KYHARDIN-L Archives

From:
Subject: SWANK
Date: Wed, 29 Dec 2004 05:35:01 EST

Taken from "Who Was Who in Hardin County" compiled
and prepared by Hardin County Historical Society.

Rosannah Swank

John Swank and Rosannah Swank, his wife, were among
the first settlers of Hardin County, coming to the county in
1780 with the colony of Samuel Haycraft, Jacob Vanmeter
and others.

John Swank lived in a fort of his own two miles northeast
of Elizabethtown. He and his wife on a visit to Bardstown
were waylaid and attacked by the Indians. Both horses were
shot and Mrs. Swank was wounded in the arm. In attempt-
ing to make their escape after running a short distance
Mrs. Swank's horse fell dead under her. She had a new saddle
which she removed from the dead horse and hung in a tree.
Swank's horse though shot was yet able to travel. He dis-
mounted and put his wife on his horse and fled on foot to a
cave on the old Cofer farm two miles from his fort. His dog
betrayed him by barking at the pursuing Indians and he was
pierced by nineteen bullets and killed instantly.

(Tradition says Swank was sitting upright with his back against
the projecting rocks and after many bullets were fired into his
body remained upright the Indians became frightened and fled
thinking he was a spirit).

Mrs. Swank fled on her husband's wounded horse until he fell
and then escaped on foot to Pierrepont's Mill on the Rolling Fork
River. Mrs. Swank was wearing a new heavy linsey dress which
she pulled off as she ran. In pioneer days pins were scarce and
she very carefully stuck them in an even row in the bosom of her
dress.

In the year of 1794 Rosannah Swank administered upon the
estate of her deceased husband, John Swank. She lived many
years after, a skillful and popular woman ministering to the needs
of the sick and suffering.

Swank's fort occupied the ground where here son-in-law, William
Edlin, afterwards lived and died. She left a considerable family of
Swanks, the most of them became rich or comfortable and sub-
sequently moved to Missouri.

The Edlin family now residing in Hardin County are descendants
of Rosannah Swank.

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