The following is taken from a document found in the office of the City Clerk. Its author is unknown.
Perry County Kentucky and its County Seat of Hazard, was named in honor of Oliver Hazard Perry, a distinguished Naval hero in the War of 1812.
Oliver Hazard Perry was born in 1785 at Rocky Brook, Rhode Island. He entered the U.S. Navy as a midshipman in 1799. Then after the outbreak of the war of 1812 he was promoted to Master Commandant assigned to Sacketts Harbor 1813 to assist Commander Issac Chauncy. Under orders Perry proceeded to Erie, Pa. in March 1813, and in five months built an American Fleet for use on Lake Erie. On September 10, 1813 Perry defeated the British Fleet, and immediately sent a dispatch to Bernard Harrison: "We have met the enemy and they are ours".
In 1816-1817 he served in the Mediterranian against Algerian Pirates.
In 1819 he took a small fleet to South American waters to protect American Commerce. He died of Yellow Fever on the Orinoco River in 1819, and was buried in Trinidad, and was later buried at Newport in 1826.
When Perry County was formed in 1820 its inhabitance at that time was made up of mostly veterans of the Revolutionary War and the war of 1812. They came here and settled on land grants that were issued to them for their service to their country.
As an answer to the question why Oliver Hazard Perry was picked for the naming of the county and its seat, this statement. When Oliver Hazard Perry arrived on Lake Errie and assumed command of the American forces he was faced with many problems. One was that the government had failed to supply enough men to man the ships being built there. Perry was forced to assign militiaman to reinforce the ships crews. This request was made to General Harrison, Harrison responded with 100 volunteers dressed in fringed deer skin shirts and leggings with their famous Kentucky Long Rifles, which they knew how to use. "For sniping work they cannot be surpassed" wrote General Harrison to Perry.
Perry utilized these men by stationing them in the riggings of the Lawrence, Perry's Flag Ship, and the Niagra, causing much loss upon the decks of the British Navy. At the outcome of the battle of Lake Erie, the Americans gained control of the lake. The defeat of the British on the lake was the first time in history that England had been forced to give up a naval squadram by surrender. Oliver Hazard Perry at that time was 28 years old. When the time came to pick a name for the new county it is little wonder they chose Perry, and its home of the judicial system government Hazard.
Perry County is the 68th county formed in southeast Kentucky from Clay and Floyd Counties in November 2, 1820. The boundaries that incircled Perry when first formed included the present day counties of Breathitt formed in 1839, Leslie formed in 1870, Letcher formed in 1842, Owsley formed in 1843 from Breathitt, and Knott formed in 1884. Perry County present size is 343 square miles.
Hazard, the county seat of Perry County was first settled by Elijah Combs in the early 1790's Elijah returned to Virginia and brought back his wife Sally (Sarah) Roark. There is some controversy over just when did Hazard start to be called Hazard. In the first minute book of Perry County Court it shows that court was held at the house of Elijah Combs in Hazard on June 22, 1822, so to the inhabitance of Perry County the town was given the name Hazard from the very beginning of the courst formation in 1820. It also might be mentioned that in Legislative Acts the town of Hazard was referred to as Perry Court House because until 1854 the post office bore that name.
At the time of the county's formation in 1820 the area that is now called Hazard consisted of three log homes, two belonging to Elijah Combs, his first built on the ridge behind where the court house now stands, and the second on a place near the east end of main street, on the side away from the river. This is where court was held; it was also a tavern and general merchandise store constructed of two floors. The third home was also a tavern owned by John Craft, where it was located is not clear.
Hazard at that time was a small trading center and stopping place for people traveling up and down the river.
On July 16, 1826 Elijah Combs and his wife Sally (Sarah) deeded to the trustees for the town of Hazard a ten acre plot.