Annotated Bullitt County 1850 Census

We continue the Bullitt County 1850 census written by Mrs. W. V. Mathis, Wallace A. McKay and W. C. Barrickman. Betty Darnell shared this in The Pioneer News on 26 May 1992.

These records have been briefly compared to images of the census pages, and occasional additions or corrections have been made. Those changes we consider significant are noted with red print. Also, the census dwelling house number and family number according to visitation has been added, like this: [1/1].

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26 May 1950

John SHANE, Pioneer Immigrant.

The 1950 census lists two- SHAIN families in Bullitt County, Peter and Squire, both born in Kentucky. It is probable that the original family came from Maryland.

[928/928] Peter, SHAIN 35, Lucy 25, America E. 3, Joseph 9 months.

[946/946] Squire SHAIN 24 (perhaps a brother of Peter; he married 1848), Mary Ellen 24 (daughter of Charles DUVALL).

Another SHAIN from Bullitt County appears in the Shaker society records as a member of the sect's community at Pleasant Hill in Mercer County. He was a friend and possibly a neighbor of Tobias WILHITE and his wife Mary SHIRLEY, Who left their home in Bullitt County and became Shakers in 1808.

Miss Wenonah MARAMAN found in the files of the Filson Club an account by John SHANE of this trip to Kentucky in the fall of 1791. He says in part that "old Peter TROUTMAN, Peter TROUTMAN a son of Michael TROUTMAN, and a son-in-law of old Peter TROUTMAN" were along.

SHANE's party gathered "at REINHART's farm on the Monangahela River, said to be where Braddock's defeat was." REINHART's farm was ten miles above fort Pitt (Pittsburg). They stayed there two weeks.

The travellers left Pittsburg in two boats, a "family" boat and a "house" boat. They were 18 days on the river. "St Clair's battle was fought while we were on the river." Gen. Arthur St Clair was defeated by Indians Nov. 4, 1791, in the northwest territory. Many Kentuckians were in St. Clair's Army at this battle.

"As we were coming to Kaintucke, John TROUTMAN overtook us at Ready Money Jack's; he was an Irishman and had a double-cabin. TROUTMAN, Ralph MORGAN and a good many others had gotten there before us, and we stayed there that night. They had been out to bury the dead, at St. Clair's defeat, and were returning. They had gotten everything ready when we got there and we had a great folic that night."

The party arrived at Maysville, then known as "Limestone," and found many wagons waiting to haul the immigrants and their goods to the interior of the country. "We spent the winter of 1791-92 in Paris (Bourbon County). We moved out to Stoner's the last week in March (1792), and put in a crop. Jimmy BRAITH has been there for three years. He was a gone prisoner among the Indians three years and six months. SWEARINGEN was in the same company. Ralph MORGAN married the widow DOUGLAS (whose husband) was killed in the Battle of Blue Licks; she was a sister of BRAITH's wife.

"When we came (to Kentucky), Winchester wasn't laid out yet; TROUTMAN had a tan-yard over in the bottom at Paris - on Houston Creek. He went out (moved away) and we got his cabin that first winter. He went up somewhere betwen Morgan's Station and the old forge and made a tanyard there, John TROUTMAN, who yet lived in Maryland. Michael TROUTMAN, a tanner in Maryland, near Frederick's Town, said he helped lay out that road which they cut out for TROUTMAN to move upon. It went from Paris to Jimmy BRAITH's, and so on. They followed the trace leading from one neighbor another these times in making roads."

Census record, 1850:

[719/719] Woodford McDOWELL 42 farmer, (married 1850) Mary 18 (daughter of Philip GRABLE), James 18, John 15, Emily 45. (Woodford McDOWELL owned a fine old brick house on "the Pike" about a mile north of Shepherdsville; his daughter Nannie became the wife of Dr. D. M. BATES of Shepherdsville.)

[712/712] Robert GREENWELL 28 farmer (brother of Jack), Elizabeth Ellen 19 (daughter of Robert M. and Elizabeth CASWELL LEE), Elizabeth A. 2, William 1 month; James SNEAVY 10; Hilary GREENWELL 11. (Robert GREENWELL's cousin, Hilary J. GREENWELL, was for a time at the head of the Pitts Point Academy.)

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This project is presented here with the kind permission of Betty Darnell, and The Pioneer News.

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