Kentuckiana Genealogy: Biographies: Menaugh, Eli W.

By Board Administration (Admin) on Tuesday, August 22, 2000 - 10:58 am:

Circuit Clerk, and the most popular of all the Washington County officials, was born in Salem Indiana, 17JAN1844, and is a son of John L. and Lavina (Naugle) Menaugh. The latter was of German origin. The former, John L. Menaugh, was born in Taylorsville, Ky in 1807. He came to Indiana and settled in Washington County. He was a farmer, but afterwards engaged in merchandising and banking. He was a man of much local prominence, and was elected Sheriff in 1846, then to the Legislature, serving one term. He was Treasurer of the county eight years and postmaster many years under Democratic administrations-also took the census in 1870.

He was Colonel of the militia of Washington County during the Mexican war, He died in 1879. His father, Thomas Menaugh, a native of Ireland, came to America during the latter part of the century, and settled in North Carolina, but some years later moved to Kentucky, and later, in 1809, to Indiana, where his life was spent as a farmer.

Eli W., the subject of this sketch, was reared in Salem, and educated in the common schools of the county, and at the age of seventeen years entered the army as a private, in the company of Capt. James Banta, and served all through the war. He arose to the rank of Quartermaster's Sergeant, and came home in the summer of 1865. After his return from the army he opened a store, which he carried on for six years; then served as Deputy Clerk, and in 1886 he was elected Circuit Clerk without opposition, a position he now holds. In 1866 he was married to Alice A., daughter of Wm. A. and Cynthia (Mitchell) Kemp, natives of this state. They have fice children, viz: Nina, wife of Theodore Wilson, Deputy Clerk; Heber L., Annie D. Clyde and Gertrude. He is a member of the Baptist Church of the Masonic Order, and of the K. of P., G.A.R., etc. He has held all the principal offices of the Masonic Lodge, and of the other organizations to which he belongs. He was a delegate to the National encampment G.A.R. which met in St. Louis in 1887. He was also a delegate from his congressional district to the Democratic National Convention at St. Louis in 1888.

He was Chairman of the Democratic Central Committee of his county in the campaign of 1888, and while every county adjoining his lost to the Democracy from 200 to 300 votes, yet his county, after a close and thorough organization, succeeded in giving one of her old time Democratic majorities.