^•' / *^^-.3^-./ %*^-'/ -v--^'./ ^0 - t*. ^o V^ o •a r- > % A HISTORY of ELIZABETHTOWN, KENTUCKY AND ITS SURROUNDINGS BY SAMUEL HAYCRAFT n (fTritten in 1869) PUBLISHED BY THE WOMAN'S CLUB of ELIZABETHTOWN, KY. 1921 COPYRIGHT. 1921, BY THE WOMAN'S CLUB of EUZABETHTOWN. KY. Alio 16 i':.:^! 0)CU622445 ^>v / PRELIMINARY NOTE Samuel Haycraft's "History of EHzabethtown and Its Surround- ings" was published in the EHzabethtown News in 1869 and republished in 1889-90. The preservation of this history through its publication in the News is a happy occurrence, for in no other way would much of the early history of the town have been accurately preserved. Mr. Haycraft was a son of one of the three pioneer settlers of the town, and was born when the town was still an early pioneer settlement. At the time of his death he had lived here 83 years, and he was the only remaining citizen whose life went back to the town's earliest days. EHzabethtown is now 140 years old, and it will not be long before no one will be left whose interest in the town's history is quickened by per- sonal memory of its early inhabitants. When that time comes, tradi- tions will rapidly grow vague, and the knowledge of its early history and characters will be lost. On account of facts like these the Elizabeth- town Woman's Club undertook the publication of Haycraft's History in book form. The original suggestion of this came from Mrs. William Allen Pusey, of Chicago. There are many EHzabethtown people both at home and abroad to whom the town is dear and who are interested in preserving its history. When this matter was proposed to them there was a gratifying response which has enabled the club to proceed with the undertaking. Quite aside from local interest and personal feelings there are other good reasons for the publication of this work. It is an exceedingly in- teresting document, particularly in the vivid description which the writer gives of pioneer customs and conditions. The author loved the town and its early history, and he describes it in vigorous style and with a quaint sense of humor. He was little disturbed in his writing by the laws of composition, but his descriptions flow on easily, and the reader is never uncertain as to what he is trying to say. The original copy has been reproduced without any effort at alteration or correction. A few chapters, composed of material not really a part of the history of the town and its surroundings, have been omitted. The history ends abruptly with a short sketch of Ben Hardin which it was evidently intended to continue. It is to be hoped that the example of this history will stimulate some later public spirited citizen to continue the history of the town down to the present day. For the privilege of publishing this history the Woman's Club is indebted to Mr. H. A. Sommers and the other owners of the Elizabeth- town News and takes pleasure in expressing here its obligations to them. The Woman's Club of Elizabethtown, Ky. Miss Lillie Goldnamer, Miss Emily Payne, Miss Margaret Stewart, Mrs. W. H. Robertson, Mrs. J. R. Selby, Mrs. R. W. Gates, Mrs. R. B. Park. Committee. ' Samuel Haycraft Taken in Sc-pt. 1877, »'» ^'-^ ^3^ J'"^'' Sarah B. Haycraft Taken in 1872, in her 73d year SAMUEL HAYCRAFT Ken- Samuel Haycraft was born August 14, I795> in Elizabethtown, father was Samuel Haycraft, tucky, in a double, round-log cabin. His public and private worth, a Revolutionary soldier, and a man of great quarter of the eighteenth who settled in Kentucky early in the latter daughter of Jacob Van- century. His mother was Margaret VanMeter, pioneer families Meter, and belonged to one of the old and honorable of the most remarkable of the State. The subject of this sketch, one seven years of his men who ever lived in Elizabethtown, spent nearly chiefly in studying the boyhood in the country schools, the last two extensive reader, Latin language. He was a careful, discriminating, and well in- and few men of the country were so thoroughly and universally was fourteen years formed. His long public career commenced when he began to write in the office of age. At that time, in October, 1809, he Helm. The duties of this of the County and Circuit Clerk, Major Ben until 1816, when he re- position he performed, with little variation, and County Courts of ceived the appointment of Clerk of both Circuit Hardin County, and held this clerkship, uninterruptedly, until 1857. entered this office, he was He said of himself, "That, from the time he it but, in leisure moments, attentive to business, and never neglected ; dancing parties, was fond of gay and lively company, particularly of rowdyism, but was a wild, but hardly ever descended to low company or the court and bar wicked sinner." On retiring from this office, in 1851, every way flattering to adopted, and placed on record, resolutions in private relations of life. him in his official capacity, as well as social and Elizabethtown bar; but He, then, began the practice of law at the called by the people to fill after four years of legal practice, was again caused by the death of the the vacant clerkship of the Circuit Court, people in the State incumbent. In 1857 he was elected to represent the was, therefore, a Senate and held this position for four years. He and critical period member of the Legislature during the most important body was most honora- of the State's history. His record made in that present, is stamped by a wisdom, ble to himself, and, in the light of the principles, of which foresight, and fearless devotion to just and true 7 any man might well be proud. He was instrumental in enacting some measures beneficial to the general good; and it was through his efforts, mainly, that the Legislature was induced to appropriate even the meagre sum it did for the erection of a monument to Daniel Boone. And, in that body, he was one of the most determined and staunch supporters of the Union. He was then sixty-seven years of age, and had lived with his father through the greater part of the life-time of the nation, and now stood in the Senate, gray with time and honor, one of the noblest Romans of them all, ever readyto say, "The Union must and shall be preserved." But neither in that august body nor among his friends and neighbors at home, was he ever obnoxious in his opinions ; on the con- trary, however, conciliatory, generous and discriminating, claiming only to himself his private opinions, and deeply sympathizing with the troubles of his neighbors and the evils and misfortunes of the times. He was again elected Clerk of the Circuit Court and retired in 1868, at the age of seventy-three, after an unparalleled service of sixty-five years. He said of himself that "On the first Saturday in April, 1832, my wife and I were baptized by Elder Warren Cash, who also married us and, in answer ; to my mother's prayers, she lived to see all her children in the Church, and to hear her youngest son preach the Gospel." For over forty years he was a member of the Baptist Church, a teacher in the Sabbath-schools and observed family prayers twice a day. For several years he was a Trustee of Georgetown College, to which he made some bequests. Of himself, he says: "I have occupied the same seat in church for over forty years, and never sit back in the scorner's place. On the 29th of October, 1818, I was married to Sarah Brown Helm, a daughter of Judge John Helm, of Breckinridge County. I regard the transaction as the most fortunate move of my life, tem- porally speaking." They had four children : Edgar H., DeSoto, Iowa ; Sarah M., wife of S. McMurtry, Hardin County ; Louisa Ann, wife of William Dix, Breckinridge County; and Margaret J., wife of C. D. Poston, once Representative in Congress from Arizona. Mr. Hay- craft was a fine public speaker and one of the most interesting conversa- tionalists. His disposition to joke was inveterate and a vein of humor seemed to underlie the most serious moments of his life. He was a man of fine address, most genial temperament, courteous manner and splendid personal appearance; and few men of his age showed such high preservation of all the noble elements of manhood. He stood as a monument of the efifects of correct principles and practices of life, both physically and mentally. Yet he modestly said : "My life has been rather quiet and monotonous, and does not afford much matter for history, especially of an extraordinary character." He evidently found pleasure in composition on subjects which were of interest to him ; these were especially the pioneer times and people, his church, and religion. He not infrequently wrote letters to the Louisville papers, and was an occasional contributor to religious publications. In Ford's Christian Repository of May, 1875, pp. 350 to 361 he has an autobiography. In the same of October, 1875, PP- 276 to 285 there is a sermon by him. This history was probably suggested to him by an investigation which he made and embodied in a very interesting "Letter to the churches comprising the Salem Association of L'nited Baptists" read at Big Spring meeting house September 22nd, 1871. Although read after the publication of his history, the context shows that it was prepared in 1843.