Frederick LINCKS
Biography

"Dr. John J. Dickey Diary Laurel County, KY
Reprinted in Kentucky Explorer, Vol 10, Number 7, January, 1996. p.86.

Robert Lincks or Lynx Laurel Co., June 28, 1898
My father was Frederick Lincks. He was born in Germany. Before he reached his majority he ran away from home and joined the army of Napoleon Bonaparte.
He was a wild boy. I have seen his body; it was all covered with scars. showing that he had many conflicts in his young days.
His father was a great friend of Napoleon and through this intimacy he got his son released. He then sent him to Amsterdam to school. After the close of the term, $80.00 was necessary to pay board and tuition.
His father sent him the money to pay the bill but he took the money and paid his passage to America. Eighty other students did the same.
The ship was anchored about a mile from shore. The boys were taken out in a schooner; several trips being necessary. The ship lost her course and many died of over-eating when a friendly ship found them. They lost many by sickness.
(His time with Napoleon was 7 or 9 months, the voyage, either 7 or 9).
When they landed in America the ship's Captain sold them for their passage denying they had paid him. James Garrard, Governor of Kentucky, bought him. He did not know he was sold for a year. He could not talk English. He learned somehow that he was a slave and he made his case known to a lawyer who could talk German. He looked into his trunk and found his free papers. He was about to leave the Governor, but he was hired for a year when Daniel Garrard brought him to Clay County to oversee Negroes at the salt works. He promised Governor to return but he never did.
He worked for the Garrards whom he greatly loved.

He married first Nancy Hays, had two children, Eliza Parker and Nancy Benge, Smily Davis' wife.
He then married Polly Cornett, daughter of old Robin Cornett of Benge. They had children: John Lynx, Susan Stivers, Margaret Parker, Lottie Lynx married Phil Wilson, Lucinda married Lee
Chestnut, Patsy married preacher Hiram Johnson, Zilpha married Charles Parsley, Robert Lynx married Eliza Chestnut, James married Jane Bailey.
Next he married Louisa Robison and had three children; Susan, Hiram, and Thomas.
Next he married Widow Black nee Patsy Young. To these were born, Frederick, Henry and Germany, the last a daughter. Henry married Molly Houston of Benge, where he died about 1890. He was 100 years old and had 113 descendants. They are very numerous now.

My father was soon lost from his countrymen who came over with bad fever (?), nor has he heard any from them. He never wrote back to his father nor did his father ever know anything about him."

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