• Homepage

Early Life of Lexington Before the Year 1820

By Mary Estelle Delcamp

A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Transylvania College in Candidacy for the Degree of Master of Arts, June, 1916

This thesis treats of the early life of Lexington before the year, 1820. Except in a very few instances, my information has been drawn from the files of the Kentucky Gazette. Any footnote reference designated merely by the date, refers to the Gazette issue of that date.

I do not claim that this work is exhaustive, even in respect to the various subjects of which it treats; nor do I attempt to settle any disputed questions over the location of famous places. It has been my purpose simply to reconstruct the political, economic, educational, social, and religious life of the people so far as my sources would permit.

In order to put the reader more in sympathy with the spirit of that period, generous use has been made of the phraseology of the time. Much of this has been indicated by the use of quotation marks, but a great deal of the adaptation does not lend itself easily to such patent indication.

If at times through inadvertence the spelling of proper names varies, the reader will please bear in mind that the Gazette itself is not consistent in this respect. For instance, the name, Macbean, is spelled in three ways: Macbean, MacBean, M'Bean; Postlethwait is spelled with or without a final ‘e.’ This may have occasioned lack of uniformity at times in the following pages.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Preliminary Survey PART ONE: GOVERNMENTAL Chap. 1 - The Local Government Chap. 2 - The Law Courts and Crime Chap. 3 - Military Organisations PART TWO: ECONOMIC Chap. 1 - Agriculture and Markets Chap. 2 - Factories and Products Chap. 3 - Stores and Merchants Chap. 4 - Trades and Professions Chap. 5 - Taverns and Stage Coach Lines Chap. 6 - Fires and Fire Fighting PART THREE: EDUCATIONAL Chap. 1 - Educational Institutions Chap. 2 - Educational Societies and Lecture Courses Chap. 3 - The Library Chap. 4 - Publications PART FOUR: SOCIAL Chap. 1 - Social Life Chap. 2 - National Holidays Chap. 3 - Various Organisations Chap. 4 - The Theater Chap. 5 - Other Forms of Amusement Chap. 6 - Horse Racing PART FIVE: RELIGIOUS Chap. 1 - Churches Chap. 2 - Religious Organisations and Publications APPENDICES Appendix A: Merchants Appendix B: Tavern Keepers Appendix C: Schools Appendix D: Dancing Masters

Transcribed by P. Brinegar.

Updated January 14, 2026.

Homepage   Top