Reprinted with permission from the author and the publisher

Leach, Allan. "Former Church In Ellisburg, Casey County, Still Deeply Appreciated: This Pioneer Landmark Was Built On Property: That Was Originally A Land Grant Made To Adam Carpenter In 1785" The Kentucky Explorer, September 2005, p.31-33. Jackson, KY. Copyright ©2005 Allan Leach.
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Former Church In Ellisburg, Casey County, Still Deeply Appreciated

This Pioneer Landmark Was Built On Property That Was Originally A Land Grant Made To Adam Carpenter In 1785

The Kentucky Explorer -- September 2005 -- Page 31

By Allan Leach - 2005

Some years ago as a young fellow, this writer had the privilege to visit several services, revivals, and one funeral at the old Ellisburg Methodist Church, Casey

County. As a youngster I did not know that I was a descendant of the very family that had donated the land for the little country church. Over the years I heard several interesting stories about the old church. This led to my interest in tracing the land title to the old church property and a couple neighboring farms. These plattings of the early land grants and deeds clarify many of the stories which were told about the church and community.

The History of the old Ellisburg Methodist Church is best under stood in the context of the community's early and little-known history. Ellisburg as a community name did not exist until well after the Civil War when the

of Allan Leach, Charles Whittaker, the old Lowery place, and a portion of the present-day Cochran farm.

In 1794 Adam Carpenter sold the 270-acre tract to David Simpson (Lincoln County Deed Book B, pg. 393), who in turn sold the same 270-acre tract to Richard Ellis in 1797 (Lincoln County Deed Book C, pg. 303). Casey County was later formed from Lincoln County in 1806 and all deeds after that time are in Casey County.

Richard Ellis (ca. 1760-1827) came from the upper Virginia area to central Kentucky working as a land jobber. His first large job was for a huge amount of acreage in what now Shelby County. Working for a group of Philadephia area Revolutionary War veterans and merchants. Ellis agreed to locate, survey, and enter the men's grants in his own name and was to later relinquish title to the men in return for a commission. This massive undertaking only partially materialized and it is not clear if Ellis ever received his commission.

community received a post office. Prior to this time the only antebellum landmarks included the old log Ellis homeplace (which stood where till tobacco barn of Allan R. Leach now stands), the big spring which became known as Ellis' Big Spring, the old steam mill (apparently a converted grist mill), and the old Methodist meetinghouse.

The land upon which Ellisburg came to exist was originally a land grant of 270-acres made

James Lee Cobb, III 14462 HWY 36 E., Sanders, KY 41083, shares this scenic view of George's Creek which is located in the northern section of Kentucky in Trimble County.

in 1785 to Adam Carpenter (1760-1806) and was described as his "knob tract." This grant survey was in the shape of an "L." About half of the lines of this old survey can be traced on the ground today. The grant included the bottom land of the farm most recently owned by Earl Peyton, the majority of the present farms

Ellis continued to work in central Kentucky as a land jobber and numerous entries are found for him working along Buck Creek in the area of Pulaski and Lincoln counties. He was on occasion working in the same area with one

Bowling Green is the county seat of Warren County, Kentucky, and was founded in 1798.

Page 32 -- The Kentucky Explorer -- September 2005

Isaac Ellis. All those tracts, by agreement, were entered in Ellis' name, but transferred to the original warrant owner once Ellis received his commission.

As the countryside throughout Kentucky became filled with the first generation of land grant owners, the land jabbing business began to slowly fade away around I790. It was about this time that Richard Ellis began to look around for a place to settle down. Apparently, he first settled in the vicinity of Old Stone Tavern in Nicholas County,Kentucky. That tavern built and operated by James Ellis who is believed to have been related to Richard Ellis.

It was in 1797 that Richard Ellis settled down for good on the 270-acres he bought from David Simpson lying on the Cumberland Trace on the Big South Fork of Rolling Fork River. The Cumberland Trace, referred to in many early surveys and deeds in western Lincoln County and northern Casey County, extended from Fort Logan (Stanford) westward to Carpenter's Station, on through Neelys Gap. and down Rolling Fork to Greensburg. At that point the trace turned southwest to

billvandyke This old tin-type photo of Bill Vandyke is from Allan Leach's collection and was probably taken ca. 1885. The Vandyke family lived in the area of northern Casey County, west of Jacktown and east of Bradfordville in Marion County. He also has a similar tin-type photo of a Wallace Vandyke taken about the same time. It would be interesting to know if any of the Vandykes were related to the Ellis or McAnnelly families of that area.

In the meantime James married Elizabeth Starnes and moved to her family home near Rocky Ford about three miles down the valley. Originally owned by Casey County's first judge Matthias Speed, that farm was divided among the Speed heirs A part of the old Speed farm passed later to the Starnes family into which James Ellis married. The heirs of David Ellis continue to own that tract today. The earliest burials on that farm were the Speed family and the more recent burials for the family of James Ellis.

It was not until 1871 that Burrell and James Ellis recorded a division line between their two shares of their father's old homeplace. Burrell was given the old homeplace tract in consideration of his caring for their mother. That tract remained in Burrell's family until the death of his great-grand-daughter, Nannie M. Allen, in 1965. (For a brief time in the 1920s and 1930s, the house itself was owned by the Coulters, relation of the Ellis family.) A portion of the 1871 division line between Burrell and James Ellis is now the property line between Allan Leach and Charles

Tompkinsville on into Tennessee, and to the lower Cumberland settlements near Nashville. The Highway 78 from Stanford to Hustonville and westward into northern Casey County follows the old Cumberland Trace today. Old Cumberland Trace is clearly referred to in the deeds from Carpenter to Simpson and Simpson to Ellis.

Richard Ellis purchased two other small tracts on the west side of the 270-acre tract from a Starnes and a McBride. These are the only land purchases made by Richard Ellis in Casey County. Other than two very small unclaimed tracts of knob land, Ellis had no land grants in Casey County prior to 1800. Ellis continued to do survey work, but held no official office as a state or county surveyor.

After his death in 1827 two of Richard Ellis'sons, James and Burrell, gradually bought out their sibling's interests in their father's homeplace. Burrell remained at home to care for their mother until her death.

Whittaker.

At some point in time prior to his death in 1827, Richard Ellis built a meetinghouse for the community near the southwest corner of his

270-acre tract. According to family tradition he called it Concord Meetinghouse, but if this is true the name did not stick for very long. Seven years after his death, several of Richard's heirs transferred the title for the small tract of land upon which Richard had built the meetinghouse.

Recorded in Casey County Deed Book No. Four, pg. 104, these heirs of Richard Ellis transferred title to 50 poles of land to the trustees of the meetinghouse at Ellisses Big Spring "lying and being in the county aforesaid and on the southwest side of Rolling Fork, near Ellisses Big Spring and including the meetinghouse where it now stands." The conveyance was made with the specific condition that all denominations of religious people that is in good standing in the church to which they belong are to be

There are two wings by, which a man soars above the world, sincerity and purity. -- Kempis

The Kentucky Explorer -- September 2005 -- Page 33

admitted by the trustees to preach in the aforesaid meeting-house whenever they may think proper." This was written on June 7, 1834, and the deed was recorded on October 7, 1834.

The trustees for Ellisses Big Spring Meet inghouse in 1834 were: Thomas Starnes, Thomas Speed, Morris Coulter and David Reed. The hiers of Richard Ellis who signed the transfer were John Ellis, James Ellis, Burrell Ellis, Elizabeth, and Nancy Ellis (wives of James and Burrell.)

From this deed it is evident that the original log meetinghouse was built sometime before 1834. The site for the meetinghouse was located on what was then the main westward trace through the area. Prior to about 1840 the trace did not come over Turkey Foot Gap as Highway 78 does today. From the late 17705 up until about 1840 the trace passed through Neelys Gap (the lower of the two gaps) and came down Neelys Gap Branch, which is now known as Russells Branch. From there the trace passed directly in front of the old meetinghouse over to the old Ellis homeplace where it turned westward again and continued on down the fork. This is the same trace described in the early surveys and deeds as the Cumberland Trace.

It is not known exactly when the old meetinghouse became primarily dominated by the Methodists, but over time the original name was dropped, and it became known simply as Ellisburg Methodist Church.

By 1900 Ellisburg had three churches and a two-room school. A union-type of church stood near the home of the late Earl Peyton, and a group of Baptists built the current Baptist church in 1895. Bruce Reed of Lincoln County, Kentucky, owns a number of old pictures showing all these old buildings as well as the old Ellis homeplace.

The only original landmarks in existence today include the big spring itself, the old Ellis family cemetery, and the old Methodist church building which stands on the old meetinghouse lot. The original log meetinghouse was torn down sometime around the time of the Civil War, and the current frame building was built at that time.

In 1978 the dwindling congregation at the Methodist church built a new building about two miles east at the junction of Highways 78 and 906. The old building and meetinghouse lot was sold at auction. The new church was called 78 Methodist Church but was short in duration. That new building was also sold several years ago and the handful of remaining members now attend West Side Community Methodist Church in Lincoln County.

Today the old Ellisburg Methodist Church building still stands on the old meetinghouse lot, but it is now a residence. Standing just off Highway 78, about one-half mile up Long Hollow Road, this landmark from Casey County's earliest pioneer history is now little known or appreciated. There are a handful of Ellis family descendants, such as this writer, who still appreciate this old building and site and would like to see it preserved, but it is unlikely that will ever come to pass. Thankfully, we are able to preserve the old meetinghouse history for those who may come after us with a desire to learn more about the area's pioneer heritage.

Allan R. Leach P.O. Box 14, Hustonville, KY 40437, shares this photo with our readers.

thoughtponder

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