Mays Lick, Kentucky
Mays Lick (aka Mayslick, originally known as May's Lick) is an unincorporated community located in Mason County, Kentucky, United States, about nine miles southwest of Maysville.
History
May's Lick was founded in 1788 by the following five families from Scotch Plains, New Jersey.[3]
- Abraham Drake
- Cornelius Drake
- Isaac Drake, father of (i) Daniel Drake (1785–1852), American physician and author, and (ii) Benjamin Drake (1795–1841), American historian, editor, and writer; Daniel Drake's son, Charles Daniel Drake (1811–1892), was a United States Senator from Missouri and an anti-slavery politician
- David Morris (1746–1798) and wife, Mary née Shotwell (1748–1806)
- John Shotwell (1753–1826) and wife, Abigail née Shipman (1754–1835)
- Note 1: Abraham, Cornelius, and Isaac Drake were brothers
- Note 2: John and Mary Shotwell were siblings
The group purchased 1,400 acres of land from William May (for whom the community was named) near the salt lick in southern Mason county and began to build a community.[4] The Mays Lick Post Office opened in 1800. Kentucky's first consolidated school and first school transportation – consisting of a horse and wagon – was founded in Mays Lick.[5]
When May's Lick was founded (1788), Kentucky was part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. That year (1788), the Commonwealth of Virginia established Mason County. May's Lick became the name of the town after first being called May's Spring.[6]
The May family
The same May family for whom the Mason County Seat (Maysville) is named is also the namesake for May's Lick.
- Mayslick is named after John's brother, William May.
- Maysville is named after John May ( –1790).
The May brothers
- George May ( –1795), a surveyor
- William May
- Charles May
- John May ( –1790)
- Gabriel May (1751–1713), married to Sallie Stokes (Susannah May Stokes, 1759–1815), niece of Ethan Allen (1738–1789), the hero of Ticonderoga and Crown Point[7][8]
Famous residents
- Joseph Desha (1768–1842), a US Representative and the ninth governor of Kentucky
- Daniel Drake (1785–1852), American physician, author
- Benjamin Drake (1795–1841), American historian, editor, and writer
- John McLean (1785–1861), Associate Justice, US Supreme Court from 1830 to 1861[9]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Mays Lick". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:497750. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
- ^ "Mays Lick KY". ZIP Code Lookup. http://www.zip-info.com/cgi-local/zipsrch.exe?cnty=cnty&ac=ac&zip=Mays+Lick+KY&Go=Go. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
- ^ James H. Parks, D.D. (born 1839), and James D. Cleaver, History of the Scotch Plains Baptist Church, From Its Organization on the Fifth of August 1747 To Its One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary, pg. 16, published by the Church (1897)
- ^ Edith Davis, Mayslick Once Was Emporium, History Shows, The Daily Independent (Rotary Club Edition), Oct. 31, 1962
- ^ David Lynn (interviewer), History of Mays Lick, Kentucky Oral History Commission, Collection No. 18–19 (1988)
- ^ Editors: Paul Allen Tenkotte, PhD (born 1960) (University of Cincinnati) and James C. Claypool, PhD (born 1938) (Professor Emeritus, Northern Kentucky University), The Encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky (excerpt: May's Lick, by John Robert Klee; born 1954, pps. 593–594), University of Kentucky Press (2009)
- ^ The May Family, Kentucky Explorer, Volume 10, Number 5, October 1995, p. 96
- ^ John E. Kleber (born 1 Apr 1941, Jefferson County, Kentucky), The Kentucky Encyclopedia, pg. 614 (Mason County), University Press of Kentucky (1992)
- ^ May's Lick: Pioneer Town in Kentucky When Lexington was the Western Metropolis, The Daily Evening Bulletin (Maysville, Kentucky), pg. 2, col. 2, April 17, 1889
External links