Hearne History - Page 405

[Continued from page 401]

was Jane Singleton, all of whom were of the old Virginia families and came to Kentucky when it was a wilderness.

Mrs. Elizabeth (Pitts) Barkley was the daughter of Younger and Elizabeth (Rogers) Pitts, of Scott Co., Ky., who were also of the old Virginia stock. Mrs. Elizabeth (Rogers) Pitts was a young girl in the fort at Bryan's Station when it was besieged by the Indians.

Jennie Cassa Barkley, second wife of William T. Hearne, born in Jessamine Co., Ky., Aug. 3, 1835; was the daughter of James F. And Elizabeth (Pitts) Barkley, and was brought up in the country life, attending country schools till she reached her "teens," when she completed her education at Georgetown Female Seminary, conducted by Prof. J. E. Farnum; while there she is rooted and grounded in the faith as understood and practiced by the Baptists correctly expresses it, as was the case with both her paternal and maternal ancestors for many generations back, coming on both sides from old Virginia families, some of whom in Colonial times, went to prison for preaching the gospel. One of these was Joseph Craig, who, when arrested for preaching without having taken out license, said, "A good man out not to be put in prison; I won't have any hand in it," and forthwith he laid down in the road, and would neither walk nor ride. They let him go.

This Joseph Craig was a brother of Lewis Craig, and they were both of the number who composed "The Traveling Church," two hundred in number, rendered famous now in history, who left Spottsylvania Co., Virginia, Sept. 1781, in a body, for the famous blue-grass region of Kentucky, in charge and command of Capt. Wm. Ellis, who had served through the Revolutionary War with distinction. This was a journey of almost unparalleled hardships and danger, as they did not reach their destination till well in the winter. Among the number we note the name of Elijah Craig, who had more than once lunched in jail of rye bread and water for conscience sake; Ambrose Dudley; William E. Waller; Wm. Ellis, the aged shepherd of the Nodaway flock, who had realized what buffetings were long before the Revolution brought its blessed heritage of religious freedom. John Waller, who was called the "devil's adjutant," because of his great wickedness before conversion; Joseph Bledsoe, of the Wilderness Church, and father of U. S. Senator

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Notes:

Thanks to Candy Hearn for transcribing this page.


Copyright (c) 1999, 2007 Brian Cragun.