Three Forks of the Kentucky River Historical Association

Joseph Treadway

Burning Springs, Clay County, KY, February 10, 1898, (Pgs 2149-2152)

I was born in Owsley County, Ky, Oct. 22, 1854. My father's name was Elisha B. TREADWAY. He was born in Clay Co., August 26, 1824. He was a son of William W. TREADWAY who was born on Brush Creek, Montgomery Co., Ky near Red River in the year 1800, March 11th. He was a son of Peter TREADWAY who was born in Maryland. He had a brother, William, who emigrated to Central Ohio and has a large progeny, and another brother who went to N.C. A member of that family named Peter TREADWAY came to Clay County and settled on Goose Creek, seven miles below Manchester. James and Robert of this county are his sons. The family name was originally spelled "TREDVAS" It seems to be a German name. The time the family came to England we do not know, nor can we tell just when the family came to Maryland. I do not know whether there were any Revolutionary soldiers in the family. My father was in Manly S.V. THOMPSON'S regiment in the Mexican War. He was also a soldier in the Civil War. I am in correspondence with a relative of mine at Pittsburg. Pa., who is preparing a genealogy of the TREADWAY family. He is descended from the Ohio branch of the family.

My great grandfather had sons and daughters - Moses, John, Peter, William (my grandfather), Thomas still living in Lee County, Abagail (BERY) a widow now living in Montgomery Co. My father was a worker in wood and iron. Made the first sorghum mill in these parts and caught the last wolf caught in these parts in 1870. There were 8 young ones in Owsley county or on Ross's Creek, Lee Co. Moses went to Tennessee; John lived and died in Montgomery Co., was a magistrate. All are long lived. My grandfather had 14 children. Four of them still live in Owsley and Lee. My grandfather helped to build the first R.R. car in Ky at Lexington where he lived at one time. His greatest work was making a threshing machine, the first one ever used in this part of the State. He had never seen a machine but had, I suppose, read of them. He made Iron Journals. Being an artificer in both wood and iron he could use both. It was not unlike the "Ground hog". It was a success and was extensively used. I saw the machine work when I was a child. There were four levers, he worked six horses. The Master wheel was of wood, Locust cogs or pins were used. While he lived at Lexington he made some machinery for President Polk, before he was President, for the manufacture of cotton yarn in Tennessee. He referred to the building of the first R.R. car as the greatest achievement of his life. It must be remembered that the first R. R. between Baltimore and Washington was in 1830 and the one between Lexington and Frankfort was in 1831, so that cars were a new thing. He made this car according to his own plans, submitted by him. The "Lexington Observer" contained an account of this car given to Col. HODGES by me in 1888 or 1889. He made many kinds of musical instruments. We have a harp, an Italian Harp now, of his make, played with two mallets, a three cornered box. He was fond of hunting and fishing and had indulged his tastes freely. He died in Feb. 1881 about 81 years old. He married to a Margaret BOWMAN and had 11 children.

He helped in the manufacture of gun powder near Mt. Sterling for the soldiers of the War of 1812. The salt peter was gotten from the claves of the sub-carboniferous region. He was only 12 years old at that time. Both he and his wife had cholera in Lexington in 1832 or 1833. In the morning paper he read of his own death but said, "I knew that it was not so" He was eccentric. His favorite books were the Bible and the "Works of Dr. Thomas Dick"

My grandmother BOWMAN, Margaret was the daughter of Jacob BOWMAN in Clay County who came to Clay when a boy with his father, Cornelius BOWMAN came to Owsley County in 1796 being the first settler of what is now Owsley County. He located on the opposite side of the river from the present site of Booneville on the farm now owned by S.B. SHEPHERD. Cornelius BOWMAN became a citizen of Owsley County and bought lands for his children and afterwards returned to his lands in Madison County. His children were: Jacob, Cornelius, Elisha, Elijah, Thomas, John, Mrs. James MOORE and other daughters. Jacob married an EVANS. He was my great grandfather.

Transcribed by Sherry Lynn Baker