Silas Harlan

Silas Harlan (March 17, 1753 – August 19, 1782) was one of the early settlers of Kentucky, having arrived with James Harrod in 1774 to found Harrodstownthe oldest permanent white settlement in the territory (now Harrodsburg). Silas spent the majority of the American Revolution on the frontier fighting against the Indians, however, near the end of his life, he served under George Rogers Clark through the Illinois Campaigns of 1779 and died at the Battle of Blue Licks on August 19, 1782, fighting a mixed band of Natives, Loyalists and British troops.

Following his death, Silas' fiancée, Sarah Caldwell, married his brother James and was the grandmother of U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan.

Harlan County, Kentucky is named in honor of Silas Harlan.

Kentucky Settlement

Silas and his brother, James, accompanied James Harrod in founding Harrodstown, the oldest permanent white settlement in Kentucky, in May 1774 along with Squire Boone, younger brother to famous pioneer Daniel Boone. As a member of the Committee for the Defense of West Fincastle in 1776, Silas supported making Kentucky a county of Virginia rather than an independent state under the Transylvania Company, as did George Rogers Clark.

Revolutionary War

While serving with the Kentucky militia, he was a scout and hunter and ultimately received the rank of major. January 2, 1777, at Harrodsburg, Silas Harlan was one of about thirty men raised by James Harrod to retrieve five hundred pounds of gunpowder from Three Islands in present-day Lewis County. Silas was also Captain of a company in John Bowman's raid on Old Chillicothe in 1779, and assisted Clark in establishing Fort Jefferson at the mouth of the Ohio River in 1780. He was highly regarded by his contemporaries. General Clark, who was an older brother of the more famed William Clark, said of Silas: "he was one of the bravest and most accomplished soldiers that ever fought by my side."

In Ref. 10, Silas Harlan is entry #215. Silas's father George Harlan (1718 - ) is entry #45. George's father James Harlan (1692 - post-1760) is entry #11. James's father George Harlan ( - 1714) is entry #3. George's father James Harland ( - ?) is entry #1.