James John Floyd
Encyclopedia
James John Floyd better known as John Floyd, was a pioneer
of the Midwestern United States
around the Louisville, Kentucky
area where he worked as a surveyor for land development and as a military figure. Floyd was an early settler of St. Matthews, Kentucky
and helped lay out Louisville. In Kentucky he served as a Colonel of the Kentucky Militia in which he participated in raids with George Rogers Clark
and later became one of the first judges of Kentucky.
, to William and Abadiah (Davis) Floyd, descendants of Welsh
immigrants. His mother was also of partial American Indian
ancestry, and according to family tradition was a descendant of the Powhatan
chieftain Opchanacanough
. Another family tradition maintains that her brother was Evan Davis, the grandfather of Jefferson Davis
. In Virginia the Floyd family operated a farm and made a decent living there, but the younger Floyd knew opportunity to do better was in the west.
At the age of 18 he married Matilda Burford, daughter of Daniel Burford, sheriff of Amherst County, but she died a year later during the birth of their daughter, Mourning Floyd. In 1770, at the age of 20, Floyd moved to Botetourt County, Virginia
to seek employment. He worked as a teacher while living in the home of Col. William Preston
. Preston, a prominent frontier Virginian, was the surveyor for the western part of Virginia then known as Fincastle County, Virginia
, which stretched as far as the Mississippi River
.
Floyd became a deputy surveyor under Preston, doing land survey jobs from time to time. When he was not working with Preston, he rode as a deputy sheriff with Daniel Trigg, working under Sheriff Col. William Christian
of Botetourt County. Preston started receiving applications for land claims to be located and surveyed from veterans of the French and Indian War
. In 1774 Floyd was selected to lead a group of surveyors into what is now West Virginia
and Kentucky
.
and Ohio River
for most of the trip. Floyd had previously surveyed land for George Washington
and Patrick Henry
along the Kanawha River. In mid May they arrived in Kentucky Country and had an experience with Indians who came down the river and had passes from the commandant at Fort Pitt
warning off white men as apart of Dunmore's War
. This scared off some of the group, but none of the surveyors left, and the rest of the expedition continued on. While in the area sectioning land tracts, Floyd bought a 2000 acres (8.1 km²) site for himself in what is now present day St. Matthews, Kentucky
.
With the threat of a war with the Shawnee looming, Preston and Cap. William Russell
sent frontiersmen Daniel Boone
and Michael Stoner on a mission to warn settlers and surveyors to come back to Botetourt County. Unfortunately, Indians attacked Floyd's group before the warning arrived, killing two members of the surveying party. The remaining members of Floyd's group fled to safety down the Ohio and Mississippi River
to New Orleans. Floyd, unable to hold out by himself, went for the most direct route to Virginia, traversing across the terrain in 16 days. He arrived near Clinch Mountain
in Virginia to discover the locals rallying for Dunmore's War. Floyd, eager to participate, gathered a militia together and followed the main army's trail and arrived half a day late to the October 10, 1774 battle that ended Dunmore's War at the Battle of Point Pleasant
.
On April 21, 1775 Floyd began preparing to re-enter Kentucky through Cumberland Gap
. Floyd took a party of 32 men to Dix River
in 1775 to set up a camp. Only twenty miles from Boonesborough, Kentucky
which was founded by Daniel Boone
on the Kentucky River
. On May 23, 1775 Floyd was sent as a delegate from the settlement of St. Asaph to Boonesborough to meet to agree on laws and regulations for requirements to establish a colony called Transylvania. This marked the earliest form of any government west of the Allegheny Mountains. During the summer of 1776 he was living in Boonesborough and accepted the surveyor of Transylvania by Richard Henderson
the leader of the colony attempt.
Floyd participated in the rescue of Jemima Boone
from four Shawnee
Indians and one Cherokee
in July of 1776, an event that would become a popular frontier story. The first night, only five miles were covered due to a delay at crossing a river. The next day they tracked them over 40 miles (64.4 km) and overtook them while the Indians prepared a campfire to cook.
Information began trickling into the Kentucky Country about the American Revolution
in late 1776.
to attack British
supply ships in the Atlantic. Floyd would command the USS Phoenix. When they left port heading for the West Indies, they caught a large prize just days after leaving. They went to return to port but where apprehended by a British man-of-war in Chesapeake Bay
. After he was captured he lived as a captive in a British prison for almost a year before escaping and heading to Dover, England where he was shuttled to France
. In France he was able to secure passage home with the help of the American Ambassador to France, Benjamin Franklin
. In the autumn of 1778 he returned to Virginia. Later that same year he remarried, to Jane Buchanan who was a ward
of Preston.
He lived in Virginia on his father's homestead for a year before meeting George Rogers Clark
.
, and sisters Jemima and Abadiah, came with him to Kentucky this time. Floyd had returned to the 2000 acres (8.1 km²) of land he bought in 1774 to keep squatters off his land and became the first settler in Jefferson County
who had ownership of the land he lived on. They built a cabin near 3rd and Main Street in present day Louisville for a temporary shelter for the women and children. While they established a settlement near Beargrass Creek
. The settlement became known as Floyd's Station
as 10 more families located there and a Stockade
was added. There he would be the leader of the area that took in part a small local war with the Indians and was led by George Rogers Clark. All the Floyd brothers participated. In 1780 by the act of the Virginia General Assembly
Floyd was placed as one of seven trustees of Louisville with the power to layout and establish the town. Later, George Rogers Clark convinced Governor Thomas Jefferson
in 1781 to appoint Floyd as Colonel of the Kentucky Militia and also later in the year Justice of the Peace and surveyor of Jefferson County.
Floyd succeeded Col. Christy as the County Lieutenant of Jefferson County in 1781 making him responsible for the defense of the settlers in the county. The area was regularly being raided by Indians and dozens of settlers had been killed. Floyd wrote two letters to Thomas Jefferson
pleading for support.
During a rescue attempt for survivors of a raid in today's present day Shelby County, Kentucky
Floyd lead 27 men there and he was ambushed by Indians. Several of his men were killed, but Floyd managed to escape barely with a couple of his men, and this became known as Floyds Defeat.
Floyd participated in the Battle of Blue Licks
which then lead George Rogers Clark
to raid several Indian villages along the Great Miami River
. Floyd also took part in these raids. On November 4, 1782 it was reported during the raids by Clark that Col. Floyd took 300 men to approach a village of Indians but was discovered too early causing the group to flee and most of them escaped.
In 1783 Virginia organized the government of Kentucky and Floyd was appointed to be one of the first two judges of Kentucky. Later in the year in March he would write Preston informing him of his brother in law Billy Buchanan being killed by Indians. Also in the letter Floyd wrote that he dreamed that his fate might become the same. This proved true as a month later Floyd was wounded on April 8, 1783 by Indians while on his way to Bullitt's Lick
on April 10, 1783 Floyd died. Floyd is buried near Floyd's Station at Breckinridge Cemetery.
, is named for John Floyd. He is also credited as the namesake of Floyd County, Indiana
, although it has been argued that this county was actually named for Davis Floyd
. Floyd's Station Springhouse still stands today. The Floyds Fork river is named after him as well, which when it meets with the Salt River
is near the location of Floyds Defeat. Floydsburg, Kentucky
a small unincorporated community is also named after Floyd.
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
of the Midwestern United States
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
around the Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
area where he worked as a surveyor for land development and as a military figure. Floyd was an early settler of St. Matthews, Kentucky
St. Matthews, Kentucky
St. Matthews is the 20th largest city in Kentucky, United States and is a prominent suburb of Louisville. It is located 8 miles east of downtown Louisville in Jefferson County. It is one of the state's major shopping areas, being home to second and fifth largest malls in Kentucky St. Matthews is...
and helped lay out Louisville. In Kentucky he served as a Colonel of the Kentucky Militia in which he participated in raids with 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...
and later became one of the first judges of Kentucky.
Virginia
Floyd was born in 1750 in Amherst County, VirginiaAmherst County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 31,894 people, 11,941 households, and 8,645 families residing in the county. The population density was 67 people per square mile . There were 12,958 housing units at an average density of 27 per square mile...
, to William and Abadiah (Davis) Floyd, descendants of Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
immigrants. His mother was also of partial American Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
ancestry, and according to family tradition was a descendant of the Powhatan
Powhatan
The Powhatan is the name of a Virginia Indian confederation of tribes. It is estimated that there were about 14,000–21,000 of these native Powhatan people in eastern Virginia when the English settled Jamestown in 1607...
chieftain Opchanacanough
Opchanacanough
Opechancanough or Opchanacanough was a tribal chief of the Powhatan Confederacy of what is now Virginia in the United States, and its leader from sometime after 1618 until his death in 1646. His name meant "He whose Soul is White" in the Algonquian language...
. Another family tradition maintains that her brother was Evan Davis, the grandfather of Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
. In Virginia the Floyd family operated a farm and made a decent living there, but the younger Floyd knew opportunity to do better was in the west.
At the age of 18 he married Matilda Burford, daughter of Daniel Burford, sheriff of Amherst County, but she died a year later during the birth of their daughter, Mourning Floyd. In 1770, at the age of 20, Floyd moved to Botetourt County, Virginia
Botetourt County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 30,496 people, 11,700 households, and 9,114 families residing in the county. The population density was 56 people per square mile . There were 12,571 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile...
to seek employment. He worked as a teacher while living in the home of Col. William Preston
William Preston (Virginia)
Col. William Preston played a crucial role in surveying and developing the colonies going westward, exerted great influence in the colonial affairs of his time, ran a large plantation, and founded a dynasty whose progeny would supply leaders for the South for nearly a century...
. Preston, a prominent frontier Virginian, was the surveyor for the western part of Virginia then known as Fincastle County, Virginia
Fincastle County, Virginia
Fincastle County, Virginia, was created in 1772 from Botetourt County, the boundaries of which extended all the way to the Mississippi River. Fincastle County was abolished in 1776, and divided into three new counties—Montgomery County, Washington County, and Kentucky County .Although no county...
, which stretched as far as the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
.
Floyd became a deputy surveyor under Preston, doing land survey jobs from time to time. When he was not working with Preston, he rode as a deputy sheriff with Daniel Trigg, working under Sheriff Col. William Christian
William Christian (Virginia)
William Christian was an "Indian fighter", Continental soldier, militiaman and politician from Virginia who served in the era of the American Revolution. He was a signatory to the Fincastle Resolutions and founder of Fort William...
of Botetourt County. Preston started receiving applications for land claims to be located and surveyed from veterans of the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. In 1774 Floyd was selected to lead a group of surveyors into what is now West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
and Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
.
Kentucky
Floyd and a team of seven surveyors set out for the Falls of the Ohio on April 7, 1774 with a group of men claiming land. They traversed the KanawhaKanawha River
The Kanawha River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 mi long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The largest inland waterway in West Virginia, it has formed a significant industrial region of the state since the middle of the 19th century.It is formed at the town of Gauley...
and 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...
for most of the trip. Floyd had previously surveyed land for George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry was an orator and politician who led the movement for independence in Virginia in the 1770s. A Founding Father, he served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia from 1776 to 1779 and subsequently, from 1784 to 1786...
along the Kanawha River. In mid May they arrived in Kentucky Country and had an experience with Indians who came down the river and had passes from the commandant at Fort Pitt
Fort Pitt (Pennsylvania)
Fort Pitt was a fort built at the location of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.-French and Indian War:The fort was built from 1759 to 1761 during the French and Indian War , next to the site of former Fort Duquesne, at the confluence the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River...
warning off white men as apart of Dunmore's War
Dunmore's War
Dunmore's War was a war in 1774 between the Colony of Virginia and the Shawnee and Mingo American Indian nations....
. This scared off some of the group, but none of the surveyors left, and the rest of the expedition continued on. While in the area sectioning land tracts, Floyd bought a 2000 acres (8.1 km²) site for himself in what is now present day St. Matthews, Kentucky
St. Matthews, Kentucky
St. Matthews is the 20th largest city in Kentucky, United States and is a prominent suburb of Louisville. It is located 8 miles east of downtown Louisville in Jefferson County. It is one of the state's major shopping areas, being home to second and fifth largest malls in Kentucky St. Matthews is...
.
With the threat of a war with the Shawnee looming, Preston and Cap. William Russell
William Russell (Virginia)
William Russell was an army officer and a prominent settler of the southwestern region of the Virginia Colony. He led an early attempt to settle the "Kentuckee Territory" . He was a justice of Fincastle County, Virginia. Russell aided in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence...
sent frontiersmen Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits mad']'e him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of...
and Michael Stoner on a mission to warn settlers and surveyors to come back to Botetourt County. Unfortunately, Indians attacked Floyd's group before the warning arrived, killing two members of the surveying party. The remaining members of Floyd's group fled to safety down the Ohio and Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
to New Orleans. Floyd, unable to hold out by himself, went for the most direct route to Virginia, traversing across the terrain in 16 days. He arrived near Clinch Mountain
Clinch Mountain
Clinch Mountain is a mountain ridge in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Virginia, lying in the ridge-and-valley section of the Appalachian Mountains...
in Virginia to discover the locals rallying for Dunmore's War. Floyd, eager to participate, gathered a militia together and followed the main army's trail and arrived half a day late to the October 10, 1774 battle that ended Dunmore's War at the Battle of Point Pleasant
Battle of Point Pleasant
The Battle of Point Pleasant, known as the Battle of Kanawha in some older accounts, was the only major battle of Dunmore's War. It was fought on October 10, 1774, primarily between Virginia militia and American Indians from the Shawnee and Mingo tribes...
.
Cumberland Gap
Cumberland Gap is a pass through the Cumberland Mountains region of the Appalachian Mountains, also known as the Cumberland Water Gap, at the juncture of the U.S. states of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia...
. Floyd took a party of 32 men to Dix River
Dix River
The Dix River is a tributary of the Kentucky River in central Kentucky in the United States.It begins in western Rockcastle County, about west of Mount Vernon. It flows generally northwest, in a tight meandering course, passing north of Stanford and east of Danville. Northwest of Danville it is...
in 1775 to set up a camp. Only twenty miles from Boonesborough, Kentucky
Boonesborough, Kentucky
Boonesborough is an unincorporated community in Madison County, Kentucky, United States. It lies in the central part of the state along the Kentucky River. Boonesborough is part of the Richmond–Berea Micropolitan Statistical Area....
which was founded by Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits mad']'e him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of...
on the Kentucky River
Kentucky River
The Kentucky River is a tributary of the Ohio River, long, in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The river and its tributaries drain much of the central region of the state, with its upper course passing through the coal-mining regions of the Cumberland Mountains, and its lower course passing through the...
. On May 23, 1775 Floyd was sent as a delegate from the settlement of St. Asaph to Boonesborough to meet to agree on laws and regulations for requirements to establish a colony called Transylvania. This marked the earliest form of any government west of the Allegheny Mountains. During the summer of 1776 he was living in Boonesborough and accepted the surveyor of Transylvania by Richard Henderson
Richard Henderson (American pioneer)
Richard Henderson was an American pioneer and merchant who attempted to create a colony called Transylvania just as the American Revolutionary War was starting.-Early life:Henderson was born in Hanover County, Virginia...
the leader of the colony attempt.
Floyd participated in the rescue of Jemima Boone
Capture and rescue of Jemima Boone
The capture and rescue of Jemima Boone and the Callaway girls is a famous incident in the early history of Kentucky and a celebrated event of Daniel Boone's life. James Fenimore Cooper created a fictionalized version of the episode in his classic book The Last of the Mohicans...
from four Shawnee
Shawnee
The Shawnee, Shaawanwaki, Shaawanooki and Shaawanowi lenaweeki, are an Algonquian-speaking people native to North America. Historically they inhabited the areas of Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Western Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania...
Indians and one Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
in July of 1776, an event that would become a popular frontier story. The first night, only five miles were covered due to a delay at crossing a river. The next day they tracked them over 40 miles (64.4 km) and overtook them while the Indians prepared a campfire to cook.
Information began trickling into the Kentucky Country about the American Revolution
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
in late 1776.
Privateer
Floyd's surveyor license was revoked in 1776 after the political enemies of Preston gained power. Floyd then returned to Virginia. Back east, Floyd was licensed a position as a PrivateerPrivateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
to attack British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
supply ships in the Atlantic. Floyd would command the USS Phoenix. When they left port heading for the West Indies, they caught a large prize just days after leaving. They went to return to port but where apprehended by a British man-of-war in Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
. After he was captured he lived as a captive in a British prison for almost a year before escaping and heading to Dover, England where he was shuttled to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. In France he was able to secure passage home with the help of the American Ambassador to France, Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
. In the autumn of 1778 he returned to Virginia. Later that same year he remarried, to Jane Buchanan who was a ward
Ward (law)
In law, a ward is someone placed under the protection of a legal guardian. A court may take responsibility for the legal protection of an individual, usually either a child or incapacitated person, in which case the ward is known as a ward of the court, or a ward of the state, in the United States,...
of Preston.
He lived in Virginia on his father's homestead for a year before meeting 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...
.
Return to Kentucky
Floyd returned to the Falls of the Ohio again in October of 1779 with his new wife and son, William Floyd. His brothers Isham, Robert, and CharlesCharles Floyd (explorer)
Charles Floyd was a United States explorer, a non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Army, and quartermaster in the Lewis and Clark Expedition. A native of Kentucky, he was a relative of William Clark, an uncle to the politician John Floyd, and a brother to James John Floyd...
, and sisters Jemima and Abadiah, came with him to Kentucky this time. Floyd had returned to the 2000 acres (8.1 km²) of land he bought in 1774 to keep squatters off his land and became the first settler in Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 693,604 people, 287,012 households, and 183,113 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 305,835 housing units at an average density of...
who had ownership of the land he lived on. They built a cabin near 3rd and Main Street in present day Louisville for a temporary shelter for the women and children. While they established a settlement near 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 ....
. The settlement became known as Floyd's Station
Floyd's Station (Kentucky)
Floyd's Station was a fort on Beargrass Creek in what is now St. Matthews, Kentucky. In November of 1779 James John Floyd built cabins and a stockade near what is now Breckenridge Lane. In 1783, John Floyd, future Governor of Virginia was born in the Station. The pioneer father was killed by...
as 10 more families located there and a Stockade
Stockade
A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls made of logs placed side by side vertically with the tops sharpened to provide security.-Stockade as a security fence:...
was added. There he would be the leader of the area that took in part a small local war with the Indians and was led by George Rogers Clark. All the Floyd brothers participated. In 1780 by the act of the Virginia General Assembly
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
Floyd was placed as one of seven trustees of Louisville with the power to layout and establish the town. Later, George Rogers Clark convinced Governor Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
in 1781 to appoint Floyd as Colonel of the Kentucky Militia and also later in the year Justice of the Peace and surveyor of Jefferson County.
Floyd succeeded Col. Christy as the County Lieutenant of Jefferson County in 1781 making him responsible for the defense of the settlers in the county. The area was regularly being raided by Indians and dozens of settlers had been killed. Floyd wrote two letters to Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
pleading for support.
During a rescue attempt for survivors of a raid in today's present day Shelby County, Kentucky
Shelby County, Kentucky
Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2010, the population was 42,074. Its name is in honor of Isaac Shelby, the first Governor of Kentucky. Its county seat is Shelbyville...
Floyd lead 27 men there and he was ambushed by Indians. Several of his men were killed, but Floyd managed to escape barely with a couple of his men, and this became known as Floyds Defeat.
Floyd participated in the Battle of Blue Licks
Battle of Blue Licks
The Battle of Blue Licks, fought on August 19, 1782, was one of the last battles of the American Revolutionary War. The battle occurred ten months after Lord Cornwallis's famous surrender at Yorktown, which had effectively ended the war in the east...
which then lead 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...
to raid several Indian villages along the Great Miami River
Great Miami River
The Great Miami River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long, in southwestern Ohio in the United States...
. Floyd also took part in these raids. On November 4, 1782 it was reported during the raids by Clark that Col. Floyd took 300 men to approach a village of Indians but was discovered too early causing the group to flee and most of them escaped.
In 1783 Virginia organized the government of Kentucky and Floyd was appointed to be one of the first two judges of Kentucky. Later in the year in March he would write Preston informing him of his brother in law Billy Buchanan being killed by Indians. Also in the letter Floyd wrote that he dreamed that his fate might become the same. This proved true as a month later Floyd was wounded on April 8, 1783 by Indians while on his way to Bullitt's Lick
Bullitt's Lick
Bullitt's Lick is a historic salt lick three miles south of Shepherdsville in Bullitt County, Kentucky. It was the first commercial supplier of salt in Kentucky, and the first industry in Kentucky as well, supplying jobs for many residents, including slaves....
on April 10, 1783 Floyd died. Floyd is buried near Floyd's Station at Breckinridge Cemetery.
Legacy
Floyd County, KentuckyFloyd County, Kentucky
Floyd County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1800. As of 2000, the population was 42,441. Its county seat is Prestonsburg. The county is named for Colonel John Floyd .-History:...
, is named for John Floyd. He is also credited as the namesake of Floyd County, Indiana
Floyd County, Indiana
Floyd County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population was 74,578. The county seat is New Albany. Floyd County is the county with the second smallest land area in the entire state...
, although it has been argued that this county was actually named for Davis Floyd
Davis Floyd
Davis Floyd was an Indiana Jeffersonian Republican politician who was convicted of aiding American Vice President Aaron Burr in the Burr conspiracy. Floyd was not convicted of treason however and returned to public life after several years working to redeem his reputation...
. Floyd's Station Springhouse still stands today. The Floyds Fork river is named after him as well, which when it meets with the Salt River
Salt River (Kentucky)
The Salt River is a river in Kentucky that drains . It begins near Danville, Kentucky, rising from the north slope of Persimmon Knob south of KY 300 between Alum Springs and Wilsonville, and ends at the Ohio River near West Point...
is near the location of Floyds Defeat. Floydsburg, Kentucky
Floydsburg, Kentucky
Floydsburg is an unincorporated rural community in Oldham County, Kentucky, United States. It is located southeast of Crestwood, Kentucky on KY 1408....
a small unincorporated community is also named after Floyd.
See also
- Charles FloydCharles Floyd (explorer)Charles Floyd was a United States explorer, a non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Army, and quartermaster in the Lewis and Clark Expedition. A native of Kentucky, he was a relative of William Clark, an uncle to the politician John Floyd, and a brother to James John Floyd...
- Brother - Davis FloydDavis FloydDavis Floyd was an Indiana Jeffersonian Republican politician who was convicted of aiding American Vice President Aaron Burr in the Burr conspiracy. Floyd was not convicted of treason however and returned to public life after several years working to redeem his reputation...
- Nephew (Son of Robert Floyd) - John FloydJohn Floyd (Virginia politician)John Floyd was a Virginia politician and soldier. He represented Virginia in the United States House of Representatives and later served as the 25th Governor of Virginia....
- Son and Governor of Virginia - George Rogers Clark FloydGeorge Rogers Clark FloydGeorge Rogers Clark Floyd was a West Virginia politician and businessman. He served as the Secretary of Wisconsin Territory from 1843 to 1846, and served in the West Virginia House of Delegates from 1872 to 1873....
- Grandson - John B. FloydJohn B. FloydJohn Buchanan Floyd was the 31st Governor of Virginia, U.S. Secretary of War, and the Confederate general in the American Civil War who lost the crucial Battle of Fort Donelson.-Early life:...
- Grandson and Governor of Virginia - Floyds Fork
- Floyd's Station (Kentucky)Floyd's Station (Kentucky)Floyd's Station was a fort on Beargrass Creek in what is now St. Matthews, Kentucky. In November of 1779 James John Floyd built cabins and a stockade near what is now Breckenridge Lane. In 1783, John Floyd, future Governor of Virginia was born in the Station. The pioneer father was killed by...
External links
- Floyds Fork Watershed
- Fisherville,KY - Our Piece of Pie!
- "Who was John Floyd, of fork fame?; Local pioneer led a short and colorful life" — Article in The Courier-JournalThe Courier-JournalThe Courier-Journal, locally called "The C-J", is the main newspaper for the city of Louisville, Kentucky, USA. According to the 1999 Editor & Publisher International Yearbook, the paper is the 48th largest daily paper in the United States and the single largest in Kentucky.- Origins :The...