The Biographical encyclopaedia of Kentucky of the dead and living men of the nineteenth century, Part 137

Author: Armstrong, J. M., & company, pub
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Cincinnati, J. M. Armstrong
Number of Pages: 946

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9, was promoted to the captaincy, and, in Early's campaign against Sheridan, in 1864, he commanded his regiment. Immediately after returning to his father's, at Morehead, he resumed the study of the law, and was admitted to the bar, in the Spring of 1866; and en- tered into practice in Rowan County, in connection with Judge John M. Elliott, now Appellate Judge. In the Fall of 1868, he located at Carlisle, Nicholas County, where he has since remained, actively engaged in his profession. In 1869, he was elected County Judge of Nicholas County; re-elected in 1870, without opposi- tion ; resigned in 1871, and was elected to the State Sen- ate, and served until 1875. During the entire term, he served on the Judiciary Committee. From 1870 to 1874, he was Master Commissioner of Nicholas County. He is a Democrat. Religiously, he is associated with ^the Christian Church. Captain Hargis was married, June 23, 1869, to Miss Lucy S. Norvell, of Nicholas County, daughter of William Norvell, a lawyer of Carlisle, who represented the county in the Legislature, in 1833 and 1834; was, for two terms, judge of the county ; filled other prominent trusts in the community, and died Sep- tember 5, 1875. While a member of the Senate, Captain Hargis engaged in the exciting debate on the Univer- sity Bill; and the "Woodford Weekly," and other pa- pers pronounced his the finest speech on the subject. He also made able legal arguments on negro testimony, and on the Licking river bills, which were published.

IXON, HON. ARCHIBALD, Lawyer, and once Lieutenant-Governor of Kentucky, was born in Caswell County, North Carolina, April 2, 1802. His grandfather, Henry Dixon, was a colonel in the Revolutionary army; and his father, Wynn Dixon, entered the service at the age of sixteen, as an ensign; and was promoted for gal- lantry at the battles of Camden, Eutaw, and Guilford Court House. In 1805, Wynn Dixon emigrated from North Carolina to. Henderson, Kentucky, where his distinguished son resided up to the time of his death. At the age of twenty, he began the study of law, and, at twenty-two, was admitted to the bar; at once at- tracting attention, and in a few years rose to the highest rank in the profession. Although coming in competi- tion with many jurists of the first talent and learning, he maintained a leadership at the bar in Southern Ken- tucky until he retired from the practice, during the civil war. His influence with the courts was great, for he was learned, able, and upright; and his power over a jury was unsurpassed. As an advocate, he has had few equals in any country. In his early life, he twice represented Henderson County in the Lower House of the Kentucky Legislature; and once represented Hen-

derson, Hopkins, and Daviess, in the Senate. In 1840, he was nominated by the Whig party for Lieutenant- Governor, and outran his ticket, which was elected. In 1844, he was chosen, by Henderson County, without opposition, a member of the convention which framed the present Constitution of Kentucky; and took a most useful and distinguished part in its proceedings. Per- haps no member of that body was more active or more influential. In 1851, he was called, by his party, to make the race for Governor, against his neighbor and fellow-townsman, the late distinguished Lazarus W. Powell; and, after an exciting canvass, was defeated by less than a thousand votes. The result was attribu- table to the division in the Whig party, created by the candidacy of Cassius M. Clay, who ran as an Eman- cipation candidate. The succeeding Winter, he was elected to the Senate of the United States, to fill the vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Henry Clay ; and entered upon that office in December, 1852. There, as in all other positions of life, he made himself distin- guished. His connection with the repeal of the Mis- souri Compromise, provided for in the Kansas-Nebraska bill, introduced by Judge Douglas, of Illinois, has be- come a part of the history of the country. Before the expiration of his term of service, his health became seriously impaired ; and, thereafter, he neither held nor sought any further political office. But his patriotism was unabated to the last. During the exciting and distressing months which preceded the outbreak of the war between the North and the South, he was unceasing in his efforts to preserve the peace and the Union. He was a member of the Border State Con- vention, and favored the neutrality of those States; hoping that they would form a break-water to stay the tides of sectional fanaticism from the North and South, which threatened to destroy the Constitution, and which plunged the country into civil war. Failing in this, he remained steadfast to the Union, but did all in his power to mitigate the horrors of fraternal strife. Perhaps no man was more active in aiding the victims of arbitrary arrest than he was, and many a Southern soldier in confinement, and some under condemnation of deatlı, looked to him as their last hope. And never was he appealed to in vain, and his name will be held in grate- ful remembrance by many who were served by him most faithfully, without other reward than the enjoyment of a good conscience. Since the war, he has been at all times opposed to those measures of the Republican party which, in his opinion, had the direct tendency to humiliate the South, to degrade the States, and to aggrandize the Federal Government. As much as he loved the Union of States, he loved the Constitution more, being. wise enough to perceive that the Constitu- tion was the soul and spirit of the Union. . When the armed forces of the Union were made to overthrow the

Engraved by R W Dodson from a Portrait by L.W Morgan Painted for the National Portrait Gallery and in possession of James B. Longacre ._

SIMON KENTON.

Simon fenton

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State government of Louisiana, in a time of profound peace, he published his views upon the act- his last publication of a political character. It exerted a wide influence on the public mind. He was twice married. In 1834, to Mrs. Elizabeth B. Pollit, and of their mar- riage five children survive; and, on the 29th of October, 1853, to Miss Sue Bullitt, of Jefferson County, who, with her three children, survives him. He died April 23, 1876, lamented by his neighbors and fellow-citizens. A sketch of Gov. Dixon's life would be incomplete without an allusion to his personal appearance and individual characteristics. He was of delicate organiza- tion, but of most commanding figure. No man could see him without being at once attracted. He was of dauntless courage, and, in the early days of Kentucky, when he was young in his profession-and, in fact throughout his life-so bore himself that no man dared attempt to influence him through his fears. Indeed, he seemed not to know such a feeling. He was of a fiery temperament, and, as a speaker, he blended with sound logic an eloquence impassioned and irresistible. And, with all his qualities as a lawyer and statesman, he had what is the richest of all the elements that make up a great man -an integrity incorruptible, and a sense of honor which would brook no reflection upon his character.

ENTON, GEN. SIMON, Pioneer of Kentucky, was born April 13, 1755, in Fauquier County, . Virginia. His father was a native of Ireland, and his mother was of Scotch descent, her an- cestors having early settled in Virginia. Until the age of sixteen, he was engaged on the farm, in raising corn and tobacco. At that time, he left home unceremoniously, on account of a difficulty with William Veach, a neighbor ; crossed the Alleghany Mountains in April, 1771; at Ise's Ford, changed his name to Simon Butler, better to enable him to escape, if pursued on ac- count of Veach, whom he supposed to be dead; in com- pany with three others, proceeded to Fort Pitt; there became acquainted with Simon Girty; afterwards de- scended the Ohio, in company with Yeager and Strader, to the mouth of the Great Kanawha; spent the Winter in hunting on the Elk river; returned and remained the following Winter at the same camp; in the Spring of 1773, their party was broken up and one of their num- ber killed by the Indians; he returned to Fort Pitt; was employed as a spy against the Indians by Lord Dun- more, in 1774; served afterwards in the same capacity under Col. Lewis; soon after, with a small company, settled near Maysville (Limestone), in Mason County, Kentucky; built Kenton's Station; there planted the first corn raised in that territory, north of the Kentucky river; in the following year, he joined Gen. George

Rogers Clark; Kenton's Station was soon after aban- doned; he took part in the siege of Harrod's Station, where his former companions, from Mason County, had gone for safety; again became a spy for Gen. Clark ; ac- companied him on his expedition to Kaskaskia; was then sent to ascertain the strength of Vincennes; performed his mission, and returned to Harrodsburg; attended Boone on several expeditions against the Indians; in 1778, accompanied George Clark and Alexander Mont- gomery on a trip to Chillicothe, Ohio, to supply them- selves with horses; captured a fine lot of horses; were overtaken by the Indians at the Ohio river, and Clark escaping, Montgomery was killed, and he was captured; was treated with great barbarity ; ran the gauntlet at Chillicothe; was sentenced to die at Zanesville; was there saved by Simon Girty, who had become identi- fied with the savages; spent some time with Girty in a wild roving life; was again taken into custody by the Indians; was conveyed to Sandusky, but finally, through the intervention of the chief, Logan, was delivered to the British as a prisoner of war, at Detroit; in the Spring of 1779, with Bullitt and Cofer, through the assistance of the wife of Harvey, an Indian trader, he escaped, and in July they reached the Falls of the Ohio in safety ; he soon after joined Gen. Clark at Vincennes ; com- manded a company of men, chiefly from Harrod's Station, during the British and Indian invasion of Ken- tucky, in that year; disbanded his company, and re- mained in the employ of the various stations until 1782; at that time, hearing of the recovery of William Veach, resumed his real name; was in an expedition against the Indians on the Great Miami; settled on Salt river, after returning to Harrod's Station, where he had acquired some valuable lands ; visited his parents and friends in Virginia ; returned to his settlement, where he remained until 1784; removed to Maysville, and afterwards formed the first permanent settlement north of the Licking river, and there his great skill in Indian warfare was in constant demand for the protection of the settlement. In 1793, General Wayne coming down the river with his army, he was made a major, and served with dis- tinction. The troubles with the Indians being at an end, he began to turn his attention to the care of his lands, now about to bc snatched from him by the numerous settlers flocking to the new country, and who, taking every advantage of his confidence and ignorance, soon stripped him of all his possessions, which would have made him one of the wealthiest men of Kentucky. About 1800, sick of misfortune and bad treatment, he left the State he had largely aided in founding, and took up his residence on Mad river, in Ohio; in 1805, was made brigadier-general of militia; was a member of Governor Shelby's military family, in 1813, joining the old Governor at Urbana, on his march ; accompanied Shelby and Harrison to Malden ; and was engaged at

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the battle of the Thames, where he ended his military career. Many years afterwards the Government awarded him a pension. In person, he was over six feet in height, weighing two hundred pounds, and of admira- ble appearance ; was pleasing and companionable in manners; was absolutely honest, and believed other men to be so; was a man of great intrepidity and en- durance ; was one of the most hardy and valuable among the early pioneers; and possessed many admira- ble and noble traits. His declining years were spent in quiet with his family; and, in the full consolation of the Christian religion, at a ripe old age, he died, April 29, 1836, in Logan County, Ohio.

GUTHRIE, HON. JAMES, Lawyer, was born December 5, 1792, near Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky ; and was the son of Adam Guthrie, a Scotchman by descent, who came to that county at an early day from Virginia; was distinguished in the early Indian warfare, and, after the organization of the new State, represented his county several times in the Legislature. James Guthrie was educated at Bardstown, and, before reach- ing manhood, engaged in what was known as the Mis- sissippi produce trade, in which he displayed fine busi- ness ability; subsequently studied law, under Judge John Rowan, and began the practice of his profession at Bardstown. In 1820, he was made Commonwealth's Attorney; in the same year, established himself for the practice of the law in Louisville; soon secured a good practice, and laid the foundation of a large fortune; in 1827, represented Jefferson County in the Legislature; was re-elected, and also represented the city of Louis- ville in that body; was State Senator from 1831 to 1840; was a member of the Convention of 1849, which framed the present Constitution of the State, and was its pre- siding officer ; was Secretary of the United States Treas- ury from 1853 to 1857, in the Cabinet of Franklin Pierce; was a candidate for the Presidency, in 1860, at Charleston; was a delegate to the Democratic Conven- tion, of 1864, at Chicago; in 1861, was a member of the celebrated Peace Convention, at Washington City; in the same year, was a member of the Border State Con- vention, assembled at Frankfort; was elected United States Scnator, in 1865; was compelled, on account of failing health, to resign, in 1868; was an earnest Union man during the war, and was a member of the Union National Convention, in 1866, held at Philadelphia; from 1860 to 1868, was President of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, and under him it became very pros- perous. He was, probably, more than any other man instrumental in building up the prosperity of Louisville; was president, or leading member, of some of the most

important incorporated companies of the city, and exer- cised great influence over their affairs; was a man of great financial and executive ability; accumulated a large fortune, and was probably the most wealthy man in the State; he was an able lawyer and an independent thinker; had fine social qualities; was possessed of large sympathies and charities; of unyielding perseverance ; was a man of fine impulses and attainments, though not, strictly speaking, a scholar. Mr. Guthrie was a fine speaker, without being extravagantly ornate in his style; confined himself with great earnestness to the subject under discussion, aiming directly at the conviction of his hearers; was methodical and precise in his manner of treating his subject ; was well versed on all law points, and, as an advocate, had few equals; had a combination of faculties, making him uncommonly strong in his gen- eral executive ability ; enjoyed, to the highest degree, the confidence of those receiving his professional serv- ices, as well as the very high consideration of the peo- ple of the State, and men of all political parties through the country. He was a man of strong and unyielding will, and allowed no obstacle to daunt or turn him from his purpose. He was greatly attached to his friends, and never failed to share with them his fortunes; and, in his private and personal life, bore the same reputa- tion as in his public, and exhibited freely the admirable traits of the genuine man. But, whether in private or public, there was no concealment in his life-acting out at all times his present and highest sense of duty, con- viction, and right ; and few men of his day wielded a greater influence in the State, both by his great wealth and his intrinsic worth as a man. He died March 13, 1869. Mr. Guthrie married Miss Prather, an accom- plishcd and wealthy lady of Louisville.

AXWELL, DANIEL ALEXANDER, M. D., was born November 30, 1825, in Caldwell County, Kentucky. His family was of Scotch- Irish descent; and his father, James Maxwell, was a farmer in Caldwell County for many years. Dr. Maxwell received a good English education ; and, at the age of seventeen, was appren- ticed to a cabinet-maker, serving three years in learning that trade. He subsequently entered Cumberland Col- lege, at Princeton, Kentucky, where he completed his literary training in 1845. He then entered the office of the Clerk of Trigg County, designing to prepare himself for the practice of the law. After two years engaged in that capacity, he abandoned that idea, and began the study of medicine with Dr. L. H. Jones, of Paducah, and graduated in 1851, at the University of Louisville. Immediately afterwards, he entered upon the practice of his profession, in connection with his preceptor, at Pa-

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ducah, continuing in that relation until the death of Dr. Jones, in 1856, and subsequently successfully alone, un- til the commencement of the civil war, when he entered the Confederate army as staff-surgeon, under Gen. Lloyd Tilghman. He remained in the capacity of surgeon until the close of the war, being present at the engage- ments at Fort Donelson and at the great battle of Shiloh. Toward the close of the conflict, on account of failing health, he was transferred to the hospital branch of the service, and was stationed at Atlanta and Macon. He is a member of the State Medical Society and of the South-western Medical Association. Dr. Maxwell was married, in 1856, to Miss Louisa C. Jones, daughter of G. V. Jones, of Union County, Kentucky.

ATCLIFF, RICHARD SMITH, Merchant, Lawyer, and Banker, was born in 1817, in Vir- ginia. He received a good education, and spent the early part of his life as a merchant in Padu- cah, Kentucky. He subsequently studied law, was admitted to the bar, and engaged for some time in the practice of his profession. He was elected county judge, and, by his learning and ability gave dig- nity to that office. He was actively identified in every thing looking to the advance of the public welfare; and, believing Paducah favorably situated to become an im- portant center of trade, used all his influence to advance its interests in that direction. He was largely concerned in the establishment of the bank which afterwards be- came the City National Bank of Paducah, his business ability and integrity lending character and security to the enterprise. He was made president of the bank, and held that position until his death. He was inde- pendent in his habits of thought; adhered firmly to his convictions ; was popular in his social relations; was a forcible speaker, and a lawyer of ability; and was one of the mnost energetic, useful, and valuable men of his community. He was twice married. After the death of his first wife, Miss Mary Kirkpatrick, he was married to Miss Ellen Smith. By his first marriage, he left one child; and, from his second marriage, several children, who occupy valuable places in the community.

RUCE, JAMES MORRISON, M. D., was born September 26, 1823, in Lexington, Kentucky, and is the son of John and Margaret Bruce. His father was a native of Northumberland- shire, England ; came to America, in 1808, and located in Lexington, Kentucky, where he en- gaged as a manufacturer until his death, in 1836. His mother was of Spanish origin, and was a native of Gib-

ralter, Spain. Dr. Bruce received a liberal education, mainly at Transylvania University. In 1843, he began to read medicine; and, in 1845, graduated in the medical de- partment of Transylvania University. In the same year he went to Europe, and, after spending two years in the hospitals of Paris and other cities, completing his med- ical studies, located at Lexington, Kentucky, and entered upon the successful practice of his profession. He has since resided at that place; and, although serving as Demonstrator of Anatomy in Transylvania University, in 1854 and 1855, he has mainly devoted himself to the du- ties of his private practice. He was originally a Whig, voted for Bell and Everett, in 1860, and, during the war, was a Union man. He is now identified with the Demo- cratic party. Religiously; he is an Episcopalian. Dr. Bruce was married, in 1847, to Miss Elizabeth Norton, daughter of Stephen Norton, of Kentucky.

ROWN, JAMES EMMETT, M. D., was born September 25, 1839, at Brandenburg, Meade County, Kentucky. His family are of Scotch- Irish origin. His mother was Miss E. Murray, daughter of James Murray, of Greene County, Kentucky ; and his father, Dr. E. O. Brown, is one of the old, influential physicians of Louisville. His grandfather Brown, and two of his brothers, were phy- sicians, in Pennsylvania, and some of his family have been distinguished in the legal profession. He received a good education, and commenced the study of medi- cine under his father, while serving an apprenticeship in a drug-store. He finished his medical studies, and graduated in the University of Louisville; soon after locating, for the practice of his profession, in Cloverport, Kentucky, where he has since been actively engaged. He was appointed examiner for pensions, by President Lincoln. In politics, he is a Republican ; is associated with the Methodist Church ; is prominent in some social organizations ; is energetic, persevering, and restless in disposition ; and is thoroughly up with the times in his profession, in which he stands deservedly high. Dr. Brown was married, January 7, 1862, to Annie M. Satterfield.

RTHUR, JESSE, Lawyer, was born January 14, 1846, in Keershaw District, South Carolina. His father, John W. Arthur, and his grand- father, Jesse Arthur, were natives of Richland District, South Carolina; the former born in 1797, and the latter in 1771; and were of En- glish and French Huguenot extraction. Jesse Arthur received a good education, but, owing to the breaking out of the civil war, did not complete his college course.

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He entered the Confederate army as first lieutenant in a company belonging to the Fourth South Carolina Regi- ment. He subsequently resigned his commission, and enlisted as a private in the Seventh South Carolina Cav- alry ; was a prisoner of war at Point Lookout during the Winter of 1864; was exchanged, and was surrendered with Lee's army, He spent 1865 and 1866 in the Uni- versity of Virginia; studied law at the Cincinnati Law School; was admitted to the bar, in Campbell County, Kentucky, in the Spring of 1871; has since resided at Dayton, in that county ; has served as City Attorney, and been actively identified with the interests of his town; is now assiduously engaged in the practice of his profession, associated with Judge J. R. Hallam, of New- port. He stands well in his profession ; is a good busi- ness man ; is a Democrat in politics ; and has a career of success before him only limited by his ambition.

AGBY, EMMET WOOTEN, Lawyer, was born June 7, 1845, in Glasgow, Kentucky. His father, Albert K. Bagby, was a native of Vir- ginia; was of Scotch and Irish descent, and a mechanic by occupation. His mother, Martha J. Wooten, was a native of Barren County, Kentucky, of Virginia parentage. E. W. Bagby re- ceived a good English and classical education, which he finished at Urania College, in his native town. He studied law with his uncle, Hon. John C. Bagby, at Rushville, Illinois, who is now Congressman in the Tenth District of that State. In 1866, he took charge of the First Ward School of Paducah. After occupy- ing that position for two sessions, in connection with John W. McGee, he was placed at the head of the Pa- ducah High-school; and, in the mean time, engaging in the study of law, under Hon. Q. A. King, was admit- ted to practice, in 1867, at the bar of Paducah, but did not enter regularly into the practice of his profession until 1869. In 1868, he began his political career as a speaker in favor of Seymour and Blair. In 1870, he entered the ranks of the Republican party, believing the principles on which that organization is based to be con- ducive of the greatest good in his section, and to the country at large. In 1872, he made the race for City Attorney of Paducah, and was defeated by seventy votes. In 1874, he again made the race for that office, and was successful by a majority of ninety votes. In 1872, he was Republican Presidential County Elector; and, in 1876, was Elector for his district, on the Republican ticket, exerting himself earnestly in favor of the election of Hayes and Wheeler. He is just in the outset of his active career ; is a man of fine education; is an able and elegant public speaker ; possesses many strong and ad- mirable qualities of mind; is advanced and broad in his

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The Biographical encyclopaedia of Kentucky of the dead and living men of the nineteenth century, Part 137

Author: Armstrong, J. M., & company, pub Publication date: 1878 Publisher: Cincinnati, J. M. Armstrong Number of Pages: 946

Author: Armstrong, J. M., & company, pub
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Cincinnati, J. M. Armstrong
Number of Pages: 946