A TIMELINE OF EVENTS FROM 1775-1975 |
1775 |
Captain William
Twetty is killed by Indians while in the company of thirty axemen cutting the Wilderness
Road. He is buried inside the walls of a fort named in his honor, the first such structure
in the area that will become Kentucky. |
1778 |
Siege of Boonesborough by a mixed force of British soldiers, irregulars, and
Indians is repulsed, securing the western frontier from British domination. |
1782 |
At the Battle of
Blue Licks, the last Revolutionary War battle fought in Kentucky (August 19), 180
Kentuckians are lured into an ambush by a mixed force of nearly 1,000 Indians, British
regulars, and irregulars. Seventy-two Kentuckians, nearly half their number, are killed in
the ambush. One is Daniel Boone's son, Isaac. The British and Indian victors lose three
men in the contest. |
| 1782-1792 |
Bounty
lands provided by Virginia to its war veterans are located in the area that will one day
become the state of Kentucky (1782-1792). Virginia cedes the area known as Kentucky County
to the federal government, which agrees to assume responsibility for pension and bounty
land claims of Virginia Revolutionary War veterans. Jefferson, Lincoln, and Fayette
Counties are formed from Kentucky County. |
| 1792 |
The State of Kentucky
is formed from Kentucky County, an area which had been part of Virginia. John Adair of
Shelby County is first governor. Bounty lands provided to Virginia war veterans after this
date are located in an area known as the Virginia Military District of Ohio. |
| 1795 |
Numerous
Kentucky county courthouses fall victim to fires, floods, tornadoes, or wars, including
the Washington County Courthouse in this year and again in 1814. |
| 1812-1815 |
Many members of the
Kentucky militia serve as soldiers in the War of 1812. The Military Records and Research
Branch in Frankfort maintain records of men serving in the Kentucky militia, 1792-present. |
| 1850 |
The 1850
and 1860 Slave Schedules enumerate the state's slave population, but generally provide
only name of the slaveholder, not names of slaves in the household. |
| 1852 |
Birth and death
records are kept by some Kentucky counties during this time period. These records include
free persons and slaves. Birth records of slaves were required to record only the mother's
name; both birth and death records of slaves record name of the owner. |
| 1855 |
Widespread
anti-Catholic and anti-foreign sentiment leads to the Bloody Monday Election Riot on
August 6, 1855, in Louisville. |
| 1860 |
Ninety-five percent
of Kentucky's black population are slaves. Free blacks prior to 1865 generally lived in
Kentucky's urban areas. Twenty- seven thousand residents of Kentucky are German-born.
Total Kentucky population is 1.15 million. |
| 1861 |
Kentucky
declares itself neutral at start of the Civil War. Many Kentuckians enlisting in the Union
Army in June-September 1861 cross over to Indiana or Ohio to do so. Recruiting for
Kentucky Union regiments begins in October. The 6th Kentucky Infantry Regiment includes
many German-born Kentuckians from Louisville. Many of these speak only German, so commands
are given in that language. The 4th Kentucky Cavalry Regiment includes three companies
composed primarily of German-born Kentuckians. |
| 1862 |
The Battle of
Perryville (October 8) is decided in favor of the Union when the Army of the Ohio defeats
the Confederate invasion force under General Braxton Bragg. Louisville Military Prison
serves as the primary confinement point for prisoners of war and civilian prisoners held
in Kentucky. Many long-term confinees were shipped from this prison to facilities in Ohio,
Indiana, and Illinois. |
| 1863-1865 |
More than
23,000 Kentucky blacks serve in the Union Army. Some Kentucky counties maintained lists of
slaves who entered the Union Army. |
| 1865 |
Approximately 75,000
Kentuckians serve in the Union Army. An additional 12,000 men serve in the state militia
and in irregular units. An estimated 25,000-40,000 Kentuckians serve in the Confederate
army. |
| 1866 |
Information
sources for many Kentucky black persons prior to this time reflect the fact that the vast
majority of such persons prior to 1865 were slaves. German-born Philipp Tomppert is
elected mayor of Louisville. |
| 1867 |
Some former
Confederate soldiers and politicians must apply for presidential pardons (1865-1867) in
order to have their rights of citizenship restored. |
| 1883 |
Advances
in transportation and public utilities are showcased in the Southern Exposition held at
Louisville. |
| 1890 |
Census of Union
veterans and their widows is taken. Confederate veterans were sometimes accidentally
enumerated in this census. |
| 1894 |
Kentucky
women are allowed to vote in school elections in some municipalities. The law allowing
this is repealed in 1902. |
| 1902 |
The Confederate
Veterans Home in Oldham County is established by act of the Kentucky General Assembly. |
| 1904 |
So-called
"Day Law" (named for Carl Day, state representative from Breathitt County)
prohibits whites and blacks from attending the same schools. |
| 1908 |
The U.S. Supreme
Court upholds the "Day Law," which remains in force until 1950, when the
Kentucky General Assembly amends the law. |
| 1910 |
The 1910
Federal Census denotes whether man is a Union or Confederate veteran with a "U"
or a "C" in the appropriate column. |
| 1911 |
An index for Kentucky
deaths, 1911-1992, is available at http://ukcc.uky.edu/~vitalrec/. Copies of birth and
death records 1911-present are available from the Office of Vital Statistics in Frankfort. |
| 1912 |
The last
of Kentucky's 120 counties is formed from parts of Pulaski, Wayne, and Whitley Counties.
The federal government compiles a register of burial sites of Confederate POWs. A majority
of Kentucky Confederates listed in this register are in cemeteries in Kentucky, Ohio,
Indiana, and Illinois. Confederate Pension Act is approved by the Kentucky General
Assembly. |
| 1915 |
The Adjutant General
is directed by the Kentucky General Assembly to compile "all the data obtainable
concerning the different organizations who enlisted or served in the Army of the
Confederate States in the War of the Rebellion." The Adjutant General's two-volume
report is published. |
| 1941-1945 |
4,526
Kentucky members of the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Air Corps are killed during World War II. |
| 1950-1953 |
2,055 Kentucky
members of the U.S. Army are killed in Korea. |
| 1961-1975 |
1,037
Kentucky soldiers, sailors, and airmen are killed in Vietnam. |
