HISTORY OF KENTUCKY AND KENTUCKIANS, E. Polk Johnson, three volumes, Lewis
Publishing Co., New York & Chicago, 1912. Common version, 
Vol. III, pp. 1293-94-95.  [Montgomery County]

JAMES T. HIGHLAND--No story of fiction contains more exciting chapters
than can be found in the life records of our subject and his immediate
ancestors.  Pioneer life, the hardships incident to the struggles necessary
in the lives of those who have the determination to wrest from the primal
earth their birthright and only to be conquered by a great will, hard work,
courage and persistence, are all in the history of these brave men.  Space
forbids and extended account of these and only a short sketch can be given
of what if extended would be a most interesting volume.
     James T. Highland, an agriculturist in Montgomery county, Kentucky
was born January 5, 1840, the son of Denman and Susanna (Johnson) Highland.
The father was born December 19, 1804, and died in April, 1884.  He was the
son of Denman and Amelia Highland, who emigrated from Maryland to this
state near the close of the last century and settled in Bourbon county, on
the waters of Hinkston creek, not far from McGinnis' Ford.  They had
fourteen children, the subject's father being the sixth at the time of
their settlement.  The forests were in a state of nature, with scarcely a
tree missing, and the cane grew luxuriously and many kinds of wild animals
infested the country.  It was a beautiful country, but the establishment
of homes in this region therefore meant sacrifices, hardships and often
death and but few courageous frontiersmen had dared to locate within its
borders, so the work of progress and improvement remained to the future,
and there was little promise of early development.  They were very poor
and had but two horses, one of which the wolves killed and the other
became entangled in wild grape vines and injured so it died.  But,
fortunately for them, a horse had strayed from some remote settlement and
as no owner could be found the neighbors, knowing of their misfortune and
consequent distress, insisted on their taking and using the horse, which
they did and were thus enabled to support their young and growing family.
They erected their rude house not far from a spring of water and when it
was finished and they had become the happy inmates they erected in that
humble house an altar unto the Lord, at and around which they dedicated
their house to the Lord.  They were members of the Methodist church and
were truly pious people.  Being poor and schools scarce, with but poor
teachers, our subject's father had to stay at home and work, altogether
receiving only a few months' instruction.  When he became of age he left
home to make his own living.  The morning he started his father followed
him to the gate and as he bade him goodbye he placed a half dollar in his
and and said, "This, my son, with the blessing of God is all I have to
give you."  He went immediately to Rodger Clemons, who lived at that time
in Montgomery county, near Mt. Sterling, and engaged to work for him for
seven dollars a month.  After one year he went to Illinois, where he
remained one year, then returned to Kentucky and worked one year for Mr.
Clemons.  Sometime during the year he formed the acquaintance of Miss
Susanna Johnson, and on February 11, 1830, they were married.  They began
life very poor, her father giving her a little colored girl and a few
things with which to begin housekeeping.
     They lived on her father's farm, on the waters of Somerset Creek, for
five years, after which they bought a small farm in the bridge's
neighborhood.  The subject of our sketch still has the deed to this farm,
dated 1837.  They lived here for one year, when they sold out to go to
Indiana, but his wife thinking it best to remain in Kentucky, he bought a
small farm, on which he lived forty-nine years, adding to it as he was
able. They were the parents of nine children, four of whom are living: Mrs.
Fannie Henry, a widow living in Montgomery county, Kentucky; our subject;
Mrs. Maria Boyd, a widow living in Montgomery county, Kentucky; Mrs. Leo
Gaines, a widow in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky.  He was a devoted husband and a
fond and affectionate father, a kind and obliging neighbor and a most
worthy and excellent citizen.  He was a man of large natural and practical
good sense, industrious, economical and one of the best financiers in the
country.  Starting in life poor, by his industry, perseverance and good
management he accumulated a goodly portion of the world's goods.
     Before he began to divide his property among his children he had
bought and paid for five hundred acres of land and at the time of his
death he had advanced twenty-seven thousand dollars to his children. He was
truthful and honest, firm in his convictions of right and prompt in his
discharge of all his duties as a citizen. He never had a lawsuit, never
took a drink at a bar, played a card or carried a concealed weapon in
his life.
     Just after he joined the church he took a decided stand against every
form of vice and maintained it until his death.  In November, 1830, Brother
"Raccoon" John Smith was conducting meetings at Somerset, near his house,
and at the close of the meeting seventeen were baptized, after which
Brother Smith preached at night.  At the conclusion of this discourse our
subject's father requested the preacher to baptize him on the following
morning, and on being asked at what hour, said, "I want to be baptized with
the rising of the sun that I may arise to walk in newness of life."
Accordingly at a very early hour next morning the thick ice was cut away
and as the sun came up from behind the eastern hills he was baptized.  He
united with the church of Somerset and was a member for forty-seven years,
forty-five of which he was elder and for a number of years he did the
baptizing for his church.  He was a rigid disciplinarian, and earnest and
faithful worker in the social and prayer meetings and for a number of years
consecutively he did not miss a single meeting of the church and kept it up
until a short time before his death, when his age and other infirmities
kept him confined to his room.  Being a great lover of the Bible and
having been a constant reader, and having heard so much preaching and his
house having been for fifty years the preacher's home, he had acquired a
large amount of information concerning the scriptures.  For several years
he had prayed that he might die on Sunday and at the same hour of the day
at which he had been baptized.  Accordingly on Sunday, the 6th day of the
month, at 4 o'clock, he was stricken with paralysis and for two weeks was a
great sufferer, and on Sunday, the 20th, just as the sun arose, the Lord
answered his pray and once more did his spirit rise to walk in a new life.
     Our subject's mother, Susanna Johnson, was born January 27, 1809, in
Montgomery county, and died July 4, 1891.  She was a daughter of Jacob
Johnson, a native of Maryland and one of the early pioneers of Kentucky.
She became a member of the Baptist church at Somerset, at the age of
thirteen years, and when the reformation took place in 1827, under the
leadership of Elder "Raccoon" John Smith, she joined the Christian church
and was one of the charter members at Somerset.  She was a sister of the
late Colonel Thomas Johnson, who was prominent during the war and later
served as state senator.  When Montgomery county was forest and canebrake,
when the hiss and growl of wild animals broke the stillness where now the
locomotives scream, when the "log roll's" and "wood pickings" were the
incentives to social gatherings, Mrs. Highland was there an humble
handmaiden in the Master's service, helping to plant the germ of Christian
civilization that blesses our population to-day.
     James T. Highland, our subject, spent his youth at work upon the farm,
with the winters spent in school until 1856.  When he was sixteen years
old he was selected with another boy by Colonel Thomas Johnson to take a
trip of eight hundred miles to New Orleans with a consignment of mules.
These were driven over to Paducah, Kentucky, and then shipped by boat to
New Orleans.  This work young Highland followed, trading mules in Georgia,
South Carolina, Alabama and Louisiana, every winter until September, 1862.
he enlisted in the Confederate army as a private in Company B, Second
Kentucky cavalry, with George W. Jackson, captain; O. S. Terry, major; and
Thomas Johnson, colonel.  In 1863 our subject was made assistant commissary
sergeant and served continuously in the campaigns of southwest Virginia,
Kentucky and east Tennessee.  Late in 1863 he went on raids around
Pittsburg and Winchester and saw some real service. He was then transferred
to the Georgian army and took part in the battles of Chickamauga,
Missionary Ridge and in Wheeler's raid in the rear of Rosecrans' army. In
January, 1864, Mr. Highland was with General John Morgan until his death,
then with General Basil W. Duke until the close of the war, his parole
dated May 2, 1865.
     After the war Mr. Highland returned to the old homestead, resolved to
be a farmer, a temperance man, a Democrat and a Christian, all of which he
has faithfully adhered to.  His start in life was made on fifty acres of
land given to him by his father and he has increased that until to-day he
owns and operates one thousand acres of fine land and also owns the
old homestead.
     On December 1, 1870, Mr. Highland married Nannie Furgeson, who died
October 13, 1882, and left four children: William P., Jesse P. and Charles,
all residents of Montgomery, and Nannie, wife of Lester Lee, who resides
with Mr. Highland.  On September 6, 1893, Mr. Highland married Mary E.
Clay, who died January 15, 1900.  Since 1884 Mr. Highland has been a
director of Traders National Bank of Mt. Sterling, and at present is its
vice-president.  He has been a life-long member of the Somerset Christian
church and an elder since 1873.

Highland Johnson Henry Boyd Gaines Smith Furgeson Lee Clay Clemons
=
Bourbon-KY IN MD IL

http://www.rootsweb.com/~kygenweb/kybiog/montgomery/highland.jt.txt