My Genealogy Hound

DR. L. M. HORN, of Holden, is a native of Logan County, Ky., born April 25, 1831, and is a son of Wiley and Elizabeth (Morgan) Horn, both of whom were natives of North Carolina, where they were married and whence they removed to Kentucky at an early day. His father was a farmer, and our subject’s boyhood days were therefore spent on a farm, having but a poor opportunity for acquiring an education until he was about eighteen years of age, when he entered the academy at Franklin, Ky. He had to earn the money to pay his way through school there. For the next two years he engaged alternately in teaching and farm work, after which he attended Slauce’s Institute for a year and a-half in Simpson County, Ky. In 1848 he was married, and by that union there are now four living children.

When twenty-five years of age our subject began the study of medicine, reading for a number of years before taking a course of lectures, which he took both in Nashville, Tenn., and Louisville, Ky. In 1865 he began the practice of his profession in Simpson County, Ky., where he remained until 1870, when he came to Johnson County, Mo. Seven years later he removed to Jackson County, this state, where he engaged in practice at Sni Mills, and was very successful. Just before his removal to that place, in December. 1877, he was united in marriage with Miss Anna Kirkpatrick, of Johnson County. She was born in Wilson County, Tenn., and when but seven years of age came to Johnson County with her parents, James and Olivia (Ray) Kirkpatrick. She received a good education in Holden, and taught school for two or three years.

In early life Dr. Horn was politically a Whig, afterward an American, voting for Bell and Everett in 1860. During the war his sympathy was with the Union cause, but he did not vote for a President again until Cleveland ran for his first term. At one time he was Assessor of his county in Kentucky, retaining the office for about four years. While living at Sni Mills he was appointed Postmaster under Cleveland and served four years. In addition to that office he engaged in the drug business, and was also a physician and a minister of the Gospel.

At the age of twenty-three years Dr. Horn was converted and became a member of the Missionary Baptist Church. Soon afterward he began to speak publicly, and when about twenty-eight was licensed as a minister and was regularly ordained. For many years he practiced the profession of medicine in addition to regularly preaching the Gospel. From 1871 to 1875 he preached for four different churches, one of which was in Holden, which he was instrumental in organizing. He had twenty-five miles to ride between the churches, and at the same time he conducted a three hundred and twenty acre farm and built up a large country practice as a physician and surgeon. Often on Saturday night he traveled until midnight to make his appointment, and home again Sunday night and out again early Monday morning.

While residing at Sni Mills Dr. Horn had access to a large library, and was often called upon to review books. But here came in the help of his wife. In addition to her household duties she wrote many of the reviews, and thus was of great assistance to her husband. The Doctor started in life as a poor man, and as he was inclined to be too liberal he did not accumulate much until after his second marriage, when through the care and watchfulness of his wife he began laying up some money and has now a competence which will last them through life. They have two farms in Jackson County, in addition to some other property. They are very generous to the worthy poor and have always expended with a liberal hand.