General Notes

James Young & Mary Guyn are married in 1786 Walnut Hill Presbyterian Church near Lexington. The early records of the church show that most members lived close enough to the church to walk or ride a horse.  I suspect that the first temporary location of the Young, Guyn, Black families was near this church.  They stayed there while they searched for their homesteads in Clark, Woodford, Bourbon & Fayette CO's

Walnut Hill church marriages
James Young & Mary Guyn  April 1786
David Kincaid & Jane Guyn April 1786
James Black & Elizabeth Guyn April 1786
Robert Young (brother to John Young-KY hero & pioneer) & Margaret Cochran June 1791

Walnut Hill Presbyterian Church, constructed in 1801, is the oldest Presbyterian Church in Kentucky. Constructed in 1801, Walnut Hill Presbyterian Church has the distinction of being the oldest Presbyterian Church building in Kentucky. The church was established in 1785 to serve the religious needs of the early pioneers. The first pastor of the church was the Reverend James Crawford who also served as a delegate to the Kentucky Constitutional Convention in Danville in 1792. In 1785, Reverend James Crawford was one of two ministers ordained at the first meeting of a presbytery in Kentucky. Rev. JAMES CRAWFORD removed with his family to Kentucky in 1784.  Like most of the pioneer Presbyterian ministers, he was from Virginia.  He settled at Walnut Hill, where he gathered and organized a flourishing church.  Although laboring under feeble health, he was zealous and active in the cause of his Master and numerous converts were added to the church through his instrumentality.  He was a plain looking man, of very grave demeanor; not a popular preacher, but highly useful and instructive In 1791 he opened a school at Walnut Hill for Latin, Greek, and the Sciences. Crawford died in 1803 and is buried in the church cemetery

The present building was constructed during the "great revival" to replace an earlier log building that stood on the site. The building is stone and as it was originally constructed had eight square windows on two levels that allowed light to enter the sanctuary at the ground level as well as in the galleries that surrounded the inner room on three sides. In 1880 the church was remodeled and eight large Gothic windows were added to replace the square windows and the galleries were removed from the inside. The church continues to serve as an active house of worship.

Walnut Hill Presbyterian Church is located on Walnut Hill Rd. in southeastern Fayette County at the intersection of old Richmond Rd. & Walnut Hill Rd., W. of US 25, Lexington, Fayette Co. KY




Benjamin Morris, grandson of James had following to say about his grandfather in a historical book in Warren Co Iowa.
James was of Irish descent and served through the seven years of the Revolution. During an Indian uprising in Kentucky, the parents of James and all the children except for James and a brother were killed. Mary Polly was of Scotch descent.

Clark Co KY Deed Bk.  10/1 - Sept 13, 1813, James Young and Polly his wife of Clark Co and Joseph Thompson of Clark Co.25 pounds, a tract of land 50 acres lying in Clark Co on the waters of Hancock Creek and part of a tract which Young purchased of Nicholas Arnold. It starts at a corner of Early's which is also corner to Craig's, a stone in the Lexington Road, Marshall's is named. One witness was a William Young. A John Young was the deputy Clerk in Clark Co where deed was recorded.

Clark Co KY Deed Bk 13/140-141 - June 17, 1817, William Hughes and James Hughes of Nicholas Co. KY.  to James Young of Clark Co KY, for $1.00, sold land on
the waters Hancock Waters of Stoner fork of Licking containing 35 acres.

James Young Will

In the name of God Amen, I, James Young, Senior, of Shelby County and State of Indiana, farmer, being very sick and weak in body, but of sound mind, memory, and understanding, praised be God for the same, do make and publish this my la