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William Clinkenbeard

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William Clinkenbeard Veteran

Birth
Virginia, USA
Death
10 Oct 1844 (aged 83)
Clark County, Kentucky, USA
Burial
Winchester, Clark County, Kentucky, USA GPS-Latitude: 37.997776, Longitude: -84.1892929
Plot
Central E. Lot 9 Grave site 2
Memorial ID
View Source
There are two death dates for Wm. His will was probated 1844, the 1841 is a misprint on the Indian War memorial. Whomever could not read the 44, mistook it for 41. If you look carefully you can see the last number is 4. [It] appears likely that Spotsylvania, Spotsylvania County, Virginia, was the place of William's birth on 11 October 1761.
In addition to his Revolutionary War service, William also fought later "in the War of 1812 along with his sons."[b] William served as a Private soldier in the 5th Mounted Regiment (South's), of the Kentucky Volunteers.[b] Serving with William in that War were his son Jonathan, and an Edward Clinkenbeard (presumably William's nephew, the son of his brother John).[f]
In the fall of 1779, William left his home in Shepherdstown, Virginia, and migrated with his brother Isaac to Boonesborough, Kentucky County, Virginia (now Madison County, Kentucky), arriving there in December 1779, not long before Christmas. By 1781, they had moved to Strode's Station, Fayette (now Clarke) County, Kentucky, where Captain John Strode gave the two as much land as they wanted to clear, rent-free till the close of the Revolutionary War. William stated in Shane's interview that:
"Strode had been out [to Kentucky] in 1776, and gotten a pre-emption of a 1,000 acres, by building a cabin on it then; they that raised corn in 1779 were entitled to 400 [additional acres]. We didn't come over [to Strode's Station] because there were so many at Boonesborough, but because Strode gave us all a chance to clear what we pleased and we were to have it rent free till the close of the war. Strode had come out that same fall [1779], just a little before us, and had gotten his cabin up as high as the joise. When we came that was the only one that was started. We were there some time before Christmas." [d]
William referred to that first winter of 1779/80 in Kentucky as the "Hard Winter," characterized by deep snow and followed by the loss of a large number of Americans loyal to the King who had come to Strode's Station but who decided to move on to other places in the spring. "Our station [Strode's] never was strong after the first winter; heap of Tories settled there then, but after that they went off."[g]
On more than one occasion, William and his fellow pioneers at Strode's Station were involved in deadly encounters with the Indians. At the time of one notable Indian attack in June 1780, two of the settlers, John Judy and Jacob Spahr were in the garden outside the stockade. William later related that:
"Judy was over the creek, on the east side; got wounded in the side; didn't bury the bullet quite in it, just scalped it; [and] got in [the fort]. Spahr was on the west side; had driven the cattle into [the garden], and perhaps might have been within steps of getting through the garden [to the stockade], after they had done the milking. . . The Indians were laying on the 'outside of the gap' that led into the corn field, which Spahr must have come so near to, and there . . they fired and killed him. . . Indians were outside of the outside garden fence; Spahr might have gotten within ten steps of them. We saw also where they [Indians] had stuck in leaves into the fence to hide the cracks in the fence, from behind which the Indians hid and shot Donnalson. Found part of that Indian's wadding, or wipings of his gun, that had shot Donnalson . . . "Didn't never understand where the Indian was that shot Spahr. Donnalson went to look to see what it [the sound] was. Put his foot on the log on one house and then the other foot on the log of the other, and so raised himself up [& was shot in the head]. Had no gun that ever I heard of. Couldn't have shot very well from such a place. The brains worked all out at the hole; the skin, or texture of the brain, was broken.
"Women ran bullits for them [the men]. Heard my wife, that afterwards was, say she ran out at the back door outside of the Station and got a log of wood (it was outside the Station) and took it in, and sett it against the door, and when she had done that she just sat down and couldn't do anything more."[h]
In 1781, William and seven other young men, one a married man, were ordered to Boone's Station as guards to protect the Tories (Loyalists) living there from expected savage Indian attacks. The eight men were the only guards there and William said, "They [the Tories] were afraid, and we were as afraid as they." Later, on 1 March 1781, William and his fellows returned home to Strode's Station to find that the Station had come under attack by Indians. Without William and the seven other men, Strode's had been left with but 16 or 18 men to protect the fort. William said:
"The morning we got home the Indians had been at the Station and killed all the sheep (one only left); cattle--drove them in groups at some distance out of shot from the fort into the field where they in the fort could see them kill them [the cattle]; and then called to the men in the Station to come and get their cattle. The Indians would kill them all. And when they shot one that kicked up, or cut any capers, they would ha! ha! ha! as loud as to be heard all through the fort. Some of them [the cattle] they scared off, so that they run wild and never got back. . . When we got in there [back to Strode's Station] we saw what we didn't want to see. Never knew a breath of it till after we got in."[d]
William married in Boonesborough, Lincoln County, Virginia (now Madison County, Kentucky), Mary Mooney, the daughter of Patrick Mooney. William and Mary continued to live at Strode's Station until 1784. By 1787, William reportedly was living near his father in Bourbon County, Kentucky. The Bourbon County Court Order Book later documented William's presence in that County as well as the length of time he had lived at Strode's Station:
"Jan. 1805: WILLIAM CLINKENBEARD, age 43, deposeth that he was well acquainted with the salt spring trace leading from Boonesborough to the lower Blue Licks. States that he lived at Strode's Station from 1781 to 1784."[i]
In approximately 1786, William purchased 25 acres of land on Wolf Creek near Clintonville, Bourbon County, and four years later he and Mary returned to the 342-acre tract in Clarke County that he had been given by Captain John Strode in 1779. In his interview with The Reverend Mr Shane, William said that he "Had owned this first. A war path [Indian] ran right through this place. I had tried to improve this first. The Indians stole our horses and we were afraid to work here."[j]
In the late 1790s, with the Revolution behind him, William built a house on that property, which is located on Hood's Creek, just west of the Paris and Winchester Turnpike (now the Old Paris Pike), and about four miles north of Winchester, Clarke County, Kentucky. The house on Hood's Creek was a fine two-and-a-half-storey brick house with an exceptional hall-parlour plan, an enclosed staircase, excellent Federal woodwork detailing, fireplaces upstairs and downstairs at each end of the house and in the kitchen wing, with a cellar underlying part of the house. There William spent the rest of his life with his family and his slaves, who numbered eighteen or more.

William married in Boonesborough, Lincoln County, Virginia (now Madison County, Kentucky), Mary Mooney, the daughter of Patrick Mooney and Jane Beard. William and Mary continued to live at Strode's Station until 1784.

Jane born on 10 - Oct - 1794 at Clark Co KY died at Lexington KY on 11 - Oct - 1863; married John Smith on 10 - Feb - 1811

Jonathan born on 16 Jul 1785 Strode Station,died 3 Jul 1862 Fleming Co KY
There are two death dates for Wm. His will was probated 1844, the 1841 is a misprint on the Indian War memorial. Whomever could not read the 44, mistook it for 41. If you look carefully you can see the last number is 4. [It] appears likely that Spotsylvania, Spotsylvania County, Virginia, was the place of William's birth on 11 October 1761.
In addition to his Revolutionary War service, William also fought later "in the War of 1812 along with his sons."[b] William served as a Private soldier in the 5th Mounted Regiment (South's), of the Kentucky Volunteers.[b] Serving with William in that War were his son Jonathan, and an Edward Clinkenbeard (presumably William's nephew, the son of his brother John).[f]
In the fall of 1779, William left his home in Shepherdstown, Virginia, and migrated with his brother Isaac to Boonesborough, Kentucky County, Virginia (now Madison County, Kentucky), arriving there in December 1779, not long before Christmas. By 1781, they had moved to Strode's Station, Fayette (now Clarke) County, Kentucky, where Captain John Strode gave the two as much land as they wanted to clear, rent-free till the close of the Revolutionary War. William stated in Shane's interview that:
"Strode had been out [to Kentucky] in 1776, and gotten a pre-emption of a 1,000 acres, by building a cabin on it then; they that raised corn in 1779 were entitled to 400 [additional acres]. We didn't come over [to Strode's Station] because there were so many at Boonesborough, but because Strode gave us all a chance to clear what we pleased and we were to have it rent free till the close of the war. Strode had come out that same fall [1779], just a little before us, and had gotten his cabin up as high as the joise. When we came that was the only one that was started. We were there some time before Christmas." [d]
William referred to that first winter of 1779/80 in Kentucky as the "Hard Winter," characterized by deep snow and followed by the loss of a large number of Americans loyal to the King who had come to Strode's Station but who decided to move on to other places in the spring. "Our station [Strode's] never was strong after the first winter; heap of Tories settled there then, but after that they went off."[g]
On more than one occasion, William and his fellow pioneers at Strode's Station were involved in deadly encounters with the Indians. At the time of one notable Indian attack in June 1780, two of the settlers, John Judy and Jacob Spahr were in the garden outside the stockade. William later related that:
"Judy was over the creek, on the east side; got wounded in the side; didn't bury the bullet quite in it, just scalped it; [and] got in [the fort]. Spahr was on the west side; had driven the cattle into [the garden], and perhaps might have been within steps of getting through the garden [to the stockade], after they had done the milking. . . The Indians were laying on the 'outside of the gap' that led into the corn field, which Spahr must have come so near to, and there . . they fired and killed him. . . Indians were outside of the outside garden fence; Spahr might have gotten within ten steps of them. We saw also where they [Indians] had stuck in leaves into the fence to hide the cracks in the fence, from behind which the Indians hid and shot Donnalson. Found part of that Indian's wadding, or wipings of his gun, that had shot Donnalson . . . "Didn't never understand where the Indian was that shot Spahr. Donnalson went to look to see what it [the sound] was. Put his foot on the log on one house and then the other foot on the log of the other, and so raised himself up [& was shot in the head]. Had no gun that ever I heard of. Couldn't have shot very well from such a place. The brains worked all out at the hole; the skin, or texture of the brain, was broken.
"Women ran bullits for them [the men]. Heard my wife, that afterwards was, say she ran out at the back door outside of the Station and got a log of wood (it was outside the Station) and took it in, and sett it against the door, and when she had done that she just sat down and couldn't do anything more."[h]
In 1781, William and seven other young men, one a married man, were ordered to Boone's Station as guards to protect the Tories (Loyalists) living there from expected savage Indian attacks. The eight men were the only guards there and William said, "They [the Tories] were afraid, and we were as afraid as they." Later, on 1 March 1781, William and his fellows returned home to Strode's Station to find that the Station had come under attack by Indians. Without William and the seven other men, Strode's had been left with but 16 or 18 men to protect the fort. William said:
"The morning we got home the Indians had been at the Station and killed all the sheep (one only left); cattle--drove them in groups at some distance out of shot from the fort into the field where they in the fort could see them kill them [the cattle]; and then called to the men in the Station to come and get their cattle. The Indians would kill them all. And when they shot one that kicked up, or cut any capers, they would ha! ha! ha! as loud as to be heard all through the fort. Some of them [the cattle] they scared off, so that they run wild and never got back. . . When we got in there [back to Strode's Station] we saw what we didn't want to see. Never knew a breath of it till after we got in."[d]
William married in Boonesborough, Lincoln County, Virginia (now Madison County, Kentucky), Mary Mooney, the daughter of Patrick Mooney. William and Mary continued to live at Strode's Station until 1784. By 1787, William reportedly was living near his father in Bourbon County, Kentucky. The Bourbon County Court Order Book later documented William's presence in that County as well as the length of time he had lived at Strode's Station:
"Jan. 1805: WILLIAM CLINKENBEARD, age 43, deposeth that he was well acquainted with the salt spring trace leading from Boonesborough to the lower Blue Licks. States that he lived at Strode's Station from 1781 to 1784."[i]
In approximately 1786, William purchased 25 acres of land on Wolf Creek near Clintonville, Bourbon County, and four years later he and Mary returned to the 342-acre tract in Clarke County that he had been given by Captain John Strode in 1779. In his interview with The Reverend Mr Shane, William said that he "Had owned this first. A war path [Indian] ran right through this place. I had tried to improve this first. The Indians stole our horses and we were afraid to work here."[j]
In the late 1790s, with the Revolution behind him, William built a house on that property, which is located on Hood's Creek, just west of the Paris and Winchester Turnpike (now the Old Paris Pike), and about four miles north of Winchester, Clarke County, Kentucky. The house on Hood's Creek was a fine two-and-a-half-storey brick house with an exceptional hall-parlour plan, an enclosed staircase, excellent Federal woodwork detailing, fireplaces upstairs and downstairs at each end of the house and in the kitchen wing, with a cellar underlying part of the house. There William spent the rest of his life with his family and his slaves, who numbered eighteen or more.

William married in Boonesborough, Lincoln County, Virginia (now Madison County, Kentucky), Mary Mooney, the daughter of Patrick Mooney and Jane Beard. William and Mary continued to live at Strode's Station until 1784.

Jane born on 10 - Oct - 1794 at Clark Co KY died at Lexington KY on 11 - Oct - 1863; married John Smith on 10 - Feb - 1811

Jonathan born on 16 Jul 1785 Strode Station,died 3 Jul 1862 Fleming Co KY

Inscription

"Virginia PVT Fayette Co Mil Indian Wars"



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