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Facts About Bourbon/Catholic Patriarch: Basil Hayden Sr. (Old Grand-Dad)
- Michael Snellen
- Mar 10
- 3 min read
Who was the man who led the first Catholic pioneer families to the Kentucky Holy Land?
Basil Hayden Sr, now remembered as "Old Grand-Dad", was the patriarchal leader of the 25 Catholic families from Maryland who emigrated to Kentucky in 1785.
Basil Hayden is also remembered for a few other interesting things:
1. "One ancestor of the Hayden family, Simon de Heydon, was knighted by Richard the Lionheart in the Holy Land during the Third Crusade in the 1190s...His son, Thomas de Heydon, was made Justice Itinerant of Norfolk by Henry III...Around 1400, another ancestor, John Heydon, appears to have been associated with or owned "The Grove" – a large estate in Watford, England" —Wikipedia (CC-BY-SA)
2. The wealthy Heydon family left England because of Anglican persecution under the Clarendon Code in the 1660s, first settling in Jamestown, later moving to St. Mary’s, Maryland in 1678 for a greater freedom to practice their faith.
3. It is said that during the American Revolution, Basil Sr. supplied provisions to the Colonial Army.
4. He sold land for five pounds on which the first Holy Cross church in Loretto was built, this being the first Catholic church in Kentucky and the first Catholic church West of the Allegheny Mountains.
5. Before this first church was built, he also offered his very home for Mass, celebrated by the missionary Fr. Whelan.
6. Hayden donated land on which the Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral stands.
7. "His aged widow was a pious member of Holy Cross congregation up to the year 1837, when she was called to a better life." (The Centenary of Catholicity in Kentucky)
8. "…Little is now known [about Hayden] beyond the fact that his acknowledged influence over his associates was at all times exerted with a view to their interests for time and eternity" (The Centenary of Catholicity in Kentucky).
The land on which the Holy Cross congregation settled is known for being infertile land, but these settlers decided to stick together so that they would increase their chances of attracting a priest to serve them. Thus, they choose spiritual good over worldly success.
9. Around 1885, his grandson, Raymond B. Hayden established a distillery in Nelson County. Raymond's mother was notably part of the well-known Dant family. It was James Dant who gifted the land on which the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani now stands to the Sisters of Loretto. James' own grandson, J.W. Dant would be known for distilling bourbon in a "log-still.” (Thus begins the history Log Still Distillery, a tale that shall be the next in this series if it continues).
10. Raymond B. Hayden named a bourbon after Basil Hayden Sr., who had also made whiskey in his time.
Thus concludes, and but does not end, this history of “Ole Grand-Dad.”
Now, a word of modern news: The Archdiocese of Louisville just revealed a collaboration with the Log-Still Distillery hinted at in this article and the release of limited-edition “Trinity Blend” bottles. Make sure to subscribe to the Flaget Report for more Kentucky Catholic stories. I personally don’t care for bourbon, though I do find the history interesting. Both are enjoyed perhaps in moderation. A special thanks to the lady at the Oscar Getz Museum who helped me out in my research of the Hayden family.
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