* John Lewis Adams

  Noted events in his life were:

• lived, 1887, Bedford, Trimble County, Kentucky.

• Occupation. I farmed my land.

• Trimble County History. Kentucky was never a territory or a province. From its earliest history until it was admitted as a state in the union, it was part of Virginia. As settlements spread westward new counties were organized in the Old Dominion, the frontier county extending its boundaries indefinitely into the wilderness.

In 1738 the Virginia House of Burgesses created Frederick and Augusta Counties, having their boundaries extending west and north-west to the Mississippi River. Botetourt County was cut from Augusta in 1769, and included territory and the wilderness west to the Mississippi. Three years later, 1772, Fincastle County, formed from Botetourt, covered the westward expanse south of the Ohio River including portions of western Virginia and what is now West Virginia and Kentucky.

In 1776, two years after the first settlement at Harrodsburg, Fincastle County was divided into three counties, one of which was named Kentucky. Kentucky County included the territory now embraced in the state by that name. As the settlements in Kentucky grew and population increased Kentucky was divided into three counties. Fayette was formed from the territory lying north of the Kentucky River and extending to the Ohio and Big Sandy rivers. Jefferson County embraced the land between the lower Kentucky River, the Ohio and Green Rivers. A line from the head of Benson reek, which empties into the Kentucky at Frankfort, run due south to Green River, separated Jefferson from Lincoln County. Lincoln then included the remainder of Kentucky north and east of the Cumberland River. These three counties were called the District of Kentucky in 1780. Then in 1792 Shelby County was created from that part of Jefferson extending to the Ohio River at Eighteen Mile Creek, up the river to the mouth of the Kentucky River, and including all of the present territory of Shelby, Henry, and Trimble, and parts of Carroll, Oldham, Spencer, and Franklin.

Six years later, in 1798, Henry County was formed from the northern part of Shelby, and Gallatin County organized at the same time included part of Shelby west of the Kentucky River, and from Franklin on the east side. Oldham was formed in 1823 from parts of Henry, Jefferson, and Shelby, and included the land about Bedford.

The original boundary lines for Henry, Gallatin, and Trimble are presented here with the boundary lines as they concern Trimble shown on the map. But the line between Oldham and Gallatin is not found. It is known to have run through the Cook farm, about two miles east of Bedford. The direction is N about 10 or 15 degrees west; and if the line continued through the western part of Gallatin, it touched the Ohio River near Milton. Does anyone know whether Milton was in the county of Gallatin or Oldham between 1823 and 1836? This boundary line was known as the May-Banister line.

Trimble County, formed in 1836, from parts of Gallatin, Oldham, and Henry, extended to the Kentucky River. The number of tax payers in the new county included about the same number that were in Gallatin as there were from both Oldham and Henry. Only one-tenth of the population were from Henry territory. The first county lines for Trimble did not coincide with lines later drawn on the east side. Gallatin County boundary is stated in 1798 as follows:

"Beginning six miles above the mouth of Corn Creek on the Ohio River to the mouth of Big Bone Creek, thence south with the Campbell County line 16 miles, thence to the Kentucky River at Rock Spring, near Clay Lick, thence down the river within 2½ miles of the mouth of Eagle Creek, thence a direct line till it strikes the road from Shelbyville to the mouth of the Kentucky River, two miles north of Henry Daugherty's, thence a direct line to the beginning."
The boundary of Henry County when organized in 1798 is given as follows: Beginning ten miles due north of the public square on which the courthouse of the said county of Shelby is now situated, thence west to the Jefferson line, thence west to the Ohio River, thence up the Ohio River, thence up the Ohio with the meandering thereof six miles above the mouth of Corn Creek, thence on a straight line to the road leading from Shelbyville to the mouth of the Kentucky River, two miles north of Henry Daugherty's, thence a direst line to the Kentucky River two and one-half miles above the mouth of Eagle Creek, thence up the Kentucky River and the Franklin line so far til westward course will strike the beginning.
This Henry Daugherty was evidently father of Henry who married Eva Latty and lived near Providence on the Daugherty Creek. But it appears that Henry Sr., must have lived near Campbellsburg. Unless the home of Henry Daugherty, Sr., can be determined, it is somewhat uncertain to find the exact line between Gallatin and Henry Counties. A son of Henry Jr., lives near Bedford, and may be able to settle this point.
From Howard Hardaway's trek through Trimble County, 1940: "It was 1851 that Ben Hitt, Trimble County representative in the State Legislature, took a nap during the session. Some say that some fellows from Carroll County took Ben on a big party the night before. Anyway, while Ben was asleep in his chair, a bill was introduced moving the boundary line from Locust Creek to Spillman Lane. That took a lot of good bottom land from Trimble and gave it to Carroll. When questioned about it at home, Ben said he would have it corrected at the next session of the Legislature. "No, you won't" was the reply, "another representative will be there."
from the Trimble Banner Bi-Centennial, April 1974

• faith: Milton Methodist Church.

John married Keziah B. Casey, daughter of Levi Casey and Unknown, on 30 Nov 1831 in Garard County, Kentucky. (Keziah B. Casey was born on 30 Nov 1813 in Mercer County, Kentucky,⁸²⁹ died on 13 Dec 1890 in Corn Creek, Trimble County, Kentucky and was buried in Corn Creek Cemetery, Trimble County, Kentucky.)