History of Oldham County Kentucky United States of America

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Richard Taylor Jacob, soldier, was born at the home of his great grandfather, Commodore Richard Taylor, in Oldham county, Ky., March 13, 1825; son of John Jeremiah (known as John I.) and Lucy Donald (Robertson) Jacob; grandson of Zachriah and Susannah Jacob, of Ramsey, England, who settled in Maryland in 1740, and of Isaac and Mathilda (Taylor) Robertson, and a descendant from Donald and Rachel (Rogers) Robertson, of Virginia, and from Col. James Taylor, of Carlisle, England, whose daughter married Ambrose Madison, and was the grandmother of James Madison, fourth President of the United States, and whose son, Zachary Taylor, was grandfather of Gen. Zachary Taylor, twelfth President of the United States. He joined an emigrant party, leaving the Missouri river May 11, 1846, for California. On reaching Fort Laramie, be was chosen second in command of the expedition. With eight of the party he reached the frontier of California, Sept. 9, 1846, to find the Californians in rebellion. He raised a company, was elected captain, and joined Fr?mont, serving under him till the surrender of the Mexican army at Los Angeles. He returned to the United States by way of the Isthmus of Panama. On reaching New Orleans in 1847 he offered his services to the government, but failing to receive a commission he returned to Kentucky, where he raised a company of volunteers for the Mexican war, which was not accepted. He went to Washington as a witness in the court-martial of Fremont, and was married Jan. 17, 1848, to Sarah, the third daughter of Senator Thomas H. Benton, and sister of the wife of General Fr?mont. They resided on a farm in Missouri until 1854, when they removed to Oldham county, Ky. He was a Breckinridge elector, 1860, representative from Oldham county in the state legislature, 1859-61, and as a member of the committee on Federal relations in 1861 sought abeyance of the rights of the government until the question of secession could be submitted to the people. The report in favor of remaining loyal to the government was drafted by him, submitted to the house and adopted Jan. 27, 1861, by a vote of forty-eight to forty-seven. This was followed by Governor Magoffin's message ordering both armies to keep off the soil of Kentucky, and when President Lincoln called for troops, Magoffin refused, and to save the state to the union Captain Jacob, with the other opponents to secession in the legislature, endorsed the governor's position, and on May 24, 1861, voted, forty-eight to forty-seven, in favor of mediatorial neutrality. The legislature ordered an election for new members in July, 1861, resulting in seventy-six Union and twenty-four Secession representatives, with senators in equal proportion. Captain Jacob was reelected by four hundred majority as a Coercion candidate. On the meeting of the legislature in September it demanded, by a vote of seventy-six to twenty-six in the house and twenty-five to nine in the senate, that the three Confederate armies within the boundaries of the state should withdraw unconditionally. This was followed by a set of resolutions offered by Representative Jacob, which claimed that the Federal army occupied its own soil for purposes of defence in pursuance of a constitutional right. The resolutions were adopted by both houses without a call of the ayes and nays. Captain Jacob was authorized by General Anderson to raise three regiments of infantry, but the purpose was thwarted by Governor Magoffin's order of consolidation, and in June, 1862, Jacob proposed through the public press to be one of 2000 men to take their own horses and drive General Morgan beyond the state. On July 27, 1862, he obtained authority to raise the 12th Kentucky regiment of cavalry for twelve months' service, and in five days he had men enough for two full regiments. On Sept. 3, 1862, part of his regiment was in the battle at Richmond, Ky., under General Nelson, and on October 1 marched with Buell from Louisville. On Oct. 3, 1862, with half his regiment, he encountered Scott's brigade, and on October 6 drove them as well as Governor Haws's Secession government out of Frankfort. He next encountered Gen. Kirby Smith, and barely escaped capture, becoming separated from his command, and rescued, desperately wounded, by eleven men of the 14th Ohio regiment. While invalided at his home in Louisville, his wife died, and he returned to his regiment Jan. 14, 1863. He rescued his men from an overwhelming cavalry force of General Morgan, defeated him at Horse Shoe Bend, May 11, 1863, after pursuing him along the Cumberland river to the crossing of the Ohio at Brandenberg, and gave him chase through Indiana and Ohio, resulting in his capture near Salineville, July 26, 1863. On Sept. 9, 1863, he was mustered out of the service, eighteen days after his regiment had been discharged. He had been elected lieutenant-governor of Kentucky, March 19, 1863, and he served, 1863-64. In the Presidential election of 1864 he supported McClellan and Pendleton. He opposed the enlistment of negro troops as calculated to destroy Union sentiment in the border states and engender desertions from the Union army. When President Lincoln was re-elected in November, Colonel Jacob was arrested by order of General Burbridge and carried to Louisville and thence across the country into the enemy's lines, without being allowed to meet his accusers. He refused a high commission in the Confederate army, and on reaching Richmond he wrote President Lincoln, forwarding the letter by George D. Prentice, and obtained from the President safe conduct through the Federal lines to Washington, where he arrived Jan. 16, 1865. The President received him kindly, patiently listened to the story of his arrest and persecution by the military government of Kentucky, and directed him to return to his home, and in a few weeks General Burbridge was superseded by General Palmer. Jacob was not received with favor by the military goverenment, but maintained his right to free speech through his personal courage and determination. On June 6, 1865, he was married to Laura, daughter of Dr. Wilson, of Lexington, and they had four sons and one daughter. She died Sept. 21, 1895. In 1867 he was defeated in the election for representative in the 40th congress by Asa P. Grover, the ex-Confederates having obtained control of the state, and Colonel Jacob, having remained loyal to the government, obtained no political favors. In 1882 he was defeated by Col. J. H. McHenry for the clerkship of the court of appeals, although he received about 75,000 votes. He was park commissioner of Louisville, 1895-99; member of the G.A.R., and general commanding the Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana Union Veterans' union. In 1900 he prepared in MS. the story of the early struggles of the Union men of Kentucky to prevent the secession of the state.

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

Richard James Oglesby, governor of Illinois, was born in Oldham county, Ky., July 25, 1824. His parents died in 1832, and he removed to Decatur, Ill., in 1836 with his uncle Willis Oglesby, working there as a farm-hand and carpenter. He studied law under Judge Silas W. Robinson at Springfield, Ill., 1844-45, and was licensed to practise in 1845. He joined the 4th Illinois volunteers for service in the Mexican war and was commissioned 1st lieutenant. He saw service at Vera Cruz and at Cerro Gordo, resuming his law practice in Decatur, Ill, in 1847. He was graduated at the Louisville, Ky., law school, LL.B., 1849; engaged in seeking gold in California, 1849-51, and in 1851, having gained $4,500 in California, he again took up the practice of law in Decatur. He traveled in Europe, Egypt and the Holy Land, 1856-57. In 1858 he was the unsuccessful Republican candidate for representative in the 36th congress, was elected in 1860 to the Illinois senate, resigning his seat, April 25, 1861, to accept the colonelcy of the 8th Illinois volunteers. He commanded the 1st brigade, 1st division, under General Grant, at Forts Henry and Donelson, and with his brigade was the first to enter Fort Henry. He was promoted brigadier-general of volunteers, March 21, 1862, for gallantry at the capture of Fort Donelson. He was in command of the 2d brigade, 2d division, Army of West Tennesee, at the battle of Corinth, and was severely wounded, Oct. 3, 1862. He was promoted major-general of volunteers in November, 1862, and returned to active service in April, 1863, when he commanded the left wing of the 161h Army corps. He resigned in May, 1864. He was three times elected governor of Illinois on the Republican ticket, serving, 1865-69, 1873 and 1885-89. He resigned in 1873 to take his seat in the U.S. senate as successor to Lyman Trumbull, and served in that body until March 3, 1879, declining re-election, and retiring to private life, 1889. He died in Elkhart, Ill., April 24, 1899.

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

History of Oldham County Kentucky

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