History of Bourbon, Scott, Harrison and Nicholas Counties, Kentucky, ed.
by William Henry Perrin,  O. L. Baskin & Co., Chicago, 1882.  p. 577.
[Bourbon County]    [Ruddel's Mills Precinct]

ELI HOWARD, farmer, P. O. Ruddel's Mills.  About the close of the
Revolutionary war, among the migrants from Maryland to Kentucky, was
James Howard, who with his family, consisting of wife, three sons, Elijah,
paris and Matthew, and one daughter, Hannah, settled on the Maysville road
between Millersburg and Paris, in Bourbon County, at a point about three
miles from the last named place, and now owned we believe by Mrs. Clay.
At this place James Howard departed this life at quite an advanced age,
but the exact date of hiss death we have been unable to obtain. The second
son, Paris Howard, was born on the eastern shore of Maryland, Feb. 5, 1777;
was brought to Kentucky when quite young, and after remaining with his
father at the above place till [sic] he arrived at the age of maturity, he
ventured out upon his own resources, and about the year 1800 was married
to Catharine Current, who was also a native of Maryland, and was born
April 11, 1782.  Paris settled near Ruddel's Mills, where he secured and
developed a large tract of land, something near 700 acres.  The fruits of
this marriage were nine children, six sons and three daughters.  This
family has since become noted in the history of Kentucky for their
remarkable height, weight and longevity.  Believing it to be appropriate
that a brief but accurate statement of this noted family should be embodied
in this work, we submit the following:

Males...................Height..............Weight

Father (Paris Howard)...6 ft,  4 ins........200 lbs
Thomas C................6 ft,  4 ins........230 lbs
James...................6 ft,  6 1/2 ins....216 lbs
John C. (deceased)......6 ft, 11 1/2 ins....266 lbs
Elijah..................6 ft,  3 ins........210 lbs
Matthew.................6 ft,  6 1/2 ins....220 lbs
Eli.....................6 ft,  4 1/2 ins....198 lbs

Average height males,   6 ft, 5 3/4 ins.
Average weight males, 220 pounds.

Females.................Height..............Weight

Catharine Howard........6 ft,  1/2 ins......285 lbs  (Mother)
Sarah...................6 ft,  2 ins........165 lbs
Mary (deceased).........6 ft,  3 ins........160 lbs
Margaret................6 ft,  3 ins........215 lbs
Four females...........24 ft...8 1/2 ins....825 lbs

Average height females,   6 ft. 2 1/2 in.
Average weight females, 206 1/2 pounds.

Average height of this family of eleven person is seventy feet and
three-quarters inch; weight, 2,365 pounds.

At this date (1882) the write is personally acquainted with quite a number
of the grandchildren, males and females, that range from six feet to six
feet six and one-half inches in height, and are probably still growing.
The father, Paris Howard, died on the home place, near Ruddel's Mills, on
27th of July 1862, in his eighty-sixth year; his wife following him July
14, 1870, in her eighty-ninth year.  At this date there has been but two
deaths in this large family of children, seven still survive, five sons
and two daughters, the youngest child being now in her sixty-first year.
Taking into consideration the number of persons composing this family,
their height, weight, strength and longevity, they are perhaps without a
parallel in the world.  The youngest son, Eli Howard, was born March 2d,
1819, near Ruddel's Mills, where he was reared and educated.  On the 3d
of November, 1842, he was married to Hannah P., daughter of Michael Isgri,
of Harrison County.  Her grandfather, Daniel Isgri, was a native of
Maryland, when he married on the 6th of January, 1777, to Margaret Cole.
He subsequently emigrated to Kentucky and settled in what is now Harrison
County, where he reared three sons and four daughters.  The youngest son,
Michael, was born March 27, 1792; married May, 19, 1816, to Margaret
Current, who was born near Paris, Feb 15, 1895.  "Uncle Mike" as he was
familiarly called, was of a lively, jocular disposition, and will doubtless
be remembered by many of the readers of this sketch.  He died Sept. 24,
1860, in his sixty-ninth year; his wife, on Dec. the 19th, 1875, in her
eighty-second year.  He left a family of one son and two daughters, one
daughter having died several years previous to his death.  Our subject,
Eli Howard, in a short time after his marriage, settled on a small farm
adjoining the old homestead, built a small house in the woods and began
clearing around him.  Being industrious and economizing through the early
part of his life, he now owns a nice farm of 200 acres, well fenced and
stocked, and upon which he is endeavoring to retire from active work, and
enjoy some of the fruits of his past labors.  The result his his marriage
was three children: one son, James Alex., born April 24, 1845; and died on
the 19th of April, 1867; and two daughters, Mary C., born Nov. 13, 1846,
and was married Nov. 26, 1863, to Wm. J. Bowman, of Harrison.  This union
was blessed with one child, Jennie Lee, who was born Jan. 20, 1865.  Mr.
Bowman died Dec. 19, 1865; his little girl followed him Jan. 29, 1866,
and his wife Feb. 3, 1866.  The youngest daughter, Maggie Frances Howard,
was born Jan. 25, 1856, and was married on the 10th of Oct. 1872, to F. E.
Baird, a native of Harrison but a resident of Bourbon at the time of his
marriage, and still resides in the county.  Mr. Howard and family are all
members of the Methodist Church.  He has never held any political office in
his life, never sought any, but at all times and under all circumstances he
supports the nominee of the Democratic party.  Besides his general routine
of business on the farm, he has endeavored to make a specialty of raising a
few trotting colts;  among the most noted of which we might mention is
Lumber, bay gelding, who as a six-year old competed in the speed ring at
Cynthiana with several of the fastest trotters of his class in the State
for the $100 premium, a prize he won with apparent ease.  After being
honored with some other smaller prizes at this fair, Mr. Howard sold him
for $1,000 cast to the Hon. T. J. Megibben of Harrison County.  He has
raised some other promising colts that he sold untrained at fair prices.
Mr. Howard has been prominently connected with the Masonic Order for many
years, serving as Master of his lodge at Ruddel's Mills for several
consecutive terms, and from his first admission into the institution, has
been one of its most zealous workers and supporters.

Howard Current Isgri Bowman Baird Cole Megibben
=
Harrison-KY MD

http://www.rootsweb.com/~kygenweb/kybiog/bourbon/howard.e.txt