Edward Worthington

Edward Worthington (fl. abt 1754–1804) was an 18th-century American pioneer and soldier who explored and later helped settle the Kentucky frontier. A veteran of the American Revolution and the Indian Wars, he also served as a paymaster under George Rogers Clark during the Illinois campaign. His grandson, William H. Worthington, was an officer with the 5th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War.

Historian and author Kathleen L. Lodwick is a direct descendant of Edward Worthington.

Noted attorney Greg A. Jennings of Owensboro, Kentucky is a direct descendant of Edward Worthington.

Biography
Possibly from Maryland, Worthington is first recorded as a surveyor marking land on Beargrass Creek, near the Ohio River, as early as 1775. He may have also taken part in Lord Dunmore's War serving as a private. One of the defenders at McClelland's Station, he was wounded in the attack by the Mingo chieftain Pluggy on December 29, 1776. Shortly after the battle, he traveled to Harrod's Town with George Rogers Clark the following month and, in late 1778, he left his wife in Harrod's Town and joined the Kentucky Militia as a captain under Clark and was a later participant of the capture of Vincennes. He was later granted 3234 acre of land for his service as a paymaster during the Illinois campaign. In 1779, he established Worthington's Fort four miles (6 km) southeast of Danville, Kentucky.

Although records are vague after this point, he was one of the first settlers to arrive in Corn Island and may also have served as a representative of Mercer County in the Kentucky Legislature in his later years.

Edward Worthington died in 1804 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Worthington had filed suit in New Orleans against Dan Callaghan who had swindled him out of monies in a land deal. Worthington died from yellow fever before the case was tried but his family continued the suit and were awarded judgment against Callaghan. Minute Book, Louisiana Court of Pleas, 1804.