Again this is copied from the book exactly as it was printed so any
spelling errors are supposed to be there.
Lori
HISTORY OF UNION COUNTY KENTUCKY
JOHN CASEY (DECEASED)
Page 461
John Casey is the son of Peter and Nancy (Waggener) Casey. A full
account of his ancestry will be found in the Chapter on Pioneer
Biography. He was born in Harrodsburg, Mercer County, in 1800. He
received his education principally at Bardstown, and in 1820 removed to
Union County. In 1829 he married Mary Willis Lewis, in Union County.
Miss Lewis was the daughter of Samuel and Attaway (Miller) Lewis. The
great grandfather of Mrs. John Casey was the historic Col. Fielding
Lewis, the personal friend and brother in-law of George Washington.
Mrs. Casey's great grandmother was Betty Washington, the only sister of
George Washington. Mrs. Casey's father, Major Samuel Lewis, the son of
George Washington Lewis, was in the Second War with Great Britain. His
residence in Virginia was burnt by the British in their advance on
Washington during the War of 1812, and he came to Union County in 1820,
but returned to Virginia, where he died in his native county of
Westmoreland. His wife afterward came to Union County and died here.
Mrs. Casey was born in Port Royal, Va., in 1812. Six children were born
to this couple, as follows: John Finnie married a Miss La Sueur, a New
Orleans lady, who was the daughter of a French nobleman, who was a
refugee from France during the Reign of Terror, but who returned to his
native land to serve under Napoleon the Great. Mr. John F. Casey's wife
died in 1882, leaving six children. Fannie Eliza married Rev. Charles
Campbell, of Lexington, the brother of Judge Campbell, of Paducah, and a
descendant of the old Scottish clan of Campbell, and the near relative
of the Duke of Argyle. Mrs. Campbell died in Union County, in 1875,
leaving one child. Attaway still remains at home, in the delightful
spot at the northeast corner of Morganfield, where she, with her brother
Rives, who is a grocer of Morganfield, and sister Mary, dispense stately
and elegant hospitality. Ellen presides over the household of her
brother, John F. Casey, at St. Louis.
Our subject when he came to Union County, from Harrodsburg, settled
down to farming on a large scale, and always lived here; however, he
traveled considerably. He was a Democrat in Politics, and an ardent
admirer and personal friend of Gen. Jackson. He was an earnest Mason,
and was frequently elected Master of his Lodge. He died in Morgansfield
in 1867, and his faithful wife survived him nearly twenty years, dying
in Morganfield, in April, 1886.
Page 462
The Misses Casey have many interesting mementoes of the various people
with whom they, in one way or another, have been connected. Prominent
among their relics are the photographic copies of the old portraits of
Col. Felding and Betty (Washington) Lewis. The originals of these
photographs are in the old family mansion in Virginia. Another
interesting relic is a piece of the coffin box that was used at the
first internment of Washington. This box was of mahogony, but the case
was of lead, hermetically sealed. Major Samuel Lewis was present when
Washington's body was removed from it's first grave to it's present
resting place, and he brought away a piece of the box, which was decayed
badly. Miss Attaway Casey also has a part of the scabbard of one of
Washington's dress swords. The sword itself, which is one of the number
that he distributed to his relatives, is in the possession of Capt. H.
L. Lewis, of Baltimore. Miss Attaway also has a part of a window frame
from Longwood, the home of Napoleon Bonaparte, at St. Helena. Other
mementoes, that are more common, but still very rare, are evergreens,
grasses and mosses, which Miss Attaway procured from Mt. Vernon, the
home of Washington.
Miss Ellen Casey has several souvenirs of her kinswomen, Madame Murat,
who married the son of Caroline (Bonaparte) Murat, The eldest sister of
Napoleon, and Queen of Naples. The Princess Dowager, from whom Miss
Ellen received these relics, lived in Paris awhile, but spent most of
her life in Florida, where she had large possessions. She never claimed
her title of Princess, although many people preferred to address her by
it. She was queenly in appearance, judging by the portraits in the
possession of Miss Ellen. She had considerable property in Union
County, and hence her will is on record in the Clerk's office at
Morganfield. Her name, before marriage, was Kate Willis, and she was
the daughter of Colonel Byrd and Mary (Lewis) Willis. Her mother was
the sister of Major Samuel Lewis, who was the father of Mrs. John Casey,
so that Mrs. Casey and Madame Murat were own cousins. Miss Ellen
visited Madame Murat at her home in Florida, and was shown the wonderful
jewels that lady received from her royal mother-in-law, and received the
relics just mentioned.
Page 463
One of these relics is a napkin, with the initial "M," a crown and the
number 3 upon it. Part of a lace handkerchief, that was formerly the
property of the Empress Josephine, and a very beautiful fan with the
enitial "M" upon it, are also in this collection. The napkin mentioned
is of the finest linen, and large enough for a stand-table cover of the
present day.