The Biographical encyclopaedia of Kentucky of the dead and living men of the nineteenth century, Part 28

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

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then commencing, was planned and executed but a short time before his death. He was endowed with that combination of qualities which would have insured success and honorable distinction in any thing that he undertook. Most prominent among these was his manly and transparent integrity, which inspired the confidence and respect of all with whom he had any dealings. Honor and uprightness were the leading principles by which he ruled his life; and it seems to have been his highest ambition to prove to the world that they were the surest as well as the best means to financial prosperity. His energy and perseverance were unbounded, his benevolence the most considerate and gencrous, and his characteristic views of the most liberal and broadest kind, greatly influenced, no doubt, by his acute and comprehensive observation during his travels at home and abroad, and by his appreciative intercourse with men of business ability and social worth. A man of bold and progressive spirit, his impulses were natu- rally quick, but uniformly regulated and controlled by justice, charity, and kindness, particularly to those who were poor and friendless. In his home and family circle were left the gentlest and most endearing impressions of his character; but into the sacredness of that life we must not intrude. He thus passed, at the early age of fifty, to the end of a remarkable career, with a blame- less reputation among men, the esteem and friendship of all who knew him well, and the undying affection of his immediate family, a memorable example of one of the most worthy and successful self-made men and ac- complished gentlemen of the society in which it was his lot to move. The record of his death is, New York, June 15, 1861. His remains lie in the cemetery at Hen- derson, where his memory will long live in the hearts of the people. It is worth while adding, that, in what may be called the literature of wills, the document by which he communicated his last wishes and sentiments justly attracts no ordinary attention. At its issue after his decease, it was generally noticed and commented upon for its dignified and elevated tone, as well as the unaffected modesty and kindness, and truly refined generosity, in word and deed, by which it is peculiarly and strikingly marked throughout. To say nothing of his numerous legacies to his kindred and near relatives, it is touching to observe his specific mention, and un- stinting remembrance of his intimate friends, and even of the little children who had been complimented with his name by their parents. Above all, his moral con- victions, and the genuine humanity of his noble nature, appear in the earnest request, which he makes, to have placed upon his tomb this short and simple inscription, " HONESTY AND TRUTH," as conveying and recom- mending, with his latest breath, the maxims which had shaped his own course, and guaranteed all its abundant rewards. Surely, there is reason to believe that his

influence, at this day, contributes one constituent in making that high position which is accredited to the Henderson mercantile community. The mother of his two children was Miss Juliana Harris, also of Louisa County, Virginia. His son, Alexander Barret, has for years resided in London, England, where he married Miss Emma Allen Chennock. His daughter, Virginia, is the wife of Major Theodore K. Gibbs, son of Ex- Governor Gibbs, of Rhode Island; is resident in the city of New York. He left a widow, his second wife, Miss Jane Black, of Dublin, Ireland, for whose return to her native city, and comfortable residence there, he most liberally and affectionately provided.

ARRET, JOHN HENRY. How seldom do we find a name that has become prominent in any community perpetuated with equal honor be- yond the single life-time which made it what it was! We may, however, occasionally observe a happy continuation of personal worth and prominence in members of the same family. John Henry Barret, of the city and county of Henderson, Kentucky, the subject of this notice, is an instance in point. A brother of the late Alexander B. Barret, and seven years his junior, he has, in the view of another generation, taken the place of that eminent and useful citizen. The. mercantile credit and reputation and social position, so honorably acquired by the one, are still maintained by the other. The drift of his early education and op- portunities was in the line of a substantial English edu- cation, and tended toward the acquisition of those ac- curate business habits and perceptions which qualified - him, in his riper years, for the wise and judicious man- agement of large and responsible transactions. He re- moved from Louisa County, Virginia, where he was born, to Henderson, Kentucky, in 1835. At first he was engaged in his brother's office, but soon united in business relations with his brother-in-law, J. E. Ran- kin. In 1852, he was again associated with his elder brother. The partnership then formed was not one of secular interests and pursuits alone; it was a union of a far higher and more exemplary kind. It was com- posed of natural brotherly affection, and mutual esteen and confidence, the growth of long observation and experience of each other's motives and principles. Ties of such a nature can be broken or dissolved only by the event of death. So it fell out in 1861. The executorship of his brother's testamentary will, and the unlimited control of his then unsettled and immense in- vestments, of one kind and another, were unreservedly intrusted to his hands. He has, up to the present, steadily continued the same energctic and enterprising career. The firm is now known under the style of Jno.

Eny A & Praby Homer Lee & Co. N.Y.

John St. 1 Parret

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H. Barret & Co .; his sons, John H. Barret, Jr., James R. Barret, and son-in-law, James Ewing Rankin, be- ing associate partners. They retain, both in this coun- try and in Europe, the extensive and influential pres- tige which was once the high and peculiar distinction of the original house in the Kentucky tobacco market. Mr. Barret has been twice married. His first wife, Miss Susan D. Rankin, died in 1851, leaving two sons and a daughter, now Mrs. James Ewing Rankin, all of whom reside in Henderson. In 1852, he was married to Miss Mary A. Haydock, daughter of Joseph Haydock, of Smithland, Kentucky. The accompanying engraving is a true reflection of the inner man, whose honor, bright and genial kindness, and liberal good will, and practical strength of mind and character, are admirably represented by the outward lineaments of countenance, all of which are visibly apparent in this exact miniature-portrait.

AUGHAN, REV. WILLIAM, D. D., Baptist Clergyman, was born February 22, 1785, in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. His an- cestors were Irish and Welsh. He was brought to Scott County, Kentucky, at the age of three; and, when fourteen years old, his father died, leaving him to shift for himself in the world. At the age of eighteen he commenced learning the tailoring trade, and, after serving an apprenticeship of four years, he married Miss Lydia Wing Allen, and located in business at Winchester, where he worked some time at his trade. He joined the Baptist Church, and, in 1811, was licensed to preach; in the following year he was ordained, but continued to work at his trade until 1815, when he removed to Mason County, and took regular pastoral charge of his first Church; subsequently preached, for twelve years, at Washington, in that eounty; also served four years as missionary of the American Sunday-school Union; and, in 1832, he re- moved to Fleming County, preaching to different Churches until 1835, and acting, a part of that time, as agent of the American Bible Society; for the next thirty-two years was pastor of the Baptist Church at Bloomfield, in Nelson County, previously having had charge of the Church at Harrodsburg for five years; while residing at Bloomfield, supplied the Church at Lawrenceburg, and, for twenty-five years of that time, preached at Union Church. At the age of eighty-four, he retired from the ministry, and has since resided with his son, Rev. Thomas N. Vaughan, pastor of the Bap- tist Church in Danville. In 1858, he received the de- gree of D. D. from Georgetown College, and, by long, persevering study, has beeome a fine Greek seholar, and one of the most learned men in his Church; ranked very high as a preacher, being considered one of the

finest speakers and clearest-headed men in the Baptist Church of Kentucky. In 1843, Dr. Vaughan was mar- ried to. Mrs. M. Cain, widow of Major J. Cain, of Nel- son County. By his first marriage he had eight chil- dren, three of whom are now living.

cMANAMA, JUDGE OBADIAH DICKER- SON, Lawyer, was born, March 2, 1836, at Richmond Station, Boone County, Kentucky. His father, James McManama, was a native of Somerset County, Maryland ; but, in early man- hood, moved to Kentucky, and purchased a large farm in Boone County, on which he resided for many years. His grandfather, Thomas McManama, was an officer in the quartermaster's department, stationed near Pittsburg, during the Revolutionary War. His mother, Mary Pollie, was the daughter of respectable parents, long resident in Prince William County, Vir- ginia. The subject of this sketch was placed in school at an early age, and, manifesting talents and a desire for learning, was sent to Morgan Academy, Boone County, where he graduated; he afterwards went to Hanover College, at Hanover, Indiana, and, when on the eve of graduating, was forced to leave the institution, on ac- count of failing health. In the following year, 1852, he began to study law, with Major E. S. Armstrong, of Burlington, and, in 1853, graduated in law at the Uni- versity in Louisville. After being admitted to the bar, he entered upon the practice of his profession at Will- iamstown, Grant County, Kentucky, where he at present resides. From the commencement of his legal career, he displayed those talents which subsequently made him successful as a lawyer and politician. In 1854, he was elected Prosecuting Attorney ; and, after the expiration of his term in office, in 1858, was re-elected, holding the position until 1862, when he resigned. In 1862, having freely expressed his sympathy for the Southern cause, he was arrested and imprisoned by the Federal Govern- ment; but, after two years, was released, and resumed his profession, rapidly gaining an extensive practice. As a tribute to his talents as a lawyer, and a proof of the esteem in which he was held by his fellow-citizens, he was elected, in 1871, to the State Senate, from the Grant County District; and, at the end of his term in office, in 1874, was elected Judge of the Criminal Court for the Eleventh Judicial District, in which office he has won considerable distinction, and displayed many most striking and admirable traits. While he was a member of the Senate, a revision of the statutes of the State was ordered by the IIouse, and a committee of the most able members of both Houses was appointed, over which he was chosen presiding offieer; which position he held through the entire session, of four

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months-a high tribute to his legal talents. He always took an active part in politics; and, during the Presiden- tial campaign of 1872, was chosen one of the electors of the State, in the interest of O'Connor. In 1855, he mar- ried Miss Mary Tulley, daughter of Dr. W. Tulley, of Williamstown, Kentucky. Judge McManama is a most entertaining host, brilliant in wit and repartee; a fine conversationalist; and, when in the mood of playing practical jokes, makes no distinction between friends or foes. In his religious views, he is most liberal, never allowing the dogmas of any Church to be spoken of with levity. He is of medium height, compactly built, and has more the air of a military man than a lawyer. As a speaker, he possesses great command of language; and, when animated in discussing any subject of national or political interest, he can wield the weapon of satire with great force on his opponents. In politics, he has been of the ultra school of the Democracy ; but is exceedingly popular in his party. He is undoubtedly able as a law- yer, and on the bench has few equals; is of attractive manners; and is, socially and professionally, universally admired. He was the judge during the famous Owen County cases, a few years ago; and one of his addresses to the grand jury gave him a wide-spread reputation, and was published in many papers in the United States, and even called forth the attention of the " London Times," which recopied it; reference was also made to it by Carl Schurz, in his speech on "The State of the Union," delivered in St. Louis, in 1874.

UQUA, PROF. JAMES HENRY, A. M., Presi- dent of Liberty Female College, at Glasgow, was born September 27, 1836, in Logan County, Kentucky. The family is of French origin, though his ancestors came from Wales to this country, settling in Virginia. His father, Jos. Monroe Fuqua, was a farmer of Logan County, Ken- tucky, and Montgomery County, Tennessee. His mother was Lucy A. Williams, also a native of Virginia. He attended school at home until his sixteenth year, then entered the classical school of Capt. John D. Tyler, of Montgomery County, Tennessee, a very successful and celebrated classical teacher, who spent fifty-five years of his life in preparing young men for college; remained here two years, then went to Bethel College, Russell- ville, Kentucky, graduating in 1858, thus completing a thorough classical and scientific education. Shortly after, the Trustees of Bethel College elected him as Principal of the primary department, which position he filled satisfactorily for two years, when he was elected Professor of Mathematics in the same college. In 1863, the building was taken for a military hospital, and he removed to Browder Institute, in Logan County, Ken -.

tucky, as Principal, where he remained thirteen years, and whence he sent forth many young men, who have won distinction in various avocations of life. In June, 1875, he was elected to the Presidency of Liberty Female College, Glasgow, Kentucky, which position he still occupies. In politics, he is a Democrat, though never taking a prominent position in political turmoil. He is a Royal Arch Mason, and has held several offices in subordinate lodges; has been a member of the Bap- tist Church for twenty-six years, takes an active part in Church matters, and was, for a long time, clerk of the Bethel Baptist Association, and now 'holds that position in the Liberty Association. Prof. Fuqua was married, in 1859, to Martha A. Walker, daughter of Dr. A. S. Walker, of Scottsville, Kentucky, one of the most emi- nent physicians of Southern Kentucky, and member of a family distinguished throughout the country. They have three children. Prof. Fuqua is an enthusiastic, energetic, and successful teacher; has won an enviable reputation in his profession; and, at the head of Liberty College, takes rank among the first and most popular educators in the State.

KILLMAN, HENRY MARTYN, M. D., Physi- cian and Surgeon, son of Thomas I. and Eliza- beth Skillman, was born September 4, 1824, at Lexington, Kentucky. Thomas I. Skillman, his father, was born in New Jersey, in 1786; re- ceived a common English education ; learned the printing business in Philadelphia; came to Lexing- ton, Kentucky, about 1811; established the "Evangel- ical Record and Western Review," a religious monthly ; and, subsequently, the "Presbyterian Advocate" and the "Western Summary," weekly papers numbering among their contributors the ablest inen of the Pres- byterian Church in the State, and becoming very popular, with a wide-spread and beneficial influence ; his publications were extensive, but one house in the State, up to the present time, having published a greater num- ber of books, religious and otherwise; was an elder in the Presbyterian Church; was often a member of its courts ; was a constant worker in the local Church organ- ization ; was zealous in every good work; was, to the last extent, generous and hospitable; had a wide-spread reputation over the entire West; and was one of the most enterprising, earnest, and useful men Kentucky ever had; he died of cholera, June 9, 1833. His wife, Elizabeth Skillman, to whom he was married in 1813, was the daughter of Ebenezer Farrar, who came to Lex- ington in 1789. She was born in New Hampshire, in . 1786; was one of the most intelligent, religious, benev- olent, active, and useful women who has ever lived in Lexington ; she died February 18, 1872. Dr. Skillman

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was educated at Transylvania University; spent two or three years learning the drug business; in 1844, com- menced reading medicine, under the direction of Drs. Benjamin W. Dudley, James M. Bush, and Ethelbert L. Dudley ; attended lectures at Transylvania University, and graduated in the Spring of 1847; was for a year associated with his preceptors; in 1848, was appointed Demonstrator of Anatomy in the medical school of Transylvania University ; in 1850, was transferred to the Professorship of Physiology and Pathological Anatomy in the University, and held the position until that insti- tution was closed by the necessities of the civil war .. During this period he was actively engaged in a large and valuable medical practice ; for two years of the war, he was contract surgeon at home in the service of the Government; was President of the State Medical Society in 1869; is permanent member of the American Medical Association; and, in 1876, was a delegate to the Inter- national Medical College. Dr. Skillman is one of the most skillful, successful, and accomplished physicians in Kentucky ; is in the prime of life, and, having inherited the admirable qualities of his parents, is one of the most honorable and useful citizens of Lexington.

INKEAD, HON. GEORGE BLACKBURN, Lawyer, son of John and Margaret T. Kin- kead, was born September 25, 1811, in Woodford County, Kentucky. His father was a native of Augusta County, Virginia; was a farmer by pur- suit; was brought to Kentucky, in 1789, by his father, William Kinkead, who was a captain in the Revolutionary army, and whose wife, Eleanor Guy, was captured in Virginia by the Indians, in 1764, carried to Ohio, and kept a prisoner, near Chillicothe, for many months. His mother was a native of Woodford County, Kentucky, and daughter of George Blackburn, one of the early Virginian farmers of that county. George B. Kinkead graduated at Transylvania University as second of his class, in 1830; in the same year, began reading law, at Lexington, under Judge Daniel Mayes, of the law department of Transylvania University ; subsequently, continued his legal studies under the direction of Judge Boyle; in the Fall of 1833, entered into the practice of his profession at Paris, forming an association with Hon. Garrett Davis, which continued until 1837; from 1837 to 1845, residcd at Versailles; and, in the latter year, located at Lexington, where he has since continued actively engaged in his profession. He was appointed Commonwealth's Attorney, in 1838, by Gov. James Clarke, for the Frankfort district; served four years, .

and was appointed Secretary of State, under Gov. Wm. Owsley, serving in that position, in 1847. He is a Dem- ocrat, in politics; cast his first vote for Henry Clay, and

was connected with the Whigs until the dissolution of their party. He was strongly opposed to secession in any form, and was one of the leading Kentucky lawyers who adhered to the Government during the first years of the war, and, although finally ceasing to act with the Administration party, he did not, in any respect, favor the Confederate cause. He is an elder in the Presbyte- rian Church; is a man of fine personal and social habits, of splendid attainments, and stands among the leading lawyers of the State. Mr. Kinkead was married, in 1846, to Eliza Pearce, of Louisville, daughter of James Pearce, a Virginian, resident of that city. Her mother was a niece of Gen. George Rogers Clarke, an officer in the Revolutionary army, who came to Kentucky soon after the close of the war for independence.

AYNE, COL. DEVALL, was born January I, 1764, in Fairfax County, Virginia, and is the son of William Payne, a man of considerable notoriety in the early history of that State. In 1789, Devall Payne came to Kentucky, and set- tled near Lexington ; joined Kenneth M'Coy's cavalry troop; and served under Gov. Scott, in his cam- paign against the Indians, on the Wabash; in 1792, settled on a farm in Mason County, where he died. In 1813, he became major of a battalion in Col. Richard M. Johnson's regiment of mounted riflemen, and headed a charge against the British, in the battle of the Thames, on October 19, of that year; and, after that campaign, retired to private life. He was, for a num- ber of years, a member of the Lower House of the Legislature; was, for eight years, in the State Senate ; was Presidential Elector from the time of Jefferson until his death, except on one occasion. Politically, he was a Democrat, and was a man of great influence in his party. He was brave, ready in the discharge of his du- ties, and was unflinching in his devotion to his prin- ciples ; was a man of fine social standing, and of admi- rable and commanding person. Col. Payne died June 25, 1830.

UVALL, HON. ALVIN, Lawyer, and once Chief-Justice of Kentucky, was born in Scott County, Kentucky, eight miles north of George- town, March 20, 1813. His father, John Du- vall, was a prominent man in his day; a native of Maryland, of French Huguenot descent; an officer in the war of 1812; a member of the Kentucky Legislature, in 1827; and, in various ways, earning great distinction as a patriot, soldier, and valuable citizen. His mother's maiden name was Branham. She was a native of Kentucky, born of Virginia parents, who

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claimed England as the country which gave rise to their name. With regard to educational facilities, Judge Du- vall was born in a fortunate part of the State; and, after an extensive primary course of study in the best schools of his county, he availed himself of the superior advanta- ges offered by the Georgetown College, where he finished his English course, graduating in 1833. While at col- lege, he also studied the classics, a course he has never regretted, although not attaining to proficiency, his object being to obtain that insight to the languages which would be of most use to him in the pursuit of his chosen profession, that of the law. After leaving col- lege, he commenced the study of the law, under James F. Robinson, at Georgetown; under whose preceptorship he continued two years, completing his legal studies at Transylvania University, Lexington, Kentucky, grad- uating in March, 1840; and immediately commenced the practice of his profession, in which he continued actively engaged until 1852, when he was appointed Circuit Judge of the district, to fill the unexpired term of Judge Reed, who had died from cholera. This term of office expired in 1856, and the same year he was elected Judge of the Court of Appeals, and served his term. In Au- gust, 1864, he was a candidate for re-election ; and, three days before the election, Gen. Burbridge, who was then commanding the State, fearful of his popularity with the people, ordered his name to be stricken off the poll- books, on account of disloyalty to the Federal Govern- ment. The country, at this time, was in the midst of civil war, and high-handed measures were not uncommon on the part of the Government. General Burbridge or- dered the arrest of all the prominent men in the district; this included, also, the candidate for the office, who, at that time, was absent from town; upon his arrival from Covington, where he had been visiting in the interest of the election, he learned with surprise of the arrest of his friends; who were already on their way to Lexington jail; he was strongly urged to make his flight to Canada, which he subsequently did, to avoid imprisonment ; after two months' exile, he returned to Georgetown, and in the Fall of that year resumed the practice of his profession, with unvarying success, till 1866. He was at this time appointed reporter of the decisions of the Court of Ap- peals, and published two reports, known as the First and Second Duvall. He has always had a taste for literary pursuits, and in that field would have won-distinction ; his reports are regarded as models of correctness and of fine typography. Up to this time, since the close of the war, there had been a ban upon the Democratic party, on account of the majority of the party being in the South ; and it was determined to test the feeling of the State in its support of a Democrat to the office of Clerk of the Court of Appeals ; and Judge Duvall was selected as the man at once worthy of the position, and strong enough to give success to his party. He was put forward as the

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The Biographical encyclopaedia of Kentucky of the dead and living men of the nineteenth century, Part 28

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