News
BCR Recorder
November 12, 2009
A9
Campbell Co.’s records room trove of history By Chris Mayhew
settle land in what is now Newport, owned by his father, Revolutionary War General James Taylor. A land sale signed by James Taylor from 1842 details the sale of 13 acres and 32 poles in the county. The language of the survey of the land is different than today’s records, Snodgrass said. “‘Beginning at the hickory and red oak tree,’ that’s how they measured,� he said, reading from the document.
cmayhew@nky.com
Laptops $
CHRIS MAYHEW/STAFF
Patrick Henry, who famously said “Give me liberty, or give me death� in a speech about the prospect of going to war with England before the American Revo-
% 4/ 41 $"5 %5
$&# 6 % ) $6 $ ! & &% % $
% # % %
% # %% % # %
! !# - * + # $%$ &$ $$ ! % # % % %( # ' %$ ( # !! #%& % $ % % # ( ! , ! $ ' # .2 /2 ! $ 0000366906
should bring in 300 players from around the world. Rumfield is courting artists to Champion Window Field for concerts but is running into trouble because of competition in Ohio, Lexington and Louisville. The team is close to signing the Charlie Daniels Band for a concert next fall. When the decision was made to fund the new turf for the field, City Council didn’t do a good job of explaining why, said Council Member Mel Carroll. By allowing the field to be used more often, the turf is spurring on economic development, Carroll said. “People are coming to town using our hotels and using our restaurants,� he said. In addition to the growth, the artificial turf cuts down on the need for cutting grass and maintaining it, Carroll said. “A lot of people saw that as an expense, but it was actually a cost savings,� he said.
) # % $ % # $
' # / 0 * #$
*!'!( $& $$& %" #' # % $($'
* "! & $)" * & )!(
"$& #
El Mariachi
MEXICAN RESTAURANT & CANTINA 2010 N. Bend Rd. Hebron, Ky.
859.689.5489
www.elmariachicantina.com
Happy Hour 3-7 pm
0000362112
Artificial turf made a real difference for the Florence Freedom. Freedom General Manager Kari Rumfield stopped in to the Oct. 28 Florence City Council meeting to give an update on what the team is doing. “We had a very successful 2009 season,� Rumfield said. Despite the down economy, the team saw an increase in attendance and won the Frontier League’s Commissioner’s Award which goes to a team that sees a turnaround in attendance, stadium quality and promotions. “I was very proud of that,� Rumfield said. Rumfield thanked council for installing the new field turf earlier this year, which cost the city around $1 million. Because of the new field, Champion Window Field can be used for more events than ever, including the 100 youth baseball games played there this year, Rumfield said. “We are now becoming the hub of youth baseball,� she said. Around 200 youth games are already planned for the field for 2010, Rumfield said. Rumfield credits the new field for Florence being granted the Frontier League tryouts for 2011, which
Save up to 60% this holiday season.
7 3 7
on select appetizers, beer, cocktails, margaritas
NEW MENU ITEMS
What’s happening at Gentle Touch Grooming? Stop in for your November dog grooming & receive a coupon for
$3 OFF a dog grooming in 2010!
Don’t forget to enter our December prize drawing!
Name ___________________________________________ Address ___________________________________________ Phone ___________________________________________ Email ___________________________________________
8408B U.S.42, Florence, KY | 859-283-1373
0000362883
jbduke@nky.com
Sometimes it’s OK to throw rocks at girls.
8640 Haines Dr., Florence, KY 859-525-6524
New field credited for Freedom success By Justin B. Duke
859-647-2160
0000358252
asts, we have many records going back that can help form a family tree,� Snodgrass said. There are also surveyor books including a book defining the first neighborhoods of Newport and immigration books list the naturalization of new citizens in the county in the late 1800s. Many historical figures can be found in the clerk’s records.
Leas e Z one 7303 Turfway Road
0000366362
CHRIS MAYHEW/STAFF
A close-up of frontiersman Daniel Boone’s signature on a document from 1798 kept by the Campbell County Clerk in Newport.
per week
78 weeks
Campbell County Clerk Jack Snodgrass pulls out an original property record from Campbell County signed by Daniel Boone in 1798, six years after the commonwealth of Kentucky became the 15th U.S. state. lution, penned his signature to a land record on file in the clerk’s office. The document signed by Henry, as the first governor of Virginia, granted 500 acres in Campbell County to a Joseph Davis. A document from 1825 signed by Kentuckian Henry Clay details the terms of an estate and the awarding of $1,950. Clay, known as “the Great Compromiser,� was Speaker of the House, was an unsuccessful candidate for the presidency in three elections and was author of the second Missouri Compromise. There are also land records from James Taylor Jr., who arrived in 1793 to
1999
• Fish Tacos • Talapia Chipotle • Cancun Salad • Burrito Bowl • Pollo (Chicken) Chipotle • Tortilla Chicken Soup
Sundays Kids Eat FREE
DINNER SPECIAL $7 OFF
Buy 1 Dinner, Get $7 Off A 2nd Dinner of Equal or Lesser Value! Not valid with any other offer. Not good for carry-out. Expires 11/19/09. EL MARIACHI 2010 N. BEND RD. HEBRON, KY
20 NEW LUNCH ITEMS! Only
from the Kids Menu with the purchase of 2 Adult Meals & 2 Drinks! Not valid with any other offer. Limit 2. Excludes carry-out. Expires 11/19/09.
No coupon necessary. Not valid with any other offer. Lunch menu only. Excludes all Fajitas. Excludes carry-out. Expires 11/19/09.
EL MARIACHI 2010 N. BEND RD. HEBRON, KY
EL MARIACHI 2010 N. BEND RD. HEBRON, KY
0000353562
Deep in the stacks of record books that stretch from floor to ceiling in the Campbell County Clerk’s office in Newport are vestiges of when the county was still the frontier. Locked away in a builtin metal cabinet are some of the oldest and most prominent records. It’s a cabinet Jack Snodgrass, clerk for 20 years, has only opened twice. There are still deeds signed by Kentucky’s most famous frontiersman, Daniel Boone, and prominent statesman Henry Clay. “We’ve got records where (Boone) once sold or bought 10 acres of ground for a keg of whiskey,� Snodgrass said. The 10 acres Boone sold are actually part of Boone County now, but back then that was still part of Campbell County, he said. Boone and Kenton counties were later split from Campbell County. The clerk’s office is filled with empty boxes as the staff prepares to move the mountainous trove of records across town from the Newport courthouse to the new county administration building by Nov. 24. Currently, there are land records stuffed in every conceivable place including damp and leaky closets, Snodgrass said. Marriage licenses and property records alike date back to before the Civil War, Snodgrass said. The names on the first marriage on record with the clerk’s office was of George Larkin to Anna Thompson Sept. 10, 1855. “For genealogy enthusi-