USA > Kentucky > Lewis County > History of Lewis County, Kentucky > Part 19
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He was a very successful lawyer and enjoyed a wide reputation and large practice in Lewis County, where he was on one side of every im- portant case tried in that county for years prior to his death. He procured the passage of the law that secured the removal of the county seat from Clarksburg to Vanceburg, and to his efforts almost alone does Vanceburg now enjoy the honor of being the county seat. He was the father of the turnpike road system and the bridge law of Lewis County, under which more than one hundred miles of turnpike were built and many bridges erected over all the main streams in the county. He gave the site for the court-house and jail to the county. He also gave the site for the Christian Church, of which he was an elder, in Vanceburg. He was a
charter member of Polar Star Lodge, No. 363, F. & A. M., and of Burns Chapter, No. 74, of Vanceburg. He built the flouring mill in Vanceburg and many of the dwelling houses therein, and took an active and intelligent in- terest in building up the town, of which at one time he owned practically half the land in it. Judge William C. Halbert was the fifth in
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order of birth in a family of nine children, and he was six weeks old at the time his parents settled in Vanceburg, in April, 1856. He at- tended the public schools of Vanceburg, and for two years attended the National Normal School, at Lebanon, O. When seventeen years of age he began reading law under his father, and in May, 1874, when slightly over eighteen years of age, was admitted to the bar. In the fall of 1874 he returned to school at Lebanon, O., and remained there until June, 1875, when he returned home and began the active practice of his profession as a partner of his father, with whom he continued to practice until the death of his father, in September, 1877. For three terms he served as city attorney of Vance- burg, and in August, 1890, was elected county attorney of Lewis County; was re-elected in November, 1894, and again in November, 1897, serving until January, 1901. In November, 1905, he was elected to the Legislature and served two years as a member from Lewis County. He was a member of the committees on judiciary, criminal law, and amendments to the Constitution while in the Legislature, and took an active part in the deliberations of that body while one of its members. He declined to accept a re-nomination for the Legislature on account of the demands of his law business. In
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November, 1909, he was nominated and elected without opposition as circuit judge of the Twentieth Judicial District for a term of six years, and is now discharging the duties of that office. In June, 1910, he was commissioned by the governor a's special judge for the State-at- large, under an Act of the Legislature passed in March, 1910, and held by the Court of Appeals as constitutional.
In politics Judge Halbert is a Republican, of which party he has been one of the most active and faithful of its workers in Lewis County, and on the stump and at the polls has fought its battles earnestly and with great zeal, fidelity, and ability ; but on the bench he has endeavored to forget politics and mete out the law to all regardless of politics. He has so far succeeded in this effort that he decided against the candi- dates of his party in election contests involving the offices of county judge and sheriff in Boyd County, in which much feeling was involved. His decisions in these cases were subsequently approved by the Court of Appeals. It can be truthfully said of Judge Halbert that he is well- equipped both by nature and legal training for the position he now holds, and that he has given very general satisfaction both in his own district and as special judge when called to act outside of his district. He is strictly fair, cour- teous to and patient with the humblest member
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of the bar, and has untiring industry and energy to clear up the dockets and congested litigation in his district.
Judge Halbert is a member of the Masonic order, holding membership in Polar Star Lodge, No. 363, F. & A. M .; Burns Chapter, No. 74, Royal Arch Masons; and Maysville Command- ery, No. 10, Knights Templar. He is also a member of the Junior Order United American Mechanics of Vanceburg.
In April, 1887, Judge Halbert was united in marriage to Miss Fannie Bate, who was born in Newport, Campbell County, Ky., and who was a daughter of Samuel Bate, a successful wholesale merchant in Cincinnati during and prior to the Civil War. He was born in Cheshire County, England, in 1818, and emigrated to this country in 1839, settling in Cincinnati, where he married a descendant of one of the first settlers of that city, and for whom one of the streets there is now named. To this union five children were born, of whom four are now living, whose names are: William C., Jr., John Bate, Harlan R., and Frances A., the eldest being twenty and the youngest nine. Judge Halbert and his wife are members of the Christian Church in Vance- burg, to which his grandparents adhered under the preaching of Alexander Campbell, the founder of that Church."
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"ORVILLE P. POLLITT (taken from "John- son's History of Kentucky and Kentuckians), the present popular and efficient incumbent of the office of county clerk of Lewis County, Ky., is now serving his fourth term in office, and in discharging the duties thereto is acquitting himself with all of honor and distinction. Mr. Pollitt was born at Portsmouth, O., on the 18th of September, 1871, and he is a son of James and Lucy C. (Parker) Pollitt, both natives of Lewis County and both members of old Kentucky families. Alexander H. Pollitt, pater- nal grandfather of the subject of this review, was born and reared in Maryland, whence he came, with his parents, to Lewis County in an early day, location being made on a farm. James Pollitt studied law as a youth, and be- came an eminent practitioner of his profession in Lewis County and in Portsmouth, O. He was summoned to the life eternal at the age of forty-seven, his death having occurred at Ports- mouth, in 1885. He served as judge of Lewis County for several terms immediately after the close of the Civil War, and was very prominent in public affairs during his lifetime. His widow, who still survives him, now maintains her home at Vanceburg. Mr. and Mrs. James Pollitt became the parents of two children, .of whom Orville P. is the only one living in 1911. "Mr. Pollitt of this review was a lad of but
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fourteen years of age at the time of his father's death. He was reared to maturity at Ports- mouth, his education consisting of such advan- tages as were afforded in the public schools of that place. He also attended school at Vance- burg, and after leaving school he worked on a. farm for a short time. In 1888 he was appointed deputy clerk of Lewis County, remaining in tenure of that office until the fall of 1897, at which time he was elected county clerk, of which latter office he has continued incumbent during the intervening years to the present time, this being his fourth term in office. His administration has been characterized by good judgment and stanch devotion to the duties at hand, and it is worthy of note here that in the last election he met with no opposition in either the primaries or in the election proper. "In politics Mr. Pollitt is a stanch advo- cate of the principles and policies for which the Republican party stands sponsor, and he has ever been an ardent supporter of all measures and enterprises projected for the good of the community. In a fraternal way he is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Junior Order of the United American Mechanics. In his religious faith Mr. Pollitt is a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is unmarried."
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JUDGE JOSEPH M. LEE (taken from John- son's "History of Kentucky and Kentuckians.") -"Lewis County figures as one of the most attractive, progressive, and prosperous divisions of the State of Kentucky, justly claiming a high order of citizenship and a spirit of enterprise which is certain to conserve consecutive devel- opment and marked advancement in the ma- terial upbuilding of this section. The county is signally favored in the class of men who con- trol its affairs in official capacity, and in this connection the subject of this review demands representation, as he is serving his county faithfully and well in a position of distinct trust and responsibility, being the present county judge, to which office he was first elected in 1901, and in which he has continued to serve with efficiency during the long intervening years to the present time, in 1911. Judge Lee has long been known as an enterprising agricultur- ist, and he is a man whose business methods demonstrate the power of activity and honesty in the industrial world.
"Joseph Marion Lee, of Vanceburg, was born on a farm in Morgan County, Ky., on the 8th of August, 1856, and he is a son of James Harrison and Armilda Jane (Hunt) Lee, the former of whom was a native of Rowan County, Ky., and the latter of whom claimed Mont-
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JOSEPH M. LEE.
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gomery County, this State, as the place of her nativity. James Lee, the great-grandfather of him whose name initiates this review, was born and reared in Virginia, and he traces his an- cestry back to stanch Scotch-Irish- stock. Early in the nineteenth century James Lee, with his family, emigrated from the Old Do- minion Commonwealth to Kentucky, locating on a tract of land in Rowan County, where he was identified with agricultural pursuits during the remainder of his life. He became the father of a large family of children, of whom six sons settled in various parts of the old Blue Grass State and in Indiana. Of those sons, Louis Lee, grandfather of Joseph M. Lee, was born in Virginia, and he was a mere child at the time of his parents' removal to Kentucky. He was reared in Rowan County, where was sol- emnized his marriage and where he reared to maturity twelve out of a family of thirteen children-ten daughters and three sons. Of those children James H. Lee became the father of Joseph M. Lee. He was reared on the old parental homestead, and after his marriage he established his home in Morgan County. In 1863, during the strenuous days of the Civil War, he removed, with his family, to Sangamon County, Ill., traveling overland and carrying all the portable goods in a covered wagon, drawn
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by an ox-team. At that time Joseph M. Lee was a child of but seven years of age, and he walked most of the way, driving before him
three cows. While in Illinois Mr. Lee, who was an ardent Union sympathizer, organized a company for service in the war, but after being mustered into the army his entire family was taken suddenly sick with the smallpox, and he was compelled to remain at home in the capacity of nurse. After the close of the war he returned to Kentucky, where he soon made permanent residence in Lewis County, where his death oc- curred in 1906, at the venerable age of seventy- five years. His widow survives him, and now resides near Petersville, Lewis County, at the age of seventy-five years. Mrs. Armilda Jane (Hunt) Lee is a very wonderful old woman. During the early years in Kentucky there were no doctors in the neighborhood, and quickly recognizing the urgent need for medical attend- ance, she took up the study of medicine and became a practitioner, following the same with great success for many years. Although now quite advanced in years, she still retains in much of their pristine vigor the splendid mental and physical powers of her youth. She is a woman of most gracious personality, and is dearly be- loved by all who have come within the sphere of her gentle influence. She was a daughter of
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Joseph Hunt, a native of Montgomery County, his parents having been born in North Carolina, whence they came to Kentucky in the early pioneer days. Mr. and Mrs. James Harrison Lee became the parents of seven children- five boys and two girls, four of whom are living at the present time.
"Joseph Marion Lee was the second in order of birth in the family of seven children, and he was twelve years old when his parents located permanently in Lewis County. As a result of the ravages of the Civil War the family was very poor, and as Joseph M. was the oldest son, many important responsibilities fell upon him while he was still quite young. The father was a trader and was obliged to be absent from home for long periods, during which Joseph M. had charge of the work and management of the home farm. As his early years were taken up with hard work, he had little time for schooling. His education consisted principally of such training as could be gleaned from reading and experience. When he had attained to the age of nineteen years he was married, and there- after he was engaged in farming on his own account. Subsequently he engaged in the buying and selling of stock and in tobacco trading. In 1882 he was elected. magistrate of Petersville, serving for one term in that office, at the ex-
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piration of which he declined re-election. In the fall of 1901 he was elected county judge of Lewis County, and through successive re- elections he has continued incumbent of that position to the present time, acquitting himself most creditably in the discharge of the duties incident to the office. In politics he is aligned as a stalwart in the ranks of the Republican party, in the local councils of which he has been an active factor for many years. In a fraternal way he is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias, the Junior Order of the United American Mechanics, and with other social organizations of a representative character.
"In the year 1875 was solemnized the mar- riage of Judge Lee to Miss Margaret Aldridge, who was born in Wayne County, W. Va., and who is a daughter of Frank Aldridge, a skilled mechanic, who built a number of large steam- boats. To Judge and Mrs. Lee have been born six children, namedly-Nancy J., Mary E., James F., Lennie B., Rosie A., and Thomas R. In their religious faith the Lee family are devout members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and they hold a high place in the confidence and esteem of their fellow citizens."
"JUDGE GEORGE MORGAN THOMAS (taken from 'Johnson's History of Kentucky and
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Kentuckians'), of Vanceburg, Lewis County, Ky., who is now living practically retired from active participation in business and professional affairs, long held prestige as one of the most brilliant lawyers in the State and as a politician
GEORGE MORGAN THOMAS.
of the first rank. In the many and varied politi- cal offices of which he was incumbent, he served his State with the utmost proficiency and with all the ardor inspired by a good cause. He is a fine old man, and one who is eminently well worthy of representation in this publication, devoted to Kentucky and Kentuckians.
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"Judge Thomas was born on Salt Lick Creek, Lewis County, Ky., on the 23d of November, 1828, and he is a son of Elijah and Araminta P. (Boggess) Thomas, the former of whom was a native of Lewis County, and the latter of whom claimed Loudoun County, Va., as the place of her birth. George Thomas, grandfather of the judge, was born in Culpeper County, Va., in 1770, a son of Michael Thomas, the latter of whom was likewise a native of the old Dominion State, and who traced his ancestry back to stanch Welsh extraction. Michael Thomas was twice married, and became the father of fifteen children by his first and ten children by his second marriage. He died in Virginia, in 1799, and his widow, who long survived him, came to Kentucky, with representatives of the Thomas family, and she passed away in Lewis County at an advanced age. Michael Thomas gave valiant service as a soldier in the War of the Revolution, and he was a man of influence and prominence in public affairs in the com- munity in which he maintained his home. Of his children by his second marriage, George Thomas was the oldest in order of birth, was reared in Virginia, and soon after his father's death he emigrated, with other members of the family, to Kentucky, sojourning about one year in Clark County, where he married. In
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1801 he and his wife came to Lewis County and settled on Salt Lick Creek, he being founder of this branch of the family in Kentucky. In those early days the country was new, and he lived the pioneer life of the day and died in 1834, at the age of sixty-four years. He was one of the founders of the Christian Church in Lewis County, to whose doctrine the Thomas family have long been faithful. He built the first log church of that denomination on his farm, and he now lies buried in its churchyard. This church weathered the storms of many years, and was but recently razed. The widow of George Thomas, whose maiden name was Levina Schull, was a native of Clark County, Ky. Her mother was born in North Carolina, whence she came to Kentucky, her death having there occurred, in 1848, at the patriarchal age of one hundred and one years of age. She emigrated to this State as a member of the colony headed by Daniel Boone, and was at Bryant Station when that stockade was under siege by the Indians. She was a woman of strong and noble character, and was of much assistance in those strenuous, pioneer days, even leaving the fort to go to the spring after water, as the Indians were supposed not to shoot at women. George and Levina (Schull) Thomas became the parents of three sons and eight daughters, all
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of whom were reared to adult age in Lewis County, where they married and had large families. George Thomas and his brother Israel were gallant soldiers in the War of 1812.
"Elijah Hart Thomas, father of him to whom this sketch is dedicated, was the second in order of birth of the children of George Thomas, and his birth occurred in Lewis County, in 1804. He was reared on the old homestead farm, and, being the oldest son, early became identified with his father in the work and management of the estate. He was engaged in agricultural pursuits during practically his entire business career, and his death took place in 1883, at the home of his son, the Judge. His wife was a daughter of Captain Thomas Boggess, a native of Loudoun County, Va., and a captain in a Virginia regiment in the Revolutionary War. He was captured by the English and held prisoner on one of the islands of the West Indies for some time. After the close of the war he returned to his home State, and there was married to a Miss Smith, of Culpeper County, one of whose ancestors was at one time governor of Virginia. Captain Thomas Boggess removed, with his family, to Nicholas County, Ky., in 1814, and two years later he established his home in Lewis County, where he was summoned to eternal rest in 1832. In those early days he and his
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wife frequently made trips on horseback across the mountains of Virginia to visit relatives and friends. Araminta P. (Boggess) Thomas was born in 1801, and was a child of eight years at the time of her parents' removal to Kentucky. Her marriage to Elijah Thomas was recorded in 1826, and they became the parents of four chil- dren-three sons and one daughter, of whom Judge Thomas, of this review, is the only one living at the present time, in 1911. The mother died in 1863.
"Judge George M. Thomas was reared to the invigorating influences of the home farm, and his early educational training consisted largely of private instruction. He remained under the parental roof until he had attained to his legal majority, at which time he went to Clarksburg, where he was engaged in the pedagogic profes- sion for a period of two years, in the meantime studying law during his leisure time. He was admitted to the bar of the State in 1851, and concerning his subsequent career as laywer, jurist, politician, and statesman extracts are taken from a review of his life made by Hon. Robert D. Wilson, at a banquet given by Judge Thomas to members of the Lewis County Bar, on June 4, 1901, to celebrate his retirement from active practice.
"George M. Thomas was born on November 27
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23, 1828, on Salt Lick Creek, near the valley in Lewis County, educated in the common schools in the county-taught school, read law, and was admitted to the bar in 1851. Elected school commissioner in 1850, and served nine years. Elected county attorney in 1854, and served four years. Elected a member of the Kentucky Legislature in 1859, and re-elected in 1861. In 1862 elected Commonwealth attorney in the Tenth Judicial District, and served six years. Elected county judge in 1868, to fill a vacancy, and served two years. In 1871 nominated for lieutenant-governor by the Republican con- vention, and made a joint canvass of the State with Hon. John G. Carlisle. In February, 1872, elected a member of the Legislature, to fill a vacancy, and re-elected in 1873. In 1874 elected circuit judge, and served six years. Defeated for circuit judge in 1880, and in the same year was a candidate for Congress in the Ninth Con- gressional District, receiving eight hundred more votes in the district than General Garfield, candidate for President, but was defeated by Judge Phister. Was appointed, in 1881, United States District Attroney for Kentucky by Presi- dent Garfield, and served for four years. In 1886 elected a member of Congress in the Ninth District by two hundred and eighty-six majority. In May, 1897, was appointed solicitor
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of Internal Revenue by President Mckinley, and served four years, at the expiration of which he returned to Lewis County, and, after fifty years of professional and official work, retired from active labors. Judge Thomas, as he is familiarly known to almost every citizen of this section of our State, and to every politician of any note in the State, is a man who has been eminently successful as a lawyer of recognized ability, a judge of strict integrity and sound judgment, and one who delivered the judicial ermine to his successor in office without spot or blemish. In every position of honor or trust to which he has been called he gave his time, his energy, his unceasing zeal, and almost un- erring judgment to the work incident to the office. Although a man of delicate health, yet by his strong will in governing his appetite and in dieting himself, he has, no doubt, been able to accomplish a vast deal more than many men of rugged and robust health. One of his mottoes has been: 'Nothing succeeds like success.' How applicable this trite saying has been to his re- markable career!
"Teaching school, as nearly all our great men do in their early careers, reading law at odd times until, at the age of twenty-three, he was admitted to the bar, and, as hereto- fore shown, what a record is his from that day
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until the present time! In all these years of arduous toil his energy never lagged, his vigilance for the welfare of his clients never ceased, and he was a doer-not a dreamer. If one was called to the court-house in the early morning he would find the Judge there reading the orders of the previous day. He would not rely on the clerk to see that the orders were promptly en- tered, for he knew the clerk to be often over- worked during the short time our courts are in session. He has often said that his client was paying him, and not the clerk, to see that the work was properly and efficiently done. In all the long years he was an active practitioner no one who ever knew his unfaltering devotion to his clients' interests ever whispered that he wavered or faltered in doing all that the require- ments of the profession demanded at his hands to advance and protect the rights of his client. He was never found occupying the anomalous position of representing two clients whose in- terests were antagonistic. His career has dem- onstrated that one of the old ideas "that a good lawyer could not be a good financier" is untrue. For in this respect he has shown himself to be a financier of no mean ability, although not trying to become a Rockefeller or a Pierpont Morgan. As a judge of human nature it is conceded that he is not excelled by
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many. This has been often demonstrated in the court-room, much to the discomfiture of opposing counsel. As a historian, I do not be- lieve there is a man in Lewis County or Eastern Kentucky who has read more extensively, and retained what he read, better than the Judge. His memory at this late date is apparently as good as when he was in the prime of life, and then none possessed a better memory for facts or events. As a politician, it is conceded by those who know him, and who have suffered from the 'solar plexus blows' he was able to deliver, that he is unsurpassed by any members of either party in the State.
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