Three Forks of the Kentucky River Historical Association

James Campbell

Forked Mouth, July 22, 1898 (Pg 2432 - 2435)

I was born in Perry County, in Campbell's Bend, August 12, 1822. My father was Francis CAMPBELL; he was born on Walker's Creek in North Carolina, a tributary of New River. They could roll a hogshead of tobacco to Charlestown, N. C. in a day. He was born May 15, 1800; he died January 8, 1893. He was well preserved. My grandfather was John CAMPBELL. He was born in North Carolina also. His wife was a COUCH [Polly, (ref /Burke)].

The CAMPBELLS and COUCHES came from the same part of the state. In 1806 a number of families in that region thought of immigrating to Kentucky. Not willing to take their families into an unknown country they selected two men viz - Austin COUCH and Charles FRANCIS, two choice men unmarried. They filled their knapsacks, took their flintlock rifles and full of determination to accomplish the mission on which they were sent, they started on foot to explore the new Eldorado. They came through Pound Gap and striking the headwaters of the Kentucky River, they followed the North Fork to Boonesborough, thence to Lexington and returned the same route, reaching home the same season. They reported a land of plenty. They said there was everything to eat but nothing to wear. It was a land flowing with "milk and honey." The streams abounded in fish, deer, bear, turkey, buffalo and elk.

Filled with the flaming report, my grandfather and his family, his brother William and his family started the following Spring. They were large families. They started for Lexington but stopped at Campbell's Bend on the North Fork of the Kentucky River in what is now Perry County. They found four acres of land cleared at that point and concluded to make a crop and remain over a year. My grandfather brought nine horses and his brother ten. They brought their cattle also. They had argued on the way and this was one of the reasons for stopping. When spring came again, his family, or some of them, were still sick and it was two years before they got rid of the chills. When they had gotten well, they felt so well and were so charmed with the rich soil and the luxuriant cane breaks, the abundance of game, that they lost the desire to go further. In North Carolina they had put manure in the furrow to raise corn and then the frost would cut it. Rare-ripe, a diminutive corn, was all they could raise. The great ears of corn that· grew on these rich bottoms was sufficient to meet the expectations awakened by the glowing descriptions of Messers. COUCH and FRANCIS. They put all they had into clothes.

My great grandmother's father was JAMES. He was born in Ireland. There were two brothers, James and William JAMES. I suppose Jesse JAMES is of the same family. She was the daughter of William JAMES; they were rich. The CAMPBELLS are Scot-Irish.

Later COUCH and FRANCIS, the explorers, came to this region. Austin COUCH married a sister of Judge James EVERSOLE, of Clay County. These explorers found a path hacked from Carr's Fork to Grapevine.

Peter DeWEESE settled at the mouth of Grapevine and died from choking. When they would find a Bee tree they would cut down a small chestnut, peel it, and fill it full of honey and carry it home. The horses and cattle lived on the range The cane was an evergreen and in Winter and in summer made good pasture. In the summer the peavine was equal to bluegrass. Flax was soon introduced. Buckskin supplied the men.

The fifty families of New River proposed to make a settlement about Lexington. They came on later and settled at various places. The BEGLEYS, SIZEMORES, RAMEYS. My mother, Margaret WILLIAMS came from that section. The NOBLES, NEACES, and FUGATES came later.

My grandfather was a religious man. He was a Freemason when he came here. His children were: James, John; Mary; Sallie; William; Francis, my father; Elijah; Isaac; Stephen; Hiram; Samuel and Betsy, 12 in all. William, his brother, settled at the mouth of Campbell's Creek. His children were: Charles, William, Elijah, James, Henry, Daniel, Margaret, and Amy.