Levi Todd
Encyclopedia
Levi Todd was an 18th century American pioneer
who, with his brothers John
and Robert Todd
, helped found present-day Lexington, Kentucky
and were leading prominent landowners and statesmen in the state of Kentucky
prior to its admission into the United States in 1792.
He was also the grandfather of Mary Todd Lincoln
, the later wife of President Abraham Lincoln
, born to his son Robert S. Todd, a longtime clerk of the Kentucky House of Representatives
and later representative of Fayette County
. His grandson John T. Stuart
, born to his daughter Hannah Todd and noted Presbyterian preacher Rev. Robert Stuart
, was a prominent Illinois lawyer and a later partner of Lincoln.
Two of his daughters married politicians, Jane Briggs marrying congressman Daniel Breck
and Elizabeth Todd marrying Charles Carr, the son of Kentucky statesman Walter Carr
.
and studied law under General Andrew Lewis
. He later followed his brothers to Kentucky arriving with John Floyd
to establish the settlement of Lexington in the summer of 1775. Following the completion of the stockade walls, Todd was elected one of four Gentlemen Trustees with David Mitchell, Henry McDonald and Michael Warnock following a town meeting held on March 29, 1776. Over the next year, Todd and the others would begin making plans for the construction of buildings and the eventual expansion of the settlement. In 1777, he was appointed the first clerk of Kentucky County.
Todd and his two brothers fought in the western theater
of the American Revolutionary War
under General George Rogers Clark
during the Illinois campaign and, as a lieutenant
, was present at the capture of Kaskaskia
in 1778. He was also part of the detachment that captured British agent Philippe-François de Rocheblave
and escorted him to Virginia as a prisoner-of-war. He was later awarded 2156 acres (8.7 km²) of land at Clark's Grant
for his service during the campaign.
Following the campaign, Todd and his brothers returned to the settlement to encourage other pioneers to settle in Lexington as well as defend against occasional Indian attacks. He married his first wife, Jane Briggs, at St. Asaphs Fort in Lincoln County
on February 25, 1779; they had eleven children. In April, commanding a militia company from Harrod's Town, he took part in Colonel John Bowman's
expedition against the Shawnee
town of Chillicothe
.
During this time, Todd became a farmer as well opening a successful law practice. He accumulated large amounts of land which he bought cheap as land strips from veterans received in lieu of payment by the federal government. His small farm eventually grew to a plantation covering three counties.
That same year, he founded Todd's Station on the northern bank of South Elkhorn Creek
on the road the mouth of the Dick's River
. Only a short distance from Lexington, he was forced to abandon the station the following summer due to threats of Indian attacks and settled in Lexington permanently.
by Governor Isaac Shelby
. For twenty-seven years until his death in 1807, he was chiefly responsible for recording deposition
s, the relinquishment of dower
s, furnishing and keeping records of road surveys
, making lists of tax
able property
, issuing marriage license
s, drawing up and keeping deed
s and mortgages among other administrative duties. He also acted one of the first trustees to Transylvania University
. Levi was one of the first recorded land holders when the city plans were finally adopted on December 26, 1781. In early 1782, the town council selected a new trustee board which included John Todd and William McConnell
.
He also served as a major
in the Fayette County Militia and, on August 16, 1782, he led 40 militiamen from Lexington and Boone's Station
after receiving news that British Captain William Caldwell
and an Indian war party were raiding Bryan's Station, a small fortification five miles (8 km) north of Lexington. Although 17 of his men were able to enter the fort, Todd and the others were forced to pull back. Caldwell attempted to burn down the fort, but was unable to force the Kentuckians surrender. He eventually retreated the following day, being satisfied with destroying the crops and livestock left outside.
Shortly after this incident, Todd participated at the Battle of Blue Licks
, in which his brother John Todd was killed. As county clerk, he wrote the first contemporary account of the battle the following day as directed by his brother Robert Todd. It is considered the more accurate of five accounts available on the battle. He later wrote another account, the fifth and last published, as requested for both civil and military officials as their official report of the battle and included the eyewitness testimony of himself and Daniel Boone
. He succeeded Daniel Boone as commander of the militia becoming a major general
.
He was also a delegate to the Kentucky statehood conventions in Danville, Kentucky
on May 23, 1785, on August 8, 1785, and on September 18, 1787.
where the Todd family originated during the 16th century. Originally a one room-deep, two story square home on 30 acres (121,405.8 m²), he hired the first arriving bricklayers and carpenters to expand the house, eventually turning it into a large country villa with an additional 20 rooms elaborately designed both inside and outside the home. The estate had a number of outbuildings, particularly a stone round house where Todd stored the public documents of Fayette County. In 1801, he also donated land on which the oldest standing Presbyterian Church in Fayette County, the Walnut Hill Presbyterian Church
, was built.
In 1803, angry tenant farmers and squatters threatened to burn down the home, in an attempt to destroy court documents threatening their property rights as the result of a recent court decision. Although the Ellerslie estate itself was spared, his personal office was burned down by the mob on January 31. As a result, most of the early records of the settlement were destroyed. The remaining records still legible were later copied by a special committee.
At the time of his death in 1807, he owned 7000 acres (28.3 km²) in Fayette and Franklin County and was worth over $6,000. Among his possessions included silver, fine china and leather-bound books; his personal library also contained rare works by Mary Wollstonecraft
, Edmund Burke
and William Blackstone
. He also owned twenty-one slaves, nine horses and other livestock, and a carriage. He was buried in Lexington Cemetery.
The family home was inherited by Robert S. Todd, who in turn left it to Margaret Preston in 1857, before its purchase by the Lexington Water Company in 1884. The company used several 100 acres (404,686 m²) to build a reservoir as well as present-day Mentelle Park; the house itself existed until 1947 when it was torn down to build the now defunct Lexington Mall
.
American pioneer
American pioneers are any of the people in American history who migrated west to join in settling and developing new areas. The term especially refers to those who were going to settle any territory which had previously not been settled or developed by European or American society, although the...
who, with his brothers John
John Todd (Virginia)
John Todd was a frontier military officer during the American Revolutionary War and the first administrator of the Illinois County of the U.S...
and Robert Todd
Robert Todd (pioneer)
Brigadier General Robert Todd was an 18th century American pioneer, politician and soldier. As an officer in the Continental Army under General "Mad" Anthony Wayne, he took part in the Indian Wars and the western campaign during the American Revolutionary War.Together with his brothers John Todd...
, helped found present-day Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
and were leading prominent landowners and statesmen in the state of 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...
prior to its admission into the United States in 1792.
He was also the grandfather of Mary Todd Lincoln
Mary Todd Lincoln
Mary Ann Lincoln was the wife of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, and was First Lady of the United States from 1861 to 1865.-Life before the White House:...
, the later wife of President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, born to his son Robert S. Todd, a longtime clerk of the Kentucky House of Representatives
Kentucky House of Representatives
The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a House district, except when necessary to preserve...
and later representative of Fayette County
Fayette County, Kentucky
Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The population was 295,083 in the 2010 Census. Its territory, population and government are coextensive with the city of Lexington, which also serves as county seat....
. His grandson John T. Stuart
John T. Stuart
John Todd Stuart was a lawyer and a U.S. Representative from Illinois.Born near Lexington, Kentucky, Stuart graduated from Centre College, Danville, Kentucky, in 1826. He then studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1828, and commenced practice in Springfield, Illinois...
, born to his daughter Hannah Todd and noted Presbyterian preacher Rev. Robert Stuart
Robert Stuart
Major Robert Stuart was an officer of the British Army and veteran of the Crimean War. After the war, he was appointed Vice-Consul at Volos and later Consul at Janina and Consul-General in various locations...
, was a prominent Illinois lawyer and a later partner of Lincoln.
Two of his daughters married politicians, Jane Briggs marrying congressman Daniel Breck
Daniel Breck
Daniel Breck was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky.Daniel Breck was born in Topsfield, Massachusetts. He graduated from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, in 1812. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1814 and commenced practice in Richmond, Kentucky,...
and Elizabeth Todd marrying Charles Carr, the son of Kentucky statesman Walter Carr
Walter Carr
Walter Carr was a British actor.Possibly his best known role was as the mate Dougie in the TV series The Vital Spark.He played Shooey in Lex MacLean's TV series....
.
Early life
The youngest son of David Todd and Hannah Owen, Levi Todd was raised and educated with his brothers in Louisa County, VirginiaLouisa County, Virginia
Louisa County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 33,153. The county seat is Louisa.- History :...
and studied law under General Andrew Lewis
Andrew Lewis (soldier)
Andrew Lewis was an American pioneer, surveyor, and soldier from Virginia. He served as a colonel of militia during the French and Indian War, and as a brigadier general in the American Revolutionary War...
. He later followed his brothers to Kentucky arriving with John Floyd
James John Floyd
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...
to establish the settlement of Lexington in the summer of 1775. Following the completion of the stockade walls, Todd was elected one of four Gentlemen Trustees with David Mitchell, Henry McDonald and Michael Warnock following a town meeting held on March 29, 1776. Over the next year, Todd and the others would begin making plans for the construction of buildings and the eventual expansion of the settlement. In 1777, he was appointed the first clerk of Kentucky County.
Western theater of the American Revolutionary War
The Western theater of the American Revolutionary War was the area of conflict west of the Appalachian Mountains, the region which became the Northwest Territory of the United States as well as the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri...
of the American Revolutionary War
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...
under General 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...
during the Illinois campaign and, as a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
, was present at the capture of Kaskaskia
Kaskaskia
The Kaskaskia were one of about a dozen cognate tribes that made up the Illiniwek Confederation or Illinois Confederation. Their longstanding homeland was in the Great Lakes region...
in 1778. He was also part of the detachment that captured British agent Philippe-François de Rocheblave
Philippe-François de Rastel de Rocheblave
Philippe-François de Rastel de Rocheblave was a soldier, businessman and political figure in Lower Canada. He was sometimes referred to as the Chevalier de Rocheblave....
and escorted him to Virginia as a prisoner-of-war. He was later awarded 2156 acres (8.7 km²) of land at Clark's Grant
Clark's Grant
Clark's Grant was a tract of land granted to George Rogers Clark and the soldiers who fought with him during the American Revolutionary War by the state of Virginia in honor of their service...
for his service during the campaign.
Following the campaign, Todd and his brothers returned to the settlement to encourage other pioneers to settle in Lexington as well as defend against occasional Indian attacks. He married his first wife, Jane Briggs, at St. Asaphs Fort in Lincoln County
Lincoln County, Kentucky
Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The population was 24,742 in the 2010 Cesus. Its county seat is Stanford. Lincoln is a prohibition or "dry county" and is part of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
on February 25, 1779; they had eleven children. In April, commanding a militia company from Harrod's Town, he took part in Colonel John Bowman's
John Bowman (pioneer)
John Jacob Bowman was an 18th century American pioneer, colonial militia officer and sheriff, the first appointed in Lincoln County, Kentucky. In 1781 he also presided as a justice of the peace over the first county court held in Kentucky...
expedition against the 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...
town of Chillicothe
Chalahgawtha
Chalahgawtha was the name of one of the five divisions of the Shawnee, a Native American people, during the 18th century, as well as the name of the principal village of the division. The other four divisions were the Mekoche, Kispoko, Pekowi, and Hathawekela...
.
During this time, Todd became a farmer as well opening a successful law practice. He accumulated large amounts of land which he bought cheap as land strips from veterans received in lieu of payment by the federal government. His small farm eventually grew to a plantation covering three counties.
That same year, he founded Todd's Station on the northern bank of South Elkhorn Creek
Elkhorn Creek
Elkhorn Creek is an stream running through several counties in central Kentucky in the United States. It derives its name from the shape, as seen on a map, of its main stem with its two primary forks....
on the road the mouth of the Dick's 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...
. Only a short distance from Lexington, he was forced to abandon the station the following summer due to threats of Indian attacks and settled in Lexington permanently.
Militiaman and civil servant
In 1780, he was appointed court clerk of Fayette CountyFayette County, Kentucky
Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The population was 295,083 in the 2010 Census. Its territory, population and government are coextensive with the city of Lexington, which also serves as county seat....
by Governor Isaac Shelby
Isaac Shelby
Isaac Shelby was the first and fifth Governor of the U.S. state of Kentucky and served in the state legislatures of Virginia and North Carolina. He was also a soldier in Lord Dunmore's War, the Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812...
. For twenty-seven years until his death in 1807, he was chiefly responsible for recording deposition
Deposition (law)
In the law of the United States, a deposition is the out-of-court oral testimony of a witness that is reduced to writing for later use in court or for discovery purposes. It is commonly used in litigation in the United States and Canada and is almost always conducted outside of court by the...
s, the relinquishment of dower
Dower
Dower or morning gift was a provision accorded by law to a wife for her support in the event that she should survive her husband...
s, furnishing and keeping records of road surveys
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
, making lists of tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
able property
Property
Property is any physical or intangible entity that is owned by a person or jointly by a group of people or a legal entity like a corporation...
, issuing marriage license
Marriage license
A marriage license is a document issued, either by a church or state authority, authorizing a couple to marry. The procedure for obtaining a license varies between countries and has changed over time...
s, drawing up and keeping deed
Deed
A deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, or affirms or confirms something which passes, an interest, right, or property and that is signed, attested, delivered, and in some jurisdictions sealed...
s and mortgages among other administrative duties. He also acted one of the first trustees to Transylvania University
Transylvania University
Transylvania University is a private, undergraduate liberal arts college in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with the Christian Church . The school was founded in 1780. It offers 38 majors, and pre-professional degrees in engineering and accounting...
. Levi was one of the first recorded land holders when the city plans were finally adopted on December 26, 1781. In early 1782, the town council selected a new trustee board which included John Todd and William McConnell
William McConnell
William David Robert McConnell is a former field hockey player, who won the bronze medal with the British squad at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.-References:*...
.
He also served as a major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
in the Fayette County Militia and, on August 16, 1782, he led 40 militiamen from Lexington and Boone's Station
Boone's Station
Boone Station was a settlement in Kentucky and the home of Daniel Boone from 1779 to 1782. It was located on Boone's Creek in Fayette County, Kentucky, near present Athens, Kentucky which in Boone's era was called "Crossroads." Boone moved here during the American Revolutionary War after having...
after receiving news that British Captain William Caldwell
William Caldwell (ranger)
William Caldwell , was a Scots-Irish immigrant to North America who became a soldier with the British Indian Department, . He fought against the American rebels in the American Revolutionary War, especially with Butler's Rangers, based near upstate New York...
and an Indian war party were raiding Bryan's Station, a small fortification five miles (8 km) north of Lexington. Although 17 of his men were able to enter the fort, Todd and the others were forced to pull back. Caldwell attempted to burn down the fort, but was unable to force the Kentuckians surrender. He eventually retreated the following day, being satisfied with destroying the crops and livestock left outside.
Shortly after this incident, Todd participated at 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...
, in which his brother John Todd was killed. As county clerk, he wrote the first contemporary account of the battle the following day as directed by his brother Robert Todd. It is considered the more accurate of five accounts available on the battle. He later wrote another account, the fifth and last published, as requested for both civil and military officials as their official report of the battle and included the eyewitness testimony of himself and 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...
. He succeeded Daniel Boone as commander of the militia becoming a major general
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
.
He was also a delegate to the Kentucky statehood conventions in Danville, Kentucky
Danville, Kentucky
Danville is a city in and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,218 at the 2010 census.Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boyle and Lincoln counties....
on May 23, 1785, on August 8, 1785, and on September 18, 1787.
Later life
In 1787, he built the first brick house in Fayette County. Located on Richmond Pike outside Lexington, the house was named after the small Scottish village EllerslieEllerslie
-Places:In Australia and New Zealand* Ellerslie, New Zealand, a suburb of Auckland* Ellerslie, Victoria, a town in the Western District of Victoria * Ellerslie Flower Show, in New ZealandIn Canada...
where the Todd family originated during the 16th century. Originally a one room-deep, two story square home on 30 acres (121,405.8 m²), he hired the first arriving bricklayers and carpenters to expand the house, eventually turning it into a large country villa with an additional 20 rooms elaborately designed both inside and outside the home. The estate had a number of outbuildings, particularly a stone round house where Todd stored the public documents of Fayette County. In 1801, he also donated land on which the oldest standing Presbyterian Church in Fayette County, the Walnut Hill Presbyterian Church
Walnut Hill Presbyterian Church
Walnut Hill Presbyterian Church is a historic church in Lexington, Kentucky.It was built in 1801 on land donated by Mary Todd Lincoln's grandfather Levi Todd and added to the National Register in 1973....
, was built.
In 1803, angry tenant farmers and squatters threatened to burn down the home, in an attempt to destroy court documents threatening their property rights as the result of a recent court decision. Although the Ellerslie estate itself was spared, his personal office was burned down by the mob on January 31. As a result, most of the early records of the settlement were destroyed. The remaining records still legible were later copied by a special committee.
At the time of his death in 1807, he owned 7000 acres (28.3 km²) in Fayette and Franklin County and was worth over $6,000. Among his possessions included silver, fine china and leather-bound books; his personal library also contained rare works by Mary Wollstonecraft
Mary Wollstonecraft
Mary Wollstonecraft was an eighteenth-century British writer, philosopher, and advocate of women's rights. During her brief career, she wrote novels, treatises, a travel narrative, a history of the French Revolution, a conduct book, and a children's book...
, Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke PC was an Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher who, after moving to England, served for many years in the House of Commons of Great Britain as a member of the Whig party....
and William Blackstone
William Blackstone
Sir William Blackstone KC SL was an English jurist, judge and Tory politician of the eighteenth century. He is most noted for writing the Commentaries on the Laws of England. Born into a middle class family in London, Blackstone was educated at Charterhouse School before matriculating at Pembroke...
. He also owned twenty-one slaves, nine horses and other livestock, and a carriage. He was buried in Lexington Cemetery.
The family home was inherited by Robert S. Todd, who in turn left it to Margaret Preston in 1857, before its purchase by the Lexington Water Company in 1884. The company used several 100 acres (404,686 m²) to build a reservoir as well as present-day Mentelle Park; the house itself existed until 1947 when it was torn down to build the now defunct Lexington Mall
Lexington Mall
Lexington Mall was a small shopping mall located in Lexington, Kentucky along US 25/US 421 . The mall portion was built in 1975.-Design:Designed as a competitor to Fayette Mall along US 27...
.
Further reading
- Ranck, George W. History of Lexington, Kentucky. Cincinnati, 1872.
- Staples, Charles. The History of Pioneer Lexington, 1779-1806. Lexington, 1939.