Kentucky Union Land Company records
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Kentucky Union Land Company records
- Date
- 1791-1935 (inclusive)
- Bulk, 1880-1899 (bulk)
- Extent
- 6.0 Cubic feet
- Subjects
- Land companies--Kentucky.
- Land tenure--Kentucky.
- Railroad land grants.
- Railroads--Kentucky--History.
- Arrangement
- Organized into the following series: Correspondence (1811-1935, undated), Financial Papers (1864-1934, undated), Business and Legal Papers, Maps, Miscellaneous, and Oversize Materials.
- Preferred Citation
- [Identification of item], Kentucky Union Land Company records, 1791-1935, bulk 1880-1899, 59M110, Special Collections and Digital Programs, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- The Kentucky Union Land Company (KULC) was a subsidiary of the Kentucky Union Railway Company and was responsible primarily for conducting surveys, purchasing lands through which the railway would run, and securing the right of way for the railway. The Kentucky Union Railway line eventually crossed over 500,000 acres of valuable coal, iron, and timber lands, lying mostly in the eastern Kentucky counties of Breathitt, Perry, and Letcher. Two of the land company's agents were George W. Sewell, who was also a Kentucky legislator, and James McGuire of Irvine, Kentucky. Capt. J.M. Thomas and Mr. Benjamin Crawford were also responsible for purchasing a large body of lands for the KULC.
- The Kentucky Union Railway Company was reorganized in 1894 as the Lexington and Eastern Railway Company and later purchased in 1909 by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company.
- Scope and Content
- These papers relate to the Kentucky Union Land Company, in particular its efforts to secure lands in eastern Kentucky for the Kentucky Union Railway Company. Materials consist of correspondence, financial papers, legal documents, and maps. The financial papers include bills, receipts, cancelled checks, expense reports, agreements, stock certificates, memorandum, and some correspondence. Legal documents include surveys and surveyors' reports, deeds and indentures, and court records dealing with land disputes. Most of the deeds, indentures, and surveys in the collection are copies made in the 1870s-1890s, but there are also a few original materials dating from 1791-1869. Some family histories may be traced through the deeds and other court documents, including that of Samuel C. Young, the McGuire Family, and Baronness Caroline Von Roques of France. There are also a few miscellaneous documents relating to businesses owned by the land company, including the Three Forks City Company, St. Helen's Land, Coal and Iron Company of Frankfort, and the Kentucky Industrial Consolidation Company of Clay City.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
- Copyright has not been assigned to the University of Kentucky.
Contents of the Collection
CORRESPONDENCE, 1811-1935, undated
Scope and Contents note
Letters mostly concern land purchases. Arranged chronologically by date.
FINANCIAL PAPERS, 1864-1934, undated
Scope and Contents note
Included are stock certificates, cancelled checks, bills, receipts, expense reports, agreements, memorandum, and some correspondence. Arranged chronologically by date.
Other Cases
Brun d' Aubignose, et al. vs. De Redern, et al.
Lewellen Bush and heirs [Please note that Lewellen Bush is also referred to as Loualen Bush in other parts of this collection.]
Geo T. Cotton vs. Nathan Noble, et al.
Bela McHughes vs. William Rice, et al.
Samuel Smith vs. William McGuire
Trumble vs. Spencer, Prior, Buchanon
BUSINESS AND LEGAL PAPERS
COURT CASES
Scope and Contents note
Materials include agreements, judgments, rights of way, powers of attorney, deeds, surveys, and other legal papers. Papers relating to specific families and tracts of land have been kept together as much as possible.
Pre-existing Files
Scope and Contents note
These files were created by the Kentucky Union Land Company and pertain to cases regarding specific tracts of land. The files have been left in the order prescribed by a list provided for each file. These files are incomplete and researchers should be aware that other papers relating to these tracts of land may be found elsewhere within the collection.
DEEDS, circa 1791-1893
Scope and Contents note
Deeds concern lands in the following Kentucky counties: Owsley, Bourbon, Lincoln, Estill, Powell, Clay, Montgomery, Breathitt, Woodford, Clark, Madison, Morgan, Mason, and Lee; as well as the Virginia (now West Virginia) counties of Kenhawa (now Kanawha), Monroe, Harrison, and Fayette. There are also some indentures, powers of attorney, and surveys included with the deeds. Land records detail the names and relationships of sellers and purchasers, a description and location of the real estate and/or personal property in question, the selling price, and sale and filing dates. Often provided are the names and relationships of prior owners, ancestors, and neighbors. Arranged alphabetically by grantor's last name; chronologically by date thereunder.
LAND SURVEYS
Scope and Contents note
Surveys are often accompanied by field notes and maps.
Pre-existing Files
Scope and Contents note
These files include copies of surveys of lands in Fayette and Madison counties made between 1783 and 1798.
Files for Patron Use
Field Note Booklets
Scope and Contents note
These field notes mostly pertain to land owned by the St. Helen's Land, Coal, and Iron Company.
St. Helen's surveys, ink copy books 2-8
- Box 8, Folder 3
