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James Francis Ratcliff
Wight.Among the notable Randolph County
none has been more
conspicuous for three generations in this
county since 1840 than the
Wight family.
James Francis Ratcliff
Wight, the founder of the Wight family in
Randolph County was
born in Frankfort, Ky., May 26, 1819 and died
Oct. 26, 1905. He was a
son of James and Sarah (Ratcliff) Wight.James
Wight was the founder of
the Wight family in America. He was
born at Ormiston, near
Edinburgh, Scotland, Feb. 24, 1789. In 1794 he
came to America with his
parents, James and Jane ~(McConachee) Wight
and settled near
Richmond, Va. He subsequently removed to Fleming
County, Ky., and then to
Frankfort, in the same state, where he was
married Nov. 15, 1815, to
Sarah Ratcliff and to them were born eight
children. While residing in
Frankfort, James Wight was a cabinet work-
man and contractor and
built the statehouse or capital. In 1836 he took
his family to Shelby
County, Ky., and ever after lived as a farmer until
his death at the home of
one of his daughters at Normal, Ill., April 22,
1871. He was a soldier in
the War of 1812. His early education was
obtained in the common
school of the country districts. He was a mem-
ber of the Methodist
Church South and took much interest in church
affairs, giving liberally of
his means to the support of the church and
benevolences.
Sarah (Ratcliff) Wight,
wife of James Wight, was born in Richmond,
Va., May 10, 1790. She
was the daughter of Francis Ratcliff, who was
born in Chesterfield
County, Va., in 1755, and the maiden name of her
mother was Rebecca
Bridges who was born in 1758. Frances Ratcliff
was a corporal in Capt.
William Pierce' s company in the First Artillery
Regiment of Continental
troops, commanded by Col. Charles harrison
during the Revolutionary
War. This regiment was assigned to the state
of Virginia, The records of
the land office at Richmond, Va., show that
Francis Ratcliff was
allowed the portion of land allotted the corporal of
the Continental line for
three years service. Sarah Ratcliff received her
education in the common
schools and was also a member of the Methodist
Church, South.
James Francis Ratcliff
Wight married Anna Burton in Oldham
County, Ky., June 6, 1839.
She died Sept. 3, 1843, leaving one child,
James William Wight who
now resides in Moberly and a sketch of whom
appears in this volume.
The second marriage of James Francis Ratcliff
Wight was to Harriet
Amanda Head, Dec. 8, 1846. No children were the
born to this marriage. Mr.
Wight was a farmer and stock raiser taking
much interest in fine
horses and cattle and he was a promoter of agri-
cultural fairs. He owned
about 1,000 acres of land in Randolph County
upon which he resided for
more than 60 years and to which he had moved
from Shelby County, Ky.,
in the fall of 1840. He was a Methodist and
in politics a Whig, and as
a member of that party he was elected to the
state legislature from
Randolph County, which was then about equally
divided between Whigs
and Democrats, in 1854. After the dissolution of
of the Whig party, he
allied himself with the Democrats and again repre-
sented Randolph County
in the legislature in 1876, defeating after a
spirited contest one of the
most popular men of the county. During the
Civil War he was a strong
Southern sympathizer, and while he did not
enlist as a soldier he
rendered the cause much help by his counsel and
means. During that great
conflict he had many interesting experiences
which tested the true metal
of the man. While he was steadfast and
loyal to the cause in which
he believed and the principles for which he
stood he was also fair and
generous to its enemies. It has been well said
of him: The late Mr. Wight
was a man of strict integrity, a close
observer of men and
affairs, a good judge of human nature, wise in
council, and his advice
was often sought in matters financial and judicial.
He was very charitable,
having reared six orphan children.
Frances Ann (Burton)
Wight, wife of James Frances Ratcliff Wight,
was born in Oldham
County, Ky., Jan. 21, 1820 and was the daughter of
William and Ann Burton.
She came with her widowed mother and hus-
band to Randolph County,
in 1840. They made the trip in wagons, the
party consisting of eight
white people and 30 negro slaves. In coming
through Illinois, a negro
girl was kidnapped by Abolitionists which de-
tamed them several days.
The mother of the kidnapped girl was frantic
with grief because of the
kidnapping and wild with joy at the rescue. |