The Biographical encyclopaedia of Kentucky of the dead and living men of the nineteenth century, Part 78

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 78

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ARSON, COL. CHRISTOPHER, the famous "Kit Carson," was born December 24, 1809, in Madison County, Kentucky. At the age of seventeen, he became a hunter on the Western border, spending sixteen years of his life in trapping and hunting for Bent's Fort; was sub- sequently a guide for Gen. John C. Fremont, in his ex- tensive Western explorations; became a lieutenant of rifles, in the war with New Mexico, in 1847; was ap- pointed as an Indian agent in New Mexico; entered the national army at the outbreak of the rebellion; rose to the rank of colonel, and was brevetted brigadier-gencral; and, in 1865, was again appointed Indian agent. He engaged extensively in wool-growing in California; and was one of the most daring and able of all of the border men of the West, and was as favorably known as any of the country's hardy adventurers. Col. Carson died May 23, 1868, at Fort Lynn, Colorado.

TANBERY, HON. HENRY, Lawyer, was born in the city of New York, February 20, 1803. In 1814, he emigrated with his father's family to Zanesville, Ohio. He began a thorough pre- paratory education in New York ; and, in 1815, at the age of twelve, entered Washington Col- lege, Pennsylvania ; and, in the Fall of 1819, gradu- ated. He studied law under Ebenezer Granger and Gen. Charles B. Goddard, distinguished lawyers of Zanesville; was admitted to the bar at Gallipolis, in the Spring of 1824, and at once entered upon the prac- tice of the law at Lancaster, under the patronage of Hon. Thomas Ewing; in 1846, was appointed, by the Legislature of Ohio, Attorney-General, a position just created; removed to Columbus, devoting himself to the duties of his office for five years ; in 1853, removed to Cincinnati, continuing the practice of his profession with great success; in 1850, was a member of the Ohio Con- stitutional Convention ; in 1866, was nominated for the Supreme Bench of the United States, but a law limiting the number of judges to the status of the court at that time prevented any action upon his nomination; in the same year, was appointed Attorney-General of the United States, by President Johnson ; resigned in 1868, to become an advocate for the President in his impeach- ment trial; was subsequently renominated, by Mr. John- son, for the same place in his Cabinet, but the Senate refused to confirm, and he then resumed the practice of his profession in the United States Courts of Southern Ohio, and in the Supreme Court of the United States. Since 1857, he has resided at Highlands, Campbell County, Kentucky. Mr. Stanbery has been twice mar- ried. His first wife, long ago deceased, was the daugh- ter of Gen. Beecher, of Lancaster, Ohio. From this marriage, he has three children now living. IIis present wife, to whom he was married in 1841, is the daughter of W. Key Bond, of Cincinnati. For over half a cent- ury he has been practicing law, and has taken a front rank in the profession. His briefs are specimens of logic, perspicacity, and force-up to the professional standard of any tribunal, however learned or exalted. In the court, however, he probably appears to the highest advantage; at all times presenting himself to the eye and ear as the finished advocate. His appcar- ance is admirable-tall and straight; voice, mild and clear; gesture and manners, courteous and dignified ; and his constitutional vigor, extraordinary; all giving assurance of his being equal to any occasion, Mr. Stan- bery's private life has the same thorough honesty and purity that distinguish his professional career; and, con- sequently, he enjoys, justly, an enviable position among his friends in the profession, and over the country. Ilc has never sought office in the line of his profession, or in any other field. Where he has filled public offices, he has given them more luster than he received, by his

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learning and personal character. By hard work, excel- lent habits, and care, he has acquired a considerable fortune, which would enable him to retire; but, at more than threescore years and ten, he still pursues the prac- tice of his profession; and, with the example of many great lawyers, who have kept the harness on to a great age, he will, probably, as long as his fine constitution gives him strength, devote himself to his accustomed employment, with his exceptional great skill, fidelity, and success.

AXTER, JOIIN G., Stove Manufacturer, was born December 12, 1826, at Lexington, Ken- tucky, and is the son of John G. and Elizabeth Baxter, of Dundec, Scotland. His father died when he was quite young ; and his first lessons of life were learned at the feet of a good mother. He received a common English education, and, at the age of fourteen, was apprenticed to a trade. After completing his apprenticeship, he was engaged, for several years, as a clerk, subsequently becoming in- terested in the sale of stoves and the manufacture of tin-ware; and has since chiefly occupied his time in that business, which he has increased to large proportions, engaging a very considerable number of hands, and greatly contributing, by his vast trade, to the prosperity of the city; and has been one of the most energetic, public-spirited, and valuable men of Louisville. His business is chiefly with the South and West, and now ranks as one of the most extensive of its kind through- out the country. Besides his important business rela- tions, his public services cntitle him to a respectable place among the valuable men of his city. In 1860, he was elected member of the Council; was re-elected and became its president ; served several terms in the Board of Aldermen ; was several times president of that board; was also a member of the Board of Education; from 1868 to 1870, was a Director of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad; was, for six or seven years, Mana- ger of the House of Refuge; was, one term, President of its Board of Managers, after its reorganization; in 1870, was elected Mayor of the city, his term of service being characterized by the prosecution of many valuable improvements ; he removed the unsuitable public build- ings, and erected a splendid city hall, which he pushed to completion before the expiration of his term; caused to be erected a complete hospital for eruptive diseases ; inaugurated the work on the alms-house; commenced the work of the Fulton Street fill, and the road-bed ; attempted to erect a new work-house; paved twelve or fiftcen miles of streets with Nicholson pavement, and several miles with other materials; caused new streets and alleys to be opened; at the commencement of his term, there were eight miles of sewcrage, and, at the

close, twelve more had been constructed; and, during his administration, the financial condition of the city was greatly advanced; and, by the co-operation of an energetic council, three new engine-houses and four steam fire-engines were added to the fire department. He is a clear-headed, decisive, active business man ; is yet in the prime of life, and in the midst of a useful and valuable career. Mr. Baxter was married, in 1852, to Miss Alicia McCready, of Louisville, Kentucky. They have eight children.

ENZIES, HON. JOHN W., Lawyer, was born April 12, 1819, in Fayette County, Kentucky. He graduated in letters, at the University of Virginia, in 1840; studied law, and was ad- mitted to practice in 1841, in the same year settling at Covington, where he has since re- sided; was elected to the Legislature, in 1848 and 1855; in 1861, was elected Representative, from Kentucky, to the Thirty-seventh Congress, serving on the Commit- tees on Elections and Unfinished Business ; was a dele- gate to the Chicago Convention of 1864, and has held several other important positions in his district.

OHNSON, THOMAS, Farmer, was born July 5, 1813, in Montgomery County, Kentucky. His father was a farmer, who moved, with his family, from Maryland to Kentucky, when his son was a small boy. Thomas Johnson received a plain English education, in the best schools the times afforded. Early in life, he began the business of farming and trading in his native county, and has been a trader in Southern markets for over thirty years ; and, while many have been financially ruined in the same business, after many ups and downs, he has suc- ceeded in amassing a considerable fortune. He was long a general of State militia, and his name is promi- nently identified with the late civil war. When the war broke out, he became member of the Provisional Con- gress of the seceding States, from Kentucky; and, in the Fall of 1862, raised a regiment for the Confederate serv- ice, and continued colonel of the same regiment until the close of the war. He participated in the battles at Dalton, Georgia, Missionary Ridge, and was engaged at Bragg's defeat, and many less important engagements, serving through all with honor until the close of the war. At the surrender of Gen. Lee's forces, the Vir- ginians refused to surrender the Kentucky troops, and they returned to Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, with their horses and arms, where they were surrendered. He holds connection with the Christian Church, and is an

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exemplary Christian gentleman. In 1875, he was elected member from his county to the Lower House of the Legis- lature, serving one term. Col. Johnson was married Oc- tober 26, 1871.

OWLING, JAMES BUTLER, M. D., was born October 25, 1795, in Westmoreland County, Virginia. His father, William Bowling, was a farmer, and moved to Lexington, Kentucky, in 1805. Dr. Bowling studied medicine under Dr. Benjamin W. Dudley, one of the most distin- guished surgeons of the United States, and graduated in the Medical College at Philadelphia. After leaving college, he practiced at Lexington and Hopkinsville for several years, and afterwards removed to Clarksville, Tennessee. He returned to Kentucky, and settled in the southern part of Logan County, where he continued to practice his profession for a great many years. He is a man of iron constitution, his life being spent largely in the saddle, day and night, pursuing, through all kinds of weather, his professional duties. About 1865, he gave up his general practice, though occasionally his friends press him into service. At the ripe age of eighty-one, he still lives in the enjoyment of all his fac- ulties, a fine specimen of a well preserved man. By his industry and close attention to business, he amassed a handsome fortune. He is widely known for his uni- form kindness and extreme politeness and urbanity to every one, and is greatly valued and esteemed in his community. He is a lineal descendant of Pocahontas, the famed Indian girl; she, having married Ralph, the Englishman, accompanied him to the court of St. James, where she was treated with every mark of respect, and, at her death in England, left one child, from whom, it is said, sprang the Randolphs and Bowlings of Virginia and Kentucky. Since 1838, he has been an active member of the Presbyterian Church. Dr. Bowling mar- ried Sophronia M. Ewing, daughter of General Robert E. Ewing. Three of their children are living, and are honored members of society, one of them being Judge R. C. Bowling. (See sketch of Judge R. C. Bowling.)

HEVES, ROSWELL SMITH, Lawyer and Soldier, was born February 23, 1844, in Craw- ford County, Georgia. His father was a native of Carolina, and a planter, railroad financier, and director, of considerable wealth-all of which was lost by the war. He received his early education in the select schools of his native county, and, in 1858, entered Marshall College, Griffin, Georgia, where he remained until 1860; then taking a select course preparatory to entering Mcrcer University ; but,

at the breaking out of the war, enlisted in the Sumter Light Guards at Atlanta, Georgia, afterwards the Fourth Georgia Infantry. In the battle of Malvern Hill, he was wounded, and rendered unfit for service for six months. He returned to his regiment in 1863, and was appointed aid to Gen. Doles. He was wounded twice in the campaign of that year ; was in all the battles with Stonewall Jackson ; and was at the battle of Chancellors- ville, when Jackson was killed. He remained with the army of Northern Virginia during the campaign of 1864, and was aid-de-camp to Gen. R. E. Rodes until the death of that officer, at Winchester, in September, 1864. Gen. Rodes died in his arms. He served under Ram- seur until his death; was then ordered to Petersburg, and, on the night of March 28, 1865, led a charge ordered by Gen. Lee on Fort Stedman. He was there captured, and imprisoned at Point Lookout, Maryland; was re- leased by President Johnson, and returned to his home in Georgia. He soon after came to Kentucky, and com- menced teaching school, at the same time studying law ; was admitted to the bar in 1874, and began the prac- tice of his profession at Mt. Sterling, where he has since resided. In 1876, he was Democratic Presiden- tial Elector for the Ninth Congressional District. Capt. Cheves was married, July 6, 1870, to Miss E. K. Talbott.

'AMPBELL, JOHN PRICE, Farmer and Trader, was born in 1789, in Orange County, Virginia. His family was of English origin, and at an early day emigrated to America, and settled in Virginia. He enjoyed the advantages of a good education, and, in 1815, came to Ken- tucky, settling in Christian County, where he spent a long and useful life. He was one of the most extensive farmers and land owners in that county. He also en- gaged largely in trading in tobacco, and stemming for the English market ; and was one of the most successful and valuable business men in his section. Besides taking care of his own interests, he gave his attention to all matters looking to the public good ; was for thirty years President of the Branch Bank of Kentucky, at Hop- kinsville; was one of the founders of Bethel Female College ; was one of the leaders in almost every valua- ble enterprise in his community; and was one of its most public-spirited and useful men. In 1824, he was elected to represent Christian County in the Legisla- ture. He was a member of the Baptist Church, and gave liberally of his time, ability, and means, to the support of every good cause. He died at a ripe age, at Hopkinsville, in 1867. Mr. Campbell was married, in 1817, to Mary Amos Buckner. They had nine chil- dren, who grew up, were married, and became valuable members of society.

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AMPBELL, HON. JOHN PRICE, JR., Law- yer and Farmer, was born December 8, 1820, in Christian County, Kentucky, and is the son of John Price Campbell, long one of the most valuable and influential citizens of that county. (See sketch of John Price Campbell.) He re- ceived a thorough education, mainly in the academy of his native county, under James D. Rumsey. At the age of eighteen, he began the study of the law, in the office of Joseph B. Crockett; and, three years subsequently, entered upon the practice of his profession, at Lexing- ton, Missouri. After nine years of successful practice in that State, he returned to Hopkinsville, and has since en- gaged in agricultural pursuits. In 1848, he was elected to the Lower House of the Missouri Legislature; was re-elected in 1850; and, after returning to Kentucky, was elected to Congress, in 1855, declining re-election at the close of his term. In politics, he was associated with the Whig party until its dissolution ; and, since the war, has been identified with the Democracy, taking an active part in the political contests. He is a member of the Baptist Church, and freely gives his means and influ- ence to the works of his Church, and towards the ad- vancement of every good cause in his community; and is one of the most substantial and valuable men of Chris- tian County. Mr. Campbell was married, in 1856, to Miss Mary B. Faulkner, daughter of Charles J. Faulk- ner, of Martinsburg, Virginia. They have but one liv- ing child.

ICHESON, PROF. WILLIAM WIRT, the famous "Master of Rosemont," will long be remembered in Kentucky as one of the most ac- complished and successful teachers ever known in the State; and it is certainly remarkable, that the master of a provincial school, with no peculiar advantages beyond his talents, learning, and address, should have made so deep and lasting an im- pression upon the generation in which he lived. There is a partial explanation of his success, however, in the conditions and circumstances of his early life. He is a Virginian by birth, a native of King William County, and born on the 13th of March, 1813. His father, John Bret Richeson, was a son of Col. Holt Richeson, of Revolutionary memory. His mother, Mildred Ragsdale, was a daughter of Major Drury Ragsdale, also an offi- cer in the war of the Revolution. He enjoyed the best advantages in his early education, and completed his collegiate course at the University of Virginia, in 1831. The founder of this institution was Thomas Jefferson, and it bore in every feature the impress of his genius. Its chairs were filled by men of thorough scholarship, several of them natives of Europe, and distinguished graduates of foreign schools; the classes were composed

chiefly of young Virginians of character and position, and the social surroundings of the student were of a kind to exert a highly favorable influence upon his sub- sequent career. Mr. Richeson made the best use of his advantages at Charlottesville, and, having finished his course, came to Kentucky and settled at Maysville, where he founded a school which was one of the most flourishing in its day. He was principal of this institu- tion for nearly forty years, and, only upon the most ur- gent and flattering invitation, consented, in Septem- ber, 1870, to remove to Ashland, in the eastern part of the State. Mr. Richeson has been for many years a communicant of the Presbyterian Church, and, during the ministry of Dr. Robert C. Grundy in Maysville, served as deacon, and afterwards as ruling elder, in the First Presbyterian Church of that place. He was mar- ried to Mary Hodge Triplett, a granddaughter of Will- iam Hodge, and a niece of Gen. George B. Hodge, of Newport. He has two daughters. Mr. Richeson's reputation will rest chiefly upon his successful career as a teacher. He is not only an accomplished linguist, a finished classical scholar, and a thorough mathematician, but his tastes are liberal, his views catholic, his manners pleasing, his methods peculiar and original. It is scarcely a matter of surprise, therefore, that a large proportion of the pupils trained in such a school should become highly useful, and, in many instances, distinguished men. And, wherever found, in the learned professions, in scientific or industrial pursuits, in the army, in the navy, in the halls of legislation, or even in the Presiden- tial chair, they proudly acknowledge their obligations to the old " Master of Rosemont." Si queris monumentum, circumspice.

"ARPENTER, HON. SAMUEL, Lawyer, was born in Madison County, Virginia, October 4, 1785. His parents were Michael and Rebecca ( Delph) Carpenter, who immigrated, with their family, to Kentucky, about the year 1795, and settled on a farm in Bullitt County. Owing to the scarcity of schools at that period, and the moderate circumstances of his parents, Samuel received an educa- tion only in the ordinary English branches. He settled in Bardstown about the year 1805, and studied law un- der Judge Broadnax, we believe, and was soon admitted to the bar, which, at that time, was the ablest in the State. His wonderful energy, quick perceptions, high integrity, and great promptness, soon secured him a val- uable practice. He never deferred till to-morrow what could be done to-day. He often impressed on his sons the importance and necessity of doing at once whatever they had to do. By such a course, he always had his cases in court prepared and ready for trial when called. On the 2Ist of February, 1815, he was married to Miss

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Margaret B. Slaughter, daughter of Robert and Marga- ret ( Pendleton) Slaughter, by whom he had a large family of children, ten of whom reached their major- ity-seven daughters and three sons. In 1821, he was elected to represent the Fifteenth Senatorial District, consisting of the county of Nelson, which, in that day, was entitled to the same number of representatives, in both Houses, as the county of Jefferson, including Louis- ville. Having no taste for political life, he retired at the end of his term. In 1828, he and his wife joined the Baptist Church, under the preaching of that noted evangelist and revivalist, Rev. Jeremiah Varderman. He was soon afterwards ordained an elder in that Church, and often preached in the different Baptist Churches in the county. It was chiefly through his in- strumentality that the present Baptist church in Bards- town was erected. He contributed very largely to the payment of the building; but, the congregation being small and unable to pay off the indebtedness, it was sold by order of the court, and purchased by him. About the year 1833, a big split occurred in many of the Bap- tist Churches of Kentucky, and among the number was the one at Bardstown. He, with others, withdrew, and joined the religious denomination called, by some, Re- formers, or Reformed Baptists, and by others, Disciples of Christ, or Christians. He was also an elder in that Church, and remained an active and zealous member of it to the day of his death. In 1847, he was appointed, by Governor Owsley, Circuit Judge of the Thirteenth Judicial District, composed of the counties of Nelson, Hardin, Larue, Meade, Bullitt, and Spencer. He was noted for his great dispatch of business, and his decis- ions gave general satisfaction. On June 24, 1857, with a full and abiding faith in the promises contained in the Scriptures, to the faithful, he passed away, peacefully and quietly.

CHENRY, HON. HENRY D., Lawyer, was born February 7, 1826, at Hartford, Ohio County, Kentucky. His father, John H. McHenry, was a lawyer of distinction ; served in the State Leg- islature; was, for many years, Commonwealth's

Attorney; was member of the Convention of 1849, which framed the present Constitution of Ken- tucky; and was a member of Congress, from 1843 to 1847. His mother's maiden name was Davis, daughter of Henry and Fanny Davis. Many of his ancestors, on both sides, were intimately identified with the history of this country, and served with distinction in the Rev- olutionary War. Henry D. McHenry received every advantage in his early education, one of his teachers be- ing the late Frank Griffin, a distinguished scholar in his time; and finished his literary training at Hanover Col- lege, Hanover, Indiana. He chose the law for his pro-

fession ; studied with his father; graduated in the law department of Transylvania University, at Lexington, in 1845, and was admitted to practice in his native town. He soon took a prominent position in his profession, and, in 1851, when scarcely of age, was elected to the Lower House of the Legislature; in 1861, was elected to the State Senate, serving until 1865, when he was again sent to the Lower House, and was Chairman of the Judiciary Committee in both branches of the Legis- lature. In 1867, he was Democratic candidate in the Legislature for United States Senator, but was defeated, by two votes, by Hon. Garrett Davis, of Bourbon County. In the same year, he was elected to represent his district in the Forty-second Congress; served on the Pacific Railroad Committee, and took a strong part in the discussions before the House; in 1872, strongly advo- cated the establishment of a national educational fund, favoring the application of the proceeds of sales of public lands to the education of the people; and distinguishcd himself in his address on the famous Civil Rights question, taking the position that the bill was bad in its policy, untenable in its constitutional construction, and a clear infringement on the rights of States to local self- government. In 1872, he was a delegate, from the State at large, to the Baltimore Democratic Convention, and was elected member of the Democratic National Committee; and conducted the Presidential canvass with such ability, in Kentucky, as to bring about his reappointment on the National Committee, for the next four years, at the Convention in St. Louis, in 1876. After the last Presidential election, he was one of the Democrats appointed to proceed to New Orleans for the purpose of investigating the election returns in that State. He was also appointed to superintend the count- ing of the votes of Kentucky. He has gained wide- spread reputation as a land lawyer, and has taken a prominent position for his great ability in general prac- tice; and is one of the most active, able, and influential lawyers of his section. He is a pungent and forcible speaker ; has an easy, ready command of language; is a man of fine financial and executive ability ; and has a great diversity of knowledge, which he brings to his service in every emergency. He is largely interested in the McHenry Coal Mines, located near Hartford, on the Louisville and Paducah Railroad; and is an active worker in every enterprise looking to the public wel- fare, contributing in every way to the best interests of the community, in which he is one of the most influen- tial and widely known members. In person, he is of admirable appearance, being fully six feet in height ; and agreeable and attractive in manners. Mr. McHenry was married, January 27, 1856, to Miss Jennie Taylor, daughter of Rev. James Taylor, of Hardinsburg, Ken- tucky, a lady of marked talents and rare accomplish- ments. She has written some exquisite poetry ; and a

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The Biographical encyclopaedia of Kentucky of the dead and living men of the nineteenth century, Part 78

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