LOGSDON HISTORY

As obtained from book written by Clifford Lee Baltzell, 1954

The genealogy of the Logsdon family has been inquired into and found to be recorded as follows; Three Logsdons came to America sometime during the 17^th century and settled in Virginia and Maryland. One of these married a woman who had been kidnapped on the coast of Ireland. This family raised three sons, William, Joseph, and Daniel. Nothing is known of the descendents of Joseph and Daniel. William married and had four sons, William, Joseph, James and Thomas. William and Joseph Logsdon went to Kentucky with Daniel Boone when he moved his family there in April of 1775. It is said that Daniel Boone’s wife and the wives of these two Logsdons, were the first white women to stand on the banks of the Kentucky river.

Later, Joseph Logsdon a SON of their brother Thomas, came to Kentucky. He was noted for having many narrow escapes from the Indians. He was mentioned in the history books of my school days.(Bulger Joe). He was a frontiersman and an Indian fighter. The Indians called him “Him Gun Always Loaded”. He had the faculty of loading his musket while running, a considerable feat in those days of muzzle-loaders, ramrods and powder horns. At one time, when pursued by about ten Indians, he succeeded in loading and firing while running, until he had either shot or eluded all of his pursuers. At another time he met two Indians in the woods. He shot the one who had a gun, breaking his back, and fought the other with his bare fists until he overcame him. Meanwhile the Indian with the broken back attempted to prop himself against a tree and train a gun on Joe. After dispatching the Indian with whom he struggled, he barely had time to subdue the other Indian before being shot by him.

JAMES LOGSDON

James Logsdon was born in Ireland, April 2, 1775. Hi mother died when he was very young. His father married again, and “Jimmie” as he was called, was dissatisfied. He wanted to come to America, as his relatives before him had done. At the age of 17, he decided to go to America, but he had no money, he sold himself as an indentured servant to a sea captain who was about to sail for Baltimore, Maryland. After a tedious voyage, the ship arrived in Baltimore. The captain of the ship then sold Jimmie to a planter who lived about 30 miles northwest of Baltimore, near the present town of Westminster. Jimmie was industrious and was treated kindly by his master. When the five years was up, Jimmie became a free man. Near where he worked as a bond servant, there lived a beautiful aubur-haired Irish maiden named Susanna Kelly whom he married in 1799, the year in which George Washington died. To this union was born Lawrence Logsdon (father’s grandfather)., on Feb 7, 1800.

During the war of 1812 Jimmie offered his services to his country, but due to some physical defectwas not accepted by the regular army, but was assigned to duties in Baltimore. When the British attacked Baltimore he aided in its defense.

After the war was over, the Logsdons migrated to Ohio. They traveled in a covered wagon, driving all their stock with them. The suffered many hardships and privations and lived on wild game – deer, bear, etc. which were plentiful. They gathered nuts, wild berries, and fruits from the forests. They wore clothes made of flax, wool, and the skins of wild animals. Their homes were built of logs and had old-fashioned fireplaces in them. Having no matches in those times, they made their fires with flint and steel, and kept a smudge fire burning at all times. On winter nights, the timber wolves would howl outside the cabins and often they would have to fight the bears and wolves away from their cattle and other stock. These folks were devout Christians, and several of the men became ministers connected with the Methodist Church. Lawrence Logsdon, (Jimmie’s oldest son), married Naomi Shaffer March 28, 1822. Emaline Logsdon, their tenth child, was born May 2, 1842. She was our paternal grandmother.