Clay County Feuds: The Whites, The Bakers, and The Rest
No other county in Kentucky (a state notorious for its feuds- Hatfield-McCoy, anyone?) was as bloody as Clay County. An extended feud called the "Cattle War"is thought to have been the reason for forming Clay co in 1806, created so legislators could have more jurisdiction over the area of the so-called "war", which was the headwaters of the three forks of the Kentucky River.
Clay co in early 1800 was also famous for their salt. General Hugh Lowry White was not the first to open a salt works there, but with his slaves, money, and entrepreneurship he certainly conquered the business. Hugh came to what would eventually be known as Clay co in 1804 from Pennsylvania, after his already wealthy older brother James bought bought the Outlaw/Collins Salt Works. Daniel Garrard showed up in 1806, and the two quickly made Goose Creek salt famous.
Hugh not only produced copious amounts of salt; he and wife Catherine Cain also produced a "remarkable family of over-achievers" with their thirteen children. Their sons, grandsons, and even granddaughters were highly motivated both in personal and political works. Son John (1802-1845) was Speaker of the House of Representatives, a grandson, also named John, served two terms in the US House representing Kentucky. Sons Alexander (1799-1883) James (1806-1867) and Daugherty (1812-1875) continued their fathers footsteps in the Salt industry, working alongside Daniel and T T Garrard, becoming some of the most powerful men in the county for decades to come.
Unfortunately, the Baker, White, Howard, and Garrard accomplishments have been overshadowed by their notoriety in famous feuds. In 1844, Clay counties most powerful families found themselves in a generations-long battle. The popular consensus was that Dr. Abner Baker should hang; he killed his brother-in-law, salt works owner Daniel Bates. Oddly enough, he wasn't to be hanged for the killing, no, it was because he held charges against his own wife's family, the powerful Clay co Whites. The Bakers were allied with the Garrards, who held nearly as much power in the Salt Trade as the Whites, which set them both up for quarrel. Before that, the families had clearly worked quite closely together; Hugh's son Daniel Garrard (1819-1909) and grandson Perl Garrard (1870-1948) were both clearly named for the family. Not all the quarreling was between these two families, but the press tended to bring their names into it, seeing as they were the most widely known and powerful in the county.
Eventually the governor got tired of all the general nastiness and sent state militia down to settle the problem once and for all. In 1898 Tom Baker went to trial, with the militia camped out right on the courthouse lawn of the town of Manchester. While Baker was posing for a press photo, he was killed by a sniper from Sheriff Bev White's home, across the street form the courthouse.
From a local Newspaper-
"The story of this battle caused consternation here, notwithstanding the fact that serious trouble has been expected to break out among the mountaineers of Clay county ever since the assassination of Tom Baker several weeks ago. An effort was at once begun to secure deputies to go to the seat of the trouble and attempt to restore quiet, but there had not been enough responses to make up a force that would command respect.
Newark Daily Advocate (Newark, Ohio) Jul 18, 1899"
As more and more players entered the feuding 'battlefield' the White-Garrard Feud becomes the Baker-Howard feud. Over the years it goes steps further; the Garrard, Baker, Webb, McCollum, Philpot, White, Howard, Griffin, Benje, Hall feud.....and for the sake of brevity only finally is just known by Baker-Howard. If legend can be considered truth (and really, can it?) the whole mess started in 1844 over a dog belonging to Daniel Bates. Dr Baker called it a "yellow cur" and that Bates himself was no better than the dog was, Baker killed Bates, Bates' kin called their friends the Howards to help exectute some sort of Kentucky justice, the Howards in turn called the Whites, the Bakers called the Garrards, who then were joined by Webbs, McCollums, and Philpots....who's family was described as "Thicker than Blackberries in June" although after reading that I'm not overly sure if it refers to their numbers or their IQ. At what should have been the end of it all, with Dr Baker finally being hanged, the Bakers and their kin were still unsatisfied, and the feuding lasted nearly another century.
Confused yet? Yep, me too.
The only moral of the story I have gleaned is that rural men will literally fight over anything, and my current genealogy client Ervan White is General Hugh's fourth great grandson. What any of that actually add up to, well, your guess is as good as mine.
Makes for an interesting story though XD
Clay co in early 1800 was also famous for their salt. General Hugh Lowry White was not the first to open a salt works there, but with his slaves, money, and entrepreneurship he certainly conquered the business. Hugh came to what would eventually be known as Clay co in 1804 from Pennsylvania, after his already wealthy older brother James bought bought the Outlaw/Collins Salt Works. Daniel Garrard showed up in 1806, and the two quickly made Goose Creek salt famous.
Hugh not only produced copious amounts of salt; he and wife Catherine Cain also produced a "remarkable family of over-achievers" with their thirteen children. Their sons, grandsons, and even granddaughters were highly motivated both in personal and political works. Son John (1802-1845) was Speaker of the House of Representatives, a grandson, also named John, served two terms in the US House representing Kentucky. Sons Alexander (1799-1883) James (1806-1867) and Daugherty (1812-1875) continued their fathers footsteps in the Salt industry, working alongside Daniel and T T Garrard, becoming some of the most powerful men in the county for decades to come.
Unfortunately, the Baker, White, Howard, and Garrard accomplishments have been overshadowed by their notoriety in famous feuds. In 1844, Clay counties most powerful families found themselves in a generations-long battle. The popular consensus was that Dr. Abner Baker should hang; he killed his brother-in-law, salt works owner Daniel Bates. Oddly enough, he wasn't to be hanged for the killing, no, it was because he held charges against his own wife's family, the powerful Clay co Whites. The Bakers were allied with the Garrards, who held nearly as much power in the Salt Trade as the Whites, which set them both up for quarrel. Before that, the families had clearly worked quite closely together; Hugh's son Daniel Garrard (1819-1909) and grandson Perl Garrard (1870-1948) were both clearly named for the family. Not all the quarreling was between these two families, but the press tended to bring their names into it, seeing as they were the most widely known and powerful in the county.
Eventually the governor got tired of all the general nastiness and sent state militia down to settle the problem once and for all. In 1898 Tom Baker went to trial, with the militia camped out right on the courthouse lawn of the town of Manchester. While Baker was posing for a press photo, he was killed by a sniper from Sheriff Bev White's home, across the street form the courthouse.
From a local Newspaper-
"The story of this battle caused consternation here, notwithstanding the fact that serious trouble has been expected to break out among the mountaineers of Clay county ever since the assassination of Tom Baker several weeks ago. An effort was at once begun to secure deputies to go to the seat of the trouble and attempt to restore quiet, but there had not been enough responses to make up a force that would command respect.
Newark Daily Advocate (Newark, Ohio) Jul 18, 1899"
As more and more players entered the feuding 'battlefield' the White-Garrard Feud becomes the Baker-Howard feud. Over the years it goes steps further; the Garrard, Baker, Webb, McCollum, Philpot, White, Howard, Griffin, Benje, Hall feud.....and for the sake of brevity only finally is just known by Baker-Howard. If legend can be considered truth (and really, can it?) the whole mess started in 1844 over a dog belonging to Daniel Bates. Dr Baker called it a "yellow cur" and that Bates himself was no better than the dog was, Baker killed Bates, Bates' kin called their friends the Howards to help exectute some sort of Kentucky justice, the Howards in turn called the Whites, the Bakers called the Garrards, who then were joined by Webbs, McCollums, and Philpots....who's family was described as "Thicker than Blackberries in June" although after reading that I'm not overly sure if it refers to their numbers or their IQ. At what should have been the end of it all, with Dr Baker finally being hanged, the Bakers and their kin were still unsatisfied, and the feuding lasted nearly another century.
Confused yet? Yep, me too.
The only moral of the story I have gleaned is that rural men will literally fight over anything, and my current genealogy client Ervan White is General Hugh's fourth great grandson. What any of that actually add up to, well, your guess is as good as mine.
Makes for an interesting story though XD
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