Ephraim Dicken

Ephraim Dicken was truly dedicated in his service to this country during the American Revolution. He was drafted into the Culpeper County Militia in 1781 and at the completion of that tour of duty he reenlisted as a substitute for Michael Wilhite; whose association to him is unknown. Ephraim's unit, under the command of Col. Wells of Fredricksburg, encountered a British scouting party near Hot Water. During the ensuing skirmish, Ephraim was wounded with a sword and taken prisoner. The prisoners were marched to Williamsburg and then to Jamestown where he was held by the British for three months. During his imprisonment he contracted smallpox. Ephraim was released as part of a prisoner exchange. After his release he reenlisted again; this time as a substitute for his brother-in-law, John Burdine. Ephraim, serving under the command of Gen. Edward Stephens, was present at the Siege of York when Cornwallis surrendered. Following the surrender, the British prisoners were taken to Winchester, Virginia where Ephraim spent his last three months of service guarding them. , Ephraim came to what would be Kentucky in the summer of 1786. He was accompanied by two of his brothers and his older sister whose husband had been killed during the war. Eventually, all of his 15 brothers and sisters would settle somewhere in Kentucky. Ephraim originally settled near the present day city of Lebanon and soon returned to the battlefield fighting Indians under George Rogers Clark. He became one of the first settlers in what would become Monroe County when he moved here in 1794. Ephraim had a Kentucky land grant for land on Sulphur Lick Creek and the Cumberland River. Before his death Ephraim would own in excess of 1000 acres on the north and south sides of the mouth of Big Sulphur Creek., Ephraim made numerous contributions to his community. Early records show that he was a member of the church here and contributed to the construction of the Meetinghouse. In 1806 Ephraim applied for a permit to put a ferry on the Cumberland River. The permit was granted and Ephraim operated a ferry at Dicken's Ferry Landing for 31 years. In 1808 Ephraim acquired an acre of land on the Cumberland River near the Dicken's Ferry Landing and constructed a tobacco warehouse. At the time of his death in 1837 the ferry was inherited by his daughter Martha (Patsy). She and her husband, Archibald McMillin, continúed to operate the ferry and the area became known as McMillin's Landing, the name it carries today. Countless man-powered ferries operated at McMillin's Landing from that time until 1947 when the first motor-powered ferry was installed. In 1966 the Commonwealth of Kentucky took over the operation of the ferry placing it under the supervision of the Dept. of Transportation. Today the Cumberland River Ferry at McMillin's Landing is a free ferry operating around the clock., Family historians believe that Ephraim was buried at the Dicken-McMillin-Chappell Family Cemetery overlooking the Cumberland River; however, there.is no firm evidence to substantiate the claim. In 2008, a descendent secured Ephraim a military tombstone from the U.S. Veteran's Administration, That tombstone was placed here in the memorial section of this cemetery and dedicated by the Sons of the American Revolution., Taken from Reyolutionary War Pension Application File No. S.30989 and narrative provided by Ross Chappell (descendent).