Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-12-06
a KENTUCKY PIONEER.

From the Coyington Advertised
There is at present in the widows and
Orphans home Of this city, an old lady
whose history is a romance of real life.
Her name is Mrs. Catherine Appel, aud
! she was born in Winchester, Frederic
county, Virgins, in January 1888, and
will consequently be ninety-two years
old next January. Her tathef's name
was John Kelley. He run away from
/ home in England, and served through
thesrevOlutiOnsry war crossing the Della
ware twice on the ice with the army
under Washington. He was also in the
| trenches at Yorktown when CORVALLIS
surrendered. During the war, being in
the infantry, British cavalryman was
about to strike him with q sabre, and
would doubtless have killed him, when
he looked up and a mutual recognition
instantly took place. He there had met
his brother, and they were on opposite
sides, The tide of battle separated them
before they had time to more than ex-
change salutatiOns, and they never met
sgain. Mr.. Kelley afterward learned
that his brother had heen sent with
some British troops to South Carolina,
to operate against Marion. After the
close of the wsr Miss Catherine Kelley
married Samuel MonUoy, and the
entire family moved to Kentucky.
That was seventy-five yeaIs ago last
March. On their way from Virginia to
the west they built 4 boat at Browns
town old fort, and came down the river.
Stopping at Pittsburg they saw Louis
Philippe of France and many French
noblemen. Landing at Maysvi!le then
LimestOne) they came through to the
rr.aTfn Hwws I
ton, snd settled there, where Mrs.
MOntjOy's father was afterward killed by
the Indians, leaving her mother and
several small children. Mr.. MOntjoy
was also killed at WinchesJer's defeat
on the Maumee. The family soon
moved from their first location to
Leech's station. in Campbell county,
where Mrs. Leech, who afterward be-
came the wife Of General Taylor, was
then living. The other parties whocame
down the river with the family went
on below Maysville and were massacred
by the Indians. Mrs. Montjoy, some
time after the death OF her husband,
married a Mr.. Appel, with whom she
lived fifty-four years, when he died one
year ago last May, in Marion county,
Indians, after an illness of two years
and six months. The prolonged Illness
of her husband consumed in necessary
expenses about all the little property
they had, and left the widow almost
penniless at the advanced age OF ninety
years. She sold what effects she had,
and, Notwithstanding her age, she came
to Kentucky, a1d shortly after returned,
collected sthe money on the sales, paid
the debts left by her husband, put a
tombstone over his grave, and, return
ing to Kentucky, located in Boone
county, near Florence, leaving there
about five months ago TO enter the
widows and orphans home. Mrs. Ap.
pei has evidently been a woman of
strong mind, and with an iron will and
constitution has borne up under the
trials and hardships that 0eset the lives
of the early pioneers Of Kentucky, with
family losses and labors that would have |
broken down more fragile and less de- |
termined woman. She was of the stuff !
our grandmothers were made Of Dur |
ing her life with Mr.. APPEL she reared |
and educated several young ladies, |
among them six Of her husbands grand /
sending them, two at time, !
to the well known school of Miss Martha !
Thomas, Cincinnati. During a part of |
the same time, also, she kept a hotel at |
Oxford, Ohio, where William Lyle, |
of Paris, the Wickliffes, Robert Schenek, |
and others since grown distinguished in !
the political world, boarded with her |
while going to college. She has seen |
and talked with the pioneer Daniel |
Boone, and had previously, in her child /
hood, seen Washington when, during 1
candidacy for the Presidency, /
he visited Winchester, Virginia, accom-
panied by John Adams, Thomas Jeffer-
son, James Madison, Generals Greene,
Lee, Morgan, etc. She describes the
scene of the visit as grand ovation to
THE Father of his County, Her
was an English lady, who
-sught the first female school ever
aught in Virginia and her two uneles
brought over from London the first
pelliDg-b book ever imported into the
State-it is said they were the first ever
,rought into the United States. Mrs.
Appel says that she is not ashamed of
,eiDg AT the home, and is not at alFun-
lsppy about it, but it should be matter