USA > Kentucky > Memorial record of western Kentucky, Volume I > Part 10
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When about twenty-seven years of age Dr. Becker married Miss Kate Baker, who died within a year after the marriage. He never married again. Of his family all have passed away in death save his sister, Mrs. Josephine B. Jacob, still a resident of the city of Paducah.
WILLIAM MURPHY REED.
William Murphy Reed, of Benton, was born September 5, 1848, in Graves county, Kentucky. His father, William Reed, was a native of North Carolina, and his mother, Margaret ( McCain) Reed, was born near Nashville, Tennessee. The subject of this sketch was reared on a farm, and acquired his education in Boston Seminary, of Marshall county, Kentucky, and in Princeton College, of Princeton. He read law with Philander Palmer, of Benton, and after an extensive and accurate course of study was admitted to the bar in Benton, in March, 1873. Immediately afterward he began practice in the first judicial district of Kentucky, and from the beginning his legal career may be
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said to be one of success. He has always maintained an office in Ben- ton, and in 1880 also established one in Paducah, where he is now a member of the well known firm of Greer & Reed, the senior partner residing in Paducah. In the practice at Benton these gentlemen were joined by W. M. Oliver, under the firm name of Reed, Greer & Oliver.
Mr. Reed's high standing at the bar is best shown by the impor- tant litigation which has been entrusted to his care. His practice has assumed extensive proportions, and covers the territory embraced within McCracken, Marshall, Calloway, Livingston, Graves and Lyon counties. His practice is general, embracing both criminal and civil suits. He has been retained as counsel in every important murder case tried in Marshall and Calloway counties, and many in MeCracken county, for several years past. His civil practice is extensive, and his firm is attor- ney for many leading corporations and business enterprises in this sec- tion of the state, including the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railroad, the Peoples' Railway Company of Paducah, the Paducah Electric Company, the Paducah & Clark River Gravel Road Company, Mechanics' Building and Loan Association, City National Bank of Padu- cali, the Paducah Banking Company and other corporations of note. Among the cases involving large interests, therefore calling for superior legal ability, that Mr. Reed's firm has handled, may be mentioned one in Texas, which grew out of the building of a court-house and the issue of bonds for that purpose. His firm has represented parties owning bonds to the amount of seventy thousand dollars, and has secured judg- ment to the amount of forty-six thousand dollars, while over one million dollars are involved in similar cases. The firm of Greer & Reed is also concerned as counsel in the Grand River Company's litigation, growing
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out of the investment and building of their large iron furnaces and plant for the manufacture of iron and lumber, representing over one million dollars. The cases of this company are pending in both state and United States courts. His firm is also attorney for the Paducah Land, Coal and Iron Company in their litigations, involving the disposal of prop- erty valued at more than three million dollars, including a large fur- nace plant at Paducah, tracts of ore-bearing lands in Trigg county, Kentucky, and in Tennessee, and town lots in Paducah. The impor- tance of the legal business with which Mr. Reed is connected shows his superior ability in the control of the intricate problems of civil law. Ilis keen powers of perception and analysis, combined with superior mental alertness, enable him to grasp readily all the points of the case and give to each its relative value. In argument he is clear, concise and masterful, and his logic never fails to carry weight, and seldom fails to convince.
In politics he is a stanch Democrat, advocating the principles as set forth by the recognized leaders of the party in the east. Deeply inter- ested in the success of his party, he does all in his power to promote its growth, has attended many of the district and state conventions, and in 1802 was alternate for the state at large to the Democratic national convention at Chicago. His powers of oratory are frequently used in the campaigns with telling effect. He has served for four years as county attorney of Marshall county, and for three terms (six years) represented his district in the state legislature, where he served one term as chairman on the committee on state prisons, and one term as chair- man of the judiciary committee; and while a member of the legisla- ture he was a member of the committee which perfected the present revenue or tax laws of the state; was the author of several important
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laws and is the author of the present statute against seduction in Ken- tucky.
In May, 1903, he was nominated by his political party as candi- date for judge of the circuit court of his judicial district 'and was elected to the office in the following November election.
On the 17th of October, 1872, Mr. Reed married Miss Mary R. Strow, of Benton, Kentucky, and they now have four children, Boone, Cecil, Lula and William Roscoe. Mr. Reed holds membership in the Christian church, and also belongs to the Masonic and Odd Fellows fra- ternities.
DANIEL BOONE STANFIELD.
Daniel Boone Stanfield, president of the City National Bank of Mayfield, Kentucky, was born in Madison county, Tennessee, on a farm, February 28, 1849. Hle is a son of William B. and Nancy C. (Boone) Stanfield; the former was born in Halifax county, Virginia, and the latter in North Carolina. The paternal grandfather was an carly settler of Madison county, Tennessee, where he died upon his farm. The father of our subject was reared in Madison county, Ten- nessee, and in Graves county, Kentucky, and then settled in the southern part of Graves county, where he farmed until 1866, when he located in Mayfield, and has since made it his home, becoming one of the leading carpenters and contractors of the city. He and his wife had two chil- dren, namely : Virginia C., who married Captain S. P. Ridgeway, of Mayfield, and Daniel B., who was nearly eighteen years of age when his parents came to Mayfield from the farm.
Daniel Boone Stanfield gained a fair education in Mayfield, and later studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1870, from which time
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he has been one of the active practitioner's in Mayfield. For a number of years he was circuit court clerk and county judge, and has always been a Democrat in politics. His banking career commenced when he became vice president of the First National Bank, after which he was made its president and continued as such for four or five years. In 1896 the City National Bank was organized, and he has acted as its president ever since, conducting its affairs with rare judgment and along con servative lines, which have firmly established it among the leading finan- cial institutions of the county. He is a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church, South. In 1872 he was married to Mary E. Talbert, a native of Graves county. Their children are as follows : Will B., an attorney at Mayfield; Ralph N., also an attorney at May- field.
JOHN WESLEY BLOOMFIELD.
John Wesley Bloomfield is one of the ablest and best known attor- neys of western Kentucky. He is a native of the Buckeye state, hav- ing been born in Preble county, Ohio, November 16, 1836. His parents were Reuben and Ann ( Hopkins) Bloomfield, the former of whom was a native of Preble county and a son of David Bloomfield, who was born in Roan county, North Carolina, and was of English lineage. Ann (Hopkins) Bloomfield was born in Kentucky, and her ancestors settled in that state at an early day, having come from Virginia. David Bloom- field was also an early settler of Kentucky, from which state he removed to Ohio and became a pioneer of Preble county, where he and his wife, Rachael ( Barclay ) Bloomfield, spent many years, and where they finally died and were buried.
Reuben and Ann ( Hopkins) Bloomfield were married in Kentucky,
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and they had four sons and one daughter. The mother died, and the father married again, from which union he had five daughters. All of his life was spent in farming, and he was universally respected for his many sterling qualities of heart and mind.
John Wesley Bloomfield was born and reared on a farm, and in his youth was sent to the country schools, and later to the Miami Uni- versity at Oxford, Ohio, where he completed a two years' course. He then began the study of law under General Marsh at Eaton, Ohio, and in 1861 went to Paducah, Kentucky, where he continued the study of law, and was admitted to the bar in 1865, since which time he has been continuously in practice in Paducah. He has long held rank among the ablest lawyers of western Kentucky, but has never held office, except when he was city judge of Paducah from 1874 to 1878, during which time he gained his title of "Judge," by which he is generally known.
In 1865 Judge Bloomfield was united in marriage with Miss Lin- nie M. Unruh, and the following children were born to them: Lloyd, Miss Joe and John W., who are living, and one that died in childhood. Judge Bloomfield is a Democrat in politics, and takes an active interest in local affairs, although not a politician. Fraternally he is a Master Mason, while he and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church.
EDWIN THOMAS NANCE.
Eighty years is the span of the life of this venerable citizen of Graves county, Kentucky, and his career is not only worthy of consideration on this account, but he deserves mention because of the leading part he has taken in business affairs of the western part of Kentucky, where he has been known as one of the leading tobacco growers and farmers.
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The family is of German descent, but has resided in this country for many years. Grandfather William Nance was born in Bedford county, Virginia, and lived to be a very old man. His son, John Nance, was also born in Bedford county, in 1780, and was educated in the schools of that state. He was a farmer, and at his death, which occurred in 1845, he was recognized as one of the foremost men in that pursuit in the state of Virginia. In 1865 he was married to Martha Estes, who was born in Bedford county, Virginia, in 1787, and her father, William Estes, was a native of the same place and lived to the great age of ninety-eight years. Mrs. Nance died in 1848, having become the mother of a large family. The son, Thaddeus, was a farmer of Bedford county, and died in 1863: S. A. Nance was a farmer of Trigg county, Kentucky, and died in 1895 at the age of eighty years; Albert Nance was a farmer in Bedford county and died in 1863 at the age of forty- five; Benjamin Nance, who was one of the largest wheat growers in Howard county, Missouri, died in 1902, aged seventy two; Thorp Nance is a farmer in Texas; John F. is a farmer in Bedford county, Virginia ; Celia Ann married William Burnett, a farmer in Missouri, and both are now deceased ; Mary was the wife of Isaiah Wade, a farmer in Bedford county, Virginia, and both are deceased; Lizzie is the wife of Pleasant Wade, of Cincinnati, Ohio; Sarah died in youth; Emeline is the wife of Joel Wright, a Missouri farmer. 1
Edwin Thomas Nance completes the list of the above-named chil- dren. He was born in Bedford county, Virginia, January 17, 1823, and after leaving school engaged in farming. He was actively engaged in this occupation in his native state until 1870, when he came to Graves county, Kentucky, where he is now cultivating a fine farm of one hun-
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dred and eighty-four acres, and has been especially successful in raising tobacco.
In 1844 Mr. Nance was married to Miss Sallie Snow, and the fol- lowing children were born to them: Mary, the wife of Thomas Tins- ley, a farmer of Calloway county, Kentucky; Bettie, the wife of Wil- liam Nance, a painter of Clarksville, Tennessee; George P. is a farmer of Trigg county, Kentucky; John A. is a farmer in Graves county ; Kittie is the wife of Henry Jenkins, of Graves county; William Nance is a farmer of Graves county; Belle is the wife of Wickliffe Dawson, a farmer of Trigg county, and Albert T. is a farmer of Trigg county. The mother of these children died in 1891, and in 1895 Mr. Nance married Mrs. Martha Perry, the widow of Oliver Perry. He is a Demo- crat and a member of the Missionary Baptist church .:
MAJOR HENRY STEPHENSON HALE.
Maj. Henry Stephenson Hale, of Mayfield, was born in Bowling Green, Warren county, Kentucky, May 4, 1836. His parents were Nicholas and Rhoda (Crouch) Hale. His father was born in North Carolina and was of English lineage. He was a son of Joshua Hale, formerly from Virginia. Nicholas Hale married Rhoda Crouch, a native of Henry county, Tennessee, and a daughter of David Crouch, a pioneer farmer of Henry county, and who was a private soldier in the Mexican war; he was of Scotch-Irish lineage. Nicholas Hale was a soldier in the war of 1812. For a time he farmed and resided in Henry county, Tennessee, whence he removed to Warren county, Ken- tucky. In 1844 he removed to Arkansas, but two years later returned to Kentucky, and settled in the southern part of Graves county, and
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here his death occurred shortly afterward. His wife survived him some nine or ten years. Their children were William Harrison Hale, born in Henry county, Tennessee, January 16, 1829, merchant . and tobacco dealer of Mayfield, Kentucky, and died in 1881; Sarah Hale, who married George W. Thompson, and died in 1898; N. T. Hale, born in Henry county, Tennessee, December 6, 1833, merchandised in Murray, Kentucky, for forty-five years, and died December 24, 1902; Jennie Hale, deceased, wife of J. T. Craig, died in 1878, aged thirty- nine; David A. Hale merchandised in both Murray and Mayfield, and had large farm interests in Graves county, and died in 1892, aged fifty.
Maj. ITenry S. Hale was a mere boy when his parents took up their residence in Graves county. Here he grew to manhood and ob- tained a fair education. For a period of time just before the outbreak of the Civil war he clerked in a store at Lynnville, Kentucky. Pos- sessed of the true southern spirit, and a heart full of love for the "sunny south" and its institutions, he espoused the cause of the Con- federacy and fought gallantly in the conflict between the sections. In the fall of 1861 he entered the Confederate army as captain of a com- pany in the Seventh Kentucky Regiment ; was soon promoted to major, and was in command of the regiment in several hard fought battles. He was wounded in the left hip at Harrisburg, Mississippi, and disabled for several months. Then, recalled by General Forrest, he was promoted for gallantry on the battlefield of Brice's Cross Roads to the rank of lieutenant colonel and assigned to the Third and Seventh consolidated regiments. With the close of the war his military services closed.
The following extract from a Mayfield paper, describing Major Hale as a soldier, is worthy of reprint : "Major Hale was a young man
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of about twenty-four years of age. lle was full of zeal and chivalry as the fine climate and good soil of southern Kentucky could make one. He was a live, wide-awake officer, a man for emergencies, and would undertake anything he was commanded to do by his superior officers. Nothing was impossible with him. He had a loud, clear voice and a fine presence, and made a fine impression ; in short, he was a model sol- dier. He commanded the regiment in some of the hardest-fought bat- tles. His conduct in the face of the enemy was always inspiring to others. At one time, when the regiment showed signs of wavering, he snatched the colors and ran forward, flaunting them in the face of the enemy. The effect was magical; every man moved forward and the enemy was driven from its position."
In 1866 the Major was elected sheriff of Graves county, which office he held for four years, and in 1871 he was elected state senator, representing Graves, Hickman and Fulton counties and serving his con- stituents with fidelity. He was elected as the Democratic candidate. For a number of years Major Hale served as chairman of the Demo- cratic committee of his county.
In 1876 the First National Bank of Mayfield was organized, and he was elected its first president, and is now the president of this bank.
When Judge Sharp resigned the office of state treasurer, Major Hale was appointed by Governor Buckner to fill out the unexpired term. At the next regular election he became a candidate for the office and was elected by a very complimentary vote. The manner in which he managed the affairs of the office, the ability he displayed as a financier and the general official conduct of Major Hale won the admiration of the people. In 1895 he was a candidate for secretary of state (the constitution forbidding that he should hold the office of treasurer another
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term), but in the election of that year he went down with a great many other good men of the Democratic party, in consequence of the victory of the Republican party.
Major Hale is an active and prominent member of the Christian church, and was a leading spirit in founding the Western Kentucky College of Mayfield. He is a man of sterling worth, and his true man- hood and integrity have won for him the respect of all who know him.
November 8, 1865, Major Hale married Miss Virginia A. Gregory, of Mississippi, born April 22, 1843. They have six living children, four sons and two daughters: Nathan A., cashier of the First National Bank of Mayfield; William Lindsay, who was assistant treasurer of state during his father's term of office, and is now in the milling busi- ness at Mayfield; Henry S., a business man of Frankfort; Joseph Theodore, yet in school; and the daughters are Annie B. and Mary E. "
WILLIAM T. WIRTE.
Among the members of the Ballard county bar is William Thomas White, who is practicing at Wickliffe, where he has gained a distinct- ively representative clientage. Legal interests are never entrusted to those whose abilities are questionable. When one has property of civil rights at stake it is greatly to be desired that they should be placed in the hands of those who have comprehensive knowledge of the law and are capable of conducting litigated interests with the best results for their clients, and in criminal cases where the balance of justice is to be maintained it is also necessary that the man concerned in the control of a cause should be proficient and well versed in that especial depart. ment of jurisprudence. After careful preparation William Thomas
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White took his place at the bar, and by earnest study, indefatigable labor and mastery of the questions with which he has become connected has won for himself an enviable place among the practitioners of this dis- trict.
William Thomas White was born at Blandville, Kentucky, on the 28th of June, 1861, and is a son of James D. and Mary Ellen (Coil) White. He was reared in his native city, and there acquired his pre- liminary education, which was supplemented by study in Paducah, in Clinton and in Lexington. When about twenty years of age he took up the study of law with G. W. Reeves, of Paducah, as his preceptor, and in 1885 he was admitted to the bar at Wickliffe. He then located in Blandville, where he continued in practice until 1889, and during the first year was associated with his father as a member of the firm of J. D. White & Son. In 1889 he came to Wickliffe, where he has since lived, and if a large patronage is any criterion of success Mr. White has certainly entered upon a successful professional career.
On the 27th of November, 1889, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. White and Miss Naomi Rich, a daughter of LaFayette Rich and a granddaughter of Jacob Corbett, the first clerk of the county court of Ballard county. To Mr. and Mrs. White have been born six children. In addition to his home in Wickliffe, Mr. White owns and operates a farm near the city. Socially he is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and is a Master Mason. In politics he is a Democrat. He has devoted considerable time to reading and study, and is thor- oughly posted on current topics and events.
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ULE SAMUEL SHACKLETT.
Ule Samuel Shacklett, a prosperous hardware merchant of Fulton, Kentucky, was born in Woodbury, Cannon county, Tennessee, October 2, 1867, and is a son of John Lewis and Mary Lou ( Bates) Shacklett. The father was born in Davidson county, Tennessee, and the mother was born in Cannon county, Tennessee. The paternal grandfather, John Shacklett, was a native of North Carolina, of French descent, and was a school teacher, and resided for many years at Antioch, Tennes- see, where the father of our subject was born, reared and educated. His maternal grandfather, Bates, was a native of Virginia and a pioneer of Cannon county, Tennessee, where he built the first and only court house of the county. In Woodbury, Tennessee, the mother of our subject was born and reared. She bore her husband children as follows: Samuel ; Mattie Lenora, deceased; Claude MeC., deceased; Robert W .; John Arthur; Lucy Edith.
The father and mother reside in Woodbury, and there Ule Samuel Shacklett attended school until he was nineteen years of age, after which he attended a commercial college and completed a business course. For a short time he was a clerk in a drug store, and then became bill clerk for Timmons, Philpot & Company, of Nashville, Tennessee. This posi- tion he held about sixteen months, and a like position for six months more in the employ of the American Milling Company, of Nashville. For eighteen months he then was a salesman for the wholesale dry- goods concern of J. S. Reeves & Company, also of Nashville. For a short time he traveled for C. D. Smith & Company, grain dealers, and later for the Model Milling Company, of Nashville. In 1895 he came to Fulton and became a partner of A. P. Creedle in the grain business,
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and this partnership continued about a year. For a short time there- after he was a traveling grocery salesman in the employ of a St. Louis firm. Returning to Fulton, he formed a partnership with W. P. Felts in the hardware business, and about eighteen months later this con- nection was dissolved. J. W. and I. E. Thomas and our subject formed a partnership in 1900, under the style of Shacklett-Thomas Hardware Company, which is to-day a thriving business house, and a leader in that line in the city. While Mr. Shacklett's business career has been a varied one, it has been a successful one, and without capital to com- mence with he has raised himself into his present prosperous condition. Ilis energy, pluck and good management have all aided him in his busi- ness life.
On June 5, 1897, Mr. Shacklett and Miss Fannie Wilson were married, she being a native of Tennessee. Their children are John Wil- son and Mary Le Grand. In politics Mr. Shacklett is a Democrat, and he has served as a member of the Fulton city council and been other- wise active in party affairs. Both he and his wife are Methodists, and their home is noted for generous hospitality. They are important fac- tors in the social life of the community, and both have a large circle of friends.
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JAMES L. BETHSHARES.
James L. Bethshares, one of the prominent and representative citizens of Paducah, Kentucky, was born in Rutherford county, Ten- nessee, October 10, 1832. He is a son of William S. and Martha L. (Johnston) Bethshares, both natives of Virginia. The paternal grand- father was Jesse Bethshares, and the maternal grandfather was Robert
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Bethishans
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Johnston, and both were also natives of Virginia, descended from French and Scotch-Irish ancestors, respectively.
William S. Bethshares was a farmer by occupation and continued in that line until his death, April 10, 1847; he was born October 10, 1796. His wife was born March 20, 1811, and died November 9, 1899. In politics the father was an old-line Whig and a very highly respected man. Our subject has a brother and sister now living, namely: Wil- liam T., who resides in Calloway county, Kentucky; and Mary Eliza- beth Sammonds, who resides in Howard county, Missouri.
James L. Bethshares was reared and educated in western Tennessee, and after leaving school acted as clerk in a dry-goods store for four years, but in 1857 started in the drug business in Trenton, Tennessee, remaining in that line until 1862, when he began the study of law. In 1863 he removed to Paducah, Kentucky, and embarked in the manu- facture of plows with his uncle W. B. Johnston, thus continuing until 1872. In 1873 and 1874 he resumed and finished his law studies, and January 14, 1875, was admitted to the bar. For eight years he was actively engaged in the practice of his profession, but in 1882 he was elected county judge and held that office until 1886. In 1800 he was re-elected to that same office, and held it until 1805, when he retired from active life. In politics he is a Democrat and has always taken an active part in local affairs. Religiously he is a member of the Meth- odist church, and contributes liberally towards its support.
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