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Other Livingston County History
Lilburne Lewis
The Lewis family from Virginia came to Smithland in 1807. Lilburne brought with him his wife and children; his brother
Randolph, wife and children; his father Charles and mother Lucy Jefferson Lewis, sister of Thomas Jefferson. His younger brother
Isham joined the family soon after. Lilburne's farm, Rocky Hill was located just up the Cumberland River in Livingston County.
Two hills are named after the brothers, Randolph Hill and Lewis Hill.
Not all went as planed for the newly arrived
family. Times were hard and everything seemed to go against them succeeding in Kentucky. Shortly after they arrived, Lilburne's
wife, Elizabeth died, followed by Lucy and Randolph. Debt began to plague Lilburne and try as he might, he was unable to raise
sufficient funds to cover money owed. He was sued multiple times. This just added to his growing frustrations.
On a
cold night in January 1812, the slave boy known as George slipped and broke Lucy's cherished water pitcher. Lilburne flew
into a rage, dragged the helpless boy into the kitchen and tied him to the table. Isham then gathered all the slaves into
the small kitchen where they witnessed Lilburne slam an ax into George's neck, killing him.
Lilburne then commanded
another slave, Archer, to chop up George's body and burn him in the fireplace. As the frightened slaves watched in horror,
Lilburne told them all they would meet the same fate as George if they ever spoke of what they witnessed.
A few hours
later the first rumblings of the great New Madrid earthquake rocked the area. The chimney of the fireplace collapsed, snuffing
out the fire. Lilburne demanded that the chimney be rebuilt, but yet another quake hit, making it impossible for the remains
to be burned. Instead they were carefully hidden in the masonry.
As it happened the quakes continued and a few months
later the chimney once again was destroyed. Before George's remains could be reintered, Lilburne's faithful dog, Nero, ran
off with the head where it was discovered by a neighbor.
Now the crime could not be hidden and both Lilburne and Isham
were indited for the murder. Before they were to appear at trial, the brother's made a suicide pact.
On the 9th of
April, Lilburne and Isham made their way to the family graveyard on Rocky Hill where they intended to stand over Elizabeth's
grave and shot each other. Isham asked his brother what was to be done if one of the guns misfired. Lilburne broke a small
branch off a near by tree and began to show Isham how to position the shot gun towards his chest and use the branch to press
the trigger. Suddenly the gun went off and Lilburne lay on the ground, blood gushing from the gunshot wound in his chest.
Isham ran, was apprehended and placed in the Salem jail where he escaped. No one ever heard from him again.
Lilburne
Lewis’ Will
“Will of Lilburne Lewis,4-10-1812,Livingston Co.,KY. proved and recorded May 1812. (Livingston County,
Kentucky, Will Book A, p.34): "In the name of God Amen This my last Will &c.
1st. It’s my desire that all my Just debts
be paid and then my property both real & personal be equally divided between my children Jane W. Lewis, Lucy J. Lewis, Lilburne
L. Lewis, Elizabeth Lewis, Robert Lewis & James R. Lewis reserving to my beloved but cruel wife Letitia G. Lewis her Lawful
part of said property during her natural life.
2nd. It's my desire that my beloved father Charles L. Lewis be possessed
of the riding horse which I purchased of Hurly, my rifle & shot bag during his natural life also my walking cane and that
my beloved sisters Martha C. Lewis, Lucy B. Lewis & Nancy M. Lewis may be comforted from the perquisites of sd estate by my
executor as prudence may require or in other words so as to do my children and themselves entire Justice.
3rd. I do
hereby constitute my beloved father Charles L. Lewis the revd. WM. Woods near Salem, Saml. C. Harkins, James McCawley & Richd
Ferguson my executors whom I must remind that Henry F. Delany has received a fee from me for the prosecution in a Trespass
against James Rutter senr., James Rutter Jnr., James Young & Thomas Terry given under my hand this & revoking all and every
other will heretofore made/ ninth day of Apl. Eighteen hundred and Twelve. Liilbunre Lewis --
NB. my dog Nero I do
hereby bequeath to my beloved father. L.L.
Rocky Hill Apl. 9th 1812 Mr. James McCawley I have fallen a victim to my
beloved but cruel Letitia. I die in the hope of being united to my other wife in heaven. take care of this will & come here
that we may be decently buried. Adieu. L Lewis NB. within this enclosure myself and brother requests be entered (sic) in the
same coffin and in the same grave.
Rocky Hill Apl. 10th 1812 my beloved but cruel Letitia receive this as a pledge
of my forgiveness to your connections the day of Judgement is to come. I owe you no malice but die on account of your absence
and my dear little son James Adieu my love Lilburne Lewis Livingston county Sct.
May county court 1812 The within
will was proved to be the hand writing of Lilburne Lewis, William Rice, James McCawley and Lilburne Lewis senr. and ordered
to be recorded. Test. Enoch Prince CLC"
This story is well document in "Jefferson's Nephews: A Frontier Tragedy" by
Boynton Merrill jr. I highly recommend the book as well as a fictionalized account "Enslaved" by Ron Burns.
Mantle
Rock
During winter of 1838-1839, the Cherokees were forced to leave their Smoky Mountain homes for Oklahoma territory.
Mantle Rock, a 40-foot sandstone arch, was used for shelter on their "Trail of Tears." Since the icy Ohio River had no ferry
traffic, the Indians sought cover beneath the arch. Many died there. Mantle Rock was also campsite for ancient Indians.
Cave-in-Rock
The actual history of this imposing natural phenomenon is colorful and provocative. The first European explorer to encounter
it was M. de Lery of France, who in 1729 called it caverne dans Le Roc. It was a conspicuous curiosity frequently mentioned
by later travelers in diaries and journals
Following the Revolutionary War, this immense recess came to serve as the
ideal lair for outlaws, bandits and river pirates who preyed on the people traveling along the Ohio River.
One of
the most ambitious of these ruthless malefactors was Samuel Mason. Once an officer in George Washington’s Revolutionary Army,
in 1797 he converted the cavern into a tavern which he called the Cave-In-Rock.
From this apparently innocent and inviting
position, Mason would dispatch his cohorts upriver to befriend unwary and bewildered travelers with offers of help and guidance.
As they neared the cave, these henchmen would disable their boats or force them toward the yawning hollow, where the hapless
pilgrims would be robbed, or worse. Few victims lived to tell their story.
By the early 1800s, following the demise
of the Mason Gang, the cave sheltered the even more notorious Harpe Brothers, a pair of killers fleeing execution in Kentucky.
They continued their personal reign of thievery and murder in Illinois, using the cave as hideout and headquarters until they
too were killed.
It’s interesting to note that the cave served as a backdrop for a scene in the movie “How The West
Was Won.” The scene was a near-accurate portrayal of how, in the 18th and 19th centuries, ruthless bandits used the cave to
lure unsuspecting travelers to an untimely end.
Although other desperadoes continued to take advantage of the secrecy
and seclusion afforded by Cave-In-Rock, by the mid-1830s the quickening westward expansion of civilization and the steady
growth in the local population and commerce had destroyed or driven out the “river rats” and the cave began to serve as temporary
shelter for other pioneers on their way west. Throughout the 19th century, this remarkable geological feature was an important
landmark, prominently displayed on maps from the period.
In 1929, the State of Illinois acquired 64.5 acres for a park
that since has increased to 204 acres. The well-wooded, 60-foot-high hills and the rugged bluffs along the river - commanding
expansive views of the famous waterway - became Cave-In-Rock State Park.
I included This Illinois attraction due to
its location and impact on the citizens of Livingston County.
Ned Buntline
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This web page and the contents could not have been possible without the aid and research of the following:
Leslie
McDonald, "Echoes of Yesteryear" Published by Livingston County Historical and Genealogical Society, Smithland Kentucky,
1972
"History, Ledged and Lore- Livingston County" Printed by The Livingston Ledger, Smithland Kentucky,
1974.
M. Jay Stottman, "A Report of the Excavation of Unit #1 at the Gower House (15Lv178)" Kentucky
Archaeology Survey, 1996.
Livingston County Courthouse and all their employees.
Livingston County Historical
and Genealogy Society, Smithland Kentucky.
Carrie Anne Berryman, "Folklore and Historic Research Concerning
the Gower House, 15LV178", Murray State University, October 11, 1997.
Tracy Cothron, "Smithland, Through
the Windows of the Gower House." Unpublished student paper,1982.
Boynton Merrill, jr. "Jefferson's Nephews:
A Frontier Tragedy" Princeton University Press, 1976.
The Roberts/Fraley Family, current owners.
National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form, completed by Dr. David Hoy, former owner, 1973.
Thresa Bowland. My Mother and the person who gave me the passion for the history of Livingston County and the Gower House.
Cave-In-Rock information taken from website: www.dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/PARKS/R5?CAVEROCK.html.
Kentucky
Atlas & Gazetter website: www.uky.edu/KentuckyAtlas/ky-smithland.html.
KyGenWeb website: www.kygenweb.rootsweb.com/livingston.
Livingston County Deed Books A-GG, 1800-1848
Livingston County Circuit Court Books A-M, 1799 - 1849
Livingston County Will Book A.
If you feel that you have contributed to this site and are not mentioned,
please contact the author to remedy this error. Thanks Sam, Theresa and Janah.
Photographs taken by Julie
Ruggles.
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