Presley Ephram Townsend (1823-1896) and Amanda Offutt Townsend (1824 – 1890)

Presley Ephram	The locket to the left belonged to Amanda Offutt Townsend. In addition to the photo of Presley, there is a lock of hair in the back, presumably it belonged to him.	Presley Ephram	Presley Ephram
	The hinged photo case to the left contains two daguerreotypes. One is of Presley Ephram Townsend and one is of Amanda Offutt Townsend. The image of Presley in the locket above appears to be the same as the daguerreotype and can be found worn by Amanda in a photo below.	This is a photograph of a large portrait of Presley Ephram Townsend	This has a note on the back and says it is where the great 8 were born. We believe that to be the children of Presley Ephram and Amanda who survived to adulthood.

To enlarge any of these, click on the image.

By all accounts, Presley Townsend was a well-respected citizen in Logan County. He lived a few hundred feet east of the Old Red River Meeting House. His home was called Rosedale. A "Presley E." was received into the Red River Church and baptized in November 1859.

An undated obituary for Presley reads:

"TOWNSEND,-P. E. Townsend was born in Logan County, Ky., Feb. 1, 1823, and died Dec.; 21, 1896, being the time of his death in his 74th year. He was a descendant and near relative of the Ewing family, famous in church and State, among the founders of Cumberland Presbyterianism who also came to Kentucky and brought the law with them. Brother Townsend sustained his family history, being a Christian gentleman of culture and intelligence than whom there was no more prominent in Logan County. He was a member of Red River church, and for many years one of her pillars. After the funeral services in the church, his remains were laid to rest in the Red River Cemetery. Brother Townsend was a practical Christian. His idea of religion was that it should touch and influence the lives of people and make this a better world to live in. Holding this opinion, he was ever ready with kind words and deeds, ever ready with an open purse to help in every good work. Fortune smiled upon him, and he never knew want of any comfort of life. Unlike most men of means, selfishness was foreign to his nature. It is said that no one who ever called upon him for assistance was turned away empty handed. He loved his church, and the prosperity of his church was his pride. During the last year of his life the Red River church house underwent extensive repairs within. After the carpenters and painters and paperhangers had done their work the church presented, a much more beautiful appearance within than without. So, Brother Townsend said: "I cannot die satisfied without seeing old Red River church painted without," and at his own expense he had this work done. Those white silent walls today speak in eloquent tones of his love for his church. Besides being a devoted Christian, he was a princely gentleman of the old style, of which class but few now remain. He was a grand man and all who knew him loved him. He leaves a family of six children, two daughters and four sons. One daughter is the wife of Dr. A. L. Butt, a prominent specialist in Kentucky, the other is the wife of Mr. R. B. Penick, who is a member of a noted family in Cumberland Presbyterian history. Two of his sons are prominent physicians, one in Logan County and the other in Bowling Green, Ky. The other two are farmers in Logan County. Bother Townsend's death is mourned by his children, his relatives and a very large number of friends. Though he is gone from us, his deeds live after him, and shall continue to live on, a gladdening and beneficent force -

"Until the stars grow old.

And the sun grows cold,

And the leaves of the judgment book unfold."

J. L. HILL, Pastor.

Adairville, Ky. "

An undated item from a newspaper talks of a gathering at his home for Thanksgiving and describes him as "a gentleman of the old school and true Kentuckian". The article is torn and hard to read but seems to indicate the party was presided over by Reuben Penick and his charming lady Mattie. Mattie is Presley Ephraim's daughter Martha. The article goes on to say "A royal turkey of magnificent proportions occupied one end of the ample board and was faced by a monster goose at the other, both served with the most delicious oyster dressing. Grouped around and between these two monarchs of the feast, were all kinds and varieties of viands, such as would charm the heart and tempt the appetite of any epicure. The little party [other guests were listed as Master Claude E Townsend of Dixie, Dr. R. P. Townsend, Ernest Fasey, F.L. McKernan and Dr. A. L Butt] of guests enjoyed themselves to their fullest capacity and through all future life will revert with pleasurable recollections to their visit to Rosedale. They have marked the day with a white stone, and their sincere wish is, that the large hearted Christian proprietor and the jovial incomparable Mister Reuben may live to enjoy many more such delightful occasions as the dispensing of hospitalities to their friends affords them."

Elizabeth "Bessie" Davidson Townsend Butt, Presley Ephraim's daughter told a story that indicated that Robert Ewing Townsend, Presley's son, went to war in his place because Presley had a house full of children. Robert Ewing died in battle at the age of eighteen. We have a daguerreotypes that is of Robert as a child and has a slip of paper with it that reads:

“killed in battle at Milton Tenn., a skirmish led by Gen. John Hunt Margon himself. Robert Ewing Townsend C.S.A. South Logan Co Ky. Son of P.E. Townsend”

Another story told by Bessie was about the Yankees trying to kill her father. The story was among the items found in the Filson Library in Louisville Kentucky in the Butt Cheek papers. The story in part said

"Later, the Yankees came to try to kill Pa, knowing he was a southern sympathizer, and they (the Yankees) had been fed a lot of lies by our negro, young Henry (that Pa was harboring a lot of guerrilla ammunition), about the only mean slave we had ever had. He was always mean, even when he was little. He was part Indian. He later ran off and joined the Yankee army.

Old Mr. Elisha Gorham, who was an abolitionist, but a good old man, and always fond of Pa, heard about the Yankee plan, to go to Pa's and kill him (they had stopped at the Gorham's, house, and he rolled out a barrel of whiskey and got them all drunk while he sent a Negro man courier in a hurry to tell Pa to run and hide -- the Yankees were coming to kill him. He hid in a cave down near his Aunt Sophy Bowling's.

When the soldiers came they lined up in front of the house, and a lot of them were drunk on Mr. Gorham's whiskey (he operated a distillery). Mama told them they could search the house, that there was no truth in the statement that they were harboring spies and ammunition. Then she saw n***er Henry with the soldiers. She pointed her finger at him and said 'There is the scoundrel who told you those lies -- he always would lie.'

The officer agreed that he had already told them a bunch of lies, they had found out, and took his men and went on away. We always did have a soft spot in our hearts for the Gorham family, even poor old Sally.

Their house was up near where Whippoorwill Church, an old two-story brick over in the field to the left as you went toward Whippoorwill from Schochoh.

Pa had another old negro [originally this said slave but was marked through and negro hand written], also named Henry, and when Mama was so scared after Pa had gone the night before the Yankees came, old Henry came in and said 'Don't you be 'fraid, Miss Mandy. I'm gonna lay right down here in yo' room in the doah, and the fust Yankee sticks his head in this doah, I'll split his skull wid dis ax .' And there old Henry slept on the rug all night. She always loved old Henry."

We also have a daguerreotypes of a child with a note that reads:

“Joseph F. Townsend (1856 – 1868) He died at the age of 12 in an explosion at Christmas. He was named for his mother’s maternal grandfather.”

The Logan County Will book N (pages 550 - 552) contains his will. He left 1/3 of all his property, real, personal, or mixed to his wife Amanda. All of his children or heirs (they weren't named) received equal share in balance of estate and charges against accounts were to be considered. A codicil dated Dec 24, 1886 (witnessed by J.M. Pence and M.E. Orndorff) stated that an account book included unsettled accounts against either of the sons-in-law. A codicil dated Nov 5, 1891 appointed his son T.J. and his son-in-law R. B. Penich to administer the estate. It states that if his sister Jane P. Link lives longer than P.E. Townsend, the executors were to place two $1,000 bonds in a safe bank and interest was to help support her and at her death, the bonds would revert back to the estate and be equally divided among his heirs.

This is a black and white photo of the Daguerreotype on the right.

These daguerreotypes of Amanda and Presley are found in a hinged box. In this photo, Amanda is wearing the locket with Presley’s photo in it.

An undated obituary reads "Mrs. Amanda Townsend, wife of Squire P.E. Townsend, died at Rosedale, the residence of her husband, near Schochoh, on Saturday, July 19, at the hour of 9 p.m., in the 66th year of her age. Her body was interred in the Red River church yard on the following Tuesday afternoon. The funeral services were conducted by Rev. Jesse Grider, of Bowling Green, and were attended by the largest concourse of sorrowing relatives and sympathizing friends and acquaintances that ever assembled at that place on a similar occasion. She was afflicted with a painful malady, which she bore for months with christrian (sic) fortitude and unmurmuring patience, and death, when it came to her bedside, came as a benefaction. She was the youngest child of the late Tighlman Offutt, and inherited from her father that administrative ability in the management of her husbands' (sic) household affairs and all those domestic virtues which so beatified and adorned her life. Pre-eminently the queen of her hearthstone, she dispensed her husband's bountiful hospitality with a kindness and gentleness that endeared her to the many visitors that daily sat around his board. A pure wife, a devoted mother, a kind and charitable neighbor - this perfect christian (sic) gentlewoman has gone to her reward at the hands of the great Benefactor, mourned of her bereft husband and children. Her many virtues will long live in the memory of every one who knew her".