Lincoln Slept Here — And Maybe My Ancestors Did Too!

The old Talbott Tavern in Bardstown, Kentucky, established in 1779, has bragging rights as the place where our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, and his parents stayed during a land dispute before moving to Indiana. In the Nelson County Court Minutes for the 1780s and 1790s, a few taverns were specifically mentioned as located in Bardstown. The rest of the tavern licenses only noted that the person's dwelling was to be used as a tavern. That is a 20 to 30-year difference from when my ancestors settled in Nelson County, Kentucky. But was it the same tavern as today's Talbott Tavern?

This is where I will look at the historical context of what taverns actually did for people. Why context? Context for a genealogist is the historical, social, and geographical environment that transforms genealogical facts into a meaningful narrative about an ancestor's life. In this case, Taverns in 1780s–1790s frontier areas like Bardstown were vital centers where travelers found food, lodging, and safety, while also serving as key social centers for news and politics. They are also part of the important routes that connect commerce between the West and the East. And, Talbott's Tavern was also a known stagecoach stop for travelers and settlers coming from the East and going West.

My Maryland Catholic ancestors (Cissell, Norris, French, Duvall, & Riney) settled primarily in what are today Marion, Washington, and Nelson counties. Back then, for these settlers to travel to Bardstown to do business at the county courthouse or hear the latest news about what was happening in the rest of the country, it meant a hard day's ride on horseback or by wagon (about 15 to 30 miles) on rough, muddy, or possibly icy roads. You had to eat, and you wanted to spend the night in a warm, safe environment, which was usually a tavern.

As I mentioned before, yes, there were other taverns in the Bardstown area, and not all tavern keepers were particular about the quality of their food or their lodging. Our ancestors are no different from us today when it comes to good food and safe lodging. Plus, the county regulated taverns on the fees they were allowed to charge. For example, in 1795, a warm dinner cost 1 shilling and 6 pence. A cold dinner was also 1 shilling and 0 pence. Lodging with clean sheets was 6 pence. A cold breakfast or Supper was 1 shilling.[1] There were additional fees for stabling, corn and oats for feed, and pasturing your horse or livestock overnight. Drinks like whiskey, brandy, Beer, and Cider (usually Hard Cider) were also charged a fee.[1] So, yes, I can say that my ancestors probably slept in Talbott's Tavern at least once and ate there at least once! And about those "clean sheets," well, that doesn't mean what we assume today, and that is another future blog!

[1] Nelson County, Kentucky, Order Book (1793-1797): 147, William Edwards Tavern Keeper License and Rates, December 9, 1795; imaged, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS3G-NG8S : accessed 12 March 2026) > image group record (IGN) 007389548 > image 87 of 885.