b92-121-28575465

xt76q52f7w91 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt76q52f7w91/data/mets.xml Purcell, Martha C. Grassham. 19 books b92-121-28575465 English s.n., : [S.l. : Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Names, Geographical Kentucky. There's something in a name : how the counties and county seats of the first congressional district of the Commonwealth of Kentucky got their names / Martha Grassham Purcell. text There's something in a name : how the counties and county seats of the first congressional district of the Commonwealth of Kentucky got their names / Martha Grassham Purcell. 19 2002 true xt76q52f7w91 section xt76q52f7w91

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HOW THE COUNTIES AND COUNTY SEATS OF

THE FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF

KENTUCKY GOT THEIR

INTERESTING NAMES

MARTHA GRASSHAM PURCELL

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There's Something in a Name
-0-
HOW THE COUNTIES AND COUNTY SEATS OF
THE FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF
KENTUCKY GOT THEIR
INTERESTING NAMES
- To
MARTHA GRASSHAM PURCELL
-0-o-
From time immemorial we have heard on every
hand, "There's nothing in a name," but we believe
if you'll think with us a while you'll agree there is a
great deal in a name.
Felicia Brown Hemans, the English writer, says:
"There's beauty all about our paths,
If but our watchful eyes
Could trace it midst familiar things
And in their lowly guise."
Begging the pardon of Mrs. Hemans, we would
say, there's history all about our paths if only we
would pause to consider. Every day we see places,

use familiar household words that are teeming with
interest, beauty, romance, history, and none are quite
so full of them as names. When we hear of a new
invention, we immediately look up the etymology of
the word to see why it is so called. When a baby is
christened we wonder why it is so named, especially
if the name be a new or odd one. So it
is with places, and these place-names are not
mere words, words, words that fell by chance
upon a certain locality as rain from the heavens.
Time was when no place of our American conti-
nent, not even the continent itself, was the proud
possessor of a name. Then how and why did cer-
tain names come to be affixed to certain places
We loyal Kentuckians long ago read that the name
of our state meant "Dark and Bloody Ground," but
more recent research has disclosed a more beautiful,
more promising meaning. Conquering the Ohio Val-
ley, yet not daring to occupy it, the Iroquois Indians
held it in reserve, so if they were driven from their
present home as so many Eastern tribes had been,
they could take refuge in this, their land in the West.
So saving their possessions here for that purpose,
they spoke of them as "The Land of Tomorrow," that
is, the land where they intended to live in the future.
They sent the Wyandots (Iroquoian) to live in it and
manage it. So our state has a name derived from
the Wyandot's dialect of the Iroquoian tongue.

"Land of Tomorrow"
The Wyandot (Iroquoian) Kah-ten-tah-teh. means
2

a day, shortened to Ken-tah-teh, it is "The coming
day," or "Tomorrow." Thus was fixed upon the Iro-
quoian possessions, both north and south of the Ohio,
the name which meant the land where we will live
tomorrow or in the future. It was only a step from
Ken-tah-teh to Cantockey, Cantuckee, Kaintuckee,
on through many changes, until we have the name
we love so well-Kentucky, "The Land of Tomor-
row." Somehow it seems a promise, a prophecy that
our state will yet forge ahead of anything she has
yet done; that more than ever before her sons and
daughters will be in the vanguard of all good works
and we can truly sing,
"The sun shines bright in my old Kentucky
home."
Bringing the subject of names nearer home, we
know our own First Congressional District was dub-
-bed "The Old Gibraltar," because it proved impreg-
nable to the assaults of Republican visions and votes,
and gave for so many years a handsome Democratic
majority in all elections.
A part of this district was owned by the Chicka-
saw Indians until on October 19, 1818, the United
States, through its commissioners, General Andrew
Jackson and Governor Isaac Shelby, purchased it,
hence "The Purchase," or "Jackson's Purchase."
The nickname, "The Pennyrile," comes from the
abundance of pennyroyal growing in this section.
The thirteen counties comprising this section of west-
"History of Kentucky"-Judge Charles Kerr, Editor.
3

ern Ketucky, in the naming of both counties and
county seats, present a panorama of historical hap-
penings of wide range.
The same year that marked the birth of our na-
tion saw the county of Fincastle in Virginia (our
mother state) divided into three parts, one of which
was called Kentucky county. Four years later, the
march of civilization continuing westward, it became
necessary that the seats of justice should be nearer
the people, so this county was divided into Jefferson,
Fayette and Lincoln. These were divided and sub-
divided until nine counties had been created which,
on June 1, 1792, were admitted into the union as a
separate state bearing the name of the original coun-
ty, Kentucky.

Livingston Came First
Of these nine counties, we of the western part of
our commonwealth are more directly interested in
that section bearing the name of Lincoln, because
from Lincoln in 1792 came Logan, from Logan in
1796 was carved Christian, and from Christian in
1798 was formed Livingston, the 29th county created
in our state, but the first in "The Old Gibraltar." The
name of this county perpetuates that of Robert R.
Livingston, of New York, who was one of the com-
mittee that prepared that immortal document, the
Declaration of Independence, and who was also one
of its courageous signers. Appointed by Thomas
Jefferson as Minister to France, he, in conjunction
with James Monroe, conducted the treaty by which
4

we acquired the Louisiana Territory, a tract of 1,-
000,000 square miles, and the control of the great
Mississippi River and its tributaries. Well did Mr.
Livingston say, as they arose from signing the treaty
of cession, "We have lived long, but this is the no-
blest work of our whole lives."
The first county seat of the original county of
Livingston was called Salem, an abbreviation of the
name of the Holy City-Jerusalem. Many of the sur-
rounding counties were formed wholly or in part,
from Livingston, the last division being in 1842.
which left the boundary of the county as at present.
The county seat was then removed to Smithland,
which owes its name to old Smithland which flour-
ished for a few years a mile or more below the mouth
of the Cumberland. This was named for Col. James
Smith, of Pennsylvania, who had many thrilling ex-
periences with the Indians who called him Scouwa.
Col. Smith, with three other white men and a mulat-
to slave, explored the Cumberland for many, many
miles till they reached its junction with the Ohio.
Here the others separated from Col. Smith and the
mulatto boy, who were for a long time alone in the
wilderness. It is very fitting that the county capital,
situated at the junction of these rivers, should bear
the name of the first white man to explore southern
and southwestern Kentucky.

Caldwell is Created
In 1809 a new county, the fifty-first in the state,
was created from Livingston and called Caldwell in
5

honor of Gen. John Caldwell, of Virginia, who served
as a subaltern under Gen. George Rogers Clark in
the campaign of 1786 against the Indians. Gen.
Caldwell was later a member of the conventions held
at Danville and in 1804 became Lieutenant-Governor
of Kentucky. The seat of justice was first fixed at
Eddyville, so named from the eddies in the Cumber-
land River near there. The county seat was later
transferred to Centerville (being near the center of
the county) ; later it was returned to Eddyville; again
removed, and permanently fixed at Princeton, named
in honor of its pioneer settler, William Prince.
In 1820, the 66th county of the commonwealth
was formed from parts of Christian and Caldwell,
and given the name, Trigg, for Col. Stephen Trigg,
of Virginia, who came to Kentucky in 1779. He set-
tled Trigg's Station near Harrodsburgh and fell at
the bloody battle of the Blue Licks, 1782, while lead-
ing his men in a charge. Cadiz, the county seat,
bears a trans-Atlantic name from Cadiz, Spain.
From parts of Caldwell and Livingston, in 1821,
Hickman, the 71st county came. It perpetuates the
name of Captain- Paschal Hickman, who migrated
from Virginia, was distinguished for his activities
aganist the Indians, was commissioned a captain in
the War of 1812, and fell at the memorable battle
of the River Raisin. Columbus, the first county seat,
was named for the great navigator (some say at the
suggestion of the Governor of Virginia). It has
been told that the projectors of this town cherished
6

a dream of building at Columbus a city that should
be not only the commercial center of the United
States, but eventually the capital of our country. De-
siring the seat of justice nearer the center of the
county, the commissioners appointed for that purpose
selected a new site and called it Clinton, in honor of
DeWitt Clinton, of New York, who, as an active
untiring advocate, pressed the adoption of the Erie
Canal scheme, and who, while Governor of New
York, opened the canal in 1825.

Named for Col. Calloway
Out of a part of Hickman, in 1822, was erected
the 72nd county in Kentucky and called Calloway,
for Col. Richard Calloway, who migrated to Ken-
tucky in our Independence Year, was one of the first
two burgesses to the General Assembly of Virginia
while Kentucky county was yet a part of that mother
state, and was one of the trustees appointed to lay
off the town of Boonesborough.
Among the early settlers of Calloway county
were the Wades-the first mentioned being Bane-
ster Wade. This name is perpetuated in the first
county seat, Wadesboro. This was for a time a pros-
perous place; a land office was opened here and land
sold from 121/2 cents to 1.25 per acre. When the
public land had been disposed of, Wadesboro became
"The Deserted Village," and the capital of the coun-
ty was transferred to a plot (adjoining Pleasant Hill,
or Pool Town) near the center of the county. This
was named Murray in honor of Hon. John L. Murray,
7

a leading lawyer and a member of the United States
Congress for a period of eleven years.
The year 1823 saw the forming of another county
from Hickman, making the 75th of our common-
wealth. This was called Graves, in honor of Major
Benjamin Graves, who migrated to Kentucky from
Virginia and settled in Fayette county. Mr. Graves
was active in both civil and military affairs (receiv-
ing his appontment as major in Col. Lewis' regiment
during the Second War with Great Britain), and
made the supreme sacrifice at the Battle of the River
Raisin.
Mayfield is Named
The naming of the county seat, Mayfield, is close-
ly connected with tragedy. Tradition points to Mill's
Point (now called Hickman) as a scene of great in-
terest in horse racing about the year 1817. Many
came from a distance to view this sport of a day gone
by; among them one frequent visitor was a moneyed-
man named Mayfield, of Mississippi. For some rea-
son several men were bent upon disposing of him,
and finally kidnaped him, carried him to where May-
field now stands, and for a while, kept him cap-
tive. While being held a prisoner, he carved his
name on a large tree, then one day, while making a
dash for liberty, he was shot and drowned as he was
crossing a log over the creek which was ever after
to bear his name, and from which the town after-
wards was called the same.
On December 17, 1824, the legislature voted to
8

erect a new county from a part of Hickman (making
the 78th formed in the state). The actual organiza-
tion of this county, however, did not take place until
January, 17, 1825. This was named McCracken for
Captain Virgil McCracken, a native of Woodford
county, Kentucky, and who was the son of Cyrus Mc-
Cracken, who fell while serving under Gen. George
Rogers Clark, in his expedition to avenge the battle
of the Blue Licks. Captain McCracken followed in
the footsteps of his famous father and gallantly gave
his life at the head of his company at the River
Raisin, January 22, 1813; so his proud patronym we
bear.

McCracken's First Capital
From Delaware to North Carolina, we find that
a favorite name in the early annals of our country
was Wilmington, so called for the Earl of Wilming-
ton (Spence Compton). As many of our early set-
tlers in McCracken were of Carolina descent, very
probably the love of the name cherished in their na-
tive state lingering in their bosoms caused our first
county capital to bear the name, Wilmington. In a
few short years this place lost its pristine glory; but
meanwhile Pekin had grown by leaps and bounds,
and General William Clark (the younger brother of
George Rogers Clark) had become the owner of this
vast tract near our three rivers, and remembering
kindnesses fom savage hands, had changed the name
from Pekin to Paducah, which, in their tribal lan-
guage (with many various spellings) means "tall,
9

upstanding chestnut tree." This, in 1832, became
our county seat.
As before stated, the last county cut from the
original Livingston was formed in 1842, making the
91st, and named Crittenden in honor of John Jor-
dan Crittenden, a native of Woodford county, who
was noted as an orator and statesman; a one time At-
torney-General of the United States and an ardent
advocate of peace. He it was who offered in the
United States Senate the "Crittenden Propositions,"
by which he hoped to adjust the difficulties between
the North and the South. He was President of the
Border States Convention at Frankfort, in May, 1861,
when again mediation was attempted; was also an
active participant in the Old and New Court contro-
versy; and was distinguished in military as well as
civil affairs, serving with gallantry under General
Shelby at the battle of the Thames.

For "The Swamp Fox"
The county seat of Crittenden, Marion, perpet-
uates the name of a Revolutionary Soldier, "The
Swamp Fox"-Gen. Francis Marion. William Cul-
len Bryant aptly has his fearless followers sing-
"Our band is few, but true and tried
Our leader frank and bold;
The British soldier trembles
When Marion's name is told."
Out of Calloway in 1842 was formed the 92nd
county of our commonwealth and named Marshall,
10

in memory of Chief Justice John Marshall, of Vir-
ginia, who served as a Lieutenant of Minute-Men in
the Revolution, took part in the battles of Brandy-
wine, Germantown and Monmouth, but whose un-
dying glory was his unsullied dignity and unusual
ability as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the
United States for nearly thirty-five years.
The county seat, Benton, bears the proud name
of the noted United States Senator, Thomas Hart
Benton, who served from Missouri with much dis-
tinction.

The year 1842 seemed a fruitful one for the form-
ation of new counties in Western Kentucky, for in
that year also, from Hickman and McCracken coun-
ties was formed Ballard, the third that year in this
section, and the 93rd in the state. This county owes
its name to Captain Bland Ballard, a Virginian, who
after coming to Kentucky, served almost continu-
ously under either Bowman, Clark, Scott, Wilkinson
or Wayne from 1779 to 1794. When not engaged in
regular campaign work, he was a trusty spy for Gen-
eral Clark, and in this capacity succeeded in killing
three Indians in one morning, whereupon Gen. Clark
gave him, among other small presents, a linen shirt,
of which Captain Ballard was doubtless very proud,
as it was the only shirt he had possessed for several
years except those made of leather. In after years
Captain Ballard was active and useful in civil life, as
he had been in Indian warfare.
11

The Noble Wickliffe
The first county seat of this new county was
near the center of the county, at Blandville, named
from Captain Ballard's christian name, later
the change was made to the present county capital,
Wickliffe, named for Hon. Charles Anderson Wick-
liffe, a native of Kentucky, and a peer as citizen or
soldier of the best brain and brawn of the state.
Under Governor Shelby at the battle of the Thames,
as Governor of our commonwealth, as Postmaster
General in the cabinet of President Tyler, as a fac-
tor in securing the annexation of the lone star Re-
public, Texas, and as a commissioner to a religious
convention, he ever upheld the record of Kentuck-
ians for both moral and physical courage.

In 1845 Hickman county was again called upon
to yield territory for a new county, the 99th in Ken-
tucky, which bears the name Fulton, in honor of Rob-
ert Fulton, a native of Pennsylvania, whose boat,
the Clermont, sailed the Hudson in 1807. While
history generally concedes to him the invention of
the steamboat, yet in 1813, when Fulton brought
suit to establish his claims as the inventor of steam
navigation, he was defeated by a pamphlet by John
Fitch, which proved conclusively there were inven-
tions antedating the Clermont. Fitch had in 1787,
1788, and 1789 built several boats that made from
four to seven and one-half miles per hour between
Philadelphia and Burlington. Fitch came to Ken-
tucky from Connecticut, and is buried at Bardstown.
12

The county seat, Hickman, (formerly Mill's
Point, so called in honor of a Mr. Mills who settled
there in 1819), was later called by the maiden name
of the wife of G. W. L. Marr, who at one time owned,
not only the entire town, but also several thousand
acres around it.

Named for Colonel Lyon
From Caldwell county in 1854, the 102nd county
in Kentucky was carved, and was called Lyon, in
memory of Col. Chittenden Lyon,who represented
his district in the United States Congress for eight
years. He was of as prodigious physical proportions
as of mental, and fearless in either sense. He was
a famous son of a famous father (the Hon. Matthew
Lyon), who cast the deciding vote that made Thom-
as Jefferson President, and the same who was con-
victed, under the Alien and Sedition laws, fined and
imprisoned on account of his attack on the adminis-
tration of President John Adams. While serving his
sentence he was re-elected to congress and years
after the fine was returned to his descendants.
The county seat, Eddyville, so called from the ed-
dies in the Cumberland River near there, has the un-
usual distinction of serving twice as the county seat
of Caldwell and permanently of Lyon.
The year 1886 saw a division of Ballard county
and the forming therefrom of Carlisle, named for
the Hon. John Griffin Carlisle, a native of Campbell
(now Kenton) county, Kentucky, who played a
prominent part in the public affairs of both state and
13

nation, serving in both the upper and lower houaes
of the State Legislature, and of the United States
Congress, as Lieutenant-Governor of Kentucky, and
as Secretary of the Treasury in the Cabinet of Pres-
ident Cleveland.
This, the 119th county in our state, has as its cap-
ital, Bardwell. Some have thought it was named
from the Bards who lived at one time near there, but
the latest accepted tradition says there was in early
days a bored well located in the town; this attracted
-a great deal of attention, so from the settlement with
the bored well we have the corruption to Bardwell.
If each of the thirteen above named counties in
the First Congressional District would erect at its
county seat a tablet setting forth the origin of the
names of both county and county seat, a lasting good
would be done, for from local pride we must build
national patriotism.

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There's something in a name : how the counties and county seats of the first congressional district of the Commonwealth of Kentucky got their names / Martha Grassham Purcell.
Purcell, Martha C. Grassham.

s.n.,
[S.l. :
19--]

14 p. ; 20 cm.
Coleman
Cover title.
Autographed copy.
Microfilm. Atlanta, Ga. : SOLINET, 1993. 1 microfilm reel ; 35 mm. (SOLINET/ASERL Cooperative Microfilming Project (NEH PS-20317) ; SOL MN03471.07 KUK)
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Names, Geographical Kentucky.