Hartford Herald - 1881

Hartford Herald June 8, 1881

A Visit to Pine Knob.  May 29th, 1881

Editor Herald:

            After some time spent in walking company with Mr. E. Rowe, we arrived at the grand scenery. There stood the rocks almost straight up towards the heavens, 80 or 100 feet high - with pines scattered here and there, seemingly without anything to support them but rocks. A little further on we found a cave or house made by the rocks projecting over some 60 or 80 feet.

            On a flat rock we found where the Indians had mortars some 18 or 20 inches deep. Near this rock house is a good spring of cool water where we rested and took dinner which we had taken along with us. After resting we climbed a large hill

where we found the graves or John Brown and son. On these grave stones were the following Inscriptions:

 

John Brown was born : October 17, 1776,

and departed this life May 21,1848.

 and

P. H. Brown was born November 18, 1816,

And departed this life February 1,1848.

            The ground around the graves was at one time in cultivation, though at this time it is in the woods, and a lonelier place I have never seen.

            At the foot of the hill and below the spring is the dwelling of the sleepers just mentioned. I have been told that the way the old man come to his death was from a pistol ball fired by his son. The old man had climbed up to the window and shot at his son whilst he was in bed and missed his aim whereupon the son drew a revolver and shot his father dead. I saw the window the old man fell dead from. The house was a good log one of its day and is creditable at this time. I feel at this time that I am well paid for my walk as I have got back and am resting. W.

Note: Pine Knob is east of Hartford in neighboring Grayson County, located about two miles north of Caneyville. John Brown was a famous outlaw that was known as Dock Brown. Dock Brown and his gang terrorized Grayson County and surrounding counties from about 1841 till his death in 1848. There is a book titled, Dock Brown, The Outlaw of Grayson County, that was written in 1876 by Colonel William R. Haynes. 

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McHenry   June 1, 1881

           Having for sometime had a desire to know something of the life led by the coal-digger, I this morning, in with a goodly number of miners, boarded the first “train” and were soon whirled from the outer world to the inner, which was strangely new to me. I must confess that strange sensations passed over me as we were being conveyed from the light and life without to the almost impenetrable darkness within, and had it not been for the jest and song of the miners who were with me my courage would without doubt have forsaken me, but their indifference was my inspiration, and we were soon, without exception, a gay party. We stopped at the "lie way" and changed cars for the "fourth north," where we were soon landed without mishap. Here, after a short rest, we commenced a short tour of that portion of the mine. We found the miners in their rooms busily engaged with pick, drill and shovel in dragging from hidden coffers the great wealth of Kentucky. In a reclining position, their shoulders resting on the coal, they will pick patiently for hours in making a drilling, and then the main part of the work is done. It is a hard life, but the men on the whole seem to enjoy it. They work hard till "snack time," and men assemble in groups, eat, drink and make merry by song and jest.

             After being conducted around for a while and becoming thoroughly mystified with the devious windings of the rooms and entries I was seized with an unaccountable desire to stand erect once more, and being Impossible in the Render mines we made preparations to leave. After being shown the main entry we were placed under the care of the driver, on the rear of whose car we were directed to hold, which we did like grim death and were safely conducted to the blessed sunlight, which we hailed with pleasure while we breathed again the free air of heaven. Our thanks are due the miners and drivers alike for courtesies and kindness shown us during our short sojourn with them.

            Quite an accident occurred in the McHenry mine on Thursday, the 2^nd inst., by which Lee Fisher was disabled. He was mining a “standing shot" when a huge block of coal fell unexpectedly on his right shoulder crushing it and the arm. His injuries, however, are not thought to be serious.          

            Dr. V. M. Taylor has disposed of his house and lot to Dave O’Bryan and will attend a course of lectures in Louisville the coming term. Doctor and his amiable lady will be much regretted, and their return and permanent establishment in our midst will be eagerly looked forward to.

            Prof. Hodlel of  Evansville, is giving a series of  lessons in penmanship. The Professor is a through master of the science and should be liberally patronized.

            Considerable excitement is rife in regard to mad dogs and we hope that it will continue until every yelping cur in the two towns has been killed.

            The work at the two mines is still good, though the operators declare their intention of reducing the price for digging per bushel one-half cent, and a strike is imminent.

            Married, at the residence of bride’s parents in Hamilton, on the 25^th ult., Mr. Smith of Taylor Mines, and Miss Harlan. May joy, peace and prosperity attend them.

Hartford Herald News - 3 Feb 1875 Centertown & Beaverdam

Hartford Republican 29 December 1892

Advertisements from newspaper:

20 August 1920 Hartford Republican Newspaper

October 1819 - Hartford

HARTFORD HERALD

100 YEARS AGO (As of October 29, 1919)

[Contributed to newspaper by Morris Barnett, finder of I. P. Morton’s Ledger.]

“A contract was closed with Benjamin and John Field for two years supply of salt which was delivered in 16 wagons loads aggregating 80,000 lbs. and costing 3 cents per pound. In the ledger containing the transaction of the 1840’s, 20 years later, Wm. C. Rowan seems to have taken this job. His deliveries were made weekly and in barrel lots. This salt was mined in the Buford neighborhood. Does anyone know the exact location of these old salt wells or mines? If these men were able to procure so much salt with the crude methods of those days, why cannot a fortune be made with modern methods?

Another business enterprise that has long ago had its books balanced, was that of Jacob Wood, hatter. He made about 6 varieties and prices ranged from $1 to $10. His long suit was the making of beaver and fur hats. It seems that Mr. Morton would sell these hats on a commission basis, for on this date 100 years ago, he bought 9 of these hats  which were quickly sold to the following gentlemen: Leonard Bean, James Fitzhugh, Harrison D. Taylor, William S. Barrett, Christopher Jackson, Elijah Phipps, Stephen Statler, Andrew Rowan, and Samuel O. Peyton.

Charles Henderson paid his bill with check on the bank in Hartford.

Vol W. Peyton drove sows and pigs to town and received $7.50 for them.

John Clark was paid $1.00 for ferrying Peyton's wagon across the creek going to and coming from The Yellow Banks.

John Calhoun paid $6.00 for purchases and received a discount of 25 per cent by paying it in silver.”

Hartford Herald 5 Jul 1899

Ohio County 100 Years Ago

Dated 5 Jul 1899

If you have trouble reading this newspaper you can try to copy it to your clipboard and then view it as a jpg file in Microsoft "pictures" or whatever software you use to view photos.  These programs usually have an enlargement capability.

Hartford Herald 1875 - Part 3

Sept 8, 1875

Nov 3, 1875

Nov 3, 1875

Hartford Herald 1875 - Part 2

Hartford Herald 1875 - Part 2

1860 – 1875 in Kentucky

     In researching my ancestry I noticed that some individuals and families moved from Kentucky to other states during the Civil War (IL, IN, MO, AR & TX) and in the decade following the end of the Civil War; sometimes a family would have multiple moves. This movement was usually because families were seeking work and some sort of financial stability due to the bad economy in Kentucky during and immediately after the Civil War.  Some of these families returned to Kentucky but some did not.

After the Civil War:

     The end of the Civil War found Kentucky in a terrible plight. The conflict had left behind its toll of physical destruction as well, for crops had been lost, livestock taken, and property destroyed. There were 89,000 fewer horses, 37,000 fewer mules, and 172,000 fewer cattle in Kentucky in 1865 than at the start of the war. The amount of land under cultivation had declined drastically. Despite wartime inflation, land values in places like Lexington decreased one-fourth between 1862 and 1872. A soldier returned to one Kentucky town and was welcomed by "neglected farms .... roads and paths overgrown with weeds, and almost no business of any kind being carried on." But that sense of economic setback could be - and would be - easily overcome, for in truth Kentucky had not suffered as greatly as the states farther south. The commonwealth thus emerged from the conflict hobbled, but strong enough to move ahead, to grow rapidly, even to take a leadership role in a region where other states had much greater handicaps and devastation to overcome. More damaging than the economic costs was the war's effect on the psyche of the populace. So much of what had once been was no more. The optimism that drove settlers to frontier Kentucky now seemed a rare commodity. 

     The return to peacetime normalcy, often called Reconstruction or Readjustment, proved a formidable challenge. In 1865, Kentucky faced a number of problems: federal military rule had to be ended; the economy had to be revived; labor problems accompanying the emancipation of the slaves had to be resolved; and the freed Negro had to be integrated into the state's political, economic and legal systems. Although the state was spared the trauma of secession and the subsequent necessity of readmission to the Union, because of Kentucky's slave interests the years immediately following the war were as critical to its residents as to those of the Confederate states. Lawlessness and violence abounded in Kentucky during the decades after the war, continuing to the turn of the century and beyond. The suspicion and animosity of the war did not end as soldiers returned home to live, often side-by-side, in continuing hatred. Seething over real and imagined injuries, lawless groups roamed the countryside. Outrages occurred throughout the state; beatings, lynchings, shootings, rape and arson created a dismal picture. 

     As the state's political situation stabilized, public attention turned toward a long overdue reform of the public school system. Between 1861-1865 education was the last thing on anyone's mind; the legislature's one appropriation for schools was based on money confiscated from illegal gambling enterprises and dog fees. With almost one-fourth of all Kentuckians over the age of ten illiterate, the establishment of a state education system proved an enormous task. Schools had to be reopened with public support, and facilities for the children of freedmen had to be provided. Unfortunately, there were few trained teachers, scant facilities for educating them, no school commissioners or boards, and a lack of textbooks. Whether black or white, the Kentucky school child's education was far from ideal. The Common School Report of 1871 described schools as having "leaky roofs, filthy floors, smoked ceilings and walls defaced with obscene images," and the 1874 survey stated that "foul air and feculent odors" prevaded the school buildings. No wonder that schools failed to attract more than 40% of the school age children. The state did not even have an eight-week per annum compulsory school law until 1896. For those who did attend, the McGuffey Readers, the Eclectic Spelling Book, and the American Standard School Series provided instruction in the three R's, spelling, grammar, composition, history, geography, and the laws of health. In 1893, Kentucky history was included in the curriculum.

     The Panic of 1873 stands as the first global depression brought about by industrial capitalism. It began a regular pattern of boom and bust cycles that distinguish our current economic system and which continue to this day. While the first of many such market "corrections," the effects of the downturn were severe and, in 1873, unexpected; the Panic of 1873 spanned from October 1873 to March 1879. Numbers fail to convey the depth of the economy distress. Average wages fell by nearly a quarter. Thousands of American companies defaulted on over a billion dollars in debt, nine out of 10 U.S. railroad concerns failed, and the country faced double-digit unemployment for over a decade. The worst effects of the downturn (unemployment, homelessness, malnutrition) were concentrated in the industrial sectors, but every region suffered and the economy continued to sputter. The long-term effects were quite noticeable from today's perspective. While the northern U.S. economy raged like a furnace from 1840 to 1860, averaging over six percent annual growth per year, the country's overall economic productivity fell by over 24 percent during the two decades that followed the Panic of 1873.

Hartford Herald 1875

      The first issue of the Hartford Herald was published January 6, 1875 – it is listed as “Volume 1, Number 1.”  The publisher was John P Barnett & Co, Hartford, and the editor was Wallace Gruelle.  It was a four page newspaper with the front page largely a reprint of a popular book titled Maria Saxonbury, authored by Mrs. Henry Wood; plus short articles from out-of-state newspapers, a few bad jokes and an article from the Detroit Free Press titled The Model Wife (not exactly political correctness).  Page 2 was “News of the Week” and was national and international news for the past week. Page 3 was local and regional news (one story on page 3 was titled “The Trouble at the Render Coal Mines”). Page 4 was dedicated to agricultural news. Advertisements were sprinkled throughout the four pages. An annual subscription was $2.00.

     I have spent a few hours reading all 52 issues from 1875 and I have picked out a few things that I found interesting.  The following is from February 3, 1875 (sorry the two photos don't line up very well):

Hartford Herald - January 26, 1881

Hartford Herald - January 19, 1881

Hartford Herald - January 12, 1881