A New Blog

An interest in history has helped me to explore many facets of my own family tree climbing.  It has added depth and color to the leaves and branches.  Many of these branches have lead to Kentucky, its history, and early settlement. [Richard Henderson of Transylvania Company is a g.g....grandfather on the maternal side!]

A new blog titled: Historic Danville, KY gives me a way to express this interest by writing about the early history of Kentucky.  Moving to Danville some 12 years ago, I became interested in how it came to be named.   My years of research forms the foundation of this blog.  Come join me if you have an interest in this..."Dan(s)...ville".

Land By Rank - Virginia Land Laws 1763

The Proclamation of 1763 officially approved a proclamation made by the governor of Virginia 19 February 1754. This act granted land for military services. The number of acres received was based upon the rank of the individual. The following table gives the allotments by rank:

Major-General..................15,000 to 17,500 acres.
Brigadier-General..............10,000 acres and upwards.
Colonels.......................5,000 to 8,888 acres.
Lieutenant-Colonels............4,500 to 6,666 acres.
Majors.........................4,000 to 5,333 acres.
Captains.......................3,000 to 4,666 acres.
Surgeons and Surgeons' Mates...2,666 to 8,000 acres.
Lieutenants, Ensigns, Cornets..2,000 to 2,666 acres.
Every non-commissioned officer...400 acres.
[Had to serve throughout war.]
Every soldier and sailor.........200 acres.
[Had to serve throughout war.]
Every non-commissioned officer...200 acres.
[Enlisted for three years.]
Every soldier and sailor.........100 acres.

Where any officer, soldier or sailor was killed or died in service, his heirs or legal representatives became entitled to receive the same quantity of land as would have been due such officer, soldier or sailor.

Many of these "Military Warrants" were allocated land in what was to become Kentucky. These grants are recorded in "Kentucky Land Warrants, for the French, Indian & Revolutionary Wars", compiled by Samuel M. Wilson. This book is published by Southern Historical Press, Inc. [1st edition 1913.] This reference is very helpful in following any folks coming from Virginia to Kentucky before Kentucky was a state...before 1792. The above table is taken from this source.

Land of my future

The western European nations were yet to arrive in my neighborhood when three cultural groups, the Shawnee, the Cherokee, and Iroquois nations had their knock down, drag out. As early as 1673 it appeared that the Shawnee had defeated the Cherokee and occupied a major settlement called "Eskippakithiki". This settlement had a large ceremonial grounds and was located in none other than Clark County [now known as Indian Old Fields]! Located just north of the Kentucky River and just west of a knob known as "Pilot Knob", it would tell all those who planned to use the Warrior's Path, that they had to go through the Shawnee first. The Cherokee centered their nation in the Great Smokey Mountains and challenged anyone to take it from them. Now both these tribes had yet to face the powerful Iroquois nation; and for more than 60 years they had warfare along this Ohio Valley. Just prior to 1700, there seemed to be a decisive battle near the Falls of the Ohio where the Iroquois defeated both the Shawnee and Cherokee, leading to their claim to this "Dark and Bloody Ground". The Shawnee withdrew to their stronghold near Chillicothe in Ohio, and the Cherokee to their mountains in what was to become eastern Tennessee. The Iroquois had bigger fish to fry and wanted to push their growing empire further east. They chose to name this newly conquered land "Ken-Tah-The". In the Iroquois language this meant "the land of their future". To the English ear this became Kentucky. I guess they planned to come back to it when they had finished conquering the rest of the tribal groups that they saw as their enemies. Now when the western European nations finally got around to exploring this land, the Iroquois made it clear that they owned this land. At a meeting held at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, June 1744, their chief, Tachanoontia, is recorded to have said:

"All the world knows we conquered...the back of the great mountains in Virginia...As to what lies beyond the mountains, we conquered the nations residing there, and that land, if the Virginians ever get a good right to it, it must be by us."

Thus came the name "Ken-Tah-The", certainly the land of my future.

Dark and Bloody Ground

Certainly not every one would agree with me that growing up in Winchester, Kentucky during the 1950s and early 1960s was anything special. Life happened, and it was not always good. My family had been here more than 150 years and well at the time, I could not wait to grow older one more year! One hundred and fifty years was a very, very, very, long time.

Where did it all begin, this land called Kentucky? "The Dark and Bloody Ground" it was called. At least this Daniel Boone-type expression was used to begin many stories. I now know that human existence began much before my family knew anything, well...., about anything.

The earliest humans were thought to arrive in my neighborhood around 10,000 BC. This Paleoindian period was even before the "Ice Age" which is felt to have begun around 8,000 BC. They were thought to be nomadic, big-game hunters and gatherers which certainly set the stage for Daniel Boone. I always thought that it must have been the combination of water, limestone formations, and summer heat, which produced the most important item of all, salt. Salt was necessary for life, and I suspect that all those woolly mammoths smelled the salt and "came a runnin".

By the late Archaie period (3,000 - 1,000 BC), settlements had become more permanent, but were generally considered base camps along the water and salt trails. A site in Clark County was discovered called the Stone site which contained scrapers, hammer-stones, and other tool making implements. Food processing was defined by circular pits and must have been the first cookout in Clark County!

Clark County continued to be occupied from this point forward with archaeological evidence from the Woodland periods; Early (1,000 BC - 200 BC), Middle (200 BC - 500AD), and the Late (400 AD - 1000 AD). It is generally believed that bows and arrows were introduced into the area at this time; and because of this, it provided one of the chief collections that many boys from Clark County had, i.e., the arrow head collection. Of course bows and arrows produced blood shed, and perhaps this was the reason for the name "Dark and Bloody ground". The final stage prior to any written history was known as the Mississippi period (900 AD - 1700 AD). By this time, life in what was to become Kentucky had become fully agricultural, and distinct villages and towns were being built. Of course you had to protect your village from others with bows and arrows and there is evidence that many villages were fortified. Kill or be killed. Man what a life!