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From: "Lanny R. Slavey" <>
Subject: Re: Found NC Slaven records
Date: Sat, 2 Aug 1997 14:58:01 -0500


>
>Is this your Richard Harve and did you know that he worked a salt works?
>
Maybe I should have clarified the salt works business a little further.

Please bare in mind that a lot of what I am going to say is sheer
supposition, and I may be incorrect with some of it.

Richard and Francis received a 1000 acre grant for the purpose of mining
salt, using a new method. After the war of 1812, salt was THE commodity most
in demand; a guaranteed money maker if you could get it. What Richard and
Francis were going to do was to take salt from brine water brought up from
below the ground. Now, if you are familiar with geology, then I bet you know
where this story is going. Richard and Francis, from what I can tell, sold
out their interests right after drilling a well, to one Martin Beatty. For
the next four years, Beatty apparently did little with the well, and
eventually, the State, under the terms of the original grant, threatened
Beatty if he did not produce some salt. So, Beatty then drilled a new well,
not too far from the first, but again , no salt. It seems there was this
black oozey stuff that kept coming up instead of brine. So, in an effort to
salvage something from this venture, Beatty began to sell the black oozey
stuff as part of a patent medicine. In truth, this was the world's first oil
well.

Now, as stated above this was not suppose to be anything other than my
attempts at telling the story. If anyone wishes to correct any mistakes I
made in it, or add to it, then please do so.

Lanny, wishing for all that Richard had known better......

Lanny R. and Sharon E. Slavey...Researching the Slavey's of Pulaski Co., Ky.

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