Todd County KY

Biography of Baxter C. Porter

BAXTER C. PORTER is a son of the Rev. Thomas Porter, an early Presbyterian minister of Hopkins and Todd Counties, who was born in Virginia, May 12, 1788. Thomas Porter came in childhood to Logan County, Ky., where he attained his manhood, and where in June, 1808, he married Nancy Lawrence, who before her death in December-, 1831, bore him three children, none of whom are residents of Todd County. In February, 1833, he married Jane H. Lawrence, a sister of his deceased wife. This union resulted ‘ in the birth of three children, B. C. Porter being the youngest. … Read more

Biographical Sketch of W. F. Cole

W. F. COLE was born in Todd County, Ky., January 1, 1856, and is a son of Samuel and Sarah A. (Day) Cole, both natives of Virginia, and were of English descent respectively. Samuel Cole was born in 1811 in Virginia, where he was reared and educated, his father being a teacher. On emigrating to Kentucky “he settled in Daysville, named in honor of his wife’s grandfather, the first settler in the village. Ile was a mechanic but followed farming principally; both Mr. and Mrs. Cole were life-long members of the Christian Church, he being a Deacon and leading member. … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Preston E. Downer

PRESTON E. DOWNER, Fairview. The subject of this sketch is a native of Todd county, Ky., having been born near the place of his present residence, September 22, 1837. He is the son of John S. and Elizabeth (Cabaniss) Downer. In youth he was favored with a good English education, and is an extensive reader, especially of pomological works and literature. On December 10, 1863, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary E., daughter of John S.’ and Angelina (Sasseen) Long of Todd County, and to them have been born three children: Nonnie, born November 14, 1870; Leslie, born … Read more

Act Forming Todd County, Kentucky

The text of the act is as follows : SECTION 1. Be it Enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, That from and after the first day of April next, all that part of said counties of Logan and Christian, contained in the following boundary, to wit: Beginning on the Tennessee State line, at the present corner of the counties of Logan and Christian, on said State line; thence on a straight line to the Muhlenberg County line, two miles east of the present corner of said counties of Logan and Christian, on said Muhlenberg County line; … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Thomas S. Mimms

THOMAS S. MIMMS was born April 1, 1839, in Todd County; he is a son of William T. and Parthenia A. Kimbrough, daughter of Capt. Thomas B. Kimbrough, who was one of the earliest settlers of this county. The father was born March 23, 1815, in Christian, now Todd County; he died April 18, 1861. The mother was born December 28, 1817, also in this county. This lady died April 3, 1881. Our subject was married September 16, 1862, to Bell L. Taliaferro, of this county, by whom he has four children-one son and three daughters. They are members of … Read more

Biographical Sketch of William H. Jesup

WILLIAM H. JESUP. The gentleman whose name appears at the head of this sketch is a resident of ” Jesup’s Grove,” (formerly known as ” Croghan’s Grove,” in honor of the famous ” Hero of San-dusky,” who entered this land). Mr. Jesup was born near this place, April 26, 1843, and at the commencement of the late war, entered Company H, First Kentucky Cavalry, in which he served two years. In 1867 he engaged in the tobacco business here and at New York, in which he continued seven years. His father, William W. Jesup, was born in 1796 in Washington … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Benjamin T. Wyatt

BENJAMIN T. WYATT, an industrious and respected citizen of Todd County, was born October 26, 1839, two miles south of where he now resides. He is the third of five children-two boys and three girls-three now living, born to Finis W. and Catherine (Brock) Wyatt, natives of Todd County, Ky., and North Carolina. Grandparents were Thomas and Mary (Neadham) Wyatt, natives of Virginia, and David and Nella (Norton) Brock. Subject’s early education was neglected; he never attended school more than three months in his life. He obtained knowledge of books by hard study at home. He was reared on a … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Miss. Sarah F. King

MISS SARAH F. KING was born August 23, 1825, in Orange County, Va.; she is a daughter of H. R. and Mary Ann (Peacher) King, both born in the same county and State. The father died in 1838, aged thirty-four; the mother died in 1863, aged fifty-six. When young she came with her parents to within two miles of Clarksville, Tenn.; there lived till 1850; she then moved to Todd County, and has since resided with the Meriwether family, first on the Meriville farm, and now on the Fairfield farm. Her brother, John W., entered the Confederate Army in 1861 … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Charner A. McColpin

CHARNER A. McCOLPIN, an enterprising citizen and farmer of Todd County, was born May 25, 1843, on the farm where he now resides; he is the sixth of eleven children-foui girls and seven boys-three boys and three girls now living, born to Charner H. and Martha (Jones) McColpin, natives of North Carolina and of Irish descent. Subject’s father was a son of Joseph and Nancy (Franklin) McColpin. Subject received a fair common school education; he was reared on the farm and lived with his parents till twenty-five years of age, when he engaged in mercantile business; he spent two years … Read more

Biographical Sketch of William M. Bell

WILLIAM M. BELL, ” Roseheath.” The subject of this sketch is a native of Todd County, Ky., and was born in his present residence, June 25, 1840. His father, Rev. Caleb N. Bell, was born in 1788, in Beaufort, N. C.; was an itinerant Methodist preacher in Virginia; removed to Kentucky in 1820, and died here in 1872, having been a useful minister of the Gospel for sixty-two years. He was thrice married, and his children are: Martha A. (Greenfield), John W., Mary S. (Clark), Eliza J. (Mills), Caleb M. and subject, who received a classical education t Emery and … Read more

Geography of Todd County, Kentucky

The county thus organized and named is situated in the southern part of the State, on the Tennessee line, and in the eastern border of that section of Kentucky arbitrarily called the Southwest. It is bounded on the north by Muhlenburg County, east by Logan, south by Montgomery, in State of Tennessee, and west by Christian, and contains about 330 square miles. The county lies partly in the Green River Val- ley, and partly in that of the Cumberland River, and represents the characteristics of both valleys. The dividing line between these valleys passes in a northwesterly direction through Todd … Read more

Todd County, Kentucky Geological Speculations

No geological survey has been made of Todd County, and the State work is of such a general nature as to forbid the gathering of anything approaching a particular review of the geological features of this county from its pages. A brief general review is all that can be attempted in the time and space assigned to this topic here. The geological formations of Kentucky, in common with those of the other Western States, generally belong to that great system which extends from the Alleghanies on the east across the Mississippi and to the Rocky Mountains on the west. Throughout … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Lucy A. Fox

MRS. LUCY A. FOX was born in Christian County, Ky., April 11, 1824, and removed to Todd County in 1838, where she still retains her residence. She is the honored daughter of James Clark, who was born in 1791, reared at Frankfort, Ky., and served his country as a gallant soldier in the war of 1812, and died in 1877. He was the son of Matthew Clark, a native of Virginia, who died in Kentucky about 1830. Subject’s mother, Susan S., daughter of Col. Beverly Stubblefield (of Revolutionary fame) and his wife Mary (Shelton), was born in Virginia, 1797, and … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Samuel Hinton

SAMUEL HINTON was born December 20, 1843, in Simpson County, Ky.; his parents were Jesse and Sarah (Mayes) Hinton, both of whom were natives of Kentucky. The father died October 29, 1879, at the age of fifty-two; the mother is still living with her son Wesley in this county. Samuel Hinton came to this county in 1856, and settled in this district, where he has since resided; he was married May 10, 1863, to Elizabeth Bivin, a native of this county. Eight children were born of this marriage: Sarah E., William I., Atlas H., L. Thomas, Flora L., Rodolphus (deceased), … Read more

Biography of R. D. Bellamy

R. D. BELLAMY was born in Lexington, Fayette Co., Ky., on December 14, 1818, and a son of John and Sarah (Johnson) Bellamy. The father was a native of Dinwiddie County, Va., and came to the State in 1810. In 1812 he was drafted into the war, but procuring a substitute he was excused. While a resident of that county he turned his attention to the carpenter’s trade. In 1819 he came to Todd County and turned his attention to farming. Soon after his arrival here he built a distillery near Daysville. This he ran for some time; he afterward … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Coleman Jordan

COLEMAN JORDAN was born November 21, 1812, in Halifax County, Va. In 1829 he came to the neighborhood of Bowling Green, Ky.; soon after removed to Todd County, where he has since resided, and for many years engaged at the carpenter trade, also farming. He was married, in 1846, to Lucy H. Terry. She was born in 1826 in Tennessee. Eight children have been born to this union: Elizabeth, Granville C. A., Tabithe, Maria, Coleman E., Robert, Dixie and Lucy J. His three sons are carrying on the carpenter trade-Granville C. A., Coleman E. and Robert.

Biographical Sketch of W. L. Kimbrough

W. L. KIMBROUGH was born September 18, 1824, in Todd County; he is a son of T. Winston and Susan (Graves) Kimbrough. The parents were born in Albemarle County, Va. The father came to Christian, now Todd, County in 1797; he first purchased a small quantity of land, and at the time of his death, which occurred in 1868, he had increased this to over 2,000 acres, largely improved. The mother died in 1844, aged forty-six. Our subject at the age of twenty-two commenced farming on land given him by his father; this business he has since followed. In 1850 … Read more

Biographical Sketch of W. H. Deason

W. H. DEASON was born in 1840 in Todd County, Ky.; his parents are James N. and Eliza J. (Tacker) Deason, natives of Kentucky. The father was a farmer; his death occurred in 1864, at the age of forty-seven years; the mother is living in this county, at the age of sixty-five years. These parents have eight children all living in years of maturity (a very uncommon thing). W. H. began for himself at the age of twenty years; he farmed on rented ground for fifteen years, when he bought 150 acres, located on the East Fork of Pond River; … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Dr. James R. Grady

DR. JAMES R. GRADY (deceased) was born in Virginia in 1809, and came to Kentucky when a boy; he had studied medicine and received a certificate at Charlottesville, Va., and graduated at Lexington, Ky., where he received his diploma, following which he practiced his profession about fifteen years, then followed farming until his death in 1870. He was thrice married: first, to a Mrs. Warfield; secondly, to Miss Eliza Allensworth, who became the mother of two children: Nannie R. and Inez I.; thirdly, in 1861, to Miss Martha F. Johnson, daughter of R. G. Johnson, of Virginia. To this last … Read more

Biographical Sketch of John W. Fulcher

JOHN W. FULCHER was born September 13, 1826, in Goochland County, Va.; removed with his parents to Lexington, Ky., in 1831, and to Todd County in 1832, where he still resides. His father, Dr. Alexander Fulcher, was born in Richmond, Va., 1791; was a soldier in the war of 1812, and died at this place in 1853., He was the son of Philip Fulcher, of Virginia, who served seven years in the war of Independence, and died about 1828. Alexander’s wife was Sallie B., daughter of Tavnor W. Wisdom, of Spottsylvania County, Va., born in 1796, and died in 1873. … Read more