History of Glasgow, (Barren County) Kentucky United States of America

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Biographies:

John Pendleton King, senator, was born near Glasgow, Barren county, Ky., April 3, 1799; son of Francis and Mary (Patrick) King. His parents removed to Bedford county, Tenn., soon after his birth, where he attended school. He went to Georgia in 1817, studied at Richmond college, Augusta, and read law with Freeman Walker. He was admitted to the bar in 1819, practised at Augusta, and when Major Walker was serving as U.S. senator, 1819-21, young King took charge of his large law business. He completed his professional education in Europe, 1822-24, returning to the United States in 1824 on the same vessel with Lafayette, with whom he formed a lasting friendship. He continued his law practice in Augusta until 1829. He was a member of the state convention to reform the constitution in 1830; was appointed judge of the court of common pleas in 1831; member of the state constitutional convention of 1833, and was elected to the U.S. senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of George M. Troupe in 1833. He was re-elected in 1885 for a full term and resigned in 1837 by reason of a speech made in opposition to the policy of Van Buren's administration, which displeased his constituents in Georgia. When the Georgia railroad was completed from Augusta to Madison, he was made manager and he continued the road to Atlanta with a branch from Union Point to Athens and projected and built a road from Atlanta to West Point. After the war he used his own fortune to rebuild these roads and placed them on a paying basis and he retired from the management of the Georgia RaiIroad and Banking company and of the Atlanta and West Point railroad in 1878. He was one of the projectors of the Augusta canal, a director of the Augusta Cotton factory and a member of the state convention of 1865, which repealed the ordinance of secession, repudiated the Confederate war debt and abolished slavery. He died at his residence in Summerville, Ga., March 19, 1888.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

William Thompson Martin, soldier, was born in Glasgow, Barren county, Ky., March 25, 1823; son of Maj. John Henderson and Emily Monroe (Kerr) Martin; grandson of Peter and Elizabeth (Henderson) Martin and of John Rice and Sarah (Henderson) Kerr, and a descendant on the paternal side from Pierre Monteigne, a French Huguenot, who left Rochelle, France, and settled at Mannikin Town, Va., his name being afterward written Peter Martin; and on the maternal side from William Randolph of Turkey Island, Va., who emigrated from England. He attended the Bowling Green, Ky., academy, and was graduated from Centre college, Danville, Ky., in 1840. He studied law with his father at Vicksburg, Miss.; removed to Natchez, Miss., in 1842; taught in a classical school, 1842-44, and was admitted to the bar in 1844. He was district-attorney of the 1st judicial district of Mississippi, 1845-49. In 1851 he actively supported General Foote, the Union candidate for governor, against Jefferson Davis, and as late as 1860 he actively opposed secession. He was commissioned captain of cavalry in the Confederate States army, June, 1861, and served in the Army of Northern Virginia. He raised the Jeff Davis legion of cavalry, Oct. 24, 1861, and was commissioned major and promoted lieutenant-colonel, Feb. 2, 1862, and served in the Peninsula campaign, in the seven days' battles around Richmond and in the invasion of Maryland, and served temporarily on General Lee's staff at Antietam. He was promoted brigadier-general, Dec. 2, 1862; commanded the 2d division, Wheeler's cavalry corps, at Chickamauga, and was commissioned major-general, Nov. 10, 1863. In the siege of Knoxville he commanded a detachment of Wheeler's cavalry corps made up of his own division, and Armstrong's two brigades of Ransom's cavalry in Longstreet's army. When Longstreet was ordered to Virginia, General Martin returned to the Army of the Tennessee and commanded the 1st division in Wheeler's cavalry corps in the Atlanta campaign, 1864. He subsequently commanded the Department of Mississippi, and at the close of the war resumed his law practice at Natchez. He was a member of the state convention of 1865, which framed a constitution repealing the ordinance of secession. This constitution was ignored by the Federal government and the state was placed under military rule. He was elected as a Democrat a representative to the 41st congress in 1868, but was not allowed his seat under reconstruction rules. He built and was president of the railroad from Natchez to Jackson, completed in 1884. He was a state senator for eight years; a trustee of the state university and president of the board of trustees of the state hospital at Natchez. He was president of the board of trustees of Jefferson college, Miss.; was a delegate to the constitutional convention of 1890, and returned to private life, retaining the position of county attorney and local attorney of the Illinois Central Railroad company. He was elected a member of the Southern Historical society and vice-president of the state. He was married, Jan. 5, 1854, to Margaret Dunlap Conner of Adams county, Miss., and had four sons and six daughters who reached maturity.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor