Becoming Logan and Gard
Chapter Five: New Frontiers and the Western Front
1775 to 1800
William Logan, his siblings, Agnes (Nancy McCown) and their Children:
Hugh, Margaret, James, William, Jane, Agnes, Benjamin, Jerusha and Chatherine
A wedding and a new settlement
On 10 February 1763, the Treaty of Paris went into effect ending the French/Indian war and rewriting the map in the Americas.[i] Though our main characters were not involved in this war (from what I could find), they were impacted by the outcome. The treaty redistributed the American territories with Great Britian taking possession of all French territory east of the Mississippi opening the lands that would become Kentucky.
With this as a backdrop we rejoin our ancestors on the first of August 1775 in Botetourt Virginia (southern Shenandoah valley) where William Logan and Agnes McCown got married[ii]. For the marriage to proceed William was required to sign a marriage bond (image below). In it he stated that he is “held and firmly bound unto our Sovereign Lord King George the Third in the sum of Fifty pounds Current Money of Virginia”. It goes on to say, “The condition of the above obligation is such that whereas there is a marriage shortly intended to be had and solemnized between the above bound William Logan & Agnes McCown (could be McCoun) both of this parish.” This declaration is interesting as we are now 4 months into what is viewed as the start of the Revolutionary War.
With the legalities out of the way, William and Agnes got married and focused on starting their lives together. The direction this took was greatly impacted by the Transylvania Company who purchased all land between the Cumberland and the Kentucky rivers for 10,000 pounds of goods earlier that year. In support of that purchase, Daniel Boone led 30 axmen to cut the “Wilderness Road”[iii] which ran from the Cumberland Gap into the interior of Kentucky (at this time part of Virginia).
William’s brother Benjamin Logan followed in the spring of 1775. He likely was encouraged by the Virgina government who offered 1400 acres of land to anyone who would go to Kentucky, build a cabin, and raise a crop of corn.[iv] With that as motivation, he went westward and “when Logan reached the level lands he stopped and chose a location for settlement”.[v] This settlement became St. Asaph and was the 3rd permanent settlement in Kentucky (modern day Stanford).
Early in March 1776 Benjamin brought his wife and son to Kentucky to permanently settle there. He was later followed by several of his siblings, including our ancestor William, his two brothers, John, and Hugh. In addition, his sister Mary with her husband Samuel Briggs came to St. Asaph. They all built new homes and planted corn.
A new county
Having declared their independence, the Virginia General Assembly passed an act in December of 1776 forming Kentucky County.[vi] Now that it was a county the Kentucky Militia was formed [vii] to protect against the Shawnee who were hired by the British to fight the war for them. They were paid by the scalp[viii].
To support the war effort and to provide protection for his and other families living in St. Asaph Benjamin rallied the other settlers to build a fort. The first structure was a 90×150’ log fort with gates at each end. It was completed and occupied in February of 1777[ix].
Logans in the war
Looking at war records, we find quite a few William Logans listed as revolutionary war soldiers, and it is not clear if they are our William. There was a William Logan who was a Private in the 12th Regiment of the Virginia Continental Line in 1776, there is a William in the Commanders-in-chiefs Guard in 1778[x]. In 1779 our William is listed in the Militia under Captain Benjamin Logan[xi], the same year he was awarded his 1400 acres of land near St. Asaph.
Given the uncertainty of William’s activities in 1777 and 78, let’s move our attention to his brother Benjamin Logan whose fort, known as Logan’s Station (aka Logan’s fort) was the scene of a well-known battle.
As a backdrop, in the spring of 1777 Kentucky was a dangerous place to live forcing many inhabitants to flee. Wanting to shore up the defenses, they had Major George Rogers Clark take charge of the Kentucky Militia who put Benjamin in command of St. Asaph.[xii] According to the “Logan’s Fort Foundation”, “Capt. Ben Logan made great preparation against the Indians. He dug a deep ditch from the fort to the Spring and covered it all over so that water could be got in a pinch.” It is good that he did prepare, as on May 20th, 1777, the main body of the Shawnees reached the fort while “women were outside the stockade milking.[xiii]” “When the Indians fired from Ambush all those outside the fort fled to the gate.” “The women got safely inside; one man was killed, another wounded, and a third, Burr Harrison, was disabled.”[xiv] The accounts differ on what happened next, but all tend to agree that Benjamin Logan put himself in harm’s way by running out, dodging bullets and helping Harrison return to the safety of the fort. Besieging the fort was not the Shawnee’s goal, therefore, they withdrew, continuing to harass the fort through the rest of the year.
According to the daughters of the American revolution, William’s and Benjamin’s brother were involved in the revolutionary war. Hugh Logan served as a private in General George Clark’s Illinois Regiment. John Logan was a lieutenant serving under Benjamin Logan. This means that at least 4 of David’s sons served in the war.
As we know it was not just men who faced danger, and we have a family story that Agnes Logan (nee McCown) was directly involved in one of the battles. This story was passed down from her daughter, Agnes Witt (nee Logan) to her children eventually ending up with their great great grandson Wayne Witt Bates who shared this family story, I will leave it to the reader to determine how accurate it is.[xv] The story claims that in 1776/7 Agnes was in Harrodsburg and that the fort there was captured. All the inhabitants were held prisoner with Agnes bening singled out to run the “gauntlet”. She was informed that if she made it to the end without falling, all prisoners would be released, if not they would be taken away. She placed her infant son Hugh in the arms of another woman and made her attempt. Running the gauntlet involved running between two rows of the Shawnee who would strike out at her with sticks and other weapons. Somehow, she succeeded, but when her fellow prisoners went to assist her, they found that one eye had been scooped out with a powder horn.
In addition to adding some color to the lives of our ancestors, this story gives us the opportunity to speculate. One must ask, was Nancy and Hugh alone in Harrodsburg for protection while William was off serving as a Private in the 12th Regiment? Was William there? If so, why weren’t they in St. Asaph? Either way, we must acknowledge the difficulty of life on the frontier for both the men and the women. I, for one, am glad to be able to share this story of our ancestor Agnes, of whom little else is known.
Settling and fighting in Kentucky – 1779
On 13 October 1779, the Virginia Land Commissioners opened a session at St. Asaph and granted William Logan 1400 Acres adjoining St. Asaph (fig 4)[xvi]. Meaning that he successfully “made a crop of corn in this County in the year 1776” and lived in the county for at least 12 months. It is in this location that they raised 9 children including our ancestor William (who we will call William Jr. to distinguish him from his father)[xvii]. There are no birth records, therefore we can only estimate dates of birth for William Jr. who was born sometime between 1781 and 1790[xviii].
Prior to William receiving his land grant, he was involved in a campaign with his brother. Colonel Bowman, who had taken over Kentucky Militia, decided to take the initiative against the Shawnee. His army marched in three divisions [xix]one led by Captain Benjamin Logan (St. Asaph), one by Captain John Holder (Boonesborough) and finally one by Captain William Harrod. Benjamin’s division included 3 Lieutenants (one being his brother John Logan), 4 Ensigns and 91 Sergeants, including William Logan and his brother-in-law, Samuel Brigs who was married to Mary Logan.[xx] There were no Privates.
Col. Bowman led his army across the Ohio river and “struck through the country, reaching the Shawanese capital, Chillicothe, during the night, and without the knowledge of the Indians.”[xxi] The goal was for the three divisions to attack from three different spots, but someone in Holder’s division got antsy and shot their gun before Logan’s and Harrod’s divisions were in place. This allowed the Shawnee to fortify, turning the attack into a siege and one that they could not sustain as they were outflanked by the well-fortified Shawnees. Bowman ordered a retreat and after burning 20 cabins, cutting all the growing corn and stealing 130 horses, they fled.[xxii]
The Shawnee pursued them all day as they retreated. To provide relief, Benjamin Logan and “a number of men mounted the captured horses, and, when the Indians next appeared, this cavalry charged them, and drove them back, thus ending the pursuit.”[xxiii]
Life in Lincoln County
In 1780 the county of Kentucky was broken into Lincoln, Jefferson and Fayette Counties, St. Asaph was and is in Lincoln County. This is also the year of one of the worst winters on record in the USA, starting in November 1779 and lasting until March of 1780. “Ice and snow covered the ground the entire time, the deepest rivers were frozen solid.”[xxiv] Without the modern convenience of insulation and central heat, these resourceful people were cut off from the rest of the world and had to provide for themselves.
William’s actions until the end of the Revolutionary war (3 September 1783) are not known. Though there is a record of an ensign William Logan in the Virginia Milita in 1782[xxv]. We do know that during this time St. Asaph was becoming more established as a community with his brothers Benjamin and John being appointed justices of the peace for the Lincoln County court. Benjamin also provided 10 acres of his land to build the courthouse in St. Asaph. It was used until 1787 when it moved into the town of Stanford.[xxvi] In another sign of progress, in 1790 thanks to a land donation from Mary Briggs (Logan) a small log Presbyterian church was built.[xxvii]
Once the war ended and they all became US citizens still within the State of Virginia. In 1785 Benjamin became focused on formally separating and creating the state of Kentucky. As a House Member representing Lincoln County, [xxviii] he attended the General Assembly of 1785. In this session the house “acknowledged as imminent” the separation of Virginia and Kentucky.[xxix] Though it took 7 years, but in 1792, Kentucky became a state.
In the meantime, the community continued to develop as shown in a 1783 court order for William Logan to “view and report to the next Court the nearest and most convenient way for a Road to be opened”. This road was from the Licking River to St. Asaph. To better understand William’s activities, we turn to his will.[1] From this, we know that he had 9 Children, Margaret, Hugh, James, William (jr), Benjamin, Jean, Nancy, Jerusha and Catherine. He also cultivated his land given his possession of “farming utensils, with six head of milk cows, with my steer, also all my sheep and hogs, and my two work horses.” He appeared to have saved up some cash giving away 750 pounds which would be worth well over $25,000 today. [2]
Unfortunately, we also know that his accumulation of goods and his ability to cultivate his farmland was completed on the back of at least 10 people that he enslaved. We know this as they were left to his children in the same manner as his other property. I would like to acknowledge them by name (note they did not pass on surnames). In his will he left his daughter “Margaret Forbes the negro girl Molly, that she has now in possession.” Later, during the probate, “Agreeable to an order of Court to us directed to divide and allot to William and Jane Logan their part of the Slaves belonging to their Fathers Estate.” “To William Logan one Negro Girl named Esther.” “Also to Jane Logan two negroes Delila and Isaac.[xxx] In 1807 the final division of the estate was made with Jerusha Logan allotted “a Negro man Ned” and “to Catherine Logan we allot Negroes Bobb and Ralph.” “To Benjamin Logan, we allot Negroes Abe, Sam and Jordan.” Benjamin had to pay Jerusha 15 pounds and Catherine five pounds “making each equal in the allotment.”[xxxi]
His will was probated on 19 July 1796 with each son getting land and his daughters getting money. His wife was left half of his “Plantation” until she got married at which time the entire plantation would go to Benjamin. My ancestor William Jr. was given the land his father lived on, known as Hicks Cabin.
In 1798 the widow Agnes Married William Finley who became the stepfather and guardian of all the children who were still minors. By 1800 they had a daughter named Mary Finley who went by Polly. Looking at the census one would believe that Agnes and William had a long marriage. In 1840 there is a William Finley listed in US Federal Census in Lincoln County. He is listed as being between 60 and 69 with a female between the ages of 80 and 89, which matches Agnes.
Next, we will look at William Jr and his move to Missouri. We will also introduce you to the Hudgens.
Open questions
- Was William a career soldier, or are we seeing records of different Williams who served in the Revolutionary War?
- Is the story about Agnes accurate? Was William there? Why was she in Harrodsburg?
- Did William and Agnes have a daughter named Tabatha as other trees show but no data can be found?
[1] See Appendix C – Will and Probate for William Logan 1794
[2] The fact that he used the term Pound indicates how long it took for the dollar to establish itself after it was made the official currency in 1792.
[i] Milestones: 1750–1775 – Office of the Historian (state.gov)
[ii] Virginia, Marriages, 1785-1940, Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013 – FHL Film Number 30734, Pg. 5
[iii] History.com “History behind the wilderness Road” Wilderness Road – Map, Daniel Boone, Cumberland Gap | HISTORY
[iv] The Kentucky Gazette, September 15 1826
[v] A Sketch of the Life and Times of General Benjamin Logan by Bessie Taul Conkwright, Pg 24, printed in the Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society
[vi] County Formation FAQs – Secretary of State (ky.gov)
[vii] KY National Guard History
[viii] IBID
[ix] Battle of Logan’s Fort | American Battlefield Trust (battlefields.org)
[x] Records of William’s military service is stored in Wikitree William Logan (bef.1749-1796) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree
[xi] History of Kentucky, Volume 1, pg 12
[xii] A Sketch of the Life and Times of General Benjamin Logan by Bessie Taul Conkwright, Pg 25, printed in the Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society
[xiii] IBID pg 26
[xiv] IBID
[xv] Conveyed to me by Vill Vincent a member of the Pre1800 Logans group
[xvi] Vol 1 Annals of Kentucky, pg 20
[xvii] Children named in William Logan’s will dated 1796, would not account for any unknown children who pre-deceased the writing of his will
[xviii] Source 1840 United States Federal Census in Jackson, Johnson, Missouri listing a “Free White Persons – Male 50 thru 59”.
[xix] A Sketch of the Life and Times of General Benjamin Logan by Bessie Taul Conkwright, Pg 29, printed in the Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society
[xx] IBID and History of Kentucky, Volume 1 pg 12
[xxi] A Sketch of the Life and Times of General Benjamin Logan by Bessie Taul Conkwright, Pg 29, printed in the Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society
[xxii] IBID pgs 30, 31
[xxiii] IBID pgs 30, 31
[xxiv] IBID pg 31
[xxv] Virginia Militia in the Revolutianary War part 3, pg 183
[xxvi] A Sketch of the Life and Times of General Benjamin Logan by Bessie Taul Conkwright, Pg 34, printed in the Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society
[xxvii] Earliest Church | ExploreKYHistory
[xxviii] House History (virginia.gov)
[xxix] The General Assembly Session of October 1785 (Editorial Note) (archives.gov)
[xxx] Lincoln County Wills and Inventories, Pg 355 located on JSTOR LINCOLN COUNTY WILLS AND INVENTORIES on JSTOR
[xxxi] Lincoln County Kentucky Will Book C, Pgs. 119-120 – located in Family Search under Kentucky Probate Records, 1727 – 1990, Lincoln, Will records, Index, 1804-1806, Vol C Image 126.
Becoming Us 
Thanks so much for sharing this! I enjoyed this chapter as I can visualize the McCowns in part of this story being in the same area.
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