January 1st, Saturday--1814--The Legislature in close Session all day--time rolls along, the opening year is Big with great events, Many hard battles and many valuable lives will be lost in the war this year a Mighty struggle will & ought to be made against Canada this season and I feel fully convinced that with the Blessings of Divine Providence we will carry a victorious army to the walls of Quebec, future ages can alone see the vast field of commercial greatness dependent upon the Conquest of Canada, & may Heaven Prosper our cause.--I was at Frankfort the whole of this month only at home twice & on
22nd, Saturday--I had a Son Born to the no small gratification of an expectant father (1). I was at home with ux on the 29th, having receaved the information at Frankfort and on Tuesday the 1st day of February the Legislature adjourned without day & on the 2nd I returned home, uxor (2) very unwell with a pain in her side, and on the 7th I was in Harrodsburgh at Court--& until the 17th of this month I was generally confined at home with uxor who remains very ill.
Feb. 18th, Friday--Fine clear and pleasant, my Birthday which completes my 30th year of age. I spent the day attending to my domestics. May I improve my time as I advance in years and be useful to my country in every way in which I have talents to be so--O Deus, direct my footsteps through these eventful times--
Feb. 19th--At Harrodsburgh saw many friends and on the 20th at Meeting at N. providence, Mr. Clelland preached the funeral of Mrs. Vanarsdell-fine pleasant weather for the season-nature again begins to smile.
Nothing of importance at home generally until the first of March--I surveyed the land Mr. Kinneas lives on for Mr. Burrows, to whom it is sold.
March 1st-Tuesday--This day is as cold as any we have had this winter--the seasons are uncertain and cold & heat succeed each other in a few hours.
At home and at Harrodsburgh on the 5th--time glides heavily away, & on Monday the 7th circuit court commenced in Harrodsburgh, which I attended every day except Sunday until the 19th--Williams suit vs McAfee heirs was again discussed (3)-I receaved information that my company of Col. Johnsons Regt. would receave their pay in Harrodsburgh on the 24th. I immediately set up advertisements on the subject, at night at home. O Deus, guide & direct me.
March 20th--Started to Frankfort and went to Col. A. Crocketts (4) and staid all night & the 21st went into Frankfort saw Col. Wm. Johnson at night who was authorized to pay off our Regt. Very cold and raining I got my pay roll & on the 22nd I returned home and on the 23rd at night Col. Wm. Johnson & Col. James Johnsons 2nd Son was at my house all night and Jas. McAfee. Great events yet lye before us. O Deus direct us in all things.
Thursday 24th March--We went to Harrodsburgh & my Company met and were paid off the six months men $106.50 cents and the 3 months men $59.13 cents in addition to what they had previously receaved the men were generally pleased it was a fine pleasant day. There several mistakes on my pay roll. I wrote to Col. James Johnson on the subject, at night at home, I receaved 293 dollars & paid Doct. Trapnalls bill, Magoffin and all my Debts the money was a very seasonable supply.
March 26th--In Harrodsburgh & at home until the 31st except occasionally attending to my business in the neighborhood &
March 31st--Thursday--I was very unwell and went down cum ux to Mrs. Cardwells and saw Nancy Cardwell and Robert Smidy married by the Revd. Thos. Clelland (5). We had a considerable collection of young people I staid all night & got home in the morning then Returned & went to old Mr. Tho. Smidys to Dinner and at night returned home cum ux and attended to my domestics this month has thus ended without any important events. Williams suit against me being dismissed again relieves my mind time glides smoothly on.
April 1st-Friday--Was employed as above stated at Mr. Smidys it was a fine pleasant day.
The 2nd day of April--I was again at Harrodsburgh and got some newspapers & mustered my Company & gave them their discharge also surveyed a small peice of land for R. Neeld on the east side of Salt River at the Bridge which he intends selling to Doctor Trapnall.
April 3rd--At Meeting at New Providence I returned home past Mrs. Cardwells. It was a warm pleasant day in the morning, in the evening clouded up and became very cold. I returned home in the evening. S. Duncan with me.
April 4th--Monday--To the astonishment of all the ground was covered with a snow 8 or 9 inches Deep and all the trees loaded, the peach trees were in full bloom and sugar trees & cherry trees with leaves 1/4 grown--vegetation in considerable advance--the contrast was great and alarming. I went to Harrodsburgh county court and done some business in court.
April 5th--Ice 1/2 Inch thick but soon got warm and the snow all disappeared before night. I attended my domestics.
The 6th & 7th--Fine pleasant weather--
April 8, 9, 10--Raining--
The 12th--Started to Springfield got as far as Whitinghills Mill, Chapline so High I could not cross & returned Home.
April 13th--Started early and went up into Garrard County to James Thompsons the original surveyor of Lincoln county in this State to see him about purchasing a tract of land west of Salt River. Returned as far as Mr. Tilfords and staid all night--
14th--Returned home, nothing done.
April 16th--Had a private muster at my house the company generally attended--fine pleasant weather--at home generally attending my domestics.
April 21st--Went down in Franklin County & staid all night at Jos. Adams uxor unwell, and the 22nd I went to old Mr. Washes at the mouth of Hammonds Creek, and then back with vetus Mr. Wash to a Mr. Elliotts & sold 200 acres of my Indian Creek land to John Wash for 200$--then returned up as far as S. McAfees and staid all night.
April 23rd--At Geo. McAfees & S. McCouns Musters at Mr. Meaux Wm. Sharp elected Lieutenant in place S. McAfee, Resigned. I returned home at night & Sunday 24th at home all day time glides smoothly along.
April 25th--Planted 12 acres corn my crop, & 26th at Mr. Vanarsdells & Mrs. Cardwells about land.
April 26th--At home and on the 27th in the evening I attended to my domestics planting vegetables &c.
28 & 29th--At home & the 30th I went to Capt. Jordans Muster at Adamses Mill they Held an election for a Justice of the peace in the company J. R. Cardwell was elected--I returned past G. McAfees to dinner. Gen'l Ray with me. Then home.
May 1st--Sunday--At preaching at N. Providence a pleasant day.
May 2nd--I went to Harrodsburgh to court, also to Drill Muster, we had a good muster. This day Aunt Nancy McAfee, Uncle Jas. ux & Sally Woods both died within two hours of each other (6).
May 3rd--I was in Harrodsburgh to drill muster and court and in the evening I went down to Clark McAfees to the burying of yesterdays deaths.
May 4th--At home in morning and in the evening I went down to Capt. Mccouns and staid all night and
May 5th--I met Capt. Massie at the forks of the roads of Bardstown & Harrodsburgh & surveyed 25 acres of land for Mr. A. C. Wood and also a tract for Jacob Booker and returned home at night, there was some dissatisfaction expressed by Mr. Wood as to the manner of laying off the land.
May 7th--In Harrodsburgh & the 8th at home in the morning and then went with Granville Crockett who was sent with a letter from Overton C. to Col. Anthony Crockett in Franklin County & staid all night.
May 9th--Got my muster roll certified by O.C. who is a Lieut. in the Regular service and went thro Frankfort & met S. Crockett who is just returned from Philadelphia. I was in the Secretarys office and got some commissions and had a conversation with the Governor--Then I left town and went on to Col. James Johnsons to see about my muster roll, and thence to Col. R. M. Johnsons, who I found at home then back Col. R. M. Johnsons and had my business arranged.
May 10th--Returned home thro Versailles, it rained hard.
May 11th, 12th, 13--At home & the 14th In Harrodsburgh and then home generally attending to my domestics until the 21st.
2: uxor is Latin for "wife", in this case Mary Cardwell. She appears to have made a full recovery, as she lived until Oct. 1, 1850.
3: Williams vs. Heirs of Robert McAfee, dec'd was a suit brought by Vincent Williams against Robert B. McAfee and his brother John, who had inherited the property of Robert McAfee on his death in May, 1795. Williams had originally sued Robert McAfee Sr. over the deed to McAfee's land along the Salt River, and it was eventually ruled in McAfee's favor. In 1795, Williams renewed the lawsuit, which was dismissed in 1814, again in favor of the McAfees. The history of the lawsuit is discussed further in "The Life and Times of Robert B. McAfee".
4: Col. Anthony Crockett. He was the half-brother of Mary Cardwell McAfee's mother, Sarah Crockett. His granddaughter, Anna Eliza Crockett (dau. of Dr. Samuel Barton Crockett and Anna Maria Instone), would marry Robert B. McAfee's son, William Arnold McAfee, on Oct. 29, 1838 in Franklin Co., KY.
5: Nancy Anne Cardwell (b. 1791) was Mary Cardwell McAfee's sister. Their mother, Sarah (Crockett) McAfee was a widow, her husband, James Cardwell, having died in 1806 at the age of 45. Nancy and Robert Smidy (also spelled Smithey) moved to Monroe Co., Missouri.
6: Nancy Clark McAfee, wife of James McAfee Jr., was 76 when she died. Sally Woods was her granddaughter, daughter of Mary McAfee and Samuel Woods Jr. She was 18 years old. Both were buried in the family plots on the farm of James McAfee Jr., then owned by Thomas "Clark" McAfee.
Updated May 21, 2000. This transcription is copyrighted by . It may be freely used for non-commercial purposes and family research, but must not be used for any other purpose without written permission from the transcriber.