Maysville's Who's Who

  Lemuel Harvey Arledge 

Lemuel Harvey Arledge, born about 1808 in or around Hopkins Co., KY was the son of Jonathan and Sarah Arledge who were married August 10, 1802 in Montgomery Co. TN.

Lemuel Arledge married Jane Rodman April 14, 1826 in Hickman Co. Ky.  In the 1830 census of Graves Co. KY Jonathan and Lemuel "Aldridge" are listed together.  They also appear together in the 1827 to 1833 tax lists For Graves Co.  A female child under five years of age, name unknown, is listed with Lemuel "Aldridge" in the 1830 census of Graves Co. The known children of Lemuel and Jane Arledge are Minerva D. Arledge  [probably born about 1832 in Graves Co.], Alexander Arledge [said to be born about 1836 in or near Henderson, Knox Co. Illinois], and Emily Adeline Arledge born January 24, 1842 in Fayette Co. Illinois.

Lemuel and his family apparently moved to Mercer or Knox Co. Illinois from Kentucky in about 1834.  In 1839 they acquire land in Fayette  Co. Illinois where they appear in the 1840 census records [under "Aldridge"] with one male under 5, one female under 5, and one female under 10.  They sell their land in Fayette Co. in 1846 and next appear in the 1850 census of Knox Co. IL as follows; L. H. Arledge [42, b. in Ky], Jane [46, b. in Va.], Manerva [18  KY], Alexander [12 Ill], and Emily [9 Ill.]. In October 1852 Lemuel sells land in Fayette Co. that he purchased in 1851.  In September 1853 "Dr" L. H. Arledge arrived in Maynes Grove in Franklin Co. Iowa after selling a claim near Ackley, Iowa to Thomas Downs. His family had apparently followed Jacob and Minerva [Arledge] Rice [they were married February 5, 1851 in Knox Co. Illinois] to Hardin and Franklin Co. Iowa.  Jane Rodman Arledge died July 1, 1854 and was buried in the Maynes Grove cemetery in Franklin Co. Iowa.

Lemuel "Arlege" married Lydia Johnson July 27, 1855 in Hardin Co. Iowa.  She was born June 28, 1831 in Berlin VT and was the second daughter of William and Lydia Johnson.  The 1856 census of Franklin Co. Iowa lists Lemuel H. Arledge [48 KY] with Lydia Arledge [24 VT], E. A. Arledge [14 IL], and Sarah P. Arledge [1 IA].  [note: Alexander Arledge married Julia Peters July 8, 1855 in Hardin Co.]

Lemuel Arledge and his family moved to Mankato, Minnesota in 1856 and acquired land in Blue Earth Co. MN in 1856 and 1857. In " The History of Blue Earth Co. MN" the family is involved with the Indians moving north into Minnesota after the Spirit Lake massacre in Iowa in 1857. Emily Adeline Arledge married John "Doke" [Doak] in Vernon Center MN on November 9, 1856. In any event Lemuel and Lydia Arledge sold their land in Blue Earth Co. in 1859 and returned to Iowa where they appear in the 1860 Hardin Co. census as follows; L. Arledge [51 KY], L. Arledge [24 NY], and S. Arledge [1 IA]. The 1860 census record is rather confusing but no other record has been found that places this family in Hardin Co. at that time. However, L. H. "Arlege" was rejected in 1862 for service in the Civil War by the mustering officer of Co. H, 32nd Regiment of Iowa Infantry. I have not found any member of this family in the 1870 census records.

The Franklin Co. Iowa history book states that Dr. Arledge remained in Franklin County for several years after returning from Mankato MN before going to Nebraska where another source identified Dr. Arledge as an "itinerant Methodist preacher along the Republican river in Nebraska". This history book indicates that Dr. Arledge was killed when he fell from the top of a load of logs but I have not found any record giving the date or place of his death or the place of his burial.  The history book also identifies Dr. L. H. Arledge as the first practicing physician in Franklin Co. with an extensive practice for that day.  It is also said that he had a common school education, a limited medical education, and that he was a first rate preacher in the M. E. church.

Known children of Lemuel and Lydia Arledge are Sarah Permelia Arledge [b. April 21, 1856], Caroline Louise Arledge [b. December 27, 1862 in Maysville, Iowa], and Albert J. Arledge [b. ca. 1866].  Sarah Arledge married William Whitesell September 24, 1872 in Hardin Co., Caroline married William Whitesell November 12, 1884 [after her sister died in 1884], and Albert Arledge [as far as we know] never married [he died in Iowa City, Iowa March 23,1914].  Several additional children of Lemuel Arledge are mentioned in the obit of Caroline Arledge Whitesell in 1920 [these were Rosa, Lillie, Estella, Silas and William].  It is said that several of these additional children are buried with Lemuel's first wife in the Mayne's Grove cemetery.

Lydia Johnson "Aldridge" married Oliver Hazard Perry Bird April 8, 1874 in Hardin co. Iowa. Guy Clifford Bird [b. August 20, 1876] was a product of this marriage. Oliver Bird died April 3, 1894.  On December 29, 1894 Lydia Johnson Arledge Bird married Peter Eagle. Lydia died February 22, 1897 in Winnebago Co. Iowa and was buried in the Buffalo Center cemetery on February 24, 1897. Her obit stated that she was the mother of seven children by Dr. Arledge and one child by O. H. Bird.

Thanks to Pam Wilson, Arledge Family History Project