“Uncle Joe” Howard was allied by relationships and many connections with the famous Daniel Boon.

Submitted to "Putting Meat on the Bones, a Tribute to our MD to KY Ancestors" by Michael Howard Pottinger, Sr. of Louisville, Kentucky

Joseph Howard was born on 18 March 1799 to William Howard and Anne Clark. His father was likely to have been among the group of Catholic settlers from southern Maryland who migrated to Kentucky in the late 1700's. Maria Pike was the daughter of John and Rebeca Pike of Washington County Kentucky. Maria married Joseph in August of 1821.

The handwritten note her parents sent to the Washington County Clerk on 25 August 1821 giving permission for Maria to marry Joseph was written by her brother Walter Pike. Maria's father John Pike placed his "X" at the bottom above the signature of his wife Rebeca.

Joseph and Maria were only married a few years when she died of pneumonia in about 1825 leaving two sons, Alex and Austin, in the care of their father. The year after Maria died Joseph found a stepmother for his children, nineteen year old Elizabeth Greenwell.

Joseph was a miller in northeast Nelson County before purchasing the land in 1831 where Howardstown is now situated from James Nourse, a homesteader in the area. Nourse sold Joseph 2000 acres for about two dollars an acre. Joseph erected the first mill in that area, and the town became known as Howard's Mill. The name was later changed to Howardstown. Joseph built a large house there and soon became an influential and respected leader in the community. A story in the 29 February 1903 issue of the Bardstown Standard reported that he had looked after the welfare of his neighbors, and when a number of the Howardstown residents were arrested for the manufacture and sale of moonshine, "old Uncle Joe Howard was down at those trials in the interest of different parties of this community, acting as advisor, lawyer, or bondsman, as the case required."

Joseph's father William Howard and his mother Anne lived with him in their old age. Because there was no church in Howardstown when they died, the elder Howards were buried in Catherine's Cemetery in New Haven, KY. After their deaths Joseph donated land for a church and cemetery in Howardstown. The church built on the land he donated was St. Ann's. Because he wanted to always remain in his beloved Howardstown community, Joseph stated in his will that he wished to be buried in the Catholic cemetery closest to his house.

Joseph died in 1879 and is buried in the cemetery up on the hill which adjoins the land where the old St. Ann's Church once stood. He willed the sum of one hundred dollars to the priest of St. Ann's "for prayers and Mass for the repose of my soul." He left his farm in Larue County across the Rolling Fork River from Howardstown to his son Austin Howard, my great-grandfather.

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The Kentucky Standard, May 23, 1901.
“Howardstown. Interesting History of a Beautiful Village.”
Over a Hundred Years Old., and one of the Most Prosperous Hamlets in Nelson County – Something About its Business Men and Interests.”

Howardstown is beautifully situated in a fertile valley surrounded by hills on the banks of therRolling Fork in the southwestern part in Nelson County, It is 9 miles from New Haven and 23 from Bardstown. The first settlement at Howardstown was made about the close of the 18th century.

The land where Howardstown is now situated was homesteaded by James Nourse and George Jaynes. Nourse entered 600 acres and Jaynes 400. Norse bought Jaynes’ land and sold all to Joseph Howard, who took possession of it about the year 1831. It is said that Nourse sold it for about $2 per acre. Recently some of the land sold for $100 per acre.

Among the early settlers of Howardstown were William Bray, Michael Spalding and Joseph Howard. A few years later Nathaniel Owens, William Norris, Raymond Cambron, John Smith, Lusk and Morgau joined the first settlers. One of the immigrants on first beholding his land offer to trade it all which extended from Bowling's Gap to Owens’ gap, a distance of 5 miles, for two ponies, stating that they would be of more value to him than the land. All the land was heavily timbered with black walnut, some of the trees having a diameter from 4 to 6 feet and growing as high as 60 feet without branch. So little were these trees valued that in clearing the land they were cut and thrown into the river, or piled in heaps and burned.

The land is now so fertile that crops grow with a little cultivation and the same soil will produce a good crop of corn year after year. One field cleared by Lusk has grown excellent crops of corn every year for the past 100 year. It is now owned by Howard Bros. In early years the people put their sheep up to keep the wolves from destroying them, while it was a common site to see twenty deer or droves of wild turkeys at a time.

The house now occupied by Mr. William Bill was the first house of any dimensions built in that vicinity. It was built over 50 years ago by Mr. Joe Howard. Mr. N. Owens built the first brick house, which was recently torn down by Mr. J.H, Mahoney, who built a handsome frame residence on the old site

Howardstown’s first mill was a tread-mill erected by Joseph Howard for the accomodation of the neighborhood. This mill was soo found to be inadequate, so Mr, howard concluded to put ain a plant run by water power. Accordingly a race one-half mile lpng, fifteen feet deep and ten feet wide was cut. Most of the work was done under the direction of Mathew Greer, an Irishman. The cutting of this race was the work of seven years. The first dirt was thrown out with shovels and the remainder hauled out with carts. The mill thus erected was washed away in 1854. It was rebuilt, but burned in 1861. Another was erected, but was torn down in 1880 to give place to a more commodious structure which was erected by G.W. Elliott, who afterwards sold it to Howard Bros., the latter removing the mill to its present location and applying steam power. The mill was remodeled, new rollers put in, and various other improvements made. Mr. Sam Howard, a member of the firm, made most of the machinery himself. Machinery for sawing all kinds of timber is run in connection with the flour mill, which is a three story building and one of the most complete of its kind in the State. Besides the large mill, the little town can boast of two general stores, one under the management of Howard Bros., the other conducted by Ferriell & Boone. A drug store and undertaking establishment is operated in connection with the store of the first-named firm. Blacksmithing and all kinds of wagon work are done by the excellent smiths, Messrs Jesse and Arthur Spalding.

The Catholics erected a nice frame church in the (eighteen) sixties. Rev. Father Rinehart has been the pastor for the past twenty-two years. The community has an excellent public school, which is in session eight months in the year, under the management of Miss Letia Coomes.

Among the old citizens of Howardstown are Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Cecil, who celebrated their golden wedding in the fall of 1899, surrounded by children and grandchildren. They are the parents of Messrs. Jim and John Cecil, of Frederickstown and Botland, respectively. Another old citizen, Mr. H. P. Cambron, celebrated hiss sixty-second birthday a few weeks ago.