The Biographical encyclopaedia of Kentucky of the dead and living men of the nineteenth century, Part 56

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

USA > Kentucky > The Biographical encyclopaedia of Kentucky of the dead and living men of the nineteenth century > Part 56

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

ITTELL, WILLIAM, Lawyer, Author, and Poet ; probably a native of England; came to Kentucky in 1804. In 1805, he entered into a contract with the State, to publish, in three volumes, the statute laws, the first appearing in 1809; in 1822, he published his digest of the statutes from 1799 to that date, the work also containing notes on the decisions of the Court of Appeals, pre- pared, in part, by Jacob Swigert ; his reports finally ex- tended to five volumes, and included the decisions of the Court of Appeals from the Spring of 1822 to 1824; also published tlie unreported decisions of the court be-

tween 1795 and 1821, in what was termed his "Select Cases ; " also published a volume of miscellaneous writ- ings, and a small volume of poems of his own composi- tion, called "Festoons of Fancy," and a narrative of events in Kentucky, before the organization of the State. He died, September 26, 1824, at Frankfort, Kentucky, not leaving behind him much of this world's goods. Throughout his life he was a hard student, was exceedingly eccentric in his habits, and retiring in his manners. In 1818, Transylvania University conferred upon him the title of LL. D.

AVIE, HON. WINSTON JONES, the present State Commissioner of Agriculture, Horticul- ture, and Statistics, was born April 3, 1824, in Christian County, Kentucky. His father, Am- brose Davie, was a native of North Carolina, but came to Kentucky at a very early day, and was one of the most extensive and wealthy planters in Christian County. (See sketch of Major Ambrose Da- vie.) His family, in its various branches, are among the most distinguished people of North Carolina and the Southern States. His mother's maiden name was Eliza- beth Ann Woodson, a daughter of Major Daniel Wood- son, of Buckingham County, Virginia. Through his father and mother's kindred, he is related to the Lees, Venables, Joneses, Watkinses, Winstons, Henrys, Walk- ers, Chamberses, Wests, Logwoods, Saunderses, Petties, Dandridges, and other Virginia and North Carolina fami- lies, many members of which became noted in the civil and military history of the country. If there is any thing, therefore, in being well descended or well born, the sub- ject of this sketch enjoys the advantage to an eminent degree. In his early life, he was kept at the private schools of his neighborhood until his sixteenth year, when he entered the Freshman Class at Yale College, Connecticut, and graduated in the class of 1845, among such men as Henry Day, of the law firm of Lord & Day, in New York; W. A. Lord, of New York; Hon. S. D. Nickerson, of Boston; Col. James Redfield, who fell at Chickamauga; Major William Conner, of Mississippi, who was killed at Gettysburg; Hon. Carter Harrison, M. C .; Hon. A. P. Hyde; Hon. Daniel Chadwick, of Connecticut; Lieutenant-General Richard Taylor, of Louisiana; and a number of others, since distinguished throughout the country. Soon after returning home, he began the study of law, and obtained license to practice, but gave up the law for agricultural and commercial pursuits, to which he gave his entire attention; a part of the time conducting a banking business in Memphis, Tennessee, and a large flouring mill near Clarksville. He continued actively engaged in business until the breaking out of the civil war, in the mean time amass-

Eng d & Pt" by Homer Lce & Co.NY

UD Lavie 01

321

BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPÆDIA.

ing a considerable fortune, which he had invested prin- eipally in real estate and slaves. His part of Kentucky and Tennessee being a ground of constant dispute be- tween the contending armies, against the close of the war much of his estate was taken; and the freedom of the slaves, and the cotton burning done by the Union forces at Columbus, Georgia, and by the Con- federates at Memphis and in Arkansas, where Colo- nel Davie had large amounts stored, completely de- stroyed his large fortune, and left him entirely without means, and forced the sale of his large farms in Ken- tucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas, in order to pay debts, mostly indorsements. Always taking an active part in politics, being by birth and education a Jeffersonian Democrat, he made the race in 1850, and was elected to represent his native county in the State Legislature ; and, in 1853, he was the Democratic candidate for Con- gress, and, although the district was Whig by three thou- sand majority, he was defeated by only about five or six hundred votes, by Hon. Benjamin Edwards Grey. Since then he has steadily avoided all political affairs, except that for a short time he was a candidate for Congress, but declined the race before a convention was held. During the years 1864-5, he, in connection with Hon. Thomas P. Akers, was engaged in the brokerage busi- ness on Wall Street, New York, at which they were quite successful, but finally lost about all their gains, by attempting to sustain their customers when gold was declining so rapidly. Since the close of the war, he has been farming and trading in tobacco, each on a scale not so extensive as formerly, in order to make a sup- port and educate his sons, which he has succeeded in doing, but not without considerable toil and energy, owing to the fact that he had to work altogether with- out capital, and his pride prevented him from trying to get extended credit. Being naturally a deep thinker and fond of reading, he has found leisure, during all his press of business, for literary improvement ; and, being a thorough classical scholar, he is one of the best informed men in the State, upon the history, political, and statis- tical affairs of his own country, and of the institutions of the European nations. He is also exceedingly fond of the study of all scientific investigations, and is well posted in the present condition of all the arts and sci- ences, and the advancements making by the liberal- minded thinkers of Europe and America, upon all prac- tical and metaphysical subjects. In 1876, the State Bureau of Agriculture, Horticulture, and Statistics was formed, with a view to the systematic development of the resources of the State, inducing immigration, and putting the State in a condition before the country warranted by her incomparable wealth and advanta- ges. At the head of this bureau, he was placed by appointment from Governor McCreary, and now fills the position with great activity and benefit to the State,

being peculiarly qualified for it by his former pursuits, his learning, and his superior executive ability; and brings to his aid the experience of years of successful life, and a culture and range of information in an emi- nent degree fitting him to carry out the purposes of the office. His first volume of reports is now in print, and will soon appear, setting forth, in an exhaustive manner, the work of his department, and the agricultural, me- chanical, and commercial interests of the State. He has already published an excellent immigration pamphlet. He is a fine writer, having few equals in his field. He was, for a time, agricultural editor of the Louisville "Ledger," and subsequently editor-in-chief of the "Na- tional Granger," and has contributed largely to various journals of the country. He is broad and liberal in his poetical, scientific, and religious views, and, belonging to the Jeffersonian and Franklin school of thinkers, is not connected with any sectarian body. He has been, for many years, a Mason of high standing; is promi- nently connected with Grange movements in Kentucky and Tennessee, and is at present Vice-President of the National Agricultural Congress ; and is one of the most ready and effective and forcible public speakers in the State. Mr. Davie was married, in 1845, to Miss Sarah A. Philips, daughter of Gen. Charles Philips, of Harris County, Georgia, a most estimable, refined, and edu- cated lady, who died in 1859. From this marriage, he has two living children : Iredell P. Davie, a lawyer, of San Francisco, California ; and George M. Davie, of the law firm of Muir, Bijur & Davie, Louisville, Kentucky. He now resides in Frankfort and Louisville, and was again married, in 1861, to Addie E. Kalfus, daughter of the late J. W. Kalfus, of Louisville. By this mar- riage, he has one son-Southern K. Davie, now a cadet at the Kentucky Military Institute. The present Mrs. Addie K. Davie is a lady of uncommonly fine accom- plishments and intelligence, and is well suited to adorn any position which may be allotted her in life.

ACOB, JOHN I., son of William Jacob, was born in Baltimore, Maryland, about 1777; and died, April 1, 1852, in Louisville, Kentucky. He was raised by his uncle, John I. Jacob, father of- John I. Jacob, present Governor of West Virginia, at Romney, Hampshire County, Virginia. In early manhood, he settled in Louisville, forming a mercantile connection with Thomas Prather, one of Louisville's most valuable men. He spent a num- ber of ycars at Shepherdsville, where the demands of the times made it necessary for them to conduct a great part of their business. The old house of Prather & Jacob ex- isted for many years as one of the mostreliable business firms of Louisville. After the dissolution of their part-

322

BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPÆDIA.

nership, Mr. Jacob became President of the Branch Bank of the United States; and, after it was closed, was made President of the Bank of Kentucky, which position he resigned in 1836. He was for a number of years mem- ber of the City Council, and, in 1848, he became Presi- dent of the Louisville and Frankfort Railroad ; but grow- ing infirmity induced him to resign his position in 1852, and retire permanently from public business. He aided in the establishment of the Asylum for the Blind, and contributed greatly, in various ways, not only to the growth and prosperity of Louisville, but also to the ame- lioration of the condition of the poor and needy, display- ing a liberal hand in the great charities of the city. From time to time, he had purchased property throughout the city, which rapidly increased in value; and, by well- conducted, legitimate business, he accumulated a large fortune. Mr. Jacob was twice married; first, to Miss Anne O. Fontaine. The children by this marriage were: Mrs. Curran Pope; Mrs. John W. Tyler, now living ; and John I. Jacob, Jr., who died in 1873. His second wife was Lucy Donald Robertson; and, of their eight children, four are now living: Mrs. James B. Clay, of Lexington; Col. R. T. Jacob, of Westport ; Thomas P. Jacob; and Charles D. Jacob, present Mayor of Louisville.

AYCRAFT, HON. SAMUEL, was born August 14, 1795, in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, in a double, round log-cabin. His father was Sam- uel Haycraft, a Revolutionary soldier, and a man of great public and private worth, who settled in Kentucky early in the latter quarter of the eighteenth century. His mother was Margaret Van Meter, daughter of Jacob Van Meter, and belonged to one of the old and honorable pioneer families of the State. The subject of this sketch, now the oldest and most remarkable man living in Elizabethtown, spent nearly seven years of his boyhood in the country schools, the last two chiefly in studying the Latin language, of which he confesses that he now knows very little. He has been a careful, discriminating, and extensive reader, and few men of the country have been so thoroughly and universally well informed. His long public career was commenced when he was fourteen years of age. At that time, in October, 1809, he began to write in the of- fice of the County and Circuit Clerk, Major Ben Helm. The duties of this position he performed, with little va- riation, until 1816, when he received the appointment of Clerk of both Circuit and County Courts of Hardin County, and held this clerkship, uninterruptedly, until 1857. He says of himself, " that, from the time he en- tered this office, he was attentive to business, and never neglected it; but, in leisure moments, was fond of gay and lively company, particularly of dancing parties, but

hardly ever descended to low company or rowdyism, but was a wild, wicked sinner." On retiring from this office, in 1851, the court and bar adopted, and placed on record, resolutions in every way flattering to him in his official capacity, as well as social and private re- lations of life. In 1851, he began the practice of law at the Elizabethtown bar; but, after four years of legal practice, was again called by the people to fill the va- cant clerkship of the Circuit Court, caused by the death of the incumbent. - In 1857, he returned to the practice of law ; but, as before, was not destined to continue for any great length of time, for, in 1858, he was elected to represent the people in the State Senate. This position he held for four years. He was, therefore, a member of the Legislature during the most important and critical period of the State's history. His record made in that body was most honorable to himself, and, in the light of the present, is stamped by a wisdom, foresight, and fearless devotion to just and true principles, of which any man might well be proud. He was instrumental in enacting some measures beneficial to the general good ; and it was through his efforts, mainly, that the Legisla- ture was induced to appropriate even the meagre sum it did for the erection of a monument to Daniel Boone. And, in that body, he was one of the most determined and staunch supporters of the Union. He was then sixty-seven years of age, and had lived with his father through the greater part of the life-time of the nation, and now stood in the Senate, gray with time and honor, one of the noblest Romans of them all, ever ready to say, "The Union must and shall be preserved." But neither in that august body or among his friends and neighbors at home, was he ever obnoxious in his opin- ions; but, on the contrary, conciliatory, generous, and dis- criminating, claiming only to himself his private opinions, and deeply sympathizing with the troubles of his neigh- bors and the evils and misfortunes of the times. In 1862, he was again elected Clerk of the Circuit Court, and served six years. In 1868, at the age of seventy-three, he retired from public life, after an unparalleled service of sixty-five years, and has since lived in his comfort- able home in Elizabethtown, in the enjoyment of fine health, with honorable memories strewn over his long life-way, and no man, in all his knowledge, whom he could call enemy. Privately and socially, his life pre- sents a record as remarkable as presented in his public career. He says of himself, that "on the first Saturday in April, 1832, my wife and I were baptized by Elder Warren Cash, who also married us; and, in answer to my mother's prayers, she lived to see all her children in the Church, and to hear her youngest son preach the Gospel." For fourty-four years he has been a member of the Baptist Church; for forty years he has been teacher and superintendent of Sabbath-schools; for forty-three years he has observed family prayers twice a

323

BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPÆDIA.

day. He has read the Old Testament twelve times through, and the New thirty times. His notes have filled six volumes, of one hundred and fifty pages or more each. In 1835, on December 4th, he became deacon in his Church, and has held the position ever since, with the greater part of its responsibilities resting upon him ; has every year since his connection with the

Church been its messenger to the Association. For several years, was Trustee of Georgetown College, to which he made some bequests. When he and his wife joined the Church, they stood on the list as 136 and 137; now they stand at the head of the list, all others being dead. Of himself, he says: "I have occupied the same seat in the church for over forty years, and never sit back in the scorner's place. On the 29th of October 1818, I was married to Sarah Brown Helm, a daugh- ter of Judge John Helm, of Breckinridge County. She is still living, having stood by me fifty-seven years as a pillar of strength. I regard that transaction as the most fortunate move of my life, temporally speaking." So he characteristically wrote. They have four living children: Edgar H. is a business man of De Soto, Iowa; Sarah M. is wife of S. McMurtry, of Hardin County ; Louisa Ann is wife of William H. Dix, of Breckinridge County; and Margaret J. is wife of C. D. Poston, once Representative in Congress, from Ari- zona. Mr. Haycraft has been a fine public speaker, and one of the most entertaining conversationalists in the world. His disposition to joke is inveterate, and still adheres to him, and a vein of humor would seem to underlie the most serious moments of his life. He has been a man of fine address, most genial tempera- ment, and courteous manners, with splendid personal appearance; and few men of his age, in all the land, show such high preservation of all the noble elements of manhood. He is to-day a standing monument of the effects of correct principles and practices of life, both physically and mentally. And yet he modestly says: " My life has been rather quiet and monotonous, and does not afford much matter for history, especially of an extraordinary character."

UMMINS, DAVID, M. D., a distinguished Physician and Surgeon, of Louisville, was born April 7, 1826, in Jefferson County, Kentucky. He is of Scotch-Irish descent. His father was a worthy farmer of Jefferson County, and in the country schools he received his early education. He early evinced a fondness for medicine, and, in 1845, began his professional studies with Dr. J. R. McCon- achia, of Jefferson County, and afterwards continucd study with Dr. H. M. Bullitt, of Louisville. In 1849, he graduated, in medicine, in the University of Louis-

ville, and, in the same year, began practice, in connec- tion with Dr. H. M. Bullitt, in that city .. From 1851 to 1861, he was Demonstrator of Anatomy in the Ken- tucky School of Medicine, at Louisville; and, in 1861, was elected Professor of Anatomy in the same School, and occupied that chair until the progress of the war, in the following year, made it necessary to discontinue the sessions of that institution. For thirteen years he was Surgeon to the City Hospital, and was for a time President of the City Board of Health; and has for many years been prominently active in the medical and health interests of the city. In the medical profession, he stands deservedly high, his general practice being large and valuable. In. some special lines of surgery, he has made an enviable reputation ; and, indeed, few men stand so high in general surgery throughout the country. He is a man of admirable bearing ; of excep- tional professional, personal, and social habits; and of great moral worth, having the respect and esteem of the profession, and the kindly regard and confidence of the community. He is prominently connected with some of the social organizations of the day, but his professional interests and inclinations afford him little opportunity to participate in political turmoil. Dr. Cummins was married, in 1862, to Miss Henrietta Beach, of Jefferson- ville, Indiana, a lady of great moral and social worth. They have no children now living.

IGGS, ROBERTSON MILLS, Farmer, Mer- chant, and Iron Manufacturer, was born Feb- ruary 9, 1804, at Mt. Sterling, Kentucky. He was son of Andrew and Judith ( Robertson) Biggs, and grandson of Rev. William Biggs, a Presbyterian clergyman, who emigrated from Ireland about the close of the Revolution. His father was an Indian fighter and a soldier of the war of 1812. The Robertsons were Scotch-Irish, and belonged to the same family as Judge George Robertson, of Lexington. The subject of this sketch received his education at Mt. Sterling, but, when a young man, went to reside in Greenup County. Under the singular working of the old Constitution, he became sheriff of that county, and held the office as much as sixteen years. He also car- ried on a farm, and engaged in merchandising in that county until 1847. During this time he had bought twenty-two thousand acres of land in Carter and Greenup Counties, and commenced building Mt. Savage Furnace, located on his lands, and which is still one of the most valuable furnaces in Eastern Kentucky. Six thousand acres of the most valuable parts of this land are yet owned by his heirs. Hc was one of the original pro- prietors and founders of Ashland, and owned a large interest in the town company during his life. Under

324

BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPÆDIA.

the management of this company, the first lots in the site of Ashland were offered for sale in May, 1854. On the failure of the Lexington and Big Sandy Railroad Company, he became one of its purchasers, in 1860, and occupied the position of president in the new company until his death. His heirs still own their interest in the western end of the Lexington and Big Sandy road. He was chiefly instrumental in obtaining the charter for the Ashland Bank. He was largely engaged in iron works, and was one of the most energetic and successful iron men of his time. In 1840 and 1841, he represented Greenup County in the Legislature, and was, politically, a Whig. During the war he was conservative and in favor of compromise, yet was without sympathy in the cause of secession. Although he was not a Church member, he was chiefly identified with the Presbyte- rians; yet he was the friend of all Churches, and all worthy causes in the community; and was personally void of vanity or a desire for display. He was of me- dium size, full of activity, never wearying of business or duty. He was one of the thirty or more who lost their lives, January 4, 1868, by the sudden explosion of the steamer " Harry Dean," on the Ohio river near Galli- polis. Captain Biggs was married, October 22, 1834, to Ann E. Culver, daughter of John Culver, of Greenup County, one of the earliest iron men of that region. They had three children, two daughters and one son. Their daughter, Virginia, is wife of Dr. M. H. Young, a prominent physician of Ashland; Elizabeth, wife of F. K. Ferrell, of Ashland, Kentucky; and Robertson Mills Biggs, Jr., is a young business man of Ashland.

AWTHORN, JACOB, Retired Merchant, was born May 12, 1816, near Morgantown, Monon- gahela County, West Virginia. His father, Robert Hawthorn, was a native of the north of Ireland; emigrated to this country while young ; was a farmer and manufacturer by pur- suit ; commanded a company of dragoons in the early Indian wars, and in the war of 1812; he died in Vir- ginia, in 1845. His mother, Mary Kiger, was a native of Winchester, Virginia, and daughter of Jacob Kiger, a farmer of Shenandoah Valley. Jacob Hawthorn re- ceived a common English education, and, at an early age, became a clerk in a store at Wheeling, where he remained eleven years. In 1837, he located first at Cov- ington, and has since resided in Newport, Kentucky. He was engaged in merchandising in connection with Richard Southgate, under the firm name of Southgate, Hawthorn & Co., with little interruption, until 1857. In that year he became one of the executors of the large estate of Mr. Southgate, and to that has since given much of his time and attention. In 1862, he was

elected to represent Campbell County in the Legislature, and served two terms. He has been many times elected to the City Council, serving as President or member of that body for about fifteen years, and has been variously prominent in the affairs of the community. Politically, he is a Republican, and as such, was elected to the Legislature. He was a Whig until the dissolution of that party. In 1860, he voted for Bell and Everett. Religiously, he is connected with the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Hawthorn was married, in 1842, to Miss Mary L. Southgate, daughter of Richard Southgate, one of the early, wealthy, and valuable lawyers and business men of Newport, Kentucky.

RVINE, CAPT. CHRISTOPHER, was a native of Virginia, and came to Kentucky in 1778, settling in Madison County. In 1786, at the head of a company, he marched with Gen. Logan against the Indians in Northern Ohio ; with his brother, Col. William Irvine, built Irvine's Station, near Richmond; was a man of great energy, vigorous intellect, and uncommon daring ; stood universally high among the pioneers. He was killed in an expedition against the Indians into Ohio. In honor of him and his brother (Captain William), Irvine, Estill County, was named. His widow married Richard Hick- man, who became Lieutenant-Governor of Kentucky, and was one of the most worthy of the early men of this State.

RATT, WILLIAM M., D. D., Minister of the Baptist Church, was born in Madison County, New York, January 13, 1817. He is son of Dr. Daniel Pratt, an eminent physician of Massa- chusetts, and a surgeon in the United States army in the war of 1812; and is brother of Hon. Daniel D. Pratt, one of the most distinguished lawyers of Indiana, and ex-United States Senator. His mother was Sallie Hill, of Maine, a descendant of John Rogers, the martyr, a woman of great moral and relig- ious worth. Dr. Pratt began his education in the com- mon-schools, and, besides taking the common-school course, prepared for college at the Oneida Conference Seminary, at Cazenovia, New York; then entered Ham- ilton (now Madison) University, at Hamilton, New York, where he took the full four years' collegiate and two years' theological course, and graduated in 1839. The teachers in that institution were then among the most eminent men of the Baptist Church, and Hamilton was then the main seat of learning for that denomination west of New England. The day after graduating, he

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

The Biographical encyclopaedia of Kentucky of the dead and living men of the nineteenth century, Part 56

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