The Biographical encyclopaedia of Kentucky of the dead and living men of the nineteenth century, Part 54

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

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jectors and incorporators of the " Western Iron Associ- ation," having for its object the regulation of the pro- ducing and prices of the metal among the Western mills. Notwithstanding the fact that the Louisville mills are somewhat remote from the most important iron centers of the country, there are but few men in the trade who are more widely known. He is con- nected with several associations, which are maintained for the promotion of the iron interests of this country ; and is a leading man in their councils. And, he is frequently called to the Middle and Eastern States upon business connected with these various associations. In 1876, he was the originator, and carried out the plan, of making the departure from stipulated prices, and other matters relating to the trade, a money consider- ation, instead of a matter of honor, among the members of the associations of the iron trade. It is thought, that this measure will tend to promote greater justice, and secure harmony among the iron dealers of the country. He was married, in 1858, to Miss Georgia Holbrook, the talented daughter of Capt. L. Holbrook, of Louisville, Kentucky, and two children adorn their union. Mr. Coleman is a man of eminent ability, and a fine degree of culture; is a sterling business man, and well versed in the laws of trade; is a man of splen- did personal appearance ; over six feet in height, and correspondingly proportioned ; is public-spirited, and philanthropic; and, withal, an upright and highly re- spected citizen.

AYLOR, GEN. JAMES, of Newport, Ken- tucky, was born April 19, 1769, in Caroline County, Virginia. James Taylor, the head of the family, came from England and settled in the Colony of Virginia, in 1682, and from him descended two of the Presidents, James Madi- son and Zachary Taylor. His father was Col. James Taylor, of Caroline County, a lieutenant-colonel and high sheriff under the British Crown; was an officer in the war of the Revolution; was a member of the Conven- tion of Virginia that adopted the Constitution of the United States; and was one of the wealthy, influential, and valuable men of his State. Gen. Taylor's mother was Ann Hubbard. He was educated in a private school, and at Rappahannock Academy; in 1788, was commis- sioned Surveyor of Caroline County, by Governor Pey- ton Randolph ; was also deputy sheriff, and carried the returns of the election of President Washington ; in 1792, made his first visit to Kentucky, to explore a tract of land which belonged to his father, at the mouth of the Licking river, and on which a part of the town of Newport had been laid out. He passed only a month in the vicinity, spending most of his time at old Fort Washington. In May 3, 1793, he returned to Newport ;

brought with him his three colored servants; began at once to open a farm and make permanent improve- ments on his estate, which he had previously named Bellevue ; and resided there until his death. In 1793, in company with Jacob Fowler, an old settler, he marked out the first road from Newport towards Lexington ; was the first clerk of both courts of Campbell County ; was ap- pointed in 1795, and held the office until 1830; in 1799, began to purchase and locate land warrants north of the Ohio; continued to do so for many years, and by this means made a great fortune. He had a taste for military life; was Brigadier-General, afterwards Major-General, of the Kentucky Militia; in 1812, was appointed quarter- master-gencral, also paymaster-general, and attached to the army of Gen. Hull; was taken prisoner at Detroit, and paroled; was a witness against Hull in his trial at Albany, N. Y .; was also a witness for the prosecution, in the trial of Aaron Burr; and, in 1804, he built the United States Barracks and Arsenal at Newport. He was a Whig, of the Clay school, and cast his last Presi- dential vote, on the day of his death, for his friend and relative, General Zachary Taylor. He was violently opposed to the surrender of Hull, at Detroit ; was un- doubtedly brave and patriotic, in the purest sense of the terms; and, during the war of 1812, pledged his indi- vidual fortune and credit for the support of the army of the country, when funds were not found in the hands of the officers of the Government. He was a member of the African Colonization Society, warmly advocated emancipation, and set all his own slaves free. In relig- ion, he was Episcopalian. He was a man of warm and generous heart; possessed of superior social quali- ties; fond of anecdote and song, in which he often entertained his friends, even in his old age; had large benevolence; and the hospitality of Bellevue was pro- verbial. At the age of twenty-six, in 1795, Gen. Taylor was married to Mrs. Keturah Leitch, née Moss, who had emigrated from Virginia, in 1783, at the age of eleven, and was the widow of Major David Leitch. They had eleven children, four of whom grew up to be married : Mrs. Horatio T. Harris, Mrs. John W. Tibbatts, Mrs. Geo. T. Williamson; and Col. James Taylor, who alone survives. He died at his residence, universally esteemed, November 7, 1848.

AYLOR, COL. JAMES, son of Gen. James Taylor, was born August 9, 1802, at Bellevue, the residence of his father, near Newport, Kcn- tucky. (See sketch of Gen. James Taylor.) His mother was Keturah Leitch, nee Moss. She was brought to Kentucky, at the age of eleven years, by her uncle, Mr. Easton, who first sct- tled ncar Lexington, in 1783. She was married to Major David Leitch, who had been an officer in the

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Revolutionary army, and, in 1791, removed to the Block-house, at Leitch's Station, five miles from the mouth of the Licking river, in Kentucky. Major Leitch died in 1794. In the following year, she was married to Gen. James Taylor, and their oldest son, and only living child, is the subject of this sketch. Col. Taylor entered the school of Rev. Robert Stubbs, two miles from New- port, in Campbell County, in 1811, and remained under his tuition for several years. He also spent the years 1813 and 1814 in the Pestalozzian school of the cele- brated Dr. Joseph Buchanan, near Lexington; and, in 1818, entered the Freshman Class at Transylvania Uni- versity, then under the presidency of Dr. Holley, and graduated in 1822. For some time subsequently, he oc- cupied his leisure hours at home, in literary pursuits. At this time, he joined a Thespian society; constructed a theater in the old Government barracks at Newport ; became quite conspicuous as an amateur actor; acquired considerable distinction as Sir Edward Mortimer, in the " Iron Chest;" and his great delight in the sport in- duced him, in March, 1824, to personate the character of Zanga, in Young's tragedy of "Revenge," at the theater in Cincinnati, for the benefit of Capt. John Cleves Symmes, who was then making arrangements to enter his superb imaginary world under the North Pole. Throughout his life he has taken great pleasure in the drama, and yet recites Shakespeare and Byron with un- surpassed power, for the entertainment of his friends. In 1823, he entered the Law School of Transylvania Uni- versity, when Hon. William T. Barry and Judge Jesse Bledsoe were professors, and graduated in the Spring of the following year. In the Spring of 1825, he was ad- mitted to the bar, but never entered on the practice of his profession. He immediately took an active part with his father, who had been, for many years, ex- tensively engaged in the location of land warrants in the military tract in the State of Ohio, and who was then prosecuting numerous claims in that State. He was thus engaged, for many years, bring- ing his legal knowledge and rare business tact and skill into requisition before the State and Federal Courts, in Ohio; and not only acquired a handsome estate, but also the reputation of being one of the first business men of Kentucky. In 1848, his father died, leaving him executor of the whole complicated land es- tate lying in Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. Much complex and protracted litigation necessarily accompa- nied his administration of the affairs of this estate, re- quiring great labor and skill. The greater part of the litigation he mainly conducted himself, usually with favorable results to his cause; and probably no man in the West is better posted in land law, or is better able to manage an intricate case before any court. He is ex- ceedingly skillful in the preparation of a case, letting no point of law, for or against him, escape his notice,

his inexhaustive and ready memory serving him in every matter of detail. The legal arguments in which he often indulges, especially when he thinks his associate un- prepared for the emergency, are of the highest type, exhibiting great research and legal tact; and are often accompanied by his inimitable oratory, displaying him to great advantage before any tribunal. In politics, he has voted with the Democrats since 1861. But his first Presidential vote was cast for Henry Clay, in 1824; his second, for Andrew Jackson, in 1828; and, in 1848, he voted for his relative, Gen. Z. Taylor. In religion, he is an Episcopalian. Col. Taylor is a speaker of uncom- mon ability, and would have made his mark at the bar or in politics, had fortune been less favorable. On the stage, he would have been equal to Forrest, or any of the great actors who have attained the highest histrionic fame; and, in any avocation, would have been success- ful. He is rapid and accurate in his modes of thought, active and quick in his movements, with elegant man- ners and admirable bearing ; is nearly six feet in height; is, mentally and physically, wonderfully vigorous for one of his age; and, altogether, is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable men now living in Kentucky. Col. Taylor was married, May 20, 1824, at Frankfort, to Miss Susan Lucy Barry, eldest daughter of Hon. William T. Barry, then Secretary of State, of Kentucky. They have now living three daughters and two sons; their son John B. Taylor being President of the banking-house of James Taylor & Sons, in Newport, Kentucky.

ARRY, HON. WILLIAM TAYLOR, Lawyer and Statesman, was born February 15, 1784, in Lunenburg County, Virginia. His father, John Barry, was a soldier in the war of the Revolu- tion, and served, with honor and bravery, through that great struggle; removed to Ken- tucky, in 1796, and settled in Jessamine County, where he remained during his life. In the hardy, independ- ent, generous, and manly frontier life of Kentucky, Wili- iam Taylor Barry was reared, and early displayed those qualities of mind and heart which induced his father to give him the best education possible in the country at that day. He was, accordingly, sent to Kentucky Academy, in Woodford County, and, subsequently, to Transylvania University. He studied law under Hon. James Brown, United States Senator from Virginia, once Minister to France ; finished his legal preparation at the College of William and Mary, in Virginia; and, in 1805, estab- lished himself at Lexington, Kentucky, in the practice of his profession. He soon received the appointment of Commonwealth's Attorney, and filled the position with distinguished ability, attracting great attention over the country by his earnestness, eloquence, and superior legal

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attainments; as soon as he was eligible, in 1807 or 1809, was elected to the Lower House of the Legislature ; was several times returned to that branch of the Legis- lature; in 1817, was elected to the State Senate, serving four years; his career in the Legislature was very brill- iant; he was the advocate and friend of every measure that conduced to the general good; the champion of every principle involved in the prosperity and safety of the State; attracted the popular feeling by his earnest and impassioned eloquence; his views of State policy, advanced in the Legislature, became guides in after times; his report on the subject of public education con- tained the substance of all that has since been carried out in the advancement of the school interests of the State; and probably, as a Legislator, no man made, in so short a time, such a brilliant and satisfactory record in the State. In 1810, he was elected, without opposi- tion, to a seat in the Lower House of Congress, and served with distinction. When war was declared with England, in 1812, he entered, with great earnestness, into the cause of the country, which he pleaded elo- quently before the people. He went out as aid-de-camp to the fine old patriot, Gov. Shelby, participated in the memorable battle of the Thames, and distinguished him- self as a brave man, ready to defend, on the field of blood, the principles which he supported with such im- passioned eloquence at home, in the assemblies of the people. In 1814, he was a member of the Legislature, and was elected Speaker of the House; at an early period of the session, was chosen United States Senator, serving two years; in 1820, was elected Licutenant- Governor of the State, and presided over the sessions of the Senate for the next four years, devoting his intervals to the practice of his profession, with increased popu- larity, skill, and success; at this time, also serving as Professor of Law, in Transylvania University; became a prominent figure in the great contests over the State questions of relief, and the old and the new courts; but, with Rowan, Bibb, Bledsoe, and others, took the view finally decided against by the people of the State. He drew the bill for the establishment of the Bank of Kentucky, and, although it was assailed with great vigor at the time, it saved the State from utter bank- ruptcy. In 1828, he made the race for Governor, but was unsuccessful. He was appointed Postmaster-General, in 1829, by Gen. Jackson, and although this office had previously been the head of a bureau only, 'President Jackson invited Mr. Barry to a seat in his Cabinct meet- ings; and, from that time, the head of the post-office department has been a regular member of the Cabinet. His health failing, in 1835, the President appointed him Minister to Spain, with a view to improving his condi- tion by change of climate ; but he died at Liverpool, England, on the way to his mission, August 30, 1835. He was the leader of the Democratic party in the State;

was a man of ardent patriotism, talents of a superior order, great generosity of disposition, fiery eloquence, brave as a soldier, eminent and brilliant in his profes- sion ; and, in the many public positions he occupied, bold and fearless in his legislative acts; was a giant among the great lawyers of his day, and, as an advocate and popular speaker, was probably unsurpassed in the history of the State. Major Barry was twice married. His first wife was the daughter of John Overton, of Fayette County. Of their children, the wife of Col. James Taylor, of Newport, alone survives. His second wife was the sister of Hon. John T. Mason, of Virginia. One son survives from this marriage. The Legislature of Kentucky ordered the remains of William T. Barry, which had lain for eighteen years in a foreign land, to be brought home, and Governor Powell deputcd Andrew J. Barry, his only living son, to perform the mission ; and, November 8, 1854, the remains of the patriot states- man were re-interred, in that part of the cemetery at Frankfort dedicated to the distinguished dead of Ken- tucky. On the public square of Lexington, a portion of the people of that city have erected to his memory an unassuming monument.

ARSHALL, COL. CHARLES A., Agricultur- ist, youngest child of Capt. Thomas Marshall, was born May 2, 1809, at Washington, Mason County, Kentucky. His father was a native of Virginia; was the second son of Col. Thomas Marshall, and brother of Chief-Justice John Marshall; and was a captain in the Revolutionary army ; was the first clerk of Shenandoah County, Virginia ; came to Kentucky in 1790; settled in Mason County, and was the first clerk of the courts of that county ; was a member from that county to the second Constitutional Convention, in 1799; and was a man of fine mind, great strength and integrity of character, and was universally beloved. Col. Charles A. Marshall was educated chiefly in the school of his uncle, Dr. Lewis Marshall, and has spent his life in the pursuits of his farm, now residing near the place where he was born, in Mason County. In 1840, he was elected to the Lower House of the Legislature, as a Whig, without opposition ; in 1855, was again clected; and re-elected, in 1857, by the Amer- ican party. In 1861, he raised the Sixteenth Kentucky Union Regiment, by the solicitation of Gen. Robert An- derson, Gen. Nelson, and the loyal men of the county ; and served with the regiment, as its colonel, until failing health compelled him to resign, in the Spring of 1862. He remained a strong Union man throughout the war, and was highly serviceable to the people of his county in lightening the burdens and difficulties of the times. IIe has been, for over twenty years, an officer in the

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Presbyterian Church, and is one of the most valuable men of Mason County. He is a man of fine social quali- ties and unquestionable talent, and is distinguished for his bravery and great integrity of character. Col. Mar- shall was married, in 1833, to Phebe A. Baxter. They have eight living children-four sons and four daughters. Their son Thomas is now a prominent lawyer of Salt Lake City; and William L. is a lieutenant of engineers in the United States army.

ICKETT, ELDER JOSEPH DESHA, Pro- fessor of English Literature and Sacred History in Kentucky University, was born January 6, 1822, at Washington, Mason County, Ken- tucky. His ancestors were pioneers in the State, and were descended from French-Hugue- notic stock. His father, Hon. James C. Pickett, was an educated gentleman who filled many important po- sitions under the Government. (See sketch of Hon. James C. Pickett.) His mother was the daughter of Gov. Joseph Desha. Elder Pickett began his education under the supervision of his father. He afterwards attended Nassau Hall, and completed a most liberal ed- ucation at Bethany College, Virginia; subsequently trav- eled in Europe, Asia, and Africa, and made himself familiar with several foreign languages. He returned to Washington City, where he had moved when a boy, his father, during this period, being engaged in the Government service; soon after, became a professor in Bethany College, where he remained until after the commencement of the civil war; was a candidate for the Virginia Convention, but was defeated; removed his family to Kentucky; was elected to fill a vacancy from the county of Brooke, in the Convention at Richmond ; was in that body at its dissolution ; went South to look for a location or duty, wherever he might find it, in the line of his sympathies; joined the army as a chaplain; soon after identified himself with the troops from his native State, being chaplain to the famous First Ken- tucky Brigade, until his broken health compelled hin to leave the field, toward the close of the war. He founded the Kentucky Soldiers' Relief Society, and did much, through it, to alleviate the sufferings of the troops, and in its interests continued to labor until the close of the struggle. His memory will long be fresh in the affections of many a poor soldier in both contend- ing armies, who was the recipient of his loving min- istrations and care. When the end came, he settled at Lexington, and now fills an important place in the Ken- tucky University. Elder Pickett is a ripe scholar, an able teacher, an earnest and influential minister of his Church, and is a man of many noble and admirable traits.

PEED, PHILIP, Merchant, was born April 12, 1819, in Jefferson County, Kentucky. He re- ceived a good education, chiefly in the private schools of his native county; but also spent some time in the Indiana University, at Bloom- ington. After completing his education, he en- gaged in farming until 1858, when he went to Louisville and embarked in the manufacture of wood-working ma- chinery. When the war broke out, he was appointed, by Mr. Lincoln, paymaster in the United States Army, at Louisville; was subsequently made revenue collector of the Fifth Kentucky District, holding the position till 1868. He was soon after appointed general agent of the Western Cement Association, in which he is still en- gaged. Prior to the war, he was for a time member of the Louisville Board of Aldermen; was for two years a member of the Board of Education, and has long been prominently and honorably identified with the history of Louisville. He is a man of fine natural talent, strong common sense, and exceptionally good judgment ; is pos- sessed of admirable personal and social habits; is genial and attractive in manners, and is distinguished, as are the other members of his family, for his strict probity, his frank, generous, and manly dealings, and the un- demonstrative character of his life. Mr. Speed was married, in 1841, to Emma Keats, daughter of George Keats, of Louisville, and niece of the English poet, John Keats. They have had twelve children, nine of whom are yet living. His daughters are married to valuable men. His son, George K. Speed, is a member of the firm of A. D. Hunt & Co., bankers. His second son, John G. Speed, has for some time been employed as a civil engineer, in Philadelphia; but latterly has been employed on the " World," a prominent daily newspaper in New York. His third son, Thomas A. Speed, is a clerk in the Kentucky National Bank.

HROOP, THOMAS, Lawyer and Politician, was born May 10, 1809, in Alexandria, Virginia. He first learned the trade of a cabinet-maker, but afterwards studied law, and was admitted to the bar of Fauquier County, Virginia. He there married Miss Harriet Spindle, daughter of Col. Spindle, of Amissville, Virginia; emigrated to Kentucky, and settled at Flemingsburg, in 1834. He rose rapidly, and soon acquired a high position at the bar, being a fine speaker, a man of great research, quick perception, of uncommon tact, and comprehensive pow- ers; and became one of the most distinguished lawyers of Eastern Kentucky. He was a Democrat in politics; and, in May, 1847, received the nomination of that party for Congress in his district. The Whig candidate was Le- ander M. Cox, of the same town, who afterwards served

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two terms in Congress. The contest was warm; but, two weeks previous to the election, Mr. Throop was attacked by a fever, from which he died, eight days before time for the election, in August. The Hon. Richard French, of Montgomery, was then put on the ticket, and de- feated his opponent by over four hundred votes. Mr. Throop died in the very prime of life, when approach- ing his greatest personal, social, and professional popu- larity. He was preceptor to W. H. Cord, Frederick S. Rand, and Hon. J. W. Alexander. He left four chil- dren-one son and three daughters. Hon. R. H. Stan- ton and Thomas I. Throop, Esq., married his sisters. Phares and Benjamin Throop, his brothers, were physi- cians; and his brother Joseph was a merchant. Both of his parents died in Maysville, at venerable ages.

UKE, REV. HENRY S., Clergyman, was born January 29, 1805, in Ohio County, Kentucky. In 1820, he joined the Church, and, after a thor- ough preparation, having received a good liter- ary education, was licensed to preach, in 1824, under the direction of Rev. William Adams, on the Franklin Circuit; in the following year, was admit- ted on trial as a traveling preacher, in the Cumberland Circuit; in the next two years, in the Danville Circuit ; in 1828, was at Lancaster and Stanford ; in 1829, was on the Limestone Circuit ; in 1832, at Glasgow ; in the following year, was stationed at Frankfort; in 1832 and 1833, at Mount Sterling ; in 1834, at Maysville, and in 1835, in the Lexington District; and was Presiding Elder of that district at the time of his death, in 1836. He was a man of medium stature, of fine complexion, and admirable appearance; was an agreeable conversa- tionalist ; was exceedingly popular ; had a clear head, and, though not a brilliant preacher, was very successful, and was one of the most valuable ministers of the Meth- odist Church in his day. Mr. Duke was married, in 1828, to Miss Emily Thompson, of Garrard County, Kentucky.

ARSHALL, MARTIN, Lawyer, son of Rev. William Marshall, was born in Virginia, in 1778. His father was the brother of Col. Thomas Marshall, and was one of the distin- guished Virginian Baptist ministers who became prominent in establishing that Church in the territory of Kentucky. Martin Marshall was not a grad- uate of any college, but was liberally educated, under the best teachers of his time. He spent several years in the office of the Clerk of Mason County, at Wash- ington, and there studied law. In 1800, he settled, for the practice of his profession, at Augusta, Bracken

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The Biographical encyclopaedia of Kentucky of the dead and living men of the nineteenth century, Part 54

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