100 - MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER 01110 VALLEY ing hostelry of the city. John H. Huston assisted his brother in the management of this house until the latter was made president of the Bank of Commerce of Evansville, when he assumed the entire management of the hotel. E. P. Huston finally sold his hotel interests and the subject of this sketch retired from the house when the new proprietor took charge. For several years he has been the vice-president of the Kohinoor Laundry Company, at No. 214 Locust street, one of the best equipped laundries in the country. Mr. Huston is a Republican in politics, and while his views on political questions are no secret, he has a host of friends among those of the opposite political faith. Ile is a member of the Evansville Business Men's association and is always ready to do his part in furthering any scheme for the advancement of the city's material welfare. He also belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic and to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. COL. CHARLES DENBY, lawyer, author and diplomat, late of Evansyille, Ind., was born in Botetourt county, Va., June 13, 1830, and died suddenly of heart trouble at Jamestown, N. Y., while on a lecturing tour, Jan. 13, 1904. He graduated from the Virginia military academy in 1850 and came to Evansville three years later, where he made his first public address in 1854. His earnest manner, and the knowledge of public questions displayed in that speech, soon brought him into prominence, and for half a century he was a part of the warp and woof of the political events of his state and the nation. When the general assembly of Indiana met, in 1855, he was elected to a clerkship, and the following year he was elected to a membership in the lower branch of the Indiana legislature. During the latter part of President Buchanan's administration he was surveyor of the local port of Evansville for about two years, and in that position made an enviable record. Before coming to Indiana he had taken up the study of law, and after his admission to the bar he forged his way rapidly upward in his profession, being one of the popular lawyers in Southwestern Indiana within a very short time, meantime becoming interested in journalism in conriection with John B. Hall, the publisher of the Evansville Daily MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - 101 Inquirer. When the first mutterings of the Civil war were heard, before actual hostilities had begun, or a call for troops had been issued, Colonel Denby manifested his loyalty by organizing a company of home guards to be ready for any emergency that might arise. In September, 186r, this company was mustered into the Federal service as part of the Forty-second Indiana infantry, with Colonel Denby as lieutenant-colonel of the regiment. He served in that capacity until Oct. 10, 1863, when he was made colonel of the Eightieth regiment. While with the Forty-second he was in several severe engagements. At the battle of Perryville, Ky., Oct. 8, 1862, he was wounded on the lip and in the leg, had his horse shot from under him, and his clothing pierced by a number of balls that fortunately did him no further harm. He remained in command of the Eightieth regiment until his surgeon recommended his retirement from the service on account of disability, when he resigned and returned to Evansville, where he resumed the practice of law. Colonel Denby now became actively identified with the Democratic party and in every campaign was much sought after as a public speaker, because of his wide information concerning public questions, his forcible logic, and his earnest and convincing oratory. In his law practice in the years succeeding the war he was for some time in partnership with Daniel B. Kumler, the partnership being dissolved by the appointment of Colonel Denby as minister to China by President Cleveland, May 29, 1885. It was in this position that Colonel Denby's name became known from one end of the civilized world to the other. Assuming the duties of the position without a knowledge of the Chinese language or the customs of the people he soon won for himself a reputation unparalleled in the history of the diplomatic corps of the United States. Within three years he had so won his way to the hearts of the people of the Celestial Empire that when President Harrison was inaugurated, and after Colonel Denby had tendered his resignation to the new administration, the Chinese and the American citizens having interests in China were united in requesting the retention of Colonel Denby. His resignation, therefore, was never accepted and he continued to serve as the Chinese minister during the entire administration of President Harrison, and when Mr. Cleveland was again elected to the presidency in 1892 he was reappointed for four years niore. After the inauguration of President McKinley he was retained in the position for over a year, so that his service as minister covers a period of more than thirteen years. The relations brought about between 102 - MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY the United States and China by his efforts are like the pebble in the stream. The widening circles will keep growing until the uttermost parts of the two countries will be benefited by the friendly spirit that grows tip out of the conditions established by his superb diplomacy. After retiring from the Chinese mission Colonel Denby was not permitted to long enjoy the quietude of a private life. He was a member of the President's commission to investigate the conduct of the Spanish-American war, and was appointed by President McKinley a member of the first Philippine commission in 1899. While in China Colonel Denby made a careful study of the laws, customs, commerce, and institutions of the Chinese, upon which subjects and the Philippine question he delivered many lectures in different parts of the United States, and contributed numerous articles to the leading magazines, by which future generations may enjoy the fruits of his labor. Colonel Denby's life was one of labor, and his work was not fruitless. Aside from the personal honors he reaped the world will long profit by his learning and diplomacy. His death came swift and probably painless, which to one of his active habits was a boon, avoiding the sufferings of a long illness and the galling stings of inactivity. While in the legislature in 1855 Colonel Denby formed the acquaintance of Miss Martha Fitch, of Logansport. Incl., a daughter of Graham N. Fitch, then United States senator, and in 1856 they were united in marriage. The widow and six children survive. Graham Fitch Denby, the eldest son, is a prominent attorney of Evansville. He married Olga Reis and they have one child, Martha Reis, born Aug. 16, 19o1. Charles is now in Tien Tsin, China, as the representative of a firm of American manufacturers, and is also foreign adviser to the viceroy of the province of Pechili. He married Martha Orr of Evansville, and they have three sons: James, Charles and Edwin. Harriet Ethel is the widow of Gilbert Wilkes, who was a naval officer at the time of her marriage to him. He was commander of the Michigan naval reserves during the entire Spanish-American war on board the Yosemite. Later he became an electrical engineer at Detroit, Mich. He left two sons, Charles Denby and Gilbert. Wythe is a mining engineer at Juneau, Alaska. He married Lucia Hayes, of Milwaukee, Wis. Elwin is an attorney at Detroit, Mich., has been a member of the Michigan legislature, and was elected to Congress in 1904 from the Detroit District. He was also one of the reserves on the Yosemite during the Spanish-American war. Thomas Garvin, the youngest of the family, is connected with the Detroit branch of the Solway-Process Company and married MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - 103 Esther Strong of that city. Although the widow and her children mourn the loss of the husband and father they have the consolation of knowing that he lived an untarnished life, and "joined the innumerable caravan" having the full confidence and esteem of his fellow-men. Mrs. Martha Fitch Denby, the widow of Colonel Denby, now resides in the old homestead at No. 809 Upper Second street, Evansville. She was well fitted by nature to be the helpmate of such a husband, and to all of Colonel Denby's public functions she lent grace and dignity. At once the daughter and widow of two of Indiana's distinguished. sons, she lives a retired life in the old home, hallowed by its cherished recollections, beloved by all her acquaintances, and a much sought for guest at all of Evansville's most exclusive society events. THE HERCULES BUGGY COMPANY, of Evansville, Ind., with a capital stock of $300,000, and officered by W. H. McCurdy, president; W. L. B. Hawes, vice-president; Fred M. Hills, secretary and treasurer, and John D. Craft, superintendent, was located at Evansville, in 1902, removing from Cincinnati, O. Before making this move, Mr. McCurdy and his able lieutenants made exhaustive investigations. After summing up their findings Evansville offered greater advantages as a place in which to locate a carriage factory in the way of cheap fuel, labor conditions and railroad facilities than any other point. Evansville is the only point east of the Mississippi 104 - MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY river where the Southern, Southwestern, Western, Illinois and official classification applies, making it very advantageous in the way of rates in shipping out their finished product. The main factory of this company is 85 feet wide and 530 feet long, three stories high, built of brick. The warehouse is 114 feet wide and 130 feet long, three stories high, built of brick, making a total floor space of 180,000 feet, or nearly four acres. The factory is so located that switches from the Evansville & Terre Haute and Southern Railroad companies run on either side the full length of the factory. Every appliance in machinery, every method and every plan that works out economy in a carriage factory is already installed in this mammoth plant. The output of this company is placed in all parts of the United States, enabling them to keep the plant running the year around, as the off season in one locality means the season of heavy trade in another. The capacity of this concern is 150 jobs per day, or a complete vehicle every four minutes. Their normal output for the entire season through, however, is 35,000 jobs. It is predicted by those who ought to know best, that within three years the capacity of this company will he doubled, and it bids fair to be much the largest carriage factory in the world within a very short time. W. H. McCURDY is of Scotch descent. He acquired a common school education, and then entered what was known in that day as an "academy for boys and girls." His early ambition was to be a mechanic. He served a short apprenticeship with a mill-wright, going to the top of the ladder within much less time than his associates. He continued at this trade until twenty-two years of age, then becoming tired of what he considered the "hum-drum" life of a mechanic, at so much per day, he locked his tool chest, never to he opened by him again. He quit his position, which was paying him good wages, and went forth to seek possibilities that might satisfy his ambitious desires. He filled many different positions, always leaving them of his own accord. He was very successful as a traveling salesman. It was in this capacity that he discovered his ability to take a fair measurement of men on meeting them, which has since been of great service to him during his business career. In 1879 he went West, and settled in Kansas MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - 105 City, Mo. One year later he married Helen E. Hess, daughter of Mr. Alfred Hess of Cincinnati, 0., and a native of New York state. Mr. McCurdy was engaged in the real estate and insurance business while in the West. In the year 1889 he again returned East with his family, and became interested in the Favorite Carriage Company of Cincinnati. He was elected secretary of this company, which position he held for five years. In 1894 he handed in his resignation, and severed his connection with this concern, organizing in the same year the Brighton Buggy Company under the laws of the State of Ohio. Mr. McCurdy's career as a manufacturer has been highly successful. Beginning with a very small capital, he has worked himself up to the position of one of the "Captains of Industry." Outgrowing his facilities in Cincinnati, where he was first located, he came to the city of Evansville in the year 19o2, where he built a large brick factory, one of the most modern plants in the United States for the manufacture of vehicles. This business is now known as the Hercules Buggy Company, the name having been changed from the Brighton Buggy Company of Cincinnati. Each year, since the organization of the business in 1894, has shown a marked increase over the former year. Mr. McCurdy's skill in selecting the right kind of men, and his unquestioned executive ability, place him in the foremost ranks in the business community. The Hercules Buggy Company, of which he is president and the principal owner, has a floor space of nearly four acres, and a manufacturing capacity of 40,000 vehicles per annum. Mr. McCurdy has built a very large and commodious residence in the city of Evansville, located on Riverside avenue, where he has recently moved his family. He has also become identified with a number of enterprises in the city, including the banking interests and the street railway systems. RAGON BROTHERS, wholesale grocers and proprietors of the Diamond Coffee and Spice Mills, Evansville, Ind., have been so long identified with that city's commercial life, and are so widely known through the Lower Ohio Valley, that their house has become one of the landmarks of Evansville. The Ragons are among the oldest families in the city. T1iey came from Kentucky immediately after the war and established a wholesale grocery business, under the firm name of Ragon Brothers, the founders being Edward G. and Ferd H. Ragon, two of the most hard-working, energetic gentlemen who ever located in Evansville. The grocery trade of the city has 106 - MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY always been one of the great factors in making Evansville an important commercial center, and few concerns have contributed more to this end than the firm of Ragon Brothers. For forty years, without a day's interruption, this house has gone steadily forward, increasing their own trade and widening the circle of Evansville's commercial influence. Ferd H. Ragon died some years ago, but the business went on and continued to increase under the management of his brother, Edward G., for twenty-five years, when he, too, was called to his final rest. Edward G. died Feb. 27, 1902, and his death removed from the business and social life of Evansville one of the most prominent figures, a liberal and willing contributor to the city's growth and welfare—onc who will be remembered for many years to come as one of the most enterprising and public spirited of men. Since his death his son, Chester L. Ragon, has become the active head of the firm. In 1902 the business was incorporated, the present officers being Chester L. Ragon, president and treasurer; H. R. Dunavan, vice-president, and William Clarke, secretary. All these gentlemen have been connected with the business for many years, and know every demand of the trade. The policy of the firm has always been a conservative one, and under the present management its customers find no departure from its established usage. Chester L. Ragon was carefully trained to the business by his father, and upon the death of the latter took charge, conducting the business along the old lines. Even when incorporated no innovations were introduced, the old name being retained, and it is safe to predict that the house will stand for years to come, as it has stood for years in the past—the leader in the grocery trade of Evansville. HENRY S. BENNETT, senior member of the insurance firm of Bennett, Hutchinson & Co., Evansville, Ind., was born in England, Feb. 22, 1836. In 1857 he came with his parents and the other members of the family to the United States. For several years he lived in the State of New York, but about the close of the Civil war came to Evansville, where he engaged in the insurance business, as manager of the insurance department of W. J. Lowry & Co. In 1872 he formed a partnership with Cyrus K. Drew, tinder the firm name of Drew & Bennett, and soon had a large insurance business. A branch office was established at Indianapolis, where a considerable volume of business was transacted. This branch office was later sold to Henry Coe. In 1882 Mr. Drew retired and was succeeded by I. H. Odell, the style of the firm becoming Bennett & Odell. In MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - 107 1894 Mr. Odell was succeeded by Alexander Hutchinson, and the present firm name was adopted. Mr. Bennett has personally represented the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York for thirty-six years, and enjoys the distinction of having written the only one hundred thousand dollar policy that was ever written in Evansville. In recent years he has given a good portion of his time to the adjustment of losses for some of the companies represented by his firm. This requires a rare tact and presence of mind, yet Mr. Bennett has fully demonstrated his ability in this line, as in all other departments of the fire insurance business. He has held the position of president of the Evansville board of fire underwriters several times during his career in the city and is undoubtedly the K estor of fire insurance in Evansville, if not in the state. Politically Mr. Bennett is a Republican, and one of the kind who believes in not hiding his light under a bushel. For twelve years he was a member of the Evansville city council, and for twenty-five years he was chairman of the city, county or district committee, sometimes of all three at the same time. As chairman of the district committee he was a member of the State central committee, from the First Congressional district, and was a potent factor in shaping his party's policy in the State of Indiana. When he first took the political reins the First district, Vanderburg county, and the city of Evansville were all solidly Democratic. He was not daunted, however, by the conditions, but went to work to change the situation. For several years the First district has been represented by a Republican in Congress and both the city and the county are regarded as safely Republican on a straight party vote. Much of this change has been due to the intelligent, well-directed and persistent efforts of Mr. Bennett. Notwithstanding his success as a political leader he has never been a seeker for office, though he has twice been postmaster of Evansville; once to fill out an unexpired term under President Arthur, and a full four-year term under President Harrison, from 1889 to 1893. Mr. Bennett is well known in the fraternal circles of Southwestern Indiana, being a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and one of the charter members of Orion Lodge No. 35, Knights of Pythias, the first lodge organized in Evansville. On June 10, 1865, he was married to Miss Susan DeBruler, the adopted daughter of Dr. James DeBruler, formerly a prominent physician of Evansville, and they have four children, one son and three daughters living, and two sons dead. 108 - MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY MARCUS S. SONNTAG was born in Evansville, Ind., received his education in the public schools of that city and has, for the past four years, been a member of the board of education. He is regarded as one of the leading business men of the city. He is a member of the Evansville Business Men's association and, with others in this organization, has been active in bringing new industries to Evansville. He is president of the Union Investment Company which has erected and sold more than three hundred homes in Evansville during the past ten years. This company has played a wonderful part in building up and beautifying the suburbs of the city and today is making it possible for many worthy citizens to secure their own homes. Mr. Sonntag is a director in the Old State National Bank, the largest and oldest financial institution in Southern Indiana, and has just taken a prominent part in the successful launching of the American Trust and Savings Company, a financial institution that is sure to cut a figure in the affairs of Southern Indiana. Associated with Mr. Sonntag in the organization of this new company was E. O. Hopkins, formerly occupying a high position in the railroad world and a man of large means and wide resources. Mr. Hopkins is president of the company and Mr. Sonntag vice-president. Mr. Sonntag is also a director and the secretary and treasurer of the Evansville & Eastern Electric Railway, the building of which line between Evansville and Rockport, Ind., was commenced on Sept. 6, 1904. In politics, Mr. Sonntag is a Republican and for years has taken a prominent part in the councils of his party. He stands high in the social, political and business life of the city and is a man of rare judgment, backed by an unsullied character. His opinions are often sought and generally heeded, for he is a man of conservative but tenacious disposition and usually safe to follow. THE WILLARD LIBRARY, of Evansville, Ind., is the benefaction of Willard Carpenter, one of the most benevolent and public spirited men who ever lived in the city. He was a man of great native ability, progressive and energetic, and was deeply interested in the material prosperity and industrial development of the city where the greater portion of his long and useful life was passed. MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - 109 In the public records of Evansville, in the old files of newspapers, his name is to be frequently seen, as having been associated with some of the progressive movements of his time. Men are yet living who knew him personally, and these living witnesses will corroborate the statement that he was always one of the leaders in behalf of good government and municipal progress. But, aside from his interest in the city's industrial and commercial thrift, he felt a deeper concern for the moral and intellectual advancement of his fellow-men. His contact with men in every walk of life, and his knowledge of public affairs, taught him that the highest destinies of a republic, where every man is a component part of the government, can only be realized through the liberal education of the masses. In his personal affairs he was eminently successful, accumulating a large fortune, and toward the close of his life he determined to do something for the city in which he had acquired his wealth. In his benevolence, as in all other matters, he was intensely practical. Entertaining the views he did it was but natural that his generous impulses should take the turn they did, and that he should endow a library. Had his object been the mere perpetuation of his own name; had he been actuated by the selfish motive of promulgating his own importance, his munificence might have found various channels better calculated to subserve such an end. Under date of Aug. 23, 1876, he addressed the following communication to a board of trustees selected by himself: "Gentlemen:—I have intended for many years to devote to some public use a portion of the property and means which I have acquired by a long life of labor. I have, at various times, endeavored to benefit the community in which in)- life has been mostly spent, by inaugurating various enterprises. Legal difficulties, and other obstacles, have intervened to render inoperative schemes for the public good, which I have at various times undertaken to put in operation. "After consultation with many gentlemen of this city, I have concluded without further delay to establish and endow a public library, to be located in a public park, on land owned by me, situate in the city of Evansville. I am induced to do this in the well-grounded hope that such an institution may become useful toward the improvement of the moral and intellectual culture of the inhabitants of Evansville, and collaterally to those of the State of Indiana; and also toward the enlargement and diffusion of a taste for the fine arts. "The city of Evansville has reached in population and commercial 110 - MEMO1RS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY importance a period in which such a scheme should, and I have no doubt will, meet with the hearty approval and assistance of the municipal authorities and all private citizens. "In presenting to you the object I propose, I wish you to understand that the details proper to its organization and government and its future control and conduct are to be left to your judgment and discretion, and the perpetuity of that control I confide to you and your successor, to be appointed in the manner prescribed in this letter. "But I desire to present my views in general of the object and purposes of the proposed institution, in order that by no possibility shall the property hereby donated ever be diverted to any other purpose; and that the result of much thought and labor on my part shall be commensurate with the high objects to be attained; and as a guide, and, as it were, an organic law for you, in the discharge of your duties. "I have directed skilled attorneys to prepare a deed conveying to you the property therein described, estimated by me to be worth the sum of $400,000: the said deed to be signed and executed by my wife and myself. The property thereby conveyed lies in the limits of Evansville or contiguous thereto. "I desire and direct that thebuilding for the public library hereby proposed shall be located on that portion of the property designated in said deed which is generally known as Carpenter's field. The remainder of said tract of land known as Carpenter's field shall be forever kept as a public park. It shall be, at the discretion of the trustees, enclosed by a neat fence; and fountains, flowers, trees, grass-plats, and all the usual accessories of a park shall be provided and kept in order, so as to snake the park a resort for the people for all time to come. "I desire that the co-operation of the city in this scheme of a public park shall be secured, so that the square now owned by the city adjoining this tract of land shall be made subsidiary to the general purpose of promoting public health and popular recreation. The control of said public park under proper municipal regulations, shall remain with the trustees hereby appointed. You and your successors will constitute forever, a board of trustees, seven in number, to be maintained in perpetual succession for the accomplishment,. preservation and supervision of the purposes for which the library and park are to be established. To you and your successors, therefore, by virtue of said deed and this instrument, I give full and MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - 111 exclusive power to take, receive and hold in fee simple, the said real estate in said deed particularly described, and to sell and convey in fee simple, at such times and for such prices as may be deemed advisable, all the said real estate except that which is particularly set apart for the said library and park, and out of the proceeds of such sale to erect a suitable building, to improve, ornament and adorn said park, and to purchase books, maps and works of art for the use of the people of all classes, races and sexes free of charge, forever. A permanent fund shall be created out of the proceeds of such sale for the support of the institution." The trustees, to whom this communication was addressed, were Thomas E. Garvin, Alexander Gilchrist, Henry F. Blount, John Laval, Matthew Henning, and Charles H. Butterfield. These gentlemen accepted the trust, and on Aug. 23, 1876, the deed was executed and soon afterward was placed on record. A general expression of the public desire favored the naming of the library "The Willard Library," and the park "Willard Park." To this Mr. Carpenter gave his consent, and from that time until his death he worked hand in hand with the trustees to carry out the plan. He expressed his desire to see, in his own lifetime, the library in successful operation, "to embellish our city, to instruct and elevate the people, and to promote the growth of virtue and knowledge." As soon as a sufficient sum could be realized for the building fund Reed Brothers, architects, were commissioned to draw plans for a building, which in appearance is an ornament to the city. Its cost was about $80,000 and it was erected under the personal supervision of Mr. Carpenter, who, notwithstanding his advanced age, visited the building almost daily, and only two months before his death climbed to the top of the walls on a tour of inspection. The death of Mr. Carpenter occurred in November, 1883, before the library was opened to the public, though the building was practically completed and he had the satisfaction of seeing the happy fruition of his hopes. Owing to removals from the city, resignations, etc., some changes have been made in the board of trustees. The present board consists of Thomas E. Garvin, president; S. G. Evans, vice-president; O. F. Jacobi, treasurer; R. D. Richardson, secretary; Alexander Gilchrist, and John H. Foster. Miss Otilda Goslee is the librarian, and has been ever since the institution was opened, with Miss Katie Imbusch and Mrs. M. O. Flower assistants. The number of volumes in the library is about twenty-nine thousand, to which additions are constantly being made, and some valuable art treasures are now on the shelves. 112 - MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY Such, in brief, is the history of one of the public institutions of the city of Evansville. An institution of which every citizen is proud, and one which will stand as a more enduring monument than marble or bronze to the memory of its generous donor. CAPTAIN LEE HOWELL, a prominent railroad man of Evansville, Ind., and president of the Evansville & Bowling Green Packet Company, was born on a farm in Lauderdale county, Ala., his parcasts having emigrated from the Carolinas some years before his birth. At the age of fifteen he began his business career as a clerk and bookkeeper in a general country store. Here he continued until 1862, when he enlisted in the cavalry service of the Confederate army, in Captain Philip Dale Roddy's company, which was afterwards organized into the Fourth Alabama cavalry regiment of Roddy's brigade and assigned to General Forrest's division, and served faithfully until the close of the war. Transportation had an attraction for him, and after the war he engaged in steamboating on the Tennessee and Ohio rivers, first as chief clerk and later as master and owner of packet steamers plying between Florence, Ala., Paducah, Ky., and Evansville, Ind. In the spring of 1872 he sold his steamboat interests to the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company, and operated a steamer for that company between Danville, Tenn., and Florence, Ala., semi-weekly, for three years, when the company sold its river interests to the Evansville & Tennessee River Packet Company, and Captain Howell was appointed general agent for that company, with headquarters at Florence, Ala., looking especially after the interests of the company in the Tennessee river valley. Five years later he came to Evansville as general agent for the Louisville & Nashville railroad, and since that time has been one of the active business men of that busy city. In June, 1882, he was appointed general freight agent for the Henderson division. In the following November his jurisdiction was extended over the St. Louis division, and he has presided over the freight department of these two important divisions since that date. In addition to his duties in the freight department, he was acting superintendent of the St. Louis division and its branches from July 1 to Dec. 1, 1883. As the agent MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - 113 of a great railway corporation his first duty is naturally to subserve the interests of the company he represents. This he has done to the entire satisfaction of the company, at the same time contributing in divers ways to the material advancement of Evansville. By his broad and progressive policy as freight agent he has stimulated the coal mining industry along the line of the Henderson division, and a large portion of the products of the mines goes to Evansville and other points north of the Ohio river; and by his uniformly courteous treatment of all who come in contact with him he has made friends both for himself and his company. Captain Howell was one of the principal promoters of the Evansville, Suburban & Newburgh railway, an enterprise that has added in no small degree to the city's prosperity; was one of the founders of the town of Howell, which was named for him; and was instrumental in securing the location there of the great railroad shops, which have given steady employment at good wages to hundreds of Evansville's artisans. During the quarter of a century and more he has been engaged in the railroad business he has never forgotten the good old days on the river, and has always retained an affection for river traffic. This was manifested in the organization of the Evansville, Ohio & Green River Transportation Company in 1888, which established a permanent and reliable towboat service between Evansville and Green river points, and to which packet service was added in April, 1896, thus securing to Evansville a large share of the Green river trade. On Jan. 1, 1898, the packet portion of the equipment of the Evansville, Ohio & Green River Transportation Company, which at that time consisted of two first-class passenger and freight steamers, was merged with other interests into a new packet company, the Evansville & Bowling Green Packet Company, of which Captain Howell became, and is still president. The Evansville, Ohio & Green River Transportation Company and the Evansville & Bowling Green Packet Company have been very important factors in the development and building up of the entire Green river territory. During the present summer, the packet service of the Evansville & Bowling Green Packet Company was extended into Upper Green river as far as Brownsville, and as soon as the new government lock in course of construction just above Brownsville is completed, its service will be extended up to Mammoth Cave, which will give the entire Green and Barren river valleys within the zone of slack water navigation the benefit of regular and reliable packet service. The company in the spring of the present year contracted for the construction bar the II-8 114 - MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY Howard Shipbuilding Company, of Jeffersonville, Ind., of a new packet steamer, designed and built especially for the Green river trade. No expense has been spared to make this boat one of the best of her class plying on western waters, and it is safe to predict that she will be one of the most successful steamers that has ever plied on Green and Barren rivers, and no doubt will meet with the hearty support and fullest appreciation of the company's patrons. Captain Howell is entirely too modest a man to make any reference whatever to his work in connection with any of the interests he has represented, but he is especially proud of his connection with the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company, and the fact that he has been one of the trusted lieutenants of the present president of the company, Mr. Milton H. Smith, from his first connection with the railroad, when Mr. Smith was general freight agent of that line, which extended from Louisville to Decatur, Ala., and from Bowling Green, Ky., to Paris, Tenn.; and that he has witnessed and rendered what assistance he could in the development of that company to its present position of the leading trunk line of the South. Captain Howell was married in 1867 at Tuscumbia, Ala., to Miss Emma Ottaway. To this union there have been born four children, only two of whom survive, Lee, Jr., of Evansville, and Emma, now Mrs. James Edward Cox, of Owenton, Ky. HON. JAMES A. HEMENWAY, junior United States senator from Indiana, and since 1894 to his election to the U. S. senate the representative in Congress from the First district of Indiana, is a descendant of one of the oldest families in America. During the early colonial days a Ralph Hemenway came from the Old Country and settled at Shrewsbury, Conn. His descendants are numerous throughout the Eastern states. In the early part of the nineteenth century the grandfather of James A. Hemenway came from New York to Indiana, locating at Boonville, where the subject of this sketch was born March 8, 1860. He received his education in the public schools of Boonville, and with the exception of a few years has passed his whole life there. After leaving school he took up the study of law, and coming to the conclusion that the West offered MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - 115 better opportunities to a young lawyer than his native town, went to Ottumwa, Ia. For a time he gave tip the law and was a clerk in the store of Field, Leiter & Co., of Chicago. Later he went to Harper, Kan., where he continued to study law, meantime being employed by a Harper firm in hauling cornmeal from that place to Wichita. While in Kansas he entered a family claim, but after occupying it for two years the land agents found out that he was not the eldest son and cancelled his title. Soon after this he returned to Boonville, where, with the assistance of an attorney named Scott Sisson, he completed his law studies and was admitted to the bar. He began practice at Boonville in 1885, and the following year was elected prosecuting attorney of the Second judicial circuit. An interesting story is told of how he won his first case. The attorneys for the defendant were old and experienced lawyers, who on this occasion were indiscreet enough to attempt to poke fun at the young prosecutor and criticize his methods. After several attacks of this character Mr. Hemenway rose and calmly said: "Gentlemen of the jury: While I have never had the experience of the gentlemen appearing for the defendant, I have been around the courthouse long enough to know that it is a fixed custom with some lawyers, when they have no case, to abuse their opponent." That settled it. The criticism was stopped and Mr. Hemenway won his case. His election as prosecutor in 1886, by a majority of over six hundred votes, in a circuit which was supposed to be reliably Democratic, gave him considerable prestige in the Republican councils in the First Congressional district. At the close of his first term as prosecutor he was re-elected, and in 1890 was chosen the First district member of the Republican State central committee. From this time on his political career has been steadily upward. In 1894 he became a candidate for the Congressional nomination and made a personal canvass in a majority of the counties constituting the district. His opponents were Frank B. Posey and Arthur Twineham, the former one of the best known attorneys of Evansville, and an orator of wide reputation, and the latter now mayor of Princeton, Ind. Mr. Hemenway was nominated and elected and has been returned to Congress at each subsequent election. When United States Senator Charles W. Fairbanks was elected to the vice-presidency, in 1904, Mr. Hemenway became a candidate for the senatorial toga as his successor. Several candidates entered the field against him, but a conference of these candidates and their friends, at Indianapolis, early in December, led to the withdrawal of all opposition, thus giving 116 - MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY Mr. Hemenway a clean field. He was married on July r, 1885, to Miss Lydia Alexander, whose great-grandfather, Ratcliffe Boone, was the founder of the city of Boonville. He was also the first delegate in Congress from the Territory of Indiana, and afterward served several terms in Congress from the district now represented by Mr. Hemenway. Mr. and Mrs. Hemenway have three children: Lena Mae, eighteen years of age, is a student in Washington seminary; George, the only son, fifteen years old, is a student at the Washington College for Boys, and Estelle is seven years of age. THOMAS WELSH, of Howell, Ind., the oldest master mechanic in the service of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company, was born at Preston, Lancashire, England, Jan. 12, 1844, his parents being William and Anna (Bamber) Walsh. His father was a mechanical engineer, and Thomas, after attending a private school until he was fourteen years of age, was placed as anapprentice with the firm of Claton & Bros., millwrights and engineers, proprietors of the Sho Works, to learn the trade. In June, 1862, he embarked for America and upon his arrival in this country worked for a short time at Fort Jarvis on the New York & Erie railroad. Next he went to Chicago, where he was for a 1ittle while connected with the Illinois Central ; then to St. Louis as ail einpioye of the Southern Foundry and Engine Company; and from there to Nashville in the service of the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad Company. On May 15, 1863, he entered the employ of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company as a machinist and has been with that company ever since. In May, 1869, he was made foreman of new work, building new engines, etc., and in August of that year was made foreman of all engine work, new and repairing. On May 1, 1870, he was appointed piaster mechanic of the Memphis division, which had just been bought by the Louisville & Nashville, but in July following was transferred to Mount Vernon, Ill., to take charge of the line running from St. Louis to Nashville, which at that time was a recent purchase of the company. On this line he filled the position of master mechanic between Mount Vernon and Evansville, Ind., until July, 1879, when his jurisdiction was extended to the entire line. During MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - 117 the yellow fever epidemic of 1878 in Memphis the Louisville & Nashville was the only road that kept up communications with the stricken city. 1lIr. Walsh was at one time the only official of the road in the city. He had thirty-six engineers and firemen to die with the dread disease but he remained at his post of duty, his only helpers being a few laborers, as the machine department had been closed. By his heroic efforts the line was kept open and in working order, being the only one by which the city could obtain supplies of medicine and provisions, or by which doctors and nurses could be brought in or the convalescents carried out. In addition to his labors as a railway official he made a house to house canvass of a large part of the city giving aid to the sufferers. For his brave and unselfish conduct, Martin Langstaff, president of the Howard And Association, awarded him a gold medal. During that epidemic the highest death rate was two hundred and sixty in one day, although two-thirds of the population had left the city. On Dec. 24, 1889, the new shops at Howell were opened and Mr. Walsh was transferred to that point, the shops at Mount Vernon and Edgefield, Tenn., having been consolidated in the new establishment. Here he still remains in charge, having been in the employ of the Louisville & Nashville Company for more than forty years. This long career with one of the leading railway corporations of the country tells the story of his efficiency better than any words that could be used in writing a sketch of his life. It is unnecessary to say that his skillful services have been fully appreciated by the officials of that company, and that he stands high with the management of the road. Young men may read with profit the story of his life. Without murmuring at "hard luck" or wishing for some good position he has gone to work and hewed out his own career by his own industry and intelligence. Mr. Walsh was married in March, 1865. to Miss Mary Eliza Crumbell of St. Louis. EDWARD F. YEARWOOD, chief train dispatcher of the St. Louis division of the Louisville & Nashville railroad; with offices in Evansville, Ind., was born at Mount Vernon, Ill., Sept. 13, 1872. His parents are both living, now residing in Evansville, where his father, Aaron L. Yearwood, is a carpenter in the employ of the Louisville & Nashville company. Edward F. Yearwood entered the employ of the railroad company as a messenger boy when he was ten years of age. He at once turned his attention to telegraphy and at the age of thirteen was given a place as an operator. From the beginning 118 - MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY his advancement in the telegraphic department has been steady and certain, due to his correct habits and his thorough knowledge of the business. In 18gi he was made assistant train dispatcher, in the office at Evansville, where he soon demonstrated his fitness for such a responsible position, or even for one of greater importance. In duetime he was promoted to the rank of dispatcher in the same office, and later was made chief dispatcher, his last promotion coming to him in 1902. He has therefore been for nearly fourteen years in the office, where he has completely mastered every detail of the business of train dispatching, assuring both celerity and safety in the transportation of freight and passengers. Mr. Yearwood is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, in which he is deservedly popular because of his genial disposition and his willingness to help in all the society's charitable work, as well as its social functions. WILLIAM M. LUTZ, local freight agent for the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company, at Evansville, Ind., and president of the Evansville local freight agents association, was born at St. Jacobs, Madison county, Ill., Feb. 22, 1860. He is a son of Joseph and Rosina (Seibold) Lutz, both natives of Germany, who came to the United States with their parents and were married at Camden, N. J., in 1857. They are still living, residing at the present time in Clinton county, Ill., where the father is a prosperous farmer. Besides the subject of this sketch they have two daughters living: Louisa, who is the wife of O. D. Pitts, of Evansville, and Mollie, now Mrs. C. G. Benton, of Ashley, Ill. William M. Lutz was reared in the State of Illinois, and at the age of eighteen years entered the service of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company, as telegraph operator at Venedy, Ill. Afterward he was operator and agent at Okawville, Mascoutah, Ashley and Mount Vernon, Ill., until Dec. 1, 1895, when he was appointed to his present position. Mr. Lutz is also the local freight agent for the Louisville, Henderson & St. Louis railway, and for the past four years has been president of the Evansville local freight agents' association. He is also the Indiana member of the American Association of Local Freight Agents, and the committee- MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - 119 man at large for the state in that body. Although a comparatively young man he has been for twenty-six years in the railway service. all that time with the same company. That his work has been appreciated by the company may he seen in his repeated promotions to better positions. For twenty years he has been a Knight Templar Mason. On Dec. 24, 1884, he was united in marriage to Miss Nannie Belle Coffey, of Ashley, Ill., and they have two children: William Herbert, aged sixteen, and Mildred Lucile, aged fourteen years. In his intercourse with his fellow-men Mr. Lutz is uniformly courteous, and mach of his success in his business is due to this trait of character. LAWRENCE E. BARTER, , of Mount Vernon, Ind., county clerk of Posey county, is a descendant of one of the pioneer families of that section of the state. The first of the name to settle in Posey county was John Barter, a native of Devonshire, England, a blacksmith by trade, who married Mary Foote, daughter of a distinguished English surgeon, and when well advanced in years came to America. Both himself and his wife died in Posey county. Their children were John, Richard, Edward, William, George, James, Jane, Mary and Phillipa. Of these Edward remained in England and died there; George died in Pennsylvania; the three daughters married and stayed in England, while the other four sons came with their parents to the New W orld. Richard, the second son, was born at the little village of Haul, in Devonshire, May 14, 1797, and was twenty-two years old when he came to America, in 2819. He crossed the Atlantic in a sailing vessel, landed at Philadelphia, made his way to Chambersburg, where he worked some time at blacksmithing, having learned the trade with his father before leaving England. After about four months in Chambersburg he went to Pittsburg, and in the spring of 1820 he came down the Ohio river on a flatboat to Mount Vernon, which was then a small village, having been settled but about four years. There he worked for a while at his trade and later added a stock of goods, managing both the general store and his blacksmith shop. In time he gave up blacksmithing entirely and devoted his entire attention to merchandizing. He accumulated con- 120 - MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY siderable property about Mount Vernon, retired from active business about 1856, and died at his country home, a few miles north of Mount Vernon, on April 15, 1864. He married 1'Iartha Ann Aldridge, of Posey county, and the following children were born to this union: John M., Jane, James M., George, Richard Fulton, Henry Clay and Theodore Frelinghuysen. The mother of these children died on Dec. 17, 1846, and Mr. Barter married again in 1848, his second wife being Mary H., daughter of Capt. William Walker, of Evansville, who was killed at the battle of Buena Vista in the Mexican war. Three children were born to this marriage, viz.: Victoria, Elizabeth and Benjamin. John M. Barter, the oldest child by the first wife, was born at Mount Vernon in 1826. He received a good education, became his father's confidential secretary and business manager and later his partner. After his father's death he continued in mercantile pursuits for several years in 'Mount Vernon. His wife was Sarah Catherine Lichtenberger, of Mount Vernon, and to this marriage there were born the following children: Lawrence, Richard A., Charles, Edward, Martha, Ida and Catherine. Charles and Edward reside in Ridgway, Ill.; Catherine is the wife of Dr. Elwood Smith, of Mount Vernon, and the others are deceased. Richard A., the second son, was born at Mount Vernon and there grew to manhood, learned the trade of tinner and worked at it until his death in 1871. He married Miss Emma, daughter of Dr. L. D. Brooks, an old resident of New Harmony, Posey county, and one son, Lawrence E., the subject of this sketch, was born to the union. Lawrence E. Barter was born at New Harmony, March 28, 1871. A month later his father died. Lawrence was reared at New Harmony and received his education in the public schools there. Before reaching his majority he began life for himself as clerk in a store. He continued in this occupation until 1884, when he became bookkeeper for the New Harmony Banking Company, and remained with this concern for ten years, the last five of which he held the position of assistant cashier. During this time he served two terms on the board of trustees of the town, during the last two years of which he was president of the board, which position under the form of government made him virtually the mayor. He was the youngest man who ever held that position, yet during his term of office he secured a number of needed improvements. In 1902 he was a candidate for the nomination for county clerk before the Democratic convention, and, although this was his first entry into county politics, he was defeated by only seven votes. J. F. Blase, who secured the nomination, died soon after MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - 121 taking the office, and the county commissioners appointed Mr. Barter to the vacancy. He took charge of the office on Jan. 30, 1904, and at the Democratic convention of that year he was unanimously nominated to succeed himself. Mr. Barter is a Mason, a Knight of Pythias, to which order he has belonged for the last twelve years, and a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. In all these orders he has a popular place because of his genial disposition and general good fellowship. He was married on April 15, 1896, to Miss Katherine Miller, whose father is an old resident of Posey county, and to this marriage there have been born two children, Richard Clinton and Isabelle. FREDERICK A. MORLOCK, of Mount Vernon, Ind., treasurer of Posey county and a candidate for re-election, was born in that county, Dec. 16, 1868. He is a son of Christian and Christina (Willimann) Morlock, the former a native of Cincinnati, where he was born in November, 1835, and the latter of Posey county. Christian Morlock came to the county in 1850, bought a farm :n Black township, and there passed the remainder of his life as a farmer. On Jan. 27, 1868, he was married to Miss Christina Willimann, daughter of Adam and Mary Willirnann, both natives of Germany, but for a long time residents of Robinson township, Posey county. To this marriage there were born six children: Frederick, George, Mary, John, Edward and Emma. Frederick is the subject of this sketch; George, John and Edward are all farmers in the county; Mary is the wife of George Reinitz, of Black township; and Emma is the wife of William Cullman, residing in the same neighborhood. The Willimann and Morlock families are splendid representatives of that German-American citizenship which has been so important an element in the development of Posey county, the garden spot of Indiana. In these families none has played a more prominent part or more faithfully done his duty than Frederick A. Morlock. After receiving a good practical education in the common schools he embarked in the mercantile business at Hovey, a little village of Point township, but had the misfortune to lose his building and stock soon after starting by fire. In 1894 he was elected trustee of the township for a term 122 - MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY of four years, but owing to the passage of an act by the legislature of 1897 his term was extended two years and his successor was not elected until 1900. In 1902 he was nominated by the Democracy for the office of treasurer and at the ensuing election was victorious. His administration of the office was evidently satisfactory to the people of the county, for in 1904 he was renominated without opposition. Mr. Morlock is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Modern Woodmen, the Tribe of Len Hur, the Court of Honor and the German Methodist Episcopal church. He was married on Jan. 8, 1890, to Miss Mary, daughter of Michael and Barbara Roos, both natives of Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Morlock have the following children: Lillie C., Erwin E., Louis A., Arthur G., Mary E., and Roose E. One son, Fred C., the second of the family, is deceased. GEORGE HOUSTON CHAPMAN, M.D., one of the most successful physicians of Western Kentucky, was born in. Morganfield, Ky., March 24, 1849. His ancestors on both sides of the house were distinguished people, notably his grandfathers, Doctor Chapman and Judge George Houston. Each of these gentlemen excelled in his line of work, accumulating large means and filling positions of great responsibility. Of judge Houston it may be said that no other man stood higher among his fellows. The father of the subject of this sketch, Thomas Strother Chapman, was a highly educated man, very successful in business and frequently elected to responsible positions. Dr. Houston Chapman, after completing his academic education, entered Jefferson Medical college of Philadelphia, from which he graduated in 1873, with the highest honors. Immediately after graduation he sailed for London to spend six months in St. Thomas hospital with its fifteen hundred patients. Before returning home he visited the principal cities of the continent of Europe. Coming home fully equipped for his life's work, he began that work in earnest, and, by dint of close application and indefatigable industry, he has made a record of which he and his people have just cause to be proud. Doctor Chapman has written many articles on professional subjects, all of which were published in the prominent medical journals. His appointment as judge of surgical instruments at the World's Columbian Exposition was no trivial honor. In 1875 he married Miss Emma Homer. Two children were born to this union, Thomas Noel and Lena Taylor. The son holds a responsible position on the Southern Pacific railroad with headquarters at Houston, Tex. In politics the MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - 123 doctor is a gold standard Democrat. As secretary of the celebrated McDowell Medical society, he associated with the most distinguished members of his profession, and it is needless to state that he regards this office as the most exalted ever conferred upon him. CHARLES IGNATIUS MATTINGLY, dealer in hardware, agricultural implements and vehicles, Uniontown, Ky., was born in that county, Nov. 28, 1848, and is a son of James E. and Margaret (Phillips) Mattingly, both natives of Kentucky, the former of Union and the latter of Webster county. The paternal grandfather, Jerry Mattingly, was a native of Maryland, blacksmith by trade and was one of the pioneers of Union county, settling near St. Vincents in 18. His wife was a Miss Salle Shanks before marriage. Both died in Union county. One of their sons, John L. Mattingly, married a Miss McGill, and this couple were the parents of James E. Mattingly, the father of the subject of this sketch. He was a farmer, a soldier in the Mexican war, a Democrat in politics, and both himself and wife were members of the Catholic church. They were married in Union county, but both died in Arkansas, she in 1878 and he about 1881. They had seven sons and two daughters, six of whom are still living. On the maternal side the grandparents of Mr. Mattingly were Andrew and Margaret (Parker) Phillips, both natives of North Carolina. He fought with Jackson at the battle of New Orleans. They came from North Carolina to Hopkins county, Ky., at an early day and there they passed the remainder of their lives. Charles I. Mattingly was educated at Uniontown and followed the vocation of a farmer until 1875, when he came to Uniontown and for a time conducted a shoe factory on a modest scale. Later, he was in the hotel business, and was the builder of the Hotel Zora, which he sold in 1895 to engage in. the present line. He has the largest establishment of the kind in Uniontown and en- 124 - MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY joys a large patronage. His business naturally leads him to take an interest in agricultural matters and he is one of the stockholders of the Union County Fair association. He is a Democrat in politics, and was for ten years a member of the city council. He is regarded as a safe, conservative financier, and socially is a prince of good fellows. No man in Uniontown is more universally liked and esteemed than Charley Mattingly. He and his family are members of the Catholic church. In 1878 he was married at Uniontown, Ky., to Miss Josie Crane, a native of Livingston county, Ky. She is a slaughter of George W. and Susan M. (Barrow) Crane, old settlers of the state. Both died at Uniontown, where the father was in the lumber business, and was for several years postmaster under Republican administrations. Mrs. Mfattingly's maternal grandfather, John Barrow, was one of the pioneers of Logan county, Ky., coming from his native state of Virginia in an early clay. Mr. and Mrs. Mattingly have had eight children, viz.: George Everett, now in business with his father; Margaret Zora, Mary Miskel, Tiny Catherine, deceased; Helen Agnes, Flora Annie, Charles Ignatius, Jr., and William Joseph. George Everett, the eldest son, attended St. Mary's college, Marion county, Icy., and graduated in 1895 from Gethsemane college in Nelson county, where he was awarded a gold medal for bookkeeping. For five years he clerked for Pike-Newman Dry Goods Company, of Uniontown, then three years with Bry & Bros. Cloak Company, of St. Louis, and is now in partnership with his father. Gifted with a wealth of shrewdness and common sense, he goes at everything he pursues with that energy and singleness of purpose that are bound to achieve success. He and his sister, Margaret Zora, are accomplished musicians, and were given the honor of playing for the Mardi Gras excursionists from Cincinnati to New Orleans on the steamer John K. Speed in 1899, the passengers on the steamer presenting Miss Mattingly with a diamond brooch as a token of their appreciation. While in St. Louis the son, studied violin at the Beethoven conservatory of music in that city. WILLIAM TEARE, mayor of Uniontown, Ky., was born in Ramsey, Isle of Man, in 1839. When a lad, only eleven years old, he emigrated to America, settling at Vandenburg, Meade county, Ky. At the early age of twelve years he began the life of a river-man and followed that avocation for ten years, experiencing many trials and hardships. It is certain, however, that this rough and hazardous life fitted him for his active and trying soldier life of four years. MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - 125 Being an ardent supporter of the claims of the South in her dispute with the North, he was among the first of the Kentuckians to cast his lot with the South and to enter the Confederate army in August, 1861. He became a member of Company E, Tenth Kentucky cavalry, a regiment that saw as much active service as any other in the Confederate army. In 1862 he was wounded no less than three times, once in the memorable battle of Pittsburg Landing and twice in an effort of his regiment to capture a Federal gunboat. As soon as he recovered from these wounds he returned to his regiment and was wounded for the fourth time in the battle of Springfield, Tenn., in 1863. Surely he bears scars enough to establish the fact that he fought valiantly for a cause that he thought to be right. In (organ's raid through Southern Indiana and Ohio he was taken prisoner and confined in Canip Douglas until February, 1865. He was paroled at Atlanta, Ga., in May, 1865. The first year after the war he spent in Texas, when he finally located in Uniontown, Ky., in December, 1866. He married Miss Catherine Wathen, to which union five children have been born, one of them being the wife of Benjamin Davison, an extensive coal operator. He filled the offices of constable and police judge before the people elected him to his present responsible position. In religious and political affairs Mr. Teare is quite liberal. He is an earnest Democrat, but in no sense a partisan. He is a public-spirited man, taking an active interest in even thing that pertains to the healthful development of his home city. GEORGE WALTER CLEMENTS, a well known farmer of Union county, Ky., and superintendent of the Uniontown wagon factory, was born in Washington county, Ky., July 7, 1870. His parents, George R. and Sallie (Clement) Clements, were both born in Kentucky, the former in Washington and the latter in Union county. The paternal grandparents were George R. and Anna (Hamilton) Clements. George R. Clements cane from Virginia at an early day and settled in Washington county, where he died in 1872 and his wife in 1880. The maternal grandparents were Walter and Martha (Payne) Clement. George Payne, the father of Martha, came from Virginia and was among the pioneers of Union county. George R. Clements, the father of George W., is still living in Washington county, where he follows the vocation of a farmer. He is a Democrat and takes an active interest in politics. He and his wife were both members of the Catholic church. She died in 1874. They had ten chil- 126 - MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY dren, five of whom are yet living. George "alter Clements was reared on a farm and has followed that occupation all his life. He was educated primarily in the public schools, afterward attending Cecilian college. He owns 375 acres of good land in Union county and is one of the progressive farmers of that section of the state. For some time he has been discharging the active duties of superintendent of the wagon factory, in which he is a stockholder. Politically he is a Democrat and he and his entire family are members of the Catholic church. Mr. Clements was married in 1895 to Miss Mary Pike, a daughter of Sylvester Pike, mentioned elsewhere in this work. To this union there have been born five children Ignatius Loyola, Sarah Aileen, Mary Susan, George Forrest and Agnes Amelia. CHARLES A. J. KELLENAERS, cashier of the Farmers bank, Uniontown, Ky., was born in Holland, Dec. 12, 1862. He received his primary education in his native land and at the age of seventeen came to the United States, attended the Kansas State normal school and the Catholic normal school, of Milwaukee, Wis. For ten years he followed the profession of a pedagogue. In 1894 he came to Uniontown as a bookkeeper in the bank. His industry, fidelity, and quick intelligence won the approbation of his employers and when in 1902 the Farmers' bank was organized, buying out the old bank, Mr. Kellenaers was made cashier. He had previously been cashier of the old bank of Uniontown for about two years, and was largely instrumental in the organization of the Farmers' bank, in which he is a stockholder to a considerable extent. Politically Mr. Kellenaers is a Democrat and keeps thoroughly informed on the great questions of the day, though he is by no means an active politician. His highest aim is to intelligently discharge his duties as a citizen of his adopted country. In church matters he has adhered to his early training and is a member of the Catholic church. Mr. Kellenaers was united in marriage, in 1903, to Miss Ellen Lancaster, a young lady of many excellent qualities and womanly graces, of Calhoun, Ky., and one son, Joseph Theophilus, has come to bless this union. MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - 127 SYLVESTER PIKE, a retired banker of Uniontown, Ky., was born in Meade county of that state, April 30, 1830, and is a son of Joseph and Sarah (Howard) Pike, both natives of Washington county, Ky. Both of Mr. Pike's grandfathers came from England at an early date and settled in Washington county, where both lived to be very old. Joseph Pike received a common school education, but was by nature a close student. He and his wife were both members of the Catholic church. Of their seven children two are living. Sylvester Pike was educated at Rogers college. His early life was passed on the farm, and as his parents were in moderate circumstances he began life for himself with practically nothing at the age of nineteen, years. His first business venture was as a lime burner, and it was in this business that he made the first start toward his fortune. He afterward followed farming for several years, buying more land occasionally until he was one of the most extensive land owners in the county. For more than twenty years he was interested in banking operations at both Uniontown and Morganfield. It has been said that he made more money in the banking business than any other man in Kentucky, and he is perhaps the wealthiest man in Union county today. He owns two fine residences in Uniontown, the wagon factory, a number of farms, and has given to his children about seventy-five thousand dollars. One thing can be said of Mr. Pike's wealth, and that is that every dollar was honestly acquired. He has always been. very liberal and lenient toward his debtors and has shown his public spirit by being a contributor to every scheme for the upbuilding of the town. Mr. Pike is an active Democrat and is an enthusiastic supporter of his party's principles. In religious matters he is a Catholic of the broad gauge sort—one who believes in charitable works and actions. He was one of the heaviest contributors toward the erection of the fine Catholic church in Uniontown and personally supervised its erection. He was married in i85o to Miss Sarah Newton, a native of Washington county, and they have had born to them seven children. George is deceased, Benjamin J. is a prominent merchant of Uniontown and has large farming interests in the county; Emina is the wife of R. E. Newman, a farmer of Union county; Agnes Maria is the Sister Superior of the 128 - MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY Catholic school at Whitesville, Ky.; William Dun is a priest at Fairfield, Ky. ; Mary is the wife of G. W. Clements, a farmer of Union county, and Catherine is the wife of W. M. Morgan, whose farm is said to be the finest in the county. Mr. and Mrs. Pike are both living, having been married for fifty-five years, and in their old age they are enjoying the fruits of their industry and frugality of earlier years and the friendship and esteem of all who know them. JOHN R. TAYLOR, a retired farmer and business man of Uniontown, hy., was born in the county where he now resides, June 14, 1825. He is a descendant of some of the oldest families of Kentucky. His paternal grandparents, Jonathan and Ann (Berry) Taylor, were natives of Virginia, but came to Kentucky before the beginning of the nineteenth century. Jonathan Taylor had seven brothers in the Colonial army during the Revolutionary war. One of Jonathan Taylor's sons was Gibson B. Taylor, the father of the subject of this sketch. He was the youngest of the family and was born in Clark county, Ky., in 1797. He studied medicine and when he was about twenty years old located in Union county, where he married Mary Rives, a daughter of Burwell and Mary (Gilliam) Rives, who came from Virginia and were among the early settlers of Union county. Dr. and Mary Taylor had eleven children, ten of whom grew to maturity and five are yet living. In his day Dr. Taylor was one of the best known and most successful physicians of the county. He was an active Democrat and served one term as a member of the legislature. John R. Taylor was educated in the common schools and has been a resident of Union county all his life, part of the time as a merchant of Uniontown and part as one of the leading farmers of the county. For the last two or three years he has been retired from active business cares, enjoying the fruits of his industry and frugality of former years. Mr. Taylor is a Democrat politically and takes a keen interest in all questions relating to public policy. He is a consistent member of the Episcopal church. On April 14, 1863, he was married to Miss Bettie R. Givens, a daughter of Lyle and Polly (Waller) Givens, who were among the first settlers of Union county. Aaron Waller, the father of Polly, was one of the MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - 129 very first citizens of the county and was for many years prominent in its affairs. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor have had four children, only one of whom is now living. John Gibson, Mary, and Lyle are deceased, and Rives is the wife of Noel Berry, whose father, W. F. Berry, is mentioned elsewhere in this work. ROBERT N. MERRITT, a carpenter and contractor of Uniontown, Ky., was born in Meade county of that state, June 15, 1842, and is a son of Nathaniel David and Harriet M. (Beven) Merritt, the former a native of Virginia and the latter of Nelson county, Ky. The paternal great-grandparents of Mr. Merritt came from Scotland. Three brothers came over at the same time; one settling in Virginia, one in North Carolina, and one in Ohio. Nathaniel D. Merritt came to Nelson county when he was a young man, there married Harriet Beven, a daughter of Nicholas Beven, one of the pioneers of the county. After his marriage he removed to Meade county and there both himself and wife ended their days. He died March 9, 1862, and she on Aug. 9, 1867. They had a family of six children, three of whom are still living. The parents and grandparents on both sides were members of the Catholic church. Robert N. Merritt attended the common schools in his boyhood and later took a course in the Bryant & Stratton Business College, graduating in 1861. The following spring he enlisted in Company E, Twelfth Kentucky cavalry, and served until the close of the war. He participated in the famous Morgan raid; was captured at Philadelphia, Tenn., Oct. 20, 1863, and held a prisoner until April 25, 1865 ; was five months in prison at Belle Isle, and at the famous Andersonville prison the rest of the tinge. He now draws a pension for disabilities incurred while in the service. After the war he took up the work of a carpenter and since then has been employed in the erection of some of the best buildings in the county. He and his family are members of the Catholic church, and he belongs to Post No. 206, Grand Army of the Republic, for the department of Kentucky. On April 1, 1867, Mr. Merritt was married to Miss Ann Melissa, daughter of Milton Greenwood, of Meade county, and to this marriage there have been born three children: Mary C. is dead; John N. married a Miss Maggie Nall and they had three children; one of his daughters married Robert Mattingly and died leaving one daughter, Annie May, now fifteen years old, and lives with her grandparents; his other two children were named Roy and Leo. Frances Belle, the youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Merritt, is II-9 130 - MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER 01110 VALLEY the wife of T. C. Below of Union county. John N. Merritt, the son, now lives in Missouri, where he is a contractor and builder, and is now postmaster of his town. C. Z. CAMERON, a distinguished lawyer of Uniontown, Ky., was born in that county, Aug. 12, 1864, and is a son of J. Matt and Ann D. (Wathen) Cambron, both of whom were born in Kentucky, the former in Washington and the latter in Union county. The great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch came from Maryland at a very early date and was the founder of the Cambron family in Kentucky. The grandfather, Raphael Cambron, came to Union county as a teacher, afterward becoming one of the largest farmers in the county, owning a farm of 53o acres, on which a daughter of his, Paulin,a Smith, now resides. On the maternal side Mr. Canibron's grandparents were Theodore B. and Susan (Buckman) Wathen, natives of Marion and Union counties, respectively. He was a farmer and carpenter by trade, and he and his wife both died in Union county. J. Matt Cambron was a farmer and an active Democrat politically. He died in 1866, but his widow is yet living. They had five children, four of whom still survive. The Cambron family are all Catholics, a bachelor uncle of C. Z.'s having given $25,000 toward the erection of the Catholic church at Uniontown. C. Z. Cambron was reared on the farm; attended the common schools and St. Mary's college, of Marion county, Ky.; came to Uniontown in 1855; was deputy county clerk under Capt. J. H. Wall; engaged in the dry-goods business; continued in that line until 1897 ; then took up the study of law ; was examined by Hon. A. O. Stanley and S. B. Vance in 1900 and was admitted to the bar; has already taken a high rank as an attorney and was made city attorney in 1901 holding the office ever since. For several years he has been a notary public. Mr. Cambron was married on Nov. 17, 1885, to Miss Mary S., daughter of Robert L. and Rebecca (Ray) Byrne, both native Kentuckians, the former of Spencer and the latter of Union county. Mrs. Cambron's grandparents, William and Susan (Jarboe) Byrne, were earl), settlers in Spencer county, where he died, she spending her last days in Union county. On the maternal side her grandparents were Alexander G. and Mary (Kinslow) Ray, both natives of Washington county. The great-grandfather, John Ray, was a native of Ireland, settling in that county in 1813. Mrs. Cambron has one brother living—R. G. Byrne, an attorney of Uniontown. Mr. and Mrs. Cambron have five children: MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - 131 Robert T., a student at St. Mary's college and a graduate of the commercial course of Gethsemane college; Willie Mary, Charles Ray, Louis R. and Rebecca. ROBERT WESLEY CRABB, a retired business man, of Uniontown, Ky., a son of S. F. and Mary A. (Mathews) Crabb, was born in Charleston, Miss., Sept. 25, 1848. His father was a native of North Carolina and his mother of Virginia. They were married in Mississippi, where both died in the same year - 1858. He was a planter, an extensive slaveholder, somewhat active in politics as a Democrat, and both parents were Methodists in their religious faith. The Crabb family is of German extraction, the American branch having its origin in three brothers who came from Germany in the sixteenth century and settled in New York, North Carolina and Virginia. The Mathews family is of old Virginia stock, the grandfather of Mr. Crabb having come from that State to Mississippi in the early part of the nineteenth century. Robert W. Crabb is one of a family of nine children, only two of who survive. Until he was ten, years of age he lived on his father's farm. At the age of fourteen nears he became a courier in the Confederate service and later enlisted in Capt. W. F. B,urk's company, Company E, Forty-seventh Arkansas cavalry, under Col. Lee Crandall, and served until the end of the war. After the war was over he cane to Uniontown, where for twenty-seven years he was engaged in the hardware and implement business, becoming one of the best known and most widely patronized merchants of the place. For a number of years he served as mayor of the city and was internal revenue collector under President Cleveland's administration. luring the four and a half years that he held the position he collected over half a million dollars. In 19oo he retired from active business, though he looks after his property, being a large real estate owner, and is the secretary and treasurer of the Confederate Mining Company, of Globe, Ariz. Mr. Crabb has accumulated every dollar he has by his industry and close attention to his business. He married Betty Edwards Delanv, daughter of Judge S. D. Delany, formerly of Union county, but later went to Texas and died there. Mr. and Mrs. Crabb have had five children, three of whom are living: Davis D. married Kate Morris and lives in Uniontown; W. V. lives in Louisville, and Lista is at home. 132 - MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY D. E. CAULTON, superintendent of  the National Coal and Oil Company, of Uniontown, Ky., was born in the Province of Ontario, Canada, June 7, 1868, and is a son of Dr. F. G. and Lorinda Jane (Elliott) Caulton, the father a native of England and the mother of Canada. Doctor Caulton was educated in his native land ; graduated in medicine in New York City, and is still engaged in practice in Canada at the age of seventy-three years. He and his first wife had five children, only two of whom are living : Frederick C., a wealthy grain and stock dealer of Nebraska, and the subject of this sketch. Their mother died in 1875 and their father married a second wife by whom he has two children living. The paternal grandfather of Mr. Caulton was a native of England and a prominent Baptist minister. He spent his last days in Canada. D. E. Caulton received a good education in the Canadian schools and began life as a civil engineer. For about seven years he was engaged at Cleveland, then two years at Chicago; came to Louisville an,d engaged in general engineering work until 1898 ; then became superintendent of the coal company at Uniontown, now a part of the National Coal and Oil Company. Mr. Caulton is an expert in his line of work and in addition, to his technical knowledge of engineering has fine business qualifications. He was married at Morganfield, Ky., in 1902, to Miss Emma Prentice, daughter of George A. Prentice, one of the leading lawyers of Morganfield, and they have one daughter, named Marion Elliott. Mr. Caulton and his wife are members of the Episcopal church. H. E. WHITLEDGE, M.D., a promising young physician of Uniontown, Ky., was born in Henderson county, of the same state, Feb. 20, 1875. For several generations his ancestors on, both sides have lived in Henderson county. His paternal great-grandfather was one of the first settlers, and his grandfather, whose name was William Whitledge, was a native of the county. C. C. Whitleclge, a son of William, married Margaretta Cottingham, the daughter of Thomas and Sarah (Hinton) Cottingharn, both of whom were natives of Henderson county, and she is still living there. Thomas Cottingham was a tobacco merchant, and was the son of Isom Cottingham, one MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - 133 of the first settlers of the county. Both of Doctor Whitledge's parents are still living in Henderson county, where the father is engaged in the business of farming and tobacco buying. He is an active Democrat, a member of the Masonic fraternity, and he and his wife both belong to the Methodist church. Doctor Whitledge was educated at the Corydon high school and graduated from the medical department of the University of Louisville in 1897. He first began practicing at Oakland City, Ind., but three years later came to Uniontown, where he has built up a lucrative practice and has a high standing, both with his professional brethren and with the public. He is a member of the American and Kentucky State Medical associations and the Medical society of Union county. In political matters Doctor Whitledge was reared a Democrat, but in local elections he votes for the man rather than for the party candidate, believing that good government depends upon the selection of honest and capable officials. In fraternal circles he is well known, being a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He was married in 1898 to Miss Edith Snyder, a native of Newburg, Ind., and they have one daughter, Elizabeth May, now four years of age. JAMES E. BUCKMAN, head of the J. E. Buckman Grocery Company, of Uniontown, Ky., is a native of that county, having been born there on Feb. 21, i86o. His father, L. M. Buckman, was a native of Marion county, Ky., a contractor and builder, and an active Democrat in his day. He died some years ago in Union county and his widow, whose maiden name was Jane Wathen, is still living there. She is a daughter of Stanns and Mary (Davenport) Wathen, both natives of Virginia, but came in their early lives to Kentucky. The paternal grandfather, William Buckman, was one of the pioneers of Marion county, Ky. U. M. and Jane Buckman had eleven children, five of whom are yet living. James E. was educated in the St. Rose parochial school of Uniontown and for several years after leaving school clerked in a drug store and later in a hardware store. About fifteen years ago he embarked in the grocery busi- 134 - MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY ness and in 1897 the Buckman Grocery Company was established. Since then it has had the lion's share of the grocery trade of Uniontown and the surrounding country. The success of the company is clue largely to the fact that it does a strictly cash business and sells goods for the smallest possible margin of profit. It has been a potent factor in educating the people of Uniontown of the uselessness of the credit system, in which the honest patrons of a concern must pay the debts of the dishonest ones in the higher prices necessary to cover losses by had debts. Mr. Buckman has been successful in life. He owns a number of houses and lots in, the city, a small farm just outside the town, and property in Arkansas. His dealings with his fellow-men have been distinguished by punctuality and a strict adherence to the spirit and letter of his obligations. He was married on Sept. 25, 1898, to Miss Fannie Mayfield, a popular and accomplished young lady of Union county. The Buckman family are all members of the Catholic church and contributors to its charitable work. JOHN MARAMAN BUCKMAN, collector, Morganfield, Ky., is a son of William Dunbar Buckman, and was born in Nelson county, Ky., March 13, 1830. He takes his middle name from the family name of his mother. (For ancestry, etc., see Sketch of B. Z. Buckman.) John M. was educated in the common schools and at St. Joseph's college, Bardstown, Ky. In early years he worked as a carpenter, and was also interested in agricultural pursuits. At one time he owned a farm near Morganfield, but after the death of his wife, on Aug. 11, 1890, he sold it and came to Morganfield, where he has since been occupied in his present line of business. In that time thousands of dollars have passed through his hands, but his accounts are always found correct, which is all that need be said regarding his character as an honest man. Mr. Buckman is one of the active Democrats of Union county. From 1859 to 1863 he was deputy sheriff and sheriff and held the position of chief deputy under Sheriff R. S. Spaulding for two years. He has served for years as county assessor and has held other important and responsible positions. In church matters he is a true Catholic, to which church his family all MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - 135 belong. Mr. Buckman was married on Jan. 4, 1860, to Miss Mary A. Clarke, a daughter of Thomas James and Frances (Marshall) Clarke, of clorganfield, where they settled about 1836. He died in 1850 and his wife in 1887. Mr. and Mrs. Backman had born to them ten children : Mary Clarke, Laura Mary, Frances Catherine, Samuel Edward, John Hamilton, William Clarke, Ann Elizabeth, Benedict Joseph, Charles Marshall and Ida Lillie. All are living except Laura, Ann, Elizabeth and Charles Marshall. BENEDICT ZACHARIAH BUCKMAN, a retired merchant and business man of Uniontown, Ky., was born near Leonardtown, St. Mary's county, Md., March 27, 1834. He can trace his ancestry back to early emigrants from England and Ireland. His paternal great-grandparents, John Baptist and Nancy (Drinker) Buckman, were natives of Lincolnshire, England, who came to Maryland at an early date. A son of this couple was Charles Buckman, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch. He was born in Maryland in 1752 and died in Washington county, Ky., in 1832. One of his sons was William Dunbar Buckman, who married a Miss ivlaraman, and these were the parents of Benedict Z. Buckman. The maternal grandparents were Zachariah and Ann (Howard) Maraman, the former a native of Ireland and the latter of Maryland. Her parents came from France. A brother of Charles Buckman served in tht war of the Revolution. William Dunbar Buckman was a farmer and mechanic. He came to Kentucky in 1796 and settled in, what was then Washington, now Marion county. About 1852 he came to Union county, where he died Aug. 21, 1864. His wife died on April 28, 1845. Benedict Z. Buckman was reared on the farm, attending the subscription schools of that day, where he managed to pick up a good practical education. He began life as a clerk in a grocery; was elected constable when he was twenty-one and served two years; came to Uniontown in 1858 and went to work in a dry-goods store ; was deputy sheriff from 1860 to 1862 ; enlisted in the Confederate army in Johnson's regiment of Kentucky cavalry; fought at Milton, Tenn., and in numerous skirmishes in that state and Kentucky ; was with Forrest at Chickamauga ; fought under Wheeler after the capture of General Morgan ; was captured on the Tennessee river in 1864, and paroled at Nashville; commissioned to raise a company, but the war being almost at end the company was never organized. After the war Mr. Buckman came to Uniontown and took a position in the grocery store of Byrne & Chapman. This concern changed 136 - MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY hands while he was there but he remained with the firm until March, 1873, when he bought an interest in the grocery business of S. A. Davis & Co. The following January he bought the entire stock and a little later formed a partnership with William Albert, as Albert & Buckman, and this partnership lasted until April, 1876. Mr. Buckman was made police judge in the following August and served until February, 1878, when he resigned to return to the grocery business with J. C. David. In November of the same year Mr. David sold out to Thomas J. Pike, and in June, 1879, the firm was succeeded by J. A. Mason & Co. Mr. Buckman was then assistant postmaster for some time, after which he was in the sewing machine business for several years. He was then with C. H. Blanford & Co. for some time; formed a partnership with Abram Davenport which was dissolved in 1889 ; then sold out and went to Maxonmill, where he was in the grocery business and assistant postmaster; was next in business at Paducah for about two years; came to Uniontown again in 1892; worked for the firm of J. H. Chapman & Son for a while, and from November, 1898, to February, 1903, he was a partner and manager of the J. O. Buckman. grocery business. Since then he has lived retired. Mr. Buckman is a Democrat of the rock-ribbed variety, and he and his family are members of the Catholic church. He was married, May 8, 1871, to Miss Mary E., daughter of Raphael T. and Elizabeth (Watt) Cissell, of Morganfield. Her father was born in Marion county, Ky., and her mother in Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. Buckman have had no children of their own but they have reared several adopted children. JOSEPH E. LILLY, M. D., clerk of the circuit court of Union county, Morganfield, Ky., was born in Nelson county of that state, March 3, 1850. His parents, W. Newton and Ellen (Clark) Lilly, were both natives of Nelson county, the former born in 1810 and the later in 1817. He was a mechanic and died in 1865. His widow is still living, aged eighty-seven years. The Lilly family are all Catholics. Of the thirteen children born to W. Newton and Ellen Lilly, six are living. The ancestors of Doctor Lilly were among the pioneers of Nelson county. His great-grandparents, John and Sallie (Newton) Lilly were natives of Maryland, but came in their youth with their parents to Nelson county, which John Lilly represented in the legislature after he reached manhood. He died in New Orleans. The paternal great-grandparents were Clement and Nellie Clark, who came to Nelson county when their son William, the grand- MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - I37 father of Doctor Lilly, was but four years old. They were natives of Maryland. William Clark married Susan McGill. Doctor Lilly was educated at St. Joseph's college at Bardstown; studied medicine at Louisville; came to Morganfield, where he practiced for about twelve years with excellent success; was elected magistrate in 1894; elected circuit court clerk in 1897 and re-elected in 1903; is now serving his second term in that office; is a prominent worker in the Democratic party in Union county; proprietor of the Parsons hotel, one of the oldest and best known places of entertainment in Morganfield; is one of the prominent Catholics of Union county, and is, all round, a representative Kentuckian. In whatever he undertakes he is successful because he brings to the enterprise rare tact, a quick intelligence, an indomitable energy and a strict reliability. Such qualities must of necessity win, not only success, but the esteem and friendship of those with whom he comes in contact. Doctor Lilly was married on Jan. 13, 1875, to Miss Maud Parsons, daughter of Henry C. and Catherine (Smith) Parsons. Her father was born in Marion county, Ky., but went to Louisville with his parents, J. G. and Mary A. (Lilly) Parsons, while still in his boyhood. His father was born in Mason county in 1799 and his mother in Nelson county in 1805. The great-grandfather of Mrs. Lilly was Clement Parsons, a native of Virginia, who died in Washington county, Ky., in 1830. He married a Miss Elizabeth Forrest of Maryland. She died in i86o. Henry C. Parsons was a clerk in early life; later followed agriculture; came to Union county in 1861, where he farmed until 1866, when he engaged in the hotel business at Caseyville; bought the hotel he now owns in Morganfield, and has been manager of the Parsons House most of the time since. He and his wife had six children, three of whom are now living. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Lilly was John A. W. Smith, of Green county, Ky. He married a Martha Robinson, daughter of Thomas Robinson., a native of Virgina, who settled in Taylor county, Ky. Mrs. Parsons, the mother of Mrs. Lilly, died in March, rgor. To Dr. and Mrs. Lilly there have been born nine children. Those living are Harry N., Joseph E. Jr., Percy A., Catherine, and Thomas. AARON WALLER CLEMENTS, county judge of Union county,. Morganfield, Ky., was born in that county, March 8, 1853. He is a son of Aaron and Lucy Casey (Johnson) Clements, both natives of Union county, where the father was for many years a well known farmer, an active Democrat, a prominent member of the Masonic 138 - MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY fraternity, and of the Christian church. He died on Dec. 28, 1889, and his widow is still living at the age of eighty-three years. She is a member of the Christian church. The paternal grandfather of Judge Clements was Leonard Clements, mentioned elsewhere in this work, and the maternal grandfather was George Johnson, an early settler of Union county. He was a farmer; a Whig until that party was dissolved, and then a Democrat; served as sheriff and jailer of the county; kept hotel at Morganfield for many years, and was one of the leading citizens of the county. He married Nancy Reeves, who was a native of Morganfield and passed her entire life there. Judge Clements was educated in the common schools and at Princeton college; followed farming for several years; served as road supervisor from 1886 to 1890; elected sheriff in 1897; took the office in 1898 and served four years; was elected county judge in 1901,, and is now holding that position. He is one of the leaders of the Democratic party in his county and is always active in promulgating its principles. He is one of the substantial citizens of the county, owning three houses and lots, besides other property in Morganfield and three farms near Uniontown. In 1900 he was made a Mason in Morganfield Lodge No. 66; has been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows ever since 1878, when he joined Humane Lodge No. 37 at Morganfield, and belongs to the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Christian church. On May 27, 1885, Judge Clements was married to Miss Sallie A. Tuley, a native of L; niontown, Ky., and a daughter of W. P. and Julia (Orme) Tuley. Her father was a native of New Albany, Ind., and was a saddler by trade. He was an active Democrat in his day. Both of Mrs. Clements' parents are deceased. To Judge and Mrs. Clements there have been born six children, viz.: Baldwin Johnson, Edward Tuley, Lillian Ethel, Lucy Casey, Clarence Berry, and Earl Chester. JAMES S. BLUE, a well known grocer of Morganfield, Ky., and mayor of the city, was born in, Caldwell county, Ky., Jan. 29, 1848. His parents, John R. and Pernesia (Glenn) Blue, were both natives of the same county, where the father was a farmer and a prominent Whig before the war. He died in 1864, the another having died some ten years before. They had four children,, all of whom are living. The paternal grandfather, James Blue, lived in Union county in the early part of the nineteenth century. He was sheriff of the county along in, the twenties and in 1830 removed to Caldwell county, MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - 139 where he died in 1848. The maternal grandfather was David Glenn, a native of Lyon county, Ky., but who died in Caldwell county in 1864. James S. Blue received his education in the common, schools of Caldwell county, where he lived until he reached his majority. In January, 1871, he came to Union county and there farmed for several years, after which he located in Morganfield. He was marshal of the city for two years, constable for four years, and sheriff for three years. For the last eleven years he has been in the grocery business, and is now serving his third year as i.nayor of the city. Politically Mr. Blue is an unswerving Democrat, always willing to do his part to achieve a victory for his party, and in 1904 was nominated for sheriff of the county. He is a member of Morganfield Lodge No. 66, Free and Accepted Masons, and he and his wife belong to the Presbyterian church. Mr. Blue was married in April, 1878, to Miss Lou Hughes, of Union county, and to this marriage there were born five children. Two sons died in infancy and those living are Bessie G. (Bessie Ford), Camille (Camille Blue Hedges), and Willis. Mrs. Blue departed this life in March, 1888, and in the succeeding October Mr. Blue was married to Miss Bessie Hughes, a sister of his first wife. Four children have been born to this marriage, viz.: James Barber, George E., Charles David, and Sarah McGoodwin (Clements). GEORGE LUCIAN DRURY, junior member of the law firm of Drury & Drury, Morganfield, Ky., was born in Union county of that state Dec. 12, 1875, and is a son of George H. and Ellen (Harris) Drury, both natives of the county. The family is descended from Philip Drury, a native of London and a member of the family from which "Drury Lane" took its name. He came to America at an early date and settled in Maryland, where the great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch was born. His name was Bernard Drury. Ignatius Drury, the grandfather, was born at Leonardtown, St. Mary's county, Md., Oct. 23, 1806: came to Marion county, Ky., when he was ten years old ; married Lydia O'Nan, a native of Davis county, and settled in Union county in 1820: followed the brickmasons' trade; was a member of the Catholic church, and died July 9, 1887. The maternal grandparents were Truman and Virginia (Pratt) Harris, both native Kentuckians, the former born in Nelson county, March 1, 1817, and the latter in Jefferson county, Sept. 19, 1819. He died in January, 186), and she is still living. They came to Union county in their infancy, where he followed farming and was for many years a justice of the 140 - MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY peace. The great-grandfather on the mother's side was Benjamin Harris, born near Baltimore; married Innocent Ann Wight and came to Union county in pioneer days. James Pratt, the father of Virginia Pratt, was born in Virginia in 1785 and died in Union county in 1856. He served in the war of 1812, came first to Union county in 1814, and settled there in 1826. George H. Drury, the father of George L., now resides near St. Vincent, Union county, where he is engaged in farming on the old homestead. His wife is also living. They had four children: William Truman, George L., Mary Allie, and Boyd Harris. The eldest was born Oct. 12, 1871 ; was educated in the public schools and the State university at Lexington; studied law at Morganfield; was admitted to the bar on July 9, 1896, and is now the senior member of the firm of Drury & Drury. Mary Allie was born. May lo, 1878, and was married on Jan. 15, 1902, to Thomas C. Bingham, of Henshaw, Ky., and has two children: George Henry and Margaret Ellen. Boyd Harris died in infancy Aug. 7, 1880. George L. Drury graduated from the Morganfield high school in June, 1895; taught school for three years; began the study of law in February, 1898, and graduated from the Louisville law school on April 28, 1899; was admitted to the bar the following day; formed a partnership with his brother on May 15, and has since practiced in Morganfield. Although both members of the firm are young men they have a high standing at the bar and are on the road to a successful business. Both are close students and good judges of human nature, and this combination rarely fails to make a good lawyer. Neither is married, both are Democrats and members of the Catholic church. George L. was a candidate for county attorney in 1901, but was defeated by a small margin. MATHEW ROBERT WALLER, a retired farmer of Union county, Ky., living near Morganfield, was born in the county, April 2I, 1833. Shortly after the close of the Revolutionary war his grandfather, John Waller, came from Virginia, where he was born, and settled in Washington county, Ky. In 1811 he decided to remove to Union county, and on the way he was captured by the Indians and held a prisoner for two years before he found an opportunity to escape. He married a Miss Small, who died in Union county. One of their sons was Aaron Waller, the father of Mathew R. He was born in Washington county in 1789, came with the family to Union, county in 181 i and died there on Feb. 5, 1851. He married Mary Allison Givens, a native of Hopkins county, and MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - 141 they had eight sons and two daughters. Four of the sons and both of the daughters are yet living. The four living sons are John, Givens, William, Mathew Robert, and Robert A. Mathew Robert Waller received such an education as the common schools of his youthful days afforded and followed the vocation of a farmer until 1858, when he located in Morganfield and engaged in business. In 1861 he enlisted in the Confederate army in company F, First Kentucky cavalry, joining the army at Bowling Green. He served through the entire war, taking part in numerous engagements, among them the battle of Chickamauga and the military operations around Atlanta. Near that city he was captured and held as a prisoner of war at Camp Douglas, Chicago, Ill., for seven months. After the war he embarked in the business of a general store-keeper at Morganfield and continued in that business for sixteen years, at the end of which time he sold out and returned to farming. For two years he was president of the National Bank of Union county, and is now one of the directors of the bank. He lives in a beautiful home about a mile from Morganfield and still takes an active interest in all questions affecting the general welfare of the county. Politically he was a Democrat until 1896, and since that time has been independent. Mr. Waller has been twice married. In October, 1866, he was married to Addie Forman, and to this union there were born three children: Alfred Forman, Martha Lizzie and William Robert. Addie Waller died on May 5, 1880, and on March 2, 1882, Mr. Waller was married to Miss Camilla B. Hughes, of Union county. Mr. Waller is a man who is universally respected by his acquaintances and is regarded as one of the best citizens of the county. He and his wife are both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. J. MATT CAMBRON, one of the leading liverymen of Morganfield, Ky., is a son of J. Matt and Ann D. (Wathen) Cambron, and was born in Union county, Ky., Dec. 29, 1864. (See sketch of C. Z. Cambron.) He was reared on a farm and received his education at St. Mary's college in. Marion county, Ky. Until he was twenty-four years of age he followed the vocation of a farmer. He then went into a dry goods store and was a salesman in that line for twelve years. Then for about a year and a half he was in the grocery business in Morganfield and since giving tip that occupation has been engaged in the livery business. Mr. Cambron has been measurably successful in whatever he has undertaken. He is a man 142 - MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY of industrious habits, good judgment and sterling honesty. In his various undertakings he has had the good will and support of his friends and acquaintances, which he fully appreciates. Politically he is one of the solid and reliable Democrats of Union county, and is always ready to defend his political opinions. In church matters he remains true to the teachings of his parents, and is a consistent member of the Catholic church. Mr. Cambron was married in 1894 to Miss Isabel Clayton, a native of Davis county, Ky., and a daughter of T. N. Clayton, a well-to-do farmer of that county, an, active Democrat and a member of the Catholic church. The mother of Mrs. Cambron was a Miss Vance of Davis county, where she died a few years ago. To Mr. and Mrs. Cambron there have been born six children : Sue Emma, James Will, Roy Jerome, J. Matt and Mary Bell, twins, and Edward Smith. HON. WILLIAM 1IOUNT BERRY, sheriff of Union county, Morganfield, Ky., was born in Hopkins county of that state, May 16, 1848. His parents, Thornton and Elizabeth (Edwards) Berry, were both natives of Kentucky, the former of Nelson and the latter of Shelby county. Thornton Berry was born in 1817; received a common school education; read medicine with Dr. James Bassett of Providence, Ky. ; attended the medical college at Louisville; practiced in Union county ; and died there in 1877. He was a prominent Free Mason, a Democrat, a Presbyterian, and his wife was a member of the Methodist church. She was born in 1826, and died in Union county in 1893. They had five sons and two daughters, and two sons and the daughters are now living. The paternal grandparents of William Berry were Albert Judson and Nellie (Bean) Berry, the former born in St. Charles county, Va., in 1786, and the latter was a native of Maryland. They came to Kentucky and settled first in, Nelson county and later in Union, where both passed their last days. He was with General Jackson at the battle of New Orleans. The maternal grandparents were natives of Simpson county, Ky., where they passed their whole lives. William 'Mount Berry was educated in the common schools and has been a farmer the greater part of his life. He now owns a good farm near Sturgis. Politically he is MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - 143 one of the most active Democrats in Union county. He has served as a delegate to different state conventions and in 1904 was a delegate to the national convention at St. Louis. For ten years he held the office of justice of the peace; was in the legislature in 1896-97; served four years as deputy sheriff under A. W. Clements, and was elected sheriff in 1902. His term as sheriff does not expire until 1906. He has served as chairman of his county campaign committee for several campaigns, and while justice of the peace was district committeeman most of the time. He is a member of Morganfield Lodge No. 66, Free and Accepted Masons; Humane Lodge No. 37, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, at 'Morganfield; Silver Lodge No. 68, Knights of Pythias, at Sturgis, and of the Sturgis lodge of the Golden Cross. He is a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, and one of the elders of his congregation. His wife is a Baptist. Mr. Berry was married in 1870 to Miss Mary Jane Gatlin, of Union county,, and they have three children : Archie Logan,, received his education in Sturgis and Caseyville and is now in the insurance business in the former town,; Van Reese, attended the common schools and the Sturgis high school, and now holds the office of deputy sheriff, under his father; Lora, attended the public schools of Sturgis and finished her education at the Providence college in Webster county. JAMES BASIL AUSTIN, a successful farmer, living near Waverly. Ky., is a descendant of some of the oldest and most highly connected families of the state. His grandfather, James Austin, was born bear Harper's Ferry, Va,, married a Miss Howard, of that state, and in 1790 settled in Washington county, Ky. Shortly afterward he visited his native state and on his return brought back with him a pint of clover seed, which was the introduction of red clover into the State of Kentucky. His wife died in Washington county about 1830 and some two years later he removed to Union county. About the same time Basil Railey and his family settled in the same neighborhood. His wife was Miss Elizabeth Spalding, and both were natives of Marion county. James Basil Austin is a son of Thomas A. and Mary Ann (Railey) Austin, the former born in Washington 144 - MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY county, Oct. 15, 1810, and the latter in Marion, March 2, 1812. They were married in Union county, July 26, 1836. Thomas A. Austin was educated in the common schools and at St. Rose's convent. Prior to I85o he was a prominent Whig, but after that time he affiliated with the Democratic party. He and his wife were both members of the Catholic church, as were their parents. Of nine children, one died in infancy, Victoria died in later life, and the other seven are still living. They are James B., the subject of this sketch ; Mary Ann ; Francis X., who served under Johnston in the Confederate army during the war and now lives in Mississippi; Margaret, Thomas, John H., now living in Henderson, and Benedict J., of Waverly. The mother of these children died on Nov. 29, 1856, and the father on March 13, 1864. James B. Austin was born in Union county Sept. 1, 1837 ; was educated in the common schools brought tip as a tiller of the soil, which has been his vocation through life. While other farmers may have more land than he few have farms in a better state of cultivation. He owns seventy acres of good land near Waverly, upon which he carries on a general farming business. Mr. Austin is an unswerving Democrat in his political faith and for more than twenty years held the office of magistrate. He and his family are members of the Sacred Heart Catholic church, of St. Vincent. He was married in 1864 to Miss Mary Ellen Yates, daughter of William and Maria (Montgomery) Yates, of Washington county, and to this marriage there have been born the following children: George Edward, Mary Geraldine, Charles Martin, James Heman, Robert Aaron, Anna C., and William Joseph. All are living except George Edward and William Joseph. The children of James Austin, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, were: Ambrose, who died in Graves county, Ky.; Benedict, a candidate for delegate to the constitutional convention of 1850, was shot and killed, while making a speech in Paducah, by Judge Campbell, of that city; John, a soldier in the war of 1812, fought at the battle of New Orleans, and died in Washington county some years afterward; Thomas A., the father of the subject; Catharine and Sallie, who died single; Theresa, who married Benedict Smith, removed to Illinois, and there died; Rosa, who died in Union county as the wife of Edward Yates. All were useful members of society and the training given then by their parents has been handed down to the present generation, for not many men can be found with higher ideals or firmer moral convictions than James Basil Austin. MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - 145 W. C. COFFMAN, an old and honored resident of Union county, Ky., and one of the leading farmers in the vicinity of Morganfield, was born in Hopkins county, of that state, June 29, 1829. He is a son of Isaac and Mary A. (Harbor) Coffman, both natives of Kentucky, the father of Mercer and the mother of Woodford county. After their marriage they settled in Hopkins county, where they passed the remainder of their lives. He died in 1875 and she in 1885, both at advanced ages. Their children were Hiram, Isaac S., Huldah, Annie, Elisha J., Joel H., W. C., Mary, James R., Mildred and Lutitia, the last two being twins. Hiram married Mary A. Ashby Isaac married Elizabeth Lynn; Huldah married George Whitsell, and after his death, Godly Shite; Annie married James Lynn; Joel married Sarah Springfield, and after her death, a widow named Jones, a sister to his first wife; Mary married John Springfield; James married Nancy Springfield, and after her death, Eliza Buchanan; Mildred married Frederick Hartman, and Lutitia John Neiswonger. The paternal grandparents of these children were Isaac and Annie (French) Coffman, he a native of Maryland, and she of Scotland. They were among the pioneers of Hopkins county. The maternal grandfather, Amos Harbor, married a Miss Husted. He died in Tennessee and she in Woodford county. W. C. Coffman received a common school education and in 1852 came to Union county, where he has been engaged in farming ever since. He has helped every one of his living children to obtain good farms. In politics lie is a rock-ribbed Democrat and in former years took an active part in political contests. In more recent years he has left the arduous labor of the campaign to younger men, though lie never fails to do his duty on election day. Mr. Coffman was married in 1846 to Miss Martha Ashby, who was born in Hopkins county, Oct. 18, 1824. To this marriage there have been born eight children: Mary Jane, Annie E., Sarah Catherine, Will Ignatius, James Edward, Richard II-10 146 - MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY Franklin, Henry Clay and Robert Lee. All are living except James Edward, who died in infancy, and Henry Clay. Nearly threescore years have passed since Mr. and Mrs. Coffman entered the marriage relation. And now in their old age they are enjoying the fruits of their industry and frugality of former years, surrounded by their children and a large circle of friends who love them for their many amiable qualities. JOHN C. WOLFLIN, a farmer living near Waverly, Union county, Ky., was born in that county, June 22, 1855. His father, Casper Wolflin, was born in Germany in 1831. When he was about fourteen years of age he came with his father to the United States, his mother having died when he was a child. Christopher Wolflin, the grandfather of John C., was a shoemaker by trade. After living for some years in Union county he went to Indiana and there died. He had six brothers who came to America, and he was married six times. Of his children only two are living: Casper, who lives near Louisville, and Wilhelmina, living at Mount Vernon, Ind. Casper Wolflin grew to manhood in Union county, where he learned the distillers' trade, which has been his occupation through life. He married Mary Alvey, a native of Union county, and a daughter of John C. and Eliza (Bright) Alvey, pioneers of the county. Casper and Mary Wolfin had twelve children, eight of whom are still living. John C. Wolflin was educated in the Uniontown schools, and learned the distillers' trade with his father, but gave it up for the business of farming. In 1889 he bought the farm he now owns, consisting of about seventy acres, near Waverly, and this farm he has brought to a high state of cultivation. Mr. Wolflin also has a threshing outfit and threshes much of the grain that is raised in Union county. He is a stanch Republican in his pol:tical views and takes a keen interest in the political movements of the country. He is a member of Humane Lodge, No. 37, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, at Morganfield, and is always ready to assist in the benevolent work of the order. On May r8, 1875, Mr. Wolflin was married to Miss Paulina, daughter of John N. Griggs, mentioned in this work, and to this marriage there have been born nine children. Margie, Nellie and Robert are deceased. The living children are Alice, Griggs, Nannie, John, Herman, and Ella. Mr. Wolflin was reared a Catholic, and his wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - 147 JOHN N. GRIGGS, a well known farmer living near Waverly, Union county, Ky., was born in the neighborhood where he now resides, March 19, 1830, and is a descendant of pioneer families who came from Maryland and North Carolina. His paternal grandfather, Clem Griggs, came from North Carolina in 1820, and settled in Union county, where he died about 1864. His wife, whose maiden name was Melvina Hall, died before he came to Kentucky. About the same time John and Martha (Burgher) Culver came from Maryland and located in the same neighborhood. John Culver was a veteran of the war of 1812, and his father-in-law, Nicholas Burgher, served in the American army in the Revolutionary war. Rolin Griggs, a son of Clem Griggs, married Mary Culver, and this couple had nine children, the subject of this sketch being the only one now living. Rolin Griggs was an active Democrat in his day, and was interested in the affairs of the county. His wife was a devoted member of the Baptist church. John N. Griggs was educated in the common schools and has all his life followed the vocation of a farmer. Until 1886 he lived within a half mile of the town of Waverly. In that year he bought the farm known as the Milton Young farm, consisting of 254 acres, and located four miles from town. In this farm he has one of the best in the county and he takes a commendable pride in keeping it up to the standard of the best farms in that section of the state. Mr. Griggs is a public spirited citizen, believes in good roads, good government, and takes an interest in political matters. He and his wife are both members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He was married on Aug. 17, 1852, to Miss Lavinia Minton, a native of Henderson county, Ky., and a daughter of Gilford and Nancy (Elliott) Minton, the father a native of North Carolina and the mother of Maryland. On coming to Kentucky they settled first in Logan and later in Henderson county, where both passed to their rest. Mr. and Mrs. Griggs have had ten children. Three died in infancy ; Alice and 148 - MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY Nannie died later; and those now living are Martha, Rolin, Paulina, John and Robert. W. H. COMPTON, a well known farmer near Waverly, Ky., was born in Washington county of the same state, April 15, 183o. He is a son of Benjamin and Margaret (Smith) Compton, both of whom were natives of Washington county, where they were married, at Springfield, in 1832, and shortly afterward removed to Union county. There the father became an extensive farmer and slave owner. He took an active interest in the affairs of the county as a Whig before the war, and after that time he affiliated with the Democratic party. He died in 1877, at the age of seventy-four years, and his wife departed this life in 1882, aged seventy-eight. Both were devout members of the Catholic church. They had five children who grew to maturity, but the subject of this sketch and Mrs. Isabel Roberts are now the only ones living. W. H. Compton was reared on a farm and received his education in the public schools. From his early manhood he has been engaged in farming, in which occupation he has been eminently successful, being now the owner of 1,600 acres of land, all of which has been accumulated by his industry and well-directed efforts. He is an extensive stock raiser. Although a Democrat in his political affiliation he has no desire to join the ranks of the office seekers, notwithstanding he has all the qualifications of a successful official. He wisely prefers the certain returns from a well conducted farm to the precarious emoluments of a political career. The atmosphere with which he has been surrounded most of his life has given him broad views of both politics and religion, and while he is Democrat from principle he is, for the same reason, extremely liberal in his religious views. JAMES W. HARRIS, one of the largest farmers and land owners of Union county, Ky., and a stockholder in the People's bank, of Uniontown, was born in the county where he now resides, Aug. 4, 1839. His father, William Truman Harris, was born in Nelson county in 1817, and his mother, whose maiden name was Virginia Pratt, was born in Gallatin county, Ky., in 1819. He died in 1860 MEMOIRS OF THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY - 149 and she is now living with the subject of this sketch, at the advanced age of eighty-five years. William T. Harris was a Jackson Democrat in his day and was a magistrate for several years. His father was Benjamin Harris, a native of Maryland, who came to Nelson county at an early day, and in 1825 settled in Union county. He married Innocent Ann Wight of Maryland. The maternal grandfather, James B. Pratt, was a native of the Old Dominion. He served in the war of 1812 and was wounded in the service; was mustered out in 1815; married Louisa Thompson, a native of Virginia, and settled in Gallatin county, Ky., in 1817. In 1828 they came to Union county and there passed their last days. He died in 1856 and she in 1865. William T. and Virginia Harris had a family of fourteen children, eight of whom are still living and all are over fifty years of age. Both parents were members of the Methodist church and he was a prominent Free Mason. James W., Harris was educated in the public schools and at St. Mary's college. His life work has been that of a farmer and he is one of the most progressive in the county. He owns eight hundred and forty acres of fine land and keeps fully abreast of the times in agricultural progress. Prior to 1896 he was a power in the Democratic party, but since then he has been independent in his political affiliations. He is a member of Morganfield Lodge, No. 66, Free and Accepted Masons, and of the Methodist Episcopal church. His paternal ancestry came from Ireland and his mother's people from Wales. This combination of Welsh and Irish blood has produced some of the best citizenry of the United States. Mr. Harris is no exception. He is strong, self-reliant, with Irish wit and Welsh courage, but withal a gentleman whom every one respects for his many sterling qualities. JAMES THOMAS MARTIN, a farmer and stock raiser, residing near Waverly, Ky., was born in Union county of that state, Aug. 15, 1865. His parents were Lafayette and Jane V. (Austin) Martin, both natives of Union county. Lafayette was the son of John Martin, who settled in Union county some time in the thirties and there reared a family of nine children, all of whom are now deceased. During the Civil war Lafayette Martin served about a year in Captain Barnett's company, in the Confederate service. He was a farmer all his life in Union county, was a stanch Democrat, and he and his wife were both members of the Catholic church. He died in 1868 and his wife, who was a daughter of Thomas A. Austin, mentioned elsewhere in this work, died in 1896, aged fifty-six years. Of their three children James