A Connection to Fresno Wine History

 

Source: Google Books. Henrietta Ranch, Fresno, CA.

Before I turn from the Cain family to another branch of the tree, here is another cool find, descending from James Cain, brother of Robert Cain. In the 1870 US Census, James had been working as a bar keeper for his brother, likely at the 126 Lafayette saloon. He married Sally Pusey in neighboring Meade County, Kentucky on 28 February 1872. James and Robert joined together on various property leases and purchases in Louisville, and upon Robert's death in 1881, he became the administrator of his estate.

James and Sally had two children, Evan Pusey Cain, named after her father and brother, both named Evan Pusey; and Mable Cain. It does not appear that the younger Evan or his sister Mable had children. James Cain died in Louisville on 29 January 1884. Evan, his mother and sister moved to Chicago by the 1900 US Census, but later relocated to Fresno, California. Evan became a winemaker for G. H. Malter, and later purchased the Henrietta Rancho Winery property.

Fresno Bee. 9 Nov 1933.

Cain sold off the Henrietta Rancho Winery in 1947 for $200,000.

Fresno Bee. 9 Apr 1947.

Cain retired in 1952 and died in Fresno in 1967.

Fresno Bee. 16 Nov 1967.

236 Main Street

 

Louisville Hotel.

Before the saloon and restaurant located at 236 Main Street was operated by Robert Cain in 1873, it was known as Kohlhepp's Exchange. The saloon was attached to the Louisville Hotel. Kohlhepp operated the restaurant and turf exchange as an off-track betting parlor.

Daily Courier. 3 Aug 1866.

Courier-Journal. 23 Nov 1867.

Kohlhepp's restaurant provided the food and beverage service for the Louisville Hotel Stake at the Woodlawn Races in October 1867.

Courier-Journal. 18 Oct 1867.

Kohlhepp later sold the restaurant and saloon, and the Louisville Hotel underwent renovation. The building reopened in 1873. The Louisville City Directory for 1873 shows Robert Cain as the proprietor for saloons at 236 Main Street and 126 Lafayette.

Lafayette Street saloon

Louisville Courier-Journal. 5 May 1868.

According to the Louisville City Directory, in 1869, Robert Cain was operating a saloon and restaurant on the corner of Lafayette and Preston streets. The article above describes a saloon at the same location. While the saloon keeper is not mentioned by name, I'd like to think this was Robert who gave the tip to the local police about the suspicious bag of gold coins.

The article also hints that the saloon, or a property next to it, may have been known for prostitution. Another article from 1867 mentions a house of prostitution on the same street.

Louisville Courier-Journal. 1 Apr 1867.

Robert is mentioned in a different article from 1869, when one of his saloon patrons tried to give him a counterfeit $10 bill.

Courier-Journal. 19 Apr 1869.

Robert's name came up again in connection with the saloon on Lafayette Street in 1874. Benjamin Lawrence filed suit against Robert for damages from assault and battery that occurred in the saloon. A jury dismissed the case on 24 December 1874.

Courier-Journal. 23 Dec 1874.

Restaurant and Bar Privileges

 

Louisville Courier-Journal. 27 Apr 1875.

Almost 150 years ago, the Louisville Jockey Club posted a call for proposals to manage the restaurant and bar booths behind the stands for a six day meeting of the club. The winner of the privileges would supply the saloons that would satisfy patrons of the horse races. This became the first running of the Kentucky Derby.

The winning bidder for the restaurant and bar privileges for the fall of 1875 and spring 1876 meeting of the Jockey Club was Robert Cain. This would have been incredibly lucrative for Robert, supplying food and beverage during the running of the Kentucky Derby and related races. 

Daily Louisville Commercial. 9 Jun 1875.

Louisville Courier-Journal. 13 May 1876.

To put this into context, Robert won a bid for $3060 to run the food and beverage for all of the races at the the six day events for both the fall 1875 and spring 1876 races hosted by the Louisville Jockey Club, including the second running of the Kentucky Derby. He was also running two saloons at the time, at 236 Main Street (Louisville Hotel) and 126 Lafayette. It is a really cool find and amazing to think we may have a direct family connection to the running of the early days of the Derby.

This brings me back to my other family connection to the Derby on a different branch of the tree, from the undated photos taken by my Gumpy at Churchill Downs.

One last note, as this year is the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby, there is a fascinating article out this week on the search for the burial ground of the first winner of the Derby, Aristides. It's worth a read.

On theories and chance

 

A. H. Thayer. Young Woman. 1897.

While revisiting old finds and looking at DNA connections to my 3rd-great-grandmother Nancy Jane Flatt, I am running into challenges to find a connection between her and the potential father of her daughter Mary Alice Cain. A previous post looked into the possibility that this could be a liquor and saloon owner named Robert Cain who was living in Louisville, Kentucky in the 1870s. 

Pleasant Morgan, Nancy's husband and first cousin, named Robert as her first husband in his Civil War pension file. While I've written about his selective memory, I'd like to think the name of Nancy's first partner is something Pleasant would have known. As he was close family living in neighboring Barren County at the time, his mother Elizabeth was Nancy Jane's aunt, leads me to think and hope this was the case.

As to whether young Nancy Jane ran away from Metcalfe County to Louisville in the early 1870s and met Robert there, or Robert was visiting Barren County to acquire meat and liquor for his saloons in Louisville, we just don't know. Robert later took over the saloon and betting exchange located at 236 Main Street. In the late 1860s, proprietor John Kohlrepp was advertising venison from Barren County and quail from Lebanon, Kentucky (not too far from Metcalfe County) served at his restaurant. It's a stretch, but maybe that's how these two might be connected.

Louisville Daily Courier. 28 Nov 1867.

On a chance while researching Robert Cain's family, I looked up his next two generations, for his parents and grandparents. Descendants of Robert Cain's grandmother, Tabitha Edwards, show up as DNA matches on my Mom's results.

AncestryDNA ThruLines.