USA > Kentucky > Memorial record of western Kentucky, Volume I > Part 19
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founded in America by two brothers, William and John Husbands, who settled in the William Penn colony, now the Keystone state. The Renshaws were also originally from England, and the family early settled in North Carolina, whence its representatives went to Tennessee, locating near Clarksville about the same time that Harmon Husbands and his wife came to Kentucky.
John Bryson Husbands received a common school education and afterward took up the study of law under the preceptorship of William Lander, a leading attorney of Princeton, Kentucky. In 1828 he was licensed to practice and removed to Calloway county, Kentucky, settling on Jackson's purchase, a tract of land west of the Tennessee river and lying along the Ohio to the Mississippi, which had been acquired by treaty with the Chickasaw Indians. In a short time he went to Wilmington, then the county seat of MeCracken county, where he made his home from 1830 to 1834, when the county seat having been removed to Paducah, he accordingly went to the latter place. His connection with the bar of that city continued until his death.
In 1832 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Husbands and Miss Maria S. Martin, of McCracken county. His family included James HI. Husbands, who was admitted to the bar of Kentucky, and for some tinie prior to the Civil war was associated in practice with his father. He entered the Confederate service, and after the cessation of hostilities located in Waxahachie, Texas, where he died in 1896. One daughter, Mary, is the wife of Quintus Quincy Quigley, of Paducah, one of the eminent Kentucky jurists.
In 1843 Mr. Husbands united with the Methodist church, in which he retained his membership until the close of his life, taking a very active part in its upbuilding and work, and serving for many years as
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trustee. Socially he was connected with the Masonic fraternity. In politics he was a Whig, and for many years active in advancing the party's interests, but declined office of every character. During the war he was a Unionist, opposing secession and advocating peace. He did much to ameliorate the unfortunate conditions brought upon many of his fellow-citizens by the war, and after the trouble was ended he affiliated with the Republican party, but was never bitterly partisan. One of his sons, Henry Lee, was in the Confederate service and was killed at the battle of Shiloh.
Mr. Husband's law practice was general in character, and in the early days ( 1839-55) he "rode circuit" with the court and lawyers in attendance. He was the pioneer lawyer in western Kentucky, embracing all that part of the state west of the Tennessee river, and engaged in . both civil and criminal practice, taking part in most of the important litigation in his district. He met in forensic combat such men as Judge James Campbell, Judge Wiley P. Fowler, Mathew Mayes, Richard L. Mays, Robert A. Patterson, and at a later period, Hon. E. I. Bullock and the celebrated lawyer, John W. Crockett. In the period following the war he largely limited his practice to McCracken circuit, the court of appeals and the federal court. He never retired from his profession, but continued in active connection therewith up to the time of his death, although he was an octogenarian when his life's labors were ended. He had an innate feeling and disposition in favor of peace and good will, rather than strife and litigation, and, if a matter could be settled without resort to the courts, always advised such a course; yet he possessed a fine legal mind, was a persuasive speaker, and in the courtroom the counsel on the other side regarded him as a formidable
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opponent. He possessed great kindness of heart and sympathy for the oppressed or unfortunate, and the many admirable qualities of his char- acter won him the respect of all.
JOHN LYNCH DISMUKES, M. D.
Among the prominent physicians and surgcons of western Ken- tucky is to found Dr. John Lynch Dismukes, of Mayfield. He was born near Nashville, Tennessee, December 20, 1830, and is a son of Paul and Sabina (Bowman) Dismukes. His father was born in Roanoke county, Virginia, in 1811, and was educated at the academy near Clarksville, Tennessee, under Professor Thomas Terrill; was a planter in Davidson county, Tennessee; was a strong southern sym- pathizer and had four sons in the Confederate army, as follows: Dr. John L. Dismukes, the subject of this sketch; Dr. John Terrill Dis- mukes, also a surgeon; James Henry Dismukes, of the First Tennessee Regiment, died in hospital at White Sulphur Springs, Virginia, while in the service; and Marcus L. Dismukes, who served under Generals Morgan and Forrest. The father died near Nashville, Tennessee, August 31, 1869. Hle was a son of Paul Dismukes, a planter of Vir- ginia, but subsequently of Davidson county, Tennessee; served in the continental army during the Revolutionary war; and was a son of Paul Dismukes, a native of Wales, an emigrant to Virginia, and it is believed he came of French ancestors.
Sabina (Bowman) Dismukes, the mother of our subject, was born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1811, and received her education there. She married Paul Dismukes, January 18, 1829, and died Sep- tember 30, 1844, and is buried by the side of her husband in Davidson
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county, Tennessee. She was a daughter of John Lynch Bowman, who changed his name to John Bowman Lynch in order to inherit the prop- erty under the old name, taking the name from his uncle, Thomas Lynch (using the name of Lynch only), who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and whose only son, Thomas Lynch, was lost at sea. John Bowman Lynch inherited the property. The estate is called Lynch Peach Tree Plantation, and is in South Carolina near Georgetown. He studied medicine in the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1800, and while at college was consid- ered very eccentric. He was very wealthy and kept a large home estab- lishment. His wife was Aun Eliza Campbell, of England. She died in 1866. His father, John Bowman, married a daughter of Thomas Lynch, the signer of the Declaration of Independence for and from South Carolina.
The following named were the children born to Paul and Sabina (Bowman) Dismukes: John L., Thomas T., Paul, James H., Marcus L., Esther Ann, Sarah and Sabina Bowman Dismukes.
Dr. John L. Dismukes received his literary education at the Uni- versity of North Carolina, graduating in 1852; attended the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania, from which he gradu- ated in 1856, and in the same year located in Mayfield, Kentucky, and began his career as a physician and surgeon. He is a member of the American Medical Association; of the Tri-State (Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois) Medical Association, of which he was elected its first vice president in 1876-77; of the Kentucky State Medical Association, of . which he was its first vice president in 1877; and is a member of the Southwestern Kentucky Medical Society, of which he was president in 1874. He has contributed many articles on medical subjects to various
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medical journals, and keeps abreast of the advance of his profession. During the Civil war Dr. Dismukes held the position of surgeon in charge of various hospitals in the Confederate army, especially field hospital surgeon of Pat Cleburne's Division of Hardee's Corps, and was wounded at Chickamauga and again at Franklin, Tennessee. He was one of the incorporators and directors of the Cairo, Tennessee River and Cumberland Gap Railroad. In politics he is a Democrat. and in church relations holds membership in the Baptist church.
In November, 1867, he married Imogen E. Taylor, daughter of Dr. James S. Taylor, of Clinton, Louisiana. The marriage gave issue to these children: Mamie Sabina, wife of H. H. Harris, of Waco, Texas; James Taylor, D. D. S .; Paul Isham; and John L., M. D., of Mayfield.
JOHN ELI MANTLE.
From the age of thirteen years down to the present John Eli Mantle has been a resident of Kentucky, and for many years was a leading agriculturist of Carlisle county, while at the present time he is also identified with manufacturing interests, being connected with the Bardwell Brick & Tile Company. To-day he is numbered among the substantial and successful citizens of the county, but when he started out in life for himself he was a poor boy, without money or influential friends. Realizing that there is no royal road to wealth, he bravely determined to make the most of his opportunities and to work diligently and unremittingly in order to gain the prosperity which is the goal of every business man. He has not only accomplished what he undertook, but has also won an honorable name in business circles, and enjoys the unqualified confidence and regard of his fellow-citizens in Car- lisle county.
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Mr. Mantle was born in Monroe county, Ohio, October 12, 1835, a son of William and Ellen (Cox) Mantle, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of Ohio. The father had two brothers and two sisters, and other than this, little is known concerning the family. The maternal grandfather of our subject was William Cox, a native of Virginia, and of Scotch ancestry. He became an early settler of Ohio, and it was in that state that the parents of our subject were married. Their children were: Sarah Jane, now deceased; George W., a farmer of Carlisle county, Kentucky; John Eli; and William, who died in Missouri. The father was a farmer by occupation and died in Ohio. In the spring of 1849 the widowed mother and her children left Ohio and settled in Ballard county, Kentucky, where she lived until 1866. She then removed to Greenville, Illinois, where she died at the advanced age of eighty-eight years. She was a woman of strong force of char- acter, of great breadth of soul, and to her children she was a most devoted and loving mother.
John E. Mantle was a lad of thirteen years when he came to Ken- tucky, where he has since lived. He came to Kentucky in the late fall of 1848, and in the following spring his mother and other of her chil- dren followed him to Kentucky. He was reared amid pioncer scenes in Ballard county, and had but limited educational privileges. He has seen the county develop from a wilderness to its present improved con- dition, and has taken part in the work of development as far as lay in his power. In 1860 he was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Kassee, who was born in Tennessee and was brought to Kentucky by her parents during her girlhood. They have but one child, Mary, who is now the wife of O. T. Black, a farmer of Carlisle county.
In 1862 Mr. Mantle took up his abode upon a tract of land in
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Carlisle county, situated on the waters of Mayfield creek, between Blandville and Bardwell. He cleared and improved that property, de- veloping a fine farm, which he still owns. In his agricultural pursuits he was successful, and as the years passed his well tilled fields brought to him golden harvests. He also added to his place modern facilities for its cultivation, the latest improved machinery enabling him to carry on the work along progressive lines, and thus he prospered and became one of the leading agriculturists of the county. He still owns his farm, although in 1899 he removed to the town of Bardwell, where he has since lived. The following year, in partnership with others, he estab- lished the Bardwell Brick & Tile Company, with which he has since been closely identified, and it is now a leading and profitable enterprise . of Bardwell.
Mr. Mantle was formerly a Democrat, but is now an ardent Popu- list, while he and his wife are devoted members of the Christian church. There is no man in Carlisle county who more justly deserves the proud American title of "a self-made man" than Mr. Mantle, who is familiarly known by the given name of "Jeff." His life has been useful, active and honorable, and it is with pleasure that we present his history to our readers as that of a representative and honored citizen of Bardwell and Carlisle counties.
MORSE 1. MAXON.
Morse 1. Maxon, one of the most prominent and successful men of MeCracken county, was born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1832. He was a son of Jesse and Jane Mangle Maxon. His paternal grand- father, Stephen Maxon, was descended from John Maxon, who came from England to Westerly, Rhode Island, in 1634. Stephen Maxon
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came from Westerly to New Jersey, thence to Pennsylvania, and was among the first settlers on Redstone river, where he and his descendants lived for more than one hundred years in the same old house of stone which may still be seen as one of the landmarks of an earlier day. Two highly prized relics brought from this ancient home of the Maxons are now in possession of the family, a coat worn by a member of the family at the battle of Monmouth, and a camp kettle used during the war of 1812.
Jesse Maxon and Jane Mangle were married in Washington, Penn- sylvania, and to them were born: Clarissa, Phoebe, Margaret, Jane, Elizabeth Unity, Cassandra, Stephen Wesley, James and Morse. He was engaged in milling for twenty-five years in Pittsburg, and in 1850 came to Metropolis, Illinois, where he was occupied in teaching and farming until his death, which occurred in 1854, when he was sixty- five years of age. His wife died in 1880, aged eighty-four.
Morse Maxon came to Illinois in 1850, where he was married to Miss Mary Jane Cabell, of New Orleans, Louisiana, a daughter of Captain William Cabell, of that city. To them were born William Or- ville and Stephen Wayne Maxon. In 1852 he engaged in milling in Booneville and Evansville, Indiana, and later in Paducah, Kentucky, from where he removed to Metropolis, Illinois, and under the firm name of Brown & Maxon the Metropolitan Mills were built and operated for four years. Then, at the strong solicitation of the people, Mr. Maxon was induced to come to McCracken county, and in 1871 he established the Relief Mills at Maxon, which he conducted successfully, doing an extensive business, requiring, in common with his other interests, a large amount of capital.
In 1892 he retired from business to give his attention more fully
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to his immense farming interests, consisting of some five hundred acres of the richest and best farming land in the county, lying adjacent to the river, also the most notable stock farm in McCracken county, con- taining three hundred and fifty acres, situated five miles west of Pa- ducah.
He was married a second time, becoming the husband of Miss Sallie Kennedy, of Metropolis, and the children of this marriage are two girls, Jessie and Daisy Maxon. Coming to McCracken county when Paducah was a country village, and the surrounding country an almost unbroken forest, he may be called one of McCracken county's represen- tative men, no other one man having done more by the liberal use of his means to develop the country, and, although failing health had of late years prevented him from being often away from home, yet it will be long ere he and his widespread charities are forgotten, for none was ever turned away empty-handed, and the humble debtor's debts were always freely forgiven. He was baptized in infancy by Rector Morse, of the Episcopal church, for whom he was named, and later became, with his wife, a member of the Methodist church. He died July 21, 1903, full of honors and beloved by all who knew him.
ALFRED C. FISHER.
Alfred Crittenden Fisher is actively connected with agricultural and stock-raising interests in Carlisle county. He was born on a farm in this county about one mile east of Bardwell, on the 8th of April, 1851, and is a son of John and Narcissa ( Hutson) Fisher. His parents were natives of White county, Tennessee, and were there reared and married, and four of their children were born to them in that state,
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namely : William B., Matthew H., John, who was drowned at Columbus, Kentucky, while serving in the Confederate army in the Civil war, and James, who served throughout the war as a defender of the south, and died in 1899. The last named was a well known man and public offi- cial, prominent in Kentucky and honored by all who knew him. On coming to this state the parents settled on a farm south of Bardwell, where occurred the birth of our subject. This section of the country was then covered with dense forests, and amid the wild scenes of fron- tier life the family lived, sharing in many of the hardships which fall to the lot of those who establish homes amid pioneer conditions. Other children were added to the family here, namely : Ann, now deceased; George W., a resident farmer of Carlisle county; Thomas, who has also passed away; Alfred C .; Mary; Norbin, of Arkansas; Fountain P., a farmer of Carlisle county ; and Read, who is also following farming in this county. The father devoted his energies to agricultural pur- suits throughout his entire life. He and his wife held membership in the Methodist church, and they enjoyed the highest regard of all who knew them.
Alfred C. Fisher was reared upon the home farm, and received but limited education in his youth, for his services were needed in the work of the fields. He remained under the parental roof until twenty-two years of age, at which time he was married. In 1873 he married Miss Eliza Boswell, who was born in Shelby county, Kentucky, and died on the 6th of November, 1879, at the age of thirty-one years, leaving one child, John William Fisher, whose birth had occurred on the 16th of July, 1879, and who is now with the Armour Packing Company, at Nashville, Tennessee. He wedded Miss Mallie Adcock, a daughter of the Rev. C. Adcock, of Carlisle county, and to him and his wife has
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· been born a son, Floris Allen. In 1884 Mr. Fisher was again married, his second union being with Miss Mary Lucinda Overstreet, a daughter of James and Emily ( Smith) Overstreet, the former a native of Spencer county, Kentucky, and the latter of Shelby. Her paternal grandfather was John Overstreet, a representative of an old, distinguished Ken- tucky family. Her maternal grandfather was Reuben Smith, who also belonged to one of the old families of the state. Mrs. Fisher's parents became early settlers of McCracken county, Kentucky, and it was there that Mrs. Fisher was born, on the 17th of October, 1854. Mrs. Fisher was a successful teacher for five years in the schools of MeCracken and Ballard counties just before her marriage. By her marriage she has become the mother of two sons: Ernest Pruitt, born February 26, 1886, and James Alfred, born on the 13th of March, 1892.
After Mr. Fisher's first marriage he settled about three miles east of Bardwell, upon a farm, where he resided continuously until 1898, when he removed to his present residence, just on the eastern border of Bardwell. Throughout his business career he has carried on farm- ing. He began life with limited capital, and, purchasing one hundred acres of land, went in debt for the entire amount of one thousand dol- lars. As rapidly as possible he paid off this sum, however, and soon the entire obligation was discharged. Later he made other purchases, until his farm comprised two hundred and forty acres, which he placed under a very high state of cultivation, and upon the farm he made excel- lent improvements, developing his property into one of considerable value. He still owns this farm, and also has twenty-six acres at the place of his residence. For twenty-two years he has made a specialty of stock dealing, and has found this a profitable source of income. Mr. Fisher deserves much credit for what he has accomplished, and his life
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history proves the force of energy and enterprise in life's activities, and should serve as a source of encouragement and inspiration to others. Both he and his wife are faithful members of the Methodist church, and in his political affiliations Mr. Fisher is a Democrat. He has never held or desired office, preferring to give his time and attention to his business affairs, in which he has met with signal success.
HENRY C. BURNETT.
Henry C. Burnett, of Cadiz, Kentucky, was born in Essex county, Virginia, November 25, 1825, and died in Cadiz, Kentucky, on the 25th of September, 1886. His father, Dr. Isaac Burnett, of Essex county, Virginia, was a physician of pronounced ability and high reputation. Of scholarly attainments and literary taste, he gave much of his life to study, and few men were better informed on matters of general interest, while in the fields of literature he carried his investigations far and wide. He took much interest in the political questions of the day, and served in the state legislature, both in the house of representatives and in the senate. He married a Miss Martha Garnett, in Virginia, who belonged to the prominent Virginia family of that name.
Henry C. Burnett came with his parents to Kentucky in his early childhood, and began his education in the common schools of Trigg county, after which he attended an academy at Hopkinsville. He began the study of law in the office of Judge Collins P. Bradley, of Cadiz, and in 1847 was admitted to the bar. In 1850 he was elected to the office of clerk of the circuit court, in which capacity he served for two years.
In 1854 he became a candidate for Congress, against Linn Boyd,
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who had been a member of Congress for fifteen years. The contest for the nomination was so close that an agreement was entered into by which Mr. Burnett withdrew from the contest, and Mr. Boyd agreed not to become a candidate against Mr. Burnett again. This agreement was carried out, and in 1855, at the age of thirty years, Mr. Burnett was elected to represent his district in the council chambers of the nation. On the expiration of his first term he was re-elected and was a member of Congress at the opening of the Civil war, having served in Congress six years.
The history of his campaign, opposed by Mr. Oscar Turner, of Ballard county, furnishes one of the most interesting episodes in the annals of the district. It is remembered to-day by the old men of the district, who love to tell the story of these jousts of wits, and who mourn the fact that oratory is a lost art.
Although originally opposed to secession, Mr. Burnett's strong sympathy with the south led him to resign his seat in Congress in 1861. Ile left Washington in company with John C. Breckinridge and J. D. Bright, to take part in the rebellion. He returned to Kentucky and was made colonel of the Eighth Kentucky Infantry, and was with his regiment at the battle of Fort Donelson. Just before this battle he was elected to the Confederate states senate by the provisional legis- lature at Russellville, Kentucky, and served as a member of that body until the fall of the Confederacy, leaving Richmond just before its evacuation by General Lee.
Mr. Burnett returned to Kentucky by way of Washington, Dis- trict of Columbia, where he reported to President Andrew Johnson, with whom he had served in Congress, and who advised him to return home. He was, however, arrested in Louisville, Kentucky, and again
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in Cadiz, on the charge of treason, but was released on bond and never brought to trial, the prosecution having been dismissed, nor was he ever indicted. Resuming his law practice, he was as successful at the bar as he was on the hustings, and did a most extensive and lucrative business. His career, however, was cut short by death, September 28, 1866,-a victim of that dread disease, cholera.
Mr. Burnett was married April 13, 1847, to Mary A. Terry, of Cadiz, a native of Henry county, Virginia. They have three surviving children: the Hon. Henry Burnett, of Paducah, Kentucky; Mary and Muscoe.
Mr. Burnett was a member of the Christian church and of the Masonic fraternity. He was a gentleman of fine physique, commanding presence, with a clear, well modulated voice, and was a master of the art of oratory. His broad scholarship and his mental alertness pro- duced a quickness at retort in the courtroom and a readiness at repartee in social life that were very effective. Withal he was a man of exceed- ing kindness of heart and great courtesy of manner, and had the affec- tion of the people of his congressional district and the love and respect of all who knew him. He had the courage of his convictions to a marked degree, and he commanded the regard of even those whose opinions differed from his own. His life was true and noble, and his career served to add brilliance to the fair name of his family.
While Mr. Burnett's fame rests mainly on his success at the bar and in the forum, it was in the domestic circle that his many virtues and lovable qualities were most distinguished.
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JAMES L. MOSS.
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