He left home at an early age and decided to seek his fortunes in the West.
After a short stint in Virginia, he emigrated to Saline County, Missouri, near Brownsville, today known as Sweet Springs.
In 1838, he married Miss Eliza Jane Kincaid of Union, Virginia.
They lived in Sweet Springs until 1840, then moved to Lexington, where he soon became involved in a number of entrepreneurial and public pursuits.
He became a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Lexington in 1844 and served as a deacon and elder.