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Biography
Francis Marion Bristow, legislator, was born on August 11, 1803, in Clark County, Kentucky, the son of Archibald and Philadelphia Bourne Bristow. He received a liberal education, studied law, and was admitted to the bar. He settled in Elkton, where he practiced law and farmed. He was elected as a Whig to one-year terms in the state House of Representatives in 1831 and 1833 and to the state Senate in 1846. A member of the state constitutional convention in 1849, Bristow opposed the further spread of slavery (before his death, he freed all his slaves capable of providing for themselves); he advocated an elective judiciary, universal male suffrage, and an equal and uniform tax. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from December 4, 1854, to March 3, 1855, and there supported internal improvements, the limitation of immigration, and diplomatic and consular reform. At the dissolution of the Whig party, he and John J. Crittenden attempted to form a moderate political party acceptable to the border states as well as to the South. He was one of eleven Opposition Party candidates elected to the 36th Congress in 1859, serving from March 4, 1859, to March 3, 1861.
As a member of the Special Committee of Thirty-three, Bristow opposed the acquisition of new territory, supported the reestablishment of the Missouri Compromise line and, in an effort to prevent the South from becoming a minority in the Union, advocated the admission of New Mexico as a state. Bristow was also one of twelve Kentucky delegates to the boarder state convention held in May 1861 at Frankfort, where he urged the states to mediate the sectional controversy. Failing this, he helped formulate the Bowling Green Resolves of May 1861, which declared that Kentucky would remain in the Union and that "no just cause" existed for secession. Because of his strong Union sentiments, he and his family fled to Indiana during the war but later returned to Kentucky.
Bristow married Emily Helm in 1831; they had two daughters, Mary Margaret and Martha Maria, and two sons, Benjamin Helm Bristow and Frank H., who fought for the Union. Bristow died on June 10, 1864, and was buried at Elkton. [1]
Edwards Hall
The Bristows lived at Edwards Hall, Elkton. Frank and Emma's children were born in the house, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The following is a description of Edwards Hall:
Edwards Hall is the red-brick house which faces north to the old town and overlooks the present Elkton community. The home was built in 1821 by Benjamin Edwards, who is said to have come to Elkton to be near Betsy, his daughter, who was married to John Gray.
The design of the house is said to have been modeled after a place which was designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The brick in the building was burned on the grounds. About forty-one acres remain around the dwelling. The woodwork of the house is mostly original and of native black walnut, painted. The interior doors are eight-paneled and there is a fine reeding within the door frames. All mantels and woodwork are said to have been carved by the Edwards slaves.
There is no front porch; double front doors fashioned of wood are flanked by narrow glass panes and small panes over the doors. There is a wide stone terrace at the entrance, surrounded by a simple iron railing. An uncovered balcony just above the double doors has an identical railing. Much of the glass is original and the double doors are five feet wide.
On the east side of the entrance hall, the bedroom is that which was occupied by Benjamin Edwards. The original kitchen is in the basement, finished with brick and complete with a large cooking fireplace. A passageway connects the house with two small brick rooms about thirty feet away. To the east, about fifty feet, there is a brick cottage, possibly used for slave quarters. Some 200 feet south and slightly west, there is a small burial ground enclosed by a stone wall. Buried there are Benjamin Edwards, his wife Margaret, their son, Elisha Beall, and his wife, Martha. [2]
Interment
Francis Marion Bristow is buried in Glenwood Cemetery, Elkton, Todd County, Kentucky. [3]
Sources
- ↑ The Kentucky Encyclopedia. https://books.google.com/books?id=CcceBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA124&lpg=PA124&dq=encyclopedia+of+kentucky+bristow&source=bl&ots=9m2WwHUwyW&sig=hOC4aJ1q4hQzaLVZbVs35oBW7jo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjCn6qN27TcAhWCn4MKHbzFCb4Q6AEINzAC#v=onepage&q=encyclopedia%20of%20kentucky%20bristow&f=false
- ↑ The Story of Todd County, Kentucky, 1820-1970.
- ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #48772656