Edward Worthington
Encyclopedia
Edward Worthington was an 18th-century American pioneer and soldier who explored and later helped settle the Kentucky frontier. A veteran of the American Revolution
and the Indian Wars
, he also served as a paymaster
under George Rogers Clark
during the Illinois campaign. His grandson, William H. Worthington
, was an officer with the 5th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment
during the American Civil War
.
Historian and author Kathleen L. Lodwick
is a direct descendant of Edward Worthington.
, Worthington is first recorded as a surveyor marking land on Beargrass Creek
, near the Ohio River
, as early as 1775. He may have also taken part in Lord Dunmore's War serving as a private
. One of the defenders at McClelland's Station, he was wounded in the attack by the Mingo
chieftain Pluggy
on December 29, 1776. Shortly after the battle, he traveled to Harrod's Town with George Rogers Clark the following month and, in late 1778, he left his wife in Harrod's Town and joined the Kentucky Militia as a captain
under Clark and was a later participant of the capture of Vincennes
. He was later granted 3234 acres (13.1 km²) of land for his service as a paymaster during the Illinois campaign. In 1779, he established Worthington's Fort four miles (6 km) southeast of Danville, Kentucky
.
Although records are vague after this point, he was one of the first settlers to arrive in Corn Island
and may also have served as a representative of Mercer County
in the Kentucky Legislature
in his later years.
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
and the Indian Wars
Indian Wars
American Indian Wars is the name used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between American settlers or the federal government and the native peoples of North America before and after the American Revolutionary War. The wars resulted from the arrival of European colonizers who...
, he also served as a paymaster
Paymaster
A paymaster often is, but is not required to be, a lawyer . When dealing with commission payments on contracts dealing with large amounts of money , most banks in the United States are very wary of handling such large amounts of money...
under George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark was a soldier from Virginia and the highest ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolutionary War. He served as leader of the Kentucky militia throughout much of the war...
during the Illinois campaign. His grandson, William H. Worthington
William H. Worthington
William Hord Worthington was an American lawyer, farmer and military officer. During the American Civil War, he was the first commanding officer of the 5th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment...
, was an officer with the 5th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment
5th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 5th Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 5th Iowa Infantry was organized at Burlington, Iowa and mustered into Federal forces on July 15, 1861....
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Historian and author Kathleen L. Lodwick
Kathleen L. Lodwick
Kathleen L. Lodwick is an American educator, historian, biographer and author. She holds a Ph.D. in Chinese history from the University of Arizona and is a professor of history at Pennsylvania State University and the Lehigh Valley Campus of Penn State Berks-Lehigh Valley College teaching courses...
is a direct descendant of Edward Worthington.
Biography
Possibly from MarylandMaryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, Worthington is first recorded as a surveyor marking land on Beargrass Creek
Beargrass Creek
Beargrass Creek is the name given to several forks of a creek in Jefferson County, Kentucky. The Beargrass Creek watershed is the largest in the county, draining over ....
, near the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
, as early as 1775. He may have also taken part in Lord Dunmore's War serving as a private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
. One of the defenders at McClelland's Station, he was wounded in the attack by the Mingo
Mingo
The Mingo are an Iroquoian group of Native Americans made up of peoples who migrated west to the Ohio Country in the mid-eighteenth century. Anglo-Americans called these migrants mingos, a corruption of mingwe, an Eastern Algonquian name for Iroquoian-language groups in general. Mingos have also...
chieftain Pluggy
Pluggy
Pluggy was an 18th-century Mingo chieftain and ally of Logan during Lord Dunmore's War...
on December 29, 1776. Shortly after the battle, he traveled to Harrod's Town with George Rogers Clark the following month and, in late 1778, he left his wife in Harrod's Town and joined the Kentucky Militia as a captain
Captain (OF-2)
The army rank of captain is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces. Today a captain is typically either the commander or second-in-command of a company or artillery battery...
under Clark and was a later participant of the capture of Vincennes
Battle of Vincennes
The Illinois campaign was a series of events in the American Revolutionary War in which a small force of Virginia militiamen led by George Rogers Clark seized control of several British posts in the Illinois country, in what is now the Midwestern United States...
. He was later granted 3234 acres (13.1 km²) of land for his service as a paymaster during the Illinois campaign. In 1779, he established Worthington's Fort four miles (6 km) southeast of Danville, Kentucky
Danville, Kentucky
Danville is a city in and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,218 at the 2010 census.Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boyle and Lincoln counties....
.
Although records are vague after this point, he was one of the first settlers to arrive in Corn Island
Corn Island (Kentucky)
Corn Island is a now-vanished island in the Ohio River, at head of the Falls of the Ohio, just north of Louisville, Kentucky.-Geography:Estimates of the size of Corn Island vary with time as it gradually was eroded and became submerged. A 1780 survey listed its size at...
and may also have served as a representative of Mercer County
Mercer County, Kentucky
Mercer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 20,817. Its county seat is Harrodsburg. The county is named for General Hugh Mercer...
in the Kentucky Legislature
Kentucky General Assembly
The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky.The General Assembly meets annually in the state capitol building in Frankfort, Kentucky, convening on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January...
in his later years.
Further reading
- Drake, William and Louise Drake; Samuel M. Wilson, Julia S. Ardery and Garrett G. Clift. Kentucky in Retrospect: Noteworthy Personages and Events in Kentucky History. Frankfort: Kentucky Historical Society, 1967.
- Kerr, Charles; William Elsey Connelley and Ellis Merton Coulter. History of Kentucky. American Historical Society, 1926.
- Gallit, David Lowell. Early Kentucky Pioneers: Fulkerson, Bullock, Kimbley, Tichenor, and Allied Families. D.L. Gallit, 1998.