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Andrew Harvey Sr., born cir. 1790 in revolution-torn Virginia, came to what is now Breathitt Co. in Eastern Kentucky in about 1811 with an expedition led by Nathan Noble. The area was wild, totally untamed, with steep hills blanketed with thick hardwood forests alive with wild game. The settlers came to this beautiful place for many reasons, and although you may not recognize this county by name, you might know it by reputation. Breathitt County was often in the news at the turn of the century, known as "Bloody Breathitt", the Hatfields & McCoy Feud being reduced to a "spat" in comparison to the internecine conflict that was waged in this area for nearly 50 years during and following the Civil War. (For more on the Mountain Feuds, click here.)

Due to the inaccessibility of the steep, hilly terrain, the settlers travelled via "wet roads" - creeks - to get where they wanted to go. This caused many a census taker to throw up his hands in frustration and thusly, censuses are often of little use in research in this area. Troublesome Creek (only one mile short of a River) and it's many tributaries, was settled first, and the Harveys settled down on it, creating what locals call Harvey Bend, and on the Buckhorn, a large tributary. The families spread out into the hills, building homesteads reachable only by the very agile or the very determined.

Once settled in Kentucky Andrew married Sarah (maiden name unknown), and later (about 1825) his younger brother William came to Kentucky, and married Elizabeth (last name unknown). We do not know Andrew and William's' parents' names.

We believe Andrew and Sarah had several children, although we can only document two, Andrew Harvey Jr., b: 1816, and Samuel Harvey Jr., b: cir1832. A review of the 1840 census lists Widow Sarah with three males 10 to 15 years old, 2 males 5 to 10 years old, and 1 male 0 to 5 years old. Others Harveys in the area that chronologically could be Andrews children include: Wesley, born cir. 1834, Simon, born cir. 1836, and Benjamin, born cir. 1837.

Documentation on Andrew is slim, as Andrew Sr. died about 1838, and Andrew Jr., who had married Mary Noble in 1836, and fathered George Washington Harvey in 1838, packed up his family and, along with several other families in the area, moved to Missouri. Sarah, the Elder Andrew's Widow, remained in the area and does appear in the 1860 Census, living with John Noble, possibly a son-in-law. Sarah does not appear in the 1870 census, which is not surprising. The Civil War was hard on everyone in this area, plagued by raiding renegades, but the elderly were particularly affected and were often the victims of starvation.

William Harvey Sr., Andrew Sr.s younger brother, and his wife, Elizabeth, are a bit more easily documented, as they remained in the area and lived to old age. The 1850 Census outlines this family:

William Sr.
b: c1810 m: cir1824, d: c1880

Elizabeth b: 1809, d: c1870

Francis (Frankey)
b: 1825, m:1854 to Samuel Fugate

William Jr.
b: 1826, m: 1849 to Ellis McIntosh d: 1914

John (Sr),
b: 1828, m: cir1851 to Catherine [?]

Rosanna
b: 1831, m: James Raleigh

Nancy
b: 1834

Robert
b: 1838, m: 1857 to Sarah Clemmons

Ester
b: 1845, m: Unknown Francis

Elizabeth
b: 1848

In reviewing records, it appears that one woman in the area, Patsy Campbell, bore several children with Harvey surnames. Of these, quite possibly, my GGGrandfather, John Harvey, b: March 24, 1846 (I say possibly, as we cannot locate any documentation). Patsy's Harvey children include:

William Harvey
(my GGGrandfather's younger brother)
b: 1849 to Patsy Campbell and (according to LDS records) Andrew Harvey.

George Washington Harvey
(Not to be confused with the son of Andrew Jr.)
b: 1853 to Patsy Campbell and Unknown Harvey

Henry Harvey
b: 1858 to Patsy Campbell and Unknown Harvey

These children were "farmed out" to other people to raise. Patsy's oldest daughter (from her marriage to Jackson Campbell), Eliza, married Henry Hudson in 1846, and they raised my GGGrandfather John. His brother, William, was raised in the household of Morgan Howard.

The Breathitt Co. Kentucky area was a hot bed of bloody feuds during and following the Civil War. The Harveys were one of a small group of Union sympathizers, which led them into several unpleasant confrontations. One Harvey, William "Stout", the eldest son of William Sr., was rumored to be the Breathitt Co. "connection" in the Underground Railroad. Per Mr. Charles Harvey of Breathitt Co. Kentucky, a direct descendent of William Stout:

"In reference to William "Stout" Harvey, Jr. b:11-26-1826. Any of his descendants who know of him always call him "Stout". He was a tall, strong and muscular man who I understand liked to engage in a good boxing match with any man who thought he could ship "Stout". He had a peculiar appetite, as he always had to have seven fried eggs for dinner each day. Whether this gave him a lot of strength or not, I don't know."..."In 1986, a Pam Haddix wrote me a letter saying she thought he was part of an underground railroad that ran through Breathitt Co. Not very much is known about the Underground Railroad in Breathitt. Not many families owned slaves. I know the Combses and Haddixes did, though. Slaves were brought through this area as one escape route to the North. Stout was supposed to always have kept a gourd hanging on his porch in a certain manner to indicate that he had a place to hide and feed slaves as they fled North."

For whatever reason, John Jr. left the area about the time of the Civil War, marrying Mary Francis Parks in 1866, in Scioto Co. Ohio (just the other side of the Ohio River), and had the following Children:

William Thomas Harvey
b: 1867, m: 1889 (1st wife), d: 1926

Elmira Harvey
b: 1870, m: 1888 to Fred J. Naice

Charles Harvey
b: 1873, m: Lillian Mae Burton, d: 1913

King M. Harvey
b: 1876, no other information

John is listed in several census records, his occupation listed either as a day laborer or a stone cutter. He left Mary in about 1890, and remarried in 1904 to Elizabeth (last name unknown); family tradition says that she was from the Breathitt County area. The separation from Mary caused a huge argument between the two sons, William & Charles. Charles sided with his mother, and in fact shares a headstone with her in the Mt. Zion Methodist Cemetery in Greenup County, Kentucky, where he moved following the disagreement with his father and brother. (I was fortunate to locate the descendants of Charles in 1995, and relate a little of this history to them.) Charles died in 1913, a victim of pneumonia following his rescue efforts during the Ohio River Flood of 1913. John died in 1916 in Limestone Kentucky, where he and Elizabeth had purchased land from Richard Carpenter, reputed to be John's half brother, and built a home.

John's eldest son, William Thomas, married Harriet Florence Bellamy in 1889, and they had several children prior to their divorce in about 1904, immediately following the birth of my Grandfather, Dewey Harvey. Their children were:

William Harvey
b: unknown, died in infancy

John Harvey
b: 1892, died 1922, m: Ada Reeder

Martha Harvey
b: unknown, died in infancy

Mary Francis Harvey
b:1897, m1: 1915 Wm. Pearl Ackerman , m2: Emil Arthurs, d: 1955

Florence Harvey
b: 1899, m1: 1914 to Wm. Prince, d: 1989

Dewey Harvey
b: 1904, m: 1927 Leona Sisler, d: 1978

There are many Harveys living now in the Jackson area of Breathitt County. The Court House was burnt in 1866 and again in 1873 and records were destroyed. I have, through reconstructed records, the invaluable research of Anna Prince Morgan of Florida and Charles Harvey of Breathitt County and other documents, put together a Gedcom database of Breathitt County Harveys. I have not published or uploaded Gedcom files out of respect for the privacy of those still living. If you think your line might connect with mine, I will be happy to email Gedcom files for your research.