HISTORY OF HENDERSON COUNTY, KY.



    R. W. AGNEW was born in Henderson County, in the year
1836. Robert Agnew, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was
born on Rock Creek, waters of the Alamance, Guilford County, North
Carolina, on the sixth day of May, 1776. His father, Doctor Robert
Agnew, was born in County Down, Ireland, on January 31st, 1734.
He married Euphenia Shaw in the year 1763, and immigrated to
America in the year 1771, and settled in Guilford County, where he
died October 18th, 1793. Robert Agnew was the fifth child, and his
mother died when he was not six months old. He was then given to
Ann Shaw, of Christian County, Kentucky, his mother's first cousin,
who cared for him until her death, three years afterwards. His tather
having married his second wife, young Robert was taken back to
Norch Carolina, where he lived with his step-mother, a most estimable
woman, until arriving at nineteen years of age. He then went to his sis-
ter Sally, in Sumner County, Tennessee.  This trip was over five hun-
dred miles through the wilderness, inhabited by Indians and' wild
animals, and seven days of the journey young Agnew was alone. He'
remained a year or more in Sumner County, and then returned to his
native home in North Carolina, where he attended school for a short
time. Being of a restless disposition, he determined to go back to
Tennessee, so on the twenty-second day of December, 1796, in ex-
treme cold weather, he set out on his sepond journey, and on the
twentieth day of January, 1797, arrived at his sister's in Sumner
County. He was still unsatisfied, he wanted fo see more of the coun-
try; therefore, in company with two friends, on the twenty-eighth day
of January, 1797, he came to Henderson County, and being well
pleased, determined to settle here. He returned to Tennessee, and the
following is taken from a diary kept by himself: "Returning to Ten
nessee, I thought I would quit my rambles and settle myself. So it
happened that on the first day of June I married Elizabeth White Har-
din, of Robertson County. We then concluded to come and live in
this country, my wife having a sister living here that was married to
Jacob Landers, a pioneer. On Tuesday November 21st, 1797, we
arrived in Henderson County, having brought but a small share of
property with us. It consisted of two horses, two cows and one calf,
two sheep, one bed, etc., and one flax wheel and other small articles
to commence work with, but without one cent of money or provisions.
However, we went to work, and have never suffered to this time, 1839,
for the necessaries of life. Before two years had roll'd away our
horses were all dead of the 'Yellow Water,' which prevailed in the
world at that time; our sheep were all gone, but our cows did well."



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