More Reminisicences of Morgan, Kentucky
By
Ewing O. Cossaboom

Transcribed by Bonnie Snow
With permission of the Pendleton County Historical Society, Thanks Society!

By the way, the Licking River flows upstream!

Please note:  The following excellent compilation by Mr. Cossaboom mentions the 1884 Atlas many times and any researcher of this area will find this Atlas to be one of the best tools they have.  There is so much to be gleaned from it!  You can purchase a copy of this Atlas from the Pendleton County Historical Society, please contact Nancy Bray.

FORWARD:

This should be read in connection with General John Hunt Morgan and Reminiscences of Morgan, Kentucky (Revised September, 1976), General Clark and Buffalo Trails, Indian Warpaths Near Morgan, Kentucky, Covington and Cincinnati (Revised 1978) and Old Surveys and Deeds Near Morgan and Boyd, Kentucky.

Like all lovers of History, I have written not because I have learned all concerning Morgan, but because I will write, but it is getting very late and the winter snows of life have come even the  Morgan Valley is not the same as in Winter as in Spring.

Ewing O. Cossaboom

Word wide travelers have commented on the beauty of the Morgan Valley.  As a beautiful gem sparkles in a ring, the broad green river valley nestles between hills.  It is a modern Garden of Eden, but not only is the valley beautiful, it is also fertile.

The early history of Falmouth by Margaret Strebel Hartman has just been published by the Falmouth Outlook.  This is an amazing compilation and sows seedlets of historical interest both for Morgan and Pendleton County.  On Page 21, the Atlas plat of 1884 showing Morgan is reproduced.  This takes us back 100 years.

All of the land in the hamlet was once owned by the Stowers family.  In 1852 when the Kentucky Central Railroad was first built, this hamlet was first called Stowers Station.  The old Atlas shows the old tobacco warehouse building which later became the Ewing Store, the stock pens along the railroad, the scales, the old school, the Christian Church.  The large land holdings of Aunt Annie's Uncle Jim Hand are shown by three different markings.  The residence of John Milton Ewing, who was also a school teacher.  On the other side of the river the residence of Lt. R. F. Garrard is shown.  He was a Morgan man as was Samuel Ewing, Newton Ewing, Joel Ewing and two sons of Taylor Ewing, John J. Ewing and Ben Ewing.

The old Atlas shows the old road to Morgan used by R. F. Garrard and Nick Young which road ran along the west side of the river to Morgan.  The old Atlas also shows the land of Brann, John Makemson, F. M. and J. P. Robinson, Nancy Lowe, Joseph Aulick and John Monroe near Uma Station.  The old Atlas even shows the Buck hole where people have been drowned and also the Picnic Ground on the Boyd Road.

The early history of Falmouth mentions the first and original John Ewing.  He was one of the trustees of Falmouth and one of the first Justices of the Peace.  As far as we know and according to the old deed records, he first settled in Morgan before there was a Falmouth.  John Ewing and others signed the deed to the Courthouse Square and the Deed to the real estate now owned by the Falmouth Outlook.  He was one of the two owners of over 10,000 acres of land.  According to the old Campbell County Tax records, which then included Pendleton County, John Ewing was occupying a farm of 424 acres of land on the South Fork of Licking as early as October, 1795.  (See Campbell County History by William R. Stevens printed in the Falmouth Outlook on Friday, June 30, 1978, page 4) which also mentioned a permit by Jacob Groshomgs for a mill on the East side of the South Fork of the Licking opposite the mouth of Forklick on Sept. 7, 1795, but taken over by John Ewing on September 5, 1796.  According to the deeds he "lived and died" on a 400 acre farm at Morgan.  The deed description for this land begins at the mouth of Fork Lick Creek with the South Licking River.  Part of this land is bottom land opposite the Morgan Bridge on the west and was formerly owned by Bob Thompson, whose mother was Mary Ewing.

The Barton Papers show that the first John Ewing was married twice.  The first time was on March 10, 1774 in Bourbon County, Kentucky and he had 10 children, many of whom moved to Missouri.  Two sons stayed in Morgan, Taylor and Milton.  His second wife was Mary, widow of Lanty McCann.  The first and original John Ewing died Apr. 19, 1832 at Morgan.  The Barton Papers also indicate service in the American Revolution, however, to the present generation, there is nothing of his life prior to coming to Kentucky which seems to be known.  Perhaps some writer will learn more in the distant future.

Another of the Morgan pioneers was John Hume.  (Page 22 of Falmouth History.)  He also was one of the first trustees of Falmouth.  Strangely enough, it seems that the Trustees of Falmouth may have held a meeting or meetings at Morgan before Falmouth was settled, (or widely settled).  John Hume was from Culpepper County, Virginia.  Like most of the Morgan pioneers, he had fought in the American Revolution.  The Hume family continued to live around Morgan.  Francis Makemson Hume was one of the Makemson orphans raised by Uncle Jim Hand, who was a bachelor.  Her family was one of the sixty some heirs in the Partition of his land, as was William Makemson.  Many of the Humes live in Northern Kentucky now.  Witt Hume was the long time educator at Stearns, Kentucky and "came home" to be buried at Morgan Cemetery.

Also of interest in the Falmouth History is the mention of Bird's Trace at Page 26 and the Broad Ford.  Bird's Crossing, about a mile and a half south of Boyd, Kentucky is still a well known spot around Boyd.

(In 1783) "When we came to the fork of Licking, we found a wagon road cut out, that led up the South Fork.  This road had been cut by Colonel Bird, a British officer who had ascended Licking in keel boats, with six hundred Canadians and Indians.  They were several days in cutting out this road which led to Riddle's Fort, which stood on the east side of Licking, three miles below the junction of Hinkston's and Stoner's fork..." (Riddle's should be Ruddle's).

"We took the road, and went on, the snow being about have leg deep.  Early in the morning about three miles from Riddle's fort, we came to three families encamped.  They had landed at Limestone, but finding no road, they wandered through the woods, crossed Licking, and happening to find the road, took it."  (Source:  Spencer Records, Memoir of the Ohio Valley Frontier as reported by Margaret Strebel Hartman in Falmouth History, page 9).  Several years ago, the writer again visited Bird's Crossing about a mile and a half south of Boyd on the South Licking River during an extreme drought.  One could easily walk across the river with dry feet except for a very narrow channel not over a foot deep and about 15 feet wide.  Historians say that it was very dry in June of 1780.  Colonel Bird may have had little trouble crossing with his cannon.  (Folklore at Boyd claims one was lost in the River and seen for many years).

The land in Morgan valley is some of the best in "all Kaintuck."  In the days when quality tobacco still meant something, Morgan tobacco many, many times topped the market.  Interestingly enough, Morgan men have how entered the tobacco warehouse business at Cynthiana.  They are Robert L. Ammerman, Junior Courtney and the McCandless family.

DIFFERENCES IN ROADS

Colonial roads were built on the ridges or along the rivers.  The 1884 Atlas shows the difference in the roads, as compared to the present.  Lt. R. F. Garrard who owned the farm now owned by Roy Leland Wilson used a road that went east to the river and then north along the river to the rear of the cemetery to Morgan.  Clarence Hill states that there is still evidence of the old road.  This same road joined the Old State Road, that was built on the ridge, near Frank Garrard's house and to the west.  Along the Old State Road there was a rock fence.  Most of the old rock fences in Kentucky were built by slaves and Uncle Jim Hand owned more slaves in Morgan that any other family.  One of the descendants of the slaves was America Mundy.

On the other side of the river to the east was the bottom land and hill land owned by John Ewing who became the largest landowner in Morgan after the partition of the land of Jim Hand.  Part of the road to Boyd was also different, ( as related by Harve Ewing to the writer in 1952).  One half mile to the south of Morgan, there was a tollgate house at the fork of the level road.  The next one-half mile of the road slanted up hill as it does today.  This is shown on the 1884 Atlas.

CALLENSVILLE

Today there is not even a house at Callensville, which of course is near the little bridge across Fork Lick.  The Atlas of 1884 shows the influence of the Kentucky Central Railroad built in 1852 on the development of Morgan and the gradual decline of Callensville.

In 1884, Callensville was still a hamlet with a few houses and a store which had a saloon until outlawed.  According to the Atlas the Minturn family, among others, lived there.  Margaret Aulick Muskopf, related to the Makemsons, Moores and Branns, stated that in 1920 when she left Morgan, there was still an inhabited home and a tollgate house at Callensville.  Pierce Hand lived there and had a small mill and there were also other houses.  The Douglas residence was once occupied by Dr. Kendall who had married Mabel Wadsworth.  There was also a Dr. Williams who had lived in Callensville and whose daughter, Ollie, married Huber Moore, son of Bee Jimmy Moore who lived near Callensville.  Bee Jimmy Moore sold queen bees all over the world and shipped them by railroad from Morgan.  Later the house where Pierce Hand lived was burned and was the last house in Callensville.

Dr. Risk and Dr. Meek were two famous doctors of medicine who practiced in Morgan.  Dr. James B. A. Risk was educated in medicine at the famous old Transylvania University Medical Department.  He also became a distinguished professor in the Cincinnati Medical School which later became the present University of Cincinnati Medical School.  Dr. T. C. Nichols was the last doctor to live in Morgan.

There no longer is any house in Callensville; the last vestige of the name remains in the voting records which is still known as Callensville precinct.