Ohio County Guardianships

 Ohio County Guardianships

          Guardianship proceedings occurred when minor children were orphaned or when the father or "bread winner" died. The mother was allowed to retain guardianship if officials considered her circumstances sufficient to provide for the children. Another person appointed as guardian may have been a relative, a friend of the family, or one who could teach the minor(s) a trade. In some cases guardians or administrators were appointed to handle the affairs of adults who were deemed incompetent.

          County officials (County Court/County Judge) appointed guardians to provide minor children with education or training, making it more likely that the minors would become contributing members of the community rather than wards of the county or state.

          The guardian must file periodic reports with the Court detailing all actions taken by the Guardian, especially when the Guardian is handling money belonging to the child or the incompetent adult (sometimes referred to as the Ward).

          Guardianship records usually give the name of the deceased parent(s) and the names and ages of the minor children. The records have been kept by the clerks of either the county courts or the circuit courts in Kentucky. They are most often intermingled with probate or court records.

          I am unable to search the Ohio County courthouse records for guardianship data but I have searched the online records for the Hartford Herald (1875-1926) and the Hartford Republican (1891-1926) and found ninety-five mentions of guardianships, which (I assume) would be substantially less than the actual total.  It would be a good project for someone to search those records and write a book on this subject. 

          I will post all ninety-five items that I found.  I will highlight the surname of the Ward to help you search.  These are not in chronological order, but as I found them when searching the online site for the newspapers.  It will take several weeks to post all ninety-five items.

Here’s what I found in the Hartford Herald:

1. Jan 9, 1889, pg 4, under County Court Notes, Jan Term. BARNETT, HUFF, LACEY, DOUGLAS, and WRIGHT.

2. Mar 5, 1890, pg 3, under County Court Notes. POOL, HAMILTON, HOLBROOK, WHITELY, AUSTIN.

3. May 25, 1921, pg 8. MADDOX, MILLER

4. May 11, 1921, pg 1. KERKOF, FAUGHT, SMITH

5. Sept 7, 1904, pg 3. WRIGHT, HODGES, RHOADS

EDWARD G. AUSTIN

EDWARD G. AUSTIN, Ohio County. The ancestors of Mr. Austin were among those who came at an early day from Virginia to this State and have always been prominent citizens. His father was the celebrated Rev. Bishop James F. Austin, who was born in Ohio County in 1820, and baptized by the Rev. Alfred Taylor, one of Kentucky's earliest ministers. Bishop Austin was educated in the common schools, and later acquired a vast fund of information by close study and application, and at the age of twenty-two entered the ministry of the Baptist Church, And, although his labors were mostly in Ohio, Muhlenburgh, Warren, Daviess and Butler Counties, he established a reputation throughout the entire State, and was for many years superintendent of the Association of Ministers. As a pulpit orator, financial manager and bishop his rank was second to none. He died of Bright's disease, October 4, 1883. Mr. Austin's mother was a Miss Corinna Thomas, also a native of Ohio County, born in 1825. She obtained her education in the common schools, and was married in 1843. They had thirteen children, five of whom never reached the years of accountability: James P. married a Miss Phelps and has two children: Sally, wife of W. L. Rowe, has three children; Josephine, wife of F. J. Davenport, of Ellis County, Tex., has seven children; William T.; Luvena (deceased); Victoria, wife of Thomas Hendricks; our subject; and John W. The mother still lives at the old homestead, six miles southwest of Cromwell, where they have 340 acres of fine land.

Source: J. H. BATTLE, W H. PERRIN, & G. C. KNIFFIN 1895

JAMES F. AUSTIN

A Sesquicentennial History of the Green River Missionary Baptist Church 1836 - 1986, Written and Compiled by Wendell Holmes Rone, Sr., For the One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Founding of the Church, 1987.  

JAMES F. AUSTIN, the second Pastor of the Church, was born in Ohio County, Kentucky, on May 21, 1820.  He died of Bright's Disease (Nephritis) in his native County on October 4, 1883, in his sixty-third year.  He was the son of Baruch Austin (b.c.1791-d.c.1867) a native of Maryland, and Mary (Polly) Render (b.c.1800-d.c.1855), who was the daughter of George and Elizabeth (Miller) Render.  Thus he was their grandson.  His parents had married in Ohio County, Kentucky, on June 13, 1818.

     On November 9, 1843, he was united in marriage to Corrina Thomas (b. August 5, 1825-d. December 4, 1893), a native of Ohio County and daughter of William Thomas, on an Ohio County license.  Both of them are buried in the Shultz Cemetery, near Prentiss, Kentucky. 

     Brother Austin professed faith in Christ at age 18 (1838), and was baptized into the fellowship of Beaver Dam Church by the pastor, Alfred Taylor.  Shortly before his marriage he was licensed to preach the Gospel by his home Church, in 1843.  The next year, in 1844, he served as a Messenger to the Gasper River Association for the first time from Beaver Dam Church, together with Robert Render.  His ordination to the Baptist Ministry took place at the same Church, in Butler County, moved his membership to that Church, and served it in the years 1845-1853 and again in 1864-1867. In the years 1847 and in 1849-1858 he served as a Messenger from the Salem Church to the Gasper River Associational Meetings.  From 1859 through 1870 he held membership in and served as a Messenger to the same Association from West providence Baptist Church, Ohio County, serving as the pastor also in 1853-1861 and 1863-1865.

     In addition to the Salem and West providence pastorates he also served Sandy Creek (1860-1861; 1865-1867) and Rochester (1867-1868), in Butler County; Mt. Carmel (1851-1858), South Carrollton (1855-1856), Greenville (1869-1871) and Paradise (1871-1876 or later), in Muhlenberg County; Pond Run (in 1849-1850; 1857-1862), Cool Spring (1854-1855; 1864; 1874-1876 or later), Mt. Carmel (1864-1868), Walton's Creek (1869-1870), Slaty Creek (1871-1876 or later), Hartford, First (1869-1873), and Beaver Dam (1877-1878) in Ohio County.

     He helped Baptist Ministers Alfred Taylor, Thomas Tichenor and M. H. Utley constitute the West Providence Church, on July 2, 1853, and became its first Pastor. On June 12th, 1869, he joined with Baptist Ministers Dr. J. S. Coleman and Dr. J. M. Peay in organizing the present First Baptist Church, Hartford, Ohio County, and became its first pastor, also.

     In Frank M. Welborn's "Gasper River Associational Record," 1878, Pages 69-70, appears the following interesting account:

     "A magnificent House (of Worship) had been erected about twelve miles south of Hartford, at the option of Elder J. S. Taylor, in which an important revival was conducted by Doctor J. S. Coleman and Elder J. F. Austin, and participated in by members from Green River, Beaver Dam and Cool Spring Churches, the immediate results of which was the constitution of another Church on the spot, of 52 individuals, on December 23, 1870.  The Ministers recognizing this act were Elders A. B. Smith, J. F. Austin, W. C. Taylor and J. S. Coleman, D. D. ...The Church was admitted into the Association (Gasper River), at its next anniversary, reporting Elder J. F. Austin Pastor (who was in the constitution), an Melvin Taylor, Clerk."

     The Statistical Table (of the church) related that J. F. Austin was the first pastor, serving in 1875-1876, or later; and, that he was a member and Messenger to the Association from Slaty Creek Church in 1871-1876.  He probably spent the remaining days of his earthly life in the fellowship of the Church.

     For over thirty-three years he was an active participant in the affairs of Gasper River Association.  He preached the Annual Sermon on 8 different occasions, surpassed only by his father in the Ministry, Alfred Taylor (9 times).  The years and texts used were as follows:  1852 (John 17:22), 1857 (Luke 19:13), 1858 (Isaiah 49:25), 1860 (II Corinthians 4:1), 1868 (John 17:22 - the same as in 1853), 1870 (Revelation 2:29), 1871 (Colossians 7:28) and 1876 (II Timothy 1:12).  He served as the Clerk of the Association in 1856-1861 and again in 1864-1865.  It is evident that the mantle of leadership, worn by Pastor Alfred Taylor, fell on the shoulders of pastor J. F. Austin when he served as the Moderator in the years 1866-1875.

     James F. Austin served the Green River Church as Pastor three times.  He succeeded Alfred Taylor in February, 1852 and served through March, 1854. He succeeded Brother Taylor a second time from February, 1857 through January, 1862.  On the third occasion, he succeeded Brother Judson Slade Taylor, the son of Brother Alfred Taylor, and served from March, 1868, through February, 1870.  His total time of service was for nine years.  The major achievement of his ministry with the Church was the erection of the second House of Worship, in 1858-1859, and its dedication in November, 1859.  A writer said of him:

     "As pulpit orator, financial manager and Pastor, the celebrated Baptist minister ranked second to none."