BRIGHT, Mary {I2640} (b. )

Given Name: Mary

Given Name: Joe D."Pete"

Note: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF MY FATHER... From WHO THEY WERE: Our Ancestorsby Betty Horton Clark 1999

Joseph Daniel Horton was born July 11, 1914 in PiattCounty, Cisco, Illinois. He was the first child born to Elmer andCordy Jane Colvin Horton. Elmer and Cordy were from Kentucky, butthey were living in Illinois at the time of my father's birth. Whenhe was a toddler, they moved back to Kentucky and purchased land inMarion County, New Market, where they spent the rest of their lives.
Joseph was called "Joe D." in his early days, andthrough the years, he became known as simply "Pete Horton". Myparents: Rhoda Ellen Bright, a pretty, young woman with dark eyes andcoal-black hair, was named for her great-grandmother, Rhoda EllenBenningfield Harris. And Joseph Daniel Horton, named for both of hisgrandfathers, Daniel W. Horton and Josephus Colvin, was agood-looking, young man with thick, dark hair and large, stronghands...like Josephus'. They were married on 09 September 1931 inClark County, Jeffersonville, Indiana. They "eloped" and were driventhere by Pete's uncle, James Hanley Colvin. My father gave his name as"Joe D." and his age as 21, and my mother gave her age as 22.Actually, both of them were only 17. (She was born 18 December 1913.He gave his birth year as 1910, she gave hers as 1909). Legend has itthat Rhoda's father, John David Bright, did not approve of themarriage and was going to "tie Rhody to a tree to keep her frommarrying Pete Horton".
At the time, they were young and surely in love. I have aphoto of them taken about 1935. They look so
so healthy and happy--and so obviously unaware that their lives wereon such a devastating course.
Carl Thomas was the firstborn son in February 1933. He diedat age 7 of nephritis. Next came Dorothy Jean, a popular name in1938, then Elmer David in 1941(also named for both his grandfathers).In 1946, another daughter was born. They named her Mary Frances,perhaps after Pete's grandmother (Frances Sapp). Mary too, died, at 7months and 27 days old, of pneumonia...in my mother's arms as sherocked her, throughout the days and the nights. I was born in 1948,and delivered by my grandmother Cordy, who was also the one to give methe name Betty Joyce.

The Pete Horton family lived on 600 acres of fine farmlandnear New Market in Marion County, which is 7 miles south of Lebanon.Pete was a highly successful farmer and landowner, owning some of thebest land in the region. He raised corn, tobacco, wheat, andsoybeans. In addition to farming, he owned, bred, trained and droveregistered harness racehorses--both trotters and pacers. Mighty Snow,son of Volomite, was his best-bred horse, also a horse named Dan Patchin the 1940's sired by Hanover. Pete's innate talents were withhorses, and other animals, many of which he would perform various andsuccessful surgeries upon after getting the necessary anesthesia froma local physician. He mended broken legs and ankles, and evenperformed Cesarian sections on mares when necessary. He was fond ofdogs as well, and he owned many; several were expensive hunting dogs.There were always numerous dogs roaming our farm, and each had aspecial name--Crimp, Grandpappy Amos, Bob Jularker--given them by mybrother David. Many vivid memories of my childhood on this farm,linger with me still.
Pete Horton was a very respected man at one time. He couldhave been a multi-millionaire. He helped many others to attainsuccess, in farming, as well as in the purebred racehorse arena. Hewas a unique man, in that he feared nothing or no one, and he allowedno one to overstep his boundaries. However, not only did he have a"wide streak of meanness",from his Horton/Shipp ancestors it was said,but early on, he became afflicted with the diseases of alcoholism andcompulsive gambling. Unfortunately, the former has been a tragicallyinherited Horton trait.
After 28 years of an extremely eventful marriage, Rhoda andPete separated in 1957. They reconciled, but still battled foranother two years before finalizing a divorce on 6 Jan 1959. Rhodamoved to Louisville with Betty, age 9. David,16, lived with each ofhis parents until he joined the army, and Dorothy married, soon afterher parents separated.



Rhoda remarried in 1959, to Walter Bagwell of Nashville,Tennessee. His parents founded the Bagwell Preserving Company, andwere a quite wealthy family. Walt, as he was called, was a World WarII veteran. Rhoda was an assembly line worker at Williams FoodCompany for several years preceding a massive stroke in 1971. Waltdied in 1972, of alcoholism, and was buried at the family cemetery inNashville. Rhoda lived as a widow to the age of 80, dying on 26February 1994. She is buried at Resthaven Memorial Park inLouisville. She was a hard worker all her life, and she was the mostdetermined woman I have ever seen. She had a hard life, all her life,but she never complained.
After his family fell apart, Pete was a lost soul. His drinkingworsened, he lost his land acre by acre--everything as he had knownit, was no more. Ultimately, he became the town wino as he aged.Toward the end of his life, Pete was still seen in the Marion CountyCourt--for feuding over something he was still trying to protect.Although by now, he had no wealth and his assets were hardly more thana dog, and a gun, and a pint of liquor. He kept a trained dog for hispersonal protection, but invariably, someone who wanted to rob him ofhis monthly check, or take whatever money he might have, would killhis dog. You could find him early in the morning, walking the railroadtracks into town. Occasionally, he attended a little church nearby.But he was never able to win the battle of the bottle....
And then, one fateful day, Pete's rented house located acouple of miles out of Lebanon, burned to the ground. Pete was init....
Foul play was immediately suspected. Only the day before,Pete had been ordered by a judge to leave town due to a shootingincident with a neighbor over his dogs. His charred remains weretransported to Louisville for an autopsy. Ironically, in the pantspocket of a man who had made and lost a fortune, was one burned andblackened nickel. Foul play was ruled out, even though his body hadbeen consumed by the fire, except for hardly more than the torso. Hewas last seen alive on the morning of his death when he went totown--he went to the liquor store, and then to the Goodwill, where hebought his great granddaughter a pair of boots. He delivered them ina taxicab, and while there, he made the statement that he believed hewas going to get killed before he could get out of town. He returnedto his home in the taxi. His fate was sealed--Pete Horton was neverseen again. Because of the severe damage to his body, his casketremained closed at his funeral.
Suspecting that my father was murdered, I attempted to keepthe investigation open, to no
avail. A Lebanon policeman told me he believed it was the "perfectcrime", and interestingly enough, the coroner's report stated thatPete's lungs were "as pink as a newborn baby's". One's lungs arecharred if he dies of smoke inhalation and thermal injury, as waslisted on his death certificate. I will always believe that he wasmurdered. He never smoked a cigarette in his life, and the only thinghe did fear was fire. He was very cautious and slept under layeredquilts versus fire for heat. The housefire was set to do just what itdid do--destroy the body, and all possible evidence of the crime.
Scores of people from near and far, paid their last respectsto the man who had overcome impossible obstacles his whole life.Nearly 200 signatures lined his funeral guest book. To them, and tome, he had seemed indestructible. These people had known Pete all islife. Others had only heard of him, but all had known him to be alegend in his own time. He had used his wit to escape death manytimes, but not this time. Someone finally outwitted him.... I suspectthat he inherited the tormented and troublesome life of hisgrandfather, for whom he was named.



I never knew my father after I was 9 years old; onlysaw him a few times when I grew up. But all the years of my life, Imissed not having a father. I remembered his being my "daddy" when Iwas a little girl; the things he would buy for me. And I am sure hemissed having me. I was quite bitter toward him through the years, andonly after he was gone did I understand,and forgive, his behavior. Hedied 19 March 1985, and is buried beside his parents at Muldraugh HillCemetery. He was 70 years old.
His gravestone inscription reads, "We each must beremembered for the good that is within us all", of which I am theauthor. May God rest his soul.
BHC

Source: (Birth)
Abbreviation: Broderbund Family Archive #110, Vol. 1, Ed. 5, Soc
Title: Broderbund Family Archive #110, Vol. 1, Ed. 5, Social Security Death
Index: U.S., Date of Import: 31 Oct, 1998, Internal Ref.
#1.111.5.112368.111

Source: (Death)
Abbreviation: Death Certificate for Joseph Daniel Pete HORTON
Title: Death Certificate for Joseph Daniel Pete HORTON

Page: File No. 116 - 8530218 Registrar of Vital Statistics Frankfort, KY

Event: Type: PROFESSION

Event: Type: SKILLS

Death: 19 MAR 1985 Lebanon, KY

Given Name: Rhoda Ellen

Note: Rhoda Ellen Bright was born into a very poor and humble family. Shewas the only girl to survive in a family of 12 children, along withfour brothers.

She lived a hard life. Rhoda was a hard-working woman till she had amassive stroke in 1972, which severely disabled her and changed herlife. She was a determined person, and loved life, no matter howrough it was. She lived her last 20-odd years on a pension of$300-400 a month, but never complained of what she did not have....

She died after 3 months of suffering...on 26 February 1994 at the ageof 80, celebrating her last birthday and her last Christmas in thehospital. Thanks to God for those last memories I have of her.Christmas was a joy to her...she so loved sending and receiving cardsand presents...

There just aren't enough words with which to describe her life norher death...she was my greatest fan and I miss her so very much!!

Source: (Birth)
Abbreviation: Birth of Rhoda Ellen Bright
Title: Birth of Rhoda Ellen Bright
Author: Certificate in Frankfort,KY
Publication: Seen by Betty Joyce Clark, daughter

Source: (Death)
Abbreviation: Broderbund Family Archive #110, Vol. 1, Ed. 5, Soc
Title: Broderbund Family Archive #110, Vol. 1, Ed. 5, Social Security Death
Index: U.S., Date of Import: 28 Mar 1998, Internal Ref.
#1.111.5.11077.158

Event: Type: PROFESSION

Event: Type: SKILLS

Event: Type: TALENTS

Event: Type: HOBBIES

Event: Type: FAVORITES

Event: Type: TRAVELS
Place: KY IN and TN

Event: Type: COLORS
Place: Lavender

Event: Type: INTERESTS

Event: Type: MEMORIES

Event: Type: PHILOSOPHY

Death: 26 FEB 1994 Louisville, Jefferson Co., KY

Given Name: Carl Thomas

Note: Carl Thomas Horton was the firstborn child and first son of Pete andRhoda Horton.

He died at age 7 years from a kidney disease, nephritis. On his deathcertificate it states cause of death as "hemmoragic nephritis" andlength of illness as "7 to 8 weeks". He died on August 18, 1940 at10:30 A.M.--he was seven years, six months and two weeks old.

It is said that he was very intelligent, and loved to pressbutterflies and flowers between the pages of a book. He had a dog henamed "Shep". He loved to play--and for a long, long time, Mama kept atrunk filled with toys that had belonged to him. There were marbles,a change purse with buffalo nickels, and Doublemint chewing gum. Alsoa scrapbook he had filled with get-well cards while he waited to die.He knew he wasn't going to live and he made it known which songs hewanted to be sung at his funeral....

Carl is buried at Muldraugh's Hill Cemetery in an unmarked grave.There once was a stone there. He is next to his sister Mary Frances,who died 7 years later at age 8 months, and they are near the fencetoward the front of the cemetery, close to their father andgrandparents. In my mother's purse, after her death, I found Carl'sfolded, yellowed, birth certificate and I wondered just how long shehad carried it there....

Gone,but certainly not forgotten!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: (Death)
Abbreviation: Death Certificate for Carl Thomas HORTON
Title: Death Certificate for Carl Thomas HORTON
Author: Department for Health Services
Publication: Cause of Death: Hemmoragic Nephritis

Page: State File No. 260 -- 20006 Dept. of Vital Statistics Frankfort, KY

Death: 18 AUG 1940 New Market, Marion Co., KY

Given Name: Dorothy Jean

Note: Dorothy attended Lebanon High School, Marion County, KY. Shewas employed at the sewing factory in Campbellsville for many years,prior to removing to Louisville. She will soon retire from Enro ShirtCompany, where she has worked for over 30 years.

Given Name: Elmer David

Note: Elmer David, called David by his family, joined the USArmed Forces in 1960. He was stationed in Bad Kissengen, Germany formost of his service.

Given Name: Mary Frances

Note: Mary Frances Horton died at the age of seven months and twenty-sevendays Her death certificate states cause of death as "pneumonia",duration of " five days". Place of death is listed as Mary ImmaculateHospital, Lebanon, KY.

She had dark hair and dark eyes like those of her mother, who hadrocked her for two days and nights before she finally died in herarms.

Mary had just began to take steps and she would stand up in her bedand wave at her grandfather Elmer out the window. It is said thatduring her funeral, there was large funeral wreath placed upon ourfront door--and she was buried in a pretty dress and white, ruffled,lace panties....

She is buried at Muldraugh's Hill Cemetery beside her brother CarlThomas. Both graves are unmarked, and both are near the front, nearthe fence to the right of the graves of her father and grandparents.How my parents hearts must have pained them to lose forever, not one,but two, of their beloved children....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Source: (Death)
Abbreviation: Death Certificate for Mary Frances HORTON
Title: Death Certificate for Mary Frances HORTON

Page: State File No. 1159 -- 7252 Department of Vital Statistics Frankfort,KY

Death: 17 MAR 1946 New Market, Marion Co., KY

Given Name: Betty Joyce

Note: Betty Joyce Horton was born a country girl. Her education beganin a two-room "schoolhouse" at Jessietown, Marion County, Kentucky. In1957, her parents divorced and she moved to the city of Louisville.She was nine years old. She attended several public schools inLouisville, excelling in all grades. Times were hard and in January1964, she and first love, eloped to Celina, Tennessee. She was 15, hewas 18. Their son Ronald Carroll, Jr. was born in November 1964, anda daughter named Tana Joyce followed in May 1966. Unfortunately, timeswere still hard. Neither of them were educated. But in 1969, a carpetbusiness was started and by age 25 and 28, they could tell a true"rags to riches overnight" story. A third child, LeTisha, was born in1971. Being very financially successful, each had overcome manyobstacles, and the future looked full of promise!
However, after the death of the fourth child, and a near-deathsituation for Betty in 1974--a case of malpractice involving analcoholic surgeon, a bitter divorce occurred in 1975. Again, veryrough times prevailed. With a GED obtained in 1969, in 1979, Bettybegan college at the University of Louisville. In 1985, she graduatedCampbellsville College with a Bachelors degree in Social Work. Shewas also accepted to law school at Salmon P. Chase College of Law inNorthern Kentucky. She moved to Ft. Thomas, near Cincinnati, Ohio inthe fall of 1986. She attended fulltime law classes by day, worked ajob and studied by night...but it simply wasn't to be.
After three semesters, hard times and health problemsprevailed yet again. Betty withdrew from law study and began aprofessional career in Addictions Counseling and Education. Afterseveral years as a certified mental health professional, she "retired"in 1994, subsequent to serious medical problems. She remarried, andtoday, she is actively researching her medical and family histories.She has also partially written her intriguing self-help/autobiographytitled REWRITING YOUR SCRIPT--a true story of a woman who, in order tosurvive, had to literally "rewrite" the script of her life.

Below is Introduction and preface to book WHO THEY WERE...am storingit here temporarily! :)

Introduction


Alex Haley, author of ROOTS, said "Each of us needs a senseof where we belong. In every family, someone should take theresponsibility of becoming its historian. Interview the old people,comb the attic, then write up the information and see that it ispassed around." He added, "When an old person dies, it's like alibrary burning". Imagine that. It is quite likely, that if notwritten down, we all will be lost to the ages!
About a year ago, I appointed myself the "family historian".One day, I decided that for the sake of posterity, I would put all theinformation I have been gathering about our families, into a book.Perhaps it will give my family members some idea of our very richfamily heritage!
As I researched, with each piece of information, and eachphotograph I came across, I got this strangely exciting feeling--andoften I wondered what it must have been like to live long ago, in aworld so very different from our world of today. What were they like?What were their hopes and dreams? And did they ever wonder anddaydream, about those who came before them? In this book, I hope to,in a sense, "bring them back to life" for only a little while....
I think you will be as fascinated as I have been, as youfollow the web that was woven by our people. You will see how certainfamilies all lived near one another, in particular areas, and marriedinto each other when they grew up. Bear in mind that there reallyweren't that many people from which to choose a mate--thus the reasoncousins sometimes married each other. And many people never left theirvillage or county during their entire lifetime! If they did, it was tomigrate to another state from which they usually did not return.
The land was a vast wilderness when our ancestors firstsettled here. They came to make better lives for themselves. Americawas termed "the land flowing with milk and honey"; this also appliedto the state of Kentucky when it was opened to the settlers. The firstones to America came in ships. The Germans, the English, and ScotsIrish--and they had no intention of returning to their native lands.They were here to stay. They didn't look to the east, but to the southand west, toward land. They didn't see wolves and Indians, they sawopportunities. And they had what it took to flourish in thebackcountry. They had heavy streaks of stubbornness, knew hard work,and they could hunt and forage for survival. They built their cabinsthe same way, with their same unique strengths, and look at how theseold homes have survived!
By the thousands, they traveled to Kentucky. In the late1700's, they came either by covered wagon through the Cumberland Gap,or by flatboat down the Ohio River. Often the roads were justovergrown footpaths. As they walked, the settlers were smacked in theface with twigs, and they and their possessions were soaked in therivers and creeks. In their new land, they fought the elements, andfamines, and sickness. And there were no doctors. They fought savageIndians and terrible wars. Many killed in self defense of theirlives,and many died so that others might live better lives. Theirworld was a place where law and order did not exist until they broughtit into existence. They built towns, churches, schools, stores,roads, and homes; they celebrated births and marriages, and they paidtheir respects and mourned,when one of their beloved family orcommunity members passed away.
My conclusion is that our ancestors were, for the most part,middle-class people. Although some were merchants, the majority werefarmers by occupation. For the most part, they were hard-working,church-going, God-fearing people who did the best they could with whatthey had to do with. Like us, they had hopes, dreams, and plans. Theyknew the happiness that comes when a child is born, and they knew thepain that tore at their hearts when that child died. Many of themlived very short lives. All of them lived lives that were typical ofthe times. I have found the upright and devoted Christians, and Ihave found the thieves, robbers, and murderers. I am including asampling of them all! But please do not jump to judgement for again,their lives oft reflected the times in which they lived. These men andwomen were a strong stock of people, who endured hardships that manyof us could not fathom. For all their endurances, it is only fair thatfor at least a short while, we give them our utmost attention andremembrance, especially for paving the way for us.

I emphasize that this is not a conventional genealogy book.It is not a book intended for use as a reference. It is instead, abook I am writing as my legacy to my family, an account of our richfamily history. A source of information that can be handed down tomy grandchildren and their grandchildren, for many generations tocome.
I have made a great effort to obtain family information frommany people, some of whom did not respond. Likewise, some familiesare featured, simply because I have more information on them. I havedivided the book into three parts, placing allied families within eachpart. Also I have added a few things I thought may be of interest,such as old signatures from documents, maps, and listings of our warancestors with some factual information to help put it all intoperspective.
All of my sources are not listed for practical reasons--thelist is endless. In a few instances, I am assuming the informationgiven me is correct. When possible, I have verified it. In mostinstances, I have sources if they are needed. However, all theinformation is as correct as the source from which it was obtained.Unfortunately, there just is not enough space in which to fit all thefamilies and the data that I have gathered. I have however, put in anindex, and descendant charts of the major surnames covered in thebook, and hope these will help the reader find his or her own family. Finally, I will strive for a simple and easy-to-understand style. Ihave tried to show how the families connect to each other by insertingnotes here and there. In some cases, for emphasis, I have duplicatedparticular stories or facts--in others, my computer software programis at fault! It has not been very cooperative! And I apologize forthe less than perfect formatting, but it was in part, beyond mycontrol. There will be errors and inaccuracies I am sure, there alwaysare when a large amount of data is transposed. I hope that whereappropriate, readers will call them to my attention and give mecorrections. The book can best be understood if it read not in part,but as a whole.
Do enjoy your journey back in time, to a place where I havedwelled these past many months. Meet many of the people I have "met",and experience for yourself the satisfaction that comes from knowingwho they were...our ancestors. Happy reading!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Preface

Imagine the following scene: Nestled in the woods, a logcabin, a structure of rough-hewn logs is chinked together with redclay. Inside, a table, chairs, beds, and a fireplace for cooking,warmth, and light.... This is what life was like in early 19thcentury Kentucky, when our brave ancestors were coming to live inthis new land of promise.
The famous Cumberland Trail, was the main pike fromLouisville to Nashville. One could see covered wagons with settlersheading south, west, and north, peddlers with their tinware andnotions, gangs of slaves or "kaffles", moving on foot ahead of anoverseer or slave trader on horseback, and sometimes in dandycarriages, congressmen or legislative members going to sessions inLouisville -- by way of the old Bardstown Pike, now Bardstown Road.
It was not uncommon for a family to sell their property for10 barrels of whiskey and $20 cash and move on, to say, Indiana orIllinois...or wherever their hearts and pocketbooks took them.
The Commonwealth of Kentucky was admitted to the Union asthe 15th state on 1 June 1792, after the first constitution wasdrafted on 3 April of that year. Prior to this, it was part ofVirginia. Established as a commonwealth state, its first capitol wasDanville. Early settlers included Revolutionary War veterans stakingclaims to bounty-land grants, which was compensation from thegovernment for their military service. They were joined by people ofall ethnicity, Scot-Irish, German, and English individuals andfamilies from Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, andTennessee.
Present day Taylor County (made from Green County in 1848),was visited by the "Long Hunters" prior to 1799. The Long Hunters werethose brave and restless souls from the states to the east ofKentucky, who ventured into the wilderness on long hunting trips. Someof these men recorded their adventures in the Kentucky wilds in theirjournals. The "Cumberland Trace", blazed by these early explorers,would cross the rolling terrain of the county by 1799. [The Trace waslater replaced by the Louisville-Nashville Railroad and provided thecounty with a federal mail route and stagecoach access. And theCumberland Trail had been first blazed by Daniel Boone whosedescendant named Squire Boone, would marry our ancestor JacinthaHorton in 1839.]
It is known that at least two of these early pioneers,Thomas Denton and William Stewart, had built rustic homes along thebanks of Sinking Creek by 1780--Sinking Creek would later be known asPitman Creek. Again, the earliest settlers into this promising, butharsh land, were from Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, NorthCarolina,and Tennessee. Crude settlement and organization began totake place. The area was supplied by three major water systems:Pittman Creek to the northwest, Robinson Creek in the northeast, andGreen River in the south. Early settlement was concentrated aroundthese systems. Churches were frequently the social center of afledgling community. About 1791, Campbellsville Baptist Church wasfounded along the banks of Pitman Creek becoming the oldestcongregation to date in that area. The church would later merge withRobinson Creek and move to Campbellsville. Also the Palestine Churchwas founded about 1843, with the congregation meeting in the OldFisher Schoolhouse, prior to the first church being built in 1849, onthe present grounds.
Private enterprise began to spring up. In 1797, ThomasSanders founded Sander's Tavern on the Lexington and Nashville Road asa stagecoach stop, and an inn, for weary traveler's. In 1809, AndrewCampbell owned a grist mill on Buckhorn Creek. He opened a tavern in1813. In 1817, the general assembly established the town ofCampbellsville, in the community laid out by Andrew Campbell and hisbrothers, and named for them. Pleasant Kirtley became the firstpostmaster for the new town. Several of Andrew's brothers served thecommunity in various capacities during these early years. On 1 March1848, the Kentucky State Legislature formed Taylor County asKentucky's 100th county from the northeast portion of Green County.Campbellsville became the county seat, and the first courthouse wasconstructed that year.
The 1860's brought grief and turmoil to the county as civilwar gripped the state. Taylor County men fought on both sides of theconflict. Their names can be found on rosters of the Union 13th and27th Kentucky Infantries, 6th Kentucky Calvary, and Gen. John HuntMorgan's 3rd Confederate Calvary. The names include many of ourancestors, from Taylor and Marion counties, some of which you willfind listed in this book. Two Union camps were located in the county.Camp Hobson was found at Green River Bridge; Camp Andy Johnson was amobile camp that alternated operations between Greensburg andCampbellsville. The county was raided by General Morgan on threedifferent occasions. On Christmas day, 1864, Confederate Gen. HylanB. Lyons torched the courthouse after allowing the community's womento rescue the records stored within.
The 1854 U.S. Gazeteer, page 185: "Campbellsville, apost-village, the capital of Taylor County, KY is 75 miles SSW ofFrankfort. The surface is undulating and hilly; the soil is fertile.Indian corn, wheat, oats, tobacco, cattle, horses, and swine are thestaples. In 1850,the county produced 365,085 bushels of corn; 10,087of wheat; 91,639 of oats, and 592, 106 pounds of tobacco. Itcontained 17 churches, 461 pupils attending public schools, and 65attending an academy. A railroad is projected through the county fromDanville to Nashville. Formed a few years ago out of the N. part ofGreene county. Population: 7,250; of whom 5,610 were free, and 1,640were slaves."
Brighter days were on the horizon. In 1879, the Cumberlandand Ohio Railroad arrived in Taylor County. The stagecoach wouldcontinue to run between Campbellsville and Columbia until 1914.Campbellsville High School opened in 1891. Campbellsville College wasfounded in 1906 as the Russell Creek Baptist Academy. Griffin Springsand Lorraine Wells became hot spots in the early 1900's, beforeclosing down in the 1930's....
Today, Campbellsville and Lebanon continue to grow and evolve.But the REAL treasures are the untold stories, hidden away in fadingmemory and dusty family bibles, of the births, deaths, romances,marriages, tragedies, and triumphs of the early citizens of thesecounties. Many of these were the untold stories of our people, ourancestors. And so, it is to the Bright, Horton, Colvin, Shipp, Sapp,Nolley, and allied families of Taylor and Marion County, and those ofeven longer ago and farther away...that the following pages paytribute.


Source: Some of this information was gleaned from an excellentarticle by Betty Gorin on the history of Taylor County.

Given Name: Levon

Given Name: Barry Michael

Given Name: Gary Mitchell

Given Name: Tonya Jean

Given Name: Ronald Lynn , Sr.

Given Name: Ronald Lynn , Jr.

Note: Ronnie married Annette Gearing in 1987 and after 12 years, theydivorced in 1999.... No children. Ronnie is a very successfulbusinessman and has done so much with so little--like his mom! Inabout 1996, he purchased 125 acres of land in Marion Co KY, on MooresCreek Road--of all places, where our ancestors once lived!!!!!!

Given Name: Tana Joyce

Note: Tana became a registered nurse in January 1994...she specializes inOB/GYN. I am so very proud of her!

Tana married Keith Curtsinger in Sept of 1987--my first grandchild, an8 lb. boy was born 5 days after my 40th BD on July 29, 1989. My firstand always my special one.... Then--on 19 Dec 1994, along came 3 andone-half pound preemie, Dakota Cheyne...I got to watch his birth!!What an experience....

They live in Mt. Washington, Kentucky not far from Louisville.

Given Name: LeTisha Bernice

Note: LeTisha "Tisha" left Kentucky in October 1994, struck out on her ownand went west!

Seems like Destiny was at work, as a week or so after she arrived shemet her Prince Charming....Jeremy Daniel Bronson. They were married ina "fairytale" wedding in Las Vegas, Nevada on 25 November 1995. Wasprobably one of the very happiest days of my life...we all flew to LasVegas for the first time!

My granddaughter Nikelle Kyler Bronson was born in October 1996..I didnot get to see her till she was six months old...what a princess! Somuch like my baby girl Tish was....

Jeremy was born in Ogden, UT and comes from a long line of activeMormons. He and Tish were baptized together in the religion in Aprilof 1999, and are to be sealed in the Temple in December of 1999.... Atthis time they live in a new home in Las Vegas, but intend to move toDenver, CO in 2000 where his parents, Russ and Jana, reside.

Given Name: Rhoda Dashawn

Note: Named for her grandmother, Rhoda is placed near her in beautifulResthaven Memorial Park, Louisville, KY.

Death: 7 JUN 1972 Louisville, Jefferson Co., KY

Given Name: Lydian Annette

Given Name: Donald Keith

Given Name: Brandyn Keith