Ghost Stories: A special sword

Ladies and gentlemen, many of the 13 children of Highland County pioneer George Washington Barrere and his wife, Abigail, became prominent in their own various walks of life.

As we discussed last time, Nelson Barrere became a lawyer and a U.S. congressman, Thomas Jefferson Barrere operated a store in Maysville, Ky., and Morgan Barrere became a successful businessman and farmer and eventually took over operations of the Barrere Tavern and Inn.

The Barreres’ oldest child, Anne, died at a very young age, but they had another daughter named Anna who lived a full life. Last week, I had indicated from research that she had married Joseph Baylor and moved west, but according to research by Elsie Johnson Ayres, she married Lt. Cyrus A. Baylor, “hero of the Civil War.”

A bit confused, I reached out to Mrs. Shaune Lafferty Webb, a descendant of George Washington Barrere who lives in Australia. She pointed me to the 1880 book, “History of Ross and Highland Counties, Ohio,” by the Williams brothers.

On Page 390 of the book, it is written, “Cyrus A. Baylor, a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, was a son of Major Walker Baylor of the Virginia line in the Revolution. Major Walker Baylor occupied a high position in the social circles of Kentucky, to which state he had emigrated after the close of the war. Three of his sons were volunteers from Bourbon County, Kentucky, in the War of 1812. Cyrus, the youngest, was appointed a lieutenant in the 28th
Kentucky regiment and had the honor of serving under Major George Chrogan, in the gallant and memorable defense of Fort Stephenson, when, with 120 men of Kentucky, and one piece of artillery, these youthful heroes repelled the assaults of General Proctor and his 1,200 Indian allies, with great slaughter.

“His father having received large grants of land in the Virginia Military District, for his services during the Revolution, young Mr. Baylor came to Hillsboro after the close of the War of 1812 to superintend the sale of these lands for his father, and made this place his home for many years. While in Hillsboro, he was the recipient of the reward of gallantry at Fort
Stephenson, of a splendid gold-mounted sword, presented to him by the vote of Congress, Major Chrogan and each of the other officers receiving a similar distinction. It was a beautiful remembrance of the heroism of that conflict.

“Young Baylor was at that time a fine specimen of physical manhood, and a gentleman of genial and popular manners. He married Ann Barrere, the daughter of Captain G.W. Barrere of New Market, Ohio, and was for many years settled on his lands in Brown County, Ohio, but afterwards removed to Indiana. A sister of Mr. Baylor married B. H. Johnson, one of Hillsboro’s early merchants.”

Along with George Washington Barrere, Cyrus Baylor help establish Highland Lodge No. 38 of Free and Accepted Masons in 1817, but we’ll talk more about that later. It should also be noted that Cyrus Baylor was the brother of Robert Emmett Bledsoe Baylor, who was better known as R.E.B. Baylor.

R.E.B. Baylor was born in 1793 and also served in the Kentucky militia during the War of 1812. He studied law under his uncle, Jesse Bledsoe, who was a U.S. senator from Kentucky from 1813-14, and was also a member of the Kentucky State Senate and a judge and law professor. R.E.B. and Cyrus Baylor also had an uncle named George Baylor, an officer with the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and was first aide-de-camp to George
Washington. George Baylor brought the news of the Battle of Trenton to the Continental Congress and was later appointed to lead the 3rd Regiment of Continental Light Dragoons, which often acted as the escort for Martha Washington.

R.E.B. Baylor was a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, then moved to Alabama and was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives and was later a U.S. Congressman from Alabama. He was ordained a Baptist minister in 1839, then moved to Texas, where he was appointed to the Texas Supreme Court as an associate justice, and held the position until the annexation of Texas in 1845.

However, R.E.B. Baylor is probably most known for being a co-founder of Baylor University, which is named in his honor.

Today, at all Baylor University commencements and at special ceremonies, the school brings out a special symbol of authority that it affectionately calls the University Mace. So what exactly is the University Mace? Glad you asked.

Here’s how Baylor University describes the University Mace: Cyrus Baylor, brother of Judge R.E.B. Baylor, was cited for his bravery during the War of 1812 and presented with a gold sword by President Andrew Jackson. In 1957, the Baylor family gave the sword to the University, and in 1974, Baylor President Abner V. McCall suggested that the sword be used to form the focal point of a ceremonial “symbol of authority.” A timber from one of Old Main’s towers was used to construct a base and center pole. Walking canes of former Baylor President Rufus C. Burleson and General Sam Houston were linked to the sword to form the Mace. It is used at all University commencement exercises and special ceremonies.

It’s a sword that has traveled from Hillsboro, Ohio and now has a permanent home in Waco, Texas.

Let’s pause for now and we’ll continue next week.

Steve Roush is a vice president of an international media company and a columnist and contributing writer for The Highland County Press. He can be reached by email at roush_steve@msn.com.