USA > Kentucky > Memorial record of western Kentucky, Volume I > Part 6
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Arlington. There they spent their remaining days. The father was a farmer by occupation, following that pursuit throughout his entire life in order to provide for his family, and in his undertakings he prospered because he was energetic and industrious and because of his keen foresight in business matters. He served his locality as magistrate for several years, and gave an unfaltering support to the Democracy. Both he and his wife were advocates of Christian living, and were loyal members of the Missionary Baptist church. He died when seventy- three years of age, and his wife passed away at the age of seventy-two years. Their children were as follows: Margaret, who is the widow of Thomas Sullenger and resides in California; Alpha, who is the widow of Thomas Ellis and is living in Carlisle, Kentucky; Maria, the deceased wife of Marion Patterson; Mary, the wife of Brit Glenn, of Carlisle county, Kentucky ; Jay; Richard, a miller of Carlisle county ; Robert, a machinist of Bardwell; and William, who was the third of the family and died while serving in the Confederate army during the Civil war.
Jay Willingham was reared upon his father's farm, and in his youth attended the country schools. He began the battle of life for him- self when about nineteen years of age as a farmer, and for twenty years carried on agricultural pursuits in Carlisle county. He then engaged in the stave business, which he followed for a year and on the expiration of that period resumed farming, which continued to claim his time and energies until he was called to public service. He became deputy sheriff in 1898 and served in that capacity until 1900, when he was appointed to fill out the unexpired term caused by the resignation of F. P. Fisher as sheriff. At the regular election Mr. Willingham was then elected to the office, and is the present incumbent. He discharged his duties
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without fear or favor, and is a most loyal custodian of the public peace.
Mr. Willingham was united in marriage to Miss Jennie Thompson, a native of Alabama, and they have become the parents of three chil- dren : Edward, Inez and Shirley. Mr. and Mrs. Willingham were mar- ried in 1881, and have since traveled life's journey happily together. They hold membership in the Missionary Baptist church and are people of sterling worth, enjoying the high regard of all with whom they are associated. Mr. Willingham is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and is true to the beneficent teachings of the fra- ternity. He deserves much credit for his success in life, and may well be termed a self-made man, for whatever he possesses has been acquired through his own perseverance, discriminating efforts and indefatigable industry. He started out in life on his own account empty-handed, and steadily has worked his way upward, overcoming all obstacles and difficulties in his path by determination and resolute purpose.
BUCKNER LEAVELL.
Buckner Leavell, steward of the Western Kentucky Asylum for In- same, Hopkinsville, Kentucky, is a native of this place and was born June 24, 1852. The Leavells are of French origin. Their emigration to and settlement in this .country was previous to the Revolutionary war, and the great-great-grandfather of our subject was a general in that war. In Virginia the Leavell family settled and there several genera- tions of them lived and died. Lewis Livingston Leavell, the father of Buckner Leavell, was born in Virginia in 1807, son of Lewis Leavell, a native of that state, who engrated with his family to Kentucky in the
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early part of the last century and settled in Todd county. He started the town of Trenton in Todd county, and there he had a large landed estate and was the owner of many slaves. His family comprised six children, the second born being Lewis Livingston.
Lewis Livingston Leavell was reared on his father's plantation, where the family settled when he was quite small, and he was educated for a lawyer, in a school in New Orleans. About 1830 he located in Hopkinsville and engaged in the practice of law, which he continued for some time. Farm life, however, had more attraction for him than did the law, and he removed to his country home. He was the largest landowner in Christian county, had a large number of slaves and dealt extensively in tobacco, shipping to Liverpool, England. For many years he took an active interest in politics, and at one time represented his county in the state legislature. He died in November, 1860. He and his wife were the parents of ten children, five sons and five daughters. The mother of this family was before marriage Miss Mary Ann Buck- ner. She was born in Virginia in 1812 and when a child came to Chris- tian county, Kentucky, where she was reared. She was a daughter of Frank Buckner, a prominent early pioneer of Kentucky, he having come from Virginia to this state, where he became the owner of many broad acres and dusky slaves. She was left an orphan when a child, and was reared by her aunt, Susan Buckner. The Buckners were the oldest family in Christian county, the date of their arrival here being more than a hundred years ago.
Buckner Leavell is the youngest son in his father's family. He was reared in Hopkinsville. At the early age of seventeen years he com- menced farming operations on his own account, and continued thus en- ployed for a period of thirteen years. Then he moved back to Hopkins-
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ville and turned his attention to the real estate and insurance business, still, however, retaining his farm, and superintending its operation up to the present time. For several years he dealt in real estate and wrote insurance, and during that time he served one term as city treasurer. He was elected city judge for a term of four years. This latter office he resigned in order to accept the position he now holds, that of steward at the Western Kentucky Asylum for Insane. Mr. Leavell married Miss Anna Monroe, daughter of Judge James Monroe, of Frankfort, Ken- tucky. Mrs. Leavell belongs to the same family of Monroes that fur- nished the United States with a president. Fraternally, Mr. Leavell is identified with a number of organizations, including Knights of Pythias, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Ancient Order of United Workmen, and Woodmen of the World. He is also a member of the Baptist church.
DR. THOMAS RIVERS.
Dr. Thomas Rivers, deceased, was born in Christian county, Ken- tucky, in 1830. While he was yet a child his parents removed to Hick- man county, this state, and there his father, who was a physician, died in 1838. Soon after his father's death, his mother removed to Mont- gomery county, Tennessee, and there our subject grew to manhood. After receiving a fair literary education he took up the study of medi- cine under Dr. Dabney, a local physician, under whose preceptorship he was prepared to enter a medical college. In 1850 he entered the medical department of the University of Louisville, Kentucky; later became a student in the medical department of the University of New York, from which he was graduated in 1853. In that same year he lo- cated in Hickman, Fulton county, Kentucky, and began his career as
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a practitioner of medicine and surgery. In 1858 he removed to Arkan- sas, where he was enjoying a good practice when the Civil war came on.
In 1862 he entered the Confederate army as a surgeon of the Thirty- first Tennessee Regiment, which position he retained through the entire war. Prior, however, to his connection with the above named regiment, in 1861, he was assistant surgeon in a command of Missouri State Guards, under Colonel Waugh. The war closed, Dr. Rivers located in Ballard county, Kentucky, and there practiced with gratifying success till 1882, when he established himself in Paducah. He was a member of the Southwestern Kentucky Medical Society, and of the Kentucky State Medical Association, and was also a member of the Masonic order.
In 1868 Dr. Rivers was united in marriage to Miss Sue Terrell, a daughter of Horace Terrell. The marriage issue comprise six children, namely : Horace T., Thomas, Edwin A., Jane D., Robert J. and John F. Rivers.
JOHN W. TURK. 1
In reviewing the history of John W. Turk, one is reminded of the words of a great New York financier, who said: "If you are not a success don't blame the times you live in, don't blame the place yon occupy, don't blame the circumstances you are surrounded with, lay the blame where it belongs-to yourself. Not in time, place or circum- stance, but in the man, lies success. If you want success you must pay the price." Realizing the truth of this, Mr. Turk has paid the price of concentrated effort, indefatigable energy, of perseverance and well applied business principles, and has won the victory which he determined to gain when he started out upon an independent business
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JOHN W. TURK
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career. He is now one of the leading business men of Bardwell, where he is engaged in merchandising and in the banking business, being the president of Bardwell Deposit Bank. He also has extensive landed interests, and his possessions are the visible evidence of his life of enterprise.
Mr. Turk was born upon a farm in Henry county, Kentucky, near Campbellsburg, October 20, 1852, and is a son of Thomas Robert and Elizabeth ( Christler ) Turk, both of whom are natives of Kentucky, the former born in Henry county and the latter near Louisville. The paternal grandfather of our subject was Robert Turk, a native of Vir- ginia, who at an early day established his home in Henry county, Ken- tucky. Subsequently, however, he removed to Missouri, where his last days were spent. The mother of our subject also represented an old Virginia family, of German lineage. Thomas Robert Turk was born in 1818, and after arriving at years of maturity was married in Jeffer- son county to Miss Christler. He there lived until 1858, when he removed to Carlisle county, and here he spent the evening of his life, passing away on the 3ist of August, 1870. A farmer by occupation, he always carried on that pursuit, and met with a fair measure of suc- cess in his undertakings. His wife survived him for a few years, passing away in 1878, when fifty-six years of age. Both held member- ship in the Methodist church, and Mr. Turk gave his political support to the Democracy. Their children were as follows: Jesse C. and Thomas S., both deceased; William Robert, who is engaged in merchan- dising in Bardwell; Mrs. Sarah E. Anderson, now deceased; John W .; Addie; and Nora C., who has passed away.
Upon the home farm John W. Turk was reared, early becoming familiar with the labors of fields and meadow. He pursued his educa-
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tion in the country schools, and at the age of nineteen left the home farm in order to enter upon his business career. For about two years he was engaged in clerking in Fort Jefferson, and in 1874 he joined his brother, W. R. Turk, in the establishment of a general store in Bard- well. They had but a small capital, and had a little stock of goods at the beginning, but through honorable business methods and fair deal- ing won a liberal patronage. They prospered from year to year, and in 1879 Mr. Turk sold out to his brother. Soon afterward he began busi- ness alone, and has met with a high degree of success as a general mer- chant of Bardwell. He has a fine brick store, two stories in height, and has a double room which is well filled with a carefully selected line of general merchandise. Mr. Turk is also one of the original stock- holders of the Bardwell Deposit Bank, and has served as one of its directors since its organization. On the Ist of January, 1902, he was chosen its president, and is now acting in that capacity. He has also judiciously invested in landed interests, and now has extensive and valuable property holdings.
In 1876 Mr. Turk was united in marriage to Miss Alice Bodkin, a daughter of Daniel Bodkin, of Carlisle county. Their marriage was blessed with nine children, of whom two are now deceased. Mr. Turk has always given his political support to the Democracy, but has had neither time nor inclination to seek public office. Fraternally he is con- nected with the Odd Fellows and with the Masons, and has attained to the Knight Templar degree in the latter organization. His reputation in business circles is one of the highest, for he is not only energetic and enterprising, but also thoroughly reliable, and through his own efforts has steadily advanced to the plane of affluence. He represents the high- est type of American enterprise and industry, and his rise to commer-
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cial prominence has been the result of his own efforts and ability. No business man in Carlisle county, of to-day, has accomplished more, if as much, as has John W. Turk. Taking into consideration the fact that from a poor young man just off the farm, he has steadily advanced in the commercial and business world, and to-day stands the peer, if not in the advance, of any other business man of Carlisle county, and all accomplished by means of his own well directed and sagacious efforts, it is evident that Mr. Turk's business career has not only been active and successful, but also useful, entitling him to praise and the confidence of his fellow-citizens. Perhaps no other man has contributed as much to the upbuilding of Bardwell as has John W. Turk. He was given aid to every enterprise and effort that have been put forth to advance the public good of Bardwell and of Carlisle county.
In deportment he is genial, considerate and generous. His friends and patrons are numerous, and by a wide circle of acquaintance he is held in highest esteem.
DR. REUBEN SAUNDERS.
The late Dr. Reuben Saunders was one of the most distinguished physicians and surgeons that ever resided in the city of Paducah. He was a native of Kentucky, born in Frankfort, in 1808. In his native city he was principally reared to manhood, and in early life was ap- prenticed to a book-binder. His early education consisted largely of what he learned in leisure moments from literary productions passing through his hands. In 1832 he went to Wetumpka, Alabama, and while in the south studied medicine, attended one course of medical lectures at Charleston, South Carolina, and then entered Jefferson Medical Col-
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lege, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, whence he was graduated in 1836. Ile then returned to Alabama, where for a period of six years he was actively engaged in the practice of his profession. In 1844 Dr. Saun- ders removed to McCracken county, Kentucky, locating for a few years in the country. In 1847 he located in the city of Paducah, where he continued to practice the rest of his career, which extended over a broad expanse of time and until he ripened into old age and passed away in death.
To Dr. Saunders was due the distinction of having first discovered the efficacy of belladonna as an agency in the treatment of cholera, the practice being by hypodermic injection of atropa. This discovery was made by him in 1873, and this. treatment of this dreaded disease has been universally indorsed and utilized by the profession. He was a progress- ive professional man, and kept well informed on the progress of his pro- fession. Ile was one of the most skilful of physicians, kind and generous, so much so that he was a much beloved doctor. He was no less re -. spected as a citizen, for he was esteemed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him. He was for years a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and was also an active member of medical societies.
Ile was twice married, first, in 1838, in Knoxville, Tennessee, to Adaline Roberts, who died in Paducah, leaving six children, one of whom, John B. Saunders, attained eminence as a physician. In 1858 Dr. Saunders married for a second wife Rebecca Lockett, of Richmond, Virginia.
Such is a brief sketch, and such as only can be prepared from the meagre information at hand, of one of the pioneer physicians of western Kentucky.
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ROBERT O. WILLINGHAM, JR.
Robert O. Willingham, Jr., the popular deputy clerk of Carlisle county, where for six years he has filled the position, was born upon a farm in this county, March 17, 1879. His parents were Robert O. and Fronia (Sanford) Willingham. The former is a native of Carlisle county and is a son of Thomas T. and Sallie ( Reese ) Willingham, while the great-grandfather of our subject was Jarett Willingham, one of the pioneer settlers of what is now Carlisle county. From that time to the present representatives of the name have been prominent and active in advancing measures and movements for the general good, and the Willingham family has ever been an honored one here. The father of our subject still resides in Bardwell, and is one of the leading and in- . fluential citizens of the town and county.
Robert O. Willingham, Jr., obtained a fair common school educa- tion and then turned his attention to the mastery of a commercial course. He had the misfortune to lose his right hand, and in order to fit himself for a position in the business world he entered the Falls Business Col- lege of Nashville, Tennessee, where he pursued a course in stenography and type-writing, becoming very proficient therein, so much so that since that time he has engaged in teaching those branches to a greater or less extent in Bardwell. When only eighteen years of age he was appointed deputy county clerk, and has since acted in that capacity, displaying unusual fitness for the position. After studying law in the office of W. J. White, of Bardwell, until qualified for practice, he suc- cessfully passed an examination whereby he was admitted to the bar in 1901. Realizing the difficulty confronting a young man in the building up of a law practice among old and prominent lawyers, and being under
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necessity of applying his efforts in lines which would give him quicker returns of revenue than would the practice of law, he accordingly turned his attention in other directions. For one year Mr. Willingham served as a stenographer in the law office of the Hon. R. J. Bugg, of Bardwell, but since then he has devoted all of his time and attention to his duties as deputy county clerk, much of the work of the office devolving upon him, because Mr. Young, who is his superior in office, is largely en- gaged with his duties as cashier of the People's Bank of Bardwell.
Mr. Willingham is a member of the Baptist church, and belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a popular young man, energetic, enterprising, genial and affable, and he has many friends in his native county.
ALFRED B. CRAWFORD.
Alfred B. Crawford is a prosperous and highly respected resident of Vulton Creek, Graves county, Kentucky. He is the son of Byrum S. and Malvina (West) Crawford, and was born in that county, April 5, 1854. His father was born in Alabama, while his mother was a na- tive of Tennessee. The paternal grandfather was Alfred Crawford, born in Alabama, of English ancestry. The maternal grandfather was Robert West, who was born in Tennessee, and also came of English ancestry. Byrum S. Crawford was a farmer, and made his home in Graves county from the time he was nine years of age. In politics he was a Democrat, and religiously was a member of the Missionary Baptist church, in which faith he died May 6, 1895, aged sixty-eight years, seven months and nineteen days. The wife died August 2, 1883, aged fifty-six years, nine months and
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nine days. Their children were as follows: Martha J., Mary C., Ann E., Alfred B., Levina F., deceased, John R., Harriet S., James T., Lula B., deceased, and Alice G.
Alfred B. Crawford was reared in Graves county, Kentucky, within . a quarter of a mile of his present home, and after attending the pub- lic schools of that period he went to school in Mayfield, and was under the instruction of Professor Greenup. After finishing his literary train- ing Mr. Crawford taught school for eleven years in Graves county, when he embarked as a merchant and carried a full line of dry-goods and groceries, and in this connection has also operated a large farm, now owning two hundred and forty-one acres of land, well improved, nearly all of which is under cultivation. His business career has been a successful one, although he started out in life without capital save that of a' determination to win, energy and a realization of the value of a dollar. In his political faith, like his father, he is a Democrat, and he is also a member of the Missionary Baptist church.
In 1876 Mr. Crawford was united in marriage with Miss Mary E. Hargrove, who was born in Graves county, where she was educated. Her death occurred April 12, 1885, when she was twenty-seven years of age. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Crawford were as follows : Manton G., Susan Z., deceased, Verdie R. and Ernest C. In 1887 he was married to Miss Alice B. Gallemore, who was born in Graves county and educated in Mayfield. She taught school in that county and in Calloway county, and was very popular with instructors and children alike. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Crawford, namely : Fred A. and Ligon.
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GEORGE B. UNDERWOOD.
George B. Underwood, a coal dealer and one of the representative business men of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, was born here January 19, 1849, the son of Kentucky parents. B. T. Underwood, his father, was for many years a merchant in Christian county, and for six years served as clerk of the circuit court. He was a worthy member of the Metho- dist Episcopal church, and was a stanch Republican. During the war of the rebellion he fought for the preservation of the Union. He was a captain in the Twenty-fifth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, was all through the war and participated in numerous engagements, including the battle of Pittsburg Landing. He married Ethalinda C. Campbell, who, like himself, was a native of Kentucky, and they became the . parents of two children, a son and daughter, George B. and Mary Alice, this son being the only survivor of the family.
George B. Underwood was reared and educated in his native place, and received his early business training in his father's grocery store. After his marriage, which event occurred in 1871, he went to Evans- ville, Indiana, and engaged in the wholesale shoe business, remaining there a year and a half. Returning to Hopkinsville, he turned his atten- tion to the coal business, and has been successfully dealing in coal ever since that time.
Mr. Underwood was married in Hopkinsville, in 1871, to Miss Laura E. Foulks, a native of Kentucky and a daughter of E. L. Foulks, of Hopkinsville. She died in 1886, and in 1888 Mr. Underwood mar- ried Miss Adelia Ducker, a native of Georgia, and a daughter of William Ducker, a Kentuckian. Mr. and Mrs. Underwood have had five chil-
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dren, namely : George B., Mary, William D., Laura Dee, and Jennie C., all living at this writing except Mary.
Mr. Underwood is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and of the order of Knights of Pythias. "He was one of the prime movers in the organization of Evergreen Lodge, K. of P., and was its first chancellor commander.
WILLIAM WADE RAY, M. D.
Dr. William Wade Ray, superintendent of the Western Kentucky Asylum for Insane, at Hopkinsville, Kentucky, is a native of this state and dates his birth, in Lebanon, Marion county, June 25, 1852. Dr. Ray traces his ancestry back to the Scotch-Irish. The Rays, however, have long been residents of this country, and several generations of the family have lived in Kentucky. Nicholas Smith Ray, the Doctor's father, was born in Marion county, Kentucky, and was a prominent factor in business affairs in his day. He was a well known attorney, for thirty years was cashier of the Marion National Bank, and was at one time president of the Cumberland & Ohio Railroad. He died at the age of sixty-three years. Nicholas Ray, Dr. Ray's grandfather, was a prominent merchant of Lebanon for many years. He had a family of four children, all of whom grew up to occupy useful and respected positions in life. N. S. Ray married Mary Ann Catherine Wade, a native of Perryville, Kentucky, daughter of Colonel William Wade, a well-to-do farmer of Boyle county, Kentucky, who earned the title of colonel in the war of 1812. She died at the age of thirty years, leaving a family of four children, namely: Bettie, deceased; W. W .; Nicholas, a resident of South Africa ; and Joseph, deceased.
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Dr. Ray received his early education in the Lebanon schools. Later he was sent to the Junkin military school at Danville, Kentucky, and still later to the University of Michigan. He began his medical course in the medical department of the University of Louisville, where he graduated in the spring of 1876. The next year he spent in Bellevue Medical College, New York. In 1890 he took a course in the Polyclinic, New York. . After his graduation in Louisville he opened an office at Springfield, Kentucky, and for a period of twenty-five years was engaged in the practice of medicine there. In May, 1901, he was appointed to the position he now occupies, that of superintendent of the Western Ken- tucky Asylum for Insane. Dr. Ray has been a student all his life, and keeps himself fully abreast with the advancement made in his profession. He is identified with numerous medical organizations, including the Kentucky State Medical Society, the Mississippi Valley Medical So- ciety, the Southwestern Kentucky Medical Society, the American Medi- cal Association, the Christian County Medical Association and the Bre- shear Medical Society.
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