The Biographical encyclopaedia of Kentucky of the dead and living men of the nineteenth century, Part 52

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

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ber, 1813, joined Gen. Harrison; fought with great gal- lantry at the battle of the Thames, where his brother James, who was lieutenant-colonel of his regiment, com- manded one battalion of the regiment against the British Gen. Proctor, and he commanded the other against the Indians. A terrible conflict ensued, in which both bat- talions were successful, against great odds. Col. John- son fought with great bravery until the enemy were defeated, and he had encountered and slain a chief believed by most persons of any authority on the sub- ject to have been the powerful Tecumseh. He was finally carried from the field covered with wounds, as many as twenty-five balls having passed through his horse, his clothes, or struck him. He was taken to Detroit, whence, as soon as possible from the nature of his wounds, he returned home, and, in the Spring of 1814, again took his seat in Congress, his patriotic service in the war, and his sufferings, increasing his popularity, at home and at the National Capital, with men of all parties. By an especial act of Congress, his brave conduct, and valuable services rendered the country, were appropri- ately mentioned. In 1819, he was elected by the people of Scott County to the State Legislature; was by that body elected to fill a vacancy in the United States Senate, and took his seat in the Winter of that year; was re-clected at the close of his term, and continued in that branch of Congress until 1829; was again returned to the Lower House; where he remained until elected Vice-President of the United States, in 1836, with Mar- tin Van Buren. There being no election before the people in this case, he was elected by the Scnate, and presided over that body for four years ; was again a can- didate with Mr. Van Buren, in 1840; but was defeated. From that time, he mainly lived in retirement, on his farm in Scott County, after a faithful public service of thirty-four years. He served two terms in the State Legislature, subsequently, and was a member of that body at the time of his death, which occurred at Frank- fort, in 1850. Ile was not a brilliant speaker, but was a man of great strength of character and fine ability ; was an earnest patriot, a brave soldier, an upright man, respected and valued by his political opponents, as well as by his party associates and friends; and was not only one of the first men of Kentucky, but also bore a national reputation of great honor.

cKINLEY, JUDGE JOHN, Lawyer, was born in Culpepper County, Virginia, in 1780. His father, Dr. Andrew Mckinley, . came from Virginia to Lincoln County, Kentucky, at an early date, and died in 1786. After acquiring an ordinary education, Judge Mckinley entered the office of General Bodley, as clerk, and while there

studied law. At the age of twenty years, he was admit- ted to the bar, at Frankfort, and commenced practice, continuing until 1818 in Kentucky, and then removed to Alabama. In 1826, he was elected United States Senator, from Alabama, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Dr. Chambers, and, being re-elected, served out another term. In 1833, he was elected a member of the Lower House of Congress, and, in 1837, was appointed Judge of the Supreme Court of the United States, in which capacity he served until his death, which occurred in Louisville, Kentucky, July 19, 1852. Judge McKinley was married twice: his first wife being Juliana Bryan, who died in Alabama; his second, Elizabeth Armistead, of Virginia, to whom he was wedded in 1824, still survives him. He was a man of high and noble aims, possessed of remarkable tact and energy. In appearance, he was tall and commanding, with a coun- tenance that exhibited great strength of character, and wore an habitually benevolent expression; was a con- temporary of Henry Clay, and took an active part in the issues of his day.

'USTON, HON. JOHN BOYD, Lawyer, the only son of James and Mary ( McKee) Huston, was born October 1, 1813, in Nelson County, Kentucky. His father was a native of Wil- mington, Delaware; in early boyhood, was taken to Pennsylvania; in 1792, came to Ken- tucky ; in 1800, settled permanently in Nelson County, near Bloomfield, where he died, in 1842; he was a farmer by pursuit, and was the son of James Huston, a paymaster in the Revolutionary army. His mother was a native of the north of Ireland, and daughter of John McKee, a Scotch-Irish Covenanter, who early settled in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. John B. Huston was educated at Centre College, graduated from that institu- tion, in 1833, taking the valedictory honors of his class. He taught school, and was for a time assistant instructor at Centre College; in the mean time, read law under the direction of Judge Daniel Mayes and Joshua F. Bell; attended law lectures at Transylvania University, and graduated, in 1835; in 1837, began the practice of the law, at Winchester, Clarke County; continued with unexampled success until 1864 ; in that year, removed to Lexington, where he has since resided, engaged in his profession, with his usual exceptional skill. He was first elected to the Legislature in 1839; was again elected, in 1855; re-elected, in 1857 and in 1861; dur- ing his second term, was Speaker of the House ; was a member of the " Border State Convention " that assem- bled at Frankfort, St. Louis, and Washington, at the initiation of the civil war; has been several times Pres- idential Elector ; and, since 1868, has been a professor in

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the law department of Transylvania University. The degrees of A. M. and LL. D. were conferred on him by his Alma Mater, also by La Grange College. He is prominent in some of the popular social organizations of the day, and is a citizen of great worth. He is one of the most attractive stump speakers in the country, and one of the most able and influential lawyers in the State. He cast his first vote for Henry Clay, and was a Whig until the dissolution of that party. He cast his first Democratic vote for Gen. McClellan, in 1864, and has since been identified with the Democratic party. During the war he was a Union man, and was one of the dis- tinguished Kentuckians who at first supported the war policy of the Government. Mr. Huston has been twice married : September 21, 1836, to Miss Mary J. Allen, only daughter of Hon. Chilton Allen, of Clarke County, one of the valuable, distinguished men of the State. She died, in 1852. December 21, 1854, he was married to Elizabeth Jackson, eldest daughter of Samuel G. Jackson, a farmer, merchant, and manufacturer, of Fay- ette County, Kentucky.

EHON, REV. EDWARD WAGGENER, D. D., son of Major John L., and Fannie W. Sehon, was born April 4, 1808, at Moorefield, Hardy County, Virginia; and died, June 7, 1876, at the residence of his son-in-law, Col. Wright, at Louisville, Kentucky. He was brought up in the mountain town of Clarksburg, Vir- ginia, where his father was First Chancery Clerk of the Western Judicial Division of the State of Virginia. He graduated with honor, when about eighteen years old, in the University of Ohio, at Athens, and was designed for the law. At a Methodist camp-meeting, near Clarksburg, his attention was greatly directed to the subject of religion, and, from that time forward, he opposed the preference of his parents in the choice of a profession, and determined upon devoting himself to the ministry. His mother was a deeply pious woman, and although she felt the disappointment of their long-cher- ished hope for their son's distinction in the secular walks of life, yet sympathized with him in his convic- tions of duty. His conviction occurred in 1824, while on a visit to his parents from the University; and his father, believing his determination to withdraw from their choice, in reference to his future career, was a freak of youthful enthusiasm, hoped that a continuation of his studies would fully preparc him to enter upon the study of the law. But, shortly after his return to the University, he was appointed leader of a class of fifteen members. In 1826, he was licensed to exhort ; his license was renewed in the following year; after- wards, was licensed to preach by the Quarterly Confer-

ence of the Clarksburg Virginia Conference, of Mo- nongahela District; was engaged, for a time, on the Louis Circuit, Virginia; then, on the Redstone Circuit ; was received on trial, in the traveling connection, at the meeting of the Pittsburg Conference, at Salem, Pennsylvania, in 1828; being appointed junior preacher . on the Youngstown Circuit, lying mostly in the State of Ohio; was afterwards engaged on the Monongahela Circuit; in 1831, was ordained dcacon, at Uniontown, Pennsylvania, and stationed at Cincinnati; was returned to Cincinnati in the following year; in 1832, was or- dained elder, and appointed agent of the American Col- onization Society ; in 1833, was transferred, by Bishop Soule, to the Missouri Conference, and stationed at St. Louis; in 1834, was returned to the Ohio Conference, and stationed at Columbus; was stationed at Cincinnati in 1836; from 1838 to 1839, was agent for Augusta Col- lege; in the two following years, labored at Cincinnati ; from 1840 to 1845, was General Agent of the American Bible Society in the West; was one of the delegates to the General Conference at New York, in 1844; took sides, in the controversy, with his native State; adhered to the Southern Church, joining the Tennessee Conference; was electcd as delegate to the First General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, which met at Pittsburg in 1846; was transferred, by Bishop Soule, to the Kentucky Conference, and appointed to the Soule Chapel at Cincinnati, in the Covington District; in 1846, received the degree of D. D. from Randolph Macon Col- lege, Virginia ; in 1847, was transferred to the Louisville Conference, and appointed to the Louisville District; by earnest request of the people, was stationed at the Fourth Street Church; labored from 1849 to 1851 at Se- hon Chapel; was a member of the General Conference at Louisville, in 1850, and was appointed Corresponding Secretary of the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, which office he held till 1868, and then resigned; in 1854, was delegate to the General Convention at Columbus, Georgia ; in 1858, at Nashville ; in 1868, at New Orleans; in 1870, at Memphis; and, in 1874, was member of the General Conference at Louis- ville ; from 1868 to 1871, was stationed at Shelby Street Church, in Louisville; from 1871 to 1875, traveled the Louisville District; and, in 1875, was appointed to the Bowling Green District, which position he held at the time of his death. He entered upon the labors of that district in the hope of regaining his impaired health, by travel and life in the country; but his health never greatly improved; his heart and nervous difficulties became more fully developed; and, while conversing with his daughter, Mrs. Wright, on the first day of June, six days before his death, concerning hcr great kindness to him, he suddenly ccased to speak. His last word had been uttered. That eloquent tongue, which, for fifty years, had held entranced listening thou-

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sands, had fulfilled its mission in this world. He was paralyzed in the right side. Although he never spoke again, he was perfectly conscious till the last moment. Suddenly brightening up, just before his death, he hummed distinctly the old doxology, " Praise God, from whom all blessings flow ;" and, raising his unpalsied arm, pronounced his last benediction on earth. His re- mains were deposited in Cave Hill Cemetery, at Louis- ville. He was a favorite of his Conference, and was, perhaps, one of the most popular Methodist preachers of his time. He was not a deep doctrinal preacher, but preached for immediate practical effect ; had a wonderful command of eloquent language; had a musical voice, and every attribute of a finished orator. He was the idol of his parents and friends ; was well educated, and possessed a princely physique ; had a fine countenance, and was elegant and fascinating in his manners. Dr. Sehon was married, September 4, 1833, to Miss Caroline A. McLean, daughter of Hon. William McLean, of Cin- cinnati, and niece of Hon. John McLean, Chief-Justice of the United States Supreme Court. She was naturally gifted, thoroughly accomplished, elegant and refined, and truly pious. She was truly a helpmeet to him, and still survives him. Their only living child, Sallie Sehon, is the wife of Col. M. H. Wright, of Louisville.

AWSON, JAMES A., Lawyer, Soldier, and Ed- itor, was born in Hart County, Kentucky, April 2, 1834. His father, Ransom A. Dawson, was a farmer of Hart County for many years; his grandfather, a soldier of the Revolutionary War, and of English descent. James A. Daw- son attended the common-schools of his county until he arrived at the age of twenty years, when he entered the County Clerk's office, serving as deputy for five or six years, when he was elected to the clerkship of the County Court. Having studied law, while in the office of the County Clerk, he fitted himself for the bar, and was admitted in 1859. About this time, he began to interest himself in local politics; and, in 1860, took an active part in the Presidential campaign, espousing the cause of Douglas. When the war broke out, he sided with the Union, and was active in recruiting and organ- izing troops for the Government ; appointed Adjutant of the Thirty-third Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, he served with his regiment until March, 1863, when, being nom- inated on the State ticket of the Union Democracy for the office of Register of the Land Office, he resigned his army commission, and was elected. After holding the office for the full term of four years, he was re-elected ; and, at the expiration of his second term, was appointed Adjutant-General of the State, which position he held for four years. During all these years, he was actively

engaged in politics, doing much effective canvassing throughout Kentucky, Indiana, and surrounding States. In 1871, he was principally occupied in establishing the Louisville "Daily Ledger," and had charge of its ed- itorial columns during its best years. Resigning his po- sition as editor, in 1875, he returned to his native county, and resumed the practice of his profession. Gen. Dawson is yet in the prime of life ; is the acknowl- edged leader in the politics of his district; a far-seeing and shrewd lawyer, with an enviable reputation. For twenty years, he has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South ; active in promoting its inter- ests, and assisting heartily in every laudable enterprise fostered by it. He also has the distinction of being the first layman elected to a General Conference, having been sent to the Conference at Memphis, Tennessee, in 1870. He was married, in 1870, to Miss Margaret Con- nelly, daughter of Dr. P. J. Connelly, of Des Moines, Iowa. They have three children.

AYLOR, REV. JAMES, Clergynian, was born in Currituck County, North Carolina, April I, 1790; and removed to Kentucky, and settled in Clarke County, in 1810. In 1811, he was mar- ried to Miss Sallie Morris; and, in 1816, he re- moved to Breckinridge County, where he lived until 1828, when he moved to Hardinsburg, and resided there until his death, which occurred on the 23d of March, 1867. He became a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church in his nineteenth year, and was licensed to exhort, August 29, 1823 ; on July 23, 1825, he was licensed to preach ; was ordained a deacon, Oc- tober 17, 1830; and was made an elder in the Church, September 17, 1843. From the time Mr. Taylor was invested with authority to preach the Gospel, a career of usefulness opened before him; and, although not an itinerant preacher, in the technical sense of the term, there are but few in those ranks who traveled more ex- tensively, or manifested greater zeal for the welfare of the Church than he. Without the responsibilities of a pastor, he is entitled to that distinction, if watching with parental care the rising generation around him, urging continually to the performance of Christian duties the members of the Church ; if preaching constantly, visiting, and alleviating the distresses of the sick and dying, constitute the duties of a pastor. Although not favored with educational advantages in his early years, yet with a mind remarkable for its strength, by close study, he rose to distinction in the pulpit, and became a master spirit in the community in which he lived, with a character above reproach. His life rebuked sin, and did much to reform the morals of the people. Zealous for the cause of the Redeemer, he had his regular ap-

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pointments for preaching, all over the country, and, to reach them promptly, he braved the heat of Summer and the angry blasts of Winter. He not only organized the class in Hardinsburg, where he resided, but formed new societies in various parts of Breckinridge and the surrounding counties, and nourished those already ex- isting; and, without a church edifice in which to worship in the neighborhood in which he lived, he threw open the doors of his own dwelling for the preaching of the Gospel, and the virtues and graces of Christianity shone with increasing luster through his entire life. He was regarded with the greatest respect in his county, in which he solemnized no less than eight hundred and twenty-four marriages, besides frequently officiating in a like capacity in the adjoining counties; and, when death invaded the family circle, Father Taylor, as he was lovingly called, usually performed the last solemn service. For several months before his death he was entirely speechless, but held pleasant intercourse with his family and friends by writing. His daughter, Jennie T., is the wife of Hon. Henry D. McIIenry.

GRIFFIN, GILDEROY WELLS, Lawyer and Author, was born in Louisville, Kentucky, March 6, 1840. He was educated in various private schools of that city, and, in 1860, en- tered the law department of the University of Louisville, where he graduated in the Spring of 1862. He practiced his profession, with marked success, for several years, when he abandoned it for the more congenial pursuits of literature. His first literary pro- ductions were published in the "Louisville Journal," then under the management of the late George D. Pren- tice. He became much attached to Mr. Prentice, and, on the death of the great editor, he wrote his life, and edited an edition of his "Wit and Humor in Para- graphs," published by Claxton, Remsen & IIaffelfinger, of Philadelphia. In 1868, he became associated with Col. Charles S. Todd, in the editorial conduct of the "Louisville Commercial and Industrial Gazette." This journal, under their management, soon became one of the leading papers in the South and West; and when Col. Todd retired from the "Gazette," he shortly after severed his connection also with the paper, and, in his valedictory said : " I have no longer a staff to lean upon, and my work is now neither pleasant nor profitable to me." In 1870, H. C. Trumbull, Jr., of Baltimore, pub- lished his volume of miscellaneous essays and sketches, under the title of "Studies in Literature," which passed rapidly through two editions; and, in 1871, an enlarged and revised edition was published by Claxton, Rem- sen & Haffelfinger, of Philadelphia. Of this work, Dr. R. Shelton Mackenzie said : "Varied in its range of

subject, rich in thought, light and graceful in treatment and style, and the result of wide and conscientious study, I can unhesitatingly commend this volume as an admirable selection for general reading." In the Fall of 1870, Mr. Griffin was appointed United States Con- sul to Copenhagen, Denmark, and, during his residence abroad, besides attending to the duties of his office, he devoted much time to the study of the Danish language and literature. He became the intimate friend of the great Danish story-teller, Hans Christian Andersen, and of the distinguished archaeological scholar and author, Prof. George Stephens. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Northern Antiquaries of Copenhagen, in 1873, and received a number of other literary honors from the Danes. Upon his return to America, in 1874, he delivered a series of lectures, in Louisville, on the manners and customs of the Danes. In 1875, his work on Denmark was published, under the title of " My Danish Days, with a Glance at the History, Traditions, and Literature of the Northern Country." " IIarper's Monthly Magazine," for November, 1875, speaks of this work as " the best work, in many respects, on the sub- ject, in the English language; its chief fault is that there is not enough of it." "My Danish Days" has given the author a prominent place among the scholars and critics of the Old North Country. In 1875, Mr. Griffin was placed on the Republican State ticket, as a candidate for Superintendent of Public Institutions of the State of Kentucky, and he at once entered into the spirit of the canvass, making a number of telling speeches during the campaign, which were published, from time to time, in the "Louisville Commercial," and other papers through- out Kentucky. He has received several degrees from the Faculty of Forest Academy, at Anchorage, Ken- tucky; and among them the degree of Doctor of Phi- lology. He was invited, by the Committee on the Restoration of Independence Hall, to be present at the Congress of Authors, to assemble in Philadelphia on July 2d, and to prepare a sketch of the life of Gen. Charles Scott, a distinguished soldier of the Revolution- ary War, and one of the early Governors of Kentucky. Among many of his works, not mentioned above, is a lecture entitled, "A Visit to Stratford-upon-Avon, the Home of Shakespeare;" and a biographical and histori- cal work, entitled "Memoir of C. S. Todd," published by Claxton, Remsen & Haffelfinger, in 1873. Mr. Griffin has now quite a reputation as a writer on philology, and has had several controversies on that subject with Richard Grant White and others, in all of which his friends are firm in the opinion that he came out tri- umphant. He was, at one time, dramatic critic of the " Louisville Journal," and wrote for that paper a series of criticisms on the acting of Edwin Booth, which attracted no little attention, and were very generally copied by the press throughout the country ; some of

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his dramatic criticisms have been translated into the French, the German, and the Danish languages, and have been of the greatest value in elevating the standard of dramatic excellence and criticism. In 1876, he was appointed Minister to the South Sea Islands, by Pres- ident Grant, and still continues this mission abroad.

ILKINS, JEREMIAH C., Lawyer, was the son of Richard Wilkins, a farmer of South Carolina, of Scotch descent, and was born in Logan (since Simpson) County, Kentucky, December 16, 1806, to which place his father moved at an early date. His early education was ac- quired at a private school in the neighborhood, under the direction of the celebrated Dr. Thurston. At the age of nineteen years, he entered upon the study of law, in the office of the late Judge Ephraim Ewing, of Rus- sellville, continuing for about two years, when he went to the western district of Kentucky, and commenced practicing. After seven years of successful practice, in- cluding two years spent as clerk of the court, he, in 1838, removed to Bowling Green, still following his pro- fession. In 1842, and afterwards in 1848, he was elected to the Legislature by large majorities. In politics, he was always a strong Clay Whig, and was a Union man during the war; and, being a learned and able speaker, was regarded as a valuable citizen, devoting nearly all his life to his family and his country. In 1829, he mar- ried Miss Jane Millikin, daughter of James Millikin, of Simpson County ; and died at Bowling Green, April 15, 1868. His widow still lives, surrounded by a family of six children; his sons standing high in the professions of law and medicine. For many years a leading member of the Baptist Church, he took a deep interest in all its affairs. Possessed of a remarkably retentive memory, and a fund of general and varied information, his opinion was generally sought. He was a member of the con- vention which convencd at Chicago during the trying times of the late war. A total abstainer from principle, and a Christian and courteous gentleman, he will long be remembered as one of the most valuable and respected citizens of Bowling Green.

LAUGHTER, D. STROTHER, M. D., son of Philip C. Slaughter, was born January 28, 1822, in Nelson County, Kentucky. His father was an extensive and successful farmer, and, although he had studied law and been admitted to the bar under very favorable circumstances, he chose the quiet independence of the farm, where he chiefly remained during his life. Once he made a race

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The Biographical encyclopaedia of Kentucky of the dead and living men of the nineteenth century, Part 52

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