Jessamine County KyArchives History - Books .....First Settlers 1898
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com August 4, 2007, 11:25 pm

Book Title: A History Of Jessamine County, Kentucky

First Settlers.

   John Hunter, Jacob Hunter and Samuel Hunter came to Jessamine county in the
spring of 1779. Jacob was the oldest and was born in 1753. They first stopped at
Boonesboro in 1778 and were employed by Elias Hite, son of Abraham Hite, who was
at that time engaged in the surveying of lands in Kentucky. The father of these
young men died at Boonesboro. They had two sisters. They had been employed by
Mr. Hite as chain-carriers, and they all settled close to each other on Hickman
creek. The following letter shows when they were dismissed:

                              Thursday, April 1, 1779.
   Dear Father: Dismiss the  chain carriers, John Hunter, Samuel Hunter and
Jacob Hunter; pay them six shillings per day for three months' services on Boone
and Hickman creeks.
                                       ISAAC HITE.
   Tell Mr. Douglas to go at once to Boonesboro.

   Here, in 1780, was born Joseph Hunter, who was the first white child born in
the present boundary of Jessamine county. Joseph Hunter lived to be quite an old
man. He died in 1858. The old home of these first settlers embraced about 900
acres of land, which has now been in cultivation 120 years and is still fertile
and productive. The old house for a long time was the property of John Portwood,
who was a son-in-law of John Hunter. The farm is situated about six miles east
of Nicholasville on the pike leading to Boone's Ferry.

   When John Portwood died, Dudley Portwood, his son, sold a part of the farm
containing 200 acres to Jessamine county for the erection of a poor house.

   The Hunter homestead was built of brick and is still standing, and was
erected about 1798. One of the bricks in the chimneys has this date upon it.

   Jacob Hunter left Jessamine county and went to Owen county, where he died
after attaining the extreme age of one hundred years.

   Samuel Hunter settled some miles above these other two brothers, on Hickman
creeks and they were unquestionably the first white men who ever undertook a
permanent settlement in Jessamine county. They did not build forts or
blockhouses, and were doubtless driven in about 1782, when the Indians were so
determined in their assaults on the Kentucky settlers.


Additional Comments:

Extracted from:

A HISTORY OF JESSAMINE COUNTY, KENTUCKY,
FROM ITS EARLIEST SETTLEMENT TO 1898.
By BENNETT H. YOUNG,
PRESIDENT POLYTECHNIC SOCIETY; MEMBER FILSON CLUB; MEMBER CONSTITUTIONAL
CONVENTION, 1890; AUTHOR HISTORY OF THE CONSTITUTIONS OF KENTUCKY, OF "BATTLE OF
BLUE LICKS, ETC, ETC.

S. M. DUNCAN, ASSOCIATE AUTHOR.

Every brave and good life out of the past is a treasure which cannot  be
measured in money, and should be preserved with faithfullest care.

LOUISVILLE, KY.: COURIER-JOURNAL JOB PRINTING CO., 1898.


File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ky/jessamine/history/1898/ahistory/firstset241gms.txt

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