ISHAM LEONARD SELLARS
This gentleman was born February 8, 1806, at Fayetteville, on the Cape Fear River, North Carolina. The river was then called "Cross Creek," but it is now an important stream, up which steamboats run. He came to UnionCounty in December, 1811, at the age of five, years. It was just after a sale of lots in the then infant place. There were only two or three log houses around the spring in the present limits of Morganfield. There was an abundance of deer, turkey and squirrels in the woods. He does not report any bear, but he says that wolves howled nightly around the little settlement. He has since then resided in UnionCounty. From 1811 until 1842, he lived in Morganfield. In 1842 he removed to the country; then, in 1873, returned to Morganfield, where he has since lived. He attended school taught by the pioneer teacher Mr. Davis, who is more fully described in the chapter on education. He married Ellen Williams, the daughter of Josiah Williams, on August 22, 1826 His wife, and three out of six children, are still living. His living children are Johnathan Franklin, the Teller of the German National Bank of Memphis; Ellen Douglass, and Lavinia Paschal, wife of Dr. Muir, of Morganfield. Mr. Sellars was first a cabinet maker, and afterward taught school for fourteen years, and farmed until 1873. While he was teaching school he improved his stock of knowledge greatly, and is now a man of more than ordinary information. He has served as Town Judge. He has been a member of the Christian Church in Morganfield since 1840. Notwithstanding his great age, he has been in bad health most of his life. He is well informed on the early history of Union, and talks intelligently and fluently about pioneer days. Following are some of his reminiscences:
The land at Morganfield was originally owned by General Horgan of Revolutionary fame. It is known now that he did not purchase it from soldiers but got it for services in the war. The spring in Morganfield was called Morgan's Spring. A niece of the General inherited a very large tract of this land; she married a Mr. O'Bannon, who had fought in the War with Tripoli. Mr. O'Bannon sold the land to a Mr. Catlett. Mr. Sellars' father built the first house that was erected alter the town was laid off. It was built of poplar logs, and poplar joists were used. The plank flooring was sawed out by a hand "whip saw" A very luxurious way of covering houses was with hand-made shingles that were fastened on with pegs. Cherry lumber in those days was high. The people did not think highly of walnut lumber in those days.
All the supplies were brought down the river on flatboats to Uniontown, which was then commonly known as the mouth of Highland Creek. The upper part of Uniontown was called the mouth of Highland, and the main part of the present town was called Carthage. The first post office in the county was near Raleigh, on what was known as the Taylor farm. Jonathan Taylor was the postmaster. The first store in Morganfield was established by a Mr. Frazier. He sold dry goods. Another early merchant was a Mr. Millett, who also started the Walker Hotel. The people used maple sugar until 1815, when New Orleans sugar was introduced. The people did not like it very well, and if it was near the same price as the maple, they could not be blamed. The maple was then thirty-seven and one-half cents per pound. Lead was brought from St. Genevieve, Mo., on pack horses. The caravans crossed at Kaskaskia, Ills. It was cut off in lumps with an ax to suit the purchaser. Salt was brought in the same way from the Saline, and sold for two dollars and fifty cents per bushel. Coffee was fifty cents per pound, until Commonwealth money was adopted, when it rose to one dollar per pound.
Change was secured in a summary way. Spanish silver dollars abounded, and when change was scarce, a dollar was halved or quartered with an ax on a stump. The meat of a deer sold for the price of a pound of sugar. The hide was an article of commerce, and could not be bought so cheap. Occasionally the people got loaf sugar from Shawneetown and Henderson.
General Mitchell (Federal) was born in Morganfield. His brother-in-law took him to Ohio and gave him a good education. He was very learned, especially in astronomy. He was a gallant officer, and died at Beauford, North Carolina.
Rev. James McGready sometimes came down from Henderson and preached in the old log Court House, which stood on the present site of the bank.
The jail and whipping post stood on the opposite side of the street. The jail was a two-story building, twenty feet square, built of logs fourteen inches square. The upper story was a debtor's prison, and the lower was a dungeon. Steps on the outside reached the upper story. There were not many incarcerations' -run-away negroes were the principal prisoners. The only lengthy incarceration was two white men for killing cattle and selling their hides. One was whipped at the whipping post, and the other was sent overland to the penitentiary. His name was Isaac Newton. Old Judge Broadway was the first Judge, and Samuel Casey was the first Clerk.
Powder was made six miles from Morganfield by a Mr. Dodge. He lived on the Salem road, and got saltpetre from a cave on the (then) Caseyville road. This cave is six miles from Morganfield. Mr. Sellars, in early days, found human bones in this cave. It is supposed that it was a hiding place for robbers in very early times. No one knows to this day whose bones they were. It is known, however, that John A. Murrell infested this part of the country until he was driven out by the regulators.
The farmers, in early days, could not always find a satisfactory market for their produce, and they would often join together and build a flatboat, and float down the river with a cargo to New Orleans.
There were a number of horse mills in the county in those days, and from them the people were supplied with meal. The roads were so outrageously bad for such a great part of the year, that the people would often depend upon their hominy mortars for bread, in preference to making the long, toil some journey on horseback to the mills. One of these mills was run by John Randolph, five miles on the Henderson road going by Hitesville. The great grandfather of Dr. Richards, of Morganfield, operated another near Boxville. A man named Fletcher, and another named Latham, had mills five and eight miles, respectively, on the Caseyville and Raleigh roads.
For eight years the mail was carried from Louisville to Shawneetown on horseback by john Friley. The trip was one hundred and seventy miles long, but he made it once a week, for at least ten years, through the mud and snow.
The people were very simple in their habits of living. Amusements were scarce, and corn-shucking was the great event in a season of frolic. All of the negroes in the country around would congregate at the rendezvous and divide into two parties, each electing his captain, and then the work of reducing the piles of corn began in down-right earnest, the huskers, or "shuckers," singing songs and telling many humorous anecdotes to while away the time. Mr. Sellars thinks that the music of the slave songs was never equalled. Hospitality here, as elsewhere in Kentucky, was a distinguishing characteristic of the people. "Fair play" and a straight fight were often resorted to when a difficulty arose. When this fight decided who was the best man, the quarrel ended. No interminable feuds ever kept the people in lerment.
In early times, when money was scarce, many persons would issue their personal notes, which would sometimes pass current for quite a circuit.
