Cartersville

By 1827, geographical boundaries of this closely-knit community were already being established, with Clay Lick on the North, Steamhill Branch and the new town of Williamstown on the South, Clarks Creek on the West, and the Covington to Lexington Turnpike (later U.S. 25) on the East. The people of the area had the pioneer ethics of valuing the home with hard work for it, valuing education as an avenue to a good life for their children, and valuing good neighborhood relationships for working and socializing together.

Roads were strongly recognized as a need for access to the mills and to Williamstown. The name of the road to the mill on the western side was changed from Ruddles & Marksberry's Mill Road in 1827 to Ruddles Mill Road in 1829, to Baton Rouge Mill Road in 1832, with variations until 1839. Working on the 15-foot-wide road in 1828 were the hands on the following lands: "beginning at the ridge meeting house, thence down the Clay Lick Branch to Clarks Creek, thence up said branch to Widow Pierce's house, then down the road to the beginning, and also Henry Childres and Thos. Nix and their hands". These landowners who, in court records of the 1827 to 1838 period, showed their deep interest in roads by being road commissioners, road surveyors, or by asking for alterations of the route through their property were Elijah Billiter, Henry Childres, James Childres, Joshua Childres, Wesley Childers, Wm. Coonrad, Martin Draper, Lewis Gregory, Thomas Nix, Joseph Jump, John Marksberry, T. J. McGinnis, R. F. Nicholson, Amos G. Phillips, Wm. P. Reed, Edmond Simpson, and John Thomas. In December 1835, George Williams applied for another road (Steammill Road) "to run from the Withers Mill Road, one mile below the steam mill, to intersect the Battan Rouge Road near Edmond Simpson's". Laying out this road were Nelson Coleman, Edmond Simpson, Bennett Williams, and John Williams.

In the 1873 to March 1877 period, the surveyors of the Steammill Road were listed as Thompson Barnes, Wm. Barnes, Wesley Billiter, and Joseph Evans, while other residents working on the road were Louis Allen, Wm. Anglin, Albert Barnes, Jacob Barnes, Lewis Barnes, Reuben Barnes, BEn Barnett, E. Boys, Orlando Boys, T. Boys, James Carter, Charles Childers, John Childers, W. H. Childers, Demetrius Clay, James Clay, Wm. Clay, Thos. Clay, Wm. Creighton, Wm. Creighton Sr., Jackson Nuxall, Lewis Giltner, Sinclair harrison, Wm. Harrison, Bos. Landrum, Lewis (colored), Jas. H. Oneal, John Rose, James Wallace, and John Wallace. By 1881 Steammill Branch Road had become known as Barnes Road, because of the many families (all descended from 1845 Harrison County emigrant Charles Wesley Barnes and his two wives, Gooley Conrad and Emily Barnes) of that name along the road.In December 1898, an attempt was made by Turnpike President J. H. Webb to change the name of the road to "Williamstown & Clarks Creek Turnpike", as he paid Joe Evans $198 for the road running "from a point in the Old Covington and Lexington Turnpike Road a little north of where J. P. Webb formerly resided, running thence in a westerly direction along the farms of G. W. Yancey and J. H. Webb, thence on by the farm of D. S. Clay, by the residence of Joe Evans, and running out and ending at a point in front of the residence of Thompson Barnes, same being 2 and 7/8 miles in length".

Although the first Rural Free Delivery of mail started nationally in 1896, it was in 1906 when the first delivery of mail by rural carrier James Blain came to Barnes Road. There was much excitement associated with the wonder of each family having mail to arrive at the road in front of the property, and in providing a suitable mailbox. On December 3, 1917, Cartersville native Bryan Barnes took over Williamstown Route 4, which included Barnes, Baton Rouge, and Stewartsville Roads, and thoroughly enjoyed delivering their mail and associating with them for 48-3/4 years, by horseback, buggy, and cars. When the snow was too deep for a car, he went by horseback or he helped to clear the road with a two-team "snowplow" of logs. He and Noah Barnes used this to clear Barnes Road after the big 1918 snowstorm.

Education, free to all, was a desired goal from 1838, when public "common" schools were formed in the county. The records preserved for this year show that in 1814, there was school held at the Ridge Meeting House, and in 1838 there was a schoolhouse on the Withers Mill Road "near the steam mill".

In 1856, Baltos Giltner/Guiltner, a diligent German-American who came to the U. S. in 1839 and was naturalized in Grant County in 1853, and his wife Nancy Damrel Giltner deeded, for $1.00, one-half acre "where the Steam Mill Road crosses our northern boundary, for the use of a common school and for the purpose of religious meetings by any denominations, so long as there is school kept therein" to School District #11, whose trustees at that time were Elijah Billiter, Wm. R. Parish, and Silas Childers. Although no record of 1838-1893 school children remains, it is known that the Giltners had 6 children, and that the 13 children and over 40 grandchildren of Charles Wesley Barnes attended school in this district.

In 1882, when Baltos Giltner's 161 acres of land adjoining the School House site was divided for heirs, the excellent surveyors left us a good picture of the Heart-of-Cartersville area, on the map. Those thoughtful surveyors not only identified the heirs, but also created for them a "Pass Way" through which every lot could have access to Barnes Road. Also named were adjoining landowners, and trees at corners of lots. Perhaps they also knew of the famous nearby Popular Tree, 9 feet in diameter at its 1831 cutting beside the Ridge Meeting House on the Dry Ridge, according to an 1887 History of Kentucky.

Starting in 1884, the Grant County School Superintendent began to preserve some records for individual districts, including #11. In 1884-85, Chairman of Trustees was listed as Samuel Dills and the teacher was Nellie Sheriff. ON June 10, 1885, Trustees, appointed to serve one, two, or three years, were Wm. Barnes, Thos. Barnes, and T. E. Carter. In 1885-86, Chairman of Trustees was Thos. Barnes, and the teacher was J. H. Limerick. For 1887-88, Chairman of Trustees was T. E. Carter and the teacher was J. M. Flege. On July 11, 1888, #11 "trustees held a special meeting for the purpose of levying a tax, and did levy a tax on each $100 for the year 1888, to be used to finish the payment of the School House debt in said district." At this time there was a local debt of $113.23 on which the trustees had been paying $2.68 in interest each year. In 1888-89, Chairman of Trustees was J. M. Simpson, and teacher was J. A. Tomlin. For 1888-90, Chairman of Trustees was listed as Sam Dills, and teacher was W. S. Steers. For 1890-91, Chairman of Trustees was listed as J. H. Clay, and teacher was Sudie Lafferty.

In August 1891 Courier, we find the first printed mention of the word "Cartersville" in a notice stating that "Cartersville Sunday School is in flourishing condition under the superintendentship of Miss Ida Skirvin". After this, the area name was often headlined in print.

Judging by the large number (ten) of schools available with 19 square miles, these people had been diligent and far-sighted in providing ample opportunities for basic literacy for all children. Although the nearby Webb Academy was available from 1874, and the nearby Williamstown High School was available from 1890, only a few of them took advantage of this extra education. Their work was needed on the farms, and the daily traveling, by horseback, for an education which was considered to be unnecessary for running a farm, imposed extra problems. The first census of school children was taken in 1894.

With the school census of 1898-99, which had the additional information of postoffice addresses, it can be noted that the school families of this area called for their mail in four different communities: two families (Henry Hoffman and T. E. Carter) at Delia, four families (E. J. Calendar, Lewis Giltner, Robert Ingram, and Louisa Nuxall) at Stewartsville, six families (Thompson Barnes, Wm. Barnes, John Baker, Wesley Billiter, Dan Brewer, John Nuxall) at Williamstown, and the other sixteen families at Dry Ridge. Lenore Baker (Martin) remembered gratefully that, c1899, "George Barnes was always the one who kindly helped us little ones to cross the Branch after we had walked through the Barns property to school."  In the census of 1898-99, with Wm. Barnes as Chairman of Trustees, the custom of recording completed birthdates for each child was started. Many years later, this provided a birth record, acceptable to the Social Security Administration.

From a census of 94 children in 1894, there was a population drop to 42 in 1911-12, when Ida Mae Stanley (Lowe) was the teacher. In 1912-15, Oscar Daugherty was the Trustee and Elizabeth Simpson (Neal) was the teacher.

In 1915-16, a re-districting brought Cartersville resident Noah Barnes into Trusteeship in the nearby Hopewell School District, where he was paid $.05 per student for taking the school census, and where Stella Roedeger (Barnes) became the teacher. For 1915-16 at Cartersville, the first two months of the term was taught by B. H. Franks, and the last four months by Bryan Barnes. This was the last year for the School House site near Williams Branch. In July 1916, the County Board purchased a 1-1/2 acre lot "on Baton Rouge Pike" from T. J. Lawrence and his wife for $145.

After this, some of the teachers were Stella Hoffman, Verdie Mitts (Kenner), Gladys Kingsley, Effie Hazelwood, Anna Conrad (Caudill) c1922, Naomi Caldwell (Wilhoit), Christine Caldwell, Evelyn Brumback (Wilson) c1925, Beatrice Caldwell (Lea), Elizabeth Florence (Milner/Morris), Lois Goodman, marion Crowe, Walter Dills, and Pauline McCormick (Lanter). A Trustee, c1921, was L. R. MCClanahan.

In Spring 1940 the Cartersville School closed for the last time. The children and their families transferred their loyalties either to the Dry Ridge or Williamstown school and communities. The 1.45 acres school lot, bordering John R. Rymer, sold for $500 to L. R. McClanahan in April 1941.

Work activities kept Cartersville residents busy six days per week. One of the earliest home businesses in the area was the 1817 tannery established by Harrison County native William Conrad on Clay Lick. In 1821 a tavern was licensed by William Pierce on his land on Williams Branch and the Turnpike. By 1827 there was a Markesberry's and Ruddles Mill, which was still in operation when German emigrant John F. Flege arrived in the county and worked in the mill while learning to speak English. By 1835, William Arnold's Steammill provided another convenience, and Wm. P. Reed was a constable for the  area. In 1843 Boltas Giltner, a blacksmith, was furnishing "ankle irons" for the county jail. In 1849, William Boner made application for a water gristmill on the south side of Williams Branch.

As the pioneers arrived on the virgin land, each family must clear the land and build a house from what was available. In 1873, one family built, on the ridge instead of on the bottom land, the usual dogtrot style log house, with two chimneys (one of brick and one of stone).

By the 1880, Thompson Barnes was busy constructing a sawmill which used water from the Branch to produce steam which ran the engine. By the 1890's, as Thompson Barnes and his sons were very interested in more movable equipment, he obtained a Garr-Scott tractor (made in Richmond, Indiana), and used it to power his sawmill, which could now be moved to different sites. In 1901, the County Court paid him $31.20 for sawing 7800 feet of lumber on the Poor Farm. The poorhouse had been established on the Barnes Road in 1898, with 150 acres and buildings worth $7000. The farm was run on a cooperative plan, with everything belonging to the county. In the 1930s, Noah and maude Clark Barnes, with occasional help from a daughter, Emma Barnes McClain, managed the farm and clients, some of whom lived in one room cabins in back of the house. In the 1940s, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Gouge was there. In the 1950s, just before it closed, Alton and Ruth Hardin Woodyard managed it.

In the mid 1890s, Thompson Barnes also used his tractor in taking his clover huller and threshing machine to Cartersville neighbors at harvesting time. In 1906, his son Chester Barnes took over the family business of running mechanical equipment for neighbors.

Another traveler on the roads in the mid 1890s was huckster, Willis Florence, who brought his needles, threads, and other goods from Covington, and bought eggs and chickens for the women farmers and squirrel skins from enterprising boys. In 1898, when mary E. Barnes wanted one of the new sewing machines, that mechanical item, too, was obtained for her (for the price of a calf), and it was treated wit h care and preserved for four generations. The women still made their quilts by hand, particularly for wedding gifts to sons and daughters.

Although they learned from their families how to work efficiently, the land would not support all the children born and educated on it. The second and third generations began looking elsewhere. Albert (Doc) Barnes found good land in Indiana; Reuben Barnes found good land in Kansas; Clay Barnes found a good job using his mechanical knowledge in Ohio, and others moved to towns and cities for new kinds of business opportunities.

Many Cartersville families, following a local 19th century custom, made family burials on the family farm. Marked tombstones have survived in this area for the families of Barnes, Billiter, Clay, and Conrad.

History of Grant County, John B. Conrad, Editor
Published by the Grant County Historical Society, Williamstown, Ky.
Article by Betty Barnes, 1992.

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