Judge E. C. O'Rear (1863-1961)
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Individual Narrative of Edward Clay O'Rear
Edward ClayO'Rear was born on 2 Feb 1863
at Camargo, Kentucky. He was educated between 1869 and 1871
at Camargo, Kentucky. He was enumerated with Daniel
O'Rear on 1 Jun 1870 on the Census at Camargo,
Kentucky. He witnessed the death of Daniel O'Rear
on 11 Nov 1871 at Camargo, Kentucky. He resided
circa 1874 at Mt. Sterling, Kentucky. He was a "printer's
devil" circa 1875 at the "Sentinel-Democrat", Mt. Sterling,
Kentucky. He was enumerated with Sibba Mynhier
on 1 Jun 1880 on the Census at Mt. Sterling, Kentucky.
He resided in Jan 1881 at West Liberty, Kentucky. He was employed
by Judge John Thomas Hazelrigg who owned the newspaper there appointed him editor of the newspaper and he
began "reading law" with his employer in Jan 1881 at the
"Mountain Scorcher", West Liberty, Kentucky. Loved to tell humorous stories especially if they were
about himself and some of the situations that he experienced. He A WET CROSSING FOR JUDGE O’REAR
TAUGHT HIM RESPECT FOR THE LICKING
by Helene Price Stacy, Leader Correspondent
I saw Judge Edward Clay O’Rear only one time, but I
have number of letters which he wrote and in which he recorded much Eastern Kentucky history. After a cold frigid swim into a small pond on a
snowy march day that fortunately turned out to be unnecessary, I remembered a communication of Judge O’Rear telling about the time he encountered
the Licking River on a bitter cold March day when at age 20 he was scouting the hill country in the campaign of J. Proctor Knott for governor.
He had been a resident of West Liberty two years, a printing apprentice and law student under John Tom Hazelrigg.
The young man had made his
campaign for Knott and at Salyersville in Magoffin County on his return to West Liberty, he found that an all night rain had sent the Licking
from its banks. W. Press Taulbee of Salyersville warned him of the danger and told him to bypass the usual route and skirt around Turkey Creek
Ridge.
O’Rear forded the Lick Fork three times and reached the home of John Franklin at Bloomington, where there usually was a ferry, but this
time the ferry and Franklin both were gone and O’Rear decided to take a chance. With his horse he swam the wide, turbulent stream. About a mile
downstream he stopped at Herod Patrick’s to warm and dry his clothes. Patrick tried to keep him from going on.
“But I was homesick and
headstrong,” related the Judge, “and would not be detained. Next was crossing White Oak Creek at Alen’s Store which meant nothing more than
getting wet again. But the snow had started, bitter cold and biting.”
He left the valley at W.A. Lacy’s and came to the Gordon Ford of
Licking where he expected to find another ferry, but old Uncle Shack Easterling had the boat out on the bank and was trying to calk the bottom.
Uncle Shack extended the mountain gesture “to stay the night till the water runs down,” but the young man was determined. He told Uncle Shack
his plan to cross the river “upstream a ways” where it was more likely the current would carry him directly across. The elderly man shook his
head and repeated his warning.
Said O’Rear, “I felt that I would not be liked by just a little old river even if it was the Licking. First
step into the water my horse went under head and ears and I to my waist. I decided to swim alongside. The current picked us up ... carried
us past the getting out spot ... on past the next likely spot ... I remember going by enough to see Uncle Shack, his face a frozen look of
amazement and horror as he watched helplessly. Some distance down we were finally carried to the other side...”
The Scotsman Marion
Gordon’s house was next and Young O’Rear said he should have stopped there to warm and rest, or on some distance at the home of Squire James
Fugate or Bob Elam’s ... but he knew home and West Liberty were next and freezing and exhausted he traveled on.
At home, loving ones
stripped him, wrapped him in warm blankets and placed him before a roaring fireplace. “My brother in law, Claude Hazelrigg gave me a big
swig of apple brandy. Dr. Claude Carter was called in.” When it looked as if the frozen O’Rear might be in for it, the doctor’s father, Dr.
Willis G. Carter was called.
Recalled the venerable Judge who later distinguished himself as a statesman and barrister, “I was ill for a
week. Pneumonia. I had learned a wholesome respect for old Licking when it was on one of its many rampages. Providence had evidently
designed I should carry on for many more years.”
Judge Edward Clay O’Rear lived 78 more years before he made his final crossing
in 1882. He was admitted to the bar as an attorney
on 16 Mar 1882 at Salyersville, Kentucky. He married
Virginia Lee Hazelrigg, daughter of
Col. John Thomas Hazelrigg
and Josephine Phillips,
on 30 Nov 1882 at West Liberty, Kentucky, (his former employer and mentor). He resided in Sep 1886 at Mt. Sterling, Kentucky. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress against John Henry Wilson of Barbourville in 1888 at Tenth Congressional District, Kentucky. He was the supervisor of the Federal Census in 1890 at Tenth Congressional District, Kentucky. He was elected the County Judge in 1894 at Montgomery County, Kentucky. He My Grandfather’s Grandfather Clock
The following story was related to his grandson, Edward C. O'Rear II, by Judge E. C. O’Rear of Woodford County, Kentucky, on August 25, 1947. The scene of the story is late 1899 at the O’Rear farm near Mt. Sterling, Kentucky where Judge O'Rear's grandfather, John O’Rear, settled in 1798. Judge O'Rear's uncles, Joseph C. O’Rear and Colonel John W. O’Rear (he had been a Lt. Colonel in the militia) owned the place at this time.
“Uncle John was the last to die of the two brothers. During his last illness, in fact shortly before he died, I used to spend the night out at the house. I slept in the same room with Uncle John to be on hand in case he needed attention. Among the furnishings of his room was a grandfather clock, literally my grandfather’s clock which had been purchased by him early in the last century and inherited by Uncle John when my grandfather died. Now Uncle John had always lived on the old home place, had done very little traveling and in fact died in this same room in which he had been born. This clock needed winding every night and Uncle John had done this every night for many years. One night after I had gone to sleep I was awakened by Uncle John calling me. I went to see what the matter was and although he was very feeble and I could hardly hear him, he was saying “The clock! The clock!” Then I realized that I had forgotten to wind the clock and it had wound down and stopped ticking. Uncle John had missed the familiar 'tick tock' of the old clock." between Sep 1899 and Dec 1899. He appeared on the census of 1 Jun 1900 at Mt. Sterling, Kentucky. He was elected judge of the court of appeals in 1900 at Seventh Appellate District, Kentucky. By 1904, Edward Clay O'Rear and Virginia Lee Hazelrigg had seven children: Prentice, Col. John Thomas Hazelrigg, Mabel, Helen, James Bigstaff, Hazel, and Virginia. He was became the Chief Justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals in 1906 at Kentucky. He was re-elected as Chief Justice of the Court of Appeals (without any opposition) in 1908 at Seventh Appellate District, Kentucky. He resigned from the Court of Appeals at the insistence of many friends to accept the Republican nomination to the office of Governor of Kentucky. In the election after an aggressive campaign, he was defeated by James B.McCreary of Richmond, Kentucky in Nov 1911. He was an attorney between 1912 and 1961 at Frankfort, Kentucky. A story is told about Judge O'Rear concerning the time he was in Philadelphia for a conference in regard to pending litigation with other Standard Oil Company attorneys. During a lunch at a prestigious club there, it seems the other attorneys (mostly graduates of highly reputable colleges and universities such as Harvard, Yale, and Princeton) were discussing their alma maters, and Judge Orear was asked his alma mater. He replied, "I went to the University of Camargo, Sir". Upon hearing his reply, the other gentlemen all remarked very knowingly upon what a great and wonderful school it was. One version of the story speculates that the other gentlemen assumed that the University of Camargo was a European institution. He and Virginia Lee Hazelrigg were divorced in 1943. He witnessed the death of Virginia Lee Hazelrigg on 20 Nov 1944 at Frankfort, Kentucky. He married Mabel Taylor after 1945. He The following auto-biographical sketch is extracted from "A History of the Montgomery County (Ky.) Bar" by Edward C. Orear, March 24, 1945, Page 117 and is indicative of the modesty of Judge Orear when this sketch is compared to those sketches he wrote of other attorneys of his time:
"Edward C. O'Rear, youngest son of Daniel and Sibba (Mynheir) O'Rear born at Camargo, Montgomery County, Kentucky, February 2, 1863. Common School. Admitted to the bar at Salyersville, Kentucky, March 16, 1882. Practiced at West Liberty, Kentucky till 1886, at which date removed to Mt. Sterling. Served as County Judge of Montgomery County, 1894-1897. Elected Judge, Court of Appeals of Kentucky, November, 1900. Re-elected November, 1908. Resigned December, 1911. Since lived and practiced at Frankfort and in Woodford County, Kentucky."
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Much of the information concerning the O'Rear line comes from work done by Judge O'Rear and his grandson, Edward Clay O'Rear II. Judge O'Rear prepared a paper entitled "The Orear (O'Rear) Family". The paper was probably intended for primarily close family use, but copies have surfaced in many genealogical libraries throughout the Unitedd States. His grandson prepared a short genealogical table of the family as known at the time which was included with the paper. It is thought the paper was prepared about 1945-1947 on 24 Mar 1945. He was a trustee of the University of Kentucky (appointed by Gov. Simeon Willis in Aug 1946 at Kentucky. He Much of the information concerning the O'Rear family comes from work done by Judge O'Rear and his grandson, Edward Clay O'Rear II continuing the early work of Dr. Ernest Day Everett. Judge O'Rear prepared a paper entitled "The Orear (O'Rear) Family" to accompany his grandson's short genealogical table of the family as known at the time. This paper was prepared for an O'Rear family reunion held about 1947 in Indiana, but copies have surfaced in many genealogical libraries throughout the United States in 1947. He resided before 1950 at Ashley House Farm, Woodford County, Kentucky. On 26 May 1958, Ripley's Believe It or Not noted that Judge E. C. O’Rear and his father, Daniel, in their combined lifetimes spanned the administration of every President of the United States. Daniel O’Rear was born April 23, 1796, “within the stockade of Fort Boonesborough, Kentucky” while Judge O’Rear was born in Montgomery County, Kentucky on February 2, 1863. Judge O'Rear lived until after John F. Kennedy, the 35th U. S. President, was in office. He was presented the Governor's Medal for Distinguished Citizenship by Gov. A.B. "Happy" Chandler in Jun 1959 at Frankfort, Kentucky. He and Mabel Taylor had no children. He died on 12 Sep 1961 at Woodford County, Kentucky, at age 98. He was buried on 14 Sep 1961 at Machpelah Cemetery, Mt. Sterling, Kentucky. He was named as the first Contributing Citizen (Founding Era) in the Mt. Sterling-Montgomery County, Kentucky, Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame. Judge O'Rearwas awarded such respoect that he was still being honored and remembered in the April 2004 issue of the Kentucky League of Cities magazine on 4 Nov 1998 at Mt. Sterling, Kentucky.
Please send e-mail to: Lee H. Hoffman
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