USA > Kentucky > Biographical cyclopedia of the commonwealth of Kentucky > Part 61
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108
Daniel Vertner, became the foster father of the little orphan. Daniel Vertner was born in Pitts- burg, Pennsylvania, in 1768, and in early man- hood removed to Lexington and became a suc- cessful business man of that city. He married a Miss Langhorn of Maysville, who died, leaving one son; removed to Mississippi, where he be- came extensively engaged in cotton planting and married a Mrs. Sparks, a lady of distinguished social reputation who is referred to in Mrs. Elli- ott's "Court Circles of the Republic." Some years after the death of his second wife, Mr. Vertner married Rosa's aunt, then the widow Harding of Natchez.
With two fathers and a foster mother, the young girl passed her childhood in the midst of tender affection, luxury and refinement at "Burlington," Mr. Vertner's beautiful country seat near Port Gibson, Mississippi, to which she paid a loving tribute in her poem, "My Child- hood's Home." Beneath the glow of the South- ern skies and amid the balmy fragrance of South- ern flowers, the poetic fire inherited from her gifted father began to burn within her breast and move her mind to musical pulsations, even in her childhood. Before she could write well enough to give her verses shape on paper, Mrs. Vertner wrote them down, and the poetess in after years cherished one of these childish efforts as a memory of the loving hand that had traced the lines.
Rosa's education was begun in the South under private tutors, but when she was ten years of age, in the summer of 1836, Mr. Vertner moved to Lexington, Kentucky, to give her the benefits of further instruction. His home there was noted for its elegant hospitality, and none were more popular than he and his wife. As the guardian of several young girls, he was also a father to them, and they clung to him with touching de- votion during his life. Between him and the great statesman, Henry Clay, there existed a warm feeling of friendship.
Rosa was educated at Bishop Smith's semi- nary, and at the age of seventeen became the wife of Claude M. Johnson-a gentleman of for- tune and a resident of Louisiana; and, for a num- ber of years after her marriage, she spent her
353
KENTUCKY BIOGRAPHIES.
summers in Kentucky and her winters in Lou- isiana.
In 1850 she became a contributor to the Louis- ville Journal, in which the greater number of her poems made their first appearance, and through that popular paper "Rosa" became favorably known to the readers of the principal periodicals of the country. In 1859 her father died, and this grief, together with the cares of motherhood, soon gave to her writings a more spiritual vein, revealing the deep and tender mercies of the heart. Her poems, first published in book form in 1857, elicited warm encomiums from the press and gave her at once a high place as an American poet.
In 1864 there appeared a novel from her pen, entitled "Woodburn," somewhat sensational, but finely descriptive of past social life in the South. She afterward wrote several tales and a long narrative poem, "Florence Dale, a Tale of Tus- cany," besides occasional shorter lyrics.
She was the mother of two children: Alex- ander Jeffrey, Jr., and Virginia A. Jeffrey, and was one of the handsomest women of her day.
R EV. WILLIAM MOODY PRATT, one of the oldest and certainly one of the most distinguished ministers in the Baptist Church, whose personal history is one of deep interest and whose ancestry is most remarkable, was born in Fenner, Madison County, New York, where he received his primary schooling; was prepared for college at Casenovia, and then attended Madison, now known as Colgate University-the name having been changed by reason of large endow- ments from a family of that name; graduated in 1838; went to Crawfordsville, Indiana, to preach; returned to college to complete his course in theology, and graduated from the theological de- partment in 1839. On leaving the seminary a most valuable and unusual recommendation, signed by all the members of the faculty, was presented him, and this he has kept and held good and true for fifty-seven years.
After completing his studies he returned, with his wife, in a buggy-a distance of 800 miles -- to Crawfordsville, Indiana; he remained there as pastor of the Baptist Church for some years, also
teaching in a female school; went from there to Logansport, and from there to South Bend, In- diana; went to Lexington in 1846, and his wife having died, was married again to Mary Elise Dallard, great-granddaughter of Ambrose Dud- ley, who was one of the first settlers at Bryan Station and a distinguished minister, who, with his son, Thomas Dudley, covered a period of nearly one hundred years in the ministry. Mr. Pratt remained in Lexington for seventeen years, and then, during the Civil war, was stationed in Louisville and New Albany, in the interest of church erection; was stationed at Shelbyville for several years; returned to Louisville and has made his home in that city since 1885, and is still engaged in church work.
His is a most remarkable record; in the minis- try for fifty-seven years; traveled 24,000 miles in a buggy in Indiana and Kentucky; preached about 8,000 sermons; officiated at 600 funerals, and has joined hundreds of couples in the holy bonds of matrimony.
Only an outline of his work can be given in this brief sketch; many interesting volumes have been written with fewer facts of smaller import than the busy life of Dr. Pratt could furnish. He is an old man now, having almost rounded out his four score years, nearly three score of which have been in the service of the Master; but he is hale and vigorous still, and his zeal knows no abatement. He was a member of the board of trustees of Georgetown College for forty years and president of the board many years, and is a member of the board of trustees of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary at Louisville.
He is a brother of Daniel D. Pratt of national reputation, who was United States senator and commissioner of internal revenue.
Dr. Samuel Pratt (father) was born in Belcher, Mass., December 26, 1779, where he received his preliminary schooling. He was highly educated and was very proficient in the languages; studied medicine in New York City; began to practice his profession in Maine; returned to New York and located at Fenner-five miles from Peters- burgh, and was appointed surgeon by the gov- ernor of Massachusetts in the War of 1812. He
23
354
KENTUCKY BIOGRAPHIES.
1
was a very successful physician, greatly beloved by his friends and those to whom he brought relief in suffering; was a good, pure and noble man; an intense partisan of the Whig stripe; and living in a time when there was opposition to Masonry, he bitterly opposed tliat order. He died in 1864 at the age of eighty-four years.
David Pratt (grandfather) was a native of Massachusetts; served as captain in the Revolu- tionary war, and was present at the surrender of General Burgoyne at Saratoga. He was not a professional man, but spent most of his life in farming. He was a son of Nathaniel and Sallie (Rundall) Pratt.
A great-great-grandfather of Rev. William M. Pratt was Josiah Coldridge, who lived near Boston.
Sallie Hill Pratt (mother) was born in Kittery, Maine, September 14, 1775. She first married Dr. W. D. Moody of York, Maine, who died, and she became the wife of Dr. Samuel Pratt and died in 1849, in the seventy-fifth year of her age. Her mother was a direct descendant of John Rogers, the martyr. She was a daughter of Elephalet Rogers, who was a son of Rev. John Rogers, pastor of the first church at Ipswich and president of Harvard College, who died July 2, 1684; he was the eldest son of Rev. Nathaniel Rogers, who came from England in 1636 and settled in Ipswich-as co-pastor with Rev. Na- thaniel Ward-and died July 2, 1655. Nathaniel Rogers was a son of Rev. John Rogers of Ded- ham, England, who died October 18, 1639, aged sixty-seven years, and this John Rogers was a grandson of the Rev. John Rogers who was burned at the stake at Smithfield February 6, 1555.
W ILLIAM LOWTHER JACKSON, de- ceased, late judge of the criminal division of the Jefferson Circuit Court of Louisville, was born in St. Mary's, (now West) Virginia, August 12, 1854, and died December 29, 1895. He was the youngest child of Judge William L. Jackson and Sarah (Creel) Jackson. He secured his edu- cation in the public schools of Louisville, grad- uating from the high school in June, 1875; was valedictorian of his class, and was one of the brightest and best informed young men who
have been educated in that school. While en- gaged in his studies, he laid the foundation for the great popularity which distinguished him in after years. He began the study of law in 1876, grad- uated from the Louisville Law School in 1887, and at once began the practice of his profession, in which he had a most successful career until May 19, 1890, when he was inducted into the office of judge of the old Jefferson Circuit Court, and in November, 1892, was elected judge of the criminal division of the Jefferson Circuit Court- which, under the new constitution, succeeded the old Jefferson Circuit Court-and this office he held until his death, which occurred at his home after a long and painful illness, December 29, 1895.
For three consecutive terms-1881 to 1886- he was a member of the house of representatives in the Kentucky legislature, and served with great distinction on the judiciary, the revenue and taxation, and other important committees.
Returning from his duties in the legislature, he formed a partnership with Mr. Zack Phelps, and they were joined later by Mr. J. T. O'Neal, mak- ing one of the strongest legal firms in the city or state. Judge Jackson remained with these gentlemen until the death of his father, when he was appointed to succeed him on the bench. He accepted that office with reluctance and at a personal sacrifice, as he had a most valuable practice.
Few men have a greater faculty of making friends and keeping them than Judge Jackson had, and he had all of the requirements of the successful lawyer and politician, but he was emi- nently qualified by training, study and natural aptitude for the higher duties of the judge, and he filled that office with ability and with such fidelity that he was frequently in his place on the bench when his sufferings from a lurking disease were so great that his physicians were compelled to interfere with his strong will and order him to abandon his work for some months before his death. Even against the protests of his friends and physicians, he insisted on being carried to the court room in a chair, and he frequently per- formed his duty as judge while suffering excru- ciating pain,
355
KENTUCKY BIOGRAPHIES.
He was a man of firm, honest purpose, and successfully carried out his plans and purposes, overcoming all difficulties until he was compelled to yield to the hand of death. His popularity was shown in his last illness by the vast num- bers who offered him and his family the sincere sympathy and condolence of loving friends and associates.
He was an able lawyer, a wise statesman, an honest judge, an honored citizen, a dutiful son, a devoted husband and a loving father.
His father, Judge William L. Jackson, Sr., was a native of (now West) Virginia, in which state he was judge of the Nineteenth Judicial District; second auditor of the state, and lieutenant gov- ernor. He came to Louisville January 1, 1866, and was a successful practitioner at the bar until January, 1873, when he was appointed judge of the old Jefferson Circuit Court by Governor T. H. Leslie. He was elected to succeed himself, and was re-elected again and again, holding his office until his death in 1892. His wife was a daughter of Alexander H. and Lucy (Neal) Creel. Her father was distinguished for his intellectual attainments. Her mother came from the Lewis family, and the Lewises and Neals owned what was called Washington's Bottom, near Blenner- hassett Island, and took an active part in Revolu- tionary annals.
R ICHARD D. DAVIS, President of the Sec- ond National Bank of Ashland, and one of the leading business men of that city, is a son of Elias P. and Myrtilla A. (Winn) Davis, and was born in Carter County, Kentucky, September 22, 1844.
His father was born in Prince William County, Virginia, February 14, 1810; was educated in his native county; removed to Kentucky and was a resident of Fleming County for ten years; re- moved to Carter County in 1837; was sheriff of that county (1851); circuit clerk from 1851 to 1884, and clerk of Carter County Court from 1854 to 1882; enlisted in the Union army in 1863, and was captain of Company D, Fortieth Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Mounted Infantry; was prominent in politics as Whig and Republican,
and was a leading citizen in his county; died March 8, 1884.
Richard Davis (grandfather), a native of Vir- ginia, was a farmer in Fleming County, where he died in 1840. He was passionately fond of hunt- ing, and was familiarly known as "Hound Davis," on account of the number of hounds he owned. His father, Elias Davis, was a native of Wales, who settled in Virginia before the Revolutionary war.
Myrtilla A. Winn Davis (mother) was born in Champaign County, Ohio, October 25, 1812; was educated near Urbana; was married in 1836; died in Carter County, Kentucky, July 25, 1886. She was a devout member of the Christian Church, a faithful wife and mother and a woman of great influence and strength of character.
Douglass I. Winn (grandfather), a native of Virginia, went from that state to Champaign County, Ohio; afterwards removed to Kentucky, and finally to Calloway County, Missouri, where he died. He was a fine scholar, a noted mathe- matician and a professional teacher; a member of the Christian Church and a courtly gentleman. He married Elizabeth Triby Rawlins, who was born in Champaign County, Ohio, and died in Calloway County, Missouri, in 1876. Her mother was a Miss Triby, a native of France. The Davis and Winn families were originally from Wales, and the Rawlins branch of the fan- ily are distinguished citizens of several American states.
Richard D. Davis of Ashland was educated in Carter County and was well advanced in his studies in 1862, when he found his first employ- ment in the office of the clerk of the Circuit and County Courts of Carter County; was afterwards deputy circuit clerk in Winchester for nineteen months; was for a short time in the office of Collector of Internal Revenue at Richmond; was then in charge of the circuit clerk's office in Richmond from February 20, 1865, to 1867- serving a part of that time as deputy clerk-when the clerk resigned and he was appointed clerk, serving until 1868, when, having been admitted to the bar, he returned to Carter County and began the practice of law, in which he con- tinued successfully until 1889.
356
KENTUCKY BIOGRAPHIES.
He was county attorney of Carter County from September, 1870, to August, 1873; resigned, hav- ing been elected to the legislature as representa- tive from Carter and Boyd Counties; was county judge of Carter County from October, 1881, to September, 1882. These offices were merely in- cidental to a busy career as an attorney-at-law, and furnish some evidence of his popularity, espe- cially as he has no ambition for political prefer- ment.
Having organized the Second National Bank of Ashland in 1888, of which he was chosen president, he removed to Ashland in 1889 and as- sumed the duties of that position, which now demand his best attention. He also has other interests and investments, which combine to make him a very busy man. He is a very genial and warm hearted gentleman, and is regarded as one of the best and most enterprising citizens of Ash- land. He is a popular and helpful member of the Masonic and Odd Fellows orders and also of the "Concatenated Order of Hoo Hoo," an associa- tion of railroad and lumber men.
Mr. Davis was married November 8, 1870, to Mary Lewis, daughter of C. N. and L. A. (Eng- land) Lewis of Kansas City, Missouri. Mrs. Da- vis was born in Carter County, Kentucky, May 25, 1851; is a member of the Christian Church and a lady of culture and fine personal attrac- tions. They have four children: Lewis N., born October 31, 1871; Roscoe C., born October 19, 1878; Myrtilla Annie, born February 15, 1883; and Richard D., born July 15, 1885.
PETER CALDWELL, Superintendent of the Industrial School of Reform, Louisville, Kentucky, was born in Huntingdon, near Mon- treal, Canada, April 23, 1836. He is a son of William and Jeanette (Elder) Caldwell. His father was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1808 and emigrated with his father and others when quite young to Huntingdon, Canada. They were among the first settlers of a section near Montreal that was then nothing more than a wilderness. William Caldwell became a pros- perous farmer and a highly respected citizen who took a lively interest in the development of the new country. He was a man of strong convic-
tions, and of sterling integrity, and a strict mem- ber of the Presbyterian Church. He died in 1893, aged eighty-four years. He had three elder brothers, each of whom lived to be eighty-four years of age.
William Caldwell (grandfather), native of Glas- gow, Scotland, removed to Canada, as before stated; was a soldier in the War of 1812. He died in Huntingdon when eighty-two years of age, his death occurring in the morning of his birthday.
Jeanette Elder Caldwell (mother) is now a resident of Huntingdon, Canada, where she has lived since her childhood, and is now eighty-five years of age. Her father, George Elder (grand- father), was a native of Glasgow, Scotland, and removed to Canada, crossing the ocean in the same ship with the Caldwells; and the two fam- ilies were neighboring farmers in Huntingdon and brethren in the Presbyterian Church.
Peter Caldwell, after attending the schools in his neighborhood, was graduated from the Mid- dleberry, Vermont, College in 1863. When he was seventeen years of age, he began teaching, and was thus employed in Canada for three years, when he came to the United States and spent seven years in teaching and studying, tak- ing special courses in various institutions. He was at one time principal of the Hinsdale College in Massachusetts. In the spring of 1864 he was appointed principal of the Reform School of Chi- cago, and three months later was made assistant superintendent of that institution, a position which he resigned in 1865 to accept the superin- tendency of the "House of Refuge," as it was then called, in Louisville. He has been engaged in this important work for the reformation of the youth of Louisville for over thirty years and his tenure of office depends upon the number of years that he may live. As he belongs to a family noted for longevity, it is to be hoped that he may at least complete his half century as superintendent of this institution, which has grown from a small beginning until, under his able management, it is now one of the largest and most complete schools of the kind in the United States and is in many respects regarded as the model reform school in the country.
SILAS EVANS, M. D.
357
KENTUCKY BIOGRAPHIES.
When Mr. Caldwell took charge of the school, there was but one building, which was used for all purposes; now there are fourteen buildings, each one adapted to the department for which it was constructed and is now used. Then, the number of children in the school was limited, as were the advantages given them. Now, the average number of inmates is about three hun- dred, and the accommodations for their care and instruction are the best the board of directors can afford with the means at hand. The material growth of the institution, together with the won- derful advancement that has been made in the educational and industrial work of the school, are due in a large measure to the indefatigable labor and wise management of its able superin- tendent.
The grounds of the school embrace eighty acres of valuable land within the city limits, twenty-five acres of which are occupied by the buildings and campus, while a large portion of the ground is cultivated for the use of the school. The grounds surrounding and adjacent to the buildings are beautified by trees, shrubbery, flow- ers and rare plants, all of which are tenderly cared for by the children under the direction of competent employes who are practical florists and gardeners. This was the first school of the kind in the country to give attention to the cul- tivation of flowers and plants in greenhouses, and was the first to abandon the system of giving out the labor of the school under contract. It was the first to build a chapel to be used exclu- sively for worship and Sunday school, and the progress made in these and other matters has led other institutions to advance in the same directions.
The Industrial School of Reform is, first of all, a school in which the English branches are thor- oughly taught and second in importance is the manual training departments, in which the chil- dren are instructed in the trades. Mr. Caldwell regards the moral and religious training of the inmates of the highest importance and is devoted to his Sunday school and other religious work among the boys and girls, and in this respect he has accomplished a work the value of which cannot be estimated.
Mr. Caldwell was married in 1865 to Mary Wells, daughter of Rev. Edward Wells of Chi- cago; and they have three sons and four daugh- ters: Nettie A., Addie, Carrie C., Willie E., Mary E., Hamilton Peter and David C. All of the family are members of the Presbyterian Church.
S ILAS EVANS, M. D., one of the ablest young physicians of Lexington, is a descendant of a Welsh family who settled in Virginia and Penn- sylvania in 1722. He is a son of Silas and Par- melia (Quisenberry) Evans, and was born in Fayette County, Kentucky, April 2, 1858.
Silas Evans-(father) was also a native of Fayette County, and was an extensive farmer and large trader in live stock prior to the Civil war. He died in Scott County, Kentucky, in 1879. He was a life-time member of the Baptist Church and was a Democrat in politics.
Peter Evans (grandfather) was a Virginian by birth who emigrated to Fayette County, where he became one of the first distillers in that vicinity. He was a son of Peter Evans (great-grandfather), who was a captain in the war of the Revolution and fought in the battles of Monmouth, Prince- ton, Germantown, and was present at the capture of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, October 19, 1781. After the war he returned to his Virginia home, where he died. He served under Colonel Lewis in the battle of Point Pleasant in 1774.
The following facts are taken from the records in the pension office at Washington :
"Captain Peter Evans, born in Prince William County, Virginia, October 25, 1758; removed to Clark County, Kentucky. He married Ann, daughter of Captain John Newman of Prince Wil- liam County, Virginia, December 11, 1777. She was born April 6, 1755, died July 8, 1836, in Clark . County, Kentucky. Captain Evans' will, dated February 12, 1814, was probated July, 1814.
"He enlisted as a private in Prince William County, February, 1776, Colonel Bland's Regi- ment Dragoons, service certified to by Captain Lee of his company. He was commissioned lieutenant by Governor Thomas Jefferson August 3, 1779, in Captain Charles Lee's company, and served as such in Captain Valentine Peyton's
358
KENTUCKY BIOGRAPHIES.
company, Colonel Ewell's command; joined main army near Philadelphia; was on guard on the line three months, discharged December, 1779; was commissioned captain by Governor Thomas Jefferson May 1, 1780, and joined the regiment of Colonel Wheeden; was at the siege of Yorktown and surrender of Cornwallis, Octo- ber 19, 1781; rendered service five or six years. 'Witnesses allude to him as a brave and intrepid officer.'
"He was at the battle of Princeton, New Jer- sey, January 3, 1777, and was with Light Horse Harry Lee, attending the burial of General Mer- cer, who was mortally wounded in that battle.
"He was wounded in a skirmish near Morris- town, New Jersey."
Hickman and Oliver P. Evans appear in the widow's papers.
Belam P. Evans, son of Captain Evans, was born in Prince William County, Virginia, Sep- tember 25, 1778, died in Jessamine County, Ken- tucky, October 30, 1843.
Parmelia Quisenberry Evans (mother) was born in Clark County, Kentucky, and was a mem- ber of a large and influential family of that coun- ty. She died in 1860.
Doctor Silas Evans' collegiate course was taken in Central University at Richmond. He read medicine and was graduated from the Hospital College of Medicine at Louisville in 1882, going thence to New York City, where he took a post graduate course at Polyclinic College and imme- diately afterwards located in Lexington.
He was appointed by President Arthur to the position of United States examining pension sur- geon, and was for some time visiting surgeon to St. Joseph Hospital. In 1883 he was appointed by the Board of Commissioners under Governor Knott assistant physician in the Eastern Ken- tucky Asylum for the Insane; and was also assist- ant physician in the Cincinnati Sanitarium for one year. Governor Buckner appointed him as- sistant physician in the Hospital for the Insane at Lakeland, where he remained during Governor Buckner's administration; then, returning to Lexington, he became superintendent of High Oaks Private Sanitarium for mental and nervous troubles. He is a member of the Kentucky
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.