A. A. Hume
A. A. Hume, ex-Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas, London, was born in Paint Township, this county, September 30, 1809. His parents were Robert and Isabella S. (Davis) Hume, natives of Virginia, and pioneers of Madison County. The subject of this sketch was about two years of age when his parents removed to London, and he has since resided there, with the exception of four or five years in Kentucky. He enjoyed but limited educational facilities in early life, and when quite young was employed as a clerk. He soon after established himself in business on the northeast corner of Main and High streets, remaining in mercantile circles about four years. He subsequently engaged in bringing cattle into Madison County from the West, and in the business of hotel keeping. In 1841, he was appointed Clerk of the Courts of Madison County, and served in that position the remarkably long period of nearly forty-two years in succession, a case without parallel in the history of the State, and probably in the Union. He has now retired from public life. and is the oldest officer (that has served or is serving) in the county. Mr. Hume is a member of Madison Lodge. No. 70. and London Encampment, No. 36 (I. O. O. F.). In early life, he was a member of the Whig party, and of late years has been identified with the Republicans. He has several times served as Councilman in the village of London. He was united in marriage in June, 1852, to Rachel Groves, a native of this county and a daughter of David Groves. Two children were sent to bless this union -- a daughter and a son; the former is deceased, and the latter is a stock-broker at Quincy, Ill. Mrs. Hume died in 1860, and Mr. Hume's second marriage occurred in 1868, when he was united to Mrs. Matilda (Harpole) Cheney, widow of Jonathan Cheney. Mr. Hume's first wife was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the present wife of the Presbyterian denomination. Mr. Hume's son, James R., enlisted in Company K, Twenty-sixth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was subsequently appointed Captain of another company in the same regiment. He was elected First Lieutenant of Company K, and was subsequently made an aid to Brig. Gen. Haskell. He served about three years altogether. A. A. Hume has been a resident of Madison County for seventy-three years, and his actions, in both public and social life, are well known to the present generation. The long term in which he held public office was a high appreciation of his sterling integrity and clerical qualifications. He is a quiet unostentatious citizen, and a pioneer of Madison County.
We believe there can be no more appropriate way of closing these sketches than to briefly mention the long official career of A. A. Hume, who, although not a pioneer in the strictest sense of the term, has, nevertheless, lived so long in Madison County, and served the people so faithfully that to leave him out of this chapter would be an injustice. He was born in Paint Township, this county, September 30, 1809, and is a son of Robert and Isabella S. Hume, who are mentioned in the foregoing pages. Here he grew up during the pioneer days, and in 1841 was appointed Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas. He was elected to fill that position eleven times in succession, serving continuously until February, 1882. The amount of official work done during this period of forty-one years cannot easily be estimated— a period stretching over one and one-third generations of people. Since the time when he took office, eight out of ten who were then living have passed away. On the 22d of February, 1882, the bar of London tendered Mr. Hume a banquet at the Phifer House, in honor of his long official life and his worth as a public servant. Every member of the bar was present, excepting two, all of the county officers and many other leading citizens to celebrate the close of the longest continuous official career in the history of Ohio. Col. J. C. McCloud, President of the Bar Association, presided at the banquet, while Hon. Henry W. Smith, on behalf of the bar, presented Mr. Hume with a gold-headed cane, on the head of which was engraved the following: "Presented to A. A. Hume, Clerk of Court from 1841 to 1882, by the London, Ohio, Bar, February 22, 1882." It was a fitting testimonial to the integrity of Mr. Hume, and a worthy mark of friendship from those whom he served so long. Letters of regret were received from Hons. Joseph R. Swan, Joseph Olds, Richard A. Harrison, Eli P. Evans and Samuel W. Courtright, while Hon. James L. Bates was present to testify to his warm friendship for the old ex-Clerk, whom he had known intimately many years. As is the general custom at such entertainments, wit and wisdom flowed freely, assisted materially by the invigorating viands prepared for the occasion. Hon. James L. Bates responded to "The Common Law;" Hon. George Lincoln to "The Court;" James M. Horrell to "The Lawyers;" S. W. Durflinger to "The Jury;" B. H. Lewis to "Attorney's Fees ;" Ernest McCormack to "Costs;" G. W. Wilson to "George Washington;" Bruce P. Jones to "The Mayor of London;" O. P. Converse to "The Ladies ;" D. C. Badger to "The Law of Evidence;" George B. Cannon to "The Civil Code;" Martin O'Donnell to "The Bar;" W. B. Hamilton to "Our Host and Hostess;" M. L. Bryan and George E. Ross to "The Press." The worthy recipient of this banquet is proud of the place he won in the hearts of the Madison County bar, and fully appreciates the honor, which was a just and fitting tribute to his official honesty and ability.
From HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY - W. H. Beers [Chicago, 1883]