Conrad Family

Henry Coonrad, or Conrad, born circa 1740, believed to be a native of the Palatine province of Germany, and his wife Elizabeth (maiden name unknown) moved, according to family history, from the vicinity of Hagerstown, Maryland, to Harrison County, Kentucky, about 1795. He was preceded into Kentucky when it was still part of Virginia by a brother, William Conrad, in 1790-91. The earliest record of a purchase of land in Kentucky by Henry is a deed executed September 6, 1798 conveying to "...Henry Coonrad of the County of Harrison and Commonwealth of Kentucky... land lying and being in the County of Harrison on the waters of Twin Creek..." This deed was recorded in (Deed Book 1, pp. 378-379) at the Harrison County September Court Quarter Session, 1798. Henry was in Harrison County for some time prior to the writing of this deed, as one daughter married in Harrison County in 1796 and another daughter and a son were married in Harrison County in 1797. Henry Conrad died in Harrison County in 1801-02. At the February 1802 term of the Harrison County Court, Henry's widow Elizabeth and son Isaac were appointed (Record Book A, p.271) administrator of his estate.

Children of Henry and Elizabeth Coonrad (Conrad):
1. Henry Jr., born circa 1771, died circa 1828 in Fleming County, Kentucky; married Nancy Goddard.

2. Peggy (Raga), born circa 1768, died 1822 in Fayette County, Kentucky, married Henry Chandler, son of Susannah Chandler, on February 2, 1795 in Harrison County; survived by at least one daughter and one son, possibly two sons.

3. Isaac, born August 25, 1770 in Virginia or Pennsylvania, died March 11, 1850 in Harrison County, married Margaret Lemmon, daughter of Jacob Lemmon, on February 20, 1797 in Harrison County, survived by five sons and one daughter.

4. Catherine (Catey or Kitty), born circa 1772, died circa 1820 in Harrison County, married Jacob Lemmon on January 24, 1797 in Harrison County. A license was issued for her later marriage to James Garton in Harrison County, Kentucky, on January 10, 1805. Survived by one Lemmon son, three Garton sons and two Garton daughters.

5. Jacob, born circa 1774, died 1833 in Harrison County; married Catey Coleman, daughter of John Coleman on January 1, 1799 in Harrison County; survived by eight sons.

6. Joseph, born circa 1776, was residing in Fayette County, Kentucky, in 1806; married Barbara Baler on July 1, 1801 in Harrison County; survivors are unknown.

7. Abraham, born circa 1778, died circa 1840 in Crawford County, Illinois; married Rachel Johnson, daughter of John Johnson in Montgomery County, Kentucky, survived by at least two sons.

Children of Isaac and Margaret Lemmon Conrad, all born in Harrison County, Ky.
1. William, born December 6, 1797 in Harrison County, Kentucky; died in Grant County, Kentucky, married his first cousin Elizabeth Boyers, daughter of Jacob and Dorothy Lemmon Boyers, September 11, 1817; survived by survived by two sons and heirs of three other sons.

2. Henry, born October 31, 1799, died in Boone County, Kentucky, May 26, 1880; married Gooley Todd, daughter of Captain Samuel Todd, November 29, 1821, and Jane Adiman October 8, 1863, and Jane Berry November 7, 1867; survived by three sons and the heirs of a daughter.

3. Elizabeth, born January 12, 1802, died in Harrison County, Kentucky, September 19, 1875; married her first cousin Henry Eckler, son of Jacob and Hannah Lemmon Eckler, September 25, 1819; survived by three sons, the heirs of a fourth son, and two daughters.

4. Thompson, born March 18, 1804, died in Harrison County, Kentucky, April 29, 1863; married his first cousin Catherine Eckler, daughter of Jacob and Susannah Lemmon Eckler, September 19, 1822; survived by one son, four daughters and the heirs of a fifth daughter.

5. Milly, born September 10, 1806, died May 2, 1814 in Harrison County, Kentucky. No survivors.

6. Isaac, born April 6, 1809, died in Grant County, Kentucky, April 13, 1834; married Jane Stewart, daughter of Annanias Stewart, September 5, 1831; survived by one daughter.

7. Jackson (John), born November 3, 1822, died in Harrison County, Kentucky in 1907; married Polly Hutcherson, daughter of John Matthew Hutcherson; survived by two sons and one daughter.

Elder William and Elizabeth (Boyers) Conrad:
William Conrad was born December 6, 1797 in Harrison County, Kentucky, the son of Isaac and Margaret Lemmon Conrad. William married his first cousin, Elizabeth Boyers, September 11, 1817, the daughter of Jacob and Dorothy Lemmon Boyers. William died March 13, 1882 and, his wife, Elizabeth, died October 27, 1882. Their children: Isaac B., Jacob S., William G., Esau H. and Joel M.

Elder William Conrad was a multi-faceted and versatile man: Old Baptist minister, theologian, farmer, tanner, lay physician, and writer. As a young boy, he was raised on stories of Indian attacks and witnessed various aspects of frontier life, the earthquake of 1811, and quaint marriage customs. Most of all, he gained an appreciation for honesty in all matters. As a young man at the height of his career, he pastored four churches simultaneously, operated a tannery, built one of the first brick home in Grant County (Baton Rouge Road), farmed over 1,000 acres of land with his five sons and seven slaves, and dispensed homemade remedies free of charge to ailing neighbors and friends.

Preaching the Gospel was the focal point of his life. In 1826 he was instrumental in reorganizing the Old Baptist Church of Christ on the Dryridge as the Williamstown Church of Christ, Particular Baptist. Thus he soon became one of the last of the old circuit-riding preachers who rode many miles on horseback to preach one Sunday each month to the scattered congregations at Williamstown, Ray's Fork (Scott County), Twin Creek (Harrison County), and Fork Lick (Grant County). Later in life he also found time to make several preaching tours into frontier territory and to publish a book on theology. At no time would he accept compensation for his preaching.

Elder William Conrad also kept abreast of early 19th century politics. Declining many entreaties to run for public office, he nevertheless denounced many of the corrupt practices of that time. He was a personal friend of the abolitionist, Cassisus M. Clay, although the two men radically disagreed over slavery. Elder Conrad believed that Blacks and Indians were included among the Elect of God and were to be treated kindly, as should all brethren.

As a peacemaker, Elder Conrad believed Kentucky should portray the role of mediator when Civil War erupted between the North and the South. His refusal to unconditionally support the North led to much personal grief and persecution. At the age of 67, he was arrested as a "dangerous" Confederate sympathizer and was incarcerated by the federal army in a Louisville prison. He also witnessed the sorrow of his three older sons being sent into exile for the duration of the Civil War because of alleged Confederate sympathies.

In his later years, Elder Conrad mourned the death of three of his five sons, as well as his contemporaries. After 54 years of service, he finally resigned his first and last pastorate, the Church at Williamstown, due to failing health. He was truly a "last leaf of summer;" his life having spanned the time between the pioneer period and the late Victorian era. He had witnessed the transformation of a nation from buckskins and deer rifles to an industrial power of steel and steam. He had fought the good fight and gained the victory

Children of Elder William Conrad and Elizabeth Boyers:
1. Isaac Boyers Conrad was born July 28, 1818 in Grant County, Kentucky. He was reared on a farm and chose farming as an occupation. He owned 1,248 acres of land, and although often solicited, was never in office except a subordinate office in the militia under the old law. On November 5, 1840, he married Elizabeth H. Conyers, daughter of Jesse and Nancy Childers Conyers. Jesse Conyers, a native of Pendleton County, died November 12, 1869. Mrs. Isaac B. Conrad was born November 25, 1824, and was a member of the Baptist Church. Isaac B. joined his parents' church,the Williamstown Church of Christ, Particular Baptist, in 1842 and was made a deacon in 1859. He was a staunch supporter of the church and the Democratic Party. He died March 29, 1889 in Grant County, aged 70 years, 8 months, and 1 day. His wife, Elizabeth, died December 9, 1891, also in Grant County. They are buried in Elder William Conrad Family Graveyard in Grant County.

2. Jacob Seldon Conrad was born May 12, 1820 in Grant County, Kentucky. He was an extensive farm and slave owner, maintaining his home farm on what was then the Conrad Road and is now the Dry Ridge-Mt. Zion Road in Grant County, Kentucky; his neighbors being two of his brothers, Isaac B. and William G. Jacob S. Conrad was imprisoned by the federal authorities in 1864 because of Confederate sympathies and was released upon the payment of a large fine. He was then "exiled" from Kentucky along with his brothers, Isaac B. and William G., and his nephew, Isaac N. Conrad (of military age) to Iowa, where they performed farm work, under penalty of death if they returned to Kentucky without permission of federal authorities. Permission to return was subsequently granted in February 1865. Jacob S. was a member of the Williamstown Church of Christ, Particular Baptist, which he joined in 1842, serving as a trustee of the church from 1855 until his death. His first wife, Eliza Renaker, born June 28, 1824 in Harrison County and who died March 18, 1860, was the mother of eight children. His second wife, Catherine Renaker, was born January 6, 1840 in Harrison County, Kentucky and was the mother of the two youngest children. After Jacob S. Conrad's death, she married Elijah Northcutt on November 24, 1885. She died July 1, 1903. Children: Elizabeth, John, William, Katherine, mary, Clay, Alice, Adam, Effie and Robert L.

3. William Glascock Conrad was born March 14, 1825 in Grant County, Kentucky. He married July 29, 1847, Lucinda Hedger, daughter of Jacob C. and Sarah (Darrough) Hedger. William G. was a prosperous farmer living on what was then the Conrad Road, which has since been extended and is now known as the Dry Ridge-Mt. Zion Road. He was the only one of Elder William Conrad's five sons to enter politics, the family being Whigs until the 1850's; and upon approach of the Civil War, they all became Democrats. At the time of his death in 1873, William G. was serving as representative in the Kentucky Legislature from the counties of Gallatin and Grant. A community in Pulaski County was incorporated by an act of the legislature under the name "Conrad." William G. intended for the town to be named in honor of is father, Elder William Conrad; but some sources state it was named for William G. himself. Although his wife, Lucinda Hedge Conrad, was a member of the Williamstown Church of Christ, Particular Baptist, William G., who had often expressed a desire to join the same church, had not done so. When he was dying of pneumonia at his home, it is said he gasped a request to his father, Elder William Conrad, to baptize him in the horse trough. His father consoled him, telling him that baptism was not a prerequisite of salvation; that if William G. was one of God's Elect (and he felt sure he was), his place in Heaven was assured, whether he was baptized or not. Children: Thomas J., Sarah E., Julia, John C. B., Mary B., and Worthington.

4. Esau Henry Conrad was born December 2, 1827 in Grant County, Kentucky, and died in Grant County July 29, 1891. He married March 13, 1854, Huldah Beach, daughter of Addison and Polly (Franks) Beach, natives of Kentucky, but of German descent.. E. H. Conrad always followed farming as an occupation. He owns 385 acres of land on the Lexington and Covington pike, two miles from Williamstown. He was county and also State treasurer of the Grange at one time. Mrs. Huldah Conrad was born February 10, 1837; a member of the New School Baptist church.

5. Joel Morehead Conrad was born January 17, 1830 in Grant County, Kentucky. He married Nancy Darrough, daughter of John and Sidney (Redd) Darrough. Joel M. was name after the Old School Baptist preacher, Elder Joel Morehead, whom Elder William Conrad thought so much of. Elder William Conrad had reserved half (about 350 acres) of his home farm for Joel M., Joel M. elected, however, to choose other land owned by his older brother, Isaac B., to whom he traded the land reserved for him. Like all his brothers, Joel M. chose farming as his principal occupation. He was recognized by his contemporaries as having one of the cleanest farms in Grant County.  Both Joel M. and his wife, Nancy, (born November 29, 1835); died October 31, 1878, and are buried in the Conrad family cemetery on the Baton Roughe Pike, Grant County, as are all his brothers and their wives. Nancy Darrough Conrad's father was born September 23, 1802; her mother was born May 6, 1806, and they were married December 9, 1824. Children: Sidney, Emma, Henry C. Jefferson D., Edgar S. and Arthur W.

Descendants of Elder William
and Elizabeth Boyers Conrad
Compiled by John B. Conrad, 1980
Used with permission.

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