The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1909-10-08
FIRST SETTLERS
OF FORDSVILLE
And a Short Account Of
Their Lives.
First Hand Corn Mill taken to
Hartford-History 70 Yates
and Others.

FOrdsVllle, OnlO county, N.Y. was
settled by three early Kentucky set
terls. viz: Benjamin Kelly, Ancil
Hall and Richard Huff, writes Ed
win NJ. Forbes in the Hartford Her
aid. Huff settled aDn the northeast
side of what is now the town OF
Fordsville Hall settled on the west
side. Huff settled about the year
1893, but it is not known at what
time Kelly and Hall settled their
farms, other than that they were
among the first settlers of this part
of the State. Benjamin Kelly, when
a small boy, was one of Daniel
Boone's party. taken prisoner by the
Indians while making salt at the
Blue Licks in Nicholas county, and
was taken to Detroit. Mich, where
he made his escape taking with him
an Indian tomahawk presented 10
him by Colonel Mckee. the British
Indian agent and principal advocate
of the war then existing between the
United States and the savages. This
tomahawk is now owned by grand
son of Benjamin Kelly, living near
Fordsville.
Ancil Hall WAS a prominent Bap-
fist preacher OF his time and his
decendents are now numerous in
this part of the State. Richard Huff
was an energetic settler, raised a
large family of sons and daughters
and his posterity is now widely scat
tered over several states.
Each of these early settlers had a
graveyard on his farm and their re-
man is and many of their relatives
and friends were buried in them. The
Kelly graveyard is the Fordsville
cemetery The Huff graveyard is on
Cedar Hill, near the western corpor-
alton line.
The early name of Fordsville was
Kelly's Precinct in honor Of Benja-
min Kelly and so remained until
the year 1913, when Calm Grove of
Hartford, established a postoffice NJ
Fordsville in honor of Elisha MFOrd, "a
that time tho main business man OF
Hartford and he first man TO estab-
fish a mercantile business at Kelly's
Precinct
About the year 1890 a widow lady
from Virginia bought that part OF
Mr.. Hufrs farm on the southeast
side of a small stream which is a
tributary OF Adams Fork creek. This
lady was Mrs. Nancy Yates, widow OF
Lieutenant Reuben c. Yates, who
died in the United States Army near
City Point, Va. during the war OF
1872 Mrs. Yates family, at that
time, consisted of her son, VIM. II.
Yates, and n number of slaves. She
said she was u native Virginian
that her maiden name was Yates and
at the age uf twelve years she had
married her cousin, Reuben c. Yates
and that Size WAS but thirteen years
older than her son. She further said
that her husband was lieutenant in
the army aHd died there when her
son was a little child, and produced
letters from John TOmpkins and
other army Officers corroborating this
statement .aRd exhibiting some of
her husbands rmy effects, one of
them being his portrait painted
while he WIS la the army and an
other being q copy of "Cushing's
Tactics" at that time being the dis
cipline of the United States army.
She also reOeyed letters from Ann
Washington and other prominent
Virginia ladies. showing she was of a
high-class Virginia people.
In the fall ~ 1869 | called to see
Mrs. Yates. | told her that my grand
father wss Il solder in Washing
tons Continental army and an officer
in the War H 1912 and that had
called to sec her as the widow of my
grandfather's eOmrade officer.
Mrs. Yates was feebly reclining
on her bed sa4 At that time she was
suffering fro0 cancer of the breast,
which soon terminated In death. She
was cheerful sad very courteous to
me and appeared Co he greatly inter
ested in my erasdfather's services in
the army, ss they had been told to
me. After | had addressed her for
some time she made some remarks
about her kusbsad's services In the
army and the dose attachment his
men had for htn. She handed a
bunch of keys - servant and order
ed her to srtsg some small portraits
from a buresx drawer. On the return
of the servsHt Mrs. Yates exhibited
some old u.e deguerreotype por-
traits OF tie Yates family. One of
these portrsitS was taken from a
French paiatisg a her husband
After the deafh of Mrs. Yates