Muhlenberg County KyArchives History - Books .....V Courts And Courthouses 1913 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ky/kyfiles.html ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com March 17, 2007, 2:00 am Book Title: A History Of Muhlenberg County V COURTS AND COURTHOUSES ALTHOUGH Greenville is Muhlenberg County's first and only county seat, the first six county courts and first three meetings of the court of quarter sessions were held elsewhere, before the town was begun. These initial meetings took place at the home of pioneer John Dennis, about two miles southeast of Greenville on the Greenville and Russellville Road. The original Dennis house was a large three-room log house put up about 1790 by John Dennis, who in 1810 built a two-story brick of four rooms adjoining it. Both houses were torn down in 1902 by W. I. Gragston, who erected a frame residence on the site of the old landmark. Back of the original log and brick residence were scattered a few slave cabins, a smoke-house and an ice-house: across the road stood a large log barn, a blacksmith shop, a horsepower corn mill, and several sheds, all of which gave the Dennis farm the appearance of a small town. But all these barns and other accessory buildings erected by John Dennis were torn down many years before the log and brick residence disappeared. The old Dennis house was one of the earliest "stopping-places" in the county, and in its day one of the most noted. Among the other early places of entertainment for man and beast were the Tyler Tavern at Kincheloe's Bluff and the Russell House in Greenville. The Dennis tavern was situated on a comparatively much-traveled public road leading from Nashville and Russellville to Owensboro and other towns. Stage coaches, loaded with passengers and their deerskin trunks and carpetbags, halted at this tavern in the olden days. All travelers over this route, whether in public conveyance, horseback, or afoot, or in their own sulkies, buckboards, wagons, or landslides, lingered here. Those who were on long trips made it a point to spend the night with the genial John and the members of his household. Circuit riders occasionally appeared on the scene and held services in the house or under an arbor near by. Before Greenville was started, the Dennis place was the principal headquarters for the pioneers who lived in the southern part of the county. On the stile-blocks and around the large open fire-places the local happenings were related by the pioneers, who came not only to discuss such affairs but also to trade in the store and to hear the latest news brought by the traveling public. But after Greenville became the county seat one patron after another changed his trading and meeting place to the new town, and long before 1822, when John Dennis died, the Dennis place had been relegated to the past. In the meantime, one after another, the pioneers died, and many of the stories of their adventures that had often been told by them were no longer heard, and so in the course of time most of the long-past events gradually ceased to be topics of conversation, slowly faded out of memory, and were finally lost forever. Only a few of these once-familiar facts were handed down for a generation or two, and are now but dimly remembered as traditions. [1] Written official records are required by law, and these, from the beginning down to the present, are still preserved and are now on file in the courthouse at Greenville. The first of the county court records I quote in full: May 28th, 1799. At the house of John Dennis, in the county of Muhlenberg, on Tuesday the 2Sth day of May 1799. Agreeably to an Act of Assembly entitled an Act for Forming a New County out of the Counties of Logan and Christian, a commission of the peace from his Excellency, James Garrard, Esquire, was produced, directed to James Craig, John Dennis, William Bell, Isaac Davis, John Russell, Robert Cisna, Richard Morton, John Adams and Jesse McPherson, appointing them justices of the peace in and for the county aforesaid, which being read, thereupon John Dennis, Esquire, administered the oath to support the Constitution of the United States, the oath of fidelity to this Commonwealth, and also the oath of a justice of the peace to James Craig, Isaac Davis and William Bell, whereupon the said James Craig administered the said several oaths to John Dennis, Esquire. And thereupon a court was held for said county. Present: James Craig, John Dennis, Isaac Davis, William Bell, Esquires. John Bradley, Esquire, produced a commission from his Excellency the Governor appointing him Sheriff in and for said county which being read, he, the said John, thereupon took the oath to support the Constitution of the United States, the oath of fidelity to this Commonwealth and also the oath of office of Sheriff, and together with Isaac Davis and William Worthington, his securities, entered into and acknowledged their bond in the penalty of Three Thousand Dollars conditioned as the law directs. The court appointed Charles Fox Wing their clerk pro tempore who thereupon took the oath to support the Constitution of the United States, the oath of fidelity to this Commonwealth and also the oath of office, and together with Henry Rhoads, Sen., and William Campbell, his security, entered into bond in the penalty and conditioned as the law directs. Alney McLean, Esquire, produced a commission from his Excellency the Governor, appointing him surveyor in and for the county of Muhlenberg, whereupon he took the oath to support the Constitution of the United States, the oath of fidelity to this Commonwealth and also the oath of office, and together with Robert Ewing and Ephraim McLean, Sen., his securities, entered into and acknowledged their bond in the penalty of six hundred pounds conditioned as the law directs. On the recommendation of Alney McLean, Esquire, surveyor of the county, William Bradford, George Tennell and James Weir, Esquire, were admitted as his deputies, who thereupon took the oath to support the Constitution of the United States and the oath of fidelity to this Commonwealth and also the oath of office as deputy surveyors. Peter Lyons' stockmark: two smooth crops and a nick under each ear. On his motion ordered to be recorded. Henry Davis' stockmark: a hole in each ear. On his motion is ordered to be recorded. The court appointed John Anderson constable for the county of Muhlenberg, who thereupon took the oath to support the Constitution of the United States, the oath of fidelity to this Commonwealth and also the oath of constable, and together with Richard Tyler, his security, entered into and acknowledged their bond in the penalty and conditioned as the law directs. On the motion of Richard Tyler leave is granted him to keep a tavern at his house in Lewisburg whereupon with Lewis Kincheloe, his security executed bond in the penalty and conditioned as the law directs. Ordered that the next court he held at John Dennises. Ordered that the court be adjourned until court in course. The minutes of these proceedings were signed by JAMES CRAIG. The second meeting of the county court took place in the John Dennis house on Tuesday, June 25, 1799. The record covers about three times as many pages as the first, and is signed by John Dennis. Charles Fox Wing was appointed county clerk "during good behavior." Evidently his behavior was considered good and his books well kept, for he held the office more than half a century. James Weir was appointed to compile a list of the taxable property in the county. The following oaths were administered: Robert Cisna and Richard Morton, justices of the peace; William Bradford, deputy sheriff; John Culbertson, coroner; Peter Boggess and Thomas Morton, constables. Sixteen men had their stock-marks recorded. Six roads were considered, and for each a committee was appointed to "view and mark the most convenient way." A number of "bargains and sales" were recorded. Ferries were established at Smith's Landing and Lewisburg, on Green River. John Dennis was granted license to keep a tavern at his house. Tavern rates and ferry charges were fixed. Among such items are: Dinner 1 shilling 6 pence. Breakfast or supper 1 shilling. Whisky, per half pint 9 pence. Peach brandy, per half pint 1 shilling. Corn, per gallon 6 pence. Stableage, 24 hours 4 pence. Ferry for a horse, single 4 1/2 pence. Ferry for a man, single 4 1/2 pence. The following is quoted from page 15 of the records of the same meeting of June 25, 1799: The court proceeded to vote for a place for the permanent seat of justice for the county of Muhlenberg. A majority of all the justices concurring, it is ordered that Colonel William Campbell's [2] headright on Caney adjoining the lands of the heirs of William Russell, deceased, be and is hereby fixed upon as the place for the permanent seat of justice for said county, and that the public buildings be erected at said place. Henry Rhoads, Charles Lewis, and William Bell were appointed commissioners to prepare plans for a courthouse. The third county court took place on Tuesday, August 27, 1799, in the house of John Dennis. The minutes were signed by James Craig. The proceedings are similar to the earlier meetings, with the additional feature of the filing of several applications to establish grist mills. On page 28 the record reads: The persons appointed for the purpose of exhibiting into court a plan for building the public building, which being examined and approved of is ordered to be recorded: "A memorandum of the dimensions of the court house of Muhlenberg county, to be built of hewn logs seven inches thick, nine inches on the face or more, 26 feet by 18, seventeen feet high, a joint shingle roof put on with pegs, except the outside rows with nails, a joint plank floor and loft with a good staircase, the lower story twelve feet high with one door and three windows, a partition upstairs, a window in each room and shutters to each window, and a door, a judge's bench barred around, an attorney's bench barred around, also a sheriff's box, a clerk's table and seat. The cracks of the house to have shaved boards pegged in on the inside and daubbed in on the outside, and a sufficient number of jury benches. Another paragraph informs us that "The court appointed Isaac Davis Esquire to build a stray pen on the public square two and thirty feet square, five feet high, to be finished by the fourth Tuesday in September, next." An entry written at this meeting concludes with the statement: "Satisfactory proof being made to the court that the said Benjamin lost a part of his left ear by a bite from the accused Mathew in a fight, which is ordered to be recorded." The fourth meeting is dated Tuesday, September 24, 1799. The fifth meeting was the last held at the Dennis house and took place on November 26 and 27, 1799. The following is quoted from the proceedings of November 26, 1799, page 49 (here the word Greenville makes its first appearance on the court records): On the motion of William Campbell, and it appearing to the court that it will be advantageous to the public and it also appearing that legal notice having been given agreeably to law, it is ordered that a town be established on his land at the seat of justice in this county on Caney, including thirty acres of land to be called and known by the name of Greenville, whereupon the said William Campbell together with John Bradley and Charles Fox Wing, his securities, entered into and acknowledged their bond in the penalty of five hundred pounds, conditioned as the law directs. It is further ordered that the said town be vested in Samuel Russell, Alney McLean, Henry Rhoads, Charles Fox Wing, William Bradford and John Dennis, who are hereby nominated and appointed trustees of the said town of Greenville, agreeably to law. The fifth meeting ends with the statement that it is "Ordered that the next court be held at the town of Greenville, the Seat of Justice of this county." [3] The sixth begins as follows: "At a county court held for Muhlenberg county at the house of Samuel Russell in the town of Greenville on Tuesday the 24th day of December, 1799." Among its many items is one showing that Samuel Russell was granted license to keep a tavern at his house in Greenville. The seventh, dated Tuesday, January 28, 1800, also took place in the Russell house. One of the items, which is the first of its kind, reads: "On the motion of the Reverend William Nexon, who produced credentials of his ordination and of his being in regular communion with the German Baptist Church who thereupon took the oath prescribed by law and together with John Culbertson, his security, entered into and acknowledged their bond as the law directs, license is thereupon granted him to solemnize the rites of marriage." The eighth meeting was the first to be held in the new log temple of justice. Its record is headed: "At a county court held for Muhlenberg county at the court house on Tuesday the 25th day of February 1800." The new building, although occupied, had evidently not been completed, for the record of April 22, 1800, shows that "On the petition of the commissioners who were appointed to let the building of the court house of this county, ordered that leave be given the undertakers until the first day of August next to complete the same." At the meeting held on June 24, 1800, an entry was made relative to a jail: "Ordered that the sheriff pay Jacob Severs two hundred dollars for building the county jail, being a part of the price of said jail." On August 26, 1800, is recorded: "The court this day received the jail as built by Jacob Severs which is received and considered as the jail of the county. On the nomination of John Bradley, esquire, sheriff Samuell Russell was appointed jailor of this county." The twelfth meeting is dated Tuesday, September 23, 1800. "The court received the court house of the undertakers as being done agreeably to their bond and it is ordered that the bond entered into by the said undertakers be destroyed." On the same date "A plan of the town of Greenville was exhibited into court and ordered to be recorded." The plan is recorded on page 75 of Transcribed Deed Book No. 1. The surveying was done by Alney McLean. He divided Colonel William Campbell's donation of thirty acres into fifty-six lots, all of which lay in the vicinity of the two-acre public square. The proceeds from the sale of these lots was used to help defray the expense of building the new courthouse. The map shows the public square at the southeast corner of streets designated as Main Street and Main Cross Street. Running parallel with and east of Main Street are McLean and Water alleys, and parallel with and west of Main Street are Wing and Bradford alleys. Parallel with and south of Main Cross Street are Campbell and Wood alleys, and parallel with and north of Main Cross Street are Thompkins and Russell alleys. Adjoining the thirty-acre plot is another map, designating ten lots of five acres each. From one of these lots two acres are cut off for a graveyard, and five of the ten are granted to Alney McLean, the surveyor. [4] The second courthouse was built in 1834; so, leaving the intervening county court records untouched, I quote from Record Book No. 4, page 135, under date of January 27, 1834: The persons appointed for that purpose report the situation of the court house of this county, at this court, upon the examination thereof, deem it inexpedient to make any repairs on the present building; that it would be greatly to the public Js good to build a new house instead of repairing the old one, and a majority of all the justices in commission of the place being present and concurring therein, it is ordered that Edward Rumsey, Strother Jones, Charles Fox Wing, James Taggart and Wm. Hancock be and they are hereby appointed commissioners to draft a plan of a building for a new court house for the county and that they make a report thereof to the next county court. On page 139, under the date of March 31, 1834, the subject is continued as follows: The commissioners appointed for that purpose reported that they had drafted a plan for a new court house for this county, which being examined and accepted of by the court, it is therefore ordered that Ephraim M. Brank, Wm. Martin, Coroner R. D. McLean and Charles Fox Wing or any three of them be and they are hereby appointed commissioners to let to the lowest bidder the building or erecting of said house upon the ground whereon the present building stands, after giving due notice by advertising the same, which building is to be completed on or before the first day of August, 1835, to be paid for by installments, that is to say, $500 to be paid as soon as the building shall be covered in, and the balance to be paid in two annual installments, payable out of the county levy, in such money as the said levy may be collected in, taking bond with approved security for the faithful performance of the work on said house with the said plan annexed. I did not find the plans annexed to this document. However, I will state that according to my memory the old brick courthouse was about thirty-two feet square and two stories high. The court room took up the entire lower floor, while the second was divided into three small rooms, reached by steps erected on the outside of the building against the south wall. The contractor, after having almost finished a certain part of his work, was obliged to tear it down and rebuild it in order to comply with his agreement. This delayed matters, and the house was not finished "on or before the first day of August, 1835." An entry on page 239 notes that a commission was appointed "to examine the court house just finished by Win. W. Hancock and receive the same if finished according to contract, and report to the next court." On November 28, 1836, it is recorded that the house was accepted. It may be well to add that the old log temple of justice stood a short distance north of the brick house, and was not torn down until after the second courthouse was occupied. The third or present structure stands on the site of the second. In Record Book No. 8, page 13, June 24, 1865, is a record to the effect that Alfred Johnson had completed the stone work on the jail satisfactorily and it was ordered to be paid for. This building was used until December, 1912. In this same volume, on page 78, is an entry showing that Finis M. Allison and Jesse H. Reno were awarded the contract for building a clerk's office on the site of the old one. This brick building was completed a few months later. The clerk's office was one story high and contained two rooms, each about eighteen feet square, with a hall six feet wide between them. The old brick courthouse and the clerk's office were torn down in 1906, and in their place now stands, not only a new courthouse, but one of the best and finest in the State. The first county court in the new building was held on "the last Monday" in September, 1907. Two metal tablets were placed in the front wall of the courthouse. One reads: "Erected A. D. 1907. R. O. Pace, County Judge. W. O. Belcher, County Attorney. Magistrates: R. T. Johns, J. W. Stuart, C. W. Cisney, Bryant Williams, O. T. Kittinger. Bailey & Koerner, Contractors." The other reads: "Erected A. D. 1907. Building Committee: T. J. Sparks, Chairman, T. B. Pannell, W. G. Duncan, J. W. Lam, W. A. Wickliffe. Architects, Kenneth McDonald and W. J. Dodd." A bench mark erected in 1911 by Charles W. Goodlove, of the United States Geological Survey, shows that the courthouse yard is 568 feet above sea level. As stated in the beginning of this chapter, the first three meetings of the court of quarter sessions were held at the residence of John Dennis. The first justices of this court were William Campbell, Henry Rhoads, and William Worthington, appointed by Governor James Garrard December 22, 1798. Charles Fox Wing was chosen clerk. The first meeting took place on May 28, 1799, and the third on October 22, 1799. The fourth and following meetings took place in the courthouse, William Worthington, John Dennis, and Charles Morgan usually presiding. The last session was held in the spring of 1803, and coincides with the establishing of the circuit court in the county. The first grand jury impaneled for the court of quarter sessions met on July 23, 1799, and was composed of: Isaac Davis, foreman; Henry Davis, William Cisna, Daniel Rhoads, jr., John Culbertson, Charles Lewis, Gilbert Vaught, Henry Keath, William Luce, George Brown, Benjamin Garris, Richard Nelson Alcock, William Hynes, John Corn well, William Mc Common, Thomas Bell, and Thomas Ward. They presented three indictments. The first petit jury of the court of quarter sessions was impaneled on March 25, 1800, and was composed of: Charles Lewis, David Rhoads, Dempsey Westbrook, David Robertson, John Cornwall, Isaac Rust, John Keath, John Culbertson, Jesse Littlepage, Matthew McLean, William Boggess, and Daniel Rhoads. Their first case was that of "Commonwealth against Andrew Hays." The judgment shows that Hays was charged with assaulting Richard Nelson Alcock, and was fined "twelve dollars besides cost." From the first day's record of the first meeting of the circuit court I quote: March Term, 1803: At the courthouse of Muhlenberg county on Monday the 21st day of March 1803. Pursuant to an Act of the Assembly passed the 20th day of December 1802 entitled an "Act to establish Circuit Courts," and an Act to amend an Act entitled an "Act to establish Circuit Courts passed the 24th day of December 1802." A commission was produced from his Excellency the Governor directed to William Worthington and William Bell, Esquires, appointing them Assistant Judges in and for the Muhlenberg Circuit. And they also produced a certificate of their having taken .the oath of office, they having heretofore taken the oath to support the Constitution of the United States and also the oath of fidelity to the Commonwealth, which certificate reads as follows, to wit: "Muhlenberg County, Sct: I do hereby certify that William Worthington and William Bell this day came before me, one of the Justices of the peace for said County, and took the oath of Assistant Judges for the Muhlenberg Circuit, they having heretofore taken the oath to the United States and the oath of fidelity to the Commonwealth. March the 21st 1803. WILLIAM GARRARD." And thereupon a court was held for said Circuit. Present: The Honorable William Worthington and William Bell. The Court appointed Charles Fox Wing clerk pro tem to the Muhlenberg Circuit Court who thereupon took the Oath of Office, he having heretofore taken the oath to the United States and also the oath of fidelity to the Commonwealth and together with Sam'l Caldwell and Jesse Reno, his securities, executed bond in the penalty of One thousand pounds, conditioned as the law directs. The Court appointed Christopher Tompkins, Esquire, attorney for the Commonwealth in the Muhlenherg Circuit. Sam'l Caldwell, Sam'l Work, Henry Davidge, Robert Coleman, Matthew Lodge, Christopher Tompkins, Reason Davidge, John Davis, James H. McLaughlen and John A. Cape, Gentlemen, were on their motion admitted to practice as attorneys at law in this Court who produced a License as required by Law and thereupon they severally took the oath of office, they having heretofore taken the oath to support the Constitution of the United States and also the Oath of Fidelity to the Commonwealth. William Hynes, foreman, Charles Crouch, Jacob Studebaker, Thomas Dennis, Solomon Rhoads, Rob't Robertson, William Roark, William Baugus, Jacob Taylor, John Keath, John Cain, Sam'l Weir, John Cargle, Thomas Littlepage, Dempsey Westbrook, Jacob Severs, John Stom, Jesse Jackson and Edmund Owens were sworn a Grand Jury for the body of this Circuit, who after having received their charge retired from the bar to consult, &c., and after some time returned into Court & having nothing to present were discharged. . . . ORDERED that Court be adjourned until tomorrow morning 10 of the Clock. WM. WORTHINGTON. The first petit jury impaneled for the circuit court served at the March term, 1803, and was composed of: Samuel Handley, John Dennis, David Casebier, David Robertson, Thomas Bell, Thomas Littlepage, Thomas Randolph, Henry Unsell, George Nott, Henry Davis, Jacob Anthony, and Philip Stom. The first case tried was that of "The Commonwealth against Peter Acre, sometimes called Acrefield." Peter Acrefield was charged with assault, and was fined "one penny besides costs." William Worthington or William Hell, with Christopher Greenup or Ninian Edwards, presided over the three sessions of the circuit court that followed. Judge Henry P. Broadnax, of Logan County, was next appointed circuit judge, and served from June, 1804, to March, 1819. Up to 1815 two associate judges in each county sat with the presiding judge, and William Worthington and William Bell usually acted in that capacity. Judge Broadnax was succeeded by Judge Benjamin Shackelford, who served from March, 1819, to September, 1821. He was succeeded by Judge Alney McLean, of Greenville, who served from 1821 to 1841, the time of his death. Judge John Calhoun served from 1842 until the new Constitution displaced him in 1851. [7] Prior to 1850 the circuit judges were appointed by the Governor. Since that time the following elected circuit judges have served: Judge Jesse W. Kincheloe, of Hardinsburg, 1851-1856; Judge George B. Cook, of Henderson, 1856; Judge Thomas C. Dabney, of Cadiz, 1857-1862; Judge R. T. Petree, of Hopkinsville, 1862-1868; Judge George C. Rogers, of Bowling Green, 1868-1870; Judge Robert C. Bowling, of Russellville, 1870-1880; Judge John R. Grace, of Cadiz, 1880-1892; Judge Willis L. Reeves, of Elk-ton, 1893-1897; Judge I. Herschel Goodnight, of Franklin, 1898-1901; Judge Samuel R. Crewdson, of Russellville, 1901-1903; Judge William P. Sandidge, of Russellville, from 1904. The following have served as circuit clerks: Charles Fox Wing, 1851-1856; Jesse H. Reno, 1856-1868; Nat J. Harris, 1868-1880; Doctor George W. Townes, 1880-1892; Thomas E. Sumner, 1893-1903; Clayton S. Curd, from 1904. Prior to the adoption of the Third Constitution all county officers were appointed. Up to that time none of the officers of the State, with the exception of the Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, members of the Legislature, electors for President and Vice-President of the United States, and members of Congress were voted for by the people. The manner of filling offices in cities and towns was regulated by their charters. Trustees of towns were either appointed by the county courts or elected by the people. The Legislature controlled the subject, and the regulation of the subject was by no means uniform. The reader curious on this subject is referred to the State Constitution of 1799. From 1850 to 1890 the general elections for county and State officers were held on the first Monday in August. Since 1890 such elections have taken place on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. The following county judges, county attorneys, county clerks, jailers, and sheriffs have served Muhlenberg since 1850: COUNTY JUDGES, ATTORNEYS, CLERKS, AND JAILERS. JUDGES COUNTY CLERKS JAILERS ATTORNEYS 1851-54. J.W.I.Godman [7] Joseph Ricketts Wm. H. C. Wing Sam H. Dempsey 1854-58. Wm. G. Jones B. E. Pittman Jesse H. Reno Sam H. Dempsey 1858-62. Wm. G. Jones B. E. Pittman Jesse H. Reno James Simpson 1862-66. Ben J. Shaver B. E. Pittman T. J. Jones John L. Williams 1866-70. S. P. Love B. E. Pittman Thomas Bruce W. D. Shelton 1870-74. S. P. Love Wm. H.Yost Thomas Bruce John M. Williams 1874-78. J. C. Thompson Eugene Eaves J. Ed Reno John S. Miller 1878-82. J. C. Thompson W. Briggs McCown. J. Ed Reno John S. Miller 1882-86. John H. Morton W. A. Wickliffe W. T. Stiles John Coombs 1886-90. Q. B. Coleman W. Briggs McCown [8] W. T. Stiles John Coombs 1890-94. D. J. Fleming M. J. Roark Joe G. Ellison R. H. Lyon 1895-97. D. J. Fleming M. J. Roark Joe G. Ellison R. H. Lyon 1898-01. T. J. Sparks J. L. Rogers Ed S. Wood Wm. T. Miller 1902-05. Joseph Ricketts J. L. Rogers Ed S. Wood Wm. T. Miller 1906-09. R. O. Pace W. O. Belcher E. L. Lewis Geo. M. York 1910.... Jas. J. Rice T. O. Jones H. L. Kirkpatrick Geo. M. York COUNTY SHERIFFS County Sheriffs. 1851-52 Wm. Harbin. 1853-58 Ben J. Shaver. 1859-60 H. D. Rothrock. 1861-62 Moses Wickliffe. [9] 1863-66 J. P. McIntire. 1867-68 Wm. Irvin. 1869-70 Tom M. Morgan. 1871-74 C. B. Wickliffe. 1875-78 W. A. Mohorn. 1879-82 Geo. O. Prowse. 1883-86 Alex Tinsley. 1887-90 T. B. Pannell. 1891-93 M. L. Prowse. 1894-97 D. T. Hill. 1898-01 W. H. Welsh. 1902-05 W. D. Blackwell. 1906-09 J. A. Shaver. 1910… T. L. Roll. ENDNOTES [1] The Dennis house was occupied by a number of well-known persons after it had been vacated by the Dennis family. Among those who in later years lived in this house was the Reverend William Leftwich Cornett, who came to Muhlenberg in 1874 and continued to live in this historic brick residence until 1884. He died April 15, 1892, aged eighty. He was preacher, farmer, blacksmith, and saddler. One of his old church members says: "Brother Cornett was the Saint Paul of the Pond Creek country. He plowed and preached, worked and worshiped, on and on, for the now and the hereafter." Reverend Cornett and his wife, Harriet Ward Cornett, were the parents of thirteen children, among whom are Ulysses C., Edward E., and Andrew Jackson (who is an old bachelor, and is known throughout Muhlenberg as "Uncle Jack"). [2] Three other men named William Campbell were identified with the early history of the county. The first of these was the William Campbell who came to Muhlenberg about 1805, lived on the northwest corner of Main and Main Cross streets, and moved to Nashville about 1820. His daughter, Cynthia Campbell, married Samuel Campbell, son of Colonel William Campbell. They had no children. The second was the William Campbell who, with his brothers David and Charles, located west of Greenville about 1805. He moved to Illinois about 1835. The third William Campbell was a son of the above-mentioned David Campbell. He married a daughter of Benjamin Hancock, and about 1860 moved to California. Another of the sons of David Campbell was John Campbell, who was a tanner in Greenville for many years. [3] John Dennis, in whose house the first five county courts were held, was the father of a number of children. Among those who made Muhlenberg County their home was Abraham Dennis, who was born in 1784 and died near Greenville in 1875. Abraham Dennis and his wife Tabitha (Rice) Dennis were the parents of eight girls and three boys, among whom was Alney McLean Dennis, who was born in 1822 and died in 1900. Alney McLean Dennis was the father of four children, one of whom is Robert A. Dennis, who is the father of William Rufus Dennis of Greenville, who in turn is the father of Master William McDavid Dennis, a great-great-great-grandson of pioneer John Dennis. [4] James Craig, William Bell, and Peter Boggess, referred to in these early court meetings, were, like many of the others who participated in those meetings, among the well-known pioneers. Captain James Craig was a Revolutionary soldier, born in 1734, who came to Muhlenberg at an early date and died March 5, 1816. Among his children were: Garland D., Mrs. Susan S. (James H.) Wright, Mrs. Peggy (Reverend James) Tolbert, and Mrs. Elizabeth (Thomas) Robinson. William Bell and his brothers Josiah, Robert, and Thomas Bell came to Muhlenberg County about the year 1797. All of them became well-known men. Although the name of Bell is now extinct in the county, they are still represented by many descendants through their daughters. William Bell was born in 1768 and died in 1826. Peter Boggess was a bachelor, a son of pioneer Richard Boggess, who came to Muhlenberg from Virginia about 1797 and settled near Pond Creek, above the Russellville Road, where he died about 1805. Richard Boggess was the father of Richard, jr., J. Warren, Joel, Peter, Robert, William, Lemuel, and Eli Boggess. [5] John Edmunds Reno was a son of pioneer Lewis Reno, jr., and a grandson of pioneer Lewis Reno, sr., who settled at Kincheloe's Bluff about the year 1800. Another son of Lewis Reno, sr., was John Reno, the father of Lawson R. Reno, who for many years conducted the Reno House in Greenville. Lewis Reno, jr., married Sallie Kincheloe, a daughter of pioneer William Kincheloe. Lewis Reno, jr., was the father of five children, among whom were Jesse H. Reno and John Edmunds Reno. Jesse H. Reno was born in 1817 and died in 1895. He was a prominent man, held a number of offices, and was for many years in the mercantile business. John Edmunds Reno was born May 20, 1820. During his earlier business career he conducted a store and tobacco rehandling house in South Carrollton, and later ran a store in Greenville. He held various county offices. In 1852-53 he helped fill the unexpired term of Judge Godman. In 1874 and 1878 he was elected county clerk. His first wife, the mother of his three children, was Ademine Downer. To them were born: (1) Lewis Reno, banker, born June 25, 1847, died April 25, 1906, and who in 1870 married Mary Short, daughter of Jonathan Short; (2) Lizzie Reno, who married Judge William H. Yost, son of Doctor W. H. Yost; (3) Sue Reno, who married C. W. Short, son of Jonathan Short. [6] Judge William H. Yost was born in Greenville April 17, 1849. He is a son of Doctor William H. Yost and Mary Jane Brank, who was a daughter of Ephraim M. Brank and a granddaughter of Colonel William Campbell, the founder of Greenville. Judge Yost, after attending school in Greenville, finished his education at Kentucky University, Lexington. In 1870 he began the practice of law in Greenville, where he was associated with Joseph Ricketts. He was county attorney from 1870 to 1875. From 1890 to 1895 he served as judge of the Superior Court of Kentucky. In 1903 he moved to Madisonville, where he now lives. He is a member of the law firm of Yost & Laffoon, who have offices in Madisonville and Greenville. No lawyer in Western Kentucky is better known; none is more highly esteemed or more closely identified with Muhlenberg's courts and courthouses than Judge Yost. [7] Of the five men who were appointed and served as circuit judges previous to the adoption of the Constitution of 1850, one, Judge Alney McLean, was a citizen of Muhlenberg. The other four here named were, like Judge McLean, among the best-known men in Western Kentucky: Ninian Edwards was a son of Hayden Edwards, of Prince William County, Virginia, who afterward moved to Kentucky. In 1796 and 1797 Ninian Edwards represented Nelson County in the State Legislature. In 1798 he moved to Logan County. In 1806, at the age of thirty-one, he became Chief Justice of Kentucky. In 1809 he was appointed Governor of Illinois Territory, and held that office until 1818, when Illinois became a State. He was United States Senator from 1818 to 1824, and in 1825 was elected Governor of Illinois for four years. He died in 1833. His son, Ninian W. Edwards of Springfield, Illinois, married the sister of Abraham Lincoln's wife, became one of his most intimate friends, and supplied Lincoln's biographers with much data regarding him. Judge Henry P. Broadnax was a native of Virginia, and came to Kentucky in his youth. He lived in Logan County, where he died in 1807, aged about ninety. He was an accomplished man and an able judge. Mrs. Chapman Coleman, in her "Life of John J. Crittenden" says: "Judge Broadnax was a stately, high-toned Virginia gentleman, who dressed in shorts, silk stockings, and top boots. He had an exalted sense of the dignity of the court, and a great, contempt, for meanness, rascality, and all low rowdyism." Judge Benjamin Shackelford was a son of Benjamin Shackelford, and was born in Virginia, April 24, 1780. In 1802 he located in Lexington, where he practiced law until 1807, when he moved to Christian County. In 1815 he was appointed circuit judge in the judicial district which embraced Christian County (which for a few years included Muhlenberg), and served in that capacity uninterruptedly until the adoption of the Constitution of 1850—a period of thirty-six years. Few men in Kentucky occupied the circuit bench longer than he. It is said that during that time fewer of his decisions were reversed by the higher courts than any other judge's in the State. He died in Hopkinsville, April 29, 1858. His two sons were Richard and Doctor Charles Shackelford. General James M. Shackelford, of the Federal army, who spent the early part of his life in Hopkins County, was a member of another branch of the Shackelford family. Judge John Calhoun was born in Henry County in 1797, and shortly after came to the Green River country with his father. In 1820 and 1821 he represented Ohio County in the Legislature. About 1825 he moved to Breckinridge County and represented that county in the Legislature a number of times. He was a member of Congress from 1835 to 1839. In 1841 be was appointed circuit judge by Governor Letcher. He was a good orator and an accomplished lawyer. Calhoun, the county seat of McLean, was named in his honor. [7] Judge Godman died December, 1852, and his unexpired term was filled by John Edmunds Reno and Joseph Ricketts. [8] W. Briggs McCown died in 1889 and his unexpired term was filled by John Allison. [9] Moses Wickliffe resigned in 1861 and his unexpired term was filled by S. D. Chatham and John Jenkins. Additional Comments: Extracted from: A HISTORY OF MUHLENBERG COUNTY BY OTTO A. ROTHERT Member of The Filson Club. Kentucky State Historical Society, American Historical Association, International Society of Archaeologists, etc. JOHN P. MORTON & COMPANY INCORPORATED LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY 1913 COPYRIGHT. 1913, BY OTTO A. ROTHERT File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ky/muhlenberg/history/1913/ahistory/vcourtsa201gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/kyfiles/