Head, Jesse, 1768-1842

Clergyman.

Jesse Head, a native of Maryland, pursued several disparate careers during his life. He moved to Kentucky about 1795. He owned a farm and horses in Washington County and lots in Springfield, the county seat. He worked as a cabinetmaker and served as a justice of the peace. Head also worked as a carpenter. Head did not officiate at the Lincolns' marriage in his capacity as a justice of the peace but as a deacon in the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1810 he moved to Harrodsburg and opened a shop, including the making of coffins in his trade. A previous trustee of the town of Springfield, Head was elected to the same office in Harrodsburg and eventually became chairman of the board of trustees. The discovery of the Harrodsburg Springs has also been attributed to Head by some sources. He founded THE AMERICAN, a weekly newspaper supporting the Democratic Party, in Harrodsburg, with his son, Bascom Head, in 1830. Jesse Head died in Harrodsburg in 1842.