Bio: Capt. John R. Ogilvie, Webster Par., Louisiana Source: Source: Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Northwest Louisiana The Southern Publishing Company, Chicago & Nashville, 1890 Submitted by: Gwen Moran-Hernandez Date: April 2000 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** ===Capt. John R. Ogilvie, a prosperous farmer in this parish, is the youngest son of William Ogilvie and Matilda Blurton, and was born near Nashville, Tenn., in 1826; was one of a family of eight children: George W., James H. (now a resident of Johnson County, Ark.), Elizabeth (wife of William G. Hunt), Mary A. (wife of Charles Warren), William S., Harris B. (of Nashville, Tenn.), John R. And Patrick H. The father, William Ogilvie, was born in North Carolina in 1779, and was a soldier in the War of 1812. He was the son of Harris Ogilvie, who moved from North Carolina to Tennessee in 1787. Harris was the son of Oscar Ogilvie, who was one of three brothers who emigrated to America from England, and settled in North Carolina long before the Revolutionary War. John R. Married, in Tennessee in 1847, and in 1859 went to Texas. In 1861 he enlisted in Gen. Hood's regiment, was made lieutenant of a company, and was afterward promoted to captain. Previous to the late Civil War he was one of a company of citizens that organized to protect their homes and property from the depredations of thieves, and bring the law breakers to justice. The organization spread all over the State of Texas and continued to grow and improve in its methods and plans of operation until it developed into the organization known as the Farmers' Alliance. In 1880 he settled in this State, and being a widower married Judge Baker's daughter. Her paternal ancestors came from England and landed at Baltimore probably a century before the war of 1776 and settled in Virginia. At the beginning of the Revolution Stephen Baker and William Baker, two brothers, were wealthy planters residing near Richmond. About this time William moved to West Virginia, then a wilderness. When the king's authority was overthrown in the colonies he favored the patriot cause. Not finding it pleasant to live among hostile Indians, led on by Tories to depredate on the inhabitants, he sent his two sons, John and William, with a large herd of cattle down in North Carolina, and he started back to Richmond with his negroes and the rest of the family, but was never heard of any more. It was thought that he and all his family were murdered by the enemy. The two sons remained with the cattle in North Carolina until they found that they were all being stolen in spite of their efforts to protect them; they became discouraged and abandoned them and joined the army. William was seventeen years old when he began his career as a soldier under the famous Marion in South Carolina. Bereft of family and property this boy soldier fought the enemy with a desperation that none but those similarly situated can fight. The gallant band to which he belonged soon struck terror to the enemy. He remained with the army until the war closed. At the close of the war William married Miss Sarah Arnet, at Charleston, S. C., and settled in Anson County, N. C., where they reared a large family. The following are the names of their children: William, John, James and Peter were the names of his sons; his daughters were Sarah, Elizabeth, Jane, Susan and Jennie. He and his wife lived and died in Anson County, N. C. His four sons came west and lived to a ripe old age, and died, each leaving a large family. The members of these families are numbered among the aged of the communities in which they live. Mrs. Ogilvie's father is the grandson of the veteran, William Baker, and is seventy-five years old and lives a quite life on a small farm. He studied law when but a youth, and has held several offices of public trust, and was faithful in the discharge of his duties both as an officer and as a private citizen. He held the office of probate judge during the stormy period that followed the reconstruction of the State after the late war. Coming into office amid new surroundings, with no precedent to guide him, he showed rare executive abilities in the discharge of his public duties and in the management of the conflicting elements with which he had to contend at that turbulent period. Several times when partisan politics ran high, and there were riots almost all over the State, his coolness, courage and good judgment warded off trouble in his parish, and peace and quiet reigned. He established good public schools all over the parish when he was president of the school board, and brought suit against the State school board upon its refusal to allow the pro rata share of the public funds to the parish. He has much trouble and worry over the suit, but finally gained it, and saw that all teachers were duly compensated for their services. In politics he always evinced more solicitude for the welfare and the happiness of the people than for his own emolument and aggrandizement. During the times he held office in the two States in which he has lived he has win the friendship of many and commanded the respect of his bitterest opponents. Wile others amassed large fortunes by political trickery, he left the arena of politics but little better off financially than his grandfather was at the termination of the War of 1776. Mrs. Ogilvie's maternal great-grandfather was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and served under Gen. Morgan. This family were French Huguenots and fled from the persecutions in France to Holland, and thence to America, landing at Charleston, S. C. His name was Isaac Arlige, sometimes called Aldridge. When the war ended he married at Charleston, S. C., a Miss Millie Ashly, born in Wales, England. The Arlige's and Ashly's were among the early settlers of old Charleston, S. C.