Levi Todd facts for kids

Levi Todd (born October 4, 1756 – died September 6, 1807) was an important American pioneer in the 1700s. He and his brothers, John and Robert Todd, helped create what is now Lexington, Kentucky. They were also major landowners and leaders in Kentucky before it became a U.S. state in 1792.

Levi Todd was the grandfather of Mary Todd Lincoln. She later married President Abraham Lincoln. Mary's father, Robert S. Todd, was Levi's son. Robert was a clerk for the Kentucky House of Representatives for a long time. Levi's grandson, John T. Stuart, became a well-known lawyer in Illinois. He was even a law partner of Abraham Lincoln.

Two of Levi's daughters married politicians. Jane Briggs married Congressman Daniel Breck. Elizabeth Todd married Charles M. Carr, whose father was a Kentucky statesman.

Levi Todd's Life and Contributions

Growing Up and Founding Lexington

Levi Todd was the youngest son of David and Hannah Owen Todd. He grew up and went to school in Louisa County, Virginia. He also studied law with General Andrew Lewis. Later, he joined his brothers in Kentucky. He arrived with John Floyd in the summer of 1775. Together, they started the settlement of Lexington.

After they finished building the fort's walls, Levi Todd was chosen as one of four "Gentlemen Trustees." This happened at a town meeting on March 29, 1776. Over the next year, Todd and the others planned new buildings. They also worked on expanding the settlement. In 1777, he became the first clerk for Kentucky County.

Serving in the American Revolution

Levi Todd and his two brothers fought in the American Revolutionary War. They served in the western part of the war under General George Rogers Clark. This was during the Illinois campaign. As a lieutenant, Levi Todd was there when Kaskaskia was captured in 1778.

The capture of Philippe-François de Rocheblave at Kaskaskia during the Illinois campaign.

He also helped capture a British agent named Philippe-François de Rocheblave. Todd then escorted him to Virginia as a prisoner. For his service, Levi Todd received 2,156 acres (about 8.7 square kilometers) of land at Clark's Grant.

After the war, Todd and his brothers returned to Lexington. They encouraged other pioneers to settle there. They also helped defend against occasional Native American attacks. Levi Todd married his first wife, Jane Briggs, on February 25, 1779. They had eleven children together. In April of that year, he led a militia company from Harrod's Town. They joined Colonel John Bowman's trip against the Shawnee town of Chillicothe.

During this time, Todd became a farmer. He also started a successful law practice. He bought large amounts of land cheaply from veterans. These veterans had received land instead of money from the government. His small farm eventually grew into a large plantation across three counties.

In the same year, he founded Todd's Station. It was located on the north bank of South Elkhorn Creek. This was near the road to the mouth of the Dick's River. It was close to Lexington. However, he had to leave the station the next summer because of threats of Native American attacks. He then settled in Lexington permanently.

Public Service and Military Roles

In 1780, Governor Isaac Shelby appointed Levi Todd as the court clerk for Fayette County. For 27 years, until his death in 1807, he had many important duties. He recorded official statements and property transfers. He also kept records of road surveys and lists of taxable property. He issued marriage licenses and kept records of deeds and mortgages.

Todd was also one of the first trustees for Transylvania University. He was one of the first recorded landowners when Lexington's city plans were approved on December 26, 1781. In early 1782, the town council chose a new board of trustees. This board included Levi's brother John Todd and William McConnell.

Levi Todd also served as a major in the Fayette County Militia. On August 16, 1782, he led 40 militiamen from Lexington and Boone's Station. They had heard that British Captain William Caldwell and a Native American war party were attacking Bryan's Station. This was a small fort about five miles (8 km) north of Lexington. Although 17 of his men entered the fort, Todd and the others had to retreat. Caldwell tried to burn the fort but could not make the Kentuckians surrender. He eventually left the next day, after destroying crops and livestock outside the fort.

Soon after this event, Todd fought in the Battle of Blue Licks. His brother John Todd was killed in this battle. As county clerk, Levi wrote the first official report of the battle the next day. His brother Robert Todd asked him to do this. It is considered the most accurate of the five reports available about the battle. He later wrote another report, the fifth and last one published. This report was for civil and military officials. It included his own eyewitness account and that of Daniel Boone. Levi Todd later became a major general and commander of the militia, taking over from Daniel Boone.

He also attended the Kentucky statehood meetings in Danville, Kentucky. These meetings took place on May 23, 1785, August 8, 1785, and September 18, 1787.

Later Life and Legacy

In 1787, Levi Todd built the first brick house in Fayette County. It was on Richmond Pike outside Lexington. He named the house "Ellerslie" after a small Scottish village. The Todd family came from this village in the 1500s. The original house was a two-story square home with one room deep, on 30 acres (about 121,000 square meters). He hired bricklayers and carpenters to expand it. It eventually became a large country villa with 20 rooms. The estate also had many other buildings. One was a stone round house where Todd kept Fayette County's public documents. In 1801, he also gave land for the Walnut Hill Presbyterian Church. This is the oldest standing Presbyterian Church in Fayette County.

In 1803, some angry tenant farmers and squatters threatened to burn down his home. They wanted to destroy court documents that affected their property rights. This was because of a recent court decision. The Ellerslie estate itself was saved. However, his personal office was burned down by the crowd on January 31. Because of this, most of the early records of the settlement were destroyed. A special committee later copied the remaining readable records.

When Levi Todd died in 1807, he owned 7,000 acres (about 28 square kilometers) in Fayette and Franklin Counties. He was worth over $6,000. His possessions included silver, fine china, and leather-bound books. His personal library had rare works by Mary Wollstonecraft, Edmund Burke, and William Blackstone. He also owned twenty-one enslaved people, nine horses, other livestock, and a carriage. He was buried in Lexington Cemetery.

His son, Robert S. Todd, inherited the family home. Robert then left it to Margaret Preston in 1857. The Lexington Water Company bought it in 1884. The company used several hundred acres to build a reservoir and what is now Mentelle Park. The house itself stood until 1947. It was then torn down to build the Lexington Mall, which no longer exists.

Images for kids

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  The capture of Philippe-François de Rocheblave at Kaskaskia during the Illinois campaign.