WILLIAM N. OFFUTT, farmer and short-horn breeder; P.O. Georgetown; was born in Scott County in August, 1841. His father, Alexander Offutt was native of Maryland; born Oct. 10, 1803; emigrated to Scott County with his parents in about 1810; during his life followed the occupation of a farmer, and died in 1873. His mother was Emeline Smith, born in Scott County in 1824, and died in 1853; she was the mother of five children, William N. Offutt being the oldest child of five children, William N. Offutt being the oldest child. He attended the Georgetown College to the opening of the war, when he enlisted in the Confederate Army, and served under Morgan to the close of the war; when he began farming in his native county, at which he still continues. In 1868 he began breeding and raising short horn cattle, and is at the present time making it a specialty. In 1868, in Scott County, he married Miss Sue W. Ford, a native of Scott County; born to Reuben and Mary (Webb) Ford in 1850; he was born in Scott County in June, 1819, attended the school at Oxford Ohio, and graduated at the Center College when bu sixteen years of age. He attended the Transylvania Law School at Lexington, where he graduated with high honors; in 1839 was admitted to the bar, and began to practice of his profession, continuing the same until 184_ when he gave up his profession and began farming which he continued to the time of his death, which occurred in September, 1856. He was married in Scott County in 1843, to Miss Mary Webb, a native of Scott County, born at her present residence to Mitchum and Susan (Holmes) Webb. Mr. and Mrs. Offutt have had five children, three of whom are living: Reuben I., William N., Jr., and M. Webb. They have the well improved farm of 900 acres, called "Elmwood."
Will N. Offutt is a farmer and stock raiser, having a large farm of several hundred acres of the best land in Scott Co., on the Paris Pike. He attended college until the opening of the war, when he enlisted as a Confederate and served under Morgan, until the close. In 1868 he married Miss Sue W. Ford and they had five sons but raised only three:
1. Reuben, a farmer
2. Will, a physician
3. M. Webb, who is now studying civil engineering.
On 26 Oct. 1873, William N. Offutt was appointed a Ruling Elder of the Georgetown Presbyterian Church. Col. Offutt raised the first crop of burley tobacco ever grown in Kentucky in 1878, and received the highest price for it. Besides owning "Elmwood", a beautiful stock farm containing 900 acres or more, he has a beautiful home in Georgetown on East Main Street and goes to and from his place daily.
Ref: "Kentucky Ante-Bellum Portraiture", by Edna Talbott Whitely, Scott Co. ,Ky.
p. 558
After being prepared at Oxford, Ohio, Reuben Flournoy Ford graduated from Centre College at age 16, received his LLB from Transylvania and established a successful practice at Georgetown. After his marriage in 1843 to Mary Boswell Webb, they resided on the old Oxford Road, at the old Ford farm, her father's wedding gift to the young couple.
The Offutt family migrated from Maryland to Scott Co. in 1810, when Alexander Offutt was but 7 years old. He grew up to marry Emeline Smith, 1824-1853, and became the father of William N. Offutt (who m. 1868 Sue Webb Ford) in 1841 and four younger children. While attending Georgetown College, William N. Offutt enlisted in the confederate service under John Hunt Morgan, serving as a captain.
In about 1870 he moved to his wife's farm, "Elmwood" and there specialized in rearing fine short-horn cattle and revived the culture of tobacco in 1878.