 Abt 1780 -
-
| Name |
Esther Robinson |
| Birth |
Abt 1780 |
| Gender |
Female |
| Person ID |
I21057 |
Gregory Gen |
| Last Modified |
12 Aug 2023 |
-
| Notes |
- This Copied from Crystal Jensen's Baker Family Newsletter Volume 10, Pages 14 through 18.
FROM THE REVEREND JOHN J. DICKEY'S DIARY
ALLEN E. ROBERTSON - MANCHESTER, KENTUCKY - APRIL 15, 1898
I was born in Madison County, near Foxtown on Otter Creek, March 25, 1822. I knew
Sam Bennett, Mose(s) Bennett his brother the grandfather of Governor McCreary. My Father
was born at or near the Dan River, Virginia, at a little town called Moraviantown. His name was
David Robison; he died in Clay County, Kentucky 18 or 20 June 1872 or 1873, aged 103 and
from February to June. My grandfather was Samuel Robertson. He was born in the Highlands of
Scotland. His wife was Elizabeth Harris. His brother William came over with him. I do not know
when they came nor whether either was married when they came, though I think they were. My
Grandfather left Moraviantown and settled two miles southeast of Richmond, Kentucky, where
the water works now are in 1777. I have heard my father say it was two years after Boone went
into the fort at Boonesborough. Colonel Estill settled near him about the same time, I think the
same year. My grandfather lived and died near there, a mile near Richmond, adjoining Judge
Goodoe's, then called the John Rigg farm. My father was the eldest. He had a brother John
who went to Jackson County, Missouri. William, James, Alex settled in Indiana. James in Shelby
County. The others in Morgan County at Martinaville. Sally Married Gordon and went to
Mississippi; Esther married George Baker and went with the others to Indiana; Mary married
Metcalf, and went to Indiana; Jessamine went to Indiana unmarried. Mother married William
Mobly and died in Madison. My father married Alie Allen. In 1839 he moved from Otter Creek
to Clay County, and located on Goose Creek opposite the mouth of Beech Creek. He said he
came to this part of the State to hunt, in an early day, when little Goose Creek was the line
between the whites and Indians before a treaty was made between them. He hunted then with
John Baker, Sr. father of Julius "Bob", and "Durkham" John, George who married Esther
Robertson, my aunt and was a (Methodist crossed out, Baptist overwritten) preacher, and
James called "Clay Bank" a great fighter. "Clay Bank" was the father of Billy Baker. John
Baker, Sr. was called "Renta" had a brother Bowling Baker and a brother George Baker. George
was the father of John Baker called "Cana", the rhymer, who made rhymes on Colonel Felix
Gilbert and "Dry" John Baker when John ran for the Senate and (was) elected, and when
Felix ran for representative and was defeated by Elhanon Murphy.
Bowling, Junior, son of Bowling, Senior was bound to Daugh White to learn salt
making and killed Morgan Dezarn with a single barrel pistol with two balls in it. He fled the
County and never returned. George's descendants have disappeared. The Bakers came from
North Carolina to Madison County, and lived in forts there. Another of these hunters from the
Blue Grass was William Morris, called "Cuddy" who settled in the forks of Goose Creek and
Red Bird. These, "Renta" Baker, his three sons, George, John, and "Julius Bob", (William)
Morris, Jack Harris, Elisha Harrison with my father David Robertson made the eight hunters
who visited these regions. Beng(amin) Langford and a man named Lyons first made salt at
the Gillan ford. I think they were the first who made salt for Commerce. I have seen 40 boat
loads of salt, 2,500 bushels tied up at my father's place, at the mouth of Beech Creek from
1837 to 1844. There were 18 furnaces in blast above Manchester, beside Francis Clark's
two furnaces, one coal and the other wood. Francis Clark got his 1,000 acres at the mouth
of Bullskin by a "headright" from Virginia. I think it was patented in his father's name. Salt
was worth 75 cents. The Goose Creek furnaces made about 80 bushel a day and the Bullskin,
about 60 bushel and they would average 200 days in the year.
My mother was an Allen. She was a Daughter of Adoniram Allen. He was nicknamed
"Tedious" because he was so particular. The two creeks called "Teges" were named for him;
he was born in New Hampshire near the Vermont line. He was a captain in Colonel Cleveland's
regiment at the battle of King's Mountain where three colonels commanded alternately. He
settled in Augusta, Georgia. He was a mechanic. He was first a ship builder. At Augusta he put
up iron works for some parties there. He also did some work of that kind in Sparta, Georgia.
He emigrated to Kentucky but stopped in North Carolina, but stayed there only a year to put
up a mill, perhaps (James and the Garrard, James and Daugh White were commissioners
who expended $20,000 in South Fork and Goose Creek and Red Bird. This was about 1836 or
1837. Eighteen years ago Judge Hyden got an appropriation of $6,000 which General Garrard
and myself expended in the narrows or from the mouth of Crain Creek to Turkey Gap, a distance
of five miles by land. Most of it was put in the Chute. The "basin" is 27 feet deep. we put
blasts in the bottom of the narrows. There have been perhaps 100 salt boats sunk in the
"basin" but no one was ever lost there till 1871; several have been drowned since. Pilots
used to charge $5.00 for taking boats through the narrows.)
There were 300 guards at the jail at one time when Dr. (Abner) Baker was in prison here.
I was a guard from June to October. I was one of the eight inside guards. I was present when
any of Dr. Baker's friends came in to see him. I was a late comer into the county and all parities
had confidence in me. While the 300 county guards were on duty the state sent 300 guards;
so that there were 600 at one time. Judge F. P. Robertson and Judge Kinkade, both of
Lexington were retained for the defense. Joseph Moore of Mr. Vernon was Commonwealth's
attorney, Dr. Caldwell's father assisted in the prosecution. Dr. Baker was a monomaniac on
the subject of his wife. He would talk with perfect coherency in any other subject, but the moment
his wife was mentioned he was wild, looked wild, and talked incoherent. Daniel Bates made a
will after Dr. Baker shot him, willing $10,000 for the prosecution of Dr. Baker. He died inside
of 24 hours after he was shot. He was sitting in his chair, asleep, at the salt furnace. when
Baker shot him.
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d. 14 Aug 1846, Linn Co., Missouri