Muhlenberg County Kentucky
Biographies, A
Wayland Alexander
Prof. Wayland Alexander, Muhlenberg County, was born June 26, 1839, near Louisville, Ky., and is the fifth son of six boys and three girls (seven lived to man and womanhood) born to Joseph W. and Caroline E. (Wells) Alexander, natives of King and Queen County, Va., and of Jefferson County, Ky., respectively. Joseph W. Alexander settled in Jefferson County in 1833, and spent the greater part of his life in agricultural pursuits; in 1836 immigrated to Daviess County, where he engaged in farming until his death in 1876; his wife (mother of our subject) was a daughter of Gen. Y.P. Wells, of Irish descent, who attained considerable distinction in the early Indian wars of Kentucky.
Prof. Alexander was reared on a farm until he was fourteen. He had attended the district schools, and being of a studious turn of mind, at that age had made sufficient progress to enter Asbury, now DuPaw University at Greencastle, Ind., where he remained two years. In 1855, he left Greencastle, and came to Shelbyville, Ky., and entered college there, having for his preceptor Dr. William I. Waller, a man of fine talent as a teacher; he continued his studies for two years.
While in Shelby County, he commenced the study of law with Judge Joseph P. Foree; from this office he went to Louisville, Ky., and attended law lectures at the University. About that time he was obliged to discontinue his studies on account of lack of necessary funds; but having early determined to become a teacher, he opened a school in 1858, at Sacramento, Ky. In this undertaking his untiring energy and indomitable perserverance were at last crowned with success; he soon commanded a liberal and extensive patronage, which steadily increased; he has taught twenty-eight years in the thickly settled country on the Green River, and is widely known and universally respected for his talents and virtures.
Having by his industry accumulated the necessary means, he established a college in 1873, in South Carrollton, called the South Carrollton Male and Female Institute, in which enterprise he met with the hearty co-operation of the public. This institution was conducted under his supervision, assisted by an able corps of teachers until 1880, when he was elected President of the Hartford College for a period of three years, where he met with the greatest success; during his stay in Hartford, in 1882, by a special act of the legislature, the Sout Carrollton Male and Female Institute was changed to West Kentucky Classical and Normal College.
To this Prof. Alexander returned in 1883, and was elected president. The College is in a flourishing condition, and ranks as the largest in the State. The institution is conducted under his direct supervision, assisted by an able corps of teachers, and embraces in its curriculum all the studies of an advanced education, including the classics, modern languages and the higher mathematics. The college is one of the largest Normals in the state.
Prof. Alexander was married September 4, 1860, to Jennis Davis, of Muhlenberg County, Ky., and a daughter of Dr. Charles W. and Mary (McConnell) Davis, who were natives of Nelson and Muhlenberg Counties, respectively. Dr. Charles Davis was the son of Elijah Davis, who is said to be one of the first white children born in Nelson County, Ky. He was born in 1787; was a farmer and represented the county in the legislature; he died near Bloomfield, in 1873.
To Professor and Mrs. Alexander were born seven children: Nannie Sue, now nineteen, alone survives. The Professor and wife are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He is without doubt one of the most popular educators in the country.
Source: Battle, J.H., W.H. Perrin, & G.C. Kniffen. Kentucky: A History of the State. Louisville, KY: F.A. Battey, 1885, pp. 894-895.
Updated April 23, 2024.