Page 8 - The CRAIG family

before the 1900 census. Per Larry Craig of Charlestown, it is said that Thomas Newton died while visiting family during a small pox epidemic that hit Jefferson and Clark County’s in Indiana. He is alleged to be buried in East Bend Cemetery in Big Bone Lick, KY His wife, Jane and their 2 children continued to live in Indiana until she died.
The oldest son, Jacob “Jake” was born in Veevay, Switzerland County, Indiana in 1847. After his father William died and his mother married John Horton in 1857, he moved with his mother and brother to Boone County, Ky. On October 14, 1864 he enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War. The veteran’s records in Washington show that Jacob was 18 years old when he enlisted. He was a bugler who played revelries and battle charges for the troops. His discharge papers show him as a musician. He was mustered out of service on September 19, 1865 in Louisville. Jake’s discharge papers describe him as 5’3” tall with fair complexion, hazel eyes and light hair.
When Jake returned from the war, he married Inez Marcellen Horton, his stepsister whom he had lived with in his childhood. Jake and his family lived on a shanty boat (house boat) for many years. They docked their boat at Hamilton, near Rabbit Hash, KY and at East Bend and Big Bone Lick, KY at various times. His mother Dove lived on the boat with him after her second husband died. Jake was a farmer and according to family tradition, a whiskey runner. He would run whiskey from Indiana across the Ohio River to Boone County, which was a dry county at that time.
Stories passed down to family by his son William (who was named after Jakes dad William, Jr.) recounted how Jake would often ride through the countryside on his horse hollering and shooting his shotgun into the air. This made many people afraid of him. Maybe this also had something to do with his alleged Indian ancestry. His wife, Inez, was slightly heavy set and a heavy drinker who made her own “hooch”. Her grandson, William, remembered her looking for her glasses, while the children laughed. She thought they were laughing because they hid her glasses, only to find out that the glasses were propped on top of her head.
Jake’s death was caused by an incident described in the Boone County Recorder in February of 1888. (See newspaper article and transcript). Jacob and his oldest son William had docked their shanty boat immediately above the mouth of Gunpowder Creek and were rabbit hunting in East Bend on the land of George Craig. The paper claimed no relation between the two but it is believed that they were distant cousins. Jake and his son had agreed to work for George Craig for the privilege of hunting on his land. Shortly after Jake and his son had breached their boat, George Craig claimed that the two started annoying him in various ways and on one occasion, went to his house and abused him. He ordered them to leave and forbade them to come back. Jake and his son paid no attention to his order, and one day, George Craig saw them walking across his land with their guns and several rabbits. George Craig got his rifle and ordered them off the premises. They started but went only a few steps when they threw down their rabbits and turned, and as George Craig thought, were drawing their guns on him so he leveled his and fired, the ball taking effect on the front part of one of Jakes legs just above the knee, passing out behind, make quite an ugly would and fracturing the bone.
George Craig sent his spring wagon and a man to haul the wounded man home and dispatched another for a doctor and then went and surrendered himself. Charges were not pressed against either party. Jake Craig said that he and his son started to leave and were going off the place when the shot was fired and also denied that he or his son had any intention of shooting George Craig.
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