USA > Kentucky > A history of Kentucky and Kentuckians; the leaders and representative men in commerce, industry and modern activities, Volume III > Part 84
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Growing to manhood on the home farm, James G. Van Deren was educated in the dis- trict schools and at the Cynthiana High School, which he attended until nineteen years old. The following year he began farming for him- self on the land which he now occupies, it having been a part of the parental estate, and has since made a success of his work, as a grower of grain and tobacco and a stock-raiser, being exceedingly prosperous. His farm con- tains one hundred and sixty acres of produc- tive land, and with its many valuable im- provements is an attractive and desirable piece of property.
Mr. Van Deren married, January 9, 1889, Arabella Martin, who was born near Robin- son Station, Harrison county, Kentucky, July 15, 1867, a daughter of Mortimer D. and
Zerilda Ann (Sellers) Martin, in whose sketch, which appears elsewhere in this work, further parental and ancestral history may be found. Mr. and Mrs. Van Deren are the parents of five children, namely: Lewis G., living at home; Edward Eugene, of Harrison county ; Mortimer M .; James G., Jr .; and An- nie Sue. Politically Mr. Van Deren is a sound Republican and religiously he and his wife are members of the Christian church at Cynthiana.
WILLIAM B. PAYNE .- Among the repre- sentative residents and successful farmers of Harrison county, Kentucky, may be mentioned William B. Payne, who both as a man and farmer deserves more than a passing notice.
Mr. Payne was born at Cane Ridge, Bour- bon county, Kentucky, October 22, 1844, a son of William D. and Rachel Franklin ( Mar- row) Payne. The father was born on the same farm as our subject, at Cane Ridge, Bourbon county, Kentucky, on March 27, 1817, and he died on his farm near Millers- burg, Kentucky, in 1897. The mother was born in Bourbon county, Kentucky, between Cane Ridge and Millersburg, in 1824, and died in August, 1845. Two children were born of this union, of whom one is living, William B. Payne, our subject. His father was married a second time, to Miss Cynthia J. Frakes, a native of Bourbon county, Ken- tucky, who died in 1893, the mother of nine children, of whom three are living: Frances Ann, wife of James W. Thorn, of Bourbon county, Kentucky; Emma, wife of Frank E. Herbert, of Millersburg, Kentucky ; and Lutie, wife of Horace W. Purdy, of Bourbon county, Kentucky.
John Payne, our subject's grandfather, was a native of Virginia and died in 1826, when about forty years of age. He came to Bour- bon county about 1800, located at Cane Ridge when that county was all covered with cane brake and married Miss Elizabeth Bowles, of Virginia. He cleared his farm and at this death was the owner of some two hundred and thirty acres of land. Our subject's ma- ternal grandfather was William Marrow, a Virginian who came to Kentucky early, locat- ing in Bourbon county, near Cane Ridge, where he was a farmer and also a preacher for years in the Christian church. He mar- ried for a second wife Maria Hildreth, who was the grandmother of our subject. He was a well read man.
The father of William B. Payne was reared on the farm where he was born in Bourbon county, and was nine years old at the time of his father's death and was reared after that until he was twenty years of age by Peter
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Bramblet. He then started for himself on a part of his father's farm, where he kept bach- elor's hall for four years, and then married. In 1855 he sold and removed three and one- half miles northwest of Millersburg, where he purchased another farm and upon which he lived the rest of his life. At his death he owned two hundred and forty acres of land, which he had divided up with his chil- dren before his death. In politics he was an old-time Whig and in religion he and his wife were both members of the Christian church. He was a man who thought for himself and was very positive in all his decisions and ideas. As long as he lived he would not allow a Jer- sey cow on his farm nor allow a pound of tobacco to be grown on the place.
William B. Payne, our subject, was reared on his native farm until he was eleven years old, at which time his parents moved to the other farm already mentioned. He attended the common schools and also the Kentucky Wesleyan College, then located at Millersburg, Kentucky, for four years, remaining at home until he married. On October 31, 1871, he married Miss America E. Current, a native of Bourbon county, Kentucky, born October 31, 1845, a daughter of Thomas and Precilla (Fisher) Current, both also natives of Bour- bon county. Twelve children were born to them, and Mrs. Current died in 1877. Mr. Current again married, his second wife having been Mrs. Lindsay, a Miss Allen in maiden- hood, and she died in 1902, without children. Mr. Current was born December 1, 18II, and died in January, 1900.
Mr. and Mrs. William B. Payne are the parents of five children: Carl D., of Cyn- thiana, Kentucky; William T., at home; An- nie T., wife of John T. Judy, of Millersburg ; Elizabeth and Herbert, both at home. In December, 1871, shortly after Mr. Payne's marriage, he removed to Nicholas county, Kentucky, near Hooktown, where he pur- chased a farm and operated it until March. 1886, when he removed to his present farm, where he has two hundred and fifty acres known as "The Larches." Mr. Payne is the owner of thoroughbred Southdown sheep and Shorthorn cattle and is a tobacco grower and general farmer. He has always voted the Republican ticket in national elections and is a member of the Christian church at Millers- burg and his wife is a member of the Meth- odist Episcopal church in the same town. Mr. Payne is above the average man in in- tellect, well read, pleasant spoken and a first- class citizen of Harrison county, Kentucky.
JOHN T. TALBOT .- The Talbot family is one of the oldest and most highly respected of those of Bourbon county, Kentucky. Among its members have been many good and useful citizens, the greater part of these being iden- tified in a prominent manner with agricul- tural affairs, the Talbots being beople natur- ally inclined to private life and having no ambitions for public office. Among those who have borne the name and brought to it added distinction none has been more worthy and admirable than John T. Talbot, deceased, who ever held a warm place in the hearts of the people of the community in which his inter- ests were centered and who for his integrity and justice enjoyed a reputation extending far beyond the limits of the county. Mr. Talbot was born July 7, 1839, in this county, and died here February 25, 1905. His father, Henry H. Talbot, was also born on the old homestead where the son's young eyes first opened to the light of day, and he died where he was born March 5, 1878, his age at the time of his demise numbering sixty-eight years. The maiden name of the mother was Angeline Whaley and she was a native of Bourbon county and a daughter of Lee and Mary Whaley. She preceded her husband to the Great Beyond by a number of years, the year of her death being 1860. Three children blessed the union of this much-esteemed cou- ple, namely: The subject; Charles L., who resides at the present time in Mason county, Kentucky; and Mary C., widow of Thomas Meyers, of Pontiac, Michigan.
Glancing back another generation it is found that Mr. Talbot's grandfather, Reason Talbot, was born in Fairfax county, Virginia, and he died here in the spring of 1862, when his beloved South was in the throes of the Civil war. He married Miss Jane Whaley, who was born in the old fort at Maysville, Kentucky, although her family came originally from Loudoun county, Virginia. She died in 1870. They reared three sons and one daughter, of which the father of the subject of this review, Henry H., was the youngest in order of birth. Reason's father was a na- tive of Loudoun county, Virginia, and he was the first of the family to come to Bourbon county, this state, his migration being as early as the year 1795. He must have been a young man at the time and he was accompanied by a faithful wife and adequate helpmeet, that lady's maiden name having been Barbara Whaley, and she, like her husband, being a native of the Old Dominion. Before he set out upon the journey which meant a perma-
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ment change of residence he purchased a large tract of forest land in the new state, and lo- cated upon this, beginning strenuously upon the work of improving it and subduing the virgin acres. He played a prominent part in the life of the new community, and he lived for nearly a quarter of a century in the new home, his death taking place in the year 1819. They were the parents of five sons and three daughters, of whom Reason Talbot was next to the eldest.
The characteristics of the late John T. Tal- bot were such as might have been expected in the scion of a sturdy race such as his. He was an agriculturist of extensive operation and he raised and dealt largely in live stock and horses and mules. His early years were passed amid rural surroundings, and to him fell the duties which are the usual lot of the farmer's lad. In the school season he at- tended the common schools of his native county and shortly previous to marrying and establishing a household of his own he left the home roof and began farming independ- ently. That he was to prove successful was at once apparent, for his methods were en- lightened and progressive, and his thrift and industry were coupled with an unswerving in- tegrity which won for him the confidence and respect of all those with whom he came into contact. In addition to general agriculture he raised stock and dealt in it and for a dozen or more years he bought horses and mules in large numbers and went south with them during the winter months. He was remark- ably successful in his business, but he found it perfectly compatible with uprightness and good citizenship. For fourteen years previ- ous to his passing away he was deacon of the Indian Creek Christian church and for many a year he was both clerk and treasurer of the church. Toward the support of the church and its many good projects he exercised a great liberality and it has been said of him by those who knew him and who had had an opportunity to observe his integrity in all cir- cumstances that he lived his religion every day of his life. Politically he was a Democrat, the policies and principles of that party hav- ing found favor in his eyes from his earliest voting days. At his demise he left a farm of one hundred and seventy-five acres, situated near Colville, a part of this very valuable and well improved tract lying in Harrison county and part of it in Bourbon.
Mr. Talbot's wife previous to her marriage was Miss Lucinda Collins, and their union was celebrated on the 17th of May, 1866. Mrs. Talbot was born near Cane Ridge in
Bourbon county July 7, 1847, and she was a daughter of Benjamin F. Collins and his wife, Sarah Turney Collins. The parents were both natives of Bourbon county, the father born in January, 1814, and died March 13, 1867; and the mother, born May 16, 1822, died on the 12th of August, 1898. Mrs. Tal- bot was the second in a family of eight chil- dren, the other members being as follows: Peter T., deceased; Crittenden T., residing at Colorado Springs, Colorado; William F., of Harrison county, Kentucky; Judith A., de- ceased wife of Willis Boston; George F., whose whereabouts are unknown; Lucretia E., wife of Sidney Diltz, of Cynthiana, Ken- tucky; and Fannie L., wife of W. Newman, of Carrizo Springs, Texas.
Mrs. Talbot's mother, Sarah Collins, was the daughter of Peter Turney, and he (born July 7, 1781 ) was the son of Daniel and Susan Turney. Peter Turney on January 7, 1808, married Judith Collins, born January 16, 1784, a daughter of William and Martha Collins.
No children were born to Mr. Talbot and his wife, but the latter reared from infancy Anna F., the daughter of her sister, Mrs. Boston. She is now the wife of Russell Hickman, and they reside with Mrs. Talbot and operate her farm. Their children are Lucy Willis and Thomas Garnett.
The demise of John T. Talbot was a matter for universal mourning and his memory will long remain green in the hearts of the many persons who knew and admired him, while the beneficent influence of his character and personality will endure for many a day.
HARRY RHODES WIGLESWORTH .- In writing this brief biographical sketch of Harry Rhodes Wiglesworth we are but doing justice to one who spent the best years of his life in Cyn- thiana, being actively identified with the ad- vancement of its manufacturing and mercan- tile interests as manager and principal stock- holder of the John A. Poindexter Distillery, carrying on an extensive and remunerative business for many years. He was born in Harrison county, near Poindexter, December 5, 1860, and died at his home in Cynthiana, June 9, 1907, his death being a cause of gen- eral regret. His father, William T. Wigles- worth, was a son of John Wiglesworth, the founder of the Harrison county family of that name.
John Wiglesworth, born November 20, 1781, in Virginia, came to Kentucky in early manhood and took up a tract of wild land in Harrison county, not far from Poindexter, where he improved a fine farm from the wil- derness, the estate which he reclaimed from
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its original wildness being still owned and oc- cupied by one of his descendants. He died May 6, 1846, and was buried on his estate. His wife, whose maiden name was Jane Bush, was born in Virginia March 16, 1792, and died on the home farm in Harrison county Jan- uary 21, 1851.
William T. Wiglesworth was born in Harri- son county, Kentucky, March 20, 1822, and grew to manhood on the parental homestead, acquiring his education in the district schools. After his marriage he bought land in Wood- ford county, and was thereafter engaged in farming the remainder of his active life, his death occurring there December 3, 1893. In 1866 his brothers, John Wiglesworth and Tandy Wiglesworth, bought out the distillery which had been established at Poindexter in 1856 by John Poindexter, and in the plant he afterward purchased an interest, which he re- tained until his death, although he left its management entirely to his brothers. He was a Democrat in his political affiliations, but took no active part in public affairs. Religiously both he and his wife belonged to the Baptist church. He married Frances Goodloe, who was born in Woodford county in 1837 and died March 30, 1905. The following children blessed their union: Lillie, wife of K. M. Woods, of Missouri; Harry R., the special subject of this sketch; R. L., deceased; T. G., of Poindexter; William G., of whom a brief personal record may be found on another page of this volume; Leila, wife of John D. Woods, of Missouri; and Fannie Lou, wife of S. E. Drake, of Lexington, Kentucky.
At the age of eighteen years Harry Rhodes Wiglesworth, who had been brought up on the home farm in Woodford county and had been graduated from the Lexington Commer- cial College, succeeded to the ownership of the stock of his uncle, John Wiglesworth, in the John A. Poindexter Distillery, being his legal heir. Taking charge of his interest in the plant, he subsequently became head of the con- cern and one of its largest stockholders, and until his death operated it successfully under the name of the Wiglesworth Distilling Com- pany. A man of excellent executive ability, far-seeing and progressive, he made radical changes in the plant and in the methods of operating it, managing it successfully. He ac- cumulated considerable property, acquiring title to valuable land in Harrison county, and was held in higlı esteem as an honest, liberal- minded and generous man. He was a Demo- crat in politics, an active member of the Bap- tist church, and belonged to lodge No. 438, B. P. O. E.
Mr. Wiglesworth married, November 12, 1890, Allie Van Deren, who was born in Har- rison county, Kentucky, August 25, 1869, a daughter of John Van Deren and grand- daughter of James Van Deren. She is of hon- ored pioneer ancestry, and Bernard Van Der- en, her great-grandfather, a native of Vir- ginia, came with his family to Bourbon coun- ty, Kentucky, in 1788. Two years later he settled in Harrison county, where one of his early friends was living, and having bought a tract of timber began the clearing of a farm, on which he resided until his death, in 1799.
James Van Deren, born in Loudoun county, Virginia, October 7, 1780, came with his par- ents to Kentucky in 1788, and was brought up on the home farm in Harrison county. At the age of nineteen years he began farming on his own account, near Poindexter, Harrison county, and met with such success in his labors that he was encouraged to buy more land from time to time, eventually becoming owner of. six hundred acres, his farm being large and well improved. He lived to the venerable age of eighty-six years, being active until the last, his death occurring January 9, 1866. He mar- ried Sarah Journey, a daughter of Rev. Capt. Joseph and Margaret (Magee) Journey. She" was born August 10, 1790, and passed to the life beyond in 1883, having attained the re- markable age of ninety-three years. Of their family of thirteen children, seven sons and six daughters, two are now living, Alfred and John, the latter being the father of Mrs. Wig- lesworth. Both parents were members of the Baptist church, and James Van Deren was a steadfast member of the Republican party.
John Van Deren was born January 23, 1828, in Harrison county, near Poindexter, and was there brought up and educated, attending the winter terms of the district schools. In 1866 he purchased seven hundred seventy-three acres of land in Harrison county, on the Mil- lersburg pike, and was there actively and pros- perously employed in farming and stock rais- ing until 1903, when he retired from business cares. Disposing of his land in October, 1906, he has since been a resident of Cynthiana. He is a Republican in politics and one of the charter members of the Baptist church, with which he and his wife united sixty years ago and which he has served as clerk and as dea- con. He is a man of upright principles and a fine type of the men usually referred to as the "old-school Southern gentlemen."
On December 21, 1864, Mr. John Van Deren married Mattie C. Sanders, who was born in Millersburg, Kentucky, May 24, 1844, a daughter of James R. Sanders, a shoemaker
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and dealer, who came from New Hampshire to Millersburg, Kentucky, when young, and there married Martha Smith. Seven children were born of their marriage, namely: James W. Van Deren, of Harrison county ; Allie, now Mrs. Wiglesworth; John H. Van Deren, M. D., of Cynthiana; H. S., of Nashville, Ten- nessee ; Joseph J., of Cynthiana ; Frank A., of Russellville, Arkansas; and Will W., a well- known attorney of Cynthiana.
Mr. and Mrs. Wiglesworth became the par- ents of seven children, namely : Harry Rhodes, Martha Elizabeth, Mary Frances, Lela Woods, Allie Van Deren, John William and Katherine Ellis.
WILLIAM THOMAS KEARNS .- Among the skillful and successful agriculturists of Harri- son county is William T. Kearns, whose farm on Two Lick pike constitutes one of the model rural estates of the community, being well ir- proved and under a high state of culture. A son of Thomas B. Kearns, he was born April 10, 1842, on Curry's Run, Harrison county, coming from pioneer ancestry.
John Kearns, his paternal grandfather, a native of Virginia, followed the tide of emigra- tion to Kentucky about 1795, and located on Two Lick pike, in Harrison county, where he purchased a tract of timber land, from which he hewed a homestead. In common with the other pioneers of that day, he labored with unceasing toil to provide a home for his fam- ily, helping in the meantime to develop the resources of this now rich agricultural region.
Thomas B. Kearns was born on the parental homestead, on Two Lick pike, Harrison county, in 1802, and here grew to manhood. When ready to establish a home of his own he moved to Curry's Run, and having pur- chased a tract of heavily timbered land for the small sum of one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre he cleared and improved a farm, on which he lived and labored until his death, in 1886. He married first Jane Gardner, a native of Virginia, and of the three children born of that union two are now living, Rich- ard Kearns and Daniel Kearns, both residents of Harrison county. He married for his sec- ond wife Elizabeth Fooks, who was born in Bourbon county, Kentucky. She died in 1852, at the early age of thirty years, and of their six children two now survive, namely: Wil- liam Thomas, the subject of this brief sketch; and Lewis, of Harrison county. By his third wife, whose maiden name was Eliza Fooks, three children were born, as follows: Ben- jamin F., of Harrison county ; James M., of the same .county ; and Arabella, wife of Jack- son Lennous, of Harrison county. He was
affiliated with the Democratic party in politics, and was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, to which his wives also belonged.
Althoughi his school education was limited, William Thomas Kearns obtained a practical knowledge of the art and science of agricul- ture on the home farm, and ere attaining man's estate took unto himself a wife. On September 9, 1862, his patriotic zeal being aroused, he enlisted in Company H, Ninth Kentucky Cavalry, his company, which was commanded by Captain White, being assigned to Colonel "Billy" Breckinridge's regiment, and placed'under command of that daring rider, General John H. Morgan. In Decem- ber, 1863, at Charleston, Tennessee, Mr. Kearns was captured by the enemy and sent to Rock Island, Illinois, where he was held a prisoner until the close of the conflict, re- ceiving treatment while thus confined that has been indelibly impressed upon his mem- ory. He was not given sufficient food, but, with other Confederate prisoners, was allowed to go near enough to the abundantly supplied tables of the prison officials to see the tempt- ingly displayed viands they were so heartily eating and to smell the delicious aroma of the coffee they were drinking, while they were told that those good things were for the men who would join the Union army. Many of the Confederates were forced to enlist for duty as Indian fighters on the western frontier, but Mr. Kearns, loyal and true to the cause of the Confederacy, remained a prisoner until pa- roled at the close of the war. While in the army Mr. Kearns had for his bunk mate Col- onel E. Polk Johnson, the editor of this bio- graphical work. After a lapse of forty-eight years, Mr. Kearns had the honor and pleasure of calling the roll of his old barrack com- rades at one of their meetings.
Returning after his parole to the devoted wife and child, whom he had left behind when he enlisted, Mr. Kearns worked for a while by the month, afterward being profitably en- gaged in farming on rented land until 1885. Buying then sixty-three acres of the land in- cluded in his present farm, he continued in his independent occupation, meeting with gen- uine success in his ventures. He now owns a farm of one hundred acres, on which he has made improvements of an excellent character, including the erection of suitable buildings for the carrying on of general agriculture and stock raising. A sound Democrat in politics, Mr. Kearns has never been an office-seeker, his private affairs demanding his time and at- tention. He is known far and wide as a man of incorruptible integrity, who values his word,
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which is as good in business circles as a gov- ernment bond.
Mr. Kearns married, August 28, 1860, Dor- cas Ann Whalen, who was born October 17, 1839, in Harrison county, between Oddville and Claysville, a daughter of Isaac and Mary Ann (Clough) Whalen. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Kearns, namely : Mary E., wife of Arthur Thompson, of Har- rison county ; Thomas H., of Harrison county ; William H., living in this county ; Luther, de- ceased; and Julia B. and Mand Myrtle, living with their parents. Mr. Kearns is a member of Hunt Camp, No. 1263, Confederate Veter- an Association of Cynthiana.
JAMES C. BAYNE AND MARY ADDAMS BAYNE .- James C. Bayne, one of Shelby county's most enterprising, progressive and popular citizens, was born December 2, 1852, near Bagdad, Kentucky, and he has been closely identified with the advancement of the business interests of the state for the last thirty years. After graduating with honors from Eminence College, in the class of 1874, he taught school for four years. Then he associated with his father, J. G. Bayne, in the mercantile business at Bagdad, Kentucky, un- til 1884, when he and his two brothers, S. B. and R. L. Bayne, began the milling business at that place, the title of the mill firm being "J. C. Bayne & Brothers." The firm did a flourishing business, and sustained a well mer- ited reputation for enterprise, square dealing and good flour. In conjunction with the mill the brothers owned and operated successfully a farm of four hundred acres of fine Shelby county land. In 1906 the firm sold their mill to Charles E. Bates, and a few months later James C. and S. B. Bayne bought out R. L. Bayne's share of the farming interests. Since then James C. and S. B. Bayne, as partners, have operated the farm, which they devote to the raising of grain, cattle and tobacco, and they make a specialty of the breeding and growing of hogs,
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