Souvenir Edition, The Williamstown Courier, Williamstown, Ky, May 30, 1901, reprinted September 19, 1981 by the Grant County KY Historical Society. J. C. B. CONRAD. The most numerous, the most wealthy and one of the most historical families in Grant County is the Conrad family. Yet it all sprang from one common branch, and each member of the family can trace their ancestry back in an unbroken line to the honest, sturdy, German pioneer who pitched his tent in Grant County early in the present century. It was about the date of the organization of the county that William Conrad and his wife came to Grant County. He was then a young man in the full strength and vigor of life and his wife was a strong, intellectual woman able to assist her husband in all of his undertakings. As all old settlers did in that day he found a good spring and built his house in sight of its rippling waters. That was on what is now known as the R. P. Conrad farm. He was a tanner by trade, erected and for many years operated a tannery near his old residence. He laid the foundation deep and broad for the subsequent wealth of the Conrad family. Surrounding his home he bought and acquired by trade and traffic more than 1,000 acres of land. It cost him less than $1.00 per acre and is yet in the family, and much of it today is worth $100.00 per acre. He also bought for a similar price some fifteen hundred acres with the residence of J. C. B. Conrad as a center, and from his last named tract the farm is now owned by "Brack" Conrad, Lee Conrad, Perry Conrad, Worth and Newt Conrad were partially carved and is today as fine a spot of earth as can be found within the limits of this state. William Conrad, Sr., was a minister in the Primitive Baptist Church and helped to organize the church in the county. For nearly half a century he went in and out before this people preaching in his humble way the truth as he saw and understood it. To him and his wife there were born five children [sic], all boys. Isaac B. Conrad, was the oldest, and the others were Jacob Seldon, William G., and Joel Conrad. These boys were all born in Grant County and lived, married, raised families, died and are buried in Grant County soil. Each of them inherited the provident saving disposition of their father, and left large estates to their children. Isaac B. was the father of Newt, Robert P., Perry, Mrs. Lucia Young and Ida (now dead), and Jennie Conrad. He has been dead many years. Jacob Seldon, the second son, left the most numerous progeny of them all. His children now living are John, William, Ada, R. Lee, Clay, Mrs. Elizabeth Steers, Mrs. Kate Renaker, Mrs. Mollie Terry, Mrs. Alice Gossett and Mrs. Effie Blackford. Jacob Seldon Conrad has been dead more than twenty years. William G. Conrad died when quite a young man, but left a family of vigorous children. His sons and daughters were T. J. Conrad, Hon. J. C. B. Conrad, William Worth Conrad, Mrs. Elizabeth Childers, Mrs. W. W. McCoy and Mrs. Belle Smith. Esau Conrad has long since passed to his final reward. His only living son inherited his estate and is living on the old home place. His name is Eldred. The youngest son was Joel, and he was of the first to pass away. He left of [sic] sons and daughters. Henry, now at Hamilton, Missouri, Arthur, Edward, Jeff and Mrs. Sidney Eskridge and Mrs. Emma Conrad. But is is not of the dead we wish to write, but of the living. Hon. J. C. B. Conrad was born in Grant County in the old home in which he now resides on November 5, 1856. His mother was Miss Lucinda Hedger, daughter of the late Jacob Hedger and sister of James Hedger, of near New Eagle Mills. "Brack", the boy, was raised on his father's farm and there learned the habits of industry and frugality that has made him one of the richest men in Grant County. He attended the common schools of his neighborhood and the best schools to be had at Dry Ridge, for eight months was a student of Eminence college. While in that institution his father died, and he was compelled to come home and go to work on the farm. There he grew up to manhood and began life as a farmer. In the division of his father's estate the old home farm fell to his part and there he resides yet. Early in life he contracted a marriage with Miss Katie Points, daughter of the Hon. William Points, who was a member of the legislature from Grant County. His wife did not survive the marriage long and later in life, or rather on December 3, 1885, he was united in marriage to Miss Nancy Lee Gulick, of Pendleton County, daughter of the late Hon. William Gulick. To this last union one child has been born, a lovely girl, Corrine, now almost a young lady. Mr. Conrad has continued as a farmer to this day, and owns 461 acres of the best land in the county. He owns stocks and crops, stock in nearly, if not quite all, of the banks of Grant County, and some in other counties, and is reckoned today as one of the rich men of the county. For many years he was a director in the Dry Ridge Deposit Bank and only resigned when he became a member of the legislature. He is now a director in the People's Bank. On his farm he has made a specialty of fine stock, sheep being his preference, and for many years was the largest breeder of sheep in the county, and yet has vast flocks of them. On the sloping hillsides of his broad acres he has all manner of stock, and all of it in good condition and well bred. His father was a member of the legislature when he died, and while Mr. Conrad has never been an office seeker, in the sense of running for office, he had an ambition to represent the county in the General Assembly of Kentucky. He was nominated by the Democratic party in 1899, and served with distinction and credit to himself and his constituents during the last memorable session, when riot and bloodshed was on every hand. All of the Conrads in this county from the beginning have been Democrats, consistent and honest in their views, and "Brack" is today one of the most loyal and devoted members of the party in this county. His services in the last session was so eminently satisfactory that he has been renominated by his party and will be the member from Grant in the next Assembly. In all of his dealings with his fellowmen, Mr. Conrad has been liberal and broad minded. He has been in favor of education and good schools, even if the burden of taxation fell hard on himself. He belongs to no church, but his wife is a member of the Missionary Baptist Church at Dry Ridge. Mr. Conrad is yet a young man, in the full flush of his strength, and no doubt many years of usefulness to himself and his people are in the future for him. Conrad Young Steers Renaker Terry Gossett Blackford Childers McCoy Smith Eskridge Hedger Points Gulick = Pendleton-KY MO http://www.rootsweb.com/~kygenweb/kybiog/grant/conrad.jcb.txt