My Genealogy Hound

General Alvin Peterson Hovey. A pioneer family in any community is of more or less historic interest, no matter if its tenure of residence be of long or short duration. But when a family is not only among the first to settle in a community, but also continues to reside in it for decade after decade and generation after generation, and certain of its members at all times are leaders in every movement intended to conserve the community’s welfare and promote its progress, then that family becomes of special historic interest and prominence. One of the most prominent families of southern Indiana, and, indeed, of the whole State, is the Hovey family of Mt. Vernon, established there in 1818 by Abiel Hovey, a native of Vermont and son of Rev. Samuel and Abigail (Cleveland) Hovey. Abiel Hovey married in 1802 Frances Peterson, born in Vermont on May 20, 1780. He brought his family to Posey county in 1818, then in a formative condition, and engaged in farming. He possessed energy, thrift characteristic of the native of New England, his home training had imbued him with high ideals, which, together with his desire to attain a competence in his new home, soon caused him to become one of the influential men of the county. His death occurred on July 17, 1823, after a residence of five years in Posey county. That of his wife, on September 6, 1836. Alvin Peterson Hovey, the youngest child of Abiel and Frances (Peterson) Hovey, was born in Mt. Vernon on September 6, 1821. He acquired his education in the schools of his native town, was variously employed, while a boy, part of the time as a mason, and while in the latter occupation studied law of evenings in the office of Judge John Pitcher. He was admitted to the bar in 1843. In 1849 he was elected delegate to the Indiana constitutional convention. He served as judge of the circuit court of Southwestern Indiana, composed of eleven counties, from 1851 to 1854. He was elevated to the bench of the Supreme Court of Indiana in 1854 and served for one year, being the youngest member in the history of that body. He was appointed by President Pierce in 1856 United States attorney for the district of Indiana. When the division in the Democratic party occurred, with President Buchanan and Stephen A. Douglas as leaders of the two factions, Mr. Hovey became a partisan of the latter and his activities in his behalf were so fruitful that Buchanan removed him from office, appointing Daniel W. Voorhees to succeed him. On the first call of President Lincoln for volunteers, Judge Hovey began the organization of a company and in a short time the First regiment of Indiana legion, of which he was commissioned colonel, was ready for the field. Later he became colonel of the Twenty-fourth Indiana, which joined Tremont’s army in Missouri. He was with General Grant in the Vicksburg campaign and was made brigadier-general for gallant conduct at Shiloh. In the battle of Champion’s Hill, Miss., May 16, 1863, Hovey’s brigade suffered one-third of the entire loss of the Federal forces. He commanded the Twelfth division of the Thirteenth army corps in this engagement. General Grant, in his memoirs, gives special credit to Hovey for his part in the battle. In July, 1864, he was appointed major-general and ordered by General Grant to raise 10,000 men. Only those unmarried were invited to enlist and when the quota was made up it was found that many of the recruits were mere boys and on that account were afterward known as “Hovey’s babies.” However, there were no more effective troops in the march to the sea. In the latter part of 1864 Secretary of War Stanton appointed General Hovey military commander of Indiana, an office made necessary by a growing hostility in the State toward the national government. While serving in this capacity General Hovey caused the arrest of a number of persons belonging to the so-called “Sons of Liberty,” a treasonable organization, five of whom were convicted and sentenced to be hanged, their sentences being commuted to life imprisonment by President Lincoln. In 1865, at the request of General Grant, he was appointed minister to Peru, serving in this capacity until 1870, when he returned to Mt. Vernon and resumed the practice of law. In 1872 he refused the nomination for governor as he did not wish to reenter politics. However, in 1886, he accepted the unanimous nomination as the Republican candidate for Congress from the first district and was elected by a majority of 1,357 over McCullough, his Democratic opponent. In Congress he championed the cause of the Union veterans in the matter of pensions. In the Republican State convention of June, 1888, he was unanimously nominated for governor and in the election the following November received a majority of 2,000 over the Democratic candidate, C. C. Matson. While in the executive chair the legislature passed a measure making the State Board of Education a text-book commission and authorizing it to determine what text-books should be used in the schools. During the debate on this bill Governor Hovey urged that all text-books used in the public schools should be furnished by the State. The Australian ballot system was also adopted during his administration. At the annual encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic held in St. Louis in 1888, Governor Hovey was unanimously elected president of the service pension association of the United States and in December, 1889, he addressed an appeal “to the loyal people of the United States and their representatives in Congress,” demanding on behalf of the many surviving Union soldiers of the late war the passage of a service pension law. Governor Hovey married on November 24, 1844, Miss Mary James, a daughter of Col. E. R. James, a prominent citizen of southern Indiana. She was born at Baton Rouge, La., February 22, 1825, and died at Mt. Vernon, Ind., on November 6, 1863. They were the parents of five children, who are, in order of birth, as follows, viz.: Esther, born January 8, 1846, the wife of Major G. V. Menzies, of Mt. Vernon, personal mention of whom appears elsewhere in this volume; Enoch James, born February 7, 1848, died August 4, 1852; Charles James Hovey, a sketch of whom follows this article; Mary, born January 18, 1854, died March 30, 1855; and Mary Anne, born April 17, 1857, died April 7, 1858. Governor Hovey was married a second time to Mrs. Rosa Valette Smith, the daughter of Caleb B. Smith, Secretary of the Interior in the cabinet of President Lincoln. She died about six months after her marriage. Governor Hovey died in Indianapolis on November 23, 1891. The tributes of respect, and in many cases of affection called forth by the death of Alvin P. Hovey have seldom been equaled in the State in the passing away of a citizen. His own standard of life was high and it was apparent throughout his life while in the practice of his profession, during his service in defense of the Union, and in the positions of public trust which he so creditably filled. What may be termed his life work was finished; it had met to a great extent the fullness of his ambition. But infinitely more precious and of personal consequence to him was the fact that he died rich in the possession of a well earned popularity, in the esteem which comes from honorable living, and in the affection that slowly develops only from unselfish works. In his professional and public life he was the embodiment of honor, as he was in his social and domestic life, the perfection of love and gentleness.