History of Ashland, (Boyd County) Kentucky United States of America

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Biographies:

Thomas Hart Clay, diplomatist, was born at Ashland, Ky., Sept. 22, 1803; second son of Henry and Lucretia (Hart) Clay. With his older brother, Theodore W. Clay, he was instructed by Amos Kendall during a part of the time that his father was abroad engaged in negotiating the treaty of Ghent. Thomas was later sent to the U.S. military academy at West Point, where he remained but a short time. He afterward studied law with Judge Boyle, sometime chief justice of Kentucky, and began the practice of law in Natchez, Miss. Thence he removed to Terre Haute, Ind., where he continued the practice of law and engaged in farming. From Terre Haute he returned to Kentucky and in partnership with his father engaged in the manufacture of hemp, while farming near Lexington. On the 5th of October, 1837, he was married to Marie, daughter of Waldemar and Charlotte (Le Clerc) Mentelle. French emigr?s from Paris, France, who left that country during the reign of terror, and settled in Gallipolis. They afterward removed to Lexington and lived opposite Ashland, the home of Henry Clay. By his marriage with Marie Mentelle Mr. Clay had five children. The older of his two sons, Henry B. Clay, served in the Confederate army throughout the civil war and attained the rank of captain. The younger son, Thomas H. Clay, was eleven years one of the associate editors of the Youth's Companion, in Boston, Mass., and later engaged in the real estate business in Lexington, Ky. He was a consistent Whig until the disruption of that party, when he joined the Native American party. In 1860 he was elected a representative in the state legislature, from Fayette county, and during the stormy period just previous to the civil war, strongly opposed every endeavor made to take Kentucky out of the Union. During the agitation just preceding the resort to arms and throughout the civil war he was unvarying in his support of the cause of the Union. In October, 1862, he was appointed by President Lincoln minister resident of the United States to the republic of Nicaragua, whence he was transferred to Honduras in April, 1863. He returned to the United States in 1866. His health was greatly impaired by his residence in Central America, and he died at Lexington, Ky. March 18, 1871.

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

Henry Clay, soldier, was born in Ashland, Ky., April 10, 1811; son of Henry and Lucretia (Hart) Clay, and brother of James Brown Clay. He was graduated at Transylvania university in 1828 and at the U.S. military academy at West Point in 1831. He then determined upon a civil profession and resigned from the army, studied law and began its practice at Louisville, Ky., in 1833. He was elected to the lower house of the Kentucky legislature, serving 1835-37. Upon the outbreak of the Mexican war he was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the 2nd Kentucky volunteers, and on Oct. 5, 1846, was appointed an aid on the staff of General Taylor. He led in a charge at the battle of Buena Vista and fell, pierced by a Mexican lance, as he rode at the head of his regiment. He died on the battlefield, Feb. 23, 1847.

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

Chalmers Martin, educator, was born in Ashland, Ky., Sept. 7, 1859; sun of Edwin Welles and Narcissa (McCurdy) Martin; grandson of Dr. Joel F. and Isabella (Henderson) Martin, and of John and Sarah (Mulholland) McCurdy, and a descendant on his father's side from Edward Fuller and Samuel Fuller his son, Mayflower pilgrims. He was graduated from the College of New Jersey, A.B., 1879, A.M., 1882, and from the Princeton Theological seminary in 1882. He was licensed to preach by the presbytery of Elizabeth, April 19, 1881, and was a resident graduate and fellow in Hebrew at the Princeton Theological seminary, 1882-83. He was ordained to the Presbyterian ministry, April 17, 1883, and was married, Sept. 25, 1883, to Lillian Allen, of New York. He was a missionary to the Laos tribes, North Siam, 1883-86; was assistant paster at Lawrenceville, N.J., 1888-89; pastor of the First Presbyterian church, Moorestown, N.J., 1889-91, and of the First Presbyterian church, Port Henry, N.Y., 1891-92. He was instructor in Hebrew in Princeton university and instructor in the Cid Testament department of the Princeton Theological seminary, 1892-1900. He was students' lecturer on missions, Princeton Theological seminary, 1894-95 and 1900-01. On July 1, 1900, he became president of the Pennsylvania College for Women, Pittsburgh, Pa. He received the honorary degree of D.D. from Princeton in 1901. He is the author of: Apostolic and Modern Missions (1898) and contributed an article on Siam to the Cyclop?dia of Missions in 1891 and Titles of the Psalms to the Presbyterian and Reformed Review in 1900.

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