The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-01-24
The First White Woman Born in
Kentucky

The first white woman born in the
savage wilds of Kentucky lived for
many years in Lexington. Here she
died, and here she sleeps. Many now
living still remember the venerable
Mrs. Rhoda Vaughn, the first born of
the wilderness. She was the daughter
of that Captain John Holder, spoken of
by Boone in his narrative, as the man
who pursued the Indians who had at
tackled Hoy's Station in August, 1882.
Captain Holder was one of the old
pioneers earliest companions. He as
sisted in building and defending Boones-
boro Fort and within the palisades of
that noted stronghold, and about the
year 1776, his daughter, afterward Mrs.
Vaughn, was born. Her earliest recol-
lections were of savages, sufferings,
alarms, and bloodshed; and she passed
her infant years in the midst of mem
orable sieges and desperate conflicts.
When she grew to womanhood, and was
married, her father started her in life
with a home and servants, but she lost
both in a few years by her husbands
mismanagement, and after his death
times grew worse and worse.
At a very early day, she settled in
Lexington her home, and here she re-
manned and raised her children. One
of her sons was the gallant Adjutant,
Edward M. Vaughn, Lexington vol
unteer, who fell upon the bravely con-
tested field of Buena Vista, in 1S47.
His blood-soaked gauntlets were car
ried reverently to his mother, and they
told at once, to her stricken heart, the
oil OF Z hot "a
armless and battered shield expressed
to the Spartan mother in the classic
DAYS of old Other Affections and mis-
fortunes followed and destitute and
desolate, the brave old lady struggled
on through a life not unfrequently made
brighter by kind and sympathetic
friends Mrs. Vaughn lived for some
time in the residence lately occupied by
Rev. J. d. Matthews, on Winchester
street, between Limestone and Walnut
She died, however, at the residence of
Mrs. Susan Craig, ON the south side of
Short street, in the month of June,
1868, aged about eighty-seven years,
and was buried in the Whaley lot, in
the Episcopal Cemetery, where her re-
mains still repose.
The only relic of the venerable hero
inc known to be in existence is a patch
work quilt which she made with her
own hands, and gave to a sympathetic
lady of Lexington, who was a friend
to her in her days of sorrow and affiie-
ton.
That Mrs. Vaughn was the first white
woman born in Kentucky, there can not
be the slightest doubt; the fact is
placed beyond dispute by the frequent
declarations of many of the earliest
settlers of this State to persons still
living. Mrs. Vaughn, herself, always
declared that she had never heard a
statement to the contrary.
Mrs. Vaughn was a woman of excel
lent mind, warm heart, and sincere
piety and neither her true pride nor
the beautiful characteristics of her
Christian life were abated by her pow
erty and misfortunes. How strange
were her experiences. The fate-star of
sorrow, which beamed upon her birth,
seemed ever to follow her with it's sad
dening influence She was born when
the tomahawk and the torch was busiest;
the hope of her declining years died
upon field of battle, and she breathed
out her own life in the midst of a ter
| rible civil war Her parents helped to
reclaim and build an empire; their
daughter died without a foot of land
that she could call her own. Will JUS
tice, even now, be done to her memory?
Will the State appropriately mark the
spot where rest the mortal remains of
the first white woman born in the now
great Commonwealth of Kentucky?