Cynthiana Democrat, June 1896, Page 19 From: Edie Suttle "jsattle9@idt.net" Date: Fri, 12 Sep 1997 11:05:26 -0700 This one file contains all of the three e-mail submissions of page 19. ************************************************************************ USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ************************************************************************ HARRISON COUNTY (HISTORY OF) Harrison county, the eighth after Kentucky became a state, was formed in 1793, being taken from parts of Bourbon and Scott counties. Its territory extended to the Ohio river, and from its original territory the counties, wholly or in part, of Campbell, Pendleton, Boone, Owen, Grant, Kenton and Robertson were afterwards formed. It is now bounded by Grant, Pendleton, Bracken, Robertson, Nicholas, Bourbon and Scott. Everything indigenous to the climate is grown. It is watered and drained by Licking river and its tributaries. The southern part of the county lies in the Blue Grass Region proper, and partakes of the beautiful rolling surface of that famous land, while the northern part is somewhat broken and hilly; but the entire county is rich and productive. Its timber, principally white oak, ash and sugar-tree, with some walunt and beech is all merchantable. Its crops of corn, wheat, oats, tobacco and hemp are abundant, amounting always to a surplus. Tobacco is raised in large quantities; hemp is accorded little attention. The grasses best adopted to the soil, and which are considered the most useful and profitable, are blue grass, clover and timothy, blue grass taking the lead. The best lands are felling the effects of care and painstaking, and continually increase in fertility. Live stock find this their natural home. The trotting horse and the thoroughbred thrive in Harrison. Abdallah Park is known the county over. Here the fastest trotters, the most stylish roadsters, the daintiest maidens that ever proudly tiptoed the tracks have first seen the light of day. Edgewater Stud Farm's produce is among the best that graces the running tracks. There are two hundred and sixty miles of turnpikes in Harrison county, all toll roads. The people are freely discussing the question of free trunpikes, and it is a matter of but a short time until the gates will go down. The Kentucky Central railroad traverses the county, and the Cincinnati Southern cuts through the western edge. Cynthiana is the county seat. The population of the county is about 19,000. It is situated in the Ninth Congressional, the Sixth Appellate, the Eighteenth Judical and the Thirtieth Senatorial district. Postoffices in the county are: Antiock Mills, Avena, Baptist, Berry, Boay, Branch, Breckinridge, Broadwell, Claysville, Colville, Connersville, Cynthiana, Dunaway, Havilandsville, Kelat, Lair, Leesburg, Leeslick, Oddville, Poindexter, Renaker, Robinson, Rutland, Selma, Shadynook, Smithsonville, Sunrise, Sylvandell and Venus. The present county officers are: Judge, G.W. Lail; Attorney, D.L. Evans; Sheriff, D.N. Rees; Assessor, E.M. Coppage; Jailer, J.B. Juett; Treasurer, C.T. Wilson; Clerk, R.M. Collier, Coroner, Dr. L.S. Givens; Surveyor, W.H. Myers; Superintendent of Schools, J.G. Pope. The Circuit Court officers are: Judge, W.W. Kimbrough; Attorney J.T. Simon, Clerk, T. Jeff Robertson. When Harrison was taken as a rib from the sides of Scott and Bourbon and fashioned after them, the laws were administered by Justices of the Peace. The first Justices were: Hugh Miller, Henry Coleman, Samuel McIlvain, Nathan Rawlings and Charles Zachry, "gents." The ranking Justice acted as Sheriff and farmed out the privileges and emoluments to the highest bidder. Pounds, shillings and pence constituted the coin of the realm, and premiums on wolves' heads and taxes on men's heads furnished the first free silver arguments of the period. It appears that in 1794 there were only 497 voters in all this vast territory. Poll taxes were assessed at 6 shillings. The new constitution in 1850 put an end to the old regime. Henry Coffman, a worthy saddler and the enthusiastic father of a large family, was elected the first county judge, which office he held until Davey Snodgrass' election in 1854. The elections of '54 furnished as much fun for the boys as those of '94 but the right of suffrage was held in more reverence, and the votes were cast in a staid and sober way. The office sought the man. There were eighteen candidates for the various county offices in 1854, as large a number in proportion to the population as presented themselves in 1894. Among the candidates for Assessor was Mr. H.H. Haviland, afterwards elected judge. He now refers feelingly to the fact that his successful competitior, Mortimer Throckmorton, polled every vote in Kentontown except one, and that one was cast by a crazy man. When the Covington and Lexington railroad was projected, Harrison county promptly subscribed $190,000 to the capital stock. The present court house a picture which appears on this page, was erected in 1852, after the destruction of the old one by fire. The jail is of comparatively recent construction. Harrison's first representatives in the Kentucky Legislature were: Senate, Josephus Perrin, 1814-1822; House, Wm. K. Wall, 1817-1817. The present representatives are: Senate, C.B. Martin; House, M.C. Swinford. Musty records in the clerk's office furnish a mine of interesting information in regard to Harrison's early history, but the scope of this article is too limited to treat the subject. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------ Cynthiana Democrat, June 1896, Page 19, Part 2 HON. J.T. SIMON The subject of this sketch is the Commonwealth's Attorney for the Eighteenth Judicial District, and one of the leading members of the Cynthiana bar. Mr. Simon was born one September 9, 1846, in Owen county, a Gilbralter of Democracy. Inducted into the world in Sweet Owen, he could not but be a democrat, and a democrat and nothing but a democrat has he been all the days of his life. In 1873 he was elected city attorney of Falmouth, which office he held three terms. He was chosen county attorney of Pendleton in 1874, and served for one term. The year of 1881 saw him a representative in the legislature, and a senator in 1885. He was elected Commonwealth's Attorney in this, the 18th, Judicial district, in 1892, and his work in that capacity has been of the highest standard. So well and so faithfully has he performed the duties of the office, that, at the solicitation of friends all over the district, he announced himself a candidate fo Circuit Judge, and will, no doubt, command an immense following. Mr. Simon's father was a native of Piere, Normandi, but settled in Owen county in 1846. The line was shortly changed, which put Mr. Simon in Grant county. There were six children. The eldest brother died in the Confederate service. J.T. Simon married Miss Margaret McClure, of Grant county, in 1872. The have one child, a daughter. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------ Cynthiana Democrat, June 1896, Page 19, Part 3 JUDGE W.W. KIMBROUGH Mr. Kimbrough is a native of Harrison county, his birthplace being one mile south-west of Cynthiana. He was born May 19, 1843. Of a rather delicate constitution, he struggled along in the county schools to secure an education, until he entered Miami University, Oxford, O., in 1863. He afterwards went to Alexandria, Mo., to become a member of the household of his brother, John J. Kimbrough, who was a Major in the Confederate army under Martin Greene, and was badly wounded at the battle of Iuka, but served until the war was over. Returning to Kentucky, Judge Kimbrough was admitted to the bar in 1867. He removed to Mt. Olivet in 1875, and lived there until 1888, when he came back to Cynthiana and practiced law until, in 1892, the 18th Judicial District claimed him for its Judge. Judge Kimbrough has thus been on the bench four years, and it is safe to say, no more popular man has ever held that position. He is a candidate for renomination on the democratic ticket, and his personal popularity, appeals strongly to the voters. Judge Kimbrough, was married to Miss Ridgely in 1869. They have one child, Dan R. Kimbrough. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cynthiana Democrat, June 1896, Page 19