History of Lexington, (Fayette County) Kentucky United States of America

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Local History Notes:

LEXINGTON, a handsome and wealthy city, capital of Fayette county, Kentucky, on the Town fork of the Elkhorn river, 25 miles S. E. from Frankfort, 81 miles S. from Cincinnati, and 94 miles E. from Louisville. Lat. 38? 6' N. lon., 84? 18' W. Lexington is the second city of the state in population and importance. Few inland towns are more delightfully situated or more remarkable for the beauty of their general appearance. It is laid out in rectangular blocks; the streets are well paved, and bordered with ornamental trees. Main street is 80 feet wide, and more than a mile long. Many of the public and private buildings are spacious and very handsome specimens of architecture. The surrounding country is undulating, highly cultivated, and dotted with elegant mansions. Lexington is distinguished for the excellence of its literary and scientific establishments. Transylvania University of this place is a flourishing institution: the departments of law and medicine are probably more frequented than any other in the Western states. It has a library of 14,000 volumes. The halls of the university are among the principal ornaments of the city. The state lunatic asylum located here occupies a large and beautiful building, capable of accommodating more than 300 patients. The city also contains a court house, 2 banks, a public library, several academies, a museum, an orphan asylum, about 12 churches, and 5 or 6 newspaper offices. A monument is to be erected here to the memory of Henry Clay, who resided at Ashland, a mile and a half from the city. Lexington is the centre of an extensive trade, facilitated by a railroad extending to Louisville vi? Frankfort. Other railways are in course of construction which are designed to connect it with Cincinnati, Maysville, and Danville. This place is the seat of valuable manufactures, the most important of which produce bagging, ropes, iron, brass, and silver ware, machinery, and carriages. The city and suburbs produce annually about 3,000,000 yards of bagging, and 2,500,000 pounds of rope. Lexington was formerly the capital of Kentucky. It was founded in 1776, and incorporated in 1782. Population in 1845, 8178; in 1853 it was about 12,000.

Biographies:

Matthew Harris Jouett, painter, was born in Mercer county, Ky., April 22, 1788; son of Capt. John and Sally (Robards) Jouett; great grandson of Jean Jouett, and a great2 grandson of Daniel de Jouet, who came to Rhode Island in 1686, went thence to South Carolina and from there to New York, finally settling in Elizabethtown, N.J., in 1721. Capt. John Jouett was a Revolutionary soldier who eluded Tarleton's rangers and gave the alarm to Jefferson at Monticello and to the state legislature in session at Charlottesville, Va., for which he received the thanks of congress and a sword and brace of pistols from Virginia. Matthew Harris's uncle, Capt. Matthew Jouett, was clerk of the first legislative body that convened west of the Alleghany mountains, May 23, 1775, and met his death at the battle of Brandywine. Matthew Harris Jouett was educated at Transylvania university, Lexington, Ky., and on leaving college studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1809. While practicing his profession he began to paint and draw without a master. He was married in 1812 to Margaret, daughter of William Allen of Lexington. At the outbreak of the war of 1812 he entered the U.S. army as a lieutenant in the 28th infantry, served in the Northwest campaign, became regimental paymaster and was promoted to the rank of captain. At the close of the war he continued the study of art by himself and engaged in portrait and miniature painting. He then visited Boston, Mass., where be studied with Gilbert Stuart, July, August, September and October, 1816, and returned to Lexington, Ky., where he established himself as a portrait painter, gaining a reputation throughout the south. His Lafayette was ordered by the Kentucky house of representatives and he also executed portraits of Henry Clay, John J. Crittenden, Governor Isaac Shelby and James Morrison. He died at Lexington, Ky., Aug. 10, 1827.

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

John Cabell Breckinridge, vice-president of the United States, was born at Cabell's Dale, Ky., Jan. 16, 1821; son of John Cabell and Mary C. (Smith) Breckinridge, grandson of John Breck-inridge, U.S. district attorney, and a nephew of John and Robert J. Breckinridge, distinguished Presbyterian divines. He was graduated at Centre college in 1838, and in law at Transylvania university in 1840. He began the practice of his profession at Frankfort, Ky., then removed to Burlington, Iowa. He returned to his native place in 1843 and opened an office at Georgetown, removing in 1845 to Lexington, where he speedily acquired a lucrative practice. On the breaking out of the war with Mexico he served as major of a regiment of Kentucky volunteers, and also as attorney for General Pillow in his numerous litigations with his fellow officers. On returning to his home he was elected to the lower house of the Kentucky legislature, and in 1851 and '53 to the United States house of representatives, where he served in the 32d and 33d congresses. In 1856 he was nominated and elected vice-president of the United States. Before the expiration of his term as vice-president he was elected to the United States senate by the legislature of Kentucky, and nominated by the southern wing of the Democratic convention, which convened at Charleston, S.C., in 1860, as their candidate for the presidency of the United States. In the election that followed he received seventy-two electoral votes, against one hundred and eighty cast for Mr. Lincoln, thirty-nine for John Bell and twelve for Stephen A. Douglas. He took his seat in the United States senate on March 4, 1861, where he announced the election of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency before both houses of Congress, spurning a proposition made by southern members that he should join in a plot to prevent the counting of the electoral votes, defended the course of the people of the southern states in protecting their property, and then left the senate to join the Confederate army. In September, 1861, he went to Richmond, Va., where he was appointed brigadier-general, and on November 16 assumed command of the 1st Kentucky brigade. On March 2, 1862, he was placed in command of a division of Gen. A. S. Johnston's army, and led it in the battle of Shiloh, for which he was advanced to the rank of major-general. He commanded the Confederate troops at the battle of Baton Ronge, Aug. 5, 1862. He participated in the engagements at Stone River, Murfreesboro, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain and Mission Ridge. In February, 1864, he was sent to Virginia, and on May 15 fought against General Sigel at New Market. He was with General Early during his campaign in Maryland, and at Monocacy, Cold Harbor, and Bull Gap. In March, 1865, President Davis appointed him secretary of war, and after the surrender he assisted the president in his flight and accompanied by a few friends escaped in an open boat to Cuba, whence he sailed for England. He remained in Europe till 1868, when he returned to the United States and resumed the practice of the law at Lexington, Ky., in which he continued until his death on May 17, 1875.

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

George Sears Greene, civil engineer, was born in Lexington, Ky., Nov. 26, 1837; son of George Sears and Martha (Dana) Greene. He was educated at Harvard, but left college before graduation in order to take a position as assistant engineer with his father, who was chief engineer of the Croton aqueduct department, New York city. He was afterward engaged in surveying various railroads in the United States and in Cuba, and in developing copper mines in the Lake Superior region. He introduced improvements in civil engineering implements that came into general use and were adopted by the U.S. coast survey. He was engineer-in-chief of the department of docks, New York city, 1875-98. He was elected a member of the American society of civil engineers in 1867; was director, 1882-90; vice-president, 1885-86, and treasurer, 1887-90.

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

James Edward Jouett, naval officer, was born in Lexington, Ky., Feb. 27, 1828; son of Matthew Harris and Margaret (Allen) Jouett. He was educated in the public schools at Lexington, Ky., and entered the U.S. navy as midshipman in 1841 and was attached to the frigate Independence. He served on the sloop Decatur in suppressing the slave trade, 1844-45; and was attached to the gulf squadron, 1846-47, in the Mexican war. He was promoted passed midshipman, Aug. 10, 1847; assigned to the frigate St. Lawrence in 1848; transferred to the store-ship Lexington in 1851; and served on the sloop of war St. Mary's, 1853-57. He was promoted master, Sept. 14, 1855, and lieutenant, Sept. 15, 1855, and assigned to the steamer Michigan. He served in the Brazil squadron, 1858-59; in the Home squadron in Cuban waters in 1860, and in the West Gulf blockading squadron, 1861-64. He commanded the first and second launches of the U. S. frigate Santee on the night of Nov. 7, 1861, when under cover of the darkness he captured by boarding the armed schooner Royal Yacht in the harbor of Galveston, Texas, and was twice severely wounded. He was appointed lieutenant-commander, July 16, 1862, and ordered to the steamer R. R. Cuyler, off Mobile. He was in command of the steamer Metacomet which was engaged in the battle of Mobile Bay, Aug. 5, 1864. This vessel was lashed alongside the flagship Hartford, Admiral Farragut, and accompanied her past the forts. Jouett was ordered to cast off during the engagement, and be captured the Selma with a crew of ninety officers and men, and crippled the Gaines so badly that she had to be run ashore. Jouett's conduct during the battle won him the praise of Admiral Farragut, and a special board recommended that Lieutenant-Commander Jouett be promoted thirty numbers for heroic conduct in battle. In 1885 when the rebels had closed the transit across the Isthmus of Panama he opened it and restored peace, for which he was thanked by the president of the United States of Colombia. He was promoted commander, July 25, 1866; captain, Jan. 7, 1874; commodore, Jan. 11, 1883; rear-admiral, Feb. 19, 1886. He retired from active service, Feb. 27, 1890, and in March, 1893, congress retired him. He died in Colver Springs, Md., Oct. 1, 1902.

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