Casper Karsner
Name: Caspar KARSNER
_________________________________________
Birth: 1750
Death: 1798-1799 Age: 48
Father: George KERSNER
Mother: Margaret
Misc. Notes
Casper Karsner--January 11, 1780: (Cert issd for 400 fees
&c pd D. D. to Jno Martin) Casper Karsner this day claimed
a preempt'n of 400 Acres of land at the State price in the District
of Kentucky lying on the North branch of the North fork of Elkhorn
Creek including a small sinking spring on the south side of the
s'd branch and about two miles up the said branch from the licking
Trace a North E. course by Making an actual Settlem't in the year
1778 Satisfactory proof being made to the Court they are of Opinion
that the s'd Karsner has a right to a preempt of 400 Acres of
Land to include the above Location & that a Cert. issue accordingly.
[1]
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The Karsners of Kentucky
History and Family Album
Volume I
by Margaret A. Karsner Murphy
1981
(p. 10)
Chapter 2
George and Margaret Kersner
This section of our history is the beginning of the facts I have found during research into our past. However, I stand to be corrected if someone finds me in error.
I made application for membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution. (I was approved by the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, in Washington, D.C. on 10 December 1980. My National Number is 650.665. My membership is with the Susannah Hart Shelby Chapter 4-075 Ky. at Frankfort, Kentucky.)
I knew my ancestral great grandfather, Casper, had served in the militia during the Revolution. My source was Collins' "History of Kentucky," Vol. I under Ruddles (also called Hinkston's and Licking) Fort, and Logan's (St. Asaph's) Station. He was in Captain Benjamin Logan's Company, in Lincoln County, probably in 1779.
Now to be approved by the D.A. R. everything stated had to be proven. So, when I foundCasper's will, I found the name of his mother, Margaret. About this time, I was made aware of a book, "Scotts' Papers" Kentucky Court and Other Records, which were compiled by Hattie Marshall Scott. Some of these records were Fayette County Burnt Records. I went to the Kentucky Archives in Frankfort, Ky. and went through some of the burnt records.
(p. 11)
There was found a burnt record stating that Margaret Kersner and
Casper Kersner had appointed William Dunlap esquire their Attorney-
in- fact, for the purpose of transacting business for them in
the Commonwealth of Virginia, respecting the estate of George
Kersner deceased (Burnt Record Vol. 8 - page 207) to collect monies
and property due them from the estate. Now, I knew Casper's parents
were George and Margaret Kersner. I soon found out that Thomas
Lincoln who was executor of George's estate, was married to his
daughter Elizabeth.
On the following page of the burnt record (page 208) is stated: Fayette County August Court 1796. This Letter of Attorney was produced in Court, acknowledged by Margaret Kersner and Casper, parties thereto and ordered to be recorded. Teste: Fielding L. Turner.
After contacting a researcher in Rockingham County Virginia, I was sent a copy of the Suit that was in Chancery, a land dispute (Judgement & Order Book #6 page 423, May 1801). Listed in the Chancery Suit are the descendants of George Kershner and his wife Margaret. I am sure Casper and Jacob were his sons but am not so sure about John Nicholas. There are three possibilities: John Nicholas could have been one son or two sons (John and Nicholas) or maybe even a grandson or grandsons, brother or brothers to George, Henry, and David Shaver (Shaffer). It's possible there were five grandsons. The Shaver'(Shaffer) brothers were sons of George and Margaret's daughter, Modelena Shaver, who later married Philip Rust (Bust). So, I can't say for sure how many sons George and Margaret Kershner had.
The daughters known at this time were: Elizabeth who married Thomas Lincoln, Modelena (Shaver) Rust, and Catharine Bowman. Catharine was not an inhabitant of Virginia at the time of the
(p. 12)
Chancery Suit. I believe she had come to Kentucky. Her husband
was a Bowman, but which one is . Abraham and George Bowman lived
in the same area as George and Margaret Kershner, according to
tax lists. You might notice that on 14 Apr. 1797, in Casper's
will, he selected or appointed John Parker and Abraham Bowman
executors of his last will and testament.
In the book "Kentucky in Retrospect" by G. Glenn Clift, there is printed several articles about the Bowmans. The Bowmans were at Fort Harrod 1774-1775 . Draper mss. and depositions lists Col. Abraham Bowman as being there. Capt. Joseph Bowman's Company was stationed at Harrodsburg 24 Jan 1778. Located 6 miles East of Harrodsburg was Bowman's Station settled by Col. Abraham Bowman 1779. Draper mss. 13CC 170-1 gives an interview with Herman Bowman, as to the seven families who came from Virginia in the Fall of 1779. A Robert Bowman was also listed in the family groups. I have not tried to connect with the Bowmans. I included this information to help those who might be interested in the Bowman line.
More information is expected from judgement & Order Book #6, page 413, dated May 1801 and judgement & Order Book #7, Page 153, dated Sept 1802 and Page 345, dated August 1803. More time is needed on this. (Judgement and Order books reel #39 dated 1798-1804 bks. 6 & 7.)
The Chancery Suit shows Catherine Bowman and Jacob Kershner as non-residents. In the book, "The Lincolns in Virginia" by John Wayland, published in 1946, under Lincoln Chronology, page 250, you'll read: 1796 Oct 20, John Lincoln and John Berry appointed attorneys-in-fact by Jacob Carsner of
(p. 13)
Washington County, Tenn., to prosecute his claim as legatee of
his father George Casner, deceased. I don't have the birth dates
of George and Margaret's children, but I have speculated that
Casper was born ca 1750 and Elizabeth ca 1763. I believe all their
children were born in Pennsylvania. Casper's son, John, stated
on the 1850 census of the United States, that he was originally
from Pennsylvania. In my family, we have always been told we were
originally from Pennsylvania, having come from Germany during
immigration days.
George and Margaret drifted from Pennsylvania into Virginia buying land on Brock Creek in the upper Shenandoah Valley, not very far from the John Lincoln family. The Valley of the Shenandoah was at this time the western frontier of the Colony of Virginia. In order to protect the country on the east, and to prevent the encroachments of the French on the west, the government encouraged rapid settlement of this region. Religion was an inducement which accelerated the settlement of the Valley. Our Kershner family was a very devout people, so religious freedom was certainly an inducement to them to immigrate into this new territory, the lands of Virginia. Many other religious faiths looked to the valley as a haven of refuge from religious persecution. Many people came directly from Pennsylvania to the Shenandoah.
During the Revoultionary War, the soldiers from the Shanandoah Valley found plenty of action on the soil of their own state. From the beginning of the Revolution, to the surrender of Cornwallis, the militia of the Valley, as well as the remainder of Virginia, had no rest. I don't know where George and Margaret's sons served during the conflict, but they certainly answered their call to serve.
From "Augusta County Virginia Records," page 130 shows the purchase of land by George Kersner: 21 Mar 1774 Adam Hoverstick of Culpeper to George Kersncr, patent to Adam 7 July 1763 (just after the end of the French and Indian War) and conveyed by him to William Samples, 18 Aug 1770, and William Samples to George Kersner, 17 Aug 1773. Adam Hoverstick was an alien and foreigner when he conveyed to William Samples and continued so until 16 Mar 1774 when he was naturalized.
Another reference was made in the same book, "Augusta County Virginia Records," page 406: 17 Aug 1773, William Samples and Sarah to George Kersner, on Brock Creek, 235 acres Patented to Adam Hoverstick 7 Jul 1763. Teste: Henry Runyon and Obediah Muncy.
So I would say that from 17 Aug 1773, George and Margaret's family became Virginians. Just two years later, the Revolutionary War started on 19 Apr 1775 and it is assumed that all his sons joined in the conflict. No doubt Casper, John, and Jacob served and possibly Nicholas. Casper's militia record began in Virginia and ended in Kentucky.
A census and tax list taken in Rockingham County Virginia in 1784, only lists the names of the Heads of Families. From the lists taken by Anthony Rader, I found George Carsner with 2 white souls, a dwelling, and one other building. This was eleven years after he moved to Virginia. Surely all his children were grown and married by then.
Several names on the lists seem familiar to me, some are probably his sons-in-law. It shows they all lived in the same general area. There were three Bowmans: John, Benjamin (thought to be a preacher) and Jacob... this one I believe was his son-in-law but not proven. (A certified lineage specialist, Evelyn Rosemary Frantz sent me this record: On 22 May 1804 widow Catharine Bowman married Christian Fry by Rev. Benjamin Bowman.) George Shaver might have been the father of George and Margaret's grandsons, George, Henry and David Shaver. Their mother's name was Modelena. William Dunlap Esq. was the Attorney- in- fact in the settlement of George's estate. George Ruddle had been a long time friend of the family. He was probably about the age of Casper. George Ruddle's father was Isaac Ruddle and his mother was Elizabeth Bowman. More will be told about this family in the section of "Early Kentucky." I feel there was a close friendship between the Ruddle and Carsner families. Listed also was Matthias Lair who later settled in Bourbon County, Kentucky.
From the original court records of Augusta County Virginia, 1745-1800, by Lyman Chalkley, Vol.
(p. 15)
III page 545 states: 17 June, 1776 Richard Rowland and Bridgett
to Conrad Hartingen, part of 190 acres patented to Richard 16
Mar 1771 on a branch of Daniel Holeman's Creek. Teste: John Thomas,
George Kersner, Josiah Boone, Daniel Smith, Elizabeth Miller.
Another record in Vol. III of Chalkley book, page 543: 17 Aug 1775. Philip Nicholas, eldest son of Samuel Nicholas and John Thomas, executors of Samuel Nicholas to Jacob Brunk, of Frederick County, Maryland, on Brock's Creek, patented to William Rutledge, 20 Aug 1745 and by him conveyed to Cornelius Ruddle. Teste: Caspar Karsnar, George Ruddle.
The book "Virginia Valley Records" by John Wayland lists landowners of Rockingham County in the Year 1789. This list was compiled from original manuscripts in the county clerks office.The names listed are about the same as in 1784. The Rockingham Supplement lists Jacob Bowman, Sr., 1 tithable, 3 horses; Thos. Lincoln, 1 tithable, 3 horses; William Dunlap, 1 tithable; son William, 7 horses; Geo. Cashner
I received a record from the Rockingham Historical Society of a Survey in book A, page 168 dated 1795, the year before George died. The survey was for 6 1/2 acres of land.
(p. 18)
The first United States Census was taken in 1790. George Casner
was listed there also.
The Shenandoah Valley was almost entirely settled by Pennsylvanians. George lived out the remaining 23 years of his life here in the valley. He died ca 1796. His wife, Margaret went to Kentucky and lived with her son Casper and his wife Eva one short year. Casper died in the summer of 1797. He never forgot his mother in his will. Excerpts from Casper's will states: "I do give to my mother Margaret during her life, the room in the South West end of my house, one acre of land convenient to the house and free and unobstructed passage to spring water, and priviledge of taking wood for her fire all during her life only." This was sweet, it shows a heart of love and compassion.
George and Margaret's children must have all settled there in the Shenandoah Valley, in the area around them, except Casper, Jacob, and Elizabeth. Casper came to Kentucky, followed by Jacob, who later went on to Tennessee, and Elizabeth Lincoln lived in Kentucky until Thomas died; then she went to live with her son George Lincoln in Liberty, Missouri.
I have reasons to believe our ancestral great grandfather, George knew Daniel Boone. They were from the same general area in Pennsylvania. Daniel came from an English Quaker family who first settled in Philadelphia, seeking religious freedom and a better way of life. For this same reason, George Kersner's family came from Germany.
Daniel Boone's father, whose first name was Squire, pioneered into Western Pennsylvania then took up farmlands near what is now the city of Reading, Pa. In this general area were the Kersners. (There are many, many variations of the spelling of our last name, which will be shown later.) Daniel Boone was born here on 2 Nov 1734, the sixth of eleven children. I have speculated that our George was born ca 1722. So he would have been some 12 years older than Daniel, and Casper some sixteen years younger.
In 1775 the Wilderness Trail was blazed by Daniel Boone, with Michael Stoner, through the Appalachian Mountains. This was just two years after George and family moved to Virginia, on Brock' s Creek.
I believe Casper and his brothers and sisters knew Daniel, because in 1782 Daniel Boone entered 500 acres of land for Capt. Abraham Lincoln in Kentucky. Capt. Abraham was a brother to Elizabeth Kersner's husband, Thomas.
So you see, by taking historical events, and arranging them in sequence, I can compare with the events closest to our family interest. Daniel Boone outlived both George and his son Casper. George died in 1796 and Casper, his son, in 1797.
In 1810, Daniel Boone came to Lexington, Kentucky with valuable fur pelts to pay old debts and bills. Boone was now age 76. There he met young John James Audubon, age 25, who later became a famous painter of birds in America. Audubon was in love with the wilderness as Daniel had been all his life. Boone showed his young friend how a good hunter "barks" squirrels and told him tales of the old wilderness days. Ten years later, Daniel Boone died at age 86, in 1820. Boone's body and his wife's body both rest in the Cemetery at Frankfort, Kentucky, after being moved from a burial site on a hilltop overlooking the Missouri.
So, as our history progresses, keep in mind the families: Kersners, LincoIns, Boones, Lails, Ruddles and Dunlaps and see how their lives touched from time to time down through the years.
(p. 19)
Variations of Our Name
As you will notice' there are many different ways th6 Karsner Name has been spelled down through the centuries.
During Immigration Days the name was spelled: Kirschner, Crisner, Kirshner, Kistner, Kesner, Kastner, Korschner, Cassnar, and Casner. This is according to "Pennsylvania German Pioneers" by Strassburger and Hinke Vols. I, II and III.
Then in the "American Genealogical Biographical Index" you'll find Carsner, Casper, and Kershner.
From the Baptismal Book in 1637, in Germany, our oldest known ancestral great-grandfather was Peter Kerschner. In the 1660 marriage book when Johann andAnna Elsa Ermoldts married, the name was spelled Kirschner.
When Johann and Anna Elsa brought their son Johan Conradt in for Baptism in 1669, the name had changed to Kisher.
In "The Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlepnent in Virginia" by Lyman Chalkley, Vol. Ill on page 547, our George served as a teste: on 17 June 1776, it was then spelled Kersner.
When George and Margaret bought their land in Virginia in 1773, the name on the deed was George Kersner.
From the burnt record, the Chancery Suit, George's name is spelled Kersner in 1796. Also the same year, George's sonjacob in Tennessee was spelling it Casner. On the 1784 tax list it was George Carsner. Casper Karsnar was used, in Chalkley book, Vol. Ill page 543 as a Teste in 1775. In John Wayland's book, "Virginia Valley Records" the name is spelled Geo. Cashner, On the land survey for 6 1/2 acres in Rockingham County, his name was spelled George Casner, in 1795. On the first U.S. Census in 1790, he was listed as George Casner.
When Casper served in the Revolution at Logan's Fort here in Kentucky 1779, he was referred to as Caspar Casener and Virginia records at the same time referred to him as Caspar Casener, but the very next year 22 June 1780, when he was captured by the British and Indians, he was referred to as Casper Casner.
In 1795 when Casper with others organized a Lutheran Church in Lexington, his name was spelled Casper Kersner, but in his will and settlement of his estate, the name was Carsner in one place and Kernsner in another.
Casper's land grant signed by Patrick Henry 20 May 1785, his name was Casper Kasner. His daughter Margaret's wedding bond to Warren Wheeler on 7 Apr 180 gives her last name as Kesner.
When Casper's son John was selling his land heired from his father on 17 Aug 1819, his last name was Kisner on the record. I have a record from the Virginia State Library when Casper was paid for Military Service during the Revolution, his last name was spelled Casner, 1785. In 1791 he was signing his last narne Karsner, just 6 years before he died.
So who knows why the spelling of the name differs in so many places. I have typed this information for those who might doubt our connection with all the different spellings. It seems to me the person writing the name spelled it however it sounded to him that day.
(p. 25)
Chapter Four
Early Kentucky
This part of our history is about the KARSNERS OF KENTUCKY, a story that has never been told before, to my knowledge. The story of Immigration Days was researched by others and shared with me. For this, I am very grateful.
I trust you have already enjoyed reading about George and Margaret Kersner and their children, who settled in the Shenadoah Valley of Virginia after leaving Pennsylvania, followed by our connection with the Lincoln family. Now there are those enthralling personalities, Casper Carsner and Eva Lail who later became his wife, highlighted by Casper's militia record during the American Revolution and their capture by the British and Indians at Ruddles' Fort, near Cynthiana. Also included is the service record of Casper's and Eva's sons, John and Johnathan, during the War of 1812. There is much, much more about their lives in the story of early Kentucky.
Historical events are arranged in sequence and compared with the events closest to our family interest. Our family history is more than dates to stuff your mind. Dates come alive and stick in your memory as you read about our ancestors, men and women, portraits of past generations, their relation to events of that day and time, in the building of our great State of Kentucky.
Before your realize it, the puzzle of the history of THE KARSNERS OF KENTUCKY will begin to fit together and our past will be revealed. So, enrich your knowledge of the past, its people, places, things, and happenings that our forefathers endured, enjoyed, and loved.
I am trusting this book will stimulate the interest of future Karsner historians. The more we know, the more interested we become. I have only scratched the surface.
The dates are accurate and authentic, unless otherwise stated. Events and wars included bring you the sidelines of our history. By weaving together carefully researched facts, I have attempted to open up new windows of our past. Not only factual information is included, you'll also read a review of the origin of our country and its struggles with other nations, and how our family was a part.
Let's project our ancestors for our descendants. Everyone deserves to be remembered. There is much to be admired. We have a colorful heritage, of which each of us can bejustly proud.
When we think of early Kentucky, we immediately think of the Indians, and especially Daniel Boone, and those that followed after him.
The first settlers who came to Kentucky had to contend not only with the wild beasts of the forests, but with the equally savage Indian warriors. The first pioneers were men sent forth by the wisdom of God to found a new commonwealth.
The frontier was a land of running waters, groves, glades and primeval forests of stately trees so closely grown, a man could walk for days without stepping from under the shade.
The land was teeming with wild game. Cousin Mattie Karsner New said this was the reason why our great grandfather John and his sons Johnathan and Joseph Caspar came to Owen County. The hunting and trapping was good. The elk roamed at will and the gentle deer found seclusion. The shaggy-maned buffalo and mammoth predecessors had beated down the earth in moving from salt lick to salt lick into traces over which the settlers came into this coveted country. Birds of bright plumage flitted from tree to tree as shown by the great nature artist, John James Audubon of that day and time. Flocks of wild geese and wild turkey abounded and the land was knee-deep in grass.
The news traveled fast to Virginia and North Carolina of the beautiful land of Kentucky, and its fertile land beyond the mountain. Daniel Boone, a footloose farmer from North Carolina, lead an expedition to find a practical way through the mountains into Kentucky in 1769. Boone found a natural passage, Cumberland Gap, in the heart of the mountains and showed it to others to follow.
Daniel Boone's first view of the "Beautiful Levels of Kentucky," was June 7th, 1769. Boone tarried in Kentucky until 1771. He spent most of this time in a cave on the waters of Shawnee, now in Mercer (p. 26) County.
The Colonists along the eastern shores, heard about the beauty of the country described by the wandering fur traders, who ventured inland to trade with the Indians. The Colonists and Pioneers became literally obsessed with a desire to secure homes in this "paradise," as Boone called it.
Soon, they found their way over the Alleghenies and through Cumberland Gap into the land which is now Kentucky. They came in an endless procession, bringing their wives, children, slaves, livestock and all their worldly goods. They came on foot and on pack horses, women riding and carrying their babies with the smaller children packed amidst the bedding in crates of hickory withes swung across the backs of gentle horses. The older boys drove the livestock ahead, while the men with rifles ready, kept vigilant eyes out for the Indians.
There were many long days of travel and sleepless nights. Many poor souls too exhausted, faltered and fell, leaving their unnamed graves by the side of the trail. Just where they lie in oblivion, is .
France had claimed the country east of the Mississippi which included Kentucky. But after the French and Indian War 1763, Great Britain gained right to this region making Great Britain the leading colonial power in the world. British citizens had paid in blood and treasure to win their great empire. So by 1763 the struggle was finally settled. France had been defeated. Peace had come at last.
It has been suggested by others that our ancestral great grandfather George fought in the French and Indian War. I have found that this is a known fact.
The skirmish near Great Meadows, Pennsylvania, marked the commencement in America of the "French and Indian War," known abroad as the "Seven Years War" and the last battle of the French and Indian War was in America in 1763.
But peace brought new problems. During the long years of colonial warfare, the American seaboard colonies had been growing away from the mother country. The people who settled these colonies had learned to think of America as their land, as a place apart from England. They learned to love the new country that had brought most of thern better lives than they or their fathers and mothers had known in the Old World. They began to think of themselves as Americans.
Daniel Boone the bold hunter, born 1734 in Pennsylvania, not far from Reading, Pa., whose desire had been for romantic adventure, was now joined by many seeking their fortune in the new country. Their love for the land was bred as a passion. Our ancestral great Grandfather Casper Carsner, born ca 1750, was one of the many who followed Daniel Boone to Kentucky. However, he was some 16 years younger than Boone.
No doubt that as Casper grew into manhood, his dream was to follow Daniel Boone's trail into Kentucky, because that's just what he did. History reveals that Casper was in Militia at Logans' Fort, in May 1779, a youngman, ca age 29 or 30, and unmarried. His father and mother, George and Margaret were still living on their homeland back on Brock Creek near Brock's Gap in the upper Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
It seems Casper's brother Jacob was also caught up in the southwestward drift. They were later followed by their sister Elizabeth, in 1792, who marriedThom Lincoln, with their family. Later Jacob ventured South. By 1796, we find him in Washington County, Tennessee. Elizabeth and Thomas stayed in Kentucky until after Tom died, ca 1819. Then Elizabeth went to live with her son George near Liberty, Missouri.
I have never found that Casper's older brothers and sisters ever came to Kentucky. Other known brothers and sisters were John, Nicholas, Modelena, Catherine and a deceased sister, who left three sons: George, Henry and David Shaver. Modelena married Philip Rust and Catherine married a Bowman.
The walls of the Cumberland Gap echoed to the sounds of Civilizationcreaking wagon wheels and the crack of the driver's lash...as settlers moved into the newly opened territory. Because of Daniel
(p. 27)
Boone's curiosity as to what lay over the next hill, a populous
and prosperous state was formed. Somewhere in between the Indians'
"Dark and Bloody Ground" and. Boone's "Wonderful
Paradise" Kentucky prospered. Achieving Statehood in 1792,
Kentucky was the 15th state to join the Union. It covers 40,395
square miles and has held a prominent place in the development
of America.
Daniel Boone with John Findley left his peaceful home on theYadkin in North Carolina in quest of adventure, and many other men followed.
Many courageous and gallant young men came from Virginia to make their homes in Kentucky. Honor and wealth lay before them as well as exciting pleasures of a perilous undertaking. Bounty lands were granted to many of the officers and soldiers of the Virginia troops.
Surveyors were sent to Kentucky by Virginia to mark off the land. Brothers John and Levi Todd came as surveyors around 1773. Many of the documents I have bear the signature of Levi Todd as Clerk.
Life in the wilderness was so delightful to Daniel Boone that he moved his family here in the fall of 1773, the same year George & Margaret Kershner moved from Pennsylvania to Virginia. No sooner had the Boone family arrived, their son and six others were killed by the Indians. Being so disheartened by this tragedy, they returned to their old home on the Yadkin.
The Indians knew the value of their hunting ground, the endless forest where game was plentiful, and they were prepared to resist the early pioneers permanent settlements. The Shawnee and Cherokee claimed the land. They became so hostile toward the settlers that it was dangerous for any white man to remain here.
There were several young men who came to Kentucky as surveyors. They were anxious to survey the famed lands of Kentucky. John Todd and his brother Levi Todd were followed the same (p. 28) year by a party of hunters and surveyors from Virginia. They were led by three brothers, James, George, and Robert McAfee, who later became prominent in the new country. After investigating the land, they settled on Salt River, in Mercer County. Soon thereafter the Shawnee Indians became so hostile to the new settlers, that it was dangerous for them to remain there.
Governor Dunmore of Virginia sent Daniel Boone back to Kentucky with Michael Stoner to guide the surveyors out of the wilderness.
Shortly afterward, the Shawnees entered into a treaty with Governor Dunmore of Virginia. They gave up all their title to the lands south of the Ohio River and promised not to molest the white men further. Peace now reigned for a time and the pioneers were enabled to make their homes in Kentucky. The McAfees, along with others, returned to their settlement on the Salt River, in 1775, not far from Harrodsburg.
Benjamin Logan, with a few slaves, erected a station bearing his name. He brought his family therein 1776.
Benjamin Logan must have been a friend of great grandfather George and son Casper. Several places during my period of research, I have found their names linked together before coming to Kentucky.
Boonesborough was the first military fortification in Kentucky. The fort was completed in September 1775. After completion of the fort, Boone brought his family to Kentucky again. By this time, Paul Revere had already taken his midnight ride on April 19th, to warn the settlers the British were coming. The beginning of the Revolution was 19 Apr 1775.
On 8 Aug 1778 the savages attempted to seige the Fort at Boonesborough. They came bedecked with all their war equipment and with French and British colors flying and surrounded the fort. The siege lasted nine days. Finally, the frustrated warriors took their departure.
The American Revolution was steadily progressing on the eastern seaboard. By October 1778, the plans had been made for the formation of Louisville, followed by Lexington in April 1779.
The first settlers on the frontier burned off the forest and cleared the land then built their cabin homes to form a fort, to resist the Indian attacks. All the neighbors helped each other. They adopted a type of military training and organized a militia. The militia was a group of citizens within a fort trained for military service in the case of an attack by the Indians. They were on active duty only in times of emergency. The militia drilled regularly, and in times of danger would take their turns standing guard. We find Casper Casner in 1779, at Logan's Stationbuilt by Benjamin Logan.
To be in the milita, each man had to be eighteen or older, keep a matchlock musket "not under three foot nine inches in length, a pound of gun powder, twenty bullets, and two fathom of match." This is the type of environment which influenced the lives of Casper Carsner and Eva Lail (later to become his wife).
The winter of 1779 was known as the "Hard Winter. " The unmelting snows lay deep over the land. Horses and cattle perished and even the wild animals shrunk to the bone. Life in the roughly built cabins was trying, during the mildest winters, but it was torturing during the winter of 1779. Because of the increased population at the fort, the supply of corn gave out. The only food was lean game. This was the winter our Casper spent at Logan's Fort in the Militia.
LOGAN'S (ST. ASAPH'S) STATION
Settled by Colonel Benjamin Logan, 1773, one mile west of Stanford, Lincoln County, William Hudson was killed by Indians at Logan's; John Kennedy wounded; Burr Harrison killed; David Logan thought killed on way to station; Ambrose Grissom killed; Jonas Menefee and Samuel Ingram wounded. John Logan in 1778 set out from Logan's in company with John Kennedy, Alexander Barnet, Alexander Montgomery, Jared Menefee to explore Indian country, joined Boone's Party at Blue Licks to number of eighteen. Simon Kenton was guide. Wm. Ryburn, Hugh Ross, Benj. Pettit, Joseph Kennedy, George Clarke, Wm. Miller, John (p. 29) McKinney, Archibald McKinney, David Logan (nephew of Benjamin) and probably Samuel Hite and Wm. Paton. Circuit Court Records Fayette County, by Staples, Kentucky Historical Register and Draper mss.
Captain Benjamin Logan's Company (in Lincoln County, at or near Logan's Station, probably in 1779:
Ben/. Logan, Capt.
John Logan, Lieut.
James Brown
John Canterbury
Cavpar Casener
Wm. Casey
Ogden Devers
Benj. Drake
Wm. Grimes
Jacob Gunn
David Hawkins
Jacob Herman
John Jones
John Kennedy
John Martin
Joseph Martin
Samuel Martin
James Mason
David Mitchell
Wm. Mitchell
Alex. Sinclair
George Scott
John Story
John Summers
this is a partial listing of the men in Logan's Company as found in Collins History, Vol. I.
The sufferings of the travelers who had been overtaken by the storms on their way to Kentucky were even greater, than we can imagine. The pioneers who were already settled, opened their cabin homes, and shared with the new settlers. They managed to amuse themselves for the time, and hope for the future. They turned their attention toward the education of their children. This could not be neglected. Smooth boards of wood were used for paper, and oak balls for ink. The children learned to write and work examples set for them by their parents. They learned to read from the Bible and Hymn books.These books had been carried along the pioneer trail, that lead to Kentucky.
During research, it has been so difficult to locate the various counties the Karsners settled in during the years between 1779 and 1855. So, I'll give you a little county history, to help other family historians.
Three Counties were 200 year old, 1 Nov 1980. They were established in 1780 as a result of an act of the Virginia legislature. At one time, all Kentucky was included in the three counties. Fayette, Lincoln and Jefferson were counties of Virginia, which at one time had title to all land west to the Pacific Ocean.
Kentucky, which did not become a state until 1792, was originally part of Augusta Count y, a Virginia County that was created in 1738. Administration by horseback or on foot proved impossible in so large a county. So, in 1770 Augusta was divided and Kentucky became part of Botetourt county.
Botetourt was divided in 1772, making Kentucky part of Fincastle County. Then in 1776, Fincastle was dissolved and Kentucky County, still part of Virginia, was created.
Kentucky County lasted four years, until Fayette, Lincoln and Jefferson were created. The name "Kentucky" for a governmental unit disappeared entirely for two years - from Nov 1780 to Aug 1782. But the name retained a magical ring for immigrants obsessed with "Kentucky fever." Many streamed west through Cumberland Gap or down the Ohio River, only to find the best land already claimed.
When Casper was at Logan's Station, Harrodsburg was the County Seat for Kentucky County, beginning in 1777. Then in 1780, after the massacre at Ruddles' Fort, Fayette County was created, Lexington became the seat of government in Fayette County and has remained so ever since.
To finish the history of our counties, I will add, by 1792 Kentucky became a separate state, the three original counties had been subdivided into nine. By 1818, Kentucky had 59 counties; by 1855, it had 103. In 1912, the state acquired the present total, 120 counties.
(p. 30)
Chapter 5
The Revolutionary War and Casper Casner
A new way of life was developing in America. It was now about 150 years since the first English settlers had come to America. The people of the Old World and the New were finding it increasingly difficult to understand each other. The German immigration had begun around 1684.
The gap was wide indeed in 1763 when Great Britain decided to adopt a new policy and to make the colonies obey the laws which had been passed in London. Step by step, between 1763 and 1775 England, the mother country, and its colonies moved further and further apart. Reconciliation never came. It was up to the colonists to win their freedom and independence on the battlefield. Finally Bri tish-American differences broke out in open war. The early settlers, the Patriots, in Boston were watching the British closely. They knew something was brewing. They had already made arrangements to warn the surrounding countryside if and when the British troops should march.
Great Britain's efforts to retain her empire in the new world antagonized the colonists. By 1775, the Colonists had plunged into a Revolutionary War with the Mother Country, England.
As early as 1763, Colonists were beginning to resent the economic, political, and social restrictions imposed by Britain. In that year the English Parliament placed a tax on sugar and other commodities and virtually closed the frontier to further settlement. The Colonists protested against taxation without representation.
The restrictions made by Britain was the factor in spurring the Colonists to act as a United America in dealing with them. Soon the two countries met in conflict at Lexington and Concord. The Minuteman or militia soldier was ready at a moment's notice to defend his town. They were famous for their spirited resistance to the British regulars at the beginning of the American Revolution. The struggle at Lexington and Concord laid the foundations of civil and religious liberty in America.
The Colonists were fighting for freedom of spirit, mind, and soul. They wanted more than freedom from tyranny; they wanted freedom to build a nation where men could pursue their individual destinites. They had a vision, and that's what carried them through seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
King George III, of Great Britain wanted to prevent the westward growth of the American Colonies. He wanted to exterminate the pioneer forts and force the western frontier back to the Allegheny Mountains.
Late at night on 18 Apr 1775, along the banks of the Charles River across from the sleeping city of Boston, a man paced restlessly in the darkness. Suddenly the feeble rays of a lantern shone from a window in the steeple of the Old North Church in Boston. This restless man who saw the flickering light was none other than the great patriot Paul Revere. He leaped into the saddle of his waiting horse and galloped off into the darkness to warn, the British were coming...and into the pages of history.
Our Casper Casner was about 25, born ca 1750 in Pennsylvania, living with his parents, George and Margaret, and brothers and sisters on Brock Creek, in Augusta County, Virginia in 1775. It had only been two years since they left Pennsylvania. I know he went into the militia and he could have been one of the "Minutemen" in the area where he lived.
The "Minutemen," members of the militia who had promised to be ready for action at a minute's notice, were there before them, gathered in ranks on the village green. Major Pitcairn, commander of the British patrol, ordered the Colonists to drop their guns and leave the green. The Colonists kept their guns but started to leave when someone fired a shot. Immediately, without waiting for orders, the British troops fired several volleys. When the smoke cleared away, eight Colonists lay dead and ten (p. 31) others were wounded.
The British troops went on to Concord, where they cut down a liberty pole, set fire to the courthouse and destroyed several gun carriages and a few tools. After encountering armed Patriot forces at Concord's North Bridge, the British started back towards Boston. But the country was swarming with angry Colonists. From behind stone walls and the shelter of buildings, the Colonists fired steadily upon the redcoats as they made their death march down the long road back to the safety of Boston. During that march the British casualties amounted to 73 killed, 174 wounded and 26 missing.
The redcoats reached Boston late in the day. Curious townspeople saw haggard faces, bloody bandages, and men in tattered uniforms stumbling under the weight of wounded comrades. When night fell, the lights of numerous campfires twinkled like fireflies around the rim of the city. These were the fires of rebellion, fed by a goodly number of the 16,000 minutemen from the surrounding countryside. So began the American Revolution.
There were six terrible years of warfare from the battle at Lexington 1775, to the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown 1781. By the summer of 1776, the thirteen original colonies had become separate and independent states.
The vague and unsatisfactory nature of the estimates of the number of Virginia troops in the Revolutionary War is largely due to the fragmentary condition of the records. It has been so difficult to get factual information on Casper's service record during the Revolution.
An interest in one's ancestry is in essence an inquiry into history. So the search begins.
In the John Fox Jr. Library in Paris, Ky. I found the book "Virginia State Library, List of the Revolutionary Soldiers of Virginia" (Special Report of the Department of Archives and History for 1911). By H.J. Eckenrode, Archivist. On page 89 it stated CASNER, GASPER Militia Service Aud. Acct. XXVII A, Entry for 10 Dec 1785. I wrote to the Virginia State Library and got a copy of this ledger sheet as shown on page 32.
This is one of the principal sources showing Casper's Militia Service. He was paid 314 pounds, 15 shilling and 4 pence on Saturday 10 Dec 1785. This was back pay for militia duty, four years after the war ended. Casper was age ca. 35 and still unmarried.
Another proof of Casper Casner's service record is a grant of land by Patrick Henry. More information on this will be included later in this history. He served three or more years in a military capacity.
The branch of the military service which was impossible to analyze was the militia and their records are almost impossible to find. In 1780-1781, the forces of the militia reached its maximum. The chief sources of information are the Auditor's books of the Revolutionary period, which record the payment of the services of many individual militiamen. This is where Casper Casner's record was found, in Virginia. No doubt his three brothers: John, Jacob, and Nicholas served at one time or another.
We are indeed fortunate to find Casper's record because most generally the payments were put down as having been paid to some officer for himself and his company as a whole, without including a list of the company. Thus the names of company commanders survive, while the great mass of the privates are .
On 17 Aug 1775 Casper Casner and George Ruddle witnessed a deed on Brock Creek, in Augusta County Virginia, in the case of Samuel Nicholas. I assume he was still with his parents.
This same year 1775 in October, Col. Robert Patterson and six other young men, with John McClellan and family left Pennsylvania for Kentucky in canoes. At Salt Creek, Lewis County, Patterson and three of the men started into the interior. They met Simon Kenton and Thomas William, when they all proceeded across the Licking and several branches of Elkhorn to Leestown; then on to Royal Springs, now Georgetown, where McClellan joined them, building a Fort or Station, which was named after McClellan.
The following year, 1776 Leestown was established, one mile below Frankfort. Of course we're all (p. 33) familiar with the story about the capture of the two Callaway sisters and Daniel Boone's daughter by the Indians. This happened 7 July 1776 Collins "History of Kentucky" states. They were recaptured by their fathers the following day about 20 miles away from Boonesborough, uninjured. I am remindin you of these stories of early Kentucky in order to show you about the time Casper Carsner came to Kentucky. During the year 1777, the Forts McClellans at Georgetown, Harrodsburg, Boonesborough and Logans were attacked by the Indians time after time. So disastrous were the Indian hostilities that it discouraged immigration into Kentucky. Three settlements proved permanent, Boonesborough with 22 men, Harrodsburg with 65 men and St. Asaph's, or Logan's Fort with only 15 men, exclusive of the occasional militia sent out from Virginia. This is probably the time when Casper Casner first appeared on the scene in what is now Kentucky. His land title was in dispute, since it was unpatented land. The Certificate Book of the Virginia Land Commission 1779-1780 states:
"Cert issued for 400 fees &c pd. D. D. to Jno Martin) Casper Karsner this day claimed a preempt of 400 acres of land at the State price in the District of Kentucky lying on the North branch of the North fork of Elkhorn Creek including a small sinking spring on the south side of the s'd branch and about two miles up the said branch from the Licking Trace a North E. course by making an actual Settlem't in the year 1778. Satisfactory proof being made to the Court they are of Opinion that the s'd Karsner has a right to a Preempt of 400 acres of land to include the above location and that a Cert. issue accordingly."
This proves to me that Casper Karsner owned land in what is now Kentucky, two years before he was captured at Ruddle's Fort, by the British and Indians. Up to 1779, land was acquired without money and practically without price. When no patent existed, all surveys were made before 1 Jan 1778, by any county surveyor commissioned by William and Mary College and founded upon any warrants from a colonial governor for military services, etc., were to be good; all other surveys were null and void.
Those who had actually settled, as Casper Carsner did, or caused, at their cost, others to settle on unappropriated lands, before 1 Jan 1778, were to have 400 acres or less, as they pleased, for every family so settled, paying $2.25 for each hundred acres. For those who had settlement rights, was also given right to pre-emption more land, adjoining their settlement, at 40 cents an acre.
Many of the earliest settlers in Kentucky were attracted to the farming area surrounding Lexington. Considerable numbers of Virginians packed up their belongings, their horses and slaves, and set out for the Bluegrass. It contained the best lands available within the confines of Virginia. Most of the newcomers found it necessary to purchase tracts from speculators who had preceded them. The Bluegrass country was never a poor man's frontier.
Other groups from Pennsylvania and Maryland were also drawn to the rich lands of Central Kentucky. They augmented the English stock from Virginia with Scotch, Irish, French, and German blood. The pioneer log cabins were fast abandoned for the more stately brick mansions which were characteristic of the well-to-do planters of Kentucky.
Many lost their land because it wasn't surveyed and deed recorded. By the unskilled hands of the pioneers, entries, surveys and patents were filed upon each other, crossing each other's lines in confusion. All entries were accepted for record, but when any was found to conflict, the claimants were referred to the courts, thus countless unhappy lawsuits followed.
When flaws were discovered in the titles, unscrupulous men immediately took advantage of the legal defects and ejected the settlers, whose labors had reclaimed the land from its original wild condition. Now our Casper had his problems also. Printed in "The Kentucky Gazette," the first newspaper printed in Kentucky, in Vol. IV, 16 July 1791 was an article written by Casper, which stated: "Whereas I purchased a bond given byJames M'Connell to Andrew Gatewood, for the (p. 34) conveyance of one hundred and ninety acres of land, and have a deed executed to me by the said M'Connel for the farm, which deed was not recorded as the law directs, for want of Mrs. M'Connel relinquishing her right of dower, (that which is given or bestowed, that Part of a husband's property which his widow enjoys during her life) Now as I am informed that the said M'Connell is offering said land for sale again. I hereby forewarn all persons from purchasing the farm, as they cannot expect to obtain it. I am living on the land."
Casper Karsner
July 15, 1791.
(p. 35)
Casper certainly had "Kentucky Fever. " He came to the western frontier without any of his family. Being unmarried at the time, he didn't have the worries the other men had regarding their security and food for the table. I have never found the month and day date when he acquired his land in 1778. He must have. began clearing his land immediately and constructing a cabin, in which to live. The neighbor men would come and help raise the cabin. This was an occasion when no one waited for an invitation.
Casper, like other settlers, farmed his land under the watchful eyes of the Indians. When an Indian attack was expected, the settlers were notified to go to the fort for protection. Many never had time to get to the fort.
A man's service for his country becomes a dramatic part of American history not soon forgotten.
In 1779 Casper was in the Militia at Logan Fort. His name was on the militia lists shown in the chapter Early Kentucky. He probably spent the winter at the fort, as this was sometimes the custom. They all helped to protect each other. Springtime took him back to his land, to prepare for sowing his crops.
October brought the settlement of three new stations. Bryant's Station, five miles northeast of Lexington, Ruddle's and Martin's Stations on the south fork of the Licking River.
The year 1780 on 22 June, that tragic day when the massacre took place at Ruddles' Station will never be forgotten by historians and descendants of the people who were there. Our Casper Casner (Karsner) was there, with many of his friends. He wasn't listed in the militia at Ruddles'Station, so must have come in for protection, as the Indians were on the warpath. Capt. Isaac Ruddle, and his sons, Stephen, James and George, Casper's friend, were there in the militia. George Loyl (Lail), his wife Margaret, daughters, Eva, Elizabeth and Margaret and sons George and Johnny were there.* He and his half brothers, Henry and Peter were in the militia.
I guess this is the appropriate time to write about the destruction of Ruddle's and Martin's Forts in the Revolutionary War from the Maude Ward Lafferty book.
*See "Kentucky z'n Retrospect " by Glenn Clift (UnderRuddle's Fort).
(p. 37)
Chapter 6
Ruddles Fort Massacre
We must know that Casper Casner and Eva Lail with her parents, George and Margaret Lail and family did not find Eden in the west, but there must have been satisfaction of a job well done in the building of the frontier. We could say that they were Kentucky Portraits, and Human Docurnents of our Karsner History. By our research, we have had a part in reviving the forgotten story of our ancestors.
Those that made it to Central Kentucky built strong wooden forts, pre-empted their lands as did Eva Lail's father, George Lail and Casper, later to become her husband. Each year they cleared a little more land so they could plant more crops.
Life within Ruddles Fort was not bad. Friends and neighbors bonded together in preempting land and building cabin homes. Love affair s developed, and the itinerant preachers had many knots to tie as he traveled the circuit. Many marriages were never recorded or the records were destroyed or burned when the forts were attacked by the savages. I have never been able to find the marriage record of George and Margaret Kersner (Casner) or Casper and Eva Lail Casner. However, I have several documents that prove they were husband and wife, by wills and such.
Women at the fort milked the cows, prepared the food, spun and wove material for garments, household linens, "kivers" or quilts and rag carpets. When the Indians attacked the fort, the women took their own portholes for the defense of the fort. Also, when boys reached the age of twelve, they were given their porthole to defend in time of attack.
During the intermittent periods of peace, when the Indians were not on the war path, there were good times in the fort. There was excitement in corn huskings, the sugarings, quiltings, log-rollings and house warmings for new neighbors. Sometimes if a fiddler found his way into the wilderness fort, there would be gala nights when young folk reveled in dancing the Virginia Reel.
When danger threatened, a messenger was sent from cabin to cabin and station to station to warn the settlers to gather their families and necessities together and go to the fort. They were warned not to light a candle or stir the fire. Even the dogs were trained to silence lest his bark betray his master's whereabouts to the Indians.
(p. 38) Such was the life of our ancestors. The Lail Family and Casper Casner with many others were at Ruddle's Fort on that tragic day.
Ruddles Fort was in Fayette County at the time of its destruction. Now the Historic area is in Bourbon County, being formed in 1785, five years after the massacre by the Indians. Bourbon County is one of the nine counties organized by the Virginia legislature before Kentucky became an independent state. Paris is the prmcipal town and county seat, and was the first known as Hopewell, when Casper and Eve Carsner lived there. There is a Nursing Home there today in 1980, named the Hopewell Nursing Home and is owned and operated by a Lail descendant.
Bourbon County was certainly Indian land. On all the principal water courses in the county, Indian graves were found, sometimes single, but most frequently, several grouped together. Rude stone walls were erected over them which have fallen in with the passing of time. In proof of this, the vestiges of a large Indian town are still perceptible near where Ruddles Mill is today, 1980.
This draft represents an ancient circular fortification with embrasures at the cardinal points, near the junction of Stoner's and Hinkston's forks of the Licking River, six miles north of Paris, near to the village of Ruddell's station, now Ruddles Mill. While we were visiting the area of the old fort, Jimmy Jordan, our guide, told us about the Indian village, while showing us his conservation map, which clearly showed the embrasuras made by the foot prints of the Indian ponies as they circled their village over two hundred years ago. This seems unbelievable, but I saw this myself, from a picture of an air view of the land in this area, which included his farms.
Collins' "History of Kentucky" states the centre of the site is distinguished by three small mounds ranged in a line; and flanked on either side bv the remains of double rows of lodges or huts; and the distance of about one hundred rods to the eastward, on a bluff of Stoner Creek, was their regular burial ground. At the western extremity of the village, on a slight elevation of black earth or mound, the bones of almost every species of wild animal were found, those of the buffalo, the bear and the deer being the most common.
A small distance from this, on a similar elevation, was the funeral pyre, for the purpose of torturing prisoners to death. From all evidence found, this Indians village had a tragic end. In every direction the bones and teeth of its unfortunate inhabitants, corresponding to every age, have been discovered just beneath the surface of the soil; sometimes lying across each other within the foundation of their huts, but most numerously in the bottom below the site of the viliage, where perhaps the tide of the battle rolled, and the devoted inhabitants met their fate at the hands of some hostile band.
Five miles below Paris, on Stoner Creek, a cave was discovered, containing a number of skeletons in a good state of preservation. The crania was of Indian conformation, and one of them appeared to have been pierced by a rifle ball. It is highly probable that these were some of the hostile Indians that were killed in the siege of Hinkston's Station, which later became Ruddles' Fort. The British and Indians encamped in. this vicinity after the reduction of Hinkston's Station, while on their march to attack Martin's Station, which was located on Stoner Creek, about three miles below Paris.
At a period when there were but few settlers in the county before 1780, a band of Indians, numbering about twenty, ventured into a camp of hunters for the purpose of stealing horses. A party of a dozen hunters followed their trail and overtook them on Stoner Creek, a few miles above Paris, and fired a volley of rifle balls into their camp, which killed; one of their number and wounded two or three (p. 40) more. The Indians then fled; but after a short interval, contrary to their usual custom, they came back, and fired in turn upon the hunters while they were engaged in securing their stolen horses. Both parties took to the trees and the fight was continued for a long time. Finally the ammunition of the whites failed and being nearly all wounded, they were obliged to leave the Indians masters of the field. In this skirmish, which was the last that took place in Bourbon County, it was supposed the Indians lost half their number in killed and wounded. Only one of the hunters was killed. It is believed his name was Frank Hickman, whose skeleton was identified by the initials on his knee buckles.
From Collins' "History of Kentucky" we find so many connections with our Karsner and Lail families. Much of the information on Indian events are excerpts from that history.
This is a brief description of the tragedy that was enacted in the Blue Grass Region of Kentucky that lovely June day, two hundred years ago on 22 June 1780.
The destruction of Ruddle's Fort during the Invasion of Kentucky was one of the most important events of the Revolutionary War. The British Officer, Colonel Henry Bird of the Eighth Regiment of his Majesty's forces, with the help of the Shawnee Indians, was responsible for this tragedy. They came in the summer of 1780 with an army of more than a thousand British regulars, Canadian Volunteers, and Indians, bringing the first cannon ever used against the log forts of the wilderness. Col. Bird (Byrd) captured 470 men, women, and children; loaded them down with the plunder from their own cabin homes and drove them on foot from Central Kentucky to various Indian camps in the north. Some went to Detroit, a distance of 600 miles away; some to Mackinac and Montreal some 800 miles farther. Many were left in Indian villages along the way, as was Eva Lail, with her brothers George and Johnny. Their place of captivity during part of the time of their capture was at Shawnee camps at the head of Mad River, in the state of Ohio. The names of the Indian camps were Chillicothe III (Sh) 1780-82, and Piqua 11 (Sh) 1777-80, shown on the map of Indian Villages.
Our ancestral maternal grandparents, George and Margaret Lail with their children were captured that day. Casper, a young man age ca 30, was at the fort and was captured that fateful day. Casper previously had been serving in the Militia at Logan's Fort, which had already been attacked.
For the record, Collins' "History of Kentucky," shows Caspar Caseners name in the Militia list for Logan's Fort in 1779 and Glen Clift's book "Kentucky in Retrospect" lists his name as living at Ruddle's Fort the day of the massacre.
Casper knew George Ruddles from back in Virginia, and George's father, Isaac established Ruddles'Fort, out of the ruins of the Hinkston's Settlement. I have never been able to determine where Casper spent his days of captivity.
(Long quote from Lafferty's "Destruction of Ruddle's and Martin's Forts completes page 40 and continues to the top of page 42).
(p. 42) The story of their capture, of separation from families, of the hardships endured during the six weeks journey and the conditions under which they lived during the fourteen years of captivity is one of the most shocking in the pioneer period of Kentucky History. It is hard to realize that a woman of our lineage, Eva Lail, and her family endured so much on the frontier and we, generations of today, knew nothing about it. I don't know how long she lived with the Shawnees, but she ran a gauntlet to save her life, so the story reveals. A gauntlet was a double file of men facing each other and armed with clubs or other weapons with which to strike at an individual who is made to run between them. Most people who were forced to run the gauntlet did not survive their injuries.
Captain Isaac Ruddle came to Kentucky from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. He was one of Kentucky's earliest settlers. He and his wife Elizabeth must have known the Kersners living there in the valley at the same time. During my period of research, I have found Isaac Ruddle's son, George, and Casper mentioned in the same article several times. While General George R. Clark was conquering the Northwest, Isaac Ruddle lived on Corn Island and later at Logan's Fort, that is now Stanford, Kentucky. In 1779 he established his own settlement on Hinkson Creek, in what is now Bourbon County.
Hinkson's or Ruddle's Fort was on the North side of South Licking, about a mile below the mouth of Townsend Creek, and a mile and a quarter above Lair's station, on the Kentucky Central Railroad. It was originally settled by John Hinkson in April 1775, who remained there for fifteen months and a little community was gathering around it; but it was abandoned in July 1776, through fear of the Indians.
As the Revolutionary War progressed, the Indians, incited by the British, traveled in War parties and committed depradations on isolated settlements such as Ruddle's Station. Ruddle, therefore, decided for the safety of his own family and those that had gathered about him to move into Hinkson's deserted fort on the Licking River. He added to and fortified it, making it one of the largest and strongest in the Kentucky wilderness capable of accommodation from two to three hundred people. His garrison was composed of forty-nine men, in which was included some members of the Loyl (later spelled Lail) family. Namely, Henry, Peter and George.
The landowners living near Ruddle's pre-empted lands for miles around farming during intervals of peace and taking refuge within the forts when the Indians were on the warpath.
The spring following the hard winter of 1779 was unusually fine and the families saw their cattle grow fat on the luscious bluegrass and the rich soil gave promise of bounteous crops. Everywhere there was an atmosphere of peace and prosperity and general well-being and they went hopefully about their spring work with no premonition of the tragedy that awaited them unaware that a formidable force, Canadian, British and Indians were being collected at Detroit for the invasion of Kentucky to counteract General Clark's success in the west.
The attackers were equipped with sailing vessels, bateaux, and birch canoes in which they were floated down the Detroit River, across Lake Erie to the Maumee, up that river to the Great Miami, down the Great Miami to the Ohio River and from there to the Licking on which they ascended to Ruddle's Station.
Now, because of the extreme wetness of the weather which had continued for many days, the men (p. 43) at Ruddle's who were' accustomed to be in the woods, had all come in; therefore the British and Indians took advantage of the circumstances, and arrived within gunshot of the fort, undiscovered.
The first information the people received of the approach of an enemy, was the report from a discharge of one of the field pieces. Byrd sent in a flag and demanded surrender at discretion, to which demand Captain Ruddle answered that he could not consent to surrender but on certain conditions, one of which was that the prisoners should be under the protection of the British and not suffered to be prisoners of the Indians; to these terms Colonel Byrd consented; and immediately the gates were opened to him. No sooner were the gates opened than the Indians rushed into the station and each seized the first person they could lay their hands on and claimed them as their own prisoner. In this way the members of every family were separated from each other, the husband from the wife, and the parents from their children. The piercing screams of the children when torn from their mothers, the distracted thrones of the mothers when forced from their tender offsprings are indescribable. Ruddle remonstrated with Colonel Byrd against this barbarous conduct of the Indians, but to no effect. He confessed that it was out of his power to restrain them, their numbers being so much greater than that of the troops over which he had control, that he himself was completely in their power.
After the people were entirely stripped of all their property and the prisoners divided among the captors, the Indians proposed to Colonel Byrd to march to and take Martin's Fort which was about five miles from Ruddle's; but Colonel Byrd was so affected by the conduct of the Indians to the prisoners taken, that he refused unless the chiefs would pledge themselves on behalf of the Indians that all the prisoners taken should be entirely under his control and that the Indians should only be entitled to the plunder. Upon these propositions being agreed to by the chiefs, the army marched to Martin's Fort and took it without opposition. The Indians divided the spoil among themselves and Colonel Byrd took chaige of the prisoners.
The ease with which these two stations were taken so animated the Indians that they pressed Colonel Byrd to go forward and assist them to take Bryan's Station and Lexington. Byrd declined going, because of the impossibility to get provisions to support the prisoners they already had. It was also impractical to transport their artillery by land to any part of the Ohio River, so they musst descend the Licking before the waters fell, which was expected to take place in the next few days.
They immediately began to retreat to the forks of the Licking, where they had left their boats. At this time, the Indians separated from Byrd and took with them all of the prisoners taken at Ruddle's Fort. Eve, now age fourteen, her parents George and Margaret Lail, her brothers, George and Johnny with their other children were taken to a Shawnee Indian Camp at the head waters of the Great Miami River on Mad River near Springfield, Ohio.
The articles of surrender were written by James Trabue, who had arrived at the fort the night before the disaster. James' brother, Daniel Trabue, in an interview with Lyman Draper, said that Colonel Byrd sent in a flag demanding surrender, and that the cannon was only fired twice, knocking a log inward about six inches. The flag was sent back and forth several times while in the process of negotiating.
A letter from Alexander McKee, a British officer, to Major Arent S. Depeyster, written from a Shawnee Village, 8 July 1780 states: :
"On June 20th, I accompanied about two hundred Indians and surrounded the enemysfirst fort (Ruddle's) before day, this was done before they were in the least apprised of us. It was then advised to remain in this situation and by no means to alarm the fort, zf it could be avoided, until the arrival of the main body with the cannon, unless parties came out, in this case then to endeavour to take prisoners in order to gain intelligence of the enemiesforce and situation, but the eagerness ofsome Indians upon our left, fired upon a smallparty, who came out after daybreak to cut grass - this commenced afiring, bothfrom thefort and our Indians, which lasted till about 12 o'clock, when Capt. Byrd came up with the small gun and (p. 44) a battery being erected, after two discharges upon the enemy'sfiort, and the six pounder at the same time arrizing insight determined them to surrender the place."
Governor Morrow of Ohio later said, "the picketts were cut down like cornstalks," and twenty persons were tomahawked in cold blood. "
There was great panic throughout Kentucky as the people heard the news of the massacre, The people turned to General Clark as their only hope. This was a terrible thing for Eva Lail to witness, just a young girl, fourteen years old, as well as her brothers and sisters, even younger. Her half uncles (Hemy and Peter) were there also.
While General Clark was destroying the Indian towns and their provisions in retaliation, the captives from Ruddle's and Martin's Stations were wearily marching northward. We know now that at least 6 of our ancestors were in that march northward. Over the narrow trail, the largest body of people ever gathered together in the Wilderness of Kentucky, wended their way into the Indian country; about 470 miserable prisoners, loaded down with the plunder the Indians had taken from their homes. The poor women and children marched 20 miles a day over very high mountains.
They were frightened and hungry. They didn't have meat to eat and were only given a half cup of flour. The men were given one full cup of flour. The Indians rode the horses they had stolen while the women and children walked by their sides. Mrs. Wilson said she saw an Indian comfortably riding one of her father's best horses "and her saddle," while she was compelled to walk and carry a heavy pack during that journey of six weeks and four days.
Just where the Lail parents stayed during their capture is , but it is now known that little Johnny was not born in captivity as some historians state, but probably was a very young child when captured. From depositions of Isaac Ruddle, James Ruddle, Nicholas Hart, Smauel Vanhbok and John Burger, who were among the prisoners taken, and whose lives were spared, and from other sources, it appears that Vanhook and probably most of the others were not released from captivity for 4 years and 2 months; and several never returned, they continued to live with the Indians.
The battle of Blue Licks took place on 19 Aug 1782, a disastrous battle. The Indians required Nicholas Hart and several others of the prisoners to come with them and witness the perils and sufferings of their friends, without the power to help them.
The Indians killed and scalped a number of children because they could not keep up on the march. When murdering some of the women and children they took a fancy to little Johnny Lail, two years old. They decided to adopt him if he had the nerve and endurance required of an Indian boy. So they rolled him rapidly down the river bank. He didn't cry, thus securing his own adoption and that of his brother George, who was three years older.
After the final treaty was signed on 3 Aug 1795, at Greenville, Ohio, a general exchange-of all prisoners still held by the British and the Indians took place. Wives and husbands were united who had been separated for years and Kentucky parents welcomed to their hearthstones little children who had grown up among the savages. Johnny Lail came home for the first time to the Bourbon County area. His brother George remained with the Indians and married among them; afterwards he came back home and settled in the home of his childhood, but his Indian wife deserted him and went back to her people. (Read the story of George Lail, Eva's brother, in Chapter 9)
From the book, "M'Clung's sketches" are many stories of Indians and their attacks on the early pioneers.. The story was verified by Mrs. Dunlap of Lexington, thought to be our pioneer grandmother, wife of Casper Carsner and after his death, married Wm. Dunlap. This story can be found in Collins'"History of Kentucky" under the heading of Fayette County.
Early in the spring of 1780, Mr. Alexander McConnell of Lexington, Ky. went into the woods on foot to hunt deer. He soon killed a large buck and returned home for a horse in order to bring it in. During his absence, a party of five Indians on one of their usual skulking expeditions, accidentally (p. 45) stumbled on the body of the deer and perceiving that it had been recently killed, they naturally supposed that the hunter would speedily return to secure the flesh. Three of them, therefore, took their station within close rifle shot of the deer, while the other two followed the trail of the hunter, and waylaid the path by which he was expected to return.
McConnell, expecting no danger, rode carelessly along the path, which the two scouts were watching, until he had come within view of the deer when he was fired upon by the whole party and his horse killed. While laboring to extricate himself from the dying animal, he was seized by his enemies, instantly overpowered and borne off as a prisoner.
His captors, however, seemed to be a merry, good natured set of fellows and permitted, him to accompany them unbound; and, what was rather extraordinary, allowed him to retain his gun and hunting accoutrements. He accompanied them with great apparent cheerfulness through the day and displayed his dexterity in shooting deer for' the use of the company until they began to regard him with great partiality. Having traveled with them in this manner for several days, they at length reached the banks of the Ohio River.
Heretofore, the Indians had taken the precaution to bind him at night, although not very securely; but on that evening he remonstated with them on the subject, and complained so strongly of the pain which the cords gave him, that they merely wrapped the buffalo tug loosely around his wrists, and having tied it in an easy knot, and attached the extremeties of the rope to their own bodies, in order to prevent his moving without awakening them, they very composedly went to sleep, leaving the prisoner to follow their example or not, as he pleased.
McConnell determined to effect his escape that night, if possible, as on the following night they would cross the river, which would render it much more difficult. He, therefore, lay quiet until near midnight, anxiously ruminating upon the best means of effecting his object. Accidentally casting his tyes in the direction of his feet, they fell upon the glittering blade of a knife, which had escaped its sheath and was now lying near the feet of one of the Indians. To reach it with his hands, without disturbing the two Indians, to whom he was fastened, would be impossible and it was very hazardous to attempt to draw it up with his feet. This, however, he attempted. With much difficulty he grasped the blade between his toes and after repeated and long continued efforts succeeded at length in bringing it within reach of his hands.
To cut the cords was then but the work of a moment and gradually and silently extricating his person from the arms of the Indians, he walked to the fire and sat down. He saw that his work was but half done. That if he should attempt to return home without destroying his enemies, he would assuredly be pursued and probably overtaken, when his fate would be certain. On the other hand, it seemed almost impossible for a single man to succeed in conflict with five Indians, even although unarmed and asleep. He could not hope to deal a blow with his knife so silently and fatally as to destroy each one of his enemies in turn without awakening the rest. Their slumbers were proverbially light and restless and if he failed with a single one, he must instantly be overpowered by the survivors. The knife, therefore, was out of the question.
After anxious reflections for a few minutes, he formed his plan. The guns of the Indians were stacked near the fire; their knives and tomahawks were in sheathes by their sides. The latter he dared not touch for fear of awakening their owners; but the former he carefully removed with the exception of two and hid them in the woods, where he knew the Indians would not readily find them. He then returned to the spot where the Indians were still sleeping, perfectly ignorant of the fate preparing for them and taking a gun in each hand, he rested the muzzles upon a log within six feet of his victims and having taken deliberate aim at the head of one and the heart of another, he pulled both triggers at the same moment.
Both shots were fatal. At the report of the guns, the others sprang to their feet and stared wildly around them. McConnell who had run instantly to the spot where the other rifles were hid, hastily seized (p. 46) one of them and fired at two of his enemies who happened to be in a line with each other. The nearest fell dead being shot through the center of the body; the second fell also, bellowing loudly, but quickly recovering, limped off into the woods as fast as possible. The fifth and only one who remained unhurt, darted off like a deer with a yell that announced equal terror and astonishment. McConnell, not wishing to fight anymore such battles, selected his own rifle from the stack and made the best of his way to Lexington, where he arrived safely within two days.
Shortly afterwards, Mrs. Dunlap of Fayette (thought to be our own Eve Lail Carsner Dunlap) who had been several months a prisoner amongst the Indians on Mad river made her escape and returned to Lexington. She reported that the survivor returned to his tribe with a lamentable tale. He related that they had taken a fine young hunter near Lexington and had brought him safely as far as the Ohio; that while encamped upon the bank of the river, a large party of white men had fallen upon them in the night, and killed all his companions, together with the poor defenseless prisoner who lay bound hand and feet, unable either to escape or resist!!
Now Eva was a prisoner of the Shawnees, at the head of Mad River in the state of Ohio when she escaped and ran the gauntlet to save her life. No doubt she was the Mrs. Dunlap that verified the story told above. However, we see the Indian did vary from the truth, in telling his-experience.
In 1845, the late Charles Lair--whose farm embraced the station, and who in 1794, had taken down the old gate and remnant of the stockading--blasted in the side of the rocky river bluff below his house and about 300 yards from the old fort, a substantial vault, to which, in addition to the dead of his kin, he transferred all the remains of the murdered at the time of the capture in 1780, the bodies having been thrown in a pile and covered with stones at the time.
The bones of the 20 persons massacred at Ruddles Fort have been preserved in stone coffins by Charles Lair. After the Revolutionary War, Charles Lair's father, Matthias Lair and his brother John settled on a 2000 acre tract of land laying in the bend of the Licking, on which stood Ruddle's Fort, on the easterly bank of the south fork of the Licking River, three miles below the junction of Hinkston and Stoner's branches. At "The Cedars," the Lair family home is the family vault which Charles Lair blasted out of the stone cliff along the Licking River. In this vault, along with the Lair family coffins were placed the stone coffins of those massacred.
This past summer, I went on a sentimental journey with my cousin, Lela Maude Karsner Hawkins and her husband, John William back to the area where the old fort once stood. The date was 22 June 1980. We had to go this day because we wanted to pay homage to our Ancestral Great Grandparents Casper and Eva Lail Karsner on the two hundredth anniversary of the destruction of Ruddle's Fort.
The fields were peaceful, the silence unbroken by anything louder than the hum of a bee. It was a beautiful day with perfect weather for our trip back through the pages of time. The scene was vastly different 200 years ago. Log buildings in the field lay in fiery ruin. Twenty people lay dead of tomahawk blows. Some 470 people, men, women and children had begun what would be 14 years of captivity.
We previously arranged with JimmyJordan to be our guide. He owned some 1400 acres of this land and knew well the historic sites we wished to visit. He met us at Ruddle's Mill to begin our journey. He was such a gracious gentleman which added to the pleasure of our trip.
To our surprise, we were also met by a reporter, a staff writer for the Paris, Enterprise Newspaper, Miss Elizabeth Smart. She had heard we were coming and wanted to make the trip with us. We were glad to have.her join us. So we all got into the Jordan pickup truck and settled ourselves for the ride through acres of beautiful farm land to the Licking River,
Our ancestral Great Grandfather, Casper Kersner who was captured at Ruddle's Fort was in possession of land bordering Ruddle's old fort 15 Aug 1786, just 7 years after its destruction. I have a copy of the deed, a burnt record. This is the second land deed I've found, belonging to Casper. There is enough of this old deed to verify his owning the land. Richard Timberlake was granted by patent, (p. 47) bearing date 1778 on this original land. Casper Kersner bought it from him, deed dated 15 Aug 1787. it wasproved in May Court 1789 by the Oath of Benjamin Logan and Joseph Crockett. The Teste: Levi Todd.
(The remainder of the page and half of the next page contains the copy of the deed to a tract of land bordering Ruddell's Fort, dated 15 Aug. 1787)
(p. 48)
As I stood there, I couldn't help but wonder how near I might be standing to the faded footprints of Grandfather Casper. The footprints he surely made more than 200 years ago.
The first site we approached was a monument erected by Eliza Lair in 1934. It was dedicated to Ruddles Fort and the original settlement of Hinkson. It was located high on the bank overlooking the Licking River. It was mounted on a large concrete slab which was protected by a beautiful old iron fence. I thought here was a woman who felt as I do, she wanted to keep alive the memory of those tragic days,and to make this generation and generations to come aware of the great heritage our ancestors left us.
I have been told the Lair family and the Hinkson family were related. Hinkson's Settlement, later known as Ruddle's Fort, was built one month prior to the Battle of Lexington, at the beginning of the Revolutionary War. It was built by Captain John Hinkson and his company of fifteen men.
[Note: The relationship between the Lair's and Hinksons is through the marriage of Charles Lair (above) and Sallie Anderson, daughter of William Anderson and Elizabeth Hinkson. Elizabeth Hinkson was the daughter of the above Capt. John Hinkson.-Bob Francis]
Hinkson's company came down the Ohio and up the Licking River in canoes as far as the forks where Falmouth is now. There they tarried a few days, then proceeded up the Licking to the Blue Licks and came over the Buffalo Trace to the point they selected for their future homes, one of the most beautiful spots in all Kentucky. (p. 49) They immediately took for themselves land and built fifteen cabins named for members of their company such as John Townsend on Townsend Creek and John Cooper on Cooper's Run and so on.
In July, Capt. Hinkson was forced to abandon the fort or settlement by a superior force of Indians. In 1780 when he returned to Kentucky, he found his settlement occupied by the Ruddles and other families. He had scarcely settled his family there when it was captured. His small sons were taken northward, but Hinkson escaped and carried the news of the disaster to Gen. Clark.
The second night after leaving the forks of the Licking, the Indians encamped near the river. They had difficulty in lighting a fire as everything was wet. There was a guard placed over the prisoners, but his attention was attracted by the efforts to start the fire. Hinkson saw this and realizing that the night was dark he sprang from his captors and dashed out of sight, lying down by the side of a log where it was dark until the excitement occasioned by his escape had subsided. Then he started toward Lexington, but it was too dark to see the moss on the sides of the trees and there were no stars to-guide him. In this dilemma, he dipped his hand in water and holding it above his head noted that one side of his hand immediately became cold. That he knew must be the side from which the wind came, and so for the rest of the night, he followed the cold side of his hand which he knew to be toward the west, the course best suited to his purpose. He finally arrived safely at Lexington bearing the first news of the tragedy that had taken place at Ruddle's and Martin's Forts.
Our Guide, Mr. Jordan, told us the Indian camp was only about 4 miles from Ruddles Fort. No doubt they kept close watch on the new settlers. He had an aerial conservation map to show us. The Indian Camp could still be located on that map even today, by the indented circle, made by the Indian ponies' feet as they circled their camp time after time 200 years ago. This was unbelievable, but I saw the map as well as those with me. See the draft from Collins' "History of Kentucky" showing the embrasures made by the feet of the Indian ponies as they circled their camp, shown in the earlier part of this history.
(p. 50)
Our next stop, as we travelled on was the most interesting I thought--the family vault. As we walked along the path to the vault, the river was to the right just below us, and a high stone wall to our left covered with poison ivy and such as is common this time of the year, which we were careful not to touch.
We first went through an archway of stone, over which was engraved, BUILT A.D. 1845. A few more steps and we stood before the iron door which was open, leading into the vault. Engraved over this door were these words. . . PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB THE REMAINS OF THE SLEEPING DEAD, A.D. 1845. Reverently, we stepped inside. It was very cold and so dark we could hardly see. The stone coffin contained the bones of the 20 massacred pioneers of Ruddle's Fort. Charles Lair had them transferred here from their original resting place.
Charles Lair, son ofCapt. Matthias Lair, blased the vault out of the stone cliff along the Licking River. Then he called together all his relations to witness the removal of the ancestral Lairs from the family grave yard, which had been in the orchard, to his vault along with the massacred pioneers. The Lairs were individually placed in iron coffins purchased in Philadelphia.
Years later when the Lairs held their first reunion in 1910 [1909], they had the vault cleaned. They replaced the coffins in the vault and carefully set them in concrete. Marble footstones identify them and the year of their passing. Today the opening into the area where the Lair coffins rest is sealed with concrete also. There are concrete plaques on the wall in the entrance giving the names, births , and death dates of the Lairs.
The day was dying in the west as we made our visit to "The Cedars," the home Matthias Lair built , a stone house, which a portion is still standing. In 1825 Charles Lair, his son remodelled at a cost of $40,000.00, making it a showplace of the countryside. This handsome old home after more than a century of gracious living was burned in June 1930. It was an architectural gem set in a forest of cedars on the river front. Today only the dining room, the two kitchens and the library remain. The remainder of the fifteen rooms that are no longer existent are the drawing room with its reeded work and delicately carved mantel; the hall with its exquisite stairway and fan-lighted doors on both sides; the six bedrooms and the loom, sewing and utility rooms. Gone also are the old slave cabins. The beautiful furniture is cherished today by the descendants of Charles Lair.
The frame work in the entrance was still there, showing its beauty from years gone by, the railings around the porch supported by decorative spindles, of which a few remained, gave you an idea of its lost beauty.
As we left, Lela Maude pulled a slip from the old fashioned rambling rose bush to plant in her yard in grateful rememberance of yesteryears. This day I will always cherish among my most precious memories.
(p. 51)
Chapter 7
The Life of Casper and Eva Lail Casner
(As I havefound it to be)
In 1781, the year following the massacre at Ruddle's Fort, Virginia was seriously invaded, practically all of the available militia was summoned to the field. Some 2000 Militia joined Lafayette in his campaign in the summer of 1781. Since I've never found a record showing when Casper escaped the Indians, it's very possible he served under Lafayette, since his record is preserved, while so many were lost. I feel sure he didn't stay in captivity as long as Eva Lail. I doubt he ever left the areas of Virginia and Kentucky.
On 19 Oct 1781, Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, ending the Revolutionary War.
In Nov 1782, Gen. George Rogers Clark with 1,050 men, under Col. John Floyd and Col. Benj. Logan marched rapidly up the Miami River, 130 miles. On the 10th day of November, they destroyed the principal Shawnee town, Loramie's Store and many other Indian villages. No large body of Indians invaded Kentucky after that.
On the 30th day of Nov 1782, the Treaty of Peace between America and Great Britain was signed at Paris, France. The news didn't reach Kentucky right away. There were no ocean cables in those days, no telegraph lines, no railroads, no postal service. Slowly the news reached the far-away land of Kentucky, told by traveler to traveler or written in letters which were borne to friends by immigrants to the country. Early the next spring the cheering fact was known.
The victory of the American Revolution was more than just a military victory. Our Casper Casner, a dedicated patriot, who with many, many others help conceive the birth of our Nation, whose ideals were government by the consent of the governed and individual liberty. As an ancestral member of our family, Casper who willingly took part in the Militia during the Revolution, will always be an inspiration to generation after generation as they read the history of the Karsners of Kentucky.
With the ending of the Revolution, all serious fighting ceased, but Indian uprisings continued for many more years. "The era of peace had now dawned, but the glory of its rising was still dimmed by the clouds that marked the passing storm."
Now there was a great influx of people coming to Kentucky. The fertile land here offered an alluring prospect to families whose fortunes had been injured in the struggle. People came from Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the Carolinas, especially Virginia. Casper must have gotten the news that his sister Elizabeth had married Thomas Lincoln back in Virginia, 23 Sept 1782. The Lincolns came to Kentucky later on.
By now there were eight towns in Kentucky. They were Louisville and Bardstown in Jefferson County; Harrodsburg, Boonesborough, and Danville in Lincoln; and Lexington, Leestown, and Greenville in Fayette County. Lexington was the largest at that time.
This was the year (1782) that Daniel Boone entered 500 acres of land for Capt. Abraham Lincoln in Kentucky. He was Elizabeth's brother-in-law.
There is no doubt in my mind that Casper and Eva Lail were among the early settlers. I refer to the obituary of their son, Major Jonathan Karsner, which states: "He was a descendant of that pioneer stock who have been and are now, justly entitled to the proud appellate, "the first settlers of Kentucky."
His father was one of those pioneers and bravely did he contend with the savage foe until finally through their own exertions and fostering care of the DIVINE PROVIDENCE, they rid the country of them which gave these settlers a chance to till the soil and rear large and respectable families in a rich and growing country.
Thus, the man mentioned who lived, fought and struggled during the formation of this state with (p. 52) others was Casper Karsner, our forefather. Since there isn't any picture of him, I have him pictured in my mind as a rough and ready pioneer like Daniel Boone, yet with a deep faith in God like his ancestors before him. They were followers of Martin Luther in Germany.
In 1783, Casper was issued a Warrant #486 giving Permission for 400 acres of land to be surveyed for him. See Master Index Virginia Surveys and Grants 1774 - 1791.
Warrant #486 dated 31 Mar 1783 was issued by the Land Office to the Principal Surveyor of any County within the Commonwealth of Virginia which states: This shall be your WARRANT to Survey and lay off in one or more Surveys, for Casper Karsner, his Heirs or Assigns, the Quantity of 400 acres of land due unto the said Karsner on preemption certificate from the Government for the District of Kentucky, in Consideration of the sum of One hundred and Sixty Pounds, current Money paid into the publick Treasury; the Payment whereof to the Treasurer hath been duly certified by the Auditors of publick Accounts, and their Certificate received into the Land Office. GIVEN under my Hand, and the Seal of the said Office, on this thirty first Day'of March in the Year One Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty Three.
Signed by S. Carr Dc.
[On pages 52 and 53, Margaret Murphy has photocopies of the original land grant, survey, and letter from Patrick Henry]
(p. 53)
Richmond, Virginia Grant Book #1 Pages 445-446 Year 1785
"Patrick Henry Esquire Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia to all to whom these presents shall come greeting. Know ye that by virtue and consideration of a preemption Treasury Warrant Number four hundred and eighty six dated thirt yfirst of March 1783 is granted by the said Commonwealth unto Casper Kasner a certain tract or parcel of land containing (p. 54) four hundred acres by survey bearing date the twenty-first day of May one thousand Seven hundred & eighty-four lying and being in the County of Fayette on a branch of the Northfoik of Elkhorn. Including a small sinking spring where there is a hackberry marked G.K. (Casper was sometimes spelled Gasper) on the south side o said branch about two miles from the Old Licking trace and bounded as followeth, To Wit: Beginning corner three sugar trees thence south twenty-five degrees East one hundred and sixty poles crossing the above branch at one hundred and ten poles to two hickories and sugar tree thence South sixty-five degrees West four hundred poles to a white Oak and two Hickory Saplings thence North twenty-five degrees and west one hundred and sixty poles to a Honey locust Buckeye and Hickory thence north Sixty-five degrees East four hundred poles to the Beginning crossing the said Branch at three hundred & sixty poles With its appurtenances to have and to hold the said tract or Parcel of land with its appurtenances to the said Casper Kasner and his heirs forever. In witness where of the said PATRICK HENRY Esquire Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia has here unto set his hand & caused the lesser seal of the said Commonwealth to be affixed at Richmond on the twentieth day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred & Eighty-five and of the Commonwealth the Ninth."
Signed PATRICK HENRY
In 1786, Gen. Geo. R. Clark proceeded again, his third expedition, against the Indians with Col. Benj. Logan. Logan, with 400 or 500 men crossed the Ohio at Limestone and penetrated the Indian country to the head waters of Mad River, this being the place where Eva Lail was held captive. They burned 8 large towns, many fields of corn and killed about 20 warriors, including the Head Chief of the nation and also captured 70 or 80 prisoners. He lost about 10 men.
It's very possible Eva had already run the gauntlet which gained freedom for her. However, there is a chance she might have escaped while Gen. Clark and Col. Benj. Logan were penetrating the Indian country and destroying their camps and villages. Should this have been true, she would have been in captivity 6 years, and by this time 20 years old.
This year was full of important events. Bourbon County was created - Frankfort was established and Casper and Eva Lail married. I feel sure this is correct because their first child, Margaret, was born in 1787. In most every lineage I've traced, the first child was born the following year after their marriage or thereabouts. Casper was about 16 years older than Eva. They were both born in Pennsylvania and probably knew of each other before ever coming to Kentucky. Eva was born in 1766 if she was 14 when captured in 1780.
Their first home was probably on the land Casper owned bordering Ruddle's Old Fort. Her parents, George and Margaret Lail, purchased land close to them in 1788. They lived on this 200 acres the rest of their lives and he also owned other land. There will be more about the Lails later. The closest town to Casper and Eva was Hopewell which is now Paris, Ky.
The separation of Kentucky from Virginia took place 29 Dec 1788.
Casper and Eva Lail Karsner most certainly were Patriots. This was an exciting Age. They loved their country and zealously supported its cause. I am glad to be able to say our Forefathers and their families lived to see the day George Washington was elected our first President in 1788 and inaugurated in 1789. Also, to see Col. Isaac Shelby elected the first Governor of Kentucky in May 1792 and to know our beloved Commonwealth of Kentucky was admitted officially into the Federal Union, and a fifteenth star was (p. 55) added to our flag in her honor in 1792.
With the admission of Kentucky into the union in 1792 and Tennessee in 1796, it stiffened the pioneer defenses against the Indians. The nation re-elected George Washington to a second term in 1792.
I am reminded of the myth associated with the Betsy Ross American Flag, which was officially adopted by an Act of Congress on 14 June 1777. It has been told that George Washington said of the flag, "We take the star from heaven, the red from the Mother Country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we separated from her and the white stripes shall go down to posterity representing Liberty.
No one actually knows who made the first Official American Flag, but Betsy Ross is given the credit for having done so in keeping with popular tradition.
Casper and Eva's second child and first son was born the following year on 11 Feb 1789. (Two months later on 30 Apr, George Washington took the oath of office as the first President of the United States.) They named their son John. He is my ancestral paternal great grandfather that came to Owen County and settled in 1846 on Cedar Creek.
Things seemed to be looking up for Casper and Eva now, It appears they owned some 800 acres of land, 400 acres bordering Ruddle's old fort and 400 on South Elkhorn near Wolf's Run. They had two children, Margaret and John, and Eva's parents, the Lails were living near by on their settled land.
Finally, Casper would know the joy of having some of his family near by. His sister Elizabeth and her husband, Tom Lincoln, moved from Virginia to Kentucky in 1790. They bought land near Casper's on South Elkhorn in Fayette County in November, 1792.
In 1792, George was born. He was their child and second son. He was named after his grandfathers, George Kersner and George Lail... It is assumed that George died very young. I have never found him mentioned again.
Land hungry was the key to the westward migration, but Hope and Faith were more important in the conquest of the west than the axe and the rifle. History reveals that the people who came west were inclined to be religious. Ministers and meeting houses were rare, yet the backwoods cabin often contained the Bible, which was read and reread daily. The mothers and fathers instilled in the minds of their children, reverence for Sunday.
(p. 56)
There were few churches until after Kentucky District became a state. Many depressing accounts of Indian attacks on individual people continued. The people had left the protection of the forts and were living in, separated homes on their settled land. The Indians no longer came in large numbers but in small parties. They would watch along the trails and murder single individuals as they traveled along. Men hunting game for their families were attacked. Men and women calmly going to church or a place of worship were killed or captured. The tragedies were frequent and still continued for a long time.
Casper with others was a representative to raise $500.00 in and around Lexington with which to buy a lot on which to build a church. Collins' "History of Kentucky" page 182, Fayette County, states "The First Lottery authorized by law was on 15 Dec 1792 to enable John Smith, Benedict Swope, Gasper Carsner, Marten Castle, and Jacob Kisner to purchase a lot of ground on which to erect a house of worship."
Another reference about the church is found in the book "The History of Fayette County Kentucky" by Robert Peter, M.D., edited by William Henry Perrin, published in 1882. In part 1, page 330 it states:
"About the year 1795, the organization of a German Lutheran Church was effected in Lexington, mainly through the efforts of Capt. John Smith, Jacob Kisner (might have been Casper's brother), Casper Kersner and Martin Castel.
"Money enough was secured by means of a lottery to purchase a lot and to erect a story and a-half-frame building, where the Southern Methodist Church now stands (1882). It was used both as a church and schoolhouse.
"The Pastor was the Rev. Mr. Dishman and the teacher, Mr. Leary. The congregation was composed almost entirely of Germans, among who were Henry Lanekart, Jacob Springle, John Kiser (who might have been another brother of Casper), Adam Webber, George Adams, Haggard, Edward Howe, Melchior Myers and Mr. Bushart.
"Many members of the Lutheran Church were buried in their old graveyard, which is still to be seen back of the Hill Street Methodist Church. About the year 1815, the church was destroyed by fire and no other was ever erected. The congregation became scattered and finally died out.
"When the old church lot was sold to the Southern Methodists, only one Trustee of the Lutheran Church, Adam Webber was still alive. Although the church of the sturdy Germans lasted for twenty years, the fact of its existence is known to few of the present generation (1882)."
I've been told our Casper Karsner was buried in this church yard with others, but his body was moved by his youngest son, Jonathan, to another location in Jessamine County, after the church burned and the lot was sold.
In the year 1793, Eva's father, George Lail died. The following year, Eva's third and last son by Casper was born 13 Mar 1794. They named him Jonathan. He was born at their home on the Versailles Pike in Fayette County near Lexington.
There must hve been some special interest in purchasing land in Green County in 1796, probably through the' encouragement of Capt. Abraham Lincoln, Tom's brother. Casper paid taxes in Green County in 1796.
Also in the year 1796, Casper lost his father in death in Virginia. I don't know the exact date of his death but it was either in 1795 or 1796 according to the Chancery Suit in Virginia. Casper's mother Margaret came to Kentucky after George Kersner's death and lived with Casper and Eva.
There was a William Dunlap, Sheriff of Rockingham County in 1796 who served as Attorney-in-fact for Casper and his mother Margaret, in settling his father's estate in Virginia.
(p. 57)
The following year, 1797, the grim reaper death, visited the home of Casper and Eva. Casper states in his will dated Apr 1797 that the certainty of death was soon approaching. So it was he died sometime between 14 Apr and 10 July when his will was read in the Fayette County Court on 10 July 1797. He was around age 47. He had endured much in those 47 years. I feel a spirit of reverence for this man, a tenderness of feeling that goes with a deep respect. To mourn his passing was his wife Eva, about age 31, and three small children: Margaret age 10, John age 8, and Jonathan age 3 who later became a major in the War of 1812.
[The remainder of page 57 and all of page 58 contains the photocopy of the original will of Casper Carsner]
(p. 59)
It seems there was quite a hassle in settlement of Casper's estate. Sometime between 10 July 1797 and 25 Sept 1798, Casper's original will was destroyed by fire. I don't know if the courthouse or their home burned but the records state it was destroyed by fire. The original executors appointed by Casper to execute his will then refused to qualify. Eva had to select other men to take their place with approval of the court. So Eva with her security proceeded to settle the estate. This was in court for years and years; finally in 1813, the division of land was made, 16 years after Casper's death.
I have never been able to find the marriage record of Casper and Eva Lail. It might have been destroyed in a courthouse fire. I feel sure they were married in what is now Fayette County, Kentucky ca 1786. Fayette County had already been created. The first three Courthouses built in Lexington were torn down or sold because they outlived their usefulness. The fourth Courhouse burned.
The third Courthouse built in Lexington was two stories high with four rooms on each floor. The building wasn't large enough or convenient enough for County Clerk, Levi Todd. So deeds and such were kept in a stone building at Todd's house, Ellerslie, on the Richmond Road where the little building burned in January 1803. No doubt here is where many of our Karsner records were lost.
Notice on Casper's reproduced will, it states the original will was destroyed by fire. So I assume the original will burned in the fire either in Levi Todd's stone building or the Fayette County Courthouse which burned in 1803. It could, of course, have burned in a home fire. But I've never found in print where their home burned.
Nevertheless, I believe this is why it took so long to settle Casper's estate and make division of his land which took around a period of thirteen years.
The fifth Courthouse completed in 1900, still stands today (1980).
During my research into the life of Evalias (Eva) Lail Carsner Dunlap, I have found her to be quite an exceptional woman of indomitable spirit and fortitude. She had strength of character and mind that enabled her to encounter danger, bear pain of heart and soul and adversity with courage.
Eva had a full life to say the least. She was among "The First Settlers of Kentucky, " experienced the destruction of Ruddle's Station and spent years in the captivity of the Indians on Mad River. Death claimed her husband Casper, when she was around 31 years of age, leaving her to raise their orphaned children: Margaret, John and Jonathan... the trials of settling the estate of Casper... concern and care of Margaret, her mother-in-law... her new marriage to William Dunlap and raising a new family. She was the mother of four children by Casper and seven by William Dunlap. Her Dunlap children were: William, George, Robert, Daniel, Elizabeth, Hannah and Catharine. In the War of'1812, both sons by Casper volunteered. John, age 23 and Jonathan age 18. John was seriously wounded to the degree of total disability and unable to do manual labor because of the injury to his shoulder. Jonathan became a Major in the War. Eva lived a long and eventful life. She died in 1842 at approximate age of 78.
(p. 60)
Chapter 8
"ToLiveAgain"
Eva Lail Karsner Dunlap
"All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players. " (a copied quote) The pioneers had their exits and their entrances and each one played many parts but necessity and not applause was the motive power.
Casper and Eva Lail Karsner, George and Margaret Lail with others such as the Boones, the Logans and the Ruddles played their leading parts well on the stages of the wild frontier. Too often pioneer life is presented as a romantic adventure. It should not be forgotten that the actual experiences were far from many narratives make it. The dangers were real: the heroes once dead did not revive to bow before an enthusiastic audience.
Each new year the scene changed; increased numbers multiplied in the isolated stations and added power changed the military character of the community. The unrestrained life of the forest gave place to the less romantic but more enduring forms of civilization. Kentucky was no longer viewed as a hunter's paradise, but a place where homes could be planted.
With the passing of Casper to his heavenly reward, we see Eva, age 31, left with their three small children and possibly Casper's mother Margaret to take care of. This scene changed the following month or thereabouts. Eva married William Dunlap, 7 Aug 1797. I believe Wm. Dunlap was a friend of the family and had been for years. It seems natural to me that they would marry. Both had lost their mates in death. The Casners and. Dunlaps were in the same area on tax lists in Virginia as well as Kentucky. Casper and his mother Margaret had selected William Dunlap as their Attorney- in -fact in settling his fa ther George's estate.
Eva was the mother of 11 known children. The four children by Casper Karsner were: Margaret, John, George, and Jonathan. The seven children by William Dunlap were: William, George, Robert, Daniel, Elizabeth, Hannah and Catharine.
William whose middle name was Jefferson, married Harriett Vandell; George Dunlap married June Carr, daughter of General Chas. Carr of Jeffersonville, Indiana. I have found nothing on Robert; Daniel was killed; Elizabeth married Tom Allen; Hannah married William Carpenter and Catharine married Hesekia Martin.
Eva must have lived with Catharine Dunlap Martin the waning years of her life. According to her will, Catharine heired all the personal items and household goods. The land was to be divided equally between William Jefferson, George and Catharine Martin. Only her Dunlap children heired in her will. Her Karsner children living at her death were John and Jonathan and possibly Margaret Wheeler. Eva died just three years before John came to Owen County and settled.
In the year 1804, on April 7th, Eva and Casper's only daughter married Warren Wheeler. William Dunlap signed the marriage bond as Margaret's stepfather and guardian. Casper's estate was still unsettled and the division of land was yet to be made.
The War of 1812 must have had an impact on the life of Eva. Both her sons by Casper, John and Jonathan, served in this War. I suppose they were both still living at home when the war broke out. John, age 23, volunteered under Col. Dudley on 29 Mar 1813. He was severely wounded on May 5, same year. More will be written about John's life. Jonathan was only 18 when he served.
During the April term of Fayette Co. Court 1813, Casper's land was finally divided sixteen years after his death between Eva and his three children.
This division of land was found at the Kentucky Archives and Records, 851 East Main St., Frankfort, Ky. It was still packed in a box of burnt records. With permission, I looked through the records and found the very record for which I was searching.
[Pages 61-64 are estate records of Casper Carsner]
(p. 65)
On 20 Dec 1814, John married Sallie Patterson and moved to his own land. Three years later Jonathan married 23 Oct 1817, jennetta Creath. This now left Eva totally with her new Dunlap family.
Deed Book U of Fayette County, pages 137-138, shows an Indenture was made 17th day of Aug 1819 between John Kisner and Sally, his wife; Jonathan Kisner; Warren Wheeler and Margaret his wife; on one part and William Dunlap and Eva, his wife; of the other part, witnesseth that he, said John Kisner, Jonathan Kisner and Wheeler, for and in consideration of the sum of one thousand dollars current money of Kentucky, to them in hand paid, the receipt whereof if hereby acknowledged; have granted, bargained and sold and by these presents do grant, bargain, sell and confirm, unto the said William Dunlap and Eve his wife all that tract or parcel of land, situated on the waters of Wolf Run in Fayette County, the division of land of Carter (Casper) Kisner, deceased, heired by his two sons and a daughterdescription omittedThe Indenture shown here was-produced in Court and acknowledged by John Karsner, Jonathan Karsner, Warren Wheeler and Margaret, his wife, and recorded on November 25, 1820. So Casper's children sold their inherited land, their birthright back to their mother and stepfather. Recorded in Book B, page 465.
[The remainder of page 65, all of page 66, and three-quarters of page 67 comprise photocopies of the original indenture]
(p. 67)
The above Indenture was produced in Court of Fayette Co. Kentucky and acknowledged by John Karsner, Jonathan Karsner, Warren Wheeler and Margaret his wife, and recorded on 25 Nov 1820.
By 1827, Eva's second husband had died and she was having problems with Warren Wheeler, her son-in-law. It appears to me that her daughter Margaret is deceased also. She isn't mentioned.
KENTUCKY - FAYETTE CO. - DEED BOOK 2 - PAGE 264
This Indenture made 10th day of Jan in the year 1827 between Warren Wheeler of the first part and Eve Dunlap of the other part. Wheeler was indebted to Eve Dunlap, Adm. of.William Dunlap, in the sum of $136.50 by note executed 7 Sept 1824 (some 2 years and 4 months before). Wheeler was also indebted to Eva Dunlap $10.25, also $14.00 and likewise the sum of $27.00 all of which last mentioned (p. 68) three sums Eve obtained judgement against Warren Wheeler (her son-in-law, husband of her daughter Margaret), before Wm. West, a Justice-of-the-Peace of Fayette Co. Wheeler asked for more time to make the payment and she allowed him six months more, if payment was secured. It was secured by the following property:
One wagon, six sets of gear, one sorrel horse colt, a yearling, 22 sheep, seven cows, and two yearlings, 14 hogs, three ploughs, 3 bedspreads and bedding, 2 tables, one bureau and one pr. Dog irons. If Eve thought'it proper, she was at liberty to take possession of all the personal estate, until the money was paid.
[Remainder of page is a photocopy of the above indenture.]
(p. 69)
Twenty days later there was another Indenture recorded, shown below. Evidently Warren Wheeler held on to the land his wife Margaret had heired from her father in 1813 and for some reason didn't sell back to Eva in 1819 when John and Jonathan sold. It seems because of his debts he finally sold out to Eva in 1827.
KENTUCKY - FAYETTE CO. - DEED BOOK 2 PAGE 292
This Indenture was made the 30 day of Jan in the year 1827 between Warren Wheeler of the first part and Eva Dunlap of the other part, both of Fayette County. Eva had advanced to Wheeler a loan of $300. 00 and also advanced further the sum of $100. 00 in the Commonwealth bank notes to aid the said Wheeler to discharge a debt due at the bank of the Commonwealth of Kentucky which Eva will pay as soon as the bank opens.
Now in consideration of the promises and the further consideration of one dollar in hand paid, the said Warren Wheeler had bargained and sold and by these presents does bargain, sell and confirm unto the said Eva Dunlap, Thirty four acres of land, the same whereon the said Warren lives, being the land which his wife Margaret inherited from her late father C. Carsner. It was agreed that if Wheeler paid the notes in 12 months, this conveyance would be void, otherwise it would remain in full force.
Signed and sealed
The Mortgage was recorded 30 Jan 1827. W. Wheeler
[This ends the Casper Carsner and Eva Lail account. This account was copied from "The Karsner of Kentucky" by Margaret Murphy. I received this copy from a Karsner descendant, Linda Sylvestri, Lexington, Kentucky. Bob Francis]
Spouses
_________________________________________
1: Eveleas LAIL
Birth: 1766 Rowan, North Carolina
Father: George LAIL (1734-)
Mother: Mary Margaret BRYANT? (1736-)
Misc. Notes
E-mail message dated 20 Jan 1999:
I am so enjoying your history of the Lail family. I am a descendant
of Evalias Lail and Casper Carsner. I do find a few discrepancies
between our (Karsner) family history and yours however. According
to our history which is The Karsner's of Kentucky, written by
my cousin, Margaret Alice Murphy, Eva was first married to Casper
and then to Mr. Dunlap. Casper was born in 1750 and died in 1797-98.
They were probably married around 1786. I also have it from Margaret
that Eva was born in Pennsylvania. Very confusing isn't it!!!
In any event thanks for sharing your info with the world. One
of these days I plan to do a web page of my own.
Linda Silvestri
Marriage: circa 1788 Pennsylvania
Children: George
Margaret
John
Jonathan (1791-1856)