15
A friend’s estimate places him “among the foremost men here, quiet, unobtrusive, vigilant, never idle, his word as good as another man’s oath.”
Kentucky’s candidate, Morris Morris, was also a pioneer of ‘21. He had the great advantage of a thorough English education, unusual in the settlement. He possessed a gentleness combined with decision, which is indeed a rare combination. It is a singular coincidence that Morris Morris and his son, Thomas A. Morris, served as commissioners for both State Houses. The father for the structure of 1835, modeled after the Parthenon, where the body of Lincoln laid in state on a day never to be forgotten by those of us who looked upon his face.
The election was held on the first day of April, 1822. The close of the day must have brought relief to the writer of the diary, for she says, “I spent the time very unsatisfactorily; there were so many candidates coming in and out I could neither read, write or do anything else.”
“Friday, April 12, 1822——Spent the afternoon at Mr. Buckner’s when I got the sight of a young lady from Kentucky; at a distance she looked very flashy and carried a very high head. I did not have the pleasure of meeting her; perhaps if I had I would have found the lady as empty as myself.”
“April 13—Mr. Levington and some other men have been 10 miles up the river on the public lands cutting saw logs for several weeks. They made a contract with Daniel Yandes to deliver 2,000 logs at 1 dollar per piece, and since the rain the saw logs are coming down the river.”
This transaction suggests carrying coals to Newcastle for the town site was full of fine timber; but it was probably easier to float the logs down the river than to get them to the mill over land.
