The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1877-04-25
FRAGMENTS OF THE EARLY HISTORY
OF OHIO COUNTY,
CHAPTER II.
DY n, d. TAYLOR

NhA hh *.
! Our county, or rather the territory en-
braced in It, became county in 1898. 1t
was no doubt overrun, and partially set>
. lied. by land spectators, surveyors and
migratory hunters, long before that pc
Rod Old records show that various en-
Iries were made in 1880, and surveys
made as early asl7S2-3,and patents ISSUED
between l7S4 and l7SS for large bodies Of
/ land J, ing between Green and Ohio rivers
Most of these lands were Obtained under
settlement rre-emptious, and Virginia
land warrants, aud are described as lying
m Jefferson, Nelson and Hardin counties.
A large portion OF the land obtained uu-
der the Virginia lanI warrants were To-
Gated ahd patented in the name Of wealthy
Nirginiaus, at a very early period, and
not being settled (or assignyd) were Loot
sight OF by subsequent locators, and the
consequence was, that the whole territory
was shingled over some two or three deep
and the actual settlers frequently bought
their lands three or four times, rs diff
frIeat claimants made their appearance,
whilst othsgs. il Ge.nair sul aissust,
abandoned their farms and removed to
States and territories where they could
get Congress lands, the title to which was
deemed Indisputsble No people perhaps
upon the face Of the earth we're ever so
cursed with land litigations as the people
Of Kentucky have been, all growing out
Of defect in the laws Of Virginia, regu>
lating the location OF lands At the close
Of the revolution, rhe market WAS glutred
with Virginia military and treasury land
warrants. The rich lands OF Kentucky
lay open for immense land speculaiions,
but marsuding Indians were too numer
Gus TO have those lands regularly section
lied, and spectators could not wait The
Virginia Legislature provided a mode of
locating lands by entry. Any man, or
company Of men, could go to the survey
or's Office aud have entered in the survey
or's book Of entrys any quantity of land
the law requiring that the calls OF the
entrys should he so -pecial, as to give SUBJ
sequent locators notice Of the boundaries
30 entered. Had judges, lawyers, or even
intelligent surveyors, made these entries,
perhaps a mOiety OF them might have
proved good; but it turned out TO be, that
no man wac so great fool as to be thought
incompetent, to make an entry OF land.
The consequence was, that every man
who had courage to brave the danger or
could be hired or taken in as partner,
was dispatched to the wilds of Kentucky, |
to make land entries. These spectators, !
or agents, proceeded in something like
the following manner: For their own pro-
tectior aud comfort two or more would |
band together and roam deep into the
forest, snd anding what they considered
a notorious object. they would make out
like the Ioii owing memorandum
10 be entered in the Surveyors book:
John Doe enters ten thousand acres OF !
land as folloNs-beginning at sycamore
marked with the letters J. D., standing
On branch and near a deer lick, sup
posed TO be a branch of Muddy creek,
which is a branch of Rough creek, and
10 run from said tree east aud north for
luantity-7th May, 1882"
Richard Roe enters ten thousand acres
of land, to lie on the east side OF John
Does entry, OF this date, &c &c. maxi
ng in all, como half dozen entries calling
% adjoin each other These Spectators,
With certificates in their pockets, return
% the settlements, awaiting more peace
'nl times TO survey their lands and obtain
PATENTS; but in the meantime subsequent
ocators have commenced at the mouth OF
Muddy creek, a notorious natural object,
Ind make large entries, covering all the
ands of Roe. Doe, &c. The patents are
obtained fret on the latter entries, but
Doe, &c, flourish their older entries to
innocent ignorant settlers. They buy,
tut how they fare when the younger en-
rice, but older patents. are tested in
curt, may be learned by various cases re-
'orted in Hardin & bibb's reports.
II seems as well a natural, as moral
aw. that one extreme always produced
mother nearly, il not quite equal 10 ano-
her direction. Virginia had committed
J great error, TO relieve her suffering citi.