My Genealogy Hound

SHORT, JAMES, agriculturist, was a native of Kentucky, where he was born in 1809. But little pertaining to his early life can now be gleaned. Raised upon a farm, where he toiled early and late, his life the everyday routine of the farm, he obtained but a limited education, such as the common schools of the day afforded. He married in 1830, Miss Eliza Self, and one year later, during the Autumn, he made his way to Greene County, and settled on the property now known as the Steve Taylor place. Financially, none were in a worse predicament than he, but he had an unlimited stock of energy to draw from, and it was not long before his prospects began to brighten, and the purchase of farm property feasible. The following Spring from the date of his arrival, Mrs. Short sickened and died, leaving to his care one child, Eliza Jane. His second wife was Miss Millie Stone, a daughter of Thomas Stone; by whom he had five children: John, William, Henry, Ann and George. In 1844, occurred the death of his second wife, and during the Winter of this year, Mr. Short was married to Mrs. Cynthia Rice, relict of Wm. R. Rice, and a daughter of Haman and Sarah Wood. Of this marriage five children were born: Benj. F., Perry, Joseph, Mary and Jasper. After a life of almost unexampled and very unusual activity, Mr. Short died suddenly at his home, July 8, 1871. He had become an opulent farmer, had added largely year by year to his possessions, and owned at the time of his death, some 400 acres of valuable land.