James Madison and Mary Jane McArthur
From the Biographical Cyclopedia of the Commonwealth of
Kentucky, published by the John M Gresman Company, Chicago-Philadelphia 1896,
page 70
HON. JAMES MADISON M'ARTHUR of Dayton, Kentucky, now in the
eighty-fifth year of his age, has been prominent inn public affairs for over
fifty years, and has done much for the public improvement of Newport and Dayton.
The latter place was laid out by him and largely built up through his individual
enterprise.
Mr. McArthur was born near Georgetown, Kentucky January 3, 1810, and in 1815 his parents removed to Newport where he was educated in the best private schools; and at the age of fifteen years he entered Center College at Danville and studied for one year. He had no predilection for professional life, preferring a business career, which he planned and carried out with unusual success. He began by investing and trading in real estate in Campbell County, and stuck to his purpose, until at one time or another, he had actually owned more than one-third of the land in Campbell County. He then turned his attention to the improvement of Newport; opened the first street in that city; invested his capital in the building of houses for residences and businesses; helped others by selling land on ten years time and building houses for those who did not have the money to pay for their houses, adopting a plan very similar to the present plan of building and loan associations.
While in Newport he was president of the City Council for ten consecutive years. He established the Newport Safety Fund Bank, of which he was president from 1852 to 1856; and it was his generous spirit which led the bank to make too many loans, resulting in the failure of the banking institution. This crippled Mr. McArthur financially, but it did not dampen his ardor in the work of improvement to which he had devoted his life.
Having removed from Newport to Dayton in 1848, he was for many years actively engaged in building up the new town, which he had laid out with the assistance of James T Berry and Henry Walker. He was president of the Dayton Council for eight years; built the street railway between Newport and Dayton in 1870 and sold it in 1879.
Mr. McArthur was twice elected to the legislature in 1846 and in 1873. He introduced and secured the passage of what is known as the "Cemetery Act"; was the originator of an act levying tax on real estate to assist in establishing public schools; and also secured the passage of the "Mechanics Lien Law"; and was instrumental in securing the enactment of various other laws for the public good.
Mr. McArthur married Mary Jane Stricker, daughter of Charles Stricker of Philadelphia. She was born January 18, 1819; died April 6, 1893 and is buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Newport. They had seven children: Peter, born May 23, 1838; Mary, born April 10, 1840, died June 1, 1865; Alice Belle, born March 4, 1842; Annie, born September 30, 1844; Charles, born June 8, 1847; Ida, born June 1, 1850, died March 17, 1894; and William H, born October 25, 1858.
Mr. and Mrs. McArthur lived happily together for fifty-six years. He is a remarkably well preserved man; has never worn glasses, his eyesight having never failed and now, at the age of eighty-five, he can read the finest print in ordinary use.
His father, Peter McArthur, was born in Argyleshire, Scotland in 1764. He came to America in 1784 and located near Georgetown. He was employed as surveyor in central Kentucky and southern Ohio and was for a long time engaged in locating warrants for soldiers of the Revolution. In 1815 he removed to Newport and kept a hotel. He died in July 1828 and is now buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Newport. He was a cousin of General Duncan McArthur who was governor of Ohio.
Mary Michie McArthur (mother) was born in Louisa County, Virginia in 1769. She was first married to William Tompkins, who lived but a short time after their marriage. She was married to Peter McArthur December 26, 1800; died September 15, 1853 and is now buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Newport. She was of Irish descent.