Kentucky Connections
 

KENTUCKY CONNECTIONS


KY Flag
 


The State Capitol of Kentucky is FRANKFORT.

Kentucky presents a mixture of both the Midwest and the South. It is centrally located within the eastern United States, bordered by seven states; Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee and Missouri.

NATURAL RESOURCES
The state's most abundant natural resources include reserves of bituminous coal, limestone, sand and gravel, and forest resources. Also present are reserves of natural gas, petroleum, oil shale, clay and fluorspar.

ANIMAL LIFE
Kentucky's animal life consists largely of deer, rabbit, squirrel, opossum, raccoon, skunk, woodchuck, snake and quail. Fish include crappie, bass, perch, catfish and darters.

HISTORY
When the first white people entered the area, which is now Kentucky, it was being used as a hunting ground by the SHAWNEE and CHEROKEE Indians.

Dr. Thomas Walker, entered Kentucky after discovering Cumberland Gap in 1750. The gap provided a relatively easy route through the Cumberland Mountains, and in subsequent years countless explorers and settlers were to move through it.

The first expedition into Kentucky was led by John Finley in the autumn of 1767, when Finley, with some companions, went up the Ohio Valley on a trading and hunting expedition.

He traveled upstream and journeyed inland to Big Bone Lick. Here he met with a group of friendly Shawnees, that had just returned from a hunt. They invited him to join them in their village, Eskippakithiki, in the heart of Kentucky, promising him good trading in furs.

When Finley returned from his adventurous excursion into the unexplored wilds, giving a glowing account of the richness and fertility of the region, with an abundance of game, it piqued and excited the curiosity of the men in North Carolina and Virginia.

A young man by the name of Daniel Boone was one of these backwoodsmen that was ever on the watch for adventures and could not resist the chance to explore this new country so favorably described by John Finley.

On June 17, 1769 John Finley returned as a guide for Daniel Boone and a company of three other men; John Steward, Joseph Halden, James Mooney and William Cooke.

There was several others explorers in subsequent years but the legendary Daniel Boone became one of the best-known.

The first settlement of Fort Harrod, now known as Harrodsburg, was established by James Harrod in 1774. Boonesborough was settled in 1775 by Daniel Boone and his companions.

In 1777 Kentucky County, Virginia, was formed when Fincastle County was divided into three parts.

In 1780 Kentucky County, Virginia was divided into three counties; Fayette, Jefferson and Lincoln. By 1789 these three counties had been divided into six more counties, carving out the following counties, which would become the original nine counties for the state of Kentucky.

Increased settlement brought pressures for statehood. The population count for the first U.S. Census for Kentucky County, Virginia taken in 1790 was 73,677. Following conventions in Danville, the constitution was approved in April 1792. With a total of nine counties, Kentucky was separated from Virginia to became the 15th state admitted into the Union on June 1, 1792.

In what was essentially a compromise between Lexington and Louisville, Frankfort was selected as the state capital. The legislature was influenced by Andrew Holmes's offer to give the state a house formerly occupied by Gen. James Wilkinson, including 9 city lots and the material to build the statehouse. The legislature met in the Wilkinson House for its first session in 1793.

Within the next ten year period, the population for the state had almost tripled. The total population U.S. Census count for the year 1800 had jumped from less than 74,000 to 220,955.

An agricultural market downstream on the Mississippi River was assured by the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The steamboat provided transportation on the Ohio River by 1815 and a rail system was developed before 1860.

EDUCATION
Kentucky's first school opened in Harrodsburg in 1775 and the public school system was established in 1838 by the state legislature.

The states two largest schools are the University of Kentucky (1865) and the University of Louisville (1798); In addition the state supports six regional universities. The University of Kentucky also operates 15 community colleges. There are also a number of private colleges and universities located in the state.

CULTURE
The state's museums contain natural history, science and art collections. Historic houses, planetariums and nature centers are also part of Kentucky's cultural life. Examples of unique museums in the state include the J.B. Speed Art Museum in Louisville, the John James Audubon Museum in Henderson and the Kentucky Derby Museum in Louisville. The state's three principal symphony orchestras are located in Louisville, Lexington and Owensboro.

SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT KENTUCKY:

For more history and interesting facts visit our genealogy page.
History and information for Clay County can be found at our
Clay County Connections page.


LINKS TO SITES WITH A KENTUCKY CONNECTION:




For links to mailing lists for other states, counties, and surnames, check the Mail List section on my Genealogy page.







© 1997 lgibson@kih.net


[HOME] [CLAY CO. CONNECTIONS]
[E-MAIL ETIQUETTE] [GENEALOGY ] [SHIPS & PASSENGER LISTS]
[TIPS & TID-BITS]
.
This page hosted by GeoCities Get your own Free Home Page