Ferry Boat Adventure
Submitted by Kay Mason <KLMPIANO@aol.com on Apr 22, 2000


Grandfather was born in 1872 in Elliott County, KY:

Page 83-84:

    "The years 1882 to 1887, inclusive, that I lived on Hurricane were a
formative and trying period in my life.  Much of the time we were destitute
of the luxuries and sometimes even the necessities of life in its basic
sense.  The human race has great adaptability, as has been demonstrated from
time immemorial  If this were not so it would have gone the way of the
mammoth, the sabre-tooth tiger and all the other ancient animals whose
patched up remains fill our museums around the world."

    During these years as I was growing up - I did a share of the usual farm
work and household chores, careful of course not to do too much.  When not
otherwise occupied, I ranged over the country side with other boys, but often
alone.  OSCAR LYON and WILLIAM PENNINGTON, neighbors, were my boon companions
on many-a-day."

In the following incident, Grandfather was probably 17 or 18 and living with
his half-brother at Horton's Mill, KY:

Pages 188-189:

    Once while I was living with Bro. SAM [BRICKEY] I had an adventure with
him on the river.  While he ran the mill he used his boat every day to cross
to and from the mill and to ferry people over.  When trees and bushes were in
reach he tied his boat to them, but when not, he tied to a stake driven in
the sandy bank.  When the river rose we had to keep close watch and move the
boat closer in , so as to have it always in reach.

    Late one day and the night following much rain fell and the river rose so
fast that when SAM [BRICKEY] went out about daybreak his boat was out of
reach.  It was tied to a stake and looked secure enough, but after breakfast
when he looked again it was gone.  Note what the lack of a minute's work
before breakfast would have saved us!  We prepared food to take along, as it
would be a long hard day, and with a heavy boat paddle apiece we set out over
the rough and muddy road for the nearest log boom at Leon about four miles by
road and much further by river, I suppose.  If no one had caught the boat we
expected to find it lodged again the logs at the boom.  We had left home
about 8 o'clock and I guess it was 10 when we got to Leon, tired with our
muddy walk.

    Perhaps a mile upstream we saw a man headed our way so we stopped on a
small landing and he soon arrived, also.  We had both recognized the boat
and, as soon as the boat touched, the man picked up his muzzle loading rifle
and his oar and stepped out.  I picked up the boat chain and SAM [BRICKEY]
stepped into the boat.

    As he did so he exchanged greetings with the man and said, 'I see you
have caught my boat, and I think you; how much do I owe you, GEORGE?'  (His
name was GEORGE LYON and his house was only a few steps away.)  'Seventy-five
cents,' Mr. LYON replied.  That seemed to anger SAM [BRICKEY] and he
expressed his opinion that it was too much.  Mr. LYON told how much trouble
and danger it was to catch it and said he thought seventy-five cents was
fair, or words to that effect.

    With that SAM [BRICKEY] said, 'GEORGE, when your house burned down and
you needed help, I gave you a bushel of corn worth a dollar and a quarter,
when I needed it myself, and I ground your grain all summer toll free, and
now you charge me seventy-five cents for a few minutes' work catching my
boat, when I paid only fifty cents for the boat in the first place.  Now,
here is twenty-five cents, which is enough, and all I am going to pay you, '
and he threw a quarter at Mr. [GEORGE] LYON's feet in the sand, and we pulled
out up river leaving him standing leaning on his long barreled rifle with a
very displeased (not to say mean) look on his face.

    We had about 250 yards or more to go with our backs turned to [GEORGE]
LYON before we turned a bend shutting us out of his sight, and I, for one,
was very glad to make that turn, and I believe SAM [BRICKEY] was, too, but do
not recall that he said so."

Kay Mason


USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free genealogical information on the Internet, data may be freely used for personal research and by non-commercial entities as long as this message remains on all copied material.  These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format or presentation by other organizations or persons.  Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for profit or any form of presentation, must obtain the written consent of the file submitter, or his legal representative and then contact the listed USGENWEB archivist with proof of this consent.  The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store this file permanently for free access.