Memorials › Alexander Walker Macklin Sr

Alexander Walker Macklin Sr

7 May 1799 – 5 Dec 1863

Birth	7 May 1799
Death	5 Dec 1863
Cemetery	Frankfort Cemetery Frankfort , Franklin County , Kentucky , USA
Added by	James R. Columbia on 09 Oct 2010
FaG	https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/59810811

Bio

"MACKLIN, ALEXANDER WALKER, Farmer and Manufacturer, was born May 7, 1799, on the waters of North Elkhorn, in the northeastern part of Franklin County, Kentucky. His father, Hugh Macklin, was a native of Ireland, and, emigrating to this country when quite young, moving to Kentucky, settled in Franklin County, where he died, in 1831, at an advanced age. Alexander Walker Macklin received an ordinary English education, such as was then afforded by the country schools, and, when quite young, learned the carpenter trade in Frankfort. After completing his apprenticeship, he worked at his trade for several years, and, in 1825, married Miss Jane Macklin, and moved to Woodford County, where he rented a farm on Glen's Creek, and remained there several years, a great part of the time engaged in teaching a country school, when he returned to his native county, and bought a small farm. About that time he was elected constable of his district, which office he filled for years. He soon began trading in various ways, with great success, and, having accumulated considerable property, sold his small farm and bought a large tract of land, in Franklin County, on South Elkhorn, to which he removed in 1836. He now commenced trading on a large scale, and, in connection with Philip and Jacob Swigert, of Frankfort, under the name of Macklin & Co., he began the manufacture of hemp bagging and rope, shipping their goods to New Orleans for sale. In 1840, this firm was dissolved, and he built a large factory on his own land, at the forks of Elkhorn, for the manufacture of bagging and rope on his own account in which he continued, with great success, up to the time of his death, owning nearly all the slaves, to the number of one hundred and twenty, employed upon his farm and in his factories…In 1846, he bought property near Frankfort, on the Kentucky river, on which he built a large slaughter-house, in which he was joined, in 1850, by his second son, George B. Macklin. This business was carried on, largely and successfully, under the name of A. W. Macklin & Son, during the remainder of his life, the products, to a very great extent, being shipped to New York for foreign markets, and to Cuba by way of New Orleans. As opportunity offered, he continually added to his landed estate, until, at the time of his death, he owned twelve hundred acres of the finest land in that region, which was divided among his children. In 1844, he commenced to erect a large merchant and custom flouring-mill on his land on the Elkhorn, which he completed soon after, and put into successful operation, with the capacity of one hundred and fifty barrels per day, being the only water-power mill in the country that could be operated during the entire year…He had long had in view the building of a cut-stone mill-dam on the South Elkhorn, which should last as long as the stone of which it was built, and be an ornament to his industry and energy. In 1863, he began quarrying and preparing the stone; and, in the Fall of that year, completed the finest and most durable piece of work of that kind to be found, at least in Kentucky. He was a man of great energy and industry, and possessed of will and perseverance which could not be overcome by ordinary obstacles. He was somewhat delicate in constitution, and, during the last years of his life, suffered from poor health, although he rarely failed in attention to his complicated business, and even in his last sickness was confined to his room only five days. He was elected by the Bank of Kentucky, located at Louisville - being one of the oldest and most prosperous banks, from its formation until the present time - to the very responsible position of one of its directors for the branch at Frankfort, to which position he was annually elected until his death. He took no very active part in politics, but was decided in his opinions, being a member of the old Whig party until its dissolution; and, upon the breaking out of the rebellion, his sympathies were with the South. In religion, he was an ardent member of the Baptist Church, which he joined in 1825, remaining a pillar of his Church throughout his life, and hardly ever missing one of its meetings. He accumulated a large fortune, amounting to several hundred thousand dollars, which was divided equally among his seven children, after paying his indebtedness. He also made a donation of eight thousand dollars, for the purpose of educating young men for the ministry, to the Georgetown College, under the control of the Baptist denomination; that sum was paid into the hands of the trustees of the college by his executors. He raised seven children - three sons and four daughters - all of whom reached majority, and six of whom are now living…Mr. Macklin died December 5, 1863…He survived his two sisters several years; and his brother, John Macklin, died in 1865. He was a man of fine personal habits, an advocate of temperance, and a patron of all worthy causes in his community; and was, throughout his life, one of the most active, intelligent, useful, and successful business men of the country." Extracted from "The Biographical Encyclopedia of Kentucky, of the Dead and Living Men of the Nineteenth Century"; pp. 760-763.

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Spouse

Mrs Jane Macklin Macklin 1800–1870

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