... Hon. Geo. W. Riddle, the oldest son of Jeremiah, was born near the spring within the present limits of Morganfield, on July 18, 1807. It is said that he is the first white person born within the present limits of Union County. He is undoubtedly the oldest native of the county. Notwithstanding the poor educational advantages of those times, Mr. Riddle, being of a studious mind, acquired a good education, and shows by his composition of a communication addressed to the publishers of this work, that he is a man of fair literary qualifications He married Eliza B. Hunt, daughter of Enoch and Judith (Hampton) Hunt, on July 2, 1826. She was born in Lexington, on August 18, 1809, and is descended from Daniel Boon, and is allied to the Bryant families, of pioneer fame. Mr. Riddle has always been an office holder, being out of office but five months since he was twenty-one years old. At that time he was selected by the magistrate for constable, and was in that office for sixteen consecutive years. Mr. Buckman, the County Surveyor, then selected him as a deputy, and retained him for several years without any fault being found with him. He was afterward commissioned Justice of the Peace for Boxville District, but after four years became tired of the administration of law, and he was run for the Legislature by his friends. While serving his term in the Legislature, the following compliment was paid him by Miss Laura Ford, who was the correspondent at that time of a Louisville paper:
The Union County member is winning golden laurels by his excellent course in the Legislature. There is certainly no member more faithful to his constituents than he. He deserves the lasting gratitude of the ladies of Kentucky, whose special champion he is, and is worthy of imitation by all with whom he is associated and all that may come after him." His frank, open-hearted nature has been often imposed upon, and he has had to pay many security debts, which have cost him in the aggregate "thirteen negroes and eight farms." One incident in this pioneer's life is especially interesting to him, and is always referred to with emotions of gratitude by him. It is his acquaintance with Abraham Lincoln. In 1840 Mr. Lincoln was an elector in Illinois for General Harrison, and came to Union County for the purpose of making speeches for the Whig candidate. He was very intimate with Mr. Riddle during this visit to Union County. Well, when the war broke out, Mr. Riddle, being a sympathizer with the Southern Confederacy, was seized and sent to Johnson's Island, where he was imprisoned during three winter months. All at once it occurred to him that, for "auld acquaintance" sake, Lincoln might do something for him, and accordingly he wrote to the President, reminding him of the campaign of 1840, and asking for his release. Lincoln immediately answered him, and said that his release would be sent in a week. It actually came in two days after the letter. This circumstance always lives green in Mr. Riddle's memory, and he says often that he hopes Lincoln is in heaven. George. W. Riddle had nine children born unto him. They are all dead but two, John B. Riddle, now County Surveyor, and Wm. H. Riddle, farmer. He is the deputy to his son. He now has seventy acres in his homestead. Charles C. W. and James Samuel were killed while in the Confederate service.
Mr. Riddle is especially valuable to a work of this kind, by his memories of early days. He has furnished much of the information that makes the general history in this book valuable and interesting. Union County in early times abounded in all kinds of game. The people were troubled very much with wolves, and Mr. Riddle remembers one instance in which the wolves killed eight sheep around his father's house one night. The range for stock during this time was excellent, cattle fattening readily on the pea vines. The hogs soon became a curse to the country, destroying the pea vines. The cattle were generally wintered in the canebrakes on the Ohio River bottoms. Frequently in the months of March and February the high waters would catch them and drown numbers of them. The people would go great distances to assist each other in rolling logs, raising houses and other work. It was common when an invitation was given to a "raising," for the invited parties to kill a deer or turkey, and, after dressing it, to carry it to the expected scene of the frolic, and give it to the man who was going to raise the house. He distinctly remembers the first crime treated by the county. It was a man named Harbarger, who was accused of killing cattle in the woods for their hides. He was whipped publicly, and ever afterward went by the name of Hardbargain. ...
