The Biographical encyclopaedia of Kentucky of the dead and living men of the nineteenth century, Part 61

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 61

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).

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own expense over a great part of the State in its behalf; has increased the number of lodges from sixteen to one hundred and thirty-eight, and holds the office of Grand Worthy Chief. He is a man of strong affections and kindly sympathies, and the poor have in him a good friend and benefactor.

UNAVAN, MAJ. CHASTEEN T., was born in June, 1789, in Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, Virginia, and died April 15, 1857. His father died in Virginia ; and, while a child, he was brought to Bowling Green, by the father of Ashur W. Graham, and was, for a number of years, a clerk in Mr. Graham's store. He went out in the war of 1812, as a private soldier, and rose to the rank of major. He served, for nearly forty years, as sheriff of his county, rendering great satisfac- tion to the county and the State; and was one of the most conscientious and upright men. Although obtain- ing a limited early education, he devoted much of his time to literary pursuits, and collected a fine library. He was one of the most even-tempered, pacific men in his habits; took a great interest in all matters of im- portance to his community ; accumulated a considerable fortune; stood high in some of the social organizations, and was one of the most highly esteemed and best citi- zens of Warren County, which he represented in the last State Constitutional Convention. His widow, and six of their children, survived him.

ICKLIFFE, HON. DANIEL CARMICHAEL, Lawyer and Editor, was born March 15, 1810, ·in Lexington, Kentucky. He received a lib- eral education, graduating at Transylvania Uni- versity, under the presidency of Dr. Holley, at the age of seventeen. He studied law, and entered upon the practice of that profession at Winches- ter, Kentucky ; in 1838, became editor and proprietor of the "Observer and Reporter," at Lexington, and gave the remainder of his life chiefly to journalism; was editor of that paper for nearly twenty-seven years; in 1862, became Secretary of State under Governor Robin- son ; and, in 1865, retired entirely from his connection with the press, but not until after having accumulated a considerable fortune. During the long period in which he was editor of the "Observer and Reporter," he ad- vocated, with great earnesthess, the doctrines of Henry Clay, and received from that statesman no small share of his confidence and friendship. After the dissolution of the Whig party, he attached himself to the Democracy, and became one of the most influential and powerful

supporters of that party. He was one of the most able newspaper writers who ever lived in Kentucky, justly occupying a place by the side of George D. Prentice. Belonging to the pro-slavery wing of the Whig party, he fiercely opposed the introduction of any emancipation element into the Constitutional Convention of 1849; in 1860, favored the election of Bell and Everett, and was opposed to secession. During the progress of the civil war, he became conservative in his tendencies, but acted strictly with the Democratic party. He was a man of fine social qualities, agreeable and attractive in manners, and few men ever lived in the State who exerted a wider influence. Mr. Wickliffe died May 3, 1870. He was married, November 25, 1844, to Miss Virginia Cooper, the accomplished daughter of Rev. Spencer Cooper, a pious, energetic, widely known, and valuable minister of the Methodist Church of Lexington. His widow still survives.

ESSUP, GEN. THOMAS S., Soldier, was born in 1785, in Pennsylvania, from which State his family emigrated, about the beginning of the present century, and settled in Mason County, Kentucky. He began the business of life as a clerk in a store at Maysville, but, in 1808, entered the army as a second lieutenant, and was pro- moted for meritorious service; in 1818, became Quarter- master-General, with the rank of brigadier-general, and was mainly engaged in that capacity until his death, which occurred June 10, 1860. He was the second to Henry Clay, in his duel with John Randolph, and was long and warmly attached to Mr. Clay. He was a man of great honor and bravery, and stood de- servedly high in the army ; and, at his death, in a gen- eral order from the War Department, it was announced that he was one of the few veterans remaining in the regular army of that gallant band who served in the war of 1812; a man long known, respected, and beloved alike for his varied and distinguished public services, his sterling integrity, untiring devotion to business, con- stancy in friendship, and genial, social qualities.

HACKELFORD, TALIAFERRO O., was born May 1, 1818, in Madison County, Kentucky. His father, Col. George Shackelford, was a na- tive of King and Queen County, Virginia ; came to Kentucky about 1798, and, after re- maining until 1835, returned to Virginia, where he died. His mother was Martha Hockaday, a native of New Kent County, Virginia; and, of their seven chil- dren, only two survive -- the subject of this sketch, and

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the wife of E. J. Hockaday, of Greenup County, Ken- tucky. He received a good English education, in the best schools of his native county; and, at the age of fifteen, commenced mercantile pursuits at Richmond ; subsequently carried on business at Lexington, Paris, and Shelbyville; and, in 1858, was appointed Master in Chancery for the Circuit Court of Shelby County, which position he filled for fourteen years; and, after retiring to his farm, in 1877, was appointed Surveyor of Customs at the port of Louisville, by President Hayes, and re- moved to that city. In politics, he belonged to the Whig party, and, in 1876, was the Republican candi- date for Congress from the Seventh Kentucky District, his successful opponent being Hon. J. C. S. Blackburn. He is connected with several society organizations, and is an active member of the Christian Church. He is a man of fine personal and social habits, systematic and painstaking, and stands deservedly high for his business capacity and integrity of character. Mr. Shackelford was married, in 1858, to Miss P. A. Whitaker, of Shel- byville, Kentucky, daughter of Major James S. Whita- ker, who was for thirty-nine years Clerk of the County Court, and granddaughter of Col. Aquilla Whitaker, one of the distinguished pioneers of Kentucky. (See sketch of Col. Aquilla Whitaker.) They have one liv- ing child, James W. Shackelford, now engaged in cattle- raising in Colorado.

LCORN, JAMES WALKER, Lawyer, was born July 21, 1838, in Lincoln County, Kentucky. His parents were Alfred and Mary (Walker) Alcorn, both natives of the same county, and his father was a farmer by pursuit. His grand- father, James Alcorn, came from Virginia, and settled in Lincoln County in 1801, and was a captain in the war of 1812. His mother was a daughter of Jesse Walker, a Virginian, who was also one of the early set- tlers of Lincoln County, and one of its first justices. He was educated chiefly at Centre College; in 1857, began to read law at Stanford, under the direction of Thomas P. Hill; was admitted to the bar in the following year, and located at Stanford for the practice of his pro- fession. In 1862, he entered the Confederate army, as Adjutant of the Sixth Kentucky Cavalry, under Gen. Morgan; participated in the battle of Murfreesboro, and a vast number of lesser engagements and skirmishes; finally, was captured, during the famous Morgan raid through Ohio; confined at Johnson's Island, Point Lookout, Fort Delaware, and other Federal prisons; and released, after twenty-three months, at the close of the war. Broken in health, he returned home, and soon afterwards resumed the law practice. From 1859 to 1862, he was Master Commissioner of the Circuit Court

for Lincoln County, but has not sought public office. He is a Democrat in politics, and voted for John C. Breckinridge, in 1860. Mr. Alcorn was married, Sep- tember 13, 1865, to Miss Sophie Kindrick, a native of Pulaski County, and a daughter of Farmer John S. Kin- drick, of that county.

ELLS, ELISHA F., Farmer and Stock-breeder, was born in Shelby County, Kentucky, in the year 1806, being the second son of Haydon Wells and Nancy Ford, of that county, who had seven sons and four daughters, all of whom lived to be grown and married, except the old- est son. His grandfather was Carter Wells, whose wife was Peggy Bush, both natives of Virginia, who settled near Shelbyville, Shelby County, Kentucky, about eighty years ago. They had two sons and five daugh- ters, all of whom lived to be married, and settled in Kentucky, except the oldest daughter, who remained in Virginia, having married a Mr. Fristo, from which mar- riage sprung a numerous family in that State. The maternal grandfather of the subject of this sketch was Elisha Ford, who married an O'Neal, of South Carolina, and removed to Shelby County, Kentucky, about the same time the Wells family came from Virginia. The early education of Elisha F. Wells was in the usual log school-house of that day. His father being a farmer, Elisha remained with him upon the farm until 1831, when, having received a few hundred dollars, and a small portion inherited from his father's estate, he married, rented a farm, and continued farming until the the time of his second marriage, when he also managed a country store. In 1841, he removed to Nelson County, Kentucky, where he bought a small farm on the East Fork of Cox's Creek, and there resided until 1854, when he sold out, and purchased a farm of seven hundred and five acres of "Blue Grass" land, on Cox's Creek, seven miles north of Bardstown. For this place, on which he now resides, he paid $26,000, and has greatly improved it by grassing and resting. It is well watered and timbered, divided into large fields, well set in grass and orchard. Mr. Wells has no superior in Nelson County, as a stock-breeder. In the politics of a quarter of a century ago, he was an old Clay Whig, and has modified his present political views but little. The doc- trines of national economy, no wasteful "internal im- provements," and justice to the rights of the States, have always suited him. Although a strong "States Rights" man, he was a sturdy opponent of secession in any manner or form. In his youth, he united with the Baptist denomination, at Dover, in Shelby County, Ten- nessee, where he was an active member until he moved to Nelson County, changing his membership to the

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Cox's Creek Baptist Church; in this congregation, he was elected deacon, and served as such for several years. He has, in his Church relations, been active and liberal, giving largely and cheerfully to the Church, at home and abroad. He has, at his side in the congregation, his wife and five children. His first marriage was in 1831, with Phobe Smith, of Woodford County, who died four years later, leaving two children. His second mar- riage occurred in 1839, to Julia Ann Stallard, of Nelson County, by whom he has seven children. Of the chil- dren by his first marriage, Elizabeth, his daughter, mar- ried E. W. Graves, of Nelson County. Her brother, Yelverton Wells, has been twice married : first, to Elizabeth M. Beard, by whom he has two sons; and, second, to Amelia Stallard, by whom he has no issue. Of his children by the second marriage, all are living : David T. Wells, married to a daughter of Abner King; Pitts W. Wells, married to Josephine Wiggton; Euphe- mia Wells, married to J. R. Wells; Elias B., Anna B., and E. Ford Wells, being still at their father's home- stead. Elisha F. Wells has always been a friend and liberal supporter of the cause of education and neigh- borhood improvements. Having always employed his time and means carefully and beneficially to the care of himself, his family, and the community in which he has so long lived, he is now, in his later years, enjoying, beneath his own roof, and in the society of his beloved children, all the advantages of a prudent and well spent life.

YOHNSON, GOV. WILLIAM, Lawyer, was born December 4, 1817, in Nelson County, Kentucky. His father, William Johnson, was a native of Maryland; emigrated to Kentucky, in 1804, and engaged in agricultural pursuits; was jus- tice of the peace, from 1817 to 1838, the time of his death: William Johnson, after completing a good English education, began life as a merchant, in the store of Charles McManus. In 1840, Mr. McManus died, and left him his executor. A few years afterwards, he began the study of the law, under the distinguished Ben. Har- din; was admitted to the bar, in 1849, and at once entered upon the practice of his profession, at Bards- town, in which he has met with fine success, and taken position among the leading lawyers of his section. He was County Attorney for Nelson County, from 1851 to 1862; and was State Senator from the Fourteenth Dis- trict, from 1865 to 1873. On account of the death of Gov. Helm, a vacancy occurred in the office of Speaker- ship of the Senate, to which he was elected, December 2, 1867, and was, by virtue of his position, Lieutenant- Governor of the State, serving in that capacity for two years. In 1869, during the absence of Gov. Stevenson, he acted as Governor of the State. He was appointed

by the Legislature as one of the commissioners to revise the general statutes of the Commonwealth. He was an active member of the old Whig party until its dissolu- tion, since which he has been a firm supporter of the cause of the Democracy. In 1872, he became a convert to the Roman Catholic Church; is a man of fine per- sonal and business habits, of pleasant and agreeable manners, and is one of the most substantial and valua- ble men of his county. Gov. Johnson was married, in 1855, to Miss Nannie Crow, of Boyle County, daughter of Benjamin Crow. Of their five children, three sons and one daughter are living.

OCKHART, HON. GEORGE CATLETT, Lawyer, was born April 28, 1847, at Lexing- ton, Kentucky. Henry Lockhart, his father, was a native of the north of Ireland, near Londonderry; canie to America, in 1807, with

his father's family, and located at Newburg, New York; in 1826, he settled in Fayette County, and subsequently in Bourbon, where he remained during his life, as a farmer and trader. His mother, Sarah ( Rich- ardson ) Lockhart, was a native of Clarke County, and daughter of Marquis Richardson and his wife, Henrietta Catlett, originally Virginians. He was raised in Lex- ington, attending the best schools of the place, and, finally, completing his education in Transylvania Uni- versity. Leaving college, in 1861, he taught school for several years, in Bath and Jessamine Counties. During 1865, and 1866, he was editor of the "Sentinel," for- merly the " Whig," of Mt. Sterling. During all these years he had occupied his leisure time in reading law, and, in 1867, was admitted to the bar; but for the two succeeding years, he continued to teach school and study, at Independence, Missouri. In 1870, he returned to Kentucky, and located at Paris, where he has since been actively and successfully engaged in his profession. In 1875, he was elected, as a Democrat, to represent Bour- bon County in the State Legislature, and is at present a member of that body.

ANNA, JOHN HARRIS, Lawyer and Banker, was a native of Pennsylvania, and came to . Kentucky while a boy, settling in the central part of the State, and, during the last fifty years of his life, was a resident of Frankfort, and died at that place, in 1861. He studied law, and practiced that profession for some time at Frankfort ; he was appointed' Clerk of the United States Circuit and District Courts, a position which he held for over thirty years; and, towards the latter part of his life, was,

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for many years, President of the Farmers' Bank at Frank- fort; engaged largely in mercantile enterprises, and owned a considerable interest in woolen, cotton, and flour mills; was, for fifteen years, one of the owners of the stage line running from Louisville to Lexington ; owned a large part of the land on which Frankfort is built, and, owing to his progressive and liberal ideas, was largely instrumental in building up that city; aided in all public enterprises, being bountiful towards every object of charity; at his own expense, built the Episco- pal church at Frankfort, which has only been slightly changed, in the last few years, from the original design ; founded the parish school connected with that Church, and donated a considerable sum for the permanent benefit of the Widows' and Orphans' Home, under the same denomination, of which he was an earnest member ; took an active part in building the bridge across the Kentucky river, at Frankfort, and was prominently identified with every movement of importance to the community; amassed a considerable fortune, and was distinguished, throughout his life, for the free use of his means in the promotion of every good cause, being known as one of the most wide-spirited, free-hearted, and philanthropic men who ever lived in Frank- fort. He was twice married: first, to the daughter of Judge Thomas Todd; and, afterwards, to Mary Sophia Hunt, daughter of John W. Hunt, one of the early settlers and most worthy and prominent citizens of Lex- ington. He had two children, both of whom died in infancy.

LAY, GENERAL GREEN, Surveyor, Farmer, and Soldier, was born August 14, 1757, in Pow- hatan County, Virginia, and was the son of Charles Clay. His family was of English ori- gin. Prompted by the spirit of adventure, he came to Kentucky before he was twenty years of age; soon after entered the office of the surveyor ; acquired great skill, himself, in that pursuit, and was engaged for several years in surveying and locating lands in the upper and south-western parts of Kentucky; and, according to the custoin of that day, received one- half of the land for surveying and locating it, and thus laid the foundation for a great fortune. Although de- voting. his energies to the accumulation of a large landed estate, he gave his attention extensively to the various interests of the country ; represented the District of Kentucky in the Virginia Legislature; was a member of the Virginia Convention which ratified the Constitu- tion of the United States, in 1789, and spoke and voted for that instrument ; was a leading member of the con- vention that framed the second Constitution of Ken- tucky, in 1799; represented Madison County for a long time in both branches of the Legislature, and was a

Speaker of one branch of that body; and distinguished himself, not only by his great ability and judgment as a law-maker, but also by his devotion to the interests of his immediate constituents. In 1813, he was made Brigadier-General, previously having been a Major-Gen- eral of Militia, and led three thousand Kentucky volun- teers to the relief of General Harrison, then besieged at Fort Meigs, by the British; cut his way through the hostile lines, and, by the accession of his strength to the fort forced the enemy to withdraw; was left in com- mand of the fort, which was soon after attacked by a large force of British and Indians, under General Proctor and Tecumseh, and was highly complimented by Gen- eral Harrison, for his successful defense of the fort. At the close of the war, he retired to his estate, in Ken- tucky, and devoted the remainder of his life to agricul- tural pursuits; and died at his residence, . October 31, 1826. He was one of the most distinguished men of his times, and, in honor of him, Clay County was so named. He was married to Sallie Lewis, and their most distin- guished child is Hon. Cassius M. Clay, now a resident of Madison County, Kentucky. ( See sketch of Cassius M. Clay).

LAY, GEN. CASSIUS MARCELLUS, Ameri- can Politician, son of Gen. Green Clay, was born October 19, 1810, in Madison County," Kentucky, where he now resides, his father's family being the first whites who settled on that land. (See sketch of Gen. Green Clay. ) He was educated under private tutors and at Transylvania University, and graduated at Yale College, in 1832. He studied law, and attended lectures in Transylvania Law School, as an aid to political life, but never practiced, and has always been a farmer. In 1834, he was elected to the Lower House of the Legislature, and was re- elected, in 1836, from Madison County; removed to Lexington ; represented Fayette County in the Legisla- ture, in 1838 and 1839 ; was defeated on the slavery issue in the race for re-election ; was a member of the Harris- burg Whig Convention, in 1840, which nominated Gen. Harrison for the Presidency ; in 1844, made a tour through the North, advocating the election of his rela- tive, Henry Clay ; in 1845, issued, at Lexington, the first number of the "True America," a weekly antislavery paper, which, during his sickness, was seized by the citizens of Lexington, and his entire printing establish- ment sent to Cincinnati. He afterward revived and printed the paper in Cincinnati and Louisville, and cir- culated it over Kentucky. On the breaking out of the war with Mexico, in 1846, he entered the service as a captain, and was taken prisoner at Encarnacion, in 1847; in 1848, he supported Gen. Taylor ; in 1849, he influ- enced the assembling of a large number of emancipa-

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tionists in convention, at Frankfort, and in the following year became the antislavery candidate for, Governor, receiving about four thousand votes. In 1862, he was sent by President Lincoln on a private mission to the Kentucky Legislature ; in 1861, was made Minister to Russia; was recalled in the Spring of 1862, and com- missioned major-general of volunteers, succeeding Gen. Lew Wallace, at Lexington, Kentucky ; and marched, at the head of his corps, against the invading army of Bragg, but was soon succeeded by the arrival of Gen. Nelson ; and, in the Spring of 1863, was reappointed Minister to Russia, serving under Presidents Lincoln, Johnson, and Grant, until the Fall of 1869, his service in Russia being of great benefit to the American Gov- ernment, Russia being the only Europcan country kept actively on the side of the Union during the great rebell- ion. At the commencement of the civil war, he com- manded a volunteer regiment, at Washington City, and for his services received a pistol from Abraham Lincoln. He has been an elaborate and cxtensive writer, mainly discussing great political subjects, yet many of his liter- ary articles have been widely circulated, and he was one of the most influential and consistent among all the American advocates of emancipation. In 1848, Horace Greeley published a volume of Mr. Clay's speeches. Mr. Clay was marricd, in 1833, to Mary J. Warfield, daughter of Dr. E. Warfield, of Lexington, Kentucky, celebrated as the raiser of the race-horse "Lexington." He has six living children, four of whom are married. He has been connected with a large number of literary societies in this country and Europe; has been associ- ated with all the political movements of the country ; throughout the greater part of his life, was the boldest of all the enemies of slavery; and has taken rank among the most noted political reformers of his age.

RIMBLE, HON. ROBERT, Lawyer and Judge, was born in Berkeley County, Virginia; and, when three years old, was brought to Kentucky by his parents. He received the best education the limited circumstances of his father, and the early educational advantages of the country, then afforded. He began the study of the law, under the distinguished George Nicholas, and completed his preparations for his profession under Hon. James Brown. He began the practice of the law, in 1803, at Paris, Kentucky; was elected to the Legislature in Bourbon County, in the same year; refused to serve in a political position, devoting himself with great energy to the prac- tice of his profession; in 1808, became second Judge of the Court of Appeals; retained that position but a short time; in 1810, was appointed Chief-Justice of Kentucky, but, owing to his poverty, declined to accept the posi-

tion; in 1813, was appointed District Attorney for the State; in 1816, was appointed Judge of the Kentucky District, by President Madison, filling that office until 1826; in that year, was appointed to the supreme bench of the United States, by John Quincy Adams. He was not only one of the first lawyers of Kentucky, but was considered one of the most able men of the nation. His private life was marked by the same admirable traits that distinguished his public career; his simple habits and noble nature shedding a lustre on his entire life. Judge Trimble died August 25, 1828.

RESTON, GENERAL WILLIAM, Lawyer and Soldier, was born October 16, 1816, at his father's residence, near Louisville, Kentucky. His great-grandfather, John Preston, emigrated from the County of Derry, Ireland, and settled in Augusta County, Virginia, about the year 1739. The only son of John Preston was William Pres- ton, one of the most considerable men of his day; a colonel in the Revolutionary army ; with his son-in-law, Col. McDowell, of Rockbridge, and others, planned the battle of King's Mountain ; was wounded at Guilford, and died during the war for independence. He had controlled the surveys of the western part of Virginia, and the entire region now comprised in the State of Kentucky ; and had received a military grant of a thou- sand acres of land, near the falls of the Ohio, a part of which is now occupied by the city of Louisville. This he left to his third son, William, who entered the regu- lar army, and served with credit under Wayne, and in the defense of the West; and subsequently married Car- oline Hancock, daughter of Col. George Hancock, an officer in the Revolutionary War, a member of Con- gress, and a man greatly beloved in his State, who died at Fotheringay, Virginia, August 1, 1820; and, in 1815, he removed to Kentucky, and settled on his patrimonial estate, near Louisville, where he died in 1821. Gen. Preston was his son, and was liberally educated at Au- gusta College, St. Joseph's College, Kentucky, and at New Haven, Connecticut. In his twenty-second year, he graduated from the law department of Harvard Uni- versity, then under the control of Judge Story and Pro- fessor Greenleaf ; in 1840, entered on the practice of the law at Louisville, associated with Hon. William J. Graves; but has always devoted much of his time to the interests of his large estate. During the war with Mexico, he served as Lieutenant-Colonel of the Fourth Regiment of Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, belonging to the command of General William O. Butler. At the close of the war, he returned to Louisville, where, in 1849, he was elected member of the convention which framed the present Constitution of

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The Biographical encyclopaedia of Kentucky of the dead and living men of the nineteenth century, Part 61

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