Webster County KY Biographies
Subjects of Perrin, Battle & Kniffin 1885 Biographies
From: Kentucky, A History of the State. Perrin, Battle & Kniffin. 2nd ed.,
1885, Webster Co.
GEORGE H. TOWRY was born February 7, 1834, in Livingston, now Critttenden
Co., Ky., and is a son of Manring and Rebecca (Imboden) Towry; the former a
native of South Carolina, and the latter of Pennsylvania. When they were
quite young, his father and mother came with their parents to Kentucky.
The father died in 1864, aged sixty-four years. The mother died in 1880,
aged seventy-four. George H. was reared on his father's farm and received
a good common school education. In 1856, he attended the Bethany Academy
in Caldwell County and later he attended the old Cumberland College at
Princeton one session, after which he returned to the farm and taught
school in the fall and winter for about six years. During that time he had
provided himself with law books, and was engaged in the study of the law.
In 1865, he was elected justice of the peace, and re-elected to that
office, which he held until 1874, when he moved to Dixon, where he has
since been engaged in the practice of the law. He represented Webster
County in the legislature in the sessions of 1877-78. Mr. Towry is an
advocate of the Greenback ticket, having become identified with that party
in 1877. He was a delegate in May, 1884, to the national convention at
Indianapolis. Much of his time he is devoting to delivering speeches, and
otherwise advancing the interest of the Greenback party. He was married,
in 1864, to Miss Jane O'Neal, of Crittenden County, who died in 1871. His
second marriage was in September, 1872, to Miss Lue J. Deal, of Union
County. This lady is a member of the Christian Church. Mr. Towry is a
member of the Masonic fraternity.
ALLEN WATSON was born in Davidson County, Tenn., April 3, 1832, to William
and Ara (Fipps) Watson, natives of South Carolina and Philadelphia, Penn.
They were of Irish and German descent, respectively. William Watson, at
the age of sixteen, in about 1796, removed with his widowed mother to
Tennessee, where he was afterward married, and engaged in agricultural
pursuits until the fall of 1848, when he came to what is now Webster
County, Ky., but was then a part of Union County, here he bought a farm
upon which he resided until his death, March 10, 1872, in his ninety-second
year. Allen Watson was employed on his father's farm until of age, after
which he and his brother farmed the home place on shares for a time. He
then bought a farm in what is now Webster County, Ky., upon which he
resided until the fall of 1879, when he sold out and bought his present
farm. He was married, in September, 1854, to Miss Fannie Harmon, a native
of Hopkins County, Ky. Eight sons and four daughters have blessed their
union, all yet living. Both Mr. Watson and wife are members of the United
Baptist Church. In politics he is a Democrat.
B. WATSON was born July 26, 1840, in Spencer County, Ky. He is a son of
John and Elizabeth (Lindle) Watson, both natives of Kentucky. In 1852 they
removed to Union County, and engaged in agricultural pursuits; they now
reside in Clay. Our subject, at the age of twenty, commenced to work at
the carpenter's trade, and at the breaking out of the war he entered the
Federal army, in which he remained three years. On his return from the
army, he engaged in the tobacco business, and in this he has since been
identified. He employs about twenty-five hands, and handles annually about
250,000 pounds. Mr. Watson was married, January 14, 1863, to Elizabeth
Davis, of Webster County. One son gladdens their home. Both are
consistent members of the United Baptist Church.
DR. HARMAN H. WHITSON was born June 24, 1834, in Wilson County, Tenn.,
where he lived until 1850, when he removed with his parents to Logan
County, Ky.; remaining three years, he returned to Tennessee, and in 1857
came to Kentucky again. His father, John Whitson, a native of Coffee
County, Tenn., removed with his parents to Wilson County in infancy, was a
gallant soldier in the war of 1812, and died in 1869, at the age of
seventy-five years. He was the son of Abram Whitson, a soldier of the
Revolution. John Whitson married Susan, daughter of Isaac Green, of
Tennessee. She died in 1850. Their offspring are James, Elijah, Elisha,
Franklin and our subject. H. H. Whitson was married, August 19, 1857, to
Miss Annie E., daughter of Robert and Ann (Dearing) Moore, of
Muhlenburgh [sic] County, Ky. (born August 19, 1837), and to them have been
born David W., Jennie (deceased) and Robert H. In 1854, Mr. Whitson
commenced the study of medicine with Dr. Matthew Cowan, of Cole's Ferry,
Tenn., and in 1857 graduated at Nashville, after which he located at Pond
River Mills, Ky., where he soon established a good and lucrative practice,
which he retained until 1882, when he located at Slaughterville, his
present place of residence, where he is meeting with encouraging success.
Dr. Whitson is a member of the Masonic fraternity, also of the K. of H. In
religion he is a Baptist, and in politics a Democrat.
D.C. WHITTINGHILL was born in Hancock County, Ky., March 18, 1854, a son of
David and Margaret (Phillips) Whittinghill, natives of Ohio County, Ky.,
and of German and Irish descent. David Whittinghill was married in his
native county, where he was engaged in agricultural pursuits, in connection
with the ministry, until 1864, when he removed to Hopkins county and bought
a farm four miles west of Madisonville, upon which he still resides. He
has been a regularly ordained minister of the Missionary Baptist Church for
the past twenty-five or thirty years. Mrs. Margaret Whittinghill departed
this life April 7, 1881, in her fifty-ninth year. She was from her
girlhood a devoted member of the Missionary Baptist Church. D.C.
Whittinghill (our subject) received a good common school and academic
education in his youth and also attended the Bethel College of
Russellville, Ky., for a time. He was employed on his father's farm until
he attained his majority. He then taught a five-months' term of school,
after which he engaged in farming on his own account for three years. He
was then engaged in the lumber business at Madisonville for two years, and
in the grain trade for one year at the same place. In May, 1883, he came
to Providence, where he has since been employed as agent for the Louisville
and Nashville Railway, and in the grain trade, at which he is doing a
thriving business. Mr. Whittinghill is yet unmarried. He is a member of
the Missionary Baptist Church and in politics a Democrat.
SYLVESTER H. WILLIAMS was born in Henderson County, Ky., April 30, 1819, to
Burle and Zillotis (Sugg) Williams, the former of whom was a native of
North Carolina, and the latter of Virginia, and of English descent. Burle
Williams, when a young man, came with his parents to Henderson County, Ky.
Here his father, James Williams, who was among the earliest settlers of the
county, bought wild land and improved a farm. In that county Burle was
afterward married, and there he bought a farm, upon which he resided until
1821, when he sold out and removed to Graves County. Here he bought
another farm, upon which he resided until his death in 1829, in about his
fiftieth year. Sylvester H. Williams received a fair common school
education in youth. After his father's death he made his home with his
uncle, Robert Robertson, who resided near Providence until he was sixteen
years old. He then went to Providence where he was employed for one year
at the cabinet business, after which he learned the saddler's trade,
following the same for about four years. After this he was engaged in the
grocery trade at Providence for some six or seven years. In 1850 he bought
190 acres of wild land three miles northeast from Providence, where he has
since improved the farm, upon which he now resides, and to which he has
added from time to time, now owning well-improved farms amounting to about
1,100 or 1,200 acres. Here he is extensively and succesfully engaged in
agricultural pursuits and the live stock trade. He was first married in
1847 to Miss Prudy Kennadey, a native of what is now Webster County, Ky.
To this union were born three children, only one of whom - Henry B. - is
now living. Mrs. Prudy departed this life in January, 1863. Mr. Williams
was next married, in September, 1863, to Miss Sallie J. Bassett, a native
of Hopkins County, Ky. Three sons and three daughters have blessed their
union. Both Mr. Williams and wife are members of the Cumberland
Presbyterian Church. He is also a member of the Masonic fraternity and in
politics is a Democrat.
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