Oral History Interview with Henry DeHart

Interview Summary

Born Rosine on 11/22/53

Father was Shelton Dwee DeHart, mother was Addie May Peach

Had three sisters, Shirley Dwee, Marie Belle, and Carrie Dean

Attended School Rosine two room schoolhouse for five years then Horse Branch through 7th grade (due to the Rosine School closing)

Horse Branch had a high school at one time until consolidation of the local schools into Ohio County Schools

Dropped out of high school, did not like school

Worked at Woosley's mill and tobacco warehouse in Owensboro, also worked in coal mines

Currently works odd jobs to make ends meet

Uses his free time talk to people, roaming hills, learning stories form family and met people throughout the county

Rosine had up to seventeen stores in the 1890s, but two significant fires in 1899 and 19000 destroyed many of the town’s infrastructure

Unsure of the cause of the fire, timber industry brought jobs to the area

Railroad station was established in 1869, still used for rail shipping between Louisville and Paducah

Estimates that the train comes through the town four or five times per day

Rosine had seven or eight passenger trains per day at its peak

There was a grist mill, and several saw mills

The saw mills made ties, first by hand then later machines

Says coal was not that important to the local economy until after the Civil War

Comments about Civil War 17 Company, which had volunteers from Ohio County fighting for the North

42 Confederates from Ohio County, the dividing line was the Green River about 5 miles as crow flies

First soldier from Oho County killed in action was Granville Allen, on a big hill close to Morgantown, KY

Battles were mostly fought closer to the river

Civil War soldier is buried on a farm across from Mount Pleasant Cemetery

Says that there were no Blacks living in Rosine after enslavement ended

Some Blacks lived around Horton following the Civil War

Cemetery for enslaved people across from Bethel Church

Schultz may have lived near there at one time

Bethel Church was a white church, but had been used by both Blacks and whites at various times

Bethel Church was built in 1804

There is a post office in Rosine, but residents go to Beaver Dam to seek medical care

DeHart was born at home delivered by Dr. Allen

Discusses some Native American history in Ohio County Indian History

Says that his great-great-great grandfather was a Native American

John Baize was found in the woods and the Schultz family took him in and raised him

Baize ended up marrying one of their daughters, namesake for Baizetown,

Explains how Schultztown and Baizetown were established

Baize had 10 or 12 children

Henry's Indian artifacts probably 3 to 5000 years old

Discusses five indigenous burial grounds in the area

There was a gas well about a mile from Rosine, but it was never profitable

Paternal grandfather was a veterinarian

Father’s ancestry: Joe Morris, lived around Renfrow, born in 1853 in Grayson County

Joe Morris’ father was Amos Morris, wife's name was Katherine, and they had 8 children,

Amos went to several counties, started working near the railroad, sold newspapers, fruit and stuff

Mother's family came from Lincoln, in Anderson County

DeHarts came from France, the Morris' came from Ireland, mother's side Schroaders [claims to be part Indian through an unidentified tribe from South Carolina]

Monroe house still standing

Says that Peaches family ancestors were Normans and the Vikings

Bethel Church located on Bethel Road going north off Highway 62 from Beaver Dam to Rosine

Picture 1: Bethel Church established in 1804, formerly a community of enslaved people

Picture 2: A.J. Monroe, Bill Monroe's Grandfather, his wife Lydia Charlotte Stevens’s graves

Picture 5: Lydia’s Gravestone old one

Picture 6: double monument for A.J. and Lydia

Picture 7: back side, shows back piece missing

Picture 8: shot across the cemetery

Picture 9: shot North of the cemetery

Picture 10: back side of the church

Picture 11: another shot of the back of the church

Picture 12: stone from the cemetery for enslaved people

Comments about the Stevens family graves, Nancy Stevens, wife of William Stevens, and the gravestone of William Stevens

Oldest stones in the cemetery date back to 1804

Pen Vandiver, uncle of Bill Monroe, played fiddle, suffered significant injuries after being thrown off while riding a mule

Bill Stayed with Pen after his father died, Pen was a farmer

Pen had small gardens, played for dances, did not make much money

Melvin Kassinger used to play the fiddle, lived across the railroad track from Uncle Pen

Also played guitar, Deary boys up around Horse Branch and Oscar Rain (?), Morris Johnson played some music

William was born in July 1867, and died February 1,1943; wife born November 25, 1875, died July 19, 1942

Pen walked with crutches after mule accident, tall, heavy man according to pictures, may have lived in Pen cabin, where cabin remains

Pen had old farm out on KY Route 1544 at one time

Lived on Route 1544 when children were young, son died of pneumonia, wife may have died of pneumonia

Pen got sick and people took him food the last few years of his life

Pen had a 1200 acre farm, which eventually became the site of a coal mine

Kurkendall Brothers worked in the mines, mud mines fell, just 2 men worked there, no one killed there

Mine on Pen’s former property was located at Mount Pleasant near Jerusalem Ridge on the north side

Bill's mother had musical talent, Bertha said she likes to dance, light on her feet

Hill across the road used for pasture

Do not know the cause of Monroe's parents death, Bill is the youngest in the family

Provides names of Bill’s siblings

Lots of dances in area on the weekends, years ago had dance hall at Twin Hills

Tex Atchison used to play at Twin Hills, Henry's dad and granddad also played there

Dad played the guitar and with Oscar and the Geary boys, granddad played the banjo

Henry tired but cannot play the banjo or guitar, but one of his sisters is musically gifted

Twin Hills on Road from Rosine to Beaver Dam

Identifies some pictures: Zion Church at Baizetown

Side View of Mt. Zion Church

Mount Zion Church, Adrian Stewart

Mount Zion

Further discusses the Baize family genealogy and the founding of Baizetown

House at Baizetown

part of the cabin

Mt. Pleasant School

The former site of a general store