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 November 11, 2025 Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives Office of the Governor, Thomas E. Bramlette: Governor's official correspondence file, petitions for pardons, remissions, and respites 1863-1867 KYR-0001-004-0341 BR9-45

Elizabethtown, Hardin County, Kentucky Thomas Elliott Bramlette (KY governor 1863-67, atty, D.A., col 3rd KY Inf) N001000 1817-01-03 1875-01-12 Categories: People

Twenty-third governor of Kentucky, attorney and soldier. Cumberland County, Kentucky, native. Married to Sallie Travis Bramlette in September 1837. Father of James T. Bramlette, William L. Bramlette, Eugene Bramlette, and Corrina Bell Bramlette. Practiced law in Clinton County, Kentucky, and Columbia, Kentucky. Represented Cumberland and Clinton counties in the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Kentucky from 1841 to 1843. Commonwealth's attorney of the 8th Judicial District of Kentucky from 1848 to 1850. Owned two enslaved persons in 1850. Circuit judge of the 6th Judicial District of Kentucky from 1856 to 1861. Owned nine enslaved persons in 1860. Served as colonel of the 3rd Kentucky Volunteer Infantry Regiment (U.S.A.) from 1861 to 1862. District attorney of the United States District Court for Kentucky in 1863. Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky from September 1, 1863, to September 3, 1867. Owned law firm of Bramlette & Van Winkle in partnership with Ephraim L. Van Winkle.

Seventh Manuscript Census of the United States (1850), Population Schedules, Kentucky, Clinton County, District No. 1, p. 181A. Seventh Manuscript Census of the United States (1850), Slave Schedules, Kentucky, Clinton County, District No. 1, p. 335 (p. 2 of 2 on microfilm). Eighth Manuscript Census of the United States (1860), Slave Schedules, Kentucky, Adair County, The Town of Columbia 1st Division, p. 13 (p. 2 of 3 on microfilm). Ninth Manuscript Census of the United States (1870), Population Schedules, Kentucky, Jefferson County, Louisville Ward 8, p. 83B. Ross A. Webb, “Thomas E. Bramlette (1863-1867)” in Lowell H. Harrison, ed., Kentucky’s Governors (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2004), 93-97 Lowell H. Harrison, "Bramlette, Thomas Elliott" in The Kentucky Encyclopedia, John E. Kleber, ed. (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1992), 112-13. Wesley Smith (Hardin County, Kentucky, former enslaved person and soldier) N00012443 1842? Categories: People

Hardin County, Kentucky, former enslaved person and soldier. Kentucky native. Enslaved person in Hardin County, Kentucky in 1863. Served in the 109th USCT as a private (a substitute for W. M. Evans) from June 2, 1864 to February 6, 1866.

Relationships Slavery: George Washington Smith (Hardin County, Kentucky, farmer) Legal: Fontaine T. Fox, Jr. (Boyle County attorney and major in 1st KY cav)

Eighth Manuscript Census of the United States (1860), Slave Schedules, Kentucky, Hardin County, District 2, p. 98A. Ninth Manuscript Census of the United States (1870), Population Schedules, Kentucky, Hardin County, Elizabethtown, p. 337B. U.S. Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938 National Archives Microfilm Publication M1749, Illinois, Danville Branch (ancestry.com) p. 13893. Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers who Served in Organizations From State of Kentucky, NARA RG 94, Microfilm Series M397, Roll RG94-USCT-109-Bx39. George Washington Smith (Hardin County, Kentucky, farmer) N00012441 1813-03-15 1892-05-03 Categories: People

Hardin County, Kentucky, farmer. Kentucky native. Married to Hannah Ashcraft Smith in Meade County, Kentucky on January 16, 1837. Father of James Smith, David Smith, Elijah Smith, Mary E. Smith, and George R. Smith. Farmer in Hardin County, Kentucky in 1850. Owned five enslaved persons in Hardin County in 1850. Farmer in Hardin County in 1860. Owned twelve enslaved persons in Hardin County in 1860.

Seventh Manuscript Census of the United States (1850), Population Schedules, Kentucky, Hardin County, District 3, p. 357B. Seventh Manuscript Census of the United States (1850), Slave Schedules, Kentucky, Hardin County, District 3, p. 326. Eighth Manuscript Census of the United States (1860), Population Schedules, Kentucky, Hardin County, District 2, p. 213. Eighth Manuscript Census of the United States (1860), Slave Schedules, Kentucky, Hardin County, District 2, p. 98A. Ninth Manuscript Census of the United States (1870), Population Schedules, Kentucky, Hardin County, Elizabethtown, p. 302A. Kentucky Marriage Records, Madison County Courthouse, Richmond, Kentucky, Meade County Marriages, Film #000390311, p. 313. Find A Grave, "George Washington Smith (Mar 15, 1813-May 5, 1892)," Memorial #68114396, http://www.findagrave.com/memorial/68114396 (accessed April 13, 2020). John Larue Helm (Kentucky governor) N00000991 1802-07-04 1867-09-08 Categories: People

Kentucky attorney and politician. Elizabethtown native. Married to Lucinda Hardin Helm. Father of Benjamin Hardin Helm, George H. Helm, Elizabeth B. Helm, Rebecca J. Helm, Lucinda B. Helm, Sarah Helm, Emily Helm, Mary Helm, John L. Helm, James P. Helm, and Thomas Helm. Studied under Benjamin Tobin and admitted to the bar in 1823. Meade County Attorney from 1824 to 1840. Member of the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1825, 1827, 1830, 1833 to 1837, 1839, 1842, 1843, and in which he also served as speaker in the 1835, 1836, 1839, 1842, and 1843 sessions. Member of the Senate of the Commonwealth of Kentucky from 1844 to 1848. Lieutenant governor of Kentucky from 1848 to 1850. Governor of Kentucky from 1850 to 1851. President of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad from 1854 to 1860. Owned fifty-two enslaved persons in Hardin County in 1860.

Relationships Military: Kentucky State Guard Military: Office of the Inspector General of Kentucky

H. Levin, The Lawyers and Lawmakers of Kentucky (Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1897), 194. Seventh Manuscript Census of the United States (1850), Population Schedules, Kentucky, Hardin County, District 1, p. 56. Eighth Manuscript Census of the United States (1860), Population Schedules, Kentucky, Hardin County, 3rd District, p. 90. Eighth Manuscript Census of the United States (1860), Slave Schedules, Kentucky, Hardin County, 3rd District, p. 12. Find A Grave, "John Larue Helm (1802-1867)," Memorial #6865234, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6865234 (accessed August, 3, 2017). Charles G. Wintersmith (Hardin County, Kentucky, attorney) N00007722 1812-07-15 1881-10-14 Categories: People

Hardin County, Kentucky, attorney. Kentucky native. Married to Emily Cotton Wintersmith in Nelson County, Kentucky, on October 15, 1857. Married to Malvina Underwood Gorin Wintersmith in Louisville on January 16, 1862. Attorney in Hardin County in 1850. Owned five enslaved persons in 1850. Member of the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Kentucky from Hardin County in 1838, 1847, and from 1851 to 1855. Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Kentucky from 1853 to 1854. Attorney in partnership with F. T. Fox, Jr., in Elizabethtown in 1862.

Seventh Manuscript Census of the United States (1850), Population Schedules, Kentucky, Hardin County, Northern District, p. 306. Seventh Manuscript Census of the United States (1850), Slave Schedules, Kentucky, Hardin County, Upper or Northern District. Ninth Manuscript Census of the United States (1870), Population Schedules, Kentucky, Hardin County, Elizabethtown, p. 41. "Judge Charles G. Wintersmith (1812-1881),"Find A Grave, Memorial #11924891, accessed June 27, 2017, http://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11924891. _Kentucky Marriage Records, 1783-1965, Madison County Courthouse, Richmond, Kentucky, Nelson County Marriages, 1783-1951, Film #001929414, p. 273. Kentucky Marriage Records, 1783-1965, Madison County Courthouse, Richmond, Kentucky, Jefferson County Marriages, 1862-1863, Film #000819615. Lewis Collins and Richard H. Collins, Collins' Historical Sketches of Kentucky, vol. 2 (Covington, KY: Collins & Co., 1874), 307. "Wintersmith & Fox, Attorneys and Counsellors at Law," Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY), July 29, 1862, p. 1. Zachariah Frederick Smith, The History of Kentucky (Louisville: Courier-Journal Printing Company, 1892), 899. Fontaine T. Fox, Jr. (Boyle County attorney and major in 1st KY cav) N00002352 1836 1926 Categories: People

Boyle County, Kentucky, attorney and soldier. Kentucky native. Son of F. T. Fox and Elizabeth Fox. Attorney in Boyle County, Kentucky in 1860. Confirmed as a notary public in Boyle County on February 5, 1861. Served in the 1st Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry Regiment (U.S.A.) as major until June 4, 1862.

Relationships Military: 1st Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry Regiment (U.S.A.) Social: John Larue Helm (Kentucky governor) Social: Charles G. Wintersmith (Hardin County, Kentucky, attorney)

Eighth Manuscript Census of the United States (1860), Population Schedules, Kentucky, Boyle County, p. 887. Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Kentucky, vol. 1, 1861-1866 (Frankfort: Kentucky Yeoman Office, 1866), 2-3. Find A Grave, "Fontaine T. Fox, Jr. (1836-1926)," Memorial #105813525, http://www.findagrave.com/memorial/105813525 (accessed October 3, 2018). KYR-0001-017-0062. Elizabethtown, Kentucky P00002906 Categories: Places

Seat of Hardin County, Kentucky.

37.7031, -85.8649 “Elizabethtown,” The Kentucky Encyclopedia, ed. John E. Kleber (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1992), 290. "Elizabethtown, Kentucky," USGS: Earth Explorer, accessed January 3, 2020, https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/. Robert M. Rennick, Kentucky Place Names (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1984), 90-91. Kentucky P001800 Categories: Places

State in the upper south of the United States. Capital at Frankfort. Located on the Ohio River.

38.2009, -84.8733 "Frankfort, Kentucky," USGS: Earth Explorer, accessed June 14, 2019, https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/. The Kentucky Encyclopedia, ed. John E. Kleber (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1992). Hardin County, Kentucky P00001583 Categories: Places

County in west central Kentucky. Seat at Elizabethtown. Located on the Ohio River.

37.7031, -85.8649 "Elizabethtown, Kentucky," USGS: Earth Explorer, accessed January 3, 2020, https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/. “Hardin County,” The Kentucky Encyclopedia, ed. John E. Kleber (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1992), p. 404-05. Robert M. Rennick, Kentucky Place Names (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1984), p. 130. Commonwealth of Kentucky O001025 1792 Categories: Organizations

Administrative body of the state of Kentucky. Capital at Frankfort, Kentucky. Governor(s): Beriah Magoffin (1859-1862), James F. Robinson (1862-1863), and Thomas E. Bramlette (1863-1867).

Paul Blanchard, "Office of Governor" in The Kentucky Encyclopedia, John E. Kleber, ed. (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1992), 380. Malcolm E. Jewell, "General Assembly" in The Kentucky Encyclopedia, John E. Kleber, ed. (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1992), 366. Paul J. Weber, "Court System" in The Kentucky Encyclopedia, John E. Kleber, ed. (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1992), 233. Hardin County Jail O00012442 1794-08 Categories: Organizations

Hardin County, Kentucky, correctional facility. Located in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Operated from August 1794. Jailer(s):

Samuel Haycraft,A History of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and its Surroundings,(Elizabethtown, KY: The Women's Club of Elizabethtown, KY, 1921), 22-30. Elizabethtown, Hardin County, Kentucky 1863-12-31 Petition English Version 2 of page "1": Changes to page transcript. Version 1 of page "2": Changes to page transcript. Version 2 of page "2": Changes to page transcript. Version 1 of page "1": Changes to page transcript. Version 0 of page "2": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile. Version 0 of page "1": Empty transcript -- probably initial upload of page facsimile.
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ElizabethtownKy December 31st 1863 Hon Thos. E. Bramlette;

Govr of Kentucky. Dear Sir:

Some eight months since Wesley a Slave belonging to G. W. Smith, accused of burning a barn and incarcerated in our County Jail to await Indictment and trial thereunder. The prejudice vs the boy was so great and so positively expressed and in a such a way as to prevent the holding the opposite opinion, that his Master believed him guilty and would not bail him. He has been twice tried. The first time, the Jury were dispersed by a raid of Guerrillas. The second time a verdict of 200 lashes was returned by the Jury. I desire a remission of part of the punishment say 50 or 100 lashes. The boy justly deserves this favor from Your Honor. The evidence vs him was purely circumstantial frequently conflicting upon Material points, and disclosed the complicity of white men in the crime. The evidence rested upon two setts of tracks -- the first at the burnt barn were almost invisible, the other, at his home, let his foot but he denied those in the fields and acknowledged those in the garden- they are contiguous fields -- one of the witnesses swore they were in a line and the same Witness swore on the first trial they were not and would miss each other at either end then- Another swore virtually the same thing on the first trial and on the last they were Zigzag -- These witnesses had evidently yielded some little though unconciously to ^the prejudice in^ themselves, to

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the neighborhood. I was the only Lawyer defending the poor negro.Govr Helm & Hon C. G, Wintersmith fortified the prejudice of the neighborhood by their presence in the case and assisted the comlth. Their name and presence and counsel had unusual weight with the Jury -- This is but a slight and cursory but I hope sufficient view to give an idea of the Case and show to you it worthy an exercise of Your executive clemency.

I am with great Respect Your obt Servant Fontaine T. Fox Jr

Hardin County Refused

T E Bramlette