol&jg to ©reel Is SHasabeJ-htowa
i broils© tablet eoi&ieKaor^tiag
Buchanan' e realdene© la the ld«g*tn« tablet
is already firJLah©d
and is in IHribethtcr.'-a* %© Hardin Qourtty Court official a arc
|©iag to
.furnish a soul '.Jen? iakron froa th© ttottla of So© Him Oretfk:
.
to scant the tablet* It will
"bo located in the court house yard*
W© w»P3 irsry maidens
tiaat
ajr artid
i
;d "bofor©
the SedioaHoa of ths ta^lot In orlor to arena©
aoraia InftoMNft la
tho dodieation of the i?biot#X
shall -arlta to the prcsi&Ottt of
th© society imatruc'-io^ him to hold up th© plana for tho erection
Of the tablot until
b$" srtlcle 1© published.
%ain 1 #a$# to thank you for your interest ia tliia
ras*tt©r,and It will bo patftesaly slrlghi to hold up th© articl©
\
until tho .toil lasuo* W© will
iMfc© our plans for tho' dedication
to ooow about th© tlma th© -April lanua lo off th© pros a.
Tours Very $ruly
B»Gerald MoHurrtry
librarian
fcinaoln Rational Lif© Foundation
..
R. C. BALLARD THRUSTON
PRESIDENT
J. ADGER STEWART
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT
MISS MARY VERHOEFF
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT
GUSTAVE A. BREAUX
THIRD VICE PRESIDENT
OTTO A. ROTHERT
SECRETARY
ALLEN M. REAGER
TREASURER
MISS LUDIE J. KINKEAD
CURATOR
®fy£
Jfftlscn
(Eltth
INCORPORATED
ORGANIZED MAY
15.
1884, FOR COLLECTING. PRESERVING, AND PUBLISHING
HISTORIC MATERIAL, ESPECIALLY THAT PERTAINING TO KENTUCKY
1 18 WEST BRECKINRIDGE STREET
LOUISVILLE. KENTUCKY
January
23,
1934
Mr.
R.
Gerald mc Murtry,
The Lincoln National Life Foundation,
Fort Wayne,
Indiana.
Dear Gerald:
Your letter
of the
22 was received this morning.
I knew
nothing
about
the Buchanan tablet
the Hardin County Historical Society
is
preparing
to
erect.
Even if
-1 had known,
could not have published
your article in our January number.
Since the Society wishes
to dedicate
the tablet
in April
I will
offer
to
do all
1 can toward having your article
on Buchanan appear in the
Elizabethtown (papers before the dedication and thereby help arouse
a
greater interest
in the ceremony.
The probabilities
are that our April numbee will not be ready for
mailing until the latter part
of April.
I will be glad, however,
to have
the type
of your article
set up in^arch and have the galley sheets
in
the hands
of the Elizabethtown newspaper no later than April
1.
The
Elizabethtown paper can then print
it
in any of its April issues
and
credit
it
as
a reprint from the Ap r ii number
of The Filson Club History
Quarterly.
But under no circumstances
can the article be printed
in an
Elizabethtown paper
earlier than April
1st.
Please send me
the
exact wording
of the tablet,
also the exact
size
of
the
tablet,
and
i will add
a footnote to your article giving
these
facts.
And
if the date of
the dedication can be given me by about
Alarch 1st
I will include
it also
in the added footnote.
»- suggest you
write
the footnote yourself.
If,
however,
you wish me to do
it
-
can
do
so,
for
I have
the manuscript
here.
This footnote must necessarily
be
the
last footnote,
for we
can not
change the numbers
of
the
others
because
the chances
of making
an error in the numbers
are too great.
Sincerely,
Otto
A.
Rothert,
Secretary
D
I
^anaary
24,
19.34,
Ue, Otto K I&theri
She Sllaoa Olub
us fast 8taeMt&&&$* st«
Ltrai3vil?.o #ESr«
Doar
&%*« Bothartt
>n reeoipt of your letter I have decided to ask
the Etardia Oounty Historical 3&*l#ty to dedicate the .Buchanan
tablet la Slls ifeet&toVB on ^jrll 23rd, %&q would bo an ideal
date booauss of th© fact that
tliat la Buehanao's birthday,
Xf
the dedication, which will bo a very stcpl© affair, is held that
lata in the saoath it will not bo WiWWWae^ to go to the trouble
of Ssoriag g-illey shoots made up. Tory likely the Ftlsoa Olub
Quarterly villi bo seat out about that
tlzao taaki&g the article
v®,
1 shall take this matter up with th© offiearrc of th©
society and X m ear© th©y will agroo to tlut data,
I plno 15&e
the idoa of having a not© added to ay artiol© eoaaerning the
tablet, aisa and @te,
X shall goad this iafermtion to you as soon
as
X roosivo it fro© th® society.
last
wtale 1 hoard Hols^a HaaiXton give a very wonderful
talk on S.faylor, His fas&ly w/iori are very prominent hero are help*
lag him in this work and X Believe ho will bo flnaa^iall? :Mo to
publish Ms reaearehes in book form,
X aa sura his introductory
;eg will prala© very highly th© halo
-and information ha received
at th© fllson Olub* Ms material however is not at present ready
for publication,
Tonrs Very *ruly
H,Gerald ItoUortry
Librarian
Lincoln National Life Foundation
,,
R. C. BALLARD THRUSTON
PRESIDENT
J. ADGER STEWART
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT
MISS MARY VERHOEFF
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT
GUSTAVE A.' BREAUX
THIRD VICE PRESIDENT
OTTO A. ROTHERT
SECRETARY
ALLEN M. REAGER
TREASURER
MISS LUDIE
J. KINKEAD
CURATOR
©fje Mxlsan (Elub
INCORPORATED
ORGANIZED MAY
15.
1884, FOR COLLECTING, PRESERVING, AND PUBLISHING
HISTORIC MATERIAL, ESPECIALLY THAT PERTAINING TO KENTUCKY
118 WEST BRECKINRIDGE STREET
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
larch
28,
1954
Mr*
R.
Gerald mc Murtry,
Lincoln National Life Foundation,
Fort Wayne,
Indiana.
f
i ^
Dear mr.
Mc Murtry:
Your letter
of
the 26th was received.
We
will give your Fort Wayne address
on our printed list
of members.
x t
seems
I made
a mistake about
the cover for
the reprints
and
therefore
a mistake was made
in the price.
The printer,
in
making
out the price, understood me
to say
x wanted
the pamphlet
enclosed
in nothing but
a plain sheet
of
paper,
same as
the other
paper,
and without any printing
on
it.
I discovered this mis-
understanding yesterday and ordered
the pamphlet printed with
a
.gray heavy paper cover and
title.
This
increases
the
pri.ce
|6.25^but
it being
too late
to consult you
told him
to
do
the
printing
and add $6.25
to your bill,
i hop that
is
satisfactory
to you.
In view of the fact
that you have no typesetting
on
your bill
the charges for
the pamphlet are very reasonable.
Do you want all
200
sent
to Fort Wayne or shall we hold
some,
say 100,
here
so you can later have them sent
to Elizabeth-
town?
Sincerely,
Otto
A.
Rothert,
Secretary
h
39,
193-1
HE
-
it,
Xeaisv-'
! l#gXNtitaMfeyt
:
*r
r
:•
fftg&i&t
-.
pmtsll
i
bs.
I
"b
s^ell
sao-
Iho
i
..„.* are
flail
S
©atire 2CO
eftptftf
aft 1
-
pJ
v.
» bit and si/-.
taeca.
2 •!!! boM yo*:
2o:vioo H
.
"
capias
ag
.-
: oon aa
I rocjivo
ftSusSk
?9ttrg ?esr '.gFttly
»
S«Gorald IteWwrtry
Llbrarlaa
Llaocla &aii>5nal Life ftranfetloa
W.
E. Gardner, M. D.
BEYBURN, BLDG., LOUISVILLE
ADVISORY COUNCIL,
V. A. Stilley, M. D.
BENTON
A.
T. MoCobmaok, M.
D.
BROWN HOTEL, LOUISVILLE
OFFICERS
1st
Vice-President
MRS.
0. A. MENEFEE
302
earl
ave.,
covington
2nd Vice-President
MRS. BEN B. KEYS
MURRAY
3rd
Vice-President
MRS. H. V. USHER
SEDALIA
4th
Vice-President
MRS.
C.
C. THRELKELD
morgantown
Past Presidents Members ot
Executive
Board
Mrs.
E. B. Houston
MURRAY
Mrs.
Geo.
A.
Hendon
615 BROWN
BLDG.,
LOUISVILLE
Mrs
A.
T. McCormack
BROWN HOTEL, LOUISVILLE
COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN
ARCHIVES
Mrs. George
A. Hendon
615 Brown Bldg.
Louisville
Child Health and Welfare
Mrs. Philip F.
Barbour
1304
S.
Sixth
St.
Louisville
Finance
Mrs.
R.
L.
Collins
405
E. Main
Street
Hazard
Hygeia
Mrs.
E.
R. Palmer
Puritan Apartments
Louisville
Jane Todd Crawford Memorial
Mrs.
A.
T. McCormack
1422 Brown
Hotel
Louisville
Legislation
Mrs.
L.
L. Washburn
Benton
Organization.
Mrs. C
A. Menefee
302
Earl
Ave.
Covington
Public Instruction
Mrs.
E.
B. Houston
Murray
Public Relations
Mrs.
C.
H. Jones
Lynn Grove
Radio
Mrs. John
L. Jones
1911
Roanoke Avenue
Louisville.
Tuberculosis
Mrs. Lucius
E. Smith
439 Fairlawn Road
Louisville
Historian
Mrs. V.
A. Stilley
Benton
The Quarterly
Editor
Mrs. A. T. McCormack
Brown Hotel
Louisville
Business Manager
Mrs. Peter Guntermann
674
S.
40th
Street
Louisville
WOMAN'S AUXILIARY
TO THE
KENTUCKY STATE MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
1933-1934
NEXT MEETING, HARLAN,
1934
President
MRS. B. K. MENEFEE
2120 Glenway Ave., Covington
April 25,
1954
President-elect
MRS.
J.
I. GREENWELL
new haven
Recording
Secretary
MRS. W.
T. LITTLE
calvert
city
Corresponding Secretary
MRS. LUTHER BACH
325 taylor ave., bellevue
Treasurer
MRS. CURT H. KKIEGEE
2000 grasmere drive, louisville
Parliamentarian
MRS.
G.
S. BROCK
LONDON
Mr.
R.
Gerald McMurtry, Librarian
Lincoln National Life Foundation
604 West Wayne Street
Fort Wayne, Indiana
My dear Mr. McMurtry:
Through Mrs.
J. R. Layman, Elizabethtown,
I have been
privileged to read your article in the Hardin Oounty
Enterprise, April
19th, on "Lincoln, Green and Buchanan".
And through her
I have obtained your address.
want to ask you if,
in your research work
m Kentucky, you have learned anything of Dr. Buchanan
who practised medicine in Green Gounty in 1£09- or,
have you learned the names af any other doctors in that
vicinity at that time?
My interest is in finding the names, and what-
ever else
can, of the
"two physicians"
who called Dr.
Ephraim McDowell, December
1?,
1809, to see Mrs, Jane
Todd Crawford in Green County, the woman upon whom Dr.
McDowell performed the first ovariotomy.
Under
separate cover,
I am mailing you a copy
of the reprint of my address before The Filson Club on
the subject of Jane Todd Crawford
so that you will be able
to read Dr. McDowell's own brief report
(p. 116) and
see
T\ VT
ab°Ut it#
WS have not been able to^efinitely,
tf™f^^+
5W° P^8^^ «*
I hope that perhaps,
in the
Sf*Z ?*.
your own research ' you * ha
"
e ~ «£X*
grateful.
For your interest and your aid,
we will indeed be
Sincerely yours,
\J
Mrs. Arthur Thomas McCormack
&&y
i t im
Mr*.
Jtethnr ftam© HsQormaofc
Woman1 ® Audits??
Keatufldgr $tat« sfedieal *»©•».
Louisville,Kentucky,
B©aT
Efrs.
IteGorssaekt
I approeiat© wry maeh th© pamphlet you ten*
m© eoneemiag Jan® f©dd feattford* im t mm gpradtaat©
©f Centre College I consequently heard quit© a !»*
eonoeming both Up©* Crawford said $r.
ias&owoll ^hil©
residing in Danville for four years.
X am very sorry to say that X ©an bo of Httl©
help to you in tracing Pp. Buchanan. In my recently
published article in the Alison Olub History Quarterly
JpFtt
1934 X hav© a footnno© where X state that tha
connection between Pro©* W*tfba&M «ad th© Baohaaans of
lisad© and Itorcer Counties in Kentucky is so slight a©
to be negligible.
Xt is
Wf? contention that there vat no
blood relation between th© two families in this country.
?©2"y llkfely th© Buchanan families all originated from a
©ommen prog©neater in JJurop©.
Hr aether?
Urs. L.B.Hok© of EHsab©thtown #^jr,
is acquainted with several Buchanan families in Hardin
Comity .and If you will write to her© I am sure ah© ©aft
put you in touch with parties that will b© abl© to giw#
you ©Mte a bit of information concerning the Kentucky
Buchanans.
X am sorry that
X
jm not abl© to b© of mor© help
to you regarding this matter.
Tours Tory IVuly
v
R. Gerald IMtartry
Librarian
Lincoln national Life foundation
P^nturkg jifetis ^tstortcal £$ot\tty
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
H.
V. MCCHESNEY
SAMUEL
M. WILSON
MRS.
J.
P. HOBSON
R.
C. BALLARD THRUSTON
DR. W.
R. JILLSON
MISS MARY MASON SCOTT
MRS. W.
T. LAFFERTY
MISS ANNE THOMAS
MRS. CASSIUS
M. CLAY
LUCIEN BECKNER
MRS. JOUETT TAYLOR CANNON
HONORARY VICE-PRESIDENTS
MAJOR EDGAR
ERSKINE HUME
COL.
T.
G. STUART
MRS. W.
T. FOWLER
MRS.
W.
H. COFFMAN
MRS. WM.
B. ARDERY
MRS.
E.
B.
SMITH
MISS ALICE
E. TRABUE
MRS.
W.
LESLIE COLLINS
MRS. GEORGE BAKER
MRS.
LUCAS ERODHEAD
OFFICERS
President
Ex-Officio—GOVERNOR RUBY LAFFOON
First
Vice
President
and
editor—H.
V.
McCHESNEY
Second
vice
President—JUDGE SAMUEL
M.
WILSON
LIBRARIAN
MISS NINA
M. VISSCHER
Curator
WILLIAM
E.
RAILEY
MRS. JOUETT TAYLOR CANNON,
SECRETARY-TREASURER
Jfrankfort, 2C«niucfeg
May
19,
1954
Miss Lucy T. Robertson,
aia Poplar St.,
Eli&abethtown, Ky»»
My dear Miss Robertson:
Some weeks ago we were very much pleased
to receive through the mail a copy
of Mr Gerald McMurtry's ar-
ticle
on
!l James Buchanan
in Kentucky,
1813% which was sent with
the compliments
of the Hardin County Historical Society.
I
expect
that you were kind enough to
send
the pamphlet,
and am writing now, very tardily,
to acknowledge
it
with many thanks, and to assure you that we are delighted to have
it
or anything
of the
same character which your member s may get
out*
I had already
seen and read the article v/hen
it
came
out
in the Pilson Club History Quarterly, hut we always
like to have
such material
in separate form,
as
it
is more conven-
ient
for filing and card- indexing 9 and again
I thank you.
May
I take this opportunity
of
inviting
you an d the members
of the Hardin County Historical
So ciety to
attend the annual
"Boone Day" meeting
of
our ~Socie~ty,
on June
7th
• The program will begin at 11:00 a.m. and the principal
address will be made by Dr Louise Phelps Kellogg,
of the University
of V/isconsin,
on "The Fame
of Daniel Boone". Dr Kellogg
is an em-
inent historian and author, and will be well worth hearing.
The meeting
is
open to
the public,
and you
and any friends you bring with you will be welcome.
Judge Samuel M. Wilson will give a short
talk on the plans
of the Boone Bi-Centennial Commission for
the
celebration
of the £wo hundredth year
of
the
old pioneer's birth.
Yours very truly
JsLet^^cffi- yJZat^/u^f
LZ&^cmj&^r
/7
Secretary
DR. BROWN PUSEY
7 WEST MADISON STREET
S. W. COR. STATE AND MADISON STREETS
CHICAGO
STATE 0070-0071
May Twenty-eighth
Mr.
R.
Gerald McMurtry,
Lincoln Life Foundation,
Port
Wayne,
Indiana.
Dear
Mr.
McMurtry:
I
am grateful to you
for
the reprint
of your article
on James
Buchanan in Kentucky.
It has given me much
interesting
information.
My
compliments
and
my regards.
Cordially yours,
Lancaster,
Pa.,
Feb.
21,
1935.
Mr.
R.
Gerald Murtry,
Lincoln National Life Ins.
Co.,
Ft. Wayne,
Iiid.
My dear
sir:-
The pamphlet
'James Buchanan
in Kentucky 1
has
been
duly received and has
been
read with interest.
I have
been
active
in the Lancaster County Historical Society for some few
years
and ^ferr^d to
a few of the works
we have
in
the library
on Buchanan.
The
fact
that he
spent
s jme months
in Kentucky
evidently was not known
to
some
of the biographers,
another makes
mention
of the report
that he had gone
to Kentucky
to establish
a law practice
but
states
that
this
repo r t
seems vague
and
un-
certain
of fact.
Your pamphlet therefore carries
all
the more
interest
since
it
is
annotated with proofs
of his having been
in Elizabethtown.
Our Society would
be pleased
to have
a copy of the
pamphlet in our
files,
and
I wish to inquire whether one
could
be had
for
our Library.
If
so
I will
remit if there
be
any charge,
if no
charge wish
to thank you for
the
same,
and hope
to
be
able
to
reciprocate
the favor
in
some manner.
Respe^fuAy, /
C.
H. Martin,
Lititz Pike,
Lancaster,
Pa.
vV
JOHN F
FIRST
)OF
James Buchanan in Kentucky, 1813
By E. Gekald McMurtry
aT
*
y
Reprinted from The Wilson Club History Quarterly
Louisville, Kentucky, April, 1934
v_
if.
JOHN
F
F
James Buchanan in Kentucky, 1813
By E. Geeald McMuktry
Librarian,
Lincoln
National
Life Foundation,
Fort Wayne,
Indiana
Reprinted from The Filson Club History Quarterly, Louisville, Kentucky
Vol. 8, No. 2, April, 1934.
Pages 73-87
While
all the presidents
of the United States have visited
Kentucky, except George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas
Jefferson—and there is a possibility that Washington may have
visited
eastern Kentucky
in
his youth—the
fact
that James
Buchanan lived there for a short time is not generally known.
Furthermore,
the
fact
that James
Buchanan, who
preceded
Abraham Lincoln to the presidency, lived in Elizabethtown, the
county seat
of Hardin County,
for several months within ap-
proximately twenty miles of the Lincoln home on Knob Creek
while Lincoln resided
there, has seldom been mentioned.
A great amount of literature has been written about Lincoln
in Hardin County, which, since its establishment in 1792, has the
Since writing the following paper, steps have been taken to erect a Buchanan
tablet, 11 by 19 inches, in Elizabethtown, April 23, 1934. The Elizabethtown News
in its issue of February 6 publishes the following announcement:
A bronze tablet
to the memory
of James Buchanan, President of the United
States, who
lived
in Hardin County,
will be placed
in the Courthouse yard
in
Elizabethtown on
April
23,
the anniversary
of Buchanan's
birth.
Ceremonies
will be
in charge of the Hardin County Historical Society, which procured the
tablet.
An extensive program for the occasion will be arranged.
The tablet has
already been received, and
is at the office of Dr. D. E. McClure, a member of the
Society.
It bears the following inscription:
James Buchanan / 15th
President
of the United
States / resided
for
several
months / at Elizabethtown in the year 1813 / where he served / as legal adviser in
his father's / Western land litigations. / Hardin County Historical Society, 1934.
The tablet will be placed in the northwest corner of the Courtyard, across the
walk from one to the memory of Abraham Lincoln.
They direct attention to the
fact that two future Presidents of the United States lived in Hardin County at
the same time.
1 Emmet
V.
Mittlebeeler
in
the
Point
of View
Column
of The
Louisville
Courier-Journal,
cited
in
The
Filson
Club
History
Quarterly,
Vol.
6,
No.
4,
s
Tvo
fc
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BUCHANAN LAND LITIO£Tff)N.
CHAPTER %/
-Fonr't.ftfin Vjsars
R. ftf>r«
thfi_l4!e^3d»-flttgre^^
n
^rffr-tfr~TTrtrrfc c
father
of the
Preside nt,
aithouglnm-eBdcr ant,
fr nm^J^-efe7ir"in" the year-ye3
,
/Upon arriving
in this
country at the age
of twenty-three years, ^ resided
a short
time
in Philadelphia
and
a
few months
later removed
to Stony Batter,
v
'
-
franklin county,
Pennsylvania.
In 1778 he married Elizabeth ^peer,
and
their
son
James was
horn April 23,
1791.
Tfc<*-4ef4**F undoubtedly came
in
contact with numerous
persons who were moving west
and ^ was most
likely
induced by
a
land
agent
to purchase Kentucky real
estate,
^iHf^-Ii&pt^
-Br , "did' ""-trot 'seek
a
home- -in
Kentucky- --hut- he
c-ho.se- that
state- as
a -place
for
his- "investments
.
As
a rule
Pennsylvanians were heavy purchasers
of land
in Kentucky,
and
Buchanan's acreage was approximately as great
as were the purchases
of the
^•incolr.8.
Many estates
at this early date
in Kentucky history literally
ran into thousands
of acres,
hut due
to
the fact
that
James Buchanan Sr.
did
not migrate
to
the
y'est,
his holdings were probably bought more conserva-
tively in proportion
to his
estate than were
the
investments
of Captain
Lincoln.
Records
in
the. Hardin
uounty Court ^ouse
(Deed ^ook A- Page 233)
show
that
on March 15,
1796
}James Buchanan of Franklin Bounty,
State
of Penney!
vanift^necsme
a
part
owner with James
ij ickey of 3,610 acres
of land located
in Hardin county.
This property was
purchased at
one dollar
per
acre,
and
the deed was made to James ^uchanan Sr.
and
James ^ickey both
of Pennsylvania
by Michael Campbell and his wif^ Sarah Gampbell
; and Charles Campbell all
of
Nelson cfhmty.
The deed
to this property contains
the name
of
John,
fepeer
s
a witness
to
the proceed ings
; who was most
likely the
father
or brother
of
Elizabeth Speer
the wife
of ^uclmnan.^r •
The deed was
executed
on March
29,
1796. before James Reddle,
president
of the
several 6ourts
of Common
Pleas
in Jhe
circuit
consisting of franklin,
Bedford, Huntingdon and
Mafflin counties.
This
land was Buchanan's
first
investment
in Kentucky.
The 3,610 acre tract
is described as being located
in Hardin bounty,
&tfd-^~TFf~~Ke n't ircigr ,
two hundred
poles below
the mouth
of ^oe Run on the bank
A''
*~
of
the Ohio ^iver,
running to line
of John May's 3000 acre
survey the
line
crossing the upper
side
of
the mouth
of ^oe Run several
times.
This property located then
in original Hardin county
is to-day located
in
Meade county.
Another tract
in which Buchanan had an interest
contained
5,900 acres
and
is
described
as being located
on both sides
of Nolin River
in Hardin county.
The lines ran near
the mouth of
the Big Sandy Spring
and also below thensouth of Valley ^reek and near Nolin Creek.
Little documentary evidence has been found concerning
the Buchanan land
immediately after
the
sale
of
the tract
in 1796.
No litigation occurred
until seven years
after the purchase,
and the property up to this
time was
probably considered
a good
investment.
The
owners most
likely hoped,
after
the further settlement
of Kentucky,
to sell the
land at
a handsome profit.
A large net return would
probably have been realized had not
incompetent
executors
of estates and
insecure property titles
antefed
into the bargain.
The property in which Buchanan
. aga£4^jg
m
ipfwtmM>py James Dickey and Robert
Johnson,
a later partner .had invested their money was
originally
in the
/ 5"
possession of John LaRue
(IT) who died
in the year
1792.
*
In his will
he appointed three
executors;
Isaac
Larue, Robert Hodgin and Philip Phillips
to administer his
estate.
The will devised
that the estate
be equally
?
divided among his
children,
but
the
executors were to
sell
so much
of his
other property and lands which he had
not previously devised,
as
to discharge
his
lawful debts,
Buchanan did
not purchase
the
La^ue tracts
from the
executors
of La^ue but they had
been sold to several
other* parties before
he became
one
of
the purchasers,
The amount required
to
settle the lawful debts
of John LaRue amounted
to
twenty-seven pounds,
yet the
executors had
sold
slaves and lands much in
excess
of the amount
of the debts,
^he heirs
of LaRue brought
suit against
the
executors
for the recovery
of the
land,
stating that
the land and
slaves
should not have been sold and that they had acted without due authority in
selling the property at
a sacrifice
in price and without necessity.
This litigation started
in the year 1803 and
continued
for many years
in
the Hardin County Court,
Samuel Haycraft,
Jr,,
in his
original manuscript
of
the History
of
Elizabethtown stated under the heading
of MARCH TERM,
(HA.RDIN
COUNTY COURT.)
dated March
8,
iSlSjthat
several land suits
in the name
of James Buchanan
srd
James Dickey were
on the docket
for that term.
The
Plaintiff,
James
Buchanan,
he further asserts,
was
the father
of James Buchanan the
future
President,
At
this
point
in the manuscript there appears
a note,
"See
James
Buchanan" which wm*i€l
indicates that
a
further discussion of
Buchanan occurred in other writings
of his,
Haycraft
at the time
of this
court term was eighteen years
of age which would make
it reasonably certain
that his
statement was made from first hand knowledge and
information,
Buchanan was
elected to
the ^rwsidency
in the year 1857 and Haycraft
wrote his history twelve years
later,
kittle attention was likely paid
to
the Buchanan land litigation at this
early period^ Jftowever,
after
the
son
I
had
achieved
fame
it
is most likely that many citizens recalled
the residence
of the
then future
President
in Elizabethtown and the numerous
land
suits
in which his
father
engaged endeavoring to clear property titles.
A manuscript
from the
papers
of Haycraft
show that
in
the year 1815 the
suit was again before
the
court,
as an order
?/as drawn by the County Court
Clerk for money. to be paid
to ^ohn &elm/ a v^itness, which
is
as
follows:
HARD IN CIRCUIT COURT,
SEPTEMBER TERM 1815.
"Ordered
that William A.
Clark,
James
Payne, Minor Lewright,
Ally Overall and feomas
Lewis
pay unto John Helm the sum of
one
pound,
eight
shillings
and four pence
for attending this
court term five days
as
a witness
for them at
the
suit
of
James Dickey and James Buchanan and travelling forty miles
and returning the
same distance."/
A Copy Test,
Ben Helm,
C.H.C.C.
Buo
t<Tthe fact
that John Helm the surveyor.was
summoned
irti
-|f would
indicate
that hw was the surveyor
of
the
Ian
before the
irould
indicate
that hw was the surveyor
of
the
lands
in question.
Owinr*
to his
education and training for
this work he was
considered
one
of
the
best
in his
profession. a^d his
life
in the
early nineteenth century in Hardin
county was
one constantly fraught with danger and excitement.
'
These land suits which began
in the year 1803 were twice
carried to
the Court
of Appeals
of Kentucky as reported
in Volume
II
Lit till
f s Reports,
Page 258 under the
case La^ue
vs
LaRue,
and
in Volume
III
J.
J. Marshall's
Reports,
Page 156 under the case
of LaRue Heirs
vs
LaRue Executors.
So persistent was
the elder Buchanan in his attempts
to clear his
land
titles ^nd
save his
investments
that he
sent his
son to Kentucky to represent
his
interests.
The
son,
a young lawyer, probably
did all that was within
his power to effect
a clear and decisive settlement,
but
it
is not
to be
supposed that with the departure
of Lawyer
James Buchanan from Elizabethtown
that
the property
of James Buchanan,
Sr.
and his
partners had
clear titles.
The maze
of court
entanglements
feaad so engulfed
these holdings
that
it
is
doubtful
if any
one
of the
persons
concerned
in the
suits
could foretell
the
outcome.
Possibly the unusually active
fight
put forth by Buchanan
and
his partners during the early title difficulties was
largely responsible
for
the long drawn out litigation.
Hardin County Court Records
(Deed Book H- Page 413)
show that ^uchgnan,
n by an agreement decided
to hold their lands
as tenants
in common and not
as
joint tenants.
Upon the death of Robert Johnson deeds
dated June
8,
1809) were made partitioning the land
to
the
executors
of
Johnson and Buchanan and ^ickey.
Due to difficulties which arose concerning
this
land by reason of adverse
claims
,
an agreement was made with Charles
Campbell
one
of the original
owners
to re-convey to him their tracts
in Hardin county for an amount
of
cash totaling $1454.47 and a deed to lands
in Westmoreland county
in Penn-
sylvania.
This deed
is dated March 15,
1821 and -anntpfru the name
of
James
Buchanan,
^r,
and Elizabeth
(Speer) Buchanan £fee mother
of James
Buchanan the /President.
The deed was recorded by Samuel Haycraft,
Jr.,
the
clerk
of the Hardin County Court on February
5,
1823.
It was
in the Pall term
of Court 1822
that
the
case LaRure
vs LaRue was
decreed as related
in Littell's Reoprts.
In January ,1830 jMar shall
! s Reports
state that
the
case was appealed from a
judgment
of the Nelson Circuit
Court,
and the result
of
the
suit was
that
the heirs
of LaRue were to receive the
money due them from the executors,
but the titles
to the land
in question
were not "ire
be affected,
thereby forever settling and clearing
tfye property
titles
of the Buchanan, Mickey and
Johnson lands which haoU previous
to
this
decree been se4&T"
.'
/
Whether
the Buchanans realized a profit
on their
investments
in Hardin
county property
is
not known,
but
it
is highly improbable that they did,
was
because
of the
expense which
to? most likely incurred
in defending their
rights to the property,
even though
in 1821 a profit had been realized
on
the sale
of the tracts.
It
is^however* anjf interesting historical fact
that both the
father
of the fifteenth
and- sixteenth president)? of the
United States
owned property within the limits
of Hardin county and that
both were constantly engaged
in court proceedings
endeavoring to protect
their
interests.
13.
&M83-tiroiftM
t S.TRIP TO KEIOT6KE.
Due
to the intensity of the
legal battles
concerning the Buchanan,
^ickey.and Johnson
properties,
the
son
of the
elder Buchanan, who had
a
few years before completed
a legal education,
came
to Elizabethtcvn to
represent his father's
interests
in these numerous
land
suits.
Possibly the trip appealed
to young Buchanan as an opportunity for excite-
ment and adventure
as well
as
a chance to practice his profession
in
a new
country which afforded excellent possibilities
for advancement
In the numerous Haycraft ^manuscripts there
is
to be found
in faded hand-
writing an account
of. tiaraes Buchanan^j 4
trip to Kentucky which
is
as
„
<**
follows:
"Late President Buchanan about
the year 1813
or 1814
came
to ^ Kentucky, coming down the Ohio
in a flat boat with
la j or James butcher and
rhomas
S. Crutcher with their goods,".
This account ef^nteM was possibly written by Haycraft
one year after
the death of President Buchanan as his death occurred
in the year 1868 and
Haycraft wrote his history
in 1869.
Possibly the death
of
Buchanan recalled
to Haycraft »s mind the residence^? the then future president (in Elizabethtowny
The appearance
of the manuscript
indicates that he intended^ive additional
information but
for
some reason
such, information was
never added.
Like many early pioneers the future fifteenth president came to Kentucky
by water route
on a
flat boat.
Major
Jam.es
Crutcher and
his
son Thomas
S. Etcher, made
frequent trips
to Pennsylvania to purchase
~oods
for their
store
in Elizabethtow^and young Buchanan was likely able
to
contact
them
through the wholesale house from which^rutchers purchased their merchandise.
Such
a trip into
the unsettled °tate
of Kentucky; even as
late as 1813 «*-
-l€ia±*was more
or
less hazardous;
not
trmar Indians
b$rt
on account
o#" river
pirates
and robbers
that w ere usually encountered
on the trip.
An interesting account
concerning the hardships endured by the early
merchants
is related
by Haycraft who! likely had Major ^rutcher
in mind as he
was
the leading merchant
of ElizabetAtown at this/early period and was
frequently going East- to import merchandise for/the frontier.
"it
took not only a man of enterprise, /but
a man of courage
to be
a merchant
in the days
of yore, when there was no
stage-
or railroad,
or steam boat.
It was
a two months
trip to Baltimore
or Philadelphia and back.
Bfefore starting on this hazardous
and
laborious trip,
the merchant; made his will,
and called his
friends
together to
take possibly the
last leave
of them,
and
it was
generally noised over
the country before the trip was taken that
such a store keeper was goin| for goods
-
I well remember those
times.
The merchant mounted his
horsje with a brace
of horseman's
pistols
on
the
e^ntle__^f__his sad^Lj^j^
padded
quilt
containing abouf~Wo~"thousand Sapnish dollars
- sometimes
took a guard through the wild-ernes s
part
of
the
way,
and
thBff
encumbered travelled about seven hundred miles,
this
at
the best
travel would
take
over hills,| mountains
and rivers,
from sixteen to
twenty days
- laying
in and
sfelectin'g
a stock of goods
occupied
about
three weeks.
Then employing several teams
of Maryland
or Penn-
sylvania wagons,
each drawn % six
^ ones toga horses,
over
the moun-
tains
to Pittsburg./
That trip occupied from ten to fifteen days.
At ^ittsburg a
fla,£ boat was Spur chased an$
the
goods
stowed away
in
it.
then the joroad horn,
fas
it was
sometimes
called
(in contempt
after
steam boats started) was
floated
downVfche Ohio,
the merchant
always
on board/with his
handjs and consumed
some fifteen or twenty
days/ according to the
stage
<jf the water (to reach the
falls J
If piloted
over
the falls,
tlje boat bound for Elizabethtown and the
southern counties would
be finally landed at
the\ mouth of Salt River,
now West Point.
Then
the merchant posted
off aV©ssenge ** to his
clerk calling for eight
or t£m wagons
to be
sent
t^ him.
The merchant
remaining until the
last box^
crate,
keg
or barrel
w^ls
on the wagon.
Then like
a bird liberated from his
cage,
he
flew to\meet his wire
and children.
It was
a dayf of rejoicing
of which all partook
in the
neighborhood.
And when
the' wagons arrived
the news
spread like wild-
fire that the new roods had
come
and many a dollar had Deen hoarded
for /the
occasion."
IS
Undoubtedly Major ^rutcher and his
son were very glad
to accommodate
young Buchanan
"by bringing him to Kentucky,
because he not only made an
extra hand and
ijupact but
the
civic
interest
of thfcsElizabethtown resident
probably foresaw
in Buchanan a psrmanent resident.
In returning from one
of these trips
East, Major Grutcher met
a young man at ^afetinsburg,
Virginia .named Horatio Gates ^'intersmith and prevailed on him to come
to
the
^est'^
v'Wintersmith unlike Buchanan became
a permanent resident
of Elizabethtown.
It
is not known definitely whether young Buchanan intended to make
his home
in the western country
or whether he came to Kentucky to
protect his
father
f s
interests.
It
is likely that he was undecided as
to his
future residence and
if the town appealed
to him he probably
intended to stay.
Statements by him and Ben Hardin made several years
(
later seem to indicate that he
intended to
stay.
As he was admitted
to
the
toap to practice law
on November 17,
1312
it
is likely that he would
seek a new country where competition would not be so great.
The trip of this young Pennsylvania]! down the °hio was
probably
a very pleasant experience.
The river course was exceedingly beautiful
and
the
frontier setting likely appealed
to him. ——
ir
or five yea/s laterv the njAed natuHlist/fiafin*
trip
in \ f^at boat from X^ttsbur;? and
fou%l
the tr
one
of mu^i\nterest duey^o
the strange
aynd uAqlassifi
\the Scientist \as able to discover.
Xj^*-*->-~~c\
uJM<*X
According to Haycraft, Major ^rutcher would
d o ck his
flatboafcjat the
mouth of Salt River
on the banks
jfc Hardin county.
*rom ^alt R iver
fM.
young Buchanan would travel the
last twenty^miles
of his
journey on a
wagon loaded with merchandise,
passing into
the knob country with
its
picturesque ^uldraugh's ^ills wWdrrwePe ^eStfi
J tb«4»-fey»-~——
Itieliaftx
the
^E»i*»^4aA
,v«j.lep>-who--rotl-e horseback -ovaF..yjthe same route two
or three years*
Si
earlier from Louisville to %shville as
"A steep and Ldfty mountain
that, forms
a kind
of- amphithl
From its
suramit
the neighboring country
pre^e/fts
the
asp)
of an immense valley covere&with forests oVan imperceptible
extent, wnence
as
far as tbe\ye can reacb^i^othing
birt^a gloomy
verdant /s pac\ is
seen,
fo/med\y* the
clo^e,
cVinected/xrees\
and through which not tm vestige
of aslant at i^n
era. be discerned."
Upon arriving at
the frontier community of Elizabethtown
it
is mere
supposition but probable,
that young Buchanan made his home with Major
Crutcher,
for
in additapn to being
a merchant he was also a tavern keeper.
4+a-j or-Aputchcr
- was
a very distinguished Kentuckian who during his
career
was
a Justice
of
the peace,
judge
of
the quarter session court,
trustee
of the
town,
trustee
of the Academy and Representative
and Senator
in the
Kentucky legislature.
In such a home
it
is likely Buchanan's residence
was made very enjoyable. ^
&emuls*~-e-f H3fe young Pennsylvanian's
fine appearance,
courteous manner
and excellent education in addition to the
fact
that he was
a mjtmber
of
the bar
of Lancaster,
Pennsylvania, made &uc li a personage d c & ui le
\r£&
ym&k,. quite an asset
to
the community.
Little did the citizens
of
Elizabethtown at
this time realize that he would become the fifteenth
President
of
the United States and
that residing about -£i£t£.en miles away
on Knob ^reek was
a
small boy
a%e=st four
op-fivo years
of age who would
become the sixteenth President succeeding him to that
office.
n
TWO aJOOISEBIKG FUTURE PRESBEKT:
.
TO HARDTF COUNTI
.
IK1S-.
Elizabethtown probably presented to Buchanan
a very strange and picturesque
frontier appearance.
The town had -fre en founded
in the year 1793 by ^olonel
Andrew Hynes and named
in honor
of his' wijta Elizabeth.
Here was located the
seat
of
justice,
but the town did
not prqye
of rapid growth as
the third
census credited
the village
in the year 1610 with only one hundred and eighty
inhabitants.
However,
atythis
early period
in Kentucky history
this
community
was
a scene
of much activity,
and its people were ambitious as evidenced
that
t
>
by the greatness ^tf some
of
its
citizens achieved.
Social life was -
( ^^
r,
^n Y ni^-pn^i
fA
a
frjgh degree and
scIuiqIs were est&klJbgWl,
prpvitfed
hi
tiiosh—
y^eascs with
e^o client
teacher s.
The village was not
an unattractive settlement
inhabited by poor and miserable people,
but was a village composed of good
- v
^ families
from the more advanced sections
of the United States,
In this
early period
the majority
of
the houses uere of log construction,
but many of these log houses were unusually large and made of hewn logs.
Two large
brick houses ,
ono
of which is
still
ntfinding ,
created an imposing
appearance/
In addition to these,
several frame structures had been built.
A
stoneL.jajLJL expensive
for that
day,
and
a new court house were ^gm in use.
EirMwrtre fcfitWBn ajso boasted
of a brick yard,
a tannery,
a distillery and
three
stores
one
of which was
owned and
operated
far a short
time by John James
Audubon,
the great
ornithologist.
There were several blacksmiths
and gun-
smiths,
a shoemaker and a tailor and
a dancing master residing
in
the
town.
Costumes
of the frontier still prevailed,
but here and there were to be seen
among the buckskin leggings, hunting shirts,
coon skin caps^and moccasins
a few beaver hats,
short breeches,
low shoes with silver buckles and knee
buckles.
ng
The
.first record
of Thomas
Lincoln
in ^lizabethtown
is
in 17^6 three
vears after the town was
established.-
documentary evidence through court xbxk
records and early manuscripts
shows that Thomas
Lincoln resided permanently
in Elizabethtown fr6niAl803 to 1808.
un °une
12, lSOS^homas Lincoln married
Nancy Hanks
in Washington county and with his bride
immediately returned to
Elizabethtown to reside,
and
in February of the following year the couple's
first
child,
Sarah,
was born.
Little Abraham.who was born on the South *ork farm very probably came
to the
county seat with his
father
on county court days and sufficient
documentary evidence has
iseen established to show that Abraham Lincoln
passed through Elizabethtown when the
Lincolnl| family migrated to Indianaa
in the year 1816.
In this
small community
it
is
not at all unlikely that James Buchanan
knew Thomas Lincoln casually as Lincoln was defending his
property titles
in
the Court$ during the year 1813 and Buchanan being
a lawyer,
frequented the
court house
on many occasions*
It
is not
impj&obahle that Buchanan may have
seen young Abe,
but due to their difference
of age and station in life,
it
is unlikely that any notice was
paid the future sixteenth president,
Sarah Bush Johnson who was to become the step-mother
of Abraham Lincoln was
at
this time the wife
of Laniel Johnson,
jailer
of ^ardin county.
As
it was
the duty of the
jaj.ler to keep the court house
in order,
his wife
assumed the duty
in this
case and no doubt James Buchanan many times
observed
this
industrious woman as
she went about her daily task of cleaning and
caring for the building.
A^JU^^^r
JU A**-*
<L<
±shed: whether '"Buchanan resided
in
-flofinitely
JOiB«h^ltUWTr^^he year
1813 or~lB14, H in
e xac t
ago whilo liviag-in-
<Manraunifcy-4»=Bot mown .
Horton in his Campaign Biography of Buchanan written
in 1856 states
that James
Buchanan* Jr. was admitted to the bar November
17,
1812* when he was a little
over twenty-one years
of age.
He
further continues
regarding his ability as
a lawyer with the
following comments:
"He
came
to
the
har
of his native, state when Pennsylvania was
d;&;inguished far and wide for the superior ability of her
lawyers.
She
could
boast
then of the Baldwins, her Gibsons,
her Rosses,
her Duncans,
her ^reckinridges,
her Dallasses and
her Semples, who shed not only honor upon their
own state but
who added materially to the legal reputation of the whole country.
V/ith su^h men as
these Mr. Buchanan was compelled to struggle
for
that eminence
in his profession which he subsequently attained
and
so firmly kept.
Perhaps we do not go too far
in saying that
there never has
fceen so rapid a rise
in the legal profession as
that afforded
in his
case.
V^_Be cause
off. the fact that IjMle
information
is
givjMi in "t-M,. Bucho&g:
biographers
of his life dur^g the year
lpXoL
it is/lix^y that
Ills -re&J&ence
in
Eli/grt3e4:h\own was durin/ th^t year.
His
election as
a member
of the
House
of Representatives
of Pennsylvania
£et' t^re-^SrF^ 1814 and—i6itS
would
rather substantiate the fact th*t his
residence
in Kentucky could
not have been of long durat-ion and not during the year 1814.
3 g"
The
fact
that Haycraft mentions the Buchanan case
in the 1813 March ferm
-
of Hardin bounty ^ourt,
in his History of ^lizabethtjfcen,
mirfit
indicate
A
that unusual pressure was brought to bear by the plaintiff under
the guidance
of the
son and attorney
of the plaintiff,
and that
the year
of his Elizabeth-
town residence was 1813.
when Buchanan represented his
father's
interests
in these land suits he
was
forced
to oppose
} at
the age
of 22 years
firith only about
one
yearns
experience,
some
of the
finest
lawyers
in America.
£d
Samuel Haycraft
in his history states that
" By 1306 twenty-two lawyers
had heen admitted to
the **ardin ^ounty bar.
ilmong$ these were Felix ^rundy,
afterward Senator from Tennessee^
ftinian ^dwards*,
afterward Governor
of
Illinois J
Gliomas
B. Heed,
afterward ^enatoB from ^issif^ip-pij Henry P. Hrodnax}
John Rowan^
J ohn PopeJ
and ^obert ^'ickliffe.
Haycraft
observes
tksci of
certain lawyers who practiced
s.t filizabethtown "Either
of these men was
far
ahead
in legal knowledge,
statesmanship and administrative capacity of some
of
our presidents.
^
Ben Hardin who was
a noted lawyer and
one
of the most
interesting
characters
in
Urnfr ftafc-Nssp®? Kentucky* during the first half of the Nineteenth
Century, resided
for
a while
in ^lizabethjown but practiced for many ^ears
^
T
'
before the Elizabethtown bar,
ti Me biography written by Lucius
P. Little
v
thfe following information
is given concerning Buchanan in ^lizabethtown;
"Before Horace ^reely had a&iised the
"young man" to
go West
Ex-President Buchanan forsook his
Pennsylvania home
to come to
Kentucky/'
"I recollect very well"
said Mr. Hardin,
in 1849
"^at
some thirty-eight years ago the celebrated James Buchanan
late Secretary
ox
State under Mr.
Polk,
commenced the practice
of law
in the town of Elizabeth.
There
I became acquainted with
him,
and
at
that time
I discovered
in him a man
of
fine education
and respectable talents.
In
the
course
of
a few months he began
to look unhappy,
and
as
i$>he wwre experienceing some disappoint-
ment.
His
fsther had given him a large landed estate
in Hardin
county,
about ?/hich there was some difficulty.
M length he made
me his attorney at Law and attorney
in
fact,
and went back and
settled
in Pennsylvania, where he was
raised.
Ten
or
fifteen years
afterward
I met him
in ^ongress,
and
over and
over again have we
laughed when he told me this
story:"
"I went
to Kentucky"
said he,
"Expecting to be a great man there
but
every lawyer
I met at the bar was my equal, and more than half
of them my superiors, sol gave
it up."
I— The Hardin biography also contains
a description of Hardin's
personal
appearance attributed
to Buchanan,
as Follows:
"Ex-President Buchanan spoke
of seeing him on
one occasion
at ^lizabrtht own,
the material
of his apparel being linen,
of home manufacture
As to Buchanan's success as a lawyer in Elizabethtown the following:
4jrfsraKtTdn found in Collin's History Of Kentucky clearly shows that
the
Elizabethtown bar was no place for a novice.
ok
4*
Jpth
it, ''At
the
first
term
of court after his arrival,
am ong. other
visiting lawyers wkxs was
Ben Hardin - dressed
in a suit of unbleached
tow linen,
its clumsy fit helping to give the wearer auite
a clownish
appearance.
Buchanan was
surprised to see him take
a seat among the
lawyers.
Or.
the third day of the
term a
case was
called,
in which the
pleadings were very intricate and after the strictest faxox English
forms before the davs
of Chitty. /J^is wonder grew that
such a looking
man as
Hardin had
the depth ana
gr^asp to grapple with such a
case;
but when he heard him argue
it with a clearness,
and
tact, and power
that
evinced a master-spirit,
he retired
from the
court house and
frepared to abandon his new home
- remarking to himself that
id* such
coking men as Ben Hardin, were
so smart
in Kentucky,
there was
a better
opening for him in his
old Pennsylvania home/
I
TnW
mftf
in /-ongro.nff
in
1p?l—- 23.
and—both-lived
to advanced age-j-
Fttoningn-reflohinV
I
dfgry'e
n ? efflUmeas p^ it
S »Q—pr o fwrmi^f/ no-yaw
-Teaching
Ebfg^e
nf fAnf^timm
pnl it
i ^l—pr o fwrwi^iit
n^irpw
oqualod^Wiuore than hnjf .n
- flor i pn
/Wr-lcano.
Yet he never
fe^ft
p
-omomboy^Mtfl—first
eonffact with the alwRyw -r ough diamond at;
: the\Hardiir
County/bar ^ % Jle told ]fr>^rdin that' he Went
to Ken tucky-ex|>H t ting to
-
be
a groat martythorc/ but
e^orjr lawyer became
in
contasjb
yfith was
% his
ccmttl;,
and
1^1|/'o f jkem his
superiors;
nn^ W-ke- gave
it
u p-.
The duration 'of Buchanan's
visit
in Kentucky
is
not definite
but
it
is
likely that he resided
in Elizabethtown for several months.
Due to the slow
procesr.es
of law
and.
court
procedure
it was undoubtedly necessary for him to
stay there long enough to attend to his
father's
land interests.
Ben Hardin's
statement that
"In the course
of
a
few months he began to
look unhappy
would
indicate
that his residence
extended
over
a period
of
several months.
J ust when and how he departed
for Pennsylvanis
is not known,
but
it would have been the natural thing for him to
join
some party going
^ast,
possibly he accompanied. Major James ^rutcher
on -4**olW eastern trip
for merchandise taking the land route
*-»--»i**»«»^
ffr t oa ^^
^w
Buchanan's
life from this
period
on to his
election to the ^residency
and
his retirement after the election
of kneoiiuuirLLU-hia death
is well
i
i
.blown' to students and historians *
has
fccen charged
that .he
could have prevented the
Cifoil War,
but
the present
generation
in their intensive
study- of ^incDlr^s
life,
has
come to realize
that
it was Buchanan's misfortune to breast
the tide
of secession which no
one,, individual could have prevented.
^hile
it
is
true
that he favored
the South in his policies
of Uikle,
yet he was not unlike all preceding pres-
d&«B%e--HrH±TS"ns3rtrlon due
to the tremendous power
of
the South exer>ted up
- ta
f%
tJjnc
of the election of Abraham idncoliw.
H
T
'
I
\
ycd^XL^i-t^i
>tjg><L-o
*5V-*-»
JAMES BUCHANAN IN KENTUCKY
1813
R.Gerald McMurtry
Librarian
., Lincoln National Life foundation
(Revisions have been made)
Copyrighted by
The Pilson Club
118 West Breckenridge Street,
Louisville ,Kentucky •
To he published by The Pilson Club History Quarterly
January
1934,
(Not to be published without permission)
(x
hyt^^4 A^A^ZZ^e^o
/l*~£Z~^*~K C*r^^iX^$x^ JL^o X~**~y
/l&^l^uzj\
1813
S. Gerald -IcMurtry, Librarian
Lincoln Vatlcnal 'Life youndatlon
While all fee presidents of the I&tlted States have visited Kentucky,
except George Washington, John Maras* and Quxaas '*lfarson, and there ia
a possibility Hiat "Washington ray have visited eastern Kentucky in Ma
youth,
the fact that James 3uehanan
vjihc preceded i&raham Lincoln to the
presidency and who lived in ^.isabethtosaa,
the county seat of Hardin
County, for several months within ap^roxlBsately twenty saiies of the Lin-
coln home on Knee Creek v&ila
Lincoln resided there has seldom "been men-
tioned*
'
k great amount of literature has
"been TKritten about Lincoln in Har-
din Co nty which has had, sinre Its establishment in 1792,
the distinction
of having within its limits nany great characters of hctfe state and national
importance.
Original H&r&in County ishich derived its name fro© John Hardin,
a Yirginlan aho was isardered by $ae Indians the year of its establishment,
\
e&hraosd a large area being approximately 140 miles long and 50 railee wide
\
and from its beginning proved to be very attractive to both settlers and
land speculators.
*"*
.
\
\.
Captain Abraham Lincoln,
the grandfather of the president, cans into
Kentucky as a settler, and his son,
Quxaas, made his first purchase of Sen-
tueky real estate in Eardin County in the year 1803.
Shonas Lincoln en-
gaged in many land transactions until the year 1816 sSusn he left Kentucky,
partly because of insecure land titles.
Other
prominent pioneer families,
such as
the LaFollettea, darks, and Boones, likewise left Kentucky be-
cause of land difficulties.
\
Y
*.,
James Buchanan*
Sr, ,
the father of President Buchanan, fourteen
years
after the Lincoln migration to Kentucky bought a landed estate In Hardin
County, causing Ms interest in
tfoe state to hecotae that of a land speculat-
or,
3ae Lincoln and Buchanan connection with Hardin County resulted In events
Bhieh gave this county $ae unique distinction of having,
for several months
in 8*e year 1813,
two future presidents living wlttdii its houndaries at
t3be
satae
tixas.
Th& father of Jatses Buchanan, upon arriving in this country from Ire-
land in the jem 17^ at
tfc* ags of twenty-three years, resided a short
tisie
in P|iiladai|Ma and a few mn$b® later reiaoved to Stony Batter* FrasMlj*
County, Pennsylvania.
In 13SS£.hs asarried Elisabeth Spear, and their son*
Jaiaes, was horn April 23, tH|«
He laudouhtedly omm in contact with nma-
erous persons who t?ere moving
?est and was most iHssly induced % a land
agent to purchase Kentucky real estate.
As
o. rale Pennsylvenians were heavy purchasers of land in Eentac&y,
and Buchanan* i acreage was approximately as gp&&| as were the purchases of
the Xdaoolns*
i'any estates at this early date in Kentucky history liter-
ally ran into thousands of acres, hut due
to the fact that Janes Buchanan,
Sr. did not akgrate to
tfce west
, his holdings were probably bought aore
conservatively in proportion to his e state than were
the investments of
Certain Lincoln.
Records in the Hardin County Court House (Deed Book A, Page 233}
show that on March 15,
1796, Janes Buchanan of FrankLing County, State of
Pennsylvania, became a part owner wiffc Jame s Sie&sy of 3, 610 acres of Ian
located in Hardin Conaty.
fhls vr^mT^ was purchased at one dollar par
acre, and the deed was made
to James Buchanan,
Sr.
and James Dickey both
of Pennsylvania
"by Michael Campbell and his wife,
Sarah Campbell,
and Charles
Campbell all of Kelson County.
2he deed to this
property contains the name
of John Spoor, a witness to
the proceedings, who was most likely the father
or brother of Ulsabeth Speer,
the wife of Buchanan, Sr*
The deed ms
eas-
ecuted an March 29, 1¥96, before Jaaes Beddle, president of the several
Courts of Ganaon Pleas in the circuit consisting of Franklin, Bedford, Hun-
tingdon* and Mafflia Counties,
^hls land was Buchanan* s first inveateaeat
in Kentucky.
3fee 3,610 acre ferast la described as being located in Hardin County,
two hundred poles belos? the *aouth of Doe &un on the bank of the CM© Hirer*
running to the line of John May's 3000 acre surrey,
ihe line crossing the
upper sid« of the mouth of Bos ^uu several times,
©lis -%m&pert& located
then in original Hardin County is
to-day located in lieado County.
Another
tract in which Buchanan had an interest contained 5,9*00 acres and is described
as being located on both sides of Holin "ivar in Hardin County,
^be lines
ran near the *aouth of the Big Sandy Spring and also below the south of Val-
ley Creek and near lolin Creek*
Little documentary evidence has been found concerning the Buebanan
land immediately after the sale of the tract
in 1796*
Fa litigation oc-
curred until seven years after the purchase, and
ths property up to this
tis» was probably considered a good
Investment.*
^he o^aers most likely
hoped, after the further settlement of Kentucky,
to sell the land at a
handsoias profit.
A large net return would probably have been realised
had not incompetent executors of estates and Insecure property titles
entered into the b
rgain*
2he property in which Buchanan* Jaoes Mickey,
and Hobert Johnson, a
later partner, had invested their money was originally in the possession
<J
of John LaHue (II) who died in the year 1792.
* In his will he appointed
A
(
'
:
A,
three executors J
Isaac La^ne, Roller* Hodgjn, and Philip Phillips to admin-
ister Me estate,
the will devised that
the estate be equally divided
among his children* but the executors were to sell so much of his other
*
property and lands wnien he bad not previously devised, as to discharge
his lawful debts*
Buchanan did not purchase
the
Lallua tracts from the
executors of LaBue but they had been sold
to several other parties before
be became oneof the purchasers.
2&e amount required to settle the lawful debts of John LaBue amounted
to twenty—seven pounds » yet the executors had sold slaves and lands timet*
in excess of the aaomnt of the debts.
®*e heirs of La&a* brou^it suit a^inst
the executors for the recovery of the land, stating that
tiie land and slaves
should no* have been sold and that t&ey biad acted, without due authority In
selling the property at a sacrifice in price fwd without neeessi^r.
Shift
litigation started in the ye r 1803 and continued for many years in the Har-
din County Ckrart*
Samuel Hayeraft* Jr.* in his original manuscript of the Sis tory of
Blizabefchtown, stated imder
the beading of &48CH
'i'/HK,
(EAT-Dir COUSTT COTES.)
dated March 8* 1813,
that several land suits in the name of James ^uchanaa
and James Siekey were on the docket for that lerm.
2he
plaintiff, James
Buchanan, he further asserts* was
tfee
fattier of James Buchanan,
the future
president.
It this point in
the manuscript there appears a note,
a See
James Buchanan" which indicates that a further discussion of Buchanan oc-
curred in other writings of bis.
Hayeraft at the time of this court term,
was eighteen years of age which would rmke it reasonably certain that his
statement was mads from first hand knowledge and information*
Buchanan was elected to
the presidency in the year 1^7 and Hayeraft
wrote his his t cry twelve years later.
Little attention was likely paid
to the Buchanan land litigation at
this early period.
However* after the
son had achieved fame It is most likely
tfoat many citizens recalled th©
residence of the then future president in Elisabethtown and
I3ie numerous
r
land
truits la \*hieh his fatker engaged endeavoring to clm-r property titles*
A HHiUlifiH.Hlijt fro® the papers of Haycmft show that in Sie year IB 15 the suit
ways again fcefere
tit© court, as an order was drawn % fee County Court
Cleric
for money to
fee paid to John Hel% a witness,
idiich Is as follows)
EABBXM CXECUX* COOT,
SIPISMBi&l ill
iai&
11Ordered that William A,
Clark, &vaes Pag**®* Minor Lewrigjht,
Ally Overall* and 3&a@as
liewis pay unte^oha Helm the sua of
one pound, eight shillings and four pence for attending
thisi
court term fit* days as a witness for them at the salt of
Jajaes Bickey end Janies Buchanan snd travelling forty rsilea and
*
returning the saae distance.^
A Copy feet,
Ben Helta, C*H,CC
jj
Hi© fact that John Helia,
t&e surveyor, was
stggsaoned before Use court
would indicate that be was the
swarveyer of the 1 aside in <|aestien»
Owing
to Ms education and training for this work be was considered one of the
"best in his prefers!en, and Ms life in the early nineteenth century in
Hardin Senate was one coaatontly fraught vdth danger and eascitesaeafu /^»
fhese land suits which began in the year 1803 were tv&ce carried to
the Court of Appeals of KentucJ^ as reported in Ycltvse II, Littell 1 s Be*
ports, page 258 \m&er fee case LaMue vn La&oe, and in ?ol\*ae HI,
£#
<£«
Marshall* s Beports, page 156 under
the case of LaBue Heirs vs Iia&ue £xecu*ers«
So persistent was the elder Buchanan in his attests to clear hie land
titles and save his invastiaeats that he
celit his eon to Ke&tac&gr to repre*»
sent his interests.
She eon, a young lawyer, probably did all that we* with-
in his power to effect a clear and decisive settlement* hat it is not $*
Jse supposed that with Qae departure of Lawyer Jataes Buchanan from Hli3afetfi&~
torn that the property of Jaiaes ^achanaa,
Sr*
and his partners had clear
>
titles.
'
tUte saase of court entanglements had so engulfed these holdings
that it ie doubtful if any one of the persons concerned in the suits coal
fertell
toe outcome.
Possibly the uaaaualXy active fight pat forth, by
,
Wm&zmm and Ms partners during ®» early title difficuXties was largely
re^onsibXe
for t&e long dra^n sol Xitig&tioa*
Bar&Jn County Oourt leeerds (Seed Book E* page 413)
snow
t&afc the
three partners by an agreeiaent decided to told ttolr l§itla as tenants in
cokesoji and not as joint
tenants.
Upon the death of Robert Johnson deeds
dated Jisie 8, ISO®* were seule parti tioning the land to
tfie executors of
Jeanson, ^Shanes* sad Btafagr*
Dne to difficulties *fsiea arose eane©-ming Hits land by reason of
adverse elaiisss, an agreement was *aade wit& Charles
Caiap!M>XX# <NMJaf the
original owners,
to re-convey to Ma tfeeir tracts in l&rdia Comfy fmr
an atftou&t of cash totaling $14&4.47
-and a deed to lands in ^asfttaoseland
County in Pennsylvania.
fflji» deed is dated March
XS.* 182X# and incli^les
^LJ§r..
and Elisabeth (Speer)
Buchanan, mother of James -Buchanan,
the president.
Hie name of Jmma Bichanan\fee
.^atiar»-^j^iaiilen4.
5ine deed was recorded
^ SasiaeX Hayereft, Jr.,
the clerk of the Sardia €ouafcy Ceorlk, <m fetataayS,
It was in the fall
term of court 1822 that
the ease LeBe* $$
Xteltae
was decreed as related in Littell*g Beperts.
In January.,-
18??0, Marshall* s
Isports state
-©sat
tine case was appealed from a jodgeaent of the Seises
Circuit Court, and the result of the suit £$f
that
fine heirs of "L&Bob were
to receive the money due
tbesi
froia the executors,
beat
ffae titles to the
land in <2aastion were not to be affected,
thereby forever s-ettling m&
clearing' ttie property titles of the Saehanaa, Biekey, and Johnson lands
ishieh had been sold previous to this decree*
^atstlaer the Sechaaasa realized a profit on t&eir investments in
Hardin Oou&ty proper^ is not kneem,
text it is hlgtly ii2$sro%ably that they
di4, because of t&e expense is&iea was sost likely incurred in defending
$*eir ri^its to ®w» property, eves l&on^i J»JI*2*
~ «w*lt aest-tooa realised
om the sale of tas tracts*
It is* hewefesr* an interesting nis terieal fact
\I7
that eetfe
the father of
tl*e fifteenth and
tfee fattier of the eixteestti presi-
/^
dent of the J&ited States owned property within Ihe liisits of Hardin County
aM that hota were eemstantly engaged in cohort proceedings eadeaToring t©
protect $mir interests,
Bos to the intensity of the legal "battles concerning the Btaehanan,
Biclc©y,and Johnson properties*
the san of the elder Buchanan,
liio had a
few years "before completed a legal education* can» to Slisabethiown to
repressmt Ms favor's interests in these sansroae land salts.
Possioly
tbe trip appealed to yomg Buchanan as an opportunity for exeitemnt and
adventure as well as a chance to practice his profession in a new comtry
which afforded excellent possibilities for advancement.
In
ffim mmetonm
Bayesraft manuscripts there is to be
fo-and in faded handwriting an account
of &e trip of James Buchanan*. Jr.
to Kentucky*
rihleii is as follows?
*I»&te President Buchanan about
the
ye-- r 1813 or 1314 catae
to Kentucky* cooing down 1&& Ohio in a flathoat with Major
James Crutehsr and Hioaas
3,
Orutcher with their goods* ft
l&
{
23iis account was possibly written by liaycraft one ys&r after $se
death of President Buchanan as his death occurred in
the year 1868
Haycraft wrote Ms history in 1889*
Possibly the do th of Buchanan
called to Haycraft* S mind
the residence in ^lisahetnlown of the then
future president*
^he appearance of the iaanuseript indicates that he
intended to give additional informtioa hut for seiae reason such inf
ti«a was never &Mwdu
LX3sb many early pioneers the future fifteenth president came to Ken-
tucky % water route em a fiathe&t,
Uajor Janes Crutcher end Ms son*
faosaas S* Grnteher* xadt fretgusnt tr%>s to Pennsylvania to purchase good*
for their store in Elisabet&town* and yemg Buchanan was likely able to
contact them through the molesaie house from #iich the GrutchsrR i^ar-
chased their merchandise.
Such a trip into the tmsettled State of Ken-
tucky even as late as 1S13 was more or less hazardousj not because of the
Indians but on acoent of river pirates and robbers that were usually en*
countered on the trip.
l&doubtedly Major Cratcher and his soa were very j£ad to acccsaao*
date youag Buchanan V bringing 14a to Eeuteselsy. because
lie not oaly mads
and extra hand sad guard but the civic interest of this Blizabctlitomi resi-
dent probably foresaw in ^uehaaan a nwlliumml resident.
In returning from
one of these trips east* Major Orutchar east a youag atsaa at Martiaeburg* Vir-
ginia* aa^ed Horatio Sates tintersiaita* and prevailed on Mm to come to the
west.
WiatersEaitk unlike Saehaaaa becaiae a permanent resident of' $3.isabe$i->
It is aot Icaewa definitely whether young Bacbaaaa intended to wsQm
his boae in the western eountaey or whether
lie easaa to l^tae&y iserely t&
protect Ms faster* s interests*
It is
lilcely that he was undecided as
ifc
Ms future residence and. if the torm .appealed to him he probably intended
to stay*
Statements b^ hixu and Ben Bar&in scade several years latsr seem te
indicate
that lie intended
to stay.
As he sss admitted to the bar to practice
law m leveoher 17, 1812*
it is likely that be would seek a new country sfoer©
i y
coKaseMtion would not be
so
-?reat.
2ne trip of this young Pear^lvaniati
^ctci the Ohio was probably a
very pleasant experience*
*he river course sme exceedingly beautiful! and
the frontier setting lUseiy appealed to him.
According to Baycraft* Major
Crutcher and all *&e taerehants living in the southern counties ef Eentuclsy
dodeed their flatboats at
the isouth of Salt Biver on the Hardin County Iasl&
'
'
Ibrom Salt Biver yc«mg Buchanan would travel
the last twea^*five miles of
hie journey oa a wsgoa loaded witk raerchaadiee. passing into the kaob country
wi$a its pictvareetjae Maldraughis Hills and corspletiag* mm his arrival at
Slisahethtowa*
the long Journey from Penaeylvsnia*
%os arriving at &» frontier cosssiaiity of Ulssbethtowa it is mere
supposition but
xobabl© that young Buchanan made his home with Major Crat-
cher* for in addition to being a merchant he was also a tavern deeper.
Ha was a very distinguished Kentuekian who during Ma career was a justice
of
tfie peace, judge of
tihe quarter session court,
trustee of fee toum, true-
tee of the academy, and representative and senator In the Kentucky Legislature
In such a hose It Is likely Buchanan1 s residence was
tiade very enjoyable. 2-
In spite of his youth the young Pennsylvaniaa1 s fine appearance,
courteous manner, and excellent education in addition to the fact that he
r/as
a member of the bar of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, made him quite an asset to
the community.
Little did the citizens of Elisabethtorn dream that he would
become
the fifteenth president of the United States and that residing about
twenty miles away on Knob Greek was a small boy four years of age «ho would
become
the sixteenth president succeeding him to that office. * ™
Elizabethtown probably presented to Buchanan a very strange and
picturesque frontier appearance.
%e toim had been founded in the year 1793
by Colonel Andrew Hynes and named in honor of his wife, Elisabeth.
Here was
located 0h& seat of justice, but the
town did not prove of rapid growth as the
third census credited the* village in the year 1810 with only one hundred and
eighty inhabitants.
However, at this e^rly period in Kentucky history this
community was a scene of much activity, and its
people were ambitious as evi-
denced by the greatness that some
of its citizens achieved.
Social life was
developed to a high degree and schools were established, provided in most
a*
cases with excellent teachers.
3-he village was not an ^attractive settle-
ment inhabited "ky poor and miserable people, but was a village composed of
good families from the more advanced sections of the United States.
In this early period the majority of the houses were of log con-
struction, but many of these log houses were unusually large and made of hem
logs.
?wo large brick residences created an imposing appearance.
In addition
to these,
several frane structures had been built.
A stone jail expensive
for that day, and a new court house were in use, and the little town also
/&
boasted of a brick yard, a tannery, a distillery, and throe stores,
one of
which was owned and operated for a short time by John James Audubon,
the
great ornithologist,
fhere were several blacksmiths and gunsmiths, a shoe-
maker, a tailor, and a dancing master residing in the torn.
Goo tames of the
frontier still prevailed, but here and there were to be seen among the buck-
skin leggings, hunting shirts, coon skin caps, and moccasins a few beaver hats,
short breeches, low shoes with silver buckles, and knee buckles.
file first record of %.omas Lincoln,
tfee father of Abraham,
in Blisa-
be thtown is in 1796, three years after the town was established,
documentary
evidence through court records and early manuscripts shows that Thomas Lincoln
resided permanently in Slis&bethtown from about 1800
to 1808.
On June 12#
1806, ^omas Lincoln married lancy Eanks in Raskin gfem County and with hie
bride immediately returned to SXisabethtown *° reside, and in February of the
following year the couple's first child, Sarah, was born.
Little Abraham, who was bora on the South fork farm, very probably
came to the county seat with his father on county court days and sufficient
documentary evidence has been established to show that Abraham Lincoln passed
through
vilisabethtown when the Lincoln family migrated to Indiana in the
year 1816. tt
In this small community it is not at all unlikely that James Buch-
anan knew Thomas Lincoln casually as Lincoln was defending his
property titles
in the September term of court during the year 1813 and Buchanan being a lawyer
frequented
the court house on many occasions.
It is not improbable that Buch-
anan may have seen young A%e, but due to their difference of age end station
in life, it is unlikely that any notice was paid the future sixteenth presi-
dent.
Sarah Bush Johnson, who was
to become the
step mother of Abraham Lincoln,
was at
tfeis tisa the wife of Daniel Johnson, jailer of Hardin County*
As it
was the duty of the jailer to keep the court house in order, his wife
assizaed
i\
the duty in this case and no doubt James ^Hichanan -any tises observed this
industrious woman as she went about her daily task of cleaning and caring
for the building.
A careful study of Buchanan biographies and doeuKientary evidence
indicates that he resided in Elizabethtown in the year 1313*
Horton in his
Campaign Biography of Buchanan written in 18S& states that James Buchanan, Jr.
was admitted to
the bar loweaber 1?,
1812, when ha was a little over twenty-
one years of a^eu
He further continues regarding his ability as a lawver with
the following eOEsasntss
*Be
caiae to the bar of his native state when Pennsylvania was
distinguished far and wide for the superior ability of her
lawyers.
She could boast
then of the Baldwins, her Gibsons*
her Bosses, her Duncans, her Breckinridges, her Dallasses and
her Semples* who shed not only honor upon their own state hut
isho added materially to
fee legal reputation of the whole country,
fith such men as these Mr. Buchanan was
cosrpelled
to struggle
for that eminence in his profession which he subsequently attain-
ed and so finaly kept.
Perhaps we do not go
too far in saying
that there never ha? been so rapid a rise in the legal profes-
sion as that afforded in his case.w 2 8
His election as a ntember of the House of Eepresentatives of Penn-
sylvania in 1814 would rather substantiate the fact that his residence in
Kentucky could not have "been of long duration and not during the ye^x 1814,
She fact that Haycraft raentions the Buchanan case in the 1813
in hi*
March Tern of Eardin County Court^original manuscript of the History of
Ilizabethtowa* might indicate
that unusual pressure was brought to hear by
the plaintiff under the guidance of fee son and attorney of the plaintiff,
and that the year of his Hlzabethtown residence was 1813.
When Buchanan represented his father's interests in $iese land
suits he was forced to oppose, at the age of 22 years with only about one
year* s
experience,
scsae of the fins st lawyers in Aaerica.
Samuel Hay-
craft in his history states that *By 1806 tnaatgr-too lawyers had been admitted
to
the Hardin County bar.*
Jfcaong these we~e S'elix Srundy, afterward senator
t
from Tenv.9ssee; Kinian Sdwards, afterward governor of Illinois; Shomas B.
Bead* afterward senator from Mississippi; Henry P. Brodnax; John Bowa»|
John Pope;
and Eobert Wickllffe.
Haycraft observes of certain lawyers
who practiced at Blizabethtovm Either of these men was far ahead in
legal knowledge,
state«aanship,and administrative capacity of some of
our presidents." ^'
Ben Hardly who was a noted lawyer and one of the most interesting
characters in Kentucky history during the first half of the nineteenth
ceiitory,
resided for ashile in S&isabethtows but practiced for many years
before the Hlzabethtown bar.
la Hardin* s biography written by L-opius
?• Little the following information is given concerning Buchanan in Blisa-
bethtewns
•Before Horace Sreeley had advised the
§ yo\mg man*
to* go west*
ex-president Buchanan forsook his Pennsylvania home and ease t©
Kentudsy.
*I recollect very well,*
said Mr, Hardin,
in 18^#
•that some
thirty-seven or
JSiirty"-eight years ago the celebrated
James Buchanan, late secretary of State mder Mr.
Folic,
eosiaenced
the practice of law in the %orm of l£UUabelh.
There
I became a©-
ouainted wlt& him, and at that time
I discovered in Mm a man ©f
fine education and reaped table talents,
I& the course of a few
months he began to look mhs&py,
and as if he was experiencing
some disappointment.
His father had given him a large landed
estate in Hardin County*
about isMch there was some difficulty.
At length he made
rse his attorney at law and attorney in fact,
and went back and settled in Pennsylvania, where he was raised.
fen of fifteen years afterward 2 met him in Congress,
and over
and over agaJb have we laughed when he told me $3is story:
*t went
to l^tuc&y,* he said,
* expecting to be a great man
there, but every lawyer 1 met at the bar was
say equal, and more
than half of them my superiors,,
so
I gave it up.
1 *' 3^
ffc» Hardin biography also contains a description of Hardin's personal ap~
pearance attributed to Buchanan, as follows;
•ta^President Buchanan spofea of seeing him on one occasion at
Elisabethtown, the material of his apparel being linen, of
home manufacture." 35
As to -^uchanan's success as a lawyer in Blisabethtown
fee following
account found in Collin* s History of Kentucky clearly shows that the
Slizabethtown fear was no place for a novices
"At the first tern of court after his arrival, among other visiting
lawyers was Ben Hardin - dressed in a suit of ^bleached tow linen*
its
elamsy fit helping to give
the nearer quite a elcsaish appearance.
Buchanan was surprised to see him take a seat among the lawyers.
Ob
the third day of the tern a case was died,
in v&iich
the pleadia&s were
very intricate and after the strictest English forms before the days of
Ghitty.
His wonder grew that such a looking man as Hardin had the depth
and grasp to grapple with such a case; hut
tihmt. he heard Mm argas it
with a clearness* and tact, and power that evinced a master-spirit* he
retired from the court house and prepared to abandon his new hose • re~
marking to himself that if such looking sen as Ben Hardin were so smart
in Kentucky* there was a better opening for him in his old rennsylvania
home. 8 3 y
'ih© duration of Buchanan's visit in Ken tacky is not definite hat it
is likely that he resided in Slis&bsthtewn for several months,
Sue to the slow
processes of law sad court procedure it was \aadoubtedly necessary for him to stay
there long enough to attend to his faSaer*s land interests*
B©n Hardin* s state*
ment that
* ! In the coarse of a few months he began to look unhappy'*
would indicate
that his residence extended over a period of several months.
Just tdien and how he
departed for Pennsylvania is now known* but it ^ould have been the natural
thing
for him to $&%& some party going east, possibly he accompajiied Major James Crut-
cher on an eastern trip for merchandise taking the land route on horseback as was
the custom of the merchants travelling east*
Buchanan* 3 life from this period on to his election to the presidency
and his retirement after the election of Lincoln is well known
to s tudents and his*
torians.
Due to the lact of documentary evidence concerning Buchan^a in
1813 most of his biographers have aaitted
to mention anything concerning his life
during that year* and no mention has been made of his trip
to Kentucky.
She
present generation in $ieir intensive study of Lincoln* s life should find early
Hardin County of especial historical interest due to the fact that
the two future
presidents*who were destined to play prominent parts in the most critical period
thus far of the nations existences lived in the same community in Kentucky less
then one hundred miles from
the birthplace of Jefferson Davie,
the president &t
the Confederacy.
"^
V
-
(Ifi^j^j^
1.
Scsoet V. mittlabeeler In the p>int of view coltssn of ©» Louisville Courier
Journal - S*e Wilson Club History Quarterly - vol. 6 - no. 4 - 0etooert 1932t *
page 420.
%
la addition to Eardin County1 s two succeeding presidents of the tMted States
whose %exm ran from 185?
to 1865, records snowthat Kentucky Governors Jases
A
Proctor Knott,
Siiaon Eilivar Buckner, and John T iaus Broun whose terms ran from
1883 to 1895 all lived for a time in Hardin County and succeeded each other to
that position.
Sasmaers 1 History of Ilisabetfctowa
Chapter XLTOI.
2. Mary Allen Goodsons Hardin 1 s Tort and its Founder* pass 3.
^
Samuel Rayeraft, Jr.: History of Elisabethtown, Kentucky, page 21.
3.
Captain Abraham- Lincoln with Ms family c&grated from ?irginia to Kentucky in the
year 1782.
Shoiaas Lincoln purchased,
on September 2,
1803, from John f.
Stater,for 118
pounds* 230 acres of land in Hardin County located on Mill Crook.
Louis A, Warrens
Lincoln1 s Parentage and Childhood, page 47.
% 4. When Abraham Lincoln wrote his autobiography for Scripps, he said: "From this
place (Knob Creek) be (fnomas Lincoln)
removed to what is now Spencer County,
Indiana,
in the autism of 1816, "Abraham then being in his eighth year.
litis removal
was partly on account of slavery, but chiefly onsccount of the difficulty in land
titles.*
5. Jesse La Colette,
the gra&dfafner of Senator Robert
it. LaFolette of Wisconsin,
sas a neighbor of Thomas Lincoln on Knob Creek in Hardin County* Kentucky.
Warren
Files, Lincoln National Lffe Foundation.
3ne western ancestor of Senator William I. Boron of Idaho lived at a pint near
Hasmoth Cave in Kentucky, about forty miles south of where Lincoln was born.
5he
Lincoln* LaFolette and Borah families all lived in Kentucky at the same time.
Warren Files, Lincoln national I*i?e Foundation.
u
6« She father of President Buchanan was descended from Shoiaas Buchanan of Bonielton
Ceun^, Donegal*
Ireland. ^History of 5trattteadric**by J. Guthrie Smith of Glasgow,
Scotland.
faere does not appear to be proof that any « brothers or sistars* of James Buchanan,
Sr. ease to America.
Browning1 * *Americans of Boyal Descent* 1S82, pages 48-49,
It is highly improbable that the early Kentucky Buchanans principally of Mercer
and Mead* Go-unties were of any relation to President Buchenan.
Browning's "Americans
of Eoyal Descent9
says *3&e degree of relationship between President James Buchanan
and the brothers, fhemas and Alexander,
is s? slight as
to be negligible. w
7.
In 1780 Squire Boone passing through this way (Meade County)
in company with a
certain John McKlnney discovered at the head of Bos %& a spring which he frequented
sundry times,
George L. Bidenour: Early Times In Meade County-, Kentucky, Chapter III
On January o,
1783, Squire Boone entered 6, OCX) acres of land on the Ohio Slyer
below t3» m mtk of Doe %m*
George L. Bidenour! Sarly ^imes is l!ead* County, Kentucky,
Chapter III.
An old stone mill erected a century ago on Dee *hm Creek has been concerted into
a resort hotel, and is today one of Kentucky* s picturesque attractions.
8. 3he Qounties of Mead* Breckinridge, and LaBue have been organised from the origin*
si territory included in Hardin County.
%e present area Is 606 square miles,
$*e
fourth largest in the state.
Leroy Martifci Facts about Elisabethtorn.
9. Fifty-one years after the death of John La^e (II), msaerous citizesn of the south-
eastern part of the large dounty of Hardin petitioned the Legislature of Kentucky for
the establishment of a new county, which they asked should be called lyim, wii& Hodgen-
vllle as its county seat,
She act creating the county was approved March 4, 1843,
but at the suggestion of John LaBue Helm, who was at that time influential in the poli-
tics of the state, he haying previously served several years as Speaker of the House
of Representatives,
the name Lynn was rejected, and
the new country was called LaBue,
Shis name may have been given partly in recognition of the numerous LaRnes
tsao were
living or who had lived withing the territory cut off from Hardin County, but 1 1 was
more
-*• rticularly for Governor Helm1 s grandfather. John LaRue.
Otis M. Mather*
Six Generations of LaBues and Allied Families, page 83*
10* Samuel Haycraft, Jr. was born August 14,
1795,
Haycraft* s History of Kli*a~
hethtown, Kentucky.
Samuel Haycraft(Jr.)of Elizabethtown,
Ky.,
is a witness of the highest possible
credibility.
Ho more esteemed and trusted men lived in Hardin Coutny, where he was
clerk of both corner and circuit courts from 1816 to 186? inciusv-ie, a member of the
Kentucky State Senate and "one of the most determined supporters of the Union**
Haycr&ft knew personally those of whom he writes and..... was a stamen friend of
President Lincoln.
wtik MSS.
Beveri&gej
Abraham Lincoln, page 5.
Xsll* flapubllshed Manuscript of Haycraft 1 s History of Bllsabethtown.
IS. Hafcraft's History of Elisabethtown, Ey., page 46.
13. When James Buchanan,
the future president,
left Slisabethtown,
Ky. ,he made
Ben
Hardin his attorney at law and attorney In fact.
Lucius
P.
Littles Ben Eardin, His
Times and Contemporaries, page 353.
14. James Buchanan,
Sr.
died in iranklin County, Pennsylvania in 1821
3@ aving 1 ssue
by his wife, "lizabeth Speer (whom he married in Adams County, Pa.), as follows!
(1) James
(2) William
Speer (3)
George V«
(4) Sdward Y ung (5) Jane mm according to
C rleton H. Miller there were other daughtere,
rs. Harriett B. Henry and Mrs. Maria
T
tes.
Browning's Americans of Boyal Descent
1883, Pages 48-49,
15.
Ha3T6raft MSS.
Warren Files,
Lire oln lational Life Foundation.
16. Ba73raft 1 a History of Elizabeth town, Kentucky, pages 98-99.
17. HSffraft* s History of Blisabethtown, Kentucky, page 106.
18. s «
°- Hortont 5he Life and Public Services of James Buchanan, page 17.
19.
Hajfrcraft» s History of Elisabethtown, Kentucky, page 99.
X SO.
The expression "going up Salt Hlver*
for defeated candidates grew out of a
tra-»
dition that Henry Clay went up that river in a steamboat to have a game of poker and
missed his speaking appointment in consequent, and thus lost the presidency.
Bayard Taylor who visited Kentucky in 1855 undertook to learn
the origin of the
phrase "Going np Salt Hiver**
?he explanation he received was that in earlier days
the salt makers up Salt liver bore a reputation for rowdyism that made them ther terxor
of all ths sm*rounding couotry.
Whenever a flatboatmsm en
the Ohio became unruly
him
his states would
-trcaaptly subdue .with a threat to send him up Salt Elver and turn him
A
over to ^ae tender mercies
of" the Salt makers,
fsgflor says that the phraao first ac«*
attired political significance about IS 40 hut he makes no mention of Henry Clay in
this connection.
S.
G. Boyd:
2he Lincoln and Nashville turnpike, Kentucky State
Historical register*
SI. fhe second brick residence to he erected in 5atsabethtown was the hose of Uajor
James Crutcher in the
vies t angle of the puhlic square,
two stories high, well finishd
with a set of marble steps
IniSrant, aeing superior in material and finish to any thing
of
tiso Mud in the following sixty years.
%is house was fSm hospitable *aanalen of
the major until about 1813.
Hatcraft' s History of Blisabetktown, Kentucky, page 77*
22. Lincoln in a letter written in 1360 to Samael Haycraft,
Jr.
saysi *fbe place on
Knob Creek, mentioned by Hr* Head,
I
reiaeaber rer? well.*
Eieolay & Say* Complete
Worte of A.
!»., Vol.
6, page 38*
23.
Little? Ben Hardin, lis ^liaes and Contesporaries, page 31.
She population of Hardin County was between eight and t en thousand in 1810* Ifca
land laws having been modified and settlement encouraged in i very way possible.
By
the year 1816 half a million people had settled in Kentucky and this camber was con-
stantly increasing.
Beveridge* Abraham Lincoln* Tol*
1* pages 32-33.
24.
General ^uff Green, an early Elisabethtorn school teacher, married Sucretla Id-
wards, an anat of Sinlan Wert 3&war&s,
isho was a brother-in-law of graham Lincoln.
He lived In the same house in Kitaabethtown in shich Shomas Lincoln was married to
Sarah Bush Johnston.
Gen.
Green became veiy influential in national politics during
the administration of Andrew Jackson becoming a sismber of his famous "Kitchen Cabinet. *
f
• History of Hisabeihtowa, Kentudgr, page 108
25.. Lincoln Lore, mm&er 44,
2?. Louis A» Warrant
Liiiooin^s Parentage and Childhood, page 29®,
28.
R.
0. BttPtoju ^8 Life and Public Services of James Buchanan, page 17,
2$. E.
$. Eortoxw
Life m& Public Services of Jasea Buchanan, page 22.
30* Albert J. Beveridge: Abraham Lincoln* page 1$,
Hote # 1.
>( 31. Hiaian Edwards was
the father of ffinian Wirt J&war&s, the brother-in-law of Abra>»
Henry F. Bi^odaax dressed in
tahite casssmere,
short breeches, silver bul&es. .*
and very fine cottonstocklngs, and a long white ribbed dimity coat*
the long sMrta
of which nearly touched the ground.
In hie will ho appropriated $2$,0G0 to the
Brodnax frofsssorsnip in the theological Seminary at LanviXle.
Hayeraft*s History
of Elisabethtorn* Kentucky* pages 178-179.
ft was at the heme of Joan Romm near Bardstowa that
the s ong *!%• Old Kentucky
Home* was written
lay Stephen Collins Foster, a cousin of Bowan,
Rowan later removed
to Louisville where ho became ma of the leading lawyers of Ms time and one of tha
first Waited States senators from Kentucky.
Idward Toung Buchanan, a brother of President Buchanan,
saarried **m Blimbalfo*
a sister of Stephen Collins Foster in tlse year 1833*
John Pope was a senator in Congress from Kentucky from 1807 to 1812, acting & part
of the time as president pro
tern of that body*
la HS§ he was appointed gOYcraor of
Arkansas*
He served as a representative in congress f r*aa 1S36 to 1840*
Hafcraft* s History of Elisabethtown,
featuelsy* page 174*
Robert W&geliffe was admitted to
the Elisabethtown bir is the year 1800, becoming
one of its first members*
Hayeraft* s History of Sliaabethtown, Kentucky, page 45.
32. Lucius P. Little:
Bern Hardin* Ms fimea and Contemporaries, page 352-353.
33* Lucius
P.
Little? Ben Hardin, His times and (^temporaries, page 560.
34.GoHia*e History of Kentucky. ?ol* 11 (Hardin Coua^r),
35. Jefferson Davis was horn inthat part of Qiaristian Corner, Kentucky which now
A
forms fodd County,
on June 3,
1808*
JAMES BUCHANAN and ABRAHAM LINCOLN
RESIDENTS
OF HAHDIN COUNTY,
KY.
By
-
R.
Gerald McMurtry
Hardin Co-unty - 1792
Hardin County,
in addition
to its fame as the
co-unty in which
Abraham Lincoln was born, has
since its establishment by the State
legislature
in 1792
the distinction of having as residents within its
boundaries many great characters of both national and state importance.
A great amount of literature has been written about the boyhood of
Lincoln in Hardin gounty and historians have often cited
the fact
that
Jefferson Davis,
the president of the Confederacy,
was likewise a na-
tive of Kentucky, having been born only nine months before Lincoln and
within a distance
of less
than one hundred miles from the birthplace
of the great emancipator.
However,
the fact that James Buchanan who
preceded
Lincoln
to
the presidency,
and who lived in Elizabethtown,
the county seat of Hardin County, for several months,
within approxi-
mately twenty miles of the Lincoln home
on Knob Creek while Lincoln
resided there, has seldom been mentioned.
The territory of Hardin County was formed out of a part of
Nelson County and before other divisions
of Hardin County territory
were made it was very large,
being approximately one hundred and forty
miles long and fifty miles wide.* It derived its name from John Hardin,
A Virginian who was murdered by the Indians in 1792.
In the year 1843
there was a division of a part of the county' s territory forming out of
it what is today known as Larue County.
Within the present boundaries
of Larue County were located the
two Kentucky homes of Abraham Lincoln,
In the year 1793 Colonel Andrew Hynes founded within the county
limits a town located on
the Southern slope of Muldraughs Hill and
Severn's Valley Creek, which he named in honor of his wife, Elizabeth,
Here was located
the seat of justice or
the county's capital,
but
Elizabethtown did not prove of rapid growth as the third census credited
the village, in the year 1810, with only one hundred and eighty inhabi-
tants.
However,
at
this early period in Kentucky history this frontier
community was a scene of much activity, and its
people were ambitious
as evidenced by the greatness that some of its citizens achieved.
In
the first quarter of the nineteenth century
the county
attracted many settlers and land speculators.
Land offices
in many
sections of the United States and in foreign countries sold Kentucky
real estate.
Hardin County was very attractive
to
the
speculators
and many
people made inroads
into its territory filling not only the
coffers of the land speculators but increasing the population of Eliza-
t
be thtown and the county.
Purchasers of this real estate naturally
became identified with the seat of government in order to file claims,
record deeds,
and attend to the general routine of business necessary
in land transactions.
i
The
town presented a picturesque!:appearance
in that early
period as a majority of the houses were of log construction.
However,
many of these log houses were unusually large and made with hewn logs.
Two large brick houses one of which is still staiding created an fm-
posing appearance.
In addition
to
these, several
frame
structures had
been constructed.
A stone jail expensive for that day and a new court
house were also standing.
Elizabethtown also boasted of a brickyard,
.
a tannery,
a distillery,
and
three
stores,
one of which was run by John
James Audubon,
the great ornithologist.
There were also several black-
smiths and gunsmiths, a shoemaker, and a tailor and dancing master re-
siding in the
town.
Costumes of the frontier still prevailed, but here
and there were
to be seen among
the buckskin leggins, hunting
shirts,
coon-skin caps,
and moccasins a few beaver hats,
short breeches with
-iw stockings,
low shoes, and silver buckles at knee and ankle.
-
£*~*^
Such was
the
town about
the year 1813 or 1814 when James
Buchanan, a lawyer and land agent resided within its limits.
While all
the presidents of the United States have visited
Kentucky,
except George Washington, John Adams,
and Thomas Jefferson,
and
there is a possibility that ?/ashington may have visited eastern
Kentucky in early manhood,
the fact that Hardin County about the year
1813 had within its boundaries
the future fifteenth amd sixteenth
presidents is a rare and unusual circumstance*
-*
( * T
msem fmm. mmcsxms m vathbal politics
I860
a. Gerald McMurtry, Librariea
Lincoln Satlemal Uf« foundatloa
Sie fast is not gonerally known that in December 1860 the fate of the
tBaion in a large measure rested in the hands of three former resident* of Har-
din County, Kentucky.
Hhe three sen most prominent in fee public eye during
this critical mon&t were James Buchanan,
the President of tke United States;
Abraham Lincoln*
the President Ilect, and %ff Green, a Southern political
leader of long standing.
All three of these men had been residents of Hardin
County and for several months during the year 1813 all three were living at
the same time within that county's limits*
It Is generally known that
the first seven years of Lincoln* s life were
spent in original Hardin County .
out the fact has seldom been mentioned that
James Buchanan* the future fifteenth president, was also a resident of &at
county during the year 1813 when he came to 311zahethtown,
Kentucky,,
to defend
his father's interests in nutaerous land suits
that were before
the Hardin
County Court. Buff Green came to Blisabethtowa in the latter part of the year
1812 and opened a school, which by a coincident brought together in the same
county and within a twenty mile radius
three future national political states-
men,
two of whom became presidents of the Halted States.
While Green resided in Hlzabethtown he married Lucre ti a Edwards, a
sister of Governor Hinian Sdwards.
Mrs.
Green* s nephew, Hinian W. Edwarde*
and Abraham Lincoln mrried sisters and this family alliance led to a warm
personal friendship between Mr.
Lincoln and General Green.
Green left llisa-
bethtown in the year 1817 and went to Washington,
2>.
C. where he soon became
(
a favorite of .'resident Andrew Jackson, and it was generally known
that ha
was
fee confidential adviser of the President.
During Ms residence at Washington he shared a great amount of govern-
sent patronage and on one occasion he visited London and interviewed a good
portion of fee British cabiset and suggested his ideas of International policy.
Be was credited with immense party power, hut in 1830 on the alienation of
John C* Calhem, he took sides with fee Vice President,
He supported Henry
Clay for the presidency in 1832 and Mr, Calhoun in 1836, "becoming for many
years the political leader of his section of the country.
So close was fee friendship of the Lineolns and Greens that when Abra-
ham Lincoln case to Washington in 184? as a member of Congress from Illinois
he took up his residence in Carroll place, then known as *Sreent s Eow** in or-
der that he ml^bt he near General §re@n and his wife near Mrs,
&reem,
James Buchanan knew of fee friendly relations that existed between
Green and Lincoln and, being a democrat and pro-slavery sod knowing of Crreea' s
seal for fee Southern cause.he selected him as his envoy to Springfield wife
an urgent invitation to Lincoln to con® immediately to the oapitol, wife as-
surances
feat he would he received and treated wife all due respect.
%e ob-
ject of the invitation which &mm eacplained to Lincoln was
feat feey might
consult and act in concert to *save
fee t&ion without bloodshed.
Such an invitation by Buchanan whether fee proposition came by author-
ity or not was quite a prolftem to Lincoln.
Be could not publicly question
the truth of fee envoy or fee nature of Ms mission*
%e scheme was adroitly
planned and General Green's whole aim was to induce Lincoln to assume fee re-
sponsibility of fee revolt in fee South.
Such a maneuver by Buchanan acid
(rreen, had it proved successful, would have been a treat detriment to Lincoln
upon his induction to fee office of the presidency.
When the proposition was fir
t submitted to Lincoln, Green was greatly
encouraged In hie belief that Lincoln would accept la order to ease the un-
favorable sentiment that was daily growing in
the South as a result of hit
election.
One thing, however.
Interfered with the plant Lincoln had an ap-
pointment with Senator Ben Wade whom he was ejecting by tvery train.
Greta
probably a ssumed that he would ttart to Washington as toon as he had we t that
appointment.
Senator Wade eventually came and, upon hearing of Lincoln4 s in*
vitation to Washington, he immediately opposed such a trip,
Lincoln in dut
tint declined Presidtat •^uchanaa't invitation*
fht failure of the schemt did not discourage Buff Greta, who nsxt
sought to obtain from Mr. Lincoln a letter which could be uttd in the southsra
states
to offset the state convention and Cooper Institute speeches of Lincoln
in which he emphatically stated "this government cannot endure permanently,
half slave and half fret."
Such a statement led tht South to believe that
Lincoln and hie party meant
to destroy the institution of slavery and Greta
hoped to satisfy the South that they had no reason to fear any attempts to
emancipate their slaves*
In this he also failed because
the carefully worded
letter which Lincoln wrote
to Gtntral Green «as first stat to Stnator Trm*
bull
to be dtlivertd
H if,
on consultation*
our friends,
including yourself,
think it can do no harm.
Senator frumbull and
the friends of Lincoln inter-
etptsd the letter and Grata had nothing tangible
to work with,
%us
flat
two very elaborate and wily
schemes that might have changed the whola aspect
of Lincoln' s administration from 1361
to 1865 were completely foiled.
It is likely that Lincoln taw clearly through tht plant of Gtneral
Green but
"by Ms attitude of interest and assumed willingness he was able
to
diplomatically handle the propositions of General Greea.
Doe to his frltneV
ship with. General Green and the warm personal friendship between Mrs.
Lincoln
and Mrs.
Green,
Lincoln probably managed the situation in
the beat possible
manner without openly antagonising Green and
the prominent political friends
of Budianan.
Such political schemes and maneuvers show what intricate prob-
lems Lincoln was compelled to deal with immediately after his election.
However,
the nnusual and unique face is that original Hardin County
In the year 1313 had, not one, but three men living within Its limits who
were destined to r>lay prominent roles in the beginning of the most drastic
and critical period,
thus
far, of the nation's existence*
1. Original Hardin County was organised in 1?$2 and was afjproximately one hun-
dred forty miles long and fifty miles wide*
Haycraft, Jr.,
Saaraels History of Hisahethtown, Kentucky, page 21
She 0cyimtl#9- of Kead* $redeinridg» and La&ue haws ©een organised from the
original territory in Sar&in County.
Wffl fnoh Greek tarn ©n which Lincoln
Hired in
the year 1813 is today located in LaBue County*
fhe article entitled Buchanan, Lincoln* and Buff &re§a was puelishe& in
Hfee Gentry Magasslne., June, 1889, pages 31¥-318» ^^^
2. Little* Lucius P. : Ben Hardin* lis tieses and Gontea^oraries, pages 352,353.
3. $&m*. Buchanan* Sr*
the father of the President saade his first land purchase
in Eentuelsy in $ie year 1796.
Hardin Gotmty Court Becords (Deed Book
Page
)*
4. Haycraft, Jr»,
Sasauels History of llisaheihtown,
Kentaclqr, page HO
*
5* Haycraft* Jr., Samuel? History of ra.«ahe1$it©m* Kenl&eliy* page TXLm.lS
6* Haycraft, Jr*» Samuel? History of Hisaoe^itown* Kentady* page 142*
\/
?. Appleton* s f^yclopedia of American Biography* ^ol*
2* paje ?42*
\y
8* She Century Magazines Life of Lincoln, lowemfeer* 1887, page 8?*
9*
the Century Magazine
% Li^s of Lincoln, July, 108?* page 380
10. Seneral Sreen*s own account of his mission to Springfield and of hie Interview
with Lincoln in itichmond after its occupation
«ay federal troops may he found in
•Facts $m& *ugg® etleas*
tay Buff Sreen* Published in 186$
"fey Eiehardsos & Co*,
lew York* and Llppincott & $©** Philadelphia*