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HON JOHN HENRY PRESCOTT, Salina
The Prescott family in the United States consists of two branches, one descending from John Prescott, of
England, who settled in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1640, and the other from James Prescott, of England, who settled
in Hampton, New Hampshire, in 1665. These two heads, John and James, were third cousins, and lineal descendants
of James Prescott, of Standish, Lancashire, England, the same who was required by order of Queen Elizabeth, dated
August, 1564, "to keep in readiness horses and armor."
Of the branch from John, of Boston, comes Colonel William Prescott, the hero of Bunker Hill, and William Heickling
Prescott, the historian. In the branch from James, of Hampton, New Hampshire, there are none so noted as the two
above named, but there are many doctors, lawyers, professors, etc., and at this time there are many holding prominent
and public positions, excelling in this respect perhaps the other branch. The two above named were truly meteors
across the horizon; but by their great splendor they eclipsed the light of the lesser stars in their quarter, while
the other branch has been composed of continued and fixed stars in the family history, none particularly excelling
the others. This latter branch is getting numerous, numbering at this time in the United States more than six thousand
bearing the name of Prescott.
John Henry Prescott is of the seventh generation in the branch of James, of New Hampshire, and is the son of
John Prescott, of Pittsfield, New Hampshire, and of Mary Clark, of the same place. He was born in the village of
Pittsfield, October 14, 1840; consequently is now thirty-eight years of age. When he was two years old his parents
moved on a farm two miles out of the village, but still in the town of Pittsfield, in the school district called
Dowborough, on the south side of Catamount Mountain. He was, therefore, raised on the hills and toils of a New
England farm. His parents were poor, and he, like most of New England's sons in those days, educated himself, teaching
school in winter, working on the farm in summer, and attending the Pittsfield Academy in the spring and fall.
When the war of the Rebellion broke out, in 1861, he was attending the academy, and wanted to enlist at once,
but as his health was at that time poor, he was induced by his parents and friends to join the army. His father
died in January, 1862, and in the spring John came home to help his mother on the farm, keeping up his studies
and reading law in the meantime. When President Lincoln, in the summer of 1862, made his two calls for three hundred
thousand men each, he felt that he must go, not only to help fill up those calls, but to help what then seemed
to be a needy cause - the cause of his country. He would go to the village, read the papers, hear the war news,
then go home and try to work on the farm, to help his then very feeble mother (whose health was then fast failing),
but he could not endure it. Duty called, and after three successive nights spent without sleep he went to his mother
and told her that he must enlist and go to help put down the rebellion. His noble mother, who had foreknown what
was brooding in his mind, with tears in her eyes, said: "My son, if you think your country needs you more
than I do, go; and may God be with you!" He went to town that afternoon and enlisted, went to war, and never
saw his mother again. We relate this anecdote as it is characteristic of his whole life - wherever duty loudest
called, he always followed.
Of his service in the cause of his country we will extract and abbreviate from an extended note, now in print
and before us, in the "Prescott Memorial," or a genealogy of the Prescott family in America, by the late
Dr. William Prescott,, of Concord, New Hampshire, a very reliable work published in 1870:
John H. Prescott enlisted as a private, for three years, August 10, 1862, in the 12th New Hampshire Volunteers,
Joseph H. Potter, colonel, and was assigned to Co. F., John F. Longley, captain. The regiment was mustered into
service September 6, 1862, and on the 20th Mr. Prescott was promoted to be commissary-sergeant on the non-commissioned
staff.
Few regiments braved more severe encounters, or suffered more severely, than the 12th New Hampshire. At Chancellorsville
and Gettysburg their loss was terribly severe; at the former place it lost more than one-half of the command, officers
and men, and nearly the same at the latter. The regiment was in many battles, and in all of them Mr. Prescott performed
his full share. At the hard-fought battle of Chancellorsville he was still commissary-sergeant. After the regiment
had crossed the Rappahannock it took light marching orders, left its knapsacks, cooking utensils, and all baggage
in a camp, and was ordered to the front. Colonel Potter told Sergeant Prescott to stay in charge of the camp. Sergeant
Prescott said: "Colonel, let some of these sick men stay in charge of this camp, please, and let me go along
with the regiment; I want to go with the regiment." The colonel, who knew what war was, smiling through his
glasses, said: "What do you want to go t the front for? you are safe here, and I know can take care of this
baggage. What can you do up to the front?" "I don't know, Colonel; but whatever there is to do, I can
do. I've got no gun. But one thing, the hospital steward is not along, nor a stretcher-bearer; what is to be done
for the wounded?" The colonel answered: "Put these sick men on guard, and you may go along." In
ten minutes after, he was up with his regiment, then hurrying to the front; and for meritorious conduct on that
day, for his coolness and intrepidity in care of the wounded, and other deeds on the battle field in which his
life was very much endangered, he was at once promoted to be first lieutenant.
The campaign of 1864 of this regiment opened with the battle of Swift creek, Virginia, May 9 and 10; Drury's
Bluff, May 16; Cold Harbor, June 3 to 12; Petersburg, June 15; Cemetery Hill, June 30. Then followed the siege
of Petersburg and Richmond.
After the battle of Cold Harbor, Lieutenant Prescott was promoted to be captain, and assigned to Co. I of his
regiment. At the opening of the campaign of 1864 he was detailed on staff duty, and served in that capacity until
the discharge of his regiment at the close of the war. He served as staff officer, aid-de-camp and acting commissary
of subsistence with Brigadier-General Wister, of Pennsylvania, Major-Generals Godfrey Weitzel and W.F. (Baldy)
Smith, Acting General Steadman, of the 11th Connecticut, General Potter, his former colonel, and Brevet Brigadier-General
Donahoe, of the 10th New Hampshire Volunteers in all of which positions he performed his duty to the entire satisfaction
of his superior officers. While acting as commissary-sergeant his duties were at times extremely arduous, he serving
all the time in the army of the Potomac and army of the James. He always was to the front with his regiment whenever
he could be, and performed his duties as such commissary. And while acting as staff officer at Cold Harbor, before
Petersburg, the blowing up of the mine, and the siege of Richmond, he was under fire a very large part of the time
for weeks and months, and yet, strange to say, he was never wounded, though these battles were among the severest
and most desperate of the war. There are many interesting and thrilling incidents in the experience of Captain
Prescott that our limits will not permit to be inserted here; suffice it to say he was left on record an excellent
and honorable reputation as a soldier, an officer, and a patriot.
After the close of the war he removed to Salina, Kansas, where he is practicing law, and now (in 1867) is clerk
of the House of Representatives of the State Legislature.
This is a very honorable war record, and we need not add to it here, though much more of detail could be said.
As above stated, Mr. Prescott settled in Salina, Kansas, in January, 1866, where he now resides. While clerk of
the House of Representatives in 1867, Judge Morton, of Topeka, was chief clerk; Mr. Prescott, assistant clerk,
and Judge Brown (late Congressman), journal clerk, and the three sat side by side and took charge of the clerk
department of that body during the winter. They have all since been judges.
In the fall of 1866 he was elected county attorney of Saline county, and was re-elected in 1868. In the fall
of 1869 he was elected a member of the State Senate, and was re-elected, serving two terms. In March, 1872, he
was appointed, by Governor Harvey, judge of the new judicial district (14th) formed in the western portion of the
State. He was elected judge for four years at the ensuring election, and re-elected in 1876, which office he is
now filling, and the record shows he has held office, at the wish of the people of his section, continuously since
and after his first year's residence in the State.
As county attorney he was very faithful, energetic and successful, and filled the office satisfactorily to
the people. As state senator he was a faithful, honest and wise legislator, always on the right side of all moral,
religious, educational and political questions; was thoroughly up to the progress of the times. He signed the ratification
of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States. He specially aided his portion
of the State in procuring appropriations for the protection of the frontier from the Indians, for troops, provisions
and seed, for which acts those old frontier settlers, as well as the Sate humanity generally, should ever be grateful.
He also procured the passage of what is known as "the herd Law" for his and adjoining counties, which
has been of inestimable value to them and the State, and which law many other counties have since adopted and are
adopting. Saline county, however, was the first in the State to adopt it. While in politics he procured for the
town of Salina the location of the United States land office of that district, and the appointment of one of her
citizens as officer therein. This office was tendered to him, but he declined it.
As a judge he has been noted for his quick perception, prompt dispatch of the public business, and perfect comprehension
of the whole case before him. He has had some very important murder trails before him, and there is a great deal
of criminal business in his district. As a citizen he has been an honest, moral and upright man, highly esteemed
by all good citizens. He is a progressive man, and successful in his own business, whatever he has taken hold of,
as every man will be who, like him, minds his own business and is indefatigable and energetic in it.
We need not, perhaps, after the above record, state that Mr. Prescott has always been a strong Republican in
politics, though generally he is not a great partisan. He is now a strong believer in a republican form of government,
is for universal education of the masses, for the retention of the Bible in the public schools, an advocate of
temperance, and for abolishing the jury system.
He is also engaged in agriculture, is at present living on a farm near Salina, has now under cultivation more
than four hundred acres of wheat, and has large number of hogs, cattle and horses. He is one of those who have
always had faith in the agricultural resources and excellencies of Kansas. Ten years ago he made a visit as far
west as Hays City, and told the people then living there that in ten years' time Hays City would be as large as
Salina then was, and Ellis county as fine a county, agriculturally, as Saline county then was, which prediction
is more than fulfilled. He has always said, and said on the Senate floor in 1868, that "the plains" -
in the sense that it is often used, as a desert, or non-agricultural land - was a myth. He believes that the whole
territory of the United States will be settled, from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast, as fast as empire can make
its way westward, and that it all will be made productive to the country in due time, for one purpose or another.
He was married in January, 1869, at Manhattan, Kansas, to Miss Mary Emma Lee, daughter of William and Mary Lee,
of Lansing, Michigan, and sister of Rev. J.H. Lee, of Manhattan, and Rev. J.N. Lee, formerly of the female seminary
(now Bethany College), Topeka, Kansas.
The United States Biographical Dictionary and Portrait Gallery of Eminent and Self-Made Men. Chicago and
Kansas City, USA: S. Lewis, 1879.Pages 428 - 430
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