Marker #1224 “County Named, 1797”

Historical Marker #1224, “County Named, 1797,” is dedicated to Colonel William Christian, a Continental officer from Virginia. By 1786, Christian was one of the most experienced and respected military leaders in Kentucky.

Born in Augusta County, Virginia, around 1742, within two decades Christian rose to be a commander in the Virginian militia, leading troops against the Cherokee in the southwestern frontier.

By 1768, he married Annie Henry, the sister of the first and sixth governor of Virginia, Patrick Henry. Patrick was also one of the Founding Fathers and is remembered for the quote, “Give me liberty or give me death.”

Christian became an important member in Virginia politics, including sitting on the county courts and serving as justice of the peace of Fincastle County. He was also elected to the House of Burgesses and attended two of the five Revolutionary Conventions.

He was a company commander in Lord Dunmore’s War, and, in 1775, was elected lieutenant colonel in the new 1st Virginia Regiment. In 1776, he was promoted to colonel but only held that position for a short while so he could command an expedition to attack the Cherokee nation in the southwest.

Christian served in the Revolutionary War and made several trips into Kentucky to negotiate treaties with Native Americans.

In 1780, he was elected to the Virginia Senate, where he represented Kentucky and four other counties. During that time, he purchased land in Kentucky.

He moved to the Louisville area in 1785. His land was in the Beargrass Creek area, where he worked his enslaved people in the saltlicks of Bullitt’s Lick, near present-day Shepherdsville.

As tensions grew because of British interference between Native Americans and Kentuckians, on April 9, 1786, Christian led an expedition across the Ohio River near what is now Jeffersonville, Indiana. When a skirmish erupted, Christian was shot and killed. His remains were returned to Kentucky where he was buried on his property.

Reactions to his death caused a stir across Kentucky and Virginia, especially since he was related to the current governor, Patrick Henry. He was also highly respected throughout the county and state.

Christian County was later named in his honor.