Col. Robert Johnson was instrumental in getting Warsaw started, although when it actually came time to make it an official town, he had a partner, one Richard Yates. In 1815, they bought 200 acres and divided it into 172 lots, each 82 ½ by 99. Johnson took the 86 lots west of the State Road (Sparta Pike or Main Cross); Yates split his lands, all east of the State Road, with his brother-in-law, Henry Ellis.
Col. Robert & Jemima Johnson
A few words on Warsaw founder Robert Johnson, here, and here.
More on the Johnson family here. And don't overlook Jemima, a hero in her own right; learn why at this site.
Gallatin County names Robert Johnson their “Outstanding Pioneer.” Story here. An account of Johnson coming to Kentucky in 1779.
In 1931, the Filson Club Quarterly had this item (pdf) on Robert Johnson.
“In April, 1784, Col. Robt. Johnson went out surveying in Fleming County. Daniel Boon [sic] was pilot. Crossed at the upper Blue Licks, where we saw 600 buffaloes. Dan'l Boon, and & Col. Johnson, stood by the river and counted 300 that we drove over to see them cross the [Licking] river. And they thought as many were left behind on this side yet.” from the Draper Papers

 

Col. Richard M. Johnson, son of Robert His Wikipedia page is here. His escaped slave ad is here.		Gov. Richard Yates His Wikipedia page is here.
Warsaw founders Johnson and Yates both had sons that became famous.

Col. Richard Johnson calls his militia from Henry, Gallatin, Boone, Campbell, Pendleton,
Bracken and Mason. Since Grant, Carroll, Trimble, and Kenton didn't yet exist, it's essentially
all of Northern Kentucky, to join him in the War of 1812. Read it here.

Read about the slave girl Johnson sold down the river.

And his slave Kit, who got away.

 

Watermelon Eating Contest.  Entrants here.

  

Mary Katherine McDanell Lowe tells us: “The picture you have of Bill McDanell standing by the wrecked car is my father, Everett McDanell. He was 8 years younger than Uncle Bill. If you notice he is wearing a mechanic cap, which I have seem him wear. He, Everett, later owned and operated the Sparta Garage. He worked for my Uncle Bill McDanell.”

 

	Crouch - Chapman Reunion

 

County Road Machinery Tom Morris and Joe Eddie Miller	The men in charge of the celebration  on the opening of US 42, October 29, 1930.  Names here.	from 1874

 

“In 1877, Martin H. Phipps, a well-to-do farmer of Gallatin County, Ky., almost insane because of a wayward daughter, left his home and family, determined to be a wanderer the remainder of his life. His family made every effort to ascertain his whereabouts, but were unsuccessful and gave him up for dead. A few days ago his son, still residing on the old farm with his mother, saw in the daily paper that M. H. Phipps of Shelbyville, Ill., had been allowed a pension as a Mexican veteran. He arrived here yesterday and found his long-lost father an inmate of the poorhouse. Phipps is now 77 years of age.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 12, 1888

 

This is Lucy Dupuy Montz, Kentucky's first woman dentist, allegedly.  A short bio is here.
Dr. Carl Bogardus wrote a longer piece, and you can read that here.  (pdf)

 

Warsaw's Jim Blackburn was in the major leagues.  His record is at this site.

 

Dr. Harlan Shupert	Dean Richards, inside the Brown Hotel	R. B. Brown and Frank Connely  in their law office.

 

In 1897, to celebrate his 100th birthday, James Beatty Ireland remembers his life in Gallatin County.
Read it here (pdf). The image is from his spot in Ripley's Believe It or Not! (Wikipedia).

 

unknown men	Villa Hewitt and Roy Anderson	unknown man on US 42, in front of Brown Hotel	unknown man
These eight were all taken in front of the Brown Hotel.  If you can identify any of them, please contact us.

 

L-R, Ed Lamkin, Ike Watson, W. R. Payne. J. W. Connley, and George Winters	unknown gents
Both of these are looking east from the southeast corner of court house square.  The building behind them still stands, but had its second story removed c. 1960

 

In its issue of January 22, 1898, The Warsaw Independent ran a special issue highlighting the business people of the community.    Some had pictures, some didn't; two of the pictures had no bio's.
H. T. Chambers	Robert Wood	George Snyder	Lafe J. Spencer
A. M. Speak	Everett E. Winn	William Newton Winn	Dr. James S. Brown
Judge Lindsay	Col. J. J. Landrum	J. H. McDanell & Sons	R. B. Brown
Louis Gutting	Gregory & Graham	Mrs. William Taaffe	W. B. Lineback
The Commercial Hotel	Warsaw Deposit Bank	Bettie D. Catlett	J. W. White
Benjamin F. Griffin	G. T. Thompson	Bailey and Rowett	S. P. Griffin
Lindell Hotel	Eagle Hotel	Winters & White	Dr. John T. Robinson
M. Marsh	John W. Wilcher	F. W. Wolff	R. R. Russell
T. H. Kirby	Cheap Cash Grocery	Mountjoy and White	S. B. Grubbs
Mrs. Sue Taaffe	M'Dannell & Son's	William Darneille	B. S. Landrum
	Dr. Samuel B. Robinson	Cheap Cash Store

 

This cannon was at what was then the front of the courthouse, left to right:  Lan Gardner, Frank Allen, George W. Winters, and Louis R. Hall A bio and and interview with George Winters are here, and here.	Alva Dickerson and the County Agent, c. 1940	Warsaw boys in front of Hendrix-McDanell Motors, June 19, 1932 from the left, Rex Wheeler, Harlan Shupert, J. W. Spencer, Stewart Roberts

 

“Aunt Belle Tandy, an old colored lady, dropped dead at her home in Rat Row, Rising Sun, at the advanced age of 92 years. She was raised in Gallatin county, as a slave.” Indianapolis News, November 29, 1881,

  

Jennie Gano's poem on the death of Sparta's Ruth Ellis Carver

Obituary of Harry B. Clore, Warsaw, here.	Obituary of Dr. O. B. Yeager, Glencoe, here.	Obituary of Dr. R. P. Thomas, Glencoe, here.
Warsaw's leading merchant in the late 19th century was Capt. J. H. McDanell.  His obituary is here.	Ward Yager, from the 1930 Boone Co Recorder, here.	An  interview with George Winters, who remembers the Civil War in Warsaw, here.
Retirement and obituary of B. F. Beall, here.	Ohlen Stewart's obituary, here.	James Ryle retires, here.
It says here that Elizabeth Edwards has over 200 great grandchildren, 30 of whom live in Gallatin County.
Obit of Revolutionary War vet Jacob White	Peter Turpin is here.	Former slave Uncle Irving dies at age 104.
Catherine Hart Hendrix, born in 1802, here.	Rev. P. H. Duncan, here.	Napoleon's D. K. Hon, here.
Napoleon's Dr. C. C. Violett.	A remembrance of Elizabeth Jane Tolliver is here.  (pdf)	Dr. Carroll Peak, formerly of Warsaw, here.
	Dr. J. W. Shupert, here.
Jabe Craig	A bio of Pearl Weldon is here.	Napoleon's James Leonard Hendrix, aka Jim Polk Hendrix
Captain Wm. H. Kirby's obit is here.	Confederate Veteran Col. Rod Perry's will makes interesting reading, here.	A bio of John J. Landrum is here. (pdf)

This is the Gallatin County Delegation in August, 1927
Delegation to what? We have no idea...

 

Col. John J. Landrum More on Col. Landrum  is here.  (pdf)	Glencoe's D. E. Castleman	William Harris

 

“J. J. Payne, of Warsaw, Ky., gathered 200 bushels of Sharpless and Crescent strawberries from an acre of ground, and sold them at an average of $3 per bushel.”   The Farm (Chicago),  August 9, 1890.

 

An early promotional flier for Attorney and Judge Ward Yager, of Warsaw, 1927

Going to the court house to see and hear people make excuses to try - and fail - to get out of jury
duty with Judge Yager was, literally, a spectator sport in Gallatin County.
 Excusing people from jury duty wasn't something the good judge took kindly to, though
he dealt with it with great aplomb; word is, it was a sight to behold.

Judge Yager's piece from the 1930 Boone County Recorder Historical Edition is here.

 

Marching Band in Warsaw.  1930's? 1940's?	The Gallatin County  Band Boosters, July, 1926. Personnel list here.

 

Melvin and Theodore Henry
From a Facebook post by Lisa Ferguson

Seniors in the Army Reserve. 1956-57
Tommy Duncan, Douglas Sharon, Jimmy Harmon, Hardin Lowe

 

Paying off an election bet, people identified are: Mr. Prill, Edward Rea, Bill Beverly, Dr. Harris, Robert Finnell, Judge Earl Spencer	The Brown Hotel Coffee Club, c.1960

Rev. G. W. Dupee
born in Gallatin County, his bio is here.

Death of Henry Johnson, Warsaw Barber, here.