The first comers into the Fruit Hill Precinct whose names can now be recalled came, pretty generally, from the Carolinas also, and a few from Georgia and Virginia about the year 1800. There were others doubtless who came earlier, but their names have been buried with them, and are lost to the pages of history. Thomas Barnett came either from Georgia or one of the Carolinas about the beginning of the century, and opened up a farm on the Hopkinsville & Greenville road, near where the Pleasant Hill Church stands. The last elk seen in Christian is supposed to have died on his place. Jerome Harned now owns the old place. About three miles north of Barnett’s, near the head waters of Little Caney, is the old Mathew Wilson farm, now owned by his son James, and which was also settled about the same time. The Wilsons came from one of the Carolinas.
Col. James Robinson and his brothers Abner and Green Robinson were long prominent citizens of this part of the county, and came from North Carolina. The Colonel was in the war of 1812, and commanded a regiment at the battle of New Orleans under Gen. Adair. He was a brave, quiet man, low and compact in figure, and very strong. He had a memorable fist encounter with one Wilkins, who is said to have been badly worsted by his antagonist. Green, the younger brother, moved to Illinois, and was killed in the Black Hawk war. Abner married Nancy Duty, was a good farmer, and a successful stock-raiser. He bred fine horses and took them to Lexington, where he disposed of them at a fine profit, and by this means helped to pay for the large tract of land he had purchased. He would labor on his farm all day, and at night go two miles to Blue Lick and kill deer for the family. The father of these brothers was James Robinson, who came in 1788. He is written up in a preceding chapter. There were three daughters also-Patsy, Mahala and Nancy. The first married McFarland, the second Hugh Wilkins, and Nancy was killed by the falling limb of a tree when a child. The Meachams, John, Andrew, Willis, Edmund and Wyatt, five brothers from one of the Carolinas, came also before or with the dawn of the nineteenth century, all settling in the same neighborhood on the Blue Lick of Pond River. They were Calvinistic or Hard-shell Baptists, and two of the brothers were preachers of that faith. John Spurlin, Quentin Stewart, a millwright, Rayford Petty and Matthew Wilson were also among the early pioneers. The latter was the father of James, Lemuel, William and John Wilson. The names of many of these old people, as the names of many others who came after them, are still preserved in their descendants, and their memories will ever be revered as the avants couriers of the present civilization.
My 2x great grandmother, Emily Lacy, is said to have been born in Fruit Hill, Christian County, Kentuck in 1818. Her parents were George Washington Lacy and Sarah Myers. She was the oldest to 13 children born to them in Christian County. Sometime between 1839 and 1846, the family had moved on to Missouri where Emily married my 2x great grandfather Edwin Pyle, who was also born in Christian County, Kentucky. I have been unable to find any records of either family in Christian County. Any suggestions as to where I should be looking?
I think I may have something to contribute here although I can’t be certain it is all 100% accurate. It is just family record keeping: A man by the name of George W Barnes came to this country in the 1760’s era from The Armagh Province in Northern Ireland, though I t could have been sooner because he was born ~1748. He enlisted in and fought in the Revolutionary War and afterwards moved his family to KY via the Cumberland Gap . On the way there, the group of travelers were attacked by natives in a battle called The Battle Of Defeated Camp—Two of the Barnes children (Robert and George) were carried away by the natives and 3 of the children survived. They were William (Billy), Annie and Betsy. The Barnes family later settled in the section of North Christian County in an area located behind Fruit Hill. Upon arrival there William built a log house (in the late 1790’s) which still stands today. William married Elizabeth Meyers who was from Lancaster County, PA and they bore 13 children that lived, (some records show that 15 were born). Nison W. Barnes was the 13th child born of this marriage and he married Kissandra A. Henderson and they bore 5 children: Susan F., George W., Ulyses S., Virginia and Melvina.
I have more Barnes family tree info starting at that particular generation, but won’t dive in here as it is a rather dense list of names.